Hudson Hawk

FADE IN:

1 OMITTED 1

1A EXT. VINCI COUNTRYSIDE -RENAISSANCE -DAY 1A

A TRAVELING MERCHANT WITH AN UNFORGETTABLY ETCHED FACE

rambles past a timelessly beautiful Italian countryside

on a trusty mule.

A jaw-droppingly storybook castle looms before him. The

merchant dismounts and pulls forth a cask of wine. Settling

down upon a tree stump, he removes his hat and

inhales the fresh air with a life-loving sigh.

The merchant brings the cask to his lips when suddenly a

LOUD EXPLOSION is heard causing the merchant to douse

himself with a blast of vino.

UNFORGETTABLE MERCHANT

Leonardo, che pazzo...

The merchant shakes his fist up to a swish pan that

swings up toward a smoking window of the awesome castle.

2 OMITTED 2

3 INT. ROOM OF THE GOLD MACHINE 3

The charismatic LEONARDO DA VINCI, with his trademark

beard, drifts through the smoke of a mammoth room. A

flash of light causes him to put on a pair of very early,

very cool sunglasses. Something extraordinary reflects

off them.

Da Vinci moves to the Something, a gloriously incredible

machine. The opening CREDITS REVEAL its dazzling idiosyncrasies.

TWO COUGHING APPRENTICES haplessly try to disperse smoke

from the still billowing, mysteriously spectacular

Machine. Mirrors attached to parts of it reflect beams

of light which cut through the smoke like a Renaissance

laser show.

DA VINCI:

Marcolino, mettiamoli il plumba.

The apprentice throws a lever. A shunt near the furnace

turns. Steam escapes upwards.

(CONTINUED)

2.

3 CONTINUED:
3

DA VINCI:

Su la fiamma. Su! Su! Sole!

Basta. Chudere! Chudere!

The Master peers at the smoking yellow bar.

Crystallo!

DA VINCI:

Da Vinci's pride goes dead as the implications hit.

The apprentices scurry out. Mind reeling, Da Vinci turns

his back to the viewer, before a wall of frescoes.

Spinning back around, using the edge of his cloak, Da

Vinci pulls out the large gleaming crystal with a pop.

4 OMITTED 4

A5 INT. DA VINCI'S WORKSHOP A5

With an accompanying blast of smoke, Da Vinci bursts

through some double doors into his workshop, sadly

reflecting upon the crystal in one hand and the tonged

bar in the other.

His workshop is a spendiferously enigmatic blend of

laboratory and studio; On a table in the foreground is

a fresh clay equestrian statue; a large VOLUME of

sketches, the inkwell nearby; a MODEL of what looks like

a HELICOPTER; Da Vinci flings the tonged bar on the table

among these goodies.

Pocketing the crystal, Da Vinci meanders through his

workshop casually tinkering with various experiments.

Leonardo stops at an easel displaying a finished-exceptfor-

the-mouth portrait of Mona Lisa, who happens to be

seated in a stool before the easel. She broadly smiles,

revealing the worst dental work of her epoch. Da Vinci

shakes his head and moves out onto a

APPRENTICE #1

Maestro, (siammo pronti).

5 OMITTED 5

HUDSON HAWK -Rev. 11/29/90 3.

5A EXT. CASTLE TERRACE 5A

DA VINCI:

Que bel lavoro.

GLIDER PILOT:

Maestro, non penso sia una buona

idea.

DA VINCI:

Non te preoccupare. Sieta pronti?

APPRENTICE #1

Siamo pronti, maestro.

DA VINCI:

Via, fatame vedere qua causa di bona!

Glider goes. Leonardo muses. The bat winged glider

DISSOLVES into:

5B AHAWK 5B

who is revealed to be flying over Sing Sing prison. At

the sight of the prison, the music on the soundtrack

abruptly changes from Renaissance Orchestral to Jimi

Hendrix's "Stone Free."

6 INT. A SING SING CELL BLOCK 6

SKEETER:

O.K., one coat, one hat. Some personal

items. There's your wallet. I think

you'll find everything in there.

A black hat is dropped onto the counter. A black coat is

then dropped beside it.

SKEETER:

Haven't seen one of these in a

long time.

HAWK:

Like that, Skeeter? Keep it.

SKEETER:

Hey, you got to sign for this!

Don't you want the receipt?

GATES:

I got him, Charlie. So the Hudson Hawk

is finally getting out. Remember all

the reporters that were here when you

came in?... "World's greatest cat

burglar." Now, who gives a f***?

(turning serious)

I've got a proposition.

(CONTINUED)

HUDSON HAWK -Rev. 11/29/90 3A.

6 CONTINUED:
6

HAWK:

Answer's no, Gates.

GATES:

As your parole officer, I've found

you a job.

HAWK:

No way.

GATES:

It's a terrific job. An auction

house. One night's work and you're

free. No checking in with a shrink,

no community service...

HAWK:

I want to do community service. I

want to teach the handicapped how

to yodel. I ain't stealing no

more, Gates.

GATES:

Ten years later, you're still

impressed with yourself. Same old

coat, same old hat. You're extinct,

Hawk, out of style.

HAWK:

(to trenchcoat)

Coming from you that's a powerful

statement. Look, aren't you

supposed to stop me from committing

crimes. You know, Book-em-Dano,

Give-a-Hoot-Don't-Pollute.

Hawk and Gates come to a final checkpoint. Gates jiggles

in and out of his pocket, a set of keys.

GATES:

You ain't out yet, wise guy. I

can set you up and send you back

any time I want. It's a very fine

line between ex-con and escaped con.

HAWK:

Gates, Gates, Gates. Go f***

yourself.

GATES:

This hard-on's got my keys.

Seymour! Be seeing you, Hawk.

Gates moves to the bars and reaches in his pocket. It is

empty.

(CONTINUED)

HUSDON HAWK -Rev. 11/29/90 4.

6 CONTINUED:
6

Hawk flings the keys in a trash can.

HAWK:

Why am I getting the feeling that

getting out of prison is going to

be a big f***ing mistake.

Hawk dispenses himself a Pez piece then spits it out in

agony.

6B

thru

7

6B

thru

7

HUDSON HAWK -Rev. 7/6/90 5.

8 EXT. OUTSIDE THE PRISON--DAY 8

Hawk strides to the Massive Sliding Concrete Door/Wall

between him and freedom. As music crescendos and Hawk

glows his first smile.

GUARD:

On the gate!

HAWK:

See you around, Michael.

GATES:

Hudson Hawk, you're under arrest.

(cackles)

Just kidding. Good opening line

though, huh? I've got a

proposition....

HAWK:

Answer's no, not even if you

bathe.

The Concrete Wall/Door slams shut behind Hawk.

GATES:

Why do you treat your parole officer

with such disrespect? I've found

you a job. An auction house. One

night's work then you're free like

no ex-con's ever been. No checking

in with a shrink, no community

service teaching retards how to

play air hockey. It's a great deal,

I can't lie.

HAWK:

The only thing you can't do is get

sex for free. I know I was in

prison for basically the 80's,

but, call me batty, aren't you

supposed to stop me from committing

crimes. You know, Book-em-Dano,

Call-for-back-up, Give-a-HootDon't-

Pollute.

Hawk begins to strut off. Gates and the car keep up.

GATES:

You wouldn't be out if it wasn't

for me! I did the dog and pony

for you! You think the parole

board would have let you out after

what you did to them?

(CONTINUED)

HUDSON HAWK -Rev. 7/6/90 6.

8 CONTINUED:
8

HAWK:

How was I supposed to know they

were women?

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