The Rock

BEGIN MAIN 'TITLE SEQUENCE:

An impressionistic montage:

A SILHOUETTED MAN in front of mirror dons his Marine dress blues. Spit=

polish shoes laced. Medals clipped to jacket. All in CLOSE-UP. We never=

see him fully.

The Man puts HIS HAT squarely on his head. EYES glint.

On the man's dresser: MARINE MEMORABILIA. Three Purple Hearts, photos of a=

WOMAN (his wife), PHOTOS OF MARINES in combat locales. TIGHTER into the=

photos, we HEAR PANICKED VOICES, EXPLOSIONS, NOISES OF BRUTAL=

COMBAT.

IMAGES:
Through smoke, a desperate MARINE PRIVATE who knows he will never be=

rescued... TWO MARINES walk up to a farmhouse door; through the screen we=

see a MOTHER AND DAUGHTER who know what the news will be...

IMAGES:
A MARINE COLOUR GUARD carries a COFFIN... Now we are the coffin as=

a FLAG drapes down on us.

placed into a YOUNG WOMANIS HAND.

Now we're in ARLINGTON CEMETERY. Images of the cemetery are reflected in=

wet puddles, as the SPIT-SHINED SHOES walk past images of the TOMB OF THE=

UNKNOWN SOLDIER a ROW OF GRAVES comes into focus

A1G CLOSE-UP on the MARINE'S HAT, and his EYES. Suddenly AN

EXPLOSION and we see --

A MARINE in a jungle, radioing for help: ,You gotta get us outta here sir,=

Jesus, they're all over us... ! And an' EXPLOSION ends the communication=

...

AII CLOSE-UP on the MARINE'S EYES and FADE IN:

EXT. ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY - MORNING

Two groundskeepers on "ride 'em" lawn mowers, BENNIE and MARLIN, smoke=

Camels and watch the MARINE OFFICER from the opening montage. He's alone,=

across the cemetery.

BENNIE:

You'll get used to him. Every Sunday morning - rain, snow, holidays nothin,=

keeps him Away.

ACROSS THE CEMETERY

Brig. Gen. FRANCIS XAVIER HUMMEL stands before a headstone:

BARBARA MCLEAN HUMMEL 1946-1996.

HUMMEL:

Hi Barb. The house sold yesterday. I know, I know, the market's=

depressed.

(MORE)

HUMMEL:

(cont I d) Anyway, I'm leaving the area. Some things I have to do. Things=

I couldn't do while you were here. Maybe you would have approved. Hell, I=

know you wouldn't have.

(beat)

I've tried everything and I can't seem to get their attention. But now=

they'll learn how it feels on the other side. Let's hope it elevates their=

thinking.

Hummel puts new flowers on the grave. Walks off.

EXT. ACCESS ROAD TO ARMY WEAPONS COMPOUND - NIGHT

Heavy rain. A road next to a heavily guarded bunker facility. A canvas=

covered ARMY TRUCK blows a tire in the road. The DRIVER gets out. =

Inspects the tire.

INT. ARMY TRUCK - NIGHT

FOUR MARINES in black suits dive through a hole in the

truckbed floor into a MANHOLE IN THE ROAD.

EXT. ARMY WEAPONS COMPOUND - FRONT GATE - NIGHT

Three ARMY M.P.s at the front GUARDHOUSE. GENERAL HUMMEL pulls up in a=

SUBURBAN. The M.P.s immediately recognise him and stand more=

rigidly.

ARMY M. P.

General Hummel, sir. It's an honour.

Is the Colonel expecting you, sir?

HUMMEL:

Held better be. This is a security

inspection.

ARMY M. P.

Yes, sir!

The M.P. waves Hummel in, saluting crisply.

INT. GRATED STORM DRAIN IN BUNKER COMPOUND - NIGHT

The four marines from the truck are waiting, readying arms. The leader is=

looking at his watch. Gives a hand signal to the others, and up they go=

--

EXT. BUNKER COMPOUND - NIGHT

The four marines emerge from the storm drain and move toward

covered positions in the compound.

200 YARDS AWAY - TWO ARMY "MAGAZINE CHECKERS" emerge from a

building with clipboards, on routine check.

INT. BUNKER SECURITY BUILDING - NIGHT

The Army M.P.s escort General Hummel inside. THREE ARMY GUARDS spring up=

from their SURVEILLANCE MONITORS. Everyone's nervous, in awe, rigid at=

attention. COLONEL CALLAHAN emerges from an adjacent room,=

sleepy-eyed.

COLONEL CALLAHAN

General Hummel! This is a surprise!

HUMMEL:

That's the idea, Colonel.

EXT. BUNKER COMPOUND - WATCH TOWER - NIGHT

Two marines position themselves outside the door to the

bunker compound's elevated watch tower.

=B7EXT. BUNKER COMPOUND - NIGHT

Below the watch tower, the ARMY MAGAZINE CHECKERS approach. Marines 1 and 2=

spring out, armed with M-16s with over/under grenade launchers They shoot=

BEAN BAG projectiles at the Army Guards, who collapse, dazed.

INT. BUNKER COMPOUND WATCH TOWER - NIGHT

Marines 3 and 4 burst inside the watch tower. The guards inside spring up. =

BOOM BOOM, they're hit by bean bag projectiles, propelling them out the=

windows of the watch tower. They fall 10 feet and lie unconscious.

EXT. BUNKER COMPOUND - NIGHT

Marines 1 and 2, now in MAGAZINE CHECYERIS UNIFORMS, move to the BUNKER=

DOOR. They open the door with the Magazine checker's CODED CARDS.

INT. CHEMICAL WEAPONS BUNKER - NIGHT

Two ARMY GUARDS, playing poker, look up at the entering marines. Marines 1=

and 2 walk straight up to the Army Guards, holding them at bay with M-16s. =

Before any words are spoken, one of the marines injects each of the guards=

with a VACCINE PISTOL.

INT. BUNKER SECURITY BUILDING - NIGHT

Four more marines led by SGT. CRISP enter, holding Col.

Callahan, General Hummel and the Army Guards at bay.

SGT. CRISP This is a security exercise, sir. We've fully breached and=

infiltrated your compound. I'm afraid you and your men are my prisoners,=

sir.

The marines begin cuffing the Army Guards to the radiator

and taping their mouths.

SGT. CRISP

Sorry sir, you realise the importance

of these exercises.

EL:

(to Callahan)

Ten men who could have been terrorists are out there doing whatever they=

damn well please to your compound, Colonel. Here you sit with your ass=

chained to a f***ing radiator. This is not a tight ship. I would not want=

to be in your shoes in the morning.

Sgt. Crisp hits the FRONT GATEIS OPEN BUZZER and follows

Hummel out of the room.

EXT. ARMY WEAPONS COMPOUND - FRONT GATE - NIGHT

The gate swings open. TWO HUMVEES enter the compound.

EXT. CHEMICAL WEAPONS BUNKER - NIGHT

The marines use a 'rabbit tool, (hydraulic, compact and powerful) to pry=

open the bunker's steel doors. They rush down a hallway.

CHEMICAL WEAPONS BUNKER - INTERIOR HALLWAY - The marines

rush up to another steel door and quickly pry it open.

INT. C.B.W. BUNKER - NIGHT

A refrigerated storage room for chemical weapons. Storage tubes are=

labelled:
V.X. POISON GAS. Across the room are rockets labelled: 55 115 MM=

BOLT ROCKETS.

Using the TRACK HOOK SYSTEM in the bunker's ceiling, the marines move the=

V.X. CHEM ROUNDS and BOLT ROCKETS to the waiting humvees. It's very fast,=

like clockwork.

EXT. ARMY WEAPONS COMPOLIND - FRONT GATE - NIGHT

The Humvees, followed by Hummel in his Suburban, roar out of

the compound. CUT TQ:

INT. H " EL'S SUBURBAN - NIGHT

Hummel on a c.b. radio:

A textbook exercise, gentlemen.

Rendezvous in eleven hours.

EXT. F.B.I. FIELD OFFICE, FT. DIETRICK, MD. - DAY

Establish headquarters for chemical/biological weapons.

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