THE TRIPWIRE
A Screenplay
By
Jonathan Vankin
WGAW REG. # 1214707
CONTACT: Amy Schiffman
Echo Lake Entertainment
aschiffman@echolakeentertainment.com
For 50 years, 14,000 American troops
were stationed at the Demilitarized Zone
separating North and South Korea.
In the case of a North Korean invasion,
these soldiers would be no match for
the North's million-man army.
They were expected to do little other than die.
The intent was for their destruction
to immediately trigger a full-scale
U.S. military commitment.
Military strategists in the Pentagon
called these troops the "tripwire" for war.
EXT. WILDERNESS - DAWN
The pale orange sun rises between snow-capped mountain peaks.
A deer drinks from a crystal clear pond.
Swans alight amidst the brush.
A butterfly sets down on the petals of a dewy wildflower,
resting its wings.
A badger sniffs its way along a stretch of grassy soil. A
rusted tab of metal protrudes from the ground.
The badger shuffles around it, notices the tab. Sniffs it.
Bumps at the tab with its nose. Nothing. The curious badger
gives it one more bump. Click. And...
BOOM! The land mine blows up. Poor little badger!
A few feet from the late badger, a standard-issue American M1
military helmet, crusted with the rust of decades.
Weeds and a dandelion grow through two neat bullet holes in
the helmet.
Welcome to the KOREAN DEMILITARIZED ZONE. The final hot spot
in the Cold War. 1993.
EXT. NORTH KOREAN MILITARY OUTPOST - DAWN
Artillery batteries. Tanks. Bunkers. Korean People's Army
(KPA) soldiers in immaculate but oversized uniforms march,
drill, repair vehicles and artillery.
Young, skinny and short, KPA soldiers are deathly serious.
About everything.
A flurry of activity surrounds a windowless cement hut. Out
of the bunker come two men in civilian dress, INTELLIGENCE
OFFICERS.
Their attire, informal but neat. Each wears a pin with the
image of "Great Leader" Kim Il-Sung.
The intelligence men flank a HOODED FIGURE in a sweatshirt
and a surgical mask. They lead the hooded figure to a cast
iron door, opening on a closet-size cement structure.
The entrance to an passageway UNDERGROUND.
They salute the hooded figure, who disappears down a ladder.
Soldiers close the door, bolt and padlock it.
EXT. KOREAN DEMILITARIZED ZONE - AFTERNOON
The South Korean side. No swans, no deer. Just troops. Three
young American soldiers: MAXIE ROSEN, WAYNE PARRISH and
CHRISTIAN DAVIS.
From a ridge, looking down into the North, they patrol the
DMZ, a stretch of observation towers and razor wire.
Maxie, 22, is a nice, Jewish boy from Menlo Park, CA. A short
timer, just there for the G.I. bill. Figuring out what to do
with the rest of his life.
Wayne, a few years older, a SERGEANT. All-American, career
Army, from Tulsa. What his country asks, that's what he does.
Christian, Maxie's age, a bad-ass former Penn State football
player. The Army trained him to kill. He likes that. He badly
needs an excuse to kill someone. Anyone.
POV through a TELESCOPIC RIFLE SITE: a KPA soldier, far in
the distance.
The rifle belongs to Christian, who aims it toward the North.
CHRISTIAN
Your ass is mine, motherfucker.
Just. Like. That.
His finger curls on the trigger.
WAYNE
Lower your weapon, Private.
No response.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
Chris! Lower that goddam weapon,
now! They even spot you taking an
aggressive posture they're gonna
start shelling Seoul.
CHRISTIAN
Chill out, Wayne.
Wayne shoots him a look.
CHRISTIAN (CONT'D)
"Sarge."
MAXIE
Guys, I got about a month left
before my discharge.
I'm depending on the both of you to
get me there in one piece. So --
easy, okay?
CHRISTIAN
(lowering rifle)
You gotta admit, Maxie, it is
fucked-up what we're doing here.
High alert all the time but no
motherfucking action. Like, ever.
MAXIE
Look, I requested posting in
Hawaii, but they sent me here. I'm
getting all the action I need.
Christian likes Maxie, but just doesn't get him. Why join the
army if you don't want to fight?
INT. CAVERNOUS TUNNEL -- SAME TIME
A large tunnel, man-made. Chunky, coal-black walls, lined
with light bulbs at regular intervals.
A rubber tube about a foot in diameter runs along the ground,
housing electrical wire.
Still, the tunnel is dark, dusty and desolate.
The hooded figure walks briskly through the dark from North
to South.
EXT. WOODED AREA - LATER
Amidst underbrush, a hidden hatch opens from the ground. The
hooded figure emerges, casting aside the sweatshirt and mask.
This mystery figure is a young Korean woman, KIM SEO-HEE. She
goes by SEO (pronounced "So"). Beautiful, early 20s,
stylishly dressed in Western fashion.
After a few quick glances to make sure she hasn't been
spotted, she disappears into the mist.
EXT. KOREAN DEMILITARIZED ZONE - SAME TIME
Maxie peers over his shoulder, distracted. He squints into
the distance behind him. Back there, the wooded area where
Seo just emerged.
His buddies focus on the DMZ, in front of them.
MAXIE
You see that?
WAYNE
The enemy's that way, fuckface.
Maxie is still distracted, looking over his shoulder.
MAXIE
I know I saw someone back there.
WAYNE
You did. We ain't the only grunts
patrolling the DMZ. You get that,
Maxie? There are other soldiers on
this detail.
CHRISTIAN
How come it has to be a big-ass
war? How about we take out one of
theirs then we let 'em take out one
of ours? Even Steven. Everybody's
happy.
(beat)
I'll go first.
He raises the rifle again. Wayne pushes it down, hard.
WAYNE
Fuck! You know the problem with the
military, Davis. It's full of
killers like you.
MAXIE
(re: behind him)
I guess it was no one.
EXT. SEOUL STREETS - DAY
Running on adrenaline, Seo navigates her way around the
bustling, overpopulated city.
BRIEF MONTAGE.
A packed street in central Seoul. Seo battles a phobia of
crowds.
In a dimly lit subway station, Seo struggles to understand a
map of the Seoul subways.
Seo fumbles with an ATM. She has never used one before. When
it dispenses cash, she can barely conceal her shock.
Skyscrapers tower over Seo as she navigates the bustling
city. Vertigo overwhelms her as she looks up.
The whole time, she fears being watched or found out --
though no one exhibits any suspicion. She blends in.
EXT. RESIDENTIAL SEOUL NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY
Seo arrives in a quiet area. The late 20th century hasn't
arrived here. No skyscrapers, just small, flimsy houses. She
stops a passing woman.
(When Seo speaks to other Koreans, the dialogue will be
spoken in KOREAN WITH SUBTITLES.)
SEO
Excuse me. Do you know what
neighborhood this is?
The woman gives her a weird look. Seo pulls out a crumpled,
aging slip of notepaper with a few Hangul script scribbles.
SEO (CONT'D)
My name is Kim Seo-Hee. I am
searching for my grandmother. I was
told she lives around here, but I
do not know if she is still alive.
(awkward)
I have been studying in America. I
lost touch with my family.
Another weird look from the woman.
SEO (CONT'D)
Her name is Kim Nya-Kim. Do you
know her?
The woman gives her the weirdest look yet, a look of
repulsion. The woman scurries away.
Exasperated, Seo wanders. She turns around and out of nowhere
-- a man! In her face.
This handsome but somehow sinister Korean man is SHIN. He's a
few years older than Seo, handsome and athletic. He smiles.
An older man off-screen speaks. This will be ROH.
ROH (O.S.)
Comrade Kim, this is an unexpected
area in which to find you.
Roh approaches. He is middle-aged, perfectly ordinary in
every respect. Except that he is a lifelong North Korean spy
and saboteur.
SEO
Are you -- ?
ROH
I am Roh. This is Comrade Shin.
SHIN
Hello.
ROH
The Dear Leader, Comrade Kim Jong
Il has blessed us with the task of
coordinating your mission here in
the traitorous South.
Seo is not surprised. This is why she was sent to the South.
But she is visibly nervous with her new handlers.
EXT. KOREAN DEMILITARIZED ZONE - DAY
Another nervous face. An America soldier, PRIVATE THOMAS
JENKINS.
He stands at the "Truce Village" of Panmunjon. North Korean
soldiers glare back menacingly, just a few yards away.
The North Koreans must turn their heads to face him. They are
required to stand guard facing each other.
South Korean soldiers in aviator shades stand stock still,
each in an identical tae kwon do stance, facing north.
PRIVATE PHIL ASHER approaches Jenkins. Scared, too.
Both of these guys are victims of volunteer army recruiting.
Undereducated, none-too-bright, in over their heads.
ASHER
Move, Jenkins. The brass gets
pissed when we look at those guys.
They walk away.
The prevailing mood of the "Truce Village" area: high tension
blended with weird nonchalance. Surreal.
NEARBY
A busload of tourists, all neatly dressed which is a
requirement for visiting the DMZ.
One MAN FROM NEBRASKA gets off the bus wearing shorts. The
South Korean tour guide accosts him.
TOUR GUIDE
No short pants! No short pants! The
North Koreans will take a picture
for propaganda.
MAN FROM NEBRASKA
What're you talkin' about?
TOUR GUIDE
Sloppily dressed Americans. Proof
of decadent Western ways. Back on
the bus!
MAN FROM NEBRASKA
For the love of --
ANOTHER NEARBY LOCATION
MAJOR PETE GONZALEZ hits a golf ball off a tee at a one-hole
golf course.
A wooden sign reads:
THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS GOLF COURSE -- AS FEATURED IN
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED.
PAR 3, 192 YDS
It also says:
DANGER! DO NOT RETRIEVE BALLS FROM THE ROUGH.
LIVE MINE FIELDS.
The "course" is dirt except for the astroturf green. Gonzalez
hits his ball on to the green, inches short of a hole-in-one.
GONZALEZ
Damn.
BACK TO JENKINS AND ASHER
They stop at a small granite memorial stone, topped by a
rusty bronze plaque.
JENKINS
This is where it happened.
ASHER
What happened?
JENKINS
You know how they call our base
Camp Bonifas?
ASHER
'Course.
JENKINS
It's 'cuz this Captain got killed
trying to chop down a tree.
ASHER
Huh?
JENKINS
Yeah, man, check out this plaque.
The two of them read. Jenkins paraphrases for his somewhat
slower buddy's benefit.
JENKINS (CONT'D)
A few of our guys were cutting down
a tree at Panmunjon, like,
practically right here where our
feet are standing! Next thing they
know, these North Koreans come at
them with axes. For no reason!
Killed two of our guys including
this captain. Captain Bonifas.
ASHER
No shit. What'd we do about it?
JENKINS
That's the point, man. We didn't do
nothing. No one fired a fuckin'
shot in return.
(beat)
No one cares if we live or die.
ASHER
Fuck.
The two scared soldiers peer across -- into North Korea.
JENKINS
We gotta do this, man. It's our
only damn chance.
EXT. CAMP BONIFAS - DAY
Maxie, Wayne and Christian, with their platoon, ride a jeep
into camp after patrol.
MAXIE
I coulda sworn I saw something back
there. Should we report it?
WAYNE
Report what?
CHRISTIAN
Maxie, when the gooks come across
the DMZ, they ain't coming one at a
time. They're sending whole
divisions across. We are fucked.
WAYNE
Divisions? Shit. They got the KPA
620 Corps forward-deployed with
heavy artillery just across the
DMZ. They'll kick our asses with
170 millimeter shells before we
even see an enemy soldier.
MAXIE
That's what I love about you guys.
Your irrepressible optimism.
BARRACKS
A group of guys around a small TV. Fuzzy reception even on
Armed Forces Network. The news has the troops mesmerized.
CHRISTIAN
What's on the tube, fellas?
No response. Rapt attention. Christian pulls up a chair.
Wayne and Maxie stand.
AFN NEWS BROADCAST
...defied the United Nations by
launching the NoDong missile in the
direction of Japan's Honshu Island.
The modified scud, capable of
delivering a conventional, chemical
or nuclear payload, landed
harmlessly in the Sea of Japan.
Broadcast shows stock footage of a scud missile launch.
WAYNE
Damn.
MAXIE
Nuclear payload? It's not enough to
roll our outnumbered asses, they're
gonna start World War III now?
CHRISTIAN
(chuckles like a moron)
NoDong? No dong?
MAXIE
Shhh, Chris.
AFN NEWS BROADCAST
The NoDong is thought to have a
range exceeding 1000 kilometers,
allowing it to strike Tokyo. United
States Forces in Korea have been
placed on alert, pending an
imminent U.S. response.
WAYNE
Alert? When are we not on alert at
the DMZ?
CHRISTIAN
(grabs crotch)
My dong's got a payload.
MAXIE
Your grasp of the geopolitical
situation is impressive, Chris.
A U.S. GENERAL on TV. Press briefing.
TV GENERAL
The past 50 years have done nothing
to alter the aggressive intentions
of the North Koreans. At this time,
the outstanding troops of the
United States Forces Korea remain
our most effective deterrent.
War whoops and "hoo-ahs" from the fellas.
CHRISTIAN
Grasp this.
He moves in front of the TV, reaches into his duffel.
CHRISTIAN (CONT'D)
I got something for your dong.
Triumphantly, he pulls out a VHS cassette in a colorful box.
Porn! That gets the guys really fired up.
MAXIE
Let me see that.
(reads the box)
"Deep Inside Annie Sprinkle?"
CHRISTIAN
Vintage '70s porn, my friend. A
classic! Before they had all that
plastic surgery shit with the fake
tits and getting their ribs removed
and shit.
MAXIE
And vaginal rejuvenation. Let's not
forget my favorite.
WAYNE
You guys are not healthy
individuals.
CHRISTIAN
With this masterpiece, I'm gonna
get my jack on like I never got a
jack on before.
Maxie rolls his eyes. But wait, on second thought...
MAXIE
Hmm, not a bad idea, actually.
Turn toward the door where stands LIEUTENANT ALEXANDRA KENT,
accompanied by a couple of enlisted men holding coolers.
CHRISTIAN
Hey, Lieutenant.
ALEXANDRA
We got some extra rations here,
gentlemen.
(checks out the scene)
But maybe you're busy?
Wayne and Alexandra share a quick but meaningful glance.
MAXIE
Nothing important, ma'am. Private
Davis was giving sit rep on his
upcoming masturbation activities.
WAYNE
Shut the fuck up! That's a superior
officer you're talking to.
(to Lieutenant)
Let me apologize on behalf of my
guys, ma'am.
(to his buddies)
I can't stand the smell of you
shitbirds right now.
Maxie and Christian look at each other. What's up with that?
There's something very unspoken between Wayne and Alexandra.
INT. SUPPLY DEPOT OFFICE - SHORTLY LATER
Wayne and Lt. Alexandra Kent are passionately going at it in
her office, uniforms frayed and falling off.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
(panting)
They say the North Koreans are
building a nuke.
Nothing but heavy breathing in return.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
If we gotta die, I want it to be
with you, Alex!
KENT
Shut up.
WAYNE
I love you!
KENT
Sergeant, perform your duty.
INT. SUBWAY SANDWICH SHOP - SOME TIME LATER
A Subway in Seoul looks exactly like a Subway in any American
city. Except everyone is Korean.
Shin munches a foot-long steak sub. Roh picks at a salad.
Seo ignores a six-inch tuna sub.
ROH
(leaning in, quietly)
It is a great honor to be selected
for a mission such as this, Comrade
Seo. The Great Leader, Comrade Kim
Il-Sung himself planned this
operation personally.
SHIN
(mouth full)
Stay focused on that.
ROH
What my young colleague means is,
you must not be distracted.
SHIN
We know everything about you --
(beat)
-- and your parents.
Hand under table, Seo clutches the notepaper tightly.
ROH
The Dear Leader, Comrade Kim Jong
Il, knew your parents would serve
the people more effectively in the
North. Therefore, he relocated them
to Pyongyang.
SHIN
Stop searching for your relatives.
There is nothing to be gained.
ROH
Tactlessly put. But Agent Shin
knows what he's talking about.
Seo immediately understands Shin. He's been through what
she's been through -- and come out much more hardened.
Under the table, she quietly tears up her note papers.
ROH (CONT'D)
The Great Leader wishes to bless
his people with the gift of nuclear
power. In this way, he will bring a
new age of prosperity to all
Koreans.
(chews his salad)
But the nations of the West wants
prosperity only for themselves.
They accuse us of aggression, but
this is only to justify their own
intentions to use nuclear weapons
against us.
(sips Coke through straw)
Led by the United States, they
conspire against the Democratic
People's Republic, to keep our
people poor, sick and hungry. This
is why they have divided the Korean
people, North from South.
Seo listens intently.
ROH (CONT'D)
American propaganda has brainwashed
the people of the South into
accepting United States troops. If
the Americans go home, the Great
Leader will be free to unify our
nation, fulfilling the dreams of
all Korean people.
SEO
Is that the Great Leader's plan,
Comrade? To persuade American
troops to go home?
ROH
Very good! To accomplish this, we
must take steps to re-educate our
brothers in the traitorous South,
so that they reverse their support
of the American invaders.
SEO
What is my role in this grand
operation?
SHIN
We're about to tell you!
ROH
Indeed. Here is what the Great
Leader asks that you do...
INT. CAMP BONIFAS BARRACKS - NIGHT
Troops chow on rations, clean their weapons, read comic books
and bullshit each other.
Jenkins and Asher play checkers. But they aren't focused on
the game. They're cooking up a plan, stressed out.
Empty beers lie around their checkerboard.
JENKINS
Tonight, man. I can't take this
shit no more.
ASHER
I don't want to talk about it here,
Jenkins.
JENKINS
Those fuckin' North Koreans come
across that line, man, we're dead
meat. Dead fuckin' meat.
Christian and Wayne appear over them.
CHRISTIAN
Jenkins and Asher, my two favorite
chickenshits. Who's winning,
fellas? Or are black and red just
scaring the shit out of each other?
WAYNE
Leave 'em alone, Chris.
CHRISTIAN
You know what I'm scared of, Sarge?
I'm scared that when some shit goes
down no one's gonna have my back
except one of these two fucking
cowards. That's the shit that keeps
me up at night.
WAYNE
Enjoy your game, guys.
(leads Christian away)
Dude, I'm supposed to be motivating
guys like that. You're undercutting
my leadership qualities.
CHRISTIAN
Right.
JENKINS
It's guys like that who are gonna
get guys like you and me killed.
ASHER
Gung ho motherfuckers.
Wayne and Christian join Maxie who reads a book: Wealth
Creation Secrets of The Ultra-Rich.
WAYNE
Dudes like that never should've got
in the Army in the first place. In
my dad's day, they'd both be
Section Eight.
MAXIE
Four-F.
CHRISTIAN
He just means they need their
tickets punched.
MAXIE
Yeah, well, for me it's just a few
more weeks, then my Uncle Sam
starts sending checks for school.
CHRISTIAN
Maxie's gonna be like, all Donald
Trump and shit.
MAXIE
Man, I don't know what I want to
do. For now, I'm going to help my
parents with their business. They
lost their shirts in the Reagan
stock market crash.
CHRISTIAN
Nice shirts? Rayon?
MAXIE
That was six years ago. Six. And
they're still not on their feet.
WAYNE
You got something against Ronald
Reagan, Maxie?
CHRISTIAN
Don't tell me you voted for that
draft dodging pussy-hound Clinton?
MAXIE
You say pussy-hound like it's a bad
thing.
WAYNE
I don't care for the man myself,
but he's the president. He's
visiting the DMZ in a couple weeks.
Maxie and Chris look at Wayne, then each other, incredulous.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
Practice showing some respect.
The other two crack up. But Wayne's serious.
EXT. CAMP BONIFAS BARRACKS - NIGHT
Pitch dark. Moonlight. A few footlights on the camp walkways.
Still. Quiet.
Two figures slip out of the barracks.
Cover of darkness conceals the two. Guards focus north, not
on their own camp.
The two figures are Jenkins and Asher. Like a prison break,
they slip out of camp, around the fence.
Into the DMZ!
EXT. KOREAN DEMILITARIZED ZONE - SOME TIME LATER
Still dark. Jenkins and Asher have been treading carefully
for about a couple of hours.
JENKINS
There ain't supposed to be too many
land mines in this area. Relax.
Ahead -- a group of shadowy figures.
ASHER
That them?
JENKINS
That who?
ASHER
The North Koreans!
JENKINS
Shit, man. This is it.
The privates shake hands, pull each other into a man-hug.
JENKINS (CONT'D)
Let's do this!
But Asher isn't so sure.
Jenkins moves forward, hands high in the air. The KPA troops
spot him. They level their weapons and approach with caution.
They shout at him in Korean.
JENKINS (CONT'D)
It's okay! It's okay! I'm unarmed!
North Korean soldiers surround him.
JENKINS (CONT'D)
We want -- to defect!
The KPA troops chatter softly among themselves, in disbelief.
Asher is nowhere. Gone.
JENKINS (CONT'D)
(realizes he's alone)
God damn it, Asher! Shit!
The North Koreans look at each other, confused. They glare at
Jenkins. With bad intentions.
JENKINS (CONT'D)
I just want your government to send
me to China. I can get home from
there. Right? No big deal.
The North Koreans don't understand a word.
Jenkins' face drops. He's made a terrible mistake. The worst
mistake he will ever make.
The soldiers manhandle him. They drag him away.
BACK AT CAMP BONIFAS
Asher emerges from the DMZ, exhausted, distraught. Crying. He
has barely the wits about him to sneak back in.
EXT. KOREAN DEMILITARIZED ZONE - MORNING
The spot where Seo emerged from the tunnel opening.
Leaves and brush are pushed aside. The opening gapes.
Capt. Gonzalez and MAJOR DAVID SARGOSA stare at the hole.
Sargosa is a career Army officer in his mid or late 40s.
Gonzalez carries his golf bag.
At last, SPECIALIST AUSTIN NICHOLS, Military Police, wriggles
up from the hole. He holds a flashlight -- and Seo's
sweatshirt.
NICHOLS
It's another tunnel, Sirs. It just
goes on and on. I walked about a
hundred meters but there was no end
in sight.
SARGOSA
Thank you, Son.
GONZALEZ
You kept walking, you'd cross into
enemy territory.
(to Sargosa)
That makes five of these
infiltration tunnels. That we know
about.
Sargosa, non-responsive.
NICHOLS
I found this right down here at the
end of the tunnel, Sir.
Sargosa takes the sweatshirt, barely glances at it, as if it
bores him. He hands it back to Nichols.
GONZALEZ
So that confirms it. At least one
North Korean came through this
tunnel. And our guys didn't spot
him.
SARGOSA
Don't you think it's more likely,
Pete, that this is how that little
shit Jenkins slipped out of camp
undetected last night?
NICHOLS
Sir, my sergeant was on guard duty
and he reports two unidentified
figures entering the DMZ.
SARGOSA
(re: the sweatshirt)
Put that back, Son.
NICHOLS
Back, Major?
SARGOSA
Then cover this area over so it
appears undisturbed.
Nichols dutifully tosses the sweatshirt down the hole. Then
some makeshift landscaping.
GONZALEZ
One of ours for one of theirs.
Guess that's a fair trade.
SARGOSA
Well, God damn it, Pete. If they
got stuck with Jenkins, I think we
got the better of the deal.
GONZALEZ
How do you want to handle the
investigation?
SARGOSA
Low-key.
GONZALEZ
I gotta admit, Dave, it is
embarrassing. The timing couldn't
be shittier. A nuclear crisis and
the president coming. But we got a
security breach here. The
infiltrator could be in this camp,
posing as one of the gophers.
SARGOSA
Call them KATUSAs, Pete. "Korean
Augmentation to the United States
Army." You know better than that.
GONZALEZ
Sorry, Major.
Sargosa sighs, contemplating the predicament. His solution?
SARGOSA
My position is that there is no
infiltrator. No one came through
any tunnel. This way or that way.
Sargosa doesn't look at Gonzalez. Zero interest in anyone's
reaction. His decision is made.
SARGOSA (CONT'D)
One of our troops went missing in
an accident, that's all.
GONZALEZ
Makes sense, I guess.
Nichols covers the hole. No sign that the tunnel exists.
INT. CAMP BONIFAS BARRACKS - MORNING
Soldiers pull on boots and gear for a morning patrol.
Asher is among them -- sloppy, stressed and spent.
WAYNE
(to Christian and Maxie)
I'm going to do you two ladies a
favor and take you on my patrol
again today.
MAXIE
Thank God! Another day of certainty
that my life will be spared! Thank
you, Sergeant Parrish. Thank you.
Capt. Gonzalez walks into the barracks, with golf bag.
GONZALEZ
Gentlemen. I was on my way to shoot
18 holes this fine morning --
MAXIE
You mean the same hole 18 times,
Sir.
GONZALEZ
Technically accurate, Private
Rosen. But it's all in the varied
approach. One hole shot 18
different ways, a round of golf
makes. In any event, as I was on my
way to my tee time, I was informed
of an incident that took place here
late last night.
The soldiers look around, confused.
GONZALEZ (CONT'D)
Private Asher.
Asher's pale face goes bleach-white.
ASHER
(freaking out)
Yes, sir.
GONZALEZ
Report to Major Sargosa for
debriefing.
(beat)
Gentlemen, the President of the
United States, your Commander-in
Chief and mine, will be visiting
our scenic camp in two short weeks.
He will personally tour this
facility and will accompany a
platoon for a single patrol of the
Demilitarized Zone. This visit is
of immense symbolism at this time
when political support for the
presence of our fine troops here is
more critical than ever. The
President will, naturally, be
accompanied by those dutiful
guardians of the First Amendment,
the press corps.
(beat)
An incident like this doesn't look
good anytime. Especially not now.
Asher scurries past Gonzalez, who gives him a sour look.
GONZALEZ (CONT'D)
If anything were to become public
that could erode that political
support, well, it would only clear
the path for a North Korean
invasion of this fine republic of
Korea.
(eyes the puzzled troops)
Let's keep this to ourselves.
Gonzalez strolls out of there, leaving the soldiers confused.
WAYNE
What incident?
CHRISTIAN
Fuck if I know. What'd he want with
that little bitch Asher?
MAXIE
(looking around)
Holy shit. Where's Jenkins?
They're speechless. Whatever Jenkins did, it's bad.
EXT. ITAEWON DISTRICT - DAY
Seoul shopping district. Servicemen and tourists troll for
knockoff clothing, exotic food and of course, prostitutes.
Seo has made herself up well -- beautiful and sexy.
She pretends to shop at hole-in-the-wall stores overstuffed
with counterfeit Prada and Gucci. She eyes her surroundings.
Her focus: American men. She is clinical. She's a predator.
Seo zeroes in on a middle-aged man, a bored tourist whose
wife finally pulls him away. Seo's not interested.
Her attention turns to a long-haired backpacker. Not
interested in him, either.
She spots prey: an athletic, dark-skinned American with a
buzz-cut. JULIO. He rifles through stacks of baseball caps.
Screwing up her courage, Seo approaches him, as nonchalant as
she can. She, herself, flips through the caps.
Julio glances at her. He's curious, all right. She smiles at
him. She picks up a Florida Marlins cap and tries it on.
JULIO
You speak English?
SEO
Yes. I studied in the United
States.
She does speak English well -- but weirdly. Her speech
carries an incongruous southern twang.
JULIO
Don't tell me -- you went to school
in the South somewhere.
SEO
South Korea? No, in the United
States.
JULIO
Right. South United States. Like
Alabama? Georgia?
(beat)
You got a southern accent. That's
pretty weird coming out of a Korean
girl's mouth.
Another Korean girl appears. Julio's girlfriend. She is
pissed. Unlike Seo, her English is halting.
GIRLFRIEND
Julio. We go. Come on.
Girlfriend spits Korean invective. They hustle away.
Seo's attention turns to other American males. None meet her
requirements.
INT. CAMP BONIFAS BARRACKS - NIGHT
The common area. Asher sits alone. Badly shaken up. A TV
plays in the background, AFN News. Christian and several
other guys watch.
AFN NEWS BROADCAST
...White House is weighing General
Gary Luck's request for several
Patriot missile launchers.
WAYNE
(looming over Asher)
Jesus H. Motherfucking Christ,
Asher. What in the name of fuck did
you do?
AFN NEWS BROADCAST
Republicans lashed out at what they
called the President's indecision,
saying failure to protect U.S.
Troops could lead to a repeat of
the recent tragedy in Mogadishu,
Somalia, where 18 U.S. Army Rangers
were killed...
CHRISTIAN
Fuckin' A! Send those Patriot
motherfuckers over here!
ASHER
Leave me alone, Parrish.
WAYNE
That's Sergeant Parrish, dickweed.
Why the sweet mother fuck are you
not in the brig?
On the broadcast, a White House press spokeswoman.
TV SPOKESWOMAN
The president is leaning toward
deployment, but is waiting to
resolve South Korea's concerns.
South Korea must drive the train...
CHRISTIAN
Who gives a shit about South Korean
concerns? This is our ass we're
talking about!
WAYNE
Answer, Shitbird. Why are you not
in the brig? 'Cause that's where
they put traitors.
ASHER
You don't know what you're talking
about.
Maxie watches from across the room. This scene is more
interesting than the TV to the soldiers. Most are amused.
But Maxie doesn't like seeing the kid abused.
MAXIE
Back off him, Sarge. If he's here,
he must not have done anything.
WAYNE
He was with Jenkins when Jenkins
gone fucking native. We're losing
our shit here, the enemy's got
nukes and Jenkins is over there
drinking sake with them. Or
whatever it is they drink.
MAXIE
He's probably dead.
CHRISTIAN flattens Asher with a sucker punch to the jaw.
CHRISTIAN
Nuclear payload, Motherfucker!
Guys jump to their feet. This is real entertainment.
Wayne, on the other hand, is shocked. Asher slowly rises
halfway to his feet.
WAYNE
That's enough.
(to Asher)
Put in for a transfer or some shit
'cuz we don't need --
Christian knees Asher in the jaw.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
Private Davis! You made your
fucking point!
This is the most excitement anyone's had in a long time.
But not Maxie. He helps Wayne hold Christian back.
MAXIE
Chill out, man!
Christian enjoys this! He's been waiting for this!
Asher picks himself up, blood gushing from his mouth. Pushed
too far, snapping, he charges at Christina.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Asher, don't!
Maxie grabs Asher to protect him.
CHRISTIAN
Come on, faggot! Show me a little
something!
Christian lands a tremendous sucker punch while Maxie
restrains Asher. Horrified, Maxie lets go.
Asher is almost out on his feet, fighting on pure instinct.
Christian pummels Asher to a bloody mess. No fight at all.
Maxie stands over Asher, who twitches on the floor.
MAXIE
Get a medic in here.
WAYNE
God damn it, Davis! What the fuck
is the matter with you?
CHRISTIAN
Sarge, you said yourself. He's a
traitor.
He suddenly stomps his boot down -- SMASHING ASHER'S SKULL!
The twitching stops. No one says a word.
Christian's high, murder adrenaline.
Maxie and Wayne -- stunned.
EXT. NORTH KOREAN MILITARY OUTPOST - DAY
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ONE, a KPA SOLDIER accompanying him,
strides officiously through camp. Soldier holds something.
INT. BUNKER - CONTINUOUS
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER TWO, behind a desk, signing papers.
Raises his head when his counterpart and the soldier enter.
Korean with SUBTITLES.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ONE
Comrade, the Americans discovered
the tunnel egress.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER TWO
(contemplates for a beat)
And our patriotic asset?
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ONE
Comrades Roh and Shin made contact.
The operation proceeds. However, we
recovered this.
The soldier shows what he's holding. Seo's sweatshirt.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ONE (CONT'D)
The Americans retrieved it, but
placed it back in the tunnel.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER TWO
(disappointed)
I was concerened about her
inexperience.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ONE
Perhaps we should have sent a
different operative.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER TWO
Who were we going to send?
(points to soldier)
Him? The Americans are not
homosexuals.
An awkward silence in the bunker.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER TWO (CONT'D)
In any event, while you were on
reconnaissance, we made a discovery
of our own.
His counterpart is curious. Officer Two gestures toward an
entrance behind him.
A soldier opens the door. Another soldier leads the man in.
About a foot taller than any of the North Koreans, the man is
bloodied, bruised and downcast.
Jenkins!
On Intelligence Officer One, his wide with astonishment.
INT. CAMP BONIFAS C.O.'S HEADQUARTERS - DAY
Christian, guarded by Nichols and another MP, sits in a
sparse outer lobby, more impatient than worried.
Behind the lobby desk, a TV. AFN News. On screen, SENATOR
JOHN MCCAIN.
TV MCCAIN
North Korea's nuclear program may
be the defining crisis of the post
cold-war world. It represents a
clear and present danger to our
closest Asian allies and to the
security of the United States
itself.
CHRISTIAN
So what're we gonna do about it?
NICHOLS
Private, that's the least of your
worries.
Christian smirks.
INSIDE THE OFFICE
Capt. Gonzalez and Major Sargosa contemplate how to handle
the situation. They're pretty casual about the whole thing.
Gonzalez, with golf club, practices his swing in slow-motion.
Sargosa shuffles through papers on his desk, bored.
SARGOSA
I deplore these incidents. Soldiers
killing each other over petty
squabbles.
GONZALEZ
It's a shame, Sir.
SARGOSA
And the defector. What are these
boys thinking? Is it really that
bad up here?
GONZALEZ
It can be stressful, Major.
SARGOSA
Stressful? Hell, this is the only
war I've ever heard of where the
two sides aren't allowed to shoot
at each other.
GONZALEZ
For some of these guys, that's the
stressful part, Major.
Sargosa ponders that. Maybe Sargosa has a point.
GONZALEZ (CONT'D)
You know, Sir, there's been 90
deaths of U.S. soldiers at the DMZ,
give or take a few.
SARGOSA
Shit happens, Pete.
GONZALEZ
But when shit happens here it
doesn't get written up in the New
York Times. These boys are bored
and ignored. So, sometimes they do
things they shouldn't.
SARGOSA
We don't even do anywhere near the
patrols we used to do, Pete. We let
the South Koreans take over most of
it. Bored and ignored. That's the
way we like it.
GONZALEZ
Except now we've got this nuclear
thing.
SARGOSA
What's that got to do with us?
GONZALEZ
Nothing, I suppose. But the
president is on his way, Sir.
SARGOSA
Yes, that's true.
GONZALEZ
For at least a few days, Sir, we'll
be bored like always. But we won't
be ignored.
SARGOSA
That's why we'll keep this incident
as quiet as we can. This poor, dead
private: "Killed accidentally
during routine exercises."
GONZALEZ
The death of the private, it's a
blessing in disguise. It eliminates
any trace of the first one's
embarrassing actions.
Gonzalez swings his club. Sargosa nods. Everything is falling
into place.
SARGOSA
Let's hope. What's next on the
docket?
Gonzalez goes to the door, opens it, nods and sits back down.
An MP leads in the next order of business.
GONZALEZ
(flipping through notes)
Lieutenant Alexandra Kent. Supply
officer. Sexual relations -- with
an enlisted man.
Alexandra keeps a stiff upper lip -- humiliated.
SARGOSA
Now this is one we can keep on the
books. Who's the enlisted man?
GONZALEZ
Who knows?
Alexandra, stoic. She knows her career is over.
INT. CAMP BONIFAS BARRACKS - DAY
Maxie and Wayne change into neat civilian clothes. Polo
shirts and khakis.
Christian walks in. A free man.
CHRISTIAN
Drop your cocks and grab your
socks, bitches! Look who's back in
the B's!
His two friends are speechless.
CHRISTIAN (CONT'D)
What? You ain't happy to see me?
MAXIE
Let me put it to you as delicately
as I can, Davis. No.
WAYNE
What the fuck?
CHRISTIAN
I don't know, guys. They hold me in
the brig for a day, then they take
me to the major's office. I sit
there in the lobby but they never
call me in to see the major. Then
Gonzalez comes out and says they
determined that Asher got killed by
accident and I'm supposed to resume
regular duty.
MAXIE
By accident? That's bullshit.
WAYNE
(resigned to it)
They know what they're doing,
Maxie.
MAXIE
They know they're covering shit up.
CHRISTIAN
I don't even get a "welcome home?"
WAYNE
You're off my patrol, Davis.
MAXIE
Stay here and beat some more of our
own guys to death. Knock yourself
out. We're taking R&R.
WAYNE
48 hours in Itaewon. Away from
psychos like you, Davis.
CHRISTIAN
Guys, you're hurtin' my feelings!
(gets it)
You're not serious. You're pissed
at me? About Asher, that traitorous
faggot fuck?
The two of them walk right past him.
MAXIE
Later, asshole.
EXT. SOUTH KOREAN FREEWAY - DAY
Wayne drives a Jeep. Maxie rides shotgun. They roll through
the Korean countryside, not speaking.
In the distance, the skyline of Seoul.
JUMP AHEAD
Same freeway but now just outside of Seoul. The longest
traffic jam the world has ever seen.
Still no talking. Both recuperating from the ordeal they've
just experienced.
EXT. BUSY SEOUL STREET - DAY
At last, a place to park!
On foot, they turn the corner, into Itaewon.
MAXIE
Man, I don't know what's worse,
foot patrol at Tae Sung Dong, or
the drive into Seoul. I need R&R
from the R&R.
WAYNE
That's what we're here for. Have
some fun.
Maxie, silent. Trying not to think about Davis.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
He's crazy, you know. Davis, I
mean. A psycho. But if the shit
goes down, who do you want covering
your back. Him? Or someone like
yourself?
MAXIE
We made it here without talking
about Davis. Don't start now.
WAYNE
You're right. Let's go. Buy some
cheap knockoffs, have a few drinks
or a few dozen. Meet a few girls.
Few dozen of them, too.
MAXIE
You want to get a hooker? I hear
they've got good ones in Itaewon.
WAYNE
Not my thing, man.
MAXIE
Mine neither.
WAYNE
Really?
MAXIE
Yeah, really. I've never had a
prostitute.
WAYNE
Why'd you suggest it, then? You
want to start?
MAXIE
No.
(beat)
I mean, not unless you do.
WAYNE
I don't.
MAXIE
Me neither.
In the heart of Itaewon now: a Third World-style street
market, flanked by modern restaurants and office buildings.
Shoulder-to-shoulder people on the street.
Plenty of servicemen, many with pretty Korean girls on their
arms. Maxie stares. Curious? Or envious?
Some Western tourists and hordes of young Japanese women
hauling enormous, jam-packed shopping bags.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Okay, then. Let's go shopping.
INT. CLOTHING SHOP - MINUTES LATER
An open stall, more than an actual shop.
Maxie flips through shirts on a rack.
Wayne, on the other side of the store, checks out T-shirts
with slogans like "I'm With Stupid" and "I Hate NY."
Maxie spots a phone booth on the street. He flips through his
wallet for a Korean phone card (the phones take only cards).
Wayne picks out a T-shirt. The slogan: "I don't have a
drinking problem. I drink, I get drunk, I fall down. No
problem."
WAYNE
(cracking up)
Hey, Maxie! Check this --
But Maxie is gone.
EXT. PHONE BOOTH - SAME TIME
Maxie inserts the card, dials internationally. The phone
displays 10 minutes, counting down. He waits a few moments as
it rings on the other end.
MAXIE
Hi, Mom. Yeah, I know it's after
midnight there. Sorry.
(beat)
I'm on R&R. How're you guys doing?
(beat)
Other than being sleepy.
INT. CLOTHING SHOP - SAME TIME
Wayne has the "Alcoholic" shirt over his shoulder. He flips
through more slogan shirts with some delight.
In the BACKGROUND a Korean woman lurks, eyeing him.
Coming into FOCUS, it is Seo. She watches Wayne intently.
He picks out a shirt: A lightening bolt. "Kill 'em All, Let
God Sort 'em Out." He shakes his head sadly, puts it back.
Seo moves in his direction. Wayne notices her checking him
out. She makes him uncomfortable.
WAYNE
Help you with something?
Seo looks away, embarrassed.
EXT. PHONE BOOTH - SAME TIME
MAXIE
No, I got another month, then
that's it. I come home and Uncle
Sam pays for college.
(beat)
Mom, don't say that. The Army's
been an -- experience.
(beat)
If I can ease your financial burden
a little, what's wrong with that?
Anyway, it's not like I'm going to
see combat here.
(beat)
I mean, I see some weird things,
but --
A HAND raps loudly on the outside of the booth.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Hang on, Ma.
A Korean POLICEMAN. His uniform, not a thread out of place.
He means business. He barks a command at Maxie in Korean
through the glass.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Hey, I don't speak Korean! What's
the problem?
(into phone)
No, Mom. It's fine. Just some cop.
The cop barks the command at Maxie again.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Sorry, Ma, I gotta go. Call you
later.
He hangs up and steps out. More stern commands from the cop,
who is about a foot shorter than Maxie.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Dude, I don't know what you're
saying.
KOREAN POLICEMAN
Fone-cahd! Fone-cahd!
Puzzled, Maxie takes the phone card from the slot in the
phone.
MAXIE
You want my phone card?
The cop takes it, scrutinizes the card with an intensity
bordering on the ridiculous.
KOREAN POLICEMAN
Pahss-poht!
MAXIE
Passport? I'm a soldier. American
G.I.
KOREAN POLICEMAN
Pahss-poht!
MAXIE
I got a military I.D. United States
Army.
KOREAN POLICEMAN
Pahss-poht! Now!
This is followed by a string of harsh commands in Korean.
Maxie gets little flustered. He tries to stay cool.
MAXIE
What's the problem here, Officer?
The policeman grabs Maxie by the wrist.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Hey!
Seo watches this whole scene. An idea! She makes her move.
The Korean cop leads Maxie toward a small police station.
Maxie is struggling not to flip out.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Listen, man. Sir. Officer. You
gotta let go of me here.
More barked commands in Korean.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
I don't know what you think I did,
but I didn't do it.
They arrive at the cramped police station. Smaller than the
clothing stall. A narrow countertop divides front from back.
The cop drags Maxie inside.
INT. POLICE STATION - CONTINUOUS
The cop moves behind the counter.
KOREAN POLICEMAN
You stay.
More commands. Maxie has no idea what the cop says. The cop
gestures to his own pockets and barks again.
MAXIE
(understanding)
My pockets? Empty?
(beat)
Why?
(beat)
All right.
He has a wallet and Korean cash. Keys. Another phone card.
The cop seizes the card and waves it accusingly. It's
incriminating evidence, apparently. More Korean shouting.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Okay, let me call the base. I'll
get my CO on the phone. This is
fucking ridiculous. Where's the
phone?
The cop's only response is to brandish the incriminating
phone card and shout.
Maxie is getting worried now.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Shit.
A BEAT as Maxie tries to figure out his next move. He doesn't
seem to have one. And then...
The door to the police station BURSTS OPEN.
In the doorway, like a gunfighter at high noon, stands Seo.
Maxie is simply baffled now. The cop is shocked, but stone
faced. Seo announces something in Korean.
Seo and the policeman have a heated conversation.
Maxie observes this surreal scene until Seo turns to him and
speaks perfect English in her odd southern accent.
SEO
He wants to know, where did you get
this phone card?
MAXIE
I bought it at a machine. Where
else do you get them?
SEO
He says there is a big problem with
counterfeit phone cards.
MAXIE
It's not my problem.
Another Korean-language exhange.
SEO
(to Maxie)
Okay, let's go.
Now Maxie is really confused. They exit the station, back
onto the...
STREET
SEO (CONT'D)
It's okay. I told him that you are
a guest of my family.
MAXIE
Why? Why did you do that?
Seo just shrugs.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
(fascinated)
Where are you from?
SEO
I am from Korea.
MAXIE
You have the weirdest accent.
(beat)
I mean, it's very interesting. I've
just never heard, well --
SEO
It is a southern accent?
MAXIE
Yeah.
SEO
That is what I'm told.
MAXIE
Told? You don't know how you got
your accent?
SEO
I went to school in the United
States.
MAXIE
Right.
(beat)
What school?
SEO
Do you know the different schools
in the south?
MAXIE
Not much. I'm from San Francisco.
(beat)
Menlo Park, actually.
(beat)
My name's Max -- Maxie, people call
me.
Seo says nothing.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
This is the part where you tell me
what your name is.
SEO
(smiling)
My name is Kim.
MAXIE
That's everyone's name in this
country. What's your name.
SEO
Sorry. My name is Kim Seo-Hee.
MAXIE
So -- your first name is Seo.
SEO
Seo. That's right.
MAXIE
Well then, Seo, do you want to have
lunch with me? And my sarge -- I
mean, my friend? I bet you know the
good places to eat around here.
SEO
Not really. I've been away a long
time.
MAXIE
Okay. How about having lunch with
us anyway?
INT. MCDONALD'S - DAY
The inside of this McDonald's looks much like any McDonald's
anywhere in the world. Seo sits on one side of the booth.
Maxie and Wayne sit across from her.
The food is good ol' McDonald's fare.
Wayne, now wearing his "Alcoholic" shirt, is not happy that
Maxie has brought Seo with him.
She munches a Big Mac very awkwardly. As if she never had one
before. The truth is, she hasn't.
MAXIE
(to Seo)
We could have picked a Korean
restaurant.
WAYNE
There ain't nothing wrong with
McDonald's. I like McDonald's.
SEO
This is fine, Maxie. I enjoy
American food.
MAXIE
I never thought of it that way, but
I guess that's what this is --
American food.
WAYNE
Nothing wrong with American food.
SEO
Tell me about being in the United
States Army.
MAXIE
There's not much to tell.
WAYNE
Nothing to tell at all. Tell us why
you helped my friend here. What do
you care if an American gets
arrested?
MAXIE
You never heard of a Good
Samaritan, Sarge?
WAYNE
She was eyein' me in the store then
just by coincidence she just shows
up to get you out of a jam with the
cops. Why?
MAXIE
(to Seo, ignoring Wayne)
We're just here to do a job.
WAYNE
The U.S. Army's here to protect
your country from those sons of
bitches to the North. It's a job,
yeah. But it ain't only a job. We
need to kick the North Koreans' ass
for you, we'll kick it. And we
don't even ask for no thank yous.
Seo takes a bite of her burger, uncomfortable.
MAXIE
(after an awkward beat)
We've been giving more and more
responsibility to the army of South
Korea. Americans used to patrol the
whole DMZ. All 150 miles of it. Now
we've only got a few small parts.
WAYNE
Still treacherous as fuck, though.
MAXIE
I only signed up to get money for
college. My parents used to have
money to send me then they lost it.
I'm trying to help them out.
SEO
It is good to help your parents.
WAYNE
Yeah, Maxie's a good boy. Isn't
you, widdle Maxie-poo?
MAXIE
(ignores that)
What about you? What's an American
educated girl like you doing
hanging out in Itaewon picking up
random GIs?
SEO
I was shopping.
WAYNE
You got family around here? A job
or something?
SEO
No.
WAYNE
No what? No job? No family?
MAXIE
Easy, Rambo.
WAYNE
(putting down his food)
I'm gonna go to a movie. You two
lovebirds have a good time.
MAXIE
What's the problem?
WAYNE
(getting up)
Nothing, man. Have a good time.
That's what we came here to do.
MAXIE
You sure?
WAYNE
Meet me back here at 1700 hours.
Maxie gives him a look.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
Five O-Fucking clock!
Wayne leaves. Maxie looks at Seo and shrugs.
MAXIE
Like your shake?
Across the restaurant, eating piles of McDonald's food but
otherwise remaining inconspicuous -- Shin!
EXT. ITAEWON DISTRICT - DAY
A short time later. Maxie and Seo stroll the jam-packed
street.
MAXIE
You haven't told me anything about
yourself yet.
SEO
I am Asian. We do not believe in
talking about ourselves to people
we have just met.
MAXIE
I'm not buying it.
SEO
Not buying it?
MAXIE
Nope. Not buying the shy Asian
routine. Not after what you did in
that police station.
SEO
You seemed nice.
MAXIE
I am nice. So tell me about
yourself. I won't bite. Or shoot.
SEO
The truth is, Maxie...
MAXIE
Gimme the truth. I can handle the
truth.
SEO
I have lost my family.
MAXIE
Lost? What do you mean lost?
SEO
I can't find them.
MAXIE
Maybe it's one of those cultural
things. But you're going to have to
explain that to me.
SEO
I was away for a long time.
MAXIE
You mean in school? In the States?
SEO
I lost touch with my family.
MAXIE
That's bizarre.
SEO
I think my grandmother is here in
Seoul. But I don't know where.
MAXIE
(gets a bright idea)
Why don't I help you find her?
SEO
I don't understand.
MAXIE
Shit, how hard can it be? I got the
full resources of the U.S. Military
at my fingertips. I mean, I'm just
a specialist, but my friend's a
sergeant and he's tight with some
officers. I'll bet we could pull
some strings to find your bubby.
SEO
Bubby?
MAXIE
Bubby's what you call your
grandmother when you're Jewish.
SEO
Oh.
MAXIE
Never mind. Look, I'll talk to the
sarge. He'll be happy to help.
EXT. MCDONALD'S - LATER
Maxie meets Wayne outside the McDonald's as promised. Seo
hangs back.
WAYNE
Her family? Have you gone
completely fuckin' bugnuts?
MAXIE
What? I want to help her out. I
kinda owe her.
WAYNE
Look, go out with this crazy
cracker-speaking Korean chick if
you want. I don't give a shit. Fuck
her dizzy. But don't get involved
with her family.
Maxie looks at Seo. She smiles, he smiles. A puppy dog.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
Ain't the Army FUBAR enough for
you?
MAXIE
I'm gonna go to Yongsan, poke
around some files a bit. See if
anyone turns anything up on this
grandmother.
WAYNE
Yongsan? You're gonna take your R&R
on an Army base.
MAXIE
Come with me. The officers love
you. They'll help if you're there.
WAYNE
Sorry, Bud. That I won't do. You
got my blessing, though. I hope you
find happiness and all that shit.
At least get a little coochie
before this whole thing blows up in
your face.
MAXIE
(smitten)
She wants to get her nails done. I
gave her a few bucks.
WAYNE
You gave her a few bucks?
(beat)
I see where this relationship is
going.
Wayne stalks off.
MAXIE
Where you going?
WAYNE
Back to the DMZ. You know, where I
feel safe.
A Korean man steps out of a nearby restaurant:
Roh. TAILING WAYNE!
Maxie doesn't notice. His attention has turned back to Seo.
MAXIE
What next? The whole city is at our
feet.
SEO
(smiling)
I know where we can make that true.
EXT. SEOUL STREETS - LATER
A quieter, residential area. Shin on a public pay phone.
He hangs up. Shin knows what he is supposed to do.
Two teenage Korean girls in school uniforms stand about 50
meters away, giggling to each other.
Shin eyes them like a predator. They sneak a glance toward
him and giggle.
Shin breaks out in a broad, friendly smile. He approaches.
EXT. SEOUL STREETS/ELSEWHERE - SAME TIME
Wayne maneuvers the Army Jeep through streets clogged with
traffic. Distracted. Pissed his buddy ditched him for a girl.
Roh, in a Hyundai, tails closely.
Wayne pulls up at a light. He signals to take a left, looking
for a route out of the traffic.
Roh squeezes in to Wayne's left, blocking his turn.
WAYNE
What the fuck? Hey!
Roh ignores him.
Wayne can't quite make out Roh's face, obscured behind a
lowered sun visor blocking the left window.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
God damn Asian drivers.
He abandons the left turn and goes straight instead.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
(after driving a while)
Great. Now I'm fuckin' lost and
stuck in traffic.
(beat)
Fuck you, Maxie Rosen.
EXT. MT. NAMSAN PARK - DAY
In central Seoul, this lovely park sits on a low hill which
is nonetheless the highest elevation in the city.
Seo and Maxie hold hands. She leads him past a water fountain
where children play.
MAXIE
I can't believe this is right in
the middle of this city.
SEO
Keep going. We are not there yet.
MAXIE
Not where yet?
SEO
(pointing)
There!
SEOUL TOWER, high on the hill.
The structure looks a lot like the Seattle Space Needle.
Maxie is falling head over heels for this girl in a hurry.
EXT. SEOUL STREETS - SAME TIME
Shin is with the two teenage girls, shamelessly flirting. The
AD-LIB dialog is all in Korean.
He appears to ask directions while they tease him.
ROH'S CAR
The older agent, very calm as if he's done this a thousand
times, rides right up Wayne's tail.
WAYNE'S CAR
Wayne is really annoyed now. He watches the car in his rear
view more closely than the road.
WAYNE
Jesus Christ. Oughta get my fucking
sidearm --
(to rear-view)
Hey asshole! Get off my ass!
THE SAME STREET WHERE SHIN FLIRTS WITH THE GIRLS
Shin leads them off the curb, flirting with them.
The idea is that he is leading them into the street. Their
attention is focused solely on Shin. He's ready to push them
if he has to. But he may not have to.
Wayne's car is bearing down on them.
The two girls take the bait. They step into the street.
Roh suddenly accelerates and swerves as if to pass. Wayne
swerves to avoid him.
Wayne's Jeep slams into the two teenage girls!
Roh speeds away.
His car vanishes from view. The crowd that quickly gathers
doesn't even realize there was a second car.
Shin lingers on the edge of the scene. He makes sure that the
tragedy is complete.
Wayne, distraught, jumps out of the Jeep.
He kneels over one of the girls. She is gravely injured but
alive.
The scene is quickly turning to chaos.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
Somebody get help! Do you
understand? Get an ambulance!
Wayne desperately performs CPR on the girl.
He looks to his left. Several yards away, a woman crouches
over the body of the second girl.
The woman shrieks in Korean. The girl is dead.
Frantic, Wayne scans the area for any possible help.
For a split second, his eye catches the eye of a man on the
periphery of the scene.
Shin.
Wayne's attention sticks on this mystery man ever so briefly.
The man (Shin) appears unconcerned. Cold.
Wayne returns his attention to the injured girl. The crowd is
starting to get ugly. Someone shouts in broken English.
VOICE FROM CROWD
America go home! Go home!
This hostility increases Wayne's panic. He is caught in a
crisis that is way over his head. He looks around again,
desperate.
He looks toward the mystery man (Shin). But the man is gone.
Even in the middle of this desperate scene, the sudden
disappearance causes Wayne to pause. But not for long.
The crowd closes in on Wayne and the bleeding girl.
WAYNE
Is anyone here a doctor? Can
someone call for help?
(beat)
Come on! Someone speaks English!
An angry man punches Wayne in the shoulder. A few other men
surround him.
VOICE FROM CROWD
America out! You go home!
Freaked out by the punch -- it didn't hurt him -- Wayne leaps
up, reaches into his Jeep.
He pulls an Army-issue .45 from the glove compartment and
points it at the crowd. A cornered animal.
WAYNE
Get back! Stand the fuck back!
The sight of the gun persuades the crowd to do as he says.
But the resentment in the air hangs thick as Seoul smog.
The SIRENS of police cars, getting closer. Wayne lowers his
gun. Emotions are overcoming him. He's cracking.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
I'm sorry! I'm so sorry.
He places the gun on the seat of the Jeep.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
It wasn't my fault. It was an
accident. I'm sorry.
The crowd pulls away from him.
Several Korean men look at him with a kind of pitying
contempt before they turn their attention back to the dead
and dying girls.
Wayne collapses into sobs. The sirens are on top of him now.
EXT. SEOUL TOWER - EARLY EVENING
The space-age tower against the reddish-purple Seoul sky.
INT. SEOUL TOWER - SAME TIME
In an elevator, Maxie and Seo rise high above the city.
They get out on the observation deck. The expanse of Seoul
stretches in front of them.
As the sun sets, they can see the lights of the city start to
twinkle on, welcoming the evening.
They grip each other's hands more tightly.
SEO
You see. The whole city beneath
your feet.
MAXIE
"At our feet."
They press closer to each other. Against the sparkling
expanse of the city, they move in for the inevitable kiss.
EXT. POLICE HEADQUARTERS - NIGHT
Korean police cruisers, sirens wailing, pull up to the
building.
A Korean cop gets out with Wayne as his prisoner. But he is
quickly intercepted by two American Military Police. The lead
MP is SGT. COREY.
SGT. COREY
Thanks. We'll take it from here.
The Korean police are outraged. They shout in Korean at the
MPs. The lead MP takes the lead Korean cop aside.
SGT. COREY (CONT'D)
Look, this was an accident.
KOREAN LEAD COP
(in English)
He is our prisoner. He committed
crime within the city limits of
Seoul.
SGT. COREY
We don't know that a crime was
committed.
The cop who has Wayne steps over, shouts in Korean.
SGT. COREY (CONT'D)
We can't let you take the man under
these circumstances. There's been
no determination that a crime was
committed.
WAYNE
Sergeant?
SGT. COREY
Quiet, soldier.
WAYNE
I just want to see the girls.
(beat)
I just want to go to the hospital.
Or wherever they are.
Sgt. Corey looks at Wayne, a broken man.
SGT. COREY
(to Korean cop)
The man's got a perfectly
legitimate request. Show some
compassion.
EXT. MT. NAMSAN PARK - NIGHT
Seo and Maxie are walking out of the park. They are very much
infatuated with each other.
MAXIE
I don't want to just take off.
Where are you living?
SEO
We cannot go there, Maxie, no.
MAXIE
All right, I understand. Cultural
thing and all. Shit, I couldn't
exactly take you back to the base.
(gets an idea)
How 'bout a hotel?
Seo is shocked.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
We don't have to do anything. It's
not like that, Seo. I just want --
I mean, we can just talk. Order
room service, watch TV. It's
totally cool.
SEO
Okay, we'll see.
MAXIE
Good answer.
He sees a pay phone. A look of mild concern crosses his face.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Hang out for a minute. I'm going to
call the base. I want to make sure
Wayne got back okay.
(beat)
And if he can come back and get me
tomorrow.
Maxie shuffles through his wallet, pulls out a phone card.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Keep an eye out for cops. These
things are illegal contraband!
Maxie goes to the phone, makes his call.
Seo watches him, first with clear affection, then her
expression changes to something else -- as if she remembers
that she has another agenda for this relationship.
But she really likes him.
At the phone, Maxie is now very concerned, upset. He hangs
up, stunned.
SEO
What is the matter, Maxie?
MAXIE
The hotel's gonna have to wait.
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - NIGHT
The hospital is dim and dingy, but otherwise appears as
modern as any large, public hospital.
The corridor is like the scene of the accident, chaotic.
Maxie charges through the corridor, past the arguing police.
Seo is with him, but hanging back several meters.
Wayne sits on a bench in the corridor. He's spent, all cried
out. Military Police officers sit on either side of him.
MAXIE
Sarge! Wayne! Are you OK?
WAYNE
No, Maxie. I ain't exactly OK.
MAXIE
What the fuck? They just jumped out
in front of you?
WAYNE
One of them's in there. They're
trying to save her.
Maxie peeks into the adjacent operating room. Doctors are
working on the injured girl, but without much enthusiasm.
She doesn't look good.
The GIRL'S MOTHER, also in the OR, argues with the CHIEF
SURGEON, off to the side.
The mother is in hysterics. The chief surgeon acts strangely
non-comforting. He jaws right back at the grieving mom.
Maxie can't get his head around what he's seeing. It's too
weird. He turns his attention back to Wayne.
MAXIE
It's gonna be okay, Man. It was
nobody's fault.
Wayne notices Seo standing behind Maxie, hanging back.
WAYNE
I kinda think it was her fault.
Maxie looks back at Seo, puzzled. What's Wayne talking about?
Must be in shock. The guy gets a pass.
MAXIE
I need her to translate so I can
figure out what's going on here.
Maxie looks for anyone to answer his questions.
The Chief Surgeon emerges from the OR and shouts something in
Korean to no one in particular.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
(to Seo)
What's that about?
Seo is troubled by what she has just heard. But why?
SEO
He says the girl cannot be saved.
MAXIE
That can't be everything he said.
SEO
He says the girl's mother is crazy.
She wants to use -- what do you
say? A magical person.
MAXIE
Magical -- ? A witch?
SEO
What is the word for what a witch
will do?
MAXIE
Witchcraft? The mother wants to use
witchcraft to save her daughter?
SEO
He says witchcraft but he means
something else. There is a word for
a person who talks to spirits.
MAXIE
A medium?
SEO
Hm? No.
MAXIE
A shaman?
SEO
Yes. They will send for a shaman.
The situation, Maxie believes, is hopeless.
He looks down at Wayne who heard Seo's translation.
"Hopeless" is barely adequate to describe Wayne now.
EXT. HOSPITAL - LATER
A black car pulls up. Several medical personnel approach.
Hospital officials, too. Someone important is in this car.
A hospital official opens the car door.
Out steps the guest of honor -- a quiet, feeble, very small
old woman.
This is the SHAMAN. She seems to carry great sadness.
She totes a bundle of silk the size of a backpack.
Her escorts -- who don't know quite what to make of her --
lead her into the hospital. The Shaman shoos them away and
takes a right turn, alone, into a ladies room. She clutches
the silk bundle to her chest.
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER
Everyone is tired and stressed. The injured girl's mother is,
of course, the worst off.
Wayne is nearly catatonic from emotional trauma. Maxie sits
next to him, comforting his inconsolable friend. An MP still
guards Wayne.
Seo stands against the wall on the opposite side of the
corridor.
COMMOTION at the end of the corridor. The entourage of
hospital personnel that greeted the black car now marches
through the sliding doors.
This honor guard parts to reveal that within, the shaman
woman is now in full costume.
Her shamanic regalia is highly colorful and all silk (this
was the bundle). Similar to the garb of a Japanese Shinto
priest: elaborate, ceremonial kimono and tall, triangular
headpiece.
The tiny old lady has become an imposing figure.
Maxie is almost in awe. For Wayne, this is more bullshit.
Seo, however, has a different reaction. She withdraws into
herself, because she knows who this woman is. Seo resists the
urge to say something to the shaman.
The hospital personnel open the door to the OR. Maxie sneaks
a look inside. The girl is still on the operating table.
Skeptical doctors stand over the table, doing nothing.
The shaman enters. The girl, motionless. The girl's mother,
right behind the shaman.
The mother at least something resembling hope. Finally.
The shaman looks the girl over closely. The girl has no
response, but she breathes slightly.
The shaman dances. And howls.
This ritual dance goes on forever. The doctors stand to the
side. Maxie watches through the door, totally fascinated.
Seo, tentatively, steps beside him. She wants to see this
woman, too. But she has different reasons.
The shaman-dance continues.
TIME PASSES
The dance continues. Every now and then, the shaman checks on
the girl. Most of the spectators are weary, but the girl's
mother is riveted with hope and Maxie remains mesmerized.
The shaman checks on the girl. The dance is now concluded.
The shaman approaches the mother who hands her a wad of bills
-- about 60,000 Korean won.
The shaman walks out, her work finished.
She walks right past Maxie. And Seo, who says nothing.
The doctors check on the girl. To their amazement, the girl
has improved immensely. Her eyes are open and moving.
The doctors spring into frantic action. The girl's mother
drops to her knees in exhaustion and relief.
IN THE CORRIDOR
Maxie and Seo watch the shaman walk out. No entourage
accompanies her this time. Alone, she counts her money.
Maxie looks into the operating room.
MAXIE
(can't believe it)
Seo! Holy shit!
SEO
(flatly)
Yes. The girl will recover.
MAXIE
Oh my God, Seo. What just happened?
Seo says nothing.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Who was that woman in the crazy
outfit?
SEO
Her name is Kim Nya-Kim
Maxie is stunned. Seo knows the woman's name?
SEO (CONT'D)
She is my grandmother.
PULL BACK
The bustling hospital corridor. Seo, Maxie and the
disconsolate Wayne (and his MP guards) are the only people
not moving. For them, time stands still.
EXT. NORTH KOREAN MILITARY OUTPOST - DAY
A helicopter wobbles through the sky. It lands unsteadily.
A WORKER'S PARTY OFFICIAL jumps out. A small, thickly
spectacled, very nervous man.
The official scurries across the base, barely waiting for the
soldiers who are supposed to escort him. He bursts into...
THE BUNKER
The Intelligence Officers confer, discussing reports on the
desk in front of them. The Party Official is an annoyance.
PARTY OFFICIAL
I have been sent by the Dear
Leader. He requires a status
update.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ONE
We have wired several coded
communications.
PARTY OFFICIAL
The Dear Leader does not have the
time to read your documents! Give
me the latest status update.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER TWO
This is highly irregular.
PARTY OFFICIAL
(offended)
Do not question orders of the Dear
Leader.
The Intelligence Officers share a look. They know when to
pick their battles. Not this time.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ONE
Phases one and two of the operation
have been completed.
PARTY OFFICIAL
That is all?
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER TWO
No part of this operation is easy.
PARTY OFFICIAL
Who is the American soldier that
has been selected?
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER TWO
Does it matter? He is no one. Our
patriotic asset has appealed to his
decadent sexual urges. She now
controls him.
PARTY OFFICIAL
He is unaware of the operation?
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ONE
(now he's offended)
Of course. When the operation is
completed, he will either be
executed for murder by the puppet
government of the South, or
imprisoned by his own compatriots.
PARTY OFFICIAL
That's it? Nothing else?
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ONE
Please honor us by reporting our
progress to the Dear Leader.
PARTY OFFICIAL
(shakes head, worried)
Yes. Thank you, Comrades.
The Party Official scurries off as hastily as he came.
He jumps into the helicopter. The chopper rises into the air,
wobbling all the way into the distance.
EXT. KOREAN DEMILITARIZED ZONE - DAY
Foot patrol at the DMZ, but this one is anything but routine.
Several U.S. soldiers carry out their usual walk along the
DMZ fence. They are trailed by a bustling throng of reporters
and cameramen.
Secret Service agents hang around the periphery.
At the center of this commotion is the President of the
United States. Bill Clinton. He wears a military-issue
windbreaker and a baseball cap with the "USFK" logo.
Major Sargosa acts as Clinton's official tour guide.
One of the soldiers in the "patrol" is Christian Davis.
SARGOSA
This area of the DMZ, Mr.
President, well, it's basically a
wildlife preserve. But you'll see
the ridge up ahead.
JUMP AHEAD
A few moments in time. Most of the entourage hangs back as
President Clinton and a few soldiers position themselves
behind a sandbag barrier.
The president peers through binoculars.
BINOCULAR POV
He sees the North Korean soldiers in the distance, similar to
the view that Christian saw through his rifle scope. Clinton
is impressed.
Friendly and tactile, Clinton pats a soldier on the shoulder.
The soldier, who has no visible reaction, is Christian.
CLINTON
You guys have a lot of courage,
facing down the enemy every day the
way you do.
The soldiers have nothing to say. It's just their job.
JUMP AHEAD
The party is now at the "Truce Village."
North Korean soldiers stand guard across the invisible
border. Clinton walks up to them, stopping a few meters away.
The soldiers stand behind him. The press corps, further back.
The North Korean soldiers glare at Clinton. He stares back.
Clinton turns around, faces the soldiers and the press.
CLINTON (CONT'D)
I have just stood closer to North
Korean territory than any U.S.
president in history.
(beat)
This must be the scariest place on
Earth.
The soldiers, including Christian, watch the president walk
away. None of them appear very impressed.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - DAY
Maxie and Seo have sex. Just finishing, actually.
The hotel room is nothing special. Simple, clean and small.
MAXIE
How much longer do we have to keep
getting a hotel? The U.S.
Government doesn't pay its soldiers
very well, you know.
SEO
The people I stay with, they would
not like an American in their home.
MAXIE
Yeah, I can understand why not.
It's not like we do anything for
them. Like, I don't know, protect
their country from a Communist
invasion or anything.
SEO
Why do you hate North Korea so
much?
MAXIE
Because I'm paid to.
(beat)
Don't you? I thought everyone in
the South hated the North.
SEO
No, many people in the South have
family in the North.
MAXIE
Is that what's going on with you,
Seo? You got people up there?
SEO
(she's said too much)
No. I don't mean my family.
MAXIE
I heard that North Korean agents
kidnap people from the South all
the time. Is that how you lost
touch with your family?
SEO
No. It was not that.
But it was.
SEO (CONT'D)
And what you hear is not true.
MAXIE
(not buying it)
It's not? Really?
(beat)
You still won't tell me why you
won't visit your grandmother? First
you're desperate to find her, then
she shows up and you won't even
talk to her.
SEO
I can't explain, Maxie. My English.
Maxie gives up, smiles at her.
MAXIE
Okay, okay. I love you anyway.
He switches on the old, hotel TV. Fuzzy reception. He flips
through the Korean channels until he lands on AFN.
A hoary old sitcom. But what catches Maxie's attention is the
scroll along the bottom of the screen.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Shit!
(beat)
It says that "due to large scale
protests around Yongsan Army
Garrison, U.S. Military personnel
should remain on base." Fuck.
SEO
What is the matter?
MAXIE
I'm not on base, am I? I'm in a
cheap hotel banging my girlfriend.
Seo doesn't understand "banging."
MAXIE (CONT'D)
(suddenly gets it)
Wayne! That's what these protests
are about. The accident.
SEO
Don't worry. In this country many
people blame America for anything.
They protest America for any
reason.
MAXIE
I gotta get back to base on the
double.
Leaps up, starts pulling on his uniform.
SEO
Maybe it is not a good idea to wear
your uniform when you pass the
protesters.
MAXIE
Good thinking.
He reaches for a T-shirt and jeans.
He kisses Seo on the mouth -- deeply.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Meet you here again in two days?
SEO
Okay, Maxie.
MAXIE
You gotta give me your number or
some other way to get in touch with
you. This is getting weird.
SEO
Say hello to Sergeant Wayne for me.
MAXIE
Sergeant Parrish. Wayne's his first
name, but so long as I'm in the
Army, I'm not supposed to call him
by it. That's only for another
couple weeks, though.
(beat)
Take care of yourself, Mystery
Girl.
Seo watches wistfully as he rushes out the door.
Seo gets dressed. She flips channels on the TV.
A Korean news broadcast shows the protesters. They chant,
scream and wave placards with anti-American slogans.
And then -- a KNOCK on the door.
Seo hesitates, she knows who's out there.
She open the door to greet Shin and Roh.
EXT. SEOUL STREETS/YONGSAN GARRISON - DAY
Yongsan Army Garrison, headquarters of U.S. Forces in Korea.
630 acres of prime Central Seoul real estate. A city-within-a
city. Apartment living, shopping, restaurants etc. More than
25,000 U.S. soldiers and civilians and 3,000 Korean employees
live and work in Yongsan Garrison.
A large, angry mob protests outside an entrance to the base.
American soldiers face the crowd, guarding the gates, tense.
MAXIE (V.O.)
They rotated me off the DMZ, Sarge.
INT. MILITARY PRISON VISITING ROOM - SAME TIME
Maxie and Wayne, who is still very depressed, sit across from
each other over a table.
A couple of MPs stand guard. Maxie buttons up his uniform
(changing on the go). Wayne wears prison fatigues.
MAXIE
I can stop in to see you every day,
until your court martial.
WAYNE
I'm a fucking pariah, Maxie.
There's people protesting in the
streets 'cuz of me.
MAXIE
People here protest anything
American.
WAYNE
They let me go, this city's gonna
explode. The whole country's gonna
explode.
(the whole weight on him)
They gotta lock me up.
MAXIE
I was talking to Seo. She said
these things just blow over.
WAYNE
The Korean chick? She's your
girlfriend now?
Maxie shrugs.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
The day you met her...
MAXIE
That's called a coincidence, Sarge.
WAYNE
Something's fucked-up about the
whole situation. That guy riding my
rear. Why? Then this other Korean
guy, just standing there, giving
me, like, the evil eye.
MAXIE
Goddam rubbernecker. That's what
it's like in California. One little
accident slows down traffic for
miles 'cause everyone has to stop
and get an eyeful.
WAYNE
How's Chris?
MAXIE
Fuck if I know.
WAYNE
In the brig yet? Court martialed
yet?
MAXIE
Sarge, this was an accident.
WAYNE
They're gonna make me a martyr,
Maxie.
MAXIE
They're not.
WAYNE
They are, God damn it!
MAXIE
Shit, Sarge. It's almost like you
want them to.
Maxie stares with great concern at Wayne, who hangs his head.
Something inside Maxie's friend has changed.
EXT. SEOUL STREETS/YONGSAN GARRISON - SAME TIME
The protest rages. Behind the gates, armed soldiers watch,
alert but restrained.
These protesters are mostly young people, "students." But
also, a good number of housewives, businessmen, even elderly.
A bespectacled, otherwise mild-mannered businessman-type
moves close to the entrance. He shouts in halting English.
BUSINESSMAN
You must leave our country. This is
our land, not your land.
Another, more frenzied man runs up next to him, screaming in
Korean at the soldiers.
The soldiers tense as the crazy guy lunges forward.
BUSINESSMAN (CONT'D)
You are our slaves. You are our
dogs. You watchdogs. We kick you.
PULL BACK on the whole scene. Controlled chaos.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - SAME TIME
The same long shot of the protest, this time on the fuzzy TV.
Seo, fully dressed, sits on the bed. Shin sits next to her,
watching the protests on TV. Roh stands over her. (NOTE:
KOREAN WITH SUBTITLES.)
ROH
The Dear Leader is unhappy with the
progress of our operation. Do you
understand what that means?
SEO
Yes.
SHIN
(re: TV images)
Agent Roh and I have done our part.
Look at this. Breaking out all over
the South.
ROH
Of course, you played your part in
helping us complete this phase of
the operation. But as for the next
phase...
SHIN
Your relationship with the American
soldier. It has achieved nothing.
Shin moves disturbingly, suggestively, closer to Seo.
SHIN (CONT'D)
Except, for you.
(beat)
But what has it accomplished for
the glorious cause of the people?
With Shin this close to her, Seo notices a large red scar, a
burn, protruding from behind the collar of his shirt.
Shin notices that she notices.
SHIN (CONT'D)
Do you want to see? This is what
South Koreans do to their brothers
in the North. This is the
comradeship they show when they
arrest us.
ROH
Comrade Shin! Move away from
Comrade Kim.
(beat)
Comrade Kim, if you think those
burns are bad, you should see his
genitals.
Roh finds his own comment quite amusing. Shin is humiliated.
Roh leans toward Seo, paternal.
ROH (CONT'D)
They would not show any greater
mercy to a woman. That is the way
they are. Comrade Kim, the Great
Leader pleads with you, humbly, for
the glory of the people's
revolution.
SEO
Yes. I know what I must do.
EXT. DEOKSUGUNG PALACE - DAY
Maxie, in fatigues, walks with Seo through central Seoul. The
historic palace, now mostly a museum, is adjacent to City
Hall at the busiest intersection in downtown Seoul.
Sejongo Street, Seoul's main boulevard runs through downtown.
As they walk, the street reveals both the modern and "old"
Seoul in its architecture, shops and churches.
Seo looks at all of this scenery with wonder.
Maxie doesn't understand that she is seeing this city,
supposedly her "home," for the first time.
Riot police are out in force, on every street corner and in
front of every important building.
SEO
This palace was where King GoJong
would sleep.
MAXIE
You have to come back with me.
SEO
He was the last king of Korea.
MAXIE
To the States.
SEO
You can see how western buildings
were built next to the Korean. No
other country in Asia has mixed
with the West like Korea has.
MAXIE
There's nothing keeping you in
Seoul, Babe. Your family obviously
isn't too hot in keeping in touch.
SEO
But between Korea and the West,
there is still so much tension.
MAXIE
(noting riot cops)
Yeah. What's going down today?
Expecting an invasion?
SEO
Nuclear war.
MAXIE
Excuse me?
SEO
The students will demonstrate
tonight, to protest Americans.
MAXIE
What else is new?
SEO
The Americans accuse us of building
nuclear weapons. To justify a
nuclear attack of their own.
MAXIE
First of all, no one's nuking
anybody. Second of all, what do you
mean "us?" It's North Korea that's
the enemy.
SEO
I mean, all Koreans are one people.
MAXIE
Tell it to Kim Il-Sung.
(beat)
All of this, it's why you should
come back with me.
You can feel the fucking tension in
the streets here. And if you think
it's tense in Seoul, I was
stationed at the DMZ for. You don't
feel that in Menlo Park,
California.
(beat)
I got two days left to wear this
uniform. Come on, Seo. Please. I
love you.
SEO
(smiles at him)
The tension you feel, it is because
your friend Sergeant Wayne --
MAXIE
Sergeant Parrish.
SEO
His trial begins today.
MAXIE
I'm aware of that. Very aware. It's
not a trial, it's a tribunal. And
it's a crock of shit. But I'm going
to leave all of this bullshit
behind. You can too. Come with me.
Seo is genuinely thinking about it. She touches his face,
affectionate. Her feelings for him run pretty deep, in spite
of herself.
SEO
I will consider it.
MAXIE
Meet here tomorrow?
SEO
Go to your friend. He needs you.
MAXIE
(re: the riot cops)
Look around. That's all the
considering you need to do.
Seo watches him leave. What's running through her mind?
EXT. SEOUL STREETS/YONGSAN GARRISON - LATER
Demonstrations rage outside the base. The crowd, angrier than
before. They hang an effigy of a U.S. Soldier. Scattered
bonfires burn at several places in the crowd.
EXT. YONGSAN ARMY GARRISON - SAME TIME
In the brig. Sergeant Corey and another MP are preparing to
take Wayne from his lock-up. An officer, CAPTAIN TASH,
oversees.
Wayne, at this point, is an emotional blank.
Maxie bursts in.
MAXIE
Who's the officer in charge here?
TASH
Easy, Soldier. You're not
authorized.
MAXIE
Request permission to be placed on
prisoner escort detail, Sir.
TASH
You don't look like an MP, son.
SGT. COREY
It's his buddy, Sir.
WAYNE
What're you doing, Maxie?
MAXIE
(to Tash)
You're just taking him across the
yard, Sir.
TASH
What the hell. Tag along if that's
what gets your nuts off, Soldier.
MAXIE
(to Wayne)
You gotta know you got support,
Sarge.
TASH
Touching. Let's move it out.
EXT. YONGSAN ARMY GARRISON - MOMENTS LATER
The detail loads into a Jeep for the drive across the base.
They pass within sight of demonstrators outside. Wayne looks
over.
Of all the soldiers, only Wayne seems to understand what
these demonstrations mean.
MAXIE
Buck up, Sarge. I told you you're
going to get through this OK. And
you are.
WAYNE
It don't matter what happens at the
court-martial.
MAXIE
Come on.
WAYNE
Shit, I always figured if I loved
my country and did my job the big
picture would take care of itself.
Never thought about what it means
and all that shit.
MAXIE
We're grunts, Sarge. It's not in
our contract to think about the big
picture.
A MOLOTOV COCKTAIL flies over the fence. A couple of soldiers
jump back, then douse the fire on the pavement.
Something bigger -- and blazing -- flies at the soldiers.
They scatter. The burning object hits ground and erupts.
AN AMERICAN FLAG! ON FIRE!
Maxie and Wayne watch the flames rise.
The Jeep rolls on.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - DAY
A few days later.
Maxie in civvies. He's haggard. His hair is unkempt and he
hasn't shaved in a couple of days. He drinks "OB Lager" from
a bottle as he talks on the phone.
MAXIE
She will call, Mom. Yeah, I wish I
had a way of getting in touch with
her, but she wouldn't let me near
where she lives. It's like, a
cultural thing.
(beat)
A hundred bucks, Mom. That covers
the hotel for like, a week.
(beat)
I just spent four years in the Army
so you wouldn't have to pay for my
college. You can spare a hundred
bucks.
The red light on his phone flashes.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
I have to go, Mom. I'm getting a
call. Send the money order. In the
morning your time. Please.
He hangs up. The phone rings instantly.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Seo?
WAYNE (FILTERED)
Jesus, Maxie. It's Wayne.
MAXIE
Sarge?
The remainder of the conversation cuts between Maxie's hotel
and Wayne on a pay phone at the base.
Wayne looks sharp in his dress uniform, with a duffel bag at
his side. His mood on the other hand is worse than when he
was in jail.
WAYNE
You heard, right?
MAXIE
(excited)
I told you you'd get off! Awesome!
WAYNE
(not excited)
It's bullshit. They don't give a
shit about those girls or me.
They're sending a message. The U.S.
Military don't back down to no one.
MAXIE
Hey. Big picture, Sarge. Not our
job. Remember?
WAYNE
You're not in the Army anymore,
Maxie. You can think about whatever
you damn well please.
MAXIE
What now?
WAYNE
Now? I go back to the DMZ. Business
as fucking usual.
(beat)
Go home, Maxie. Forget the Korean
chick.
MAXIE
I haven't heard from her in three
days. I'm kinda worried.
WAYNE
Forget this whole place.
He hangs up without saying goodbye.
Maxie looks at the phone, surprised.
He throws on a military windbreaker over his scruffy civvies
and heads out the door.
CUT BETWEEN MAXIE AND WAYNE
FREEWAY
A military vehicle transports Wayne out of Seoul. He's still
in his dress uniform, still unhappy.
A soldier riding with him gives Wayne a congratulatory slap
on the shoulder.
Wayne barely manages a smile.
SEOUL STREETS
Sejongo.
Maxie walks past an Anglican Church. Riot police are out
again. He tries to retrace steps he took with Seo, hoping she
will show up.
CAMP BONIFAS
Wayne returns to the barracks. A bunch of guys greet him.
Off to one side is Christian Davis. Wayne's eyes meet his.
Christian nods to him. Wayne looks down. Too much bullshit.
ITAEWON
Maxie returns to the clothing stall where he first met Seo.
She's not there, of course.
A teenage Korean girl eyes him. She's with a friend. They
giggle to themselves.
CAMP BONIFAS
Wayne enters the SUPPLY DEPOT. He's looking for Alexandra.
A FEMALE OFFICER oversees inspection of the warehouse.
Wayne thinks it's Alexandra. The officer turns around. She
looks nothing like Alexandra. She smirks and turns away.
She knew who he was looking for -- and why.
Wayne stands there like an idiot, downcast.
ITAEWON
Maxie pulls out a phone card and approaches that familiar
phone booth. He looks around. A cop is not too far away, but
this one ignores him.
He pockets the phone card and moves on.
THE DMZ
Wayne leads a patrol, just like old times. But not quite.
Against his wishes, Christian is one of his men.
They are positioned behind sandbags. As before, Christian
points his rifle toward the North. He pretends to shoot. This
time, Wayne says nothing.
CHRISTIAN
(grinning)
We gotta kill these fuckers, Sarge.
If not now, then later.
Wayne shoots Christian a look of contempt and walks away.
SEOUL STREETS
A demonstration. Maxie watches from a distance. A portly,
happy Korean businessman approaches.
PORTLY MAN
There is much trouble between Korea
and America these days. No?
Maxie has no response.
THE DMZ
Wayne, alone, at the monument near Panmunjon, commemorating
the death of Captain Bonifas.
He reads the text and stares out toward the North.
SEOUL TOWER
Maxie stands by himself in the observation deck. The lights
of Seoul twinkle beneath him. Seo is nowhere.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - DAY
TIGHT on the TV screen. Another crappy sitcom plays through
the fuzz.
Maxie's splayed in bed, beer in hand. Depressed. He flips
channels with the remote.
He barely pays attention as he flips past a few Korean
broadcasts.
But wait! Something catches his eye. He flips back -- and
there it is. A familiar face.
Jenkins! The defector.
The broadcast is in Korean. Maxie leans in, as if that will
help him understand.
Some sort of TV drama. Military -- a war drama. But with the
production values of a cheap soap opera.
JENKINS IS AN ACTOR IN THIS SHOW!
Maxie is floored. What the hell is he looking at?
The scene on the TV switches to a news broadcast. A close-up
of Jenkins is now an inset in the corner of the screen, over
the anchorman's left shoulder. Unbelievable.
INT. CAMP BONIFAS BARRACKS - SAME TIME
A group of guys are gathered around the TV.
Christian Davis is in the group. Also Wayne. And a Korean
soldier who translates for them.
CHRISTIAN
Holy fuck! That's Jenkins! The
fucking defector.
Wayne watches with his now ever-present sadness. He can't
take his eyes off this broadcast.
TRANSLATOR
They say that this man is now a TV
star. He is acting as the villain
on this drama.
(beat)
They say the North Korean
propaganda has no shame.
CHRISTIAN
I guess crime does pay. Right
Sarge?
Wayne will not talk to Christian.
He is transfixed by the broadcast -- and the face of Jenkins.
EXT. SEJONGO BOULEVARD - NIGHT
The huge street is closed to traffic. About 10,000 riot
police, with Darth Vader helmets, body armor and shields are
lined up in orderly rows.
Facing the stoic police, about 3,000 frenzied protesters,
mostly students. They shout slogans, wave anti-American
placards.
A few hold placards with pictures of the two girls who were
run down by Wayne.
A flaming Molotov cocktail flies out of the crowd. It lands a
few rows back in the formation of police. The police move
aside, put out the flames. Otherwise, no response.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - SAME TIME
CLOSE on the T.V. A rerun of "The Six Million Dollar Man."
Along the bottom, a ticker warning: "U.S. MILITARY PERSONNEL
AND CITIZENS STRONGLY ADVISED TO REMAIN INDOORS. LARGE-SCALE
PROTESTS EXPECTED. POTENTIAL FOR VIOLENCE..."
PULL BACK
Maxie's watching "with one eye." Reluctantly, he throws a few
things into a khaki duffel bag. He's leaving.
His scruffy beard is almost full and he hasn't showered. He
pauses to quaff an OB Lager.
EXT. SEJONGO BOULEVARD - SAME TIME
A group of protesters wielding sticks and other makeshift
weapons rushes the front line of riot police.
The police crouch. They raise their steel shields. Highly
disciplined. Protestors beat against the shields.
CLOSER
On the police under assault. Through their wire face-masks,
they are not as stoic as they appear. Stress takes a toll.
The second row of police moves forward, shields up,
reinforcing the front line.
CLOSER
On their faces, through the masks. Determination and even
fear. Except for one policeman.
He glances side to side. Everyone is his enemy.
IT IS SHIN!
Onlookers rubberneck the protest from the periphery, safely
back. A few western faces in the crowd.
In the darkened doorway of a small shop, a CIGARETTE GLOWS.
The face behind the cigarette, watching with great interest,
but ever cool -- ROH.
As the violence of the protest ebbs briefly, Roh drops his
cigarette, gingerly stamps it out.
He looks up. Standing next to him is SEO.
She is extremely nervous. Nothing is said. Roh nods.
Seo gathers her courage and strides away, full of purpose.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - SHORTLY LATER
Maxie lies on the bed, his duffel now packed. The duffel
rests next to him like a sleeping lover. The TV drones on.
Maxie, depressed, talks on the phone.
MAXIE
Tomorrow. Korean Air Flight 23.
(beat)
I don't know, Mom. 11 hours or
something. Leaves at 1600 hours --
I mean four o'clock in the
afternoon. Gets in 11 in the
morning.
(beat)
No. The morning of the same day.
At the door, a KNOCK.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
(wary)
Hang on, Mom.
Maxie sets the receiver down, looks through the peephole on
the door. He gets very excited. Opens up.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Where the hell have you been? I've
been looking all over this goddam
city! I got no way to reach you, no
address, no number --
It is Seo, of course.
SEO
Can I come in, Maxie?
MAXIE
(softening up)
Yeah, definitely. Hell yeah.
Seo steps in. An awkward BEAT.
Maxie finally leans forward and kisses her. Very tentative.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Are you happy to see me?
He notices the phone.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Oh shit.
(picks it up)
Sorry Mom, gotta go.
Maxie hangs up the phone, cutting his mother off.
SEO
I am happy, Maxie.
MAXIE
So what happened?
SEO
I had things I needed to do.
MAXIE
I thought you were gone. I booked
my flight tomorrow and everything.
(beat)
I still want you to come with me. I
can probably get another seat on
the plane tomorrow. It's just
another thousand bucks on my mom's
credit card.
Seo just looks at him. Her mind is elsewhere.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Shit, I spent the last year staring
down a bunch of fucking communists
who want to kill me, just so I
could go to college on Uncle Sam's
dime instead of mom and dad's.
'Least they could do is let me use
the credit card for a while?
SEO
Maxie, out in the street...
MAXIE
Fuck the street. We got the
honeymoon suite!
Maxie suddenly picks her up like a bride and drops her on the
bed. She hits her head on the duffel bag.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Sorry.
Seo smiles, laughs. She forgot, she actually enjoys this
American guy.
Maxie sits next to her and strokes her head.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Oh, shit! You should have seen what
was on TV yesterday. I mean, I'm
not supposed to talk about it,
because it's classified, but I
guess there's no way to hide it
when it's on TV. This guy from my
unit a few weeks ago. He defected.
Can you believe that shit? He
fucking defected to North Korea.
SEO
Kidnapped?
MAXIE
No. Not kidnapped. He went all by
himself. He was a weirdo, I knew
the guy. Always freaked out about
the Army, freaked out the North
Koreans were going to invade and
we'd all die or something.
(back on topic)
The other day I see him on TV.
SEO
Yes?
MAXIE
He's on a soap opera on North
Korean TV!
SEO
Soap opera?
MAXIE
Yeah, you know. The soaps?
(beat)
How can you live in an American
dorm room for three years and not
know what a soap opera is?
SEO
Oh.
MAXIE
Like a TV drama show that's on
every day?
SEO
Oh.
MAXIE
You're weird sometimes, you know
that?
Seo says nothing.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
I kind of forget the point of my
story. Just that it's weird that
this guy betrays his country and
now he's a TV star.
(beat)
Maybe those North Koreans aren't so
bad after all. It's the land of
opportunity up there, I guess.
SEO
There is great poverty in the
North.
MAXIE
I know. You don't have to go
getting all serious on me.
SEO
The West will not trade with the
North. That is the cause of the
famine.
MAXIE
Skip the politics, okay. I'm just
happy to see you.
He leans down and kisses her again. She smiles.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
You gonna tell me what's wrong?
SEO
Nothing is wrong, Maxie. I am happy
to see you, too.
MAXIE
You disappear for, like, a week.
Then you just show up acting all
quiet. Something's up.
SEO
(looks into his eyes)
Nothing is up, Maxie.
She reaches her arms up around his neck, pulls him down
toward her. They kiss again -- deeply this time.
The make-out session escalates into lovemaking.
Seo hugs Maxie tightly. He is on top of her. Tears roll down
her face. Maxie can't see them.
The duffel bag rolls on to the floor.
ON THE STREET
The protest rages. Protesters attack the cops.
Roh observes, from a safe distance. He checks his watch,
looks to the side -- he's expecting someone.
IN THE POLICE FORMATION
Discipline barely holds as the protesters apply pressure.
CLOSE ON SHIN
He struggles to hold his own in the line. He peers through
his mask in the direction of Roh.
The distant cigarette glows.
Whatever they are waiting for, it's not time yet.
CLOSE ON ROH
He checks his watch again, irritated now.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - SAME TIME
Maxie and Seo are at the end of their lovemaking session. At
least, he is.
As soon as it's over, Seo wriggles out from under him and
hurries to the bathroom.
MAXIE
(stunned)
You're still going to tell me
nothing's wrong?
IN THE BATHROOM
Seo closes the door. She looks in the mirror and washes tears
away with water.
Seo collects herself, wraps a towel around her body, then
goes back out.
HOTEL ROOM
Maxie just glares at her, getting angry.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
What the fuck?
SEO
Maxie, outside in the street...
MAXIE
There's a big protest. I know.
AFN's been running warnings all
day. I've seen enough of that
bullshit, thank you very much.
SEO
I must be with my people.
MAXIE
What?
(thinks he gets it)
Is that where you've been? Is that
who your friends are, some group of
student radicals or something?
SEO
This is important to me. I must go
down there.
MAXIE
What? You want me to come with you
to an anti-American protest?
(beat)
Honey, you get on the plane with me
tomorrow, you never have to worry
about any of this again.
Seo looks at him, pleadingly. She can't say anything to him.
She is too conflicted.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Look, I'm not some big flag-waver.
Shoot, even Wayne knew that we
screw things up wherever we go. And
he was as patriotic as they come. I
didn't even want to join the Army.
(beat)
But your pals out in the street
don't know any of that. I'm not
looking to get my ass kicked.
SEO
(getting dressed)
Maxie, I have to go.
MAXIE
Shit! All right. I'll go with you.
I'm a soldier, I can handle myself,
right?
(beat)
Right?
SEO
Thank you for coming with me,
Maxie.
MAXIE
It's my pleasure, Miss Kim.
Maxie pulls on jeans and a sweater. They are out the door.
EXT. SEJONGO - SHORTLY LATER
Seo leads Maxie along the periphery of the demonstration.
MAXIE
You don't mind if I watch this one
from the bench, right?
She leads him past Roh, smoking again in a darkened doorway.
Maxie glances at Roh who gives him a chilling stare.
When Maxie and Seo are past, Roh lifts his cigarette in the
air, the glowing tip pointed straight up.
IN THE POLICE FORMATION
Shin notices the signal. He's ready to complete his
assignment.
IN THE DEMONSTRATION
Seo pushes her way through the crowd. Maxie hangs back.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Seo! This is dangerous.
(beat)
Shit!
Maxie plunges into the crowd behind her.
Seo in the lead. They elbow their way near the front. Maxie
grows increasingly nervous as they get deeper in.
The danger of the angry crowd is so real Maxie can feel it.
TO THE SIDE OF THE CROWD
An old shop. Two YOUNG MEN rip an old, wooden DOOR from its
hinges. Carrying the door, they rush back ...
IN THE DEMONSTRATION
The crowd backs off. One of the young men douses the door
with some kind of fluid, the other throws a match on it.
The door IGNITES.
The two young men lift the door again from either end. Madly,
they rush forward. Demonstrators hustle out of their way.
MAXIE AND SEO
...are near the front lines of the demonstration. The two
young men with the flaming door run up right behind them.
Maxie dives for cover. The young men heave the door at the
police line no more than a few feet in front of them.
Police scatter. Their discipline is on the verge of breaking.
Maxie gets separated from Seo. He can see her in the throng
of enraged, screaming protestors -- a few meters away, but it
seems like a huge distance.
From the police side, TEAR GAS CANNISTERS fly through the
air. The cans land in the crowd of demonstrators.
A CLOUD OF TEAR GAS. Some demonstrators already have scarves
tied tightly around their faces.
Everyone else fights to endure the gas. Some peel off from
the crowd. They can't take it.
Maxie picks himself off the ground just as the gas hits. He
chokes. Fluid flows freely from his eyes.
The gas penetrates his sinuses.
Maxie recoils. The pain in his eyes and sinuses is
incredible. Mucous runs from his nose in torrents.
The police begin charging forward into the crowd, batons
whirling. They SHOVE demonstrators to the ground with their
shields. Some cops CLUB fallen students.
To Maxie, through his teary, agonizing haze, the scene is a
terrifying blur.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Seo!
ON SEO
Covering her mouth and blinking wildly, Seo looks over and
sees Maxie. He staggers around. She is paralyzed by the sight
of him. What has she done?
ON MAXIE
A riot cop gets in Maxie's face. They're FACE TO FACE.
THE COP IS SHIN!
Shin's face has no special significance to Maxie, who can
barely see straight anyway. But Shin, gripped with a sense of
purpose, pulls a GUN.
Shin holds the gun to Maxie's forehead. Time stands still
amidst the chaos. Shin pulls the gun away. BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
HE KILLS TWO COPS!
Shin knocks Maxie flat with his shield. And in a quick motion
of catlike stealth, SLIPS THE GUN INTO MAXIE'S BELT.
SHIN
(leaps to his feet)
The American! The American shot
police!
Cops respond, they swarm Maxie.
The chaos is now TOTAL CHAOS. More SHOTS ring out.
POLICE CLOSE IN ON MAXIE. Clubs swinging.
Where's Shin? Vanished, just like that.
Several feet away, another group of police overpowers a gang
of students.
In that gang -- Seo. The police swing clubs and shields.
SEO GOES DOWN!
Police and demonstrators TRAMPLE her.
She looks bad. Very bad.
POLICE ARE ON TOP OF MAXIE
A cop pulls the gun from Maxie's belt. In this madness,
that's all the evidence anyone needs.
COP
(waving gun)
Here is the killer! The American!
They BEAT HIM MERCILESSLY.
He tries to fight back, hopeless.
On the ground, Maxie becomes submissive.
He's finished, resigned to death.
But, not so fast.
A CLEARING OPENS AROUND HIM.
Someone pulls the cops off, slams them to the ground.
Maxie looks up. Who is this ass-kicking hero saving his neck?
CHRISTIAN DAVIS!
A one-man army in civvies, Christian fights riot cops on one
side, demonstrators on the other.
Somehow impervious to the tear gas, Christian is finally in
his element. The warrior has his war.
Chris grabs Maxie, pulls him out of there. Maxie spots Seo
lying on the ground, motionless and bloody.
Maxie stops, grabs her, drags her along. Finally they are...
OUT OF THE CROWD
The chaos is subsiding. The riot cops win, as always. The
violence and tear gas have subdued the demonstrators. Chris,
Maxie and the limp body of Seo find a safe spot.
CHRISTIAN
(adrenaline rush)
Now that's what the fuck I'm
talking about!
MAXIE
Thanks, man. I don't know what to
say.
(beat)
Where did you come from?
CHRISTIAN
Dude, they rotated me downrange
right around when you got your
discharge. Who'd figure I'd finally
see action here, huh?
MAXIE
Guess I'm glad the Army is too
fucked-up to stick your ass in the
brig.
CHRISTIAN
(re: Seo)
Who's this?
MAXIE
(hesitates)
My girlfriend.
CHRISTIAN
Damn. Korean pussy you don't got to
pay for?
Maxie shoots him a look. Christian is chastened.
CHRISTIAN (CONT'D)
I gotta tell you, man. She don't
look too good.
Maxie urgently examines her as best he can. He knows some
medical procedures from basic training.
CHRISTIAN (CONT'D)
Dead?
Maxie just looks at her. He's choked up again, but this time
it's not tear gas. It's emotion. And then...
SEO DRAWS A BREATH!
Maxie, excited, leans close.
MAXIE
Seo? Can you hear me?
Her eyes open a little.
SEO
I can hear you, Maxie.
CHRISTIAN
Where's she from? Tuscaloosa?
MAXIE
Tell me what hurts. We'll get you
to a hospital.
Blood bubbles from Seo's mouth. Here eyes are glassy.
SEO
I don't feel anything hurt.
CHRISTIAN
That's even worse.
MAXIE
(to Chris)
You got to help me with this. We
have to take her to the base, get
her attention.
CHRISTIAN
Base? She ain't family, she don't
work there.
MAXIE
I don't know where any other
hospitals are!
SEO
(very weak)
No hospitals.
MAXIE
Shut up, Seo.
SEO
(using all her strength)
No, Maxie. No hospital. No doctor.
Maxie ignores her.
MAXIE
You remember how to transport
wounded personnel, right?
CHRISTIAN
Yeah, as fast as you can without
getting your ass shot off.
MAXIE
Just help me, Chris.
CHRISTIAN
Okay, man. Not a problem.
They gingerly begin to lift her. But Seo protests, spitting
blood as she tries to speak. She is angry and scared.
SEO
Maxie! No! They will kill me.
Torture me. And you!
MAXIE
What? Torture you? Who?
They place her back down.
SEO
South Korea police. The army.
CHRISTIAN
What the hell is she talking about?
MAXIE
I don't know. Maybe she's
delirious.
SEO
Maxie! I come from North Korea.
Stunned silence all around.
MAXIE
What?
CHRISTIAN
Yeah. What? What the fuck?
Seo is lying on the pavement again, writhing. The emotional
pain hurts worse than the physical.
SEO
I come here to do a mission, Maxie.
I am sorry. I have hurt you.
MAXIE
What mission? What about me?
CHRISTIAN
This is some heavy shit, Maxie.
MAXIE
Seo, you're concussed. You're
having hallucinations.
SEO
No. If you take me to your base,
you will see. You will go to jail.
MAXIE
Seo, listen. You're not from North
Korea. You have family here. Your
grandmother, remember? The crazy
dancing lady?
SEO
My mother, her daughter. Kidnapped.
My father, too. The North kidnaps
South Koreans to make children,
like me. They send us back as
agents because we are strong and
healthy. Most people in my country
are poor. They are starving and
ugly and very small.
CHRISTIAN
None of this makes any fucking
sense.
MAXIE
They do kidnap people. I read that.
CHRISTIAN
(getting very angry)
So this bitch is a spy. And you're
fucking her?
MAXIE
Listen, man. I love her.
CHRISTIAN
Pussy-whipped motherfucker.
MAXIE
Whatever. We've got to get her
help. Please.
Christian thinks it over.
Against all of his instincts, he agrees.
CHRISTIAN
So, what do we do?
SEO
Maxie, no.
MAXIE
I've got an idea. But you have to
help get us there -- so stay awake!
(to Christian)
You ready?
INT. TAXI CAB - NIGHT
Seo sits, limp, between Maxie and Chris in the back seat. She
leans her head on Maxie's shoulder. They could pass for a
couple after a rough night on the town.
The DRIVER looks in the rear view at them. He buys it.
SEO
(mumbling)
Maxie, you must go. You were part
of the plan, Maxie. They sent me to
use an American soldier.
Propaganda. So South Korea will
turn against American troops.
MAXIE
(sharp whisper)
Shut up!
SEO
I have ruined your life. I am
sorry.
MAXIE
Stay still, Seo.
(not so sure)
I'm fine. I will be fine.
But will he? The look that passes between Christian and Maxie
says this situation is bad.
EXT. RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD - CONTINUOUS
The car pulls up on a small, narrow street lined with modest,
but nice little Korean pre-fab homes.
IN THE CAB, Maxie hands the driver some money.
MAXIE
Just wait a minute, OK? Wait? You
understand?
The driver nods, counting the money.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Chris, go knock on -- let's see --
that door, there.
CHRISTIAN
Who am I looking for?
MAXIE
Just knock on the door.
Christian gets out of the cab. Walks to the designated door.
Knocks.
Nothing. Knocks again.
CHRISTIAN
Yo! Anyone home?
A MAN walking home crosses to the other side of the narrow
street, to avoid Christian. Faces poke out of nearby windows.
When they see Christian, they quickly go away.
The door opens. A sad little old lady answers.
She is utterly unimpressed by the sight of a large, white
American at her door.
Christian is just plain puzzled. He turns to look back at the
cab, quizzically.
The old lady is KIM NYA-KIM.
MAXIE
Your grandmother's going to help
you, Seo. Can you make it inside?
They manage to get out of the cab. Seo can hardly stand.
INT. KIM NYA-KIM'S HOME - SHORTLY LATER
The house is simple, but nice. Spiritual, Korean household
decorations adorn the place.
Maxie and Christian sit on Western-style too-small chairs.
Seo lies prone and barely conscious on a "yo," a futon-like
floor mattress.
She's slipping away.
In a prominent position is a large photograph of a young
woman. The woman looks very much like Seo -- but this is an
old photo. At least 25 years old.
CHRISTIAN
That your girl in the picture?
MAXIE
No, it can't be. Looks like her,
though.
(realizing)
It's her mother.
Kim Nya-Kim appears in the room. She wears her full costume.
CHRISTIAN
Yeah, like this makes sense.
MAXIE
She's some kind of a shaman.
CHRISTIAN
A what?
MAXIE
Kind of like a witch. Just watch.
The two young men stand aside. Kim Nya-Kim chants softly,
then more loudly. She dances around Seo.
This dance is carefully planned, every step. The intensity
builds until the old woman is in a frenzy.
The intensity subsides, like the fade-out of a 45-rpm record.
Without a word, Kim Nya-Kim exits the room.
Maxie and Christian stare at Seo, not knowing what to expect.
Maxie, having seen this "work" once before, has higher hopes.
Nothing.
CHRISTIAN
Dude, I don't know what to tell
you.
MAXIE
Just wait.
And then -- something! Seo comes around. Her breathing
stabilizes. Her eyes focus.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Seo!
He rushes to her.
CHRISTIAN
What just happened?
Seo, though exhausted, has the strength to smile at Maxie. As
he leans over her, she gets better by the moment.
She reaches up and throws her battered arms around him.
CHRISTIAN (CONT'D)
Wow, man. I gotta admit. That's
awesome.
Seo and Maxie are hugging now, tightly. After a few BEATS of
this happy scene, Maxie turns to Christian, hugging his girl.
There are tears on his face.
MAXIE
This country, Chris. What the hell
are we doing here?
CHRISTIAN
Fucking shit up, I guess.
MAXIE
We are in way over our heads.
Kim Nya-Kim re-enters the room, dressed in her "civvies"
again. She pauses to take in the scene.
And then, for the first time, breaks into a smile.
Seo, much more healthy, pulls herself up and hugs her tiny
grandmother. This is a joyful reunion if ever there was one.
The two women speak softly through tears, in Korean.
Maxie and Christian watch them. There's something wrong. A
sadness comes across Maxie's face.
SEO
Maxie. I will come to America with
you. You know I have never been
there.
The two men look at each other.
SEO (CONT'D)
It is what my grandmother wants for
me. She knows what will happen to
me if I stay. The South Koreans
will torture me. The North Koreans
will find me and assassinate me.
(beat)
I need you Maxie. I love you.
MAXIE
I love you, too, Seo.
A KNOCK at the door. Christian answers it. It's Sergeant
Corey, the MP, with two of his men.
SGT. COREY
Took forever to find this fucking
place.
CHRISTIAN
You found it, didn't you?
Corey and his men enter.
SGT. COREY
(re: Seo)
That her?
CHRISTIAN
You see anyone else who fits the
description?
SGT. COREY
Come to think of it, I don't.
(to Seo)
Let's go. You're being taken into
custody for suspicion of espionage
and sabotage.
Seo, still in Maxie's arms, is horrified.
SEO
Maxie! What is happening?
Maxie says nothing, sickened by this whole scene.
SEO (CONT'D)
Your friend. He betrayed us. Maxie!
He called them.
As gently as he can, Maxie removes her arms from around him.
Maxie stands up and just looks at her.
The distance between them might as well be miles.
SEO (CONT'D)
Maxie?
MAXIE
You gotta go with them, Seo.
(beat)
I called them.
The wind goes out of Seo, almost like she's been shot. Maybe
this is worse.
Corey takes her by the arm. One of his men cuffs her with
plastic ties.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
It'll be OK. No one's going to
torture you.
(beat)
My country doesn't do that.
SEO
But -- I would come to America!
MAXIE
Seo, I don't know what I'm doing
here and I don't know what I'm
going to do back there.
SGT. COREY
You did the right thing, man. She
would've had you up shit's creek.
Now, damn, they'll probably give
you a medal.
MAXIE
I'm not even in the army anymore.
A lengthy BEAT. Finally...
CHRISTIAN
Shit, I'm in the army! Can I get a
fuckin' medal?
SEO
Maxie!
MAXIE
(to Christian)
Let's go.
Without meeting Seo's eyes -- as difficult as it is not to
look at her, it would be even worse if he did -- Maxie walks
past the MPs and out. Christian follows.
Seo is crying rivers, deep sobs. The MPs take her away.
Finally the tiny, Korean home is emoty.
Empty -- except for Kim Nya-kim.
The old woman stands by herself, silent. Everything is lost
for her -- again.
That is her life. She accepts it.
But her sadness never goes away.
EXT. CAMP BONIFAS BARRACKS - NIGHT
Pitch dark. Moonlight. A few footlights on the camp walkways.
Still. Quiet.
INT. CAMP BONIFAS BARRACKS - SAME TIME
The commons area. Mostly dark. One SOLDIER IN UNDERWEAR,
sleepless, watches the TV, keeping the volume low. AFN News.
On screen, JIMMY CARTER. Then it flashes to KIM IL-SUNG.
AFN NEWS BROADCAST
...former president Carter returned
from Pyongyang, describing his
talks with the North Korean leader
as a success.
The soldier in underwear hears something in the dark. He
looks over his shoulder. Nothing.
AFN NEWS BROADCAST (CONT'D)
Following an agreement by U.S. and
South Korean forces to cancel the
Operation Team Spirit joint
training exercise, the North has
agreed to allow IAEA inspectors
into its nuclear facilities. This
appears to put an end to the
crisis. For now.
EXT. CAMP BONIFAS BARRACKS - NIGHT
A lone figure slips out of the barracks.
Like Jenkins and Asher before him, this solitary soldier
makes his way into the DMZ, eluding the watch of the guards,
who in any case watch for the enemy, not for their own.
EXT. KOREAN DEMILITARIZED ZONE - NIGHT
Through the dark and shadows of the moon, the escaping
soldier gingerly makes his way through the perilous DMZ.
Finally, KPA troops appear in front of him. They stop him,
grab him roughly.
He's captured. But the defector gives up willingly.
A North Korean shines a flashlight in the defector's face.
Wayne Parrish.
INT. CAVERNOUS TUNNEL - ANYTIME
The "infiltration tunnel" where Seo came through. Dimly lit.
In the distance, two murky figures approach, hurrying. They
are heading back toward the North.
Shin and Roh -- making their getaway. They disappear into the
distance of the darkened tunnel.
EXT. NORTH KOREAN MILITARY OUTPOST - DAWN
THE DOOR THAT LEADS UNDERGROUND.
Soldiers watch as Intelligence Officers One and Two open it.
Shin and Roh emerge. They exchange comradely hugs with their
two counterparts.
Two soldiers lead Shin and Roh toward the bunker. One soldier
looks back.
Intelligence Officer One gives the soldier a nod.
The two soldiers draw pistols. Each fires a single shot. Shin
and Roh fall. Back of the head. A bullet each.
Intelligence Officer Two now signals to a group of soldiers
in the distance.
ON THE DOOR.
The two intelligence officers walk away, quick, but under
control. Morning sun glints off the cast iron door. And
then...
THE DOOR EXPLODES!
Rubble and dirt fill the opening, sealing the tunnel forever.
EXT. WILDERNESS - DAWN
The morning sun bathes deer and swans in calm, pale light.
A badger explores the underbrush. The badger comes upon a
rusted metal tab. A land mine.
The badger sniffs. Taps at it. Nothing. The badger pushes the
tab with his nose. Click!
The tab breaks off. Old. Obsolete. The rusty metal just lies
there. The badger waits, sniffs, gets bored.
The furry little creature waddles away, into the idyllic
landscape of the DMZ.
INT. UNIVERSITY LECTURE HALL - DAY
United States. Two years later. A large university in the
California state system. A jammed lecture hall. 200-plus
students. The class: Economics 101.
A PROFESSOR drones on about markets and efficiency,
occasionally scratching something on the blackboard.
In the midst of the massive class, lost in the crowd, one
student takes assiduous notes.
MAXIE. His hair is longer. Flannel shirt and jeans. Full
fledged civilian.
Maxie pauses to take stock of his surroundings. He's older
than any of these college freshmen.
Probably half of them are Korean.
Maxie returns to taking notes, scribbling down equations and
facts and figures as the professor recites them.
His looks up again, eyes falling on a beautiful young KOREAN
WOMAN, two rows in front of him. When she turns to her left
to check her friend's notes, he sees her face.
She looks a lot like Seo. At least, he thinks so.
She catches him staring. He looks down. The Korean woman
looks away. No interest in him at all.
Maxie scribbles notes, glancing up at her one more time.
EXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY
Students file out into the California sunshine. Stark
contrast to the dreariness of the DMZ. Maxie walks alone in
the crowd. He doesn't fit in.
He catches a glimpse of her -- the beautiful Korean woman
from class. She appears to be by herself, leaving class.
Maxie takes a breath, gathers all his courage. He walks
toward her. He's going to talk to her. He will!
As Maxie closes to within a few yards of the woman, a half
dozen of her friends surround her.
He stops in his tracks. She never notices him.
The young woman and her friends laugh and talk, all in
Korean. She walks away, surrounded by the Korean group, into
the heart of the sunny campus.
Maxie can only watch her go.
Her world is not his.
Hundreds of students file past Maxie, ignoring him.
He stands still, alone with his past and the tears that
dampen his eyes.
FADE OUT.
A Screenplay
By
Jonathan Vankin
WGAW REG. # 1214707
CONTACT: Amy Schiffman
Echo Lake Entertainment
aschiffman@echolakeentertainment.com
For 50 years, 14,000 American troops
were stationed at the Demilitarized Zone
separating North and South Korea.
In the case of a North Korean invasion,
these soldiers would be no match for
the North's million-man army.
They were expected to do little other than die.
The intent was for their destruction
to immediately trigger a full-scale
U.S. military commitment.
Military strategists in the Pentagon
called these troops the "tripwire" for war.
EXT. WILDERNESS - DAWN
The pale orange sun rises between snow-capped mountain peaks.
A deer drinks from a crystal clear pond.
Swans alight amidst the brush.
A butterfly sets down on the petals of a dewy wildflower,
resting its wings.
A badger sniffs its way along a stretch of grassy soil. A
rusted tab of metal protrudes from the ground.
The badger shuffles around it, notices the tab. Sniffs it.
Bumps at the tab with its nose. Nothing. The curious badger
gives it one more bump. Click. And...
BOOM! The land mine blows up. Poor little badger!
A few feet from the late badger, a standard-issue American M1
military helmet, crusted with the rust of decades.
Weeds and a dandelion grow through two neat bullet holes in
the helmet.
Welcome to the KOREAN DEMILITARIZED ZONE. The final hot spot
in the Cold War. 1993.
EXT. NORTH KOREAN MILITARY OUTPOST - DAWN
Artillery batteries. Tanks. Bunkers. Korean People's Army
(KPA) soldiers in immaculate but oversized uniforms march,
drill, repair vehicles and artillery.
Young, skinny and short, KPA soldiers are deathly serious.
About everything.
A flurry of activity surrounds a windowless cement hut. Out
of the bunker come two men in civilian dress, INTELLIGENCE
OFFICERS.
Their attire, informal but neat. Each wears a pin with the
image of "Great Leader" Kim Il-Sung.
The intelligence men flank a HOODED FIGURE in a sweatshirt
and a surgical mask. They lead the hooded figure to a cast
iron door, opening on a closet-size cement structure.
The entrance to an passageway UNDERGROUND.
They salute the hooded figure, who disappears down a ladder.
Soldiers close the door, bolt and padlock it.
EXT. KOREAN DEMILITARIZED ZONE - AFTERNOON
The South Korean side. No swans, no deer. Just troops. Three
young American soldiers: MAXIE ROSEN, WAYNE PARRISH and
CHRISTIAN DAVIS.
From a ridge, looking down into the North, they patrol the
DMZ, a stretch of observation towers and razor wire.
Maxie, 22, is a nice, Jewish boy from Menlo Park, CA. A short
timer, just there for the G.I. bill. Figuring out what to do
with the rest of his life.
Wayne, a few years older, a SERGEANT. All-American, career
Army, from Tulsa. What his country asks, that's what he does.
Christian, Maxie's age, a bad-ass former Penn State football
player. The Army trained him to kill. He likes that. He badly
needs an excuse to kill someone. Anyone.
POV through a TELESCOPIC RIFLE SITE: a KPA soldier, far in
the distance.
The rifle belongs to Christian, who aims it toward the North.
CHRISTIAN
Your ass is mine, motherfucker.
Just. Like. That.
His finger curls on the trigger.
WAYNE
Lower your weapon, Private.
No response.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
Chris! Lower that goddam weapon,
now! They even spot you taking an
aggressive posture they're gonna
start shelling Seoul.
CHRISTIAN
Chill out, Wayne.
Wayne shoots him a look.
CHRISTIAN (CONT'D)
"Sarge."
MAXIE
Guys, I got about a month left
before my discharge.
I'm depending on the both of you to
get me there in one piece. So --
easy, okay?
CHRISTIAN
(lowering rifle)
You gotta admit, Maxie, it is
fucked-up what we're doing here.
High alert all the time but no
motherfucking action. Like, ever.
MAXIE
Look, I requested posting in
Hawaii, but they sent me here. I'm
getting all the action I need.
Christian likes Maxie, but just doesn't get him. Why join the
army if you don't want to fight?
INT. CAVERNOUS TUNNEL -- SAME TIME
A large tunnel, man-made. Chunky, coal-black walls, lined
with light bulbs at regular intervals.
A rubber tube about a foot in diameter runs along the ground,
housing electrical wire.
Still, the tunnel is dark, dusty and desolate.
The hooded figure walks briskly through the dark from North
to South.
EXT. WOODED AREA - LATER
Amidst underbrush, a hidden hatch opens from the ground. The
hooded figure emerges, casting aside the sweatshirt and mask.
This mystery figure is a young Korean woman, KIM SEO-HEE. She
goes by SEO (pronounced "So"). Beautiful, early 20s,
stylishly dressed in Western fashion.
After a few quick glances to make sure she hasn't been
spotted, she disappears into the mist.
EXT. KOREAN DEMILITARIZED ZONE - SAME TIME
Maxie peers over his shoulder, distracted. He squints into
the distance behind him. Back there, the wooded area where
Seo just emerged.
His buddies focus on the DMZ, in front of them.
MAXIE
You see that?
WAYNE
The enemy's that way, fuckface.
Maxie is still distracted, looking over his shoulder.
MAXIE
I know I saw someone back there.
WAYNE
You did. We ain't the only grunts
patrolling the DMZ. You get that,
Maxie? There are other soldiers on
this detail.
CHRISTIAN
How come it has to be a big-ass
war? How about we take out one of
theirs then we let 'em take out one
of ours? Even Steven. Everybody's
happy.
(beat)
I'll go first.
He raises the rifle again. Wayne pushes it down, hard.
WAYNE
Fuck! You know the problem with the
military, Davis. It's full of
killers like you.
MAXIE
(re: behind him)
I guess it was no one.
EXT. SEOUL STREETS - DAY
Running on adrenaline, Seo navigates her way around the
bustling, overpopulated city.
BRIEF MONTAGE.
A packed street in central Seoul. Seo battles a phobia of
crowds.
In a dimly lit subway station, Seo struggles to understand a
map of the Seoul subways.
Seo fumbles with an ATM. She has never used one before. When
it dispenses cash, she can barely conceal her shock.
Skyscrapers tower over Seo as she navigates the bustling
city. Vertigo overwhelms her as she looks up.
The whole time, she fears being watched or found out --
though no one exhibits any suspicion. She blends in.
EXT. RESIDENTIAL SEOUL NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY
Seo arrives in a quiet area. The late 20th century hasn't
arrived here. No skyscrapers, just small, flimsy houses. She
stops a passing woman.
(When Seo speaks to other Koreans, the dialogue will be
spoken in KOREAN WITH SUBTITLES.)
SEO
Excuse me. Do you know what
neighborhood this is?
The woman gives her a weird look. Seo pulls out a crumpled,
aging slip of notepaper with a few Hangul script scribbles.
SEO (CONT'D)
My name is Kim Seo-Hee. I am
searching for my grandmother. I was
told she lives around here, but I
do not know if she is still alive.
(awkward)
I have been studying in America. I
lost touch with my family.
Another weird look from the woman.
SEO (CONT'D)
Her name is Kim Nya-Kim. Do you
know her?
The woman gives her the weirdest look yet, a look of
repulsion. The woman scurries away.
Exasperated, Seo wanders. She turns around and out of nowhere
-- a man! In her face.
This handsome but somehow sinister Korean man is SHIN. He's a
few years older than Seo, handsome and athletic. He smiles.
An older man off-screen speaks. This will be ROH.
ROH (O.S.)
Comrade Kim, this is an unexpected
area in which to find you.
Roh approaches. He is middle-aged, perfectly ordinary in
every respect. Except that he is a lifelong North Korean spy
and saboteur.
SEO
Are you -- ?
ROH
I am Roh. This is Comrade Shin.
SHIN
Hello.
ROH
The Dear Leader, Comrade Kim Jong
Il has blessed us with the task of
coordinating your mission here in
the traitorous South.
Seo is not surprised. This is why she was sent to the South.
But she is visibly nervous with her new handlers.
EXT. KOREAN DEMILITARIZED ZONE - DAY
Another nervous face. An America soldier, PRIVATE THOMAS
JENKINS.
He stands at the "Truce Village" of Panmunjon. North Korean
soldiers glare back menacingly, just a few yards away.
The North Koreans must turn their heads to face him. They are
required to stand guard facing each other.
South Korean soldiers in aviator shades stand stock still,
each in an identical tae kwon do stance, facing north.
PRIVATE PHIL ASHER approaches Jenkins. Scared, too.
Both of these guys are victims of volunteer army recruiting.
Undereducated, none-too-bright, in over their heads.
ASHER
Move, Jenkins. The brass gets
pissed when we look at those guys.
They walk away.
The prevailing mood of the "Truce Village" area: high tension
blended with weird nonchalance. Surreal.
NEARBY
A busload of tourists, all neatly dressed which is a
requirement for visiting the DMZ.
One MAN FROM NEBRASKA gets off the bus wearing shorts. The
South Korean tour guide accosts him.
TOUR GUIDE
No short pants! No short pants! The
North Koreans will take a picture
for propaganda.
MAN FROM NEBRASKA
What're you talkin' about?
TOUR GUIDE
Sloppily dressed Americans. Proof
of decadent Western ways. Back on
the bus!
MAN FROM NEBRASKA
For the love of --
ANOTHER NEARBY LOCATION
MAJOR PETE GONZALEZ hits a golf ball off a tee at a one-hole
golf course.
A wooden sign reads:
THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS GOLF COURSE -- AS FEATURED IN
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED.
PAR 3, 192 YDS
It also says:
DANGER! DO NOT RETRIEVE BALLS FROM THE ROUGH.
LIVE MINE FIELDS.
The "course" is dirt except for the astroturf green. Gonzalez
hits his ball on to the green, inches short of a hole-in-one.
GONZALEZ
Damn.
BACK TO JENKINS AND ASHER
They stop at a small granite memorial stone, topped by a
rusty bronze plaque.
JENKINS
This is where it happened.
ASHER
What happened?
JENKINS
You know how they call our base
Camp Bonifas?
ASHER
'Course.
JENKINS
It's 'cuz this Captain got killed
trying to chop down a tree.
ASHER
Huh?
JENKINS
Yeah, man, check out this plaque.
The two of them read. Jenkins paraphrases for his somewhat
slower buddy's benefit.
JENKINS (CONT'D)
A few of our guys were cutting down
a tree at Panmunjon, like,
practically right here where our
feet are standing! Next thing they
know, these North Koreans come at
them with axes. For no reason!
Killed two of our guys including
this captain. Captain Bonifas.
ASHER
No shit. What'd we do about it?
JENKINS
That's the point, man. We didn't do
nothing. No one fired a fuckin'
shot in return.
(beat)
No one cares if we live or die.
ASHER
Fuck.
The two scared soldiers peer across -- into North Korea.
JENKINS
We gotta do this, man. It's our
only damn chance.
EXT. CAMP BONIFAS - DAY
Maxie, Wayne and Christian, with their platoon, ride a jeep
into camp after patrol.
MAXIE
I coulda sworn I saw something back
there. Should we report it?
WAYNE
Report what?
CHRISTIAN
Maxie, when the gooks come across
the DMZ, they ain't coming one at a
time. They're sending whole
divisions across. We are fucked.
WAYNE
Divisions? Shit. They got the KPA
620 Corps forward-deployed with
heavy artillery just across the
DMZ. They'll kick our asses with
170 millimeter shells before we
even see an enemy soldier.
MAXIE
That's what I love about you guys.
Your irrepressible optimism.
BARRACKS
A group of guys around a small TV. Fuzzy reception even on
Armed Forces Network. The news has the troops mesmerized.
CHRISTIAN
What's on the tube, fellas?
No response. Rapt attention. Christian pulls up a chair.
Wayne and Maxie stand.
AFN NEWS BROADCAST
...defied the United Nations by
launching the NoDong missile in the
direction of Japan's Honshu Island.
The modified scud, capable of
delivering a conventional, chemical
or nuclear payload, landed
harmlessly in the Sea of Japan.
Broadcast shows stock footage of a scud missile launch.
WAYNE
Damn.
MAXIE
Nuclear payload? It's not enough to
roll our outnumbered asses, they're
gonna start World War III now?
CHRISTIAN
(chuckles like a moron)
NoDong? No dong?
MAXIE
Shhh, Chris.
AFN NEWS BROADCAST
The NoDong is thought to have a
range exceeding 1000 kilometers,
allowing it to strike Tokyo. United
States Forces in Korea have been
placed on alert, pending an
imminent U.S. response.
WAYNE
Alert? When are we not on alert at
the DMZ?
CHRISTIAN
(grabs crotch)
My dong's got a payload.
MAXIE
Your grasp of the geopolitical
situation is impressive, Chris.
A U.S. GENERAL on TV. Press briefing.
TV GENERAL
The past 50 years have done nothing
to alter the aggressive intentions
of the North Koreans. At this time,
the outstanding troops of the
United States Forces Korea remain
our most effective deterrent.
War whoops and "hoo-ahs" from the fellas.
CHRISTIAN
Grasp this.
He moves in front of the TV, reaches into his duffel.
CHRISTIAN (CONT'D)
I got something for your dong.
Triumphantly, he pulls out a VHS cassette in a colorful box.
Porn! That gets the guys really fired up.
MAXIE
Let me see that.
(reads the box)
"Deep Inside Annie Sprinkle?"
CHRISTIAN
Vintage '70s porn, my friend. A
classic! Before they had all that
plastic surgery shit with the fake
tits and getting their ribs removed
and shit.
MAXIE
And vaginal rejuvenation. Let's not
forget my favorite.
WAYNE
You guys are not healthy
individuals.
CHRISTIAN
With this masterpiece, I'm gonna
get my jack on like I never got a
jack on before.
Maxie rolls his eyes. But wait, on second thought...
MAXIE
Hmm, not a bad idea, actually.
Turn toward the door where stands LIEUTENANT ALEXANDRA KENT,
accompanied by a couple of enlisted men holding coolers.
CHRISTIAN
Hey, Lieutenant.
ALEXANDRA
We got some extra rations here,
gentlemen.
(checks out the scene)
But maybe you're busy?
Wayne and Alexandra share a quick but meaningful glance.
MAXIE
Nothing important, ma'am. Private
Davis was giving sit rep on his
upcoming masturbation activities.
WAYNE
Shut the fuck up! That's a superior
officer you're talking to.
(to Lieutenant)
Let me apologize on behalf of my
guys, ma'am.
(to his buddies)
I can't stand the smell of you
shitbirds right now.
Maxie and Christian look at each other. What's up with that?
There's something very unspoken between Wayne and Alexandra.
INT. SUPPLY DEPOT OFFICE - SHORTLY LATER
Wayne and Lt. Alexandra Kent are passionately going at it in
her office, uniforms frayed and falling off.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
(panting)
They say the North Koreans are
building a nuke.
Nothing but heavy breathing in return.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
If we gotta die, I want it to be
with you, Alex!
KENT
Shut up.
WAYNE
I love you!
KENT
Sergeant, perform your duty.
INT. SUBWAY SANDWICH SHOP - SOME TIME LATER
A Subway in Seoul looks exactly like a Subway in any American
city. Except everyone is Korean.
Shin munches a foot-long steak sub. Roh picks at a salad.
Seo ignores a six-inch tuna sub.
ROH
(leaning in, quietly)
It is a great honor to be selected
for a mission such as this, Comrade
Seo. The Great Leader, Comrade Kim
Il-Sung himself planned this
operation personally.
SHIN
(mouth full)
Stay focused on that.
ROH
What my young colleague means is,
you must not be distracted.
SHIN
We know everything about you --
(beat)
-- and your parents.
Hand under table, Seo clutches the notepaper tightly.
ROH
The Dear Leader, Comrade Kim Jong
Il, knew your parents would serve
the people more effectively in the
North. Therefore, he relocated them
to Pyongyang.
SHIN
Stop searching for your relatives.
There is nothing to be gained.
ROH
Tactlessly put. But Agent Shin
knows what he's talking about.
Seo immediately understands Shin. He's been through what
she's been through -- and come out much more hardened.
Under the table, she quietly tears up her note papers.
ROH (CONT'D)
The Great Leader wishes to bless
his people with the gift of nuclear
power. In this way, he will bring a
new age of prosperity to all
Koreans.
(chews his salad)
But the nations of the West wants
prosperity only for themselves.
They accuse us of aggression, but
this is only to justify their own
intentions to use nuclear weapons
against us.
(sips Coke through straw)
Led by the United States, they
conspire against the Democratic
People's Republic, to keep our
people poor, sick and hungry. This
is why they have divided the Korean
people, North from South.
Seo listens intently.
ROH (CONT'D)
American propaganda has brainwashed
the people of the South into
accepting United States troops. If
the Americans go home, the Great
Leader will be free to unify our
nation, fulfilling the dreams of
all Korean people.
SEO
Is that the Great Leader's plan,
Comrade? To persuade American
troops to go home?
ROH
Very good! To accomplish this, we
must take steps to re-educate our
brothers in the traitorous South,
so that they reverse their support
of the American invaders.
SEO
What is my role in this grand
operation?
SHIN
We're about to tell you!
ROH
Indeed. Here is what the Great
Leader asks that you do...
INT. CAMP BONIFAS BARRACKS - NIGHT
Troops chow on rations, clean their weapons, read comic books
and bullshit each other.
Jenkins and Asher play checkers. But they aren't focused on
the game. They're cooking up a plan, stressed out.
Empty beers lie around their checkerboard.
JENKINS
Tonight, man. I can't take this
shit no more.
ASHER
I don't want to talk about it here,
Jenkins.
JENKINS
Those fuckin' North Koreans come
across that line, man, we're dead
meat. Dead fuckin' meat.
Christian and Wayne appear over them.
CHRISTIAN
Jenkins and Asher, my two favorite
chickenshits. Who's winning,
fellas? Or are black and red just
scaring the shit out of each other?
WAYNE
Leave 'em alone, Chris.
CHRISTIAN
You know what I'm scared of, Sarge?
I'm scared that when some shit goes
down no one's gonna have my back
except one of these two fucking
cowards. That's the shit that keeps
me up at night.
WAYNE
Enjoy your game, guys.
(leads Christian away)
Dude, I'm supposed to be motivating
guys like that. You're undercutting
my leadership qualities.
CHRISTIAN
Right.
JENKINS
It's guys like that who are gonna
get guys like you and me killed.
ASHER
Gung ho motherfuckers.
Wayne and Christian join Maxie who reads a book: Wealth
Creation Secrets of The Ultra-Rich.
WAYNE
Dudes like that never should've got
in the Army in the first place. In
my dad's day, they'd both be
Section Eight.
MAXIE
Four-F.
CHRISTIAN
He just means they need their
tickets punched.
MAXIE
Yeah, well, for me it's just a few
more weeks, then my Uncle Sam
starts sending checks for school.
CHRISTIAN
Maxie's gonna be like, all Donald
Trump and shit.
MAXIE
Man, I don't know what I want to
do. For now, I'm going to help my
parents with their business. They
lost their shirts in the Reagan
stock market crash.
CHRISTIAN
Nice shirts? Rayon?
MAXIE
That was six years ago. Six. And
they're still not on their feet.
WAYNE
You got something against Ronald
Reagan, Maxie?
CHRISTIAN
Don't tell me you voted for that
draft dodging pussy-hound Clinton?
MAXIE
You say pussy-hound like it's a bad
thing.
WAYNE
I don't care for the man myself,
but he's the president. He's
visiting the DMZ in a couple weeks.
Maxie and Chris look at Wayne, then each other, incredulous.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
Practice showing some respect.
The other two crack up. But Wayne's serious.
EXT. CAMP BONIFAS BARRACKS - NIGHT
Pitch dark. Moonlight. A few footlights on the camp walkways.
Still. Quiet.
Two figures slip out of the barracks.
Cover of darkness conceals the two. Guards focus north, not
on their own camp.
The two figures are Jenkins and Asher. Like a prison break,
they slip out of camp, around the fence.
Into the DMZ!
EXT. KOREAN DEMILITARIZED ZONE - SOME TIME LATER
Still dark. Jenkins and Asher have been treading carefully
for about a couple of hours.
JENKINS
There ain't supposed to be too many
land mines in this area. Relax.
Ahead -- a group of shadowy figures.
ASHER
That them?
JENKINS
That who?
ASHER
The North Koreans!
JENKINS
Shit, man. This is it.
The privates shake hands, pull each other into a man-hug.
JENKINS (CONT'D)
Let's do this!
But Asher isn't so sure.
Jenkins moves forward, hands high in the air. The KPA troops
spot him. They level their weapons and approach with caution.
They shout at him in Korean.
JENKINS (CONT'D)
It's okay! It's okay! I'm unarmed!
North Korean soldiers surround him.
JENKINS (CONT'D)
We want -- to defect!
The KPA troops chatter softly among themselves, in disbelief.
Asher is nowhere. Gone.
JENKINS (CONT'D)
(realizes he's alone)
God damn it, Asher! Shit!
The North Koreans look at each other, confused. They glare at
Jenkins. With bad intentions.
JENKINS (CONT'D)
I just want your government to send
me to China. I can get home from
there. Right? No big deal.
The North Koreans don't understand a word.
Jenkins' face drops. He's made a terrible mistake. The worst
mistake he will ever make.
The soldiers manhandle him. They drag him away.
BACK AT CAMP BONIFAS
Asher emerges from the DMZ, exhausted, distraught. Crying. He
has barely the wits about him to sneak back in.
EXT. KOREAN DEMILITARIZED ZONE - MORNING
The spot where Seo emerged from the tunnel opening.
Leaves and brush are pushed aside. The opening gapes.
Capt. Gonzalez and MAJOR DAVID SARGOSA stare at the hole.
Sargosa is a career Army officer in his mid or late 40s.
Gonzalez carries his golf bag.
At last, SPECIALIST AUSTIN NICHOLS, Military Police, wriggles
up from the hole. He holds a flashlight -- and Seo's
sweatshirt.
NICHOLS
It's another tunnel, Sirs. It just
goes on and on. I walked about a
hundred meters but there was no end
in sight.
SARGOSA
Thank you, Son.
GONZALEZ
You kept walking, you'd cross into
enemy territory.
(to Sargosa)
That makes five of these
infiltration tunnels. That we know
about.
Sargosa, non-responsive.
NICHOLS
I found this right down here at the
end of the tunnel, Sir.
Sargosa takes the sweatshirt, barely glances at it, as if it
bores him. He hands it back to Nichols.
GONZALEZ
So that confirms it. At least one
North Korean came through this
tunnel. And our guys didn't spot
him.
SARGOSA
Don't you think it's more likely,
Pete, that this is how that little
shit Jenkins slipped out of camp
undetected last night?
NICHOLS
Sir, my sergeant was on guard duty
and he reports two unidentified
figures entering the DMZ.
SARGOSA
(re: the sweatshirt)
Put that back, Son.
NICHOLS
Back, Major?
SARGOSA
Then cover this area over so it
appears undisturbed.
Nichols dutifully tosses the sweatshirt down the hole. Then
some makeshift landscaping.
GONZALEZ
One of ours for one of theirs.
Guess that's a fair trade.
SARGOSA
Well, God damn it, Pete. If they
got stuck with Jenkins, I think we
got the better of the deal.
GONZALEZ
How do you want to handle the
investigation?
SARGOSA
Low-key.
GONZALEZ
I gotta admit, Dave, it is
embarrassing. The timing couldn't
be shittier. A nuclear crisis and
the president coming. But we got a
security breach here. The
infiltrator could be in this camp,
posing as one of the gophers.
SARGOSA
Call them KATUSAs, Pete. "Korean
Augmentation to the United States
Army." You know better than that.
GONZALEZ
Sorry, Major.
Sargosa sighs, contemplating the predicament. His solution?
SARGOSA
My position is that there is no
infiltrator. No one came through
any tunnel. This way or that way.
Sargosa doesn't look at Gonzalez. Zero interest in anyone's
reaction. His decision is made.
SARGOSA (CONT'D)
One of our troops went missing in
an accident, that's all.
GONZALEZ
Makes sense, I guess.
Nichols covers the hole. No sign that the tunnel exists.
INT. CAMP BONIFAS BARRACKS - MORNING
Soldiers pull on boots and gear for a morning patrol.
Asher is among them -- sloppy, stressed and spent.
WAYNE
(to Christian and Maxie)
I'm going to do you two ladies a
favor and take you on my patrol
again today.
MAXIE
Thank God! Another day of certainty
that my life will be spared! Thank
you, Sergeant Parrish. Thank you.
Capt. Gonzalez walks into the barracks, with golf bag.
GONZALEZ
Gentlemen. I was on my way to shoot
18 holes this fine morning --
MAXIE
You mean the same hole 18 times,
Sir.
GONZALEZ
Technically accurate, Private
Rosen. But it's all in the varied
approach. One hole shot 18
different ways, a round of golf
makes. In any event, as I was on my
way to my tee time, I was informed
of an incident that took place here
late last night.
The soldiers look around, confused.
GONZALEZ (CONT'D)
Private Asher.
Asher's pale face goes bleach-white.
ASHER
(freaking out)
Yes, sir.
GONZALEZ
Report to Major Sargosa for
debriefing.
(beat)
Gentlemen, the President of the
United States, your Commander-in
Chief and mine, will be visiting
our scenic camp in two short weeks.
He will personally tour this
facility and will accompany a
platoon for a single patrol of the
Demilitarized Zone. This visit is
of immense symbolism at this time
when political support for the
presence of our fine troops here is
more critical than ever. The
President will, naturally, be
accompanied by those dutiful
guardians of the First Amendment,
the press corps.
(beat)
An incident like this doesn't look
good anytime. Especially not now.
Asher scurries past Gonzalez, who gives him a sour look.
GONZALEZ (CONT'D)
If anything were to become public
that could erode that political
support, well, it would only clear
the path for a North Korean
invasion of this fine republic of
Korea.
(eyes the puzzled troops)
Let's keep this to ourselves.
Gonzalez strolls out of there, leaving the soldiers confused.
WAYNE
What incident?
CHRISTIAN
Fuck if I know. What'd he want with
that little bitch Asher?
MAXIE
(looking around)
Holy shit. Where's Jenkins?
They're speechless. Whatever Jenkins did, it's bad.
EXT. ITAEWON DISTRICT - DAY
Seoul shopping district. Servicemen and tourists troll for
knockoff clothing, exotic food and of course, prostitutes.
Seo has made herself up well -- beautiful and sexy.
She pretends to shop at hole-in-the-wall stores overstuffed
with counterfeit Prada and Gucci. She eyes her surroundings.
Her focus: American men. She is clinical. She's a predator.
Seo zeroes in on a middle-aged man, a bored tourist whose
wife finally pulls him away. Seo's not interested.
Her attention turns to a long-haired backpacker. Not
interested in him, either.
She spots prey: an athletic, dark-skinned American with a
buzz-cut. JULIO. He rifles through stacks of baseball caps.
Screwing up her courage, Seo approaches him, as nonchalant as
she can. She, herself, flips through the caps.
Julio glances at her. He's curious, all right. She smiles at
him. She picks up a Florida Marlins cap and tries it on.
JULIO
You speak English?
SEO
Yes. I studied in the United
States.
She does speak English well -- but weirdly. Her speech
carries an incongruous southern twang.
JULIO
Don't tell me -- you went to school
in the South somewhere.
SEO
South Korea? No, in the United
States.
JULIO
Right. South United States. Like
Alabama? Georgia?
(beat)
You got a southern accent. That's
pretty weird coming out of a Korean
girl's mouth.
Another Korean girl appears. Julio's girlfriend. She is
pissed. Unlike Seo, her English is halting.
GIRLFRIEND
Julio. We go. Come on.
Girlfriend spits Korean invective. They hustle away.
Seo's attention turns to other American males. None meet her
requirements.
INT. CAMP BONIFAS BARRACKS - NIGHT
The common area. Asher sits alone. Badly shaken up. A TV
plays in the background, AFN News. Christian and several
other guys watch.
AFN NEWS BROADCAST
...White House is weighing General
Gary Luck's request for several
Patriot missile launchers.
WAYNE
(looming over Asher)
Jesus H. Motherfucking Christ,
Asher. What in the name of fuck did
you do?
AFN NEWS BROADCAST
Republicans lashed out at what they
called the President's indecision,
saying failure to protect U.S.
Troops could lead to a repeat of
the recent tragedy in Mogadishu,
Somalia, where 18 U.S. Army Rangers
were killed...
CHRISTIAN
Fuckin' A! Send those Patriot
motherfuckers over here!
ASHER
Leave me alone, Parrish.
WAYNE
That's Sergeant Parrish, dickweed.
Why the sweet mother fuck are you
not in the brig?
On the broadcast, a White House press spokeswoman.
TV SPOKESWOMAN
The president is leaning toward
deployment, but is waiting to
resolve South Korea's concerns.
South Korea must drive the train...
CHRISTIAN
Who gives a shit about South Korean
concerns? This is our ass we're
talking about!
WAYNE
Answer, Shitbird. Why are you not
in the brig? 'Cause that's where
they put traitors.
ASHER
You don't know what you're talking
about.
Maxie watches from across the room. This scene is more
interesting than the TV to the soldiers. Most are amused.
But Maxie doesn't like seeing the kid abused.
MAXIE
Back off him, Sarge. If he's here,
he must not have done anything.
WAYNE
He was with Jenkins when Jenkins
gone fucking native. We're losing
our shit here, the enemy's got
nukes and Jenkins is over there
drinking sake with them. Or
whatever it is they drink.
MAXIE
He's probably dead.
CHRISTIAN flattens Asher with a sucker punch to the jaw.
CHRISTIAN
Nuclear payload, Motherfucker!
Guys jump to their feet. This is real entertainment.
Wayne, on the other hand, is shocked. Asher slowly rises
halfway to his feet.
WAYNE
That's enough.
(to Asher)
Put in for a transfer or some shit
'cuz we don't need --
Christian knees Asher in the jaw.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
Private Davis! You made your
fucking point!
This is the most excitement anyone's had in a long time.
But not Maxie. He helps Wayne hold Christian back.
MAXIE
Chill out, man!
Christian enjoys this! He's been waiting for this!
Asher picks himself up, blood gushing from his mouth. Pushed
too far, snapping, he charges at Christina.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Asher, don't!
Maxie grabs Asher to protect him.
CHRISTIAN
Come on, faggot! Show me a little
something!
Christian lands a tremendous sucker punch while Maxie
restrains Asher. Horrified, Maxie lets go.
Asher is almost out on his feet, fighting on pure instinct.
Christian pummels Asher to a bloody mess. No fight at all.
Maxie stands over Asher, who twitches on the floor.
MAXIE
Get a medic in here.
WAYNE
God damn it, Davis! What the fuck
is the matter with you?
CHRISTIAN
Sarge, you said yourself. He's a
traitor.
He suddenly stomps his boot down -- SMASHING ASHER'S SKULL!
The twitching stops. No one says a word.
Christian's high, murder adrenaline.
Maxie and Wayne -- stunned.
EXT. NORTH KOREAN MILITARY OUTPOST - DAY
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ONE, a KPA SOLDIER accompanying him,
strides officiously through camp. Soldier holds something.
INT. BUNKER - CONTINUOUS
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER TWO, behind a desk, signing papers.
Raises his head when his counterpart and the soldier enter.
Korean with SUBTITLES.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ONE
Comrade, the Americans discovered
the tunnel egress.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER TWO
(contemplates for a beat)
And our patriotic asset?
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ONE
Comrades Roh and Shin made contact.
The operation proceeds. However, we
recovered this.
The soldier shows what he's holding. Seo's sweatshirt.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ONE (CONT'D)
The Americans retrieved it, but
placed it back in the tunnel.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER TWO
(disappointed)
I was concerened about her
inexperience.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ONE
Perhaps we should have sent a
different operative.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER TWO
Who were we going to send?
(points to soldier)
Him? The Americans are not
homosexuals.
An awkward silence in the bunker.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER TWO (CONT'D)
In any event, while you were on
reconnaissance, we made a discovery
of our own.
His counterpart is curious. Officer Two gestures toward an
entrance behind him.
A soldier opens the door. Another soldier leads the man in.
About a foot taller than any of the North Koreans, the man is
bloodied, bruised and downcast.
Jenkins!
On Intelligence Officer One, his wide with astonishment.
INT. CAMP BONIFAS C.O.'S HEADQUARTERS - DAY
Christian, guarded by Nichols and another MP, sits in a
sparse outer lobby, more impatient than worried.
Behind the lobby desk, a TV. AFN News. On screen, SENATOR
JOHN MCCAIN.
TV MCCAIN
North Korea's nuclear program may
be the defining crisis of the post
cold-war world. It represents a
clear and present danger to our
closest Asian allies and to the
security of the United States
itself.
CHRISTIAN
So what're we gonna do about it?
NICHOLS
Private, that's the least of your
worries.
Christian smirks.
INSIDE THE OFFICE
Capt. Gonzalez and Major Sargosa contemplate how to handle
the situation. They're pretty casual about the whole thing.
Gonzalez, with golf club, practices his swing in slow-motion.
Sargosa shuffles through papers on his desk, bored.
SARGOSA
I deplore these incidents. Soldiers
killing each other over petty
squabbles.
GONZALEZ
It's a shame, Sir.
SARGOSA
And the defector. What are these
boys thinking? Is it really that
bad up here?
GONZALEZ
It can be stressful, Major.
SARGOSA
Stressful? Hell, this is the only
war I've ever heard of where the
two sides aren't allowed to shoot
at each other.
GONZALEZ
For some of these guys, that's the
stressful part, Major.
Sargosa ponders that. Maybe Sargosa has a point.
GONZALEZ (CONT'D)
You know, Sir, there's been 90
deaths of U.S. soldiers at the DMZ,
give or take a few.
SARGOSA
Shit happens, Pete.
GONZALEZ
But when shit happens here it
doesn't get written up in the New
York Times. These boys are bored
and ignored. So, sometimes they do
things they shouldn't.
SARGOSA
We don't even do anywhere near the
patrols we used to do, Pete. We let
the South Koreans take over most of
it. Bored and ignored. That's the
way we like it.
GONZALEZ
Except now we've got this nuclear
thing.
SARGOSA
What's that got to do with us?
GONZALEZ
Nothing, I suppose. But the
president is on his way, Sir.
SARGOSA
Yes, that's true.
GONZALEZ
For at least a few days, Sir, we'll
be bored like always. But we won't
be ignored.
SARGOSA
That's why we'll keep this incident
as quiet as we can. This poor, dead
private: "Killed accidentally
during routine exercises."
GONZALEZ
The death of the private, it's a
blessing in disguise. It eliminates
any trace of the first one's
embarrassing actions.
Gonzalez swings his club. Sargosa nods. Everything is falling
into place.
SARGOSA
Let's hope. What's next on the
docket?
Gonzalez goes to the door, opens it, nods and sits back down.
An MP leads in the next order of business.
GONZALEZ
(flipping through notes)
Lieutenant Alexandra Kent. Supply
officer. Sexual relations -- with
an enlisted man.
Alexandra keeps a stiff upper lip -- humiliated.
SARGOSA
Now this is one we can keep on the
books. Who's the enlisted man?
GONZALEZ
Who knows?
Alexandra, stoic. She knows her career is over.
INT. CAMP BONIFAS BARRACKS - DAY
Maxie and Wayne change into neat civilian clothes. Polo
shirts and khakis.
Christian walks in. A free man.
CHRISTIAN
Drop your cocks and grab your
socks, bitches! Look who's back in
the B's!
His two friends are speechless.
CHRISTIAN (CONT'D)
What? You ain't happy to see me?
MAXIE
Let me put it to you as delicately
as I can, Davis. No.
WAYNE
What the fuck?
CHRISTIAN
I don't know, guys. They hold me in
the brig for a day, then they take
me to the major's office. I sit
there in the lobby but they never
call me in to see the major. Then
Gonzalez comes out and says they
determined that Asher got killed by
accident and I'm supposed to resume
regular duty.
MAXIE
By accident? That's bullshit.
WAYNE
(resigned to it)
They know what they're doing,
Maxie.
MAXIE
They know they're covering shit up.
CHRISTIAN
I don't even get a "welcome home?"
WAYNE
You're off my patrol, Davis.
MAXIE
Stay here and beat some more of our
own guys to death. Knock yourself
out. We're taking R&R.
WAYNE
48 hours in Itaewon. Away from
psychos like you, Davis.
CHRISTIAN
Guys, you're hurtin' my feelings!
(gets it)
You're not serious. You're pissed
at me? About Asher, that traitorous
faggot fuck?
The two of them walk right past him.
MAXIE
Later, asshole.
EXT. SOUTH KOREAN FREEWAY - DAY
Wayne drives a Jeep. Maxie rides shotgun. They roll through
the Korean countryside, not speaking.
In the distance, the skyline of Seoul.
JUMP AHEAD
Same freeway but now just outside of Seoul. The longest
traffic jam the world has ever seen.
Still no talking. Both recuperating from the ordeal they've
just experienced.
EXT. BUSY SEOUL STREET - DAY
At last, a place to park!
On foot, they turn the corner, into Itaewon.
MAXIE
Man, I don't know what's worse,
foot patrol at Tae Sung Dong, or
the drive into Seoul. I need R&R
from the R&R.
WAYNE
That's what we're here for. Have
some fun.
Maxie, silent. Trying not to think about Davis.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
He's crazy, you know. Davis, I
mean. A psycho. But if the shit
goes down, who do you want covering
your back. Him? Or someone like
yourself?
MAXIE
We made it here without talking
about Davis. Don't start now.
WAYNE
You're right. Let's go. Buy some
cheap knockoffs, have a few drinks
or a few dozen. Meet a few girls.
Few dozen of them, too.
MAXIE
You want to get a hooker? I hear
they've got good ones in Itaewon.
WAYNE
Not my thing, man.
MAXIE
Mine neither.
WAYNE
Really?
MAXIE
Yeah, really. I've never had a
prostitute.
WAYNE
Why'd you suggest it, then? You
want to start?
MAXIE
No.
(beat)
I mean, not unless you do.
WAYNE
I don't.
MAXIE
Me neither.
In the heart of Itaewon now: a Third World-style street
market, flanked by modern restaurants and office buildings.
Shoulder-to-shoulder people on the street.
Plenty of servicemen, many with pretty Korean girls on their
arms. Maxie stares. Curious? Or envious?
Some Western tourists and hordes of young Japanese women
hauling enormous, jam-packed shopping bags.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Okay, then. Let's go shopping.
INT. CLOTHING SHOP - MINUTES LATER
An open stall, more than an actual shop.
Maxie flips through shirts on a rack.
Wayne, on the other side of the store, checks out T-shirts
with slogans like "I'm With Stupid" and "I Hate NY."
Maxie spots a phone booth on the street. He flips through his
wallet for a Korean phone card (the phones take only cards).
Wayne picks out a T-shirt. The slogan: "I don't have a
drinking problem. I drink, I get drunk, I fall down. No
problem."
WAYNE
(cracking up)
Hey, Maxie! Check this --
But Maxie is gone.
EXT. PHONE BOOTH - SAME TIME
Maxie inserts the card, dials internationally. The phone
displays 10 minutes, counting down. He waits a few moments as
it rings on the other end.
MAXIE
Hi, Mom. Yeah, I know it's after
midnight there. Sorry.
(beat)
I'm on R&R. How're you guys doing?
(beat)
Other than being sleepy.
INT. CLOTHING SHOP - SAME TIME
Wayne has the "Alcoholic" shirt over his shoulder. He flips
through more slogan shirts with some delight.
In the BACKGROUND a Korean woman lurks, eyeing him.
Coming into FOCUS, it is Seo. She watches Wayne intently.
He picks out a shirt: A lightening bolt. "Kill 'em All, Let
God Sort 'em Out." He shakes his head sadly, puts it back.
Seo moves in his direction. Wayne notices her checking him
out. She makes him uncomfortable.
WAYNE
Help you with something?
Seo looks away, embarrassed.
EXT. PHONE BOOTH - SAME TIME
MAXIE
No, I got another month, then
that's it. I come home and Uncle
Sam pays for college.
(beat)
Mom, don't say that. The Army's
been an -- experience.
(beat)
If I can ease your financial burden
a little, what's wrong with that?
Anyway, it's not like I'm going to
see combat here.
(beat)
I mean, I see some weird things,
but --
A HAND raps loudly on the outside of the booth.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Hang on, Ma.
A Korean POLICEMAN. His uniform, not a thread out of place.
He means business. He barks a command at Maxie in Korean
through the glass.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Hey, I don't speak Korean! What's
the problem?
(into phone)
No, Mom. It's fine. Just some cop.
The cop barks the command at Maxie again.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Sorry, Ma, I gotta go. Call you
later.
He hangs up and steps out. More stern commands from the cop,
who is about a foot shorter than Maxie.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Dude, I don't know what you're
saying.
KOREAN POLICEMAN
Fone-cahd! Fone-cahd!
Puzzled, Maxie takes the phone card from the slot in the
phone.
MAXIE
You want my phone card?
The cop takes it, scrutinizes the card with an intensity
bordering on the ridiculous.
KOREAN POLICEMAN
Pahss-poht!
MAXIE
Passport? I'm a soldier. American
G.I.
KOREAN POLICEMAN
Pahss-poht!
MAXIE
I got a military I.D. United States
Army.
KOREAN POLICEMAN
Pahss-poht! Now!
This is followed by a string of harsh commands in Korean.
Maxie gets little flustered. He tries to stay cool.
MAXIE
What's the problem here, Officer?
The policeman grabs Maxie by the wrist.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Hey!
Seo watches this whole scene. An idea! She makes her move.
The Korean cop leads Maxie toward a small police station.
Maxie is struggling not to flip out.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Listen, man. Sir. Officer. You
gotta let go of me here.
More barked commands in Korean.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
I don't know what you think I did,
but I didn't do it.
They arrive at the cramped police station. Smaller than the
clothing stall. A narrow countertop divides front from back.
The cop drags Maxie inside.
INT. POLICE STATION - CONTINUOUS
The cop moves behind the counter.
KOREAN POLICEMAN
You stay.
More commands. Maxie has no idea what the cop says. The cop
gestures to his own pockets and barks again.
MAXIE
(understanding)
My pockets? Empty?
(beat)
Why?
(beat)
All right.
He has a wallet and Korean cash. Keys. Another phone card.
The cop seizes the card and waves it accusingly. It's
incriminating evidence, apparently. More Korean shouting.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Okay, let me call the base. I'll
get my CO on the phone. This is
fucking ridiculous. Where's the
phone?
The cop's only response is to brandish the incriminating
phone card and shout.
Maxie is getting worried now.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Shit.
A BEAT as Maxie tries to figure out his next move. He doesn't
seem to have one. And then...
The door to the police station BURSTS OPEN.
In the doorway, like a gunfighter at high noon, stands Seo.
Maxie is simply baffled now. The cop is shocked, but stone
faced. Seo announces something in Korean.
Seo and the policeman have a heated conversation.
Maxie observes this surreal scene until Seo turns to him and
speaks perfect English in her odd southern accent.
SEO
He wants to know, where did you get
this phone card?
MAXIE
I bought it at a machine. Where
else do you get them?
SEO
He says there is a big problem with
counterfeit phone cards.
MAXIE
It's not my problem.
Another Korean-language exhange.
SEO
(to Maxie)
Okay, let's go.
Now Maxie is really confused. They exit the station, back
onto the...
STREET
SEO (CONT'D)
It's okay. I told him that you are
a guest of my family.
MAXIE
Why? Why did you do that?
Seo just shrugs.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
(fascinated)
Where are you from?
SEO
I am from Korea.
MAXIE
You have the weirdest accent.
(beat)
I mean, it's very interesting. I've
just never heard, well --
SEO
It is a southern accent?
MAXIE
Yeah.
SEO
That is what I'm told.
MAXIE
Told? You don't know how you got
your accent?
SEO
I went to school in the United
States.
MAXIE
Right.
(beat)
What school?
SEO
Do you know the different schools
in the south?
MAXIE
Not much. I'm from San Francisco.
(beat)
Menlo Park, actually.
(beat)
My name's Max -- Maxie, people call
me.
Seo says nothing.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
This is the part where you tell me
what your name is.
SEO
(smiling)
My name is Kim.
MAXIE
That's everyone's name in this
country. What's your name.
SEO
Sorry. My name is Kim Seo-Hee.
MAXIE
So -- your first name is Seo.
SEO
Seo. That's right.
MAXIE
Well then, Seo, do you want to have
lunch with me? And my sarge -- I
mean, my friend? I bet you know the
good places to eat around here.
SEO
Not really. I've been away a long
time.
MAXIE
Okay. How about having lunch with
us anyway?
INT. MCDONALD'S - DAY
The inside of this McDonald's looks much like any McDonald's
anywhere in the world. Seo sits on one side of the booth.
Maxie and Wayne sit across from her.
The food is good ol' McDonald's fare.
Wayne, now wearing his "Alcoholic" shirt, is not happy that
Maxie has brought Seo with him.
She munches a Big Mac very awkwardly. As if she never had one
before. The truth is, she hasn't.
MAXIE
(to Seo)
We could have picked a Korean
restaurant.
WAYNE
There ain't nothing wrong with
McDonald's. I like McDonald's.
SEO
This is fine, Maxie. I enjoy
American food.
MAXIE
I never thought of it that way, but
I guess that's what this is --
American food.
WAYNE
Nothing wrong with American food.
SEO
Tell me about being in the United
States Army.
MAXIE
There's not much to tell.
WAYNE
Nothing to tell at all. Tell us why
you helped my friend here. What do
you care if an American gets
arrested?
MAXIE
You never heard of a Good
Samaritan, Sarge?
WAYNE
She was eyein' me in the store then
just by coincidence she just shows
up to get you out of a jam with the
cops. Why?
MAXIE
(to Seo, ignoring Wayne)
We're just here to do a job.
WAYNE
The U.S. Army's here to protect
your country from those sons of
bitches to the North. It's a job,
yeah. But it ain't only a job. We
need to kick the North Koreans' ass
for you, we'll kick it. And we
don't even ask for no thank yous.
Seo takes a bite of her burger, uncomfortable.
MAXIE
(after an awkward beat)
We've been giving more and more
responsibility to the army of South
Korea. Americans used to patrol the
whole DMZ. All 150 miles of it. Now
we've only got a few small parts.
WAYNE
Still treacherous as fuck, though.
MAXIE
I only signed up to get money for
college. My parents used to have
money to send me then they lost it.
I'm trying to help them out.
SEO
It is good to help your parents.
WAYNE
Yeah, Maxie's a good boy. Isn't
you, widdle Maxie-poo?
MAXIE
(ignores that)
What about you? What's an American
educated girl like you doing
hanging out in Itaewon picking up
random GIs?
SEO
I was shopping.
WAYNE
You got family around here? A job
or something?
SEO
No.
WAYNE
No what? No job? No family?
MAXIE
Easy, Rambo.
WAYNE
(putting down his food)
I'm gonna go to a movie. You two
lovebirds have a good time.
MAXIE
What's the problem?
WAYNE
(getting up)
Nothing, man. Have a good time.
That's what we came here to do.
MAXIE
You sure?
WAYNE
Meet me back here at 1700 hours.
Maxie gives him a look.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
Five O-Fucking clock!
Wayne leaves. Maxie looks at Seo and shrugs.
MAXIE
Like your shake?
Across the restaurant, eating piles of McDonald's food but
otherwise remaining inconspicuous -- Shin!
EXT. ITAEWON DISTRICT - DAY
A short time later. Maxie and Seo stroll the jam-packed
street.
MAXIE
You haven't told me anything about
yourself yet.
SEO
I am Asian. We do not believe in
talking about ourselves to people
we have just met.
MAXIE
I'm not buying it.
SEO
Not buying it?
MAXIE
Nope. Not buying the shy Asian
routine. Not after what you did in
that police station.
SEO
You seemed nice.
MAXIE
I am nice. So tell me about
yourself. I won't bite. Or shoot.
SEO
The truth is, Maxie...
MAXIE
Gimme the truth. I can handle the
truth.
SEO
I have lost my family.
MAXIE
Lost? What do you mean lost?
SEO
I can't find them.
MAXIE
Maybe it's one of those cultural
things. But you're going to have to
explain that to me.
SEO
I was away for a long time.
MAXIE
You mean in school? In the States?
SEO
I lost touch with my family.
MAXIE
That's bizarre.
SEO
I think my grandmother is here in
Seoul. But I don't know where.
MAXIE
(gets a bright idea)
Why don't I help you find her?
SEO
I don't understand.
MAXIE
Shit, how hard can it be? I got the
full resources of the U.S. Military
at my fingertips. I mean, I'm just
a specialist, but my friend's a
sergeant and he's tight with some
officers. I'll bet we could pull
some strings to find your bubby.
SEO
Bubby?
MAXIE
Bubby's what you call your
grandmother when you're Jewish.
SEO
Oh.
MAXIE
Never mind. Look, I'll talk to the
sarge. He'll be happy to help.
EXT. MCDONALD'S - LATER
Maxie meets Wayne outside the McDonald's as promised. Seo
hangs back.
WAYNE
Her family? Have you gone
completely fuckin' bugnuts?
MAXIE
What? I want to help her out. I
kinda owe her.
WAYNE
Look, go out with this crazy
cracker-speaking Korean chick if
you want. I don't give a shit. Fuck
her dizzy. But don't get involved
with her family.
Maxie looks at Seo. She smiles, he smiles. A puppy dog.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
Ain't the Army FUBAR enough for
you?
MAXIE
I'm gonna go to Yongsan, poke
around some files a bit. See if
anyone turns anything up on this
grandmother.
WAYNE
Yongsan? You're gonna take your R&R
on an Army base.
MAXIE
Come with me. The officers love
you. They'll help if you're there.
WAYNE
Sorry, Bud. That I won't do. You
got my blessing, though. I hope you
find happiness and all that shit.
At least get a little coochie
before this whole thing blows up in
your face.
MAXIE
(smitten)
She wants to get her nails done. I
gave her a few bucks.
WAYNE
You gave her a few bucks?
(beat)
I see where this relationship is
going.
Wayne stalks off.
MAXIE
Where you going?
WAYNE
Back to the DMZ. You know, where I
feel safe.
A Korean man steps out of a nearby restaurant:
Roh. TAILING WAYNE!
Maxie doesn't notice. His attention has turned back to Seo.
MAXIE
What next? The whole city is at our
feet.
SEO
(smiling)
I know where we can make that true.
EXT. SEOUL STREETS - LATER
A quieter, residential area. Shin on a public pay phone.
He hangs up. Shin knows what he is supposed to do.
Two teenage Korean girls in school uniforms stand about 50
meters away, giggling to each other.
Shin eyes them like a predator. They sneak a glance toward
him and giggle.
Shin breaks out in a broad, friendly smile. He approaches.
EXT. SEOUL STREETS/ELSEWHERE - SAME TIME
Wayne maneuvers the Army Jeep through streets clogged with
traffic. Distracted. Pissed his buddy ditched him for a girl.
Roh, in a Hyundai, tails closely.
Wayne pulls up at a light. He signals to take a left, looking
for a route out of the traffic.
Roh squeezes in to Wayne's left, blocking his turn.
WAYNE
What the fuck? Hey!
Roh ignores him.
Wayne can't quite make out Roh's face, obscured behind a
lowered sun visor blocking the left window.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
God damn Asian drivers.
He abandons the left turn and goes straight instead.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
(after driving a while)
Great. Now I'm fuckin' lost and
stuck in traffic.
(beat)
Fuck you, Maxie Rosen.
EXT. MT. NAMSAN PARK - DAY
In central Seoul, this lovely park sits on a low hill which
is nonetheless the highest elevation in the city.
Seo and Maxie hold hands. She leads him past a water fountain
where children play.
MAXIE
I can't believe this is right in
the middle of this city.
SEO
Keep going. We are not there yet.
MAXIE
Not where yet?
SEO
(pointing)
There!
SEOUL TOWER, high on the hill.
The structure looks a lot like the Seattle Space Needle.
Maxie is falling head over heels for this girl in a hurry.
EXT. SEOUL STREETS - SAME TIME
Shin is with the two teenage girls, shamelessly flirting. The
AD-LIB dialog is all in Korean.
He appears to ask directions while they tease him.
ROH'S CAR
The older agent, very calm as if he's done this a thousand
times, rides right up Wayne's tail.
WAYNE'S CAR
Wayne is really annoyed now. He watches the car in his rear
view more closely than the road.
WAYNE
Jesus Christ. Oughta get my fucking
sidearm --
(to rear-view)
Hey asshole! Get off my ass!
THE SAME STREET WHERE SHIN FLIRTS WITH THE GIRLS
Shin leads them off the curb, flirting with them.
The idea is that he is leading them into the street. Their
attention is focused solely on Shin. He's ready to push them
if he has to. But he may not have to.
Wayne's car is bearing down on them.
The two girls take the bait. They step into the street.
Roh suddenly accelerates and swerves as if to pass. Wayne
swerves to avoid him.
Wayne's Jeep slams into the two teenage girls!
Roh speeds away.
His car vanishes from view. The crowd that quickly gathers
doesn't even realize there was a second car.
Shin lingers on the edge of the scene. He makes sure that the
tragedy is complete.
Wayne, distraught, jumps out of the Jeep.
He kneels over one of the girls. She is gravely injured but
alive.
The scene is quickly turning to chaos.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
Somebody get help! Do you
understand? Get an ambulance!
Wayne desperately performs CPR on the girl.
He looks to his left. Several yards away, a woman crouches
over the body of the second girl.
The woman shrieks in Korean. The girl is dead.
Frantic, Wayne scans the area for any possible help.
For a split second, his eye catches the eye of a man on the
periphery of the scene.
Shin.
Wayne's attention sticks on this mystery man ever so briefly.
The man (Shin) appears unconcerned. Cold.
Wayne returns his attention to the injured girl. The crowd is
starting to get ugly. Someone shouts in broken English.
VOICE FROM CROWD
America go home! Go home!
This hostility increases Wayne's panic. He is caught in a
crisis that is way over his head. He looks around again,
desperate.
He looks toward the mystery man (Shin). But the man is gone.
Even in the middle of this desperate scene, the sudden
disappearance causes Wayne to pause. But not for long.
The crowd closes in on Wayne and the bleeding girl.
WAYNE
Is anyone here a doctor? Can
someone call for help?
(beat)
Come on! Someone speaks English!
An angry man punches Wayne in the shoulder. A few other men
surround him.
VOICE FROM CROWD
America out! You go home!
Freaked out by the punch -- it didn't hurt him -- Wayne leaps
up, reaches into his Jeep.
He pulls an Army-issue .45 from the glove compartment and
points it at the crowd. A cornered animal.
WAYNE
Get back! Stand the fuck back!
The sight of the gun persuades the crowd to do as he says.
But the resentment in the air hangs thick as Seoul smog.
The SIRENS of police cars, getting closer. Wayne lowers his
gun. Emotions are overcoming him. He's cracking.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
I'm sorry! I'm so sorry.
He places the gun on the seat of the Jeep.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
It wasn't my fault. It was an
accident. I'm sorry.
The crowd pulls away from him.
Several Korean men look at him with a kind of pitying
contempt before they turn their attention back to the dead
and dying girls.
Wayne collapses into sobs. The sirens are on top of him now.
EXT. SEOUL TOWER - EARLY EVENING
The space-age tower against the reddish-purple Seoul sky.
INT. SEOUL TOWER - SAME TIME
In an elevator, Maxie and Seo rise high above the city.
They get out on the observation deck. The expanse of Seoul
stretches in front of them.
As the sun sets, they can see the lights of the city start to
twinkle on, welcoming the evening.
They grip each other's hands more tightly.
SEO
You see. The whole city beneath
your feet.
MAXIE
"At our feet."
They press closer to each other. Against the sparkling
expanse of the city, they move in for the inevitable kiss.
EXT. POLICE HEADQUARTERS - NIGHT
Korean police cruisers, sirens wailing, pull up to the
building.
A Korean cop gets out with Wayne as his prisoner. But he is
quickly intercepted by two American Military Police. The lead
MP is SGT. COREY.
SGT. COREY
Thanks. We'll take it from here.
The Korean police are outraged. They shout in Korean at the
MPs. The lead MP takes the lead Korean cop aside.
SGT. COREY (CONT'D)
Look, this was an accident.
KOREAN LEAD COP
(in English)
He is our prisoner. He committed
crime within the city limits of
Seoul.
SGT. COREY
We don't know that a crime was
committed.
The cop who has Wayne steps over, shouts in Korean.
SGT. COREY (CONT'D)
We can't let you take the man under
these circumstances. There's been
no determination that a crime was
committed.
WAYNE
Sergeant?
SGT. COREY
Quiet, soldier.
WAYNE
I just want to see the girls.
(beat)
I just want to go to the hospital.
Or wherever they are.
Sgt. Corey looks at Wayne, a broken man.
SGT. COREY
(to Korean cop)
The man's got a perfectly
legitimate request. Show some
compassion.
EXT. MT. NAMSAN PARK - NIGHT
Seo and Maxie are walking out of the park. They are very much
infatuated with each other.
MAXIE
I don't want to just take off.
Where are you living?
SEO
We cannot go there, Maxie, no.
MAXIE
All right, I understand. Cultural
thing and all. Shit, I couldn't
exactly take you back to the base.
(gets an idea)
How 'bout a hotel?
Seo is shocked.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
We don't have to do anything. It's
not like that, Seo. I just want --
I mean, we can just talk. Order
room service, watch TV. It's
totally cool.
SEO
Okay, we'll see.
MAXIE
Good answer.
He sees a pay phone. A look of mild concern crosses his face.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Hang out for a minute. I'm going to
call the base. I want to make sure
Wayne got back okay.
(beat)
And if he can come back and get me
tomorrow.
Maxie shuffles through his wallet, pulls out a phone card.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Keep an eye out for cops. These
things are illegal contraband!
Maxie goes to the phone, makes his call.
Seo watches him, first with clear affection, then her
expression changes to something else -- as if she remembers
that she has another agenda for this relationship.
But she really likes him.
At the phone, Maxie is now very concerned, upset. He hangs
up, stunned.
SEO
What is the matter, Maxie?
MAXIE
The hotel's gonna have to wait.
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - NIGHT
The hospital is dim and dingy, but otherwise appears as
modern as any large, public hospital.
The corridor is like the scene of the accident, chaotic.
Maxie charges through the corridor, past the arguing police.
Seo is with him, but hanging back several meters.
Wayne sits on a bench in the corridor. He's spent, all cried
out. Military Police officers sit on either side of him.
MAXIE
Sarge! Wayne! Are you OK?
WAYNE
No, Maxie. I ain't exactly OK.
MAXIE
What the fuck? They just jumped out
in front of you?
WAYNE
One of them's in there. They're
trying to save her.
Maxie peeks into the adjacent operating room. Doctors are
working on the injured girl, but without much enthusiasm.
She doesn't look good.
The GIRL'S MOTHER, also in the OR, argues with the CHIEF
SURGEON, off to the side.
The mother is in hysterics. The chief surgeon acts strangely
non-comforting. He jaws right back at the grieving mom.
Maxie can't get his head around what he's seeing. It's too
weird. He turns his attention back to Wayne.
MAXIE
It's gonna be okay, Man. It was
nobody's fault.
Wayne notices Seo standing behind Maxie, hanging back.
WAYNE
I kinda think it was her fault.
Maxie looks back at Seo, puzzled. What's Wayne talking about?
Must be in shock. The guy gets a pass.
MAXIE
I need her to translate so I can
figure out what's going on here.
Maxie looks for anyone to answer his questions.
The Chief Surgeon emerges from the OR and shouts something in
Korean to no one in particular.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
(to Seo)
What's that about?
Seo is troubled by what she has just heard. But why?
SEO
He says the girl cannot be saved.
MAXIE
That can't be everything he said.
SEO
He says the girl's mother is crazy.
She wants to use -- what do you
say? A magical person.
MAXIE
Magical -- ? A witch?
SEO
What is the word for what a witch
will do?
MAXIE
Witchcraft? The mother wants to use
witchcraft to save her daughter?
SEO
He says witchcraft but he means
something else. There is a word for
a person who talks to spirits.
MAXIE
A medium?
SEO
Hm? No.
MAXIE
A shaman?
SEO
Yes. They will send for a shaman.
The situation, Maxie believes, is hopeless.
He looks down at Wayne who heard Seo's translation.
"Hopeless" is barely adequate to describe Wayne now.
EXT. HOSPITAL - LATER
A black car pulls up. Several medical personnel approach.
Hospital officials, too. Someone important is in this car.
A hospital official opens the car door.
Out steps the guest of honor -- a quiet, feeble, very small
old woman.
This is the SHAMAN. She seems to carry great sadness.
She totes a bundle of silk the size of a backpack.
Her escorts -- who don't know quite what to make of her --
lead her into the hospital. The Shaman shoos them away and
takes a right turn, alone, into a ladies room. She clutches
the silk bundle to her chest.
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER
Everyone is tired and stressed. The injured girl's mother is,
of course, the worst off.
Wayne is nearly catatonic from emotional trauma. Maxie sits
next to him, comforting his inconsolable friend. An MP still
guards Wayne.
Seo stands against the wall on the opposite side of the
corridor.
COMMOTION at the end of the corridor. The entourage of
hospital personnel that greeted the black car now marches
through the sliding doors.
This honor guard parts to reveal that within, the shaman
woman is now in full costume.
Her shamanic regalia is highly colorful and all silk (this
was the bundle). Similar to the garb of a Japanese Shinto
priest: elaborate, ceremonial kimono and tall, triangular
headpiece.
The tiny old lady has become an imposing figure.
Maxie is almost in awe. For Wayne, this is more bullshit.
Seo, however, has a different reaction. She withdraws into
herself, because she knows who this woman is. Seo resists the
urge to say something to the shaman.
The hospital personnel open the door to the OR. Maxie sneaks
a look inside. The girl is still on the operating table.
Skeptical doctors stand over the table, doing nothing.
The shaman enters. The girl, motionless. The girl's mother,
right behind the shaman.
The mother at least something resembling hope. Finally.
The shaman looks the girl over closely. The girl has no
response, but she breathes slightly.
The shaman dances. And howls.
This ritual dance goes on forever. The doctors stand to the
side. Maxie watches through the door, totally fascinated.
Seo, tentatively, steps beside him. She wants to see this
woman, too. But she has different reasons.
The shaman-dance continues.
TIME PASSES
The dance continues. Every now and then, the shaman checks on
the girl. Most of the spectators are weary, but the girl's
mother is riveted with hope and Maxie remains mesmerized.
The shaman checks on the girl. The dance is now concluded.
The shaman approaches the mother who hands her a wad of bills
-- about 60,000 Korean won.
The shaman walks out, her work finished.
She walks right past Maxie. And Seo, who says nothing.
The doctors check on the girl. To their amazement, the girl
has improved immensely. Her eyes are open and moving.
The doctors spring into frantic action. The girl's mother
drops to her knees in exhaustion and relief.
IN THE CORRIDOR
Maxie and Seo watch the shaman walk out. No entourage
accompanies her this time. Alone, she counts her money.
Maxie looks into the operating room.
MAXIE
(can't believe it)
Seo! Holy shit!
SEO
(flatly)
Yes. The girl will recover.
MAXIE
Oh my God, Seo. What just happened?
Seo says nothing.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Who was that woman in the crazy
outfit?
SEO
Her name is Kim Nya-Kim
Maxie is stunned. Seo knows the woman's name?
SEO (CONT'D)
She is my grandmother.
PULL BACK
The bustling hospital corridor. Seo, Maxie and the
disconsolate Wayne (and his MP guards) are the only people
not moving. For them, time stands still.
EXT. NORTH KOREAN MILITARY OUTPOST - DAY
A helicopter wobbles through the sky. It lands unsteadily.
A WORKER'S PARTY OFFICIAL jumps out. A small, thickly
spectacled, very nervous man.
The official scurries across the base, barely waiting for the
soldiers who are supposed to escort him. He bursts into...
THE BUNKER
The Intelligence Officers confer, discussing reports on the
desk in front of them. The Party Official is an annoyance.
PARTY OFFICIAL
I have been sent by the Dear
Leader. He requires a status
update.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ONE
We have wired several coded
communications.
PARTY OFFICIAL
The Dear Leader does not have the
time to read your documents! Give
me the latest status update.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER TWO
This is highly irregular.
PARTY OFFICIAL
(offended)
Do not question orders of the Dear
Leader.
The Intelligence Officers share a look. They know when to
pick their battles. Not this time.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ONE
Phases one and two of the operation
have been completed.
PARTY OFFICIAL
That is all?
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER TWO
No part of this operation is easy.
PARTY OFFICIAL
Who is the American soldier that
has been selected?
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER TWO
Does it matter? He is no one. Our
patriotic asset has appealed to his
decadent sexual urges. She now
controls him.
PARTY OFFICIAL
He is unaware of the operation?
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ONE
(now he's offended)
Of course. When the operation is
completed, he will either be
executed for murder by the puppet
government of the South, or
imprisoned by his own compatriots.
PARTY OFFICIAL
That's it? Nothing else?
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ONE
Please honor us by reporting our
progress to the Dear Leader.
PARTY OFFICIAL
(shakes head, worried)
Yes. Thank you, Comrades.
The Party Official scurries off as hastily as he came.
He jumps into the helicopter. The chopper rises into the air,
wobbling all the way into the distance.
EXT. KOREAN DEMILITARIZED ZONE - DAY
Foot patrol at the DMZ, but this one is anything but routine.
Several U.S. soldiers carry out their usual walk along the
DMZ fence. They are trailed by a bustling throng of reporters
and cameramen.
Secret Service agents hang around the periphery.
At the center of this commotion is the President of the
United States. Bill Clinton. He wears a military-issue
windbreaker and a baseball cap with the "USFK" logo.
Major Sargosa acts as Clinton's official tour guide.
One of the soldiers in the "patrol" is Christian Davis.
SARGOSA
This area of the DMZ, Mr.
President, well, it's basically a
wildlife preserve. But you'll see
the ridge up ahead.
JUMP AHEAD
A few moments in time. Most of the entourage hangs back as
President Clinton and a few soldiers position themselves
behind a sandbag barrier.
The president peers through binoculars.
BINOCULAR POV
He sees the North Korean soldiers in the distance, similar to
the view that Christian saw through his rifle scope. Clinton
is impressed.
Friendly and tactile, Clinton pats a soldier on the shoulder.
The soldier, who has no visible reaction, is Christian.
CLINTON
You guys have a lot of courage,
facing down the enemy every day the
way you do.
The soldiers have nothing to say. It's just their job.
JUMP AHEAD
The party is now at the "Truce Village."
North Korean soldiers stand guard across the invisible
border. Clinton walks up to them, stopping a few meters away.
The soldiers stand behind him. The press corps, further back.
The North Korean soldiers glare at Clinton. He stares back.
Clinton turns around, faces the soldiers and the press.
CLINTON (CONT'D)
I have just stood closer to North
Korean territory than any U.S.
president in history.
(beat)
This must be the scariest place on
Earth.
The soldiers, including Christian, watch the president walk
away. None of them appear very impressed.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - DAY
Maxie and Seo have sex. Just finishing, actually.
The hotel room is nothing special. Simple, clean and small.
MAXIE
How much longer do we have to keep
getting a hotel? The U.S.
Government doesn't pay its soldiers
very well, you know.
SEO
The people I stay with, they would
not like an American in their home.
MAXIE
Yeah, I can understand why not.
It's not like we do anything for
them. Like, I don't know, protect
their country from a Communist
invasion or anything.
SEO
Why do you hate North Korea so
much?
MAXIE
Because I'm paid to.
(beat)
Don't you? I thought everyone in
the South hated the North.
SEO
No, many people in the South have
family in the North.
MAXIE
Is that what's going on with you,
Seo? You got people up there?
SEO
(she's said too much)
No. I don't mean my family.
MAXIE
I heard that North Korean agents
kidnap people from the South all
the time. Is that how you lost
touch with your family?
SEO
No. It was not that.
But it was.
SEO (CONT'D)
And what you hear is not true.
MAXIE
(not buying it)
It's not? Really?
(beat)
You still won't tell me why you
won't visit your grandmother? First
you're desperate to find her, then
she shows up and you won't even
talk to her.
SEO
I can't explain, Maxie. My English.
Maxie gives up, smiles at her.
MAXIE
Okay, okay. I love you anyway.
He switches on the old, hotel TV. Fuzzy reception. He flips
through the Korean channels until he lands on AFN.
A hoary old sitcom. But what catches Maxie's attention is the
scroll along the bottom of the screen.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Shit!
(beat)
It says that "due to large scale
protests around Yongsan Army
Garrison, U.S. Military personnel
should remain on base." Fuck.
SEO
What is the matter?
MAXIE
I'm not on base, am I? I'm in a
cheap hotel banging my girlfriend.
Seo doesn't understand "banging."
MAXIE (CONT'D)
(suddenly gets it)
Wayne! That's what these protests
are about. The accident.
SEO
Don't worry. In this country many
people blame America for anything.
They protest America for any
reason.
MAXIE
I gotta get back to base on the
double.
Leaps up, starts pulling on his uniform.
SEO
Maybe it is not a good idea to wear
your uniform when you pass the
protesters.
MAXIE
Good thinking.
He reaches for a T-shirt and jeans.
He kisses Seo on the mouth -- deeply.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Meet you here again in two days?
SEO
Okay, Maxie.
MAXIE
You gotta give me your number or
some other way to get in touch with
you. This is getting weird.
SEO
Say hello to Sergeant Wayne for me.
MAXIE
Sergeant Parrish. Wayne's his first
name, but so long as I'm in the
Army, I'm not supposed to call him
by it. That's only for another
couple weeks, though.
(beat)
Take care of yourself, Mystery
Girl.
Seo watches wistfully as he rushes out the door.
Seo gets dressed. She flips channels on the TV.
A Korean news broadcast shows the protesters. They chant,
scream and wave placards with anti-American slogans.
And then -- a KNOCK on the door.
Seo hesitates, she knows who's out there.
She open the door to greet Shin and Roh.
EXT. SEOUL STREETS/YONGSAN GARRISON - DAY
Yongsan Army Garrison, headquarters of U.S. Forces in Korea.
630 acres of prime Central Seoul real estate. A city-within-a
city. Apartment living, shopping, restaurants etc. More than
25,000 U.S. soldiers and civilians and 3,000 Korean employees
live and work in Yongsan Garrison.
A large, angry mob protests outside an entrance to the base.
American soldiers face the crowd, guarding the gates, tense.
MAXIE (V.O.)
They rotated me off the DMZ, Sarge.
INT. MILITARY PRISON VISITING ROOM - SAME TIME
Maxie and Wayne, who is still very depressed, sit across from
each other over a table.
A couple of MPs stand guard. Maxie buttons up his uniform
(changing on the go). Wayne wears prison fatigues.
MAXIE
I can stop in to see you every day,
until your court martial.
WAYNE
I'm a fucking pariah, Maxie.
There's people protesting in the
streets 'cuz of me.
MAXIE
People here protest anything
American.
WAYNE
They let me go, this city's gonna
explode. The whole country's gonna
explode.
(the whole weight on him)
They gotta lock me up.
MAXIE
I was talking to Seo. She said
these things just blow over.
WAYNE
The Korean chick? She's your
girlfriend now?
Maxie shrugs.
WAYNE (CONT'D)
The day you met her...
MAXIE
That's called a coincidence, Sarge.
WAYNE
Something's fucked-up about the
whole situation. That guy riding my
rear. Why? Then this other Korean
guy, just standing there, giving
me, like, the evil eye.
MAXIE
Goddam rubbernecker. That's what
it's like in California. One little
accident slows down traffic for
miles 'cause everyone has to stop
and get an eyeful.
WAYNE
How's Chris?
MAXIE
Fuck if I know.
WAYNE
In the brig yet? Court martialed
yet?
MAXIE
Sarge, this was an accident.
WAYNE
They're gonna make me a martyr,
Maxie.
MAXIE
They're not.
WAYNE
They are, God damn it!
MAXIE
Shit, Sarge. It's almost like you
want them to.
Maxie stares with great concern at Wayne, who hangs his head.
Something inside Maxie's friend has changed.
EXT. SEOUL STREETS/YONGSAN GARRISON - SAME TIME
The protest rages. Behind the gates, armed soldiers watch,
alert but restrained.
These protesters are mostly young people, "students." But
also, a good number of housewives, businessmen, even elderly.
A bespectacled, otherwise mild-mannered businessman-type
moves close to the entrance. He shouts in halting English.
BUSINESSMAN
You must leave our country. This is
our land, not your land.
Another, more frenzied man runs up next to him, screaming in
Korean at the soldiers.
The soldiers tense as the crazy guy lunges forward.
BUSINESSMAN (CONT'D)
You are our slaves. You are our
dogs. You watchdogs. We kick you.
PULL BACK on the whole scene. Controlled chaos.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - SAME TIME
The same long shot of the protest, this time on the fuzzy TV.
Seo, fully dressed, sits on the bed. Shin sits next to her,
watching the protests on TV. Roh stands over her. (NOTE:
KOREAN WITH SUBTITLES.)
ROH
The Dear Leader is unhappy with the
progress of our operation. Do you
understand what that means?
SEO
Yes.
SHIN
(re: TV images)
Agent Roh and I have done our part.
Look at this. Breaking out all over
the South.
ROH
Of course, you played your part in
helping us complete this phase of
the operation. But as for the next
phase...
SHIN
Your relationship with the American
soldier. It has achieved nothing.
Shin moves disturbingly, suggestively, closer to Seo.
SHIN (CONT'D)
Except, for you.
(beat)
But what has it accomplished for
the glorious cause of the people?
With Shin this close to her, Seo notices a large red scar, a
burn, protruding from behind the collar of his shirt.
Shin notices that she notices.
SHIN (CONT'D)
Do you want to see? This is what
South Koreans do to their brothers
in the North. This is the
comradeship they show when they
arrest us.
ROH
Comrade Shin! Move away from
Comrade Kim.
(beat)
Comrade Kim, if you think those
burns are bad, you should see his
genitals.
Roh finds his own comment quite amusing. Shin is humiliated.
Roh leans toward Seo, paternal.
ROH (CONT'D)
They would not show any greater
mercy to a woman. That is the way
they are. Comrade Kim, the Great
Leader pleads with you, humbly, for
the glory of the people's
revolution.
SEO
Yes. I know what I must do.
EXT. DEOKSUGUNG PALACE - DAY
Maxie, in fatigues, walks with Seo through central Seoul. The
historic palace, now mostly a museum, is adjacent to City
Hall at the busiest intersection in downtown Seoul.
Sejongo Street, Seoul's main boulevard runs through downtown.
As they walk, the street reveals both the modern and "old"
Seoul in its architecture, shops and churches.
Seo looks at all of this scenery with wonder.
Maxie doesn't understand that she is seeing this city,
supposedly her "home," for the first time.
Riot police are out in force, on every street corner and in
front of every important building.
SEO
This palace was where King GoJong
would sleep.
MAXIE
You have to come back with me.
SEO
He was the last king of Korea.
MAXIE
To the States.
SEO
You can see how western buildings
were built next to the Korean. No
other country in Asia has mixed
with the West like Korea has.
MAXIE
There's nothing keeping you in
Seoul, Babe. Your family obviously
isn't too hot in keeping in touch.
SEO
But between Korea and the West,
there is still so much tension.
MAXIE
(noting riot cops)
Yeah. What's going down today?
Expecting an invasion?
SEO
Nuclear war.
MAXIE
Excuse me?
SEO
The students will demonstrate
tonight, to protest Americans.
MAXIE
What else is new?
SEO
The Americans accuse us of building
nuclear weapons. To justify a
nuclear attack of their own.
MAXIE
First of all, no one's nuking
anybody. Second of all, what do you
mean "us?" It's North Korea that's
the enemy.
SEO
I mean, all Koreans are one people.
MAXIE
Tell it to Kim Il-Sung.
(beat)
All of this, it's why you should
come back with me.
You can feel the fucking tension in
the streets here. And if you think
it's tense in Seoul, I was
stationed at the DMZ for. You don't
feel that in Menlo Park,
California.
(beat)
I got two days left to wear this
uniform. Come on, Seo. Please. I
love you.
SEO
(smiles at him)
The tension you feel, it is because
your friend Sergeant Wayne --
MAXIE
Sergeant Parrish.
SEO
His trial begins today.
MAXIE
I'm aware of that. Very aware. It's
not a trial, it's a tribunal. And
it's a crock of shit. But I'm going
to leave all of this bullshit
behind. You can too. Come with me.
Seo is genuinely thinking about it. She touches his face,
affectionate. Her feelings for him run pretty deep, in spite
of herself.
SEO
I will consider it.
MAXIE
Meet here tomorrow?
SEO
Go to your friend. He needs you.
MAXIE
(re: the riot cops)
Look around. That's all the
considering you need to do.
Seo watches him leave. What's running through her mind?
EXT. SEOUL STREETS/YONGSAN GARRISON - LATER
Demonstrations rage outside the base. The crowd, angrier than
before. They hang an effigy of a U.S. Soldier. Scattered
bonfires burn at several places in the crowd.
EXT. YONGSAN ARMY GARRISON - SAME TIME
In the brig. Sergeant Corey and another MP are preparing to
take Wayne from his lock-up. An officer, CAPTAIN TASH,
oversees.
Wayne, at this point, is an emotional blank.
Maxie bursts in.
MAXIE
Who's the officer in charge here?
TASH
Easy, Soldier. You're not
authorized.
MAXIE
Request permission to be placed on
prisoner escort detail, Sir.
TASH
You don't look like an MP, son.
SGT. COREY
It's his buddy, Sir.
WAYNE
What're you doing, Maxie?
MAXIE
(to Tash)
You're just taking him across the
yard, Sir.
TASH
What the hell. Tag along if that's
what gets your nuts off, Soldier.
MAXIE
(to Wayne)
You gotta know you got support,
Sarge.
TASH
Touching. Let's move it out.
EXT. YONGSAN ARMY GARRISON - MOMENTS LATER
The detail loads into a Jeep for the drive across the base.
They pass within sight of demonstrators outside. Wayne looks
over.
Of all the soldiers, only Wayne seems to understand what
these demonstrations mean.
MAXIE
Buck up, Sarge. I told you you're
going to get through this OK. And
you are.
WAYNE
It don't matter what happens at the
court-martial.
MAXIE
Come on.
WAYNE
Shit, I always figured if I loved
my country and did my job the big
picture would take care of itself.
Never thought about what it means
and all that shit.
MAXIE
We're grunts, Sarge. It's not in
our contract to think about the big
picture.
A MOLOTOV COCKTAIL flies over the fence. A couple of soldiers
jump back, then douse the fire on the pavement.
Something bigger -- and blazing -- flies at the soldiers.
They scatter. The burning object hits ground and erupts.
AN AMERICAN FLAG! ON FIRE!
Maxie and Wayne watch the flames rise.
The Jeep rolls on.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - DAY
A few days later.
Maxie in civvies. He's haggard. His hair is unkempt and he
hasn't shaved in a couple of days. He drinks "OB Lager" from
a bottle as he talks on the phone.
MAXIE
She will call, Mom. Yeah, I wish I
had a way of getting in touch with
her, but she wouldn't let me near
where she lives. It's like, a
cultural thing.
(beat)
A hundred bucks, Mom. That covers
the hotel for like, a week.
(beat)
I just spent four years in the Army
so you wouldn't have to pay for my
college. You can spare a hundred
bucks.
The red light on his phone flashes.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
I have to go, Mom. I'm getting a
call. Send the money order. In the
morning your time. Please.
He hangs up. The phone rings instantly.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Seo?
WAYNE (FILTERED)
Jesus, Maxie. It's Wayne.
MAXIE
Sarge?
The remainder of the conversation cuts between Maxie's hotel
and Wayne on a pay phone at the base.
Wayne looks sharp in his dress uniform, with a duffel bag at
his side. His mood on the other hand is worse than when he
was in jail.
WAYNE
You heard, right?
MAXIE
(excited)
I told you you'd get off! Awesome!
WAYNE
(not excited)
It's bullshit. They don't give a
shit about those girls or me.
They're sending a message. The U.S.
Military don't back down to no one.
MAXIE
Hey. Big picture, Sarge. Not our
job. Remember?
WAYNE
You're not in the Army anymore,
Maxie. You can think about whatever
you damn well please.
MAXIE
What now?
WAYNE
Now? I go back to the DMZ. Business
as fucking usual.
(beat)
Go home, Maxie. Forget the Korean
chick.
MAXIE
I haven't heard from her in three
days. I'm kinda worried.
WAYNE
Forget this whole place.
He hangs up without saying goodbye.
Maxie looks at the phone, surprised.
He throws on a military windbreaker over his scruffy civvies
and heads out the door.
CUT BETWEEN MAXIE AND WAYNE
FREEWAY
A military vehicle transports Wayne out of Seoul. He's still
in his dress uniform, still unhappy.
A soldier riding with him gives Wayne a congratulatory slap
on the shoulder.
Wayne barely manages a smile.
SEOUL STREETS
Sejongo.
Maxie walks past an Anglican Church. Riot police are out
again. He tries to retrace steps he took with Seo, hoping she
will show up.
CAMP BONIFAS
Wayne returns to the barracks. A bunch of guys greet him.
Off to one side is Christian Davis. Wayne's eyes meet his.
Christian nods to him. Wayne looks down. Too much bullshit.
ITAEWON
Maxie returns to the clothing stall where he first met Seo.
She's not there, of course.
A teenage Korean girl eyes him. She's with a friend. They
giggle to themselves.
CAMP BONIFAS
Wayne enters the SUPPLY DEPOT. He's looking for Alexandra.
A FEMALE OFFICER oversees inspection of the warehouse.
Wayne thinks it's Alexandra. The officer turns around. She
looks nothing like Alexandra. She smirks and turns away.
She knew who he was looking for -- and why.
Wayne stands there like an idiot, downcast.
ITAEWON
Maxie pulls out a phone card and approaches that familiar
phone booth. He looks around. A cop is not too far away, but
this one ignores him.
He pockets the phone card and moves on.
THE DMZ
Wayne leads a patrol, just like old times. But not quite.
Against his wishes, Christian is one of his men.
They are positioned behind sandbags. As before, Christian
points his rifle toward the North. He pretends to shoot. This
time, Wayne says nothing.
CHRISTIAN
(grinning)
We gotta kill these fuckers, Sarge.
If not now, then later.
Wayne shoots Christian a look of contempt and walks away.
SEOUL STREETS
A demonstration. Maxie watches from a distance. A portly,
happy Korean businessman approaches.
PORTLY MAN
There is much trouble between Korea
and America these days. No?
Maxie has no response.
THE DMZ
Wayne, alone, at the monument near Panmunjon, commemorating
the death of Captain Bonifas.
He reads the text and stares out toward the North.
SEOUL TOWER
Maxie stands by himself in the observation deck. The lights
of Seoul twinkle beneath him. Seo is nowhere.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - DAY
TIGHT on the TV screen. Another crappy sitcom plays through
the fuzz.
Maxie's splayed in bed, beer in hand. Depressed. He flips
channels with the remote.
He barely pays attention as he flips past a few Korean
broadcasts.
But wait! Something catches his eye. He flips back -- and
there it is. A familiar face.
Jenkins! The defector.
The broadcast is in Korean. Maxie leans in, as if that will
help him understand.
Some sort of TV drama. Military -- a war drama. But with the
production values of a cheap soap opera.
JENKINS IS AN ACTOR IN THIS SHOW!
Maxie is floored. What the hell is he looking at?
The scene on the TV switches to a news broadcast. A close-up
of Jenkins is now an inset in the corner of the screen, over
the anchorman's left shoulder. Unbelievable.
INT. CAMP BONIFAS BARRACKS - SAME TIME
A group of guys are gathered around the TV.
Christian Davis is in the group. Also Wayne. And a Korean
soldier who translates for them.
CHRISTIAN
Holy fuck! That's Jenkins! The
fucking defector.
Wayne watches with his now ever-present sadness. He can't
take his eyes off this broadcast.
TRANSLATOR
They say that this man is now a TV
star. He is acting as the villain
on this drama.
(beat)
They say the North Korean
propaganda has no shame.
CHRISTIAN
I guess crime does pay. Right
Sarge?
Wayne will not talk to Christian.
He is transfixed by the broadcast -- and the face of Jenkins.
EXT. SEJONGO BOULEVARD - NIGHT
The huge street is closed to traffic. About 10,000 riot
police, with Darth Vader helmets, body armor and shields are
lined up in orderly rows.
Facing the stoic police, about 3,000 frenzied protesters,
mostly students. They shout slogans, wave anti-American
placards.
A few hold placards with pictures of the two girls who were
run down by Wayne.
A flaming Molotov cocktail flies out of the crowd. It lands a
few rows back in the formation of police. The police move
aside, put out the flames. Otherwise, no response.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - SAME TIME
CLOSE on the T.V. A rerun of "The Six Million Dollar Man."
Along the bottom, a ticker warning: "U.S. MILITARY PERSONNEL
AND CITIZENS STRONGLY ADVISED TO REMAIN INDOORS. LARGE-SCALE
PROTESTS EXPECTED. POTENTIAL FOR VIOLENCE..."
PULL BACK
Maxie's watching "with one eye." Reluctantly, he throws a few
things into a khaki duffel bag. He's leaving.
His scruffy beard is almost full and he hasn't showered. He
pauses to quaff an OB Lager.
EXT. SEJONGO BOULEVARD - SAME TIME
A group of protesters wielding sticks and other makeshift
weapons rushes the front line of riot police.
The police crouch. They raise their steel shields. Highly
disciplined. Protestors beat against the shields.
CLOSER
On the police under assault. Through their wire face-masks,
they are not as stoic as they appear. Stress takes a toll.
The second row of police moves forward, shields up,
reinforcing the front line.
CLOSER
On their faces, through the masks. Determination and even
fear. Except for one policeman.
He glances side to side. Everyone is his enemy.
IT IS SHIN!
Onlookers rubberneck the protest from the periphery, safely
back. A few western faces in the crowd.
In the darkened doorway of a small shop, a CIGARETTE GLOWS.
The face behind the cigarette, watching with great interest,
but ever cool -- ROH.
As the violence of the protest ebbs briefly, Roh drops his
cigarette, gingerly stamps it out.
He looks up. Standing next to him is SEO.
She is extremely nervous. Nothing is said. Roh nods.
Seo gathers her courage and strides away, full of purpose.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - SHORTLY LATER
Maxie lies on the bed, his duffel now packed. The duffel
rests next to him like a sleeping lover. The TV drones on.
Maxie, depressed, talks on the phone.
MAXIE
Tomorrow. Korean Air Flight 23.
(beat)
I don't know, Mom. 11 hours or
something. Leaves at 1600 hours --
I mean four o'clock in the
afternoon. Gets in 11 in the
morning.
(beat)
No. The morning of the same day.
At the door, a KNOCK.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
(wary)
Hang on, Mom.
Maxie sets the receiver down, looks through the peephole on
the door. He gets very excited. Opens up.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Where the hell have you been? I've
been looking all over this goddam
city! I got no way to reach you, no
address, no number --
It is Seo, of course.
SEO
Can I come in, Maxie?
MAXIE
(softening up)
Yeah, definitely. Hell yeah.
Seo steps in. An awkward BEAT.
Maxie finally leans forward and kisses her. Very tentative.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Are you happy to see me?
He notices the phone.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Oh shit.
(picks it up)
Sorry Mom, gotta go.
Maxie hangs up the phone, cutting his mother off.
SEO
I am happy, Maxie.
MAXIE
So what happened?
SEO
I had things I needed to do.
MAXIE
I thought you were gone. I booked
my flight tomorrow and everything.
(beat)
I still want you to come with me. I
can probably get another seat on
the plane tomorrow. It's just
another thousand bucks on my mom's
credit card.
Seo just looks at him. Her mind is elsewhere.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Shit, I spent the last year staring
down a bunch of fucking communists
who want to kill me, just so I
could go to college on Uncle Sam's
dime instead of mom and dad's.
'Least they could do is let me use
the credit card for a while?
SEO
Maxie, out in the street...
MAXIE
Fuck the street. We got the
honeymoon suite!
Maxie suddenly picks her up like a bride and drops her on the
bed. She hits her head on the duffel bag.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Sorry.
Seo smiles, laughs. She forgot, she actually enjoys this
American guy.
Maxie sits next to her and strokes her head.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Oh, shit! You should have seen what
was on TV yesterday. I mean, I'm
not supposed to talk about it,
because it's classified, but I
guess there's no way to hide it
when it's on TV. This guy from my
unit a few weeks ago. He defected.
Can you believe that shit? He
fucking defected to North Korea.
SEO
Kidnapped?
MAXIE
No. Not kidnapped. He went all by
himself. He was a weirdo, I knew
the guy. Always freaked out about
the Army, freaked out the North
Koreans were going to invade and
we'd all die or something.
(back on topic)
The other day I see him on TV.
SEO
Yes?
MAXIE
He's on a soap opera on North
Korean TV!
SEO
Soap opera?
MAXIE
Yeah, you know. The soaps?
(beat)
How can you live in an American
dorm room for three years and not
know what a soap opera is?
SEO
Oh.
MAXIE
Like a TV drama show that's on
every day?
SEO
Oh.
MAXIE
You're weird sometimes, you know
that?
Seo says nothing.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
I kind of forget the point of my
story. Just that it's weird that
this guy betrays his country and
now he's a TV star.
(beat)
Maybe those North Koreans aren't so
bad after all. It's the land of
opportunity up there, I guess.
SEO
There is great poverty in the
North.
MAXIE
I know. You don't have to go
getting all serious on me.
SEO
The West will not trade with the
North. That is the cause of the
famine.
MAXIE
Skip the politics, okay. I'm just
happy to see you.
He leans down and kisses her again. She smiles.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
You gonna tell me what's wrong?
SEO
Nothing is wrong, Maxie. I am happy
to see you, too.
MAXIE
You disappear for, like, a week.
Then you just show up acting all
quiet. Something's up.
SEO
(looks into his eyes)
Nothing is up, Maxie.
She reaches her arms up around his neck, pulls him down
toward her. They kiss again -- deeply this time.
The make-out session escalates into lovemaking.
Seo hugs Maxie tightly. He is on top of her. Tears roll down
her face. Maxie can't see them.
The duffel bag rolls on to the floor.
ON THE STREET
The protest rages. Protesters attack the cops.
Roh observes, from a safe distance. He checks his watch,
looks to the side -- he's expecting someone.
IN THE POLICE FORMATION
Discipline barely holds as the protesters apply pressure.
CLOSE ON SHIN
He struggles to hold his own in the line. He peers through
his mask in the direction of Roh.
The distant cigarette glows.
Whatever they are waiting for, it's not time yet.
CLOSE ON ROH
He checks his watch again, irritated now.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - SAME TIME
Maxie and Seo are at the end of their lovemaking session. At
least, he is.
As soon as it's over, Seo wriggles out from under him and
hurries to the bathroom.
MAXIE
(stunned)
You're still going to tell me
nothing's wrong?
IN THE BATHROOM
Seo closes the door. She looks in the mirror and washes tears
away with water.
Seo collects herself, wraps a towel around her body, then
goes back out.
HOTEL ROOM
Maxie just glares at her, getting angry.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
What the fuck?
SEO
Maxie, outside in the street...
MAXIE
There's a big protest. I know.
AFN's been running warnings all
day. I've seen enough of that
bullshit, thank you very much.
SEO
I must be with my people.
MAXIE
What?
(thinks he gets it)
Is that where you've been? Is that
who your friends are, some group of
student radicals or something?
SEO
This is important to me. I must go
down there.
MAXIE
What? You want me to come with you
to an anti-American protest?
(beat)
Honey, you get on the plane with me
tomorrow, you never have to worry
about any of this again.
Seo looks at him, pleadingly. She can't say anything to him.
She is too conflicted.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Look, I'm not some big flag-waver.
Shoot, even Wayne knew that we
screw things up wherever we go. And
he was as patriotic as they come. I
didn't even want to join the Army.
(beat)
But your pals out in the street
don't know any of that. I'm not
looking to get my ass kicked.
SEO
(getting dressed)
Maxie, I have to go.
MAXIE
Shit! All right. I'll go with you.
I'm a soldier, I can handle myself,
right?
(beat)
Right?
SEO
Thank you for coming with me,
Maxie.
MAXIE
It's my pleasure, Miss Kim.
Maxie pulls on jeans and a sweater. They are out the door.
EXT. SEJONGO - SHORTLY LATER
Seo leads Maxie along the periphery of the demonstration.
MAXIE
You don't mind if I watch this one
from the bench, right?
She leads him past Roh, smoking again in a darkened doorway.
Maxie glances at Roh who gives him a chilling stare.
When Maxie and Seo are past, Roh lifts his cigarette in the
air, the glowing tip pointed straight up.
IN THE POLICE FORMATION
Shin notices the signal. He's ready to complete his
assignment.
IN THE DEMONSTRATION
Seo pushes her way through the crowd. Maxie hangs back.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Seo! This is dangerous.
(beat)
Shit!
Maxie plunges into the crowd behind her.
Seo in the lead. They elbow their way near the front. Maxie
grows increasingly nervous as they get deeper in.
The danger of the angry crowd is so real Maxie can feel it.
TO THE SIDE OF THE CROWD
An old shop. Two YOUNG MEN rip an old, wooden DOOR from its
hinges. Carrying the door, they rush back ...
IN THE DEMONSTRATION
The crowd backs off. One of the young men douses the door
with some kind of fluid, the other throws a match on it.
The door IGNITES.
The two young men lift the door again from either end. Madly,
they rush forward. Demonstrators hustle out of their way.
MAXIE AND SEO
...are near the front lines of the demonstration. The two
young men with the flaming door run up right behind them.
Maxie dives for cover. The young men heave the door at the
police line no more than a few feet in front of them.
Police scatter. Their discipline is on the verge of breaking.
Maxie gets separated from Seo. He can see her in the throng
of enraged, screaming protestors -- a few meters away, but it
seems like a huge distance.
From the police side, TEAR GAS CANNISTERS fly through the
air. The cans land in the crowd of demonstrators.
A CLOUD OF TEAR GAS. Some demonstrators already have scarves
tied tightly around their faces.
Everyone else fights to endure the gas. Some peel off from
the crowd. They can't take it.
Maxie picks himself off the ground just as the gas hits. He
chokes. Fluid flows freely from his eyes.
The gas penetrates his sinuses.
Maxie recoils. The pain in his eyes and sinuses is
incredible. Mucous runs from his nose in torrents.
The police begin charging forward into the crowd, batons
whirling. They SHOVE demonstrators to the ground with their
shields. Some cops CLUB fallen students.
To Maxie, through his teary, agonizing haze, the scene is a
terrifying blur.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Seo!
ON SEO
Covering her mouth and blinking wildly, Seo looks over and
sees Maxie. He staggers around. She is paralyzed by the sight
of him. What has she done?
ON MAXIE
A riot cop gets in Maxie's face. They're FACE TO FACE.
THE COP IS SHIN!
Shin's face has no special significance to Maxie, who can
barely see straight anyway. But Shin, gripped with a sense of
purpose, pulls a GUN.
Shin holds the gun to Maxie's forehead. Time stands still
amidst the chaos. Shin pulls the gun away. BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
HE KILLS TWO COPS!
Shin knocks Maxie flat with his shield. And in a quick motion
of catlike stealth, SLIPS THE GUN INTO MAXIE'S BELT.
SHIN
(leaps to his feet)
The American! The American shot
police!
Cops respond, they swarm Maxie.
The chaos is now TOTAL CHAOS. More SHOTS ring out.
POLICE CLOSE IN ON MAXIE. Clubs swinging.
Where's Shin? Vanished, just like that.
Several feet away, another group of police overpowers a gang
of students.
In that gang -- Seo. The police swing clubs and shields.
SEO GOES DOWN!
Police and demonstrators TRAMPLE her.
She looks bad. Very bad.
POLICE ARE ON TOP OF MAXIE
A cop pulls the gun from Maxie's belt. In this madness,
that's all the evidence anyone needs.
COP
(waving gun)
Here is the killer! The American!
They BEAT HIM MERCILESSLY.
He tries to fight back, hopeless.
On the ground, Maxie becomes submissive.
He's finished, resigned to death.
But, not so fast.
A CLEARING OPENS AROUND HIM.
Someone pulls the cops off, slams them to the ground.
Maxie looks up. Who is this ass-kicking hero saving his neck?
CHRISTIAN DAVIS!
A one-man army in civvies, Christian fights riot cops on one
side, demonstrators on the other.
Somehow impervious to the tear gas, Christian is finally in
his element. The warrior has his war.
Chris grabs Maxie, pulls him out of there. Maxie spots Seo
lying on the ground, motionless and bloody.
Maxie stops, grabs her, drags her along. Finally they are...
OUT OF THE CROWD
The chaos is subsiding. The riot cops win, as always. The
violence and tear gas have subdued the demonstrators. Chris,
Maxie and the limp body of Seo find a safe spot.
CHRISTIAN
(adrenaline rush)
Now that's what the fuck I'm
talking about!
MAXIE
Thanks, man. I don't know what to
say.
(beat)
Where did you come from?
CHRISTIAN
Dude, they rotated me downrange
right around when you got your
discharge. Who'd figure I'd finally
see action here, huh?
MAXIE
Guess I'm glad the Army is too
fucked-up to stick your ass in the
brig.
CHRISTIAN
(re: Seo)
Who's this?
MAXIE
(hesitates)
My girlfriend.
CHRISTIAN
Damn. Korean pussy you don't got to
pay for?
Maxie shoots him a look. Christian is chastened.
CHRISTIAN (CONT'D)
I gotta tell you, man. She don't
look too good.
Maxie urgently examines her as best he can. He knows some
medical procedures from basic training.
CHRISTIAN (CONT'D)
Dead?
Maxie just looks at her. He's choked up again, but this time
it's not tear gas. It's emotion. And then...
SEO DRAWS A BREATH!
Maxie, excited, leans close.
MAXIE
Seo? Can you hear me?
Her eyes open a little.
SEO
I can hear you, Maxie.
CHRISTIAN
Where's she from? Tuscaloosa?
MAXIE
Tell me what hurts. We'll get you
to a hospital.
Blood bubbles from Seo's mouth. Here eyes are glassy.
SEO
I don't feel anything hurt.
CHRISTIAN
That's even worse.
MAXIE
(to Chris)
You got to help me with this. We
have to take her to the base, get
her attention.
CHRISTIAN
Base? She ain't family, she don't
work there.
MAXIE
I don't know where any other
hospitals are!
SEO
(very weak)
No hospitals.
MAXIE
Shut up, Seo.
SEO
(using all her strength)
No, Maxie. No hospital. No doctor.
Maxie ignores her.
MAXIE
You remember how to transport
wounded personnel, right?
CHRISTIAN
Yeah, as fast as you can without
getting your ass shot off.
MAXIE
Just help me, Chris.
CHRISTIAN
Okay, man. Not a problem.
They gingerly begin to lift her. But Seo protests, spitting
blood as she tries to speak. She is angry and scared.
SEO
Maxie! No! They will kill me.
Torture me. And you!
MAXIE
What? Torture you? Who?
They place her back down.
SEO
South Korea police. The army.
CHRISTIAN
What the hell is she talking about?
MAXIE
I don't know. Maybe she's
delirious.
SEO
Maxie! I come from North Korea.
Stunned silence all around.
MAXIE
What?
CHRISTIAN
Yeah. What? What the fuck?
Seo is lying on the pavement again, writhing. The emotional
pain hurts worse than the physical.
SEO
I come here to do a mission, Maxie.
I am sorry. I have hurt you.
MAXIE
What mission? What about me?
CHRISTIAN
This is some heavy shit, Maxie.
MAXIE
Seo, you're concussed. You're
having hallucinations.
SEO
No. If you take me to your base,
you will see. You will go to jail.
MAXIE
Seo, listen. You're not from North
Korea. You have family here. Your
grandmother, remember? The crazy
dancing lady?
SEO
My mother, her daughter. Kidnapped.
My father, too. The North kidnaps
South Koreans to make children,
like me. They send us back as
agents because we are strong and
healthy. Most people in my country
are poor. They are starving and
ugly and very small.
CHRISTIAN
None of this makes any fucking
sense.
MAXIE
They do kidnap people. I read that.
CHRISTIAN
(getting very angry)
So this bitch is a spy. And you're
fucking her?
MAXIE
Listen, man. I love her.
CHRISTIAN
Pussy-whipped motherfucker.
MAXIE
Whatever. We've got to get her
help. Please.
Christian thinks it over.
Against all of his instincts, he agrees.
CHRISTIAN
So, what do we do?
SEO
Maxie, no.
MAXIE
I've got an idea. But you have to
help get us there -- so stay awake!
(to Christian)
You ready?
INT. TAXI CAB - NIGHT
Seo sits, limp, between Maxie and Chris in the back seat. She
leans her head on Maxie's shoulder. They could pass for a
couple after a rough night on the town.
The DRIVER looks in the rear view at them. He buys it.
SEO
(mumbling)
Maxie, you must go. You were part
of the plan, Maxie. They sent me to
use an American soldier.
Propaganda. So South Korea will
turn against American troops.
MAXIE
(sharp whisper)
Shut up!
SEO
I have ruined your life. I am
sorry.
MAXIE
Stay still, Seo.
(not so sure)
I'm fine. I will be fine.
But will he? The look that passes between Christian and Maxie
says this situation is bad.
EXT. RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD - CONTINUOUS
The car pulls up on a small, narrow street lined with modest,
but nice little Korean pre-fab homes.
IN THE CAB, Maxie hands the driver some money.
MAXIE
Just wait a minute, OK? Wait? You
understand?
The driver nods, counting the money.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Chris, go knock on -- let's see --
that door, there.
CHRISTIAN
Who am I looking for?
MAXIE
Just knock on the door.
Christian gets out of the cab. Walks to the designated door.
Knocks.
Nothing. Knocks again.
CHRISTIAN
Yo! Anyone home?
A MAN walking home crosses to the other side of the narrow
street, to avoid Christian. Faces poke out of nearby windows.
When they see Christian, they quickly go away.
The door opens. A sad little old lady answers.
She is utterly unimpressed by the sight of a large, white
American at her door.
Christian is just plain puzzled. He turns to look back at the
cab, quizzically.
The old lady is KIM NYA-KIM.
MAXIE
Your grandmother's going to help
you, Seo. Can you make it inside?
They manage to get out of the cab. Seo can hardly stand.
INT. KIM NYA-KIM'S HOME - SHORTLY LATER
The house is simple, but nice. Spiritual, Korean household
decorations adorn the place.
Maxie and Christian sit on Western-style too-small chairs.
Seo lies prone and barely conscious on a "yo," a futon-like
floor mattress.
She's slipping away.
In a prominent position is a large photograph of a young
woman. The woman looks very much like Seo -- but this is an
old photo. At least 25 years old.
CHRISTIAN
That your girl in the picture?
MAXIE
No, it can't be. Looks like her,
though.
(realizing)
It's her mother.
Kim Nya-Kim appears in the room. She wears her full costume.
CHRISTIAN
Yeah, like this makes sense.
MAXIE
She's some kind of a shaman.
CHRISTIAN
A what?
MAXIE
Kind of like a witch. Just watch.
The two young men stand aside. Kim Nya-Kim chants softly,
then more loudly. She dances around Seo.
This dance is carefully planned, every step. The intensity
builds until the old woman is in a frenzy.
The intensity subsides, like the fade-out of a 45-rpm record.
Without a word, Kim Nya-Kim exits the room.
Maxie and Christian stare at Seo, not knowing what to expect.
Maxie, having seen this "work" once before, has higher hopes.
Nothing.
CHRISTIAN
Dude, I don't know what to tell
you.
MAXIE
Just wait.
And then -- something! Seo comes around. Her breathing
stabilizes. Her eyes focus.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
Seo!
He rushes to her.
CHRISTIAN
What just happened?
Seo, though exhausted, has the strength to smile at Maxie. As
he leans over her, she gets better by the moment.
She reaches up and throws her battered arms around him.
CHRISTIAN (CONT'D)
Wow, man. I gotta admit. That's
awesome.
Seo and Maxie are hugging now, tightly. After a few BEATS of
this happy scene, Maxie turns to Christian, hugging his girl.
There are tears on his face.
MAXIE
This country, Chris. What the hell
are we doing here?
CHRISTIAN
Fucking shit up, I guess.
MAXIE
We are in way over our heads.
Kim Nya-Kim re-enters the room, dressed in her "civvies"
again. She pauses to take in the scene.
And then, for the first time, breaks into a smile.
Seo, much more healthy, pulls herself up and hugs her tiny
grandmother. This is a joyful reunion if ever there was one.
The two women speak softly through tears, in Korean.
Maxie and Christian watch them. There's something wrong. A
sadness comes across Maxie's face.
SEO
Maxie. I will come to America with
you. You know I have never been
there.
The two men look at each other.
SEO (CONT'D)
It is what my grandmother wants for
me. She knows what will happen to
me if I stay. The South Koreans
will torture me. The North Koreans
will find me and assassinate me.
(beat)
I need you Maxie. I love you.
MAXIE
I love you, too, Seo.
A KNOCK at the door. Christian answers it. It's Sergeant
Corey, the MP, with two of his men.
SGT. COREY
Took forever to find this fucking
place.
CHRISTIAN
You found it, didn't you?
Corey and his men enter.
SGT. COREY
(re: Seo)
That her?
CHRISTIAN
You see anyone else who fits the
description?
SGT. COREY
Come to think of it, I don't.
(to Seo)
Let's go. You're being taken into
custody for suspicion of espionage
and sabotage.
Seo, still in Maxie's arms, is horrified.
SEO
Maxie! What is happening?
Maxie says nothing, sickened by this whole scene.
SEO (CONT'D)
Your friend. He betrayed us. Maxie!
He called them.
As gently as he can, Maxie removes her arms from around him.
Maxie stands up and just looks at her.
The distance between them might as well be miles.
SEO (CONT'D)
Maxie?
MAXIE
You gotta go with them, Seo.
(beat)
I called them.
The wind goes out of Seo, almost like she's been shot. Maybe
this is worse.
Corey takes her by the arm. One of his men cuffs her with
plastic ties.
MAXIE (CONT'D)
It'll be OK. No one's going to
torture you.
(beat)
My country doesn't do that.
SEO
But -- I would come to America!
MAXIE
Seo, I don't know what I'm doing
here and I don't know what I'm
going to do back there.
SGT. COREY
You did the right thing, man. She
would've had you up shit's creek.
Now, damn, they'll probably give
you a medal.
MAXIE
I'm not even in the army anymore.
A lengthy BEAT. Finally...
CHRISTIAN
Shit, I'm in the army! Can I get a
fuckin' medal?
SEO
Maxie!
MAXIE
(to Christian)
Let's go.
Without meeting Seo's eyes -- as difficult as it is not to
look at her, it would be even worse if he did -- Maxie walks
past the MPs and out. Christian follows.
Seo is crying rivers, deep sobs. The MPs take her away.
Finally the tiny, Korean home is emoty.
Empty -- except for Kim Nya-kim.
The old woman stands by herself, silent. Everything is lost
for her -- again.
That is her life. She accepts it.
But her sadness never goes away.
EXT. CAMP BONIFAS BARRACKS - NIGHT
Pitch dark. Moonlight. A few footlights on the camp walkways.
Still. Quiet.
INT. CAMP BONIFAS BARRACKS - SAME TIME
The commons area. Mostly dark. One SOLDIER IN UNDERWEAR,
sleepless, watches the TV, keeping the volume low. AFN News.
On screen, JIMMY CARTER. Then it flashes to KIM IL-SUNG.
AFN NEWS BROADCAST
...former president Carter returned
from Pyongyang, describing his
talks with the North Korean leader
as a success.
The soldier in underwear hears something in the dark. He
looks over his shoulder. Nothing.
AFN NEWS BROADCAST (CONT'D)
Following an agreement by U.S. and
South Korean forces to cancel the
Operation Team Spirit joint
training exercise, the North has
agreed to allow IAEA inspectors
into its nuclear facilities. This
appears to put an end to the
crisis. For now.
EXT. CAMP BONIFAS BARRACKS - NIGHT
A lone figure slips out of the barracks.
Like Jenkins and Asher before him, this solitary soldier
makes his way into the DMZ, eluding the watch of the guards,
who in any case watch for the enemy, not for their own.
EXT. KOREAN DEMILITARIZED ZONE - NIGHT
Through the dark and shadows of the moon, the escaping
soldier gingerly makes his way through the perilous DMZ.
Finally, KPA troops appear in front of him. They stop him,
grab him roughly.
He's captured. But the defector gives up willingly.
A North Korean shines a flashlight in the defector's face.
Wayne Parrish.
INT. CAVERNOUS TUNNEL - ANYTIME
The "infiltration tunnel" where Seo came through. Dimly lit.
In the distance, two murky figures approach, hurrying. They
are heading back toward the North.
Shin and Roh -- making their getaway. They disappear into the
distance of the darkened tunnel.
EXT. NORTH KOREAN MILITARY OUTPOST - DAWN
THE DOOR THAT LEADS UNDERGROUND.
Soldiers watch as Intelligence Officers One and Two open it.
Shin and Roh emerge. They exchange comradely hugs with their
two counterparts.
Two soldiers lead Shin and Roh toward the bunker. One soldier
looks back.
Intelligence Officer One gives the soldier a nod.
The two soldiers draw pistols. Each fires a single shot. Shin
and Roh fall. Back of the head. A bullet each.
Intelligence Officer Two now signals to a group of soldiers
in the distance.
ON THE DOOR.
The two intelligence officers walk away, quick, but under
control. Morning sun glints off the cast iron door. And
then...
THE DOOR EXPLODES!
Rubble and dirt fill the opening, sealing the tunnel forever.
EXT. WILDERNESS - DAWN
The morning sun bathes deer and swans in calm, pale light.
A badger explores the underbrush. The badger comes upon a
rusted metal tab. A land mine.
The badger sniffs. Taps at it. Nothing. The badger pushes the
tab with his nose. Click!
The tab breaks off. Old. Obsolete. The rusty metal just lies
there. The badger waits, sniffs, gets bored.
The furry little creature waddles away, into the idyllic
landscape of the DMZ.
INT. UNIVERSITY LECTURE HALL - DAY
United States. Two years later. A large university in the
California state system. A jammed lecture hall. 200-plus
students. The class: Economics 101.
A PROFESSOR drones on about markets and efficiency,
occasionally scratching something on the blackboard.
In the midst of the massive class, lost in the crowd, one
student takes assiduous notes.
MAXIE. His hair is longer. Flannel shirt and jeans. Full
fledged civilian.
Maxie pauses to take stock of his surroundings. He's older
than any of these college freshmen.
Probably half of them are Korean.
Maxie returns to taking notes, scribbling down equations and
facts and figures as the professor recites them.
His looks up again, eyes falling on a beautiful young KOREAN
WOMAN, two rows in front of him. When she turns to her left
to check her friend's notes, he sees her face.
She looks a lot like Seo. At least, he thinks so.
She catches him staring. He looks down. The Korean woman
looks away. No interest in him at all.
Maxie scribbles notes, glancing up at her one more time.
EXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY
Students file out into the California sunshine. Stark
contrast to the dreariness of the DMZ. Maxie walks alone in
the crowd. He doesn't fit in.
He catches a glimpse of her -- the beautiful Korean woman
from class. She appears to be by herself, leaving class.
Maxie takes a breath, gathers all his courage. He walks
toward her. He's going to talk to her. He will!
As Maxie closes to within a few yards of the woman, a half
dozen of her friends surround her.
He stops in his tracks. She never notices him.
The young woman and her friends laugh and talk, all in
Korean. She walks away, surrounded by the Korean group, into
the heart of the sunny campus.
Maxie can only watch her go.
Her world is not his.
Hundreds of students file past Maxie, ignoring him.
He stands still, alone with his past and the tears that
dampen his eyes.
FADE OUT.