Phone Booth Page #13

SERGEANT:

(listening on transmitter)

There's something else coming in.

A 911 operator says your name was

mentioned by somebody that's still

on the line. Somebody talking

about a phone booth. And a sniper.

RAMEY:

Patch me through. Hello, this is

Captain Edward Ramey. What about

that call?

EMERGENCY OPERATOR

The line is still open. It's

originating from a booth at 45th

and 8th.

RAMEY:

We're there! Can you play me back

your recording of the entire call?

EMERGENCY OPERATOR

I can't replay the tape while it's

still running.

RAMEY:

Then switch to another machine and

play back what you've got.

EMERGENCY OPERATOR

It's awful faint. He's not talking

directly into the receiver.

Ramey begins to listen. We hear snatches of Stu's call

picking up words which are at times incomprehensible.

STU'S VOICE

(faint)

'Who's going to believe I've got a

sniper with a telescopic sight

holding me in some f***ing phone

booth...'

The uniformed TELEPHONE TECHNICIAN now joins Ramey and the

Sergeant.

TELEPHONE TECHNICIAN

Got what you wanted. The call's

coming from up the street. The

Hotel Broadway.

RAMEY:

Have you got the room?

TELEPHONE TECHNICIAN

It's not that easy. Electronic

switchboard.

RAMEY:

(to Sergeant)

Move your SWAT units to the hotel.

No... wait. Any movement will

alert the sniper. If he sees any

of us withdraw, he may panic.

SERGEANT:

There's another SWAT unit on the

way.

RAMEY:

Intercept them. Divert them to the

hotel.

SERGEANT:

It's done.

RAMEY:

Send them in from the Forty-third

Street side. I don't want any

activity the sniper might catch

sight of. He's probably high up

and facing that booth. He's got to

continue to believe our full

attention is focused on the man

inside -- whoever the hell that

poor bastard is.

(to emergency operator)

Hello 911 operator, I missed some

of that. Run it halfway back and

repeat it.

STU'S VOICE (REPLAY)

(faint)

'... Like you did that pimp. And

that tourist last week. But this

time you want me to do the killing

for you...'

RAMEY:

(listening)

Jesus... he's a dead man.

BACK INSIDE PHONE BOOTH

VOICE:

The police seem all excited about

something, Stu.

STU:

Are they? I wasn't looking.

VOICE:

I can't wait any longer. Say amen,

then reach up for the gun. When

your hand comes down, I want to see

it.

STU:

I'm too afraid.

VOICE:

For once, be brave. Surprise

yourself.

STU:

I'm shaking all over.

VOICE:

Guys in combat situations even sh*t

their pants. But they follow

orders.

STU:

As soon as the cops see a gun,

they'll open fire.

VOICE:

Then I'd advise you to fire first.

Stu's arm goes up in a supreme act of willpower.

His fingers run along the two clouded plastic sheets that

cover the roof of the booth. It raises up easily at the

middle where two sheets join.

TIGHT INSERT SHOT

The space between the roof of the booth and the sheets of

clouded plastic. We see the fluorescent lighting fixture

covered with dust. The solitary object -- a cruel-looking

weapon.

Now Stu's fingertips protrude into the small space. He

touches the gun, brushes back and forth, feeling the

roughness of the grip.

TIGHT SHOT - STU'S FACE

as below he continues to hesitate -- it's agony --

The sweat pours down his forehead and his eyes are squeezed

tightly shut. He can already imagine the police bullets

tearing into him.

A POLICE SNIPER IS MOVING INTO POSITION.

POLICE SNIPER:

(into transmitter)

Give me the word.

RACK BACK TO STU - IN THE BOOTH

His arm still raised. He hasn't brought it down with the gun

in it. Not yet. He holds the pay phone receiver jammed up

against his mouth.

VOICE:

Hard part's over. Drop your arm

and point it like you'd point your

finger and squeeze.

STU:

No. You do it. If you want me

dead, then f***ing murder me!

VOICE:

Why must I keep invoking some poor

girl's name every time we come to

an impasse? I'm focused back on

Kelly again. You're obviously not

willing to trade your life for

hers.

STU:

I am! I'm doing it!

He pulls the handgun down into full view. Curiously, the

police do not open fire.

STU:

There! You see it? They all see

it.

He waves the gun so nobody can miss it.

STU:

Where are you? Damn you!!

He drops the receiver and steps halfway out of the booth.

Still the cops do not open fire.

Then Stu starts shooting.

Not at the police, but at the high rise buildings across the

street.

At the thousands of windows that look down upon him.

He gets off two shots before a solitary rifle shot rings out

in response.

RACK FOCUS TO THE POLICE SNIPER

He has fired.

ANGLE ON STU:

The remaining glass on the south side of the booth shatters.

Stu tumbles forward, sprawling out of the booth onto the

pavement.

RACK FOCUS TO KELLY

She screams, tries to break through but cops restrain her.

INT. PHONE BOOTH

ANGLE ON DANGLING RECEIVER

as it sways back and forth. From it, we hear the voice.

VOICE:

Thanks for such an interesting

afternoon.

THEN THERE ARE OTHER SOUNDS EMANATING FROM THE DANGLING

SWAYING PHONE.

A wooden door being battered open. A few incomprehensible

shouts as a SWAT TEAM dashes in. Stu's stalling for time has

paid off.

THE SOUND OF A BARRAGE OF GUNFIRE.

THE SOUND OF A MUFFLED SCREAM.

The police have broken in on Stu's tormentor and there has

been a rapid exchange of shots.

A HAND reaches into the booth and grabs the receiver.

ANGLE WIDENS as Ramey places it to his ear.

RAMEY:

Hello? This is Captain Ramey.

Somebody talk to me.

SWAT OFFICER'S VOICE

Yeah. We took him out, Captain.

Nobody else got hurt.

RAMEY:

What's his condition?

SWAT OFFICER'S VOICE

Critical. The sonofabitch took

two. Probably won't survive the

ride.

RAMEY:

Get a statement from him. I'll be

right over.

He drops the receiver so that it dangles again.

CAMERA FOLLOWS RAMEY to where Stu lies surrounded by cops and

medics. He's stunned, but very much alive.

MEDIC:

Don't try to sit up.

STU:

What was that?

RAMEY:

(kneeling)

Rubber bullet.

MEDIC:

You'll have one hell of a nasty

welt. Busted rib. Maybe a

permanent scar there.

STU:

It couldn't hurt much more if you

really shot me.

RAMEY:

Somebody was going to and we

thought it may as well be us.

STU:

Did you get him?

RAMEY:

Sure as hell did. Thanks to you.

STU:

Still alive?

RAMEY:

Barely.

MEDIC:

We'll be giving him a hypo for the

pain. It'll put him out for a

while.

Kelly is now brought over by a female cop. She drops to her

knees beside Stu and tries to embrace him. The medics

restrain her.

STU:

It's okay. I'm not really shot.

KELLY:

I was so afraid. I thought...

STU:

I thought so, too. But we're going

to be alright. Both of us.

KELLY:

Remember how you swore up and down

you'd get me on TV? Well, you did.

I already got interviewed on Fox

and Channel Eleven and they even

want me on A.M. America tomorrow

morning.

STU:

Bet you didn't think I could

deliver on that.

MEDIC:

Will you please let go of him,

Miss?

A gurney is wheeled over from a police ambulance. The medic

is about to administer the hypo but Stu pushes him away.

STU:

No. No hypo. I want to see him

first.

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