Apocalypse Now Redux Page #20

All are looking forward. The Chief grabs the loud-hailer.

CHIEF:

(over loud-hailer)

Is that you, Lazzaro?

CHEF:

(to Chief)

Don't chicken out.

The lead PBR keeps coming on in a game of "chicken," the

rock music blaring from its speakers. Then it swerves at

the last possible moment and fishtails past. One of its

CREWMEN moons our crew. Lance, Chef, and Clean shout back

and give them the finger.

LOUDSPEAKER:

Chicken!

The other PBR fishtails past also, causing a lot of

turbulence in the water. The crew gives our boys the

finger, then one of them throws a SMOKE BOMB. It lands on

the canopy.

The smoke bomb spews out its YELLOW SMOKE, and suddenly

the canopy catches on fire.

CHIEF:

Fire on the canopy!

Chef grabs a fire extinguisher and tries to snuff the fire

out.

CHEF:

I got it! Get out of there!

Chief keeps roaring down the river as the others continue

to fight the fire. Finally they get it out . Willard stands

there, dumbfounded, and reacting, as we:

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. RIVER - THE PBR - DAY

The PBR continues down the river. Lance gives a handful

of palm leaves to Chef, who is sitting up on top of the

canvas roof, trying to patch up the hole that was caused

by the fire. Clean has a pair of drumsticks and is beating

out a drum rhythm, really getting into it.

Willard studies the dossier; some photos and Vietnamese

I.D. cards.

WILLARD (V.O.)

Late summer, autumn 1968. Kurtz's

patrol into the highlands is coming

under frequent bush. The camp

started falling apart. November.

Kurtz orders assassinations of

three Vietnamese men and one woman.

Two of the men were colonels in

the South Vietnamese Army. Enemy

activity in his old sector dropped

off to nothing. Guess he must

have hit the right four people.

INSERT - BLACK & WHITE PHOTO OF THE GENERAL

GENERAL (O.S.)

(to Willard)

He joined the Special Forces, and

after that he...

BACK TO WILLARD:

WILLARD (V.O.)

The army tried one last time to

bring him back into the fold. And

if he'd pulled over, it would have

been forgotten.

GENERAL (V.O.)

...unsound.

WILLARD (V.O.)

But he kept going. And he kept

winning it his way.

GENERAL (V.O.)

(to Willard)

...with this Montagnard army of

his.

WILLARD (V.O.)

And they called me in.

GENERAL (V.O.)

(to Willard)

...like a god, and follow every

order, however ridiculous.

WILLARD (V.O.)

They lost him. He was gone.

Nothing but rumors and random

intelligence, mostly from captured

V.C. The V.C. knew his name by

now, and they were scared of him.

He and his men were playing hit

and run all the way into Cambodia.

Clean's drum rhythm is annoying Willard. He puts a map

back into his dossier, rises, and looks at Clean, pissed,

then looks to the Chief.

CHIEF:

Clean.

Clean stops drumming, moves away.

WILLARD:

(to Chief)

How long has that kid been on this

boat?

CHIEF:

Seven months.

WILLARD:

He's really specializing in busting

my balls.

CHIEF:

Very possibly, Captain, he thinks

the same of you.

Willard moves over to Chief.

WILLARD:

Oh, yeah? What do you think, Chief?

ANGLE ON CLEAN:

Clean gives Willard the finger behind his back.

CHIEF:

I don't think. My orders say I'm

not supposed to know where I'm

taking this boat, so I don't. But

one look at you and I know it's

gonna be hot, wherever it is.

Willard comes into the cabin, looks at the Chief.

WILLARD:

We're going up river, about seventy-

five clicks about the Do Lung

bridge.

The Chief reacts, figuring it out almost immediately.

CHIEF:

That's Cambodia, Captain.

WILLARD:

That's classified. We're not

supposed to be in Cambodia, but

that's where I'm going. You just

get me close to my destination,

and I'll cut you loose.

CHIEF:

All right, Captain.

DISSOLVE TO:

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