American Shaolin Page #20

The scroll that is in this box is more precious than life. Guard it well.

He looks down at the man, who is about to lose it.

DREW:

What the heck...

Drew reaches down for the man's hand, letting the box fall.

Their hands meet, and Drew pulls him up.

ANGLE ON BOX:

As it spins down into the abyss.

ANGLE ON DREW AND MAN

As Drew pulls him up onto his back, and carries him up the rope to the other side of the gorge.

INT. MAN'S HOUSE – SAME DAY

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF DREW EATING WITH THE MAN HE SAVED.

They look at each other and smile, but Drew is anything but happy.

DREW:

What am I going to tell the arhat?

EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE – SAME DAY

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF DREW WALKING UP THE PATH TO THE ARHAT'S CAVE.

There is no bounce to his step, and he is dreading this audience.

EXT. ARHAT HUT – EVENING

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF ARHAT HUT.

Drew walks up to the entrance, looks around. He doesn't see anyone. He walks into the hut.

INT. ARHAT HUT – EVENING

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF HUT AS DREW WALKS INTO THE HUT – NO ONE IS AROUND.

He walks through the rooms, looking at all the books and scrolls littered around the room.

DREW:

Maybe he won't miss one little scroll...

He shakes his head and starts for the front door.

EXT. ARHAT HUT – SAME EVENING

DREW COMES OUT OF THE HUT AND WALKS AROUND TO THE AREA BEHIND THE HUT, HIGH UP ON THE MOUNTAIN.

The view is incredible. Drew stands looking at the view, and slowly becomes aware of a figure sitting on the ground near him.

He looks down, and it is the ARHAT!

DREW:

Master! I apologize, I did not see you.

The Arhat says nothing, but just puts out his hand for the scroll. Drew bows again, and gets down on his knees.

DREW (CONT'D)

I failed, Master. A person was in danger...

The Arhat holds up his hand, and Drew stops talking.

DREW (CONT'D)

Of course, you're right. No excuses...

Drew bows once more and is ready to leave. The Arhat reaches into his robes and pulls out the embroidered box that Drew was given at the temple.

DREW (CONT'D)

You have it? How?

The Arhat holds up the box in front of Drew for a moment, then tears it in two with his hands, scattering the pieces to the winds.

DREW (CONT'D)

So, I didn't fail, huh?

(beat)

I can ask my question, then?

The Arhat sits without moving or speaking. Drew takes that as a yes.

DREW (CONT'D)

What is the meaning of life?

The Arhat ponders that for a moment, then smiles and puts his sandles on his head and stands up.

ARHAT:

What is life? What is reality? The head of a dead cat.

He walks off, leaving Drew sitting there, dumbstruck by the answer.

DREW:

(smiling ruefully)

I just climbed a mountain to ask a loon about the meaning of life.

He shakes his head and gets up, following the Arhat. The Arhat is standing on the other side of his hut, the sandles still on his head.

ARHAT:

For forty years, Shaolin disciples have made their quest to deliver a scroll to me. You are not Chinese.

DREW:

No. American.

ARHAT:

I notice the littlest details.

DREW:

How many succeeded?

ARHAT:

A handful. You chose correctly. Nothing is more precious than human life.

DREW:

But, I didn't obey.

ARHAT:

(smiling slightly)

At the beginning of your training, you were to obey without question. Now, as you become a Shaolin, you must learn to question everything, and obey yourself.

Drew and the monk bow to each other, the sunset over the mountain in the b.g.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. ARHAT HUT – NEXT MORNING

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF DREW COMING OUT OF THE HUT, HAVING JUST GOTTEN UP.

The Arhat is already out there, moving through his gong fu moves.

DREW:

I have to leave. What is the easiest way to get back to the temple.

ARHAT:

The bus.

Drew laughs at the crazy reply and starts for the mountain path that brought him to the hut. The Arhat runs after him, grabs his sleeve and pulls him over to a place behind his hut.

DREW'S POV OF A ROAD BEHIND THE ARHAT'S HUT

A road! After all he went through to get there?

ARHAT (CONT'D)

Bus stops every 20 min., will take you straight to the temple.

Drew smiles and shakes his head, then bows to the Arhat.

The Arhat returns the bow.

DREW:

Thank you, Master.

ARHAT:

They should give you a bus schedule with that map...

He walks off to the hut, while Drew makes his way down to the bus stop.

EXT. SHAOLIN TEMPLE – DAY

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF DREW WALKING BACK INTO THE TEMPLE.

He is dirty, weary but triumphant. As he walks back through the temple to San De's chambers to report, he sees a group of people walking out the other way.

The group is made up of the thugs who attacked him, the woman by the lake, and the man from the bridge. They are talking together on their way out.

ANGLE ON DREW:

Smiling as he realizes that it was all a test – every moment of it.

EXT. TRAINING AREA – DAY

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF DREW AND THE DISCIPLES TRAINING.

They are expert fighters now, and they move through the complicated routines with ease.

ANGLE ON DREW FLYING THROUGH THE AIR

Hitting the ground and rolling, then coming up and throwing a shuriken at a target.

The throwing star hits the target dead center.

ANGLE ON DREW:

Manipulating the spear like a master.

ANGLE ON DREW:

Up on the poles again. Only this time, squared off against him is Li. They move from pole to pole, throwing kicks and punches at each other.

EXT. FARM – DAY

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF THE GROUP OF DISCIPLES STANDING UNDER THE SWELTERING SUMMER SUN IN FRONT OF A RUN DOWN FARM BUILDING.

The D.S. is standing in front of them.

DREW:

We've got to rebuild this?

D.S.

No.

(beat)

Tear it down.

Smiles grow on the faces of the disciples. They rush into the building.

FOLLOWING MONTAGE SECTION

Different shots of the monks tearing the building apart with kicks and punches. Shots of Drew, Gao and Li kicking through walls, through doors, through windows, etc. Some the three of them destroy together, others are seperate. Several shots of disciples as they concentrate on particularly difficult things, using their chi, smashing the bricks and wood apart. They are destroying the building, and they are having a GREAT TIME!

(NOTE:
Great place for HOT song over this scene)

EXT. TRAINING AREA – DAY

TIGHT SHOT OF DREW'S ARM

PULL BACK TO REVEAL Drew standing there, calmly, while two full-sized disciples hang off his arm.

EXT. TEMPLE – NIGHT

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF DREW WALKING THROUGH THE COURTYARDS OF THE TEMPLE.

He is going nowhere in particular, just walking and thinking.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, comes the staff and the ATTACK.

Drew calmly avoids the first few strikes, blocks a couple more, then grabs the staff and PULLS.

Out comes the D.S. into the night on the other end of the staff. He looks proudly at Drew.

ANGLE ON D.S.

As he smiles and bows in respect to Drew.

Drew returns his bow.

EXT. SHAOLIN TEMPLE – DAY

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF SAN DE WRITING BOLD, BLACK CALLIGRAPHY ON A BARE WHITE PAPER.

The CAMERA follows the sweeping brush, as it ends with a FLOURISH. The CAMERA PULLS BACK TO REVEAL the temple courtyard, where San De and the D.S. are standing in front of the group of disciples.

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