The Jacket

- Target four. Wanna take the other truck? - Roger.

Move by the truck.

Move in right there.

Roger. He's wounded. Hit him. Start hitting the truck.

Get the truck and him. Go forward of it and hit him.

Roger.

Go ahead and store that.

Another guy moving right through.

Good. Fire. Hit him.

Get down on the floor.

I said, down. Down.

You. Down. Now.

Let me see your hands.

Let me see your hands.

Get the hands over your head. Over your head!

Get down.

On your knees.

There. Stay there.

Get your hands up. Get your hands up.

Get down.

Shit, there's a kid in there.

That's not our problem.

None of this is our problem.

Get your hands in the air.

Hey.

How's it going, little man?

You all right?

I was 27 years old the first time I died.

I remember there was white everywhere.

There was war, and I felt alive. But, really, I was dead.

- So how old? - Twenty-seven.

Here he is. Starks, Jack.

Born in Vermont. Hasn't got a family listed.

Naval hospital will take care of it.

Oh, my God.

- This soldier's alive. This man just blinked. - Been tagged already.

- Worry about the others. - No, no, look at this.

Oh, shit. Code blue, code blue. We need a doctor.

Get a doctor over here now.

Sergeant Starks was very lucky.

A little more to the right, it wouldn't have come out.

He has retrograde amnesia, acute psychological suppression.

We couldn't find any family...

...in the States, sergeant.

- I'm sure you have friends. - I want the paperwork this afternoon.

- Get him on the next flight out of here. - Yes, sir.

He's recommended you for the Bronze Star, sergeant.

- There is help for you, sergeant. - Of course there is.

Of course there is.

You guys all right?

- Our car won't start. - That's your mom?

- Yeah. - What's your mom's name?

Jean.

Hey, Jean.

Can you hear me?

Can you wake up?

I need you to try and stay awake.

- Oh, God. - Your mom taking anything?

- What's your name? - Jackie.

Nice to meet you, Jackie.

Tell you what. Why don't you do this.

Wrap it around yourself...

...and you try and keep your mom awake, and I'll go work on your car.

- All right? - Okay.

Oh, God.

No. Oh, no...

What do you think of all this snow?

- Nothing. - Nothing?

What are these?

Those are dog tags. See, they got the name and the date of birth on them.

- What for? - In case I get lost...

...or can't remember who I am. - Can I have them?

- Yeah, you can have them. - Thanks.

You think you can reach the ignition?

Go ahead and give it a shot.

Just keep turning, all right?

Keep going.

It works.

Hey, get your fucking hands off...

Get your fucking hands off my daughter. Get your fucking hands off my daughter.

- Mom, he fixed our car. - Jackie, get in that car. Now.

- Mom. He fixed the car. - Get in the goddamn car!

- How's it going? - Pretty good, man.

- Where you headed? - On up in Canada.

- I can take you to the border. - That'd be great.

- All right, bud, jump on in. - It's freezing.

- Hey, man. - Hey. Thanks.

Jump on in here. Hey, no problem.

My God, it's cold.

- Must've been freezing out there, boy. - Yeah.

It's colder than a witch's titty with a brass bra on doing pushups in the snow.

- So you drive? - Yeah, sure.

All right, man, great. We'll switch up in a bit.

You ever been to jail?

- No, I've never been to jail. - I'll tell you what, buddy...

...it's a whole lot goddamn worse than war.

It's probably worse than anywhere you been.

I doubt that.

Are you kidding me?

What's he pulling us over for?

Recreation.

Jackie and Jean are the only things you know for certain about that day?

Yes.

Are you aware that we have no last name, no place of residence...

...and no record of any physical presence for these friends of yours?

I'm afraid I might have to actually hear that answer, Mr. Starks.

Yes.

Officer Harrison had been shot three times.

He was long dead by the time we got there.

Jack Starks could be blocking the incident.

It would explain his well-conceived plan about the little girl and her mother.

- Objection. - I have heard of Gulf War syndrome.

War is just a CNN special. Half the shit that went on in Operation Desert Storm...

...can't be tidied into a top-of-the-hour headline.

Couldn't be said neatly, so couldn't be said at all.

- There was someone else. - War's ugly.

- And they don't put ugly on TV. - My client thinks he already died once.

- I don't really remember all of it... - He doesn't know what's going on.

...but there was someone else.

I think that's what happened.

If Starks did kill that officer...

...can't hold a man responsible for a damaged mind.

We, the jury, find the defendant not guilty by reason of insanity.

Jack Starks, I hereby sentence you to be committed...

...to an institution for the criminally insane...

...where I hope the doctors and proper treatment can help you.

Come on, bud.

Come on.

What are you doing?

Get him up.

Please believe...

What are you doing? I don't belong here.

- I don't belong here. - No, I don't think you do either.

But neither of us can do anything about that now.

Please. Please.

Let me out of here.

Let me out of here. Please.

- How much did you give him? - Fifty cc's.

- And he's been in for the full three hours? - Yes, sir.

Okay, get him out.

Jack, can you hear me?

Jack, blink for me if you can.

- He didn't lose consciousness. - Do you wanna put him back in?

No, take him out of it.

Take him upstairs and check his vitals every hour.

Now that's, I think, the context in which to view what's going on.

Perhaps you may have seen a lead story in The New York Times.

Good morning, Dr. Lorenson.

You're the cop killer, right?

- That obvious, huh? - TV, you know?

Helps soothe an active mind.

I'm Rudy Mackenzie. Welcome.

Listen, I...

- I don't really feel like talking. - You know, that's a shame.

I don't believe in disposable language either.

You know, small talk, little talk, chitchat. Useless.

The game. The game's something else, though.

This here is our court. I'm ready to throw the ball. Come on.

All right.

What are you in here for?

- I tried to kill my wife. - Don't you go to jail for that?

Yeah, well, I tried, like, 30 times. I never planned on doing it, you know?

It was always in the heat of the moment.

And she kept threatening to have me put away until finally...

...she did.

- Thirty times might make you seem crazy. - Yeah, or just... Or just plain stupid.

Because you'd think by the 20th time, I would've found an alternative method...

...or maybe a more effective one. - Morning, gentlemen. How you doing today?

For me that is a really difficult question, Dr. Lorenson...

...because the world around me is shrinking, and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse...

...are coming to see me today, and they're not bringing flowers...

...which just makes it really difficult to get organized.

And you, Mr. Starks?

- I'm fine. - So you're okay?

You tell me, doc.

You think there's something wrong with me?

You're a little underweight.

Maybe I'm working it off in my dreams.

Done with the small talk?

Hey, it's okay.

Mr. Starks, glad to see you're cooperating this time.

We're here to help, Jack. We're only doing what's best for you.

Hold him while I get the tranquilizer.

- Get him down. Fuck the tranquilizer. - No.

No, that's not necessary. Get him up.

Nurse, get the jacket.

The only thing your mind's missing's a conscience.

Wait. Dr. Becker, how long do you want us to leave him in for?

Just strap him in for now.

Help. Help, please.

Motherfucker.

Let me out of here.

Let me out of here.

Let me out of here.

- You okay? - I'm fine.

- Listen, I hate to bother you. - Then don't.

But what about Starks?

What about Starks?

Should we be just...?

Should we be trying to help him any way we can?