In Country

Left face!

Ground your gear!

Gentlemen...

...you depart today to fight the forces of godless Communism.

You were chosen to be leaders in a fight that will never be forgotten.

You are chosen because you are the best.

Because you are the meanest.

Because you are the hardest, fastest, toughest sons of bitches in the world.

The Viet Cong will learn to respect you, or he will die.

You will make him die until he gives you that respect.

The Viet Cong is never going to forget you.

America is never going to forget you.

God bless you.

I love you.

America loves you. You are the best.

You are the chosen.

Good luck and go with God.

Where the fuck are we?

Blue Velvet, this is Night Cross.

Request medevac. Coordinates 956.

Take cover!

Let's get the fuck out of here.

It will take courage.

Courage to face godless Communism...

...wherever it may be.

America used to be God's light...

...on this earth.

We were the world's Good Samaritan.

There was nowhere on the globe...

...that an American couldn't walk tall, proud...

...respected, and safe.

But along the way, our world has fallen...

...and our dreams have vanished.

We forgot our place in God's plan...

...for America.

Things need to be changed.

Changed for the better.

And it's up to you...

...the youth of America.

I congratulate you on the achievement of graduation from high school.

May God bless every one of you...

...because you are the future of America.

Congratulations to Hopewell High's class of '89.

Good luck, and may you all find your heart's desire.

Sam!

Mom, wasn't it wonderful?

Are you proud of me?

Hold the pumpkin for a sec.

Let me just get a shot of this grown-up woman. Say "cheese."

For God's sake. I hate cheese!

Here, take her for a minute.

You looked cute as a bug. I'm so proud of you.

I wish your daddy had been here to see you.

I think he was, Mamaw. I felt his eyes on me.

-You need fattening up. -You, too.

Congratulations. Are you going to Murray in the fall?

No, my brother is the college boy. I'm glad to be done high school.

-Everyone's meeting at the lake. -Come pick me up.

Is that the boy who won that game with all them jump shots?

That's Lonnie Malone, all right.

That's Roy Bob Malone's grandson.

His mom's a Crittenden.

-See you at the lake. -I'll meet you there.

Family group, everybody.

You don't want me in it.

I said everybody. It's not everybody without you.

Donna, let's see George's little face. Nobody is paying for his back.

I wish you'd come live with us instead of Emmett.

I can't just walk away.

I put up with Emmett for 13 years.

I deserve some happiness, so don't talk to me like that.

Everybody ready?

One, two...say....

Chubby Checker!

We forgot Emmett!

Uncle Emmett, come get your picture took. This is history.

I'm not ready for history.

You look good.

She's on me again. She ruins everything.

Your mom is just doing her job. You feel smart?

I feel like I could fly! Now, come on!

Family portrait. Everybody looking pretty?

One.... Too late! Got you!

Lonnie's dad says they're hiring at the tire plant.

Fuck the tire plant.

Fuck the tire plant, by all means.

Jelly donut and Diet Pepsi, please!

You let her use that kind of language at home?

-It's on HBO. -You let her watch HBO?

Hell, I don't let my wife watch HBO.

Can I sit next to you, Sam?

I swear, I ain't smelled nothing sweet in weeks.

You can if you show me your tattoo.

Emmett, you dog. You told her my dark secret.

Come on out to my truck and I'll show you.

I wonder if anybody ever tattooed his own face on his chest like on a T-shirt.

Why would anyone do that?

So when you're old, people could see how you started out.

That could be a lot to live with.

What's your long-legged niece doing here?

What's her problem?

They're hiring at the tire plant.

Fuck the tire plant.

Buddy ain't coming. His little girl is sick again.

Eggs over easy, bacon and a lot of coffee.

Her gut is all twisted up. He blames Agent Orange.

He blames everything on Agent Orange. It wasn't no big deal.

Were you sprayed with Agent Orange?

Is something wrong with Emmett?

He gets headaches and he can't sleep.

And he has this rash--

Don't be macho and pretend.

I had a place come up on my leg. All brown and funny.

Kind of like a bruise on a banana.

But then it just went away.

You reckon it ate clear down to my bone?

Nothing will hurt you.

You're like that guy on TV...ate a bicycle.

On That's Incredible . I saw that.

It didn't hurt him. He was going to go to Canada and eat a helicopter.

If I had a car, I'd drive Emmett to the VA hospital.

Get him checked out.

I got a car I'll sell you.

VW bug. I'll fix it up good.

$600.

I don't have that kind of cash.

You want a car?

I'll show you a car.

Look at that!

See that thing that looks like a ladybug?

That's my old Corvette.

My wife sold it while I was gone.

It would be a classic now.

You got that right.

That's my house.

There's my street. This is the county.

This could be the stupidest thing I ever did in my life.

Nobody can eat a helicopter. You don't know how to lie.

Hey, man, keep it long to the left.

Think about that VW, Sam.

Come take a test drive and teach me how to lie.

See you all later!

Come by any time you want.

I got tattoos in places you never even dreamed of.

That true what you told me about Pete chasing his wife with a shotgun?

She chased him.

Why?

Why does everything need a reason?

-Because it does. -Some things don't.

Some things just are. You can't change them.

I don't accept that.

Oh, you don't? How do you plan to deal with gravity? Do you accept that?

Why do you got to know about Vietnam?

What do you remember about it?

Hey, Emmett! Sam, you want to come with me?

I need to talk to you.

Go on.

Take her out of here, Lonnie. She's pestering me.

You're in a mood!

That's good reason to be alone.

What's wrong with him?

I don't know. They all act like there's some deep, dark secret.

Why aren't you at work?

I walked in there today, looked in Quinnie's face and thought:

"If I do this for 30 years, I'll look just like him."

So I told him I quit.

He says, "We don't need you. You're fired."

Wouldn't that burn your ass?

So you just up and quit.

Box boy. That ain't for me.

I want to do something outdoors, where I'm my own boss.

You're your own boss now.

I ain't too crazy about your hanging out with Emmett's friends.

Don't worry about it.

Those guys are still back in Vietnam.

Not one has come to anything.

Shut up, Lonnie!

What do you think they'll do? Snap and hold me hostage?

You know what they say about Emmett.

I know what they say about everything in Hopewell.

This town never shuts up.

You think I'm weird 'cause of Emmett.

You're not weird. You just think you are.

You're only half-weird.

I got to find me a job.

I got to get a car or else I'll go nuts.

Let me out. I feel like running.

I've been thinking.

Good.

How old were you when you went over?

Old enough to know better.

How old is that?

A year older than you are now.

What do you remember when you think about it?

The first thing.

There was these white birds...

...used to follow the water buffalo.

One for every water buffalo, like he had a pet.

These birds would pick the bugs off the buffalo's head.

Sometimes one would even pick the bugs out of his teeth.