The Power of One Page #22

PK gets ready. When the first man is close enough he

hits him hard, breaking his jaw. He swings at another,

catching him flush in the face. But then the rest are

upon him. Even though PK fights like hell, he is

overwhelmed. The blows come from everywhere, beating

him to the ground. His arms and legs are firmly grabbed

by four men. He is banged hard face down onto a concrete

table. The fifth man pulls down his pants and the sixth

begins to undo his own fly. All the men scream obscenities,

anticipating the rape.

PK struggles like hell to no avail. As he is about to

be violated, a roaring giant of a man tears into the

pack like a bear shredding dogs. He scatters the men,

knocking some unconscious, sending the rest to flight.

He stands over PK, a looming block of granite with a

wild black beard and coal-black eyes. His intent only

becomes clear as to whether he is claiming a prize or

helping a friend when he offers PK his hand, lifting PK

effortlessly.

He examines PK's bruised face with some concern and

then smiles.

PK:

You know, Rasputin, I had them

right where I wanted them.

Another minute they were done

for.

Rasputin claps PK on the back and addresses him in

Russian, to which PK responds with a smile. The two men

walk off together.

CUT TO:

184 INT. PK'S HUT - NIGHT 184

A TCHAIKOVSKY SYMPHONY plays on a rickety OLD RECORD

PLAYER. PK works out on a speed bag and a heavy bag he

has hung in the room while Rasputin, the giant Russian,

sits next to the record player, finishes drinking a

bottle of brandy, tears running down his face as he follows

the symphony. When he finishes the bottle he takes

another one out of a case sitting by his side and begins

to drink anew.

PK (V.O.)

Friendships are rare--arising

out of mutual need rather than

133.

any shared interests. But theydo exist and even flourish.

Except between the drillers andtheir grizzlies. No one wants to

get too close to the man whomight be buried at night by whatyou drilled loose in the day.

CUT TO:

185 EXT. MINE - NIGHT 185

PK inspects his nightly quota of gelignite charges andfuses.

Five Africans, all serious faces, keep their eyes firmlyon PK.

PK (V.O.)

The Africans who come here

looking for work are driven by adifferent desperation--drought,

famine, locusts.

Satisfied with the equipment, PK nods for the box to beclosed.

ELIJAH, his head man, closes the boxes.

PK (V.O.)

They come and risk their lives tosend money back home to thefamilies sitting on the barrenfarms, starving, waiting fordeath or rain.

When the boxes are closed the other five men in the crew

lift them and follow PK out.

CUT TO:

186 INT. MINE ELEVATOR 186

The elevator descends into the mine.

PK (V.O.)

Superstition runs deep in them,

so a good grizzly man attracts agood crew. On the bars, the

longer you live the luckier you

are. And by association -- they

are.

134.

CUT TO:

187 INT. TUNNEL 187

PK and his crew make their way through a narrow tunneland come to the grizzly. It is dark. The only lightcomes from the lamps attached to their helmets.

Boulders litter the bars.

PK and Elijah are onto the bars first.

beams move along across the boulders.

ELIJAH:

Baas. Baas.

Their light

PK turns to Elijah. His lamp catches Elijah's facewhich is looking upward. PK looks up.

His POV in the narrow bands of light: a bunch of rocks

big and small, packed into the funnel. His face growsdim.

CUT TO:

188 CLOSEUP ON HANGUP OF ROCKS 188

Five feet across a rock wall with stones of all sizes

blocking up the funnel's mouth.

PK (V.O.)

Hangups are the worst of it.

When the top of the funnel getsblocked up and the ore won'tflow.

PK scales the sheer rock wall of the funnel, his shirt

packed with explosives.

PK (V.O.)

The only way to unblock it is toset a charge to blow inward. And

the only way to do that is to setthe charge in mud, which meansclimbing up to the mouth of thestope and coming face-to-facewith the devil.

PK reaches the hangup. He works at taking a preparedparcel of gelignite sticks and jamming them carefullyinto a crevice. As he does the hangup creaks deeply,

shifting, ominous. A few rocks fall. PK freezes,

holding his breath.

CUT TO:

135.

189 THE AFRICANS 189

peeking out of the safety shaft below, terrified.

Elijah remains on the grizzly bars, his light shining on

PK.

CUT TO:

190 PK 190

holding very still, listening.

PK (V.O.)

Sometimes the rock doesn't need

the provocation of explosives.

Sometimes the earth shifts...

(beat)

a pebble moves...

(beat)

you talk too loud...

(beat)

and in the moment before you are

turned into something else by

fifty tons of rock you understand

why it is called grizzly.

PK finishes setting the charge. He scales down the wall.

A large rock is expelled from the hangup and comes

bouncing down the sides to the funnel, just missing PK,

crashing through the bars below.

PK freezes. Elijah holds his breath. The crew in the

safty tunnel quakes.

Nothing happens.

PK comes down the rest of the way. He takes the cordtex

rope dangling from the bomb and inserts a fuse. He nods

to Elijah. Elijah lights a cheesa stick. He hands the

glowing stick to PK. PK waves towards the tunnel. One

of the Africans sounds the WARNING WHISTLE. Two blasts

followed by two blasts. PK nods for Elijah to be off.

Elijah stands his ground.

ELIJAH:

I wait for you, baas.

PK lights the fuse. Elijah takes off like a scared

rabbit for the safety of the shaft.

PK is right on his tail.

The fuse travels quickly toward the bomb.

136.

Elijah trips. PK, coming behind him, grabs him by the

collar and flings him into the safety tunnel, diving

after him a second later, just as the BOMB EXPLODES. A

few rocks come down, but nothing else.

The Africans look at each other with real apprehension.

PK rises from Elijah and peeks out.

191 HIS POV - HANGUP 191

is still in place.

PK studies the hangup, stepping out onto the grizzly,

listening, looking. The hangup groans. The Africans

are petrified at the mouth of the tunnel.

PK stops midway on the bars. He studies the hangup

intently, then picks up a rock. Choosing a target he

heaves the rock with all his might toward the hangup

and runs like hell. The rock hits the hangup. PK

springs off the grizzly, right into the Africans as the

hangup thunders down. Dust and small rocks fill the

safety tunnel.

When the avalanche has stopped PK raises himself off the

Africans. They are all covered in dust but smiling and

babbling, happy to be alive.

PK peeks out and up. He signals to Elijah who hits the

LL-CLEAR WHISTLE. Three blasts.

PK:

Let's clean her off and call it

a night, hey?

Happy, the Africans lift shovels and crowbars to clear

the bars. As they pass PK they touch him reverentially

as one would an icon.

PK (V.O.)

The Africans think the longer you

survive the luckier you are. And

the luckier you are the longer you

survive. I know there's something

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