The Devil's Advocate Page #3

KEVIN:

(rolls with it)

Couldn't forget it if I tried.

(CONTINUED)

14.

11 CONTINUED:
(2)

MRS. LOMAX

And what happened to Babylon?

KEVIN:

'Thou mighty city. In one hour

hast thou mighty judgement come.'

MRS. LOMAX

'And the light of a single lamp shall shine in thee no more.'

11

Kevin gathers her in. Kissing her good-bye, as we -CUT

TO:

12 INT. HOTEL SUITE - NIGHT 12

Darkness. Where are we? A door opens in another room -VOICES

-- KEVIN and MARY ANN. They're LAUGHING. Coming in from a big night out. For an instant -- light -- we glimpse a great hotel suite -- and then -KEVIN

(O.S.)

-- wait -- leave 'em off -MARY

ANN (O.S.)

-- what are you... I can't -KEVIN

(O.S.)

-- close your eyes -- do it -More

LAUGHTER. Stumbling shadows moving PAST us and -KEVIN

(O.S.)

Okay. Stop.

13 EXT. HOTEL SUITE - BALCONY - NIGHT 13

Kevin behind Mary Ann with his hands over her eyes.

takes his hands away, but her eyes stay closed...

KEVIN:

Okay. Open your eyes.

MARY ANN:

(as she does)

Wow.

He

14 EXT. HOTEL SUITE - BALCONY - NIGHT 14

The view. Wham. The definitive New York skyline.

15.

15 EXT. HOTEL SUITE - BALCONY - NIGHT 15

KEVIN:

'Go ahead...'

(in her ear)

'... bite the Big Apple.'

MARY ANN:

(she's dancing)

'... Rats on the West Side, bed

bugs uptown, I can't give it away on Seventh Avenue. This town

don't look good in tatters...'

KEVIN:

I don't know... looks to me like

that dress is in your way.

MARY ANN:

(shocked, stops)

Why, counselor...

(her best drawl)

Surely you don't think a small-

town girl changes overnight just because a man buys her dinner in the big city.

KEVIN:

No, ma'am. In fact, I hardly everthink at all.

MARY ANN:

Well, that's different, then.

You're my kind of guy.

Kevin smiles. She's taking off the dress. Babylon.

CUT TO:

16 EXT. FOLEY SQUARE - ESTABLISHING - DAY 16

Six huge courthouses. All those courtrooms.

CUT TO:

17 INT. JURY COURTROOM - DAY 17

Criminal court. Voire dire. Potential jurors fill the benches. A bored judge. MEISEL, defense counsel, is a

sour, New York veteran. The juror being questioned, a PIE-FACED MAN with bad vision.

(CONTINUED)

DEVIL'S ADVOCATE - Rev. 11/15/96 16.

17 CONTINUED:
17

MEISEL:

Do you think as a juror you'd be able to set aside any prior opinions you might hold about the savings and loan industry?

(long pause)

That was a question, sir.

PIE-FACE

What? Do I like bankers?

Heath catches Meisel's eye. Waves him over.

MEISEL:

Your Honor, may I have a minute to speak with my colleagues.

ANGLE ON DEFENSE TABLE

Kevin and Heath. And the defendant -- a well-tailored

reptilian banker. Meisel joins them. Sotto voce.

KEVIN:

Dump him. While you're at it let's get rid of number six,

eight, and I'd say lose number twelve, except the prosecutor's gonna f*** up and do it for us.

MEISEL:

Number six? You're kidding,

right? She's my first choice.

KEVIN:

She's my first pass.

MEISEL:

And eight? With the dreadlocks?

That's crazy. He's a defendant

juror if I ever saw one.

KEVIN:

You see his shoes?

MEISEL:

Look, kid, maybe down in Florida you're the next big thing, but this is New York. Manhattan.

We're not squeezing oranges here.

(CONTINUED)

17.

17 CONTINUED:
(2) 17

KEVIN:

He polishes those shoes every night. He makes his own clothes.

He may look like a brother-with an-

attitude to you, but I see a man who's got a shotgun under his bed and woe betide the creature

who steps into his garden.

(beat)

And number six? Your favorite?

She's damaged goods.

MEISEL:

She's a Catholic schoolteacher.

(to Heath)

She believes in human frailty.

KEVIN:

No. There's something missing from her. She's wrong.

(eyes to the pool)

She wants on this jury. Somebody hurt her and she wants revenge.

MEISEL:

How the hell do you know that?

KEVIN:

(honestly)

I don't know.

MEISEL:

(to Heath)

Look, either you put a stop to this happy horseshit or I walk.

Walk.

HEATH:

MEISEL:

(a pause)

All right. Here's the deal.

(to Kevin)

I lose with your jury? You do the

explaining.

The defendant staring a hole into Kevin, as we -CUT

TO:

18 EXT. FOLEY SQUARE JURY COURT - DAY 18

Kevin leaving court.

it here.

In no hurry to get home. He likes

(CONTINUED)

18.

18 CONTINUED:
18

Across the street, a man, one of many passing on the sidewalk. Except this man turns as Kevin passes.

Watching him. Seeing something that pleases him.

This is JOHN MILTON. And now, as Kevin disappears,

Milton joins the flow of people heading down into a subway station -- down -- and gone, as we PULL BACK TO -

19 EXT. FOLEY SQUARE - DAY/NIGHT (TIME LAPSE) 19

As day becomes night.

19A NIGHT BECOMES DAY 19A

19B AND AGAIN 19B

19C AND THIS TIME LIGHTNING SIZZLES THROUGH THE SKY 19C

CUT TO:

20 INT. HOTEL SUITE - NIGHT 20

Mary Ann watching TV alone. Remnants of a room service

dinner. They've been living here for weeks now. The

maids have started to give up.

Kevin enters looking beat. Grabs a cold french fry.

MARY ANN:

(into her show)

Your mother called. She has her

bad feeling.

KEVIN:

Every now and then she gets one right.

MARY ANN:

What's up?

(looks over)

You okay? Something's up.

KEVIN:

They deliberated for thirty-eight minutes.

MARY ANN:

Oh sh*t...

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

DEVIL'S ADVOCATE - Rev. 11/2/96 19.

20 CONTINUED:
20

MARY ANN (CONT'D)

(turns off the TV,

comforting him)

Oh, Kevin... I'm sorry, honey. What

the hell did they expect? The man

is guilty as can be. Wasn't a jury anywhere gonna let him off.

Yeah.

KEVIN:

Except one.

Kev....

MARY ANN:

KEVIN:

(a big ole smile)

Not f***ing guilty.

Oh my god...

MARY ANN:

KEVIN:

Thirty-eight minutes. My jury.

You did it!

MARY ANN:

Oh my god, Kevin...

KEVIN:

Put on something that's gonna be easy to take off later. We are

going out, girl!

CUT TO:

21 INT. LAW FIRM LOBBY - DAY 21

Milton, Chadwick, Waters. Those words written in stone

on the wall. The decor is stark, dramatic, awesome. The

receptionist is simply stunning. Kevin, wearing his best suit, walking with Heath.

HEATH:

Sorry to keep you waiting, but Mr.

Milton got pinned down in Indonesia a little longer than expected.

(quietly as they hit the view)

Not bad, huh? You can play it cool if you want, but the first time I walked in here, my jaw was on the floor.

22 INT. LAW FIRM HALL - DAY 22

The firm offices.

This space.

A large central atrium. Offices rim

(CONTINUED)

20.

22 CONTINUED:
22

Lawyers come in all shapes and sizes. Assistants -- male

and female -- are uniformly attractive. The HUM of

serious BUSINESS in the background.

HEATH:

(as they walk)

We've got forty partners vested at the moment. Close to six hundred

associates. This is the home

office, but we've got quite a few international arrangements, so Mr.

Milton spends a good deal of his time in the air. In addition to

our corporate clients, we're currently representing about twenty-five foreign countries.

Mid-East, Balkans, Central

America, West Africa. Interesting work, but travel intensive.

Kevin slowing as they pass an open doorway -HEATH

(O.S.)

He's got you scheduled for fifteen minutes, which is a good sign, so make the most of it...

23 INT. LAW FIRM - CHRISTABELLA'S OFFICE - DAY 23

THROUGH a large window we see a woman pacing her office.

She's wearing a headset and arguing in machine-gun Italian. She is a goddess. Her name is CHRISTABELLA.

She is beautiful beyond propriety. She will also turn

out to be a brilliant EUC lawyer. She turns. Sees us

staring -- like that -- Venetian blinds close tightly.

24 INT. LAW FIRM HALL - DAY 24

Heath is now far ahead. Kevin rushing to catch up -25

INT. LAW FIRM - ARCHED CORRIDOR - DAY 25

Kevin about six steps into it when suddenly, he looks down. Stops. Completely spooked.

HEATH:

Gotcha.

(smiles)

Man, I just love that...

(CONTINUED)

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