A Few Good Men Page #38

JO:

In Cuba. Why did you ask Jessep for

the transfer order?

KAFFEE:

What does it matter --

JO:

Why?!

KAFFEE:

I wanted the damn transfer order!

JO:

Bullshit! You could've gotten it by

picking up the phone and calling any

one of a dozen departments at the

Pentagon. You didn't want the transfer

order. You wanted to see Jessep's

reaction when you asked for the

transfer order. You had an instinct.

And it was confirmed by Markinson.

Now damnit, let's put Jessep on the

stand and end this thing!

KAFFEE:

What possible good could come from

putting Jessep on the stand?

JO:

He told Kendrick to order the Code

Red.

KAFFEE:

He did?! Why didn't you say so!?

That's qreat! And of course you have

proof of that.

JO:

I --

KAFFEE:

Ah, I keep forgetting: You were sick

the day they taught law at law school.

JO:

You put him on the stand and you get

it from him!

KAFFEE:

Yes. No problem. We get it from him.

(to SAM)

Colonel, isn't it true that you

ordered the Code Red on Santiago?

SAM:

Look, we're all a little --

KAFFEE:

I'm sorry, your time's run out. What

do we have for the losers, Judge?

Well, for our defendants it's a

lifetime at exotic Fort Levenworth.

And for defense counsel Kaffee? That's

right -- it's -- a court -- martial.

Yes, Johnny, after falsely accusing

a marine officer of conspiracy, Lt.

Kaffee will have a long and prosperous

career teaching typewriter maintenance

at the Rocco Columbo School for Women.

Thank you for playing "Should We or

Should-We-Not Follow the Advice of

the Galacticly Stupid".

And with one motion, he knocks everything from his desk. A

ton of papers, books, files, etc., falls to the floor.

There's dead silence. Maybe just the sound of KAFFEE breathing

after this exhausting outburst.

Finally...

JO:

I'm sorry I lost you your set of

steak knives.

Jo picks up her purse and coat and walks out. The door slams

behind her.

KAFFEE walks into the kitchen without a word.

SAM gets down on the floor and begins picking up all the

stuff that Kaffee knocked off the desk.

KAFFEE comes back in with a bottle of Jack Daniels.

KAFFEE:

Stop cleaning up.

But Sam continues.

KAFFEE:

(continuing)

Sam. Stop cleaning up.

SAM stops and sits in a chair. KAFFEE sits on the couch.

KAFFEE:

(continuing)

You want a drink?

SAM:

Yeah.

SAM takes a swig from the bottle.

KAFFEE:

Is your father proud of you?

SAM:

Don't do this to yourself.

KAFFEE:

I'll bet he is. I'll bet he bores

the sh*t outta the neighbors and the

relatives. "Sam, made Law Review.

He's got a big case he's making --

He's arguing making an argument."

(pause)

I think my father would've enjoyed

seeing me graduate from law school.

(beat)

I think he would've liked that... an

awful lot.

SAM:

Did I ever tell you that I wrote a

paper on your father in college?

KAFFEE:

Yeah?

SAM:

He was one of the best trial lawyers

ever.

KAFFEE:

Yes he was.

SAM:

And if I were Dawson and Downey and

I had a choice between you or your

father to represent me in this case,

I'd take you any day of the week and

twice on Sunday. You should have

seen yourself thunder away at

Kendrick.

KAFFEE:

Would you put Jessep on the stand?

SAM:

No.

KAFFEE:

You think my father would've?

SAM:

With the evidence we've got? Not in

a million years. But here's the thing --

and there's really no way of getting

around this -- neither Lionel Kaffee

nor Sam Weinberg are lead counsel

for the defense in the matter of

U.S. versus Dawson and Downey. So

there's only one question. What would

you do?

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