Cast Away Page #18

CHUCK:

I'm an angel.

Suddenly he sees other lights. A ship. A ship is out there.

And he hears it, a humming in deep register.

He waves his hands. He yells.

CHUCK:

Here! Here!

His voice cracks, we can barely hear it over the ocean.

The lights move on.

CHUCK:

No...no...no...

His raft is rocked by the wake, rocked hard. Chuck is thrown

into the water!

He comes to the surface, sputtering. Where is the raft?

He looks one way, then another. Darkness.

This is the worst.

He turns again in the water. There, dimly, he can see the

glow from the fish he killed. The glow saves his life.

He swims toward it.

He pulls himself back on the raft.

He lies there exhausted, the glow from the phosphorescence

casting a greenish light on his face.

EXT. OCEAN - DAY

Clouds are building up. In the distance lightning flashes.

The clouds come closer.

Little bits of electricity jump off the mast. Saint Elmos

fire jumps around Chuck's hand.

Fascinated, he holds out his hand. The fire jumps from his

hand to the mast.

Suddenly lightning shoots from the sky and strikes the ocean!

A huge spout of water explodes like a depth charge. The

CRACK is intense, then rolls away.

Chuck stares, then realizes the danger and throws himself

down on the raft. Suddenly a wall of rain sweeps over him

and the ocean begins to roll. The thunder is deafening.

Lightning flashes bursts through the rain.

CHUCK:

Sea anchor! Let out the sea anchor!

Frantic, Chuck lets out the sea anchor as the raft scuds down

a huge wave. The anchor catches, slowing the raft so that it

rides the wave down.

The waves come at him high as houses. The raft rides up one

side, then plunges down the next.

All Chuck can do is hold on.

EXT. OCEAN - DAY

The storm has passed. The raft floats on big dark rollers.

We hear the chirping and squeaking of dolphins. They come

close to the raft. Chuck watches them play. Then realizes

they are chasing his fish. They drive them along, into the

path of another dolphin, who darts in and rips into the

dorado, turning the water around the raft into churning,

bloody foam.

CHUCK:

Stop!

He takes his oar and begins beating the water. The killing

continues.

CHUCK:

You f***ing murderers!

Suddenly the water is still. One dolphin sticks its head out

of the water and stares at Chuck, squeaking.

Another dolphin lifts its head up, then another. They squeak

to each other, clearly communicating and talking about Chuck.

CHUCK:

I know you're talking about me!

He splashes the water with his oar.

They dive, then jump into the air, squeaking as they go.

CHUCK:

(very softly)

Take me with you.

They're gone.

CHUCK:

Why me? Why me, God?

He begins to laugh.

BADCHUCK:

Listen to this, Wilson.

(deep voice:
God)

Because you piss me off.

EXT. OCEAN - DAY

Chuck tries to stretch with some simple yoga. Each movement

takes forever.

He rolls over onto his stomach and tries to do a pushup. He

can't. Collapses onto the raft.

BADCHUCK:

You're falling apart.

Tries to do another pushup. Can't.

BADCHUCK:

First you eat your fat, then you eat your

muscle.

He rolls over.

BADCHUCK:

Then you eat your mind.

He looks at the ocean. They're in a line of garbage, a thick

slick of debris dumped off of ships.

GOODCHUCK:

Roll on you deep and dark blue ocean

roll.

He closes his eyes. After a minute they come open.

GOODCHUCK:

I'm late, I'm late, for a very important

date.

They slowly close again.

BADCHUCK:

I'm lost. Goodbye.

GOODCHUCK:

No!

His eyes come open again.

BADCHUCK:

Look, just slip off the raft. The ocean

would feel so good, the water's so soft

and warm. Take a little swim. Sleep.

GOODCHUCK:

You quitter you quitter you quitter.

BADCHUCK:

The sea is lovely, dark and deep.

GOODCHUCK:

But I have promises to keep.

(rolls over)

And miles to go before I sleep.

(props himself up)

And miles to go before I sleep.

(purpose now)

Got to fix the sea anchor. Use the sail.

BADCHUCK:

Use the sail for a sea anchor and you

won't move.

GOODCHUCK:

If I don't have a sea anchor I'll

capsize.

BADCHUCK:

Die tomorrow or die today.

He hums Beethoven's fifth. BA BA BA BUM.

BADCHUCK:

That's death knocking, knocking on your

door. Crazy little woman come knocking,

knocking at my front door...

GOODCHUCK:

Grow up, stop being such a baby. Other

people get through a lot worse.

BADCHUCK:

Yeah, sure, what?

He hums to himself, begins to sing, Beatles.

BADCHUCK:

I'm so tired, my mind is on the blink...

He pulls in the loose sea anchor rope, which is covered with

barnacles.

He scrapes the barnacle off the rope into the water jug, then

sips it.

The sun is setting, huge rays shoot out across the sky.

Out of the empty ocean the Dorados suddenly appear, leaping

flashes of silver right by the raft.

One Dorado swims right by the raft, broadside.

Chuck looks at it, uncomprehending. Then slowly reaches for

his spear.

GOODCHUCK:

What? Are you sacrificing yourself for

me?

Carefully he comes to his feet, then shoots the spear into

the fish.

Flapping and struggling, it lands on the deck. Chuck pounces

on it.

EXT. RAFT - NIGHT - MOMENTS LATER

He cuts it open. The other Dorados ram the raft in fury,

like a lynch mob.

GOODCHUCK:

Damn it! I had to do it!

The banging continues.

GOODCHUCK:

I'm sorry!

He concentrates on his work, then sits back on his heels in

amazement. There's another fish inside. He holds that fish

up, stares at it, then cuts it open.

There's a smaller fish inside it.

GOODCHUCK:

I know there's a moral here, God, but

right now I'm just going to eat.

He pops out an eyeball, then another, and crunches them

between his teeth.

He takes the heart and liver, starts to eat, then stops.

GOODCHUCK:

Forgot to say grace. Sorry Mom.

He struggles to remember.

GOODCHUCK:

Bless us O Lord, and these thy gifts and

Christ and the bounty about to receive,

or something...amen.

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