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NATURAL BORN KILLERS
NATURAL BORN KILLERS
WRITTEN BY
QUENTIN TARANTINO
INT.
COFFEE SHOP - DAY
A coffee shop somewhere in New Mexico. MICKEY KNOX, his
back
turned to us, is sitting at the counter finishing his meal. We
hear
the PING. . .BANG. . .of a pinball machine being played OFF
SCREEN.
MABEL,
a waitress, comes over and fills Mickey's coffee cup.
MICKEY
What
kind of pies do you have?
MABEL
Apple,
pecan, cherry, and key lime.
MICKEY
Which do
you recommend?
MABEL
The key lime is great,
but it's
an acquired taste.
MICKEY
I haven't had a key lime pie in ten
years.
MABEL
When ya had it, did ya like it?
MICKEY
No,
but that don't mean much. I was a
completely different person ten
years
ago. Let's give key lime a day in
court.
And a large glass of milk.
Mabel turns to her right.
MABEL
(to someone O.S.)
Should I make that two
pieces?
CAMERA PULLS BACK and we see for the first time MALLORY KNOX,
Mickey's wife, sitting on a counter stool next to him. Her back
is to
the camera as well.
MALLORY
Nada, Rosey.
MABEL
(annoyed)
My name's not Rosey.
(points
at name tag)
It's Mabel
Mabel exits FRAME.
MALLORY
Whatever.
Mallory hops from the stool, walks
over and grabs the JAR next
to the cash register, then dumping out the coins
on the counter,
she selects a quarter.
MABEL
Hey, what the hell do
you think you're
doin'?
Mallory saunter past the COWBOY
playing pinball. As his eyes
follow Mallory, he loses his ball.
She
walks to the jukebox in the back, inserts the quarter,
selects a song, punches
the buttons, a needle lands on a record,
and a good God almighty rockabilly
tune cuts through the coffee
shop.
Mable brings Mickey his pie
and milk.
MABEL
(to Mickey)
She ought not be doing that. That's
for Jerry's kids, not rock 'n roll.
CAMERA moves around
to a CU of Mickey. This is the first time
we see him. As he takes a
bite of green pie:
MICKEY
I can't take her
anywhere.
Mallory starts doing a slow seductive fandango around the coffee
shop. She's really cooking and smoking.
Pinball Cowboy and Mabel
are starting to wonder just who the
hell these people are.
Mickey isn't
paying much attention. He's
too busy enjoying his
pie and milk.
EXT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY
A
dirty pickup truck, sporting a Confederate flag decal, pulls
up to the
coffee shop. SONNY, OTIS, and EARL, three
tough-looking rednecks, pile
out. Steam rises from beneath the
pickup's hood.
EARL
Goddamn this sumbitch is runnin' hot.
Y'all go inside.
I'm gonna check 'er
out.
INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY
The
LOUDNESS of the Rockabilly
song slaps Sonny and Otis in
their faces as they
1ac
walk inside the
door. The sexy sight of
Mallory doing the ubang stomp stops them in their
tracks.
SONNY
Good God almighty. What the
hell is
that?
OTIS
That's a
bitch outta hell, son.
Otis and Sonny exchange looks
SONNY
Take a run at 'er, kiddo.
Otis heads toward Mallory.
eb7
Sonny moves over to the counter
next
to Mickey.
SONNY
Miller, Mabel.
MABEL
Comin' up.
Otis stands in
front of Mallory, trying to copy what she's
doing. Her eyes are closed at
the moment, so she doesn't see
him.
Mabel sets the Miller down in front
of Sonny. Sonny takes a
swig, enjoying the floor show.
SONNY
(to Mickey)
That's some sweet piece of
meat, ain't
it?
Mickey
turns from his pie and looks at Sonny. His expression
betrays
nothing.
MICKEY
Her name's Mallory.
The
needle lifts off the record. The song ends.
Mallory opens her eyes
and sees Otis.
OTIS
Hells Bells! Don't
stop now sugar.
I'm just getting warmed up
Otis gives her
his best shit-eating grin before turning to
Sonny.
Sonny gurgles
out a laugh.
SONNY
Hey, I think she's sweet on you.
Otis turns to Mallory
as she PUNCHES him hard in the face
spinning him around.
Sonny
spews his mouthful of Highlife.
Mallory grabs the back of Otis' head and
SMASHES it down on the
table, cracking the linoleum.
Otis buckles,
dropping to his knees.
Sonny jumps off the counts stool, but Mickey's
hand clutches
hold of his shoulder.
Sonny spins around toward Mickey,
loaded for bear, and points
his
finger at him, threateningly.
Before any threat can be made, Mickey
whips a large buck knife
out from its sheath, and in a flash, SLICES off
Sonny's finger.
Sonny's finger drops on his boot. He grabs his aching
hand.
Blood flows from the wound.
MICKEY
Just because my woman's mopping up the
floor with your buddy
is no reason for
you to join in.
Mickey makes five lightning
quick SLASHING SWINGS. The
buck
knife slips back into its sheath. At first, there seems to be
no
difference with Sonny. Finally, blood flows from the slices
made in his face
and chest. Sonny collapses.
The SHORT-ORDER COOK charges out of the
kitchen at Mickey,
wielding a meat cleaver and screaming.
Mickey whips
out a .45 automatic from a shoulder holster inside
his jacket and FIRES.
BULLET'S
POV: Heading fast toward Short-Order Cook's face. It
HITS.
Short-Order Cook puts his hands
to his face and falls to
the ground, screaming.
Mickey spots Earl,
who's standing outside the plate glass
window. Earl's watched the whole
shebang.
Earl mouths "Fuck!" He turns and runs for it.
Mickey
hurls the knife through the plate glass window, which
SHATTERS.
The knife PLUNGES deep into Earls back. He hits the
ground dead.
Mickey
turns to Mallory. She's sitting on op of Otis, SLAMMING
his head repeatedly
on the floor.
MICKEY
Honey.
Mallory looks up at Mickey. She
gets off Otis and moves to
Mickey's side.
Mickey trains his .45 on
Pinball Cowboy, who's shaking in his
cowboy boots. Mickey aims at Mabel, who's
clutching he coffee
pot, crying.
MICKEY
(to Mallory)
Pick one.
Mallory does eanie, meanie,
minie, moe, pointing back and forth
from Mabel to Pinball Cowboy.
MALLORY
Eanie, meanie, minie, moe, catch a
nigger by the tow. If he
hollers, let
1a3
him go. Eanie. meanie. minie, moe. My
mom told me to pick the best one and
you are it.
She
ends, pointing at Mabel. Mabel's crying. She screams.
MABEL
NO!
Mickey FIRES the .45. The bullet CHINKS through
the coffee pot
Mabel's holding and explodes, THUNKING her in the chest. She
hits the floor dead.
Mic
ec5
key
and Mallory join hands and walk over to the Pinball
Cowboy who stands
in a pool of his own urine.
MALLORY
When
you tell people what went on here,
tell 'em Mickey and Mallory
Knox did
this. Understand?
Pinball Cowboy nods yes.
The
two killers plant a big wet kiss on eachother's mouths.
Then, holding
hands, Mickey and Mallory walk out of the cafe.
CREDIT SEQUENCE:
INT.
COUPE DE VILLE -
MOVING - DAY
Mickey and Mallory in a flashy '68 Cadillac Coupe De Ville.
Duane Eddy's "REBEL ROUSER" blares on the soundtrack. The B.G.
is an outrageous PROCESS SHOT. The titles splash over this
image 50's
style.
When this sequence is over, we CUT TO BLACK.
END CREDIT
SEQUENCE
Over black screen, we hear:
CAPTAIN SQUERI
Send Scagnetti in here.
INT. POLICE STATION (SQUERI'S
OFFICE) - DAY
CAMERA
is position in the middle of the office. The door is in
the middle of the
frame.
JACK SCAGNETTI flings the door open and steps inside Squeri's
office.
Squeri's never seen.
SCAGNETTI
You
wanted to see me, Capt'n?
CAPTAIN SQUERI (O.S.)
Scagnetti, go up to interrogation room
C. Dwight McClusky,
chairman of the
prison board, is waiting to meet you.
You're gonna deliver two
prisoners from
the county jail to Nystrom Insane
Asylum in Bakersfield.
SCAGNETTI
This is
bullshit. I'm a detective.
You want an errand boy, call Jerry
Lewis.
Scagnetti spins around and leaves the room, SLAMMING
the door
shut behind him. Captain Squeri shouts after him.
CAPTAIN SQUERI (O.S.)
Jack!
INT. POLICE STATION
CORRIDOR - DAY
Police
Detective Scagnetti walks rapidly down the hallway,
wearing an old, wrinkly,
black suit jacket.
PEOPLE walk by in the F.G. and B.G. Scagnetti slips
an already
tied tie over his head.
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM
C - DAY
DWIGHT MCCLUSKY, a man in his fifties, wearing a business suit,
stands in the F.G. reading a book with his back to the door.
In the B.G.,
Scagnetti enters the room.
SCAGNETTI
Jack
Scagnetti. You wanted to see
me?
McClusky turns toward Scagnetti.
MCCLUSKY
Congratulations on the Curtis Fox case,
Scagnetti.
You put an end to a
nightmare. The ladies of this city can
get to sleep again, and they have you
to thank.
SCAGNETTI
Thank you, sir.
MCCLUSKY
Dwight McClusky of the California
Prison
Board. Take a seat please.
Scagnetti
lowers into a chair in front of the interrogation
table.
MCCLUSKY
(referring to book)
This
is damn good reading. I'm
surprised Hollywood hasn't found you.
This would make a better movie than
that `Serpico'
shit.
McClusky puts the book down, we see the title: "CURTIS
FOX: The
Capture and Death of a Serial Killer" Author Jack Scagnetti.
McClusky sits on the edge
of the table, facing Scagnetti. He
lifts a file off the table, then tosses
it in Scagnetti's lap.
MCCLUSKY
I th
1aa
ink you'll
find that good reading
as well. Mickey and Mallory's file.
You familiar with them?
Scagnetti opens it. It's the files,
reports, and photographs
of Mickey and Mallory Knox. Scagnetti's face
lights up.
SCAGNETTI
Who isn't?
MCCLUSKY
You been followin' the news coverage?
SCAGNETTI
They've been separated since their
incarnation in a couple
of
penitentiaries---
MCCLUSKY
Susanville, Soledale.
SCAGNETTI
They've
killed a shitload of inmates
and guards---
MCCLUSKY
Five inmates, eight guards and one
psychiatrist
all in one year's time...
Very good. You do keep up with the