WANTED
Written by
Michael Brandt & Derek Haas
12/1/2005
FADE IN:
CLOSE ON the face of WESLEY GIBSON, 25, STARING AT THE.
CAMERA.
WESLEY (V.O.)
Six weeks ago, I was ordinary and
pathetic.
His wry smile gives way to...
Black. And then...
INT. APPLEBY'S - DAY
The CAMERA STARTS FROM THE CEILING, pointing straight
down, overlooking a table of twenty-five people dressed
in business casual, pretending to have a good time at
lunch in. this cookie-cutter crappy restaurant.
At the end of the table, a bowl of spinach dip is in.
front of Wesley,'and the CAMERA STARTS descending
directly for it, slowly, as we hear...
WESLEY (V.O.)
It was Rochelle's birthday, which meant
there was a certain amount of inter-
office pressure to go to Appleby's and
sit at a table of twenty-five with my
boss Janice presiding at the head even
though she's too tight to pick up the
bill. Which meant, the poor bastard
waiting on us had to split the check
twenty-four ways -- everyone contributing
to Rochelle's free meal -- surf and turf,
no less -- don't do us any favors,
Rochelle. Anyway, I ate a plate of
extreme nachos and then polished off a
bowlful of spinach dip pretty much single-
handedly...
The CAMERA DISAPPEARS in the bowl of spinach dip and
we...
CUT TO:
INT. WESLEY'S CUBICLE - DAY
.where Wesley drops his head down on his desk.
2.
WESLEY
.so by the time I got back to my
cubicle, my eyelids were so damn heavy, I
had to put my head down, even if it was
just for a wink.
SMASH CUT TO:
EXT. OFFICE BUILDING - DAY
A sharply dressed man, MR. X, wearing a dark .Armani suit,
enters a skyscraper through the lobby. He's a shade
taller than most of the office workers who are coming and
going.
INT. LOBBY - DAY
He heads to an elevator and presses a button for the top
floor.
And as his finger presses the button, just where the
thumb meets the forefinger, we see a TATTOO of a three-
headed dog.
Soon...
INT. TOP FLOOR CORRIDOR - DAY
.the doors open again and he finds himself in an
opulent corridor -- sleek and expensively designed.
Only one office is at the end of the hall.
Expressionless, he makes his way toward it. Without
knocking, he steps inside...
INT. PUJA'S OFFICE - DAY
.an office fit for a king. Or a queen. Because behind
a glass desk sits a beautiful Indian woman dressed
traditionally in a serape, with a red bindi on her
forehead, the holy third eye. Her name is PUJA.
Mr. X sits in the single chair opposite her.
After a moment, Puja looks up.
PUJA
I didn't expect for you yourself to come.
One of the heads, in the flesh.
MR. X
You're an important fence.
3.
PUJA
I'm flattered.
She reaches over to an attach€ case and removes a file.
PUJA (CONT'D)
The name of the target is Henry Helms.
Carrying the file, she moves around the desk and stands a
few feet away from Mr. X, who rises so that they are both
standing. She really is quite beautiful, exotic even,.
with piercing eyes.
PUJA (CONT'D)
He's a journalist who stumbled on to a
story exposing a lot of powerful people,
people who don't like having their power
threatened.
MR. x
Poor Helms.
PUJA
There.have been five attempts on his
life, but he has been well protected...
and well hidden. Turns out his wife's
family has a lot of money. He's in town
to accept an award.
MR. X
We'll see to it that it never makes his
mantle.
PUJA
And for that, my clients will pay
handsomely.
Mr. X is looking at Puja when a curious thing happens...
.he notices that the red bindi on he r forehead tarts
to move a little, like a second dot is trying to emerge
from it, like an amoeba splitting.
It's a sh hooter's laser!
His eyes go wide as saucers.
MR. x
GET DOWN1!1
.but it's too late as bullets rip into her head.
splattering everything above her eyebrows into the wet
bar.
4.
Mr. X crouches, drops his hands behind his back, and a.
PAIR OF GUNS -- as technologically advanced as anything
we've ever seen -- spring into his hands.
The bullets .stop flying and he sprints at the window from
which they came, smashing t rough what remains of it,
disappearing from the demolished room...
.all this as Puja's dead body hits the floor, blood
seeping out of that holy third eye.
EXT. OUTSIDE THE SKYSCRAPER - FORTY FLOORS UP - DAY
Mr. X's momentum carries him from one building to the
next, over an alleyway, the wet-concrete shining below.
He lands on the...
ROOF OF THE NEXT BUILDING:
...and rolls up quickly, guns ready.
His eyes spot FOUR MARKSMEN running and ducking for cover
on the neighboring rooftop..
.and on a dead sprint across the roof...
. he spots about a CENTIMETER OF FLESH sticking out from
around an air-conditioning vent. He fiKes the his
left band.
The bullet flies through the air and rockets into the
flesh... which happens to be one of the marksmen's ears.
The guy YELPS IN PAIN and falls back from the vent,
exposing himself. That's all Mr. X needs, and another
shot rings out while he's still on a dead run. THWAP!
The bullet finds its mark in the yelping man's forehead,
silencing him, just as...
.Mr. X ducks behind a stairwell door.
He pulls up his right hand and looks down the barrel of
this pistol: built into the barrel is thin c u r
screen. It actually shows the heat signatures of the
three remaining marksmen, one of which is directly in
front of him, hiding behind a small rooftop supply shed.
A second marksmen is just on the other side of the
stairwell. The third is on the far side of the rooftop.
Mr. X takes another look at the heat signature of the
marksman hiding behind the shed and he FIRES his gun...
5.
/~,
...then does an amazing thing: in the split second that
the bullet travels forward, he jerks his gun to the
side... actually steering the bullet around the wall and
into the ksman's throat.
Before the guy's blood hits the ground, the assassin is
moving again: he dashes away from the stairwell then
makes two incredible shots; one knocks a piece of
aluminum off the top of the stairwell...
..which causes it to flip up in the air above the head
of the hiding marksman...
. the second shot strikes the aluminum again, ,,..,sending
the bullet ricocheting down into the ton of the
marksman's heads As he falls...
THE CAMERA MOVES OVER TO WHERE... the FINAL MARKSMAN is
breathing hard, like an engine with a chronic misfire, as
he looks out at the dead bodies of his fallen comrades...
all chopped down in a matter of seconds.
He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to psyche himself up...
LAST MARKSMAN
(SOFTLY)
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon.
He looks out at the stairwell door... and all is quiet.
Maybe Mr. X didn't know he was there, maybe he left,
maybe the last marksman can sneak away after all.
LAST MARKSMEN
(SOFTLY)
Okay... okay...
He finally decides...
.and takes one step forward...
THWAP1!1 A bullet disintegrates his knee.
He falls, clutching the knee in agony, as Mr. X walks
toward him slowly until he stands right over him like a
hunter over his prey.
Mr. X's shoe comes down on the final marksman's wrist,
pinning it away from his dropped weapon.
MR. X
(GROWLS)
Who sent you?
6.
For a moment, we're not sure the last marksman's going.to
answer. Then...
LAST MARKSMEN
(NERVOUSLY)
We're... we're just the decoys, man. We
were paid to get you out here...
The marksman points at a small VIDEO CAMERA sitting on
the roof, relaying their every move...
Mr. X's face falls as.those words register, and just
then...
RA ROCKETS over thetreets of the city, block
after block in the blink of any eye...
.until it reaches a rooftop, over a mile away.
ON THE NEW ROOFTOP:
A man named CROSS is in a crouch, holding a massive RIFLE
pointed upward, at an angle...
A small SCREEN on Cross' gun shows the scene from the
roof, along with various elemental measurements: wind
speed, pressure, temperature, distance, altitude...
.. the information on __the reflects off of Cross'
eyeball as he processes,,the shot... a quick adjustment to
the gun and a slight pull of the trigger...
BOOM...
We follow the arcing bullet back over the rooftops in an
instant. Somehow it keeps it's elevation and it's
path...
.to the resigned look on Mr. X's face: an outsmarted
man, a dead man.
The bullet hits him square in the chest, and he falls to
his knees, then slumps over, dead.
Flies start to gather as he lies there.
First one, then two, then several as night TIME-DISSOLVES
to day...
EXT. ROOFTOP - LATER
.and two pairs of legs approach the dead body of Mr. X.
7.
The first set belong to an older man, SLOAN, who looks.
like he has seen his share of death. The other set
belong to the hottest black woman on the planet, FOX.
As they look down at the dead body...
FOX
It was a set-up all the way?
Sloan just nods.
He then stoops down, shoos some of the flies away with
the back of his hand and picks up the file that Puja gave
Mr. X.
The CAMERA PUSHES IN on the back of Sloan's hand as he
reads the file. It, too, has the tattoo pf the three-
headed do q, in the same spot as Mr. X.
FOX (CONT'D)
(re: the dead body)
That's two heads in two weeks. Which
leaves only one: you.
Sloan nods.
SLOAN
He wants out.
FOX
And killing all three heads gets him
that?
Sloan nods again.
FOX (CONT'D)
Well, I don't know if we have anyone who
can stop him.
Sloan squints back up at Fox.
SLOAN
There's one person who can.
FOX
Yeah? Who?
And with that, we...
SMASH CUT TO:
8.
7 INT. WESLEY'S CUBICLE - DAY
.Wesley Gibson, the guy from the opening scene, fast
asleep in his little cubicle. Some drool falls off his
lip and 'erks h' awake.
Just then, the shot FREEZE-FRAMES, and we see IN THE
BACKGROUND OF THE SHOT, his fat boss JANICE caught in mid-
stride coming toward him, looking like she's ready to
bring the wrath of God.
WESLEY (V.O.)
My name is Wesley Gibson. If you look at
the corner of my desk, you'll see the
billing reports I was supposed to hand in
to Janice an hour ago.
The BILLING ORT is highlighted on the screen for just
a moment.
.then the movie RESUMES normal speed and Janice reaches
Wesley's cube in no time...
BOSS JANICE
Oh my fucking god I hope that's not my
billing report sitting on your fucking
desk. Holy shit on an altar, it isl
A couple of the other OFFICE WORKERS look up at the
fireworks and smile... like they're actually enjoying
Janice's histrionics.
BOSS JANICE (CONT'D)
why don't you just take a dump in your
hands, fork it over to me and say, "this
is the best effort I'm gonna give to you,
Janice. This is the best you're ever
gonna get out of me." Hell, Rochelle on
her bbirthdav is doing a better a job than
your lazy ass and she's already left for
the day. Je-sus CHRIST!
Wesley looks like he'd rather be anywhere else.
WESLEY
I meant to...
BOSS JANICE
(imitating him)
I meant to... I meant to... Well I meant
to be a size four but meaning to doesn't
pick no cotton.
9.
She snatches up the report off his desk.
BOSS JANICE (CONT'D)
Tell you what. I'll just input the four-
ones myself.
(ANNOUNCES)
Look everyone, I'm gonna do Wesley's four-
ones for him! I don't have enough to do
with my own damn job so I'll do Wesley's
too!
Wesley grabs the report back.
WESLEY
I'll do it.
BOSS JANICE
Minimum for the maximum. That's all you
ever do. The minimum you can do to suck
the maximum from this company.
WESLEY
I said I'll get it done. I'm sorry.
BOSS JANICE
No, you're worthless. I'm the one who's
sorry I hired you.
She storms away, fuming.
Wesley looks over and sees some of the other workers
still staring at him, amused.
He sits back down to the semi-privacy of his little
cubicle.
CUT TO:
INT. MEETING ROOM - DAY
A CONSULTANT in a suit is droning on and on in front of a
nifty power-point presentation.
The CAMERA PULLS BACK to reveal Wesley, bored to tears,
sitting at a long table with Janice and other corporate
minions.
The CAMERA FINDS Wesley's note-pad where it looks like
he's taking notes on the presentation. Instead, covering
every inch of the page, is the phrase "life sucks then
you die."
10.
WESLEY (V.O.)
My job title is Account Manager. I used
to be called an Account Service
Representative, but a consultant told us
we needed to "manage" our clients and not
" service- them.
Onemore "life sucks then you die."
WESLEY (V.0.) (CONT'D)
I have a girlfriend whom I neither manage
nor service.
CUT TO:
INT. GIRLFRIEND'S APARTMENT - DAY
Wesley's GIRLFRIEND is currently riding some guy named
BARRY on her living room.couch. She's not very
attractive, sort of plain and ordinary.
WESLEY (V.0.)
Her name's Cathy. She works at Banana
Republic. The guy she's humping is my
best friend, Barry.
She's giving it her best. As her MOANS reach a
crescendo, we...
CUT BACK TO:
INT. MEETING ROOM - DAY
Wesley is still sitting there with his note pad, while
the consultant continues to rattle on and on about God
knows what.
Through the blinds behind the speaker, Wesley can spot
his company.'s hot intern, NICOLE, talking on the phone.
He zeroes in on her, until...
Wesley suddenly looks around the room and everyone ijL_
staring at him.
WESLEY
(HESITANTLY)
Yes. Uh... Well the 602 deals with
applications sent by prospective clients
and the 603 is when the client is...
Everyone is still just staring...
11.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
I'm sorry, Jesus... uh... what was the
question?
CONSULTANT
I asked you about the effects of net
investment income with regards to
underwriting cycles.
WESLEY
Well, that's the thing.-
CONSULTANT
What's the thing?
WESLEY
(trying to redeem himself)
Cycles. Hard market, industry-wide
cycles differ from our firm's cycles so I
think it's amistake to apply...
JANICE
Good God a'mighty.
CONSULTANT
Son... everyone knows that net
investment income is inversely related to
both premium and loss reserves, making
firm cycles inherently dependent on
industry cycles!
Everyone snickers.
CONSULTANT (CONT'D)
In fact, to prove my point, I'd like you
to spend some time this afternoon adding
up the yearly differential responses.
JANICE
Get it to me by five.
WESLEY
Sure.
Wesley jots down on his pad: "ACTION ITEMS," and
underneath it: "Differential responses... then you die."
He underlines it three times.
INT. BREAK ROOM - DAY
Wesley sits at a small round table by himself, eating a
ham and cheese on white.
12.
A group of. other WORKERS sit at a table nearby, gossiping
and guffawing about whatever shit they have to discuss.
WESLEY (V.O.)
There are people, everyday you meet them,
who you wish could see you in a different
setting, a different place...
Just then, Nicole, the pretty intern, approaches and
starts fishing through the refrigerator.
WESLEY (V.0.) (CONT'D)
.instead of where you are, what you've
become.
Wesley sits upright, glad now that no one is sitting at
his table. Nicole turns and smiles at Wesley, starts to
head his way, when...
LOUDMOUTH AT OTHER TABLE
Nicole! Get your ass over here and.tell
us what the hell is going on with you and
Whitcock the big cock!
He pulls a chair over from next to Wesley to make room
for her at his table.
Wesley just takes another bite of his sandwich.
INT. WESLEY'S CUBICLE - DAY
Wesley is staring, at his monitor...
WESLEY (V.0.)
And you wish to god your eyeballs weren't
being sucked out of their sockets by
monitor fatigue. That you didn't spend
five years in college to do goddamn
differential responses.
see that he is actually i>laying solitaire on the
computer. He keeps checking over his shoulder for
Janice, but she is talking on the phone in her office
with the door shut.
He looks up and watches the computer clock turn from 4:59
to 5:00. He saves his solitaire game and then turns off
the computer, snatches up his jacket, waits for Janice to
turn her back to him as she is engrossed in her call, and
then sneaks away.
INT. ELEVATOR BANK - DAY
Wesley presses the down button and waits.
13.
WESLEY
C'mon, c'mon.
After an eternity, the doors open.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
But at least at the end. of the day...
Wesley steps in and turns around. Before the doors
close, he sees his boss Janice down the hall, looking at
him. She checks her watch and looks back at him,
pissed...
WESLEY (CONT'D)
(DEFEATED)
.you know that tomorrow it's going to
start all over again.
..and then the doors close.
EXT.. CITY STREET - DAY
Wesley pedals a ten-speed down a busy street. It's
raining, and he squints to keep the water out of his
eyes.
EXT. ATM MACHINE - DAY
He stands nervously at an ATM machine. He checks to see
if anyone is looking, and then hits the "check balance"
button.
A message comes up: "You have $47.92 in your account.
Would you like another transaction?"
He clicks "yes" and then "quick cash" and waits for the
$40 to dispense.
IN . WESLEY'S APARTMENT - DUSK
Wesley enters, toting his bike, only to find Cathy and
Barry laughing on the couch, watching some crap on
television.
He's two steps in the door when...
CATHY
Where's the spaghetti?
WESLEY
What?
14.
CATHY
I specifically told you to get noodles on
your way home. God, Wesley, I already
put the sauce on.
WESLEY
Sorry. I•didn't...
CATHY
You didn't listen is what you didn't.- I
might as well talk to the wall.
WESLEY
I'll be right back.
He turns around.
INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE WESLEY'S APARTMENT - DUSK
He starts to head away when Barry pokes his head out of
the apartment door.
BARRY
(INSINCERELY)
You want me to go with you, buddy?
What a dick. Wesley doesn't turn around, defeated...
WESLEY
I got it.
EXT. CITY STREET - DUSK
He's back on the ten-speed, pedaling again in the rain,.a
pissed expression on his face.
WESLEY (V.O.)
My parents both died when I was born.
He grits his teeth as we...
CUT TO:
INT. FOSTER HOME - DAY
A young Wesley, 10, sits at a table with a couple of
RELIGIOUS FOSTER PARENT WACKOS.
WESLEY (V.0.)
The nutjobs I had as foster parents
thought any book that didn't contain a
red-letter edition was the spawn of the
devil...
.is.
EXT. FOSTER HOME - DAY
The ten-year-old Wesley moves furtively to a side of the
clap trap house, and pries loose a board.
WESLEY (V.O.)
..so I had to hide my stash like it was
a bag of many jane.
Stuck in a hole is a copy of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO.
He moves back around the corner and standing there is his
FOSTER MOTHER, pissed as hell...
WESLEY (V.0.), (CONT'D)
One time my foster mother found my copy
of CATCHER IN THE RYE...
.she holds a copy of the book in,her hand, getting
ready, to strike..
WESLEY (V.0.) (CONT'D)
.and God told her to beat me with it.
Young Wesley takes a beating, WHAP, WHAP, WRAP!
.his face screws up, taking the blows...
WESLEY (V.0.) (CONT'D)
.But despite them, I thought I was gonna
be something special.
CUT TO:
EXT. CITY STREET - DUSK
.that same expression is plastered on Wesley's face as
he pedals. He banks the bike up a curb and into a
grocery store parking lot.
Across the street, a man watches from behind the wheel of
a 171 Chevy Chevelle.
In fact, it's Cross, the man we last saw assassinating
Mr. X on the rooftop.
He watches Wesley park the bike and move into the store.
INT. KROGER - PASTA AISLE - NIGHT
Wesley stands, looking over all the different kinds of
noodles. None of them just say "spaghetti."
16.
Suddenly, a woman's voice pops up behind-him...
FOX
There is a remedy for all things but
death.
She said it so fast he's not sure he heard it right.
He turns and sees the-hottest zQZM ever to ace
Kroger's aisles: ox. She's wearing barely enough
clothing to cover her tight body.
WESLEY
(like he.didn't hear)
I'm sorry?
FOX
You apologize too much.
WESLEY
(stammers again)
Sorry?
She looks him in the eye.
FOX
Spina bifida babies have more backbone
than you.
With that, she walks toward the end of the aisle, eyes
scanning the whole time.
Stunned, all Wesley can do is watch her walk.
on the sMll f her back is a tatt It'
tattoo we saw in the be i n n : a thKee-head2d dog.
She gets to the end and catches him looking at her.
Then she makes a very subtle gesture with her head... as
if to say "come here."
Wesley still isn't sure what the hell is going on.
Sheepishly, he makes his way to where she stands.
She leans in close, her lips just inches from his ear.
FOX (CONT'D)
I knew your father.
Whatever Wesley was expecting_ it wasn't that. He pulls
back from her.
17.
WESLEY
I think you got the wrong guy.
FOX
Can't say that I agree with you, Wesley.
WESLEY
(running it all together)
What is this? How d'you know my name?
FOX
Your father...
WESLEY
My father died in a car wreck the week I
was born...
FOX
,Your father died two days ago on the
rooftop. of the Metropolitan Building.
For a moment, just a moment, Wesley is stunned, but Fox
just keeps sizing him up.
FOX (CONT'D)
He'd be damn disappointed in what you've
become, too.
Wesley holds up his hands in a defensive gesture...
WESLEY
Lady...
FOX
I've been called a lot of things, but
"lady" ain't one of 'em.
Wesley starts to talk but Fox interrupts him...
FOX (CONT'D)
Damn, Wesley, how d'you ever learn
anything when you won't keep your mouth
shut and your ears open? I'm trying to
tell you about your father.
Wesley starts to open his mouth again, but then closes
it. He waits.
FOX (CONT'D)
Your father, Wesley, wits the great„ sit
assassin to ever live. Your father,
Wesley, worked for the Fraternity.
is.
WESLEY
The Fraternity?
FOX
(keeps right on going)
Your father, Wesley, was set up and
gunned down by a man he used to consider
a friend. And your father, Wesley...
Suddenly, s raises her hands and-LS fist' two blgck
PISTOLS.
FOX (CONT'D)
.taught me everything I know.
Wesley takes a step back.
WESLEY
(SLOWLY)
What is this?
FOX
This is what you've dreamt about all your
life.
Just then, Cross o s the corner to t e' e
also fisting a Da'r of alms.
Wesley's eyes go wide as Fox suddenly starts firing, BAM!
BAMI BAMZ BAMI BAM: forcing Cross to take cover on the
far side of the aisle.
FOX (CONT'D)
Move! Now!
She screams this, grabbing Wesley's wrist and jerking him
forward, just as Cross comes back up, firing, a killing
machine.
They barely get out of the way, as the pasta aisle
explodes in an avalanche of bullets! Glass bottles of
spaghetti sauce shatter, turning the aisle into a
rainstorm of red droplets -- we're not sure what is sauce
and what is blood.
Then... Cross springs on to a display stand of tortillas
and up to the top of the freezer section, so he can have
a better angle of attack at the fleeing Fox and Wesley.
He starts sprinting down the top of the freezer section,
smashing over styrofoam coolers, as his bullets barely
miss Fox and Wesley, but slam into the freezers behind
them, sending ice and glass exploding everywhere.
19.
But Wesley and Fox are too quick.. She still has a.hold
of Wesley's wrist and she propels him through the
swinging doors of the stock room.
-EXT. OUTSIDE THE GROCERY STORE - DAY
There is a cherry red FERRARI convertible parked right
next to the store.
Wesley is still trying to figure out what the hell is
going on as Fox tosses him the ke !
FOX
Drive!
WESLEY
What?!!
But Fox just leaps into the passenger seat, guns up and
ready, as Wesley's legs. somehow take over and he hops
behind the wheel.
Just then, Cross's ev ll Mound the corner,
practically going up on two tires.
Wham! Wesley turns the ignition, pope the clutch, and
smashes the gas pedal as the car nearly snaps his neck
when it launches forward.
He races through the gears and rips around a corner and
out into traffic.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
Where are we going?
FOX
Just drive!
The Chevelle stays on his tail behind them; Cross drives
and fires his Glock at the same time. Bam! Bam! Sam!
Fox does her best to send bullets back his way, while
Wesley mans the wheel, breathing hard, still stunned at
what is happening.
He spots a side-street...
WESLEY
Hold on!
...whips the car into a rubber-squealing turn...
20.
EXT. ONE WAY STREET - DAY
...and ends up going the wrong way down a narrow one-way
street!
He now has to weave in and out of cars headed right for
them, as Cross stays tight on their ass.
Horns are BLARING in his face, but Wesley somehow keeps
the. Ferrari on all four tires as he bobs in'and out of
the paths of oncoming cars.
A 4 X 4 Chevy Pickup is headed like a missile right at
them...
Wesley's eyes go wide.
WESLEY
Truck!
FOX
Go around it!
WESLEY
No! Shoot the tires!
Fox looks at Wesley, momentarily stunned by his idea,
then spins and fires away at the oncoming truck.
The front tires on the truck explode and the truck veers
hard right, where it bounces off a Fed Extrugk.,,, hat
sends it into a violent roll.
Wesley guns the Ferrari at the tumbling truck as it flips
forward... right over their car!!!
Wesley watches it fly over them, amazed his idea
worked... when finally it SMASHES down into the street
between them and Cross's Chevellel
Cross is forced to slam on his brakes and slide out...
but it's too late... his Chevelle smashes into the 4 X 4
before skidding to a stop, a tangled mess in the street.
Wesley snaps back to reality and rips the Ferrari off the
one-way street and down a side street.
EXT. CITY STREET - LATER
He pulls the car to a stop, then looks over at Fox,
amazed.
21.
FOX
(SMILING)
There's a lot of things you don't know
about yourself, Wesley.
WESLEY
Who was that?
FOX
That... was the man who killed your
father. And now he's trying to kill you.
Wesley forces a laugh, but right now it's hard to paint
any-thing as ludicrous.
WESLEY
No. I mean... I told you my father died
when I was a baby.
She leans right into his face so that their noses are
only inches apart.
FOX
Have you ever believed that? Have you
ever been content with that answer?
Wesley stops, not sure of anything right now.
FOX (CONT'D)
Today's your new birthday, Wesley.
Drive.
He settles back in his seat and pops the clutch again,
this time, easing.a little more respectably into traffic.
EXT. WAREHOUSE - LATER
The Ferrari cruises to a stop outside a warehouse.
FOX
The people I work with... we believe your
father passed his skills on genetically
to you. You knew how to handle the car,
you knew to shoot at the truck.
WESLEY
I... I...
FOX
It's that confidence we're gonna need to
work on.
Wesley is still dazed.
22.
FOX (CONT'D)
Now I want you to look at me and tell me
something. And I want you to be honest
with me.
WESLEY
What?
FOX
Do you think I look fat in this outfit?
WESLEY
What?!
FOX
I thought so. Let's go.
She hops out. They walk inside a...
INT. SLAUGHTERHOUSE - DAY
.t where Mr. Sloan stands next to a hucre man, THE
BUTCHER, who is slicing beef off of hanging cow
ca f es. There are flies buzzing around and blood
draining into the center of the floor.
If Wesley wasn't nervous before, he is now.
FOX
Mr. Sloan.
The Butcher looks up from his work and lays down the
knife, right next to where Mr. Sloan has a pair of silver
pistols and a magnifying glass resting on a rolling
table.
FOX (CONT'D)
(PROUDLY)
This is Wesley Gibson. He needs his life
changed.
The Butcher looks him over.
THE BUTCHER
We all end up where we belong, don't we?
The Butcher snickers. Sloan speaks up...
SLOAN
Fox told you about your father?
Wesley looks from Sloan to Fox to the Butcher and back to
Sloan.
23.
WESLEY
(STAMMERS)
Like I told... um... the lady here... I
think you might ha
ve me mixed up with
someone else. I'm just an... um...
account serv... uh..that is... account
manager... and... my father died...
He hesitates.
SLOAN
When?
They look at him, imploringly, waiting for an answer.
WESLEY
I... I guess I'm not sure.
Sloan simply picks up one of the pistols and sticks the
gun in Wesley's hand.
SLOAN
Shoot the wings off the flies.
WESLEY
What?!
SLOAN
(GROWLS)
Shoot... the wings... off the flies.
For. the first time, Wesley notices flies buzzing all
around.
WESLEY
I don't...
In the blink of an eye, Sloan has plucked the second gun
off the rolling table and ',s
-pointing it at Weslev's temple. He begins to count...
SLOAN
You have three seconds. Three... two...
Before he can say one, Wesley reacts... blindly firing
the pistol in his hand, indiscriminately, B,AM! BAM!
BAM! BAM! CLICK...CLICK...CLICK... until his finger is
just jamming on the trigger over and over.
After a moment, he looks up, unsure why he isn't dead.
24.
Sloan smiles, drops his pistol on the rolling table and
picks up the magnifying glass. He stoops down and
signals Wesley to do the same.
THROUGH THE MAGNIFYING GLASS:
Four flies lie on - the floor. crawling o d... their
wings actually separated from their bodies!
IN THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE:
Wesley jerks upright, trying to process this.
FOX
Like I said, you got the skills.
SLOAN
And after we fine tune those skills...
His eyes lock on to Wesley's, holding them in a vice-like
grip...
SLOAN (CONT'D)
.you're going to hunt the man who
killed Your father.
Wesley is as stunned as we've ever seen him... he blinks
a couple of times.
SLOAN (CONT'D)
Walk with me.
He drapes his arm around Wesley and leads him out the
door.
EXT. CITY BLOCK - DAY
Sloan and Wesley move down a busy commercial street.
SLOAN
I know thin is hard for you to
understand, Wesley, but I want you to
concentrate on what I'm saying. Your
father was a member of the Fraternity, a
collection of the most powerful assassins
the world has ever known.
They weave against the flow of pedestrians out and about
on the city streets. Instinctively, people step out of
their way.
WESLEY
But I've never heard of...
25.
SLOAN
We don't advertise Wesley. We blend into
the environment like moths against a
tree.
CUT TO:
INT. RESTAURANT - DAY
The CAMERA moves over a diner's counter...
SLOAN (V.0.)
We stay in the shadows.
.. to the kitchen, where a massive man with a three-
headed dog tattoo on his hand, flips burgers. THE CHEF.
CUT TO:
EXT. MANSION - DAY
The CAMERA moves across an expansive lawn...
SLOAN (V.0.)
We disappear into our surroundings.
.until it finds a man with a three-headed dog tattoo on
his hand, trimming a hedge. THE GARDENER.
CUT TO:
INT. GUN COUNTER - DAY
The CAMERA moves down a gun display case...
SLOAN
Because the easiest place to hide is in
plain sight...
.until it finds a GUN SALESMAN holding out a weapon to
an Italian customer. He also has the tattoo. He's THE
GUNSMITH.
BACK TO:
EXT. CITY BLOCK - DAY
Sloan is still walking with Wesley. Wesley watches every
face that passes them by... any of them could be
Fraternity members.
26.
SLOAN
..until that time when we are called
into action.
CUT TO:
INT. RESTAURANT - DAY
The Chef loads plates of food up on the warmer, where a
WAITRESS picks them up and delivers them to a group of
prominent looking BUSINESSMEN.
The lead businessman digs into his steak, and immediately
his left arm starts to curl up, like he's having a heart
attack. His cohorts look on as he spills over, knocking
all the plates off the table, gasping for breath, his
throat closed.
When the CAMERA PANS OVER AGAIN, the Chef is gone.
CUT TO:
EXT. MANSION - DAY
The Gardener works his gardening shears on a hedge in the
front of this mansion... CLIP, CLIP, CLIP. We realize
A,
he's cutting a hole all the way through the hedge.
Then, he reaches down into his burlap sack and withdraws
a long range rifle with a scope. He pokes the rifle
through the freshly-cut hole, looks through the lens,
starts to squeeze his trigger...
The CAMERA SHOOTS WAY UP to give us an aerial view of the
neighborhood. We see that we are in the hills over the
city, and across the canyon, a Japanese man is just
pulling into his driveway, driving a black Audi, a mile
away.
He brakes his car, opens his door, but THWAPI A bullet
disintegrates his head and he topples over, never knowing
what hit him.
Back at the hole in the hedge, we see the Gardener's
eyeball looking through from the other side... until it
disappears and he is gone.
CUT TO:
EXT. STORE PARKING LOT - DAY
The customer takes the gun from the Gunsmith and pays him
in cash.
27.
He then tucks the gun in his belt and walks out the door,
like he's a bad-ass, instead of the goombah that he is.
He only gets a block before the gun at his waist
EXPLODES, causing him to flop on the sidewalk, like he
just stepped on a land mine.
The bell to the Gun Shop jingles as the Gunsmith leaves
and heads in the opposite direction, whistling to
himself, not paying attention to the pedestrians running
to help the dying Italian.
SLOAN (V.0.)
And when the time comes that we are
called, death is as certain as the sun.
CUT BACK TO:
INT. PHARMACY - DAY
Sloan and Wesley enter a normal looking pharmacy. They
pass through the small front room and head directly to
the back.
SLOAN
We have been active for centuries,
Wesley... outlasting rulers, governments,
nations, kings. We recognize no borders;
the entire globe is our killing field.
They are buzzed through by THE PHARMACIST, and enter...
INT. COMMUNICATIONS ROOM - DAY
.a sophisticated back room, where a trio of flat screen
monitors are mounted on the wall.
SLOAN
We are the baddest of the bad, the three-
headed dog that guards the gates of hell.
We show no mercy, we destroy the weak, we
have absolute power.
(BEAT)
But recently, a fallen angel, one of our
own, has challenged that power.
The screens in the room come to life with the face of
Cross.
SLOAN (CONT'D)
This man left the Fraternity and decided
to strike down those who had befriended
him, trained him, made him who he is.
29.
SLOAN (V.0.)
..a son whose mother died in
childbirth...
They reach the baby's bed and a pair of strong arms lift
up the child. But the CAMERA FINDS the face of the
second man...
SLOAN (V.0.) (CONT'D)
..he took the boy to an orphanage so his
true identity would never be discovered.
.and now we see that the other man is a YOUNG MR.
SLOAN.
SLOAN (V.0.) (CONT'D)
And I helped him.
'INT. COMMUNICATIONS ROOM - DAY
Wesley is still absorbing the story, his life so
different than when he got up in the morning.
WESLEY
Why would you do that?
Sloan puts a hand on Wesley's shoulder, gently.
Paternally.
SLOAN
Your father was like a brother to me.
(BEAT)
I will do anything to avenge his death.'
Sloan turns off the monitors and pulls over a wooden
chair from where it rests by a wall.
SLOAN (CONT'D)
So Wesley... you have a choice. Would
you like to go back to your job, your
girlfriend, your life, just as it was
before?
(BEAT)
Or would you like to begin your training
with an assassin's Fraternity that writes
the world's history in blood and bullets?
Wesley doesn't know what to say. Sloan moves to a back
door .
SLOAN (CONT'D)
If the answer is the latter, then have a
seat in that chair.
(MORE)
30.
SLOAN (CONT'D)
(BEAT)
If not, you're welcome to head out this
door here and we'll never see each other
again.
With that., Sloan leaves through that back door. But...
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR:
He stops. He pulls out a gun and waits for Wesley to
make his decision, pointing his gun at the door.
BACK IN THE ROOM:
Wesley is still standing there, unaware of what is on the
other side of the door, thinking, thinking, thinking. He
takes a step toward the door...
FLASH: His boss Janice, yelling at him, mocking him.
Wesley hesitates, looks at the chair, then the door
again...
FLASH: His girlfriend on the couch, riding high on
Barry, loving every minute of it.
Wesley stands frozen, staring hard at the chair as THE
CAMERA STARTS to swirl around him.
FLASHES: The consultant haranguing, the other employees
laughing, eating.alone in the break room, riding his
bike, all the aspects of his shitty life...
.. as the CAMERA CONTINUES to swirl around him, his face
going hard...
WESLEY (V.O.)
Fuck consultants and fuck action items
and fuck differential responses. Fuck it
all.
He takes a seat in the chair, which creaks when he sits
in it.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
(out loud)
Fuck it all.
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BACK DOOR:
Sloan hears the creak of the chair and lowers his gun.
He smiles and walks off down an alley.
31.
IN THE ROOM:
Wesley waits in the chair for what seems an eternity.
starts to bite his thumbnail, nervously.
In comes the Pharmacist. The man is built like a
mountain, with muscles rippling out of his white smock.
.He's got a British accent and is extremely polite.
THE PHARMACIST
'Ah, made your choice, did 'ja, of boy?
WESLEY
(UNCOMFORTABLY)
Yeah.
THE PHARMACIST
Very good, very good.
He walks behind Wesley.
THE PHARMACIST (CONT'D)
The weather's been lovely the last couple
o' days-- would you mind putting your
hands back here for me?
Wesley does, and the Pharmacist binds his hands with some
rope.
THE PHARMACIST (CONT'D)
There, that's it. Very good.
WESLEY
Is this the beginning of my training?
THE PHARMACIST
Quite right.
The Pharmacist cracks his knuckles and then,
WHAM!!! He hits Wesley so hard right in the cheek
that it almost knocks him out of the chair.
WESLEY
What the fuck are...
WHANIlM 4!!!1 The Pharmacist smashes him again.
Wesley struggles against the ropes but isn't going
anywhere. The Pharmacist rears back. and WHAM! WHAMMM!
WHAMQ! keeps hitting him over-and over again until
Wesley's eyes roll to the back of his head.
32.
FADE TO BLACK.
CUT TO:
WESLEY (V.O.)
You know how when you have a dream and
wake up unexpectedly...
INT. WESLEY'S A13ARTMENT - BEDROOM - DAY
Wesley jerks awake in his bed...
WESLEY (V.O.)
...and the dream is still. on the fringe
of your brain but you can't quite
remember the details?
He looks up at his ceiling fan, barely turning, a few
blades missing...
WESLEY (V.0.) (CONT'D)
But then you see that same old busted
ceiling fan over your bed and you are so
damn glad it was just a dream?
He sits up on his bed and checks himself in the mirror.
His face has been pummeled; it looks like a piece of
squashed fruit.
WESLEY (V.0.) (CONT'D)
This was nothing like that.
EXT. ATM MACHINE - DAY
Wesley shoves his ATM card in the machine and hits the
"check balance" button. Which reveals: $100,000.92.
Amazed, Wesley takes out a grand, the machine just
spitting him money.
Smiling, Wesley jumps back on his ten speed and zips into
traffic.
The s in in wheel of the bicycle turns into...
INT. WESLEY'S CUBICLE - DAY
.that little spinning wheel on a monitor tbAt indicates
your computer stuck. Wesley sits in his cubicle,
staring at it.
Then...
33.
NICOLE
What happened to your face?
Wesley turns in his chair, surprised. Nicole stands
there, looking as pretty as ever, way out of -his league.
WESLEY
(SHEEPISH)
I... uh...I got hit by a man much bigger
than me.
Nicole smiles, flirtatiously.
NICOLE
Was this over a girl?
WESLEY
Something like that.
NICOLE
I had no idea you had such a secret life
outside of here.
She cocks her head and studies him.
NICOLE (CONT'D)
Is there something different about you?
Besides the... face?
WESLEY
No. Not really. Same old Wesley.
NICOLE
I don't think so.
She puts her hand on top of his; he can only stare at
it... this kind of thing just doesn't happen to him.
NICOLE (CONT'D)
You aren't like these people Wesley.
I've always thought you were different.
WESLEY
Would you consider me to be an observant
person?
NICOLE
What's that mean?
Wesley's about to say something, when he spots Janice
heading their way.
Wesley nods at her and Nicole frowns.
34.
NICOLE (CONT'D)
Uh-oh, here comes the wicked bitch of the
west...
With that, she steps away, just as Janice walks up.
Wesley stands to face his boss, as Janice launches into
him...
BOSS JANICE
Jesus H. Fucking Popscile, you don't have
time to get me the differential responses
but you got time to chitty-chatty with
the intern? Why do I even keep you
around, Wesley? Well I know one thing,
your review is coming up next week and I
can't wait to start checking me off some
boxes... attitude: poor, performance:
poor, management skills: poor, works well
with others...
Wesley just focuses on that mouth. Fat lips over fat
gums over yellow teeth. But now all that's coming out of
it is JIBBERISH.
' I Jibberish that goes straight from her larynx to Wesley's
ears where it imbeds in the soft flesh of his brain and
BURNS... It's so goddamn loudl if only...
...if only it would just...
WESLEY
(ROARS)
SHUT THE FUCK UP11!!1111
It's so unbelievably stunning coming out of Wesley's
mouth that it hits Janice like a slap in the face.
Heads all over the office start to poke out of the tops
of their cubicles like gophers coming out of holes.
Nicole watches, pleasantly stunned, from a few feet away.
Janice looks around, shocked. Wesley likes the way that
felt, so...
WESLEY (CONT'D)
Just because you have one single iota of
tenuous power, you think you can push
everyone around?
(MORE)
35.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
.I understand, Janice, that junior high
must have been particularly difficult
being called Tubby all the time, but that
doesn't give you the goddamn right to
treat your workers like horseshit. Sure
we laugh at you behind your back and sure
we know you keep a stash of jelly
doughnuts in the top drawer of your
desk...
Janice looks down at her fingers, which still have a
little grape jelly on them...
WESLEY (CONT'D)
.and sure everyone takes their lunch an
hour before you so we can get an extra
hour away from you, and I know that must
sting sitting by yourself in the White
Castle parking lot every day gnawing on
your third burger thinking up ways to
humiliate us...
Janice's eyes fall to her feet.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
.you know, if you weren't such a bitch,
we might actually feel sorry for you. As
it is, I feel I can speak for the rest of
the office when I say... FUCK YOU!!!
With that, he throws all the papers off his desk, sending
them flying!
Empowered, Wesley marches toward the elevators as
everyone watches him go, admiration plastered on their
faces.
The loudmouth from the break-room steps out...
LOUDMOUTH
That was great dude!
He holds up his hand for a high-five, but Wesley just
WALLOPS him with a right cross, not breaking stride on
his way to the elevators.
EXT. OUTSIDE WESLEY'S OFFICE - DAY
Wesley flies out the front door, just as Fox's Diablo
swings around the corner.
FOX
What's up, new man?
36.
WESLEY
You were watching?
FOX
Never stopped. How'd it feel, saying
exactly what you wanted to say?
WESLEY
Like I had a gun in my hands.
Fox grins as Wesley jumps in the car and she mashes on
the pedal. The Diablo's tires smoke as she launches it
out of there.
INT. SLAUGHTERHOUSE ROOM - DAY
They return to the butcher shop. Sides of beef hang from
hooks next to a cutting table. The Butcher is sharpening
a knife.
FOX
You need to get used to the blood and the
muscle and the meat and the sinew and
what a single blade of steel can do to a
chunk of flesh.
The Butcher turns and slices a chunk of tenderloin off of
one of the hanging carcasses, then slaps it on the table.
FOX (CONT'D)
Take care of him, Butcher.
THE BUTCHER
Will do, Fox.
The Butcher measures Wesley, then starts to talk in a
steady, almost bored voice...
THE BUTCHER (CONT'D)
Remember, it's the body we are killing.
Know it like a surgeon.
Wesley nods, half disgusted, half enthralled.
THE BUTCHER (CONT'D)
Okay, we'll start at the beginning. To
cut the subclavian artery, hold the knife
ice-pick style and thrust down behind the
clavicle, cutting side to side.
He jabs the blade into the beef... and just as he does...
37.
FLASH - PARKING GARAGE:
.we smash cut to a BUSINESSMAN walking to his car just
as the Butcher comes up behind him and performs the exact
same move he was just demonstrating. Just as quickly,
we...
FLASH - BACK TO THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE:
.and the Butcher performs the next move...
THE BUTCHER -
To slice the diaphragm, first whip your
wrist into the target's trachea to
prevent screaming, then drive the knife
at a forty-five degree angle upward just
below the rib cage.
Just as the knife hits the side of beef, we smash cut
to...
FLASH - LUXURY HOTEL SUITE:
. a DRUG KINGPIN coming out of his hotel bathroom
wearing a bathrobe. Suddenly the Butcher is on him,
performing what he just described on this poor bastard,
who can no longer scream because he's missing his
trachea, and just as quickly...
FLASH - BACK TO THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE:
.we are right back to the hanging side of beef as the
Butcher performs the next move...
THE BUTCHER
If you want the jugular, pull your
enemy's head to the left and jab your
knife well into his sterno-cleio-
mastoideus muscle, here, then cut down
and left.
Just like before, we smash cut to...
FLASH - DIRTY ALLEY:
...a MAN moseying down an alley, carrying a briefcase,
when suddenly, the Butcher comes out of nowhere, pulls
the enemy's head to the left and then WHAM!, jabs the
knife into the neck, matching the move-he was just
demonstrating.
38.
7 FLASH - HACK TO THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE:
The butcher continues to hack away at the hanging meat,
describing more and more ways to kill with a blade...
WESLEY (V.O.)
They never show you this shit on the
McDonald's commercials.
.. as the CAMERA FINDS Wesley, who is completely absorbed
in the lesson. The Butcher hands him the knife, and
Wesley starts to make his first chops at it, wanting to
please the Butcher, wanting to get it right...
EXT. OUTDOOR CAFE - NIGHT
Fox is seated at a small outdoor cafe, sipping on a
latte, reading the paper. There's a story about the
death threats to Henry Helms on the front page.
Just then Wesley approaches, his face splattered with
flecks of blood. She wipes his face with a napkin.
FOX
You haven't quite figured out this whole
"blending in" thing, yet. Let's go.
EXT. MORGUE - NIGHT
A huge Chevy 4X4 pulls up and Fox hope out from behind
the wheel, followed by Wesley. They get to the door and
Fox pulls out a metal device to pick the lock.
WESLEY
What is this?
FOX
This...
She picks the lock and they step inside...
INT. MORGUE - NIGHT
the empty morgue examining room. Empty except for a
d d ozen dead b s laid out on slabs, covered by white
sheets.
FOX
This is the Roach Motel, Wesley.
Wesley looks around, disgusted.
39.
FOX (CONT'D)
All right, find us some skinny bitches.
Wesley uncovers the first body... it's a. black male.
FOX (CONT'D)
Nahh, let the brother rest. Find us some
white meat. And nothing too fat.
Wesley covers the black male and moves over to a second
body. He unveils it to reveal... what looks like a dead
suburban housewife.
FOX (CONT'D)
Perfect. Load up soccer mom.
INT. TARGET ROOM - NIGHT
Fox and Sloan stand next to a paper target -- the kind of
thing you see in a police target range. It shows the
outline of a head and torso with concentric rings for
where you're supposed to aim.
The Gunsmith hoists the corpse of the dead soccer mom on
to a hook that hangs ten feet in front of the paper
target. Sloan flips a switch and a motor takes the mom
and target to the end of the range.
The CAMERA PULLS BACK to show Wesley is with them
standing in one of those firearm booths at the opposite
end of the range.
SLOAN
Selecting your weapon and then disposing
of it is the most pivotal aspect of every
assassination.
An array of firearms are on a shelf next to Wesley.
SLOAN (CONT'D)
Pick one.
Wesley eyes all the weaponry. Finally, he settles on a
short-barreled black handgun. Sloan takes it from him
and inspects it.
SLOAN (CONT'D)
Excellent. This is an Imanishi 18. It
holds seventeen bullets in the clip and
one in the chamber. It's made of a
composite material unrecognizable by
metal detectors.
(MORE)
40.
SLOAN (CONT'D)
And the Imanishi's bullets have
microchips that communicate with similar
ones in the gun.
WESLEY
Computer chips?
SLOAN
(NODS)
Sometimes the closest distance between
two points is not a straight line. What
if soccer mom here is between you and
your target?
WESLEY
I suppose you're going to tell me to
shoot her first.
SLOAN
How'd you do in Physics class?
WESLEY
Mostly B's.
Fox cocks her head at Wesley, knows he's lying.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
Okay, I got a D.
SLOAN
Why?
WESLEY
I couldn't remember all the rules --
SLOAN
That's it. Rules. What if I told you
there weren't any?
He nods at Wesley, like he's on to something.
SLOAN (CONT'D)
People live by the rules set before them.
We take them on faith that they are
right. But how many times in your life
have you thought you had a better way,
against-the rules that was simply laughed
at.
WESLEY
Every day.
41.
SLOAN
Because you use your brain differently
than other people. All Fraternity
members do.
WESLEY
I don't get it.
SLOAN
Humans use neurons to think. But most
people can only handle a small percentage
of those neurons firing at once without
suffering a seizure or an aneurism. Not
us. And not you. We have the ability to
think differently than other people.
WESLEY
So we set our own rules.
SLOAN
That's right.
Sloan hands him back the weapon.
SLOAN (CONT'D
Try it.
Wesley aims the pistol at the target in front of him. He
FIRES...
..and the bullet plugs soccer mom in the shoulder.
SLOAN (CONT'D)
Have you ever shot a gun before?
WESLEY
Just the flies.
SLOAN
So you have no pre-conceived habits we
need to break. Shoot the target. Don't
hit mom.
WESLEY
You mean curve the bullet? How?
SLOAN
This isn't about "how." It's about
"what." If you'd never been told a
bullet flies straight and I handed you
this and said hit that target... what
would you do? Allow your instincts to
guide you. Just like the flies.
(MORE)
42.
SLOAN (CONT'D)
The technology is only here to assist
your natural instinct.
Wesley lifts the gun, his mind racing...
SLOAN (CONT'D)
It's not 'will' that makes the physical
react how we wish, it's 'control.' You
are in control...
BAM BAM BAM!
The bullets blast out of the gun, like they are on a
track set up by Wesley's brain. He flicks his wrists
and...
.they arc qUickly, Just missing the body i e th2
center of the target!
Sloan smiles.
SLOAN (CONT'D)
Rules are made to be broken, Wesley. No
one was better at that than your father.
He had a pair of pearl-handled revolvers
with which he could conduct a symphony.
L i
Wesley nods proudly, and squeezes off some more shots,
all chasing through the same hole in the target.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. WESLEY'S APARTMENT - DAY
Cathy jumps up from the couch when Wesley comes in.
CATHY
Oh my god, Wesley, where have you been?
I've been so worried!
But Wesley just pushes past her and starts to throw
clothes out of drawers into a black duffel bag.
CATHY (CONT'D)
What're you doing? Are you leaving? You
.owe rent!
But Wesley just keeps packing.
CATHY (CONT'D)
You can't leave! This is bullshit,
Wesley. Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.
43.
Wesley just zips up his bag and turns back toward the
door...
.where Egx is now standing, wearing outf' that
would make the devil blush.
CATHY (CONT'D)
Who the fuck are you?
But Fox doesn't even acknowledge her presence, and just
watches Wesley do his business.
Wesley walks out the door and Fox follows. Cathy chases
them out on to the landing...
CATHY (CONT'D)
You're nothing, Wesley! And you will
always be nothing! You think you're
gonna be happy.with that skank...
Uh-oh...
Fox stops and turns around -- fisting her pistols.
She unloads... BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
The CAMERA SWINGS OVER TO CATHY, who is about to pies
herself, standing in the door frame, with bullet holes
placed expertly around her head.
Wesley and Fox keep moving, down the steps. Barry is
coming up the steps, but he takes one look at them, does
a U-turn and hurries out of their path.
INT. FOX'S PENTHOUSE - NIGHT
Wesley tosses his bag into the corner of this
immaculately furnished penthouse apartment, overlooking
the skyline.
FOX
You can take the couch until we find you
someplace better.
WESLEY
Okay.
She moves toward a separate bedroom.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
Fox?
She stops.
44.
C WESLEY (CONT'D)
What was my father like?
For a moment, she thinks about it. Then...
FOX
Come on.
EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT
They walk down a downtown lane, buildings crowding in on
them from all-sides. Not too many people are out this
late; they have the sidewalk to themselves.
FOX
Your father lov ed you, Wesley. He talked
about you all the time.
WESLEY
Really?
Wesley looks at her hopefully. She smiles, thinking
about the past.
FOX
That's a fact. He knew he wasn't
supposed to, but he couldn't help it.
WESLEY
You worked with him?
FOX
(NODS)
He trained me. Made me what I am.
CUT TO:
EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT - FLASHBACK
A younger, greener Fox stands alone in the alley, eyes
scanning the rooftops.
FOX (V.0.)
I remember one night he had me on my own
.for the first time, and I was tagging
this target named Buster Burgess. But I
was green and clumsy and stupid. Buster
marked me and disappeared into this old
tenement building.
45.
(-. EXT. TENEMENT ROOFTOP - SAME - FLASHBACK
A shadowy figure creeps to the edge of the building and
looks down. We can't quite make out his face. Fox is
looking the other way and he's got a clean shot.
He raises a rifle to his eye...
BAM!
He nails Fox in the thigh, and she falls helpless to the
pavement.
FOX (V.0.)
Motherfucker shot mein the leg. Put a
damn hole in my favorite skirt.
The figure re-aims, ready to take out the helpless Fox.
FOX (V.0.) (CONT'D)
Then you know what happened?
WESLEY (V.0.)
My father saved your life? Put a bullet
in Burgess?
k,
FOX (V.0.)
Naww. I ended up with four more slugs in
me.
The figure unleashes four more shots.
BACK TO:
EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT
They turn a corner and head up into the lobby of a tall
building, their conversation continuing...
WESLEY
What kind of training is that?
FOX
I'm here, aren't I?
INSIDE THE LOBBY:
Wesley weighs all this, puts it together.
WESLEY
My father was Burgess, wasn't he?
Fox nods, smiling. They step...
46.
INSIDE AN ELEVATOR:
.andstart riding it up.
FOX
He didn't hit me anywhere important, and
he used pin-shot bullets that didn't do
any real damage. But you can be damn
sure I don't let any mark get the high
ground on me again.
Shesmiles at another thought.
FOX (CONT'D)
And you know what we did instead of go to
the hospital to stitch me up?
WESLEY
What?
FOX
We went driving.
CUT TO:
EXT. CITY STREET -- NIGHT - FLASHBACK
A PORSCHE SHOWROOM sits on the corner. SMASH! A black
911 convertible breaks through the glass and skids to a
stop next to Fox in the street.
Two hands pull her up and drop her in the passenger seat,
and the car roars off.
BACK TO:
EXT. ELEVATOR -- NIGHT
Wesley smiles. The elevator DINGS.
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Fox and Wesley step out on to the rooftop where Mr. X was
gunned down.
WESLEY
What's this?
FOX
This is where your father was killed.
Wesley's eyes narrow and he looks around, taking it all
in.
47.
WESLEY
How?
FOX
We're not sure. The fence he was meeting
was shot in the head... which led him out
to here... but it must've been a set-up
all along. All I know is it would take a
hell of a trap to bring your father down.
Wesley crouches down by where his father's body would
have been, running his fingers over the gravel rooftop.
WESLEY
My whole life I thought he was dead. I
shouldn't feel any differently just
because it happened 20 years later.
FOX
But...
WESLEY
But, I do. Like I missed my one chance.
FOX
Well that's why you're here. To make up
for lost time.
Wesley looks back at her.
WESLEY
Can I see his body?
CUT TO:
INT. SHITTY MORGUE - NIGHT
They stand in a dark corner of a decrepit morgue, where a
couple of urns rest on a counter. The place doesn't look
like much more than a crack-house.
FOX
We cremate our dead. I'd like to say
it's to honor them, but it's mainly to
keep anyone from identifying them after
they're gone.
WESLEY
These are my father's ashes?
FOX
Yeah.
48.
WESLEY
Sloan said his heart stopped but there
was no entry wound?
FOX
That's right.
WESLEY
Can I have a minute?
FOX
Sure.
She leaves and Wesley approaches the urn holding his
father's'remains.
He runs his finger over it, and just when we think he's
going to have an emotional moment...'
..he smashes the urn on to the stand, the ashes spilling
out everywhere.
Wesley runs his fingers through the decay: what a
mess... there are pieces of bone intermingled in the
cremains.
But then hisfingegs find something in the dust... a
BULLET with a hole running down its center. He holds it
up to the light for a closer look.
As he studies it, we start to hear... WHAM! WHAMI...
INT. SMALL ROOM - DAY
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
Wesley site with his hands tied behind his back, taking
another beating from The Pharmacist, who spouts
assassination techniques while he pummels Wesley.
THE PHARMACIST
If you get in the hoo-ha of a two on one
and find yourself the one, remember that
each foe will likely move at the same
steady speed away from each other,
allowing you to keep a gun on each.
WHAM! WHAM!
THE PHARMACIST (CONT'D)
Now, if you find yourself one ' on three,
that poses a real bit a' ball ache...
49.
The sound of the Pharmacist's voice fades to the
background as Wesley's voice-over comes up...
WESLEY (V.0.)
There are two kinds of pain. One is an
object. A living thing that crawls
around the outside of your body. Cuts,
broken bones, bruises... all deliver the
kind of pain you can learn to ignore, and
they soon disappear to nothing but the
sound of a gnat in your ear.
Wesley's eyes are starting to lose consciousness.
WESLEY (V.0.) (CONT'D)
I've lived with a different kind of pain
all my life... the kind that comes from
two decades of being passed over, pushed
around, ignored. But you can't hide from
that kind of pain either...
Wesley takes a brutal shot to the face.
WESLEY (V.0.) (CONT'D)
.because it finds you.
He involuntarily spite blood as his eyes roll back in his
head.
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY
Sloan sits across from Wesley at a skinny table in an
otherwise bare room.
SLOAN
Watch the eyes. Look for a slight
swelling of the pupil. You can train
your body to stay a constant temperature,
you can control your heartbeat, but you
can't control the center of your eyes.
That's how you know when someone is lying
to you.
Sloan looks right at him. Wesley narrows his eyes,
trying to fend off his stare.
SLOAN (CONT'D)
Do you want to fuck Fox?
WESLEY
No.
50.
SLOAN
I know that's a lie without even seeing
your eyes.
WESLEY
Fine. Try something else.
SLOAN
Okay. What are you hiding from me?
Wesley looks down, then focuses on Sloan.
WESLEY
Nothing.
Sloan waits. Wesley realizes it's useless to try to keep
something from this man. He reaches into his pocket and
pulls out the bullet with the hole in its center...
places it on the table.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
You told me to hunt down my father's
killer. That's what I'm doing.
SLOAN
What's this?
WESLEY
The bullet that killed him. You said his
heart stopped but there was no entrance
wound. This bullet has a hole cut into
its center...
SLOAN
Yes?
WESLEY
You know how a mole buries into the earth
by pushing the dirt back around it? I
think this bullet does what the mole
does... Splits the skin and pushes it
back through its center, filling the
space it just passed through.
Sloan looks at him, like he might have been
underestimating him until now.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
Fox was telling me that my father used
special bullets. It looks like Cross
does too... which means these are custom
made. If we find who makes them, then we
find someone who has access to Cross.
51.
Sloan picks up the bullet and leans back.
SLOAN
You put this all together on your own?
Wesley taps his head.
WESLEY
Firing neurons.
(BEAT)
Whatever happened to my father's guns?
The pearl handled ones?
SLOAN
Don't know. But whoever has them isn't
long for this place.
Sloan reaches down and picks up a binder which he drops
on the desk.
WESLEY
What's that?
SLOAN
Cross. The details of his life.
q Continue your hunt.
WESLEY
No rules, right?
This stops Sloan for a second.
SLOAN
No rules.
INT. FOX'S PENTHOUSE - DAY
Wesley lies on Fox's couch, trying his damndest not to
peek at her through her bedroom door. It's cracked just
enough that he can see her draping a towel around her
body as she heads to take a shower.
Wesley site up and looks at the binder sitting on the
table. Slowly he opens it and sees a picture of Cross
staring back at him. The man who took Wesley's father
from him.
Wesley studies the face, wanting to know every detail.
52.
IN THE BATHROOM:
Fox peers out the door and looks at Wesley, watching him
absorb more of Cross with every page.
CUT TO:
INT. LIBRARY - DAY
Sloan leads Wesley into a gigantic room lined from floor
to ceiling with leather-bound books.
SLOAN
We keep a record of every assassination
mission, going back to the Ides of March.
Maps, diagrams, logistics, complications,
weapons of choice... it's all there.
Wesley nods, impressed. Sloan just keeps leading him
through a set of double doors, into...
INT. MAP ROOM -- DAY
.a large room, the size of an auditorium. On the floor
is a gigantic model of the entire city, built to scale,
showing all the buildings, skyscrapers, churches, the
waterfront, the city streets. Everything the city has to
offer laid out in miniature.
Sloan and Wesley stand like giants in the middle of the
model city...
WESLEY
What's all this?
SLOAN
Where we plot our local hits. This city
is one of the Fraternity's major
headquarters.
WESLEY
(looking around)
This room. The books. Seems low-tech.
SLOAN
Part of mastering technology is knowing
when to use it. Models can't be hacked.
Your father built this room himself.
Most of the buildings are white, but interspersed amongst
them are a few vainted red. Some of the model street
lamps are also red.
53.
The color red appears sporadically throughout the entire
model city: on the sides of buildings, on mailboxes, on
some of the manhole covers.
WESLEY
What's with the red ones?
Sloan just smiles...
.and THE CAMERA MOVES TO HIS FEET, then PUSHES'IN on
one particular street on the map, further in on one RED
STREETLIGHT and we...
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. STREET - DAY
.the s city street, now full-sized, buzzing with
activity, pedestrians hurrying to work, cars and taxis
and trucks whizzing through the street.
Sloan and Wesley walk down the sidewalk, passing
streetlight after streetlight until they reach one in
particular.
SLOAN
The Fraternity's grasp reaches every
facet of the world's major cities,
including their construction. Look at
this streetlight.
Wesley peers at it... there is a plaque affixed to the
pole... the standard thing you find on these things...
"Municipal C. W. 63070."
But then there is something different on this one... a
tiny symbol on the bottom of the plaque... the Cerberus
instead of the seal of the cit
Sloan presses the symbol and the plaque slides aside,
revealing a hollow space behind it. He reaches his hand
inside and pulls out a small handgun... flips out the
clip expertly, then racks the weapon.
Wesley can't believe it.
WESLEY
You have stashes...
SLOAN
.everywhere.
WESLEY
Jesus.
54.
Just then, two POLICE OFFICERS walk by, eye.the gun Sloan
has pulled out.
POLICE OFFICER
Sir...
Sloan flashes his tattoo at them.
SLOAN
Keep moving, fellas.
They nod and do just that.
SLOAN (CONT'D)
They let us do our jobs, we let them
live.
THE CAMERA PUSHES IN on Wesley's face as he realizes the
full scope of this organization and we...
DISSOLVE TO:
SERIES OF SHOTS:
GUN RANGE. Wesley firing his Imanishi 18 on the shooting
range, steering the bullets wherever he wants them to go.
WESLEY
Closer.
Impressed, the Gunsmith moves the corpse closer to the
target, making the angle all that much tougher.
Wesley gets ready to squeeze his trigger, but a pistol
starts FIRING next to him.
He looks over... Sloan is standing nr= &o him, firing at
the target. Every shot bends around the body and hits
right in the forehead of the target.
Wesley smiles, impressed.
LIBRARY. Wesley thumbs through an old Fraternity book,
which has detailed sketches of an assassination in 17th
century Paris.
MEAT LOCKER. Wesley working out on a heavy bag, honing
his punches, the Chef holding the bag for him, muscles
rippling.
MAP ROOM. Wesley walks by himself amongst the miniature
city, trying to memorize where the red marks are.
55.
INTERROGATION ROOM. Wesley sitting here,. being grilled
by Sloan, as he tries to-tell the undetectable lie.
SLOAN
Our job isn't just about how fast or true
you shoot, Wesley. Physical agility will
always lose to mental agility. It's
warfare of the mind.
FO 'S APART. Wesley looking at Fox through the
bedroom door.
SLAUGHTERHOUSE. Wesley working with the Butcher on the
art of knife play.
MAP ROOM. The Gardener and Fox show Wesley the rooftop
of a certain building on the model city, one corner of
the roof painted red.
ROOFTOP. Fox and the Gardener now with Wesley on that
actual rooftop, pointing out firing angles, modes. of
ascension, and escape routes. The Gardener moves over to
a cornerstone in the roof of the building and then easily
lifts it off, revealing a stash of assault rifles.
k SHOOTING G . Wesley looking at some ammunition while
the Gunsmith talks and demonstrates. He fires at one of
the targets, which EXPLODES in a splattered mess and we
cut to...
INT. FOX'S PENTHOUSE - MORNING
Fox making coffee as Wesley sits, studying the binder,
his mind racing.
WESLEY
Cross and my father were tight. But
Cross thought he should be one of the
heads of the Fraternity so he left and
vowed to kill the three heads. Which
means my father is dead because of petty
jealousy.
FOX
More reason for Cross to die.
Wesley flips to the picture of cross.
WESLEY
But I don't see jealousy in those eyes,
do you?
Fox walks over and slams the binder shut.
56.
FOX
Listen .to me, Wesley. In two weeks, we
have to kill Henry Helms. Do-you know
who that is?
WESLEY
The journalist who's got a price-tag on
his head.
FOX
A price-tag that we're going to collect.
Your father was meeting with a fence
about the job when Cross took him down.
So we can only assume Cross knows about
the target too. We... you... have to
take Cross out before we prosecute this
mission. We can't have him out there as
a wildcard, wreaking havoc, do you
understand?
WESLEY
Yeah.
FOX
We've never defaulted on a job and this
1k one won't be the first.
INT. TARGET ROOM - DAY
Sloan fires at the target, the bullets following his
every command. Wesley does the same, equally skilled.
Fox sits, watching the two of them. Is it becoming
competitive? One shoots and then the other follows,
neither one ever missing.
Finally, Gunsmith runs the target back in to change out
the body.
Fox leans back, impressed.
FOX
May have found your match, Sloan.
Sloan smirks and turns to instruct Wesley.
SLOAN
Pick the weapon, make the kill, destroy
the weapon. No other rules.
Wesley nods as Gunsmith returns.
57.
WESLEY
(to the Gunsmith)
Close the gap. Push the body closer to
the target..
THE GUNSMITH
It's already at four feet.
WESLEY
Closer.
THE GUNSMITH
Here's two. Your father couldn't even do
that.
WESLEY
Closer.
THE GUNSMITH
Wesley, at some point --
WESLEY
Closer. I'll say when.
WN
Gunsmith starts sliding the target closer to the body,
until it's actually touching the back of the dead
business man!
THE GUNSMITH
How you gonna -- ?
FOX
Just run it out there. Let the kid work.
The Gunsmith shrugs and runs the target down the range.
Wesley looks at Sloan.
WESLEY
You wanna go first?
SLOAN
There are limits to everything, Wesley.
At some point the body becomes a shield.
Wesley pulls his gun and lets loose five rounds,
lightning fast.
The Gunsmith brings the target back to them...
..a the business man is riddled with es.
THE GUNSMITH
I guess not every rule can be broken.
58.
WESLEY
Check the target.
The Gunsmith does and we see that each of the five
bullets has passed clean through the cadaver and found
it's mark on the target.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
You'll find one entry below the shoulder,
missing the major blood vessels there,
exiting the back. Second shot went
through the abdomen, clipped only the
bowel and exited cleanly. Third hit the
upper right quadrant of the abdomen,
which is partially protected by the
ribcage, and passed through the liver and
probably part of the gallbladder. Upper
left abdomen is a good place, where
number four ruptured the spleen before
continuing down main street. And
finally, what I like to call "the ,7FK."
Number five entered the mouth, was
redirected downward by the upper jawbone
ON, and exited the back of the neck. That's
the shot you'll find in the middle of the
target.
Gunsmith sticks his finger through the hole in the middle of the target.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
(to Sloan)
Fuck the rules.
With that, he turns and walks away, a look on his face
that is his fiercest, a far cry from the kid in the
cubicle. That same expression is on his face as we...
CUT TO:
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY
Wesley strains against the ropes that bind his hands as
The Pharmacist waylays him. But is t' e. Wesley counts
out the punches as he takes the shots.
WESLEY
One!
There is a look in Wesley's eye we, haven't seen before, a
burning, searing fire.
As he continues to take punches and count them out...
59.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
Two! (WHAM!) Three! (WHAM!) Four!
(WHAM!) FIVE!! (WHAM!!)
..he pulls his arms tight, and his muscles start to
twitch and bulge -- muscles we didn't know he had until.
now -- and as he continues to take punches, WHAM!, WHAM!,
WHAM!!, the rope strains against the wooden chair, and we
can HEAR the wooden legs start to pop, until...
CRACK!!! Wesley Jerks his arms ee and comes
swillcrincr with the broken of leg of the chair.
SMASH! SMASH!! The Pharmacist goes down hard and Wesley
stands over him, out of control,. furious, SMASH! SMASH!,
beating him with that broken chair leg.
The CAMERA PUSHES THOUGH one of the walls...
OBSERVATION ROOM:
.. to where Fox and Sloan are watching Wesley pummel the
pummeler through a one-way mirror.
SLOAN
He's ready.
the los2k on Fox's face becomes more and more and
sexual until...
INT. FOX'S PENTHOUSE - NIGHT
..she leans on top of Wesley, straddling him on too of
her bed.
They unleash on each other, and from the looks of it, Fox
makes Cathy seem like a nun.
FOX
Don't you quit now, baby! Don't you quit
now!!
Wesley didn't know it could be like this.
After they finish, Fox gets up and heads to the shower
and he watches her go the whole way.
In the doorway, she turns around...
FOX (CONT'D)
Sloan says you're ready.
60
INT. TATTOO ROOM - DAY
Wesley site in a chair as Fox crouches next to him with
an advanced tattoo machine, inking his hand.
WESLEY
Do you like being the only chick in the
Fraternity?
FOX
(COYLY)
Who said I was the only sister? Maybe
you just haven't met any others yet.
Wesley laughs.
WESLEY
(playfully back)
Maybe I have and I'm just not telling
you.
FOX
(GRINNING)
Hold still.
He settles down.
WESLEY
How did you end up here, Fox?
FOX
Same way you did, sugar. They found me.
WESLEY
What did you do before?
Fox looks at him, a wry smile on her face.
FOX
Sold perfume. At the mall.
WESLEY
No shit?
FOX
No shit.
WESLEY
I can't see it.
FOX
Get in line.
61.
WESLEY
What made them come after you? I mean, I
know why I'm here.
FOX
Fraternity members all have something in
their lineage that shows they'll be good
at this.
WESLEY
And yours is?
FOX
My great-great-great-grandfather on my
mother's side. He was on a slave ship
coming over from East Africa and as it
was pulling into Charleston, he killed
every white man on the ship and swam to
shore. They caught him and hung him four
days later.
WESLEY
That's terrible.
FOX
I Nah. Motherfucker deserved it. Be raped
eight women in those four days. One of
them was my great-great-great-grandmama.
She pushes her chair back, done with her work.
The CAMERA PUSHES IN as Fox removes the device so we can
take a look: the three-headed dog has been tattooed into
his hand.
EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT
Wesley and Fox walk down a crowded urban city street. The
CAMERA finds Wesley's tattoo and then moves around behind
Fox and holds on hers.
WESLEY
Where's the Diablo?
FOX
(SHRUGS)
I got tired of the color.
Wesley can't help but smile, then Fox stops. They're
standing right in front of a CAR SHOWROOM, displayed in
the window is a MIDNIGHT BLACK PORSCHE 911 convertible
sitting in a showroom window... 'us like the one
Wesley's father smashed in Fox's story.
62.
EXT. SHOWROOM - NIGHT
Suddenly, the car comes flying out of the window, glass
shattering everywhere as it tears up the street.
WESLEY (V.0.)
Being a member of the Fraternity was like
winning the lottery...
ON THE CITY STREETS:
Traffic lights mean nothing, as Wesley mashes the
accelerator to the mat, and the Porsche responds, ripping
up the road like a tiger on the prowl.
Fox rises up in the passenger seat, looking over the
windshield, the wind whipping her face...
WESLEY.(V.0.)
This... this is what my dad's life was
like. He was a fucking god.
He weaves in and out of traffic, then rips around a
corner, narrowly cutting in front of an eighteen-wheeler,
which has to slam on its brakes.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
Where we headed?
FOX
Trial by fire, sugar. Hook a right.
Wesley whips the car around a corner...
FOX (CONT'D)
Park it here, baby.
He pulls the car to the side of the street...
.in front of a busy outdoor mall. It's covered with
shops, eateries, movie theaters and people, people,
people.
Fox eyes the crowd.
WESLEY
You need a new wardrobe or something?
FOX
we're here for a reason and it ain't
clothes-shopping. Somewhere in that
crowd is your first target.
63.
WESLEY
A test?
FOX
(shakes her head)
The real thing.
WESLEY
Who's the mark?
FOX
You'll know him when you see him.
WESLEY
What if I don't?
FOX
Then you get shot.
Fox hands him his Imanishi pistol, which Wesley rolls
over in his hand.
FOX (CONT'D)
It's graduation day, baby.
I He nods and makes his way toward...
THE OUTDOOR MALL:
.where he quickly mingles with the crowd. He has his
hands tucked into the front pocket of his hooded-
sweatshirt, the pistol inside. People pass him on his
left and right, some make eye contact, some don't...
anybody could be the target..
Wesley's eyes scan to the rooftops, surveying... the
SECURITY GUARD by the theater, the SWEATER-FOLDER at The
Gap, the SCARY-LOOKING GUY shopping at the sunglasses
stand.
And then Wesley's eyes settle on someone he was not
expecting to see... Barry, his best friend that was
shagging his girlfriend... is thumbing through books
outside the BARNES AND NOBLE... seemingly. not paying
attention to what's around him.
Wesley can't believe it. It can't be him. Can it?
Just then, Barry stops looking at the books and starts
walking toward Wesley, keeping his eyes down. Fuck, this
can't really be happening...
64.
..Wesley gets ready, both hands inside that front
pocket...
.and now Barry meets his eyes... still coming... still
coming...
BARRY
Wesley... hey dude.
Wesley can't believe itl
BARRY (CONT'D)
Thanks for calling me. I wanted to
say...
Wesley pulls out his gun and Barry throws up his hands...
BARRY (CONT'D)
Whoa, man!!
But now we see Wesley is looking past B_arry. over his
shoulder...
WESLEY
Get down!
.and he's looking at a man we recognize from his
office... The Consultant.
He's approaching rapidly behind Barry, fisting a 'pair of
pistols!
Just as Barry hits the deck, Wesley pulls the trigger...
.but it lust CLICKS, the chamber empty...
SMASH CUT TO:
THE PORSCHE:
Fox holds the clip to Wesley's Imanishi, tapping it in
her hand. Holy shit, she gave him an empty gun...
SMASH BACK TO:
THE OUTDOOR MALL:
Wesley can't believe his gun is empty. In the split-
second that it takes him to realize this, the Consultant
has his guns leveled, taking aim, but...
65.
...Wesley moves faster than we thought he could move...
he darts behind a kiosk hocking monogrammed apparel, and
dashes full speed through the crowds lining the street.
The Consultant chases after him, knocking shoppers out of
the way, sending fanny packs and Nordstrom bags flying.
Wesley hooks a right around a SHARPER IMAGE and heads
straight down a narrower section, like he's on a mission,
knowing exactly where he's going. And now we see why...
Because the city around us goes stark white like the Mg
Room. We're seeing what Wesley sees, what he's memorized
in all those hours staring at the model. Finally we see
one SMALL BENCH next to a fountain, which is bright red.
Immediately the natural color of the city c2 Ws back and
Wesley is running all out for that bench. He goes into a
slide, hitting the grass .underneath the bench, sliding
under it, popping up on the other side.
He rips a metal panel off the back of it as he does,
revealing an AUTOMATIC PISTOL...
.and just as quickly, he's up on one knee, aiming,
using the bench as a shield as the Consultant rushes up,
surprised and BAM! BAM! BAM:
The Consultant drops where he is, three bullets hitting
him in his two shoulders and his chest.
People start SCREAMING and RUNNING the hell away from the
gunplay. Wesley is about to run away himself, but when
he turns, Fox is right there beside him... smiling. A
couple of SECURITY GUARDS are with her, smiling as well.
Wesley looks over at The Consultant, who site up, smiling
too, even though he's bleeding from three spots on his
body...
FOX
Pin shot bullets.
Wesley looks down at the gun.
WESLEY
Just like my father used on you.
Fox nods, as the Security Guards go to help the
Consultant to his feet.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
You were watching me in the office.
66.
FOX
(NODS)
Protecting our assets.
She hands the clip from the Imanishi over to Wesley...
FOX (CONT'D)
Time to do this for real.
CUT TO:
INT. LONG CORRIDOR
Wesley and Fox walk down a long hallway toward a single
doorway. They open it, revealing...
INT. SLOAN'S OFFICE - DAY
. a large office with a single desk and a roaring fire.
Sloan turns from the fire to greet them.
He holds up the "mole" bullet, and smiles.
SLOAN
The mole bullet is made by a midget
t Filipino named Pek War. His fingers are
so small that they can shape and smooth
the metal better than anyone.
WESLEY
You've known all along. You knew before
I ever broke the urn...
SLOAN
I had to let you figure it out for
yourself.
WESLEY
Part of my training.
SLOAN
Part of your quest. To get to know your
father.
(BEAT)
And his killer.
Wesley nods, a grave expression on his face, like he
knows what he is going to do next.
67.
SLOAN (CONT'D)
Pek War charges exorbitant prices, as
much as ten-thousand dollars for a single
round, but his craftsmanship is
unparalleled.
He heads over to Wesley, hands him a slip of paper.
'SLOAN (CONT'D)
You can find him at this address.
CUT TO:
INT. PEK WAR'S MANUFACTURING SHOP - NIGHT
A three-foot-seven-inch Asian man site at a worktable
with his little legs dangling over the end of his chair.
PEK.WAR is concentrating hard on the metal in his hands.
The diminutive man looks up from his worktable when he
hears a loud THUMP.
PEX WAR
Andey?
He gets no answer. He remains perfectly still,
listening.
PEK WAR (CONT'D)
Andey?l
Two louder THUMPS and a GUNSHOT jerk his head around.
Then he's up out of the chair, faster than we thought a
little man could move.
Breathing ragged, shimmying across his work space, Pek
War hurries over to a chest of drawers.
He gets to it and throws open the bottom drawer to reveal
a stash of handguns. He reaches for one...
...but the muzzle off a pistol comes _ uE to the back of his
head and the hammer clicks as it is pulled back.
Pek War throws his hands up.
PEK WAR (CONT'D)
Alam man lamangl Alam man lamangl
Wesley signals for him to turn around. After he does...
400
68.
PER WAR (CONT'D)
Alam man lamang!
Wesley measures him with eyes that have gone hard. Fox
stands over Wesley's shoulder, loving every moment of
this. Then...
WESLEY
There are two things about you I'm sure
of right now, little man. One is that
you can speak English...
Pek War sees that Wesley means business.
PER WAR
(perfect English)
And what's the other?
WESLEY
That my nutsack is bigger than you.
Fox snickers.
PER WAR
(SPITS)
What do you want?
K
FOX
A bullet you made killed his father.
The bullet maker looks as though he knew a day like this
might eventually come. His face falls and he looks.at
his feet.
PER WAR
I only mold the ammunition... I cannot be
responsible for the way it is...
Wesley SMASHES him in the face with the butt of his gun,
then grabs a long, metal STILETTO-type tool from the work
table.
WESLEY
Bullshit. You're as responsible as if
you pulled the trigger yourself.
PER WAR
(WHIMPERS)
I didn't...
ARIV
WESLEY
I'm only going to ask you one question
and I want you to think very hard how you
want to answer.
With that, Wesley sticks the stiletto into Pek War's
side!
PEK WAR
OWWW1
WESLEY
Relax. The blade is in only an inch or
so.
The little man starts jabbering to God in some foreign
language.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
See I've learned a thing or two about
human anatomy recently. In fact, this
blade is stuck just beneath the coastal
cartilage of your tenth rib. Just a
little push and it will deflate your
lung. That's called a pneumothorax.
V Helluva way to go, suffocating in a'room
full of fresh air. Plus the sound, the
sound of all that oxygen hissing out of
your lung... pssssssh, like a balloon at
a birthday party. Enough to make a man
beg for a second chance.
(BEAT)
But you're only going to have one.
Pek War waits, trying not to writhe from the pain...
WESLEY (CONT'D)
So my question is... how do I find Cross?
Pek War's eyes go wide, pleading...
PEK WAR
(DEFENSIVE)
My clients use middlemen, I don't meet
them in person, I know so little about
them...
Wesley twitches the handle just a bit.
PEK WAR (CONT'D)
Okayl Okayl Dammitl God damiaitl I'll
tell you!
70.
Wesley lets up a little bit.
PEK WAR (CONT'D)
Prearranged meets.
Fox snatches up a nearby phone.
WESLEY.
Start prearranging.
EXT. CITY STREET -NIGHT
The Porsche once again tears across the asphalt, as
Wesley drives.
FOX
Wesley, you gotta know something. No
matter what kind of training you've done
these last few weeks, killing your first,
well that's gonna change you forever.
Wesley drives for a while. Then...
WESLEY
You know what my foster mother. told me
when I was six years old?
Fox shakes her head.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
She caught me eating some jello out of
the fridge after my bedtime. I knew I
wasn't supposed to but I was so damn
hungry, and it was just some fucking
jello. Anyway, after she hit me so hard
I couldn't bite down straight for a week,
she told me... she told me that God had
killed my parents because I was such a
wicked boy.
FOX
Jesus. Someone needs to find that bitch
and set her straight.
WESLEY
So I grew up thinking I was the reason I
never knew my parents. But now, to find
out, that no, my father didn't give me up
because he had died... he gave me up
because he was Protecting me... well I
guess I want to give him something back.
71.
FOX
Here we are.
EXT. WAREHOUSE DISTRICT - NIGHT
They are surrounded by industrial looking warehouses, one
of which has the words Times-Herald on it. Newspaper
delivery TRUCKS make their way in and out of the loading
dock area of this building.
Overhead, an EL TRAIN scrapes along the worn tracks.
Fox pulls around a corner and back into an alley, so they
can have a view of the corner in front of them.
Wesley scans the area quickly.
WESLEY
Not very discreet, are they?
Fox smiles knowingly, and looks up, revealing what Wesley
is talking about. On various rooftops we-see FIGURES
peering down. looking over the site.
FOX
The others are only backup singers. This
is your show.
Fox subtly moves her head and figures disappear,
crouching down.
Just then, out the windshield, they see a MAN wearing a
long black overcoat approaching the corner near the
newspaper building.
Fox's eyes start to dance.
FOX (CONT'D)
Remember: he's good, baby. But you're
the best I've ever seen.
Wesley nods and the two of them step out of the car.
IN THE STREET:
From a distance, Wesley approaches Cross from the back.
His steps become quicker, getting closer every passing
second. Wesley starts to reach in his coat for his
gun...
.and that's when Cross firesl Quick as lightning,
Cross has guns out and lets loose toward the roof of a
nearby warehouse.
72.
His bullet has the instincts of a bird dog, and it curves
over the edge of the building and finds its mark, causing
a crouching ASSASSIN to plunge from the roof to the
street near Wesley!
The others on the rooftops hail down bullets as Cross
disappears into the nearest building, the Times-Herald.
Wesley and Fox run toward the building as three other
Fraternity members beat them there, the BELLMAN, the
WAITER, and the ELECTRICIAN.
Wesley sees them congregate on the loading dock and then
start inside the building...
WESLEY
No!
The minute Bellman exposes himself in the open loading
dock door he is cut down from inside, his bloody body
falling backwards into a newspaper truck parked at the
dock.
Wesley and Fox join the other two on the dock as
screaming WORKERS run from the place.
WAITER
We need a way in there.
ELECTRICIAN
Let's find another door.
WESLEY
He'll be long gone by then.
FOX
(shaking her head)
He's got the high ground.
Wesley sees an unmanned forklift on the dock.
WESLEY
On the pallet.
They all jump on the pallet held by the forks of the
lift. Wesley throws the machine in reverse and it backs
into the warehouse, the four assassins safely crouching
on the pallet on the front.
INSIDE THE NEWSPAPER BUILDING:
Once inside...
73.
WESLEY
Separate.
The lowest level is the loading dock, where pallets of
newspapers and massive unused paper rolls await.
WITH THE ELECTRICIAN:
The Electrician hustles between the pallets and boxes,
eyes darting, guns drawn. He backs up to a pallet of
stacked newspapers, using it as cover. What he doesn't
realize is that between each stack of papers is a space,
just big enough for a --
THWAP! A bullet finds its way through the space and hits
the Electrician in the back of the shoulder, spinning him
around.
CLOSE ON: Cross' gun. Another shot and we follow the
bullet, across the dock and dipping low into the next
space in the paper stack -- right where Electrician is
now leaning...
.the bullet buries in his eye, sending him to the
flog.
Wesley sees Cross race for a set of stairs. Just as
Wesley is about to cut him down, Cross fires at a wooden
beam holding back some massive rolls of NEWSPAPER. The
rolls tumble over and Wesley has to dive out of the way,
allowing Cross to escape up the stairs.
Wesley, Fox and the Waiter all race for the stairs.
ON LEVEL TWO:
Giant printing machines are running full speed, printing
up the morning edition.
A group of NEWSPAPER EMPLOYEES see the guns the
Fraternity members are toting and scramble for safety.
Wesley has to yell to be heard over the whirring
machines...
WESLEY
(to the Waiter)
Stay here and cover us. There's no angle
for him to hit you if you stay here.
Wesley points at a scaffolding that runs above the
machines.
74.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
Don't let him get up there. And stay
clear of the presses! He'll use them
however he can.
WAITER
How do you know?
WESLEY
It's what I'd do.
With that, Wesley and Fox disappear amongst the
machinery.
The Waiter takes a step back from the press, where over a
hundred pounds of paper spins through every second.
He sticks his head out to try and keep an eye on that
scaffolding. Everything looks clear, until...
...shots ring out and a shelf o w a1l o
Waiter's head gives way! He turns to see a bunch of cans
of spray lubricant falling to the floor. No big deal,
until Cross shoots one of them out of the air, causing it
to explode!
The burning oil covers the Waiter, who SCREAMS and
stumbles nearer the printing press...
BAM BAM BAM!
More shots from Cross and one of the RESTRAINING ARMS on
the roll of paper feeding the machine breaks in half.
The paper roll spins wildly from the machine and like a.
saw, cuts the Waiter in hplf !
With a leap, Cross is on the scaffolding over the
presses. For just a second, Cross stops as he locks eyes
with Wesley...
..but Fox is already firing at him so Cross has to keep
moving...
He heads up a second staircase, but not before he sends a
stream of bullets back at Fox, who athletically
cartwheels away...
.but one of Cross's bullets disintegrates a gear on the
press near her, sending flying metal everywhere. A piece
of shXapnel b ies into Fox's leg... making her break out
of her cartwheel and flop down, wounded.
75.
FOX
Fuuuucckkk!
Cross races along the scaffolding and disappears into a
door.
FOX (CONT'D)
Keep goin', baby! Take him!
Wesley races for the stairs. He is the only one left to
chase Cross to level three.
ON LEVEL THREE:
Wesley bursts through the door, guns ready. The place is
already in pandemonium, with PEOPLE yelling and screaming
and running for cover. Quickly, Wesley realizes he's in
the business offices of the paper, and it looks
surprisingly similar to his old office. Lame-ass
cubicles and florescent lighting everywhere.
Wesley jumps up on a desk.
WESLEY
Cross!
Unafraid, Cross climbs up on a desk on the other side of
the office. Without hesitation, Wesley opens fire at
Cross... who immediately returns fire...
.and his bullets actually collide with Cross's by ets
in mid-air!!! The bullets ricochet and take out a
COMPUTER SCREEN where someone was playing SOLITAIRE.
The two assassins blast away, all while diving and moving
over and in the cubicles. Cross has a gun similar to the
Imanishis, and they each steer their bullets at each
other from sharp angles...
Strangely,. the first bullet collision was not blind luck,
but the pattern for the battle. They are fighting the
same fight, their bullets meeting in the middle, each man
using the same techniques at the exact same time.
Wesley needs an angle, and spots a DRY ERASE BOARD the
words "Action Items" written on it. He fires at it, and
his bullets bounce off it at an angle where one of them
strikes Cross in the shoulder... THWAP!!!
Cross can't believe he's hit but he doesn't have time to
flinch... right as Wesley fires again, he turns, barely
avoiding the rain of bullets and leaps through a nearby
window, smashing the glass out,
76.
Wesley doesn't hesitate behind him... he sprints for the
same window and dives through it, guns at the ready
and...
OUTSIDE THE WINDOW:
.we stay with Wesley as he falls from the third floor,
firing his guns the whole time...
.until he lands top of an "L" train moving at ll
speed.
THE WAREHOUSE DISTRICT:
Fox limps out of the newspaper building and hurries to
the Porsche. She ignores her wounds and rips the car out
of the alley, chasing after the fleeing L train.
ON THE L TRAIN:
Ahead of Wesley, Cross is also on the top of the train.
He manages to get up, spin around, and fire at Wesley...
.but they both have to duck as the L train whips under
an overpass, which misses smashing both of them by mere
inches.
Cross takes the opportunity to swing down between cars
and enter one of the L cars.
BEHIND HIM:
Wesley hurries across the top of the train, spying the
trail of blood that Cross is leaving behind from his
wound.
Wesley smiles, a shark on a wounded baby seal, as he also
swings down between the cars and enters...
THE FIRST L CAR:
.where he sees the trail of blood leading all the way
down the center of the empty car and out the back door.
Wesley hovers in the entry way, his guns up and ready.
He takes a step forward to follow the blood trail, and
immediately, he is decked from the side by an ambushing
Cross.
They tumble over the first row of seats, both losing
their guns.
77.
Wesley kicks Cross off of him, but Cross-spins with two
new suns in his hand! Wesley is.on him quick though, and
SLAMS Cross into one of the train's windows hard enough
to crack it. With a quick twist of Cross' wrist, Wesley
takes a sun from him Just as Cross kicks h,m off...
.Wesley fires as he falls backwards. Cross falls
backwards too from the momentum...
..and they both smash out opposite windows of the train
before landing on either side of it!
EXT. DIRTY ALLEY - NIGHT
But the amazing thing is... they stand up and keep
firing as the cars are whipping by at 80mph, and
realize they. are timing their shots to actually blast
between each car in the s it-second the opening passes.
ON THE TRAIN:
COMMUTERS ride along in blissful ignorance, reading their
papers, holding on to the handrails... completely unaware
of the gunfight raging outside the train.
A bullet whizzes through an open window, pierces a
BUSINESSMAN'S paper, and exits a window on the opposite
side of the car. The man sticks his finger through the
hole, unaware of the battle outside. What the hell?
IN THE ALLEY:
On opposite sides of the train, Wesley and Cross are both
sprinting and firing, trying to get to the end of the
last train, while dodging each other's bullets...
.as the last car passes, they each jump on the tracks,
ending u with guns tucked under each other's chin!
CROSS
Wesley!
This takes Wesley aback...
CROSS (CONT'D)
Look into my eyes!
Wesley's finger is starting to squeeze his trigger... as
is Cross's.
CROSS (CONT'D)
(growls, in pain)
Look into my eyes, goddammit!
78.
Finally, Wesley does and his face goes slack as he sees
himself reflected in Cross's Dupils.
Just then, Fox pulls up in the Porsche about fifty yards
away, and her headlights illuminate them.
Cross shifts his eyes to her, then does a curious thing:
he lowers his gun, then drops it to the ground. Wesley
can't believe Cross would leave himself defenseless.
Moving swiftly, Cross men tucks something into the
Rocket of Wesley's hooded sweatshirt.
CROSS (CONT'D)
(WHISPERS)
Everything they told you was a lie,
Wesley.
With that... Cross falls down. His black jacket spills
open to show a gun shot wound not just to his shoulder,
but to hig n too. one of Wesley's bullets through
the train must have found its mark.
Cross is bleeding profusely. He gasps a couple of
times... then, with his last bit of energy...
CROSS (CONT'D)
Find the missing piece. And... don't...
let them... dispose of the weapon...
With that, the life goes out of Cross's eyes.
Wesley stares at that face, trying to decipher some
meaning there. But Cross just stares blankly back at
him, just as Fox comes limping up.
FOX
You did it, baby! Son of a bitch, you
did it. You put down motherfucking
Cross!
Wesley looks down and sees some of Cross's blood on his
hands from their clench. There is also some on the gun
he is holding. ar --h d ed crun.
Wesley reaches down and takes the other pearl-handled gun
from where it dropped and looks over them both.
FOX (CONT'D)
What'd he say to you?
Wesley looks up, sees some sort of anticipation in Fox's
eyes. He looks back down at Cross's body..
79.
WESLEY
He said... he said 'pies on the
Fraternity...'
Fox measures him, like she's not sure if he's telling the
whole story. Finally, she nods...
FOX
Well... damn, I couldn't be more proud of
you, baby! Let's go lay this on Sloan!
WESLEY
Yeah, sure.
FOX
What's wrong?
WESLEY
I think I need.a minute to myself.
FOX
(UNDERSTANDING)
Sure. It's your first kill. I'll wait
for you...
WESLEY
Naah, that's all right. You need to get
stitched up. I'll meet you at that
Korean place.
FOX
You sure?
But he's already walking off. She watches him go,
thinking...
CUT TO:
EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT
Wesley walks down the street. PEOPLE instinctively get
out of his way as he cuts a path down the sidewalk.
Then he pulls out what Cross slipped inside his pocket:
a beaten-up copy of COUNT OF ONTE CRISTO. In fact,
there's no mistake, it's the same copy he had as a kid.
Wesley tries to make sense of this as he opens up the
cover... printed on the inside in a steady hand are the
words: "I left you something."
Wesley lowers the book and sees a cheesy guy park a
Harley at a curb. He bee-lines for the guy.
80.
EXT. HIGHWAY - MORNING
Wesley now blazes down the highway, pushing the Harley to
its limits. His angry expression hasn't dissipated.
EXT. SUBURBAN STREET - MORNING
The Harley pulls up to a lower-middle-class house, the
kind you might find in any run-down suburb. Kids run
around the neighborhood, playing.
ON THE BIKE:
Wesley sits and looks at one particular house. He climbs
off'and heads to the side of the house, still carrying
his book.
SIDE OF THE HOUSE:
He ducks through a broken chain-link fence and moves down
the side of the house...
.until he finds a familiar wooden BOARD. Familiar
because we've seen this place before: it's where he
lived when he was a foster kid.
He removes the board, then reaches into the hole. His
hand seizes on something. From the hole, he withdraws a
KEY attached to a note with an address on it: 1850 North
Highbury St.
Wesley's eyes move from the copy of MONTE CRISTO, to the
key, and back to the book.
Finally, he lowers his hands... revealing a little eight-
year-old kid, watching him curiously from the back yard.
WESLEY
Hey.
KID
Hey.
WESLEY
You live here?
The kid.nods .
WESLEY (CONT'D)
Foster home?
4014 The kid nods again.
81.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
Read this.
He tosses the kid the book and heads off.
EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET - DAY
He pulls the Harley over to a curb and then reaches into
his jacket pocket and withdraws the note and the key.
Across the street, the address matches: 1850 N.
Highbury. The place looks like a concrete fortress... no
windows, just a large-iron door in front.
Wesley approaches, not sure what the address could mean.
He gets to the door, looking for a key-hole, but he
doesn't find one.
He fidgets there awkwardly for a second, but then...
.the door opens, revealing a woman, ANNA. She takes a
look at Wesley and then puts a trembling hand over her
lips.
ANNA
Come in, Wesley.
He stares at her, trying to figure this out. He steps...
INSIDE THE HOUSE:
.and finds that the place is nicely decorated; an
attempt to cover up what is really a reinforced bunker.
Anna is now trying to hold back tears, but can't.
ANNA
He's dead, isn't he?
There's no point lying to this woman...
WESLEY
Yes, ma'am.
She nods knowingly, sadly.
ANNA
He told me if he didn't come back... it
would be you who pulled the trigger.
WESLEY
✓ He killed my father...
82.
Anna looks at him, confused. But then, realization sets
in...
ANNA
I think you need to meet someone...
she leads Wesley into another room, where a five-year-old
boy, plays the floor.
ANNA (CONT'D)
Wesley. This is your brother... Andrew.
Wesley's not sure what to make of this.
WESLEY
My brother?
ANNA
Half-brother. But both of you, you are
both 100 percent your.father's boys.
I've seen that from the beginning.
Andrew is busy playing with a couple of BLACK TOY
BUILDINGS on the floor. Wesley studies the little guy,
still confused.
ANNA (CONT'D)
Your father... he was with you the whole
time.
Wesley looks up and sees what she's referring to. The
walls are filled with pictures of Andrew, Anna, and...
remarkably...
...photoaraths of Wesley at various ages w hgn he was-
growing u !
ANNA (CONT'D)
This was his favorite.
She hands him a picture of Wesley at about age 12,
sitting with his back to a tree, reading COUNT OF MONTE
CRISTO. The picture has been taken through a windshield,
across the street.
Wesley reels, his legs give out, he slumps against one of
the walls...
FLASH: Cross firing at Fox and Wesley at the grocery
store. But now we see that Fox positioned Wesley between
herself and the shooter. He wasn't trying to hit Wesley,
he was trying to separate him from her.
83.
Wesley, thinking, remembering...
FLASH: Wesley studying Cross's face in the file, seeing
that there isn't jealousy in those eyes.
Wesley still slumped against the wall, surrounded by
pictures of himself...
FLASH: Wesley reflected in Cross's pupils.
Holy shitl!! Cross was his father!!! Wesley looks up at
Anna's kind face...
ANNA (CONT'D)
When your father and I found each other,
when we had Andrew, he said he could no
longer live the way he had been living.
He said he wouldn't give us up, the way
he had given up his first eon.
Wesley stares at the picture... he can't believe he was
being watched back when he felt so alone.
ANNA (CONT'D)
It was his greatest regret.
She leaves him in the room, alone, with his brother.
Wesley watches the kid, trying to process it all.
For the first time, emotions overcome him, and he breaks
down...
.but he's too tough now to sob, so he forces the Bob
down in his throat and blinks back the tears. Goddamn,
he has a brother.
IN THE KITCHEN OF THE SAFEHOUSE - NIGHT - LATER
He walks up behind Anna, who is sipping some coffee at a
kitchen table, red eyed.
ANNA
would you like some coffee?
WESLEY
I'm okay.
Wesley sets the key down on the table.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
Do you know what this opens?
CUT TO:
84.
A LONE KEYHOLE in a solid closet door.
Wesley sticks the key in and swings the door open
revealing a LONG BLACK COAT, just like his father's.
ANNA
I guess it's not much of an inheritance.
WESLEY
(STEELY)
He left me more than this.
Wesley takes the coat and folds it over his arm.
ANNA
I want you to know that he forgave you
before you ever pulled the trigger. He
tried to keep you out of it for so
long...
WESLEY
Why didn't he just tell me?
ANNA
once they had you... he couldn't risk it
unless you were alone. He knew his one
shot at telling you might be his last.
Her eyes harden a little bit.
ANNA (CONT'D)
You have to finish what he was doing,
Wesley. It's the only way any of us will
ever be free. Especially your brother.
They won't stop hunting us... your father
knew that.
Wesley nods.
WESLEY
I'll be back as soon as this is over.
ANNA
You have family here.
Wesley nods, these words meaning so much to him.
INT. KOREAN BAR-B-QUE JOINT - NIGHT
Fox eats in a small restaurant in the heart of Koreatown,
the kind of place that has the hot hibachi grills on the
S table tops.
85.
The place is mostly empty, quiet, with mainly Korean
faces both dining and serving. It's the kind of place
where you can eat and not be bothered.
The doors swing open and Fox looks up. The silhouette of
e I URE IN THE DOgJLWM is disturbing, a familiar
person in a long black coat...
FOX
Jesus.
She squints, the setting sunlight nearly blinding her as
all she can see is a silhouette...
FOX (CONT'D)
For a second there I thought you looked
just like Cross.
Wesley steps into the light and moves over to the table
as Fox lights up a cigarette.
WESLEY
Skipped the hospital?
FOX
He picked me clean and I don't care much
for needles.
She blows out a lungful of smoke and watches as it rises
toward the ceiling.
FOX (CONT'D)
Sloan's on his way.
One of the waiters waves to her to put out her smoke and
she just stares him down. The man backs off, nodding and
smiling.
FOX (CONT'D)
You want something to eat, baby?
WESLEY
I'm all right.
FOX
They got some good shit. Ostrich,
chicken... won't fill you up too much if
you're watching your calories.
WESLEY
Naah.
8€.
FOX
Well, the big man should be here any
minute...
WESLEY
Yeah.
(BEAT)
Listen, can I ask you a :question?
FOX
Baby, you can ask me anything you want.
He focuses on her eyes, zeroing in on the pupils.
WESLEY
Did you know Cross was my father?
FOX
What?
WESLEY
Did you know?
Closer, closer... tight on those pupils...
FOX
O AW
What're you talking about Wesley? Cross
killed your father.
EXTREME CLOSE-UP:
We see her pupil swell, just a tiny bit.
KOREAN BAR-B-QUE:
He saw it... exactly what Sloan told him to look for when
someone is lying.
And from the look on Fox's face, she knows he saw it.
FOX
Goddammit, Wesley...
She stabs out her cigarette, crushing it on the hot grill
so that it SIZZLES.
FOX (CONT'D)
Why'd you have to ask me that?
With that, she kicks back from the table, holding a huge
black Smith and Wesson revolver.
$7.
Wesley only has a millisecond to respond,-and he does by
kicking over the table, which sends food and utensils
flying, but also shields him from Fox's bullets.
Just as quickly, Fox leaps up on top of one of the other
tables, trying to keep her heels on the sides so that her
feet don't touch the hot grill. If she's wounded, we
wouldn't know it.
Wesley does the same on a nearby table. They take shots
at each other as they leap from table to table, avoiding
the sizzling centers, but they're both so quick that no
bullets find their mark.
Then Fox takes a running leap at him, moving ferociously
fast. She's like the animal she's named after, and she
launches off one of the tables...
.and catches Wesley flush, kno in him backwards, a
form tackle on to a table...
..where he lands Quare on the oven top... PSSSSBHH...
and his guns go flying across the room as...
.the table to starts to burn through his clothes!
%AW
WESLEY
Arrrh!
FOX
You shoulda known better, baby...
But he rolls over, taking Fox with him, and now the oven-
is burning into her back.
With all her strength, she bucks him off and then flips
herself backwards off the table. With another kick, she
sends the hot table flying at him. It rips free from its
wiring, and the nozzle sprays gas out into the
restaurant... SSSSSSSSS...
Wesley knocks the flying table out of the way, but not
before it burns his arm as he blocks it.
Spotting his guns, he sprints for them as Fox unleashes a
hailstorm of bullets.
But he's too damn fast, and he dives across the floor
Pete Rose style, sliding to a stop at the precise moment
where his hands come u holSling his weapons.
In.one fluid motion, he flips back over and EAM! BAM!
BAM! BAM! BAM!
88.
shoots bullets up in the air and then flicks his wrists
so they arc over at the open gas nozzle!
The bullets strike it, sparking, and then BOOM!!!:
fireball b sts from nozzle, while a great Riume of
sweltering fire keeps pouring out!
Fox dives to get out of the way, which gives Wesley the
opening he was looking for. He FIRES again, and one of
his bullets knocks her crun away and another nicks her in
the side of the face.
She stops, seeing the blood drip down her cheek and off
her chin. This only seems to enrage her.
Pissed, she produces two S R GUNS out of the small of
her bac -- where she had them hidden we have no idea --
and charges Wesley like an unleashed Pit Bull...
FOX (CONT'D)
(SCREAMS)
Aaaaahhhh!
She's firing both muzzles and her bullets find the marks
this time, knocking Wesley's guns out of his hands from
where he lies flat on the floor.
She's disarmed him, and now he's defenseless...
.and Fox stands over him, breathing hard, her face
bleeding, both gun barrels pointed right at Wesley's
face...
FOX (CONT'D)
I gotta admit, baby...
She starts to squeeze both the triggers...
FOX (CONT'D)
I thought we might have a future...
But, Wesley drives a fist into her wounded leg and she
reels...
In the same motion, he grabs her wrists and pulls her
toward him... taking her guns right out of her hands like
a quick-change artist.
Flipping them over, Fox's face full of surprise is the
last expression she'll ever have because...
BAM! BAM!!!
69.
Most of Fox's face is blown clean fr her head, and a
blood mess s ra s a oss the wall.
Wesley leans his head back and closes his eyes, the spume
of fire flickering brightly against his lids, the events
of the last several hours washing over him.
FADE OUT:
For several moments, there is nothing but darkness and a
silence as permanent as death. Finally...
WESLEY (V.0.)
There's a town in Germany called
Leverkusen that had a bear hunter named
Hans Koblenz.
FADE IN:
EXT. KOREAN BAR-B-QUE JOINT - LATER
Sloan, the Butcher and the Pharmacist walk across the
parking lot toward the door of the smoking Bar-b-que
joint.
WESLEY (V.0.)
60 During his life, he was said to have
killed over four hundred bears and was
the pride of this small community on the
Rhine. You want to know how he died? A
pair of black bears singled out his house
from the entire village, mauled his wife,
killed his twin daughters, and then lied
in wait for him to get back from the
woods.
INT. KOREAN BAR-B-QUE JOINT - LATER
The fire is out, but it has blackened the inside of the
joint, so that it looks like an absolute war zone.
Fox is in the same position as when Wesley shot her, but
there's a sheet of paper folded on her chest.
The Butcher and the Pharmacist flank Sloan as he
approaches the body, frowning.
WESLEY (V.0.)
When the hunter opened the door, they
ripped his throat out before he could
scream.
(MORE)
90.
WESLEY (V.0.) (CONT'D)
The two bears then curled up on the rug
LW in the middle of the floor -- the rug
that had once been their father -- and
proceeded to bite. each other till they
bled to death.
Sloan reaches down and picks up the paper, and sees
beneath it that pearl-handled revolver. The one with the
blood on the handle.
WESLEY (V.0.) (CONT'D)
That's a true story.
He unfolds it, to read printed in black ink on the paper:
7'HE GATES OF T.T ARE OPEN
Sloan folds the paper back up and looks at the blood on
the gun.
SLOAN
He knows.
CUT TO:
INT. SLAUGHTERHOUSE ROOM - NIGHT
Wesley stands in the slaughterhouse, holding two pistols,
looking around. The place has been cleaned out. There's
no sign of the Butcher.
INT. PHARMACY - NIGHT
Same thing at the Pharmacy, an empty store now...
INT. LIBRARY - NIGHT
.and in the Fraternity's library, nothing. All the
books are gone...
Wesley processes this, frowning. He keeps walking to
the...
MAP ROOM:
.where the entire model city has been destroyed, like a
Giant has trampled it beneath its feet.
Wesley stoops over and pulls one smashed building out of
the mess, looking at it, thinking, thinking...
.and then he's up and moving quickly.
CUT TO:
91.
INT. CROSS'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Anna opens the door for Wesley, who looks like he is on
to something...
WESLEY
My father... he was working on a plan,
right?
ANNA
I don't know. There was so much he
wanted to keep away from us...
Wesley moves into Andrew's roan... where the boy is still
playing with the black model buildings.
Wesley moves over and crouches down next to Andrew.
WESLEY
Can I see that for a second?
The boy hands him the building in his hand. It is
painted jet black, except for one corner of the first
floor, which is painted red. Wesley looks up at Anna.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
Do you know where he got this?
INT. BASEMENT - NIGHT
Anna leads Wesley down some wooden steps into Cross's
basement.
Sure enough, the entire floor of the basement has been
made into a model map, similar to the one that the
Fraternity used in the map room, but all the buildings
are black, with an occasional red mark.
The scale is larger, the model shows only one section of
the city, and a BLUE LINE indicates a route through the
streets.
And on the wall are PICTURES and CLIPPINGS of Henry
Helms.
Wesley squats over it, trying to figure out what his
father's plan was. He sees a missing place for a
building and puts Andrew's toy back in place, then
studies the map some more.
/'" ANNA
I-" Does this mean anything to you?
92.
There are large question marks painted on various
buildings along the Helms' route.
WESLEY
(AWED)
My God, he's been planning it from the
beginning.
(BEAT)
This is a Fraternity hit. Cross... my
fathar... set up Henry Helms as bait,
knowing Sloan would use his best men for
the job. He was going to take them all
out.
Wesley looks at it some more.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
Only he didn't know where on the route
they would try and hit Helms. That's the
missing piece he was t rying to figure
out.
ANNA
Do you know the answer to that?
Wesley looks up at her, resolve on his face.
WESLEY
No. But I know who does.
CUT TO:
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
It's dark. Really dark.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
A lump in a bed stirs.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
The lump stirs a little more...
CUT TO:
NICOLE, the hot girl from Wesley's office, moves to her
peephole and looks out, but there's no one there.
She opens the door and gives a quick look down the hall,
then shuts it and hurries to her kitchen.
93.
She starts to open a cabinet but stops, GASPS and jerks
back, scared shitless.
Wesley is-in her kitchen, lust a few-feet away. She
looks at him.
NICOLE
Jesus...
(seeing who it is)
Wesley? Is that you?
He looks bruised and battered, but there is a hardness to
his eyes.
WESLEY
It's me, Nicole.
NICOLE
What happened to you?
Wesley wipes his eyebrow with his thumb, like he's
considering what he wants to say next.
WESLEY
I asked you once if you thought I was an
observant person.
She doesn't understand... but suddenly we...
CUT BACK TO:
INT. MEETING ROOM - DAY
.that meeting room from his old job. In fact, it's a
replay of that same scene. Wesley is still sitting there
with his note pad, the words "LIFE SUCKS AND THEN YOU
DIE" printed over and over, while the consultant
continues to rattle on and on.
Through the blinds behind the speaker, Wesley spots the
hot intern Nicole, still talking on the phone. And just
like before, he's zeroing in on her, but this time, we
keep zeroing in and zeroing in, until we see something we
didn't see before...
Nicole reaches up over the counter to grab a stack of
papers, and her shirt pulls slightly up from her back...
.and that tattoo of Cerberus. &)A- three-headed !log _is
,printed there, in the exact same place Fox had...-and we
keep zeroing in on it and zeroing in on it until we...
../
SMASH CUT TO:
94.
INT. THE TATTOO ROOM - FLASHBACK:
Where Fox is tattooing his hand again and we get another
taste of that conversation they had...
FOX
(COYLY)
Who said I was the only sister? Maybe
you just haven't met any others yet..
WESLEY
(playfully back)
Maybe I have and I'm just not telling
you.
.and now with the gift of hindsight, we see that Wesley
meant what he said, and we...
SMASH CUT BACK TO:
INT. NICOLE'S KITCHEN - NIGHT
Wesley still stands there, just a few feet away from her.
WESLEY
Sloan didn't just have one person in my
office watching me, he had two.
NICOLE
What are you talking about?
WESLEY
What name do you go by? The Intern?
He points at her tattoo.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
Because I know you have the mark.
Nicole's face changes, goes hard, like someone flipped a
switch.
Like lightning, she grabs for a butcher's knife but
Wesley is faster. He pins her wrist back, twisting until
she drops the knife.
She lunges again, but a pistol comes up right below her
chin.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
Where's the Henry Helms hit going down?
Where's Sloan?
95.
NICOLE
Sloan's not your biggest problem,
fuckface.
WESLEY
Yeah? Why's that?
She reaches over, slowly, so he knows she's not going to
go for a knife... and she turns on a small TELEVISION
sitting on the kitchen counter.
The screen comes to life, showing an inf mercial for the
F ob'e.
Nicole shakes her head and. flips up the channels... and
now we see what she wanted to show him...
ON THE NEWS:
Wesley's EMPLOYEE PHOTO fills the screen above a
reporter's head while the REPORTER babbles in a serious
voice...
REPORTER
.responsible for several recent
shootings, including one tonight at this
Korean restaurant downtown and another at
an outdoor mall. Details are sketchy,
but we repeat, if you see this man,
please contact...
IN NICOLE'S KITCHEN:
She starts cycling through the news channels...
...and each one shows. different REPORTERS standing
outside the smoking bar-b-que, or talking about Wesley,
or speaking with police. One is even interviewing
Wesley's old boss, Janice, who is very happy for the
forum...
ON THE NEWS:
JANICE
He was aggressive toward me and other
employees... a very negative person,
extremely negative. I can't even repeat
the words that came out of his mouth the
day we let him go...
96.
IN NICOLE'S KITCHEN:
WESLEY
Motherfucker. Dispose of the weapon...
(BEAT)
Me.
NICOLE
That's right. And the cops were told to
watch this place too. You have nowhere
to go. He's smarter than you. He'll
feed the cops evidence singling you out
for every hit the Fraternity has pulled
in the last ten years.
WESLEY
(ignoring her)
I'm only going to ask you one more time.
Where can I find him?
NICOLE
You won't get to him. You can't. The
cops will be here any second!
Wesley reaches over- -and cranks up a gas burner, the
menacing flame on high.
WESLEY
Then this is going to get painful
quickly.
She stares at that blue flame, fear in her eyes for the
first time.
He starts pushing her head toward it, closer and
closer...
WESLEY (CONT'D)
Henry Helms. Where is it going down?
The first SCREAM from Nicole is lost in...
THE FRONT DOOR:
BAM. BAM BAM!
POLICE OFFICER (0. S.)
Open up! Police!
The door to Nicole's apartment smashes open and four cops
burst through the door, guns ready.
97.
They spread out quickly, checking out the place. One of
the disappears into the kitchen...
POLICE OFFICER 2 (O.S.)
Oh, Christ.
CUT TO:
EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING ROOFTOP - NIGHT
SIRENS wail and a HELICOPTER hovers nearby as Wesley
stands on a roof, looking down on the scene. He sees
EMT's roll a gurney out toward an ambulance as COPS cover
every inch of the ground.
From where he is, it looks like every cop in the city is
here.
ON THE GROUND:
One COP looks up and sees a figure on the roof, long
jacket blowing in the breeze. Surprisingly conspicuous.
COP
What the fuck?
K
COP 2
What is it?
The first cop points up toward Wesley on the roof.
COP 2 (CONT'D)
(into the radio)
Air Support can you get a beam on the
four-story southeast of our position?
ON THE ROOFTOP:
Quickly, a spotlight lights up the spot where Wesley was
standing, but now we see it's iust an air-conditioning
vent with soave loose streamers flapping off of it. Damn,
it looked just like Wesley a moment ago... was it?
HELICOPTER PILOT
(on the radio)
Negative, roof is clean.
EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT
Wesley steps out of a dark doorway, his hard eyes
following a police car as it roars by without noticing
him.
98.
He pulls his jacket collar up, puts on.a skull cap, and
takes off in the opposite direction, away from the scene.
He passes a newspaper dispenser, but the CAMERA STAYS.on
the front page, which is still talking about Henry Helms.
The CAMERA HOLDS ON A photograph of Helms, which...
DISSOLVES TO:
Morning...
INT. HOTEL ROOM - MORNING
.where HENRY HELMS himself is tying a tie in a hotel
mirror. He's a handsome enough guy, distinguished even,
but he looks tired, like the weight of living under a
death threat has dragged him down.
A door opens, and we see his wife, SARAH HELMS, step past
two, huge BODYGUARDS to come in.
SARAH HELMS
The car is here.
EXT. HOTEL SIDE DOOR - DAY
A gaggle of large bodyguards surround the Helmses as they
hurry out of a side door and make it into a LIMOUSINE.
They notice the half dozen MOTORCYCLE COPS positioned
around their limo.
A LEAD BODYGUARD holds the limo door for them.
HENRY HELMS
(re: the cops)
What's all this?
LEAD BODYGUARD
We're not taking any chances.
He shuts the door for them before climbing behind the
steering wheel.
The limo starts to make its way down the drive, flanked
in front and in back by dark SUBURBANS and the motorcycle
cops.
EXT. RIVER - DAY
Commercial ships cruise up and down a river, under an
expansive BRIDGE.
99.
Sitting next to the incline to the bridge, is an
abandoned four story building, what used to be.a
HOSPITAL.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOFTOP - DAY
A guy looks down at the street with his binoculars. It's
the Gunsmith!
THE GUNSMITH
(into a radio)
Nothing yet, sir.
EXT. BUILDING ROOFTOP - SAME
On another tall building, Sloan talks into a radio.
SLOAN
Hold until I give the word.
He clicks off the radio and looks into his palm, where-
e's holding that pearl handled aun, fingering the dried
blood.
ON A CITY STREET:
The suburbans and cops flank the limo as it rolls through
the concrete jungle.
IN THE LIMO:
The bodyguards peer up at the buildings ready for
anything.
Henry Helms reaches over and grabs his wife's hand, a
reassuring gesture. But his white knuckles betray his
trepidation.
The driver watches as they reach a frontage road on the
east side of the river.
ON THE ROAD:
They make a turn along the river and haul ass toward the
bridge. Traffic is sparse and they look like they have
an easy clear passing.
ON THE HOSPITAL ROOFTOP:
The Gunsmith sits, waiting patiently...
100.
ON ANOTHER ROOFTOP:
Sloan watches the Limo starting to approach the bridge.
SLOAN
(into the radio)
Here comes the car. Any minute now.
Take your positions.
Sloan leans out over the edge of his building, gun ready.
QUICK SHOTS:
On the hospital roof, the Gunsmith puts down his
binoculars and picks up a rifle.
The Pharmacist leans over the edge of a building and
looks down, high-powered rifle in his hand.
On another building, the Chef does the same.
And on still another building, the Gardener also gets
ready.
Each killer is in a different spot and has a gun, pointed
and ready, just waiting for the signal...
ON THE ROAD:
The limo is about halfway up the incline now, a sitting
duck, hellfire about to rain down upon it.
ON THE HOSPITAL ROOFTOP:
The Gunsmith waits, waits, waits...
.and then, out of nowhere, surprising the hell out of
him, a knife is held to his neck from behind.
The Gunsmith doesn't even so much as swallow, as the
blade is so tight against his throat that it draws a drop
of blood.
GUNSMITH
(NERVOUSLY)
Wesley?
The CAMERA MOVES TO THE SIDE to show Wesley crouched
right behind him, a look of icy determination on his face
as he holds the knife in place.
101.
WESLEY
(GROWLS)
The name is Cross.
In the distance, the Helms limo moves on, safely.
WESLEY
Looks like you missed your chance. Now
where is Sloan?
The Gunsmith feels the edge in Wesley's voice.
GUNSMITH
You don't understand, man. This ain't
about Helms. The Intern told you right
where to go...
He smiles.
GUNSMITH (CONT'D)
.I'm just the decoy.
THE CAMERA WHIPS around behind Wesley... to show that
three laser sights are lighting up his back in a perfect
pattern.
And now we see it, this was al a Bet-up to get Wesley in
the open. The three surrounding rooftops, slightly more
elevated, hold each of the three assassins crouched-in
sniper positions, zeroed in on Wesley's back.
But instead of surprise, Wesley just leans in closer to
the Gunsmith's ear.
WESLEY
(WHISPERS)
She told me that, too.
And with that, he rolls the o0 over of ,
just as the assassins on the higher rooftops all unleash
a hail of bullets.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! The Gunsmith takes a dozen
shots, all in the chest, but none of the bullets make it
through the Gunsmith's body.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
Should've studied your anatomy, fellas.
Wesley FIRES BACK indiscriminately at the neighboring
rooftops, lying on his back, using the.dead assassin's
body as a shield.
102.
Quickly, he bucks the Gunsmith's body off of him and
scampers for a nearby stairwell.
ON THE ROOFTOPS:
The assassinB-all disappear from their positions and head
to the street.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL BUILDING - GROUND FLOOR - DAY
Wesley bursts from the stairwell doorway and moves to the
front door of the building. He clicks the empty
cartridges out of his guns and is about to reload when he
hears a sickening sound behind him...
The sound of two knife blades being rubbed together...
.and Wesley turns to f' the Butcher there waiting for
The Butcher quickly hurls a knife, which buries in_the
fleshy part of Wesley's shoulder 1
Wesley ignores it and fires...
i L
SAM BAM! DING DING!
The Butcher deflects them with the knives in his hands:
Wesley goes to fire again but his firing chambers recoil,
showing that he is out of ammo.
The Butcher's eyes go wide...
THE BUTCHER
Like I told you... the blade will always
live on.
WESLEY
I remember some dumb shit like that
coming out of your mouth.
Wesley tosses the guns in his pockets and then nulls out
the kniZ2 in his shoulder.
They charge each other, the blades whizzing and clanging
off each other as each tries to gain an edge.
The fight spills out the front door, and into...
103.
THE STREET:
.the two men slashing, ducking, and moving in the
middle of the street. -
Wesley strikes three auick swipes acrosiLthe Butcher's
face And forehead, filling his eyes with blood.
The Butcher grabs his face and sees the blood streaming
on to his hands. He tries to wipe the blood from his
eyes, but it's just getting worse.
THE BUTCHER
I can't see!
WESLEY
But you can hear. So hear this: To cut
the subclavian artery, hold the knife ice-
pick style...
Wesley lunges and the Butcher is defenseless to stop it.
WESLEY (CONT'D)
...and thrust down behind the clavicle,
cutting side to side.
He does just as he describes and the big guy topples over
as his gore spills out into the street.
But before he can gloat, Wesley realizes his new
predicament...
He's standing in the middle of the street, and at one end
is the chef, and at the other is the Gardener. To make
things worse, directly across the street from Wesley is
the Pharmacist, and each has a gun on him.
THE PHARMACIST
Three on one, mate. You're out of ammo.
And you're in a part of the map with no
Fraternity stashes.
(LAUGHS)
That's what I'd call a real ball ache.
For a moment, Wesley stands there, sizing up the
situation. His eyes swivel from the Gardener to the Chef
to the Pharmacist.
Just then, the buildings ound all of them go black.,
just like in cross's model! Wesley's eyes fall on the on
the red corner of the nearest building, a cement block
making up a decorative support column in front of it.
104.
Wesley smiles.
WESLEY
I'm working off of a different map.
With that, the world goes back 12 its natural colorB, and
he races for the building, jumping up onto and over a
Lexus parked at the curb. The three assassins fire
relentlessly at him, but their bullets slam into the car,
smashing it to bits... as...
. on the other side of it, Wesley goes into a slide just
as he reaches that cement block... affixed to it is a
small SILVER CROSSI Wesley slaps his hand on the Cross
and the cement block mechanically opens, revealing: a new
pair of sophisticated MA ISHIS I
As his adversaries converge on him, Wesley takes the
guns, spins, splits both hands apart and we...
SPLITSCREEN:
...to follow both of his bullets in flight.
ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE SCREEN:
.THE BULLET from the left gun heads for the Chef. He
tries to drop down, but the bullet curves downward, it
pierces his body... and...
INSIDE HIS BODY:
We see the bullet ricochet off of one of his ribs-exit
his side and head for the Pharmacist, while...
ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SCREEN:
...the bullet from the right gun heads for the Gardener,
who moves fast to fire his own gun, but the bullet
catches him in the wrist, knocking his gun out of his
hand, and...
INSIDE THE WRIST:
. it hits the Gardener's scaphoid bone, ricocheting out,
also, right at the Pharmacist...
THE SCREEN RETURNS TO NORMAL:
.just as the two bullets come together...
THE PHARMACIST
Bugger.
105.
hitting the Pharmacist on both sides of-his head,
before he can even react.
Wesley watches a pink spray shoot out from both sides of
the Pharmacist's head as he falls to the asphalt, dead.
But Wesley's not through, he moves over to the Gardener
and rolls him over.
WESLEY
Where is he?
THE GARDENER
Where it started..
BAN! Wesley ends it for the Gardener.
EXT. ROOFTOP - DAY
We've seen this place before. It's the same roof where
cross took out the second head of
The door is kicked open and Wesley walks out, eyes
blazing.
Sloan is waiting for standing t feet away,
holding his father's pearl-handled gun, trained right on
Wesley's head.
SLOAN
Can't say I don't have a sense of irony.
The place I first decided to bring you
in.
Wesley is clutching his wounded shoulder with his wounded
hand as blood starts to seep out of it in big red drops.
SLOAN (CONT'D)
You once asked why I helped hide you as
an infant... It gave me power, Wesley'.
Power to become a head of the Fraternity.
Power over your father. And ultimately
it gave me you: the perfect weapon to
kill your father.
WESLEY
But now you have to dispose of the
weapon.
SLOAN
In some ways it pains me to do so. You
460 are like the son I never had.
106.
WESLEY
Fuck you.
Sloan's eyes narrow.
SLOAN
Fine. Keep your worthless dignity.
You're still just the same loser we
plucked off the street six weeks ago.
Wesley continues to bleed, taking this in. Sloan laughs
derisively.
SLOAN (CONT'D)
You can't win, Wesley. The Fraternity is
everywhere. Even if you kill me others
will come from other cities to take my
place. You'll be hunted your whole life.
(BEAT)
But that's not gonna happen. Like I told
you before, when we are called, death is
as certain as the sun.
Wesley stands as straight as he can muster. The two men
face each other like two gunmen on Main Street in Dodge
city... an old newspaper even blows through like a
tumbleweed.
And we are close on Wesley's face. act it i the
same shot from the opening of the movie.
WESLEY
Six weeks ago, I was ordinary and
pathetic.
We see now that his healthy hand is inching away from his
bleeding arm, reaching into his sleeve...
WESLEY (CONT'D)
But not today.
With that, he nulls out the matching pearl-handled gun,
the twin-brother of the one Sloan is holding, and they
both open fire...
.Wesley shoots Sloan's bullets out of the air and Sloan
does the same. Just like he did with h' father.
.But Sloan is good, and one of the bullets finds it's
mark, hitting Wesley sSMarely in the same arm that took
the knife.
107.
WESLEY (CONT'D
Uhhh!
He can't raise his arm, it's useless, but he's come too
damn far to stop now... he flips his gun from his good
hand to his bad hand and manages to keep FIRING!
Then Wesley does something unexpected... he starts
sprinting straight at Sloan, still knocking his bullets
out of the air...
He closes the gap... ten feet... five feet...
..a surprised and worried expression now spreads on
Sloan's face,.like what is this kid doing?
But Wesley is not stopping, he shoots the gun out of
Sloan's hand and then closes on him, tackling him off his
feet!
They go flying right over the edge of the building.
Wesley's able to grab on to a railing cable and stop
himself...
..but Sloan is going to go over.
At the last moment, Sloan reacher. for-something.
anything. and grabs one-handed the barrel of
Wesley's gun...
For a moment, they dangle there in this precarious
position, looking each other in the face. Sloan can't
believe he's been bested by this kid.
SLOAN
(SNARLS)
Go ahead and shoot me, killer. Just like
you did your old man.
Wesley's finger starts to squeeze the trigger, but then
he smiles...
WESLEY
I'm done with this life. Just like my
father.
And with that, Wes1gy drops the n out of his h
FROM TWO HUNDRED FEET BELOW:
We watch Sloan's body fall through the sky...
108.
..down, down, down...
.until it SMASHES into the sidewalk, splattering like a
grapefruit.
ON THE ROOFTOP:
Wesley rolls over on to his back, looking up at the
darkening sky.
WESLEY (V.O.)
It's true. Six weeks ago I was ordinary
and-pathetic. Just like you.
He sits up, moving OUT OF FRAME.
CUT TO:
EXT. CITY STREET - DAY
The place is now blanketed with cops, looking at the dead
bodies, trying to make sense of what happened.
WESLEY (V.0.)
But I've learned something in that time.
I've learned about the man who made me.
EXT. DOWNTOWN CORNER - DAY
Cope stand on the street, handing out pictures of Wesley,
asking pedestrians if they've seen this man.
WESLEY (V.O.)
I've learned about the man I am.
INT. POST OFFICE - DAY
Patrons stand in line at a post office, but the'CAMERA
PUSHES PAST THEM, finding a black and white "WANTED"
poster of Wesley, describing all the killings he's
responsible for. It holds tight on the picture.
WESLEY (V.0.)
I've learned that all of us are unique,
even though sometimes we're too fucking
blind to see it.
EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET - DAY
The door to the safehouse opens, and Anna, Wesley and
Andrew step out into the bright sunlight. Wesley is
carrying his little brother.
109.
They turn and head up the street, toward the eastern sun.
The CAMERA RISES UP, UP, UP, where it hovers for a
minute... and just when we think it is going to leave the
planet...
WESLEY (V.0.) (CONT'D)
And I learned, the easiest place to hide
is in plain sight.
.it comes back DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, until it finds...
INT. TYPICAL INSURANCE OFFICE - DAY
..Wesley sitting at a computer in the middle of another
cubicle maze, pecking away at his keyboard. A sign
attached to one wall reads: "SAN ANGELO INSURANCE
ASSOCIATES: Setting the Bar Highl"
Office workers mill about in their drab suits and ties,
wishing they were anywhere else.
A pretty RECEPTIONIST comes over to Wesley's desk.
RECEPTIONIST
You're the new guy, huh?
WESLEY
Just started last week.
RECEPTIONIST
Where'd you move here from?
WESLEY
All over the place, really. Nothing too
exciting.
RECEPTIONIST
Well, welcome to the team. Just watch
out for Brokaw. He'll stab you in the
back first chance he gets.
Just then, a harried man, BROKAW, comes storming up.
BROKAW
Jesus, Connie, don't you have some faxes
to get to?
The receptionist hurries away, making a face as she does.
BROKAW (CONT'D)
Laziest skirt I ever hired. But nice fun
bags, I'll give her that.
110.
He leans over Wesley's desk, right in his space.
BROKAW (CONT ' D )
Jim, right?
WESLEY
Yes, sir.
BROKAW
Listen, Jim, I don't want to get started
off on the wrong foot here, but we.have
numbers to make and if we don't make
those numbers, it's my ass on the line.
And if my ass gets chewed out by
regional, I can guarantee.that your ass
is gonna be Purina doggy chow. Now I'm
not sure how they ran things...
Wesley stares at that mouth zeroing in further and--
further, until the words become gibberish, just like they
did with Janice.
Wesley catches himself and snaps out of it, just in time
to hear...
BROKAW (CONT'D)
.so do we understand each other?
WESLEY
Of course.
BROKAW
Good boy.
With that, he hurries away, his pants riding so high up
his ass that they look like they may burst at any second.
Wesley stares up at the clock on his monitor: it reads
11:15. He stands up, stretches, and makes his way to the
receptionist's desk. She looks up, bites her lower
lip...
WESLEY
You want to take a break with me?
RECEPTIONIST
Sure!
She stands and they move toward the elevators, waiting
for the doors to open.
RECEPTIONIST (CONT'D)
You know, we don't usually get breaks.
Just then, the elevator doors DING.
WESLEY
Well, you'll find there's nothing "usual"
about me.
They climb in.
THE CAMERA PUSHES IN TIGHTER AND TIGHTER on Wesley's
face...
WESLEY (V.O.)
This life is ours, to make of it what we
can.
.until it fills the screen, looking just like the shot
of Wesley we started with. And then a sly smile spreads
across his mug...
WESLEY (V.0.)
I think I'll give it a shot.
.and as the doors close, we officially...
FADE OUT.
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