A Man is Dead (2024) Movie Script

(tense music)
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
(solemn music)
(solemn music continues)
(electric device whining)
(puzzle pieces rustling)
(solemn music continues)
(man laughs)
(electric device whining)
(man laughs)
Look at this here.
(solemn music continues)
What, do you wanna shoot me?
(solemn music continues)
You're not gonna shoot me.
(solemn music continues)
(laughs) Shoot me.
C'mon.
(tense music)
Shoot me.
Right here.
Right here.
Not here. Right here.
(tense music continues)
(tense music continues)
(man laughs)
(laughs) Shoot me.
(man laughs)
(tense music continues)
(man laughs)
(tense music)
(gun bangs)
(man grunts)
(gun bangs)
(dramatic music)
(man groans)
(tense music)
(tense music continues)
(gun bangs)
(man screams)
(calm music)
This is some really good naan bread.
You like naan bread?
(man crunching)
(patrons chattering)
(light music)
Do you want to see the
property I bought, baby?
I think I'm going to
build an ice cream store.
I love me some delicious ice cream.
Maybe some funnel cakes as well.
What do you think, baby?
Oh, I love me some ice
cream and funnel cakes.
I really want your ice cream.
Let's leave and head back to your place.
You don't have to tell me twice, baby.
(light music continues)
Hi.
(energetic music)
(energetic music continues)
(energetic music continues)
(shots fire)
(soft music)
(soft music continues)
All right. Don't do this.
I have a family here.
It's a good chicken curry,
though, don't you think so?
If you're gonna need,
what is it that you really need?
And you're gonna need me, all right?
You're gonna need me.
The right amount of butter and turmeric
could make a killing.
(soft music)
There's another Indian
place around here, close by.
Maybe we'll try it tonight.
So what are your plans for this decking?
(man crunching)
We don't have to do this, okay?
We don't have to do this.
Just lower the gun and we'll
just settle this, all right?
(light music)
The Indians sure make good wine.
Look, no need to do this.
(man groans)
This soy is perfect. Not dry at all.
So, you know, about your life.
Remember, there are two or
three things that you want
to say to yourself.
And regrets too. Right?
You know...
I mean, everyone that
wants have regrets, you know,
but they want something.
So, so for every regret,
there's something else else
that you want, right?
(shots firing)
Right. Maybe for one regret.
Let's say like, okay, I never
want, I never went to Paris.
I never wanted to go to the (indistinct).
So that's, that's one regret, right?
So I hear they have
good plans for you here.
Does it make you excited?
There's gotta be something
I can get you to talk.
Do you like food?
Do you like music?
Do you like art?
And you trade it for
what you did in the past
for something new, right?
You know?
I have about eight more
films before the year ends
and it's gonna be great having
you run everything here.
(tense music)
(tense music continues)
[Camera Person] Not yet. Yeah.
Come closer. More.
(tense music continues)
(tense music continues)
Jones, why are you still
looking out the window?
I'm going to retire to my office.
(tense music continues)
(tense music continues)
(energetic music)
I remember. I remember.
Yes, I'm sure I remember.
I'm positive. I do remember, yes.
(tense music)
How did you like my poetry?
I worked hard on it.
(tense music)
(soft music)
(soft music continues)
(soft music continues)
(soft music continues)
Take care of it.
(soft music continues)
And you are my best fan, my biggest fan.
That is why you are the only ones
that we have on the contract.
It's been a good contract,
hasn't it, my dear?
It's brought a lot of nice things
for you over the years, hasn't it?
It sure has.
And we value your generosity,
but the times are changing.
Hmm?
We heard something.
Yeah, you know, a little birdie.
And what did this little birdie say?
We know that the
various people are setting us
up for a fall.
We're only just here to protect you
because if you go, we have nothing.
I'm the star here.
Do you understand that?
(man sighs)
I'm the star.
- Yeah.
So we think that you might
throw some more beans our way
and pretend that little
birdie never ever spoke to us.
What exactly do you mean by beans?
You know, you get somebody three beans
and they can double
it, they could triple it,
could quadruple.
Depends how productive you can be.
(man sighs)
(tense music)
Like has there been one
museum you wanted (indistinct)?
Was there one museum that
you always wanted to gone to?
Like, let's say like the Louvre.
You know the Louvre?
It's in Paris, right? Paris, France.
You know?
The Mona Lisa's there
and you know they have
two Mona Lisas, by the way.
There's one there and
somebody, and he made like two
or three duplicates at that time.
So, you know.
Or let's say like the Taj
Mahal, you know the Taj Mahal
in India, right?
It's in Mumbai.
I mean, do you like naan bread
or curry or you know, naan bread
and you know, matar (indistinct) matar.
Look, I promise I won't let you down.
Have I ever?
(man sighs)
(tense music)
You know, I've always been here for the art
and the glamour and the love.
(man sighs)
So what is it then?
You know, we are in very crazy times now,
with ghosts and strange operations.
Yes, I know that.
But I'm here, and I've always been here.
And I'll be here for you forever,
as God is my witness.
(tense music)
We'll give you some time.
You just send us an answer
with a telex, you know,
and just how many beans.
Let's go.
(man sighs)
What are you looking at?
What do you want?
(man sighs)
I come from a long way.
I don't know if I ever knew anything.
It's like this, well, spiraling staircase.
(tense music)
(tense music continues)
(tense music continues)
(tense music continues)
(man grunting)
(audience cheering)
(tense music)
(man grunting)
(tense music continues)
(tense music continues)
(tense music continues)
(tense music continues)
Benefits (indistinct).
(tense music continues)
(audience cheering)
(tense music continues)
I have about eight more
films before the year ends
and it's gonna be great having
you run everything here.
(soft music)
You seem like you're very artistic.
Are you?
What's your inspirations?
Who influences you?
Have you ever been in love?
Are you a hopeless romantic?
What is it that you're looking for?
There's gotta be something
I can get you to talk.
Do you like food?
Do you like music?
Do you like art?
What do you like?
Well, I love to cook.
I'm gonna travel the world
and eat everything in every country
and enjoy all the amazing dishes.
[Person Offscreen] She says.
What about dreaming?
Do you like to dream?
[Person Offscreen] And she says,
"Wouldn't it be just the greatest thing?"
Wouldn't it be amazing
to live your life in a dream,
a perpetual dream that never ever ends?
There's not enough of
us dreamers out there.
I wish there were, because
things are getting really ugly.
There's no more passion.
[Man Offscreen] And slowly
turn your head back down more.
(soft music)
You have another one.
You could have the first one.
The first one is always good
as the eighth one, by the way, so
I feel honored, something
from outta this country.
(man laughing)
May I?
Oh yeah, definitely a...
- Enjoy the sugar.
- Smooth shape.
I will. Thank you.
The sugar that's here,
which is synthetic, goes
through 100 processes.
And I mean, it'll kill
you in the end, right?
It'll kill you...
- I can tell.
So let's talk about this man.
Yes, yes. As you see, I'm undercover.
I've been following him today
and well, most of this
past month I've been.
And you know I don't
like you as you know.
What's your plan for this man?
Help save the world.
What world is there to save?
Figure that out and see,
maybe we can benefit off of each other.
I'm not one to be
confrontational if I need to be.
It was good having a drink on winter's day,
But it's summer and it's night.
That's not the point.
That doesn't matter.
That's irrelevant.
But you know, the planets
is maybe nine or 10.
They're discovering
that there's more planets.
More than Pluto?
More than Pluto, is the
last one they discovered.
But that has nothing to do with us.
Okay.
What's important is
it's either... Ah, ah, ah!
It's either, it's either,
it's either. (Laughing)
(indistinct)
- France.
(both laughing)
Specialized sugar.
See?
(soft music)
What's important
is the basil, the garlic.
(soft music)
They say that Marco Polo
brought the noodles from China,
but I don't really believe that.
(soft music continued)
I heard you knew that Marco Polo was a man.
You ever meet Marco Polo?
They had that Silk Road path to China.
Supposedly he brought the
noodles back from there to Italy.
But I don't really believe it.
(soft music continues)
Everything is a cycle of life.
As long as you have the formula.
I can help you finish the puzzle.
Looks like there's not
much left. You know?
I shall remember.
I shall remember.
Early, I'll remember.
I see, remember, I see, remember.
(tense music)
Walk.
Well, keep going.
Walk, walk. Cut.
Good. It really never was.
(tense music continues)
Years ago, man is
living for a million years.
Because losing is everything.
To lose makes you powerful.
Like this!
Nine out of 10.
And that makes you better.
You learn from the mistakes,
you learn from losing all your life
It's not about success.
Break bulbs (indistinct).
Set bulb firmly, place pointed and up.
Replace the soil, cover the plants.
Water well after planting.
Planting time zones,
April to May, March to May,
February to March.
Tips.
(tense music continues)
(door creaking)
(tense music continues)
I know how much it means,
it means to him that you've
been a part of the team
and I wasn't sure about you.
And in fact, no one was sure about you.
But you've proved yourself.
And that's why I want to give you a chance.
I think we need you.
Things weren't what
they were six months ago.
You're the cosmic force
that we need in our
lives, the game changer.
As you say, all your life
you work for something.
We all learn from our failures.
And wisdom's good too.
And I think you have wisdom, don't you?
And so at this moment, what
is the wisdom that you have
for me and us?
(indistinct)
That's exactly what I
wanted to hear. (Laughing)
And what else do you have to say?
(men slurping noodles)
But I wanted to thank you.
I thank you what you've done for us.
Everybody says that you say what you are,
and I mean you're this sort of strong one,
if you know what I mean.
(tense music)
And I don't know why you came
into our lives, but you did.
(tense music continues)
Do you like records?
You know, they don't make 16 RPMs anymore.
The 16 RPS were...
Okay, well, today we live
in the world of 33 RPMs
and 45, which are the singles, right?
And 78, which are the,
the stuff from the forties
and thirties, right?
But during that time, they had the 16 RPMs.
And the 16 RPMs could have three times
the playing length of regular records.
So let's say, for example,
a 33 RPM has 15 minutes
of recording time,
and a 45 has maybe three minutes.
And a 78 has, you know,
well, the 78 plays so fast.
But you can have five
minutes on a eight-inch, a 78.
But a 16, at that speed,
a 16 gets you about 30,
35, 40 minutes per side.
And so that's why if you
ever listen to the Bible,
well, if you had to 16 RPM, then
you could hear the
Bible on maybe six sides,
the entire Bible.
And you'd hear it all, at 16.
And maybe, maybe the
world needs to move slower
'cause 78 was so fast.
And then when we brought
in the 45 and the 33s
and maybe the 16 is, you know,
maybe the 16 was the answer.
But I bought a vinyl player the other day.
There's no 16 speed, there's 33, 45 and 78.
That's it.
There's no 16.
But these Brazilian like,
and I checked about this,
the Brazilian companies,
the record companies in the '60s and '70s,
they printed these 16 RPMs,
and you could hear like
50 songs on one side.
50 songs!
Like, you could hear like
one hour, more than one hour.
More than one hour.
Now there there's this label called
Trianac that was trying to do it.
This German guy, Alfred Rubby.
And he actually was French
and he was trying to
print Wagner's "The Ring"
onto like three sides, like one hour
or 75 minutes onto each side.
But the problem is that still
ran at 33 frames, 33 RPM.
You know, his technique
was eliminating the groove
between the grooves.
So, in other words, instead
of getting 20 minutes per side, you got 40,
but 16 RPM, that's the
thing you, you would get,
you would literally get four times,
three times the playing time.
(soft music)
(man sighs)
That's very good sarsaparilla.
You remember the '50s, you
know the candy color clown,
you know, they call 'em
the Sandman, soda jerks
and ice cream parlors.
It was a good time.
You'd get a New York steak for a dollar.
What does a dollar buy you now?
Doesn't even buy you 10 cents.
What does a 20 dollar bill buy you?
It doesn't even buy you 50 cents.
I used to keep $2 bills in my pocket
because they're such good luck.
You know what a $2 bill is, right?
They print them occasionally.
If you see two or three,
then give one to me.
It's not ever about the final piece.
It's about everything
that has a good beginning
and ending, sometimes a bad
life can have a good ending.
(soft music)
(soft music continues)
(no audio)
(old man gasping)
As you can see, I'm a lawyer,
I've done this sort of thing in the past.
Step in again.
Is that the visible one?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Okay. Okay.
Okay. Go ahead.
Froze. Be frozen.
Enter, huh?
No, frozen.
You screwed it up.
It was perfect.
He was the perfect ingenue for this.
I was gonna train him on everything.
- It's all...
- And you double dip. You perverted him.
I perverted him?
No, because of your business sense,
it was driving us off a cliff.
I had to get in there...
- Oh, my business?
Where do you think you came from?
You came from the streets.
You came from the streets of San Jose.
Everybody needs a home eventually.
(man laughing)
You want a role in the movie?
There's a box there.
No, you know what?
What?
I don't wanna be in this movie anymore.
No, you're gonna be in it.
It's gonna be the best role ever.
Let's just say it's a death scene.
(shot firing)
(tense music)
I'm a lawyer.
I've done this sort of thing in the past.
(paper rustling)
(tense music)
(tense music continues)
(tense music continues)
(tense music continues)
(audience applauding)
(audience cheering)
Okay, when the sun and the moon
overlaps the other planets,
that's when we should make our move.
(tense music)
Yes, I need the sun
and the stars to align so I
can make love to the masses.
(man chuckling)
- That's a tall order.
I hope that's going to make
an astronomical difference.
Timing. It's everything.
I want to bring peace to this world.
It's my calling, my foundation, my goal.
I mean, it's what I'm made for.
This is what I'm meant to be here for.
This is what I wanna do with my life.
I wanna help people.
I wanna save the planet.
Are you gonna help me with that?
Did your accent just change?
Did you even hear
anything that I just said?
Okay, your accent, it changed.
Is that a problem?
It's not a problem. I'm hungry.
Let's eat something.
(indistinct)
(tense music continues)
I have a favor to ask you
because you are very important.
Do you accept this?
It's an important job.
You are just what we need.
And so I'd like to ask you something
and in the end, it might be joyous.
Well, you know, sometimes
I don't feel so good
and sometimes I feel better another day.
So I'm asking you stay at the studio.
Never leave.
Not at all.
Not even to go to the city.
Everything is here. You know?
You want to go out to the world.
So much is in here.
So you don't want to go out
to the world. Why would you?
It's such a ugly world.
(dramatic music)
I know what your answer will be.
(indistinct)
(energetic dance music)
(energetic dance music continues)
Ah, shit.
Please. What are you gonna do?
(shots fire)
(man grunts)
(man coughs)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(man coughing)
You failed me.
Man, failed me.
No, it's not over! (Shouts)
(energetic dance music continues)
Stop.
Ah! (Pants)
Ah...
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(footsteps pounding)
(man grunting)
(man panting)
What have you done?
He, the (indistinct), he pressed it.
It's the end of the world out there.
I told you, if anybody
pressed that button.
I told you so!
Here's the button I pressed.
(men grunting)
(man panting)
(energetic dance music continues)
(indistinct)
(indistinct)
[Director] Lay down.
You're doing like "ahhh,"
and then you shoot him.
(indistinct)
Bam!
(indistinct)
[Man Offscreen] I
said, here's the button.
I said, here's the button.
(gun clicks)
(man grunts)
(indistinct)
(energetic dance music continues)
(shots firing)
(shooter laughing)
We are in this together.
(energetic dance music continues)
Gotta be successful.
More than you've ever been.
For the studio.
(energetic dance music continues)
(indistinct)
I dream of Jeannie with
the light brown hair
Yeah.
I dream of Jeannie with
the twilight brown hair
(indistinct)
I dream of Jeannie with
the light brown hair
I dream Jeannie with
the light brown hair
I dream of Jeannie with
the light brown hair
With the light brown hair
I dream of Jeannie with
the light brown hair
I dream of Jeannie with
the light brown hair
I dream of Jeannie with
the light brown hair
I dream of Jeannie with
the light brown hair
I dream of Jeannie with
the light brown hair
I dream of Jeannie with
the light brown hair
I dream of Jeannie with
the light brown hair
I dream of Jeannie with
the light brown hair
I dream of Jeannie with
the light brown hair
[Group] I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair!
I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair!
I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair!
I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair!
I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair!
I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair!
I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair!
Light brown hair, whoo!
I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair!
I see her tripping
with a bright replay
I see her tripping with a bright
Happy as a daisy, day
Happy as a daisy that I see her
tripping with a bright replay
I see her tripping her
with a bright replay
I dream of Jeannie with
the light brown hair
Floating like a vapor on the
Floating like a vapor
on the soft somber
(voices overlapping)
I can't do this, I can't do this!
I dream of Jeannie with
the light brown hair
(indistinct) light brown hair.
Happy as a daisy
Happy as a daisy!
Dance on her way
A happy
[Group] I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair!
I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair!
I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair!
I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair!
I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair!
I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair!
I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair!
I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair!
I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair!
I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair!
I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair!
I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair!
I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair!
I dream of Jeannie
with the light brown hair
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
This is (indistinct), it's a magic!
This is gorgeous.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
Have the seed, the seed of destiny.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Thank you.
This could be dog, is the future!
(energetic dance music continues)
(energetic dance music continues)
(music drowning out conversation)
That's the stupidest
thing I've ever heard.
(gunman laughing)
Yeah, sleep with the fish!
You know captain, (indistinct).
I wanna control things.
(music drowning out conversation)
Business (indistinct), students.
(music drowning out conversation)
Teach me how to do these things.
Teach me how to shake the ground.
You know, rattle (indistinct).
(music drowning out conversation)
Let's put it this way.
(indistinct) alive, (indistinct) business?
(music drowning out conversation)
What's going on?
What's going on?
What's going on?
[Director] What have you done?
What have done?
I can't believe it!
(energetic dance music continues)
(music drowning out conversation)
Not right (indistinct),
literally any use.
Just sign it.
I can't.
Take a look.
I cannot sign it.
It's wrong.
No matter how, how hard I try.
You believe me now?
You finally believe me now?
Yeah.
I can't.
You try it.
No, no, no!
You must do it the right way.
(indistinct)
Hold the pen like this.
Okay.
Like that.
No, no!
- Yes.
- No!
No!
- Sign it, sign it.
Okay, okay, okay.
Let's just take a break.
Are you gonna do what they want?
Wonderful to see you all.
Don't look so nervous.
It's not as bad as you think it is.
Everything is under control, I assure you.
I just want you to know
that there have been some
nefarious entities trying
to buy my studio.
And I'm not going to let that happen.
Whoever buys my studio
is going to have to treat it
like their very own baby.
You are all like my babies.
I've nurtured you.
I've developed you.
I've loved you all completely.
(energetic music continues)
Bonjour.
Oh, you want to fight me?
I was a boxer when I was
a pupil in the Caribbean.
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music continues)
(dramatic music continues)
There's still money in
music and movies and books.
People love books. They love movies.
They love something that is entertaining.
They just love entertainment, period.
The people love to see these images.
It's all part of what they enjoy.
Entertainment is what people
love and enjoy, right? Yes.
We shouldn't be selling it all. No.
We come from vaudeville
after all, don't we?
We're part of entertainment.
People remember even Al Jolson,
they remember the
entertainers from way back.
They love the people
that are entertaining now.
Entertainment is a part of
mankind that people love.
We are glad that we have movies,
and books go way back, hundreds of years.
We've always enjoyed
theater, art, literature.
[Man Offscreen] Marco.
You done?
I have the best idea so far in this room.
[Man Offscreen] Oh, fuck.
I know the future, the future of America.
Compton.
It's now only the number
14th most dangerous state.
No longer number 10. No
longer in the top 10.
Compton is where it'll be.
Speaking of tourists, Asians in particular
who love Americana, they
will love to see, take selfies
with all the homeless from
Comptons, the criminals.
They'll just love the actual
experience with them.
Compton is the place to be.
That's who our investors are.
All these ideas sounds
like very interesting so far.
Except for one thing. They
all coming from stupid people.
But I have an idea.
No one think of it.
The south of the world, you know?
Antarctica, (indistinct).
It's not in profit.
(indistinct)
Do you like kiwi fruit?
How about (indistinct)?
There's money, (indistinct).
We have station there.
We have big station over there.
We gonna have the best opera house.
(soft music)
(soft music continues)
(soft music continues)