The Last Castle Page #7

You really did bluff Winter.

The problem is his flush

beat your straight.

I don't play poker, Mr. Yates.

I play chess.

And in chess, you play

with somebody long enough,

you come to realize that their

first three moves are usually the same.

Chess, huh?

What was his first move?

- What was the first move?

- First, uh, two teams,

- 20 men apiece.

- Like I was saying, the inside

teams only have batons.

- Second?

- Second? Water cannon.

- Third? What kind of chopper?

- Chopper.

Sir, are you sure we should be having

this discussion this man standing--

You know he can't

be trusted, right?

I don't know.

Is that how you use

the burden of command?

To make men into--

into, uh, chess pieces?

- Yes.

- Hey, Yates.

Why don't you do yourself

a favor and run along.

Pawns.

[Winters] That prisoner

walking away, who is that?

Uh, that's--

That's Yates.

He was an Apache pilot, but now

he's a lowlife-- a hustler. He takes bets.

- On what?

- Anything.

Fights, the weather.

[Chuckles]

He even took bets on whether

Irwin was gonna kill himself.

[Recording:
Classical]

Ahhh.

"This highly effective officer seems

to have no moral grounding whatsoever."

Is that so?

Well, that's what men

better than me seem to think, sir.

Why are you here, Yates?

I would like your version.

I was involved in a drug-smuggling

operation from Juarez to El Paso...

including several

of my subordinates, sir.

You were "involved."

You ran it, did you not?

Correct.

Says here that you wore

a wire on your men.

Is that correct?

- Yeah.

- And how many years...

did they take off

your sentence for... that?

Four years, sir.

And now you're the prison bookie.

Tell me, Yates,

how does a man like you...

get into West Point?

My father was a winner of

the Congressional Medal of Honor, sir.

Oh, right.

Well, sometimes the apple does fall

far from the tree. [Snickers]

- [Snickering]

- Your father--

Your father was a POW

with Mr. Irwin, was he not?

[Chuckles]

- Yes, that is correct.

- And yet, you haven't

seen fit to join Mr. Irwin's--

- Crusade?

- Crusade.

- Why is that?

- It's not my fight.

Mr. Irwin is in a fight?

It says here

you have three years...

left with us.

- Correct?

- That's what it says.

That's what it says.

Does three months sound better?

I need to resolve

this situation... quickly...

before someone else gets

hurt... or killed.

- Do you agree?

- I guess.

And the way I need to do that

is with information.

So, you might want to rethink...

your joining Mr. Irwin's...

crusade.

[Chuckles]

You asking me to be

your snitch, sir?

Isn't it a little late in the game

to be self-righteous?

- Dude, why I got to get my ass kicked?

- How many times you gonna ask?

Stop your sniveling.

I'm only gonna hit you once.

- Well, when?

- Now!

Fight! Fight! Fight!

[Cheering]

- [Dellwo] Sit your tray down!

- [Inmates Clamoring]

Hey, f***er!

[Shouting, Cheering]

Back off now!

I said back off now!

[Cheers, Applause]

[Whistles]

On your cans!

Let's get on! Sit your asses down,

now! Let's go!

[Mess Hall Quiets]

You guys,

we don't have much time.

We can no longer wear

the uniform of a soldier.

We forfeited that right.

And that includes me.

I disobeyed

an executive order.

I violated my duty

as a commanding officer.

And eight men paid

a catastrophic price.

It's a mistake

not easy to live with.

So, here I am, just like you,

a convicted criminal.

The only difference between

you and me is I know I'm guilty.

[Laughing]

So we're packed away here

as prisoners.

And one thing is certain.

Our captors have the power.

They can try to humiliate us.

They can beat us.

They can lock us away

in a dark hole for days on end.

But there's one thing

they cannot do.

They cannot take away from us

who we are.

- And we are soldiers.

- [All] Yeah, that's right.

It is the one thing--

It is the one thing that gives us

a chance in here.

And that

nobody can ever take away.

- Yeah, that's right.

- [Inmates Agreeing]

The Uniform Code

of Military Justice.

"Grounds for Removal of

a Stockade or Disciplinary

Barracks Commander:

- "One. Dereliction of duty.

- [Inmates] That's right. Yeah.

- "Two. Criminal malfeasance.

- [Inmates Murmuring Agreement]

- "Three. Noncompliance

with procedural rules.

- Yeah.

"Four. Making false

official statements.

"Five. Conduct unbecoming

to an officer and gentleman.

[Group]

Yeah!

"Six. Cruelty and maltreatment

of persons under his command.

[Shouting Agreement,

Rattling Tables]

"Seven.

Command failure resulting

in loss of control of facility."

Gentlemen, I propose that we

seize control of this facility.

[Boisterous Cheers]

[Irwin] Take a look

at a castle, any castle.

Now, break down the elements

that make it a castle.

Location. Protection.

Garrison. Flag.

The only difference between

this castle and all the rest...

- is they were built

to keep people out.

- Forward. Ho.

This castle was built

to keep people in.

But it's still a castle.

And any castle can be taken,

whether you're fighting

in the 14th century or the 21st.

To succeed in a castle war,

you have to overcome

the garrison,

take the high ground...

and ultimately

capture the flag.

Okay? Enriquez.

All right. You set up

a command post, okay?

And here, you have

the guard-- Well, here.

First of all,

this is admin building,

Winter's office, guards.

Okay? Phase one,

neutralize Winter's guards.

Phase two, towers. Control the towers,

you control the yard.

Tower one, tower two,

tower three, tower four.

Tower four is Zamorro--

guy to watch.

Phase three,

water cannon.

Four, helicopter.

Helicopter's the high ground.

Takin' the helicopter's gonna

be a b*tch. But it's doable.

Finally, the flag.

Capture the flag.

When we capture the flag,

it's raised upside down.

- Distress.

- Right.

Right. Upside down means,

"Send help.

The fort has fallen."

We raise it upside down,

and keep it that way until

Wheeler arrives and sees it.

- Then, we've won.

- [Chuckles]

Yates, shut the fu--

You see what I mean about him?

Hey, Yates, what are

you doin' here, huh?

I don't know.

Ask him. He invited me.

General, I know, uh, his father

served with you in Vietnam,

but do we really

need him around?

Yeah. He stays.

- Duffy? Are you in maintenance?

- Yes, sir.

[Chattering]

Yates.

Got a minute?

How am I doin'?

Five-to-two,

in the colonel's favor.

- Well, you don't think I can win.

- He knows too--

He knows too much.

He's prepared. He's ready.

He may be prepared,

but he's not ready.

You know, we can use you.

Hey, look, I just want

to survive this and go home.

- You make a deal with him?

- What?

That's what I would do.

Go to you.

- He knows what you're capable of.

- Listen, man.

- But so do I.

- Oh, yeah?

Well, I know what

you're capable of.

- I know your type very well.

- Is that right?

Is that from your infinite years

of experience on the battlefield?

Rate this script:3.0 / 2 votes