RONIN
an original screenplay by
J.D. Zeik
DRAFT: May 20, 1997
A BLOOD RED SCREEN - A JAPANESE DRUM starts to play, softly,
but tinged with a desperate edge, growing louder, joined by
other DRUMS as a BLACK LEGEND scrolls up: In feudal Japan,
the warrior class of Samurai were sworn to protect their
liege lords with their lives. Those Samurai whose liege was
killed suffered a great shame, and they were forced to wander
the land, looking for work as hired swords or bandits. These
masterless warriors were no longer referred to as Samurai,
they were known by another name: Such men were called Ronin.
The words hang on the screen and we hold for a BEAT, and then
the DRUMS are cut off by - A SILENCED GUN SHOT: Thwpfft...
FADE IN ON:
INT. A MEDIEVAL CATHEDRAL - NIGHT
It's dark, and so it takes us a minute to realize we're
MOVING UP STONE SPIRALING STAIRS, up up up in what we now see
is a medieval cathedral. And as we continue MOVING UP
something TRICKLES DOWN INTO FRAME - BLOOD. Running thin,
then thicker, as we CONTINUE TO MOVE UP the stairs and find -
A BODY, sprawled awkwardly across the stones, arms and legs
akimbo, not so much Christ-like as victim-like. In one hand
the Body holds a GUN he never had a chance to use. In the
other - A DARK SHAPE, we can't quite tell what it is.
FOOTSTEPS sound from above and - THE KILLER walks into frame,
silenced pistol dangling at his side. We don't know him, and
it's going to be a while before we see him again, but mark
his face because we'll see him again. The Killer now picks
up the dark shape in the Body's hand, and we see it's - A
BRIEFCASE. The Killer cuffs the Briefcase to his wrist and
turns to - TWO MEN standing behind him: subordinates. The
Killer shows them the Briefcase.
KILLER
God loves me.
THE BODY suddenly twitches -- this guy is not quite dead.
The Killer raises his silenced pistol.
KILLER
(to his victim)
But I don't think he's too fond of you...
SLAM CUT TO:
EXT. A BACK STREET - PARIS - NIGHT
A PHONE RINGS, replacing the sound of the silenced gun shot
we expected to hear.
Rain-slicked cobblestones gleam in a twinkling of
streetlight.
EXT. A PHONE BOOTH AT THE END OF THE STREET
The source of the ringing. We start to PUSH SLOWLY IN one the
phone booth, and as we do we hear the VOICE of an UGLY
AMERICAN.
UGLY AMERICAN (V.O.)
What is this?
CUT TO:
INT. A DRIVE BAR IN PARIS - NIGHT
A SOCCER MATCH is in progress on a TV which sits above the
bar in this smokey, dim dive.
UGLY AMERICAN (O.S.)
This is not football...
And now we're PULLING BACK DOWN THE LENGTH OF THE BAR. We
see THREE MEN sitting seperately at the bar, paying no
attention to each other. One of these men watches the game
with real interest. The Ugly American talks on from off
screen.
UGLY AMERICAN (O.S.)
(continuing)
...Football is three hundred pound guys,
they run way too fucking fast, they got
helmets made of kevlar they use to spear
the quarterback into the next life.
SLAM CUT TO:
EXT. THE STREET OUTSIDE
The phone is still ringing, louder now, and we're MOVING
TOWARDS it while looking THROUGH AN UNSEEN PAIR OF EYES, and
even as we drink this in we're back in -
INT. THE BAR
AT THE END OF THE BAR - LARRY, the Ugly American. He's got
an obvious attitude, all of it bad. But there's something
about the guy -- he's not all bluster, and he has the look of
a seasoned tough guy who knows how to get rough and tumble.
He's big, and yeah he's got a gut, but the rest of him looks
solid.
LARRY
(talking to the air)
You wanna know what football is? It's
hitting the other guy dirty and then
spitting in his face when he's down.
Football is all things American, and
American is A-Number-One the absolute
fucking best there is. That's what
football is...
(he points to the TV)
...And that's not football.
The one man at the bar who's been watching the gam turns
slowly and gives Larry a long look. This is VINCENT: French,
hard boiled and solid. Charming when he wants to be, which
isn't all that often. He gives Larry a long look and then
speaks -
VINCENT
(to Larry in perfect English)
Football -- American football -- is a
game for faggots.
A BEAT. The other two men at the bar, who seem like tough
customers themselves, pretend not to watch too closely, but
they're interested: what's Larry going to say? For a moment
it seems as if he's pissed, but then suddenly a smile breaks
out on his face and he laughs heartily at Vincent's remark.
Vincent joins in, as do the others. In particular - THE
BARTENDER looks relieved -- he's tough enough to toss a bar
drunk, but these guys are in a different league. The
Bartender laughs with the others, happy to have avoided a
confrontation as we go back to -
EXT. THE STREET OUTSIDE
We're almost ON TOP OF the phone booth, the phone is still
ringing as a HAND reaches INTO FRAME and snatches the phone
from its cradle.
A WOMAN'S VOICE (V.O.)
(a touch Irish accent)
Yes?
ANOTHER ANGLE - And we see a woman named DEIRDRE on the
phone: striking, dark-haired, Irish. She carries herself
with the same professional edge as the men inside the bar.
Deirdre listens for a moment to the voice on the other end,
and before she speaks she sense something - A SILHOUETTE
stands in the shadows of the bar, watching Deirdre. She
gives this silhouette a measure glance before speaking, her
hand creeping ever so slightly towards her coat.
DEIRDRE
Can I help you?
The silhouette steps into a POOL OF LIGHT. This is SAM.
Tough, lean, enigmatic. Somebody you might trust, but whom
you'd never cross. Sam returns her look before he speaks.
SAM
No...
Sam moves towards the bar, and Deirdre returns to her phone
conversation.
DEIRDRE
I'm here...
(a beat, responding to a
question)
No, it was nothing.
INT. THE BAR - A MINUTE LATER
Sam enters and by now the men inside have all come together
at the bar, talking casually, recognizing they're somehow all
here for a reason. With Larry and Vincent we see - GREGOR, a
man from Eastern Europe. His accent is hard to pin down,
but he most definitely has one. Gregor has the air of an ex-
spook, and that's exactly what he is. Lastly we see SWEDE --
blonde, muscular, and somehow blank in the face. No, he's
not stupid -- he's a sociopath. Now - Sam looks at the
group, which grows quiet as he enters. Finally, Sam speaks.
SAM
Sorry I'm late...
VINCENT
(a challenge)
What makes you think we're here to meet
you?
SAM
(meeting Vincent's gaze)
Who else would you be?
Vincent turns towards the others, including them in an
expansive gesture.
VINCENT
Perhaps the police?
SAM
I know cops -- and you're no cop.
Vincent smiles at Sam's answer, satisfied, and makes room for
Sam to join them. Vincent takes a pack of cigarettes, shakes
them so that one sticks out, and offers it to Sam.
VINCENT
Cigarette?
SAM
No thanks.
Vincent looks a little disappointed at this as we go -
EXT. BACK OUTSIDE - SAME TIME
THE PAY PHONE makes a sharp noise as it's cracked back into
the cradle. Deirdre stands at the phone booth, lost in
thought. Then, without warning - Deirdre spins around,
pulling TWO GUNS from inside her coat. The move is fast,
performed with the grace of a professional killer, as Deridre
scans the horizon, but nobody seems to be watching. Deirdre
pockets her guns and steps into the shadows of the street,
the better to watch -
THE BAR - And as Deirdre watches the bar we watch her.
PULLING BACK from Deirdre, UP INTO THE AIR and then MOVING
THROUGH TO -
INT. A CHEAP APARTMENT - SAME TIME
LOOKING THROUGH A WINDOW, donw onto the street below. Barely
visible we can see Deirdre. And staring at Deirdre - THE
WATCHER. Somebody we're going to see periodically through
the movie. Right now he's only a SILHOUETTE with a well-
defined PAIR OF HANDS. And in those hands - A KNIFE. As the
Watcher watches he slowly cleans his nail with the knife,
methodically, perfectly. And he watches. First Deirdre, and
then turning his attention to THE BAR. He's especially
interested in the bar.
A TIME CUT TO:
INT. THE BAR - LATER
The BARTENDER is wiping out a last glass. When this is
finished he looks up at -
A TABLE IN THE BACK -
Where our five guys have relocated. Now the Bartender and
Vincent exchange a look, and then the Bartender takes out a
set of keys and tosses them - THROUGH THE AIR and they SMWACK
into Vincent's hand. The Bartender and Vincent speak in
rapid-fire French, and then the Bartender is gone. Sam turns
to Vincent.
SAM
He trusts you to lock up?
VINCENT
Let's just say he knows who I am.
Vincent takes out his pack of cigarettes and offer them
around the table -- again, nobody takes on. Vincent seems
really disappointed by this.
LARRY
Anybody wanna tell me what we're waiting
for?
VINCENT
(lighting his cigarette)
The question isn't what we're waiting
for... it's who.
LARRY
And who the fuck is that?
GREGOR
Whoever hired us.
SAM
I got this gig through a contractor.
And he most definitely didn't know who
was doing the hiring, only that they
were paying a lot of money...
There's a kind of general look around the table -- a nod or
grunt of acknowledgement, indicating that all of these men
were hired the same way.
SAM
(continuing his thought)
So none of us knows who's paying the
freight, this is just some anonymous job.
For all we know, we're working for
different people.
GREGOR
Now that is an interesting proposition.
SWEDE
How so?
GREGOR
Because if there's more than one party
involved, if we really are working for
different people, then perhaps some of us
are on different sides.
(with great meaning)
Your orders might be different from mine.
LARRY
What're you talking about, man? I don't
understand.
SWEDE
(quietly, but loud enough to be
heard)
What a surprise...
LARRY
I got a surprise for you, blondie...
GREGOR
(sharply, as if he's used to
giving orders)
Why don't both of you shut up?
LARRY & SWEDE
(to Gregor at the same time)
Fuck you!
SAM
Knock it off!
There is a BEAT. Gregor, Swede and Larry look at Sam, who
glares them all down. Lastly, Sam turns and looks at
Vincent. The two men nod at one another, acknowledging a
kind of mutual respect.
SAM
The point remains: we could be working
for different people. There's a chance
for one of us...
(looks around the table)
Maybe more than one of us -- has been
paid to cross the others. I don't know
about you guys, but I like to know who
I'm working for. It can help prevent a
great deal of...
(finding the right word)
...unpleasantness.
LARRY
(patting the gun inside his
cheap suit)
Anybody tries to unpleasant me I'll put
two between his eyes -- one to do the job
and the other to make sure it takes.
From OFF SCREEN we hear a new sound: LAUGHTER. ANOTHER ANGLE -
Deirdre has entered the bar, and she's amused by this last
exchange.
DEIRDRE
It's good to see you've all got such
faith in our little undertaking.
LARRY
Who the fuck are you?
DEIRDRE
(staring at Larry)
The name is Deirdre, and I'm running this
show.
GREGOR
Who are you? IRA?
DEIRDRE
(with a brittle laugh)
Not likely. Once, yeah, I was -- but
there wasn't an inch of profit in it, and
I'm a cash oriented girl, if you take my
meaning. I'm a hired gun, same as the
rest of you, and that's all any of us
needs to know about the other.
Deirdre hands out several thick envelopes. Larry and Swede
open theirs and stare at the wads of Franc Notes stuffed
inside. Even Gregor cracks his envelope and peaks at his
money. But neither Vincent nor Sam takes a look.
DEIRDRE
From here on in you want something you
pay cash for it: no credit cards, no bank
accounts are in place: ten percent up
front, the rest when the job is done.
(a quick beat, then she looks
at Gregor)
You. What do you do and what should we
call you?
GREGOR
These days they they call me Gregor -- and
I'm a tech. I do electronic work,
surveillance, computer runs.
Deirdre turns to Sam.
SAM
Sam. I'm a weapons guy.
DEIRDRE
You were a soldier, were you?
SAM
Once.
Deirdre gives Sam a look -- and he returns it. Finally,
Deirdre turns to Larry.
LARRY
I drive -- and my name is Larry. Larry
from the States.
DEIRDRE
(she turns to Vincent)
And who are you?
VINCENT
I'm Vincent. And I coordinate.
SAM
(sharply)
Coordinate what?
VINCENT
Things. This is my country, you know.
The two men exchange another look. A pecking order is
developing among the group: Vincent and Sam are both natural
leaders, and now they're feeling one another out.
DEIRDRE
(to Vincent)
Coordinate all you want, but make sure
whatever you do gets cleared through me.
(Vincent doesn't respond for a
moment)
Are we in sync on this, Vincent?
VINCENT
Of course.
Deirdre waits a BEAT, letting Vincent know what she isn't any
more intimidated by him than he is by her. Finally, she
turns to Swede.
SWEDE
They call me Swede.
LARRY
Who's they?
SWEDE
Everybody.
VINCENT
And what is it you do?
SWEDE
Me?
(with a smile)
I kill.
CUT TO:
INT. A WAREHOUSE - DAY
A PAPER TARGET, in the shape of a human being, dances in
place as it is riddles with GUNSHOTS, each shot hitting the
target in the belly, each shot fired by - Larry, whose been
shooting a sleek automatic pistol from which he's just
discharged an entire clip. The gun is empty, Larry turns to
Sam, who stands next in line.
SAM
(looking at the target)
You shoot alright.
LARRY
Gets the job done.
SAM
All in the stomach, though. Your man
might live.
LARRY
Not for long.
SAM
Long enough to shoot back.
LARRY
Is that right?
SAM
It's been known to happen.
LARRY
(a challenge)
Why don't you go do better, then...
Without a word, Sam pops a new clip into the gun and SHOOTS
THE LIGHTS out of several other human targets, hitting each
target in a different place. One he clips between the eyes,
the next in the heart, one in the groin, and then the last
target - He SPLITS DOWN THE MIDDLE, firing shot after shot
from the head to the groin until the target is sheared in
half. Larry is impressed in spite of himself.
LARRY
Yeah, well... My way works too.
SAM
My way is better.
IN A CORNER OF THE WAREHOUSE -
Gregor has set up a table loaded with computers and
electronic whizmos. Right now Gregor is holding a
particularly high-tech type CELL PHONE in his hands, looking
at it almost lovingly.
DEIRDRE (O.S.)
Is it alright?
ANOTHER ANGLE - Deirdre sits nearby, looking at the cell
phone.
GREGOR
It's quite satifactory.
DEIRDRE
Good, because it cost enough. There's
cheaper phones by far than that one, man:
you better fucking use it.
GREGOR
(almost caressing the phone)
I intend to. This phone is wired like no
other: it's got an encryption chip and
instant sat-a-link recognition, it can
talk to any computer in any language and
make it understand. With my custom
hardware and this phone I can trace the
target's cell phone signature and follow
him anywhere he goes...
DEIRDRE
You sure about this?
GREGOR
I'd stake my reputation.
DEIRDRE
But would you stake your life, that's the
question...
GREGOR
In this business, your life and your
reputation are more often than not one
and the same.
From off screen we hear MUNCHING. It's - Larry inhaling a
sandwich. A malicious look comes over Swede's face, who's
cleaning a pistol and sitting near Larry.
SWEDE
You should watch what you eat.
LARRY
Who the fuck died and appointed you food
czar?
SWEDE
I'm just worried about your health,
Larry. You could stand to shed a few
pounds.
LARRY
(sensitive about his weight)
And you could stand to get a little
smarter, ain't that right you dumb blonde
fuck?
SWEDE
(sensitive about the dumb
blonde thing)
Who you calling dumb, dickless?
Both men eyeball one another, and then suddenly Larry reaches
for his piece, and as soon as he does this Swede does the
same thing, but before they can do anything - DEIRDRE'S GUN
swings INTO FRAME, smashing Swede in the face and dropping
him to the floor. Larry's mouth drops open in surprise, but
it's too late: Deirdre kicks him in the stomach and then
rabbit punches him in the back of the neck, driving him to
the ground.
DEIRDRE
(standing above them)
Next one of you fuckers plays this game
I'm going to do for you myself. I won't
say it again: we don't have time for this
shit! There's a clock running on this
job, gentlemen, and I mean to be on
schedule.
A TENSE MOMENT as Deirdre stares down at these tough guys --
letting them know who's in charge. A SOUND from OFF SCREEN
interrupts this moment: a DOOR opening, as we see - Vincent,
who stands in the door, wearing his coat and hat.
He's been out somewhere, and he looks first at the squabbling
men, and then at - Deirdre. She gives Vincent a little nod --
a silent command that makes Vincent turn to Sam.
VINCENT
Let's go for a ride.
Vincent and Sam start off, moving towards the door, while Swede
and larry slowly pick themselves up off the ground.
SAM
Where to?
VINCENT
To see a man about a thing.
SAM
I can do that.
EXT. THE WAREHOUSE - SUNSET
A DESOLATE URBAN LANDSCAPE - Sam and Vincent walking away
from the warehouse, which is housed in what looks to be the
toughest neighborhood in the city, filled with CHEAP CONCRETE
PUBLIC HOUSING and INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS.
THE SETTING SUN throws a red glow on the street, giving the
raw concrete buildings a blood-colored tint, as Sam and
Vincent approach a FIAT, a car neither too old nor too new.
Before they can reach the car, the two men are intercepted by
FOUR TOUGHS, young guys in their early twenties. The LEADER
of the Toughs apporaches Vincent.
LEADER
(subtitled French)
Who gave you permission to park here?
SAM
(to Vincent)
What's he saying?
VINCENT
Pretty much what you'd expect.
SAM
(with a sigh)
That's what I thought.
LEADER
(in French)
There's a charge for parking on our
block.
The other Toughs add lib a few tough guy remarks (in French,
of course).
VINCENT
(to Sam)
He says this is their block.
SAM
As in, they own it?
VINCENT
Something like that...
SAM
And I suppose he's saying that we oughta
give them something for using it, huh?
VINCENT
I didn't know that you spoke French.
SAM
I don't. But the language he's speaking
is universal.
ANGLE ON THE LEADER - Who's smirking at Vincent and Sam.
Sam's words make a great deal of sense: the Leader is
speaking the universal language of "give me some money or
I'll kick your ass."
SAM (O.S.)
I guess we oughta give them something...
CUT BACK TO: Vincent and Sam.
VINCENT
If you think we should.
Vincent backfists the Leader in the nose -- hitting him so
hard that the Leader skitters back on unsteady feet and then
sits down on his ass. This blow hurt, but the real damage is
to the Leader's pride. Now - One of the Toughs rushes at
Sam, only to have Sam perform what looks like a jujitsu throw
which savagely jerks the Tough off his feet and flattens him.
SAM
(as if it were an accident)
Oh man, I am sorry about that...
(he sticks his hand out)
Let me give you a hand.
Sam reaches down as if to help the Tough, who ignores the
hand and totters to his feet. As soon as he's up he turns
and runs away, followed by the other Toughs. Now only the
leader is left behind. He looks for a second at Vincent and
Sam, and then turns and runs after his friends. Vincent
calls after him in French, but whatever he says isn't
translated. Vincent turns to unlock the car.
SAM
What'd you say to him?
VINCENT
I asked if we could give him anything
else.
By now the two men are in the car, which starts up and drives
off, as it does we -
CUT TO:
INT. THE FIAT - SAME TIME
VINCENT
That was a nice move you did on our young
friend. Judo?
SAM
Jujitsu.
VINCENT
Same thing, isn't it?
SAM
Not at all. Similar, but not the same.
VINCENT
What's the difference?
SAM
One's a lot more painful than the other.
Vincent laughs, and Sam looks out the window at the city of
Paris as we MOVE THROUGH to the outside world of -
EXT. PARIS DRIVING MONTAGE - TWILIGHT
A SERIES OF QUICK CUTS of the car driving through Paris at
night. We don't see familiar sights like the Eiffel Tower or
the Arc de Triomph, but instead - We travel through the LEFT
BANK, down a series of Mazy Alleys which twist and turn,
filled with bistros, bars and falafel joints. NEON SIGNS
line the streets for as far as the eye can see. Near the end
of this trip we hear the SOUND OF A MATCH FLARING, followed
by -
SAM (V.O.)
Could I get one of those?
INT. THE CAR - STILL DRIVING - SAME TIME
Vincent is driving and smoking a cigarette. He tosses his
pack to Sam, but he seems a little surprised at Sam's
request.
VINCENT
Help yourself.
(quick beat)
Since when do you smoke?
SAM
(lighting up)
I have, I don't know, maybe a cigarette a
week.
VINCENT
A cigarette? As in one?
(exasperated, almost to
himself)
One cigarette a week, who smokes like
that?
SAM
I do.
VINCENT
Christ, I smoke a pack-and-a-half a day,
and I tell myself I could be worse.
(takes a satisfying drag)
It's just so damned pleasurable.
SAM
(blowing a smoke ring with
great skill)
It has it's moments.
(stubs out cigarette)
Course, you get cancer and die, that's
the down side.
VINCENT
(with a sigh)
There is that.
Vincent stamps his cigarette out, looking vaguely unhappy
that Sam has spoiled his smoke.
SAM
So, Vincent: why bring me along for the
ride? Job like this calls for a warm
body, somebody who can stand around and
look threatening. A tough guy.
VINCENT
Like Larry or Swede.
SAM
Exactly. Why not bring them?
VINCENT
Let's just say I thought the
conversational possibilities were
limited. Of course, I might have brought
Gregor, but he didn't seem like the right
candidate -- for this.
SAM
Watch that one, he's an ex-spook for
sure, maybe Stasi, maybe KGB. He's
smart, Gregor is.
VINCENT
So is the woman.
SAM
Deirdre? Smart, yeah, and seriously
goddamned dangerous.
VINCENT
I wonder if she truly left the IRA.
SAM
I've wondered that myself. None of this
answers my question, though...
(suddenly direct)
Why bring me?
VINCENT
I wanted to see who you were.
SAM
Who am I?
Vincent, driving all the while, gives Sam a sideways glance
before speaking.
VINCENT
You were once some kind of special
forces. Airborne Ranger, maybe a Navy
SEAL. After that you rode shotgun for
the CIA in some place like El Salvador or
Afghanistan, a real mercenary.
(beat)
Only now -- now you're like the rest of
us, it's a very competitive market since
the end of the cold war. There's a lot
of hired guns out here, and not nearly
enough work to go around.
SAM
That's right: there's not hardly enough
work these days, nothing that pays the
big money, anyhow. Then along comes this
job, paying so much goddamned money I
couldn't afford not to take it. Somebody's
paying through the nose for this.
VINCENT
They certainly are. Whatever it is we're
going to steal, it must be quite
something.
SAM
Whatever it is it must be goddamned
priceless.
And on that thought we -
CUT TO:
EXT. A SIDE STREET - NIGHT
The Fiat pulls up to the curb and Vincent and Sam get out.
Vincent leads Sam around a corner and they come to -
AN EXQUISITE PARK, a small, perfectly manicured place -- a
kind of mini-Luxembourg Gardens in the middle of nowhere.
When Sam sees the park, he draws an involuntary breath.
VINCENT
Lovely, isn't it?
SAM
They'd have to keep something like this
under lock and key in New York, and it
would still get fucked up.
The two men enter the park, which is, indeed, open to the
public. Inside, sitting on a bench in the back, almost
invisible from the street, we see - FRANCOIS, a stubble-faced
tough with a stained shirt and bad teeth. Vincent and Sam
draw near. This next conversation between Francois and
Vincent is in FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES.
FRANCOIS
That's good right where you are, Vincent.
Vincent signals for Sam to stop. Both Vincent and Sam are
still several feet away from Francois.
VINCENT
Do you have it?
FRANCOIS
Not so fast.
(nods slightly to Sam)
Who's that?
VINCENT
He's company.
FRANCOIS
(as if he recognizes Sam)
Bad company...
VINCENT
What do you mean?
FRANCOIS
He's a cop, Vincent, he's French and he's
a cop and you better shoot him in the
fucking head right now!
Sam hasn't said a word -- he doesn't seem to understand
what's been said, but he has noted the urgency with which
Francois spoke. Now - We HOLD FOR A BEAT. Neither Vincent
nor Francois pulls out a piece to shoot Sam. Instead they
wait to see if Sam will respond in any way to what Francois
said. The conversation now switches to ENGLISH, which (it
turns out) Francois speaks fairly well.
SAM
(to Vincent)
What's going on?
VINCENT
I just wanted to see something.
SAM
(that edge creeping into his
voice)
See what?
Vincent isn't going to answer, but the overbearing Francois
chimes in.
FRANCOIS
He wanted to see how you reacted when I
said that you were a cop.
SAM
(he can't believe this)
You told him I was a cop?
FRANCOIS
He asked me to say it.
SAM
(looking at Vincent, truly
pissed)
He asked you to?
VINCENT
I needed to know.
SAM
You need to know a lot of shit, Vincent.
FRANCOIS
(to Vincent, in subtitled
French)
Are you ready?
Francois's French words give Sam pause -- he's wondering
what's being said, as - Vincent moves towards Francois,
leaving Sam several steps away. The conversation is again in
SUBTITLED FRENCH.
VINCENT
(taking out an envelope)
Here's yours.
FRANCOIS
There's been a slight problem.
VINCENT
(immediately tensing)
What's that?
Francois gives the slightest of nods, indicating that Vincent
should look towards a place perhaps thirty yards away -
A COPSE OF TREES, where we see a SNIPER pointed a telescopic
rifle at Vincent.
FRANCOIS
(still in subtitled French)
If you say a word in English, Vincent, my
friend with the high powered sporting
rifle will shoot you in the throat.
Sorry to screw you over like this, but
the information you want might get me
killed if I give it to you, and that's a
price I'm not willing to pay.
VINCENT
(in French)
I take it you still want the money...
FRANCOIS
(in English, with a grin)
Of course.
SAM'S POV: Looking at Vincent and Francois.
The men are talking, and from here we can't really hear them
speak. All Sam can see is an earnest Vincent listening to
Francois talk, almost as if Francois is giving Vincent
instructions. Now - Vincent reaches into his pocket,
reaching for the envelope of cash he's carrying. As he hands
the money to Francois, Vincent uses his free hand to pull out
his gun while - Sam already has his gun out -- somehow he
figured out what was going on -- and now Francois looks on in
stunned disbelief as -
Sam fires a single shot, hitting Francois in the shoulder,
driving him away from - Vincent, who now squeezes off several
rapid fire shots at the sniper, while - Francois, bleeding
but still very much alive, now has his piece free just as -
The Sniper, his gun firing wildly into the air, falls to the
ground, shot dead by Vincent, and now - Francois is drawing a
bead on Vincent when - Sam hits Francois with a fusillade of
bullets in the chest and now - A SINGLE SPENT BULLED CASING
flies through the air in SLOW MOTION and lands on the ground,
spinning around until it comes to a halt and - A HEAVY
SILENCE FALLS, as the last echo of the last gunshot finally
dies. Vincent and Sam look at one another, see that they're
still alive, and then look back at - The two men they've
shot. Francois isn't quite dead. Blood bubbles from his
lips as Vincent leans over him. Again, they speak in
SUBTITLED FRENCH
VINCENT
Where's my information?
FRANCOIS
(with a grim smile, pointing to
his head)
In here...
VINCENT
Then you better find it in your heart to
tell me, Francois, because while your
death is inevitable, it still isn't
decided how painful it's going to be.
A LONG ANGLE - Vincent whispers in Francois's ear, whose grin
blanches as he realizes Vincent means to hurt him. Francois
whispers something back and then - BANG. Vincent shoots
Francois in the head, killing him instantly. Then Vincent
bends down and retrieves the envelope of money which Francois
had tucked inside his shirt. As Vincent does this, Sam comes
up from behind.
SAM
Now would be a good time to get the fuck
out of here.
INT. THE FIAT - LATER/NIGHT
The two men drive in silence for a moment. Vincent lights a
cigarette and offers one to Sam, who refuses. Finally, Sam
speaks.
SAM
You know, what you pulled back there,
that was bullshit.
VINCENT
I needed to see if you were a cop.
(defensively)
I'm a popular man with the police, Sam,
and whenever they try to catch me they
always do it with an inside guy -- some
man on some job who seems more
trustworthy than all the others put
together. And that's the guy you have to
watch out for.
(beat)
I hate cops...
SAM
(insulted that Vincent would
even consider it)
Well I ain't a cop.
A BEAT, the two men driving in silence.
VINCENT
How did you know?
SAM
Know what?
VINCENT
That there was a gun pointed at me.
SAM
I saw you look off when Francois nodded
his head. I figured he wasn't pointing
out a particularly rare shrub, and the
rest was easy.
VINCENT
But how did you know I would have the
presence of mind to pull my weapon
when I did?
SAM
(as if it's obvious)
Because that's what I would have done...
CUT TO:
EXT. AN APARTMENT HOUSE - A LITTLE LATER/NIGHT
Vincent's Fiat is parked at the curb in front of this
apartment house. Vincent and Sam exit the car and move
towards the house -- a silence hanging between them. Right
before they go into the house, Vincent takes out the envelope
full of cash that was supposed to have been for Francois. He
thinks for a moment and then hands the whole envelope to Sam.
VINCENT
You saved my life back there in the park.
I know this doesn't begin to make it
right between us...
Vincent's voice trails off -- he doesn't know what to say.
Sam takes the money out of the envelope -- half he keeps for
himself, the other he gives to Vincent.
SAM
What I did back in the park I did because
we're working together -- we're on the
same team.
(holding up the money)
This is business -- this is work. We did
it together, we share the spoils, even
split.
Sam opens the door to the house, but Vincent has one last
thing to say to him.
VINCENT
I owe you a heavy debt.
Sam almost smiles cynically at this: debts of honor don't
seem to be something he believes in.
SAM
Whatever you say.
They enter the house and the door closes behind them. A
second later we hear -
DEIRDRE (V.O.)
What'd you do with the money?
INT. THE HOUSE - A LITTLE LATER
Vincent and Sam sit with Deirdre in a room, alone. They've
told her about the park, and she seems a little pissed about
all of this.
VINCENT
We kept it...
DEIRDRE
(a little annoyed)
Is that right?
SAM
Hazard pay...
DEIRDRE
(with an exhalation of disgust)
The two of you were supposed to go to a
simple meet and come back with a simple
piece of information, and instead you
went to fucking war...
SAM
We weren't real thrilled about it
either...
Deirdre shakes her head in disgust and rises. We FOLLOW HER
INTO -
AN ADJOINING ROOM -
Where Larry, Swede and Gregor are waiting. They look up
expectantly at Deirdre, who crosses through the room without
stopping -- she's really pissed about this turn of events.
LARRY
So what's the deal?
DEIRDRE
(barely stopping, very
snappish)
The deal? The deal is we leave for Nice
at first light.
And she exits, leaving these three men behind along with Sam
and Vincent, who have entered from the other room. larry
looks at the two of them.
LARRY
What'd you guys do?
EXT. OUTSIDE THE HOUSE - LATER THAT NIGHT
A CAR sits, cloaked in shadows. Inside sits our friend, the
WATCHER. Once again we see the Watcher's knife -- once again
he manicures his nails with it, almost delicately, as he
watches the House. It's dark -- a single light glows behind
a window on the third floor. Sam's room.
INT. SAM'S ROOM - SAME TIME
Sam has pushed all the furniture aside to make enough room to
do a martial arts form. Right now he's frozen, one leg
extended in a kick, balancing on the other leg. Now - A
KNOCK at his door -- seconds later, it opens. Deirdre stands
there, watching as Sam holds his position for a BEAT more,
and then retracts his leg.
DEIRDRE
I feel as if I've wandered onto the set
of Enter The Dragon. Could you teach me
to do that?
SAM
I didn't think to see you again tonight.
You were pretty pissed.
DEIRDRE
I still am.
SAM
Is that right?
DEIRDRE
That's right.
Deirdre spings at Sam, throwing martial arts combinations at
him: punch followed by kick, elbow strike followed by palm
thrust. Sam parries her blows as she drives him across the
floor until he's got his back to the wall. Their movements
are controlled, but powerful, and there's something almost
flirtatious about the whole thing. Now -
Deirdre throws one last punch which Sam ducks. He slips
behind her and suddenly they square off in earnest. The
previous martial arts stuff was a kind of choreographed
exercise, but now - They spar for real -- they never hit one
another, but they come awfully close, hands and feet whizzing
through the air, throwing rapid-fire combinations and
techniques. They're not angry, but they're not kidding,
either. Finally - Deirdre feints a punch that distracts
Sam's attention from - The KICK she throws right behind her
punch, and she smiles as - WHUMP! Sam wasn't distracted at
all -- he drops to the ground beneath her kick and catches
her standing leg with a sweep which takes her to the ground
and now - She's trapped beneath him. The two of them are
breathing hard from the exertion, their faces close to one
another, shining with sweat and excitement and - We've gone
from flirting to an almost primal seduction, and with their
faces only inches apart Deirdre leans in to kiss Sam, and
he's about to meet her half way when he pulls back.
SAM
Part of me says I should just look at
this as a perk. You know, a bonus. But
then I remember you're you -- Deirdre
who used to belong to the IRA -- and it
occurs to me that deceit and subterfuge
come very naturally to you.
DEIRDRE
(kissing him very lightly)
Nobody's saying they don't.
SAM
(returning the kiss, just as
lightly)
And when I consider that, I have to
wonder if you don't have some ulterior
motive for being here, with me, right
now.
DEIRDRE
I probably do.
(pulling him close)
But for the time being, I'm willing to
forget about it...
They finally kiss, slowly and then building in intensity, and
as they start to make love the
CAMERA MOVES UP - THROUGH THE BUILDING, floor by floor, until
we've reached -
EXT. A ROOFTOP GARDEN - MEANWHILE
Deirdre and Sam are not the only ones indulging in
extracurricular activities. Up here in this rooftop garden
we find Swede and Gregor talking in hushed tones.
GREGOR
I would imagine that the great
satisfaction in all of this will be
killing the American.
SWEDE
(we know this isn't true)
I hadn't thought about it. Understand
me, Gregor -- I take no pleasure in
killing. It doesn't bother me one bit,
but I don't get off on it.
GREGOR
A means to an end, is that it?
SWEDE
That's it.
GREGOR
(he rises to leave)
Then I guess we're set.
SWEDE
There is one other thing...
GREGOR
What's that?
Suddenly Swede pulls Gregor down to the rooftop with a harsh
THUD. Within seconds he has his gun pressed to Gregor's
head.
GREGOR
What are you doing?
SWEDE
Don't cross me...
GREGOR
Nobody's going to do that!
SWEDE
Really?
GREGOR
(truly frightened)
I need you, Swede, I can't do this
without you!
SWEDE
(beat, then he puts his gun
away)
I just wanted to make sure you knew who
you were dealing with.
GREGOR
I do, I do...
Swede is now on his feet, walking away, back into the
apartment house.
SWEDE
(this is almost to himself)
Just remember it, then.
And he's gone. And as soon as he is, we notice something
strange about Gregor: he's not the least bit scared -- he
laughs a little low laugh as we -
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. THE HOUSE - DAWN
GRAY LIGHT seeps in from the horizon, while inside in -
INT. SAM'S ROOM - SAME TIME
Deirdre is pulling her dress over her head. Sam seems to be
sleeping in his bed as she moves like a cat towards the door
when -
Sam's HAND reaches out, gently yet firmly, and takes her by
the arm.
SAM (O.S.)
No goodbye?
ANOTHER ANGLE - Sam is somehow sitting up, wide awake --
looking at Deirdre with a penetrating glance.
DEIRDRE
Look, Sam, don't take it the wrong way
when I tell you we won't be doing this
again.
SAM
You don't have to explain yourself to me,
Deirdre.
DEIRDRE
(almost surprised by this)
I know I don't have to, Sam, it's just
that, for once, I want to. when I was a -
(almost with a sneer)
Patriot, it was a given I'd sleep with
any man it was deemed necessary for me to
sleep with. You know: any man who needed
setting up. Sometimes so we might
blackmail him, sometimes so he could be
killed.
(a quick beat)
Sometimes so I could kill him myself.
IRA isn't exactly an enlightened feminist
organization, Sam. To most of the men I
with I was always the girl. "Send the girl
to do it." "Tell The girl to take care of
it." "Have the girl fuck him."
(a quick beat)
But I look at you and I get this feeling
you take me for what I am: no more, no
less.
SAM
You're a hired gun, Deirdre -- just like
me.
DEIRDRE
Exactly. And last night I wanted to be
with someone who was just like me.
Somewhere in all of this Deirdre has sat back down on the
bed, and somehow now she's only inches away from Sam.
They're lips brush and -
A MUTED PHONE RINGS in a nearby room, breaking the moment. A
QUICK BEAT, then -
DEIRDRE
I better be getting that.
SAM
Duty calls?
DEIRDRE
(with a trace of a sigh)
Just business.
Deirdre gives Sam a light kiss on the lips and then she opens
his door. The muted phone is a little louder now. Deirdre
closes Sam's door as she exits, but - Sam reaches out a hand
and catches the door right before it snaps shut. He watches
THROUGH THE DOOR CRACK as - Deirdre cross the hall and
opens the door to her room, and now the phone rings loudly
until the door shuts, muting the sound once again, shutting
Sam out. The phone stops ringing as Deirdre answers and as
this happens Sam shuts his door and as the door closes we go
to - BLACK. Just for a second. And then - BLINDING SUN hits
us in the eyes as we find ourselves above -
EXT. NICE - DAY
A DAZZLING OVERHEAD MOVING SHOT, establishing that we've
changed locales, moved to a place filled with sun and blue
water and reflective surfaces: the Cote d'Azure. We start to
MOVE DOWN TOWARDS -
EXT. A PRIVATE BEACH - NICE - MEANWHILE
A TOPLESS GRANDMA reclines on a beach chair, soaking up rays,
sipping a drinnk just delivered by a young stud of a WAITER.
Nearby -
AT A ROUND TABLE -
A nice distance from anyone who might try to listen in, we
find our group: Deirdre, Sam, Vincent, Gregor, Swede, and
Larry. Food and drink surround them. Larry is, of couse,
still eating.
DEIRDRE
Now then, let's run through it one more
time, shall we?
(to Gregor)
What's your job?
GREGOR
I use my cell phone to get computer
access to the telecommunications
satellite used by our target. I trace
his cell phone signature and use it to
pin point his location as he moves
through Nice, relaying that information
to you.
DEIRDRE
(to Larry)
Next.
LARRY
(a sigh, he's done this too
many times)
You call me with the target's route, I
follow along until we've reached the
attack point and then I run his squag ass
off the road.
DEIRDRE
(to Swede)
Which leads us to...
SWEDE
I ride with fat-boy...
LARRY
(under his breath)
Eat shit and die slowly...
SWEDE
After we stop the target car I get out
and use the heavy artillery to kill the
driver and his bodyguard.
LARRY
I blast the lead car into oblivion...
VINCENT
(picking up)
While Sam and I take out the back two
cars...
DEIRDRE
Leaving...
SWEDE
(picking it up)
...Leaving me to step in, drop the target
in the back seat, and get the package...
DEIRDRE
(with a quick look at Sam)
While...
SAM
(returning her look)
...While I back him up, making sure to
get the package if something goes wrong
and somebody takes Swede down.
Nobody else seems to notice this look between them, but we
should -- if only to note that there's something about the
way Deirdre queries Sam about his role, and something about
the way Sam answers her without overly reacting -- they're
not flirting, but there's a kind of acknowledgment of the
history they now have between them. But -- nobody else
notices, and Swede's line follows Sam's without breaking the
flow of the dialogue.
SWEDE
Nobody's taking me anywhere...
DEIRDRE
And then...
LARRY
Then Swede and I split with the package
and meet you back at the rendezvous.
DEIRDRE
And then...
VINCENT
And then Sam, you and I clean up
whatever's left to be cleaned.
DEIRDRE
Very good. Now all we have to do is live
long enough to get paid.
EXT. A POSH HOTEL - LATER - NIGHT
A ROW OF ROOMS, each one with a light behind a shade. Even
as we watch the light in each room goes off: one two three
four five six lights -- one for each member of the team. The
night before the big event nobody breaks curfew.
ACROSS THE STREET -
A BAR -
Through the bar window we see the Watcher's silhouette. A
match flares as the Watcher lights a cigarette, REVEALING his
face for the first time: weathered, sharp, treacherous. THE
MATCH goes out, and the Watcher's face FADES TO BLACK, and so
do we.
FADE IN ON:
EXT. THE HILLS OF NICE - MORNING
A PRIVATE ESTATE IN THE HILLS -
A CARAVAN OF BLACK ARMOR PLATED CARS, all idling, ready to
pull out, filled with muscular men in suits with bluges under
their jackets, all of them waiting for - THE TARGET. Except
we've seem him before and he wasn't called the Target: he was
the Killer from the first scene of the film: the gunman in
the cathedral who made off with - THE BRIEFCASE. Which the
briefcase is still handcuffed to his side. Now the Target
gets into his car, a BLACK MERCEDES, and as soon as he's in
the caravan pulls out and - The Target takes out his cell
phone, punches in a number and starts to talk, and as he does
we - PULL BACK, INTO THE AIR, leaving the Caravan behind as
we MOVE TOWARDS THE WATER and -
THE PROMENADE DES ANGLAIS, the long roadway that runs the
length of the town adjacent to the beach. It's a special
place, a huge road for cars, along with a promenade for
tourists. Here we come upon -
AN OUTDOOR CAFE -
Where we find Deirdre, a laptop in front of her, wearing a
HEADSET. And, lest we think she looks out of place, we get
a look at -
THE REST OF THE CAFE -
Where many of the other PATRONS are typing away on laptops,
or chattering like crazy on their cell phone. She types a
sentence on her keyboard, and as she types she says it out
loud.
DEIRDRE
Alright, Gregor, I'm...
CUT TO:
INT. A CRAMPED COMPTUER CONTROL ROOM - SAME TIME
GREGOR
(finishing her sentence)
Ready when you are...
Gregor is sitting behind a console, looking at Deirdre's
message, which we can read on his laptop. Gregor also has a
much bigger COMPUTER with him as well, and on this screen we
see - A COMPUTER GRAPHIC MAP OF NICE. This is a map of
incredible detail, a high-tech graphic rendering of Nice.
Now - THE MAP starts to shift, randomly moving about the city
as it searches for the proper signal. The computer isolates
an entire district of the city, enlarges a part of the
district, and then locates and enlarges a single street. Now
- On screen a FLASHING CURSOR appears on the map, the TARGET.
The Cursor starts to move down one of the streets of Nice and
as we follow the Curson it TURNS INTO - THE TARGET CAR,
driving home the point that Gregor is now locked onto the
Target. THE JAPANESE DRUMS we heard in the opening sequence
start to play again -- softly, ominously, and we're on -
EXT. A SIDE STREET
Where VINCENT'S FIAT is parked at a curb, Sam and Vincent
sitting inside.
INT. THE FIAT
Vincent sits behind the wheel, while Sam sits next to him,
loading a small arsenal of weapons.
The DRUMS grow, a little louder now, a little more urgent.
EXT. ANOTHER STREET
A VOLVO idles, waiting for something, Larry behind the wheel
of this car, and sitting next to him Swede. The DRUMS
continue to play, and their volume is still low, but they're
jarring, setting our nerves on edge.
INT. THE VOLVO
LARRY
Where is this broad?
SWEDE
You should learn a little patience.
LARRY
Is that right?
SWEDE
It's consider a virtue in some corners
of the world.
LARRY
Not in mine.
THE CAR PHONE rings, and Swede pushes a button. Deirdre's
Voice is heard on the speaker phone.
DEIRDRE (V.O.)
Hello gentlemen, are we ready?
EXT. THE CAFE
Deirdre looks at her laptop and relays Gregor's instructions.
She speaks over her headset as if she's conducting ordinary
business -- as if she's giving someone traffic directs
over the phone. The JAPANESE DRUMS continue, quiet and yet
intense.
DEIRDRE
You want to take a left, then, so that
you're going west.
During this next sequence, the DRUMS will continue to play,
building with the action as we do -
THE CHASE MONTAGE: A SERIES OF CUTS AS -
The Volvo takes a flying left turn -
Gregor watches the Target on his computer as it moves towards
the Promenade des Anglais, typing the results on his
keyboard as - The Volvo careens down a steep hill, hits a
bump, and flies through the air a good fifteen feet, even as -
The Fiat follows close behind and hits the same bump, does
the same flight through the air and lands with a thud -
THE CARAVAN of cars -
THE TARGET CAR -
THE TARGET, still talking away on his cell phone - THE
COMPUTER MAP tracking the Target's movements, as the Map
shifts and moves as it keeps pace with the target, and now -
The Promenade des Anglais is right ahead and the DRUMS build
to a crescendo as -
The Volvo SMASHES into the Target Car and they grind
together, as -
CARS 3 & 4 in the Caravan are cut off by Vincent's Fiat,
which forces them to slam to a halt, as -
Larry runs the Target Car to a halt and the JAPANESE DRUMS
stop.
Larry and Swede hop out of the Volvo, and Swede brandishes a
MONSTER of a MACHINE GUN, with which he opens fire, a blast
of huge guage shells spitting a trail of fire, smashing
against THE WINDSHIELD of the Target Car, which is bullet-
proof. The windshield doesn't break right away -- but the
heavy blast of firepower causes the windsield to buckle.
Sam and Vincent are now out of the Fiat, guns drawn, blazing
away at BODYGUARDS, and Christ, there's an army of them,
pouring out of Cars 3 & 4. These guys are armed and returning
fire as -
Larry gets out of the driver's seat of the Volvo, and he's
got some kind of sumbitch weapons himself, a ROCKET LAUNCHER,
which he points and fires - And now we TRACK THE MISSLE as
it scorches the air, traveling towards -
The LEAD CAR of the caravan which has only now realized
what's going on behind it, and as frantic Bodyguards drive
back towards the carnage - The Missle IMPACTS, blowing the
Car sideways.
Meanwhile - Sam and Vincent are taking out the Other
Bodyguards, and these guys are warriors -- they moves as a
team, each man with a gun in both hands, using a weapon until
it's out of bullets and then discarding it in favor of a new
one.
And even as this is going on - Deirdre has joined the fray,
firing both of her pistols, taking Sam's place at Vincent's
side so that Sam can run towards -
The Target Car, where the Target is seated in the backseat,
pulling out his own piece, ready to fight to the death
himself as -
Swede continues blasting away at the windshield with his
monster gun, and now - The Windshield has started to crack
and splinter, and abruptly, it shatters, instantly bursting a
bright red as Swede's bullets tear up the body of the Driver.
Now Sam has reaches the Target Car, just as the Target, who
is armed and, as we know, not exactly helpless, steps out of
the car and sights in on Swede and - ZING! Sam fires,
winging the Target, knocking the gun out of his hand and
still the Target won't give up without a struggle, he hits
Swede with the Briefcase.
THE TARGET
Fuck you!
SWEDE
Not today.
BANG. Swede puts one shot between the Target's eyes, ending
his life. Now - Swede takes out a DAI-SHO, the smaller of the
two traditional Japanese Samurai swords. With one slashing
blow he hacks off the Target's HAND AT THE WRIST and grabs
the briefcase. The SEVERED HAND is still caught in the
handcuffs, so that it is carried along for the ride. Now -
DISTANT SIRENS sound from OFF SCREEN as Swede moves back
towards Larry and the Volvo, and as he goes he raises the
briefcase (with its severed hand) in a kind of mock salute to
Sam, who starts to move back towards Deirdre and Vincent, who
have taken care of the remaining Bodyguards, and now the
SIRENS are growing closer as we - START TO MOVE IN SLOW
MOTION as Swede approaches the Volvo and - Deirdre and Vincent
are already at Vincent's Fiat, waiting for Sam, and so they
don't notice that - A VAN has been parked nearby this entire
time, and now the van's side door slides open, and unseen by
any of the others - Gregor steps out of the Van, a gun at his
side, and a predatory look on his face as - Swede reaches Larry
and the Volvo just as - Sam has reaches the Fiat, and now he looks
back and sees - Gregor, crossing the street, and now - Sam
screams a warning to Larry, but it's way too late because -
Swede shoots Larry in the neck, hitting him above the
protective covering of his bullet proof vest. Now we're
MOVING IN REAL TIME as - Larry manages to get his backup
piece drawn, a snub-nosed .38, and he fires all six shots
into - Swede, hitting him in the stomach -- it's the same way
Larry shot the target in the warehouse. Swede is sent flying
backwards, where he crashes to the pavement. For a second we
think he's dead, but then he gets up, in pain but alive, just
as Sam predicted. Swede claws at his shirt to reveal that he
too wears a bullet proof vest. By now - Larry has rolled out
of the Volvo, crawling away but too weak to go far, and now -
Swede has Larry in his sights, he's going to kill him.
SWEDE
I don't particularly like killing, tubby,
but I want you to know that this one I'm
going to enjoy.
LARRY
(sees something over Swede's
shoulder)
I don't think so.
Swede turns to follow Larry's gaze, and as he does - Gregor
walks INTO FRAME and puts his gun right beneath Swede's chin.
Before Swede can even compute this, Gregor pulls the trigger,
firing straight up into Swede's brain. Then, without even
looking at Larry, who is lying helpless on the ground -
Gregor takes the briefcase and gets into the Volvo, driving
off just as - Sam arrives, kneeling down by Larry. The SIRENS
get louder.
LARRY
(in shock)
He just...I don't believe that son-of-
a...
Vincent's Fiat comes peeling to a halt in front of them,
Vincent and Deirdre inside it as Sam manages to get Larry
into the back seat. Sam doesn't get in the car yet as Larry
says -
LARRY
(still having trouble believing
it)
We've been crossed...
The SIRENS reach a crescendo as a group of GENDARMES arrive,
charging with automatic weapons drawn. Between the French
cops and our heroes lies the shot up wreck of the Target Car,
and now - Sam takes out a GRENADE, pulls the pin, and rolls
it across the ground, beneath the Mercedes, which the cops
have just reached. Seconds later - The Car EXPLODES, cutting
off the cops, and as this happens, Vincents puts the pedal to
the floor and gets the fuck out of Dodge. We start to SLOWLY
PULL BACK on the remains of this battle: the dead bodies, the
shot up cars, the broken glass, and that flaming, smoking
hulk of a Mercedes in the middle of the street.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. THE OLD CITY/NICE - SUNSET
The FIREBALL of the car turns into a BLOOD RED SUN as it sets
in the Western sky, tinting the stone buildings of the Old
City a coppery red.
We're MOVING THROUGH the Old City, through the twists and
turns of what an American would call back alleys but that
pass for streets in this place. It is quiet almost deserted,
then - A TESTOSTERONE CRAZED PLAYBOY whips his sports car
through one of these streets, engine whining, as we - MOVE
DOWN yet another side street, and this sucker really is a
back alley, you couldn't get a car down here if you tried.
Finally, we come to - A RAT TRAP OF AN OLD BUILDING, and we
PUSH TIGHT on this building as we hear -
LARRY (V.O.)
What is this?
INT. A BACK APARTMENT - SAME TIME
A SYRINGE is plunged into Larry's arm. Sam is tending to
Larry's wound. Sam seems to know what he's doing, as Larry
is also hooked up to a bottle of plasma hanging on a make-
shift stand.
SAM
(answering Larry's question)
It's a cocktail. Mostly demerol, cut
with a little crank because we might need
you awake in the real near future.
LARRY
Fine with fucking me, we got work to do.
I don't care what it takes, we are
getting our property back and putting it
into the hands of the people who are
gonna pay us a great deal of money when
we do. I don't know about the rest of you
guys, but I'm not the kind of guy
to just sit back and take it in the ass.
(a quick beat)
I don't mean that in, like, a literal
way...
DEIRDRE
Of course.
VINCENT
Finding this package is a thing easier
said than done. We don't even know what
it is.
(he looks at Deirdre, and
suddenly he's deadly earnest)
What did we steal?
DEIRDRE
(suddenly defensive)
I don't know.
VINCENT
When this whole thing started you made it
clear: you're running the show. And I
don't believe you'd be running this show
if you didn't know what was going on.
DEIRDRE
Well I don't!
VINCENT
And I don't believe you...
Vincent's gun is out in the blink of an eye, at Deirdre's
head, but she's as fast as he is and her gun is drawn as
well, jammed into his stomach.
DEIRDRE
(suddenly feral)
You go shoot me if you want, Vincent, but
you'll be dead before I hit the ground.
VINCENT
(matching her intensity)
I don't want you dead, woman, I want the
the truth!
SAM (O.S.)
(with a dead cool in his voice)
Both of you...
ANOTHER ANGLE - Sam has the two of them covered with his gun -
an interesting moment, because he can shoot either Deirdre or
Vincent, but not both at the same time. The question is:
whose side is he on?
SAM
(continuing without missing a
beat)
...put your guns down and chill out.
A BEAT. And then Vincent and Deirdre lower their weapons,
followed by Sam.
SAM
Like it or now, we're on the same side:
we're here and the package isn't.
(looks at Deirdre)
You're not the boss any more, you're our
partner. So tell us what you know, so we
can figure a way out of this mess.
Sam's look isn't romantic, but it implies a level of trust
based upon their physical intimacy.
SAM
Now, what did we steal?
DEIRDRE
(she hates to admit this)
I don't know...
(defensively, off Vincent's
look)
Well I don't! It's a goddamned mystery
to me just like it is to you.
(quick beat, then reluctantly
continuing)
But I do know who we're working for. My
people, and the Russian mob.
LARRY
Your people? Who the fuck is your
people?
VINCENT
Who do you think, Larry? The IRA.
DEIRDRE
And you believed me?
(passionately)
But it wasn't my people who did it.
LARRY
How do we know that?
SAM
Because if they had she'd be gone along
with the package, instead of sitting here
with us.
DEIRDRE
Exactly. Gregor, he was the Russian's
man. It was my people came up with the
idea for this run, but the Russians who
had the capital to finance it. Gregor,
he was their insurance, and I was ours.
Everybody else was supposed to be
neutral. Gregor must've got to Swede...
LARRY
I never did trust that blonde fuck...
DEIRDRE
That's why you were riding with him.
VINCENT
The question still remains: what do we do
now?
SAM
(he figures something out)
Gregor's cell phone...
LARRY
(to himself)
What are you gonna do, call him up and
ask him to give us back our shit?
SAM
(ignoring Larry, to Deirdre)
Did he bring that with him?
DEIRDRE
I bought it for him -- all the stuff he
was using, it was in his contract. Cost
a nice penny, too, especially that
goddamned phone: Gregor had expensive
tastes.
SAM
Check this out.
(he's thinking on his feet)
Gregor's a spook, or he was one until
recently. When he was a spy he lived the
life -- you know, a prince in some
Eastern Bloc country where nobody had
shit and Gregor had everything. Then the
wall goes down. No more Cold War. And
Gregor is out of a job. No apartment, no
special stores with Western food and
video tapes. I would bet dollars against
shit that Gregor liked that phone and he
doesn't want to give it up. And I
wouldn't be surprised if he's arrogant
enough to think...
DEIRDRE
(finishing his sentence)
That we're too stupid to trace his calls.
Deirdre and Sam share the slightest of conspiratorial smiles
as they realize they're both thinking the same thought: they
might still win this one.
EXT. AIX EN PROVENCE - TWILIGHT
We're on perhaps the MOST BEAUTIFUL STREET in all of France:
the Cours Mirabeau in the town of Aix.
Outdoor cafes line the sides of the street, while a canopy of
interlocking trees covers everything. Now we're - MOVING,
DOWN THE STREET, towards a CAFE, where a DAPPER GENT sits,
sipping a mineral water. The Gent has a SATCHEL at his feet.
Now - A JEEP pulls up to a nearby corner and idles in
neutral. The Dapper Gent throws some bills on the table and
gets up, crossing to - The Jeep. A door opens, and the
Dapper Gent, carrying his satchel, gets into the jeep, which
drives off as we -
CUT TO:
INT. JEEP - SAME TIME
Gregor and the Dapper Gent drive in silence for minute, down
the length of the Cours Mirabeau.
GREGOR
(breaking the silence)
It's a beautiful street, no?
The Dapper Gent also has an accent, a much thicker one than
Gregor's; it's an accent that places the Gent as a resident
of what used to be called the Soviet Union.
DAPPER GENT
(he can't wait any longer)
Do you have it?
GREGOR
Always in a rush, you are. All these
years I've known you, you could never
wait for anything.
DAPPER GENT
This is important.
GREGOR
Do you really think so?
DAPPER GENT
You know it is.
Gregor, still driving, takes out a SILENCED PISTOL, and the
Dapper Gent reaches for his own piece.
GREGOR
Relax!
The Dapper Gent loweres his hand, leaving his gun in his coat.
Gregor pulls the van to a curb.
GREGOR
Look over there.
GREGOR & THE GENT'S POV: THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD - A GROUP OF
CHILDREN are playing.
GREGOR (O.S.)
Do you see that one? The girl in the
light blue dress?
We find one particular LITTLE GIRL, around eight, holding the
end of a jump rope, wearing a light blue dress. She's
breathtakingly beautiful, and now - Gregor raises his
silenced pistol, as if to shoot her.
DAPPER GENT
What are you doing, have you lost your
mind?!?
Gregor pulls the trigger, as he does so the Dapper Gent jogs
his arm, and we hear the soft thwpfft of the silenced shot
just as the shot goes off - Missing its mark, harmlessly
shooting into a tree, causing a SINGLE LEAF to float to the
ground behind the playing children. Nobody notices a thing.
BEAT. The Dapper Gent is visibly shaken, because there is no
doubt that Gregor would have killed the Girl if the Gent
hadn't ruined his aim.
DAPPER GENT
Why did you do that?
GREGOR
To make a point. I don't know her, and I
was ready to splatter her brains all over
the sidewalk.
(giving the Gent a look)
I don't particularly like you, so imagine
what I'll do if you try anything...
Gregor leaves his gun dangling in the air a moment longer than
necessary and then starts the jeep as we -
CUT TO:
EXT. A COUNTRY ROAD OUTSIDE OF AIX - NIGHT
A FULL MOON casts a silver light over a field of wild grass.
A soft wind blows, and the grass moves gently from side to
side. Now - Gregor's JEEP glides down this road as we MOVE
THROUGH TO -
INT. THE JEEP - SAME TIME
DAPPER GENT
(squirming)
Enough! We've been driving for an hour,
where is my package?
Gregor smiles -- he's been waiting for this. He pulls the
jeep over and looks at the Dapper Gent.
GREGOR
It's under your seat.
DAPPER GENT
(incredulous)
What?
GREGOR
As my American friend Larry would say:
are you fucking deaf? It's under your
seat.
The Dapper Gent looks down, and sure enough, the edge of the
Briefcase sticks out beneath the seat.
DAPPER GENT
I can't believe you'd do that, Gregor. I
thought I trained you better than that.
With a laugh the Dapper Gent hands his satchel to Gregor,
whose eyes literally dance with the prospect of his reward.
He can't help himself, he opens the satchel and there it is -
COLD HARD CASH in large bills, enough for Gregor to live like
a prince for quite some time. Gregor sucks in an involuntary
breath and then looks back up to see - The Dapper Gent hasn't
reached for the Briefcase. Instead he's taken out his gun,
and it's only inches from Gregor's head.
DAPPER GENT
I've never particularly liked you either,
Gregor.
The Dapper Gent yanks out the Briefcase, and as he does -
THE SEVERED HAND comes whipping out along with it, still
attached by the handcuff chain. The Hand flies up in the
Dapper Gent's face, and we notice that the Hand is starting
to rot -- it's bloated and swelling and horrific and it
scares the shit out of the Dapper Gent, who drops his gun and
fumbles with the Briefcase as - THWPFFT...we hear the sound
of another silenced shot as we -
SMASH CUT TO:
EXT. OUTSIDE THE JEEP - SAME TIME
A DARK STAIN splashes against the passenger side window of
the jeep. Seconds later - The door swings open, and the
Dapper Gent's body plunks out onto the ground. A moment
later, something wet and viscous plops down on the face of
the Gent as the jeep drives off. Now - We HOLD FOR A BEAT on
the Dapper Gent's dead body, which lies in the silver
moonlight, blood running out from beneath him, while the
Severed Hand palms the Gent's face, fingers splayed out
around his head. Now - We HEAR the sound of PHONE TONES.
And not just any phone...
INT. THE JEEP - SAME TIME
Gregor finishes punching a number into his CELL PHONE. We
hear a single ring on the other end of the phone before it is
picked up.
PHONE VOICE (V.O.)
(in Russian, English subtitles)
Is it done?
GREGOR
(in English)
It's done.
BEAT. The Phone Voice doesn't respond for a moment -- whoever
this is they didn't expect to hear from Gregor. The Voice
switches to English.
PHONE VOICE (V.O.)
Gregor, is that you?
GREGOR
(with a low chuckle)
Much to your disappointment, no doubt.
PHONE VOICE (V.O.)
It was a mistake, it shouldn't have
happened.
GREGOR
(suddenly cold, furious)
I'm in the middle of saving you people a
great deal of money -- the least you
could do is have the decency to pay me!
BEAT.
PHONE VOICE (V.O.)
So what do we do?
GREGOR
What I do is none of your concern. What
you should do is wait for my next phone
call. I'm going to find a place where I
can tilt the field in my favor. When I'm
ready, I'll call you and tell you what I
want you to do.
The Phone Voice says something unintelligible in Russian, cut
off by Gregor as he angrily snaps off his cell phone and we -
CUT TO:
INT. THE CHEAP APARTMENT - DAWN
Larry snores on the couch, while Deirdre sleeps in a sleeping
bag on the floor. Vincent sits in a ratty easy chair, feet
propped on an overturned crate, dozing lightly. Suddenly -
Vincent's eyes open, warily, as if something has changed in
the room. He looks around - No Sam. Vincent gets up, takes
out his gun, and silently gets to his feet. He moves down a
long hall and - No Sam. Now, like a cat, Vincent moves into -
THE BATHROOM: pitch black. He moves in, swipes the string of
the overhead light and - nothing. Nobody's here. The only
place left is the front door, and now Vincent approaches. He
opens the door, gun still at ready, and moves out into -
INT. THE LANDING OUTSIDE - SAME TIME
This is a small building. There is no other apartment on
the floor. At the far end of the landing, there is a small
ladder which leads up to -
THE ROOF. And the door which leads to the roof is flapping
in a light wind.
EXT. THE ROOF - SAME TIME
Vincent bursts onto the roof, gun straight out, finger on the
trigger, only to find - Sam is there, his gun pointed at
Vincent. A BEAT, then both men give little laughs and put
their weapons away, like Samurai so trained in combat that
they know when it's safe to relax.
SAM
What's going on?
VINCENT
You weren't around when I woke up, I
thought maybe something had happened.
(off Sam's look)
This has been one very fucked up job,
Sam, and I'm not taking any more chances
on anybody...
(a quick beat)
Including you...
In answer Sam takes out Vincent's pack of cigarettes and
tosses them back to him. Vincent looks almost delighted at
this.
SAM
I came up here to sneak a smoke.
VINCENT
You were smoking?
SAM
I hope you don't mind I took your pack.
It was on the table.
VINCENT
(very sincere, offering the
pack)
Please, help yourself. Smoke as many
you'd like.
Sam considers for a minute, and then takes one. Vincent does
so as well, and he searches for his lighter, which he can't
seem to find, because - Sam has it, and he lights their
cigarettes, and then hands the lighter back to Vincent.
SAM
(a shrug of the shoulders)
I borrowed that, too...
VINCENT
(puffing contentedly)
Of course...whenever you feel like it
just help yourself.
SAM
I have a feeling I'm about to start
buying my own.
BEAT. The two men smoke in silence, looking out at -
THE CURVED SHORELINE OF NICE -
Which glitters with thousands of lights from the apartment
buildings, and a thousand more from the cars that travel on
the road that leads into town: the Promenade des Anglais.
VINCENT (O.S.)
That was a bad bit of business, today.
BACK ON Sam and Vincent.
SAM
It was at that.
VINCENT
A lot of people died.
SAM
I've seen a lot of people die before.
VINCENT
I haven't. Not like that. How do you
get used to it?
SAM
You don't. You just learn to live with
it.
VINCENT
I won't lie -- there have been times when
I had to do it, times when the only way
to get out alive was to see that the
other man didn't.
SAM
We live in a singular world, my friend.
VINCENT
I never really thought I was part of the
world you move in, Sam, to tell you the
truth.
(off his look)
I'm a hood, a thief. Big time in a small
time king of way. To the local police
I'm a prize, to the local hoods I'm a
legend. But to a guy like you I'm just
another two bit hired gun.
SAM
You might be a hired gun, Vincent, but I
got a feeling you cost more than two
bits.
This conversation might have gone further, but it is
interrupted when Deirdre pokes her head up onto the roof.
DEIRDRE
Christ, I was starting to think that the
two of you had thrown it in and walked
away.
(to Vincent)
There's someone on the phone downstairs
asking for you, and my somewhat limited
French leads me to believe that he might
have something to tell us about Gregor.
EXT. THE HIGHWAY - LATER - NIGHT
A car we haven't seen before, a CITROEN, hums up the French
highway in the night, along on the road. It's a postcard
moment, but only for a moment.
LARRY (V.O.)
I'm telling you...
INT. THE CITROEN - SAME TIME
LARRY
(continuing)
That I could be dead and I'd drive better
than you.
Deirdre is driving, and Larry -- much to his chagrin -- is in
the passenger seat, watching her every move.
DEIRDRE
(very curt)
Oh shut up...
IN THE BACK SEAT -
Sam and Vincent have a MAP spread out. Vincent is tracing
Gregor's route so far, and we follow his RED MAGIC MARKER as
it traces a line up the highway.
VINCENT
He's going north.
(circles something on map)
That's Aix en Provence, where he used the
phone.
Sam runs his finger along the length of the highway on the
map. Destination: Paris.
SAM
(making up his mind)
He's going back.
VINCENT
Not necessarily. He could go off road at
any number of places. He might not even
be in the country anymore.
SAM
It's Paris. The route's too indirect for
anything else. A guy like Gregor, he
doesn't waste time on this road unless he
has to be on it in the first place.
Otherwise, he'd be out of the country by
now. He's going to Paris.
(beat)
Now I just hope we can find him before he
gets there.
DEIRDRE
If somebody else doesn't find him first.
EXT. THE TOWN OF ORANGE - DAY
Orange, pronounced "Au-Ronge", is a mid-sized town of fifty
thousand souls. It is small, charming, quaint, and it has
one particular thing that no other town in France can claim -
AN ANCIENT ROMAN THEATER that has been painstakingly
restored. We see this Roman Theater from the outside, as we
MOVE THROUGH the streets of the town, to the TOWN SQUARE.
It's packed -- every seat in every outdoor cafe is filled
with a tourist having breakfast. This normally quiet place
explodes one month out of the year, when an internationally
famous music festival is held in the Roman Theater. We come
upon -
A TABLE OF AMERICAN TOURISTS: a Family. Dad is angry at Mom.
DAD
Opera? This is an opera festival?
MOM
I told you that, Henry.
DAD
I thought you meant Phantom of the Opera.
You know, Andrew Lloyd Weber, Cats, that
kind of thing.
Mom and Dad continue their discussion, but we've left them
behind, MOVING THROUGH the seats and cafes until we get to a
cafe on the outskirts of the Town Square. Here, in the most
removed table in the entire Square, we find Gregor sitting in
the shadow of the trellis. Unless you're on top of him you
can't see him, but he can see everything perfectly. His cell
phone sits on the table in front of him -- he picks it up and
starts to punch in a number.
CUT TO:
EXT. A REST STOP ON THE HIGHWAY - MEANWHILE
THE CITROEN is parked among a number of other cars. Sam is
sleeping in the back seat, while Vincent is seen on an
outdoor pay phone at the other end of the parking lot.
Deirdre and Larry sit at a nearby picnic table, eating French
fast food, which we get a good look at as we - PAN THE LENGTH
OF THE TABLE, which is covered with pasta, grilled sausages
with dijon mustard, really good fried potatoes.
In fact, everything that's on this table is so far beyond the
imagination of your average American truck driver that Larry
can't contain himself. He's stuffing himself, washing
everything down with the wine which is also sold at these
road-side rest stops. Deirdre drinks coffee.
LARRY
(mouth full)
This...this is incredible. Is the rest
of Europe like this?
DEIRDRE
(with a laugh)
Some places, not all. Italy, for
instance, they're serious about their
food. But try bloody Britain, anywhere
in the U.K., you don't get much fancier
than a deep-fried bar egg. Food's not
our thing, you see.
LARRY
What is?
DEIRDRE
(everybody knows this)
Best beer in the world known to man or
God.
LARRY
(with a snort)
Best beer in the world? Budweiser for
me, thanks.
DEIRDRE
(with unconcealed scorn)
Budweiser? You talk to me of beer and
you've the unbridled gall to mention
Budweiser in the same sentence? That's
not beer! Christ, it's not even a poor
excuse for rabbit piss.
LARRY
Oh yeah? Whatta you drink, then?
DEIRDRE
I drink what every civilized man, woman
and child in the world drinks: Guinness.
VINCENT (O.S.)
I hate to interrupt a conversation of
such cultural depth...
CUT AWAY TO REVEAL: Vincent -
Who has finished his phone call and returned to join them.
VINCENT
...but we've got to get back on the road.
Vincent raps lightly on the car window next to Sam's head --
Sam's eyes shoot open: a light sleeper. All eyes are on
Vincent, who waits for a BEAT before he reveals his news.
VINCENT
We've got him.
LARRY
I'm driving.
EXT. THE TOWN SQUARE - A LITTLE LATER - DAY
Gregor is seated where we saw him last -- at the little table
in the corner cafe. He's been here for hours, observing the
Town Square, and now, he finally sees what he's been looking
for - TWO MEN, definitely not tourists here for the music,
have entered the Square -- everything about these guys
screams GUNMEN. Now, as Gregor watches - A PUNKED-OUT TEEN
comes up to the men and hands them a small envelope. The
Gunmen look around the Square, trying to see where Gregor is,
but he's too far back in the shadows. The Gunmen ask the
Teen a question, to which the Teen can only shrug his
shoulders. Now - The Teen walks away, leaving the Gunmen to
open the envelope and look at its contents, which are quickly
read. From OFF SCREEN we hear the sound of Gregor punching
in a number on his cell phone. Simultaneously, the Gunmen
finish reading the instructions Gregor has sent them, and
turn around to face - A PAY PHONE. The phone rings, and one
of the Gunmen goes to pick it up.
EXT. ANOTHER STREET - MEANWHILE
The Citroen pulls into town and slows to a crawl, cruising
the streets, looking for Gregor.
INT. THE CITROEN - SAME TIME
Vincent stares out of the window and sees something that
causes him to swear under his breath in French. It's -
The Gunmen walking down the street.
VINCENT
I know those men.
Sam frowns: he also seems to recognize at least one of the
gunmen. None of the others in the car notice Sam's reaction,
but we do. The Gunmen are heading straight for -
EXT. THE ANCIENT ROMAN THEATER - MEANWHILE
THE MID-AFTERNOON SUN shines down on the open air Roman
Theater. The theater itself is almost two thousand year
old. A semi-circle of seats surrounds a huge Stage Wall, a
massive structure which is one of the best preserved of its
kind in the world. THE GUNMEN enter at the bottom of the
theater, holding ticket stubs. They are with a Tour Group
led by an ANCIENT GEEZER who speaks in rapid-fire French. As
the tour moves off to see the Stage Wall, the Gunmen hang
back and then separate from the crowd.
EXT. OUTSIDE THE THEATER - SAME TIME
THE CITROEN sits at a curb. Larry sits behind the wheel of
the car, the getaway driver with the motor running. Vincent
and Deirdre are already walking towards the Theater. Sam
stays behind for a second to say something to Larry.
SAM
Whatever you hear, whatever happens, when
your partners come back out, you make
sure you're here with the motor running.
And on that note Sam follows after Vincent and Deirdre.
Larry doesn't notice it, but - THE WATCHER has found them.
He's a block or so away, wearing a two-day stubble of beard
and hugging the shadows of back alley. Cradled in one hand,
barely visible but ominously present: his knife, which for
one moment catches a glint of sun that hits our eyes as we -
CUT TO:
EXT. INSIDE THE ROMAN THEATER - MEANWHILE
The Gunmen have reached a point about midway up the coliseum-
like staircase. Behind them we can see the Tour Group,
standing on the stage, being lectured to by the Ancient
Geezer. In front of them the Gunmen find -
AN EXIT which leads to an interior hall. Inside the exit
it's dark, while a bright sun falls down on the Gunmen. They
look into the dark, unable to see a thing, while a voice
come at them from out of the dark.
GREGOR (V.O.)
Thank you, gentleman, that will do
nicely.
IN THE HALL -
ON GREGOR. It's dark in here. There are no lights, no
torches. From the dark in here, he can look out and see -
THE GUNMEN, who make plain targets, backlit as they are by
the sun. Now we CUT BACK AND FORTH between these two ANGLES,
and it becomes clear that Gregor has chosen wisely -- he can
see his quarry, but they can't see him.
GREGOR
Edvard, is that you?
EDVARD, the more dangerous looking of the two Gunmen
responds.
EDVARD
Yes, Gregor, they sent me.
GREGOR
I'm touched, really, that they'd send
someone of your caliber. It's nice to
know that they didn't make the mistake of
underestimating me twice.
EDVARD
That was a mistake, trying to kill you.
Mikhi did it without consulting me, I'd
have never allowed it.
GREGOR
I'm sure. But I'm sorry to say that it's
too late for trust: we have a serious
problem.
EDVARD
We'll double your price.
GREGOR
(now that's interesting)
Really? Do you have the money with you?
EDVARD
Do you have the material?
GREGOR
You first, Edvard.
EDVARD
Perhaps we could both go at the same
time...
GREGOR
(a short laugh)
I think not.
(with a flourish)
After you...
A GUN COMES INTO FRAME, trigger cocked, the barrel placed to
Gregor's temple.
SAM (O.S.)
After you, asshole.
Gregor stiffens, as we PULL BACK ON Sam, who has snuck up on
Gregor and gotten the drop on him.
SAM
You might have been one mean technical
spook, Gregor, but you wouldn't have
lasted a week in the field.
CUT TO THE GUNMEN'S POV: Looking into the Tunnel - It's dark,
they can't see a thing, but they've heard Sam's voice and
they know something's wrong.
EDVARD
Gregor, are you alright?
DEIRDRE (O.S.)
Gregor's fine...
CUT AWAY TO REVEAL: Deirdre -
She's snuck up on the Gunmen, weapon drawn.
DEIDRE
(continuing)
...but I think you're in a bit of
trouble.
The Gunmen reach for their pieces and as they do -
VINCENT (O.S.)
Don't even think it.
CUT AWAY TO REVEAL: Vincent - And his piece is also out --
the Gunmen are trapped, and they know it. Now we notice that
- The Ancient Geezer and his Tour Group are coming towards
us. Meanwhile, back in -
THE TUNNEL -
Sam is grilling Gregor furiously, his gun still to Gregor's
head.
SAM
Don't talk to me unless you tell me what
I want to hear, understand?!? You have
no choice in this, don't think about
winning, think about staying alive. I
want the item, and if you don't give it
to me, I'm gonna kill you.
GREGOR
(a panicky hiss)
I don't have it with me...
SAM
Bullshit!
GREGOR
I swear...
SAM
Then where is it?
GREGOR
I sent it to myself in Paris.
SAM
Sent it where?
GREGOR
A post office box.
Suddenly Gregor runs forward, towards the exit. Sam runs
after him, tackling him just as they reach - THE OUTSIDE,
where the two men roll into plain sight of - The Gunmen, who
are still covered by Vincent and Deirdre. Now we notice -
That the Ancient Geezer and his Tour Group are really close,
no more than ten yards away, as - Sam has Gregor pinned face
first on the ancient stone of the theater. He looks up at
the others, and that's when it happens - Edvard looks at Sam
and recognizes him.
EDVARD
(stunned, announcing to the
group)
Do you know who he is? He's with
Interpol, the Internation Police. He's
a cop.
A SLOW MOTION BEAT.
Vincent and Deirdre don't know what to make of this, their
heads turn to look at Sam, and in this instant - The Tour
Group walks into their midst and - The 2nd Gunman reaches for
his piece and - Sam FIRES his gun at the 2nd Gunman, and with
the sharp report of the pistol we move back to REAL TIME, as -
The Crowd panics, screaming, and now Edvard is reaching for
his weapon, as - Sam shoots again, killing the 2nd Gunman,
and now - The Crowd is still screaming and running as -
Gregor shoves through the crowd into the exit, as -
Deirdre pushes through the crowd, and now she's made it into
the tunnel. Now we go -
OUTSIDE THE THEATER -
Where Larry has heard the shot -- his piece is drawn, but
he's been ordered to stay in the car. In frustration he
slams on the steering wheel, as we see that - Behind Larry,
the Watcher is slowly closing in, knife poised to strike as
we go back -
INTO THE THEATER -
Edvard tries to get to the exit, but there are too many
Tourists in his way, and he proceeds to shoot several of
them, including the Dad we saw earlier. Seconds later,
Edvard has vanished into the tunnels, and now - Vincent and
Sam meet in the middle of the crowd. There is time for a
QUICK BEAT, while Vincent glares at Sam.
VINCENT
You're a cop...you're a fucking cop...I
should kill you.
SAM
But you can't.
And now Sam runs into the tunnel, after the others, leaving
Vincent for a fraction of a second to sigh, and then follow
Sam into -
THE TUNNELS -
It's like being in the tunnels and ramps of a sporting arena.
Except that everything here is made of stone and the only
light comes from the sun which streams in through the exit
openings which are spaced far enough apart that they provide
just barely enough light for us to see. Now we do a SERIES
OF QUICK CUTS - Sam running, followed by - Vincent, while -
Edvard takes a wrong turn down a dark hall and comes to a
dead end. He turns around, looking for a way out as - Gregor
sees the final exit ahead of him as we go -
OUT IN THE STREET - Larry is still behind the wheel of the
Citroen, anxiously looking at the exit, not realizing that -
The Watches is almost on him, and now we're back -
IN THE TUNNELS -
Deirdre comes running around a corner, and now she's almost
reached the exit as -
OUT IN THE STREET -
Gregor hits the street running. He doesn't notice the
Citroen parked ahead, because he's never seen it before, but
as he runs by -
The car door swings open and Gregor runs straight into it.
He smashes into the door and falls to the ground, injured.
Strong Hands reach out of the car and pull him in. It's the
Watcher, and let's give him a name now because he needs one:
SEAMUS REILLY. Seated in the front seat is - A very dead
Larry. Seamus has cut his throat from ear to ear.
SEAMUS
(to Gregor, with an Irish
accent)
If you want to live you'll do exactly as
I tell you.
THROUGH THE BACK WINDOW - Deirdre appears, exiting the
theater and running towards the Citroen as we go back to -
INT. THE TUNNELS - SAME TIME
Vincent, gun drawn, moves warily down one of the tunnels.
Outside we can hear the dim sound of an approaching siren.
Vincent turns a corner and - A GUN jams itself into his face.
It's Edvard.
EDVARD
Where do I know you from?
VINCENT
Vienna.
EDVARD
Of course...I remember. I quite liked
you, I'm sorry to have to do this.
Edvard's finger tightens around the trigger, when -
SAM (O.S.)
Hey...
Edvard is startled by the sound of Sam's voice. Even as he
squeezes off the shot, Edvard turns to look at Sam, and as he
does so, Vincent strikes out at the gun, sending the shot
awry, causing it to - RICOCHET wildly, whining around the
room, until it - Rips through Sam's side, a nasty wound but
not fatal, as - Edvard tries to fire another shot but it's
too late, because - Vincent fires a single shot to the head
that kills Edvard.
EXT. OUTSIDE THE THEATER - MEANWHILE
Deirdre has reached the Citroen. She looks in and sees
Seamus and Gregor. Lastly she looks at the dead Larry. She
sighs in disgust, but otherwise doesn't react as if
surprised.
DEIRDRE
Cold cocking the poor son-of-a-bitch
would have sufficed, Seamus, don't you
think?
SCANT SECOND LATER -
Larry's body hits the street as the Citroen drives off,
Deirdre behind the wheel just as - Sam and Vincent run out of
the theater, with Vincent helping a wounded Sam who bleeds
from the wound in his side. They arrive at the street only
to see - Larry, lying dead in the street, even as the Citroen
speeds away from them, turning the corner before they can
even think to raise their guns.
VINCENT
That double-crossing bitch.
Sam isn't even capable of saying that much -- he just stares
after the departed Citroen with a look on his face unlike any
we've seen in the film: "how the hell did that happen?" But
there's no time to ponder this because they've been joined by
- A COP. He's a local guy, he directs traffic and busts
drunks in the town square -- and he's scared shitless,
holding his gun in both hands, trying not to tremble, as he
stares back at - TWO GUNS, Sam's and Vincent's, and they're
both pointed at the Cop. LONG BEAT. In the way off distance,
another siren can just be heard. Sam and Vincent glare at
the Cop, who strains with all his might to control himself,
but he can't because Sam and Vincent are death waiting to be
served. The cop knows he has three seconds to make up his
mind. Two. One. The Cop puts his gun on the ground and
steps back, raising his hands in the air. Now - Sam and
Vincent stumble into the street, and are instantly almost hit
by - A CAR speeding around the corner, its Driver oblivious
to what's going on. The car screeches to a halt, and the
Driver curses loudly in French. And then the next thing the
Driver knows - A Gun is in his face. The door is yanked open
and the Driver is yanked out, as we -
CUT TO:
EXT. A BACK ROAD - LATER/EARLY EVENING
The town of Orange is just visible below us as the
commandeered Car drives up into the hills. Vincent is behind
the wheel, while the wounded Sam sits in the passenger seat.
Gritting his teeth, Sam peels back his shirt to get a look at
- THE WOUND, and it's small but bad -- the ricochet ripped a
small raw hole in Sam's side. The wound bleeds, but
moderately so -- no major organs or arteries have been hit.
VINCENT
That makes twice now you've saved my
life.
SAM
I didn't save your life back there.
Risked it, maybe -- but I didn't save
shit.
VINCENT
You see it your way, I'll see it mine.
You need a doctor.
SAM
(hopeful)
You know one around here? Somebody you
trust?
VINCENT
No...I thought I'd take you to the
hospital.
SAM
(sharply)
No hospitals. I'll fix this myself if I
have to.
VINCENT
(he can't believe this)
Fix it yourself?
(a thought comes to him)
Why are we even doing this? There's no
need to run, Christ...
(he can't disguise his disgust)
You're a cop.
SAM
Not exactly.
VINCENT
You're with Interpol -- you're a cop.
SAM
If I was a cop, a real cop, I'd have
busted you a long time ago. This isn't
about you, it's about the job I have to
do.
VINCENT
And what job is that?
SAM
My job, Vincent, a job you don't need to
know about. I can't go to the local cops
-- they'd never be able to get close
enough at this point. It's me or nobody,
and I've been on this job too goddamned
long not to finish.
BEAT. Sam takes out his own pack of cigarettes, offers one
to Vincent and takes another for himself. They smoke for a
second, before Vincent speaks.
VINCENT
It looks to me like we're all that's left
of our group.
SAM
We? There is no we in my world now,
Vincent, just me.
VINCENT
I'm going with you.
SAM
This doesn't involve you, don't you
understand? I can't even guarantee you
any money out of all this.
VINCENT
It isn't about money for me, not
anymore.
SAM
You don't have to do this.
VINCENT
(with great finality)
Yes I do.
Sam gives Vincent a look and shakes his head in disbelief --
Vincent's loyalty and sense of honor is something he's never
seen before, and Sam can only smoke in silence and consider
this as we -
CUT TO:
INT. A CHEAP BACK ROOM - NIGHT
A PEEPHOLE slides open, and we look through it into -
INT. AN ADJOINING ROOM
where Gregor sits, bound and gagged in a chair, his eyes wide
with fright. Now - The Peephole snicks shut, and Deirdre
turns to face Seamus Reilly.
DEIRDRE
When we're done with this, I want to do
for that one myself.
SEAMUS
Now there's the Deirdre I know.
DEIRDRE
And what's that supposed to mean, Seamus
Reilly?
SEAMUS
It means I was worried that all the time
you spent away from the fold might have
affected you. You've been living the
life of the hired gun -- the well paid
hired gun, I might note. There's no
glory to it, but there are those that
like it.
DEIRDRE
So you thought that maybe I'd grown too
attached to this charade I've been
playing, is that it?
SEAMUS
It's been known to happen.
DEIRDRE
Not to me, you know that.
SEAMUS
(goading her)
I thought I did.
Seamus's taunt works: Deirdre whips out her gun and puts it
to his head.
DEIRDRE
I guess you don't know me, then, if you
think I won't kill you for an insult like
that!
Seamus glares at Deirdre for a moment, and she glares back at
him until he starts to laugh.
SEAMUS
Just testing, lass. Forgive me, but I
had to do it.
Deirdre glares a moment more and then puts away her gun.
DEIRDRE
Remember what we agreed on, Seamus: when
we get home, I don't play "the girl"
again.
Deirdre gives Seamus a look to make sure this last point is
clear and we -
CUT TO:
EXT. A FARMHOUSE - THE COUNTRY - NIGHT
The Stolen Car parks behind a BARN, and Sam and Vincent get
out. Waiting for them is a friend of Vincent's - JEAN-
PIERRE, a Frenchman in his forties, hearty, burly, friendly.
VINCENT
Hello, Jean-Pierre.
JEAN-PIERRE
Hello, my friend.
(with a look at Sam)
He doesn't look French to me, Vincent.
SAM
American.
JEAN-PIERRE
Well, Vincent's American friend, shall we
see what we can do for you?
INT. THE FARMHOUSE KITCHEN - LATER/NIGHT
SURGICAL IMPLEMENTS - Are laid out on a clean cloth.
Scalpel, forceps, a clamp, a sponge, medical thread and
needles. We PULL BACK TO REVEAL: Sam, stretched out on the
kitchen table. Around him we see - Vincent and Jean-Pierre,
who are wearing rubber gloves and examining Sam's wound.
Jean-Pierre holds a mirror up so that Sam can see what's
going on. Sam, with his medical training, is treating
himself.
VINCENT
(to Sam)
It's right there, beneath the surface. I
can just make it out.
Sam is in terrible pain, but necessity dictates that he focus
on what's going on so that he can talk Vincent through this
next procedure.
JEAN-PIERRE
Are you sure you won't have a drink?
SAM
(sharply)
No booze...Pain's in the mind, and the
mind I can control.
(quick beat)
Alright, let's do it.
During this next sequence, we CUT BACK AND FORTH between
Sam's reactions to the surgery, and the mirror itself where
he's watching.
SAM
Douse the wound with alcohol.
Vincent pours a healthy splash of rubbing alcohol onto the
wound and - Sam grits his teeth as the pain explodes up his
central nervous system.
SAM
(to Jean-Pierre)
Take that sponge and wipe away as much of
the blood as you can, keep it clean so I
can see.
Jean-Pierre does as Sam says, wiping away the blood that
keeps filling the wound. Throughout the procedure Jean-
Pierre will do this; every time the sponge is saturated he
squeezes the excess blood into - A BUCKET which sits on the
floor, slowly filling up with drippings from the sponge.
SAM
(to Vincent)
Take the clamp...
Vincent picks up the clamp.
SAM
Peel back the skin and attach the clamp.
Vincent attaches the clamp to Sam's wound. It takes perhaps
fifteen seconds, and everyone of those seconds is agonizing
for Sam. He sweats, he grits his teeth, he grunts the
smallest of grunts. But he doesn't move. Finally Vincent is
done.
VINCENT
Alright, it's done.
SAM
You see the bullet?
VINCENT
Clearly.
SAM
Good. Now take the forceps, and
remember, Vincent, what we're doing here
is routine. I've done stuff like this at
least twenty times in the field. There
are no vital organs where you're working,
no major muscles or arteries -- you can't
kill me. Just make sure you've got the
bullet before you try to pull it out.
Vincent probes the wound with the forceps. This takes
probably thirty seconds, and it hurts even more then when the
clamp was attached.
Several times - Vincent seems to have the bullet in his
grasp, but it slips, and each time it slips - Sam makes the
smallest of noises, as if to indicate the level of the pain.
Finally - The forceps firmly grasp the bullet, and with a
single tug, Vincent extracts it.
VINCENT
(holding the bullet aloft)
A souvenir...
He tosses the bullet through the air, and we FOLLOW IT IN
SLOW MOTION as it lands in - A SAUCER, which sits on the
kitchen counter. We're back in REAL TIME, as the bullet
rolls around the plate for a second before coming to a halt.
Now - Sam breathes the hugest of sighs, and his face relaxes.
Instantly, Vincent puts a lighted cigarette in Sam's mouth,
and he drags deeply on it.
SAM
(to Vincent)
You think you can stitch me up on you
own?
JEAN-PIERRE
Don't worry, we'll take care of it.
SAM
Then if you don't mind...
(he hands the cigarette back to
Vincent)
I'm gonna pass out.
And that's exactly what he does.
A TIME CUT TO:
INT. FARMHOUSE LIVING ROOM - LATER THAT NIGHT
Vincent and Jean-Pierre sit on easy chairs. An open bottle
of wine sits between them, a FIRE burns in the fireplace, and
they smoke in a contented silence for a moment. When they
speak, it is in FRENCH, with ENGLISH SUBTITLES.
JEAN-PIERRE
He's tough, your American friend.
VINCENT
Yes, Sam's tough alright.
JEAN-PIERRE
And you respect him.
VINCENT
Of course. Don't you?
JEAN-PIERRE
I've never seen a man who could have
taken what he just went through.
(beat)
He's a cop?
VINCENT
(beat, trying to find a way to
say it)
Not exactly.
JEAN-PIERRE
Not exactly? But close enough, eh?
(beat)
So he saved your life, then?
VINCENT
How did you know?
JEAN-PIERRE
If he hadn't you'd have put a bullet in
his head a long time ago.
Both men stare back into the fireplace and we HOLD FOR A BEAT
before we -
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. THE FARM - KITCHEN - DAWN
Sam is awake. Pale from the loss of blood, he moves softly
around the kitchen, searching professionally for something,
giving the moment a slightly dangerous feel because he seems
so intent on what he's doing and then he finds it - THE
COFFEE.
TEN MINUTES LATER -
A stream of Hot Coffee migles with a stream of Steamed Milk.
EXT. THE FARMHOUSE PORCH - SUNRISE
A STEAMING CUT OF COFFEE sits in Sam's hands as he lights a
cigarette to go with the coffee. He sits on an ancient
chair, smoking in silence, looking out at - THE WOODS around
the house, and this place is postcard-beautiful, the French
Farmhouse you see only in pictures. But Sam's mind is
elsewhere, he's staring into space, lost in thought.
JEAN-PIERRE (O.S.)
You're feeling better?
ANOTHER ANGLE - Jean-Pierre stands in the open front door of
the farmhouse, with a cup of coffee. Now, Jean-Pierre moves
out to join Sam, sitting down on another chair opposite him.
SAM
(responding to the question)
Some, thanks. Enough to move on, for
now.
JEAN-PIERRE
(pointing at Sam's wounded
side)
You should really let a doctor look at
that.
SAM
Soon.
JEAN-PIERRE
But first you have something to take care
of?
SAM
Yeah.
JEAN-PIERRE
Something important? A thing that cannot
wait?
SAM
It gets done now or not at all. Another
couple of days and the parties concerned are
gone where I can't get them.
JEAN-PIERRE
Forgive my intrusion into your affairs,
but I am the one who connected Vincent to
this job, his agent, if you will. He is
one of my oldest friends and I owe him a
great debt, much like the debt I suspect
he owes you.
A QUICK CUT TO:
INSIDE THE FARMHOUSE
Where Vincent has just poured himself a cup of coffee and lit
a very satisfying cigarette when he hears the voices from
outside.
SAM (O.S.)
Vincent doesn't owe me a thing.
Vincent looks up when he hears his name and he moves towards
the sound of the voices.
JEAN-PIERRE (O.S.)
He sees this differently, as you well
know.
SAM (O.S.)
I didn't expect that he would.
BACK ON THE PORCH -
JEAN-PIERRE
You suffered through an agonizing pain
last night, pain you could have avoided
by declaring yourself an agent of the
law.
SAM
Vincent told you that I'm a cop?
JEAN-PIERRE
Not a word. But no ordinary criminal
would have the extensive military and
medical expertise you do. And so I place
the pieces of the puzzle together in a
way that makes sense to me. You work for
some government agency and you carry a
gun, and in my world, that makes you a
cop.
And now Jean-Pierre produces a LONG BARRELED REVOLVER which
he places loosely in his lap -- a gesture which seems to say,
"you'd better explain things to my satifaction or we're
gonna have a problem." Sam notices the weapon, but he
doesn't react overtly.
SAM
So this is what, a test?
JEAN-PIERRE
Call it a reckoning of character.
BEAT. Sam looks at the Revolver again.
SAM
If I was healthy, I could take that away
from you.
JEAN-PIERRE
Perhaps. But you are not healthy, and if
you try I'll kill you.
QUICK CUT TO: Vincent - Who stands inside the house, out of
sight, but not out of ear shot. He's listening to
everything, and we notice that Vincent has taken out his
own gun.
BACK ON Jean-Pierre and Sam. By now Jean-Pierre has raised
the pistol. He doesn't point it at Sam, but his finger cocks
the hammer.
SAM
So what is it you want to know?
JEAN-PIERRE
I suppose I want to know how a man like
you is created.
SAM
Created?
JEAN-PIERRE
Perhaps forged is a better word. Like
steel. Like a sword. You're a modern
Samurai. I've spent my life around
extraordinary men -- men like Vincent.
But I've never seen anyone like you.
(beat)
I'm afraid Vincent will die if he goes
with you.
SAM
Vincent's life is his own burden; he'll
have to carry it for himself. And I'm
not any kind of Samurai.
JEAN-PIERRE
You seem one to me.
SAM
A Samurai has honor, a Samurai live by
the code of Bushido, the way of the
warrior. I'm just a killer for hire.
(beat)
The world isn't about honor, anymore.
It's about survival.
LONG BEAT. Something in Sam's speech touches Jean-Pierre.
He relaxes his finger on the hammer.
JEAN-PIERRE
Survival. I suppose that's as good a
cause as any.
BACK ON Vincent - Who relaxes his grip on his gun. BACK ON
Sam and Jean-Pierre - And we're PULLING BACK, AWAY from the
Farmhouse, which glows in the morning sun as we -
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. A PARIS STREET - DAY
A BLACK COMPACT CAR sits in front of a Parisian Post Office.
Inside the car, behind the wheel, we see Deirdre. Now,
coming out of the Post Office, we see - Gregor and Seamus
Reilly. Seamus has a coat slung over his arm, hiding the gun
which he keeps pressed to Gregor's side. There's no sign of
the Briefcase as Seamus and Gregor get into -
INT. THE CAR - SAM TIME
THUNK! The door slams shut. Gregor and Seamus are in the
back seat. Almost instantly Seamus angrily snaps a pair of
handcuffs on Gregor. Immediately, Deirdre pulls out.
DEIRDRE
Where's the case?
GREGOR
(nervous)
There's a problem...
SEAMUS
(jumping all over him)
Problem my ass! I think you're lying to
me, and if you are you're a dead man!
DEIRDRE
Would somebody tell me what fucking well
happened in there?
SEAMUS
(disgusted)
Nothing.
GREGOR
(eager to explain)
The package didn't come. I'm sure it
will tomorrow.
Suddenly Seamus seems to lose it. He grabs Gregor and slams
a gun against his head.
SEAMUS
(he's almost foaming at the
mouth)
If you're lying to me you poor excuse for
a human being, I'm gonna blow your brains
all over this car.
GREGOR
(beyond desperate)
I swear, it has to come here! It has
to...
BEAT. For one tension-filled moment, we think Seamus is
going to splash Gregor's brains all over the place. But then
he smiles, puts his weapon away, and pats Gregor gently on
the face.
SEAMUS
Ease up, man...I'm just checking to make
sure you're on the level.
Gregor is beyond speech -- he can only whimper.
SEAMUS
And it seems to me I saw a sign in there
that says they got a late afternoon
delivery. Why don't we come back later
today and do this all over again, huh?
Seamus smiles a smile that is more than a little bit
sadistic. Neither Gregor nor Deirdre smiles in return as we -
CUT TO:
EXT. ANOTHER STREET - PARIS - DAY
THE EIFFEL TOWER fills our eyes. And then we PULL BACK TO
REVEAL that it's a tacky, flyblown poster on a dingy street.
And now we're -
MOVING DOWN the Street, until we come to a store whose sign
advertises in English - HONG KONG MOVIES. The windows of the
store are filled with posters. We MOVE THROUGH TO
INT. THE STORE - SAME TIME
TONY SIMON, an expatriate black American, runs this place and
lives above it. His shelves are lined with action films made
in the Far East. Tony knows everything there is to know
about the films he sells -- but he also knows quite a bit
about what's going on in the Parisian Underworld. he's a
professional information broker. Right now he's talking to a
CUSTOMER in perfect French, with English Subtitles.
TONY
Hey, man, they're both great movies. One
is more of a character study, the other
is more of a straight action thing, but
they're great movies, and he's an amazing
fucking filmmaker.
Tony looks up and sees something that catches his attention.
TONY
Excuse me...
Vincent and Sam have entered the store. Sam's ability to be
back on his feet in such a short time is amazing -- but we
can see that he's not the same guy he was at the start of the
film. what he does from here on in he does by sheer force of
will. Now - Tony moves to join them, and the conversation
immediately turns to English.
TONY
(to Vincent)
My man, how you doing?
VINCENT
I'm alright. And you?
TONY
Doing well.
(with a look at Sam)
This is?
VINCENT
A friend. I was telling him about how
you always have the latest tapes.
TONY
Why don't we step into my office...
Tony's office, it turns out, is the area behind the COUNTER.
Tony raises a section of the counter that allows him to get
to the other side, and then he closes it behind him.
TONY
So what can I do for you?
Vincent checks out the store before he starts speaking. The
place is empty except for - The single Customer Tony was just
talking to. The Customer is still considering the two films
Tony was showing him.
VINCENT
I was wondering if you had any movies
that were particularly new.
TONY
Matter of face there's this flick I've
been hearing about. I haven't seen it,
but from what I hear it's pretty cool.
SAM
What's the story?
TONY
It's an international thing. Several
different peoples involved, criminals
from all over the world, experts brought
together to do a job. But maybe the most
interesting thing about it is that
preeminent in the plot we find the
Russian Mob and the IRA in bed together.
An unlikely group of partners.
VINCENT
Do you have the tape?
TONY
I might know where you could get a copy.
The Customer approaches the counter. He has both tapes with
him.
TONY
(to Vincent and Sam)
Let me do some business with my boy here,
and I'll meet you across the street in
five. I gotta make homes here feel like
he's getting a good deal while I give him
the pleasure of overpaying me for a
couple of second generation pirates.
EXT. THE STREET OUTSIDE - A FEW MINUTES LATER
The Customer exits, smiling and carrying his tapes -- what a
great fucking deal he just got! A few seconds later, Tony
comes out and locks up the store front. He crosses the
street towards -
INT. A FALAFEL JOINT - A FEW MINUTES AFTER THAT
A HUGE FALAFEL drips lettuce and tahini sauce from its end.
We PULL BACK ON - Tony, who's just taken a bite out of the
falafel. He sits at a table in the back with Vincent and
Sam.
TONY
(his mouth full)
What I've heard so far, it's all a lot of
talk. I wasn't so sure what to make of
it at first, cause, like I said, the
Irish and the Russians are an unlikely
mix.
VINCENT
You said you might know where we can get
a copy of this tape?
TONY
All depends on whether you want the
Russian or the Gaelic language version.
SAM
(instantly)
Gaelic.
TONY
You sure?
SAM
I'm sure.
VINCENT
(to Tony)
Can you get it?
TONY
The Russian would be easier.
SAM
Why's that?
TONY
Cause the Russian production company
would be easier to find.
SAM
It's the Irish tape we want.
TONY
(with a sigh)
Gonna be tough.
Tony scribbles something on a piece of paper.
TONY
Last I heard there was a film rep for the
Irish players staying at this address,
name of Seamus Reilly.
SAM
(repeating it, he knows this
name)
Seamus Reilly.
VINCENT
(to Sam)
You know him?
SAM
I know of him.
TONY
Seamus Reilly, boy's a serious Irish
Auteur -- a real firebrand. Thinks his
more moderate filmmaking brethren have
turned to making movies for peace-loving
pussies, if you see what I'm saying.
VINCENT
I get the picture.
Sam reaches for the piece of paper, but Vincent puts his hand
on top of it.
VINCENT
Tony and I have to talk some business,
first.
TONY
I gotta try and overcharge him, he has to
moan about the price, we settle somewhere
in the middle.
VINCENT
It's a matter of respect.
(to Sam)
Why don't you wait outside, this won't
take long.
Sam smiles slightly and rises from the table, moving towards
the exit. Behind him in rapid-fire French, Tony and Vincent
are now discussing the price of the information. They are
both loud and abusive, and obviously they're enjoying
themselves immensely.
EXT. THE FALAFEL SHOP - A LITTLE LATER - DAY
Vincent exits the shop and gets into -
INT. THE PEUGEOT
Where Sam sits in the passenger seat as Vincent slides behind
the wheel. Vincent tosses Sam a piece of paper.
SAM
The Irish representative?
VINCENT
Yes.
Vincent gives Sam another piece of paper.
SAM
What's this?
VINCENT
The address of the Russian production
company. Just in case we need to find
them.
SAM
Thorough man.
Vincent starts the car and we -
CUT TO:
EXT. A PARIS STREET - LATER - AFTERNOON
The Peugeot sits, parked at a cub, a discreet distance from -
AN APARTMENT HOUSE: 35 Rue de Glacon. We PUSH IN on the -
INT. THE PEUGEOT - LATE AFTERNOON
A PIECE OF PAPER scarwled with the same address: 35 de
Glacon. We PULL BACK TO REVEAL -
Sam, holding this paper and looking out at the apartment
complex.
SAM
You sure your friend got the right place?
VINCENT
If Tony says this is it, then it's it.
BEAT. Vincent wants to know something important.
VINCENT
Tell me, Sam: why do you do this?
SAM
Do what?
VINCENT
Continue when it would be so much easier
to give it up.
SAM
It's my job.
VINCENT
Then quit.
(beat)
You don't work for Interpol, Sam.
SAM
Sure I do. You heard him, you heard the
guy -- that's what he said, what Edvard
said.
VINCENT
It's a cover, then. A cover within a
cover, a feint within a feint.
(quick beat)
You work for the CIA, it's the only
possible answer.
LONG BEAT. Sam considers what to say, and then decides he
owes Vincent the truth.
SAM
I'm a field agent -- last of an already
extinct breed. I do dark ops.
VINCENT
Dark ops?
SAM
Dark operations. Wet work. Kidnaping.
Assassination.
VINCENT
Very ugly.
SAM
It is at that.
VINCENT
Not very zen of you, huh? Not so much
the modern Samurai after all.
SAM
I never made that claim.
VINCENT
I know. Jean-Pierre did.
SAM
You were behind the door?
VINCENT
I was waiting to see what would happen.
I didn't want to kill him if I didn't
have to.
SAM
You would have done that?
VINCENT
I would have tried not to. But yes, if
it would have kept him from shooting you,
I would have.
SAM
(almost to himself)
How could you have done that?
VINCENT
Because I owe you.
(he sees something)
Look at that...
THEIR POV: Through the Windsheild - Deirdre exits the
apartment building.
SAM (O.S.)
(quietly exultant)
All things come to those who wait.
Now Deirdre is followed by Seamus and Gregor.
VINCENT (O.S.)
(really surprised by this)
He's not dead.
BACK ON Sam and Vincent.
SAM
(figuring it out)
They don't have the package.
VINCENT
You think?
SAM
You said it yourself: Gregor's not dead.
If they had the package, they'd have
killed him.
Vincent and Sam exchange a look -- now they both figure it
out.
VINCENT & SAM
(simultaneously)
They're going to get it.
CUT TO:
INT. THE POST OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON
A HAND signs a receipt, and we PULL BACK TO REVEAL Gregor at
a counter, signing for his package, which slides across the
counter. It's the Briefcase, although it's been wrapped in
BROWN PAPER for its journey through the French Postal System.
Now we see that - Seamus is still right beside Gregor; is, in
face, almost on top of him, with a hand in his coat pocket
which lets us know where his gun is. Now - The two men start
to move towards the exit as we -
CUT TO:
EXT. THE STREET OUTSIDE - A MINUTE LATER/LATE AFTERNOON
The Black Compact Car idles at a nearby curb, with Deirdre
behind the wheel. She's staring so intently at the front of
the post office, that she's surprised when a SHADOW falls
across her. She looks up to see - Sam, standing next to the
car. Deirdre starts to reach for her weapon, but Sam cuts
her off with a word.
SAM
Don't do it...
Something in his voice conveys enough of a threat that she
backs off. Now she and Sam exchange a long look.
DEIRDRE
Well, if it isn't Mr. Interpol himself.
(she really sounds betrayed)
I can't believe I misjudged you like I
did.
SAM
Oh please..you're on some sort of holy
mission?
DEIRDRE
I'm a patriate.
SAM
Don't even think that I'm buying that.
DEIRDRE
Where do you get off saying word one?
All the time pretending to be one of us,
it's the same thing we were doing, Seamus
and myself. And here you are so high and
mighty, like you're so different from the
rest of us.
SAM
I didn't say I was.
DEIRDRE
(she sees something)
Bloody fucking hell...
CUT AWAY TO: Gregor and Seamus are leaving the post office.
By now, Seamus has taken the package away from Gregor.
Unseen by these two men - Vincent is approaching from the
side, on an intercept course, his hand inside a bag which he
carries with him. Now - Deirdre turns and shoots Sam a look.
He's still watching her keenly, and we can see that she's
aching to reach for her piece, but she can't because Sam is
still on her like a hawk.
SAM
Don't even think it.
He pulls back the folds of his suit jacket, revealing his
gun, putting his hand comfortably on the pistol grip.
SAM
I'd kill you before you had it halfway
out.
Vincent is closing on Gregor and Seamus, another ten seconds
and he'll have them.
Now - Deirdre looks back at Sam, then back at the situation
developing in front of her, and then suddenly - She slams the
car into gear and drives off, tires squealing while - Sam
pulls his piece, sighting down the barrel and - He can't do
it, can't shoot Deirdre. Now - The sound of the car alerts
Seamus, who turns in time to see - Vincent, who is raising
the bag wrapped around his hand as - The car flies directly
at - Vincent, who if forced to jump out of the way even as he
pulls the trigger of the gun hidden within the bag. The end
of the bag explodes in a burst of fire, but the shots are off
the mark - Missing Seamus and Gregor as - Vincent rolls out
of the way, just in time, while - Deirdre brakes the car to a
screaming halt, as Seamus pushes Gregor in ahead of him and
then gets in. Seconds later, the car pulls out, even as -
Sam drives up in the Peugeot to Vincent, who picks himself up
off the ground and leaps into the car. The last thing we
hear is the sound of Sam's Voice as the Peugeot drives off.
SAM (V.O.)
Put your seatbelt on.
CUT TO:
INT./EXT. - CAR CHASE MONTAGE
During this SEQUENCE, we'll JUMP CUT BETWEEN the two cars and
the streets they travel through. Now - The Black Compact Car
flies down a small street, followed closely by - The Peugeot,
where Sam is driving as Vincent tries to steady his gun to
get a clear shot at the other Car.
INSIDE THE PEUGEOT -
VINCENT
What the fuck happened?
SAM
I don't know...
VINCENT
You don't know? Bullshit, you had her,
there was no way out.
IN THE COMPACT CAR -
Where Deirdre is driving for dear life, while Seamus is
freaking out.
SEAMUS
What in bloody hell is going on?
DEIRDRE
They're part of the team. One of them's
the guy I told you about.
SEAMUS
From Interpol?
DEIRDRE
That's him.
IN THE PEUGEOT -
VINCENT
Why didn't you kill her?
IN THE COMPACT -
SEAMUS
Why didn't you kill him?
OUT IN THE STREET -
The two cars SLAM through the traffic, heading for a HIGHWAY
RAMP which appears now perhaps two blocks away.
IN THE PEUGEOT -
VINCENT
(figuring it out)
You slept with her!
IN THE COMPACT -
SEAMUS
How is it these fellahs managed to get
the drop on us?
DEIRDRE
I told you: they're good...
OUT IN THE STREET -
THE TWO CARS have reached the highway ramp, and as first one,
and then the other pulls onto the highway, we PULL BACK AND
UP TO REVEAL:
THE PERIFERIQUE -
The massive and confusing highway system which encircles the
city of Paris. Right away we notice that this entrance ramp
leads to a traffic circle, filled with various off ramps
which lead to no less than four different sections of the
Periferique.
IN THE PEUGEOT -
VINCENT
(slamming the dashboard in
disgust)
You slept with her!
IN THE COMPACT -
SEAMUS
(lecturing Deridre)
You should have kill him when you had
the chance. But no...
IN THE PEUGEOT -
VINCENT
You put everything on the line because
you...
IN THE COMPACT
SEAMUS
(as if finishing Vincent's
sentence)
You slept with the fucker!!
ON THE PERIFERIQUE -
THE PEUGEOT cruising on an upper part of the traffic circle,
while down below them - THE COMPACT turns towards one of the
roadways.
VINCENT (O.S.)
Fuck...
IN THE PEUGEOT -
VINCENT
Left left left!!!
Sam looks up and sees - Three possible ramps: one to the
right, one to the center, and one to the - Left. At the last
second he takes the left turn as we go back to -
IN THE COMPACT CAR -
Where Seamus has turned from lecturing Deirdre to threatening
Gregor. Seamus holds the package in one hand and his gun in
the other.
SEAMUS
(waving the package)
This better be the real thing or you're a
dead man!
GREGOR
It is, I'm telling you it is!!
SEAMUS
You've told me a lot of things, boyo...
ZING-SHATTER! A BULLET blows a hole in their back windshield
as - The Peugeot is catching up, and Vincent is leaning out
of his window, firing away. Now - Seamus turns to Deirdre.
SEAMUS
Lose them!
DEIRDRE
You lose them!
Deirdre swings the wheel wildly, and the Compact takes a
screaming turn, followed by - The Peugeot, and now they're
both speeding towards another junction, where several other
roadways of the Periferique run together. Now we see that -
Seamus is returning Vincent's fire, even as - The Junction
approaches, and now - Seamus screams at Deirdre.
SEAMUS
To the right!!!
Deirdre swerves to the right only to discover that she's now
on an -
EXIT RAMP, going against heavy traffic. Now -
Deirdre swerves her car around, side-swiping several cars,
but avoiding a major crash while - The Peugeot follows along,
and now -
One of the cars that Deirdre side-swiped careens wildly down
the ramp, crashing into - The Peugeot, which grinds to a halt
as Vincent and Sam bounce forward in their seats, restrained
by their seatbelts. The car has stalled, and Sam has to
start her up again and slam it into gear before following
after - The Compact, which now has a lead of perhaps fifty
yards -- but at least it's possible for the Peugeot to follow
after the Compact, because it's the only car on the highway
ahead of them that's GOING THE WRONG WAY, and now we - PULL
BACK, LOOKING DOWN FROM ABOVE, and the two cars are flying
through the rush-hour traffic, going the wrong way, and now -
The Peugeot is gaining ground as Sam turns to Vincent.
SAM
Give me a cigarette.
VINCENT
Right now?
SAM
Gimme a goddamn cigarette!!!!
VINCENT
(fumbling with a cigarette)
Why are you driving?
(rapid fire)
You're not French, you don't live here,
you don't know these roads. Why are you
driving?
He puts the cigarette in Sam's mouth and as he does - The
Peugeot weaves in and out of the traffic, gaining ground on
the Compact, and now - SCREEEEECCHHH!!!! About fifteen cars
pile up, crashing into one another, and yet somehow - The
Compact Car emerges from the pile up unscathed, and Seamus
breathes a hugh sigh of relief.
SEAMUS
About time!
DEIRDRE
(glancing in her mirror)
Not yet...
The Peugeot has also managed to avoid the pile-up, and it's
back on their tail.
SEAMUS
(practically tearing his hair)
Good Christ! Can't you lose these
jokers?
DEIRDRE
(through clenched teeth)
They're good!
And now the Peugeot SLAMS into the side of the Compact Car,
and as it does - Seamus opens fire with his gun, even as -
Vincent unloads the better part of a clip as - Glass shatters
in both cars, and now Deirdre looks up to see -
A FORK IN THE ROAD, and the left side of the fork is closed
off, blocked by - A SERIOUS CONCRETE BARRICADE, and the
Compact Car is headed right for it, and now -
Sam has the Peugeot pinned right to the side of the Compact
Car, metal against metal, a scream of steel as the Barricade
rushes straight at them and at the last second - Deirdre
slams on the brakes as -
Seamus fires one last shot that - blows out the window in
front of Sam's eyes, causing Sam to - Jerk the wheel of the
Peugeot wildly, spinning out of control onto the exit ramp as
Gregor reaches over and unbuckles Seamus's seatbelt right as -
The Compact Car slams into the Barricade and CRASHES, and
we're in SLOW MOTION as -
Deirdre is driven forward by the force of the impact, but
there's a driver's side air bag, and it explodes, cushioning
her, even as -
Seamus is hurled form the car, crashing through the
windshield and flying through the air as -
The Compact Car flips over and over and over while -
Gregor, who is wearing his seatbelt, hangs on for dear life
to the Briefcase, which he grabbed back from Seamus before
the crash, and now -
Seamus hits the ground with a terrible thud, his face
sliced to ribbons by the windshield, but somehow still alive
as -
Sam tries to control the Peugeot, which is in a spin on the
exit ramp as -
Gregor kicks open the back door and slides out of the Car,
carrying the Briefcase with him, as -
Deirdre struggles to free herself from the wreck, which is
now - On fire, and now -
Sam has managed to stop the Peugeot, but it's too late to go
back, because -
A VERITABLE FLEET OF COP CARS is now closing on the accident,
and it's too late to turn around, and even as -
Deirdre manages to pull herself out of the wreck, it -
EXPLODES into a ball of fire, and the blast wave of fire -
Hits Seamus, knocking him down, covering him for a second,
even as - Deirdre hurls herself through the flames and comes
out - Rolling away with Seamus, who is now not only cut to
pieces, but his face is covered with some hideous burns.
Now Deirdre pulls Seamus over the side of the embankment,
right before the cops arrive, and the two of them roll/fall
almost thirty down a steep incline, even as -
Sam catches a quick glimpse of -
Gregor, scurrying away from the highway, carrying the
Briefcase, and now Sam has to gun his car and get gone,
because the Cops have reached -
The Wreck, which is quickly burning itself out, and as the
Cops look into the debris they see that -
THERE'S NOBODY LEFT. Everybody's gone.
FADE OUT.
VINCENT (V.O.)
We don't have much time.
FADE IN ON:
INT. VINCENT'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
A FRONT DOOR, guarded by about five heavy locks, opens and
Vincent and Sam enter. Sam looks around and surveys the
apartment.
SAM
Nice place.
ANOTHER ANGLE - And we see the rest of the apartment: there's
practically nothing here. A table with a couple of chairs, a
fridge. An open door leads to a bedroom with a small, spare
bed and a nightstand with a cheap lamp.
VINCENT
(by way of explaining)
I'm not here very much.
SAM
Business keeps you on the road?
VINCENT
Something like that.
The two men crass the room towards - A METAL CABINET which is
tucked into a nook in the wall - VINCENT'S HAND turns a heavy-
duty COMBINATION LOCK and then: Click, the cabinet opens and
we see -- WEAPONS. An endless cache of guns, knives,
explosives, surveillance devices, gun scopes -- you name it,
it's here. Now Vincent's Hands reach into the cabinet and
start taking out weapons. We PULL BACK ON -
Vincent, who gives the weapons to Sam. Sam checks to make
sure the weapons are loaded and/or ready for use, and then
piles them, one on top of the other.
SAM
I know I don't need to say this to you,
but I need to say it to you.
(beat)
This is my job, I have to do it.
VINCENT
So I do it.
SAM
No you don't, and you know it.
VINCENT
If our positions were reversed, would you
leave me?
SAM
(he says this too quickly)
In a minute.
VINCENT
I think not.
BEAT. Sam can't say anything, because he knows that what
Vincent is saying is true.
VINCENT
(considering the weapons)
Do we need anything else?
SAM
Yeah. We need out fucking heads examined.
Vincent thinks about this for a seoncd -- and then burst out
laughing as we -
CUT TO:
INT. ANOTHER CAR - MEANWHILE/NIGHT
Deirdre once behind the wheel. The passenger seat next to
her is empty, but as she drives we can see her eyes as they
flick from the road in front of her, to the rearview mirror,
which reveals -
A glimpse of the HIDEOUS FACE of Seamus Reilly. Crashing
through the windshield and the blast of fire have forever
changed the way he looks: his face is now a mass of oozing
wounds and burn tissue. In his eyes we see the light of a
sick, twisted man who's gone over the edge.
DEIRDRE
You better be careful, Seamus, before
something happens a plastic surgeon can't
fix.
SEAMUS
(a hideous laugh)
Plastic fucking surgeon?
(indicates his face)
You think I'm going to fix this, Deirdre
lass? It's the mark of the patriot, and
I'll wear it like a badge. As for those
who done it to me, I'll take my pound of
flesh before this is all over.
DEIRDRE
You're thinking with your gun, Seamus,
and not your head...
SEAMUS
(losing it)
Shut up!!!
(he puts a gun to her head)
Shut up and drive! I'm your superior
officer and you will do as I goddamn well
say, is that understood?!?
BEAT. Deirdre bristles at Seamus's words but says nothing.
SEAMUS
Do I need to repeat myself?
DEIRDRE
No, Seamus. I heard you the first time.
EXT. OUTSIDE THE CAR - SAME TIME
THE CAR zooms off into the night and as it does -
A LIGHT RAIN starts to fall and we -
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. A CHATEAU OUTSIDE OF PARIS - NIGHT
THE SAME RAIN falls, more of a steady mist than a rain. The
mist GLEAMS electrically in the THOUSAND WATT LIGHTS which
shine from - THE CHATEAU. Hundreds of years old, it sits far
back from its own MAIN GATE. In front of the Chateau - ARMED
MEN. Lots of them. Whatever this place is, it's not one
that invites company. Now we're - MOVING TOWARDS the
Chateau, and as we MOVE we get a glimpse of the surrounding
environment: ancient statues, sitting benches in private
gardens, small pools of fish -- you name it, this place has
it. We hear VOICES, and they're talking in - RUSSIAN.
Heavy, thick Russian, punctuated with words like "Da!" and
"Nyet!" -- making it clear that we've reached the address of
the Russian Production Company. BEHIND THE CHATEAU - MORE
GARDENS, more everything. It's well-patrolled, but there
aren't quite as many guards back here as there are out front,
because bordering the chateau is a natural fotress -
A WOODS -
A forest, really. Filled with ancient trees, almost mythic
in appearance, and for all the light of the chateau this
place is darkness visible -- light comes here and dies. And
in this woods, looking out, we find - Vincent and Sam.
Heavily armed, they've just humped God knows how many miles
through the woods to get here. Both men exhausted from the
walk -- Sam from his wound, Vincent from his smoking habit.
They collapse and Vincent takes out his cigarettes. Even
though they're screened from the chateau back here, Sam
reaches over and takes the cigarettes out of Vincent's hands.
SAM
Not here. They might see it.
VINCENT
If I'm going to die for the CIA, I'm
going to go out smoking.
(takes the cigarettes back and
lights one)
Besides, there's half a forest between us
and them, they can't see a goddamned
thing.
Vincent offers one to Sam, who declines with a shake of
his head.
SAM
Time to quit.
VINCENT
Just like that?
SAM
Not just like that... Just before I turn
around and it's six months from now and
the first thing I do when I wake up in
the morning is light a cigarette.
VINCENT
(obviously he does this)
What of it?
(almost to himself)
Samurai pain in the ass.
SAM
(he hates this)
Would you stop with that...
VINCENT
Why? You've got more force of will than
anyone I've ever seen. You handle a gun
like it's a part of you, you perform
surgery on yourself without anesthesia...
(quick beat)
And most amazing of all, you quit
smoking, just like that.
SAM
(qith a cynical laugh)
The mark of a true Samurai.
(seriously)
What I do for the Company, Vincent, is no
different than what you do. We're both
hired guns, and this is a job -- like any
other job.
VINCENT
Why then, Sam, don't you act like this is
a job like any other? Surely, if you are
a hired gun, you realize that some times
you just have to walk away without
getting what you came for.
SAM
Because I don't walk away.
VINCENT
Why not?
SAM
It's the one thing I've got left to hold
onto.
(beat)
Jean-Pierre is one of your closest
friends, is he not?
VINCENT
Closest and oldest.
SAM
And yet you would have killed him to save
my life.
(quick beat)
You have a sense of honor, Vincent, that
I can't even remember anymore. I don't
know that I ever even had it to begin
with. All I know to do, Vincent, is to
finish my job.
VINCENT
And when you finish? What then? This
package, whatever it is, do you give it
to the CIA? Do you really think they
deserve it?
SAM
That's a good question.
VINCENT
Do you have a good answer?
SAM
(he's really just considering
this)
No, I don't.
INT. THE CHATEAU - MEANWHILE
ARMED RUSSIAN MOBSTERS everywhere -- a convention of the goon
squad.
MOVING THROUGH the Chateau itself, and from in here we see
the side of France we haven't yet seen in this film: culture.
Each room could be a museum, as we move through -
A GALLERY, filled with paintings by Renaissance Masters -
A PARLOR, with antique furniture, the youngest piece of which
is two hundred years old -
A BALLROOM, empty and barren, but lit by the dazzling light
of an exquisite chandelier -
A KITCHEN, where a cigarette smoking CHEF is putting the
finishing touches on what is perhaps the most amazing meal
you've ever seen. Now - A SERVANT takes the tray and carries
it out to -
A DINING ROOM, and the table is set for a formal dinner for
twenty, with crystal and china at every place setting, and
yet the table is occupied by only one man -
MIKHAEL RACHEV, Russian Gangster Supreme, called Mikhi. Now -
The Servant sets the food down in front of Mikhi, and as this
chief hood starts to eat a lonely and solitary dinner we PULL
BACK, MOVING DOWN the length of the way-too-long table.
EXT. THE CHATEAU WALLS - NIGHT
A TAXI pulls up to the Main Gate and Gregor gets out.
Attached to his wrist, by that same handcuff: the Briefcase.
Gregor is admitted by a Guard as we -
CUT TO:
INT. THE DINING ROOM/CHATEAU - A LITTLE LATER
Mikhi the Gangster is eating his dinner as Gregor is ushered
into the room. THREE THUGS hang back behind Gregor, watching
to see what Mikhi wants. Now -
Mikhi waves the Thugs out of the room, leaving Gregor alone
with the gangster. Mikhi takes a last few bites of dinner as
he motions for Gregor to sit.
MIKHI
(in Russian, English subtitles)
Sit, sit...
(offering a cigarette)
Would you like one?
GREGOR
(in English)
No, Mikhi, I wouldn't.
(letting that sink in for a
minute)
Since I won't speak your language, and
you can't speak mine, English will do
nicely.
MIKHI
(makes no never mind to him)
Whatever you wish...
(lights his own cigarette)
This has all been a terrible mistake,
Gregor. I wanted to play straight with
you, but Edvard insisted we try and kill
you.
GREGOR
Edvard said the same thing about you
before he died.
MIKHI
I'm shocked, shocked to think that you'd
believe him.
GREGOR
(suddenly sharp)
Enough!
Gregor raises the Briefcase which is still attached to his
wrist via the handcuff. Gregor rests the Briefcase on the
table.
MIKHI
Ahh...
The moment of truth. Before this scene can develop any
further, a VOICE comes from Off Screen, and as the Voice
speaks, Gregor blanches.
SEAMUS (O.S.)
The moment of truth, is it?
ANOTHER ANGLE - Deirdre and Seamus have entered the room.
And we notice something unusual: nobody is alarmed (except
for Gregor, that is). It's as if they were expected.
GREGOR
What is he doing here?
As Seamus speaks he walks through the room, examining the
valuable china and crystal, all the while moving inexorably
closer to Gregor. His face is, if anything, even more
horrific than it was a short while ago, as his formerly fresh
wounds have started to scab over.
SEAMUS
What am I doing here? Why, I'm here to
see my partners, Gregor, the boys in the
Russian Mafia. See, your bosses had
hoped to screw me by hiring you to pull
your thieving double cross. But they
only just found out that what's in the
briefcase is completely useless without
me. I can't fight them, and they can't
kill me -- that means we're gonna have to
do business together.
GREGOR
But you hate each other!
SEAMUS
What's a little hate between business
partners?
EXT. THE WOODS - MEANWHILE
Vincent's CIGARETTE is stubbed into a rock and the two men
rise with a slow purpose. They exchange a look and then Sam
steps forward, leading the way
SAM
I'm on point, Vincent.
A WIDE ANGLE - THE BACK LAWN OF THE CHATEAU -
Pure Kurosawa. The JAPANESE DRUM we've heard before starts
to play again as -
THE LONG SHADOWS of Sam and Vincent come out of the woods and
into the brilliant light of the back lawn. For one minute
they stand still, and among the many weapons that Sam carries
is a long automatic rifle, strung over his back, and in the
SILHOUETTE for one minute it looks like a Samurai sword. Now
the two men start to move across the lawn, hugging the
shadows of the various statues and hedges, trying to keep
from being discovered for as long as possible.
BACK IN THE DINING ROOM -
GREGOR
(to Seamus)
So, you've got it all figured, do you?
SEAMUS
Figured enough to know there's an odd man
out and I'm looking at him.
GREGOR
I think not.
(holds up the Briefcase)
I have, of course, taken the precaution
of wiring the briefcase to explode five
seconds after it opens. Unless, of
course, I deactivate it before it goes
off.
DEIRDRE
(under her breath)
That fucking figures...
GREGOR
Should any of you decide to rush me, I'll
kill myself and whoever happens to be
near me at the time.
MIKHI
And more importantly --
GREGOR
I'll destroy whatever's in the case.
BEAT. Nobody moves. Nobody speaks. Until finally -
SEAMUS
It looks, Gentlemen, as if we're gonna
have to sit down to table and work out an
agreement.
Before this entirely too-weird scenario can play itself we go
back to -
THE BACK LAWN OF THE CHATEAU -
Sam and Vincent are closer to the Chateau, moving in stealth,
avoiding any entanglements and then Sam turns a corner and
comes face to face with - A GUARD, and his gun is aimed at
Sam's head: Sam's a dead man as we go -
BACK TO THE DINING ROOM
AUTOMATIC WEAPONS FIRE splits the night, and everyone in the
room looks at one another, before Mikhi speaks.
MIKHI
What was that?
BACK OUTSIDE THE CHATEAU -
The Guard who had Sam in his sights falls down, dead, shot by
- Vincent, whose smoking weapon is cradled in his arms.
Vincent smiles at Sam.
VINCENT
That's one less I owe you...
Sam smiles, but it's no time to get satisfied. their
presence revealed, there's no point in moving quietly. Sam
draws his weapons and as he and Vincent charge across the
lawn towards the Chateau while -
BACK IN THE DINING ROOM -
MORE GUNSHOTS from outside -- not a war, but enough to cause
serious alarm. Deirdre, ever the soldier, draws her two
automatic pistols.
DEIRDRE
(to Seamus and Mikhi)
You two stay here and watch our mutual
interest.
She nods at Gregor and his Briefcase, indicating what this
mutual interest is. Then she turns and bolts the room, and
as she does we're -
BACK OUTSIDE THE CHATEAU -
Sam and Vincent are running along, hugging the ground and
whatever darkness they can find, while blind weapons fire
rips into the ground around them, Russian thugs not even sure
what they're shooting at, but shooting all the same as Sam
and Vincent hurtle towards -
A BACK ENTRANCE TO THE CHATEAU -
Some kind of kitchen storage area, and as Sam and Vincent
burst in from outside - FIVE RUSSIAN HOODS come flying in
from an interior entrance, and this is it, Sam and Vincent
are outnumbered, outgunned, they're going to die and then -
They take out the entire room - Sam holds an automatic pistol
in his left hand, and a submachine gun in his right, and when
he fires, he does so in short controlled bursts, firing only
when he has the target in his sights, while - Vincent fights
with a kind of sheer force, a shotgun in one hand, an Uzi in
the other, he fires at anything and everything that moves,
and he hits almost all of it - And suddenly the room is
quiet. Everybody's dead except for Sam and Vincent. They
drop their spent weapons and take out fresh ones even as they
move towards - THE DOOR - It leads to two passages, each one
leading to a separate wing of the chateau.
SAM
Let's work our way through the building.
I'll take one wing, you take the other.
Vincent and Sam split up, moving into separate WINGS of the
Chateau, and as they move off Sam speaks a word of warning.
SAM
Watch your back, Vincent.
And then they're gone, and we're with -
Deirdre, who's running through the house, going from room to
room, and we're with her for a minute, the JAPANESE DRUM
starts to play again, and now it's joined by more and more
drums, and they continue for the test of this sequence and
suddenly - A HUGE BURST OF GUNFIRE is heard, dragging
Deirdre's attention towards -
THE BALLROOM -
And Sam's in the middle of a pitched battle with three
Gunmen. He kills the first, and then the second, and then -
No third. The Third Gunman rolls out of the way as Sam
fires, the Third Gunman fires back and - Their shots go wide,
ripping into mirrors and chandeliers, littering the floor
with glass. And now we're -
ON DEIRDRE -
Running through the halls as we hear one last burst of
gunfire: somebody in the ballroom is dead. Deirdre has
almost reached the ballroom when - Sam comes flying out, and
the two of them CRASH TOGETHER, sending the two of them
sprawling into - The shot-up mess that used to be the
Ballroom - And as they crash to the ground, Sam loses his
weapon in the fall, but Deirdre manages to hold onto one of
her two guns. Now the two of them roll to their feet, and as
they do we're back in -
THE DINING ROOM -
Seamus the Madman is pacing the floor, his face even worse
than before: with each minute the mask of flesh that is now
his face is becoming more grotesque. Little pustules have
started to form all over its surface, oozing a whitish
viscous liquid. A NEW BURST OF FIGHTING SOUNDS can be heard,
and Seamus, who is no longer capable of thinking straight,
loses it.
SEAMUS
I can't take it anymore.
(to Mikhi)
Watch him, man, I'm going out and finish
what needs finishing!
And Seamus is gone, and so are we -- back to -
THE BALLROOM -
Where Deirdre has her two guns pointed at Sam and - Does nothing.
BEAT.
SAM
Go on, them...
But Deirdre can't do it. There's something between these
two, and now - Sam looks around and sees Deirdre's other
pistol lying on a broken chair, and now he -
Kicks out with his foot and hits the chair leg, causing it to
function as a lever, sending the gun - THROUGH THE AIR in a
graceful SLOW-MO arc until it - THWACKS into Sam's Hand. Now
he's armed and he looks back at - Deirdre. Her FINGER
tightens on the trigger, she's almost ready to shoot -- if
Sam raises his piece, he's a dead man.
DEIRDRE
Let it go, Sam, walk away.
In response Sam stares at Deirdre for a BEAT and then he
smiles an enigmatic smile and - He steps sideways, into a
nearby corridor, vanishing.
DEIRDRE
God damn it!
She runs after him but she's too late -- The corridor outside
is empty. Now we're back in -
THE DINING ROOM -
With Gregor and Mikhi, and the tension is unbearable, because
they can hear the sounds of the fighting as it starts and
then stops, but they don't have the least idea of what's
going on. Still, Mikhi won't let Gregor leave without giving
up the Briefcase. Mikhi has a gun on Gregor, who in turn
holds the Briefcase close, ready to open it and set off the 5
Second Timer that will blow it up.
GREGOR
(a feral hiss)
We'll die if we stay here!
MIKHI
(threatening with the gun)
You'll die if you leave here.
Gregor sits back down, fairly close to Mikhi. Then, in a
manner so deft that Mikhi never even notices, Gregor extracts
a wickedly thin stiletto blade from the leather lining of the
Briefcase. Before Mikhi can even react, Gregor stabs his arm
forward in a savage arc - JAMMING THE BLADE into Mikhi's
throat. Mikhi drops his gun and reaches for the blade,
already gagging on the blood spray which shoots from the
slashed artery. Within seconds - Mikhi falls to the ground,
jerking viciously in his death throes as - Gregor picks up
the pistol and runs to leave the room, and as he does we move
to -
THE GALLERY -
Filled with Paintings and Sculptures, nothing less than 200
years old. This place is a maze, what with it's walls of
paintings that jut out here and there, the various corridors
which lead from room to room, and the sculptures which block
sight lines. Now we find - Vincent, pressed against a wall, a
gun in each hand, while - FIVE RUSSIAN MAFIA GUYS are hunting
him down. We do a SERIES OF QUICK CUTS as the Five Guys split
up and look for Vincent, all the while speaking in low Russian
voices. Suddenly one of the Guys turns a corner and sees -
Nothing. No Vincent. Now he turns back and - A FIST CRASHES
through a painting which hangs on a makeshift wall. It's
Vincent. His hand wraps around Mafia Guy's neck, pinning him
in place. Seconds later - Two quick shots rip through the
painting, hitting Mafia Guy in the head. Now - The other men
are alerted by the shots, they come running and - Vincent steps
out firing -
And now it's a bullet-fest, as he gets the drop on them,
using the maze of the Gallery to his fullest advantage,
gunning them down - First one - Then two - Three, and then -
No four. Vincent turns, surprised that his man wasn't where
he expected him to be when - A SHOT RINGS OUT, hitting
Vincent, a flesh wound that disarms him. The Last Guy has
the drop on Vincent. Now - The Last Guy smiles a nasty
little smile at Vincent and - A PISTOL spits fire and - A
BULLET bursts out of the Last Guy's chest. It's Sam. Now
Sam and Vincent exchange a look: Sam has, once again, saved
Vincent's life.
VINCENT
You have to stop doing that!
SAM
I'll work on it...
The two men don't have time for any more words, they move
from the Gallery and find themselves in -
THE DINING ROOM -
Where they find nothing but the bloody remains of Mikhi the
Gangster. Sam and Vincent are surveying the room when a
VOICE comes from BEHIND them -
SEAMUS (O.S.)
Turn around real slow, and try hard not
to breathe when you do it.
ANOTHER ANGLE - Seamus Reilly has come in behind them, and
he's got his gun pointed straight at Sam's heart. If Seamus
is enraged at discovering Gregor's absence, he's overjoyed to
find Sam in his place.
SEAMUS
It's you...
(touches his face)
You're the one did this to my face, are
you?
SAM
That's me.
SEAMUS
Have a nice afterlife.
Seamus pulls the trigger and his BULLET spins out towards
Sam, ready to blow a hole through him except that - Vincent
leaps forward and takes the bullet -- it rips into his side,
a huge splash of red against his white shirt. He falls to
the ground, horribly wounded, but he's given Sam enough time,
and now - Sam and Seamus open fire on one another - BULLETS
RIPPING into the table, chewing up the china and crystal,
taking glass shattering bites out of the CHANDELIER above the
table, turning the Dining Room from a primo Louis XIV
showpiece into shit as the two men move about and then
suddenly - They're face to face, each with a gun to the other
- Mexican Standoff. Suddenly, from Off Screen -
DEIRDRE (O.S.)
Seamus!
ANOTHER ANGLE - Deirdre has appeared, her gun leveled at the
two men.
SEAMUS
Deirdre, do for him, woman, put a fucking
bullet in his head!
Deirdre hesitates, uncertain.
SEAMUS
Do it, for Christ's sake, do it so we can
find that stinking Gregor, he's got the
bloody package! For God's sake, you're a
soldier...
These last words sink into Deirdre: she is a soldier. Her
gun swivels towards Sam.
SEAMUS
(sensing he's getting to
her)
You're one of us...You been born and bred
with your own people, you can't go
against your nature. C'mon, girl, I'm
you're people.
Deirdre makes up her mind.
DEIRDRE
I'm no girl, Seamus...
She fires a shot - Blowing Seamus off his feet and through a
huge PLATE GLASS WINDOW.
DEIRDRE
And you ain't nobody's people.
She moves with Sam to Vincent, who is seriously wounded --
perhaps life-threateningly so.
SAM
(to Deirdre)
Let's get him out of here...
VINCENT
Finish the job...
SAM
And now...
VINCENT
(a commanding whisper)
Finish it!
Sam considers, but before he can make up his mind, Deirdre
sees something through the wreck of the Dining Room Window -
OUT ON THE BACK LAWN - We've already seen that it's bordered
on one side by the woods, for the first time we notice - A
LAKE, which laps against a PRIVATE DOCK, where a row boat is
tethered. Now - BENEATH A VERY FULL MOON, the stark figure
of Gregor makes its way toward the Dock.
DEIRDRE
(calling out)
Sam...
Sam turns at the sound of her voice and sees Gregor making
his escape. Sam looks back at Vincent, who is almost passed
out from blood loss.
VINCENT
I'm really sick of you saving my life. Go
out and get the bastard.
Same makes up his mind, and as Vincent passes out, Sam runs
out after Deirdre and towards -
THE PRIVATE DOCK -
And as the two of them run we MOVE WITH THEM.
DEIRDRE
He's got the briefcase rigged to explode
five seconds after anybody other than
himself tries to open it.
And now they reach the Dock and they find - Nothing -- no
Gregor. And the Boat is still there. Before Sam can
restrain her - Deirdre stps out towards the Boat.
SAM
Deirdre, wait up --
But it's too late: Gregor steps out from behind -
A BOATHOUSE, and before Deirdre can even figure out what
happened, Gregor has her in an arm lock, a gun to her head.
His free hand sticks out and we see the Briefcase, which is
still handcuffed to his wrist.
GREGOR
You might have made a good field agent
you arrogant American prick, but you're
not smart enough to go up against me.
Gregor and Deirdre are poised at the edge of the lake. This
Private Dock is made completely of stone, and the drop to the
water is nearly five feet. Sam has reached a position where
there is no right answer. Still, he points his gun at
Gregor, who in turn shields himself with Deirdre's body.
GREGOR
Go ahead, shoot... Shoot and kill the
bitch, I don't care.
(beat)
And yet you don't shoot. Interesting.
Put down your weapon and walk away.
DEIRDRE
Don't do it, Sam!
GREGOR
Shut up!
DEIRDRE
He'll kill me anway, Sam, shoot though
me and kill this fucker.
SEAMUS (O.S.)
(a horrible croak)
If you don't, I will...
ANOTHER ANGLE - Seamus is somehow still barely alive -- he's
not long for this world, but the will for revenge has driven
him this far.
SEAMUS
(to Sam, in a cold pale rage)
Shoot that traitorous bitch and I'll let
you live.
THE TOP OF SEAMUS'S HEAD explodes, finishing him off once and
for all, killed by -
Vincent, who has staggered out to make this one necessary
shot. But he can go no further, and he collapses in his own
blood, near death, just as - Gregor takes a step towards the
boat and - Sam makes up his mind and shoots - THE BULLET
FLIES ACROSS THE SCREEN -
IMPACT - The Briefcase bursts, shot open by Sam and now we're
in SLOW MOTION as -
Gregor relaxes his grip on Deirdre as he struggles to close
the case and - Deirdre takes the opportunity to dive the
other, into the lake, while -
BABOOM! The case EXPLODES, a flash of phosphorescent white
light that incinerates Gregor and the case and whatever was
inside it with an explosion that knocks Sam to the ground and
when the light clears - Gregor and the case are gone, while -
THE EXPLOSION ECHOES out over the lake, booming again and
again until finally there is - SILENCE. Sam looks out over
the lake for any sign of Deirdre - But there is none. And
then, after we've held for a BEAT longer than it should be
possible for her to have survived - her head splits the
surface and she emerges, coughing. Sam reaches down to help
her out.
SAM
Are you alright?
DEIRDRE
Alright? It's bloody fucking freezing in
here!
Sam pulls Deirdre out of the water and then the two of them
immediately turn and move towards Vincent, and as they do we
start to PULL BACK on them, and now the SOUNDS of SIRENS can
be heard, one, then two more, and then a symphony of noise.
And we're STILL PULLING BACK ON -
THE CHATEAU - Or what's left of it, because it's started to
burn, and quickly the flames start to rise into the night,
like something out of medieval times as we -
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. A HOSPITAL WAITING AREA - NIGHT
Sam waits outside a hospital room, inside of which we get a
glimpse of - A DOCTOR tending to a heavily bandaged and
sedated Vincent. As Sam waits - TWO GENDARMES and a
PLAINCLOTHES DETECTIVE approach. The Detective looks at Sam
for a BEAT, and then goes to push past him. Sam blocks his
way.
DETECTIVE
I need to speak with that man.
SAM
I'm sorry, I can't allow that.
Sam reaches into his coat, and for a moment everybody thinks
he's going for his gun, but instead he comes out with - A
PIECE OF PAPER. He hands it to the Detective.
SAM
Call that number and ask them what you
should do.
The Detective eyeballs the number suspiciously.
FIVE MINUTES LATER -
The Detective hangs up a nearby wall phone and then looks
over at Sam in disgust. Without another word, the Detective
signals to the two Gendarmes, and all three men exit. Now -
The DOCTOR, a beautiful French Woman, comes up and speaks to
him in FRENCH -- and the amazing thing is that Sam speaks
back. Everything in SUBTITLED.
DOCTOR
You can see your friend, now.
SAM
Thank you very much.
DOCTOR
The field dressing you put on saved his
life.
(giving him a look)
Where di you learn to do that?
SAM
Here and there, I guess.
The Doctor isn't entirely satisfied with this answer, but
it's the only one she's going to get, because Sam moves past
into -
INT. VINCENT'S ROOM
He's barely alive -- but alive nonetheless. And he's heard
Sam speak in French to the Doctor.
VINCENT
You son-of-a-bitch...
SAM
What?
VINCENT
You speak French.
SAM
What of it?
VINCENT
(in mock exasperation)
Nothing...
He lies back on his pillow, pissed and yet amused.
VINCENT
(repeating the Doctor's words
in English)
"Your field dressing saved his life."
That's three I owe you.
SAM
You don't owe me a goddamned thing,
Vincent, and you know it. You stepped in
front of a bullet for me.
(very seriously, he now
believes this)
I owe you a heavy debt.
VINCENT
(relishing this)
I know.
SAM
(rising to leave)
You better get some sleep, alright?
VINCENT
Tell me something first.
(a quick beat)
The package: what was it?
SAM
I don't know. Nobody knows, except a
bunch of people who are too dead to tell
us. There's probably a couple of guys
back at the Company who know, but I don't
think they plan to tell me anytime soon.
VINCENT
What happened to it?
SAM
Gone. Destroyed.
VINCENT
(sighs, then a beat)
I guess that's for the best.
Sam turns for the door but Vincent has one last thing to say.
VINCENT
Sam, when Gregor had Deirdre by the lake,
you could have killed the two of them
with one shot. You could have had the
package, finished the job. But you
didn't, you sacrificed the job to save
her life. Why?
Same has to think about this for a second, and his answer
reveals just how full circle he's come.
SAM
It's what you would have done.
And on that note Sam exits the room, leaving a bemused
Vincent behind.
EXT. THE BANK OF THE RIVER SEINE - EARLY MORNING
A WISPY FOG atmospherically rises off the river -- not too
thick, not too thin.
A TITLE: One month later...
We're MOVING along the cobble-stone walk next to the river as
a VOICE cuts through the fog.
VINCENT (V.O.)
Would you just smoke already...
A RIVERSIDE CAFE - Where Sam, Vincent and Deirdre are having
morning coffee. A mostly-healed Vincent is smoking a
cigarette, trying to get Sam to light up.
SAM
I told you, I quit.
VINCENT
Just to keep me company, Sam -- I hate
smoking alone.
(turning to Deirdre)
How about you? I thought all you IRA
types smoked.
DEIRDRE
Only the stupid ones. Cigarettes kill
more patriots than bullets.
(a quick beat)
Besides, I'm not IRA no more.
VINCENT
So where do you go from here?
DEIRDRE
I don't know. I was thinking...Maybe the
three of us might partner up -- guns for
hire, that sort of thing.
VINCENT
I'm up for that...
The two of them turn to Sam, but he shakes his head.
SAM
Not me. You work too often with the same
people and you become friends -- clouds
your judgement.
DEIRDRE
Come off it, Sam -- if we weren't friends
already we wouldn't be here now, would
we?
VINCENT
She's got a point.
(playing a trump card)
Besides, I know of a job that's
available.
Sam can't help it -- he's interested.
SAM
How much does it pay?
SLAM CUT TO:
EXT. OUT ON THE RIVER SEINE - MEANWHILE
SILENCE AND FOG. A RIVER FERRY does a slow ghostly glide
down the river, and in seconds it approaches -
THE RIVERSIDE CAFE, which appears through the mist, looked at
by --
A SLEEK PAIR OF SUN GLASSES attached to a young PUNK in a
leather coat, and the Punk is looking at - Sam, Vincent, and
especially: Deirdre. Sam looks up and shouts a warning as -
The Punk pulls a shotgun from beneath his leather coat, pumps
the gun and screams out at Deirdre with an Irish accent -
PUNK
This is for Seamus!
BOOM! The Punk pulls the trigger, a blast of fire as - Sam's
gun is already out, TWO QUICK SHOTS squeezed off and - The
Punk is capped twice in the head, dead, sailing away on the
Ferry which never stops as -
THE CAFE goes wild, CUSTOMERS running, screaming, WAITERS
dropping their trays. But - Sam doesn't run, and neither
does Vincent. Sam stands, stunned by what he sees - Deirdre
lies on the ground, hit full on in the chest: she's dead. A
BEAT OF PURE SILENCE - Broken by SIRENS in the distance, but
quickly growing closer. Now - Vincent looks at Deirdre's
corpse, then at Sam, who is unable to move. For maybe the
first time in his professional career, Sam is staggered by
the loss of a life. Vincent gently takes Sam's arm.
VINCENT
(soft yet urgent)
We have to go, Sam, we can't be here.
Sam looks at Vincent, and for a moment Sam struggles to find
something to say, but he can't find a goddamned thing. The
SIRENS are getting louder -
VINCENT
(a little louder, bordering
desperation)
Let's go!!
Vincent literally drags Sam away and now the SIRENS have
arrived, followed quickly by - THE GENDARMES, who come
running into the Cafe but - It's empty except for Deirdre's
body. Now -
THE STREET ABOVE THE RIVER -
Sam and Vincent are running through patchy fog, Vincent
leading the way, and now -
We're CLOSER ON Vincent as he runs and runs and runs until he
feels he's far enough away from the scene of the crime to
relax. He collapses against a stone wall, chest heaving,
shaking out two cigarettes, one for himself and one for Sam.
VINCENT
(thrusting the cigarettes out to
Sam)
Doctor's orders...
But Sam isn't there to take the cigarette -- Vincent looks
around, trying to see what happened to his friend, but the
fog has covered any sign of Sam. Vincent stands there,
stunned, alone, the cigarettes in an outstretched hand that
slowly falls back to Vincent's side as he realizes that Sam
has left him on purpose. Then - Vincent lights both
cigarettes at the saem time and throws one of them over the
stone wall - THE GLOWING CIGARETTE arcs through the air until
it lands in the river where it extinguishes with a hiss.
VINCENT (O.S.)
Goodbye, Sam...
BACK AT THE CAFE -
The Gendarmes have secured the scene (there isn't much to
secure since everyone has run away). A majority of cops
surround Deirdre's dead body, but - One GENDARME wanders
around the cafe, looking about, and then he sees something -
ON THE STREET ABOVE -
A SHAPE IN THE FOG. The wind blows and the fog clears for a
second, and we see that it's - Sam. Getting one last look at
Deirdre. Quickly - The Gendarme points Sam out but as he
does the wind continues to blow and - THE FOG swallows Sam.
Seconds later the fog clears again, and when it does - Sam is
gone.
FADE OUT.