Down River (2016) - full transcript

♪ Uno, dos

♪ One, two

♪ Tres, quatros

♪ Hay

♪ Wooly bully

♪ Watch it now, watch it

♪ Hey girl

- What's wrong?

You don't like this song?

- Yeah, no, I like it.

♪ Matty told Hatty



♪ About a thing she saw

♪ Had two big horns

♪ And a wooly jaw

♪ Wooly bully

♪ Wooly bully

♪ Wooly bully wooly
bully wooly bully

♪ Matty told Hatty

♪ Let's don't take no chance

♪ Let's not be L seven

Yo.

- There's no enemy out there.

You're not gonna find anything.

They need me instead of east.

♪ Wooly bully



- Yeah.

♪ Wooly bully wooly
bully wooly bully

♪ Watch it now

♪ Watch watch watch it

♪ Ah

♪ Drive drive drive

- What's wrong with the truck?

- Fuck,
this doesn't look good, sir.

- What
does that mean?

- Fuckin'
radiator hose is busted.

Mills, did you check this when
you signed out the paperwork?

- Uh, roger, Sergeant.

They said everything
was good to go.

- And you inspected the truck?

- Yeah, sort of.

- What do you mean sort of?

- Well, sir, I looked
at it from the outside.

- Dammit Mills, you didn't
look under the hood?

- If I did, I really
wouldn't be able

to identify the radiator hose.

- Sergeant, how much longer
on the truck repairs?

- Repair, sir?

- Yeah, we can't stay on
this road for very long.

- Well, I'm not a
fuckin' mechanic

and even if I was, we
don't have the proper parts

to fix this thing.

Mills, call in our grid.

Hey, what the fuck
are you doing?

- Just--

- Hey, your pictures aren't
helping out right now.

- Well, Avery, go ahead
and take your photos.

- Hey, this isn't the time
to play celebrity, sir.

- Now, I have direct
orders from the top

saying that Avery over
here has full disclosure

of our mission.

These are top orders, Sergeant.

Don't make this more than it is.

- Right, sir.

Alright, well Paparazzi,
if he's gonna let us,

we need to get out of our
current situation right now.

Mills, call in our grid.

- This is F.O. Team to outpost.

Do you copy?

F.O. Team to outpost.

Do you copy?

- Are
you getting anything

through the transmitter?

- Negative, sir.

Only hear a low hum.

- We must be far enough
behind enemy lines

if they've already
jammed our radios.

- Mills, you're
probably dehydrated.

Drink some water.

- Sergeant, we've
had 32 other missions

and I've never had a
problem as a radio operator.

- Alright, Mills.

Now, we need to get
off this road and now.

If any of the enemy
locals come by,

they're gonna alert the
real enemy of our presence.

- Well, if you
wanna play soldier,

you can help us take
this truck off the road.

- Roger, Sergeant.

- Alright,
let's move this thing, squad.

- Yes, sir.

- On
the count of three.

One, two, three.

Let's try one more time.

One, two, three.

To hell with this,
let's do this.

- Just
wanna leave it, sir?

Fuck it.

- We're gonna leave it
on the side of the road.

Let's get off the
road and take cover.

Silva, you take lead.

Squad, file up.

Squad, halt.

Gather under this tree.

There's nothing like an early
morning in enemy territory.

Now, let's go ahead
and figure out

what the hell we're
gonna do here.

Alright.

Now, this is the outpost from
which we left this morning.

We traveled about
six miles or so

to the enemy line and then
about another six miles or so.

I'd say we broke down
about right there.

Now, we're supposed to
get a little bit further.

Make it down to where we
can call in an air strike

for where the enemy has
stationed their field trucks.

We were going to make
it to this point, here,

and call in that air strike
and everything goes boom.

Looks like my first mission's

gonna have to be a failed one.

- What about this point, sir?

- It's about six miles
from where we are.

- Well, can we make it there?

I'll carry Private
Paparazzi if I have to.

- We don't have the water
or rations for that.

We were only
prepped for 36 hours

with vehicular

and radio support.

- Hey, Mills, try
the radio again.

- F.O. Team to outpost.

Do you copy?

Still the low hum.

- Patch me through.

This is F.O. Leader to outpost.

Do you copy?

Yup, there's that low hum.

It's a signal I heard
in training exercises.

We're definitely having
our radios jammed.

- We don't have very
many options here, sir.

- No, we don't.

Now, taking that road without
any cover is a death wish.

Well, hold on.

Now, this river here,
this goes exactly

where we need to go.

If we just followed
that, it would take us

right back to the green.

- So, that's your plan, sir?

Go down river?

- Yeah.

- Sir, that's right in the
enemy's concentrated area.

- Well, we wait until nightfall.

We build a raft and we
slip right past 'em.

They won't even
know we're there.

- Listen, sir.

I know you haven't done
this very many times,

but the enemy isn't
just not gonna notice.

- Well, this is going
through the enemy perimeter.

There's minimal
chance of contact,

plus these roads are used
for logistical support.

Or we could go with
your plan, Sergeant.

- Alright, Mills.

Just you and
toward the base camp

and get us there, alright?

- Roger, Sergeant.

- Hey, Private Paparazzi.

Since you don't have a weapon,

stay close to us, alright?

- Look, with your shotgun
you can end someone's life.

You know with my camera, I
can make 'em live forever.

- Your instructors
told you that?

- Yeah.

I got the better weapon.

- Well, I doubt
they've ever been

stuck behind enemy lines.

Come on, let's go.

- Hey,
this is a good spot.

Let's stay here.

Let's take a break,
drink some water.

- I agree, I agree.

- Drink
some water privates.

Anybody need a snack?

- You guys are good?

How your feet?

- They
hurt, but I'm good.

- Keep your eyes
peeled everyone.

Hey, Paparazzi.

- Yeah,
just tell me when

you want your picture.

- How are your feet, sir?

- What's that?

- How are your feet?

- My feet are great.

- Yeah.

- I don't know about yours.

How are yours?

- They're alright.

- Good to hear.

I wouldn't be too
worried about me.

I was a endurance
runner back in college.

- Okay, sir.

- I did track once.

- Yeah?

- Once or twice, yeah.

- Couldn't stick with it?

Ah, you like that artsy
stuff too much, hum?

- Are you guys ready to go?

- Yep.

- Just get us outta here.

- Roger, Sergeant.

Thank you, Sergeant.

No problem, sir.

- You can bet I appreciate it.

- You should probably
bring your own camel back.

- Thank you, Sergeant.

Note taken.

Squad halt.

Now, Sergeant, I'm
thinking that we go

straight through this valley.

What do you think?

- Ah, it's not a
very good idea, sir.

- Well, it's the quickest way.

It's one direct route.

- Yeah, but I bet you there's
snipers all over this place,

like up there and up there.

That's where I'd be.

- Well, take out
those binoculars.

Take a look around.

See what you see.

See anything?

- Yeah, right there, sir.

Looks like one of
our uniformed guys.

Seems like he's down.

Like I said, snipers
all over these hills.

- Mills, we got an anomaly
up there behind that bush.

Why don't you go check it out?

- No, fuck that, Mills.

Stay right there.

- That
is an order, Mills.

Go and check it out.

- Roger, sir.

- What the...?

- Mills!

Get back here!

Oh my God!

- See, I fucking told you, sir.

That thing is fucking
booby trapped.

- Okay, but where the hell
else are we supposed to go?

We don't have food.

We don't have rations
for anything else.

- Why
don't we just stick

to the fucking treeline?

- Why don't we take a
diagonal through the valley?

I mean, shit, that
could have been

just a leftover
mine from ages ago.

- A diagonal?

Sir.

I know you're
fucking new to this,

but no, that's not gonna work.

- No, listen, listen.

I've been through training.

I know what I'm supposed to do.

The only way we're
gonna get there

is go through this valley.

- Well, sir, this
valley was taken from us

about two months ago while you
were still playing beer pong.

- What is that supposed to mean?

- Look, we can't take--

- Now, listen to me, Sergeant.

I'm the one giving
orders here, alright?

- Alright sir,
well, check it out.

That's gonna fucking
get us killed.

That's gonna get
us fucking home.

So which do you wanna do?

You wanna die or do
you wanna go home?

- I wanna go home.

- Cool.

- You can guarantee me of that?

- Hell yes, sir, if we stick
to this fucking treeline.

- I'll give it to you
this time, Sergeant,

but don't you ever talk to me
back again like that, alright?

- Roger, sir.

- Alright.

You're taking point.

Mills, are you alright?

- Roger, sir.

- Avery?

You're taking point.

- Alright guys.

Let's get out of here.

- Mills, what the fuck?

We're not supposed
to be this close.

Fuck.

Mills, we're not supposed to
be this close to the action.

What are you doing?

- This the way the
compass says to go.

- Gimme that thing.

Follow me.

Let's go.

Sir, I can hear the river.

- Come
on, down on the ground.

Whoa, stay calm Sergeant.

- This is calm.

- This is a native of the land.

He's not necessarily the enemy.

- Well, he can tell
where the enemy's at.

Guess we'll just detain him.

- Alright, alright.

Now.

He's unarmed.

We're detaining him.

What should we do next?

Guess we could take him

back up to the treeline, figure
out what to do from there.

- Alright.

Alright, that's a good idea.

- Should just
kill him right here.

- Come on, you son of a bitch.

Come on, come on.

There we go.

Well done, Sergeant.

Let's take him to a
more secure location.

- Alright.

- Come on, you bastard.

- Policy, sir,
killing the detainee

is probably the best
course of action.

- That is a war crime that
I'm not comfortable with.

- Who cares?

It's one filthy native.

He's probably thinking
about killing us right now.

- How the hell do
you know that he's

thinking about killing us?

And besides, Private
Avery has full disclosure

of our mission.

- What, are you a snitch now?

- What?

- Hey, leave him alone.

Shut the hell up.

Nothing happens to this
detainee until the L.T. says.

- The plan is that we
wait until nightfall,

we build a raft and then
we get the hell outta here.

Now, what we'll do
is until nightfall,

we'll take turns
guarding this guy

and then we'll get out.

Sounds good to me.

- Alright.

- Shit, I'll take
the first watch.

- You sure
you can handle that?

He'll be fine.

- Alright.

Well, Silv's up.

Avery and I will go get
logs and get that raft

started so we can get
the hell outta here.

You're on point, Silva.

Let's go.

Watch him close, Mills.

- Okay
Avery, keep it up.

- Sir, what do you think we
should do with that native?

I mean, what do honestly
think we should do?

- Honestly?

I really, really
hope that we can just

cut him loose and let him
go when we get outta here.

- As long as we're on our
way out, I can do that.

- Keep
at it, Sergeant.

It'll come down eventually.

- I think we
would have won the war

by the time this
branch comes down.

Fuck you, Avery.

- Yo, why won't you
fuckin' look at me?

Are you fuckin' scared?

What the fuck is your problem?

I bet you know where the
enemy is right now, don't you?

They're probably
just sittin' here

waitin' to kill my brothers.

I'm not dealin'
with this bullshit.

- You know, if the
continents hadn't split,

would we still wage
war the way we do?

- I think if that were the
case, we'd already be extinct.

- Yeah, probably.

- You know, sometimes you
gotta put fear into your enemy

in order to gain
respect to your nation.

- Yeah, or you could
just adopt Communism,

then the government controls
its people and their actions.

- You don't believe
that, sir, do you?

- Well, just 'cause
I don't believe it,

it doesn't mean that
other people don't

feel the same way.

- You know, when
this war's over,

I'm gonna have a group of kids.

I'm gonna line 'em up.

I'm gonna tell 'em
stories about this war.

If they don't shit themselves,

I'm gonna beat
the shit out them.

- Now, what the hell, Sergeant?

Damn, you're more fucked
up than the Communists.

- War is hell.

- Little filthy-ass native.

I know you wanna kill
all my fuckin' brothers.

Probably wanna go home
to your fuckin' wife,

your ugly-ass wife,
probably wanna fuck

some goats or some shit, whatever
the fuck you natives do.

What do you even do,
like, what the fuck?

Are you even worth anything?

Why am I here guarding you?

I should just fuckin'
kill you right now.

You know what?

I got something for you.

Go ahead.

Get outta here.

I'm fucking done with you.

Get your ass outta here.

Do you not fucking hear me?

Get your punk ass outta here.

- Hey, Avery.

- Hey.

- Seen you taking
a lot of pictures,

but I don't see you
write anything down,

like in a journal or anything.

Is that what you're
trained to do?

- Yeah, you know, that's
what we're trained to do

back there, but my
officer in charge

down there just thinks
they're worthless.

So, he just treats
'em like shit.

- So, how do you write
your papers or whatever?

- Well, other
people, they like to,

they add a bunch of
lies and just add shit,

but that's why I take so
many pictures out here

is that when I get
back, I sit down,

look through all of
them and write from

the pictures and the
feelings that, you know,

I remember when I
was taking them.

Write from experience
and find a theme.

- So, what theme did you
find for this mission?

- Welp.

Since I took this
opportunity to go behind

enemy lines, and you
know, we're kinda

stranded out here, I'm
feelin' the will to survive.

- That's funny.

Us stuck out here with
the will to survive.

Yeah, that's rich.

- Yep.

But you know, mostly why
I came in to, you know,

combat journalism is, back home,

people don't really
care we're dying.

Boys are dying out
here every day.

People back home don't, frankly,

they don't just give a shit.

- Yeah.

- I wanna change that.

- Yeah.

- With these stories
I'll change that.

- Yeah the people back home,

they know what's going on here,

they just choose not to care.

- Yeah.

- You got any chow left?

- Nope.

Nothin' left.

- I got something for ya.

Here ya go.

Eat that like a real soldier.

- Thanks, Sarge.

Jap cheese.

- Go fuckin' dumbass.

Get your ass up.

Go.

Come on.

Get your ass up.

I won't even fuckin' look.

Look, I'm not even looking.

Get your ass up and run.

- Shit.

- Mills.

- Mills.

- Mills,
Mills, Mills, Mills, Mills.

Okay, alright?

- Don't
let me die, Sarge.

- Here,
you'll be fine, you'll be fine.

Fuck.

You'll be fine.

It's his femoral artery.

Pretty sure he's
not gonna make it.

- We're gonna stay
the night here.

We'll figure out what
to do in the morning.

- Hey man.

Remember that time we told Davis

to bring that soda
out on a mission?

- Yeah.

- And he forgot the damn soda.

Yeah, we must have
called him Soda

for about eight missions then.

And what about that time
before Lieutenant Key left us?

We got all the way
out to his spot

and he told you to
call something in.

What was you gettin' in?

- All those damn cows.

Then I radioed back.

- Avery, where's the Sergeant?

- He's still down there.

- Hey, Paparazzi, wake up.

- What's up?

- You hungry?

- Yeah.

- Follow me.

These guys have gotta be

the perimeter detail.

- Yeah.

- Well, there's only
one way we're gonna eat.

- Oh, you know, I
don't know, man.

- Hey, you can wait
another night without food

or we can eat right now.

- Yeah, you're right.

Let's do this.

- Looks like we get to eat.

Oh, next time you
hit him in the liver.

He'll go into shock.

It'll be easier for ya.

- Yeah.

- Alright, wake up soldiers.

Come on.

Come on, rise and shine troops.

Now, why was nobody
standing guard?

Come on, Sergeant.

Private, we're behind enemy
lines, not on vacation.

Let's get some more
logs so we can go ahead

and finish this raft and get

the hell outta here
by tonight, alright?

- Yes, sir.

- Damn.

- Hey, Mills would have
want you to have this.

Can I trust you?

You got my back, right?

- Yeah, I won't let you down.

- Alright, let's get
out there and do this.

- Alright.

- This is
looking good, gentlemen.

- Thank you, sir.

- This should work.

I think this is gonna
actually get us there.

You should definitely put
another line down the center.

- Alright, I need to
find some more logs.

Avery?

- Yeah?

- You go that way.

You got Mills'
weapon, so you should

be able to handle
yourself, alright?

- Roger.

- I'll hold down the
raft, maybe I'll tie

a line down the middle.

- Hey, Lieutenant.

- What
are you doing, Avery?

- Just give it a few minutes.

The water from the river
will help remove the sands.

It'll be good to
drink after that.

- That's not a good idea.

I mean, we don't know where
this river's origin is.

We don't know what the
local illnesses are.

- Ooh, that's good to drink.

- Where the hell did
you learn to do that?

- My grandpa.

When I was little, we
used to go camping a lot.

- Close with your
family then, huh?

- Yeah, you could say so.

A little bit, I mean,
my parents divorced

when I was young, so
I constantly grew up

in a different household.

It was just easier
going into the military,

live on my own.

- Sometimes it's best to go
off and do your own thing.

- What about you, Lieutenant?

- I used to be,
'til I got divorced.

See, we were in college.

We had a son.

My family still loves her,
but she cheated on me.

- Sorry to hear that.

That's rough.

- It's alright.

My family is still trying
to tell me to make it work,

but I knew that if
she did it once,

she would do it again, right?

- Yeah.

- But,

it's okay.

I'm gonna focus on
my military career.

I'm gonna retire as a colonel.

I'm gonna buy a nice
house, a nice boat.

- Oh, yeah.

- Maybe someday my son
will even love me again.

- Well, you know, Lieutenant,

your son's gonna grow up.

He's gonna mature.

He'll learn to understand that

that was the best
thing for you to do.

It was for the best.

- What about you?

You got a girlfriend
back home, Avery?

- Yeah, I got a girlfriend, but,

she's not quite
back home right now.

- Where is she, then?

- I met her back at
an operating base

and she's a cook there.

- Oh, man.

You journalists really do know

how to have a fun
time during wartime.

- Hell, yeah.

- Well, don't even
worry about it.

I'm not gonna tell
anybody under command

that you're bumping uglies
with the mess hall chick.

- Thank you.

- No problem, well,

Let's get that raft
built so we can get you

back to that mess hall, huh?

- Alright, let's go.

- Hey, you guys gotta
come check this out.

- What's up?

Avery and I have been
doing all the work

around here, so this
better be worth it.

- Okay, well, sir,
this is time for you

to earn your reward for
being behind enemy lines.

Come on.

Follow me.

There.

- Good find, Sergeant.

We're definitely
gonna need to sneak by

those guys under cover of night.

- Sir, check it out.

- That's an enemy general.

- You think so?

- I'm positive.

I remember in the
mission briefing

seeing that guy wearing that
hat in one of the photos.

Definitely means we're
gonna have to pass

by these guys under cover
of night, regardless.

Alright, let's go.

Take lead, Silva.

- This is probably good.

- Yeah, right here.

Set her down.

- So, yeah, just go
ahead and alert the enemy

while we're waiting
to get our way home.

- Yeah, then we'd actually
have something to do.

- What is that supposed to mean?

- We've just been sittin'
here this whole time,

this whole fucking deployment.

I've just been sitting here,

off in the distance
calling in air strikes.

I'm sick of it.

- What do you expect us to do?

- We got a general
over there right now.

We could take him out and
actually impact this war.

- In the middle of
enemy territory?

Now, why do you think
that's a good idea?

- Well sir, we have this
perfect opportunity right now.

He's just sittin'
there, waitin' for us.

- You know what?

It wouldn't matter if we
took out their general.

If it were one of our generals,

he would be replaced in a week,

and the fighting would continue.

Am I wrong?

The best thing we
can do is survive,

so that we can go back,
train for another mission

and then come back here
and impact the war.

- Sir, why'd you even
join in the first place?

- Oh, I don't see
why we need to bring

our personal life decisions
into this conversation.

- Well, I joined to make
a purpose in my life,

to make a difference
in this world,

and right now, we have
that perfect opportunity.

- Listen, we're stickin' to
the plan that I came up with.

We're gonna build this raft.

We're gonna escape by night
and we're going to get home.

I don't wanna hear you say
anything else about it.

Where you goin'?

Where you goin'?

- This is fuckin' bullshit.

Who the fuck does
he think he is?

I been through 32
fuckin' missions,

and he thinks he can
just walk in here

and tell me what the fuck to do?

- Hey look, Silva--

- Shut the fuck up.

- Now, hold on.

That general, well,
he came in on a boat.

You didn't mention that.

He came on a boat.

We been tryin' to build
this rickety ass raft.

We're not gonna
float down any river.

We get that boat.

We kill that general.

You get your fame and we're
able to get out of here.

- That boat was big
enough for all us, huh?

- Had oars, too.

- Fuckin' genius, kid.

Fuckin' genius.

Sir, sir.

We've got a plan.

- Oh, no.

Didn't seem like the last
one was too smart, Silva.

- Yeah well, just hear me out.

This is how we're
gonna get home.

You may not like it, but,
it's gonna get us home.

- Alright, let's hear it.

- Alright, so the
general came in on a boat

big enough for all of
us and all of our gear.

So, we just go over there
and take his boat from him.

Yeah, it'll be perfect.

Hear me out.

I shimmy across.

I lay down the
distraction, draw him out.

You guys, you and Avery--

- Hit him from the back.

- Boom, in the tent,
take whoever's left.

Whatever guys I don't pick
off, you take care of.

Easy peasy.

- You know, I don't
think that anybody

is ever ready to fight in a war.

Think we do it instinctively
in order to survive.

Let's do this, Sergeant.

- It's gonna work, sir.

- The only thing we
have to fear is bullets.

- You know, I think
Mills would say,

"Let's kill these
mother fuckers."

- Let's do it.

- Alright, guys.

I'm gonna go set up.

When I start firing,
that's your cue.

- Alright.

- Good luck, Sergeant.

- Good luck.

Let's do this, Avery.

- Hey, shitheads!

- We should get outta here.

- Silva.

- Those
fuckers didn't have a chance.

- Private, Sergeant,
we gotta go, guys.

With all that racket, enemy's
bound to be approaching again.

Let's get the hell
outta here, boys.

- What's wrong?

- I think we're on
the wrong river.

- Wrong river?

- We went further south
into enemy territory.

- Shit, Silva's dead.

- Fuck.

What the hell did
you do that for?

- We all know that
shit's worthless, anyway.

Sir, where are we going?

- I don't know.