diff --git "a/unformated_scripts/Script_Cast Away.txt" "b/unformated_scripts/Script_Cast Away.txt"
new file mode 100644--- /dev/null
+++ "b/unformated_scripts/Script_Cast Away.txt"
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+CAST AWAY by William Broyles THIRD DRAFT March 13, 1998FADE IN:EXT. MARFA, TEXAS - 1993 - WIDE - DAYThe Texas plains, horizon to horizon, nothing but the brownsand ochres of earth and the blue and violet of the sky. Thesheer scope of it sinks in: the blank slate of nature, theabsence of man. On the screen superimpose: MARFA, TEXAS, 1993.CREDITS BEGIN.A plume of dust comes into frame. The dust is from a TRUCK,orange and white and violet, with "FedEx" blazoned across theside.The truck turns into a collection of ramshackle World War IIera Quonset huts and outbuildings. Around the outbuildingsare large sculptures of wood and metal.EXT. QUONSET HUT - DAYThe door is opened by a WOMAN in her late twenties. Hairpulled back, casual, an artist. She hands the DRIVER a FedExBOX which is decorated with a drawing of two ANGEL WINGS.The Driver has a hand-held computer; a portable printerdangles from his belt.The Driver scans the package with his hand-held computer,prints out a label and sticks it on the Box, ready to go.But something on the box catches her eye. She wants it back.He glances at his watch. She draws RINGS around the Wings,uniting them. She gives the box to the Driver, then handshim a cup of coffee. They've done this before.He takes a sip of the coffee, then runs for the truck. Hejumps in and heads back onto the plains.EXT. FEDEX OFFICE - MIDLAND/ODESSA - NIGHT - HOURS LATERThe Driver jams the distinctive Angel Wing Box on top of adolly and loads it into a CONTAINER with clear plastic sides.A female Loader slaps a large bar code label on thecontainer, scans it, then pulls the container across a beltof rollers onto a larger truck. The doors of the truckclose. The latch slams down.A forklift hoists the container to the cargo doors of a 737.EXT. MEMPHIS AIRPORT SUPERHUB - NIGHTThe 737 lands.EXT. SUPERHUB - NIGHT - MINUTES LATEROne of a seemingly endless line of FedEx planes, our 737taxis to a gate at the FedEx SUPERHUB. The Hub is a vastliving organism -- loud, complex, overwhelming, as much asymbol of modern life as was the factory in Modern Times.Five thousand people work in a frenzy of interconnectedactivity inside three vast hangers brightly lit. Hundreds offorklifts and cargo-pullers dart about, their headlightscrisscrossing like a laser show.Loaders quickly roll the container onto a FORKLIFT.INT. MEMPHIS SUPERHUB - NIGHTThe forklift speeds inside one of the hangers to a LOADINGBELT, where our Box is spilled into a Mississippi River ofpackages, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of them, all shapes andsizes, from shoe boxes to engine blocks. Large mechanicalarms divert the immense flow of Workers at dozens ofstations. The packages surge and move.The Workers place the packages label-side-up on new belts,where they're scanned by laser readers. Picking up speed ourBox is shunted across the acres of interlocking belts.The Box ends up in a much larger CONTAINER labeled CDG.EXT. MEMPHIS SUPERHUB - NIGHTA forklift lifts the Container to a door on a giant MD-11.INT. GLOBAL OPERATIONS CENTER - NIGHTA jumbled room jammed with computers and dominated by a HUGEWALL GRAPHIC that charts hundreds of airplanes. An Operatormoves a yellow strip labeled Jumbo 12 across the board.EXT. CHARLES DE GAULLE AIRPORT - DAYSERIES OF SHOTSThe giant place touches down in Paris. The Angel Wing Boxmoves quickly on another belt and disappears into anotherCONTAINER, which is loaded onto still another AIRPLANE.EXT. ST. PETERSBURG AIRPORT, RUSSIA - NIGHTThe plane lands. The container is unloaded down a belt. Wesee our Angel Box. Directly in front of it is a DENTED BOX.INT. ST. PETERSBURG FEDEX OFFICE, RUSSIASERIES OF SHOTSNight. The manic activity has come to a dead stop. Our twoBoxes sit on a table in a corner not far from a smallChristmas tree.Daylight now. YURI, a Supervisor, saunters over, picks upthe Angel Box, sees an attractive co-worker, puts it down.Night again. A cat walks by the table where our two Boxeshave come to rest.EXT. ST. PETERSBURG FEDEX OFFICE - DAYA FedEx truck pulls out of the warehouse. The walls of thewarehouse are covered with graffiti. The streets are slushy,the buildings blanketed in snow.EXT. ST. PETERSBURG - DAYThe Driver sits in the truck drinking tea. He takes a lastsip, sighs, gets out with the Angel Box. Walks slowly towardan APARTMENT HOUSE.EXT. ST. PETERSBURG APARTMENT HOUSE - MOMENTS LATERA beautiful young RUSSIAN WOMAN opens the door. A youngAMERICAN MAN comes up behind her, signs the form and takesthe Angel Box. We see Christmas decorations inside. Thewoman puts her arms around him as the door closes. RUSSIAN WOMAN (O.S.) (accented English) It's pretty. Who is it from? AMERICAN MAN (O.S.) My wife.We stay with the Driver as he ambles back toward the truck.EXT. ST. PETERSBURG OFFICE - MOMENTS LATERThe Driver has just delivered the Dented Box to ALEKSEI,Russian Businessman, who closes the door of a Czarist-erabuilding. Aleksei checks his watch, picks up the phone.EXT. FEDEX OFFICES - MANILA - DAYCHUCK NOLAND, early thirties, walks along a line of brightlycolored jitneys, each bearing the FedEx logo. With him is aFilipino FedEx SUPERVISOR wearing a guayabera. Chuckglistens with a thin layer of sweat. CHUCK My guess is we're talking fuel filters here, Fernando. The gas is dirty, these jitneys get in the mountains, their engines cut out. FERNANDO That could lose us half an hour. CHUCK Easy. Each way.His beeper goes off.INT. FEDEX OFFICES - MANILA - DAY - MOMENTS LATERChuck is on the phone. CHUCK So it finally turned up...Chuck hesitates for a moment, then looks at his watch. CHUCK I'll catch the sweep tonight.INT. FEDEX PLANE - NIGHTStrapped into the jump seat behind the pilots, Chuck sleepswith a mask over his eyes. On his lap are some travelbrochures. We see sailboats, we see the Florida keys.EXT. ST. PETERSBURG FEDEX OFFICES - DAYChristmas in Russia. Snow everywhere. Brightly coloredlights. Chucks gets out of a Volga with Aleksei. He has abag over his shoulder, the dented package under one arm.INT. FEDEX OFFICES - DAYThe staff has assembled near the loading dock. Yuri thestation manager stands in front, occasionally catching theeye of the attractive woman. Chuck displays the FedEx box. CHUCK It took this test package thirty-two hours to get from Seattle to St. Petersburg, a distance of nine thousand miles. And then it took forty-one hours to get from our warehouse in St. Petersburg to here, a distance of, what -- ALEKSEI Six kilometers. Four miles. CHUCK So how are we going to get this place shaped up?There's a muttered chorus of answers. CHUCK There's only one way. We have to work together. Every one of us depends on everyone else. If one package is late, we are all late. If one truck misses the deadline, we all miss the deadline. Let's start by taking a look around.Chuck leads his team through the sorting area. Yuri squeezesright next to him, ostentatiously carrying a clipboard.Chuck stops. CHUCK Here, this table is too far from the wall. Packages can slip down...like... (pulls out a package from behind a table) ...this.He hefts the package, as if trying to guess what's inside. CHUCK What could be in here? Let's say one of you sent it. Could be the closing papers on your dacha, could be a toy for your grandson's birthday, could be a kidney to keep your mother alive. I don't think you want your mother's kidney to end up behind a table.The Sorter shoves the table against the wall. Yuri sayssomething to the Translator. TRANSLATOR He says they have been very busy. It is hard to get good employees. He is sure you understand.Wrong answer: Chuck glances sharply at Yuri. Alekseiappears with a cellular phone. ALEKSEI Phone call. Malaysia.Chuck takes the phone, opening his BAG as he does so. CHUCK Kamal? Right. I'm getting them.He pulls out a set of blueprints and tacks them to a bulletinboard as he talks. CHUCK I'm looking at the blueprints of K.L. right now. The belts are too small for the sorters. Yeah, sometimes you never see what's right in front of your face. Look, it's --Chuck keeps an eye on what is going on in the warehouse.Then he notices something over by one of the trucks. CHUCK (to a loader) Hold it! Hazardous material needs its own container! (back on the phone) -- three in the afternoon there, right? That gives you five hours until the sweep comes through. Do the sort by hand tonight, then put in a new feeder belt, say a twenty-four incher. Yes, overtime is authorized.He hangs up the phone. He turns to the crew. CHUCK I'm going out on every route, I'm going to work every job here, until I know enough to help you. That's it.The crew disperses back to work. Chuck and Aleksei walktoward the office. They've done this before. Chuck lets acorner of his command persona slip. ALEKSEI It's bad. CHUCK Worse than Warsaw. ALEKSEI Nobody remembers that. CHUCK The failures they remember. It's the successes they forget.EXT. ST. PETERSBURG - DAY - MOMENTS LATERA FedEx truck pulls out of the FedEx office. Chuck isinside. He notices the graffiti on the walls.INT. TRUCK - MOMENTS LATERChuck rides next to LEV, the driver, a serious sort. TheTranslator squats on some boxes between them, trying to keephis balance. CHUCK You sorted your packages before you left. None of the other drivers did.The Translator and Lev exchange a few words. TRANSLATOR He says he wants to be organized. Do packages in order.Chuck looks at Lev with respect. Right answer. CHUCK So how come the other drivers haven't left yet?The Translator asks Lev, who looks at him as if he is crazy,then snorts an answer. The Translator blushes. TRANSLATOR He says -- he is a very rude fellow -- CHUCK Tell me exactly what he said. TRANSLATOR He says why don't his farts smell sweet?Chuck grins. Lev shrugs and says something else. TRANSLATOR He says that's just the way it is. CHUCK Lev -- it's Lev, right? Listen, this is FedEx. We don't have to accept the way it is.EXT. HOTEL - ST. PETERSBURGA weary Chuck enters the hotel. In the sky above him we seethe Northern Lights. He doesn't even look up.INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT - LATERChuck is watching CNN on the television, working hisPowerBook, and holding the phone. CHUCK No, keep trying. A circuit's bound to open up.He hangs up. CHUCK (to himself) Those damn Northern Lights.Just then the lights go off. For a moment everything isdarkness. Then a small light switches on. Chuck has aheadlamp on.He gets up, heads into the bathroom. We stay in the bedroom.After only a moment, the light reemerges. It heads over tohis bag. We go with it.Chuck takes out a roll of toilet paper. The guy is preparedfor anything. He goes into the bathroom, closes the door.The lights come back on just as the phone rings.We hear scuffling sounds on the other side of the door.Chuck charges out, holding up his pants.Grabs the phone. CHUCK Hello? Great. Try it.He waits. We hear an ANSWERING MACHINE. KELLY (V.O.) This is Kelly, leave me a message and I'll call you back soon as I can.This is not what Chuck wanted to hear. CHUCK Kelly, damn, look, this is Chuck. I'm going to be a little late. Well, more than a little. I had to go to Russia. Couldn't be helped. Could you call and cancel the trip? Look, we'll sail the Keys in March. It's better then anyway. I'll be back before Christmas. I promise. I think. I mean, I will. I, uh --He's stumbling over whether to say I love you. CHUCK I miss you.He gently hangs up the phone.INT. FEDEX OFFICES - ST. PETERSBURG - SERIES OF SHOTSA surprised Yuri stands with the attractive assistant asChuck takes his clipboard away.An even more surprised Lev stands by his truck as Chuck handsthe clipboard to him.Chuck and the loaders clean off the graffiti.Working alongside the sorters as the packages come in, Chuckpoints out how to organize the inflow.Chuck and Lev go over large maps of St. Petersburg with thedrivers.INT. FEDEX WAREHOUSE - ST. PETERSBURG - WEEK LATERA big semi is being loaded with outgoing packages for theairport run. Aleksei, Chuck, Lev and the office executiveswatch as containers are rolled on. LEV We've never got all the trucks in on time. Never.Chucks looks at the clock. CHUCK Only one still left? LEV Route six.Aleksei points at the big semi. ALEKSEI If we don't send it now we may miss the connection in Paris.The pressure in on. Chuck looks around at his team. CHUCK (to Aleksei) Give it five minutes.EXT. FEDEX OFFICES - ST. PETERSBURG - MINUTES LATERThe last truck rolls in.INT. FEDEX OFFICES - ST. PETERSBURGThe last truck enters and loading dock. A few loaders movetoward it. The executives all stand and watch. But notChuck. He's hands on. CHUCK Let's go.He heads toward the truck and begins pulling off packages.All the other executives follow him.INT. FEDEX OFFICES - ST. PETERSBURG - MINUTES LATERLed by Chuck, who works like a man possessed, they sort thepackages. CHUCK That's Bermuda. Bermuda is in the Memphis thru container. No, Azores is Europe.He gestures at a closed container. CHUCK The Paris container. Africa too. Japan goes to Memphis.Chuck is everywhere, setting the example. The whole officeis energized, working together.INT. FEDEX OFFICES - ST. PETERSBURG - MINUTES LATERThey load the last container on the waiting truck. Chuckpounds the truck on the side. Go.The truck roars out of the loading dock.Everyone takes a breath. They are happy, proud. LEV We did it. All of them. CHUCK Great job, everyone. Remember, work together. We are like a hand...They've heard this before. Lev holds up his hand just beforeChuck does. LEV One finger, weak. All fingers working together, strong.This makes Chuck smile. CHUCK You got it.EXT. CHARLES DE GAULLE AIRPORT - DAYA FedEx MD-11 is being loaded with huge containers offreight. Chuck goes up the gangway next to the forklifts.INT. MD-11 - MOMENTS LATERThe pilots -- JACK and GWEN -- are going down their checklists. Chuck sticks his head in the cockpit. CHUCK I absolutely, positively, have to get to Memphis overnight. JACK Can't help you. Try UPS. CHUCK Jack -- gotta be something wrong with our physicals, you keep getting certified to fly. Gwen, aren't you worried? GWEN Terrified. CHUCK We're on time, right? JACK On time, Chuck.Chuck hands Jack and Gwen small packages. CHUCK Little present from the emerging republics.Another FedEx Road Warrior named STAN gets on. He and Chuckare obviously old hands at this. CHUCK What connects the world? What makes it one? (they ignore him) We do. FedEx. GWEN You are such a lifer. STAN What do you expect, from the guy who stole a kid's bicycle when his truck broke down? CHUCK Borrowed. I borrowed it.The two of them strap in. STAN How'd it go? CHUCK Great. Terrific. The good guys won one for a change.He's finished a tough job. He's relaxed and on his way home.But Stan's his boss, and Stan's got bad news. STAN I had to bump your plane last night.Chuck can't believe it. CHUCK You what? STAN It was fifteen minutes late.The plane begins to taxi. CHUCK I checked the weather, you had the jet stream, you could have made it up. STAN But I might not have. CHUCK Jesus. I got it working... You have no idea how hard it was... They're finally a team... STAN I'm touched. CHUCK You fucked us over. STAN The point of FedEx, as I understand it, is to make the damn connection. CHUCK I was making a point. STAN What? Let Paris hold its plane? Let Memphis take care of it? Let somebody down the line clean up your mess? CHUCK Every person counts, every package counts, that's my point. STAN You know what your problem is? You just see the packages in front of you. You don't see the big picture. CHUCK Baloney. I do see the damn "big picture."EXT. CHARLES DE GAULLE AIRPORT - NIGHTThe MD-11 takes off.INT. MD-11 - NIGHTChuck is focused on his PowerBook with the screen away fromus, Stan is doing tai chi amidst the FedEx containers. Itfeels a little surreal, all those containers surroundingthem.Stan comes over, looks at the image on the computer. It's asailboat with some technical specifications under it. STAN I didn't know we had sailboats. CHUCK It's a ketch Kelly and I had chartered. STAN For all those vacation days you got coming.Chuck doesn't look up. CHUCK And never take. STAN Look, I'm sorry about your plane. But I couldn't risk being late into Memphis. CHUCK Forget it. STAN You know General McLelland, he wouldn't attack unless he had everything just right. Finally Abe Lincoln came to him and said, General, if you're not going to use my army, could I borrow it for a while? So he gave it to Grant and Grant just said, let's go. CHUCK I'm from Arkansas. Tell me a story with Robert E. Lee in it and maybe I'll pay attention. STAN We're warriors, not desk jockeys. We've got to be bold. You always want all your ducks lined up. But nothing's 100 percent. It's always 60-40, maybe 51-49. Hell, I'd take 40-60. Then roll the dice. CHUCK That's why you're a gambling man. STAN That's why I'm running foreign and you're not. That's why you're not married and I am. CHUCK For the third time. STAN Take the plunge, admit your mistakes, move on to tomorrow. That's FedEx, that's women, that's life.Stan is so outrageous, Chuck can't help but laugh. CHUCK You are one sick fucker. STAN I'm trying to help you here. There's Warsaw, there's this -- CHUCK This was nothing like Warsaw. I held the truck then minutes, it's not that big a deal.But apparently it is. STAN Look, that kids' bike, that's a guy who'll do what it takes to get there on time. Live up to your legend, that's all I'm saying.Chuck reaches in his pocket, pulls out a bill. CHUCK A hundred rubles St. Petersburg hits 95 percent in a month. STAN Ninety five percent? Just give me the money now. CHUCK Talk is cheap. Are we on or not? STAN We're on.Chuck closes the PowerBook. CHUCK Let's go off-line.They both take out their Valium -- the price they pay forbeing such road warriors. CHUCK Two Valium...Stan puts on his Walkman. STAN And the Stones. Got to be.It's their ritual. Chuck puts headphones from his Walkmanover his ears, puts a mask over his eyes and leans his headback onto the headrest. We hear the Rolling Stones.EXT. MEMPHIS AIRPORT - NIGHT - WIDEThe MD-11 arrives at its gate. The cargo doors open.Forklifts and a gangway roll up to the side.INT. MD-11 - NIGHTStan stands smiling over Chuck. STAN Chuck. Wake up Chuck.Chuck pulls off the mask, takes out the earplugs. He managesa groggy grin. STAN You gotta do your own delivery from here.INT. SUPERHUB - NIGHTChuck walks through the extraordinary nexus of speedingpackages that intersect in intricate paths above and aroundhim. This is the beating center of the FedEx world, thecrossroads, the deep core where everything connects. In hisstill-drugged state it all seems weirdly psychedelic. AChristmas tree goes by, then a huge plastic Santa Claus, bothwith shipping labels.EXT. CHICKASAW GARDENS - MEMPHIS - NIGHTChuck's car pulls into the driveway of a small cottage in anolder Memphis neighborhood. The radio is playing the news.INT. CHUCK'S HOUSE - MOMENTS LATERChuck drops his briefcase and his bag. The place is a jumbleof clothes, papers, books, etc. In the living room is a tankof tropical fish. The water looks a little green. Nobubbles are coming from the filter.Uh oh.Chuck walks to the tank. He tightens a piece of tape thatholds the power cord onto the filter, taps the filter withhis finger, once, twice...the bubbles start again. CHUCK Damn thing.But for a couple of fish floating on top of the tank it's toolate.Chuck gets out his scoop and slowly skims them off. CHUCK Sorry, I'm really sorry.EXT. CHUCK'S HOUSE - BACK YARDChuck digs a small hole in the back yard with a large kitchenspoon.Drops the dead fish in.Fills the hole.INT. CHUCK'S HOUSE - LATERThe CD is playing. Chuck lies in bed, switches on the TV.This is no good. He doesn't care how late it is, he's goingto find Kelly.EXT. MEMPHIS - NIGHT - LATERChuck drives in his car through the streets of Memphis.EXT. UNIVERSITY - NIGHTChuck pulls up to a lab building at Memphis State.INT. LAB - NIGHTTwo doctoral candidates are playing Doom on their computerswhen Chuck walks in. CHUCK You seen Kelly Frears?One of them gestures toward a door. GUY Xerox machine.INT. HALLWAY - NIGHTChuck makes his way in the semi-darkness past rack after rackof specimens in bottles.Ahead of him we see the flashing green light of a Xeroxmachine.INT. XEROX ROOMThe light goes off. KELLY leans over the machine, bangs onit. KELLY Sonofabitch! CHUCK Hey, be nice to it, it'll be nice to you.Surprised, Kelly turns to greet Chuck. KELLY Chuck! You're back!She leaps into his arms. KELLY Your eyes are puffy. Did you take Valium again? CHUCK You smell like formaldehyde.Kelly looks over at the Xerox. KELLY My last chapter's in there, and the damn machine's jammed. CHUCK Let's take a look.He lifts up the cover. KELLY How was Russia? CHUCK Cold. KELLY Don't overwhelm me with details, you know how I hate that. Did you get it fixed? CHUCK I thought I did.He pries up one feeder, then another. CHUCK Got to follow the paper path here. KELLY Chuck, forget the Xerox. So Russia didn't turn out well?But Chuck doesn't want to talk. He's focused on the machine. CHUCK Used to you could fix these yourself.She pulls him out of the machine. He has toner on hisfingers. KELLY Chuck. CHUCK What do you want me to say? That I thought I'd done a great job but it all turned to shit? That I might as well have gone sailing for all the good I did? KELLY Yeah, tell me. Tell me all of it.He suddenly looks really tired. KELLY You don't even know what time it is. What day it is.He turns to the Xerox in frustration. CHUCK And I can't fix this damn machine.She looks at him. KELLY Come on.INT. KELLY'S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATERA tiny cubicle with a door. She closes it, takes some papertowels out of the desk, wipes his fingers. KELLY We're on the deck of the ketch, the air's soft, the water's clear as crystal...She licks the last bit of toner off his fingers. CHUCK That's carcinogenic.She ignores that, stays with the fantasy. KELLY We're covered with suntan lotion and sweat. Our skin is so hot, it's glowing...And she comes closer to him. KELLY We could take a swim.She's really close now. CHUCK On the other hand we could not take a swim...They squiggle themselves onto the desk.INT. LAB - NIGHTSomeone kicks the door shut. Now the figures are insilhouette, lit by the light in the office.And then the light goes out.EXT. FEDEX OFFICES - NEXT MORNINGA nondescript office park near the airport. No sign.Chuck's car screeches into the parking lot. He jumps out,glances at this watch, and heads for the building at a run.INT. EXECUTIVE CONFERENCE ROOM - MOMENTS LATERA large room dominated by an animated MAP OF THE WORLD.Lights at various locations blink and flash. Above the mapare a large Sign saying "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" and twohuge digital Clocks -- one keeping time, the other acountdown clock for that day's package sort at the SuperHub.The operations team of FedEx sits around a large table. Eachhas on a headset. BECCA TWIGG, the business-like senior vicepresident of Operations, addresses questions to a man --COLIN PARKER-BOWLES, the European operations manager -- on aLARGE TV SCREEN in front of her. "London" is superimposed onthe screen. BECCA So why was Milan late, Colin? COLIN One of the race horses coming from Ireland got colic and had to be off- loaded in Brussels. That put the Jumbo 15, six hours late into Charles De Gaulle. Customs had difficulty locating the dutiable items...Colin continues as Chuck, out of breath, slips under thescreen and heads for the one remaining vacant seat -- acrossfrom Stan. Next to Stan is MAYNARD GRAHAM, an MBA systemsman. Becca addresses a question over to Stan. BECCA Stan, can we get P&A down to work with Milan customs? STAN We're already on it. BECCA Good. And let's look at our live animal policy. I don't think the income stream justifies delaying IP product, especially at Christmas.Colin disappears. A red light goes on. Becca pushes abutton. Another face comes on the screen. "Oakland" appearsunder the face. BECCA Stand by, Benson, we're still wrapping up foreign.She turns pointedly to Chuck. BECCA Chuck, thanks for joining us. Status?Chuck swallows nervously, tries to talk matter-of-factly. CHUCK Becca, as you know St. Petersburg was consistently running late by six to ten hours -- sometimes a full day or more. I replaced the station manager. We identified inefficiencies and worked out a quality improvement plan I believe can be met. MAYNARD You replaced the station manager with a driver. A local with no knowledge of our systems. BECCA Shouldn't you have brought in someone from Memphis? Russia is priority one. MAYNARD James Pottinger is available.The process is being ripped out of Chuck's hands. Hestruggles to get an answer. STAN He's a numbers cruncher. Chuck's done all the right things here...Stan is doing his best to back up Chuck. CHUCK Jim's a terrific financial man, no question. But we can't always parachute in from Memphis. We've got to build up our local staff. MAYNARD We've got to improve foreign on-time, that's what we've got to do. If this new guy's so good, how come the very first plane he sent missed the connection in Paris?Maynard knows how to go for the jugular. Everyone looks atChuck. CHUCK We're building a new team here. We got every package on the truck for the first time ever. Success is the best teacher. MAYNARD I don't call missing the plane a success.Everyone looks at Chuck.EXT. KELLY'S HOUSE - DAY - LATE THAT AFTERNOONChuck lugs a big package up to the door, knocks on it. Kellyopens the door. KELLY Merry Christmas eve. CHUCK Not if you work for FedEx.INT. KELLY'S HOUSE - DAYChuck enters as they keep talking. Her house is cozy butalso where she works. There's a computer, specimen jars, andsome terrariums with frogs inside. A Christmas tree withpackages under it. KELLY You break four million packages last night?In the b.g. one of the packages by the Christmas tree isstarting to shake on its own. CHUCK Four four. A record. KELLY You don't seem too happy about it. CHUCK Ah, the staff meeting could have gone better. KELLY Let me guess, Russia came up?Chuck's attention goes to the tree. CHUCK One of those packages just moved.The package turns over, something darts out. It's a puppy,with a bow around its neck. KELLY Merry Christmas.Chuck bends down to see the puppy. CHUCK Hey, look at you. KELLY I figure, if we could take care of a puppy, we could, you know, take care of --A baby, she wants to say, but that's going a little fast soshe catches herself. Chuck picks the puppy up. CHUCK He is a cute thing. KELLY He's your cute thing. CHUCK I can't even keep fish alive. KELLY A puppy's got a little more personality than a fish. CHUCK And for you --Chuck hands over his present. KELLY So do good things come in large packages?Kelly opens Chuck's present -- a very large box.It's a piece of luggage. CHUCK You know, for when you travel. KELLY For when I travel?She can't believe it. It's the exact opposite of what shewanted. KELLY You should have got me something that shows you want us to be together, not apart.Chuck is flummoxed. Women read so much into things. CHUCK I wasn't sending a message. I though you'd like it.Chuck's beeper goes off. KELLY You should have got me a ring.He checks the number. CHUCK I have to go. I'm on call for overflow down at the Hub. KELLY A ring. I wanted a ring. CHUCK You did?She nods. What to do? CHUCK Look, I love the puppy. I love you. But I have to go. KELLY You can't go now. CHUCK I have to. KELLY You want to.Chuck picks up the puppy. CHUCK What should we call him? Or is it her? How about Jango?Kelly is having one of those moments when everything comesclear. KELLY This isn't working out. CHUCK We're a little emotional here. It's Christmas, maybe we're over-reacting. KELLY "We're" not over-reacting. CHUCK Could you watch Jango? KELLY No. CHUCK I can't take him to work.He hands her the puppy. CHUCK We'll talk about it when I come back. It'll all be fine. Really.This is not a happy woman he is leaving behind.EXT. KELLY'S HOUSE - HOUSE LATERIt's dark now. Chuck returns. The stars are putting on anamazing show, but he doesn't notice as he heads for the door.INT. KELLY'S HOUSE - MINUTES LATERChuck enters. The tree and the presents under it are gone. CHUCK Kelly? Kelly?No answer, nothing but the sound of Jango, who begins yelpingin the kitchen.INT. KELLY'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - MOMENTS LATERChuck picks up Jango, who is barricaded in the kitchen withsome food, some water, and some wet newspapers. CHUCK There. There. Easy now.EXT. KELLY'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - NIGHT - MINUTES LATERHolding Jango, Chuck walks out into the back yard. CHUCK Kelly?A fire still smolders. The packages have burned. The treeis a blackened mess.Chuck stares at it.EXT. CHUCK'S HOUSE - NEXT MORNINGChuck gets into his car, puts Jango on the front seat next tohim. Pulls out of the driveway.EXT. ARKANSAS HIGHWAY - DAYChuck is in his car, with the dog on his lap.EXT. FARM HOUSE - DAYChuck's car drives up to a typical Arkansas farm house. HisMOM is setting some Christmas tree lights around the door.Chuck gets out of the car. There's a large wet spot on thefront of his pants. MOM What happened to your pants? CHUCK Mom, meet Jango.Chuck displays the puppy.EXT. FARM HOUSE - SHED - DAYChuck works on an old tractor in the shed. Some small legsappear in his vision, then a small face. This is AMANDA, hisniece. AMANDA Dinner's ready.INT. FARM HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAYAround the table are Chuck's brother ROGER, his wife MARY,Amanda, and her TWO BROTHERS. Mom brings in the turkey,places it on the table, sits down. They all hold hands andbow their heads. MOM Chuck?Chuck hesitates just a moment. CHUCK Bless us O Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive, from thou bounty, through Christ the Lord. Amen. ROGER Let's eat.EXT. FARM HOUSE - LATER THAT DAYThe children burst out the door, shrieking, chased by Jango.INT. FARM HOUSE - DAYThe grown-ups are cleaning up after Christmas dinner. Thescene moves between the table, the kitchen counter, and therefrigerator. It's an old-fashioned kitchen, simplyfurnished. MARY How's Kelly? CHUCK Great. ROGER Thought you were going to bring her. CHUCK So did I. MOM It seemed like she had such a good time last time. CHUCK It's nothing you did, Mom, believe me. MARY Jennifer's still down at the post office. And she's still got that crush on you. ROGER And she's still got those -- MARY Roger. ROGER You should have stuck around.This is an old, sore subject. CHUCK Look, I help take care of the place. You got my check, didn't you Mom? MOM That new roof, that's your doing. ROGER You're just allergic to farming, that's what dad said. Can't stand to be alone. Can't stand to be in one place. Can't stand the sight of...blood.He drops the turkey giblets into the trash. MARY Roger's going to put chickens in here.Chuck can't believe this. CHUCK Come on Roger, this is dad all over again. You already did beefalo, chinchillas, and what was that, ostrich? They chased Mom around the yard, sprained her hip.Mom goes to the freezer and takes out some frozenstrawberries. MOM It wasn't that bad, dear. MARY You can't make a living out of this place. We tried. CHUCK But chickens? ROGER Sixty three pounds consumed per capita, up from twenty seven in 1960. Going to pass beef. Chicken's global. No religious taboos. You don't see your Hindus and your Muslims boycotting poultry. CHUCK True enough. No sacred chickens nowhere, so far as I know. MOM Roger's working at Tyson's now.Mom mashes the block of frozen strawberries with a fork toseparate the strawberries from the ice. CHUCK Really? ROGER Come on down to the plant. It's state of the art. We're doing for chickens what FedEx did for the delivery business. CHUCK Just don't count 'em before they hatch.Roger grins at him. This is just how they are. ROGER I'll try to remember that. MOM Dessert.They all sit down. Mom brings the slushy frozen strawberriesto the table, squirts on some Reddi-whip. Looks pointedly atChuck. MOM Speaking of hatching, I could sure use some more grandchildren.Not a timely topic with Chuck. CHUCK Mom, this is a farm. We've got real strawberries growing outside, we've got real cream. MOM Oh no, the prodigal son's home. We bring out the store bought.Chuck takes a bite, winces a little as the cold strawberrieshit his teeth.EXT. MOM'S HOUSE - LATER THAT DAYChuck fixes the drain pipe while Mom prunes the rose bushesaround the porch. CHUCK Maybe I should take a few days off. Roger's working now, you could use some help around here... MOM Don't you even think about it. CHUCK The place is falling apart. MOM I'm doing fine.She looks pointedly at Chuck. CHUCK Doing great, Mom, don't worry about me. MOM There's settled folks, and there's nomads. You're just not a settled folk. You never belonged here.Chuck finishes the drain pipe. Gives it a thunk with hisfinger. CHUCK Come on inside, Mom. You've had a long day.INT. FARM HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHTIn his boyhood room, we see Chuck's laptop, which is hookedup to the internet FedEx homepage. All around him are modelsof boats and planes, maps, pictures of far-off places. Theroom of a boy who always fantasized about getting away.Chuck is beside it, slumped down on the desk. Asleep.EXT. FARM HOUSE - DAYHis mom waves to him as Chuck drives away.INT. FEDEX OFFICE - LATER THAT DAYChuck enters his office, on the go. His assistant LESLIE iswaiting for him. CHUCK I need the latest PDRs on St. Petersburg. LESLIE And how was your Christmas? CHUCK Terrific. Yours?She nods, used to this. CHUCK And get me in to the dentist. My tooth's acting up.Stan enters. STAN Malaysia's tanking. We're meeting in ten in operations. CHUCK Right. (to Leslie) Get me everything on Indonesia, New Guinea, all the way to Australia.INT. OPERATIONS ROOM - MINUTES LATERChuck, Leslie, Stan and another executive from the meetingnamed DICK are gathered around the TV screen. A squawk boxis on the table. CHUCK Kamal? Kamal? Can you hear us?The box squawks. The TV screen rolls an imperfect image. DICK Can't we get this working?A Technician is fiddling with the TV set. TECHNICIAN Trying. CHUCK Kamal, you're breaking up. Can you hear us? VOICE (SQUAWK BOX) Kamal is not here. CHUCK Who is this? Where is Kamal? VOICE (SQUAWK BOX) It is Ibrim, I, I am a sorter. CHUCK What's going on down there? VOICE (SQUAWK BOX) Kamal is not here. We are very defused. CHUCK Who's in charge then, where is Chinn?The squawk box hums and crackles. Nothing. Chuck turns tothe Technician. STAN We got Telex, e-mail? TECHNICIAN Sure. Just not getting any answers.Chuck turns to Leslie. CHUCK When's the next Jumbo? LESLIE The regular flight is scheduled for oh three hundred tomorrow. CHUCK Anything else? LESLIE There's a sweep leaving Memphis in an hour, goes through Sydney. STAN Maybe you should get your ducks lined up first.Chuck looks over at Stan. CHUCK Call Operations. Get me on it.And Stan is impressed.EXT. CHUCK'S HOUSE - DAYChuck leaves with his bag over his shoulder and the puppyunder his arm.EXT. KELLY'S HOUSE - DAY - MINUTES LATERKelly opens the door. Chuck is there with the puppy. KELLY That's your dog. CHUCK It's our dog. It belongs to us. KELLY There isn't any us. CHUCK Yes there is.Kelly can't stay mad. KELLY I'm sorry about the presents. I got a little carried away. CHUCK No, it was great. Maybe a little overkill -- KELLY I burned the Christmas tree.She's half-laughing, half-wanting-to-cry. KELLY Why didn't you come over, get mad at me, tell me what a stupid bitch I was. CHUCK I guess I hadn't thought through how I felt. KELLY What, you were going to come over the next day all calm and say, Kelly that really made me mad? Don't tell me you're mad. Be mad. Be who you are right now. CHUCK Look, we'll do our trip as soon as I get back. KELLY Don't even start.And then it hits her. KELLY Get back? From where? CHUCK Malaysia. They're holding the sweep.She stares at him for a long moment, then at the puppy. KELLY Give him to me.He hands her the dog. KELLY Chuck, you're breaking my heart. CHUCK A week, max. Okay? Okay? KELLY Go on. We'll be fine. I'll feed Jango to the frogs.She kisses the puppy.INT. FEDEX PLANE - NIGHTChuck enters the cockpit, where two different pilots aregoing through their checklists. Chuck repeats his familiarpatter. CHUCK Al -- gotta be something wrong with our physicals, you keep getting certified to fly. John, aren't you worried? JOHN I disconnected his controls. He only thinks he's flying.Chuck settles into his seat. CHUCK You're on your way home, Al?Al has an Australian accent. AL Right. Down home, down under. CHUCK We're on time, right? AL On time, Chuck.INT. FEDEX PLANE - NIGHT - HOURS LATERSettled into the jump seat, Chuck finishes up his notes onhis PowerBook and begins his flight ritual.He puts in his ear plugs and takes out his Valium. Heswallows one, then thinks, and swallows two more. Then heturns on his Walkman to the Rolling Stones, puts the maskover his eyes, and, as usual, goes to sleep. DISSOLVE TO:INT. FEDEX PLANE - NIGHTThe plane is SHAKING badly. HEAR frantic, garbled radiotalk. Chuck stirs, struggles to his feet, drowsy anddrugged.INT. FEDEX PLANE - CHUCK'S POVEverything is hazy, out of focus, as it was in his earlierdrugged condition. But this is real haze. SMOKE. And thecabin also TWISTS and TILTS.Chuck tries to steady himself against the wall. This isnightmarish. Is this really happening?INT. FEDEX PLANE - CHUCK'S POV - COCKPITThe pilots wrestle with the controls. They have their lifejackets on. John glances back at Chuck, his face floating ina cloud of fear.INT. FEDEX PLANE - MOMENTS LATERChuck struggles to put on his life jacket. The plane isVIBRATING VIOLENTLY. He can't get the straps straight. Heis KNOCKED against one wall, then another, then to the floor.Chuck tries to blow on the mouth tubes for his life jacket.Can't do it! Puff. Puff. Shit! John motions franticallyfor Chuck to pull on the automatic inflators on his jacket.Chuck fumbles for them.Huge palettes shift and groan, one BREAKS FREE, bangingviolently against the side of the plane, spilling out itsboxes. Then it swings and KNOCKS Chuck on the head! He goesdown!INT. GLOBAL OPERATIONS CENTER - MOMENTS LATERA CONTROLLER mans the global operations desk. His SUPERVISORstands behind him, sipping some coffee. The mood is eerilycalm. An assistant moves Plane Locator Cards on a giantboard. CONTROLLER Jumbo 14 is overdue in Sector K. SUPERVISOR Where are they?Another CONTROLLER tracks a giant computer screen. CONTROLLER 2 Somewhere east of Port Moresby. Guam is getting a signal but no location. Maybe the GPS is out.The signal flashes, but is strangely still compared to theothers, which are moving.EXT. FEDEX PLANE - NIGHTThe giant plane PLUMMETS down from the sky.INT. FEDEX PLANE - NIGHTChuck is semi-conscious and bleeding from the head. Johnpulls the inflators on Chuck's life jacket, which fills witha WHOOSH!, sending Chuck's arms out to the sides. Alstruggles with the LIFE RAFT. It's all blurred, frantic,terrifying.EXT. PACIFIC - NIGHT - MOMENTS LATERThe plane hits the ocean with a CRASH and a WAVE of water.INT. GLOBAL OPERATIONS CENTER - MOMENTS LATERThe Controller is speaking mechanically into the microphone. CONTROLLER Guam, I need a fix on Jumbo 14.EXT. PACIFIC - NIGHTShrouded with fog and surrounded by debris, the tail of thebig plane slowly SINKS beneath the angry, storm-driven waves.EXT. PACIFIC - DAYA life raft is tossed on dark, storm-driven seas. Inside it,semi-conscious, Chuck hangs on.EXT. PACIFIC - NIGHTWe catch glimpses of the yellow lift raft in the dark as thestorm continues.EXT. BEACH - EARLY MORNINGThe storm has ended. Waves lap gently on a beach cut like ascallop out of a rocky shore. On the beach we see scatteredFEDEX BOXES. And we see, face-down, half-buried in sand, aMAN IN A SUIT and a life jacket.Chuck.The tide gently rocks him, laps at his face. He chokes.Slowly he gets to his knees. Vomits seawater, big heaves.He rolls over, sits down. Dazed. Still confused. Where amI? What happened?Chuck's first instinct is to check the time. He looks at hiswatch, taps it in frustration.Then he looks around, and we look with him.CHUCK'S POV - BEACHThe fog has thinned. We can see palm groves and mangrovethickets leading back into a thickly wooded valley climbingup a steep, rocky hillside. The rocks on the opposite pointend in a barren ridge. Clouds hide the top of the hill.ON CHUCKas he takes in his surroundings. He licks his lips. He'sthirsty. But something he sees is even more important. Westay with him as he WALKS. He comes to a FEDEX PACKAGE inthe sand, picks it up, brushes off the sand, walks farther.He picks up another package.EXT. BEACH - WIDEChuck walks down the beach, picking up FedEx packages,leaving a trail of footprints in the sand. Ahead of him wenotice a package decorated with ANGEL WINGS.EXT. BEACH - LATER THAT MORNINGChuck has made a neat stack of FedEx boxes under some palmtrees at the rim of the beach. He examines the Angel Wingdrawing with passing curiosity, then puts it on the stack.Chuck takes off his life jacket, sits down in the shade,makes himself comfortable, and waits.EXT. BEACH - SUNSETChuck is still waiting. He's a systems man, and the systemisn't working. CHUCK All right, guys. I'm here. Check the GPS, get moving.EXT. BEACH - NIGHTThe full moon shines a ghostly light on the beach. Treescast moon-shadows on the sand. Chuck seems very, very alone.We HEAR from the dark thickets a STRANGE NOISE. Rustling inthe leaves. Something crashing in the trees, or is it awave? A jolt of adrenaline courses through Chuck's body. Helurches to his feet.We HEAR the noises again. Chuck edges toward the rocks atthe barb of the hook. Keeping his eye on the thicket, hebends down and picks up a stone. His first weapon.In the rocks he finds a piece of driftwood. He picks it upin his other hand. He backs between two rocks and standsfacing the thicket, every sense alert. A cloud passes overthe moon. The shadow streaks across Chuck's anxious face.EXT. BEACH - MORNINGThe morning TIDE is coming in. We follow the tide as it lapsamidst the rocks and finds Chuck, staring out to sea. Theempty sea. CHUCK Where the fuck are you?But now he is really thirsty. We WALK with Chuck up thebeach.Beneath the palms he sees a couple of coconuts. He picks oneof them up and studies it. It's heavy, almost the size of avolleyball. How to get in it?He throws it down on a rock. The coconut just bounces off.He wedges the coconut between two rocks, then throws a rockdown on it. It bounces off. He throws down a bigger rock.It smashes on the rocks and chips. Chuck picks up the rock.OW! Where the rock had chipped the edge is sharp. It cutshim. CHUCK Sonofabitch.The blood stains the rock a bright red. Chuck sucks on hisfinger, then he gets an idea -- the same idea primitive manfirst got when he discovered stone tools.He picks up the rock, test the edge. Sharp -- really sharp.He throws another rock down, but it doesn't break. He picksup another rock and strikes the first one. Then again,harder. And again. A large flake shoots off. This edge iseven sharper.He has a knife.OPENING THE COCONUT - SERIES OF SHOTSChuck uses the stone knife to saw at the coconut. No luck.Chuck clumsily sharpens a stick with the sharp rock.Chuck brings the sharpened stick down hard on the coconut,but the stick slides off, sending the coconut rolling away.Chuck positions the stick, pointed end up, in a hole, thenSLAMS the coconut down hard on it. Success! The green nutof the coconut splits. The brown inner nut is free! Hesmashes the nut with a rock, but -- OW! -- he hits his hand!Chuck licks his fingers, but he is so thirsty there's no moresaliva. He smashes again. The shell breaks to smithereens.Coconut milk splashes everywhere. CHUCK That was smart, really smart.Rotating a nut along its axis and carefully moving hisfingers out of the way, he SMASHES the nut again. The shellsplits! The precious liquid splashes out. Left inside is aswallow or two, which Chuck laps up eagerly. The milky whiteliquid dribbles down his face. CHUCK Ahhh.EXT. BEACH - SUNRISEChuck squints at the ocean. His sunburn is bad -- his lipsare cracked. A stack of broken coconut shells is beside him.No one's there -- again. CHUCK Maybe the GPS malfunctioned. That Korean airliner did.Clouds scud in front of the sun. Beyond the reef the wavesare high and churning. Chuck can see them pound onto thereef. CHUCK Okay, do the math. Maybe they know where you are within, say 500 miles. That's a circle with an area of, uh, pi r squared. So, uh, 250,000 times three point one four, that's about 800,000 square miles. Three times the size of Texas.This sinks in. Then Chuck gets an idea. CHUCK They could use a satellite.But even that doesn't give him much hope. CHUCK Say each satellite photo is 30 feet square, that's uh...fuck it...billions and billions of photos.That sinks in. CHUCK Aw, someone will come.EXT. BEACH - NIGHTChuck sleeps by the coconuts. The tide is coming in. Chuckstirs, gets up, staggers over to a palm tree to relievehimself.He stares idly out at the moonlight on the waves. Then notso idly. Something's out there, something floating on thetide. CHUCK What the hell?EXT. BEACH - MOMENTS LATERChuck splashes into the gentle surf, reaches the dark object.It's a body. Chuck turns it over. It's Al, one of thepilots, his face gray and waterlogged and very dead. CHUCK Oh Jesus.EXT. BEACH - MOMENTS LATERChuck drags the body up on the beach and then collapses,exhausted. He sits by it, staring at it. CHUCK I'm so sorry, Al. So sorry.EXT. BEACH - MORNING Chuck has almost finished a grave in the sand back of thepalm trees. He's been digging with a piece of driftwoodsharpened with his stone knife.He drags the body into the pit. Stares down at it. Thatcould be me. CHUCK Got to cover Al up.He wants to say more, can't. He scoops some sand over thebody. CHUCK Got to cover Al up.He scoops in some more sand. It's eerily like burying thetropical fish in his back yard.EXT. BEACH - LATERWith a rock Chuck hammers a crude driftwood marker into thesand.EXT. BEACH - LATER THAT DAYAs Chuck sits on the beach, he half-sings, half-talks "YellowSubmarine" very quietly to himself. CHUCK We all live in a yellow submarine, yellow submarine...He looks over at the deep woods and down to the rocky point.Comes to a decision. He takes a drink of coconut, picks uphis club and a coconut, sticks the stone knife in his pants.He's ready to go.EXT. BEACH - DAY - MOMENTS LATERChuck climbs over the rocks and disappears out of sight.He's still half-singing to himself. CHUCK Yellow submarine. We all live in a yellow submarine...EXT. ISLAND - DAY - MOMENTS LATERChuck's way is blocked by rocks and jungle. He hesitates.He picks up a rock and THROWS IT to scare away all those badthings. It crashes into the ferns and palm trees. He takesa step into the jungle.EXT. JUNGLE - MINUTES LATERChuck struggles through a dense thicket beneath a junglecanopy. Vines and creepers reach out toward him. There isno path, nothing to show him where to go.EXT. JUNGLE - HALF HOUR LATERChuck climbs through a tangle of vines and ferns. He takes adrink from the coconut he is carrying. The last drink. CHUCK Bad idea. Should have saved some.He throws away the husk. He looks up, but the only sunlightreaching him is dappled from the canopy above him.EXT. ISLAND - MOMENTS LATERChuck emerges onto a ridge that leads to a summit. He climbsacross a rocky lava field covered with scrub lichen and lowferns, soil dark as coffee beans, his way crossed by steepgullies that cut like dark fingers into the lava.The lava field narrows, forcing Chuck closer to the sea. Hepasses a series of CAVES, their mouths dark and mysteriousand scary. He gives them a wide berth.EXT. ISLAND - CLIFF - MOMENTS LATERThe land narrows to a ledge that stretches across a highcliff perched over the ocean. Beyond this rock bridge thepath smoothes out to a summit.Chuck stares at the narrow bridge, then down at the wavesbreaking on the rocks far below. To get any view, he willhave to cross the bridge. He's thirsty. The late afternoonsun is hot. CHUCK Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?Hugging the wall of the cliff, taking each step with greatcaution, he sets out across the bridge.EXT. ISLAND - CLIFFStep by step, Chuck negotiates the narrow bridge. He reachesa flume of polished basalt which cuts across the ledge like aslide in a water park -- except this flume ends high abovethe waves. Chuck tries to step across it, can't quite, triesone foot first, then the other. CHUCK Shit!He looks back, but that seems even scarier. CHUCK Got to get there. Got to see. C'mon... c'mon. Don't be such a wuss. Be bold.He looks down at the ocean beneath him, closes his eyes, andjumps. It's only a few feet, but he's breathing hard when helands on the other side. He hugs the rocks, getting hisbreath.EXT. ISLAND SUMMIT - SUNSET - MOMENTS LATERChuck looks to each point on the compass. He is on anISLAND, small, inhospitable, without sign of habitation oranything human. On three sides the waves break againststeep, hostile cliffs. A reef encloses the cove where hecame from. CHUCK No way on. No way off.Chuck stares out to sea in every direction. Nothing. CHUCK This is bad. Really, really bad.The last rays of sun hit his face. The ocean turns a deepreddish gold.EXT. CLIFF - MOMENTS LATERGoing down is even scarier. It's dusk and the light is flatand gray. Chuck stares at the ledge. CHUCK Come on. Crawl if you have to.Chuck crawls on his hands and knees across the rock bridge.EXT. ROCKY SLOPE - MOMENTS LATERChuck stumbles over the rocks. The caves look ominous andprimal.EXT. EDGE OF JUNGLE - NIGHTIt's getting dark now. The jungle seems impenetrable, thedark wood of fable. Chuck hesitates, then plunges into it.EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT MINUTES LATERThe moon has just begun to rise, casting eerie light into thejungle. The shadows reach out to grab Chuck, then realbranches and vines tug at him. He heads into thickblackness.EXT. BEACH - NIGHT - LATERChuck emerges around the rocks. He reaches the stack offamiliar FedEx boxes -- Ahh, home! He's breathing hard, fromboth fear and exertion. CHUCK Got to drink. Got to drink something.With his last strength he opens a coconut on the stick. Hebangs hard on the shell and gulps down the milk. He staresat the stack of FedEx boxes. What could be inside? Hereaches out and touches one. CHUCK They don't belong to you.Responsibility gets the better of necessity, and he takes hishand away.EXT. BEACH - MORNINGFace red from the sun, Chuck hacks at a palm frond with hisstone knife. He saws the palm frond off near the base,leaving it about a foot long. CHUCK Got to have shade. Got to have a hat.He ties the loose fibers into a sort of circle, then sets itupon his head. It looks amazingly like some sort ofprimitive cap.He grabs a couple of FedEx boxes and heads for the beach.EXT. BEACH - LATERChuck finishes the P on H E L P, which he has spelled outwith the FedEx boxes on the beach.EXT. JUNGLE - DAY - LATERChuck scrambles down a ravine. He kneels down and feels theground. It is dry, completely dry.EXT. LAVA SLOPE - DAYChuck traverses the slope, determined to find water.A FLAT ROCK - LATERWith a puddle of dirty water trapped in a tiny hollow.Suddenly Chuck flops down into frame. He tries to scoop upsome water in his hands, but he just splashes it around. Helicks his fingers. Then he gets down on his stomach and lapsup the water with his tongue. Like an animal.In the bottom of the small depression is some fine mud. Herubs it on his reddened face and across his burned lips. CHUCK Oh, God. Thank you.EXT. BEACH - NIGHTChuck lies in darkness, his eyes reflecting the moon.EXT. JUNGLE - DAYChuck is drenched in sweat. He is at the bottom of a holesix feet deep. He takes one last dig with the flat stick,then licks the moist clay that sticks to it.EXT. BEACH - DAYChuck breaks open another coconut and gulps down the milkyliquid. With a stone knife he digs in the shell for some ofthe meat, but it's dry and chewy and fibrous. He spits itout, then lies back on the sand and stares at the firststars. Half sings to himself. CHUCK You deserve a break today...He is desperately thirsty. Hunger gnaws at him.EXT. BEACH - DAY - LATERHolding a sharpened stick, Chuck wades in the shallows at lowtide, looking for fish. It's difficult to keep his balance.Suddenly a shadow flashes by, glinting in the morningsunlight. Chuck hurls the spear, which ricochets off thewater and floats away.Chuck plunges into the water after the fish with his barehands. The fish reverses direction. Chuck leaps after itand goes under. He comes up spluttering, on his hands andknees in the shallows.Suddenly a whole school of fish swims by him, moving inunison, like one creature, splitting around Chuck likemercury. He grabs at them desperately. Nothing. CHUCK Damn fish!On some rocks he sees clusters of limpets. He takes a rockand tries to dislodge one, but it smashes into a soggy mess.EXT. BEACH - DAYDiscouraged, he sits down on the beach and gets his breath.Idly, Chuck takes out his wallet. The money is soaked. Helays it out to dry. He finds a PHOTOGRAPH OF KELLY, soakedand mushy.He tries to smooth it out. For a moment he is overcome. Hisface tightens, his eyes get moist. He stares out to sea. CHUCK Wait a minute. Wait just a minute.He picks up his wallet again and takes out a credit card.EXT. BEACH - MINUTES LATERChuck wades in the water, stops by a rock covered withlimpets. He uses a CREDIT CARD to scrape off a limpet. CHUCK Don't leave home without it.With his finger, he prods around in the mucous-like meat,then tilts up the shell and we see the gooey gray stuff slideoff the shell into his mouth. CHUCK Yuck.He starts to spit it out. Tries to make himself like it. CHUCK Yumm.And he swallow it.EXT. BEACH - SUNSETChuck sits in the shade of a palm tree surrounded by a pileof smashed coconut husks and a stack of limpet shells. Hechecks his watch for a moment. CHUCK Got to get this fixed.But what's the point? Everything that was so valuable beforeis useless now.EXT. JUNGLE - LATERChuck digs yet another hole. He chants to himself, almostdelusionally. CHUCK Water, water, everywhere, water, water everywhere...Covered in sweat, desperate and exhausted, he throws down hiswooden spade. CHUCK Where's the water on this fucking island?He lies on his back, breathing hard. Pulls his hat over hiseyes. CHUCK Just rest a minute.EXT. JUNGLE - DAY - LATERChuck is lying in the hole. We find his feet. Slowly wateris oozing out of the clay, a puddle is building around histoes.EXT. JUNGLE - DAY - LATERChuck's eyes snap awake. He looks down at his feet. There'sa pool of muddy water there. He dips his hand in it, touchesa finger to his lips to be sure he's not dreaming.He grabs his sharpened stone, begins to attack the clay. CHUCK Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah.EXT. BEACH - SUNSETChuck carefully makes marks on a palm tree with his rockknife. One for each day. Very neat. Very precise. VeryChuck. CHUCK Let's see, I waited two days. (makes marks) Then I buried Al. (slowly makes another mark) Al. You never made it home, buddy. Then American Express got me those clam things... (makes another mark) I dug all those damn holes, the clouds over the moon... (makes more marks) And today, the historic discovery of H, Two, Oh. (makes a tenth mark and underlines it) Ten days. Shit.For a moment, he feels the weight of his isolation. Then heallows himself a deep breath. There is order now, after all.Time is under control.EXT. CLIFF - DAYVery carefully, but standing this time, Chuck makes his wayacross the ledge.EXT. SUMMIT - DAYHe emerges on the top, takes a drink from a hand-madecanteen, and looks in all directions. Again, he sees nothingbut ocean.EXT. BEACH - DAYHe resumes his efforts at fishing. A shape scuttles raggedlybeneath him. CHUCK A crab, it's a crab.He freezes, holding his spear motionless. Then he jabs atthe crab -- misses! The crab scurries away toward the rocks. CHUCK Dammit!Chuck splashes after it, stabbing as he goes, falling,getting up, stabbing again.Suddenly one stab feels different. Chuck carefully lifts upthe spear. On the end is a squirming crab. CHUCK I did it. I did it!He walks carefully with it to the beach. Lowering the spear,he lets the crab slip off. It darts toward the water. Chuckheads it off, trying to avoid the snapping claws.He kicks it back toward the beach, then slams a rock down onit. He twists off a crab claw, expecting to see flaky whitemeat. But a crab has an exoskeleton. The flesh simply poursout, like mucous. CHUCK Jesus.This is too much. He needs the next step, from the raw tothe cooked. The crucial next step from primitive man to thebeginnings of civilization.EXT. PALM GROVE SERIES OF SHOTS - TRYING TO MAKE FIREChuck rubs two sticks together. Nothing.Chuck positions a makeshift drill in a hole he has scoopedout in a piece of driftwood. He spins the drill with greateffort. Nothing. CHUCK Stupid fucking thing!He quits, exhausted. He looks at his hands. They are rawand blistered. He feels like Job. CHUCK I don't know what I did, God, but whatever is was, I am really, really sorry. You hear me? Really sorry.EXT. BEACH - DAYChuck emerges from the jungle and walks to the edge of theocean. He dips his blistered hands into the sea water, thenlooks over at the FedEx boxes that spell out H E L P. CHUCK Don't have a choice, do I?He walks over and picks a few boxes up from the P.EXT. PALM GROVE - DAYWith his stone knife and spear to help him. Chuck begins toopen the FedEx boxes. Chuck rips open the end of one box andshakes it. Out tumble some videotapes. Chuck looks at them:what good are they?Chuck tears another box open. Out slide some legal paperscovered with Post-its.In quick cuts, we see him dump out computer memory boards,some designer dresses, flowers, a pair of roller blades, ascript with a red cover -- which he never reads.EXT. BEACH - LATERBy now he has taken all the boxes in the P. Only H E Lremains. He pauses to let the irony of that sink in, thencollects more boxes. He is even more exhausted.EXT. PALM GROVETwo boxes remain. One is the box with Angel Wings. Chucksets it aside. He opens the other box. Out tumbles aDOCTOR'S BAG. Chuck can't believe it. He opens the bag.It's full of great stuff. Medicine. A scalpel. A saw. CHUCK Okay. Okay now.EXT. PALM GROVE - LATERHands bandaged, Chuck tries to strike a spark on the rollerblade wheel housing. Tries over and over. Nothing.He takes a long drink from his canteen, and flinches. Histooth is starting to hurt. He fishes some Tylenol out of thesurgeon's bag and takes two.EXT. OTHER SIDE OF ISLAND - DAYChuck picks some berries and gingerly tries them. They'renot bad. He eats more. Then more. What a relief.EXT. BEACH - NIGHTChuck lies on his palm fronds, groaning and holding hisstomach. He drags himself to his knees, crawls a few feet,and throws up in great, violent heaves.EXT. BEACH - DAYStill looking a little green, Chuck marks another day on histree calendar.EXT. SUMMITHe stares out to sea. Nothing.EXT. WELL - DAYChuck lies on his belly and drinks from the well, which hasfilled with water. Then he washes his face and splasheswater over his neck. The surface of the well stills,bringing CHUCK'S REFLECTION into focus. He stares athimself.Very carefully Chuck shaves with the surgeon's scalpel.Chuck checks out his new appearance in the water. Muchbetter. A clean start now.EXT. BEACH - LATER THAT DAYHe sits in front of his failed efforts to make fire. CHUCK You're not getting it hot enough. Got to hold the heat. Got to hold the heat.EXT. BEACH - LATERChuck carefully shaves some tinder. Puts it under a piece ofbamboo split lengthwise with a notch cut across it.EXT. BEACH - LATERChuck uses a bamboo stick to try to make friction in thesplit half of the bamboo. He saws back and forth with allhis might, pressing it down in the groove.EXT. BEACH - LATERChuck gives one last saw with his bamboo and stops, utterlydefeated. It's all too much. CHUCK Sonofabitch!He starts to rub again. He breathes hard, sweat pours offhis face. He is really going for it, what the hell! A tinywisp of smoke appears! Chuck saws with even more energy. CHUCK Come on. Come on.The smoke increases. Chuck rips away the bamboo, grabs thenest of shavings, and blows on it frantically. The smokeflickers and dies. Chuck can't believe it. CHUCK No. No. No.EXT. BEACH - NIGHTChuck lies in his bed of palm fronds, shivering. He looks upat the stars, which blaze furiously. CHUCK That's the big dipper...Orion...or is that the Southern Cross...? Kelly would know.And he misses her so much. A shower of meteors streaksacross the sky, as if the very heavens are raining down onChuck.EXT. BEACH - DAYChuck readies his two sticks of bamboo again and beginssawing with tremendous energy. He smells something. Is itsmoke? He pulls off the log and looks eagerly at the nest oftinder. There's nothing there. CHUCK Dammit!He replaces the log and starts wearily to saw again.TIME CUTThe sun has moved in the sky. Chuck is still sawing. Againthe smoke appears. Again sweat pours from his face. Thesmoke increases. He saws even harder. His breath comes inanguished gulps. Smoke is curling up now. Chuck tears awaythe bamboo, picks up the nest of kindling, and blows on itgently. The smoke increases.He blows some more. A fragile crimson spark appears. CHUCK Careful now, careful...He gently places the nest of shavings in the kindling, thenblows on it with utmost care, as if he were holding lifeitself. He shreds his money and business cards over the tinyflame.Suddenly, the evening breeze lifts the nest out of thekindling. Desperate, Chuck grabs it. Trying to shield itwith his body, he grabs some palm fronds and jams them intothe sand, trying to make a windbreak. They rustle and shakeand blow over.The wind blows harder. Chuck jams some rocks in a circle tomake an eddy. But the fire is out. No words now, just aloud, primal groan of pure despair.And then, into his vision floats...smoke.Chuck looks down. A wisp of smoke curls up from the nest oftinder! Chuck blows on it gently. Suddenly a tiny tongue offlame flickers and catches on the kindling! CHUCK Yes! Yes! Yes!He feeds in some more twigs, more tinder. The flames lickout, catch, grow. CHUCK If I ever forgot to thank you God, and I am sure I did, thank you now.EXT. BEACH - WIDE - NIGHTThe fire burns on the beach. Chuck rushes about, piling ondriftwood.EXT. BEACH - CLOSERChuck darts into the jungle and returns dragging a huge log.He throws it on the fire. We see his face in the light ofthe fire. He is exultant. He dances. He sings at the topof his lungs. Papa-ooo-mow-mow!Chuck throws another huge log on the fire. Papa-papa-papa-oooo! The log splutters and explodes, sending up a hugeshower of sparks that climb and sparkle in thedarkness...until they merge with the stars.EXT. PALM GROVE - MORNINGChuck makes a mark on the tree. Around it he carves a flame-- the day he mastered fire.EXT. PALM GROVE - LATER THAT MORNINGChuck sharpens his spear with his stone knife. Then hesticks it in the flame to harden it, pulls it out, checks it,scrapes some more.EXT. BEACH - DAYChuck wades in the water with his spear. Suddenly he stabsit down. A crab is on the end.EXT. BEACH - HALF HOUR LATERChuck removes a crab from out of the fire and breaks asteaming crab claw. Chuck takes a bite of the flaky whitemeat. Ahhh. It tastes great. He takes another bite -- andflinches. CHUCK Damn tooth!He fumbles for his Tylenol and takes two pills.EXT. SUMMIT - SUNSETChuck stands on the summit, looking in all directions. Then,something on the island brings Chuck's eyes back from theirdistant focus on the horizon. From down on the beach,beneath the palm grove, there curls a thin column of smoke.Chuck lets a bit of pride creep into his face as he sees it.He kneels down and begins to build a signal fire.EXT. BEACH - NIGHT - LATERChuck curls up in his bed of palm fronds. The fire burns.Around it is a large stack of crab shells. He stares intothe fire.EXT. PALM GROVE - MORNINGChuck makes another mark on the tree. He has circled thetree with marks several times now.EXT. BEACH - DAYUsing a safety pin and some suturing thread, Chuck fishescarefully. Suddenly he jerks his hand back. On the end is aflopping fish.EXT. PALM GROVE - DAYChuck takes a cooked fish off the fire and mixes it with somebreadfruit. He eats the soft mixture, chewing carefully, buthis tooth hurts even worse. There are only a few Tylenoltablets left. He carefully cuts one in half and swallows it.EXT. SUMMIT - AFTERNOONChuck arrives with the wood for the night. He stares out tosea as usual, but this time he sees something different.WHALES. He sees whales. Leaping. Broaching. Spouting.Water pouring off fins and flukes. Moving. Going somewhere. CHUCK Beautiful. So beautiful.Chuck stares at them, stares until the ocean darkens and hecan see them no more. It's late now.Leaving, he takes one last look, as he always does. Andanother remarkable sight greets his eyes. There, on thehorizon, just below the evening star, is a...LIGHT. Hestares at it, fixed. CHUCK A star. It's a star.But then he stares at it really hard. CHUCK It's a ship.EXT. WOODS - TREE - NEXT DAYA tree shakes and moves, quivers... CHUCK Timberrr!...then slowly falls with a CRASH! CHUCK I heard that...Chuck holds his surgeon's saw over the stump. He walks toanother tree and begins to saw his way into the trunk.EXT. BEACH - SERIES OF SHOTSUp above the high tide line, Chuck lashes a log to a row offive logs already joined with vines. CHUCK No more waiting. Take action.Chuck sews several designer dresses together with needle andsuturing thread for a sail. CHUCK That's right. Take action.He cuts bamboo for the mast. He carves driftwood for an oar.He fills gourds with water, stores breadfruit and coconut ashe sings "Fly Me to the Moon" to himself.He ties the sail to the mast and extends it with a bambooboom lashed on with palm fiber and video tape. He ties onthe doctor's kit and the FedEx box with the angel wings.He examines his handiwork: a finished raft.He brings out his old life preserver and puts it on, thengrabs hold of one corner of the raft to pull it down to thebeach. It doesn't budge. He tries to pull it again.Nothing. He leans his back into it and pushes with his legs.Nothing. He collapses on the beach, his breath coming inheaves. CHUCK How could I be so stupid?He bangs himself on the head, over and over. CHUCK Stupid, stupid, stupid.EXT. PALM GROVE - NIGHTChuck throws new firewood on the dwindling fire. It comesback to life. Meteors streak again across the sky. Hestares at the indifferent stars. The moon is almost full.Shadows of palm trees sway on the sand.EXT. BEACH - NIGHTChuck stands by the edge of the water, which shimmers in thereflected light of the fire. A wave come in, licks at histoes. Lifts up a coconut husk, sweeps it gently out. Chuckwatches, gets an idea.EXT. BEACH - NIGHTHe begins to dig in the sand by the raft. He grabs the oarand digs faster, making a trench up to where the raft is.EXT. BEACH - MORNINGThe rising tide floods water into the trench. Chuck rocksthe raft back and forth. It floats! As the wave recedes, ittakes the raft with it. Chuck has to run beside it.CHUCK TRYING TO ESCAPE - MONTAGEOver and over, we see Chuck capsize at the reef. The firsttime he has a bandage on his leg. He tries everything --different rafts, different approaches, but each time theocean spits him back.EXT. LAGOON - DAYDefeated and utterly exhausted, Chuck swims back from hislatest failure. He wades back ashore with the FedEx box andthrows it on the ground by the palm tree. He has tried sohard to escape, so incredibly hard, done everything humanlypossible and beyond. He rips off his life preserver, throwsit into the underbrush, then collapses on the beach. CHUCK You're too low in the water. Too damn low.Chuck's shoulders begin to shake, as he is racked with deepsobs of despair.And then he throws his head back and lets forth, from deepinside himself, a SCREAM of rage and anger and pain. TheScream pierces the indifferent natural sounds of the island,the rustling of the breeze, the lulling rhythm of the waves.It is powerful, disturbing, primal.The breeze picks up. Behind Chuck, the palm trees begin tosway. The tide is reaching up toward the beach. The wavescrash louder. The palm trees sway even more.Chuck picks up some wet sand and rubs it on his body. CHUCK Dust thou art -- that's for damned sure -- and unto dust shalt thou return.A few DROPS OF RAIN begin to fall, splashing on Chuck andsizzling in the fire.Chuck looks up: clouds have obscured the sun. The windblows harder. The rain falls harder, streaking the sandChuck had rubbed on his body. STEAM sizzles out of the fire.Chuck looks up, disbelieving. The bottom falls out of theheavens -- monsoon rain, more rain than you have ever seenbefore. A long wave rolls up, its frothy fingers reachingfor the fire.Forget the raft! Forget despair! The fire could go out!This is disaster! CHUCK Shit!He springs into action. Chuck grabs an empty FedEx box.With his wooden shovel he frantically SCOOPS SOME COALS outof the fire as the rain HISSES and POUNDS at them. He slidesthe coals into the FedEx box, grabs some sticks of driftwoodand sets off on a run.EXT. WOODS - DAYChuck runs through the woods, slipping and stumbling. Vinesgrab at him. The rain is so thick he can hardly see.EXT. WOODS - MINUTES LATERChuck bursts out of the woods into the lava field. Smokepours out of the FedEx box. The coals are about to burnthrough!EXT. LAVA FIELD - MOMENTS LATERChuck stumbles up the slippery rocks, dragging the smokingbox. His face is drenched, desperate.EXT. CAVE - DAY - MINUTES LATERChuck tumbles into the cave just as the coals burn throughthe FedEx box.Using the remains of the box, he desperately tries to scootthe coals into a dry spot.One by one, THE PRECIOUS COALS GO OUT.Dripping water off his hands and face, he pushes a fewtogether with his fingers, ignoring the burns. CHUCK Please...please...please...He stomps on the driftwood and saws at it with his knife. Heplaces this kindling on the coals. They sputter and sizzle.Barely catch. He fans them with the box. A tiny flickercatches, then starts to grow. CHUCK Firewood. I need firewood.SERIES OF SHOTSOn the beach, Chuck desperately gathers more firewood in thedriving monsoon. He can barely see. Driven by the storm,the waves are licking at the palm grove.He runs through the woods. Branches whip at his face. Rootstear at his feet, tripping him.He stumbles up the lava field. Sliding. Struggling. Barelyable to breathe, the rain is so strong.INT. CAVE - DAYHe dumps the firewood on the floor of the cave. But wherethe fire had flickered, there is only a pile of wet blackashes.THE FIRE IS OUT.INT. CAVE - NIGHTChuck lies on the floor of the cave, shivering in thedarkness as the rain falls. His fire is out, his tooth iskilling him, he can't escape.EXT. CAVE - NEXT DAYChuck emerges from the cave. The rain has stopped. This isthe absolute lowest. His face reflects his pain and despair.He's trapped. It's hopeless. Everything he tried to buildis gone.EXT. LEDGE - DAYChuck slowly walks out on the ledge. He stares down at thewaves breaking on the jagged rocks far below.He lets go one hand. Then lets go the other. He is barelybalanced. It looks like a wisp of breeze would blow himright off. He slides one foot to the very lip of theprecipice.Suddenly his foot slips!Instinctively he turns into the cliff, grabs for a hold! Onehand reaches for a nubbing of rock, slips off! The othercloses, his fingers straining to hold him.He breathes in deep gasps. He had wanted to end it, come soclose. CHUCK What the fuck are you doing?His deepest instinct was to survive. And that is what he isgoing to do. CHUCK Hang on. Just hang on.Slowly he pulls himself back from the edge.EXT. BEACH - LATERChuck walks aimlessly down the beach, feeling the burden ofstarting over. The beach is littered with seaweed andflotsam, bits of rope, plastic bottles. He picks up aplastic bottle. That will come in handy.The Chuck sees a SOCCER BALL with "Wilson" stamped on it inbig black letters.He picks it up, holds it, tosses it up in the air. Then hekicks it, then kicks it again, then runs down the beach,trying to kick it and keep it out of the water. Feeling joyagain, even here.INT. CAVE - THAT DAYThe sun is setting on his darkened cave. The soccer ballsits in the corner by the black cold ashes of what was oncehis fire.Chuck carves a bit of coconut meat, takes a bite and wincesas the meat hits his sore tooth. He tosses the shell on asmall new pile of shells.Chuck shakes out the last half Tylenol tablet. He puts thetablet in his mouth, then takes a sip out of his coconutcanteen. When the water hits his tooth that hurts too.INT. CAVE - MORNINGChuck mixes a mash of breadfruit and coconut. He tries topack the tooth with the mash, but it's so sensitive that eventhis hurts. He pounds the floor of the cave in frustration.INT. CAVE - LATERChuck holds a stone chisel and his hammer stone. Hepositions the chisel against his inflamed tooth. But thethought of what he is about to do is too frightening. Helowers the chisel. CHUCK Shit. Shit. Shit.EXT. BEACH - DAYChuck tries to fill his mouth with sea water. The pain is sogreat his eyes water. CHUCK Whoo, pig. Sooey!He falls back in the water and floats there, looking up atthe sky.INT. CAVE - LATERDetermined, Chuck hold the stone chisel again. He raises itslowly to his mouth and picks up the hammer stone. CHUCK No pain, no gain.He brings the hammer down hard on the chisel! The screengoes BLACK as Chuck's SCREAM continues UNDER.FADE IN:EXT. OCEAN - SUNRISE - THREE YEARS LATERThe sky takes on the first colors of the day. The ocean isstill dark, but a few waves catch the first light. Thesunrise touches the summit, moves down the cliff, then lightsthe cove. On the screen superimpose: "1000 DAYS LATER"REFLECTION - WATERA spear shimmers in the calm morning water. Attached to thespear is a man, standing completely still.ON CHUCKWe move up out of the reflection to the real man. His legsare scarred. The remnants of a dress wrap around his middle.A stone knife on a neatly mounted haft is stuck in a beltmade of videotape and woven fiber. Necklaces of shark'steeth and shells hang from his neck. His hair is long. Acoconut frond hat is on his head.The hand wrapped around the spear is scarred and brown as aberry. It holds the spear perfectly still. The watch isgone.We come around slowly until we see Chuck's face. The eyessay it all. They stare out with a survivor's intensity,staring at the water, unblinking. This is the man who usedto splash futilely about in the water trying to fish.This is the FedEx man who was plugged into the tumult ofactivity and energy, surrounded by technology and humanactivity at its most intense, devoted to making secondscount. Now he is utterly alone, and utterly still.And now he has all the time in the world.Suddenly, without an once of wasted motion, he shoots thespear forward at a low angle. It quivers, stuck on thebottom. He pulls it out with a practiced twist. On the endis a struggling fish.But this isn't a thrill anymore. It's another day at theoffice.EXT. BEACH - LATER THAT DAYChuck makes a mark on a palm tree. He has completely coveredthree other trees with marks. It sinks in how long he hasbeen here.EXT. JUNGLE - LATERChuck carries the fish back from the beach. Now there is awell-worn trail.INT. CAVE - THAT AFTERNOONChuck enters with the fish. We are greeted with the well-ordered lair of a primitive stone-age man.Clam shell spirals weave in and out around the fire hole.Strips of eel jerky and fish hang drying from racks.Tools are lined up neatly: digging sticks, stone hammers andsaws, spears neatly hafted onto shafts, drills, awls. Bitsand pieces of feathers, skins, bones, rags, leaves -- are allneatly arranged. Strings and cords hang from hooks. Coconutbowls and cooking rocks form a small kitchen. A raincoat andrain-hat woven of palm fronds is neatly draped over a frame.Evocative pieces of driftwood decorate the room. A windchime of obsidian flakes sways gently. The watch hangs on astick.The Angel Box has the place of honor on one side. On theother side the Wilson soccer ball rests on a throne of rocks.Seaweed has been placed on the ball as hair. Clam shellshave been stuck on for eyes, other shells form a mouth. Atube shell and conch form a pipe.INT. CAVE - FIRE - NIGHTThe fish are being smoke under a palm frond. Eel skins hangfrom sticks, roasting. Chuck sits by the fire, hafting astone knife onto a wooden haft.He ties some fiber to a stick, then braids it into string,using both hands and his mouth for the three strands.He ties the string tightly around the shaft. He does hiswork automatically.INT. CAVE - NIGHT - LATERChuck eats some fish and some mashed breadfruit. He chewseach bite, his eyes in distant focus. The firelight flickerson his face.EXT. CLIFF - SUNRISEChuck carries firewood up to the summit. He mechanicallyadds wood to the fire. As he does so, something out to seacatches his eye. He stops and stands up.CHUCK'S POV - WHALESWHALES broach out past the rocky point. Spouts of watershoot into the air.ON CHUCKAs he watches them, a light comes back into his eyes. Hegrins. There's a big gap where his teeth had been. He turnsand strides down the hill.EXT. CLIFF - MOMENTS LATERHe heads across the rock bridge that once had so terrifiedhim, without losing stride. It's second nature now.INT. CAVE - MOMENTS LATERChuck enters the cave, picks up the ball and heads out.EXT. SUMMIT - EVENINGThe signal fire burns. A spectacular cloudy sunset lights upthe sky. Chuck sits with Wilson on the summit, a bowl ofmashed breadfruit in one hand, a bowl of roasted eel skin inanother.As Chuck watches the sunset unfold, watches the whales goingby in the darkened water, he takes some roasted eel chips,dips them into the breadfruit paste, and offers one toWilson. His voice is flat, monotonal. CHUCK Chips? Dip?But Wilson declines. CHUCK No?He takes a big crunchy bite. CHUCK Another fucking day in paradise.PULL BACK as the sun goes down and Chuck reaches into thebowl again and dips an eel skin chip in the dip.EXT. ROCKY LEDGE - NIGHT - LATERTorch in one hand, Wilson in the other, Chuck walks acrossthe rocky ledge. He passes the flume without even noticing.Suddenly his shoe breaks! It's sandal made of woven yuccaleaves.He bends down and fixes it, then heads on down the ledge.EXT. LEDGE - MOMENTS LATERChuck makes a casual leap, a leap he has made hundreds oftimes, but this time the sandal comes loose. It catches on arock, and CHUCK FALLS!His hands are cut and bruised. He tries to get up, can't.Chuck sits back and examines his foot. His fingers come backcovered with blood. He reaches out to steady himself, andleaves a HANDPRINT OF BLOOD on the rock.INT. CAVE - LATERChuck wraps his foot in bandages.INT. CAVE - LATERChuck's face is sweaty. He looks down at his foot. It isred, swollen, infected. He stands up, tries to put someweight on it. The pain is intense.Chuck sticks the scalpel onto some coals to sterilize it. Heholds it over his foot, takes a breath, then jabs in into thewound. The pain is intense. Chuck passes out.INT. CAVE - NIGHTChuck stirs, takes a drink, weakly tosses on another log, andcollapses back on the floor.INT. CAVE - DAYChuck wakes up, trembling, shaking, wet with sweat. Hestaggers up. His shadow sways on the wall of the cave. Hestruggles to get another log on the fire. He squints at hisonly companion, the soccer ball. CHUCK Help me, Wilson...He collapses again.INT. CAVE - NIGHTChuck stirs and squints his eyes. He takes a drink of water.He is feeling better. He puts another log on the fire andslowly begins to chew on some breadfruit and dried fish.EXT. BEACH - LATERChuck slowly wades into the water, favoring his injured foot.But something feels different. He glances around. What isit? And then he sees something, perhaps the worst possiblesight.CHUCK'S POV - SAILA SAIL is moving steadily away from the island.CHUCKThrows down the spear and waves his arms. CHUCK No! Wait! Come back!He runs into the water and starts to swim. He is so weak,however, he can only make a few strokes. He tries to yell ashe swims... CHUCK Wait! Wait!Choking and weak, he turns back and drags himself up on thebeach. In the b.g., the sail dwindles into the distance.EXT. SUMMIT - LATERChuck struggles to the top of the hill. His fire has beenextinguished by the rain. In the distance, far against thehorizon, he sees a sail -- or is it a cloud? The whitenessshimmers against the horizon. Chuck squints. Whatever itwas, it is gone. Above him some contrails from jets mark thesky.Furious, he kicks his signal fire, scattering the burnt-outcoals.EXT. BEACH - LATER THAT DAYChuck makes a new mark on his calendar tree. Then he stops.He CUTS an angry big line under the last mark, then hacksaway at the palm tree, slashing it with the stone knife,ripping and marking through all his dates. Finally the stoneknife breaks in two. Chuck drops the broken half and catcheshis breath.EXT. CAVE - NIGHTChuck enters the cave. No signal fires burn. The island isdark.EXT. SUMMIT - DAYChuck stands on the summit, staring out to sea. Nothing, noteven a contrail, not even a whale spout.EXT. CLIFF - MOMENTS LATERHe is on his way down, suddenly he sees something and stops.It's the HANDPRINT, the bloody handprint, his own handprint.He slowly extends his hand and covers it, then pulls it away.Traces it with his fingers.INT. CAVE - DAYS LATERChuck has the beginnings of an artist's studio. Severallarge clam shells hold paint. A few egg shells are lined up.Brushes have been made from roots and feathers.Chuck covers his hand with paint and makes a handprint on thewall of the cave. He stands back and looks at it.INT. CAVE - DAYHe chews some berries, then holds his hand against the wallof the cave and spits a dark blue mist around it. When hetakes his hand away, the silhouette of his handprint remains.INT. CAVE - DAYWith the Angel Wing Box as a model, Chuck dips one of hisfeather brushes in paint, and make a tentative line on thewall of the cave. He works hesitantly, rubs off a line,tries again.INT. CAVE - NIGHTChuck is finishing his first figure, a crude portrait of aman -- himself? Hard to tell. He examines his work. Hetakes some shells and sticks them on as eyes.Chuck picks up Wilson, thinks. CHUCK You old airhead, you need a makeover.He takes some charcoal out of his fire and draws eyebrows onthe ball. Then, he mashes some berries, dips his fingers inthe juice, and makes lips. He sticks shells on with clay foreyes. Then he looks at the face. CHUCK Wilson, you bad!He sits back and regards his companion. He gestures aroundthe cave at the new paintings. CHUCK What do you think?But Wilson doesn't have an opinion. CHUCK You don't share much, do you?Idly Chuck takes down the Angel Box. CHUCK I guess I know how Kelly felt.For a long time he studies the wings on it. With a stick, hetries to draw a similar wing on the dusty floor of the cave.Dissatisfied, he wipes it away. He looks at the Angel Box.Casually he reaches over and cuts it open with a stone knife.Inside he finds two bottles of green salsa. And a letter.He reads over it. CHUCK You said our life was a prison. Dull. Boring. Empty. I can't begin to tell you how much that hurt. I don't want to lose you. I'm enclosing some salsa, the verde you like. Use it on your sticky rice and think of home. Then come home -- to me. We'll find the spice in our lives again. Together. I love you. Always. Bettina.Visibly moved, Chuck puts down the letter. CHUCK He never got it.EXT. ISLAND - DAYThe monsoon pours down. Wind whips the palm trees. Thewaves are gray and angry, tearing at the beach.INT. CAVE - DAYAs the rain pours down outside, Chuck studies the sodden,ruined photograph of Kelly, which is really only a gray mess. CHUCK She's probably found someone else. I would have.Chuck dips his finger into one of the bowls of colors andstreaks it slowly across his face. To exorcise hisloneliness, he will paint on the most expressive canvas thereis: his own body.CHUCK PAINTING HIMSELF - MONTAGEClose-up on scarred fingers, as they paint on Chuck's faceand body. Color on skin. Tight dramatic shots of Chuckbeing transformed.Chuck takes white paint and covers his hand. Then he pressesit into his chest and makes a handprint. He draws a yellowspiral on his leg, then takes red and makes jagged lightningbolts on his chest on either side of the hand.WATERShimmers in a gourd. Chuck's face swims into focus. It hasbeen painted white. Looking at himself in the reflection, hedots on blue stars with dark blue from squid ink.EXT. CAVE - LATERThe rains have stopped. The island is washed bright andgreen.ON CHUCKAs he stands up in the cove. His face is white with bluestars. Handprints circle his torso, flanked by red lightningbolts. Braided cords circle his biceps. Bone necklaces hangfrom his neck. Feathers jut out from his hair.EXT. JUNGLE - DAYChuck goes from tree to tree, making handprints along hispath. Chuck was here. This is his mark.EXT. PALM GROVE - DAYHe covers the calendar trees with handprints. Then stops.Sees something. Eyes fixed on the beach, he walks toward theshoreline.EXT. BEACH - DAYChuck emerges from the palm trees, and now we see what he hadseen.A FIFTY-FIVE GALLON OIL DRUM.And another one. TWO. Chuck stares at the barrels. CHUCK Hello.EXT. BEACH - LATERChuck sits staring at the oil drums. It's almost as if he ishesitating to take advantage of them. That he may not want,really, to leave now.Then his inner struggle ends. CHUCK What the hell are you waiting for?EXT. BEACH - LATERFilled with determination, Chuck rolls a barrel up the beach.EXT. BEACH - LATERUsing a palm tree as a fulcrum, Chuck hauls hard on a ropemade of vines, pulling the barrel up off the beach.EXT. JUNGLE - DAYChuck throws aside palm leaves, revealing...the remains ofhis raft.INT. CAVE - NIGHTChuck is drawing with a purpose now. And we see what he isworking on. The plans for a raft.INT. CAVE - NIGHTChuck is making a list of what he needs. He works intently. CHUCK Canteens. Sea anchor. Got to weave rope. Spears. A sail.EXT. JUNGLE - DAYChuck lashes the barrels onto the raft. Checks the knots.Lashes more rope.INT. CAVE - NIGHTHe sews dresses together with handmade fiber string.INT. CAVE - NIGHTHe weaves videotape together to form a sea anchor.EXT. BEACH - DAYChuck digs a channel toward the raft.INT. CAVE - DAYChuck constructs a water collection device with some FedExboxes, some plastic weighted with a stone. Explains it toWilson. CHUCK Now I'm hoping that if this is airtight I'll get condensation down here, a cup or so a day. If I'm careful it should be enough.INT. CAVE - NIGHTChuck writes on the wall. CHUCK If I never return, know that here lived Chuck Noland for four years. I drew these paintings. I made these marks. And then I took my fate in my own hands and set forth to save myself, God willing.EXT. BEACH - DAYChuck loads the raft, which rocks gently in the cove. He hasa sail made of designer dresses sewn together with fiberthread. A sea anchor secured by videotape woven togetherinto a rope. Plastic bottles filled with water. A signalkite made of FedEx paper.Then comes the FedEx box with the angel wings. Then Wilson. CHUCK Wilson, my main man. Time to go.And he gently leads the raft into the lagoon. CHUCK Wonder what odds Stan would give me on this. I'd say 90-10. Against.He jumps onto the raft, begins to paddle out toward where thesurf crashes onto the reef.EXT. LAGOON - DAYWaves break against the reef. With his paddles Chuckmaneuvers the raft toward the cut in the reef. Boom! Thewave crashes, the water surges through the cut, then recedeswith a whoosh.Chuck watches, times the waves, paddles like mad. He'scommitted. SCRAPE goes the first barrel, then the second,riding the receding wave. He's out!But the next wave is already surging forward. It smashes theraft against the reef! Coconuts and foodstuffs hurtle offthe raft!The barrels cushion the impact. The raft tilts, spins, butstays outside the reef! The ropes holding the jugs of waterbreak! The water sweeps overboard!The wave recedes again. Chuck recovers, paddles with all hisstrength, and then he's clear of the breakers!For a long moment he floats on the rollers, getting hisbreath.The water jugs float away, carried by the waves back into thelagoon. Chuck could go back and get them. If he were beingprudent, he definitely would.But he's out. He might never get back out again.He stares at the lagoon and the receding water jugs. Then hestares at the island. Goodbye to all that. CHUCK Wilson, we're out of here.He turns and begins raising the sail.EXT. OCEAN - WIDE - MINUTES LATERPowered by its multicolored makeshift sail, trailing itsgently flapping signal kite of FedEx paper, the raft slowlymoves away from the island, out toward the open ocean.And we pull back until the ocean swallows the tiny raft andthen we TILT DOWN AND... DISSOLVE TO:EXT. OCEAN - DAY - FOUR WEEKS LATERThe ocean again, low. The raft floats into frame. A traceof a breeze flaps the signal kite, which barely stays aloft,its rope frayed and tattered. The still is set up in themiddle, plastic with a rock weighting down the center.Chuck is gaunt, his clothes rotted.He lies looking over the side of the raft, spear in one hand,staring intently at the water.Dorados swim like specters, flashing and darting. Chuckstabs with his spear. Stabs again. CHUCK Slow down, damn you!Exhausted, he sinks back to the raft. Two Dorados leap intothe air ahead of him.Chuck tries to stare again into the water. He spots anotherfish, a flash of silver under the surface.Chuck struggles to his feet, raises his spear. SPLAT!Something strikes him in the chest, almost knocking him intothe water.On the raft we see flashes of silver and green and blue. AFLYING FISH. Chuck dives at it, catches it, loses it. CHUCK Catch it catch it catch it --He catches it again just as it almost flops over the side.EXT. RAFT - MOMENTS LATERChuck sucks the juice out of the head. He chews meat off thetiny rib bones.Chuck is in the stage of malnutrition, vitamin deprivation,salt insufficiency, and exposure where the personality splitsand becomes external. Like all castaways, he hasconversations with the two sides of himself. GOODCHUCK Save some for tomorrow. BADCHUCK Catch another fish tomorrow.BadChuck wins. Chuck keeps eating. He stares up at the sun,which beats down unmercifully.EXT. RAFT - DAY - LATERThe raft drifts. Chuck has taken down the sail and rigged itas a canopy. Drenched with sweat, Chuck lies on the raft,trying to sleep. He dabs at some sores that are ulceratinghis body and won't let him get comfortable. Plus, there's achaffing, squeaking sound. He looks around for the source.We see it with him. One of the ropes is frayed and about tobreak. If it does, the logs will come apart from the floats. BADCHUCK Shit! Shit! Shit! GOODCHUCK Stay calm, identify the problem. Problem, rope fraying. Solution, fix rope. BADCHUCK With what? There's nothing to fix it with. This rope comes undone, you're going to drown. GOOD CHUCK Just get up and fix it. BADCHUCK Too tired. GOODCHUCK Get up. BADCHUCK Feels so good to lie here. GOODCHUCK Get up, damn you.Chuck comes to his knees. Then sinks back down. BADCHUCK Can't. Need water. GOODCHUCK You've had today's water. BADCHUCK Thirsty. GOODCHUCK Come on, shape up, get going, you can do it. BADCHUCK No water, no work.Chuck tries another tack. Sweet reason. GOODCHUCK Okay look, I know you're tired, I know you're thirsty, but give it one more shot, you've just got to do a little more. BADCHUCK Do too much, I'll die. GOODCHUCK Do too little you'll die. BADCHUCK Going to die anyway.That stops GoodChuck for a moment. GOODCHUCK Okay, look have an extra swallow.He holds up the pathetic little jar with its few teaspoons ofmurky water. BADCHUCK No more water, you said. GOODCHUCK Take it. BADCHUCK No. GOODCHUCK Take it, damn it. BADCHUCK No. GOODCHUCK Wilson, do you believe this? Take the damn water.Slowly Chuck gets up, lifts up the water jar, and takes aswallow. Then another. GOODCHUCK Stop. Enough.Then another.EXT. RAFT - DAY - LATERChuck works to braid a new rope. He is focused,concentrating as hard as he can, but everything is slow andhard and he's weak and clumsy. He tests the rope, but itdoesn't hold. GOODCHUCK Think. Got to use something else.He gets an idea, starts to pull the signal kite in. BADCHUCK If they can't see you, what's the point? GOODCHUCK Survive today, that's the point.The kite rope is much thinner than the rope he had used totie the logs, but it's all he has. He ties the log with thekite rope. Exhausted, he lies back down.EXT. RAFT - NIGHTThe moon is full. The waves cast off shadows on the ocean.Chuck is staring into the sky, trying to find a star tonavigate by. GOODCHUCK Polaris, where are you? Maybe I'm too far south. BADCHUCK You don't know where you are. You missed the shipping lanes. GOODCHUCK Moon's too bright.We hear the fraying sound again.EXT. RAFT - DAYChuck saws at the outer log with his stone knife. Across thewater comes a storm. We can see it like a waterfall movingtoward us. BADCHUCK You're putting off the inevitable. GOODCHUCK I'm putting it off.He looks at the deteriorating rope, at the rotting sail. BADCHUCK That's what's happening to you.Chuck pushes the outer log away, then takes the loose ropeand begins to lash it around the center logs. BADCHUCK You're rotting away.The raft is rocking. The waves are stronger. It's hard totie the logs together.Rain falls like a sheet on Chuck. BADCHUCK Get water! GOODCHUCK Fix raft first. BADCHUCK Water water water --Chuck works frantically in the rain, trying to tie the rope.Finally he does.Then he scrambles for his water collecting funnel, strugglesto pull it up. One corner is stuck and collapses.Desperately he rights it, pulls the funnel up.Drops begin to run down the sides and collect in the jar.Soaked, Chuck stares at the water as it rises.Then the rain stops.We see the line of rain recede away from Chuck, spatteringthe ocean. But all around him the ocean is calm again.And out comes the sun.EXT. OCEAN - DAYThe raft floats on quiet seas. The sky is blue, with fewhigh cirrus clouds so motionless they seem pasted on.Chuck lies on the raft, sick and weak.Suddenly, from the depths beside him, silently rises a hugeshape.A SPERM WHALE, still mainly submerged. The blow hole is nearChuck, wet and pulsing like giant lips. The eye of the whaleis only a few feet away. It looks upon Chuck out of anintelligence deep and alien.He slowly comes to his knees and stares at it.The blow hole opens and WHOOSH, out shoots a geyser of finespray which settles on Chuck in a mist.The whale rises farther, dwarfing the raft. From the whalecomes a deep sound like a foghorn.Startled, Chuck jumps back, rocking the raft. He catcheshimself, slowly reaches out and touches the whale.The whale blows again, drenching Chuck in more spray.Chuck touches the whale again. GOODCHUCK You like that?Very slowly it drifts along with the raft. GOODCHUCK Lost your mate?We look right into the whale's eye. Beneath the surface wecan see the huge jaws open and close. GOODCHUCK You're beautiful. Marry me. BADCHUCK You idiot, if he dives, he'll capsize the raft.Very slowly the whale moves ahead of the raft, its vast bodypassing Chuck. GOODCHUCK No, don't go. Look, I've got fish.Chuck rips a fillet off the line and throws it in front ofthe whale, which ignores it. GOODCHUCK Please don't dive. Please.The whale slowly sinks, then suddenly arches its huge backand heads straight for the bottom.For a moment, all that remains are the flukes, black andvertical against the dark blue sky. With one swoop, thoseflukes could destroy Chuck and his raft. But they don't doanything except slowly sink.Then it is gone.We are on Chuck's face as he stares at where the whale hadbeen, the surface marked only by a ring of concentric ripplesthat reach out and gently rock the raft.EXT. OCEAN - DAYChuck checks the water. It is green and full of floaties.It looks awful. He takes the jug, puts it to his mouth, anddrinks. Instantly he throws up back into the jug, barelykeeps from dropping it. BADCHUCK Look what you've done.He dips his hand into the ocean, splashes some sea water onhis face, splutters it out, then licks his lips. He is sothirsty.He looks at the water jug, full now with his own vomit, turnsaway, begins to work on the sea anchor again.But the work makes him even thirstier. He looks at the jugagain.Picks it up. Takes a long drink.EXT. OCEAN - DAYThe fish return. Chuck gets up with his spear, then puts itdown. BADCHUCK What are you doing? GOODCHUCK Can't kill another one. Can't. Can't kill my friends anymore. BADCHUCK You fucking bleeding heart, you kill or you die. GOODCHUCK Why do they have to die for me? BADCHUCK They'd eat you if they could. They're laughing at you. Listen.Chuck listens. Doesn't hear anything. GOODCHUCK Got to eat.Chuck picks up the spear, stabs it, misses.Suddenly he has a fish on the end of the spear. Itstruggles, he scoops it onto the raft, brutally pounds on itshead, twists the stone knife into its spine. The strugglingstops.Chuck looks at the dead fish and begins to sob. GOODCHUCK I am so sorry.He cries uncontrollably. As he cries he cuts off the head,pulls out the eyeballs, and eats each one. Then he sucks themarrow out of the head.Then takes the heart and eats that. Then eats the liver.As he is chewing, he cuts the meat into strips.When he is done, he takes the backbone, breaks it, and suckson it.Fish scales shine in his hair, blood covers his chest.EXT. OCEAN - NIGHTThe raft rocks gently. Chuck looks up. The strips of fishare glowing. So is the deck where he killed the fish.He reaches out to touch the fish strips. His hand is glowingtoo. CHUCK I'm an angel.Suddenly he sees other lights. A ship. A ship is out there.And he hears it, a humming in deep register.He waves his hands. He yells. CHUCK Here! Here!His voice cracks, we can barely hear it over the ocean.The lights move on. CHUCK No...no...no...His raft is rocked by the wake, rocked hard. Chuck is throwninto the water!He comes to the surface, sputtering. Where is the raft?He looks one way, then another. Darkness.This is the worst.He turns again in the water. There, dimly, he can see theglow from the fish he killed. The glow saves his life.He swims toward it.He pulls himself back on the raft.He lies there exhausted, the glow from the phosphorescencecasting a greenish light on his face.EXT. OCEAN - DAYClouds are building up. In the distance lightning flashes.The clouds come closer.Little bits of electricity jump off the mast. Saint Elmosfire jumps around Chuck's hand.Fascinated, he holds out his hand. The fire jumps from hishand to the mast.Suddenly lightning shoots from the sky and strikes the ocean!A huge spout of water explodes like a depth charge. TheCRACK is intense, then rolls away.Chuck stares, then realizes the danger and throws himselfdown on the raft. Suddenly a wall of rain sweeps over himand the ocean begins to roll. The thunder is deafening.Lightning flashes bursts through the rain. CHUCK Sea anchor! Let out the sea anchor!Frantic, Chuck lets out the sea anchor as the raft scuds downa huge wave. The anchor catches, slowing the raft so that itrides the wave down.The waves come at him high as houses. The raft rides up oneside, then plunges down the next.All Chuck can do is hold on.EXT. OCEAN - DAYThe storm has passed. The raft floats on big dark rollers.We hear the chirping and squeaking of dolphins. They comeclose to the raft. Chuck watches them play. Then realizesthey are chasing his fish. They drive them along, into thepath of another dolphin, who darts in and rips into thedorado, turning the water around the raft into churning,bloody foam. CHUCK Stop!He takes his oar and begins beating the water. The killingcontinues. CHUCK You fucking murderers!Suddenly the water is still. One dolphin sticks its head outof the water and stares at Chuck, squeaking.Another dolphin lifts its head up, then another. They squeakto each other, clearly communicating and talking about Chuck. CHUCK I know you're talking about me!He splashes the water with his oar.They dive, then jump into the air, squeaking as they go. CHUCK (very softly) Take me with you.They're gone. CHUCK Why me? Why me, God?He begins to laugh. BADCHUCK Listen to this, Wilson. (deep voice: God) Because you piss me off.EXT. OCEAN - DAYChuck tries to stretch with some simple yoga. Each movementtakes forever.He rolls over onto his stomach and tries to do a pushup. Hecan't. Collapses onto the raft. BADCHUCK You're falling apart.Tries to do another pushup. Can't. BADCHUCK First you eat your fat, then you eat your muscle.He rolls over. BADCHUCK Then you eat your mind.He looks at the ocean. They're in a line of garbage, a thickslick of debris dumped off of ships. GOODCHUCK Roll on you deep and dark blue ocean roll.He closes his eyes. After a minute they come open. GOODCHUCK I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date.They slowly close again. BADCHUCK I'm lost. Goodbye. GOODCHUCK No!His eyes come open again. BADCHUCK Look, just slip off the raft. The ocean would feel so good, the water's so soft and warm. Take a little swim. Sleep. GOODCHUCK You quitter you quitter you quitter. BADCHUCK The sea is lovely, dark and deep. GOODCHUCK But I have promises to keep. (rolls over) And miles to go before I sleep. (props himself up) And miles to go before I sleep. (purpose now) Got to fix the sea anchor. Use the sail. BADCHUCK Use the sail for a sea anchor and you won't move. GOODCHUCK If I don't have a sea anchor I'll capsize. BADCHUCK Die tomorrow or die today.He hums Beethoven's fifth. BA BA BA BUM. BADCHUCK That's death knocking, knocking on your door. Crazy little woman come knocking, knocking at my front door... GOODCHUCK Grow up, stop being such a baby. Other people get through a lot worse. BADCHUCK Yeah, sure, what?He hums to himself, begins to sing, Beatles. BADCHUCK I'm so tired, my mind is on the blink...He pulls in the loose sea anchor rope, which is covered withbarnacles.He scrapes the barnacle off the rope into the water jug, thensips it.The sun is setting, huge rays shoot out across the sky.Out of the empty ocean the Dorados suddenly appear, leapingflashes of silver right by the raft.One Dorado swims right by the raft, broadside.Chuck looks at it, uncomprehending. Then slowly reaches forhis spear. GOODCHUCK What? Are you sacrificing yourself for me?Carefully he comes to his feet, then shoots the spear intothe fish.Flapping and struggling, it lands on the deck. Chuck pounceson it.EXT. RAFT - NIGHT - MOMENTS LATERHe cuts it open. The other Dorados ram the raft in fury,like a lynch mob. GOODCHUCK Damn it! I had to do it!The banging continues. GOODCHUCK I'm sorry!He concentrates on his work, then sits back on his heels inamazement. There's another fish inside. He holds that fishup, stares at it, then cuts it open.There's a smaller fish inside it. GOODCHUCK I know there's a moral here, God, but right now I'm just going to eat.He pops out an eyeball, then another, and crunches thembetween his teeth.He takes the heart and liver, starts to eat, then stops. GOODCHUCK Forgot to say grace. Sorry Mom.He struggles to remember. GOODCHUCK Bless us O Lord, and these thy gifts and Christ and the bounty about to receive, or something...amen.He eats them.EXT. RAFT - NEXT MORNINGChuck splashes sea water on his face. Adjusts the waterstill. GOODCHUCK Please don't leak. Please.Chuck picks up the smallest fish. It's half digested. Hewashes it in the ocean, trigger fish come up and nibble athis fingers. GOODCHUCK Don't look at me. It was that Dorado.He cuts the small fish and hangs it on the stays. GOODCHUCK You know, Wilson, every now and then we should say thank you. Thank you God. BADCHUCK Thank you for fucking up my life.Suddenly something bumps the raft. Hard. Then again. GOODCHUCK Not again.Fins cut the water. SHARKS. A big hammerhead bumps theraft. BadChuck hums the theme from "Jaws." Chuck takes hisspear stabs at the shark. BADCHUCK He's going to get you, going to get you...Another one circles in, bumps the raft. GOODCHUCK Get away from me!The shark circles again, that big hammerhead like anightmare. GOODCHUCK Get him get him get him.He stabs at it with his spear. He might as well have stabbedconcrete. The shark circle, Chuck stabs again.But the shark is gone. GOODCHUCK Where are you? Where are you?Stabs again and again at the empty ocean. GOODCHUCK Stop! You're using energy. Move slowly. Be patient.Chuck kneels, wavering, on the raft. The ocean is calm.Suddenly, BUMP. The raft tilts.Chuck hangs on.Then a shark appears, just out of spear range. Its lifelessblack eyes seem to stare right through Chuck.If the Dorado was a gift from God, this is a message fromHell.Then the shark is gone.EXT. RAFT - DAY - MOMENTS LATERChuck lies back on the raft. He is humming. BADCHUCK What are you smiling about? They'll be back. GOODCHUCK I'm dancing on the roof of the Peabody Hotel. With Kelly.He smiles at the thought. GOODCHUCK The music ends. We go back to the table. The waiters have brought dinner. New York Strip with Bordelaise Sauce. Mushrooms in brown gravy. Roasted potatoes with garlic and rosemary. Green Beans with almonds. Fresh biscuits and cornbread, dripping with butter. A nice salad with ranch dressing. A jumbo shrimp cocktail.Thinks about that, it spoils the picture. GOODCHUCK No shrimp. (then) We eat.He closes his eyes. This is the greatest fantasy. GOODCHUCK (as the waiter) For dessert, we have pecan pie a la mode, we have a double chocolate cake with creme anglaise, we have a nice pear torte, fresh key lime pie, or perhaps if you care to wait a few minutes, a grand marnier souffle?Chuck thinks over the options, thinking of each one. GOODCHUCK Why, bring them all, bring them all.He rolls over. There, square in his vision, is a ship, itsform coming in and out of a low haze.Chuck jumps to his feet. Waves. Screams. GOODCHUCK Here! Over here!The ship moves on. We can see the decks the rigging, thevastness of it.Chuck realizes he is naked. Struggles to pull on the remainsof his pants finally holds them like a diaper with one handas he continues to wave.On the ship no one is to be seen. It is a spooky sight.The big tanker moves on.We are on Chuck's face. Passed up again.Then he realizes what is about to happen. He throws out thesea anchor.He throws himself onto the raft and grips it as tight as hecan, wiggles his feet into the ropes. CHUCK Oh, shiiiittt!Then comes the wake of the ship. It rocks the raft like apiece of flotsam. The raft rides high up on the wave, thenshoots down it, but the sea anchor holds, and the raft slowsand rides along with the wave.And then the sea is calm again.Slowly Chuck sinks to his knees. His hand lets loose hispants.He lies down on the raft and imagines the conversation withthe ship's captain. CHUCK Permission to come aboard, sir. CHUCK/CAPTAIN Permission granted. CHUCK May I ask, where are you bound? CHUCK/CAPTAIN San Francisco. And you? CHUCK As it happens, I'm headed for Frisco myself. CHUCK/CAPTAIN Would you do us the honor of joining us? We're just sitting down at mess. Pork chops and gravy, cranberries, baked potatoes with all the trimmings, fresh- baked bread, apple pie... CHUCK No please, join me. Some sundried fish strips, a few eyeballs, some gills to munch on.The depression comes back again. BADCHUCK They're never going to see you. You're just another piece of trash in the ocean. GOODCHUCK They're on autopilot. BADCHUCK They're always on autopilot. Or else it's night, or you're in the sun, or you're in the trough of a wave. They'll never see you. GOODCHUCK Damn it! Don't be so negative!Chuck picks up Wilson. GOODCHUCK Wilson, what's your story?He holds Wilson close to his chest. BADCHUCK I float. You sink. End of story. GOODCHUCK I'm serious. I'm always going on about me, me, me. Enough about me. Your turn. BADCHUCK It's a fucking soccer ball, you idiot. GOODCHUCK Shut up.He lies on the raft and holds Wilson close.We move up until we see --EXT. OCEAN - AERIAL - EVENINGChuck lying curled up on the raft, Wilson cradled in hisarms, and all around the vast empty ocean.EXT. OCEAN - NEXT MORNINGChuck slowly wakes up. Sets Wilson aside. GOODCHUCK Don't shirk, don't procrastinate, don't be lazy. We're okay today. We're okay today.And the other Chuck begins to laugh. GOODCHUCK Shut up.The laughter goes on. GOODCHUCK Shut the fuck up! I mean it.He stands up and checks the horizon. GOODCHUCK What's so damn funny? BADCHUCK You are.Suddenly Chuck sees something on the horizon. A bank ofclouds. A cone of -- land.He squints, stares again. The clouds part. It looks like --his island.Chuck doesn't know whether to feel joy or despair. GOODCHUCK Jesus. BADCHUCK Look again, asshole. It's a mirage.Chuck squints. GOODCHUCK It's real. BADCHUCK Nothing out there but ocean. GOODCHUCK Let's get a second opinion. Wilson? What do you see?Chuck picks up the soccer ball, holds it up, and stares outat...ocean.EXT. RAFT - DAY - LATERChuck slowly writes on the sail. CHUCK Chuck Noland. Born October 8, 1958. Died -- pick a date -- July 11, 1998. And now the epitaph. Met deadlines. Kept appointments. Lost without a trace.He sits back, looks at the mock headstone. BADCHUCK What did it matter if FedEx was five minutes late one day? The next day we just start over again. GOODCHUCK It matters. We do the best we can, that's all we have. BADCHUCK Then we've just got shit.He goes on writing. CHUCK I am writing this to remind myself to live a better life. If I am lost, perhaps you who find this will be instructed to live a better live yourself. Live each day. Love your children. Don't take anyone for granted. BADCHUCK Is that it? Life is a fucking Disney movie?The waves begin to grow, the ocean turns a slate gray. Farabove him, great frigate birds circle. Suddenly one dives ona booby which has caught a fish. The great frigate birdswoops all around the booby until, panicked, it drops thefish, which plummets toward the sea.With a graceful dive, the huge bird grabs the fish and thensoars up on a thermal, high into the sky.Lightning flashes back and forth across the horizon, which isturning black and dark. Thunder rolls.EXT. RAFT - NIGHTThe raft goes up and down huge waves. Every few secondslightning flashes, illuminating the raft and Chuck holdingdesperately to it, his eyes wild with fear.EXT. RAFT - MORNINGThe waves continue. Chuck holds on, his face pale. BADCHUCK You can't make it. GOODCHUCK Shut up. I don't feel like dying today.EXT. OCEAN - DAY - LATERThe sky clears. The waves are still big. The fish are back.And then come the sharks, cutting through the water. Chuckcan't get up to get his spear, he just has to watch as blooddarkens the water.And then the sharks are gone.Chuck comes to his knees slowly, then a big wave hits.Wilson is swept into the ocean!For a moment Chuck is uncomprehending. He watches as Wilsonslowly floats away. CHUCK Please, no sharks.Then he dives in to the water! Swims frantically afterWilson.Wilson floats away from him. He swims, but he's so weak.Finally he gets to Wilson. He reaches out, but only pushesthe ball farther away.It bobs on the waves. Chuck treads water, exhausted.Where is the raft? CHUCK Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.Then he turns back the other way. The raft has drifted byhim. He can go after Wilson, or he can go after the raft. CHUCK Shit! Wilson!He swims toward the raft, barely moving. No matter how hardhe swims, the raft seems to recede from him.Finally he reaches it, hangs on the side, breathing hard,choking, crying.He struggles to pull himself on board.But he is weak, so weak. He can't do it.Summoning some primitive reserve of strength, he tries again.This time he slides on.He lies on the raft, panting.Then with all his strength he pulls himself to his feet,holds on to the mast, scans the ocean for Wilson. CHUCK Wilson!Nothing but waves.This is too much. Chuck starts to cry.EXT. RAFT - DAY - LATERChuck takes a swallow of water, washes it around in hismouth, then swallows. With his wet tongue he licks hiscracked lips.The sun breaks through the clouds.With what strength he has left, Chuck raises the canopy,fastens it.He sits in the meager shade, his head between his knees.Closes his eyes. Just for a minute.EXT. OCEAN - DAY - LATERA different sort of shadow crosses Chuck's face. He openshis eyes.There, riding right beside his raft, is a ship, a huge rustytanker. Someone shouts down in a language we don'tunderstand.Chuck sits up, can't believe it. Struggles to cover himself.EXT. OCEAN - DAY - LATERChuck is lifted up the rusted steel side of the boat in aJacob's ladder.EXT. SHIP - DAY - LATERChuck steps on board, can't support himself.The crew gathers around. None of them speak English, butthere is a spontaneous outburst of human connection.One man brings some water. Another a blanket. Another somewarm tea.Chuck sits there, shivering now. CHUCK Thank you. Oh thank you.Deliriously happy. Delirious.INT. U.S. NAVAL HOSPITAL - HAWAIIA cavernous hanger-sized ward brightly lit and filled withrow upon row of hospital beds, each with its table, sidechair, and lamp, each with a stainless steel bedpan andneatly folded sheets and blankets stacked ready to use, andeach completely empty.Except for one.And on that bed we see Chuck, in a blue hospital gown. An IVdrips into his arm. He plays idly with the remote control ofthe bed. He raises the head, then the foot. He pushesanother button and the knee rest bends the bed again.A DOCTOR enters, carrying a thick chart. Chuck gives him abig manic grin. Malcolm MacDowell in "A Clockwork Orange." CHUCK My favorite doctor. What's the verdict? DOCTOR Under the circumstances your overall health is good. Those salt water boils you picked up on the raft are ulcerated, but they're healing nicely.He checks his blood work records. DOCTOR Hemoglobin's 10.8 -- you're anemic, that's why we're giving you iron. Potassium's low -- we're giving you an electrolyte solution with your IV. Sodium's over 150, way too high. You may experience swelling in your extremities as you rehydrate and discharge the salt. In spite of your dietary deficiencies there's no sign of mental deterioration.Chuck has been trying not to laugh. Now he can't stophimself. DOCTOR What's so funny.Chuck can't seem to help laughing at everything. CHUCK Sorry...sorry... Why do my joints still ache? DOCTOR Dehydration. Vitamin deficiency. Protein deficiency. Any or all of the above. CHUCK All I ate was fish. That's solid protein. DOCTOR Protein digestion is very costly in water usage. CHUCK Which I didn't have. DOCTOR And fish are very low in fat, which is energy inefficient. So you're going to burn up your own cells no matter how much you eat. Luckily you ate the eyes and pancreas, which contain some Vitamin C, so you didn't get scurvy.Chuck laughs again. CHUCK I am one lucky guy. DOCTOR Your body chemistry and your exposure to the elements would normally lead to irritability, depression, anxiety, periods of self-reproach. It's almost like schizophrenia. Different sides of your personality might come to life, speak out, act out. CHUCK But all that's behind me. I'm fine now.He starts to laugh again. DOCTOR If you say you are. CHUCK I most definitely say I am. DOCTOR Doctor Hegel tells me he discussed the Vietnam POW syndrome with you.Chuck stifles his laughter. CHUCK Yes, yes he did. DOCTOR You are aware of the potential disruptiveness on your loved ones when you return to your old life? CHUCK Not to mention on me.The laughter again. Unsettling. DOCTOR You sure you don't want some counseling?Chuck gives his biggest smile. CHUCK Doc, I'm not on the island. I'm not on the raft. I'm alive. I'm so glad to be back, I can't tell you. I just want out of here. DOCTOR Well, when that IV runs out, you're through with us. Just the dentist tomorrow.INT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT - LATERRolling his IV, Chuck walks very slowly out of the ward.Every step is an effort.INT. PHONE CUBICLE - NIGHT - MINUTES LATERA small windowless room with only a desk and a phone, lit bya fluorescent lamp. Chuck is listening to the phone ring.Kelly answers. KELLY (V.O.) Hello.Chuck is overcome for a moment, can't say a word. KELLY (V.O.) Hello? Hello?For some reason he can't keep himself from laughing. Hecovers the mouthpiece and laughs.And then we hear a dial tone, harsh, mechanical, final.EXT. PHONE CUBICLE - MINUTES LATERWe can see Chuck inside, staring at the phone.INT. PHONE CUBICLE - MINUTES LATERWe hear a faint persistent hum. Chuck looks around, tryingto locate the sound. He looks up, focuses on the fluorescentlight, that background sound he can no longer tune out, thenpicks up the phone again.EXT. PHONE CUBICLEStan answers the phone. STAN (V.O.) Hello? CHUCK Stan, it's Chuck...Chuck Noland...The laughter again. STAN (V.O.) Whoever you are, you are one sick fucker.And again we hear the dial tone.INT. PHONE CUBICLE - MOMENTS LATERChuck's on the phone again. CHUCK Two Valium and the Rolling Stones. That ring a bell?There's a long silence. Then we hear Stan's voice. STAN (V.O.) God damn! God damn! Chuck, it's you! CHUCK It's me. STAN (V.O.) You're fucking dead! CHUCK I'm most definitely not dead. And as I recall, you're the sick fucker.Chuck begins to laugh, a little too loud, a little tooshrill. He's on a high.EXT. HAWAII - BEACH RESTAURANTA terrace by the ocean. Tables filled with diners. Foodbeing delivered by waiters. So simple, eating. So taken forgranted.At one table sits Chuck, dressed in a Hawaiian shirt andshorts, with a half-dozen plates in front of him. Hegestures to the waiter. Bring me more. It all tastes sodamned good.Behind him is the ocean. Chuck doesn't glance at it.INT. DENTIST - NEXT DAYAn attractive DENTAL TECHNICIAN with an Australian accentcleans Chuck's teeth with an ultrasound device. She's close,very close. Chuck looks up at her. She looks really good.She smiles at him, then touches the gap where he knocked outhis tooth. TECHNICIAN You sure you don't want to have the implant done here? We do quite good work.Chuck shakes his head: no. She scrapes behind his frontteeth. TECHNICIAN Hmmm, you do have such a lot of tarter behind these front incisors. A little wider, please.Chuck opens his mouth even further. The technician talks onin the self-absorbed way dental technicians sometimes do,that constant babble of human contact which Chuck has notheard for four years. TECHNICIAN Anyway, so the second prosthetic foot worked better, but he still couldn't drive his new Cortina, it being a standard shift, if you follow me.Chuck nods. I follow you. TECHNICIAN But would he hear of me driving him around? Not on your bloody life. Rinse please.Chuck does. Stan bursts into the room. STAN Chuck! God damn!Chuck struggles out of the chair. STAN God damn. God damn. God damn.They are both almost overcome. Stan holds Chuck by theshoulders and looks at him. STAN You're alive, you're fucking alive!Chuck laughs, thrilled to see Stan. CHUCK I beat the odds! STAN You beat 'em to shit, pal! Jesus! TECHNICIAN I still need to floss you.Stan notices the technician. STAN Hello. CHUCK This is Amber. Her boyfriend lost his foot in a shark attack.He says this with an absolute straight face, holding back thelaughter with great effort. Instantly there's thisconnection again between him and Stan. TECHNICIAN Ex-boyfriend. STAN Really.And he and Chuck make eye contact and we see a glimpse oftheir shared unspoken irony. STAN Uh, there's somebody out here who wants to see you.Chuck stares sharply at him. Kelly? Stan nods, but there'ssomething he wants to say. STAN She thought you were dead. We all did.That's not all Stan wants to say. But Chuck is limping outthe door.INT. DENTIST - WAITING ROOMTypical dentist waiting room. Chairs, tropical fish tanks,magazines, a few waiting patients...and Kelly, lookingnervous.Slowly and painfully Chuck enters. He's quite a sight. Shestands up. There's a long moment where they look at eachother.Then she comes into his arms. Holds him tight. She's partlaughing, part crying. KELLY I'm sorry... I'm sorry... CHUCK Hey...hey...it's okay!Chuck is happy, he's still riding the high. KELLY You're so thin. Am I hurting you?Well, maybe a little, but who cares? He hasn't been huggedor barely touched in so long. CHUCK No...no...feels good...She disengages, looks at him with that old smile. KELLY Right back, you said you'd be right back. CHUCK A few things came up. Or went down.He meets her gaze, looks her over with a smile. CHUCK You look...wonderful. I like your hair.He notices the ring on her hand. KELLY I got married. CHUCK I thought you might have. KELLY I would never -- CHUCK I know. KELLY If I'd known you were alive -- CHUCK I would have done the same thing.His responses come so quick. Chuck seems blissfully sure ofhimself. KELLY I didn't want to. It just happened. One day Gary was there. He took care of everything. He took care of me. I was a mess. CHUCK You have any children?Kelly nods. CHUCK Got a picture?Kelly fishes for a photo, shows it to Chuck. It's a littlegirl with a dog. KELLY Her name's Hannah. CHUCK Is that Jango? KELLY No, this is Jack. Jango was hit by a UPS truck. Can you believe it?Chuck laughs. It is funny, sort of. CHUCK Life's just one big joke after another.Stan appears, takes in the scene. The few patients waitingare edged into the corners, trying to look occupied withsomething else. STAN How about we go somewhere else? CHUCK Want to see my raft?EXT. HAWAII - DAYChuck's raft sits up on a dock. Kelly stands staring at it.How small and fragile it looks. STAN This stinks really bad. CHUCK You should have smelled me.Stan examines the ropes around the logs. STAN Cool ropes. CHUCK I braided them. STAN Must have taken a hell of a long time. CHUCK Time I had lots of.Kelly points at something on the raft. KELLY What's that? CHUCK That's my sea anchor. My second one. Made it out of part of the sail. It keeps you from capsizing in a storm. In theory. (picks up his still) And this, this I used to collect water. About half a cup a day.He's not feeling sorry for himself. It's just a fact. STAN You were how long on this? CHUCK Forty-three days.They look at the tiny raft. It speaks for itself. KELLY All that time I waited to go on a cruise, and you went without me. CHUCK Yeah, well...couldn't be helped.Kelly notices the sail, sees the writing on it. KELLY What's that, written on the sail? CHUCK My epitaph.Kelly reads it to herself. Her eyes are moist. CHUCK Bad body chemistry. Made me a little morbid. But I'm all over that now.And he seems really to believe it. STAN I'll be at the car. (to Kelly) Take you to the airport.And he leaves. KELLY I buried you, Chuck. They had to pry my fingers off your coffin.This interests Chuck to no end. CHUCK There was a coffin? KELLY Yeah, coffin, headstone, the whole thing. CHUCK What was inside? KELLY Your calendar, your cell phone, your whoo pig sooey hat, some pictures of that ketch you wanted. CHUCK That about sums it up. KELLY Maybe now's when you tell me about it. CHUCK The plane went down. My friends died. I washed up on an island. Then I found these barrels, built the raft, and here I am. KELLY Yeah? CHUCK The tide came in, the tide went out. I survived. That's the headline. I survived. KELLY Don't overwhelm me with the details. (she smiles remembering) You know how I hate that.He tries to put it into words, isn't quite sure how. KELLY (gently) Come on. Try. CHUCK Cliches, mainly. Don't take anyone for granted. Don't sweat the small stuff. Live each day like it's your last. KELLY So simple to say, so hard to do. CHUCK Not when you have no choice.Kelly looks down at the raft. It's so small. KELLY You hated being alone. Couldn't stand it. Busy every minute. Always plugged into something. CHUCK I didn't know what really being alone was. No one back here does.He has something more to say. She waits. CHUCK We're not meant to be alone. Not like that. Share life, that's what came to me out there. Be with someone.And that's the point, isn't it? We are social animals. Noman is an island. KELLY This is so unfair. CHUCK That's what I told the fish I caught. But I ate them anyway.And the laughter comes again. Kelly grins, embarrassed, alittle worried. KELLY You okay? CHUCK Great. Really.She stares at his face, reaches out, touches it again, thistime with great tenderness.He nods, her touch feels so good.A wave of emotion comes over her: pity? love? KELLY What will you do? CHUCK I don't know. I really don't know.We hear a distant beep-beep, discrete as a car horn can be. KELLY I've got to get back to Memphis. Hannah's babysitter has finals. CHUCK It means a lot...that you came. KELLY I had to come. To be sure you were okay.They hold each other. For a long time. KELLY I love you, Chuck. CHUCK You too. KELLY I'm so glad you're alive.Chuck grins. CHUCK You too.Then she heads for the waiting car. Chuck stands by hisraft, watching her go.INT. FEDEX PLANE - NIGHTChuck and Stan ride on the plane. Chuck is coming down offhis survival high. He has the Angel Wing FedEx package withhim. STAN When I first showed up, I thought you'd lost your fucking marbles. CHUCK I never thought it would end. Then it did. It was so great to be saved, I couldn't stop laughing.Stan pulls a flask out of his bag. STAN You need a drink.Stan takes two glasses from his bag, rests them on a FedExcontainer, and pours the whiskey. CHUCK For years my only drinking buddy was a soccer ball. Wilson.Stan hoists his glass. STAN To Wilson. CHUCK To Wilson.Now's when Stan gets to the question he's been wanting toask, that Kelly wanted to know, that we all want to know. STAN So, what's it all about?Chuck stares at him. STAN You've been over the line and you came back. You've been saved, hallelujah! CHUCK Hallelujah.Stan looks over at him. STAN I'm serious. The burning bush, the big picture, the words in neon... CHUCK What's it all about? It's about being so thirsty you'd crush a fish's backbone to suck out the spinal fluid -- that's what it's about.Stan sits back, repulsed but relieved. STAN Do what it takes. That's what I always told you.He pours another drink. STAN To life. Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke. CHUCK To life. STAN That's all there is. CHUCK Believe me I know.He takes a sip of his drink, just savoring it, thinking. CHUCK But it's not being bold or being in the game or rolling the dice.All those things Stan used to tell him. CHUCK When I was going crazy, on the raft, I'd argue with myself about everything. Because everything had a price. To get anything -- a sip of water, a little corner of shade, an hour's sleep -- I had to let go of something else. And then I could never get it back.He thinks some more. CHUCK You don't win or lose. You win and lose.He looks out the window. CHUCK You win and lose.And Chuck has. Big time.EXT. MEMPHIS AIRPORT - NIGHTA FedEx MD-11 lands.EXT. MEMPHIS SUPERHUB - MOMENTS LATERThe MD-11 taxis up. As usual, the SuperHub is a frenzy ofactivity. A loading crew stands ready, forklifts poised.Even this plane carries packages.PHIL STEELE, the chairman of FedEx, Leslie, Becca, Dick, andother executives wait on a special podium near the gangway.Everyone looks different -- older, a mustache here, athickening around the belly there.Behind a barrier a cluster of cameras film the scene.The plane cuts its engine. The stairs are rolled out.Forklifts and gangways move forward. Cargo doors open.Chuck appears in the door. He holds the FedEx Package and asmall travel bag.Chuck blinks against the lights and the glare. Stan is rightby him. Everyone bursts into APPLAUSE AND CHEERING.After four years of total solitude this is completelyoverwhelming. STAN Smile.Chuck smiles. STAN Wave.And Chuck waves. He's overwhelmed by all the input. Stansteers Chuck down the steps as the cheers continue.At the bottom of the steps Roger steps forward. The twobrothers embrace each other. After a moment Rogerdisengages. Mary gives Chuck a hug. MARY Oh Chuck -- CHUCK Where's Mom? ROGER Waiting for you. At the farm. This was too much --He looks around at the crowds. CHUCK Tell me about it.Stan nudges Chuck. Time to go to the podium. ROGER Glad you made it, big brother.Stan and Chuck head for the podium. All the loaders andoperators and package scanners begin to applaud. Chucksmiles, then laughs, getting into the emotion. He keeps upan almost indecipherable babble underneath the cheering.Occasionally he sees someone he knows. CHUCK Wow. Thank you. Great. Thank you. Hey, Rasheed, how you doing? Thank you all.EXT. SUPERHUB - WIDEChuck makes his triumphant way through this amazingcollection of cheering people like Moses parting the Red Sea.EXT. SUPERHUB - PLATFORMWith a big smile Phil Steele holds out his hand to Chuck. STEELE Welcome home.He steps to the microphone and addresses the SuperHub. STEELE This is an extraordinary moment. And it should be marked in an extraordinary way. With something we have never done since this company was founded. (pause) Stop the line!EXT. SUPERHUB - SERIES OF SHOTSAll over the SuperHub, belts come to a halt. Forklifts stop.Tracking stations shut down. The vast flow of packages issuddenly still. The incredible din of activity is suddenlyquiet. The stillness and the silence are unexpected andpalpable. Thousands of workers stop as well, staring eitherup at Chuck directly or at his image on video screens. Wehear Phil's voice piped in.EXT. SUPERHUB - PLATFORMPhil holds a plaque. STEELE Four years ago we placed this plaque in honor of Charles Noland, and two just like it in honor of Al Morris and John Durham, the two brave pilots who went down with him.As he talks, we stay on Chuck, who is taking in this amazingscene, not really listening. STEELE Chuck endured years of hardship and loneliness. Like Lazarus, Chuck has come back from the dead. Chuck, this is your family, all of us. So it gives me great pleasure...to take this plaque...and to present it to our long lost son. Welcome home.He hands the plaque to Chuck. Chuck acknowledges the cheersof the crowd. CHUCK Thank you. Thank you very much...Everyone applauds. CHUCK Give me a minute. I've spent four years looking out at an empty ocean.He laughs, a short brittle laugh, composes himself. CHUCK It's all so -- big. You never think you'll miss -- all this. But I did. I really, really did. And I missed all of you.He looks over at the hub. CHUCK You've added some new belts, and what's that?He points at some high tech equipment on the edge of theshed. STAN Digital laser readers. CHUCK Digital laser readers. Wow. Terrific.He looks around at everyone, doesn't know what else to say. CHUCK I've never heard it this quiet. Shouldn't you all be getting back to work?The tension is broken. Everyone laughs. Phil Steele motionswith his hand. Let it be done.ANOTHER ANGLE - WIDEThe vast, incredible machinery creaks to a start. Everyoneshakes Chuck's hand as he leaves the podium.As he heads for the car, REPORTERS shout questions.INT. CAR - MEMPHIS FREEWAYWe are assaulted by a surge of light, motion, activity.Snaking lines of traffic in both directions, big overpasses,the city rising beyond.Stan drives with a certain aggressiveness. Chuck looks outat the traffic, at all the activity, at the vast intricateanthill of humanity going everywhere and nowhere. CHUCK Take your time. STAN What? CHUCK That's what it's about. STAN Being patient. Don't rush things. I get it.He swerves into another lane. CHUCK Not just that. Take your time. Use it. Live it. STAN Deep, real deep.He grins, cuts across to the exit. STAN So where to? The office? The hotel? The beach?Chuck stares at him. Are you kidding? STAN What, then? CHUCK Deliver this package. Then, I dunno. STAN (re: the package) You want that delivered, we'll deliver it. That's what we do. CHUCK I need to do it. STAN Finish what you started. You haven't changed, Chuck. It's still you.Right. CHUCK You want to help, help me find the woman who sent this.INT. OPERATIONS CENTER - DAYStan and Chuck are in the office of a TECHNICIAN who isworking away at his computer. The Technician pulls the barcode from the Angel Wing FedEx box up on his computer screen. TECHNICIAN Okay. After three years the PTR reverts to tape storage, which is okay because we access it through the CPC. Here it is. (gestures at computer map) Ten packages from the same sender. Baku. Delhi. St. Petersburg. The guy was a real road warrior. This package was Kuala Lampur. No activity in his account after this package. No forwarding addresses after K.L. CHUCK What about the sender? TECHNICIAN Sure. Bettina Peterson. Marfa, Texas. Let's run a current check.He works some keys, waits. TECHNICIAN Hmmm. Durango, Colorado; Asheville, North Carolina, then...canceled her account. CHUCK Can you find her? TECHNICIAN You're looking at a Level III search. For your Level III, you gotta have E-4 authorization. I don't have it. STAN I do.He holds out a badge. TECHNICIAN Okay, let's let it rip.He starts to pull up the data. CHUCK Thanks. For everything. STAN No sweat.EXT. CHUCK'S MOTEL - THAT NIGHTChuck leaves the motel, the Angel Box under his arm. He tiesit into a pannier on the side of a bicycle.EXT. MEMPHIS - CHICKASAW GARDENS - NIGHTChuck sneaks up to a craftsman cottage and stands by a treewith a swing on it. Inside we see Kelly making dinner forher husband, who plays with their daughter. For a momentChuck watches through the window, and we watch with him.Then the dog begins to bark.EXT. CEMETERY - NIGHTChuck walks through the cemetery late at night. He comes tohis gravestone, stares for a long moment at the inscription,then takes out a spray can of paint and puts a HANDPRINT onit.He gets back on his bicycle and rides away.EXT. HIGHWAY - DAYChuck rides his bicycle down a road leading into the South.EXT. FREEWAY - DAYChuck negotiates an overpass crossing an Interstate Highway.Headed in both directions, cars whoosh by beneath him.EXT. HIGHWAY - DUSK - LATERChuck rides down a narrow road, shrouded in mist. Moss dripsfrom the trees reaching over the road. A car goes by. Thenanother, their lights like halos in the fog. It's a mysticalscene, a passage.EXT. ARKANSAS - NIGHTChuck gets off his bicycle in the rain and walks toward aroadside cafe.INT. CAFE - NIGHTChuck draws on a paper place mat as he waits for his meal ata counter. Above the counter the television plays. ANNOUNCER And here's more from Dingo Dodd, our Australian correspondent, on the extraordinary story of Chuck Noland, the modern Robinson Crusoe.The waitress sets a plate down in front of Chuck, turns towatch.On the TV we see an Australian correspondent standing onChuck's beach. DINGO DODD Shark infested waters! A deserted island! Surrounded by reefs! Accessible only by helicopter! For four years Chuck Noland survived here alone, eating fish, coconuts and clams, his only companion a soccer ball.Chuck is staring at the screen, seeing his cave, seeing allthose years. DINGO DODD I'm now in Chuck's cave where he passed the lonely nights, painting on the walls like some prehistoric caveman. What did Chuck feel? These paintings tell the story, but only Chuck knows what they mean. And he's not talking.On the screen we see a photograph of Chuck.The waitress looks over at Chuck. The other clients look athim too. CHUCK Check, please.The waitress comes over. WAITRESS No charge, honey. But could you just sign that place mat for me?Chuck looks down at his doodling. Hesitates. Then signs hisname.INT. TYSON'S CHICKEN - ARKANSAS - DAYThousands of chicken carcasses hanging on hooks circlethrough the huge processing plant, a vast structure on thescale of the SuperHub or the Hospital.Chuck's Mom, dressed in white with a hairnet, enters awindowed office in the b.g. Through the window we see herhug Chuck.INT. TYSON'S CHICKEN - OFFICE - ARKANSAS - DAYWe are in the office now. Chuck's Mom's eyes are moist. CHUCK When'd you start working here? MOM Roger got me on. I wasn't doing anything, and -- but you're back, you're really back. I would have come to Memphis, but -- CHUCK I wanted to come here.INT. FRAME HOUSE - ARKANSAS - DAYChuck eats a Southern fried drumstick. The table is full ofhome-cooked food. MOM Have some more potato salad.Chuck gestures, no, I'm full. She puts down the spoon. CHUCK That was great, Mom, just great.He looks around the house, everything in its place. Hismother has been here for forty years. There's a big crackrunning down from the ceiling. CHUCK I've got all this back pay coming. Why don't you let me get you a place in town? MOM This is my home. I'm part of the wallpaper.She studies him for a moment. MOM You miss it, don't you? You miss that island.He does, but that's not it entirely. CHUCK Miss that island? Mom, come on.She looks at him. She knows her boy. MOM What a journey you've had. It seems more than a person should have to bear. CHUCK The tide saved me, Mom. I lived by it. I'm just wondering where it will take me next.She looks at him, thinks about this. MOM Remember the family motto. In time. It will come to you, in time.EXT. ARKANSAS - DAYChuck rides away from the small neat frame house, down acountry lane with trailers up on blocks.EXT. GULF COAST - DAYChuck leaves a cheap motel as the sun comes up.EXT. MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST - DAY - LATERChuck rides on a ferry, the wind blowing his face. The skyis gray and drizzly. He smells the salt water. Watches thewaves.EXT. GAS STATION - DAYChuck asks for directions. A kid in baggy pants and no shirtpoints him down the road.EXT. GAS STATION - MOMENTS LATERChuck pulls some clothes out of his saddle bags.EXT. GAS STATION - MOMENTS LATERChuck emerges from the restroom wearing a FedEx shirt andshorts.EXT. BEACH HOUSE - HOUR LATERA classic beach house. Sand dunes, stilts. Carrying theAngel Wing Box under his arm, Chuck checks the address in hishand. Mounts the steps. A light mist falls. You can seethe Gulf behind the house, gray and moody.A WOMAN, BETTINA, answers the door -- THE woman from thebeginning. She wears cut-off jeans and a blue work shirtcovered with paint. There's a tattoo on her ankle. CHUCK FedEx for Bettina Peterson.The woman stares in disbelief at the package she hasn't seenin years and never expected to see again. BETTINA Where did you get that?Chuck displays a FedEx badge. CHUCK Charles Noland. FedEx Special Projects.Bettina notices Chuck's bicycle. BETTINA You came on a bicycle? No wonder it's so late. CHUCK There was an unavoidable delay.Bettina stares at the package, her own memories coming back. BETTINA Well, I have to say, I'm impressed. You never gave up. CHUCK No.She holds the box and studies him for a long moment.Something -- the look on his face, the extraordinaryreappearance of this long-lost package -- makes her curious. BETTINA You know what happened to this? CHUCK As much as anybody. BETTINA Want to come in? Get dry for a minute. CHUCK Okay. Sure.She lets Chuck in the door.INT. HOUSE - DAYLadders. Scaffolds. Huge paintings are everywhere.Paintings of wings and angels -- like the package. Chuckstares at them. Bettina watches Chuck stare. BETTINA I've got some coffee on. Would you like some?INT. KITCHEN - LATERBettina pours some coffee. The package sits in the counter.Some magazines are spread around, including a People Magazinewith Chuck's photograph on the cover. CHUCK (takes a sip) It's good.They smile awkwardly at each other. She starts to open it. BETTINA Hmmm. Feels like it might have gotten wet. CHUCK Possible. So you did those wings? BETTINA Yeah. A long time ago. CHUCK They're harder to do than they look. BETTINA Oh? You've tried? CHUCK Well, I do a little drawing --She's opened the package. She pulls out the bottles of salsaand the letter. CHUCK Our apologies that it never made it to the recipient. BETTINA He was a sorry sonofabitch, and I'm sorry I ever married him.There is a moment where neither knows what to say. BETTINA You look familiar.Her eyes start to register recognition. She glances at themagazine with Chuck's picture on it. She picks it up. BETTINA I can't believe this. I -- I -- They are... You're a gifted artist. You're into something very powerful. Primal. Truly. CHUCK Well, not really, I -- BETTINA You are. Yes you are. (so many things she wants to say) What gave you the idea to paint on that cave?Chuck thinks about that. After a moment, he grins. CHUCK To tell you the truth -- you did. BETTINA Do you...have any more packages to deliver? CHUCK No. that was the last one. BETTINA Just sit here, I'll get us some lunch.Chuck sits back on the couch, taking in the sight of theocean in the light rain. He looks over at all the canvases,the easel, the palettes. The wind rustles the palm treesaround the house. The surf crashes and rustles. Familiarsounds. Island sounds.He relaxes a little. Maybe the package with the wings was asign, he kept it all these years precisely for this. Thenthere's a sound of a truck in the driveway.The engine cuts off. There are steps on the porch. The dooropens. A tanned muscular MAN in neatly kept work clothescomes in, hangs a tool belt on a hook by the door.He looks at Chuck with a relaxed, even stare, as if seeing aman in a FedEx uniform sitting on his couch is not an unusualoccurrence. MAN Hey. CHUCK Hey. BETTINA (O.S.) In here!The Man nods at Chuck, goes into the kitchen. We are onChuck's face. Who's this? We hear muffled laughter frominside.EXT. BEACH HOUSE - HOUR LATERArms around each other, the Man and the Woman say goodbye toChuck. In the front yard is a panel truck painted with twoangel wings. The Man grins at Chuck, an easy, friendly grin. MAN Come back anytime. Coffee's always on. Don't even have to bring us a package. CHUCK That was my last one.Bettina hands Chuck a sheet of paper. BETTINA The list of paints and brushes I did for you.He takes it, not exactly sure he wants it. BETTINA Keep painting. Promise me. CHUCK Sure.EXT. BEACH HOUSE - MOMENTS LATERChuck rides his bicycle away, along the shore.EXT. BEACH - MINUTES LATERChuck rides along the beach. Up ahead we see a FedEx truck.EXT. BEACH - MOMENTS LATERChuck gets off his bike as a female FEDEX DRIVER puts chocksunder the wheels, which have stuck in the sand. CHUCK Need some help? DRIVER You bet I do. High tide comes right up to this road.EXT. BEACH - MOMENTS LATERChuck pushes on the truck as the driver gives it gas. Thetruck slowly pulls back onto the pavement.EXT. BEACH - MOMENTS LATERThe Driver gets out of the truck with a grin. She has anopen, friendly face. There's an instant connection betweenthem. DRIVER Hey, thanks. I'd never have got that out by myself.Looks at his uniform. At the bike. DRIVER You're not out of Pascagoula, are you? CHUCK No.Where is he from, anyway? CHUCK I used to drive one of those. A long time ago. DRIVER Hey, once a driver, always a driver. You want a lift? I've just got one more pickup. CHUCK Sure.He picks up his bike.INT. FEDEX TRUCK - MOMENTS LATERThe FedEx truck makes its way down the beach, Chuck in hisuniform, the Driver in hers. Two FedEx people in a truck.The Driver looks over at Chuck. DRIVER You're Chuck Noland. CHUCK Yeah. DRIVER/ERICA I knew it! You're a legend! Mr. Robinson Crusoe. CHUCK Well -- ERICA I knew I recognized you. My name's Erica.They smile at each other. Then she smiles a little more. ERICA Did you really steal a crippled kid's bicycle to make your deliveries, or is that just some bullshit story? CHUCK I didn't steal it, and he wasn't crippled.Erica laughs. ERICA Otherwise it's completely true.And that makes Chuck laugh, really laugh, for the first time. CHUCK Yeah, completely.She looks over at him with a grin. ERICA What brings you out to the sticks? CHUCK Had a package to deliver. ERICA You? Personally? CHUCK I had it on the island with me. ERICA Must be a story there.There's a connection building here, effortlessly.EXT. BEACH - MOMENTS LATERWe are wide on the beach, watching the truck move along thewater, kicking up wisps of sand. CHUCK (V.O.) Yeah, a long one. ERICA (V.O.) I've got lots of time. CHUCK (V.O.) So do I.The truck goes down the beach and then turns inland, awayfrom the ocean. Away from all that. CHUCK (V.O.) So do I.And we pull back, taking in the sweep of the beach, theestuaries, and the green forest stretching back into America.The end is the beginning.FADE OUT.
\ No newline at end of file