In the Loop Page #9

She advances.

LIZA:

I’m practically on top of you.

KAREN:

Now I see you. Okay you can stop

talking into your cell now.

They are together.

LIZA:

(to her and into phone)

Okay.

KAREN:

Look I’m taking the car. My teeth have

formed themselves into a guerilla cell

and are trying to kill me. Tell Simon

Foster and his team to come in for the

war committee and I’ll do a five-

minute Danish and hand job with them

at ten. Okay? And if I die in the

night, my dentist goes to Cuba in an

orange jumpsuit.

Page 48

IN THE LOOP SHOOTING SCRIPT @ 11/6/08

EXT. GEORGETOWN STREET - EVENING.

LIZA:

(on phone, deep breath)

Hey Toby! It’s Liza Weld. Do you

remember? What you guys doing?

INT. WASHINGTON HOTEL. TOBY'S ROOM - EVENING.

Toby and Simon watching a shark documentary eating room

service on their laps.

TOBY:

It’s unbelievably hectic.

SIMON:

You can definitely spot the female

ones, can't you?

LIZA:

So you made it.

TOBY:

Whoah. Yeah. Hello.

LIZA:

So last time I saw you was what, end

of semester, five, six years ago?

TOBY:

Yeah sorry about that. I thought it

would come across as romantic. But

apparently it seemed more ...

(does the stabbing from

Psycho)

LIZA:

To be honest, you were quite drunk. So

it came across as more

(drunken shouting)

‘Ma haw wii aaarrrlllaaaaaa beeeeee

hooooooooooo’.

TOBY:

But look at us now! Here we are -

running the world.

LIZA:

Uh-hu. I mean, I guess I’m running the

world, while your country is more of a

floating early-warning system.

So Karen has scheduled face time with

you and Simon tomorrow at ten.

Page 49

IN THE LOOP SHOOTING SCRIPT @ 11/6/08

CONTINUED:

TOBY:

Oh, wow, okay. Great.

LIZA:

And there’s one other thing.

TOBY:

Yeah?

LIZA:

It’s the War Committee. Real top notch

Bogsat.

TOBY:

Bogsat?

LIZA:

Bunch of Guys sat round a table. It’s

small. Really small, that’s how they

want it. But very loopy, inner loop.

Doubledomes. Beltway hardcore. This is

where war’s going to get decided. Room

712. Make sure you’re briefed, these

guys won’t f*** around.

TOBY:

F***ing brilliant.

Anyway, I need a drink. You wanna

catch up, Toby?

TOBY (CONT'D)

(can’t believe his luck,

there’s a connection)

You and me? Sure.

Realises he’s going to leave Simon on his own.

TOBY (CONT'D)

(whispers to Simon)

I’ve got us in.

SIMON:

Where?

TOBY:

Meeting with Karen Clark at State,

10am. Plus. And this is big. War

committee. Top secret. Total Bogsat,

chock with doubleloops. Domey. Beltway

hardnuts. I’ll emailed the deets to

your blackberry. Cool?

SIMON:

Great.

Page 50

IN THE LOOP SHOOTING SCRIPT @ 11/6/08

CONTINUED:
(2)

TOBY:

Look, I’m going out. It’s work stuff.

I’m networking. You’ll be okay yeah?

SIMON:

No.

48 INT. BLACK CAT INDIE CLUB - NIGHT 48

Toby and Liza sit in a booth. They are by far the most

formally dressed people in the club. A band are playing

angry rock with a vaguely political message. A small

knot of people are rocking out.

LIZA:

(re :
the mosh pit)

You see those guys? The mosh pit?

TOBY:

Yes, I don't think I've ever seen a

more civilised 'mosh pit' it's more of

a mosh caucus actually.

LIZA:

House staffers, Senators' interns,

most of them are half-man half-PDF

file. Tonight they rage hard. Tomorrow

they go back to the hill and argue

noise reduction legislation.

They're chuckling, having a good time.

TOBY:

So do you ever - rebel, a little.

She looks at him, pulls back the arm of the top she's

wearing to reveal a tattoo on her upper arm.

TOBY (CONT'D)

Cool!

LIZA:

Yeah - above here,

(she motions to where her

clothes cover)

you see, is plausible deniability.

TOBY:

(looking a bit too

closely?)

What is it?

LIZA:

It's Sanskrit for peace.

Page 51

IN THE LOOP SHOOTING SCRIPT @ 11/6/08

48 CONTINUED:
48

TOBY:

Oh. Nice. Best to keep it in code -

not a very fashionable idea I guess.

LIZA:

(she’s been mulling on

something else entirely)

Did you hear about Pwip Pip to you?

TOBY:

I’m sorry? Pip Pip? Is this... a

person or a cell phone tarrif or..

LIZA:

It’s my paper. On the war. Pros and

Cons of the war. But I came up with

too many cons. The pro-war guys have

started calling me ‘Connie’.

TOBY:

You’re worried.

LIZA:

Yes I’m f***ing worried. My career’s

on the line.

TOBY:

Yeah- I noticed you’re worried, cos I

saw you looking worried. I’m

perceptive like that. But...

(can’t think of anything

else)

Don’t worry.

LIZA:

Okay, this place blows. I'm going.

What are you doing?

TOBY:

Well I'm incredibly tired. It feels

like my brain's eight hours behind but

my liver's 12 hours ahead.

LIZA:

You don't want to come back to my

place for a quick catch up?

It's an alluring offer.

TOBY:

However, due to technological

developments I no longer need sleep,

but am physically rejuvenated by

alcohol!

He guzzles from his beer bottle as they leave.

Page 52

IN THE LOOP SHOOTING SCRIPT @ 11/6/08

49 INT. LIZA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 49

Toby and Liza are on the bed together, kissing.

TOBY:

Could I just say, you know, that what

happens in Washington stays in

Washington?

LIZA:

Yeah I live in Washington. So that

doesn’t really work for me.

50 INT. LIZA'S APARTMENT - DAY 50

Toby wakes up. His mouth is parched. He feels terrible.

He rolls over. Liza is gone. He can’t remember where he

is or what’s going on. Then with a flash as he looks at

the clock - 9.07 he remembers a lot of things in a rush

and springs out like a Ninja and starts pulling his

clothes on, while scrabbling for his phone.

He heads down stairs & out of the apartment.

51 EXT. LIZA'S APARTMENT BLOCK - DAY 51

TOBY:

Hello I need a number for a taxi in

Washington DC. Straight through

please.

He’s on the street.

TOBY (CONT’D)

Hello. I need a cab, right now. From?

From where? From from

(sees the house number )

TOBY (CONT’D)

It’s 40, 46, that’s the number, and

it’s a street. It’s a nice street with

houses and cars and a - sidewalk and

it’s got leaves and - hold on I’m

walking, I’m walking to a sign ...

52 EXT. STREET NEAR LIZA'S APARTMENT - DAY 52

Toby walks past a kid standing outside a run-down

school.

Page 53

IN THE LOOP SHOOTING SCRIPT @ 11/6/08

52 CONTINUED:
52

TOBY:

(without stopping)

Excuse me, do you know where the State

Department is?

Yes.

KID:

TOBY:

Where is it?

KID:

I don't know.

TOBY:

Thank you very much.

(to the kid as he jogs

off)

If I don’t get there on time to stop

this, I reckon in about eight years

you’ll be getting called up.

He carries on past the kid a little scared.

53 EXT. WASHINGTON STREET 53

Toby running.

54 INT. KAREN CLARK’S OFFICE. DAY. 54

Karen, Liza and Simon are making small talk.

LIZA:

Marcel’s is good.

Uh-huh.

SIMON:

KAREN:

You should go to La Taverna, the Greek

place. It’s fantastic.

LIZA:

They set fire to the cheese. It’s a

lot of fun.

SIMON:

It sounds a lot of fun.

KAREN:

There’s the aerospace museum, the

National Gallery.

SIMON:

Do they set fire to the paintings?

Rate this script:5.0 / 3 votes