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Blurred
presented by Suburban Films
written by Chris Shue

1.         EXT. BOSTON CITY STREET - DAY 

TITLE CARD: April, 1994

A tall man in his early twenties walks down a city street with a slight grin on his face. MICHAEL STEVENS (Vince Vaughn) moves with the purpose of someone who is late for an appointment. He stops at an intersection, waits for the light to change and crosses the street.  It is a warm spring day. Suddenly, there is a deafening explosion about two buildings down from Stevens. The force of the blast knocks Stevens on his ass, and bits of concrete and glass rain down on the street around him. Suddenly aware, he screams out: 

MICHAEL STEVENS

ALLISON!

He tries to get up, but has trouble standing on his own. As he begins to lose consciousness, he can hear people screaming around him, while the faint sound of sirens draw closer. 

FADE OUT:

2.         INT. BOSTON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - NIGHT

Stevens sits inside a charmless hospital waiting room, covered in a head bandage and matching sling. Beside him is JANICE (Emily Watson), Allison’s best friend. They watch news about the bombing on the lounge television, but we only get bits and pieces from the news anchor. 

NEWS ANCHOR

Bombing this afternoon…abortion clinic…seven dead…thirteen injured…no leads…

Janice looks at Michael as tears begin to well up in her eyes again. Michael hands her a handkerchief just as the doctor, a forty-ish black female, walks into the room. Her expression betrays what she is about to say. 

DOCTOR

Mr. Stevens?

MICHAEL

Yes?

DOCTOR

I’m sorry, Mr. Stevens, but your fiancée suffered severe internal bleeding, as well as major trauma to the head and neck. Despite our best efforts, we weren’t able to save her.

Stevens just looks at her blankly until his bottom lip, then his whole face, begins to quiver. He collapses to the floor, sobbing deeply, shaking violently, screaming, cursing. Janice covers him – she is also sobbing. The Doctor looks at the two of them, collapsed on the floor, and we notice that, silently, she too has begun to cry.

FADE OUT:

Title and credits roll over a montage of the next nine years of Stevens’ life. We see him doing a number of things. Attending Allison’s funeral. Alone in his room, crying. Crying in the arms of Janice. Fitfully sleeping. Attending the FBI Training Academy. Reading newspaper accounts of the bombing that killed Allison. Graduating from the FBI Academy. Marrying Janice. Doing deskwork at FBI headquarters. Sitting alone in the dark of his new home. Holding his newborn baby while his toddler son crawls into his lap. Crying in the arms of his wife. This montage lasts approximately five minutes, giving us insight into the trajectory of his life over the past nine years.

FADE IN:

3.         EXT. motel 50 – day

TITLE CARD: June, 2003

Michael Stevens pulls into the parking lot of a particularly shitty looking motel. He isn’t surprised to see a fat balding businessman exiting one of the rooms with a particularly used looking bimbette. Stevens checks his watch and follows the exterior stairs up to room 235. He enters without knocking.

4.         INT. motel 50 hotel room – day

Michael closes the door behind him and is greeted by a sixty-ish man named CLIFF HOWARD (Phillip Baker Hall). Howard’s face is deeply lined, but his eyes belie a frightening toughness. He smiles warmly at Michael.

CLIFF HOWARD

Michael, how are ya’?

He shakes Michael’s hand.

MICHAEL

To tell you the truth, Mr. Howard, I’d be better if I knew why I was asked to meet one-on-one with my Unit Commander in the middle of the day at Motel Fifty.

Howard motions to a chair.

HOWARD

Have a seat, Michael.

MICHAEL

Ok, Mr. Howard.

He goes to sit down. Howard sits in a seat beside him.

HOWARD

First things first, Michael – it’s Cliff.

MICHAEL

Alright.

Michael, I am going to be blunt with you. Our Unit has been given a directive to take aggressive action against known terrorists in this country. We have been given wide latitude to end domestic terrorist threats, up to and including selective termination.

At the risk of being clichéd here, Michael, this directive is of Level 7 security, meaning you, myself, and one other have knowledge of it. As the operation continues, more agents may become involved, but I have chosen you as the beginning point. Of course, I have no knowledge of you exact orders.  They are given to me sealed and I am to pass them on to you. Then we go from there.

Howard gets up from the chair, goes across the room, and pulls a large, white plastic envelope from his briefcase. He hands it to Michael.

Here is your first assignment.

I’m sorry, but before I open this, I have several questions for you.

Well, I don’t know that I can answer them, but you can go ahead and ask.

What I am being asked to do is, I am sure, outside the bounds of US Federal law. Who initiated this directive? Who is making the decisions on which terrorists should be targeted? Am I acting alone here? Am I getting adequate intelligence? Will I get hung out to dry if things go wrong and you get hauled in front of a Senate Investigation? And…and…why in God’s NAME did you have to pick me? I applied to be part of the Domestic Anti-Terrorism Unit to work against terrorism, not to BECOME a terrorist. With all due respect, Cliff…WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?

Now, now…take it easy son. You haven’t opened that envelope yet. Of course I can’t reveal where these directives are coming from, but I will tell you that we are not operating outside of the structure of the Bureau.

(beat)

And remember one thing. These…people…this…garbage that you are being directed to dispose of – they are most likely guilty of killing and maiming dozens of women and children for some bullshit “cause”.

(getting angrier)

If our justice system was worth a shit, they would be fucking frying and we wouldn’t have to think TWICE about them!

(catches breath)

And don’t forget about the hundreds of cells out there that are plotting and waiting…plotting and waiting…planning on committing these evil, despicable acts and nary a goddamn thing we can do about it.

Michael carefully listens, inevitably thinking back to the bombing. A quick flashback of the explosion keys us into this fact. A news report related to the unsolved bombing also weaves into the flashback.

Michael.

Michael snaps out of this thought. He looks at Howard.

Son, I am not going to leave you out to dry.  I’m an ex-marine for chrissakes.

(smiles)

Now open the envelope and let’s get it started.

Michael begins opening the envelope and is not as visibly tense. He pulls out the contents of the envelope as we

FADE OUT:

5.         INT. HOME OF MAX DAVIS - NIGHT

Four adults, 3 men and one woman, sit around a kitchen table drinking Pabst and talking in a most animated fashion. They are all pretty drunk and the volume of their voices keeps getting louder. They look like your garden variety rednecks. They have Big ZZ Top beards and/or long hair, missing teeth, a big plug of chaw in their gum. The woman wears a tight lace fringed Harley-Davidson shirt and sucks on Virginia Slims. MAX DAVIS (Ted Levine) is the leader of this crew, as he is the only one with an ounce of brains. JETHRO DAVIS, DARLENE SNELLINGS, and JOHNNY FRANK KNAPP round out this chapter of the “Texas Freedom Party”.

…no worse than when that pussshy Clinton was up there in Warshington..

Jethro…you are a DUMBSHIT. Clinton was the Vice President! Shit for brains third grade education. Heeeheeeheee.

Sweet Jesus! Would you two cut it out! We have to get this down right…plain and simple.

(looks around the table)

One more time.

Max commences to explain how they are going to knockoff a convenience store twenty miles outside of town. The job will be done after midnight, when the proprietor is asleep. Johhny Frank will drive the truck, Darlene will be on lookout and Max and Jethro will slip into the store and steal the safe. Darlene has it on good authority that the safe is in the back behind the meat slicer.

And once we get our haul…where does the money go?

The Texas Freedom Party! WeeeeeHaaaaa!

6.         INT. STEVENS HOME – NIGHT

The Stevens home is nice but not too nice. Janice tucks the kids into bed, then walks into her bedroom and lets her hair down. The ringing phone startles her.

Hello?

Michael!

How are you, honey?

I’m sorry. If it make you feel any better, we miss you very much. I miss you the most. When are you coming home?

I know, I know. I won’t ask anymore questions. Michael? Is everything ok? You sound really distant.

7.         INT. MOTEL 8 – NIGHT

We now see Michael’s side of the conversation from this point on. He is sitting on his bed in his boxers. He stares blankly at his toes.

Everything is fine. Quit asking me that.

(beat)

Well I don’t know what to tell you.  I don’t really have a choice.

(beat)

Yes, yes…I know. Listen I have to go.

(beat)

I’m sorry I have to…I have to get some rest.

(beat)

Ok. Yes…of course…me too. Bye.

Michael hangs up and closes his eyes.

8.         INT. STEVENS HOME - NIGHT

Janice hangs up the phone and slumps on the bed. Her eyes begin watering and her body language screams “lonely and depressed”. She rolls over onto her back, grabs the remote control and turns on the television. Some generic interview show is on and the blow-dryed host is interviewing BUXTON SWAIN (Jon Voight). Janice watches with detached interest. The camera zooms slowly into the television picture until we switch scenes to the set of the show.

9.         INT. TELEVISION STUDIO - NIGHT

Buxton Swain is a tall, charismatic, ex-evangelist type. He jabs his finger in the air when making a point and makes his opinions known with a Southern drawl.

So, Mr. Swain, you feel like the present administration is doing a poor job of leading this country at the beginning of the Twentieth Century?

Why yes, John, I do. Look at history.  The decline and fall of civilizations can be traced directly to a “moral malaise” if you will, that sets in after a tremendous run of prosperity.

Give me examples, if you will, of what this administration is doing poorly.

That’s easy.  The entertainment industry is destroying our children. But the current administration embraces that Godless industry by refusing to enforce limits on prurient material.

(beat)

And their abortion record is abysmal. Allowing a woman to abort in any case is against God’s will, yet they are publicly supportive of late-term abortions.

Now you have come out against abortion rights in any case.  Does that include rape and incest?

That’s right.  A child is a child is a child, regardless of how it got here. Maybe the mother would want to keep that child more once it was born.

You’ve been tabbed by some as the frontrunner for the Republican Presidential nomination next year. Any plans to declare?

The interview continues on like this as we

FADE OUT:

10.    EXT. THICK WOODS SOMEWHERE IN EAST CENTRAL TEXAS - MORNING

Max Davis is out hunting by himself again. He has been tracking something for hours, and the camera follows him for a bit. He stops, leans up against a tree, pulls out a bowl, and has a smoke. He stands relaxed for a bit, taking in his surroundings. Something cracks behind him and hearing this he swings around. The barrel of Stevens gun presses firmly against his forehead.

WHAT THE FUCK!

I’m sorry, but your plot has been uncovered. If you had been successful you would have been responsible for the deaths of dozens of women and children. Therefore I have been sent here to terminate you.

What are you talking about? What plo…<<CRACK>>>.

With a single shot, Stevens puts Davis down, turns and walks away, disappearing in the thicket of woods.

11.    INT. UNKOWN OFFICE - NIGHT

The camera shows two mouths and two phones and two men, in separate rooms, cast in dark shadows. They are discussing something related to the directive, but it doesn’t seem exactly right – not exactly as described by Cliff Howard.

It’s done. I just received word. What is the next target?

Good. I am getting nervous about this whole affair.

(beat)

Who would his profile tell him to go for next?

Well, that seems obvious then.

Send him to Boston. I will have a name for you by Thursday. Time is growing short, you know. Swain’s star is rising fast. 

You know that we haven’t made a firm decision on how we’re terminating Stevens, correct?

Yes, well then…I think that I will leave that up to you. Goodbye.

12.    INT. AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT #347 DFW TO DULLES - NIGHT

Stevens is asleep in his first class seatt, sleeping fitfully, like a man who has just killed someone. In his dream he is running to meet Allison for lunch, but his legs are heavy and he knows he is going to be a split second too late. He will always be a split second too late.  He watches the abortion clinic where she worked explode into millions of tiny little bits, which float around him in the air, like fairy dust. He grabs the dust from the air and rubs it against his skin, smells it. Suddenly he is covered in blood, standing in front of Max Davis.  He has a gun pointed at Davis’ head.

You! You fucking killed her! <<CRACK>>

With the gunshot, Davis’ head snaps back, but then snaps forward, revealing the head of Allison. Michael drops to his knees weeping.

Sir? Sir? Are you o.k.? Sir?

You were yelling in your sleep…scaring the other passengers…

I’m really sorry. Honestly. Jesus...

13.    INT. STEVENS BEDROOM - NIGHT

Michael and Janice make love in the shadows, but it is very quiet and emotionless, particularly from Michael’s end. A CU of his face shows a complete blank. Relaxed moans come from Janice’s throat, but as she is near climax, Michael roles off and turns away from her.

Honey, are you ok?

Michael? Honey?

She rubs his shoulder and back.

It’s nothing…I…I just have a lot on my mind.

I haven’t seen you like this since Allison died.

Please don’t bring that up, I am depressed enough as it is.

Well what should I do, Michael? You have been practically dead the past month. I am your wife, for godsakes! You are treating your family like a band of fucking strangers. I am trying hard to make this marriage work, but you aren’t even trying!

Fine. Why did you even marry me? Your still in love with my dead best friend. I swear to God, Michael, if I hadn’t practically been your servant for the two years after Allison died, I doubt you would have married me.

Damnit, Michael, I love you so much, what is going on?

Michael rolls over and faces Janice.

I’m sorry honey. I love you too.  Work has just been bad lately – the kind of stuff I don’t want to talk about. I guess I have been having more nightmares about the bombing lately, too. I guess I’ll never have any sense of closure with that. I am just getting more and more bitter about the whole thing.

Michael, the case is long closed. They will never find the bomber. Try and understand that so that you can put it behind you.

I know. I know. I’m sorry.

14.         EXT. MOTEL 50 – DAY

Michael returns to the same Motel to meet again with Cliff Howard. Michael walks up the stairs to the same room and opens the door. Cliff is in the room with another man – Michael is about to meet DAVID ARNOLD (Nick Nolte).

CLIFF

Michael, come in. This is Agent David Arnold. He’s been with the Bureau almost as long as I have.

David Arnold grabs Michael’s hand and shakes it firmly.

DAVID ARNOLD

Hey Michael, how the hell are ya’? This is something else, eh?

Michael is a bit taken aback as Cliff had not mentioned a third person being at their next meeting. And his body language betrays an immediate wariness of Arnold.

MICHAEL
(distracted)

Nice…Nice to meet you. What’s going on, Cliff?

HOWARD

Nothing Michael. Nothing at all. It‘s just that our scope is increasing and we need an additional man - as I mentioned during our first meeting. David is going to help with some of the advance work and join you if needed in certain situations. 

However, if they all go as smoothly as last week did, a second man might not be necessary. They found that scumbag’s body four days ago. He had a lot of enemies and the local cops just have to take their pick.

ARNOLD

Fucking redneck prick. You know probably saved fifty lives right there, Mike. I wish to God I had been there with you. 

CLIFF

Anyway, that’s beside the point. I asked you to come here because a new directive has been received. David will be traveling with you, but will not otherwise be involved in this operation.

Howard hands Michael the envelope. As Michael opens it a smile crosses his face.

HOWARD

So I take it you don’t mind going to Boston? 

15.  INT. USAIR FLIGHT #388 – DAY

Michael and David Arnold sit side by side in first class. David, while not as tall as Michael, is thick and looks like he could break someone’s neck without really trying. At present, he is snoring along peacefully, a half-empty Jack and Coke sitting on the tray table in front of him. Michael looks over at him several times, but mostly stares straight ahead. We flashback to last scene and find out the details of this mission through a montage of dialogue between David, Michael, and Cliff. Michael is going to Boston to kill a known anti abortion “soldier” named James Faldo. According to the directive, Faldo is involved in a new mission called Operation Holy Right.  The mission’s objective is to kill five abortion clinic doctors within the space of two days. Faldo, a pipe-fitter from South Boston, was arrested for an abortion clinic bombing four years ago, but released because of lack of evidence. Arnold finished the briefing by telling Stevens that there was evidence that Faldo was involved in the abortion clinic bombing that killed Allison.

Michael pushes his seat back and closes his eyes. He dreams about killing Davis, and he dreams of killing Faldo, and he sleeps peacefully until the plane lands.

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