American Sniper Page #7

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BIGGLES:

It’s a f***in graphic novel. Talk to me,

man. Did you pop your cherry?

A heaviness falls over Chris, then slowly-

CHRIS:

This kid didn’t even have hair on his

balls and his mom hands him a grenade--

sends him running off to kill Marines.

BIGGLES:

(sees his hurt)

You saw his balls?

(03.18.14) 36.

CHRIS:

It was evil, man. That was hate like I’ve

never seen it before.

BIGGLES:

That kid could’ve taken out ten Marines--

CHRIS:

(wrestling with it)

I know.

BIGGLES:

You did your job. End of f***in story.

CHRIS:

It’s just not how you imagine the first

one going down.

BIGGLES:

How about the other ones? What about the

other kills?

CHRIS:

The other ones-- were righteous. Like God

was blowing on my bullets.

He’s joking but not. Biggles smiles, jealous.

SNIPER SEQUENCE:

OVERWATCH:

CROSS-HAIRS land on INSURGENT WITH RIFLE; INSURGENT

PEEPING three times; INSURGENT BURYING IEDs. BAM-BAM-BAM.

ANOTHER SNIPER (OS)

--that you again Kyle?

CROSS-HAIRS are moving, no answer follows.

MARINE INTEL TRAILER

Chris is covered in dust, sitting in a small chair facing

two clean, well rested JAG OFFICERS.

JAG OFFICER:

Our task here is to make sure every kill

is a righteous kill and conforms to ROEs.

CHRIS:

By every kill, do you mean just our kills

or you’re monitoring the bad guys too?

(03.18.14) 37.

JAG OFFICER #2

Your scores at sniper school were average

at best, then you get here and you’re

just lighting the world on fire?

Chris opens a PLASTIC WATER BOTTLE, sips it, waits--

CHRIS:

Sorry, was that a question?

OVERWATCH:

Chris takes over for a MARINE SNIPER in a window.

MARINE SNIPER:

Haven’t seen sh*t all day. Maybe the war

is over and they forgot to tell us.

Chris settles in, still going through his ritual when AN

INSURGENT crosses the street with CAR BATTERY and AK-47.

CHRIS:

(keys mike)

I got a armed military-aged male moving

tactically with a car battery. Maybe he

needs a jump?

COMMANDING OFFICER (OS)

(over radio)

Negative. Bomb maker. Green-light.

Exhale, pause, pull. A SHOT RINGS OUT.

MARINE SNIPER (OS)

(just offstage)

--are you f***ing serious?

MARINE INTEL TRAILER

CHRIS scrunches that EMPTY WATER BOTTLE, gratingly, as

JAG OFFICERS continue the interrogation:

JAG OFFICER:

His wife said he was carrying a Koran.

CHRIS:

Well, I don’t know what a Koran looks

like but I can describe what he was

carrying-- it was pressed metal, fired

7.62s and looked just like an AK-47.

MESS HALL:

(03.18.14) 38.

CHRIS, BIGGLES, D and DAUBER enter. Eyes find them, heads

nodding to Chris, that the guy? Word spreading.

Biggles sees it, hops up on a chair-

BIGGLES:

Listen up ladies and genitals. The Legend

here would like you to know that when it

comes to sniping it’s better to be lucky

than good! Our boy here has a Texas

horseshoe crammed so far up his ass that-

Chris flings a cafeteria tray at his head.

56 EXT. ROOFTOP - DAWN 56

In murky predawn light, CHRIS sits on a SATELLITE PHONE-

TAYA (OS)

Have you killed anyone yet?

CHRIS:

That’s not how the call-home goes, babe.

TAYA (OS)

Don’t be weird with me. Seriously. I want

you to tell me everything.

Chris covers the phone as distant gunfire chatters.

INTER-CUT WITH:

57 INT. CHRIS & TAYA’S HOUSE, SAN DIEGO - SAME 57

TAYA sits in front of a partially assembled baby-crib

with a six month baby bump. She turns down the TV.

CHRIS:

There are things we can’t say over the

phone.

TAYA:

(playful)

You knocked me up and now I’m stuck here

by myself assembling baby-cribs and you

can’t talk to me? That’s the big plan?

HIS CROSS-HAIRS track across a distant rooftop. Socks

sway from a clothesline in a 5 knot breeze.

TAYA:

You guys almost done over there yet?

(03.18.14) 39.

CHRIS:

I can’t stop thinking about that pink

silky thing you wore on our honeymoon...

TAYA:

It’s called a nightgown.

CHRIS:

Yeah--

TAYA:

And three days is not a honeymoon.

CHRIS:

It was a good three days. I miss you bad.

TAYA:

(curls up in chair)

You want me to talk dirty to you?

CHRIS:

Yeah. But I got my gun in one hand and

the phone in the other-

TAYA:

Well, you’ll just have to decide what’s

more important.

CHRIS:

You’re horny preggers.

TAYA:

Fat and horny. It’s kinda disgusting.

CHRIS:

You could be 300 pounds I’d still do you.

She’s touched, hormonal, starts crying.

TAYA:

-So romantic.

CHRIS:

How’s my boy?

TAYA:

Nobody said it’s a boy--

CROSS-HAIRS TRACK INSURGENTS on the street; then linger

on a parked car, measuring distance by height-

CHRIS:

I can’t wait to see the way you are with

him. You’re gonna be incredible.

(03.18.14) 40.

TAYA:

(harbors doubt)

How do you know?

CHRIS:

I just know. I can see it.

TAYA:

I hope you’re right.

Her face falls as--TV NEWS shows the graphic of

“American Death Toll in Iraq.” The number is 835.

TAYA:

(suddenly)

Did your dad get hold of you?

CHRIS:

I haven’t checked any email.

CROSS-HAIRS follow insurgents as they slip out of view.

TAYA:

Sh*t. You need to call him. Hang up and-

CHRIS:

What happened?

TAYA:

I’m so selfish. I wasn’t even thinking-

CHRIS:

Taya.

TAYA:

Your little brother deployed.

CHRIS:

What happened to jump school? I thought-

TAYA:

He didn’t get in. Just call your dad-

CHRIS:

Deployed where? Where’s he going?

TAYA:

Over there. He’s headed to Iraq.

The news ricochets around inside him like razor blades.

TRANSITION TO:

(03.18.14) 41.

FIVE MEN IN BALACLAVAS stand over an AMERICAN HOSTAGE in

an orange jumpsuit. The thick Jihadist leader draws amachete to behead his hostage. VIDEO PAUSES.

COL. GRONSKI (OC)

The man with the blade is a Jordanian

radical funded by Bin Laden, trained byBin Laden and loyal to Bin Laden.

58 INT. OP BRIEF TENT - DAWN 58

COLONEL GRONSKI is an old-school bulldozer. 75 Marines

study an OLD PHOTO OF AL-ZARQAWI, bushy black eyebrows.

COL. GRONSKI

His name is “Zarqawi” and he is the

prince of al-Qaeda in Iraq. AQI, hismercenary army, are 5000 strong. They’re

trained well, paid well and waging theheaviest urban combat since Vietnam.

FIND CHRIS in back, scanning heads for his brother Jeff.

COL. GRONSKI

Zarqawi and his Lieutenants are ourhighest priority. Only way to root themout is to go house-to-house until we findthem, or someone who will reveal their

whereabouts. We need to clear ten

structures an hour. It’s aggressive so

we’ll loosen things up with air support-Chris

looks to Marc Lee, ten structures an hour?

59 EXT. CAMP FALLUJAH - MORNING 59

The sun hangs like a blood-clot in the sky. Chris and

Marc Lee are walking, TALKING LOW-

CHRIS:

These Marines rush in like they been

doing, they’ll get their asses shot off.

MARC LEE:

They’re Marines. They don’t get the

training we do. Half of them were

civilians six months ago.

Chris reacts, hearing him describing Jeff.

(03.18.14) 42.

CHRIS:

So let’s coach them up. I’ll show them

how Team Guys do it and lead a unit in

the street.

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