Babel Page #14

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Takeshi, who has started to make out with one of Chieko's

friends, turns to the group and speaks slowly.

TAKESHI:

Why- don't- we- go- to- Montana?

73.

125 INT. TAXI, TOKYO -- EVENING

Night begins to fall. Haruki sits between Mitsu and Chieko.

He strokes Chieko's knee with his hand; she seems turned on.

126 EXT. NIGHTCLUB STRIP, TOKYO -- NIGHT

The taxi parks outside the Montana. Chieko, Mitsu and Haruki

get out of the car and meet with the others at the door.

127 INT. HALLWAY, NIGHTCLUB -- NIGHT

They enter. The music, the light, the crowd, it is almost

hallucinatory. For Chieko, it is a silent concert of movement

and chaos.

She and her friends push their way through the place. Haruki

grabs Chieko by the hand, pulls her toward the floor and

starts dancing. Chieko looks at the other dancers' rhythm

and follows. She slowly manages to follow.

The other deaf-mutes also dance. Some do better than others,

lost in the sea of lights and people.

For Chieko, the dance turns into something hypnotic. She

dances with her eyes closed, concentrated on her own rhythm.

When she opens her eyes, she sees that Mitsu, a little drunk,

is grinding against Haruki, feeling him up.

Chieko seems annoyed by this and goes to defend her territory.

She starts dancing next to Haruki, but she is constantly

interrupted by the surrounding crowd.

The struggle between Chieko and Mitsu is a little bit

ridiculous. It is finally resolved when Mitsu takes Haruki

by the face and starts to kiss him. Chieko doesn't know what

to do. Mitsu and Haruki start to make out intensely.

Suddenly Chieko is left standing in the middle of the club,

motionless, while her friends dance awkwardly and Mitsu and

Haruki are having the time of their lives. Chieko, defeated

by her friend, decides to leave. Mitsu spots her out of the

corner of her eye and waves goodbye. Chieko smiles back and

walks away from her friends as they dance.

128 INT. LOBBY, TOKYO APARTMENT BUILDING -- NIGHT

Chieko enters her building and goes straight to the doorman.

DOORMAN:

Good evening, how may I help you?

Chieko takes out a piece of paper and a pen from her purse

and writes a note. She gives it to the doorman together

with Kenji's card. He reads it carefully, and when he's

done he turns to her.

74.

DOORMAN (CONT'D)

Very well miss, I'll call him now.

The doorman picks up a cordless phone and dials.

DOORMAN (CONT'D)

Lieutenant Kenji Mamiya, please?

There is a pause. The doorman gestures to Chieko that the

lieutenant will answer in a moment.

DOORMAN (CONT'D)

Lieutenant? Yes, look, I'm with the

deaf-mute girl you saw in the

afternoon, and she asked me to call

you... Yes, her... She says she needs

to talk to you, alone... about her

father... If it's possible, in her

apartment, tonight.

Chieko watches attentively.

129 EXT. YUSSEF AND AHMED'S HOUSE -- DAY

Yussef and Ahmed are sitting against the wall of the house.

Yussef's lip is split. Ahmed's nose is bleeding.

Abdullah paces desperately, while his wife and daughters

watch the scene, silent. Abdullah stops to look at Yussef.

ABDULLAH:

Why did you do this?

They don't answer. Abdullah leans over and slaps Ahmed.

ABDULLAH (CONT'D)

Answer me, god damn it!

Ahmed won't answer and he turns to Yussef again.

YUSSEF:

We were testing the rifle.

Abdullah turns and gives Yussef a powerful slap, which he

endures with silent dignity.

ABDULLAH:

Are you idiots? You killed a woman,

(He turns to Zora)

And you, you got naked so your brother

would see you?

AHMED:

Yes, she got naked lots of times. I

saw how Yussef spied on her.

75.

ZORA:

That's not true.

Abdullah turns to Yussef.

ABDULLAH:

Is it true or not?

Yussef is silent. Abdullah walks two steps forward and slaps

Zora. He looks furious, scared, indignant.

ABDULLAH (CONT'D)

Why did you do this to us?

He can barely hold in his tears. Zora brings her hand to

her face tearily. Abdullah turns to Ahmed.

ABDULLAH (CONT'D)

Where's the rifle?

130 EXT. HASSAN'S HOUSE -- DAY

A cop interrogates Hassan. His face is badly bruised and

his hands are cuffed behind his back.

COP:

What organization gave you the weapon?

HASSAN:

I've told you it wasn't an

organization; I got it from a hunter.

COP:

What hunter?

HASSAN:

A Japanese hunter gave it to me many

years ago. I've got a picture inside.

She can get it.

He turns to look at his wife. She has also been beaten and

is guarded by two cops. The interrogating cop authorizes

her. She walks in and comes out with a photograph of Hassan

with Yasujiro, posing with the scimitar-horned oryx. He hands

it over and the cop examines it.

HASSAN (CONT'D)

He's holding the rifle he gave me.

131 EXT. DESERT -- DAY

Yussef and Ahmed dig up the rifle and the bullets in front

of their parents and sisters.

Abdullah grabs the rifle, dusts it off and puts the bullets

in his bag. He turns to Yasira.

76.

ABDULLAH:

We're going to hide out at Naguib's

house. If the cops come, tell them

we went south.

With the rifle in hand, Abdullah runs off, followed by Yussef

and Ahmed. The women watch them get lost on the horizon.

132 EXT. HASSAN'S HOUSE -- DAY

Alarid's truck parks in front of Hassan's house again. Hassan

is still cuffed and being interrogated. Furious, Alarid gets

out of the truck and goes toward him.

ALARID:

This Abdullah doesn't live where you

said he did.

He walks over to kick him. The wife intervenes from where

she is, some ten yards away.

WIFE:

They live where he said they do.

Alarid turns to her.

ALARID:

You're going to take us.

With a gesture, he orders his subordinates to put her in the

truck. She obeys, docile.

ALARID (CONT'D)

And if they're not there, I'll cut

your tongue out and I'll kill your

husband.

133 EXT. DESERT -- DAY

The Moroccan police trucks drive down the dusty roads. The

landscape is harsh and barren.

134 INT. POLICE TRUCK -- DAY

Hassan's wife gives directions.

WIFE:

Make a right here.

Alarid, with his hand, signals the driver to follow her

directions.

Suddenly, in the distance, over the hills, she signals three

tiny dots running up a slope.

WIFE (CONT'D)

That's them.

77.

ALARID:

(To the driver)

Stop...

The trucks stop and Alarid takes out his binoculars.

135 P.O.V. ALARID'S BINOCULARS -- CONTINUOUS

In the distance, we can still see Abdullah, Yussef and Ahmed

run across the hills. Abdullah is clearly carrying the rifle.

136 EXT. DESERT -- DAY

Alarid quickly gets out.

ALARID:

There they are.

All the cops get out with their high powered rifles.

137 EXT. DESERT HILLS -- DAY

Abdullah and his sons run full speed. Yussef sees the trucks

in the distance.

YUSSEF:

The police, the police...

They run up a hill to try to lose them, but shots start to

ring out.

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