Date: 3/11/10 Title: BROKEN DOGS Author: Julian Damy Submitted by: Julian Damy Submitted to: Hollywoodscript.com Format: SP Pages: 129 Time: Present Locale: New York Genre: Crime thriller Analyst: Hollywoodscript.com
PREMISE: The lives of a narcotics detective fighting to bury his past as a dirty cop, a defense attorney determined to do anything to hide an illicit love affair, and a Concept: Very good Characterization: Excellent Dialogue: Excellent Story Line: Excellent Setting/Prod. Values: Very Good Freshness of Story: Very good
SYNOPSIS: BROKEN DOGS, a noir crime thriller set in present day New York, is the story of three men on opposite sides of the law whose paths intersect as each tries to stop a damning secret from coming out. FRANK NEWMAN, a narcotics detective, fights to bury his past life as a dirty cop; ALAN GLASSER, a successful defense attorney, tries at all costs to stop his stepsister from giving birth to their love child; and VINCENT LAMMONT, a drug kingpin, struggles to hide his life on the down-low. The story begins when Newman confronts his terminally ill partner, RICK SANTANA, recently indicted on corruption charges. Newman has learned Santana is about to make a deal and provide evidence that proves Newman helped Santana protect Vincent’s operation for years in exchange for large sums of money. In return for this evidence Santana will be allowed to keep his pension for his ex-wife and kids. A year goes by. Newman has quit working for Vincent. He has a new partner, BANE, whom he barely likes, and is struggling to save his marriage to FLORENCE, under strain after their baby daughter’s death in a tragic accident. Meanwhile, Alan has just learned that his stepsister MARION is pregnant with his child — the result of one night of drunken sex. He knows an abortion is the only choice possible. But when Alan tries to convince Marion she can’t have their baby, they have a heated argument and she refuses to terminate the pregnancy. Alan, in a panic, fearing his marriage and his career would be destroyed if his secret were ever discovered, decides to stage a burglary at Marion’s apartment and beat her up to cause a miscarriage. He approaches Vincent, a man his former client Santana often referred to as the guy to call if he was ever in a bind, and offers him a high five-figure number to get the job done. At the same time, Vincent’s secret life on the down-low is also under threat. KEVIN, an old buddy of Vincent and an ex-member of his crew, has run a large betting debt with a ruthless RUSSIAN BOOKIE. When Kevin approaches Vincent to ask him for money, he accidentally walks in on Vincent having sex with one of his foot soldiers. Vincent tries to talk his way out of the situation and Kevin decides to run along with it rather than face a jarring confrontation. But the Russian keeps pressuring Kevin to pay, so Kevin has no choice but to ask Vincent for the money. As a result, Vincent thinks Kevin is shaking him down. He decides to give him the cash, but only if Kevin agrees to take care of the contract job on Marion — all part of Vincent’s elaborate plan to get rid of Kevin for good. Vincent approaches Newman and tries to sell him on the made-up idea that Kevin is a snitch talking to the cops and that he can bring everybody down, including Newman, if he’s not stopped. He explains to Newman how Kevin is working on a break-in and how they can use that to get rid of him without raising suspicion of foul play. All Newman needs to do is wait for Kevin to do the job and kill him as he tries to leave the scene. Case closed. But Newman, though eager to keep his past life under wraps, doesn’t buy the story of Kevin’s being a rat and refuses to get involved with Vincent again. However, after a seemingly random conversation with his new partner Bane, Newman starts to suspect there could be some truth to Vincent’s fraudulent story. To make sure, Newman confides in PETE, an old friend and an ex-cop with multiple contacts in the force, and asks him to find out if Kevin has really become a threat. When Pete tells him there is indeed a new snitch with damaging information talking to the cops, Newman decides to confront Kevin himself. In doing so he discovers what is really behind Kevin’s mysterious break-in and sets in motion a series of events that culminate with Marion’s death, and put Newman on a collision course with Vincent. After Alan’s plan goes terribly wrong and he is forced to come to terms with the devastating consequences of his actions against Marion, he has an unexpected and violent confrontation with Newman, in which Newman forces Alan to help him bring down Vincent and his crew once and for all. While Newman seeks revenge and Alan searches for redemption, Vincent fights for his own survival and drags Newman and Alan down a path of violence, death, and ultimate self-destruction.
COMMENTS: BROKEN DOGS is a compelling and ever so engaging crime thriller. It not only keeps your attention, but demands it in order to stay on top of this incredibly intricate but pleasingly complicated piece of work. Laden with twists and turns, it makes you constantly wonder what the heck’s going to happen next. With complex, empathetic characters, edgy, tough and often hilarious dialogue, as well as riveting action scenes in a solid noir storyline of sacrificial redemption, corruption and betrayal, BROKEN DOGS is a script to be reckoned with.
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