something twisted from a man you thought you knew

CINEMATIC DEATH ROW

INT. PRISON - DAY

In his new purple jumper, a very angry man faces the prison bars before him. A guard walks by the bars and exclaims:

GUARD
How you like the new jumpers?

The guard raps his nightstick against the cell bars.

ANGRY MAN
Fuck you.

The guard turns to him and through the bars jabs a bloody nose on the angry man’s face with the butt end of his nightstick.

The angry man falls to his knees. His hands try to keep the blood from escaping his face but it easily runs through his fingers.

GUARD
Fuck you child rapist mother fucker!

The freshly bloodied face of the angry man slowly lifts to see the guard commanding a subordinate to unlock the cell door.

GUARD (CONT’D)
We’re gonna show him the importance of appreciating the new bitch uniform-
(turns to angry man)
-bitch uniform. Because that’s what you are. My purple bitch.

The door opens. The subordinate stands back. The guard steps in with his stick raised.
The angry man turns his face to avoid it being struck and receives a blow on the shoulder. We hear a CRACK. No doubt that the bone is broken. The angry man let’s out an excruciating SHRILL of pain.

GUARD (CONT’D)
That’s a compound fracture, no doubt.

The subordinate chimes in.

SUBORDINATE
No doubt.

GUARD
Gimme your ray-gun, thing you got there.

The subordinate removes his tazer from his belt and hands it to the guard. The guard zaps the angry man as fast as he can get his hands on the tazer and the angry man slumps to the floor and convulses until the convulsions become more like quivers. And the quivers into stillness and deep painful breaths. His body now feels cold and he can’t seem to remove his eyes from the wall before him, yet he really isn’t looking at anything at all.

GUARD (CONT’D)
So, what you’re trying to communicate with all these subtle little tremors your pathetic shitty body is doing here is that you like your new purple faggy dinosaur jump suit you got on, there?

The angry man’s response is the same thing he was doing before he was asked the question: slightly shaking.

GUARD (CONT’D)
That’s what I thought. You love them.

The guard puts the bloodied butt of his nightstick in the angry man’s mouth. He moves the phallic butt in and out between the lips.

GUARD (CONT’D)
Faggy dinosaur suit... purple, yeah.

The warden enters and we hear his voice booming from behind the guard.

WARDEN
Staffer! What the fuck are you doing?

Staffer doesn’t seem to be bothered or surprised by the voice of the warden.

GUARD
Oh, I’m just... teaching a lesson on gratitude. But, the teaching is over now.

The guard jabs the nightstick into the angry man’s mouth one last time. This jab is too deep and the angry man gags.

GUARD (CONT’D)
And he’s learned to be more grateful for what we provide him.

When the nightstick slides out of the man’s mouth a stream of vomit follows.

WARDEN
Staff!

The guard stands.

GUARD
Yes, warden.

WARDEN
Get this man cleaned up. He’s being released.

GUARD
What, sir?

WARDEN
JUST FUCKING DO IT!

Spit shoots from the warden’s mouth and hits the guard in the face. The warden turns and leaves.


INT. PRISON - ADMINISTRATION WINDOW - LATER

We see the angry man with a plastic guard on his nose, band-aids under his eye, an eye patch, and a sling with an unnecessarily large wad of bandaging wrapped around his shoulder. His hands are cuffed but he’s still able to sign the paper on the table at the administration window. As he does this he manages a little smile.

The administrator behind the bars of the window leans forward to the angry man.

ADMINISTRATOR
They fucked you up, Stumpy. Fucked you up good. But, you’re a piece of shit, so I don’t give a damn. I just want to know why the god damn they letting you out? Someone on Row like you never sees outside these walls again. A piece of shit fuck like you. What strings your lawyer pull? Huh? Who’s dick you suck in you faggy purple suit, huh? Where you goin’? And quit smiling you pervert piece of shit faggot! Tell me. Answer me.

With the grin remaining on his face, the angry man replies:

ANGRY MAN
I’m gonna be in pictures.

The administrator immediately spits in the angry man’s face.

ADMINISTRATOR
Fuck you, you faggoty purple bitch faggot mother fucker ass-wipe cunt faggot! Be in pictures. A fucking snuff film maybe. Where they fuck perverts like you in the ass and then hang’em!

The angry man’s grin widens and we can see the dreams of stardom in his eyes

ANGRY MAN
Pictures. They’re letting me go and I’m gonna be in pictures.


INT. BACK OF VAN - AFTERNOON

We’re driving in the back of a van with all the windows roughly painted. Sunlight seeps though the unpainted slits on the painted windows and lightly touches on everything within. The riders shake and hop with the bumps on the road: two guards with the angry man, who has both his ankles and wrists chained.

The van stops and we hear the footsteps of the driver make his way around to the back. All eyes are on the door as it creaks open and sunlight floods in. Everyone squinting, they make their way out the door and onto a bridge in the middle of deep valley between dry-red rolling hills against a cloudless sky. It’s just past noon. It’s hot.

A feisty young director approaches them as he rubs his hands together excitedly. He directs his attention to the angry man.

DIRECTOR
How are you? Good ride?

The angry man doesn’t know how to respond. The director nods and just keeps talking.

DIRECTOR (CONT’D)
So, OK. The uh - end here, see?... You’ll just... Jump, OK?

The angry man takes a moment to soak in the sincerity of the director who’s staring at him, nodding his head and beaming at him with excited little eyes.

ANGRY MAN
Jump.

DIRECTOR
Yes. The girl is going to drive by you and let go of the scarf. The white one. The one of purity and of love for one another. She let’s go. And that’s when you "let go" as well... Your well of your will to live instantly dries up and in the crux of such a moment of disparity you turn to make the irrational decision of...

The feisty little director turns out to the deep valley below them and bends his knees with his arms out like a skier ready to take on the slopes. Then he mimics as if he were to lunge forward and plummet to the dry river bed bellow them.

ANGRY MAN
Jump?

DIRECTOR
Yes, exactly. Thank you. Dafney here will unchain you and... we need you to change into these clothes.

Dafney unchains the angry man and places a pile of clothes in his hands. The angry man looks down off the bridge.

ANGRY MAN
I ain’t jumping.

DIRECTOR
Yes. Yes you are. You signed to get out of prison to do this.

ANGRY MAN
I didn’t sign for this.

DIRECTOR
Yes you did. And now you will no longer be sentenced to die in an electric chair, but now you will be dying at the base of this valley. A vast distance below us.

ANGRY MAN
There’s no net?

DIRECTOR
No net!

The feisty director lets out a loud guffaw, clutches his belly and begins backing away.

DIRECTOR (CONT’D)
No. No there’s no net.

The angry man looks below him once more and then looks to the excited man backing away from him.

ANGRY MAN
You really want me to jump? You want me to change... suicide?

The director nods and rubs his hands together with pleasure.

DIRECTOR
And we’ll start filming when you’re ready. But remember only to jump after the lady drives by and releases the white scarf. Then you turn and -

ANGRY MAN
It’s not even that far!

DIRECTOR
Well, you better fall right then. We only have one take. Aim for your landing on your head.

The angry man drops his clothes and begins running away. But as soon as he steps forward a bullet ricochets off the cement at his feet. He stops and crouches, looking around frantically for the shooter.

DIRECTOR (CONT’D)
There are guns on every hill surrounding this bridge!

The angry man turns to face the director. Behind the director we see a man get out of a car and remove a cigarette from his pocket. The man looks exactly like the angry man; as if he were the angry man’s twin. The angry man squints with contempt.

ANGRY MAN
Ernesto!

The director swings his head around and yells at Ernesto.

DIRECTOR
Get back in the car!

Ernesto lights his cigarette.

ERNESTO
It’s hot in there.

Ernesto has smeared make-up on his face that resemble the wounds on the angry man’s face. He has a nose guard as well, only Ernesto’s nose guard dangles from his neck.

DIRECTOR
And stop rubbing your make up.

ERNESTO
It’s irritating.

DIRECTOR
(looks into the van)
Betty, can you re-apply that immediately.

ANGRY MAN
Ernesto! Are you an actor now?!

The director shakes his head at Ernesto.

DIRECTOR
Great. You need to calm him down. Make him... make him feel that he’s doing this for his family. Or something. Helping out your career to replace the dishonor he’s stained your family name with.

Ernesto pushes the director out of his way.

ERNESTO
You fuck, Stumpy! I can finally do whatever the fuck I want to do with out you in my god damn way! You need to do this to salvage the broken family you left.

The director leans in and whispers in Ernesto’s ear.

DIRECTOR
Good. Good, give him ethics.

ANGRY MAN
You’re pathetic. What are you? Turned Christian? Turned “pure” and fucking turned me in? -to save your own ass. And now you’re trying to use me?! Kill me? For some death scene!

ERNESTO
Fuck you! You’re gonna die today! Might as well jump for the camera. And I’m gonna put it on repeat for Janey to watch over and over.

The angry man laughs.

ANGRY MAN
How’s your scared up girly? Still talking? Does she talk anymore? Is she still strapped down getting fed intravenous medication and staring at the ceiling? You go visit? Wipe her drool for her?

DIRECTOR
Oh, no.

Ernesto runs forward.

ERNESTO
Fuck you!

The director stands back and watches as the scene unfolds on the bridge before him:

Ernesto charges the angry man and the angry man faces him; ready for a fight.

Ernesto tries to strike first, but fails to hit his target.

The angry man ducks, then he shoves Ernesto in the chest with his undamaged arm.

Ernesto flails off balance over the edge of the bridge.

We hear his scream fall to the depths below.

Then the echo of the THUD reaches up to the bridge and confirms for everyone the inexorable death of Ernesto.

The director grabs his head.

DIRECTOR
NO!

A shot rings out and the angry man collapses on the bridge with blood pouring from his stomach. A pool of red grows rapidly larger in diameter beneath the angry man.

The director watches in horror. His astonished face turns to the camera man.

DIRECTOR (CONT’D)
Did you get any of that?

The camera man shrugs and then continues on the lens mount he has exposed for cleaning in his preparation to film.

The director lunges at the camera man.

DIRECTOR (CONT’D)
AAAAAhhhhhh!

The director looks down off the bridge at the corpse of his dead actor.

DIRECTOR (CONT’D)
Oh, shit.

He looks over the dead prisoner and notices the line of guards coming down from the hills surrounding the bridge. He looks back to the camera man.

DIRECTOR (CONT’D)
We’ve got to get this shot off.

CAMERA MAN
He’s dead already.

DIRECTOR
We have to finish this film!

The director turns on his walkie-talkie:

DIRECTOR (CONT’D)
Send the driver for a run, we’re doing a take.

WALKIE-TALKIE
Right now?

DIRECTOR
(to walkie-talkie)
One minute exactly. Get him ready.
(turns to camera man)
Can you be ready in one minute?

CAMERA MAN
Ready for what?

DIRECTOR
You're job, man. What do you got there in your hands? C'mon.
(pointing at the dead angry man)
We're gonna get this body at least falling off the bridge.

CAMERA MAN
Well, we’ll have to throw him off this side then, I don’t want to get his dead brother in the shot.

DIRECTOR
Good. OK. Dafney! Drag the body closer to the other edge of the bridge.

Dafney hesitates.

DAFNEY
But, he’s dead.

DIRECTOR
We all signed on! We all knew he was going to die! Now he’s dead. I never said this would be easy. Shot one was botched! That happens. We’ll compromise. You’re my AD. please, drag that body over there and- Don't cry. No. No. I really need your help right now. You got it? You can do this. It's all you. It'll be over in a second...
(pointing at the camera man)
Get an overhead shot. Right off the edge of the bridge. Make sure to get his limbs all flailing and all.

With tears in her eyes, Dafney begins dragging the dead body to the other end of the bridge. She leaves a trail of thick red scrapes along the way.

The camera man sets his tripod over the edge.

CAMERA MAN
Ok. Uh.

The director turns to the sound man standing near a van.

DIRECTOR
You working?

SOUND GUY
I’m ready. It’s hot as shit, let’s do it.

The director looks out to on coming shooters from the hills

The AD looks down off the bridge and wipes the tears from her eyes.

DAFNEY
We’re ready.

The camera man looks though his eye piece above the corpse.

DIRECTOR
Got your focus?

CAMERA MAN
If he’s falling, you don’t want me to be focusing on him here do you?

DIRECTOR
Can’t you just rack? You can just rack it as he’s falling.

CAMERA MAN
In one take?

The director motions for the sound guy to get closer. Then he turns to the AD. The camera man brings his eye back to the eye piece and licks his lips.

DIRECTOR (CONT’D)
Push him.
(camera man)
Start rolling.

The AD pushes the body and it slides nearer to the edge. The camera can be heard fluttering.

CAMERA MAN
Rolling!

The body slips off the edge.

DIRECTOR
Got him in frame?

CAMERA MAN
Yeah, he’s bright purple.

DIRECTOR
We’ll change that in post.

The sound guy fiddles with his electronic box and head phone jack. Then,

SOUND GUY
I didn’t turn the recorder on.

We hear the echo of a distant thud. The director turns to the sound man.

DIRECTOR (CONT’D)
Really? This project was doomed from conception.

CAMERA MAN
I didn’t see him splatter either. He kind of went under the bridge a little. The breeze or whatever... I missed it.

The camera man takes off his hat wipes his brow and leans back from the edge. After staring at him for a moment the director snaps at him.

DIRECTOR
Well, can you get it now?

CAMERA MAN
How?

DIRECTOR
Just a different angle and film him and all the blood and all the splatter from there. We need it on film. Somehow. This is our ending... And I guess we can't do re-shoots, or ADR. Well...

The shooters from the hill arrive. The director directs his attention to them.

DIRECTOR (CONT’D)
Who shot him?!

SHOOTER
Why’d you throw him off the bridge?

DIRECTOR
We needed him alive!

SHOOTER
He wasn’t dead. We shot him with a tranquilizer.

DIRECTOR
All the blood though...?

The shooters start giggling together.

SHOOTER
It’s goats blood. Filled up in his vest. We put it on him on the ride over here. We thought it’d be funny... give you a little scare.
(looks off the bridge then back to the director)
Who threw him off?

The shooters apprentice points over at Dafney.

APPRENCTICE
It was her. I saw it.

Dafney looks bewildered.

SHOOTER
I think we’ll be needing to take you along with us.

DAFNEY
(shaking her head)
No. Why?

SHOOTER
Well, we’re not sure, but it’s probably illegal what you did.

DAFNEY
He was a condemned man. Condemned to death.

SHOOTER
Yeah, but nobody said you could kill him.

DAFNEY
I thought he was already dead.
(turns to the director)
You told me to?

The director looks at Dafney then over to the judging eyes of all the shooters.

DIRECTOR
I don’t remember. It was all such a rush.

The shooter looks directly at the director and studies him.

SHOOTER
It’s better that you keep not remembering. My kids love your pictures. It would be a shame for you not to be able to make pictures on account of this.
(grabs the AD)
C’mon then.

DAFNEY
It was a mistake! I can’t -

The shooter slams the butt end of his rifle in the AD’s face. She waivers off balance looking up at the sky then she falls into the arms of the shooter’s apprentice behind her. She’s then hoisted over the apprentice’s shoulder and carried off.

SHOOTER
Alright then.

The shooter puts out a hand for the director to shake.

The director shakes it tentatively. They maintain eye contact.

SHOOTER (CONT’D)
Let me know if you can get me in to see this picture once it’s done.

DIRECTOR
Yeah. Sure. Bring your crew, we'll need help filling the theater. If we can even afford that. I'm sure we just lost all our funding. The uh- lead was just pushed off this bridge.

SHOOTER
I don’t want any of my men’s names on the credits you hear?

DIRECTOR
No, well. I don't have their names. I wouldn't mind the name of the person who shot the prisoner. Just for the court case. So... if you could-

SHOOTER
Alright then. Good day to you, sir.

The director looks around the shooter and sees his AD bouncing on the shoulder of the apprentice walking toward a van.

DIRECTOR
OK.

The shooter turns around and leaves the director and his stunned crew standing there to watch his exit.

The shooting team enter the van and take off down the road.

CAMERA MAN
What do you think they’re gonna say happened?

No one responds.

CAMERA MAN (CONT’D)
Is it our responsibility to report them for strapping the prisoner with a blood filled vest? I don’t think the vest was part of what we signed for.

DIRECTOR
I don’t know. I'll need you as a witness. You'll be my witness?

CAMERA MAN
I don’t think I want to get involved. But - I don’t know... Dafney... wow she really killed him.

DIRECTOR
On accident. Well, not accident. God, what degree of murder is that considered?

CAMERA MAN
Accident or not. He’s dead. She pushed him.

DIRECTOR
Yeah. Let’s go down there and see about this goats blood vest. Why the fuck would they do that?