Project X (1987) Movie Script

( insects chirping )
( birds twittering )
( monkey chittering )
( twig snaps )
( hawk screeching )
( screeching )
( gunshot )
Cover me
When I run
Cover me
Through the fire
Something knocked me
Off the trees
Now I'm on my knees
Cover me
Darling, please
Hey, hey, monkey
Monkey,
monkey
Don't you know you're gonna
shock the monkey?
Hey, hey, shock the monkey
Hey, hey, yeah...
Le patron?
Monkey
The wheels keep turning...
Ah, Richard.
Monkey
Something's burning...
( indistinct chatter )
Monkey, don't like it
But I guess I'm learning
Shock
Shock, shock
Watch the monkey get hurt,
monkey
Shock
Shock, shock
Watch the monkey get hurt,
monkey...
Woman: You'd think that given
the number of animals
the government buys in a year,
you'd honor a long-time understanding.
Man: Listen, lady, I treat all of my
customers the same,
whether it's the government
or the circus.
These are young, healthy chimps,
and you don't come by them every day.
- Hey, Pop, look what we got.
- Please, Melvin, not now. I'm busy.
Let's tag these for delivery:
Northeast Institute, food and drug.
Yerkes, hepatitis.
Johns Hopkins, cancer.
( monkey whines )
No, send that one to Hopkins.
This little guy goes
to the University of Wisconsin,
the department of psychology.
Shock the monkey,
shock the monkey
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey to life.
Good morning, little one.
Now don't be afraid.
No one's going to hurt you.
Teri, come and meet
your new student.
Now don't take it personally
if he doesn't like you right away.
He will, but sometimes the chemistry
takes a little bit of time to work out.
We have a tendency
to expect these--
( both chuckle )
As I was saying...
( monkey coos )
- Hi.
- My, my, my.
Hi.
Virgil, look.
Virgil, look what I have-- apple.
Yes, that's good.
Look, apple.
Do you want it?
That's good, but--
Virgil, Virgil, look.
Apple.
You don't want it?
( sighs )
Virgil, look.
Apple. Apple.
Apple.
Virgil, Virgil,
apple.
You don't want this?
Apple.
Apple.
Virgil, look.
This means "apple."
Look, look.
( Virgil grunts )
( Teri sighs )
Fine.
- ( Virgil screaming )
- Fine. Bye.
All right, all right.
Mm-mm-mm.
Good. Clean. Right.
No, it's not food time.
You just ate.
No, no, it's not playtime either.
It's work time.
Come on.
Virgil, look.
Where's the dog?
Where is he?
Good. Good. Dog in.
Now where is he?
Where is he?
Good. Dog out.
Who am I?
Who am I?
Do you remember?
"Yellow hair." Do you remember?
Teri?
( laughs )
Good. Yellow hair.
That's right. Good.
What's this?
Help? No. Look.
Help? I don't know
what that means.
Help what?
Help fly?
You mean this?
( chittering )
Shh shh shh.
No, it's not playtime.
No, it's Teri's work time.
Hey, enough.
( Virgil whimpering )
Okay, how about
if I write your name on it?
Then it will be Virgil's alligator.
Look.
No, no, it's not playtime.
All right, it's playtime.
Fast break, fast break.
Hurry. Ready?
Put it in, hurry.
Dunk it.
Hurry, hurry.
Good, good, good.
Dr. Criswell.
What's up?
Good morning, Teri.
I just heard from the NHF.
They've decided
not to renew your grant.
Hey, Virgil.
I'm really, truly sorry.
At least you have enough material
to write your thesis.
- And I think I can get the department--
- Wait a minute.
Here. Here you go.
Want to color?
Want to color?
Look.
It's okay. It's okay.
( muffled conversation )
All of us here recognize how
remarkable the work you've done is.
And you know you have a good shot
at a position on this faculty.
They're not
taking Virgil away.
Teri, don't throw all that away because
of an attachment to this animal.
Bring them here.
Let them see how much he's learned.
- When they see how much he's learned--
- They don't care.
I've been on the phone
with them all morning.
- It's like talking to a brick wall.
- Well, I don't care.
I'm keeping him.
The National Health Foundation
owns him.
I'll buy him.
And where are you going to find
the $15,000?
I'll raise it.
Not to mention
the $10,000 a year
for food and a veterinarian?
Come on.
I'll get it.
We all knew this was a temporary
arrangement when he got here.
I raised him.
He doesn't know anybody but me.
He's not gonna understand
what's happening.
There's a new children's zoo
in Houston.
I think he's going to be
sent there.
He'll be well cared for
and well loved.
( jet engine roaring )
( chittering )
Well, hello, my man.
You're in the air force now.
( monkeys chittering )
( monkeys screeching )
( typewriter keys clacking )
This is it. I'm through.
I'm dead. I'm done.
You've got to come up
with something.
They'll never let me fly again.
They're gonna
ground me forever.
Ground you?
You stole an airplane
from the air force.
You had a girl and an open bottle
of champagne in the cockpit.
I'm screwed.
You're gonna be lucky
if they let you walk again.
- So what are you gonna say?
- I don't know.
Okay, look.
Tell the colonel this girl is, like,
terrified of flying.
She had a brother who was killed
in a plane crash.
He got shot down in Vietnam.
So you took her up in your plane
to get her over the fear.
That's the stupidest thing
I ever heard.
They'll see right through it.
You're right.
You're screwed.
Come on, Garrett, let's get cleaned up.
You gotta go see the colonel.
- So what are you gonna do?
- The onIy thing I can do--
I'm gonna go in there. I'm gonna look
him in the eye and tell him the truth.
Well, my girlfriend's brother was
a fighter jock in Vietnam
and he got shot down
over Hai Phong.
Anyway, ever since then,
she's had this horrible fear of flying.
And I thought that the best way
to get her over it
was to take her up and bring her
back down again safe and sound.
In other words,
you did it to get laid.
I suppose
that's not entirely untrue.
Are you any relation
to Jake Garrett?
He was my father, sir.
So why didn't you go
to the Air Force Academy?
Well, I did.
I was asked to Ieave
during my second year.
My instructors felt
that I was spending too much time
concentrating on football.
Football?
Well, I wasn't actually
on the team.
I was more of a statistician--
you know, player evaluation,
team comparisons--
that kind of thing.
I ran a betting pool.
I am relieving you of your duty
with the civil air patrol,
and I am reassigning you
until you can learn
to obey orders.
"Experimental Pilot
Performance Project."
Don't screw it up.
No, sir.
( dog barking )
( knocks on door )
Airman Garrett
reporting for duty, sir.
How do you do?
I'm Dr. Carroll.
Get Krieger for me,
would you?
Woman: Yes, sir.
Civil air patrol.
So you've got some flying experience.
That's terrific.
That should be very useful.
Sergeant, this is Airman Garrett.
He'll be joining
the flight engineer staff.
Take him down to the vivarium
and get him started.
Oh, the F-20 flight simulations
finally came through.
Drop them off at
the PEP room, would you?
- I'll look at them this afternoon.
- Yes, sir.
I would just like to thank you
for this opportunity.
And I hope that I can be of some
real benefit to the program.
Good.
Woman over P.A.: Airman Lucas,
report to the microbiology lab.
Just call me Krieg.
We're all on the same team here.
Those are
fighter simulations?
Yeah, a strafing run
over a South Pacific atoll.
- Wow.
- Yeah.
Well, the pilots have to be
trained to handle
all sorts of different terrain
and weather conditions.
This is gonna be
a whole new experience.
- I just hope I'm up to it.
- Don't worry about it.
Yeah, but you're talking about
jets and bombers.
I've only flown bug smashers.
I've got a lot to learn.
Not you-- them.
Man over P.A.:
Indicated air speed-- 330.
Mach .98,
minus two degrees.
We've got number two
rolling 520 degrees per second.
He's out of the envelope.
Neutralize your trim, man.
Redepart your pilot
on a standard landing.
- Okay.
- He's back in.
Man over P.A.: Number five,
restabilize your approach
into its landing pattern.
Okay, this is where
we keep the troops.
We put the new recruits in here until
they're processed into the program.
At that point we move them over
to their permanent cages--
- Hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it.
- What?
I'm supposed to be in the Experimental
Pilot Performance Project.
Yeah, that's right.
These are monkeys.
I don't know anything
about monkeys.
- ( chittering )
- Krieg: Sure, you do.
You're a primate yourself, right?
Am I right? Yes.
Okay, first things first.
White neckbands denote freshmen,
blue-- juniors, and red-- seniors,
kind of like college.
( monkey whooping )
Okay, here's your leash.
Here's your clipboard.
Okay, now let's go through the whole
procedure from the beginning, okay?
We'll start with the chimp
in cage number 14.
Put his leash on him and weigh him
and put him in cage number five--
that one right over there.
I'll be back in a minute.
And if you need any help,
just ask him, okay?
Watts, please hang up your key
like everybody else. Thank you.
( jet passes overhead )
Hey there, fella.
( monkey growls )
Okay, let's go.
- ( monkey grunts )
- ( door closes )
I wouldn't mess with him
if I were you.
That guy would like to rip your arm off
and beat you half to death with it.
Sergeant Krieger wants me
to weigh him.
Krieger don't know shit
about these animals.
- I'm Isaac Robertson.
- Jimmy Garrett.
Jimmy, pound for pound,
these guys are
seven times as strong as we are.
I think that you should start
with this little fella here.
He looks just as scared
as you do.
Be a little careful.
He can bite.
Okay.
Hey. How are you doing?
Uh, no funny stuff, okay?
Go ahead.
Look, look, I know that
you would probably rather be
climbing up a tree, right?
I'd rather be flying a plane.
We don't have any choice
in the matter though, right?
So what do you say?
Huh?
Be a good boy, okay?
Be a good little chimp.
Come here.
Shit.
Hey.
( clapping )
( chuckling )
Okay. Good boy.
Jimmy: Come on, go up.
Pull it back.
Pull it back.
Pull it back. Pull it back.
Robertson: Pull it back slowly.
Pull it back.
- That's it.
- Come up.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa.
- Whoa, whoa.
Pull up. Pull it.
- Come on. Easy.
- Shit.
You want it smooth.
You want it smooth, man. Come on.
- Pull up, pull up.
- Argh.
( chuckles ) That happens
to everybody the first time.
Good, good.
Good boy.
Good boy.
Good boy.
- Good boy.
- Give him a raisin.
- I feel like an idiot.
- ( chuckles )
Jimmy, it's gonna take him a couple of
days just to get the feel of this thing.
- Let's try again.
- Okay.
Give me your finger.
Now push this button.
- Robertson: Throttle forward.
- Okay.
Robertson: Good. Now both hands
on the wheel. Right, uh-huh.
Now we're gonna taxi into position.
- Increasing power.
- Easy. Easy.
- Increasing power.
- That's good, hold the wheel.
Good. Now you got
takeoff speed.
- ( beeping )
- Good boy. Uh-huh.
Now you're gonna straighten it out
and gonna pull it back.
- Straighten it out. Straighten it out.
- That's good.
- Pull back.
- That's good. Now up.
Now go up. Go up.
Go up. Up, up.
Go up. Up.
Up, up.
Pull back.
Pull back. Pull back.
That's good.
What's he doing?
I don't know, man.
I mean, I've never seen this before.
Woman: Hi, Sergeant.
How are you?
- Fine, thanks.
- Aren't you sweet?
( whimpering )
- What's wrong with him?
- Uh, you got me, man.
- Grab the wheel, man.
- Come on, easy.
- Hey.
- Get him. Whoa.
- Hey, come back here.
- Go get him.
- Come back here.
- Get him, Jimmy.
Hey, hey, hey, come here.
Come on.
Come here. Come here.
- It's okay. Come here.
- Man over P.A.: Number four,
please return your pilot
to your station.
Airman Garrett,
what's the problem here?
Oh, nothing, sir.
He was doing fine, and he just--
I'm sorry.
Good boy.
Turn your head this way.
Hey. Hey.
What the hell do you think
you're doing?
( monkey blows raspberry )
( blows raspberry )
What's happening, Watts?
Badness, man, total.
See, the moon is
in the seventh house,
but I am still knocking
on the sixth door.
Robertson: That's because of all that
junk food you eat all the time.
It rots your brain.
JT, JT, JT, congratulations.
You graduated.
Give me your hand.
Now give me your neck.
Where are you taking him?
Hey, dude, you see
that red collar?
Now that red collar signifies
that JT is a graduate.
Now, son, you are
in the undergraduate program.
Come on, Watts,
he just asked a question.
Well, what is his clearance?
What is his security clearance?
What is his clearance?
What is your clearance?
Who made you
lord of the apes?
Come on.
Come on, JT.
Yeah, let's go, you and I,
While the evening is spread out
against the sky
Like a patient etherized
on a table.
Don't ask, "What is it?"
Come on, let's go
and make our visit.
In the rooms
the women come and go...
Robertson:
Come on, smile.
Come on.
Can you smile for me?
Come on, smile.
Come on.
Yeah, I knew it.
You're an old circus chimp,
aren't you?
Jimmy:
How can you tell?
Robertson: After a while
you just get a feeI for it.
Can I see your cigarette?
Take it. Go on.
Good boy. Good boy.
Yep, a circus chimp.
Now, they can be the meanest.
I figure they've been worked so hard
all their lives,
they don't want anyone to tell them
what to do anymore.
Jimmy: He loves it.
Robertson:
It's an evil addiction.
Lock up for me, Jimmy?
Jimmy: Yeah, no problem.
See you tomorrow.
Good night, man.
Virgil, huh?
You don't look like a Virgil.
I think this is yours.
See you later, alligator.
( insects chirping )
( TV playing )
Woman on TV: Channel 11 , serving
the Lockridge Everglades area.
Man on TV: The Buccaneers
brought a sense of pride
to fans in the bay area
with a new stadium
and three seasons
that took them
to the playoffs.
People like Steve Wilson
have shared that pride
by being
United Way volunteers,
by helping handicapped children
like Peter,
who was placed with a family
through an adoption agency.
With their help,
Peter is now leading
a full life,
helping people
help each other
the United way.
Help.
Hi.
Help.
I don't believe it.
Help.
Help what?
What? I don't--
I don't know
what that means.
Oh.
Oh, out? Help out?
You want to get out.
Okay.
Hey.
Aha.
New girl in the neighborhood.
Oh, no. No, no.
No, no out. I shouldn't even
have let you out.
What is that?
Oh. Oh, food. Food.
Food-- that I can do.
Here, come on.
Mm-mm-mm. Here.
You don't want it?
What?
Yeah, it's a refrigerator.
Apple.
That's the sign for apple?
What?
You want-- what?
You want this?
Oh.
You want the brush?
Okay, here.
( jet passing overhead )
Come on.
Time to go to bed.
Yeah, friends.
Good night, Virgil.
( whimpering )
Jimmy:
"Hold up the left index finger.
Point the right
index finger down
and circle it around
the left index
in a counterclockwise motion,
the left index turning slightly.
Place the right hand
in front of the chin,
palm facing you.
Open the fingers
and circle the hand
in front of the face
from right to Ieft--
Beautiful."
BeautifuI.
Jimmy: And a commercial came on.
And it was for a charity, see,
so the woman in it
was using sign language.
And she was saying, "Help,"
you know, "Help."
Garrett, is there a point
to this story?
Well, yeah.
See, that's when I realized
that Virgil here is using
sign language
to communicate with me.
There. See that?
He made the sign for "apple."
No, Virgil, you can't have
the apple,
because you gave it to your
girlfriend last night, you remember?
( chuckles )
Sir, I think that this could be
of great benefit to the program.
Here, watch.
This is the sign for "food," see?
Okay, food.
Come on, food.
There. See? He did it.
Yeah, well, somebody obviously
conditioned him to do that.
I mean, it's like Pavlovs dog:
The bell rings, and he salivates.
You must have learned
about that in high school.
Jimmy: No, no, no,
he makes signs all the time,
and nobody is ringing any bells.
When a dog is happy,
he wags his tail.
When he has to urinate,
he scratches on the door.
Now, you wouldn't call that
sign language, would you?
But this is different.
He's using words.
Garrett, what you're talking about
has no conceivable relationship
to the task we're trying
to accomplish here.
Now, I appreciate enthusiasm,
but I suggest you unclutter your mind
and put your energy
to the work at hand.
Sir, maybe if we looked
in the files,
we might be able to find out
some more about him.
- We don't need to look in the files.
- No, we don't.
That's absolutely right.
We don't have to look in the files.
- ( monkeys chittering loudly )
- ( Goliath growls )
( men shouting )
Hey.
Hey, Goliath.
Goliath, look here.
Come here.
Hey, here you go.
Come on.
That's right.
That's good.
( blows raspberry )
Good morning, Airman,
- Ethel.
- ( Ethel grunts )
Yeah, Bluebeard.
Hey, congratulations.
Looks like you're
just about ready, pal.
Okay, Airman,
deplane your pilot.
Come on.
Airman, how's Goofy
doing today?
Oh, fine, sir.
Good.
That's some very impressive
flying there, Garrett.
Looks like your pilot's
made the grade.
Hey. Okay, stop flying.
Good.
Hey, Chimp Yeager,
give me five.
Here you go.
Enjoy it.
You don't want it?
Out.
Hurry.
Oh.
Well, it is a special occasion.
( grunting )
Okay. Date time.
Don't go too far.
( footsteps )
Garrett, listen, I need to speak
to you for a minute.
Uh, listen,
we've got a review board
visiting us from Washington
in three days.
And, well,
I think your animal
is the best-qualified
for our demonstration.
Oh, that's great.
Virgil's really smart.
Virgil's pretty smart,
but I think the trainer
might have had
something to do with it.
Jimmy, you've earned yourself
a promotion.
I want you to take over for Airman
Watts as graduate program trainer.
Full security clearance
has been granted you.
Starting tomorrow,
you go to work in the flight chamber.
Sergeant Krieger will brief you on
your responsibilities in the morning.
Congratulations, Jimmy.
Oh. ( chuckles )
That's great.
Hey.
Dr. Carroll?
Does this mean
I'll be flying again soon?
Keep up
the good work, Jimmy.
Great.
Hear that? We're promoted.
So what's the graduate
program about?
You take the chimp
with the red neckband
down the tunnel
to the flight chamber.
And keep this on.
Turn it in when you come out.
That's it?
Yeah, that's it,
as far as I'm concerned.
Hey. Hey.
What happened
to Watts anyway?
I don't know.
Okay, Bluebeard.
Okay.
Chin up.
Good boy.
( chittering )
Hey, what's the matter
with you?
Bluebeard, nobody's gonna
hurt you.
I promise.
Here, give me your hand.
( Bluebeard whimpering )
Garrett, go on in.
Man over P.A.: Trainer,
check your pilot in at the aircraft.
Have him mount up,
prepare to taxi.
Okay.
Come on, Bluebeard,
make me look good.
Go on.
Man over P.A.:
Trainer, evacuate chamber.
Trainer, evacuate chamber.
Over here.
Here you go.
Put these on.
Man over P.A.:
Cleared for systems initiation.
Roger. Commencing.
Man over P.A.:
Release safety interlocks.
Man #2:
System loaded.
Starting countdown.
six, five, four,
three, two.
Open.
Man #2: System A1 , core is free.
Cooling commencing.
- Man: Take it down.
- Man #2: Roger.
- Reinsert reactor.
- Reactor reinserting.
Pulse delivered,
subject number 1015,
gamma/neutron ratio,
received midcranial dose
of 1200 rads.
Man:
Report reactor status.
Man #2:
Reactor secure.
Garrett, yo.
Let's see
that little thing there.
You're checking me
for radiation, right?
Don't worry, you're clean.
Well, what happens to him?
He'll keep on flying
as long as he can.
Till he's dead?
Yeah.
- I wanted to tell you, man.
- Then why didn't you?
You didn't have clearance.
Hey, that's bullshit, man.
You were supposed to be my friend.
Hey, what do you think
is going on here?
You see them take JT out.
He doesn't come back.
What do you think is going on
down that tunnel?
I didn't know.
( jet passes overhead )
So what is it? What is it?
Are they all--?
Yes, all.
Look, they radiate the chimps
to see how long they can fly
before they die.
That is supposed to tell us if our guys
can survive Iong enough
to get to Russia
in case World War III happens.
There's nothing you can do
about it, man.
It's the air force.
Jimmy, you do your job,
or you're gonna wind up like Watts.
What happened to Watts anyway?
Couldn't handle it.
Got too attached.
- He was crazy.
- No.
He went AWOL.
He couldn't handle it.
Me, Jimmy--
I treat these animals well,
but I don't get too attached
to them.
That's what you've got to do.
So I'm the new lord of the apes.
Look, Jimmy,
you had to take that promotion.
You don't want to stay
around here, man.
You do your job.
Don't get involved.
You'll be out of here
before you know it.
You'll forget all about
this pIace, man.
( jet passes overhead )
( water splashes )
Good night, Jimmy.
Good night.
Hey, don't teach them any more.
You understand?
Come on.
I have to weigh you.
Hey, come here.
Virgil.
I said come back here.
Give me your hand.
Okay, get on the scale.
I said get on the scale.
Get on the scale.
Now stay there.
Would you get on
the goddamn scale?
No. No.
Stop playing.
Not playtime. Understand?
On the scale.
Get on the scale.
Give me that.
What are you--? Give me that.
God damn it, Virgil.
Woman over P.A.: Lieutenant Maxwell,
please report to operations.
( water running )
Come here.
( screeching )
( all screeching )
( insects chirping )
( phone rings )
Hello.
Hello.
Is this Teresa McDonald?
Mm-hmm.
Jimmy:
Well, you don't know me,
but we have a friend
in common-- Virgil.
What's wrong?
Is he all right?
Yeah.
You're the one who taught him
sign language?
Yeah.
Well, listen, I know that it's
none of my business,
but I don't understand
what he's doing here.
I mean, it must have taken you
a long time to teach him--
Where? Wait a minute.
Where are you calling from?
Lockridge Air Force Base,
where you sent him.
Lockridge Air Force Base?
He's supposed to be
in a zoo in Houston.
Who is this?
I can't tell you.
Listen, I shouldn't even have
made this call in the first place.
If anybody finds out,
they'll nail my ass to the wall.
- Wait a minute.
- I'm sorry.
No, no, wait.
- How are you doing?
- Okay.
Okay, this is where we keep
new recruits
until they're processed
into the program.
I'm sorry,
what was your name again?
Curtis, Sergeant.
Well, Curtis, white neckbands
denote freshmen,
blue-- juniors, and red-- seniors,
kind of like college.
Here's a leash.
Here's a clipboard.
And you can use this key.
Jimmy: Dr. Carroll, I'm gonna talk
to Colonel Niles today.
I'm gonna ask to be transferred
from the project.
So what's the problem?
I guess I'm just not
cut out for it.
Sit down.
Now, you want to be a pilot.
I know that.
But without these studies,
there's no way we can be sure
that pilots can survive
to complete their missions if they get
subjected to ionizing radiation.
Yes, yes, I know.
Really, I understand that.
It's just--
for example, Virgil--
the one who knows
how to sign--
I know that you don't believe this,
but he knows how to talk.
And it seems to me
that there would be a better use
for him than this experiment.
You've grown very close
to that animal.
And it hurts you to think about
what's gonna happen.
Now listen.
It's perfectly okay
for you to feel that way. It is.
You wouldn't be human
if you didn't feel that way.
And I think that it's good
that you're able to express it.
Now all I can say to help
is that it will get better
and the pain will go away.
Jimmy, what, do you think
I'm some kind of monster?
You think I enjoy having to
sacrifice these animals?
Now, I know you got into some
trouble before you came here,
but since then, you've become
one of the top peopIe
- I've got working in this program.
- Really?
And I intend
to let Colonel Niles know that.
Well, thank you very much.
We'll get you up in the air
again soon, Jimmy.
General:
Well, we'll forgive him once.
Hello, Garrett.
How's it been going?
Oh, fine, thank you, sir.
General, this is
Jake Garrett's son.
Really?
I knew your father well.
Niles: He's on our
pilot performance team.
Fine. Keep up the good work,
young man.
General.
So the mountain comes
to Mohammed, eh?
Lyn, I hope you have room
for one more tomorrow.
We've got
Senator Dannis coming.
Dr. Carroll: Oh, I'm sure
we can squeeze the senator in.
Woman over P.A.:
Lieutenant Shine to the vivarium.
Lieutenant Shine to the vivarium.
( music playing )
( horn honks )
Jimmy:
Possible flush for Hadfield.
- Nothing for Eddie.
- Thanks, Jimmy.
- Gary, three.
- Yes.
Okay.
All right, let's make this interesting.
I'm in for a buck.
I see that. I see that.
I see that,
and you see this.
Eddie:
El Paso.
- Check it out.
- How are you doing, beautiful?
- Can I buy you a drink?
- Thanks, I'm leaving.
I see your buck
and I bump you a buck.
Oh.
Read 'em and weep, Jimmy boy--
queen high flush.
Not so fast, Hadfield.
Not so fast.
Full boat,
aces and eights.
Your ass is nailed to the wall--
to the wall.
Jimmy, you are the luckiest son of a
bitch on Lockridge Air Force Base.
And you are the ugliest son of
a bitch on Lockridge Air Force Base.
Eddie: Jimmy, my man,
how about a loan?
- Jimmy: Uh, sorry. I'm a little short.
- You're a little shit.
Excuse me.
Could I buy you a drink?
I don't see why not.
What'll you have?
A beer.
A beer. Two beers.
So what's the gag?
There's no gag.
Hey, it's not that I haven't been
picked up in a bar before,
but who put you up to this?
You did.
You called me last night.
I'm Teri McDonald.
I've been hanging around
this place all night.
I was just about to go back to the motel
when I recognized your voice.
Your name's Jimmy?
You did call me, right?
I couldn't sIeep
after you hung up,
so I got on a plane
and flew down here this morning.
I've been walking around this base
all day and no one seems to know
anything about any work
involving chimpanzees.
Look, you were right to call.
If someone sent Virgil here,
they made a big mistake.
Listen, they're doing
top-secret work here.
If anybody knew that I even talked to
you, I could be charged with treason.
Okay, if I can't talk to you,
who can I taIk to?
Nobody. Listen, the best thing
for you to do
is you just get on a plane
and-- and go home.
No, no, wait a minute.
You called me.
Now maybe you shouldn't have,
but you did.
Somebody lied to me.
They told me he was gonna end up
in some zoo in Houston.
I didn't spend three years
of my Iife training him
to have him end up being tortured
in some military laboratory.
No, he's not being tortured. Nobody said
anything about torture, okay?
They don't put chimps
up in satellites anymore, right?
And I don't think that the air force
is into medical research.
- What am I supposed to believe?
- I don't know.
I don't know.
I can't help you.
- I'm sorry. I gotta go.
- What?
I don't know. I don't mean
to be rude, so excuse me.
They're here.
Garrett, take your pilot
down to the flight chamber
on the double, okay?
Let's hustle.
- She got married?
- She got married, yeah.
- No.
- She did.
Come on, Garrett, on the double.
Go, go, go on.
( whimpering )
- ( screeching )
- Come here.
Krieger: Come on, Garrett.
Let's not keep them waiting.
Garrett.
- No.
- What?
I'm not gonna do it.
Are you out of your mind?
Do you have any idea what
you're doing? Now come on.
What the hell's going on here?
We're all right, sir.
Just a little disagreement.
Niles: He kept the wing to see
that he got a good cockpit.
( men laughing )
Niles:
This is the vivarium.
This facility serves
as the recruits' barracks
during the rigorous
training period.
Designed with an eye toward
cost-effective animal housing...
Robertson.
...the vivarium was built expressly
for our pilot performance project,
which is affectionately known
around here as Project X.
Our staff of animal trainers
and technicians
has been hand-picked
and specially trained
to deal with the full spectrum
of program requirements.
Senator: When you say
"cost-effective"... ( indistinct )
Give it to me.
Niles: Senator, since the program's
inception over seven years ago,
we've averaged a yearly expenditure
of approximately $1 .8 million.
This figure includes
the cost of animal acquisition,
personnel training,
the constant modification
and upgrading
of our simulations,
as well as the continued development
of the primate equilibrium platform,
the simulator used
to train them.
When you factor in the benefits
for the defense industry
in terms of what we learn here
about pilot performance...
Come on, buddy.
Let's go.
Niles: ...ensure the viability of
the bomber force for years to come.
Now if you'll follow me, let's head on
down to the flight chamber.
( Virgil whimpering )
Gentlemen, our strategic
bomber force is under attack
from those who question its
survivability in a nuclear conflict.
They claim the piloted bomber
has become obsolete.
It is our goal to demonstrate
the continued value
of the bomber force
in our nuclear triad.
We hope to accomplish this by
studying the effects of radiation
on man's closest
genetic relative.
Here in the flight chamber,
we expose the subject
to the effects
of an atomic blast,
then chart his ability to continue
flying a simulated bombing run
lasting from six to 10 hours.
Man: Just how similar to us
are these chimps?
Niles: The genetic characteristics
of chimpanzees
are over 98% identical
to those of man.
All the major functions--
cardiac, respiratory,
central nervous system--
are virtually the same as ours.
They're as close as you can get
without actually being human.
Man #2: Why don't you just use
the monkeys in the real planes?
Man #3: It'd sure as hell save
some tax dollars.
( men laugh )
Dr. Carroll: The point of the training
program, gentlemen,
is to develop skills
in our primate subjects
which approximate those required
by human pilots
to complete their missions.
Now what you're going to see
is a typical exposure run
which will measure the performance
decrement to the subject
after an ionizing radiation insult.
Gentlemen, we'll wear
our protective lenses
throughout the duration of
the demonstration, if you will, please.
Lieutenant, could we have
a little daylight, please?
Yes, sir. We are airborne.
- Man #2: Safety interlocks disengaged.
- Roger.
The pilot will be exposed to a dose
of 3500 rads.
...if he took off within 2.5 miles
of ground zero.
Man #2:
Reactor armed.
If there are no further questions,
gentlemen,
I suggest we get started.
- ( door slams )
- Jimmy: I have a question.
Sir, if we've proven
that our pilots can retaliate,
why does this chimp
have to be irradiated?
In this program, gentlemen,
we're exploring
every possible scenario
of nuclear war.
Now, there's a big difference
between a pilot
who flies through
a radioactive cloud
and one who is caught
in a 20-megaton blast.
Sirs, this chimpanzee--
there's one thing
he doesn't know.
If he's exposed to radiation,
he'll fly just like we taught him to,
but a human pilot
won't fly the same
because he'll know
that he's dying.
Dr. Carroll: All right, Garrett, you've
had your say. You're dismissed.
Jimmy: Haven't you've learned
everything that you're gonna learn?
- Garrett, that is enough.
- How many do we have to kill?
Garrett, this is not the time
or the place to go into this.
Admittedly, these are
very interesting points.
However, they've all been
dealt with before.
All right, gentlemen, I suggest we break
and pick this up in the morning.
We have a cocktail reception scheduled
in a half-hour at the officers' club.
And, gentlemen, we can just leave
our books and our glasses
right here on our chairs
until tomorrow. Thank you.
All right, reinitiate the exposure run
in the morning.
Yes, sir.
Reinsert safety interlocks.
Garrett, that's it for you.
You're finished.
You pick up your gear
and you get the hell off of my base.
And if I ever catch you
anywhere near here again,
so help me God, you're gonna finish
your tour of duty in a military prison.
You understand that?
And that is a promise.
- Man: Report reactor status.
- Man #2: Reactor secure.
Man: Roger.
We're gonna take him in
for a landing
and recommence the exercise
at 0800 hours.
Man #2: Roger.
Initiating landing pattern.
Thank you. Now to get to the airport,
I go right?
Two lights, make a right
and then make a Ieft.
She's not going to the airport.
You're not going to the airport.
Yes, I am.
I'm going to Washington.
I told the National Health Foundation
what's going on here,
and they're outraged.
That won't do any good.
It's a hell of a lot better
than doing nothing.
You don't have that much time.
I'm gonna get you Virgil, but you have
to get him out of here tonight.
( chittering )
We'll come out of
that door there.
Hey, don't worry about it.
He'll make it over.
Bye.
( insects chirping )
Man on TV: Miller inbounds
the ball to Peterson.
He brings it down court
looking for Boddington
who has the hot hands.
And he gets him at the top of the cage.
Man #2: Oh, now somebody
better get on him.
- Get on him. Damn.
- Swish. Two points.
Pay up the money.
I got two for you right here, Frohman.
Watch the game.
Miss, come with me, please.
Man on TV: This Blue Devil team
is a lot more experienced...
( alarm beeping )
( monkeys chittering )
- Now get down.
- ( crackles )
( howling )
Dr. Carroll:
Everybody stay back.
( crackles )
( screeching )
- ( screeching )
- Teri: Look out.
Dr. Carroll:
Go. Move it, move it.
Get the door.
Somebody get that door open.
Look lively, everybody.
Let me speak
to Sergeant Krieger.
Don't go anywhere.
Well, wake him up, for Chrissakes.
This is Dr. Carroll.
Teri:
Virgil. Virgil.
Virgil.
It's me.
Come on.
( laughs )
( squeaking )
( Razzberry blows raspberry )
This is Lieutenant Voeks at
the Strategic Weapons Research Center.
I'm sorry to bother you, ma'am.
It is late, yes, but I need
to speak to Colonel Niles.
Lieutenant, I don't think there's
any need to bother the Colonel.
Sir, sorry to bother you.
Yes, it's 0400 hours, sir. I'm sorry,
but we have a phase-three control
problem with the research animals
and a peripheral penetration
in the main complex.
And, well, to tell you the truth,
sir, actually,
there are monkeys
all over the place, sir.
Damn.
( growls )
Here.
Through here.
Oh, shit.
( beeping )
- Jesus Christ, the reactor's up.
- Thank you, sir. We can see that.
I'm showing Delta T-170.
Punch up the flight chamber.
Jimmy: Come here. Winston, Winston,
give me your hand.
Give me your hand.
Now come on, get out of here.
Spike, get off.
Spike, get down.
Spike, Spike, put it--
get off, Spike.
Get going.
Get out of here.
Goliath.
Come on, Goliath, come here.
- Man: Evacuate the area.
- Come on.
- Airman, evacuate the area.
- ( alarm beeping )
Goliath, come on.
Goliath, Goliath, come here.
Come on.
Voeks: Core temperature
is rising.
We're gonna have to
close it up right away.
T-200. It's gonna pulse.
Man over P.A.: We're locking
the chamber. Evacuate now.
- Just come here.
- Evacuate now. Evacuate now.
Garrett, get the hell
out of there, man.
- Teri: Jimmy.
- Goliath, come on. Come on.
- Man: 10 seconds to pulse.
- Teri: Jimmy.
- Goliath, come here. Come here.
- Nine, eight,
seven, six,
five, four,
three, two...
Voeks: 4300 rads released
in the flight chamber.
No contamination outside.
You okay?
Yeah.
( beeping )
What's the problem?
It's not going down.
Reactor override isn't functioning.
The circuits must be shorted out.
Unless we can bring
that reactor down,
it's just gonna keep on
generating heat.
Until what?
Dr. Carroll over P.A.:
Garrett, can you hear me?
Garrett.
Jimmy: Yeah.
Listen, there's been no leakage
outside of the chamber,
but you've got to get out of there.
We can't get the reactor down.
Jimmy: Yeah, I know. There's a fire
extinguisher jammed in it.
Garrett, evacuate the area
immediately.
We are looking at a possible
meltdown here, Garrett.
You've got to evacuate
immediately.
Garrett, do you understand
what I'm saying?
Garrett!
Hey, Goliath.
Hey, hey, come here.
Look what I've got.
Come here.
Come on, Goliath.
I got something for you.
Come here.
Come on.
Come here, Goliath.
Come here, look.
Look, come here.
Come here.
Look what I've got.
Come on, Goliath.
Look. Look what I've got.
Yeah, it's here. That's right.
That's yours.
Come on. Come on.
Look, you want it?
You want a cigarette?
You want it, Goliath?
Come here, Goliath, come here.
Look what I have for you.
Look.
You want it?
Want a cigarette?
Garrett, what the hell
are you doing?
You want the cigarette?
You want it?
Yeah? Good.
Look at it.
Not yet.
You go get that first.
Go get me that.
Bring me the red thing.
Bring it to me.
Goliath, go bring it to me.
Go on, Goliath.
Go on, bring it.
Go get it. Go get it.
That's good. That's good.
No, not that. No, not the plane.
The fire extinguisher.
No, put that down. Put it down.
Go get me the red thing.
The red thing-- go get it.
Go get it.
Bring me the red thing over there.
Go get it. Go get it.
Come on, Goliath, come on.
Come on, get the red thing.
Come on, Goliath, come on.
Jimmy.
This. Bring this back.
- Teri: Go get it.
- Just like this, Goliath. Go get it.
- That's it. Go get it.
- Go get it. Bring this. Go get this.
- Go get it. Go get it.
- Go get this.
Go ahead, get this. Bring me this.
Then I'll give you the cigarette.
- Go on and get that.
- Teri: Go get it.
Jimmy: Go get this.
Go get it.
Go, Goliath. Go get it.
Go get it. Go, go, go.
( chittering )
Bring it back.
That's good. That's right, pull it.
Dr. Carroll:
Go get the fire extinguisher.
- Come on. Come on.
- Pull that thing out of there.
All: Come on, pull it. Come on,
please, pull that thing out of there.
- Come on, baby.
- Get it.
Pull it. Keep pulling, Goliath.
Bring it.
- Bring it here.
- Goliath, that's good.
Pull it.
That's it. That's good.
- That's good.
- Good.
( whirring )
All right. All right.
Got it. Got it. All right, all right.
Dr. Carroll:
How are we?
We're okay.
No radiation leakage
outside the flight chamber.
Good, Goliath.
That's good.
Good.
Good, Goliath.
That's good.
Good.
That's good.
Thank you, Goliath.
Dr. Carroll: Good job, Garrett.
Are you both okay?
Yeah, we're fine.
Good. Now take your animal
back to the vivarium
and help get the others
back in their cages.
Dr. Carroll,
this is Teri McDonald.
She's the woman
who raised Virgil.
He never should have been
brought here.
We should let her
take him home.
Garrett, take your animal
back to his cage.
We'll talk about this tomorrow.
Is that clear?
Sir, can we just stop
and think about this?
Garrett, this is Colonel Niles.
Do exactly as Dr. Carroll says.
That's an order.
Yes, sir.
Well, go get your animals
back in their cages.
Let's get the hell out of here.
Okay, Ginger, give me your hand.
Okay.
This way, this way, this way.
( alarm beeping )
Oh, shit.
Come on, Goofy.
Come on, fellas.
- This way.
- Teri: Come on.
Jimmy: Come on, Goofy.
Come on.
- Jimmy: Easy.
- Teri: That's it, come on.
Jimmy: Easy.
Teri:
Come on.
Ah, shit.
Teri:
Come on.
Come on, come on.
- Where are the keys?
- They're in there.
- They're not there.
- I don't know. I left them in there.
- Aw, shit.
- ( siren wailing )
- What?
- That way.
- Come on. Come on, Goofy.
- What are we doing?
Come on. That's right, this way.
Come on, Ginger.
Come on.
There you go.
Come on, get in there, troops.
Jimmy, wait a minute.
This is an air force plane.
We can't just steal it.
Don't worry.
I do it all the time.
- Where are we going?
- As far as we can get.
That's right. You fly.
That's right.
You're my copilot, buddy.
( siren wailing )
Teri:
Come on, guys.
Come on. Come on.
Hurry. Hurry.
That's it. Come on.
( siren wailing )
Whoa.
Turn off your engine and come out
with your hands in the air.
( engine stops )
Exit the aircraft.
Soldier:
Let's go, honey.
( jet passes overhead )
Soldier:
Come on, let's go.
Move away from the aircraft.
Move it.
Let's go.
Over here, in the jeep.
Get in the back
of that vehicle now.
Let's go. Move it.
- Come on.
- Now.
Pilot: Unit 15,
air security Fox 2 here.
I'm holding overhead.
Do you require
any further assistance? Over.
Negative. The suspects are in custody.
Aircraft is secure.
Pilot: Roger, 15.
Security control advises
the handlers are en route
from the SWRC for the animals.
We'll remain at station.
Fox 2 over.
Roger. Copy, Fox 2.
We'll stand by for their arrival.
Hold your position for confirmation
of the all-cIear. Over.
Roger. Copy, 15.
Holding position.
Why not?
( mouths )
Roger, copy.
Fox 2 standing by.
( engine starts )
Air security, this is Unit 15.
We have a runaway aircraft
heading down Taxiway 3.
I repeat, Taxiway 3.
Pilot:
Roger. This is Fox 2.
I'm overhead, moving
into position. Over.
Tower: Aircraft taking the active,
this is Lockridge Tower.
Hold short. You are not cleared
for takeoff. Over.
This is Lockridge Tower.
You are not cleared for takeoff. Over.
Hold short. You are not
cleared for takeoff. Over.
Pal, your flying days are over.
You'd better answer me.
Go, Virgil!
Yeah!
Radar contact. Tower tracks them
heading southbound
towards Everglades.
Over.
Roger, Tower.
Breaking left for a 360.
I'll catch 'em at
the outer marker. Over.
( engine sputtering )
Pilot: Lockridge,
he's got a problem.
Tower: Roger, Fox 2.
We've got him over the Everglades.
Pilot: Losing power.
He's going in.
Tower:
Attention, all aircraft!
Lockridge Tower has an unidentified
aircraft down in the Everglades
Sir, the bottom is too soft.
We're gonna need
a boat to get out there.
Don't bother.
Sir, we're gonna have to bring in
some dredging equipment
- to salvage the aircraft.
- Take care of it.
- Yes, sir.
- What are they doing here?
Man: Sir, if we're able to recover
any of the animals,
we thought they could help us
round them up.
Niles: Get them the hell out of here
and cIear the area.
We've had enough of
a circus aIready.
Colonel, about Garrett, sir:
I'm not sure it's advisable
to press charges.
If this gets as far
as a court martial,
everything that went on here
last night is gonna be on record.
I know that.
Confine Garrett to quarters until I can
explain all this to the general.
Yes, sir.
All right, let's start
clearing the area.
You're reminded to hold everything
that you've seen out here
as confidential.
( monkey chittering )
Can I say something to her?
Make it quick.
Listen.
( whimpering )
What's the sign for free?
You--
free.
Go on. Go on.
( instrumental music playing )