Entrapment Page #14

Getting hold of herself, Gin checks her face in the mirror.

INT. GREAT HALL - NIGHT - SAME

Dressed in his tuxedo, Mac waits at the bottom of the stairs.

MAC:

Gin, we're four minutes late!

GIN (O.S.)

I'm coming.

The door opens at the top of the stairs and out she comes,

wearing the dress. She looks truly beautiful. We watch him

watch her come down the stairs.

GIN:

How do I look?

MAC:

Very beautiful--for a crook.

GIN:

I've got something for you.

She takes out a rose that looks suspiciously like one of the

roses from the farmhouse.

GIN:

(continuing)

So I'll recognize you. Wouldn't want to

go home with the wrong man by mistake.

She pins it on his lapel, very close to him. He can smell her

perfume, her hair. She steps back, examines him.

GIN (cont'd)

Perfect.

She smiles at him, not looking away. There are several ways

to take that, most of which make him a bit self-conscious.

Then he gives her a Masquerade mask.

MAC:

(continuing)

It's a masked ball. We all go as someone

else.

EXT. BLENHEIM PALACE - NIGHT

We swoop in on the Palace in all its magnificence. Rolls

Royces and Limousines drive over the bridge and disgorge

their guests at the tent by the entry. Over the gates is

draped a banner proclaiming THE MASK Two Thousand Years of

Chinese Art.

EXT. PALACE - NIGHT

Closer now. Guests getting out of cars. Gin and Mac sweep in

with the rest of the crowd as security guards check names

against a guest list. After their names are checked, the

guests don their masks and enter.

Mac nods and exchanges small talk with other guests. A

BEAUTIFUL WOMAN recognizes Mac.

BEAUTIFUL WOMAN:

Robert--

MAC:

Daphne.

There is history here. A lot.

MAC (cont'd)

Lady Ashcroft, Virginia Baker.

Lady Ashcroft gives Gin the full up-and-down.

BEAUTIFUL WOMAN:

Hmmm. Yes. Youth will be served.

She leaves.

GIN:

Business or pleasure?

MAC:

Strictly pleasure.

INT. PALACE - NIGHT

A great hall. Musicians in the balcony. Mac and Gin stroll

in. We see a huge CLOCK against the back wall, one of those

mechanical wonders where dogs dressed like humans rotate

around, banging on gongs to announce the hour. It says 9:45.

Gin's fidgety.

MAC:

Relax. You act like you're here to steal

something.

She can't relax.

MAC (cont'd)

Go get a drink. I'll look over the

security guard check points, meet you

back here.

She nods, walks away. He strolls into the crowd.

INT. PALACE - ANOTHER CORRIDOR

Mac examines a display of tin soldiers next to a security

check-in box. Thibadeaux appears in a Chinese mandarin's

outfit. He's agitated, worried about Gin catching them.

THIBADEAUX:

Have you seen the setup in there?

MAC:

I said a masked ball, not a costume

party.

THIBADEAUX:

You didn't tell me only the women were

supposed to dress like Chinks.

MAC:

No ethnic slurs, please.

THIBADEAUX:

The damn mask, man, it's made of cotton

candy. What if you break it? What if she

is selling you a pig in a poke?

MAC:

What if we drop it in the lake? It could

melt.

THIBADEAUX:

Jesus, you gotta call this off.

MAC:

Patience Thib, patience. Trust me.

THIBADEAUX:

Remind me why.

MAC:

Because it pays off.

THIBADEAUX:

It's not your damn ass on the line.

Thibadeaux spots Gin coming up, disappears into the crowd.

MAC:

(to himself)

Oh, but it is.

(to Gin)

Haven't I seen him before?

MAC:

You mean Charlie Chan? He was looking for

number two son.

GIN:

What?

MAC:

Before your time.

The music changes to something very danceable.

MAC:

(continuing)

We could dance, if you knew how.

She stares at him.

GIN:

Try me.

INT. PALACE - GREAT HALL - DAY

The music begins. Mac reaches out his hand to Gin. She's had

to overcome a lot to get here. Her fear, the incredible

pressure of the job, his impossible behavior. But here she

is, Cinderella at the Ball.

She reaches out her hand to take his. And as she takes it

time stops. For the first time they are truly touching, truly

connected. They stare at each other. And then they take the

floor, tentative at first like new lovers.

He takes her in his arms and then, expecting nothing, he

leads her into one combination, then another. She follows him

effortlessly, her eyes never leaving his face, as if to say,

is that all you've got?

He takes her into more complicated moves, but she's right

there, in his arms, not missing a beat. Anyone looking would

believe they were completely in love.

MAC:

Where did you learn to do this?

She smiles, teasing him.

GIN:

My father.

MAC:

Of course. Dear...old...dad.

We are absorbed in their absorption with each other. It's as

if the force between them clears a space around them.

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