Is That A Firecracker In Your Pocket?

As Exene and John Doe sang, 'Hey, baby -- it's the Fourth of July' ... and what could be more patriotic than hot Homeland Security agents and strippers with suitcase nukes to light those firecrackers in your pants. Then get your red-white-and blue ass over to NOWHERE GIRL.

Screened a real pip last night. David Mamet's HEIST, a perfect, clockwork-tight caper flick of double crosses upon doublecrosses. Crackerjack cast with Gene Hackman, Danny DeVitto, Delroy Lindo, Sam Rockwell, and Rebecca Pigeon (Mrs. Mamet). To say anything about the plot would be a spoiler, so I'll keep my yap shut. But it, rent, watch it. Great stuff. Amazing script. Acting perfection. Two submachine guns up!

Onto today's joint from NOWHERE GIRL ...

In part one, the terrorists bide their time waiting for the nuke, while his hostage secretly lets his fingers do the walking.
In part two, CIA agent Shag Holliday reconoiters with silky operative Lark Eden, and
In part three, stripper on the lam Cherry Nation has a little ... car trouble.

INT. HOLLYWOOD HILLS MANSION - NIGHT
Hamad and Kamal watch a cheesy reality show on the plasma TV.
The terrorists are intrigued.

HAMAD
Now this is television program.
The man gets to choose from all these women.
And he doesn’t have to wait for the afterlife.
(beat)
Check out the blonde.
I'm going to buy one of those.

KAMAL
But the woman are all -- so stupid.

ACROSS THE ROOM
The RICH HOMEOWNER sits with his wife
while the guards’ attention is on the TV.
Rich puts his hand in his jacket pocket.

IN HIS POCKET
We see a CELL PHONE.
His fingers feel the buttons by touch.
He types in a number.

THE PHONE LCD
Reads ‘Bell Air Security.’

INT. CORVETTE - MOVING - NIGHT - AT THAT MOMENT
Shag drives East on Sunset, through the winding curves
near the approach to Beverly Hills.

SHAG
You say she’s at the corner of Sunset and Orange?

INTERCUT WITH:
INT. CIA HEADQUARTERS - CUBICLE - CONTINUOUS
Lark looks at a computer screen.
Stares at a circular mass of orange and
yellow smears on a green background.

LARK
Plutonium never lies.
The gift that keeps giving.

SHAG
I want to call her, find out if she’s okay.

LARK
Be careful. Don’t let your personal feelings
cloud your judgement.
(beat)
She’s really that unstable?

SHAG
She’s a great gal.
It’s just that she has these -- mood swings.

LARK
And she’s got a nuke.

SHAG
Exactly.

LARK
Call her. But be careful.

INT. TOYOTA CELICA - MOVING - NIGHT - AT THAT MOMENT
Cherry drives. Peeler rides shotgun. Stan sits in the back.
Peeler looks at his I-Phone. Wipes the screen with a finger.

PEELER
It’s coming up soon, slow down --

CHERRY
Queen’s Boulevard?

PEELER
Yeah. This corner coming up.

EXT. SUNSET BOULEVARD - CONTINUOUS
The car turns right, starts climbing the hill.

IN THE CAR

STAN
I know I’m supposed to be quiet,
but you need to know something about the car.

CHERRY
What?

STAN
It gets kinda funky -- going up hills.

CHERRY
Funky how?

STAN
It strains the engine. Sometimes it --

The engine COUGHS, SPUTTERS -- and DIES.

STAN (CONT’D)
Stalls out.

PEELER
Shit.

Cherry pulls over.
YANKS on the parking brake.

CHERRY
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK.

PEELER
(to Stan)
What do you do when it stalls?

STAN
Uh -- call Triple A.

CHERRY
Then let’s call Triple A.

STAN
My, uh -- membership expired.
I’ve been meaning to renew it,
but it’s fifty bucks, and --

CHERRY
Jesus fucking Christ on a STICK.
We’re gonna have to walk.
Everybody out of the car.
She opens her door.
Peeler sighs, opens his.

STAN
Can I stay with the car?

CHERRY
So you can tell the cops we stole it
and kidnapped you? Hell, NO.
Outta the car, Napoleon Dynamite, NOW.

STAN
Okay, okay.
(beat)
Jeez.