[Quick Summary: A prosecutor is pitted against a diabolical suspect who freely admits to shooting his own wife, but the gun on the scene is the wrong one.]
I stumbled across this riveting read, which features Ryan Gosling (prosecutor Willy) vs. Anthony Hopkins (murder suspect Crawford) in a "locked room" murder. * **
I was impressed how the writers kept the tension rising through motives:
- Mr. Crawford's wife was having an anonymous affair with a LAPD detective.
- Crawford arranges to kill his wife, while this detective is on duty.
- Crawford admits he killed his wife, but the gun at the scene belongs to the detective!
- Crawford likes to play games and HAS to win (motive).
- Prosecutor Willy, who is leaving for a cushy law firm job, could let this case slide.
- But Crawford has done his homework on Willy, who also HAS to win (motive).
- Willy still has no clue to where the gun is, even on when the trial begins. We can't stop watching! We need to know what happens!
I really liked the scene below, as it is a turning point for Willy:
- Marchand is the senior Scene Investigation Division tech in charge of searching the house.
- Note how Willy's desire to win drives him NOT give up, even though the facts now favor Crawford.
- Because Willy cannot get to his goal, we're curious to see what he'll do next.
- I really like how motives drive the tension.
INT. CRAWFORD HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DUSK
WILLY: What about the neighbors' property? He could have thrown it over the hedges.
MARCHAND: We checked. (beat) He might have passed it off to somebody, Willy. Had an accomplice, waiting, out the back.
Willy shakes his head, grim. Pacing.
WILLING: This isn't an accomplice sort of guy.
He slows. Looking across the room at the big Rube Goldberg device. As he moves toward it:
WILLY: This is a ...guy who likes to show off.
He examines the intricate workings, eyes traveling the clutter of metal and wires and motors.
Checks Marchand - who shakes his head.
WILLY: You sure?
MARCHAND: I'm sure.
Willy grimaces. Fuming, relentless:
WILLY: It's a physical object. It can't just vanish. We're missing something - some step in the story.
He begins walking through the crime, "the stations of the cross" - re-enacting it, starting from the front door, methodical, reciting it to himself:
WILLY: The neighbor sees her get home. He's already inside. She lets herself in. A minute or two later: blood-pattern says she's standing over there - he's somewhere around here.
Willy stands where Crawford was. Raises a finger-gun.
WILLY: Boom.
As Willy goes to where Jennifer fell:
MARCHAND: But then he carries her back there. Why?
Willy walks along the path defined by the drops of blood:
WILLY: Because he's gonna need time. To confess. When he's alone with the cop.
WHAT I'VE LEARNED: A character like Willy, who is this strongly motivated, will naturally conflict with others, which in turn, drives the tension.
Fracture (2007)(1/6/05, with revisions)
by Dan Pyne
*I've been attempting to read as many E. Max Frye scripts as possible, even ones he's rewritten, such as this one.
**As a side note: This script is well written and reads really fast. Scripts this good often have a lot of help, and I counted 6 writers listed on the cover page.
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