RED GUN

(Read attached script below before reading post.)

I originally wrote a script titled "The Fisherman" about an old outlaw that has been recently discovered by a young sheriff, disguised as a lonely lake fisherman in Georgia. The two characters connected in a deep conversation before the storm faded and the Sheriff arrested him to take him in. The original draft did not have much life to it and the theme was not utterly clear. The theme was about the nature of justice. It said that justice was blind-- and maybe it is, but it did not stop me from coming to the realization that if justice is carried out blindly it becomes utilitarian and those charged with carrying it out end up losing their soul. So I rewrote the script entirely.

The new script made the old outlaw a young train robber trying to make it out of a botched robbery with a crate of gold. He kills two of the Sheriff's men in the process. The Sheriff, now being an old and experienced killer, has become hardened by the nature of his occupation. He has become utilitarian and soulless, but regardless, he does his job well. In his time as a Sheriff he has had to get used to killing prisoners when there are no empty cells in the local jails. However, he gives them a chance by giving them a gun in a fair duel, though he always wins. When a prisoner challenges his ways and lets himself take the bullet for his friend, Sheriff Mullen realizes that he is the villain and is struck with conviction.

In the finale, Sheriff Mullen does the same test with Allen, the train robber. Allen shoots him dead after a conversation about good and evil. However, we find that Mullen's gun was unloaded the whole time, and now Allen has to deal with the guilt of his actions. He leaves behind the gold and ditches the crime scene, symbolically leaving his criminal life for good.

The crux of the story is the dynamic between the character of Allen and Charles. Though Allen is technically the protagonist, Charles has a unique focus on him as the antagonist. The change in Allen's character happens as a result of the change in Charles' character. Both men start out as crooked and evil men, but come to the end in conversion as a result of the emotional impact of their actions. Charles redeems himself with mercy instead of justice, and because Allen is spared justice, and offered mercy, he realizes that life is fragile and he has blood on his hands-- that he must live the rest of his life in reparation.

I am quite proud of this script and intend to make it into a short film if I ever get the chance.

RED GUN.pdf

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