The Magnificent Seven (1998) s02e08 Episode Script
Chinatown
Excuse me, sir, l was wondering, is this a God-fearing town? Um, this town and the Good Lord are hardly even on speaking terms.
Well, l am relieved.
Name's Big Lester Banks from St.
Louis.
Ezra.
Ezra Standish.
Mr.
Standish, if this is not a God-fearing town.
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and l currently find myself standing in the middle of a drinkery.
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l can only assume that a card game might be had somewhere abouts.
Well, as a matter of fact, l happen to have a fresh deck right here.
[CHUCKLES.]
We share the same taste in good cards.
[PEOPLE CHATTERlNG lNDlSTlNCTLY.]
J.
D.
: Why, good morning, Miss Annie.
-Why, hello, J.
D.
J.
D.
: Nice day.
l'll take this apple, please.
Oh, welcome, welcome.
You two certainly look like you've spent a good length of time.
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working your claim.
Feels like about 1 0 pounds l got here.
How much you paying? Sixteen dollars a fine ounce.
That's the best price you'll get around here.
Hell, Hector, l reckon 1 6 sounds good enough.
Excellent.
You come with me.
[MORRlS WHlSTLES.]
MORRlS: Oh, say, l forgot to mention, truth be told.
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.
We'd like to make a withdrawal.
HECTOR: All right, keep your hands up.
High, up in the air.
Come on, up.
Fill this bag.
Go on, do it.
Go on, do it! -Do it! HECTOR: We don't wanna shoot nobody.
Keep your hands up.
[GUN COCKS.]
Hold it! Hold it! -Hold it! -Oh! [SCREAMlNG .]
[GRUNTlNG .]
[GUNSHOTS AND GRUNTlNG .]
CHRlS: Drop it! -Hey, get down.
-Get off me.
-J.
D.
, are you all right? -You got here just in time.
-Down to my last bullet.
-Help, we need help here.
Annie's been shot.
Help! [PEOPLE CHATTERlNG .]
[PANTlNG .]
You shot me in the butt.
What kind of man goes around shooting like that? You were robbing the bank.
-Get her! -Let's get her over to my place.
You hurt? -No.
-What happened? NATHAN: Easy, easy, easy.
They were robbing the bank, and.
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.
And she got shot.
NATHAN: Put her on the bed.
ANNlE: l feel cold.
Rest easy, miss, you're in good hands now.
NATHAN: Josiah, boil some water.
Hurry up.
lf you all got it, l'll tend the wounded man.
Thanks, Vin.
What else can l do? JOSlAH: You can pray.
EZRA: l heard the report of gunfire emanating from the street.
Everything all right? Everything's fine.
Just go on back to your game.
Can you get us a couple of beers over here? Not for me, Buck.
-Look around.
MAN: That's what l heard.
Everybody in town knows that it was my bullet that hit that woman.
Hey, it was an accident.
Oh, Buck, it happened so fast.
l panicked.
Fanned your gun? One of the first things l taught you.
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l know.
lt could have happened to any one of us.
lt happened to me.
[PANTlNG .]
Josiah, hand me a bottle of whiskey.
Oh, my God, Annie, what have they done to you? l can't feel my legs.
l think l'm dying.
Don't you worry.
Doctor's working on you.
You're gonna be all right, honey.
Won't she? l'll do what l can, sir.
VlN: l've seen this one before.
CHRlS: ln town? On a wanted poster down in Julestown.
My wound's getting dirty.
Come on! CHRlS: Best send them a wire.
Let them know we got him.
This is inhumane.
Downright in-- [HORSES WHlNNYlNG .]
Achilles, it was Hector's idea to rob the bank.
l just went along to keep him company, is all.
You know these men? That man is my twin brother.
He knew better than to do something like this.
You were the hero at Harper's Ferry.
John Brown himself said so.
Look how far you have fallen.
Achilles, the kid behind you.
He's the one that shot Hector.
Shot some woman too.
l didn't mean to shoot her.
l'll see to it he gets a Christian burial.
Can't let you take him until we hear from the sheriff in Julestown.
They might want to see his body.
My brother ain't going to Julestown.
You don't wanna do that, mister.
You show him the proper respect.
MORRlS: Achilles.
-Achilles! -Get down.
MORRlS: You ain't gonna leave me here, Achilles, are you? Wait, wait! Achilles! l'll call you.
Show me what you got.
Well, l must be the chosen one.
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because it would appear that the three wise men.
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-.
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have come to pay me a visit.
MAN: All right.
[MEN CHATTERlNG .]
Well, sir, that there deck of yours must be especially blessed.
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because you see, l, too, have been paid a visit.
[MEN MURMURlNG .]
A deck with six kings? That is something that you don't see everyday.
You, sir, have violated me.
-l beg your pardon? -Cheated.
Oh, you're an accomplished cheat, l'll give you that.
But you're still a.
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Help me out here, Buck.
You are crookeder than a yellow-bellied snake making his way.
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through a prickly pear patch.
-Thank you.
-l take offense to that, Mr.
Standish.
l believe l have come by these kings fairly.
Ha! Perhaps you were the one that had committed fraud.
Gentlemen, you know, the fair thing would be to just play the hand over.
Well, l'm agreeable to that.
But in the immediate future, l require nourishment.
Tomorrow soon enough? Tomorrow would be just fine.
Oh, l'll guard the pot.
l got her.
MORRlS: My rear is killing me.
When do l get to see the doctor? Huh? l'll bleed all over your jail.
l swear.
You might get rid of the stain.
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but you'll never get the smell out.
Blood stinks.
You don't believe me, do you? l believe you, now shut up.
-Hey, fellas.
-How you doing, kid? l'll be better when l know Annie's gonna live.
''Hector Thompson.
Wanted for robbery in three states.
'' Why send two men to rob a bank when you have eight? Maybe Achilles has bigger fish to fry.
Don't look at me.
l don't even like fish.
J.
D.
: So are these guys famous or something? CHRlS: Thompson Brothers rode with John Brown in Kansas during the war.
They were heroes.
l wouldn't call men on a murdering rampage ''heroes.
'' They were slaves in Missouri.
Just youngsters when they fled.
They learned to fight, went back, put an end to slavery.
They killed men, women and children.
You're gonna be guilty of the same thing.
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if you don't get me some food and blankets.
CHRlS: l need fresh air.
MORRlS: l know how l'm supposed to be treated.
And it's not being stuck in some musty old cell like this! -Here, let me give you a hand.
MARY: Oh, thanks.
J.
D.
: Watch your fingers, now.
-Think anyone will enter? VlN: l don't rightly know.
Poetry's.
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.
.
-Well, it's pretty fancy for this town.
-Well, poetry's not just fancy words.
Some of the best poetry is just plain speaking.
Why don't you enter? What makes you think l can write a poem? l don't know.
l just figured you've traveled so much.
You might have a lot to say.
-l reckon l might.
-You should give it a try.
l'll put it in my paper.
l'll study on it a bit.
Mary.
Six kings.
Nobody's that damn proficient.
l would have seen him palm it.
l know every trick in the book.
Hell, l wrote the book.
Talking to yourself, Ezra? Mr.
Tanner.
-l got kind of a favor to ask of you.
-Mm-hm.
Mary's putting some poetry in the paper and.
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That's nice.
l was wondering if.
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.
Well, since you have such nice handwriting and all.
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would you mind, once you sober up.
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writing down my poem for me, all nice and pretty like? -You wrote a poem? -Yeah.
[LAUGHlNG .]
-l knew l was wasting my time with you.
-No, no! Homer, himself, walks among us! JOSlAH: ''Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth.
My flesh also shall rest in hope.
'' ls she.
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.
? Oh, no.
Oh, no.
Oh, God.
CHRlS: Vin, they're back.
[GUNS COCKlNG .]
Help! Help! They're taking the body! They're taking the body! [GUNSHOT.]
Buck, get out of there! CHRlS: Go, Vin.
BUCK: Let's go after them! CHRlS: Buck! l don't like it.
Not at night.
He's dead.
Vin, ride out in the morning and find out which direction they're headed.
ACHlLLES: Anybody following us? MAN 1 : No.
MAN 2: No, it's all clear.
A trick l learned from old John Brown.
Attack at night, never know what in the hell hit them.
My brother should be buried with the American flag.
MAN 1 : Yeah.
[SCREAMlNG .]
J.
D.
, are you all right? No, l'm not all right.
l heard what happened.
Yeah, well, everybody in town's talking about it, ain't they? What are they saying? They said you killed Annie.
ls that true? Yeah, l killed her.
l was just hoping there was some mistake.
EZRA: Don't let these bloodshot eyes fool you.
l'll be watching very closely to ensure that our little contest.
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is on the up and up.
Well, l can assure you that Big Lester Banks.
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has nothing up his sleeve.
And to prove it.
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-Sometimes, people act uncivilized.
BUCK: Well said.
l must concur that l myself have known them, at times.
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to be uncouth.
BUCK: ln case you're counting it.
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both of you boys bought me a couple of beers last night.
Thank you.
What would those animals want with my wife's body? CHRlS: They thought it was someone else.
-Get her back.
She needs a proper burial.
-l understand.
Believe me.
-What're you gonna do about J.
D.
? -What's that mean? He's reckless and a public danger.
l think most of us in this town would feel safer.
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if he weren't walking around with them guns.
-You all feel that way? MAN 1 : Yes, sir.
That's right.
You forget the things J.
D.
's done for you? Oh, we ain't forgetting that.
By God, he's a boy.
-He's not a boy.
-All right, you made your point.
Are you just gonna stand there? You gonna let him run J.
D.
out of town? That shooting was an accident.
That could have happened to any one of us.
But it didn't.
Vin, any luck? Some must've ridden with the cavalry.
They triple-crossed their tracks.
l chased down two dead ends.
Had to come back for a fresh horse.
Well, night comes fast this time of year.
Why don't you wait until morning? -l'll go with you.
-All right.
Vin, l've been looking for J.
D.
l know he's feeling pretty down.
When you see him, would you give my best? You bet.
Oh, and l'm holding the presses until l get that poem of yours.
Well, thank you, Mary, but my scribing's so hard to read.
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it's likely to make your eyes sore trying to make sense of it.
l'll write it down for you.
You'd do that for me? Of course.
Well, then l.
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l reckon l'll think on it some more.
EZRA: l call.
Three queens.
[MEN MURMURlNG .]
Yeah.
Three nines.
[PEOPLE LAUGHlNG .]
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has finally shone her light on me.
Hold the light.
And two jacks.
Oh, ho, ho! That's a full house, Mr.
Standish.
Luck of the draw.
EZRA: No, no, no.
Wait, wait, l saw those jacks.
l saw those jacks.
You were the dealer.
Are you accusing yourself of cheating? l have enjoyed our game immensely, sir.
Good day, sir.
ACHlLLES: You're a hard man to find.
[J.
D.
GRUNTS.]
My friends see you, they're liable to put a bullet in you.
Guns don't bother me.
l already been shot 1 1 times.
l once seen a bullet headed right towards my face took a turn rather than hit me.
-What do you want? -You bring me my brother's body.
Down the trail, a few miles, under that stand of oaks.
You come alone, and you bring him, l'll give you your girl's body.
Okay.
Okay.
ACHlLLES: Any trouble and l'll burn her right there.
MORRlS: Well, hallelujah, you're here.
l thought you were gonna let me starve.
Look at my ribs, l'm wasting away here.
Quit whining.
We got you an extra biscuit.
MORRlS: How considerate.
-Chris.
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-Body's gone.
-The food you serve is so ghastly.
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-.
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l went ahead and ate him.
-What happened to him? lt's gonna cost you one steak and some potatoes.
Why don't we start with this? [GUN COCKS.]
Or how about l cook you up some hot lead? Hi, Miss Annie.
l'm real sorry for all of this.
l wish it had been me, not you.
ACHlLLES: Much too late for that.
She your wife? No.
Well, you seem upset.
Want some coffee? As l was shuffling, l saw those jacks.
They were at the bottom of the deck.
Even though he cut the cards, they'd end up somewhere around the middle.
Oh, the treachery.
l don't know, Ezra, maybe you just ran into a nasty patch of bad luck.
There's no such thing as bad luck.
lt's lack of skill that cost me dearly.
l know what you mean.
lf l had been a better doctor, had more schooling.
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that woman would still be alive now.
You did the best you could, Nathan.
But it wasn't enough, was it? -l ain't hungry.
-Well, first l lost my money.
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and now our collective misery has caused me to lose my appetite.
l'm not gonna let good grub go to waste.
J.
D.
done ran off with the body before dawn.
NATHAN: Come on.
ACHlLLES: First time you killed somebody? J.
D.
: First time l killed a woman.
-And that's different? She was innocent.
Would you mind not sitting on her casket? Don't get so ornery, pup.
All l'm saying is killing is killing.
Man, woman, what's the difference? l mean, think about it, animals kill all the time.
You think old hoot owl thinks twice whether he's got a boy mouse.
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That's different.
You just ain't a killer, that's all.
When l was your age, during the war, l got used to killing.
l killed men, killed women.
Now, l heard you were a war hero.
Guess it depends on which side you were on.
One side said we was heroes.
l reckon the people from Missouri don't believe Achilles Thompson is a hero.
Where'd you get a name like that? My pa.
He loved stories about ancient Greece.
He named me Achilles after the bravest, strongest warrior.
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to ever fight in the Trojan War.
You couldn't hurt him.
You see, his mother had dipped him in this magic river.
Made him invulnerable.
Yeah, l used to think it was just a story and then, come to realize.
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that l'm the same as him.
l can't be killed.
-You like your coffee? -Yeah.
Nice talking to you, pup.
[GUNSHOT.]
MAN 1 : Hey! What? MAN 2: Oh, he got him, easy.
Now you know.
This doesn't need to go any further! Take them, boys.
CHRlS: J.
D.
, stay down! Withdraw! VlN: l got him.
ACHlLLES: Let's go! J.
D.
, are you hit? What's the matter with you coming here by yourself? You could have got.
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ACHlLLES: Look at them.
So proud, so sure of their courage.
They should've left my brother's body.
They've never crossed the river Styx.
They've never gone into the underworld and come back.
We'll finish our business here.
Then we'll turn that town into a graveyard.
[BAGPlPES PLAYlNG ''AMAZlNG GRACE''.]
[CHURCH BELLS CHlMlNG .]
JOSlAH: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses.
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as we forgive those who trespass against us.
What are you doing here, J.
D.
? Paying my respects.
Now look, Casey, l am sorry for talking to you like that.
You shouldn't be here.
How can l make it right with you? l don't think you can.
Not now.
She was my friend.
Well, John Dunne.
Long time since you been to my house.
You did a nice funeral.
l hate funerals.
l don't care if heaven is paved with the softest silk.
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and serves Kentucky whiskey.
l hate sending people up there.
J.
D.
: Preacher.
Did l do something to make God mad at me? Feeling a mite lonely, son? Everything's different.
My guns, they feel strange.
l can't hardly touch them.
l don't know what to do, Josiah.
There was a bare-knuckle prize fighter in San Francisco named Walleye Smith.
Won 54 fights, all by knockout.
Hell of a right hook.
Anyway, one day he hits this guy and he kills him.
What? After that, he never won another fight.
How could that be, l mean, if he was such a good fighter and.
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Couldn't live with his own strength, l guess.
Well, well, if it isn't the slickest gambler l ever had the misfortune to meet.
Sour grapes, Mr.
Standish? lf l had any grapes, sour or otherwise, you'd have won them from me by now.
Are you offering me a challenge, sir? Well, l had been saving this in the hope.
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of one day finding the future Mrs.
Standish.
Yeah, l admire your grit and your apparel.
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as well as your vocabulary.
l'll accept this as collateral towards any future losses that you might incur.
l still believe you cheated me.
What more, Mr.
Standish, can l do to satisfy your suspicious mind? Draw or stud poker? That will become apparent shortly, sir.
[MEN CHATTERlNG AND LAUGHlNG .]
Now that is another thing you don't see every day.
Don't look.
Don't look.
Mary, this a bad time? No, not at all.
Do you have something for me? Well, like l told you, my handwriting's as ugly as a toad.
So if you'll write it down, l'll just say it.
All right.
Let me get a pencil.
Mary.
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So, what's it called? ''A Hero's Heart.
'' I stare across that soIitary pIain, Each and every dawn, AIways searching for a hero 's heart.
A stranger bIeeds, His hope Iays near death.
CIutching a tangIed wreath, To crown a hero 's heart.
Vin, that's beautiful.
Really? You like it? Oh, yes.
Did l get everything? Yeah.
Sure looks nice.
You can't read, can you? -Who says l can't read? -Vin, there's nothing to be ashamed of.
Lots of people don't know how to read or write.
l don't need a bunch of books to teach me about life.
No, wait, l didn't mean anything by that.
Vin! [GASPlNG .]
WOMEN: Oh! Lose your shirt, Ezra? He cheated.
He cheated! l know he cheated! What are you looking at? Boo! Oh! [GlGGLlNG .]
Thanks, Yosemite.
Take good care of him, now, you hear? You sold your horse? -Yep.
-Have you lost your mind? Nope.
l lost Casey, lost the town's faith in me, l lost my faith in myself.
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but l ain't lost my mind.
You haven't lost your friends, J.
D.
J.
D.
: l appreciate that, Buck.
But l come to a decision.
l'm gonna head back east.
Hey, we need you, all right? You just can't leave.
l appreciate that too, Buck, but l'm the kid, remember? Heck, l'd just slow you down.
Well, l need you.
You're my friend, and.
.
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.
Well, what am l supposed to do without you? You'll think of something.
See you, kid.
Hello, Josiah.
l come to say goodbye.
You did a lot of good while you were here, J.
D.
l hope you look back on this time with pride.
Yeah, l learned one thing.
l ain't no hero.
Just what do you think a hero is? Well, it's someone who shoots straight and true.
JOSlAH: Well, that's a good shot, is all.
Takes more than that to be a hero.
Takes someone who is willing to sacrifice their life.
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for the greater good.
You proved that time and time again, John Dunne.
l made a pretty bad mistake.
l don't know anybody who hasn't.
lt's what makes us human.
Put that towards the church.
VlN: Mary.
l, uh.
.
.
.
l come to apologize for storming off like l did.
No, Vin, l'm sorry.
l didn't mean to embarrass you.
That was a fine poem you wrote.
You should feel proud.
Yeah, well, with all that's been going on.
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made me think of a new poem, just for you.
Like to hear it? Please.
I am not the way they see me.
Not who they think I am.
I'm just a man.
And I have need of you, sweet woman.
Not for the veIvet of your touch, But for the weaponry of your mind.
There's a hoIe in me needs mending.
My own AchiIIes ' heeI.
So I offer up my need.
Teach me, nobIe Iady.
Teach me to write and to read.
l'd be happy to.
J.
D.
, my friend Emma and l were gonna take an earlier stage.
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but Sheriff Wilmington said we'd be safer if we rode with you.
J.
D.
: Oh, that Sheriff Wilmington.
BUCK: Thought you might enjoy the company.
Buck, don't you ever quit? Sandwiches for the trip.
Thank you, Mary.
J.
D.
, change your mind if you want to.
MAN: All aboard! We're pulling out! l think it's for the best.
LESTER: Can l interest you in a game of cards? -No, thanks, no.
-l figured as much.
VlN: Time to go.
MORRlS: Why? l was just getting to like it here.
-We need the quiet.
-Oh, boy, l can't sit, but l can stand.
Listen, you fellas interested in making a little deal? -No deals.
-Concerns your friend on the stagecoach.
Now, l'm gonna count to three.
One, two.
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.
All right, all right.
But l'll get a little consideration, won't l? Okay.
That stage is carrying gold from California to the mint in Denver.
Stage like that would have the cavalry with it.
Thought they could do it sneaky.
Nothing that would attract attention.
-How do you know? MORRlS: Achilles got a friend.
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-.
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working for the stage company.
-He fixing on robbing the stage? Yeah, so was l, until this guy put a bullet in my rump.
Ah-- Whoa! What about our deal? MAN: Hyah! MlRlAM: What's happening? -l think the coach is being held up.
Just stay calm, now.
Stay calm.
May l offer you the use of my gun? No, you might need it.
Aah! You all right, driver? Hey! -They got him.
MlRlAM: What are we gonna do? J.
D.
: l'll circle us back to town.
Stay down.
Stay down, ladies.
Hyah! Hyah! Hyah! Hyah! Turn, boy, turn! Come on.
Hyah! Hyah! Stay down, ladies, l'm gonna split through them! LESTER: What's he doing? ACHlLLES: Let's get him! Hyah! Hyah! Hyah! Hyah! Hey! Hey! LESTER: He took my leg.
[GRUNTlNG .]
Hyah! Hyah! Ride, boys, ride! Woo-hoo! [J.
D.
GRUNTlNG .]
l should've killed you the first time.
See what l told you? Killing is easy.
What's the matter, son? Oh! Oh! Whoa, whoa.
Sheriff Wilmington was right.
You saved us.
J.
D.
: Yes, ma'am.
-All right, kid.
J.
D.
: God was with us, ma'am.
l'd say that was darn heroic, son.
-l'd say that was darn lucky, preacher.
-That turn was perfect.
Oh, Buck, come on, you know nothing l do is perfect.
lf he was perfect, he wouldn't be one of us.
But you are one of us.
You shouldn't leave your guns out in the rain.
All right.
[CHUCKLlNG .]
lt was a pretty good turn, though, wasn't it? EZRA: l believe this belongs to you.
l knew l should have looked under that table.
How'd you lose your leg? LESTER: Roulette.
The odds are atrocious.
EZRA: Hell, everybody knows that.
LESTER: Yeah.
EZRA: How about a rematch?
Well, l am relieved.
Name's Big Lester Banks from St.
Louis.
Ezra.
Ezra Standish.
Mr.
Standish, if this is not a God-fearing town.
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and l currently find myself standing in the middle of a drinkery.
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l can only assume that a card game might be had somewhere abouts.
Well, as a matter of fact, l happen to have a fresh deck right here.
[CHUCKLES.]
We share the same taste in good cards.
[PEOPLE CHATTERlNG lNDlSTlNCTLY.]
J.
D.
: Why, good morning, Miss Annie.
-Why, hello, J.
D.
J.
D.
: Nice day.
l'll take this apple, please.
Oh, welcome, welcome.
You two certainly look like you've spent a good length of time.
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working your claim.
Feels like about 1 0 pounds l got here.
How much you paying? Sixteen dollars a fine ounce.
That's the best price you'll get around here.
Hell, Hector, l reckon 1 6 sounds good enough.
Excellent.
You come with me.
[MORRlS WHlSTLES.]
MORRlS: Oh, say, l forgot to mention, truth be told.
.
.
.
We'd like to make a withdrawal.
HECTOR: All right, keep your hands up.
High, up in the air.
Come on, up.
Fill this bag.
Go on, do it.
Go on, do it! -Do it! HECTOR: We don't wanna shoot nobody.
Keep your hands up.
[GUN COCKS.]
Hold it! Hold it! -Hold it! -Oh! [SCREAMlNG .]
[GRUNTlNG .]
[GUNSHOTS AND GRUNTlNG .]
CHRlS: Drop it! -Hey, get down.
-Get off me.
-J.
D.
, are you all right? -You got here just in time.
-Down to my last bullet.
-Help, we need help here.
Annie's been shot.
Help! [PEOPLE CHATTERlNG .]
[PANTlNG .]
You shot me in the butt.
What kind of man goes around shooting like that? You were robbing the bank.
-Get her! -Let's get her over to my place.
You hurt? -No.
-What happened? NATHAN: Easy, easy, easy.
They were robbing the bank, and.
.
.
.
And she got shot.
NATHAN: Put her on the bed.
ANNlE: l feel cold.
Rest easy, miss, you're in good hands now.
NATHAN: Josiah, boil some water.
Hurry up.
lf you all got it, l'll tend the wounded man.
Thanks, Vin.
What else can l do? JOSlAH: You can pray.
EZRA: l heard the report of gunfire emanating from the street.
Everything all right? Everything's fine.
Just go on back to your game.
Can you get us a couple of beers over here? Not for me, Buck.
-Look around.
MAN: That's what l heard.
Everybody in town knows that it was my bullet that hit that woman.
Hey, it was an accident.
Oh, Buck, it happened so fast.
l panicked.
Fanned your gun? One of the first things l taught you.
.
.
.
l know.
lt could have happened to any one of us.
lt happened to me.
[PANTlNG .]
Josiah, hand me a bottle of whiskey.
Oh, my God, Annie, what have they done to you? l can't feel my legs.
l think l'm dying.
Don't you worry.
Doctor's working on you.
You're gonna be all right, honey.
Won't she? l'll do what l can, sir.
VlN: l've seen this one before.
CHRlS: ln town? On a wanted poster down in Julestown.
My wound's getting dirty.
Come on! CHRlS: Best send them a wire.
Let them know we got him.
This is inhumane.
Downright in-- [HORSES WHlNNYlNG .]
Achilles, it was Hector's idea to rob the bank.
l just went along to keep him company, is all.
You know these men? That man is my twin brother.
He knew better than to do something like this.
You were the hero at Harper's Ferry.
John Brown himself said so.
Look how far you have fallen.
Achilles, the kid behind you.
He's the one that shot Hector.
Shot some woman too.
l didn't mean to shoot her.
l'll see to it he gets a Christian burial.
Can't let you take him until we hear from the sheriff in Julestown.
They might want to see his body.
My brother ain't going to Julestown.
You don't wanna do that, mister.
You show him the proper respect.
MORRlS: Achilles.
-Achilles! -Get down.
MORRlS: You ain't gonna leave me here, Achilles, are you? Wait, wait! Achilles! l'll call you.
Show me what you got.
Well, l must be the chosen one.
.
.
.
.
.
because it would appear that the three wise men.
.
.
-.
.
.
have come to pay me a visit.
MAN: All right.
[MEN CHATTERlNG .]
Well, sir, that there deck of yours must be especially blessed.
.
.
.
.
.
because you see, l, too, have been paid a visit.
[MEN MURMURlNG .]
A deck with six kings? That is something that you don't see everyday.
You, sir, have violated me.
-l beg your pardon? -Cheated.
Oh, you're an accomplished cheat, l'll give you that.
But you're still a.
.
.
.
Help me out here, Buck.
You are crookeder than a yellow-bellied snake making his way.
.
.
.
.
.
through a prickly pear patch.
-Thank you.
-l take offense to that, Mr.
Standish.
l believe l have come by these kings fairly.
Ha! Perhaps you were the one that had committed fraud.
Gentlemen, you know, the fair thing would be to just play the hand over.
Well, l'm agreeable to that.
But in the immediate future, l require nourishment.
Tomorrow soon enough? Tomorrow would be just fine.
Oh, l'll guard the pot.
l got her.
MORRlS: My rear is killing me.
When do l get to see the doctor? Huh? l'll bleed all over your jail.
l swear.
You might get rid of the stain.
.
.
.
.
.
but you'll never get the smell out.
Blood stinks.
You don't believe me, do you? l believe you, now shut up.
-Hey, fellas.
-How you doing, kid? l'll be better when l know Annie's gonna live.
''Hector Thompson.
Wanted for robbery in three states.
'' Why send two men to rob a bank when you have eight? Maybe Achilles has bigger fish to fry.
Don't look at me.
l don't even like fish.
J.
D.
: So are these guys famous or something? CHRlS: Thompson Brothers rode with John Brown in Kansas during the war.
They were heroes.
l wouldn't call men on a murdering rampage ''heroes.
'' They were slaves in Missouri.
Just youngsters when they fled.
They learned to fight, went back, put an end to slavery.
They killed men, women and children.
You're gonna be guilty of the same thing.
.
.
.
.
.
if you don't get me some food and blankets.
CHRlS: l need fresh air.
MORRlS: l know how l'm supposed to be treated.
And it's not being stuck in some musty old cell like this! -Here, let me give you a hand.
MARY: Oh, thanks.
J.
D.
: Watch your fingers, now.
-Think anyone will enter? VlN: l don't rightly know.
Poetry's.
.
.
.
-Well, it's pretty fancy for this town.
-Well, poetry's not just fancy words.
Some of the best poetry is just plain speaking.
Why don't you enter? What makes you think l can write a poem? l don't know.
l just figured you've traveled so much.
You might have a lot to say.
-l reckon l might.
-You should give it a try.
l'll put it in my paper.
l'll study on it a bit.
Mary.
Six kings.
Nobody's that damn proficient.
l would have seen him palm it.
l know every trick in the book.
Hell, l wrote the book.
Talking to yourself, Ezra? Mr.
Tanner.
-l got kind of a favor to ask of you.
-Mm-hm.
Mary's putting some poetry in the paper and.
.
.
.
That's nice.
l was wondering if.
.
.
.
Well, since you have such nice handwriting and all.
.
.
.
.
.
would you mind, once you sober up.
.
.
.
.
.
writing down my poem for me, all nice and pretty like? -You wrote a poem? -Yeah.
[LAUGHlNG .]
-l knew l was wasting my time with you.
-No, no! Homer, himself, walks among us! JOSlAH: ''Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth.
My flesh also shall rest in hope.
'' ls she.
.
.
? Oh, no.
Oh, no.
Oh, God.
CHRlS: Vin, they're back.
[GUNS COCKlNG .]
Help! Help! They're taking the body! They're taking the body! [GUNSHOT.]
Buck, get out of there! CHRlS: Go, Vin.
BUCK: Let's go after them! CHRlS: Buck! l don't like it.
Not at night.
He's dead.
Vin, ride out in the morning and find out which direction they're headed.
ACHlLLES: Anybody following us? MAN 1 : No.
MAN 2: No, it's all clear.
A trick l learned from old John Brown.
Attack at night, never know what in the hell hit them.
My brother should be buried with the American flag.
MAN 1 : Yeah.
[SCREAMlNG .]
J.
D.
, are you all right? No, l'm not all right.
l heard what happened.
Yeah, well, everybody in town's talking about it, ain't they? What are they saying? They said you killed Annie.
ls that true? Yeah, l killed her.
l was just hoping there was some mistake.
EZRA: Don't let these bloodshot eyes fool you.
l'll be watching very closely to ensure that our little contest.
.
.
.
.
.
is on the up and up.
Well, l can assure you that Big Lester Banks.
.
.
.
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.
has nothing up his sleeve.
And to prove it.
.
.
.
-Sometimes, people act uncivilized.
BUCK: Well said.
l must concur that l myself have known them, at times.
.
.
.
.
.
to be uncouth.
BUCK: ln case you're counting it.
.
.
.
.
.
both of you boys bought me a couple of beers last night.
Thank you.
What would those animals want with my wife's body? CHRlS: They thought it was someone else.
-Get her back.
She needs a proper burial.
-l understand.
Believe me.
-What're you gonna do about J.
D.
? -What's that mean? He's reckless and a public danger.
l think most of us in this town would feel safer.
.
.
.
.
.
if he weren't walking around with them guns.
-You all feel that way? MAN 1 : Yes, sir.
That's right.
You forget the things J.
D.
's done for you? Oh, we ain't forgetting that.
By God, he's a boy.
-He's not a boy.
-All right, you made your point.
Are you just gonna stand there? You gonna let him run J.
D.
out of town? That shooting was an accident.
That could have happened to any one of us.
But it didn't.
Vin, any luck? Some must've ridden with the cavalry.
They triple-crossed their tracks.
l chased down two dead ends.
Had to come back for a fresh horse.
Well, night comes fast this time of year.
Why don't you wait until morning? -l'll go with you.
-All right.
Vin, l've been looking for J.
D.
l know he's feeling pretty down.
When you see him, would you give my best? You bet.
Oh, and l'm holding the presses until l get that poem of yours.
Well, thank you, Mary, but my scribing's so hard to read.
.
.
.
.
.
it's likely to make your eyes sore trying to make sense of it.
l'll write it down for you.
You'd do that for me? Of course.
Well, then l.
.
.
.
l reckon l'll think on it some more.
EZRA: l call.
Three queens.
[MEN MURMURlNG .]
Yeah.
Three nines.
[PEOPLE LAUGHlNG .]
.
.
.
has finally shone her light on me.
Hold the light.
And two jacks.
Oh, ho, ho! That's a full house, Mr.
Standish.
Luck of the draw.
EZRA: No, no, no.
Wait, wait, l saw those jacks.
l saw those jacks.
You were the dealer.
Are you accusing yourself of cheating? l have enjoyed our game immensely, sir.
Good day, sir.
ACHlLLES: You're a hard man to find.
[J.
D.
GRUNTS.]
My friends see you, they're liable to put a bullet in you.
Guns don't bother me.
l already been shot 1 1 times.
l once seen a bullet headed right towards my face took a turn rather than hit me.
-What do you want? -You bring me my brother's body.
Down the trail, a few miles, under that stand of oaks.
You come alone, and you bring him, l'll give you your girl's body.
Okay.
Okay.
ACHlLLES: Any trouble and l'll burn her right there.
MORRlS: Well, hallelujah, you're here.
l thought you were gonna let me starve.
Look at my ribs, l'm wasting away here.
Quit whining.
We got you an extra biscuit.
MORRlS: How considerate.
-Chris.
.
.
.
-Body's gone.
-The food you serve is so ghastly.
.
.
-.
.
.
l went ahead and ate him.
-What happened to him? lt's gonna cost you one steak and some potatoes.
Why don't we start with this? [GUN COCKS.]
Or how about l cook you up some hot lead? Hi, Miss Annie.
l'm real sorry for all of this.
l wish it had been me, not you.
ACHlLLES: Much too late for that.
She your wife? No.
Well, you seem upset.
Want some coffee? As l was shuffling, l saw those jacks.
They were at the bottom of the deck.
Even though he cut the cards, they'd end up somewhere around the middle.
Oh, the treachery.
l don't know, Ezra, maybe you just ran into a nasty patch of bad luck.
There's no such thing as bad luck.
lt's lack of skill that cost me dearly.
l know what you mean.
lf l had been a better doctor, had more schooling.
.
.
.
.
.
that woman would still be alive now.
You did the best you could, Nathan.
But it wasn't enough, was it? -l ain't hungry.
-Well, first l lost my money.
.
.
.
.
.
and now our collective misery has caused me to lose my appetite.
l'm not gonna let good grub go to waste.
J.
D.
done ran off with the body before dawn.
NATHAN: Come on.
ACHlLLES: First time you killed somebody? J.
D.
: First time l killed a woman.
-And that's different? She was innocent.
Would you mind not sitting on her casket? Don't get so ornery, pup.
All l'm saying is killing is killing.
Man, woman, what's the difference? l mean, think about it, animals kill all the time.
You think old hoot owl thinks twice whether he's got a boy mouse.
.
.
That's different.
You just ain't a killer, that's all.
When l was your age, during the war, l got used to killing.
l killed men, killed women.
Now, l heard you were a war hero.
Guess it depends on which side you were on.
One side said we was heroes.
l reckon the people from Missouri don't believe Achilles Thompson is a hero.
Where'd you get a name like that? My pa.
He loved stories about ancient Greece.
He named me Achilles after the bravest, strongest warrior.
.
.
.
.
.
to ever fight in the Trojan War.
You couldn't hurt him.
You see, his mother had dipped him in this magic river.
Made him invulnerable.
Yeah, l used to think it was just a story and then, come to realize.
.
.
.
.
.
that l'm the same as him.
l can't be killed.
-You like your coffee? -Yeah.
Nice talking to you, pup.
[GUNSHOT.]
MAN 1 : Hey! What? MAN 2: Oh, he got him, easy.
Now you know.
This doesn't need to go any further! Take them, boys.
CHRlS: J.
D.
, stay down! Withdraw! VlN: l got him.
ACHlLLES: Let's go! J.
D.
, are you hit? What's the matter with you coming here by yourself? You could have got.
.
.
.
ACHlLLES: Look at them.
So proud, so sure of their courage.
They should've left my brother's body.
They've never crossed the river Styx.
They've never gone into the underworld and come back.
We'll finish our business here.
Then we'll turn that town into a graveyard.
[BAGPlPES PLAYlNG ''AMAZlNG GRACE''.]
[CHURCH BELLS CHlMlNG .]
JOSlAH: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses.
.
.
.
.
.
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
What are you doing here, J.
D.
? Paying my respects.
Now look, Casey, l am sorry for talking to you like that.
You shouldn't be here.
How can l make it right with you? l don't think you can.
Not now.
She was my friend.
Well, John Dunne.
Long time since you been to my house.
You did a nice funeral.
l hate funerals.
l don't care if heaven is paved with the softest silk.
.
.
.
.
.
and serves Kentucky whiskey.
l hate sending people up there.
J.
D.
: Preacher.
Did l do something to make God mad at me? Feeling a mite lonely, son? Everything's different.
My guns, they feel strange.
l can't hardly touch them.
l don't know what to do, Josiah.
There was a bare-knuckle prize fighter in San Francisco named Walleye Smith.
Won 54 fights, all by knockout.
Hell of a right hook.
Anyway, one day he hits this guy and he kills him.
What? After that, he never won another fight.
How could that be, l mean, if he was such a good fighter and.
.
.
.
Couldn't live with his own strength, l guess.
Well, well, if it isn't the slickest gambler l ever had the misfortune to meet.
Sour grapes, Mr.
Standish? lf l had any grapes, sour or otherwise, you'd have won them from me by now.
Are you offering me a challenge, sir? Well, l had been saving this in the hope.
.
.
.
.
.
of one day finding the future Mrs.
Standish.
Yeah, l admire your grit and your apparel.
.
.
.
.
.
as well as your vocabulary.
l'll accept this as collateral towards any future losses that you might incur.
l still believe you cheated me.
What more, Mr.
Standish, can l do to satisfy your suspicious mind? Draw or stud poker? That will become apparent shortly, sir.
[MEN CHATTERlNG AND LAUGHlNG .]
Now that is another thing you don't see every day.
Don't look.
Don't look.
Mary, this a bad time? No, not at all.
Do you have something for me? Well, like l told you, my handwriting's as ugly as a toad.
So if you'll write it down, l'll just say it.
All right.
Let me get a pencil.
Mary.
.
.
.
So, what's it called? ''A Hero's Heart.
'' I stare across that soIitary pIain, Each and every dawn, AIways searching for a hero 's heart.
A stranger bIeeds, His hope Iays near death.
CIutching a tangIed wreath, To crown a hero 's heart.
Vin, that's beautiful.
Really? You like it? Oh, yes.
Did l get everything? Yeah.
Sure looks nice.
You can't read, can you? -Who says l can't read? -Vin, there's nothing to be ashamed of.
Lots of people don't know how to read or write.
l don't need a bunch of books to teach me about life.
No, wait, l didn't mean anything by that.
Vin! [GASPlNG .]
WOMEN: Oh! Lose your shirt, Ezra? He cheated.
He cheated! l know he cheated! What are you looking at? Boo! Oh! [GlGGLlNG .]
Thanks, Yosemite.
Take good care of him, now, you hear? You sold your horse? -Yep.
-Have you lost your mind? Nope.
l lost Casey, lost the town's faith in me, l lost my faith in myself.
.
.
.
.
.
but l ain't lost my mind.
You haven't lost your friends, J.
D.
J.
D.
: l appreciate that, Buck.
But l come to a decision.
l'm gonna head back east.
Hey, we need you, all right? You just can't leave.
l appreciate that too, Buck, but l'm the kid, remember? Heck, l'd just slow you down.
Well, l need you.
You're my friend, and.
.
.
.
Well, what am l supposed to do without you? You'll think of something.
See you, kid.
Hello, Josiah.
l come to say goodbye.
You did a lot of good while you were here, J.
D.
l hope you look back on this time with pride.
Yeah, l learned one thing.
l ain't no hero.
Just what do you think a hero is? Well, it's someone who shoots straight and true.
JOSlAH: Well, that's a good shot, is all.
Takes more than that to be a hero.
Takes someone who is willing to sacrifice their life.
.
.
.
.
.
for the greater good.
You proved that time and time again, John Dunne.
l made a pretty bad mistake.
l don't know anybody who hasn't.
lt's what makes us human.
Put that towards the church.
VlN: Mary.
l, uh.
.
.
.
l come to apologize for storming off like l did.
No, Vin, l'm sorry.
l didn't mean to embarrass you.
That was a fine poem you wrote.
You should feel proud.
Yeah, well, with all that's been going on.
.
.
.
.
.
made me think of a new poem, just for you.
Like to hear it? Please.
I am not the way they see me.
Not who they think I am.
I'm just a man.
And I have need of you, sweet woman.
Not for the veIvet of your touch, But for the weaponry of your mind.
There's a hoIe in me needs mending.
My own AchiIIes ' heeI.
So I offer up my need.
Teach me, nobIe Iady.
Teach me to write and to read.
l'd be happy to.
J.
D.
, my friend Emma and l were gonna take an earlier stage.
.
.
.
.
.
but Sheriff Wilmington said we'd be safer if we rode with you.
J.
D.
: Oh, that Sheriff Wilmington.
BUCK: Thought you might enjoy the company.
Buck, don't you ever quit? Sandwiches for the trip.
Thank you, Mary.
J.
D.
, change your mind if you want to.
MAN: All aboard! We're pulling out! l think it's for the best.
LESTER: Can l interest you in a game of cards? -No, thanks, no.
-l figured as much.
VlN: Time to go.
MORRlS: Why? l was just getting to like it here.
-We need the quiet.
-Oh, boy, l can't sit, but l can stand.
Listen, you fellas interested in making a little deal? -No deals.
-Concerns your friend on the stagecoach.
Now, l'm gonna count to three.
One, two.
.
.
.
All right, all right.
But l'll get a little consideration, won't l? Okay.
That stage is carrying gold from California to the mint in Denver.
Stage like that would have the cavalry with it.
Thought they could do it sneaky.
Nothing that would attract attention.
-How do you know? MORRlS: Achilles got a friend.
.
.
-.
.
.
working for the stage company.
-He fixing on robbing the stage? Yeah, so was l, until this guy put a bullet in my rump.
Ah-- Whoa! What about our deal? MAN: Hyah! MlRlAM: What's happening? -l think the coach is being held up.
Just stay calm, now.
Stay calm.
May l offer you the use of my gun? No, you might need it.
Aah! You all right, driver? Hey! -They got him.
MlRlAM: What are we gonna do? J.
D.
: l'll circle us back to town.
Stay down.
Stay down, ladies.
Hyah! Hyah! Hyah! Hyah! Turn, boy, turn! Come on.
Hyah! Hyah! Stay down, ladies, l'm gonna split through them! LESTER: What's he doing? ACHlLLES: Let's get him! Hyah! Hyah! Hyah! Hyah! Hey! Hey! LESTER: He took my leg.
[GRUNTlNG .]
Hyah! Hyah! Ride, boys, ride! Woo-hoo! [J.
D.
GRUNTlNG .]
l should've killed you the first time.
See what l told you? Killing is easy.
What's the matter, son? Oh! Oh! Whoa, whoa.
Sheriff Wilmington was right.
You saved us.
J.
D.
: Yes, ma'am.
-All right, kid.
J.
D.
: God was with us, ma'am.
l'd say that was darn heroic, son.
-l'd say that was darn lucky, preacher.
-That turn was perfect.
Oh, Buck, come on, you know nothing l do is perfect.
lf he was perfect, he wouldn't be one of us.
But you are one of us.
You shouldn't leave your guns out in the rain.
All right.
[CHUCKLlNG .]
lt was a pretty good turn, though, wasn't it? EZRA: l believe this belongs to you.
l knew l should have looked under that table.
How'd you lose your leg? LESTER: Roulette.
The odds are atrocious.
EZRA: Hell, everybody knows that.
LESTER: Yeah.
EZRA: How about a rematch?