Hardcore Page #25

Synopsis: Jake Van Dorn is a businessman from the American heartland who shares strong Calvinist convictions with most of his countrymen. His teenage daughter is missing from her church youth convention trip to California and Van Dorn hires a private investigator to find her. The result of the investigation is his daughter is spotted in a cheap X-rated movie. Van Dorn decides to bring her back personally and during the quest he becomes familiar with the pornographic underworld.
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Director(s): Paul Schrader
Production: Sony Pictures Entertainment
  4 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.0
Rotten Tomatoes:
86%
R
Year:
1979
108 min
1,689 Views


CUT TO:

EXT. TRAVEL LODGE - DAY

Jake's rental car pulls into a San Francisco Travel Lodge.

CUT TO:

EXT. NORTH BEACH - AFTERNOON

Niki places a call from a phone booth. Jake watches the

passing denizens of North Beach.

The familiar sordid tableau is played out before his eyes:

massage parlors, peep shows, strip joints, sex shops.

NIKI:

(hangs up phone)

Tod'll meet you at the bookstore at

Eddy and O'Farrell tomorrow noon. I

told him you were a 'specialty'

customer.

JAKE:

Why can't I meet him now?

Niki, cocky, walks next to Jake. She is in her element. She

calls out to a pimp:

NIKI:

I hope your prick falls off.

Jake, surprised, turns away from the pimp's cold stare.

JAKE:

Why can't I meet him now?

Niki brazenly calls out to a strutting hooker:

NIKI:

Rot in hell, honey.

(to Jake)

He's busy now.

JAKE:

Where does he live.

NIKI:

Just a second. It's my ass I'm

risking. You better do it my way.

These f***ers don't mess around.

Niki walks off. Jake follows.

CUT TO:

EXT. TRAVEL LODGE - DUSK

Jake's rental car is parked outside his motel room.

CUT TO:

INT. JAKE'S ROOM - NIGHT

Jake sits on the edge of his bed, studying the crease in his

trousers.

His shirt is partiallly open.

Niki, swigging a Coke sits squatted atop the built in desk.

JAKE:

I must have been in more motel rooms

this week than in the rest of my

life. At least it feels that way.

NIKI:

I know what you mean. After a while

they all look the same.

JAKE:

They are the same.

NIKI:

Do you live in a house back in

wherever.

JAKE:

Grand Rapids? Of course.

NIKI:

On your own land?

Jake nods.

NIKI:

(continuing)

Just you and your daughter?

Jake nods.

NIKI:

(continuing)

Look, I really don't know your

daughter but...

JAKE:

But what?

NIKI:

I wouldn't expect too much. I mean

about her coming back. Once a girl

gets into the life.

JAKE:

What makes you so sure?

NIKI:

(changing the subject)

You wife isn't dead is she?

Van Dorn surprised, turns around.

JAKE:

Why do you say that?

NIKI:

Just a guess. She ain't dead though

is she?

Jake shakes his head "no."

NIKI:

(continuing)

She left you right?

JAKE:

Yeah.

(a beat)

She was the one called Joanne. How'd

you find that out?

NIKI:

Just a guess. Did you have it good

with your wife? You know, sex.

Jake resents Niki's forwardness: what business of hers is

this?

JAKE:

I don't blame you, Niki. Really I

don't. It's this culture, where

everything's based on sex, sold on

sex...

(starts to get angry)

...magazines, music, TV. It's

destroying everything. Buy this 'cause

of sex, use this 'cause of sex. Kids

think it's normal. They think they're

supposed to talk dirty, wear scanty

clothes...

NIKI:

(interrupting)

Don't get upset. I lied too. I don't

make no five hundred dollars a week.

Everything I make goes to Granville.

JAKE:

Granville?

NIKI:

My man. 'Pimp.' I split 'cause he

don't treat me for sh*t. Thinks he's

so cool 'cause he's black. I once

tried to take my clothes but he says,

'You can't take 'em 'cause they're

my clothes -- I bought 'em.' Yeah,

with my f***ing money...

Jake doesn't want to get involved with Niki's problems:

JAKE:

Look, Niki, this really isn't my

business. I don't know anything

about...

NIKI:

So I guess we're both f***ed, huh?

But at least you get to go to heaven.

I don't get sh*t.

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Paul Schrader

Paul Joseph Schrader is an American screenwriter, film director, and film critic. Schrader wrote or co-wrote screenplays for four Martin Scorsese films: Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ and Bringing Out the Dead. more…

All Paul Schrader scripts | Paul Schrader Scripts

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