. .

A SIMPLE PLAN
A Screenplay
By
Scott B. Smith
 FADE IN on:
(
BEGIN CREDITS
I INT. FEED MILL - DAY I

The air is thick with dust. Grain is being milled, a loud,

steady GRINDING: WE SEE the machinery moving in the shifting
light. Shelves line one wall, sagging with burlap sacks. RANK
MITCHELL is tallying the bags on a clipboard. He's thirty years
old, slim, light-haired, dressed in khakis and a sweater.
2 EXT. FEED MILL - DAY 2

A tall narrow building, roofed with corrugated tin. It's

separated from the feedstore by a barren, snow-covered yard.
The snow is dirty, pockmarked with tracks. We still HEAR the
grinding, but it's more muffled now.
The mill's door opens, and Hank emerges, clutching his
clipboard. He coughs, spits into the snow, then picks his way
quickly toward the feedstore, slapping at his sweater and pants
as he goes, leaving a cloud of dust in the air behind him.
3 INT. HANK'S OFFICE - DAY 3

A tiny office, which Hank shares with his boss, TOM BUTLER. The
bookshelves are crowded with files; the desks are messy; a
fluorescent light flickers on the ceiling. Butler, a heavyset
man approaching forty, is talking on the phone: no words, just
an intermittent string of BMMM's, UH-HUH's, and UNH-UNH's.
Hank enters, plucks the top sheet of paper from his clipboard,
deposits it on Butler's desk. Butler scans its columns without
pausing in his conversation. As Hank sits down at his own,
slightly smaller desk, his watch BEEPS. He fumbles with it,
checking the time: it• s noon.
Hank hurriedly shuts his briefcase, turns off his desk lamp.
When he steps to the door and pulls down his coat, Butler
glances at his own watch, raising his eyebrows, the phone still
pressed to his ear. Hank hesitates, halfway into his overcoat.
HANK
The cemetery •• ?
(Butler's face remains blank)
My brother and 1 •••
Butler nods, suddenly remembering, and waves Hank away. Hank
rushes out the door. It SLAMS shut, then immediately pops back
open as Hank sticks his head in.
HANK (cont'd)
Happy New Year!
(CONTINUED)
 2.
3 CONTINUED: 3

Before Butler can respond, the door shuts, and Hank is gone.
4 EXT. SMALL TOWN MAIN ST. - DAY 4

A small, worn-looking town. The street is lined with two-story

buildings, their paint peeling, gutters sagging. The few people
out and about are dressed heavily against the cold. Snow has
been shoveled into long piles along the sidewalk's edge. Wind-
tattered Christmas decorations cling to the light poles.
Hank emerges from the feedstore, buttoning his overcoat. He
turns to the right, hurrying, his head ducked against the cold.
MOVING
we follow Hank down the block. He passes a woman carrying a
bulging grocery bag, a SMALL CHILD trailing behind her,
androgynous in its snow gear. The woman's name is LINDA.
HANK
Happy New Year, Linda!
(to the child)
Happy New Year, Marcil
The mother and daughter both RESPOND, their faces too muffled by
their scarves for us to make out their words.
HANK walks on, passing a tavern, several stores, the library:
all of the buildings look equally rundown. Only the town hall
stands out in any way, a red-brick structure with a police truck
parked on the street before it. CARL JENKINS, the town
policeman, a white-haired, vigorous-looking old man, is scraping
the truck's windshield. He waves at Hank.
CARL
Happy New Year, Hank!
As Hank waves back, a little girl glides toward him down the
sidewalk, perched on a sled: silent, almost magical. Hank
steps aside to let her pass. Then he turns the corner, starts
down the next block. He stops at--
5 THE MITCHEI,I, HOUSE 5

--which is just a bit less dilapidated than its neighbors, an

essentially rundown building with a thin facade of renovation:
fresh paint, clean windows, a wreath on the door. Christmas
lights blink on the porch railings. Hank climbs the steps,
vanishes inside, the door SLAMMING shut behind him.
END CREDITS
 3.

! 6 INT. MITCHELL ENTRANCEWAY - DAY 6

Hank pauses inside the door, unbuttoning his coat. To his right
is the dining room, to his left the living room. Nothing•s
expensive, but all the furnishings have obviously been chosen
with care. A poinsettia sits on a table by the front door.
Bank drapes his coat over the bannister, bends to remove his
shoes, then stops, listening. WE HEAR water running, and--too
faintly to make out the words--a woman singing. Hank yanks off
his shoes, starts quickly up the stairs.
7 INT. MITCHELL BEDROOM - DAY 7

A bed, night tables, a pair of bureaus. Photographs dot the

walls1 the windows look out onto the street. A door, cracked
open, leads to a bathroom. This is where the water's coming
from: Bank's wife, SARAH, is singing in the shower. we can
HEAR her words now. She's singing, "In the Bleak Midwinter".
Bank enters, moves to the bathroom door. Very slowly, he pushes
it open, steps into--
8 THE MITCHELL BATHROOM 8

A sink, toilet and tub. Everything shines whitely, except for

the shower curtain, which is bright red. Behind it, Sarah
continues to SING, her voice hauntingly pretty. Hank stands in
the center of the room, perfectly silent, listening.
After a few beats, the singing stops and the water is turned
off. Then the shower curtain is slowly pulled open, revealing--
SARAH
--who, like her voice, is ha-.:mtingly pretty. She flinches at
the sight of Hank, startled, hiding behind the shower curtain.
It clings to her body, betraying the huge dome of her belly:
she's extremely pregnant. After a moment, she smiles, and Bank
grabs a towel, steps forward with it, holding it out to her.
Neither of them says a word.
g INT. MITCHELL B~DROOM - DAY g

Hank is knotting his tie in front of the mirror1 he's changed

into a dark suit. Sarah stands behind him, adjusting his
collar, BUMMING the Christmas carol. She's wearing a bathrobe1
her hair is still wet. She brushes at Hank's jacket.
From downstairs, WE BEAR a sudden pounding. Sarah steps to the
window, peers out.
\

(CONTINUED)
 9 CONTINUED: 9

SARAH
Oh-oh. Looks like it's going to be a long
afternoon for you.
(grinning from the window)
Be brought Lou along.
Bank turns from the mirror in dismay, his shoulders sagging.
18 INT. MITCHELL FRONT ENTRANCEWAY - DAY 18

The POUNDING resumes, as Bank comes down the stairs. Be grabs

his coat off the bannister, pulls open the door. Bis brother,
JACOB, waits on the porch. He's heavy, slovenly, dressed in a
dirty red parka. He eyes Hank, taking in his suit and tie.
JACOB
You ready?
Hank stares past him, buttoning his overcoat.
I BR RANK 'S POV - THE STREET 18ft

Jacob's rusted red pickup idles at the curb. His DOG, a

shepherd mix, is in the back. LOU sits in the passenger seat:
fortyish, balding, stoop-shouldered. Be throws Hank a wave.
( 1BcontBACK TO SCENE 1Bcont

Hank waves back with an obvious lack of enthusiasm.

BANK
(to Jacob)
What's he doing here?
Jacob shrugs, not 10019,Dg at his brother.
JACOB
Needed a lift home.
BANK
Kind of out of the way, isn't it?
JACOB
(another shrug)
I thought we could take him after.
Hank looks as if he's about to protest more strongly, but then
he checks himself. He sighs, reaches back inside for the
poinsettia, then shuts the door and leads Jacob down the steps.
 s.

11 EXT. COUNTRY CEMETERY - DAY 11

A small graveyard behind a ramshackle church, surrounded by open

fields. Snow covers everything. Jacob's truck idles in the
church's lot. His dog sits in back, pressed against the rear
windshield, which has been replaced with a sheet of plastic.
Hank and Jacob trudge toward the center of the cemetery. Hank
is carrying the poinsettia. They stop before a gravestone.
Jacob stoops to wipe it clear of snow, revealing an inscription:
Jacob Hansel Mitchell Josephine McDonnell Mitchell
June 2, 1930 Mays, 1933
December 31, 1990 December 31, 1990
Beneath this are two blank spots, for Hank and Jacob. The men
stand for a beat, heads bowed. The dog watches from the rear of
the truck, ears erect.
After a moment, Bank kneels to place the poinsettia before the
grave. Be scoops out a little crevice for it in the snow,
inadvertently excavating the frozen remains of a potted
chrysanthemum. Bank stares at it in surprise, then up at Jacob.
HANK
Somebody else was here.
JACOB
I brought it.
Bank seems to have trouble accepting this idea.
RANK
When?
JACOB
(laughing)
You think this is the only day we can come?
Before Hank can respond, WE BEAR a screeching sound from the
parking lot. Both men turn to look.
HANK'S POV - CHURCH PARKING LOT
Lou has climbed out of the truck. He unzips his pants, starts
to pee. As he urinates, he shuffles slowly to the right.
LOU
Hey, Jake! I'm writing my name!

(CONTINUED)
 6.
11 CONTINUED: 11

BACK TO SCENE
Jacob laughs. He starts toward the lot, unzipping his own fly.
Hank remains crouched there, watching as the two men, giggling
like boys, pee their names in the snow. The dog jumps from the
truck to sniff at their urine.
• 11 A EXT. PEDERSON BARNYARD - DAY *lift
The explosive sound of FLAPPING WINGS. WE SEE a chicken coop,
surrounded by a wooden fence. The chickens are scrambling, a
FOX in their midst. The fox lunges, catches one of the birds,
snaps its neck with one quick shake of the head, then darts
away, scampering over the wooden fence. The windows of the
Pederson house are blank; no one's home.
WE RISE into the air, watching the fox set off into the fields,
its paws throwing up a wake of snow. on the horizon, WE SEE a
dark mass of trees. The fox is heading straight for them.
• 11 B EXT. COUNTRY CEMETERY - DAY *118

Jacob's truck is pulling away from the parking lot, the dog in
back. WE SEE the two men's names yellowing the snow. Lou's is
written in large, bold letters.· Jacob's starts out equally big,
but then gradually shrinks as his bladder empties: JAcob.
( •11C EXT. JACOB'S TRUCK - DAY - MOVING/BRIDGE & CREEK *I IC

The truck crosses a low bridge over a half-frozen creek. Plowed

snow is piled thickly over the bridge's railings. In the
truck's rear, the dog sits pressed against the back of the cab.
LOU (OS)
So the cop starts to search the car, right?
*110 INT. JACOB'S TRUCK - DAY - MOVING/BESIDE FROZEN LAKE •110

Jacob drives with his gut pressed against the wheel. Like Lou,
he has a beer can nestled between his thighs. Lou is on the
outside, with Hank in the middle. Lou and Jacob talk back and
forth above Hank's head, as if he weren't even there.
LOU
And when he looks under the seat, he
shouts: NWhat the hell is this supposed to
be?" And you know what the guy says?
JACOB
{snickering)
It's a crockpot~
Lou shakes his head, LAUGHING.

(CONTINUED)
 7.
*llD CONTINUED: *llD

LOU
No, no--come on, pay attention. That was
the preacher. This is the cowboy.
Jacob thinks for a moment, then grins slyly.
JACOB
He says, #Moooo."
They both LAUGH. Hank glances from one to the other, mystified.
LOU
No. He says, uWhy, officer. It's just a
piiiiiineapple."
They LAUGH even harder: Lou prods Hank with his elbow.
LOU (cont'd)
Get it?
Hank shakes his head. Lou turns to Jacob.
LOU (cont'd)
Mr. Accountant doesn't get it.
Jacob starts to respond, but then a startled, panicky expression
sweeps across his face. He slams the brakes.
•12 OMI'l' •12
•13 OMI'l' •13

*14 OMI'l' •14

15 HANK'S POV - OUT '1'HE WINDSHIELD 15

The fox is sprinting across the road, directly in front of us, a
chicken hanging from its jaws.
EXT. EDGE OF PARK - DAY
The truck goes into a skid, its right front tire dropping into
the ditch beside the road, the right headlight shattering.
INSIDE THE TRUCK
Everyone's thrown forward. The dog comes flying in through the
plastic rear window, legs flailing, then scrambles quickly out.
16 OUTSIDE THE TRUCK 16

The dog leaps down, BARKING, and chases the fox into the woods.
 7A.

17 INSIDE THE TRUCK 17

Jacob slaps the steering wheel with his hand.

JACOB
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

(CONTINUED)
 8.
17 CONTINUED: 17

Lou GIGGLES, and pushes open his door.

EDGE OF THE PARK
The three men clilllb out to inspect the damage. WE SEE their
breath in the air, Jacob flips up his parka's hood; Lou pulls
on a hat. Hank shivers in his overcoat. The dog's BARKING
grows fainter and fainter. Jacob WHISTLES.
JACOB
MARY BETH!
Lou peers across the road. Bank follows his gaze.
ACROSS THE ROAD - HANK'S POV
The fox's tracks trail off across the field, a dotted line
pointed toward the Pederson farm.
BACK TO SCENE

LOU
Looks like Dwight Pederson's missing a
chicken.
( Jacob WHISTLES again. The BARKING sounds very far away now, but
it seems to have stopped moving. The three men listen.
JACOB
She treed it.
LOU
That's how it sounds.
Jacob walks to the truck and reaches inside, rummaging behind
the front seat. Be emerges with a hunting rifle in his hand.
HANK
What're you doing?
Jacob doesn't answer. Be loads a bullet into the gun, slams the
truck's door, shoulders the rifle.
BANK (cont'd)
It's a nature preserve, Jacob.
JACOB
So?.
BANK
It's posted land. You can't hunt here.
Lou grins, watching the brothers. Jacob points at his truck.

(CONTINUED)
 9.
17 CONT I NUE:J: (2 ) 17

JACOB
He busted my headlight.
LOU
We"re not really hunting here, Hank. It's
more like we're collecting a debt.
Jacob and Lou set off into the woods, LAUGHING. It's clear that
they"re a bit loaded. Hank hesitates, then hurries after them.
18 EXT. WOODS - DAY 18

A small stream. WE SEE the dog and fox• s tracks running up the
far bank. Lou has already crossed; Jacob is sloshing through.
Hank, in dress shoes, searches for a dry passage. Lou and Jacob
LAUGH as they watch him teeter his way across on some stones.
19 EXT. WOODS - FURTHER IN - DAY 19

Lou and Hank stop to rest on the edge of a small valley. Jacob
has fallen behind. He struggles toward them, his jacket open,
his face shiny with sweat. Lou points into the valley.
LOU
Jesus. Look at all those birds.
HANK'S POV - DOWN THE SLOPE
The trees are different here, smaller, planted in rows, the
remains of an apple orchard. Their branches are full of crows.
The fox's tracks go straight through the orchard, disappearing
over the far slope. In the distance, the dog continues to BARK.
JACOB (OS)
wish we'd brought something to drink.
BACK TO SCENE
Jacob has reached them, GASPING, soaked with sweat. Lou waves
his hand in the air, _snaps his fingers over his jacket pocket,
pulls out a can of beer. He opens it, hands it to Jacob.
LOU
Always be prepared.
Jacob takes two large gulps, returns the can to Lou. Lou sips
at it, then holds it out to Hank, but Hank shakes his head.
LOU (cont'd) .
what? can't drink till after five?
Hank SIGHS, peers off into the orchard, pointedly ignoring Lou.

(CONTINUED)
 10.
19 CONTINUED: 19

LOU (cont'd)
(trying to get a rise)
or maybe you don't wanna share? 'Fraid
you'll catch something from us.
He winks at Jacob, who smirks. When Bank still refuses to
react, Lou hands the beer can to Jacob, scoops up a snowball.
Be feints a throw at Bank, and Hank ducks. Lou and Jacob LAUGH.
LOU
See, now that's what you might call in-sin-
u-a-ting a throw. Remember? You said that
last time I saw you. Could've just said
"hint," but nooo, you had to put on airs,
show us all the fancy words you know.
Lou tosses the snowball into the orchard.
BANK'S POV - THE ORCHARD

The snowball arcs into the orchard, smacks into a mound of snow
upon which a dozen crows are perched. CAWING, the crows rise
up, and a sheet of snow slides off the mound, partially
REVEALING a SINGLE ENGINE PLANE~ Both its wings are missing.
It's balanced, nose-down, over the trunk of a fallen tree.
BACK TO SCENE
The three men stare into the orchard, stunned.
BANK
Jesus Christ.
28 INT. PLANE - DAY 28

Near darkness--we shouldn't be sure where we are. A thin stream

of light enters from a crescent-shaped tear in the fuselage. WE
BEAR muffled voices, then the cabin begins to shake. There"s a
CREAKING sound, metal pushing against metal, and a perpendicular
crack appears in the.darkness, a doorway opening.
WE SEE Bank's face shoved through the crack, blinking.
INT. PLANE - HANK'S POV FROM THE DOORWAY - DAY

The plane"s rear is lost in shadow, but it looks empty. Toward

the front is a large duffel bag. Beyond it are two seats. In
the gray light filtering in through the ice-covered windshield,
it's impossible to tell if they're occupied.
 Rev. 2il2/98
Goldenrod

I
21 EXT. ORCHARD - DAY 21

Bank pulls his head from the doorway. Jacob has his rifle
cradled in his arms~ Lou is drinking from his can of beer.
HANK
I can't see.
' (to Jacob)
can you scrape some of that snow off the
windshield?
Jacob shuffles off, while Bank tugs again at the door. Be pulls
so hard that he rocks the plane, dislodging the remainder of its
shell of snow, but the door refuses to budge any further.
Bank turns sideways, pushes his head and shoulders through the
doorway, then gets stuck. Be tries to pull back, but his coat
is snagged. WE HEAR a tearing sound.
BANK (cont'd)
Shit.
22 IN'l'. PLANE - DAY 22

( Bank is trying to worm his way in, when WE HEAR Jacob start to
scrape at the windshield. Bank squints toward the cockpit.

22A*
BANK'S POV - PLANE'S COCKPIT 22A*
Jacob continues to scrape at the windshield, but to no effect.
Through the gray opacity of the ice, WE SEE the shadow of his
arm moving back and forth. It disappears, then comes 'l'BUMPING
down against the glass. The ice shatters, falls away. Light
floods in, REVEALING a man's body, slumped in the lefthand seat.
The pilot's head, resting against the dashboard, seems to be
shaking back and forth.
22B* BACK TO SCENE 22B*

Bank stares in shock.

BANK
Bey, buddy. You all right?
(slapping the fuselage)
Beyl
BANK'S POV - PLANE'S COCKPIT
The pilot's head has stopped moving.

(CONTINUED)
 Rev. 2/12/98
Goldenrod
12.
22B* CONTINUED: 22B*

BACK TO SCENE

Hank twists his head, yells over his shoulder.

HANK
There's somebody in herel
He tries to squeeze forward again.
23 EXT. ORCHARD 23

Jacob shuffles back toward Lou from the front of the plane.
JACOB
What'd he say?
Lou shrugs: he neither knows nor cares. Be finishes his beer,
tosses the can off into the trees, then steps behind Hank.
LOU
Watch this.
He begins to tickle Hank. Bank kicks out, but misses and loses
his footing. The doorway's grip holds him up. Lou LAUGHS.
i
24 INT. PLANE 24

Hank strains to get free. Lou and Jacob's LAUGHTER filters in.
JACOB (OS)
Let me try.
Bank freezes as WE HEAR a loud flapping sound from the cockpit.
24A* HANK'S POV - . THE COCKPIT 24A*

The pilot's head is tossed aside as two crows burst from his
lap, THUDDING into the windshield. They beat against the glass,
then bounce off, one landing on the rear of the pilot's seat,
the other on the seat beside it. Their heads dart back and
forth, eyeing Bank.
24B* BIRD'S POV - HANK TRAPPED IN THE DOORWAY 24B*
Hank, very carefully, is trying to slip back out the door.
24C* Err. ORCBAIW
Jacob begins to tickle Bank. WE BEAR Bank scream.

(CONTINUED)
 Rev. 2/12/98
Goldenrod
13,
24 CONTINUED: 24

. 24D* Hl;NK'S POV - THE COCKPIT 24D*

The birds take to the air, banging against the windshield again.
One of them bounces off and flies straight at us.
INT. PLANE
Hank ducks, and the bird hits him in the forehead. He YELPS,
pitches forward, and finally breaks free, landing inside the
plane. The bird flies up to the hole in the fuselage and worms
its way out, followed almost immediately by its partner.
25 EXT. ORCHARD 25

The birds emerge from the hole. Lou flinches at the sight of
them, stumbling backward, falling onto his rear end in the snow.
26 INT. PLANE .26
-
Jacob fills the doorway, blocking the light.
JACOB
You see those birds?
Hank doesn't answer. Bis forehead is bleeding. Be stands up,
moves hurriedly toward the cockpit.
JACOB (cont'd)
Bank?
HANK'S POV - TBE PILOT

The pilot is a thin young man, dressed in a flannel shirt and

jeans. WE SEE Bank• s hand tap him on the shoulder.
RANX (OS)
Hey. You okay?
A Qause then Bank ulls the ilot from the dashboard. The 26A*
26A* man's head falls back. Bis eyes ave neaten out the
birds: their dark sockets stare up at us. A bloody icicle
hangs from his n~se.
26B* BACK TO SCENE 26B*
Hank stumbles backward, trips over the duffel bag, falls. Bis •
impact upsets the plane's balance across the fallen tree: its
nose lifts into the air, and Bank slides toward the plane's
tail. The pilot's body swivels in its chair, as if to pursue
himJ the duffel bag slips along the floor till it's blocking the
doorway, and a soda can rolls out from under the pilot's seat,
RATTLES down the length of the plane, thumps into Hank's leg.

(CONTINUED)
 Rev. 2/12/98
Goldenrod
14.
26 B* CONTINUED:

LOU (OS)
What the fuck's he doing in there?
Hank picks up the can, throws it away in disgust. It hits the
floor, RATTLES right back into him. Be peers down at it for a
beat, then touches his forehead, examines the blood on his
fingers. Finally, he rises, struggles toward the door, shoving
the duffel bag out before him.
27 EXT. ORCHARD - MOMENTS LATER 27

Hank crouches beside the plane, holding snow to his wound. Lou
removes his gloves, starts to work at the duffel bag's knot.
JACOB
I say we just stop by the police station.
If we call it in on the CB, we'll never get
out of here. We'll have to wait forever--
Lou has managed to open the bag; WE SEE him look inside with an
expression of stunned amazement. He reaches in, touches
whatever•s there. Neither Hank nor Jacob notices his reaction.
HANK
( We'll still have to come back, Jacob.
We'll have to lead them to the--
LOU
Jacobi
(Jacob turns)
Look •••
He tilts the bag. It's filled with hundred dollar bills,
packets held together with paper bands. The three men stand in
shocked silence, not even noticing when the dog reappears,
wading down through the snow on the opposite slope. Finally,
Lou starts to GIGGLE. He bends his head into the bag, kisses
the money, then looks up at the other two, ecstatic.
LOU (cont'd)
Can you believe this?
Hank steps forward to look more closely. Jacob glances from him
to LOU, bewildered. •

JACOB
It's real?
LOU
Of course it's real. Don't be stupid.
He plucks out a packet, tosses it to Jacob. Jacob catches it,
staring in wonder. Lou jumps up, pumped with excitement.

(CONTINUED)
 16.
27 CONTINUED: (2) 27

Hank shakes his head; he finds the prospect preposterous.

LOU (cont'd)
(with sudden venom)
Stay the hell out of it, then. we don't
need you. It just means more money for us.
HANK
I don't want to stump you with another
•fancy" word, but does the term accomplice
mean anything to you?
Jacob tries to intercede before Lou can reply.
JACOB
Why would we get caught?
HANK
It's a lot of money, Jacob. Someone has to
be looking for it. And when they find the
plane, and it's not inside--
LOU
That's bullshit. That guy's gotta be a
drug dealer or something. As far as the
police•re concerned this doesn't even
exist. Nobody knows about it but us.
JACOB
(nodding enthusiastically)
Like lost treasure!
Hank is obviously unconvinced. Lou turns to Jacob, disgusted.
LOU
Your fucking brother--it's the American
dream, and he just wants to walk. away from
it.
HANK
You work for the American dream, Lou. You
don't steal it.
LOU
Then this is even better!
JACOB
(jumping in, insistent)
It's drug money, Hank. It's not stealing.
LOU
How about this?
(lifting out a packet)
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
 17.
27 CONTINUED: ( 3 ) 27
LOU (cont'd)
I'll bet you ten thousand dollars that when
they find the plane, there's no mention of
the money.
He holds the packet toward Hank. Hank peers down at it. When
he doesn't take it, Lou tosses it at him. It smacks Hank in the
chest; he catches it as it bounces off.
LOU (cont'd)
Why give it up before we even know if
someone's looking for it?
ON HANK, as he stares down at the money, hefting it in his palm.
The other men watch him, waiting. Hank opens his mouth to
speak, but then stops, hesitating, trying to make his way
through this new territory, struggling to discern a path.
Finally, slowly, as if he were merely thinking out loud:
HANK
What if I was the one to keep it?
JACOB
All of it?
HANK
Just till spring. Till someone finds the
plane.
LOU
And then?
HANK
If you're right, and nobody mentions the
money, we can split it up and move away.
LOU
Why should you get to hold it?
HANK
That's the only way I'll do it. Otherwise,
we can turn it in right now.
Jacob gives his.brother a quizzical look.
JACOB
You don't trust us?
Hank hesitates, weighing the merits of a truthful answer. Then:
HANK
I guess I don't.
Jacob nods. He doesn't seem surprised. Hank turns to Lou.

(CONTINUED)
 18.
27 CONTINUED: ( 4) 27

RANK (cont'd)
No promises. If it looks like anyone's
searching for the money, I'll burn it, and
that'll be that.
Jacob and Lou stare at each other, silently debating. Finally,
Jacob shrugs, tossing his packet back into the bag.
LOU
(threatening)
we count it first.
Hank and Lou lock eyes for a moment. Then Hank nods.
RANK
That's probably a good idea.
28 EXT. EDGE OF ROAD - DUSK ZB

Jacob's truck is repositioned at side of the road. The three

men stand behind it. WE SEE the packets lined up on the
tailgate, forty-four stacks of ten. The three men stare down at
them, mesmerized. very faintly~ WE HEAR a car approaching.
LOU
( (breathless)
Four million, four hundred thousand
dollars.
JACOB
How much is that apiece?
HANK
Almost a million and a--
The CAR is much louder now. All three men look up at once.
JACOB
Shit.
HANK'S POV - DOWN THE ROAD
WE SEE a pickup_approaching. It has a bubble light on its roof.
BACK TO SCENE

Hank throws the duffel bag over the money. It barely covers
half of it. He waves Jacob and Lou toward the cab.
HANK
Get in the truck, okay? I'll handle this.

(CONTINUED)
 19.
28 CONTINUED: 28

Jacob and Lou hesitate, then move quickly toward the front.
CUT T01

29 THE POLICE TRUCK - NIGHT 29

stopping behind Jacob's truck. Carl Jenkins rolls down the
window, smiling broadly as Bank steps out to greet him.
HANK
Hey, Carl.
CARL
Engine trouble, Hank?
HANK
Dog trouble. Jacob's mutt ran into the
woods after a fox.
CARL
Tree it?
HANK
Thought so, but just as·we started to go
after her she came running back.
Carl leans forward a little, squinting up at Bank's face.
CARL
What happened to your head?
Hank touches his wound, then waves toward the woods.
HANK
Walked into a branch.
Carl looks toward Jacob's truck. Hank follows his glance.
BANK'S POV - JACOB'S TRUCK
Through the torn rear windshield, WE SEE Lou and Jacob talking
animatedly, their faces close together. Jacob's dog suddenly
pushes her way J;>etween them, scrambling out the window into the
truck's rear. She starts sniffing at the money.
BACK TO SCENE
CARL
Brother still out of work?
(Bank nods)
Lou?

(CONTINUED)
 20.
29 CONTINUED: 29

HANK
Him too.
CARL
That's a shame, ain't it? Two grown men,
both eager for work. This country •••
Carl leans forward, turns up his truck's heater.
HANK
Well, we should probably--
The door to Jacob's truck CREAKS open, and car1 looks up.
RANK'S POV - ACROSS THE ROAD
For an instant WE SEE the plane"s pilot approaching, his eyeless
face, his bloated hands held out before him, but then WE HEAR:
CARL (OS)
Hello, Jacob.
And the figure becomes Jacob approaching us, the door of his
truck standing open behind him.·
( BACK TO SCENE

CARL (cont'd)
I was beginning to think maybe you were
trying to avoid me.
JACOB
I was just cold. Wanted to get in the
truck and warm up a bit.
(glancing at Bank, grinning)
You tell him about the plane?
Bank stares at his brother, speechless with surprise and horror.
38 INT. JACOB'S TRUCK -. NIGHT - MOVING 38

Hank sits between Jacob and Lou, his legs hugging the duffel
bag. Be keeps glancing out the torn rear window, making sure
they aren't being pursued.
HANK
(scared and angry)
I've seen you do a lot of stupid things,
Jacob, but that pretty much takes the cake.
Before Jacob can respond, Lou jwnps to his defense.

{CONTINUED)
 21.
30 CONTINUED: 30

LOU
It was my idea.
HANK
Well, that's brilliant, Lou. _If they find
the plane now, and they realize the money's
gone, he's gonna know right off who took
it.
Jacob shakes his head, grinning.
! JACOB
That's the beauty of it. There's no way
we'd have mentioned it if we were the ones
who took the 1110ney.
LOU
It's not like we told him you actually saw
a plane going down. Just that you thought
you heard one with engine trouble. I don't
really think--
HANK
(furious)
You want me to burn the money?
The other two men are mute, intimidated bY his rage.
HANK (cont'd)
I'm~ going to jail for this, Lau. If it
looks like there's even the slightest
chance of us getting caught, I swear to
God, it's all gonna vanish. You
understand?
Again, silence. The torn plastic makes a flapping sound behind
their heads. Finally, Lou throws Jacob a little smirk.
LOU
(whispering)
It's a piiiiiiineapple.
He and Jacob begin to GIGGLE. Hank glances from one to the
other, still angry, and--with no small effort--they manage to
stop laughing.
Out the window WE SEE a rundown farmhouse. Jacob slows the
truck, pulls into the driveway.
 21A.

31 HANK'S POV - LOU'S HOUSE - NIGHT 31

As the truck rolls to a stop, NANCY, Lou's wife, a large,

fortyish woman, leans her head out the door, peering toward us.

(CONTINUED)
 22.
31 CONTINUED: 31

NANCY
Lou?
(she steps outside)
Where the hell've you been?
BACK TO SCENE

Lou SIGHS, starts to climb out. Hank grabs his sleeve.

HANK
Nobody knows about this. That includes
Nancy.
Lou glares at Hank's hand till Hank lets go.
NANCY (OS)
You're two hours late!
Lou ignores this, brushing at his sleeve.
LOU
She's gotta know sometime. She's gonna
wonder where all my mon~y•s coming from.
HANK
You can tell her when we decide that it's
safe to keep it.
LOU
Then the same goes for Sarah.
Before Hank can respond, a snowball smacks Lou in the neck.
Nancy gives a gleeful SHOUT.
HANK'S POV - LOU'S HOUSE
Nancy has stepped down onto the snow-covered walk.
NANCY
You promised to shovel the walk before you
left, you lazy son-of-a-bitch.
A snowball TBUMl;'S into the truck. The dog begins to BARK.
BACK TO SCENE

Lou starts toward the house, making calming gestures with his
hands. Nancy throws another snowball at him, narrowly missing.
LOU
Come on, Honey. we just got a little tied
up.

(CONTINUED)
 23.
31 CONTINUED: (2) 31

Nancy retreats to the porch. There's a shovel there, ja111111ed

into a pile of snow. She yanks it out, throws it at Lou's feet.
NANCY
You"re not coming in till the walk's clear.
HANK AND JACOB
As Jacob backs down the drive, Hank turns to watch the house.

r HANK'S POV - OUT THE TRUCK

Lou stands there with the shovel, talking fast and low,
gesturing animatedly. Nancy has come down a step to listen.
ON HANK

As he watches Lou, suspecting that their secret's already out.

32 INT. MITCHELL FRONT ENTRANCEWAY - NIGHT 32

Light streams in from the kitchen, but otherwise the hall is

dark. WE HBAR pots clinking, Sarah singing. The front door
CREAKS open, and Hank steps inside, dragging the duffel bag
behind him. He shuts the door, then hesitates, staring at the
( bag. Sarah continues to SING, unaware of his return.
Finally, Hank comes to a decision. He leaves the bag, starts
down the hall, still in his overcoat. He stops after a few
steps, though, comes back, twists shut the door's lock. Then he
moves quickly toward the kitchen.
33 INT. MI'T'CHEIJ, KITCHEN - NIGHT 33

Sarah stands by the stove, stirring a pot, SINGING softly.

she's dressed in a bathrobe. She glances up, smiling, when Hank
appears in the doorway.
SARAH
Heyl I didn't hear you--
(setting down her spoon,
concerned)
What happened to your head?
She picks up a dish towel, runs it under the faucet, steps
toward him. Hank stares at her, struggling to think things
through. She takes him by the hand, leads him to a chair.
SARAH (cont'd)
It's all bloody.
She starts to clean his wound. Hank watches her for a beat,
silent. Then:

(CONTINUED)
 24.
33 CONTINUED: 33

HANK
Sarah.
(she stops, looking at him)
• What if you were out walking in the woods,
and you found a bag full of money--maybe, I
don't know •••
I
►
(he pretends to think)
I Four million dollars. Would you keep it?
Sarah gives him a funny look, half-smiling, half-wary.
SARAH
Of course not.
The pot begins to boil over on the stove. Sarah jumps to turn
it down. Hank stares after her, astonished.
HANK
How come?
Sarah resumes her stirring.
SARAH
Well, for starters, it'd be stealing.

( Hank shakes his head, standing up, growing animatedr this is a

reservation he"s sure he can appease.
HANK
We're talking about lost money here.
Nobody"s looking for it.
SARAH
Four million dollars and. no one"s looking
for it?
(Hank nods emphatically)
Then whose money is it?
HANK
What do you mean? It's yours.
Sarah opens the oven, bends to check on the bread.
SARAH
But whose was it before?
The question seems to stump Hank. He has to think for a moment.
HANK
A bank robber"s?
SARAH
Then it's the bank's money.

(CONTINUED)
 25.
33 CONTINUED: (2) 33

I Hank throws up his hands in impatience.

• HANK
All right, it's a drug dealer's.

'
Sarah stirs the pot, considering this. It's clear that she's
searching for a reason not to take a drug dealer's money.
SARAH
This is so silly, Hank.
Hank gives her a long look of disappointment, which she doesn't
seem to notice. Then he turns and strides from the room. Sarah
continues to stir, oblivious of his departure.
SARAH (cont'd)
(to the empty room)
I mean, it doesn't matter where it's from.
I wouldn't take it.
(a pause)
It's just wrong. That's all that--
Hank returns, dragging the duffel bag. Be pours the money into
a massive pile across the table; packets sliding off and.
dropping to the floor. Then he turns to Sarah, a huge grin on
( his face. She's staring open-mouthed at the money.
HANK
It's real.
Sarah looks almost pained. She reaches behind herself, drops
the spoon onto the stove, touches her hand to her forehead.
•33R BANK AND SARAH - LATER •33R

seated at the kitchen table, eat.tng dinner--spaghetti, garlic

bread, green beans, milk. The money is piled messily on the
floor beside them. They keep glancing at it while they eat.
HANK
If we keep it, we'll never have to worry
about money again.
SARAH
we don't have to worry about money now,
Bank. You've got a good job. We don't
need this.
Hank lets this go. He stares down at the money, chewing his
food, thinking, searching for another approach.
HANK
Nobody gets hurt by our keeping it.
 26.

•338 THE KITCHEN SINK - LATER 0 338

Hank is washing the dishes, while Sarah dries them and puts them
away. The money is still lying on the floor, but it's been
organized into stacks now. A TV is playing on the counter.
HANK (cont'd)
That's what makes it a crime, isn't it?
People getting hurt?
He turns off the water. Sarah begins to dry the last pot.
SARAH
(impatient)
What makes it a crime is that it's against
the law. It doesn't matter whether anybody
gets hurt or not. You get caught and you
go to jail.
HANK
But you aren't listening to me. The
money's the only evidence that we•ve done
anything wrong. We can _sit on it and see
what happens-
( A COMMERCIAL is playing on the TV, and both it and Hank's
dialogue roll over into the next scene.
•33C INT. HANK'S FAMILY ROOM - LATER •33C

Hank and Sarah sit on the couch in front of· a larger TV.
They're sipping sparkling cider. The money is back in its bag,
which sits across the room now, leaning up against the doorway.
HANK (cont'd)
--if someone comes searching for it, we'll
burn it, and that'll be that. There's no
risk, we'll always be in complete control.
on TV, the commercial- ends, and a New Year's Eve show comes on--
there are shots of Times Square, frenzied crowds, the gold ball.
SARAH
What about Jacob and Lou?
HANK
As long as we"re the ones holding the
money, they'll do whatever we tell them to.
On the TV, the countdown is just starting1 the ball begins its
descent. Hank and Sarah don't seem to notice.

(CONTINUED)
 27.
*33C CONTINUED: *33C

SARAH
And your tracks in the snow? They lead in
from the road, right to the plane, then
back out again.
HANK
It's supposed to snow tomorrow. The
tracks'll be gone by tomorrow night.
The New Year arrives--FIRECRACKERS, COWBELLS. on the 'Na swing
band strikes up AULD LANG SYNE. Sarah lifts her glass, and Hank
returns the gesture, but distractedly, merely out of reflex.
HANK
we can always burn the money. Right up to
the very last moment. It seems silly to
just give it up now, before anything•s even
gone wrong.
•330 BENEATH THE BED - LATER •330

A cu of the duffel bag, stuffed beneath the bed. The bed is

creaking a bit, and WE BEAR Hank and Sarah making love. We move
UPWARD until WE SEE .
( HANK AND SARAH

Sarah is crouched over HankJ his hands are on her breasts. They
both seem to be deeply involved in what they're doing, but then,
suddenly, Sarah freezes.
SARAH
You have to go back and return some of it.
A lot, like five hundred thousand.

It takes Hank a moment to focus in on what she's saying.

HANK
What?
SARAH
That way when they find the plane, they'll
assume no one's been there yet. It'll put
us beyond suspicion. No one would walk
away from that much money.
HANK
(still a little dazed)
We're gonna keep the rest?
SARAH
You'll have to go in the morning, so when
it storms later, it'll cover your tracks.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
 28.
*33D CONTINUED: *33D
SARAH (cont'd)
(a pause)
You can't tell Jacob, though.
It takes Hank a moment to follow this. He stares up at her.
HANK
You think he'd go back and take it?
Sarah brushes the hair from his forehead, then leans forward,
kisses his cheek.
SARAH
It's just being careful. That's what we
r have to be from now on. We have to be
thinking ahead all the time.
She begins moving up and down again: Hank responds accordingly,
I •33£
though he seems distracted, his thoughts far away.
INT. APARTMENT LANDING - DAY •33E

Hank stands at the top of a dingy, dimly lit stairway, pounding

on a closed door. There's no answer. Hank pounds again, louder
this time.
HANK
( come on, Jacob. Open up.
He pushes at the front of his jacket. There's a definite bulge
there, which he tries to shift a bit with his hand. He's still
working at it when the door opens. He quickly drops his hand.
Jacob blinks out at us. His face is puffy, his hair uncombed.
He's wearing long johns and a too-small T-shirt. Behind him, we
glimpse a small, sparsely furnished, extremely dirty studio,
with a scraggly Christmas tree in the corner.
Hank glances anxiously down the stairs. He puts his hands in
his jacket pockets, pushing out, trying to hide the bulge.
HANK
(whispering)
I moved the pilot. we gotta go put him
back like he was.
Jacob gives Hank a bleak stare, then coughs raggedly, dragging
something up. He glances around for something to deposit it
into, then just leans out the door and spits into the hall.

•35 OMI!r •35

 28A.

•36 OMIT
0
37 OMIT

38 EXT. EDGE OF WOODS - DAY 38

Hank's car, a green station wagon, pulls over near where they
crashed the day before. Hank and Jacob push open their doors,
Jacob's dog bounding out behind them. Hank moves to the car's

I
I

(CONTINUED)
 29.
38 CONTINUED: 38

rear, tugging at his coat, trying to readjust it over the bulge.

He stops when he sees Jacob watching him, and quickly opens the
car"s tailgate, bending inside.
BANK
(over his shoulder)
You go out with Lou for New Year"s?
(Jacob grunts)
Nancy come along?
Silence. Hank pulls his head out of the car's rear, looks at
his brother. Jacob nods.
HANK (cont'd)
He tell her?
JACOB
You tell Sarah?
HANK
Of course not.
Jacob gives him a disbelieving look. Hank ignores it.
HANK (cont'd)
So?

Jacob glances away, SIGHS.

JACOB
How the hell should I know, Hank?
Hank leans back into the car. When he emerges, he's holding a
jack. He crouches beside the car's left rear wheel, starts to
fiddle with the jack, but then stops, turning to Jacob.
HANK
I want you to take responsibility for h:iJD.
If he fucks up, it'll be your fault. I'll
hold you to blame.
Jacob hesitates, thinking this through.
JACOB
Who takes responsibility for me?
HANK
I do.
(smiling up at Jacob)
I'll look after you and you'll look after
me. we'll each be our brother"s keeper.
They each consider the other. Finally, Jacob SNORTS, as if it
were all a bad joke. Hank LAUGHS, too, a little embarrassed.

{CONTINUED)
 Rev, 2/12/98
Goldenrod
30.
38 CONTINUED: ( 2 ) 38

He turns back to the jack, starts to rotate its handle. The car
begins to rise. Jacob gestures at the tire.
JACOB
Nobody"s gonna believe that. It's obvious
it's not flat.
Hank reaches for the tire"s valve. The air HISSES out.
39 INT. PLANE - DAY 39

Hank slips inside, his coat unbuttoned. A purple pouch rests

against his stomach, bulging with the money. It's the type of
bag people carry babies in, and has a dinosaur on its front.
39A* HANK'S POV - THE PILOT 39A*

Still twisted around in his seat, facing us, his seatbelt

holding him in, his eyes gouged out, the bloody icicle hanging
from his nose. His arms are open, as if to embrace Hank.
39B* BACK TO SCENE 39B*

As Hank starts forward, the plane tilts onto its nose again.
The soda can RATTLES past Hank to the cockpitf the pilot swivels
19C* lll his chair, his head smacking into the contfOI panel. i1ie .39C*
icicle falls to the floor, shattering.
39D* Bank drags a trash bag out of the pouch, shoves it beneath the .39D*
pilot's seat.
48 EXT. EDGE OF ROAD - DAY 48

Jacob is crouched beside the car. He's changed the tire and
lowered the jack, and is just tightening the bolts on the spare.
WE HEAR an engine, gradually growing louder. The dog WHIMPERS,
peering toward the field. Jacob turns to look.
JACOB'S POV - ACROSS THE ROAD
DWIGHT PEDERSON, an old man in an orange jacket, is approaching
on a snowmobile. He's following the fox's tracks, a rifle on
his shoulder.
41 EXT. ORCHARD - DAY 41

Hank squeezes out of the plane, then starts to shut the door,
only to discover--
HANK'S POV - THE AIRPLANE'S DOOR
A small square of tan cloth hangs from one of the door's bolts.

(CONTINUED)
 31.
41 CONTINUED: 41

BACK TO SCENE

Hank inspects his overcoat. WE SEE a small tear on his side.

HANK
Jesus.
He carefully plucks free the snagged square of cloth.
42 EXT. EDGE OF ROAD - DAY 42

Jacob rises to his feet, still gripping the jack's handle. The
snowmobile is almost to the road. Pederson waves at Jacob, and
Jacob waves back, glancing anxiously into the woods.
43 EXT. THE ORCHARD - DAY 43

Hank is searching the wreck for other signs of their presence.

r In the BG WE HEAR the snowmobile. Hank pauses, listening, then
pushes shut the door, turns and starts up the slope at a run.
44 EXT. WOODS - THE STREAM 44

Hank is running through the trees, out of breath, sweaty. He

l reaches the little stream, splashes straight through it.·
45 EXT. WOODS - NEAR THE ROAD 45

Hank suddenly slows to a walk, looking ahead.

46 HANK'S POV - EDGE OF ROAD 46

About thirty yards ahead, WE SEE Jacob standing behind the car,
talking with Pederson, who's still perched on his snowmobile.
45R BACK TO SCENE 45R

Hank straightens his jacket, continues walking toward the road.

46R HANK'S POV - EDGE QF ROAD 46R

Jacob is shaking his head, talking very fast. Pederson keeps

pointing at the snow. He looks up suddenly, squints toward us,
then raises his.hand halfway up his body in greeting.
458 BACK TO SCENE 458

Hank waves back, smiling, keeps walking.

468 HANK'S POV - EDGE OF ROAD 468

Jacob looks toward us, panicked, still talking. Pederson shakes

his head, REVS the snowmobile, starts slowly forward. Jacob

(CONTINUED)
 32.
46B CONTINUED: 46B

lunges after him, swinging the jack's handle, hitting Pederson

at the base of his neck. Pederson collapses. Jacob slips on
the follow-through, tumbling on top of him, losing his glasses.
45C BACK TO SCENE 4SC

Hank starts to sprint toward the road.

47 EDGE OF ROAD 47

Jacob pats around in the snow, finds his glasses, struggles to

his feet. His nose is bleeding. Hank is running toward us.
Jacob stands over the old man staring down at him. He drops the
jack's handle into the snow. Hank stops a few yards short of
the road, breathless, bewildered.
HANK
Jesus, Jacob. What the--?
Jacob's nose is bleeding heavily, and he's started to cry. He
points at Pederson.
JACOB
He was ••• he was tracking the fox. He
would've gone right by the plane.
HANK
So you hit him?
He takes a hesitant step toward Pederson.
HANK (cont'd)
Dwight?
Pederson isn't moving. He"s lying with his face in the snow.
Hank stares for a beat, waiting for a response, then:
HANK (cont'd)
Oh, Christ.
He rushes toward him,. rolls him over. Pederson's eyes are shut;
a line of blood drains from his left ear. Hank fumbles at the
old man's jacket, trying unsuccessfully to get it open. Then he
drops his head to Pederson's chest, listening.
JACOB
I couldn't ••• I tried to stop him.

Hank yanks off his glove, holds his hand over Pederson•s mouth.
Jacob's trying to stop crying.
JACOB (cont'd)
But he wouldn"t listen--

(CONTINUED)
 33.
47 CONTINUED: 47

HANK
(horrified)
You killed him.
JACOB
What?
HANK
(rising)
He's dead.
Jacob moves quickly toward the old man.
JACOB
He can't be. All I did was--
(a beat~ with sudden panic)
Check again.
Hank ignores him. He steps out into the road, glancing in both
directions. Jacob crouches beside Pederson, jostles him. He
turns to Hank, his words emerging quick and scared.
JACOB (cont'd)
You gotta do CPR. Don't· you know CPR?
Hank doesn't respond. He's peering off toward Pederson's farm.
Jacob starts to push at Pederson's chest. It's clear he has no
idea what he• s doing: he slams his hands down with far too much
force, totally out of control. Hank turns to watch.
HANK
Jacob.
Jacob keeps pushing, too fast, too hard. Hank strides over.
HANK (cont'd)
Goddammit!
He shoves Jacob away. Jacob immediately starts scrambling back
toward Pederson, crying, but Hank blocks his way.
JACOB
we gotta save him. They'll--
Hank crouches before Jacob, grabbing at him, intense.
HANK
Stop it. All right? I can't think.
Jacob falls silent. He continues to CRY, though, his eyes on
Pederson. Hank paces off a few steps, glances up and down the
road again. Then he steps back toward Jacob, urgent now.

(CONTINUED)
 34.
47 CONTINUED: ( 2) 47

HANK (cont'd)
Have any cars gone by?
JACOB
Cars?
HANK
While I was in the woods. Have any passed?
Jacob shakes his head, wipes at his face.
JACOB
Why?
Hank stares down at Pederson, thinking hard. He glances up and
down the road one last time, then takes a deep breath, gathering
himself, and starts to lift Pederson back onto the snowmobile.
'I
I HANK
Grab his legs. We'll make it look like an
I
accident.
I
Jacob jumps to his feet, shaking his head, pointing at the snow.
JACOB
They'll follow the tracks, Hank. They'll
come here and they'll see our tracks and
they'll follow them to the plane
HANK
(shaking his head)
It's supposed to storm. Any minute now
it'll start snowing, and all of this'll be
covered up.
Jacob frowns, looking at the sky, which is continuing to clear.
He starts to protest, but Hank doesn't let him. He drops
Pederson, takes Jacob by the arm, guides him toward the car.
HANK (cont'd)
You're gonna drive back to the bridge.
I'll take him through the park on the
snowmobile. We'll push him into the creek,
make it.look like he drove off by accident.
JACOB
The bridge?
HANK
You'll get there before me, but I don't
want you to stop. I want you to drive by,
then circle back. I don't want people to
see you sitting there.
(CONTINUED)
 35.
47 CONTINUED: ( 3) 47

Hank thrusts the car keys into Jacob's hand, pulls open the car
door, shoves Jacob inside. Jacob drops into the seat. For an
instant it seems as if he's about to cry again. Hank leans
close, forces hilll to look hilll in the face.
HANK (cont'd)
Just trust me, okay? I'll get us through
this.
Jacob stares at hilll, silent, but the threat of tears has passed.
After a beat, Hank steps back, SLAMS shut the door. He waits
till Jacob STARTS the car, then moves quickly back toward
Pederson. As Jacob turns the car around, Hank struggles with
the old man's body, dragging him up onto the snowmobile.
Hank slings Pederson's rifle over his shoulder, climbs onto the
rear of the snowmobile, starts the ENGINE. He has to press
against Pederson's back to reach the controls. Jacob drives
away.
CLOSE on Pederson's right hand, as the fingers clench slightly.
When the snowmobile starts forward, Pederson•s eyes flash open.
He looks glassily out at the world, then GROANS, jerking.his
head. Hank flinches, tumbling off the snowmobile, which·
( continues on its own for a few yards before veering to a stop at
the edge of .the woods. Pederson rolls off into the snow.
Hank stares in shock. Finally, he manages to rise and
hesitantly approach the old man. He crouches beside him.
HANK
Dwight •• ?
Pederson rocks his head, kicks his leg. He MOANS.
PEDERSON
Your brother ••• he ••• hit me •••
Hank jumps up, rushes out into the center of the road.
HANK
<_yelling)
Jacobi
HANK'S POV - DOWN THE ROAD
The car is already too far away to call back.
BACK TO SCENE
Hank watches for a moment, his arm raised, his mouth open. Then
he turns back to Pederson, who's stopped moving. Hank starts

(CONTINUED)
 36.
47 CONTINUED: ( 4) 47

toward him. As he nears the old man, his foot hits something in
the snow, and he stops to look: it's the jack's handle. Hank
stoops to pick it up, glancing back toward the road, where WE
SEE the jack itself still sitting on the pavement.
HANK (cont'd)
Shit.
He jogs over, picks up the jack, returns to Pederson, crouches
over him. Pederson blinks up at him, his face smeared with
blood. He gestures toward his farm.
PEDERSON
Get ••• Alice •••
He GROANS, shuts his eyes. Hank is clutching the jack in his
arms. He stares down at Pederson, then across the road toward
the farm, then back at the old man, thinking hard. Pederson
opens his eyes, peers up at Hank, as if surprised to find him
_ still crouched there.
PEDERSON (cont'd)
Hank •• ?
They hold eyes for a moment. ·Then Hank lowers the jack into the
snow. A sudden look of fear passes over Pederson's face. He
struggles up onto his elbows, turns toward his home. WE SEE his
house, tiny and dark against the horizon. Pederson YELLS.
PEDERSON (cont'd)
Alice!
Hank pushes him back down, ducking low.
HANK
Shhh.

Pederson tries to rise again, SCREAMING:

PEDERSON
ALICE •• 1

Panicking, Hank grabs Pederson"s scarf, presses it against his

mouth. Peder~on resists, flailing, but Hank won't let him up.
Gradually, the old man's struggling weakens. Then all is still.
Hank lifts his hands away from Pederson's mouth, stares down at
the old man, clearly horrified by what he's done, a look of deep
shock and fear sweeping across his face.
*48 OMIT *48
•49 OMIT *49
 37.
51 CONTINUED: 51

smashing into the ice. we HOLD on him, lying crushed beneath

the snowmobile, the creek seeping in through the cracked ice.
52 EXT. BRIDGE - DAY 52

Jacob drives up in Hank's car. As Hank throws the jack into the
car's rear, Jacob jumps out and rushes toward the bridge's
railing, leaving the engine on. Hank stares at him, shocked.
t HANK
Jacob.
Jacob ignores him. He's stopped crying, but his movements are
still jittery, panicky. He peers over the railing at Pederson.
HANK (cont'd)
(urgent)
If someone sees us--
r
I JACOB
I'm not gonna do it.
HANK

Jacob's panic rushes out of him like vomit--his chin starts to

shake again, his voice trembles.
JACOB
It's just gonna make it worse if we try to
cover it up--
Hank points toward the station wagon.
HANK
Get in the cart
Jacob starts down the bridge, his eyes on Pederson's body.
JACOB
I'm pulling him out. We'll tell them the
truth. The money, everything. That I
didn't mean to do i t -
Hank rushes after him. Just as Jacob's about to step into the
snow at the end of the bridge, Hank yanks him back.
HANK
You"re gonna leave tracks--
Jacob turns on him, enraged. He shoves at Hank. Hank shoves
back reflexively, and Jacob rushes at him, bulldozing him back
toward the car. The dog scrambles out, BARKING, snapping at

(CONTINUED)
 38.
52 CONTINUED: 52

their boots. Jacob throws his brother up onto the car's hood,
pinning him there. He leans down, SHOUTS into Hank's face.
JACOB
This is my decision! Mine!
He lifts Hank off the hood, SLAMS him back down, banging his
head. Then he turns, starts back toward the edge of bridge.
JACOB (cont'd)
I'm the one who killed him. I'm the one
they"re gonna--
HANK
You didn't kill him.
Jacob turns to look at him. Hank sits up, rubbing his head,
wincing. He remains silent, hoping Jacob will let the statement
go, but Jacob doesn't. He stands there, waiting.
HANK (cont'd)
(hedging)
We both did.
JACOB
What do you mean?
Hank slides down off the hood, starts toward the driver's side
door. He obviously doesn't want to say anything more.
HANK
can•t we just get out of here, Jacob? If
somebody sees us •••
Jacob doesn •t move. Hank glances up and down the road, then
SIGHS, rubs at his face.
HANK (cont'd)
He was still alive when you left. I
smothered him with his scarf.
Jacob struggles to absorb this. Hank moves to the driver's side
door, turns back to his brother. The dog pushes past him,
jumping into the car.
HANK (cont'd)
I guess that makes it my decision, doesn't
it?
•SZR CU TELEVISION SCREEN •SZR

someone's flicking quickly through the channels. we fly by game

shows, cartoons, talk shows, Xena the warrior Princess •••

(CONTINUED)
 39.
*52A CONTINUED: *52A

WE PULL BACK to REVEAL:

53 INT. MITCHELL FAMILY ROOM - DUSK 53

Hank and Sarah stand before the 'N. Sarah• s flicking the
remote: tense, frightened, focused. Hank's not looking at the
screen--he's watching Sarah, struggling to reassure her.
HANK
I swear to God, it looks real ••• And even
if ••• well, let's say it doesn't look like
an accident. Who'd ever •• ? I mean, why
would anyone think of us? We don't--
SARAH
(sharp, cutting h.iJII off)
Your tracks lead right to the plane.
HANK
But it's gonna snow. Any moment now--
SARAH
was there any. blood?
HANK
Blood?
Sarah turns on him, furious, still flicking the channels.
SARAH
Jacob hit him. Did he bleed anywhere? on
the road, or the-
HANK
I don't know. I can't re--
SARAH
(appalled)
YOU didn't look?
HANK
(struggling to remember)
I didn't ••• I was ••• I mean, it's gonna
snow, Sarah. As soon as it snows all
that'll be cov--
Sarah waves abruptly him into silence. She's found the news.
53U ON THE 'N 53U

The local news. WE SEE a FEMALE REPORTER walking along the

bridge, TALKING INTO THE CAMERA.

(CONTINUED)
 40.
SJV CONTINUED: 53V

FEMALE REPORTER
He was apparently trying to cross along
this bank of snow, when his snowmobile
slipped over the edge, throwing him into
the icy waters of Anders' Creek.
WE SEE the ice, the half-submerged snowmobile. Pederson's hat
floats beside it, but his body has been removed. Carl crouches
on the river"s bank, staring up toward the guardrail.
53UA WE SEE 53UA

the reporter again, staring straight into the camera.

FEMALE REPORTER
A tragic beginning to this New Year for one
local family.
(a pause)
Back to you, Mark.
*53UB INT. NEWSROOM - DAY - ON THE TELEVISION *53UB

A MAN and WOMAN sit behind a low counter.

MAN
Thanks, Tracy.
on the wall behind him a picture of two Great Danes appears.
MAN (cont'd)
(to the camera)
Playful pouches or killer canines? In this
case it seems to depend on who you talk to--
54 ON RANK AND SARAH 54

Sarah turns from the TV, sits on the couch. She"s started to
regain control of herself, is struggling now to search out all
the loose ends. Hank drops down beside her. He takes her hand,
and she lets it hang there in his grip, absolutely lifeless,
like a napkin. ·
SARAH
fstaring into the distance)
I wish you hadn"t told Jacob.
(a pause)
I wish he still thought he was the one who
killed him.
Hank waits, as if expecting something more, but nothing comes.
He drops her hand.

(CONTINUED)
 40A.
54 CONTINUED: 54

HANK
Does it scare you?

(CONTINUED)
 41.
54 CONTINUED: ( 2) 54

SARAH
Of course it scares me. What if he tells
someone?
HANK
I mean what I've done.
Sarah hesitates before she answers, as if debating the right
course to take. Finally, she shakes her head.
SARAH
I know you only did it because you felt
trapped. Because you couldn't think of
another way.
Hank considers this for a beat. It's obviously not the answer
he was hoping for.
HANK
But would you've done the same thing? If
you'd been there instead of me?
Sarah stares at hiln; she doesn"t know what to say.
HANK (cont'd)
I just want to know if it's possible.
SARAH
Oh, Sweetie.
She leans forward to hug hiln. He hesitates, then hugs her back.
But just as he's beginning to relax into her embrace--shutting
his eyes, burrowing into her neck--she abruptly pulls away,
staring at the TV.
S4U SARAH'S POV ·• ON THE TV - THE NEWSROOM S4U

The anchorman and woman are smiling at the camera. on the

screen behind them we see CHOCK, the weatherman, standing
outside a local mall •.
WOMAN
When we return, Chuck'll have the latest on
that big storm he keeps threatening us
with.
(turning to the weatherman,
checking her watch)
Knee-deep by six o'clock this evening,
Chuck. wasn't that what you said?
Chuck grins sheepishly, lifting his hands in surrender. Above
hiln, WE SEE the sky: cloudless, the stars just emerging. The
newscasters LAUGH as the newsroom cuts to a commercial.
 42.
,
• ( •54A BACK TO SCENE •54A
I
Sarah turns to Hank. Her face has resumed its tense, frightened
•• expression. Hank sits beside her, searching for a way to
reassure her. But there's nothing he can say. WE PUSH IN on
his face, which is just as frightened as Sarah's, and then:
I
I •548 EXT. EDGE OF WOODS - DAY •548

WE SEE the spot where the fox crossed the road. There are
tracks everywhere, a gash in the snow alongside the road from
Jacob's truck, and tread marks from Pederson's snowmobile •••
•54C EXT. WOODS - THE STREAM •54C

Tracks run up and down either bank--Hank, Jacob, and Lou's, the
fox's and the dog's •••
*54D EXT. ORCHARD - THE PLANE •54D
The plane shines silver in the sunlight, surrounded by its own
tangle of tracks.
•54E INT. MITCHELL FAMILY ROOM - DUSK
Hank and Sarah continue to hold each other"s eyes for several
beats of anxious silence.
•55 OMIT •55

0 56 OMIT •56

57 INT. MITCHELL BEDROOM - NIGHT 57

The room is dark. Sarah is fast asleep. Hank climbs out of

bed, moves to the window. He parts the curtain, peeks outside.
58 HANK'S POV - NIGHT SKY - THROUGH THE WINDOW 58

No sign of snow.
59 EXT. ORCHARD - NIGHT 59

Sirens, the CHOP-CHOP-CHOP of hovering helicopters. Dozens of

policemen are scouring the orchard. Searchlights flash across
the trees. By the plane, WE SEE a policeman plucking a red
thread from a torn piece of fuselage. Another cop bends to
extract Lou's beer can from the snow. He holds it up above his
head, blowing excitedly on a WHISTLE.
 42A.

*59R INT. HANK'S KITCHEN - NIGHT *59R

The room is dark. Hank, dressed in his bathrobe, is pouring a

glass of milk. He opens the refrigerator to put the milk back.

(
 43.

68 INT. COUNTY MORGUE - NIGHT 68

A cooler door opening, revealing the bare feet of a corpse on a

metal slab. A man in a lab coat drags the slab into the open.
earl stands beside him, frowning. It"s Pederson's body, and
there's a hand-shaped bruise on his face, covering his mouth.
*68R INT. HANK'S DINING ROOM - NIGHT •68A

Hank stands by the table in his bathrobe, sipping at his milk,

paging through the brochures. The front window begins to RATTLE
from the wind. Hank steps toward it, excited, wipes away the
frosty condensation, and peers outside.
•688 HANK'S POV - OUT THE FRONT WINDOW •688

Still no snow, just the wind gusting down the street.

•68C BACK TO SCENE •6BC

Hank turns from the window, heads back toward the kitchen. He
pauses at the doorway to the family room, glancing in.
•680 INT. HANK'S FAMILY ROOM - NIGHT •680

The room is a shambles. Lou and Jacob sit on the couch,

dividing the money. A shotgun rests across Lou"s knees. Hank's
bloodied body is slouched in an armchair across the room.
Suddenly, from the front of the house, WE HEAR a door open. Lou
and Jacob freeze, listening. The door slams shut, and Lou lifts
his shotgun from his lap. we PUSH IN CLOSE on Hank as his
eyelids flutter open.
HANK
(gasping)
Sarah •••
*68E WE PULL BACK TO REVEAL •68[

Hank slouched in the ·chair. He stares at his chest. There's no

blood, no sign of Jacob or Lou. The window has grown light:
dawn has come. Hank rises to his feet.
0
61 OMIT *61

•62 OMIT *62

•63 OMIT
 43A.

! 64 INT. HANK'S BEDROOM - DAWN 64

Sarah is alone in bed, sleeping soundly.

HANK (OS)
(yelling, in the distance)
Sarah!
Sarah lifts her head. She stares around the room, disoriented,
then climbs from bed, moves to the window, parts the curtain.
 44.

64R. SARAH'S POV - OUT THE WINDOW 64R

A snowball THUMPS into the glass. Snow is pouring from the sky.
Hank stands in the street, dressed in his pajamas, LAUGHING. He
tosses another snowball, then waves for her to come out.
648 BACK TO SCENE 648

Sarah starts to LAUGH, struggling to open the window. When she

finally succeeds, she grabs some snow off the ledge and, with a
giddy YELP, throws it down at Hank.
65 SARAH'S POV - OUT THE WINDOW 65

Hank flops down in the middle of the street, starts to make an

angel. Across the way, a neighbor watches from his porch, a cup
of coffee in his hand, taken aback by their horseplay.
65R EXT. ORCHARD - DAY 65R

The plane is once again buried beneath the snow. The tracks
have vanished. The crows perch motionless in their trees. we
watch the snow continue to fall: fat, heavy flakes. Then--
DISSOLVE TO:
658 SMALL TOWN MAIN ST. - FROM HANK'S OFFICE WINDOW - DAY 658

Through the blinds, WE SEE a trio of men loading a casket into a

hearse. Pederson's WIDOW, dressed in black, watches from the
sidewalk, clutching a handkerchief to her face.
We PULL BACK to REVEAL:
INT. HANK'S OFFICE - DAY

Hank watching out the window.

MAN'S VOICE (OS)
You listening to me, Hank?
HANK
(flinching from the window)
Sure.
He steps quickly back to his desk, sits down. DOUG SCHMITT, a
thin old man, dressed in a parka and wool cap is sitting across
from him. Butler is at his own desk, MURMURING on the phone.
DOUG
Every Monday I come down here, buy two bags
of feed, regular as clockwork. Two bags a
week, four weeks a month. That's eight
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
 45.
65B CONTINUED: 65B
DOUG (Cont'd)
( bags I'm supposed to be billed for.
(he shakes a slip of paper at
Hank)
I don't know how else to--
RANK
(slowly, as if to a child)
December began on a Monday, Doug. That
means there were five Mondays in the month.
You come in five t:iJlles, you gotta pay for--
DOUG
You trying to tell me there were five weeks
last month?
He SCOFFS, turns toward Butler for support. Hank's phone begins
to RING. He finally loses patience, points across the room at a
calender hanging by the door.
RANK
Just look at the goddamn calender, will
you?
Hank's abrupt tone makes Butler hesitate in his own
conversation; he frowns across the room at him. Doug rises to
look at the calender. Hank snatches up his phone.
RANK (cont'd)
(harassed, into the phone)
What?
JACOB'S VOICE
It's me.
A short pause. Hank says nothing; he watches Doug scan the
calender, counting up the Mondays. Jacob CLEARS his throat.
JACOB'S VOICE (cont'd)
I need to talk to you.
RANK
I'm kind of busy right now, Jacob--
JACOB'S VOICE
(riding right over him)
Can you meet me at the farm?
HANK
(still watching Doug)
The farm? What farm?
JACOB'S VOICE
Our farm.

(CONTINUED)
 REVISED 1/19/98 GREEN 46.
65B CONTINUED: (2) 65B

Hank hesitates, suddenly alert. He lowers his voice.

RANK
What's going on?
JACOB'S VOICE
On your lunch break. Twelve-thirty.
Doug SLAPS down the calender"s page, STOMPS out of the office.
Bank half-rises from his chair, calls aftf:!r the old farmer.
HANK
Doug? we straight on this?
(no answer)
Shit •••
(into the phone)
I'm not gonna drive all the way ••• Jacob?
Jacob's already hung up.
EXT, PARENTS' FARM - Dll •R66

Establishing shot. Blowing snow, wizidmill, dilapidated baxn.

66 EXT, PARENTS' FARM - DAY 66

( A snow-packed road running through barren fields. Hank's car

stops behind Jacob's truck, and he climbs out. The ruins of a
house and barn stand on a rise above the road, along with a
rusty old windmill. WE SEE Jacol:> sitting on the edge of the
house's porch, Be stands up, waves. Hank starts toward him,
looking anxious.
67 EXT. PARENTS' FRONT PORCH - DAY 67

several of the house's windows are shattered~ the front door is

boarded up. The barn's roof is caving in. Jacob is trying to
peer in through one of the windows. Be turns, smiling, when he
hears Hank CRUNCHING toward him through the snow. Hank stops in
front of the porch, raises his hands, questioning.
BANK
So •• ?
Jacob waves from the house to the surrounding fields, grinning.
JACOB
I'm.gonna buy it back. I'm gonna rebuild
everything--just like it was before Mom and
Dad died.
A long, sad stare from Hank. He SIGHS, shaking his head.
BANK
You know you can't do that. As soon as we
split up the money, we have to leave.
 47.
67 CONTINUED: 67

Jacob eyes Hank for a beat, then moves to the edge of the porch.
He peers off toward the windmill. When he speaks, his voice has
a childish inflection, lost and scared.
JACOB
You want me to just drive off all alone?
Hank doesn't know how to answer this. He rubs tiredly at his
face, steps up onto the porch beside his brother, turns to stare
off across the fields.
HANK
Where would you say you got your money?
Jacob brightens; he's obviously already thought this through.
JACOB
we could tell people Sarah inherited some.
Nobody around here knows anything about her
family. We'll say you guys bought the farm
before you left, and set me up to run it.
(cutting off Hank's protest)
I thought you'd be happy. It's our farm~
I'm gonna bring it back~
HANK
It's so hard, Jacob. You don't just buy a
farm, you have to work it. You have to
know about machines and seed and
fertilizers and pesticides and herbicides
and drainage and irrigation and the weather
and the government. You don't know about
any of that. You'd end up just like Dad.
JACOB
(sharp, stepping back)
How do you think he ended up like that?
HANK
He had two mortgages riding on the place.
There was no way he could keep up--
JACOB
(his voice rising)
Where'd the money go? You think he just
spent it on the farm?
HANK
What else would--?

(CONTINUED)
 48.
67 CONTINUED: (2) 67

JACOB
Why do you think he took the second
mortgage? Four years of college. Didn't
you ever wonder how he paid for that?
Hank seems truly shocked. He struggles for some response.
HANK
Jacob--
Jacob kicks at the porch railing, splintering it.
JACOB
I was supposed to get the farm.
Hank lifts his hands toward his brother, pleading.
HANK
Jacob, you've got the whole world. You can
go anywhere you want.
JACOB
This is where I want. Right here.
(he STOMPS his foot)
Home.
Hank stares off at the empty fields, his shoulders hunched.
Then, without looking, he reaches out, touches Jacob's arm, the
first sympathetic gesture we've seen him make toward Jacob.
68 EXT. SMALL TOWN MAIN ST. - DAY 68
Afternoon: sunny, cold. Hank comes from the direction of the
feedstore, walking fast. He turns in at the library.
69 INT. LIBRARY - DAY 69
Sarah is behind the counter, sorting books. Hank enters from
the street.
HANK
What •• ?
Sarah holds a finger to her lips, nodding toward MRS. TRILLING,
an old woman on the far side of the room. Then she waves Hank
behind the counter. She removes some papers from beneath a
book, spreads them out for him to see. Hank peers down at them.
WE SEE the papers: three photocopied newspaper articles.
SARAH
(whispering)
A four point four million dollar ransom.

(CONTINUED)
 49.
69 CONTINUED: 69

The first headline reads: DEADLY DUO KILLS SIX, KIDNAPS

HEIRESS: HUGE RANSOM DEMANDED.
SARAH (cont'd)
And as far as anyone else knows, it's just
disappeared into thin air.
The second headline reads: HEIRESS' BODY ID'D BY FEDS: FATHER
LOSES DAUGHTER, RANSOM.
SARAH (cont'd)
(pointing at the last article)
Do you recognize one of them from the
plane?
The third headline reads: FBI ID'S McMARTIN KIDNAPPERS: MANHUNT
BEGUN FOR MICHIGAN BROTHERS. Beneath the headline are photos of
the suspects. One is small, dark-haired, thin-lipped. The
other is larger, with long hair and a thick beard.
BANK
(squinting at the photos)
I can't tell. Bis face was ••• gone.
(a pause)
He'd have to be the younger one, though.
The older one's too big.
(
MRS. TRILLING (OS)
Have you read this one, Sarah?
Sarah covers the articles. The old woman stands across the
room, holding a book out toward Sarah. Sarah smiles.
SARAH
Not yet, Mrs. Trilling. Stephen King
recommends it, though. so it must be okay.
Mrs. Trilling frowns at the book, unsure. Then she moves back
behind the shelves. Bank and Sarah hesitate a moment before
they resume their WHISPERED discussion.
HANK
I guess it changes things, doesn't it?
SARAH
HOW'S that?
HANK
Now we know someone's looking for it. we
can •-t say it isn't stealing anymore.

(CONTINUED)
 50.
69 CONTINUED: ( 2 ) 69

( SARAH
It's always been stealing. It's just that
before we didn"t know who we were stealing
from.
Mrs. Trilling COUGHS from behind the shelves. Hank and Sarah
freeze, glancing up. They wait a moment before:
SARAH (cont'd)
I think it's good we know where it came
from. I was beginning to worry that it
might be counterfeit, or marked.
HANK
It might still be marked.
Sarah shakes her head. She points toward the articles.
SARAH
It says they demanded unmarked money.
Hank seems unsure. Sarah gives him an impatient look.
SARAH (cont'd)
You"re being paranoid, Hank. It's over.
(
:
You're just looking for stuff to worry
about.
She shoves the articles into her bag.
70 INT. MITCHELL BEDROOM - NIGHT 70

Hank and Sarah are asleep. Very faintly, WE HEAR knocking from
downstairs. Hank lifts his head, listening. When the KNOCKING
resumes, he slips out of bed, leaving Sarah sleeping behind him.
71 INT. HANK'S FRONT ENTRANCEWAY - NIGHT 71
Hank tiptoes toward us down the stairs. Someone is JIGGLING the
front doorknob, trying to get in. Hank reaches the bottom,
stoops to peer through the window beside the door.
71 R HANK'S POV - THROUGH THE WINDOW 71R

A car is parked on the street. Suddenly, LOU'S FACE blocks the

view. He presses against the glass, kissing it.
7llconlBACK TO SCENE 7llconl
Hank unbolts the door. He cracks it open and peeks outside.
Lou stands on the porch, smiling drunkenly.

(CONTINUED)
 51.
7l(coti:~NTINUED: 7l(con)

LOU
Hey, Mr. Accountant.
(a conspiratorial whisper)
I'm here to make a tiny withdrawal.
HANK
Go home, Lou. TUrn around and go home.
LOU
(shivering}
It's freezing out, Hank. Invite me in.
Lou presses up against the door, and--when Hank retreats--steps
inside. He shuts the door behind him, grinning drunkenly.
HANK
I don't have time for this. I have to go
to work in the morning.
Lou nods, as if in understanding. He rubs his hands together,
glances around the entranceway.
LOU
I want my share.
HANK
The money's not here. And even if it were
I wouldn't give you any.
Lou rears back in indignation.
LOU
Just because you have it doesn't mean it's
yours.
(he taps his chest}
Part of it's mine.
HANK
Part of it might be yours. If we decide to
keep it. The plan was--
LOU
Come on, Mr. Accountant. Be a sport. Just
give me·a packet. I can come back later
for the rest.
Hank rests his hand against Lou's chest, very lightly. Lou
stares down at it.
HANK
If you ask me again, I'll go and burn it
first thing tomorrow. Is that clear?

(CONTINUED)
 52.
7l(co~~NTINUED: (2) 7l(con)

Lou SNICKERS at this, brushes away Hank's hand.

LOU
Bluff. B - L - U - F - F.
HANK
Call it then. See what happens.
LOU
Jacob told me a little secret, Mr.
Accountant.
(a pause~ his grin deepens)
I know what happened to Dwight Pederson.
Hank stiffens, then tries to hide it.
HANK
You drink too much. You don't know what
I you're saying.
LOU
I want one of the packets.
'' HANK
They aren't here. I've hidden them away
( from the house.
' LOU
Be a shame if someone wrote a note to Carl
Jenkins, saying there might be something a
little suspicious about Dwight Pederson's
accident. I mean, he just drove off that
bridge? You believe that?
HANK
Jesus, Lou. You•re a thief, remember? If
one of us goes to jail, we all do.
Lou is momentarily confused. He struggles to think it through.
LOU
I need my share, Hank. I'm broke and I owe
people money.
Hank steps to the closet, fumbles inside, pulls out his wallet.
He removes two twenties, extends them toward Lou. Lou looks at
Hank as if he'd just shit in his hand and held it out to him.
LOU (cont'd)
Forty dollars?

(CONTINUED)
 53.
7l(co~~NTINUED: (3) 7l(con)

• HANK

•' The money's a day's drive away. I couldn't

get to it even if I wanted. Not till
Sarah's had the baby •
•
• LOU
(not believing him)
'
I A day's drive?
HANK
It's at a storage place down in St. Paul.
r
LOU
What the hell is it doing in St. Paul?
HANK
I didn't want it near us. In case we came
under suspicion for some reason.
Lou ponders this, pursing his lips, adding numbers in his head.
LOU
We"ll go after she's done?
(Hank hesitates, then nods)
And we"ll split it up?
Hank nods again. Lou debates for a beat, then moves toward the
door. At the last second, he turns, grabs the twenties. Then
he pulls open the door, throws one final grin at Hank.
LOU (cont'd)
Sorry to wake you.
He steps outside. Hank shuts the door behind him, peering out
the window to watch him leave.
71 B HANK'S POV - THROUGH THE WINDOW 718

As Lou opens his car door, the light flashes on inside. WE SEE
a vague shape in the front seat. It's hard to tell, but it
could be Jacob. Lou ·starta the car and drives away.
711conJBACK TO SCENE 711con)

Hank turns, moves toward the stairs, then stops, startled.

HANK'S POV - TOP OF THE STAIRS
Sarah stands there, looking frightened.
BACK TO SCENE

Hank hesitates on the bottom step.

(CONTINUED)
 54.
7l(col!~NTINUED: 7l(con)

HANK
You heard?
Sarah doesn't respond. She's holding her belly, perplexed.
HANK (cont'd)
I never should've told Jacob •••
(trailing off)
I knew it, too.
Sarah sits down suddenly, grimacing.
SARAH
Hank.
HANK
Even as I was doing it, I knew--
SARAH
(louder)
Hank!
Hank looks up at her, a dazed expression on his face.
HANK
What?
SARAH
I think--
(a wave of pain)
I'm having the baby.
72 INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - DAY 72
Jacob, carrying a present wrapped in pink tissue paper, moves
down the hall, scanning doorways for room numbers, brushing at
his hair while he walks. He finally finds the room he wants and
strides toward it, only to pause on the threshold.
73 INT. SARAH'S HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY 73

A curtain divides the room. A TV PLAYS behind it. Sarah--no

longer pregnant--is dozing in the bed. Hank notices Jacob in
the doorway. He holds up a hand for him to wait. Then, moving
quietly, so that he doesn"t wake Sarah, he slips from the room.
74 INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR DAY 74

Hank and Jacob are standing a few doors down from Sarah's room,
speaking in BUSHED voices. There's no one else in the hallway,
but the doors to all the rooms stand open, and we can BEAR
people talking in them, along with the crying of a baby.

(CONTINUED)
 55.
74 CONTINUED: 74

HANK
(surprised)
Gambling?
(Jacob nods)
Where?
JACOB
In Hinkley. At the casino. He's lost some
money.
RANK

' A lot?
Jacob shrugs, evasive. Hank starts to press for an answer, but
then smiles instead, looking past Jacob down the hall.
HANK'S POV - DOWN THE BALL
A YOUNG COUPLE is approaching, the man pushing his wife in a
wheelchair, the woman holding a swaddled newborn: they're being
discharged. A NURSE walks alongside.
BACK TO SCENE

Jacob turns. He smiles, too.

( RANK
(cheerily, to the couple)
The big day, huh?
The couple LAUGH, nod. As soon as they pass, Hank stops
smiling. But not Jacob: he watches them go, grinning, and
seems startled when Hank resumes his interrogation.
RANK (cont'd)
How could you've told him, Jacob? I put
myself at risk for you, and what do you do?
You turn around and betray me.
JACOB
What"re you talk--?
HANK .
It's like there are two sides now. Like--
JACOB
Why do you both keep talking about sides?
That's not--
RANK
(with sudden intensity)
Lou talks about sides?

(CONTINUED)
 56.
74 CONTINUED: (2) 74

JACOB
I'm on both your sides. We're all in this
together.
HANK
(stepping close)
If you had to pick a side--
JACOB
(retreating)
I'm not going--
HANK
No, I want to know: Lou, or me?
Jacob glances down the hall, searching for a way out. Finally:
JACOB
I'd pick you. You're my brother.
75 INT. SARAH'S HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY 75

The curtain is still pulled. Behind it, the TV continues to

play. Bank sits beside Sarah• s bed. Sarah is unwrapping
Jacob's gift, a rumpled-looking teddy bear with a brass key in
( its back. She holds it up, inspecting it.
SARAH
It's used.
She examines it with distaste, then winds its key. A man's
voice begins to SING "Frere Jacques". Bank stares in surprise.
HANK
It was his bear.
(Sarah looks up, startled)
When he was little.
Sarah lifts the bear again, reappraising it. She sniffs at it.
SARAH
I guess it's sweet of him then, isn't it?
The nurse enter·s, carrying Bank and Sarah• s baby, AMANDA.
NURSE
Feeding time for the little princess.
Everyone COOS over the baby. Sarah unbuttons her nightgown,
begins to nurse the infant. The bear's MUSIC slows to a stop.
Sarah leans forward to make sure the nurse has gone, then turns
to Bank. He's stroking her arm, distracted, gazing at the baby
in wonder.

(CONTINUED)
 57.
75 CONTINUED: 75

SARAH
I want you to buy one of those little tape
recorders--the little dictating ones--the
type you can hide in your pocket.
HANK
(not glancing up)
What do you want with a tape reco:·der?
Sarah glances toward the curtain, lowers her voice.
SARAH
You're going to tape Lou confessing to
Pederson•s murder.
Hank looks up in surprise, stops stroking her.
RANK
What're you talking about?
Sarah holds her finger to her lips, gestures toward the other
half of the room. They both stare at the curtain, behind which
the only sign of life is the Tl/.
SARAH
( You and Jacob invite him out for drinks,
you get him drunk, take him back to his
house, and then start joking about
confessing to the police. You take turns
pretending to do it--you first, Jacob
second, Lou last--and when Lou does it, you
tape him.
Hank starts to LAUGH, but then realizes she isn't joking.
HANK
That's absurd. There's no way it'd work.
The baby makes a MEWLING sound. Sarah smiles down at it.
SARAH
{in a baby voice)
Yes! Y~u•re a hungry little girl, aren't
you?
She jiggles the baby for a moment, then glances back up at Hank.
SARAH {cont'd)
Jacob helps you. That's the key. If Jacob
eggs him on, then he'll do it.

(CONTINUED)
 58.
75 CONTINUED: ( 2) 75

HANK
But even if we could get him to say it, it
wouldn't mean anything. No one would ever
believe it.
SARAH
That doesn't matter. All you have to do is
get him to see that you and Jacob could
claim he killed Pederson just as easily as
he could claim you did it. If you make him
think that Jacob would side with you, he'll
never risk bringing in the police.
Hank considers this, frowning. Sarah watches him, caressing the
infant, then reaches out and touches his arm.
SARAH (cont'd)
we should at least try, shouldn't we? we
can't lose anything by trying.
•76 OMIT •76

•77 OMIT •77

•78 OMIT •78

( R79 INT. JACOB' S APARTMENT - DUSK R79

Dirty, dimly lit. The scraggly Christmas tree still stands in

the corner. Jacob is slouched on the bed, a beer can in his
hand, the dog is sleeping beside him. Hank is sitting on a
chair a few feet away from his brother, dressed in a suit, his
tie loosened. He"s leaning forward, intense, hectoring Jacob.
HANK
It's not like I'm asking all that much of
you, Jacob. You pick up the goddamn phone.
You say, 'Hey, Lou. Hank suggested we go
out drinking tomorrow night--•
JACOB
But why would you ask me and Lou to go
drinking?
HANK
(with growing impatience)
You tell him I agreed to split up the
money. That I want to go out and celebrate
first.
Jacob is becoming increasingly upset. He shakes his head

(CONTINUED)
 58A.
A79 CONT:NUED: A79

JACOB
I can"t trick him like that. He"d never
forgive me.
Hank jumps up, paces to the window, equally agitated.

(CONTINUED)
 59.
A79 CONTINUED: {~) A79

HANK
Don't you get what's happening here? He
can send us both to jail.
JACOB
Lou"s not gonna--
HANK
(spinning back toward Jacob)
Know what the problem is? You don't have
any distance on this. You can't see what
he"s really like.
Jacob gives him an incredulous look. He sits up on the bed.
JACOB
You"re gonna tell me that?
HANK
I can tell you--
Furious, Jacob flings his half-empty beer can across the room.
The dog jumps up, BARKS.
JACOB
( You know nothing about him, Hank. You"ve
seen him drunk a few times, so you think--
Hank cuts him off, impatient.
HANK
Look. You want me to help buy back the
farm?
(silence)
Well?
Jacob still doesn't answer. He realizes he's trapped and is
searching unsuccessfully for a way out. Finally, he nods. Hank
steps over to the night table, grabs the phone, slams it down
into Jacob's lap.
HANK (cont'd)
Then you gotta help me first.
He strides back to the window, stares out into the night. Jacob
wavers, watching his brother's back. Finally, he picks up the
phone and begins, very slowly, to dial. WE SEE Hank shut his
eyes, as if oddly pained by his success.
79 INT. MITCHELL KITCHEN - NIGHT 79

Sarah sits at the table--which is set for two--nursing the baby.

WE HEAR the front door open, the MURMUR of Hank and Jacob's

(CONTINUED)
79 CONTINUED: 60.
79

voices. Sarah lifts her head, listening. After a beat, Hank

enters, still in his coat. Be bends, kisses Sarah on her
forehead, moves to the cabinets.
SARAH
(whispering)
Did I hear Jacob?
Hank nods. Be pulls down a plate, grabs a placemat, starts to
set out a third place.
HANK
I invited him for dinner.
Sarah looks surprised. She takes a moment to absorb the news,
watching Bank lay out the utensils. Then, still whispering:
SARAH
Is he gonna do it?
Bank hesitates, anticipating her displeasure.
HANK
I had to promise him the farm.
SARAH
What? I thought we already agreed--
HANK
(plaintively)
Where's he supposed to go, Sarah?
Sarah launches into him, her voice slowly rising.
SARAH
If he stays, we'll end up getting caught.
Sooner or later he'll screw up and--
BANK
(hushing her with his hands)
I know. I kn~w. That's not what I'm
saying.
WE HEAR the toilet flush. The door to the downstairs bathroom
OPENS. Bank moves toward the fridge.
BANK (cont'd)
I just wish he could, that's all.
88 INT. HANK'S KITCHEN - LATER 88

Bank, Jacob and Sarah sit at the table, the meal finished.
Jacob's dog sleeps at their feet, its head resting on Amanda"s

(CONTINUED)
80 CONTINUED: 61.
80

bear. Hank and Jacob are telling Sarah a story, each trying to
be the one to get it out, talking one over the other.
JACOB
And just when our dad's putting the final
touches on it--he's way up on a ladder
tightening some bolts--
HANK
This breeze starts the windmill's sails
spinning--
JACOB
Smack1
HANK
They hit him right in the face, knock him
off the ladder.
SARAH
{her hand over her mouth)
Was he hurt?
Hank and Jacob both LAUGH. Hank pours Jacob more wine.
HANK
Mom thought so.
JACOB
She saw it happen from the house, and was
sure he'd broken his neck, so she called
the volunteer fire department.
HANK
All his buddies from town came rushing out,
sirens racing, only to find him sitting in
the kitchen with an ice-bag on his face.
The all LAUGH.
JACOB
He never forgave her for that.
HANK
I can still hear him bitching about it:
"Why didn't you wait to see if I got up,
for Christ's sake?"
Everyone LAUGHS. From upstairs WE HEAR Amanda begin to cry.
Sarah listens for a beat, then SIGHS, standing up.
SARAH
Her Majesty calls •••

(CONTINUED)
 52.
80 CONTINUED: ( 2) 80

The two men watch her leave. A beat of silence, then:

JACOB
I think dad would've understood what we're
doing.
(a pause)
Don't you?
HANK
I don't know ••• I guess so.
JACOB
I mean, that's why they killed themselves.
If they'd had what we have now, they'd
still be around.
HANK
What're you talking about?. They were
drinking. It was an accident.
Jacob SCOFFS at this.
JACOB
You saw where it happened, right?
(Hank nods)
Notice any skid marks?
Hank's silence is answer enough. Jacob shakes his head sadly.
JACOB (cont'd)
Dad thought their life insurance would be
enough to pay off all their debts.
A short pause~ the mood in the room has plummeted. Jacob picks
up the stuffed bear, winds its key.
JACOB (cont'd)
I guess it's what I would've eventually
done, too. If I hadn't gotten the farm
back.
Hank absorbs this in silence. The bear SINGS in Jacob's lap.
•RBI EXT. BAR - NIGHT - EST.l\BLISH *RBI

81 INT. SMALL TOWN BAR - NIGHT 81

A long room with a bar running down one side, a line of booths
down the other. The place is loud, smoke-filled. Hank, Jacob
and Lou are drinking in a booth. Jacob sits beside his brother,
looking tense, distracted. Lou is leaning forward, a bit tipsy,
addressing Hank with surprising earnestness.

(CONTINUED)
81 CONTINUED: 63.
81

LOU
I_g~ess what I'm trying to say is maybe I
llll.SJudged you, Hank. You can see how that
~ght"ve happened, cancha? 'Cause you're a
bit ~re ••• I don't know ••• let's say •••
'seri~us' ~han a guy like me, and maybe
sometimes it can come across like you've
sorta got a stick up your ass. I mean, to
someone who doesn't know you, who can't see
beneath that first impression. And
maybe ••• maybe sometimes I can come off as
a bit of an asshole ••• You think?
Hank starts to deny this, but Lou waves him into silence.
LOU (cont'd)
No, no, I know what I'm talkin' about. But
fuck it, all in the past, right? Whaddya
say?
He extends his hand across the table. It takes Bank a moment to
understand what's expected of him. Then, while Jacob watches
with something close to disgust, Bank smiles, shakes Lou's hand.
HANK
Sounds good to me.
LOU
Hell yes! Live and let live!
He drops Bank's hand, quickly downs a shot, then wipes his mouth
on his sleeve, BELCHING.
LOU (cont'd)
Gotta take a leak.
Lou rises, a bit unsteady on his feet. AS he's moving along the
bar to the bathroom, he stumbles into a large, BEARDED MAN on a
stool. The man glances over his shoulder, and Lou gives him an
angry stare, hitching up his belt.
LOU
Think that's funny, tripping people on the
way to the can? Think you're some kind of
comedian?
The bearded man spins to face Lou. The bar begins to quiet.
BEARDED MAN
Listen, buddy. Looks like you might "ve had
a few too--

( CONTINUED l
 6-L
81 CONTINUED: (2) 81

LOU
Don't you buddy me.
The bearded man starts to climb off his stool, but as he does
so, Jacob suddenly appears, resting his hand on Lou's shoulder.
JACOB
Maybe it's time we hit the road, Lou.
Whaddya think?
Hank is standing behind Jacob, holding Lou's jacket. Lou allows
himself to be led away, but not without a parting shot.
LOU
(pointing at Jacob)
He's my buddy.
(pointing at Hank)
He's my buddy, too.
(to the bearded man)
You're not my fucking buddy.
82 EXT. LOU'S FRONT YARD - NIGHT 82

Jacob's truck pulls into the driveway. Hank, Jacob and Lou are
inside; Jacob's dog is in the back. Lou's house is dark.
( INT. JACOB'S TRUCK
Lou and Jacob are taking turns sipping from a bottle of whiskey.
LOU
we gotta be real quiet. Nancy's asleep.
83 INT. LOU'S FAMILY ROOM - NIGHT 83

The living room is a step down from the entranceway. There's a

green shag carpet, an old-looking TV. Hank and Jacob are
sitting on the couch; Lou is in an armchair across from them.
Everyone"s drinking whiskey; Lou and Jacob are both quite drunk.
LOU
(loud)
--so this guy steps forward, right? And he
says, 'He was doin' fine till we twisted
his head back around for him. Then he
fuckin' died on us.•
Jacob scowls as Hank bursts into LAUGHTER, playing to Lou.
NANCY (OS)
I got one.
The three men instantly fall silent, startled, turning to see:

(CONTINUED)
83 CONTINUED: 65.
83

HANK'S POV - FRONT OF THE HOUSE

Nancy is at the foot of the stairs dressed in
shirt. Her hair is tangled from sleep. an extra-long T-

. NANCY (cont'd)
This old_drunk was telling jokes to his two
drunk friends, keeping up his wife who
unlike him, had a job she had to go to'in
the morning.
BACK TO SCENE

The three men watch her, stone-faced.

NANCY (OS cont'd)
Well, finally, she got so fed up she came
downstairs and told him that if he didn't
shut up he was gonna have to find some
other place to live rent-free. Ha-ha-ha.
Get it?
Lou jumps up from the couch, hurries toward her, making
conciliatory gestures with his hands.
LOU
It's okay, hon. We're just drinking a
little and--
Watching Lou and Nancy, who WE HEAR murmuring back and forth
from across the room, Hank leans toward his brother, WHISPERS.
BANK
What're you waiting for? I don't wanna be
here all night.
Jacob shakes his head drunkenly, not looking at Hank.
JACOB
I'm not gonna do it •••
Hank gives him a stern look.
BANK
we made·a deal.
JACOB
(still looking away, hard)
It's not right.
WE HEAR Nancy start back upstairs. Lou returns across the room.
Hank touches Jacob's arm, attempting to silence him, but Jacob

(CONTINUED)
 66.
83 CONTINUED: (2) 83

pushes his hand away. Hank picks up his glass, trying to

pretend that nothing is happening. Lou sits down.
LOU
Guess we oughta keep it down a bit, huh?
Hank nods, sips from his glass. Jacob is still watching him,
with something like revulsion now.
JACOB
What the fuck is wrong with you?
Hank glances up, shocked. Lou grins as Jacob turns to him,
gesturing at Hank, his voice angry.
JACOB (cont'd)
See how he drinks from that glass? Like a
goddamn bird.
He mimics Hank sipping, exaggerating his hesitancy. Hank
attempts a joke.
HANK
You gonna play older brother now? Teach me
how to drink my whiskey?
Jacob ignores him, still looking at Lou.
JACOB
Ever seen me drink like that?
(he downs his glass, slams it
to the table)
My dad?
LOU
Tell the truth, Jake, I ain't never seen
nobody drink like that.
JACOB
So where'd he learn it?
Hank sets his glass down. He leans forward, trying to meet his
brother's eyes, questioning, but Jacob continues to ignore him.
JACOB (cont'd)
I mean, tell me one thing we got in co11Dn0n
besides our last name.
(Lou can't think of anything)
You're more like a brother to me than him.
Lou GIGGLES, glances back at the stairs. Then, his voice low:

(CONTINUED)
 67.
83 CONTINUED: (3) 83

LOU
Do him crossing the stream, Jake.
(Jacob hesitates)
Aw, come on. He don't care. Do you Hank?
Hank stares at Jacob, who's leaning forward to refill his glass.
His hands are unsteady, and he sloshes whiskey onto the table.
HANK
Crossing the stream?
Jacob takes a sip of whiskey--mimicking Hank again. Then he
stands up and begins making fun of the way Hank crossed the
stream that first day, as they made their way through the woods
to the plane. He exaggerates Hank's awkward hops, his teetering
in midstream. Lou CLAPS and GUFFAWS: it's obvious this has
been a recurrent joke between them. Hank blushes.
LOU
Do him getting bit by the crow!
Jacob ignores him. His smile has faded.
JACOB
we never should"ve let him keep the money.
( Look at him. He thinks he owns us.
Lou"s smile fades. Hank rises, picks up his jacket, appalled.
HANK
Look, we"ve all had too much to drink.
Maybe we should--
JACOB
Isn't this what you want? Me to pick a
side?
HANK
What're you talk--
JACOB
(sneering, to Lou)
Know what's gonna happen? He's gonna end
up confessing. Crawling into Carl's office
and spilling his guts.
Hank starts pulling on his overcoat.
LOU
Fuck yes. He"ll rat on us to get off the
hook.

(CONTINUED)
 68.
83 CONTINl.itD: ( ~) 83

Hank begins moving across the room toward the front door. Jacob
watches him, his grin fading, his voice turning steely.
JACOB
Let's do him confessing. You be him, and
I'll be Carl.
Hank turns, staring. Jacob avoids his gaze. SNICKERING, Lou
gulps some whiskey, stands up and mimes knocking on a door.
Hank moves back toward the couch.
LOU
{mimicking Hank's voice)
Carl?
Hank pulls off his coat, sits back down.
JACOB
Yes? Who is it?
LOU
It's Hank Mitchell. I got something to
tell you.
JACOB
( Come on in, Hank. Have a seat.
Lou pretends to open a door. He walks in place, grinning, then
sits down. Hank fumbles at his shirt, pretending to scratch at
his chest. With a SOFT CLICK, the tape recorder turns on.
LOU
It's about Dwight Pederson.
JACOB
Yes?
LOU
well, he didn't die in an accident.
JACOB
What do you mean?
Lou feigns glancing nervously around the room. Then:
LOU
I killed him.
JACOB
You killed Dwight Pederson?

(CONTINUED)
 69.
83 CONTINUED: (5) 83

LOU
Ismothered him with his scarf, then I
pushed him off the bridge into Anders'
Creek. I made it look like an accident.
That's enough for Hank: he gestures at Jacob to stop.
HANK
Okay. That's--
Jacob ignores him.
JACOB
Why would you do something like that?
LOU
•cause four million dollars is worth a hell
of a lot more to me than some old man's
life--
Hank reaches up, turns off the tape recorder in his pocket.
HANK
(firm, to Jacob)
That's enough.
( LOU
(shaking his head)
I wanna get_to the part where you offer to
testify against us. Keep asking me
questions, Jake.
Jacob takes a swallow of whiskey. He seems spent by the whole
episode, drained. He drops back on the couch as Hank takes out
the tape recorder and rewinds it. Hank presses play, sets it on
the table. They all stare at it while it replays Lou and
Jacob's DIALOGUE. Lou looks utterly bewildered.
LOU (cont'd)
You taped us?
Neither Hank nor Jacob answers him. When the tape is finished,
Hank reaches forward and rewinds it.
LOU (cont'd)
What're you doing, Hank?
HANK
It's your confession. It's you saying how
you killed Dwight Pederson.
Lou stares at the tape recorder for a moment, realizing finally
what it's for. He sneers at Hank.

(CONTINUED)
 70.
83 CONTIN'lED: ( 6) 83

LOU
Nobody's gonna believe that thing. It's
obvious I'm just kidding around.
HANK
If you and I both went into Carl's tomorrow
and claimed that the other killed Dwight
Pederson, who do you think he'd believe?
You? A forty-year-old, unemployed high
school dropout who's proud when people call
him the town drunk? Or me? I've got a
job, Lou. I don't get drunk and shout
obscenities at my wife in public. I don't
pass out in other people's doorways.
A tense moment, then Lou tries to grab the tape recorder, but
Hank snatches it away, returns it to his shirt pocket.
LOU
(angry, humiliated)
You fucking--
He rises. Hank does, too. Lou scowls at him, waves at Jacob.
LOU (cont'd)
Come on, Jake.
Jacob sags deep into the couch, not looking at either of them.
JACOB
The tape doesn't hurt you. It's just to
keep you from hurting him.
LOU
What?
JACOB
He's not gonna use it unless you tell on
him. That seems fair, don't it?
LOU
You're in this together?
Jacob finally looks up:
JACOB
He promised to help me buy back the farm.
Lou clenches his fists, his body taut with anger. He glares at
Jacob until Jacob looks away, then spins and strides toward the
front of the house, disappearing down the hallway to the left.

(CONTINUED)
 71.
83 CONTINUED: ( 7) 83

Hank heads toward the front door, gesturing for Jacob to follow.
Jacob hesitates, then starts slowly after him, a bit wobbly on
his feet. As Hank opens the door, he glances down the hall.
HANK'S POV - LOU'S DOWNSTAIRS HALL
Lou approaches from the garage, jamming shells into his shotgun.
BACK TO SCENE
Jacob pushes Hank.
JACOB
Move •••

Jacob runs outside. Hank remains, looking at Lou in disbelief.

HANK
What're you doing, Lou?
Lou stops five feet away, pumps the gun, aims it at Hank's
chest. Outside, WE HEAR Jacob's truck door slam shut.
LOU
Give me the tape.
HANK
Put the gun down.
Hank starts to back onto the porch, dragging the door shut
behind him. Lou grabs it, yanks it open, raises the gun again.
LOU
You're not leaving till you give--
JACOB (OS)
Leave him alone, Lou!
Lou freezes, startled. He and Hank both turn to look.
84 HANK'S POV - LOU'S FRONT YARD 84

Jacob is aimin~ his rifle at Lou's head, breathing hard.

EXT. LOU'S FRONT PORCH - NIGHT
HANK
Stop it, Jacob. Go back to the truck.
Jacob doesn't move.
LOU
You gonna shoot me, Jake?

(CONTINUED)
 72.
84 CONTINUED: 84

They both begin to YELL. The dog jumps from the truck, BARKING.
JACOB
Just leave him alone--
LOU
You stabbed me in the back. In my own
house.
JACOB
Please, Lou.
LOU
You know I need the money. I need it
tomorrow. They're gonna take my truck.
JACOB
Just put the gun down.
LOU
Why should he get to keep it? He's got a
job. We're the ones who need it. He just
wants it--
NANCY (OS}
Lou?
( (instantly, silence}
What's going on?
She starts down the stairs. WE SEE her feet through the top of
the doorway. Lou is still pointing his gun at Hank, but he's
looking at Jacob. His face is bright red.
LOU
How could you do this? You think he's your
friend? He doesn't give a fuck about you.
(he glances at Hank}
Do you?
HANK
come on, Lou. we can talk this through.
Lou raises the gun till it's pointing just above Hank's head,
and pulls the trigger. There's a tremendous EXPLOSION. The dog
runs off. An eerie quiet settles in. Lou pumps another shell
into the chamber, gives Hank an edgy smile.
LOU
That was just an in-sin-u-a-tion.
He steps forward, presses the gun to Hank's forehead. Hank
holds himself rigid, too frightened to move. He shuts his eyes.

(CONTINUED)
 73.
84 CONTINUED: (2) 84

HANK
Lou •••

Lou's smile deepens. Behind him, Nancy descends another step.

NANCY
Put the gun down, baby.
LOU
This is the real thing.
With a quick, startling movement, he jerks the gun up so that
it's pointing just a few inches above Hank's head, and pulls the
trigger. Another EXPLOSION. At the same instant, Jacob FIRES
his gun. The bullet smacks Lou in the forehead. Lou falls into
the house. Nancy begins to SCREAM.
85 INT. LOU'S FRONT ENTRANCEWAY 85

Hank steps inside. Lou lies on his back a few feet from the
door, a small hole in his forehead. His shotgun rests beside
him. A large puddle of blood is spreading across the floor.
Nancy rushes down the stairs, WAILING. She crouches beside
Lou's body, but doesn't touch it. Hank steps forward, as if to
comfort her. When she sees him coming, she backs toward the
family room, SOBBING hysterically.
HANK
It's okay, Nancy.
NANCY
(shaking her head)
we gotta call--
She spins, starts into the family room, but Hank grabs her arm.
HANK
wait. We have to decide what--
Nancy SCREAMS, yanks her arm free. She turns on him in a
frenzy, CRYING, her words unintelligible. Hank makes a quieting
gesture with his hands. Jacob steps through the door, looking
dazed, clenching his rifle.
HANK (cont'd)
Nancy. You can still have his share.
Nancy flinches, shocked into momentary silence. Then:
NANCY
You bastards.

(CONTINUED)
 74 •
• 85 CONTINUED: 85

HANK
Shhh--
He makes another quieting motion, but she starts toward him, her
fists clenched, her face distorted with rage. Hank backs away.
NANCY
You think I'm going to let you keep the
money? You fucking--
Hank retreats across the entranceway. Nancy pursues him. As
she passes Lou's corpse, she stumbles against the shotgun,
kicking it across the tiles. They all stare down at it.
There's a pause, then Nancy stoops, picks up the gun, pumps it.
Hank lunges forward, grabbing for the barrel. They struggle,
and Hank rips the gun from her hands. Nancy falls backward,
tripping down the step into the living room, landing on her rear
end. SHRIEKING, she lifts her arms to protect herself, thinking
Hank's about to shoot her.
HANK
It's okay. I'm not--
He crouches to lay the gun down. Nancy scrambles to her feet,
begins backing into the living room, still SHRIEKING.
HANK (Cont'd)
Shhh, Nancy. Please.
Hank starts after her, the gun in his hands. Nancy turns to
run. There's a doorway in the back corner of the room, leading
to the kitchen, and she heads straight for it, knocking over an
end table in her flight.
HANK (cont'd)
Wait!
He sprints after her, into--
86 LOU'S KITCHEN 86

The room is dark, illuminated only by the light filtering in

from the family room. Nancy is barely visible at the rear of
the room: WE HEAR her yanking open a drawer, scrambling inside,
things falling to the floor. Hank stops on the threshold.
HANK (cont'd)
I just want to talk, okay?
He reaches to his right, fumbles for the light switch. At the
exact moment the light goes ON, Nancy spins toward us, a pistol

(CONTINUED)
 75.
86 CONTINUED: 86
I
in her hand. She FIRES, and the bullet SLAMS into the wall to
Hank's left. Hank scrambles out of the doorway, back into--
87 LOU'S FAMILY ROOM 87

Nancy FIRES again. The bullet comes through the doorway, THUDS
I into the couch. Hank rushes backward, not watching where he's
going: he stumbles into the overturned table, falls onto his
I back just as Nancy appears. She aims her pistol at him, but
before she can shoot, he FIRES the shotgun from the floor. The
blast hits her in the chest, knocking her back into the kitchen.
A long, eerie beat of silence, then Hank struggles to his feet.
He"s starting hesitantly toward the kitchen when he hears--
JACOB
(terrified)
Hank •• ?
--and jumps, spinning to ailll the gun at Jacob, who's still
standing in the front doorway. Jacob cowers. Hank holds the
gun on hilll for a moment, trying to find his bearings. Then he
pumps the shotgun, swings it a few inches to the right, FIRES
into the wall. He SHOOTS the ceiling, the annchair, the coffee
table, Jacob flinching at every·shot.
( 88 INT. LOU'S KITCHEN 88

Nancy lies crumpled against the refrigerator, her chest a mess

of blood, her head cocked at an odd angle. Hank examines her
from the doorway, a blank look on his face. Then he turns and
vanishes back into the family room. WE HOLD on Nancy, as her
blood slowly begins to pool on the surrounding tiles.
89 INT. LOU'S FAMILY ROOM - MOMENTS LATER 89

Hank stands by the couch, talking on the phone. The coffee

table has been obliterated; the armchair has a giant hole in it.
HANK
--at Lou Chambers• place. Out on county
Road 27, just past Burnt Road.
(a pause)
They"re both ••• They're both dead.
(he feigns a sob)
You gotta hurry. Please.
He sets down the phone, his hand noticeably shaking.
98 LOU'S FRONT ENTRANCEWAY - MOMENTS LATER 98

Hank crouches over Lou's body, plants his prints on the gun,
sets it on the floor. He glances into the family room, which is
empty, and a frightened look comes over his face.

(CONTINUED)
 76.
90 CONTINUED: 90

HANK
Jacob?
He rises quickly to his feet. Jacob's parka is lying on the
floor a few yards away. Hank steps over and picks it up.
HANK (cont'd)
(yelling)
Jacob?
After a beat, WE HEAR, very faintly, a gasping sound--like a
stifled sob--come from the kitchen. Bank steps down into the
living room, hurrying toward the kitchen's open doorway.
91 INT. LOU'S KITCHEN - NIGHT 91

Hank pauses on the threshold. Nancy still lies in her bloody

puddle. Rank stares at her, as if he thinks that she might've
been the one to make the gasping sound. There's no sign of
Jacob. Rank is just about to turn from the doorway when he
stops, peers again at the floor.
RANK'S POV - THE KITCHEN FLOOR
on the far edge of the puddle, WE SEE a man's bloody bootprint.
( BACK TO SCENE

Rank edges his way around the puddle. There's an open doorway
just beyond Nancy's body, leading down to the cellar, lost in
darkness. Rank reaches in, flicks on the light, REVEALING:
THE CELLAR STAIRS

Jacob sits midway down the steps, his head in his hands. After
a beat, he turns, blinks up at us over his shoulder. It's clear
that he• s been crying. Hank watches him from the doorway, a
worried look on his face.
HANK
What're you doing?
Jacob shrugs, struggles for a smile, but can't quite make it.
JACOB
Biding.
They look at each other for a moment in silence. Hank shifts
the parka from his right arm to his left.
RANK
You gonna be okay?

(CONTINUED)
 77.
91 CONTINUED: 91

( Jacob thinks for a moment, then shakes his head. His mouth
starts to tremble, and he turns away.
HANK (cont'd)
we can make this work, Jacob. we can--
He starts down the steps, and Jacob jumps up, turning to face
him, scared. He shakes his head again, slowly at first but then
more and more quickly.
JACOB
No •••

Hank crouches, bringing his eyes almost level with his

brother's. He makes a quieting gesture with his hands.
HANK
Shhh. Just listen, all right? All we
gotta say is--
Jacob continues to shake his head, covering his ears.
JACOB
Nol
( Hank stands up, raises his voice, almost shouts:
HANK
Stop itl
Jacob freezes, startled. Hank comes down another step, lowering
his voice, struggling to sound soothing.
HANK (cont'd)
I need you to calm down. can you do that
for me? can you calm down and listen to
what I have to say?
(a long pause; finally Jacob
manages a nod)
They were fighting, okay? They were both
drunk, and Lou started pushing Nancy
around. When we tried to stop him, he went
and grabbed his gun, and Nancy ran for her
pistol. we sprinted out to the truck and
got your rifle, but by the time we got back
to the house, it was too late. He'd
already shot her. He was shooting up the
whole place, firing into the ceiling, the
walls, everything. And when we stepped
into the doorway, he fired at me. The shot
went wide, so he pumped the gun again and
aimed right at my chest ••• And that's when
you killed him •••
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
 78.
91 CONTINUED: (2) 91
HANK (cont'd)
(a beat)
You saved my life.
Hank stops, waiting for a reaction, but Jacob just stands there.
HANK (cont'd)
See how simple it is?
(still no response; WE HEAR
sirens approaching)
come on, Jacob. Say it for me.
Jacob remains silent, the SIRENS closing. Then, hesitantly:
JACOB
They were ••• they were fighting •••
(he starts to CRY again)
••• and Lou ••• Lou started shooting the
walls •••
Re begins to shake his head again, CRYING too hard to speak.
The SIRENS are closing.
HANK
(coaxing him)
And what'd we do?
WE PUSH IN ON Hank, as he tries to prod the story out of Jacob.
HANK (cont'd)
we ran out to the truck--
CARL (OS)
(interrupting)
You ran outside with Jacob?
*92 OMIT •92

PULL BACK TO REVEAL:

93 INT. SHERIFF'S INTERROGATION ROOM - NIGHT 93

Hank sits on one side of a table, facing the Fulton County

SHERIFF, a DETECTIVE, and earl. WE SEE a tape recorder spinning
on the table, several half-empty cups of coffee. The detective
is taking notes. Hank hesitates, surprised by the question.
When he nods, the detective stops scribbling.
CARL (cont'd)
Because the way Jacob tells it •••
(he leans forward, scans the
detective's notes)
He went to get his rifle on his own. He
says Lou chased you out of the house after
he shot Nancy.
(CONTINUED)
 78A.
93 CONTINUED: 93

Hank shifts in his chair.

(CONTINUED)
 79.
93 CONTINUED: ( 2) 93

HANK
Jacob said that?
Carl nods: a long pause, while Hank searches for a solution.
He stares at his feet, CRACKS his knuckles, one after the other.
HANK (cont'd)
Well, I suppose I can see how it might"ve
seemed that way to him.
Another pause. The policemen exchange a look. Hank shifts in
his chair, looking right through Carl, straining for a solution.
Then, slowly:
HANK (cont'd)
Because he did go to the truck alone ••• I
mean, I followed him, but then when I heard
Nancy get shot, I turned back toward the
house. I was on the porch when Lou started
to come outside, and that's when I turned
to run back down the walk again.
(a pause)
so, I guess that's how it might've seemed
to Jacob that I was running out of the
house.
(
The detective scribbles more notes. Carl studies Hank. Before
he can speak, a policeman enters the room, carrying a pot of
coffee. Be leaves the door ajar behind him. Hank glances out.
BANK'S POV - OUT THE DOOR
Sarah sits in the hallway, the baby in its pouch. She stares
blankly in at us, as if she were looking at a stranger.
BACK TO SCENE

The policeman sets down the coffeepot, exits, shutting the door
behind him. The Sheriff refills everyone's cups.
CARL
And then?
BANK (cont'd)
Then Lou fired at me and missed. Be pumped
the gun to try again. And that •s when
Jacob shot him.
Hank glances from policeman to policeman, fearing another
challenge. When none arrives, he waves at the tape recorder.
BANK (cont'd)
I guess you know the rest.

(CONTINUED)
 80.
93 ::ONTINUED: ( 3) 93

A long pause. Then the Sheriff nods, shutting off the machine.
** 93A THRU 93X - OMITTED **
0
93l EXT. ORCHARD - DAY - ON THE PLANE •93l

A wind is blowing, drifting snow across the wreck of the Cessna.

The crows sit hunched in the swaying trees, silent.
MRS. TRILLING (OS)
Listen to this, Clifford--
*93M INT. TRILLING KITCHEN - DAY •93M

A small, meticulously clean room. Mrs. Trilling sits in her

bathrobe, reading the paper. Her HUSBAND is putting breakfast
on the table.
I MRS. TRILLING (cont'd)
• --it says he'd been gambling--
She lifts the paper to see better, covering her face. WE PUSH
IN on the PAPER.
MRS. TRILLING (OS cont'd)
--at the casino in Hinkley--
The paper is lowered, but it's no longer Mrs. Trilling behind
it. It's Linda.
LINDA
--and that they were gonna--
PULL BACK TO REVEAL:
•93N INT. SMALL TOWN DINER - DAY •93N

Linda sits in a booth, with a sandwich and a cup of coffee in

front of her. Across from her sits a COWORKER of Nancy's, an
older woman in curlers.
LINDA (cont'd)
--repos~ess his truck.
COWORKER
You know, he used to hit her.
ON LINDA, looking both shocked and delighted by this revelation.
LINDA
Nol

(CONTINUED)
 BOA.
*93N CONTINUED: *93N

( COWORKER ( OS )
I swear it--

(
 81.

•93p CU - TELEVISION SCREEN •93P

The coworker is being interviewed by the female TV reporter.

COWORKER (cont'd)
--we all knew she was headed for something
like this. 'Cause they had problems going
way, way back--his gambling and drinking
weren't half of it. I remember her coming
into work once with this big bruise on her
cheek, told us she'd walked into a wall.
The woman rolls her eyes in disbelief.
COWORKER (cont'd)
I mean, who'd she think she was kidding?
PULL BACK TO REVEAL:
. •930 INT. SMALL TOWN BAR - NIGHT *930

The TV hangs above the bar, which is moderately crowded.

Everyone's watching the screen, . rapt. WE SEE Doug Schmitt at
the end of the bar. Be turns to the MAN beside him, another,
equally old FARMER.
(
DOUG
Be could get nasty when he drank, know what
I mean? I saw hilll here that last night--
He waves down the bar. The other drinkers are turning to hear
what he has to say.
•93R INT. SMALL TOWN BAR - NIGHT - FALSE FLASHBACK •93R

In-SLIGHT SLOW MOTION, LOU bumps into the bearded man on the
stool, and they begin to argue.
DOUG (OS cont'd)
--nearly took-a guy's head off-
Lou lunges at the bearded man, swinging wildly, shouting curses.
They tumble to the floor. Jacob steps in and pulls Lou off.
•93S EXT. COUNTRY CEMETERY - DAY •93S

Hank and Sarah stand arm-in-arm as Lou's casket is lowered into

the ground. They keep glancing at Jacob, who's weeping
uncontrollably. WE SEE Nancy's fresh grave, a rectangle of
brown dirt in the snow. The priest sprinkles holy water. Hank
and Jacob both cross themselves.

(CONTINUED)
 82.
*93S CONTINUED: *93S

Off to the side the old farmer from the bar and Mrs. Trilling's
husband, Clifford, stand watching, whispering quietly together
as the service is completed.
FARMER (cont'd)
--Jacob had to manhandle him out of there.
Clifford shakes his head, sadly, watching Jacob toss a shovelful
of icy dirt onto his friend's casket.
CLIFFORD
It's just such a tragedy, the whole thing.
•93T INSERT - CONDOLENCE CARD •93T

A woman's handwriting: "Our thoughts are with you in this time

of tragedy. Fondly, Brent and Kara Hill"
INT. MITCHELL ENTRANCEWAY - DAY
Hank, still dressed in his suit from the funeral, is reading the
card. The hall table is cluttered with gifts--tupperware
containers full of food, jars of jam, foil-wrapped loaves of
bread. Hank sets the card beside them, starts up the stairs.
•93U INT. MITCHELL UPSTAIRS HALL - DAY *93U

Hank heads for the bedroom, loosening his tie. He pauses in the
doorway.
RANK'S POV - THE BEDROOM
The baby is on the bed. Sarah's changing her diaper, but she's
paused to play for a moment. She dips her head to Amanda's,
then pulls it back, COOING. Amanda smiles, kicks her feet.
Sarah glances up, turns toward us, her face blank. Finally,
after a long moment, she manages a smile.
BACK TO SCENE
Hank steps into the room, moving to his bureau. Amanda drops
her pacifieri it rolls off the bed. As Sarah bends to pick it
up, WE SEE the duffel bag still hidden beneath the box springs.
** 94 THRU 105 - OMITTED**
186 INT. SMALL TOWN BAR - NIGHT 186

A Saturday night crowd: LOUD VOICES, LAUGHTER. The street door

opens and Jacob enters. He hesitates at the entrance, looking
lost. People turn to stare, and the bar slowly falls silent.

(CONTINUED)
 82A.
106 CONTINUED: 106

A long pause. For a moment it appears as if Jacob might turn

and flee, but then the BARTENDER beckons him, waving free one of

(CONTINUED)
 83.
106 CONTINUED: (2) 106

the barstools. Jacob shuffles forward, takes the proffered

seat. The bartender places a shot in front of him.
BARTENDER
On the house, Jacob.
Jacob stares at the whiskey, as if he"s not sure what to do with
it. Everyone in the bar is watching, silent.
BARTENDER (cont'd)
Come on now, down the hatch. Do you good.
Jacob lifts the shot, downs it. Everyone smiles: someone CHEERS
drunkenly. The DRINKER next to Jacob slaps a bill onto the
counter, gestures toward Jacob's glass.
DRINKER
Next one's on me.
The man gives Jacob a sympathetic nod. Jacob glances quickly
away. People are crowding around his stool. A woman puts her
hand on his shoulder. For a moment Jacob looks as if he"s about
I to cry: his face trembles. But then he regains control, lifts
the shot to his mouth, pours it in.
I
I
187 INT. MITCHELL BATHROOM - NIGHT 187

Sarah kneels beside the tub, bathing Amanda in a plastic basin.

I Hank is in his pajamas, brushing his teeth. WE HEAR a faint
pounding. Hank doesn't notice, but Sarah lifts her head.
SARAH
You hear that?
Hank spits into the sink, turns off the faucet. WE BEAR the
pounding more clearly. Hank steps to the window, peers outside.
188 HANK'S POV - THROUGH THE WINDOW 188

It's dark out, but WE can SEE earl's truck parked in the street.
187conBACK TO SCENE 187con

Hank turns from the window with a frightened expression.

HANK
It's earl.
The POUNDING continues. Hank and Sarah hold eyes, motionless,
Amanda SPLASHING in her basin. Then Hank rushes from the room.
 84.

109 MITCHELL FRONT ENTRANCEWAY - NIGHT 109

Hank unlocks the door, pulls it open. Carl stands on the porch,
his hat in his hands, his face grave.
CARL
Hope I didn't wake you, Hank.
(he gestures upward)
Saw a light on, so I figured--
Hank shakes his head.
HANK
It's all right.
CARL
I hate having to do this.
(he sighs, glances back toward
his truck)
See, I was driving by Lou Chambers's place,
and I saw your brother's truck parked right
in the center of the road there, could
hardly even squeeze by it. Found him
inside the house, passed·out in an
armchair. LOoks like he popped a pane of
glass to get in. Place was all dark, heat
off--he probably would've frozen to death,
if I hadn't happened by.
He pauses, as if waiting for Hank to respond, but Hank doesn't.
CARL (cont'd)
I'd have taken him to his apartment, but he
was pretty firm about wanting to come here.
Hank finally realizes what earl's saying: Jacob's in the truck.
HANK
No, no, I appreciate it. I mean I •m sorry
you even had to ••• Is he gonna be in any
trouble?
Carl waves him into silence.
CARL
I know you guys have been having a rough
time. Just have a talk with him, all
right?
(he turns to lead Hank to the
truck) ·
I'll try to keep a tab on him, too.
 as.

110 INT. MITCHELL GUEST ROOM - NIGHT 110

Jacob sits on the bed, a blanket over his shoulders, shivering,

his nose running. Hank is untying his boots, yanking at the
shoestrings, angry. Sarah watches from the doorway.
HANK
What the hell were you thinking about?
That"s the last place in the world you
oughta be.
JACOB
I didn't ••• I didn"t mean to. I was just
driving and I, •• I •••
He starts, very softly, to CRY. He tilts slowly to the side,
pulling his feet away from Hank, and curls into a fetal position
on the bed, WEEPING quietly. Hank glances toward Sarah, waves
her away. She hesitates a moment, watching Jacob, then leaves.
HANK
Jacob--
JACOB
(quiet, from the pillow)
Do you ever feel evil?
Hank is startled by the question. He thinks for a moment.
HANK
NO, I feel like ••• I mean we didn't--
JACOB
(his voice quavering)
I do. I feel evil.
He begins to WEEP in earnest. Hank doesn't know what to do.
Finally, he reaches out, hesitantly, and pats Jacob's arm.
~
Shhh, now. Shhh, Jacob.
He glances toward the empty doorway.
111 INT. MITCHELL BEDROOM NIGHT
Sarah is lying on her side in bed, seemingly asleep. Hank
ENTERS, creeps toward the bed. As he slips beneath the covers:
SARAH
We should probably have him over more.

(CONTINUED)
 86.
111 CONTINUED: 111
'
( Hank hesitates, surprised that she's awake. Then he settles in
behind her. He's just reaching out to touch her when--
SARAH (cont'd)
If he's gotta drink, I'd rather he did it
here than somewhere else.
--and he stops.
HANK
He'll be all right. He's just--
SARAH
(rolling to face him)
You and I can help each other through this,
Hank. He doesn •t have anybody.
From her crib across the room, Amanda begins to CRY.
HANK
Meaning?
SARAH
You should keep an eye on him, that's all.
She starts for the crib, leaving Bank lying there on his side.
112 EXT. LOU'S BOUSE - DAY 112

There's a "For Sale" sign in the yard; the place looks even more
dilapidated than before. Jacob's truck sits in the center of
the road. Bank's car approaches, stopping behind it.
INT. BANK'S CAR - DAY
Bank puts the car in park, waits for Jacob to clilllb out, but
Jacob doesn't move. Be stares off at the house, then out at his
truck, thinking. When he finally speaks, his voice is quiet •
.;rACOB
Maybe I can get a family of my own now.
(a pause; he turns to Bank)
I mean, _with the money and all.
He appears to expect a response from Bank, but Bank just watches
him, mute. Jacob continues, his voice suddenly irresolute.
JACOB (cont'd)
Don't you think somebody'll marry me if I'm
rich?

\ Hank starts to smile, but then realizes how serious Jacob is.

(CONTINUED)
 87.
112 CONTINUED: 112

HANK
You don't need the money for that.
Jacob gives him a knowing look, not believing Hank means this.
HANK (cont'd)
What about Carrie Richards? Didn't she
like you without the money?
Jacob shakes his head, smiling grimly.
JACOB
Her friends all chipped in and bet her a
hundred bucks she wouldn't go steady with
me for a month.
HANK
(with sympathy)
Jesus, Jacob.
JACOB
It wasn't that bad. I mean, we never
kissed or touched or anything like that,
but we walked around a lot together, and
talked, and when the month was up she still
( stopped to say hello when we passed in the
hall, which she didn't have to do.
(a pause)
I'm thirty-three, Hank, and I've never even
kissed a woman. If being rich'll change
that, then fine. I don't care if it's just
for the money.
They fall silent: an awkward moment which Jacob finally breaks
by pushing open his door. He turns back before he climbs out,
though, his voice like a child's, full of uncertainty.
JACOB (cont'd)
I'm gonna be happy now, aren't I?
Hank only hesitates for a second. Then he manages a nod.
RANK
sure you are. we all are.
Jacob nods, too, staring off down the road, pursuing a vision.
JACOB
I'm gonna buy the farm, and marry someone
nice, and have lots of kids, and you and
Sarah and Amanda'll come visit, and we'll
stay up late drinking on the porch just
like Dad and Uncle Ted used to.
(CONTINUED)
 88.
112 CONTINUED: (2) 112

Hank glances away, a pained look on his face. Jacob doesn't

notice: he climbs out, pushing shut the door behind him.
HANK'S POV - JACOB
Jacob shuffles to his truck. He starts to scrape his windshield
with his glove, then glances up to see why Hank hasn't left yet.
He stares for a moment, then gives a little wave.
CU - HANK

Tears glistening in his eyes. He raises his hand, holds it up

toward Jacob. Then he pulls away.
113 INT. SMALL TOWN BARBERSHOP - DAY 115

Hank sits in the barber's chair, an old, bald-headed BARBER

trimming his hair. Hank's eyes are shut, the scissors moving
quickly about his head. The door SQUEAKS open. The barber nods
to the new arrival, but Hank doesn't open his eyes.
CARL (OS)
He nod off on you, Jack?
The barber smiles, but doesn't answer. Hank's eyes flick open.
HANK'S POV - IN THE MIRROR
earl is standing behind the chair, grinning, examining Bank's
hair. He CLUCKS his tongue.
CARL (cont'd)
Getting a little thin up top there, Hank.
BACK TO SCENE

Bank reaches to touch his scalp, but the barber bats his hand
away. Carl CHUCKLES.
HANK
(smiling)
Don't you have any crimes to solve?
CARL
Maybe. Think you could track down Jacob,
bring him by my office tomorrow afternoon?
He moves to the counter, lifts the lid on a glass jar full of
lollipops. Bank starts to twist his head to follow him, but the
barber won't let him. -
HANK
Why's that?

(CONTINUED)
 89.
113 CONTINUED: 113

CARL
Man from the FBI's gonna be driving
through, thought you two might be able to
help him out.
Hank starts to turn his head again, and again the barber stops
him. Carl finds the flavor he"s looking for, unwraps it, sticks
it in his mouth, turns toward Hank with a smile.
CARL (cont'd)
seems they're looking for a missing plane.
114 INT. SMALL TOWN BAR - DAY 114

Hank sits across from Jacob in a booth. Jacob is sipping at a

beer, four empties at his elbow; he's a little drunk. Hank has
a cup of coffee. The place is empty except for the bartender
dusting the bottles behind the bar.
JACOB
(just above a whisper)
--and then when we heard it crash--
HANK
(impatient)
we didn't hear it crash, Jacob. We heard
an engine, that's it. For all we know it
could've been a snowmobile.
JACOB
But-
Hank jumps up, throws some bills onto the table.
HANK
come on. You"ve had enough.
He grabs Jacob's parka, pulls him out of the booth. Jacob rises
obediently. He reaches to take his beer, but Hank won't let
him.1 he drags him tow_ard the door. The bartender turns to watch
them go.
115 EXT. SMALL TOWN MAIN ST. - DAY 115

Hank and Jacob exit the bar, Jacob blinking at the sunlight.
Down the street, an old man is unloading firewood from the rear
of a pickup. Hank and Jacob start down the sidewalk.
HANK
It's really not that difficult. we go in,
you say--

(CONTINUED)
 90.
115 CCNTINUED: 115

Jacob starts shaking his head, and Bank stops, turns to face
him, furious.
HANK (cont'd)
All you have to do is think! Just use your
head for once in your life.
JACOB
(snapping back)
Why'd you have to kill Pederson? If you'd--
Bank shoves his brother, knocking him back a step.
HANK
What the fuck does that have to do with
anything?
JACOB
(shoving back)
None of this'd be happening if--
Jacob slips as he pushes at Hanle, falling to his knees. Bank
leans down, speaks right into his face:
BANK
(loud)
Who hit him in the first place, huh? EVery
step of the way you"re the one who's pushed
us into trouble, and I'm the one who's
dragged us back out.
Jacob lowers his eyes, silenced. A beat, then he struggles to
rise. Bank steps back, glancing up and down the street.
BANK'S POV - down the street
The old man with the firewood is peering toward us. Be waits a
moment, then returns to his unloading.
BACK TO SCENE
Jacob brushes snow from his knees. Hank lowers his voice.
HANK (cont'd)
If we stick to our story, we'll skate right
through this, all right? I promise.
Be takes Jacob's elbow, starts to lead him away, and WE BEAR,
very loud, a baby begin to cry. This carries over into--
 91.

116 INT. MITCHELL BEDROOM - NIGHT 116

Sarah paces across the room, trying to quiet the WAILING baby.
Hank is changing from his work clothes, but he's so nervous that
he keeps starting a new task--untying his shoe, unbuttoning his
shirt--before finishing the last.
HANK
Maybe we should leave. Just take the
money, the baby--
SARAH
Stop it, Hank.
She drops Amanda to the bed, checks her diaper, then refastens
it. She sits beside Hank, tries to force a breast on the baby.
Amanda twists away, SCREAMING. Hank stands up, begins to pace.
SARAH (cont'd)
You go in, see what he knows. If it looks
bad, we can always burn the money. That• s
still our only real tie to--
BANK
The connections are just under the surface,
Sarah. It wouldn't be that hard for things
to come together. There's the plane and
Pederson, there's Lou and Nancy and--
Sarah grabs him as he passes before her. With one hand she
holds the SCREAMING baby, with the other she 'grips Hank's wrist.
SARAH
You've got to remember how people see you.
You' re just a normal guy. A nice, sweet,
normal guy. No one would ever believe that
you'd be capable of doing what you"ve done.
Hank pulls himself free, walks to the window. Behind him, Sarah
continues to jiggle the SHRIEKING infant. Bank shuts his eyes,
rests his fingertips ·against the glass, pressing till they grow
white. Then he spins back toward Sarah--
BANK
Christi can't you shut her up?
They lock eyes for a moment, then Hank strides from the room.
SARAH
Hank? Hankl
WE HEAR him pound downstairs, wrench open the front door, slam
it shut behind him. Sarah rises, carries Amanda to the window.
 92.

I I 6R SARAH'S POV - OUT THE WINDOW - NIGHT I I 6R

Hank is standing with his back to us at the curb, wearing just

his pants and a T-shirt.
117 EXT. MITCHELL HOUSE - NIGHT 117

PUSH IN ON HANK, fists clenched at his side, eyes shut. He

takes a deep breath, steaming the air, then another, then •••
FADE TO BLACK
FADE IN ON:
118 EXT. SMALL TOWN MAIN ST. - DAY 118

It's late afternoon, snowing heavily. The street is empty, but

lights shine in several windows, including Carl's office.
119 INT. CARL 'S OFFICE - DAY 119

l Hank, Jacob and NEAL BAXTER sit before earl's desk. Baxter is a
large, crewcut man, dressed in a suit and trench coat. Carl is
behind his desk. His office is-neat and spare--a filing
I cabinet, a nearly empty bookshelf, a gun cabinet on the wall.
HANK
It was snowing pretty hard, so we weren't
really sure, but it sounded like an engine
coughing on and off. we pulled over to
listen, but we didn't hear anything more--
no crash, no engine, nothing.
He watches Baxter write this down. When Baxter finishes, he
shuts his notebook, then glances from brother to brother. Jacob
shifts uncomfortably in his seat, making it CREAK.
CARL
Anything to add, Jacob?
J"ACOB
It was probably just a snowmobile.
Another moment passes in silence, while Baxter continues to
examine them. Then he nods at Carl. He rises to his feet,
sliding his notebook into his jacket. Carl stands up, too.
CARL
Well, thanks for stopping by, boys.
Hank and Jacob both rise quickly, elated to be let off so
easily. Jacob even sneaks a grin at his brother as they start
to move toward the door. But then, just before they escape:

(CONTINUED)
 93.
119 CONTINUED: 119

BAXTER
Think you could take us out there?
Hank and Jacob look apprehensively back at Baxter.
JACOB
To the nature preserve?
BAXTER
Have to go in the morning, I guess. After
the storm passes.
HANK
(to Baxter)
Can you tell us what's going on?
120 INT. MITCHELL KITCHEN DUSK 120
Hank has just come home. He's still wearing his overcoat, snow
melting on his shoulders • Sarah is washing lettuce at the sink.
. SARAH
There's no way it's from an armored car
robbery.
HANK
( This isn't a guess, Sarah. The guy from
the FBI told me where it's from.
SARAH
But it doesn't make sense. The kidnapping
made sense.
HANK
He's searching for a plane full of money.
_You can't tell me there's more than one of
those around here.
Hank pulls a bottle of beer from the refrigerator. The stove's
timer BUZZES. Sarah opens the oven, checks inside. WE SEE a
roast chicken, not quite done. She resets the timer.
SARAH
It's hundred dollar bills, Hank. If it
were an armored car, there'd be other
denominations. There'd be fifties and
twenties and tens.
Hank twists the cap off his beer, flips it into the sink.
HANK
Well congratulations, Sarah. I guess you
know more than the FBI.

(CONTINUED)
 9-L
120 CONTINUED: 120

' ( Sarah starts to respond, but then stops, thinking, as Hank heads
into the hall. She waits a beat, then rushes after him.
121 MITCHELL FRONT ENTRANCEWAY - DUSK 121

Hank is hanging his overcoat in the hall closet. Sarah comes

toward him from the kitchen.
SARAH
Did he show you his badge?
HANK
Why would he show me his badge?
Sarah bolts up the stairs without answering. Hank stands there
a moment, exasperated, then trudges slowly after her.
122 INT. MITCHELL BEDROOM - DUSK 122

Hank ENTERS. Sarah is digging through her bureau's top drawer.

As Hank sits on the bed and starts to remove his shoes, she
turns, excited, the articles about the kidnapping in her hand.
SARAH
It"s him, isn't it? The older one, Vernon.
(she hands him the article)
He's looking for his brother.
WE SEE the kidnapper's photographs: he does resemble Baxter a
bit, though not much. Hank shakes his head.
HANK
The guy I met today was skinnier. He had a
crew cut and no beard.
SARAH
Maybe he• s lost weight. Maybe he cut his
hair and shaved his beard.
Hank continues to stare at the article. They're both growing
impatient with each otherJ their responses are quick, sharp.
HANK
He wouldn"t be coming around like thisi
it's too big a risk.
SARAH
You"re telling me that•if Jacob took off in
a plane and disappeared with all the money,
you wouldn •t try to find him? -
(a pause)
Think what we've already done to keep it.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
 95.
122 CONTINUED: 122
SARAH (cont'd)
What he's doing is nothing compared to
that.
Hank drops the article onto the bed.
HANK
It doesn't really make a difference, does
it? No matter who he is, I still have to
take him to the plane.
SARAH
If we think it"s him, you shouldn't go.
HANK
Why not?
SARAH
He'll shoot all three of you, Hank. As
soon as he sees the plane. That's why he
wants you to go, so he can eliminate the
witnesses.
HANK
But if he's really from the FBI, it'll look
suspicious if I don't help.
As he watches Sarah search for a response, WE BEAR the stove's
timer go off. It goes on and on, but neither of them reacts.
123 INT. MITCHELL KITCHEN - NIGHT 123

Hank and Sarah sit at the table. Sarah is serving the chicken,
which is noticeably burnt. She starts to eat, setting aside the
burnt part. Hank watches her, ignoring his own food. He's
tense, overwrought.
SARAH
I'll call the FBI in the morning. I'll ask
for an Agent Baxter.
HANK
I'm meeting them at nine. They won't be
open before that.
SARAH
You can stall them for a bit. I'll call
from here, then call you at Carl's office.
HANK
And if there's no Agent Baxter?
SARAH
Then you won't go. You'll tell Carl that
the baby's sick and you have to come home.
(CONTINUED)
 96.
123 CONTINUED: 123

HANK
And Jacob?
SARAH
Say he"s hungover. Carl'll believe that.
(sprinkling salt on her food)
No matter who this guy is, we don"t want
Jacob there.
Bank starts to protest, but Sarah jumps on him before he can.
SARAH
What do you want, Bank? You wanna just
walk out there and get shot by this guy?
I'm trying to come up with a plan--
HANK
(out of control)
A plan? Like the one to take the money
back to the plane, and we wind up killing
Pederson? Or the one to tape Lou and two
more people end up dying? That the sort of
plan you"re thinking of?
A long, strained beat of silence. Then, with sudden resolution:
HANK (cont'd)
I'm gonna take the money back to the plane.
(a bewildered look from Sarah)
The snow' 11 cover my tracks. By the time--
SARAH
Bank--
Bank stands up abruptly, nearly knocking over his chair. Be
heads toward the hall, leaving h~s food untouched behind him.
HANK
If we put it back, everything'll be just
like it used .to be.
For a moment, Sarah is too astonished to react. Then she jumps
up and starts after him.
SARAH
(furious)
That's what you think you want?
124 INT. MITCHELL FRONT ENTRANCEWAY - NIGHT 124

Bank is climbing the stairs. Sarah comes down the hall from the
kitchen, YELLING at him.

(CONTINUED)
 97.
124 CONTINUED: 124
I
SARAH (cont'd)
Walking off to the feedstore every morning
for the next thirty years? Waiting for Tom
Butler to retire or die so you can finally
get a raise?
She stops at the foot of the stairs. Hank has vanished up them,
but she keeps SHOUTING after him.

I SARAH (cont"d)
coming home each evening to this cheap,
ugly house, with the basement flooding
every spring, the furnace breaking down
twice a year, those disgusting yellow tiles
on the kitchen floor? Is that all it"ll
take to make you happy?
Hank reappears at the top of the stairs. He starts down them,
dragging the duffel bag behind him.
SARAH (cont'd)
What about Amanda? You think she's gonna
like growing up in somebody else"s hand-me-
down clothes? Playing with other kid's old
toys because we can never afford to buy her
anything new?
Hank reaches the bottom of the stairs, turns to Sarah; a pained
look on his face.
HANK
Sarah--
Sarah keeps going, ignoring him.
SARAH
And me? You think I want to spend the rest
of my life stamping due dates on books?
Eight hours a day with a fake smile
plastered on my face, then home to cook
dinner for you, the same meals over and
over, casseroles and macaroni and meatloaf,
whatever the week's coupons allow, only
splurgin:g for a restaurant on birthdays or
anniversaries, and even then watching what
we order, skipping the appetizers, waiting
till we get home for dessert? You think
that's what I want?
Hank reaches toward her, sounding scared suddenly.
HANK
That's enough. You've made your--

(CONTINUED)
 98.
124 CONTINUED: (2) 124

Sarah shakes her head, pulling away from his touch.

SARAH
No. We haven't done Jacob yet. What about
him? Back to the welfare office, the
occasional odd job, but without Lou to fill
the dead-time now, just himself and his dog
all alone in that dirty apartment. How
long do you give him, Hank? A year? How
long till he takes out that rifle of his,
sticks it in his mouth and--
HANK
Stop it!
A beat of silence. Hank looks at Sarah as if she"s just stabbed
him in the chest. Sarah remains wrapped within her fury. From
outside, WE HEAR the wind buffeting the house.
SARAH
(with venomous disgust)
Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? Everything
just like it used to be.
She grabs the bag, starts to drag it back upstairs, leaving Hank
all alone in the hall. WE HOLD on him, staring dully after her,
while outside, the storm continues to rage.
*125 OMIT *125

*126 OMIT *126

R127 EXT. SMALL TOWN MAIN ST. - DAY R127

It"s bright, clear, with fresh snow everywhere. WE SEE Hank

coming down the street from his house. He climbs the steps to
the town hall, disappears inside.
127 INT. CARL 'S OFFICE DAY 127

Hank sits in front of Carl's desk, his hat in his hand. earl is
at his filing cabinet, fiddling with a coffee maker. He turns,
hands Hank a steaming cup, then sits behind his desk.
CARL
Well, if Jacob can"t make it, that'll just
leave more of Linda's homemade breakfast
treats to go around.
He extends a greasy brown paper bag across the desk toward Hank.

(CONTINUED)
 98A.
127 CONTINUED: 127

CARL (cont'd)
Her special creation: a dietetic deep-
fried donut--so inedible, you won't be able
to get enough down to be bad for you.

(CONTINUED)
 99.
127 CONTINUED: (2) 127

( Hank gingerly takes one of the donuts, then holds it out to his
side. It's obvious he'd prefer not to taste it. Carl takes one
for himself, bites into it, chewing vigorously, smiling at Hank.
Hank glances at the phone, then his watch. It's 9:03.
HANK
(feigning indifference)
This guy show you a badge or anything?
CARL
A badge?
HANK
I always wondered if they look like they do
in the movies.
CARL
And how's that?
HANK
You know, bright and silver with the big F-
B-I stamped across the center.
CARL
sure they do.
(
HANK
You saw his?
CARL
(shaking his head)
No, but I've seen them before.
(he winks at Hank, nods out the
window)
Bet he'd show it to you if you asked him.
• 127R HANK ' S POV - OUT THE WINDOW *127R

Agent Baxter is just exiting from his car, looking somber.

• 1278 BACK TO SCENE *1278

Carl grins mischievously at Hank.

CARL
Be might even let you hold his gun, too.
If you ask real nice.
(he starts to CHUCKLE)
Then later I'll give you a ride in the
truck, and flash the lights for you.
Hank grins, embarrassed. He opens his mouth to respond, but the
phone RINGS, interrupting him. earl picks it up.

(CONTINUED)
 100.
*127BCONTINUED: *127B

CARL (cont'd)
Police Department.
(a pause; he smiles at Hank)
Yes, Ma"am. He's sitting right across from
me, trying to figure out how to avoid
eating one of rey wife's homemade donuts.
(a pause; he laughs)
Well, why don't you tell him. that yourself?
(another pause)
All right then. You take care.
(handing the phone to Hank)
Your wife.
Hank takes the phone.
HANK
Hey, honey.
SARAH'S VOICE
I It's him.. You gotta get out of there.
Hank is silent, taking this in. Be glances across the desk at
Carl, who's opened a newspaper and is busily reading the comics.
BANK
I'm staying, Sarah.
SARAH'S VOICE
What do you mean, you're staying? We
agreed--
BANK
(turning away, whispering)
What about Carl?
A long pause while Sarah tries to solve this oversight. Then:
SARAH'S VOICE
Tell earl... Tell him. to give the guy
directions, that you two'll meet him. there,
and then ••• and then •••
She trails off, at a loss. Hank watches Carl nibble his donut.
BAXTER (OS)
Everybody ready to roll?
Hank jumps in his chair, turning.
HANK'S POV - OFFICE DOORWAY
Baxter leans in the door. Bis jacket hangs open, and WE SEE his
shoulder holster beneath it, holding a large black pistol.

(CONTINUED)
 102.
*127BCONTINUED: (c) *127B

BAXTER
Where's your brother?
CARL
Jacob won't be joining us today. Seems
like he tied one on last night.
Hank watches Baxter for a reaction, but Baxter appears unmoved.
CHUCKLING, Carl leads them out. Bank starts to follow, but then
turns back to set his uneaten donut on the edge of Carl's desk.
I He hesitates, glancing at the paperweight, then takes off his
hat, sets it beside the donut, and turns to leave.
I *128 OMIT *128

•129 OMIT •129

•130 OMIT •130

I 31 EXT. TOWN HALL - DAY 131

earl and Baxter stand by Carl's truck, watching Bank approach

down the steps. Bank stops, reaches up, touches his head.
BANK
Damn.
(he glances over his shoulder)
Left my hat in your office.
Carl waves him back up the steps.
132 INT. CARL'S OFFICE - DAY 132

Hank moves quickly to earl's desk. Be takes the key from

beneath the paperweight, unlocks the gun cabinet, grabs a
pistol. Be re-locks the door, returns the key to its hiding
place, and starts to leave, but then stops to see if the gun is
loaded. It's not. Be moves to earl's desk; yanking open the
drawers. Be finds several boxes of bullets in the bottom
drawer, all different. sizes. He tries one, but it doesn't fit.
WE BEAR a horn honk. Bank jumps, glancing out the window.
I 33 HANK ' S POV - OUT THE WINDOW 133

earl's truck is parked at the curb, engine running.

132conBACK TO SCENE 132con

Hank grabs several of each type of bullet. He jams the pistol

into his waistband, picks up his hat, and runs for the door.
 102A.

134 INT. MITCHELL BEDROOM DAY 134

Sarah is staring out the window. The baby is on her hip,
SCREAMING. Sarah jiggles her absentmindedly, her face tense.
 REVISED l/19/98 GREEN 103,

134ft SARAH 'S POV - OUT THE WINDOW 134ft

(
Carl's truck is parked before the town hall, engine running.
After a moment, Hank emerges from the building, runs down the
steps, climbs inside. Then the truck drives off.
I 134tonBACP: TO SCENE 134con

Sarah steps to the phone, snatches it up, dials, listens.

SARAH
I Jacob?

I • R 13 5 Err. COON'l'RY ROAI> - :DAY 0

11135

The truck is moving through farm country.

13 5 INT. CARL'S POLICE BRONCO - MOVl:HG - :DAY 135

Carl is driving. Baxter sits in the middle with Balllt on his

I right.
CARL
This guy• s body• s going nWllb, the wind
whipping through the front of his jacket.
So he pulls over, climbs off his
motorcycle, and turns his jacket around.
smart, right? That way the wind won't be
able to come through the front as he
drives. But then, a few miles up the road,
he hits some ice. The bike starts to slip
out from under him and his jacket's too
tight for him to regain control. Be shoots
right off the road, smack into a tree.
Carl SMACKS the wheel, and Bank jumps. Be's sweatingJ he keeps
pushing at the gun beneath his coat, not listening at all.
CARL (cont'd)
By the time I arrive, a big crowd's already
gathered. When I ask what happened, this
guy from Wisconsin steps forward and says,
'Be was doin' fine when we first showed up.
BUt then we twisted his head back around
for him, ·and he just up and died on us.•
Baxter LAUGBS heartily, slaps- his knee. It's obvious Hank
hasn't heard a word, but he forces a LAUGH for earl's benefit.
136 EX'l'. EDGE OF WOODS - DAY 136

Carl's truck pulls over, and the three men climb out. Banlt
continues to push at the gun beneath his jacket, glancing
nervously at Baxter.

(CONTINUED)
 104.
136 CONTINUED: 136

CARL
I figure the best way is for each of us to
take a different section of the woods.
(to Baxter)
If you or I see it, we'll fire a couple
shots into the--
WE BEAR a car approaching, and all three men turn to look.
BANK'S POV - DOWN THE ROAD
Jacob's truck is approaching us, fast.
CARL (OS cont'd)
Well, good for Jacob. This'll make things
go quicker.
BACK TO SCENE

Bank watches, trying to hide his anger, as Jacob skids to a stop

behind Carl's truck. Be pushes open the door, his dog jumping
out behind him.
CARL (cont'd)
(calling to Jacob)
( Bring your riflel
earl takes a silver whistle out of his pocket, hands it to Bank.
CARL (cont'd)
You'll have to use this. Blow on it loud
as you can if you find anything, and we'll
come running. All right?
Bank nods, frowning at Jacob, who"s lumbering toward them now.
Jacob hesitates wnen he notices Bank's obvious disappointment.
Be raises his eyebrows, questioning.
BANK
(with an edge)
Thought you weren't feeling up to this.
JACOB
(flustered)
Sarah said you wanted •••
Be trails off, unsure how to proceed. He glances from Bank to
earl to Baxter, everyone watching him, then shrugs, MUMBLING:
JACOB (cont'd)
Once I got up, I felt a little better.

(CONTINUED)
 105.
136 CONTINUED: (2) 136

CARL
That's the spirit. Fresh air'll do you
good.
(to the others)
Everybody set?
Hank steps decisively forward.
HANK
I'll take the center.
He points into the woods, straight toward the plane.
137 EXT. WOODS - DAY 137

Hank trudges through the snow, weaving between the trees. The
other three men are nowhere in sight. He stops, stares.
138 HANK'S POV - DOWN INTO THE ORCHARD 138

From the rim, WE SEE the plane, nearly hidden by the fresh snow.
The crows still cling to the branches of the apple trees.
139 EXT. ORCHARD DAY 139

Hank moves through the orchard. As he's passing the plane, WE

HEAR a crunching sound beneath his boot. He stops, turns to see
what he's stepped on. It's Lou"s beer can, crushed now, and
half-covered with snow. Hank grins, bending to pick it up.
Then he starts jauntily up the slope, not looking back.
140 EXT. WOODS - FURTHER IN - DAY 140

Hank glances around to make sure he's alone, then heaves the
beer can into the woods. As it SMACKS into a tree trunk, WE
HEAR a gunshot. Hank jumps.
141 EXT. WOODS - BAXTER 141

A second SHOT echoes.through the trees. Baxter stops, listens.

142 EXT. WOODS - JACOB 142

Jacob, panting,· sweaty, stands listening. WE HEAR another shot,

sounding farther away here than with the other men, and Jacob
begins, slowly, to trudge through the snow toward the orchard.
143 EXT. WOODS - HANK 143
Hank is motionless, listening.

(CONTINUED)
 106.
143 CONTINUED: 143

I
CARL (OS)
(from a distance)
I found it!
Hank starts to sprint back through the trees toward the orchard.
144 EXT. WOODS -
BAXTER 144

Baxter is walking quickly toward the orchard. Suddenly WE HEAR

the sound of a whistle being blown. And then:
HANK (OS)
Carll
Baxter stops, listening, perplexed. The WHISTLE blows again.
145 EXT. ORCHARD - DAY 145

Carl is on the slope above the orchard, a huge grin on his face.
He's come around from the east, and is facing the tail of the
plane. Hank's tracks cut straight across the orchard, from left
to right. As Carl slides his pistol into his holster, he
pauses, listening. WE HEAR the whistle. Then:
HANK (OS cont'd)
( Run, earl!
Carl squints off into the woods, bewildered.
EXT. WOODS - HANK
Hank runs through the woods, blowing on the WHISTLE. He reaches
the rim of the orchard, and pauses, out of breath.
HANK'S POV - THE ORCHARD

Carl stands a few yards from the plane, staring toward us.
Behind him, WE SEE Baxter moving slowly down into the orchard.
BACK TO SCENE
HANK
Get out of there, Carll Run!
Hank starts down into the orchard. earl doesn't seem to hear
him. He smiles up at Hank, pointing at the plane.
CARL
You walked right by itl
Baxter is almost upon him now, glancing from the plane to Carl
to Hank. He seems confused.

(CONTINUED)
 107.
145 CONTINUED: 145

(' HANK
Pull your gun on hi.ml Make him show you
his badge!
Baxter and Carl glance at each other. Baxter grins awkwardly,
shaking his head. Carl CHUCKLES. Hank is fumbling with his
coat, trying to get at the gun, which has slipped down into his
crotch. His fingers are clumsy with his gloves on, though, and
he can't get anything open. Finally he just points at Baxter.
HANK {cont'd)
Get your hands in the air!
Baxter and Carl LAUGH. Hank continues toward them, walking
awkwardly because of the pistol.
CARL
What the hell's going on, Hank?
HANK
Just do it, Carl. Make him show you his
badge.
earl turns to Baxter, shrugging•and smiling, as if in apology.
CARL
Maybe you should show him your badge.
BAXTER
(shrugging)
All right.
He reaches into his jacket. Carl turns back toward Hank.
CARL
See, Hank? He's gonna--
Behind him, WE SEE Baxter pull his pistol from its holster. He
aims it at the back of Carl's head.
146 EXT. WOODS - JACOB 146

Jacob leans against a tree trunk, trying to catch his breath.

HANK (OS)
(very far away)
CARLI

WE HEAR a gunshot, and then, faintly, the crows CAWING. Jacob's

face shows a sudden look of terror.
 Rev. 2/12/98
Goldenrod
108.

(
147 EXT. ORCHARD - DAY 147

Baxter aims his pistol at Hank's chest. Carl's body lies at

their feet, his blood steaming the air.
BAXTER
Where's my money?
Hank, struggling for breath, feigns bewilderment.
HANK
I don't--
Baxter lashes out at him with his pistol: a savage, back-handed
blow to the side of his face, knocking Hank backward. Hank
touches his cheek. His hand comes away bloody.
When he glances at Baxter again, he finds the pistol aimed at
his head, its hammer cocked. Hank waves toward the plane.
HANK (cont'd)
It's still in there.
Baxter glances down at the gun on earl's belt, then up at.Hank.
BAXTER
Then go get it.
Hank doesn't move. Baxter quickly scans the orchard• s rim, then
waves toward the plane with his gun.
BAXTER (cont'd)
come on. Before your brother gets here.
Hank starts toward the plane. He has to tug the door several
times to get it open, rocking the plane, once again freeing it
of its covering of snow. Taking a deep breath, he slips inside.
148 INT. PLANE - MOMENTS. LATER 148

Hank crouches behind the pilot's seat. The garbage bag full of
money sits at his feet. He has the gun out, and is digging into
his pants for the bullets.
BAXTER (OS)
Hey!
Hank's hand is shaking, and the bullets spill out onto the
floor, bouncing away from him. He picks some up, tries to shove
them into his pistol, but none of them fit.
Suddenly, Baxter FIRES twice into the side of the plane. Hank
flinches, dropping his pistol,!as the bullets punch a pair of 14§A•
(CONTINUED)
 Rev. 2/12/98
Goldenrod
109.
14BA* CONTINUED: 148 A*

holes in the fuselage above the melon-shaped tear, so that the

light shining in forms a semblance of a smiling face.

148B* HANK 148B*

(picking up his pistol)
Okay, okay! I've got it!
Still struggling with the bullets, he starts toward the door.
EXT. ORCHARD

I Hank squeezes through the doorway, holding the garbage bag out
before him. Baxter steps forward and grabs it.
149 CLOSE ON BAXTER 149
as he opens the bag, staring inside at the packets.
BAXTER
That's it?
(he looks up)
Where the fuck is the r -
He freezes.
BAXTER'S POV - HANK
Hank stands there, drenched with sweat, pointing his pistol at
us. Bis wound is leaking a line of blood down his face.
BACK TO SCENE

Baxter watches Bank. After a moment, he smiles.

BAXTER
You"re not the cold-blooded type, are you,
Mr. Mitchell?
(silence, but BaXter's
satisfied)
Then I guess we're both going to have an
awful lot of explaining to do now, huh?
Bank's face is wet; it's hard to tell whether from sweat or
tears. Be wipes'at it, then shakes his head bleakly.
BANK
Just me.
He Shoots Baxter between the eyes. An instant after the
GUNSHOT:
JACOB (OS)
HANK!

(CONTINUED)
 110.
149 CONTINUED: 149

Jacob has arrived on the rim of the orchard. Hank watches him
come stumbling down the slope, his dog BARKING at his heels.
The crows are whirling and CAWING. Jacob is red in the face,
panicky. He stares from Baxter to Carl.
HANK
It's okay, Jacob.
Jacob moves toward Carl's body, as if in a trance.
JACOB
You killed •••
Hank shakes his head, points at Baxter.
HANK
He did.
Jacob falls to his knees beside Carl, reaching toward him. Hank
steps quickly forward.
HANK (cont'd)
Don't.
Jacob ignores him, taking earl's hand.
HANK (cont'd)
(growing angry)
You"re gonna mess it up.
Hank grabs his brother by his jacket, drags him backward. Jacob
falls on his rear end in the snow, then just sits there, too
upset to move. Hank examines Carl's.body, making sure Jacob
hasn't disturbed it. Then he turns back toward Jacob.
HANK (cont'd)
You understand what we"re gonna say?
Jacob doesn't respond. Hank steps toward him.
HANK (cont'd)
It's simple.
(he holds up his pistol)
We're gonna tell them Carl loaned me the
pistol to signal if I found the plane, and
when I saw Baxter shoot him, I--
Jacob lifts his head. His face is wet with tears. He rises to
his feet, his rifle slipping off his shoulder into the snow. He
gives Hank a desolate look.
JACOB
We can't, Hank.

(CONTINUED)
 111.
l4S CONTINUED: (2) 149

HANK
What're you talking about?
(he waves around them)
It's perfect. This is exactly what--
JACOB
I'm turning myself in.
Hank is speechless with shock. He looks from Jacob, to the two
bodies, to the plane, searches for something to say. Then:
HANK
You can't do this again. We're gonna end
up in jail if you keep--
Jacob is looking at Carl's corpse, his face quivering.
JACOB
No •••

He turns quickly away, covering his eyes with his hand. Hank
steps forward, panic surging through his voice.
' HANK
This is it. I promise. We get through the
( next few hours--
JACOB
(on the edge of tears)
I can't ••• I can't •••
He takes a deep, ragged breath. Hank grabs his arm, frantic.
HANK
You want to be happy, Jacob? You want the
farm, a wife and kids, me and you drinking
on the porch late at night?
Jacob stares at him vacantly. Hank shakes his arm, shouts:
HANK (cont'd)
Do you?
(seemingly against his will,
·Jacob nods)
well this is how you get it. Right here.
Right now.
He starts to drag Jacob from the plane, past earl's body. The
heat of Carl's blood has begun to melt the surrounding snow.
HANK (cont'd)
This is what it costs--

(CONTINUED)
 112.
149 CONTINUED: (3) 149

( After a few feet, Jacob pulls his arm away. He turns to Hank,
suddenly intense, points toward Baxter.
JACOB
use his gun.
Hank gives him a stupefied look. Jacob shuffles to Baxter's
body, picks up the dead man's pistol, holds it out to Hank.
Hank hesitates, then takes it. Jacob nods his approval.
JACOB (cont'd)
I don't wanna go to jail, Hank.
Hank seems relieved by these words.
BANK
You don't have to. We're gonna--
Jacob shakes his head.
JACOB
I can't pretend like you •••
ca pause)
Do it in the head, okay?
Hank stands frozen: confused, frightened, the guns in his
hands.

Stop it.
JACOB
From behind, so I don't have to see.
BANK
STOP IT!
They face each other in silence. Jacob's dog stands by Carl's
corpse, ears cocked, watching. Jacob holds out his hand.
JACOB
Here.
He steps forward, reaching to take back the gun. Hank retreats,
scared. Jacob shuffles to earl's corpse, crouches, removes the
policeman's gun from its holster. Then he stands, faces Hank.
BANK
Goddammit. we don't have time for this.
Jacob stares down at the pistol in his hand, struggling to think
things through. He looks up at his brother.

(CONTINUED)
 113.
149 CONTINUED: (4) 149

( JACOB
You have to •••
(he points toward Baxter's
pistol)
It won't make sense if I--
His dog rubs against his legs, distracting him. He stares down
at her for a beat, then stoops to pet her. He hugs her roughly,
kisses the top of her head.
HANK
Jacob.
Jacob pushes the dog away, rises, lifts earl's pistol. For an
instant it looks as if he's going to aim it at Bank, but then he
presses it to his own temple.
HANK (cont'd)
(horrified)
Jacobi
JACOB
It's okay.
Bank raises Baxter"s pistol, points it at his brother.
HANK
Put the gun down.
Jacob nods, encouraging him.
JACOB
Do it, Hank.
Hank shakes his head, his face anguished.
HANK
No •••

Tears are starting to. leak down Bank's cheeks. Jacob cocks the
pistol's hammer with his thumb. Hank takes a single step toward
him, but Jacob backs away.
JACOB
You have to •••
Hank keeps shaking his head. Finally, Jacob shuts his eyes, his
face tightening in anticipation of the bullet's impact. WE SEE
his finger begin to squeeze the trigger.
HANK (cont'd)
NOi

(CONTINUED)
 114.
149 CONTINUED: (S) 149

A GUNSHOT echoes out across the orchard, and Jacob crumples into
the snow. For an instant we shouldn't be sure who fired the
shot. Then WE SEE the bullet hole, in the exact center of
Jacob's forehead.
HIGH ANGLE SHOT
Hank is surrounded by the three corpses, the pistol still held
out before him. He slowly drops to his knees, then lifts his
head and lets loose with a long WAIL of pure despair. Behind
hlll, the plane shines in the sun. Mary Beth BARKS frantically,
while the crows whirl above the trees, CAWING.
TIME LAPSE DISSOLVE TO:
158 ORCHARD - SAME HIGH ANGLE SHOT - LATER 158

The trio of dead men are covered with blankets. Policemen mill
about the orchard. One of them videotapes the plane, another
photographs the bodies. A news cameraman is trying to approach
the scene, but the police won't let him. An ambulance crew
stands waiting for the photographer to finish with the corpses.
on the orchard's edge, WE SEE Hank talking to a group of
policemen.
CUT TO:
HANK

as two men, dressed in identical overcoats, approach hlll from

behind. They. re Special Agents RENKINS and FREMONT. Fremont
has the plastic bag full of money.
RENKINS
Mr. Mitchell?
Hank turns to find Renkins holding his badge toward hlll. It's
bright and silver with a big F-B-I stamped in the center.
RENKINS
Mind if we have a word with you?
151 INT. CARL'S OFFICE - LATER ISi

Renkins is seated behind Carl's desk, watching Hank, who sits

across from him. Fremont stands peering in at the gun cabinet.
The garbage bag full of money and the pistol Hank stole earlier
that morning sit on the desk, alongside a running tape recorder.
FREMONT
(turning from the cabinet)
You know, Mr. Mitchell, for someone who's
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
 115.
151 CONTINUED: 151
FREMONT (cont'd)
been properly trained, there are many ways
to detect a liar.
There's a dark red gash across Hank's cheek, but the wound has
stopped bleeding. He gives Fremont a frightened look.
HANK
I don't--
FREMONT
The shifty eyes of pulp fiction have a
certain basis in fact. A wooden or stilted
tone, gestures that seem either slightly
robotic or unnecessarily expansive--
Renkins nods in agreement, joining in.
RENKINS
Details tend to be vague, slippery.
Sometimes the suspect will cover his mouth
with his hand as he speaks •••
Fremont rests his palms on the desk, leans toward Hank.
FREMONT
You notice anything like that from the man
you shot today?
Hank still hasn"t grasped what the agent is saying. He glances
from Rankins to Fremont, gives a nervous shake of his head.
FREMONT (cont'd)
He was lying to you, Mr. Mitchell. He
wasn't from the FBI.
Hank lifts his hand, starts to cover his mouth, but then
realizes wh&t he's doing and quickly lowers it. He struggles to
mask his relief, to feign confusion.
HANK
I don't understand. He said--
Fremont nods; he knows what he said.
FREMONT
His name was Vernon Bokovsky. His brother
was in that crashed plane you found out
there today.
HANK
He was looking for his brother?

(CONTINUED)
 116.
151 CONTINUED: (2) 151

The words seem to suck everything out of Hank: for an instant,

he looks as if he might crumple. The other two men don• t appear
to notice. Renkins leans forward, opens the bag of 1110ney.
RENKINS
Be was looking for this.
Be shakes it, displaying the money. Bank stares, unseeing.
FREMONT
Bokovsky and his brother were the guys who
kidnapped that McMartin girl last November.
You remember? The one they shot and dumped
in the lake?
RENKINS
Four point four million dollars in ransom.
Hank continues to stare into the bag, completely absent: he
hasn't heard a word they've said. The agents smile at each
other, misinterpreting his reaction. Renk.ins reaches into the
bag, pulls out a packet, holds it out to Bank.
RENKINS (cont'd)
Wanna touch it?
(
Hank blinks up at him, too dazed to answer. Renk.ins nods
encouragingly.
RENKINS (cont'd)
Go ahead.
Hank finally realizes what the man wants of him. He takes the
packet, balances it for a moment in his palm, then hands it back
to Renkins, who returns it to the bag.
RENKINS (cont'd)
This is only part of it, of course. We're
still tracking down the rest.
FREMONT
(confidently)
Just a question of time.
The words jerk Hank back into the conversation. He glances
apprehensively from Renkins to Fre1110nt.
BANK
What do you mean?
FREMONT
We had the money for two hours before the
kidnappers picked it up. We couldn't mark
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
 117.
151 CONTINUED: (3) 151
FREMONT (cont'd)
it--we were afraid they'd detect the
markings and kill the girl--so we put
together a task force of twenty agents,
and they wrote down as many of the serial
numbers as they could. We ended up
recording just under five thousand of them,
one out of ten of the bills.
Hank stares at them, too shocked to speak.
RENKINS
Simply a matter of waiting for the numbers
to turn up. You can't go around passing
hundred dollar bills without eventually
sticking in someone's memory.
HANK
(stunned)
The money's marked.
FREMONT
That's what it amounts to. Marked money.
Renkins leans back in his chair, smiles.
RENKINS
Crime doesn't pay.
*152 OMIT

*153 OMIT *153

CUT TO:

154 THE MONEY 154

pouring out across the Mitchell's living room carpet.

INT. MITCHELL LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Hank drops the empty.duffel bag to the floor, bends, picks up a

handful of packets. Logs burn in the fireplace. Sarah stands
before i~, facing Hank. She's crying, shaking her head.
SARAH
No.
She holds her hands out before her, blocking his way. Hank just
stares at her, his eyes empty.
SARAH (cont'd)
We can run with it ••• We can leave the
country, go to South America, Australia,
somewhere far away •••

(CONTINUED)
 117A.
154 CONTINUED: 154

( Hank says nothing. He's resigned himself to what he has to do,

and he stands there waiting for Sarah to do so, too.

(CONTINUED)
 118.
154 CONTINUED: ( 2) 154

( SARAH (cont'd)
(desperate)
I can get a job at the FBI. I can steal
the list of numbers.
HANK
Sarah •••
She wipes at her tears, steps forward, holding out her hands.
SARAH
Please, Hank.
She touches his face, then leans in, hugging him, kissing him.
He tries to pull away, but she holds on, intense, and for an
instant it seems as if he might submit. Then he jerks free,
pushes past her to the fire. She grabs at him, and he turns,
shoving, knocking her back into the pile of money. She falls to
the floor.
Hank crouches, opens the fire screen. He throws the packets
onto the logs. Behind him, Sarah lies weeping on the carpet.
She's on her stomach, scrambling at the pile of money, dragging
packets toward her, trying to hide them beneath her body.
Hank stares into the fire. WE SEE the packets catching, their
edges curling, their ink going black. Very faintly, WE begin to
HEAR the grinding of the feed mill, which carries over into:
** 155 TBRU 160 - OMITTED

• 168ft INT. SMALL TOWN LIBRARY - DAY •16BR

Amanda lies in a bassinet by the counter. Mrs. Trilling coos at

the baby while Sarah stamps her books. She gives Mrs. Trilling
a fake smile. The sound of the FEED MILL is growing steadily
louder, carrying over into:
• 16B8 INT. MITCHELL LIVING ROOM - NIGHT •1688

Hank is crouched beside Sarah, prying the packets from her grip.
She's sobbing. Behind them, the fire blazes. The GRINDING is
almost unbearably loud now.
*16BC INT. FEED MILL - DAY *16BC

Hank stands in the center of the storeroom, his clipboard in his

hand, staring blankly at the shelves, which sag beneath the
piled sacks of grain. The air is thick with dust, the walls
vibrating with the violence of the mill.

\
 llBA

*1680 INT. MITCHELL LIVING ROOM - NIGHT •1680

Abrupt SILENCE. Hank crouches before the fire, watching the

flames. The pile of money is gone. It's all been burned.

(CONTINUED)
 119.
*l60DCONTINUED: *1600

Sarah still lies on the carpet, curled into a ball, but she's no
longer crying. Like Bank, she's staring dully into the fire.
we watch them for a long ti.me before we
FADE TO BLACK