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DANGER GIRL!
Screenplay by Bill Hays dated October 23, 2001
Copyright © 2001 Bill Hays
FADE IN:
INT LIVING ROOM SUMMER, 1963 DAY
MIKE PULLMAN, age 10, watches television in the living room of his
comfortable suburban home.
ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
President Kennedy met briefly with
his Security Advisors before heading
for Camp David. Vice President Johnson
said Cuban airspace...
Since this is 1963, Mike changes channels by turning the rotary knob.
SECOND CHANNEL (V.O.)
Here he comes, here comes Speed Racer,
he's a demon on wheels.
Mike runs to the kitchen.
Mike opens a cabinet and takes out a bowl, a spoon and a box of Cracker
Jacks.
Mike sits on the floor in front of the television. He empties the box
into the bowl and then eats the Cracker Jacks with the spoon, like a
bowl of cereal.
Mike hears a car pull into the driveway.
Mike runs to the front window and looks out.
An immaculate 1962 Chevy Impala stops in the driveway.
The door on the driver's side opens.
Mike hurries back to the television set and fidgets.
The front door opens and NICK PULLMAN, 37, ENTERS. He's a sharp dresser
with perfect manners and movie star looks.
NICK
Hi, Mike.
MIKE
Hi, Dad. I'm watching Speed Racer.
NICK
Mike, there are some people in
the car that I want you to meet.
MIKE
Uh-huh.
NICK
There's a lady. Her name is Teanna.
MIKE
Uh-huh.
NICK
Mike, I'm not trying to replace your
Mother. That's not how it works. We're
partners, you and I. You're my son
and you're the most important thing in
my life.
MIKE
Uh-huh.
NIKCK
She can't replace your Mother, but I
love Teanna just as much, in a different
sort of way. She's very quiet and gentle
and she's a very smart lady. And she's
a very good cook. We need to eat something
other than Cracker Jacks for dinner.
MIKE
Uh-huh.
NICK
If you like her, Mike, I intend to marry
her. I've already asked her, and she
said yes.
MIKE
Uh-huh.
NICK
She has a son, too. His name is
Benjamin, and he's two years older than
you are. So he would be your new big
brother. I'm going to bring her in now.
Nick opens the front door and TEANNA KAI, 36, ENTERS.
Nick kisses her quickly on the cheek, then exits through the same door
and closes it behind him.
Teanna is a lovely Vietnamese woman with a winsome smile. She's kind
and intelligent. A silk scarf around her neck gives her simple dress a
touch of class.
TEANNA
You must be Mike. Hello, Mike.
MIKE
Hello.
TEANNA
My name is Teanna, and I'm Vietnamese.
Do you know where Vietnam is?
MIKE
Uh-huh.
TEANNA
It's in Asia, on the other side of
the Pacific Ocean. Two years ago, I
left Vietnam and became an American
citizen. I divorced my husband and
brought my son with me. I'd like you
to meet him.
The front door opens again. Nick enters, followed by an
arrogant young Vietnamese boy named BENJAMIN KAI, 13. He's four inches
taller than Mike and he isn't smiling.
NICK
Benjamin, this is my son Mike.
Mike, this is your new big brother,
Benjamin.
The two boys reluctantly shake hands. Neither one is willing to look
the other one in the eye. Not a good sign.
INT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DAY
Benjamin has trouble understanding English, especially when MRS. TRUMAN,
72, his new home room teacher, talks too fast.
MRS. TRUMAN
Does anyone know... Benjamin?
BENJAMIN
What?
MRS. TRUMAN
I know English isn't your native
language, but I don't have time to
slow down for you.
BENJAMIN
Then don't.
MRS. TRUMAN
It's just that I can't, not for
one little boy.
KIRK, 12, pushes the corners of his eyes up with his fingers, an insult
aimed at Benjamin. Benjamin ignores it.
EXT OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL DAY
MIKE unlocks his bicycle from the rack behind the school.
BENJAMIN comes up behind Mike and pushes him to the ground, then sits
on Mike's chest and hits him several times in the face.
BENJAMIN
(Mostly in Vietnamese, with a
few English words thrown in.)
I don't know why my Mother had to marry
an American. I want to go back to Vietnam
and live with my own father.
MIKE
Get off me.
BENJAMIN
Shut up, you ugly American pig.
Benjamin punches Mike in the face.
MIKE
That's enough. Get off me.
BENJAMIN
You want me to stop? Ask me
in Vietnamese.
MIKE
I don't know any Vietnamese.
BENJAMIN
I know a hundred times more English
than you know Vietnamese, and they
think I'm stupid?
Benjamin continues hitting Mike in the face, again and again.
MIKE
Stop. My father's going to kill
you. Stop it, please. Please stop.
Please?
Benjamin grew up on some mean streets where fighting is taken very, very
seriously. By the time he's done, Mike is unconscious and has to be
taken to the hospital.
INT HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM DAY
Nick paces the floor, furious at what Benjamin has done to his son.
HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM DAY
Teanna sits next to Benjamin. She's furious, and he doesn't seem to
care.
TEANNA
Why?
BENJAMIN
He's American. I hate all of them.
I just want to go home and live with
my father.
Nick appears in the doorway.
NICK
Son, you just got your wish.
TEANNA
Nick? He can't go back.
NICK
Sure, he can. You're an American
citizen, but they still consider him
Vietnamese.
BENJAMIN
He is right. I am Vietnamese.
TEANNA
Then go home and live with your father.
If that's what you really want.
INT AIRPORT TERMINAL DAY
Teanna tries to kiss Benjamin good-bye, but the headstrong youth wants
nothing to do with her. Benjamin walks past the stewardess and boards
the plane.
Teanna waves good-bye, but he doesn't look back to see it.
EXT SAIGON AIRPORT DAY
Benjamin gets off the plane and meets his father, KWAN, 40, a lean and
wiry soldier-type. Kwan is overjoyed to have his son back.
INT HOSPITAL ROOM NIGHT
A worried Nick sits next to his son's hospital bed, praying for him to
make a full recovery.
NICK
Don't leave me, Mike. Not this way.
There's so much of life you haven't seen
yet. And a lot of it can be very, very
wonderful. Do you want a sports car?
That '58 Corvette on your wall? I promise
you, Mike, as soon as you're old enough,
I'll buy you any car you want. Just get
well.
EXT VIETNAM WAR ABOUT 1965
Stock footage shows American soldiers slugging through jungle terrain.
Napalm is loaded into wing tanks and then dropped to defoliate the dense
jungle.
American POWs are held in prison camps. More stock footage of the press
conference after the POW's returned home.
EXT VILLAGE STREET NIGHT
Bicycle traffic is busy along a crowded street.
KWAN stops his bicycle and hands a package wrapped in heavy brown paper
to a tiny Vietnamese LAUNDRY WOMAN, 60. She hides the package inside
her bag of clean laundry.
Kwan kisses her on the cheek and then bicycles away.
EXT HOTEL NIGHT
The American soldiers have taken over this hotel as their living
quarters and communications center.
The Laundry Woman carries her laundry bag up the front steps. A
SOLDIER, 17, opens the door for her and she enters the hotel.
INT HOTEL LOBBY NIGHT
The Laundry Woman approaches a CORPORAL, 22, and a SERGEANT, 30, sitting
at a table. She holds up the bag.
LAUNDRY WOMAN
I have clean laundry. I do laundry
for Colonel Worthington.
CORPORAL
Sergeant, did Colonel Worthington send
out any laundry?
SERGEANT
I think he did, sir. Hold on. Let me
check upstairs.
The Sergeant picks up the telephone and dials.
FIVE SOLDIERS enter with TWO VIET CONG PRISONERS.
COLONEL WORTHINGTON, 45, enters the lobby to check out the prisoners.
COLONEL WORTHINGTON
This is one of our terrorists?
FIRST SOLDIER
They call themselves the "Gang of
Fifty." So I guess there are fifty
of them.
SECOND SOLDIER
We found the bomb on him, sir.
C4 with a detonator on a switch.
COLONEL WORTHINGTON
How do they get so much C4? They must
have a source.
The Laundry Woman moves closer to Colonel Worthington.
CLOSE ON WOMAN'S HAND
She reaches inside her laundry bag.
She spits in Colonel Worthington's face as she pushes the switch.
EXT. HOTEL
The hotel explodes. All of the windows blow out. Smoke pours out of
every opening.
AL GORE, 20, an American journalist who will later become Bill Clinton's
Vice President, runs toward the hotel, camera clicking.
Gore sees Kwan riding away from the hotel on a bicycle. Kwan is the
only one in the crowd not staring at the devastation.
Gore focuses on Kwan through a zoom lens and clicks the shutter six
times.
CLOSE ON CARNAGE
Some gruesome, documentary-style close-ups of American soldiers covered
with blood, killed by the bomb blasts.
A SAIGON NEWSPAPER
A photo of the ruined hotel appears as a photograph on the front page.
The headline reads: "Gang of Fifty Murders 17 Americans" and "Suicide
bombers destroy landmark hotel."
CLOSE ON PHOTOS
8"X10" glossies of the carnage sit on the desk of GENERAL HARRY S.
TRUMAN, 45.
An AIDE, 22, picks out the best photo of the man on the bicycle.
GENERAL TRUMAN
Who is he?
AIDE
His name is Kwan. InTel says he's
part of the Gang of Fifty.
GENERAL TRUMAN
Pick him up. Quietly.
EXT CATHOLIC SCHOOL DAY
KWAN parks his bicycle outside the school and goes inside.
INT CATHOLIC SCHOOL DAY
BENJAMIN, now a lanky 15, writes on a blackboard in Vietnamese, under
the watchful eye of a Vietnamese Catholic nun.
American soldiers in body armor rush into the room and surround Kwan.
One soldier picks up Benjamin and carries him, struggling, outside.
EXT U.S. ARMY DETENTION AREA DAY
DARIUS PEYTON, 35, is a black CIA agent who grew up in South-Central Los
Angeles, where the Crips and the Bloods fight a daily shooting war and
no one seems to care. Peyton stands up but does not salute when General
Truman enters.
PEYTON
General.
GENERAL TRUMAN
If you can break this man before
they realize we've got him, we can save
hundreds of American lives.
PEYTON
We have his son?
GENERAL TRUMAN
Yes.
PEYTON
General, are you ordering me not to
use this boy as part of the interrogation?
GENERAL TRUMAN:
No. There are too many American lives
at stake. Get the names any way you can.
INT HOTEL KICHEN DAY
Darius Peyton enters. He carries a large Mason jar with 2" of
petrolatum (a milky-white gel without taste or odor, derived from
petroleum, and marketed under trademarks such as Vaseline) in the
bottom.
PEYTON
Do you have any capsaicin?
COOK
Tons of it. Help yourself.
Peyton picks up a red chili pepper and slices it in half with a knife,
then squeezes the juice into the jar.
COOK
What are you cooking?
PEYTON
Just an old family recipe.
INT INTERROGATION CELL DAY
Kwan is tied to a chair. A bare electric bulb hangs from the ceiling.
Peyton stands behind a folding screen, so that Kwan can't see him.
PEYTON
(In Vietnamese, subtitles in English)
I want to make sure you understand
your position. You have no rights.
No one knows you're here. If you ever
want to leave this room alive, I am the
man who decides. Understand?
KWAN
Yes.
Behind the screen, Peyton puts on a pair of latex surgical gloves. Then
he opens the Mason jar and scoops out a tiny amount of the gel with his
finger.
Peyton stands behind Kwan and grabs his head with one hand. Then he
places a tiny amount of the Capsaicin compound in the corner of each one
of Kwan's eyes.
Kwan's eyes begin to "burn" with pain immediately.
KWAN
Wash it out please?
PEYTON
I need a name.
HALF AN HOUR LATER
Peyton holds a mirror in front of Kwan's face.
ON THE MIRROR
Both of Kwan's eyes appear to be "melting." All of the white around his
pupils has turned a bright, ugly red, almost like an open, infected
wound.
PEYTON
I want you to give me one name. One
member of the Gang of Fifty, or I
will use the rest of this acid to melt
your eyes right out of their sockets.
KWAN
If I tell you, you will kill them. I
swore I would give my life to protect
them.
Peyton checks his watch.
A SOLDIER, 22, enters with Benjamin. The boy's hands are tied behind
his back.
Peyton smears some of the Capsaicin gel in Benjamin's eyes, too. The
boy struggles with all his strength, but the two grown men manage to get
the job done.
KWAN
(In Vietnamese)
Please don't hurt him. He's my son.
He's only fifteen years old. He doesn't understand what
you want. He doesn't
understand.
PEYTON
I want one name. Sooner or later,
you'll give it to me. It's your choice.
KWAN
Don't hurt my son any more. Please
don't hurt my son.
After an hour, the capsaicin disrupts the surface tension of the white
portion of Kwan's eyeballs. The surface of the eye sags forward as if
it has melted. Blood rushes to the surface, turning the entire eye
bright red. However, the effect is only temporary, and the eye will
return to normal by itself in a few days.
PEYTON
I'm not hurting him. You are. Give
me one name and I'll send him back to
his school where he'll be safe.
KWAN
Please? I beg you. Just kill me. I
don't care if I live or die, but don't
hurt my son.
PEYTON
If I don't wash that acid out of his
eyes right now, he'll be blind. Don't
make me hurt your son. Give me one name.
Benjamin screams in pain. The whites of his eyes are an angry,
excruciating red. They look like they're melting out of his face.
PEYTON
I need that name.
KWAN
If you kill my son, that is one. If
I give you one name, that is still one.
But if I give you all the names, that is
fifty. Better one should die than fifty.
When Kwan still refuses to talk, Peyton dislocates Kwan's shoulder. He
twists the arm up and back and tears the end of the bone right out of
the shoulder socket. Now there is no bone holding his arm to the rest
of his body, just muscle and tendons, and they start to tear under their
own weight.
PEYTON
I want a name. Give me one name and I
will have a doctor put your arm back in
the socket so you won't lose it.
The pain is almost unbearable, but Kwan refuses to betray his comrades.
He passes out instead.
DR. ERIC GOODING, 33, is Peyton's best friend at the base. He ENTERS
and manipulates Kwan's shoulder back into its socket.
DR. ERIC GOODING
This is actually easier when they're
unconscious.
PEYTON
Thanks.
DR. ERIC GOODING
You're right on the edge with this
one. Maybe you should take a break and
calm down.
PEYTON
That last bomb killed seventeen Americans.
If I don't get those names before they
find out we have this guy, seventeen will
be just a drop in a bucket.
HALF AN HOUR LATER
When Kwan regains consciousness, his injured arm is taped to the side of
his chest, immobilizing the injury.
Benjamin is tied to another chair, a few feet in front of him.
PEYTON:
I want a name. I want one name and I
will send your son back to his school
and rinse out his eyes so he won't be
blind for the rest of his life.
KWAN
Please don't hurt my son.
PEYTON
The people are not your family. They are murderers. All I
need is one name. Is that
too high a price to pay for your son's life?
KWAN
(weeping uncontrollably)
No, no, no, no.
Darius Peyton starts slapping Kwan across the face as hard as he can.
PEYTON
What is wrong with you? Give me a name.
Even if it's the wrong name, it'll save
your son's eyesight.
KWAN
No.
PEYTON
You think I'm bluffing? I'm not bluffing,
you stupid asshole. I was a Blood in
South-Central before I came over here.
I've killed more men than you have. I
could kill you right now and never lose
a minute's sleep over it.
Peyton loses it. He starts hitting Kwan in the face as hard and as fast
as he can.
Benjamin screams.
BENJAMIN
Stop it. Leave him alone. He's my
father.
INT BUNK ROOM NIGHT
Peyton is curled up in a fetal position on his bunk.
Dr. Eric Gooding. enters and sits down on the next bunk.
DR. ERIC GOODING
What happened in there?
PEYTON
He beat me. He never gave me a
single name.
DR. ERIC GOODING
Can I send the boy home?
PEYTON
No. Keep him locked up until he can
see again. What is wrong with these
people? If he had given me the name
of his dog, I would have stopped.
DR. ERIC GOODING
They see this stuff every day. Napalm.
Land mines. I think they hate us so
much, they'd kill their own children to
get rid of us.
EXT CATHOLIC SCHOOL DAY
INT CONFESSIONAL DAY
BENJAMIN enters the confessional.
FATHER CONSTANCE O'MALLEY, 55, is unprepared for the pain and hatred in
this boy's voice. Benjamin has become Evil Incarnate.
BENJAMIN
I have only hatred in my heart
toward this man, this Interrogator.
Some day I will be old enough to kill
his family in front of him.
FATHER O'MALLEY
You're a good boy, Benjamin. I hate to
see you in so much pain. You still
believe in God, don't you?
BENJAMIN
Yes. I believe God exists, but there
are times when I don't like Him very much.
FATHER O'MALLEY
God cannot tolerate that attitude from one of
his children. You must obey the laws of God.
You must make every effort to forgive this
man for his sin. You must turn the other cheek. Love those
who harm you. Those are the teachings of Jesus Christ, the
Savior who gave his own life that you might have eternal
life in the resurrection.
BENJAMIN
Will Jesus help me kill the man who tortured
my father?
FATHER O'MALLEY:
Jesus was the only perfect man who ever walked
the face of this earth. His very name means
love and forgiveness.
BENJAMIN
I will kill his family in front of his eyes.
FATHER O'MALLEY
Oh, Benjamin. Try to understand. God wants
us to forgive our enemies. That was the
message of Jesus, to "Love thine enemy as thyself."
Benjamin hesitates, then exits the confessional.
CUT TO:
EXT MOSQUE IN SAIGON FIVE YEARS LATER DAY
BENJAMIN enters a mosque and spreads his prayer shawl on the floor next
to several other praying men.
BENJAMIN
All praise to Allah.
INT BUNK ROOM NIGHT
BENJAMIN and THREE OTHER MEN wear dark clothes. They sneak into the
room and use a huge hunting knife to cut DARIUS PEYTON'S throat from ear
to ear as he sleeps.
Peyton wakes up and grabs his throat to stop the bleeding.
They douse him with gasoline and set him on fire.
As Peyton screams in agony, the three other men bow respectfully at
Benjamin, acknowledging him as their team leader.
Benjamin laughs.
CUT TO:
EXT AMERICAN FARMLAND DAY AROUND 1985
Rolling hills stretch out to the horizon.
A small farm outside of Lansing, Michigan. It covers forty acres, with
three horses, two dogs and a pasture full of sheep.
LENNY DAVIS, 28, drives a tractor. He's a big boy, about 6'3" and 240
pounds, with a streak of mean in him ten yards wide. Lenny finishes a
can of beer, crushes it with one hand, and immediately opens a
replacement from a cooler on the seat beside him.
EXT FARM HOUSE DAY
The house needs some repairs and a coat of paint. A rusty Subaru station
wagon is parked at the front door. Someone has written in the dirt on
the back window "Test Vehicle - Do Not Wash".
EXT PASTURE DAY
KAREN DAVIS, 5, watches a baby lamb being born.
Karen wears a pink t-shirt with the words "Danger Girl" and the
silhouette of a sexy girl holding a BIG gun across the front. (Note:
"Danger Girl" is a comic book that generated a line of logo t-shirts.
Karen's mother found it on sale for $2 at Penney's. This is a family
that can't afford to buy many new clothes. Karen has never seen the
comic book, and she loves this shirt and wears it every chance she
gets.)
EXT FRONT PORCH OF HOUSE
Karen's Mother, CHRISSY DAVIS, 30, comes out on the porch to look for
her daughter.
CHRISSY
Karen, come on in. Time for lunch.
Chrissy glances toward the tractor and a look of fear crosses her face.
ON KAREN
Karen wants to stay with the newborn lamb, but she's too hungry.
INT FARM HOUSE DAY
It isn't much of a house. The rooms are small, and the kitchen
appliances are antiques. A stack of books and papers occupies the
center of the kitchen table.
KAREN
Sweet Melanie had another lamb.
CHRISSY
That's good. Tell your father.
Karen climbs up onto her chair. Chrissy puts a sandwich in front of
her, then sits down and opens a book.
CHRISSY
Do you know what the Grand
Canyon looks like?
KAREN
No.
Chrissy shows Karen a picture in the book.
KAREN
Look at the helicopter.
Can we go there? Please?
LENNY
enters, beer in hand.
LENNY
Hi.
CHRISSY
Hi. Did you finish?
LENNY
Not yet. We got any more
beer?
CHRISSY
I'll get it.
Lenny picks Karen up and tosses her in the air.
Karen squeals happily.
LENNY
Are you the big helicopter
pilot?
CHRISSY
She's eating.
LENNY
Oh, she loves it.
KAREN
More. More.
Lenny spins around, making helicopter noises, then throws Karen up in
the air again.
LENNY
Up she goes. Just like a bird.
CHRISSY
Don't make her sick.
LENNY
Don't tell me what to do.
You're not the one who
gives orders around here.
CHRISSY
wants to say something, but holds it back.
INT. KAREN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
In the dark, Karen wakes up at the sound of ANGRY SHOUTING from the
kitchen.
LENNY (O.S.)
Shut up. Shut up, bitch. I
don't want to hear any more
of your nonsense.
Outside the house, a dog barks.
Karen gets out of bed.
INT KITCHEN NIGHT
Lenny throws a can of beer at the wall.
CHRISSY
I know you've been sleeping with
her. Do you think I'm stupid?
LENNY
I know you're stupid. That's why
you're here. You got pregnant so
I'd have to marry you.
CHRISSY
You kissed her in front of
everyone. That's the only bar within
twenty miles. How can I ever go
back there and face those people
again?
LENNY
They don't like you anyway.
What difference does it make?
CHRISSY
She's not even pretty.
Lenny slaps Chrissy's face, sending her to the floor. (No Chitchat
here.)
LENNY
If you'd just kept your god-damned
mouth shut, we could have taken care
of it. But, no. You had to tell my
mother.
CHRISSY
Karen is not an it.
LENNY
I love her just as much as you do.
But I didn't want to marry you.
I just wanted to get laid.
CHRISSY
I have got to get out of here.
I can't take this any more. I
have got to get out of here.
LENNY
Then leave. Put your clothes in the
station wagon and leave.
Chrissy decides to do exactly that. She picks up her books from the
kitchen table and goes down hard when Lenny slaps her across the face
again.
Karen charges to her mother's rescue. She hits Lenny as hard and as
fast as she can.
KAREN
Leave her alone. Stop hitting
her.
Lenny picks Karen up.
CHRISSY
Put her down.
Lenny puts Karen down again as carefully as he can.
Karen hits her father with clenched fists, again and again. Tears run
down her cheeks.
KAREN
Leave my mother alone. I don't
love you any more. I hate you.
I hate you. I don't want you for
my Father.
Lenny staggers to the front door and slams it on his way out.
Chrissy sits on the floor and cries, holding her face where Lenny
slapped her. Karen hugs her protectively.
CUT TO:
EXT MIKE'S KARATE SCHOOL DAY
Chrissy's Subaru wagon parks in front of a Karate School, next to a
black-and-turquoise '58 Corvette convertible with the Michigan license
plate "KARMA 1.". And next to that, an older model pickup with the
plate "KARMA 2."
INT SUBARU WAGON DAY
KAREN has a black eye and dark bruises on her face.
INT MIKE'S KARATE SCHOOL DAY
MIKE PULLMAN, now 32, teaches a class of young boys in white karate
outfits. He still has a dark spot on his face from the beating that
Benjamin gave him as a boy.
Chrissy and Karen enter.
Mike has painted "wisdom slogans" on the walls of his dojo.
One reads, "Go pick on someone bigger than you are."
Chrissy pauses in front of this one, written in large letters impossible
to ignore:
"In Hinduism and Buddhism, KARMA is the entire ethical consequences of
one's acts, considered as fixing one's lot in the future existence.
Hence, loosely, destiny or fate."
CHRISSY
(To Karen)
See the word Karma?
Karen frowns. Her black eye hurts and she's grumpy.
ON THE MAT
TOM, 13, pushes TOBY, 11, a smaller student.
Mike claps his hands once.
Tom and Toby immediately come to attention.
MIKE
Toby, go hit the bungee bag.
Tom, go pick on someone bigger
than you are.
Tom chooses a bigger opponent. Mike bows off the mat.
MIKE
Hello. How can I help you?
CHRISSY
I'm not sure. You were
recommended by one of the
teachers at Karen's pre-school.
MIKE
Are you Karen?
Karen nods. She watches the students sparring on the mat with great
interest.
MIKE
Let's go back to my office.
INT MIKE'S OFFICE DAY
Mike holds open the door for Chrissy and Karen.
Nick and Teanna are sitting on the sofa in the office, waiting to take
Mike out to lunch. Teanna wears a lovely Vietnamese silk dress with an
orchid scarf around her neck.
Nick wears a tie the same color as her scarf.
MIKE
I'm sorry, Dad. I need to take a short
meeting with... um, I guess I don't know
your name yet.
CHRISSY
I'm Chrissy Davis, and this is my daughter,
Karen. We live out on a farm.
MIKE
Okay, Chrissy, these are my parents,
Nick and Teanna. Dad, I'd like you to
meet Chrissy Davis and her daughter,
Karen.
Nick shakes hands with Chrissy.
NICK
It's very nice to meet you, Chrissy.
Karen climbs onto the sofa next to Teanna. Karen thinks the Vietnamese
woman's clothes, particularly her scarf, are very beautiful.
TEANNA
Is that dirt on your face?
KAREN
No.
TEANNA
Then you've come to the right place.
Mike, we're going to the restaurant.
If you're busy, just call the manager
and tell him you can't make it.
MIKE
Thanks, Mom.
Although Teanna isn't his real Mother, she has been the next best thing
for the last twenty years, and Mike loves her dearly.
Nick can't take his eyes off Chrissy.
NICK
I think I heard Mike talking about a
special offer for new students under the
age of ten. What was it? A free month to
start off... and absolutely no obligation.
MIKE
My father is the World's Greatest Salesman.
CHRISSY
Seems like someone would have to be.
But I never thought I'd meet him.
TEANNA
I thought you were starving.
NICK
Well, I am, but eating will fix that.
Some people have bigger problems.
TEANNA
Out. Go now.
NICK
It was very nice meeting you, Chrissy.
CHRISSY
Thank you, Nick.
Teanna stands up and pushes Nick toward the door.
Nick steps to a place where Chrissy can't see him and gives his son a
quick "thumbs-up" gesture.
Mike acknowledges the gesture with a smile.
MIKE
Good-bye, Dad.
If there's one thing that annoys Nick Pullman, it's being dismissed
before he's finished his sales pitch.
NICK
You know, son, I still remember the
day I met Teanna. I knew there was
something special about her from the
very first moment I saw her.
Teanna rubs her breasts against her husband's arm, to make sure she has
his undivided attention.
TEANNA
And what was that?
NICK
As I remember, and its been a few
years now, just about everything.
Teanna and Nick EXIT together.
Mike sits down behind his desk.
The wall behind Mike's desk is covered with photos. Several show Mike
in a Marine uniform. Others show him with his father Nick and his step-
mother Teanna. In one, they're all riding bicycles together. In
another, they're fishing on a chartered boat.
Chrissy and Karen take the chairs in front of the desk.
Four of Mike's combat medals are in a box with a glass top on his desk.
MIKE
You said a teacher gave you my name?
CHRISSY
She talks about you all the time.
MIKE
When we're out on the mat, my students
address me as Sensei, which means teacher
in Japanese. The parents of my students
usually call me Mike.
KAREN
Am I big enough to be a student?
MIKE
Yes, you are. We have several students
about your age. Let me ask you a question.
How did you get that shiner?
CHRISSY
She's been beating up boys on the
playground at kindergarten.
KAREN
There were three of them. They were all
stupid.
CHRISSY
They're going to kick her out of
school if she doesn't straighten up.
I can't afford to send her anywhere else.
I don't know what to do.
Chrissy's plea is more desperate than Karen's bruises would seem to
require.
MIKE
I'll bet your face hurts.
KAREN
They weren't big enough to hurt me.
One of them sat on my back while the
other two kicked me.
Mike frowns at an old memory, when Benjamin did the same thing to him.
MIKE
Did you start it?
KAREN
Yes.
MIKE
Why?
KAREN
They said bad things about my friend.
She isn't big enough to fight back yet.
Chrissy looks at a sign behind Mike's desk.
ON THE SIGN
It's the same wisdom saying she saw painted on the wall of the dojo.
"Go pick on somebody bigger than you are."
CHRISSY
Exactly what does that mean?
Do you teach your students to
pick on other children?
MIKE
I teach them never to pick on
anyone smaller than themselves. If
they feel aggressive and need to
work off some anger, they should
always pick a partner bigger than
they are. You'd be surprised at how
well it works.
CHRISSY
I'm not sure it would work for my
daughter, that's all. She's kind of
small for her age.
Mike studies Chrissy's face.
Chrissy's wearing heavy make-up to cover dark bruises around her eyes
and cheekbones.
Mike stands up and moves around his desk, crouching down in front of
Chrissy. He touches his own cheek.
MIKE
You need a little more powder on
that one. Maybe some ice would help.
Chrissy breaks down and weeps.
Karen clenches her fists and glares at Mike for making her mother cry,
as if their problems with Lenny are all his fault.
CUT TO:
EXT DAVIS FARM NIGHT
Mike drives up in his pickup with the "KARMA 2" plate. Chrissy and
Karen are in the cab with him.
EXT FARM HOUSE NIGHT
A naked light bulb at the top of a pole illuminates the yard next to the
farm house.
Mike and Chrissy get out of the truck. Karen gets out of the truck and
immediately hides under the porch.
Mike and Lenny face each other in the yard.
LENNY
What the hell are you doing?
CHRISSY
We're leaving. He's just here to help.
LENNY
You don't need his help. What you need
is a fucking psychiatrist.
Every time Lenny looks at Mike, Lenny gets a little more irritated.
LENNY
Do I know you?
MIKE
No.
LENNY
You from town?
MIKE
I've lived here about two years.
LENNY
Where'd you come from? Detroit?
MIKE
I was in Vietnam. I was a Marine.
LENNY
Oh, you were? Well, fuck you, soldier
boy. My family has lived on this farm
for over a hundred years. That's my
parents' house right over there, on the
other side of that road, so just get the
hell off my land.
MIKE
I don't want trouble. I'll just get
their things and leave.
Lenny goes into the house.
Chrissy looks at Mike nervously.
Lenny comes out with a shotgun.
LENNY
She's my wife, but I don't want her any
more. You can take her things, but this
is my daughter and she lives here with me. Everything on
this farm is mine, so just you
take my ex-wife and get back in your little
truck and leave my daughter where she is.
Mike snatches the shotgun away from Lenny and unloads it. He tosses the
shells over his shoulder as if they mean nothing. Then he throws the
shotgun up onto the porch, where it lands on a sofa.
LENNY
I'm calling the police.
MIKE
I hear you're pretty good with your fists.
LENNY
I'd done my share of ass-whipping.
And you don't look like you're big
enough to take me on.
MIKE
So you don't need the police.
Let's settle this like men.
LENNY
Are you crazy? Are you starting
something with me?
MIKE
Yeah, I guess I am.
Lenny is six inches taller than Mike and outweighs him by fifty pounds.
Mike's arms aren't long enough to reach Lenny's face, so he punches
Lenny on the arm. It's a light
punch, almost a miss. Lenny laughs scornfully.
LENNY
Is that the best you can do? Christ
Jesus, my grandmother hits harder
than you do.
MIKE
You have a big mouth.
LENNY
Yeah, and I can back it up, too.
This is my farm. You get
the hell off my farm. You
just get on outta here before I
have to hurt you bad.
This time, Lenny pushes Mike in the chest.
LENNY
She showed you those bruises and cried,
didn't she? Well, she's my wife and I
can treat her any way I want to.
Now get the hell off my farm before
I get mad and break you over my knee.
Lenny picks up a tree limb and swings it like a baseball bat.
LENNY
You ever see me hit one out of
the park? Bam!
Mike takes the tree limb away from Lenny and tosses it on the ground
next to the shotgun.
LENNY
Okay, you're pretty quick, I'll
give you that.
Mike holds both of his fists out in front of his body, a ritual gesture
that he's ready to start the contest.
Lenny starts throwing punches. Mike either blocks them or ducks.
LENNY
Come on, soldier boy. Let's see
what you've got.
Mike waits until Lenny gives him an opening, and jabs a stiff left into
Lenny's nose. Blood runs down from Lenny's nose into this mouth.
Lenny doesn't like that.
LENNY
Okay, I've had enough. I'm not going
to waste my time on a sissy-fighter
like you. This is MY farm. Take her
stuff and leave.
MIKE
You've had enough?
LENNY
Yeah, I've had enough.
Suddenly Mike KICKS Lenny in the side of the head with a roundhouse
karate kick that almost takes the farmer's head off.
Lenny collapses on the ground, stunned.
MIKE
(With icy calm)
You think you're tough?
You think hitting a woman makes you
tough?
Mike kicks Lenny in under the chin, loosening his front teeth.
MIKE
I see scum like you all the time.
Every time your wife or your child
says she's had enough, every time she
tries to preserve some small measure of
her self-respect, you hit her again.
Because you're a sick little man who
just has to kick the crap out of the
one woman in the world who used to love
you, just so she'll never learn how to
stand up to you.
Mike circles around behind Lenny and delivers another kick
to his kidneys.
MIKE
Well, you sick fuck, I want you to know
exactly how it feels to beg someone to
stop hitting you. And then they just
won't stop.
Mike takes off his shirt, revealing dense black geometric tattoos over
most of his torso.
ON CHRISSY
When Mike takes off his shirt, Chrissy's mouth drops open.
ON THE FIGHTERS
Lenny pleads, begs, and weeps on the ground at Mike's feet but Mike
keeps kicking him again and again.
There's a hidden part of Mike's personality on display here that says
"Psycho."
MIKE
Are you afraid of me, Farm Boy?
I want you to be afraid of me
for the rest of your life. Because
I don't stop. If I ever see your
ugly face again, I will beat you twice
as long. Think of me as a finishing
school for Perverts and Wife Beaters.
Mike ends the contest by kicking Lenny in the side of the head.
Lenny goes out like a light.
ON KAREN
Karen has watched the entire fight from the same spot under the steps of
the front porch. She has never seen anything like this before. She
thought her father was the biggest, meanest man in the world, and he
just isn't.
CUT TO:
INT COFFEE SHOP NIGHT
Mike sits in a booth across from Karen and Chrissy. He's ordered
breakfast for all of them, pancakes and scrambled eggs.
CHRISSY
Mike, I think we need to talk.
MIKE
About?
CHRISSY
The tattoos? Are you like, crazy?
MIKE
You mean, am I some kind of a Psycho
killer?
CHRISSY
Are you?
MIKE
No. When I was in 'Nam, I killed a lot
of people. I have the medals behind my
desk to prove it. When I came home, I was
in a therapy group at the VA Hospital.
They tossed around a lot of labels, trying
to make themselves sound educated and
compassionate. One day I sneaked a look at
my file. Someone had written the words
"Psycho Killer" in red magic marker across
the first page and circled it.
CHRISSY
And?
MIKE
You didn't get my name from Karen's
teacher, did you?
CHRISSY
What do you mean?
MIKE
If she got in a fight with three boys
on a school playground, they wouldn't kick
her out. They might kick the boys out,
but not her.
CHRISSY
A teacher gave me your name. She said you
knew how to reach these kids.
MIKE
You wanted a white knight to come out to
the farm and teach your husband a lesson.
CHRISSY
You're right. That was my plan, and I'm
not ashamed of it. If I had just left,
Lenny would have come looking for his
daughter, and I couldn't have stopped
him.
MIKE
That's why we have courts. And police.
CHRISSY
I can't afford to hire a lawyer. So
I went looking for the meanest son of the
bitch in the world to teach him a lesson.
(a beat)
And look what I found instead.
MIKE
What?
CHRISSY
You.
MIKE
Karen? Can I ask you a question?
Karen has never eaten pancakes in a restaurant before, and she intends
to finish every bite.
MIKE
Let's say you have a choice. You
could either go back to the farm
and live with your father, or you
could come live with me? What
would you do?
KAREN
I don't know.
CHRISSY
We can't go back to the farm. We
don't live there any more.
KAREN
That's okay.
MIKE
I have a house. It's okay, but we'll
get something better.
KAREN
My mother really likes you. Do you
promise you won't hit her? Ever?
MIKE
Yes. I promise. That part of your
life is over. We didn't get off to
a very good start tonight, but I'll
make it up to you. That's another
promise.
CHRISSY
I should tell you something. Wait
a minute.
Chrissy opens the bag with her important papers and takes out a
document.
CHRISSY
This is my daughter's birth certificate.
Mike looks at it.
CLOSE ON BIRTH CERTIFICATE
Karen's legal name is "KARMA CHRISTINE DAVIS."
ON CHRISSY
CHRISSY
Her legal name is Karma Christine Davis.
We call her Karen because we're simple
folks who live on a farm, but I
wanted her to know that she isn't
ordinary. That she's very unique
and special.
MIKE
Your real name is Karma?
KAREN
No. I hate that. My real name is
Danger Girl.
MIKE
Okay, it's Danger Girl. Karen, I'll make
you a promise. You can tell anything you want,
about any subject, at any time, day or night,
and it won't bother me a bit. Even if you do something
you're ashamed of, you can tell me
and I will listen to every word you say. So
there's no reason to lie to me. Ever.
KAREN
Anything?
MIKE
Anything at all.
KAREN
I don't love my father any more.
I don't ever want to see him again.
Mike picks up Karen in a fatherly way.
MIKE
Okay, Danger Girl, let's rock and
roll.
And we instantly know that Mike is going to be The Best Father in the
World to this little girl.
CUT TO:
EXT PAKISTAN DAY
The words:
"ISLAMABAD, a frontier province of Pakistan"
appear at the bottom of the screen. The year is now 1986.
EXT KANDAHAR MADRASA DAY
About two hours east of the Khyber Pass, in the mountains of Pakistan,
is a school for young boys called the Kandahar madrasa.
"Kandahar madrasa, a Muslim school for Afghan refugees"
The word madrasa refers to "a Muslim religious seminary." More than
2,800 students, most of them Afghan refugees with no other place to go,
are enrolled at this particular seminary, which I call the Kandahar
madrasa. (In 2001,over a million refugee children were enrolled in
10,000 madrasas. I based this on a real school called the Haqqania
madrasa, which has graduated more leaders of the Taliban than any school
in the world.)
INT COURTYARD WHERE STUDENTS STUDY DAY
In a typical class, the teachers who are always men, never women, and
generally ancient, white-bearded mullahs - sit on the floor with the
boys. The mullah reads from the Quran and the Hadith, the sayings of
the Prophet Mohammed, in Arabic. The boys repeat everything the teacher
says.
MULLAH
Smile to hardship O youth, because you
are on your way to Paradise."
STUDENTS (In unison)
Smile to hardship O youth, because you
are on your way to Paradise.
MULLAH
O God, revealer of the Book, and
mover of the clouds, and defeater of
the party, defeat them and make us
victorious over them.
STUDENTS (In unison)
O God, revealer of the Book, and
mover of the clouds, and defeater of
the party, defeat them and make us
victorious over them.
MULLAH
Say not of those who are slain in the
way of God, "They are dead," no, they
are living.
BENJAMIN, 26, enters. He wears inexpensive clothes that identify him as
a Vietnamese tourist.
Benjamin is greeted by THE CHANCELLOR, 68, of the madrasa.
He's more personable than his title, thick reading glasses and Islamic
facial hair would suggest.
CHANCELLOR
Welcome to Kandahar madrasa, my
young Vietnamese friend.
BENJAMIN
I'm honored to be here.
CHANCELLOR
You're just in time for Show
and Tell.
TWO BOYS, ages 5 and 6, come out dressed as Islamic martyrs.
They carry Kalashnikov automatic rifles. Their heads are covered with
white hoods made of cotton shirt material, with small holes cut for
their eyes. The hood is held in place by a bright green headband
covered with white Arabic writing. Their white shirts match their
hoods.
As the crowning touch, each boy has a wide leather belt that holds ten
C4 explosive charges. The mullah demonstrates how to wire the
explosives correctly.
MULLAH
When you push this switch, what happens?
STUDENTS
(Shouting in unison)
Boom.
Benjamin applauds the two martyrs, then picks a student named SAYID, 11,
at random.
BENJAMIN
What is your name, please?
SAYID
I am called Sayid.
BENJAMIN
Sayid, if Sukkur had a nuclear
weapon let's say they stole one
from the Americans - would it be
permissible, under the law of Islam,
to use it during a jihad?
SAYID
All things come from Allah. If this
atomic bomb comes from Allah, then it
should be used.
BENJAMIN
That's a very good answer, Sayid.
But what does the Quran say about using
weapons of mass destruction on civilians?
SAYID
The Quran, chapter eight, verse sixty-seven.
"It is not fitting for a Prophet that
he should have prisoners of war until
he has thoroughly subdued the land. You
look for the temporal goods of this world,
but God looks to the Hereafter, and God
is Mighty and Wise."
Benjamin addresses the entire class.
BENJAMIN
In jihad the lives of innocent people
must always be spared. A jihad is a war
against combatants, not women and children.
In the Hadith, it is narrated by ibn Umar
that a woman was found killed in a battle,
so the Messenger of Allah, may peace be upon
him, forbade the killing of women and children. So, and
here is my question, if innocent women
and children would die in a nuclear explosion, doesn't that
mean the Prophet has forbidden us
to use nuclear weapons in a jihad?
ON THE STUDENTS
They don't like strangers quoting The Prophet this way.
ON THE CHANCELLOR
THE CHANCELLOR
Who wants to see Pakistan armed with
nuclear weapons of our very own?
Every hand in the room goes up. Some students laugh and some applaud.
Benjamin bows and smiles as he follows The Chancellor up a flight of
stairs.
INT UPSTAIRS OFFICE DAY
Photographs of a Royal Palace are scotch-taped to one wall.
Also, photos of members of the current Royal Family.
CHANCELLOR
Alexander the Great invaded Sukkur
in 329 B.C., on his way to India. He
met fierce resistance from descendants
of tribesmen who had fought for Persia
against the Spartans at Thermopylae
150 years earlier. The name Kandahar
is but a local variation on the name
Alexander the Great.
BENJAMIN
You have almost three thousand students
here?
CHANCELLOR
Most of them refugees from Pakistan
with nowhere else to go. The Russians
are trying to kill them, and the camps are
brutal hellholes where thousands starve
to death. Our students get three meals
every day and an education in the Quran.
So, my young friend, what is this business
plan you want us to finance?
BENJAMIN
I wish to go to Hollywood. I wish to
establish my own small movie studio,
where I will produce pornographic movies
for distribution in Vietnam and Indochina.
I want to make films about beautiful Vietnamese women being
abused by fat, middle-aged American
businessmen who only see Asian women as sexual playthings.
CHANCELLOR
Frankly, it sounds too expensive.
Convince me. Why should we invest our
money in this movie studio?
BENJAMIN
Because you'll make a profit within five
years. If I film these movies in Los
Angeles, using American cameramen and equipment but with
actresses already known in Asia,
they'll fly off the shelves.
CHANCELLOR
And Muslims will be the heroes? In every
film?
BENJAMIN
Every film has a hero. And a villain.
Benjamin turns and studies the photos of the Royal Palace and King
Musharraf.
BENJAMIN
Are tourists allowed inside the
Palace?
CHANCELLOR
There's a tour. Sometimes the Royal
Family comes down to meet them.
BENJAMIN
Give me twenty-four hours. I just
had another great idea.
CUT TO:
EXT ROYAL PALACE DAY
INT ROYAL PALCE DAY
BENJAMIN and JI, 6, a small Vietnamese boy, arrive with several other
VIETNAMESE TOURISTS. Benjamin takes photos with a Nikon 35mm camera.
He carries a CAMERA BAG on a strap over his shoulder.
INT ROYAL PALACE DAY
A GUIDE, 19, conducts a tour of the Palace.
GUIDE
If we are lucky, we might be able
to meet the Royal Family. They
often come down to greet tourists
in the middle of the day.
ON BENJAMIN
Benjamin steps back from the group, into the shadows.
He opens his camera bag. He takes out a black hood and an expensive
German-made 9 mm handgun fitted with a silencer.
ON THE DOOR
KING MUSHARRAF, 52, and his oldest son CROWN PRINCE PERVEZ MUSHARRAF,
32, enter from the private living quarters. FIVE
MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY follow them into the room.
King Musharraf goes up to the first Tourist and offers his hand.
ON BENJAMIN
Benjamin dons the black hood. He jumps out from the shadows with the 9
mm automatic in hand. He screams at the Royal Family in perfect Arabic
as he fires.
BENJAMIN
Allahu akbar!
All of the Tourist Group fall to the floor and cover their hands with
their heads.
Benjamin empties the clip, killing all seven members of the Royal
Family.
The Guide screams and starts to run away.
Benjamin ejects the clip and inserts a new one.
Benjamin calmly shoots the Guide in the back of the leg, so that he
falls to the floor in agony.
BENJAMIN
Allahu akbar! Osama! Osama!
Benjamin steps back into the shadows and pulls off the black hood.
Benjamin drops the black hood on the floor.
He lights a match and drops it on the hood.
The hood has been treated with a chemical accelerant. It ignites into
flames and vaporizes.
He fires the rest of the second clip at the ceiling.
The echoes of the gunshot inside the room is deafening.
Benjamin lays face-down on the floor next to Ji, and covers him with his
own body.
Benjamin shoves the automatic across the floor, so that it comes to rest
against one of the dead bodies.
Then he waits.
Ten seconds later, THREE PALACE GUARDS enter the room, weapons drawn.
They heard the gunshots but have no idea what happened.
One of them picks up the handgun and sniffs it.
PALACE GUARD #1
What did they look like? Where
did they go?
A WOMAN TOURIST points at the door behind Benjamin.
WOMAN TOURIST
There were three of them. They
kept shouting "Osama" and "Allahu
akbar!"
SECOND TOURIST
I thought there were four.
THIRD TOURIST
I only saw one.
PALACE GUARD #2 helps Benjamin and Ji get to their feet.
PALACE GUARD #2
Did you take any pictures?
BENJAMIN
No. I was too scared. I covered
my son with my body to protect him.
PALACE GUARD #2
Did you see anything at all?
BENJAMIN
Nothing. I heard the gun go off and I
pushed my son down. I had my hands over
my head the whole time.
PALACE GUARD #2
How about you, son? Did you see the
men with the guns?
Ji shakes his head no. He's too traumatized to speak.
PALACE GUARD #2
I have to keep your camera. Come back
in a week and pick it up. Take your
boy out and buy him some ice cream for
being so brave.
BENJAMIN
Thank you.
Benjamin picks Ji up in his arms and carries him out of the room.
ON THE DEAD BODIES
The entire Royal Family is dead, and the Palace Guards are clearing the
room of Tourists.
ON BENJAMIN
He smiles at a job well done. Now the Chancellor will be happy to fund
his plan for making porno films in Los Angeles.
CUT TO:
EXT LOS ANGELES STRIP MALL DAY
INT DENTIST OFFICE WAITING ROOM DAY
BENJAMIN enters and checks in with the RECEPTIONIST, 22, who also
happens to be Vietnamese.
BENJAMIN
I'm Benjamin Tai. I have an
appointment.
She finds his name on her computer screen.
RECEPTIONIST
Here you are. Cleaning and check-up.
Just have a seat.
INT ROOM WITH DENTAL CHAIR DAY
The X-RAY TECHNICIAN, 24, leads Benjamin back to the dental chair and
exits.
Benjamin sits in the chair and stares at the small Sony TV mounted on
the wall. He hates American daytime television.
The Dental Hygienist enters. TITI, 28, is also Vietnamese. She is 5'1"
but her complexion is quite lovely.
TITI
You're Benjamin Tai?
BENJAMIN
Yes.
Titi puts a surgical mask over her mouth and nose, and dons plastic
safety goggles.
ON TITI BENJAMIN'S POV
All he can see are her dark eyes behind the safety goggles. They are
very lovely.
ANOTHER ANGLE ON TITI
She starts scraping the plaque off Benjamin's teeth with a chrome dental
instrument.
Benjamin taps her arm and she stops.
BENJAMIN
What's your name?
TITI
Titi.
BENJAMIN
You know, you could be an actress.
TITI
I am an actress. I haven't done
anything, but I have degree in
Theatre Arts from UCLA.
BENJAMIN
You're kidding.
TITI
No.
BENJAMIN
I've just opened my own movie studio.
Would you like to do a movie?
Say, fifteen thousand dollars for
a week's work?
TITI
Are you kidding?
BENJAMIN
No. Here's my card.
Benjamin hands her his new business card.
ON THE CARD
It reads: "Made 4U in Hollywood Productions" with an address, phone
number, and Benjamin's name.
BENJAMIN
Do you have an agent?
TITI
Not yet.
BENJAMIN
I'd be glad to give you the fifteen
thousand in cash. So you wouldn't
have to report it as income.
Titi reads the card again, then looks at Benjamin with new interest.
TITI
What's the part?
BENJAMIN
It's an independent movie, and I
just want a close-up of your eyes.
You have incredible eyes.
TITI
Thank you. For a whole week?
BENJAMIN
Okay, in the story, the heroine
has a boyfriend. And she watches
him. Only, I'm not happy with the
close-ups. So I want to use your
eyes instead of hers.
TITI
So all you'll see of me are my eyes?
BENJAMIN
Unless you want to do more.
Titi looks at his card again.
TITI
Okay. Sounds like fun.
Benjamin smiles. Life doesn't get much better than this.
CUT TO:
EXT ARMY BASE IN PAKISTAN NIGHT
SEVEN YEARS have passed.
INT OFFICE DAY
BENJAMIN ENTERS. He wears a well-tailored suit and carries an expensive
briefcase. He seems enormously pleased with himself.
THE CHANCELLOR stands up to greet Benjamin.
THE CHANCELLOR
Benjamin. You look so damn successful.
BENJAMIN
Money talks. Bullshit walks. That's
how they speak in Hollywood.
Dozens of photographs are scotch-taped to one wall. They all show an
elaborate Sports Complex in central Michigan. A small hand-lettered
sign reads "The Sports Complex At Willow Bay."
THE CHANCELLOR
Do you like Hollywood?
BENJAMIN
Their lives have no purpose. They sit
around for hours and say nothing but
chitchat.
THE CHANCELLOR
I had a dream last night. I believe your
destiny is to return to Vietnam and open
a school like the Kandahar. To teach
the Wisdom of the Prophet.
BENJAMIN
Vietnam will never be a Muslim country.
THE CHANCELLOR
Patience, my friend. We are merely the
vessels that Allah employs to carry out
His plans.
BENJAMIN
Praise Allah for his infinite wisdom
and compassion.
THE CHANCELLOR
No one can forgot what the Americans
did to your country. Whenever a powerful
country attacks a weak country, it is a
jihad for all Muslims. This is the meaning
of Justice.
CLOSER ON PHOTO
Teanna stands between a 10 year-old Mike and Nick at their wedding,
wearing a beautiful wedding gown.
ON THE CHANCELLOR
THE CHANCELLOR
She has disgraced you by marrying an
American pig. Do not succumb to cheap sentimentality when
you see her again.
Benjamin has a throwing knife hidden in the left sleeve of his suit
coat. He pulls it out and buries the blade in the face of Nick Pullman.
BENJAMIN
This is my pain. This is why I hate
all Americans. My father was in their
prison for twelve years. This is the
Infidel my mother chose to replace him.
WIDER ON THE PHOTOS
Pan across an enlargement of Karen Pullman's Freshman Photograph from
her high school yearbook, taken when she was 15.
The next one shows her in workout clothes: white karate pants and a red
"Danger Girl" t-shirt.
CUT TO:
EXT RURAL MICHIGAN COUNTRYSIDE DAY
A Dodge Caravan minivan drives along a rural Michigan road.
The minivan pulls off the road at the sign "Free Balloon Rides Today."
ON THE BALLOON RIDE DAY
JOE ROGAN, 37, owns a company that transports his hot-air balloons to
State Fairs and Shopping Center Grand Openings.
The minivan parks next to Rogan's truck.
Rogan's balloon is almost ready to lift off. It's about three stories
tall, with a very patriotic red, white and blue color scheme.
Benjamin gets out of the minivan, carrying a top-of-the-line Canon
digital camcorder.
ROGAN
I thought you were crazy when
you asked me to come out here,
but this is a beautiful spot.
Benjamin counts out $500 in hundred-dollar bills.
BENJAMIN
Five hundred dollars. In cash.
ROGAN
Okay. Let's take her up.
Rogan and Benjamin get into the balloon.
ON THE BALLOON
Rogan uses a gas burner to heat the air in his hot-air balloon. The
balloon lifts off.
EXT HOT AIR BALLOON IN FLIGHT DAY
The balloon sails happily across the rural countryside.
Benjamin watches the camcorder's 3" color viewscreen as he experiments
with the Image Stabilization and 700x zoom lens.
ROGAN
That's a nice camera.
BENJAMIN
It was a present from my father.
EXT AERIAL SHOT OF SPORTS COMPLEX BALLOON'S POV
Eleven years have passed since the fight with Lenny, and the Pullmans
have been very, very busy. The karate school was okay for a morose
bachelor, but Mike decided his new family deserved better.
Mike negotiated a low-interest fifteen-million dollar loan from a
Japanese billionaire eager to invest in American real estate. He bought
300 acres fronting a private lake and built a Sports Complex that rivals
anything in the world.
The Complex consists of (a) executive offices and meeting rooms (b) an
Olympic Equestrian Center where Chrissy keeps her beloved horses, (c) a
Robert Trent-designed championship golf course,(d) condos for guests
with acres of swimming pools and gardens, (e) a restaurant and bar, (f)
a private airstrip where small planes can land, (g) a very upscale dojo
and weight rooms (h) a full-size basketball court and (i) locker rooms
and wet spa.
Mike has also built over a hundred expensive homes with views of the
lake and golf course and sells them for huge price tags, in the million
dollar range.
ON THE BALLOON
Rogan's balloon sails happily above the Complex.
EXT THE SPORTS COMPLEX AT WILLOW BAY DAY
A banner strung across the front of the building proclaims "The Sports
Complex at Willow Bay proudly welcomes the Michigan High School Karate
Championships."
INT CHEVY SUBURBAN DAY
Mike Pullman, now 42, is behind the wheel. Chrissy, 40, now Mrs. Mike
Pullman, sits beside him in the front passenger seat. She has a short,
sassy haircut that fits her face better than before. TRAN, 11, and
MISSY, 7, are the two Vietnamese orphans they've adopted.
Missy crawls into Chrissy's lap and hugs her.
MISSY
Karen's going to kick Jill's butt
today.
CHRISSY
But there's no pressure on her, right?
MISSY
TRAN (unison)
No-o-o pressure.
INT KARATE COMPETITION RING DAY
This huge building is the Basketball Arena, but it has been converted
into a ring for the Karate Championships.
NICK PULLMAN and his wife TEANNA sit in the packed bleachers, along with
every student in Karen's high school class.
KAREN PULLMAN is now 16. She is fiercely athletic, with a short
haircut. Under her karate uniform, she wears a tight red "Danger Girl!"
t-shirt. The neck of her t-shirt is visible under her jacket. This bit
of color allows the judges and referees to identify the contestants.
MIKE PULLMAN, JR. is 7. He idolizes his big sister Karen, and is eager
to do anything to get her attention. He carries Karen's duffle bag,
only slightly smaller than himself, to the Contestant's waiting area.
ON KAREN AND MIKE
Karen hugs MIKE. Mike kisses her on the cheek.
MIKE
I'm so proud of you. Ikishi-wan.
("Focus your attention on the
task at hand" in Japanese.)
Karen puts her fists together in front of her body.
KAREN
Ikishi-wan, Sensei.
JILL KURASAGI, 18, comes over and stands next to Karen. She wears a
blue Detroit Lions t-shirt under her uniform. Jill is taller, heavier
and probably stronger than Karen, and she has already accepted a
scholarship from the University of Michigan to compete in Martial Arts.
JILL
I'm taking this trophy with me to
U of M, and that's a promise. You
can have it next year, after I'm
gone.
KAREN
Can I come up and see it?
JILL
On weekends. Sure. It'll be in
the trophy case at my dorm.
KAREN
Is that the same dorm where the
cheerleaders live?
JILL
It's called East Quad.
KAREN
Got it.
ANNOUNCER (Over speakers)
Our final match of the afternoon is the
Michigan State High School Women's
16-and-over Championship.
In the red, last year's State Champion
in the 15-and-under Women's Category,
Miss Karen Pullman.
ON THE BLEACHERS
Everyone stands up to applaud.
THREE HIGH SCHOOL BOYS shout out Karen's favorite slogan.
THREE BOYS
She is not a cheerleader.
They high-five each other and laugh.
NICK
Why is she wearing that t-shirt?
That's for practice.
CHRISSY
It's her security blanket. Because
she's under
KAREN/MISSY/TRAN (Unison)
...no pressure.
ON THE RING
ANNOUNCER
In the blue, from Detroit High School,
defending her title from last year, our
Current and Defending State Champion,
Jill Kurasagi.
The two girl take their places in the ring.
Both girls bow in and shake hands under the watchful eye of the REFEREE,
30.
The Match begins.
Jill takes the fight to Karen.
Karen blocks every punch and side-kicks Jill in the solar plexus.
Jill stands back for a moment, trying to catch her breath.
ON KAREN
Karen LISTENS to the noisy stadium. A hundred voices, all shouting at
the two fighters.
VOICES
Let's go, Karen. Take it to her.
You can do it, Jill.
She's not big enough to hurt you.
Karen listens for one particular voice.
ON MIKE
MIKE
(Shouts through cupped hands)
Take her out now.
ON KAREN
When she hears Mike's voice, she smiles.
Jill comes out kicking with her best stuff, and Karen gives it right
back to her. With style and grace.
Karen spins and kicks Jill in the face, hard enough to rock her back on
his heels.
Jill blinks twice. She's out on his feet, and she doesn't even know it.
Karen stops. And smiles.
The Referee sees that Jill is "out" and immediately stops the match to
protect her from injury. He steps between the fighters and raises his
arm.
REFEREE
That's it. Match over.
ON THE CROWD
The audience is stunned.
They don't know WHY the Referee stopped the match after only thirty
seconds.
ON THE RING
Both of the contestants are standing motionless, facing each other in
the ring.
Then Jill starts to fall down and Karen and the Referee immediately move
to catch her.
ON THE CROWD
The audience gives Karen well, both contestants a standing ovation.
ANNOUNCER
Ladies and gentlemen, in a record
time of thirty-two seconds, I give you
our new State Women's High School Karate
Champion, Miss Karen Pullman.
BOYS IN CROWD
Karen! Karen! Karen!
All the boys from Karen's high school shout her name. She's rich, in
shape, cute as a kitten, lives in a 15 million-dollar sports complex,
and can kick the crap out of any other woman on the planet.
What's not to love?
CLOSER ON THE AUDIENCE
Sitting by himself, BENJAMIN pans an expensive digital camcorder around
the arena.
THE AUDIENCE CAMERA'S P.O.V.
We see what the camera sees, with some kind of graphic to frame it. The
boys from Karen's high school are cheering like crazy.
The picture slowly pans back to the ring.
ON JILL
JILL'S COACH, 45, leans over his dazed and semi-conscious student.
After a moment, Jill stands up and waves to the crowd. Then Jill raises
Karen's hand in a victory acknowledgement and the crowd cheers wildly.
KAREN
I still want to come up and visit.
JILL
They play Washington in September.
KAREN
Deal.
ON BENJAMIN
Benjamin leaves the building.
EXT NICK AND TEANNA'S HOME NIGHT
Benjamin walks down a path to the home where his mother Teanna and her
husband Nick Clooney live.
INT LIVING ROOM NIGHT
Benjamin wanders through the house, frowning at all the signs that his
mother actually loves this American she married twenty years ago. A
note fastened to the refrigerator with a magnet says, "I love you."
Benjamin finds a staircase and slowly walks upstairs.
INT MASTER BEDROOM NIGHT
Benjamin ENTERS and examines everything.
Nick has left $500 on the dresser. Benjamin looks at the money and then
ignores it.
Benjamin stares at the king-sized bed, almost crying as he imagines his
mother having sex with Nick in this room.
MASTER BEDROOM IN BENJAMIN'S IMAGINATION
We "see" what Benjamin is thinking. His mother and Nick embrace each
other on the bed.
IMAGINATION SEQUENCE ENDS
Benjamin takes off his shirt.
After years of training with weights, Benjamin has turned his body into
a hard lump of muscle.
Nick has some of his favorite toys in this huge Master Bedroom suite.
There's an exercise bike, a treadmill, and a weight bench with a
barbell. There's also a Dell computer with a 24" Samsung flat panel
monitor for Internet access. For DVD playback, the computer is also
connected to a 42" Runco TV.
Benjamin attaches his digital camera to Nick's computer with a cable.
He downloads the video and watches the monitor.
ON THE SCREEN
Benjamin has some nice close-ups of Karen during her match.
He puts a different tape in the camcorder.
On the monitor, Karen swims solitary laps in the Complex's outdoor pool.
When she climbs out of the pool, she's wearing a bright red one-piece
suit with a yellow Baywatch emblem. The camera moves in for a close-up
on her muscular legs and arms.
ON BENJAMIN
Benjamin sits back on the bench and raises and lowers the barbell with
an angry passion.
BENJAMIN
My pain will make me stronger.
My pain will take me closer to my goal.
The friend of my enemy is my enemy.
The son of my enemy is my enemy.
The daughter of my enemy is my enemy.
The granddaughter of my enemy is my enemy.
Benjamin pauses as he hears a car pull into the driveway.
The front door opens. Benjamin hears the sounds of Nick and Teanna as
they enter the house, laughing.
Benjamin sits up from the bench and quietly walks downstairs.
INT LIVING ROOM BENJAMIN'S POV
Benjamin creeps forward until he sees Nick and his wife Teanna. They're
making love on the thick carpet in the living room.
Teanna screams passionately.
Neither Nick nor Teanna sense that anyone else is in the house.
Benjamin's face twists in silent rage. He hates watching them, but he
can't stop watching them, either.
INT BEDROOM NIGHT
Benjamin enters and unplugs the camcorder from Nick's computer. The
video from the tournament has been stored on Nick's hard disk, as part
of an existing file. There is no way Nick will know it's there unless
he opens that particular file.
INT BACK STAIRS NIGHT
Benjamin goes down the back stairs and exits through the back door of
the house.
CUT TO:
INT EXECUTIVE OFFICES DAY
The next morning, MIKE PULLMAN carries Karen's trophy into his office
and places it in the center of his desk so everyone can see it. A proud
father? You bet!
Mike passes by his SECRETARY'S desk.
MIKE
If we can sell three more houses
before the end of the month, I may
be able to pay you.
SECRETARY
Then I should tell you there's a nice
married couple waiting to see the models.
Mike walks over and introduces himself.
MIKE
Hello. I'm Mike Pullman.
KIRA, 30, is a striking Vietnamese woman.
FABIO, 32, at 6'0", is rather tall for a Vietnamese. With striking
facial bone structure and wide, muscular shoulders, Fabio could easily
be a male model.
Their conservative clothes play down their striking looks.
FABIO
I'm Fabio, and this is my wife,
Kira.
MIKE
Nice to meet you. Would you like to
see the models?
KIRA
Oh, very much. Thank you.
EXT MODEL HOME DAY
George drives Kira and Fabio to the furnished model in an electric golf
cart.
INT MODEL HOME DAY
George, Kira and Fabio ENTER. The inside of the furnished model is
fabulous. At a fabulous price, of course.
KIRA
I can't believe we're going to live
here. This is so fabulous.
MIKE
My wife designed most of this.
FABIO
Interior decorator or architect?
MIKE
Actually, just an extremely talented amateur.
I'm going to need some information for your
credit check. What do you do for a living?
FABIO
I'm an elementary school teacher, but my
family has money. It wouldn't be based on
my salary.
MIKE
You look pretty fit.
KIRA
Oh, he is. Let me ask one question.
What would be the most challenging group
exercise class that you offer here?
MIKE
That would be my daughter's Karate class.
Her name is Karen and she's very challenging.
As a matter of fact, she won the Michigan
High School Women's Championship yesterday,
and we're all very excited about going out
to Los Angeles for the Nationals.
KIRA
How old is she?
MIKE
Sixteen.
FABIO
And she has a black belt?
MIKE
Fifth degree.
FABIO
You must be very proud of her.
MIKE
I am.
FABIO
How do you expect her to do at the
Nationals? Or can you tell?
MIKE
I've got my fingers crossed. If she
makes a mistake and hurts somebody,
they might not give her the trophy.
FABIO
What if she gets hurt? At that level,
the competition is fierce.
MIKE
She knows the risks. I wish she could put
on a few pounds, but it's the National Championships, and
she's been training for
it all her life.
FABIO
Then we'll cross our fingers and wish
her the best of luck.
INT KARATE STUDIO NIGHT
Karen teaches her weekly karate session.
Fabio and Kira join the group. They look much sexier than they did in
Mike's office. Kira's workout outfit makes it obvious that she has
large breast implants. In fact, she could be (and is) a porno actress.
Fabio and Kira are hot for each other. Every time Karen takes a break,
they reach over and touch each other. Fabio strokes his wife's thigh and
she groans audibly.
FABIO
Sorry.
KAREN
I'm not even here. Just go on.
Karen, sixteen with raging hormones, can't take her eyes off this hot
Vietnamese couple groping each other in the back of the dojo.
The class is very demanding. Everyone is exhausted by the end.
Fabio leaves quietly, by himself.
Karen walks up to Kira and starts a conversation.
KAREN
I'm Karen Pullman.
KIRA
Kira. That was an excellent class.
Your father said we'd like it, and
we do.
KAREN
I have a Vietnamese brother and sister.
My parents adopted two Vietnamese orphans.
KIRA
Was your father in Vietnam?
KAREN
He was in the Marines.
KIRA
He seems like very nice man. Very
strong. Like a good father should be.
They walk out of the dojo together.
INT. WOMEN'S LOCKER ROOM
Karen and Kira get undressed.
Kira strips down to a bright red sports bra and panties. Kira has had
breasts enlargement surgery and her implants are larger than average.
KAREN
Are those real?
KIRA
Oh, no. My husband buy them for me.
As my present to him.
KAREN
He's very handsome.
KIRA
And he knows it, too. Women throw
themselves at him all the time. I
need every trick in the book to keep
his attention.
Karen can't take her eyes off Kira's breasts.
KIRA
I have tiny scar here. Here, touch.
She takes Karen's hand and traces it over the scar under the curve of
her left breast.
KAREN
My mother would go crazy if she knew
I was thinking about breast implants.
KIRA
You don't need them. Oh, no. You're very
young still. Only need breasts like these
when husband start to look at other women.
All the boys still lust after you, I bet.
KAREN
I had a boyfriend but he went away
to college.
KIRA
Quarterback?
KAREN
Wrestler.
KIRA
How old are you?
KAREN
Sixteen.
KIRA
And you virgin?
KAREN
No. One boyfriend, that's all.
KIRA
We're staying in one of your condos
until our home is ready. Can you come
over?
KAREN
Tonight?
KIRA
My husband very sexy man. If you no
like him, we just talk. If you like,
maybe you watch us make love. Get
him really hot for me.
KAREN
You want me to watch you make love
to your husband?
KIRA
Just watch. Gets him really hot. We
do this all the time. You only
sixteen, so I not let him touch you.
It not worth going to jail for, having
sex with sixteen year-old in this country.
But you watch all you want. Get you
really hot, too.
Karen thinks this over for a moment, then smiles.
EXT CONDO NIGHT
Kira drives Karen back to the condos in her white Acura NSX.
INT CONDO NIGHT
The furniture is very modern, about the quality of a luxury hotel.
Karen and Kira ENTER. Fabio looks up from an Internet terminal on the
desk. He wears a very sexy, very short black silk robe.
KIRA
You remember Karen.
FABIO
Hello, Karen. I enjoyed your class.
Very much.
KIRA
What would you like to drink?
KAREN
Just water. Thanks.
FABIO
You train very hard. Your body is
quite lovely. Would you like to take
off your clothes and show us?
Karen slowly takes off her clothes, until she stands in bra and panties
in front of them.
KIRA
She only sixteen. No touch. Just look.
FABIO
You're the only woman I want to touch,
my darling. But any man can appreciate
a beautiful woman. I can see every muscle
under your skin.
Karen sits on the floor in her underwear and does the same stretching
exercises she usually does at the end of her karate class.
KAREN
It's very important to stretch out
after a hard class. You left before
we finished.
Kira undresses for her husband. This time she doesn't stop at the
sports bra.
Fabio and Kira get onto the bed and start having sex.
Karen runs her hand along the husband's back, so she can feel the
texture of his skin. Then she sits at the end of the bed and watches
their passionate lovemaking.
EXT CONDO NIGHT
Karen steps out of the front door of the condo.
She almost runs into Benjamin.
KAREN
I'm sorry.
Karen is so hot after watching the other couple that she barely notices
him.
The moon is bright overhead as Karen walks home.
EXT KAREN'S HOUSE NIGHT
The Pullmans have the nicest houses in the gate-guarded community around
the golf course, about 8,500 square feet with a cavernous entrance hall
and stainless steel stairways.
INT KITCHEN/MEDIA ROOM NIGHT
Mike and Chrissy are cuddled together on a sofa watching Julia Roberts
in "Ocean's 11."
MIKE
When the kids go off to college,
do we want a smaller house?
CHRISSY
Definitely. We can move into one
of the condos for all I care.
MIKE
Here's something weird. Nick says he
thinks someone was in his house last
night. He found some sweat on the weight
bench in his bedroom and he swears it
wasn't his.
CHRISSY
Maybe Teanna spilled something.
MIKE
Maybe. Nick's usually pretty sharp about
things like that.
CHRISSY
Was anything missing?
MIKE
No. He'd left some money out on the
dresser and it was still there.
Karen ENTERS.
KAREN
Hi.
CHRISSY
You want some popcorn?
KAREN
I'll get it. I went over to the
condos with that new Vietnamese
couple after class.
MIKE
I got their credit report. He qualifies
for a million-dollar loan with no problem,
while she has no credit history at all.
That's strange. Are they nice?
KAREN
They're different.
CHRISSY
How so?
KAREN
Kira that's the wife thinks her
husband is the sexiest man in the world.
MIKE
You mean, like, People magazine's
Sexiest Man Alive?
CHRISSY
She's deluded. My husband is the
sexiest man alive.
KAREN
He could be. If he wasn't married to
my mother.
CHRISSY
So what happened?
KAREN
I stripped down to my underwear and
let them watch me stretch out. And
then I watched them make love.
MIKE
You learn anything?
KAREN
Yes.
MIKE
I told you those Animal Husbandry classes
were overrated.
CHRISSY
Are these the kind of people we want
living next door?
KAREN
I don't know. Maybe you should meet them.
CHRISSY
Tonight?
Karen picks up a telephone and dials.
KIRA (Voice only)
Hello?
KAREN
Kira, it's Karen. Would you and Fabio
Like to come to a special class tonight?
Aerobics, not karate. A little dance, a
little cardio. Good. How about eight
o'clock? In the same room. See you then.
INT KARATE STUDIO NIGHT
The mats are rolled up and some disco lighting turned on.
Kira and Fabio enter, dressed in sexy aerobic wear.
TEN people are in the room, several of them students from Karen's high
school. Karen and Chrissy warm up together on the floor.
The class is Cardio Strip Tease. Mike wears a sleeveless black t-shirt
(like Travolta in Staying Alive) and white shorts.
A choreographer named JEFF, 28, teaches the class. (Jeff Costa teaches
Cardio Strip Tease on Wednesday nights at the Hollywood Crunch Fitness
Club on Sunset Boulevard.)
Mike and Chrissy go through the strip routines together.
Mike takes a water bottle out of his bag. He drinks half of it, and
pours the rest on his wife's sport bra, so her
nipples become visible. Chrissy laughs giddily at the cold water.
FAVORING KAREN
When there's a break, JERRY, 18, a senior from Karen's high school,
approaches Karen. He has a worried look on his face.
JERRY
What if your parents come in?
Karen has to savor the line for a moment before saying it.
KAREN
Those are my parents.
Jerry's mouth drops open as he recognizes Mike and Chrissy from the last
Friday night's football game.
JERRY
Those are your parents.
ON THE ROOM
We might have to rig this contest (by selecting certain camera angles,
or working with Costa to improve his dance moves) but at the end, there
is no doubt that Mike is "The Sexiest Man In The Room" and Fabio comes
in a distant second.
Fabio appears a bit shaken. He's just been beaten by the father of the
girl he's pursuing. It's a massive blow to his ego
Like any gracious winner, Mike tries to be friends with the losers.
MIKE
Your credit report came back.
The bank loves you. I hope you're
still interested in the house.
KIRA
Absolutely. I think living here would
be a dream come true.
MIKE
That's from one of my ads.
KIRA
Well, it's true.
EXT PULLMAN HOUSE NIGHT
As soon as they get home, Mike and Chrissy get on dirt bikes and ride
off toward the highway.
INT CONDO NIGHT
KIRA and FABIO enter.
BENJAMIN waits for them in the living room.
BENJAMIN
How did it go?
KIRA
Very strange. Both of her parents
were there.
BENJAMIN
They're worried about their little girl.
FABIO
Not exactly.
Kira gets into bed with Benjamin.
A computer monitor shows video shot by a hidden camera in the bedroom
the previous evening, including Karen doing stretching exercises in her
underwear on the floor.
KIRA
Are you falling in love with her?
BENJAMIN
Of course not. I'm just editing this
for a video. I'm madly in love with you.
Only you.
The monitor shows footage taken at the Cardio Strip Class.
Benjamin studies Chrissy's dancing.
BENJAMIN
This is his wife? Is she as sexy
as she looks here?
KIRA
Yes.
BENJAMIN
And he's totally in love with her?
KIRA
Totally.
BENJAMIN
Excellent. Everything is going to
work out fine.
They kiss.
EXT WILLOW BAY HIGH SCHOOL DAY
INT LOBBY OF WILLOW BAY HIGH SCHOOL DAY
As KAREN enters, a banner in the lobby proclaims "Karen Pullman is our
new State of Michigan Women's High School Karate Champion."
SANDY, 16, her best friend at school, comes up to Karen.
SANDY
You've got to see this. Right now.
INT HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY DAY
Karen and Sandy ENTER. The library has thirty computer screens and
they're all showing the same web site.
The Internet site shows a video playing in a small window. The scenes
include:
(a) Close-ups of Karen fighting in the tournament.
(b) Karen swimming laps in her red Baywatch suit,
(c) Karen kissing a boy on a date, and
(d) Karen sitting on the end of a bed in her underwear, watching
Fabio and Kira engage in hot, passionate sex.
This is the same video footage that Benjamin and Fabio edited earlier.
SANDY
You know, Mr. DeLuca was right. You
can't take a bad picture.
Karen puts a CD in the burner.
KAREN
See if you can make a copy.
SANDY
For the restraining order?
KAREN
My family doesn't sue people. We just
beat the crap out of them.
SANDY
That is such a turn-on. Does your Dad
know I'm in love with him?
KAREN
No, that's still our dirty little secret.
SANDY
Maybe they'd let me watch.
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LIBRARY
Some boys watch the video on another computer station.
One of them, a timid sophomore named LEONARD, 16, only knows Karen by
sight.
LEONARD
Is that really you?
KAREN
The parts at the tournament, yes.
LEONARD
What about the part where you're sitting
on the bed in your underwear?
Karen pretends to study the tape more carefully.
KAREN
Do you think that's me? Do you think
the girl in that video really looks
like me?
LEONARD
Well, yeah.
Karen walks over and gets in his face. Leonard takes a quick step
backward and bumps into a chair.
KAREN
Listen to me very carefully. Do you
really think my ass is that big?
LEONARD
Well, yeah. I guess so.
KAREN
You're not listening. Watch my lips
when I talk. Do you really think my
ass is that big?
LEONARD
No, of course not. That's girl's ass looks
much bigger that yours. You have a really
tight little ass. I'm in a lot of trouble
here, aren't I?
KAREN
Not if you tell your friends that I'm
in the tournament scenes, and it's some
other girl in all the other scenes.
LEONARD
I can do that. Sure. Anyone can see
it's some other girl. You're much prettier
than she is. I don't suppose you'd like
to go to a movie on Friday? I mean,
with me? Not with Sandy. Or by yourself.
KAREN
You mean on a date?
LEONARD
I've wanted to ask you for months,
only you were training for this tournament
and you were really, really tired all
the time. And I had never really spoken
to you before. Before today, I mean.
KAREN
What color underwear would you expect
me to wear?
LEONARD
I don't care. Are you going to kill me?
Because my mother would be very upset if I
don't graduate from dental school in eight
years. I'm still a virgin. And I'm stupid.
Very stupid.
KAREN
Do you have a car?
BOY
My Dad has a new 7-series. He said I can
drive it.
Karen walks back to Sandy without answering his question.
KAREN
What do you think?
SANDY
Marginal, but his Dad has a new
7-series.
Karen looks back at Leonard over her shoulder.
KAREN
Okay, I'll go.
LEONARD
Great.
KAREN
Pick me up at my house at 9:00 on
Friday night. And don't be scared
of my Dad. He hasn't killed anybody
in years.
Karen and Sandy EXIT.
A Junior named ROB, 17, has overhead the conversation and leans over to
give Leonard some advice.
ROB
Wear a cup.
CUT TO:
EXT SMALL AIRPORT IN MICHIGAN DAY
This airport sells vintage, decommissioned American military planes.
Dozens of them are lined up on the runway.
A SALESMAN, 50, shows a plane to BENJAMIN and his father, KWAN, 70.
Kwan wears thick glasses and walks with a cane.
KWAN
Could I get the original
napalm tanks re-installed?
SALESMAN
Sure, for an extra thousand.
You got a small, backward country
you want to defoliate?
KWAN
No, I just want the plane to handle
the same way it did in 'Nam. I want
everything exactly the way I remember.
SALESMAN
What'd you do over there?
KWAN
I was a helicopter pilot. Twenty-third
Medical Evac. I dropped some napalm, too.
SALESMAN
You were on our side, right?
KWAN
Yeah. Of course.
SALESMAN
Just asking. Want to take her up
for a spin?
KWAN
Wouldn't buy it unless I have.
ON THE RUNWAY
Kwan waves at Benjamin as he takes the plane for a test flight.
CUT TO:
INT OLYMPIC EQUESTRIAN CENTER DAY
Chrissy rides her favorite horse around the ring at the
Complex's "Olympic Equestrian Center" where riders and their horses
train for future Olympic events.
Mike rides up on his dirt bike. He stops to stare at her.
CHRISSY
What do you need?
MIKE
The pleasure of your company.
Mike unzips his leather jacket and hands her a slightly-crushed bouquet
of flowers.
CHRISSY
Keep it up and you might get lucky.
MIKE
You want to scare some horses?
Chrissy circles around the ring, letting her horse set the pace. She
leans back on the horse and raises her arms in a seductive manner.
Mike watches her with a big smile on his face.
MIKE
They poured some new foundations up
around the 18th green last night. I'm
going to check them out.
CHRISSY
You have the cell phone?
Mike holds up his cell phone.
CHRISSY
Call me.
INT CHRISSY AND MIKE SNIPER'S P.O.V.
They are being watched through a rifle's telescopic sight.
ON BENJAMIN
BENJAMIN sits in the rafters of the Equestrian Center, looking down at
the horse ring. He cradles a $6,000 Smith & Wesson Competition Target
Rifle under his arm and patiently waits for Mike to leave.
ON MIKE BENJAMIN'S P.O.V.
Mike starts his dirt bike and exits.
Benjamin looks through the rifle's scope again.
ON CHRISSY BENJAMIN'S P.O.V.
Chrissy takes her favorite horse through some turns and a few tricks.
EXT ON THE TRAIL WITH MIKE DAY
Mike guns his bike past some houses under construction.
He turns onto a dirt path that cuts through a stand of trees.
ON BENJAMIN
Benjamin makes a few adjustments on his rifle, and watches Chrissy
through the telescopic sight. He smiles.
CUT TO:
EXT ON THE TRAIL
Another rider comes up beside Mike on a second dirt bike.
She is wearing stylish leathers, shiny black with red Ferrari logos, and
a black helmet with a visor that completely hides her identity.
Mike holds up his hand and stops his bike.
The other rider comes around and stops next to him.
When she takes off her helmet, it's KIRA.
KIRA
Hello, Mike. Nice bike.
MIKE
I'm going up to the new housing site.
There's no house yet, but would you
like to see where your house is going
to be?
KIRA
I'd love to.
They put their bikes in gear and drive off together.
INT EQUESTRIAN CENTER DAY
Benjamin takes careful aim with his target rifle.
The cross-hairs in his scope settle on the fleshy part of Chrissy's
upper thigh.
Benjamin fires.
The shot echoes like an explosive charge.
Chrissy and her horse go down. No one else is around.
Benjamin lowers the rifle.
He picks up the spent cartridge shell from the ground and puts it in his
pocket.
Then he waits.
EXT HOUSING SITE DAY
The two dirt bikes race along a path through the trees.
The noise from their engines is so loud, Mike couldn't possibly hear the
crack of the GUNSHOT in the distance.
They stop at the unfinished houses under construction near the 18th
green of the golf course.
MIKE
There are three houses here, at the end
of a cul-de-sac. You can pick whichever
one you think has the best view.
Kira looks out at the golf course, a beautiful panoramic view.
KIRA
I think I like this one. Do you play
around?
MIKE
I haven't picked up a club in years.
During this conversation, Kira slowly unzips her leather motorcycle
jacket, teasing Mike with the knowledge that she isn't wearing anything
under it.
KIRA
You know I'm very attracted to you.
MIKE
I'm about as married as you can get.
Short of actually owning another person
as a slave.
KIRA
What do they call it? A wife-swapping
party? Maybe the four of us could get
together and have some fun. My husband,
your wife. No secrets. No lies. No
sneaking around behind anybody's back.
MIKE
I'll see what my wife thinks.
KIRA
She's not shy. I like her a lot.
Mike frowns at the sound of AN AMBULANCE SIREN in the distance. He
takes out his cell phone and punches re-dial.
MIKE
Mary, it's Mike. What's the siren
for?
Mike frowns and folds up phone.
MIKE
She doesn't know. Let's get back
there.
Kira reluctantly zips her jacket up.
Mike and Kira head back to the main road on their dirt bikes.
EXT EQUESTRIAN CENTER DAY
An ambulance turns off its siren as it approaches the building.
INT EQUESTRIAN CENTER
The ambulance pulls into the horse ring. TWO ASIAN MEN in orange
Medical Technician uniforms get out and rush over to Chrissy.
MEDICAL TECH #1
She's bleeding from the artery.
We've got to get her in the unit
Right now.
MEDICAL TECH #2
You're going to be all right, ma'am,
but we have to take you in.
The two men put a tourniquet around Chrissy's leg to stop the bleeding,
and strap her into a portable gurney.
They load the gurney into the back of the ambulance and race off with
the siren blaring.
EXT EQUESTRIAN CENTER
The ambulance comes out of the building and heads for the highway.
INT ON THE ROAD WITH MIKE AND KIRA
Mike and Kira catch up with the ambulance.
Mike motions for it to keep going and not to stop for him.
MEDICAL TECH #1 sticks his arm out the window and motions for Mike to
pull up alongside.
Mike guns his bike until he is opposite the driver's window.
The driver twists the steering wheel hard.
The ambulance swerves and almost hits Mike.
Mike puts the bike down and slides along the pavement on his butt. A
truly spectacular slide.
Kira stops her bike so she can tend to him.
The ambulance never slows down, and after a moment disappears around a
corner.
Mike is shaken and definitely stirred, but not broken.
KIRA
You very lucky.
MIKE
What did he do that for?
KIRA
Maybe he not know who you are. Just
a stranger on a dirt bike looking for
trouble.
INT CONDO BEDROOM DAY
FABIO sits at the Internet terminal in the master bedroom, editing the
video of Karen from the tournament.
BENJAMIN enters.
BENJAMIN
How's the book coming?
Fabio stops the video and opens a file of text on the screen.
The title of a book is centered on the screen: "Guerillas In The Mist:
The True Story of the CIA's Systematic Torture and Murder of the Viet
Cong Gang of 50."
FABIO
Parts of it are very good.
But you need some re-writes on
a few chapters.
Benjamin comes up behind Fabio to look at the screen.
BENJAMIN
What do you mean?
FABIO
The three most important elements of
writing are structure, structure,
and structure. Your book needs a
beginning, a middle and an end.
The beginning of a story, Aristotle
tells us, is that part which comes
first, and before which is nothing.
Benjamin casually rests one arm across Fabio's shoulders.
With his other hand, Benjamin grabs Fabio's chin and twists his head
around, as hard as he can.
The SOUND of Fabio's neck breaking is a small but crisp CRACK.
Fabio's feet twitch frantically for a few seconds, and then stop.
BENJAMIN
I hate critics.
Benjamin hits three keys on the keyboard.
The video from Karen's tournament plays in a window on the screen, with
the text of the book behind it.
Benjamin leaves Fabio's corpse sitting upright in the chair and exits
toward the kitchen.
INT CONDO KITCHEN/DINETTE AREA DAY
KIRA is upset.
KIRA
That was a stupid, amateur move.
If he'd broken his neck in that fall,
our plan would have been ruined.
BENJAMIN
Call him. See if you can get him
over here.
Kira opens her cell phone and punches a number.
INT MIKE"S OFFICE DAY
Mike paces the floor as he talks into his cell phone.
Karen sits in his desk chair, watching him.
MIKE
Her name is Christine Pullman.
Chrissy Pullman. She has a gunshot
wound to her upper leg. I'm her
husband and I'm trying to find out
where the ambulance took her.
Yes, I'll wait.
KAREN
That's the only hospital within fifty
miles.
MIKE
If they took her to a hospital.
KAREN
They wouldn't let her die. They were
driving an ambulance.
Mike talks into his phone.
MIKE
Okay, you're sure she's not there.
No gunshot wounds at all. Okay,
thank you.
KAREN
I'll check the other hospitals.
There's a trauma center in Brighton.
MIKE
Try that one.
Mike's cell phone rings. He answers it.
MIKE
Hello.
KIRA (V.O.)
Hello, Mike. It's Kira.
MIKE
We have a situation here and I'm
kind of busy.
INT CONDO KITCHEN/DINETTE AREA DAY
Kira smiles at Benjamin.
KIRA
It's Fabio. I think he might have
shot your wife.
MIKE (V.O.)
What?
KIRA
He's crazy. Crazy with jealousy. He
thinks we're having an affair. That
I'm going to leave him for you.
MIKE (V.O.)
Is he still there?
KIRA
No. He went out to the car, but he's
coming right back. He has a rifle.
It's a target rifle. A very expensive
one, like six thousand dollars. I didn't
think he brought it, but it was in the
car. Can you come over here? Please?
Just until he calms down?
MIKE (V.O.)
Did he hit you?
KIRA
Yes. In the face. I was so afraid.
I thought he was going to kill me.
MIKE (V.O.)
I'll be right there. Five minutes.
Kira hangs up. She smiles at Benjamin.
KIRA
He'll be here in five minutes.
BENJAMIN
Excellent. You really are a talented
actress. I knew you were lying and I
believed every word.
Benjamin takes Kira in his arms and kisses her on the forehead.
Then he kisses her on the mouth, passionately.
His hands go up to Kira's neck.
Benjamin strangles Kira with his bare hands.
BENJAMIN
No woman leaves me for another man.
Ever.
Benjamin opens the freezer door and takes a carton of Ben & Jerry's ice
cream.
Benjamin opens the refrigerator door and takes out a birthday cake.
He sets them on the dinette table.
A red plastic "50" is stuck in the top of the cake, surrounded by
candles.
Benjamin carefully lights all the candles.
Then he takes the spent rifle shell out of his pocket.
He writes the number "50" on the casing with a pen and sticks it into
the frosting of the cake, before he exits.
EXT CONDO DAY
Mike drives up in an electric golf cart and races inside the condo.
INT CONDO NIGHT
Mike enters cautiously, but his ears tell him the place is empty.
A POLICE SIREN wails in the distance.
Mike sees Kira's body on the floor in the kitchen.
With a deep sigh, Mike backs out of the condo.
EXT CONDO DAY
The POLICE SIREN is coming closer.
Mike takes out his wallet and finds his driver's license. Then he puts
his wallet back in his pocket, and stands at the curb.
A POLICE CAR pulls to the curb in front of the condo.
Mike waves his arms to get the driver's attention.
OFFICER FRIENDLY, 33, gets out of one car.
OFFICER FRIENDLY
Who are you, sir?
MIKE
I'm Mike Pullman. I own this
complex. Here's my ID.
OFFICER FRIENDLY
Oh, you're Karen's father.
MIKE
That's right.
OFFICER FRIENDLY
We had a report of a gunshot twenty
minutes ago.
MIKE
My wife was shot. I've been trying to find
out which hospital they took her to.
OFFICER FRIENDLY
She's in the Trauma Unit at County General
in Brighton. That's about sixty miles away,
but they're equipped to handle cases like hers.
MIKE
You're sure she's there?
OFFICER FRIENDLY
Yes, sir. Then we received an anonymous
call about two dead bodies at this address.
MIKE
I only saw one. In the kitchen. I didn't
check her. She could still be alive.
Officer Friendly takes a notebook out of his shirt pocket.
OFFICER FRIENDLY
She? Do you know who it is?
MIKE
Her name is Kira. Kira Kener.
Another police car pulls up and TWO OFFICERS get out.
OFFICER FRIENDLY
Mr. Pullman, do we have your permission
to enter the condo?
MIKE
Yes. Of course.
OFFICER FRIENDLY
I'm going to ask you to stand over on
that curb and not leave until we've gotten
your statement.
INT LIVING ROOM OF CONDO NIGHT
The lights in the ceiling go on.
Officer Friendly enters the living room.
Kira's corpse is still lying in the same spot in the kitchen.
OFFICER FRIENDLY
Oh, Christ.
Officer Friendly checks her for a pulse and finds none.
INT BEDROOM NIGHT
Officer Friendly ENTERS.
Fabio is dead on the floor next to the computer terminal.
Officer Friendly checks his body for a pulse.
He looks at the computer screen.
ON THE MONITOR SCREEN
The title of a book is still on the screen.
The screen also has a window showing the video of Karen's tournament win
and then her climbing out of the swimming pool.
Officer Friendly studies the video. He recognizes Karen, of course, but
what is this video doing at a crime scene?
INT POLICE INTERROGATION ROOM
MIKE sits on a chair behind a table, facing a wall with a one-way
mirror.
LT. FURMAN and SGT. PEREZ enter. Furman carries a tape recorder.
LT. FURMAN
I understand you want to make a
statement.
MIKE
Yes. Kira called me. She said her
husband was furious and she was afraid
of him.
PEREZ
Did she say why?
MIKE
He thought she was going to leave him.
LT. FURMAN
Why would he think that?
MIKE
Kira asked me if my wife and I would
be interested in joining them for a
wife-swapping party. Maybe he took
that the wrong way.
LT. FURMAN
That could happen. Sure. I think all
writers are basically insecure about
their relationships. That's where they
get their material. Do you ever watch
Everyone Loves Raymond?
MIKE
Sure. He's funny.
LT. FURMAN
You were in 'Nam?
MIKE
Four years. Near the end.
LT. FURMAN
What do you know about this
"Gang Of 50"?
MIKE
It's an Urban Legend. If a civilian
decided to kill some American soldiers
with a homemade bomb, he'd write a letter
to the newspaper, claiming that he belonged
to this "Gang of 50." That way, it looked
like the Gang was everywhere, with thousands
of members.
LT. FURMAN
When did you find out Fabio was writing
a book about this "Gang of 50"?
MIKE
I didn't know he was writing a book.
I thought he was a school teacher.
Furman turns on the tape recorder.
LT. FURMAN
This is Lt. Furman of the Willow Bay
Police Department interviewing Mike
Pullman, owner of The Sports Complex.
Mr. Pullman, I am now going to read you
your rights. You have the right to remain
silent. You have the right to an attorney,
and to have him present while you are being questioned.
MIKE
Wait a minute. Am I a suspect?
LT. FURMAN
Yes. Considering what you just told me,
yes.
MIKE
Just hold on.
LT. FURMAN
If you can't afford an attorney, one will
be appointed for your free of charge.
MIKE
I said hold on. I want to have an attorney represent me in
this matter and I will not
make a statement until my attorney is present
in this room.
LT. FURMAN
Okay. Why do you think you need a lawyer?
MIKE
Why do you think I'm a suspect?
LT. FURMAN
I just think a guy who lawyers up
without making a statement looks pretty
guilty. Like you're hiding something.
LT. Furman's cell phone rings. He answers it.
FURMAN
Yeah? Okay, I'll tell him. That's too
bad.
(To Mike)
They just took your wife into surgery.
They may have to amputate her leg.
Mike can't hold back his tears.
FURMAN
If some bastard shot my wife,
I don't think I'd have a choice.
I'd have to talk to him. Is that
how it happened with Fabio?
MIKE
Come back when my lawyer's here.
FURMAN
Do you know how that looks?
MIKE
Maybe it looks different from your
side of the table. It looks like the
smart thing to do from over here.
Talk to you later.
The two policemen EXIT, leaving Mike alone with his misery.
INT COMPUTER ROOM
KIT, 28, a computer technician, makes notes on the video from Fabio's
computer.
Furman and Perez ENTER.
LT. FURMAN
What do you have?
KIT
Just before he was killed, Fabio
was editing video from a camcorder.
ON THE SCREEN
The tape shows Mike and Kira at the housing site, talking.
MIKE
There are three houses here, at the end
of a cul-de-sac. You can pick whichever
one you think has the best view.
KIRA
I think I like this one. Do you play
around?
MIKE
I haven't picked up a club in years.
Kira slowly unzips her leather jacket
KIRA
You know I'm very attracted to you.
MIKE
I'm about as married as you can get.
Short of actually owning another person
as a slave.
KIRA
What do they call it? A wife-swapping
party? Maybe the four of us could get
together and have some fun. My husband,
your wife. No secrets. No lies. No
sneaking around behind anybody's back.
MIKE
I'll see what my wife thinks.
KIRA
She's not shy. I like her a lot.
Mike hears an ambulance siren in the distance and punches re-dial on his
cell phone.
MIKE
Mary, it's Mike. What's the siren for?
Mike folds up the phone.
MIKE
She doesn't know. Let's get back there.
VIDEO TAPE ENDS.
ON THE POLICE OFFICERS
Furman and Perez exchange knowing glances.
KIT
I'd say that's a pretty air-tight
alibi for his wife's shooting.
LT. FURMAN
Yeah, but it gives him one hell of a
motive for killing her husband.
KIT
If my husband killed the man who shot
me, I'd give him a medal and a ticker-tape
parade.
Kit backs the tape up until Mike and Kira are together in the same
frame.
KIT
So who shot this tape? Fabio?
PEREZ
Sure. He thought his wife was cheating
on him, so he followed her with a
camera and a microphone.
KIT
Or someone who wants us to think Mike
Pullman killed those two people? So we
never come looking for him?
FURMAN
Motive?
KIT
Still working on one.
Furman and Perez watch Kira unzip her jacket again.
FURMAN
This guy did it. There's your
motive, right there.
PEREZ
Guilty as sin. No question.
CUT TO:
INT GLASS INTERVIEW WINDOW AT JAIL
CIA AGENT JACK RYAN, 43, sits on the other side of the glass at the
private window reserved for Attorney Interviews.
A door opens and MIKE enters. He sits down and talks to Ryan over a
phone.
MIKE
I didn't kill them.
JACK RYAN
I know.
MIKE
Then get me out of here.
Jack Ryan opens his folder and takes out a document.
JACK RYAN
This is a signed Presidential pardon.
You are now officially innocent of any
crime, even ones that haven't been charged
yet. I just filed it with the Court
and they're already processing you out.
Through the glass, Mike looks at the paper that says "Presidential
Pardon."
MIKE
Did the President really sign that?
JACK RYAN
Yes. The Agency is very concerned
about the way we're being portrayed
in this book.
MIKE
I never interrogated anyone.
JACK RYAN
No, your talents were in other areas.
MIKE
Then why is my name in that book?
Ryan takes a faxed copy of a passport photograph from the same folder.
JACK RYAN
Benjamin Kai is now living in Los
Angeles and lists his occupation as
"Adult Filmmaker."
MIKE
I don't see the connection.
JACK RYAN
The murdered woman, Kira, starred in
three of his films that were never
distributed in the United States. They
had a personal relationship, too.
MIKE
Personal?
JACK RYAN
Oh, it gets better. She was never
married to Fabio. And Benjamin visited
Pakistan in 1985. We think he met
with Abu Zubaydah.
MIKE
So bin Laden put up the money for
Benjamin's film company?
JACK RYAN
We're checking on that right now.
MIKE
I need to get out of here.
EXT REGIONAL TRAUMA CENTER DAY
INT POST-OP WAITING ROOM DAY
MIKE and JACK RYAN enter. KAREN gives Mike a big hug.
SANDY throws Mike a puppy-love glance from the other side of the room.
JILL notices it and smiles.
A NURSE, 25, talks on the phone at the nurse's station.
MIKE
How's your mother?
KAREN
I haven't seen her yet.
MIKE
Where is she?
NURSE
She's not awake yet.
Jack Ryan takes out his ID and shows the Nurse.
JACK RYAN
This is a matter of national security.
I want to see Mrs. Pullman right now.
INT POST-OP RECOVERY DAY
Mike, Jack Ryan, and Karen enter into the post-op recovery ward.
Chrissy looks terrible. She hasn't come out of the anesthesia yet. Her
right leg is in a full-length cast and her heel is suspended by a rope
and pulley.
KAREN
Mom?
CHRISSY
Don't look at me.
Jack Ryan shows her a photo of Benjamin.
JACK RYAN
This is the man who shot you. Do
you know who he is?
CHRISSY
No.
MIKE
He's Teanna's son. The one who went
back to Vietnam.
Karen looks over Mike's shoulder at the photo.
KAREN
I've seen him.
MIKE
Where?
KAREN
The night I went home with Kira.
He was outside. I almost bumped
into him.
Jack Ryan pulls out his cell phone and makes a call.
CHRISSY
Mike?
MIKE
I'm right here, darling.
CHRISSY
Do we know where he is? Right now?
Jack Ryan ends his phone call.
JACK RYAN
There's a federal judge in Los Angeles
signing a Material Witness warrant as
we speak. As a Vietnamese citizen, he
falls under the Federal Terrorist Statute.
If we find him, we'll pick him up.
CUT TO:
EXT INDUSTRIAL PARK IN HOLLYWOOD DAY
Two black sedans and three LAPD patrol cars stop in front of a warehouse
in a sprawling Industrial Park.
EXT ON THE ENTRANCE DAY
LT. COLUMBO, 44, of the LAPD, THREE LAPD OFFICERS in uniform and FIVE
CIA AGENTS enter.
The name "Made 4U In Hollywood Productions" appears on a small sign next
to the front door.
INT RECEPTION AREA DAY
An incredibly good-looking receptionist named KELLY HENNESSEY, 32, sits
behind an ultra-modern glass desk. She wears a headset with microphone.
KELLY HENNESSEY
(Into headset)
One moment, please.
Kelly turns to Lt. Columbo and gives him a 500-watt smile.
KELLY HENNESSEY
Can I help you?
Lt. Columbo shows his badge.
LT. COLUMBO
LAPD. We're looking for Benjamin Kai.
KELLY HENNESSEY
He's up in his office.
Kelly points to a glass window on the second floor of the warehouse,
overlooking the entire first floor.
INT ON THE WINDOW LT. COLUMBO'S P.O.V.
BENJAMIN can be seen sitting behind a huge desk in his office, talking
on the phone.
ON LT. COLUMBO
LT. COLUMBO
Thank you, ma'am. We'll find the
way.
ALL leave except one CIA agent, who stays at the reception desk to guard
the door.
KELLY HENNESSEY
So, do you have a search warrant?
CIA AGENT
The Lieutenant does, yes.
KELLY HENNESSEY
Does it authorize a full body-cavity
strip search?
CIA AGENT
No, ma'am. We're looking for a
rifle.
KELLY HENNESSEY
Too bad.
Kelly looks away as she answers a phone call.
RECEPTIONIST
Good morning. Made For You In
Hollywood Productions.
INT BENJAMIN'S OFFICE DAY
Benjamin sits behind his desk, staring out his window and talking on a
telephone headset.
TWO LOUD KNOCKS on the door. Lt. Columbo and his entourage enter.
LT. COLUMBO
Benjamin Kai?
BENJAMIN
(Into headset)
Just a moment.
(To Lt. Columbo)
This is a very important call. How
can I help you?
LT. COLUMBO
I have a warrant to search these
premises.
BENJAMIN
Help yourself.
Benjamin talks into the headset.
BENJAMIN
The police just showed up with a
search warrant. Let me call you
back. Yes, I know the number.
Benjamin hangs up the phone.
BENJAMIN
Writers.
LT. COLUMBO
Could I ask you a couple of questions?
BENJAMIN
You're the police. Ask away.
LT. COLUMBO
What kind of movies do you make here?
BENJAMIN
I make x-rated pornographic movies,
but only for distribution in Vietnam
and Indochina. We sell them on DVD's,
but we don't even code them for Region 1,
which is the United States and Canada.
LT. COLUMBO
Have you ever heard of a book called
"Guerrillas In The Mist"?
BENJAMIN
A manuscript, yes. My father was Kwan,
and I was the boy in the room while he
was tortured.
LT. COLUMBO
So you knew Fabio was writing a book
about your Father?
BENJAMIN
Of course. Fabio tracked me down and
I told him everything I could remember.
It's all on tape, somewhere. Like all
writers, Fabio thought he was God's gift to
women.
LT. COLUMBO
Can you prove you've been for the last
three days?
BENJAMIN
I didn't kill him. He still owes me two
scripts. I haven't left Los Angeles for
six months. Ask any of my employees.
INT STAIRWAY DAY
Lt. Columbo follows Benjamin down the stairs to the sets where his
movies are shot.
INT MOVIE STUDIO DAY
The first floor has lots of lights, cameras on dollies, electric cables
and three permanent sets.
One is a hotel room with a king-sized bed.
The second is the stage of a strip bar, complete with brass pole and a
spinning mirrored disco ball.
The third is a luxurious office with an executive-sized desk, fit for a
movie studio CEO.
As Benjamin approaches, FOUR VIETNAMESE WOMEN and TWO BLONDE WOMEN move
toward him. Three are gorgeous. Two are beautiful, and one is merely
young and cute. They're all dressed in sexy outfits.
TITI wears a bikini made of shiny black vinyl.
LEXA DOIG, 30, wears silver short-shorts and a matching silver vest with
a black zipper down the front.
TORRIE WILSON, 25, wears a beret and an unbuttoned work shirt tucked
into her tight black pants.
KOBE TAI, 28, wears red high heels, bright red latex stretch pants.
She's nude from the waist up, except for a white bath towel over her
shoulders.
JEWEL DeNYLE, 25, looks like the Egyptian courtesan in "The Mummy
Returns."
SHAYLA LaVEAUX, 19, is the "innocent" young Vietnamese girl in
Benjamin's movies. She wears cut-off blue jeans and an olive sports
bra.
(Note: None of these actors have any idea that their studio is financed
by an Islamic terrorist group.)
BENJAMIN
These are my employees. They are all
professional actresses who have appeared
in dozens of films. In Asia, not the
United States.
LT. COLUMBO
Adult movies, or legitimate movies?
BENJAMIN
Movies that you can walk into a store
and buy on a DVD. I'd call that
legitimate.
LT. COLUMBO
Ladies. How many of you speak English?
TITI
I do.
TOBE KAI
So do I.
BENJAMIN
Titi has a Degree in Theatre Arts from
UCLA. Tobe grew up in San Jose. The
others are here on sixty-day work
visas.
LT. COLUMBO
I understand Kira was one of your
employees, too?
BENJAMIN
Until she met Fabio, yes.
LT. COLUMBO
Were they married?
BENJAMIN
I'm not sure. Fabio offered to buy
her a house somewhere, far away from
Hollywood, and his family is extremely
wealthy. Somewhere she could play golf
and ride horses, I think.
LT. COLUMBO
In Michigan?
TITI
I think so.
BENJAMIN
Now that he's dead, I'm going to pitch my
Father's story to the major studios. I want
Keanu Reeves to play my father. In fact,
that's a deal-breaker.
ANOTHER ANGLE ON MOVIE SET - DAY
HARVEY LEVINSKY, 45, sits at the buffet table.
In Benjamin's movies, Harvey always plays the Ugly American, an
overweight and abusive studio executive with a weakness for young Asian
actresses. Harvey eats constantly on the set, except when he's in front
of the camera, delivering his dialogue.
A handsome Vietnamese man named BOB, 25, sits down next to Harvey. Bob
always plays the Muslim who rescues Harvey's employees from a life of
shame and degradation.
HARVEY
He's playing dumb.
BOB
Damn right. Keanu Reeves sucks.
HARVEY
Big time.
Jewel DeNyle and Shayla LaVeaux sit down on the other side of the table.
JEWEL
"Keanu" means "breaking wind" in
Hawaiian.
SHAYLA
Why not Jet Li?
Kobe Tai joins the conversation.
KOBE TAI
Or some Vietnamese character actor
who's been struggling for years?
BOB
They'll need someone sensitive to play
the CIA guy.
JEWEL
He tortured Benjy's Father.
HARVEY
That's why they need someone sensitive,
so the audience knows it wasn't his fault.
Like Ben Affleck.
KOBE TAI
Or a younger Ben Affleck?
TITI
Someone who hasn't been in rehab lately.
ALL TOGETHER
Robert Downey Jr..
Titi sits down next to Harvey.
TITI
Are these guys from the I.R.S.?
HARVEY
I think so.
JEWEL
Benjy always pays us in cash, so he's
a little short on the paperwork.
BOB
Five to seven for tax evasion. I hope
the D.A.'s gay.
JEWEL
If he's not, give me a call.
KOBE TAI
Joe Pesci as the churlish psychopath
in GoodFellas. There's a villain who
rocks your socks.
TITI
A true movie villain is not only
the rodent he portrays in one movie,
but the sum total of every other
species of vermin he's ever played
throughout his career. When they cast
Al Pacino to play Satan in "The Devil's
Advocate," they also get Michael Corleone,
Lefty Ruggiero and that vicious blind man
from "Scent of a Woman."
SHAYLA
The guy from Silence of the Lambs.
The transsexual, not Hopkins.
HARVEY
Danny DeVito.
BOB
Matt Damon.
JEWEL
Mark Wahlberg?
TITI
What about George Clooney?
ALL TOGETHER
Naw.
AN HOUR LATER
No rifle is found. Lt. Columbo arrests Benjamin and all of his employees
using a Federal Material Witness warrant. They are all put into
handcuffs.
EXT POLICE VAN DAY
Benjamin and his associates are loaded into a waiting van.
Curious people stare at them from the other offices. Some of them had
no idea Benjamin was making porno movies.
CUT TO:
INT. CHEVY SUBURBAN NIGHT
MIKE is driving, with KAREN in the passenger seat.
SANDY and JILL are nodding off in the back.
It's been a long day. The nurses made them all leave when visiting
hours ended at seven o'clock. Mike stares at the headlights like a
zombie, trying not to think about anything except driving for a few
minutes.
KAREN
Mike?
MIKE
Uh-huh.
KAREN
Do you remember when we used to
talk about God?
MIKE
Uh-huh.
KAREN
And you told me to make up my own
mind, because I shouldn't believe
in God just because my friends did?
MIKE
Uh-huh.
KAREN
So, do you think there is a God?
Or not?
MIKE
I think all religions are man-made.
People just make up things they wish
God would say. If a God decided to get
involved in our day-to-day lives,
where would you start? Build an ark
and flood the earth? I just don't buy
any of it.
KAREN
So you don't think God really exists?
MIKE
I honestly don't know whether God exists
or not. And I don't want to tell you what
to believe, because I think it's important
for you to figure out an answer for yourself.
KAREN
If you believed in God, you'd tell me.
So you don't believe.
MIKE
Uh-huh.
KAREN
Is that a yes or a no?
MIKE
Neither one, actually.
KAREN
Are you going to pray for Mother
tonight? Are you going to ask God
to help her get better?
MIKE
Would you like me to?
KAREN
It couldn't hurt.
MIKE
No, it couldn't. Maybe we should say
one together.
KAREN
Uh-huh.
EXT PULLMAN HOUSE NIGHT
INT PULLMAN KITCHEN/MEDIA ROOM NIGHT
MIKE enters from the garage, followed by KAREN, SANDY and a sleepy JILL.
NICK and TEANNA have dinner ready. They have been baby-sitting the two
adopted Vietnamese children, MISSY and TRAN, and MIKE Jr..
MISSY
When is Mother coming home?
MIKE
It'll be a few days. She needs
to sleep.
NICK
What about her leg?
MIKE
It looks good. Not 100% yet, but
they think they can fix it.
The front doorbell rings.
MIKE
Are you expecting anyone?
KAREN
What time is it?
MIKE
Nine o'clock.
Karen checks the Security Camera.
ON A SMALL TV SCREEN
This television, built into the wall over the wet bar, shows the feed
from a security camera mounted above the front door.
SANDY (Unison)
KAREN
It's Leonard.
KAREN
It's Friday night, Dad. I have a
date.
NICK
Oh, this should be good.
Karen hurries to the front door and opens it.
LEONARD has brought her flowers and his Dad's brand new BMW 7-series
is parked in the driveway.
LEONARD
Hi. Remember me? I'm Leonard and
we had a date.
KAREN
Come on in.
Leonard hands Karen the flowers. Karen closes the front door behind
him. Leonard seems extremely nervous.
LEONARD
So, how was your day?
KAREN
A sniper shot my mother and we just
got back from the hospital.
LEONARD
Oh, my God.
KAREN
He shot her in the leg. She's not
good, but she's alive.
LEONARD
Do you want to do this some other
night?
KAREN
No, I want to get out of here for at
least an hour. Until the kids go to
bed.
LEONARD
I have my dad's car.
KAREN
Then we won't have to walk.
INT KITCHEN/MEDIA ROOM NIGHT
Mike, Sandy, Missy, Tran, Mike Jr., Nick and Teanna all stare silently
when Karen and Leonard enter.
KAREN
Hi, everyone. This is Leonard.
LEONARD
Leonard Snowdon. Hello. Hello,
Mr. Pullman.
MIKE
Mike. Call me Mike.
LEONARD
Yes, sir.
KAREN
We're going over to the Round
House for a pizza. We'll be back
in two hours.
NICK
You be careful out there.
LEONARD
I have my Dad's new 7-series.
It's a very safe car.
Karen takes Leonard by the hand and leads him out through the garage.
EXT DRIVEWAY NIGHT
Leonard holds the passenger door of the 7-series open for Karen. She
gets inside. Then he goes around and gets behind the wheel.
INT BMW 7-SERIES NIGHT
Leonard smiles hopefully at Karen.
LEONARD
Are you sure you want to go?
KAREN
I sat in my mother's hospital room
for six hours, counting the tiles on
the ceiling. Let's get a pizza and
talk.
LEONARD
Okay.
Leonard carefully starts the engine. This is the first time he's driven
his father's new car and he's more than a little nervous.
LEONARD
Would you like some music?
KAREN
Yes.
Leonard twists the Uni-Lever control knob between the front seats, until
a nice classical station fills the interior with music.
LEONARD
Okay. The radio works. And we're
off.
KAREN
Headlights?
LEONARD
Right.
Leonard nervously searches for the right switch on the dashboard.
EXT BMW 7-SERIES NIGHT
The headlights come on, and the BMW pulls out of the driveway and heads
down the street.
Another car, a NON-DESCRIPT BROWN SEDAN, follows them at a distance.
INT THE ROUND HOUSE PIZZERIA NIGHT
Karen and Leonard sit across from each other in a booth near the back of
the restaurant. It's a busy Friday night and the place is crowded with
couples on dates.
LEONARD
When the referee stopped the match,
we had no idea what happened. You
and Jill were facing each other, and
you both looked ready to go another
five rounds. And then Jill just
collapsed.
KAREN
I've known Jill for years, but we
never fought in the same Division.
LEONARD
She didn't think you were much
competition. Boy, was she wrong.
KAREN
She was fast. I have all these bruises
on my arms from blocking her punches.
LEONARD
What about the Nationals?
KAREN
I can't go to L.A. while my mother's
in the hospital. Jill's a senior, and
if I give her my spot, she could win
a National Championship.
LEONARD
Is there any reason you don't want
to go?
KAREN
I'm too small. Some of those kids are
really big.
LEONARD
Size doesn't matter in martial arts.
It's about speed, endurance, leverage
and momentum.
KAREN
When did you talk to my Dad?
LEONARD
When I was twelve. I took his classes
for two years, until my Mother got
nervous. I asked her if I could get
a black dragon tattooed on my chest.
KAREN
They always split the Nationals into
two weight classes, so even if I won,
I'd only be the Small Person Champion.
If I wait a year, I might be bigger.
EXT STREET APPROACHING PULLMAN HOUSE NIGHT
The BMW 7-Series comes down the street and pulls into the driveway.
INT BMW NIGHT
KAREN
I had a really nice time.
LEONARD
So did I.
Karen kisses him on the lips.
KAREN
Walk me to the door.
LEONARD
Sure.
Leonard walks Karen up to the front door.
ANOTHER ANGLE
FOUR VIETNAMESE THUGS in dark clothing come up behind them.
One THUG uses a stun gun on Leonard.
Two THUGS grab Karen's arms and the THIRD puts a plastic bag over her
head.
Leonard falls to the ground and hits his head on the pavement.
Karen struggles for a second, trying to figure out how many there are
and where they're standing.
Karen has enough flexibility to actually kick the Thug holding her right
arm in the face. He lets go of her arm.
Karen breaks the nose of Thug #2 with the palm of her right hand. He
lets go of her other arm.
Karen grabs the hand holding the plastic bag and throws Thug #3 over her
shoulder. Then she kicks him in the groin.
She pulls the plastic bag off of her head.
Thug #1 lunges at her with the stun gun.
Karen reaches behind her back and pulls a short throwing knife out of
the hidden sheath.
She throws the knife at Thug #1. The blade goes three inches into his
throat.
Karen grabs his wrist and twists the stun gun out of his hand. She
throws a few more punches and kicks, until she is confident that all of
the Thugs are down for the count.
Then she sits on the ground next to Leonard and looks into his eyes.
KAREN
Leonard? Can you hear me?
Your father wants his car back.
Tonight. Leonard?
INT PULLMAN MEDIA ROOM NIGHT
Mike's cell phone rings.
MIKE
Hello?
VOICE ON PHONE
We have your daughter. She will die
without immediate medical attention.
If you want to see her alive again,
assemble $50,000 in cash and wait for us
to contact you. If you try to grow a
brain and call the FBI, she'll bleed to
death within six hours.
The line goes dead.
MIKE
Bastards.
TEANNA
What's wrong?
MIKE
They have Karen. Oh, Christ, why
did I let her go out alone?
TEANNA
She was with Leonard.
Mike dials Karen's cell phone.
He hears it ringing.
And ringing. Until Karen answers.
KAREN (VO)
Hello.
MIKE
Karen? Where are you? Can you
talk?
KAREN (VO)
I'm in the front yard. Calm down.
Mike races to the front door and opens it.
EXT FRONT YARD MIKE'S P.O.V.
Karen sits on the ground next to Leonard, who is flat on his back and
staring up at the stars.
The four unconscious thugs lie motionless on the ground.
Mike slowly walks over to Karen.
MIKE
Are you all right?
KAREN
Dad! Not in front of Leonard.
Mike prods one of the thugs with his toe.
MIKE
The first one of these guys who
wakes up, I'm going to kill out.
KAREN
I think you should call the police.
MIKE
Sure. I can do that.
Leonard groans.
MIKE
You're a good man, Leonard.
I'll get you some ice.
EXT SMALL AIRPORT IN MICHIGAN DAY
KWAN loads three stainless steel Thermos bottles into the cockpit of the
plane.
KWAN
It's coffee. I don't want to fall
asleep.
The SALESMAN pulls hard on the napalm tank mounted below the wing. It
seems solid enough.
SALESMAN
There's a little sliding door under
your feet. Emergency toilet.
KWAN
Okay. Thanks.
Kwan gets into the cockpit and starts the engine.
Kwan waves at the Salesman as he taxis the plane past the other vintage,
decommissioned American military planes.
EXT PLANE IN FLIGHT SUNSET
Kwan drinks hot coffee from a paper cup. The cockpit is chilly and he's
not used to cold weather.
Kwan checks the gas gauge nervously.
The needle is near the Empty mark.
A SMALL AIRSTRIP NEAR THE SPORTS COMPLEX SUNSET
Kwan lands on the airstrip. TWO LACKEYS fill the tanks with Napalm from
a tanker truck.
One Lackey hands Kwan a cell phone.
KWAN
Hello?
INT FEDERAL DETENTION AREA AT RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA DAY
This Federal Detention Area is in the middle of an Army Base.
A SOLDIER guards Benjamin as he uses a pay phone.
BENJAMIN
Hello, Father?
KWAN
Benny? How are you doing?
BENJAMIN
I'm fine. How about you?
KWAN
Freezing my nuts off. Reminds me of
when I was young and stupid.
BENJAMIN
I love you, Father.
KWAN
I wanted to be there for you.
BENJAMIN
I know.
KWAN
It wasn't my fault with your Mother.
She wanted something else. I couldn't
give it to her, but I always loved her.
BENJAMIN
I understand.
KWAN
I love you, too. Benjamin Kai, my
beautiful son.
Benjamin hangs up.
ON THE PLANE NIGHT
Kwan takes off again.
ON THE SPORTS COMPLEX FROM THE AIR KWAN'S P.O.V.
Everything looks so small.
EXT SWIMMING POOL AT SPORTS COMPLEX NIGHT
KAREN, SANDY and LEONARD are hanging out at the pool.
A brilliant sunset makes the place romantic as hell.
Karen wears a bright red (Baywatch-style) one-piece swimsuit while she
does laps.
Leonard and Sandy are on the lounge chairs, talking. Sandy wears a tiny
bikini that shows off her teenage figure.
Sandy's voice and eyes are animated as she flirts with Leonard.
LEONARD
My Dad's car has the coolest stereo
in the world.
SANDY
Can I see it?
Leonard shouts at Karen.
LEONARD
I'm going to show Sandy the stereo.
From the pool, Karen waves for him on, without breaking her rhythm.
Kwan's plane flies overhead.
Leonard is too fascinated by Sandy to even look up.
EXT ON THE PLANE DAY
Kwan turns on a CD player.
Kwan plays "March of the Valkyries" from the soundtrack of "Apocalypse
Now."
He turns the volume up all the way and hums along.
EXT MEN'S LOCKER ROOM NIGHT
Sandy and Leonard decide to walk through the men's locker room together,
rather than Sandy going out through the women's.
LEONARD
I'll bet you've never been in
here before.
SANDY
How much?
LEONARD
One dollar.
SANDY
Pay up.
Leonard talks a dollar out of his wallet and hands it to her.
SANDY
How much you got in there?
LEONARD
Why?
SANDY
Enough to take me out to dinner?
LEONARD
What about Karen?
SANDY
She's swimming. We can bring
something back for her.
LEONARD
Okay.
INT COCKPIT OF PLANE SUNSET
Kwan drinks the last of his coffee. His hands are numb and starting to
hurt.
He opens the sliding door under his feet and urinates.
Then he drops the three empty thermos bottles out the door.
EXT PARKING LOT AT POOL NIGHT
Leonard punches the remote to unlock the doors of his Father's brand new
7-series.
LEONARD
This stereo is so cool.
Leonard feels the warm spray of Kwan's urine on his face and looks up.
LEONARD
Is that rain?
The three empty thermos bottles hit the BMW like a rocket attack.
The first one crashes through the roof and into the driver's seat.
The second one breaks the windshield.
The third one collapses the roof.
Leonard stares at the BMW, stunned.
Sandy looks up at the sky, trying to see where the bottles came from.
SANDY
I hope your Dad has insurance.
EXT ON THE PLANE NIGHT
Kwan drops his first load of napalm on the tall trees that surround the
houses under construction.
The napalm bursts into flames.
ON THE POOL
Karen hears the EXPLOSION and climbs out of the water.
EXT ON THE BURNING COMPLEX NIGHT
The trees went up first. Now the fire is spreading to the houses and
some of the condos.
KAREN has changed into jeans, tennis shoes and a long-sleeve shirt. Her
hair is still wet. She helps MIKE use small fire extinguishers to fight
the blaze, but they're outgunned.
ON KWAN
After he's dropped all of his napalm, he pushes the steering wheel
forward and the plane goes into a steep dive
EXT NICK AND TEANNA'S HOUSE KWAN'S P.O.V.
Kwan aims the plane at his Mother's house and never thinks about pulling
up.
INT KWAN'S IMAGINATION
In his mind, Kwan "sees" his Mother and Nick making love on the living
room floor again.
INT NICK'S BEDROOM NIGHT
Nick looks up as the sound of the plane gets louder.
INT ON KWAN
He screams. His last thoughts are of (a) being locked in a prison cell
for twelve years (b) his son being born and (c) the first time he saw
Teanna as a teenager.
EXT ON THE PLANE NIGHT
The plane into the house.
Huge explosion in slow motion.
EXT CHARRED REMAINS OF SPORTS COMPLEX
Karen and Mike walk through the burned-out ruin of the Basketball Arena.
All of the houses are gone, and most of the golf course.
Jack Ryan shows up to view the devastation.
JACK RYAN
Napalm. I know the smell.
MIKE
Did you find the plane?
JACK RYAN
The pilot committed suicide.
He crashed into Nick's house.
Mike takes off running.
EXT SMOKING RUINS OF NICK AND TEANNA'S HOUSE NIGHT
Mike drives up in an electric golf cart.
MIKE
Nick? Has anyone seen Nick?
Two volunteers carry Nick's corpse out of the rubble.
Teanna starts to cry.
Mike puts his arm around her and she weeps on his shoulder.
MIKE
It's okay, Mom. He had a good
life.
TEANNA
He was always so happy.
MIKE
That's because he loved you.
CUT TO:
EXT FEDERAL DETENTION AREA, RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA DAY
This maximum security Federal Prison is located inside an Army Base.
INT INTERROGATION ROOM DAY
Benjamin sits behind a table.
Grim-faced MEN in dark suits watch him from the other side of the one-
way glass window.
The door opens and Titi enters. She wears a plastic box on her belt
with "Property of U.S. Government" written on the side.
Benjamin can't meet her eyes.
Titi holds up the box so he can see it.
TITI
The police asked me to wear this.
I said I wouldn't lie to you. That
I would tell you every word is
being recorded.
BENJAMIN
I understand. It's okay.
TITI
You killed Kira and Fabio?
BENJAMIN
Is that what they told you?
TITI
You shot another woman in the leg?
Who are you?
BENJAMIN
My father spent twelve years in a
prison cell. When he got out, he was
old and almost blind. They destroyed
him.
TITI
Who? Soldiers in Vietnam? It was
a war. But it was over a long, long
time ago.
BENJAMIN
It was a war where everything I loved
was destroyed. My family. My home.
And I wanted them to know how it
felt.
TITI
I don't understand any of this.
I don't know who you are any more.
And I really don't care.
Suddenly Titi stands up and knocks on the door. She can't hold back the
tears as the door opens and she exits.
CLOSE ON BENJAMIN
Benjamin stares at his own face in the one-way mirror.
INT HOLDING CELL NIGHT
BENJAMIN is taken back to a holding cell.
Another prisoner sits on the steel bench bolted to the wall.
The years have not been kind to LENNY DAVIS.
Most of Lenny's hair is gone. He's put on thirty pounds of ugly fat.
And that mean streak has grown from ten yards to about twenty yards
wide.
After Chrissy took his daughter away, Lenny went to Los Angeles to visit
an old football buddy from high school.
Then he went on a drunken binge that lasted two weeks.
At the end, he got in a bar fight with a Marine.
Lenny killed him. And was sentenced to fifteen-to-twenty years for
second degree murder.
Benjamin gives Lenny a scornful look. This man represents everything
that he finds disgusting about Americans.
Lenny stands up and bows his head to Benjamin.
LENNY
Mohammed is the one True God
and Allah is his Prophet.
Benjamin looks annoyed.
BENJAMIN
Allah is the one True God and
Mohammed is his Prophet.
LENNY
Whatever. I bring you greetings
from the Muslim Brotherhood. We
are here to serve you any way
we can.
BENJAMIN
Oh. In the name of Allah, many
thanks.
LENNY
I'm up for parole in two weeks,
and then I'm out of here. You,
on the other hand, are going to
be here a while. Is there any way
I can help?
BENJAMIN
Yes. There is a girl. She is
sixteen years old and her name is
Karen Pullman. She goes to Willow
Bay High School in Michigan.
LENNY
Sixteen? I'm with you. I was hardly
out of high school when they put me
in here. Sixteen?
BENJAMIN
I want someone to cripple her. Break
her legs so badly she can never walk
again.
LENNY
Just break her legs? Don't you want
me to rape her or kidnap her first?
BENJAMIN
She's a fighter, but she would be no
match against someone your size.
LENNY
Karen Pullman? That's her name?
BENJAMIN
Yes.
LENNY
And you want me to break her legs
so she can never walk again?
BENJAMIN
Yes. I'll pay you fifty thousand
dollars. I'll give you a phone number,
and they'll advance you ten thousand
against expenses.
LENNY
Fifty thousand dollars? Just for
breaking some kneecaps?
BENJAMIN
Yes.
LENNY
Okay, Mohammed. You've got a deal.
Except there's just one small problem.
BENJAMIN
What?
LENNY
Karen Pullman, you stupid bastard,
is my daughter.
Lenny grabs Benjamin by the throat and pushes him down to the ground.
Benjamin fights back, but Lenny is too big and strong.
Lenny squeezes the life out of Benjamin with his bare hands.
For good measure, Lenny hits the corpse a couple of times in the face.
Just to relive the memory of some old bar fights when he was on the
outside.
Lenny leans back and glares at Benjamin's face.
LENNY
In the Quran, the Prophet writes:
"Those who lay the plots of evil,
for them is a terrible penalty; and
the plotting of such will be not
abided." Of course, I'm not Muslim,
but hell, if it works, it works.
INT LENNY'S PRISON CELL NIGHT
CHARLES MANSON, 65, is Lenny's cell mate. He sits on his bunk when the
guards bring LENNY back to the cell.
CHARLES MANSON
Man, are you crazy?
LENNY
Wouldn't bet against it.
CHARLES MANSON
You were out of here in two weeks,
and you go and kill a guy?
LENNY
He was going after my daughter,
Charlie. In two weeks, she would
have been hurt really bad. This was
my only chance to stop him.
CHARLES MANSON
Was it worth another fifteen years
in here?
LENNY
Absolutely. No question.
INT PAROLE BOARD HEARING ROOM DAY
LENNY has to appear before a THREE-MEMBER PANEL of the Parole Board to
plead for his freedom.
Not much chance of that now.
Lenny gets to put on a suit for his appearance.
When Lenny enters, KAREN is sitting on one of the chairs. She is
dressed in a black suit and she has been crying.
LENNY
Karen?
KAREN
Hello, Daddy.
PAROLE BOARD MEMBER
Sit down, Mr. Davis. And wait
your turn to talk.
Karen and Lenny stare at each other.
They don't have the words.
But they don't need them, either.
EXT NICK PULLMAN'S FUNERAL DAY
MIKE stands next to TEANNA at Nick's service.
LENNY, still overweight and wearing a new suit, stands next to KAREN.
CUT TO:
EXT VIETNAM AS IT LOOKS TODAY
All of the forests destroyed by American napalm have grown back.
EXT ORPHANAGE AND ISLAMIC SCHOOL
The buildings are large enough to house, feed and educate several
thousand orphans and refugee children.
INT ORPHANAGE AND ISLAMIC SCHOOL
A VIETNAMESE MAN, 50, enters and sits on the floor with a DOZEN
VIETNAMESE STUDENTS, ages 5 to 11.
They are all orphans, their parents killed by various wars.
They are so young, so eager to learn, so trusting.
So innocent.
FADE OUT.
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