Coming Home (1978) - full transcript
Sally Bender is the wife of a Captain in the United States Marine Corps. He is sent over to Vietnam, and Sally is alone. With nothing else to do, she decides to volunteer at a local veteran's hospital, where she meets Luke, who went to high school with Sally. Luke was wounded and is paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. When Sally begins to fall in love with Luke, she has to make a crucial decision about her life.
- Whoa, baby.
- You caught nothing.
You're gonna have to move away.
We don't want no cheap-seaters
around the table.
- If Kenny's movin', you've got to move.
- You follow him, Bobby.
Would you go
if you had the chance again?
- Would I go? Yeah.
- You'd go to Canada?
- No, not to Canada.
- You'd go back to 'Nam?
- Yeah, because...
- You would?
- You're a fucking psycho!
- No.
- You'd go back?
- Yeah. I went over for a purpose, man.
- What was your purpose?
- A lot of it was curiosity.
- But another thing was...
- You can't be curious, man.
I said that was just part of the reason.
The other was a moral obligation.
I feel that anybody... Not for their country
or anything like that. For anybody.
Nobody's got the right to tell anybody
what to do against their will.
That's what I went over to fight for.
Did you know that they ran the French
out of there after 20 years?
Wait a minute. You said they're forcing...?
Shit! You call the draft not being forced?
I ain't sayin' the draft in our country.
I'm talking about another country that's
having something forced upon them.
- Is it our duty to fight for somebody else?
- If you believe in it! If you believe in it.
I can't see anybody saying that,
after coming back, they would go again.
I just can't deal with that.
Wait a minute. The reason I can see it
is that some of us, not all of us,
some of us need to justify to ourselves
what the fuck we did there.
If we come back and say what we did
was a waste, some of us can't live with it.
- So they'd do it again?
- Man, they gotta keep...
Inside they're lying to themselves
continuously saying
"What I did was OK
because this is what I got from it, man."
"I have to justify being paralysed, I have to
justify killing people, so I say it was OK."
But how many guys
can make the reality and say
"What I did was wrong
and all this other shit was wrong, man"
and be able to live with themselves cos
they're crippled for the rest of their life?
Re-box all weapons.
Place your weapons on the firing line
with the dust covers up.
Grease up the brass...
Word is it's turning into
a hell of a war over there, Captain.
We're going there, pal.
When we're in 'Nam, we're in Combat City.
I am ready. Really ready.
I'll pop some rounds with you. Marine!
- How's Vi taken to your leaving?
- I think she hates everything military.
But she stands behind me.
She knows I want it more than anything.
- How about Sally?
- She's OK.
I don't think she really understands it all,
but she accepts it.
You can't ask
for a helluva lot more than that.
An American spokesman reported
rockets, artillery and mortar fire...
- Jeez!
- Remember Jim Hanson?
He got blown away
in the middle of the street right in Saigon.
That's an embarrassment.
Makes us look like the goddamn B Team.
Word is from on top that Charlie
shot his wad with this Tet Offensive
and it's just a matter of a mop-up time.
I've waited a long time
for an opportunity like this.
You're gonna make major.
- Major?
- Major.
Major and Mrs Robert Hyde? I'll have
to get my skirts lengthened for that one.
Start wearing girdles.
- You'll have to watch your language.
- Right. Very reserved.
I'm actually excited.
I never thought it would get like this.
I have competitive nervousness.
I feel like I'm off to the Olympic Games.
Bob is very sexy.
In 13 months I'll throw you
the damnedest party.
We'll have a side of beef,
a case of Jack Daniels,
and maybe I'll even get you
a couple of congressmen.
Fantastic.
- I'll bring you back a souvenir.
- Like what?
A Commie AK-47.
- Robert? Sorry to interrupt.
- Mrs Vickery.
I wanted to pass on
the Colonel's best wishes.
- Isn't he able to come by later?
- No. Tonight's his chess night.
- Sally, be sure to keep in touch.
- I will, Mrs Vickery.
- She'll be staying with my mom.
- Oh, nice.
Earl, your Kathy's doing
a wonderful job on the paper.
- Don't let it go to your head, young lady.
- I've got a lot of good ideas.
Call me tomorrow.
- May God be with you, Robert.
- Thank you, Mrs Vickery.
That was very nice.
It is exactly zero hour minus six.
Your orders for the day are:
Go directly to the bedroom.
Do not pass "Go".
Do not collect dinner.
- Aren't you hungry?
- Well...
Does a bear make big potty in the woods?
From the Halls of Montezuma
to the shores of Tripoli...
I will fight...
my country's battles...
on land,
in the air...
Bob?
What are you doing?
This darn thing wouldn't pop up.
You never know
when you're gonna want some toast.
I gotta start getting ready.
You don't need to be afraid
for me, you know.
I am afraid.
But I'm proud of you.
There was nothing I could do
here in California.
I know.
That's where I belong. And I am a Marine.
I gotta go. Pay the bar bill.
And let's get the generator
in this thing fixed.
And call my mom and let her know
when you're coming.
- I bought you a present, sweetheart.
- I don't have anything for you.
Oh, Sally. It's a little wedding ring.
Look how outstanding that is. Huh?
I like it.
- You'll probably take it off on liberty.
- No way.
I'll never take this off. That's a promise.
- This'll be my good-luck charm.
- That's right.
Sir? We're ready to move out.
Can I stow your gear?
- We're at war.
- Yo!
Let's go.
When I get back, we're gonna get us
a little condominium right on the beach.
Tell brother Billy to take care.
- And a garage filled up with Porsches.
- Be a good girl. No fooling around.
- Just come back.
- You got it.
Oh. This is Dink. My wife Sally.
Hello, Mrs Hyde. Vi, Captain Hyde's wife.
Hi, Vi.
Be careful.
- You have a spot on your tie.
- What?
Don't wear your skirts so short.
See you around.
- Hey, Vi?
- Yeah?
Do you want a drink?
Can I buy you a drink or something?
Where's open? No place is open.
- Just the Officers Club.
- Any place but there.
Yeah, I guess.
Well... that's that.
Hey. I live just a couple of miles down.
Wanna come over?
- Yeah.
- Stay close.
- Park in there. It's empty.
- OK.
Don't mind the mess. Come on up.
Don't turn it off.
OK?
Yeah. Sorry. Just tonight especially,
I felt superstitious.
Whatever gets you through the night.
- I guess it's the way I was brought up.
- Me too. Is beer OK? It's all I got.
Oh, sure.
You gonna stay on in officers' quarters?
Are you kidding?
I couldn't even if I wanted to.
- That's spooky.
- Bob moves off and I've gotta move.
You're the hole in the doughnut, and
when the doughnut goes, there's no hole.
They say if the Marine Corps wanted you
to have a wife they'd have issued you one.
- Is that you?
- Me and my kid brother.
He's cute.
He inherited the brains,
the beauty, the personality, the talent.
Then he got drafted.
He's the main reason I hang out here.
- Not Dink?
- Dink the kink?
He's part of it. But the kid's
in the VA hospital - psycho ward.
They sent him home without an ignition.
So I'm stuck with him.
God. It must be really hard on you.
I see him every day.
I work in the hospital, in the kitchen.
Is he gonna get better?
Who knows? They don't.
I don't.
- Hey, Pee Wee.
- How are you doing, Mr Martin?
I'm just fine, Pee Wee. Just terrific.
I only stink a little bit.
- Smells like booze to me.
- I need a bath, man.
I just have two hands
and too many assholes to clean.
That's what you're being paid for.
Mr Martin, you get more from Uncle
for your disability
than me and my old lady get put together.
Maybe they shouldn't
put you together, then.
- Your radiator's blowing over.
- So's yours, Eddie.
I'm serious, man. You better watch it
before you pop your melon.
Oh, shit. I'm filled up. Where's Corinne?
You better watch that booze.
Mess up your kidneys.
Watch where you're...! Goddamnit! Shit!
- Oh, shit!
- Oh, my God!
Would you please give me my canes?
I'm sorry.
Goddamnit!
Nurses, interns and orderlies!
Fucking nurses and fucking doctors!
They treat us like nobodies
in this fucking hospital!
- Goddamn it! Where are you people?
- Give it hell, Luke.
Corinne, you're fucking late!
There's something on the floor for you!
You stay where you are, Digroot!
You come near me, I'll break
your fucking head! You understand?
Where the fuck were you? You're
so goddamned slow. Can't you move?
Come near me! I wanna hit you! I wanna
hit something that can't fucking move!
What am I saying?
What am I doing?
- Having a little problem today, Luke?
- Oh, shit!
Doctor, I can't even
get my piss bag changed!
- You want me out of this hospital?
- Give him 50 of Thorazine.
Take care of me and I'll get the fuck
out of here! Just take care of me!
Fucking hospital! Aw, shit!
- Are you Fleta Wilson?
- Yes.
I think I'd like to volunteer. I mean,
I don't think, I do want to volunteer.
Damn.
Sit down, please.
I'll be with you in a minute.
Hot stuff.
- Do you have him, Jerry?
- Yeah.
One, two, three.
Yeah, I know what you mean.
But you'll get used to it.
One guy had "Born to lose"
tattooed on his arm.
"La vida loca" - the crazy life.
That's my favourite one.
I talked to this other guy
that had a gold earring.
Yeah? You're not used
to those hippy types, huh?
Bob would flip out
if he ever saw those characters.
That about does it, huh?
I feel like I've lived in base houses
all my life.
Should've had the government move us.
- They do that for officers, you know?
- Yeah?
I didn't realise that we'd accumulated
so much stuff.
Well, don't worry. My rates are cheap.
You know, I think I must have moved
at least 15 times since I left home.
I went back there once
when my old lady died.
Nothing's left. They tore down my past
and built a shopping centre.
- Want to see something funny?
- I'd love to.
My yearbook.
- Ooh! Look at that dress.
- It was a nice dress.
- It's cute.
- There's another one here.
So funny looking at
the way we used to look.
- Doggy in the window?
- Look.
"Sally Bender. Nickname: Sal."
"What is the one thing
she'd want on a desert island?"
"A husband."
- I was so ambitious.
- And so original.
You know that guy we were talking about?
He's in here somewhere.
- Yeah?
- Look.
"Luke Martin. Nickname: The Duke."
- He's cute.
- "Co-captain of the football team."
"What one thing would he want
on a desert island? A mirror."
- This is asinine, Pee Wee.
- There you go. Take some.
Don't you get the feeling
that this is kinda silly shit?
Shit, I'm not saying
this isn't entertaining, Pee Wee.
I'm not eating, Pee Wee. I'm not eating.
I'm not eating, Pee Wee. Come on, man.
Give me my arms. I can feed myself.
This is bullshit. I'm not a child, man.
Drink the milk.
- Hi there.
- Hello.
Juice and coffee!
Want some juice?
Excuse me. Do you want
some juice or coffee?
- Juice or coffee?
- Look at that round-eyed chick!
Come on, baby, light my fire.
- Wanna boom-boom? Short time?
- Like some juice?
I'm hard all over.
I'm a bargain in this ward.
Hey, man, be cool. I told you.
Get yourself together.
- Do you want some juice?
- Tits... ass... You got it all, Mama-san.
- You got it all.
- Hey, you shut up.
Yes, sir. Right away. You hear that?
You're disturbing these young 'uns.
Can I kiss you? Can I sniff? Oh, man.
Luke?
Can I come in?
How are you doing?
- Do you remember me?
- No.
I was at Lincoln High
when you were there.
Sally Hyde. Well, I was Sally Bender
when... when I was there.
So?
I just started volunteering today here.
Terrific. If I could get my hands loose,
I'd salute you.
You're a mess.
- Sally Bender.
- Right.
- You were a cheerleader.
- That's right. Three years.
- Were you wounded in 'Nam?
- Right.
When did it happen?
A long time ago.
- My husband just went over there.
- Poor bastard.
Sally?
Didn't we used to call you Bender Over?
- What? Who said that?
- Bender Over. Everybody said it.
- They did not!
- Yes, they did, Sally.
Oh, come on. They did not.
What are you talking about?
Oh, shit.
Sally, listen.
Can I ask you for a big favour?
Sure.
How about unhitching me
from these things?
- No, I can't do that, Luke.
- Sure you can. It's easy.
No, I'm sorry. The doctor
has to do that. I...
Come on. Please? Please, Sally Bender.
- Come on.
- What are you doing in here?
- I just was seeing...
- We'll tend to Mr Martin, Sally.
- You're needed on the ward.
- OK.
Hey, Bender.
You almost got yourself a gold star.
Pee Wee, I can crawl again.
Morning.
I'm gonna be feeding you this morning.
I'm a new volunteer here.
Huh?
He ain't transistorised, honey.
You gotta plug him in for sound.
Plug you in? Oh.
Is this... is this gonna hurt?
There. Is that OK?
- Thank you.
- OK. Would you like some food?
Hey, there you go. Oh, my.
- I'm sorry.
- That's OK.
You want me to...? Here.
Here. Here you go.
It's all energy. You understand?
You don't understand.
You give out energy, you get energy back.
You see me smiling?
Can you dig them pearly whites?
I smile my ass off now.
Hell, sometimes I think
I'm the Good Humor Man.
Everyone wants a piece of my action.
They think I'm one of the Beach Boys.
- Hey, Sally. This is my brother, Bill.
- Hi, Bill.
You see that? Me and her just had
a whole conversation in smile contact.
- Vi, do you have a jumper cable?
- Sure. Bridges!
Watch. You watching?
You two just did it. You smiled
"See what I have to put up with?"
And she smiled back "He's harmless."
- Are you on uppers?
- I don't know.
Come on, Bill.
How about a game of chess?
My brother -
a miracle of modern medicine.
Hey, wait. Oh, my God, what a day.
Is he usually like that?
Try it!
Is it charging?
No.
I like this one.
This is beautiful. It's a convertible.
I don't know how you'd keep warm.
Oh, it's got a great sound system.
Hello.
- Why is this one so much less expensive?
- It's two years older.
"I'm so tired when I come home at night,
I just fall right asleep."
"I know you didn't want me
to get a job..." Thanks.
"... but this isn't really a job, since
I don't get paid. I hope you don't mind."
Then there's sort of a sexy ending.
"Love, Sally."
- That's nice.
- Thanks.
But you didn't tell him the house
you rented was on the beach.
I know.
And you didn't tell him
about the new car you bought.
I figure I'm gonna save that
for when he gets home.
- I got one from Dink this morning.
- Oh, yeah?
All he said was "Got you another ear."
Poetic, huh?
A captain? Shit, Bender. You didn't
go out and marry a fucking captain?
That's right. Why? What were you?
A sergeant.
Sergeants have a lot
of responsibility, don't they?
Yes. They sent me my stripes
on the hospital ship.
My reward for getting so fucked up!
Why are you so cynical about that, Luke?
What are you doing here, Bender?
Why aren't you on a golf course?
Doing something you're good at.
I'm just trying to keep busy.
Sure. Something
to talk about over martinis.
How you're helping out the poor cripples.
I don't think that
I deserve that, Luke - at all.
Maybe you're getting ready for your
husband to come back in a body bag.
Read someplace else!
Luke?
Luke.
Stop! Stop and listen to me!
What is the matter with you?
Why do you have to be such a bastard?
Kevin. I thought
you died Wednesday, man.
You can get paralysed in a war
that don't even make sense
and come back and they don't have
the decency to ask you how you're doing.
"Can I do anything for you?"
I got a Purple Heart. I got it from a second
lieutenant that wasn't even in the war.
They don't tell you about
how to manage your finances.
Or going back into society. Half
the people still can't go back into society.
What about your sex life?
They don't tell you about that.
I went out the first time
and didn't know what to do.
What happens if my gizmo busts? What
happens if I have a bowel movement?
I get there and I don't know how to react.
There's not enough beds,
not enough staff.
It's really crowded.
The guys have to wait in line.
They're not prepared for the number
of wounded being sent back.
I don't think we're clear
on what you're asking us for, Sally.
It's what I said. We could do an article
in the paper, using these photographs,
interviewing some of the guys, maybe.
Isn't it difficult for the men
to be around women?
When I joined Weight Watchers
I didn't want candy in the house.
I don't think that's our function, Sally.
We're more a base gossip sheet.
Fun and games for the fellas.
I agree with you, Connie.
I'm sorry, Sally. I hope you understand.
What's next in the agenda?
We have the Little League play-offs
and the officer-son baseball game.
That's the 25th and the 27th, isn't it?
I just... I want to say
that I'm really shocked
that you'd rather write about
a goddamn home run than this hospital.
- Sally, please.
- What if they were your husbands?
That sure is a mindblower!
That's the way it was done 150 years ago.
- Things have improved.
- They certainly have.
Picture a young man 150 years ago
in the beautiful hills of Kentucky.
There's a girl he's crazy about.
She's lovely, vivacious...
What's shaking, man?
One of them days, man.
Flashback to when I got fucked up.
Wow!
Get out of the way!
Nobody feels any pain
Tonight as I stand inside the rain
Everybody knows
That baby's got new clothes...
He dedicated himself to justice and
love between his fellow human beings.
He gave his life for that principle
and I think it's up to those of us
who are here...
It was a choice between dealing with that
or dealing with this football game
and they just said it's not our function.
Maybe I'm naive.
Naive? She wants to know if she's naive!
- Oh, man. That's cold.
- I'm a cold man.
It's like you've done your duty,
served your purpose,
so they just toss you into the heap
like a used Kleenex.
That's the way it is. That's it.
What is our function if it isn't to deal with
the problems you guys face every day?
God! The smugness just...
I can't believe it.
- Give 'em hell, Bender.
- Sorry.
It's not gonna do any good,
but I'm rooting for you.
Well, thanks a lot, Luke.
Seriously, if they put
something in the paper...
You're beautiful when you're excited.
God only knows
what he saw over there... or did.
I don't understand it.
He was only in 'Nam for two weeks.
I worry a lot about Dink too.
He's so funny, you know?
So uncomplicated.
He's more than just a roll in the sack.
I just hope he doesn't get totalled.
Whoo!
I got it.
- Bender!
- You got a chair!
- You changed your hair!
- You like it?
- Yeah. It's very nice.
- You're mobile.
- I'll help you. Go ahead.
- Thanks, Luke.
- Hi, Rick.
- Hey, Luke. How you doing?
Congratulations.
Would you like to come over for dinner?
Wouldn't you like to
get out of here one night?
I'm a good cook.
OK?
It was wrong! He grabbed my chair!
Didn't you grab my chair?
Can't you morons kick a field goal?
Come on! Field goal!
B- u-s-t! Bust 'em!
And around about July 1st,
my pa's mind would start wandering.
He wouldn't give a damn about the cattle,
and that got us kids pretty excited.
At the park they'd have flags flying
and games of chance,
kissing booths and wrestling matches.
But let me tell you,
that day was always too long for me.
When it got dark, the band
would play "The Star-Spangled Banner"
and the fireworks would start up,
and I'd start thinking how brave those
men were that fought in the Revolution.
I'd dream about those men,
how they went to war for our freedom.
I guess that's when I decided
to be a soldier,
seeing the sky lit up with those rockets.
I enlisted when I became of age.
I served in Europe and World War Two
and was involved in the liberation
of dozens of towns.
As I passed through them,
as I saw the faces of the people,
I realised I had fulfilled my dream.
I had become one of those men
who had gone to war for freedom.
I sure wound up doing
what I wanted to do,
and that's what July 4th means to me.
- I bet you can't do that.
- I can't do that. Can you do this?
- No.
- Go on, try it.
I can't do it.
Hey, Billy the Kid. Let's show
these guys what real talent is. Come on.
Give me your arm. You know,
the duet we worked up last night.
- Billy, you gonna play that thing?
- Come on, Billy. Play your guitar.
Come on. I love
when you play the guitar.
What is tomorrow? What is it we need?
What will it give us?
A new life we can lead
Will the wind crack the limbs
of a few dying trees?
Will the branches unite
and bend in the breeze?
Tomorrow is hope
for it is something I've not seen
Tomorrow is a sunny day...
live in a sunny dream...
Come on, Billy. That sounded great.
Shit.
I can't play my fucking guitar.
God!
It's all right, man.
It's gonna be all right.
I think it really helped him
having you there. I really do.
Luke, are you OK?
- Yeah.
- Should we do the dinner another night?
No. No.
I think you were really wonderful
with him. I really do.
Oh, boy.
Just come down here
and hold the chair for me.
Thanks.
You could pick my ankles up.
Thank you. That's good. Thank you.
It's warm because I've had the oven on.
I've got one of those timing devices
that cooks your food while you're at work.
Whoo.
Let me just move you around a bit.
- You like margaritas?
- Yeah.
Well...
I just happen to have some.
Let me just...
Do you get a chance to go out very much?
- Do you go to people's homes?
- No, I don't.
Let's go in the living room.
I think you can make it. OK?
Let's see. Um...
Wait a minute. What am I doing?
- What?
- What am I lighting a fire for?
It's the old Girl Scout instinct.
Let's see. I've got a dip...
Sit down, Bender.
Sit down.
Are you nervous?
Yes.
Why are you nervous?
This isn't "Have a Gimp Over
for Dinner" Night, is it?
You're not one of those weirdos?
No, I'm not, Luke.
I know you're not.
I'm just very happy to be here.
I'm glad you're here.
How about some music?
Well...
I don't think you're gonna
like my records very much.
You probably won't
like the way I dance either.
Well...
Do you know that when I dream,
I'm not in the chair?
I don't even have a chair in my dream.
I have legs.
When I was a kid, I used to jump
in my mother's kitchen
and touch the ceiling.
She used to get pissed off cos
I'd leave my handprints on the ceiling.
I still check the snow reports,
the conditions at Mammoth.
I'm still the same person, you know.
It's funny.
When people look at me, they see...
something else,
but they don't see who I am.
I think people have a real hard time
seeing who other people really are.
People don't see me like I really am.
People look at me, I think, and they see
"Oh, cheery Sally, the captain's wife."
Sometimes I feel like
I'm becoming what people see.
You know, I spend 95 %
of my time at the hospital
thinking about making love with you.
I've never been unfaithful to my husband.
- Don't wake him up.
- Hey. Doc?
Wake up.
We sail with the morning tide.
- Hey, Doc. Why don't you go to bed?
- Hi, Sally.
- Hi, Doc.
- You think you can make it, Doc?
Sure.
Smooth sailing, Doc.
Hey... You want a ride?
- Huh?
- You want a ride?
- You sure I'm not heavy?
- I wouldn't know.
Shh!
- What are you doing?
- I don't know where to put my hands.
Put them in your pockets.
- Seems strange to be here at night.
- Not for me.
Thank you for the... for the ride.
Thank you for the dinner.
Good night.
Good night.
This just came.
Do you want me to stay?
I'll be in my office.
Vi?
- Vi?
- Here!
Orders from the front.
We ate 200 gallons
of chicken noodle soup last week.
How do you feel about
going to Hong Kong for a week?
- Are you kidding?
- Bob and Dink just got their R and R.
Oh, my God! Hong Kong?
Will you check the plane schedules?
I gotta get my hair done, go to the bank.
I think it's already tomorrow there.
- A week?
- Well, five days.
Well, I can't go.
What am I supposed to do? Walk out
on my job? Walk out on my brother?
I just can't, Sally.
Yeah. I'm gonna miss you. So is Dink.
- I'll call you when I get back.
- Yeah.
- Give him a kiss from me.
- Right.
On the cheek!
Great shot. Great shot. My best pass.
Oh! Great shot.
Good play. You're out, you're out.
Fucking in over your head!
- Hey, Bender!
- No way. No way.
Oh, that's my best shot!
Good news.
I'm getting released on Thursday.
- I'm getting out!
- That's great.
- How you doing?
- Are you gonna stay with someone?
I've got my own place.
I'm gonna have wheels. I'll be in touch.
I owe you dinner.
I'm not going to be around for a while.
I just heard from Bob.
He's getting his R and R.
I'm gonna be meeting him in Hong Kong.
- Well, have a nice trip.
- Yeah. I'll see you soon.
The iceman returns. Shoot it up.
Luke!
- Whoa. Look at that. Great shot.
- Come on. Put it in the hole.
Over here. Over here.
There you go. Over this way.
Let's go. Move it up. Put it down, man.
Down, down.
How you doing, Sally?
Hey, Vi. Where is she?
Why did you have to go to work
in the hospital?
- Because I wanted to.
- But it's the pits!
You didn't have to do that.
I just don't want you to work.
I love my mama and my papa too
I love my mama...
I just don't understand it.
Five days. That's all I wanted.
Is that too much to expect from somebody
you've been with for two years?
Like... women and dogs, you've got to
have a licence to show you're the owner.
Yeah. Thanks very much for all the advice.
I really appreciate it.
Tell the head honcho
I'm going to the place across the street.
- I'll see him later.
- I'm sorry.
Oh, no. Thanks for everything. Excuse me.
If you see Vi, thank her for me too.
Make sure of that, huh?
What the fuck is the matter with him?
Where's he going?
He's upset because Vi didn't come.
And because I suggested he didn't
have the right to order her over here.
- We gotta go get him.
- No, let's just be alone for a few minutes.
We are alone.
- There's something wrong.
- It's not you. It's just... fucked up.
All this bullshit about 'Nam.
It's in my head.
Talk to me about it.
I want to know what it's like.
I don't know what it's like.
I only know what it is.
The TV shows what it's like.
It sure as hell don't show what it is.
I gotta find him.
Does she love me, Raul?
- She loves me, man.
- I wouldn't let you down.
- Those new heads'll work real good.
- I appreciate it. Have a good day.
- Take her easy.
- All right, man.
- How are my plants?
- They're fine. Nah, they died.
- They died?
- Yeah. Sorry.
What?
- They died.
- Hey, man, I only got two plants.
- What about that Kennedy assassination?
- What do you think about it?
Hey, Sally, listen. I've made up my mind.
You can tell the kid
I'll marry her if you want to.
You tell her!
Give me a break. I'm serious about this.
I've put it down all in writing and
I wanted you to kinda talk to her about it.
- OK. OK, of course. I'd be glad to.
- OK!
Would you have married me
if I wasn't a Marine?
- In a second.
- What did I tell you?
Didn't I tell you the uniform
always used to mean something?
The entire structure
of the Marine Corps is changing.
It used to really mean something
to be a Marine.
We're no longer the elite.
We're not even equal.
Excuse me.
Thank you.
Big hook.
Hey, mister, can you walk?
No, I can't walk.
That's why I'm in this chair.
- What happened to you?
- Yeah. What happened?
I got in an accident. I had a bad accident.
I got a piece of metal in my back,
and after that I couldn't walk.
- Mary, I'm gonna go around.
- I don't believe you.
- What's the matter with kids today?
- We don't believe you.
- What's the matter with you characters?
- I want a ride! I want a ride!
OK. Come on. I'll give you a ride.
Here we go. Oops!
Are you gonna help me out here?
Pull that back. That's it. That's good.
It's all right, we got it. I'll show you
a way out if you don't want to pay.
First week in combat... Huh!
We took this little hamlet.
I got this second lieutenant -
this fucking Camp Lejeune whizz kid.
He comes whipping right up to me.
"Excuse me, sir. Sorry to bother you."
"Do you think it'd be OK
if we put the heads on the poles?"
"That really scares the shit out of the VC."
My men...
were chopping heads off.
That's what they were into.
Oh, they were dead.
Do you like Tiger balm?
Makes you feel real cool.
Let me put some on your back.
Is that the way you massage
the basket cases at the hospital?
It's open.
Hi.
- Where's Adrienne?
- Couldn't make it.
She asked me to take her place.
I was kind of counting on Adrienne.
I've been around
this part of the pool before.
- With a gimp?
- Yeah. A guy in Reno.
- Do you want a drink?
- I'd love a drink.
Well, there aren't many days
And not enough time
Bedlam is silent
And the stillness is fury
Luke?
Put him on the phone. I'll talk to him.
- Luke?
- Yeah.
Hey, Luke. Hey, man, listen to this.
When I opened my eyes
A few were gone
- If I have to go, is this gonna be OK?
- Sure.
I've got too many days to do it
and not enough time
Fucking shit.
- Can I use your phone to call my service?
- Sure. Do what you want.
Just close the door when you leave, OK?
It's not your fault. You're a pretty lady.
Fuck off, man!
Hey, Munson. Open the door, man.
- Open up!
- Unlock the door, Munson. Let's go.
- Hey, Munson.
- Come on, man.
Come on, open up the door, man.
Come on.
What the fuck is going on here?
- He went out, man.
- The man went out.
Son of a bitch. The man went out.
Make a hole. Make a hole.
Did he do himself in?
What's happening, man?
Some kid just bought it
by shooting air into his veins.
Out of here! Out of here! Out! It's all right.
- Did you see something there?
- Get away. I wanna find out.
Aw, shit. He's dead, man.
Vi!
Vi!
He didn't even fucking call me.
Little bastard just wasted his life.
Well, it's a big fucking relief.
Man, this nurse calls me
and says he's dead.
I don't even know her.
I just gotta get out of here. Let's go out.
- Just wait a second. I gotta take a shower.
- Yeah. Me too.
Have some wine or something.
I'll be right back, OK?
- Don't go away.
- I won't.
- What do you think I should do, Sally?
- Huh?
I think I'm gonna say yes.
To Dink?
Hey, congratulations, Mrs Mobley!
- Here you go, ladies.
- Did you order some more?
- We didn't order more champagne.
- Those gentlemen over there did.
- You're not calling them over?
- They want us to come over.
I'll take care of this. You get your stuff.
- Hey!
- We're the boys from number nine.
What in the fuck are you doing?!
- Oh, shit.
- I'm so happy!
Oops.
- Are we here?
- This is your honeymoon cottage.
Ta-da!
Hey, Sal. Take off your coat.
You're such a good horse.
- What the hell's the matter with you?
- You're on a military base.
Who do you think you are?
What's this all about?
This guy seems to be tied up to the fence.
Mister, I don't know
what your beef is, and I don't care,
but I want you to get this chain
off the fence now.
Pay attention, motherfucker!
- We need some entertainment.
- The lady wants some music.
We need some entertainment.
Sally, come on!
Yes. Got it!
Appropriate music.
Very entertaining.
You guys ever been to a go-go club?
- Tonight.
- No. That was not a go-go club.
- What does a real go-go look like?
- I'm gonna show you.
Show us!
It's high up here.
My!
My! Whoo!
She's very good. What does she do?
She's a nutritionist at the VA hospital.
Ooh.
I think I see some flesh.
Take it easy now. Bruce is here.
Easy does it, Vi. Easy.
Take it easy.
You don't have to do that.
Billy!
My brother. My brother!
What happened? What's wrong?
I think she freaked out.
Maybe we should have turned on the TV.
He identified himself as Luke Martin.
He said he was a sergeant
in the Marines in Vietnam.
He was arrested after
he chained himself to the west gate.
He said he wants to stop any others
from going to Vietnam.
The reason I'm here is because
a buddy of mine who'd been in 'Nam
took his own life today.
- This is kind of a funeral service.
- It's Luke!
I'm here because I'm trying
to tell people, man,
if we want to commit suicide, we have
plenty of reasons to do it at home.
We don't have to go to Vietnam
to find reasons to kill ourselves.
- I just don't think we should be there.
- Do you think this is a way to stop it?
I don't know, man.
The police had difficulty
getting Sgt Martin into the police car
because he also was chained
to his wheelchair.
Let me take you home.
I'm not a very nice person.
You are to me.
I wanna spend the night with you.
- Where's your car?
- Right here.
Yeah, they're out of the car.
- Goddamn thing's got a curtain.
- Coming round the side.
Up to the walk.
Is she pushing him
or is he going under his own power?
She's pushing.
Make yourself comfortable.
I have some things to do in the bathroom.
- I should be just a few minutes.
- OK.
Will you pull that sheepskin
toward the centre?
Pillow. Pillow up against the back.
Like that?
Turn the light on. I want to see you.
What do I do?
Everything. I want you to do everything.
Where can I touch you?
Where can you... Where can you feel?
That's nice. I'm real sensitive,
all the areas that I feel.
I'm real sensitive there.
- Can you feel that at all?
- I can't feel it, but I can see it.
- I wish you could feel me.
- I feel you.
I want you.
Oh! Softly.
Oh!
You're so beautiful.
Oh... oh... oh...
Hey.
Hey. Shh.
That's never happened to me before.
How much am I paying you?
We gonna paint this?
We'll paint it to look like steps
so no one knows I'm here.
Are you ready?
- OK!
- Yay!
Well, this, strangely enough, is our barber.
For 25 cents you get a massage,
your hair cut and your ears popped.
Impressive, huh?
The water buffalo didn't like us either.
There's a tunnel. Look.
They'd been working on them since World
War Two when they fought the Japanese.
Then they fought the French
and built more tunnels and now they got...
That's a buddy of mine. Willy.
He... he didn't make it.
Pretty people, huh?
That's my smile.
- Oh, my God.
- I got a letter from Kathy.
Something about the newspaper.
That letter was from Bob.
- How is he?
- I don't know. I didn't...
I didn't get a chance to read it.
I guess he's OK.
Well, whatever he says...
it's a hundred times worse
than what he can tell you.
I'm so perverse.
I'm just jealous because I know when
it's over, he's gonna come back to you.
We never manage to talk about Bob,
do we?
No, we don't.
I don't know what's gonna happen...
with Bob and me, Luke.
It's very scary for me... to think that
maybe it's not gonna work out with him.
I know.
Because we've been together for so long.
It's gonna be very hard for him,
and he's not gonna like the fact
that I've... I've changed.
And I have changed.
You know that I've never
been on my own before?
- You like that, Sid?
- She's got a nice ass for a white girl.
Should have heard some of the tapes
we made at their pad.
- Did they get it on?
- I'll give 'em credit for that.
- Got a good angle?
- Yeah.
Cos everybody's different.
Don't you think so?
- Oh!
- Hey. It's cool. It's all right.
Have a nice time.
Two, please.
If Dink saw you, he'd probably
think you were a hippie faggot.
- Here's to Dink, Vi.
- A toast to the host.
Not here... for a beer.
If that motherfucker sends me an ear...
Are you listening?
Are you listening? I just made a poem
and you're not even listening.
Bye, guys. See you tomorrow. Bye, Rita.
Hi.
It's from Bob. I opened it.
He's coming home.
- Is he all right?
- Oh, yeah. He's all right.
He just got shot in the leg.
Nothing really too heavy. He's all right.
Will you always be my friend?
Yes.
Say "always".
Always. I'll always be your friend.
That's very good.
I'm gonna miss you.
Hello.
Hold on a second, will you?
Yeah. This is he.
Hey, what I have to say to
high-school kids, they're not ready for.
Yeah. Well, that was television.
I was angry. I was upset.
What the hell did you do to your hair?
I've stopped straightening it.
Where's all the demonstrators?
Some asshole on the plane said there'd be
a bunch of flower-heads out here.
There are some kids out there
but they can't come on the base.
- Does your leg hurt?
- No.
- What do you think?
- About what?
Our new car.
The Speedster?
It's outstanding. Absolutely outstanding.
I'm glad you're back.
One, two, three, four!
We don't want your rotten war!
One, two, three, four!
We don't want your rotten war!
- Peace, brother.
- Peace on you too, brother.
One, two, three, four!
We don't want your rotten war!
One, two, three, four!
We don't want your rotten...
You never told me
that you were this close to the beach.
- I wanted to surprise you.
- You're full of surprises.
Hey! Welcome back, hero.
- Vi. How are you?
- Great.
- So tell me, how's Dink?
- Dink is fine.
- He's kicking everybody's ass, as always.
- Great.
No, ladies first,
but I'll have the number two one.
- Oh, my God. Does this look good.
- Cheers.
Are you hungry?
I made some Swedish meatballs
to nibble on. They go great with drinks.
Do you like it?
- How's the surf?
- It's good.
Why don't you sit down, sweetheart?
So, Bob, tell us about your foot.
It's not my foot, it's my leg,
and it's a goddamn bore.
Just like this whole fucking war is boring.
But, ladies...
old Bob has gotta tell you
one thing that is not boring,
and that is the good old US of A martini.
Of which I am going to partake
as much as I can as quick as I can.
Drink it up. I made gallons.
So come on, Bob.
Tell us the story about your leg.
- What happened?
- There's nothing to tell.
I'm a fucking hero, I'm getting a medal,
and that's the story of my leg!
- Nothing to it, is there?
- Great.
- It ain't great.
- How did it happen?
It's just a boring story. I'm on my way
to the showers. Got an M-16 in one hand...
- On your way to the showers?
- Yeah. Why not?
Everywhere you go you carry your M-16,
particularly when you go to the showers!
There I am, like every other asshole,
trucking on down the road to the showers
and I tripped
and shot myself right in the calf.
- Oh, my God.
- And that's it.
- Dink should've thought of that.
- I didn't think of that!
- It was a goddamn accident!
- Bob, you don't have to get mad.
- Yeah, but it was an accident.
- Why are they decorating you?
- Where's the head?
- Right there.
I promised a guy from 'Nam I'd have
a drink with him at the Officers Club
and I gotta go.
I'll be back for dinner.
Goddamn!
You could've aimed better
if you'd had your lights on.
Man, if you keep your lights on,
you wouldn't need things like that.
Looks like a fucking
smithereen job to me.
Yeah, like fucking...
Not in the front
of the boats. You know?
The SSS...
Oh.
Sally. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, darling.
Hey, don't run out on me, you...
These are two friends of mine.
Sally, wait a minute. Sally, Sally.
My wife, Sally. This is...
- What was your name?
- Monty.
Hey!
I don't know who they are. Who are you?
This is my wife, Sally.
Fish. There's two things that smell
like fish. One of them's fish.
- They laughed, didn't they?
- Go on, already.
"Avoid loud and aggressive persons.
They are vexatious to the spirit."
"Keep interested in your own career."
"However humble, it is a real possession
in the changing fortunes of time."
What is that tank for up there?
What's that turtle's name?
- Let's give him a drink.
- No.
No, no. Don't put beer in the tank.
Wait! You'll kill the goddamn...
No! You ain't feeding no turtle.
You nickel-dick. That's not even a real...
That's a plastic turtle.
Don't look at that turtle.
I don't want you to look at that turtle.
You hear about the female peanut
walking down the street at night?
She was assaulted.
- That's the third time he's told that joke!
- She was a salted and he was insulted!
Bob?
Bob.
- Captain Hyde?
- Yeah.
The major's ready.
Major Haller, this is Captain Hyde.
- Captain Hyde. This is Mr Ott.
- How do you do, sir?
- Mr Roberts.
- Captain. How are you?
They're with the FBI.
Would you like to have a seat?
No, thanks.
Well, Captain, what can you tell us
about Luke Martin?
Aren't you gonna park?
- What are you gonna do?
- Drive.
Well... I'll come with you.
I'd just like to be by myself.
Please.
Are you gonna be long?
No.
When that gun goes off, you gotta
uncoil like a spring. Just release.
Swimmers, take your marks.
You gotta put everything you have
into that moment, right?
And get as far toward the... I used
to think about the other end of the pool.
Are you Luke Martin?
- Depends.
- I'm Bob Hyde.
Uh... Let's take a little break, Mark, OK?
I told Sally I was going to do this.
You have a right to know about
the surveillance. They watched the house.
They got pictures. They got tapes.
Thanks for...
for letting me know.
That's all I had to say.
The rest is up to Sally.
I guess.
See you.
Hello.
Luke. What? How am I taking what?
He didn't tell you?
I could have sworn that...
Listen. They had some surveillance on me
because of the gate thing.
Yeah?
Oh, my God!
Listen. I'm gonna be here.
If you need me, call me.
I'm just here.
I wanted to talk to you.
You seem so far away from me
since you came back.
I just... I've been scared.
I love you.
I do.
I'm not going to make excuses
for what happened.
It happened.
I needed somebody. I was lonely.
- Don't bullshit me.
- It's not...
- Bob, I was lonely.
- Don't bullshit me.
- It's not bullshit.
- It's bullshit!
- Bob, please...
- It's bullshit!
Everybody needs somebody,
for Christ's sake!
If it's over with us, it's over!
You're saying
you won't even make the effort?
What I'm saying is...
I do not belong in this house!
- And they say I don't belong over there!
- Who's "they"?
The people that make the decisions
about the fucking war!
- Bob, I don't wanna talk about the war.
- What, then? The fucking marriage?
Think about that.
I can't talk to you
when you're shouting at me.
I wanna be your husband.
I just don't deserve to be your husband.
I don't deserve the fucking medal either.
How can they give you a medal for a war
they don't even want you to fight?
- Who is that?
- Bob? Sally? Can I talk to you?
- It's Luke. Let me tell him to go away.
- Wait a minute. You just wait right there.
I don't wanna make anything
more complicated than it already is.
I just thought there might be a few things
that... we should talk about.
Well, they're not very complicated.
It's actually very simple.
- I don't belong here.
- You belong here.
I just wanted to get things straight,
what's going on with me,
so you know where I'm coming from
and what happened.
I know where you're coming from.
And I know what happened.
I've just gotta figure out for myself
what happened
and how I'm gonna deal with it.
- I can understand that.
- Bullshit!
- Don't.
- You jodie fuck!
You get back! Get back, slope cunt!
Now you, jodie motherfucker, explain
to me how it is you understand anything.
I understand because I'm a brother and
I've been in the same place you're at now.
That's why I feel bad that I made it
harder for you than it already is.
That's bullshit.
She's here because she loves you.
There was never any question of that.
- Don't tell me that, goddamnit!
- It's true, Bob.
Bullshit! Bullshit!
If you give her a chance,
she can help you.
She wants to listen to you
and she wants to understand you.
Say something else, fuck.
Say something else, fuck.
I'm not the enemy.
Maybe the enemy is the fucking war.
But you don't want to kill anybody here.
You have enough ghosts to carry around.
Look at me. I'm...
My hand.
I was shaking.
I'm sorry.
I'm fucked.
I just wanna be a hero. That's all.
I just wanna be a fucking hero.
One day in my life, one moment,
I wanna go out a hero.
That way I would have done something
that was mine, that I've done.
Enemy forces had captured
the north side of the bridge
when Lieutenant Roscoe
charged forward firing his rifle.
Lieutenant Roscoe's actions
so unnerved the enemy, they withdrew,
allowing the lieutenant
to secure the enemy position
until the rest of his company could move
forward and consolidate their forces.
Lieutenant Roscoe maintained
the position against repeated attacks
and, though wounded,
continued to inspire his men
until reinforcements arrived
the following day.
Lieutenant Roscoe has upheld the highest
traditions of the Marine Corps
and of the United States naval service.
The Marine Corps builds body,
mind and spirit. Thank you.
And now, with a different perspective,
we have Luke Martin,
combat veteran of the Marine Corps.
- Sergeant, mind if I ask you a question?
- No, sir.
Just call me Sergeant - that's what I was.
- Where were you stationed?
- Da Nang.
I thought I'd go get some steaks
for a barbecue. Would you like that?
It's been a long time
since you've lit a barbecue.
The charcoal's under the kitchen sink.
I'm gonna see if Vi
wants to come with me. See you later.
You want to be a part of it
and patriotic and go out and...
get your licks in for the US of A.
And when you get over there,
it's a totally different situation.
I mean...
you grow up real quick
because all you're seeing is a lot of death.
And I know some of you
are gonna look at that uniform
and you're gonna remember all the films
and think about the glory of other wars
and think about some vague...
patriotic feeling
and go off and fight this turkey too.
I'm telling you it ain't like it is
in the movies. I didn't have a choice.
When I was your age, all I got was
some guy standing up like that man
and giving me bullshit, which I caught.
I was really in good shape then.
I was captain of the football team.
I wanted to be a war hero, man.
I wanted to go out and kill for my country.
And now I'm here to tell you that
I have killed for my country or whatever
and I don't feel good about it.
Because there's not
enough reason, man...
to feel a person die in your hands
or to see your best buddy get blown away.
I'm here to tell you it's a lousy thing, man.
I don't see any reason for it.
And there's a lot of shit
that I did over there
that I find fucking hard to live with.
And I don't wanna see
people like you coming back
and having to face the rest of your lives
with that shit. It's as simple as that.
I don't feel sorry for myself. I'm a lot
fucking smarter now than when I went.
And I'm just telling you...
that there's a choice to be made here.
- You caught nothing.
You're gonna have to move away.
We don't want no cheap-seaters
around the table.
- If Kenny's movin', you've got to move.
- You follow him, Bobby.
Would you go
if you had the chance again?
- Would I go? Yeah.
- You'd go to Canada?
- No, not to Canada.
- You'd go back to 'Nam?
- Yeah, because...
- You would?
- You're a fucking psycho!
- No.
- You'd go back?
- Yeah. I went over for a purpose, man.
- What was your purpose?
- A lot of it was curiosity.
- But another thing was...
- You can't be curious, man.
I said that was just part of the reason.
The other was a moral obligation.
I feel that anybody... Not for their country
or anything like that. For anybody.
Nobody's got the right to tell anybody
what to do against their will.
That's what I went over to fight for.
Did you know that they ran the French
out of there after 20 years?
Wait a minute. You said they're forcing...?
Shit! You call the draft not being forced?
I ain't sayin' the draft in our country.
I'm talking about another country that's
having something forced upon them.
- Is it our duty to fight for somebody else?
- If you believe in it! If you believe in it.
I can't see anybody saying that,
after coming back, they would go again.
I just can't deal with that.
Wait a minute. The reason I can see it
is that some of us, not all of us,
some of us need to justify to ourselves
what the fuck we did there.
If we come back and say what we did
was a waste, some of us can't live with it.
- So they'd do it again?
- Man, they gotta keep...
Inside they're lying to themselves
continuously saying
"What I did was OK
because this is what I got from it, man."
"I have to justify being paralysed, I have to
justify killing people, so I say it was OK."
But how many guys
can make the reality and say
"What I did was wrong
and all this other shit was wrong, man"
and be able to live with themselves cos
they're crippled for the rest of their life?
Re-box all weapons.
Place your weapons on the firing line
with the dust covers up.
Grease up the brass...
Word is it's turning into
a hell of a war over there, Captain.
We're going there, pal.
When we're in 'Nam, we're in Combat City.
I am ready. Really ready.
I'll pop some rounds with you. Marine!
- How's Vi taken to your leaving?
- I think she hates everything military.
But she stands behind me.
She knows I want it more than anything.
- How about Sally?
- She's OK.
I don't think she really understands it all,
but she accepts it.
You can't ask
for a helluva lot more than that.
An American spokesman reported
rockets, artillery and mortar fire...
- Jeez!
- Remember Jim Hanson?
He got blown away
in the middle of the street right in Saigon.
That's an embarrassment.
Makes us look like the goddamn B Team.
Word is from on top that Charlie
shot his wad with this Tet Offensive
and it's just a matter of a mop-up time.
I've waited a long time
for an opportunity like this.
You're gonna make major.
- Major?
- Major.
Major and Mrs Robert Hyde? I'll have
to get my skirts lengthened for that one.
Start wearing girdles.
- You'll have to watch your language.
- Right. Very reserved.
I'm actually excited.
I never thought it would get like this.
I have competitive nervousness.
I feel like I'm off to the Olympic Games.
Bob is very sexy.
In 13 months I'll throw you
the damnedest party.
We'll have a side of beef,
a case of Jack Daniels,
and maybe I'll even get you
a couple of congressmen.
Fantastic.
- I'll bring you back a souvenir.
- Like what?
A Commie AK-47.
- Robert? Sorry to interrupt.
- Mrs Vickery.
I wanted to pass on
the Colonel's best wishes.
- Isn't he able to come by later?
- No. Tonight's his chess night.
- Sally, be sure to keep in touch.
- I will, Mrs Vickery.
- She'll be staying with my mom.
- Oh, nice.
Earl, your Kathy's doing
a wonderful job on the paper.
- Don't let it go to your head, young lady.
- I've got a lot of good ideas.
Call me tomorrow.
- May God be with you, Robert.
- Thank you, Mrs Vickery.
That was very nice.
It is exactly zero hour minus six.
Your orders for the day are:
Go directly to the bedroom.
Do not pass "Go".
Do not collect dinner.
- Aren't you hungry?
- Well...
Does a bear make big potty in the woods?
From the Halls of Montezuma
to the shores of Tripoli...
I will fight...
my country's battles...
on land,
in the air...
Bob?
What are you doing?
This darn thing wouldn't pop up.
You never know
when you're gonna want some toast.
I gotta start getting ready.
You don't need to be afraid
for me, you know.
I am afraid.
But I'm proud of you.
There was nothing I could do
here in California.
I know.
That's where I belong. And I am a Marine.
I gotta go. Pay the bar bill.
And let's get the generator
in this thing fixed.
And call my mom and let her know
when you're coming.
- I bought you a present, sweetheart.
- I don't have anything for you.
Oh, Sally. It's a little wedding ring.
Look how outstanding that is. Huh?
I like it.
- You'll probably take it off on liberty.
- No way.
I'll never take this off. That's a promise.
- This'll be my good-luck charm.
- That's right.
Sir? We're ready to move out.
Can I stow your gear?
- We're at war.
- Yo!
Let's go.
When I get back, we're gonna get us
a little condominium right on the beach.
Tell brother Billy to take care.
- And a garage filled up with Porsches.
- Be a good girl. No fooling around.
- Just come back.
- You got it.
Oh. This is Dink. My wife Sally.
Hello, Mrs Hyde. Vi, Captain Hyde's wife.
Hi, Vi.
Be careful.
- You have a spot on your tie.
- What?
Don't wear your skirts so short.
See you around.
- Hey, Vi?
- Yeah?
Do you want a drink?
Can I buy you a drink or something?
Where's open? No place is open.
- Just the Officers Club.
- Any place but there.
Yeah, I guess.
Well... that's that.
Hey. I live just a couple of miles down.
Wanna come over?
- Yeah.
- Stay close.
- Park in there. It's empty.
- OK.
Don't mind the mess. Come on up.
Don't turn it off.
OK?
Yeah. Sorry. Just tonight especially,
I felt superstitious.
Whatever gets you through the night.
- I guess it's the way I was brought up.
- Me too. Is beer OK? It's all I got.
Oh, sure.
You gonna stay on in officers' quarters?
Are you kidding?
I couldn't even if I wanted to.
- That's spooky.
- Bob moves off and I've gotta move.
You're the hole in the doughnut, and
when the doughnut goes, there's no hole.
They say if the Marine Corps wanted you
to have a wife they'd have issued you one.
- Is that you?
- Me and my kid brother.
He's cute.
He inherited the brains,
the beauty, the personality, the talent.
Then he got drafted.
He's the main reason I hang out here.
- Not Dink?
- Dink the kink?
He's part of it. But the kid's
in the VA hospital - psycho ward.
They sent him home without an ignition.
So I'm stuck with him.
God. It must be really hard on you.
I see him every day.
I work in the hospital, in the kitchen.
Is he gonna get better?
Who knows? They don't.
I don't.
- Hey, Pee Wee.
- How are you doing, Mr Martin?
I'm just fine, Pee Wee. Just terrific.
I only stink a little bit.
- Smells like booze to me.
- I need a bath, man.
I just have two hands
and too many assholes to clean.
That's what you're being paid for.
Mr Martin, you get more from Uncle
for your disability
than me and my old lady get put together.
Maybe they shouldn't
put you together, then.
- Your radiator's blowing over.
- So's yours, Eddie.
I'm serious, man. You better watch it
before you pop your melon.
Oh, shit. I'm filled up. Where's Corinne?
You better watch that booze.
Mess up your kidneys.
Watch where you're...! Goddamnit! Shit!
- Oh, shit!
- Oh, my God!
Would you please give me my canes?
I'm sorry.
Goddamnit!
Nurses, interns and orderlies!
Fucking nurses and fucking doctors!
They treat us like nobodies
in this fucking hospital!
- Goddamn it! Where are you people?
- Give it hell, Luke.
Corinne, you're fucking late!
There's something on the floor for you!
You stay where you are, Digroot!
You come near me, I'll break
your fucking head! You understand?
Where the fuck were you? You're
so goddamned slow. Can't you move?
Come near me! I wanna hit you! I wanna
hit something that can't fucking move!
What am I saying?
What am I doing?
- Having a little problem today, Luke?
- Oh, shit!
Doctor, I can't even
get my piss bag changed!
- You want me out of this hospital?
- Give him 50 of Thorazine.
Take care of me and I'll get the fuck
out of here! Just take care of me!
Fucking hospital! Aw, shit!
- Are you Fleta Wilson?
- Yes.
I think I'd like to volunteer. I mean,
I don't think, I do want to volunteer.
Damn.
Sit down, please.
I'll be with you in a minute.
Hot stuff.
- Do you have him, Jerry?
- Yeah.
One, two, three.
Yeah, I know what you mean.
But you'll get used to it.
One guy had "Born to lose"
tattooed on his arm.
"La vida loca" - the crazy life.
That's my favourite one.
I talked to this other guy
that had a gold earring.
Yeah? You're not used
to those hippy types, huh?
Bob would flip out
if he ever saw those characters.
That about does it, huh?
I feel like I've lived in base houses
all my life.
Should've had the government move us.
- They do that for officers, you know?
- Yeah?
I didn't realise that we'd accumulated
so much stuff.
Well, don't worry. My rates are cheap.
You know, I think I must have moved
at least 15 times since I left home.
I went back there once
when my old lady died.
Nothing's left. They tore down my past
and built a shopping centre.
- Want to see something funny?
- I'd love to.
My yearbook.
- Ooh! Look at that dress.
- It was a nice dress.
- It's cute.
- There's another one here.
So funny looking at
the way we used to look.
- Doggy in the window?
- Look.
"Sally Bender. Nickname: Sal."
"What is the one thing
she'd want on a desert island?"
"A husband."
- I was so ambitious.
- And so original.
You know that guy we were talking about?
He's in here somewhere.
- Yeah?
- Look.
"Luke Martin. Nickname: The Duke."
- He's cute.
- "Co-captain of the football team."
"What one thing would he want
on a desert island? A mirror."
- This is asinine, Pee Wee.
- There you go. Take some.
Don't you get the feeling
that this is kinda silly shit?
Shit, I'm not saying
this isn't entertaining, Pee Wee.
I'm not eating, Pee Wee. I'm not eating.
I'm not eating, Pee Wee. Come on, man.
Give me my arms. I can feed myself.
This is bullshit. I'm not a child, man.
Drink the milk.
- Hi there.
- Hello.
Juice and coffee!
Want some juice?
Excuse me. Do you want
some juice or coffee?
- Juice or coffee?
- Look at that round-eyed chick!
Come on, baby, light my fire.
- Wanna boom-boom? Short time?
- Like some juice?
I'm hard all over.
I'm a bargain in this ward.
Hey, man, be cool. I told you.
Get yourself together.
- Do you want some juice?
- Tits... ass... You got it all, Mama-san.
- You got it all.
- Hey, you shut up.
Yes, sir. Right away. You hear that?
You're disturbing these young 'uns.
Can I kiss you? Can I sniff? Oh, man.
Luke?
Can I come in?
How are you doing?
- Do you remember me?
- No.
I was at Lincoln High
when you were there.
Sally Hyde. Well, I was Sally Bender
when... when I was there.
So?
I just started volunteering today here.
Terrific. If I could get my hands loose,
I'd salute you.
You're a mess.
- Sally Bender.
- Right.
- You were a cheerleader.
- That's right. Three years.
- Were you wounded in 'Nam?
- Right.
When did it happen?
A long time ago.
- My husband just went over there.
- Poor bastard.
Sally?
Didn't we used to call you Bender Over?
- What? Who said that?
- Bender Over. Everybody said it.
- They did not!
- Yes, they did, Sally.
Oh, come on. They did not.
What are you talking about?
Oh, shit.
Sally, listen.
Can I ask you for a big favour?
Sure.
How about unhitching me
from these things?
- No, I can't do that, Luke.
- Sure you can. It's easy.
No, I'm sorry. The doctor
has to do that. I...
Come on. Please? Please, Sally Bender.
- Come on.
- What are you doing in here?
- I just was seeing...
- We'll tend to Mr Martin, Sally.
- You're needed on the ward.
- OK.
Hey, Bender.
You almost got yourself a gold star.
Pee Wee, I can crawl again.
Morning.
I'm gonna be feeding you this morning.
I'm a new volunteer here.
Huh?
He ain't transistorised, honey.
You gotta plug him in for sound.
Plug you in? Oh.
Is this... is this gonna hurt?
There. Is that OK?
- Thank you.
- OK. Would you like some food?
Hey, there you go. Oh, my.
- I'm sorry.
- That's OK.
You want me to...? Here.
Here. Here you go.
It's all energy. You understand?
You don't understand.
You give out energy, you get energy back.
You see me smiling?
Can you dig them pearly whites?
I smile my ass off now.
Hell, sometimes I think
I'm the Good Humor Man.
Everyone wants a piece of my action.
They think I'm one of the Beach Boys.
- Hey, Sally. This is my brother, Bill.
- Hi, Bill.
You see that? Me and her just had
a whole conversation in smile contact.
- Vi, do you have a jumper cable?
- Sure. Bridges!
Watch. You watching?
You two just did it. You smiled
"See what I have to put up with?"
And she smiled back "He's harmless."
- Are you on uppers?
- I don't know.
Come on, Bill.
How about a game of chess?
My brother -
a miracle of modern medicine.
Hey, wait. Oh, my God, what a day.
Is he usually like that?
Try it!
Is it charging?
No.
I like this one.
This is beautiful. It's a convertible.
I don't know how you'd keep warm.
Oh, it's got a great sound system.
Hello.
- Why is this one so much less expensive?
- It's two years older.
"I'm so tired when I come home at night,
I just fall right asleep."
"I know you didn't want me
to get a job..." Thanks.
"... but this isn't really a job, since
I don't get paid. I hope you don't mind."
Then there's sort of a sexy ending.
"Love, Sally."
- That's nice.
- Thanks.
But you didn't tell him the house
you rented was on the beach.
I know.
And you didn't tell him
about the new car you bought.
I figure I'm gonna save that
for when he gets home.
- I got one from Dink this morning.
- Oh, yeah?
All he said was "Got you another ear."
Poetic, huh?
A captain? Shit, Bender. You didn't
go out and marry a fucking captain?
That's right. Why? What were you?
A sergeant.
Sergeants have a lot
of responsibility, don't they?
Yes. They sent me my stripes
on the hospital ship.
My reward for getting so fucked up!
Why are you so cynical about that, Luke?
What are you doing here, Bender?
Why aren't you on a golf course?
Doing something you're good at.
I'm just trying to keep busy.
Sure. Something
to talk about over martinis.
How you're helping out the poor cripples.
I don't think that
I deserve that, Luke - at all.
Maybe you're getting ready for your
husband to come back in a body bag.
Read someplace else!
Luke?
Luke.
Stop! Stop and listen to me!
What is the matter with you?
Why do you have to be such a bastard?
Kevin. I thought
you died Wednesday, man.
You can get paralysed in a war
that don't even make sense
and come back and they don't have
the decency to ask you how you're doing.
"Can I do anything for you?"
I got a Purple Heart. I got it from a second
lieutenant that wasn't even in the war.
They don't tell you about
how to manage your finances.
Or going back into society. Half
the people still can't go back into society.
What about your sex life?
They don't tell you about that.
I went out the first time
and didn't know what to do.
What happens if my gizmo busts? What
happens if I have a bowel movement?
I get there and I don't know how to react.
There's not enough beds,
not enough staff.
It's really crowded.
The guys have to wait in line.
They're not prepared for the number
of wounded being sent back.
I don't think we're clear
on what you're asking us for, Sally.
It's what I said. We could do an article
in the paper, using these photographs,
interviewing some of the guys, maybe.
Isn't it difficult for the men
to be around women?
When I joined Weight Watchers
I didn't want candy in the house.
I don't think that's our function, Sally.
We're more a base gossip sheet.
Fun and games for the fellas.
I agree with you, Connie.
I'm sorry, Sally. I hope you understand.
What's next in the agenda?
We have the Little League play-offs
and the officer-son baseball game.
That's the 25th and the 27th, isn't it?
I just... I want to say
that I'm really shocked
that you'd rather write about
a goddamn home run than this hospital.
- Sally, please.
- What if they were your husbands?
That sure is a mindblower!
That's the way it was done 150 years ago.
- Things have improved.
- They certainly have.
Picture a young man 150 years ago
in the beautiful hills of Kentucky.
There's a girl he's crazy about.
She's lovely, vivacious...
What's shaking, man?
One of them days, man.
Flashback to when I got fucked up.
Wow!
Get out of the way!
Nobody feels any pain
Tonight as I stand inside the rain
Everybody knows
That baby's got new clothes...
He dedicated himself to justice and
love between his fellow human beings.
He gave his life for that principle
and I think it's up to those of us
who are here...
It was a choice between dealing with that
or dealing with this football game
and they just said it's not our function.
Maybe I'm naive.
Naive? She wants to know if she's naive!
- Oh, man. That's cold.
- I'm a cold man.
It's like you've done your duty,
served your purpose,
so they just toss you into the heap
like a used Kleenex.
That's the way it is. That's it.
What is our function if it isn't to deal with
the problems you guys face every day?
God! The smugness just...
I can't believe it.
- Give 'em hell, Bender.
- Sorry.
It's not gonna do any good,
but I'm rooting for you.
Well, thanks a lot, Luke.
Seriously, if they put
something in the paper...
You're beautiful when you're excited.
God only knows
what he saw over there... or did.
I don't understand it.
He was only in 'Nam for two weeks.
I worry a lot about Dink too.
He's so funny, you know?
So uncomplicated.
He's more than just a roll in the sack.
I just hope he doesn't get totalled.
Whoo!
I got it.
- Bender!
- You got a chair!
- You changed your hair!
- You like it?
- Yeah. It's very nice.
- You're mobile.
- I'll help you. Go ahead.
- Thanks, Luke.
- Hi, Rick.
- Hey, Luke. How you doing?
Congratulations.
Would you like to come over for dinner?
Wouldn't you like to
get out of here one night?
I'm a good cook.
OK?
It was wrong! He grabbed my chair!
Didn't you grab my chair?
Can't you morons kick a field goal?
Come on! Field goal!
B- u-s-t! Bust 'em!
And around about July 1st,
my pa's mind would start wandering.
He wouldn't give a damn about the cattle,
and that got us kids pretty excited.
At the park they'd have flags flying
and games of chance,
kissing booths and wrestling matches.
But let me tell you,
that day was always too long for me.
When it got dark, the band
would play "The Star-Spangled Banner"
and the fireworks would start up,
and I'd start thinking how brave those
men were that fought in the Revolution.
I'd dream about those men,
how they went to war for our freedom.
I guess that's when I decided
to be a soldier,
seeing the sky lit up with those rockets.
I enlisted when I became of age.
I served in Europe and World War Two
and was involved in the liberation
of dozens of towns.
As I passed through them,
as I saw the faces of the people,
I realised I had fulfilled my dream.
I had become one of those men
who had gone to war for freedom.
I sure wound up doing
what I wanted to do,
and that's what July 4th means to me.
- I bet you can't do that.
- I can't do that. Can you do this?
- No.
- Go on, try it.
I can't do it.
Hey, Billy the Kid. Let's show
these guys what real talent is. Come on.
Give me your arm. You know,
the duet we worked up last night.
- Billy, you gonna play that thing?
- Come on, Billy. Play your guitar.
Come on. I love
when you play the guitar.
What is tomorrow? What is it we need?
What will it give us?
A new life we can lead
Will the wind crack the limbs
of a few dying trees?
Will the branches unite
and bend in the breeze?
Tomorrow is hope
for it is something I've not seen
Tomorrow is a sunny day...
live in a sunny dream...
Come on, Billy. That sounded great.
Shit.
I can't play my fucking guitar.
God!
It's all right, man.
It's gonna be all right.
I think it really helped him
having you there. I really do.
Luke, are you OK?
- Yeah.
- Should we do the dinner another night?
No. No.
I think you were really wonderful
with him. I really do.
Oh, boy.
Just come down here
and hold the chair for me.
Thanks.
You could pick my ankles up.
Thank you. That's good. Thank you.
It's warm because I've had the oven on.
I've got one of those timing devices
that cooks your food while you're at work.
Whoo.
Let me just move you around a bit.
- You like margaritas?
- Yeah.
Well...
I just happen to have some.
Let me just...
Do you get a chance to go out very much?
- Do you go to people's homes?
- No, I don't.
Let's go in the living room.
I think you can make it. OK?
Let's see. Um...
Wait a minute. What am I doing?
- What?
- What am I lighting a fire for?
It's the old Girl Scout instinct.
Let's see. I've got a dip...
Sit down, Bender.
Sit down.
Are you nervous?
Yes.
Why are you nervous?
This isn't "Have a Gimp Over
for Dinner" Night, is it?
You're not one of those weirdos?
No, I'm not, Luke.
I know you're not.
I'm just very happy to be here.
I'm glad you're here.
How about some music?
Well...
I don't think you're gonna
like my records very much.
You probably won't
like the way I dance either.
Well...
Do you know that when I dream,
I'm not in the chair?
I don't even have a chair in my dream.
I have legs.
When I was a kid, I used to jump
in my mother's kitchen
and touch the ceiling.
She used to get pissed off cos
I'd leave my handprints on the ceiling.
I still check the snow reports,
the conditions at Mammoth.
I'm still the same person, you know.
It's funny.
When people look at me, they see...
something else,
but they don't see who I am.
I think people have a real hard time
seeing who other people really are.
People don't see me like I really am.
People look at me, I think, and they see
"Oh, cheery Sally, the captain's wife."
Sometimes I feel like
I'm becoming what people see.
You know, I spend 95 %
of my time at the hospital
thinking about making love with you.
I've never been unfaithful to my husband.
- Don't wake him up.
- Hey. Doc?
Wake up.
We sail with the morning tide.
- Hey, Doc. Why don't you go to bed?
- Hi, Sally.
- Hi, Doc.
- You think you can make it, Doc?
Sure.
Smooth sailing, Doc.
Hey... You want a ride?
- Huh?
- You want a ride?
- You sure I'm not heavy?
- I wouldn't know.
Shh!
- What are you doing?
- I don't know where to put my hands.
Put them in your pockets.
- Seems strange to be here at night.
- Not for me.
Thank you for the... for the ride.
Thank you for the dinner.
Good night.
Good night.
This just came.
Do you want me to stay?
I'll be in my office.
Vi?
- Vi?
- Here!
Orders from the front.
We ate 200 gallons
of chicken noodle soup last week.
How do you feel about
going to Hong Kong for a week?
- Are you kidding?
- Bob and Dink just got their R and R.
Oh, my God! Hong Kong?
Will you check the plane schedules?
I gotta get my hair done, go to the bank.
I think it's already tomorrow there.
- A week?
- Well, five days.
Well, I can't go.
What am I supposed to do? Walk out
on my job? Walk out on my brother?
I just can't, Sally.
Yeah. I'm gonna miss you. So is Dink.
- I'll call you when I get back.
- Yeah.
- Give him a kiss from me.
- Right.
On the cheek!
Great shot. Great shot. My best pass.
Oh! Great shot.
Good play. You're out, you're out.
Fucking in over your head!
- Hey, Bender!
- No way. No way.
Oh, that's my best shot!
Good news.
I'm getting released on Thursday.
- I'm getting out!
- That's great.
- How you doing?
- Are you gonna stay with someone?
I've got my own place.
I'm gonna have wheels. I'll be in touch.
I owe you dinner.
I'm not going to be around for a while.
I just heard from Bob.
He's getting his R and R.
I'm gonna be meeting him in Hong Kong.
- Well, have a nice trip.
- Yeah. I'll see you soon.
The iceman returns. Shoot it up.
Luke!
- Whoa. Look at that. Great shot.
- Come on. Put it in the hole.
Over here. Over here.
There you go. Over this way.
Let's go. Move it up. Put it down, man.
Down, down.
How you doing, Sally?
Hey, Vi. Where is she?
Why did you have to go to work
in the hospital?
- Because I wanted to.
- But it's the pits!
You didn't have to do that.
I just don't want you to work.
I love my mama and my papa too
I love my mama...
I just don't understand it.
Five days. That's all I wanted.
Is that too much to expect from somebody
you've been with for two years?
Like... women and dogs, you've got to
have a licence to show you're the owner.
Yeah. Thanks very much for all the advice.
I really appreciate it.
Tell the head honcho
I'm going to the place across the street.
- I'll see him later.
- I'm sorry.
Oh, no. Thanks for everything. Excuse me.
If you see Vi, thank her for me too.
Make sure of that, huh?
What the fuck is the matter with him?
Where's he going?
He's upset because Vi didn't come.
And because I suggested he didn't
have the right to order her over here.
- We gotta go get him.
- No, let's just be alone for a few minutes.
We are alone.
- There's something wrong.
- It's not you. It's just... fucked up.
All this bullshit about 'Nam.
It's in my head.
Talk to me about it.
I want to know what it's like.
I don't know what it's like.
I only know what it is.
The TV shows what it's like.
It sure as hell don't show what it is.
I gotta find him.
Does she love me, Raul?
- She loves me, man.
- I wouldn't let you down.
- Those new heads'll work real good.
- I appreciate it. Have a good day.
- Take her easy.
- All right, man.
- How are my plants?
- They're fine. Nah, they died.
- They died?
- Yeah. Sorry.
What?
- They died.
- Hey, man, I only got two plants.
- What about that Kennedy assassination?
- What do you think about it?
Hey, Sally, listen. I've made up my mind.
You can tell the kid
I'll marry her if you want to.
You tell her!
Give me a break. I'm serious about this.
I've put it down all in writing and
I wanted you to kinda talk to her about it.
- OK. OK, of course. I'd be glad to.
- OK!
Would you have married me
if I wasn't a Marine?
- In a second.
- What did I tell you?
Didn't I tell you the uniform
always used to mean something?
The entire structure
of the Marine Corps is changing.
It used to really mean something
to be a Marine.
We're no longer the elite.
We're not even equal.
Excuse me.
Thank you.
Big hook.
Hey, mister, can you walk?
No, I can't walk.
That's why I'm in this chair.
- What happened to you?
- Yeah. What happened?
I got in an accident. I had a bad accident.
I got a piece of metal in my back,
and after that I couldn't walk.
- Mary, I'm gonna go around.
- I don't believe you.
- What's the matter with kids today?
- We don't believe you.
- What's the matter with you characters?
- I want a ride! I want a ride!
OK. Come on. I'll give you a ride.
Here we go. Oops!
Are you gonna help me out here?
Pull that back. That's it. That's good.
It's all right, we got it. I'll show you
a way out if you don't want to pay.
First week in combat... Huh!
We took this little hamlet.
I got this second lieutenant -
this fucking Camp Lejeune whizz kid.
He comes whipping right up to me.
"Excuse me, sir. Sorry to bother you."
"Do you think it'd be OK
if we put the heads on the poles?"
"That really scares the shit out of the VC."
My men...
were chopping heads off.
That's what they were into.
Oh, they were dead.
Do you like Tiger balm?
Makes you feel real cool.
Let me put some on your back.
Is that the way you massage
the basket cases at the hospital?
It's open.
Hi.
- Where's Adrienne?
- Couldn't make it.
She asked me to take her place.
I was kind of counting on Adrienne.
I've been around
this part of the pool before.
- With a gimp?
- Yeah. A guy in Reno.
- Do you want a drink?
- I'd love a drink.
Well, there aren't many days
And not enough time
Bedlam is silent
And the stillness is fury
Luke?
Put him on the phone. I'll talk to him.
- Luke?
- Yeah.
Hey, Luke. Hey, man, listen to this.
When I opened my eyes
A few were gone
- If I have to go, is this gonna be OK?
- Sure.
I've got too many days to do it
and not enough time
Fucking shit.
- Can I use your phone to call my service?
- Sure. Do what you want.
Just close the door when you leave, OK?
It's not your fault. You're a pretty lady.
Fuck off, man!
Hey, Munson. Open the door, man.
- Open up!
- Unlock the door, Munson. Let's go.
- Hey, Munson.
- Come on, man.
Come on, open up the door, man.
Come on.
What the fuck is going on here?
- He went out, man.
- The man went out.
Son of a bitch. The man went out.
Make a hole. Make a hole.
Did he do himself in?
What's happening, man?
Some kid just bought it
by shooting air into his veins.
Out of here! Out of here! Out! It's all right.
- Did you see something there?
- Get away. I wanna find out.
Aw, shit. He's dead, man.
Vi!
Vi!
He didn't even fucking call me.
Little bastard just wasted his life.
Well, it's a big fucking relief.
Man, this nurse calls me
and says he's dead.
I don't even know her.
I just gotta get out of here. Let's go out.
- Just wait a second. I gotta take a shower.
- Yeah. Me too.
Have some wine or something.
I'll be right back, OK?
- Don't go away.
- I won't.
- What do you think I should do, Sally?
- Huh?
I think I'm gonna say yes.
To Dink?
Hey, congratulations, Mrs Mobley!
- Here you go, ladies.
- Did you order some more?
- We didn't order more champagne.
- Those gentlemen over there did.
- You're not calling them over?
- They want us to come over.
I'll take care of this. You get your stuff.
- Hey!
- We're the boys from number nine.
What in the fuck are you doing?!
- Oh, shit.
- I'm so happy!
Oops.
- Are we here?
- This is your honeymoon cottage.
Ta-da!
Hey, Sal. Take off your coat.
You're such a good horse.
- What the hell's the matter with you?
- You're on a military base.
Who do you think you are?
What's this all about?
This guy seems to be tied up to the fence.
Mister, I don't know
what your beef is, and I don't care,
but I want you to get this chain
off the fence now.
Pay attention, motherfucker!
- We need some entertainment.
- The lady wants some music.
We need some entertainment.
Sally, come on!
Yes. Got it!
Appropriate music.
Very entertaining.
You guys ever been to a go-go club?
- Tonight.
- No. That was not a go-go club.
- What does a real go-go look like?
- I'm gonna show you.
Show us!
It's high up here.
My!
My! Whoo!
She's very good. What does she do?
She's a nutritionist at the VA hospital.
Ooh.
I think I see some flesh.
Take it easy now. Bruce is here.
Easy does it, Vi. Easy.
Take it easy.
You don't have to do that.
Billy!
My brother. My brother!
What happened? What's wrong?
I think she freaked out.
Maybe we should have turned on the TV.
He identified himself as Luke Martin.
He said he was a sergeant
in the Marines in Vietnam.
He was arrested after
he chained himself to the west gate.
He said he wants to stop any others
from going to Vietnam.
The reason I'm here is because
a buddy of mine who'd been in 'Nam
took his own life today.
- This is kind of a funeral service.
- It's Luke!
I'm here because I'm trying
to tell people, man,
if we want to commit suicide, we have
plenty of reasons to do it at home.
We don't have to go to Vietnam
to find reasons to kill ourselves.
- I just don't think we should be there.
- Do you think this is a way to stop it?
I don't know, man.
The police had difficulty
getting Sgt Martin into the police car
because he also was chained
to his wheelchair.
Let me take you home.
I'm not a very nice person.
You are to me.
I wanna spend the night with you.
- Where's your car?
- Right here.
Yeah, they're out of the car.
- Goddamn thing's got a curtain.
- Coming round the side.
Up to the walk.
Is she pushing him
or is he going under his own power?
She's pushing.
Make yourself comfortable.
I have some things to do in the bathroom.
- I should be just a few minutes.
- OK.
Will you pull that sheepskin
toward the centre?
Pillow. Pillow up against the back.
Like that?
Turn the light on. I want to see you.
What do I do?
Everything. I want you to do everything.
Where can I touch you?
Where can you... Where can you feel?
That's nice. I'm real sensitive,
all the areas that I feel.
I'm real sensitive there.
- Can you feel that at all?
- I can't feel it, but I can see it.
- I wish you could feel me.
- I feel you.
I want you.
Oh! Softly.
Oh!
You're so beautiful.
Oh... oh... oh...
Hey.
Hey. Shh.
That's never happened to me before.
How much am I paying you?
We gonna paint this?
We'll paint it to look like steps
so no one knows I'm here.
Are you ready?
- OK!
- Yay!
Well, this, strangely enough, is our barber.
For 25 cents you get a massage,
your hair cut and your ears popped.
Impressive, huh?
The water buffalo didn't like us either.
There's a tunnel. Look.
They'd been working on them since World
War Two when they fought the Japanese.
Then they fought the French
and built more tunnels and now they got...
That's a buddy of mine. Willy.
He... he didn't make it.
Pretty people, huh?
That's my smile.
- Oh, my God.
- I got a letter from Kathy.
Something about the newspaper.
That letter was from Bob.
- How is he?
- I don't know. I didn't...
I didn't get a chance to read it.
I guess he's OK.
Well, whatever he says...
it's a hundred times worse
than what he can tell you.
I'm so perverse.
I'm just jealous because I know when
it's over, he's gonna come back to you.
We never manage to talk about Bob,
do we?
No, we don't.
I don't know what's gonna happen...
with Bob and me, Luke.
It's very scary for me... to think that
maybe it's not gonna work out with him.
I know.
Because we've been together for so long.
It's gonna be very hard for him,
and he's not gonna like the fact
that I've... I've changed.
And I have changed.
You know that I've never
been on my own before?
- You like that, Sid?
- She's got a nice ass for a white girl.
Should have heard some of the tapes
we made at their pad.
- Did they get it on?
- I'll give 'em credit for that.
- Got a good angle?
- Yeah.
Cos everybody's different.
Don't you think so?
- Oh!
- Hey. It's cool. It's all right.
Have a nice time.
Two, please.
If Dink saw you, he'd probably
think you were a hippie faggot.
- Here's to Dink, Vi.
- A toast to the host.
Not here... for a beer.
If that motherfucker sends me an ear...
Are you listening?
Are you listening? I just made a poem
and you're not even listening.
Bye, guys. See you tomorrow. Bye, Rita.
Hi.
It's from Bob. I opened it.
He's coming home.
- Is he all right?
- Oh, yeah. He's all right.
He just got shot in the leg.
Nothing really too heavy. He's all right.
Will you always be my friend?
Yes.
Say "always".
Always. I'll always be your friend.
That's very good.
I'm gonna miss you.
Hello.
Hold on a second, will you?
Yeah. This is he.
Hey, what I have to say to
high-school kids, they're not ready for.
Yeah. Well, that was television.
I was angry. I was upset.
What the hell did you do to your hair?
I've stopped straightening it.
Where's all the demonstrators?
Some asshole on the plane said there'd be
a bunch of flower-heads out here.
There are some kids out there
but they can't come on the base.
- Does your leg hurt?
- No.
- What do you think?
- About what?
Our new car.
The Speedster?
It's outstanding. Absolutely outstanding.
I'm glad you're back.
One, two, three, four!
We don't want your rotten war!
One, two, three, four!
We don't want your rotten war!
- Peace, brother.
- Peace on you too, brother.
One, two, three, four!
We don't want your rotten war!
One, two, three, four!
We don't want your rotten...
You never told me
that you were this close to the beach.
- I wanted to surprise you.
- You're full of surprises.
Hey! Welcome back, hero.
- Vi. How are you?
- Great.
- So tell me, how's Dink?
- Dink is fine.
- He's kicking everybody's ass, as always.
- Great.
No, ladies first,
but I'll have the number two one.
- Oh, my God. Does this look good.
- Cheers.
Are you hungry?
I made some Swedish meatballs
to nibble on. They go great with drinks.
Do you like it?
- How's the surf?
- It's good.
Why don't you sit down, sweetheart?
So, Bob, tell us about your foot.
It's not my foot, it's my leg,
and it's a goddamn bore.
Just like this whole fucking war is boring.
But, ladies...
old Bob has gotta tell you
one thing that is not boring,
and that is the good old US of A martini.
Of which I am going to partake
as much as I can as quick as I can.
Drink it up. I made gallons.
So come on, Bob.
Tell us the story about your leg.
- What happened?
- There's nothing to tell.
I'm a fucking hero, I'm getting a medal,
and that's the story of my leg!
- Nothing to it, is there?
- Great.
- It ain't great.
- How did it happen?
It's just a boring story. I'm on my way
to the showers. Got an M-16 in one hand...
- On your way to the showers?
- Yeah. Why not?
Everywhere you go you carry your M-16,
particularly when you go to the showers!
There I am, like every other asshole,
trucking on down the road to the showers
and I tripped
and shot myself right in the calf.
- Oh, my God.
- And that's it.
- Dink should've thought of that.
- I didn't think of that!
- It was a goddamn accident!
- Bob, you don't have to get mad.
- Yeah, but it was an accident.
- Why are they decorating you?
- Where's the head?
- Right there.
I promised a guy from 'Nam I'd have
a drink with him at the Officers Club
and I gotta go.
I'll be back for dinner.
Goddamn!
You could've aimed better
if you'd had your lights on.
Man, if you keep your lights on,
you wouldn't need things like that.
Looks like a fucking
smithereen job to me.
Yeah, like fucking...
Not in the front
of the boats. You know?
The SSS...
Oh.
Sally. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, darling.
Hey, don't run out on me, you...
These are two friends of mine.
Sally, wait a minute. Sally, Sally.
My wife, Sally. This is...
- What was your name?
- Monty.
Hey!
I don't know who they are. Who are you?
This is my wife, Sally.
Fish. There's two things that smell
like fish. One of them's fish.
- They laughed, didn't they?
- Go on, already.
"Avoid loud and aggressive persons.
They are vexatious to the spirit."
"Keep interested in your own career."
"However humble, it is a real possession
in the changing fortunes of time."
What is that tank for up there?
What's that turtle's name?
- Let's give him a drink.
- No.
No, no. Don't put beer in the tank.
Wait! You'll kill the goddamn...
No! You ain't feeding no turtle.
You nickel-dick. That's not even a real...
That's a plastic turtle.
Don't look at that turtle.
I don't want you to look at that turtle.
You hear about the female peanut
walking down the street at night?
She was assaulted.
- That's the third time he's told that joke!
- She was a salted and he was insulted!
Bob?
Bob.
- Captain Hyde?
- Yeah.
The major's ready.
Major Haller, this is Captain Hyde.
- Captain Hyde. This is Mr Ott.
- How do you do, sir?
- Mr Roberts.
- Captain. How are you?
They're with the FBI.
Would you like to have a seat?
No, thanks.
Well, Captain, what can you tell us
about Luke Martin?
Aren't you gonna park?
- What are you gonna do?
- Drive.
Well... I'll come with you.
I'd just like to be by myself.
Please.
Are you gonna be long?
No.
When that gun goes off, you gotta
uncoil like a spring. Just release.
Swimmers, take your marks.
You gotta put everything you have
into that moment, right?
And get as far toward the... I used
to think about the other end of the pool.
Are you Luke Martin?
- Depends.
- I'm Bob Hyde.
Uh... Let's take a little break, Mark, OK?
I told Sally I was going to do this.
You have a right to know about
the surveillance. They watched the house.
They got pictures. They got tapes.
Thanks for...
for letting me know.
That's all I had to say.
The rest is up to Sally.
I guess.
See you.
Hello.
Luke. What? How am I taking what?
He didn't tell you?
I could have sworn that...
Listen. They had some surveillance on me
because of the gate thing.
Yeah?
Oh, my God!
Listen. I'm gonna be here.
If you need me, call me.
I'm just here.
I wanted to talk to you.
You seem so far away from me
since you came back.
I just... I've been scared.
I love you.
I do.
I'm not going to make excuses
for what happened.
It happened.
I needed somebody. I was lonely.
- Don't bullshit me.
- It's not...
- Bob, I was lonely.
- Don't bullshit me.
- It's not bullshit.
- It's bullshit!
- Bob, please...
- It's bullshit!
Everybody needs somebody,
for Christ's sake!
If it's over with us, it's over!
You're saying
you won't even make the effort?
What I'm saying is...
I do not belong in this house!
- And they say I don't belong over there!
- Who's "they"?
The people that make the decisions
about the fucking war!
- Bob, I don't wanna talk about the war.
- What, then? The fucking marriage?
Think about that.
I can't talk to you
when you're shouting at me.
I wanna be your husband.
I just don't deserve to be your husband.
I don't deserve the fucking medal either.
How can they give you a medal for a war
they don't even want you to fight?
- Who is that?
- Bob? Sally? Can I talk to you?
- It's Luke. Let me tell him to go away.
- Wait a minute. You just wait right there.
I don't wanna make anything
more complicated than it already is.
I just thought there might be a few things
that... we should talk about.
Well, they're not very complicated.
It's actually very simple.
- I don't belong here.
- You belong here.
I just wanted to get things straight,
what's going on with me,
so you know where I'm coming from
and what happened.
I know where you're coming from.
And I know what happened.
I've just gotta figure out for myself
what happened
and how I'm gonna deal with it.
- I can understand that.
- Bullshit!
- Don't.
- You jodie fuck!
You get back! Get back, slope cunt!
Now you, jodie motherfucker, explain
to me how it is you understand anything.
I understand because I'm a brother and
I've been in the same place you're at now.
That's why I feel bad that I made it
harder for you than it already is.
That's bullshit.
She's here because she loves you.
There was never any question of that.
- Don't tell me that, goddamnit!
- It's true, Bob.
Bullshit! Bullshit!
If you give her a chance,
she can help you.
She wants to listen to you
and she wants to understand you.
Say something else, fuck.
Say something else, fuck.
I'm not the enemy.
Maybe the enemy is the fucking war.
But you don't want to kill anybody here.
You have enough ghosts to carry around.
Look at me. I'm...
My hand.
I was shaking.
I'm sorry.
I'm fucked.
I just wanna be a hero. That's all.
I just wanna be a fucking hero.
One day in my life, one moment,
I wanna go out a hero.
That way I would have done something
that was mine, that I've done.
Enemy forces had captured
the north side of the bridge
when Lieutenant Roscoe
charged forward firing his rifle.
Lieutenant Roscoe's actions
so unnerved the enemy, they withdrew,
allowing the lieutenant
to secure the enemy position
until the rest of his company could move
forward and consolidate their forces.
Lieutenant Roscoe maintained
the position against repeated attacks
and, though wounded,
continued to inspire his men
until reinforcements arrived
the following day.
Lieutenant Roscoe has upheld the highest
traditions of the Marine Corps
and of the United States naval service.
The Marine Corps builds body,
mind and spirit. Thank you.
And now, with a different perspective,
we have Luke Martin,
combat veteran of the Marine Corps.
- Sergeant, mind if I ask you a question?
- No, sir.
Just call me Sergeant - that's what I was.
- Where were you stationed?
- Da Nang.
I thought I'd go get some steaks
for a barbecue. Would you like that?
It's been a long time
since you've lit a barbecue.
The charcoal's under the kitchen sink.
I'm gonna see if Vi
wants to come with me. See you later.
You want to be a part of it
and patriotic and go out and...
get your licks in for the US of A.
And when you get over there,
it's a totally different situation.
I mean...
you grow up real quick
because all you're seeing is a lot of death.
And I know some of you
are gonna look at that uniform
and you're gonna remember all the films
and think about the glory of other wars
and think about some vague...
patriotic feeling
and go off and fight this turkey too.
I'm telling you it ain't like it is
in the movies. I didn't have a choice.
When I was your age, all I got was
some guy standing up like that man
and giving me bullshit, which I caught.
I was really in good shape then.
I was captain of the football team.
I wanted to be a war hero, man.
I wanted to go out and kill for my country.
And now I'm here to tell you that
I have killed for my country or whatever
and I don't feel good about it.
Because there's not
enough reason, man...
to feel a person die in your hands
or to see your best buddy get blown away.
I'm here to tell you it's a lousy thing, man.
I don't see any reason for it.
And there's a lot of shit
that I did over there
that I find fucking hard to live with.
And I don't wanna see
people like you coming back
and having to face the rest of your lives
with that shit. It's as simple as that.
I don't feel sorry for myself. I'm a lot
fucking smarter now than when I went.
And I'm just telling you...
that there's a choice to be made here.