Raising Arizona Page #17

GALE AND EVELLE:

In their speeding car, both staring out at the road ahead,

mouths gaping, emitting ear-splitting screams.

INT. STORE

Shot faces the front of the store with some of the street

visible outside. The Cashier on the floor is out of frame,

but we can hear him loud and clear:

CASHIER:

...Seven hunnert ninety-one one

thousand, seven hunnert - ah...

bullshit.

He rises into frame, back to the camera, just as: We see

Gale and Evelle's car, through the front window, roaring up

the street. Quick as a shot, the Cashier has dropped back

out of frame and resumes bellowing:

CASHIER:

Seven hunnert ninety - ought one

thousand! Seven hundred eighty -

The car is starting to squeal to a screaming halt.

BACK TO LOW WIDE SHOT

With Nathan Jr. in the foreground. Gale and Evelle's car

comes to a rocking halt behind - and inches shy of - the

baby.

Evelle's door is already open. He bolts from it and runs

over to the baby, blubbering. He picks up the car seat and

Nathan Jr.

Gale is also getting out of the car.

EVELLE:

Promise we ain't never gonna give

him up, Gale! We ain't never gonna

let him go!

Gale, choked up, speaks in a low unsteady voice:

GALE:

We'll never give him up, Evelle.

He's our little Gale Jr. now.

HI AND ED'S CAR

Hi driving. Both are staring wordlessly ahead at the road.

Hi looks over at Ed, glum but trying to be kind.

HI:

...Ed, I realize I can't be much of

a comfort to you. But lemme just say

this...

He is nodding to himself.

HI:

You'll feel a whole lot better when-

ED:

I don't wanna feel better.

HI:

Honey-

ED:

I don't care about myself anymore. I

don't care about us anymore. I just

want Nathan Junior back safe.

HI:

I know that-

ED:

If we don't get him back safe, I

don't wanna go on livin'. And even

if we do, I don't wanna go on livin'

with you.

This shuts Hi up.

After a moment:

ED:

...I guess I still love you Hi; I

know I do. I ain't even blaming you.

The whole thing was crazy and the

whole thing was my idea.

Hi clears his throat.

HI:

Well, factually, I myself bear a

very large-

ED:

Lemme finish. Since those jailbirds

took little Nathan I been doin' some

thinking, and I ain't too proud of

myself. Even if Mrs. Arizona had

more'n she could handle, I was a

police officer sworn to uphold the

Constitution of the United States -

HI:

Now waitaminute honey, you resigned

before we-

ED:

That ain't the point, Hi. We don't

deserve Nathan Jr. Any more'n those

jailbirds do. And if I'm as selfish

and irresponsible as you-

HI:

Y'ain't that bad, honey.

ED:

If I'm as bad as you, what good're

we to each other. You'n me's just a

fool's paradise.

FARMERS AND MECHANICS BANK

Baking in the noonday sun.

GALE AND EVELLE:

Sitting in the front seat of their idling car, looking at

the bank.

EVELLE:

There she is.

GALE:

Yep. Welp...

They look at each other. Gale reaches for his door.

GALE:

...Let's do her.

EVELLE:

Waitaminute. What do we do with Gale

Jr.?

GALE:

Wuddya mean, he waits here.

EVELLE:

Are you crazy?! He can't wait here

by hisself. Supposin' we get killed

in there - it could be hours before

he's discovered.

INT. FARMERS AND MECHANICS BANK

As Gale and Evelle bang in through the door. Evelle holds a

shotgun; Gale holds a shotgun in one hand and Nathan Jr. in

his car seat in the other.

GALE:

All right you hayseeds, it's a stick-

up! Everbody freeze! Everbody down

on the ground!

Everyone freezes, staring at Gale and Evelle. An Old Hayseed

with his hands in the air speaks up:

HAYSEED:

Well which is it young fella? You

want I should freeze or get down on

the ground? Mean to say, iffen I

freeze, I can't rightly drop. And

iffen I drop, I'm a gonna be in

motion. Ya see -

GALE:

SHUTUP!

Promptly:

HAYSEED:

Yessir.

GALE:

Everone down on the ground!

EVELLE:

Y'all can just forget that part about

freezin'.

GALE:

That is until they get down there.

EVELLE:

Y'all hear that?

There is a murmur of acknowledgment from all the people on

the ground.

Gale is tossing Evelle a sack.

GALE:

Wanna fill that sack, pardner? We

got - sh*t!

He is looking in shock at the tellers' counter.

GALE:

...Where'd all the tellers go?

There is no one behind the counter.

A muffled voice from offscreen:

VOICE:

We're down here, sir.

EVELLE:

They're down on the ground like you

commanded, Gale.

GALE:

I told you not to use m'damn name!

Can't you even try to keep from

forget'n that?!

Evelle is momentarily abashed, but then brightens:

EVELLE:

Not even yer code name?

Gale registers understanding.

GALE:

Oh yeah... m'code name.

EVELLE:

Y'all hear that?

There is a murmur of acknowledgment from all the people on

the ground.

GALE:

All right now everone, we're just

about ready to begin the robbery

proper...

EXT. POLICE CAR

The camera is locked down on the roof of the rocketing squad

car, looking past its flashing gumballs.

The car is approaching the townlet, its siren wailing.

BACK TO THE BANK

A teller is finishing stuffing the last of two burlap bags.

Close on her hands, we see her putting in a cash packet that

is really only a few bills and a sleeve surrounding and hiding

a small plastic device.

The teller hits a button on the device and it starts ticking;

she shoves it into the sack.

EVELLE:

All right now everyone, you know how

this works:
Y'all stay flattened for

ten full minutes...

He is grabbing the two sacks and tosses one to Gale, who

also picks up the baby. As the two are backing toward the

door:

EVELLE:

...We might come back in five to

check. That's for us to know and y'a

to find out.

GALE:

Anyone found bipedal in five wears

his ass for a hat.

They bolt out the door.

EXT. POLICECAR

Siren jumps in loud at the cut. It is the same locked-down

shot over the gumballs.

EXT. GALE AND EVELLE'S CAR

Peeling out from in front of the bank.

INT. GALE AND EVELLE'S CAR

Gale is driving; Evelle starts pawing through one of the

sacks.

GALE:

That old timer threw off my

concentration. Otherwise it would a

gone smoother.

EVELLE:

We done okay. Yessir. This ought to

split nicely three ways.

A thought registers with Gale and Evelle at the same moment.

They look at each other. They both twist frantically to look

in the back seat.

Bellowing:

GALE:

Goddamnit! Ya never leave a man

behind!

KA-POP! With a loud flat crack something detonates in the

front seat and the interior of the car is spattered with

bright blue paint.

Gale and Evelle, both covered in blue, are screaming in rage,

fear and incomprehension. Blue dollar bills snap and flutter

around the inside of the car.

The car is swerving wildly as Gale drives blind, the inside

of the windshield covered with blue paint. He reaches forward

to wipe clear a patch of windshield.

HIS POV:

As the blue paint is smeared away we see Hi and Ed's car

parked broadside in the middle of the road. Hi and Ed are in

front of it, Hi aiming his scatter gun, Ed a revolver.

The guns spit orange flame.

HI'S POV

Down the barrel of his shotgun. The car with the blue interior

is swerving crazily at us, one front tire blown out.

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