The Good Fight
By: Jonathan Reichel
(321) 945-6022
© 2008
Lightspeed Productions
All rights reserved
Opening Sequence cuts between credits and the following imagery:
Fade In:
EXT: City Alleyway - Night
Dark, blurred image focuses on a shirtless sweaty ELI, 19 years old, bouncing in fighting position; his intense stare piercing his opponent just off camera.
Title appears: “Inspired by a true Story”
Eli engages in crushing hand-to-hand combat with his opponent, while a dozen other shirtless young men cheer and taunt in a circle around them. Credit.
Eli’s opponent, trying to return blows looks exhausted, moments from defeat. He tries to continue with his last bit of force. Credit.
Eli with a loud yell explodes with a massive final combination of strikes to his opponent, flooring him. Eli rockets his fists up in the air, and yells in victory while other men cheer in rage. Credit.
A much larger opponent stares down an exhausted Eli, and begins to attack. Credit.
A bloodied Eli stumbles to retain his footing under a barrage of attacks, returning few. Credit.
An exhausted, spent, and badly wounded Eli gazes absently at his opponent, trying desperately to retain consciousness. The larger opponent hurls a final crushing blow to Eli’s jaw which soon after smacks onto the pavement, out cold. Ghostly feet leave him behind.
Opening title appears: THE GOOD FIGHT
Fade In:
EXT: City Alleyway – Next Afternoon
Eli wakes up, and groans his way to his feet.
He hobbles down the alley and notices an add paper on the ground for Sun State Martial Arts. He reads it, looks around, grimaces, takes a deep breath, and presses forward.
INT: Sun State Martial Arts – Afternoon
Fingers hit keys of a computer, revealing a lovely young receptionist SARAH in martial arts uniform. Eli enters the school.
SARAH (bubbly)
HI! Can I help…
She notices his bloodied face, pauses but continues.
SARAH
Good lord, what happened to you?
ELI
Oh, nothing, I was just… havi’n some fun with my friends.
SARAH
Oh, my, can I get you some…
ELI
(Wiping blood off his face)
Oh, no, I appreciate it, I’ll be alright… Um, actually, I wanted to know if I can learn how to fight here.
SARAH
Well, we do teach self-defense, and Mr. Sam Harding is the best I’ve ever seen…We have an introductory offer, 2 weeks and a free uniform for $29.95…
ELI
(pauses) That sounds fine.
SARAH
Great! Let me get you your uniform, and you’re welcome to watch this class until yours begins next. …And I’ll need your name and address.
ELI
Eli Septon. No address.
Sarah seems surprised, but types it into the system.
Eli sits and watches the smiling students interact with Mr. Harding, the speed of the fights, the focus of the drills. Sarah walks up and hands him the uniform. He washes off blood in the bathroom, and dons his uniform. Eli walks out just in time for class, pulling on his white belt.
SAM
Class, line up!
CLASS
YES SIR!
Class lines up swiftly, Eli is unsure of where to go.
SAM (checks card)
Ah, and we have a new student today… Eli, is it?
ELI
…Yes, …sir.
SAM
Good, go ahead, and take this spot down here. …Ope, you almost have that belt right, it’s like this…
Sam fixes the belt knot, and looks at Eli.
SAM
You’ve got to loop it around… Common mistake, you’ll get it soon enough.
ELI
I really don’t care about the belt. I just wanna learn how to fight.
SAM
Hmm. Well, I’ll teach you all that you are willing to learn.
Sam turns to the senior student in class.
SAM
Go ahead and bow us in.
The senior student bows in and class begins. We see warm up drills, punches, kicks up and down the floor, Eli is fast, but sloppy. Sam seems intrigued.
SAM
Alright everybody, grab the bar!
Class groans, Eli whispers to ranking student, CHRIS:
ELI
What?
CHRIS (smiles)
Oh, you’ll find out.
SAM
Sidekicks on count. One, up. Two, kick. Three, back. Four, down.
Sam continues adjusting exhausted students down the line, until he reaches Eli where he notices an anarchist flag tattoo on his ankle. Sam pauses a moment and looks at Eli struggling. Sam looks down the line and notices the other students dropping their legs in laziness.
SAM
AHEM!
The students in sync whip their legs back into position, groaning that they were caught. Sam smiles and returns to look at Eli, who has by now noticed the connection, and glares directly back at Sam.
SAM
Three, Back! …and four, down.
STUDENTS (relaxing)
Ahh…
SAM
Alright, give yourself a hand and line up!
The students do so, bow out, and begin to leave. Sam waves goodbye to students as they leave one by one.
SAM
Goodnight Sarah!
SARAH
Goodnight Mr. Harding!
Sam smiles and looks down checking students’ class cards. He notices Eli did not have an address. He walks over to the men’s changing room to find Eli.
SAM
Hey, Eli. I noticed you didn’t have an address on your card, are you new in town?
ELI
Not really…
Sam seems puzzled. Through the half open door, he sees Eli’s swastika tattoo and stops short.
SAM
Hmm. What is it you do for work?
ELI
I used to do a little construction. Not much now… There’s not a whole lot to do in this town.
SAM (concerned)
That’s the truth…Where you from?
ELI
Detroit. Probably gonna move back there, actually.
SAM
Give it a little more time, there’s a lot more here for you than you know. Hey, Eli? What are you doin tonight?
ELI
Nothin.
SAM
Where do you live?
ELI
Ah, I got some friends that I hang out with sometimes.
SAM
Hmmm. My wife and I have an extra room. You’re welcome to stay at our house.
ELI
Oh. Um… Well…
SAM
Come on. My wife can COOK.
Eli thinks to himself and looks over at Sam.
EXT: Harding House – night
Car pulls to a stop and both get out.
SAM
Welcome home!
SAM
Where is my lovely bride? …Karen?
KAREN
Hey honey. Your package arrived tod-…oh, my!
SAM
Karen, this is one of our new students and tonight’s guest, Eli.
KAREN
Oh! Hello Eli.
ELI
Hi.
SAM
Eli, you’re welcome to the bedroom down the hall on the left.
ELI
Thanks…
Eli walks off to the bedroom with his small pack.
KAREN (mouths)
*Bedroom*?
SAM
Yeah. He’s stayin’ with us for a while.
KAREN
What? Why?
SAM
He needs help, and I think we can help him.
KAREN
What makes you think that?
SAM
Because he needs what I needed at his age.
They search each other’s eyes. Sam puts his arms around his wife.
SAM (whispers)
He’s lost, but there’s something in that boy that wants to be found. I’m just gonna need your help to find him.
KAREN (exhales)
…Ok baby…
Eli unpacks his things and puts food stamps on top of a Bible on the desk. He looks over and notices the book.
KAREN (OS cont.)
…Lets find him.
INT: Sun State Martial Arts – Afternoon
Eli performs his form correctly, earning belt stripe.
ELI
This isn’t fighting, sir.
SAM
Forms teach the first step, control.
Eli smirks.
INT: Harding Dining Room – night
Sam and Karen bow in prayer before the meal. Eli doesn’t.
INT: Sun State Martial Arts – Afternoon
From the bleachers, Eli and Chris look longingly over at the Black Belts, fighting hard.
CHRIS
They’re pretty good, huh?
Eli looks over at Sarah at the desk. She smiles, looks over at the black belts, and nods back at him. Eli turns his head away in envy.
INT: Eli’s bedroom – night
Eli looks over at the Bible on his desk and smirks before turning off the light.
INT: Sun State Martial Arts – Afternoon
SAM
Guarding stance! Free Spar, keep your hands up, focus, show me clean technique. Light contact. Hiah!
Students in full gear begin sparring. Eli shows fast technique, but sloppy focus. CHRIS his opponent keeps hitting him with ease. Eli gets angry and begins a barrage of uncontrolled punches. Landing one on CHRIS’ jaw hard. Chris hits the ground.
SAM
ELI! What happened? Butterfly, soft contact!
ELI
I’m just fighting!
SAM
Help Chris up then have a seat.
ELI
But sir!
SAM
Pushups while you wait.
Eli begins his pushups on the side of the wall.
SAM
Are you alright?
CHRIS
Yes sir. I’m fine.
SAM
You’re weren’t fighting, you’re brawling. If you want to hit hard, stay for the next class.
SAM
Black belt class, line up!
Sam is paired up with a high-ranking black belt.
SAM
Face your partner, Cha-riot, Kung ne. Black belts, control your power, fullspeed. BEGIN!
Black belt bows with courtesy. The following fight is pure energy. Blows are exchanged equal in raw power, but Eli is clearly out matched in technique.
SAM
Stop. Cha-riot Kung ne, thank your partner.
Eli begins removing his fighting gear, holding his side, panting from pain and exhaustion. The others leave.
SAM
What do you think you’re doing?
ELI
I’m done. This isn’t me. This isn’t what I want.
SAM
Then what DO you want?
ELI
One week ago, you told me there was a reason to stay here. You said you’d show me the reason to go on. Now LOOK at me! I’m broken because I’ve stayed.
SAM
No. You’re broken because you aren’t whole.
ELI
What’s that supposed to mean?
SAM
One week ago, you were a dead man on the street. You could fight, sure, just like any other brawler. But what you have here is- …is a chance to have more. You can be more.
ELI
What more is there? We live, we die. That’s it. Life is nothing but a fight in-between.
SAM
That’s just it! Life is a fight, but your fight is nothing without something to fight for!
ELI (screaming)
I’m on food stamps! My mom’s a crackhead! WHAT DO I HAVE TO FIGHT FOR!?! What’s left?
SAM
Stay. And I’ll show you.
Eli walks to the door, puts both arms on the sill, ready to explode. A thousand images flash through his mind. Sarah’s warm smile, the tattoo on his leg, Chris grinning, the screams of the gang, Eli reading the bible.
In tears he slowly turns, looks back at Sam, and cracks a painful smile. He enters the school.
Fade to white. Onscreen text.
If I see you for what you are, that is all you will ever be.
But if I see you for what you can become, I will help you become that.
THE END
-
CREDITS
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