The Deer Hunter Page #11

MERLE roams a glowering eve over the watching GUARDS, as if

suddenly discovering himself among traitors. Slowly, he

pushes himself to his feet. The gun is still on the table,

still in his right hand, and as he gets up he lets his body

sag over it.

MERLE (CONT'D)

Who here is for Merle...?

There is absolute silence now except for the drumming of the

rain. It is as if the war had disappeared, vanished. The

GUARDS stand motionless, hardly breathing, so captivated by

MERLE'S performance that they suddenly resemble little

children.

MERLE (CONT'D)

Who... here... is for Merle...?

MERLE begins his chant again. His voice is low, very

dramatic, and the GUARD IN CHARGE joins right in.

MERLE (CONT'D)

(with GUARDS)

MERLE IS MIGHTY! -- HA!

MERLE IS STRONG! -- HA!

MERLE IS MAGIC -- HA!

MERLE snaps the revolver level in his hand and BLASTS the

GUARD IN CHARGE, hitting him full in the face. At the same

time NICK throws himself into the GUARD who is standing

behind him, spins and slams the GUARD'S AK 47 into his chin.

TWO MORE SHOTS BLAST OUT FROM MERLE'S .45 and we see TWO

GUARDS crash over the kitchen table. NICK now opens up with

AK 47, and as MERLE backs off beside him, also with an AK 47,

they GUN the remaining GUARDS to the floor.

It is over in an instant. The BODIES lie in a bloody, tangled

mess under a pathetic paper lantern. The rain drones on --

uninterrupted, undiminished, eternal...

EXT. CLEARING IN THE JUNGLE - HEAVY RAIN - DAY

Barely visible against the dripping foliage -- like a shadow

is a startled V.C. SOLDIER. The man takes a half-step

forward, unslings his rifle and OPENS FIRE.

INT. THATCHED HUT - DAY

The SOUTH VIETNAMESE PRISONERS are hit where they stand. NICK

spins, BADLY WOUNDED. MERLE throws himself on the floor and

lets go with the AK 47.

EXT. BAMBOO GROVE - HEAVY RAIN - DAY

MERLE appears carrying NICK on his back. NICK is unconscious

and the effort that MERLE has expended to get him this far

can be measured in MERLE'S eves, which burn like dead coals.

As MERLE approaches, traversing the bamboo grove along the

side of a steep hill, we suddenly see SAL, stumbling along

behind and attached to MERLE by a short rope.

MERLE comes to a stop, unshoulders NICK and lays him on the

ground. As MERLE stands looking at NICK, gasping for breath,

SAL hunches down and stares at the endless trunks of bamboo

with an expression of pure terror.

SAL:

Where are we going, Merle? Are we

going home?

There is a sound, so faint as to be almost imperceptible.

MERLE throws himself on SAL, slamming one hand across his

mouth and raising the other in case he has to silence NICK.

For a moment there is nothing -- silence. The rain drones on

and we can hear NICK'S breath, which comes in short, shallow

rasps.

The sound comes again and suddenly a PLATOON OF V.C. SOLDIERS

appear, coming down through the trees. Their passage is

almost completely silent and they go by on both sides, moving

down the hill.

CAMERA CLOSES SLOWLY ON MERLE'S FACE. His gums are bleeding

and his skin is drawn tight so that every bone stands out in

his skull. His teeth are bared, his eyes are hollow and he

looks within a hair's breadth of being completely mad.

EXT. CRATERED ROADSIDE - NIGHT

A huge battle is taking place nearby. The earth trembles and

shakes and gigantic explosions intermittently light the sky.

MERLE staggers down a ravine with NICK, loses his footing and

slides to the bottom where he lies in the mud, motionless,

too tired to move.

SAL comes down behind. He is hunched over, like a gnome. The

rope which MERLE has tied around his neck drags in the mud

and his eyes are huge with terror.

SAL:

Merle?

MERLE:

(a whisper)

Right here.

SAL crouches down in the mud.

SAL:

Where are we going, Merle? Are we

going home?

MERLE:

(barely moving his lips)

Right here.

Another explosion lights the sky, this one much closer. In

the flash we see that a red American car is stranded in the

middle of the road. There is another explosion and another

flash. The car is dusty, spattered with mud, but otherwise it

appears miraculously unharmed.

NICK'S breath rattles in his throat. MERLE, who lies beside

NICK, holding him, has closed his eyes. SAL, who is the only

one who has seen the car, stares at it hard, and for a long

time, trying it out with one eye and then the other.

SAL:

Merle?

No answer.

SAL (CONT'D)

Merle?

Still no answer. SAL goes over to MERLE and shakes him.

Getting no response he crosses fearfully toward the

automobile. When he gets to within a foot of it, he reaches

out and touches it.

SAL (CONT'D)

Merle. Merle, a car!

As the flashes continue to light up the sky, SAL peers at the

tires and begins kicking them.

SAL (CONT'D)

Hey! Hey, gee!

SAL crosses to the window and looks in. There is no damage

whatsoever, the keys are dangling from the ignition. SAL

pulls open the door and climbs in. He pumps the accelerator,

hits the starter...

THERE IS A FLASH OF FIRE, THEN A HUGE EXPLOSION AND THE CAR

GOES UP IN A FIREBALL OF FLAME.

EXT. CRATERED ROADSIDE - BURNING CAR - NIGHT

MERLE has dragged SAL from the car and thrown him in the

ditch below NICK. SAL is horribly burned and MERLE kneels

over him -- out of breath, tears streaming from his cavernous

eyes -- howling with helpless rage.

MERLE:

Damn it!!! God damn it!!!

MERLE looks down at SAL. SAL'S face in a mass of raw flesh

but his eyes look up at MERLE with lunatic, unwavering trust.

MERLE (CONT'D)

Sal!

(more gently)

Sal... Goddamn it, Sal, don't you

know anything?

SAL:

Where are we going, Merle? Are we

going home?

MERLE:

(nods)

Sure. Sure, Sal. We're going home.

EXT. CRATERED ROADSIDE - FOLLOWING DAY

REFUGEES are streaming down the road in a desperate,

frightened human torrent. There is every imaginable means of

conveyance -- from bullock carts to motorbikes -- but the

vast majority, carrying their meager belongings, are fleeing

on foot. The burned-out car is still in the middle of the

road and the great human tide streams around it, as if it

were an island. In the distance comes the sound of machine

gun fire and mortars are coming in nearby. MEDVAC helicopters

clatter overhead with wounded strapped to baskets on the

skids. Now and then an ARMY CONVOY comes through, blasting

the REFUGEES into the ditch.

MERLE sits alone on the embankment by the side of the road.

NICK and SAL are gone and the area is littered with fresh

bandage packages and throw-away medical supplies. Suddenly a

jeep pulls up with a two-star GENERAL in it.

GENERAL:

Where's your unit, soldier?

MERLE stares at the GENERAL -- blankly, without

comprehension. Finally, after a long moment, he gives a

slight shrug.

GENERAL:

(to his DRIVER)

C'mon. We'll take him along.

The GENERAL and the DRIVER get out and start up the

embankment toward MERLE.

GENERAL (CONT'D)

Little R and R and you'll be

standing tall again, son... Damn,

this is steep!

DRIVER:

Uh-oh. Sir.

The GENERAL looks up at MERLE. MERLE is holding the pearl

handled revolver and he c*cks the hammer with an audible

click.

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