American Sniper Page #9

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AGENT SHEAD:

I guess that translates to “pay me” in

just about any language, doesn’t it?

CHRIS:

Yes sir, it does.

MARC LEE:

And you’re the secret squirrel with the

cash, right?

AGENT SHEAD:

(not amused)

When you were having tea with Sheik al-

Obedie did he tell you he ran a network

of highway bandits before AQI moved in?

CHRIS KYLE:

He left that part out.

AGENT SHEAD:

That’s AQI’s racket now. Your Sheik got

edged out. This could be blowback.

CHRIS:

Or he could be upset The Butcher cut off

his wife’s hand. Either way, seems like

you’d wanna explore it.

Shead would rather not enter into this with them but--

he slides a white-board to reveal an AQI HIERARCHY.

AGENT SHEAD:

This is your guy here.

(points to photo directly

under Zarqawi)

We believe The Butcher is Zarqawi’s

number two man.

THE BUTCHER is a squat, rawboned man with eyebrows

forming a grizzled line over dark bloodshot eyes.

CHRIS:

But you don’t know his real name or you’d

have it written up there.

(03.18.14) 49.

AGENT SHEAD:

We have several aliases--

(picks up phone, dialing)

If “Fanus” is legit we go see the Sheik.

MARC LEE:

He’s asking for 100,000.

AGENT SHEAD:

If he delivers the Butcher he’ll get it.

(into phone)

This is Agent Shead, DIA, I need a name

check on “Amir Khalaf Fanus.” I’ll wait.

He kicks his feet up, like he runs the war.

CHRIS:

If we’re going back out, TEAM 3 could

pull security-

AGENT SHEAD:

If we’re humping money the head-shed will

want contractors on it.

(into phone)

I’m here. What do you got?

He listens a beat. His feet hit the floor. Eyes flick up.

66 INT. HUMVEE #2 - TWO DAYS LATER 66

An object thumps beneath the tires. SECURITY CONTRACTORS

wear baseball caps, Oakley blades and grizzled beards.

CONTRACTOR:

Road-kill.

They sit on benches opposite CHRIS and MARC LEE, a shrink-

wrapped PALLET OF CASH between them. AGENT SHEAD sits

closest the driver, playing big-dick with the mercs.

AGENT SHEAD:

The Butcher is Zarqawi’s enforcer. They

say his weapon of choice is a drill.

Chris looks to Marc Lee, eyes closed in prayer. When he

opens them he sees Chris looking. The rig sways.

MARC LEE:

I went to seminary school before I joined

the Navy. Came close to being a preacher.

CHRIS:

Why didn’t you?

(03.18.14) 50.

MARC LEE:

I love to gamble, man. Love those dice.

Their laughter is liberating. It bonds them.

CHRIS:

My kind of preacher.

MORE LAUGHTER. A PHONE RINGS. Chris digs out a SAT PHONE.

MARC LEE:

It’s like that now, huh?

CHRIS KYLE:

You haven’t heard? I’m The Legend.

(laughs at self; into phone)

Hey babe-

TAYA (OS)

You were right, doctor says it’s a boy.

CHRIS KYLE:

It’s a boy!

MARC LEE:

Hell yeah. Congratu-

WHAAP! Windshield spiders. CONTRACTOR/DRIVER’S brains

spackle them. THE HUMVEE CRASHES into a storefront.

RADIATOR HISSING, CONTRACTORS SCREAMING, “Call for

backup” “Capel is down” “Dump the truck, cover us.”

67 EXT. MEDICAL PLAZA, SAN DIEGO - DAY 67

A crowded quad. TAYA, ON THE PHONE, stops in her tracks.

TAYA:

Chris!-

EXT. CITY SQUARE/ STREET

Looted shops, burnt awnings, colorful signage. MARC LEE

and CHRIS pile out. THE SAT PHONE falls in the dirt.

MARC LEE:

I heard one shot.

CHRIS KYLE:

Check. Large caliber. Came in at an

angle, gotta be 300 or more out-

(03.18.14) 51.

They duck into a bomb-blasted storefront. They’re looking

downrange from the jagged orifice when-- A SHOT THUNKS

into a painted Leo DiCaprio billboard overhead.

MARC LEE:

(ducks back)

He’s all over us. You get a bead?

CHRIS KYLE:

Negative-

AGENT SHEAD (OC)

Transfer the pallet. We’re pulling back.

68 INT. DISTANT MINARET 68

MUSTAFA sprawled on the balcony. PUSH past the swoosh of

Nikes, up dark robes, along the cut of an unshaven cheek-

MUSTAFA SCOPE POV

UNIQUE CROSS-HAIRS wobble past CHRIS and MARC LEE’S

position to CONTRACTORS SCRAMBLING SHEAD into the street.

Mirage boils straight up. A breath exhales-

69 INT. STOREFRONT 69

A BULLET SMOKES through CONTRACTOR #1, ejecting half his

vertebrae. CONTRACTORS SCRAMBLING-

CHRIS:

Minaret, 11 o’clock!

AGENT SHEAD:

(from Humvee)

There’s no room. We’ll come back for you-

Agent Shead and Contractors pull away in Humvee #2.

An INSURGENT GUNNER steps from a door just uprange,

BLASTING ROUNDS at the retreating vehicle.

CHRIS:

You got eyes on that?

MARC LEE:

Negative.

Their cover prevents line-of-sight. Chris reaches his

rifle out ADJUSTING A SIDE-MIRROR on the crashed Humvee-

UPRANGE (IN REFLECTION)

(03.18.14) 52.

THE BUTCHER drags OMAR from Sheikh Al-Obeidi’s home by

his hair. The boy’s strange screams echo down the block

as the Butcher revs a hand drill near his face-

CHRIS:

Eyes on The Butcher. He’s got that

Sheikh’s kid in the street--

TWO INSURGENTS holds Sheik Al-Obeidi in the doorway as-

A SNIPER ROUND SHATTERS the Humvee mirror.

CHRIS:

F***!-

MARC LEE:

(into radio)

--requesting back-up. We’re pinned down

taking sniper fire on approach of high-

value target, GRID 04536236. Over.

Chris tries to edge around the wall-- PHWAAAP! The wall

explodes above his head. He turns to the room. Debris

blocks a back-door. No way out.

MARC LEE:

We’re on the wrong end of this.

CHRIS:

I’m gonna pop smoke for cover but don’t

move till I say.

Chris tosses smoke. A haze clouds the exit-

CHRIS:

Hold.

The drill revs. Omar is screaming. Smoke spewing.

MARC LEE:

We gotta go-

CHRIS:

Holding! Hold...

A SHOT RINGS OUT, CHUNKS CONCRETE near the exit.

CHRIS:

Move now. Go-

They slip out the storefront, around the building-

MARC LEE:

How you know he’d wait-

(03.18.14) 53.

CHRIS:

Cause I’d wait.

In the smoky haze, A SAT PHONE in the dirt-

70 EXT. MEDICAL PLAZA, SAN DIEGO 70

TAYA listens for gunfire as the lunch crowd teems past.

TAYA:

(sobbing, into phone)

Chris-

CAMERA CIRCLES HER as her world comes unhinged. On the

next revolution the scenery changes and-

MUSTAFA POV / FROM MINARET

CROSS-HAIRS TRACK past the doorway where-

SHEIKH AL-OBEIDI

Is held back by INSURGENT GUNMEN, weeping and pleading-

THE BUTCHER:

He powers up the drill and drives it into Omar’s thigh.

OMAR SCREAMS and pitches, shrieking for help-

ALLEY:

Chris and Marc racing down an alley, approaching stairs-CHRIS

Go around. I’ll go high.

Chris bounds up the stairs. Marc Lee keeps running-

ROOFTOP:

CHRIS runs onto the exposed rooftop, running into-- A DOG

SNAPS at him, BARKING and rabid, chained to a US sig M

60. He dives away from it, crouching behind the wall.

SNIPER POV / IN MINARET

CROSS-HAIRS FIND the barking dog, then CHRIS’ BOOT.

THE BUTCHER:

Powers up the drill, THE BUZZING rings over his words-

(03.18.14) 54.

THE BUTCHER:

(in Arabic)

You talk to them, you die with them.

He steps on Omar’s neck, lowers the drill toward his jaw.

CHRIS:

Hears the drill and Omar’s screams. He’ll be exposed but--

HE POPS UP to shoot The Butcher. Before he can get set-

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