The Rock

BY

Jonathan Hensleigh

Revised 10/10/95

BEGIN MAIN 'TITLE SEQUENCE:

An impressionistic montage:

A SILHOUETTED MAN in front of mirror dons his Marine dress blues.Spit polish shoes laced.Medals clipped to jacket.All in CLOSE-UP.We never see him fully.

The Man puts HIS HAT squarely on his head.EYES glint.

On the man's dresser: MARINE MEMORABILIA.Three Purple Hearts, photos of a WOMAN (his wife), PHOTOS OF MARINES in combat locales.TIGHTER into the photos, we HEAR PANICKED VOICES, EXPLOSIONS, NOISES OF BRUTAL COMBAT.

IMAGES: Through smoke, a desperate MARINE PRIVATE who knows he will never be rescued... TWO MARINES walk up to a farmhouse door; through the screen we see a MOTHER AND DAUGHTER who know what the news will be...

IMAGES: A MARINE COLOUR GUARD carries a COFFIN...Now we are the coffin as a FLAG drapes down on us. placed into a YOUNG WOMAN'S HAND.

Now we're in ARLINGTON CEMETERY.Images of the cemetery are reflected in wet puddles, as the SPIT-SHINED SHOES walk past images of the TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER a ROW OF GRAVES comes into focus

A1G CLOSE-UP on the MARINE'S HAT, and his EYES.Suddenly AN EXPLOSION and we see --

A MARINE in a jungle, radioing for help: ,You gotta get us outta here sir, Jesus, they're all over us... ! And an' EXPLOSION ends the communication ...

AIICLOSE-UP on the MARINE'S EYES and FADE IN:

EXT.ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY - MORNING

Two groundskeepers on "ride 'em" lawn mowers, BENNIE and MARLIN, smoke Camels and watch the MARINE OFFICER from the opening montage.He's alone, across the cemetery.

ACROSS THE CEMETERY

Brig.Gen.FRANCIS XAVIER HUMMEL stands before a headstone: BARBARA MCLEAN HUMMEL 1946-1996.

Hummel puts new flowers on the grave.Walks off.

EXT.ACCESS ROAD TO ARMY WEAPONS COMPOUND - NIGHT

Heavy rain.A road next to a heavily guarded bunker facility.A canvas covered ARMY TRUCK blows a tire in the road.The DRIVER gets out. Inspects the tire.

INT.ARMY TRUCK - NIGHT

FOUR MARINES in black suits dive through a hole in the truckbed floor into a MANHOLE IN THE ROAD.

EXT.ARMY WEAPONS COMPOUND - FRONT GATE - NIGHT

Three ARMY M.P.s at the front GUARDHOUSE.GENERAL HUMMEL pulls up in a SUBURBAN.The M.P.s immediately recognise him and stand more rigidly.

The M.P. waves Hummel in, saluting crisply.

INT.GRATED STORM DRAIN IN BUNKER COMPOUND - NIGHT

The four marines from the truck are waiting, readying arms.The leader is looking at his watch.Gives a hand signal to the others, and up they go --

EXT.BUNKER COMPOUND - NIGHT

The four marines emerge from the storm drain and move toward covered positions in the compound.

200 YARDS AWAY - TWO ARMY "MAGAZINE CHECKERS" emerge from a building with clipboards, on routine check.

INT.BUNKER SECURITY BUILDING - NIGHT

The Army M.P.s escort General Hummel inside.THREE ARMY GUARDS spring up from their SURVEILLANCE MONITORS.Everyone's nervous, in awe, rigid at attention.COLONEL CALLAHAN emerges from an adjacent room, sleepy-eyed.

EXT.BUNKER COMPOUND - WATCH TOWER - NIGHT

Two marines position themselves outside the door to the bunker compound's elevated watch tower.

�EXT.BUNKER COMPOUND - NIGHT

Below the watch tower, the ARMY MAGAZINE CHECKERS approach.Marines 1 and 2 spring out, armed with M-16s with over/under grenade launchers They shoot BEAN BAG projectiles at the Army Guards, who collapse, dazed.

INT.BUNKER COMPOUND WATCH TOWER - NIGHT

Marines 3 and 4 burst inside the watch tower.The guards inside spring up.BOOM BOOM, they're hit by bean bag projectiles, propelling them out the windows of the watch tower.They fall 10 feet and lie unconscious.

EXT.BUNKER COMPOUND - NIGHT

Marines 1 and 2, now in MAGAZINE CHECYERIS UNIFORMS, move to the BUNKER DOOR.They open the door with the Magazine checker's CODED CARDS.

INT.CHEMICAL WEAPONS BUNKER - NIGHT

Two ARMY GUARDS, playing poker, look up at the entering marines. Marines 1 and 2 walk straight up to the Army Guards, holding them at bay with M-16s.Before any words are spoken, one of the marines injects each of the guards with a VACCINE PISTOL.

INT.BUNKER SECURITY BUILDING - NIGHT

Four more marines led by SGT.CRISP enter, holding Col. Callahan, General Hummel and the Army Guards at bay.

The marines begin cuffing the Army Guards to the radiator and taping their mouths.

Sgt.Crisp hits the FRONT GATE'S OPEN BUZZER and follows Hummel out of the room.

EXT.ARMY WEAPONS COMPOUND - FRONT GATE - NIGHT

The gate swings open.TWO HUMVEES enter the compound.

EXT.CHEMICAL WEAPONS BUNKER - NIGHT

The marines use a 'rabbit tool, (hydraulic, compact and powerful) to pry open the bunker's steel doors.They rush down a hallway.

CHEMICAL WEAPONS BUNKER - INTERIOR HALLWAY - The marines rush up to another steel door and quickly pry it open.

INT.C.B.W. BUNKER - NIGHT

A refrigerated storage room for chemical weapons.Storage tubes are labelled: V.X. POISON GAS.Across the room are rockets labelled: 55 115 MM BOLT ROCKETS.

Using the TRACK HOOK SYSTEM in the bunker's ceiling, the marines move the V.X. CHEM ROUNDS and BOLT ROCKETS to the waiting humvees.It's very fast, like clockwork.

EXT.ARMY WEAPONS COMPOLIND - FRONT GATE - NIGHT

The Humvees, followed by Hummel in his Suburban, roar out of the compound.CUT TQ:

INT.H " EL'S SUBURBAN - NIGHT

Hummel on a c.b. radio: A textbook exercise, gentlemen. Rendezvous in eleven hours.

EXT.F.B.I. FIELD OFFICE, FT.DIETRICK, MD. - DAY

Establish headquarters for chemical/biological weapons.

INT.F.B.I. OFFICE - CHEMICAL/BIOLOGIAL DIVISION - DAY

A WINDOWED DOOR stencilled "Chemical/Biological Weapons Division." A RUBBER DART hits the glass and drops into A TRASH CAN next to the door.

ACROSS THE ROOM - BILL GOODSPEED, 30, and partner/trainee MARVIN ISHERWOOD, 25, feet up on desks, with toy guns.This is Man's Boredom. A ceiling fan circles.Isherwood yawns; scratches neck with his gun barrel.

GOODSPEED reloads.Aims.Fires.

THE DART hits A CARDBOARD TARGET across the room which activates a Rube Goldberg series of events ending in a PLASTIC GIRL being ignited in a PAN OF CHEMICALS.

GOODSPEED, without even getting up, casually sprays the pan with flame retardant foam.

A KLAXON sounds.Isherwood smiles excitedly.

INT.F.B.I. CHEMICAL WEAPONS - BASEMENT CORRIDOR - DAY

Isherwood follows Goodspeed down a grimy, off-white corridor illuminated by antiseptic light.This is an older building.Hasn't been refurbished and shows it.

INT.F.B.I. CHEMICAL WEAPONS - LABORATORY - DAY

A medium-sized laboratory, where 5 F.B.I. TECHNICIANS are bent over tables of beakers, test-tubes, Bunsen burners, etc.The room and equipment are old and used; could be 1976 rather than 1996.

Along one side of the lab is a plexi-glass wall. Inside the plexi-glass is an airlocked GAS CHAMBER. F.B.I chemists LONNER and LING motion to Goodspeed.

DR. LONNER

C'mere, Billy. (points inside gas chamber) A dog at J.F.K. got a whiff of something postmarked to a Bosnian refugee camp.Could be detergent, could be seran gas.

INSIDE THE GAS CHAMBER - is a LARGE WOODEN CRATE next to a TABLE OF POISON DETECTION INSTRUMENTS.

Isherwood does so.It's shaky.

Hold on Goodspeed's uncertain look, and CUT TO:

INT.GAS C ER - DAY - MINUTES LATER The door HISSES open.Goodspeed and Isherwood, in vulcanized rubber suits and visored helmets, enter. They go to the INSTRUMENT TABLE before the crate.

A GLASS VESSEL with tiny air holes (like a salt shaker) descends from the ceiling.Inside are COCKROACHES. .

Goodspeed grabs a pry-bar from the instrument table-and slowly pries open the cratels wooden lid.He motions to Isherwood.Together they gingerly lift the lid.

INSIDE THE CRATE - it's filled with "UNICEF" type stuff. Goodspeed lifts out a HOT-PLATE.Isherwood lifts out an EGG BEATER.Gocidspeed runs a POISON SENSOR past each.

Isherwood lifts out a DOLL.Goodspeed's POISON SENSOR'S NEEDLE goes crazy... !

The doll's eyes open.Its mouth blast a PINKISH SPRAY, hitting Goodspeed's forearm and Isherwood's palm.

OUTSIDE THE GAS CHAMBER - DR.LING stabs a button marked "exhaust" and another marked "emergency."

A KLAXON sounds.F.B.I. TECHNICIANS race for the exit.

IN THE GAS CHAMBER - The pinkish gas hovers in the air. CEILING EXHAUST FANS begin to suck it up.

IN THE GLASS VESSEL - The cockroaches convulse, flip in the air and explode, guts splattering the vessel walls.

DR. LING looks at a DIGITAL CLOCK on the control panel.

Goodspeed grabs the doll from Isherwood, slams it on the table, and grabs A SCALPEL.Cuts open the doll's chest.

ISHERWOOD looks at his RUBBER GLOVES.The rubber is beginning to bubble and corrode.

GOODSPEED peels back the doll's plastic chest, revealing: a C-4 EXPLOSIVE DEVICE and TEN POISON AMPULES.

Isherwood's and Goodspeed's rubber gloves are melting.

Dr. Lonner flips on the sprinklers.The pipes KNOCK.A FEW PATHETIC DROPS trickle from the SPRINKLER HEADS.

Isherwood, terrified, jerks open an OVERHEAD CABINET, revealing several 6 inch needled SYRINGES.

Isherwood fumbles with a huge syringe.

The pipes are KNOCKING, now they're COUGHING.

ISHERWOOD sinks to his knees, holding the huge syringe in front of his heart, hari-kari style, hands trembling ...

GOODSPEED concentrates on the device; his calm is unsettling.His hands flash, grabbing instruments and performing precise, deft, functions.He snips a wire and splices it.Another.Another.

Isherwood moves the syringe closer to his chest.

ISHERWOOD drops the syringe.Fumbles for another... GOODSPEED, ice-cold, continues on the device ...

GOODSPEEDIS RUBBER GLOVE is stretched to transparency. we see GOODSPEED'S FLESH through the acid-eaten rubber.He makes one final cut-and-clamp.THE DETONATOR on the poison gas turns off.

OUTSIDE THE GAS CHAMBER - GREEN LIGRTS FLASR on the control panel and A TORRENTIAL SPRAY soaks GOODSPEED AND ISRERWOOD.Isherwood is wide-eyed and trembling.Goodspeed glares at him.

EXT.GEORGETOWN - STREETS/ALLEYWAY - DAY

The bohemian part around Georgetown U. Goodspeed heads down an alley between two townhouses.LOUD COUNTRY MUSIC emanates from an apt. above. Goodspeed ascends.

INT.GEORGETOWN - GOODSPEED'S APARTMENT - DAY

A young woman stands in the middle of the living room, belting out a Carlene Carter tune in cowboy boots, rhinestone blouse and skirt.CARLA PESTALOZZI, 20's, is playing guitar, accompanied by a boom box.

Goodspeed walks past her into the kitchen.Carla turns down the music. Goodspeed re-enters with a Budweiser.

Goodspeed sits heavily on the couch.Rubs his temples.

Carla changes the c.d.: A PUCCINI OPERA plays.