Red Page #4

Synopsis: An older, reclusive man's best friend and inspiration for living is his 14-year-old dog named "Red". When three troublesome teens kill the dog for no good reason, the grieving man sets out for justice and redemption by whatever means available to him.
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Production: Magnolia Pictures
  1 win & 2 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.1
Metacritic:
61
Rotten Tomatoes:
70%
R
Year:
2008
93 min
365 Views


He dropped out of school when

they kept him back Junior year.

Went to work for Clover's

Hardware here in town.

Got to work late

half the time.

Stayed out nights,

made up lies about why.

He always had

this way with him,

Like he couldn't

help himself.

I got this idea in my head

that he might work it out

for himself in the service.

Get some discipline in his life.

It had worked for me.

Maybe he wanted to leave

the house by then anyway,

because it was one of the few

times he listened to me

and did what I told him to.

He joined the Navy.

Nine months later

he was out

on a section 8.

- Do you know what that is?

- Mentally unstable.

Unfit is the word

they use.

The night it happened...

I was with Emma

down at the store

taking the six-month

inventory.

It was the dead of winter.

Tim was asleep

in the bedroom upstairs,

Mary was reading

in the kitchen.

It was about 11:
30

by the time

we finished the inventory.

When he told

the story later

to the police,

to the detectives,

to the lawyers,

Billy lied.

But it was confused lying.

It was as if he couldn't actually

remember what had happened.

He'd lie about one thing

and then tell the truth about

whatever the hell that was

and then go back and lie

about the first thing again.

Or something

completely different.

It just went on that way.

But how we pieced it

together was...

Billy had come around the house

earlier that evening

looking for some money.

Mary told him no.

Told him if he wanted money

he'd have to come down to

the store and talk to me.

Well, he knew he wasn't

going to do that.

I'd had it by then.

So they argued

and eventually he left.

Then just before 11:00

He came back to the house

again still looking for money.

And Mary still told

him no again.

I don't know why,

but he...

locked Red here,

up here in the bedroom.

Maybe he was barking,

I don't know.

Then he went back out

to the kitchen

and started hitting her.

Beating her.

Maybe he thought he'd get

money from her that way.

Maybe it was just one

of his crazy rages.

But he hurt her.

He hurt her so bad

I guess he thought

he'd killed her.

Because then he decided--

he decided he'd have to

cover up what he did.

So he went out

to the tool shed

and got the can of kerosene

I used to keep out there...

went up to the attic bedroom

and threw it all over Tim.

All over my son

who was lying asleep.

He burned him to death...

up there in his room.

But kerosene doesn't burn

as hot as gasoline.

I mean,

he killed Tim all right,

the boy was saturated

with the stuff.

But all that burned

up there was my son

and the mattress he lay on.

Not even the drapes

caught fire.

He...

closed the bedroom door,

locked it behind him,

stood outside and waited

till my son

stopped screaming.

Until it was quiet.

Then he came back down

and threw the kerosene over Mary

lying on the kitchen floor, lit

another match and threw that on her.

Then got into his car

and drove away.

But she...

my wife

wasn't dead.

Oh, he'd hurt her,

but he hadn't killed her.

She was still alive.

He'd got it wrong.

Wrong about that just like

he was wrong

about the kerosene

burning the house down.

He was wrong about

everything always.

It was all for nothing.

I guess the pain woke her.

She managed to get

herself outside

And roll across the ground

on the dirt and the grass

until the flames were out.

Then she still had

enough left in her

to crawl back into the house

and dial 911.

They found her on the stairs

halfway up to Tim's bedroom.

She lived

for another five days.

Never did come out

of the coma.

I think that was

a blessing.

Her burns were so bad

they wouldn't let me

hold her.

In the end

I did anyway.

( dog barking )

Thank you.

( car starts )

- Danny:
Pete!

- Pete:
I'm leaving right now.

I don't care.

- No!

- Leave a little bit!

Pete:

I didn't f***ing take it!

Don't you lie.

Go back in the house,

you crazy b*tch.

- F*** you.

- F*** me?

( spits )

F*** you!

( engine starts )

That is disgusting, man.

( girl giggling )

You're touching me but

you're not looking at me.

Ow!

- I'm going.

- Are you going?

- I want to go home.

- Danny:
I had a nice time.

- ( Danny laughing )

- I'll tell you in the car.

He's such a dick.

I hate him.

( Pete laughing )

What are you doing?

Danny:

I don't know.

She's the most irritating

girl I've ever met.

( laughing )

I saw you parked here.

Danny didn't.

Where is he?

He's down the street

at Bowman's Auto.

Does he know you're here?

No.

No, I told him

I needed cigarettes.

You know, he'd be pretty damn mad

if he knew I was talking to you.

- Would he?

- Yeah.

You and him argue a lot,

your brother?

Look, Mr. Ludlow,

I'm not gonna pretend that

things are all buddy-buddy

between Danny and me.

That's not why I'm here.

That's not my point.

What is your point then?

That, um...

That I just wanted

to say sorry.

You know, for what we did.

About your dog.

That's why I'm here.

I'm here to say that.

I'm glad to hear it.

Though the one I need

to hear it from most

is your brother.

I'm still glad to hear

it from you though.

Question is, what now?

What do you--

what do you--

Are you gonna keep on

lying for him?

God, I mean what do you

expect me to do?

I mean, first you come and you

ask me in front of my father.

Then you go

and you get it on T.V.

I expect you

to tell the truth.

I expect you

to tell your father.

I expect you to tell the

Police if it comes to that.

You don't get it.

You don't understand.

That's just not gonna happen.

Suppose you

make me understand.

Look, I gotta go,

all right?

If Danny sees me here--

Who are you

afraid of, Harold?

Your brother?

Your father?

You were man enough to come down

here and say what you just said to me.

I figure that already

makes you a bigger man

than your brother

and maybe even

your father.

I don't think

you've got all that much

to worry about

from either of them.

Do you?

Believe me, Mr. Ludlow,

you don't have a clue.

Mr. McCormack:

Hon, what is it?

I was going to vacuum.

And?

So I hear

you're suing me.

- I'd rather not.

- Yeah?

I don't know why

you bother.

It's not gonna be worth either

your time or your money.

I'm wondering if you're proud

of Daniel, Mr. McCormack.

Because if not,

then there's gonna be trouble

between you and the boy.

And that's something you may

care to do something about

while you still have time,

instead of using your money

to cover up for him.

You know, I don't need

any lectures from you.

My boys are my boys.

And I'll handle them any way

I see fit, okay?

If you're gonna sue me,

just go ahead and do it.

It'll cause me

some embarrassment

in some places,

but it won't

hurt me very--

very much.

So do it.

And if you could win, what

are you gonna get out of it?

The value of a dog?

A goddamn dog from

a goddamn dog pound?

Huh?

Huh?

Really I could

care less either way.

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Stephen Susco

Stephen Susco is an American film and television screenwriter who is most famous for writing the hit movies The Grudge and The Grudge 2. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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