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"STRYKER'S WAR"
AND SCOTT SPIEGEL
Josh Becker, 9/13/84 Registered With The Copyright 1984 ©
La Chau Four is a small village of fifteen bamboo and thatch huts that form a circle. A river runs along the north edge and rice paddies surround the other three sides. Dense jungle surrounds the rice paddies. EXT. JUNGLE - DAY A Marine Corps infantry squad moves stealthily along a well-worn jungle trail. The squad is made up of twelve men dressed in camouflage fatigues, flak jackets and helmets, their faces smeared with camouflage make-up. At the point of the squad is a young PFC who nervously scans the treetops. His knuckles, tightly gripped to his M-16, are white with fear. And 2nd LIEUTENANT GREEN, a clean-cut 25 year old. Next in line is STAFF SERGEANT JACK STRYKER, a tall strapping man. He is thirty years old. An unlit cigar butt is plugged into the corner of his mouth like it was part of his face. Next is SERGEANT WALKER J. JACKSON, (K.O.), a toweringly huge black man with the physique of a brick shithouse. He is thirty years old. Followed by LANCE CORPORAL TIM TYLER, (LOVE MACHINE), a tough fair-haired kid with a football player's body. TYLER is the radio operator and has his radio strapped to his back. The marines are spaced ten yards apart in a zigzaging line. The nervous PFC walks to the right of a large leaf lying across the trail, which he does not notice. 2nd LIEUTENANT GREEN'S foot come right down on the leaf springing a booby-trap, a malayan whip, a device with four sharpened bamboo spikes that snaps up and impales GREEN through the chest. Simultaneously, a line of bullets tear across GREEN'S stomach and chest, throwing him backward. STRYKER snaps around and empties an entire twenty-round clip of bullets in the direction the muzzle flash came from and a Viet Cong Soldier, wearing black pajamas and a conical straw hat drops out of tree. The Marines all hit the deck as bullets zing in from all directions. A Medical Corpsman crawls forward to the 2nd Lieutenant, while TYLER speaks into the handset of the radio.
JACKSON STRYKER JACKSON STRYKER turns to TYLER. STRYKER TYLER TITLE SEQUENCE: A montage of VIETNAM newsreel footage -- Napalm strikes, Cobra gun-ships firing millions of rounds into the jungle, F-14 jets strafing villages, etc. EXT. HILL 22 - DAY Hill 22 is a bunch of sandbag bunkers with corrugated sheet metal roofs surrounded by coiled concertina wire. INT. BUNKER - DAY STRYKER, JACKSON and TYLER, drinking heavily, are on Rat patrol attempting to kill rats with bayonets and K-Bar knives. They have cornered one. JACKSON
STRYKER JACKSON TYLER JACKSON He throws the knife and misses JACKSON STRYKER TYLER STRYKER JACKSON STRYKER TYLER STRYKER JACKSON
JACKSON TYLER STRYKER JACKSON and TYLER go back to the rat while STRYKER drops back on his cot and flashes back. EXT. A&W - DAY (FLASHBACK) STRYKER, who is six years younger and wearing civies, sits in the cab of a pick-up truck with a lovely, 17 year old girl named SALLY. The truck is parked at a A&W drive-in restaurant. SALLY snuggles up to STRYKER in the car. SALLY JACK SALLY JACK SALLY JACK SALLY JACK SALLY JACK SALLY JACK SALLY JACK
JACK SALLY JACK SALLY JACK SALLY She gets out of the car, slams the door and leaves. Stryker is left alone. The waitress arrives with the food. JACK EXT. HILL 22 - DAY END FLASHBACK STRYKER is jolted back to reality as Jackson hoists an impaled rat up on his bayonet. JACKSON DISSOLVE TO: EXT. LANDING ZONE - DAY (STOCK FOOTAGE) A huge CH-46 helicopter sets down and one officer quickly gets out. He is 2ND LIEUTENANT DAVID MILLER. The CH-46 immediately takes off. EXT. HILL 22 - DAY STRYKER, JACKSON, TYLER and the PFC are returning to the hill, battle-weary with several walking wounded. Medical Corpsmen and stretcher-bearers come dashing up. STRYKER sees the officer and salutes. MILLER looks at his notes. MILLER STRYKER MILLER STRYKER They walk toward one of the bunkers. MILLER
They enter the communications bunker. MILLER STRYKER INT. BUNKER - DAY STRYKER and MILLER sit at a table with a map spread out before them. MILLER STRYKER MILLER He points out the various positions on the map. MILLER STRYKER MILLER MILLER STRYKER MILLER is now angry. MILLER STRYKER MILLER STRYKER MILLER STRYKER salutes and leaves. EXT. LA CHAU FOUR - NIGHT (Stock Shot) The small village of thatched huts sits peacefully in the moonlight, EXT. LA CHAU FOUR - NIGHT In full battle gear and camouflage make-up, STRYKER, JACKSON, the PFC and another Marine low-crawl through the mud toward La Chau Four. When they get a little way out STRYKER stops and motions for the others to do the same. STRYKER takes out his canteen, takes a swig and hands it to JACKSON.
With each movement forward MILLER's pack gives off a metallic rattle. TYLER winces every time he hears it until finally he grabs MILLER by the seat of the pants and yanks him down into the mud. TYLER crawls onto MILLER's back, reaches into his pack and pulls out a mess-kit which he sets on the ground. MILLER is burning with rage. TYLER MILLER restrains himself and motions for his attack team to halt. MILLER takes the handset of TYLER's radio and whispers into it. MILLER STRYKER takes the handset of the radio from the guy beside him and keys the microphone. A very quiet static comes out of the radio on TYLER's back. MILLER EXT. JUNGLE ACROSS THE RIVER - NIGHT Twenty Marines lurk at the edge of the jungle across the river. One of them keys the mike of their radio. Static comes out of TYLER's radio. MILLER EXT. JUNGLE ACROSS THE RICE PADDY - NIGHT Twenty Marines crouch at the edge of the jungle. One of them keys the mike. EXT. LA CHAU FOUR - NIGHT Once again static comes through TYLER'S radio. Now they all wait breathlessly for the sun to rise. EXT. LA CHAU FOUR - DAWN The sun gleams down through the morning mist on the village and all of the inert, tense Marines. MILLER swallows hard. He is frightened and shaking and trying hard not to show it, although the three Marines beside him are perfectly aware of his state. TYLER takes the handset of the radio and holds it out to MILLER. He takes it, swallows again, quietly clears his throat, keys the mike and whispers. MILLER MILLER'S attack unit rises to their feet and begin moving in on the village. STRYKER, JACKSON, the PFC and the other marine also approach the village. When they are twenty yards from the village's perimeter, two sleepy Viet Cong soldiers appear from behind a hut. All four Marines immediately open fire and gun them down. Hearing the shooting, MILLER gets angry. MILLER STRYKER's attack unit continues to advance when suddenly ten more Viet Cong soldiers armed with AK-47 rifles appear around the same hut where their two dead comrades lay. STRYKER The Viet Cong open fire and before the Marines can dive to the ground, a line of bullets tear across the torsos of the PFC, the guy beside STRYKER, then veer down and across STRYKER's right leg. Screaming in pain, STRYKER drops into the mud beside JACKSON who blazes away with his M-60, keeping cover behind the dead PFC. The VC turn and see MILLER's attack team approaching and begin shooting as they run over to the other side of the village. With bullets landing all around them and more and more vc appearing around the huts, MILLER and his unit turn and run for their lives. The Marines beside MILLER turns and looks back as he's running and takes a bullet in his right eye. When the bullet exits the back of his head blood spatters MILLER. Totally sickened, MILLER stumbles and falls on his face. Without a moment's thought, TYLER and the other Marine grab MILLER's arms and drag him back to the safety of the jungle and the waiting fourth squad. The Viet Cong soldiers now turn all of their attention back to JACKSON and STRYKER, lying in the mud behind the two dead Marines. STRYKER's leg is nearly blown apart and bleeds profusely onto the ground around him. With a piece of rope from his belt STRYKER applies a tourniquet to his thigh. JACKSON
STRYKER JACKSON STRYKER JACKSON JACKSON gets off a few more rounds and wastes a VC. STRYKER JACKSON In one quick movement JACKSON pulls STRYKER onto his back, stands up and begins firing his M-60 from the hip like a madman, expended shells flying everywhere. The Viet Cong soldiers hit the deck as JACKSON, with STRYKER on his back, attacks the village. JACKSON runs into the midst of the VC, the M-60 blazing fire, and begins spinning in a circle, blasting the shit out of the huts, the VC who aren't crouched low enough and taking the head off the stone Buddha in the center of the village. After making three complete turns, JACKSON throws the M-60 and hauls ass out of the village, across the rice paddy toward the jungle where the fourth squad is waiting. The Viet Cong quickly get to their feet, run to the edge of the village and begin firing at JACKSON who is weaving and swaying like he's running for a touchdown. The fourth squad spots JACKSON and STRYKER and they all hoot and cheer raucously as they adeptly pick off the visible VC at the edge of the village. Bullets land all around his feet as JACKSON runs like the devil is after him, with STRYKER squeezing the hell out of his throat. With a tremendous final leap, JACKSON throws himself and STRYKER headlong into the foliage. The two Marines hit the ground with a thump beside the fourth squad. STRYKER gasps in pain. The Marines go crazy. A Medical Corpsman rushes over to STRYKER who reaches out and grabs JACKSON by his flak jacket. JACKSON is gasping and sweating, but grinning wildly. STRYKER is nearly blind with pain and speaks through clenched teeth. STRYKER JACKSON The medical Corpsman injects STRYKER with morphine, then attends to his shredded leg. MILLER approaches looking very shaken and overwhelmed with guilt. MILLER The morphine kicks in and STRYKER blacks
out. FADE IN: BLACK - A DOORBELL RINGS The CULT LEADER's face appears in a distorted fish eve view against black. He smiles revealing dirty, crooked teeth.
An eye looks through the viewer in the door. The fellow whose eye it is turns and calls. MALE
VICTIM INT. KITCHEN A guy and a girl sit at the table playing poker. She gives him a card which causes him to have a straight flush. They both shrug in relation to the question. FEMALE
VICTIM # 1 INT. FAMILY ROOM Two guys and a girl sit in front of the fireplace, lit candles all around, smoking a joint. The woman-turns to one of the men. FEMALE
VICTIM # 2 MALE
VICTIM # 2 FEMALE
VICTIM # 3 INT. BACK HALL The fellow at the back door turns back to the door. MALE
VICTIM # 1 He looks through the viewer and no one's there. He puts his hand on the door knob, turns it and the lock pops out. A BULLET tears through the door and comes out his back. AS HE SCREAMS and falls to the floor the door bursts open and five crazed looking hippies, including the CULT LEADER, burst in. As the CULT LEADER slowly walks up the hall the rest of the gang runs up the hall and into the kitchen and family room. EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT Gunshots flash through the windows, the sound muffled and distant. INT. HOUSE The needle has reached the end of the record and clicks against the label. THE PLAYING CARDS lay strewn across the floor. Blood drips on them. A FISHBOWL is splattered with blood which slowly descends through the water. A BABY'S BOTTLE sits in a pot of boiling water on the stove. A music box version of Brahms' "Lullaby" is heard. THE CULT LEADER HEARS THIS and turns his attention to it. INT. BEDROOM The darkened room is illuminated by the beam of light coming through the slowly opening door. The Cult Leader enters the room and his shadow moves forward toward the baby's crib. The Cult Leader stands over the crib and looks down at the crying baby, a motionless mobile hanging over its head. The Cult Leader taps the mobile with his finger and smiles, then his shadow envelops the infant in darkness. BLACK OUT: FADE IN:
EXT. VETERAN'S HOSPITAL - DAY STRYKER exits the front door dressed in an ill-fitting black suit with a white shirt. He is unshaven, has a cigar butt clamped in his jaw and walks with the assistance of a cane. On the sidewalk he passes two fourteen year old boys in the midst of an animated conversation. KID
#1 KID
#2 KID
#1 DISSOLVE TO: EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET - DAY STRYKER hobbles up the street and stops before an old house with a sign hanging in front reading, "Happy Valley Kennels." He goes up to the front door. EXT. LOWER MIDDLE-CLASS HOUSE - DAY There is a lot of barking from a multitude of dogs coming from the fenced-in area behind the house. STRYKER knocks on the front door and after a short pause the door is answered by a short, bald man in his early sixties with pince-nez glasses. BALD
MAN STRYKER The man blinks several times and looks closer at STRYKER. BALD
MAN STRYKER
STRYKER BALD
MAN INT. KENNEL - DAY The house is decorated in spotted carpeting, shredded furniture and photos of prize-winning dogs. The BALD MAN notices STRYKER's limp, but says nothing. BALD
MAN The man heads down the hall and out back. An old radio is on and STRYKER listens to the news report. RADIO
ANNOUNCER (V.0) On
the homefront -- five victims of a grisly |