Straight Outta Compton Page #26

DRE:

What up.

Dre’s face contorts with confusion as he listens...

135 INT. CEDARS - EAZY’S ROOM - NIGHT 135

Tomica and Yella stand by Eazy’s bedside. Eazy looks drained,

depressed. Various members of Eazy’s FAMILY are also present.

Yella holds a CASSETTE in his hand.

YELLA:

It’s Bone Thugs’ new LP. It’s good,

Eric. It’s gonna be huge when it

drops. Everybody thinks so. Want me

to play it for you?

EAZY:

Put it on the table. I’ll listen

later. Thanks for stoppin’ through.

Hit you when I get outta here.

Yella nods sadly, places the cassette on the bedside table

and exits. Handwritten on the cover, it says BONE.

136 INT. CEDARS - EAZY’S ROOM - THE NEXT DAY 136

Tomica sits holding Eazy’s hand, staring at him with haunted

eyes. RON SWEENEY stands in the background, along with Eazy’s

Family. Someone else is there now, too. A PASTOR.

TOMICA:

I can’t. That’s not the way it

should happen. It’s not right -

EAZY:

Please. It’s gotta happen, baby.

I’m having my surgery tomorrow, so

it has to happen now. Because I

might not. Wake up.

Eazy’s clearly struggling to come to terms with this.

137.

TOMICA:

Don’t say that.

EAZY:

It’s true, Tomica. I gotta make

this right. Ron says it’s the only

way to protect everything I built.

Tomica looks to Ron, who nods. She stares off into space,

slowly shaking her head. Her life has become a nightmare.

TOMICA:

It’s so... f***ed up -

EAZY:

Hey. Listen to me. It doesn’t

matter what people think. They

don’t know. They don’t understand.

There’s no other way. Please. I

know it’s not the way you pictured

it. You deserve better.

He reaches out, puts his hand on her stomach.

EAZY (CONT’D)

But if we don’t do this, I won’t be

able to protect either of you.

After looking deep into Eazy's eyes -- He needs her.

TOMICA:

Okay. I love you, Eric.

Ron steps forward, followed by the FAMILY, who gather around

Eazy’s bed. Finally, the PASTOR, who smiles kindly at them.

PASTOR:

Are we ready?

Tomica and Eazy nod their heads yes. The Pastor reaches out,

holds Tomica’s hand in one hand, Eazy’s hand in the other.

PASTOR (CONT’D)

Tomica Woods, do you take Eric

Wright to be your lawfully wedded

husband, to have and to hold...

Tomica tries not to cry, but it’s impossible. The tears flow,

and all she can do is wipe them away. Eazy won’t stop looking

at Tomica. Like she’s the last thing he’ll ever see.

138.

137 EXT. CEDARS - COURTYARD - NIGHT 137

Outside the Hospital, the VIGIL has grown in size. There’s

now about a HUNDRED PEOPLE standing outside. Holding candles.

Many of them are crying. Holding pictures of Eazy.

138 INT. CEDARS - EAZY’S ROOM - LATER 138

DRE quietly enters the room, nobody in there except him and

Eazy. He walks to the bed. Looks down at his friend, whom he

hasn’t seen in four years: Eazy’s eyes are closed, a

RESPIRATOR doing his breathing for him.

NOTE:
The BONE TAPE is still sitting, untouched, on the

bedside table. Eazy never got a chance to listen to it.

Dre stands there, staring down, in this extended, surreal

moment. He bends down, so his mouth is close to Eazy’s ear.

DRE:

(softly)

Yo, Eazy. Wanna tell you somethin’.

I know you can hear me. I know

you’re still in there -

We PULL BACK, so WE CAN’T HEAR WHAT DRE IS SAYING. And we

won’t hear it, because that’s between Dre & Eazy.

After a few moments, Dre stands up straight. Whatever he had

to say to Eazy, he’s finished now. He walks to the door --

On his way out, he passes TOMICA as she’s coming in. He looks

at her. Then he looks at the ring on her finger. Walks away,

without saying a word...

139 INT. CEDARS - OUTSIDE EAZY’S ROOM - A SHORT TIME LATER 139

A phalanx of POLICE guards the front entrance, preventing the

MOB OUTSIDE from getting in.

OUTSIDE EAZY’S DOOR, find CUBE sitting in a chair. He spots

DRE walking out, looking glazed. Cube gets up. They stand

there looking at each other.

CUBE:

S'up Dre?

DRE:

Good to see you, Cube.

It’s been awhile. Lot of water under the bridge. They finally

step to each other, and hug quickly, intensely.

139.

CUBE:

You see him? How he look?

DRE:

He looks the same -- like Eric just

sleeping. But he's in a coma. Got a

machine breathing for him --

Cube frowns, looks at the ground, pained.

CUBE:

Can’t see him like that, man. This

is bad. I asked one of his homies

to call me when he wakes up.

Dre nods, doesn’t push it. He understands. As they exit

together, they pass the Police Guards, in tight formation by

the door, protecting the Hospital. Protecting Eazy.

140 EXT. CEDARS - COURTYARD - LATER 140

MORE PEOPLE keep arriving to the VIGIL. A steady flow. They

all stare up at the Hospital, watching, waiting. The crowd

STRETCHES far in all directions, clogging the street --

141 INT. CUBE’S HOUSE - BEDROOM - DAY 141

Cube lies on the bed with Kim, watching TV. The PHONE RINGS

on the bedside table. Cube stares at it --

142 EXT. DRE’S HOUSE - PORCH - DAY 142

Phone to his ear, Dre listens a while, nods, face desolate.

Seated beside him, Nicole rubs his back, consoling her man.

DRE:

Okay.

Dre hangs up. Looks over to Nicole.

DRE (CONT’D)

He’s gone.

She hugs him tight as we -

143 EXT. LOS ANGELES - EVERYWHERE - DAY INTO NIGHT 143

A moment of quiet beauty. A TIME-LAPSE of the magnificent

City of Los Angeles. From hazy, sun-blasted MORNING, to an

explosively-hued SUNSET, into the electricity of NIGHT.

We hear EAZY’S VOICE, one last time, through some of the

final words he released to his fans.

140.

The TIDES on the beach rise and fall. Endless VEHICLES swarm

the FREEWAYS like teeming blood vessels in veins. Clouds race

across the sky like an avalanche, a river --

144 INT. DEATH ROW RECORDS - DAY 144

Dre strides down the lipstick red hallway, lined with

platinum records, a determined look on his face. Enters -

THE CONFERENCE ROOM

To find Suge, looking confused, sitting at the end of the

long conference table. He’s wearing another absurd Red-Devil

suit, fedora, gold watch on a chain, flanked by a couple of

jacked-up BLOODS. And his DOG is still by his side.

SUGE:

What’s the urgency, Dre?

DRE:

I’m out, man. I’m out of Death Row.

SUGE:

You’re not making any sense. Death

Row and Dr. Dre are one in the

same. You can’t just up and go.

Dre does not avoid Suge’s gaze. He looks right at him.

DRE:

Gonna do my own thing now. Start

fresh. Nobody to answer to but

myself. It’s time, Suge.

SUGE:

You’re one stupid muthafucka. You

just gonna throw away all this

money? ‘Cause if you leave,

everything we created is mine.

Suge starts to breathe hard through his nose. He’s pissed.

DRE:

What we created? Ha -- Well you can

have it.

SUGE:

You ain’t takin nobody with you.

Death Row stays Death Row. And if

you even think about touching my

money? You know how I handle sh*t.

Blue Rev. (9/15/14) 141.

DRE:

Do what you gotta do. I’m still

out.

SUGE:

You’re not gettin none of it.

DRE:

I don't give a f***-- You can't puta price on peace of mind. So youcan keep the artists, the money,

the masters and the bullshit. I’m

startin’ my own thing.

Suge stands there, huge, scary. He stares cold daggers into

Dre’s eyes, but Dre refuses to look away.

Suge finally nods. Something softens in him.

SUGE:

What you gonna call it?

Dre grins.

DRE:

Aftermath.

Dre walks away, smiling as --

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON kicks in and we see the people and

things that have been impacted by NWA. We begin with all the

things that made NWA possible. We’ll end with all the things

that NWA made possible. A little something we like to call...

145 NWA HISOTRY:
145 *

BEFORE FINAL CREDITS... *

We’ll see the actual real life members of N.W.A. in all of

their glory back in the day, chronicling what they went on to

do, and culminating with a PICTURE OF NWA, staring menacingly

at the camera.

*

*

The most dangerous band in the world.

FADE OUT.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote