Final Project
The Mutual Fists by Aleks Grager
The Mutual Fists is finally complete!
Although it has gone through both artistic and technical changes, I can safely admit that I am not only happy with the outcome, but overly joyous about how it turned out in the end. It stands at the 28 page mark, which would make it into a 30 minute short film, give or take 3 minutes.
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My goal with the writing of this script was to present an honest story between multiple prisoners and witness the struggle for power, the consequences of isolation and the dynamics of alliances or bonds. I cannot say that I have fully explored these themes with the most attention and process thinking, but I can confidently confess that I tried very hard, and have succeeded in telling the story I wanted to tell.
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It's easy to think back and remember how ambitious I was with the script. However, I'm glad I could downsize the project by almost half the runtime and still be perfectly content with it.
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The script is attempting to be a pilot episode of this show called The Mutual Fists. In that sense, the pilot is meant to introduce the settings, the characters and the themes of the entire story. I believe I have succeeded in introducing all these aspects in the first episode.
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Without further ado, I have linked three different ways of opening the script. The first is in the form of a .pdf file. The second is in .rtf file format. If both of these don't work, I've also linked a .txt file which should open even if the user does not have any other text reading programs. However, the best way to read my script would be in the .pdf or .rtf file formats.
The Plot of The Mutual Fists
The script itself starts with a heated prison riot. However, the plot itself begins with Jack, a middle-aged man, entering prison for the first time, who was convicted of murder. There are no details on the time period nor the location of the penitentiary, but it is safe to assume Jack is in the 1900s, since he is driven to prison by bus. However, the buildings themselves are decrepit and their foundations, old-fashioned. It is not meant to be a modern prison in a wealthy country. The prison itself is far away from civilization, as Jack passes through empty fields of grass for a while.
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Jack then arrives at the prison and sees it all for himself. The buildings, the inhabitants, the feel of it all, he takes it all as he walks to the entrance of the main facility, which leads him into an empty hall, meant to be the introductory room for prisoners.
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Warden Norman comes in to greet the prisoners. He delivers a speech about power and he reasons that the convicts that inhabit his cells were once humans who lost themselves due to not knowing what to do with power, becoming savages in the process. He speaks in a refined manner. He is an interesting character that I only introduce in the script.
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Jack is then completely shaved, cleaned, given a new uniform and thrown into the hole for a week, an empty and dark room that is meant to "rid" him of his past life and, in turn, get him accustomed to prison. This is demonstrated as most newcomers thrown into it survive their first week, but one remains in their cell, driven mad from the darkness and isolation.
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Finally, after one week in the hole, Jack is shown to his cell, cell #38. There is no hidden significance to the number. However, there is symbolism in the cage being far away from other populated cells, and the fact that it's already inhabited by a young prisoner whose name is not revealed yet.
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Jack settles in his bed and swiftly falls asleep from the comfort of a soft surface. There is no interaction between the cellmate and him.
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The next morning, Jack runs into a peculiar gang of about six guys in the cafeteria. He is introduced to Kugin, the main antagonist of the first episode. Kugin bears a sickening scar that runs through his left eye, permanently shutting half his vision. However, he bears a small stature and isn't as ripped as his allies are.
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Kugin offers Jack the possibility of joining his gang, advertising how Jack needs someone to watch his back and that this gang is a safe haven for all murderers. Jack declines the offer, which angers Kugin and his gang. He threatens Jack and the scene ends.
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Later in the evening, Jack returns to his cell and his cellmate finally begins a conversation with him. They exchange introductions, and the cellmate's name is revealed to be Ba-ba.
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Ba-ba introduces Jack to Kugin and his gang, and warns him that they always deliver on their death threats. Jack reassures Ba-ba that he will not die and that he'll make something up as he goes along.
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They speak about their personal lives for a bit more before going to sleep.
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The perspective changes from Jack's to Ba-ba's as he smokes a cigarette alone in the prison courtyard. After some time passes, he discovers that a major fight has erupted between two prisoners and that a crowd is cheering them on, which garners the attention of the prison guards. The two inmates fighting each other are none other than Jack and Kugin. However, much of it is a one-sided fight as Jack delivers the first blow and beats on his opponent for a while.
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A siren alarm sounds as about forty guards pour into the courtyard, mercilessly beating anyone who crosses them. A prison riot occurs as convicts and jailers fight each other. Ultimately, the guards win. Ba-ba is knocked unconscious and, soon after, so is Jack.
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Jack then wakes up in the hole again and is personally met with Warden Norman, who lectures him on his personal philosophies and mentions how Jack's fight was the first fight in a long time, and how he is being punished for organizing the riot in the first place.
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Jack denies the facts that he is the perpetrator behind the coup, Norman ignores him. Jack is then left in the hole again for about two weeks.
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When Jack returns to his cell, Ba-ba reveals his reasoning for taking a liking to Jack since he has been alone in cell #38 for a long time, and hasn't had much interaction with anyone else during his ten year stay in prison. Jack confesses about his murder, saying that there is no future for him on the outside and that prison is the only way he can live on. Ba-ba also admits that he has murdered a man about ten years ago, when he was still in his early twenties. He justifies the murder by stating that it was the only way to protect his brother. Jack does not comment on the justification.
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Ba-ba tells of his encounter with Kugin during his first year in prison and how he begged Norman to be spared from Kugin's wrath, which landed Ba-ba in cell #38 alone for the longest time. Ba-ba is practically a ghost to the denizens of the penitentiary.
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Jack comments on how it's interesting that Norman assigned him to cell #38 after so long, which Ba-ba also acknowledges.
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The plot of the first episode ends as Jack mentions that his arrival in Ba-ba's life could be some sort of fateful encounter that will change their lives forever.