USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage

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- (ALARM BLARING)

- Fire!

MAN:

Fire!

- 11:
00!

- 11:
00!

- Fire!

- Fire!

Fighter plane to the bow!

- 12:
00! 12:00! Fire!

- MAN:
12:00! 12:00!

- Brace for impact!

- Brace for impact!

- Damage report!

- MAN:
Damage report!

Fire party to the bow.

Fire party to the bow.

Damage report now!

(MEN SCREAMING)

(LIGHTER CLICKS,

FILM PROJECTOR WHIRRING)

Japs blew the crap out of us

at Pearl Harbor.

We cowboyed up,

turned the tables on them.

Ain't a whole lot of quit

in them either.

Gave as good as they got.

Iwo Jima, Okinawa.

- Where's this all going?

- Mainland ground invasion's

only going to stretch

this war out even longer.

Truman's in his third month

as President.

Honeymoon's about over.

America wants this war

to end and quickly.

Jesus, are you talking

about the atomic bomb?

Send a message

loud and clear.

Drop it right on Hiroshima,

military target.

Ostensibly, yes.

But you'll kill every man,

woman, and child,

not to mention

the radioactive fallout.

Even if the bomb works,

and there's no guarantee

that it will,

you can't fly it to Japan.

We motorboat the son of a b*tch.

The Tinian, Philippine Sea.

With all due respect,

we know their Navy's

stretched thin,

but the Japanese

will spot a fleet.

Not a fleet.

No escorts.

One ship, a fast ship.

Alone, unprotected.

That's a damn

suicide mission.

But if it works...

they're heroes.

Who do you have in mind?

"There will always be war

until we kill off

our own species.

The difference

between us and them

is that we want to

do our duty and then go home.

The man who flew his kamikaze plane

into the bow of our ship

knew he wasn't going home.

He was on

a suicide mission

using his body

as ammunition.

God help all of us

when we face an enemy like that."

(CRUMPLES PAPER)

"In a few days

it's my birthday.

My best gift would be

just to see you again,

my dear Louise."

(SOFTLY) Yeah.

(PEN SCRATCHING)

- Paul?

- Sir.

Can you please get this off

to Western Union?

Aye aye, sir.

MAN:
So you been

sweet on this girl

since the fourth grade and

you ain't asked her out yet?

You don't get it.

A sophisticated debutante

like her, hell,

you wouldn't know

what I mean.

You have to prove yourself.

That's why I got to get

that promotion...

What, so she wouldn't

like you without a promotion?

While you're plotting

and planning,

you know what's happening

out there?

Life!

So live it, my friend.

Holy smokes!

Daddyo's

got big pockets.

(DOORBELL RINGS,

DOOR OPENS)

Brian Smithwick.

Judge Bazemore.

How are you, sir?

This here

is my friend Mike.

MIKE:
Hell of a place

you got here, sir.

I was telling my boy Bama,

it's like that movie,

"Frankly, my dear,

I don't give a damn."

Oh, forget it.

Mike D'Antonio.

Good to meet you.

He's from New York, sir.

Brian, why don't you step

into my office?

There's a gentleman there

who would like to meet you.

Alonso, show Mike

up to the parlor,

and tell those girls

to turn down that racket.

(JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING,

WOMAN LAUGHING)

Brian, Is it true we might

be finally invading Japan?

Well, that has been

the rumor now for a while, sir.

They don't really tell us much.

I've heard we have crippled

the Japanese Imperial Navy.

Well...

Much in large part to the men

of the USS Indianapolis.

ALL:

Hear, hear!

Do you think the war's

going to continue, son?

I don't really know, sir.

Do you have a son

in the military?

Heavens no, son.

He's got money in steel.

That's right,

war is good for business,

and business

is good for America.

- We're proud of you, son.

- Thank you, sir.

- (UPBEAT JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING)

- Five, six, seven, eight!

You girls ready?

(LAUGHS)

Hey, could use

a little help over here!

No, no, you go ahead

and make a fool of yourself.

I'm fine right here.

Your friend is teaching

the dance society girls

the latest dance craze

from New York.

(CHEERING AND LAUGHTER)

Not bad, huh?

Whoo!

(LAUGHS)

He's a gas.

(MUSIC FADES)

(APPLAUSE)

(MUSIC STOPS)

All right,

I want to close on the ranks

of a damn Rolls-Royce,

all right?

She's the crown jewel

of the Navy!

Good job.

Good job.

Okay, we're gonna get this boat

looking brand-spanking new!

Let them Japs know

they didn't hurt nobody!

They didn't do

nothing to us, okay?

Good job, sailors!

No holes in my shoes,

and no holes in my boat!

Hey, it's going to take two

surgeons six hours

to get my size-10 boot

out of your ass

if you don't

get a move on, FNG.

Means "friggin' new guy."

- Sir.

- Carry on.

Congratulations, McWhorter.

I heard the news.

- A boy right?

- Can't wait to meet him.

He's nine pounds and 13 ounces

of romping-stomping dynamite.

And the wife's fine, too.

Outstanding.

How we doing here?

The Japs put a pretty

big hole in the ship,

but the big guns

are fine, sir.

Sir? Lieutenant Standish

reporting for duty again, sir.

Ready to turn these sailors

into a lean,

mean fighting machine.

And may I say, my father,

Admiral Percy Standish,

- sends his regards.

- (WHISTLE BLOWS)

MAN ON PA:
All hands stand by.

All hands, stand by.

Looks like you got

the damage from that Zero

- repaired pretty quickly.

- Yes, sir.

We finished it today.

The fact that you lost

only nine men

is a solid testament

to you and your crew.

Nine too many.

Ready to get

out there again, Captain?

Admiral,

I have nine new officers

and 250 new enlisted men,

but we will press through

workup and be ready for sea.

This way, this way.

Captain, President Truman

has chosen you

to lead a highly

classified mission.

This is not

a combat mission.

You will carry two pieces

of highly classified cargo

to Tinian at best speed

stopping only at Pearl Harbor

to refuel.

You leave tomorrow.

Where do we pick up

our escort?

Charlie, this mission could save

millions of American lives.

It is top-secret.

There'll be no escort.

Does this have something to do

with the Manhattan Project?

Open that tomorrow

after you've weighed anchor.

As of 0500 tomorrow,

this ship is under

the direct command

of the President

of the United States.

Good luck, Captain.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)

(MEN GRUNTING)

Get your butt outta my seat.

Excuse me.

Sorry.

Look, look, look it,

that's that cracker

that's been messing with you.

You told everybody

you was gonna whup his ass.

What you gonna do?

(LAUGHS)

What? Hey.

It's still a diamond.

I'll get her a better one

when I can afford it.

It's not about

the damn ring.

I can't believe you're

about to pop the question

in front of the judge.

You even thought about this?

You've known her three months.

I thought y'all

were just having fun.

Oh, yeah,

we're having lots of fun.

Besides, when you ever known

me to be scared of a judge?

You miss 100 percent...

Of the shots that you

don't take, yeah, I know.

(MELLOW CLASSICAL MUSIC

PLAYING)

Just don't forget to call them

"sir" and "ma'am," all right?

Hey, you're gonna be

our best man.

(BURLESQUE MUSIC PLAYING)

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