READ BEFORE CONTINUING: All screenplays are copyrighted and / or registered with The Writers Guild of America West. ANY rewriting, incorporating scenes or dialog into other works is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. AFTER READING THE SCREENPLAY - CLICK ON THE "BACK BUTTOM" TO RETURN TO THE PREVIOUS PAGE PLEASE DO NOT PRINT WITHOUT PERMISSION FORMATTING AND PAGE COUNT IS DIFFERENT THAN ORIGIANAL SCRIPT "THE EIGHTH RULE" Contact Information: Robert C. Johnson www.WeWriteMovies.com Represented by: WGA AGENT EXT. COUNTRY - DAY Eyes peer through a Ninja Turtle halloween mask as the person rapidly pulls the trigger of a silenced automatic handgun. Smoke fills the air, spent cartridges fly from the automatic. Pumpkins lined up on a fence explode one after another. The Ninja Turtle mask is lifted, revealing a young Asian girl. The girl looks up at a handsome Asian man, KIMO LEA, 34. On a chain, he wears an ORDER OF THE GOLDEN KITE MEDALLION (Kinshi Kunsho) around his neck. He smiles as he removes the smoking pistol from her small hand. KIMO It is important that you survive. EXT. PACIFIC NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS - DAY A large crossbred wolf dog, JOCKO, makes his way up a steep trail, followed by MEI LEA, 35, beautiful, but weathered, in top physical condition. She carries a high powered rifle and a backpack. The trail crests on a high ridge overlooking a valley. A distant SIREN. She looks toward the bluff's edge. She removes the rifle from her shoulder, drops the backpack and runs to the bluff's edge. Below in the distance, a sheriff's patrol car chases a car on a dirt road. EXT. VALLEY - DAY The car spins out of control and slides to a stop. ALEX TRAVINO, 40, driver, carries a revolver, and TONY GALLO, 30, passenger, carries an automatic rifle. As they bail out of their car they open fire on the deputy. Deputy TOBLER leaps from the patrol car, holding a revolver. Bullets spray everywhere -- one strikes Tobler in the shoulder. He drops the revolver -- he's slammed to the ground. EXT. RIDGE - DAY Mei lies on the ground with the rifle sling tight around her forearm and chambers a round. EXT. VALLEY - DAY Alex and Gallo point their guns and run toward Tobler, lying wounded and bleeding on the ground. Tobler's fingers crawl through the dirt like a giant tarantula and touch the revolvers grip. Gallo kicks the revolver away and grins nastily at Tobler. SERGEANT (V.O.) The hostage situation is... INT. S.W.A.T. VAN - DAY - FLASHBACK Mei, OFFICER STEWART and eight L.A.P.D. S.W.A.T. officers in full combat gear sit inside a van and listen intensely to a SERGEANT. SERGEANT ...at the Hawthorne Bank at Seventh and Broadway. (points at map) Lea. Stewart. I want you here on this roof in this position. It should give you a clean shot. MEI That's almost a block away! SERGEANT Make the best of it. We don't have access to anything closer. Mei and Stewart look at one another in disbelief. SERGEANT Team one and I will cover the bank's perimeter. Team three will have an unmarked unit. I want you mobile just in case this guy takes foot bail. The van stops. SERGEANT Let's move out, people. Let's hit it. EXT. BUSINESS AREA - DAY The S.W.A.T. van doors open and the teams scramble to their assignments. EXT. FOUR STORY BUILDING/ROOF - DAY Mei and Stewart exit a door and sprint to the edge of the roof. Mei lays down, turns her S.W.A.T. baseball cap backwards and wraps the rifle sling tightly around her forearm. They have a clear view of the Hawthorne Bank located on the intersection corner. She peers into the rifle scope... EXT. RIDGE - DAY - PRESENT DAY ...the scope cross-hairs are on Alex -- he points his revolver at Tobler as he kicks Tobler's injured shoulder. The cross-hairs move onto Gallo, he laughs, holding the automatic rifle. The scope cross-hairs move onto... INT. HAWTHORNE BANK - DAY - FLASHBACK ...the bank's side window, revealing the inside of the bank. A robber points a revolver at customers as he grasps a female hostage, 30. SERGEANT (V.O.) (radio broadcast) Team two. Red light. You have a no shoot. Acknowledge, Team two. EXT. FOUR STORY BUILDING/ROOF - DAY STEWART (into mic) Team one, 10-4. (to Mei) We have a red light. MEI I can take him out. STEWART We have a no shoot. INT. HAWTHORNE BANK - DAY Through the rifle's scope she sees the robber cock the hammer back -- jams the muzzle against the hostage's head. MEI (O.S.) He just cocked the hammer. He's going to do her. EXT. ROOFTOP - DAY Stewart peers through a spotting scope. STEWART (to Mei) I saw it. (into mic) Suspect just cocked his weapon. He's going to kill the hostage. We have to take him out now! SERGEANT (V.O.) (radio broadcast) You have a no shoot. Acknowledge Team two. MEI I can take him. STEWART (into lip mic) She has a clean a shot. Lea can end it here. SERGEANT (V.O.) (radio broadcast) Team two, red light. Hold all fire. Acknowledge. STEWART (to Mei) What the hell are they waiting for? MEI Give me windage. Hesitantly, he removes a butane lighter from a pocket, then holds it next to her. His shaking hand flicks it on. She looks at the lighter's long flame bending slightly, showing the wind direction. STEWART It's too far. You'll never make it. She peers into the rifle scope. He peers into the spotting scope. STEWART If you're a fraction off, the hostage is history. She turns the scope's power ring up to full power. The cross- hairs move to a tree and find a leaf fluttering slightly in the wind. The leaf confirms the wind direction at ground level. The cross-hairs move from the leaf, across the side of the bank, through a side window and onto the robber's temple. There are only two inches of kill zone, as the hostage's head partially covers the robber's face. EXT. VALLEY - DAY - PRESENT DAY Alex points a revolver at Tobler's head as he lies belly down on the dirt. Gallo, holding the rifle, grins. ALEX Say good-bye to tomorrow. INT. HAWTHORNE BANK - DAY - FLASHBACK Scope cross-hairs are centered on the robber's temple. A SHOT... EXT. VALLEY - DAY - PRESENT DAY ...Travino drops dead and the rifle shot ECHOES through the valley. Gallo fires his rifle wildly at the bluff, then places the barrel against Tobler's head. A SHOT. Gallo sprawls dead over Tobler as the rifle shot ECHOES through the valley.