A Few Good Men Page #36

MARKINSON is finished dressing. He stands in the middle of

the motel room.

MARKINSON (V.O.)

(continuing)

And the truth is this: your son is

dead for only one reason. I wasn't

strong enough to stop it.

MARKINSON takes a pistol out of his holster and c*cks the

trigger.

MARKINSON (V.O.)

Always, Captain Matthew Andrew

Markinson.

MARKINSON puts the pistol in his mouth --

MARKINSON (V.O.)

United states marine corps.

We HEAR the BLAST of the gunshot as we

CUT TO:

EXT. THE COURTROOM - DAY

Kaffee is at the end of his examination of Downey.

KAFFEE:

Private, I want you to tell us one

last time:
Why did you go into Private

Santiago's room on the night of August

6th?

DOWNEY:

A code red was ordered by my platoon

commander, Lt. Jonathan James

Kendrick.

KAFFEE:

Thank you.

(to ROSS)

Your witness.

ROSS:

Private, for the week of 2 August,

the switch log has you down at Post

39, is that correct?

DOWNEY:

I'm sure it is, sir, they keep that

log pretty good.

ROSS:

How far is it from Post 39 to the

Windward barracks?

DOWNEY:

It's a ways, sir, it's a hike.

ROSS:

About how far by jeep?

DOWNEY:

About ten, fifteen minutes, sir.

ROSS:

Have you ever had to walk it?

DOWNEY:

Yes sir. That day, sir. Friday. The

Pick-up Private -- sir, that's what

we call the fella who drops us at

our posts and picks us up... also,

'cause he can get girls in New York

City -- the Pick-up Private got a

flat...

At the defense table, KAFFEE, poker-faced, scribbles something

down on a piece of paper and slides it to JO. JO looks at

it:

"Where's he going with this?" JO scribbles "?" And hands it

back to KAFFEE.

DOWNEY:

(continuing)

...Right at 39. He pulled up and

blam! ...A blowout-with no spare.

The two of us had to double-time it

back to the barracks.

ROSS:

And if it's ten or fifteen minutes

by jeep, I'm guessing it must be a

good hour by foot, am I right?

DOWNEY:

Pick-up and me did it in 45 flat,

sir.

ROSS:

Not bad. Now you say your assault on

Private Santiago was the result of

an order that Lt. Kendrick gave in

your barracks room at 16:20.

KAFFEE knows what's coming. There's nothing he can do about

it. And he can't lose his cool in front of the jury.

DOWNEY:

Yes sir.

JO. Helpless. Panicked.

ROSS:

But you just said that you didn't

make it back to Windward Barracks

until 16:
45.

DOWNEY's confused. These are questions he hasn't been asked

before.

DOWNEY:

Sir?

ROSS:

If you didn't make it back to your

barracks until 16:45, then how could

you be in your room at 16:20?

DOWNEY:

(pause)

You see sir, there was a flat tire.

ROSS:

Private, did you ever actually hear

Lt. Kendrick order a Code Red?

KAFFEE's world is falling down around him, and there's nothing

he can do about it. And he knows it.

DOWNEY:

(pause)

No, sir.

Jo leaps to her feet.

JO:

Please the court, I'd like to request

a recess in order to confer with my

client.

ROSS:

Why did you go into Santiago's room?

JO:

The witness has rights.

ROSS:

The witness has been read his rights,

commander.

DOWNEY:

(confused)

Hal?

RANDOLPH:

The question will be repeated.

ROSS:

Why did you go into Santiago's room?

JO:

Your honor --

DOWNEY:

Hal?

ROSS:

Did Corporal Dawson tell you to do

it?

Everyone is frozen.

ROSS:

(continuing)

He did, didn't he? Dawson told you

to give Santiago a code red.

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