Apocalypse Now Redux Page #12

ANGLE ON KILGORE, HOLDING A MEGAPHONE

watching the surfers. JETS SCREAM overhead, FIRING CANNONS.

Helicopters wheel by carrying out wounded.

WILLARD:

Goddamnit! Don't you think it's a

little risky for R and R?

KILGORE:

If I say it's safe to surf this

beach Captain, it's safe to surf

this beach! I mean, I'm not afraid

to surf this place! I'll surf

this f***ing place!

He rips off his shirt and scarf.

KILGORE:

(to soldier)

Give me that R-T, soldier.

(into radio)

Dove Four, this is Big Duke Six.

Goddamnit, I want that tree line

bombed!

BOMBER PILOT (OVER RADIO)

Big Duke Six, Roger. Dove One-

Three, stand by.

KILGORE (O.S.)

(into radio)

Bomb them into the stone age, son.

He throws the R-T back to the soldier. We SEE from among

the Vietnamese prisoners being herded, a woman running,

covered with blood, carrying a bloody baby. She is trying

to offer it up to the colonel, but a soldier is dutifully

trying to keep away from him.

SOLDIER:

No, ma'am, no!

KILGORE:

Let me take care of this now.

(indicates soldier's

rifle)

Get that out of here!

Kilgore intercedes, pushing the soldier's rifle away.

KILGORE:

(to woman)

Come here, now. All right. Sorry,

you can't go!

He takes the wounded baby in his hands, tenderly, and calls

a soldier over.

KILGORE:

Jimmy!

ANGLE ON "LOC" SPOTTER PLANE IN THE SKY

LOC (OVER RADIO)

Hawk One-Two, Dove One-Three.

They need some napalm down there.

Can you put it there?

FIGHTER PILOT (OVER RADIO)

Right, One-Three. We're fixed to

f*** with them.

LOC (OVER RADIO)

Trying to suppress some mortar

fire off the tree line down there.

FIGHTER PILOT (OVER RADIO)

Roger. Here we come.

LOC (OVER RADIO)

Good. Give it all you got and

bring in all your ships. Wing

abreast.

KILGORE:

(to Jimmy)

Tell them to get my chopper, get

back to the hospital.

He hands the baby to the soldier. Woman protests.

KILGORE:

No, no . You've got to go with

him. Go! Go!

(to soldier)

Get it out of here! And tell my

guys I want my board!

LOC (OVER RADIO)

Big Duke Six, this is Dove One-

Three. The jets are inbound now.

They got about thirty seconds to

bomb station. Get your people

back. This is gonna be a big one.

Kilgore returns to Lance, who is cowering in a foxhole

with Willard.

KILGORE:

Don't worry. We'll have this place

cleaned up in a jiffy, son. Give

me those shorts.

He turns to his aide, who hands him a pair of Air-Cav

trunks.

KILGORE:

(to Lance)

These are from the Air-Cav, a

present from me and the boys. I

wanna see you do your stuff out

there.

Jets break the trees, we HEAR the EXPLOSIONS of 20mm

CANNONS, and then the entire tree line ERUPTS INTO FIRE

with an immense amount of napalm.

Kilgore stands there, hands on hips, looking at the burning

jungle in the distance.

KILGORE:

You smell that? Do you smell that?

LANCE:

What?

KILGORE:

(pointing to trees)

Napalm, son. Nothing else in the

world smells like that.

(crouches down)

I love the smell of napalm in the

morning. You know, one time we

had a hill bombed for twelve

hours...and when it was all over,

I walked up. We didn't find one

of them, not one stinking dink

body. The smell, you know that

gasoline smell? The whole hill-

smelled like-victory.

He looks of nostalgically. A shell comes in and HITS in

the background. Willard and the soldiers react; Kilgore

ignores it.

KILGORE:

Someday this war's gonna end.

A tremendous sadness enveloping him. The he stands up and

walks off. Willard turns and looks toward him. He

understands what the colonel is saying to him.

ANGLE - KILGORE - WALKING OUT TOWARD THE SURF

Suddenly he senses something. He stops, lifts his hand-

then licks his fingers and puts then in the air.

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