Jonathan Demme and the Making of 'The Manchurian Candidate' Page #6

The thing is, I never seem

to get to the point

where I feel that it actually

does happen.

But I'm sure that's perfectly normal.

Okay. Well, have you discussed this

with anyone? These discrepancies?

Who would I share that with?

My old Army buddies

who love and adore me

for saving their

pathetically unimportant,

present company excluded, asses?

You could discuss it

with Army intelligence.

You could go down there.

I mean, I could go with you

and discuss it and you can tell them

what you remember,

what you don't remember,

and they could...

...run some tests.

Yeah, tests. Boy.

The press would have

a field day with that.

Somebody put an implant inside me.

I found it this morning.

I've got the hole in my back

if you wanna take a look at it.

And I got a good feeling

they put one in you too.

Nobody has put anything

in me, Ben.

Let's prove it.

Why don't, you know...

- We'll go get an x-ray...

- Look, Ben,

I wanna be supportive of you. I do.

But don't you think this could wait

till after the election?

Why? For what?

- What are you scared of?

- I'm not afraid of anything.

- Then why don't we just prove it...

- Know what? I think you should leave.

- I'm sorry, I really...

- Listen.

Somebody got into our heads

with big steel-toe boots,

cable cutters and a chainsaw

and they went to town.

Neurons got... Got...

Got exposed and circuits got rewired.

Our brain cells got

obliterated, Raymond.

Please.

You need to get help, Ben.

What are you doing? Ben!

[RAYMOND YELLING]

Stop! Stop!

ANDERSON:

Inside! Inside!

Congressman!

He bit him. He bit him.

Get him out of here.

Are you okay, sir?

- Leave me alone.

ANDERSON:
Sir, we should...

Get out!

MAN:

We fished him out of the Potomac River

about 4:
45 yesterday afternoon.

What were you doing

in Al Melvin's apartment?

I went to talk to him.

He wasn't home.

Talk about what? Dreams?

Interesting stuff.

MARCO:
Yeah, there's hundreds

of those in his place.

You should have your people

check it out.

Oh, we'll get on that right away.

Colonel Garret was kind enough

to show us the file on you, Marco.

You are the real deal, aren't you?

Special Forces. Rangers. Delta.

MARCO:

I wanted to talk to Corporal Melvin

to ask him some

unanswered questions about...

...our reconnaissance

in Kuwait back in '91.

- He wasn't home.

- Right. He wasn't there.

So, what, you thought it was okay

to just break in and wait for him?

I didn't kill him,

if that's where you're headed.

Nobody said you did.

Maybe he committed suicide.

[MARCO SIGHS]

What's your obsession

with Raymond Shaw?

I'm not obsessed

with Raymond Shaw.

The man of his dreams.

MARCO:
You may want to ask

your medical examiners

to check Melvin's back.

It's under the skin

just shy of the scapula.

They may find a implant.

Just under the skin, left side. If they

don't look real hard, they won't find it.

[WILLIAMS HUMS

"TWILIGHT ZONE" THEME]

They could sing that while

they're looking for it if they like.

- Implants.

- That's what I said.

I-M-plant.

Yeah, but judging from

your file here, apparently,

you don't know your sh*t

from your oatmeal, my friend.

WILLIAMS:

Excuse me. This is unnecessary.

You got a problem?

Psycho? You look a little angry.

Maybe you wanna hit me?

Go ahead, you can do it.

- Hey!

HOWARD:
For God's sake, Ben...

He hit me.

ELLIE:

And you wanna help him?

RAYMOND:
No. That would be

political suicide. Of course not.

I want you to help him.

I can't even imagine why.

Mother, I can assure you, I am as

uncomfortable asking you to do this

as you are being asked.

My campaign people are getting

a restraining order against him.

He's going on every security watch list,

but I won't lock him up.

- I'm not pressing charges.

- What?

I don't know, it's just...

I don't wanna talk

about this right now.

Can we get back to the campaign

and focus on something...

Raymond, you don't actually

believe his story?

No.

But he does.

And he's a fine soldier.

And if his slim hold

on sanity requires

that I tolerate his delusions

until he can get help, I'll do it.

It doesn't diminish me.

I'm not afraid of him.

Raymond.

How much do you actually know

about your friend?

ELLIE:

Oh, that's sad.

Poor little tin soldier.

Mother, please.

Well, just imagine how terrified

your people were yesterday

when Major Marco showed up

at campaign headquarters

and you invite...

My God, you invited him in.

With all they know about him.

I know him.

I served under him.

He was a good man.

Well, that's what the neighbors

always say about serial killers.

[SIRENS WAILING]

[RAP MUSIC PLAYS]

[REPORTER SPEAKS

INDISTINCTLY ON RADIO]

You're out of here.

Shaw won't press charges.

Someone from

Senator Eleanor Shaw's office called

and intervened on your behalf.

Major, you've reached the terminal end

of the Army's patience.

You're relieved of duty,

effective immediately.

Yes, sir.

Ben,

there is a young neurologist

at Walter Reed. His name is Zahn.

He's had real success

with Gulf War Syndrome.

You are instructed to get

your affairs in order

and report to him

first thing Monday morning.

DELP:

I thought you said you lost it.

MARCO:

I bit a guy. I found another one.

DELP:

Uh-huh.

These are not supposed to exist.

These are only theoretical.

So, what does it do?

- I don't know.

- You don't know?

I don't know.

I don't wanna know.

You don't wanna know.

Look, it's out of you

and you are still alive.

That's the good news.

What's the bad news?

Maybe they know you're here.

You said the Army implants,

they were for

emergency medical data, right?

The ones they publicized were.

There was a parallel project

for all kinds of scary implantables.

The Clinton watchdogs finally

freaked out about it, closed down.

Parallel project?

How did you know about that?

Manchurian Global funded me

to make some of their scary sh*t.

Heard of them?

Imagine not just

a corporation, Marco,

but a goddamn geopolitical

extension of policy

for every president since Nixon.

Cash is king, Marco.

Cash is king.

You sure you wanna do this?

Absolutely.

Because I don't.

I'll owe you one.

No.

I still owe you.

For getting me out of Albania.

Albania.

[CHUCKLES]

DELP:

What are you doing?

MARCO:
Oh, in case

I forget things I wanna remember.

DELP:
I'm putting you on a cocktail

of methohexitol to take the edge off.

MARCO:

The edge off of what?

DELP:
Getting clarity.

Or whatever you wanna call it.

ECT not being

the precise science that, say,

leeching is.

You don't think

this is gonna work?

It's a desperation move, man.

But, hey, there is a school

of thought that says

a victim of induced abreaction...

Here it comes.

[MONKEYS SCREECHING]

[BEEPING]

SOLDIERS:

The night is clear. Stars, but no moon.

The patrol is ambushed.

We were on a routine recon

inside Iraqi-controlled terrain,

assessing troop strength...

Captain Marco was

knocked unconscious.

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