Southern Comfort

This film contains very strong language.

# Left, left, left, right, left

Over here!

Everybody outta the truck!

Over to the ammo dump - get the hell going!

I want some help.

Casper, come on with me.

'Hey, help me get this stuff unloaded.'

'Pick that damn thing up!'

I read you're looking for professionals in Africa.

What, whores?

No, mercenaries, Sarge. Mexico and Latin America, too. 1,300 a month plus transport.

They want combat soldiers, not typists.

I was told to report to you, Sergeant. I'm Hardin.

Rifleman Charles Hardin, Corporal. Where you from, Charlie?

El Paso.

How d'you like being in the Louisiana National Guard suddenly?

I don't. I didn't like the Texas Guard either.

Not liking the Texas Guard makes sense.

Not liking the Louisiana Guard can get you into trouble. Got that?

Got it.

Get your butt over to Second Squad, you'll recon with them.

Casper, show him the way. Introduce him to the boys.

Right.

CEASE FIRE!

Damn, we sure get the good details.

Good exercise, Simms, lil' muscle in your pants.

Not for me, Coach, unless you wanna take care of it.

I'll tear you in half, Stuckey, so you can take care of it yourself!

Hey, big fella.

(ALL SHOUT AT ONCE)

Easy, big fella.

Hell, I can take a joke, but not like that one.

Come on!

I'm with you, Coach.

Myself, I like women.

We won't be seeing many of them.

Life's full of surprises.

What's that mean?

I got us a treat for the weekend, boys. Six whores are waiting on us.

They'll fuck us better than the Louisiana National Guard.

You ain't kiddin'?

I never joke about women.

Women?

Got some hookers lined up, Coach. >

You mean prostitutes?

Exactly what I mean.

This is a new low, even for you.

Girls'll meet us outside of Catahoula about the time we emerge from the primordial swamp.

You got one for me?

You mean us, don't you, brother?

National Guard's meant to keep darker brothers away from decent Southern women.

Man.

But in the spirit of the new South, I've made arrangements.

< How 'bout you, Hardin?

I got a wife, count me outta this one.

You used to more serious soldiering in El Paso, huh?

All we did was watch the ball game on TV, shoot dice and sleep.

We're different. We do important things like beating college kids and tear-gassin' niggers.

Please, Mr Guardsman, no more cannisters, don't set the dogs on me

See? We have a long, noble military tradition.

HEY, CASPER!

Aye?

Turn it off, Stuckey! Act like a soldier, you son of a bitch!

INDISTINCT MARCHING ORDERS

Real world, you do something useful or are you like the rest of us?

I work for TramCo, chemical engineer

College man.

Kinda rare in Texas, aren't they?

We manage to come up with one now and then.

One might get the idea you don't enjoy a chat with a fellow guardsman

You're right.

I can't say I blame you here and there.

Most of the time, Reece thinks he's in a dime novel. Stuckey isn't smart enough to read one.

The Coach, well,...

I think I know the type.

These guys are OK. They just wanna have fun, with you being the new boy

They're just Louisiana versions of the same dumb rednecks I've been around my whole life.

Hup! Hup, two, three, four! Come on, boys! Hup! Hup!

When I was training once, my instructor got bit here by a coral snake.

Just put his hand on a log, took his machete out and cut it right off.

Oh, horseshit.

Bullshit.

Fuck ya, I don't care if you believe it or not!

We're going on an overnight recon and patrol.

< (ALL GROAN)

Hush up and listen up!

We've been designated Bravo Team, recon and security.

Rendezvous point Charlie, just outside Catahoula. >

We go in file formation with maximum use of cover and concealment. >

We're makin' time! No tents, no sleeping bags. Ponchos and liners only. >

Gonna have all kinds of weather - sun, rain, cold in the morning. >

You're going in the water. It'll be cold water.

Cribbs! Listen!

Sure am, Sarge. I'm up for this one.

Good, cos you're gonna be my pace man

(OTHERS LAUGH)

Reece, you'll be point.

Yo.

We're talking about 38km.

Fill your canteens at the water buffalo. Every member does their job.

I don't want nobody doggin' it out there! Y'all buddies, counting on each other.

EVERYBODY does their job!

For once in your life, try to look like soldiers!

Civilian in peace, soldier in war.

ALL: I am the guard!

That's right. Try to remember that.

Somebody's built a new ocean here.

We're meant to be at this coordinate.

This map is wrong, or suddenly I can't find my way around the block.

BIRD & INSECT CRIES

Another channel must've shifted with the winter rains.

Shall I raise company?

No need for that. It's real simple.

Either we get across going down this point of land - it don't look good -

..or go all the way back and start over.

(WHISTLES) OVER HERE!

Man.

Somebody shot Rudolf.

Who do these canoes belong to?

Us.

Indigenous personnel. No-one's to fuck with 'em.

D'ya think they float?

Hell, yeah. Cajuns back there use 'em all the time.

Well, they ain't using 'em now.

Let's take 'em down the bayou.

I'm for that, the way my back feels.

We might make Catahoula in time to put those women under martial law.

What women?

Spencer's running some ladies.

He's got some skirts waitin' for us.

It's all set. Noleen and her bayou queen. A lil' somethin' for morale.

Really?

Sergeant, these women are expecting some small unit military penetration

LAUGHTER

We shouldn't take the canoes, they're not ours.

That's right, they're not ours. Let's get in 'em and take off.

Hold on, Fungo, nobody gave you an order.

How else we gonna get there? >

Maybe you got a point there, Reece.

Hell, yes, let's move.

How will the owners get their boats back with no access to the far shore?

Hell, we only need three. They can use the other ones to get 'em back.

Catahoula, here we come!

Whaddya say, Sarge?

INSECTS BUZZING

OK. Bowden, write 'em a note.

Yes, sir.

(ALL WHOOP AND SHOUT)

Get those steel pots off, hook 'em onto your belts! Shape up now!

WHOOPING CONTINUES

< Shape up, get in the goddamn boats and look like soldiers! Come on!

< (LAUGHS)

Hey, look over there!

There they are. Must be their canoes

Hey, you there, please don't go. We left you a note!

Dumb asses.

They don't understand. I hope they find my note.

Maybe they only speak French.

Well, does anybody speak French?

Yeah. Voulez-vous fuck me?!

LAUGHTER

Reece, knock that shit off!

We're bringing 'em back. We're bringing 'em back.

Let 'em have it! Take no prisoners!

MACHINE-GUN FIRE CONTINUES

Stuckey! Asshole!

Casper, row over to that point of land now!

SARGE!

Poole! Poole!!

(COUGHS)

CONFUSED SHOUTING

Get outta here, Coach!

LOUD CHATTERING BIRDS

Take cover!

THEY SHOT HIM!

Get down!

Spencer, over this way!

Jesus Christ, they shot him!

Where are they?

I dunno, I can't see 'em.

Where are they?

Hey, get down, man!

Poole, we gotta get Poole.

You take care of it. I'll look out for 'em.

Come on.

Come on, let's go! >

He's over there.

GUN BEING EMPTIED

BIRDS SQUAWK

Goddamn Stuckey!

Watch out.

No sign of 'em.

Where's that damn map?!

He was holding it, I remember. >

Damn! Compass has gone.

How'd that happen?

In the water, what the hell d'ya think? Guess who put it there.

Yeah, Bowden, why the hell'd you tip us over?

You started it, it's your fault!

What the hell you mean? You fucking panicked!

I'll show you panic, you redneck!

ALL SHOUT AT ONCE

HEY, STOP THAT SHIT!

I DIDN'T PANIC, YOU LIL' PISS ANT!

ALL SHOUT AT ONCE

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS SHIT?!

We're all soldierin' together. You guys shake hands!

All right.

OK.

OK, good. Simms, where's your radio?

In the water, where d'ya think?

You were meant to be in charge of it!

Look, we have a dead man here! Now what are we gonna do?

Get the cocksuckers who shot Poole.

I'll decide what we do.

Let's haul ass.

What about Poole?

Leave him unless you wanna carry him

No! He's a soldier! He has a bronze star, a purple heart, a Vietnam service medal.

We can come back for him.

We'll finish our mission. That's our responsibility.

Come on, Casper, let's go.

GODDAMN IT, WE'RE NOT LEAVING HIM!

Who says?

I say! I've got the stripes, I'm in charge and that's it!

Now let's just go!

You were one dumb son of a bitch, firing that machine gun.

Nobody gave you an order to fire.

It was only a goddamn joke. It was only blanks.

Forget it.

Shit. Moron gets somebody killed and you say forget it?

Stuckey wasn't the one that shot Poole.

After we get Poole back to HQ, we return and get these Cajuns.

Oh, yes - just swim a few hundred yards and find 'em in that forest.

Then we capture 'em and shoot 'em with our blanks.

Whaddya think? This forks to the east - easiest to get where we want that way.

We wanna be heading north, the interstate's north, not east.

What do you know, Spencer?

The sun rises in the east and we're walking east.

You have to go east to go north.

We gotta go where to go where?!

Somebody work out where we're going and quick!

Hardin, shut up!

We're going east to get north!

Do what you want.

Exactly what I'm gonna do.

Let's move your ass, come on!

Turkey. Turkey meat, turkey skin, cracker meal, turkey fat.

Oh.

Smokes made it through the water?

Yeah, I saved a pack. Lucky, huh?

Maybe it's time we divide up the bullets.

What bullets?

Reece always brings some ammo in case he runs into any big game.

Back at bivouac, he was showing off a box of .556s. >

What the hell is this, man?! Some kind of military secret?!

No way. I brought along one box of shells for my own use.

I'm ready for them sons of bitches that shot Poole.

Let me see your weapon, Reece.

You just stay on back.

You give me the ammo, we'll divide 'em up evenly.

Bullshit. It's mine and that's it.

Reece, give him the bullets. It's a military situation.

I'm giving you a direct order, Reece.

You give 'em to me.

Come any closer, I'll give you somethin' else.

That's a court-martial offence, man.

You give me the ammo, we'll drop it. Otherwise, I turn your ass in.

I don't give a shit... (GASPS)

Stop fucking around and give him the rifle.

Now!

I'll take Hardin's for him.

Here's your ammo.

Blade at the throat, huh?

That how they do things in El Paso?

Yeah, that's how they do things where I grew up.

Thought you were a chemical engineer

I am, and I'm out of the habit of spending time with gun-toting rednecks.

In Louisiana, when we don't carry guns, we carry ropes.

RC Cola and Moon Pies. We're not too smart, but we have a good time.

What are you doing, Cribbs?

I'm on sentry. Want a hit on this?

You smoke that crap?

I ain't on your team, Coach.

You couldn't make it, that stuff kills your will to win.

How your boys do this year?

It was a rebuilding year and injuries to key personnel. Finished three and seven.

Whaddya do for a living anyway?

Pick up a lil' cash pimping. Make a lot selling dope to kids.

You're lucky I don't believe you.

It's true. Some of my best customers are at Three Mile High School, Coach

I don't have to listen to this bullshit.

Hey, Lonnie, when are we gonna kick this boy's ass back to El Paso?

Soon as we get up to the rendezvous. >

And we're coming back for the coon asses who got Poole.

Lonnie, do you think this whole thing was my fault?

Don't worry about it. It's done.

Hey! How can you guys play cards, with Poole lying dead over there?

What should we be doing?

Just don't seem right.

Poole doesn't care. He's dead.

What can we do about it? So why not play cards?

It just don't seem right.

It's up this way!

Where?

Over there.

OK, well, let's move it!

Spencer, shouldn't company command be wondering about us?

No, not yet.

We've been out of contact 12 hours.

They'll be looking by now.

No way.

Meant to meet the trucks 20 minutes ago.

At two o'clock, they'll ask around after us.

At three, they'll check the bars. At five, someone'll think we got lost.

At 7.30 the captain'll call the battalion. By then, there's nothing they can do till morning.

< There's his cabin.

< It's him, son of a bitch.

Where's the others?

He's alone.

We'll capture him.

I can get him from here.

We're the National Guard, not vigilantes!

Let's move our asses. Go!

OK, look, we found one of the Cajuns that shot Poole.

We're gonna capture him. He's about 250m up ahead.

You sure he's one of 'em?

Of course we're sure!

You could talk to him before blowing his head off.

Simms, Reece, Stuckey and I are the advance unit. Surprise is the key.

Casper, did you hear what I said?

We'll capture him then talk to him.

The rest of you are rear element. Stay 100m back and keep down. Go!

Wait, I volunteer for the advance party.

No, just do what you're told! Let's go!

Jesus, this is bullshit.

Just what I was thinkin'.

You always get out of everything?

I didn't see you volunteering.

I'm not riding shotgun with these dumbbells.

Four of them with automatic rifles against some swamp rat. I make it even money.

Whaddya doin', Coach?

Shut up!

Wah!

What in hell? Son of a bitch!

SHOTS

You're under arrest!

BOWDEN, GET THE HELL AWAY FROM THAT PRISONER!

Mission accomplished, Sergeant.

Bullshit! You used your real bullets! Pissed 'em away!

I didn't panic.

Aw, hell.

OK, easy now. We gotta interrogate him.

(SPEAKS CAJUN)

Surrender!

Drop the knife.

(EXCLAIMS IN CAJUN)

Drop the goddamn knife!

BIRD SQUAWKS >

(ASKS QUESTION IN CAJUN)

(REPEATS QUESTION IN CAJUN)

Ah!

Son of a bitch! You could've busted his jaw! We want him to talk!

Almost knocked his mouth down to his ass.

How the hell's he gonna talk if you break his fucking jaw?!

That's his fucking problem!

Why the hell did you do it?!

He shot Sergeant Poole!

Fuck him!

Lonnie, let's go see what's inside.

Can you talk?

Where's your buddy? How many of 'em are there?

(SPEAKS WEAKLY IN CAJUN)

What shit is that?

Cajun's got himself a couple o' mink.

Goddamn.

This boy's a poacher.

Poach the poacher. (LAUGHS) Hey, Lonnie.

Well, he shined his last 'gator.

What the hell's goin' on, Casper?

Got ourselves a prisoner.

Congratulations, you guys have done a wonderful job.

Did you have cut his arm off?

I'd say he uses this dynamite to kill fish.

Got us a genuine outlaw.

Casper, all kinds of good shit in here!

Simms, I don't want you hitting him again.

You're the one that belted him?

You're goddamn right.

What you wanna do that for?

I dunno. I just got pissed.

This army bullshit is getting to ya.

Beans, hominy. Spinach! Hell, this is better than C rations.

Guns, knives, ammo, supplies. We got it all right here.

I'd say we did a pretty successful lil' raid.

Pack this shit up later, let's interrogate the prisoner.

Cribbs, tie up the prisoner.

How am I meant to tie up a man with one arm?

We oughta talk to him first. You speak English?

Anybody here speak French?

Bowden?

Yeah.

Hey, what's wrong with you, Coach?

Don't bother me. Not now, not ever.

I'll try. Did a few years of parlez-vous in high school.

Er, hier, quelqu'un, er,...

Shit, I can't remember how to say shoot.

How 'bout bang-bang?

Hier, quelqu'un, er,...

..bang un ami.

(SPEAKS CAJUN)

I think he's saying he didn't do anything.

Doesn't sound like any French I studied.

What is this? I saw him!

I was there, too. Can't even remember if the man had one arm - he was over 100 yards away.

We'll take him back with us for interrogation, then he can stand trial.

Now, fill your canteens, I wanna put some miles between us and here.

Lonnie!

YOU DUMMY, THERE'S DYNAMITE IN THERE!

POPPING

Hit it!

Get down! Take cover!

POPPING & CLATTERING

SPORADIC DETONATIONS

That'll teach him to fuck with us!

Yeah, right, can't argue with dat.

Whaddya doin'? You blew the shit outta everything.

I do what I do.

What's the cross on your chest for?

It's part of the joke.

What joke?

It's a corporal joke, private.

Son of a bitch, you just blew up the supplies! Guns, ammo, food...

Casper! Comes a time when you gotta abandon principles and do what's right.

Maybe we better find the interstate.

Let's get going, Casper. I think your little raid's finished.

Yeah, right. All right, men, move out.

Get on!

(GRUNTS)

That dumb shit Bowden. In that damn shack we lost everything we captured!

Yeah, it could've signalled this bastard's relatives.

We still gotta worry about them?

Hell, yes, but I know who's gotta worry about more than me and you.

You don't have to tell me.

Yeah, they think you boys are BAD luck.

Sure. I've been hangin' with niggers all my life - I haven't got a break yet.

Listen, fellas.

I'm sorry about that incident back there.

I guess I was a little, er, over-emotional.

You could say that.

You could also say you were out of control.

I'm sorry, I admired Sgt Poole a great deal. I liked him a lot.

I hope that'll excuse my excessive behaviour.

Sure.

Coach, at the risk of a punch in the mouth...

Don't worry about that.

Why'd you paint the cross on your chest?

You know the avenging angel?

I thought at least you'd get it, Spencer.

Sorry to disappoint you, Coach.

Excuse me, I think I should apologise to the rest of the men.

I got news for ya,...

..he's nuts.

I mean, really fucking nuts.

This is not exactly news to the rest of us.

Is that all you have to say after that number he pulled?

What am I meant to say? He's a dumb son of a bitch. He's emotional, got pissed off.

Pissed off? So he paints himself red, laughs like a maniac and blows up like a volcano.

What if he is crazy? What do you want me to do?

Put him in a cage? Shoot him?

Either one sounds OK to me.

We ever gonna get outta here?

Sure. I figure two hours before we hit the I10.

< Jesus!

What the hell's this mean?

Nothin', just some dude drying his skins.

Funny way o' stretching skins.

Sure they weren't left for us?

There's eight of 'em.

So what?

There's eight of us.

What about this shit? Hmm?!

Know what it means? >

Lapins.

Come on, let's go.

Right. No good staying here, no matter why they were left.

Goddamn it, Casper, where's the highway?! Been hours.

Can't be too far.

Yeah, used to run right through here. Those ecology boys moved it.

Ah, fuck you, Spencer!

< (LAUGHS)

WHISTLING

All right, hold up. Everybody take five and we'll get a bearing.

We don't have a compass, remember?

You hear of reading off the sun?

Rises in the east, sets in the west.

Interstate's north. That's not where we're headed. You go read the sun.

Exactly what I'm gonna do, thanks.

Say, man, this cat know what he doin'?

What do you think?

Why the hell are we following him?

He's got stripes is why.

You boys remember that this is a military operation.

Coming from you, that's a classic.

BARKING

Hey, what the hell was that?

Dogs, man, what you think?

Huntin' dogs.

Huntin' dogs mean hunters.

They can show us the way outta here.

BARKING

Gettin' close.

Yeah. Great!

CASPER, WE GOT SOME HUNTING BOYS NEARBY!

They can show us the way outta here. THEY CAN SHOW US THE WAY OUT!

DOGS HOWLING & BARKING

BARKING & SNARLING

LONNIE! (SCREAMS)

GROWLS & SNARLS

Goddamn!

(SCREAMS)

LONNIE!

DOGS SNARLING. CONFUSED SHOUTING

AH!

Goddamn.

Goddamn, it got me!

The bastards!

SHIT! OH, SHIT!

Cribbs, you all right?

(PAINED) Yes!

Hardin, you OK?

I think so. Shit!

Spencer?

Yeah.

Sons of bitches! They set their goddamn dogs on us!

How could they do that?!

OW!

REECE, KNOCK IT OFF!

THEY WEREN'T HIS DOGS!

The hell they weren't! Whose side are you on?!

I ain't on yours!

DAMN IT, REECE, KNOCK IT OFF! All of you, knock it off!

The enemy wants us to fight among ourselves.

Everybody just take five, pull yourselves together.

And you go cool off!

Come on, man.

Spencer,...

Yeah?

I wanna know what the fuck's going on?

I don't get ya.

Well, I'll make it real simple.

My company transfers me to Baton Rouge. Been here six months.

I know nothing about these swamps.

I'm on some bullshit exercise, suddenly guys come at us outta the fucking trees!

Now, what the hell is going on here?!

And I'll tell you something, I'm just a city boy.

What's goin' on here? I've no fucking idea!

I think we ran into some weird people who now wanna kill us.

Because some asshole fired blanks.

Yeah. Cos a bunch of assholes stole some boats.

Yeah.

Hey, Casper, it's gettin' heavy.

Can't be much further.

Why don't we leave him and come back?

No! I told you before.

Son of a bitch weighs a tonne!

Don't call Poole that! >

He can't hear me!

I can. >

Shit, the cocksucker's dead!

Goddamn it! Don't call him any o' that shit!

Watch out!

What?!

Look what you almost stepped in.

Jesus Christ!

Look at them bastards.

It's like a steel pussy.

Hell, what kind of women you been hanging out with?

All laid out. Seven. >

Like the rabbits.

There were eight rabbits.

How come there's only seven of these? Did we lose anybody?

They were set for us?

Either us or the last seven bears in Louisiana.

Hey, qu'est-que c'est que ca?

What did you ask him?

What they're doing there.

You son of a bitch! Are there any more? I'm talkin' to you.

All right, knock it off!

They didn't get us and they're not gonna.

The interstate ain't far away, now let's move out.

Cribbs, you take point. Come on, Tyrone!

Damn Casper. I don't see why I'm point.

I don't know where the highway is. Why don't you come and be point?

No unnecessary noise and no talking in formation.

BIRD SQUAWKS

(SCREAMS IN AGONY)

Cribbs?

Jesus Christ. Cribbs!

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 that trespass against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,...

..for Thine is the kingdom....

For Thine is the kingdom,...

For Thine is the kingdom,...

The power and the glory forever, amen.

We give this prayer as dead men asking for our salvation.

I don't want to hear any more of that kind of talk.

We're at war and that's all there is to it.

Start looking like soldiers, not mailmen. Weapons carried at the ready

We've got a half-hour of daylight left.

This is it, we'll bivouac here.

A clearing this big will make it tough for those bastards to sneak up on us.

Hey, Casper, wait a second.

Let's talk. Tomorrow the helicopters will be out looking for us...

..and they'll find us if we stay in clear ground.

All we have to worry about till then is the Cajuns, right?

We don't know the enemy's strength or disposition.

While he may be on familiar terrain, we have military training.

I want to improve our odds a little bit.

What are you going after?

Maybe he's all they want. Let's take the chance and free him.

That man killed Poole. The only place he's going is with us.

He was just the first Cajun we ran into after it happened.

You know they're fixin' to kill us all.

You got it.

I'm tired of hearing this.

Gag the prisoner and tie him to a tree.

Simms,... go on sentry.

Casper, you're a dumb asshole!

You listen to me and listen real good.

-Tomorrow morning we're heading north

-with

-the prisoner.

The man who killed Poole and whose buddies killed Tyrone Cribbs.

In case you've forgotten, they were friends of ours.

Now let's get unpacked and bedded down.

No fire tonight.

You all right?

Yeah, I'm OK.

You might be right about the trapper

Why the hell didn't you say anything?

Maybe I can't believe any of this shit, that's why.

Well, let me know when you start.

The problem ain't what I don't believe in.

What is?

How long we're gonna follow this dumb bastard Casper.

He's leading us round in circles.

And?

Maybe we need a new leader.

You volunteering?

I'm the new boy, remember.

You know these guys. It's your move.

I'm not the volunteering type.

You don't want to volunteer but you don't mind volunteering me for court martial.

Fuck you!

I got something to tell you, Casper.

Ragman's tape.

Remember your training. I'm making a grenade here.

You can blank around it to save your life...

Don't give me this crap. This is important.

Bowden - there's something wrong with him, he won't talk.

Spencer says he's gone crazy.

You better come over. I think he's right.

Hey, look, Bowden,...

..it's been rough on all of us. I can understand you not feeling good.

Why don't you talk to us about it?

Come on, Bowden.

Bowden, I'm giving you an order, now talk to us.

Hell, I don't know.

I do. The motherfucker's crazy.

What we going to do with him?

Leave him there. Maybe he'll be better in the morning.

The hell we are. This guy made his own bomb, remember. Tie him up.

We don't want him walking around, he's too dangerous. Use your head.

He's right.

He is, Casper, what the hell?

Won't hurt to tie him up, he ain't no good to us anyhow.

Never was, as far as that goes.

If he's tied up we lose fire power.

Get a rope and quit jerkin' off about fire power!

Remember what happened the last time you mouthed off?

This ain't a goddamn game!

All right, there's 40 feet of rope in my pack.

Go get it, Simms.

(SPLUTTERS)

What the hell are you doin'?

This man's going to talk to me.

Let him up.

You stay out of this.

I said let him up.

Sure.

(GASPS)

Now are you happy?

That's the second time you've assholed with me.

This time you're going to get an answer.

It's time I paid you off, cowboy.

How about I blow your fuckin' head off?

You ain't got the balls.

OK, you got it.

(SPEAKS CAJUN)

(SPEAKS CAJUN)

(SPEAKS CAJUN)

CRACK OF THUNDER

Kill him!

Kill him!

(GASPS IN AGONY)

He's dead.

Reece is dead.

Looks like your prisoner got away, Casper.

Lonnie!

Let me go. Let me go, goddamn it!

I'm gonna get you, you son of a bitch! Hear me, I'm gonna get you.

THUNDER

How many graves we gonna be leaving here?

No more of ours, I'll tell you that.

Yeah, you can tell me that.

Shut up!

You talking to me?

I'm talking to everybody including you!

Shut up and dig the grave.

You dig it. You killed him!

I'm not going to tell you again. Keep your mouth shut and dig!

I don't want any more shit out of you, either!

Just do what the hell he says!

THUNDER ECHOES

We've had three casualties. We're not going to have any more.

Survival is a mental outlook.

If you're not prepared mentally to overcome all hardships,...

..the chances of you coming out alive are greatly reduced.

We're tired of listening to this.

Goddamn you, Spencer, I'm doing my best!

I know you are, but quoting the manual to us isn't helping.

Think you could do any better?

Yeah, I do.

I'm the leader. You're not even a corporal, you're a PFC.

Hey, I'm getting tired of this damn crap!

I'm with you, Spencer.

Casper, you are never going to find that fucking highway!

Do you promise this Texas asshole's going to be court martialled?

He's got to be. He killed a fellow soldier.

Then I'm with you.

Hardin?

What's this bullshit? Let's get moving.

Come on, Bowden, let's go home.

Spencer, you can't walk off like this.

We're a squad, a unit, we're Bravo team.

You guys are desertin'.

You bet your ass we are.

You coming?

Come on, let's go.

How's your arm?

It'll be all right.

Look, er, for what it's worth,...

..I know Reece was a real son of a bitch.

I don't want to talk about him.

Maybe it was self-defence.

Look, let's just drop it!

It's over with.

Right.

Hey, Spencer,... what chance do we got?

You're always so smart about everything. Now you're the leader,..

..so give me an answer.

They got troopers, helicopters and hound dogs looking for us.

I've had it with them hound dogs.

Whoever's looking for us they better make it quick.

WINGBEATS

BIRD CALLS

Hey!

LOON CACKLES

Come on!

What the fuck is going on?

I thought I saw something.

Where?

Over there.

I didn't hear anything.

Me neither.

You must have heard it!

I didn't hear nothin'!

You're wasting bullets!

There's nothing now.

What the fuck!

Come on. Take off.

Motherfucker!

Simms.

Simms!

BIRDS CHATTER IN TERROR

Simms!

SQUAWKING

Simms!

NO MORE! NO MORE!

NO MORE!

Christ!

They dug 'em up. They dug 'em all up

CREAKING

TERRIFIED SHOUTS

Come on, this way! Let's get out of here!

Come on, take cover. Down!

Bowden, for christ's sake!

Without blanks we'd pin down. Watch and cover me, Simms.

With what? All I got is blanks.

No radio contact, no air support. How the hell we supposed to fight?

You're supposed to know!

Fire the goddamn blanks!

DULL BOOM

I got four bullets.

I got mine.

Put a shot through his asshole.

< Get ready!

Come on, we gotta retreat!

Retreat! Retreat! Go back! Go back!

(ALL GASP BREATHLESSLY)

Listen.

What?

Listen!

I don't hear anything.

I can hear it.

HELICOPTER HUMS

WINGBEATS GROW LOUDER

There!

(ALL SHOUT)

Hey! Down here!

Hey! Over here!

Hey! Down here!

Look down here!

Over here!

Here we are!

BESEECHING CRIES

Hey!

Hey!

He's got to come back. He couldn't land, there's too many trees.

Hey,...

..where's Stuckey?

Please!

Help me!

Please!

Stuckey!

Shit!

We'll spread out. We gotta find him.

I'll take Bowden. Casper, you go with Simms.

First team to find him fire a blank every five minutes.

What if we don't find him?

Wait an hour, fire five blanks then work our way back to each other.

Let's go.

Stuckey!

Stuckey!

Stuckey, you fuckin' redneck, where are ya?

Shit!

Dirty sons of bitches.

Go on, Simms, get back to the others.

You're crazy.

Go on.

You're crazy!

Go on, get out of here!

I didn't do anything wrong.

I'm not supposed to be here.

I'm not supposed to be here.

Stuckey!

All we're doing is telling them our position.

They ain't had too much trouble finding us up to now.

Casper!

Simms!

Come on, let's go.

We've got to go for ourselves.

If the others make it then they make it.

Yeah, OK.

This is a great state you got here, sending out one fuckin' helicopter.

Do you want them to send out the National Guard?

(RAMBLES): Civilian in peace... soldier in a war...

Bowden?

Hey, Bowden?

You wanna talk?

Hey, Coach!

What's a coach anyway?

Football. What else?

I think he teaches history or something, too.

Looks like it's all history for him now, poor bastard.

It'll be history for a few more poor bastards if we don't get a break.

About this time you'd be in the den listening to your old lady's bullshit.

I don't have a den.

I'll buy you one if we ever get out of here.

Great.

How long you been married?

Five years.

Happy?

Mmm?

As in happily married?

Yeah.

I like her, she's got a good sense of humour.

What's it to you?

I just thought if I got out of here and you didn't, I'd look her up.

(BOTH LAUGH)

I said she had a good sense of humour. I don't.

Mine's stretched a bit thin, too, at the moment.

(SIGHS)

Since they got the trapper back...

..they must be hunting us just for the fun of it.

You got an idea or are you just talking for the record?

I'll tell you what I'm saying for the record.

I wanna live.

I don't know how I'm going to do it,...

..but I'm going to fight my way out of here.

Well, er, don't forget to save me a seat, pal.

Don't worry, you got it.

DISTANT BIRD CALL

DISTANT RUMBLING

RUMBLING GROWS LOUDER

HORN BLASTS

Let's go!

Poor son of a bitch.

I'm not going to kill you all if I don't got to.

They got a bayou over here. Take it.

Stay to the west side.

You'll find a road about a mile up there. >

You mind telling us what's going on?

It's real simple. We live here. This is our home and nobody fucks with us

What about him?

-What

-about

-him? >

Did he do it to himself or did your friends help him out?

GUNSHOT

If I was you I'd quit asking questions.

My buddies aren't nice like me.

Are we supposed to say thanks?

You're not supposed to say nothing,... soldier.

Come on, Hardin.

A truck!

A fuckin' truck!

(SPEAKS CAJUN)

Huh?

You lose you in there? >

Yeah.

You want a ride, uh?

God, yes.

(SPEAKS CAJUN) Throw you in the back.

Sure, you bet. Next town, right?

That's right. Yeah.

Great.

GRUNTING

# LIVELY JIG

HORN

HORN

BARKING

This can't be Catahoula. It's some backwoods stop.

What happened to the town they were taking us to?

I guess this is it.

Say, where's the telephone?

We got electric light but we don't got the telephone.

We want to go to a town with a telephone.

Eat first. You can go later.

No, we want to go now.

Have something to drink. Spend some time with us.

Laisse les bons temps rouler. Telephone later.

I'm going to show you where you can wash.

(SPEAKS CAJUN)

Comment ca va?

Orel, ca va?

Wash up?

(SPEAKS CAJUN)

What do you think?

I think I'll feel better. Cleaner, anyway.

Yeah? What about safer?

Well, I wouldn't mind having 'em go to sleep.

We ought to forget Mr and Mrs Cajun and find the next town ourselves.

What for? They're still hunting us in the swamp.

We're safer here.

OK.

We'll grab a ride with the first thing out of here.

# JIG

Biere.

Merci.

Relax, these are the good Cajuns. The others are a long way back.

You relax.

# JIG

# CAJUN SINGING

(SINGS IN CAJUN)

Look at those two guys.

What two guys?

Getting out of the boat.

Yeah?

Think they're the ones that have been after us?

I don't know. I've never seen them.

I think it's them.

Don't go getting paranoid on me.

I got reason to be. They gotta kill us, we're the only witnesses.

They can't pull anything here in front of everybody.

Allons danser?

Huh?

Allons danser!

Danser?

I'm telling you, Hardin, relax.

Right.

Excuse-moi.

DANCE ENDS TO APPLAUSE

MUSIC RESUMES

# FURIOUSLY PACED JIG

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

(GASPS)

(SCREAMS IN AGONY)

# SPIRITED CAJUN SINGING

WINGBEATS HUM

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