Collateral Damage Page #5

GLASS SHATTERS. THINGS are BROKEN.

66 VIDEO MONITORS 66

The video monitors show Gordy wrecking the IPC officewith a baseball bat.

25.

67 INT. IPC OFFICE - NIGHT 67

Gordy smashes office equipment left and right. ORTIZDOMINGUEZ

and ROSETTA cower as Gordy vents his pent-up,

end-of-the-world rage using the bat the way we saw himuse a fire axe.

Gordy approaches Ortiz-Dominguez with the bat.

up against a desk.

Backs him

Please...

ORTIZ-DOMINGUEZ

The FBI agents crash in.

Mr. Pitt!

FBI SURVEILLANCE AGENT

Gordy just stares down at Ortiz-Dominguez.

FBI SURVEILLANCE AGENT

This isn't the way to do things.

Gordy still doesn't move.

FBI SURVEILLANCE AGENT

These guys're only mouthpieces.

Beat. Then Gordy swings the bat. Hard. And...

Destroys the computer monitor next to Ortiz-Dominguez.

Gordy tosses the bat aside. To the shaking Latin -GORDY

How's that for collateral damage?

68 INT. FBI (NEW YORK) - PHIPPS' OFFICE - NIGHT 68

Gordy sits across from Phipps. Dray is present.

PHIPPS:

Mr. Ortiz-Dominguez has agreed notto press charges if you make fullrestitution.

GORDY:

I've already paid. With myfamily.

Beat. Phipps sees it's pointless to insist. To Dray -PHIPPS

Take care of it.

(CONTINUED)

26.

68 CONTINUED:
68

Dray heads out, passing Mike Brandt, who enters.

PHIPPS:

Gordy, this is Mike Brandt.

BRANDT:

Mr. Pitt.

Gordy just looks at him.

BRANDT:

I'm very sorry for your loss... Ilost people, too.

PHIPPS:

... Mike was in the motorcade that

day... He's the chief U.S.

intelligence officer overseeingColombia.

BRANDT:

Don't worry, Mr. Pitt, we're gonnaget the son-of-a-b*tch.

GORDY:

You know where he is?

BRANDT:

We believe The Wolf's in hidingin an area of Colombia controlled

by the E.L.C., extreme Marxistguerrillas... He thinks he's ina safe haven.

Brandt lets "thinks" sink in.

PHIPPS:

I know it's hard for you rightnow, Mr. Pitt. We're all sorry.

But why don't you go home.

We're taking care of things.

Beat. Brandt proffers a business card.

BRANDT:

Here's my card. Call me any time.

Gordy takes it. Just sits there a long moment, then -

GORDY:

What kind of twisted people dothings like this?

Beat. Brandt and Phipps don't have an answer.

27.

69 INT. NEW YORK TIMES - BULLPEN - DAY 69

Gordy talks to a Latin reporter, ERNIE OROSCO.

OROSCO:

You interested in the big pictureor all the unpleasant details?

GORDY:

My family died because of what'sgoing on down there. I want to

know all I can.

Orosco searches for a starting point. Then -OROSCO

Well, basically, the situation inColombia sucks...

As Orosco continues...

70 MONTAGE - DAY/NIGHT

Over the course of a week:

70

1. Gordy takes pictures, etc., off a wall in his home.

He pins up photos of Anne and Matt at the top of thewall. Beneath them he pins up a large map of Colombia.

OROSCO (V.O.)

... The government's been fightingdifferent Marxists factions for

over thirty-five years. For most

of that time, it was winning...

71 NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY 71

2. At the New York Public Library, Gordy uses microfilmfiles and computer access to the web to search outinformation on Colombia and The Wolf.

OROSCO (V.O.)

... Suddenly the guerrillas beganchopping 'em up. High-techweapons and equipment, well-

trained troops, aggressive hit-

and-run tactics, all financed byextortion, kidnapping andcollecting taxes from dope

growers. It's big money, and theyput it to use...

28.

72 GORDY 72

3. Gordy pins up various Colombia-related articles andpictures on the wall, including the surveillance camera still ofThe Wolf from the front page of The New York Post.

OROSCO (V.O.)

... The government got scared. In

1998, to jump start peace talks,

it gave a coalition of guerrilla

groups temporary control over much

of southern Colombia... The first

communist stronghold on an

American continent...

73 GORDY 73

4. Gordy draws a line around the guerrilla zone.

OROSCO (V.O.)

... But there've been few talks

and no peace. And the Colombian

military can't get near the

guerrilla zone, especially around

the town of Caguan, where the

E.L.C. kicks ass and takes no

prisoners...

74 GORDY 74

5. Gordy circles and labels the ELC-controlled area.

OROSCO (V.O.)

... And that's where we come in.

Supposedly, to help eliminate

narcos operating in the guerrilla

zone. But some well-informed

people think that's just an excuse

to hit the guerrillas themselves,

since they're wrapped around the

drug trade... We're there, we're

involved... If we stay, the only

real question is which Vietnam War

we're gonna have. The one some

feel we could've won or the one we

lost...

75 GORDY 75

6. Gordy watches a documentary about Colombia whichshows rebels, army troops, death squads, firefights, and withatrocities and bodies on both sides.

(CONTINUED)

29.

75 CONTINUED:
75

OROSCO (V.O.)

... Bottom line? The place is asdangerous as a snakepit. You've

got the different guerrilla groups,

C.I.A., F.B.I., D.E.A., Colombian

military, U.S. military, right-

wing death squads -- and the onlything they've all managed to do isdestroy a beautiful country andinflict suffering on the realpeople... Hey, I'm Colombian, andI'll never go back...

OFF Gordy's packed wall...

76 SAME SCENE - ANOTHER DAY 76

As Gordy closes the front door, REVEAL Mike, thefirefighter, who's just come in and now stands staring atthe wall, clearly whelmed by the level of compulsion thismust have required.

MIKE:

Haven't heard from you in a coupledays.

Been busy.

GORDY:

Yeah.

MIKE:

I can see that.

Gordy's obsessed, totally consumed by his project.

points at a picture of heavily-armed guerrillas.

He

GORDY:

E.L.C. attack platoon... Theseassholes kill innocent people allthe time in Colombia.

Gordy indicates a newspaper article.

GORDY:

Thirteen dead in a bus.

(indicates another)

A market. Twenty-seven dead.

(another)

A whole family... Anne and Mattdidn't mean sh*t to them.

(indicates The Wolf)

Or him.

Mike interrupts, trying to divert him to something else.

(CONTINUED)

30.

76 CONTINUED:
76

MIKE:

Hey, we never turned down freebeer, and rookie's buying, youbelieve that? He certified today,

he's off probation.

GORDY:

(still looking atwall)

Ronnie couldn't find a fire with

both hands.

Yeah.

MIKE:

(smiles)

Let's go tell him that.

Gordy doesn't react. Beat. More serious now -C'mon,

Gordo.

MIKE:

Gordy hears the tone. Looks over and meets Mike's eyes,

seeing the genuine concern there.

MIKE:

We aren't gonna let 'em drink allthe beer, are we?

OFF Gordy...

77 INT. BAR - DAY 77

TV ON in b.g. Gordy's with Mike, Sal, Junior and Ronnie.

They've emptied a few pitchers.

MIKE:

Low on beer, Ronnie.

Yeah.

RONNIE:

I'll get more.

He gets up and heads for the bar. To Gordy -MIKE

I'll tell you what'll be great:

when you get back to work with us.

JUNIOR:

Yeah, how long is it?

SAL:

Week, two weeks?

(CONTINUED)

31.

77 CONTINUED:
77

GORDY:

Shrinks say ten more days.

Like I said.

SAL:

MIKE:

F***ing doorknob they put intemporary command...

GORDY:

Morgan, the guy from 23, right?

JUNIOR:

What a jerkoff.

SAL:

Even makes you look good, Gordo.

Ronnie yells over from the bar -Hey,

Gordy -RONNIE

The guys look over as the bartender TURNS UP the VOLUMEon the TV.

78 ON SCREEN 78

we see the President's National Security Advisor step upto a podium to give a statement.

NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR (V.O.)

Today, at 0700 hours EasternDaylight Time, a joint UnitedStates/Colombian strike forcelaunched a full-scale assault at a

base camp of the Army of ColombianLiberation, or E.L.C., in Southern

Colombia. The purpose of themission was to punish the peoplebehind the brutal bombing in NewYork City ten days ago... We arepresently evaluating after-actionreports from Special OperationsGroup, but feel confident that wehave accomplished our mission...

Cheers throughout the bar. Mike quiets them.

(CONTINUED)

Rate this script:5.0 / 2 votes