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The Meanest Man in Texas Final Draft The Meanest Man in Texas Based on A true story Screenplay written by Justin Ward & Don Umphrey Based on his book of the same title. Copyright 2013 by Don Umphrey Registered with WGAw 1630076 Producers: Brad Wilson Casey Bond HIGHER PURPOSE ENTERTAINMENT In Asocciation with OHANA FILMS, INC. 3940 Laurel Canyon Blvd. Suite 275 Studio City, CA 91604 FADE IN: EXT. WOODS - DAY Massive Bald Cypress and Bur Oak trees reach towards the sky for light. A clear water creek feeds their roots. --SUDDENLY, WE HEAR TWIGS SNAPPING, LIKE FIRE-CRACKERS! CREDITS ROLL Now we are on the move-- --Those same trees whip past us at a dizzying pace-- and from the back WE SEE-- A YOUNG BOY, (10) dashing through the forest, dodging branches, leaping over shrubs and dead, fallen tree limbs. His heart racing. His BREATH labored. He’s sweating. His face still obscured. We keep wondering... Who is this kid? What’s he running from? Then-- --Suddenly, the boy breaks out of the forest. There are rolling hills and farm land as far as the eye can see. He stops and looks down at his bloody knuckles. Through his long, wild, auburn hair, we now see the abrasions on his face-- and one eye nearly swollen shut. Wincing in pain, the boy grins from ear to ear, beaming with pride. He runs off-- TITLE: THE MEANEST MAN IN TEXAS EXT. CISCO, TEXAS - DAY Spectacular view of a small cluster of trees, and sweeping fields, just outside Cisco, Texas. FINAL DRAFT 2. EXT. THOMPSON HOUSE - DAY Clothes hang on a line to dry. Swaying in the breeze. EXT. THOMPSON HOUSE - DAY EXT. THOMPSON HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY Clyde, the boy from the woods, now 17, enters. WILLIAM REES THOMPSON (50), Clyde’s father, a bible salesman and minister turned farmer, sits reading The Cisco Telegram. Clyde crosses to the table to a self-made bird cage, built out of scrap wood. TITLE: BASED ON A TRUE STORY He carefully places some water in a tiny dish for a wounded bird inside. CREDITS END Clyde starts to leave-- REES (looking up) Where you goin’, son? CLYDE Huntin’ raccoons with the Welsey boys. REES (teasing) You sure you’re not really going over there to see their sister, Ruthie? CLYDE I might see her. Clyde smiles innocently, and heads for the door. REES Clyde, no fightin’. I mean it. Clyde nods and exits. His father smiles. FINAL DRAFT 3. EXT. THOMPSON HOUSE - DAY Clyde steps out onto the front porch, grinning ear to ear, then rushes off. SUPER: CISCO, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 7, 1928 EXT. WELSEY HOUSE - FRONT PORCH - DAY Clyde and RUTHIE WELSEY (14), back-country girl beauty, sit together cleaning green beans, innocently, LAUGHING and flirting, making eyes at each other. CLYDE Hey. RUTHIE Hi. CLYDE Can I help you with these? RUTHIE Sure. REUBEN WELSEY (18), with a shotgun, and MARK WELSEY (13), with a lantern, interrupt them. REUBEN Hey, lover-boy, you gonna cook green beans or go huntin’ with us? Clyde looks at Ruthie exchange secret look-- then Clyde nods. REUBEN (CONT’D) Then let’s go! MARK Come on! The brothers knock over the bucket of green beans and exit. Clyde looks at Ruthie with regret. He helps her clean them up, then follows them. She watches him go. EXT. WOODS - LATER Reuben, Mark and Clyde enter the woods. Reuben reaches into his belt and pulls out a .45 revolver. Surprised, Clyde takes it and looks at it with curiosity. FINAL DRAFT 4. REUBEN Can you hit the broad side of a barn? CLYDE I can shoot out the eye of a coyote at a hundred yards. Clyde tucks the revolver into the front of his belt. REUBEN Just make sure you don’t shoot off what you’re aiming at right now. Mark and Reuben LAUGH. Clyde doesn’t get the joke. CLYDE I won’t. Reuben stops. REUBEN Let’s head over to Web O’Dell’s place... You know, he’s been spreadin’ rumors about Ruthie? CLYDE What d’ya mean? REUBEN Daddy heard him say, she’ll hunt with any dog that comes sniffin’. CLYDE You mean? That ain’t right. Reuben shakes his head affirmatively. Clyde bristles. MARK Yeah, daddy’s real mad about it. REUBEN You got my back on this? CLYDE I’ll make sure ya get a fair fight. REUBEN Just shoot ‘im, just to see if he kicks. You know, like a dyin’ animal. Clyde CHUCKLES, as if hearing a joke, but Reuben isn’t laughing. FINAL DRAFT 5. EXT. CABIN IN THE WOODS - NIGHT Reuben KNOCKS on the door. Clyde and Mark stand back within ear shot. The door opens to reveal WEB O'Dell (28). REUBEN Our dogs got a bobcat holed up. Could you help us dig ‘im out? WEB Yeah, sure... JAKE! JAKE O’DELL (20) appears. Reuben studies him. WEB (CONT’D) This is my brother, Jake, visiting from college. He can help. Mark shoots Reuben a concerned look. Reuben is not happy. EXT. WOODS - CREEK BED - NIGHT Reuben leads, then Mark with his lantern, Web with a pickax and lantern, Jake with a shovel, and followed by Clyde. WEB I don’t hear your dogs barking? JAKE Nah... REUBEN They must be restin’. The group continues walking, as Reuben drops back. REUBEN (CONT’D) (whispering to Clyde) Shoot ‘em! CLYDE What? REUBEN (louder whisper) I said shoot ‘im. He insulted your girl, didn’t he? CLYDE I didn’t hear him. Web, Jake and Mark stop walking and turn around. FINAL DRAFT 6. WEB What’s going on? REUBEN Bastard. You insulted my sister. WEB I don’t even know your sister. REUBEN Get ‘im, Clyde. Reuben shoves Clyde toward Web, who swings the lantern at Clyde’s head. Clyde ducks. Reuben attempts to hit Jake in the face with the shotgun barrel. Jake rebuffs the attack with his shovel. Mark, with lantern, moves away from the action, as Web swings again at Clyde. Clyde steps back, trips, and falls down. Web steps toward Clyde, his pickax raised like a weapon-- --Clyde pulls the .45 from his belt and aims it at Web-- SMASH CUT TO BLACK: WE HEAR THE BLAST OF A GUNSHOT OVER BLACK EXT. THOMPSON HOUSE - DAY Clyde stands at the front window. INT. THOMPSON HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY Rees enters, newspaper in hand, and spots Clyde. REES You alright, Clyde? Clyde nods. Rees sits in his chair and opens the newspaper. REES (CONT’D) Did you see this, Clyde? “Two Local Men found Dead at Grisly Murder Scene. The Killer’s still on the loose.” (Clyde in horror, shakes his head no) (MORE) FINAL DRAFT 7. REES (CONT’D) They found two boys out in the woods. Murdered. Been dead three or four days. Jake and Web O’Dell. (beat) You know them? (Clyde shakes his head no) The older brother lived in a cabin out near the oil wells. He was helping the younger boy go through college. Poor boys. CLYDE What’s gonna happen to whoever did this? REES They’ll be punished to the full extent of the law, son. As they should be... Clyde considers this-- EXT. WOODS - CREEK BED - NIGHT Web’s pickax flies at Clyde’s face-- It hits the ground. Web strikes again. This time Clyde pulls the trigger. Web staggers backward, as Jake rushes Clyde, out for blood-- --Clyde aims at Jake. BANG! Misses. Web, bloodied, charges with his pick ax, aiming to kill Clyde-- REUBEN Kill ‘im, Clyde! Kill ‘im. Clyde FIRES TWICE at Web, who MOANS and falls to the ground. Jake escapes into the woods. Reuben takes the his lantern, and runs after Jake. Mark follows. SFX: A GUN SHOT! Clyde, now in shock, hesitates, then runs after them. EXT. WOODS - NIGHT Clyde approach the MUFFLED SOUNDS OF A STRUGGLE... ALL WE SEE is Web's lantern on the ground. FINAL DRAFT 8. BUT WE HEAR MEN STRUGGLING... IT’S GROWING LOUDER-- --Reuben on Jake, beats his face with his shotgun. Jake tries to fend off the blows with decreasing success. Reuben stops. Jake doesn’t move. Then SILENCE... Reuben stands up and catches his breath. He looks at Clyde and Mark, then runs towards the direction where they left Web. REUBEN Come on! Let’s go! EXT. WOODS - CREEK BED - NIGHT Reuben carries Web's lantern and the bloodied pistol. As they approach, Web is on the ground, GROANING. Reuben hands Mark the pistol. REUBEN Beat the bastard’s head in. Mark obediently takes the pistol and bashes in Web’s face. Mark stops, out of breath, and looks to his big brother, who nods his head in approval. Reuben then turns to Clyde. REUBEN (CONT’D) Now we’ve all had a part in this. We can’t tell on each other without all getting in trouble... We’re all in this together... Right, Clyde? Clyde. Clyde... SFX: REUBEN’S VOICE TURNS INTO THE VOICE OF REES-- INT. THOMPSON HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY REES --Clyde. Clyde... Wake up. Clyde tosses in his sleep, as Rees shakes his shoulder. CLYDE No. No. FINAL DRAFT 9. REES Clyde... Wake up. Clyde’s eyes open, petrified, then nods yes to his father. REES (CONT’D) There’s two deputies at the front door. They wanna talk to you. CLYDE I did it, daddy... REES Did what? What are you talking about. ANGLE ON: Clyde, sweat dripping down his face-- INT. SHERIFF’S OFFICE - DAY Fingers STRIKE the keys of a typewriter. INT. SHERIFF’S INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY SHERIFF KILBORN (47) enters with BILL MCDONALD, the clerk (39).
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