The Cowboy

There is a guy, most likely poor or even homeless, that lives in the area and that I have seen a couple of times. I've seen him talk to a bunch of people, stroll around the Reeperbahn and also sit on the front steps of a door next to a Uhrenladen and hold out a paper cup asking me for change. In my mind, I started calling him The Cowboy and he immediately reminded me of a couple of other enigmatic cowboy characters that I know from other films.

1. There is the Cowboy played by Sean Bean in a film called The Big Empty. He is this mysterious guy that the protagonist needs to deliver a suitcase to and we never really get to know much about him. Cowboy is only alluded to for most of the film as 'the guy with a big, black duster and black Stetson' and his job, as it turns out, is to gather up people to be taken away by aliens at a 'jump point' outside Baker, California.

2. There is another - to me, even more interesting - cowboy in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. I'm a big fan of David Lynch anyway, but watching this scene with the cowboy again, it totally fascinated me. The scene is so full of enigma and at the same time really powerful, almost dreamlike. The cowboy himself also, the way he speaks...totally calm, but at the same time he is really frightening as well (similar to the man at the party in Lost Highway). I found it really amazing. Maybe there is room in my screenplay for a character like this, too.

If I've gotten you interested. Here's the scene (found it on youtube) and the written version from the screenplay:

INT. ROOM  214 - NIGHT

Adam crosses the room to the phone and dials a number. The phone is answered.

                                                      ADAM

                              Someone's shut off my money!

                                                      CYNTHIA

                              I know.  Where are you Adam?

                                                      ADAM

                              What do you mean "you know"?

                                                      CYNTHIA

                              Someone called me. When they couldn't

                              get you they told me you were as good as

                              broke. I didn't believe then, so I made

                              some calls.

                                                      ADAM

                              And?

                                                      CYNTHIA

                              You're broke!

                                                      ADAM

                              But I'm not broke.

                                                      CYNTHIA

                              I know, but you're broke. Where are you?

                                                      ADAM

                              Beverly Hills Hotel. I've got enough

                              cash in my pocket for one night.

                                                      CYNTHIA

                              Do you know somebody called the The

                              Cowboy?

                                                      ADAM

                              The Cowboy??

                                                      CYNTHIA

                              Yeah, the Cowboy. This guy, the Cowboy,

                              wants to see you. Jason said he thought

                              it would be a good idea.

                                                      ADAM

                              Oh, Jason thought it would be a good idea

                              for me to meet the Cowboy. Should I wear

                              my ten gallon hat and my six shooters?

                                                      CYNTHIA

                              Something tells me this guy is connected

                              with what's happening, Adam, and I think

                              you should do it and I think you should

                              do it right away.

                                                      ADAM

                              Cynthia...what's going on?

                                                      CYNTHIA

                              It's been a very strange day.

                                                      ADAM

                              And getting stranger. Where do I meet

                              this Cowboy? I mean do I have to ride

                              out to the range?

                                                      CYNTHIA

                              Sort of, funny boy. If I tell him the

                              meeting's on you're to go to the top of

                              Beachwood Canyon. There's a corral up

                              there where he'll be.

                                                      ADAM

                              You gotta be kidding?

                                                      CYNTHIA

                              Will you meet with him?

                                                      ADAM

                              Yeah, sure. It is that kind of a day.

                              When?

                                                      CYNTHIA

                              I'll call him, then call you back...If

                              you want you could stay at my place.

                                                      ADAM

                              Cynthia... that would not be a good idea.

                                                      CYNTHIA

                              I'm just offering a place to stay.

                                                      ADAM

                              I understand, Cynthia and thank you for

                              the offer. I'll find a place. Now go

                              ahead and give the Cowboy a yodel and get

                              back to me.

                                                      CYNTHIA

                              Okay, but you don't know what you're

                              missing.

                                                      ADAM

                              Git along little dowgie and call me back.

Adam hangs up and seems to sag, cupping his forehead and eyes with his hand.

EXT. BEACHWOOD CANYON - NIGHT

Adam, in his Porsche, makes his way up the canyon.

INT. PORSCHE

Adam feeling like a fool drives up the dark, winding canyon road. As he nears the top of the canyon the residential

area gives way to desert brush. The road winds steeply up to a dark dead end where an old barn and stable sit.

Adam parks in a little dirt lot and walk up past the barn to the corral. His eyes grow accustomed to the dark and

he looks about. No one is around. There's only a light wind and a few twinkling stars in the sky above. Suddenly

some bare bulbs hanging from the corral gate flare up. Adam hears a noise in the brightness and turns. There

walking toward him into the light is the Cowboy - dressed in clean blue denim jeans, well-oiled unscuffed, beautifully

engraved cowboy boots, a red embroidered ivory buttoned cowboy shirt complete with string tie. Atop the Cowboy's

head is a 10 X white Stetson. The Cowboy is smiling warmly as he approaches. He stops in front of Adam and

begins to speak with a true, slow Western drawl.

                                                      COWBOY

                              Howdy!

                                                      ADAM

                              Howdy to you.

                                                      COWBOY

                              Beautiful night.

                                                      ADAM

                              Yeah.

                                                      COWBOY

                              Sure want to thank ya for drivin' all the

                              way up to see me from that Beverly Hills

                              Hotel.

                                                      ADAM

                              No problem. What's on your mind?

                                                      COWBOY

                              Well now, here's a man who wants to get

                              right to it. Kinda anxious to get to it

                              are ya?

                                                      ADAM

                              Whatever.

                                                      COWBOY

                              A man's attitude ... a man's attitude goes

                              some ways toward how a man's life will

                              be. Is that somethin' you agree with?

                                                      ADAM

                              Sure.

                                                      COWBOY

                              Now... did you answer cause you thought

                              that's what I wanted to hear or did you

                              think about what I said and answer cause

                              you truly believe that to be right?

                                                      ADAM

                              I agree with what you said...truly.

                                                      COWBOY

                              What did I say?

                                                      ADAM

                              That a man's attitude determines to a

                              large extent how his life will be.

                                                      COWBOY

                              So since you agree I guess you could be a

                              person who does not care about the good

                              life.

                                                      ADAM

                              How's that?

                                                      COWBOY

                              Well, just stop for a little second and

                              think about it. Will ya do that for me?

                                                      ADAM

                              Okay, I'm thinking.

                                                      COWBOY

                              No. You're too busy being a smart aleck

                              to be thinkin'. Now I want ya to think

                              and quit bein' such a smart aleck. Can ya

                              do that for me?

                                                      ADAM

                              Look ... where's this going? What do you

                              want me to do?

                                                      COWBOY

                              There's sometimes a buggy. How many

                              drivers does a buggy have?

                                                      ADAM

                              One.

                                                      COWBOY

                              So let's just say I'm drivin' this buggy

                              and you fix your attitude and you can

                              ride along with me.

                                                      ADAM

                              Okay.

                                                      COWBOY

                              Now I know a few things. I know you have

                              had a rough day. You're probably thinkin'

                              I don't know the half of it, but in

                              actual fact I know every part of it. The

                              business of gittin' thrown off your

                              movie, the heartache of seeing your wife

                              with another man... losin' access to that

                              precious film vault...

Adam suddenly looks stunned, unsure.

                                                      COWBOY (cont'd)

                              ... realizin' you don't have hardly a

                              nickel to your name and then add on to

                              that the sickenin' feeling some men are

                              gonna catch you and hurt you bad for

                              bustin' their vehicle. Some days are like

                              that. They are rough, but what will

                              tomorrow bring? Will it be better than

                              today? The same ... or worse?

                              A lot of that is up to us individually.

                              Up to us and our attitude. When the

                              Castigliane brothers said "This is no

                              longer your film," they meant it, but

                              they didn't mean you were not going to

                              direct it. I want you to go back to work

                              tomorrow. You were re-casting the lead

                              actress anyway ... audition many girls for

                              the part. When you see the girl that was

                              shown to you earlier today, you will say

                              " This is the girl." The rest of the

                              cast can stay- that is up to you, but

                              that lead girl is not up to you. Now,

                              you will see me one more time if you do

                              good. You will see me two more times if

                              you do bad. Good night.

The Cowboy turns and walks until he is engulfed in darkness. Through the darkness Adam hears the sound of a car

door opening and closing, then another opening and closing and then the sound of the car driving away. Adam walks

up in the direction the Cowboy took, but he sees no sign of a car nor any dust nor any road. He goes back down past

the barn and stables to his car. There standing by his Porsche is the Cowboy.

                                                      COWBOY (cont'd)

                              You thinkin' this'll work out, cause I

                              was thinkin' it just might.

                                                      ADAM

                              It will work out.

                                                      COWBOY

                              Good then, but, just in case, that bank's

                              gonna stay closed a bit longer. You

                              understand that?

                                                      ADAM

                              I understand.

                                                      COWBOY

                              You're an understandin' fella.

                                                      ADAM

                              So, this is the last time I see you then

                              unless I do bad?

                                                      COWBOY

                              No, this one doesn't count. It's part of

                              the original one. So then ... until we meet

                              again.

                                                      ADAM

                              Okay.

Adam gets in his car and drives off leaving the Cowboy smiling behind him.