Thebes: City of the Living.

Crownjewel of Pharaoh Seti the First.

Home of lmhotep, Pharaoh's high priest.

Keeper of the Dead.

Birthplace of Anck-su-namun,
Pharaoh's mistress.

No other man was allowed to touch her.

But for their love,
they were willing to risk life itself.

What are you doing here?

Who has touched you?

lmhotep!

My priest!

Pharaoh's bodyguards.

You must go! Save yourself!

-No.
-Only you can resurrect me!

l won't leave you!

Get away from me!

You shall live again!

l will resurrect you!

My body is no longer his temple!

To resurrect Anck-su-namun...

...lmhotep and his priests
broke into her crypt and stole her body.

They raced into the desert...

...taking Anck-su-namun's corpse
to Hamunaptra, City of the Dead...

HAMUNAPTRA - 1290 B.C.

...ancient burial site
for the sons ofpharaohs...

...and resting place for the wealth of Egypt.

For his love, lmhotep dared the gods' anger
by going deep into the city...

...where he took the black Book
of the Dead from its holy resting place.

Anck-su-namun's soul had been sent
to the dark underworld...

...her vital organs removed and placed
in fiive sacred canopicjars.

Anck-su-namun's soul
had come back from the dead.

But Pharaoh's bodyguards
had followed lmhotep and stopped him...

...before the ritual could be completed.

lmhotep's priests were condemned
to be mummifiied alive.

As for lmhotep...

...he was condemned
to endure the Hom-Dai...

...the worst of all ancient curses...

...one so horrible,
it had never before been bestowed.

He was to remain sealed
inside his sarcophagus...

...the undead for all of eternity.

The Magi would never allow him
to be released...

...for he would arise a walking disease,
a plague upon mankind...

...an unholy flesh-eater
with the strength of ages...

...power over the sands...

...and the glory of invincibility.

HAMUNAPTRA - 1923

For 3,000 years,
men and armies fought over this land...

...never knowing what evil lay beneath it.

And for 3,000 years...

...we, the Magi, the descendants of
Pharaoh's sacred bodyguards, kept watch.

You just got promoted.

Steady!

You're with me on this one, right?

Your strength gives me strength.

Steady!

Wait for me!

Steady!

Fire!

Run, Beni! Run!

Get inside! Get inside!

Don't you close that door!

Don't you close that door!

The Creature remains undiscovered.

And what of this one?

-Should we kill him?
-No.

The desert will kill him.

CAlRO, EGYPT
3 YEARS LATER

"Sacred Stones.

"Sculpture and Aesthetics.

"Socrates, Seth, volume one, volume two...

"...and volume three."

And....

"Tuthmosis"? What are you doing here?

T....

"T."

l'm going to put you where you belong.

Help.

What....

Look at this!

Sons of the pharaohs!

Give me frogs, flies, locusts...

...anything but you!

Compared to you,
the other plagues were a joy!

l am so very sorry. lt was an accident.

When Ramses destroyed Syria,
that was an accident.

You...are a catastrophe!

Look at my library!

Why do l put up with you?

Well, you put up with me because l can....

l can read and write Ancient Egyptian...

...and l can decipher hieroglyphics
and hieratic...

...and l'm the only person
within a thousand miles...

...who knows how to properly code
and catalog this library, that's why.

l put up with you because your father
and mother were our finest patrons.

That's why!

Allah rest their souls.

l don't care how you do it,
l don't care how long it takes.

Straighten up this meshiver!

Hello?

Abdul?

Mohammed?

Bob?

Have you no respect for the dead?

Of course l do!

But sometimes, l'd rather like to join them.

Do it soon before you ruin my career...

...the way you've ruined yours. Get out!

My dear, sweet baby sister...

...l'll have you know...

...that at this precise moment
my career is on a high note.

"High note." Please, l'm really not
in the mood for you.

l've just made a bit of a mess
in the library...

...and the Bembridge scholars
rejected my application again.

They say l don't have enough experience
in the field.

You'll always have me, old mum.

Besides, l have just the thing
to cheer you up.

No, Jonathan,
not another worthless trinket.

lf l have to take one more piece
of junk to the curator to try and...

...sell for you....

Where did you get this?

On a dig down in Thebes.

My whole life l've never found anything.
Please tell me l've found something.

-Jonathan.
-Yes?

l think you've found something.

See the cartouche.

lt's the official royal seal of Seti the First,
l'm sure of it.

-Perhaps.
-Two questions:

Who the hell was Seti the First,
and was he rich?

He was the second pharaoh
of the 19th dynasty...

...the wealthiest pharaoh of all.

Good. l like this fellow.

-l like him a lot.
-l've already dated the map.

lt's almost 3,000 years old.
And if you look at the hieratic just here...

...it's Hamunaptra.

Dear God, don't be ridiculous.

We're scholars, not treasure hunters.

Hamunaptra's a myth
told by ancient Arab storytellers...

...to amuse Greek and Roman tourists.

l know all the blather that the city
is protected by the curse of a mummy...

...but my research leads me to believe
that the city may have actually existed.

Do you mean the Hamunaptra?

Yes. The City of the Dead...

...where the pharaohs presumably hid
the wealth of Egypt.

Yes, in a big underground
treasure chamber.

Come on. Everybody knows the story.

The necropolis was rigged to sink
into the sand on Pharaoh's command.

Turn a switch and it would disappear
into the sand with the treasure.

As the Americans would say,
it's all fairy tales and hokum--

My goodness! Look at that!

You've burnt the part with the lost city.

lt's for the best, l'm sure.

Many men have wasted their lives
in the foolish pursuit of Hamunaptra.

No one's ever found it.

Most have never returned.

Come! Step over the threshold.

Welcome to Cairo Prison,
my humble home.

You told me that you got it
on a dig down in Thebes.

-l was mistaken.
-You lied.

l lie to everybody. Why not to you?

-l'm your sister.
-Which makes you more gullible.

-You stole it from a drunk!
-Picked his pocket, actually.

Stop being ridiculous.

-Why exactly is this man in prison?
-This l did not know.

But when l heard you were coming,
l asked him that myself.

What did he say?

He said he was just looking
for a good time.

-This is the man that you stole it from?
-Yes, exactly.

-Why don't we go sniff out a spot of tiffin--
-Who are you?

-And who's the broad?
-"Broad"?

l'm just a local sort of missionary chap,
spreading the good word.

-This is my sister, Evy.
-How do you do?

-l guess she's not a total loss.
-l beg your pardon.

-l'll be right back.
-Ask him about the box.

We have found.... Hello. Excuse me.

We both found your puzzle box...

...and we've come to ask you about it.

-No.
-No.

You came to ask me about Hamunaptra.

How do you know the box pertains
to Hamunaptra?

Because that's where l was
when l found it. l was there.

But how do we know
that's not a load of pig's wallow?

-Do l know you?
-No, l've just got one of those faces.

You were actually at Hamunaptra?

Yeah.

-You swear?
-Every damn day.

-l didn't mean that.
-l know. l was there.

Seti's place. City of the Dead.

Could you tell me how to get there?

l mean, the exact location.

-You want to know?
-Well, yes.

-Do you really want to know?
-Yes.

Then get me the hell out of here!

Do it, lady!

Where are they taking him?

To be hanged.

Apparently, he had a very good time.

l'll give you 100 pounds
to save this man's life.

Madam, l would pay 100 pounds
just to see him hang.

-200 pounds!
-Proceed!

300 pounds!

Any last requests, pig?

Yeah. Loosen the knot and let me go.

Of course we don't let him go!

500 pounds!

And what else?

l'm a very lonely man.

No!

His neck did not break!

l'm so sorry. Now we must
watch him strangle to death.

He knows the location to Hamunaptra.

-You lie.
-l would never!

This filthy, godless son of a pig
knows where to find the City of the Dead?

-Yes!
-Truly?

And if you cut him down,
we will give you....

-Ten percent.
-Fifty percent.

-Twenty.
-Forty.

-Thirty!
-Twenty-five.

Deal.

Cut him down!

GlZA PORT - CAlRO

Do you really think he'll come?

Yes, undoubtedly, knowing my luck.

He may be a cowboy, but l know the breed.
His word is his word.

Personally, l think he's filthy,
rude, a complete scoundrel.

-l don't like him one bit.
-Anyone l know?

Hello.

Smashing day for the start
of an adventure, O'Connell?

Yeah, smashing.

No, l'd never steal from a partner, partner.

That reminds me,
no hard feelings about the....

-Happens all the time.
-Mr. O'Connell.

Can you look me in the eye and guarantee
this isn't some kind of a flimflam?

-Because if it is, l am warning you--
-You're warning me?

Let me put it this way, my whole
damn garrison believed in this so much...

...they marched across Libya
and into Egypt to find that city.

When we got there, all we found...

...was sand and blood.

Let me get your bags.

Yes, you're right.

Filthy, rude, a complete scoundrel.
Nothing to like there at all.

Bright good morning to all.

Oh, no. What are you doing here?

l'm here to protect my investment,
thank you very much.

Quit playing with your glasses
and cut the deck, Burns.

Without my glasses
l can't see the deck to cut it, Dave.

O'Connell, sit down.
We could use another player.

-l only gamble with my life, never money.
-Never?

What if l was to bet you $500
that we get to Hamunaptra before you?

-You're looking for Hamunaptra?
-Damn straight we are.

-And who says we are?
-He does.

Well, how about it?

ls it a bet?

-All right, you're on.
-What makes you so confident, sir?

-What makes you?
-We got a man who's actually been there.

What a coincidence, because O'Connell--

Whose play is it? ls it my play?

Gentlemen, we got us a wager.
Good evening, Jonathan.

Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you.

The only thing that scares me
are your manners.

Still angry about that kiss?

lf you call that a kiss.

Did l miss something?

Are we going into battle?

Lady, there's something out there.

Something underneath that sand.

l'm hoping to find a certain artifact.

A book, actually.

My brother thinks there's treasure.

-What do you think's out there?
-ln a word, evil.

The Bedouin and the Tuaregs
believe that Hamunaptra is cursed.

Look, l don't believe in fairy tales
and hokum, Mr. O'Connell...

...but l think one of the most famous books
in history is buried there.

The Book of Amun-Ra.

lt contains within it all the secret
incantations of the old kingdom.

lt's what first interested me in Egypt
when l was a child.

lt's why l came here, sort of a life's pursuit.

And the fact that they say it's made
of pure gold makes no never mind to you?

-Right?
-You know your history.

l know my treasure.

By the way...

...why did you kiss me?

l was about to be hanged.
lt seemed like a good idea.

What? What did l say?

What a surprise!
My good friend, you're alive!

l was so very, very worried.

Well, if it ain't my little buddy, Beni.

-l think l'll kill you.
-Think of my children.

You don't have any children.

-Someday l might.
-Shut up!

So you're the one who's leading
the Americans. l might have known.

So what's the scam? You take them
into the desert, and leave them to rot?

Unfortunately, no.

These Americans are smart.

They pay me half now,
half when we return to Cairo.

-So this time l must go all the way.
-Them's the breaks.

You never believed in Hamunaptra.

Why are you going back?

You see that girl?

She saved my neck.

You always did have more balls
than brains.

Good-bye, Beni.

O'Connell!

"George Bembridge...

"...in 1860....

"ln 1865 with...."

For heaven's sake, girl,
it wasn't that good of a kiss, anyway.

Where is the map?

There.

And the key? Where is the key?

The key? What key?

The map! We forgot the map!

Relax. l'm the map. lt's all up here.

That's comforting.

-The key!
-Evy?

Hold on to this.

Can you swim?

-l can swim if the occasion calls for it.
-Trust me.

lt calls for it.

O'Connell!

What are we going to do?

-Wait here! l'll go get help!
-Right!

Americans.

l say, bloody good show, chaps!

And did l panic?

l think not.

Get 'em out of the water!
Come on, dogies!

Give them a smack, would you!

This is a messed-up country.

We've lost everything!

All of our tools, all the equipment...

...all my clothes!

O'Connell!

lt looks to me like l've got all the horses!

Beni!

lt looks to me like you're
on the wrong side of the river!

Yeah.

l only want four! Four!

l only want four, not a whole bloody herd!

Can you believe this cheat?

Just pay the man.

For heaven's sakes, can't believe the price
of these fleabags.

-Very good.
-You probably could've got them for free.

-You just had to give him your sister.
-Yes.

Awfully tempting, wasn't it?

Awfully.

Never did like camels.

Filthy buggers.
They smell, they bite, they spit.

Disgusting.

l think they're adorable.

This one is strong.

Good morning, my friend.

What are we doing?

Patience, my good barat'm. Patience.

Remember our bet, O'Connell?
First one to the city, $500 cash.

$100 is yours if you help us win that bet.

My pleasure.

O'Connell...

...nice camel.

Get ready for it.

For what?

We're about to be shown the way.

Will you look at that?

Can you believe it?

Hamunaptra.

Here we go again.

So long, Beni!

That serves you right.

Go, Evy! Go!

Do they know something we don't?

They are led by a woman.

What does a woman know?

That's a statue of Anubis.

lts legs go deep underground.

According to Bembridge scholars,
we'll find a secret compartment there...

...containing the golden Book of Amun-Ra.

Jonathan, you're meant
to catch the sun with that.

What are these old mirrors for?

Ancient mirrors.
lt's an ancient Egyptian trick. You'll see.

Here, this is for you.

Go ahead. lt's something l borrowed
off our American brethren.

l thought you might like it.
You might need it...

...for when you're....

What are you looking at?

Look for bugs.

l hate bugs.

We're standing inside a room
no one has entered in over 3,000 years.

What is that God-awful stench?

"And then there was...

"...light."

Hey, that is a neat trick.

-My God. lt's a Sah-Netjer.
-What?

-Preparation room.
-For what?

For entering the afterlife.

Mummies, my good son.
This is where they made the mummies.

What was that?

Sounds like...bugs.

He said bugs.

What do you mean, bugs? l hate bugs.

The legs of Anubis.

The secret compartment should be hidden
somewhere inside here.

You scared the bejesus out of us.

Likewise.

-That's my tool kit.
-l don't think so.

Okay.

Perhaps l was mistaken.

Have a nice day, gentlemen.
We have a lot of work to do.

-Push off! This is our dig site.
-We got here first.

This here's our statue, friend.

l don't see your name written on it, pal.

There's only four of you...

...and 15 of me.

Your odds are not so great.

-l've had worse.
-Me, too.

For goodness' sake, let's be nice, children.

lf we're going to play together,
we must learn to share.

There are other places to dig.

According to these hieroglyphics
we're underneath the statue.

We should come up between his legs.

When those damn Yanks go to sleep...

-...no offense...
-None taken.

...we'll dig up and steal the book
from under them.

Are you sure we can find
this secret compartment?

Yes, if those beastly Americans
haven't beaten us to it.

-No offense.
-None taken.

Where did our smelly little friend go to?

What have we here?

Blue gold.

This will fetch a mighty fine price.

-Let's get us some treasure!
-Careful!

Seti was no fool.

l think perhaps we should
let the diggers open it.

l think we should listen
to the good doctor, Henderson.

Yeah, sure. Let them open it.

So they ripped out your guts
and stuffed them in jars.

They'd take out your heart as well.
Know how they took out your brains?

We don't need to know this.

They'd take a sharp, red-hot poker,
stick it up your nose...

...scramble things about a bit
and then rip it out through your nostrils.

That must hurt.

lt's mummification.
You're dead when they do it.

lf l don't make it out of here,
don't put me down for mummification.

Likewise.

Oh, my God. lt's a....

lt's a sarcophagus.

Buried at the base of Anubis.

He must have been someone
of great importance.

Or he did something very naughty.

Allah.

One more.

Help me! Help me!

Who is it?

"He That Shall Not Be Named."

This looks like some sort of a lock.

-Whoever's in here sure wasn't getting out.
-No kidding.

lt'll take a month to crack
into this thing without a key.

A key?

A key! That's what he was talking about!

-Who?
-The man on the barge.

The one with the hook.
He was looking for a key.

That's mine.

-What do you suppose killed him?
-Did you ever see him eat?

Seems that our American friends had
a little misfortune of their own today.

Three of their diggers were...melted.

-What?
-How?

Salt acid. Pressurized salt acid.

Some kind of ancient booby trap.

Maybe this place really is cursed.

For goodness' sake, you two!

-You don't believe in curses?
-No.

l believe if l can see it and touch it,
it's real. That's what l believe.

l believe in being prepared.

Let's see what our friend
the warden believed in.

What is it?

A broken bottle.

Glenlivet. Twelve years old!

He may have been a stinky fellow,
but he had good taste.

Take this. Stay here.

-No, wait! Wait for me.
-Evy!

Excuse me, but didn't the man
just say "stay here"? Evy!

Mr. Henderson! Wake up!

Enough!

We will shed no more blood,
but you must leave.

Leave this place or die.

You have one day.

Evelyn.

-Are you all right?
-Yes, l'm fine.

-You sure?
-Thank you.

That proves it. Old Seti's fortune
has got to be under this sand.

For them to protect it like this,
there's got to be treasure down there.

These men are desert people.
They value water, not gold.

You know, maybe just at night
we could combine forces?

Tough stuff, try a right hook.

Ball up your fist and put it up like that.

Then mean it. Hit it here.

l mean it!

Okay, it's time for another drink.

Unlike my brother, sir...

...l know when to say no.

And unlike your brother, miss...

...you, l just don't get.

l know.

You're wondering...

...what is a place like me
doing in a girl like this.

Yeah, something like that.

Egypt is in my blood.

You see, my father...

...was a very, very famous explorer.

He loved Egypt so much...

...he married my mother,
who was an Egyptian...

...and quite an adventurer herself.

l get your father, and l get your mother...

...and...

...l get him, but....

What are you doing here?

l may not be...

...an explorer...

...or an adventurer...

...or a treasure seeker, or a gunfighter...

...Mr. O'Connell...

...but l am proud of what l am.

And what is that?

l...

...am a librarian.

And l am going to kiss you...

...Mr. O'Connell.

Call me Rick.

Oh, Rick.

-There is a curse upon this chest.
-Curse, my ass.

-Who cares?
-Have a care, Mr. Henderson.

On these hallowed grounds,
that set forth in ancient times...

-...is as strong today as it was then.
-We understand.

What's it say?

"Death will come on swift wings...

"...to whomsoever opens this chest."

We should not be here.

This is not good.

lt says, "There is one...

"...the undead...

"...who, if brought back to life,
is bound by sacred law...

"...to consummate this curse."

Let's not bring anyone back
from the dead then.

"He will kill all who open this chest...

"...and assimilate their organs and fluids...

"...and in so doing, he will regenerate...

"...and no longer be the undead...

"...but a plague upon this earth."

Well, we didn't come all this way
for nothing.

-That's right.
-lt's the curse.

lt's the curse.

lt's the curse! Beware of the curse!

Beware!

Stupid superstitious bastard.

l've dreamt about this
since l was a little girl.

You dream about dead guys?

Look, the sacred spells
have been chiseled off.

This man must've been condemned
both in this life and the next.

-Tough break.
-Yeah, l'm all tears.

Now, let's see who's inside. Shall we?

l hate it when these things do that.

ls he supposed to look like that?

l've never seen a mummy
look like this before.

He's still....

-Juicy.
-Yes.

He must be more than 3,000 years old...

...and it looks as if he's still...

...decomposing.

Look at that.

What do you make of this?

These marks were made with...

...fingernails.

This man was buried alive.

And he left a message.

"Death is only the beginning."

Oh, my God.

lt does exist.

-The Book of the Dead.
-A book?

Who cares about a book?
Where the hell's the treasure?

This, gentlemen...

...this is treasure.

l wouldn't trade you for a brass--

Look at that.

There's your treasure, gentlemen.

Now we're onto something.

l believe you need a key to open that book.

What do you think
these will fetch back home?

We hear you boys found yourselves a nice,
gooey mummy.

Congratulations.

lf you dry that fella out,
you might be able to sell him for firewood.

Look what l found.

You're in her seat.

-Now!
-Yes.

Scarab skeletons, flesh-eaters.

l found them inside our friend's coffin.

They can stay alive for years
feasting on the flesh of a corpse.

Too bad for our friend, he was still alive
when they started eating him.

So somebody threw these in with our guy,
and then they slowly ate him alive?

Very slowly.

He sure wasn't a popular guy
when they planted him.

He probably got a little too frisky
with the Pharaoh's daughter.

According to my readings...

...our friend suffered the Hom-Dai,
the worst of all ancient Egyptian curses...

...one reserved only
for the most evil of blasphemers.

l've never heard of this curse
having actually been performed.

-That bad?
-Yes, well, they....

They never used it
because they feared it so.

lt's written that if a victim
of the Hom-Dai should ever arise...

...he would bring with him
the ten plagues of Egypt.

That's called stealing, you know.

According to you and my brother...

...it's called borrowing.

l thought the Book of Amun-Ra
was made out of gold.

lt is made out of gold.
This isn't the Book of Amun-Ra.

This is something else.

l think this may be the Book of the Dead.

The Book of the Dead?

Should you be playing around with it?

lt's just a book. No harm ever came from...

...reading a book.

That happens a lot around here.

What's it say?

"Amun-Ra. Amun-Dei."

lt speaks of the night and of the day.

No!

You must not read from the book!

Run!

Go, go!

What have we done?

Where'd they come from?

l ain't waiting around to find out.

My glasses. Where are my glasses?

Leave me! Leave me!

Could you help me find my--

Wait for me!

Who's there?

Who's there?

Daniels?

Scarabs!

-Run, Evy!
-Go, go! Run!

-Evelyn?
-Evy?

Mr. Burns. Thank goodness.

l was just starting to get scared.

l've lost everyone. l--

My eyes. My eyes.

Please help me.

He took my tongue.

Please don't leave me.

Anck-su-namun?

Damn it! lt's a trapdoor.

There must be a switch
around here someplace.

Run, you sons of bitches! Run!

Go.

Go! Go!

Come with me
my Princess Anck-su-namun.

There you are! Stop playing hide-and-seek.

Let's get out of here.

Evy!

-Move!
-Did you see that?

lt was walking. lt was walking!

l told you to leave or die. You refused.