Murder, Malice and Teeth - PREVIEW

by Darren Ellis

PAGE ONE 1) Night. A wide-angle shot, looking at a cliff face. It's sheer and uncompromising, and offers scant handholds for anyone climbing its surface. Halfway up it is a man. He isn't climbing, but is instead fully upright and jutting out from the cliff at a right angle. He is on his feet, walking up the cliff as naturally as you or I would walk on the horizontal ground. Gravity seems to have no meaning to him. This is JACK EDMONDSON, (a haggard-looking man in his late thirties, Jack looks like he's been pounded into the ground by life. Dark, sunken eyes peer out bleakly from above gaunt, hollow cheekbones covered in the sort of half-beard you only find on people who can't be bothered to shave for weeks at a time. His hair is ash blond and shoulder length, the hair itself reedy and unkempt. He is barefoot, wearing a pair of leather trousers which are rather scuffed. Wrapped around one leg; from thigh to upper calf; is a heavy metal knee brace, and he hobbles on a blackthorn cane, straight and sturdy, a round knob with a silver grip at the top. He leans on the cane for support at the side of his bad knee. His outfit is completed by a plain white t-shirt and a suit jacket which is scuffed and beaten like his trousers, and finally he wears a thin black necklace tight around his neck, upon which hangs a single tooth.) Jack is our main character. He limps purposefully up the cliff. CAPTION: SOME PEOPLE MIGHT THINK THAT IT'S A MIRACLE I CAN DO THIS. A WONDERFUL GIFT I SHOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR. SOME PEOPLE ARE FULL OF IT. IT WASN'T PROVIDENCE, SERENDIPITY OR ANY OF THAT CRAP THAT DID THIS TO ME. 2) Jack continues to limp up the cliff. We look at him face-on, and behind him in the distance as we look past him we can see the ground far below - it's mainly grass flecked with brush and grey stone. Somewhere distant there is a small river winding its way through the gently rolling hills. It might be somewhere in Wales or the Lake District. Jack winces as he walks, his already dark eyes narrowing. His jaw fixed in determination. CAPTION: IT WAS A MAN, AND TONIGHT THAT MAN DIES.

3) Shot on Jack as he halts and bends down, resting one hand on his cane. He is reaching down to rub his bad knee with his free hand. CAPTION: MORE THAN A MAN, REALLY. A BIG, IMPORTANT MAN. WEALTHY. POWERFUL. INFLUENTIAL. A GIANT OF A MAN. HE'S STILL GONNA DIE LIKE A DOG. 4) Another close up on Jack as his head raises. He still clutches his knee, but his eyes are forward again, staring ahead with purpose and bottled-up, barely contained rage. CAPTION: HE'LL DESERVE IT, TOO. FOR WRECKING MY LIFE AND LEAVING ME WITH THIS THING TO DRAG AROUND. I'VE DONE MY HOMEWORK. THE DOOR IS WIDE OPEN. 5) Shot on Jack as he reaches the top of the cliff, swinging his good leg up and over the lip toward the horizontal top. An arm scrambles over the lip too, fingers digging into the ground to find purchase. He stares forward, at something out of shot, wearing the same determined scowl. CAPTION: FOR ME AND ONLY ME, AND HE WON'T SEE ME COMING. I'VE MADE SURE. ME. EDMONDSON, FORMER CORPORAL, 52ND INFANTRY BRIGADE. FIRST NAME JACK. MAYBE THAT MEANS THIS CLIFF IS MY BEANSTALK, BECAUSE THIS...

PAGE TWO 1) Wide shot looking from behind Jack as he struggles to his feet. He looks on at the splendour before him - a fabulous ornate garden adorns the top of the cliff. Sculpted and intricate, it's full of colourful flowers and bushes. A copse of trees provides some shade in front of a Roman-themed gazebo large enough for a brass band, and there is a small lake with

Murder, Malice and Teeth - PREVIEW

by Darren Ellis

flamingos bathing in it. Lining the garden are cobbled paths, some open, some lined with knee-high walls, lending the scene a geometric beauty. It has the air of nature utterly tamed and bent to form. Beyond the garden, and ringed by thick rose bushes is a massive house. It's decadent and lush, the kind of sickeningly expensive mansion that would make anyone green with envy. If you saw this place on TV, you'd immediately hate whoever owned it, before you even knew who they were. CAPTION: ...THIS IS THE GIANT'S CASTLE.

2) High angle shot looking down at the garden from a gargoyle's eye view. Jack slowly makes his way across the garden, staring up at its nooks. CAPTION: TIME TO SEND HIM CRASHING DOWN FROM ON HIGH.

3) Now we are inside the mansion. We look at a long, tall room with a very high ceiling that looks a lot like a museum. It's full of expensive and fine-looking antiques and antiquities on stands and in glass cabinets. There's a lot of security in the room - cameras in the eaves, motion detecting lasers visible as they glisten in the moonlight. Someone has spared no expense to protect their things. We can also see, nestled between two large, heavy cabinets, a window, very high on the wall. Jack has it levered open with his cane and is climbing through head-first. CAPTION: I'VE IMAGINED DOING THIS FOR FIFTEEN YEARS. SOME PEOPLE WOULD CALL IT OBSESSION. IT'S NOT. THIS IS MY CHANCE TO MAKE THAT TIME MEAN SOMETHING. IF I'VE SPENT IT WAITING FOR THIS, THEN I HAVEN'T WASTED IT. 4) Jack is through the window and is doing something just as implausible as his trick on the cliff. He is hanging by a single hooked finger from the windowsill, his body stretched flat and horizontal, like Superman flying, arm outstretched. His body is hanging in the air above and parallel with the top of one of the two cabinets, not touching it with any part of him. He is glancing over his shoulder as he hangs in the air at the security camera in the corner, making sure it can't see him. CAPTION: HE HAS IT COMING.

HE'S GOT THIS WAY OF SMILING AT YOU. A LITTLE GRIN THAT SAYS YOU'RE JUST DIRT ON HIS SHOE. THAT YOU'RE WORTHLESS. AND HE USES IT TO WRONG PEOPLE, JUST LIKE HE DID ME. 5) Jack is sliding down the far side of the cabinet, into the corner of the room, just below the security camera. His pinky is hooked over the top of the cabinet, and is his only means of support as he hangs there. The motion sensor lasers form a cross-hatch around him, but utterly fail to touch him. He looks behind him, still wearing his scowl, at a moulding board that runs along the wall, about halfway up its length. CAPTION: I SHOULD NEVER HAVE AGREED TO IT. I SHOULDN'T HAVE CARED HE WAS MY C.O.

I SHOULD HAVE TOLD HIM TO GET STUFFED AND FIND SOME OTHER GUINEA PIG FOR HIS EXPERIMENTS. 6) Looking at Jack as he fixes himself to the wall, jutting out at a right angle just as he did the cliff. He is heading horizontally along the wall, walking parallel to the moulding board midway up the wall, still hobbling on his cane. The side of his foot is in contact with the moulding board, and again this scant purchase is his only means of support. We can also see that the positioning of the motion detectors means that he has a clear path through them along the wall, and out of sight of the camera, which is pointing away towards the opposite side of the room. A dark, bitter grimace crosses his face. CAPTION: LEGS. I MIGHT NOT HAVE HAD A MILITARY CAREER FOR LONG, BUT I DIDN'T ANYWAY. I WOULDN'T HAVE THESE POWERS NOW, BUT AT LEAST I'D HAVE TWO WORKING

Murder, Malice and Teeth - PREVIEW

by Darren Ellis

PAGE THREE 1) Jack is sidestepping through some more motion detecting lasers to come in contact with the floor on the other side of the room. He arches his back to make himself as narrow as possible as he slips between the last of the lasers. His outstretched foot is puts him in contact with the wooden floor, and back to an upright stance. The leg that is still on the wall is supported by the cane. CAPTION: IT'S NOT MUCH COMFORT THAT YOU CAN WALK UP WALLS AND BALANCE ON YOUR FINGERNAILS IF YOUR EVERY STEP IN ANY DIRECTION IS AGONY. IF I COULD GIVE THESE POWERS BACK, I WOULD. 2) Jack, with both feet on the floor, limps over to an ornate stand. This one is a full set of samurai armour, ostentatious and incredibly intricate. In front of it is a bejewelled and spectacular katana. It doesn't look like a weapon for use purely decorative. The hilt is covered in gems that would make it extraordinarily uncomfortable to wield. It's surrounded by a web of motion sensor beams. CAPTION: I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO THIS TONIGHT, BUT I WOULDN'T BE DOING THIS IF I HADN'T BEEN GIVEN THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE. MY MOTIVE IS MY WEAPON AND MY WEAPON IS MY MOTIVE. 3) Jack moves his face closer to peer at the sword hungrily, tucking his hair behind his ear so that it won't cross the security beams that run along the length of the sword. A mesh of them surrounds each tip. CAPTION: AND NOBODY KNOWS THAT I'M STILL ARMED. I'VE BEEN CAREFUL. I'VE KEPT THESE ABILITIES HIDDEN ALL THIS TIME. JUST FOR TONIGHT. 4) Same as the last shot, as Jack raises a hand with a pinky outstretched, bringing the finger up through the sensors from beneath the sword. The finger is just long enough for Jack to feed it in between the lasers protecting the sword, bringing the tip delicately into contact with the weapon. He broods in determination as he does this. CAPTION: JUST TO WIPE THAT INFURIATING SMILE OFF HIS FACE.

5) Wider shot as the sword is catapulted up into the air as if by an incredibly small, incredibly precise explosion. It narrowly misses all the lasers as it ascends. CAPTION: I HAD THE CHANCE TO ONCE. BUT I DIDN'T FOLLOW THROUGH.

6) Shot on Jack as he effortlessly catches the sword in his non-cane wielding hand held in front of him. As we look at his hand, we see the tooth hanging from his necklace. Both tooth and sword have equal importance in the shot. CAPTION: I ONLY TOOK OUT FOUR OF HIS TEETH. JOB HALF DONE.

7) A light is turned on behind Jack, and he swivels on his good heel to look behind him. He snarls menacingly at whoever he is looking at. CAPTION: VOICE: THANK GOD FOR SECOND CHANCES. DON'T MOVE A MUSCLE. WHOEVER YOU ARE.

PAGE FOUR 1) Close up on Jack as he turns to face the other man, tugging his forelock mockingly. His gaze is piercing and intense. JACK: HELLO, MAJOR ARMSTRONG.

2) Shot on the other man who has just entered the room. This is GERARD ARMSTRONG. (A well-to-do gentleman in his mid-forties. He is tall and rakish, with a neat, side-parted hairdo that looks perhaps slightly too slick, and coupled

Murder, Malice and Teeth - PREVIEW

by Darren Ellis

with his high hairline makes him look slightly vampiric. He is greying at the temples, but in an elegant and sophisticated way. He wears a moustache, pencil-thin and making him look definitively upper-class and a bit slimy, and ever present below the moustache is a smile. It's not a nice smile. It's the smile of someone who is amused by what's in front of him in the most unpleasant and condescending way possible. A smile that screams of contempt and gratuitous arrogance. A smile that says that you are nothing and he is everything. He wears an expensive grey suit. His tie, shoes and waistcoat match it expertly, and are of the finest cloth. The tie is loose, hanging around his neck like a hangman's noose. He looks like he's just got home from an evening out somewhere very posh. All in all, he oozes wealth and power.) He clutches a riding crop in his hand and is jabbing it straight at Jack, a look of outrage and disgust on his face. GERARD: IT'S LORD ARMSTRONG NOW, YOU FILTHY LITTLE PEASANT-...YOU. 3) Jack glares back at Gerard, his lip curling and his hair spilling into his face, giving him the air of a hungry lion about to pounce on its prey. JACK: ME.

4) Shot on the two men, looking over Jack's shoulder at the richer man. Gerard looks perturbed, like he's astonished that Jack has made it into his home. While still facing Jack and with the whip still raised between them, he glances around the room suspiciously. GERARD: JACK: HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE? THIS SECURITY SYSTEM IS STATE OF THE ART. THE SECURITY SYSTEM I DESIGNED, DIMWIT. THAT'S SOME PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATION YOU'VE GOT GOING ON THERE. 5) Shot on Jack as he continues to scowl unpleasantly at Gerard. JACK: CLUELESS. THIS COMING. 6) Shot on Gerard as he smiles, a contemptuous sneer utterly without warmth. He raises an eyebrow archly. CAPTION: DON'T. HE DOESN'T KNOW ENOUGH. GERARD: I CERTAINLY DID. THERE IT IS. THAT BLOODY GRIN. LIKE HE'S IN ON A JOKE NOBODY ELSE GETS. LIKE HE KNOWS SOMETHING YOU YOU KNOW WHO I AM, I'M STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU AND YOU'RE STILL YOU MIGHT BE RICH AND POWERFUL, BUT YOU'RE AN IDIOT. YOU MUST HAVE SEEN

PAGE FIVE 1) Side on shot taking in the two men as they size up one another. Gerard is puffed up, staring scornfully down his nose at Jack. Jack glares back, hunched and furious, resting on his cane for support. Both brandish their weapons, ready for use - Gerard the whip, Jack the sword. GERARD: AFTER OUR LAST CHAT I KNEW YOU'D TURN UP HERE IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT LIKE A COMMON CRIMINAL. YOU THINK YOU CAN WALTZ IN HERE? LIKE YOU'RE ENTITLED TO WHATEVER PETTY REVENGE YOU'VE WASTED YOUR LIFE FANTASIZING ABOUT? JACK: ARE YOU INSANE? I'M HERE FOR RETRIBUTION, YOU SMUG GIT.

Murder, Malice and Teeth - PREVIEW

by Darren Ellis

2) Another two-shot. Gerard stares at Jack, genuinely befuddled, which only makes Jack angrier. He looks almost rabid with rage now. GERARD: JACK: RETRIBUTION? WHAT ON EARTH FOR? EVERYTHING! ALL THIS - THIS HOUSE, THAT THOUSAND QUID SUIT YOU'RE WEARING... 3) Jack throws the sword at Gerard. It remains in its bejewelled sheath as it arcs through the air. JACK: EVEN THESE ANTIQUES! THEY SHOULD BE MINE, YOU SWINDLING LITTLE TURD! 4) Gerard catches the sword just short of hitting him in the face. He looks vaguely annoyed, as if the situation really isn't worth his time. GERARD: YOU. 5) Wide shot on Gerard as he raises his arms widely, gesturing to the wider room around him and all it's opulence. The wood panelling, the vast array of antiques and hopelessly expensive trinkets, all of it. It's the very image of wealth. GERARD: YOU WOULD HAVE WASTED YOUR WEALTH ON LAPDANCERS AND FOOTBALL MEMORABILIA. LOOK AT WHAT I'VE ACHIEVED WITH IT. OH. THIS AGAIN. YOU WOULDN'T HAVE HAD THE WHEREWITHALL TO ACHIEVE ALL THIS. LOOK AT

PAGE SIX 1) Close up shot as Jack continues to glower. Ignoring his surroundings, his gaze is focused on the enemy in front of him. JACK: AT MY EXPENSE.

2) Jack seethes, while Gerard smiles at him, his face creasing in amusement. The smug and supercilious expression on his face makes him look massively patronising. GERARD: HAVEN'T WE BEEN OVER THIS? OF COURSE IT WAS AT YOUR EXPENSE.

THAT'S WHAT PROLES LIKE YOU ARE FOR. TO PAY FOR THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE LIKE ME WANT. 3) Jack's eyes go wide, incandescent with rage as Gerard has the audacity to blithely turn his back on him. On Gerard's face, out of view of Jack, is a mischievous little smile - he's deliberately antagonising the other man. GERARD: YOU DON'T GET RICH BY SPENDING YOUR OWN MONEY. I SUPPOSE YOU WANT ME TO PROSTRATE MYSELF IN FRONT OF YOU. 4) Looking past Gerard at Jack. Gerard has reached a cabinet against a wall, his fingers caressing the intricate woodwork along its edge, inching towards a phone resting on the cabinet's top. Jack watches him intently, calmer than before but still quite angry. He's composing himself. JACK: IT'S A GOOD PLACE TO START.

Murder, Malice and Teeth - PREVIEW

GERARD: TOUGH. YOU'RE GETTING NOTHING OF THE SORT.

by Darren Ellis

5) Shot on Gerard as he picks up the phone, staring down at it as he begins to dial, a casually amused little smile on his face like we've caught him mid chuckle. GERARD: WHAT YOU ARE GETTING IS ARRESTED, AND WITH MY CONNECTIONS I'LL SEE TO IT YOU NEVER SEE DAYLIGHT AGAIN. YOU'RE GETTING LOCKED UP FOREVER, YOU IMPOVERISHED LITTLE CRIPPLE. 6) Gerard finally looks over at Jack again. The smile falls off his face completely, replaced by a frightened look of shock. JACK: NO.

7) Shot on Jack, still resting on his cane for support. However, now the other hand is holding a Browning 9mm automatic pistol - British military issue several years ago. Jack smiles in a grimly satisfied way. JACK: I'M REALLY NOT. GET READY TO COP IT, POSH BOY. YOU'RE GETTING ONE IN THE MUSH.