American Shaolin

EXT. ARHAT HUT – EVENING

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF ARHAT HUT.

Drew walks up to the entrance, looks around. He doesn't see anyone. He walks into the hut.

INT. ARHAT HUT – EVENING

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF HUT AS DREW WALKS INTO THE HUT – NO ONE IS AROUND.

He walks through the rooms, looking at all the books and scrolls littered around the room.

DREW

Maybe he won't miss one little scroll...

He shakes his head and starts for the front door.

EXT. ARHAT HUT – SAME EVENING

DREW COMES OUT OF THE HUT AND WALKS AROUND TO THE AREA BEHIND THE HUT, HIGH UP ON THE MOUNTAIN.

The view is incredible. Drew stands looking at the view, and slowly becomes aware of a figure sitting on the ground near him.

He looks down, and it is the ARHAT!

DREW

Master! I apologize, I did not see you.

The Arhat says nothing, but just puts out his hand for the scroll. Drew bows again, and gets down on his knees.

DREW (CONT'D)

I failed, Master. A person was in danger...

The Arhat holds up his hand, and Drew stops talking.

DREW (CONT'D)

Of course, you're right. No excuses...

Drew bows once more and is ready to leave. The Arhat reaches into his robes and pulls out the embroidered box that Drew was given at the temple.

DREW (CONT'D)

You have it? How?

The Arhat holds up the box in front of Drew for a moment, then tears it in two with his hands, scattering the pieces to the winds.

DREW (CONT'D)

So, I didn't fail, huh?

(beat)

I can ask my question, then?

The Arhat sits without moving or speaking. Drew takes that as a yes.

DREW (CONT'D)

What is the meaning of life?

The Arhat ponders that for a moment, then smiles and puts his sandles on his head and stands up.

ARHAT

What is life? What is reality? The head of a dead cat.

He walks off, leaving Drew sitting there, dumbstruck by the answer.

DREW

(smiling ruefully)

I just climbed a mountain to ask a loon about the meaning of life.

He shakes his head and gets up, following the Arhat. The Arhat is standing on the other side of his hut, the sandles still on his head.

ARHAT

For forty years, Shaolin disciples have made their quest to deliver a scroll to me. You are not Chinese.

DREW

No. American.

ARHAT

I notice the littlest details.

DREW

How many succeeded?

ARHAT

A handful. You chose correctly. Nothing is more precious than human life.

DREW

But, I didn't obey.

ARHAT

(smiling slightly)

At the beginning of your training, you were to obey without question. Now, as you become a Shaolin, you must learn to question everything, and obey yourself.

Drew and the monk bow to each other, the sunset over the mountain in the b.g.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. ARHAT HUT – NEXT MORNING

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF DREW COMING OUT OF THE HUT, HAVING JUST GOTTEN UP.

The Arhat is already out there, moving through his gong fu moves.

DREW

I have to leave. What is the easiest way to get back to the temple.

ARHAT

The bus.

Drew laughs at the crazy reply and starts for the mountain path that brought him to the hut. The Arhat runs after him, grabs his sleeve and pulls him over to a place behind his hut.

DREW'S POV OF A ROAD BEHIND THE ARHAT'S HUT

A road! After all he went through to get there?

ARHAT (CONT'D)

Bus stops every 20 min., will take you straight to the temple.

Drew smiles and shakes his head, then bows to the Arhat.

The Arhat returns the bow.

DREW

Thank you, Master.

ARHAT

They should give you a bus schedule with that map...

He walks off to the hut, while Drew makes his way down to the bus stop.

EXT. SHAOLIN TEMPLE – DAY

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF DREW WALKING BACK INTO THE TEMPLE.

He is dirty, weary but triumphant. As he walks back through the temple to San De's chambers to report, he sees a group of people walking out the other way.

The group is made up of the thugs who attacked him, the woman by the lake, and the man from the bridge. They are talking together on their way out.

ANGLE ON DREW

Smiling as he realizes that it was all a test – every moment of it.

EXT. TRAINING AREA – DAY

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF DREW AND THE DISCIPLES TRAINING.

They are expert fighters now, and they move through the complicated routines with ease.

ANGLE ON DREW FLYING THROUGH THE AIR

Hitting the ground and rolling, then coming up and throwing a shuriken at a target.

The throwing star hits the target dead center.

ANGLE ON DREW

Manipulating the spear like a master.

ANGLE ON DREW

Up on the poles again. Only this time, squared off against him is Li. They move from pole to pole, throwing kicks and punches at each other.

EXT. FARM – DAY

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF THE GROUP OF DISCIPLES STANDING UNDER THE SWELTERING SUMMER SUN IN FRONT OF A RUN DOWN FARM BUILDING.

The D.S. is standing in front of them.

DREW

We've got to rebuild this?

D.S.

No.

(beat)

Tear it down.

Smiles grow on the faces of the disciples. They rush into the building.

FOLLOWING MONTAGE SECTION

Different shots of the monks tearing the building apart with kicks and punches. Shots of Drew, Gao and Li kicking through walls, through doors, through windows, etc. Some the three of them destroy together, others are seperate. Several shots of disciples as they concentrate on particularly difficult things, using their chi, smashing the bricks and wood apart. They are destroying the building, and they are having a GREAT TIME!

(NOTE: Great place for HOT song over this scene)

EXT. TRAINING AREA – DAY

TIGHT SHOT OF DREW'S ARM
 

PULL BACK TO REVEAL Drew standing there, calmly, while two full-sized disciples hang off his arm.

EXT. TEMPLE – NIGHT

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF DREW WALKING THROUGH THE COURTYARDS OF THE TEMPLE.

He is going nowhere in particular, just walking and thinking.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, comes the staff and the ATTACK.

Drew calmly avoids the first few strikes, blocks a couple more, then grabs the staff and PULLS.

Out comes the D.S. into the night on the other end of the staff. He looks proudly at Drew.

ANGLE ON D.S.

As he smiles and bows in respect to Drew.

Drew returns his bow.

EXT. SHAOLIN TEMPLE – DAY

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF SAN DE WRITING BOLD, BLACK CALLIGRAPHY ON A BARE WHITE PAPER.

The CAMERA follows the sweeping brush, as it ends with a FLOURISH. The CAMERA PULLS BACK TO REVEAL the temple courtyard, where San De and the D.S. are standing in front of the group of disciples.

SAN DE

Only one trial remains before you become full fledged fighting monks. The Wooden Man Chamber.

ANGLE ON THE DISCIPLES

They are remembering the stories they have heard about the chamber.

SAN DE (CONT'D)

I warn you all, any monk who fails must leave the temple forever, and will NEVER be called Shaolin.

San De pauses, letting this remark sink in.

SAN DE (CONT'D)

Disciple Drew Carson, as you will return to America, and never intended to live as a monk in the temple, you need not enter the chamber.

ANGLE ON DREW

Who rises to the challenge.

DREW

Master San De, I am part of the disciple class, am I not?

San De nods.

DREW (CONT'D)

Then I must pass this final test. Furthermore, I request that I be the first one through.

SAN DE

(very proud)

Your request is granted.

ANGLE ON DREW

In front of the entrance to the Wooden Man Chamber. San De and D.S. are flanking Drew as he pauses in front of the door. Drew turns to look at San De, and the D.S. smacks Drew in the back of the head.

DREW (CONT'D)

What did you do that for?

D.S.

My last chance – when you come out the other side, we will be equals.

Drew smiles at the D.S.'s attempt to lighten him up. He turns to look at the others from his disciple class, then opens the door and goes through.

INT. WOODEN MAN CHAMBER – SAME DAY

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF WOODEN MAN CHAMBER.

Drew pauses for a moment, examining the room. It is filled with wooden statues of monks, all in different fighting positions. The carvings are precise and incredibly beautiful. Their arms, open hands, fists and legs are fashioned out of hard wood, and they look very dangerous indeed.

Drew gathers himself for a moment, then starts into the chamber.

ANGLE ON DREW'S FOOT

As it presses down on one of the stones of the floor.

The attacks start – from all sides, as the wooden statues COME TO LIFE, spinning, lunging and striking.

Drew is caught off guard, and is hit several times, driven back to the door of the chamber. The statues stop moving.

Drew, a little scared, tries to remember the sequence of the statues, letting his arms practice for the attacks.

There is fear in his eyes.

He starts in again, and the attacks come again, but they are different this time.

Drew is clobbered.

Driven back to the door, Drew slumps against the wall. His face is already bruised and bleeding.

DREW

(whispering)

I can't do it.

FLASHBACK TO D.S.

D.S.

There is no can't, only won't.

FLASHBACK TO SEVERAL D.S. ATTACKS

Including the one where Drew succeeded in evading them.

ANGLE ON DREW

Who gathers himself, straightens up and takes a deep breath, forcing it out in a breathing exercise.

DREW (CONT'D)

I am a Shaolin monk.

He enters the chamber again, and the attacks start again.

Drew, however, is prepared (both mentally and physically).