THE NEGOTIATOR

                                  by

                      James DeMonaco and Kevin Fox


                             revisions by

                            Anthony Drazan
























                                        August 5, 1997






BLACK SCREEN

We hear the voice of Danny Roman:

DANNY(O. S.)
...I love animals.  I love pets.  I grew
up with pets - cats, dogs, hamsters,
birds...my mother had this pair of
canaries.  Man, th?]'d sing and sing,
they'd sing whenever they damn well
pleased.  Middle of, the goddamn night
those canaries would be singin'. I
thought about takin' the motherfuckers
out, but moms loved those birds--

The BLACK RECEDES and we FIND DANNY ROMAN, sitting in a
dilapidated hallway, eating a hot dog.  He's a black man in his 40s, with a streetwise and wary intelligence behind his dark brown eyes.
Danny continues talking casually to someone offscreen. In the BG the SOUND of a SARKING DOG:

DANNY
I had a boa until I got married.  Then
the boa had to go. No way my wife was
gonna have a snake crawlin' around her
livingroom, gettin' up into ther things,
slidin' into bed with her at night.  One
snake was enough, if you catch my
meaning--

Danny looks down a list with a heading: "LIKES." Scans past "Chicago sports", and barbecues to "Pit Bulls"; dog's name is "Raoul"--

DANNY
Which brings me to pit bulls.  The dog of
dogs.  The pet of pets.  There's the
right man's best friend and the wrong
man's worst enemy. you gonna give me a
dog for a pet, then give me a pit bull.
Give me "Raoul".  Am I right, Omar?  Give
me Raoul...
(a moment passes)
Omar ?

We see that Danny's been talking to an apartment door,
slightly cracked.  Finally from inside:

OMAR
I fucking hate Raoul.
(to the barking dog)
Shut the fuck up, asshole!
someone.

DANNY
You hate Raoul?

OMAR
Sometimes.  And sometimes I don't--
(to the barking dog)
Shut the fuck up!

He checks the "LIKES" list again:

DANNY
Your Raoul?

OMAR
Sometimes, I want to blow his fucking
brains out!

DANNY
Omar--

OMAR
Danny, I can't fucking wait anymore.  You
hear me? Now where the fuck's my wife?

DANNY
She's coming, Omar, she's coming--

Danny holds a kwik-view mirror: a mirror on a metal rod.  In it we can SEE into the apartment: a figure's in the hallway. OMAR.

CUT TO:

RAOUL, THE PIT BULL

chained to the radiator.  We move along the floor past a phone ripped from the wall, finding a young girl's face. SHOTGUN pressed against it.  She blinks.  She's alive.

OMAR(O. S.)
I want my wife.  I told you and told you.
Now I'm gettin' tired of this shit--

DANNY
Omar, listen to me--

OMAR
(emphatic, on the verge)
No more goddamn talking!  I want the
bitch or I'm gonna do the girl!

Through the door, slightly ajar, chain holding it closed, we see Danny.

DANNY(O. S.)
I'm doing the best I can here, Omar.

We PAN UP the gun, settling on Omar.
He's at the end of a
sodden, drunken jag.

OMAR
I want her to see me blow my brians out.
I want her thinking about that when she's
sucking that fat prick's cock!

Omar's on the edge of violence, his finger on the trigger.

INT.  STOREFRONT - HRT COMMAND - NIGIFT
Outside, we can see cops lining the street, holding back
pedestrians.

Inside, INSPECTOR NEIL FROST, older, magisterial; COMMANDER
ANDREW BECK,rough-hewn, steely-eyed; CHIEF AL TRAV1I~S, suit
and tie, old-fashioned, stand in front of a BANK OF MONITORS
that display Cknar pressing the gun against the girl's face
from various angles.

BECK
Roman's losing him. Let's make entry.

FROST
Not yet, Andy, you know that.
No one can
talk an HT down like Danny--

BECK
He's not talking anyone down.  He's just
hot doggin'.  Chief, let's go in.

CHIEF
Unit One.  Full breach.

EXT. FIRE ESCAPES

A Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) unit lines the building's fire
escape and roof.  Four TAC officers, HELLMAN, ALDRICH, ALLEN,
ARGENTO, receive word and move up the fire escape stairs.

INT.  APARTMENT/HALLWAY

Omar moves toward the front door--

OMAR
I'm sorry, Danny. Time's up. I'11 do the girl,
then me. I don't give a fuck.

DANNY
Don't give her the satisfaction.  Your
wife is on her way...

OMAR
Enough talking!  We been talking for
eleven fucking hours, man.  My throat's
fucking raw!

Omar kicks the door shut, closing Danny out.

DANNY
Come on, Omar.  Shit--

Behind Danny we see 10 cops in flak jackets.  NATHAN ROENICK,
a bulldog of a man, approaches--

NATHAN
Beck's just put us on standby for crisis
entry.

DANNY
That's not the play.  Omar'll get a shot
off.  I can still talk to him, Nate, I
just need time.

NATHAN
(into radio)
Nathan to HBT 1.  Negotiator is
requesting more time.

BECK(O.S.)
(on the radio)
Negative.  Negative.  HRTs standby.

DANNY
(hearing Beck's reply)
I'm going in...

NATHAN
(grabbing Danny's arm)
Whoa.  No way.  You can't enter the kill
zone.

DANNY
Since when?

NATHAN
Since you got married.  You got someone
else to think about now, Danny.

Danny hesitates--

NATHAN
(sort of playful)
How long's it been?

DANNY
(sort of dreamy)
I'm still on my honeymoon.

NATHAN
So don't pull this cowboy shit now.
You'll give him a target.  You'll get
yourself killed.  Just keep talking.

DANNY
I will.  Inside.  There's no other way to
get the gun off the girl's head, Nate.

NATHAN
(into his radio)
Negotiator entering Kill Zone.

INT. COMAND

The men in command are not surprised.  Beck sneers.  Frost
smiles--

CHIEF
(into radio)
Danny, this is Chief Travis~  You will
stand down.

BECK
(into radio)
Unit One hold and maintain.

EXT.  FIRE ESCAPE

The TAC team hand-signals to each other to hold position and
express familiar exasperation with Danny's own tactics.

INT.  HALLWAY

Danny is ready to go--

DANNY
We got any shots?

NATHAN
Bathroom. But he's nowhere near it.


DANNY
He will be.  Get Eagle and Palermo over
to that window.  Tell them to wait for my
signal--
NATHAN
(into radio)
Palermo, Eagle.  Set up on the bathroom
window on the one side.  Let me know when
you're in position.
nanny moves to the apartment door.  The Chief's voice rises:

CHIEF
(over the radio)
Negotiating team, do you read? Do not...

Danny SHUTS the RADIO off.  Nate shakes his head in disbelief.

DANNY
Omar, your wife's here.  Ny superiors:
will allow me to make the trade now.  But
I gotta see that you haven't hurt the
other hostages.  If you haven't, I'11
take the girl and send in your wife.

OMAR
Nice and slow. You come in. Get a look
around.  Then I get my wife.

INT.  COMMAND

All watch the monitors that display Ckrrar unchaining the door.
Danny slowly moving inside:

INT.  APARTMENT

FROST Showtime.

BECK
Showtime my ass.  Roman ought to let TAC
do its job and end it.

As nanny enters.  Hands high, shotgun thrust guickly in his
face.  Omar locks the door.  The chained attack dog barks and
lunges furiously at Danny—

OMAR
Move real slow.  This ain't about me and
you, but I'11 take you out just the same.

Omar searches Danny.  DaMy eyes the girl.  Cool as ice: