The Manchurian Candidate Page #2

8/18/03 7.

27 EXT. THE KUWAITI HIGHWAY - NIGHT - MARCO 27

raises his head. SEES:

-- the Bradley, in flames.

-- the Hummer, on its side in the ditch, headlights aglow --

-- shadows of enemy soldiers, retreating across the dunes.

-- MILITARY HELICOPTERS materializing out of the smoke and

darkness ... circling ... NO SOUND --

MARCO (V.O.)

I couldn’t hear anything, as I was

temporarily deaf from the explosion of

the Bradley ...

-- SOLDIERS WITH GAS MASKS lean out of the open doors of the

helicopters and drop GAS CANISTERS down on Marco’s team.

IN SLOWING MOTION:

28 MARCO’S SQUAD -- the effect of the gas is immediate: Mavole

collapses in his tracks. Melvin points a gun skyward and

FIRES a burst that goes harmlessly wide of a helicopter.

Then he falls on his back. HEAVY, LUMINOUS, YELLOW-ORANGE

VAPOR swirls across the battle --

28

WITH MARCO -- his shirt pulled up over his mouth and nose,

he wheels to get away from the drifting gas, feet unsteady.

Grabs a dazed Bobby Baker by the collar --

MARCO:

I got your back, Baker. I got ...

-- and tries to pull him to safety ... knees buckling ... he

looks up:

29 MARCO’S P.O.V. - THE HUMMER -- is no longer stalled on its

side in the ditch, but improbably is righted again, back on

four wheels and attacking. A vision of Raymond behind the

machine gun, firing at the advancing enemy --

29

WITH MARCO -- trying to process this. Coughing. Fading.

30 OMITTED 30

31 FLASH FORWARD: MAJOR BEN MARCO 31

Behind the podium. Takes a sip of water, then:

MARCO:

-- and with complete disregard for his

own life and safety, Sgt. Shaw single-

handedly engaged an entire company of the

enemy --

8/18/03 8.

FLASH FORWARD:
MAJOR MARCO

32

Behind the podium, repeating himself:

MARCO:

-- of the enemy -EXT.

KUWAITI TWO-LANE - NIGHT 32

33

The Hummer weaves through the wreckage, one of its tires

WHIRLING IN FLAMES -- Raymond has the machine gun SPITTING

BULLETS recklessly at the helicopters like a cartoon hero --

RESUME:
MARCO 33

34

MARCO:

(rote)

Sgt. Shaw repeatedly attacked from a

mobile position, confounding the enemy --

EXT. KUWAITI TWO-LANE - NIGHT 34

35

One of the helicopters EXPLODES, the other spins away,

trailing smoke and flames.

MARCO (V.O.)

-- neutralizing his aerial support --

RESUME:
MARCO 35

36

Behind the podium.

MARCO:

-- and finally dividing and defeating an

overwhelmingly superior force.

INT. HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM - CONTINUOUS 36

A Boy Scout luncheon banquet.

WASHINGTON D.C., NOW

A full chicken buffet table, banners, flags, and over one

hundred SCOUTS, LEADERS and DADS, all looking somewhat

attentively up at the guest speaker, U.S. Army Major Ben

Marco.

MARCO:

Like Edmonds in Korea, Holderman in Viet

Nam, Raymond Shaw was awarded the

Congressional Medal of Honor. I signed

the recommendation myself.

A hand shoots up. Marco nods toward it.

8/18/03 9.

ANOTHER SCOUT:

Were you wounded?

MARCO:

I was --

FB36 FLASH:
MARCO ON THE KUWAITI TWO-LANE FB36

Turning away from the overturned Humvee, and right into a

head-high rifle-butt swung by the hands and arms of a gas

mask-wearing figure.

RESUME - AUDITORIUM - MARCO

He blinks.

MARCO:

-- injured. I fell, had a, uh,

concussion -- lost focus -- Sgt. Shaw

took command --

A disheveled man comes into the back of the room noisily,

as:

SCOUT DAD:

Did your unit sustain any casualties?

MARCO:

Yes. Two. Two of my people were killed.

Silence. No more questions. The disheveled man (MELVIN)

coughs. Marco pointedly ignores him.

MARCO:

The Medal of Honor is the highest award

to which any soldier can aspire. From

the jungles of Iwo Jima to the desert of

Kuwait, what these brave men I’ve talked

about today did will never be forgotten.

Since 1917, only 827 medals have been

given to a total of more than 30 million

Americans in arms. Only three have been

awarded in the last 40 years. Who knows?

Maybe someday one of you fine boys will

earn one yourself in defense of this

great nation.

A SCOUTMASTER, thin, bearded, stands up:

SCOUTMASTER:

Major Marco, on behalf of Troops 484 and

488 -- just like to thank you, for coming

to talk to us, about the Medal of Honor,

and your interesting experiences in the

Armed Services.

8/18/03 10.

MARCO:

Thanks for listening. My family has

claimed the Army as a trade ever since a

young gunnery officer who grew up with

Hernando De Soto left Spain for a look at

the upper Mississippi.

(beat)

My life is in service to my country.

MELVIN:

You ever wish it’d been you?

MARCO:

Excuse me?

MELVIN:

Won the medal. Been the hero.

Something causes Marco to hesitate. Then, as if he’d

rehearsed it:

MARCO:

No, I’m just proud to have been there.

He sits down. Spattering of polite applause.

37 INT. H.S. AUDITORIUM ENTRANCE - LATER 37

The luncheon is breaking up. A couple of scouts chase each

other through the clusters of men. Marco’s leaving. Men

stop him to shake his hand and thank him for coming.

MELVIN:

Major Marco.

Marco turns, stares blankly into the eyes of the bedraggled-

looking man, who half-salutes.

MELVIN:

It’s Al Melvin, Sir. Corporal Melvin.

From your unit. Desert Storm.

Marco stares hard. Melvin looks like a homeless guy, his

clothes rumpled, his fingernails stained and broken, his

eyes wild with fatigue and paranoia.

MARCO:

Melvin. Jesus -- how are you --

MELVIN:

(intense)

I have these dreams, Major.

MARCO:

Dreams.

8/18/03 11.

MELVIN:

Yeah. Kuwait. You and me. Mavole, and

Baker. Raymond Shaw.

(beat)

See, I remember it happened the way you

just said. And then I don’t.

MARCO:

Well, we had a pretty rough time over

there, Al, it was hairy, and -- it was a

long time ago, now. Memories shift.

MELVIN:

Do you have dreams, sir?

MARCO:

Everybody has dreams, Corporal --

MELVIN:

Not these.

Beat. Marco stares at him.

MARCO:

No I don’t.

Melvin’s face falls, disappointed. Fumbling in his clothes,

he finds a SPIRAL NOTEBOOK, dog-eared, and fat with

newspaper clippings -- tries to press it into Marco’s hands.

MELVIN:

It’s bad, sir. It’s making me crazy. I

write it down, every night, after I wake

up, I try to get it all -- it doesn’t

always go together -- all of what I can

remember, and --

MARCO:

(gentle)

-- Al, you know, maybe you should be

going to the VA and talking to a doctor,

I mean if these dreams are really --

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