Collateral Part 1

Collateral Part 1

By

Yuki Murakami
Tatsuya Koizumi
Hiroyuki Yamada
Shinya Tsukui
Yuya Miyadai
Kohei Tanaka
Kyoichiro Mori
Takayuki Tomita
Ryohei Fuda

Special thanks to these students for all their hard work.

INT. AIRPORT
An airplane lands, and Vincent walks out. He bumps into another man.
They exchange briefcases.

VINCENT
You okay?

MAN
I'm fine, mate. Don't worry about it.

VINCENT
You all right?

MAN
Enjoy L.A.

INT. TAXI
Max is driving some passengers around in a taxi. A couple is arguing.

WOMAN
He did it.

MAN
Everything's always about you.

WOMAN
It's not. That gearhead was being sarcastic
and you know it.

MAN
I just didn't see it that way.

WOMAN
Bullshit. What about the dig about the makeover?

MAN
What do you want me to do? I work with him, for chrissake.
You're capable of taking care of your own shit.

WOMAN
You know something? Last time I checked, you were sleeping with me.
So unless you want to start fucking him, I suggest...

EXT. GAS STATION
A man asks Max for directions.

MAN
Hey, pal. Where can I catch a shuttle
to the airport around here?

Max points to it.

MAX
Right there.

MAN
Thanks.

INT. TAXI
Annie, a lawyer, gets into Max's taxi. She's talking on the phone.

ANNIE
It was him in that gold Lexus with the cell phone.
Are they still asking for a change of venue?
He's enhanceable because of priors in the early '80s.

MAX
Where to?

ANNIE
Downtown. 31 2 North Spring Street.

MAX
Downtown.

Annie continues talking on the phone.

ANNIE
Look, the transcriptions need to be done by 7 a.m., period, okay?
Hold on.

Annie gives Max some instructions.

ANNIE
Take Sepulveda to Slauson to La Brea. Take La Brea north to 6th, into downtown.
So what? You'll be up late. I'm pulling an all-nighter too,so save the tears.

Max listens to Annie talking on the phone.

MAX
I'll take 105 east to the 110. It's faster.

ANNIE
What?

MAX
The 105 to the 110 will get you there quicker.

ANNIE
The 110 turns into a parking lot around USC.

MAX
But once you get to La Brea north of Santa Monica, it's jammed.

ANNIE
The 110 north of the 10, you get people driving to Pasadena and they drive slow.

MAX
Yeah, they do, but what I do is I get off on Grand and then l...
Surface roads is what you want, that's what we'll do.

ANNIE
Are we taking bets?

MAX
Are we?

ANNIE
And what if you're wrong?

MAX
I don't think I'll be wrong, but if I am...your ride's free.

ANNIE
Okay, you got yourself a deal.

They drive for a while. It's night-time. Then the silence continues, Annie can't help but talk.

ANNIE
Go ahead, say it.

MAX
Say what?

ANNIE
Go ahead.

MAX
I got lucky with the lights.

ANNIE
You weren't lucky.What you were was right.I was wrong......Max.You mind turning that up?

MAX
You like the classics.

ANNIE
I do. I used to play in high school.

MAX
Let me guess. Woodwinds.

ANNIE
No. Strings. Never had the lungs for wind instruments.

MAX
Could've fooled me the way you were unloading on that cell phone.

ANNIE
Different instrument.

ANNIE
If you had just listened to me, we'd be all bogged down in traffic right now,and you would've made an extra five bucks.

MAX
Yeah, well, you keep that 5 bucks.Buy you something special. Go wild.Really, it's not a big deal.Nothing big here.

ANNIE
How many cabbies do you know get you into an argument to save you money?

MAX
There were two of us. I had to kill the other one. I don't like competition.

ANNIE
Take pride in being good at what you do?

MAX
What, this? No, this is part-time.This is a fill-in job.Pay the bills.But I will be the best at what I do.But that's something else.

ANNIE
What else?

MAX
Just shaping up some things.

ANNIE
Like...? Tell me.

MAX
Limo company I'm putting together. Island Limos.
It'll be like a island on wheels. A cool groove, like a
club experience. When you get to the airport,
you won't want to get out of my limo. So I do this part-time
to get my Benz off leases...staff up, get the right client list.
You know, things like that. How do you like being a lawyer?

ANNIE
What are you, psychic?

MAX
Little bit. There's the dark pinstripe suit. Elegant, not too flashy.
That rules out advertising. Plus a top-drawer briefcase that you live
out of. And the purse. A Bottega. Anyway, a man gets in my cab with
a sword, I figure he's a sushi chef.

Annie laughs.

MAX
You? Clarence Darrow.

ANNIE
Well, no, not quite. He worked defense. I'm a prosecutor.

MAX
Big case?

ANNIE
Yeah.

Annie sighs.

ANNIE
Got us here fast.

MAX
Of course. But you didn't answer my question.
You like what you do?

ANNIE
Yeah.

MAX
But not today.

ANNIE
No, I do. Like, I can't wait. I love standing in that courtroom.
At the same time, I get this......clenched up thing
the night before the first days.

MAX
Clenched up? How?

Annie hesitates.

ANNIE
I think I'm going to lose. I think the case sucks, my exhibits aren't
in order, I'm not prepared enough, people will find out I don't know
what I'm doing and I've been running a charade all these years.
I represent the Department of Justice, and my opening statement will fall flat
at the most important point and the jury will laugh at me. And then I cry.
I don't throw up. A lot of people throw up. I have a strong stomach.
And then I pull myself together, I rewrite my opening statement...
work my exhibits and that's what I do for the rest of the night.
That's my routine. In the morning it starts and I'm fine.

MAX
You need a vacation.

ANNIE
I just had a vacation on the Harbor Freeway.

MAX
Not in a cab. You need to get your head straight.
Get your unified self up. Get harmonic, you know...

ANNIE
When did you last take a break?

MAX
I go on vacation all the time.

ANNIE
How often?

MAX
A dozen times a day.

Max takes out a postcard with a picture of the Maldives Islands and
shows it to Annie.

MAX
My favorite spot: Maldives lslands. It's my own private getaway.
Things get heavy for me, I take five minutes out and I just go there.
And I just concentrate on absolutely nothing.

Max offers the postcard to Annie.

MAX
Here. Take it.

ANNIE
I couldn't do that.

MAX
Take it because you need it a lot more than I do.
And it'll help you. I guarantee it.

Annie smiles.

ANNIE
Thanks, Max.

MAX
Go get 'em.

Annie gets out of the cab and Max sighs. Then she comes back and
taps on the window. She gives Max her business card.

ANNIE
Hey. I don't know...In case you ever want to investigate
a Fortune 500 company, or...argue cab routes.

Max smiles. Annie walks into a building.


EXT. BUILDING
Vincent comes out of the building that Annie enters. He knocks
on Max's window, but Max doesn't notice. He is still thinking about
Annie. Vincent starts to walk toward another cab. Max realizes what
happened and calls out to Vincent.

MAX
Hey. Come on, man, I'm sorry. I didn't hear you, man. Come on.
I'll take you.

Vincent gets in the taxi.

MAX
Where to?

VINCENT
1039 South Union Street.

MAX
Gotcha.

VINCENT
How long you think this'll take?

MAX
Seven minutes.

VINCENT
Seven. Not eight? Not six?

MAX
Two minutes from the 110 to Normandie.
Normandie to Venice, three minutes. Over to Union is one,
plus one for "shit happens."

VINCENT
Okay if I time you?

MAX
Knock yourself out.

VINCENT
What do I get if you're wrong? A free ride?

MAX
An apology. Already offered my free ride today.

VINCENT
To who?

MAX
Some girl.

VINCENT
Did you get a date with her?

MAX
First time in L.A.?

VINCENT
No. Tell you the truth, whenever
I'm here I can't wait to leave.
It's too sprawled out, disconnected.
You know? That's me.
You like it?

MAX
It's my home.

VINCENT
17 million people.It's the fifth biggest economy in the world
and nobody knows each other. I read about this guy
gets on the MTA here, dies.

MAX
Oh.

VINCENT
Six hours he rides the subway before anyone notices his corpse
doing laps around L.A., people on and off sitting next to him.
Nobody notices. This is the cleanest cab I've ever been in.
Regular ride?

MAX
Yeah, I share it with the day shift guy.

VINCENT
You prefer nights?

MAX
People are more relaxed. Less stress, less traffic, better tips.

VINCENT
How are the benefits?

MAX
It's not that kind of job. I'm not in this for the long haul.
Just filling in. Temporary while I get some things shaped up.
This is just temporary.

VINCENT
How long you been driving?

MAX
12 years.

VINCENT
Really? What other things you putting together?

MAX
Um...You know, I don't want to talk about it.
Just a little business plan. No offense. I just...

VINCENT
None taken. You're one of these guys that do
instead of talk. That's cool.

They arrive.

VINCENT
Seven minutes. Man, you're good.

MAX
I got lucky with the lights.

VINCENT
Yeah, sure. You probably know the light schedules too.
Listen, I'm in town on a real estate deal, close in one night.
I got five stops to make. Collect signatures, see some friends,
and then I got a 6 a.m. out of LAX. Why don't you hang with me?

MAX
The car's not for hire. Against regs.

Vincent scoffs.

VINCENT
Regulations? They don't pay you sick leave.
How much you pull down a shift?

MAX
350 to 400.

VINCENT

Well, let me tell you what, I'll make it 600.



MAX

Man, I don't know.



VINCENT

An extra 100 you get me to LAX

and I don't run for the plane.



MAX

I don't know about this.


VINCENT

Yeah, you do.



MAX

I don't know, man.


VINCENT

Yeah, you do.



MAX

600...


VINCENT

Cool. We got a deal.


Vincent shakes Max's hand.


VINCENT

Now, here's 300 down. What's your name?



MAX

Max.


VINCENT

Max, I'm Vincent.



MAX

All right.



Vincent gets out of the taxi.



MAX

I can't stay double-parked here.



VINCENT

I'll meet you in the alley behind the building.



Max moves his taxi to the alley.



MAX

Definitely not from around here.



INT.BUILDING

Vincent goes upstairs. A baby is crying.



EXT. ALLEY

MAX waits in the taxi.



MAX

There you go.



INT.BUILDING

VINCENT is walking through a passage. Someone is speaking Spanish on television.



INT.TAXI

Max is eating a sandwich. Suddenly a dead body falls on the taxi. smashing the windshield.



Max is surprised and jumps out of the taxi.



MAX

Oh, no! Shit! What the hell?! Damn it!



He talks to the body.



MAX
My man, you all right? Oh, shit. Fuck.

Vincent comes out.

MAX
He fell on the cab. He fell from up there
on the motherfucking cab. Shit. I think he's dead.

Vincent looks around to see if there are witnesses.

VINCENT
Good guess.

MAX
You killed him?

VINCENT
No, I shot him. Bullets and the fall killed him.

Max starts to walk away.

MAX
Fuck this, man.

Vincent points his gun at Max.

VINCENT
Red light, Max.

Max puts his hands up.

MAX
Hold on.

VINCENT
Put your hands down. Put your hands down.

MAX
OK.

VINCENT
Help me out. Pop the trunk.

MAX
What?

VINCENT
Pop the trunk.

MAX
Come on, man.

VINCENT
Move.

Vincent grabs the body.

MAX
Come on. What you doing?

VINCENT
We're going to roll him off the roof. Can't leave him here, so unless
you want him up front with you, but given the hygiene.

MAX
Oh, shit.

VINCENT
It's only a dead guy.

VINCENT
Grab his hands.

MAX
I can't do this.

VINCENT
Grab his wrists.

Vincent and Max pick up the body.

MAX
You got it?

VINCENT
He's twitching and shit.

Max is grunting. They put the body into the trunk.
Vincent sprinkles water on the car windshield to clean off the blood.

VINCENT
Okay. That's good enough.
Let's go.

MAX
Why don't you just take the cab?

VINCENT
Take the cab?

MAX
You take it. I'll chill. I'll just chill. They don't know who drives
these half the time. They never check. Okay, so just take it.
You, me...

VINCENT
You promise not to tell anybody, right?

MAX
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Promise.

VINCENT
Get in the fucking car. Get in the car.

Max is getting in the car and drives off with the tires squealing.

INT. APARTMENT
Fanning enters the apartment and knocks on the door.

FANNING
Ramone?

He opens the door and enters the room.

FANNING
Ramone?

He looks for Ramone but doesn't find him.
He sees a broken window.

FANNING
Fuck.

He makes a phone call on his cell phone.

FANNING
Rampart Watch Commander. This is Detective Fanning, Narcotics.
Send two black-and-whites and a night detective to 1039 South Union.
And contact SlD. I got a crime scene.

DISPATCHER
Roger. 1039 South Union.

INT. TAXI
Max is trying to clean up his taxi. Cars are honking.

VINCENT
What are you doing?

MAX
I got to clean up. This is a mess.

VINCENT
Lady Macbeth, we're sitting here
and the light's green. Leave the seats.
You no longer have the cleanest cab
in La-La Land. You got to live with that.
You focus on the job. Drive.

Vincent checks his PC.

VINCENT
7565 Fountain. You know it?

MAX
West Hollywood.

VINCENT
How long you figure?

MAX
I don't know, 17 minutes. Why? Oh, no. Hold on, man.

VINCENT
I told you we had other stops tonight.

MAX
You said you had to visit friends.

VINCENT
They're somebody's friends. You drive a cab, I make my rounds.
You might make it through the night, come out 700 bucks ahead.

MAX
I'm not trying to piss you off, but I can't drive you around while
you kill people. It ain't my job.

VINCENT
Tonight it is.

MAX
Look, you don't get it. I mean it. I... I'm not up for this.

VINCENT
You're stressed.

MAX
Yes, I am.

VINCENT
You're stressed. I understand that. Now, you just keep breathing
and stay calm. Are you breathing?

MAX
Shit.

VINCENT
Are you breathing? Okay, good.

MAX
Yes.

VINCENT
Here's the deal. You were going to drive me tonight
and never be the wiser, but el gordo got in front
of a window, did his high dive...We're into plan B.
You still breathing?We gotta make the best of it. Improvise. Adapt to the environment.
Darwin. Shit happens. I Ching. Whatever. We got to roll with it.

MAX
"l Ching"? You threw a man out of a window.

VINCENT
I didn't throw him. He fell.

MAX
Well, what did he do to you?

VINCENT
What?

MAX
What did he do to you?

VINCENT
Nothing. I only met him tonight.

MAX

You just met him once and you kill him?



VINCENT

I should only kill people after I get to know them?



MAX

No, man.



VINCENT

Six billion people on the planet, and you’re bent out of shape because of one fat guy.



MAX

Who was he?



VINCENT

What do you care? Have you ever heard of Rwanda?



MAX

Yes, I know Rwanda.



VINCENT

Tens of thousands killed before sundown. Nobody’s killed people that fast since Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

Did you bat an eye, Max?



MAX

What?



VINCENT

Did you join Amnesty International or Oxfam? Save the Whale, Greenpeace or something?



MAX

No.



VINCENT

I off one fat Angeleno and you throw a hissy fit.



MAX

I don’t know any Rwandans.



VINCENT

You don’t know the guy in that trunk either.



MAX

Man.



VINCENT

If it makes you feel better, he was a criminal involved in a continuing criminal enterprise.



MAX

What, you just taking out the garbage?



VINCENT

Something like that.



When Vincent says positively, police car sound a siren.



POLICEMAN

Pull over to the right.



MAX

Shit.

VINCENT
Get rid of them.

MAX

How?

Max stopped his car.

VINCENT
You're a cabby.
Talk yourself out of a ticket.

MAX
Please, don't do anything.

VINCENT
Then don't let me get cornered. You don't have trunk space.

MAX
I can't believe this.

VINCENT
Believe it.

MAX
Don't. I'll talk to them.

The dispatcher talks on the police radio.

DISPATCHER
A domestic disturbance. No additional units needed.

Vincent indicates the police as they walk toward the taxi.

VINCENT
He's probably married. The other one has kids.
Probably his wife's pregnant.

MAX
I'll take care of it. I got it.

Policeman approaches the car and he knocks on the window.

MAXJust a second.

POLICEMAN1
How you doing? My partner's going to help you out on that side.

POLICEMAN2
License, registration.

MAX
Uh, yeah.

POLICEMAN1
I'm pulling you over because your windshield's smashed.

He looks at Max's documentation.

POLICEMAN1
All this current?

MAXYes, officer.

Policeman2 looks in the car. He sees the food all over the seat.

POLICEMAN2
You have a food fight in here?

MAX
Yeah. I'll just clean it up.

Policeman2 looks at the windshield

POLICEMAN2
Is this blood up here on your windshield?

MAX
Yeah, uh...Yeah, uh, l...I hit a deer.

POLICEMAN1
You hit a deer?

MAX
Yeah, over on...I was on Slauson.

POLICEMAN1
A South Central deer?

Max hesitates.

MAX
They out there. It ran right in front
of the car and I couldn't avoid it.

POLICEMAN1
Why you still carrying a passenger?

MAX
I'm on my way to the depot and I could
just drop him. His drop is on my way.

POLICEMAN1
Your cab's unsafe to drive and we have to impound it.

Policeman2 looks in the taxi with a flashlight.

POLICEMAN1
We got to do a vehicle inventory. Pop the trunk and
step out the vehicle. Sir, you'll have to call another cab.

VINCENT
Is that necessary? I'm half a mile from here.

POLICEMAN1
I'm afraid it is. Step out the vehicle. You too. Come on.

EXT. TAXI
Vincent whispers to Max.

VINCENT
If you open that trunk, they go inside.

MAX
You know what, it's been a long night.
Plus, the barn is right up there.
Just give me a break.
This is my first fare.

Policeman1 opens the taxi door.

POLICEMAN1
Get out the cab. Open the trunk.

POLICEMAN2
Step out. You too, sir. Please.

The dispatcher calls the police on the radio.

DISPATCHER
This is Rampart Division dispatch.
Shots fired at 83rd and Hoover.

Vincent secretly takes out his gun.

DISPATCHER
All available Precinct 26 units respond.
Over.

POLICEMAN2
Partner, we got to roll.

POLICEMAN1
Roger. En route.


The policeman gives Max back the license.


POLICEMAN1
Go straight to the garage. Have a nice night.


Then the policemen get back into their car and drive away.