A Few Good Men Page #24

He walks over to ROSS.

KAFFEE:

Last chance. I'll flip you for it.

RANDOLPH enters.

SERGEANT AT ARMS

All rise.

ROSS:

Too late.

KAFFEE walks back to his table as

SERGEANT AT ARMS

All those having business with this

general court-martial, stand forward

and you shall be heard. Captain Julius

Alexander Randolph is presiding. God

save the United States of America.

RANDOLPH raps the gavel.

RANDOLPH without objection, the sworn confessions of the two

defendants have been read to the jury and entered into the

court record.

ROSS:

No objection, your honor.

KAFFEE:

No objection.

RANDOLPH:

Is the Government prepared to make

an opening statement?

ROSS:

(standing)

Yes sir.

ROSS walks to the jury box.

ROSS:

(continuing)

The facts of the case are this: At

midnight on August 6th, the defendants

went into the barracks room of their

platoon-mate, PFC William Santiago.

They woke him up, tied his arms and

legs with rope, and forced a rag

into his throat. A few minutes later,

a chemical reaction in Santiago's

body called lactic acidosis caused

his lungs to begin bleeding. He

drowned in his own blood and was

pronounced dead at 32 minutes past

midnight. These are the facts of the

case. And they are undisputed. That's

right. The story I just told you is

the exact same story you're going to

hear from Corporal Dawson, and it's

the exact same story you're going to

hear from Private Downey. Furthermore,

the Government will also demonstrate

that the defendants soaked the rag

with poison, and entered Santiago's

room with motive and intent to kill.

(beat)

Now, Lt. Kaffee, is gonna try to

pull off a little magic act, he's

gonna try a little misdirection.

He's going to astonish you with

stories of rituals and dazzle you

with official sounding terms like

Code Red. He might even cut into a

few officers for you. He'll have no

evidence, mind you, none. But it's

gonna be entertaining. When we get

to the end, all the magic in the

world will not have been able to

divert your attention from the fact

that Willy Santiago is dead, and

Dawson and Downey killed him. These

are the facts of the case.

(beat)

And they are undisputed.

ROSS walks back to his seat.

RANDOLPH:

Lt. Kaffee?

Before KAFFEE's even stood up, these words are coming out of

his mouth.

KAFFEE:

There was no poison on the rag and

there was no intent to kill and any

attempt to prove otherwise is futile

because it just ain't true.

(beat)

When Dawson and Downey went into

Santiago's room that night, it wasn't

because of vengeance or hatred, it

wasn't to kill or harm, and it wasn't

because they were looking for kicks

on a Friday night. It's because it

was what they were ordered to do.

(beat)

Let me say that again: It's because

it was what they were ordered to do.

Now, out in the real world, that

means nothing. And here at the

Washington Navy Yard, it doesn't

mean a whole lot more. But if you're

a marine assigned to Rifle Security

Company Windward, Guantanamo Bay,

Cuba, and you're given an order, you

follow it or you pack your bags.

(beat)

Make no mistake about it, Harold

Dawson and Louden Downey are sitting

before you in judgement today because

they did their job.

KAFFEE walks back to the table and takes his seat.

RANDOLPH:

Is the Government ready to call its

first witness?

ROSS:

Please the Court, the Government

calls Mr. R.C McGuire.

While McCGUIRE, a civilian in his late 30's, is being sworn

in, KAFFEE has sat back down.

He leans over to DAWSON and whispers.

KAFFEE:

How you doin'?

DAWSON doesn't change his expression.

KAFFEE:

(continuing)

Good.

ROSS:

Mr. McGuire, would you state your

full name and occupation for the

record, please?

Rate this script:4.0 / 7 votes