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Okay, this is a script idea I've been keeping in my head and chiseling at for a whle.

It is the sort
of story that I classify as A Real Cute Notion. This one, in particular, is to fuse the classic points
of kung fu movies with modern legal dramas.

Now, before you roll your eyes, let me explain this idea. The legal profession is a mysterious
thing in America, and people who have studied and practiced it for years have powers that might
seem magical to an ordinary man. It's a select, elite group of people who weild power all out of
proportion to their appearance, and they study and serve an arcane, esoteric master.

The cute idea is to conflate that with the old conception of kung-fu schools from Hong Kong
cinema. Here, too, a select group of people study and practice a mysterious art in seclusion.
They can do things normal people can't. They have tremendous struggles against one another
on moral or ethical grounds, except - and here's the key - they also get into awesome fistfights,
unlike a lawyer movie.

This approach lets a writer stuff his story with action scenes and courtroom drama, and it's ok to
throw in silly parts because the whole premise is absurd. We don't have to worry about breaking
the audience's sense of immersion because they don't have to really beleve they live on a world
where lawyers practice kung-fu.

Good things from lawyer movies that should be in the script: An actual legal dilemma, obscure
points of law that effect the case, a small but critical amount of illegal or unethical activity from the
bad guys, romantic tension subplot between two characters, a lot at stake, and the good guys are
outgunned.

Good things from kung-fu movies that should be included: Dubbed dialogue, stylized fight
scenes taking place against interesting backdrops, kung-fu skills being practiced on normal
everyday things, avenging a dead master, the good guys are outgunned, scene-for-scene
advancement of the plot in a linear way.

Modern elements, things played for laughs: Love interest fizzles unexpectedly (She's seeing
someone else). Kung fu fight scenes played to old-school hip hop tunes. Six or seven notable
law schools are mentioned, each teaching a different kind of kung-fu. Actual serious legal
question ripped from the headlines - but not a hot-button issue, something obscure. Red-light
traffic cameras are an ideal backdrop to build the story on.

I think the real point of all this is to keep dousing the audience with buckets of cold water - Just
when they are settling into followng the legal case, you hit a gigantic kung-fu number. Just when
the audience is groaning at the campiness of the master educating his principle by way of Zen
symbolism, you stick everyone in a suit and have them briefcase around talking fast. The intent
is to charm, amuze, dazzle, and show a pile of disconnected familiar elements in a new way.

Scene 1: The CEO of the Red Light Camera Corp tries to hire the protagonist's law firm to fight
his case against the city. This scene takes place in a room that looks like a chinese shrine
decorated with modern office equipment. The two middle-aged men are sitting at a table (a desk,
really, but at floor level). They silently drink tea in unison, then set their cups down. Each takes a
breath. Very Zen.

CEO (gravidly): Master Brookmann, there are men on the city council who are trying to put me
out of business. I manufacture a product that saves lives. This injunction is bad for everyone. I
wish to hire you and your firm to protect my interests and see justice done.

Master Brookmann (Pauses): The people who brought the case say that it is not right for a man
to be called a criminal when there is no trace of his crime. Others say that your devices only
serve to enrich you, and the city, at the expense of the people. I can meditate on the first
question forever, my friend, but the truth of the second one is clear. I must refuse.
CEO (growing angry): The mayor supports this program. The police support it. I provide a
service that no one else can. I am not ashamed of being paid.

Master Brookmann (Sadly): I has not been revealed to me that your money is made honestly. I
cannot take it. I am sorry.

CEO (standing, leavng): I will find a firm where the master is not so morally confused.

Master Brookmann: May you come to Buddha's hand some day.

(CEO exits. Master B sits sadly for a while, hands folded in his lap. He touches an intercom
button.)

Master Brookmann: Gloria, please ask young Mr. Finch to come speak to me.

(Finch enters in a sharp suit. He is our handsome, humble, inexperienced young hero.)

Finch (Kneels at the desk and bows head): Master.

Master Brookmann: Mr. Finch, what do you know of red light cameras?

Finch: The cameras watch intersections and take pictures of cars that drive through. The
company has signed a big contract with the city. Councilor Ortiz has filed an injunction against
them. The man who just left is CEO of the company.

Master Brookmann: Councilor Ortiz will be here soon to ask for our help. We will take up his
case. You will do this for the honor of our firm.

Finch: Yes master! I am ready!

Scene 2: The CEO of Red Light Cameras, Inc. has gone to an evil law firm to hire them. He is
seated at a modern conference table in a room so dark that all you can see is the Chinese decor.
He is at the right hand of an old, old man, the Master of the evil lawyers. At the Master's left hand
is an utterly silent young woman with an icy gaze. Across the table from them are two young men
in gis.

Master West: (Rasping, evil voice) Our firm is taking this man's case. We will have the injunction
repealed and win a decisive court case, making red light cameras legal forever. We will settle the
dispute for the honor of our firm.

Two young men (simultaneously): Yes, Master!

Master West: I am assigning Carlotta to the case. She studied at Stanford law school.

(The two young men both look at the young woman, eyes bulging in suprise and fear. She
returns their glance with a cool, stony expression.)

Master West: One of you will be lead counsel. We will settle the matter tomorrow at dawn.
Purify your minds, and do not fail me. You are dismissed.

Two young men (simultaneously): Yes, Master! (Both bow heads, rise, and exit.)

Master West (Turns to CEO): We shall see which one of them is strong enough to fight for you.
But first...?
CEO: Yes, of course. (He stands up and puts his briefcase on the table in front of Master West
and Carlotta. He opens it to reveal stacks of fresh bills.) Will this be acceptable?

(Master West looks dubiously at the woman to his left. She leans in without a word, and runs her
thumb along a binder of cash, as if counting it with superhuman speed. She looks at Master
West and nods.)

Master West: So it begins.

Scene 3: Finch meets with Councilor Ortiz. Councilor Ortiz is meditating in a garden. Ortiz has
a chance to put forth his position, which is that the Mayor shouldn't be using red light cameras to
gouge the people for money. To give action to his feelings, he has found a key point of
precedental law that says you can't charge people with crimes you have no input from an officer
for. To make this really ring true, it needs to be researched a little, so I won't just give it a blind
swing. I'm sure a legal student with a lexis-nexis account could clear this up in 10 minutes. Also,
we introduce the leading female character, Ortiz' daughter, who will form the primary romantic foil
and also join the case.

Ortiz: So, in that case, the judge ruled that you could not convict a person of a traffic infraction
without an officer being there to witness it.

Finch: I understand, Councilor. If the tickets from cameras don't stand up in court, then there is
no reason to install them in the first place -

Ortiz: Now you understand. Ah, here comes my daughter, Martina. She will be able to tell you
more. Martina, come meet Mr. Finch. He is representing my case in court.

Martina: Where did you go to law school, Mr. Finch?

Finch: I went to - !

(Before Finch can finsh speaking, Martina tests him with a quick attack. He catches her fist
inches from his face, and then smirks at her.)

Finch: UNM law. I see that you have studied at Cornell. Your skills are strong.

Martina: You will see how strong they are. I will be helping you on my father's case.

Finch: (Exasperated but intrigued)

Ortiz: (Chuckles mysteriously)

Scene 4: The two lawyers from the West firm duke it out for the privilege of leading the case. In
attendance are the CEO, Master West, several lawyers, and the mysterious Carlotta. Now the
key point to make here from a storytelling perspective is that these two young lawyers each went
to a different law school and therefore practice a different kind of kung fu, in vein with how
Carlotta practices the arts of silence and stealth because she went to Stanford. So, besides
being entertaining and violent, both combatants throw off their suits to reveal shirts or sweatshirts
that say YALE and PRINCETON. One of them triumphs and knocks the other in the dust. The
attendees watch with impassive interest.

Master West: You have proven the stronger, Malcolm. You will represent our firm in this case.
Do not fail me. Carlotta has the files you will need to get started.

(Carlotta appears at Master West's side, where she wasn't a second ago. There is no hint of her
actually moving. She looks demurely up into Malcom's eyes while handing him a file she wasn't
previously holding, then looks away. Carlotta never says anything.)

Scene 5: Prelminary hearing. Finch asks the judge for a ruling on whether or not the legal point
from Scene 3 applies to the case. If it does, then the case is moot and red light cameras are not
admissible in court. If Malcolm can convince the judge not to apply the ruling, then the case
moves on and red light cameras are legally permissible. This legal twist will have to be
researched until just the point where it rings true to a law student. The Judge is a hugely
imposing figure, black robes, seated at a high bench. He projects an air of invilcibility and
grouchiness. Carlotta and Malcolm at one table, Martina and Finch at the other. Everyone is
dressed in their lawyer clothes.

Finch: So, according to this precedent, the tickets from the red light cameras themselves are
invalid. The injunction should stand until a court can make a similar ruling in this case.

Malcolm (Aggresively): The case that Mr. Finch refers to was found not to apply in a similar case
in Nevada in a federal court. This court does not have the authority to anticipate what a federal
court will do.

Judge (Bored, irritable.): Do you have any documentation on that, Mr. Malcolm?

(The camera swings away and back, revealing that Carlotta has again appeared somewhere she
shouldn't be with a file in her hands. She gives it to the judge with a sweet, fake smile.)

Judge: Hmmmmmm.. I'm recessing to study this. The injunction is hereby revoked.

Finch: But the reason for the injunction in the first place is still -

Judge (Uses his fist instead of a gavel to hammer his pad. The sound echoes like the report of a
12 gague.) Order! Mr Finch, my ruling stands. If you would like to discuss it with me further, we
can take a walk in my garden. (Judge strikes a martial arts pose, hammering the air a few times
with his meaty fists. Finch shivels noticeably.)

Finch: No, your honor.

Scene 6: Finch and Malcolm fight an abbreviated duel somewhere outside the courthouse
suitable for a visually interesting fight. My first idea was to have them spar in a fountain, so we
could get lots of pictures of fists flying through sheets of water. Malcolm has buttonholed Finch to
deliver general threats and intimidate him.

Malcolm: You are struggling against forces that are beyond you. There is no dishonor is
surrendering. Do we shame rabbits for being food for the coyote?

Finch: I didn't go to a fancy school like you did, Malcolm, but I have practiced hard. I may
suprise you.

Malcolm: Then suprise me! (flings tie aside and rips open shirt to reveal grey YALE t-shirt,
attacks)

(Finch fights Malcolm to a standstill. The fight is over when Carlotta appears silently, rolling her
eyes at the men's antics and holding a towel out for Malcolm. Finch leaves, chagrined but not
defeated.)

Malcolm (toweling off ): We were lucky the judge bought that, we have to go look up other work
on the case. (Muffled). Let's get down to the library and pull all the documentation on - ...
(Malcolm notices that Carlotta isn't listening. She's apparently filing her nails.)

Malcolm: You're not coming?

(Carlotta shakes her head without changing her expression)

Malcolm: I have to get all that stuff by myself?

(Carlotta nods)

Malcolm: What, do you have dinner plans?

(Carlotta says nothing, but a nice car with an attractive lady pulls up behind her. She turns
without saying a word and gets in the car. It drives off.)

Malcolm: God damn Stanford.

Scene 7: Master Brookmann, Martina, and Finch all talk about the case in Brookmann's office.
Gloria serves tea.

Finch: ...so if the judge revoked the injunction, and they're building more red light cameras. The
Nevada case is just close enough to count.

Martina: All of which will be more tax money spent if we win.

Finch: Judge Xiang is conferring with two other judges to submit an opinion to the federal court.
They might uphold the injunction.

Master: No. Judge Xiang's style is too strong. He wants to see the matter settled so there can
be no vendetta. I knew Judge Xiang when he was a student. He was not the best. But his style
has grown all-powerful since donning the black robes. (Note: This is a law school in-joke)

Finch (Pacing back and forth, distracted): Well, we could contact the federal judge from the
Nevada case. He ruled that a man couldn't be given six thousand parking tickets based on the
date he registered his vehicle. Such a man cares for the people and must have strong kung-fu.

Master: Finch, you cannot separate people into good and bad, strong and weak. There would
only be four kinds of people. Why, when I was in law school, the man who would become our
Mayor was there. He was strong, but all he thought about was winning. Even in cases where he
did not know he was right, he wanted to win instead of learn.

Martina (Lost in thought)... the mayor?

Master (Smiling kindly at Martina, patting her hand): You are a sharp young girl.

Finch: Master, I need advice. The only thing we can do is put the original question in front of
Judge Xiang. But the people ARE running the red lights! They are comitting crime. Don't you
teach us to uphold the law?

Master: Leave an old man to his rest (extinguishes candle).

Scene 8: Finch and Martina are in the little, cramped office they have been working out of.
Stacks of paper, computers, pizza boxes, etc. litter the place. They are having an intense
discussion. Finch is upset and worried about the case, Martina is distracted, lost in thought. Two
desks sit in the room, Finch's (near camera) and Martina's (near exit). Two doors face the
camera, one on the left (exit) and one on the right (Closet).
Martina (Plunks a file on Finch's desk): These are the last ten briefs I could find about traffic
violations without an officer present. I put the best two on top.

Finch: Are we supposed to say that the photos aren't evidence? Or are we supposed to just
draw a line and say that THIS is unfair even though it's legal, and THAT is fair even though it's
illegal? It was all so simple when your father explained it to me.

Martina: Finch, sometimes you have to throw everything you've got and see what lands. I've got
something to do. I'll meet you tomorrow at the courthouse.

Finch: Sounds like something the Master would tell me. He was a lot of help today too, huh?
Talking about the past.

(Martina's eyes narrow, and she gets a serious look on her face. Finch is oblivious.)

Finch: Would you like to go have a drink?

Martina: No, I've got something to do.

(Martina gets her coat from the closet and leaves. Finch gets up and does the same thing. At the
instant Finch closes the door, the closet door swings back open to reveal Carlotta. Finch closes
the door on his exit as Carlotta walks out of the closet. Carlotta has another stack of paper in her
hands, and she silently eases up to Finch's desk. She switches the papers in the file with the
ones under her arm, then steps back a pace and starts idly reading Martina's briefs. A second
later, there are footsteps at the door and it starts to open. It's Finch, returning for the file he forgot
and swearing to himself. Quick as a viper, Carlotta snatches up her decoy file and places it on
Martina's desk, a foot from the door. Finch sees it and takes it without opening the door all the
way, so Carlotta remains undetected in shadow. Carlotta is a ninja who dosen't talk, so all of her
stuff has to be directed.)

Scene 9: The CEO has a clandestine meeting with people who work for the Mayor to pass off a
bribe. Martina, having reflected on the Master's words, is following the CEO. It's nighttime in the
standard gravel pit bad guy meeting area. Black cars sit around with their headlghts on, creating
stark pools of light that coated figures walk around in.

CEO: How are you doing, Charley? How's the Mayor?

Charlie: He's hoping this matter can be resolved before the next election season.

CEO: (hoists briefcase identical to the one in Scene 1): That's cute, Charley. Look, we aren't
kids. I know this is illegal. But I think we're doing it for the right reasons. My traffic light cameras
can save lives by forcing people to drive right or suffer the consequences.

Charlie: In addition to providing more income for the city. It's what the Mayor calls a win-win.

CEO: Speaking of which -

Charlie: The Mayor and Judge Xiang go way back. They're not friends, but sometimes there are
better things to have than friends.

CEO: See you later, Charlie.

(While this conversation goes on, we gradually become aware that Martina was in the back seat
of the CEO's car. She emerges as the men talk, and works her nimble way over to Charlie's car.
She plants something sharp behind the rear wheel. As Charlie drives off, the wheel pops,
causing him to get out of the car and change it. By the time he has recovered his tire iron from
the trunk, she has pivoted around and siezed the briefcase from the passenger side. Charlie
pulls up short when he confronts her. She defeats Charlie after an epic brawl and escapes with
the briefcase.

Scene 10:

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