Troy Page #20

(beat)

Your feud with Agamemnon is tearing

this army apart. And your

reputation suffers. The men are

talking -

Achilles' eyes narrow as his temper rises.

ACHILLES:

If my blood wasn't in your

veins -

PATROCLUS:

But your blood is in my veins.

(CONTINUED)

109.

115 CONTINUED:
(4) 115

ACHILLES:

I gave you an order, cousin. We

leave at noon.

Achilles opens the tent flap.

PATROCLUS:

If you command us not to fight for

the king of kings, so be it. But

please don't ask me not to fight

for Greece.

(long beat)

When the shades hear my name I want

them to know I led a worthy life.

Achilles, face inscrutable, watches his cousin walk away.

116 INT. PRIAM'S MEETING HALL - MORNING 116

The notables we've seen in this room before -- Priam,

Hector, Glaucus, Velior, Archeptolemus -- are gathered

again.

ARCHEPTOLEMUS:

The omens are gathering. The

directive is clear.

HECTOR:

Fight for your country. That's the

only directive.

PRIAM:

(to Hector)

The last time the high priest spoke

to us he prophesied a great victory

for Troy. We won a great victory.

Let him speak.

(to Archeptolemus)

What course of action do you

recommend?

ARCHEPTOLEMUS:

The gods favor our cause. Now is

the time to destroy the Greek army.

PRIAM:

Glaucus?

(CONTINUED)

110.

116 CONTINUED:
116

GLAUCUS:

Their morale is battered. Hit them

now, hit them hard, and they will

run.

VELIOR:

I must admit, I overestimated the

Greeks. They lack discipline and

courage.

Hector, frustrated and weary, rubs his eyes.

HECTOR:

The Myrmidons did not fight

yesterday. There must be

dissension among the Greeks. But

if we attack their ships, we'll

unify them.

(beat)

If they decide to attack, let them.

They can't breach our walls. We'll

beat them back again.

(beat; to Priam)

Yesterday the Greeks underestimated

us. We should not return the favor

today.

Priam meditates on this conflicting advice. He stands and

paces about the room. He turns to Archeptolemus.

PRIAM:

You're confident about the meaning

of these omens?

ARCHEPTOLEMUS:

The desecration of his temple

angers Apollo. The gods have

cursed the Greeks. Two of their

kings have already gone down to the

dust.

Priam continues pacing, hands clasped behind his back.

PRIAM:

Prepare the army. We attack at

noon.

HECTOR:

We're making a mistake, father.

Father and son face each other across the long table.

PRIAM:

Prepare the army.

111.

117 EXT. ACHILLES' WARSHIP - LATER - DAY 117

Achilles' ship has already been hauled into the shallow

water, ready to depart. Myrmidons climb the gangplank,

carrying gear onto the ship's deck.

118 INT. ACHILLES' WARSHIP - DAY 118

Briseis sits in the cabin watching Achilles tie a hammock

to a peg. Something has changed between them. She looks

at him with undisguised tenderness.

BRISEIS:

Am I still your captive?

ACHILLES:

Captive is a harsh word. You're my

guest.

BRISEIS:

In Troy, guests can leave whenever

they want.

ACHILLES:

Strange custom.

Achilles takes her hand and inspects her uncalloused

palms.

ACHILLES:

You've never worked the fields.

Never chopped wood, never carried a

milk pail. These are the hands of

royalty.

Achilles raises his own hands and shows them to her.

ACHILLES:

My hands are gates to the

underworld.

(beat)

All my life I've walked with Death.

But I grow tired of his company.

(beat)

Come with me to Larissa.

A hint of a smile crosses her lips.

BRISEIS:

Larissa. Is that where you're

from?

(beat)

It's a pretty name.

(CONTINUED)

112.

118 CONTINUED:
118

ACHILLES:

I thought I'd never see it again.

(beat)

Before I left home my mother told

me my fate.

BRISEIS:

(sincere)

She speaks with the gods?

ACHILLES:

She knows things.

(beat)

She told me if I stayed home I'd

have a long, peaceful life. And if

I came to Troy, life would be

short... but my name would never be

forgotten.

BRISEIS:

And you chose Troy.

ACHILLES:

But what if Fate brought me here

for another purpose? What if I had

to go to war to find peace?

(beat)

To find you?

She cups his face between her palms, pulls him closer,

kisses his lips. For a moment they gaze at each other,

until the sounds of WAR CRIES, HORNS, and BATTLE DRUMS

fill the air.

Achilles raises his head and listens, his face hardening.

Briseis, alarmed, watches him.

119 EXT. AGAMEMNON'S TENT - DAY 119

Agamemnon, Nestor, and Odysseus exit the tent. The beach

is a frenzy of activity. Thousands of men rush to their

positions, hastily arming themselves. The kings look to

the high dunes.

120 EXT. HIGH DUNES - CONTINUOUS 120

Hector and his APOLLONIAN GUARDS, on horseback, crest the

dunes and look down on the Greek encampment. 25,000

TROJAN FOOT SOLDIERS march behind Hector. He gives a

signal. The force halts.

113.

121 EXT. BEACH ENCAMPMENT - CONTINUOUS 121

The GREEKS, plainly nervous, swarm to the long trench

they've dug. The Trojans crushed them yesterday. Now

they're back.

121A EXT. HIGH DUNES 121A

The Trojan ARCHERS pull their bows off their shoulders and

notch their arrows.

121B EXT. BEACH ENCAMPMENT 121B

The Greek archers notch their arrows.

Odysseus stands with his ITHACANS, waiting to battle. A

cry starts up on the far end of the Greek line and grows

steadily louder. Odysseus looks in that direction.

A glittering figure has stepped forth from the Myrmidon

camp, clad in the beautiful and distinctive armor that

every man in the Greek army recognizes.

ODYSSEUS:

Achilles.

All down the Greek line we hear the cheer building to a

roar. Agamemnon, hearing the commotion, turns and sees

the shining warrior. He watches the spectacle with mixed

emotions.

Eudorus, standing with several Myrmidons, is thrilled by

his leader's unexpected arrival.

EUDORUS:

Arm yourselves, men.

The Myrmidons quickly and excitedly arm themselves.

121C EXT. HIGH DUNES 121C

The Trojans are not aware of this energy. Hector raises

his sword and points at the Greeks. The Trojan army

charges. When they are within range the Trojan archers

release, sending a volley of arrows over the heads of

their comrades. The Greek archers release at the same

time.

Two flocks of arrows cross in the sky and swoop down on

the men below. Dozens of Greeks and Trojans fall to the

sand.

114.

121D EXT. GREEK BEACH DEFENSES 121D

But now the glorious bronzed figure of Achilles leaps over

the trench, sunlight reflecting off his polished armor.

He raises his sword to the sky. A great, violent ROAR

rises from the Greek army. When he runs toward the

Trojans the Greeks jump from their positions and follow.

The two armies collide. Unlike the grassy field the men

fought on yesterday, today's battle takes place on the

sand, and sand is everywhere.

Horse hooves kick up clouds of sand. Men struggle for

footing in the loose sand. Red blood puddles on the

yellow sand.

Rate this script:3.7 / 9 votes