A Few Good Men Page #8

MARKINSON starts to stand --

JESSEP:

(continuing)

Matthew, siddown.

(beat)

We go back a while. We went to the

Academy together, we were commissioned

together, we did our tours in Vietnam

together. But I've been promoted up

through the chain with greater speed

and success than you have. Now if

that's a source of tension or

embarrassment for you, well, I don't

give a sh*t. We're in the business

of saving lives, Captain Markinson.

Don't ever question my orders in

front of another officer.

JESSEP grabs his hat and walks out, leaving MARKINSON sitting

all alone, and we

CUT TO:

EXT. WASHINGTON NAVY YARD - MAIN GATE - DAY

It's maybe a little hazier today than it was yesterday. An

M.P. is waving a procession of three Military Police sedans

and a fourth unmarked car through the gate. The cars drive

through and we

CUT TO:

EXT. THE BRIG - DAY

Another red-brick building. A few M.P.Is stand out front as

the cars pull up. As soon as they come to a stop, all the

doors swing open and various uniformed and non-uniformed

officers hop out and move to the unmarked sedan where they

escort DAWSON and DOWNEY, in handcuffs, out of the car.

HAROLD DAWSON's a handsome, young, black corporal. Intense,

controlled, and utterly professional.

LOUDEN DOWNEY's a 19-year-old kid off an Iowa farm. He's

happiest when someone is telling him exactly what to do.

DAWSON's his hero.

The two prisoners stand still for a moment. They might as

we'll be in Oz.

DOWNEY:

Hal?

DAWSON doesn't say anything.

DOWNEY:

(continuing)

Is this Washington, D.C.?

M.P.

Alright, let's move.

CUT TO:

EXT. SOFTBALL FIELD - DAY

and KAFFEE's at it again.

KAFFEE:

Alright, let's get tough out there!

JO walks up from behind the backstop.

JO:

Excuse me.

KAFFEE:

You want to suit up? We need all the

help we can get.

JO:

No, thank you, I can't throw and

catch things.

KAFFEE:

That's okay, neither can they.

JO:

I wanted to talk to you about Corporal

Dawson and Private Downey.

KAFFEE:

Say again?

JO:

Dawson and Downey.

KAFFEE:

(beat)

Those names sound like they should

mean something to me, but I'm just

not --

JO:

Dawson! Downey! Your clients!

KAFFEE:

The Cuba thing! Yes! Dawson and

Downey.

(beat)

Right.

(pause)

I've done something wrong again,

haven't I?

JO:

I was wondering why two guys have

been in a jail cell since this morning

while their lawyer is outside hitting

a ball.

KAFFEE:

We need the practice.

JO:

That wasn't funny.

KAFFEE:

It was a little funny.

JO:

Lieutenant, would you feel very

insulted if I recommended to your

supervisor that he assign different

counsel?

KAFFEE:

Why?

JO:

I don't think you're fit to handle

this defense.

KAFFEE:

You don't even know me. Ordinarily

it takes someone hours to discover

I'm not fit to handle a defense.

Jo just stares.

KAFFEE:

(continuing)

Oh come on, that was damn funny.

Jo moves close to KAFFEE to say this with a degree of

confidentiality.

JO:

I do know you. Daniel AlliStair

Kaffee, born June 8th, 1964 at Boston

Mercy Hospital. Your father's Lionel

Kaffee, former Navy Judge Advocate

and Attorney General, of the United

States, died 1985. You went to Harvard

Law on a Navy scholarship, probably

because that's what your father wanted

you to do, and now you're just

treading water for the three years

you've gotta serve in the JAG Corps,

just kinda layin' low til you can

get out and get a real job. And if

that's the situation, that's fine, I

won't tell anyone. But my feeling is

that if this case is handled in the

same fast-food, slick-ass, Persian

Bazaar manner with which you seem to

handle everything else, something's

gonna get missed. And I wouldn't be

doing my job if I allowed Dawson and

Downey to spend any more time in

prison than absolutely necessary,

because their attorney had pre-

determined the path of least

resistance.

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