Appaloosa Page #2

"APPALOOSA" GREEN REVISIONS 10/30/07 7.

10 EXT. MAIN STREET, APPALOOSA - SUNSET 10

Shops and services are closing up along Main Street. A

couple of lazy dogs watch Cole and Hitch ride slowly into

town.

HITCH (V.O.)

But life has a way of making theforeseeable that which never

happens... and the unforeseeablethat which your life becomes...

A group of SCHOOL KIDS see them. Two young boys dash up tothe doors of the BOSTON HOUSE HOTEL AND SALOON, a two-story

brick building with a wide porch, and excitedly call inside.

Hitch and Cole tether their horses and head up the woodensteps to the hotel.

11 INT. LOBBY, BOSTON HOUSE HOTEL -MOMENTS LATER - SUNSET 11

(As one enters the Hotel, a raised landing to the rightserves as a parlor/dining area. Beyond the parlor, thereception desk.

A wide stairwell leads to the hotel rooms. Double doors

[closed at night] connect the Saloon.

In the PARLOR:

Fat Wallis raises the oil lamp chandelier.

ABNER RAINES paces as he speaks.

RAINES:

All we know is that Jack Bell and

his deputies went up to Bragg’splace to arrest the men whomurdered Clayton Poston and rapedand killed his wife.

MAY:

And that Jack Bell and his deputieswere never seen again.

At the table is PHIL OLSON, portly with pink skin and EARLMAY, bald, heavy-set and wearing glasses.

Cole sits just out of the light, his brim lowered.

COLE:

I knew Jack Bell, he was a good

man.

(CONTINUED)

"APPALOOSA" GREEN REVISIONS 10/30/07 8.

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11

Hitch sits off to the side cradling his eight-gauge.

HITCH:

This fella Bragg, what’s his story?

RAINES:

Says he’s from New York City.

Claims he worked with Chester

Arthur in the Customs Office there.

HITCH:

Chester Arthur, President of the

United States?

RAINES:

That’s what he claims.

HITCH:

What the hell’s he doin’ out here?

MAY:

He’s after the copper fields.

RAINES:

He and his men showed up a month

back claiming they was going to

start a big cattle operation.

MAY:

He’s after the copper fields.

OLSON:

Earl...?

MAY:

What?!

OLSON:

Let Abner speak, please.

MAY:

He is speaking!

A beat.

RAINES:

The mines shut down back in ‘75

because of the Apache problem. We

finally made a deal with a company

out of Chicago to get the operation

going again, a very fair deal mind

you.

(CONTINUED)

"APPALOOSA" GREEN REVISIONS 10/30/07 9.

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MAY:

Then this murderin’ sonofabitch

comes along.

OLSON:

Earl, please.

MAY:

What?!!

RAINES:

Our investors pulled out after the

killings...

OLSON:

Bragg and his men have us all

running scared. They buy supplies

in my store and don’t pay for them,

they harass our women, use horses

from the livery and don’t bring

them back... eat and drink what

they want and never pay...

MAY:

They been living off us like

coyotes live off a buffalo carcass.

COLE:

Everything eats meat likes a dead

buffalo.

The men just look at Cole who doesn’t meet their pondering

gaze...

RAINES:

The good people who stayed here did

so because they want to live here,

work, and raise their families in

peace. We want our town back and

we are ready to pay your price.

HITCH:

Who makes the laws in this town?

RAINES:

We do... the Board of Aldermen.

COLE:

(to Everett)

What do you allow?

HITCH:

It’s what we do.

(CONTINUED)

"APPALOOSA" GREEN REVISIONS 10/30/07 10.

11 CONTINUED:
11

COLE:

It is, ain’t it.

RAINES:

Then you’ll do it?

COLE:

Sure.

OLSON:

Thank God.

Cole nods to Hitch...

HITCH:

Cole ‘n me will do the gun work but

we’re going to button the town up

tighter than a nun’s corset. We

need you to make laws so we can

enforce them.

RAINES:

We got laws.

HITCH:

You’re gonna have more. We need a

lot of laws to make it all legal.

RAINES:

Well, sure, I mean... if it seems

reasonable we’ll put them right in

the bylaws.

COLE:

No.

MAY:

No what?

Hitch pulls out a piece of paper and hands it to Raines.

HITCH:

What it basically says is, what

Virgil says is law.

MAY:

Christ, that would mean you was

running the town.

COLE:

It would.

RAINES:

We can’t have that.

(CONTINUED)

"APPALOOSA" GREEN REVISIONS 10/30/07 11.

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Cole is silent.

RAINES (CONT’D)

I mean, you’re asking us, so to

speak, to turn the town over to

you.

HITCH:

Far as I can see you’re gonna turn

it over anyway, us or Bragg.

The doors connecting the parlor to the saloon swing open.

TILDA, a small round faced Swedish waitress, hurries over.

TILDA:

Mr. Raines?

RAINES:

Not now Tilda.

TILDA:

Trouble in the bar, Mr. Raines.

RAINES:

Tilda!

TILDA:

It’s Mr. Bragg’s men!

OLSON:

Oh, Jesus God.

Raines just looks at Cole and Hitch.

TILDA:

There’s four of them. They have

guns.

HITCH:

Space for your signature down there

at the bottom. On the right.

Raines is frozen... looking at Cole’s rules.

OLSON:

Oh for God’s sake, give me that.

Olson signs the paper and passes it to May. After a beat May

signs it. Olson grabs the paper and shoves it back to

Raines.

OLSON:

Sign the damn thing Abner, so these

men can do what they came here to

do.

(CONTINUED)

"APPALOOSA" GREEN REVISIONS 10/30/07 12.

11 CONTINUED:
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After Raines signs the paper, Cole waves it a moment to drythe ink, folds it and puts it in his pocket.

Cole nods Hitch to the FRONT DOOR. Hitch exits.

12 EXT. BOSTON HOUSE - CONTINUOUS - SUNSET 12

Hitch crosses from the hotel entrance to the Saloon doors.

As he enters...

13 INT. SALOON - CONTINUOUS - SUNSET 13

Cole enters from the LOBBY.

Bronc and Chalk are trying to piss into a spittoon from adistance.

TWO more of Bragg’s men are leaning against the bar laughing.

COLE:

Button ‘em up.

BRONC:

Who the f*** are you?

COLE:

Virgil Cole.

BRONC:

Virgil Cole? No sh*t? Hey Chalk,

Virgil Cole wants us to button up.

Chalk turns toward Cole with his penis hanging out.

follows suit.

Bronc

CHALK:

Step a little closer, Virgil Cole,

and I’ll piss in your pocket.

COLE:

I’m the new City Marshal.

away or lose it.

Put it

CHALK:

Hey, Bronc, they got a new CityMarshal.

Bragg’s other Two Men leaning against the bar, move apart.

BRONC:

Didn’t they have another Marshal,

‘while back?

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