3:10 to Yuma Page #2

A DISTANT STAGECOACH, a speck in the valley, kicking dust.

Wade turns his horse and trots past Charlie...

Charlie Prince glances at the drawing. HOLD ON: THE SKETCH

FLUTTERING IN THE BREEZE as Prince follows down the hill.

8,9

OMITTED:

EXT. BOULDER CLUSTER, DESERT VALLEY - DAY

Charlie Prince follows as-- Ben Wade rides down past a

CLUSTER OF BOULDERS where his outfit awaits him:

JORGENSEN (45):
Massive arms and legs. A bear of a man.

CAMPOS (38):
The marksman. Loads a cradled MONSTER RIFLE.

KINTER (34):
A soulless butcher with deadened eyes.

SUTHERLAND (42):
An explosives expert. He supervises as-TIGHE

(28):
his protege, loading TNT in a saddle bag.

JACKSON (35):
Powerful and dangerous. A friend and former

cellmate of -TOMMY

DARDEN (28):
Battle-scarred handsome face. A BOWIE

KNIFE in his hand. He is looking to replace Wade and lead the

gang someday, soon. But in the meantime, he amuses himself

making trouble with-NEZ

(32):
An Apache renegade. He speaks little English and

uses it rarely. But he is a great shot, a brilliant rider and

a merciless fighter. He’s been with Wade since the beginning.

Darden taunts Nez with his long knife, oblivious to Wade’s

approach-- He and Jackson trade a chuckle.

Nez looks at Wade. And Wade looks at Darden hard.

DARDEN:

Ben.

Darden slips the knife back in the sheaf.

Wade turns his eyes to the road below.

...and here comes the STAGECOACH, GETTING CLOSER.

(CONTINUED)

3:
10 TO YUMA -TAN -1.23.07 7.

CONTINUED:

Wade turns to Charlie and gives a nod...

...and the gang surges behind Charlie Prince. As everyone

rides past him, Campos the marksman looks back to Wade. Wade

nods to a CLUSTER OF BOULDERS nearby.

Campos climbs off his horse and scales the rocks.

10A EXT. STAGECOACH, DESERT VALLEY - DAY

CLOSE ON:
GALLOPING HOOVES thundering down a desert road.

A team of FOUR HORSES pulling an ARMORED STAGECOACH through a

barren stretch of land.

We see a fancy EYE LOGO stamped upon the door with the famous

Pinkerton slogan printed below: The Eye That Never Sleeps...

There are SIX PINKERTONS riding. Two in front, two on a

mounted “tailgun” platform and two inside, peering out slits.

THE VETERAN DRIVER pushes the horses.

Sitting beside him is the sixth man and the group’s leader-

BYRON McELROY (55). McElroy is clearly not a Pinkerton, and

hardly dressed or groomed like one. He’s got snake-like eyes.

He holds a mean-looking, twelve-gauge HAMMER SHOTGUN.

10B EXT. FOOTHILLS, DESERT VALLEY - DAY

Dan’s crouched next to his horse, gazing at one of his cows

which has collapsed upon the arid earth, gasping...

Dan glances up at the sky, then he pulls out the BROOCH in

his grimy hands.

Twenty feet away, William sits on his horse behind Dan,

shuffling HIS DECK OF CARDS.

WILLIAM:

You gonna hock that?

Dan pockets it.

DAN:

Someday, William. You walk in my

shoes, you might understand.

WILLIAM:

I’m never walking in your shoes.

(CONTINUED)

10B CONTINUED:

3:
10 TO YUMA -TAN -1.23.07 8.

Mark calls out from a nearby ridge:

MARK:

Tracks over here!

Dan takes the SPENCER RIFLE from his saddle. Standing over

the dying creature. Looking in its eyes as he FIRES...

10C CLOSE ON-- WADE, WATCHING COACH FROM HILLTOP

The SHOT ECHOES faintly through the foothills. Wade peers

around behind him. He shrugs it off, focusing back on his

outfit below.

11 EXT. STAGECOACH, DESERT VALLEY - DAY

McElroy stiffens as-- WADE’S GANG appears suddenly on the

road ahead coming straight at the coach, head on. McElroy

sees them and grimaces. Cocking both pins on his SHOTGUN.

MCELROY:

Here we go.

With proficiency, the other Pinkertons flip down or slide

across several ARMORED STEEL PLATES in front of them...

...and in the next second, the outlaws and the Pinkertons

clash in a violent FUSILLADE OF BULLETS.

TWO PINKERTONS MAN THE GATLIN mounted at the rear.

Unfortunately it is exactly where the gang isn’t (they’re

coming from the front) and they have no shot.

The Pinkertons fire as Wade’s gang rides straight at them, a

game of chicken.

Bullets exploding around him, McELROY AIMS AT ONE OF THE

OUTLAWS RIDING IN FRONT.

-- BANG! -- With one shot he blows the outlaw off his horse.

As the gang swarms around them -- RATATATAT. PINKERTONS FIRE

THE GATLIN, spraying the gang, mowing down another outlaw.

Suddenly, one of the Pinkertons on the gatlin falls back,

shot by-- CAMPOS, at his sniper’s perch-- rifle smoking.

The remaining Pinkerton cradles the ammo and swings the big

brass gun at Campos, twisting the crank.

(CONTINUED)

3:
10 TO YUMA -TAN -1.23.07 9.

CONTINUED:

Campos dives for cover amid a hail of bullets.

Like fighter pilots, the gang wheels in unison back around to

catch the coach on another pass.

CHARLIE PRINCE GALLOPS from the other side of the coach and

takes out the remaining Gatlin operator with two shots.

12 OMITTED

13 EXT. STAGECOACH-- CONTINUED

McElroy and the Pinkertons defend the coach valiantly. Taking

cover behind their ARMORED PLATES as the coach rattles along

the road. Another Pinkerton climbs from a hatch and re-mans

the Gatlin. He sends a spray of bullets toward the oncoming

gang-- another man falls.

The last Pinkerton (MOONS) inside the stagecoach takes aim

through the gun slit. He manages to HIT JORGENSEN.

The big man snaps backwards, falling to the ground, while

clutching HIS EAR...

CLOSE ON -- MCELROY’S EYES watching Sutherland and Tighe

approach from the driver’s side.

MCELROY:

(to driver)

Get. Down. Now!

McElroy swings his shotgun over the driver, who ducks, and

aims at Tighe but then aims lower, at his saddle bag-

He fires and-- BOOM!-- TIGHE AND HORSE EXPLODE IN MID-STRIDE.

THE COACH LURCHES INTO A NARROW PASS, making it hard for the

gang to follow.

13A EXT. BOULDER CLUSTER, DESERT VALLEY - DAY

Wade watches, amused, his eyes on McElroy as he directs the

coach to make a run for a narrow pass.

Wade smiles. These two have history. Then, he notices-- A

SCRAWNY HERD OF CATTLE on the other side of an outcropping.

Forty cows and bulls nibbling on what little they can find.

A thought flickers across Wade’s mind.

And he abruptly wheels his horse towards the animals.

3:
10 TO YUMA - TAN - 1.23.07 10.

14 EXT. FOOTHILLS, DESERT VALLEY - DAY

Dan and his sons have stopped their horses over the ridge,

listening to the GUNSHOTS. Sounds like a warzone.

Dan pulls out his SPENCER RIFLE, riding in front.

DAN:

Stay behind me.

15 OMITTED

16 EXT. STAGECOACH, DESERT VALLEY - DAY

THE STAGECOACH RACES through the narrow pass, A PLUME OF DUST

rising. McElroy squints, seeing-

A HERD OF CATTLE stampeding toward him. And Ben Wade driving

them unflinchingly with a stock whip.

MCELROY:

Pull up, kid. Pull up!

The driver stares at the cattle, frozen. Imagine the bull run

in Pamplona, only you’re driving into it. McElroy lunges for

the reins pulling hard as HOOVES and HORNS collide.

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