Basic Script
The French tried to build a canal here
before the Americans.
At the height of their effort,
500 workers...
...were dying every week
from malaria and yellow fever.
They couldnt come up with
cemetery space fast enough...
...not to mention the morale problem
all those crosses would have made.
So they bought shiploads
of vinegar in Cuba...
...and in each barrel,
they sealed one corpse.
A
Riders on horseback cross the desert. From this distance they appear to be a company of Army Cavalry Soldiers.
CLOSER ANGLES ON THE RIDERS
Reveal only details of saddles, hooves and uniforms. The riders are silhouetted against the rising sun as they ride into an ancient CLIFF PUEBLO.
The OFFICER IN COMMAND raises his hand halting his troops.
OFFICER
Dis-mount!
RIDERS climb down from their mounts.
cross the street, now peeling off his suitcoat and
dropping that, too, right there on the asphalt as we then...
WHIP PAN OVER TO REVEAL: A BANK ACROSS THE STREET
As Foley goes inside, we then...
CUT TO: A PRINTED BROCHURE THAT READS...
LOOKING FOR MONEY?
YOUVE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE.
We then PULL BACK TO REVEAL that were now...
INSIDE THE BANK
as Foley stands at a counter holding the above CREDI
cross the keyboard. The molecule blinks on
and off, it trembles and twists apart.
SEBASTIAN
Damnit.
Sebastian pears out his window. Across the courtyard, a
light comes on in a neighboring window. He sees a
BRUNETTE, mid-twenties, absolutely stunning, enter her
living room. The Brunette thumbs through the mail, tosses
it and then begins to undress. Sebastian loans over to
the window, getting
CROSSING - MORNING
A handful of ZAIREAN POLICE guard the primitive landing.
REFUGEE VILLAGERS camp along the banks in the b.g.
One POLICEMAN passes out half-cooked monkey.
The POLICE CAPTAIN chews on a bloody haunch, licking his
fingers. The Ferry Bell RINGS O.S.
Now a jeep HORN HONKS O.S. approaching --
THEIR POV - THE EBOLA RIVER
The primitive Ferry parts the mist. Four wooden canoes
held toget
cross his forehead -- three solid circles,
intersected by straight lines.
The aliens reach for LASER-GATLINGS and FIRE, but they cause no
damage. Brainiac instead grabs the weapons, jamming them into his
body -- consuming the lasers into his form, energizing. He drops
the guns, and his hands morph into tendrils, which plunge into the
chests of the terrified Aliens. He absorbs their life forces,
m
cross the opening. The
bars disappear down into the thin ice of early winter.
With the house visible BG, we CRANE DOWN below the parapet wall
along which a guard is a white exposure-suit is walking... down
along the dark wall to the grating... TILTING DOWN to see a
glow pulsing under the ice.
3 EXT. BENEATH THE ICE, UNDERWATER - NIGHT
Camera moving toward: A FIGURE in diving gear working at the
cross the porch. She looks at the porch light
hanging above her head.
A SHATTERED LIGHT BULB occupies the socket.
Pamela turns her attention to the front door... its slightly
ajar. She pushes on it gently.... the door swings open
freely, revealing the darkened interior.
PAMELA
Shit...
Pamela drops her purse... darts across some hedges into the
neighbors yard...
EXT. THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR
Pamela run
zero.
The committee wont be happy.
- The committee.
- You seen Weeks lately? Hes been skating the river.
I dont care. Im about to be on
the cover of Sports Illustrated.
That photographer said I have
one of those expressive faces.
- A face that tells a story.
- Too bad its a tragedy.
- A comedy.
- A horror story.
Come on, guys.
Lets start gettin our heads into it.
Like Connor says,
that Weeks kid,
WAG THE DOG
by
David Mamet
FADE IN:
A CARD, WHITE ON THE BLACK SCREEN, READS
Why does a dog wag its tail?
BENEATH IT, THE NEXT LINE FADES IN:
Because a dog is smarter than its tail.
CROSS-FADE TO THE NEXT CARD, WHICH READS:
If the tail were smarter, the tail would wag the dog.
DISSOLVE
FADE IN:
EXT THE WHITE HOUSE NIGHT
A VAN FULL OF PEOPLE STOPS AT A SIDE ENTRANCE.
ANGLE INT THE WHITE HOUSE
AT T