APOCALYPSE NOW
                                          REDUX

                                 an original screenplay
                                           by
                          John Milius and Francis Ford Coppola

                            Narration written by Michael Herr



























               Final Draft - A Transcription
               First published in the United States 2001
               by Talk Miramax books

               First published in the United Kingdom 2001
               by Faber & Faber Limited

               All rights reserved (c) 2001
               Zoetrope Corporation







               FADE IN:

               EXT. A SIMPLE IMAGE OF TREES - DAY

               Coconut trees being VIEWED through the veil of time or a 
               dream.  Occasionally colored smoke wafts through the FRAME, 
               yellow and then violet.  MUSIC begins quietly, suggestive 
               of 1968-69.  Perhaps "The End" by the Doors.

               Now MOVING through the FRAME are skids of helicopters, not 
               that we could make them out as that though; rather, hard 
               shapes that glide by at random.  Then a phantom helicopter 
               in FULL VIEW floats by the trees-suddenly without warning, 
               the jungle BURSTS into a bright red-orange glob of napalm 
               flame.

               The VIEW MOVES ACROSS the burning trees as the smoke ghostly 
               helicopters come and go.

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               INT. SAIGON HOTEL - DAY

               A CLOSE SHOT, upside down of the stubble-covered face of a 
               young man.  His EYES OPEN...this is B.L. WILLARD.  Intense 
               and dissipated.  The CAMERA MOVES around to a side view as 
               he continues to look up at a ROTATING FAN on the ceiling.

               EXT. IMAGES OF HELICOPTERS - DAY

               They continue to fly slowly, peacefully across the burning 
               jungle.  The colored smoke comes and goes.  Morrison 
               continues with "The End".

               INT. SAIGON HOTEL - DAY

               The CAMERA MOVES slowly across the room...and we SEE 
               WILLARD, a young army captain.  He looks out the window to 
               the busy Saigon street.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)                             *
                         Saigon...shit.  I'm only in Saigon.  
                         Every time, I think I'm gonna wake 
                         up back in the jungle.

               He moves back to the bed, lies down.  He's unshaven, 
               exhausted, probably drunk.  We SEE alcohol bottles, photos, 
               documents scattered on the table.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         When I was home after my first 
                         tour, it was worse.  I'd wake up 
                         and there'd be nothing.  I hardly 
                         said a word to my wife until I 
                         said yes to a divorce.  When I was 
                         here, I wanted to be there.  When 
                         I was there...all I could think of 
                         was getting back into the jungle.  
                         I'm here a week now.  Waiting for 
                         a mission.  Getting softer.  Every 
                         minute I stay in this room, I get 
                         weaker.  And every minute Charlie 
                         squats in the bush...he gets 
                         stronger.  Each time I looked 
                         around...the walls moved in a little 
                         tighter.

               He's up now, naked, going into a frenzy, drinking, doing 
               some sort of martial arts, eventually collapsing onto the 
               floor.

                                                               FADE OUT:

               FADE IN:

               INT. SAIGON HOTEL - STAIRWAY - DAY

               Two extremely sharp army men walk up the stairs to Willard's 
               room, a SERGEANT and a PRIVATE.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         Everyone gets everything he wants.  
                         I wanted a mission.  And for my 
                         sins, they gave me one.  Brought 
                         it up to me like room service.

               They knock on the door.  A second knock. 

                                     SERGEANT
                         Captain Willard, are you in there?

                                     WILLARD
                         Yeah I'm coming.

               The army men wait for him.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         It was a real choice mission.  And 
                         when it was over, I'd never want 
                         another.

               Willard unlocks the door and opens it.  The men react to 
               his condition.

                                     WILLARD
                         What do you want?

                                     SERGEANT
                         Are you all right, Captain?

                                     WILLARD
                         What's it look like?

               Willard turns back into the room, sits on the bed.  The 
               Sergeant follows him.

                                     SERGEANT
                         Are you Captain Willard?  505th 
                         Battalion?  173rd Air-Borne?  
                         Assigned to SOG?

               Willard looks over at the Private by the door.

                                     WILLARD
                         Hey, buddy, you gonna shut the 
                         door?

               The private enters the room, closing the door behind him.

                                     SERGEANT
                         We have orders to escort you to 
                         the airfield.

                                     WILLARD
                         What are the charges?  What did I 
                         do?

                                     SERGEANT
                         There's no charges, Captain.

               The sergeant opens the letter he has been holding.

                                     SERGEANT
                         You have orders to report to Com-
                         Sec Intelligence at Nah Trang.

               He holds up the letter in front of Willard's face so he 
               can see it.  We see the word 'RESTRICTED' across the top.

                                     WILLARD
                         I see.

                                     SERGEANT
                         All right?

                                     WILLARD
                         Nah Trang, for me?

                                     SERGEANT
                         That's right.

               The sergeant folds the letter back and puts it back in the 
               envelope.  Willard doesn't move.

                                     SERGEANT
                         Come on, Captain, you still have a 
                         few hours to get cleaned up.

                                     WILLARD
                         I'm not feeling too good.

               He lays his head on the pillow and closes his eyes.

                                     SERGEANT
                         Captain?
                              (to private)
                         Dave, come here and give me a hand.  
                         We've got a dead one.

               The two of them move over to Willard and pick him up.

                                     SERGEANT
                         Come on Captain, Let's go take a 
                         shower.

                                     WILLARD
                         Don't be an ass.

                                     SERGEANT
                              (to private)
                         Get hold of him good.  We're going 
                         to take a shower, Captain.

               They drag him into the shower, and turn on the cold water.

                                     SERGEANT
                         Stand under this, Captain.

               Willard shudders and yells as they begin to clean him up.

               EXT. MILITARY COMPOUND - DAY

               A darkly painted Huey lands in a guarded military compound 
               somewhere in Nah Trang.  The two enlisted men jump out of 
               the helicopter, leading Willard, who seems in much better 
               shape.  As he gets out he sees a platoon of new men drilling 
               in the hot hazy sun.  They are clean and pale.

                                     MEN (Chanting)
                         I wanna go to Vietnam.
                         I wanna kill a Vietcong-

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         I was going to the worst place in 
                         the world, and I didn't even know 
                         it yet.  Weeks away and hundreds 
                         of miles up river that snaked 
                         through the war like a circuit 
                         cable...plugged straight into Kurtz.

               He follows the escort across the fields as the platoon 
               drills.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         It was no accident that I got to 
                         be the caretaker of Colonel Walter 
                         E. Kurtz's memory, any more that 
                         being back in Saigon was an 
                         accident.  There was no way to 
                         tell his story without telling my 
                         own.  And if his story is really a 
                         confession, then so is mine.

               They approach a civilian-type luxury trailer.  It is 
               surrounded by concertina wire, and its windows have grenade 
               protection, but it still seems out of place in this austere 
               military base.

               CLOSER ON WILLARD

               He stands before the door for a moment, as the M.P.s 
               guarding the trailer check his papers.

               INT. TRAILER - DAY

               Cool and comfortable, furnished like home.  Pictures on 
               the walls, certificates, photos of Presidents Kennedy, 
               Johnson and Nixon and other mementos decorating the room.

               A small table is covered with linen and place settings for 
               three.

               Willard enters.  He salutes, and the COLONEL salutes him 
               back.

                                     COLONEL
                              (to Willard)
                         Captain.  Good.  Come on in.

                                     WILLARD
                         Thank you, sir.

                                     COLONEL
                         Stand at ease.

               Willard notices somebody O.S. and reacts.

                                     WILLARD
                         General.

               The General crosses over to a cabinet and picks up a pack 
               of cigarettes, as the CAMERA REVEALS a CIVILIAN; probably 
               with the Department of Defense, sitting at the bar, and a 
               GENERAL sitting on a sofa.

               The colonel turns and offers Willard a cigarette from the 
               pack.

                                     COLONEL
                              (to Willard)
                         Do you want a cigarette?

                                     WILLARD
                         No thank you, sir.

                                     COLONEL
                              (indicating civilian)
                         Captain, have you ever seen this 
                         gentleman before?

                                     WILLARD
                         No, sir.  Not  personally.

                                     COLONEL
                         You've worked a lot on your own, 
                         haven't you, Captain?

                                     WILLARD
                         Yes, sir, I have.

                                     COLONEL
                         Your report specifies intelligence, 
                         counter-intelligence with Com-Sec, 
                         I Corps.

                                     WILLARD
                         I'm not presently disposed to 
                         discuss those operations, sir.

               There is a pause as the colonel lights his cigarette, then 
               moves to the sofa.  He bends down and picks up a dossier, 
               looks at it.

                                     COLONEL
                         Did you not work for the CIA in I 
                         Corps?

                                     WILLARD
                              (pause)
                         No, sir.

                                     COLONEL
                         Did you not assassinate a government 
                         tax collector...Quang Tri province 
                         June 18, 1968?

               Willard doesn't answer.

                                     COLONEL
                         Captain?

                                     WILLARD
                         Sir, I am unaware of any such 
                         activity or operation, nor would I 
                         be disposed to discuss an operation, 
                         if it did in fact exist, sir.

               A pause.  Willard is tired and confused and hung over, but 
               he is handling himself well.  The general rises.

                                     GENERAL
                         I thought we'd have a bit of lunch 
                         while we talked.  I hope you brought 
                         a good appetite, Captain.

               Willard gets up and moves towards the dining table with 
               the general and the civilian.  They sit down.

                                     GENERAL
                         I noticed that you have a bad hand 
                         there.  Are you wounded?

                                     WILLARD
                         Had a little fishing accident on R 
                         and R, sir.

                                     GENERAL
                         Fishing on R and R?

                                     WILLARD
                         Yes, sir.

                                     GENERAL
                         But you're feeling fit?  You're 
                         ready for duty?

                                     WILLARD
                         Yes, General.  Very much so, sir.

               The food is being passed around.

                                     GENERAL
                         Well, let's see what we have here.  
                         Roast beef, and usually it's not 
                         bad.
                              (to civilian)
                         Try some, Jerry.  Pass it around.  
                         To save a little time, we might 
                         pass both ways.
                              (to Willard)
                         Captain, I don't know how you feel 
                         about this shrimp, but if you eat 
                         it, you'll never have to prove 
                         your courage in any other way.

               The colonel, who is not eating with them, walks to the 
               table, holding a small photo.

                                     COLONEL
                              (to Willard)
                         Captain, you've heard of Captain 
                         Walter E. Kurtz?

               He shows the photo to Willard.

               INSERT THE PHOTO

               It's an eight-by-ten black-and-white portrait of an army 
               officer wearing a beret.

                                     WILLARD
                         Yes, sir.  I've heard the name.

               The Colonel accidentally drops the dossier.  Papers, photos, 
               etc., scatter all over the floor.  He stoops down to pick 
               them up.

                                     COLONEL
                         Jesus...Operations officer, Fifth 
                         Special Forces.

                                     GENERAL
                         Luke, would you play that tape, 
                         for the captain, please?
                              (to Willard)
                         Listen to it carefully, Captain.

               The Colonel moves to a tape recorder and turns it on.

                                     MALE VOICE (ON TAPE) (V.O.)
                         "October 9, 04:30 hours, Sector 
                         Peter, Victor, King."

                                     GENERAL
                         These were monitored out of 
                         Cambodia.  It's been verified as 
                         Colonel Kurtz's voice.

               All the men, including Willard, listen in wonder.

                                     KURTZ (ON TAPE) (V.O.)
                         "I watched a small snail, crawling 
                         on the edge of a straight razor.  
                         That's my dream.  It's my nightmare.  
                         Crawling, slithering, along the 
                         edge of a straight razor, and 
                         surviving."

                                     MALE VOICE (ON TAPE) (V.O.)
                         "Transmission 11, received '68, 
                         December 30, 05:00 hours, Sector 
                         King, Zulu, King".

                                     KURTZ (ON TAPE) (V.O.)
                         "But we must kill them.  We must 
                         incinerate them.  Pig after pig.  
                         Cow after cow.  Village after 
                         village.  Army after army.  And 
                         they call me an assassin.  What do 
                         you call it, when the assassins 
                         accuse the assassin?  They lie.  
                         They lie and we have to be merciful, 
                         for those who lie.  Those nabobs.  
                         I hate them.  I really hate them."

               The TAPE is TURNED OFF.

                                     GENERAL
                         Walter Kurtz was one of the most 
                         outstanding officers this country's 
                         ever produced.  He was brilliant.  
                         He was outstanding in every way.  
                         And he was a good man, too.  A 
                         humanitarian man.  A man of wit 
                         and humor.  He joined the Special 
                         Forces, and after that, his ideas, 
                         methods, became...unsound.  Unsound.

                                     COLONEL
                         Now he's crossed into Cambodia 
                         with this Montagnard army of his, 
                         that worship the man like a god, 
                         and follow him every order, however 
                         ridiculous.  Well, I have some 
                         other shocking news to tell you.  
                         Colonel Kurtz was about to be 
                         arrested for murder.

                                     WILLARD
                         I don't follow sir.  Murdered who?

                                     COLONEL
                         Kurtz had ordered the execution of 
                         some Vietnamese intelligence agents.  
                         Men he believed were double agents.  
                         So he took matters into his own 
                         hands.

                                     GENERAL
                         Well, you see, Willard, in this 
                         war, things get confused out there.  
                         Power, ideals, the old morality, 
                         and practical military necessity.  
                         But out there with these natives, 
                         it must be a temptation to be God.  
                         Because the rational and the 
                         irrational, between good and evil.  
                         And good does not always triumph.  
                         Sometimes, the dark side overcomes 
                         what Lincoln called the better 
                         angels of our nature.  Every man 
                         has got a breaking point.  You 
                         have and I have them.  Walter Kurtz 
                         has reached his.  And, very 
                         obviously, he has gone insane.

               Willard looks from the colonel to the general to the 
               civilian.  They are intensely interested in his response, 
               which they want to be "yes."

                                     WILLARD
                              (carefully)
                         Yes, sir.  Very much so, sir.  
                         Obviously insane.

               The three men pull back, satisfied.

                                     COLONEL
                         Your mission is to proceed up the 
                         Nung River in a navy patrol boat, 
                         pick up Colonel Kurtz's path at Nu 
                         Mung Ba, follow it, learn what you 
                         can along the way.  When you find 
                         the colonel, infiltrate his team 
                         by whatever means available, and 
                         terminate the colonel's command.

                                     WILLARD
                              (to General)
                         Terminate...the colonel?

                                     GENERAL
                         He's out there operating without 
                         any decent restraint, totally beyond 
                         the pale of any acceptable human 
                         conduct.  And he is still on the 
                         field commanding troops.

                                     CIVILIAN
                         Terminate with extreme prejudice.

               The civilian hands Willard a cigarette, and lights it for 
               him.

                                     COLONEL
                         You understand, Captain, that this 
                         mission does not exist, nor will 
                         it ever exist.

               CLOSE ON WILLARD

               Smoking the cigarette, thinking about the mission.

                                                                 CUT TO:

               EXT. THE MEKONG DELTA - DUSK

               A HUEY helicopter flying over the mountains moves over 
               rice paddies, the Mekong River, MOVING CLOSER until we 
               view a dock area.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         How many people had I already 
                         killed?  There were those six that 
                         I knew about for sure...close enough 
                         to blow their last breath in my 
                         face.  But this time it was an 
                         American, and an officer.  That 
                         wasn't supposed to make any 
                         difference to me, but it did.

               We SEE a small patrol boat.  It moves away from the dock, 
               out into the delta.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         Shit.  Charging a man with murder 
                         in this place was like handing out 
                         speeding tickets at the Indy 500.  
                         I took the mission.  What the hell 
                         else was I gonna do?  But I really 
                         didn't know what I'd do when I 
                         found him.

               EXT. PBR - DAY

               We are CLOSE ON THE BOAT, the PBR.  Willard is lying on 
               the deck, his eyes closed.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         I was being ferried down the coast 
                         in a navy PBR, a type of plastic 
                         patrol boat, pretty common sight 
                         on the rivers.  They said it was a 
                         good way to pick up information, 
                         and move without drawing a lot of 
                         attention.  That was okay.  I needed 
                         the air and the time.  Only problem 
                         was, I wouldn't be alone.

               Willard awakens to see a young black crewman squatting in 
               front of him, brushing his teeth.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         The crew were mostly just kids.  
                         Rock 'n' rollers with one foot in 
                         their graves.
                              (to Clean)
                         How old are you?

                                     CLEAN
                         Seventeen.

               VIEW ON CHEF, lanky, with a mustache.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         The machinist, the one they called 
                         Chef, was from New Orleans.  He 
                         was wrapped too tight for Vietnam.  
                         Probably too tight for New Orleans.

               VIEW ON LANCE, blonde, handsome, laid-back surfer type.  
               He is sunning himself with a reflector.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         Lance, from the forward 50's, was 
                         a famous surfer from the beaches 
                         south of L.A. To look at him, you 
                         wouldn't believe he's ever fired a 
                         weapon in his life.

               VIEW ON CLEAN, the young black man brushing his teeth.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         Mr. Clean was from some South Bronx 
                         shit-hole, and I think the light 
                         and the space of Vietnam really 
                         put the zap on his head.

               VIEW ON THE CHIEF, an older black man.  He is at the helm, 
               studying a map of the delta.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         Then there was Phillips, Chief.  
                         It might have been my mission, but 
                         it sure as shit was the Chief's 
                         boat.

                                     PHILLIPS
                              (to Willard)
                         There's about two points where we 
                         can draw enough water to get into 
                         the Nung River.  They're both hot, 
                         belong to Charlie.

                                     WILLARD
                         Don't worry about it.

               He takes out a pack of cigarettes and offers one to the 
               Chief.

                                     CHIEF
                         Don't smoke.  You know, I've pulled 
                         a few special Ops in here.  About 
                         six months ago, I took a man who 
                         was going past the bridge at Do 
                         Lung.  He was regular army, too.  
                         I heard he shot himself in the 
                         head.

               Willard lights his cigarette as the boat continues to move 
               out into the ocean.

               EXT. RIVER - THE PBR - DAY

               Willard is sitting, smoking a cigarette, and looking down 
               at a large pouch.  He opens the flap and WE SEE there are 
               several dossiers inside.  He opens one, thumbing through 
               the material.  WE SEE the personal letters, photographs, 
               reports, files-the entire case history of Colonel Walter 
               E. Kurtz.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         At first, I thought they handed me 
                         the wrong dossier.  I couldn't 
                         believe they wanted this man dead.  
                         Third-generation West Point, top 
                         of his class...Korea, Airborne, 
                         about a thousand decorations, etc., 
                         etc. I'd head his voice on the 
                         tape and it really put the hook in 
                         me, but I couldn't connect up that 
                         voice with this man.  Like they 
                         said, he had an impressive career.  
                         Maybe too impressive.  I mean, 
                         perfect.  He was being groomed for 
                         one of the top slots in the 
                         corporation.  General, chief of 
                         staff, anything.  In 1964, he 
                         returned from a tour with Advisory 
                         Command in Vietnam, and things 
                         started to slip.  His report to 
                         the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Lyndon 
                         Johnson was restricted.  Seems 
                         they didn't dig what he had to 
                         tell them.  During the next few 
                         months, he made three requests...for 
                         transfer to Airborne training, 
                         Fort Benning, Georgia...and was 
                         finally accepted.  Airborne?  He 
                         was thirty-eight years old.  Why 
                         the fuck would he do that?  
                         1966...joins Special Forces, returns 
                         to Vietnam.

               Suddenly we HEAR a sound, a distant EXPLOSION.  The crew 
               all stop whatever they are doing, look out beyond the shore 
               and the green jungled hills.  There is a distant ROLLING 
               NOISE, like interrupted thunder.  The buffeting and noise 
               continue.

                                     CHEF
                         What's that?

                                     WILLARD
                         Arc light.

                                     LANCE
                         What's up?

                                     WILLARD
                         B-52 strike.

                                     CHEF
                         What's that?

                                     WILLARD
                         Arc light!

                                     CHEF
                         I hate that.  Every time I hear 
                         that, something terrible happens.

                                     CLEAN
                         Charlie don't never see them or 
                         hear them, man.

                                     LANCE
                         There they are!

               He points up to the sky.

               EXT. SKY - FULL SHOT - DAY

               Way up-past any clouds and barely discernible we SEE the 
               black silhouettes of four B-52 bombers, their vapor trails 
               streaming white against the dark blue sky.

                                     CLEAN
                         Concussion'll suck the air out of 
                         your damn lungs.

                                     CHEF
                         Something terrible is going to 
                         happen.

                                     CLEAN
                         Smoke!  Secondary burning.

               FULL SHOT-COASTLINE

               Black smoke rises from the jungle.

                                     CHIEF
                         Hueys over there.  Lots of Hueys.

                                     WILLARD
                         Let's have a look Chief.

               The Chief hands Willard the field glasses.  He looks through 
               them out at the burning coastline.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         It was the Air-Cav, First of the 
                         Ninth.
                              (to Chief)
                         That's them.

               All the crew move to battle positions, get their flak 
               jackets, helmets, etc.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         Our escorts to the mouth of Nung 
                         River.  But they were supposed to 
                         be waiting for us another thirty 
                         kilometers ahead.  Well, Air Mobile.  
                         Those boys just couldn't stay put.

               The PBR moves to the beach through a chaos of other boats, 
               low-flying helicopters, and soldiers rushing by onshore.

               EXT. BEACH AND VILLAGE - DAY

               A vast field of devastation, smashed and burning huts, 
               shattered sampans and bodies washing around in the surf.  
               Willard jumps off the boat, Clean and Lance fall in behind 
               him, they head ashore.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         First of the Ninth was an old 
                         cavalry division that had cashed 
                         in its horses for choppers, and 
                         gone tear-assign around Nam looking 
                         for shit.  They'd given Charlie a 
                         few surprises in their time here.  
                         What they were mopping up now hadn't 
                         even happened yet an hour ago.

               They make their way across the beach, weapons in hand.  
               Explosions go off around them; there is smoke everywhere.  
               Suddenly they are stopped by a VOICE.

                                     VOICE (O.S.)
                         Go on, keep going.  It's for 
                         television.  Don't look at the 
                         camera.

               Willard and the two who are following stop incredulously, 
               their M16s still in hand.

                                     VOICE (O.S.)
                         Go on, go on, keep going.  Don't 
                         look at the camera.

               REVERSE ANGLE OF WHAT THEY SEE

               A NEWS TEAM, dressed in fatigues and combat dress.  A 
               director, cameraman, and soundman; the director keeps waving 
               them by.

                                     DIRECTOR
                              (to Troops)
                         Just go by like you're fighting.  
                         Don't look at the camera.  It's 
                         for television.  Just go through.  
                         Just go by.  Keep on going.

               Willard, Lance, and Clean run by, staring into the camera 
               the entire time.

               They make their way toward the village under siege.  Willard 
               stops to talk with a SERGEANT, as a medevac helicopter 
               takes off in the background.  The Hueys and Loches in the 
               sky drown out most of their conversation.

               CLOSE ON WILLARD

               Looking up as the Hueys sweep in low.

                                     WILLARD
                         Where Can I find the CO?

                                     SERGEANT
                         That's the colonel coming down!

               He points to a particular Huey in the sky, and moves to a 
               clear spot by a large bomb crater.  He takes out a smoke 
               bomb and pulls the pin and lays it down in the clearing, 
               as it spews out orange smoke.

                                     WILLARD
                              (to his men)
                         CO's on that chopper.

               Willard moves back to Lance and Clean, they all kneel, 
               trying to avoid the propeller wash, as they look up.

               FULL VIEW

               The helicopter is heavily laden with machine guns, etc., 
               as it lands in the middle of the clearing.

               A tall, strong-looking man jumps out of the helicopter.  
               This is COLONEL WILLIAM KILGORE.  He puts on his Air-Cav 
               hat, then stands to his full immense height and with his 
               hands on his hips, surveys the field of battle.

                                     KILGORE
                         Lieutenant, bomb that tree line 
                         back about a hundred yards.  Give 
                         me some room to breath.

                                     LIEUTENANT
                         Yes, sir!

               Kilgore starts walking, then turns and shouts to the 
               LIEUTENANT.

                                     KILGORE
                         Bring me my body cards!

                                     LIEUTENANT
                         Yes, sir!

               The Lieutenant moves back to the helicopter and Kilgore 
               continues forward toward a besieged village.  A CAPTAIN 
               from tank division comes running down the street, stops in 
               front of Kilgore.

                                     CAPTAIN
                         I'm the Fourth Tank commander.  
                         I've got five tanks broken down.

                                     KILGORE
                         All right with the tanks.  It's 
                         all right, Captain.

               The captain turns and exits, as the sergeant walks up 
               leading Willard, Lance, and Clean.

                                     WILLARD
                         Captain Willard.

               They exchange salutes.  Willard takes out a set of orders 
               and hands them to him.

                                     WILLARD
                         I carry priority papers from Com-
                         Sec Intelligence, II Corps!  I 
                         understand Nah Trang has briefed 
                         you on the requirements of my 
                         mission.

                                     KILGORE
                         What mission?  I haven't heard 
                         from Nah Trang.

               Kilgore hands the orders to the major, who has joined him.  
               He looks at them and shakes his head "no."

                                     WILLARD
                         Sir, you're supposed to escort us 
                         into the Nung!

               The major hands the orders back to Willard.  By this time 
               the lieutenant has run back in from the helicopter with 
               the deck of playing cards.  He hands them to Kilgore.

                                     KILGORE
                         We'll see what we can do about 
                         that!  Just stay out of my way 
                         till this is done, Captain!

               Kilgore cracks the plastic wrapping sharply, takes the 
               deck of new cards and fans them.  Then he strides past 
               willard and his two young crewmen with no further 
               acknowledgement-the others follow.

               He moves through the shell-pocked field of devastation, 
               soldiers gathering around him.  As he comes to each V.C. 
               corpse, he drops a card on it, carefully picking out which 
               card he uses.

                                     KILGORE
                              (to himself)
                         All right, let's see what we have.  
                         Two of spades.  Three of spades.  
                         Four of diamonds, six of 
                         clubs...there isn't one worth a 
                         jack in the whole bunch.  Four of 
                         diamonds...

               He crosses on down the street, distributing his cards on 
               top of the dead V.C. corpses.

               Willard, Lance, and Clean have been following Kilgore.  
               Willard bends down and picks up one of the cards from a 
               dead V.C.

                                     LANCE
                         Hey, Captain, what's that?

                                     WILLARD
                         Death cards.

                                     LANCE
                         What?

                                     WILLARD
                         Death cards.  Lets Charlie know 
                         who did this.

               MOVING SHOT OF KILGORE

               As he moves through the corpses, selecting a card and 
               flipping it on a body, or putting it behind an ear.

                                     KILGORE
                              (to a shell-shocked 
                              G.I)
                         Cheep up, son.

               As they pass by a well, two G.I.s jump out of it.

                                     G.I.
                         Fire in the hole!

               They all hit the deck, as a tremendous explosion comes out 
               of the well.

               Kilgore, his lieutenant, and major stop in back of a large 
               gathering of villagers.  They are standing around a G.I. 
               and ARVN Interpreter, listening to them.

                                     SOLDIER (OVER P.A.)
                         This is an area that's controlled 
                         by the Vietcong and North 
                         Vietnamese!  We are here to help 
                         you!  We are here to extend a 
                         welcome hand to those of you who 
                         would like to return to the arms 
                         of the South Vietnamese government.

               A line of villagers are throwing all their belongs on top 
               of a large APC parked by the road, and filing into the 
               carrier.  Kilgore stops and watches the G.I.s help them, 
               then he moves over and looks at the inside, where the 
               villagers are crowded together, waiting and scared.

                                     KILGORE
                              (to woman)
                         Get in!  Hurry up!
                              (to soldier)
                         Move it out!

                                     SOLDIER (OVER P.A.)
                         This is an area that is controlled 
                         by the Vietcong and North 
                         Vietnamese...

               Kilgore turns and continues down the burning street with 
               his group.  He comes upon a wounded V.C., groaning.  The 
               man has tied a wash bowl over his belly-and is groaning 
               for water . Kilgore turns to a soldier.

                                     KILGORE
                         What's this?

                                     SOLDIER (OVER P.A.)
                         This man's hurt pretty bad, sir.  
                         About the only thing holding his 
                         guts in, sir, is that pot lid.

                                     KILGORE
                              (to ARVN soldier)
                         Yeah?  What does he have to say?

                                     ARVN SOLDIER
                         This soldier is dirty V.C. He wants 
                         water.  He can drink paddy water.

                                     KILGORE
                         Get out of here!  Give me that 
                         canteen.

               He pushes the ARVN soldier away, turns, and then gets a 
               canteen full of water from the lieutenant.

                                     KILGORE
                         Any man who's brave enough the 
                         fight-
                              (to ARVN soldier)
                         Get outta here!  I'll kick you 
                         fucking ass!  Any man brave enough 
                         to fight with his guts strapped on 
                         him can drink from my canteen any 
                         day.

               He stoops down-starts to quench the prisoner's thirst from 
               his canteen.  A soldier rushes up to him.

                                     SOLDIER
                         Colonel, I think one of those 
                         sailors is Lance Johnson, the 
                         surfer.

                                     KILGORE
                         Where?  Here?  You sure?

               The solder points at Lance.

                                     SERGEANT
                         Down there.

               Kilgore rises, hands the canteen back, and moves over to 
               Willard and his crew.  Looks at Lance.

                                     KILGORE
                         What's your name, sailor?

                                     LANCE
                              (salutes)
                         Gunner's Mate Third Class L. 
                         Johnson, sir.

                                     KILGORE
                         Lance Johnson the surfer?

                                     LANCE
                         Yes, sir.

               Kilgore smiles, sticks out his hand.

                                     KILGORE
                         Well, it's an honor to meet you 
                         Lance.  I've admired your nose 
                         riding for years.  Your cutback, 
                         too.  I think you have the best 
                         cutback there is.

                                     LANCE
                         Thank you, Sir.

                                     KILGORE
                         You can cut out the "sir" crap, 
                         Lance.  I'm Bill Kilgore.  I'm a 
                         goofy foot.

               Kilgore leads Lance off to meet some other soldiers.  
               Willard's entire top-priority mission has been out in the 
               background.

                                     KILGORE
                              (making introductions)
                         I want you to meet some guys.  
                         This is Mike from San Diego.  Johnny 
                         from Malibu.  We're pretty solid 
                         surfers.  None of us are anywhere 
                         near your class, though.

                                     MIKE
                         No way.

               Lance shakes their hands.  Kilgore moves on, the group 
               follow him.

                                     KILGORE
                         We do a lot of surfing around here, 
                         Lance.  I like to finish operations 
                         early, fly down to Yung Tau for 
                         the evening glass.  Been riding 
                         since you got here?

                                     LANCE
                         No way.  I haven't surfed since I 
                         been here.

               They stop to see Catholic Mass going on in the middle of a 
               graveyard.  Many helicopters continue to hover overhead.  
               Willard looks around him, looks at the Mass being held, as 
               the Priest continues his alter on a gravestone in the midst 
               of the bombing and evacuations.

               EXT. AREA BY DESTROYED VILLAGE - NIGHT

               The area is illuminated by large cans filled with sand and 
               jet fuel, bonfires, and the burning village in the 
               background.  There are maybe fifteen to twenty helicopters 
               secured against the wind, in orderly patterns.  Men are 
               grouped around the fires, eating steaks, hot dogs, 
               hamburgers, drinking beer.  It has the bizarre resemblance 
               of some sort of barbarian beach party.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         Kilgore had a pretty good day for 
                         himself.  They choppered in the T-
                         bones and the beer...and turned 
                         the L.Z. into a beach party.  The 
                         more they tried to make it like 
                         hone, the more they made everybody 
                         mis it.

               Kilgore is seated at the fire with some of his men, 
               strumming a guitar and singing.

                                     KILGORE
                              (to the Chief)
                         Make my meat rare.  Rare but not 
                         cold.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         Well, he wasn't a bad officer, I 
                         guess.  He loved his boys, and you 
                         felt safe with him.  We was one of 
                         those guys that had a weird light 
                         around him.  You just knew he wasn't 
                         going to get so much of a scratch 
                         here.

               Kilgore looks at Willard, who more or less sits by himself.

                                     KILGORE
                         What happened to your mission, 
                         Captain?  Nah Trang forget all 
                         about you?

               He laughs.  Willard gets up, carrying the map he's patiently 
               been holding.  He lays it down in front of Kilgore; squats 
               and points.

                                     WILLARD
                         Sir, two places we can get into 
                         the river.  Here and here.  It's a 
                         pretty wide delta, but these are 
                         the only two spots I'm really sure 
                         of.

                                     KILGORE
                         That village you're pointing at is 
                         kind of hairy, Willard.

                                     WILLARD
                         What do you mean "Hairy", sir?

                                     KILGORE
                         It's hairy.  Got some pretty heavy 
                         ordinance.  I've lost a few recon 
                         ships in there now and again.

               The Chief comes over, leans in to take a look at the map.

                                     KILGORE
                         What's the name of that goddamn 
                         village, Vin Drin Dop or Lop?  
                         Damn gook names all sound the same.
                              (to one of the surfer 
                              soldiers)
                         Mike, you know anything about this 
                         point at Vin Drin Dop?

                                     MIKE
                         That's a fantastic peak.

                                     KILGORE
                         Peak?

                                     MIKE
                         About six foot.  It's an outstanding 
                         peak.  It's got both the long right 
                         and left side, with a bowl section 
                         that's unbelievable.  It's just 
                         tube city.

               Kilgore considers this.

                                     KILGORE
                         Well, why didn't you tell me that 
                         before?  A good peak.  There aren't 
                         any good peaks in this whole shitty 
                         country.  It's all goddamn beach 
                         break.

                                     MIKE
                         It's really hairy in there, sir.  
                         That's where we lost McDonald.  
                         They shot the hell out of us there.  
                         That's Charlie's point.

               Willard sees his chance, jumps in.

                                     CHIEF
                         We may not be able to get the boat 
                         in.  The draft at the mouth of 
                         that river may be too shallow.

               The colonel rises, looks at Willard.

                                     KILGORE
                         We'll pick your boat up and put it 
                         down like a baby, right where you 
                         want it.  This is the First of the 
                         Ninth, Air-Cav, son.  Air mobile!  
                         I can take that point and hold it 
                         just as long as I like, and you 
                         can get any place up that river 
                         that suits you, young Captain.  
                         Hell, a six-foot peak!  All right.  
                         Take a gunship back to division.
                              (to Lance)
                         Lance, go with Mike and let him 
                         pick out a board for you.  And 
                         bring me my Yater Spoon, the eight-
                         six.

               Mike reacts, doubtful.

                                     KILGORE
                         What is it, soldier?

                                     MIKE
                         It's pretty hairy in there.  It's 
                         Charlie's Point.

               Kilgore looks at him, exasperated.

                                     KILGORE
                         Charlie don't surf!

                                                                 CUT TO:

               EXT. HELICOPTER FIELD OUTSIDE DESTROYED VILLAGE - DAY

               It is the next morning.  The helicopters, pilots, and men 
               are ready for battle.  The helicopters slowly start up, as 
               the soldiers scurry to their various positions.

               We FOLLOW Kilgore and his group, including Willard, the 
               Chief, Clean, Lance, etc., as they walk across the field.  
               They all get into a helicopter, except Kilgore.  He takes 
               off his hat, reaches in, and pulls out his helmet, puts it 
               on.

               ANGLE ON OUR CREW

               Seated in their helicopter, looking out.

                                     CHEF
                         Jesus, Clean, you ain't believe 
                         this.  Look.

               WHAT THEY SEE:

               The PBR being airlifted up by the helicopter.

                                     CLEAN
                         Hey!  They're picking up the boat!

               BACK TO KILGORE'S HELICOPTER

               Kilgore picks up some gloves and starts to put them on as 
               he crosses to the gunner by the helicopter.

                                     KILGORE
                              (to soldier)
                         How you feeling, Jimmy?

                                     SOLDIER
                         Like a mean motherfucker, sir!

                                     KILGORE
                              (to bugler)
                         All right, son, let 're rip.

               The bugler begins to play as Kilgore climbs into the 
               helicopter.

               EXTREME FULL SHOT

               THE HELICOPTER takes off, rotors spinning, gas turbines 
               belching fire from their jet pipes, sand and dust as twenty 
               helicopters RISE.

               NOISE ROAR OVER CAMERA.  The helicopters deploy into a 
               formation.

               NEW VIEWS - HELICOPTERS

               They move THROUGH THE FAME, almost a dance of dragonflies.

               INT. COMMAND COPTER - MED.SHOT - KILGORE, WILLARD, OTHERS - 
               DAY

               Willard looks ahead, Kilgore sits near the door.  Below, 
               they see the jungle whisk by and are suddenly over the 
               ocean, low and fast.

               MONTAGE - CLOSE SHOTS OF ROCKET PODS WITH MINI-GUNS

               In their bizarre-looking mounts as well as the men-young, 
               anticipating, holding their rifles, looking down.

               CLOSE ON WILLARD - HIS POV

               Looking out from the side door.  The various troop ships 
               moving by.  The men waiting, sitting on the floor, sitting 
               on their helmets, looking back at him.

               FULL VIEW OF THE HELICOPTERS

               They are magnificent in the sky as they split into two 
               columns.

               INSIDE HELICOPTER

               Kilgore cranes his neck and leans out to watch the waves, 
               then turns back to Lance.

                                     KILGORE
                         I never have got used to a light 
                         board.  I can't get used to one.  
                         I'm used to a heavy board.

                                     LANCE
                         I know, it's a real drag.

                                     KILGORE
                         You prefer a heavy or light board?

                                     LANCE
                         Heavier.

                                     KILGORE
                         Really?

                                     LANCE
                         Yeah.

                                     KILGORE
                         I thought young guys like lighter 
                         boards.

                                     LANCE
                         Can't ride the nose on those things.

               The pilot alerts the colonel.

                                     PILOT
                              (to Kilgore)
                         Duke Six, this is Eagle Thrust 
                         Seven.  We've got it spotted.

                                     KILGORE
                         Eagle Thrust, put on heading two-
                         seven-zero, assume attack formation.

                                     PILOT
                         That's a Roger, Big Duke.  We're 
                         going in hot.  Here we go.

                                     KILGORE
                              (to Lance)
                         We'll come in low out of the rising 
                         sun, and about a mile out, we'll 
                         put on the music.

                                     LANCE
                         Music?

                                     KILGORE
                         Yeah, I use Wagner.  Scares the 
                         hell ot of the slopes.  My boys 
                         love it.

                                     LANCE
                              (to Willard)
                         Hey, they're gonna play music!

               INT. PBR CREW'S COPTER - DAY

               As they near the destination, several of the soldiers take 
               off their helmets and sit on them.  The PBR crew reacts 
               with surprise.

                                     CHEF
                         How come all you guys sit on your 
                         helmet?

                                     SOLDIER
                         So we don't get our balls blown 
                         off.

               Chef laughs, looks around.  Then he takes off his own helmet 
               and sits on it.

               INT. COMMAND COPTER - DAY

               VIEW ON KILGORE

                                     KILGORE
                              (to Pilot)
                         Eagle Thrust, put on psy war op.  
                         Make it loud.  This is a Romeo Fox 
                         Trot.  Shall we dance?

               A HAND switches on the tape deck.  MUSIC COMES UP, Wagner's 
               "Ride of the Valkyrie", blaring through the external 
               speakers of the choppers, as they make their decent into 
               enemy territory.

               EXT. THE COMMAND HELICOPTER - DAY

               With enormous twelve-driver loudspeakers BLASTING out the 
               music.

               INT. PBR CREW'S COPTER - DAY

               Out crew is silent, nervous.

               EXT. COPTERS - DAY 

               We SEE the bombs and surfboard attached to the bottom of 
               the helicopters.

               EXT. VIETCONG VILLAGE - FULL-SHOT - DAY

               Typical quiet Vietnamese coastal village, rather large, 
               built along the beach and trees with rice paddies behind.  
               Sampans are pulled into a cove where the are being unloaded.  
               We SEE different aspects of the life of the village, the 
               people working there.

               MEDIUM SHOT - SCHOOLYARD

               A teacher and little girl come out into the courtyard, 
               quickly followed by other students pouring from the 
               schoolhouse in the background.  A North Vietnamese soldier 
               runs in to the teacher, who then turns back to the children.  
               The soldier waves to the children to get out of the area.

               CLOSER ON THE TEACHER

               gathering children together.  Peasants run through as the 
               teacher starts the children running out.  One small boy 
               remains, an older girl runs back to get him and run after 
               the others .

               Soon the village is buzzing with activity.  Trenches are 
               used to pass weapons and ammunitions, young V.C. - both 
               men and women.  N.V.A. regulars rush along the trenches to 
               take their positions.

               NEW VIEW - N.V.A. AND V.C.

               rushing along the trenches and taking the camouflage 
               covering off a large automatic antiaircraft weapon.

               EXT. THE SKY - NEW VIEW - DAY

               Moving behind an assault column of helicopters.

               INT. COMMAND COPTER - DAY

               Kilgore monitoring the transmission.

               CLOSE VIEW ON WILLARD

               watching the spectacle.

               CLOSE VIEW ON KILGORE

               calm and very effective.  Seems almost like an astronaut.  
               Willard looks down at this incredible battle.

               WILLARD'S POV - AERIAL VIEW - THE VILLAGE

               The village under attack.  The invincible cavalry charges 
               in, hurling all its fearful weaponry, blasting out the 
               Wagner.

               INT. POV BEHIND PILOT - DAY

                                     PILOT
                              (to Kilgore)
                         We've spotted a large weapon down 
                         below.  We're gonna go down and 
                         check it out.

               The helicopter shakes as we SEE the smoke of the rocket 
               shoot ahead of us.

               REVERSE ANGLE

               A Vietnamese house goes up in flames.

               MEDIUM CLOSE UP - GUN SHIP

               sweeping down, its mini-guns FIRING.  V.C. scatter.

               INT. COMMAND COPTER - DAY

                                     KILGORE
                         Outstanding, Red Team.
                              (to Pilot)
                         Get you a case of beer for that 
                         one.

               COPTER'S POV ON SQUARE - HIGH ANGLE

               Watching Vietnamese loading ammunition into an old Citroën 
               car.  The copter circles over them.

                                     PILOT #1
                         We're over the village right now.  
                         I think I see a vehicle down in 
                         the courtyard.  I'm gonna check it 
                         out.

                                     KILGORE
                         Well done, Hawks.  Well done.  
                         Want some twenty-Mike-Mike-Vulcan 
                         right along those tree-lines.  
                         Ripple the shit out of them.

                                     PILOT #2
                         Got a vehicle on the bridge, fifty 
                         caliber on-board.  He's moving 
                         across to resupply weapon.

                                     KILGORE
                         Big Duke Six.  Clear the area.  
                         I'm coming down myself.
                              (to himself)
                         Don't these people ever give up?

               VIEW - THE COMMAND COPTER

               It circles the area.  Gunships hit the Citroën that's trying 
               to cross the bridge.  The car bursts into flame and the 
               ammunition is EXPLODED.

                                     LANCE
                              (to Kilgore)
                         Nice shoot, Bill!

               The copter suddenly lurches over to the right.  The ship 
               is jostled around badly.  There are some flames and smoke 
               and it looks as though the copter has been seriously hit.  
               There is confusion and we realize that the bullets have 
               hit a box of flares which have gone off inside the copter.

                                     KILGORE
                              (to soldiers)
                         Un-ass that shit and get it out of 
                         here!  It's just a flare, it's 
                         alright, it's just a flare.  
                         Everybody all right?  Lance, you 
                         all right?

                                     LANCE
                         I'm fine!

               EXT. VILLAGE - COPTERS LANDING - DAY

               A small group of copters come down and land, kicking up 
               clouds of dust.  Soldiers start to jump off, run for cover, 
               as shells hit the ground.  All jump out except for one 
               YOUNG SOLDIER.

                                     YOUNG SOLDIER
                         I'm not going!  I'm not going!  
                         I'm not going!

               Another soldier comes back, grabs him by the arm, and pulls 
               him out of the copter.

               NEW VIEW - AMERICANS ON THE GROUND

               proceed in driving to the V.C> from the village, firing 
               into houses.  One soldier fires his rifle into a row of 
               storage jars in front of a house.  They explode.  A black 
               soldier so thrown by the blast.

                                     SOLDIER (OVER RADIO)
                         We got some secondaries down there 
                         in the plaza.

                                     SOLDIER #2 (OVER RADIO)
                         Hold onto your positions.

                                     SOLDIER (OVER RADIO)
                         Duke Six, Duke Six.  We've got 
                         wounded down there.

               VIEW ON THE COURTYARD

               Soldiers huddle around the severely wounded black G.I., 
               who is screaming out.  The RT man is frantically calling 
               for a medevac as two Vietnamese elders babble on for their 
               lives, explaining that they didn't know the booby trap was 
               near their house.

                                     MEDIC
                         Get a stretcher over here!

                                     WOUNDED SOLDIER
                         Please, God, help me!

                                     MEDIC
                         Let's give him some morphine.

                                     SOLDIER (OVER RADIO)
                         Zero-three-seven-seven-four-two.

                                     MEDIC
                         Where's that duster?

               INT. COMMAND COPTER - DAY

               Kilgore looking out the door as he flies from the river 
               down over the courtyard.

                                     KILGORE
                              (into radio)
                         I want my wounded out of there and 
                         in the hospital in fifteen minutes.  
                         I want my men out.

               COPTER'S POV OF COURTYARD

                                     SOLDIER (OVER RADIO)
                         Somebody stand tight there with 
                         Big Duke.

                                     SOLDIER #2 (OVER RADIO)
                         This is Ten-Ten, we're going to be 
                         in there and get out.

               EXT. THE COURTYARD - DAY

               As a medevac helicopter comes down landing by the smoke.  
               They carry the wounded G.I. into the helicopter.

               Frantic Americans push the two older Vietnamese into the 
               medevac ship for questioning.  A YOUNG VIETNAMESE WOMAN 
               suddenly rushes out from one of the buildings, making a 
               fuss about the older Vietnamese.  Then she throws her coolie 
               hat into the open helicopter door.

                                     SOLDIER
                         She's got a grenade!  She's got a 
                         grenade!

               EXT. HELICOPTER - HIGH VIEW - DAY

               Helicopter BLOWS into flames.  Men rush out on fire.  They 
               frantically try to out themselves out.

               INT. COMMAND COPTER - DAY

               Looking down on the burning helicopter.

                                     PILOT
                         They blew the shit out of it.

                                     KILGORE
                         Fucking savages.

                                     CO-PILOT
                         Holy Christ, she's a SAP.  I'm 
                         gonna get that dink bitch.  Get 
                         over there, Johnny.  Out the right 
                         skid right up her ass.

               MEDIUM VIEW - THE GROUND

               It swerves down.  We can SEE the disaster as well as the 
               three Vietnamese running away.  It ROARS down, the machine 
               gunner FIRING.

               VIEW ON THE GROUND

               The Vietnamese are mowed down.

               OVER-THE-SHOULDER SHOT OF THE TREES BELOW THE COPTER

               Shells are fired from the grove of trees at the copter.

                                     PILOT (OVER RADIO)
                         We gotta get some air up in these 
                         trees.  It's goddamn eat-up with 
                         the enemy down there.

               The LOH swerves past the tree line taking sniper FIRE and 
               finally a dead-on HIT.  It swerves around in circles, black 
               smoke coming from it, cascading toward the ground.

               Copters fire at the bridge.  Smoke and debris fly upward.  
               Geysers of water almost obscure it.  The bridge is 
               destroyed, the village burns in the background.

               INT. COMMAND COPTER - DAY

               Kilgore turns to look at Lance.

                                     KILGORE
                         What do you think?

                                     LANCE
                         It's really exciting, man.

                                     KILGORE
                         No, no!  The waves!

                                     LANCE
                         Oh, right.

                                     KILGORE
                         Look at that, breaks both ways.  
                         Watch.  Look!  Good six-foot swells!

               EXT. BEACH - DAY

               Kilgore's copter kicks up a cloud of dust as it sets down.  
               Kilgore pop's out, followed by Lance and other officers 
               and strides across the beach looking out toward the sea.

                                     SOLDIER (O.S.)
                         Incoming!

               They all dive except Kilgore; he's watching a big set.  
               The shell EXPLODES in the water about a hundred yards away, 
               sending up a geyser of spray.  Kilgore is unmoved.  The 
               others get up and join him.

                                     MAJOR
                         This L.Z. is still pretty hot, 
                         sir.  Maybe you ought to surf 
                         somewhere else.

                                     KILGORE
                         What do you know about surfing, 
                         Major?  You're from goddamn New 
                         Jersey!

               He whistles Mike and Johnny over, who look like they're 
               ready to hit the dirt again as explosions go off around 
               them.

                                     KILGORE
                         I wanna see how rideable that stuff 
                         is.  Go change.

                                     MIKE
                         It's till pretty hairy out there, 
                         sir.

                                     KILGORE
                         You wanna surf, soldier?

               They nod "yes" meekly.

                                     KILGORE
                         That's good son, because you either 
                         surf or fight.  That clear?

               They turn and leave.  Kilgore grabs an M16 from one of the 
               guards-they all think he's going to shoot the surfers or 
               someone-they run back uneasy.

                                     KILGORE
                         One get going.  I'll cover for 
                         them.
                              (to others)
                         And bring a board Lance.

               He cocks the weapon-Lance looks around uneasily.

                                     WILLARD
                              (to Lance)
                         We can't do shit till the boat 
                         gets here.

                                     KILGORE
                         Lance, I bet you can't wait to get 
                         out there.

                                     LANCE
                         What?

                                     KILGORE
                              (gesturing to ocean)
                         See how they break both ways?  One 
                         guy can break right, one left, 
                         simultaneous.  What do you think 
                         of that?

                                     LANCE
                         Bill, I think we ought to wait for 
                         the tide to come up.

               He starts away.

                                     KILGORE
                         Lance, come here.  Look.

                                     SOLDIER (O.S.)
                         Incoming!

               A shell screams over-they all hit the dirt except Kilgore.  
               It explodes, throwing sand through the air.  Kilgore leans 
               down yelling over the noise.

                                     KILGORE
                         The tide doesn't come in for six 
                         hours!  You wanna wait here for 
                         six hours?

               ANGLE ON THE PBR

               in the sky, being dropped by the helicopter onto the water.

               MEDIUM SHOT - SURF - THE TWO SURFERS

               out on the water on their boards, trying to surf.

                                     KILGORE (O.S.)
                              (through megaphone)
                         Okay, fellas, quit hiding.  Let's 
                         go, dickheads, take off.

               ANGLE ON KILGORE, HOLDING A MEGAPHONE

               watching the surfers.  JETS SCREAM overhead, FIRING CANNONS.  
               Helicopters wheel by carrying out wounded.

                                     WILLARD
                         Goddamnit!  Don't you think it's a 
                         little risky for R and R?

                                     KILGORE
                         If I say it's safe to surf this 
                         beach Captain, it's safe to surf 
                         this beach!  I mean, I'm not afraid 
                         to surf this place!  I'll surf 
                         this fucking place!

               He rips off his shirt and scarf.

                                     KILGORE
                              (to soldier)
                         Give me that R-T, soldier.
                              (into radio)
                         Dove Four, this is Big Duke Six.  
                         Goddamnit, I want that tree line 
                         bombed!

                                     BOMBER PILOT (OVER RADIO)
                         Big Duke Six, Roger.  Dove One-
                         Three, stand by.

                                     KILGORE (O.S.)
                              (into radio)
                         Bomb them into the stone age, son.

               He throws the R-T back to the soldier.  We SEE from among 
               the Vietnamese prisoners being herded, a woman running, 
               covered with blood, carrying a bloody baby.  She is trying 
               to offer it up to the colonel, but a soldier is dutifully 
               trying to keep away from him.

                                     SOLDIER
                         No, ma'am, no!

                                     KILGORE
                         Let me take care of this now.
                              (indicates soldier's 
                              rifle)
                         Get that out of here!

               Kilgore intercedes, pushing the soldier's rifle away.

                                     KILGORE
                              (to woman)
                         Come here, now.  All right.  Sorry, 
                         you can't go!

               He takes the wounded baby in his hands, tenderly, and calls 
               a soldier over.

                                     KILGORE
                         Jimmy!

               ANGLE ON "LOC" SPOTTER PLANE IN THE SKY

                                     LOC (OVER RADIO)
                         Hawk One-Two, Dove One-Three.  
                         They need some napalm down there.  
                         Can you put it there?

                                     FIGHTER PILOT (OVER RADIO)
                         Right, One-Three.  We're fixed to 
                         fuck with them.

                                     LOC (OVER RADIO)
                         Trying to suppress some mortar 
                         fire off the tree line down there.

                                     FIGHTER PILOT (OVER RADIO)
                         Roger.  Here we come.

                                     LOC (OVER RADIO)
                         Good.  Give it all you got and 
                         bring in all your ships.  Wing 
                         abreast.

                                     KILGORE
                              (to Jimmy)
                         Tell them to get my chopper, get 
                         back to the hospital.

               He hands the baby to the soldier.  Woman protests.

                                     KILGORE
                         No, no . You've got to go with 
                         him.  Go!  Go!
                              (to soldier)
                         Get it out of here!  And tell my 
                         guys I want my board!

                                     LOC (OVER RADIO)
                         Big Duke Six, this is Dove One-
                         Three.  The jets are inbound now.  
                         They got about thirty seconds to 
                         bomb station.  Get your people 
                         back.  This is gonna be a big one.

               Kilgore returns to Lance, who is cowering in a foxhole 
               with Willard.

                                     KILGORE
                         Don't worry.  We'll have this place 
                         cleaned up in a jiffy, son.  Give 
                         me those shorts.

               He turns to his aide, who hands him a pair of Air-Cav 
               trunks.

                                     KILGORE
                              (to Lance)
                         These are from the Air-Cav, a 
                         present from me and the boys.  I 
                         wanna see you do your stuff out 
                         there.

               Jets break the trees, we HEAR the EXPLOSIONS of 20mm 
               CANNONS, and then the entire tree line ERUPTS INTO FIRE 
               with an immense amount of napalm.

               Kilgore stands there, hands on hips, looking at the burning 
               jungle in the distance.

                                     KILGORE
                         You smell that?  Do you smell that?

                                     LANCE
                         What?

                                     KILGORE
                              (pointing to trees)
                         Napalm, son.  Nothing else in the 
                         world smells like that.
                              (crouches down)
                         I love the smell of napalm in the 
                         morning.  You know, one time we 
                         had a hill bombed for twelve 
                         hours...and when it was all over, 
                         I walked up.  We didn't find one 
                         of them, not one stinking dink 
                         body.  The smell, you know that 
                         gasoline smell?  The whole hill-
                         smelled like-victory.

               He looks of nostalgically.  A shell comes in and HITS in 
               the background.  Willard and the soldiers react; Kilgore 
               ignores it.

                                     KILGORE
                         Someday this war's gonna end.

               A tremendous sadness enveloping him.  The he stands up and 
               walks off.  Willard turns and looks toward him.  He 
               understands what the colonel is saying to him.

               ANGLE - KILGORE - WALKING OUT TOWARD THE SURF

               Suddenly he senses something.  He stops, lifts his hand-
               then licks his fingers and puts then in the air.

                                     KILGORE
                              (to Lance)
                         Lance!  The wind!  The Wind!  It's 
                         blowing onshore!  It's gonna blow 
                         this place out.  It's gonna ruin 
                         it!

               Sure enough, there is a rushing breeze that increases.

                                     LANCE
                         Not cool!

                                     KILGORE
                         It's the goddamn napalm, that's 
                         what's doing it!

                                     WILLARD
                         I'm really sorry, Colonel, but I'm 
                         afraid that does it.  The kid's 
                         got a reputation.  You can't expect 
                         him to surf those sloppy waves.

                                     KILGORE
                         I understand what you're saying.

                                     LANCE
                         Yeah, I'm an artist, Bill.  I 
                         couldn't surf that  crap.

               MEDIUM VIEW - KILGORE, WILLARD, LANCE

               Willard calmly goes about picking up Lance's clothes as 
               Kilgore apologizes to Lance for the conditions.

                                     KILGORE
                         Look, I apologize.  It's not my 
                         fault.  The waves are getting blown 
                         out by the napalm.  It's the bombs 
                         causing a vortex with the wind.

                                     LANCE
                         I accept your apology.

                                     KILGORE
                         Hang around just twenty minutes.

                                     WILLARD
                         Some other time, Bill.

                                     KILGORE
                         Just twenty minutes!

               Willard grabs Lance and walks him away from Kilgore.

                                     LANCE
                         I'm an artist!

                                     WILLARD
                              (to Lance)
                         Keep walking.

               Kilgore takes the megaphone.

                                     KILGORE
                              (into megaphone to 
                              surfers)
                         Let's give it a try, guys.  One 
                         goes left and one goes right.
                              (to Lance)
                         Look, Lance...

               Lance and Willard keep walking, fast.

                                     WILLARD
                         You through surfing?  Wanna say 
                         good-bye to the colonel?

                                     LANCE
                         No!

                                     WILLARD
                         You sure?

                                     LANCE
                         Yeah!

                                     WILLARD
                         Then let's get the fuck out of 
                         here!

               Kilgore is left frantic on the beach with his megaphone.

                                     KILGORE
                              (calling to them)
                         Lance, it's the fucking napalm!  
                         Just wait twenty minutes!  Fuck!

               Willard and Lance run like hell toward the PBR in the 
               distance.  In his frustration, Kilgore throws the megaphone 
               in the air and wanders off.

               AT THE PBR

               The crew help Willard and Lance climb onto the boat.  
               Suddenly Willard sees something and stops.  In a pile of 
               equipment that the Hueys left are two surfboards-willard 
               looks at them.

                                     WILLARD
                              (to PBR)
                         Don't leave without me!

                                     CLEAN
                         Where the fuck are you going?

               He runs to the copter where Kilgore's surfboard is attached.

                                     WILLARD
                         Incoming!

               All the soldiers at the copter duck and during that moment, 
               Willard snatches the colonel's surfboard.  A soldier tries 
               to stop him.

                                     SOLDIER
                         That's the colonel's surfboard!

                                     WILLARD
                         Get the fuck off me!  It's mine!

               He rushes back to the boat, handing the board up to Clean, 
               and scampers aboard.  Clean stuffs the board in the stern.  
               The boat turns, ENGINES RUNNING HARD AND ROARS OFF toward 
               the deeper water of the river.

               MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT - WILLARD

               On the bow: laughing, exhausted, feeling satisfied with 
               himself.

               EXT. VILLAGE - DAY

               The PBR passes the burned-out village, through the destroyed 
               bridge, and heads out toward the river.

               EXT. PBR - DAY

               The crew relaxing.  Clean sits down next to Chef, who is 
               rolling a joint.

                                     CLEAN
                         Chef, light up, man.  Come on, 
                         let's get high.

                                     CHEF
                              (to Lance)
                         Wanna smoke?

                                     CLEAN
                         Light up.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         Someday this war's gonna end.  
                         That'd be just fine with the boys 
                         on the boat.  They weren't looking 
                         for anything more than a way home.

                                     CHEF
                         Captain?

               Chef offers the joint to Willard.  He waves it off.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         Trouble is, I'd been back 
                         there...and I knew that it just 
                         didn't exist anymore.

                                     LANCE
                              (to group)
                         Buddha time.

               The crew shares the joint.

                                     CLEAN
                         All right.  That's grass.  That's 
                         shit.

               Willard pours himself a drink from a bottle.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         If that's how Kilgore fought the 
                         war...I began to wonder what they 
                         really had against Kurtz.  It wasn't 
                         just insanity and murder.  There 
                         was enough of that to go around 
                         for everybody.

               EXT. RIVER - FULL SHOT - THE BOAT - DUSK

               It is parked, hidden under some trees along the riverbank.

                                     CHEF (O.S.)
                         I'm not here...I'm walking through 
                         the jungle gathering mangos, and I 
                         meet Raquel Welch.  I can male 
                         nice mango cream pudding.  You 
                         know, kind of spread it around on 
                         us...

               Chef is lying on his back, his eyes closed.  Lance is 
               standing on the riverbank next to the PBR.  He is taking a 
               leak.  He finishes, then turns and squats next to a blue 
               bucket and starts washing his Air-Cav trunks.

                                     CHEF
                         ...See, she's into mangoes, too.  
                         She's like one limb above me.  
                         We're both in the jungle here, 
                         nude.

               We HEAR a helicopter coming toward the vicinity of the 
               boat.  The wind begins to hit the trees and boat.

                                     CLEAN
                              (to Chief)
                         Hey, Chief?  Here comes that colonel 
                         guy again.

               The SOUND of the helicopter gets closer...and an 
               indistinguishable language on a loudspeaker.  Lance gathers 
               his bucket and soap and jumps up on the PBR.

                                     KILGORE (OVER P.A.)
                         "I will not harm or hurt you.  
                         Just give me back the board, Lance.  
                         It was a good board and I like it.  
                         You know how hard it is to find a 
                         board that you like."

               The helicopter drones on into the distance-the same speech 
               starts again farther off-finally the noise ceases.

                                     CHEF
                         Determined motherfucker, ain't he?  
                         Cock-sucker!

               Willard snaps off a salute at the passing copter.  It 
               disappears into the distance.

                                     CLEAN
                         Jesus Christ.  That guy's too 
                         fucking much, man.

                                     LANCE
                         Do you think he would've shot us?

                                     WILLARD
                         He would've shot us on the beach, 
                         or if he saw me taking his board.

                                     CLEAN
                              (singing)
                         Let's go surfing now, Everybody's 
                         learning how..

                                     LANCE
                         Let's get this board out of my 
                         turret.

                                     CLEAN
                         Sucker.

                                     LANCE
                         Come on, how am I gonna shoot him 
                         the next time he comes around?

                                     WILLARD
                         Hey, Chef, make some room back 
                         there for the board.

               They stow the board in the back of the boat, hiding it.

                                     CHIEF
                         I wonder if that's the same chopper.

                                     WILLARD
                         Hell, he's probably got them all 
                         over the river with that recording.  
                         We'll have to hold up here till 
                         dark, Chief.
                              (to Lance)
                         Don't worry Lance, he won't follow 
                         us too far.

                                     LANCE
                         What makes you say that?

                                     WILLARD
                         You think that Cav colonel wants 
                         everyone up river to know we stole 
                         his board?

                                     LANCE
                         I didn't steak it!

               Willard laughs, lights up a cigarette.

                                     CHIEF
                         Captain?  Just how far up this 
                         river are we going?

                                     WILLARD
                         That's classified, Chief.  I can't 
                         tell you.  We're going up pretty 
                         far.

                                     CLEAN
                         Is it gonna be hairy?

                                     WILLARD
                         I don't know, kid.  Yeah, probably.

                                     CHIEF
                         You like it like that, Captain?  
                         When it's hot, hairy?

                                     WILLARD
                         Fuck.
                              (a beat)
                         Maybe you'll get a chance to know 
                         what the fuck you are in some 
                         factory in Ohio.

               Chef steps forward with a plastic bucket.

                                     CHEF
                         Hey, Chief, I'm gonna go get those 
                         mangoes now, okay?

                                     CHIEF
                         Take somebody with you.

                                     WILLARD
                         I'll go with him.

               He turns and follows Chef off the PBR.  They climb up the 
               bank, away from the boat, into the jungle.

               EXT. JUNGLE - MEDIUM VIEW - DUSK

               Chef and Willard cautiously walk through the dark 
               underbrush.  We SEE fragments of them, LOSE then 
               occasionally, and just MOVE through the jungle.  WE HEAR 
               this conversation throughout:

                                     WILLARD
                         Chef?

                                     CHEF
                         Yes, sir.

                                     WILLARD
                         How come they call you that?

                                     CHEF
                         Call me what, sir?

                                     WILLARD
                         Chef.  'Cause you like mangoes and 
                         stuff?

                                     CHEF
                         No, sir.  I'm a real chef.  I'm a 
                         saucier.

                                     WILLARD
                         Saucier?

                                     CHEF
                         Yes, sir.  See, I come from New 
                         Orleans.  I was raised to be a 
                         saucier.  A great saucier.

                                     WILLARD
                         What's a saucier?

                                     CHEF
                         We specialize in sauces.  Gotta be 
                         a mango tree here somewhere...Then, 
                         I was supposed to go to Paris, to 
                         the Escoffier School.  But then I 
                         got orders for my physical.

               As they move deeper into the jungle.

                                     CHEF
                         Well, I joined the navy.  Heard 
                         they had better food.  Cook school, 
                         that did it.

                                     WILLARD
                         Oh, yeah?  How's that?

               Chef puts down his bucket and rifle, takes a leak.  Willard 
               takes a few steps farther in the jungle and then sits by 
               him on a log.

                                     CHEF
                         You don't wanna hear about that.  
                         They lined us up in front of a 
                         hundred yards of prime rib.  All 
                         of us, you know, looking at it?  
                         Magnificent.  Magnifique.  Next 
                         thing, they're throwing the meat 
                         into these big cauldrons.

               Willard has heard something in the jungle during this 
               explanation.  He becomes alert.

                                     CHEF
                         All of it.  Boiling it.  I looked 
                         inside, man, it was turning grey.  
                         I couldn't fucking believe that 
                         one!  That's when I applied for 
                         radioman's school, but they-

               Chef looks up, seeing Willard standing a distance away, 
               poised with his rifle.  Willard signals to him to come 
               cautiously.  He motions to Chef to move with him, each 
               covering the other.  They walk a few yards from where they 
               have heard something move.

                                     CHEF
                         What is it?  Charlie?

               MEDIUM SHOT - PANNING - WILLARD

               moving through the jungle cautiously, he is comfortable in 
               this environment.  He signals and directs his way very 
               expertly, giving silent instructions to Chef on how to 
               move with him.

               They seem to have the intruder localized and proceed very 
               quietly toward where he is.

               MEDIUM SHOT - THE ELEPHANT GRASS - WILLARD AND CHEF

               Suddenly the grass folds almost to Willard, and a huge 
               TIGER leaps out at them, snarling magnificently.  They 
               fire wildly, emptying their clips.

                                     CHEF
                         It's a motherfucking tiger!  It's 
                         a tiger, man!  A tiger!

               He turns and bolts through the jungle, as scared as a man 
               can be.

                                     CHEF
                         Motherfucking tiger!

               Willard backs out of the clearing, covering the bushes and 
               runs, scared out of his head as well.  They fire their 
               M16s indiscriminately running back to the boat, screaming.

               FULL SHOT - THE BOAT

               The crew is armed.  They've heard the screaming.  Lance 
               has the twin fifties pointed into the jungle.  Chef comes 
               screaming out of the brush.  Throws his rifle in the boat 
               and dives headfirst after it.

                                     CHIEF
                         Battle stations.  Lance, up front.  
                         Get on your sixty, Clean.

                                     CHEF
                         Fucking tiger!

                                     CLEAN
                         Let's go!

                                     CHEF
                         Chief, you were right.  Never get 
                         out of the fucking boat!

                                     CHIEF
                         Clean, bring that 60 forward.

                                     CHEF
                         Never get out of the boat!  I gotta 
                         remember!  Gotta remember!  Never 
                         get out of the boat!

                                     CHIEF
                         How many is it?

                                     CHEF
                         A fucking tiger!

                                     CLEAN
                         What?

                                     CHEF
                         Tiger!

                                     CHIEF
                         Tiger?

                                     CHEF
                              (going berserk)
                         I'm done with this goddamn fucking 
                         shit!  You can kiss my ass on the 
                         county square, because I'm fucking 
                         bugging out!  I don't fucking need 
                         it!  I didn't get on the goddamn A 
                         train for this kind of shit!  All 
                         I wanted to do is fucking cook!  I 
                         just wanted to learn to fucking 
                         cook, man!

               The others try to calm him down.

                                     LANCE
                         You're all right.  You're all right.

                                     CHEF
                         All right.  It's gonna be all right.  
                         It's gonna be all right.  Never 
                         get out of the boat.  'Bye, tiger!  
                         'Bye tiger!

               The boat pulls away as he continues ranting about the tiger.

               CLOSE ON WILLARD

               Looking back into the jungle.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         Never get out of the boat.  
                         Absolutely goddamn right.  Unless 
                         you were going all the way.

               EXT. RIVER - THE PBR - NIGHT

               The PBR moves down the dark, silent river through the night.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         Kurtz got off the boat.  He split 
                         from the whole fucking program.  
                         How did that happen?  What did he 
                         see here that first tour?

               Willard lights a cigarette and holds a flashlight as he 
               looks at the dossier.  As he speaks we see CLOSE SHOTS on 
               the newspaper articles, letters, and photos.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         Thirty-eight fucking years old.  
                         If you joined the green berets, 
                         there was no way you'd ever get 
                         above colonel.  Kurtz knew what he 
                         was giving up.  The more I read 
                         and began to understand, the more 
                         I admired him.  His family and 
                         friends couldn't understand it.  
                         And they couldn't talk him out of 
                         it.  He had to apply three times, 
                         and he put up with a ton of shit, 
                         but when he threatened to resign, 
                         they gave it to him.  The next 
                         youngest guy in his class was half 
                         his age.  They must've thought he 
                         was some far-out man humping it 
                         over the course.  I did it when I 
                         was nineteen, it damn near wasted 
                         me.  A tough motherfucker.  He 
                         finished it.  He could've gone for 
                         general, but he went for himself 
                         instead.

               MEDIUM VIEW - OF THE PBR

               gliding up the river.  Chef is sitting in the back of the 
               boat, writing a letter.  He is using a flashlight to see 
               by, as he reads to himself outloud as he writes.

                                     CHEF
                              (writing letter)
                         Dear Eva.  Today was really a new 
                         one.  Almost got eaten by a fucking 
                         tiger.  Really un-fucking 
                         believable, you know?  We're taking 
                         this guy, Captain Willard, up river, 
                         but he hasn't told us yet where 
                         we're taking him...

               Clean is at the helm, singing to himself, the Chief is 
               sleeping.  Willard looks at an article about Kurtz in a 
               magazine.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         October, 1967.  On special 
                         assignment, Kontoom Province, Two-
                         Corps...Kurtz staged Operation 
                         Archangel with combined local 
                         forces.  Rated a major success.  
                         He received no official clearance.  
                         He just thought it up and did it.  
                         What balls.  They were going to 
                         nail his ass to the floorboards 
                         for that one.  But after the press 
                         got a hold of it, they promoted 
                         him to full colonel instead.  Oh, 
                         man, the bullshit piled up so fast 
                         in Vietnam, you needed wings to 
                         stay above it.

               Suddenly, from around a bend, the boat is illuminated by a 
               strange artificial light.  Lance and Chief are awakened.  
               Willard reacts as he looks out toward the light.  It becomes 
               brighter and brighter as they move closer.

               WHAT THEY SEE:

               EXT. HAU PHAT - FULL VIEW - NIGHT

               The PBR goes by the base, tents, oil drums, sandbagged 
               bunkers, etc., but the biggest surprise of all is a huge 
               oval STAGE built in the water, lit by banks of lights.  
               Preparations for some sort of show are in progress.

               They all react, incredulous, as the PBR pulls into the bay 
               and up to the dock.

                                     CLEAN
                         This sure enough is a bizarre sight 
                         in the middle of all this shit.

                                     CHIEF
                              (to Willard)
                         Expecting us this time?

                                     WILLARD
                         Damned if I know.

               It looks like an amusement park, with strings of lights, 
               etc.

                                     CHEF
                         Jesus Christ...

               EXT. SUPPLY DOCK AREA - NIGHT

               The supply docks of this base.  Tents, oil drums, sandbagged 
               bunkers, helicopters, tanks, guns, and men.  As they walk, 
               Chef and Clean stop a moment and look at a group of 
               motorcycles.  The dock is crowded with all kinds of goods, 
               freezers, refrigerators, etc., all the nonessentials for 
               fighting a war.

                                     CLEAN
                         Hau Phat.  You ever been up here 
                         before, Chef?

                                     CHEF
                         I bet you could score up here.

                                     CLEAN
                         Yo, man, check out the bikes, man.  
                         Yamaha, Suzuki.

                                     CHEF
                         That's a good one.

                                     CLEAN
                         Yeah, Sukiyaki.

               Willard moves on, Chef and Clean catch up with him.

                                     CLEAN
                         This must be the guy.

                                     WILLARD
                         Right over there.

               Willard and the men approach a harried SERGEANT at a 
               requisition desk, filling out papers, answering questions, 
               shouting out orders to the frenetic activity around him.  
               There are soldiers scurrying back and forth, loading and 
               unloading supplies.  They constantly interrupt the sergeant 
               with their questions.

               Chef and Clean stop in front of the sergeant.

                                     CLEAN
                         Three drums of diesel fuel, PBR-
                         Five...

                                     SERGEANT
                         Move!  We have one hour, that's 
                         all!
                              (to Clean)
                         What do you want?

                                     CHEF
                         Can I get some Panama Red?

                                     SERGEANT
                         Panama Red?  Yeah, I'll get you 
                         Panama Red.

                                     CLEAN
                         Sergeant.

                                     SERGEANT
                         Destination?

                                     CLEAN
                         I don't have a destination.

                                     SERGEANT
                         You can't get a goddamn thing 
                         without a destination.

               Willard steps in.

                                     WILLARD
                         Sergeant.

                                     SERGEANT
                         I need a destination.  I can't do 
                         a goddamn thing about it.

                                     WILLARD
                         Hey, Sarge, these guys are with 
                         me.  Destination classified.  I 
                         carry priority papers from Com-Sec 
                         Intelligence, II Corps.

                                     SERGEANT
                         Listen, sir, it's a real big night-
                              (to another soldier)
                         Eight dollars for that camera-

               With unexpected rage, Willard suddenly reaches up and grabs 
               the Sergeant by the collar, pulling him down across a table, 
               really frightening him.  Everybody is quite surprised.

                                     WILLARD
                         Just give them some fuel.

                                     SERGEANT
                         You got it.

               Willard lets go of the sergeant, almost embarrassed for 
               the show of temper.  The sergeant goes back behind his 
               desk and starts signing papers.

                                     SERGEANT
                         Listen, Captain...I'm really sorry 
                         about tonight.  It's really bad 
                         around here.  Just take this over 
                         to the man at the supply desk and 
                         you got it.

               He tears off a requisition and hands it to one of the trio.

                                     SERGEANT
                              (to crew)
                         Listen, would you guys like some 
                         press box seats for the show?  You 
                         want those?  The show, man, out 
                         here.  The bunnies.

                                     LANCE
                         The Playboy bunnies?

               The sergeant finally leaves the trio, grabs a bottle of 
               cognac, and moves to Willard.  Hands him the bottle.

                                     SERGEANT
                         Hey, listen, Captain...on the house.  
                         No hard feelings.

               Willard looks down at the bottle in his hand and then up 
               at the stage.

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               The SOUND of ENGINES is heard.  A HUEY and TWO LOCHES 
               descend from the clouds.  The Loches hover and circle, 
               while the Huey descends onto the platform stage.  There is 
               a large black-and-white PLAYBOY INSIGNIA painted on the 
               nose.

               EXT. STAGE - FULL SHOT - NIGHT

               The entire area around the stage and right up to the barbed 
               wire is mobbed with hundreds of seething American men.  
               Some of these boys have just gotten here, others have been 
               in the jungle for months.  It's the Vietnam military version 
               of a happening.  Guys from all walks of life, from the 
               cities, guys with flowers in their hair and peace signs 
               around their necks, other guys with their short-time sticks 
               and war medallions around their necks.  Black G.I.s 
               congregate together with their clenched-fist black power 
               medallions.  There are signs and posters and graffiti 
               everywhere.  Some guys have guitars, everyone seems to 
               have a camera.  Rummaging, sitting, waiting expectantly, 
               before the enormous stage, which is protected by rings of 
               concertina wire, a moat, and M.P.s every three feet at 
               riot control positions.  Many joints and pipes are being 
               passed around.  Snapshots are being taken.  It has a strong 
               resemblance to a love-in or even Woodstock.  Except that 
               they're all in various degrees of combat fatigues, and 
               they're all men.

               CHEF, CLEAN, LANCE, WILLARD AND THE CHIEF move down an 
               aisle to their seats.  It is through WILLARD'S EYES that 
               we see this spectacle, bad every so often we will see an 
               enthusiastic Lance, Chef, and Clean.  The Chief remains 
               noncommittal, and somewhat bored.  To the others, it's a 
               wonder of wonders.

               Over by the dock, behind the chain-link fence, there is a 
               group of VIETNAMESE who have gathered to watch the show.  
               They have brought rice, food, etc. They will watch and 
               react throughout, along with the American soldiers who are 
               standing guard in front of them.

               VIEW ON THE STAGE

               The Playboy copter descends onto the stage.  The door of 
               the Huey slides open and TWO YOUNG GREEN BERETS step out 
               with their M16s to varied CATCALLS.  When this abates, a 
               young and extremely well-dressed man emerges.  He is the 
               epitome of the Hollywood agent.  He's informal, high-strung, 
               and good at what he does.  His presence causes some stirring 
               and occasional shouts of "ripoff" from the men.  He gets a 
               microphone from the stage, then walks to the front and 
               addresses the men.

                                     AGENT
                         How you doing out there?
                              (beat and reaction)
                         I said how you doing out there?
                              (beat and reaction)
                         Wanna say hello to you from all of 
                         us up here, to all of you out there, 
                         who work so goddamn hard on 
                         Operation Brute Force.  Hello, all 
                         you Paratroopers out there!  And 
                         the Marines!  And the Sailors!  We 
                         wanna let you know that we're proud 
                         of you, 'cause we know how tough 
                         and how hard it's been!  Yeah!  
                         And to prove it, we're gonna give 
                         you some entertainment we know 
                         you're gonna like!

               The band starts its rock 'n' roll amp, playing the Creedence 
               Clearwater Revival rendition of "Suzy Q".

                                     AGENT
                         Miss August, Miss Sandra Beatty!  
                         Miss Nay, Miss Terri Tersay!  And 
                         the Playmate of the year, Miss 
                         Carrie Foster!

               Two very beautiful PLAYMATES in exotic, brief costumes 
               come out of the helicopter.  They are TERRI and SANDRA, 
               and they start swaying to the music.

                                     SANDRA
                         Hello, out there!

               The two playmates jump down and dance to the front of the 
               stage.  The G.I.s go crazy and the girls dance their erotic 
               dance.  In the meantime.  The two Green Berets at the 
               helicopter help out the PLAYMATE OF THE YEAR, CARRIE FOSTER.

               The Berets carry the Playmate out on their rifles to the 
               center of the stage, and put here down.  She dances forward 
               and joins the other two girls and the front.  Carrie is 
               dressed in a Western outfit.  They all dance to "Suzy Q".

               VIEW OF THE CROWD

               Appropriately, they go wild.

                                     MARINE
                         I'm here, baby!  I'm here!

                                     LANCE
                              (to Terri)
                         You fucking bitch!

               MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT - THE AGENT

               Looking at little worried.

               ANGLE ON WILLARD AND THE CHIEF

               watching the spectacle.  Willard takes a drink from the 
               bottle that was given to him by the supply sergeant.

               HIS POV

               The three Playmates going through all their gyrations.

               MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT - WILLARD

               Reacting, shaking his head.  Chef, Lance, and Clean all 
               think it's fantastic.

               VIEW ON THE CROWD

               Audience continues to react as the three Playmates sway 
               and hump.  Fights are breaking out.  Some of the G.I.s 
               pull out centerfolds of the three girls from under their 
               uniforms.

                                     MARINE
                         Sign my centerfold!

               He leaps madly, climbing up on the stage.  Other guys start 
               to follow him.  The M.P.s try to stop them but to no avail.  
               Before you know it, a mba is storming the stage.

               VIEW ON AGENT

               Knows the show is over.

                                     AGENT
                              (to Pilot)
                         Start her up.
                              (to M.P.s)
                         Get the girls!  Let's go!
                              (to crowd)
                         So long!

               The Playmates are helped back into the helicopter.  The 
               rotors whine and the Huey lifts off just as the first of 
               the enthusiast mob reaches it.  The agent sets off a smoke 
               bomb to disperse the crowd.  Some guys are even hanging 
               onto the skids of the helicopter.  They finally let go and 
               fall into the water below, as the helicopter flies away.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         Charlie didn't get much U.S.O. He 
                         was dug in too deep or moving too 
                         fast.  His idea of great R and R 
                         was cold rice, and a little rat 
                         meat.  He had only two ways home-
                         death, or victory.

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               EXT. HAU PHAT - DAY

               As the PBR pulls away from the Hau Phat area, Willard looks 
               back at the clean-up operations, a helicopter hovers over 
               the littered area, shirtless men sweep and mop up the stage, 
               burn trash; others dismantle the floating lights.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         No wonder Kurtz put a weed up 
                         Command's ass.  The war was being 
                         run by a bunch of four-star clowns, 
                         who were gonna end up giving the 
                         whole circus away.

               EXT. PBR - DAY

               Chief is steering the boat.  Chef is looking at a Playboy 
               magazine centerfold of Terri.

                                     CHEF
                         You know, man, that was far fucking 
                         out.  I collected every picture of 
                         her since she was Miss December.
                              (showing Clean the 
                              centerfold)
                         Hey, Clean, look at that.  She was 
                         here, man!  I even wrote to the 
                         cunt.  She didn't write me back.

                                     CLEAN
                         You can get really hung up on these 
                         broads, like that cat in the delta.

                                     CHEF
                         Yeah.  What cat?

               As Clean talks, Chef tears the centerfold out of his 
               Playboy, then kneels down by the bulkhead in back of the 
               wheel.  He tapes the centerfold onto the bulkhead.

                                     CLEAN
                         The one that went up for murder?  
                         He was an army Sergeant.  This 
                         cat, he really dug his Playboy, 
                         man.

               As he continues, Lance moves to the back of the boat and 
               starts unwrapping the plastic from his new water skis.

                                     CLEAN
                         I mean, this cat, when the thing 
                         arrived, he was there to meet it, 
                         man!

                                     CHEF
                              (indicating photo)
                         Look at these beautiful fucking 
                         jugs, man!

                                     CLEAN
                         Anyway, he was working ARVN patrols, 
                         had one of them cocky gook asshole 
                         lieutenants, and one day the gook 
                         took his magazine and wouldn't 
                         give it back!  Cat said "Gimme my 
                         magazine back!"  Good said, "You 
                         shut up.  I have you court-
                         martialed", you know?

                                     CHEF
                         Typical fucking ARVN, man.

                                     CLEAN
                         The gook went too far.

                                     CHIEF
                         Chef, take the wheel.

               Chef takes the wheel of the boat as the Chief moves back 
               and starts brushing his teeth.  Lance continues to unwrap 
               his skis.

                                     CLEAN
                         Sticking pinholes and mutilating 
                         the centerfold and shit like that.  
                         And the sergeant said, "You better 
                         not do that to her.  You leave 
                         your shitty little gook hands off 
                         of that girl!"  Gook say, "Fuck 
                         you!"  In Vietnamese, right?  
                         Sergeant, man, he just couldn't 
                         handle it no more.  He just picked 
                         up his iron-

               He picks up an M16 rifle to demonstrate.

                                     CLEAN
                         -flipped it to rock 'n' roll and 
                         boom!  Gave that little zero a 
                         long burst straight through the 
                         Playboy mag.  It blew his ass clear 
                         out off the dock.  There wasn't no 
                         more lieutenant that day.  That 
                         was it for his ass.

                                     CHEF
                         They burn him for it?

                                     CLEAN
                         The sergeant?  Yeah, man.  They 
                         stuck his ass in the L.B.J. It's 
                         too bad he didn't get no medals or 
                         nothing.

               He puts the rifle back in the rack.  Disappears down the 
               hole of the ship.  They all shake their heads at the cruel 
               injustice of life.

                                     CHEF
                         Fucking ARVN, man.  They should've 
                         killed the fuck.  Should've given 
                         that fucker a Silver Star.  Bummer 
                         for the gook, though, ain't it?

               EXT. RIVER - THE PBR - DAY

               We HEAR a radio station playing.  Willard is seated looking 
               through the dossier, documents from the C.I.A.

                                     RADIO HOST (OVER RADIO)
                         Good morning, Vietnam.  I'm Army 
                         Specialist Zack Johnson on A.M.N.V. 
                         It's about eighty-two degrees in 
                         downtown Saigon right now, also 
                         very humid...

               Clean is standing on the front of the boat, he has a small 
               transistor radio in his hand.

                                     RADIO HOST (OVER RADIO)
                         ...and we have an important message 
                         for all G.I.s who are living offbase 
                         from the mayor of Saigon.  He's 
                         like you to hand the laundry up 
                         indoors, instead of the windowsills.  
                         The major wants you to keep Saigon 
                         beautiful.  And now, here's another 
                         blast from the past going out to 
                         Big Sam, who's all alone out there 
                         with the First Battalion, 35th 
                         Infantry, and dedicated by the 
                         Fire Team and their groovy C.O. 
                         The Rolling Stones, "Satisfaction."

               The music comes on, Clean starts dancing, keeping time to 
               "Satisfaction." The others cheer him.

                                     CHEF
                         Work out, Clean!  Get down, bubba!
                              (to Lance)
                         Hang on, Lance!

               We SEE that Lance is water-skiing behind the PBR, waving 
               to the guys.

                                     CLEAN
                              (dancing)
                         Can you dig it, man?  Can you dig 
                         it?
                              (to Chef)
                         I see you're right on target.
                              (to group)
                         Work out!  Yeah!  Yeah!

               The boat passes a Vietnamese fishing boat, capsizing it in 
               its wake.

               VIEW ON WILLARD

               He's found himself in a corner in the boat.  He looks to 
               the front where Clean is moving and dancing to the MUSIC, 
               to the rear where Lance is water-skiing, and looks down to 
               his dossier, with its odd assortment of photographs, 
               reports, and letters.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         "Commitment and Counterinsurgency" 
                         by Walter E. Kurtz.  "As long as 
                         our officers and troops perform 
                         tours of duty limited to one year, 
                         they will remain dilettantes in 
                         war, and tourists in Vietnam.  As 
                         long as cold beer, hot food, rock 
                         'n' roll, and all the other 
                         amenities remain expected norm, 
                         our conduct of the war will only 
                         gain impotence.  We need fewer 
                         men, and better.  If they were 
                         committed, this war could be won 
                         with a fourth of our present force."

               FULL SHOT - THE PBR CREW

               The Chief is at the helm.  He takes off his sunglasses and 
               looks straight ahead, reacting.

               HIS POV:

               Two PBR's coming straight at them.  The lead PBR is headed 
               on a collision course.

                                     CLEAN
                         Shit.  Chicken time.  You ain't 
                         shittin', bro. They're 
                         motherfuckers.

                                     LANCE
                         Who is that?  What's going on?

               All are looking forward.  The Chief grabs the loud-hailer.

                                     CHIEF
                              (over loud-hailer)
                         Is that you, Lazzaro?

                                     CHEF
                              (to Chief)
                         Don't chicken out.

               The lead PBR keeps coming on in a game of "chicken," the 
               rock music blaring from its speakers.  Then it swerves at 
               the last possible moment and fishtails past.  One of its 
               CREWMEN moons our crew.  Lance, Chef, and Clean shout back 
               and give them the finger.

                                     LOUDSPEAKER
                         Chicken!

               The other PBR fishtails past also, causing a lot of 
               turbulence in the water.  The crew gives our boys the 
               finger, then one of them throws a SMOKE BOMB.  It lands on 
               the canopy.

               The smoke bomb spews out its YELLOW SMOKE, and suddenly 
               the canopy catches on fire.

                                     CHIEF
                         Fire on the canopy!

               Chef grabs a fire extinguisher and tries to snuff the fire 
               out.

                                     CHEF
                         I got it!  Get out of there!

               Chief keeps roaring down the river as the others continue 
               to fight the fire.  Finally they get it out . Willard stands 
               there, dumbfounded, and reacting, as we:

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               EXT. RIVER - THE PBR - DAY

               The PBR continues down the river.  Lance gives a handful 
               of palm leaves to Chef, who is sitting up on top of the 
               canvas roof, trying to patch up the hole that was caused 
               by the fire.  Clean has a pair of drumsticks and is beating 
               out a drum rhythm, really getting into it.

               Willard studies the dossier; some photos and Vietnamese 
               I.D. cards.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         Late summer, autumn 1968.  Kurtz's 
                         patrol into the highlands is coming 
                         under frequent bush.  The camp 
                         started falling apart.  November.  
                         Kurtz orders assassinations of 
                         three Vietnamese men and one woman.  
                         Two of the men were colonels in 
                         the South Vietnamese Army.  Enemy 
                         activity in his old sector dropped 
                         off to nothing.  Guess he must 
                         have hit the right four people.

               INSERT - BLACK & WHITE PHOTO OF THE GENERAL

                                     GENERAL (O.S.)
                              (to Willard)
                         He joined the Special Forces, and 
                         after that he...

               BACK TO WILLARD

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         The army tried one last time to 
                         bring him back into the fold.  And 
                         if he'd pulled over, it would have 
                         been forgotten.

                                     GENERAL (V.O.)
                         ...unsound.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         But he kept going.  And he kept 
                         winning it his way.

                                     GENERAL (V.O.)
                              (to Willard)
                         ...with this Montagnard army of 
                         his.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         And they called me in.

                                     GENERAL (V.O.)
                              (to Willard)
                         ...like a god, and follow every 
                         order, however ridiculous.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         They lost him.  He was gone.  
                         Nothing but rumors and random 
                         intelligence, mostly from captured 
                         V.C. The V.C. knew his name by 
                         now, and they were scared of him.  
                         He and his men were playing hit 
                         and run all the way into Cambodia.

               Clean's drum rhythm is annoying Willard.  He puts a map 
               back into his dossier, rises, and looks at Clean, pissed, 
               then looks to the Chief.

                                     CHIEF
                         Clean.

               Clean stops drumming, moves away.

                                     WILLARD
                              (to Chief)
                         How long has that kid been on this 
                         boat?

                                     CHIEF
                         Seven months.

                                     WILLARD
                         He's really specializing in busting 
                         my balls.

                                     CHIEF
                         Very possibly, Captain, he thinks 
                         the same of you.

               Willard moves over to Chief.

                                     WILLARD
                         Oh, yeah?  What do you think, Chief?

               ANGLE ON CLEAN

               Clean gives Willard the finger behind his back.

                                     CHIEF
                         I don't think.  My orders say I'm 
                         not supposed to know where I'm 
                         taking this boat, so I don't.  But 
                         one look at you and I know it's 
                         gonna be hot, wherever it is.

               Willard comes into the cabin, looks at the Chief.

                                     WILLARD
                         We're going up river, about seventy-
                         five clicks about the Do Lung 
                         bridge.

               The Chief reacts, figuring it out almost immediately.

                                     CHIEF
                         That's Cambodia, Captain.

                                     WILLARD
                         That's classified.  We're not 
                         supposed to be in Cambodia, but 
                         that's where I'm going.  You just 
                         get me close to my destination, 
                         and I'll cut you loose.

                                     CHIEF
                         All right, Captain.

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               EXT. RIVER - THE PBR - DAY

               The PBR moves down the river.  Willard is studying the 
               dossier, holding a LETTER from Kurtz to his son.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                              (reading letter)
                         "Dear Son.  I'm afraid that both 
                         you and your mother will have 
                         worried at not hearing from me 
                         during the past weeks, but my 
                         situation here has become a 
                         difficult one.  I have been 
                         officially accused of murder by 
                         the army.  The alleged victims 
                         were four Vietnamese double agents.  
                         We spent months uncovering then 
                         and accumulating evidence.  When 
                         absolute proof was completed, we 
                         acted.  We acted like soldiers.  
                         The charges are unjustified.  They 
                         are, in fact, and under the 
                         circumstances of this conflict, 
                         quite completely insane."

               The boat moves past some DEAD AMERICAN PILOTS.  Their bodies 
               are lying in the water, on the bank, and in the trees, all 
               torn apart and bloody.  There is smoke and debris all 
               around.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                              (continuing reading 
                              letter)
                         "In a war, there are many moments 
                         for compassion and tender action.  
                         There are many moments for ruthless 
                         action.  What is often called 
                         ruthless, but may, in many 
                         circumstances, be only clarity.  
                         Seeing clearly what there is to be 
                         done, and doing it directly, 
                         quickly, awake.

               They come upon a burning helicopter, which has crashed in 
               one of the trees on the shore.  This explains the dead 
               American bodies.  The Chief picks up the radio phone, 
               calling to headquarters.

                                     CHIEF (OVER TAPE)
                         Request-dust off.  Three, maybe 
                         four KIAs.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                              (continuing reading 
                              letter)
                         "I will trust you tell your mother 
                         what you choose about this letter.  
                         As for the charges against me, I 
                         am unconcerned.  I am beyond their 
                         timid, lying morality, and so I am 
                         beyond caring.  You have all my 
                         faith.  Your loving father.

               CLOSE ON A SHADOWY PHOTO OF KURTZ

               The caption "Photo believed to be Col. W. E. Kurtz."

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               EXT. RIVER OUTPOST - DAY

               It is a tremendous, tropical rainfall.  The PBR pulls in 
               toward an American outpost that is being used as a forward 
               medical evacuation center.  Various helicopter pads are 
               seen but only one helicopter-the one painted with the 
               Playboy bunny logo that brought the girls to Hau Phat.  
               The whole area is a mess with mud and debris and looks 
               deserted.

                                     WILLARD
                              (reacting)
                         Jesus.

                                     CHIEF
                         No wonder I couldn't get them on 
                         the radio.

                                     WILLARD
                         What a dump.

               Several soldiers in raincoats come out from a tent as the 
               PBR pulls up.

                                     SOLDIER
                         Hi there!

                                     WILLARD
                         How you doing?

                                     SOLDIER
                         That's a nice little boat you got 
                         there.  Never seen one up here 
                         before.

                                     CHIEF
                         We called in a request for a 
                         medevac.  You guys didn't receive 
                         it?

                                     SOLDIER
                         Medevac?  No.

                                     CHIEF
                         We passed a downed Huey with some 
                         KIAs.

                                     SOLDIER
                         On your way here?

                                     CHIEF
                         Yeah.

                                     SOLDIER
                              (incredulous)
                         You going up this river?

                                     CHIEF
                         Way up.

                                     SOLDIER
                         Way up river?  Forget it.

                                     CHIEF
                         Why?

                                     SOLDIER
                         We wanna send some people down 
                         river.  Just forget it.

               They turn around and start to go back to their tents.

                                     CHEF
                              (to Willard)
                         What the fuck was that?

                                     CHIEF
                              (calling out)
                         We'll be back in a couple of days.

               The soldier looks at him as though he must be crazy.

                                     SOLDIER
                         Yeah, right, you'll be back.

               They return to the tent.  Willard steps off the PBR.

                                     WILLARD
                         Chief?

                                     CHIEF
                         Yeah, Captain.

                                     WILLARD
                         See what you can do with that 
                         engine.  I'm gonna have a look 
                         around.  And don't leave without 
                         me.

               He walks up the muddy bank and through the deserted camp.  
               Half of it is blown down.  The whole installation has the 
               look of a ghost town.  TWO SOLDIERS approach, huddled in 
               their ponchos.

                                     WILLARD
                         Hey, solder, where's your C.O.?

                                     SOLDIER
                         Don't ask me, man.

               Willard wanders around the desolate place.  Other soldiers 
               pass.

                                     WILLARD
                         Hey, guys, where's your C.O.?

                                     SOLDIER
                         He stepped on a land mine about 
                         two months ago.  Got all blown to 
                         hell.

                                     WILLARD
                         Who's in charge here?

                                     SOLDIER
                         Charge?  I don't know man.  I'm 
                         just the night man.  Just doing 
                         what I'm told.  I'm just a working 
                         girl.

               He just giggles and turns off walking into the mud and 
               rain.

                                     WILLARD
                              (to other soldier)
                         What about you, fella?

               The other soldier turns around smiling idiotically, and 
               making animal noises.  He stumbles off after his friend.

               EXT. PBR - BY THE RIVER - DAY

               Lance, Chef, and Clean are sitting on the dock surrounded 
               by enormous pile of clothes, boots, all sorts of brand new 
               junk, seemingly abandoned.  Chief remains with the boat.  
               Clean is working on Lance's M16.

                                     CLEAN
                         Lance, man, I'm telling you it's 
                         gonna jam.  You mark my words.

                                     LANCE
                         Get off my back!

               Lance, in an unexplainable fit of temper, turns to Clean, 
               jumping on him and pulling him into the mud.  Chef, seeing 
               a brawl, jumps into it as well.  All wrestle in the mud.

               BACK TO WILLARD

               He hears a voice.

                                     AGENT
                         Hey, you!  Come here!

               Willard turns to see the Hollywood agent from the Hau Phat 
               show under the flap of a large tent, hiding from the rain, 
               waving Willard to come over.

               His clothes are the same he wore at the Hau Phat show but 
               wet and dirty.  He motions Willard over to him.

                                     AGENT
                         Come here.  Is that your boat?  
                         Come on inside.

                                     WILLARD
                         What do you want?

                                     AGENT
                         Come on inside, I want to talk to 
                         you.  Come on.  Get out of the 
                         rain.

               BACK TO THE CREW IN THE MUD

               Rolling around fighting, slapping mud on each other.  It's 
               as though there is a lingering madness that infects anyone 
               who visits this place.

                                     CHIEF
                         Come on, cut the shit.  Come on.

               BACK TO WILLARD AND THE AGENT

                                     AGENT
                         How you doing, Captain?  I want 
                         you to meet some people.

                                                                 CUT TO:

               CREW AT THE PBR, STILL FIGHTING IN THE MUD

               Willard approaches the group.  He looks down at them as 
               they sprawl in the mud.

                                     WILLARD
                         Hey, guys.  Hey, fellas.  Guys?

               They don't respond, but continue their wild free-for-all 
               in the junk and mud.

                                     WILLARD
                         I just made a deal with people 
                         from Hau Phat.  I negotiated two 
                         barrels of fuel for a couple of 
                         hours with the bunnies.

               They stop fighting instantly.  Willard walks toward the 
               boat.  The group of them run after him.

                                     CHEF
                         You shittin' me?

                                     WILLARD
                         No, I'm not.
                              (to crew)
                         Grab a couple of barrels and get 
                         up to that big tent.  Come on!

               VIEW ON THE CHIEF

               He is not jubilant about this news.

                                     CHIEF
                         Captain.  You're giving away fuel 
                         for a Playmate of the month?

                                     WILLARD
                         No.  Playmate of the Year, Chief.
                              (he takes a drink 
                              from a bottle)

                                     CHIEF
                         Captain, we get in a fire fight 
                         and run out of fuel, I want you to 
                         tell me how she was.

                                     WILLARD
                         I made a deal for all of us, Chief.  
                         How about you?

                                     CHIEF
                         You got some mamas in there?

                                     WILLARD
                         Some what?

                                     CHIEF
                              (laughing)
                         Forget it, Captain.  I'll stay 
                         with the boat.

               Chief moves to the engine, with Lance's M16.

                                     LANCE
                         Hey, Captain, give me a hand!

               Willard helps Lance with the fuel drum, and they exit, 
               leaving Chief alone on the boat.

               EXT. PLAYBOY HELICOPTER - RAIN - DAY

               It is still raining.  The PLAYBOY HELICOPTER is parked by 
               the river.  Our VIEW MOVES CLOSER, and we can make out two 
               figures in the front seat.

                                     CHEF (O.S.)
                         You know, I got every one of your 
                         pictures...

               INT. PLAYBOY HELICOPTER - RAIN - DAY

               It is Chef and Terri.  He has on his rain gear and is 
               struggling to get it off.  Terri is holding a white BIRD 
               in her hands and there are TWO MORE perched on their back 
               seat.

                                     CHEF
                         I got the centerfold, the Playmate's 
                         Review, the Playmate of the Year 
                         runoff.  I even got the calendar.  
                         Hey, oiseau!  How come you got a 
                         bird?

                                     TERRI
                         I used to be the bird girl at Busch 
                         Gardens.

                                     CHEF
                         Busch Gardens?

                                     TERRI
                         Yeah, I used to train birds there.

               He reacts as he rises, struggling to get off his rain pants.

                                     CHEF
                         You are Miss December, aren't you?

                                     TERRI
                         Miss May.

               EXT. HOSPITAL UNIT - RAIN - DAY

               Lance and Carrie are inside one of the hospital musk units.  
               She is lying back on one of the beds, and Lance is trying 
               to pull her boots off.  Carrie's portfolio and pictures 
               are spread around the bed with some of her fan mail.

                                     CARRIE
                         Is it coming?

               BACK TO CHEF AND CARRIE

                                     CHEF
                         Miss December has black hair.

                                     TERRI
                         It's over there.

               She points to the back-seat of the Huey, to a black wig on 
               a stand.  Chef reacts as he looks at it.  She is still 
               preoccupied with the bird.

                                     TERRI
                         He's not one of my regular birds.
                              (to bird)
                         Come on, baby.  Snatch your cracker.  
                         Come here.

               BACK TO LANCE AND CARRIE

               Lance is kneeling next to Carrie, starting to make his 
               move.  He opens her blouse, exposing her breasts.

                                     CARRIE
                         Being Playmate of the Year is the 
                         loneliest experience I can imagine.  
                         It's like you try to express your 
                         feelings to someone, and show them 
                         your heart...

               BACK TO CHEF AND TERRI

                                     CHEF
                         Yeah, I'd love to see your bird 
                         act, but would you mind just putting 
                         this-would you just mind putting 
                         this wig on for me, please?

               He picks up the wig from the stand.  Terri turns and moves 
               back to the rear seat.

               BACK TO LANCE AND CARRIE

               He moves to her makeup case.

                                     CARRIE
                         ...and there's this glass wall 
                         between you, this invisible glass, 
                         and they can see your mouth moving.

               BACK TO CHEF AND TERRI

               She is seated next to him in the back-seat of the 
               helicopter.  He puts the black wig on her.

                                     TERRI
                         I used to train birds for at least 
                         two years at Busch Gardens.

                                     CHEF
                         This was cascading over your 
                         shoulder.
                              (her blouse)
                         This was open here.

               BACK TO LANCE AND CARRIE

               Lance is putting barrettes in her hair.

                                     CARRIE
                         ...but they can't hear what you're 
                         saying.

               BACK TO TERRI AND CHEF

               He has opened her blouse and is trying to position her.

                                     TERRI
                         ...I used to train then to stand 
                         on their head, fly upside down, 
                         and ride little bicycles...

                                     CHEF
                         Your right hand was over there...

               Suddenly Clean appears at the back window of the helicopter, 
               carrying an open black umbrella to shield himself from the 
               rain.  He bangs on the window.

                                     CLEAN
                         Hey, Chef!

                                     CHEF
                         Get out of there, man!

               Clean continues to pound on the side of the helicopter.  
               Chef reacts on the inside.

                                     CHEF
                         Later!  Later!  Give me fifteen 
                         minutes.

               BACK TO LANCE AND CARRIE

               Lance puts some of the green makeup on Carrie.

                                     CARRIE
                         You can never really make them 
                         hear what you're trying to say...

               BACK TO CHEF AND TERRI

               Trying to position her.

                                     CHEF
                         You were kind of bending.  Yeah, 
                         your ass was just kind of...

               By this time Clean has climbed up on the roof of the 
               helicopter, he leans over and looks in at Chef and Terri 
               through the front window, banging on it with his umbrella.

                                     CHEF
                         Hey man, fuck off!  Fifteen minutes!

               BACK TO LANCE AND CARRIE

               He is lying her back on the bed.

                                     CARRIE
                         That's why I tried so desperately 
                         to show somebody that I had some 
                         talent.

               BACK TO CHEF AND TERRI

               Chef fixes her shirt.

                                     TERRI
                         Little baby Macaws.  Have you ever 
                         seen a baby Macaw?  They're 
                         beautiful.

               Clean is now looking in through the window of the door.  
               They react to him.

                                     CHEF
                              (to Clean)
                         Come on, man, take off!

                                     CLEAN
                         I got my rights, man!

               BACK TO LANCE AND CARRIE

               He puts more makeup on her, as she continues to talk.

                                     CARRIE
                         They make you do things that you 
                         don't want to do.  Like this picture 
                         here.

               She opens the portfolio that she has been hanging on to.  
               We SEE a picture of her in the nude.  Lance looks at it 
               and reacts.  Then she resumes talking.

                                     CARRIE
                         I started feeling repulsed with 
                         myself...

               BACK TO CHEF AND TERRI

                                     CHEF
                         You were just kind of bending 
                         forward, you ass kind of out.

                                     TERRI
                         I love training birds...

                                     CHEF
                         That's it.

                                     TERRI
                         ...I really do.

               Chef finally has her posed perfectly.

                                     CHEF
                         That's it!  Viola!  Beautiful.

               We realize that he was trying to get her to pose exactly 
               as she was in the centerfold of the Playmate of the Year 
               he taped up on the PBR.

                                     CHEF
                         You know, I can't believe it.  Me, 
                         J. Hicks.  I can't believe I'm 
                         really here, you know.

               BACK TO LANCE AND CARRIE

               He is caressing her face.

                                     CARRIE
                         ...Maybe I'm unfit to have a 
                         relationship with a beautiful, 
                         innocent boy.

               BACK TO CHEF AND TERRI

                                     CHEF
                         Just think, if it hadn't been for 
                         the Vietnam War, I'd never would've 
                         met you, Miss December.

                                     TERRI
                         Miss May.

               BACK TO LANCE AND CARRIE

                                     CARRIE
                         I wish I could find just one person 
                         that could share my point of view.

               BACK TO CHEF AND TERRI

               They look at each other for a beat, then they both come 
               unglued.  He starts stripping the clothes off her, laying 
               her back on the seat, kissing her breasts, etc.

                                     TERRI
                         You kiss like a bird!  Oh, God!  
                         Kiss me!

                                     CHEF
                         I love birds!

               BACK TO LANCE AND CARRIE

               Clean appears at the window.  He looks in at them.  Carrie 
               turns and sees him, she jumps from the bed, panicked, and 
               moves over by a couple of metal COFFIN containers.  Clean 
               bursts into the room as Carrie knocks one of the coffins 
               over.  The lid pops open, revealing a NAKED DEAD SOLDIER 
               inside, full of bullet holes.  Carrie screams.

               BACK TO CHEF AND TERRI

               Making passionate, enthusiastic love.

                                     TERRI
                         Like a bird!  Take me like a bird!  
                         Fly baby!  What are you doing?

                                     CHEF
                         I can fly like an eagle!

                                     TERRI
                         Like an eagle, baby!  Cock it to 
                         me!  Oh, you drive me crazy!

               BACK TO CARRIE, LANCE AND CLEAN

               Clean is gone.  Lance is sitting next to Carrie, comforting 
               her.  She is still distraught over seeing the dead body.

                                     CARRIE
                         Lance, that was somebody's 
                         son...Lance, there were things 
                         that they made me do, that I didn't 
                         want to do.  But they said, "Pull 
                         the ribbons between your legs," 
                         and I didn't want to do it.  But 
                         they said that was what was expected 
                         of me, that what people wanted to 
                         see.

               Lance reacts, then kisses her.  He starts taking off her 
               blouse.  Clean appears at the broken window behind them.  
               He sticks his head in and looks down at them, watching, 
               waiting for his turn.  Carrie breaks the embrace and looks 
               up at Clean.

                                     CARRIE
                         Who are you?

                                     CLEAN
                         I'm next, ma'am.

               Carrie reacts as we-

                                                                 CUT TO:

               EXT. RIVER - PBR - DAY

               The crew are all on the PBR.  Clean is at the back 
               attempting to shave.  Chef is sitting in back busy cooking 
               up one of his specialties on top of the engine, giving 
               Clean a hard time about the girls.  The Chief is at the 
               helm, a little sore at what's happening to his crew.

                                     CHEF
                              (to Clean)
                         Well, I didn't know you never got 
                         no pussy!

                                     CLEAN
                         Shut the fuck up!

                                     CHEF
                         Sure sorry about that.  If I had 
                         known, I would have taken you to 
                         New Orleans.  Teach you some of 
                         the moves.

                                     CHIEF
                         Lay off, Chef!

               Willard studies the shadowy photo of Kurtz we saw earlier, 
               as Chef teases Clean in the background.

                                     CHEF
                         Cherry boy, Cherry boy.

                                     CLEAN
                         You're fucking dumb!

                                     CHEF
                         We'll go to New Orleans.  I'll get 
                         you fixed up, you prick.

                                     CHIEF
                         Lay off, Chef.

                                     CLEAN
                         You're the only prick I see around 
                         here.  If I wanna play with a prick, 
                         I'll play with my own.

                                     CHEF
                         You wouldn't know what to do with 
                         it!

               VIEW ON LANCE

               Ignoring all this.  He is painting his face with brown and 
               green camouflage greasepaint.  It is quite ornate-almost 
               psychedelic.  He holds a compact in his hand.

                                     CHIEF
                         Chef, I said lay off!  Knock it 
                         off!  Give him a break!  What do 
                         you think I said?  And give your 
                         jaws a rest.  And this ain't the 
                         army!  You are a sailor.  So get 
                         out of that frizzly army-looking 
                         shirt and stop smoking that dope, 
                         you hear me?

               He looks back to Lance.

                                     CHIEF
                         Lance, what's with all the green 
                         paint?

                                     LANCE
                         Camouflage.

                                     CHIEF
                         How's that?

                                     LANCE
                         So they can't see you.  They're 
                         everywhere.  Chief.

               The Chief reacts...what the hell can he say.

                                     CHIEF
                         Uh-huh.  I want you to stay awake 
                         up there, man.  You got a job to 
                         do.

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               EXT. THE PBR - DAY

               The Chief steers the PBR up river and around a bend.  He 
               sees something ahead, shouts to the crew.

                                     CHIEF
                         Sampan off the port bow.  Sampan 
                         off the port bow.  Let's take a 
                         look.

               POV VIEW

               A SAMPAN, heading down-river, riding low in the water.

               BACK TO PBR CREW

               Everybody on the crew has reacted, as the Chief continues 
               to bark orders.

                                     CHIEF
                         Lance, bring them in.  Clean, on 
                         the 60.  Chef, get a 16.  Clean, 
                         get on that 60!

               Lance jumps up from his hammock, grabs his M16. Clean shuts 
               off his radio, jumps up and moves to the M60 machine gun.

               By this time Willard has moved up next to the Chief, 
               wondering what the hell is going on.

                                     WILLARD
                         What's up, Chief?

                                     CHIEF
                         A junk boat, Captain.  We're gonna 
                         take a routine check.

                                     WILLARD
                         Let's forget routine now, and let 
                         them go.

                                     CHIEF
                         These boats are running supplies 
                         in this delta, Captain.  I'm gonna 
                         take a look.

                                     WILLARD
                         Chief, my mission's got priority 
                         here.  Hell, you wouldn't even be 
                         in this part of the river, if it 
                         wasn't for me.

                                     CHIEF
                         Until we reach your destination, 
                         Captain, you're just on for the 
                         ride.

               Willard realizes that this is a ploy by the Chief to 
               establish his authority.  Nothing is going to stop him.

               ANOTHER ANGLE-TO INCLUDE SAMPAN AND PBR

               The PBR slides alongside the sampan.  THREE NERVOUS 
               VIETNAMESE MEN and ONE YOUNG WOMAN look up from the baskets 
               of rice, mangoes, fish, etc.

                                     CHIEF
                         All right, come on, let's bring it 
                         over.  Look in that forward hooch.  
                         Bring the people out of there.

               By this time the third man has crossed forward and joined 
               the others.

                                     CHEF
                         Hurry up, motherfuckers!  Move it!  
                         Can couc!

               They hand their ID cards to Chef.

                                     CHIEF
                         Keep your eyes open, Clean.

                                     CLEAN
                              (on the machine gun)
                         I got you Chief.

               Willard just sits down, resigned to this show of the Chief's 
               authority.

               Chef looks at them and nods his approval.  He hands them 
               to Chief.

                                     CHIEF
                         Board it and search it.

                                     CHEF
                         There ain't nothing on it, Chief.

                                     CHIEF
                         Board it and search it.

                                     CHEF
                         Just baskets and ducks.  Bananas.  
                         There ain't nothing on it.

                                     CHIEF
                         Go on it and search it.

                                     CHEF
                         Just a goat.  Some fish.  Bunch of 
                         fucking vegetables.

               The Chief finally gets pissed off, he turns and screams at 
               Chef:

                                     CHIEF
                         Get on that boat!

                                     CHEF
                         There's nothing on it, man!

                                     CHIEF
                         Get on that boat!

               Chef starts down into the Vietnamese sampan.  He is really 
               pissed off.  He shoves the Vietnamese men out of the way.

                                     CHEF
                              (to man)
                         Move it, asshole.

               The Chief watches as Chef goes through the routine of 
               examining the sampan and what it carries.  He is very 
               nervous as he looks in all the baskets.

                                     CHEF
                         Pigs!  Mangoes!  What's in the 
                         rice bag?  Fucking rice!

                                     CHIEF
                         Well, look in there, Chef!

                                     CHEF
                         Fucking fish!  More coconuts.  
                         Rice.  Here's rice.

                                     CHIEF
                         What's in that vegetable basket?

               Chef moves deeper into the sampan.  He looks at the 
               Vietnamese girl that is sitting on a yellow can.

                                     CHEF
                              (to girl)
                         Can couc!  Come on!  Get out of 
                         there.

               He grabs her and finally pulls her out of the interior of 
               the cabin.  He moves it and starts looking around.

                                     CHIEF
                         Check that vegetable basket.

                                     CHEF
                         All right!

               One of the Vietnamese men starts to protest.

                                     CLEAN
                         Shut up, slope!

                                     CHEF
                         There ain't nothing in here.

                                     CHIEF
                         What's in the boxes?  Look in that 
                         tin can.  That rusty can.

                                     CHEF
                         Just fucking rice, that's all!  
                         There ain't nothing in it!

                                     CHIEF
                         Check that yellow can.  She was 
                         sitting on it.  What's in it?

               Chef starts for it.  All of a sudden, the girl moves.  
               Clean opens up with the M60. She is blown apart, falling 
               back on the deck.

               In an instant, THEY ALL OPEN FIRE.  One of the Vietnamese 
               men is blown apart into the water, and the others are gunned 
               down in their tracks.

               All of them continue to fire their rifles and guns wildly, 
               yelling obscenities.  Willard has his .45 out but does not 
               shoot.

                                     CLEAN
                         Motherfuckers!

                                     CHEF
                              (weeping)
                         Let's kill them all!

                                     LANCE
                         Fucking cocksucker motherfuckers!

               Finally the Chief calls out to them.

                                     CHIEF
                         Hold it!  Hold it!

               They all stop firing, but Chef, Lance, and Clean are 
               mumbling hysterically.

                                     CHEF
                         Let's kill all the assholes!

                                     CHIEF
                         Chef, hold it!  Hold it!

                                     CHEF
                              (hysterically)
                         ...why not?

                                     CHIEF
                         Clean?

                                     CLEAN
                         I'm good.

                                     CHIEF
                         You okay, Lance?

                                     LANCE
                         Shit!  Fuck!

                                     CHIEF
                         Chef?

               Chef has moved to the yellow can that the Vietnamese girl 
               was sitting on.  He opens the lid and checks what she had 
               hidden.

                                     CHEF
                         Look what she was hiding.  She 
                         what she was running for?

               He reaches inside of the can, and pulls out a PUPPY.  They 
               all react.

                                     CHEF
                         A fucking puppy!  A puppy.

                                     LANCE
                         Gimme that dog!  Gimme that dog!

                                     CHEF
                         No, you're not gonna get it!

                                     LANCE
                         Give me the fucking dog, asshole!

               Lance grabs the dog from him, kicking Chef back.  Chef 
               throws a mango at him.

                                     CHEF
                         Fuck you!  Fucking mango, too!  
                         You want that?

               The Vietnamese girl, still alive and bleeding, moves behind 
               Chef.

                                     CHIEF
                         Chef, she's moving behind you.  
                         She's alive.  Check her out.

               Chef turns and bends down to her.

                                     CHEF
                         Come on, Clean, goddamnit, give me 
                         a hand!

               Clean jumps down into the sampan.  He and Chef pick up the 
               girl and carry her to the edge of the boat.

                                     CHEF
                         She's not dead.  She's moving.
                              (to group)
                         Let's take it easy.  Take it easy.  
                         Slow down and take it easy.

                                     CLEAN
                         Bring her up.

                                     CHIEF
                         Is she breathing, Chef?

                                     CHEF
                         She's hurt.  She's bleeding.

                                     CHIEF
                         Bring her onboard.  We're taking 
                         her to an ARVN.

               ANOTHER ANGLE ON TO INCLUDE WILLARD

               Willard looks at the girl and then to Chief.

                                     WILLARD
                         What are you talking about?

                                     CHIEF
                         We're taking her to some friendlies.  
                         She's wounded, she's not dead.

               Willard hold his .45.  Looks down at Chef nd the girl.

                                     WILLARD
                         Get out of there, Chef.

                                     CHIEF
                         The book says, Captain-

               Before anybody can react, Willard aims and SHOOTS THE GIRL 
               DEAD with his .45.  She falls dead in Chef's arms.

                                     CHEF
                         Fuck you.  Fuck them.

               Willard turns and looks at the Chief.

                                     WILLARD
                         I told you not to stop.  Now let's 
                         go.

                                                               FADE OUT:

               FADE IN:

               EXT. THE RIVER - PBR - EVENING

               The boat moves up the river.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         It was a way we had over here of 
                         living with ourselves.  We'd cut 
                         them in half with a machine gun, 
                         and give them a Band-Aid.  It was 
                         a lie.  And the more I saw of them, 
                         the more I hated liars.  Those 
                         boys were never gonna look at me 
                         the same way again, but I felt 
                         like I knew one or two things about 
                         Kurtz, that weren't in the dossier.

               EXT. DO LUNG BRIDGE - THE PBR - RIVER - NIGHT

               The boat edges in toward a wrecked bridge in the distance.  
               Along the banks are sandbagged fortifications with the 
               U.S. soldiers.  There is a bright fire burning uncontrolled 
               in the distance-in fact there are several-flame and sparks 
               from welding on the bridge momentarily light up the night.  
               There is sporadic gunfire at O.S. snipers, and flares arc 
               through the sky above the bridge.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         Do Lung bridge was the last army 
                         outpost on the Nung River.  Beyond 
                         it there was only Kurtz.

               ANGLE FORWARD - LANCE AND CHEF

                                     CHEF
                         Hey, Lance, what do you think?

                                     LANCE
                         It's beautiful.

                                     CHEF
                         What's the matter with you?  You're 
                         acting kind of weird?

                                     LANCE
                         You know that last tab of acid I 
                         was saving?

                                     CHEF
                         Yeah.

                                     LANCE
                         I dropped it.

                                     CHEF
                         You dropped acid?  Far out.

               ANOTHER ANGLE

               The Chief powers the boat forward, as Willard and Clean 
               watch in awe.

               Everywhere are wrecked boats, parts of jeeps sticking out 
               of the water-a smashed helicopter on the banks.  The bridge 
               is in a state of siege.  Mortars and rockets arc through 
               the night indiscriminately and rip through the nearby 
               jungle.  Light automatic WEAPON FIRE is HEAD occasionally.  
               The entire scene is lit by Parachute flares.

               As the PBR edges forward, SOLDIERS run up through the water, 
               trying to get aboard.  One soldier is carrying some luggage 
               and an M16. He splashes into the water, in a mad dash for 
               freedom.

                                     SOLDIER
                         Take me home!  Goddamn you!

                                     CHIEF
                         Get away from this boat.

                                     SOLDIER #2
                         You'll get what you deserve!

               He and the others are left behind as the PBR continues 
               forward.  Willard sees a young LIEUTENANT kneeling on a 
               platform that juts out into the water.  He is holding a 
               small strobe light, trying to signal the PBR down.  He is 
               holding a large mail bag and a pouch in the other hand.

               Willard motions toward the shore.  The Chief turns the 
               boat towards the Lieutenant.

                                     CARLSON
                         Is there a Captain Willard on board?  
                         Captain Willard?

                                     WILLARD
                         Yeah!  Who's that?

               As the boat crosses to a stop, Lance swings the spotlight 
               onto the Lieutenant.

                                     CARLSON
                         Lieutenant Carlson, sir.
                              (to Lance)
                         Get that light off me!

               Lance swings the light off him, as Willard squats down on 
               the bow of the boat.

                                     CARLSON
                         I was sent here from Nah Trang 
                         with these three days ago, sir.  
                         Expected you here a little sooner.

               He hands Willard a plastic bag with maximum security 
               markings.  Willard takes it-also a mail pouch.

                                     CARLSON
                         This is mail for the boat.  You 
                         don't know how happy this makes 
                         me, sir.

                                     WILLARD
                         Why?

                                     CARLSON
                         Now I can get out of here, if I 
                         can find a way.

               He turns and splashes off into the darkness.  Then stops 
               and looks back.

                                     CARLSON
                         You're in the asshole of the world, 
                         Captain!

               He salutes, then turns and moves away.  Willard hops off 
               the side of the boat into the mud, moving up toward the 
               shore.

                                     CHIEF
                         Captain, where you going?

                                     WILLARD
                         To see if I can find some fuel and 
                         get some information.  Pick me up 
                         on the other side of the bridge.

                                     CHIEF
                              (to his men)
                         Somebody go with him.
                              (to Chef)
                         Chef.

               Chef doesn't move, not wanting to go.  No one budges, then 
               Lance volunteers.

                                     LANCE
                         I'll go.  I want to go.

               He picks up the puppy and an M16, then jumps over the side 
               onto the shore.

               EXT. SHORE - NIGHT

               As Willard and Lance walk across an open area, they are 
               lit by the battle in the background.  Lance looks up and 
               around the embankment and along a barbed wire on the edge 
               of the road.  SHELLS SCREAM overhead.  Lance just stands 
               looking down on the phantasmagoric strings of lights, the 
               smoke, the fires.

               Willard jumps down into a trench.  We SEE a SOLDIER 
               crouched, holding his buddy, who is  crying uncontrollably.

                                     WILLARD
                         Where can I find the C.O.?

                                     SOLDIER
                         You can right to it, son of a bitch!

                                     WILLARD
                         Lance!  Get down here!

               Lance is still reacting to the pyrotechnics around him.  
               He turns and jumps down into the trench.

                                     WILLARD
                         You still got a commanding officer 
                         her?

                                     SOLDIER
                         Beverly Hills.

                                     WILLARD
                         What?

                                     SOLDIER
                         Right up the road there's a concrete 
                         bunker called Beverly Hills.  Where 
                         the fuck else do you think it would 
                         be?

               Willard turns and moves away from the two soldiers.  Lance 
               follows.

               The CAMERA FOLLOWS them as they proceed down the long 
               trench.  They pass a group of black G.I.s. Suddenly Willard 
               trips over a body, and falls right into a mud puddle.  The 
               body stirs.

                                     SOLDIER
                         You stepped in my face!

                                     LANCE
                         We thought you were dead.

                                     SOLDIER
                         Well, you thought wrong, damnit!

               They come to another gun emplacement, where two BACK 
               SOLDIERS are at a fifty-caliber machine gun.  The GUNNERS 
               blast away into the night, walking and swearing at Vietcong.  
               The SPOTTER is feeding the bullets into the gun.  
               Psychedelic guitar music plays on a portable radio.

                                     GUNNER
                              (to enemy)
                         I told you to stop fucking with 
                         me!  You think you're so bad, huh, 
                         nigga?

               Willard watches for a while, then shouts over to him.

                                     WILLARD
                         What are you shooting at, soldier?

                                     GUNNER
                         Gooks!  What the fuck do you think 
                         I'm shooting at?
                              (turns and sees 
                              it's an officer)
                         I'm sorry, sir.  There are gooks 
                         out there by the wire.  But I think 
                         I killed them all.

                                     SPOTTER
                         You ain't shot shit!  Listen!

               The enemy's yelling continues.

                                     GUNNER
                         Oh, shit, he's trying to call his 
                         friends.  Sen up a flare.

               The spotter reaches over and picks up a flare pistol, and 
               fires a FLARE into the air.  The gunner starts blasting 
               away again,

                                     GUNNER
                         You think you so bad, nigga?  You 
                         think you so bad?

               He stops firing.  The yelling continues.

                                     SPOTTER
                         They're all dead, stupid.  There's 
                         one still alive underneath them 
                         bodies.

                                     WILLARD
                         Who's the commanding officer here?

                                     GUNNER
                         Ain't you?
                              (to enemy)
                         You think you so bad?  I got 
                         something for your ass!  I got 
                         something for you now!

               Lance climbs up on top of the sandbags with the puppy and 
               looks at the pyrotechnics.  Explosions go off all around 
               him...space city.

                                     SPOTTER
                         There's nothing but bodies, man!

                                     GUNNER
                              (to spotter)
                         Go get the Roach, man.  Go get the 
                         Roach, nigga!

               The spotter moves down the trench, to where a tall lanky 
               black soldier wearing all sorts of beads and trinkets leans 
               against the ditch, sleeping.

                                     SPOTTER
                              (calling out)
                         Roach!  Roach!

               THE ROACH gets up somewhat annoyed, but very cool, and 
               saunters up toward the machine gun.  Willard looks over 
               and sees Lance up on top of the sandbags.

                                     WILLARD
                         Lance!

               Lance climbs down back into the trench.  The Roach and 
               spotter move back to the machine gun, where the gunner 
               waits.  The Roach turns off the radio, sits down, and 
               listens.

                                     SPOTTER
                         Do you hear them?  Well, bust them!

                                     VIETCONG (O.S.)
                         Hey, G.I., fuck you!

                                     GUNNER
                         You hear him out there on the wire, 
                         man?

                                     ROACH
                         Yeah.

                                     VIETCONG (O.S.)
                         Fuck you, you G.I.

                                     GUNNER
                         You need a flare?

                                     ROACH
                         No.
                              (listens)
                         He's close, man.  He's real close.

                                     VIETCONG (O.S.)
                         G.I., fuck you!

               The Roach opens the breech of his shotgun-like weapon, 
               plunks a big slug into it.  He snaps it closed, then turns 
               and wraps the strap around his arm.  He points the weapon 
               up into the air listens to the YELLING, calculating, then 
               fires.  The grenade whistles off into the night.  There is 
               a sharp EXPLOSION that cuts off the scream.  Then the thud 
               of bodies.

                                     ROACH
                         Motherfucker.

                                     WILLARD
                         Hey, soldier.  Do you know who's 
                         in command here?

                                     ROACH
                         Yeah.

               He turns and walks away.

                                                                 CUT TO:

               FULL SHOT - PBR - BRIDGE - NIGHT

               The PBR stands in the shadows.  Chef, the Chief, and Clean 
               are waiting for Willard and Lance.  SHELLS WHISTLE BY and 
               CRASH in the distance as the welding continues on the 
               bridge.

               Clean looks up and sees a direct hit on the bridge.  TWO 
               SOLDIERS ate blown off some of the towers and into the 
               water.

                                     CLEAN
                         Holy shit!  Yo, Chief, two guys 
                         just got blown off that bridge,

                                     CHIEF
                         You hand on, man.  You're gonna be 
                         okay.

               Clean turns and moves to the bow, where Chef is kneeling 
               by the mail bag.

                                     CLEAN
                         What's that?

                                     CHEF
                         Mail, man!

                                     CHIEF
                         Later on the mail!  Watch them 
                         trees.

               Willard and Lance climb back onto the boat, loaded down 
               with supplies.  They move down into the PBR.

                                     WILLARD
                         There's no diesel fuel, but I picked 
                         up some ammo.  Let's move out.

                                     CHIEF
                         Did you find the C.O., Captain?

                                     WILLARD
                         There's no fucking C.O. here.  
                         Let's just get going.

                                     CHIEF
                         Which way, Captain?

                                     WILLARD
                         You know which way, Chief.

               He takes off his shirt, then his T-shirt.

                                     CHEF
                         You're on your own, Captain.  Still 
                         want to go on?  Like this bridge.  
                         We build it every night, Charlie 
                         blows it right back up again, just 
                         so the generals can say the road's 
                         open.  Think about it...who cares?

                                     WILLARD
                         Just get us up river!

                                     CHIEF
                         Chef.  On the bow.
                              (to Clean)
                         Stand by, Clean.

               FULL VIEW - THE PBR - NIGHT

               The men on the bridge continue to weld with their torches 
               as the PBR backs up, then the Chief pulls away from the 
               bridge.  They all look back in the distance, the hills 
               flash with charges, there is a fiery glow, the concussion 
               of heavy explosions, as the BRIDGE BLOWS.

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               EXT. THE PBR - DAY

               It is the next morning.  The PBR continues on its journey 
               up river.  Chef distributes mail from the mail bag.

                                     CHEF
                         Shit, you got another one, Clean!

                                     CLEAN
                         No shit.  Wait a minute.  Is that 
                         it?

                                     CHEF
                         That's it for you.  Lance?  Mr. L. 
                         B. Johnson, there you go.

               Lance takes the letter.

                                     LANCE
                         Far out, man!  All right, I been 
                         waiting for this one.

                                     CHEF
                              (to all)
                         I got another one.  I got a box 
                         from Eva.

                                     LANCE
                              (reading)
                         "Lance, I'm fine.  Sue and I went 
                         tripping in Disneyland.  Sue skinned 
                         her knee.

                                     CHEF
                         Man, I'm gonna get back to 
                         Antoine's.

                                     LANCE
                              (to letter)
                         How could I fucking forget, man?  
                         Beautiful!
                              (reading)
                         "There could never be a place like 
                         Disneyland, or could there?  Let 
                         me know."
                              (looking around)
                         Jim, it's here.  It really is here.

               Willard has opened the Top Secret pouch and is reading the 
               letter inside:

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                              (reading)
                         "There has been a new development 
                         regarding your mission, which we 
                         must one communicate to you.  Months 
                         ago, a man was ordered on a mission, 
                         which was identical to yours.  We 
                         have reason to believe that he is 
                         now operating with Colonel Kurtz.  
                         Saigon was carrying him MIA for 
                         his family's sake, but they assumed 
                         he was dead.  Then they intercepted 
                         a letter he tried to send to his 
                         wife."

               INSERT - CLOSE ON THE COPY OF THE LETTER 

               "Find someone else.  Forget it.  I'm never coming back."

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         Captain Richard Colby.  He was 
                         with Kurtz.

                                     LANCE
                              (to himself)
                         Disneyland.  Fuck, man, this is 
                         better than Disneyland.

                                     CHEF
                              (reading newspaper)
                         "...Charles Miller Manson ordered 
                         the slaughter of all in the home 
                         anyway, as a symbol of protest." 
                         That's really weird, ain't it?

               Lance has taken some SMOKE BOMBS and is popping them open.  
               COLORED SMOKE begins to pour out.

                                     LANCE
                         Purple Haze!  Look!

                                     CHIEF
                         Lance, put that smoke away.

                                     CLEAN
                         I got a tape from my mom.

               Lance is playing with the smoking flares.

                                     LANCE
                         Chief, rainbow reality, man.  Get 
                         a good whiff.

                                     CHEF
                         Eva can't picture me in Vietnam.  
                         She pictures me at home, having a 
                         beer, watching TV.

               The colored smoke is getting in everybody's eyes.  The 
               whole boat is enveloped.

                                     CLEAN
                         Hey, Lance, man!

                                     LANCE
                              (to himself)
                         Hot potato!  Hot potato

                                     CHEF
                         Eve's not sure she can have a 
                         relationship with me.  Here I am, 
                         thirteen thousand fucking miles 
                         away, trying to keep a relationship 
                         with my ass.

               Clean's tape from his mom is PLAYING.

                                     CLEAN'S MOTHER (INTO RECORDER)
                         "...and that's much more that I 
                         can say for some of your friends.  
                         If this tape is any good, I will 
                         have Dad and the family send you a 
                         tape of their own.

               SUDDENLY streams of TRACERS whip out of the jungle at them, 
               other bullets smash and ricochet off the deck; glass 
               shatters, everybody jumps to their battle stations.

               Lance jumps into the turret of the twin fifties and starts 
               blasting away at the jungle.  The Chief tries to power the 
               PBR out of the ambush.  Clean jumps up behind the M60 
               machine gun and starts firing.  Willard uses his M16.

               Everything is confusion, yelling, gunfire, the thud of 
               bullets ripping into the PBR fiberglass hull.  Lance's 
               guns return fire.  He screams obscenities as he vents an 
               almost superhuman violence.

               MED.  CLOSE SHOT - LANCE - FIRING HIS GUNS

               Turning in the turret; bullets smash and explode around 
               him.  Nobody quite knows where the fire is coming from.

               VIEW ON THE CHIEF

               The Chief steers and accelerates erratically, trying to 
               dodge the fire fight.

               VIEW ON CLEAN FIRING HIS GUN

               Firing the M60...suddenly it jams.  As he rises up behind 
               the shield he is riddled by machine gun fire.  The bullets 
               blast into his throat, chest, stomach...he falls to the 
               deck.

               Nobody has seen that he is down yet.  They keep firing 
               their guns into the jungle.  The Chief throttles forward, 
               the boat surges ahead and slams across the river.  It is 
               all over quickly.

               The Chief turns and sees that Clean has been hit and is 
               down on the deck.

                                     CHIEF
                         Chef!  Take care of Clean!  Captain, 
                         Clean's hit!  He's hit!

               Lance climbs out of the gun turret and looks around for 
               the little puppy.

                                     LANCE
                         Where'd the dog go?  Where's the 
                         dog?  We gotta go back and get the 
                         dog!

               Chef crawls to Clean and turns him over.  Sees that he is 
               dead.

                                     CHEF
                         Clean!  Hey!  Bubber, you can't 
                         die!  You fucker!  Hey, bubber!

                                     CLEAN'S MOTHER (INTO RECORDER)
                         "I'll have a lot of grandchildren 
                         to love and spoil, and then when 
                         your wife gets them back, she's be 
                         mad with me.  Even Aunt Jessie and 
                         Mama will come to celebrate your 
                         coming home.  Granny and Dad are 
                         trying to get enough money to get 
                         you a car.  But don't tell them, 
                         because that's our secret.  
                         Anyhow..."

               Clean lying dead, flat on his back.  Chief turns him over 
               and holds his wrist to try and take his pulse.

                                     CLEAN'S MOTHER (INTO RECORDER)
                         "...do the right thing, stay out 
                         of the way of the bullets, and 
                         bring your hiney home ask in one 
                         piece...'cause we love you very 
                         much.  Love, Mom."

               Chief is holding Clean's hand and crying.

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               EXT. RIVER - PBR - DAY

               The boat under power, moving through fog.  They pass downed 
               jets, wreckage, burning fires.  Willard is sitting on the 
               bow, looking out into the distance as though he sees 
               something.

                                     WILLARD
                              (motions to Chief)
                         Hold on.  Throw me the glasses.

               He looks through the binoculars.

               WILLARD'S P.O.V. - WRECKED FRENCH PLANTATION - DAY

               In the distance, we can make out a PLANTATION.  The dock 
               has been devastated by years of fighting.  There is a heavy 
               FOG or MIST everywhere.  Up on the hill above the dock 
               sits a large house; it does not look heavily damaged.

               EXT. RIVER - THE PBR - DAY

               Willard picks up his M16 and moves to the front of the 
               boat.  Chief has also seen the wrecked plantation.

                                     CHIEF
                         Lance.  Get the 16 on the bow.
                              (to Chef)
                         Chef, on the 60.

               The Chief pulls the PBR slowly up to the wrecked dock.  
               Willard jumps off with his M16 in hand and cautiously looks 
               around.

               He walks into a wrecked barn.  He comes out of the side 
               and makes his way back to Chef and Lance, who are standing 
               on the dock.

                                     CHIEF
                         Lance, cover the Captain.

               Suddenly from out of the fog...FRENCH VOICES shout out.

                                     LAFAVRE
                         You are surrounded.  Return.  Drop 
                         your weapons.

                                     CHEF
                              (in French)
                         Don't shoot!  Don't shoot!
                              (to Lance and others)
                         They're French.
                              (n French, to 
                              soldiers)
                         I am dropping my weapon!

               Chef and Lance start to put down their M16s, the Chief 
               shouts out furiously from the boat.

                                     CHIEF
                         Chef!  Pick up that weapon!  Pick 
                         it up!  Stand fast!

               Chef continues to shout to the French.

                                     CHEF
                         We are Americans!  We are friends.

                                     LAFAVRE
                         Drop your weapons!

               As Willard walks down the dock, French soldiers appear out 
               of the fog, totally surrounding them.  Willard stops in 
               front of them, realizing there is no way out, and raises 
               his rifle in surrender .

                                     CHIEF
                              (to Lance and Chef)
                         All right, you men.  Put down your 
                         weapons.

               They all drop their weapons.  More soldiers step out.

                                     CHEF
                              (in French)
                         We are Americans.  We are friends.  
                         We are friends.

               We SEE more French and Cambodian soldiers as they step out 
               of the fog onto the dock.  They move forward cautiously.  
               It is strange.  It is like meeting up with a group of 
               soldiers from the French Indo-Chinese War.  It's as though 
               they've stepped into 1954.  The soldiers are still wearing 
               parts of the red berets of their particular unit that fought 
               against the Viet Minh.  There are also Vietnamese who serve 
               the French and who fought with the French.  They all bear 
               older automatic weapons and suspicion in their eyes.

               Another Frenchman joins the group.  This is obviously the 
               patriarch of the family.  HUBERT DEMARAIS is about fifty, 
               with a dignity and strength about him.  He and Willard 
               look at each other.

                                     WILLARD
                         We lost one of our men.

                                     DEMARAIS
                         We French always pay respect to 
                         the dead of our allies.  You're 
                         all welcome.
                              (pause)
                         Y name is Hubert DeMarais.  This 
                         is my family's plantation.  It has 
                         been such for seventy years, and 
                         it will be such until we are all 
                         dead.

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               EXT. GRAVEYARD - DOLLY SHOT - DAY

               The group is assembled.  There is a platoon of Cambodian 
               soldiers standing by an open grave, SERGEANT LAFAVRE in 
               front of them.

                                     LAFAVRE
                         To my command!  Attention!  Weapons 
                         on the shoulder!  Present weapons!

               The platoon present their weapons, as Clean's body is 
               carried toward the grave.  The bugler brings the bugle up 
               to his lips and plays "Taps."

               Willard looks up and sees something on the balcony of the 
               house.

               HIS P.O.V:

               A young WOMAN, dressed in white, is on the balcony.  She 
               has been watching the ceremony.  She turns back into the 
               house.

               The Chief bends down and picks up the tattered American 
               flag, which is on Clean's body.  Lance places Clean's tape 
               recorder on the body.  The body is lowered into the grave.

                                     CHIEF
                              (to Willard)
                         Captain, accept the flag of Tyrone 
                         Miller, on behalf of a grateful 
                         nation.

               He hands the folded flag to Willard.

               INT. DINING ROOM - GROUP - NIGHT

               We SEE the MeMarais interior.  They have set up a table 
               for the crew, and with some of their own enlisted men.  
               The table is headed by Sergeant LaFavre, who is already 
               seriously into the wine.

               A waiter comes to the table and stops next to Chef.  He is 
               holding a plate full of chicken, etc. Chef's face lights 
               up as he regards the wonderful European-style food.

                                     CHEF
                         This food is really wonderful, 
                         isn't it?  The wine, the sauces.  
                         I can't believe it.  Can I speak 
                         with the chef?

                                     LAFAVRE
                         The chef speaks only Vietnamese.

                                     CHEF
                         No kidding.  He cooks like this 
                         and he can't even speak French?
                              (to Lance)
                         Hey, Lance, the chef's a slope.

               Lance has been loading up on food from the waiter's plate.  
               As the waiter moves away from him, Lance reaches across 
               the table for the bread and accidentally knocks over a 
               glass.

                                     CHIEF
                         Hey, Lance...

               Lance realizes he is eating like an animal, sits back down.

               The VIEW MOVES ALONG THE TABLE AND REVEALS that on a higher 
               level there is a more elaborate table set, where the 
               DeMarais family is dining with Willard.

               Willard is sitting next to DeMarais, who is at the head of 
               the table.  Christian, ANNE-MARIE, and old blind UNCLE, 
               Claudine, the TUTOR, and Philippe are all seated, listening 
               to one of the grandchildren, who is reciting a poem.  The 
               other grandchildren stand nearby listening.

               The child stumbles through the poem.

                                     DEMARAIS
                              (in French)
                         You still need to study with Mr. 
                         Robert.  Let's go.  Not too bad.  
                         Go to bed everyone now.

               The children kiss their parents good night, and run out of 
               the room.  DeMarais turns to Willard.

                                     DEMARAIS
                         This is Baudelaire.  It is a very 
                         cruel poem for children, but they 
                         need it, because life sometime is 
                         very cruel.

               He reaches behind him and picks up a plaque, hands it to 
               Willard.

                                     DEMARAIS
                         As you can see.  Attack repels by 
                         the family.

                                     PHILIPPE
                         Just for this war

                                     DEMARAIS
                              (pointing to the 
                              plaque)
                         Vietcong, fifty-eight.  North 
                         Vietnamese, twelve.  South 
                         Vietnamese, eleven.

                                     WILLARD
                         Americans, six?

                                     DEMARAIS
                         Yes, well, there were perhaps 
                         mistakes.

               Willard hands the plaque back to Demarais, who hands if 
               off to Philippe.

               ANOTHER ANGLE TO INCLUDE ROXANNE

               The young woman we saw earlier, ROXANNE, has come down the 
               stairs and moves into the dining Room.  DeMarais looks up 
               and sees her.

                                     DEMARAIS
                              (in French)
                         Roxanne, you were curious to see 
                         these Americans, weren't you?

                                     ROXANNE
                              (in French)
                         No, I was only hungry.

               She stops in front of an empty chair next to Philippe.  
               Willard rises to greet her.

                                     DEMARAIS
                         May I present Captain Willard, he 
                         is of a Paratroop regiment.  Madame 
                         Sarrault.

               She smiles and indicates for Willard to sit down.

                                     ROXANNE
                         Captain.

               She sits down.  There is an uneasy silence.  She laughs 
               slightly.

                                     ROXANNE
                              (in French)
                         "An angel passes..."

               DeMarais reacts.

                                     DEMARAIS
                              (in French)
                         "...Let's butcher it!"  Do you 
                         remember this story in Paris, when 
                         the baron said, "Let's cut the 
                         angel?"

                                     ROXANNE
                              (in French)
                         I don't think that is the subject 
                         tonight.

                                     DEMARAIS
                         I'm sorry, Captain.  It was just a 
                         little story.  And people starving 
                         during the war.  They are all around 
                         the table, and there was a silence, 
                         somebody say "An angel is passing 
                         by." So somebody say "Let's eat 
                         it!"
                              (laughs)

                                     WILLARD
                         How long can you possibly stay 
                         here?

                                     DEMARAIS
                         We stay forever.

                                     WILLARD
                         No, no, I mean, why don't you go 
                         back home to France?

                                     DEMARAIS
                         This is our home, Captain.

                                     WILLARD
                         Sooner or later, you're --

                                     DEMARAIS
                         No!

               Roxanne interrupts, saying something to him in French.  He 
               silences her.

                                     DEMARAIS
                              (to Willard)
                         You don't understand our mentality!  
                         The French officer mentality!  At 
                         first, we lose in Second World 
                         War.  I don't say that you Americans 
                         win, but we lose.

                                     CLAUDINE
                         Oh, Papa.

               DeMarais is starting to get heated up.

                                     DEMARAIS
                         When I speak, you shut up!
                              (to Willard)
                         In Dine Bien Phu, we lose!  In 
                         Algeria, we lose!  In Indochina, 
                         we lose.  But here, we don't lose!  
                         This piece of earth, we keep it!  
                         We will never lose it!  Never!

               The OLD BLIND UNCLE at the other end of the table speaks, 
               as Claudine cuts his food for him and feeds him.

                                     OLD UNCLE
                         And now you take French place, and 
                         the Viet Minh fight you.  And what 
                         can you do?  Nothing.  Absolutely 
                         nothing.

                                     DEMARAIS
                         The Vietnamese are very intelligent.  
                         You never know what they think.  
                         The Russian ones who help them, 
                         "Come and give us their money, we 
                         are all Communists.  Chinese, come 
                         and give us guns.  We're all 
                         brothers." They hate the Chinese!  
                         Maybe they hate the American less 
                         that the Russian and the Chinese.  
                         If tomorrow the Vietnamese are 
                         Communists, they will be Vietnamese 
                         Communists.  And this is something 
                         that you will never understand, 
                         you American.

                                     OLD UNCLE
                         I don't know.  Maybe in the future 
                         we can make something with the 
                         Viet Minh.

                                     PHILIPPE
                         Don't you understand?  The V.C. 
                         say, "Go away!  Go away!"  That's 
                         finish for all the white people in 
                         Indochina.  If you're French, 
                         American, that's all the same.  
                         "Go!"  They want to forget you.  
                         Look, Captain --

               He rises from the table.

                                     DEMARAIS
                         Come on, Philippe.  It's enough 
                         now.

               Philippe goes and picks up an egg from the basket, returns 
               to the table.

                                     PHILIPPE
                         Look, this is the truth...

               He breaks the egg in his hand, the contents dribble out.

                                     PHILIPPE
                         An egg, the white leaves, but the 
                         yellow stays!

               He turns and walks away.

                                     DEMARAIS
                              (in French)
                         Come on, stay with us.  What's 
                         going on?

                                     PHILIPPE
                              (calling back)
                         They don't want to face the truth.

               He points to the dining room, turns and exits, LaFavre, 
               playing his accordion, walks toward the dining room.

                                     CHRISTIAN
                         When I was in Saigon, I spoke to 
                         an American politician, and he 
                         explained it very well.  He said, 
                         "Look, Yesterday it was Korea, 
                         today Vietnam, tomorrow Thailand, 
                         the Philippines, then maybe Europe."

               LaFavre enters, playing the accordion.

                                     CHRISTIAN
                         Come on, why not Europe?  Look 
                         what happened in Czechoslovakia 
                         recently.  And even before the 
                         Second World War, the Americans 
                         knew exactly what was going on!  
                         They don't want that shit to take 
                         over!
                              (to LaFavre, who is 
                              playing the 
                              accordion)
                         LaFavre!  LaFavre, stop it!

                                     LAFAVRE
                         All you white people are shit.

                                     CHRISTIAN
                         They are fighting.  Fighting for 
                         freedom.

                                     LAFAVRE
                         Freedom?  Bullshit.  French 
                         bullshit.  American bullshit.
                              (to all)
                         Dine Bien Phu, that's serious!  
                         All soldier know they are already 
                         dead.
                              (to Willard)
                         You know anything about Dine Bien 
                         Phu?

                                     WILLARD
                         Yeah, I know.

                                     DEMARAIS
                         No, you don't.  Not really.

                                     TUTOR
                         A milliary mistake.

                                     DEMARAIS
                         A mistake?  A voluntary mistake!  
                         Voluntary!

                                     LAFAVRE
                         All the soldiers knew, we knew we 
                         would be dead.

                                     DEMARAIS
                         The generals and the colonels 
                         believe it's impossible for the 
                         Viets to get the cannon up there 
                         in the mountain.  But they do.  
                         Then they wait for the rain to 
                         come.  When it comes, no airplane 
                         can fly there, and our paratroopers 
                         jump at ninety meters!  I mean, 
                         you know, ninety meters!  Seventy 
                         meters!  That's crazy!  Nobody in 
                         the world can do that!  And they 
                         only do that to be dead with their 
                         friends.

               LaFavre starts playing "The Star Spangled Banner!

                                     DEMARAIS
                         The French Army sacrificed.  
                         Sacrificed by politicians safe at 
                         home.  They put the army in an 
                         impossible situation where they 
                         couldn't win!

                                     TUTOR
                         You exaggerate.

                                     DEMARAIS
                         The students are marching in Paris, 
                         protesting, demonstrating.  They 
                         stab the soldiers in their back!  
                         The soldier would open a grenade, 
                         it wouldn't work.  A piece of paper 
                         would fall, "Union of the French 
                         Woman." "We are all for the Viets." 
                         Traitors!  Communist traitors at 
                         home!

                                     LAFAVRE
                         Dine Bien Phu, okay.  The French 
                         is shit.  No one care.  No one 
                         want to--

                                     CHRISTIAN
                         You are bothering me, LaFavre!
                              (to Willard)
                         Why don't you Americans learn from 
                         us, from our mistakes?  My God, 
                         with your army, your strength, 
                         your power...you could win if you 
                         wanted to!

               As LaFavre leaves, he falls down some steps that lead out 
               of the dining room.

                                     DEMARAIS
                              (in French; to 
                              Christian)
                         Be kind and help this poor LaFavre 
                         who fell, please.

                                     CHRISTIAN
                              (to Willard)
                         You can win!

               He rises and goes to help the sergeant.  As they leave, 
               his wife Anne-Marie sits there nervously, then rises, 
               excusing herself.

                                     OLD UNCLE
                         You know, I'm sure we can make 
                         something here.  I'm sure about 
                         it, you know?  I never do something 
                         wrong to the people here.

                                     TUTOR
                         That's right, but the Communists 
                         at home have never been traitors.

                                     DEMARAIS
                         No, never traitors.  For me, Mendes-
                         France was a Communist.

                                     TUTOR
                         Mendes-France was a Socialist.

                                     DEMARAIS
                         He was Communist!  That's it!

               They get into an argument in French.  The others look at 
               each other, at Willard, as the argument continues.

                                     TUTOR
                         Socialist.

                                     DEMARAIS
                         How do you want the government to 
                         win when it is Communist?

                                     TUTOR
                         Communists have always worked for 
                         peace wherever they are.

                                     DEMARAIS
                         They killed the French Army, which 
                         was the strongest.  Destroyed 
                         because of who?  The Communists.

                                     TUTOR
                         The army damaged itself by its 
                         attitude toward the people here.

                                     DEMARAIS
                         And why do you think that it did 
                         that?  Because it understood it 
                         had been sacrificed by the Communist 
                         government.

                                     TUTOR
                         Socialist.

                                     DEMARAIS
                         Communist.

                                     TUTOR
                         Captain, good night.

               The tutor gets up and starts to walk out...gives Demarais 
               one more shot.

                                     TUTOR
                              (to DeMarais)
                         Mendes-France was a Socialist.

               He leaves.

                                     OLD UNCLE
                         We can stay.  I know we can stay.  
                         You know, we always helped the 
                         people, we work with the people.

               The old man continues babbling, as Claudine helps him up.

                                     CLAUDINE
                         Come on, we are leaving.

                                     OLD UNCLE
                         So we can be friends, we are agreed.

               The exit, Claudine consoling him.  Now only Roxanne, 
               Willard, and DeMarais are at the table.

                                     DEMARAIS
                         See, Captain, when my grandfather 
                         and my uncle's father came here, 
                         there was nothing.  Nothing.  The 
                         Vietnamese were nothing.  So we 
                         worked hard, very hard, and brought 
                         the rubber from Brazil, and then 
                         plant it here.  We took the 
                         Vietnamese, work with them, make 
                         something, something out of nothing.  
                         So when you ask me why we want to 
                         stay here, Captain, we want to 
                         stay here because it's ours, it 
                         belongs to us.  It keeps out family 
                         together.  We fight for that!  
                         While you Americans, you are 
                         fighting for the biggest nothing 
                         in history.  I'm sorry Captain.  I 
                         will see if your men needs any 
                         help to repair your boat, so that 
                         you can go on with your war.  Good 
                         night, Roxanne.

               He rises from the table and moves out of the room.  Willard 
               and Roxanne are left alone at the table.

                                     ROXANNE
                         I apologize for my family, Captain.  
                         We have all loots much here.  Hubert-
                         his wife and two sons.  And I have 
                         lost a husband.

                                     WILLARD
                         I understand.

                                     ROXANNE
                         You are tired of the war.  I can 
                         see it in your face.  It was the 
                         same in the eyes of the soldiers 
                         of our war.  We called them "Les 
                         Soldat Perdus." The Lost Soldiers
                              (a beat)
                         If you like we can have some cognac.

               She rises and moves to the living room.

                                     WILLARD
                         No, I have to see about my men 
                         and...

               Roxanne stops at the bottom of the stairs.  She turns to 
               look at him. 

                                     ROXANNE
                         The war will still be here tomorrow.

                                     WILLARD
                         Yeah, I guess you're right.

               He rises and walks down into the living room.  Roxanne 
               moves toward a table full of liquor bottles.

                                     ROXANNE
                         I noticed you had no wine at dinner.

               She begins to pour cognac into a glass.

                                     WILLARD
                         No, I don't drink wine.  I do like 
                         cognac, but I don't want any now, 
                         thank you.

                                     ROXANNE
                         Well, then I must drink alone,.  
                         Then.

               She picks up her glass of cognac, and walks by Willard out 
               onto the terrace.  Stops and looks back at him.

                                     ROXANNE
                         Will you go back after the war to 
                         America?

                                     WILLARD
                         No.

                                     ROXANNE
                         Then you're like us, your home is 
                         here.

               She walks farther out onto the terrace, sits down on a 
               sofa, with her back to the river below.  Willard follows 
               her and stands next to her at the railing.  We can SEE men 
               working on the PBR down below at the dock.

                                     ROXANNE
                         Do you know why you can never step 
                         into the same river twice?

                                     WILLARD
                         Yeah.  Because it's always moving.

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               INT. ROXANNE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

               Our VIEW starts CLOSE ON Roxanne's hands.  She is holding 
               a long opium pipe.  In the other hand she holds a long 
               tamper with some opium on the end.  She handles it expertly 
               over a small lamp with open flame, heating it, then putting 
               the bead of opium into the pipe.

                                     ROXANNE
                         I used to prepare a pipe for my 
                         husband.  It was morphine he took 
                         for the wounds he suffered in his 
                         heart.

               She looks over at Willard.  They are both lying on her 
               bed, next to each other.

                                     ROXANNE
                         He would rage and he would cry, my 
                         lost soldier.  And I said to him, 
                         "There are two of you, don't you 
                         see?  One that kills and one that 
                         loves." And he said to me, "I don't 
                         know whether I am animal or a god." 
                         But you are both.

               She offers him the pipe, he takes it and inhales the smoke 
               from the opium, gives it back to her.  She smokes also.

                                     ROXANNE
                         You want more?

               He shakes his head.

                                     ROXANNE
                         All that matters is that you are 
                         alive.  You are alive, Captain.  
                         That's the truth.

               She gets up from the bed, unties one of the strings of the 
               bed canopy, and takes off her robe, revealing her naked 
               body.  She walks around the bed, untying the other strings.  
               She approaches him.  He reaches up to her.

                                     ROXANNE
                         There are two of you, don't you 
                         see?  One that kills...and one 
                         that loves.

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               EXT. RIVER - PBR - DAY

               Mist swells up around the river as the boat moves into an 
               obscure FOG.  Willard is up front on the bow, trying to 
               see what's ahead.  The Chief is at the helm.

               ED. CLOSE SHOT - THE CHIEF

               We catch a glimpse of him, even though we are in the fog, 
               he can't see a thing.  Finally he shuts down the engine 
               and they coast.

                                     CHIEF
                         Can't see nothing.  We're stopping.

               Willard jumps up and moves to the Chief.

                                     WILLARD
                         You're not authorized to stop this 
                         boat, Chief.

                                     CHIEF
                         I said I can't see a thing, Captain!  
                         I'm stopping this boat!  I ain't 
                         risking no more lives!

                                     WILLARD
                         I'm in command here, goddamnit.  
                         You'll do what I say!

                                     CHIEF
                              (to Chef)
                         You see anything, Chef?

               Chef is at the back of the boat behind the M50. He searches 
               the banks.

                                     CHEF
                         Why don't they fucking attack, 
                         man?

               ANGLE ON  LANCE

               His head back, wailing eerily.

                                     CHEF
                         Watch it over there, Chief.  Got a 
                         stump.

                                     CHIEF
                         Lance, on the fifties.

               ANGLE ON THE PBR

               We catch glimpses through the moving FOG, all of the men 
               on the PBR, at their guns, searching the shoreline.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         He was close.  He was real close.  
                         I couldn't see him yet, but I could 
                         feel him, as if the boat were being 
                         sucked up river and the water was 
                         flowing back into the jungle.  
                         Whatever was going to happen, it 
                         wasn't going to be the way they 
                         called it back in Nah Trang.

               SUDDENLY the air is filled with arrows, an avalanche of 
               arrows in the sky.  They come down clattering on the deck.  
               Chef opens fire.

                                     WILLARD
                         Arrows!

                                     CHIEF
                         Fire!  Chef, open fire!  Fire!  
                         Lance!  Fire!

               ANOTHER ANGLE - ARROWS

               Arrows everywhere, primitive spears flung expertly.

               ANGEL ON LANCE

               In the front turret, arrows whiz around him.  He turns, 
               smiles, picks one up, looks at it, breaks it in half.

               ANGLE ON THE CHEF

               Frightened, but almost heroic, firing his weapon and 
               shouting obscenities at the weird, dancing heathens 
               attacking him.  Arrows fall harmlessly around him.

               HIGH ANGLE - THE SKY

               Thousands of arrows in the sky come clattering down on the 
               deck by the Chief.

               ANGLE TO GO WITH WILLARD

               Amazed...immediately he knows they're harmless, done more 
               to frighten than to injure.  But still, he's never seen 
               anything like this in all his time in Vietnam, and he knows 
               in his gut that it is still another message from Kurtz.  
               He moves to Chef, tries to make him stop firing.

                                     WILLARD
                         Chef!  Chef, it's okay!  Quit 
                         firing!  They're just little arrows.  
                         Cut it out!  Quiet!  Chief, tell 
                         them to hold their fire!  They're 
                         just little sticks!  They're trying 
                         to scare us!

               The Chief picks up his M16 and turns to Willard wildly.

                                     CHIEF
                         You got us in this mess, and now 
                         you can't get us out, because you 
                         don't know where the hell you're 
                         going, do you?
                              (no answer)
                         Do you?  You son of a bitch!  You 
                         bastard!

               The Chief leaves the wheel of the PBR and steps up on the 
               deck with his M16.

                                     WILLARD
                              (to Lance)
                         Lance, get the wheel!

               Lance moves to take over the wheel, as Chief starts firing 
               his M16 madly.

                                     CHIEF
                         You savages!  Come and get it, you 
                         son of a bitches!

               He drops the M16, moves to the M60 machine gun and starts 
               firing madly again.

               Suddenly the Chief stops short, puzzled, a small droplet 
               of blood lines his mouth.  He coughs up a mouthful of blood, 
               then looks down.  The head of a SPEAR has gone through his 
               chest.  He looks up at Willard.

                                     CHIEF
                         A spear?

               He remains looking directly into Willard's eyes, then starts 
               to fall.  Willard catches him, and is pulled down to the 
               deck by the weight of the Chief's body.  The Chief looks 
               up at him and suddenly reaches his hands for Willard's 
               throat, trying to pull Willard down on top of the spearhead, 
               trying to skewer him, and pull him along with him to death.  
               A beat as they struggle, then suddenly the Chief DIES.

               EXT. RIVER - THE PBR - DAY

               Lance is putting camouflage paint on the Chief.

               Willard has jumped off the boat with all of his gear.  
               Chef looks down at him.

                                     WILLARD
                         My mission is to make it up to 
                         Cambodia.  There's a Green Beret 
                         colonel up there who's gone insane, 
                         and I'm supposed to kill him.

                                     CHEF
                         That's fucking typical!  Shit!  
                         Fucking Vietnam mission!  I'm short 
                         and we gotta go up there so you 
                         can kill one of our own guys?  
                         That's fucking great!  That's just 
                         fucking great, man!  Shit!  That's 
                         fucking crazy!  I thought you were 
                         going to blow up a bridge, or some 
                         fucking railroad tracks, or 
                         something!

               Lance has pulled the Chief's body into the river, and jumped 
               in himself.  Willard and Chef watches him, as he tries to 
               bury Chief's body in the water.

               Willard turns to leave.

                                     WILLARD
                         That's all right.

                                     CHEF
                         No, wait.  We'll go together.  On 
                         the boat.  We'll go with you.  
                         We'll go out there.  But on the 
                         boat, okay?

               Lance gently floats Chief off downstream.  We SEE the 
               Chief's body slowly disappear.

               EXT. RIVER - PBR - NIGHT

               The PBR moves up-river.  The shore is lit up with burning 
               torches and a large wooden structure in flames.  We SEE 
               the faces of the remaining crew, as they take in this sight.

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               EXT. RIVER - THE PBR - DAY

               The boat passes rows of skulls, flaming torches, men impaled 
               on poles, etc.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         Part of me was afraid of what I 
                         would find, and what I would do 
                         when I got there.  I knew the risks.  
                         Or imagined I knew.  But the thing 
                         I felt the most, much stringer 
                         than fear, was the desire to 
                         confront him.

               Lance is at the back of the boat, moving in a slow-motion 
               Tai Chi.

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               EXT. RIVER - PBR - DAY

               The PBR is slowly moving TOWARD CAMERA.  Lance and Willard 
               are standing on the bow of the boat.  Chef is at the helm.  
               The men stare forward in amazement.  Willard has the 
               binoculars around his neck.  He brings them up to his eyes 
               and looks.

                                     WILLARD
                              (to Chef)
                         Just keep moving.
                              (to Lance)
                         Lance, keep your hands away from 
                         the guns.

               OUR VIEW MOVES slowly behind them and we SEE that they 
               see.

               Hundreds of Montagnard natives, body and faces painted 
               white, of the most savage nature, but there is a purity 
               about them.  Men and boys stand passively on canoes side 
               by side, blocking the river.

               There are also hundreds of other NATIVES lining the shore 
               on both sides, dressed in most ornate and primitive manner, 
               in feathers, parts of birds and animals.  Fires and dead 
               bodies are everywhere.

               OUR VIEW MOVES

               Behind the PBR, closer and closer to this fantastic human 
               wall blocking them.  The natives accept the PBR, allowing 
               it to pass into them with a sort of inevitability.

               VIEW ON WILLARD, LANCE AND CHEF

               Reacting as they pass through the natives on canoes, then 
               look up toward the bask.

               WHAT THEY SEE:

               The temple.  A magnificent fortified encampment built around 
               the ruins of a former Cambodian civilization.

               NEW ANGLE - FULL VIEW BEHIND THE PBR AS IT PROCEEDS

               The scale of this thing is enormous.  Great enigmatic 
               Cambodian faces carved out of stone from thousands of years 
               ago.  The fortress reaches out across the river where part 
               of its ruins still stand on the opposite side nod on a 
               small island.  It's as though the river flowed into the 
               great rams of the sphinx-like temple.  Aligning the 
               fortifications are concertina wire, automatic weapons 
               emplacements.  There is even wreckage of Hueys as armed 
               machine gun nests.  It is a strange combination of the 
               very modern and the very primitive.  In this installation, 
               WE SEE LIVING families, fires, nomadic dwellings, several 
               HUNDRED of the most primitive MOTAGNARDS that ever existed.  
               Some carry spears, occasionally other emerge from the 
               jungle, scurrying around with the activity that the arrival 
               of a stranger brings.  The air is heavy with the weight of 
               hundreds of AUTOMATIC WEAPONS.  A think greasy smoke hangs 
               from fires that burn and around the fort.  Fresh shell 
               craters indicate a recent battle.  Near the dock, and 
               everywhere else, there are tangled piles of corpses, half-
               submerged in the water, piles of bodies of the dead.

               As the PBR moves up, a HEAD suddenly is thrust into VIEW.  
               The heads is that of a particularly wild, long-haired, 
               stubble-faced MAN.  He has three or four camera bodies 
               around his neck; a large bag stuffed with lenses and film.  
               He is dressed in rags and tatters.  He shouts out.

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         It's all right!  It's all right!  
                         It's been approved!

               The PBR moves slowly toward the steps, as the man continues 
               to shout out.

                                     CHEF
                         I ain't coming in there!  Them 
                         bastards attacked us!

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         Zap 'em with your siren, man.  Zap 
                         'em with your siren.

               Chef BLOWS THE SIREN on the PBR.  The Natives react, never 
               having heard one before; they scatter in all directions, 
               running away scared.

               The photographer moves down onto the landing, directing 
               the boat.

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         There's mines over there!  Mines 
                         over there, too!  And watch out, 
                         those goddamn monkeys bit you, I 
                         tell you.

               The PBR crew are exhausted, staring at him through their 
               mud-and-blood splattered faces.

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         Move it in right toward me.

               He jumps onboard the boat and immediately advances towards 
               Lance.  He shakes his hand, moves to the others, and shakes 
               their hands as well.

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         I'm an American.  An American 
                         civilian.  Hi, Yanks.  Hi.  
                         American.  American civilian.  
                         It's all right.
                              (to Chef)
                         And you got the cigarettes, and 
                         what's what I've been dreaming of.

               Chef flips him a packet of cigarettes.

                                     WILLARD
                              (or photographer)
                         Who are you?

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         Who are you?  I'm a photojournalist.  
                         I've covered the war since '64.  
                         I've been in Loas, Cambodia, 'Man...
                              (looking around the 
                              boat)
                         I'll tell you one thing.  This 
                         boat is a mess, man.

                                     WILLARD
                              (gestures to natives)
                         Who are all these people?

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         They think you've come to take him 
                         away.  I hope that isn't true.

                                     WILLARD
                         Take who away?

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                              (gestures to temple)
                         Him!  Colonel Kurtz!  These are 
                         all his children, man, as far as 
                         you can see.  Hell, man, out here, 
                         we are all his children.

                                     WILLARD
                         Could we talk to Colonel Kurtz?

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         Hey, man, you don't talk to the 
                         Colonel.  Well, you listen to him.

               Willard steps off the boat onto the steps.  He turns and 
               looks back at the Photographer.

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         The man's enlarged my mind.  He's 
                         a poet-warrior in a classic sense.  
                         I mean, sometimes he'll-well, you 
                         say hello to him, right?  And he'll 
                         just walk right by you and he won't 
                         even notice you.  And then suddenly 
                         he'll grab you and he'll throw you 
                         in a corner and he'll say "Do you 
                         know that the 'if' is the middle 
                         word in 'life'?  If you can keep 
                         your head when all about you are 
                         losing theirs and blaming it on 
                         you.  If you can trust yourself 
                         when all men doubt you." I'm a 
                         little man, I'm a little man.  
                         He's a great man.
                              (a beat)
                         "I should have been a pair of ragged 
                         claws scuttling across floors of 
                         silent seas."

               Willard, incredulous, turns away to Lance.

                                     WILLARD
                         Stay with the boat.

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         Don't go without me, okay.  I want 
                         to get a picture.

               Willard and Chef start up the steps.  The Photographer 
               walks with them, taking photographs.

               TRACKING SHOT

               They reach the top of the steps.  Gradually the natives 
               and savages show themselves-fierce and frightening, jungle 
               fighters, mostly Montagnard.  They wear only loincloths 
               and bandoleers of ammunition.  Their bodies are painted in 
               strange patterns.  Death and parts of bodies are everywhere.

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         He can be terrible, and he can be 
                         mean, and he can be right.  He's 
                         fighting the war.  He's a great 
                         man.  I mean, I wish I had words 
                         you know?  I wish I had words.  I 
                         could tell you something like, the 
                         other day he wanted to kill me.

                                     WILLARD
                         Why did he want to kill you?

               They come to a stop.

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         Because I took his picture.  He 
                         said, "If you take my picture again, 
                         I'm going to kill you." And he 
                         meant it.  See, just lay cool, lay 
                         cool.  Lay back, dig it.

               They start walking forward again, as the photographer 
               continues.

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         He gets friendly again, he really 
                         does.  But you don't judge the 
                         colonel.  You don't judge the 
                         colonel like ordinary men.

               ANGLE ON  WILLARD

               looking carefully as he moves forward

               MOVING POV

               More natives and savages.  Interspersed among them are a 
               few taller men with paler skins, with the remnants of army 
               insignia on them.

               ANGLE ON  WILLARD

               reacting, as he moves forward.  Chef is frightened, as he 
               follows Willard.

               ANOTHER ANGLE

               They move closer and closer to the temple.  The photographer 
               runs up ahead of Willard and stops in front of the man 
               with paler skins...these are remnants of the Green Beret 
               "A" Team.

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         Okay, watch it now!  These are 
                         Americans!  Americans!
                              (to Willard)
                         You can feel the vibe of this place.  
                         Let me take a picture.  Hey, could 
                         you hold it?  Hello?  Could you 
                         hold it for a minute?

               The photographer starts clicking away with a Nikon, as 
               Willard moves toward what once must have been an American.  
               He wears only a shotgun cartridge and striker pants.  His 
               face is darkened from dirt, battle smoke, matted mud and 
               grease.

               Willard stops and looks at him.

                                     WILLARD
                         Colby?

               Colby is silent.  Then he and the other Berets, woman, 
               children, etc., slowly part, making way for Willard.  
               Willard slowly moves through the group and looks.

               WHAT HE SEES

               The stone steps of the temple.  Resting on the steps are 
               freshly screed heads, blood washing down from them.  They 
               sit decorating the entrance to the temple like so many 
               gruesome pumpkins.

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         The heads.  You're looking at the 
                         heads.  Sometimes he goes too far, 
                         and he's the first one to admit 
                         it.

               Chef, behind Willard, looks at the heads.

                                     CHEF
                         He's gone crazy.

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         Wrong!  Wrong!  If you could have 
                         heard the man just two days ago, 
                         if you could've heard him then.  
                         God.  You were gonna call him crazy?

                                     CHEF
                         Fucking A.

                                     WILLARD
                         I just want to talk to him.

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         Well, man, he's gone away.  He 
                         disappeared out in the jungle with 
                         his people.

               He continues forward.  The others follow.

                                     WILLARD
                         I'll wait for him.

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         He feels comfortable with his 
                         people.  He forgets himself with 
                         his people.  He forgets himself.

                                     CHEF
                         Captain, maybe we should wait back 
                         at the boat.

                                     WILLARD
                              (turns back to him)
                         Okay, Chef, we'll go back to the 
                         boat for a while.

                                     CHEF
                         Yeah.  Stay with Lance.

               EXT. KURTZ COMPOUND - DUSK

               A stone head with palm ;eaves hanging over it.

               EXT. PBR - DUSK

               Lance is squatting at the bow of the boat holding a spear, 
               sticking it into the water, probably trying to spear a 
               fish.

               A GROUP OF NATIVES are gathered by the steps of the dock.  
               One of the natives climbs the tree next to the dock and 
               cuts loose a dead body.  It falls into the river with a 
               splash.

               Chef sits next to Willard in the cabin.

                                     CHEF
                         This colonel guy, he's wacko, man.  
                         He's worse than crazy, he's evil!  
                         That's what the man's got set up 
                         here, man!  It's fucking pagan 
                         idolatry!  Look around you!  Shit, 
                         he's loco.

               Willard is putting on his tiger shirt.

                                     WILLARD
                         Then you'll help me?

                                     CHEF
                         Fucking A, I'll help you.  I'll do 
                         anything to get out of this joint!  
                         We could blow all them assholes 
                         away!

               CAMERA PANS the savages onshore, who have gathered around 
               them, watching them.  We SEE a sign written in a wild hand 
               with white spray paint on a wall: "OUR MOTTO: APOCALYPSE 
               NOW!"

                                     CHEF
                         They're so fucking spaced out, 
                         they wouldn't even know it.  I 
                         ain't afraid of all them fucking 
                         skulls and altars and shit!  I 
                         used to think that if I died in an 
                         evil place, then my soul wouldn't 
                         make it to heaven.  But now...fuck.  
                         I don't care where it goes, as 
                         long as it ain't here.  So what do 
                         you want to do?  I'll kill the 
                         fuck.

                                     WILLARD
                              (picks up the map)
                         No, no.  I'm gonna need you to 
                         wait here, Chef.  I'll go up with 
                         Lance and scrounge around, check 
                         the place out, see if I can find 
                         the colonel, okay?

                                     CHEF
                         But what do you want me to do?  
                         Damnit.

               Willard picks up a field radio and hands it to Chef, Chef 
               looks at it.

                                     WILLARD
                         Here, you take the radio, and if I 
                         don't get back by 22:00 hours, you 
                         call in the air strike.

               Chef stares at him.

                                     CHEF
                         Air strike?

                                     WILLARD
                         The code is "Almighty," coordinates 
                         zero-nine-two-six-four-seven-one-
                         two.  It's all in there.

               He hands the map to Chef.

               EXT. KURTZ COMPOUND - DAY

               Willard and Lance walk through the temple grounds in the 
               rain.  Willard is gradually surrounded by more and more 
               native soldiers.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         Everything I saw told me that Kurtz 
                         had gone insane.  The place was 
                         full of bodies.  North Vietnamese, 
                         Vietcong, Cambodians...If I was 
                         still alive, it was because he 
                         wanted me that way.

               The soldiers close in on him, pick him up, and turn him 
               upside down, rolling him in the mud.

               LOW ANGLE ON LANCE

               He is slowly walking among passing natives.  He is oblivious 
               to what is happening to Willard.

               MED.  SHOT - WILLARD

               Being turned in mud by the natives.

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               INT. KURTZ HEADQUARTERS - DAY

               Willard, hands tied behind his back, is guided down a long 
               corridor, followed by two Montagnards, both armed.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         It smelled like slow death in there.  
                         Malaria and nightmares.  This was 
                         the end of the river, all right.

               They turn into the main room.  The natives indicate for 
               Willard to kneel down on the floor.  The CAMERA MOVES, 
               REVEALING KURTZ lying in shadow on a bed.  We will SEE him 
               only in darkness and shadow throughout the scene.

                                     KURTZ
                         Where you from, Willard?

                                     WILLARD
                         I'm from Ohio, sir.

                                     KURTZ
                         Were you born there?

                                     WILLARD
                         Yes, sire.

                                     KURTZ
                         Whereabouts?

                                     WILLARD
                         Toledo, sir.

                                     KURTZ
                         How far are you from the river?

                                     WILLARD
                         The Ohio River, sir?  About two 
                         hundred miles.

                                     KURTZ
                         I went down that river once when I 
                         was a kid.  There's a place in the 
                         river, I can't remember...must 
                         have been a gardenia plantation, 
                         or a flower plantation at one time.  
                         It's all wild and overgrown now.  
                         But for about five miles, you'd 
                         think that heaven just fell on the 
                         earth, in the form of gardenias.

               Kurtz reaches down and picks up a bowl full of water.  He 
               splashes water on his face and head.

                                     KURTZ
                         Have you ever considered, any real 
                         freedoms?  Freedoms from the 
                         opinions of others.  Even the 
                         opinions of yourself.  Did they 
                         say why, Willard?  Why they wanted 
                         to terminate my command?

                                     WILLARD
                         I was sent on a classified mission, 
                         sir.

                                     KURTZ
                         Its no longer classified, is it.  
                         What did they tell you?

                                     WILLARD
                         They told me, that you had 
                         gone...totally insane.  And that 
                         your methods were unsound.

                                     KURTZ
                         Are my methods unsound?

                                     WILLARD
                         I don't see any method at all, 
                         sir.

                                     KURTZ
                         I expected someone like you.  What 
                         did you expect?  Are you an 
                         assassin?

                                     WILLARD
                         I'm a soldier.

               We finally SEE KURTZ'S FACE.

                                     KURTZ
                         You're neither.  You're an errand 
                         boy, sent by grocery clerks, to 
                         collect a bill.

               EXT. KURTZ COMPOUND - TRAIL UP FROM RIVER - DAY

               The photographer hurries down the trail past villagers and 
               soldiers toward the compound, and up the hill that leads 
               toward the TIGER CAGES in front of the Monkey Temple.  He 
               spots a jug full of water, with a ladle in it.

               AT TIGER CAGES - TO GO WITH PHOTOGRAPHER

               The photographer moves to Willard who is in a tiger cage.  
               Willard is in pretty bad shape, weak and thirsty.  The 
               photographer stops in front of him.  He holds the ladle 
               for Willard to drink from.

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         Why?  Why would a nice guy like 
                         you want to kill a genius?  Feeling 
                         pretty good, huh?  Why?  Do you 
                         know that the man really likes 
                         you?

               He puts a cigarette in Willard's mouth.

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         He likes you.  He really likes 
                         you.  But he's got something in 
                         mind for you.  Aren't you curious 
                         about that?  I'm curious.  I'm 
                         very curious.  Are you curious?

               The photographer walks around Willard's cage.

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         There's something happening out 
                         here, man.  You know something, 
                         man?  I know something you that 
                         you don't know.  That's right, 
                         Jack . The man is clear in his 
                         mind, but his soul is mad.  Oh, 
                         yeah.  He's dying, I think.  He 
                         hates all this.  He hates it!  But 
                         the man's a...He reads poetry out 
                         loud, all right?  And a voice...he 
                         likes you 'cause you're still alive.  
                         He's got plans for you.  No, I'm 
                         not gonna help you.  You're gonna 
                         help him, man.  You're gonna help 
                         him.  I mean, what are they gonna 
                         sat when he's gone?  'Cause he 
                         dies when it dies, when it dies, 
                         he dies!  What are they gonna say 
                         about him?  He was a kind man?  He 
                         was a wise man?  He has plans?  He 
                         has wisdom?  Bullshit, man!  Am I 
                         gonna be the one that's gonna set 
                         them straight?  Look at me!  Wrong!
                              (points to Willard)
                         You!

               EXT. PBR - RAIN - DAY

               Chef is sleeping on-deck in the rain, under a tarp.

                                     CHEF
                              (to himself)
                         Almost eight hours.  I'm asleep.  
                         I'm asleep and dreaming I'm on 
                         this shitty boat.  Fuck.  Has it 
                         been eight hours?

               He lifts the tap off, gets up, and goes to the cabin.

               HIGH ANGLE ON PBR

               It is raining

                                     CHEF (O.S.)
                              (into radio)
                         Hello, Almighty.  Almighty.  This 
                         is PBR Street Gang.  Radio check, 
                         over.

                                     MALE VOICE (OVER RADIO)
                         PBR Street Gang, this is Almighty 
                         standing by, over.

               EXT. KURTZ COMPOUND - NIGHT

               CLOSE ON KURTZ'S BOOTS

               Walking on wet ground.

               ANGLE ON  WILLARD IN TIGER CAGE

               covered with mud, tied up and wet from rain.  He slowly 
               looks up.

               KURTZ IS STANDING OVER HIM.  He is dressed in the black 
               pajamas of the Vietcong.  His face is made up in green-and-
               black camouflage paint.  He disappears behind Willard, 
               then reappears and drops something into Willard's lap.  
               Willard looks down and sees CHEF'S SEVERED HEAD in his 
               lap.

               Willard screams and struggles to jostle it out of his lap.  
               It finally falls out.

               CLOSE ON CHEF'S HEAD

               in the mud

               CLOSE ON WILLARD

               Moaning,

                                     WILLARD
                         Oh, Christ!

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               INT. CONEX CONTAINER - DAY

               Willard is passed out, lying on the floor of a metal CONEX 
               CONTAINER.  It is hot.  Some CHILDREN are peeking in at 
               him.

               The two front doors of the container are opened.  Light 
               floods in.  Kurtz is standing there with the children.  He 
               holds a bunch of magazine articles.

               He sits down on a dirt step, surrounded by children.

               He looks down at a magazine article and begins to read it 
               to Willard.

                                     KURTZ
                              (reading)
                         "Time magazine.  The weekly news 
                         magazine.  September 22, 1967, 
                         volume ninety, number twelve.  The 
                         War on the Horizon.  The American 
                         people may find it hard to believe 
                         that the U.S. is winning the war 
                         in Vietnam.  Nevertheless, one of 
                         the most exhaustive inquiries into 
                         the status of the conflict yet 
                         compiled, offers considerable 
                         evidence that the weight of U.S. 
                         power, two and a half years after 
                         the bug buildup began, is beginning 
                         to make itself felt.  White House 
                         officials maintain the impact of 
                         that strength may bring the enemy 
                         to the point where he could simply 
                         be unable to continue fighting."
                              (to Willard)
                         Is this familiar?

               Willard reacts.

                                     KURTZ
                              (reading)
                         "Because Lyndon Johnson fears that 
                         the U.S. public is in no mood to 
                         accept its optimistic conclusions, 
                         he may never permit the report to 
                         be released in full.  Even so, he 
                         is sufficiently impressed with the 
                         findings, and sufficiently anxious 
                         to make their conclusions known, 
                         to permit experts who have been 
                         working on it to talk about it in 
                         general terms."  No date, Time 
                         Magazine.  "Sir Robert Thompson, 
                         who led the victory over the 
                         Communists guerrillas in Malay, 
                         and who is now a RAND Corporation 
                         consultant, recently returned to 
                         Vietnam to sound out the situation 
                         for President Nixon.  He told the 
                         president last week that things 
                         felt much better, and smelled much 
                         better over there."

               He looks over at Willard.

                                     KURTZ
                              (to Willard)
                         How do they smell to you, soldier?

               Willard doesn't answer.  Kurtz rises.  The children are 
               laughing and giggling.  Kurtz drops the magazine articles 
               in Willard's lap.

                                     KURTZ
                         You'll be free.  You'll be under 
                         guard.  Read these at your leisure.  
                         Don't lose them.  Don't try to 
                         escape, you'll be shot.  We can 
                         talk of these things later.

               Kurtz turns and exits, closing one of the doors, leaving 
               the other open.  Willard watches him go.  The children 
               stay, looking at him, laughing and giggling.  Willard slowly 
               and painfully pulls himself to his feet.  He stands there 
               a moment looking at the children, then collapses to the 
               floor.

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               EXT. KURTZ COMPOUND - HIGH ANGLE - DAY

               The river and temple.

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               INT. KURTZ COMPOUND - DAY

               An unconscious Willard is being carried by some native 
               soldiers.  They lay him gently on the floor of the temple.  
               Ladle water into his mouth, try to feed him rice.  He turns 
               his head.

               WHAT HE SEES

               Kurtz, in the shadows.

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               WILLARD, HIS DELIRIUM

               NATIVE EATING BOWL OF RICE IN CORRIDOR

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               KURTZ CATCHING A FLY

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               STONE STATUES

                                     KURTZ
                              (reading)
                         "We are the hollow men and the 
                         stuffed men together filled with 
                         straw.  Alas dried voices, when 
                         whisper together quiet and 
                         meaningless wind in dried rats' 
                         feet over broken glass our dry 
                         cellar."

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               WILLARD AND THE PHOTOGRAPHER

               In Kurtz's chamber.  Willard is lying on a bed of sandbags.  
               The photographer is next to him.  They are both listening 
               to Kurtz read the poem.

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         He's really out there.

               ANGLE ON  KURTZ

               seated on a small chest next to his bed.  He is reading 
               from a small book.  It is "The Hollow Man" by T.S. Eliot.

                                     KURTZ
                              (reading)
                         "Shape without form, shade without 
                         color, force, gesture without 
                         motion;"

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         Do you know what the man's saying?  
                         Do you?

                                     KURTZ
                              (reading)
                         "Those who have crossed direct 
                         eyes..."

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         This is dialectics.  It's very 
                         simple dialectics.  It's one through 
                         nine, no maybes, no supposes, no 
                         fractions.  You can't travel in 
                         space.  You can't go out into space, 
                         without like, you know, with 
                         fractions.  What are you gonna 
                         land on?  One quarter?  Three-
                         eighths?  What are you gonna do 
                         when you go from here to Venus?  
                         That's dialectic physics, okay?  
                         Dialectic logic is, there's only 
                         love and hate.  You either love 
                         somebody, or you hate them.

               Kurtz throws a bunch of bananas at the photographer.

                                     KURTZ
                         Mutt!  You mutt!

                                     PHOTOGRAPHER
                         This is the way the fucking world 
                         lives.  Look at this fucking shit 
                         we're in, man!  Not with a bang, 
                         Whimper.  And with a whimper I'm 
                         fucking splitting, Jack.

               Photographer rises and exits down the corridor leaving 
               Willard alone.  Kurtz looks at him.

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               INT. KURTZ QUARTERS - DAY

               Willard is at a table containing Kurtz's belongings.  He 
               looks at his uniform, military decorations, photographs of 
               Kurtz's family, a bible, and other books lying on the table.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         On the river, I thought that the 
                         minute I looked at him, I'd know 
                         what to do.  But it didn't happen.  
                         I was in there with him for days.  
                         Not under guard.  I was free.  But 
                         he knew I wasn't going anywhere.  
                         He knew more about what I was going 
                         to do at I did.  If the generals 
                         back in Nah Trang could see what I 
                         saw, would they still want me to 
                         kill him?  More than ever, probably.  
                         And what would his people back 
                         home want, if they ever learned 
                         just how far from them he'd really 
                         gone.  He broke from them, and 
                         then he broke from himself.  I'd 
                         never seen a man so broken up and 
                         ripped apart.

               ANGLE ON DOORWAY

               Kurtz enters in the darkness.

                                     KURTZ
                         I've seem horrors.  Horrors that 
                         you've seen.  But you have no right 
                         to call me a murderer.  You have a 
                         right to kill me.  You have a right 
                         to do that.  But you have no right 
                         to judge me.

               CLOSE-UP ON KURTZ

               Eating a piece of fruit.

                                     KURTZ
                         It's impossible for words to 
                         describe what is necessary to those 
                         who do not know what horror means.  
                         Horror.  Horror has a face.  And 
                         you must make a friend of horror.  
                         Horror and moral terror are your 
                         friends.  If they are not, then 
                         they are enemies to be feared.  
                         They are truly enemies.

               ANOTHER ANGLE

               Colby is standing in the rear doorway of the main temple, 
               going through a Tai Chi routine.  Willard sits in front of 
               him, looking at Kurtz, listening to him as he talks from 
               the bed.  A native WOMAN is there, listening as well.

                                     KURTZ
                         I remember when I was with Special 
                         Forces.  Seems a thousand centuries 
                         ago.  We went into a camp to 
                         inoculate some children.  We'd 
                         left the camp after we had 
                         inoculated the children for polio.  
                         And this old man came running after 
                         us, and he was crying.  He couldn't 
                         say.  We went back there, and they 
                         had come and hacked off every 
                         inoculated arm.  They they were, 
                         in a pile.  A pile of little arms.  
                         And, I remember, I cried, I wept 
                         like some grandmother.  I wanted 
                         to tear my teeth out.  I didn't 
                         know what I wanted to do.  And I 
                         want to remember it.  I never want 
                         to forget it.  I never want to 
                         forget it.  And then I realized, 
                         like I was shot, like I was shot 
                         with a diamond bullet through my 
                         forehead.  And I thought, My God, 
                         the genius of that!  The genius.  
                         The will to do that.  Perfect, 
                         genuine, complete, crystalline, 
                         pure.  And then I realized, they 
                         were stronger than we.  Because 
                         they could stand it.  These were 
                         not monsters.  These were men, 
                         strained cadres.  These men who 
                         fought with their hearts, who have 
                         families, who have children, who 
                         are filled with love...that they 
                         had the strength, the strength to 
                         do that.  If I had ten divisions 
                         of those men, then our troubles 
                         here would be over very quickly.  
                         You have to have men who are moral, 
                         and at the same time, who are able 
                         to utilize their primordial 
                         instincts to kill without feeling, 
                         without passion.  Without judgment.  
                         Without Judgment.  Because it's 
                         judgment  that defeats us.

               CLOSE ON WILLARD

               He slowly raises his hand and examines it.

                                     KURTZ
                         I worry that my son might not 
                         understand what I've tried to be.  
                         And if I were to be killed, Willard, 
                         I would want someone to go to my 
                         home and tell my son everything...

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               ANGLE ON KURTZ

               Standing in the doorway of the temple.  We SEE a WATER 
               BUFFALO in the foreground, walking down the steps.

               EXT. TEMPLE - CEREMONIAL GROUNDS - NIGHT

               NATIVES are conducting a ceremony.  They are dancing and 
               singing around the WATER BUFFALO.  A priest is chanting.

                                     KURTZ (V.O.)
                         Everything I did.  Everything you 
                         saw.  Because there's nothing I 
                         detest more than the stench of 
                         lies.  And if you understand me, 
                         Willard, you will do this for me.

               Lance is sitting with the natives, painted and dressed 
               like one of them.  A line of natives with spears dance 
               toward the water buffalo.  Others are sitting and singing 
               in the background.

               EXT. THE PBR - NIGHT

               It has been deserted except for monkeys crawling on it.

                                     MALE VOICE (OVER RADIO)
                         PBR Street Gang, this is Almighty 
                         standing by, over.  PBR Street 
                         Gang, this is Almighty standing 
                         by.  How do you copy?

               CLOSE ON WILLARD

               On the boat, lying on his back.  He rolls over.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         They were gonna make me a major 
                         for this, and I wasn't even in 
                         their fucking army anymore.  
                         Everybody wanted me to do it.  Him 
                         most of all.  I felt like he was 
                         up there, waiting for me to take 
                         his pain away.  He just wanted to 
                         go out like a soldier.

               He gets up and emerges out of darkness.

                                     WILLARD (V.O.)
                         Standing up.  Not even like some 
                         poor, wasted rag-assed renegade.  
                         Even the jungle wanted him dead.  
                         And that's who he really who he 
                         took his orders from, anyway.

               EXT. TEMPLE - NIGHT

               ANGLE ON  LANCE

               smearing the water buffalo with blood that he pours from a 
               pitcher along its neck, in preparation for the ceremony.

               MIST OVER WATER

               A small bubble rises to the surface, then another.  Suddenly 
               but quietly, water ad mud pour off revealing Willard, 
               emerging slowly, head first, as if he was growing out of 
               the water.

               WATER BUFFALO

               Its head being tied to a stake.

               KURTZ

               Silhouetted in the doorway of the temple.  He enters the 
               temple.

               WILLARD

               Sits crouched holding a machete as natives dance in the 
               background.  He rises slowly and then runs off.

               INT. INSIDE THE TEMPLE - NIGHT

               Willard works his way toward the interior of the temple.  
               He appears behind a guard, pouts his hand over the warriors 
               mouth, brings up the machete, and pulls him back into the 
               dark shadows.

               INTERCUT THE FOLLOWING ACTION WITH WATER BUFFALO CEREMONY

               Kurtz is sitting and talking into a tape recorder.  Willard 
               slowly moves forward, quietly sneaking toward Kurtz as he 
               speaks.

                                     KURTZ ()
                         We train young men to drop fire on 
                         people, but their commanders won't 
                         allow them to write "fuck" on their 
                         airplanes because it's obscene.

               Willard steps behind Kurtz, raising the machete.  Kurtz 
               turns.  Willard brings the knife down and starts hacking 
               away at Kurtz, hitting him first on the shoulder, then all 
               over.

               NATIVES

               Simultaneously slashing a knife into the back of the water 
               buffalo.

               KURTZ

               Falls to the floor.

               WATER BUFFALO

               Falling to the ground as natives swing knives into its 
               back.

               WILLARD

               Staring at Kurtz.

               CLOSE ON KURTZ

               Lying on the ground.

                                     KURTZ
                         The horror....the horror.

               He dies.

               CLOSE ON WILLARD

               hands on his face, reacting to what he's done.

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               NATIVES AND LANCE

               Around dead water buffalo, carving it up.

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               WILLARD

               stands at the temple entrance.  He looks at the natives 
               outside.  He walks over to Kurtz's desk.  Flips through 
               Kurtz's manuscript and stops.  We SEE handwriting on the 
               pages: "Drop the Bomb, Exterminate them all."

               EXT. FRONT OF TEMPLE - NIGHT

               The natives are all gathered in front of the temple, looking 
               at Willard as he moves forward holding the machete and 
               Kurtz's books.  The entire village is there, about a 
               THOUSAND NATIVES in all.  They realize that Willard is now 
               their leader and pay homage to him by kneeling or sitting 
               down.

               Willard slowly walks down the steps, throwing down the 
               machete.  The natives rise and throw down their weapons in 
               imitation as he walks through them.  He moves to LANCE, 
               who is in the midst of all the natives.  Willard looks at 
               him, then takes him by the hand and pulls him away with 
               him through the rest of the natives.

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               EXT. PBR - RAIN - NIGHT

               The PBR pulls way from the shore.  Willard is at the helm 
               of the boat.  Lance is squatting by the spotlight.

                                     MALE VOICE (OVER RADIO)
                         Calling PBR Street Gang.  PBR Street 
                         Gang, this is Almighty.  Do you 
                         read me?  Over.  PBR Street Gang, 
                         this is Almighty.

               Willard turns off the radio.

               The PBR moves along the river, away from the flaming 
               shoreline.

               CLOSE ON WILLARD

                                     KURTZ (O.S.)
                         The horror...the horror.

                                                            DISSOLVE TO:

               THE GREAT STONE FACE OF THE TEMPLE

                                                               FADE OUT:

               THE END