SuperFights

SuperFights   

Screenplay by       Keith W. Strandberg

Produced by       Keith Vitali

          See-Yuen Ng

Directed by       Tony Leung Siu Hung

Cast List:

Brandon Gaines     Jack Cody

Keith Vitali      Robert Sawyer

Kelly Gallant      Angel

Feihong Yu

Chuck Jeffreys

Cliff Lenderman

Brian Ruth

Patrick Lung-Kong

FADE IN:

TIGHT ON HAND

It PULLS away from the CAMERA.

INT. WAREHOUSE – DAY

An old Chinese man, GRANDFATHER, going through a beautiful Tai Zhi Quan form. It is very peaceful and graceful. The form ends with a palm strike towards camera, blacking out the frame. (for possible INTERCUT use)

INT. SUPERFIGHT ARENA – NIGHT

Spotlights cut through the murky darkness while rock music PULSES. The sound of the crowd, barely visible in the darkness, is a RUMBLE in the dark, not unlike the sound of an enraged animal.

They are yelling for blood!

QUICK CUTS of other fighters in the ring, including Punks, Sumo wrestlers, Kickboxers, Shootfighters, and others. It's a spectacle, and we see bits and snippets of it all – the knockout blows, the colorful fighters, the incredible techniques, the bloodshed, the brutality. DARKCLOUD and NIGHT STALKER face off in the ring. (ONE FIGHT)

Darkcloud is slamming Night Stalker in the head over and over. With the second blow, the man's mouthpiece goes flying into the crowd. Soon, the blood starts to spray, but the man doesn't stop hitting.

In the front row, right next to the ring, is JACK CODY, an 18 year old dreamer. Drinking it all in, he is yelling his lungs out for the fighters.

A WOMAN standing next to Jack cringes at the brutality and covers her eyes.

WOMAN

How can you watch this?

JACK

It's great, isn't it? I love it!

The woman looks at Jack uncomprehendingly, then shakes her head and steps over him to get out, then walks up the stairs to the exit.

Though the woman is very beautiful, Jack doesn't even watch her go. He is too intent on the action in the ring.

Now, one of the women fighters, ANGEL, dressed in a sexy outfit that shows off her body, but also displays her finely defined muscles, is fighting another SuperFighter. She is brutalizing the other fighter, yet both are covered in blood.

The towel has now been thrown in, but Angel STILL doesn't stop. Angel has her opponent by the throat and is motioning to the crowd, thumbs up or thumbs down.

"NO MERCY" cries the crowd, and Jack is yelling louder than anyone.

JACK

Take it to her, Angel! Yeah!

Angel spins and hook kicks her opponent in the head, then spins the other way and side kicks her into the ropes. The other fighter FLIES off the ropes and lands face down in the center of the ring.

It's brutal and barbaric.

And Jack loves every minute of it.

A spotlight lights up the stage, and two bizarre FIGHTERS stand in the middle, facing each other.

ANNOUNCER

In the red corner, Budokai!

BUDOKAI is dressed in a gold lame uniform, his belt black. His face is painted like a kabuki actor, a mixture of black and white and gold, and his outfit emphasizes his massive muscles.

ANNOUNCER (O.S.)

And in the blue corner, the Enforcer!

THE ENFORCER, dressed like a street punk, with chains and leather, spikes and chrome, comes into the ring. He is the bad guy here, and everyone knows it. He raises his muscled arms over his head and smiles at the crowd, then brings them down into a fighting stance.

ANNOUNCER (O.S.)

SuperFight!

The two fighters face off in fighting positions. The rock music increases its BEAT, and the fighters rush each other, the ring echoing with the fury of their techniques. Budokai is a martial artist, while the Enforcer is a thug. But a well trained thug, nonetheless.

Using a mixture of professional wrestling, boxing and street fighting, the Enforcer HAMMERS Budokai in a beautifully choreographed fight.

Budokai beaten, the Enforcer stands before the crowd, seemingly asking them for a decision.

The crowd ROARS.

ANNOUNCER

What'll it be? Mercy?

The crowd YELLS out "NO MERCY!" Everyone except Jack that is, who likes Budokai, after all.

The Enforcer listens to what they want, then smiles and launches a huge roundhouse right. Budokai goes sailing out of the ring.

Jack sees this and runs to where Budokai is going to land, thinking to break his fall.

He does, sort of, but Budokai still lands HARD. They stand up together, both a little stunned. The Enforcer is now out of the ring and coming towards Budokai, and Jack is caught in the middle.

Jack, in the heat of the moment, turns to face off with the Enforcer! He throws a couple of kicks and punches, which have no effect – except to further enrage the Enforcer.

The Enforcer goes crazy and attacks Jack. Budokai grabs Jack and throws him up into the sky, and then knocks the Enforcer out, and Jack lands on top of the Enforcer (like a pin in wrestling), counting him out.

The ref comes out of the ring and holds up Budokai's hand, and Budokai reaches down and pulls Jack up to a standing position, holding his hand up.

BUDOKAI

NO MERCY! EVER!

Budokai looks at Jack, who is beaming with pride, as the crowd goes crazy. Budokai winks at Jack.

BUDOKAI

Thanks, man. Couldn't have done it without you...

Jack is in heaven.

EXT. LOADING DOCK – DAWN

A loading dock is closed up, shut down tight. The streets around it are almost empty. A JOGGER runs by in front, getting a workout in before a busy day starts.

INT. LOADING DOCK – SAME DAY

In the loading dock, we MOVE THROUGH the assembled goods, boxes and various things. In the b.g. can be heard the sound of labored breathing, and solid THUNKS and THWOCKS .

We MOVE through a door that is ajar, into an area of the warehouse separate from the storage area. On the walls are posters from "SuperFights", martial arts training posters, pictures of Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Jean Claude Van Damme (from "No Retreat No Surrender"), movie posters, professional wrestlers, etc.

Pictures of a fighter named MIKE ROCCO are featured prominently. Rocco, in the pictures, is wearing a special necklace (Open Hand?). There is a magazine with his picture on it, and the legend reads "Rocco: Where is he now?" There is also a picture of Rocco with his arm around a young fighter – a younger Jack.

We see a SHADOW of what looks like two people fighting over the picture of Rocco.

The sounds of violent training are closer, more immediate.

A counter is piled high with training books, and a TV/VCR combination sits next to them, a pile of martial arts training videos sitting on top. A tape is in the machine, and it is paused on one particular instructor, Mike Rocco, demonstrating a technique.

Standing next to the counter are mannequins in various positions, all dressed in sporting goods equipment – at first they look like real fighters. We see Jack moving among them, doing flips (with the aid of an unseen trampoline).

Some of the mannequins are wearing protective equipment, others swimsuits, still others in martial arts uniforms.

Smoothly, we TURN AROUND to see Jack, in a muscle shirt and workout pants, working on a mannequin, and we realize that they are just mannequins, not real people. He is very athletic, and has obviously been training for some time. He is not a master, but he is strong and effective, with a great

deal of raw talent. When he hits and kicks the heavy bag, hanging in the middle of the room, it SHAKES the entire room.

Jack is wearing the special necklace that Rocco had on in the pictures.

After one particularly grueling combination, Jack stops, drinks from a sport bottle nearby. He then grabs the TV remote and pushes a button.

ANGLE ON TV

The tape continues, the instructor (Mike Rocco) moving on to another combination.

Jack watches it carefully, then rewinds it, and plays it again. He then presses "pause" and puts the remote back. He starts hitting the heavy bag again, mimicking the combination the instructor showed on the tape.

As he is working this combination, an alarm on his watch goes off and Jack stops. He gathers himself for a moment, then bows to the mannequin.

JACK

Time for the SuperFight.

He moves to the area of the room where the mannequins are set up. He moves into the middle of them, then raises his arms like Budokai did last night.

He goes into action, throwing kicks and punches at the mannequins, breaking them into pieces, throwing them into all the corners of the room.

When he is done, he stands panting in the center of the mess, then raises his arms again. One mannequin is still standing.

JACK

No mercy.

He jumps off the trampoline (we see it now) and drives a spinning wheel kick at the lone mannequin and hits it, but sends himself sprawling at the same time.

The fantasy is disrupted by reality. Jack smiles and puts his head in his hands, resting.

FRANKIE

Cody? That you?

Jack doesn't answer right away.

FRANKIE (O.S.)

Yo, Jean Claude Van Dunce? You there?

JACK

Yeah, Frankie. Just finishing up!

FRANKIE comes into view.

FRANKIE

Man, are you wasting your time with this stuff again? Hey, don't leave a mess again, OK? Hurry up, we gotta get these orders out!

JACK

(cheerfully)

OK! I'll be right down.

Jack gets off the ground and starts to clean up the pieces of mannequin around the room. He assembles the mannequins again for his next workout, then pauses at the "SuperFights" and "Mike Rocco" posters.

JACK

Someday...

The CAMERA PULLS OUT, past the tapes, books and posters.

EXT. JACK HOUSE – EVENING

Establishing shot of a run down tract house in a "poor white trash" suburb of the city. The house is much cleaner than the others in the area. Obviously, some care has been taken with the house.

Jack's battered Jeep pulls up to the house, and he gets out. He pauses for a moment in the front yard, then shakes his head, picks up some trash from the neighbor's yard, and moves inside.