Platoon
Barnes looking down at the man, can’t believe it.
Elias is on his last legs now, obviously being hit by the incoming fire of the NVA. He falls to his knees, still stretching upwards for life.
The Chopper Captain shakes his head at Wolfe.
The Chopper dips one more time firing at the NVA, low and fierce over the jungle.
Chris looking back in horror.
Elias crucified. The NVA coming out now by the dozens from the treeline.
Elias crumbling to the ground. Obviously dead or dying.
HELICAPTAIN ON RADIO … we still got one on the deck. Bring the gunships in.
Barnes drawing in.
Chris looking at him in revulsion. He knows. Barnes sees his look, ignores it, all of them sitting there silent, living with that final horrifying image of Elias.
EXT. UNDERGROUND HUTCH – BASE CAMP – NIGHT
The ‘heads’ are assembled – what’s left of them. Rhah, King, Francis, Doc, Adam, a quiet black kid, and Chris, who is impassioned tonight.
CHRIS He killed him. I know he did. I saw his eyes when he came back in …
RADIO VOICE (puffing on his bowl) How do you know the dinks didn’t get him. You got no proof man.
CHRIS Proof’s in the eyes. When you know you know. You were there Rhah – I know what you were thinking. I say we frag the fucker. Tonight.
He looks to King who puffs on a joint, his eyes red.
KING I go with dat, an eye for an eye man.
DOC Right on, nothing wrong with Barnes another shot in the head wouldn’t cure.
RHAH (to Chris) Shit boy you been out in the sun too long. You try that, he’ll stick it right back up your ass with a candle on it.
CHRIS Then what do you suggest big shot?
RHAH (to Chris) I suggest you watch your own asses cause Barnes gonna be down on ALL OF ‘EM.
FRANCIS How you figger that?
RHAH Shit man – Human nature.
Flashes the old knuckle – ‘HATE’.
KING Then you jes gonna forget ’bout Elias and all the good times we done had? Right in here.
RHAH He dugged his own grave.
DOC (correcting) He dug it.
RHAH He DUGGED it too.
CHRIS Fuck this shit!
RHAH You guys trying to cure the headache by cutting off the head. ‘Lias didn’t ask you to fight his battles and if there’s a Heaven – and god, I hope so – I know he’s sitting up there drunk as a fuckin’ monkey and smokin’ shit cause HIS PAINS HE DONE LEFT DOWN HERE. Baaaaaaaaa! (a vehement movement of his head)
CHRIS You’re wrong man! Any way you cut it Rhah, Barnes is a murderer.
KING Right on.
RHAH I remember first time you came in here Taylor you telling me how much you admired that bastard.
CHRIS I was wrong.
RHAH (snorts) Wrong? You ain’t EVER been right – ’bout nothing. And dig this you assholes and dig it good! Barnes been shot 7 times and he ain’t dead, that tell you something? Barnes ain’t meant to die. Only thing can get Barnes … is Barnes!
Barnes stands there, silhouetted in the trap door, looking down at the men who are stunned to see him here.
He steps down into the hutch, his face now lit by candle light. A bottle of whiskey in his hand, drunk, ugly, sweating, but as always, with dignity, possessive of his silence. He feels their fear in the silence, enjoys it.
BARNES (soft) Talking ’bout killing?
He totters slightly as he circles the outer edge of the hutch. No one talks.
BARNES (CONT’D) Y’all experts? Y’all know about killing?
He takes the bowl from Adams, smokes it.
BARNES (CONT’D) You pussies gotta smoke this shit so’s you can hide from reality? … (smokes again) Me I don’t need that shit. I AM reality.
Confronting Chris, he moves on, taunting them all.
BARNES (CONT’D) There’s the way it oughta be and there’s the way it is. ‘Lias he was full of shit, ‘Lias was a crusader – I got no fight with a man does what he’s told but when he don’t, the machine breaks down, and when the machine breaks down, WE break down … and I ain’t gonna allow that. From none of you. Not one …
Walks past Rhah, past King, throws the pot bowl into the dirt of the floor.
BARNES (CONT’D) Y’all loved Elias, want to kick ass, I’se here – all by my lonesome, nobody gonna know. Five you boys ‘gainst me? (pause, very soft) Kill me.
Almost an appeal – naked, intense. Rhah, Francis, Doc look away.
King, the biggest one there, is about to say something, but the moment passes.
Chris waits, his anger on the rise.
Barnes takes a swigger from the whiskey, then turns away contemptuously.
BARNES (CONT’D) I SHIT on all o’ you.
CHRIS KILL YOU MOTHERFUCKER!!!
Chris slams into Barnes, rushing him off his feet. Pounding his face, solid blows.
KING AND OTHERS Get that mother, babe, go … Kick his ass, kill that cocksucker!!!
But Barnes is too quick and very strong and takes the blows, getting outside Chris’ arm, twisting and flipping him in a wrestler’s grip – throwing him hard onto his back on the dirt floor.
The expression of the Men watching slumps, their hopes dashed.
Barnes springs around on Chris, straddles him, one hand pushing his face back, hits him hard. Once. Twice.
Chris grimaces, groans, helpless now. A flick of sound.
A knife whipped out of Barnes’ boot and pressing against Chris’ throat. Chris bleeding from the nose and mouth.
Rhah suddenly spinning into action, fast now, realizing what Barnes intends to do.
RHAH EASY BARNES, EASY MAN!!!
Barnes is on the verge – about to kill again.
Chris waiting.
Rhah coaxing him, moving closer.
RHAH (CONT’D) You’ll do dinky dau in Long Binh Barnes. Ten years – kill an enlisted. Ten years, Barnes, just climb the walls. DON’T DO IT …
Barnes’ eyes tremble in the candle light, his scars ugly, a spasm clenching and locking his facial muscles. Then suddenly he is calm again, very calm. We sense a man of enormous self-control.
Suddenly he flicks his knife across Chris, leaving a mark below his left eye.
Chris gasps. Looking up at Barnes rising off him. The boots alongside his face.
The Men looking on, the tension lowering.
BARNES (contemptuous) Death? What do you guys know about it?
He walks out. Quietly.
EXT. AIR SHOTS – JUNGLE, CHURCH – DAY
Chris sits at the very edge of a Huey Chopper, bandana around his forehead, long hair blowing in the wind, Barnes’ mark below his eyes, slicked out now like a jungle veteran, looking down at the VILLAGE where the massacre occurred.
The Village is still a smoking ruin, a few peasants and water buffalo straggling like ants to reconstruct.
Bunny, next to Chris, pops his gum, indifferent. Barnes, next to him, shifts, reads a map.
Rodriguez is praying, his mouth moving without audible words, getting ready for the drop.
King is making last minute adjustments in his pack.
Bunny now nudges Chris, points. The Church in the Jungle where Elias was killed is visible. An outline of the Cemetery. Uncomfortable memories play over Chris’ face.
CHRIS (V.O.) They sent us back into the valley the next day – about 2,000 metres from Cambodia – into a battalion perimeter. Alpha Company had been hit hard the day before by a sizeable force and Charlie Company had been probed that night. There were other battalions in the valley, we weren’t the only ones but we knew we were going to be the bait to lure them out. And somewhere out there was the entire 141st NVA Regiment.
The BATTALION PERIMETER now breaks in the clear ahead. Smoke grenades of various colors are being popped on the cleared LZ. It’s not big, its radius 200 yards, heavily sandbagged, deeply dug, rolls of barbed wire protecting it, radio antennas sprouting from the CP – and surrounded on all four sides by jungle.
The First Chopper rocking down, whipping up dust clouds. Chris jumps out, moving out fast as the Second Chopper starts in.
EXT. BATTALION CP – PERIMETER #3 – DUSK
At the Battalion CP, the Major confers with Captain Harris and two other Captains. Two NVA PRISONERS are sitting on their knees, interrogated by Vietnamese Kit Carson scouts and a U.S. Sergeant, their hands tied.
The Scout slaps the shit out of the NVA.
EXT. PLATOON CP – PERIMETER #3 – DUSK
All this is watched from a distance by Ace and Doc and Lt.Wolfe at the Platoon CP. Ace and Doc are digging the foxhole, the ace of spades in Ace’s helmet band, sharing the information with Tony and Francis.
ACE … they caught ’em last night pulling some shit on Charlie Company. They found maps on ’em, man – got a friend at Battalion says they had every fuckin’ foxhole here fixed on it. Distances, treelines, our claymores, trip wires, everything? I shit you not.
DOC Shit, so what the fuck are we doing here? Why don’t we move … (no answer) Bad vibes, man, I got bad vibes here. Where are the new guys they provided us anyway.
TONY I heard we’s in Cambodia right fuckin’ NOW.
FRANCIS You kidding man …
