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The primary purpose of the SimplyScripts Discussion Board is the discussion of unproduced screenplays. If you are a producer or director lookng for your next project, the works here are available for option, purchase or production only if you receive permission from the author.
NOTE: these screenplays are NOT in the public domain and MAY NOT be used or reproduced for any purpose (including eductional purposes) without the expressedwrittenpermission of the author.
Happiness is a Warm Gun, God Put a Smile On Your Face by Daniel de Boulay - Thriller - In this reinterpretation of Greek mythology, Danny Bailey, a veteran from the war in Afghanistan, reluctantly agrees to become a contracted killer in a bid to save her dying son. 97 pages - pdf, format
Very interesting, this is an knotty tapestry / sparkling mosaic of a screenplay.
some quick notes...
The characters are vivid and credible, Danny is a truly wonderful creation.
The dialogue between Danny and Anthony, especially at the hospital, is surprisingly charming.
The flashback scenes of Danny in Afghanistan were exciting and read smoothly in spite of the complexity of the drama.
Danny in uniform, back home, being thanked by strangers for her service to the country, makes a great contrast to Danny in combat attire, in Afghanistan, wandering away from the frontline but still being a target for attack every step she takes -- I very much like the way that was presented.
Regarding the asides to the reader, for example "... magnified up close. Actually, that's incorrect. To be precise, we're seeing her eye from Anthony's POV..." The asides take the story just a step away from reality, provide a pedestal for the story, appropriate to be among the works of art introduced along the way. Very impressive effort.
The character Dario is, what, a Greek Chorus? I did like his lines about scoring runs in baseball.
Danny's fight scenes with unnamed female opponents are spectacular (Danny pounding on the floor) as opposed to the scenes in Afghanistan with Danny and Malim in which survival is unlikely, moment to moment, and in the ever present shock of vulnerability only a sort of calm honesty presents a lifeline -- these are very engaging, emotionally charged scenes for a reader and certainly would be so for an audience.
I think the ending works very well, filmed, it will be gorgeous.