Renaissance Man (1994) Movie Script

-Yeah
-Whats that
Yeah
Yeah
-Yeah
-Funky, funky
-How bout a big hand now
-Wait-Wait a minute
Groovy, groovy, jazzy, funky
pounce, pounce dance
As we dip in the melodic sea the rhythm
keeps flowing and drips to M.C.
Sweet, sugar pop
sugar pop, roxy pop
You dont stop
til the sweet beat drops
Im showin proof as I stick
and move, every poems recited on top of the groove
Smooth my floatin like a
butterfly, notes that are floatin sung like a lullaby
Brace yourself as the beat hits ya
dip trip, flip fantasia
[ Radio ]
-Yeah
-Whats that
-Biddy-diddy bop
-Yeah
Biddy-diddy bop
Funky, funky
funky, funky
-Would you like another muffin?
-No, thats, uh, fine.
[ Clears Throat ]
Just take one, please.
Ill give you another. They
check in, but they dont check-out. Billy Rago wrote that.
The guy was practically a god in New York.
Worked for all the heavy shops...
before we got him out here,
and Im telling you, we had to beg.
Its got to be the traffic.
Hes always on time.
Have another muffin.
Ill see what I can do.
-[ Man On Radio ] W-E-Z,
Detroit. The Big Wheeze.!
-[ Phone Rings ]
-Yeah?
-Where are you?
Where am I?
Take a look out the window.
Im parked in the middle of Jefferson.
-Ive been here for 20 minutes.
-What?
Its construction everywhere.
Theyre laying down cones.
Hey.! You had to pick today?
These guys are on a 1 0:30 back
to Chicago. Theyre not
the sitting-around types.
Im 500 yards away.
Cant you stall em? Give em a muffin.
Ive been stalling. We talked
about the Bulls three times.
They didnt like the muffins.
-Just put me on the speaker.
-What? No way.
-Ill pitch in on the phone.
Let me talk to these clowns.
-Okay.
Uh, were gonna try
a little modern science here.
We do it all the time.
-Bill, you still with us?
-Uh, yeah. Can they hear me?
Bill, I want you to meet Noah Bradley
and Peter Brosnan of Key Brands.
-Morning.
-Noah. Pete. Good to see ya.
Yeah, Bill, listen,
we really do have a plane to catch.
Hey, guys, I mean, cant you wait
ten minutes? Its not
the last flight out of town.
-Jack, flip up the first panel.
-Bill, I think--
Just flip up the first panel!
Jesus, a lab monkey could do that!
-Okay, now.
-Let me take you to the panels.
When you think of food wrap,
you think of America, baseball, Mom...
apple pie, the old west.
-Speaking of which, you should
be looking at a sheriff.
-[ Together] Yeah.
Yeah, well hes sittin there and
hes got his feet up on the desk, see.
Now, behind him, his jail cell
is covered with Key Brands food wrap.
Right? Now, we got
all this food inside tryin to escape.
We got an actor dressed up as a melon.
One is a wedge of cheese.
Another one is uh, um,
is a, uh, um, um--
-Another one is, uh--
-A sandwich.
Okay. A sandwich. Right.
And the sheriff smiles
into the camera and he says--
Blow it out your butt, tubby!
Thats right, wide load. Im talkin
to you, fatso. You guys arent fat?
Anyway, so the sheriffs lookin
right into the camera and he says...
Partners, theres only one way--
[ Static ]
"Key Brand--"[ Static Continues ]
"... Name that means qual--"
-[ Static ] You get a sheriff like...
-I think were having
a little phone trouble.
-the guy from Gunsmoke.
-Bill, youve gone into cell hell.
[ Woman ]
Hi, Im Joy.
If you want to be dominated, press one.
If you want to discipline me, press two.
-No, thats not Bill.
Weve got some crossover here.
-[ Man ] How many kilos?
Stop it!
Moms will love it. Dadsll love it.
Kids are gonna have shiny badges, boots.
Look, I may lose you in the elevator,
but Ill see you in a couple of seconds.
-[ Elevator Bell Rings ]
-You got me? Hello?
-One, two, three, four--okay.
-Good morning. Shorris-Grey Advertising.
Whoo! Traffic was a--
-[ Panting ] Where are they?
-[ Groans ]
Ill pack up your office.
I kept the boxes we moved in
with. Itll save a few bucks.
-[Jack ] Let me talk to him.
-[ Man ] Tell him to print up
some resumes.
His works slipping. Hes hostile
to clients. I couldnt believe it.!
A six-million-dollar account
and what do you got?
-You got two guys staring
at a speaker phone!
-What was I supposed to do?
You were supposed to be
working with professionals.
-Ive never seen a stunt
like that in my life.
-Paul, look.
The mans had a few personal setbacks
the last couple years.
[ Beeps ]
[ Man ] Yes, this is Evan from
You-Love-To-Rent Furniture.
You love to rent, but apparently,
you dont love to pay.
Our truck will be there at 9::00 a.m.
Thank you. [ Machine Beeps ]
Bill, its Jack. Listen,
Im making a few calls...
but I got to tell ya, you burned
a few bridges out there, pal.
Now, Im gonna try and line up
some freelance stuff next month.
Just stay in touch, okay?
Bye.
[ Machine Beeps ]
Mr. Rago, my names Akeem.
I deliver your Free Press.
You still owe me $ 1 1.50.
[ Machine Beeps ]
Hi, Daddy. Its me, Emily.
Daddy, I know youre probably
still at work, but, uh, listen.
I hate to ask you this, but Mom said
shes broke until next month...
and since you just got that big, new
Key Brands account, I had to ask you.
So, here it goes. Theres an eclipse
coming up in Mexico, and its a big deal.
My whole astronomy club
is going. If we get the ticket
early enough, itll be cheap.
This is really important to me.
I really, really want to go.
There it is. Thanks, Daddy.
[ Machine Beeps ]
[ People Singing ]
-Hey, buddy, you got two bits?
-No.
[ Harmonizing ]
Im flat broke but I dont care
[ Female Clerk ]
How many times I gotta tell you?
-You cant collect unemployment
if you dont look for a job.
-[ Grunts ]
[ Male Clerk ]
If you bring that in, well help you.
-Thank you.
-Next!
[ Exhales, Sighs ]
-You were in advertising, I see. Hmm!
-Yeah.
Princeton?
-Yeah.
-Guess that was before
it went co-ed. [ Laughs ]
My, my, schools like that, you think
theyd teach you how to read.
-Wrong line.
-What?
New claims are the two windows
at the end. You get that
stamped, you come back to me.
What are you, crazy?
Ive been here since 9:00.
So have I. Next!
-[ Female Clerk ] Number 1 25.
-[ Woman ] Okay.
-Youll hear from us. Next!
-Thanks.
You think theres a chance
I could get unemployment
before I get social security?
Have you previously collected benefits?
No. Ive always had a job.
Can you operate any industrial machinery,
farm equipment?
Yeah. That was a required course
in college. Theory of Plowing.
I have all day, Bill.
Now, why dont you tell me what
youd be willing to do?
If you give me a check,
Id be willing to cash it.
Come here.
Come here.
Now, this is your first time here, right?
A man your age. It cant be easy.
Youre humiliated.
Youre frustrated.
I see it on
a hundred peoples faces everyday.
And whether you believe it or not,
I feel for each and every one of em.
Now...
you can either help me help you,
or you can be an asshole...
in which case
Im gonna make you stand there
until you die and turn to dust.
So...
lets begin again.
Have you previously collected benefits?
No.
What would you be willing to do?
Milk cows.
Uh... shear sheep.
-Pluck chickens.
-All right, Bill.
A couple of weeks
youll hear from us. Next.!
[ Bill ] Smack it.! Run.!
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go.!
-Aw! Oh!
-Bang, bang, bang.
He cant run. Two million dollars a year,
he runs like Bill Clinton.
The eclipse, Dad. Mexico.
Come on, Emily.
You dont wanna go down there.
Its a hundred degrees.
You get held up at the airport.
-You probably wont get off the toilet
long enough to see it, anyway.
-Dad!
[ Bill Groans ]
Astronomy? Jesus, when are you
gonna grow up?
-I am growin up.
You know its what I wanna do.
-Damn!
Theres the path to big bucks.
Starin out into space. Look!
I discovered Venus. Pay me.
Astrology, maybe you could make
a few dollars doin peoples
horoscopes or somethin.
Why do you always have to be
such a jerk about all this for?
-Frozen malts.
-You want a frozen malt?
-No.
-Gimme two. Gimme two.
Em. Wait a minute. Em, come on.
Im sure youll find a very nice eclipse
to see around here someday.
-Yeah, in the year 2047!
-You want your pennant?
No, I just want you
to believe in me.
[ People Singing ]
-Hi, guys, how ya doin? Okay.
-Okay.
You feel like you wanna drown
-Next!
-Hi, Beverly.
-Bill. Good to see you.
-How are the kids?
-Great. Everythings great.
-Good.
-Hows your daughter?
-She hates my guts.
Surprise, surprise.
You know, its strange.
I dont like you either.
Yet somehow Im gonna miss you.
We found you a job.
There you go.
What do you think?
No, no, no, no. I--Beverly.
You got the wrong file.
When have I ever been a teacher?
Look, you got a masters degree.
That means you can teach.
No, it doesnt. No, it only means
hypothetically that I could.
Come on, Bill.
Now, its a good job. Six weeks.
A decent salary.
And you get to live there.
Bev-Beverly,
I-Ill get my head blown off.
Do you know how many kids
carry guns to school these days?
Hmph! In this case, all of em.
[ Chuckles ] I guess you didnt get
to the "where" part.
Must be the army
thats turning me on
Must be the army
thats making me strong
Yes, sir.
Sir. Halt.
-May I help you?
-Yeah.
I need directions
to the Army Education Center.
A.E.C.? Thats building 231 0.
Park your vehicle in the green zone,
step inside, get a pass.
Im runnin a little late.
Cant I drive somewhere?
Yes, sir. You can drive
to the green zone and get a pass.
Look, Im not even in the army.
I just have to meet--
Park in the green zone,
step inside, get a pass!
Right.
Green zone, inside, pass.
Youd probably get along good
with my ex-wife.
Im just a soldier, Sergeant
marching for you
[ Drill Sergeant ] I will not quit
until P.T. is through
-I will not quit
until P.T. is through
-Excuse me.
Excuse me. Im lookin for
the Army Education Center.
Captain Tom Murdoch.
Captain Murdochs not at the A.E.C.
Captain Murdochs at the A.R.C.
A.R.C., A.E.C.
You lookin for Captain Murdoch?
The A.E.C. is building 231 0.
-You want building 4475.
-447--
Look, heres what you do. You go right
here. Take another right at the P.X.
Go half a click til you see
the D.P.T.M. Center.
-Then take a left.
-P.M., P.X.
[ Sighs ]
D.P.T.M.
R.F.P.C.
Can I buy a vowel?
[ Ringing ]
Captain Murdochs office.
May I help you? Oh, hi again, sir.
-Can you hold?
-Okay, Sergeant, these are ready to go.
-Uh, sir.
-Bill Rago.
-Sorry to keep you waiting.
-Well, actually, I needed
to catch up on world events.
-That Gulf War thing
worked out for us, huh?
-Sure did.
Im Tom Murdoch. Welcome to Fort McClane.
Would you come with me, please?
-Give us a couple of minutes.
-Sir, the extra housing units.
Im workin on it.
They keep shutting down forts
on us and weve picked up
troops from every goddamn one.
I got 1 5 buses coming in
at 21 00. Fifteen!
-Bummer.
-Ive got that key somewhere.
Uh, uh... here it is.
Would you come with me, please, Bill?
-You mean, go?
-Yeah, after you.
-Ever been in the army?
-No.
Good. Ill show you around
and explain your job to you.
-The sergeant sent us a list of names.
-Next.
No go, they said.
These are the ones who cant hack it.
-None of em wanted the boot.
They all volunteered.
-Ouch!
-[ Groans ]
-Come on, Bill. It dont hurt
much. They all go through it.
Where was I? Thats when
Colonel James stepped in.
He put out a call to find the kids that
could best be served by this program.
-[ Panting ]
-Keep breathing.
-This is sick.
-Bill?
-You all right? What are they
gonna catch in Michigan?
Bill? Stay with me, okay?
The point is, their Drill Sergeants
out there in the field...
didnt have the time
to explain everything a
dozen times over to these guys.
As far as Im concerned, they
shouldnt have to. But thats
strictly between you and me.
-Okay.
-Hoo-ah, Drill Sergeant!
-I cant hear you!
-Hoo-ah, Drill Sergeant!
[ Capt. Murdoch ] So the squeakers
were talkin about are in your file.
-Why dont you just send
the squeakers home?
-Thats a darn good question.
Ask the colonel. He keeps insisting if
we can help em do push-ups...
we can give em a hand
in the brain department.
Thats where you come in, Wild Bill.
Youre it for these guys.
-The last chance saloon.
Sergeant Save-it.
-Is it much further?
-Whats this?
-Oh, isnt that a thing of beauty?
Thats our victory tower.
Biggest one in the country.
We give em physical confidence.
Doesnt do much good
if they got sawdust for brains.
What we need you to do is to
get em to think a little better
on their feet. Thats all.
-[ Screaming ]
-Oops.
Must be one of yours, Bill.
[ Laughing ]
Let me get this straight.
-The colonel selected these
eight kids for his program?
-Right.
-And you want me to teach
these guys how to comprehend?
-Yes, sir.
-Hard stroke left!
-[ Recruits Shouting ] Kill! Kill!
Are they saying kill?
-You betcha.
-[ Recruits ] Kill! Kill!
Victory Starts Here.
Thats Fort McClanes motto.
Novel.
Here it is, Bill.
Home sweet home.
-[ Recruits Singing ]
-They never stop singing.
What about my car and all my stuff?
Dont worry about a thing, Bill.
Its all taken care of.
Would you like to do the honors?
Yeah. [ Sighs ]
Ive died and gone
to Gomer Pyles house.
[ Murdoch ] Hes a marine, Bill.
What did I tell ya?
-[ Door Closes ]
-Bill.
Your bedroom with a closet
and a latrine are right over here.
-[ Bill ] Mmm, elegant.
-Come on. Lots to see.
And you were worried about your stuff.
All-purpose table.
And... you share this lovely kitchen
with the people next door.
-What?
-Its a Scandinavian thing.
Simplicity of design. Economy.
-Uh, the Swedes I think.
-You ever wonder why so many
of em blow their brains out?
[ Chuckles ]
Im gonna use that one.
Ill let you get washed up, Bill.
You got 40 minutes til your first class.
Cheer up, will you?
Youre serving your country now.
[ Door Closes ]
[ Exhales ] Im honored.
I won an advertising award.
What am I doin here?
[ Sighs ]
-Maybe I could hock it.
-[ Banging ]
[ Recruits Chanting ]
Hi. [ Chuckles ]
Im Bill Rago.
Uh, welcome to...
the first class
in basic comprehension.
[ Exhales ]
Ive never taught before...
and youve never thought before,
[ Chuckles ] so good luck to all of us.
[ Sighs ]
Oh.
[ Mumbles ] What am I gonna do?
-[ Man ] Left.! Left, right.
-[ Recruits ] Warriors.!
-Left! Left! Left, right!
-Warriors!
-Left.! Left.! Left, right.!
-One, two, Warriors.!
Left! Left!
Left, column right, march!
Left! Left!
Left, right, left.
Left! Left!
Left, right, left.
Squad, halt!
-[ Marching Stops ]
-Left, face!
Sir!
First squad reporting
for instructions, sir! Sound off!.
Sir, Private Myers, 1 02 4, sir!
Sir, Private Benitez, 7 061 , sir!
-Sir, Private Haywood, 389--
-Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
[ Chuckles ] Lighten up. Uh, you guys
dont have to do this.
This is just a class. Were not
invading Angola here. [ Chuckles ]
Uh--
-Um--
-Sir, permission to speak, sir.
-Yeah, sure, speak.
-Sir, what should we call you, sir?
Bill.
[ Clears Throat ]
Uh, si-sir! I think the private
means your rank, sir!
Well, I dont have one.
Im a civilian.
-Oh, man.
-What?
You got to be kidding me. They let
a civilian in here. I dont believe this.
To teach double-Ds? Who do you think
they gonna get, Colin Powell?
-[ Squad Leader ] Squad, sit.
-I aint no double-D, homeboy.
You speak for your damn self.
Wait, hold up. You in here
by accident? You somebody
special? I dont think so.
-Sit your dumb double-D ass
down, Haywood.
-Screw you.
-Asswipe.
-Screw you!
-[ All Chattering At Once ]
-You wanna sit down or you
want me to sit you down?
Haywood!
Haywood!
-Stop it.!
-Whoa, whoa.
-Guys, guys.
-Haywood, sit down. Yo, yo.
-Sit down. Sit down.
-Thats Shaolin, see?
-Why dont you do something?
-What do you want me to do?
Haywood, sit down.
Haywood, sit down.
Hey! Hello? Hello!
-[ All Chattering At Once ]
-[ Whistling ]
What the hells goin on here?
-That dumb-ass hillbilly
talkin that bullshit.
-Look at your dumb ass.
Haywood, please!
-Look, you dont wanna be here
and I dont wanna be here.
-You got that right.
So lets just make
the best of this, okay?
God! Squeakers.
And whats a double-D?
The whole fort calls us double-Ds.
[ Barking Continues ]
[ Howling ]
All right, Im supposed
to take attendance now.
So, uh, help me out, all right?
[ Whispers ]
Ill help you out.
-Benitez, Donald.
-Yup, yup.
Thats me. Present.
New York City, New York.
-[ Scoffs ] Who would a guessed?
-Youre killin me, Haywood.
-[ Haywood ] I just might.
-Haywood.
Here we go. Tommy Lee.
Present, sir. Tommy Lee Haywood.
Willacoochee, Georgia.
Is that as small as it sounds?
-No, sir.
-Sooey.!
Small? This boy grew up in a cave.
His mother come downstairs every morning.
[ Stomping ] Tommy Lee.
Time for breakfast. Run on out there
and scrape up a squirrel.
Were gonna have us
a "roadkill omelette".
Aaah, back at ya.
[ Bill ] Hobbs, Roosevelt.
-Uh, it says here youre from Detroit?
-Mm-hmm.
-What part?
-The part you drive through doin 85.
-Been there.
-Mm-hmm.
-Is anybody else from Detroit?
-Hoo-ah.
-Yeah.
Miranda Myers, it says Cleveland here.
Yeah, I lived there too. I lived
in Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Miami, L.A.
-Seattle.
-Any particular reason?
My mother liked to drive.
-Sound like she liked that
back seat kinda right too.
-Excuse me.
-[ Bill ] All right, all right.
-[ Groans ] Yo!
-Now, you deserved that.
-True.
-She hit harder than you, Haywood.
-[ Haywood ] Very funny.
Leroy Jackson.
Yes, sir. Um, but thats
Jackson Leroy, sir.
Oh, sorry. It says here
you play football.
-Yes, sir. Well, I--I did for a while.
-All-state.
-Yeah. Um--yeah.
-This boy was all-planet.
I seen him one time pick off
a pass and go 90 yards through
the other team like, bang.!
Left em all on the field.
Dead. This boy got skill.!
Gimme some love, kid.
Two times. Go ahead,
sit on down, Heisman boy.
You should a won the Heisman.
-What?
-Uh--
Brian Davis, Junior, sir.
Grand Forks, North Dakota.
-Hey, Bill. Ask him about his daddy.
-Yeah.
Shut up, Benitez!
-My daddy was the bravest
and neatest soldier...
-[ Bill ] Hey.!
-in the whole wide world.
-Everybody shut up! God!
Um, Melvin, Mel.
Charlotte, North Carolina.
Melvin Melvin?
-[ Snoring Lightly ]
-Is he up?
Mel. He does this
sometimes, Bill. Mel.
Hey, Bill, he was at the B.R.M.
yesterday in the hole
with his rifle, just like this.
-[ Snores ]
-And youre--
Me? Montgomery, Jamaal,
from Detroit, Michigan.
Jamaal, you mind letting
these people speak for themselves?
How he gonna speak?
That boy droolin down his chest.
None of the others are.
You got a wise comment for everybody.
Bill, whats the matter?
Im tryin to help you. Im
your assistant. Whats what?
-Yeah, well youre succeeding
in bein an asshole.
-Aw, thank you!
Hey, he cant do that.
You cant do that. You cant
do that. You cannot do that.
-It says in the rule book--
-Thank you.
Shut up! No soldier shall
be singled out for abusive
mistreatment of any kind!
-Thats regulation.
Leroy, I want a new teacher.
-Shut up.
-Shut up?
-Shut up.
[ Bill ] All right, all right.
[ Sighs ] So much for attendance.
So, Mr. Rago,
what are you gonna teach us?
Thats a good question.
Anybody got any ideas?
How bout teachin
somebody to get a job?
Uh--
Everybody will read something.
What?
Not for nothin, I mean,
I dont see any books.
Maybe you do, but I dont.
-You know what Im sayin.
-All right.
Then well all write something.
Would you hand these out for me?
-[ Benitez ] Hoo-ah.!
-Here you go. Thanks.
Um... start now and have these ready
for the next class.
Uh, write about... why youre here.
-This is where they told us to come.
-No.
I mean the magical twist of fate
that prompted you to gravitate...
toward this institute of imbeciles.
What?
Write why you joined the army.
Why I joined the army.
[ Chuckles ]
[ Montgomery ] I joined to be
with you, Billy boy.
Do you want us to,
like, write that at the top, sir?
W-Why I joined the army?
[ Sighs ]
-[ Bugle Playing Reveille ]
-[ Groans ]
[ Troops Shouting ]
-[ Bangs Table ]
-[ Groaning ]
[ Shouting Continues ]
What the hecks goin on here?
What the heck is goin on
at 4:30 in the morning?
[ Shouting Continues ]
I hate this place!
A bunch of banshees.!
What? You have to do this here?
On my lawn? Cant you take it
six blocks down the road?
What are you doin here?
Aw, thats it. I cant stand
this job. Im outta here.
Platoon, attention!
More P.T., Drill Sergeant!
More P.T.! We like it! We love it!
We want more of it! Make it hurt,
Drill Sergeant! Make it hurt! Hooo!
[ Bill ] Find me something.
Ill do it for free. If they
like it, they can pay me.
Ill work nights. Nobody
sleeps around here anyway.
No, no, no, youre not listening to me,
Jack. Youre not listening.
Screw my pride! Ill take anything.
Ill write papers for your children.
Do you hear this?
[ Shouting Continues ]
Its the sound of hell.
Seven... eight...
nine... ten...
eleven.
[ Troops Shouting ]
Go, Navy!
[ Grunts ]
[ Chattering ]
Eat your beans, Haywood.
-[ Chuckles ] Oh, why bother?
-Dont, no, no.
Pay him no mind, Tommy Lee.
-You took it all. Now eat it all!
-Eat, eat, eat, eat.
You got more than me.
I could kick his ass.
I could kick his ass.
I could definitely kick his ass.
Double-Ds. Dumb as dogshit.
-[ Girls Laughing ]
-Dumb, huh?
Well, let me tell you somethin.
Id rather be a double-D...
than a swinger
from the ugly tree, you fat pig.
[ Girls ] Oooh!
[ Laughing ]
Youre bad.
Nice goin, Myers.
-Swingin from the ugly tree? Damn.
-[ Laughs ]
[ Drill Sergeant ] Anything left
on your plate, well do extra push-ups.!
You know, Mel, cling peaches
were my daddys favorite.
Gimme a break, will ya, Junior?
My daddy this.
My daddy that. How many freakin times
do we have to hear about your daddy?
Eat! Eat! Eat!
Eat! Eat!
We eat now, we taste it later!
-Where did all this
freakin food come from?
-Eat! Eat it!
-[ Chattering ]
-All right, who wants to start?
Nobody?
[ Snorts ] I thought this was
the volunteer army.
You tryin to diss us? You cant do that.
Leroy, tell him he cant do that.
-Shut up, asshole.
-Naw, man, hes dissin you.
Why you startin with me, inbred Jed?
Sit over there and shut up.
Montgomery, you finished? Is that
the end of the intelligent repartee?
All right. Why dont we begin
with Haywood?
How come I got to go first?
Because youre from
Wallahoochee, Georgia.
-[ Montgomery ] Get up there, boy.
-Willacoochee, Bill.
Willacoochee.
Theres these woods
behind our trailer park.
This old guy lives
in the woods there...
and everybody in town
swore he was crazy.
-""He showed me how to hunt...
-[ Yawning ]
how to be real quiet
and how to listen.
He said he had seen everything
in the world there was to see.
And thats why he never wanted
to leave those woods.
Me and my daddy got laid off
at the paper mill.
""Whilst I spent about five
months watchin TV with my brothers...
I kept thinkin
of what the old man said.
Finally, I decided that I did
want to see more of the world...
than what was behind that trailer park,
so I joined up.
I liked living with my Aunt Mavis
in Chicago the best.
But last summer, my mother Ruthie
came back, and we drove to Atlanta.
She said we dont have to stay long,
but then she met a man and take off.
""I waited around for a while
for her to come back...
but everybody keeps sayin
just go on home.
I dont know where that is.
""So I take the bus to Cleveland
and spend two days staring at
the poster behind the driver...
that said, Be All You Can Be.
""So I think about that for a week...
and then I think...
I gotta be somewhere, so here I am.
[ Montgomery ]
""In my crib...
there aint never been a time
when we eat, or sleep, or nothin.
You know, everybody just runs
around crazy. Half the time
I dont even know who they are.
[ Scoffs ]
I must be the only person
in the world to join the army...
so hed know exactly what time
he was eatin lunch.
I wanted to learn a new trade.
-Sergeant Cass.
-Afternoon, sir.
-[ Bill ] Brian Davis, Junior.
-Sir, yes, sir.
[ Clears Throat ]
Why I joined the army...
I wanted to be in the army
for as long as I can remember.
""I never really knew my dad cause he
died in Vietnam when I was a baby.
His name was Brian too.
My whole life my mama
showed me pictures of him...
and read me his letters
and told me how he was a hero.
-Bullshit, man. He wasnt no hero.
-He was so!
-How you gonna prove that?
You got no proof.
-Hey, hey, hey.
-[ Davis ] I dont need proof.
-Get it through your thick skull.
Your daddy was no hero.
-[ Myers ] Shut up.!
-Read my lips. Hes selling you a dream.
-Would you knock it off
and let him finish?
-[ Davis ] My mom told me.!
-[ Benitez ] Your mommy made it up.
-[ Haywood ] Cut it out.!
Go ahead.
She told me about how he was a hero.
He died for his country.
I think that if my daddy
was alive today...
hed want me
to be in the army too...
[ Crying ]
so I could learn to be brave.
Im sorry.
Thats okay. Its all right.
Take it easy.
[ Clears Throat ] So, um--
I guess the real reason
I, I joined the army...
was to get a better education
so I could get a better job.
And thats why. "
When I was a kid, I used to
love summers cause there was no school.
[ Montgomery Laughs ]
"I had to baby-sit my kid sister,
but I didnt mind too much.
I mean, wed fight a lot but, you know,
mostly we just used to kid around.
She wanted to be a dancer.
She was pretty good too.
One day a couple
of summers ago, I sent her up
to the store to buy some milk.
Now, the bullet was meant for the dude
comin out of the store...
""I still miss her a lot, but I always
miss her more in the summer.
After that I decided that being part of
a gang didnt seem like such a good idea.
So I joined this gang.
That good enough, Mr. Rago?
Yeah.
-[ Man ] How you doin, sir?
-Lets have a coin check.
[ Bill ] Can I have a Dewars, please,
with seven aspirin back?
-Seven aspirin? You okay?
-Catch you later.
Yeah. Oh, Jesus.
I mean, some of the stories these kids
have. I cant--I cant believe it.
Its really somethin, huh?
Everybodys got a story.
You wanna hear my story, Bill?
[ People Chattering ]
Not now, Tom. Some other time.
Well, you know what I think?
Whats that, Tom?
You see, after their families
let em down, they go to
whats left of their schools.
The teachers are underpaid.
Theyre scared, so they stop teaching.
But that doesnt stop em from
handing out high school diplomas
like they were toilet paper.
So that means we gotta take em.
Country better shape up soon, though.
Were going to hell in
a handcart. But thats strictly
between you and me, right?
Yeah. [ Knocking Bar]
Could I have my aspirin, please?
[ Drill Sergeant ]
Swing up and stand on--No.!
-Stand on the log! You ready to quit?
You ready to quit?
-No!
-No, Drill Sergeant!
-Get the hell back up there!
This is not that complicated.
Forty-one, Drill Sergeant.
No, Private, its not 41 .
Youre reading the wrong
numbers. Read the red numbers.
-One, two, three--
-[ Groans ]
-Youve got to be kiddin me.
-No, Drill Sergeant.
Three weeks, motor mouth.
Three weeks, you have yet
to show me a real push-up.
-I expect to get this one pretty good.
-Theyve all got to be good!
Two fingers. Thats what its supposed
to be, two fingers.
-Understand that, Private Myers?
-Yes, Drill Sergeant.
[ Drill Sergeant ] Keep movin, Benitez.
All the way to the end. Dont stop.!
Come on, get back to the line! Go back
to the start of the line! Hurry up!
Youre gonna make it, Benitez.
All right, times up.
Who wants to talk about
what they read?
-Benitez, come on up here.
-All right.
[ Chuckles ]
-What are you readin? Okay.
-Archie comic.
I mean, whats up with Jughead?
Archies got Betty.
And you got Reggie with Veronica.
I mean, whats up with Jughead?
In my neighborhood,
it didnt matter how ugly
you were, you always had a girl.
I dont know whats the matter
with this guy. Another thing,
you guys maybe could help me.
-Mr. Rago, hold on a sec.
Uh, here it is.
-[ Groans ]
Come on, Archie, lets go
to the malt shoppe. What
the hells a malt shop-ee?
-[ Montgomery ] Benitez.
-Whats a malt shop-ee? You guys know?
Bring your stupid ass over here.
-Whats the matter with you?
-What do you mean?
-What are you doin
readin a comic book?
-He said bring anything.
-I bought a comic book.
I like comic books.
-Knock it off.
-Youre here for education,
not to read comic books.
-Youre embarrassing me, boy.
-Thats stupid.
-You could a got something else
at the P.X.
-Yeah, like Batman
or Superman or Spider-Man.
-Come on, shut up!
-[ Benitez ] They scare me.
-[ Sighs ]
-[ Montgomery Laughs ]
-Bunch of hyenas.
-Whats the book you got, Mr. Rago?
-This?
-Yeah.
-This is called Hamlet.
Hamlet. Yo, thats about
a little-bitty pig, right?
No, it aint about
a little-bitty pig!
Whats it about, Billy boy?
Its about... sex...
murder, incest...
-insanity.
-Ohhh.
-Shoot. Beats the hell out
of this garbage Im readin.
-Guns.
Sure does. Pretty much beats the heck
out of any book ever written.
-All right, Leroy.
-Yeah?
-What are you readin?
-Uh, Sports Illustrated. The
Faces in the Crowd section.
Why dont you tell us more about
your book? Sounds more interesting.
Yeah, who wrote it?
Well, it was written
by William Shakespeare.
You ever hear of Shakespeare?
-I heard of him. That guys in
Central Park every summer.
-Dude mustve got mugged a lot.
Hes been dead
for almost 400 years.
-See that? They killed him.
They killed him. New Yorkers.
-Yeah, yeah.
He wrote plays.
Plays. You know, like TV.
Without the box.
Mmm.
They didnt have any TVs
back then or movies.
Or that many books even.
So everybody went to the theater.
Everybody.
Kings, queens, right down
to the working stiffs.
-Why dont you read us some of that?
-Word.
Skip to the page with some incest so we
can make Haywood feel at home. Sooey!
No, you guys dont want
to hear about Hamlet.
What? What? What?
I guess were not smart enough.
-No, no, no, no. Its just very,
I dont know, its--
-[ Montgomery ] Here we go.
-What? Its just what?
-Its complicated.
So? Were here. Were listenin.
[ Clears Throat ]
Sit down.
Okay, okay.
All right, heres the deal. Um--
Hamlet is, uh...
uh, hes a prince.
All right. And, uh...
-and hes away at college.
-[ Montgomery ] Rich kid.
Right? And he, he gets word
that his father died.
-Oh, no, Davis, please,
dont start cryin.
-Leave me alone, Benitez!
-Forget about it.
-Benitez, shut up, all right?
-Chill.
-Go ahead.
All right, so he comes home
from college for the funeral.
And when he gets back,
everythings fishy.
All right?
You ever hear of the term,
something is rotten
in the state of Denmark?
Naw, but in apartment 3-C,
my building, Miss Leary...
every Thursday, she always cooks
the corned beef and cabbage.
-Mm-hmm.
-Something sure smells rotten
in the state of New York.
All right.
Thats the same kind of thing.
-That was dumb. That was really dumb.
-Leave him alone, man.
He gets back, and hes in mourning...
and less than a month goes by
and his mother gets remarried.
-Damn.
-To his uncle.
-[ Everybody Gasps ]
-Thats the incest part.
Okay? So, now, Hamlet spends
the rest of the play trying to decide...
whether hes got the guts
to go after his uncle the king...
and avenge his fathers death,
or if he wants to just...
go with the flow and do what his mother
is tellin him to do.
-Naw.
-Dont go out like that.
So, where I am in the play,
[ Clears Throat ]
Hes with his mother and the king
and shes trying to cheer him up.
And she says...
Good Hamlet,
cast thy nighted color off...
and let thine eye
look like a friend on Denmark.
Do not forever with thy veiled lids
seek for thy noble father...
-in the dust.
-[ Montgomery ] What?
-Hey, you wanna lay that
down one more time?
-Please.
Well, its--its really easy.
You just gotta listen, all right?
Cast thy nighted color off.
Well, what color do we wear at a funeral?
-Black.
-Black!
-A nighted color.
-Shes tellin him not to wear
black, to stop mourning.
-[ Bill ] Right?
-[ Hobbs ] Right.
It says, Let thine eye look like
a friend on Denmark.
Which means shes sayin
dont glare at me as though you hate me.
Why should he? His fathers
bodys not cold yet and shes
given the punnani to UncleJoe.
Something like that.
Only its Uncle Claudius.
-What the hell is a punnani?
-[ Montgomery ] Cave boy
never heard of punnani.
Hey, Mr. Bill, when my daddy split
on my mama, he moved in...
with her sister,
who is, of course, my auntie.
And I got a baby cousin
whos also my baby sister.
Thats sort of the same thing.
Mel speaks.
[ Chuckles ]
[ Applause, Whistling ]
-Glad to have you, Mel.
-I got a question.
-Yes?
-Now, if look like a friend
means dont hate me...
why dont she say dont hate me?
-Because its poetry.
-But it dont even rhyme, yo?
Yeah, but its like, you know, uh--
Its language. Its trying to put things
together that evoke...
a certain--
It sounds better.
What do you mean?
I mean, it doesnt sound like
anything to me. I dont get it.
Yeah. Come on, Teach, teach us.
Its--all right.
Its a simile.
-A what?
-A simile. All right, here.
-[ Benitez ] A simile.
-Yeah.
[ Montgomery ] Thats a little
yellow face with a smile on it.
Um--
-[ Melvin ] Si-mi-le.
-Simile.
Its, uh...
when you take two things...
that, um... dont seem alike...
but in a way, they are.
-Huh?
-[ Leroy ] Hmm?
All right. All right, were lookin
for a simile. Haywood.
Um...youre, uh--
Youre workin in the mill and, uh...
you come home
or youre on your way home.
You go to a bar, you stop
for a brew. Down at the end
of the bar is a beautiful woman.
And she winks at you.
All right?
You go to her like--fill in the blank.
-[ Mumbling ] I dont know.
-Like a rooster with an itch!
[ Class Chuckles ]
Like a rooster with an itch.
Way to go, Davis.
You gotta love those barnyard similes.
All right, that was simile.
Now, heres somethin else. A metaphor.
-All men are--
-Dogs.
Dogs! Okay, you got it?
Simile: like dogs.
Well, heres metaphor.
We just plain are... dogs.
Okay? All right.
Now, this is a good one here.
-All right, lets see.
-[ Writing On Chalkboard ]
-Oxymoron.
-[ Montgomery ] Hold up.
Hold up, hold up. You cant do that.
That is a diss. I aint no oxmoron.
No, no, no, no.
Not oxmoron, schmuck. Oxymoron.
Its when you take two words
that are totally the opposite
and you jam em together.
All right? Like, uh...
military intelligence.
Dark victory.
Thunderous silence.
Hmm?
Girly-man.
-[ Class Chuckling ]
-He talkin about you, Benitez.
-[ Benitez ] Youre killin me.
-Okay. So, lets end
the class with, uh...
an oxymoron from Shakespeare himself,
Parting is such sweet sorrow.
If you say so.
-Take it easy, Billy boy. Two times.
-[ Leroy ] Fall in outside.
-Thanks, Mr. Bill. See you tomorrow.
-Hoo-ah.
Thanks, Mr. Rago. That was neat.
-Take care, Bill.
-Take it easy, Rocko.
Im teachin Shakespeare.
[ Chuckles ]
That is, uh,
Parting is such sweet sorrow.
All right.
Readin Hamlet to the double-Ds.
Come on!
-Ive been waitin for this!
-[ Troops Shouting ]
-Beat him down! Lets go!
-Kick his ass!
Come on!
[ Grunts ]
[ Helicopter Passing Overhead ]
-Hey! Hey!
-Huh?
You must be Bill.
-Yeah, thats me.
-Yeah.
-You dont seem to mind them calling
you that. Okay if I do the same, Bill?
-No problem.
Bill, Id appreciate it if youd employ
a bit more discipline in your classroom.
Would that be too much to ask?
I mean, this isnt Harvard yard.
This is a military--
-Whoa, whoa, Lou, take it easy.
-Who the fuck is Lou?
Whats your problem? Im just
walkin here. You got a bug up your ass?
You know what I think, Bill?
I think your whole class thing
is a bunch of bullshit.
-I think youre wastin my time.
-Your time?
-Thats right.
-Its their class. I dont see
you in the class, so lighten up.
Their time is my time, Bill.
Now, I have exactly 54 days
to teach these young kids...
what it takes to save lives
in combat, in combat, Bill!
Now, I dont think
theyre gonna learn that...
writing a bunch of touchy-feely little
papers for the English teacher. No.
Theyre gonna learn that out here
with me! Im gonna be certain of that.
Now, thats my mission, Bill.
And I can handle it cause its my job.
Yeah, well, you do your job
and Ill do mine.
You know what the difference here,
Bill, is? I care about what I do.
[ Troops Continue Shouting ]
Do him, Haywood.
-[ Class Chattering ]
-Lady and gentlemen, its show time!
[ Montgomery ]
Oh, show time at the Apollo.
-Whats this?
-This is Hamlet.
I figured that since we have
to do something, we might as
well do something that I love...
and that you showed
a little bit of interest in, so... here.
-Put your desks in a circle
facing each other.
-[ Chattering ]
You mean you want us
to read this stuff?
Yeah, Benitez, even you could do it.
-Plus, it cost me nine bucks
to run those things off.
-Billy boy, it says here...
""Show me the steep and thorny
way to heaven...
uh, whiles--Willis, like...
the puffed and reckless libertinay.
-Libertine!
-Libertine. Hey, yo.
-You gonna come translate this for us?
-Why? Its in English.
-Uh-uh.
-Now... Roosevelt Hobbs...
-you be Hamlet.
-All right.
Benitez, youre gonna be
Hamlets best friend, Horatio.
-Thats cool, bro.
-Okay, Miranda Myers, you will be...
-Hamlets girlfriend, the fair Ophelia.
-She aint exactly fair.
-Quiet. Melvin!
-[ Hobbs ] Mighty fair to me.
Melvin! Mel.
Melvin, when you wake up,
you will be Polonius, Ophelias father.
-Leroy. Youll be
Ophelias brother, Laertes.
-Right.
-Montgomery, youre the ghost.
-The who?
-The ghost.
-[ Haywood Chuckles ]
You the ghost in the hood.
[ Mimicking Haywood ]
You the ghost in the hood. Goo-ooh.
-[ Blabbering ]
-[ Sighs ]
Haywood...
-youre the king.
-Thank you, Bill.
-Damn, I should have been the king.
-Davis.
You will be Queen Gertrude,
Hamlets mother.
-[ Class Laughing ]
-Sir, isnt that a womans part?
-Alas, Private Davis, we have
but one woman in our class.
-One.
But, sir, Id really prefer
another part.
Relax, Davis.
Youll be reassured to know...
that in Shakespeares day,
all the parts were played by men.
-What?
-Yeah. Thats right.
-Romeo and Juliet were a couple of guys?
-Correctamundo.
Bill, you know as well as I do
a guy playing a girl is plain filthy!
Especially if its gonna be my wife.
-Thats your woman.
-[ Haywood ] Shut up, Leroy.!
Oh, they say Jove laughs.
Oh, gentle Romeo.
""If thou dost love,
pronounce it faithfully.
Or if thou thinkest
I am too quickly won, Ill frown.
And be perverse.
And say thee nay.
So thou wilt woo.
In truth, fair Montague,
I am too fond, and therefore...
thou mayst think my behavior light.
But trust me, gentle man.
Ill prove more true than those
that have more cunning to be strange.
Hmm.
I should have been more strange.
I should have been more strange,
I must confess.
But that thou overheardst,
ere I was ware, my true love passion.
Therefore, pardon me, and not impute
this yielding to light love.
Which the dark night
hath so discovered.
You know, that shade of blue
really brings out your eyes.
-[ Laughing ] See?
-[ Class Laughing ]
-Hoo-ah.
-No problem. All right.
[ Troops Yelling ]
Lets go, ladies. Come on.
-Thats it, Baby Huey. Come on.!
-Move it!
Do not saw the air
too much with your aim thus.
[ Troops Yelling ]
[ Shouting ]
No, no, no, no.
Gimme that.
-You step in and then step in
with the right foot.
-All right, Drill Sergeant.
So, what Hamlets father,
the ghost, is tellin him...
that because he was killed...
poisoned in his sleep
in the afternoon...
with his sins still on his soul...
that he cant get a pass
straight to heaven.
All right, soldiers. Close your eyes
and break the seal of the mask.
-Do it!
-Keep your mouth closed...
-and do not inhale the gas
under any circumstances.
-Drill Sergeant.
Too easy, Drill Sergeant!
[ Coughs, Gagging ]
[ Grunting ]
All right, good, Melvin. See how good
it is when you stay awake?
Hamlets confronted his mother,
and she knows deep down in her soul...
shes gonna have these stains
forever on her soul.
Thats deep, man.
Stains on her soul.
-Way deep. Right?
-Mm-hmm.
[ Troops Shouting ]
Queen Gertrude.
[ Drill Sergeant ] Yeah. Yeah.
Too easy, Hobbs, eh?
Neither... a borrower...
nor a lender bef---before--"
No. For loan oft...
"Ioses both... itself and friend.
"And borrowing...
"dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all, to...
thine own self be true.
Melvin. All right, Melvin.
Stop. You can say the rest
when you come out of the coma.
Sit down. Look, look.
You gotta, you gotta say it...
to a beat, you know?
-Does anybody play the drums?
-[ Together] Hoo-ah.
-Both of ya?
-Mmm.
Whack this out on the desk.
Bop, bada, bop, bada, bop-bop-bop-bop.
Da, dada, dat,
dada, dat-dat-dat-dat.
Da, dada, dat, dada, dat-dat-dat-dat.
Come on, Haywood, get with it.
Give him time.
Hes a white boy.
Da, dada, dat,
dada, dat-dat-dat-dat.
You see, you say the lines
to the beat. And you--you hear it?
Um, do I hear em
bangin on the desk?
No, this, fool! Bop, bada, bop,
bada, bop-bop-bop-bop.
This above-- Get up.
This above all,
to thine own self be true. Say it.
This above all,
to thine own self be true.
[ Everybody ] This above all,
to thine own self be true.
This above all,
to thine own self be true.
This above all,
to thine own self be true.
This above all,
to thine own self be true.
-This above all,
to thine own self be true.
-Come on, Mel.!
-Come on, Mel.!
-This above all,
to thine own self be true.
-This above all,
to thine own self be true.
-Go, Mel, go!
This above all,
to thine own self be true.
-You got it!
-This above all,
to thine own self be true.
-Way to go, Mel! Gimme five! Mel Melvin!
-[ Class Cheering ]
Yee-haw!
One two three four
one, ho, three four
-Tiny bubbles
-Tiny bubbles
-In my wine
-In my wine
-Makes me happy
-Makes me happy
-Makes me feel fine
-Makes me feel fine
[ Haywood ]
Dont you tell my heart
-My achy-breaky heart
-[ Groans ] Thats cruel.
-Whoo!
-[ Hobbs ] Damn, Haywood.!
Oh, if you tell my heart
My achy-breaky heart
I just dont think
hell understand
-[ Hobbs ] Davis is thinking
about his daddy again.
-Ill cheer him up.
Hey, Davis, you should a seen me in there.
[ Imitating De Niro ]
Never got me down, Ray. Ya hear me?
-Never got me down, Ray.
-Whos that?
Jake LaMotta.
-Who?
-You never seen the movie Raging Bull?
-No, I missed that.
-You crazy?
[ As De Niro ] Hey, Larry! Whos
an animal, Larry, huh?
Your mothers an animal! Im gonna eat
your dog for breakfast, Larry!
-Ya hear me, Larry?
-Youre an animal.
What? Im an animal?
What are you, crazy?
Huh? Im not an animal!
-Im not an animal!
-Stop!
-Please stop. Stop.
-Okay.
-Okay.
-Thank you.
-All right, I got mail call!
-[ Men Shouting, Whooping ]
All right. We got Abney.
-We got Anderson.
-Right here.
-Judd.
-Ho!
Bonner. Whoa!
-Byrd.
-Look out!
-Montgomery.
-Oh, man.!
Montgomery. Montgomery.
Montgomery.
Ahh! Hey, give me that.
-Albrecht.
-See that, baby?
-Get out.
-We got Melvin.
-Melvin! Melvin!
-Melvin.!
Anybody home? [ Laughing ]
Ho! We got Ben.
We got Bartol.
-And we got Scott!
-Right here.!
-Thats it, fellas.
-[ Men ] Aw.!
Sorry, man.
Davis aint gettin no letter, Junior?
Look, I got one.
I aint got a letter yet.
You gotta read that to me.
-Has anybody seen my green socks?
-We all got green socks.!
Lets see what he has to say.
How ya doin. How ya doin.
How ya doin.
Lets see, uh--
Oh, listen. Dad put new
holleys on the Camaro...
so he could race it up at the speedway.
It was runnin like greased owl shit.
Hey, thats a simile, Mel.
That is a simile, aint it?
Damn right.
Lets see. Then Toby drove it last week
and threw a rod...
and Dad got mad and threw him
down the stairs.
This aint my real dad.
This is my step dad.
Things are sure different...
now that youre in the marines.
-Marines?
-Well, hes 1 2.
He gets em mixed up, ya know.
so I guess hes startin in
on his real kids.
Mel, what kind of Camaro has he got?
A Z-28?
Mel. You okay, Mel?
Mel?
[ Sighs ] I aint never
gonna hit my kids.
Oh, dont start
sleepin again, Mel.
You know it aint
gonna solve nothin.
[ Sighs ]
-Mama, mama, dont you cry
-Mama, mama, dont you cry
-Little boy aint gonna die
-Your little boy aint gonna die
-Oh! Aw, jeez!
-Whats the matter? Heart attack?
-Its the food, Im tellin you.
-Oh, Jesus!
Junior, where you goin?
-I gotta go back.!
-Were gonna be late! Junior!
Oh, no! Oh, no, no!
Stop! Stop! Stop!
-What?
-Wait, wait, wait!
-Jesus.
-Whats your freakin problem, Davis?
-My bag! My daddys bracelet!
-His what?
-Its a Montagnard bracelet.
He got it in Vietnam.
-He wore a bracelet?
Lots of soldiers wore em over there.
I left it in my shirt pocket.
Good, now itll be clean.
Come on. Lets go.
Come on, man!
What if it gets lost?
Please, you gotta help me, man.
Its all I got.
We gotta get this
to the quartermasters laundry on time.
[ Imitating Al Pacino ] I dont care.
Look for the bracelet, okay?
-All right. Whats his name?
-His name is Brian Davis, Jr.
-Come on, man. This is stupid.
-[ As Pacino ] Shut up, you!
I kill you, you cockroach!
Shut up!
Now look. I gotta touch
the dirty clothes, man? You kiddin me.
Please, please.
Yes! Yes!
Here it is.
Oh, man, thank you. Thank you!
Ten, nine, eight,
seven, six, five...
four, three, two, one!
Freeze! I said freeze!
What was that again?
What time is it?
Drill Sergeant!
Breakfast is at 0600, Drill Sergeant!
Zero six hundred.
Thats correct.
Which by my reckoning
has come and gone, has it not?
-Drill Sergeant.! Yes, Drill Sergeant.!
-Hi, Miranda.
[ Cass ] I dont know. Maybe its me.
I just cant seem to hear ya.
I dont hear that--
Benitez! Davis!
Front and center.!
You wouldnt happen
to have the time, would you, Private?
Sorry, Drill Sergeant.
Slight problem with the laundry.
Does this building look
like a Dennys to you, New York? Huh?
Show me where it says
breakfast served anytime.
Get on down there and push ten.
Who was I talkin to?
Was I talkin to you?
Drill Sergeant, I asked him to help me
find my daddys bracelet.
-My daddy! My daddy!
-My daddy sent it--
Your daddy aint here, son,
and your daddy cant help you.
I dont know if anybody
can help you, high-speed.
Lou. Lou, go easy on the kid.
What?
Hes five minutes late.
I mean, talk about anal. You mustve
been toilet-trained at gunpoint.
[ Stifles Chuckle ]
Come over here.
Come over here.
-What?
-Come over here. Right here!
-Take it easy.
-Dont ever interrupt me when
Im talkin to my soldiers.
-He was five minutes late.
-You understand me?
Man, you been on my bad side since
the day I laid eyes on you.
You better comprehend this.
You better get this down...
-cause I have had it with
your smug college-boy attitude.
-Yeah?
You listen to me: stay away from me.
And dont you ever, ever impugn
my authority in front of my soldiers.
-Now, you got that, man?
-Yeah, I got that.
-You got it?
Thats point-blank and period.
-Yeah, I got it.
[ Muttering ]
For the rest of the week,
youll show up here nine minutes early.
-You will report here--
-Davis.
Just show up to my class nine minutes
late is all, ya see? No problemo.
-Oh, thats it! That is it!
-What?
-Drill Sergeant!
Drill Sergeant! Calm down.
-What?
Who do you think you are?
You gonna tell me what to do?
-Youre nothin. Youre nothin.
-Im nothin?
Did you hear what he said?
Im nothin.!
-Come on. Come on. Right here.
-Just let me--
[ Knocking ] Sir?
So they finally sent you
to the principals office.
Yeah.
Man couldve killed you, Mr. Rago.
He wouldve been court-martialed,
but he couldve killed you.
-He started it.
-I dont know what happened,
and I dont care.
All I care about is this program...
Okay.
You never served in the military,
did you, Mr. Rago?
No, my military experience
is limited to the day...
that I walked for hours in the rain
from Arlington Cemetery...
to the White House carrying
the name of a soldier...
who died needlessly in Vietnam.
Do you remember the soldiers name?
No.
Do me a favor, Bill.
Whatever your personal views are,
while youre here...
remember you are a guest of
the United States Army, okay?
Okay.
From now on, by the book.
Dismissed.
By the book.
[ Softly ] What am I doin here?
Spud duds. Spud duds.
Potato topping for the whole family.
Hmm.
- [ Hobbs ] How late is he now?
- [ Myers ] Hes very late.
What difference does it make?
- Damn.
- Why would he do this?
[ Montgomery ] Check it out.!
We got us a substitute teacher.!
[ Benitez ] He looks just like Mel.
Bring it here.
Which one is the dummy?
Melvin. Wake up, Mel.
Time for school, Mel.
[ Montgomery ] So how long are we
supposed to hang around?
[ Benitez ] Maybe he got
sick or something.
- Oh.
- [ Hobbs ] Here comes the excuse.
Sorry Im late.
The traffic really stunk.
- Traffic. Whoo! See?
- Ya ever notice when youre in a hurry...
they radio-dispatch all people
to drive in front of ya?
Its ridiculous. Okay.
So where were we?
[ Montgomery ]
Where were we? We were here.
[ Recruits ]
Uh-huh.
Give me a break, will ya?
I had something important.
- Thats all right. Were used to it.
- [ Benitez ] Thats for sure.
- It was a job interview,
for cripes sake.
- [ Myers ] A what?
- Job interview?
I thought this was your job.
- Mm-mmm.
- Were part time, like a paper route.
- Aw, come on.
- Hey, what do ya want from me?
- Not much, I guess.
- Huh?
- Yeah, we got a victory tower
at 1 7 00, sir.
- Everybody fall in outside.
- I dont believe you guys.!
- You stay and listen.
- We aint nothin but a hobby to you.
Hey, Davis, wed better go.
We might get stuck
behind some old people.
You guys are never late, right, Benitez?
[ Haywood ] Last time I come
to this damn class.
I got 1 5 minutes left!
I stood up for you, Davis.! Oh, sure.
Go ahead, go.
Aw, to hell with em.
[ Grunts ]
If I lose em now, Ill never
get em back. Damn!
Victory tower.
Victory tower.
Victory tower.
Victory tower.
[ Cass ] Come on. Lets go.!
Lets go.!
[ Shouting ]
Come on!
[ Cass ] Thats it, Leroy.!
Thats it.!
- Hand over hand! Hand over hand!
- [ Cass ] Thats good, Leroy.!
- Yes! Outstanding!
- All right!
[ Shouting Continues ]
Hey, look! Billy boy!
[ Shouting Continues ]
Oh, you are lookin at one puffed
and reckless libertine!
Check that. Whoop!
Fish in the net.!
Montgomery, Leroy, you hold it!
Dont go anywhere!
I got 1 5 minutes, and I want em now!
- Shakespeare, whatre ya doin here?
- Hold on a second, Lou.
- All right, I was late. Big deal.
You gotta give me a break.
- Rago.
- This is important, Lou.
- No. No, Bill. This is important. This.
This is why were here.
This is what were here to do. Go!
Come down from there! Leroy!
Hobbs, I got 1 5 minutes left,
and I want em.!
- I dont think they want
to talk to you, Bill.
- Montgomery!
Montgomery, get down here.!
I dont even think they can hear you.
Come on, Davis.
Do this one for daddy.! Make him proud.!
You know, from down here.
- Hey, wait a minute!
-Just hold up, Drill Sergeant.
Cant just quit. Ohh!
Thats what you been doin
all your lives.
Davis.! Hold it.! Hold it.!
Dont go nowhere.
Hold it. Whoa.
Okay, you guys got problems.
- Well, so do I, goddammit.!
- Move! Move, Davis! Keep moving!
Mr. Rago, youre gonna make me fall!
- What the hell are you lookin at?
- Aah!
[ Cass ] Great, Oswald.!
You dont want to end up like him.!
- Rago, have you gone crazy?
- [ Cass ] Montgomery, keep moving.!
Montgomery, where ya goin?
I cant talk to you right now, Mr. Rago!
- [ Cass ] Thats it.!
- Hold it!
Davis!
Hold it!
- [ Cass ] Keep movin.!
- [ Leroy ] Youve gone
far enough, Mr. Rago.
- All right? Now go down.
- Do any of you have
the slightest idea...
- what its like to have mortgages...
- [ Recruit ] Get him.
doctor bills,
alimony payments?
Waitll you have your kids.
Then you talk to me about priorities.
Then you tell me what its like
to have a little cash flow.
- What the hell are you doing?
- You got up here.
Now you gotta get down.
- Get on your knees for safety, sir.
- Huh? Jeez.
Ohh.
Oh. Thats far.
Baby Huey, show Shakespeare
how we get down from the victory tower.!
Yes, Drill Sergeant!
- [ Cass ] Lets go, Leroy.!
- Whoa.
- Holy shit.
- See ya on the ground, Mr. Rago.
- [ Cass ] Aha.! Lookin good.!
- [ Shouts Of Approval ]
- Whoa.
- Outstanding.
- Drill Sergeant.
- Too easy, huh?
Too easy, Drill Sergeant.
Your turn, Rago!
- Your turn.
- [ Cass ] To be
or not to be, Shakespeare.
- Whatll it be?
- Yeah. All right.
Okay. Come on.
Lets go! Lets go!
- You do not want to do this.
- Im doin it. Lets go.
You do not want to do this, sir.
Youre clippin him?
- Watch the jewels. Ooh.
- Clippin him. He wants to do it.
- [ Bill ] All right.
- Put on the gloves, Mr. Rago.
All right. Get down. Get down.
Youre gonna swing your legs over
the edge of the platform.
Reach your foot down
and find that ledge.
- [ Cass ] Come on, Rago.!
- [ Hobbs ] Theres a ledge.
- No ledge! No ledge!
- Theres a ledge. A ledge right there.
- Okay.
- Come on. Get your foot on it.
- Get both those feet on there.
- All right.
All right, now. Just lean back.
- [ Grunting ]
- Okay, first thing:
dont look down.
- [ Cass ] What the hell you doin?
- Whoa! Aah!
I told ya not to look down!
Everybody looks down when you tell em
not to look down! You know that!
All right. All right.
Look, just lean back, relax.
Okay? Everythings gonna be all right.
I got the rope up here,
and theres a guy down there
with the other end.
Come on. Relax. Just lean back.
Get the rope. There you go.
All right.
You all right down there, man?
Come on, Mr. Bill. No sweat.
Melvin! Hell be asleep
before I reach the ground!
Hes not gonna be asleep.
Hes gonna be all right.
Just trust me, man.
- All right. The victory tower is yours.
- Ohh--
-Just let the rope slide.
- Whoa!
- [ Recruits Shouting ]
- Im dead! Im dead!
- Yeah!
- Yeah.! Lookin good, Mr. Rago.!
- [ Hobbs ] Gonna take you
all day to get down that way.
- Guys a joke, man.
[ Recruits Shouting At Once ]
[ Davis ] Come on.!
Do it to a beat.!
Oh. Eee.
- [ Cass ] Lets go, Rago.!
- [ Davis ] One... two... three--
- Good work. Come on. Here we go.
- [ Hobbs ] Down. Yeah.
[ Groaning ]
[ Davis ] Mr. Rago,
put your feet up.! Ow.!
Feet up.! Watch those jewels
you mentioned, Mr. Rago.
Turn around the other way!
Turn it around!
- Thats the wrong way.
- Stay in the l position.
[ Benitez ] Take it easy, Mr. Rago.
Dont look down.
- Pull me up! Pull me up!
- Whoa.! Whoa.! Whoa.!
- Pull me up.! Pull me up.!
- Whoa.! Whoa.! Hang on.!
Dont worry, I got you.!
Dont let go, Mel!
Mel, Mel, dont let go!
[ Montgomery ] Hes got on dancin shoes.!
Dance down the wall.!
- [ Leroy ] Damn, Bill, be careful.
- Flap your little wings.!
- Come on!
- [ Benitez ] Uh-oh, the balls dropping.!
- [ Laughing ]
- [ Benitez ] Happy New Year.!
- [ Whooping ]
- All right! Way to go, Rago!
- [ Whistling ]
- Good work. I knew you
had it in you, Mr. Bill.
Not bad for an old man, huh?
[ Applause, Whistling Continues ]
Tomorrow, 1 600 hours, right?
[ Together]
Hoo-ah!
- Hoo-ahs right.
- Good work, Mr. Bill.
Go, boy. Loosen up them ropes.
Hes the man.
Ohhh.
- You shouldve wore a glove.
- I did wear a glove.
Oh.
[ Laughs ]
I wish I couldve been there.
The guys must be so proud of you.
Yeah. Ill remember that
when theyre fittin me for a new hand.
Huh?
[ Laughs ] Thats what my kid
keeps askin me.
You have a kid?
Yeah. Emily.
She wants to be an astronomer.
Go figure.
Go figure what? What?
[ Groans ]
All right. Lets start
swallowing and digesting.
- [ Recruits ] Hoo-ah, hoo-ah.!
- Come on, Tommy Lee.
More victory tower, Drill Sergeant.
I like it. I love it.
I want more of it.
- [ Rago ] Make it hurt, Drill Sergeant.!
- Way to go, Mr. Rago.
- Good work, Mr. Bill.
- All right.
- Do you mind if I sit here?
- No, please.
[ Haywood ] Damn, Bill, you done
tore that tower down.!
Whew!
- So what happened, anyway?
- What?
Two-ten. Nothin but muscle.
Star fullback.
College scouts mustve been tossin
hookers through your bedroom window.
Yeah, yeah. Just about.
I busted my knee my senior year.
I mean, I can push on it
a little bit now, but--
Well, lets just say it blew my shot.
Oh.
Isnt there somethin else you can do?
No, theres nothin else for me to do.
I was black and I played ball.
Thats all anybody ever cared about.
They didnt teach me anything,
but, oh, they kept passin me.
- Mmm.
- So Im here, you know?
My wife works on the post here
cause we got a baby comin.
Leroy, Jr.? Great!
Kidll probably come out
wearin a helmet, get the Heisman.
Im keepin that kid as far away from
the playin field as I can.
Runnin a football never helped
nobody pass a civil service exam.
Least ways, it never helped me.
Excuse me.
Hey, Leroy.
Ya ever hear of a guy named
Leonbattista Alberti?
Yeah, yeah. He played
for the 49ers, right?
Nah. He played for the 1 400s.
The renaissance.
- The what?
- Hes what youd call a renaissance man.
The guy was an architect, a writer,
a painter, a musician...
a scholar--
god knows what else.
But you know what
I remember most about him?
They say that he could
stand with his feet together like this...
and spring straight over a mans head.
- Re-- Really?
- Yeah.
If Leonbattista Alberti
couldnt have done that...
I wouldnt have remembered
a thing about him.
So he was sort of like
a smart jock, then, right?
Thats right. You got it.
Now, aint that an oxymoron?
- That is. That is.
- Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
- [ Laughing ]
- Give me some. All right.
- Talk to you later, Mr. Rago.
- All right.
The real question is, is Ophelia right?
Is Hamlet crazy?
Hobbs.
I dont know. I think
hes just playin the fool.
Go on.
Well, its like he says.
Denmarks a prison.
Everybodys watchin him
all the time, spyin on him.
If he thinks Denmarks a prison, all he
gotta do is move to a trailer park.
Tiny little rooms,
six brothers and sisters.
I couldnt even take a whiz by myself.
Gets to you, man.
It can make you crazy.
Imagine all your life waitin,
growin up hopin...
- a tornado would come
and whoosh you out of there.
- [ Recruits Laughing ]
Thats not what Im sayin, man.
What Im sayin is that
Hamlets actin crazy for a reason.
To give him some time to think...
to plan his next move...
keep his eye on everybody else.
You sure youre readin
the same play?
Smart move, Benitez.
Uh... all right. Thats it.
Okay? Lets call it quits for today.
- Hoo-ah.
- Hoo-ah.
[ Leroy ] Fall in outside.
First aid today.
So howd you get to be
so smart, huh?
- Told you, girl.
I been around. I seen things.
- Hobbs.
- Yeah.
- Whats the deal, man?
Deal?
Whered you go to school?
Well, lots of places.
- You ever read this stuff before?
- [ Chuckles ] Nah.
Whew. Well, stick with it.
Youre doin fine.
He who increases knowledge,
increases sorrow.
[ Whispering ]
Increases sorrow.
Increases sorrow. Shakespeare?
Mm-mmm, the Bible.
Even Shakespeare has his superior. Tch!
[ Leroy ]
Lets go, Hobbs.!
Forward march.!
Look, is there any way
you guys could have made
a mistake with this kid?
[ Laughing ]
Us? Make a mistake?
Im telling you,
he doesnt belong in there.
He belongs in, uh, lieutenant
training school or something.
You think I can wave a wand
and send this kid to West Point?
Rago, come on.
I got guys sleepin in the rafters.
I got a flood in the laundry.
I just got a call from the motor pool
tellin me they lost an A.P.C.
They lost it.! The things the size of
a tank.! How could they lose it?
Its a machine, Captain. This is
a human being Im talkin about.
This is a smart kid,
as good as they come.
Damn it, Bill, it is
just not that easy!
All right. Roosevelt Hobbs.
He deserves a shot.
Hobbs.
- [ Recruits ] To be or not to be
- You got no rhythm.
- [ Laughs ] Ba-da-da! There!
- To be or not to be
- [ Davis ] We gotta sing
at the same time?
- [ Myers ] Yeah. Of course.
- Whatta ya think Im trying to show you?
- Or not to be
- [ Laughter ]
- [ Melvin ] Hey, hey.! Here he comes.!
- Hurry up.! Everybody get ready.!
- [ Hobbs ] Are you ready?
- And--
- [ Recruits Rapping ]
They gotta know
They gotta know we gotta flow
They gotta know
They gotta know, o-ho
They gotta know
They gotta know we gotta flow
They gotta know
They gotta know, ho
They gotta know
They gotta know we gotta flow
They gotta know
They gotta know, ho
They gotta know
- They gotta know
- Come with me
Cue it check it out
To be or not to be
The double-D M.C.s are lettin it be
Let it be to be or not to be
M.C. Hobbs on the job
rippin rhymes like the mob
The shits iller than Cape Fear
the Shakespeare saga
Started with this prince kid
his moms and his father
By his brother man
now his brothers king lover man
Actin real trite
he took his brothers life
For his green
and to sex up his queen
But the prince, he aint goin for it
hes out for revenge
His pops ghost told him
Damn it, Hamlet, those are your ends
So just chill and cool for now
P-P-Play the fool
until ya take him out
Cause all eyes is on you
So one way or the other
Its a kamikaze style
or do it undercover
But either way ya gotta
slay-ah so what the hey-ah
So strap on your black
and get set for the payback
Aint got no gat
but hes sportin a tool
Strappina sword
for the Laertes duel
Cause hes tryin to blame Hamlet
for his sisters death
But she took her own last breath
She aint got shh left
Never heard yet a more absurd set
Of circumstances murder and romances
- So
- Incest, we had to put it to rest
We had time to manifest
He stuck the dagger in the kings chest
To be or not to be
The double-D M.C.s is lettin it be
Let be to be or not to be
- The double-D M.C.s is lettin it be
- Ophelia
Let be to be or not to be
The double-D M.C.s is lettin it be
- Let be to be or not to be
- To be or not to be
The double-D M.C.s is lettin it be
- [ Applauding ] Wow.! Great.!
- [ Whistling ]
- Great. Bravo. Bravo.
- Go, Hamlet. Go, Hamlet.
[ Recruits ]
Go, Hamlet. Go, Hamlet.
Go, Hamlet.
Go, Hamlet.
Go, Hamlet.
Go, Hamlet.
- [ Man On P.A.] Fire.!
- [ Gunshots ]
- Breathe, Haywood.
- [ Console Beeping ]
- [ Gunshots Continue ]
- [ Davis ] Damn, Haywood.!
Outstanding.
Outstanding.
Drill Sergeant!
No problem, Drill Sergeant! Too easy!
- Outstanding, Haywood.
- [ Gunshots Continue ]
What ya need to get is a Winchester
.30-30 like my pa got.
Aint nothin that can touch that rifle.
You know, you could pick off
a deer at about 1 50 yards away...
but thats open-sight, mind you.
Dont get no Winchester .30-30.
Get yourself a Galil,
an Israeli assault rifle. All right?
You can stick on
twin banana clips...
pump out 60 rounds in three seconds.
- Thats what Im talkin about.
- Right? Yeah.
- Thats pretty good.
- Yeah, thats a lot of deer, I guess.
Lot of deer.
Right face.!
- At ease!
- Carry on!
Go on, man.
- Straight ahead, sir.
- Which one, Sergeant?
[ Whispering ] Hes comin to get me.
Hes comin to get me. Ahem.
[ Murdoch ]
Put down your tray, son.
[ Shouting Orders ]
Oh, this is too long for me.
[ Drill Sergeant ]
Eyes front.!
[ Murdoch ]
Carry on, Drill Sergeant.
- What? What?
- You were right. Hes a sharp kid.
His real name is Nathanial Hobbs.
He doctored his drivers license.
- I hear its the smart thing
to do in his line of work.
- What? What?
He sold crack, Rago. Apparently he was
quite the entrepreneur.
Wayne County Sheriff has
a warrant out for his arrest.
Two counts possession.
I guess he thought he could
hide out in the army.
Sorry, Bill.
Damn it!
Damn it!
- Life in the streets isnt easy
- Thats it.
- All I see is pain and misery
- You forgot about these.
I kneel and pray for the victory
Strength and protection to survive
In this society
A wild kid out to get a bid
Did some shit
that he never should a did
But he paid the price
lived real trite
Ruined his life
and lived by the knife
Had to learn the hard way
But someday you gotta pay
Hold it.! Wait.!
Wait! Wait up!
Wait. Look.
I talked to Colonel James.
This is ridiculous.
Its the army.
- Teach.
- I dont know what to say.
Let it be.
Im sorry this happened. I--
Just let it be, Teach.
Cause statistics show
that kids with no dough
Aint got no chance
got nowhere to go
- Thats why life on the streets--
-[ Davis ] Good luck, Hobbs.
- Itll echo in your head
til youre dead
- Bye.
[ M.P.]
Stay up, Hobbs.
- Poor bastard.
- [ Sighs ]
He had the stuff.
He could a made it.
[ Ignition Starts ]
Life in the streets is a mystery
Dont know my friends
from my enemies
Up the ladder
could be trouble
But Ill hold on tight
And I will never
never give up the fight
- How ya doin, Miranda?
- All right.
- [ Montgomery ] You all right?
- Mm-hmm.
- Keep your head up.
- All right. Um--
We just, uh--
we just finished
the play within the play.
Um, so lets discuss
what happens.
Come on.
You know what happens.
Wanna know what happens?
I know what happens.
You try to stand up,
and they knock you down.
Then you show em
that youre smart...
and they get rid
of your sorry ass.
- Thats what happens.
- Thats right.
Thats the way it always goes. Hoo-ah?
[ All ]
Hoo-ah.
A couple of days ago...
without discussing it with him...
I went to the army to ask them
to look into Hobbss record.
- You did what, man?
- [ Davis ] Oh, man.!
- [ Davis ] Oh, man.
- [ Montgomery ]
Whats the matter with you?
[ Recruits Chattering ]
I didnt know anything about his past.
- Neither did any of you.
- Yeah, right.
I believed in his potential.
I wanted to see him succeed.
I am sorry for the result.
You sorry?
All I know is, the choices we make...
dictate the life we lead.
To thine own self be true.
- One, two, three--
- [ All ] One!
- One, two, three--
- Two!
- One, two, three--
- Three.!
[ Grunting ]
Hey, excuse me, sir.
Im lookin for the base chapel.
Base chapel? Go back around
the curve til you reach the P.X.
Ya hang a right. Ya come to that line
of A.P.C.s, ya turn left.
Go half a click, ya come
to the R.F.P.C. building.
- Its right around the back. Got it?
- Yeah.
- [ Platoon Leader ] Show the world
- Yeah.
[ Recruits ]
Show the world
Ma?
Ma, ya home?
[ Giggling, Laughing ]
Aah!
[ Whimpering ]
Ooh, lets see.
[ Giggling ]
Daddy.
[ Bill ]
Hamlets mama shes the queen
Hamlets mama shes the queen
Buys it in the final scene
She buys it in the final scene
Drinks a glass of funky wine
Drinks a glass of funky wine
- Now shes Satans valentine
- Now shes Satans valentine
- Left, left, left, right--
- Warriors!
They come from the cities and they
come from the smaller towns
- [ Montgomery ] They know the words too.!
- From the beat-up cars
- Come on. Change it!
- No, this is good!
Boom! Bang!
R-O-C-K in the U.S.A.
R-O-C-K in the U.S.A.
R-O-C-K in the U.S.A.
Yeah, yeaaaah
Rockin in the U.S.A.
- Mr. Rago, thats funny.
- All right, the jokes over.
- Change it.
- Its gettin scary back here, Mr. Rago.
- Here we go. Guitar.
- [ Radio Plays Guitar Solo ]
- [ Bill ] Go, Melvin.!
- Uh-oh! Uh-oh!
Aah!
[ Laughing ]
- Look at Mel! Look at Mel!
- [ Laughing ]
[ Benitez ] Hes sick.
Go, Mel.! Go, Mel.!
- Go, Mel.!
- Give the drummer a solo.
- [ Shouting, Whooping ]
- [ Davis ] Come on. Lets take em in.
There was Frankie Lymon,
Bobby Fuller, Mitch Ryder--
Hey, Mr. Rago! I had enough.
Mr. Rago, let me out.
Let me out!
- Dont forget James Brown
-James Brown.
-James Brown? James Brown!
- Rockin in the U.S.A.
- Oh! Oh! Oh!
- [ Yelling, Whooping ]
-James Brown!
- All right! Turn it up!
R-O-C-K in the U.S.A.
- [ Montgomery And Leroy ]
James Brown
- R-O-C-Kin the U.S.A.
- James Brown
- R-O-C-Kin the U.S.A.
- James Brown
- R-O-C-Kin the U.S.A.
- Sweet juicy brown
- R-O-C-Kin the U.S.A.
- Bobby Brown
- R-O-C-Kin the U.S.A.
- Snoop Doggy Brown
- [ Bill ] R-O-C-Kin the--
All right, all right,
all right, all right.
Okay, take it easy.
Calm down a little. Hold it. Hold it.
Hi. How long are you
staying in Canada?
- Couple of hours.
- Where do ya live?
[ Together]
In the U.S.A.!
- [ Radio ] R-O-C-Kin the U.S.A.
- Okay.
[ Montgomery ] We gotta go to Canada
to see Henry V?
[ Bill ] Its the nearest theater
its playin.
[ Benitez ]
This better be good.
[ War Drums Beating ]
[ Drumming Continues, Shouting ]
- Its the drummer. Hey. Ya hear that?
- [ Man ] Shh.
Turn around. What are you,
the noise monitors?
Turn around.
Turn around already. Aah.
Lend thee eye a terrible aspect.
Let it pry through the portage of
the head like the brass cannon.
Let the brow overwhelm it
as fearfully as doth a galled rock.
Now set the teeth...
and stretch the nostril wide.
Hold hard the breath and bend up
every spirit to his full height.
On...
on you noblest English...
whose blood is fet from
fathers of war-proof.
Fathers that like so many Alexanders
have in these parts...
from morn til even fought...
and sheathed their swords
for lack of argument.
Dishonor not your mothers.
Now attest that those whom
you called fathers did beget you.
Be copy now to men of grosser blood
and teach them how to war.
And you, good yeomen...
whose limbs were made in England...
show us here the mettle of your pasture.
Let us swear that you
are worth your breeding...
which I doubt not.
For there is none of you
so mean and base...
that hath not
noble luster in your eyes.
I see you stand
like greyhounds in the slips...
straining upon the start.
- [ War Drums Beating ]
- The games afoot.!
Follow your spirit...
and upon this charge cry...
- God for Harry.
- Harry!
- England!
- England!
And Saint George!
[ Men Shouting, Cheering ]
[ Shouting Continues ]
[ Grunting ]
[ Yelling ]
- Come on, Mel!
- Aah!
- [ Melvin Groaning ]
- Who shall be-eth my next victim?
- Yo!
- I cant wait to get back
and do the push-ups.
- [ Laughing ]
- Mel, you slept through
the whole thing, didnt you?
No, I didnt sleep at all.
I really enjoyed it, Mr. Bill.
I cant thank you enough.
The best part was the drummer.
The drummer was the best part
of the whole joint.
Listen, I liked the whole thing.
Everything was great.
I just didnt like them
stupid accents they used.
Thats so stupid.
Why cant they talk like us, right?
- Listen to yourself.
- Listen to you!
- [ Haywood ] Rocky Balboa or somebody.
- [ Laughing ]
[ Haywood ]
Talk about an accent.
[ Benitez ]
Henry Vsays...
[ Imitating Al Pacino ]
Once more into the breach,
dear friends, once more.
Or close the wall up
with our English dead.
- In peace, there is
nothing so becomes a man--"
- As shuttin the hell up.
[ With Cuban Accent ]
Shut the hell up, okay?
- Youre drivin me crazy, okay?
- Okay, okay. I said okay.
- Quiet, now.
- One time you gotta tell me. One time.
- Whered you get that?
- At the theater. Relax, I paid for it.
Hump-ty dump-ty dump
- All together now
- Hump-ty dump-ty dump
Ohh, humpty dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty dumpty had a great fall
Hump, make it funky now
Hump, make it funky now
Hump-ty dump-ty dump
See, I need some
information about a soldier
who served in Vietnam.
- His name is Brian Davis, Sr.
- Okay.
No, wait. It would be,
actually, Brian Davis.
Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Okay. Are you C.I.D.?
Of course Im C.I.D.
Why else would I be here, right?
Excuse me one second.
Excuse me, Sergeant.
He needs--
- [ Speaking Low ]
- He does, huh? Ill handle it, then.
- Hi. No.
- What?
Shes not allowed
to access those files...
without prior authorization
from her supervisor.
Im her supervisor.
But I just told her
I was C.I.P.
C.I.T.?
C.I.G.?
- D.
- D.
Im C.I.D. So, can I
get the records?
- No.
- Aw, come on.
Is that all you ever say?
No.
Hmm. A window of opportunity.
[ Softly ]
Huh?
No?
Mr. Bill, why do we need to know...
every Tom, Dick, and Orsic
in this play anyhow?
Aha.
Melvin, Im glad you asked.
- Where you goin?
- No, no, no.
[ Recruits ]
Oh.! Aw.!
In four days, each
and every one of you...
will be up in front of the class...
facin the firing squad.
- Whos doin the shootin?
- Me.
You never said nothin
bout no damn test.
Nobody asked me. Im the teacher.
- My hands are sweatin already.
- I thought you was my boy.
Give us a ride here.
No more rides, Montgomery.
No more free passes.
Look, um, Mr. Rago, we talked about this.
Im not good at tests.
- [ Recruits Chattering ]
- Look.
You are not dumb.
But I need you to know that.
that nobody gave you anything.
I want you to know what it feels like
to make the grade...
all on your own.
You can do it.
I know it.
Victory starts here.
- [ Man ] Recruits, single file.!
- I need you to fill these in...
and return em with
your attendance sheets A.S.A.P.
I need em for the boys records.
They graduate next week.
- What is this?
- Its a certificate. It says
theyve completed the course.
Oh. Well, they havent. Not yet.
Ill sign em when they pass the test.
Test? What test?
Im giving em a test this Friday.
- Oh, no, youre not.
- Oh, yes, I am.
Look, you dont
kid around with tests in the army.
- Tests are real things here.
- Thats right, including mine.
Look, youve done your job.
The Drill Sergeants
are happy with your guys.
Theyre makin it as soldiers.
They dont need your test.
Youre wrong, Tom. If they pass it,
theyll know they earned something.
And if they flunk it, theyre gone.
This isnt Princeton.
We dont have summer school. You got it?
- [ Exhales ]
- Sit down, please, Bill.
Look, I know you mean well...
but this time listen to me.
Theyre almost there.
Dont do to them
what you did to Hobbs.
This came for you.
[ Hobbs ]
Dear Mr. Rago...
thanks for all your letters.
I dont know what you and
Captain Murdoch wrote to the warden...
but it sure worked cause I
may be gettin outta here soon.
Just wanted you to know
I been reading Othello.
Imagine that::
Mr. Shakespeare writin
about a black man way back then...
and a soldier too.
Prison librarian says Im the first
to check out Shakespeare in 1 6 years.
She asked me if I was interested
in signin up for some college classes.
I told her if they had
a few teachers like you...
I just might.
Well, Mr. Rago, like Hamlet says...
""The rest is silence. "
Sincerely...
Nathanial T. Hobbs.
Hey, Mr. Rago,
lets talk about the fight...
Yo, Billy, my boy,
lets get back to the graveyard...
cause them clowns diggin up
them skulls-- thats the mad stuff.
- Yo, whats up with that?
- All right. Okay.
Mr. Rago, does Hamlet
have a last name or what?
[ Montgomery ]
I know you know. You the man.
Yup. Yup. Were gonna
go over everything...
but, uh... but first
I have to talk to you about something.
Um, according to the army...
[ Exhales ]
youre not required to take a test...
to pass this class.
Hallelujah! Hey, yo!
We passed!
I give you an A+, Mel.
Thank you. Well, you get an A+ too.
Now, hold on, Mr. Bill.
What are you sayin here...
that if we fail, we still pass?
No. If you take a test, and you fail...
youre out.
Youre out of the army. Is that clear?
- What?
- Um, you said if we take the test.
Yeah, Davis. The choice is yours.
Hold on. Hold on, Billy. How bout
if we take the test, pass the test?
We get a bonus? We get, like,
keys to a car, cash, a prize maybe?
A little somethin?
Some incentive?
You get a prize.
Yeah.
But you cant drive it...
or spend it...
or even see it.
All you can do is feel it.
What the hell kind of prize is that?
I got a family, all right?
I need this job.
Imagine goin home, tellin your ma
you got a Shakespearean discharge.
- Bill.
- Hmm?
If you get any sadder,
youre gonna trip over your lip.
Im sorry. Uh, Im just not
a fun date tonight.
Aw, just lighten up a little bit.
- People are gonna think I kidnapped you.
- [ Laughs ]
You know, we get to keep these.
- Ah.
- I have a lovely set of 1 6 at home.
Im not much of a collector,
but maybe if I get a bigger footlocker.
Yeah. Heh.
- You have a great sense of humor.
- Well, Im a staff sergeant.
- Staff Sergeant Marie.
- Staff Sergeant Leighton to you.
- Staff Sergeant anything to me.
- [ Woman ] Sergeant?
- Oh, there you are, Shana. Are you okay?
- Sorry Im late.
Mm-hmm. Hi.
- Remember me?
- Hi.
Im Shana. Shana Leroy.
I believe you know my husband.
Youre Leroys--
Yeah. So is he.
Ah! I-I didnt know that--
- Well, hows the kid?
- Fine.
- Oh. Oh.
- Youre right, you know.
[ Chuckles ]
Little joke.
- Yeah?
- [ Chuckles ]
These are for you.
Mr. Daviss records.
Mr. Rago, can you put it--
[ Marie ] I would show it
to Sergeant Cass first.
Marie.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you.
And thank you.
- [ Whispering ] Uh, Im gonna--
- Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Theyre on bivouac tonight.
- Mmm. Looks like things went well.
- Yeah.
- Nice kiss? Mm-hmm.
- Yes, it was. Thanks.
Oh.
[ Cass ]
Said weapon was found...
approximately 50 yards to my left...
- in a large puddle of water.
- [ Haywood ] Its my rifle,
Drill Sergeant!
Now, men, this is totally unacceptable!
[ Haywood ]
Drill Sergeant, yes, Drill Sergeant.!
- Fall back in!
- [ Bill ] Lou.!
Come here.!
I got somethin for ya.!
Lou! Hey, Lou! Come here!
Its important.!
[ Groans ]
I know he does this on purpose.
[ Grunts ]
[ Cass ] Yes, I love this weather.!
I love the rain.!
- Hes crazy.
- I love it.!
This is where we really
start trainin!
Just because its rainin,
the battle doesnt stop! Remember that!
- [ Cass ] Go.!
- [ Recruits Grunting ]
[ Grunting ]
My old drill sergeant used to say-- go!
[ Shouting, Grunting ]
""If it aint rainin,
we aint trainin.!"
Oh, give me the rain!
Give me the rain!
Yes, indeed.
Go.!
Private Melvin, front
and center on the double!
Go.!
[ Recruits Shouting, Grunting ]
Private Melvin, you study Shakespeare.
Yes, sir, Drill Sergeant!
Go! Let me hear it, then.
I study Shakespeare, Drill Sergeant!
No.! No.! I wanna hear some.!
Recite it. Go!
Fall back in. Private Benitez!
Front and center.!
[ Grunts ]
Private Benitez, New York.
- You study Shakespeare?
- Drill Sergeant, yes, Drill Sergeant!
All right.
Let me hear some. Go!
I said I wanna hear some. Lets go!
[ Shouting Continues ]
He that lives--
Come on, what?
What was that? I cant hear it!
Come on.! Go.!
[ Grunting, Shouting Continue ]
He that outlives this day...
and comes safe home...
will stand a-tiptoe
when this day is named...
and rouse him at the name of Crispian.
I didnt tell ya to stop.
Keep goin!
Keep goin!
Go.!
He that shall live this day
and see old age...
will yearly on the vigil
feast his neighbors and say...
tomorrow is Saint Crispian.
Then will he strip his sleeves,
show his scars...
and say, These wounds I had
on Saint Crispians day.
Old men forget, yet all
shall be forgot.
But hell remember with advantages...
what feats he did that day.
Then shall our names...
familiar in his mouth
as household words...
Harry the King,
Bedford and Exeter...
Warwick and Talbot...
Salisbury and Gloucester...
be in their flowing cups
freshly remembered.
And this story
shall the good man teach his son.
And Crispin Crispian
shall neer go by...
from this day to
the ending of the world...
but we in it shall be remembered.
[ Thunder Rumbling ]
We few...
we happy few...
we band of brothers.
For he today that sheds
his blood with me...
shall be my brother.
And gentlemen in England now abed...
shall think themselves
accursed they were not here...
and hold their manhoods
cheap whiles any speaks...
who fought with us...
upon Saint Crispians day.
That enough, Drill Sergeant?
Yes, Benitez. Good.
- That was nice!
- Good job!
Great.
Whats this?
These are Daviss fathers records.
Do what you think is right.
One, two, three, four
- Warriors!
- Double! Rear! Hesitate! March!
Ahh... ahh...
- damn!
- Double! Rear!
Change step! March!
Ahh... ahh...
- damn good!
- Change step! March!
Column left! March!
- Left, left, left, right, left.
- Go, company. Company. Warriors.!
Left, left,
left, right, left.
Left, left.
[ Leroy ]
Squad, halt.!
Right face.!
Fall out to instructional positions.! Huh.!
[ Together]
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six...
five, four, three,
two, one, freeze!
I said freeze!
Squad, assume test
positions! Huh!
Sir.! Double-D squad
reporting for final exam... sir.
Hoo-ah!
I feel sorry for Ophelia
cause she kills herself.
Cause first Hamlet dumps her,
and then he kills her father.
It was an accident, but he did it.
that he really did love her.
Suicide aint the way out.
A lot of people are on
their own, and they make it.
- The ghost.
- Excellent.
- Benitez.
- Uh, Yorick.
Yorick.
Yeah. Haywood.
Laertes.
Gimme somebody else.
- Laertes, Haywood.
- Laertes is a fool!
He aint never stopped to think about
what type of person Hamlet was.
All he does is do what the king
tells him to do.
When he fights Hamlet, all they
do is end up killin each other.
Thats his problem. He dont
stop and think before he acts.
I want somebody else, Bill.
[ Bill ]
Queen Gertrude. Fortinbras.
What did we learn
from the graveyard scene?
- Leroy.
- Well, maybe it means something,
maybe it dont, but, um--
Well, I can see why the
gravedigger say he went to work
the very day Hamlet was born.
I mean-- Well, its kinda funny
when you think about it.
The day youre born, you start to die.
You see, when Hamlet see that skull
in the graveyard, he see the light.
Skull aint got no tongue, you see?
Thats why later, when Hamlets
lyin there, dyin...
he wont let his man Horatio
kill himself.
Say, Nah, man. Im already gone.
Dont fall on your sword for me.
""You gotta go on and be my tongue...
tell my story, so I can live on.
You dig what Im sayin?
Its deep, ya know?
- Yeah, its way deep. Two times.
- Yeah. All right.
Two times, baby.
Three times.
So what do we get out of this play?
Melvin.
Ya know...
all the people in the play--
the kings and the queens
and the princes-- they all die.
And in the end, all thats left
is the two guys...
Fortinbras and Horatio.
A soldier and a student.
Aint that somethin?
That is something, Melvin.
Some eight or nine weeks ago,
a young man or woman...
apprehensively boarded a train,
plane, or got into a car...
and began a journey
to become a part of something...
they only knew vaguely as the army.
Thats Marie over there.
- [ Colonel James ] They did not
go away to do something.
- [ Bill ] See?
This is Emily.
My daughter.
[ Emily ]
Hi.
I met her here.
Well, you could tell.
- Shes cute.
- Thank you. Well, shes very nice.
Today, we see them
on this graduation field.
They are somehow stronger, prouder...
more mature, changed.
Today, you fine young men and women...
assume your positions as
guardians of Americas future...
and that future looks bright indeed...
for both you and your country.
But we must never forget our
debt of gratitude to the past...
and those who have served
the army so bravely...
and so well.
That is why I am especially proud...
to dedicate this ceremony...
to a fallen, but not forgotten,
American hero.
A young radio operator
serving in Vietnam...
whose platoon came under mortar attack
near the outpost at Soc Trang.
This soldier held his post under fire...
to relay coordinates...
which facilitated an artillery response.
This soldier gave his own life...
in order to prevent the loss...
of so many others.
I want to thank a civilian instructor...
for pointing out this oversight...
Mr. William Rago...
for his efforts in seeing that
the family of this fallen soldier...
receives the honor
he so richly deserves.
Company, attention!
Son, its an honor to present to you...
your fathers silver star.
About face.!
[ Band Plays Washington Post March ]
[ Drill Sergeant ]
Eyes right.!
Gee, theyre tough.
To the right, march!
[ Drill Sergeant ]
Eyes right.!
- Forward march.!
- Theres Miranda.
Face front.!
Thats them.
Thats them.
Eyes right!
Ready! Front!
Double-Ds, eyes right!
[ Band Plays ""The Caisson Song"]
[ Band Continues ]
[ Whistling The Caisson Song ]
[ Cass ] Get in step.!
Left, right, left.
- Left--
- Stay together!
Left, left,
left, right, left.
Signin up for another term, Bill?
Sir, yes, sir!
Thats the way
the English do it, Rago.
- Your left, your left,
your left, right, left.
- [ Chuckling ]
Left, left.
[ Cass ]
Hamlets mama shes the queen
Hamlets mama shes the queen
Buys it in the final scene
Buys it in the final scene
Now shes Satans valentine
[ Recruits ]
Now shes Satans valentine
[ Drumroll ]
Maybe one day well be united
Oh, oh, yeah
And our love wont be divided
Maybe one day well be united
Ooh-ooh-ooh
And our love wont be divided
Oh-oh-oh-oh
In a hungry nation, yes
youll get a hungry people
Peace, I gotta plead for calm
I seen too many kids
in the city theyre fallin
In the streets, its right
a waste of a life
Cause he got it by the bullet
or hes stuck with a knife
Chill, it aint the way to go
You cant kill the next man
just to get the dough
We gotta fight tonight
but we gotta fight right
Cant fight for the dough
gotta fight to unite
Maybe one day well be united
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah
And our love wont be divided
Ooh, ooh, yeah, yeah
Maybe one day well be united
United
And our love wont be divided
Oh-oh-oh-oh
In America they come and take over
In Kingston, Jamaica
Me nah joke, me nah play
me nah jester
Respects Abu Baka
Respects Mandela
Bob Marley he tell the genuine stuff
If you live by the gun
now you will perish by the gun
We need O-N-E L-O-V-E
Why not see why
before we all die
But you dont listen
you dont understand
Still kickin that bullshit
tryin to be the man
Well, you wanna go and do it
with your own piece
Cause when youre rough
you be from the streets
You gonna go against the man
with the corporation
Get an education
to rebuild the nation
Maybe one day well be united
Ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah
And our love wont be divided
Oh, oh, yeah, yeah
Maybe one day well be united
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
And our love wont be divided
Maybe one day well be united
Ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah
And our love wont be divided
Oh, oh, yeah, yeah
Maybe one day well be united
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
And our love wont be divided
Maybe one day well be united
United
And our love wont be divided