Cool Hand Luke Page #19

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INT. BARRACKS (NIGHT)

Dragline goes back to his bunk. We HEAR another thud and a

cry from outside. Dragline begins to WHISTLE. Koko begins to

chink his chains. Onionhead and Dynamite join in with their

chains. Other prisoners rhythmically beat on bunk posts.

Only Society Red does not join in.

EXT. YARD (NIGHT)

Luke works. From inside we HEAR the music from the prisoners.

Boss Paul and Boss Kean appear.

BOSS PAUL:

What's all this dirt in the yard?

LUKE:

I... I... I...

He can't talk. Paul hits him and he falls again on the dirt.

Paul hits him again.

LUKE:

Please! Please!

BOSS PAUL:

Git to work!

LUKE:

Don't hit me! Please, for God's sake,

don't hit me.

BOSS KEAN:

What was that? What was that name

you said, Luke?

LUKE:

God. I pray to God you won't hit me.

(he grovels in the

dirt before them,

tears streaming down

his cheeks)

I'll do whatever you say, but I can't

take no more. Please.

TWO SHOT PAUL AND KEAN

A trace of smiles.

BOSS PAUL:

(kindly)

You got your mind right, Luke?

CLOSE LUKE:

LUKE:

Yes, Boss. I got it right.

ON KEAN AND PAUL

BOSS PAUL:

Supposin' you was to backslide on

us, Luke? Supposin' you was to

backsass or try to run again...

LUKE:

No, Boss! I won't. I won't. I got my

mind right. I got it right, Boss.

Please don't hit me no more.

INT. BARRACKS (NIGHT)

The music has stopped, the men listening.

ON KOKO:

His face tightens into an expression of contempt, hatred. He

grabs the picture on the bunk beside him and violently tears

it in half.

EXT. YARD LUKE, BOSSES PAUL AND KEAN (NIGHT)

BOSS PAUL:

(kind and reasonable)

Luke, you run again and we'll kill

you.

LUKE:

I know, I know. Just don't hit me.

The Captain steps in -- out of the dark. He has been watching

from his porch.

CAPTAIN:

Okay, son. Go get shaved and cleaned

up and get you some sleep. I reckon

you need it.

Luke slowly struggles to his feet and begins painfully

stumbling toward the barracks.

INT. BARRACKS (NIGHT)

as the chute opens and Luke staggers inside and the door is

slammed behind him.

LUKE:

I got my mind right. I got it right.

He stumbles toward his bunk, passing Tattoo and Alibi who

turn away embarrassed.

LUKE:

I got my mind right.

Others like Dragline and Koko stare straight ahead, not seeing

him; Society Red has his back turned; Dynamite, Blind Dick,

Loudmouth Steve meet his gaze contemptuously.

LUKE:

(collapsing on his

bunk)

Where are you now? I got my mind

right. You hear me? I got it right!

Silence.

EXT. ROAD (DAY)

The gang is working. Over a week has passed. Luke's wounds

are healed. He works in a slow, spiritless way, broken.

CLOSE GODFREY:

looking somehow less menacing.

BOSS PAUL:

He is sitting, not even looking at the men, relaxed, pulls

out watch looks over to Godfrey in b.g. Godfrey nods.

BOSS PAUL:

Awright, smoke it up.

The men break and sit down for smoking.

BOSS PAUL:

Luke! Water 'em.

Without a moments hesitation, Luke jogs over and gets the

water pail and dipper from Rabbit and moves to the group of

men.

CLOSE THE GROUP:

as Luke moves around filling their cups. The men are silent,

some embarrassed, some sympathetic, some confused, some

disappointed.

CLOSE GODFREY:

He signals with his cane for his rifle.

ON RABBIT:

He hurries to the cab of the truck, gets Godfrey's rifle.

The other men, but not Luke, watch as Godfrey slips in the

bolt, loads, fires at something out in the swamp.

ON BOSS PAUL:

As Godfrey takes bolt out of rifle, returns the gun to Rabbit.

BOSS PAUL:

Go git it, Luke.

LUKE:

Yes sir, Boss Paul!

Grinning, cheerful, he begins to hobble away through the

swamp and grass.

CLOSE ANGLE ON TURTLE IN THE MUCK

Luke's hands COME INTO FRAME AND OFFER the head a stick. The

jaws clamp down on the stick and Luke lifts the turtle up.

FULL SHOT LUKE:

grinning, holding up the turtle by the stick.

LUKE:

Here he is, Boss. Deader'n hell but

he won't let go.

THE GROUP:

as Luke walks back through them carrying the turtle.

BOSS PAUL:

You cut that up fer lunch, Luke.

LUKE:

Yes, Boss.

He moves off toward the trucks with the turtle, and we HOLD

on the disappointed reactions of the men, featuring Dragline.

Then there is the SOUND of a motor starting.

ON THE GROUP NEW ANGLE

as they turn to look, as one man.

THE TRUCK:

as Luke tries to get it in gear, there is the SOUND of gears

grinding and as the truck begins to move the bed of the dump

body begins to raise. The truck begins to move past the

prisoners, away from the guards.

ON THE GUARDS:

As they begin to run toward the truck, raising their guns.

ON DRAGLINE:

on his feet.

DRAGLINE:

Oh Lord!

SOCIETY RED:

That fool. That damn fool.

DRAGLINE:

Oh mah baby Luke.

He starts to run like hell toward the truck coming past.

ANGLE ON GUARDS:

stopping to fire but bullets ricochet off the rising bed of

the dump body.

MOVING SHOT PARALLELING TRUCK

Dragline running alongside trying to grab the door handle.

Inside Luke, grinning fiercely, as he drives. SHOTS sounding.

Dragline gets hold of the door, swings inside. HOLD AND PAN

the truck off down the road until all we can see is the steel

dump body.

REVERSE THE ROAD

It is littered with tools and equipment dumped from the truck

body. The guards stand there, their guns empty.

BOSS KEAN:

(from another truck)

He's taken the keys. He's got the

keys!

Boss Shorty pokes his head out of another truck.

BOSS SHORTY:

Here, too.

INT. TRUCK LUKE AND DRAGLINE

DRAGLINE:

We're free, Luke. You terrible man.

Think of that. We're free. Free!

Over them, appears the SUPERIMPOSED image of Godfrey's

glasses, the Man With No Eyes, watching them, denying

Dragline's words.

LONG DISSOLVE:

EXT. PALMETTO SWAMP

Dragline is exuberantly hacking away at palm fronds to cover

the truck while Luke is filing away at his chains.

DRAGLINE:

(rattling frond)

Shakin it here, Boss. Shakin it...

Oh my baby Luke.

He laughs, shakes his head in appreciation. Luke ignores

him, continues to file. Dragline does another worshipful

imitation.

DRAGLINE:

Don't hit me no more, Boss! Don't

hit me! I'll do anythin' you say but

just don't hit me! Oh Luke. You are

an original, you truly are. You really

fooled them.

LUKE:

Foolin', Hell! I would have eaten

that dirt for them. They coulda used

my head for a shovel and a my face

for a broom... They just never did

get a piece of my mind.

DRAGLINE:

And all the time you was plannin' on

runnin' again.

Luke has filed through the chains, stands up.

LUKE:

Yeah, well... I never planned nothin'

in my life...

He tosses the severed chain link into the swamp and starts

to walk off, Dragline hurrying behind him.

EXT. NEAR NEGRO VILLAGE (DUSK)

Luke and Dragline appear, tired and cold. Dragline is having

trouble keeping up. Seeing this, Luke stops and rests, looking

off at church visible in distance.

DRAGLINE:

Whoee, it's cold. Wisht I had

somethin' to eat. Bread, grits, beans

even. Soon's we get to my house,

we're gonna have us one big meal and

then I'm gonna show you some farm

girls that...

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