Raiders of the Lost Ark Page #23

Shliemann spins around and looks at the tunnel entrance. He

points at Indy and Marion, who have just hopped into the mine

car with the Ark.

SHLIEMANN:

Stop them! Kill them!

A dozen Nazis spin and look at the mine car. Marion is just

leveling the submachine gun. Indy pushes forward the throttle

and the mine car moves toward the tunnel, picking up speed.

As the Nazis raise their guns to fire, Marion and Indy both

open up, peppering the area with lead. As the mine car is

about to disappear into the tunnel-

.

98.

INDY:

(to Marion)

Get down!

As the car disappears, bullets pock the entrance of the

tunnel. Shliemann runs up with three Nazis. They jump into

the next mine car and take off, disappearing into the tunnel.

Over at the burning stack of goods, some terrified

firefighters scurry away as the burning pile of general goods

falls over onto the stack of cartridge boxes. The wooden

boxes immediately start burning. Many of the Nazis just want

to get out of there, but a couple of disciplined OFFICERS are

trying to salvage the situation. They point to the far side

of the court, the walls are lines with oil and gas drums.

OFFICER:

We must cover the drums! Protect

them from the bullets!

INTERCUTTING Indy and Marion with Shliemann and the Nazis, we

see a most extraordinary pursuit. This tunnel is of identical

design to the first, except more twisty. This early section

goes slightly uphill, as though headed for the summit of a

rollercoaster. The low cross beams and the higher sections in

between are causing the Nazis to alternately stand and duck

in their efforts to get a clear shot at the lead car. One

German times it wrong and gets whacked. Indy is unhappy with

the speed of his car and he’s right, the Nazis are moving

faster and gaining. When both cars are in the same high

section, the Nazis blast away at them. The noise is

deafening, with barking guns, splintering rock, and twanging

ricochets contributing to the din. As Marion fires a return

volley low over the Ark, Indy kicks at the throttle,

convinced it is jammed.

150 INT. COMMAND CENTER 150

The Officers are directing the placement of every moveable

item in front of the oil drums. Desks, crates, chairs, food,

all are heaped in front of the fuel. All the workers cast

frequent glances back at the burning cartridge boxes across

the court. Suddenly the worst begins to happen at the

cartridge boxes. Hundreds of thousands of live cartridges

begin exploding, flying around the court like shrapnel. Hot

lead begins to zing off the exposed fuel drums, leaving big

dents.

.

99.

151 INT. TRAIN TUNNEL - LONG STRAIGHTWAY 151

The car with Indy and Marion looks almost sluggish compared

to the pursuing Nazi car as they both make their way into an

unusually long straightaway. Marion discards her empty

submachine gun as Indy kicks at his throttle and casts a

worried look back at Shliemann.

Shliemann, sensing victory, smiles evilly and carefully takes

aim. Indy and Marion will be easy targets until they reach

that approaching low cross beam, which is the crest of the

rising tunnel.

152 INT. COMMAND CENTER - CLOSE ON FUEL DRUM 152

A fuel drum, already pocked by bullets is finally penetrated

by high velocity hot lead. It explodes in a ball of flame.

And then its neighbor. Then all is exploding flame.

153 INT. TRAIN TUNNEL - LONG STRAIGHTWAY 153

Shliemann and his cohorts hear the explosions behind them and

look back that way.

Indy kicks the throttle one more time and it goes! Their car

doubles its speed and shoots under the low cross beam at the

same instant as-

A huge dragon of all-consuming fire shoots up the tunnel

behind the Nazis, catches their car and incinerates Shliemann

and his men. The tunnel collapses in this section, burying

the fried Nazis forever.

154 INT. TRAIN TUNNEL 154

Indy and Marion look back at the low cross beam as the last

tongue of flame makes it there and then is doused by falling

rock and dirt. They look at each other, then turn their

attention back to their own predicament. Their mine car is

going incredibly fast as it moves into a downward section of

wildly twisting tunnel.

MARION:

Slow it down!

Indy is already pulling the throttle. It moves easily.

Unfortunately, it is no longer attached to the motor. The

mine car is out of control.

100.

After several moments, far ahead, appears a circle of bright

daylight-- the end of the tunnel! It approaches at a

frightening rate. Indy reaches out grasps Marion’s hand. They

exchange looks and then turn to look ahead.

.

THEIR POV. We’re taking this last stretch with them. It’s a

familiar nightmare. It has to do with a rollercoaster that

ends suddenly and disastrously. The shocking brightness of

sunlight rushes up to engulf us, blinding us in its glare.

155 EXT. THE ISLAND - END OF TRACKS, DOCK 155

High up on the slope of the island, Indy and Marion’s mine

car shoots out of the black tunnel and roars down toward a

little dock at the end of the tracks.

A small Nazi transport launch, carefully disguised as a Greek

fishing boat, sits bobbing by the dock. The only human: a

Nazi Sentry dressed as a Greek peasant. He is perched on a

pile of seed bags which are stacked at the very end of the

train tracks. As the mine care barrels noisily down toward

him, he throws away some burlap to reveal a mounted machine

gun which he spins quickly around toward the approaching mine

car. He opens fire.

In the out-of-control mine car, Indy pulls Marion down with

him. They are squashed into the corner trying to avoid

contact with the bouncing Ark. Bullets clang against the

outside of the car and whiz inches overhead. Indy and Marion

are forced into a tighter and tighter embrace of life.

At the machine gun post, the Nazi Sentry has been firing like

crazy, but now there is terror in his eyes. He realizes the

car is not going to stop. He lacks faith in his stronghold.

Too late.

The mine car smashes into the seed bag bunker. And right on

through. The Nazi Sentry, his machine gun and a dozen

bursting seed bags are slammed into the ocean in a wild,

hurtling mass. The mine car jumps, bounces and spins around,

then slides to a stop in a cloud of seed at the edge of the

water.

.

156 INT. COMMAND CENTER 156

Fire. Everywhere. No sign of life. A large gaping doorway,

flames ringing it, blazing into the room beyond. Hanging by

one hinge there, its metal blasted and jagged, is a heavy

door with the signed lettering, in German, DANGER -

MUNITIONS.

101.

The first explosion happens. It’s a baby compared to what’s

coming yet is rocks the earth. It’s terrible. And then,

almost immediately, another. The long, irregular, ever-larger

chain of explosions begins.

157 EXT. THE ISLAND - VARIOUS SHOTS - DAY 157

The island rumbles and shakes. From fissures and small

natural caves, dirt and rock shoot out like spraying water.

Still the explosion continues. A huge chunk of white cliff

falls away into the turbulent sea. Birds scream and soar,

afraid to land.

Rate this script:5.0 / 3 votes