Killing Zoe

Screenplay

by

Roger Avary

       FADE IN:

       INT. TAXI CAB - MOVING - DAY

       Rain falls on the rear window of a taxi parked in the taxi 
       zone of the Charles de Gualle Airport.

       Aside from the incessant tapping of rain on the roof of the 
       cab  we hear the sounds of the airport:  the almost monotonic 
       loudspeaker declaring in French that loitering is not 
       permissible and that should any bags be left unattended that 
       they will be destroyed; the honking of the horns from other 
       automobiles; the unintelligible chatter of people as they get 
       their bearings.  Inside the cab, playing on the radio, is 
       Angelique Kidjo's funky song "Batonga".

       Then, the rear door to the cab opens and in an EXTREME CLOSE 
       UP we see ZED, a young man with wild, almost mesmerizing eyes 
       shielded by small round glasses, and with a head of nappy red 
       hair.  His face has drops on it from the flurry outside.

       He settles himself, then looks to the CAB DRIVER, an easy 
       going Senegalese/Frenchman, in the front seat.

                           ZED
                 Hotel Mondial.

                           CAB DRIVER
                 Le Mondial.  Tres bien.

       He starts driving.

                           CAB DRIVER
                 Avec cette pluie ca risque de prendre un 
                 moment.  L'autoroute est ferme.  A cause 
                 du 14 Juillet.

       He drives for a while.

                           CAB DRIVER
                 [Do you mind the radio?]

       Zed looks at the meter, francs are clicking away.  He also 
       looks at the cab driver's license, his name is Moises Du 
       Bois.

                           CAB DRIVER
                 [Do you want me to turn the radio off?]

                           ZED
                     (realizing he's being asked a 
                      question)
                 I don't speak French.

       The driver turns around.

                           CAB DRIVER
                     (in broken English)
                 Ah.  American?

                           ZED
                 That's right.

                           CAB DRIVER
                 That's good because I speak a little 
                 English.

       Zed nods.

                           CAB DRIVER
                 I asked if you mind the radio.  Music.  
                 You know.

       Zed shakes his head "no".

                           CAB DRIVER
                     (with a smile)
                 Super cool.

       Zed adjusts his watch.

                           ZED
                 What time is it?

                           CAB DRIVER
                 Time, time, time.  I don't know.  
                 Daytime.

       Zed forgets the adjustment for now.

                           CAB DRIVER
                 Are you in town for business?

                           ZED
                 Yes.

                           CAB DRIVER
                 It's a nice hotel.  Your hotel.  Very big 
                 rooms.

       He looks at Zed in the rear view mirror.

                           CAB DRIVER
                 Do you know Paris?

                           ZED
                 I've been here once before.  When I was 
                 younger.

       The cab driver smiles.

                           CAB DRIVER
                 Those were the days.

       They drive for a while.

                           CAB DRIVER
                 Married?

                           ZED
                 I beg your pardon?

                           CAB DRIVER
                 Do you have a wife?

                           ZED
                 No.
                     (then after thinking about it 
                      for a while)
                 Why?

                           CAB DRIVER
                 Well, if you need a wife for the night...
                     (searching for the right words 
                      in French)
                 Une escorte.  Pour vous faire visiter.
                     (then back to his broken 
                      English)
                 For business.  I give you my number.  
                 Very nice girl.  French.  Like when you 
                 were young.

       He lifts his hand and shows his index and middle finger 
       tightly extended together, then he crosses them.

                           CAB DRIVER
                 Know what I mean?

       Zed smiles at this and nods.

                           CAB DRIVER
                 Speaks the language of love.  Take you to 
                 heaven and back.  You just tell me and I 
                 set it up.

       Zed shakes his head and laughs.

                           CAB DRIVER
                 What you laughing at?  You let Moises set 
                 it up.  She treat you right.  She treat 
                 you fine.

       Zed can do nothing but smile at the thought of it.

                                                       DISSOLVE TO:

       INT. HOTEL - HALL - DAY

       A long, empty hallway of a moderately priced hotel.  From 
       around a corner comes a BELLBOY carrying Zed's one bag.

       Zed is right behind him.

       They come up to room 6A and the bellboy unlocks the door.

       INT. HOTEL ROOM - DAY

       The door to the room opens and the bellboy, followed by Zed, 
       walks into the room.

       He puts Zed's bag onto one of those luggage holders and 
       proceeds to show him the room.

       Sitting on the bed is a large air freight package.

                           BELLBOY
                     (in broken English)
                 Your package...It arrived in the last 
                 night of before last night.

       He points to the telephone.

                           BELLBOY
                 Ah...telephone, for the room service.

       He motions toward the bathroom.

                           BELLBOY
                 The toilet.

       He opens the closet door.

                           BELLBOY
                 To hang the clothes.

       He points to a control console next to the bed.

                           BELLBOY
                 From here you can operate the television.

       Then he pauses at the door before he goes out.

       Zed reaches into his pocket and takes out some French money, 
       he starts fingering through it.

       Then, the bellboy takes the liberty of showing Zed which 
       bills to give him.

                           BELLBOY
                     (after getting what he wanted)
                 Merci.

       He starts to leave.

                           ZED
                 Oh, wait.

       The bellboy turns around.

                           ZED
                 What time is it?

                           BELLBOY
                     (confused)
                 What time is it?

                           ZED
                     (pointing at his watch)
                 Time.

                           BELLBOY
                 Ah.  Yes.  Il est presque huit heures 
                 moins dix.

       The bellboy clicks his heels and walks out the door.

       Zed looks around the room, still wondering what time it is, 
       and takes a seat on the bed.

       Obviously tired from the flight Zed unbuttons his shirt a bit 
       and lays back on the bed next to the package.  Before he 
       dozes off to sleep he takes his watch off and places it on 
       the bedside table.

       He is asleep.

                                                     FADE TO BLACK:

       INT. HOTEL ROOM - LATER - DAY

       Zed's bed, while still made, looks like it's been slept in.  
       Sitting on it is the ripped open air freight package.  Inside 
       of it is a black steel briefcase.

       The shower is on and from the look of things Zed is in it.

       On the bedside table we see Zed's watch.  It reads 12:10 P.M.  
       Next to it is the phone.  Next to the phone is a piece of 
       folded paper with Moises' name and a phone number that reads:  
       45.63.53.37.

       INT. HOTEL ROOM - BATHROOM - SHOWER - DAY

       Zed is in the shower letting the water run directly into his 
       face and cascade down his body.

       He opens his mouth and freely drinks the water, then he spits 
       some out with a spurt.

       Then he stops, attentive, listening for something.

       He turns the shower off.

       Then he hears it again, the knocking on the door.

       INT. HOTEL ROOM - BATHROOM - DAY

       Zed grabs a towel and climbs out of the shower.  He makes his 
       way toward the knocking.

       INT. HOTEL ROOM - DAY

       Zed walks to the door to his room with the towel wrapped 
       around his waist.  He opens it.

       In the hall is ZOEY, a cute French girl of not more than 
       twenty.  She's chewing on gum the way a schoolgirl might, but 
       she looks like no girl Zed ever went to school with.

                           ZOEY
                 Bonjour.

                           ZED
                     (a little awkwardly)
                 Bonjour.

       Zed opens up the door and lets her in.  She checks out the 
       room and places her bag on the bed.  Then she makes her way 
       to the window for a view of the city.

                           ZOEY
                 Wow.  Vous avez une belle chambre.  Je ne 
                 suis jamais venue dans cet hotel.

       She turns to him, but in the process takes the time to 
       examine every detail of the room.

                           ZOEY
                 Ca sera 150 francs de l'heure.  Toute la 
                 nuit pour 700.  D'avance.  Et faudra 
                 porter un--

                           ZED
                 I...don't speak French.

       She blows a bubble.

                           ZOEY
                 It's okay.

       She takes a seat on the bed.

                           ZOEY
                 It will be one thousand francs for all 
                 night.  In advance.

       Zed takes the money out of his wallet and gives it to her.

                           ZOEY
                 We can do it now if you want.

                           ZED
                 Well, let me just dry up.

                           ZOEY
                 Okay, but it's not necessary.

       He goes into the bathroom and starts drying himself.

       She puts the money in her bag and then turns on the 
       television from the remote console.  A French talk show comes 
       on.  She changes the channel until she comes to a station 
       playing F.W. Murnau's silent classic, "Nosferatu".  She 
       smiles and sits back to watch.

                           ZED(O.S.)
                     (from the bathroom)
                 What's your name?

                           ZOEY
                 Zoe or Zoey.  Which ever you like.

                           ZED(O.S.)
                 My name's Zed.

                           ZOEY
                     (smiling at this)
                 That's funny.  We both have Z names.

       Zed comes walking out of the bathroom drying his hair.  His 
       pants are on.

                           ZED
                 What was that?

       She notices his pants.

                           ZOEY
                 You can take those off.  The pants.

                           ZED
                 I'd rather watch you get undressed first.

                           ZOEY
                     (matter-of-factly)
                 Alright.

       She stands up and starts to lift her top off.  He stops her.

                           ZED
                 Slower.

       He lays down on the bed.

       She stands there looking at him and then smiles.

                           ZOEY
                 Alright Mister America.  Zed.

       Then, with Zed laying on the bed and watching her, she 
       slowly, seductively strips in front of him, never taking her 
       eyes from his eyes, until she is totally naked.

                           ZOEY
                 Slow enough for you?

       Then, like a cat prowling for it's prey, she crawls over the 
       bed to him and begins to unbuckle his pants.

       She removes the pants and climbs on top of him.  They begin 
       to make love.

       On the television, "Nosferatu" silently plays.

       Zoey and Zed quicken their pace with an urgency one can't 
       resist during a moment of passion.

       She cries out and lowers herself to his grasp.  An IMAGE 
       overcomes her mind.

       They quicken to an almost violent speed and then expire, both 
       satisfied.

       She begins to kiss him multiple times over the face.

                           ZOEY
                 C'etait formidable.

       She rolls over, still hugging him, purring like a kitten.

       They rest there for a while...holding each other.

                           ZOEY
                 I'm cold.

       She takes the covers and crawls under them, so does Zed.

                           ZOEY
                 Zed?

                           ZED
                 Yes?

                           ZOEY
                 Moises told me you were in town for 
                 business.

                           ZED
                 Yes.

                           ZOEY
                 What kind of business?

                           ZED
                 Why?

                           ZOEY
                 I don't know.  I'm just curious.

                           ZED
                 Do you ask all your clients questions?

                           ZOEY
                 No.  Just the ones I like.

                           ZED
                 So you like me?

                           ZOEY
                 Yes.

                           ZED
                 Why?

                           ZOEY
                 Because you're...a good person.  I run 
                 into some real creeps.  You know.

                           ZED
                 How do you know I'm a good person?

                           ZOEY
                 Body language.  We fit together.

                           ZED
                 All men and women fit together.  Hell, 
                 even some men fit together.

                           ZOEY
                 No, but you know, we clicked.  You made 
                 me orgasm.  Do you know how often I 
                 orgasm with a man Moises sets me up with?

                           ZED
                 No I don't.

                           ZOEY
                 Usually never.  They're almost always fat 
                 like pigs.

       Zed laughs at this.

                           ZOEY
                 And you make me feel safe.  That's 
                 something more important than the orgasm.  
                 An integral part maybe of the orgasm.

                           ZED
                 I never really thought of it like that.

                           ZOEY
                 Well, it's true.

       Zed nods at this.

                           ZOEY
                 Turn off the television.

       Zed reaches over and turns it off from the console.

                           ZOEY
                 So I mean it when I tell you Zed, I like 
                 you very much.

                           ZED
                 Well, I like you too Zoe.

                           ZOEY
                 Honest?

       He nods.

                           ZOEY
                 Why?  For the same reason?  Any man can 
                 orgasm.  Even with his own hand.

       Zed stares ahead as he thinks of an answer.

                           ZED
                 Well, I like your honesty.  You're open.  
                 Unlike most prostitutes I've been with.

       She doesn't like the sound of this.  She slaps him.

                           ZOEY
                 I am not a prostitute!

       Zed is a little surprised at this.

                           ZED
                 Really?  Can I have my francs back then?

                           ZOEY
                 I'm a student.  And to pay for the 
                 classes I became an escort.  It's my 
                 choice to sleep with you.

                           ZED
                 I see.

                           ZOEY
                 What?  You don't understand.

                           ZED
                 No, I do.

                           ZOEY
                 Hey, it's not easy.

                           ZED
                 I didn't say it was.

                           ZOEY
                 I'm here because I want to.

                           ZED
                 Okay, okay relax.  What school do you go 
                 to?

                           ZOEY
                 The Centre du Art, Paris.

                           ZED
                 That's really interesting.  What kind of 
                 art do you study?

                           ZOEY
                 Not any of the old shit.

                           ZED
                 Oh.

                           ZOEY
                 I have a day job too.  Three times a 
                 week.

       She rolls onto her back and stares into an imaginary world as 
       she talks to Zed.

                           ZOEY
                 But someday there will be only my art.

                           ZED
                 What kind of things do you paint?

                           ZOEY
                 I don't paint.  I make things.  Objects.  
                 Not like sculpture.  Like life...but with 
                 no narrative.  I want when someone looks 
                 at one of my objects for there to be no 
                 reference to the world.  Void of feeling, 
                 emotion...void of destiny.  Those are 
                 left for me.  They belong only to me.  If 
                 someone else can see into it...then it is 
                 no longer mine.  I have failed.  And I 
                 would destroy it.  I don't care how much 
                 cash they would offer me.  It would be 
                 shit.  I can't tell you how many objects 
                 of mine have been destroyed.  They told 
                 too much about me.  And if someone wants 
                 to know something about me...I'll tell 
                 them myself.  The way I'm telling you.

       She looks back at him.

                           ZOEY
                 What I do I do only for the objects.

                           ZED
                 I'd like to see one of these.

                           ZOEY
                 What?  So you could see the work of a 
                 whore?

       He decides to put a stop to this once and for all.

                           ZED
                 Zoey.  I'm sorry for calling you a 
                 prostitute.  I didn't understand the 
                 difference.

                           ZOEY
                 The difference is a prostitute would have 
                 lied to you about her orgasm.

       He gives her a kiss.

                           ZED
                 If these things you make are as true as 
                 you are...I'm sure they're as 
                 indescribable.  Perhaps, someday, you'll 
                 make one...about me.

                           ZOEY
                 If I do...you'll never know which one it 
                 is.  Because I'll be the only one who 
                 understands.  I'll be the only one who 
                 can look into it and see where in my life 
                 it came from.

       Zed is unable to speak.  They look into each others eyes for 
       a long moment, hearing the sounds of the city drift in 
       through the window.  Then she leans forward and gives him a 
       soft understanding kiss.

                                                       DISSOLVE TO:

       INT. ZED'S ROOM - NIGHT

       Zed is asleep.  Zoey is asleep in his arms.

       There is a knocking at the door.

       Zed opens his eyes.

       The knock becomes a pound.

       Zed gets up and puts on his pants.  Zoey gets up and looks 
       around.

                           ZOEY
                     (groggily)
                 What time is it?

                           ZED
                 I have no idea.  Night time.

       There is more pounding on the door.

                           ZOEY
                 I'm going to take a shower.

       She trots off naked to the bathroom and starts the shower.

       Zed walks over to the door and opens it up.

       Standing in the hall is Eric, a Frenchman of Zed's age 
       wearing baggy French-style clothes.

                           ERIC
                     (with a thick accent)
                 Hey you madman!

       Zed's happy to see him.

                           ZED
                 Eric.  Come in.

       They hug.

                           ERIC
                 What happened to you?  I thought you were 
                 going to call.

       Eric walks in and starts to notice the traces of wild love 
       making around the room.

                           ERIC
                     (smiling)
                 Oh I see.  You have been busy.

                           ZED
                 Sorry, I asked the hotel to give me a 
                 wake up call.

                           ERIC
                 That's good, but now I am here.  So let's 
                 go.  We have a lot to talk about.

                           ZED
                 What about the girl?

                           ERIC
                 Is she your girlfriend?

                           ZED
                 No.

                           ERIC
                 Fuck her.

       He peeks into the bathroom.

                           ERIC
                 She's a dishrag whore.  Kick her out.

                           ZED
                 I'll let her stay here tonight.

                           ERIC
                 Don't be silly.  It's dangerous.

       Eric walks into the bathroom.

       INT. HOTEL ROOM - BATHROOM - NIGHT

       Eric walks up to the shower and knocks on the door.  Zoey is 
       obviously surprised to see him.

                           ERIC
                     (in French with English 
                      subtitles)
                 [Okay.  Get out of the shower.  It's time 
                 for you to leave.]

                           ZOEY
                 [Fuck you.]

       Eric opens up the door and yanks her out of the shower.

                           ERIC
                 [No.  Come on you fucking slut!]

       She shrieks.

                           ZOEY
                 [Let go of me you shit!!]

       He drags her out into the room, she is dripping wet.

       INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

       Zed can't believe this.

                           ZED
                 Eric.

                           ERIC
                     (to Zed)
                 Don't worry about her.
                     (to Zoey in French)
                 [Why don't you just go back to your pimp 
                 and suck his black dick!]

       She bites his hand.  He yells in pain.

                           ERIC
                 God damn it!

       He kicks her in the butt and sends her toward the door.

                           ERIC
                 [Get the fuck out of here you fucking 
                 whore!]

       He opens the door and throws her into the hall.

       INT. HOTEL - HALL - NIGHT

       Naked, Zoey falls into the hall.

       Eric slams the door shut.

       She is instantly back on her feet and screaming as she pounds 
       on the door.

                           ZOEY
                 [Give me my clothes you asshole!]

       INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

       She is pounding on the door.

                           ERIC
                     (looking at his hand wound)
                 God damn it.  Look at my hand.

                           ZED
                     (shocked at the whole incident)
                 Jesus Eric.

                           ZOEY(O.S.)
                 Ouvres!  Je veux mes habits!

       Eric listens.

                           ERIC
                 Oh shit.  Her clothes.

       He picks up her clothes and her bag, opens the door, and 
       throws it into the hall just long enough for her to yell at 
       him.

                           ZOEY
                     (almost too quick to 
                      understand)
                 Tu te prends pour qui espece de connard!?

                           ERIC
                 La ferme!

       He slams the door shut.

       Then he turns to Zed.

                           ERIC
                 So tell me, what have you been up to?

       Zed sits down on the bed.

                           ZOEY(O.S.)
                 Allez vous faire enculer tous le deux!

                           ZED
                 Eric, I liked that girl.

                           ERIC
                 Oh.  Well, then why didn't you stop me.

                           ZED
                 Because you were on a rampage.

                           ERIC
                 Look, your whole life you've done nothing 
                 but fuck whores.  A girl like that will 
                 give you AIDS.  Why don't you find a nice 
                 girl in the suburbs?

                           ZED
                 Because when you need to get off you 
                 don't want to have to date for months to 
                 do it.

                           ERIC
                 Just use your hand like me.

                           ZED
                 Sometimes you just need honesty...and 
                 security.

                           ERIC
                 I don't understand.  Anyway, it's too 
                 late.  Get dressed, let's go out and meet 
                 the boys.

                           ZED
                 Okay, let me take a shower.

                           ERIC
                 No, in Paris it's good to smell like 
                 you've been fucking.  It will make them 
                 respect you.

                           ZED
                 Oh.

                           ERIC
                 Just put on a shirt and a sport coat.

       Zed starts to get dressed

       EXT. BOULEVARD SAINT MICHEL - NIGHT

       The McDonalds on the corner of Boulevard Saint Michel and Rue 
       Soufflot is bustling.

       Eric's Citroen screeches around the corner on it's way past 
       the Pantheon and into the heart of the fifth Arrondissment.

       INT. ERIC'S CAR - MOVING - NIGHT

       Eric and Zed are driving through the streets of Paris in 
       Eric's car.  The grooving Ryuichi Sakamoto song "Triste" is 
       playing on the radio.

                           ERIC
                 I'm glad you came.  How long has it been?

                           ZED
                 Years.

                           ERIC
                 It's amazing, you know?  Here you are.  
                 One day in America.  Now here.

                           ZED
                 Well, to be honest there really wasn't 
                 much happening for me in the states.

                           ERIC
                 But in Paris your old friend Eric has a 
                 job for you, so you came.  That's good.

                           ZED
                 How could I resist your invitation?

                           ERIC
                 You would have been stupid to.

                           ZED
                 So what have you been doing here?

                           ERIC
                 After school I spent some time in Algeria 
                 studying African philosophy.  And then I 
                 bummed around.  You know.  For fun.  For 
                 a while I worked at Le Figaro.  The 
                 newspaper.

                           ZED
                 Really?

                           ERIC
                 Yes.  With an assumed Masters degree.  
                 And lately we have just been bombing 
                 fascists here in Paris.  You know, like 
                 terrorists.

       Zed looks over at him.

                           ERIC
                 It's fun.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. ERIC'S FLAT - OUTER STAIRWELL - NIGHT

       Eric and Zed walk up the stairs to the fifth floor where 
       Eric's flat is.  On the top landing there is a dead cat 
       laying.  Zed and Eric notice the cat as Eric is opening the 
       door.

       There is also a telephone coming out of the neighbors door.

                           ERIC
                 The people next door are on holiday.  We 
                 took their phone.  If you want to make a 
                 long distance call, go ahead.

                           ZED
                 Is that cat dead?

                           ERIC
                 I don't know.  I think it's asleep but 
                 it's been there for days.

       Eric gives it a kick.  No response.

                           ERIC
                 I guess it is dead.

       They walk into the flat.

       INT. ERIC'S FLAT - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

       Eric's flat consists of a good sized living room area with a 
       connected kitchen and a small bedroom in the back.  In the 
       front of the living room there is a small balcony where the 
       sounds of the city pour in.  The room itself is a general 
       mess.  A bunch of guns are piled in one corner of the floor.  
       Hung up on the wall is a huge, French "Dressed To Kill" 
       poster.

       Some Brazilian Gilberto/Getz music is playing.

       Sitting at the table playing cards are three men:  FRANCOIS, 
       RICARDO, and JEAN.

       Sitting on the couch rolling a cigarette with hash is CLAUDE 
       and OLIVER.

       They all turn as Zed and Eric walk in.

                           ERIC
                 Hello.

       They all return the greeting.

                           ERIC
                     (to Zed)
                 Okay.  This is Francois, Ricardo, Jean, 
                 Oliver, and Claude.  Got it?

                           ZED
                 I will.

                           ERIC
                 They all know who you are.
                     (to the rest of them)
                 Ne soyez pa salauds.  Offrez une biere au 
                 plus grand perceur de coffres.

       Oliver stands up and walks to the kitchen.

                           OLIVER
                     (with an English accent)
                 Zed, would you like a beer?

                           ZED
                 Thanks.

                           OLIVER
                 Don't think of it.

                           CLAUDE
                     (to Zed)
                 Come.  Sit down.

       INT. ERIC'S FLAT - KITCHEN - NIGHT

       The kitchen is an absolute pig stye.  Dishes are piled up in 
       the sink and on the counter.

       Oliver grabs a glass that has some old beer in it and empties 
       it.  He scratches some filth off of it and pours some beer 
       into the glass.

       INT. ERIC'S FLAT - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

       Zed takes a seat on the couch next to Claude.

       Suddenly, a SPIDER MONKEY dressed in a little Uncle Sam 
       costume comes screeching up onto Zed's lap and then up onto 
       his head, the whole time clawing at his eyes.

       Eric, amused, turns from the men playing cards and smiles.

                           CLAUDE
                     (to Zed)
                 Easy.  Don't scare him.  He just wants to 
                 claim you.

       Zed is frozen as the monkey climbs around him and then onto 
       Claude's shoulder.

                           CLAUDE
                 Let me introduce you properly.  This is 
                 Enrique.

       The monkey screeches.

                           CLAUDE
                 He likes to be called Chim Chim, but we 
                 don't always get what we like...do we?

       Again, the hideous creature screeches.

                           CLAUDE
                     (to Enrique)
                 Tais-toi!
                     (then to Zed)
                 Do you like hash?

       Then Eric interrupts.

                           ERIC
                     (jokingly)
                 Don't sit next to that junkie.

                           CLAUDE
                 Ahhhhhh!

       Claude throws a lit cigarette at him which explodes into a 
       mass of sparks.  They laugh.

                           ERIC
                     (to Claude)
                 That little shit monkey of yours pissed 
                 on my Billy Holiday albums.  Next time 
                 he's out the door.
                     (to Zed)
                 Zed, come here.

       Zed gets up and goes with Eric to the bedroom.  On the way 
       Oliver hands him the glass of beer.

                           OLIVER
                 Here you go mate.

                           ZED
                 Thanks.

       Oliver sits down next to Claude.

       INT. ERIC'S FLAT - BEDROOM - NIGHT

       Eric's bed has probably never been made.  In fact, this room 
       looks a lot like Quentin Tarantino's old apartment.  But, 
       there is a certain order to all this chaos.  Eric pulls out a 
       blueprint and spreads it out over the bed.

                           ERIC
                 Don't ask me where we got this.

                           ZED
                 Okay.

                           ERIC
                 On Bastille Day, all the banks are 
                 closed.

       He places his hand on the blueprint.

                           ERIC
                 But this one.  BIP.  The Banque 
                 Internationale de Paris.  And for being 
                 greedy capitalists perhaps they will 
                 remain closed next Bastille day.  Yes?

       Zed smiles.

                           ERIC
                 We will go in and shut the bank down.  
                 Now, look at this.

       Eric pulls out a complex electronic schematic.

                           ERIC
                 As you can see, only one person can start 
                 the alarm.
                     (he hands it to Zed)
                 The concierge, at this desk.
                     (he points it out on the 
                      blueprint)
                 We will take care of him.  Then we can 
                 close the bank.  No one will know the 
                 difference since every other bank will be 
                 closed.

                           ZED
                     (turning the schematic around)
                 Are you sure he won't push the alarm?

                           ERIC
                 Ahhh!  He's right next to the door.  We'd 
                 have to be totally incompetent not to 
                 stop him.  Don't worry about that.

       He points to the main floor vault.

                           ERIC
                 Here.  This is where they keep the days 
                 reserve cash.  Okay fuck that.

       He flips the page to the lower level blueprint.

                           ERIC
                 There are many vaults downstairs, but 
                 this is the vault we must get into.  This 
                 is where the real prize is.

                           ZED
                 What kind of vault is that?

       He checks the blueprint.

                           ERIC
                 Ah...Swiss made.  A Caliber.

                           ZED
                 Caliber?
                     (he thinks about it)
                 It'll take three hours.

                           ERIC
                 No, that's too long.

                           ZED
                 That's how long it'll take.

                           ERIC
                 Well shit.  It's too long.  We have to be 
                 in and out.
                     (he snaps his fingers)
                 Like that.  Or there will be suspicion.  
                 A little time is okay...but too long 
                 and...

       He shrugs his shoulders in an "I don't know gesture."

                           ZED
                 Well hold on a second.
                     (pointing to the blueprint)
                 What's this?

       Eric looks down at the blueprint.  There is a small passage 
       connecting the main vault to an adjacent vault.

                           ERIC
                 Another vault.

                           ZED
                 No this.

       Eric looks closely at the blueprint.

                           ERIC
                 I don't know...it connects the two 
                 vaults.

                           ZED
                 Well, what kind of vault is this other 
                 one?

                           ERIC
                     (reading the blueprint)
                 Also Swiss, but this one is a Poseidon.

                           ZED
                 Why would those two vaults be connected?

                           ERIC
                 I don't know.

                           ZED
                 Because I can get into this vault in half 
                 an hour.  Maybe less.

                           ERIC
                 But this entry way is too small to get 
                 the platen out.  We have a lot of 
                 merchandise in there.

                           ZED
                 No, don't you see?  We get in through 
                 this secondary vault and take this 
                 passage to the other main vault.  From 
                 the inside I could open the Caliber vault 
                 in five minutes.

                           ERIC
                 You could open it in five minutes?

                           ZED
                 From the inside it's easy.

                           ERIC
                     (excited)
                 Hot damn.  That is our answer.

                           ZED
                 Okay.  When is Bastille day?

                           ERIC
                 Tomorrow.

                           ZED
                 Tomorrow!?  We're doing this tomorrow?

                           ERIC
                 But of course.

                           ZED
                 It's impossible.

                           ERIC
                 It's not impossible.  Everyone knows what 
                 to do.

                           ZED
                 I don't know what to do.

                           ERIC
                 You don't need to know shit.  Just get 
                 into the vault and we'll do the rest.

                           ZED
                 I haven't even seen the bank.

                           ERIC
                 Fuck the bank.  Before we do a job we 
                 live life.  It's better that way.  Okay?

                           ZED
                     (unsure)
                 Okay.

                           ERIC
                 Good.  Now we do heroin!

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. ERIC'S FLAT - BATHROOM - NIGHT

       EXTREME CLOSE ON:  Eric making heroin.

       The heroin powder is put into a spoon with some lemon 
       squeezed into it, then a little bit of tap water.  Huddled 
       around Eric are Francois, Ricardo, and Oliver.

                           OLIVER
                     (so high he's wobbling)
                 You have to look at the Starship 
                 Enterprise as a metaphor for the human 
                 brain.

       No one is really listening to Oliver.  Eric takes out a 
       lighter and cooks it to a boil.

                           OLIVER
                     (continuing)
                 Spock is the right hemisphere of the 
                 brain, all logic and intellect. Mc Coy is 
                 the left hemisphere, stricktly emotional.  
                 And Kirk is the unseen observer.  He 
                 drifts between the two.  Back and forth, 
                 as it might be, caught between the two 
                 thought processes.

                           ERIC
                 [Cotton.]

       Ricardo hands him a cotton ball.

                           OLIVER
                     (continuing)
                 It's really quite brilliant you know.  
                 That's why Star Trek is and always will 
                 be a hit show.

       Eric places the cotton ball in the spoon with the mixture.

                           ERIC
                     (to Oliver)
                 [Here, shut up and hold this.]

       He hands Oliver the spoon and takes out a needle.  Using the 
       cotton as a filter he draws the heroin into the syringe.

       Then, he holds the syringe up and starts tapping it.

                           ERIC
                 [Don't want to get air bubbles in my 
                 veins.]

       They all laugh at this.

       INT. ERIC'S FLAT - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

       In the meantime, Zed is sitting on the couch with Claude and 
       Jean.  Claude is rolling a hash and tobacco cigarette.  Jean 
       is chopping up some powder heroin on the glass of a small 
       picture.

                           JEAN
                 Do you want heroin?

                           ZED
                 No, I want to be sharp for tomorrow.

       Jean and Claude laugh at this.

                           JEAN
                 No.  A little bit of heroin, some hash, a 
                 beer...and you're just right.

       Jean snorts a line.

       Claude offers Zed the spliff.  Zed shakes his head "no".

                           CLAUDE
                 Okay.

                           JEAN
                     (recovering from the snort)
                 That's good.

       Eric, Francois, Ricardo, and Oliver come out of the kitchen 
       laughing.

       Eric, Ricardo, and Oliver take a seat on the couch opposite 
       Zed.  Francois sits on the floor.

       Eric rolls up his sleeve.

                           ERIC
                     (to Ricardo in French)
                 [Hold my arm.]
                     (then to Zed)
                 My vein is like a rock.

       Ricardo takes hold of his arm and squeezes.  Eric inserts the 
       needle into his vein and draws out a little blood.  It mixes 
       with the heroin, then he pumps it in...then back into the 
       syringe, then all the way back in.

       He withdraws the needle.

       Ricardo lets go of his arm.

       Eric is in bliss.  His eyes roll back into his head.  He 
       looks like he's on the verge of falling asleep.

       Then Jean takes another snort.

       Pretty soon everyone is smoking and getting high, shooting 
       up, and drinking more beer.

       Then Jean holds out a piece of folded aluminum foil with some 
       heroin in it.

                           JEAN
                     (to Zed)
                 Try some.  It's called chasing the 
                 dragon.  The Chinese have been doing it 
                 for centuries.

                           ZED
                 I don't think so.

                           JEAN
                 Oh, but you must.  It will make you feel 
                 as though the rest of the world is in a 
                 bubble of glass and that you're rubbing 
                 up against it like a bad windshield 
                 wiper.

       They stick the aluminum foil with the heroin in it up next to 
       his face.  They then light the bottom of the foil with a 
       lighter.  Before Zed knows it, he's inhaling a silky ribbon 
       of smoke.

       Suddenly our plane of focus wildly shifts and we...

                                                  FOCUS DISSOLVE TO:

       INT. ERIC'S CAR - MOVING - NIGHT

       Ricardo is racing Eric's car through the streets of Paris 
       weaving in and out of traffic.  Next to him is Oliver, and in 
       the back seat is Zed and Eric.  They're giving the very 
       stoned Zed a whirlwind tour of the sights.

       A car speeds up next to them.  In it is Francois, and Claude, 
       with Jean driving.  They are racing with Ricardo through the 
       streets.

       The Patrick Hernandez song "Born To Be Alive" is blasting 
       away on the radio.

                           ERIC
                 There.  That's Notre Dame.

       But before Zed can even look it has past by.

                           RICARDO
                 Do you like French cars?

       All Zed can notice is that the speedometer is at 160 
       kilometers per hour.  He tries to calculate what that is in 
       miles per hour.

                           ZED
                     (answering Enrique's question)
                 Yes.

                           RICARDO
                 I like the Cadillac.  Fifty-two to 
                 seventy-five.  Very nice.

                           ERIC
                 Up here you can see the Eiffel tower.

       Zed is in too much of a blur.  He leans over to Eric.

                           ZED
                 Is tomorrow really Bastille day?

                           ERIC
                 Yes, tomorrow we pull the biggest job in 
                 French history.  And spend the rest of 
                 our lives in Monte Carlo.

       The drunken Englishman, Oliver, belches and then cheers.

       EXT. PARIS STREET - NIGHT

       The two cars are franticly racing through traffic.

       INT. JEAN'S CAR - MOVING - NIGHT

       Jean is very intent on beating them to whatever location it 
       is they're going to.

       Claude, in the seat next to him, gives him some advice.

                           CLAUDE
                 [Faster, faster...go faster.  Let's beat 
                 them!]

       Francois laughs and coughs out a cloud of smoke.

       EXT. PARIS STREET - NIGHT

       Jean's car makes a dangerous lane change across traffic and 
       cuts off Ricardo.

       INT. ERIC'S CAR - MOVING - NIGHT

       Ricardo swerves as he passes a joint to Eric.

                           RICARDO
                 [Shit!  That bastard.]

                           ERIC
                     (to Ricardo)
                 Watch it!  Don't crash my car.

       Eric takes a big hit.

                           ERIC
                 Over here is where the male prostitutes 
                 sell themselves.  Do you see?

       No, Zed doesn't see.

       Suddenly, everyone in the car is shouting out the windows.

                           OLIVER
                     (out the window)
                 Fucking fags!

                           ERIC
                     (also out the window)
                 Suce ma bite?!

                           RICARDO
                 Perverts d'homosexuels!

       Eric laughs.

                           ERIC
                     (into Zed's ear)
                 This is good to have you here.  We could 
                 not do this without you.

       Zed nods.

                           ERIC
                 Everyone has agreed to give you double 
                 shares.  That's good.

       Zed nods, delirious.

                           ERIC
                 You know I have AIDS.  From the needle.

       Zed can't believe this.  He's not sure if what he heard was 
       what he thought he heard.

                           ZED
                 Really?

       Then Eric sees something.

                           ERIC
                 Okay, up here is the Arc de Triomphe.

       They take a sharp turn.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. CELLAR - NIGHT

       Eric, Zed, Francois, Ricardo, Jean, Claude, and Oliver are 
       all walking down some dank stone steps into a cellar.  
       Somewhere crazy Raymond Scott Toy Jazz music is playing.

       An old wine cellar has been converted into a Toy Jazz club.  
       Nothing fancy...dirt floors, chairs and small tables 
       scattered about...but the arched brick ceilings make for 
       great acoustics.

       ON STAGE

       a BAND is playing away.  In the audience sit about TWELVE 
       FRENCH PEOPLE, all enjoying the music.

       AT THE BUFFET

       In the back of the club near the doors some tables have been 
       set up with a buffet of local cuisine on it.  Behind the 
       tables are two rotund but happy French women MIRELLE and 
       JOSEPHINE.

       Eric, Zed, Francois, Ricardo, Jean, Claude, and Oliver walk 
       in and immediately start blabbing away in French to Mirelle 
       and Josephine.

       Eric hands them some money.

       ZED'S TABLE

       Everyone enters and takes seats at various parts of the club.  
       Oliver sits next to Zed.

                           OLIVER
                 So, how long have you known Eric?

                           ZED
                 Well, Eric's mother is American.

                           OLIVER
                 Yeah, and his dad's French.

                           ZED
                 They're divorced.  And she and his father 
                 had some kind of six month split plan set 
                 up.  So every six months he would come 
                 back to the states.  We were best 
                 friends.  Eventually he and his mother 
                 had a falling out and he stayed here.  
                 It's been...years.

                           OLIVER
                 Well, it's good to have you here.  Eric 
                 speaks fairly highly of you.  Say, he 
                 says you're a big fan of Viking films.

                           ZED
                 Well...I suppose.  I used to be, when I 
                 was young.

                           OLIVER
                 Oh they're the best.  Helmets with horns 
                 on them.  Shit.  That's fucking genius.

       He starts laughing.

                           OLIVER
                 How 'bout Toy Jazz?  You like it?

       Zed watches the players on stage and then nods.

                           ZED
                 Yeah...I guess.

                           OLIVER
                 I love it.  It's really good, you know?  
                 Like real music.  It has a heart and 
                 culture all it's own.  It's, like, jazz 
                 for dwarves...or guys in Leiderhosen.  
                 Total purity of essence.

                           ZED
                 Yeah.

                           OLIVER
                 Hungry cannibals'd like it.

       Then Claude comes up to them with some glasses and a bottle 
       of red wine.

                           CLAUDE
                 Here, you must drink some of this wine, 
                 it's good.

       He pours Zed a glass.

       Oliver passes on the wine.

                           OLIVER
                     (to Claude)
                 Non merci, c'est de la merde.

                           CLAUDE
                     (to Oliver)
                 La ferme.  C'est du bon vin.
                     (to Zed)
                 The fucking English.

       Zed sips some.  He's in no real shape to tell if the wine's 
       good or not.

       ON STAGE

       Suddenly, it seems as though the bands music gets louder.  
       The horns really start to scream and the room becomes a 
       delirium of music.

       The band stands up.

       IN THE AUDIENCE

       The people watching start to dance, if not in their seats 
       then right in front of everything.

       ZED'S TABLE

       Suddenly, Zed notices something...

       ON STAGE

       Eric is up on stage playing a trombone right alongside the 
       band.

       ZED'S TABLE

       Zed blinks but it's true.

       Oliver and Claude start laughing.

                           OLIVER
                 Look at him.  He's crazy.

       ON STAGE

       And surely he must be, yet, in a strange way, he's keeping up 
       with the other musicians and sounding pretty good.

       Eric is all smile as he plays with them.  Sweat is running 
       down his face but he's caught up in the moment.

       ELISE, a woman from the audience has jumped up onto the 
       stage, caught up in Eric's frenzy, and is dancing about like 
       James Brown.

       Then, the music crescendos and Eric hands the trombone back 
       to a musician.

       The set is over.

       Eric skips off the stage and walks over to where Oliver, 
       Claude, and Zed are sitting.

       EXT. BOULEVARD SAINT MICHEL - NIGHT

       The McDonalds on the corner of Boulevard Saint Michel and Rue 
       Soufflot is bustling.

       Eric's Citroen screeches around the corner on it's way past 
       the Pantheon and into the heart of the fifth Arrondissment.

       INT. ERIC'S CAR - MOVING - NIGHT

       Eric and Zed are driving through the streets of Paris in 
       Eric's car.  The grooving Ryuichi Sakamoto song "Triste" is 
       playing on the radio.

                           ERIC
                 I'm glad you came.  How long has it been?

                           ZED
                 Years.

                           ERIC
                 It's amazing, you know?  Here you are.  
                 One day in America.  Now here.

                           ZED
                 Well, to be honest there really wasn't 
                 much happening for me in the states.

                           ERIC
                 But in Paris your old friend Eric has a 
                 job for you, so you came.  That's good.

                           ZED
                 How could I resist your invitation?

                           ERIC
                 You would have been stupid to.

                           ZED
                 So what have you been doing here?

                           ERIC
                 After school I spent some time in Algeria 
                 studying African philosophy.  And then I 
                 bummed around.  You know.  For fun.  For 
                 a while I worked at Le Figaro.  The 
                 newspaper.

                           ZED
                 Really?

                           ERIC
                 Yes.  With an assumed Masters degree.  
                 And lately we have just been bombing 
                 fascists here in Paris.  You know, like 
                 terrorists.

       Zed looks over at him.

                           ERIC
                 It's fun.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. ERIC'S FLAT - OUTER STAIRWELL - NIGHT

       Eric and Zed walk up the stairs to the fifth floor where 
       Eric's flat is.  On the top landing there is a dead cat 
       laying.  Zed and Eric notice the cat as Eric is opening the 
       door.

       There is also a telephone coming out of the neighbors door.

                           ERIC
                 The people next door are on holiday.  We 
                 took their phone.  If you want to make a 
                 long distance call, go ahead.

                           ZED
                 Is that cat dead?

                           ERIC
                 I don't know.  I think it's asleep but 
                 it's been there for days.

       Eric gives it a kick.  No response.

                           ERIC
                 I guess it is dead.

       They walk into the flat.

       INT. ERIC'S FLAT - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

       Eric's flat consists of a good sized living room area with a 
       connected kitchen and a small bedroom in the back.  In the 
       front of the living room there is a small balcony where the 
       sounds of the city pour in.  The room itself is a general 
       mess.  A bunch of guns are piled in one corner of the floor.  
       Hung up on the wall is a huge, French "Dressed To Kill" 
       poster.

       Some Brazilian Gilberto/Getz music is playing.

       Sitting at the table playing cards are three men:  FRANCOIS, 
       RICARDO, and JEAN.

       Sitting on the couch rolling a cigarette with hash is CLAUDE 
       and OLIVER.

       They all turn as Zed and Eric walk in.

                           ERIC
                 Hello.

       They all return the greeting.

                           ERIC
                     (to Zed)
                 Okay.  This is Francois, Ricardo, Jean, 
                 Oliver, and Claude.  Got it?

                           ZED
                 I will.

                           ERIC
                 They all know who you are.
                     (to the rest of them)
                 Ne soyez pa salauds.  Offrez une biere au 
                 plus grand perceur de coffres.

       Oliver stands up and walks to the kitchen.

                           OLIVER
                     (with an English accent)
                 Zed, would you like a beer?

                           ZED
                 Thanks.

                           OLIVER
                 Don't think of it.

                           CLAUDE
                     (to Zed)
                 Come.  Sit down.

       INT. ERIC'S FLAT - KITCHEN - NIGHT

       The kitchen is an absolute pig stye.  Dishes are piled up in 
       the sink and on the counter.

       Oliver grabs a glass that has some old beer in it and empties 
       it.  He scratches some filth off of it and pours some beer 
       into the glass.

       INT. ERIC'S FLAT - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

       Zed takes a seat on the couch next to Claude.

       Suddenly, a SPIDER MONKEY dressed in a little Uncle Sam 
       costume comes screeching up onto Zed's lap and then up onto 
       his head, the whole time clawing at his eyes.

       Eric, amused, turns from the men playing cards and smiles.

                           CLAUDE
                     (to Zed)
                 Easy.  Don't scare him.  He just wants to 
                 claim you.

       Zed is frozen as the monkey climbs around him and then onto 
       Claude's shoulder.

                           CLAUDE
                 Let me introduce you properly.  This is 
                 Enrique.

       The monkey screeches.

                           CLAUDE
                 He likes to be called Chim Chim, but we 
                 don't always get what we like...do we?

       Again, the hideous creature screeches.

                           CLAUDE
                     (to Enrique)
                 Tais-toi!
                     (then to Zed)
                 Do you like hash?

       Then Eric interrupts.

                           ERIC
                     (jokingly)
                 Don't sit next to that junkie.

                           CLAUDE
                 Ahhhhhh!

       Claude throws a lit cigarette at him which explodes into a 
       mass of sparks.  They laugh.

                           ERIC
                     (to Claude)
                 That little shit monkey of yours pissed 
                 on my Billy Holiday albums.  Next time 
                 he's out the door.
                     (to Zed)
                 Zed, come here.

       Zed gets up and goes with Eric to the bedroom.  On the way 
       Oliver hands him the glass of beer.

                           OLIVER
                 Here you go mate.

                           ZED
                 Thanks.

       Oliver sits down next to Claude.

       INT. ERIC'S FLAT - BEDROOM - NIGHT

       Eric's bed has probably never been made.  In fact, this room 
       looks a lot like Quentin Tarantino's old apartment.  But, 
       there is a certain order to all this chaos.  Eric pulls out a 
       blueprint and spreads it out over the bed.

                           ERIC
                 Don't ask me where we got this.

                           ZED
                 Okay.

                           ERIC
                 On Bastille Day, all the banks are 
                 closed.

       He places his hand on the blueprint.

                           ERIC
                 But this one.  BIP.  The Banque 
                 Internationale de Paris.  And for being 
                 greedy capitalists perhaps they will 
                 remain closed next Bastille day.  Yes?

       Zed smiles.

                           ERIC
                 We will go in and shut the bank down.  
                 Now, look at this.

       Eric pulls out a complex electronic schematic.

                           ERIC
                 As you can see, only one person can start 
                 the alarm.
                     (he hands it to Zed)
                 The concierge, at this desk.
                     (he points it out on the 
                      blueprint)
                 We will take care of him.  Then we can 
                 close the bank.  No one will know the 
                 difference since every other bank will be 
                 closed.

                           ZED
                     (turning the schematic around)
                 Are you sure he won't push the alarm?

                           ERIC
                 Ahhh!  He's right next to the door.  We'd 
                 have to be totally incompetent not to 
                 stop him.  Don't worry about that.

       He points to the main floor vault.

                           ERIC
                 Here.  This is where they keep the days 
                 reserve cash.  Okay fuck that.

       He flips the page to the lower level blueprint.

                           ERIC
                 There are many vaults downstairs, but 
                 this is the vault we must get into.  This 
                 is where the real prize is.

                           ZED
                 What kind of vault is that?

       He checks the blueprint.

                           ERIC
                 Ah...Swiss made.  A Caliber.

                           ZED
                 Caliber?
                     (he thinks about it)
                 It'll take three hours.

                           ERIC
                 No, that's too long.

                           ZED
                 That's how long it'll take.

                           ERIC
                 Well shit.  It's too long.  We have to be 
                 in and out.
                     (he snaps his fingers)
                 Like that.  Or there will be suspicion.  
                 A little time is okay...but too long 
                 and...

       He shrugs his shoulders in an "I don't know gesture."

                           ZED
                 Well hold on a second.
                     (pointing to the blueprint)
                 What's this?

       Eric looks down at the blueprint.  There is a small passage 
       connecting the main vault to an adjacent vault.

                           ERIC
                 Another vault.

                           ZED
                 No this.

       Eric looks closely at the blueprint.

                           ERIC
                 I don't know...it connects the two 
                 vaults.

                           ZED
                 Well, what kind of vault is this other 
                 one?

                           ERIC
                     (reading the blueprint)
                 Also Swiss, but this one is a Poseidon.

                           ZED
                 Why would those two vaults be connected?

                           ERIC
                 I don't know.

                           ZED
                 Because I can get into this vault in half 
                 an hour.  Maybe less.

                           ERIC
                 But this entry way is too small to get 
                 the platen out.  We have a lot of 
                 merchandise in there.

                           ZED
                 No, don't you see?  We get in through 
                 this secondary vault and take this 
                 passage to the other main vault.  From 
                 the inside I could open the Caliber vault 
                 in five minutes.

                           ERIC
                 You could open it in five minutes?

                           ZED
                 From the inside it's easy.

                           ERIC
                     (excited)
                 Hot damn.  That is our answer.

                           ZED
                 Okay.  When is Bastille day?

                           ERIC
                 Tomorrow.

                           ZED
                 Tomorrow!?  We're doing this tomorrow?

                           ERIC
                 But of course.

                           ZED
                 It's impossible.

                           ERIC
                 It's not impossible.  Everyone knows what 
                 to do.

                           ZED
                 I don't know what to do.

                           ERIC
                 You don't need to know shit.  Just get 
                 into the vault and we'll do the rest.

                           ZED
                 I haven't even seen the bank.

                           ERIC
                 Fuck the bank.  Before we do a job we 
                 live life.  It's better that way.  Okay?

                           ZED
                     (unsure)
                 Okay.

                           ERIC
                 Good.  Now we do heroin!

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. ERIC'S FLAT - BATHROOM - NIGHT

       EXTREME CLOSE ON:  Eric making heroin.

       The heroin powder is put into a spoon with some lemon 
       squeezed into it, then a little bit of tap water.  Huddled 
       around Eric are Francois, Ricardo, and Oliver.

                           OLIVER
                     (so high he's wobbling)
                 You have to look at the Starship 
                 Enterprise as a metaphor for the human 
                 brain.

       No one is really listening to Oliver.  Eric takes out a 
       lighter and cooks it to a boil.

                           OLIVER
                     (continuing)
                 Spock is the right hemisphere of the 
                 brain, all logic and intellect. Mc Coy is 
                 the left hemisphere, stricktly emotional.  
                 And Kirk is the unseen observer.  He 
                 drifts between the two.  Back and forth, 
                 as it might be, caught between the two 
                 thought processes.

                           ERIC
                 [Cotton.]

       Ricardo hands him a cotton ball.

                           OLIVER
                     (continuing)
                 It's really quite brilliant you know.  
                 That's why Star Trek is and always will 
                 be a hit show.

       Eric places the cotton ball in the spoon with the mixture.

                           ERIC
                     (to Oliver)
                 [Here, shut up and hold this.]

       He hands Oliver the spoon and takes out a needle.  Using the 
       cotton as a filter he draws the heroin into the syringe.

       Then, he holds the syringe up and starts tapping it.

                           ERIC
                 [Don't want to get air bubbles in my 
                 veins.]

       They all laugh at this.

       INT. ERIC'S FLAT - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

       In the meantime, Zed is sitting on the couch with Claude and 
       Jean.  Claude is rolling a hash and tobacco cigarette.  Jean 
       is chopping up some powder heroin on the glass of a small 
       picture.

                           JEAN
                 Do you want heroin?

                           ZED
                 No, I want to be sharp for tomorrow.

       Jean and Claude laugh at this.

                           JEAN
                 No.  A little bit of heroin, some hash, a 
                 beer...and you're just right.

       Jean snorts a line.

       Claude offers Zed the spliff.  Zed shakes his head "no".

                           CLAUDE
                 Okay.

                           JEAN
                     (recovering from the snort)
                 That's good.

       Eric, Francois, Ricardo, and Oliver come out of the kitchen 
       laughing.

       Eric, Ricardo, and Oliver take a seat on the couch opposite 
       Zed.  Francois sits on the floor.

       Eric rolls up his sleeve.

                           ERIC
                     (to Ricardo in French)
                 [Hold my arm.]
                     (then to Zed)
                 My vein is like a rock.

       Ricardo takes hold of his arm and squeezes.  Eric inserts the 
       needle into his vein and draws out a little blood.  It mixes 
       with the heroin, then he pumps it in...then back into the 
       syringe, then all the way back in.

       He withdraws the needle.

       Ricardo lets go of his arm.

       Eric is in bliss.  His eyes roll back into his head.  He 
       looks like he's on the verge of falling asleep.

       Then Jean takes another snort.

       Pretty soon everyone is smoking and getting high, shooting 
       up, and drinking more beer.

       Then Jean holds out a piece of folded aluminum foil with some 
       heroin in it.

                           JEAN
                     (to Zed)
                 Try some.  It's called chasing the 
                 dragon.  The Chinese have been doing it 
                 for centuries.

                           ZED
                 I don't think so.

                           JEAN
                 Oh, but you must.  It will make you feel 
                 as though the rest of the world is in a 
                 bubble of glass and that you're rubbing 
                 up against it like a bad windshield 
                 wiper.

       They stick the aluminum foil with the heroin in it up next to 
       his face.  They then light the bottom of the foil with a 
       lighter.  Before Zed knows it, he's inhaling a silky ribbon 
       of smoke.

       Suddenly our plane of focus wildly shifts and we...

                                                  FOCUS DISSOLVE TO:

       INT. ERIC'S CAR - MOVING - NIGHT

       Ricardo is racing Eric's car through the streets of Paris 
       weaving in and out of traffic.  Next to him is Oliver, and in 
       the back seat is Zed and Eric.  They're giving the very 
       stoned Zed a whirlwind tour of the sights.

       A car speeds up next to them.  In it is Francois, and Claude, 
       with Jean driving.  They are racing with Ricardo through the 
       streets.

       The Patrick Hernandez song "Born To Be Alive" is blasting 
       away on the radio.

                           ERIC
                 There.  That's Notre Dame.

       But before Zed can even look it has past by.

                           RICARDO
                 Do you like French cars?

       All Zed can notice is that the speedometer is at 160 
       kilometers per hour.  He tries to calculate what that is in 
       miles per hour.

                           ZED
                     (answering Enrique's question)
                 Yes.

                           RICARDO
                 I like the Cadillac.  Fifty-two to 
                 seventy-five.  Very nice.

                           ERIC
                 Up here you can see the Eiffel tower.

       Zed is in too much of a blur.  He leans over to Eric.

                           ZED
                 Is tomorrow really Bastille day?

                           ERIC
                 Yes, tomorrow we pull the biggest job in 
                 French history.  And spend the rest of 
                 our lives in Monte Carlo.

       The drunken Englishman, Oliver, belches and then cheers.

       EXT. PARIS STREET - NIGHT

       The two cars are franticly racing through traffic.

       INT. JEAN'S CAR - MOVING - NIGHT

       Jean is very intent on beating them to whatever location it 
       is they're going to.

       Claude, in the seat next to him, gives him some advice.

                           CLAUDE
                 [Faster, faster...go faster.  Let's beat 
                 them!]

       Francois laughs and coughs out a cloud of smoke.

       EXT. PARIS STREET - NIGHT

       Jean's car makes a dangerous lane change across traffic and 
       cuts off Ricardo.

       INT. ERIC'S CAR - MOVING - NIGHT

       Ricardo swerves as he passes a joint to Eric.

                           RICARDO
                 [Shit!  That bastard.]

                           ERIC
                     (to Ricardo)
                 Watch it!  Don't crash my car.

       Eric takes a big hit.

                           ERIC
                 Over here is where the male prostitutes 
                 sell themselves.  Do you see?

       No, Zed doesn't see.

       Suddenly, everyone in the car is shouting out the windows.

                           OLIVER
                     (out the window)
                 Fucking fags!

                           ERIC
                     (also out the window)
                 Suce ma bite?!

                           RICARDO
                 Perverts d'homosexuels!

       Eric laughs.

                           ERIC
                     (into Zed's ear)
                 This is good to have you here.  We could 
                 not do this without you.

       Zed nods.

                           ERIC
                 Everyone has agreed to give you double 
                 shares.  That's good.

       Zed nods, delirious.

                           ERIC
                 You know I have AIDS.  From the needle.

       Zed can't believe this.  He's not sure if what he heard was 
       what he thought he heard.

                           ZED
                 Really?

       Then Eric sees something.

                           ERIC
                 Okay, up here is the Arc de Triomphe.

       They take a sharp turn.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. CELLAR - NIGHT

       Eric, Zed, Francois, Ricardo, Jean, Claude, and Oliver are 
       all walking down some dank stone steps into a cellar.  
       Somewhere crazy Raymond Scott Toy Jazz music is playing.

       An old wine cellar has been converted into a Toy Jazz club.  
       Nothing fancy...dirt floors, chairs and small tables 
       scattered about...but the arched brick ceilings make for 
       great acoustics.

       ON STAGE

       a BAND is playing away.  In the audience sit about TWELVE 
       FRENCH PEOPLE, all enjoying the music.

       AT THE BUFFET

       In the back of the club near the doors some tables have been 
       set up with a buffet of local cuisine on it.  Behind the 
       tables are two rotund but happy French women MIRELLE and 
       JOSEPHINE.

       Eric, Zed, Francois, Ricardo, Jean, Claude, and Oliver walk 
       in and immediately start blabbing away in French to Mirelle 
       and Josephine.

       Eric hands them some money.

       ZED'S TABLE

       Everyone enters and takes seats at various parts of the club.  
       Oliver sits next to Zed.

                           OLIVER
                 So, how long have you known Eric?

                           ZED
                 Well, Eric's mother is American.

                           OLIVER
                 Yeah, and his dad's French.

                           ZED
                 They're divorced.  And she and his father 
                 had some kind of six month split plan set 
                 up.  So every six months he would come 
                 back to the states.  We were best 
                 friends.  Eventually he and his mother 
                 had a falling out and he stayed here.  
                 It's been...years.

                           OLIVER
                 Well, it's good to have you here.  Eric 
                 speaks fairly highly of you.  Say, he 
                 says you're a big fan of Viking films.

                           ZED
                 Well...I suppose.  I used to be, when I 
                 was young.

                           OLIVER
                 Oh they're the best.  Helmets with horns 
                 on them.  Shit.  That's fucking genius.

       He starts laughing.

                           OLIVER
                 How 'bout Toy Jazz?  You like it?

       Zed watches the players on stage and then nods.

                           ZED
                 Yeah...I guess.

                           OLIVER
                 I love it.  It's really good, you know?  
                 Like real music.  It has a heart and 
                 culture all it's own.  It's, like, jazz 
                 for dwarves...or guys in Leiderhosen.  
                 Total purity of essence.

                           ZED
                 Yeah.

                           OLIVER
                 Hungry cannibals'd like it.

       Then Claude comes up to them with some glasses and a bottle 
       of red wine.

                           CLAUDE
                 Here, you must drink some of this wine, 
                 it's good.

       He pours Zed a glass.

       Oliver passes on the wine.

                           OLIVER
                     (to Claude)
                 Non merci, c'est de la merde.

                           CLAUDE
                     (to Oliver)
                 La ferme.  C'est du bon vin.
                     (to Zed)
                 The fucking English.

       Zed sips some.  He's in no real shape to tell if the wine's 
       good or not.

       ON STAGE

       Suddenly, it seems as though the bands music gets louder.  
       The horns really start to scream and the room becomes a 
       delirium of music.

       The band stands up.

       IN THE AUDIENCE

       The people watching start to dance, if not in their seats 
       then right in front of everything.

       ZED'S TABLE

       Suddenly, Zed notices something...

       ON STAGE

       Eric is up on stage playing a trombone right alongside the 
       band.

       ZED'S TABLE

       Zed blinks but it's true.

       Oliver and Claude start laughing.

                           OLIVER
                 Look at him.  He's crazy.

       ON STAGE

       And surely he must be, yet, in a strange way, he's keeping up 
       with the other musicians and sounding pretty good.

       Eric is all smile as he plays with them.  Sweat is running 
       down his face but he's caught up in the moment.

       ELISE, a woman from the audience has jumped up onto the 
       stage, caught up in Eric's frenzy, and is dancing about like 
       James Brown.

       Then, the music crescendos and Eric hands the trombone back 
       to a musician.

       The set is over.

       Eric skips off the stage and walks over to where Oliver, 
       Claude, and Zed are sitting.

       EXT. BANK - DAY

       EXTREME CLOSE ON:  The door to the bank.

       Francois puts a sign on the door that reads:  [Closed for 
       Bastille Day].

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - SUB LOBBY HALL - DAY

       The sub lobby teller and the sub lobby guard #2 rendezvous 
       with the sub lobby assistant.

                           SUB LOBBY TELLER
                     (to assistant)
                 [Do the phones work?]

                           SUB LOBBY ASSISTANT
                 [They went dead.]

                           SUB LOBBY TELLER
                 Merde!

       They walk out into the sub lobby.

       INT. BANK - SUB LOBBY - DAY

       The sub level teller and the sub lobby assistant walk into 
       the sub lobby just as Eric, Zed, Oliver, and the bank manager 
       start coming down the stairs.

       At the sight of Eric and his men the sub lobby guard #2 aims 
       his weapon but does not fire because of the bank manager.

       Eric presses his Uzi against the bank manager's neck.

                           ERIC
                     (to the guard)
                 [Drop the gun!]

       He doesn't.

                           ERIC
                 [Drop your gun now and nobody dies!]

       After a moments thought about this, and the fact that Oliver 
       has a sawed-off aimed at him, he slowly puts his gun on the 
       floor.

                           ERIC
                 [Good boy.]

       They descend down the stairs into the sub lobby.

       Oliver takes his gun.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - LOBBY - DAY

       Francois, Ricardo, and Jean have finished herding everyone 
       behind the teller windows.  Claude is on his way downstairs.

                           CLAUDE
                 [I'm going to check things out 
                 downstairs.]

                           RICARDO
                     (to the people)
                 [Now!  On the ground!  Face down!]

       Then, for effect, he kicks a man.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - SUB LOBBY - DAY

       Claude comes downstairs with his gun raised.

                           CLAUDE
                 [All clear down here?]

       Everyone turns.

                           ERIC
                 [Take these two upstairs.  And chain the 
                 gate to the sub lobby shut.]

       Oliver pushes the sub lobby guard #2 and the sub lobby 
       assistant toward Claude.  Then he hands him a chain.

       Claude can barely maintain his enthusiasm.

                           CLAUDE
                 [The phones and video are down!  We're 
                 locked up tight!]
                     (then in English)
                 We fucking did it!

       He takes the two upstairs.

       Eric smiles through his teeth at the bank manager.

                           ERIC
                 [Any others I should worry about?]

                           BANK MANAGER
                 [No.]

                           ERIC
                     (to Oliver)
                 [Well, just to be sure--]

       Then, from one of the safety deposit booths a sound is heard.  
       All eyes turn to it.

       Oliver walks up to it and kicks the door in.  The stodgy 
       customer is kneeling in it.  He instantly holds his hands 
       high.

                           OLIVER
                 [Freeze motherfucker!]

       Eric walks up, gun in hand.

                           ERIC
                 [Who the fuck are you?]

                           STODGY CUSTOMER
                 [Please don't shoot me!]

                           OLIVER
                 [On the ground!]

       He does.

                           ERIC
                     (to the bank manager)
                 [Making a deposit I hope.]
                     (he smiles to Oliver)
                 [Bring him with us.]

       They all make their way down through the sub lobby hall.

       INT. BANK - RESERVE VAULT AREA - DAY

       They're herding the men through the hall.

                           BANK MANAGER
                     (to the sub lobby teller)
                 [Vault locked?]

                           SUB LOBBY TELLER
                 [Yes.]

                           ERIC
                 [Shut your fucking mouths!]

                           BANK MANAGER
                     (to Eric)
                 [The vault doors are shut and time 
                 locked.  You won't be able to open them.]

       They walk through a doorway into the storage/elevator area.

       INT. BANK - STORAGE/ELEVATOR AREA - DAY

       Eric pushes the manager and the others through the doorway.

                           ERIC
                     (to the bank manager)
                 [You think we're fucking amateurs?  You 
                 think we're stupid?  I've got news for 
                 you...we planned ahead my friend!]

       Eric pushes them infront of the Calibre vault door.

                           ERIC
                 [Now save us a lot of time and just open 
                 the vault.]

                           BANK MANAGER
                 [No.]

                           ERIC
                 [Okay.]

       He releases the bank manager and stuffs the barrel of his 
       handgun into the sub level tellers mouth.

                           ERIC
                 [Open the vault.]

       The teller's eyes widen.

                           BANK MANAGER
                 [I cannot.]

                           ERIC
                 [Oh.]
                     (to the teller)
                 [Can you?]

                           BANK MANAGER
                 [No.  Once closed only I can open it.]

                           ERIC
                 [Then open it.]

                           BANK MANAGER
                 [I cannot.]

       The sub lobby teller's eyes plead with the bank manager.

       Zed is watching the whole affair nervously.

                           ERIC
                 [Do you understand that I'll kill her if 
                 you don't open this fucking vault?]

                           BANK MANAGER
                 [Do you understand that this is an 
                 international reserve bank?  Robbing it 
                 is punishable by life imprisonment.]

       Eric fires.  The back of the sub lobby teller's head paints 
       the wall red.

                           ZED
                 Jesus fucking Christ!

       The bank manager, shocked as he is, looks at Zed.  He knows 
       he's an American.

       The sub lobby teller's body slumps to the ground.

       Eric grabs the stodgy customer and puts the gun to his 
       temple.

                           ERIC
                 [Open the vault door or I'll kill this 
                 man next.]

       The bank manager is freaking out, but after what was probably 
       the most horribly agonizing internal debate, he holds his 
       ground.

                           BANK MANAGER
                 [I still cannot open the vault.]

                           ERIC
                 [Come on.  It's only things in there.  
                 This man is flesh and blood.]

                           BANK MANAGER
                 [I will not open the vault.]

                           ZED
                 Eric no!  I can open the vault!

                           ERIC
                 Shut the fuck up!
                     (then to the stodgy customer)
                 [You're a customer in this bank and this 
                 is how they treat you.  Do you have a 
                 family?]

       He nods his head "yes".

                           ERIC
                 [Would you like to see them again?]

       He nods his head again.

                           ERIC
                     (to the manager)
                 [This man has a family he would like to 
                 have Bastille day dinner with tonight.  
                 So save us some time and open the vault.]

       After losing about a pound of sweat...

                           BANK MANAGER
                 [No.]

       Eric quickly removes the gun from the customers temple and 
       fires two shots into the bank manager's face.

       The bank manager falls against the vault door and onto the 
       floor.

                           ERIC
                 Fucking idiot.
                     (then to the stodgy customer)
                 [You seem like a nice man.  Tonight at 
                 dinner think about how lucky you are and 
                 how much you love your family.]

       He starts nodding his head.

                           STODGY CUSTOMER
                 Oui.

                           ERIC
                     (to Oliver)
                 [Take him upstairs.]

       Oliver takes the customer upstairs to the rest of the people.

       Eric rips off his mask.

                           ERIC
                 Don't you ever conflict with me during 
                 work again!  Do you hear!?

       Zed off his clown mask.

                           ZED
                 You didn't have to shoot any of them!

                           ERIC
                     (patronizing)
                 Oh, I'm sorry.  I didn't realize you were 
                 in charge now.  Nobody told me.
                     (his temper flares)
                 If he had opened the vault it would have 
                 saved us a fucking hour.

       He charges into the reserve vault area.

       INT. BANK - RESERVE VAULT AREA - DAY

       They enter and Eric walks up to a bathroom door.

                           ZED
                 Eric.  It's just that we've gone from 
                 being thieves to murderers.

                           ERIC
                 Oh fuck it doesn't matter!  Here you get 
                 the death penalty just for robbing a 
                 federal bank.

                           ZED
                 I thought the death penalty was abolished 
                 in 1980?

                           ERIC
                 Ohhhh!  That's what they tell you!  But 
                 who cares?  I need to take a piss.

       Eric enters the bathroom.

                           ERIC
                     (on his way into the bathroom)
                 Why don't you open the vault?

       Zed looks at the bathroom door close.  After a fuming pause 
       he turns and walks back toward the Poseidon vault door.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - LOBBY - DAY

       Francois peeks through the venetian blinds of the windows to 
       the outside.

                           FRANCOIS
                 [Looks clear.]

       In the meantime, behind the teller windows guarding the 
       people who are laying on the floor, Jean and Ricardo are in 
       the middle of a conversation.  Oliver is sitting on the 
       counter, having just brought the stodgy customer upstairs.  
       Also here now are the sub lobby assistant and the sub lobby 
       guard #2.

                           JEAN
                 [What do you mean you're not sure if the 
                 alarm went off or not?]

                           RICARDO
                 [I mean I'm not sure.]

                           JEAN
                 [Well, either it did or it didn't.]

                           RICARDO
                 [And I'm not sure.]

                           JEAN
                 [Well, do you think it did?]

                           RICARDO
                 [I just fucking told you, I don't know.]

                           JEAN
                 [Take a guess.]

                           RICARDO
                 [It didn't.]

                           JEAN
                 [You're sure?]

                           RICARDO
                 [No.  It's just a guess.]

                           JEAN
                 [Well what kind of a fucking guess is 
                 that?  You're saying it could have.]

                           RICARDO
                 [Yes.]

                           JEAN
                 [Well that's fucking great.  Why didn't 
                 you just kill that asshole to begin with.  
                 I knew I should have been the one to kill 
                 him.  You're always so damn slow.]

                           RICARDO
                 [Shit these masks are really hot.]

                           CLAUDE
                 [I know, I've got fucking sweat stinging 
                 my eyes.]

       In the meantime Zoey is on the floor, unsure of what is going 
       on.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - VAULT ANTECHAMBER - DAY

       Zed opens up his steel briefcase.  Inside of it are all sorts 
       of electronic gear and tools.

       He takes out a tape measure and some callipers and measures 
       out a point on the vault door.  He marks the point with a 
       piece of chalk.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - MEN'S BATHROOM - DAY

       In one of the stalls Eric is preparing a syringe.  He has 
       just cooked the heroin and is now tapping on it to get the 
       bubbles out.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - VAULT ANTECHAMBER - DAY

       Zed takes a power drill out from the briefcase and attaches a 
       special diamond tipped bit.  He measures the depth he wants 
       to drill to and then marks the bit with a yellow pencil.

       He places his ear to the vault and taps the spot.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - MEN'S BATHROOM - DAY

       Eric readies the needle and slaps his vein.  He is shaking 
       but trying to remain as still as possible.

       He places the needle at the end of a track on his arm and 
       inserts it.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - VAULT ANTECHAMBER - DAY

       Zed starts drilling into the point he marked with the chalk 
       on the vault door.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - MEN'S BATHROOM - DAY

       Eric's eyes roll back into his head as the heroin fills his 
       vein.

       He drops the needle to the floor and sits back to enjoy the 
       rush.

                                                       DISSOLVE TO:

       INT. BANK - LOBBY - DAY

       Zoey is sitting on the floor next to the other bank hostages.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - VAULT ANTECHAMBER - DAY

       EXTREME CLOSE ON:  Zed's drill bit.  It burrows into the 
       steel wall of the safe spewing out spiral shavings.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - LOBBY - DAY

       Zoey looks at all the people sitting around her.  They're all 
       scared.  Jean, Ricardo, and Francois are talking amongst 
       themselves.

                           JEAN
                     (in French to Ricardo)
                 [Do you know one?]

                           RICARDO
                 [Let's see.  Okay.  An unfortunate fellow 
                 was locked up in prison doing five to ten 
                 for armed robbery.  All he could think of 
                 the whole time was eating pussy.]

       Zoey looks up at them telling the joke.

                           RICARDO
                 [The day finally came for his release.  
                 He walked out of the prison with a new 
                 suit and fifty francs the officials had 
                 given him, and made a bee-line for the 
                 whorehouse in the nearest town.  Slamming 
                 his fifty francs on the front desk, he 
                 said, "I wanna eat some pussy."]

       Jean is already laughing.

                           RICARDO
                 [I'm not done.  Listen.  "Where've you 
                 been," said the greasy fellow behind the 
                 desk, "fifty francs won't get you a close 
                 look these days."]

       Zoey glances at all of the people.  Then her eyes lock with 
       the concierge security guard.

                           RICARDO
                 ["Listen buddy," said the ex-convict, 
                 pulling him out of his chair by the shirt 
                 collar, "I wanna eat some pussy, and I 
                 want it now!"]

       The concierge security guard lifts his pant leg slowly.

                           RICARDO
                 ["Okay, okay," gasped the proprietor, 
                 "I'll see what I can do."  So the ex-con 
                 followed him through to the very back of 
                 the warehouse through some stained, 
                 tattered red curtains, and into a grimy 
                 little room where a bedraggled looking 
                 whore lay spreadeagled on a filthy bed.  
                 "She's yours for fifty francs," said the 
                 proprietor, and the fellow went at it.]

       Zoey notices that on the concierge security guard's leg is an 
       ankle holster with a small .38 pistol on it.  His fingers 
       begin to unsnap the safety harness on it.

       Her eyes widen.

                           RICARDO
                 [After a little while, he came across a 
                 piece of egg.  "That's funny," he thought 
                 to himself, "I don't think I had egg for 
                 breakfast."  But he spat it out and kept 
                 eating away.  Next he found a piece of 
                 chipped beef wedged between his front 
                 teeth.  "I'm sure I haven't eaten chipped 
                 beef this week," he thought, but kept on.  
                 Then he came across the corn.  "What is 
                 this?" he said, "I think I'm going to be 
                 sick."]

       The concierge security guard unsnaps the safety.  Zoey knows 
       he's going to make his move.

                           RICARDO
                 ["Ya know," says the whore, "that's what 
                 the last guy said."]

       Before they can even laugh the concierge security guard whips 
       out the .38 and fires three shots.

       Two of them hit Ricardo in the chest.  He falls to the 
       ground.

       The other hits Francois in the arm.

       In an instant Jean is firing his machine gun into the group 
       of people huddled on the floor.

       Everyone is screaming and trying to get away.

       Machine gun fire cuts through the concierge security guard 
       killing him dead.

       Unfortunately, the wild spray of bullets also rips into three 
       of the tellers, four of the customers, and the loan officer, 
       killing them all.

       People are trying to flee but Claude fires his gun into the 
       ceiling.

                           CLAUDE
                 [No one fucking moves!]

       Jean has jumped up on the table and is aiming at the people.

                           JEAN
                 [Shit!  What happened!?]

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - VAULT ANTECHAMBER - DAY

       Zed looks up hearing the commotion.

       Eric comes running out of the bathroom and into the 
       storage/elevator area.

                           ERIC
                 What is it?  What's going on?

       Zed gets up to go upstairs.             

                           ZED            
                 I don't know.

                           ERIC
                 No!  You stay here.

       Eric runs upstairs.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - LOBBY - DAY

       Francois is on the ground holding his arm.  He keeps rolling 
       back and forth in pain.

       Ricardo is dead.

       Jean, Claude, and Oliver are waving their guns around ready 
       to kill someone any second.

                           JEAN
                 [Nobody fucking moves!  Nobody fucking 
                 moves!]

       Claude motions to the dead security guard.

                           CLAUDE
                 [The gun!  Somebody get it!]

       Oliver goes over to the dead security guard, the whole time 
       waving his gun at people.

                           OLIVER
                 [Don't fuck with me!  Don't fuck with 
                 me!]

       He grabs the gun from the dead security guards limp grip.

       Eric storms in.  He isn't wearing his mask.

                           ERIC
                 [What the fuck is going on!?]

       Zoey notices Eric, she remembers him.

                           OLIVER
                     (pointing at the dead man)
                 [This crazy fuck shot Ricardo!]

       Eric looks over at Ricardo and then at the carnage.

       Then everybody notices he isn't wearing a mask.

                           JEAN
                     (quietly)
                 [Eric, your mask.]

                           ERIC
                 Oh shit.

       Then Oliver yanks his off.

                           OLIVER
                 Who gives a damn if they see us or not 
                 anyway!  I can't see a fucking think in 
                 this!

       Everyone takes their masks off.

                           ERIC
                 [Is this what happens?  Is this what 
                 happens when I walk away for five 
                 minutes?]

                           CLAUDE
                 [He had a hidden gun.]

                           ERIC
                     (mimicking a little child)
                 [He had a hidden gun.]
                     (then back to normal)
                 [I don't care!]

       Then, one of the bank customers, a MALE TOURIST, speaks up.

                           MALE TOURIST
                     (holding up his passport)
                 This is insane!  I am a U.S. citizen!  
                 You must let me go!

       Eric looks at him.

                           MALE TOURIST
                 I'm an American!  American!  I'm just 
                 here exchanging dollars.  If it wasn't 
                 for my country you'd all be speaking 
                 German!

       Eric is tired of this outburst, he shoots him.

       Everyone screams.

                           ERIC
                     (to the people)
                 [I have had enough of this nonsense!  The 
                 next person that speaks will die!]

       Everyone is quiet.

       Francois is sitting on the floor bleeding from his arm.

                           JEAN
                 [Eric, I'm sorry.  Things got out of 
                 hand.  But we're in control now.]

                           ERIC
                 [Good.  Let's try to keep it that way.  
                 God what a mess.]

                           CLAUDE
                 Eric

                           ERIC
                 [What the fuck is it now!?  You want me 
                 to hold your hand as you take a piss?]

                           CLAUDE
                 [I have a question.]

                           ERIC
                 [What?]

                           CLAUDE
                 [Do we know if the alarm went off or 
                 not?]

                           ERIC
                 [Yes.]

                           CLAUDE
                 [We do?]

                           ERIC
                 [Yes.  It didn't go off.  If it had the 
                 police would be here and our whole plan 
                 would be fucked.  But they're not here, 
                 and our plan isn't fucked.  So if there 
                 aren't any more fucking stupid questions 
                 I'll go downstairs and see if we're in 
                 yet.  Is that okay with you?]

       Claude nods.

       Then, the phone rings.

       Everyone looks at it.

                           ERIC
                 [I thought the phones were dead.]

       It rings again.

                           OLIVER
                 The phones are dead.

       Eric grabs a WOMAN TELLER who is crying hysterically and 
       lifts her to her feet.

       He drags her to the ringing phone.

                           ERIC
                 [Answer it!]

       She is crying too hard.

       Eric puts his gun to her head.

                           ERIC
                 [Answer it or you will die.]

       She slowly picks up the phone.

                           WOMAN TELLER
                     (answering phone through tears)
                 Banque Internationale de Paris.

       She pauses, then hands the phone to Eric.

                           WOMAN TELLER
                 [It's for you.]

       Eric takes the phone and pushes her to the floor.

       He puts the receiver to his ear.

                           ERIC
                     (into phone)
                 [Hello.]
                     (pause)
                 [Who is this?]

       Eric motions to Oliver to check the windows.

       Oliver runs over and peeks out the blinds.

                           OLIVER
                 Oh my God!  The police!

                           ERIC
                     (into phone)
                 [What do you want?]

       Eric looks around at the dead bodies.

                           ERIC
                     (into phone)
                 [We're all fine in here.]

       Oliver is pacing back and forth wildly.  He starts loading 
       extra ammo into his weapon.

                           ERIC
                     (into phone)
                 [No.  I'll tell you what, you go fuck 
                 yourself you fucking pig.  You send 
                 anyone near this building and I'll kill 
                 the first person I lay my hands on.  I've 
                 got plenty hostages here to kill so don't 
                 even think of coming in.]
                     (pause)
                 [Just stay put.  We'll call you when 
                 we're ready.  In the mean time, have a 
                 nice day.]

       Eric hangs up the phone, and then leaves it off the hook.

                           CLAUDE
                 [The silent alarm must have gone off 
                 after all!]

                           ERIC
                 [Shut the fuck up!  The alarm didn't do 
                 shit.  For all we know your idiot 
                 shooting brought them here.  Anyhow it 
                 doesn't matter.  Nothing has changed.]

                           JEAN
                 [My God!  The police!  What are we going 
                 to do?]

                           ERIC
                 [Nothing.  We don't have to do anything.  
                 The plan stays the same, just slightly 
                 different.]

       Then Eric catches sight of Zoey, their eyes lock.  Eric 
       smiles and winks.  Then he turns to Jean with a whisper.

                           ERIC
                 [If the police decide to come in...kill 
                 them.  And if you don't mind, stack those 
                 bodies somewhere else.  This place is a 
                 fucking mess and it's bad for morale.]

       Then he takes off downstairs, smiling.  Jean is a little 
       stumped.

       INT. BANK - RESERVE VAULT AREA - DAY

       As Eric walks down the stairs and through the reserve vault 
       area a look of intense concentration washes over his face.  
       You can see that a trillion calculations are being made in 
       his brain...the question is:  are there any answers?

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - VAULT ANTECHAMBER - DAY

       Zed is drilling now with a hand drill.  He removes it and 
       blows into the hole.  Shavings come out.

       Eric comes trotting into the antechamber whistling.

                           ZED
                     (turning to Eric)
                 What's going on?

                           ERIC
                 Nothing.  They were just scaring them.

                           ZED
                 Well, did you tell them to stay quiet?

                           ERIC
                 Yes.  They're assholes.  Just having fun.

       Zed looks into the hole.

       He has drilled into the vault door, revealing some wiring.

                           ZED
                 Fucked up my drill bit.

                           ERIC
                 It's okay.  You can buy another one.

       Zed takes out a volt meter from his briefcase and inserts the 
       two prongs into the hole.

                           ZED
                 Cross your fingers.

       Eric does.

       The volt meter's needle jumps.

                           ZED
                 Perfect.

                           ERIC
                 Excellent.  What next?

                           ZED
                 We find the fuse box.  It'll probably be 
                 upstairs.

       Zed gets up.

                           ERIC
                 It's okay.  I'll find it for you.

                           ZED
                 No.  I need to see it myself.

       Zed jumps up and into the storage/elevator area with Eric 
       close behind him.

                           ERIC
                 I think it would be better if I looked 
                 for you.  I could--

       INT. BANK - STORAGE/ELEVATOR AREA - DAY

       Instead of walking upstairs, Zed finds the fuse box right in 
       the next room.

                           ZED
                 Hold on.  Here she is.

       Eric is a bit relieved.

       Zed opens it up.

                           ZED
                 Let's see.

       He looks through the fuses and then finds the one he wants.

                           ZED
                 Okay, you throw this fuse switch off and 
                 then back on when I call to you.  Any 
                 other switch may set off the alarm.

       Eric smirks.

                           ERIC
                 Oh, I wouldn't want to do that.

                           ZED
                     (serious)
                 Got it?

                           ERIC
                     (nodding)
                 Got it.

       Zed goes back to the vaults.

       INT. BANK - VAULT ANTECHAMBER - DAY

       Zed trots back to the Poseidon vault door and quickly grabs a 
       little gizmo from out of his briefcase.  It is a little home-
       made black box with a series of LED's on it and two wires 
       coming out of one side with alligator clips on the end.  
       Three other wires are also coming out of it.

       He slips the alligator clips into the hole and latches them.

       He then tapes one of the wires to the vault itself.

       The two remaining wires he hooks up to a large twelve volt 
       battery.

                           ZED
                 Come on sweetie don't fail me now.

       He looks toward the door leading to the reserve vault area.

                           ZED
                     (calling to Eric)
                 Ready?!

                           ERIC(O.S.)
                     (calling back)
                 Ready!

       Zed turns on his little box, the LED's start flickering.

                           ZED
                 Now!

       The lights go out and then back on.

       There is a whirring sound from the vault door.

       The LED's quickly go from red to green.

       There is a loud, heavy clicking as the vault door unlocks.

                           ZED
                 Open seasame.

       Zed smiles and swings the door open revealing the interior of 
       the Poseidon vault.

       Eric comes running in like a kid on Christmas morning.

                           ERIC
                 It worked!

       He and Zed hug.

                           ERIC
                 Oh my God it worked!

       Zed looks into the Poseidon vault at the passage connecting 
       it to the main vault.  It is covered by a small locked cage.

                           ZED
                 I can get through that lock in a minute.

                           ERIC
                 Then do it.  We don't have all day.

       Zed enters the Poseidon vault.

       INT. BANK - POSEIDON VAULT - DAY

       Zed goes to the gated passage which isn't much more than a 
       window in one upper side of the vault, but it's enough to get 
       him into the main vault.

       Eric is right behind him.

       Zed takes a twirl at the combination lock.

                           ZED
                 Dime store brand.  Three minutes max.

                           ERIC
                 Good.

       Then, there's a gunshot.  The bullet comes from the Calibre 
       vault through the window and almost hits Zed.

       Zed falls backwards onto the floor.

                           ZED
                 Fuck!

                           ERIC
                 Merde!

       Then there's another gunshot.

       The bullet ricochets through the vault.

                           ZED
                 Jesus Christ!

       Scrambling on their hands and knees Zed and Eric crawl out of 
       the Poseidon vault.

       INT. BANK - VAULT ANTECHAMBER - DAY

       They take cover.

       Another shot is fired into the vault.

       Zed and Eric look into the vault.

                           ZED
                 Another security guard?

                           ERIC
                 Must be.

                           ZED
                 I think I stained my pants.

                           ERIC
                 Me too.

       Oliver comes running in with his gun ready for action.

                           OLIVER
                 What is it?!  I came down to see how 
                 things were going and heard shots!

                           ERIC
                 Some asshole in the vault.

       Oliver takes cover and cocks his gun.

                           OLIVER
                 We've got guns.  Why don't we just storm 
                 in and blast his fucking ass!  It's three 
                 against one!  Let's give it the old--

                           ERIC
                 Quiet!

                           OLIVER
                 I'm just trying to be helpful.

                           ERIC
                 Just let me think.

                           OLIVER
                 You don't have to snap at me.

       Eric peeks into the vault.

                           ERIC
                     (calling into the vault)
                 [Hey you.  Nice shooting.  Play time's 
                 over.  Why don't you throw out your gun?]

                           VAULT GUARD #1(O.S.)
                     (calling from main vault)
                 No!

       Oliver and Eric look at each other and smile.

                           ERIC
                 [Come on.  We don't want to kill you.]

                           VAULT GUARD #1(O.S.)
                 [You'll have to!]

                           ERIC
                     (quietly to Zed)
                 What is this guys problem?
                     (then to the guard)
                 [Come on!  You're making me impatient.  I 
                 don't have all day.]

                           VAULT GUARD #1(O.S.)
                 [Look, don't take it personally.  This is 
                 my job.]

       Oliver and Eric look at each other and shrug.  Then Eric sees 
       something in Zed's briefcase.  It looks like grey clay.

                           ERIC
                 [Then take a paid vacation.  We won't 
                 tell if you won't.]

       There is a pause.  During this time Eric takes the clay and 
       pushes a detonator into it.

                           ZED
                     (quietly)
                 What the Hell are you doing?  Have you 
                 gone mad?

                           VAULT GUARD #1(O.S.)
                 [Sorry.  I can't.]

                           ERIC
                 [Well, look, we're going to give you 
                 fifteen minutes to change your mind.  
                 Okay?]

                           VAULT GUARD #1(O.S.)
                 [Okay.]

       Zed starts to grab the plastique away from Eric.  Eric 
       resists.

                           ZED
                     (holding his voice down)
                 That's too much.  It's dangerous.

                           ERIC
                 I like danger.
                     (then to the guard)
                 [Changed your mind yet?]

       Eric creeps into the room and activates the detonator.

       Zed and Oliver run for cover.

                           VAULT GUARD #1(O.S.)
                 [No.  And I'm not going to.  Why don't 
                 you just take the money from the other 
                 vaults?--]

       Eric tosses the bar of plastique through the caged window and 
       makes a break for it.

       There is a huge explosion in the adjoining main vault.  The 
       walls quake and a fireball bellows out of the caged window, 
       blowing it open.

       The vault guard #1 screams and then goes silent.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - LOBBY - DAY

       Francois, Claude, and Jean are forcing customers to drag dead 
       bodies into a cube.  The room shakes and everyone looks 
       toward the hall that leads to the stairs.

       The hostages, whose nerves are already shot, start crying.

                           FRANCOIS
                 [Should we see if they're okay?]

                           JEAN
                 [No.  They're just blasting the vault 
                 open.]

                           CLAUDE
                 [What does it matter now?  We're fucking 
                 surrounded by police.]

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - VAULT ANTECHAMBER - DAY

       Dust has blown out of the vault and is settling on Oliver, 
       Zed, and Eric, who is laughing like a madman.

       Zed is looking at him like he's crazy.

                           ZED
                 You asshole!  You could have killed us 
                 all.

                           ERIC
                 But I didn't!  Let's go check out the 
                 damage.

       Eric gets up and walks into the Poseidon vault.

       Before Zed follows him he looks at Oliver who doesn't know 
       what to think.

       INT. BANK - POSEIDON VAULT - DAY

       Eric laughs.

                           ERIC
                 Zed look!

       He points to the caged window.  It's been blown off it's 
       hinges.

                           ERIC
                 I beat you!  I opened it in under three 
                 minutes.

       He starts laughing and then crawls through the connecting 
       passage into the Caliber vault.

       Zed, with his briefcase, follows.

                           ZED
                     (to Oliver)
                 Go around and wait at the main vault 
                 door.  When I tell you, open it up.

                           OLIVER
                 Right.  When you tell me, I'll open it 
                 up.

                           ZED
                 Right.

                           OLIVER
                 Right.

       Zed crawls through the opening.

                           OLIVER
                 I'll be at the other vault waiting for 
                 you to call to me.

       INT. CALIBER VAULT - DAY

       The main vault looks like what a vault would look like if it 
       were blown up from the inside.  On the floor is the still 
       smoldering body of the security guard.  The room is 
       incredibly smokey.

       Zed squeezes through the opening.

       Then, Eric, grinning like a schoolboy, emerges from the smoke 
       with a brick sized bar of pure gold.

                           ERIC
                 Look at it!  We're all rich!

       The smoke clears and we see that on the far side of the vault 
       there is a huge platen on wheels with bricks of gold stacked 
       onto it.

       Eric starts laughing.

                           ERIC
                 We're rich!

       Zed looks at him like he's crazy.

                           ERIC
                 We're rich!

                           ZED
                 We're not out of here yet.

                           ERIC
                 Yes but we're rich!

       Zed takes a seat at the vault door.  The backside of a vault 
       door looks like an incredibly intricate clock.  Zed removes 
       the Plexiglass shielding.

                           ERIC
                 I'm going to show the others.

       He squirms out of the entry with the brick of gold.

       Zed shakes his head and goes to work setting dials and using 
       his voltmeter to test electrical points.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - LOBBY - DAY

       Claude is talking to Jean.

                           CLAUDE
                 [What?  You think we may actually get out 
                 of this?  You're fooling yourself.]

                           JEAN
                 [Why are you such a pessimist?]

                           CLAUDE
                 [Are you kidding me?  Look at this mess.]

       Jean surveys the mess, the crying people.

                           CLAUDE
                 [This is nothing.  Imagine the police 
                 outside.  We're dead men.]

       Eric walks in from the rear stairs.  In his hand is a brick 
       of gold.

                           ERIC
                 [Jean, Francois, Claude...look at this.]

       They see the gold.

                           JEAN
                 [You did it!  You got in!]

                           ERIC
                 [Zed is opening the vault now.  This is a 
                 taste.]

       Eric holds the bar of gold up for all the people to see.

                           ERIC
                 [Look at this and tell me I'm not 
                 brilliant.]

                           WOMAN CUSTOMER
                     (crying)
                 [You're a monster!  And you'll never 
                 leave this place alive!]

       Eric shoots her with his Uzi.

                           ERIC
                     (to the hostages)
                 [None of you are worth half of this 
                 single bar.  Remember that.]

       Francois, Jean, and Claude look at each other.

                           CLAUDE
                 [Eric...can I speak with you?]

                           ERIC
                 [Of course.]

                           CLAUDE
                 [In private.]

                           ERIC
                 [There's no need.  I have nothing to 
                 hide.  What is it Claude?]

                           CLAUDE
                 [Well...we're surrounded by the police 
                 and we have no way out.  What are we 
                 going to do?]

       Eric slaps him across the face.

                           ERIC
                 [What are you doing Claude?  Talking of 
                 all this false doubt.  What do you think 
                 we're going to do?]

       Claude is hurt, not physically but emotionally.

                           CLAUDE
                 [I don't know...not the original plan.]

                           ERIC
                 [Obviously, since Ricardo fucked us up 
                 and didn't kill the concierge fast 
                 enough.  And killing all these assholes--
                 ]
                     (motioning to all the 
                      customers)
                 [--isn't going to do us a damn bit of 
                 good now, is it?]

                           CLAUDE
                 No.

                           ERIC
                 [No.  Because we'll need them as hostages 
                 when we get on the plane.]

                           CLAUDE
                 [We're going on a plane?]

       Eric pats his shoulder.

                           ERIC
                 [Claude, you are a mental giant.  Leave 
                 the plans up to me and just kill people 
                 if they get out of line, okay?]

                           CLAUDE
                 [Okay.]

       Eric turns and starts to walk toward the downstairs.

                           ERIC
                 [I'm going to see how things are going.]

       INT. BANK - REAR STAIRS TO LOBBY - DAY

       Eric is whistling while he walks, he pauses to perform a 
       quick magic trick, then he continues.

       INT. RESERVE VAULT AREA - DAY

       Eric walks into the reserve vault area.

       He stops.  He hears something.  A scratching sound.

       He looks at it's source, TWO POLICEMEN, decked out in black 
       flak jackets and gas masks are starting to come out of a 
       sewer manhole.

       Eric's eyes widen.  He takes his silencer out of his coat and 
       fixes it to his handgun.  Then, like a man with intent to 
       kill, he rapidly approaches them.

       The one who came out of the manhole turns just in time to see 
       Eric fire into his chest.  Then, Eric aims the gun into the 
       tight crawlspace and fires into the other man.  For safe 
       measure he empties his gun into the tiny causeway.

       He drops the gun into the hole and then shoves the other 
       policeman into it.  He then pushes a large utility wagon over 
       the manhole cover to stop anyone else from coming in.

       INT. BANK - REAR STAIRS TO LOBBY - DAY

       Eric comes running out from the reserve vault area and up the 
       stairs to the lobby.

       INT. BANK - LOBBY - DAY

       Eric rushes into the lobby.

                           ERIC
                 [They want to fuck with me!?  They want 
                 to fuck with me!?]

       He puts the phone on the hook.

       It instantly rings.

       He answers the phone.

                           ERIC
                 [You want to fuck with me!?  I'll show 
                 you what happens to people who fuck with 
                 me!]

       He throws the phone to the ground and looks at Zoey.

                           ERIC
                 [The moment of truth my love.  You knew 
                 it would come.]

       He grabs Zoey and lifts her to her feet.

                           ZOEY
                     (screeching)
                 No!

       Then, the assistant manager stops him.

                           ASSISTANT MANAGER
                 [No!  What ever it is you're going to do 
                 have mercy!]

       Eric suddenly calms down.

                           ERIC
                 [Have mercy?]

                           ASSISTANT MANAGER
                 [Yes.]

                           ERIC
                 [With her.]

                           ASSISTANT MANAGER
                 [Yes.]

                           ERIC
                 [That's sweet.]
                     (to Zoey)
                 [You have quite a reach my lovely.  Is he 
                 one of your clients?]

       He pushes Zoey to the ground.

                           ERIC
                 [It's a deal.]

                           ASSISTANT MANAGER
                 [Thank you.]

                           ERIC
                 [Don't mention it.]

       He grabs the assistant manager and at gunpoint forces him to 
       the main entrance.

                           CLAUDE
                 [Eric!  What are you doing?]

                           ERIC
                 [Clearing up the "how full of shit am I" 
                 question the cops are asking themselves 
                 right now.]

       The assistant manager is putting up a bit of a struggle but 
       Eric simply forces him along.

       Everyone waits until suddenly they hear a burst of gunfire 
       from outside.  They all scream.

       Eric walks back into the bank, he picks up the phone.

                           ERIC
                     (into phone)
                 [Hello.]
                     (pause)
                 [Yes.  I'll hold.]
                     (then to Claude)
                 [I'm holding.]

       After a little bit of a wait someone comes on the other end 
       of the line.

                           ERIC
                     (into phone)
                 [Hello.]
                     (pause)
                 [You don't know the fucking half of it.  
                 So just shut the fuck up and listen.  Try 
                 any more stunts and I'll fucking really 
                 go crazy.]
                     (pause)
                 [Well that's good because if you faggot 
                 cops even think of it I'll kill some more 
                 people.  Hear?]
                     (pause)
                 [No.  None of that.  We won't trade.  
                 That never works.  Not in the movies, not 
                 in real life.  Understand?  We're going 
                 to get into our van, with a couple of 
                 people, go to the airport, and fly out of 
                 this shit hole city.  And you're not 
                 going to follow us.]
                     (pause)
                 [Who do you fucking think is going to 
                 supply the plane?  Us?  No, you fucking 
                 imbecile, the French taxpayers would be a 
                 good second guess for you.  You're really 
                 pissing me off.  You think I'm a fucking 
                 amature?]

       He covers the mouth piece.

                           ERIC
                     (to Claude)
                 [I fucking hate cops.]

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - CALIBER VAULT - DAY

       Zed is sweating as he works away at the back of the door.  He 
       glances over what he's done and makes a calculation on a 
       calculator.

       Then, there is a groaning sound.

       Zed, terrified, spins around.

       Another groaning sound.  The vault security guard isn't dead.  
       His body is charred and he's not moving but he's very much 
       alive.

                           VAULT GUARD #1
                 [I'm going to die...]

       Zed can't believe what he's seeing.

       He moves over to the body, leaving his work behind.

                           VAULT GUARD #1
                 [I'm going to die...please hold 
                 my...hand.  I don't...want to 
                 die...alone.]

       Zed hovers over the body, afraid to touch it.  He gives it a 
       nudge with his foot.

       The body groans and then exhales the longest exhale ever.

       Zed kneels down next to the body.

                           ZED
                 Are you still there?

       Nothing.

       Zed puts his hand to the neck of the vault guard #1 and 
       checks for a pulse.

       Nothing.

       Zed sits there for a moment looking at the corpse, then, like 
       he wants to get out of there as soon as possible, he 
       scrambles to the door and starts adjusting several switches.  
       He has wired a battery to two leads.  He takes out a wire 
       cutter and snips a wire.

       There is a sudden barrage of whirring and clicking sounds as 
       the vault unlocks.

       Zed calls to Oliver from the passage.

       INT. BANK - STORAGE/ELEVATOR AREA - DAY

       Oliver is staring at the dead bodies of the manager and sub 
       lobby teller.

                           ZED(O.S.)
                     (distant, calling from the 
                      vault)
                 Oliver, now!  Open the vault!

       Oliver turns the large wheel and opens the Caliber vault 
       door.

       With some amount of energy the door opens.  Standing inside 
       is Zed.

                           ZED
                 Open seasame.

       He steps out of the vault.

                           ZED
                 Do you want to give me a hand?

                           OLIVER
                 Sure.

       Oliver puts his gun down and they go into the Calibre vault.

       INT. BANK - CALIBER VAULT - DAY

       Oliver sees the huge platen of gold bricks.  Zed puts his 
       steel briefcase on top of it.

                           OLIVER
                 Holy mother.

                           ZED
                 Here, help me with this.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - LOBBY - DAY

       Eric slams the phone down and then in a fit of rage tears the 
       phone from the wall.

                           ERIC
                 Merde!

       He grabs his machine gun and aims it at the sub lobby guard 
       #2.

       The sub lobby guard #2 braces himself for gunfire.

       Eric fires into him.  He is dead instantly.

       Everybody screams.

       Eric fires into his dead corpse until his gun runs out of 
       bullets.

                           ERIC
                 [That's what you get!]

       Claude puts his hand on Eric's shoulder.

                           CLAUDE
                 Eric.

       Eric looks at him.

                           ERIC
                 [The fucking police won't budge.  I kill 
                 a man and they don't care.  They say they 
                 don't make deals with terrorists.  It 
                 really fucks up my plan.]

                           CLAUDE
                 [And what if we gave up?]

       Eric can't believe this.

                           ERIC
                     (laughing)
                 [Claude, look around you.  We're not 
                 talking prison here.  You know.  The cops 
                 will give in.  You start killing 
                 women...they give in.  They're all so 
                 fucking much in love with women!]

       Then he looks at Zoey.

                           ERIC
                 [What are you looking at you fucking 
                 whore?]

       She doesn't want to say a thing that'll upset him.

                           ERIC
                 [Are you afraid I'll tell these people 
                 that this is only a day job for you?]

       She shakes her head "no".

                           ERIC
                 [What?  So they know that you're a--]

       The sub lobby assistant speaks up.

                           SUB LOBBY ASSISTANT
                 [Leave her alone.]

       Eric cracks the butt of his gun into the man's face.

                           ERIC
                 [Shut up!]

       He clicks another clip into the Uzi and grabs Zoey by the 
       collar and lifts her to her feet.

                           ERIC
                 [My only mistake was not to make an 
                 example of a woman to begin with.]

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - CALIBER VAULT - DAY

       Zed takes the dolly and starts wheeling the platen of gold 
       out.  Oliver helps him.

                           OLIVER
                 This is unbelievable.  Look at all of 
                 this.  It's wonderful to touch.

                           ZED
                 Just help me steer this out.

       They maneuver out of the Calibre vault.

       INT. BANK - STORAGE/ELEVATOR AREA - DAY

       They come out of the Calibre vault with the huge platen.

                           OLIVER
                 Do you think we should get some cash 
                 also?

                           ZED
                 What for?

                           OLIVER
                 Well, you never know.

       They start maneuvering the platen toward an elevator.

                           ZED
                 Money is too easily traceable.  You'd 
                 never be able to spend it.  And forget 
                 about exchanging it.

                           OLIVER
                 That's true.

                           ZED
                 No sir.  Your best bet is to get these 
                 bars melted down in Tunisia or Korea.

                           OLIVER
                 Eric knows someone in Portugal.

                           ZED
                 Or Portugal.

       They get into the banks private freight elevator.

       INT. BANK - FREIGHT ELEVATOR - DAY

       Zed closes the door and pushes the button to go up to the 
       ground floor.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - LOBBY - DAY

       Eric is dragging Zoey by the hair toward the door when she 
       grabs his groin and starts squeezing.

       Eric lets out a shrill scream and whacks the butt of the Uzi 
       into her face.

       But she won't let go.  Her years as a prostitute have taught 
       her to ignore pain.

       She grabs hold of the gun hand.

                           ERIC
                     (groaning)
                 [You fucking bitch!]

       A few bursts of the Uzi go off and one shell stitches Eric's 
       foot red.

       Eric lets go and falls to the ground.

       Claude, Jean, and Francois suddenly become attentive to 
       what's going on.

       Zoey starts firing the Uzi but can't control it.  She showers 
       the room with bullets.  She starts to run toward the back 
       office blindly firing the gun in the direction of Claude, 
       Eric, Francois, Jean, and the other hostages.

       Then, a tear gas cannister break through the top windows and 
       start clouding the place up.

       Eric whips out his switch blade and hops on his bloody red 
       foot.

                           ERIC
                 [Bitch!]

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - FREIGHT ELEVATOR - DAY

       Zed is waiting for the elevator to arrive.

                           ZED
                 Do we have a covering of some kind?

                           OLIVER
                 A what?

                           ZED
                 You know.  Something to cover this with.  
                 It'll look kind of conspicuous leaving 
                 the bank with a platten of gold.

                           OLIVER
                 Oh, it won't matter.  The police know 
                 what we're up too.

                           ZED
                 Police?!  What do you mean they know what 
                 we're up too?

                           OLIVER
                 You don't know?  We've been discovered.  
                 But Eric has them under control.

       Zed is frantic.

                           ZED
                 No I didn't know!  How many police?

                           OLIVER
                 The building is surrounded.

       The elevator doors open onto the ground floor to the sound of 
       automatic gunfire.  Zed walks out into the back office.

       INT. BANK - BACK OFFICE - DAY

       Suddenly, from the back office, Zed sees Zoey blasting away 
       an Uzi and running toward the rear stairwell.  Eric is in the 
       lobby limping around.  The other gang members are ducking 
       from her fire.

       Then, her clip runs out.

       She sees Zed, their eyes lock.  An IMAGE overcomes Zed.  She 
       runs down the stairs to the back.

                           ERIC
                 Kill her!  Kill her!

       Oliver aims his gun to fire and Zed pushes it up.  Oliver's 
       gun discharges into the ceiling.  Oliver and Zed begin to 
       struggle.

       INT. BANK - LOBBY - DAY

       Zed and Oliver collapse out of the back office and into the 
       lobby.  They tumble onto the floor.  Eric hobbles over to 
       them, his gun aimed at Zed.

                           ERIC
                 What the fuck are you doing!?

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - RESERVE VAULT AREA - DAY

       Zoe is near tears.  She drops the empty machine gun to the 
       floor and starts walking toward the sub lobby.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - LOBBY - DAY

       Eric leans down to talk to Zed.  Oliver and Jean are 
       watching.  Francois and Claude are more worried about the 
       tear gas.

                           CLAUDE
                 [They're trying to smoke us out Eric!]

                           FRANCOIS
                 [What do we do!?]

       Eric waves them off with a brush of his hand.  He's 
       concentrating on Zed.

                           ERIC
                 Do you really love your bitch whore 
                 girlfriend that much?  She's really 
                 fucked with your mind.

                           ZED
                 Eric...what are you talking about?

       Eric lifts him to his feet and holds him up against the 
       knife.  He turns him toward the smoke and whispers into his 
       ear.

                           ERIC
                 Look at it.  It's all for us.  The smoke.  
                 The attention.  They have no idea of who 
                 they're dealing with.  They have no idea 
                 what kind of men we are.

                           ZED
                     (thinking Eric is a madman)
                 What kind of men are we?

       Eric looks at him and gives him a soft kiss on the cheek.

                           ERIC
                 You can no longer be in our club.  You 
                 forfeit your cut of the pie.

       Zed laughs, there's not gonna be much of a pie to eat.

                           ZED
                 What about our friendship?

                           ERIC
                 Shit Zed.  I haven't seen you in years.  
                 You hardly know me.

       He slashes Zed across the face with the switchblade.  Zed 
       falls backwards and tumbles down the stairs like a rag doll.

                           ERIC
                 Never let a girl come between two men.

       He walks down the hall toward the gold.

                           ERIC
                 Now let's try to get out of here.

       Eric walks into the back office.  The others look at each 
       other.

       Suddenly a black figure runs across the bank behind the 
       shadows, Francois sees it and nervously fires.

       In the background the distinctive sound of European police 
       sirens wail as more cars pull up to the outside of the bank.

       Also, an UNINTELLIGIBLE VOICE is blaring orders over a 
       bullhorn.

                           FRANCOIS
                 [The police!  They're entering the 
                 building!]

       Suddenly all of them start firing like blindly into the 
       smoke.

       Francois runs back to Eric who has walked up to the elevator 
       via the back office.

       INT. BANK - FREIGHT ELEVATOR - DAY

       Eric caresses his hand across the bars of gold.

                           ERIC
                     (to himself)
                 [Smoother and more giving than the most 
                 selfless human being.  You're beautiful.]

       Francois runs in.

                           FRANCOIS
                 [Eric!]

                           ERIC
                 [Jesus, what now?]

                           FRANCOIS
                 [The police are coming in!  We're 
                 doomed!]

                           ERIC
                 [Get a hostage.]

                           FRANCOIS
                     (frantic)
                 [They don't give a fuck about the 
                 hostages!]

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - LOBBY - DAY

       Jean becomes a berzerker and runs out into a cloud of smoke 
       and throws the tear gas container into the thick cloud.

       Then he turns to the police and holds his own gun to his 
       head.

                           JEAN
                 [Don't make me!]

       A single bullet passes through his torso.  As Jean falls to 
       the ground he lets loose a round of gunfire into the ceiling.

       Oliver is still firing, his face is red like a crazed man.

       From behind the counter the sub lobby assistant grabs a hold 
       of Claude and wrestles him to the ground.

       The other customers start to flee for cover.

       Oliver sees the fracas between the sub lobby assistant and 
       Claude.  It looks like the sub lobby assistant is getting the 
       upper hand.  Oliver swings his gun around and sprays machine 
       gun fire at them...killing them both.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - SUB LOBBY - DAY

       Zoe walks up the stairs out, not only are they locked but a 
       cloud of tear gas is pouring into the downstairs sub lobby.

       Suddenly, Zed stumbles in.

       Zed is like a zombie.  Then he notices Zoe in the stairwell.  
       They lock eyes.

                           ZED
                     (almost delerious)
                 Zoe...

       She steps down into the sub lobby, machine guns crackle in 
       the background.  She runs up to him just as he slumps to the 
       ground.

                           ZOE
                     (holding him)
                 My Zed.  They've hurt you.

       She dabs a cloth to his cut face.  He holds it on.

                           ZOE
                     (trying to comfort him)
                 You're going to be okay.  In many 
                 countries scars on the face are a symbol 
                 of heroism.  To proudly display a flaw 
                 like a badge...is to wear a badge of 
                 truth.

       He takes her hand.

                           ZED
                 Be serious Zoe...I can stick my tongue 
                 through my cheek.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - LOBBY - DAY

       The police are now laying it on heavy.  Francois comes out of 
       the office.

                           FRANCOIS
                 Oliver!  Let's get a hostage!

                           OLIVER
                 This is the end!

       Francois is ripped into by machine gun fire.

       Oliver races past him.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - SUB LOBBY - DAY

       Tear gas is starting to fill the room.

       Zoe stands Zed up.

                           ZOE
                 Listen to me.  We're going to lock 
                 ourselves into one of the air tight 
                 vaults...if any of them are still open.

       They start walking toward the reserve vault area.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - FREIGHT ELEVATOR - DAY

       Eric hops into the elevator and closes the door, just as 
       Oliver runs up, firing toward the police.

       Eric is laughing manically as he leaves them behind.

                           OLIVER
                 Bastard!

       Oliver turns to where the police will surely be coming in.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - RESERVE VAULT AREA - DAY

       Zoey and Zed rush into the reserve vault area.  Zoey notices 
       that the downstairs reserve vault is closed.

                           ZOE
                 Merde!  The vault has been closed.

                           ZED
                 What about the others?

       The gunfire upstairs has subsided and has been replaced by 
       unintelligible POLICE VOICES.

                           ZOE
                 Listen...there's no gunfire.

       Zoey quietly opens the door opposite the vault that leads to 
       the rear stairs to the lobby level.

       INT. BANK - REAR STAIRS TO LOBBY - DAY

       Zoey peeks up the stairs just in time to see Oliver bolt for 
       the stairs.

                           OLIVER
                     (to police)
                 Motherfuckers!

       A volly of gunfire rips into Oliver but he stands his ground 
       and fires into the police.

                           OLIVER
                 You wanna fuck with me?  You wanna fuck 
                 with me?  I'll show you who you're 
                 fucking with!

       He starts blasting away.

       Terrified, Zoey leads Zed to the storage/elevator area.

                           ZOEY
                 C'mon, we'll be safer in here.

                                                            CUT TO:

       INT. BANK - STORAGE/ELEVATOR AREA - DAY

       The elevator door opens, Eric steps out and looks around like 
       a caged animal.

                           ERIC
                 [Think!]

       Then, Zed and Zoey appear from the hall to the reserve vault 
       area.

       Eric turns to them with his gun raised, when he sees them he 
       lowers it.

                           ERIC
                 Zed.

       They all stand there for a moment, the gunfire cracking away 
       upstairs.  Eric is more casual than he should be.

                           ERIC
                     (matter-of-factly)
                 What's your girlfriends name?

                           ZED
                 Zoe.

                           ERIC
                 Zoe.
                     (to Zoey in French)
                 [Zoe, come here to me.]

       Zoey spits at him.

       Eric laughs and aims the gun at her.

                           ERIC
                 [Killing you would just be gravy, so 
                 don't fuck with me.]

                           ZOEY
                 [Go ahead you slob.  Shave my ass!]

       Eric smashes the side of her face with the gun and then grabs 
       a hold of her arm.

       Zed tries to stop Eric but Eric aims the gun at him.

                           ERIC
                 Zed no.  I'll kill you.  It means nothing 
                 to me, our friendship.

                           ZED
                     (starting out calm and then 
                      building to a scream)
                 Eric...there's no fucking way out of 
                 here!

                           ERIC
                 Oh but you're wrong.  This is my way out.  
                 This dime store couge with her motor 
                 driven ass.  You find your own.

       Zed rushes Eric and Zoey starts scratching.  Eric drops the 
       gun but quickly whips out his knife.

       She tries to get away from Eric but he has a hold on her 
       shirt.

       Eric swipes at her with the knife and grazes he back.

       Then Eric slashes toward Zed who jumps back.

       Zoey falls to the floor.

                           ERIC
                 Come Zed...I'm going to cut you like a 
                 sausage.

       Zed is standing between Zoey and Eric.

                           ZED
                 Zoey, get out of here!

       She scrambles away.

       He swipes at Zed.

       Zed jumps back down the hall toward the reserve vault area.

       INT. BANK - RESERVE VAULT AREA- DAY

       They rush out toward the stairs.

                           ERIC
                 Did you see how she ran?  Did you see how 
                 she ran?  She doesn't care about you.  
                 Fucking pussy only cares about pussy.  
                 Look out for number one.  What do you say 
                 Zed?

       He swipes again.

                           ERIC
                 I will kill you.  And once I kill you 
                 Zed, I'll get out of here.  I'll fuck 
                 your bitch up the ass and give her 
                 AIDS...if she doesn't already have it.  
                 What do you say to that Zed?

       He swipes and Zed grabs a hold of the knife by the blade.

       Eric pulls it free and the knife falls to the floor.

       Zed takes this opportunity and kicks Eric in the face.

       Eric reaches for the knife.

       Zed, his hand bloody, dives onto Eric.

       Zoey also jumps onto them and starts yanking on Eric's hair.  
       She plunges her nails into his face.

                           ERIC
                 Fucking bitch!

       Zed is rabbit punching Eric from underneath.

       Then, Eric grabs a hold of Zed's balls and squeezes.

       Zed lets out a shrill scream.

       Eric starts elbowing Zoey in the face.

       The three of them lay there on the floor wriggling like 
       worms, unable to move because each is putting the other 
       through such agony.

       Then, Oliver, shot up and bloody haplessly stumbles into the 
       room.  His body is a mass of bullet wounds.

                           OLIVER
                 Ox!  Where is thy yoke!?

       He clumsily falls dead to the ground, his shotgun slides near 
       Zoey, Zed, and Eric.

       The sight of the gun gives Eric the strength only a madman 
       could posses.  He rolls over and throws Zoey off him.

       Then, he smashes his forehead into Zed's nose, bursting it.

       Eric, deftly, rolls over and grabs the gun.

       He gets to his feet and cocks the pump action.

                           ERIC
                 Fuck both of you.

       Then he notices the lack of gunfire upstairs.

       Eric turns back to them.

                           ERIC
                 Au revoir.

       He aims to kill Zed.

                           ZOEY
                 No!

       Then, all of the French policemen, decked out in their 
       assault gear and wearing gas masks, storm down the stairs.  
       At the sight of Eric about to execute Zed they raise their 
       guns.

                           FRENCH POLICEMAN #1
                 [Stop!]

       Eric stops.

       It becomes quiet.

       Then, Eric looks back down at Zed and braces for the shotgun 
       kick.

                           ERIC
                 I give you little kiss.  Ciao.

       He squeezes the trigger and...

       CLICK

       The police open fire with their French made assault machine 
       guns and fill Eric with bullets.  Instead of falling he does 
       a scarecrow dance as his body is painted red.

       The wall behind them explodes as plaster sprays all over Zed.

       An IMAGE overcomes Eric.

       Eric's dead body slumps to it's knees and flops on top of 
       Zed.

       Zed pushes the body off and tries to drag himself to Zoey.

       Zoey runs up to him and holds him.

       The police all charge into the secondary vault area and 
       secure the downstairs.

       Zoey is crying as she holds Zed.

       The police have their guns aimed at the two of them.

       Zoey looks up.

                           ZOEY
                     (to the policemen)
                 [I work here.  This man is a 
                 customer...he needs medical help.]

       They take their guns away and kneel next to him, seeing if 
       he's okay.

                           FRENCH POLICEMAN #2
                 [How bad do you think his wounds are?]

       The other policeman, unable to tell because of Eric's blood, 
       simply shakes his head.

                           FRENCH POLICEMAN #1
                     (to Zoey)
                 [Are you alright?]

       Zoey starts to cry.

                                                       DISSOLVE TO:

       INT. BANK - LOBBY - DAY

       Zoey and Zed, bandaged up, are being aided by all of the 
       French policemen as they walk through the bank.

       Smoke is still clearing, but the bodies of customers and bank 
       robbers alike litter the area.

       PARAMEDIC's, wearing all white, try to help the injured, they 
       assist Zed and Zoey.

                           FRENCH POLICEMAN #1
                     (to Zoey and Zed)
                 [There's an ambulance outside.]
                     (he looks around)
                 [My God.  What a Bastille Day.]

       Zed's attention is caught by two OTHER POLICEMEN carrying a 
       body bag.

                           FRENCH POLICEMAN #3
                     (to French policeman #1)
                 [This one's the ringmaster.  We need an 
                 I.D.]

       No longer interested in Zoey or Zed, he goes to check out the 
       body.

                           ZOEY
                 The hospital?

                           ZED
                 No.

                           ZOEY
                 Come on.  I have a car.

       Zoey puts her arm around Zed and helps him out of the 
       bank...never to return.

                                                       DISSOLVE TO:

       INT. ZOEY'S CAR - MOVING - DAY

       Zoey is driving.  Zed looks like he's been in a burning 
       building.

                           ZED
                 I'm so tired.

                           ZOEY
                 We'll go to my flat.  You can rest there.  
                 Do you feel pain?

                           ZED
                 No...it was mostly his blood.

                           ZOEY
                 I have a shower.  You can clean up there.

                           ZED
                 Thank you Zoe.

       He looks at her.

                           ZOEY
                 My name is not Zoe.  Not any more.

       He looks forward at the streets of Paris.

                           ZOEY
                 You'll get well.  Then I'll show you the 
                 real Paris.

       They drive away.

THE END