RONIN

     EXT. PARIS DRIVING MONTAGE - TWILIGHT

     A SERIES OF QUICK CUTS of the car driving through Paris at
     night.  We don't see familiar sights like the Eiffel Tower or
     the Arc de Triomph, but instead - We travel through the LEFT
     BANK, down a series of Mazy Alleys which twist and turn,
     filled with bistros, bars and falafel joints.  NEON SIGNS
     line the streets for as far as the eye can see.  Near the end
     of this trip we hear the SOUND OF A MATCH FLARING, followed
     by -

                          SAM (V.O.)
               Could I get one of those?

     INT. THE CAR - STILL DRIVING - SAME TIME

     Vincent is driving and smoking a cigarette.  He tosses his
     pack to Sam, but he seems a little surprised at Sam's
     request.

                          VINCENT
               Help yourself.
                   (quick beat)
               Since when do you smoke?

                          SAM
                   (lighting up)
               I have, I don't know, maybe a cigarette a
               week.

                          VINCENT
               A cigarette?  As in one?
                   (exasperated, almost to
                    himself)
               One cigarette a week, who smokes like
               that?

                          SAM
               I do.

                          VINCENT
               Christ, I smoke a pack-and-a-half a day,
               and I tell myself I could be worse.
                   (takes a satisfying drag)
               It's just so damned pleasurable.

                          SAM
                   (blowing a smoke ring with
                    great skill)
               It has it's moments.
                   (stubs out cigarette)
               Course, you get cancer and die, that's
               the down side.

                          VINCENT
                   (with a sigh)
               There is that.

     Vincent stamps his cigarette out, looking vaguely unhappy
     that Sam has spoiled his smoke.

                          SAM
               So, Vincent: why bring me along for the
               ride?  Job like this calls for a warm
               body, somebody who can stand around and
               look threatening.  A tough guy.

                          VINCENT
               Like Larry or Swede.

                          SAM
               Exactly.  Why not bring them?

                          VINCENT
               Let's just say I thought the
               conversational possibilities were
               limited.  Of course, I might have brought
               Gregor, but he didn't seem like the right
               candidate -- for this.

                          SAM
               Watch that one, he's an ex-spook for
               sure, maybe Stasi, maybe KGB.  He's
               smart, Gregor is.

                          VINCENT
               So is the woman.

                          SAM
               Deirdre?  Smart, yeah, and seriously
               goddamned dangerous.

                          VINCENT
               I wonder if she truly left the IRA.

                          SAM
               I've wondered that myself.  None of this
               answers my question, though...
                   (suddenly direct)
               Why bring me?

                          VINCENT
               I wanted to see who you were.

                          SAM
               Who am I?

     Vincent, driving all the while, gives Sam a sideways glance
     before speaking.

                          VINCENT
               You were once some kind of special
               forces.  Airborne Ranger, maybe a Navy
               SEAL.  After that you rode shotgun for
               the CIA in some place like El Salvador or
               Afghanistan, a real mercenary.
                   (beat)
               Only now -- now you're like the rest of
               us, it's a very competitive market since
               the end of the cold war.  There's a lot
               of hired guns out here, and not nearly
               enough work to go around.

                          SAM
               That's right: there's not hardly enough
               work these days, nothing that pays the
               big money, anyhow.  Then along comes this
               job, paying so much goddamned money I
               couldn't afford not to take it.  Somebody's
               paying through the nose for this.

                          VINCENT
               They certainly are.  Whatever it is we're
               going to steal, it must be quite
               something.

                          SAM
               Whatever it is it must be goddamned
               priceless.

     And on that thought we -

     CUT TO:

     EXT. A SIDE STREET - NIGHT

     The Fiat pulls up to the curb and Vincent and Sam get out.
     Vincent leads Sam around a corner and they come to -

     AN EXQUISITE PARK, a small, perfectly manicured place -- a
     kind of mini-Luxembourg Gardens in the middle of nowhere.
     When Sam sees the park, he draws an involuntary breath.

                          VINCENT
               Lovely, isn't it?

                          SAM
               They'd have to keep something like this
               under lock and key in New York, and it
               would still get fucked up.

     The two men enter the park, which is, indeed, open to the
     public.  Inside, sitting on a bench in the back, almost
     invisible from the street, we see - FRANCOIS, a stubble-faced
     tough with a stained shirt and bad teeth.  Vincent and Sam
     draw near.  This next conversation between Francois and
     Vincent is in FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES.

                          FRANCOIS
               That's good right where you are, Vincent.

     Vincent signals for Sam to stop.  Both Vincent and Sam are
     still several feet away from Francois.

                          VINCENT
               Do you have it?

                          FRANCOIS
               Not so fast.
                   (nods slightly to Sam)
               Who's that?

                          VINCENT
               He's company.

                          FRANCOIS
                   (as if he recognizes Sam)
               Bad company...

                          VINCENT
               What do you mean?

                          FRANCOIS
               He's a cop, Vincent, he's French and he's
               a cop and you better shoot him in the
               fucking head right now!

     Sam hasn't said a word -- he doesn't seem to understand
     what's been said, but he has noted the urgency with which
     Francois spoke.  Now - We HOLD FOR A BEAT.  Neither Vincent
     nor Francois pulls out a piece to shoot Sam.  Instead they
     wait to see if Sam will respond in any way to what Francois
     said.  The conversation now switches to ENGLISH, which (it
     turns out) Francois speaks fairly well.

                          SAM
                   (to Vincent)
               What's going on?

                          VINCENT
               I just wanted to see something.

                          SAM
                   (that edge creeping into his
                    voice)
               See what?

     Vincent isn't going to answer, but the overbearing Francois
     chimes in.

                          FRANCOIS
               He wanted to see how you reacted when I
               said that you were a cop.

                          SAM
                   (he can't believe this)
               You told him I was a cop?

                          FRANCOIS
               He asked me to say it.

                          SAM
                   (looking at Vincent, truly
                    pissed)
               He asked you to?

                          VINCENT
               I needed to know.

                          SAM
               You need to know a lot of shit, Vincent.

                          FRANCOIS
                   (to Vincent, in subtitled
                    French)
               Are you ready?

     Francois's French words give Sam pause -- he's wondering
     what's being said, as - Vincent moves towards Francois,
     leaving Sam several steps away.  The conversation is again in
     SUBTITLED FRENCH.

                          VINCENT
                   (taking out an envelope)
               Here's yours.

                          FRANCOIS
               There's been a slight problem.

                          VINCENT
                   (immediately tensing)
               What's that?

     Francois gives the slightest of nods, indicating that Vincent
     should look towards a place perhaps thirty yards away -
     A COPSE OF TREES, where we see a SNIPER pointed a telescopic
     rifle at Vincent.

                          FRANCOIS
                   (still in subtitled French)
               If you say a word in English, Vincent, my
               friend with the high powered sporting
               rifle will shoot you in the throat.
               Sorry to screw you over like this, but
               the information you want might get me
               killed if I give it to you, and that's a
               price I'm not willing to pay.

                          VINCENT
                   (in French)
               I take it you still want the money...

                          FRANCOIS
                   (in English, with a grin)
               Of course.

     SAM'S POV: Looking at Vincent and Francois.

     The men are talking, and from here we can't really hear them
     speak.  All Sam can see is an earnest Vincent listening to
     Francois talk, almost as if Francois is giving Vincent
     instructions.  Now - Vincent reaches into his pocket,
     reaching for the envelope of cash he's carrying.  As he hands
     the money to Francois, Vincent uses his free hand to pull out
     his gun while - Sam already has his gun out -- somehow he
     figured out what was going on -- and now Francois looks on in
     stunned disbelief as -

     Sam fires a single shot, hitting Francois in the shoulder,
     driving him away from - Vincent, who now squeezes off several
     rapid fire shots at the sniper, while - Francois, bleeding
     but still very much alive, now has his piece free just as -
     The Sniper, his gun firing wildly into the air, falls to the
     ground, shot dead by Vincent, and now - Francois is drawing a
     bead on Vincent when - Sam hits Francois with a fusillade of
     bullets in the chest and now - A SINGLE SPENT BULLED CASING
     flies through the air in SLOW MOTION and lands on the ground,
     spinning around until it comes to a halt and - A HEAVY
     SILENCE FALLS, as the last echo of the last gunshot finally
     dies.  Vincent and Sam look at one another, see that they're
     still alive, and then look back at - The two men they've
     shot.  Francois isn't quite dead.  Blood bubbles from his
     lips as Vincent leans over him.  Again, they speak in
     SUBTITLED FRENCH

                          VINCENT
               Where's my information?

                          FRANCOIS
                   (with a grim smile, pointing to
                    his head)
               In here...

                          VINCENT
               Then you better find it in your heart to
               tell me, Francois, because while your
               death is inevitable, it still isn't
               decided how painful it's going to be.

     A LONG ANGLE - Vincent whispers in Francois's ear, whose grin
     blanches as he realizes Vincent means to hurt him.  Francois
     whispers something back and then - BANG.  Vincent shoots
     Francois in the head, killing him instantly.  Then Vincent
     bends down and retrieves the envelope of money which Francois
     had tucked inside his shirt.  As Vincent does this, Sam comes
     up from behind.

                          SAM
               Now would be a good time to get the fuck
               out of here.

     INT. THE FIAT - LATER/NIGHT

     The two men drive in silence for a moment.  Vincent lights a
     cigarette and offers one to Sam, who refuses.  Finally, Sam
     speaks.

                          SAM
               You know, what you pulled back there,
               that was bullshit.

                          VINCENT
               I needed to see if you were a cop.
                   (defensively)
               I'm a popular man with the police, Sam,
               and whenever they try to catch me they
               always do it with an inside guy -- some
               man on some job who seems more
               trustworthy than all the others put
               together.  And that's the guy you have to
               watch out for.
                   (beat)
               I hate cops...

                          SAM
                   (insulted that Vincent would
                    even consider it)
               Well I ain't a cop.

     A BEAT, the two men driving in silence.

                          VINCENT
               How did you know?

                          SAM
               Know what?

                          VINCENT
               That there was a gun pointed at me.

                          SAM
               I saw you look off when Francois nodded
               his head.  I figured he wasn't pointing
               out a particularly rare shrub, and the
               rest was easy.

                          VINCENT
               But how did you know I would have the
               presence of mind to pull my weapon
               when I did?

                          SAM
                   (as if it's obvious)
               Because that's what I would have done...

     CUT TO:

     EXT. AN APARTMENT HOUSE - A LITTLE LATER/NIGHT

     Vincent's Fiat is parked at the curb in front of this
     apartment house.  Vincent and Sam exit the car and move
     towards the house -- a silence hanging between them.  Right
     before they go into the house, Vincent takes out the envelope
     full of cash that was supposed to have been for Francois.  He
     thinks for a moment and then hands the whole envelope to Sam.

                          VINCENT
               You saved my life back there in the park.
               I know this doesn't begin to make it
               right between us...

     Vincent's voice trails off -- he doesn't know what to say.
     Sam takes the money out of the envelope -- half he keeps for
     himself, the other he gives to Vincent.

                          SAM
               What I did back in the park I did because
               we're working together -- we're on the
               same team.
                   (holding up the money)
               This is business -- this is work.  We did
               it together, we share the spoils, even
               split.

     Sam opens the door to the house, but Vincent has one last
     thing to say to him.

                          VINCENT
               I owe you a heavy debt.

     Sam almost smiles cynically at this: debts of honor don't
     seem to be something he believes in.

                          SAM
               Whatever you say.

     They enter the house and the door closes behind them.  A
     second later we hear -

                          DEIRDRE (V.O.)
               What'd you do with the money?

     INT. THE HOUSE - A LITTLE LATER

     Vincent and Sam sit with Deirdre in a room, alone.  They've
     told her about the park, and she seems a little pissed about
     all of this.

                          VINCENT
               We kept it...

                          DEIRDRE
                   (a little annoyed)
               Is that right?

                          SAM
               Hazard pay...

                          DEIRDRE
                   (with an exhalation of disgust)
               The two of you were supposed to go to a
               simple meet and come back with a simple
               piece of information, and instead you
               went to fucking war...

                          SAM
               We weren't real thrilled about it
               either...

     Deirdre shakes her head in disgust and rises.  We FOLLOW HER
     INTO -

     AN ADJOINING ROOM -

     Where Larry, Swede and Gregor are waiting.  They look up
     expectantly at Deirdre, who crosses through the room without
     stopping -- she's really pissed about this turn of events.