INT.

BOMB SHELTER - NIGHT

Miyagi guards a clump of women and children huddling in a

corner. The Major glances them over.

MAJOR
Does anyone speak English?

One MOTHER shakily raises her hand. The Major pulls her away
from the group, to a few stifled sobs. Her ten-year-old CHILD
clings to her leg.

MAJOR (cont’d)
Do any of these women know where
Adolf Hitler is hiding?

MOTHER
Yes. I do.

MAJOR
Tell me.

The Mother sneers defiantly.

MOTHER
Never.

The Major raises his gun and points it at the woman. The
other women cry out, but Miyagi points his own gun, and they
fall silent. Miyagi glances at the Major uncomfortably.

MAJOR
Tell us where Hitler is. Or I will
shoot you in front of your child.

The child is rigid and white with terror.

The Mother stares at him with hatred.

MAJOR (cont’d)
Help me end this war. Please.

She spits in his face.

The Major suddenly points his gun at the child.

The Mother's eyes widen in terror. Miyagi turns on him.

MIYAGI
What are you doing?

MAJOR
Where is he?

The Man Who Killed Hitler © Matthew Belinkie 2008

 2.

MIYAGI
Put down the gun.

MAJOR
I won’t make it quick, either. I’ll
make sure you watch him bleed to
death.

MIYAGI
You can't do this.

MAJOR
Why not? Who's going to count one
more corpse?

MIYAGI
Give me the gun, Major.

The Major pulls out a second gun and points it at Miyagi.

MAJOR
What are you going to tell me? That
it's not the American Way? That
we're above this? The American Way
is going to lose us this war. He'll
beat us because he'll go further.
He'll wipe us off the earth because
we were too damn high and mighty to
pull the trigger.

He looks at the child, who is crying silently.

MAJOR (cont’d)
We didn't start this war, he did,
and they all went along with it.

His sweeps the weapon over the women and children.

MAJOR
They sang the songs and waved the
banners.

MIYAGI
You can't play God.

MAJOR
God hasn't been doing his job
lately. You know that better than
anyone. Or did you forget about
your wife?

The Major stares at the child, breathing hard, jaw clenched.

And he doesn't shoot.

The Man Who Killed Hitler © Matthew Belinkie 2008

 3.

He throws both guns down and walks slowly to the wall of the
bunker, where he slumps against the concrete. The child hugs
his mother, who falls to her knees.

Miyagi ignores the prisoners, picks up the two guns, and goes
over to the Major.

The sound of yelling and pounding comes through the door of

the bunker. The Major looks at it sadly.

MAJOR (cont’d)
We’re going to die in here.

MIYAGI
You surprised?

MAJOR
Nah. I guess we were overdue. But
it still sucks.

MIYAGI
You did the right thing.

Click. Miyagi wheels around.

The Mother is standing ten feet in front of them, holding a

small pistol. Her face is twisted in fury.

MOTHER
Dach tuch!

She shoots just as the Major turns. He is slammed against the

wall by the slug.

MIYAGI
No, damnit!

The Mother pulls back the hammer and prepares to shoot again.
Miyagi pulls out his gun and kills her.

The Child runs to her body.

CHILD
Mader! Ing beiben das tangen!

Miyagi looks down at the Major, clearly breathing his last

breaths. He looks back up to see the Child lifting his
mother’s gun is shaking hands.

MIYAGI
No! Please, no!

The Child points the gun with a scream of fury.

The Man Who Killed Hitler © Matthew Belinkie 2008

 4.

Miyagi pulls the trigger. The Child falls, dead, on top of

his mother’s body.

Miyagi, devastated, kneels next to the Major. The sound of

power tools cutting through the bunker door is growing.

MAJOR
(every word a struggle)
Promise me... you’ll find a way.

Miyagi shakes his head, a scared kid.

MIYAGI
I can’t do this alone. I’m just a
lousy Jap deserter.

The Major somehow musters enough strength to slap him.

MAJOR
Damnit man! You are an American
soldier! And with my authority as a
Major of the United States Army, I
am issuing a field promotion of
your rank from Private to Captain.

ANGLE ON: The Major’s bloody, shaking fingers. He reaches up

to his chest, clutches the medals pinned to his uniform, and
pulls them off. He pushes them into Miyagi’s limp, nerveless
hand, and squeezes it tightly.

MAJOR (cont’d)
Complete the mission. That’s an
order.

MIYAGI
Yes sir.

MAJOR
Now put me down and let me die like
a man, goddamn it.

Miyagi lowers him to the concrete floor. The Major’s

breathing slows.

MAJOR (cont’d)
Good luck... American.

He closes his eyes, and lets himself die.

Miyagi slumps against the wall, overwhelmed. At the front of

the shelter, a hinge falls off the door. Two to go.

A shadow falls across his face. He looks up.

The Man Who Killed Hitler © Matthew Belinkie 2008

 5.

ANGLE ON: An OLD WOMAN, towering over him gravely.

MIYAGI
If you want to kill me, you better
hurry.

She kneels and whispers to him over the body of the Major.

OLD WOMAN
You wish to kill the Fuhrer?

Miyagi nods uncertainly.

The Old Woman kneels and whispers over the body of the Major.

OLD WOMAN (cont’d)

He never leaves the Reichstag now.

Miyagi just stares at her, dumbfounded.

OLD WOMAN (cont’d)

Come with me. Quickly.

She extends her hand. Miyagi takes it, stunned. She leads him
across the bunker.

A BEADY-EYED woman glares at her furiously.

BEADY-EYED WOMAN
Deich tag einth!

The Old Woman pushes aside a barrel to reveal a steel

trapdoor.

OLD WOMAN
This will take you outside the
base.

The other women are outraged.

BEADY-EYED WOMAN
Unneith nein kappen!

The women make a threatening move towards them. Miyagi waves

them back with his gun.

At the front of the shelter, another hinge falls off the

door.

OLD WOMAN
Give me the gun. I’ll hold them
back for you.

The Man Who Killed Hitler © Matthew Belinkie 2008

 6.

He hands it over, and she points it at the women.

OLD WOMAN (cont’d)

Know that there are many Germans
whose prayers are with you.

MIYAGI
They’ll kill you for this, won’t
they?

OLD WOMAN
Imagine, in the midst of all this
slaughter, to die in a way that
means something.

The front door to the bunker falls inwards, and Nazis swarm
in.

Miyagi darts into the tunnel.

The Old Woman drops the gun, grabs a grenade from the pile
next to her, and pulls the pin. The Nazis stop dead in their
tracks.

She drops it.

Immediately, there is a mad struggle to get out of the

shelter.

ANGLE ON: The Old Woman’s calm face.

INT. TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS

Miyagi runs towards us, silhouetted against the fiery

explosion.

The Man Who Killed Hitler © Matthew Belinkie 2008