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MAX PAYNE
Based on the Video-Game Max Payne Created by Take 2
Interactive
Based on Characters Created by Sam Lake
Screenplay by Graham M. Paschall
SECOND DRAFT
INT. - UNDERGROUND CASINO, GAME FLOOR, NIGHT
We open on a brilliantly lit underground casino, gamblers
swarming all over the place.
Everything is available: slots, poker tables, craps... the
works.
CUT TO:
EXT. - UNDERGROUND CASINO, NIGHT
We can now see that the exterior of the casino is in sharp
contrast to its innards:
It is a dull building, falling apart in every corner, dirt
and crud encrusted into the window edges.
Two men step onto the screen, their backs to the audience.
One is detective ALEX BALDER, a balding older man, he wears a
wool suit and tie.
The younger man next to him is detective MAX PAYNE, our
protagonist. Cool-headed and bold, Payne wears a more casual
leather coat with a shirt and tie underneath.
Both men wear N.Y.P.D. police badges around their neck.
They stand before the building, twenty feet from it.
ALEX
Chelsea Horne is in there.
Gognitti too no doubt.
MAX
Which means plenty of Nicole's
boys.
ALEX
Not guilty 'til proven, Max.
MAX
(sarcastic)
Yeah, of course.
ALEX
Unfortunately for daughter Chelsea,
she just couldn't keep her coke
habit down.
Max lights a cigarette, taking a long pull.
ALEX
(cont'd.)
You're killing yourself.
The younger man ignores his warning.
MAX
How do you want to do this?
Balder turns around, facing something that we do not see. He
turns back, his front again pointing away from us.
ALEX
Wanna just trash the place?
Now Payne turns, facing the unseen something.
MAX
Sounds good to me.
Max flings the cigarette on to the ground, stepping on it.
Both him and the older detective then move towards the
building as we...
...pull back, revealing an entire S.W.A.T. army behind them,
following the two detectives towards the casino.
CUT TO:
INT. - UNDERGROUND CASINO, BACK OFFICE, NIGHT
Within the small casino office sits CHELSEA HORNE, only 19
and daughter of crime lord NICOLE HORNE.
Along with two bodyguards, standing before Miss Horne is her
cousin and Nicole's nephew, crime lord VINNIE GOGNITTI.
Vinnie is in the middle of a rant.
VINNIE
God damn it, you're not listening!
Nobody in this family ever listens!
CHELSEA
Christ, Vinnie, I just don't care.
At all.
The two bodyguards behind the young girl laugh amongst
themselves.
CHELSEA
(cont'd.)
I never do.
VINNIE
Fucking great! Like mother like
fucking daughter!
CUT TO:
EXT. - UNDERGROUND CASINO, NIGHT
Directly outside of the main entrance of the casino, an
explosives technician with the S.W.A.T. team places a tiny
explosive onto the double doors.
Peering out of an alley ten feet away from the entrance is
the small battalion of police as well as Max and Alex,
leading the charge.
Payne looks above the double doors, spotting a small camera
moving back and forth in fine, rhythmic motions.
The detective turns towards the older man, nodding towards
the camera. Alex only shakes his head and taps his wrist
watch. It reads:
12:31 a.m.
ALEX
Barn's on duty tonight.
The technician finishes his work.
He presses a red button, causing the device to blink
silently. The technician takes his place with the rest of
the team away from the casino entrance.
CUT TO:
INT. - UNDERGROUND CASINO, SECURITY ROOM, NIGHT
Within a small security room sits rows upon rows of
television sets, each showing a different part of the casino,
inside and out.
Before the rows of screens sits a portly fellow, a security
guard, sleeping on the job, a thick novel spread out across
his wide face.
The fat man's name tag reads:
BARNEY.
A cell phone resting before the man's sleeping form begins to
ring.
Barney awakens with a start, throwing the book off of his
head. He snatches the phone off of the desk.
BARNEY
Hello?
On the other end, somebody responds.
BARNEY
(cont'd.)
Oh, hey, I-
He stops. Something has caught his attention as his eyes go
wide. The phone drops from his shaking hand as we see what
he sees:
The center television screen, showing the entire S.W.A.T.
army waiting just outside the main entrance.
BARNEY
(cont'd.)
Holy fuck.
BACK TO:
EXT. - UNDERGROUND CASINO, NIGHT
Just outside the doors once more, the technician begins to
mouth out the words to the rest of the S.W.A.T. members as
well as Max and Alex:
"Five... four..."
CUT TO:
INT. - UNDERGROUND CASINO, BACK OFFICE, NIGHT
Within the office, Vinnie continues speaking to a very bored
looking Chelsea.
VINNIE
And then time fucking slowed down-
INT. - UNDERGROUND CASINO, GAME FLOOR, NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS
BOOM!
Outside the small corner office, the double doors of the main
entrance are launched forward by a contained, fiery
explosion.
The casino patrons quickly scatter as the well-organized
S.W.A.T. army trudges through the make-shift entrance,
weapons at the ready.
They are followed by Alex and Max, their respective handguns
drawn.
ALEX
Everyone down!
Customers continues to zig-zag back and forth, some running
through windows, others getting snagged by officers.
The two lead detectives look past the ruckus and towards the
back of the casino, towards Chelsea's office.
The fine wooden door leading into the office bursts open as
the two bodyguards spill out onto the game floor, firing
their 9mm pistols.
Three of the S.W.A.T. officers are snagged by the stray
bullets.
Payne throws his friend's body out of the way as a fourth
bullet penetrates the older detective's right arm.
Max and Alex split from one another, diving behind cover as
the two armed guards continue to fire upon the hidden
detectives.
MAX
You all right?
Balder clutches his injured, bleeding arm.
ALEX
God damn it! Just shoot the
fuckers!
Max peeks around the side of his hiding place, spying his two
foes standing next to each other, firing an endless stream of
bullets.
MAX
Gun.
Without thinking twice, Alex throws his gun to Max. Payne
catches the weapon and pulls a 180, spinning around the side
of the blockade, brandishing both handguns.
The younger detective opens fire, each shot connecting with
the bodies of the gunmen. Both collapse to the floor, their
weapons clattering to the ground.
Behind the fallen guards, Max spies first Chelsea running out
of the office and then Vinnie.
Payne turns towards the handicapped Alex.
ALEX
Go! Get 'em!
The two cousins run deeper into the casino, Max right behind
them. Both the man and the woman come to a cross section of
slot machines.
Vinnie shoves the girl towards the left side of the fork in
the path.
VINNIE
Run! Get out of here!
As Chelsea runs away from her cousin, Vinnie faces the
pursuing Max, his pure gold magnum in hand.
Using just one hand, Gognitti takes aim and fires out three
rounds just as Payne ducks behind one of the many slot
machines.
VINNIE (CONT'D)
Come on!-
Just as the mobster attempts to shoot another round, Max
falls to the floor outside of his hiding position, takes aim,
and fires.
The bullet from Payne's 9mm hits Vinnie directly in his
firing hand, causing his entire body to turn, the round from
his golden gun launching out of the weapon and into...
VINNIE (CONT'D)
Fuck!
...Chelsea's leg.
CHELSEA
Vinnie, you fucking moron!
As the crime princess falls to the ground, Gognitti clings to
his gun as he clutches his bleeding hand. Max approaches him
slowly.
MAX
Drop it, Vinnie!
The golden weapon falls out of the young mobster's hand.
CHELSEA
(shouting, pissed)
God damn it! Rot in hell, Vinnie!
Rot in hell!
MAX
(eyes on Vinnie)
Chelsea Horne!
(turns to Chelsea)
Shut up.
Gognitti finds his opportunity as he squeals with pain and
launches his body for the exit.
MAX (CONT'D)
Fuck.
Max takes aim and begins to fire.
He hits only the slot machines as Vinnie makes his getaway.
Behind Payne, Alex appears, clutching his wounded arm.
ALEX
We'll get him, Max. But in the
meantime-
Both turn towards the still groaning Chelsea.
ALEX (CONT'D)
-we got what we came for.
Chelsea slowly tries to drag her body across the floor of the
casino. She makes it just two feet before sighing loudly and
giving up.
She collapses, unconscious.
CUT TO:
EXT. - UNDERGROUND CASINO, BACK ALLEY, NIGHT -- TIME'S PAST
Max wanders past two officers and into the back alley located
behind the casino.
The detective produces a cigarette from a ratty and torn pack
within his jacket pocket. He lights the smoke and takes a
long drag.
CUT TO:
P.O.V. - UNKNOWN -- CONTINUOUS
From behind the smoking Payne, somebody creeps forward,
towards the bend in the casino forming the thinned down
alley.
BACK TO:
EXT. - UNDERGROUND CASINO, BACK ALLEY, NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS
The detective is blissfully unaware as he throws the
cigarette onto the ground, stepping on it.
MAX
Hold it.
Payne, his face surprisingly unaware, reaches into his coat,
pulls out his 9mm handgun and spins around in a quick,
dizzying flash...
...and comes face-to-face with his personal femme fatale:
MONA SAX.
The sexy young woman only looks at the gun in her face. She
seems just as unaware as the detective. She smirks.
MONA
Not even a first date and you whip
that thing out?
Max hesitates for a second before lowering the weapon.
MAX
Get out of here, Mona. You get
caught right now, it will be my ass
too!
The woman's face goes serious.
MONA
Did you get him?
Beat.
Payne lights yet another cigarette.
MAX
No. He got away again. But you
know just as well as I do that we
came for Horne-
MONA
Horne didn't kill my sister.
MAX
Don't do this Mona.
MONA
For someone who is all about
justice, you have a funny away of
showing it by giving a murderous
vigilante leads.
Max stomps out the barely smoked cancer stick and turns to
the woman.
MAX
You know why I help you. And if
you want that help to continue, you
will let us do our work and keep to
the shadows.
Beat.
MAX (CONT'D)
Go home, Mona.
The femme fatale turns, walking towards the opposite end of
the alley.
She stops.
MONA
I heard about the baby.
Congratulations.
Payne does not answer right away.
MAX
Thank you.
The detective produces yet another cigarette. He lights it.
MONA
Maybe now you'll stop killing
yourself.
Max smiles slightly, but it quickly fades.
MAX
Good night, Mona.
MONA
Good night... Max Payne.
With that, she walks away.
FADE TO:
EXT. - PAYNE RESIDENCE, NIGHT
Max's car pulls up to a moderately sized New Jersey suburban
house. The automobile comes to a stop as the detective steps
out and excitedly heads towards the door.
INT. - PAYNE RESIDENCE, LIVING ROOM, NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS
Payne enters the house... it is strangely silent and not very
well lit.
Something is off.
MAX
Michelle? Honey?
The detective reaches into his coat, unsnapping the gun
holster around his side. He moves forward, into the-
INT. - PAYNE RESIDENCE,DINING ROOM, NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS
Max rounds the corner into the dining area, coming face to
face with-
-the dining table, covered in candles and a large, romantic
meal. At the end of the table sits the detective's
attractive wife, MICHELLE PAYNE.
She smiles as she rises from her seat. She wears a sexy red
dress.
MICHELLE
Glad you could make it, detective.
Max smiles as the two lovers embrace.
MAX
Where's Keily?
MICHELLE
With Andrea.
They kiss once more, this time with undenied passion.
MICHELLE (CONT'D)
Are you hungry?
MAX
(smiling)
God no.
The two smile happily as Michelle turns around, running out
of the dining room and up the nearby staircase.
Max follows suit, laughing as he follows his wife.
FADE TO BLACK.
FADE IN:
INT. - COURTROOM, DAY
Within a large, open courtroom, we see that a trial is in mid
progress. The trial of Chelsea Horne. She sits on the
defendant's side, directly in front of...
NICOLE HORNE, her mother, the alleged head of one of the
largest criminal syndicates in the entire city. The older
woman has a sickly look, her flesh hanging low amongst her
entire skeletal frame.
On the other side of the room, behind the district attorney,
sits Max and Alex, both wearing suits. The room is packed
with more police officers, supposed criminals, and reporters
looking for the big story.
They all watch quietly and intently as the JUDGE begins to
speak to the courtroom.
JUDGE
Will the defendant please rise?
Chelsea and her attorney rise from their seats. The judge
turns to the jury.
JUDGE (CONT'D)
Have you reached a verdict?
The HEAD JUROR rises from her seat.
HEAD JUROR
Yes, your honor.
She turns to the entire courtroom.
HEAD JUROR (CONT'D)
Guilty... on all accounts.
Chelsea bursts into tears as her mother only lowers her head.
The younger Horne turns to hysterics even as the judge speaks
to her.
JUDGE
Chelsea Horne, you have been found
guilty on all accounts of
possessing and trafficing the
illegal drug, Valkyr. You will be
sentenced to a minimum of fifty
years in a maximum-security prison.
Have you anything to say for
yourself?
The still screaming girl turns towards Payne.
CHELSEA
(hysterical, shouting)
Fuck you Payne! Fuck you!
Max only watches the young woman as the entire court explodes
with shouts and screams of protest from the attending public.
JUDGE
Bailiff, get her out of here!
CHELSEA
(shouting)
You're going to burn, Max!
Your whole fucking family, I swear
to God!
JUDGE
Get her out of here!
The burly bailiff snatches Chelsea from behind, dragging her
away. She begins to scream for her mother.
Max only watches as Nicole Horne rises from her seat with two
bodyguards and makes her way out of the courtroom, the press
close behind.
ALEX
Come on. We've got better things
to do.
Both detectives rise and exit the courtroom along with the
members of the jury.
CUT TO:
EXT. - COURTROOM, EARLY EVENING
Outside of the legal building, Horne is led to her limo as a
large crowd forms, reporters throwing microphones into the
women's face with reckless abandon.
In the midst of this, Max and Alex exit the courthouse.
Payne immediately locks eyes with the distant Nicole as Alex
surveys the scene before him.
ALEX
What a god damn mess.
Max does not even say a word as he watches the older woman.
She stares back, her face emotionless.
As the limo rolls away, Nicole finally tears her face away as
her blackened window rises, obscuring the view from outside.
Balder checks his rustic, golden pocket watch.
ALEX (CONT'D)
Come on. We've got to get back to
the office.
Payne finally stops watching the limo and both detectives
walk off screen.
CUT TO:
INT. - PAYNE RESIDENCE, NURSERY, NIGHT
Within the Payne house, Michelle raises their young daughter
Keily up and down. The infant giggles happily as Max enters,
stroking his daughter's chin with his finger.
The phone rings. The detective kisses his young wife on the
cheek and answers.
MAX
Hello?
A pause. Max sighs.
MAX (CONT'D)
Thanks.
Payne hangs up the device and turns to his wife, face in
hand.
MICHELLE
What's wrong?
MAX
Horne didn't even make the night.
They found her cradled up in the
shower, bleeding to death.
The woman lowers her child into her crib. She walks towards
her sulking husband, placing her hand onto his shoulder.
MICHELLE
Hey, this is not your problem.
That girl made enemies in that
place all on her own.
Max looks up at his smiling wife. She kisses him.
MICHELLE (CONT'D)
Come on now. It's late.
Both exit the nursery.
FADE TO:
INT. - HORNE'S LIMO, NIGHT
Nicole sits in the limo, her face still not conveying any
emotions. Across from her sits a FOREIGN MAN smoking a
cigarette, his face obscured by a long shadow.
He speaks with a mild, Eastern European accent.
FOREIGN MAN
You want him dead?
NICOLE
No.
She looks out the window once more.
NICOLE (CONT'D)
His family.
The foreign man only laughs as the limo speeds away into the
slowly setting sun.
FADE TO BLACK.
FADE IN:
INT. - POLICE HEADQUARTERS, DAY
Within the nearly empty police station, Alex types idly on to
his keyboard, filing reports for the station.
Max strolls by his desk, on his way home. He pauses in front
of the older detective whom stops typing.
ALEX
Max, before you-
Payne cuts off Alex, raising his hand into the air. With a
sly grin, the younger man reaches into his coat pocket,
producing his half-empty pack of cigarettes.
Max points at the pack with his index finger and pulls out a
single cigarette. Alex smiles.
Payne places the lone smoke back into his coat pocket and
rests the pack and its remaining cigarettes on to Alex's
desk.
Balder watches intently, his arms crossed as Max, without a
single word, balls his right hand into a fists and slams
down, flattening and tearing the pack and its contents into
small shreds and ribbons.
Alex smiles and rises from his seat as Max slides the smashed
pack off of the desk and into a trash can.
ALEX (CONT'D)
Just make sure you have that final
one count.
MAX
I wouldn't have it any other way.
ALEX
You headed out?
MAX
I'm going to go home and sleep with
my wife.
The younger man smiles.
ALEX
(jokingly)
Get the hell out of here.
As Balder goes back to work, Payne exits the building.
FADE TO:
EXT. - PAYNE RESIDENCE, EVENING
Behind the nice suburban home, the sun is in its last stage
of setting, turning the sky into a dark, blood red color.
Payne's car pulls up to the front of the strangely quiet and
forboding home. Across the way sits a van for a cleaning
company. It reads:
HAPPY CLEANING
CUT TO:
INT. - PAYNE RESIDENCE, EVENING
Max enters the home, closing the door behind him.
MAX
Michelle, honey, I'm-
Something is terribly wrong.
Before Payne, a nearby desk that once stood near the door is
overturned, papers scattered and flying around the room as
wind blows through a broken window on the opposite end of the
house.
MAX (CONT'D)
Michelle!
(shouting)
MICHELLE!
No answer.
Not missing a beat, Max tears into his coat, producing his
handgun from his side.
The young detective, husband, and father storms through the
hall, past more clutter and more damage to the household.
He enters the-
INT. - PAYNE RESIDENCE, LIVING ROOM, EVENING
-the phone rings loudly, breaking the disturbing silence that
had fallen over the house.
Max grabs the receiver and places the device to his ear.
MAX
There's been a break in! Call the
police-
The robotic voice of a female using a voice distorter
replies:
FEMALE (V.O.)
Is this the Payne residence?
MAX
Yes. And I need-
Click.
Payne looks at the receiver confused. His attention is torn
away from the phone as the ceiling above him creaks...
...movement from the second floor.
CUT TO:
INT. - PAYNE RESIDENCE, 2ND FLOOR BEDROOM, EVENING
CLOSE-UP:
We watch as the tip of a shotgun is pointed at the head of a
sobbing infant.
The weapon is pulled away from the baby's face and is instead
dragged to the face of one Michelle Payne. She sobs a bit
louder as an unseen man, the holder of the shotgun, cackles
silently to himself.
BACK TO:
INT. - PAYNE RESIDENCE, LIVING ROOM, EVENING
Max's eyes stay glued to the ceiling as he moves towards the
nearby pantry closet.
He opens the door to the cabinet and moves an ironing board,
revealing a large safe.
Payne quickly scrolls in the combination and the safety latch
clicks, swinging wide open, reveling-
-a double-barreled shotgun.
Max grabs the weapon, snapping back the gun's handle causing
it to load with a solid click.
CUT TO:
INT. - PAYNE RESIDENCE, 2ND FLOOR BEDROOM, EVENING
The mother and child continue to sob.
MICHELLE
Please-
A man, the LEAD HENCHMAN, lowers his face into frame. He
brings his mouth close to the woman's ear, revealing a
grotesque set of disfigured and stained teeth.
LEAD HENCHMAN
(whispering)
If you say another word... I'm
going to eat your daughter's face.
The man laughs a horrid cackle as Michelle turns away from
him, her face paralyzed with fear.
MAX (O.S.)
(shouting)
MICHELLE!
The man turns, facing the noise as well as two other henchman
in the room. He grits his teeth together.
L.H.
Deal with it! Go!
The two other men, both dressed in cleaners' jumpsuits, exit
the bedroom.
BACK TO:
INT. - PAYNE RESIDENCE, 2ND FLOOR COMMON HALL, EVENING
Max comes off the staircase, gun in hand, his face plastered
with worry.
MAX
(shouting, sobbing)
MICHELLE!
CUT TO:
INT. - PAYNE RESIDENCE, 2ND FLOOR BEDROOM, EVENING
The woman still clutches her baby, the gun still in her face.
MAX (O.S.)
MICHELLE! PLEASE!
Tears well up in the detective's wife's eyes.
MICHELLE
(shouting)
MAX! MAX!
The lead henchman faces the woman, his reddened face filled
with rage.
L.H.
You stupid bitch!
Michelle produces a switchblade from her ankle and stabs
forward, nailing the man right in the left foot.
He screams, firing his gun into the air, the loose round
causing the ceiling to come undone above him. He continues
to scream as Michelle rises to her feet, crying child still
in hand, and shoves the man to the ground.
MICHELLE
(shouting)
MAX! THE-
BACK TO:
INT. - PAYNE RESIDENCE, 2ND FLOOR COMMON HALL, EVENING
MICHELLE (O.S.)
-BEDROOM!
Payne runs through the empty hall, entering the-
INT. - PAYNE RESIDENCE, 2ND FLOOR NURSERY, EVENING
Within the baby's room, a mobile still spins peacefully above
and empty crib.
The serene sense of security is torn away as the two
"cleaners" burst into the nursery, their weapons at the
ready.
MAX
N.Y.P.D.! Drop it!
HENCHMAN #1
Death! Death is coming!
MAX
Good answer.
Payne opens up, the first shot hitting one of the henchmen in
the chest, sending him flying backwards, his lifeless body
smacking into the wall.
Max spins around, dodging the other's missed shot. The
detective fires once again, this time striking the second man
in the face, causing the "cleaner's" skull to explode
outwards.
Payne does not miss a beat and instead keeps moving, towards
the bedroom door.
It bursts open on its own, revealing Michelle, tears
streaming down her face. She clutches her child.
MAX
Michelle!
BANG!
Max's wife's back arches forward as blood seeps through her
white shirt... and through the now motionless child's
sleeping gown.
Tears well up in the young detective's eyes.
MAX (CONT'D)
(barely audible)
Michelle...
She falls, blood now pouring out of her mouth. Behind her,
we see the lead henchman, shotgun raised.
Payne stays in his place, tears streaming down his angered
face. The lead "cleaner" begins to cackle. He pulls the
trigger and-
Click.
Max grind his teeth, anger and murderous rage filling his
entire body.
L.H.
Oh boy.
Payne trudges forward, his fists balled in rage, tears
falling onto the floor below his feet.
He grabs the lead henchman at the shoulders, tearing his body
off of the floor like he was weightless.
The lead screams as Max throws him against the wall, savagely
beating the man with all his strength.
As the beaten and tired lead slumps against the floor, Max
stands over his body. With a final shot, Payne raises his
right foot and stomps down hard, killing the "cleaner."
Beat.
Payne wipes his eyes as he moves towards his motionless wife
and child, cradled together on the floor.
All is silent but for the mobile which continues its infinite
trip.
Max sucks in breath through his teeth, his gasps become
louder and more forceful by the second. Tears well up in his
eyes once again, his face turning bright red.
The detective leans over his dying wife. She is barely
coherent, blood seeping out of the corners of her mouth.
MICHELLE
(gurgling)
Max... Max...
MAX
No, no, no, no, no, no, hang in
there baby!
MICHELLE
Max!
Her beautiful body convulses wildly before going still.
Payne bites his lower lip as he moves his trembling hand
towards the head of his death daughter. He attempts to
cradle her only to abruptly pull back.
His mouth opens for a loud scream but before we hear a sound
we-
CUT TO:
BLACK.
FADE IN:
EXT. - CHURCH, DAY
We fade into a rainy afternoon, water from the sky dropping
to the ground, splattering against the faces of gargoyles
that hang from the corners of a Gothic-style cathedral.
A small crowd stands outside the doors of the church, every
other person clutching an umbrella.
All are dressed in black.
FADE IN:
INT. - CHURCH, DAY
We are now within the church's walls.
Mourners slowly make their way within the confines of the
cathedral's tightly packed pews.
A woman and child sit atop the alter, each playing a
melancholy tune of death on their respective violins, though
all noises and sounds are audio-less.
To the left of the silent duet are two caskets, one large,
one small.
A mother and child.
Before the coffins kneels a man, a broken husband and father.
This is Max Payne, fallen detective.
His face is sullen, emotionless. Before his bowed head his
hands clutch one another, shaking.
From behind, a single hand is laid upon Payne's shoulder.
This hand belongs to his older partner, Alex.
The husband and father rises from his kneeling position,
turning around to face Alex as well as his sobbing wife,
ANDREA BALDER.
ALEX
Max, I'm-
He is speechless, though his face says it all. The older
man's brow rises and falls as his eyes begin to well with
tears.
ALEX (CONT'D)
(softly sobbing)
I'm so sorry, Max.
Within a quick second, Max's face becomes filled with emotion
as he grabs Alex by the shoulders.
The two embrace, Payne's face welling with tears as they let
loose from his closed eyes. Tears streaming down his face,
Payne can only continue to sob as Alex pats his back.
Max rises his head, staring past his partner and past
Andrea...
There, in the back, just a glimpse...
...Mona.
The femme fatale holds herself, her face down and saddened.
She gasps sharply as her eyes lock with Max's for a moment
before...
...disappearing, through the double doors of the church.
FADE TO BLACK.
FADE TO:
I/E. - ONE MONTH LATER
EXT. - RAGNA ROCK NIGHT CLUB, NIGHT
We fade into the back of one man, standing before the massive
double doorway of the Ragna Rock Night Club. Loud industrial
music blares from within.
He wears a black leather coat over a crisp white shirt and
leopard-skinned vest.
This is Max, once again, though now a different and changed
man.
NAR. (V.O.)
Some clues lead you to a furnished
office of business for some white
collar thrills and arrests. Others
take you to the darkest recesses of
the city.
The ex-detective looks down into his hand, staring at a
business card. It reads:
RAGNA ROCK NIGHT CLUB
COME GATHER.
NAR. (V.O.)
(cont'd.)
This one lead me to hell to face
the devil incarnate. The ones who
murdered my family. The ones who
destroyed everything I had left.
Max takes a cigarette out from a pack in his jacket pocket,
placing it into his mouth.
With his right hand, he produces a lighter, moving the device
towards his mouth. He ignites the lighter.
But does not light the cigarette. He places the smoke back
into its pack and throws both the carton and his lighter into
his pocket.
He reaches back into his inner jacket pocket...
...this time producing a 9MM hand gun.
Payne moves towards the front door of the club.
NAR. (V.O.)
(cont'd.)
They were going to pay. Just like
everyone else paid tonight. They
were going to pay.
He enters the-
INT. - RAGNA ROCK, NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS
Within the club, the music forces the floor to move beneath
Payne's feet.
Two armed men approach Max, each one brandishing a small,
fully automatic machine gun.
Using his right index and middle finger, Payne slides the gun
up the sleeve of his leather jacket. He then rises his arms
in a T-shape, adjacent to his head.
One of the armed men stays still, keep his aim steady. The
other approaches Max, letting his weapon down.
Payne is quickly searched by the guard, his waist and legs
patted down.
Nothing.
While the checker pulls away, the other guard nods, lowering
his weapon.
Max enters the...
INT. - RAGNA ROCK, DANCE ROOM, NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS
Dancers hop up and down in time with the hard rock music. A
D.J. spins records in the corner while a bartender serves
drinks at a crowded bar.
Among each of the four corners in the large, spacious room is
a female pole dancer, moving and grinding along with the
clubbers.
Max moves through the crowd with a disjointed look. The
dancers seem to move in a trippy slow-motion.
Payne keeps his gun by his side.
CUT TO:
INT. - RAGNA ROCK, CLOSET, NIGHT
Within a broom closet comes the sounds of orgasmic delight.
A husky man with a gun holster thrown over his shoulder pins
a woman against the wall, her legs wrapped around his
backside.
They both moan with animalistic pleasure.
The woman grabs the man's chin with her right hand, pulling
his face close to her's for a kiss.
With their faces mere inches away, she moves her hand,
grabbing the loose flesh on his neck. The man's eyes bulge
wildly.
The girl flicks her wrist sharply to the right, snapping the
man's neck. His body goes limp as it slumps towards the
floor.
Blood lightly drips out of his mouth.
The woman uses her left foot to nudge the corpse away from
her feet.
She kneels down quickly and grabs the man's gun and a set of
keys.
This is MONA SAX.
BACK TO:
INT. - RAGNA ROCK, DANCE ROOM, NIGHT
Payne moves through the crowd, making his way to the bar.
He forces his way through couples and singles, gracefully
dodging everyone's eye.
He finally comes face-to-face with the BARTENDER.
BARTENDER
What'd ya havin'?
MAX
Vinnie. Now.
The bartender looks up quickly, catching Payne's eye. He
reaches under the table, producing a small handgun.
Max grabs the man's entire hand, squeezing it with a
horrendous crunch.
MAX
(cont'd.)
Touch that button and you lose the
hand.
We see that the bartender's left hand is under the bar, the
index finger mere inches away from a small red button.
He pulls back his left hand, placing it on the top of the
bar. The gun clatters out of his right as Payne gives a
harder squeeze.
None of the patrons seem to notice.
MAX
(cont'd.)
Where is he?
BARTENDER
(nervous, shaken)
The conference room... upstairs...
but-
The detective snatches up the bartender's fallen weapon,
concealing it under his coat.
He lets go of the nervous man's hand.
MAX
I hear a single alarm, and I am
going to personally come back down
here and obliterate your face.
The bartender nods his sweat-plastered head.
Max moves away from the bar. The bartender clutches his
damaged hand.
CUT TO:
INT. - RAGNA ROCK, WEST HALL, NIGHT
We cut back to Mona Sax.
She is in a more quiet area of the night club, by the
Penthouse suites.
She clutches the dead guard's revolver in her hand as she
skulks down the hallway.
BACK TO:
INT. - RAGNA ROCK, DANCE ROOM, NIGHT
We re-visit the bar.
The bartender holds a phone in his left hand, up to his ear.
BARTENDER
Yeah... he's here.
CUT TO:
INT. - RAGNA ROCK, EAST HALL, NIGHT
Max, holding a gun in each hand, walks with purpose and
stride down the middle of the wide-open hall.
NAR. (V.O.)
One month ago, they killed my
family.
He rounds a corner, now facing a new hallway.
NAR. (V.O.)
(cont'd.)
They where killed by drug pushers.
Dealers of the newest rage, Valkyr.
CUT TO:
INT. - RAGNA ROCK, DANCE FLOOR, NIGHT
We cut to a man and a woman sitting at a booth in the Ragna
Rock night club.
The woman, holding a syringe, walks over to the man and sits
on his lap.
She pushes the needle into the man's arm, his eyes widening,
a sickening grin enhanced on his face.
NAR. (V.O.)
It turns the everyday loser into a
king... and a madman.
BACK TO:
INT. - RAGNA ROCK, WEST HALL, NIGHT
Max continues to move down the hall.
NAR. (V.O.)
Vinnie Gognitti is supposedly the
lead distributor for the entire
city. I learned this from his
right-hand man...
CUT TO:
INT. - SMALL ROOM, NIGHT -- FLASHBACK
A man sits tied to a chair. Max stands before him, his hands
balled up into two fists.
The mystery man is Gognitti's right-hand assistant.
NAR. (V.O.)
...after I broke his fingers.
In a quick flash, Payne grabs the man's hand, snapping back
two of his fingers.
The assistant screams in terrible pain.
BACK TO:
INT. - RAGNA ROCK, WEST HALL, NIGHT
Back to Payne.
NAR. (V.O.)
Tonight, Vinnie was going to die.
A blaring alarm goes off within the hall.
CUT TO:
INT. - RAGNA ROCK, DANCE FLOOR, NIGHT
Within the dance room, the music abruptly shuts off.
The strobe lights stop their hypnotic flashing and are
replaced by the illumination of the actual florescent bulbs
on the ceiling.
Guards begin to appear, waving their weapons around as they
shout at the patrons, forcing them to leave.
CUT TO:
INT. - RAGNA ROCK, EAST HALL, NIGHT
The sirens still going off, Mona puts up her gun, taking a
defensive position.
Her body picks up speed as she moves down the hall with new
vigor.
BACK TO:
INT. - RAGNA ROCK, WEST HALL, NIGHT
Max sidles up with the wall, pulling his guns close to his
body.
Down the hall a ways, a pair of double doors open. A single
guard, brandishing an AK-47 machine gun, enters the hall.
Payne ducks away into a small nook within the wall.
The guard looks around a few times before moving back into
the room in which he came.
There is a click, and the doors are locked.
INT. - RAGNA ROCK, CONFERENCE ROOM, NIGHT
The GUARD, now inside the conference room, finishes locking
the double doors.
He turns around, facing a long conference table. Sitting at
the head of the table is VINNIE GOGNITTI, a younger looking
man with longish hair and a pair of aviator sunglasses on his
face.
To his right, is his assistant MARX, a heavier man in his mid
forties. He cradles a bandaged right hand. The remaining
seats are filled with various men in business suits.
In the center of the table is a large metal safe, it's door
open wide.
Within the safe are rows of containers of the Valkyr drug.
This is a bidding war for the illegal substance.
On the other side of the table, behind Vinnie, is another set
of double doors, also being locked.
GUARD
It's clear.
VINNIE
Fucking Payne! That son of a
bitch! It's fucking Payne!
MARX
He can't get in here, Vinnie.
Relax.
VINNIE
Yeah... and then there's fucking
bombs going off and everyone's dead
but me and him!
MARX
Vinnie, please.
Marx turns to the guard.
MARX
(cont'd.)
Is the dance floor cleared?
The guard grabs his walkie-talkie, placing the speaker up to
his mouth.
GUARD
Jonas, come in.
No response.
GUARD
(cont'd.)
Jonas.
Still no response. Just static.
VINNIE
Fucking Christ!
CUT TO:
INT. - RAGNA ROCK, WEST HALL, NIGHT
A man lies in the middle of the hall, a knife sticking out
his back, where his shoulder meets his neck.
This is Jonas.
The walkie-talkie on his belt cackles to life.
GUARD (V.O.)
Jonas.
We pull back, revealing Max Payne standing over his body. He
kneels down next to the corpse.
NAR. (V.O.)
Sometimes, killing these nameless
thugs seemed too easy.
Payne rises back to his feet, weapons still in hand.
MAX
Shit.
NAR. (V.O.)
(cont'd.)
Except this one wasn't mine.
CUT TO:
INT. - RAGNA ROCK, CONFERENCE ROOM, NIGHT
The body guards scurry as Gognitti sweats bullets in the
corner.
VINNIE
The door! Just cover the fucking
door!
MARX
Vinnie!
CUT TO:
EXT. - RAGNA ROCK, CONFERENCE ROOM, NIGHT
Mona stands outside the door of the conference room, her face
against the wood.
She listens:
VINNIE (V.O.)
God damn it, Marx, don't give me
your bullshit! You wanna fucking
die!?
The femme fatale digs into her hair, producing a small clip.
Unwinding the twisted metal, she uses it as a lock pick on
the door.
BACK TO:
INT. - RAGNA ROCK, CONFERENCE ROOM, NIGHT
Marx is now fed up.
He leans forward, barking down towards the cowering gangster.
MARX
(shouting)
No one's gonna be dyin' tonight but
that rat bastard cop!
The double doors slowly open up, revealing the calm and
controlled silhouette of Mona Sax.
All turn to face her.
VINNIE
It's Payne!
Mona steps forward, revealing herself.
MONA
Not quite.
MARX
Who the fuck?
Sax raises her large magnum handgun, and squeezes off a
single shot.
The bullet smacks right into Marx's forehead, blood
splattering backwards and onto Gognitti.
The gangster trembles violently, his eyes closed, head down.
VINNIE
(shouting)
What the fuck are you waiting for!?
Shoot the fucking bitch!
He looks up.
Everyone's dead but Mona. Blood flows from the ceiling,
wounds, and onto the floor.
Sax strokes a silenced pistol with her bloody right hand.
VINNIE
(cont'd.)(shouting)
What the fuck!?
The blood drenched woman produces a bound butterfly knife
from her pocket, swinging it around and producing the blade
itself.
Vinnie's bottom lip begins to tremble as Mona steps forward.
CUT TO:
EXT. - RAGNA ROCK, EAST HALL, NIGHT
Max now travels down the eerily quiet East Wing of the night
club, gun at the ready.
He moves towards the wide open doors of the conference room.
A low scuffling noise comes from within, followed by a
guttural whimpering noise.
A final shuffle, followed by the final sound of a door
opening, and everything goes silent once again.
Payne now runs forward, his handgun pointed outwards.
He comes to the door, rounds the corner, and enters the-
INT. - RAGNA ROCK, CONFERENCE ROOM, NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS
Max moves forward, pointing his weapon in each direction,
sweeping the room.
Nothing. Only dead bodies... and Gognitti.
Payne lowers his weapon.
MAX
Damn.
We reveal Vinnie, his back against the far corner, two knives
pinning his arms to the wall.
We pan down, lower, around the gangster's waist.
His shirt is pulled up as his small intestine begins to push
forward, through the gaping hole in his stomach.
He is still alive, blood pouring from his mouth.
Max moves forward slowly.
VINNIE
(gurgling)
That bitch!
NAR. (V.O.)
If this were any other faceless
thug, I might just have shot him in
the head, putting him out of one of
the worst pains of his entire life.
Vinnie pulls away from the wall, gasping in pain.
NAR. (V.O.)
(cont'd.)
But this was Vinnie Gognitti,
criminal mastermind...
Max places the tip of his handgun to Gognitti's temple. The
wounded gangster speaks through his own blood:
VINNIE
(gasping)
Kill... me...
NAR. (V.O.)
...and the leader of the pack of
savages that killed my wife and
daughter.
Payne lowers the weapon and moves in close, his mouth mere
inches away from Vinnie's ear.
MAX
(whispering)
You deserve this.
VINNIE
(gasping, barely audible)
I... I know.
Max pulls back, looking at the dying gangster with a sense of
surprise.
With a final, dramatic gasp of air, Vinnie's head slumps.
He dies.
Payne pulls away from the pinned corpse. He begins to walk
away when-
CLICK.
The pin of the 9mm handgun currently pointed directed between
Max's eyes is pulled.
MAX
Mona...
We pull back, revealing-
Mona Sax, once again.
MONA
We've got to stop meeting like
this.
She lowers the weapon.
MAX
What are you doing here?
MONA
(motioning towards
Gognitti)
I see you've noticed my handiwork.
MAX
It's sloppy. You're begging to be
caught.
The femme fatale takes offense.
MONA
(jokingly)
This coming from you, Max?
Honestly.
(serious)
Besides, he killed my sister and
your family. You know they deserve
wha-
BANG!
Mona lurches forward, her body going limp.
Payne reaches out, grabbing hold of the fallen woman. She
drops her gun.
As they both slide to the ground, blood seeping through Sax's
shirt, Max catches a glimpse of the gunman.
NAR. (V.O.)
Just when you're doing that cool
dialogue thing, a something steps
out of the shadows, gun at the
ready. He puts an end to it with a
single period. A single shot.
The man smirks gleefully and slides away, through the hall.
Mona grabs hold of the lapel of Payne's leather jacket.
MONA
Max-
MAX
Try not to speak. Stay still.
MONA
Look at me... I've become such a
damsel in distress.
MAX
Mona, please-
MONA
Stay with them Max... don't let
them...
He's losing her.
MAX
Mona, hang in there!
MONA
I'm sorry, Max... I'm so sorry...
your family...
Blood seeps out of her mouth... her body goes limp... she
dies.
We hear the low wail of police sirens in the distance, from
outside.
Payne gently rests the head of the woman on to the ground.
He leans forward, kissing her forehead.
We hear her name whispered:
Mona.
Max rises to his feet. The sirens get increasingly closer
and louder.
The fallen officer continues to walk forward. He never turns
back.
CUT TO:
INT. - RAGNA ROCK NIGHT CLUB, NIGHT
We come back to the bartender, now cowering by a pay phone,
the receiver up to his ear:
BARTENDER
(cont'd.)
Yeah! The fucker walked right into
the place!... No... You can be sure
of it, boss! I-
The bartender is cut off as a door opens and closes behind
him.
He drops the phone.
We reveal Max Payne, now standing in the room, brandishing a
sawed-off shotgun in his right hand.
MAX
What did I tell you?
BARTENDER
(cont'd.)
That you'd-
BANG!
With a single shot from the weapon, the bartender's flesh on
his face becomes all but non-existent.
Blood sprays outwards, drenching the pay phone.
The portly man drops to the ground and Max keeps on walking,
right towards the exit.
FADE TO:
INT. - APARTMENT, NIGHT
We are now in the home of Max Payne.
It is a decrepid, single room apartment with a small bathroom
attached.
Time and rage has taken its toll on the tiny living space.
Max sits in the center of the room, his body spread out atop
a generic, fake leather chair.
In one hand, he clutches a bottle of spring water. In the
other, an unidentified bottle of pills.
NAR. (V.O.)
In the slums of New York City is
where I now make my home.
Payne tiredly pops the top off of the pill bottle.
NAR. (V.O.)
(cont'd.)
But it wasn't always like this.
Not at all.
He takes a single shot from the bottle, easily four or five
pills thrown into the back of his throat.
Max swigs from the bottle of water.
NAR. (V.O.)
(cont'd.)
The pills would make the pain go
away...
His eyes flutter.
His heads drops back, over the edge of the chair.
Max Payne passes out.
CUT TO:
BLACK.
WOMAN (V.O.)
(whispered)
Max...
BACK TO:
INT. - APARTMENT, NIGHT -- TIME'S PAST
Payne's eyes open wide.
Everything is still dark, but in a dream like trance. The
entire interior of the room is coated in a dark, reddish hue.
WOMAN (V.O.)
(shrieking)
MAX!
The detective gathers himself, jumping up off of the seat.
WOMAN (V.O.)
(cont'd.)(shrieking)
MAX! WHY, MAX!? WHY!?
Payne reaches into the inside of his jacket.
His pistol is gone.
A baby screams from somewhere off screen and in the distance.
CUT TO:
INT. - BEDROOM, NIGHT
A man wearing a cleaner's jumpsuit cackles wildly as he
points his gun at something out of sight.
We reveal his target: a sobbing woman clutching a small
infant in her arms.
This is Max's wife, MICHELLE PAYNE, and daughter.
CUT TO:
INT. - LONG HALL, NIGHT
Payne runs down an impossibly long hallway, doors on all
sides.
His mouth opens as if he is shouting, but all is inaudible
except for a feint heartbeat.
CUT TO:
INT. - BEDROOM, NIGHT
The man continues to point the weapon. Behind him, two
others appear, also brandishing guns.
MICHELLE
No!
BANG!
A single bullet leaves the weapon of the first thug.
BACK TO:
INT. - LONG HALL, NIGHT
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Max hears the shots ring out.
He runs faster, followed by more inaudible shouting.
FADE TO:
INT. - BEDROOM, NIGHT
Max is now in the bedroom. The bodies of his wife and baby
daughter lie spread out on the bed, covered in blood.
The three thugs look up, their faces contorted in an
unnatural way.
THUG #1
(demonic)
Payne!
Max raises up a gun that has inexplicably appeared in his
hand.
He fires off three rounds, each one smacking into the
forehead of the each of the thugs.
They fall to the ground, their bodies fading completely away
before actually touching the floor.
We go back to Max, the weapon now no longer in his hand. It
has somehow disappeared.
FADE TO:
INT. - BEDROOM, NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS
Payne now stands before the bed, staring down at the corpses
of his wife and child.
MAX
No, no, no! No, please God, no!
The dead woman's eyes open, blood pouring out of her ocular
cavities.
She slowly rises upwards.
WOMAN
(whispered)
Why?
The bleeding child unleashes a sharp cry.
CUT TO:
INT. - APARTMENT, NIGHT -- TIME'S PAST
Max Payne awakens.
A phone within the room rings loudly.
The detective fumbles a bit before snatching the phone off of
its receiver.
MAX
Hello?
We only get to hear one half of the conversation.
MAX
(cont'd.)
Where are you?... I need to speak
with you immediately... No... No.
There is an extra long pause in the conversation now. Max
says nothing.
MAX
(cont'd.)
I understand... I'll be there.
He hangs up the phone...
...and just stares.
FADE TO:
INT. - RAGNA ROCK NIGHT CLUB, NIGHT
Police tape now lines every door of the empty night club.
From within, two C.S.I. Officers remove Vinnie's mutilated
body from the wall.
Alex Balder watches, his hands by his hips.
A ROOKIE police officer enters, moving right towards Balder.
ROOKIE
We got twenty-four dead, no
injured's. We got the security
tapes too. It's got the woman we
found on the ground as well as...
well, you're not going to believe
this.
The rookie cop moves to one of the screens in the room,
placing a blank video cassette into a VCR underneath the
television.
The screen flickers to life as we are treated to images from
earlier:
That of ex-detective Max Payne killing anything that got in
his way.
ALEX
(to self)
Max... why this, why now?
The veteran officer sighs and turns to the rookie.
ALEX
(cont'd.)
I want every available officer on
this. I want Detective Payne
brought in alive, do you
understand?
ROOKIE
Yes, sir.
The younger officer walks away. Balder sighs once again.
CUT TO:
INT. - HORNE'S OFFICE, NIGHT
We fade to the small, through luxurious, office of NICOLE
HORNE, the head of the largest unknown crime syndicate in New
York City.
Behind her, their faces covered by shadows, stands two body
guards.
Across from her, sitting in a vastly less superior and creaky
chair is ABE LOVECRAFT, a snake-ish looking hitman covered
from head-to-toe in red leather.
Behind Lovecraft stands two associates, BOB and JACK, both
wearing similar gear.
All three men brandish motorcycle helmets.
Nicole taps her finger nails across the front of her desk as
she speaks to the men, specifically Abe.
NICOLE
Payne. How much and how long?
ABE
Detective Payne is what we like to
call a... "tall order."
NICOLE
God for-fucking-bid you shoot him
when you had the chance!
ABE
You paid for Sax. I delivered.
Your ex-detective is going to cost
you a bit more.
NICOLE
First he sent my daughter to her
death, and last night he killed my
nephew. Money is no object.
ABE
So Vinnie finally bit it, eh?
The crime lord rises to her feet, slamming her fists against
the desk.
NICOLE
(shouting)
God damn it, Abe!
ABE
Fifty, and it'll be done by the end
of the month. Seventy-five, a
week. One hundred, I can have his
head delivered to you within twelve
hours.
Horne turns to the window.
NICOLE
One hundred, done. Go.
FADE TO:
INT. - WODEN'S HOME, STUDY, NIGHT
We move through the study, following a pair of legs.
They belong to Max Payne.
NAR. (V.O.)
Alfred Woden was one of the most
powerful men in the entire city.
His influences were great, from the
lowliest of thugs to the most
powerful of politicians.
Softly, and in the background, we hear slow classical music
playing on a xenograft.
We move forward even further, coming to a fireplace at the
foot which sits a man in a wheel chair.
NAR. (V.O.)
(cont'd.)
He was one of those old school
gangsters: the ones who shot up
three police cars just to get a mug
of rum to a needy speak easy.
This is ALFRED WODEN, a secretive man who hold power in both
political parties as well as criminal syndicates.
He has seen much in his many years as evidenced by his
crippled condition and the patch that covers his left eye.
NAR. (V.O.)
(cont'd.)
He became my confidant and ally in
my war on Valkyr.
The older man drinks a small cup of coffee. He speaks to Max
without turning around to face him.
ALFRED
Ah, Mr. Payne, my favorite diplomat
of the New York City Police
Department.
MAX
What did you have for me?
A butler walks into the scene. He takes the empty cup from
Woden's hands and turns the wheel chair around so Alfred may
face Payne.
The servant exits.
ALFRED
Who is to say I have anything for
you, Max? Perhaps I just wanted to
talk.
MAX
(annoyed)
What about?
ALFRED
I realize that you are a busy man,
what with the violent killings and
all, but I may just have something
for you that will finally gain for
you what you have been looking for
all along.
MAX
What's that?
The older gentleman wheels away from Payne and towards a
window in the corner of the room.
ALFRED
After they killed your family Max,
did you ever stop to ask yourself
why I was helping you?
He hadn't. He says nothing.
ALFRED
(cont'd.)
The night your family was killed,
Max, did you ever think that you
would be here... right now...
preparing yourself for that final
battle?
NAR. (V.O.)
He was cryptic as hell, but I
always knew that his info would
prove reliable.
MAX
Alfred, please-
NAR. (V.O.)
But that didn't mean I didn't like
to cut through the bull shit every
once in awhile.
Woden spins the chair around so he is once again facing
Payne.
ALFRED
Max, you seem to think that with
every passing day, you are
eradicating the scum, the muck, the
darker forces of New York City.
But I think what you are forgetting
are your reasons for starting this
crusade in the first place.
MAX
God usually has to come into play
for something to qualify as a
"crusade."
ALFRED
Max, all you are doing is getting
the job done that men have been
doing for centuries upon centuries,
from the days of Babylonia to World
War II.
MAX
And what's that?
ALFRED
Revenge, Mr. Payne.
Max again says nothing.
ALFRED
(cont'd.)
That night was not a mistake, Max.
Your family got in the way of
business that you did not even know
existed. You made one arrest,
which led to one death, which led
to two more.
Payne looks down. Is he going to cry?
ALFRED
(cont'd.)
How could any man, any monster be
so able to strike down a helpless
mother and child in the blink of an
eye without so much as a single
emotion, a single tear seeping
through their barren faces?
Max tilts his head back up, facing the older man. He does
not cry, but his face shakes.
MAX
You have a name don't you? You
know who did all of this!?
ALFRED
Nicole Horne.
MAX
No.
ALFRED
No man could have done all of
that... only the scorn of a woman.
Her daughter, Jessica Horne,
arrested by one Detective Max
Payne, was placed in her cell for
only but an hour before being
brutally sodomized and beaten to
death based solely on her family's
more then lucrative income.
Max turns around once more, his face reddening with anger.
ALFRED
(cont'd.)
Everything happens for a reason,
Mr. Payne. No matter how wildly
horrendous or unfortunate, nothing
is coincidental or mistaken. You
sent her daughter to her death.
She killed your family.
The detective takes in three sharp, deep breaths.
ALFRED
(cont'd.)
Her office is on Sixth and Ford.
Her empire. That is where you will
find her tonight. In three hours,
she leaves for Los Angeles. What
you do with this information is up
to you, Max.
MAX
Why did you help me, Alfred?
ALFRED
There are no coincidences, Mr.
Payne. None whatsoever.
As if on cue, the servant once again enters, grabs hold of
the handles on Woden's wheelchair, and begins to roll him out
of the room.
Max's eyes follow the older man as he exits.
CUT TO:
EXT. - APARTMENT BUILDING, NIGHT
Max's car pulls up in front of his brick apartment building.
He parks the car and steps out, into the night air.
It is eerily quiet.
Max pauses, looking around his surroundings. He locks his
car, fishes out his house key from his pocket...
...and unsnaps the strap keeping his handgun close to his
chest.
A noise interrupts the silence. It is a motorcycle, close
by, revving its engine.
The sound of the first motorcycle is followed by the noises
of a second and then a third.
This is then followed by a manic laughter. Laughter from one
Abe Lovecraft.
From the end of Max's street, the hitman and his two
accomplices reveal themselves, each one wearing a helmet and
riding a vicious cycle.
MAX
Fuck.
The revving gets louder, and the three bikes take off,
launching full speed towards Payne.
Max rips out his 9MM pistol, shooting wildly at the three
cyclists as they close in.
All three hitmen produce sawed-off shotguns from the bikes'
sides. Taking aim, they fire back.
Max dives, landing on the ground behind his car. His
windshield and three windows are shot out.
With their backs still turned towards the car, Payne stands
up for but a second, trading off a few more shots.
The three bikers make a quick U-Turn in unison. Max ducks
once again behind the now-totaled vehicle.
MAX
(cont'd.) (to self)
One shot, one more shot.
The detective once again takes aim, pointing the pistol
directly at the face of the biker to the right of Abe.
BANG!
A single shot rips through the air, slicing through the right
biker's helmet.
The lifeless body goes limp, plummeting off of the moving
motorcycle which skids across the street, coming to a halted
stop just six feet away from Max.
Abe and his remaining accomplice keep moving, away from
Payne.
They come to the end of the street, from where they began,
making another turn around to face Max.
The detective rises up, moving towards the fallen motorcycle,
throwing the emptied handgun to the pavement with an empty
clang.
Propping it upright, Payne swings his body on to the vehicle,
revving the engine.
He forces a manic smile as he looks into the lifeless, helmet
covered faces of the two hitmen at the end of the street.
Abe flips up his visor, revealing just his eyes.
ABE
If it's a joust he wants...
Lovecraft flips his visor down, and both of the remaining
hitmen rev their engines to match Max.
Payne gives one final rev before taking off, zooming head-on
towards his enemies.
Both Abe and the other killer do the same, racing towards Max
as full speed.
As they become increasingly closer, the two hitmen each
reveal yet another sawed-off.
They take aim...
The three bikes now just a mere five feet away...
Abe pulls the trigger...
...just as Max sharply turns to the right, wrapping around
both of the hitmen and dodging the shotgun blast.
Payne leaps from his still moving motorcycle on to the rear
of Abe's accomplice.
The bewildered hitman slows significantly as Lovecraft speeds
ahead.
Max grabs hold of the man's right hand around the handle bar
as he reaches into his coat with his left.
Payne produces a butterfly knife.
The knife is swung around three times, revealing the blade
which is promptly jammed into the back of the man's neck.
As the hitman's body convulses, Max shoves him off of the
motorcycle and takes control himself.
At the other end of the road, Abe makes yet another turn
around and stops.
Max does the same.
The two now face each other, the hum of the engines being the
only noise.
Payne smirks...
...as Lovecraft tears his helmet off in frustration and
bellows out a scream of pure anger and hatred.
ABE
(cont'd.) (shouting,
growling)
PAYNE!
MAX
...it's a joust you'll get.
The two combatants once again race towards each other, Max
staying focused, Abe shouting incoherently.
As they become increasingly closer, Lovecraft reaches down to
the side of the bike, un-holstering yet another sawed-off.
Now just three feet away from each other, the two turn
abruptly, both motor cycles screeching against one another.
Sparks fly as both fire their weapons.
Max dips his head down, dodging the spray of ammunition fired
from Abe's weapon...
...whereas the single shot from Payne's lodges into the
hitman's upper chest and neck.
Lovecraft flies off of the back of his vehicle as Max slowly
comes to a stop.
Payne cranes his neck to watch Abe, blood seeping from his
neck, take his last breath.
The silence of death is quickly interrupted by sirens in the
distance.
Max cocks his head towards the origin of the noise.
He revs the cycle once again and blasts forward, leaving the
scene at full speed.
FADE TO:
INT. - NICOLE'S OFFICE, NIGHT
Horne stands alone, in the silent darkness, looking at a
framed picture of JESSICA, her deceased daughter.
She speaks to "her."
NICOLE
He killed you, dear. And I am
going to kill him. And then we
will be together forever. Just me
and my precious baby girl.
A single tear rolls down her face.
The door behind her opens and Omri, her bodyguard, enters.
OMRI
We just got a call... Lovecraft has
fallen.
A bitter shroud of darkness falls over Nicole's face as she
turns to face her bodyguard.
NICOLE
That fucking bastard is not going
to fail me!
CUT TO:
EXT. - APARTMENT BUILDING, NIGHT
Outside of Max's apartment building, police now swarm the
area.
Once again, Alex Balder watches over the officers as they
move across the area, questioning possible witnesses and
looking for other bits of evidence.
Behind the officer a stretcher with Abe's lifeless body is
rolled into an ambulance.
The rookie officer from earlier finishes up a conversation
with a prostitute before turning towards Alex.
ROOKIE
This street walker says she saw
Payne leave on a motorcycle, headed
downtown. Where could he be
headed?
ALEX
Horne. It has to be. Everything
before this leads right to her,
though we've never been able to
prove it.
ROOKIE
It's your call.
Beat.
ALEX
All right.
Balder begins to move through the crowds of witnesses and
police officers, waving his hands and barking out orders:
ALEX
(cont'd.)(shouting)
Listen up! We need to get every
single available officer down to
Aesir Plaza immediately! This is
where Payne is most likely headed,
and I must again reiterate: we
bring him in alive or not at all!
As Alex continues to shout out orders, we move away and
instead begin to focus in on the-
FADE TO:
INT. - AMBULANCE, NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS
Within the back of the ambulance in front of Max's apartment,
Abe lays on a stretcher with two PARAMEDICS working around
him.
PARAMEDIC #1
The bleeding has stopped and
there's just minor shrapnel still
in his neck.
The second paramedic tears the red leather jacket, revealing
Abe's barely damaged chest.
He holds in his hands a heart palpitation device. He rubs
the two handles together and places it on to Abe's bare
chest.
The hitman's back arches as the first paramedic moves in with
tweezers, and removes two metal shards from Lovecraft's neck.
Moving away, the second paramedic moves in again uses the
palpitation device.
This time, Abe's eyes shoot open as his body launches off of
the stretcher.
He inhales sharply and rises to his feet.
CUT TO:
EXT. - DOCK, NIGHT
A cadre of weapons sit stacked against each other on the edge
of a New York City pier.
Handguns, semi-automatics, fully automatics, shotguns...
It's all there. Two men work around the weapons, checking
them for ammo and cleansing.
We follow the weapons, which leads us all the way up to the
number one gun runner in the city:
VLADIMIR (VLAD) LEM.
The Russian gangster polishes one of the AK-47's while
speaking to Max.
He speaks with a heavy Eastern European accent:
VLAD
'Zis is for vhat... hunting?
MAX
Something like that.
Vladimir sets the gun aside.
VLAD
You know, Max, me and you... we are
not so different.
MAX
You're a gun running mobster hiding
from two powerful governments and
I'm a fallen cop looking for
revenge... you're right.
Vlad laughs. Max does not.
VLAD
'Zis is funny, Max! But me and
you... we could run 'zis city if we
so chose to do so.
MAX
Not my line of work, Vlad. Is this
it?
One of the workers nods to Max. Vlad lights a cigarette and
takes a long pull from it.
MAX
(cont'd.)
How much?
VLAD
Eh... no charge.
Payne gives the mobster a surprised look.
VLAD
(cont'd.)
Like I said, Max... vhether you
vant to believe it or not, right
now, ve are running 'zis city.
It is now Payne's turn to play with one of the dormant
rifles.
MAX
(disinterested)
Yeah, and how's that?
VLAD
You take out Horne... I become the
most powerful in the city. Cut off
the head, and another one appears,
Max, just like the Medusa.
MAX
Hydra, and it was two heads. Not
one.
VLAD
Even better! Me and you Max, all
ze way!
The Russian again begins to laugh. Max ignores him.
VLAD
(cont'd.)
The point is 'zis, Max: when I'm in
charge... vhat's to stop me from
picking up vhere Horne left off?
Payne continues to examine the gun.
MAX
(still disinterested)
I guess I'll just have to kill you,
then.
VLAD
It's a never-ending circle, Max...
of the vorst kind.
Max sets the rifle back down onto the ground.
Vlad takes the smoke out of his mouth.
VLAD
(cont'd.)
You take care, Maximilian. You're
my favorite cop... you know that,
right?
He smiles... so does Max.
MAX
(playfully)
Well, Vlad, if that's all... I
guess I'll be seeing you in hell.
VLAD
Don't fool yourself, Payne... we're
all ready there.
Max's smile fades as the Russian tosses the cigarette into
the water behind him.
FADE TO:
INT. - POLICE CRUISER, NIGHT
The rookie officer drives with Alex in the shotgun seat. The
younger man looks uneasy.
ROOKIE
What do you think he's up to?
Balder sighs loudly as he looks out of the passenger window,
the various lights of the city reflecting off of the glass.
ALEX
"He who fights with monsters might
take care-"
ROOKIE
"-lest he thereby become a
monster." Friedrich Nietzsche.
ALEX
I see they still use that one at
the academy.
ROOKIE
First day.
ALEX
Never meant much until just now.
CUT TO:
INT. - APARTMENT, NIGHT
Within his apartment, Max looks over his new cache of weapons
as they lie before him on a table.
One by one, Payne picks up the various death tools:
Four handguns.
Two sawed-off shotguns.
An automatic rifle.
BACK TO:
INT. - POLICE CRUISER, NIGHT
The rookie drives, his eyes still on the road. Alex
continues to stare out the window.
ALEX
When justice fails a man, as it is
likely to do every so often, then
who are we to stand in that man's
way?
CUT TO:
INT. - APARTMENT, NIGHT
Payne locks and loads, finding a place on his person for each
and every weapon and clip of ammo.
Finally, Max picks up a single, black-handled switchblade.
He pops the tiny blade and swings it around once, causing the
sharp metal to revert back into the sleeve.
He places it within his coat.
BACK TO:
INT. - POLICE CRUISER, NIGHT
ALEX
When a man's entire family is taken
away from him in the blink of an
eye...
CUT TO:
INT. - APARTMENT, NIGHT
Finally, Max turns to a picture of his wife and daughter...
better times.
Max reaches behind the picture frame and produces a single
bottle of pain killers.
BACK TO:
INT. - POLICE CRUISER, NIGHT
ALEX
...is not revenge the only answer?
ROOKIE
Justice exists for a reason.
ALEX
Justice is an invention. A man
made force to be reckoned with.
Beat.
ALEX (CONT'D)
Revenge is God's doing.
We pull back as the cruiser races into the night.
CUT TO:
INT. - APARTMENT, NIGHT
Max takes a final, tearful look at his wife and daughter...
...before flinging the bottle across the room, causing it to
shatter across the opposite wall.
FADE TO BLACK.
FADE IN:
EXT. - AESIR PLAZA, NIGHT
A light rain drizzles downward, leaving imprints along the
windows of the building.
CUT TO:
INT. - AESIR PLAZA, LOBBY, NIGHT
We are now inside the building, following a lone guard as he
walks from the lobby into the...
INT. - AESIR PLAZA, HALL, NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS
...where he continues to move towards the very end.
The guard walks casually, finally coming to a dip in the
wall, where-in sits a healthy house plant.
As well as Max Payne, who rolls out from his hiding spot,
taking down the guard with a single slice of his blade,
slitting the guard's neck.
The man's limp body tumbles to the floor. Max drags the
corpse into the darkness of his hiding place.
CUT TO:
INT. - AESIR PLAZA, HORNE'S OFFICE, NIGHT
Horne's sickly frame is once again hidden behind her large,
oak desk.
Two body guards stand by Nicole's side.
They are OMRI and REZ, both identical strong men, their
bodies fitting their occupation well.
Horne lights a cigar. Behind her, we see a framed picture of
her deceased daughter, JESSICA.
NICOLE
Where... is... he?
OMRI
We don't know. Lovecraft's goons
were all we found.
NICOLE
He killed my daughter... and then
my nephew. He's coming for me.
REZ
Miss Horne, I can assure you that
your safety is our top priority-
CRASH!
The window gives, sending shards of glass and falling rain
into the room.
Rez pauses. Blood begins to seep out of the side of his neck
and onto his left shoulder.
He stumbles forward and falls across the oak desk. Omri
reaches into his suit jacket and produces a 9mm pistol.
CUT TO:
EXT. - ROOFTOP, NIGHT
A quick glimpse of a single, leather glove clad hand as it
hurriedly reloads a sniper rifle atop the opposite building.
BACK TO:
INT. - AESIR PLAZA, HORNE'S OFFICE, NIGHT
Horne now practically cowers behind the desk.
NICOLE
We have to leave now!
Omri rushes forward, towards the broken glass still hanging
onto the window sill.
He points across the way, towards the roof of the building
opposite of Horne's.
OMRI
There!
BANG!
A single shot hits the second bodyguard right in the center
of his chest.
He falls backwards, gasping wildly as his body slams into the
ground.
Omri coughs wildly, blood shooting out of his mouth in small
bursts.
He dies with a final groan.
NICOLE
Shit.
The crime lord ducks behind her desk and moves towards the
window, keeping her head low.
NICOLE
(cont'd.)(mumbling)
Fucking useless. Fucking morons.
She snatches the gun out of Omri's limp hand, and dives
forward, pointing the handgun out the window towards...
...nothing. The opposite building's roof is now vacant.
All is silent but for the falling of hard rain.
CUT TO:
EXT. - ROOFTOP, NIGHT
The sniper rifle is left atop its mount as the mystery
shooter walks off screen, allowing us only a glimpse of a
blowing trench coat exiting the scene.
CUT TO:
EXT. - AESIR PLAZA, NIGHT
Police cruisers roll forward, surrounding the large office
building.
From the front car, Alex jumps out of the passenger's side,
gun in hand.
He begins to wave his fellow officers into the building.
CUT TO:
INT. - AESIR PLAZA, LAUNDRY ROOM, NIGHT
Three thugs sit in the center of the laundry room. We'll
call them DAN, WALTER, and JOHN.
They play poker on a table covered in cards, chips, weapons,
and cocaine.
With a loud THUD!, the door on the opposite end of the room
is kicked open, revealing-
Max Payne, brandishing two sawed-off shotguns.
WALTER
It's Payne!
(Beat)
...again.
Max lets loose, firing both guns simultaneously. One shot
hits Dan's chest, the other striking John in the neck region.
He throws the shotguns to the ground as Walter reaches for
one of the magnums lying on the card table.
Payne produces two of the handguns from within his leather
coat, shooting Walter multiple times before he even has a
chance to blink.
The body of the dead man falls backwards, slamming into the
poker table.
Cards and chips scatter across the floor as the crushed bags
of cocaine create a cloud of billowed, white smoke.
Max moves forward, brushing right by the corpses of Dan and
John, and instead focuses in on Walter.
He's not dead, though very close.
As Walter gasps deeper with every intake of air, Max points
his 9mm at his face.
MAX
I can shoot you in the head and end
it...
or, I could let you lay there and
choke to death on your own blood.
Now... Horne. Where is she?
WALTER
Her office... second floor-
BANG!
A single shot from Max's gun pegs Walter in the head, putting
him down for good.
CUT TO:
INT. - AESIR PLAZA, HORNE'S OFFICE, NIGHT
Nicole now walks around the office with a new found bravado.
Her hair is a mess and her clothing is now covered in rain
and blood... but nothing stops her from dealing with the
problem at hand:
That of one Max Payne.
She finally stops moving, settling on a closet. Nicole grabs
the handles, flinging the closet doors open with a violent
"CLANG!"
She reaches in, knowing exactly what it is that she needs:
A fully loaded, double barrelled shotgun.
NICOLE
Fucking Payne.
CUT TO:
INT. - AESIR PLAZA, LOBBY, NIGHT
Within the blood-soaked lobby, police officers led by Alex
pile in through the doors, spreading out in all directions.
CUT TO:
INT. - AESIR PLAZA, SECOND FLOOR HALL, NIGHT
We now follow Max, a man on a mission.
In one continuous track, we follow from a behind-the-back,
third person perspective as Payne, wielding two handguns,
moves through the hall.
Effortlessly, he fires at various enemies as they present
themselves, each wielding their own weapons.
The two 9MM's empty, Max throws them to the side, reaching
into behind his jacket, by his waist, in one lighting quick
movement.
He now wields two sawed-off shotguns, each one capable of two
shots, the rounds blasting into their targets with bloody
results.
The shotguns are the next to be thrown down as Max enters-
INT. - AESIR PLAZA, OPEN ROOM, NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS
We stop as Max takes in the sheer number of enemies around
him, easily a dozen.
They stand at various parts of the room, each brandishing a
weapon for themselves.
Almost as in unison, the weapons around the room are cocked.
Max closes his eyes...
Reaches into his jacket...
And produces two small UZI's.
The detective spreads his arms, shooting almost blindly,
hitting targets in front of him, behind him, and to the
sides.
Max bends forward, ejecting the spent clips on to the ground.
In one quick 360 degree turn, we follow his body as he grabs
two fresh new clips and pounds them into the UZI's.
As he comes full circle, dodging shots from his opponents, he
begins to fire back once again...
...taking down the entire room.
With everyone dead and Max the last one standing, we pause.
Payne shuts his eyes and inhales deeply through his nose.
MAN (V.O.)
(off-screen)
Payne, stop!
His eyes open. He does not exhale.
Click.
Max turns around to face...
...Alex Balder, his former friend and partner as well as two
officers.
Balder moves his hand down, keeping his weapon by his side.
The two officers stand back, pistol drawn and pointed towards
Max.
ALEX
Max, please just listen to me. You
have got to end this.
MAX
You don't understand, Alex-
ALEX
No, Max. Just turn yourself in...
end this now... for Michelle.
Payne looks down at the ground soaking in Balder's words-
BANG! BANG!
Two shots are heard, each bullet striking into Balder's
backup: one in the head, the other in the chest.
Both collapse as-
BANG!
A single gunshot rings out through the empty hall.
A large blossom of crimson blood seeps its way through Alex's
shirt, dripping towards the ground.
MAX
Alex!
ALEX
(gasping)
Max...
As the older man falls to the ground, Max comes to his aid,
catching his body.
MAN (V.O.)
(off-screen, raspy)
Let him go. Now.
Max looks upwards to face the gunman...
...a still badly wounded Abe, gauze wrapped around his neck
and his jacket still torn open. He holds a revolver.
ABE
Don't move. Drop your gun.
Payne does as he is told, dropping both UZI's as he rises up
from Alex's still bleeding body.
As Lovecraft speaks, he moves forward.
ABE
(cont'd.)
Did you really think it would be
that God damn easy to dispose of
me?
(shouting)
Do you know how much I was being
paid!?
He is now face-to-face with Max, the tip of the pistol almost
touching Payne's forehead.
ABE
(cont'd.)
Mona was cake. And this old man
was just plain easy.
Behind the hitman, Alex weakly reaches across the ground,
clutching his fallen 9mm pistol.
ABE
(cont'd.)
Who knew you'd be so simple to
catch?
Abe pulls back on the gun's clip, taking aim-
ALEX
(raspy)
Old man?
The fallen cop fires, the round hitting the hitman in the
ankle.
As Abe screams in pain, Alex's head hits the ground, his grip
loosening on his gun.
Max strikes back, his right hand coming up and knocking the
revolver from Abe's grip.
ABE
(cont'd.)
The hell-?
The hitman, still shocked, stands still as Max produces yet
another butterfly knife.
The bewildered Abe watches helplessly as Payne effortlessly
swings the handle three times, producing the blade itself.
The detective just shakes his head back and forth before
biting his bottom lip and ramming the knife forward,
penetrating the blade right through Abe's crotch.
The hitman unleashes a horrific cry of pain as Max jams the
knife up to the hilt into Lovecraft's groin.
When it can go no further, Payne gives the knife a hard snap,
breaking the handle off of the blade.
Abe continues to scream in horrendous agony as Max throws the
handle to the ground, leaving the blade firmly jabbed into
the hitman's now bleeding crotch.
Lovecraft falls to the ground in a pathetic fetal position,
whimpering, bleeding and shouting profusely.
Payne picks up his own dropped weapons as well as Abe's
fallen revolver.
He moves towards Alex, his friend...
...though the older man has succumbed to his wounds. He is
dead.
Without even looking back, and with Abe still screaming in
agonizing pain, Max just walks away.
CUT TO:
INT. - AESIR PLAZA, HORNE'S OFFICE, NIGHT
Nicole moves around her darkened office, shotgun in hand.
Sweat trickles down her wrinkled brow as she moves from door
to door, each one leading to a scene of dead corpses
littering the ground.
NICOLE
(to self)
Where are you?
The creak of a floorboard catches the nervous crime lord off
guard.
She spins around, firing the weapon, taking a large chunk out
of the self-portrait hanging above the fireplace.
NICOLE
(cont'd.)(aloud, shouting)
Where are you, you son-of-a-fucking
whore mother-fucker, where are
you!?
Another creak, and Nicole spins around once more, firing
blindly at the mirror hanging above her desk.
Just before the impact, we see a fleeting glimpse of Max,
standing right behind the flustered woman.
The shell nails the mirror, causing the fixture to explode
into a dozen tiny glass pieces.
Horne turns around to face Payne, gasping.
She raises the weapon only to have it smacked down by Max's
right forearm.
It clatters across the floor.
A horrified gaze passes over Nicole's face as Max simply
raises his fist...
...and punches the woman in the face, knocking her down and
out with a single hit.
FADE TO BLACK.
FADE IN:
EXT. - AESIR PLAZA, ROOFTOP, NIGHT
We focus in on Nicole's face as she comes to, her senses
rushing back to her body, the faraway sounds of thunder
awaking her.
Pulling back, we reveal that she is bound to a chair, the
hind legs balancing just over the ledge of the building.
Attached to the center brace of the seat is three individual
ropes that leads away from the chair and connects to a small
pipe on the roof, keeping it in its fixed position.
Horne begins to struggle within the confines of the rope.
Max enters. Nicole's face takes a whole new look, a look
unseen plastered to the face of the crime lord.
That of compassion.
NICOLE
Max... Max, let me go.
She fakes a weak smile as Max moves towards her, not saying a
word.
NICOLE
(cont'd.)
Doing this... doing this will not
bring back your family, Max.
Payne reaches into his leather coat, producing a final
butterfly knife.
As Max un-wields the blade, Nicole's phony smile and demeanor
immediately fades back into the dark oblivion of hate that
seems all too natural.
NICOLE
(cont'd.)(venomous)
Do it! Do it you fucking son of a
bitch! Finish this! Send me to
hell to see your bitch-
The detective remains un-fazed as the slightest sound of
thunder once again rumbles in the sky.
MAX
You killed my best friend.
Max kneels down, inspecting the three ropes that keep Nicole
from teetering over the edge of the building.
With a single swipe of the knife, he cuts into the left-most
binding, slicing right through it.
The chair rocks a solid inch.
This is followed by a noiseless flash of lightning in the sky
which is soon followed by a low growl from the heavens.
MAX
(cont'd.)
And then you murdered the only real
partner in this that I had.
The right-most rope is then cut, leaving only the final
binding keeping the chair from falling over the ledge.
The chair now teeters. Nicole looks increasingly concerned.
MAX
(cont'd.)
That makes sense... they were
trying to bring you down.
Nicole's fake presence is once again re-introduced.
NICOLE
Max, I-
Payne ignores her completely as he rises from his crouched
position and produces a single 9mm pistol from within his
coat.
He points it at Horne's face, his entire arm shaking as his
face wells up.
The slightest hint of tears begin to seep through Max's
eyelids.
MAX
(yelling, sobbing)
But first you killed my family!
The only thing that I ever truly
cared about enough to change my
life for! And they did nothing!
Nothing! Why did they have to
die!? Why-
Horne cuts him off, her true presence once again being felt.
NICOLE
(shouting)
You sent my daughter to her death!
Do you honestly think you are the
only one in this God-forsaken, shit
hole of a city that has feelings
for his family!?
A clash of thunder is soon followed by thin droplets or rain
unleashed from above.
MAX
(sobbing)
My daughter was six months old...
you have no excuses.
NICOLE
(shouting)
I'll see your bastard child in
hell!
Anger wells around Max's brow.
He pulls the gun away from the crime lord's face, instead
pointing downwards, towards the final rope.
BANG!
The bullet speeds out of the pistol, slicing right through
the third and final brace.
FADE TO BLACK.
FADE IN:
Audio-less.
Nicole throws her head back, her mouth agape, as the chair
tips over the edge of the building.
FADE TO BLACK.
FADE IN:
Heartbeat.
The chair, Horne attached, plummets downwards, speeding
towards the crowded streets below.
FADE TO BLACK.
FADE IN:
Heartbeat.
Nicole plummets, getting closer...
FADE TO BLACK.
FADE IN:
Heartbeat.
...and closer...
FADE TO BLACK.
FADE IN:
CRASH!
The chair hits the pavement as we focus in on Max, his arms
by his side, rain covering his body.
From the streets below comes the wail of even more gathering
police sirens.
CUT TO:
INT. - AESIR PLAZA, LOBBY, NIGHT
Within the front lobby of the building, S.W.A.T. officers
burst through the double doors.
The team moves as one, through the carnage and corpses.
BACK TO:
EXT. - AESIR PLAZA, ROOFTOP, NIGHT
Payne just looks forward, his face emotionless.
NAR. (V.O.)
They were all dead. The final
gunshot was an exclamation mark on
everything that had led to this
point.
Max looks upwards, rain covering his face, mixing with his
tears.
NAR. (V.O.)
(cont'd.)
I released my finger from the
trigger, and it was over.
The detective's grip loosens on the pistol as it drops to the
ground beneath his feet.
CUT TO:
INT. - AESIR PLAZA, STAIRWELL, NIGHT
The S.W.A.T. team now bustles through a tight stairwell,
coming to an exit door.
The front officer kicks in the door, leading to-
EXT. - AESIR PLAZA, ROOFTOP, NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS
The team rushes out, into the rainfall, weapons pointed...
Beat.
Beads of rain drip down Max's forehead as an array of red
dots caused by the S.W.A.T. Team's weapons collect themselves
on the ex-detective's back.
Payne falls to his knees as rain continues to fall upon his
head. His face remains utterly emotionless.
CUT TO:
INT. - POLICE HEADQUARTERS, HOLDING CELLS, NIGHT
A distant Max sits alone in his cell, the only light coming
from a nearby, barred off window.
A LOW VOICE interrupts the silence from the next cell over.
LOW VOICE (O.S.)
You're him.
CUT TO:
P.O.V. - MAX PAYNE
From Max's perspective, we see a heavyset black man, his face
profiled between two of the cell bars.
This is CLYDE CHARLOTTE.
BACK TO:
INT. - POLICE HEADQUARTERS, HOLDING CELLS, NIGHT
The ex-cop's head drops back downwards.
MAX
Yeah.
Beat.
MAX (CONT'D)
I'm him.
Alex' rookie bursts through the front door of the police
station. Behind him, we see quick glimpses of the gathered
media, camera flashes, and the security holding them at bay.
The rookies comes to the cells. He looks at Max for a moment
before turning to Clyde.
ROOKIE
Charlotte, back to your side.
The heavy man slowly moves away from the bars and fades into
the shadows of his own cell. The young officer turns back to
Payne.
Max says nothing. The rookie only stares back...
...before grabbing hold of a nearby chair, spinning it
around, and placing it before Payne's cell.
He sits.
NAR. (V.O.)
In a New York Minute, everything
can change...
ROOKIE
All right...
Max barely looks up.
NAR. (V.O.)
...and the entire planet can fall
in on itself.
ROOKIE
Why don't you tell me what all of
this was about?
Behind the rookie, from out of the shadows, Mona appears, as
if materializing out of thin air.
Payne blinks once.
CUT TO:
BLACK.
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