Apocalypse Now Page #14

GUNNER:

Wake up the Roach.

The Spotter moves down to where a tall lanky SOLDIER is

leaned up against the trench. He kicks him hard several

times. Roach wakes and just looks up. On his helmet are

the words:
"GOD BLESS DOW."

ROACH:

Yeah, man.

SPOTTER:

Slope in the wire -- hear him.

He listens, he does, he nods.

SPOTTER:

(continuing)

Bust him.

Roach gets up somewhat annoyed but very cool. He saunters

up the machine gun dragging his M-79 which has paisley

designs all over it.

GUNNER:

Hear him?

ROACH:

Sure , yeah.

GUNNER:

You need a flare --

ROACH:

No, it´s cool.

He opens the breech of his shotgun-like weapon and plunks

the big slug into it. He snaps it closed then rests it

across his forearm over the trench -- he listens to the

SCREAM, calculating.

ROACH:

(continuing)

He's close -- real close.

He adjusts his sights so that the gun is aimed high into

the air. He listens again then FIRES. The GRENADE

WHISTLES off into the night. There is a sharp EXPLOSION

that cuts off the scream. Then the THUD of bodies or

pieces of bodies coming down around them.

ROACH:

(continuing)

Muhhh Fuhhh ...

He staggers back down the trench to go to sleep.

131 FULL SHOT - P.B.R. - BRIDGE - CLEAN, CHEF

They stand in the shallows waiting for Willard and Lance.

Clean is nervous, he constantly checks his M-16. SHELLS

WHISTLE by and CRASH in the distance.

CHEF:

Geez, I wish they'd hurry.

A SOLDIER comes up on his way with some others to start

building the bridge.

SOLDIER:

Hey, buddy, that boat still runs,

eh?

CLEAN:

Yeah, it still runs.

SOLDIER:

Do me a favor buddy, please.

CLEAN:

What is it?

He takes out a handful of crumpled envelopes.

SOLDIER:

Send these out when you get back

to the world.

He puts them in Clean's hand.

SOLDIER:

(continuing)

It's to everyone I really knew --

the first girl I screwed -- my

brother -- best friend -- I wanted

to tell 'em how much I enjoyed

knowing 'em -- it's been a great

twenty years. I gotta let 'em

know.

CLEAN:

What're you askin' me for -- put

'em in the first helicopter comes

in tomorrow.

SOLDIER:

Nobody comes in here.

He points up at the mountain ridges.

SOLDIER:

(continuing)

The N.V.A. 312th -- over there

the 307th -- on that hill we

counted fourteen different guns

in one minute -- they got rockets

mortars, snipers in those trees,

there's a million of those shitty

little bastards out there -- we're

all gonna die.

He grabs Clean and looks at him with a maniacal urgency.

SOLDIER:

(continuing)

I'm gonna be dead.

Clean takes the letters.

SOLDIER:

(continuing)

You got a chance in that boat --

by morning you could be five miles

down the river.

CLEAN:

We ain't goin' down the river.

The Soldier looks at him as if he is joking.

CLEAN:

(continuing)

What's up river from here anyhow --

The Soldier doesn't answer, just stares dumbfounded.

SOLDIER:

Spooky.

CLEAN:

Charlie?

SOLDIER:

No, it'd be spooky without the war

-- give 'em back.

He takes the letters and leaves, somewhat disappointed and

disgusted. Willard and Lance come back down the beach

carrying some belts of ammunition and a couple of extra

M-16's.

CHIEF:

Wow, you must a found the C.O., eh?

WILLARD:

We found some bodies -- let's get

out a here.

132 FULL SHOT - DIFFERENT ANGLE - P.B.R.

They edge through the shallows as the men light up their

welding torches to start work on the pontoon bridge --

then pull away and accelerate fast.

133 MED. SHOT - THE P.B.R. CREW

The Chief is at the helm -- they all look back in the

distance where the bridge was -- the hills flash with

artillery discharges -- there is a fiery glow from the

bridge area and the CONCUSSION of heavy EXPLOSIONS.

DISSOLVE TO :

134 EXT. FULL SHOT - P.B.R. - CREW - RAIN

The boat moves uneasily upriver, through this tropical

downpour. Mr. Clean is in thef.g., oiling and cleaning

his 50-cal, his M-11 and M-79 -- the rest of the crew are

forward, taking shelter from the rain under the canvas

canopy. Clean works methodically under an umbrella he was

set up by leaning the surfboard against gun mount.

135 EXT. THE RUSHING RIVER - NEW VIEW - RAIN

The river is moving fast against them. all manner of de-

bris; tree trunks, sweeping by the P.B.R.

CHIEF:

(to Willard)

I can't see a f***ing thing.

There is a loud CRACKING SOUND, as one of the pieces of

tree- trunk whacks the hull, and bounces off. Willard

climbs forward, and looks down.

CHIEF:

(continuing)

We hit a big enough one this

hull will shatter like a Corvette.

F***ing plastic boat.

Willard practically hangs off forward with a long pole,

warding off the big debris moving toward the P.B.R. Clean

joins him, helping.

WILLARD:

(shouting to Chief)

What about ducking into one of

those tributaries till this river

slows down?

CHIEF:

Who knows what's up there?

WILLARD:

Can't be any worse than this.

What do you think?

CHIEF:

I think this river wants to take

us home fast. I'm practically

goin' in reverse.

Willard points his pole in the direction of the mouth

of a tributary.

WILLARD:

Well, get in there.

CHIEF:

This whole area is lousy with

V.C. -- We don't stand a chance.

Lemme turn around and we'll be

in Hau Fat in six minutes.

There is a really loud WHACK against the hull. willard

really mad, throws the pole at the Chief, who ducks.

WILLARD:

Get in there !

CHIEF:

This is my crew and my f***ing

boat, and I'm the responsible

party.

WILLARD:

Get in there now or I'll bury

you in this river.

It's clear that Willard will kill the Chief if he doesn't

do as he says.

CHIEF:

(finally relents,

turns the helm)

You're f***ing crazy. You're

going to get us all killed.

The P.B.R. navigates through the rush and into the mouth

of the tributary.

DISSOLVE TO :

136 EXT. THE TRIBUTARY - P.B.R. - RAIN

Rain is pouring down, but the P.B.R. is slowed down to a

snail's pace by Hyacinths, literally across the

waterway.

Willard, Chef and Clean in the water, cutting through

them with machetes.

137 VIEW ON LANCE

having climbed to the highest point of the cockpit.

LANCE:

It breaks through in about

twenty feet.

138 VIEW ON WILLARD

cutting through. he looks to Chef, who has stopped cut-

ting, and is staring into the jungle.

WILLARD:

What do you see?

CHEF:

I don't know.

He looks out -- the jungle at this point is very dark

and high -- totally impenetrable.

WILLARD:

Keep cutting.

They work feverishly, knowing something is wrong.

139 VIEW ON CHEF

cutting with all he's got.

CHEF:

I know it sounds stupid, but I

feel like the goddamn jungle's

watching us.

WILLARD:

Probably is.

CHEF:

Whatdoya think it thinks.

WILLARD:

That we're dumber than we look.

Chef stops again, looks hard, trying to penetrate the

darkness and from the very depth of it -- the darkness of

it, comes a stream of tracers, lazily arching out at them.

It whips between them -- the SOUND FOLLOWING much later.

Other BULLETS SMASH through and ricochet off the deck

fittings. GLASS SHATTERS, and a huge hunk of paint is

removed from the armor shield by a 20 mm cannon.

CHIEF:

Lance -- 'bout twenty meters

starboard.

Lance leaps down to his position. Willard, Clean and Chef

cut feverishly, as the trapped boat struggles to get free.

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