Apocalypse Now Page #3

The officer smiles at this.

COLONEL:

Then you can appreciate Command's

concern over their -- shall we say

'erratic' methods of operation.

(pause)

I have never favored elite units,

Captain, including your paratroopers

or whatever. Just because a man

jumps out of an airplane or wears

a silly hat doesn't give him any

priviliges in my book -- not in

this man's army.

MAJOR:

We didn't need 'em in Korea --

no sir, give me an Ohio farm boy

and an M-1 Garand, none of this

fancy crap -- no sir.

CIVILIAN:

(stopping him)

Major.

COLONEL:

We have Special Forces A

detachments all along the

Cambodian border. Two here and

another one here -- twelve or

fourteen Americans -- pretty

much on their own; they train

and motivate Montagnard natives;

pick their own operations. If

they need something, they call

for it, and get it within

reason. What we're concerned

with is here.

10 CLOSE VIEW - ON THE MAP

COLONEL:

The A detachment at Nu Mung Ba.

It was originally a larger base,

built up along the river in an

old Cambodian fortress.

The area has been relatively

quiet for the past two years --

but --

11 MED VIEW

COLONEL:

... Captain, we know something's

going on up there -- Major --

The Major looks at some papers in front of him.

MAJOR:

Communications naturally dwindled

with the lack of V.C. activity,

this is routine, expected ... but

six months ago communication

virtually stopped.

COLONEL:

About the same time -- large numbers

of Montagnards of the M'Nong descent

began leaving the area -- this in

itself is not unusual since these

people have fought with the Rhade

Tribe that lived in the area for

centuries. But what is unusual is

that we began to find Rhade refugees

too -- in the same sampans as the

M'Nongs. These people aren't afraid

of V.C. They've put up with war

for twenty years -- but something

is driving them out.

MAJOR:

We communicate with the base

infrequently. What they call for

are air strikes, immediate --

always at night. And we don't

know what or who the air strikes

are called on.

WILLARD:

Who ?

MAJOR:

You see, no one has really gone

into this area and come back alive.

WILLARD:

Why me ?

MAJOR:

Walter Kurtz, Lieutenant Colonel,

Special Forces. We understand

you knew him.

He puts Kurtz' dossier in Willard's hand.

WILLARD:

Yeah.

COLONEL:

He's commanding the detachment

at Nu Mung Ba.

The Colonel gets up and walks over to a tape recorder,

flicks it on. The recording is first STATIC -- the

AIR CONTROLLER then asks for more information on target

coordinates -- it all sounds very routine, military.

Then a frantic VOICE comes on, talking slurred, like

someone dumb, except very fast.

VOICE (ON TAPE)

Up 2 -- 0 -- give it to me quick --

Mark flare -- affirmative damn --

Immediate receive -- hearing

automatic weapons fire man ...

GUNFIRE is HEARD and a lower, slower VOICE in background.

SECOND VOICE:

Blue Delta five

This Big Rhine -- three

Need that ordinance immediately

Goddamn give it to me immediate

Christ -- Big Rhino --

Blue God -- Delta damn -- goddamn.

A heavy BURST of AUTOMATIC WEAPONS FIRE -- INSANE LAUGHTER

-- STATIC, and faintly, very faintly we HEAR HARD ROCK

MUSIC -- more STATIC -- suddenly a low, clear VOICE

peaceful and serene, almost tasting the words.

THIRD VOICE:

This is Big Rhino six -- Blue Delta.

MAJOR:

That's Colonel Kurtz.

KURTZ (V.O.)

I want that napalm dropped in the

trees -- spread it among the

branches.

We'll give you a flare -- an

orange one -- bright orange.

(STATIC)

We'd also like some white phosporous,

Blue Delta. White phosporous, give

it to me.

STATIC interrupts -- the Major turns the machine off.

WILLARD:

I only met Kurtz once.

CIVILIAN:

Would he remember you ?

WILLARD:

Maybe.

COLONEL:

What was your impression of him ?

Willard shrugs.

CIVILIAN:

You didn't like him.

WILLARD:

Anyone got a cigarette.

The Major offers him one; they wait as he lights up, thinks.

WILLARD:

(continuing)

I thought he was a lame.

COLONEL:

A lame ?

WILLARD:

This is years ago, before he

joined Special Forces, I guess.

We had an argument.

COLONEL:

About what ?

WILLARD:

I don't know. He was a lame,

that's all.

COLONEL:

But why ?

WILLARD:

He couldn't get through a

sentence without all these

big words; about why we kill.

COLONEL:

Well, he's killing now.

WILLARD:

Maybe.

CIVILIAN:

What does that mean ?

WILLARD:

Maybe it's not Kurtz. I don't

believe he's capable of that.

I just don't believe it.

COLONEL:

It's got to be Kurtz.

CIVILIAN:

The point is that Kurtz or

somebody attacked a South

Vietnamese Ranger Platoon three

days ago. Last week a Recon

helicopter was lost in the area --

another took heavy damage --

direct fire from their base

camp.

WILLARD:

Our Recon flight ?

CIVILIAN:

Ours.

WILLARD:

Touchy.

CIVILIAN:

You can see, of course, the

implications, if any of this --

even rumours leaked out.

WILLARD:

You want me to clean it up --

simple and quiet.

CIVILIAN:

Exactly -- you'll go up the

Nung River in a Navy P.B.R. --

appear at Nu Mung Ba as if by

accident, re-establish your

acquintance with Colonel Kurtz,

find out what's happened -- and

why. Then terminate his command.

WILLARD:

Terminate ?

CIVILIAN:

Terminate with extreme prejudice.

12 FULL VIEW - ON THE DELTA

A waterway leading out to the ocean -- it is broken and

divided into hundreds of channels, islands, water farms.

A Navy patrol boat (P.B.R.) is waiting by a dock area.

This is small, light craft, very fast, and heavily

armed. Its men stand at attention in a small and simple

military ceremony. Willard approaches them in battle-

dress:
Tiger suit, full field pack, forty-five, helmet,

M-16. The boat commander salutes Willard.

13 MED. VIEW

We hear the introductions faintly, UNDER Willard's VOICE.

WILLARD (V.O.)

I met the P.B.R. crew; they were

pretty much all kids, except for

Phillips, the Chief -- Gunner's

Mate Third Class L. Johnson --

Lance Johnson; Gunner's Mate

Third Class J. Hicks -- The Chef --

Radio Operator Second Class T.

Miller; they called him Mr. Clean.

WILLARD:

Chief, try to keep out of where

we're going -- Why we're goin' and

what's gonna be the big surprise.

CHIEF:

All right with me, I used to drive

a taxi.

WILLARD:

Let's go.

The Chief nods. They all break formation and jump aboard

and otherwise go about their work.

The twin diesels kick up -- and t he boat moves away from

the dock. The Chef jumps aboard; Lance mans the forward

twin fifty-caliber machine guns -- they wave to the guards

on the dock and move away into the complexity that leads

to the ocean.

DISSOLVE TO :

14 FULL VIEW - STORMY SEA

The boat slams through the heavy sea ; hurtling off the

top of a wave and crashing full into the trough of another.

15 MED. SHOT - BOAT COCKPIT - WILLARD AND CHIEF

Willard holds on to whatever he can -- he looks very pale.

Water crashes over the bow and drenches everyone. The

Chief mans the wheel and the ENGINES WHINE. Lance climbs

back from his position. He looks at Willard, who just

stares ahead into space, swallowing.

DISSOLVE TO :

16 LONG SHOT - BOAT DUSK

The dusk is spectacular through the broken storm clouds --

the sea is calm again.

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