EXT. COUNTRY ROAD, AFTERNOON

The sun filters through the branches of many trees lining both sides of the road. The trees are green and seem to touch the sky.

The reflection of the sun against the windows of the car wipes out the interior view of the car. Nobody inside the care can be seen.

The car, a family car, is driven rapidly but smoothly around a curve and continues cruising on the flat and well kept road.

Suddenly, the car zigzags and skids off the road. It drops from a precipice making several revolutions in the open sky and crashes through many trees. The car lies motionless afterwards, like a turtle on its back.

The sound of the crash fades away leaving the surroundings in total silence except for the spinning of one of the tires.

The creaking of a rear car door as it is opened follows.

A little boy comes running out from the car. He is crying. He is around 6 years old and his shirt is covered with blood that is not his own. His eyes open widely as he discovers the blood on his small hands. He looks at them from behind his large nose with hypnotic blankness. The stillness is broken by his scream, followed by frightened running as he disappears from sight.

INT. ROCK CLUB

Close up of a face with a very large nose and a head of hair matted with sweat shouting into a microphone. The young man is about 20 years old. His name is BRANSTEEN. He is the lead singer of a rock band.

ON THE STAGE

The band behind Bransteen is playing in a rage. The song is titled "Du kannst Mich mal". Three GUITARISTS play next to Bransteen.

A SMALL CROWD of perhaps fifteen people loosely assembled faces the musicians. There are a few drunks seated at the bar. A few people are sipping drinks at their tables. Others are chatting. A small group of people are actually listening to the band.

IN FRONT OF THE STAGE

Three GROUPIES are dancing to the abrasive music.

Bransteen leaps to the edge of the stage in mid-song. A large breasted groupie at front stage grabs Bransteen's leg and wedges it into her cleavage. Bransteen tries to free his leg but the groupie holds it firmly. The other groupies laugh. The Guitarist watches indifferently.

The large breasted groupie continues to clasp Bransteen's leg covetously. Bransteen tries to free it. The girl holds it tighter. Bransteen prods the girl with his mike stand. She resists but Bransteen is determined to break free. Finally Bransteen frees his leg with a more forceful prod and the girl crashes backwards onto a chair and deflects forward, falling flat on her face. Her nose is broken and blood ejaculates from it causing her to scream.

All the people in the room look toward the stage. The musicians stop playing. Some of the crowd rush the stage. The groupie's friends become frenzied at the sight of her blood. The Guitarist approaches Bransteen.

Bransteen walks closer toward the groupie.

HIS POV

People are gathering around the Groupie, some helping, others merely watching. Large streaks of blood remain on her face.

Bransteen's complexion pales at the sight of her blood and he shows symptoms of vertigo.

Bransteen doesn't hear a word.

Bransteen retreats quickly backstage.

Bransteen runs for the rear exit door.

EXTERIOR, SMALL ALLEY, NIGHT

Bransteen staggers outside. He stops and vomits into a garbage can. He then takes a deep breath of fresh air and walks toward the main avenue.

EXTERIOR STREET

Bransteen walks without any direction in mind. He attempts to regain his composure with continuous deep breathing.

ON THE WILLIAMSBURGH BRIDGE

Bransteen is walking and looking down at the East River. He is calm now. In the middle of the bridge he sees something listing against the banisters. He runs towards it.

BRANSTEEN slows as he approaches the SOMETHING and laughs to himself when he recognizes the identity of the silhouette.

The SOMETHING is a DOG with its two front legs raised upon the safety railing of the bridge. Foiled by Bransteen's intrusion, the near suicidal dog lowers its legs with dignity and class.

Bransteen offers the Dog some gum. The dog looks him over.

The Dog WHIMPERS in commiseration.

The Dog BARKS in agreement.

The Dog looks at him sympathetically, pauses a moment as if lost in reflection, then BARKS admonishingly.

Bransteen places a new stick of gum into his mouth and he and the Dog remain quiet for awhile. The Dog suddenly stands up. They look at each other like two old friends about to say goodbye for the last time.

The Dog leans affectionately against Bransteen's leg in an invitation for one last pat on the head. Bransteen kindly obliges and the Dog departs at a trot for unknown destinations.

EXTERIOR STREET, BAR

Bransteen stops to look into the window as he passes by the bar. He recognizes a local hang-out guy named SCHMITTY. Bransteen enters the bar.

INTERIOR BAR

The BARTENDER pours Bransteen a generous whiskey.

Schmitty nods gravely.

Schmitty finishes his beer quickly and leaves money on the bar counter.

Schmitty grabs his guitar case and leaves BRANSTEEN alone with his whiskey. The Bartender turns on the television set as anchorwoman PAULA PURCHASE begins her newscast.

Bransteen watches the television set with heightened interest.

HIS POV, TELEVISION

The anchorwoman, PAULA PURCHASE, reports from the front of a high security gate near a very large mansion in New Jersey. There are other people from the media waiting around.

Paula Purchase looks down the road.

A large black limousine arrives and stops in front of the gate. Paula and the media rush around the limousine. Some of them shout questions. The dark windows of the limousine remain closed.

The high-security gate doors open automatically. The Limousine splits the crowd in two as if it were the Red Sea as it passes through the gate. The gate closes electronically behind the limousine.

Bransteen finishes his whiskey and heads home.

EXTERIOR STREET, NIGHT

Bransteen enters a Puerto Rican bodega.

INTERIOR BODEGA

As he is entering he notices a boy posting a flyer onto a bulletin board. Bransteen orders a sandwich and buys a quart of buttermilk. After he pays he walks to the board and reads the announcement.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Bransteen leaves the bodega in a hurry, whistling with anticipation.

INTERIOR BUILDING

Bransteen walks up the stairway. As he ascends the stairwell beneath his floor, he sees the light is dimmed almost to complete darkness. He curses under his breath in exasperation.

ON HIS FLOOR

Bransteen walks like a blind man, groping, toward his apartment door. He tries to find the keyhole in the very faint light. As he fumbles with his key, someone grabs him from behind, turns him around, and slugs him in the gut.

Bransteen's face crumples before he drops down onto the hard concrete floor clutching at his brown bag containing his carry out sandwich and buttermilk.

LIGHT, INTERIOR, reveals in full detail the anguish on Bransteen's face.

There are three men revealed by the light. The one that screwed in the bulb, HULK, is very skinny. A large man seated on the steps of the stairway is named SMACK. NEEDLE is the edgy assailant. All of them wear Orthodox Hassidic clothes and Fedora hats.

Needle throws Bransteen's brown bag from the bodega over to Smack.

Smack gives a knowing look from under his broad brimmed Fedora to Hulk, who is already eating Bransteen's sandwich.

Needle kicks Bransteen in the face. Blood runs instantly from Bransteen's mouth and nose.

Bransteen is mute. Needle delivers another kick to Bransteen's face that collapses the bridge of his nose. Ruptured blood vessels splash blood everywhere. Hulk sneers. Smack then walks over to Bransteen and douses buttermilk onto his head from the carton. In great pain Bransteen manages to lift his head and survey his assailants. Needle and Smack are laughing sinisterly.

Needle walks over to Bransteen.

Bransteen closes his eyes in delirium. Needle slaps Bransteen several times in rage to revive him. The gang members wait.

Bransteen is close to being unconscious. Needle grabs Bransteen by the collar and jerks him violently up onto his feet. Bransteen is now dimly cognizant of his situation. Needle throws a hefty punch to Bransteen's face. Bransteen dodges it with his last ounce of strength. Needle's fist slams into the wall behind Bransteen, busting several knuckles like chestnuts. He groans louder than an injured animal and falls to the floor in terrible pain.

Hulk and Smack pummel Bransteen with gusto, beating him to a pulp.

VOICES come from below.

Surprised by the approaching sound of voices, Hulk and Smack hold Bransteen's head by his hair and lift up his head to talk to him.

The three Hassidic mobsters EXIT.

ENTER, A POLICEMAN AND A POLICEWOMAN

Bransteen lifts his bludgeoned face and attempts to look at his rescuers, but after a few seconds he passes out.

INTERIOR, PLASTIC SURGEON'S OFFICE

Bransteen is seen in a mirrored hallway wearing expensive sunglasses, walking towards another corridor made of high gloss black marble leading to the receptionist.

EXTERIOR, DAY, PLASTIC SURGEON'S OFFICE DOOR

Bransteen leaves the office of the plastic surgeon and walks towards a subway entrance. He is wearing a Western Ranch outfit and a large cowboy hat, and has a very petite Gentile nose now.

EXTERIOR, NIGHT, 106TH STREET & AMSTERDAM, UPTOWN

Bransteen buys a little cocaine for personal use from a well known Dominican Jewish street corner gang just south of Columbia University. Schmitty is also there, making his weekly score.

EXTERIOR, FRONT OF WOLFSHEIM'S MANSION

The gates to the mansion are unmanned and still.

INTERIOR HOUSE

An attractive blonde WOMAN, in her early twenties, with Swedish features and snow-white skin tone, crosses a large and opulent room. Her name is JENNY. She is the adopted daughter of Wolfsheim. Following her is a 30-something man with a minister's collar. His name is GABRIEL. They disappear around a corner.

SPIRAL STAIRS

They walk down the STAIRS together, holding hands. Gabriel stops her half way down for a kiss. They then descend to the SUNKEN LIVING ROOM.

JENNY'S POV

Her father Wolfsheim is on a conference call with Tel Aviv. He is working a computer very adroitly with one hand and holding the cellular phone with his other hand.

Jenny puts her arms around her father in a hug from behind as Gabriel stands alone uncomfortably.

Wolfsheim hangs up the telephone with a look of pride and triumph.

Gabriel fidgets with his Presbyterian minister's collar.

EXTERIOR, FRONT OF BAR

Bransteen looks inside through a large plate glass window.

HIS POV

Needle is at the BAR

Bransteen sees Schmitty and many of his friends drinking in a party atmosphere. Bransteen pulls down the brim of his cowboy hat to hide his face. He crosses the street quickly and disappears into a crowd.

ANOTHER STREET

Bransteen enters a COFFEE SHOP

INTERIOR, COFFEE SHOP, NIGHT

Very few people are inside. Bransteen sits at a table where someone before him had recently left a newspaper. He orders a cup of coffee. Scanning the last page of the metropolitan section, two items catch his interest. BRANSTEEN shows excitement and arousal.

CLOSE UP OF OPENED NEWSPAPER ON A TABLE. LEFT PAGE IS PHOTO OF PRETTY YOUNG LADY. RIGHT PAGE IS A CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING SECTION.

Hurriedly Bransteen walks towards a pay phone near the TOILETS.

CAMERA CUTS TO NEWSPAPER AGAIN

There is a caption under the PHOTO of the attractive young lady.

NEWSPAPER

PAGE RIGHT, CLASSIFIEDS

TELEPHONES, NEAR PUBLIC TOILETS

Bransteen is seen speaking into the telephone.

Bransteen returns to the table, collects the newspaper, drinks quickly his cup of coffee on his feet and leaves only a dollar on the table.

A WAITRESS thanks him for his business with the restaurant and then turns to another waitress as Bransteen EXITS

EXTERIOR, FRONT OF A CHEAP HOTEL

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