影视剧本：13 DAYS-31

           EXT. WHITE HOUSE - DAY

 

            Kenny puts on his jacket as he goes down the steps into the

            bright autumn day, walking away from the White House.  It

            drops behind him -- his step is faster, more urgent.

 

            EXT. STREET - DAY

 

            Kenny walks down the sidewalk, drawn² toward the Ellipse.  The

            sixth grade FOOTBALL PLAYERS sweep forward with a running

            play.  Kenny scans them, searching, his breath coming hard.

 

            EXT. ELLIPSE - DAY

 

            He reaches the edge of the open field.  And then he spots the

            name on the jersey³: O'Donnell.  It's Kevin. The players

            relinquish⁴ the ball and the offense⁵ comes off the field.

            Kevin sees his dad.

 

                                KEVIN

                      Hey!  Dad!

 

            Kenny manages a smile as Kevin trots⁶ over.  Kevin pulls his

            helmet off.  They stand there a long beat, Kenny desperate to

            take him up, abandon his post... but he doesn't.

 

                                KENNY

                      Hey, sport.  You winning?

 

                                KEVIN

                      Yeah.

 

            But Kevin sees the turmoil⁷ in his father's face.

 

                                KEVIN (CONT'D)

                      Is everything going to be okay, Dad?

 

            Kenny's forced smile is answer enough.

 

                                KENNY

                      Yeah, Kev.  Everything's gonna be fine.

 

            But Kevin knows.  Together they know.  The end of the world

            is at hand.

 

                                KEVIN

                      I guess you won't be coming home

                      tonight.

 

                                KENNY

                      I, uh...

 

            Suddenly a car HONKS⁹.  Kenny turns around.  Bobby is leaning

            out the rear passenger window of his limo.  And he sees what

            Kenny is doing.  He doesn't want to cut in, but has to.

 

                                BOBBY

                      Kenny!  We need to talk.

 

            Kenny looks back at his son.

 

                                KENNY

                      Get back out there, kid.  Remember to

                      hit 'em hard.

 

                                KEVIN

                      What about you?  Where are you going?

 

                                KENNY

                      Back to work.

 

            Kevin puts his helmet back on his head.  Kenny watches as

            Kevin jogs off to rejoin his team.  Kenny turns his back on

            his son, and strides for Bobby's limo, dying inside.

 

            EXT. SANS SOUCI PARKING LOT - DAY

 

            Kenny and Bobby stand by their car off to one side of the

            restaurant's parking lot.  Bobby's Secret Service Agents

            maintain a discreet¹⁰ distance.

 

                                KENNY

                      If we're going to make a deal, we're

                      going to have to do it fast.  This is

                      only getting out of control.  The only

                      reason we're not at war this very minute

                      is he's been able to stretch, bend and

                      break his own rules.  He won't be able

                      to keep it up forever.

 

            Bobby jams the last bit of sandwich in his mouth.  A beat.

            Kenny looks him in the eye.

 

                                BOBBY

                      And?

 

                                KENNY

                      And Jack¹ wants to trade the missiles in

                      Turkey.

 

                                BOBBY

                      The Jupiters are obsolete¹¹.  They were

                      supposed to have been dismantled¹² last

                      summer anyway --

 

                                KENNY

                      -- Jesus, Mary and Joseph.  I told you

                      how stupid it was to float the Lippman

                      article!  But you wouldn't listen to me.

                      What if there hasn't been a coup¹³ at all?

                      What if it's you two who invited that

                      second letter by raising the possibility

                      of a trade?

 

            Bobby is speechless with rage.

 

                                KENNY (CONT'D)

                      And if the two of you are thinking this

                      trade is your ace⁸ in the hole, you're so

                      wrong.  It's a deuce.

 

            Bobby's beyond furious.  They catch their rising voices.

 

                                KENNY (CONT'D)

                      And it's not just me who thinks that.

                      Everyone on this so-called EXCOM is

                      telling you exactly the same thing: make

                      the trade, and they're going to force us

                      into trade after trade until finally

                      they demand something we won't trade

                      like Berlin, and we do end up in a war.

                          (beat)

                      Not to mention, that long before that

                      happens, this government will be

                      politically dead.

 

            Bobby simmers for a long beat, thinking.  And boy, does this

            guy hate admitting he's wrong.

 

                                BOBBY

                      All right, so maybe we overestimated¹⁵ how

                      reasonable this trade would look.  Okay?

                      You happy?  So now what?

 

                                KENNY

                      So now you've got to talk him out of it.

                      And then we've got to figure out an

                      acceptable political solution.

 

                                BOBBY

                      And if there has been a coup and there

                      is no acceptable political solution?

 

            Kenny stares off at the city, agonized¹⁶.

 

            INT. OVAL OFFICE - NIGHT

 

            Kenny enters from his office, finding Bobby, Rusk and

            Sorensen talking with the President.  The President gives him

            a brief, meaningful look.

 

                                RUSK

                      Whatever response we send, it will take

                      several hours for the wire to be

                      received by our embassy and delivered to

                      the Kremlin.  So we're looking at early

                      tomorrow morning at the earliest before

                      Khruschev could respond.

 

            As Rusk talks, Kenny passes close by Bobby.  Bobby whispers:

 

                                BOBBY

                      He gets it, but he's pissed.

 

                                THE PRESIDENT

                      That's all well and good, but what do we

                      say to 'em?

 

                                SORENSEN

                      It depends on if we really believe

                      there's been a coup.

 

            That strikes a cord with Kenny.

 

                                KENNY

                      I agree.  If there has been a coup, and

                      there's a hard-line government in power

                      now, then it doesn't matter what we say.

                      The end of the day we'll either agree to

                      their terms, they'll agree to ours, or

                      we'll go to war.  But what if there

                      hasn't been a coup?  What if... what if

                      what is happening is a series of

                      accidents?

 

                                SORENSEN

                      The second letter is an accident?

 

                                KENNY

                      No.  The letter is an intentional¹⁷, but

                      it's having an effect far greater than

                      its authors intended.

                          (beat)

                      What if our Jupiter missiles are just a

                      last minute haggle¹⁸ to salvage¹⁹ something?

                      Maybe a bone Khruschev is throwing to

                      the hard line, not really caring if we

                      reject it or not?

                          (beat)

                      And then these accidents have happened.

 

                                BOBBY

                      Making the second letter and the overall

                      picture look worse than it really is.

 

                                SORENSEN

                      The Guns of August.

 

                                KENNY

                      Exactly.

                          (beat)

                      If they're sane²⁰ and human like we are,

                      then maybe we just refuse, and they'll

                      let it slide, like we've been letting

                      things slide.

 

                                SORENSEN

                      So we reject the second letter.

 

            And Kenny looks at Bobby.  The world stops.

 

                                KENNY

                      No.  We don't reject it...

 

            It hits Bobby like a lightning bolt.

 

                                BOBBY

                      ... We accept the first letter and

                      pretend the second doesn't exist.

 

            The President, Rusk and Sorensen stare at him, mute.

      

                     INT. CABINET ROOM - NIGHT

 

            HOLD ON the exact same mute reaction from the entire

            assembled EXCOM.  Finally McCone breaks the spell.

 

                                MCCONE

                      It won't work --

 

            Bobby, Kenny and Sorensen start to object, but McCone raises

            his voice over theirs.

 

                                MCCONE (CONT'D)

                      -- because it's wishful thinking!  It's

                      the same wishful thinking that blinded

                      us all these months while the Soviets²¹

                      were sneaking²² those missiles in under

                      our noses!

 

            McNamara shakes his head, intrigued²³ but skeptical²⁴.

 

                                MCNAMARA

                      Ignore the second letter, agree to the

                      conditions of the first...

 

                                GENERAL TAYLOR

                      There's no reason to believe the Soviets

                      will let it go.

 

                                RUSK

                      Max is right.  Why will they accept it?

 

                                MCNAMARA

                      It can work.  If, IF they believe we'll

                      hit them.

 

            Kenny, Bobby and Sorensen look at McNamara, grateful.

 

                                MCNAMARA (CONT'D)

                      We've only got time for one more round

                      of diplomacy²⁵.  The first airstrikes

                      start in less than 36 hours.

 

                                RUSK

                      But we have to make them agree to it.

                      So how do we do that?

 

            The President leans forward.  Sensing he's about to speak,

            all eyes turn to him.

 

                                THE PRESIDENT

                      We give them something.  We tell them

                      we'll remove the missiles from Turkey

                      say, six months from now so that there

                      appears to be no linkage²⁶.  We also tell

                      them if they go public about it, we deny

                      it and the deal is off.

 

                                KENNY

                      And we do it under the table so we can

                      disavow any knowledge of it.

 

                                MCCONE

                      It's transparent²⁷.  The press'll be all

                      over it.

 

                                KENNY

                      Six months from now, I'm not going to

                      care.  Are you?  We'll deal with it.

 

                                MCNAMARA

                      At least it will expose whether

                      Khruschev has been overthrown²⁸.  We'll

                      know what we're dealing²⁹ with.

 

                                KENNY

                      And if this is a move to appease³⁰ the

                      hard line, then it may just be the bone

                      he needs to regain³¹ control of his own

                      house.

 

            Most EXCOM is nodding, agreeing.  McCone shakes his head in

            disgust.  Taylor sits in silence.

 

                                RUSK

                      Whoever carries the message has to hit

                      the nail on the head.  Come across as

                      too soft, they'll push us.  Too hard,

                      they'll be cornered and even more

                      dangerous.

 

                                MCCONE

                      They could pre-empt.

 

            It's a terrible responsibility to bear.  The room is silent.

            At last Bobby looks up from his folded hands to his brother.

            The President stares back.  There is nobody else who can do

            this.  Only Bobby. His brother.

 

                                THE PRESIDENT

                      Bobby.  You know Dobrynin best.

 

            Bobby nods, taking up the gauntlet.

 

                                THE PRESIDENT (CONT'D)

                      Ted¹⁴, you get working on the draft.

 

            Sorensen and Bobby rise as one, head for the doors.

 

                                THE PRESIDENT (CONT'D)

                      And make sure he knows we have to have

                      an answer tomorrow.

                          (beat, final)

                      Because on Monday we begin military

                      action against Cuba.

 

            Bobby and Kenny exchange a look.

 

            EXT. WEST WING DRIVEWAY - NIGHT

 

            A LONG SHOT: Bobby emerges from the West Wing in his

            overcoat, briefcase³² in hand.  He pauses, tiny, alone.  The

            West Wing - and all its imposing³³ spotlit power behind him -

            reduced to this insignificant³⁴ man on his eleventh-hour

            mission.

 

            And then, out of the shadows, in the f.g., steps Kenny in his

            own coat, his breath frosting in the late-night air.  Bobby

            sees him, and knows he is not so alone anymore.

 

            ON THE DRIVEWAY

 

            They meet in front of the limo.  Bobby stops, shuffles³⁵ his

            things, awkward.

 

                                BOBBY

                      What do you want?  A good-bye kiss?

 

            Kenny opens the driver's side door.  The Secret Service LIMO

            DRIVER peers out.

 

                                LIMO DRIVER

                      Hey, Kenny.

 

                                KENNY

                      Hey, Joe.  Listen, I'll take care of

                      him.  Go ahead in, grab some coffee.

                      We'll be back pretty quick.

 

                                LIMO DRIVER

                      You sure?

 

            Kenny's nod and look -- there's no arguing.  The Limo Driver

            hops³⁶ out, and Kenny gets in.  Bobby stands there outside for

            a beat.  He tries to hide how touched he is, but can't

            completely.

 

                                KENNY

                      What's the matter with you?  Forget how

                      to open a car door?

 

            INT. BOBBY'S LIMO - NIGHT

 

            Bobby recovers, opens his own door, gets in the front seat

            next to Kenny.