TREATMENT FOR 'UNDERCOVER'

TREATMENT FOR 'UNDERCOVER'

We are aiming to create an opening to a neo-noir film set in an urban environment. An undercover officer poses as a gang member and meets a member of a rival gang for an alleged drug deal. The officer aims to arrest the dealer, but the dealer has come to do a hit on the rival gang, so after a minute of dialogue surrounding the drug deal the officer realises that there’s no drugs and the dealer shoots him. It then cuts to a man in a bar reading the story of the failed drug bust in a newspaper, and he checks his phone to find out that he’s assigned to do a similar style drug bust that evening. He sighs, and the title of the film appears on screen.

The credits roll at the very start of the opening . The establishing scene takes place in a dimly lit alley or at a dock. The undercover officer is extremely paranoid about the drug deal, and he phones up his chief to ask why the dealer is late and to give off about how he always gets the bottom of the barrel jobs nobody wants. The chief reassures him, saying that junkies have no sense of time and that the job could lead to a major bust on, the gang leader, Joey Rigatoni's entire drug operation. Suddenly the dealer appears, walking quickly and slightly hunched over with his hands in his jacket pockets. The dealer seems just as nervous as the officer, and they both introduce themselves as members of the rival gangs. After some beating about the bush they both realise that a drug deal isn’t actually going on. Before the officer gets a chance to pull out his badge, the dealer pulls out a gun and says ‘Tell Tony Joey Rigatoni sends his regards’ before shooting at the officer. The screen goes black and it cuts to a man sitting in a bar, reading a newspaper about an undercover drug bust gone wrong. The man gets a message on his phone, and reads it to find out that he has to do a similar style undercover drug bust that night. The man sighs, and the title of the film appears on screen.

'UNDERCOVER' SCRIPT

OPENING CREDITS

THE FILM OPENS WITH ESTABLISHING SHOTS OF THE DOCKS, STATUES AND DIFFERENT URBAN ENVIRONMENTS AROUND BELFAST.

Mac is waiting at the docks, checking his watch anxiously. He checks his watch, and as the hands reach midnight, he grabs his phone and frantically dials a number and calls it.

MAC

You told me midnight. You told me he'd be here at exactly midnight. He's not here! Where is he?!

CHIEF

Relax, junkies have no sense of time. He'll be there shortly.

MAC

I always get handed these lowlife jobs...

CHIEF

It's that or paperwork. And I know you hate paperwork. 

Mac is getting increasingly nervous, and wipes his brow with a handkerchief.

CHIEF

You're not chickening out on us now, are you? You know the drill, right?

MAC

Yeah yeah... I ask the guy if he's got the stuff, he hands me whatever sludge he's gotten his hands on. I tell him I'm one of Tony's men and I ask him if he's a good friend of Joey's then I show him my badge and I put the scumbag away.   

CHIEF

You realise this isn't just you putting away some small time scumbag, if we get some information out of him we can put an end to Joey's whole drug operation. 

MAC

Yeah yeah...

CHIEF

This setup is a big deal Mac!

MAC

I know. 

Suddenly a shady looking character emerges walking towards Mac slightly slumped with his hands in his jacket pockets. Upon arriving, he somehow manages to seem equally as nervous and agitated as Mac. 

PAUL

Alright... you here for the uh... the drug deal?

MAC

Yeah uh...the drugs

PAUL

So... you one of Tony's men?

MAC

Yeah... and you're one of Joey's goons?

PAUL

Goons?

MAC

Men, one of Joey's men.

PAUL

Yeah, I am... Tony's really been expanding his drug operation, hasn't he?

MAC

Uh... I guess he has

PAUL

Yeah, been really pushing into other gangs turf, hasn't he?

MAC

Uh...

Mac, at his limit, searches Paul up and down. Suddenly he realises that Paul isn't here to do a drug deal, and notices his hand moving back towards his pockets. Mac tries frantically to grab his police badge out of his pocket, but before he has a chance Tony has already pulled a gun on him.

PAUL

Tell Tony Joey Rigatoni sends his regards!

As Paul fires, the screen abruptly goes black.   

  

The next shot opens with a man sitting in the corner of a bar. To his right is a newspaper with the headline 'Undercover officer found dead in failed drug bust'. As he lifts it to read it, his phone buzzes. He sets down the newspaper and picks up his phone to read the text. The text informs him that he has to do a similar style undercover drug bust that night. The man sighs and exhales cigar smoke. 

The title then appears on screen as music plays in the background.

Analysis: Drive

Analysis: Drive 

'Drive' is the most critically and commercially successful noir film of the the last decade, and the film's anti-hero/lead character, played by Ryan Gosling, is among the most interesting in the genre's history. The film features incredible direction, cinematography and editing, following the noir cliche of placing a huge emphasis on style. 

The film opens with the song 'Tick of the Clock' by the Chromatics, as a form of tension building, while also hinting at the film being somewhat of a thriller as well. The opening scene contains Gosling's character informing his employers, over the phone, of his rules while performing a job. He appears incredibly organised and precise, diverting slightly from the codes and conventions of the genre. The noir lead character is usually deeply flawed, disorganised, and with some kind of relationship or drinking problem etc. During this scene he stirs out of the window at neon lights, a common feature in many neo-noirs since the 1970s, while in a dark room projecting his shadow onto the window. This looks like a colour version of something pulled straight from classic 40s noir, as the dark room with the shining neon light almost creates the same effect as high contrast black and white, showing both a darker and lighter side to the film's hero. When Gosling's character is picking up the car for his next job we are informed that he does not smoke, rendering him to be almost the complete opposite of the traditional noir character, whether it is Robert Mitchum in 'Out of the Past' or Jack Nicholson in 'Chinatown'. 

What follows is a suspenseful car chase that is almost identical to, and a clear homage to, the chase sequence from the 'The Driver', a noir-like film from the 70s. During this scene the camera never leaves the inside of Gosling's car, as this film constantly tries to give the viewer an insight into the mind of the character. It is unusual for a noir film to open in such a thrilling way. The only other notable noir film with this kind of opening is the Orson Welles film 'Touch of Evil', from 1958. During the chase sequence, Gosling keeps to himself, hardly saying a word to the other members on the job. This shows us that he has the persona of a loner, fitting in with the trope of most noir heroes being that way. After a well executed escape from the police, Gosling immediately ditches the car and the other members on the job, as well as changing his attire. This implies that the character tries not to get too close to anything or anyone in his life. It becomes evident why later in the film. The opening credits then appear to the song 'Nightcall' by Kavinsky, an electronic/synth heavy song. This is a fairly conventional song choice for this type of film as a number of neo-noirs, e.g. 'Blade Runner', 'Heat' and 'Mulholland Drive', contain this kind of synth heavy music on their soundtracks. 

'Drive' will, more than likely, go on to be the most memorable noir film of the 2010s. 

Analysis: Raging Bull

Analysis: Raging Bull 

Similar to the last film that I looked, 'Apocalypse Now', 'Raging Bull' isn't a noir film. However, once again, this is another film that has clearly been influenced by the film noir genre stylistically. 'Raging Bull' is a biographical film about the life of legendary middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta, in the 1940s and 1950s.

'Raging Bull' is filmed in black and white just like the classic noir films that it bears a striking resemblance to, that, of course, came out during the time period in which the film is set. The opening titles of the film are in plain white. However, the actual title of the film itself appears in red, in order to represent the typical emotions displayed by LaMotta. He is always filled with passion (especially when angered). This is obviously going to be the case in the boxing ring, although this also spills over into his relationships with both wives and his brother, outside of the ring. This suggests that the film contains themes similar to the dark sexual themes of 'Vertigo', 'Chinatown' and 'Blue Velvet'. Something that has proven to be popular within the genre. During the opening credits LaMotta shadowboxes alone in the ring, in slow motion. This conveys a sense of loneliness to the audience. Most noir characters, from Sam Spade to Ryan Gosling's character in 'Drive', are always loners in some form.

The music that is used during the opening titles is the Intermezzo from 'Cavelleria Rusticana'. This is certainly much different from actual noir films as they tend to contain music that is along the lines of jazz, or something electronic and synth heavy (if it is a more modern neo-noir). The first actual scene of the film shows an older, overweight LaMotta reciting his lines for a comedy club. This already gives the viewer an insight into just how far the film's tragic hero fell, drawing sympathy from the viewer. Next, we get a glimpse of LaMotta in action in one of his early fights, before moving on to give us an insight into his dysfunctional home life with his first wife. Both scenes projecting the extreme anger and constant passion of Jake LaMotta, talked about earlier.

There is definitely a lot of noticeable influences from the noir genre in 'Raging Bull', and many things that those looking to make a noir film can take from it.

Analysis: Apocalypse Now

Analysis: Apocalypse Now

'Apocalypse Now' may not be a noir film in the traditional sense, however, the film does contain many of the genre's tropes and cliches. It is an incredibly dark film thematically and the film's main character, Captain Willard, certainly displays many traits of the traditional noir, anti-hero, lead character. This character is usually troubled yet relatable, struggling with something from his past or with his life in the present. 

The struggles of Captain Willard come from his experiences in Vietnam. This is evident during the opening to the film as we see the upside-down face of Willard being superimposed onto the montage of a napalm strike in the jungle. We also see that Willard is staring at a ceiling fan in his hotel room, clearly used to represent the rotor blades of a US military chopper. He can't get the war out of his mind. Everywhere he looks he is tormented by images of destruction from his past experiences. Furthermore, Willard is seen resting beside a glass of whiskey while holding a cigerette, his form of comfort. This is another cliche within the film noir genre as it is hard to imagine a noir film where the lead character doesn't smoke or drink frequently. He then proceeds to breakdown and cry before fighting with his fellow soldiers, blatantly conveying his issues to the audience. Finally, Captain Willard is given a task and forced to just move on with his day, despite his deep-rooted issues. There is a striking similarity between this and what we see with the stereotypical private detectives in the more conventional noir films. 

What we hear as an audience is also very important when understanding the film and its lead character. Before we even see the opening the opening shot, we can hear the rotary blades of a chopper at work. We are instantly in the mind of Captain Willard, we hear what he is constantly hearing. This is further evidence that this man has been tormented and destroyed by the war. The next thing we hear is the song 'The End' by The Doors, an obvious reference to the title of the film, both of which serve to foreshadow or describe what has happened Willard and Colonel Kurtz (the man Willard is tasked with assassinating) as the film is about the apocalypse of humanity as we know it, as man confronts his true savage and animalistic nature while experiencing war and the depths of a jungle filled with a more savage, less developed group of people. One of the most important quotes from the film, that highlight its noir tendencies, is from Willard when talking about his wife. "I haven't said a word to my wife since I said 'yes' to a divorce." This is keeping true to the codes and conventions of the genre as the majority of noir films contain a lead character that struggles with a particular, or multiple, romantic relationships. 

'Apocalypse Now' may not technically be a noir film, but its influences from within the genre, especially in terms of it's main character and tone, cannot be denied.