Rush Hour

MIRANDA

He's really exhibiting pressured speech... big effort here to sound calm. Same with his vocabulary... if he were in control, he wouldn't feel such a need to sound that way.

CARSON

Just tell me if we can use it.

MIRANDA

If we needle him he could get sloppy and give us an opening, but I'm not going to risk it. This is the worst kind of perpetrator: anything makes him deviate from his carefully-scripted plan, he could become extremely volatile.

INT. NORTH KOREAN CONSULATE – SURVEILLANCE ROOM – DAY

During this, Colonel Lee stands in a window on the top floor, pointing a LASER EAVESDROPPING UNIT at the FBI guardhouse.

MIRANDA (V.O.)

(thru headphones)

Do we have back-up if the bleeper fails?

CARSON (V.O.)

(thru headphones)

Nothing but physical surveillance.

INT. FBI GUARDHOUSE – NORTH KOREAN CONSULATE – DAY

MIRANDA

It's real important we don't lose him. He didn't go through all the trouble of designing that bomb not to use it.

Carson looks at her as the thought of it hits him.

CARSON

Well, it ain't gonna happen.

(beat; sotto)

Not again...

EXT. WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, DC – ESTABLISHING – DAY

INT. WHITE HOUSE – CONFERENCE ROOM – DAY

The National Security Council: VICE PRESIDENT, SECRETARIES OF DEFENSE, STATE, CHIEFS of the FBI, CIA and NSA – sit nervously around a table, facing a video conferencing setup. The President, in Air Force One, APPEARS on it.

PRESIDENT
(thru video link)

What the hell is the big crisis?

SECRETARY OF STATE

We just received a missive from the North Korean attaché. They say the kidnapping is a U.S. plot to provoke and humiliate them during the Summit.

PRESIDENT

(thru video link)

Bullshit. They're just ticked because we don't want the Chinese dragging their asses into the treaty talks.

The SENIOR INTELLIGENCE OFFICER refers to his notes.

INTELLIGENCE OFFICER
We have a covert operative in place. He reports the hard-liners and moderates in the High Command are arguing about how to respond, should the Premier's niece and her children should be killed.

PRESIDENT

(scowls; thru video link)

Respond?! Christ. What about the damn Premier?

SECRETARY OF STATE

He's weak. He has to look tough to save face, keep control of hard-liners... otherwise he risks a coup.

CIA CHIEF

Which is a real possibility. Most of those old-fart Generals don't want to be part of the Summit any more than we want them to. They're mad as hell he even talked to the Chinese.

PRESIDENT

(thru video link)

I don't want to deal with this right now! Get our diplomats on it. Tell the North we'll pay the ransom for 'em... Placate 'em! And make damn sure we get that family back in one piece. Who's in charge in L.A.?

FBI CHIEF

The Bureau, Sir. We have a crack team in place.

SECRETARY OF STATE

There's a Diplomatic Liaison from State, too.

CIA CHIEF

(to FBI Chief)

What about your man stationed at the Consulate...

(refers to notes)

Carson? He was demoted from the FBI Hostage Program, couple years back. And this did happen on his watch...

FBI CHIEF

(irritated)

There's no way he could've prevented this abduction! Besides, I've got one of my top Negotiators in charge –

PRESIDENT

(thru video link)

– Whatever. I want a total news blackout and I want this over with, quickly! Without giving those Commie little bastards any excuse to shit all over my Summit!

EXT. NORTH KOREAN CONSULATE – DAY

Inside, the grandfather clock in the foyer CHIMES THREE TIMES.

Colonel Lee, carrying an AMD-74 machine gun, goes to get in the driver's side of the second armored Mercedes, but Carson is already there. Grumbling, he crosses to the passenger's side.

Carson drives off just a moment before Colonel Lee is completely in the car.

EXT. HIGHLAND AVENUE – DAY
 

The Mercedes crosses Melrose, going into Hollywood. The town is all done up with posters and banners.

Robbins and Walther follow a block behind the Mercedes in an unmarked car; Sabatini and Dave drive ahead in Dave's Dodge.

INT. NORTH KOREAN CONSULATE – AMBASSADOR HAN'S OFFICE – DAY

Miranda, Ambassador Han, and Lisa's father (the cussing Jag Owner) wait by the phone. Miranda smiles reassuringly at the two nervous fathers. The phone RINGS; she picks it up.

MIRANDA

(into phone)

Yes, please go ahead...

JAVAL (V.O.)

(long beat; thru phone)

Ah... this must be one of those professionals –

MIRANDA

(into phone)

– I'm only here to see that everyone gets what they want –

JAVAL (V.O.)

(thru phone)

– I've got my shotgun in little Lisa's mouth, and I will pull the trigger in five seconds unless you put the Ambassador on the phone.

Miranda hands the phone to Ambassador Han.

INT. MERCEDES – (MOVING SHOT) – DAY

From the two-way radio in Carson's pocket:

MIRANDA (V.O.)

(thru radio)

The drop is at the DeMille barn, across from the Hollywood Bowl. You're to leave the money in the center of the parking lot.

CARSON

(into radio)

Shit... no way we can set up a stake-out in...

(checks watch)

Four minutes. Call the Park Rangers at the Bowl. Have them clear the area of civilians.

MIRANDA (V.O.)

(thru radio)

Remember, Pete... we're dealing with a customer with a lot of rage.

CARSON

(to himself)

Must've bought a house same time we did.

EXT. HIGHLAND AVENUE – VARIOUS ANGLES – DAY

Robbins and Walther are inching along in traffic on Highland near Hollywood Blvd.

Elsewhere, we see unmarked police and government cars cruising around, dropping off disguised FOOT-SURVEILLANCE OFFICERS, etc.

A BIKER CLUB of twenty aging, weekend-warriors, all on custom Harleys, turn from the Boulevard onto Highland.

EXT. DEMILLE BARN – DAY

Carson drives the Mercedes into the entrance of the Hollywood Museum Park. Carson stops in front of a yellow barn with a sign atop it: "Jesse Lasky Famous Players."

INT. / EXT. JAVAL'S VAN – DAY

Still disguised as an ice-cream truck, the van is parked across Highland by the entrance to the Hollywood Bowl, where a Summit-related concert is being readied.

Javal watches the Mercedes, and takes his last pill. He's flying.

INT. MERCEDES – DAY

Colonel Lee grabs the two large plastic bags full of money from the back seat, opens his door, and drops them onto the pavement. Carson looks around.

CARSON

(into radio)

There's about a hundred ways he can scurry off like a cockroach from here... So spread out.

Colonel Lee checks their BEEPING homing receiver. Carson hangs a left onto Highland, going back the way he came.

INT. DAVE'S DODGE – (MOVING SHOT) – DAY

Dave holds their homing receiver. Sabatini, behind the wheel, smacks his arm and points ahead:

EXT. DEMILLE BARN – DAY

Javal's van drives into the parking lot, and stops right above the bags of money.

DAVE

(into radio)

Our boy's in a fuckin' ice cream truck!

EXT. ODIN STREET – DAY

Sabatini and Dave watch Javal's van through the trees.

INT. JAVAL'S VAN – DAY

Javal, sweating and shaking, quickly runs a metal-detector wand over each of the individual bags of money. One of them makes the speaker in the wand handle WHINE.

INT. DAVE'S DODGE – INCLUDE POV OF DEMILLE BARN – DAY

The van pulls away.

Dave glances at the homing receiver. The signal isn't moving. He looks up...

Two of the small bags of money are sitting on the pavement.

DAVE

Son of a bitch!

(into radio)

He found the bleepers – both of them!

INT. MERCEDES – (MOVING SHOT) – DAY

CARSON

(into radio)

Fuck! Okay, stay back. It's not like he'll be hard to see in that truck. Which way's he heading?

DAVE (V.O.)

(thru radio)

Toward the freeway.

Carson hangs a U-turn.

EXT. HIGHLAND AVENUE – DAY

At the complex intersection where Highland ends at the 101, Javal bears to the right, toward the South on-ramp.

Sabatini and Dave follow a few cars behind as he gets on it.

Suddenly, he scoots over to the shoulder and slams the van into REVERSE. He backs off the on-ramp, past a row of angry drivers, passing by Sabatini and Dave.

Peeling in reverse onto Highland, Javal stomps on the brakes. The snap buckles holding the ice-cream-truck superstructure around his van BREAK APART, and the whole thing slides off... blocking Sabatini's way.

Javal drives forward again, this time getting onto the 101 North on-ramp.

INT. NORTH KOREAN CONSULATE – AMBASSADOR HAN'S OFFICE – DAY

Miranda looks at Ambassador Han and Lisa's father while anxiously clutching her two-way radio.

MIRANDA

(into radio)

What happened?
 

CARSON (V.O.)

(thru radio)

We're made! Gotta grab him!

MIRANDA

(beat; into radio)

All right... Carefully...

INT. MERCEDES – (MOVING SHOT) – DAY

Carson follows Javal onto the freeway. Colonel Lee grabs his AMD-74 machine gun.

CARSON

Watch it! We need him alive!

EXT. HOLLYWOOD FREEWAY – DAY

Colonel Lee leans out and SHOOTS Javal's rear tires out.

The van drives erratically, held in its lane by bumping against the cars around it.

Carson pulls up closer...

Suddenly, the rear doors of the van burst open...

And Javal flies out, riding a motorcycle. He's got the money stuffed into two big, chaps-sized SADDLEBAGS slung over the back of the machine.

He straddles the lanes, going against traffic, riding like a maniac back the way he came.

Carson watches him in the rear-view... and speeds up, driving away from him.

COLONEL LEE

Turn around!

But Carson hugs the shoulder, moving through the heavy traffic, until he spots what he was looking for:

The Biker Club, riding in formation up ahead.

Carson cuts in front of them and slams on the brakes. He jumps out and grabs one of the Biker's machines by the handlebars, wrestling it to a stop. While pulling its BURLY OWNER off it:

CARSON
FBI. Call our office, they'll take care of you.

Meanwhile, the other BIKERS have come to help their friend. They pull guns, knives, chains...

They're stopped by Sabatini, who appears holding her MP-5 machine pistol. The Biker yells at Carson as he drives way:

BIKER
I'm a taxpayer! I'm a goddamn dentist!

COLONEL LEE

Gets in the driver's seat of the Mercedes and turns it around.

JAVAL

Continues down the freeway on his bike, straddling lanes, driving the wrong way, retracing his route back to Highland, leaving CAR HORNS, CURSING, and COLLISIONS in his wake.

WIDER

When everyone thinks they've seen it all, here comes another mad biker – Carson – riding against traffic in pursuit.

EXT. HIGHLAND AVENUE – DAY

Javal rides against traffic down the Cahuenga on-ramp, then jumps the divider, runs the light crossing Highland, and gets into the southbound lanes.

He just misses a BUS, nearly wiping out.

CARSON

Just don't kill yourself, you piece of shit...

Carson fishes out his two-way.

CARSON

(continuing; into radio)

Helicopter or two would be nice!

INT. NORTH KOREAN CONSULATE – AMBASSADOR HAN'S OFFICE – DAY

Listening to the two-way, Miranda tries to follow the action.

MIRANDA

(into radio)

Love to be in the loop on this...