The Deer Hunter Page #9

NICK raises the pistol to his temple, CLICKS OUT. The GUARDS

murmur. NICK pushes the pistol across the table.

INT. THATCHED HUT - PRISONER END - DAY

There are no Americans left to play except SAL. The sobbing

has stopped but SAL is shaking and trembling and his eyes

wander around in their sockets as if they been cut loose.

MERLE, who lies on the floor nearby, is trying to talk to

SAL. As he does so we hear the CLICKS coming from across the

room and the excited MURMURS of the GUARDS as their betting

choice survives another round.

MERLE:

You can do it, Sal.

SAL:

No. No, no.

MERLE:

Sal... listen to me, Sal! You have

to do it.

SAL:

I want to go home, Merle.

MERLE:

You have to think about this, Sal.

Listen to me, Sal! You have to

think about this.

SAL:

(tears again)

This is horrible!

MERLE:

Listen to me, Sal. If you don't do

it they'll put you in the pit. If

they put you in the pit, Sal,

you're gonna die... Sal, do you

understand?

SAL:

(nods)

Merle, I wanna go home!

There is an EXPLOSION from the other end of the room. SAL'S

eyes go wide and he lets out a whimpering SCREAM. The GUARDS

open a path and NICK appears. His knees won't support him and

the GUARD who is holding him throws him on the floor.

MERLE:

Listen to me, Sal. Do it! You have

to do it!

The GUARD who delivered NICK jerks SAL to his feet and drags

him of f to the table.

INT. THATCHED HUT - TABLE AREA - DAY

SAL is thrown in the chair. A SOUTH VIETNAMESE is placed

opposite him. The SOUTH VIETNAMESE is a kid, even younger

than SAL, and he is trembling with terror.

SAL:

Hey, listen, you can do it.

(Sal nods, smiles)

Believe me, you can do it. We can

both do it. Then we go home, see?

Then we go home!

SAL looks down. The pistol is ending its spin and the muzzle

comes up pointing at the SOUTH VIETNAMESE. The SOUTH

VIETNAMESE stares at the gun and tears begin to fill his

eyes. The GUARDS begin yelling at him, urging him on and then

SAL gives him a SMILE OF SUCH UNWAVERING FAITH that the SOUTH

VIETNAMESE picks up the gun, fumbles the cylinder around,

c*cks it and puts it to his temple. For a moment SAL and the

SOUTH VIETNAMESE look at each other. THE SOUTH VIETNAMESE IS

TAKING HIS FAITH STRAIGHT OUT OF SAL'S EYES AND NOW SAL GIVES

HIM ANOTHER ENCOURAGING NOD.

The SOUTH VIETNAMESE BOY squeezes the trigger. THERE IS AN

EXPLOSION AND HIS HEAD DISINTEGRATES WITH A ROAR.

SAL sits motionless, his jaw hanging open and his face formed

in an expression of terrible puzzlement. Then his face begins

to move, begins to twitch, as if the muscles were trying to

discover a frown. SAL looks around. He looks back again at

the place where his friend was sitting and he begins to cry.

INT. TIGER CAGE - HEAVY RAIN - FOLLOWING DAY

A half-dozen SOUTH VIETNAMESE sit huddled together in the

muck on the uphill side. A seventh lies sprawled on his back,

DEAD. The rain pours through the few leaves placed on the

roof and splashes in great cascades in the middle of the

floor.

On the downhill side are SAL, NICK and MERLE. SAL is in a

fetal position, gripping his knees and rocking himself back

and forth. His eyes are vacant and his face is fixed in an

expression of horror, as if he were still watching the boy at

the table blow himself away. Beside SAL is NICK. NICK sits

slumped against the bamboo. One knee is raised and he is

picking at the threads of his trousers where they have torn

at the knee.

MERLE IS STANDING, GRIPPING THE BAMBOO WALLS OF THE CAGE AND

LOOKING OUT AT THE "PITS".

EXT. THE PITS - MERLE'S POV - HEAVY RAIN - DAY

The pits are about twenty feet away. Running mud and water

gurgle into them, coming out through shallow trenches on the

downhill side. There are fewer hands than the day before, far

fewer. The nearest pit only has one pair and as MERLE watches

he sees that these hands are struggling to keep their grip.

SUDDENLY ONE OF THE HANDS SLIPS AWAY. THE HAND COMES BACK FOR

A MOMENT, THEN BOTH HANDS DISAPPEAR.

INT. TIGER CAGE - HEAVY RAIN - DAY

MERLE turns away from the "pits". He looks down at SAL, then

he looks at NICK. His expression is one of exasperation, as

if he had been having a long argument.

MERLE:

I'm telling you, Nick, no one's

going to come.

NICK:

What are you, God?

MERLE:

Listen, a**hole, it's up to us!

NICK:

They bombed last night, right?

Didn't they bomb? If they bombed

last night, they could bomb

tonight. They could be up there

right now!

MERLE:

What are you, hoping?

NICK:

What else?

MERLE:

I thought you might be praying.

NICK:

I'm doing that too.

MERLE:

I suppose you wish you were

somewhere else?

NICK:

What do you think?

MERLE:

Nick, you're wasting your time...

Listen to me! You're wasting your

time! This is no f***ing time for

hoping or praying or wishing or any

other sh*t! This is it. Here we

are... And we gotta get out!

NICK:

You're right... Okay, you're right.

MERLE:

(grabs him)

Get off your ass, Nick. Get off

your f***ing ass and stand up!!!

NICK:

(stands)

Okay, okay!

(he straightens his

shoulders)

Okay. Okay, you're right... What

about Sal?

MERLE:

Forget Sal.

NICK:

What do you mean?

MERLE:

I mean forget Sal... Sal can't take

it, Nick.

NICK:

Forget Sal?

MERLE:

Forget Sal... Listen to me --

forget Sal! I've been working on

Sal since dawn, Nick. Sal's in a

dream and he won't come out.

LISTEN!!! From here on you gotta go

for you. You hear me? For you!

NICK:

Merle...

MERLE:

LISTEN, NICK! GET IT THROUGH YOUR

HEAD OR YOU AND ME ARE BOTH DEAD

TOO!

A shout comes from the thatched hut. The SOUTH VIETNAMESE

whip around in fright. MERLE and NICK turn.

Through the bars of the "tiger cage" we see the V.C. GUARDS

coming down from the thatched hut. The GUARDS are all

drinking beer again and the GUARD IN CHARGE is waving the

pearl-handled revolver.

NICK looks at MERLE. The sight has totally unnerved him.

MERLE (CONT'D)

(calm)

We gotta play with more bullets.

NICK:

We what?

MERLE:

We gotta play with more bullets,

Nick. It's the only way.

NICK:

More bullets in the gun?

MERLE:

(even)

More bullets in the gun... The

trouble is that still leaves one of

us with his hands tied up, so that

means we gotta play each other.

NICK:

(numb)

With more bullets?... Against each

other?... Are you crazy!!! Are you

f***ing nuts!!!

MERLE:

Nick... NICK!!! It's the only

chance we've got!

NICK stares at MERLE. Rain is pouring off them in rivulets

and the VOICES of the approaching GUARDS are getting louder.

NICK:

How many bullets?

MERLE:

(watching him)

Three bullets -- minimum.

NICK:

(panic)

No way. No f***ing way!

MERLE:

(evenly, holding him with

his eyes)

I'll pick the moment, Nick. The

game goes on until I move. When I

start shooting, go for the nearest

guard and get his gun.

NICK:

No. No way!

MERLE:

When you get the AK, open up. You

got me? Open up.

NICK:

(screaming)

YOU'RE CRAZY!!!... NO WAY!... NOW

YOU'RE CRAZY!!! YOU'RE COMPLETELY

CRAZY!!!

The GUARDS begin screaming orders from outside the cage and

ONE OF THEM lets off a blast of automatic rifle fire which

shreds the bamboo roof just above the PRISONERS' heads. NICK

and MERLE grab SAL and drag him to the door.

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