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Money

A poor man, haunted by ghosts of war and without health insurance, struggles to raise money for the medical bills of a critically ill daughter. But a chance meeting with a soldier from his past turned holdup man gives the family hope when the man offers cash in exchange for refuge from the gang he stole from, unintentionally putting them all in the gang’s crosshairs.

Hank Walker struggles daily with the act he committed to save the soldiers under his command from court martial and possible prison time while on his tour of duty in Afghanistan. Hank and his rangers had found the bodies of the rangers who had not made it back to their rendezvous location for extraction. The bodies had also been beheaded by the Taliban who had ambushed them. Some had clearly been tortured and the unexpected findings infuriated several rangers to retaliate and behead the dead Taliban found with the rangers. The act had angered Hank but he knew the act would be considered a war crime so he took it upon himself to hide the fact and never speak of it but he didn’t know that one ranger had taken pictures with his cell phone and that the photographs would find their way to command personnel. Because Hank had been in charge the army gave Hank the choice of court martial or taking a General Discharge. Hank took the discharge but when he sought employment he would have to explain the General Discharge and when he would not explain it he would never hear from the employer again. So Hank began his own one man landscaping company, but he could never afford health insurance for his family to pay for his critically ill daughter’s treatments. On his way home from work one evening Hank walked into a convenience store as a holdup man was rushing out. Hank recognized the man as one of his former rangers and the man recognized him. Hank sought the man out and managed to find him. The man needed his help also so an exchange of refuge for the man in exchange of cash from the robbery was made. But the outcome of the deal would lead to more than either had bargained for. Death to the innocent and the destruction of a family would be the end result an old soldier who had served his country would have to live with.

Script Excerpt Interview
Written by:
Format:
Screenplay
Budget:
Low
Starring Roles For:
Tom Hardy

Posted:
06/29/2022
Updated:
03/14/2024
Author Bio:
James is the author of fifteen screenplays and three novels adapted from their original screenplays and available on Amazon. BUCK and the ANGEL, A COP’S STORY and BLOODY BUSINESS are available in the Kindle book store in digital download and paperback. James’ character, Travis Starr, returns from A Cop’s Story, retired and now a private investigator in Bloody Business. James’ screenplay, THE SHELTER, was optioned once in 2003 by Anything but Hollywood films, and again in 2006 by Ryan Harper of Your Half Pictures in Los Angeles.

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Contest Results:
PAGE International (Quarterfinalist) [2021]
Filmmatic Drama (Quarterfinalist) [2021]
Nicholl Fellowships (Quarterfinalist) [2018]
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