- —四川最大高校综合门户网
Niki Wurster Visit our Movie Scripts Page screenplay 451: http://www.geocities.com/~screenplay451/ Mao Guangqin 2 0 2000-01-15T04:49:00Z 2000-01-15T04:49:00Z 42 19240 109669 Pumpkin Software 913 219 134681 9.2504 21 6 磅 5.2 磅 0 0 The Us
SUDDENLY, he stops dead in his tracks, looking up at
the boat.
From where he stands, he can just make out the figure of a TAU, THIN MAN
walking along the edge of the deck. He moves quietly and calmly in the shadows
towards the crane, looking out of place in his expensive suit.
Something about this man terrifies him.
INT. RABIN'S OFFICE – DAY – PRESENT
KUJAN
And that's when you say in your statement that you
saw...
Kujan picks up his copy of Verbal's statement to the D.A.
KUJAN (CONT'D)
A man in a suit with a slim build. Tall.
VERBAL
Wait a minute.
KUJAN
(looking at watch)
I don't have a minute. Are you saying it was Keyser
Soze? You told the D.A. you didn't know who it was.
Verbal is drowning in Kujan's interrogation. He looks dazed.
VERBAL
I – there had to be dope there.
KUJAN
Don't shine me, Verbal. No more stalling. You know
what I'm getting at.
VERBAL
I don't.
KUJAN
YES YOU DO. YOU KNOW WHAT I'M GETTING AT. THE TRUTH.
TRY TO TELL ME YOU DIDN'T KNOW. TRY TO TELL ME YOU SAW SOMEONE KILL KEATON.
For the first time, Verbal stands and tries to move away from Kujan, but Kujan stays in his face, backing him into a corner. Verbal shields himself with his hands and shuts his eyes.
KUJAN (CONT'D)
TRY TO REEF LYING TO ME NOW. I KNOW EVERYTHING.
VERBAL
I don't know what you're talking about.
KUJAN
YOU KNOW. YOU'VE KNOWN THIS WHOLE FUCKING TIME. GIVE
IT TO ME.
Verbal looks into Kujan's eyes with genuine terror. Kujan's face is red, his body trembles. His locomotive breathing is the only sound in the room.
VERBAL
I don't understand what you're saying. I saw Keaton
get shot, I swear to you.
KUJAN
Then why didn't you help him?
VERBAL
I WAS AFRAID, OKAY? Somehow, I was sure it was Keyser
Soze at that point. I couldn't bring myself to raise my gun to him.
KUJAN
But Keaton...
VERBAL
It was Keyser Soze, Agent Kujan. I mean the Devil
himself. How do you shoot the Devil in the back?
Verbal holds up a shaking, twisted hand.
VERBAL (CONT'D)
What if you miss?
EXT. BARGE – NIGHT – ONE WEEK PRIOR
Verbal is hiding in the tangle of girders and cables on the barge.
VERBAL'S POV
Keaton's body is completely obscured. The man in a suit strides across the deck over to Keaton, stopping to relieve himself on a small fire on the deck. He walks up and stands over Keaton. The two men exchange words and the man in the suit pulls out a pistol. He points it at Keaton.
RED AND BLUE LIGHTS FLASH BEHIND VERBAL
Verbal turns. He can just make out police cars coming in the distance.
BANG!
Verbal hears a shot from the deck of the boat. He turns in time to
see the man in the suit running across the deck toward the gangway.
Verbal can barely see the man from where he is now. The man in the
suit is covered by shadows and the poor angle from the barge. Verbal strains to
see but he cannot.
The man in the suit stops long enough to pull out a lighter. He
turns and walks back across the deck and out of sight. A moment later flames
leap up from on the deck. The mesh of steel and rubber leaves a dark and open
cocoon at its base.
MOVE INTO THE DARKNESS.
Sirens are close now. Almost here. The sound of fire raging out of control.
SIRENS BLARING. TIRES SQUEALING. CAR DOORS OPENING. FEET POUNDING THE PAVEMENT.
MOVE FURTHER, SLOWER, INTO THE DARKNESS
Voices yelling. New light flickering in the surrounding darkness.
INT. RABIN'S OFFICE – DAY – PRESENT
KUJAN
Arturo Marquez. Ever hear of him?
VERBAL
Wha-no.
KUJAN
He was a stool pigeon for the Justice Department. He
swore out a statement to Federal Marshals that he had seen and could positively
identify one Keyser Soze and had intimate knowledge of his business, including,
but not exclusive to, drug trafficking and murder.
VERBAL
I never heard of him.
KUJAN
His own people were selling him to a gang of
Hungarians. Most likely the same Hungarians that Sate all but wiped out back in
Turkey. The money wasn't there for dope. The Hungarians were going to buy the
one guy that could finger Soze for them.
VERBAL
I said I never heard of him.
KUJAN
But Keaton had. Edie Finneran was his extradition
advisor. She knew who he was and what he knew.
VERBAL
I don't.
KUJAN
There were no drugs on that boat. It was a hit. A suicide mission to whack out the one man that could finger Keyser Soze so Sate had a few thieves put to it. Men he knew he could march into certain death.
VERBAL
But how – wait. You're saying Soze sent us to kill
someone?
KUJAN
I'm saying Keaton did.
Verbal cannot grasp this. He squints, trying to understand.
KUJAN (CONT'D)
Verbal, he left you behind for a reason. If you all
knew Soze could find you anywhere, why was he ready to send you off with the
money when he could have used you to take the boat?
VERBAL
He wanted me to live.
KUJAN
Why did he want you to live? A one-time dirty cop
without a loyalty in the world finds it in his heart to save a worthless
rat-cripple? No, sir. Why'
VERBAL
Edie.
KUJAN
I don't buy that reform story for a minute. And even
if I did, I certainly don't believe he would send you to protect her. So why?
VERBAL
Because he was my friend.
KUJAN
No, Verbal. You weren't friends. Keaton didn't have
friends. He saved you because he wanted it that way. It was his will.
Verbal grinds to a mental halt, trying to grasp the implication.
SUDDENLY:
VERBAL
No...
KUJAN
Keaton was Keyser Soze
VERBAL
NO.
KUJAN
The kind of guy who could wrangle the wills of men
like Hockney and McManus. The kind of man who could engineer a police line-up
from all his years of contacts in N.Y.P.D.
Verbal stands on wobbly legs, shaking with anger.
VERBAL
NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.
KUJAN
THE KIND OF MAN THAT COULD HAVE KILLED EDIE FINNERAN.
A strange look crosses Verbal's face. Shock perhaps, or revelation.
KUJAN (CONT'D)
They found her yesterday in a hotel in Pennsylvania. Shot
twice in the head.
It starts to sink in with Verbal. His eyes swell.
VERBAL
Edie...
KUJAN
He used all of you to get him on that boat. He
couldn't get on alone and he had to pull the trigger himself to make sure he
got his man. The one man that could identify him.
VERBAL
This is all bullshit.
KUJAN
He left you to stay behind and tell us he was dead.
You saw him die, right? Or did you? You had to hide when the first police cars
showed up. You heard the shot, just before the fire but you didn't see him die.
VERBAL
I knew him. He would never –
KUJAN
He programmed you to tell us just what he wanted you
to. Customs has been investigating him for years. He knew we were close. You
said it yourself. Where is the political pressure coming from? Why are you
being protected? It's Keaton making sure you tell us what you're supposed to.
Immunity is your reward.
VERBAL
BUT WHY ME? WHY NOT HOCKNEY OR FENSTER OR MCMANUS? I'm
a cripple. I'm stupid. Why me?
Verbal hears the weight of his words and falls back in his chair, Kujan looks at him with some pity,; but he is too far in to stop.
KUJAN
Because you're a cripple, Verbal. Because you're
stupid. Because you were weaker than them. Because you couldn't see far enough
into him to know the truth.
Verbal is crying now. He shakes his head, eyes closed.
KUJAN (CONT'D)
If he's dead, Verbal – if what you say is true, then
it won't matter. It was his idea to hit the Taxi Service in New York, wasn't
it? Tell me the truth.
VERBAL
(sobbing)
It was all Keaton. We followed him from the beginning.
Kujan smiles with triumphant satisfaction.
VERBAL (CONT'D)
I didn't know. I saw him die. I believe he's dead.
Christ
KUJAN
Why lie about everything else, then?
VERBAL
You know what it's like, Agent Kujan, to know you'll
never be good? Not good like you. You got good all fucked around. I mean a
stand up guy. I grew up knowing I was never going to be good at anything 'cause
I was a cripple. Shit, I wasn't even a good thief. But I thought the one thing
I could be good at was a keeping my mouth shut – keeping the code. I didn't
want to tell you for my dignity, that's all, and you robbed me, Agent Kujan.
You robbed me.
Kujan pulls the microphone out from under his tie and puts it on the desk. Verbal actually manages to snort a laugh, but only briefly, overcome by an apparent wave of nausea.
KUJAN
You're not safe on your own.
VERBAL
You think he's...?
KUJAN
Is he Keyser Soze I don't know, Verbal. It seems to me
that Keyser Sate is a shield. Like you said, a spook story, but I know Keaton –
and someone out there is pulling strings for you. Stay here and let us protect
you.
VERBAL
I'm not bait. No way. I post today.
KUJAN
You posted twenty minutes ago. Captain Leo wants you
out of here a.s.a.p., unless you turn state's.
VERBAL
I'll take my chances, thank you. It's tougher to buy
the cheapest bag-man than it is to buy a cop.
KUJAN
Where are you going to go, Verbal? You gonna run? Turn
states evidence. You might never see trial. If somebody wants to get you, you
know They'll get you out there.
VERBAL
Maybe so, but I'm no rat, Agent Kujan. You tricked me,
that's all. I won't keep my mouth shut 'cause I'm scared. I'll keep it shut
'cause I let Keaton down by getting caught – Edie Finneran too. And if they
kill me, it's because They'll hear I dropped dime. They'll probably hear it
from you.
Verbal stands, mustering his shattered dignity and walks towards the door. Rabin opens it for him from outside.
For once Kujan cannot bring himself to look at Verbal. Verbal turns to the door, stopping to look Rabin in the eye.
VERBAL (CONT'D)
Fuckin' cops.
He steps out of the room and into the hall. Rabin follows him.
INT. HOSPITAL – DAY
Daniel Metzheiser comes out of Arkosh Kovash's room with a single sheet of 15x20 inch paper in his hand. He inspects the sketch with great interest. He folds the edges of the paper back to make it smaller.
INT. HOSPITAL RECEPTION ROOM
Metzheiser walks behind the reception desk without asking the nurse for permission and helps himself to the fax machine.
INT. DEPOT – LATER
Verbal is downstairs in the depot of the police station picking up his personal belongings.
A FAT,
WHITE-HAIRED COP is checking off the
items as he takes them out of the tray in which they are kept.
COP
One watch: gold. One cigarette lighter: gold. One
wallet: brown. One pack of cigarettes.
Verbal collects his personal items and shuffles on his lame leg toward the exit.
INT. DISPATCHER'S OFFICE
Jack Baer stands by a fax machine. A green light comes on next to a
digital display.
The display reads: "RECEIVING"
INT. RABIN'S OFFICE
Kujan stares solemnly at the bulletin board, drinking from Rabin's coffee cup. Rabin sits at the desk, sifting through the mound of gapers as though considering organizing them once and for all.
RABIN
You still don't know shit.
KUJAN
I know what I wanted to know about Keaton.
RABIN
Which is shit.
KUJAN
No matter. He'll have to know how close we came.
RABIN
Keyser Sate or not, if Keaton's alive he'll never come
up again.
KUJAN
I'll find him.
RABIN
Waste of time.
KUJAN
(to himself)
A rumor is not a rumor that doesn't die.
RABIN
What?
KUJAN
Nothing. Something I – forget it.
Kujan shakes his head. He gestures to the desk.
KUJAN (CONT'D)
Man, you're a fucking slob.
Rabin regards the mess of his office.
RABIN
Yeah. It's got it's own system though. It all makes
sense when you look at it right. You just have to step back from it, you know?
You should see my garage, now that's a horror show...
Kujan is not listening. He has been staring at the bulletin board, lost in thought, his unfocused eyes drifting across the mess of papers, not looking at anything at all.
EXT. STREET
Verbal steps out into the sunlight, putting on a pair of cheap
sunglasses. He looks up and down the crowded street. People on their way to and
from lunch, no doubt.
Cars choke the street in front of the police department as they wait
for pedestrians to clear the way.
A single sheet of paper comes out of the fax machine, face down.
INT. RABIN'S OFFICE
Kujan still stares at the bulletin board.
SUDDENLY, Kujan's face changes. He leans in closer
to the bulletin board and squints his eyes. His face changes again.
First a look of puzzlement, then confusion – finally realization.
The coffee cup tumbles from his hand. It hits the floor with the SMASH of cheap porcelain.
Coffee splatters everywhere.
Rabin snaps out of his droning and looks up in surprise.
KUJAN'S POV
