WarGames Page #3

Synopsis: A young computer whiz kid accidentally connects into a top secret super-computer which has complete control over the U.S. nuclear arsenal. It challenges him to a game between America and Russia, and he innocently starts the countdown to World War 3. Can he convince the computer he wanted to play a game and not the real thing ?
Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller
Director(s): John Badham
Production: MGM
  Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 11 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.1
Metacritic:
77
Rotten Tomatoes:
93%
PG
Year:
1983
114 min
6,574 Views


- Can I have this?

- I'm not through yet.

Remember you told me to tell you when

you were acting rudely and insensitively?

You're doing it right now.

"Theatrewide biotoxic

and chemical warfare."

- This didn't come from Protovision.

- Ask him where it did come from, Jim!

- I told you already.

- Looks military to me. Definitely.

- Probably classified, too.

- If it's military, why does it have games

- Iike checkers and backgammon?

- Those games teach basic strategy.

Jim, how do I get into that system?

I wanna play those games.

That system probably contains

the new data encryption algorithm.

- You'll never get in.

- No system is totally secure.

- I bet you Jim could get in.

- I bet you he couldn't!

- I bet you he could.

- You won't get through frontline security.

- But you might look for a back door.

- I can't believe it, Jim!

That girl's listening,

and you talk about back doors!

Mr Potato-head.

Mr Potato-head!

Back doors are not secrets!

- You're giving away all our best tricks.

- They're not tricks.

- What's a back door?

- Whenever I design a system

I put in a password

that only I know about.

That way, whenever I wanna get back in,

I can bypass whatever security they've

added on. That's basically what it is.

Yeah?

OK. You really wanna get in, find out

about the guy who designed the system.

Come on! I don't even

know the guy's name.

Boy, are you guys dumb! You guys are

so dumb. I got this thing all figured out.

Oh, yeah, Malvin? How would you do it?

The first game in the list.

Go right through Falken's Maze.

Hi! I'm Jennifer.

- Is David here?

- How do you do?

Yeah. He's up in his room.

Thanks.

Have you ever heard

of the word tumulus?

Tumulus? No. I haven't. I'm sorry.

Neither have l.

Yeah?

Hi!

- Where have you been?

- What?

I haven't seen you all week in school.

Are you sick?

No, no. I was...

I was doing things.

You wanna sit down? How are you?

- No. I'm going to get some water, OK?

- OK.

- What is all that stuff?

- Oh, it's nothing. I was just...

I was trying to find out about the guy

who designed those game programs,

so I could get his secret password.

- Why?

- Why? Cos...

What's so special about playing

games with some machine?

Oh, no...

No, it's not just some machine.

Here. Look at this.

This is a tape that I got from the library.

It's about this guy named Falken.

He was into games as well as computers.

He designed them so that

they could play checkers or poker.

- Chess.

- What's so great about that?

- Everybody's doing that now.

- Oh, no, no. What he did was great!

He designed his computer

so it could learn from its mistakes.

So they'd be better

the next time they played.

The system actually learned how to learn.

It could teach itself.

If I could just get that damn password,

I could play the computer.

That's him. That's Falken.

That's him? Wow!

He's amazing-looking!

Can't you write to him

or call him somehow?

No. He's dead.

- He's dead?

- Yeah.

Here. Look. Here's his obituary.

- He wasn't very old.

- Well, he was pretty old. He was 41 .

Oh, yeah? Oh, that's old.

That's his little boy.

Oh, yeah?

This is really sad. Did you know the child

and his mother were killed in a car crash?

- I know.

- "ln the years that followed

the tragic loss of his family,

Dr Falken's health deteriorated."

My dad is 45.

- Once he was really sick...

- What was his name?

- My father?

- No, no, no. Falken's kid.

Joshua.

It can't be that simple.

- Wow!

- What?

We got something.

We're in!

It thinks I'm Falken!

Hello.

- How can it ask you that?

- It'll ask whatever it's programmed to.

- Do you wanna hear it talk?

- Yeah!

I'll ask it how it feels.

I'm fine. How are... you?

Excellent. It's been a long time.

Can you explain the removal of

your useraccount on June 23rd, 1973?

They must have told it he died.

People sometimes make... mistakes.

- Yes, they do.

- How can it talk?

It's not a real voice. This box interprets

signals and turns them into sound.

Shall we play a game?

Oh!

- I think it missed him.

- Yeah. Weird, isn't it?

Love to!

How about Global Thermonuclear War?

Wouldn't you prefer

a good game ofchess?

Later.

Let's play

Global Thermonuclear War.

Fine.

All right!

Wow!

Which side do you want?

I'll be the Russians.

Please listprimary targets.

- Who shall we nuke first?

- Let's see.

How about... Las Vegas?

Las Vegas! Great!

- What next? Seattle!

- Yeah!

Kill 'em!

I have seven, correction, eight Red birds

two degrees past apogee.

Better get the old man down here.

We have Soviet missile warning.

Check formalfunction

and report confiidence.

Projected target areas

NORAD regions 25, 26.

This is Crystal Palace initiating

emergency conference. Stand by!

19 degrees past apogee.

Possible 18 targets in track.

Estimate re-entry at 19.23 Zulu.

- What you got up here, Joe?

- We have a radar tracking.

Eight inbound Soviet ICBMs

already over the pole.

Estimated impact: 1 1 minutes.

Target area:
Western United States.

- Why didn't we get a launch detection?

- We're checking for DSP malfunction.

BMEWS has continuous radar tracking

on inbounds.

Confidence is high.

I repeat, confidence is high.

- What is all that stuff?

- Trajectory headings

- for multiple-impact re-entry vehicles.

- What does that mean?

I don't know. But it's great!

- Are those bombs? Which is the bombs?

- Subs.

- Blow 'em up.

- Blow 'em out of the water.

- What's a trajectory heading?

- I've no idea.

The president's diverting to Andrews.

The vice president is out of position.

- The chairman of the Joint Chiefs is on...

- Missile warning reports no malfunction.

Take us to DEFCON 3.

Get onto SAC.

Tell 'em to flush the bombers.

Yes, sir.

SAC, this is Crystal Palace.

CinC NORAD has declared DEFCON 3.

Scramble all alert aircraft.

I repeat, scramble all alert aircraft.

Inbounds presently MIRVing.

We now have approximately

24 possible targets in track.

- New time to impact: eight minutes.

- SAC is launching the bombers.

- General Powers is on the line.

- Beringer.

Goddamn it! We didn't get

a launch detection from our satellite.

Radar picked 'em up already out of the

atmosphere. That's the first we heard of it.

Get the ICBMs in the bullpen

warmed up and ready to fly.

- Get me the president on the horn.

- Yes, sir.

Mr President? This is Beringer at NORAD.

Oh, attack!

- I wonder if I should use my subs.

- Sure. Give 'em the works.

David!

Excuse me.

David!

How many times have I told you

to fasten these lids on tight?!

- Look at this mess!

- I'll be down in a few minutes.

Now! Come down now!

I want this cleared up now!

Come down here and do what

your father asks you to pronto, David.

We're gonna barbecue tonight.

- You wanna invite your little friend?

- Please!

David!

Sh*t!

Little friend.

Mr President, something's happening.

I'll get back to you as soon as I know.

- What's happening, Joe?

- BMEWS and Cobra Dane now report

Rate this script:3.3 / 3 votes

Lawrence Lasker

Lawrence C. Lasker (born October 7, 1949) is an American screenwriter and producer who entered American film in 1983 as writer of the movie WarGames. Lasker was born in Los Angeles County, California. He is the son of actress Jane Greer and producer Edward Lasker. His paternal grandfather was businessman Albert Lasker and his paternal step-grandmother was actress Doris Kenyon. He graduated from the Phillips Exeter Academy in 1967 and attended Yale University, as did his father. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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