The Cell A screenplay
By Joe Castle
Based on:
The Punisher: The Cell By Garth Ennis & Lewis LaRosa Over the MARVEL STUDIOS logo and others, we can hear a female newsreader’s voiceover. NEWSREADER (V.O) ...and in other news, 14 people were slain in a massive and brutal gun battle outside a brothel in Hoboken earlier this evening.
FADE IN:
INT. MICKY’S APARTMENT -- EVENING
9-year old JUNIOR is sat crossed-legged in front of an old TV watching the local evening news. NEWSREADER While still unconfirmed at this time, eyewitnesses claim to have seen Frank Castle, also known as The Punisher, exchanging gunfire with several armed assailants. We go now to Peter Willis who is at the scene. Please be aware, the images you are about to see are disturbing and not suitable for younger viewers. Peter? The TV is switched off. The boy turns behind him.
JUNIOR Dad! We find MICKY holding the remote, stood over by the kitchen counter.
MICKY It’s after 9. JUNIOR But Mom said--
MICKY Oh Mom said did she? Mom said... (Over his shoulder) MOM!? ELEANOR is tidying the kitchen.
ELEANOR YEEESS!?
(CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 2.
MICKY Did you say Junior could stay up late tonight?
Eleanor comes to the door. ELEANOR Hmm. I don’t seem to remember having that conversation.
Micky looks back at Junior. MICKY Mom don’t seem remember to having that conversation.
Junior smiles innocently. MICKY Busted. Can’t pull the wool in this house, boy. Bed.
Junior lets out a sigh as he trudges to his room. MICKY Good man, you brush your teeth?
JUNIOR Yeah. MICKY Okay. I’ll be in in a minute.
We hear Junior’s bedroom door close as Eleanor walks over to Micky. He takes her in his arms and kisses her. ELEANOR You got something going on tonight?
MICKY Why? ELEANOR Because you’re putting Junior to bed without me hassling you. It must be a work night. MICKY (Inscrutable) If you say so.
ELEANOR Babe, come on. (Micky smiles) I love you, but really--
(CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 3.
MICKY (Chuckling) All right, all right, you’re right.
ELEANOR Thank you. They both chuckle. ELEANOR You gonna be very late? MICKY Maybe.
ELEANOR Should I worry? MICKY Never.
ELEANOR Micky. MICKY It’s just a delivery. Me and a guy are drivin’ a truck to Amityville, that’s it. Eleanor reaches down. ELEANOR That’s it? You promise?
Eleanor gropes Micky. MICKY Absolutely baby.
ELEANOR (Squeezing) You promise? MICKY I promise!
ELEANOR (Smiles) Okay. Go say goodnight to your son.
They start to kiss again. MICKY (Kissing Eleanor) Can’t I say goodnight to you first?
(CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 4.
ELEANOR (Pushing him away) Go! Micky exits.
CUT TO:
INT. MICKY’S APARTMENT -- JUNIOR’S BEDROOM -- CONTINUOUS
Micky enters Junior’s BEDROOM. It is a typical boy’s room: posters and action figures and a baseball bat in the corner. An all-American kid. His window has a fire escape and a view of the alley. Junior is sat up in bed reading a book when Micky comes in.
MICKY You reading ahead again, boy? JUNIOR Only a little.
Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Micky takes the book from Junior. MICKY Anything good happen?
JUNIOR Not really. MICKY (Flipping pages) Let’s see now, where were we... JUNIOR Dad? MICKY (Flipping pages) Junior? JUNIOR What’s the Punisher?
Micky looks up from the book. MICKY Why do you ask?
JUNIOR Devon at school, he said you were a bad guy. Said his dad told him so and said that the Punisher was gonna get you. I told him he was a wrong, that you’re good and he was a stinkface.
(CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 5.
Micky laughs and Junior follows suit. It soon dies down. MICKY Well, the Punisher, he’s -- he’s a boogieman, y’know? Huge. With fur and fangs. He only comes out at night and you only see him if you’ve done something terrible; a Worst Thing, like we talked about. Remember?
JUNIOR Mhm. MICKY He gets the bad guys and he keeps the good guys like you safe. JUNIOR And you? MICKY (A pause) Yeah. Me too. JUNIOR Okay.
MICKY He also don’t like it when boys don’t get their rest. Go to sleep.
JUNIOR What about the story? MICKY Boy you read ahead, you don’t need me no more.
Junior makes a face. Micky follows suit. Junior laughs. MICKY Good night Junior.
Micky kisses Junior on the forehead before turning out the light and leaving. CUT TO:
EXT. MICKY’S APARTMENT BLOCK -- CONTINUOUS A car is waiting for Micky in the alleyway. Micky exits his apartment block, walking to the driver’s side and to the man behind the wheel: VERNE, 50’s, rangy and gristly.
(CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 6.
VERNE I’m Verne. You strapped? Micky lifts his jacket, revealing a .38 Smith and Wesson.
VERNE Get in. Micky gets in the car.
MICKY I’m Micky. VERNE Hi Micky.
They drive off.
INT. VERNE’S CAR -- HIGHWAY -- NIGHT Talk radio and traffic noise are the only sounds in the car. Verne is silent. Micky is smoking. With his final drag, Micky decides to break the ice as he flicks the butt out the window. MICKY So, you bin workin’ for ’em long? VERNE Couldn’t say. Not like they gimme a time card or somethin’.
MICKY Yeah. You know what we’re pickin’ up? VERNE A truck.
MICKY Yeah, but what’s it carryin’? VERNE Goods.
MICKY Goods. What kinda goods? VERNE They didn’t tell you?
MICKY They didn’t tell me.
(CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 7.
VERNE Then neither am I. MICKY Why not? VERNE They don’t trust you. Don’t see why I should.
MICKY Cuz I’m the guy they got to watch your back. VERNE No, you’re the guy who takes the fall if this thing goes south. Micky is dumbstruck. The car drives out of shot.
EXT. THE LOCK-UP -- LATER
Verne switches off the headlights as he turns the corner, pulling up at the mouth of an alley. At the far end is a U-Haul being filled with crates by two THUGS. Verne gets out and walks towards them, Micky following close behind. Verne seems carefree, walking with his hands in the pockets of his long trench coat. MICKY (Lowered voice) Verne! Verne, what the fuck?
VERNE That’s the truck. We’ve just gotta get it and go. MICKY (Whisper) But who the fuck are they? VERNE Those two?
The thugs look up as Verne and Micky approach. MICKY (Whisper) Yes!
VERNE Bratva. Russian mob. Grab your piece. The thugs walk round in front of the truck.
(CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 8.
MICKY (Whisper) Fuck me.
Micky takes his pistol and stuffs it into his jacket pocket, holding it there. The four men meet in the middle of the alley. THUG #1 (In Russian) What the fuck is this? THUG #2 (In Russian) Stay calm. (In English) You two lost? VERNE (Beat) Uhm, no, no this looks like the right place.
THUG #2 What do you want?. Thumbing his belt loops, Thug #2 draws Verne’s eye to the Glock in his waistband. His comrade does the same: arms folded, right hand resting on the Desert Eagle holstered under his arm. VERNE Your truck.
The thugs draw on Verne and Micky -- but not fast enough. Verne raises his right arm (hand still in the coat pocket), the barrel of a pump-action shotgun jutting out of his trench coat, which he is holding through a hole in the pocket. Thug #2 is decapitated by the first shot, while Thug #1 pulls his pistol, but not before Verne shoots him too. MICKY Jesus fuck!
VERNE I know, right? Learned that trick in ’Nam. Hold this. Throwing Micky the shotgun, Verne starts searching the bodies.
MICKY What’re you doing? We need to get the fuck outta here!
(CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 9.
VERNE We still gotta load the truck. Verne finds a wallet and takes the cash.
MICKY This place is gonna be a cop shop any second now! VERNE I doubt it. The ruskies will have bought up the whole block. Finished with Thug #2, Verne moves on to Thug #1. MICKY Oh! Okay! Then we’re all fine and fuckin’ dandy, aren’t we? Except these guys probably have friends who are waitin’ for ’em. VERNE I think they’ll be waitin’ a while. (To himself) Jackpot!
Verne finds cash and a pill bottle, which he shakes and then pockets. MICKY Ha fucking ha -- look, I don’t know what you’re into, but this is too much heat for me -- I’m out. Fuck this job. Micky drops the shotgun. VERNE You’re not goin’ anywhere. MICKY (Flipping the bird) Eat a dick, you crazy fuck!
Micky turns to leave, but Verne catches him, hitting him across back of the knees with the shotgun, before knocking him squarely between the shoulder blades with the gun’s butt. VERNE Fuck you Micky. I tell you to grab your piece you fuckin’ use it, get me? Verne goes back to Thug #2.
(CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 10.
VERNE You’re just lucky these guys were showboaters -- if they’d been the real thing, we’d be a box in the Metro section right now.
Taking a wrist and an ankle, Verne looks steadily at Micky, who’s still on the floor. VERNE Grab the other end.
Micky slowly finds his feet, stumbling towards and picking up Thug #2. They heave him over to a dumpster. VERNE You got kids? MICKY You wanna make small talk now? VERNE No, just a point. MICKY (Sighs) One. Boy.
VERNE You jumped-up, wannabe wiseguys, you’ve always got kids. They drop the body into the dumpster.
VERNE S’what makes you so scared. MICKY You sayin’ you don’t get scared?
Hoisting up Thug #1 by his underarms, Verne lifts up the corpse, Micky taking the ankles. VERNE Course I get scared. But only for myself. How do you think I’ve lived so long? Micky rolls his eyes. VERNE I’m just sayin’, in this line of work, if you got your head somewhere else? Likely as not, you’re gonna end up losin’ it. They throw the second body into the dumpster. Verne turns and walks towards the truck.
(CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 11.
MICKY I doubt the Punisher cares what your state o’ mind is.
VERNE Ha! The Punisher. Say what you want about that twisted son of a bitch, but he’s done guys like us a lot of favours over the years.
They come to the back of the truck: half full of crates with a crowbar on the loading ramp. MICKY Oh yeah? Name one.
VERNE You’re looking at it. Verne takes the crowbar and cracks open a crate to reveal a dozen M4 Carbines stacked up in rows.
MICKY Jesus. VERNE Get loading.
CUT TO: Verne and Micky are loading the van. MICKY So, how’d the Punisher get us this score? VERNE He hit the Russians tonight.
MICKY He did? VERNE It was on the news.
MICKY I didn’t see it. VERNE You don’t watch the news?
MICKY Nope. VERNE How can you not watch the news?
(CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 12.
MICKY Very easily. You were sayin’? VERNE (Beat) The Bratva have been gettin’ greedy. They got the cheapest ass in the trade poundin’ pavement from here to Boston. The hub of their operation was in Hoboken, until the Punisher paid um’ a visit earlier tonight. They load the last crate. VERNE We knew he’d hit ’em sooner or later. And when he did they’d go to ground. Pull all their little pockets of hardware together, including this cache of military-grade assault rifles.
MICKY And we couldn’t rip it off before he hit ’em... VERNE ...because then they’d know they were ripped off. Had to wait till Bernie Goetz put ’em on the back foot. MICKY Right. What’d the Russians even need all this gear for? VERNE Wartime. Like back in 91’ after the Curtain fell. That was a crazy year. You remember 91’? MICKY Yeah, I lost six teeth falling off a jungle gym.
Verne looks confused. MICKY I was eight.
They both chuckle as Verne closes the shutter. MICKY So how’d you find out about the guns?
They walk towards the U-Haul cab.
(CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 13.
VERNE One of the comrades we just met? He was in Rikers till three months ago. Had a girlfriend inside he liked talkin’ big to. He-she was hookin’ over in Chelsea two weeks later, sold us the tip for a new cunt. MICKY Wow. VERNE Her name’s Adele now. She’s a stripper in Portland. Funny how things work out ain’t it?
MICKY and VERNE climb inside the truck. VERNE What’re you doing?
MICKY What? I thought we were-- VERNE No. You’re following behind in my car. You think I’m leaving it in this neighbourhood? VERNE gives MICKY his keys. VERNE Don’t fuckin’ scratch it. MICKY mock salutes. He reaches for the door handle and stops. MICKY Hold on. How did the Punisher know about Hoboken? VERNE What?
MICKY How did the Punisher know about the brothel in Hoboken? VERNE I dunno. He’s the Punisher.
MICKY Exactly! What if knows what we know? What’s to stop him fuckin’ creepin’ on us right now?!
(CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 14.
VERNE No way -- he’s had his fun for the night. He’s probably at home right now -- feet up, pants round his ankles, a fleshlite and CNN’s coverage of his latest bloodbath, just NYAAAAAAH! Verne mime-fucks an imaginary fleshlite, which makes Micky crease up. Verne joins him, belly-laughing for several seconds.
They are just getting their breath back when Micky sees a slight gleam of lens flare -- Verne can only take a short breath before the windshield explodes -- and his head along with it.
MICKY Fuck! Micky is covered in blood.
Opening the cab door he falls back into the alley under a hail of sniper fire. Bullets zing the air, sending puffs of asphalt skyward as Micky scrambles up and runs for Verne’s car.
One shot finds his calf as Micky gets to the car and floors it. We see Micky speed away from the shooter’s rooftop perch, revealed from behind the scope as FRANK CASTLE/THE PUNISHER.
Jumping down on top of the U-Haul, The Punisher pulls Verne’s corpse out of the driver’s seat and takes the truck in pursuit of Micky. CUT TO:
EXT. MICKY’S APARTMENT BLOCK -- 10 MINUTES LATER Micky drives into the alley behind his apartment block, hitting a trashcan as he pulls up.
CUT TO:
INT. MICKY’S APARTMENT -- JUNIOR’S BEDROOM -- CONTINUOUS
The sound of the trashcan wakes up Junior, who goes to his window to investigate. He sees Micky fall out of the car, bloodied and pained.
Junior opens his window.
(CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 15.
CUT TO:
EXT. MICKY’S APARTMENT BLOCK -- CONTINUOUS
Micky picks himself up and starts to hobble towards his apartment. He is ripping off his jacket and wiping the blood from his face and hands when he hears a pistol slide pull back.
He turns to see the white skull emblem of The Punisher approaching him -- a chrome .45 in hand. Micky falls back in fear.
THE PUNISHER Adele talked to me too. I knew hitting the Russians would bring out you maggots. MICKY (Terrified) I’m just a package boy. A jumped-up wannabe. THE PUNISHER And if you’d delivered the guns you’d be a made man. Tough luck. MICKY I’ve got a kid.
THE PUNISHER You’ve all got kids. The Punisher brings the .45 to bear on Micky’s forehead when Junior appears between them.
JUNIOR NO! LEAVE MY DAD ALONE! MICKY JUNIOR!
Micky grabs Junior, trying to put his body between his son and the vigilante, who has lowered his weapon slightly. MICKY Junior, what you’re you doing here?!
JUNIOR You won’t hurt my dad, Punisher-man! My dad’s a good guy! (To Micky) (MORE) (CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 16.
JUNIOR (cont’d) You tell him! Silence.
THE PUNISHER Cover his ears. Micky does nothing.
THE PUNISHER Do it. Micky covers his son’s ears. THE PUNISHER (Beat) You are going to die. You know that. The only choice you have left is whether your son has to watch.
Watching The Punisher affix a suppressor to his pistol, Micky turns Junior to face him. MICKY Junior -- please just go back inside, okay? I need you to go back inside and find your mother. I’ll be right behind you. JUNIOR NO! He can’t hurt you if I’m here. Go away Punisher-man! Junior looks The Punisher dead in the eye as the vigilante reaches behind his back, for a taser. MICKY Do as I say and go back inside! Now! JUNIOR No! I--
Taser prongs pierce Junior’s shoulder, jolting him into convulsions as the buzz of static fills the alley. He falls unconscious into Micky’s arms, who looks at his son, turns and lunges for The Punisher.
MICKY You motherfuc-- A single gunshot.
(CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 17.
Micky is stopped dead, face-to-face with The Punisher, gut-shot -- it takes a moment for him to drop and the shock to set in anew.
Micky’s breaths are ragged and shaken as he looks up at his killer. MICKY (Weakly) Thanks for not letting him see.
The Punisher kills Micky. Pistol holstered, The Punisher yanks the electrodes from Junior’s shoulder, looking up at the apartment block and spotting the open window.
CUT TO:
INT. MICKY’S APARTMENT -- JUNIOR’S BEDROOM -- CONTINUOUS
Junior is back in bed and The Punisher is stood by his window-- he gives one final glance before leaving, not hearing Eleanor’s footsteps outside the door. Eleanor announces herself with a sharp breath as she spots the large silhouette turning to face her, the white death’s head embossing the shadowy figure stood at the bottom of her son’s bed. THE PUNISHER Shhh. I won’t hurt you.
Eleanor is silent. THE PUNISHER You know who I am?
Eleanor nods, tearing up. The Punisher spots the wedding ring. THE PUNISHER I killed your husband tonight. Your son tried to stop it.
A single tear falls across Eleanor’s face. The Punisher looks down at Junior, almost sorrowful. THE PUNISHER He never should have met me.
The sorrow is momentary as The Punisher snaps back to Eleanor with a hard and dark stare.
(CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 18.
THE PUNISHER Make sure he never meets me again.
The Punisher exits. Eleanor breaks down. CUT TO:
EXT. THE NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE -- LATER
The Punisher is driving the U-Haul to one of his safehouses. He is trembling slightly and clenching the wheel like a vice.
A pager tone sounds, waking him from his daze. He takes it out and checks it. CUT TO:
EXT. VINCE LOMBARDI REST STOP -- 5 MINUTES LATER The phone booths are derelict and mostly broken/ The Punisher/Frank enters the only one still working and dials. DETECTIVE MARTIN SOAP answers. SOAP (V.O) Punisher Task Force.
FRANK (Quiet) Soap? SOAP (V.O) Frank? You okay? You sound a little-- FRANK I’m fine. What do you want?
SOAP (V.O) It’s Drago. He lost the appeal six-four. He’s going to the island.
FRANK Call it in. I’m at the Lombardi truck-stop in Ridgefield. Send paramedics too.
(CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 19.
Frank hangs up, pulls his .45 and shoots himself in the shoulder. CUT TO:
OPENING CREDITS: THE CELL.