The American Page #14

"The American" June 21st, 2010 page 76. page 76.

Her smile is only a little bit sad.

Nonetheless, JACK doesn’t know what to say.

They are saved by the appearance of the WAITER.

WAITER:

Buona sera. Desidera?

CLARA orders, full of Italian charm, putting JACK at his

ease. He watches her contentedly: the way she talks and

moves.

110 EXT. CORSO FREDERICO- NIGHT 110

JACK and CLARA are walking. They look like film stars. CLARA

slips her arm through his. They say nothing. The pedestrian

shopping street is thronging with other couples. CLARA spots

a GELATARIA and leads JACK towards it.

111 EXT. STEPS- NIGHT 111

JACK and CLARA are sitting on some stone steps in the main

square. CLARA is holding a magnificent ICE CREAM CONE. She’s

a little bit drunk.

CLARA:

Woooow!

She eats, savoring the ice cream. JACK watches, savoring her

pleasure.

JACK:

How is it?

CLARA:

Bitchin’.

JACK:

(amused)

Bitchin’?

CLARA:

It’s-come se dice- ‘slang’, no?

Ecco.

She licks a tongue-ful, dripping with nuts and chocolate

sauce, then holds the CONE out to JACK.

JACK:

No thanks.

CLARA:

Come on, Eduardo!

"The American" June 21st, 2010 page 77. page 77.

He hesitates. Takes out his gum. Doesn’t know where to put

it. CLARA grabs it and wraps it in her paper napkin. JACK

smiles. Eats.

CLARA:

It is good, you will agree?

JACK:

(his mouth full)

I will agree.

CLARA:

(sensing his teasing)

My English is nice!

JACK:

It’s bitchin’.

CLARA:

(defending herself)

You know how to swear in Italian?

JACK:

Sure. Bastardo. Imbecille.

CLARA:

“Imbecille?” Eduardo! Try: In cul’a

sorete.

JACK:

In cul’a sorete?

CLARA:

F*** your sister.

CLARA:

Scusa!

JACK:

I guess I’ve led a sheltered life.

Of sorts.

CLARA:

Shell-tered?

JACK:

Too much work.

CLARA’s CELL PHONE starts to ring. It’s on silent, but the

screen is flashing, just visible where it sticks out of her

handbag. CLARA looks down at the phone.

CLARA:

Too much work.

She turns the phone to silent. And looks up at JACK.

"The American" June 21st, 2010 page 78. page 78.

CLARA:

I don’t apologise, Eduardo.

JACK:

For what?

CLARA:

For this I do. My job.

JACK:

Never apologise.

He means it.

A beat.

CLARA:

Except this job is full of testa di

cazzo.

JACK:

Mine too.

CLARA:

Lei?

JACK:

Si. In fact, I’m retiring.

CLARA:

But you are too young to...

pensione?

JACK:

Retire?

CLARA:

Si.

JACK:

You’re flattering me.

CLARA:

Si!

JACK:

Would you be flattering me if I

wasn’t a client?

He’s put CLARA on the spot.

JACK:

Am I a client?

CLARA takes a deep breath.

CLARA:

This say yes.

"The American" June 21st, 2010 page 79. page 79.

She points at her head.

CLARA:

This...

She points at her heart.

CLARA:

This cannot be for sale. But I am

not want to... come se dice?

JACK:

Give it away.

She looks at him.

JACK studies her, searching for his own feelings.

CLARA:

Stronzo! I buy you a present!

She fishes about in her handbag...

...and produces a SILVER BOX.

JACK unwraps the shiny paper. Inside is a plastic case like

the sort you put engagement rings in. Inside the case is a

BADGE, hand-painted, depicting the symbol of the region: the

eagle of L'Aquila. JACK sticks the BADGE in his lapel.

JACK:

Grazie.

An embarrassed beat.

CLARA kisses him.

JACK:

Grazie, Clara.

CLARA:

Prego. Eduardo.

A pause.

CLARA:

My appartamento is not far from

here.

112 INT. CLARA’S APARTMENT- MORNING 112

JACK opens his eyes.

He sits up like a shot, doesn’t immediately know where he has

woken up.

We hear CLARA in the shower.

"The American" June 21st, 2010 page 80.

JACK sits up and looks around at the little room partly like

a curious lover, partly like a very alert man.

Beside him, the drawer of the bedside cabinet is open

slightly. Inside is a plethora of accessories: tissues, eye

make-up remover, a chocolate bar, a notepad, a vibrator and a

RED PURSE.

Curious JACK lifts the RED PURSE. It’s surprisingly heavy. He

opens it. Inside the RED PURSE...

...is a Beretta single action Model 950B Pistol.

Just at that moment we hear CLARA turn the shower off.

JACK shuts the drawer and pretends to be asleep.

EXT. CASTELVECCHIO, PAY PHONE- DAY

JACK is on the phone.

JACK:

I need more time.

PAVEL:

You’re testing my patience.

JACK:

Give me a few days.

PAVEL:

I’ll give you two days... then you

make the drop.

A beat.

PAVEL hangs up.

113

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113A EXT. ROME - STREET -DAY

PAVEL talks on his cell phone.

We cut back and forth between them.

PAVEL:

Another Swede?

JACK:

I need a few days.

PAVEL:

Not a good idea, Jack. We’ve got to

make that drop.

113A

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"The American" June 21st, 2010 page 80A. page 80A.

PAVEL *

Listen to me, Jack. The Belgians

are already jittery. [A BEAT] Our

pretty young client and her

associates think someone might have

put a tail on you.

JACK pops a piece of gum.

JACK:

Where are they getting their

information from?

JACK:

sure my side of the street’s clean.

we make the drop. I gotta makeIf

"The American" June 21st, 2010 page 81. page 81.

JACK:

They don’t.

PAVEL *

Exactly. If I can’t trust you to

keep a tight lid on operations then

who can I trust?

JACK is tense. Every word is carefully enunciated:

JACK:

I’ve never jeopardized an operation

in my life.

PAVEL *

You don’t have to tell me that,

Jack. I know you. You shot your own

girlfriend.

PAVEL:

Who knows. But I told ‘em. I told

*

‘em if there was even the slightest

chance security had been breached,

you’d deal with it immediately. I

told ‘em you were the most security

conscious professional I know. I

gets close to you.no onetold ‘em

ECU on JACK.

He’s silent.

PAVEL *

Clean up what you have to, Jack.

I’ll stall them for two days. Then

you make the drop.

JACK hangs up slowly, lost in thought, jaw muscles grinding.

114 EXT. L’AQUILA, JACK’S CAR- EVENING 114

JACK is sitting in his parked car looking through the Nikon

with the TELEPHOTO LENS.

His POV:

Of CLARA seated in a cafe talking to a slick, tough YOUNG

ITALIAN MAN in a suit.

"The American" June 21st, 2010

page 82.

He is showing her photographs. Of what- we cannot see. CLARA

looks very, very serious.

The YOUNG ITALIAN MAN leaves. JACK watches him get into a

smart black ALFA ROMEO containing two other ITALIAN MEN. Rome

plates.

When he looks back at the cafe, CLARA has gone.

114A

INT. LOGGIA ABRUZZO, JACK’S ROOM- DAY 114A

JACK opens his PICNIC HAMPER and in it he puts:

-a polystyrene cool box packed with ice and containing a

chilled bottle of Aspirinio

-a loaf of course bread

-two clods of mozarella

-150 gms of proscuitto

-and his WALTHER PPK/S.

116

EXT. L’AQUILA- DAY 116

CLARA is waiting at the end of her street.

She is holding the RED PURSE. At her feet is a blue plastic

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