I’ve had this floating around in my head for a while. It’s a good idea but I’m nowhere near flippant or cynical enough to do it justice. And there would have to be a lot of flippant and cynical humor in this, or it just wouldn’t hit the tone I envision.

Setting: World War II era, maybe?

The story centers around a disturbed, suicidal young man, maybe 20-30, and his quest to die—rather, get himself killed. He’s wanted to die for years, but something, be it religious beliefs or family-related, prevents him from taking his own life. The assumed ‘loophole’, then: to be as reckless as humanly possible, do the dirtiest jobs, and run headlong into the most harrowing situations. He becomes a firefighter and his lack of regard for his own life imbues him with an unhealthy fearlessness. He quickly becomes a hero in the eyes of the public—a man revered as “brave”. But still, he feels nothing. He’s only disappointed in his own survival. So he proceeds to sign up for a sequence of even more dangerous jobs, eventually being conscripted into the army.

He’s thrilled about this, much to the bewilderment of his family. They mistake his strange ideation for patriotism. He winds up on the frontlines, and watches the other men and their reactions. He notes the dichotomy—his apathy in stark contrast to their horror and trauma. He finds a dull portion of amusement in this, but not enough to make life ‘worth it’.

But then, something happens.

He begins to bond with the other men in his rank. He begins feeling emotions he doesn’t recognize—inexplicable urges of self-preservation, and glimmers of camaraderie. His apathy and loneliness corrodes. And he realizes that he doesn’t want to die. He wants to live, because he’s found that happiness and friendship are possible, even to a social outcast like him.

But he and his band are ambushed, and there he must sacrifice himself to save them. In his dying moments, he reflects on the irony and beauty that he finally got his deepest wish—to die wanting to live.

Dunno’ if there’s already anything out there like this. There probably is, but meh.

Also, I’d want Tarantino to write and direct it. Because Tarantino. :3

And what I’ve seen of Fight Club—that’s the vibe I’d like. It’s not a Tarantino movie, I know, but that’s beside the point haha.

#actionmovieplot

this is a miserable take on superheroism. our guy can't do anything, but anything that can be imagined and isn't totaly crazy can happen to him. he discovers this when a kid shoots him with an index finger, only that a real bullet goes through him. after a while he figures out how tjis works. people can imagine that they are giving him suitcases full of money and real money appears. whatever is given to him, it is taken away.from somewhere else.

he gets arrested then by the police on suspicion of a massive bank robbery in chile. he is then taken secretly to a govt. facility where he is told that his talent is not so unusual. in fact the story of jinni who make wishes come true is losely based on his sort.of power. 'passives', he is told, don't last long because they are essentially pulled apart by all the different agancies, strongmen, crime syndicats, etc, who either use the passives or make sure to kill them. the agancy he is introduced to recruits him, and he discovers a particular talent for 'stealing ' . an agent 'gives' him what ever is to be stolen, and because tbese objects are so unique they end up on the desk in front of our guy. one day the agent 'steals' the beating heart, of a drug lord. our guy was promised that he will not take part in such a tjing. but apoarentlu the agent was made to steal the heart by a new kind of person, that wills people to aphasia. they think 'steal a document' but in actuality , yheh think of something else.

mr. passive and the mind control guy are both being tested, and both realise, that they must escape, as that the combined power of both of them is too dangerous.

in the end they fail to escape, and the mind control guy 'steals' a ticking smart bomb from some war plane. the bomb explodes and both mr. passive and the mind control guy are killed.

I do like a good action movie. The unbelievable situations the characters find themselves in, the ridiculous escapes, the terrible one-liners. I like vicariously skirting danger from the comfort of my living room.

But what new angle could be used? We’ve seen one man take on a skyscraper-full of terrorists. We know what happens when a clandestine super-soldier loses his memory. We’ve witnessed the trouble one widowed cop with no regard for his own life can get his ‘I’m-too-old-for-this’ partner into.

So maybe we’d make a realistic action movie?

No, that wouldn’t work. Can you imagine Jack Bauer demanding to be patched through to the president only to be answered with, ‘Sorry, IT are doing a back-up on the servers. We should be up and running in about thirty to forty minutes.’ Or the hero, spotting the villain across a busy street, sprints after him like the devil himself only to be hit by a car and spend the next six weeks in traction?

No, reality sucks. Let’s sick with Action.

I do know that my protagonist would be female. She’s called Ruby because… well, honestly because that name just popped into my head. She’s tough, no-nonsense, she takes care of herself and of business. (Margot, if you’re reading this feel free to put yourself forward for the lead.)

Ruby used to be on the force but left under a cloud; she had been falsely accused of brutality and no-one had her back. Now, she heads up a security firm specialising in the protection of cyberware.

So sit back, open the popcorn, switch your phones to silent and enjoy as the camera rolls…

We open on Ruby falling through the night sky. Wind whips her hair as she plummets. At the last minute, she pulls the ripcord and parachutes gracefully onto the roof of a skyscraper.

In one smooth roll, Ruby disentangles herself from the parachute and is silently sprinting for the roof access. Finding it locked, she attaches a magnetic device to the door and waits as the readout runs through various numbers until it disengages the lock. Ruby lets herself though the door, closing it quietly behind her, and begins to descend the stairs.

We cut to a control room, festooned with video screens and digital readouts. A sharp-eyed sentry, whose name tag announces him as Paulo, leans forward. Something has caught his attention: a brief display which reads ROOF ACCESS BREACHED.

Reaching the 42nd floor, Ruby steps into a well-furnished corridor. Hearing two guards talking inanely to one another in the distance, she creeps toward the CEO’s office. Her digital key makes short work of the electronic lock but, when she tries to open the door, she realises it is also held tight by a physical lock. Retrieving lockpicks from her pocket, Ruby drops to her haunches and sets to work.

The guards’ voices are getting closer.

Ruby hears one of the three tumblers click into place. She frantically starts on the second, is successful, but knows she will not release the last before the guards are upon her. Desperately looking around, she sees no convenient hiding space.

The guards step into the corridor, still chatting banal rubbish.

(Take your pick. They’re either discussing the influence of the Renaissance masters on the pop art of Andy Warhol or swapping grappling techniques they each learned in henchman school. Anything but discussing last night’s game. (Yawn!))

As they approach the CEO’s door, Ruby is nowhere in sight. They draw nearer and the camera pans up to reveal Ruby wedging herself against the walls near the ceiling. Sweat beads on her forehead.

‘What’s this?’ One of the guards asks and leans closer to the door.

Ruby’s eyes widen as she spots the lockpicks she’d left in the keyhole. A droplet of perspiration falls on the other guard.

He looks up, sees Ruby in the shadows but does not have time to react before she lithely drops onto him. Even as he falls unconscious to the floor, Ruby has turned on the remaining guard, pummelling him with punch and kick. The guard blocks well, lunges, grabs Ruby in a bearhug. She falls to the ground, using the momentum to flip them both over until she is over the guard. With her hands pressing into his neck, the guard struggles in vain until he loses consciousness.

Content that both men no longer pose any threat, Ruby stands and, inspecting herself in a mirror, adjusts the strand of her which came loose in the melee. She then returns to the door and finally gains access.

Back in the control room, Paulo is alerted by another warning: CEO OFFICE BREACHED. He informs his team leader who radios for all security units to converge at the CEO’s office.

Alone in the room, Ruby searches through filing cabinets, bookcases, desk drawers, but fails to locate her prize. She sits in the luxurious chair, leans back and lets out a sigh of frustration.

As Paulo and his team leader wait of the elevator, hordes of guards are running up the stairwell.

With her head resting against the chair, Ruby’s line of sight is directed to the ceiling. Something seems off, but she cannot fathom what. Getting up, she wanders slowly about the room, never lowering her eyes from the ceiling.

Paulo and the team leader step into the elevator cab. The guards on foot have reached floor 21.

Ruby steps out of the office and looks up. She ducks inside and looks up, certain now that she has identified what is wrong. The ceiling in the office is lower than that in the corridor: there is hidden space over her head. Ruby searches the room again, looking for a hidden switch, and is rewarded when a section of the ceiling lowers.

Amidst a light layer of dry ice (more because it looks dramatic than any physical advantage), a steel shelf descends. Upon it, resting on delicate foam bedding, Ruby’s goal: a CPU which uses the electrons of atoms to process information, making it more powerful than all the world’s computers combined.

Out in the corridor, the elevator doors open as the other guards burst from the stairs. Hearing their commotion, Ruby wrestles a heavy filing cabinet against the door. She takes a velvet pouch from her pocket and slips the CPU inside. As the guards hammer against the barricaded door, Ruby starts and almost drops her prize.

The door holds steady but Ruby knows it won’t last long. Throwing the chair at the window, she creates an opening. She ties a cord from her jumpsuit to the oak desk, then jumps out of the window. In mid-air, she spins until she is facing the building, then easily abseils down.

By the time the guards have made their way into the office, Ruby has reached the ground. Releasing herself from the harness, she runs to a waiting limo, climbs in and is escorted away.

Before she has caught her breath, she spots the stranger in the back of the limo – the CEO.

‘Nice try,’ he says. Holding out his hand, he asks for the CPU.

Seemingly dejected, Ruby drops the pouch into his waiting palm.

‘I told you before, Ruby,’ the man continues, as he opens the container. ‘My offices are impenetrable. Nobody can steal from me.’ He tips out the contents of the pouch onto his hand. His face falls as he stares at one of Ruby’s business cards.

‘And I told you,’ she answers with a wry smile, ‘with the right plan, nothing is impenetrable.’

As we watch the limo disappear into the night, the camera pans back to the building and takes us back into the CEO’s office.

Frustrated he missed the thief, the team leader orders everyone out. While his boss is distracted by his ire, Paulo discreetly scoops up a pouch identical to the one in the CEO’s grasp. He places it in his pocket, taking care not to damage the CPU inside.

And that’s when the title credits begin to roll.

As for a plot of the main story, you know the other 90-odd minutes of celluloid entertainment, I haven’t got a clue yet. I just know that there has to be scene where, following been beaten and thrown around, jumping from buildings (maybe planes?), closely avoiding explosions and car chases galore, Paulo asks an almost wrecked Ruby if she is alright.

‘No,’ she admits, a look of dismay on her face. She holds up a hand for Paulo to see. ‘I’ve broken a nail.’

I would write Point Break 2. And disregard the ridiculous and unwatchable sequel already made to it.

The Plot: In 2020 the Dead Presidents

(copy cats) are back at it again. They’ve hit a dozen banks all over Southern California with the same smash and grab hit and run tactics as before. And the FBI’s disillusioned/disgraced/redeemed/decorated agent Johnny Utah is out to catch them. To prove he’s still got the goods.

Angelo Pappas (Gary Busey) is retired and rents an in law from Tyler (Lori Petty) Utah’s ex-wife. Who lives with her and Utah’s adult son Jackson Utah. After the divorce Angelo babysat Jackson raising him essentially. And told him all about the dead presidents and bank robbery. Jackson is and has always been bitter at his dad for working to much and neglecting his mother (Utah’s wife) So he and his crew of surfer/veterans now wear President masks and rob banks. And the action ensues.

"I am an FBI agent"

"No shit dad! I mean Sherlock."