Breakdown Page #9

He hoists himself through the door.

RIVERBANK:

Earl sees Jeff emerging from the half-submerged Cherokee,

levels the RIFLE and FIRES!

51.

JEFF:

ducks back inside the Cherokee, freaking.

The passenger side is on the river-bottom and if he tries

to get out through the driver’s side, he’s a sitting

duck!

Jeff swears and looks around, seeing a metal camera case

underwater in the back seat.

He grabs the case and swings it at the windshield. The

first three blows bounce off harmlessly.

Then the WINDSHIELD SHATTERS with a CRASH!

He takes a deep breath, submerges and swims underwater

through the broken windshield.

ON BANK:

Earl stiffens as he sees movement in the water. Several

items of debris from the car are floating on the current.

EARL:

F***!

He begins moving downstream along the bank, eyeing the

river.

UNDERWATER:

Jeff breaststrokes for all he’s worth. Sand swirls in

the swift current. He pushes away from a boulder in his

path.

He swims until his lungs are bursting, then surfaces for

air.

ON BANK:

Earl sees Jeff break the surface. He aims the RIFLE and

FIRES! A BULLET SMACKS the WATER near Jeff’s head.

Then Jeff is under again.

EARL:

Goddammit...

UNDERWATER:

Jeff struggles to stay in control. The current is

turning swifter. His shoulder glances painfully off a

boulder.

52.

ON BANK:

Earl works his way through the brush at the river’s edge.

His foot lands between two rocks. He pulls it out,

swearing.

BEHIND ROCK:

Jeff surfaces and gulps in air, staying out of sight of

Earl on the bank. Then he is down again.

ON BANK:

Earl works his way along the shore. Up ahead, the river

runs over rapids before passing around a bend.

Earl hears an ENGINE and turns. A huge moving van has

arrived on the dirt road overlooking the ravine.

He shouts to the DRIVER, pointing downriver.

EARL:

He’s getting away!

The Driver shouts something inaudible. Earl runs along

the bank, ducking under low-hanging branches.

IN RAPIDS:

Jeff is carried over the rocks by the fast-moving

current. He slams into a boulder, letting out a cry and

swallowing a mouthful of water.

A downed tree hangs over the river. Jeff grabs

desperately and takes hold of a branch. He’s got it!

Hanging on to the branch, he notices a familiar object

floating past in the water: the "90,000 Donuts" pack.

Jeff tries to haul himself from the river. The BRANCH

bends under his weight. Then it comes free with a CRACK!

Jeff is carried downstream on the rushing water.

ON BANK:

Earl works his way along the shore. The unseen Driver of

the van shouts to him from upriver.

DRIVER OF VAN (O.S.)

Where is he?

(CONTINUED)

53.

CONTINUED:

EARL:

He’s in the water! I just saw

him!

BELOW RAPIDS:

The river has turned slow again.

Jeff fights to his feet in the shallows and staggers to

the bank. He drops to his knees, retching.

Clutching his ribs, he raises his head and looks upriver.

For the moment, there is no sign of Earl. But he could

appear anytime.

Jeff gets to his feet, wincing. He looks up at the rocky

canyon wall bordering the river. It’s steep but

scalable.

He begins climbing.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. ROCK OUTCROPPING -MINUTES LATER

Jeff has climbed to higher ground. He lies flat on his

belly and peers THROUGH a gap in the rocks at the river

valley below.

JEFF’S POV -RIVER

The men have given up their pursuit.

The moving van, a jumbo three-axle GMC, has turned around

and backed up to the edge of the ravine.

A stocky man, AL (whom we recognize as Earl’s passenger

at the minimart), operates a gas-powered winch in the

cargo door of the van.

A cable runs from the winch down to the Cherokee in the

river.

Standing knee-deep in the current, Earl signals to Al

while the winch slowly tugs the Cherokee onto its wheels,

then backwards out of the river.

54.

BACK TO JEFF:

watching in amazement. He can hear only snatches of

their conversation.

AL:

... can’t believe you let him get

away...

EARL:

You try chasing... through this

sh*t...

AL:

F***... this is what happens when

you get one without the other...

Jeff can’t believe it. The Cherokee is being pulled

backwards up the slope toward the road.

He belly-crawls back from the outcropping, gets to his

feet and climbs higher.

CUT TO:

EXT. ANOTHER PART OF CLIFF -LATER

Jeff has moved to higher ground. He crouches behind a

stand of manzanita and looks down at the activity below.

JEFF’S POV -ROAD

The Cherokee is now back on the road.

Operating the winch with precision efficiency, Earl and

Al drag the Cherokee up a ramp into the rear of the

moving van.

Once the vehicle is aboard, they stow the ramp and close

the van doors.

BACK TO JEFF:

watching in amazement, straining to hear what Earl and Al

are saying. Behind Jeff, a PEBBLE SKITTERS on the rock.

He turns, reacts.

It’s Billy --the halfwit from the diner! Wielding a

shotgun like a club, he swings the butt at Jeff’s skull!

Jeff drops to the ground, unconscious.

CUT TO BLACK.

55.

FADE IN:

INT. CAR TRUNK -DAY

There is a CREAK as the TRUNK opens. Jeff lies inside,

dazed and disoriented, blinking into the sun. His eyes

won’t focus. Earl and Billy stand over the trunk in

silhouette. He can hear their voices:

EARL:

He coming around?

BILLY:

Should be... I clocked him pretty

good...

A gun barrel jabs Jeff in the ribs.

BILLY:

Rise and shine, dad.

Jeff blinks. A face slowly comes INTO FOCUS. Is it

really Billy? The halfwit from the diner? Only he isn’t

a halfwit anymore.

BILLY:

C’mon, shake a leg.

Jeff looks at Billy. Nothing makes sense anymore. But

one thing is clear: Billy’s mental retardation was all

an act.

JEFF:

(weak)

Where is she?

BILLY:

Give us some answers and you might

find out. According to her,

you’ve got a pretty good pile of

ready cash sitting in the bank.

Is that true?

JEFF:

There’s some... yeah...

BILLY:

Uh-huh... well, ’some’ doesn’t cut

it. Your wife gave us a dollar

figure. I want the same exact

from you.

(CONTINUED)

56.

CONTINUED:

JEFF:

(coming around;

stalling)

I don’t --there’s different

accounts... the balance

fluctuates...

BILLY:

Fluctuates, my ass. If a hotshot

like you ain’t tracking his bottom

line, it’d be the first time in

history.

(turning)

What do you think, Earl?

EARL:

We been f***ed with, is what I

think. Little slut lied to us.

Put ’em on the spot, they’ll say

anything to stay alive.

Billy nods, disappointed.

BILLY:

Yeah, I suppose. Too bad.

(peers down at Jeff)

Guess you’re not the donut magnate

after all.

(to Earl)

Waste of time. Plug him.

Earl raises a pistol. Jeff’s eyes flash.

JEFF:

(blurting out)

Ninety thousand.

Earl stops, glances at Billy. They both eye Jeff

carefully.

BILLY:

Say again.

JEFF:

(emphatic)

Ninety thousand dollars.

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