(MAN SPEAKING ON RADIO)
(ACOUSTIC GUITAR PLAYING)
TOMMY: Eyeball, be sure to get me in focus, man.
BRANDON: Make sure you take the lens cap off this time.
STEVE: Hey, let's play some spades.
BRANDON: Hey, Tommy's got to go.
EYEBALL: All right.
Are you out, Tommy?
# When we see old Glory flying
# There's a lot of men dead
# So we can sleep in peace at night
# When we lay down our head
ALL: # My daddy served in the Army where he lost his right eye
# But he flew a flag out in our yard
# Till the day that he died
# He wanted my mother, my brother my sister and me
# To grow up and live happy In the land of the free
# Now this nation that I love has fallen under attack
# A mighty sucker punch came flying in from somewhere in the back
# Soon as we could see clearly through our big black eye
# Man, we lit up the world like the Fourth of July
Don't take my leader book.
# And Uncle Sam puts your name at the top of his list
# And the Statue of Liberty started shaking her fist
# And the eagle will fly and there's gonna be hell
# When you hear mother Freedom start ringing her bell
# And it feels like the whole wide world
# Is raining down on you
Okay, open the door. Open the door.
# Brought to you courtesy of the red, white and blue #
(CLAPPING)
MAN ON RADIO: Okay, the squad unit is on the road...
What is that?
Any Mexicans in there? Fucker!
What's that? No...
Okay, okay. Okay, close.
(GUNFIRE)
Hey, get these guys the fuck out of here.
Just pop shots, guys. Stay alert.
STEVE: Get these guys out of here.
Good to go.
Yeah, Sarge, just waiting around to get blown up, huh?
(GRUNTS)
Yo, check this out. Mich, she just sent this to me yesterday.
Damn, Sarge. Your fiancee is hot!
Appreciate it.
She and I will make some cute Tex-Mex babies.
That's it. Now you're cleaning the shitters. Keep it up.
Just keep it up. Go ahead.
Oh, that's personal. That's personal. That's personal.
Sergeant King, I just saw Michelle's tits.
Congratulations, Private.
EYEBALL: Whoa, whoa, whoa, titties?
All right, Steve, deal with that car.
Eyeball, take your post. Come on.
EYEBALL: All right, all right.
STEVE: Whoa! Stop! Stop!
(FIRES GUN)
BRANDON: Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Hold your fire!
MAN 1 ON RADIO: Two Apache gunships are on their way for support.
Do you copy?
We have two men wounded, one killed.
We need emergency medevac immediately. Over.
MAN 2: Checkpoint two, we confirm your transmission.
Medevac is on its way.
Sending a Quick Reaction Force to your pos at this time.
MAN 3: Roger. Quick Reaction Force for position, over.
Make it quick. I have two men shot up!
I need help, now!
Units are on their way.
All right. Send them through.
Get out of here.
BRANDON: Mount up! Mount up! Let's go!
We're requesting a Quick Reaction Force. Over.
We are pursuing insurgents in a white taxi
north through the city. Over.
Frank, do you see anything up there?
North! He's turning north!
All right, he's on our 11. He's on our 11.
Rico! You see it? Fuck! Damn!
Steve, you stay on them. Can we hit him on the .50?
Not yet, there are too many civilians. We cannot fire.
I got them on my 11.
You okay, Tommy? Hold on, here we go!
Look for a clear shot, Frank. I will give you an order.
(MACHINE GUN FIRING)
Fuck!
(SPEAKING ARABIC)
Randy, Frank, cover high. Come on. RANDY: Roger.
EYEBALL: Open door left.
Psych it up.
Go! Straight ahead! I got stairs!
(BABY CRYING) Stay there! Stay there!
(PEOPLE SCREAMING) Stay calm. Stay calm.
RICO: Adjacent room.
STEVE: Rico, clear?
Clear! EYEBALL: Clear!
Stay calm! Coming out! Rico, coming out!
BRANDON: Shrive, that's a dry hole! RICO: Coming out!
BRANDON: All right, move!
Tommy, let's move.
BRANDON: Go, move.
(CHILD CRYING)
It's an ambush! Let's prepare to move back!
Ready! Move back!
I got two Hajis right across the street!
(MAN GROANING)
Smoke! Smoke!
Preacher, call in!
Tell them we need immediate extraction!
Tell them we've taken enemy fire!
Two went down! PREACHER: Shadow 6, this is Shadow 3,
Lollipop Quebec Romeo 1-3-3. We're pinned down.
We need immediate extraction. Move!
We have two KIA. Over.
RPG!
Preacher, are you hit?
I got two guys up front.
PREACHER: Rico's hit!
PREACHER: I need help! BRANDON: Is he all right?
Come on!
Preacher, get Tommy!
Tommy, come on. Get up! Get him out of the street!
Come on, get against the wall. You okay?
Rico, no sleeping on the job, buddy. Come on.
STEVE: Contact in the front of the street!
Somebody get some smoke in that alley!
Get that door open!
(GUNFIRE)
(MUMBLES) Stay with me.
Can you look at me? Is he breathing?
Yeah, he's breathing.
Eyeball, help me get him in here.
Preach? Preacher?
Preacher's hit! Get him out of there!
Tommy! Get your ass inside, right now! Come on.
Tommy!
(GUNFIRE CONTINUES)
Tommy, get your ass in there now!
Get down! Get down!
Steve, don't go in there!
God damn it.
(BABY CRYING)
Steve!
(GUNFIRE)
Steve!
STEVE: Man, I'm hit! I'm hit!
I'm on my last mag!
How many?
Got a guy at the top of the stairs!
There's another guy at the end of the fucking hall!
Coming straight up.
Steve?
Steve!
(STEVE COUGHS) You all right?
I'm all right. I'm all right.
(COUGHING)
All right, Steve-o. Let's get you out of here.
I'm all right. Come on.
I'm all right. You got it.
Look at you, man.
(COUGHING)
(RADIO BEEPS)
All right, we're coming down. We're gonna need cover.
# Truth of the matter is
# Nobody really know what's gonna happen to 'em
# When it's gonna happen to 'em
# Or where it's gonna happen to 'em
# You know, it's like we just out here waiting for it to happen
# It's no place to be
# And I tell you firsthand
# I'm just to the point now where fuck it, you know?
# Just let the cards fall as they may
# I'm halfway home, but it's still a long road to be traveled
# And I know at any given moment
# Things could go sour
# From sweet to the streets on fire
# Problems unravel
# Still holding my breath, boots laced for battle
# In a place where they would gladly
# See me scattered all over they streets
# 'Cause here, my life don't matter
# And though they smile, underneath those grins
# They only waitin' on their next chance to try to kill me again
# And don't be caught thinking out here that your chances are slim
# 'Cause there are those who have thought it who will never think again
# Look here, I'm trying to keep it together
# But things fall apart
# Especially when I'm gone for so long, losin' feeling in my heart
# Desensitized to my surroundings, every color's turning dark
# I don't see nothing beautiful no more, only targets my reticle marks
# Was emotional, then emotionless, now I don't feel a thing
# And though it once killed me to kill, I'd gladly do it again
# If only you could really understand the state of mind that I'm in
# Only then could you feel me, only then will I make sense
# If only I hadn't have been to some of the places I've been
# If only I wouldn't have seen what I saw, maybe I could feel again
# But it's too hard to separate what's going on within me
# It's just so much easier to let hate be my remedy
# So for everything I'm guilty of, let the Lord sentence me
# If only I wouldn't have let everything I been through get to me
# Things could have been different, but that is not my reality
# And either way, it's only a matter of time before I'm outta here #
Sergeant Shriver, I saw your last range scores.
You ever thought of sniper school?
I used to.
I'm getting out. I'm getting married, sir.
You're a hell of a shot.
I know, sir. Thank you, sir.
Puffing on Boot's cigar pretty hard, ain't you?
(PUFFING)
(CHUCKLING) "I know, sir. Thank you, sir. I know, sir. Thank you, sir."
BOOT: All right, men, listen up!
We have a bit of a surprise for you.
The good folk of Sergeant King
and Sergeant Shriver's hometown, Brazos,
(MEN CHEERING) are throwing them a getting-out parade.
You represent the United States Army.
(ALL GRUNT)
I expect every one of you to be on your best behavior.
Here's a list of things you will not do while on leave.
(CHILDREN CHATTERING)
You will not drink and drive.
You pick up a young lady, let her drive.
(LAUGHING) Let her get the DUI.
You will not beat up civilians!
You will not fuck anyone underage.
I say again, you will not fuck anyone underage.
(MAN LAUGHING)
You will not beat your wife,
(WOMEN CHEERING) you will not beat your kids.
You will not kick your dog.
Am I understood?
(ALL GRUNT)
Okay. I'll see you in Monday's formation, 0700. That's it.
Oh.
Enjoy your stay in Brazos.
(ALL CHEERING)
(WHOOPING)
STEVE: Did you get her on tape, man?
No, I didn't get her on tape. It's incriminating.
She said she was 18, so fuck all y'all.
(ALL LAUGHING)
(PLAYING STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER)
WOMAN: Welcome home, Brandon! MAN 1: Welcome home, Steve!
MAN 2: Well done, Shriver!
MAN 3: Guys, welcome back.
MAN: Welcome home. Thank you.
(ALL CHEERING)
Hey, baby! Hey, baby!
(WHOOPS) MAN: Welcome back, soldier!
STEVE: Hey, Michelle. Come here.
Beauty.
WOMAN: God bless the U.S.A.!
WORRELL ON MICROPHONE: Two boys from Brazos,
best friends since they were kids,
distinguished themselves by leading Brazos High football
to a memorable, barn-burning division championship...
MAN: All right, Steve! ...and have gone to war
(PEOPLE CHEERING) and returned as heroes.
Staff Sergeant Brandon Leonard King.
(ALL CHEERING)
We honor his exceptional courage, loyalty and selfless service
with this Purple Heart and Bronze Star with Valor.
(ALL CHEERING)
Let's hear from one of Brazos' own.
Yeah! Speech, Brandon, speech.
ALL: (CHANTING) Speech! Speech! Speech!
Come on, Brandon.
Sign them up, Sergeant.
(ALL CHEERING)
SHORTY: Come on, Brandon.
I wasn't... I wasn't planning on giving a speech.
I was just...
I was just over there trying to do my job, like everybody else.
Trying to bring my men back safe.
You know, most of my men ain't from Texas.
It's kind of hard for me to describe to them what I love most.
(LAUGHS) Ribs at Smitty's, or
the way they keep the beer in tubs at the Ajax Bar,
being out at the ranch with my folks.
On the bus ride over here, I saw a truck hauling onions.
And I couldn't get the window down,
'cause I... I wanted to smell them.
See, onions smell like home to me.
They smell like Texas... That's right, Sergeant King.
We're over there killing them in Iraq
(ALL CHEERING) so we ain't got to kill them in Texas!
ALL: # For purple mountain majesties
# Above the fruited plain
# America, America
# God shed His grace on thee
# And crown thy good with brotherhood #
Tony, how are you, son?
Brandon.
Ma!
Oh, God! Let me see you.
Oh, you're home now, baby. I'm home.
ROY: Let him breathe, Ida. Oh, he can breathe.
Dad.
Good to have you back, Son.
Thank you, sir. Thank you. It's good to be back.
Brandon King! Yes, ma'am.
MAN 1: Mr. King! Good to see you, sir. MAN 2: Sergeant King!
Good to have you back.
Yeah, well, baby.
Hey, Thomas? You going with us?
Yeah, I'll be there in a second.
I am real proud of you, son.
Hello.
I'm pulling some strings, trying to move your Private Rodriguez
from the hospital in Germany to an Army hospital stateside.
Anything else you need, you call me.
Thank you, sir, I will.
I'm real grateful about Private Rodriguez.
I plan on seeing him when I get out.
If you come to Washington, you call me.
I'll take you around Capitol Hill
and show them what a real Texas hero looks like.
I'd love that. I'd love that.
Private Rodriguez's family could use a word of encouragement.
We are going to take very good care of your son.
Thank you.
Your brother's gonna be fine, just fine. Thank you.
All right, Augustin. You stay out of trouble.
Shorty Shriver! Hey, Brandon.
I got some making out to do. Sorry.
SHORTY: Y'all so cute.
(COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYING)
Have a seat. Welcome back, baby.
Thank you. We missed your fine ass.
Oh, man. Here, soldier.
Get you some tequila.
Oh, look, it's Brandon, King of Texas.
Come on, Brandon.
Oh, my lord.
(CROWD CHEERING)
You back in Texas now.
I love Texas! I love Texas! STEVE: Welcome home, boy.
BRANDON: It's good to be home.
(CROWD CHEERING)
All right. Y'all listen up.
To Steve and Michelle.
(PLAYING WEDDING MARCH ON GUITAR) Oh, my gosh.
Finally!
(CROWD CHEERING)
(COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYING)
Give it a spin on the dance floor. Come on.
Yeah.
I want to dance. I formally release him
into your custody. Thank you.
(MAN LAUGHING)
I'm all right. Don't worry about old Steve.
Are you okay?
No, you go ahead. I'm gonna sit this one out.
But we ain't danced yet, babe.
I know. Just... You go. I'm gonna sit this one out, all right?
# It's dance time in Texas
# And we're striking up the band
# We'll go honky-tonkin'
# Honey, take my hand #
You and Brandon kill a bunch of those Iraqis over there?
Yeah, Steve, we winning this thing?
Look. What we need to do
is just drop a 10,000-pound bomb on one of their cities
every time they hit us.
No more of this urban combat bullshit.
I'm tired of going and killing a Haji in his kitchen and his bedroom.
Fucking-A. When you going back, Steve?
I'm done.
Me and B.K. are getting out.
You know, but if I had to do it again, I'd be a fucking sniper.
One shot. One kill. Let me be the faceless enemy.
I'd go back tomorrow to get that Haji bastard that killed Preacher.
(TOMMY AND EYEBALL GRUNT)
STEVE: Preacher was Tommy's best friend over there.
TOMMY: I fucking loved that guy.
He took a round in the face. It blew his jaw all the way off.
Then he took one in the neck. ROY: Hey, Steve.
He was dead before he hit the ground.
Yes, sir?
Just take out Haji and his whole fucking family.
Send them right back to Bible times.
(CHUCKLES) MAN: What about you, darling?
No, thank you.
Sure? I'm one hell of a dancer.
No. I don't doubt it, but... Hey.
Hey, my wife said no. You fucking deaf?
I get it, man, no problem. You're the hero.
JEANIE: Tommy!
Tommy! Tommy!
Ah, shit. It's on!
(CROWD CHEERING)
WOMAN: Get him, Tommy. Oh, shit.
(MUSIC STOPS) Tommy! No, Tommy!
At ease, soldier. You hear me? You hear me?
Soldier, at ease.
Fucking ease! Listen to me!
All right, you good? You good? Huh? You hear me?
All right. Calm down, let's get a drink. Come on, man.
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
Hey, it ain't a party without a fight!
(ALL CHEER)
Oh, snap! Tommy.
EYEBALL: Okay. It is midnight,
and all the shit the U.S. Army done issued to your ass
still ain't accounted for.
And when you turn all the rest of this shit in,
you gonna have to owe about $1000.
Oh, Eyeball, I am getting out.
Man.
That's what's up, man. Except I'm keeping this.
(TELEPHONE RINGING) Good choice. Good choice,
as your face has been known to scare kids and make dogs bark.
You're funny.
(GROANS)
Where's my phone?
Hello. MICHELLE: Bran?
Hi, Mich.
Yeah, I'll be right over. Dude, come on.
You all right?
He's got a gun.
What you doing, Steve?
What the fuck do you think?
You hitting the rack?
(GRUNTS)
Yeah. Do you want to know what...
What pisses me off is just...
Soon as I get dug in,
those fuckers are gonna move us out.
I'm gonna have to do this shit all over again.
Roger that.
What the hell?
Your mama made all these by hand.
She loves you like a daughter.
Steve was yelling at them like they're alive.
Then he kicked over the table.
A lady at the base said not to rush the fooling around.
But you know Steve.
He'd been drinking.
He couldn't...
He hit you?
He got rageful.
Did he hit you?
I caught a backhand.
I told him, "Get the hell out."
He's so goddamn drunk right now,
he thinks he's on a mission outside the wire.
You know he loves you more than anything.
(MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO)
What up, Tommy?
Hey.
I just woke up and I was here.
What are you guys doing?
Fucking RoboSoldier dug a ranger grave in Michelle's front yard.
(CHUCKLES)
You want a beer? Yeah.
Ain't it time you and Jeanie open your wedding presents?
Jeanie threw me out until I get my shit together.
I was wondering, maybe I could stay out at the ranch, just a couple days.
I was thinking maybe we'd all go, get out of town for the day.
What about RoboSoldier?
(COCKS GUN)
(ALL CHEERING)
(WHOOPS) Fucked that one!
That's my boy.
Read the card.
(COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO)
"Uncle Vern and Aunt Tilly
"hope you and Jeanie get a bun in the oven soon."
Out of the way!
(ALL LAUGHING)
(WHOOPING)
(SCREAMS)
You know, it used to be, the protocol for a busted marriage
was to return the wedding gifts, Thomas?
Read the card, Shorty.
"To Tommy and Jeanie, for a long and happy life together.
"From Tom and Charlotte."
Out of the way!
(WHOOPS)
(LAUGHING)
(POUNDING ON TRUNK)
(POUNDING CONTINUES)
(ALL CHUCKLING)
BRANDON: There she is!
Morning, sweetheart!
RAINEY: Oh, yeah, baby.
(ALL LAUGHING)
What's the matter, Robo?
You wake up on the wrong side of the spare tire?
(MEN LAUGHING)
(COUGHS)
TOMMY: Shorty, read the card!
DENNIS: Hey, princess, don't throw up in there, man.
I'm gonna need a beer in a minute.
Shorty, read it!
"From Steve and Michelle."
Can we fucking cease fire for a little while?
Yeah, sure.
(GUNFIRE)
God damn it!
I'm sorry. Brandon, you motherfucker.
God damn!
An old granddaddy rattler!
Right where you would have stepped, cousin.
I should've let it bit you.
God damn!
SHORTY: Good shooting, B.K.
She's beautiful.
(RAZOR BUZZING) I'm used to that shit, baby.
Just 'cause y'all are so busy... MAN: Careful. Careful.
STEVE: Mr. T. "I pity the fool."
I pity the fool that let Preacher cut their motherfucking hair.
# One, nothing wrong with me
# Two, nothing wrong with me
# Three, nothing wrong with me
# Four, nothing wrong with me
# One, something's got to give
# Two, something's got to give
# Three, something's got to give
# Now!
# Let the bodies hit the floor
(SCREAMS)
# Push me again
All right. You've been busting my fucking balls all day.
How are you gonna explain that black eye
in safety brief on Monday, huh?
I walked into a door.
You and Michelle walk in the same door?
Look, I fucked up.
I don't even know what happened.
Okay, I kind of blacked out.
All I know is I remember waking up in the trunk of Tommy's fucking car.
Well, it ain't gonna happen again.
You copy me?
Do you copy me? I said I know and I said I fucked up.
(SIGHS)
Come on. Watch the venom. You watch it.
Don't fucking touch me with that shit.
Watch the venom, man! I think I broke skin.
I'm gonna fuck you up. Come on.
Look at y'all.
Crazy.
It's over now, baby.
What are y'all doing over here?
# Hey... Go!
# Hey... Go! #
(HISSING)
Hey.
Tommy?
You all right?
I shouldn't have shot that shit up.
Sarge Shriver. Sarge King.
(BOTH GRUNTING)
(CHUCKLING)
(EXPLOSION)
Man, I'm gonna miss blowing shit up.
Next.
Gas mask. Check.
Poncho liner. Check.
Sergeant King.
Waterproof bag. Check.
Did you cover for me in formation?
Come here.
Look. Me and Steve are getting out.
It's up to you and Eyeball to lead the recruits.
All right. This new squad leader, he's a Baptist.
I'm a Baptist.
All right. He's a real Baptist.
Listen, man, you got to get a fucking grip.
You smell like a fucking brewery. Come on.
That's 'cause we were drinking last night.
Tommy. Wait! Come on.
WOMAN: Okay. You're all good to go.
Says here you have orders to report to the First Brigade.
Not me. I'm getting out today.
Brandon Leonard King? Yes.
Out to the First Brigade on the 22nd.
This is a mistake.
It's all there.
You leave on the 22nd, shipping back to Iraq.
Sub-section 12305, Title 10.
By the authority of the President.
You've been stop-lossed.
Lieutenant Colonel?
Sergeant King.
I teed you up for a recruitment pitch in Brazos,
and you gave me an onion patch.
It's what came to mind, sir.
What's your problem, Sergeant?
I'm supposed to be getting out today.
Now they're shipping me back to Iraq.
You understand why it's important we win over there?
Why we need good soldiers like you?
Yes, sir.
You have extenuating circumstances? You gay or pregnant?
Sir, you know me. I'm a squared-away soldier.
Because I have an extenuating circumstance, Sergeant.
It's called a war. It's in Iraq.
I know, sir. I volunteered to fight in it.
I ran over 150 combat missions for you, no complaint.
Contract says stop-loss is only in a time of war.
This President said the war's over, so legally...
You a lawyer, son?
No, sir.
But after doing right by this Army,
I'm getting burned by some fine print in a contract.
Now the President himself said... The President is also
the Commander-in-Chief.
I think he trumps you either way.
With all due respect, sir, fuck the President!
Fuck the President?
Yes, sir. He's not over there fighting this war.
He's not there seeing his buddies burned alive in Humvees.
I lost three men last month,
and I almost got the rest of us killed.
Those were my men, too, and I lost more than that.
You're an excellent leader, and you are going back.
For 11 more years?
It won't come to that. How do you know?
I think the President trumps you in this matter.
This, sir, is bullshit, and you know it!
Lieutenant, you just heard Sergeant King disobey a direct order.
Yes, sir. I also perceive him to be a flight risk.
Escort him to the stockade so he can readjust his attitude.
You're making a big mistake.
I'm doing you a big favor.
End of discussion.
Make sure he ships to the First Brigade when it goes out on the 22nd.
Roger, sir.
Come on, hotshot. Don't you fucking touch me!
(SOLDIER GROANS)
Steve, I fucked up real bad. Hey, man. What? What'd you do?
I put down a couple guys and now I'm AWOL.
(STEVE LAUGHS)
What the fuck... I got stop-lossed back to Iraq.
Shit!
Oh, okay. Look, take it to Boot.
You're gold with him, he'll fix it.
Yeah, Boot was trying to send me to the stockade.
I shook loose and I took off in your Jeep, man.
You definitely have fucked up now. I know.
I know, I just got triggered. I lost my shit.
All right. Wait, look. All right, get a grip, calm down.
I'll try to figure out what's going on here, and cover your six.
Thanks, man. I knew you would.
I'll hit you later.
ROY: Come on in, Sheriff.
SHERIFF: Ida, listen to this.
These MPs came to me and said Brandon's gone AWOL.
How in the hell can he be AWOL if he's getting out today?
Boot's hopping mad.
He called me personally to put out a statewide APB.
Get Brandon to turn himself in and get this thing sorted out.
(CAR ENGINE STARTS)
I don't understand. They stop-lossed you?
How can they do this?
They're doing whatever they wanna do.
With a shortage of guys and no draft,
they're shipping back soldiers who's supposed to be getting out.
It's a backdoor draft, is what it is.
What about Steve?
Mich, I don't know. Some of us are getting it, some ain't.
This cannot be happening.
No! You almost died over there.
What do you want to do?
You want me to take you to Mexico till this blows over?
No, no, no. Out of the question, Mom.
I ain't dragging my tail across to Mexico.
I'm getting my keys.
Brandon.
Listen to me. If you're spooked, it's okay.
There's no shame in that.
I ain't scared. I'm pissed off!
This family is done fighting this war.
He ain't scared, Roy. He's just being sensible.
I just don't want him to get in any deeper, is all.
Maybe ruin his whole life.
I ain't gonna let it go that far.
Ruin his life? How about getting himself killed?
God damn it, Ida. Hold on! Hold on!
The Senator said to my face if I ever needed anything, he'd help.
That is a big-ass mistake.
You go out of the chain of command, over Boot's head,
you're doubling your trouble. He's gonna make an example of you.
I ain't worried about Boot
once I explain the whole thing to the Senator.
I just need to run up to D.C. right now and get this sorted out.
Okay. I'll take you.
You can't. They're gonna be watching y'all.
They won't be watching me. I'll take you.
Michelle, Steve would have my ass if I let you get mixed up in all this.
He could be next.
Let's go. This is wrong, Brandon.
MICHELLE: Steve don't talk much about being over there.
Sand.
Fleas.
Flies.
Heat.
Boredom.
Or you can get shot at.
Or blown up.
That's pretty much it.
Sheep on the highway.
Where?
In Iraq.
(CHUCKLES)
Big-ass flocks of them.
Yeah?
Jeanie, it's me.
I need you to cover my shift at work tomorrow.
Sorry I woke you up.
No, I was up. I was up.
And covering your shift's no problem,
since neither one of us has a fucking job.
What? Tommy drove his car into our work,
drunk as fuck. He got two DUIs in the last two days.
What the hell's happening to these guys?
(PEOPLE SCREAMING)
Are you all right out here?
I thought I saw somebody down by the drain.
You okay?
Yeah, sure.
You should try and get some sleep.
I'll be all right, Mich.
(MACHINE GUNFIRE)
I know what I'm doing.
Listen, Mich, you need to be getting home.
You need some dry clothes.
(CHATTERING ON POLICE RADIO)
(OFFICER KNOCKING ON DOOR)
OFFICER: Michelle Overton!
You taught me everything I know.
You made me everything I am.
Can't be anything else, sir. I'm no good as anything else.
DEVER: Then stop your drinking! I will, sir.
(DIALING PHONE) All I wanna be is a soldier.
I just want to go back to Iraq. I'm gonna be better.
Hey, baby.
If I ever... Put Brandon on the phone.
Put him on the phone! All right.
Hey, man. Where the hell are you, man?
I have a situation you need to step into right now.
I've been trying to reach you all night. Where you been?
I've been at the fucking jailhouse all night,
trying to bail Tommy out of a DUI shitstorm.
God damn it!
Boot is about to kick Tommy out.
Squad leader is supposed to be here, and that's you.
Steve, I can't.
I'm on my way to D.C. to see the Senator.
You're what?
You're fucking AWOL,
and you're taking Michelle to fucking D.C.?
I'm gonna cut her loose at the state line.
DEVER: You haven't proved it to me yet!
I need you to handle this until I get back. Just a couple of days.
This better be the last time... It can't wait that long.
...you drive drunk! And you, my friend,
you are in deep fucking shit with Boot.
TOMMY: I'm gonna make this up.
It's all I got.
This is everything to me. Army's my family.
I know I'm a little sideways, but give me one more chance, please.
What's up?
Gonna head north on the 55 into Memphis.
Long way around.
There's something I got to do. I'll drive.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
MAN 1: Congratulations, man.
MAN 2: It'll take a lot more than water till I'm saved.
Thanks, man. MAN 3: Attaboy, Preacher. You saved him.
I think you need some more blessing, bro.
(ALL LAUGHING)
Preacher and the chaplain baptized a lot of guys over there.
Come on, sit down.
Just wanted to pay my respects, sir.
Very grateful that you came.
You said you had a bad feeling about Paul's last tour?
Mmm-hmm.
Why'd he go back so many times?
He was stop-lossed.
Couldn't find a way out?
There were people right here in Memphis on the lay low.
Stop-lossed soldiers filing a lawsuit.
But he wouldn't listen.
Excuse me.
And how would someone find these guys with the lawsuit?
Depends on who wants to know.
I'd like to know.
It started out just like any other day.
We were manning a checkpoint, but we came under attack.
And standard operating procedure is to pursue the attackers, and...
Go on, we want to know.
We followed them into an alley.
I led my men into an alley.
Preacher, Paul, was covering our flank.
We got hit from both rooftops.
RPGs, small arms, bullets, explosions...
It was an ambush.
Leading your men into an ambush is standard operating procedure?
PASTOR COLSON: That's enough, Michael.
I remember...
I was yelling at him across the alley.
And he got on the phone to call for reinforcements, and
he must have seen somebody drawing down on Thomas,
'cause he fired a few shots in that direction.
And his rifle jammed.
That's when...
That's when he got hit.
Did our son suffer?
No, ma'am.
No, he was... It all happened real fast.
My brother's life was wasted over there.
Your brother died doing what he knew in his heart was his duty.
And he died in the arms of his best friend.
I can tell you that.
He's the one that sent the picture right after we lost Paul.
Read the back.
(PASTOR COLSON READING)
He calls, sometimes, late at night. Mmm-hmm.
I think he's been drinking.
You keep that.
Thank you, sir, I will.
We want to thank you, Sergeant King, for coming.
Because I know that these meetings must be very difficult for you.
Yes, ma'am. Thank you, Sergeant.
Thank you for coming.
Thank you.
Good luck getting out.
That was real nice, what you did back there.
So you wanna go find this place Preacher's brother told me about?
I'm going straight to D.C. End of discussion.
All right.
Damn.
Wait here! Brandon.
Wait here!
It don't matter.
(MAN LAUGHING)
(MEN CHATTERING)
You got my shit, asshole.
Get the fuck out of here, man.
I want my fucking shit.
(GROANS)
(GROANING)
(COUGHING)
(GROANS)
(GRUNTS)
(COCKS GUN) Break yourself, fool. Break yourself.
All right! All right! Calm down.
(GRUNTS)
Stay down!
Okay, Hajis.
On your knees, hands behind your heads.
Now, I said!
Do it!
(GROANS)
(SCREAMING) Hands behind your head.
You having fun, Haji? You having fun?
Who wants to play "Let's start shooting people"?
You're up.
You're fucking up!
Right in the back of your head.
(GROANING) Oh, yeah, yeah. You ain't dead yet?
Just give him his shit! Come on now.
We're just getting started, here.
Your shit's over there, man. It's over there.
Just go get it. Oh, yeah? What? I can't hear you.
What'd you say?
(CAR TIRES SCREECHING)
Who's next?
You, you're next.
Y'all better start praying to Allah, son.
Man, please. Please don't shoot me.
(GUN FIRES) Brandon, don't shoot.
MAN: Oh, shit!
Oh, my God.
I've got everything.
I've got all our stuff. Okay?
On your faces. On your faces!
That's enough.
Put the gun down.
Get away! Don't you hit me!
Give me the gun.
Give me the gun, or I'm gonna leave you here right now.
On your face! I swear!
On your face! I swear I ain't kidding!
ROANS)
(HORN BLARES)
You're gonna need some stitches.
Here.
Let me help you.
I got it.
Let me help you.
(GRUNTS)
Before Steve came home,
they told us how a soldier could be a danger to himself
or other people.
You think I'm a danger?
I've been knowing you since third grade.
I think we've got both kinds of danger here.
(GRUNTS)
I'm sorry.
(PEOPLE SHOUTING)
(GLASS SHATTERS)
(GROANS)
(PEOPLE YELLING)
What's going on?
Same shit every night.
Drinking, fighting, hookers.
And I got babies in here.
Cops will be here soon.
Hey.
You laying low here?
How'd you find this place?
Brother of a guy in my squad.
Guy pushing a lawsuit in the lay low?
Didn't tell you about our first case, did he?
Army came down hard.
Locked the guy up, took everything.
Even his wife left him.
I ain't got no time for no lawsuit.
Good.
There ain't a judge in this country going up against the military
while this war is on.
And let me tell you something about laying low.
Can't get a job. Can't cash a check.
And they're probably tracing your calls.
Now go on in there and brush your teeth
so we can leave, okay?
My youngest boy, we can't even take him to the doctor.
You're on the run 24/7.
And God forbid you get pulled over
for having a busted taillight.
You going to jail.
So where you headed now?
North. Canada.
I can't put my family through this no more. Thanks.
What about you?
D.C. Going to see a senator.
Why don't you write a letter to the editor while you at it?
Listen, man, you should try to reach my guy, Ron Carlson,
old peacenik lawyer, works out of New York,
takes people north.
He'll help you get across the border.
Listen, man, I ain't interested
in dealing with no shitbag coyote.
Suit yourself.
But we've been on the run 14 months,
and I can't take it no more.
Here's the number.
Take it.
Keep it. I got it memorized.
Another way out of this, I would have done it.
Good luck.
Y'all hurry up, now.
You feeling all right? Yeah?
Here, let me see about you.
(BOMBS EXPLODING)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(BABY CRYING)
(GUNFIRE)
(POUNDING ON DOOR)
Oh, fuck!
You told him where we were.
MICHELLE: He's come to take me home.
I'll leave you my car, okay?
Thanks a lot.
Hey, baby.
Good morning.
Morning.
God damn, soldier.
What happened to you?
What you gonna tell Boot?
You walked into a fucking door?
I ain't telling Boot shit.
Yeah, you are.
I'm here to take you back.
You ain't taking me anywhere.
Okay, tough guy.
Let me lay it out for you.
Boot said if I get you back on base in the next 14 hours,
all charges are dropped, no stockade.
I don't need you making deals with Boot for me.
Hey!
You don't know what I've been through
to scrape the shit off of your shoes.
You ought to be thanking me.
You steal my Jeep and you run off with my girl.
That ain't how it happened.
You know that. I was trying to help him.
And that's what I'm trying to do.
This is a straight deal from Boot.
It's what's best for him.
What's best for me?
What's best for you, Steve?
Showing up here in your Class A's.
What kind of deal did you make with Boot? Huh?
You took him up on sniper school, didn't you?
God damn!
You re-enlisted?
How could you do this? STEVE: How could you run off with Brandon
for three fucking days and not call me? We don't call you
and you re-enlist?
That's bullshit! And you know it.
How could I not?
Michelle, it got real clear to me that this, this is safe.
It's safe?
And when are we getting married, Steve?
When I get back from my next tour.
When you get back?
You've been saying that to me for five fucking years.
It's clear you've made your decision.
This is good for me.
I got a future in this.
This is something that I can be proud of.
Did you really see me selling cars for Rainey?
Get out of here.
Look, I'm sorry. Hold on. Please?
Don't. Please come here.
Don't.
Please, just... Don't. Get out of here!
Fucker, get out.
I said get out!
(MICHELLE PANTING)
Fuck!
Did that really just fucking happen?
MICHELLE: Fucking motherfucker!
That was fucked up.
What did you expect?
God damn it. How did everything get so fucked up?
You, Tommy, now Michelle?
What's wrong with Tommy?
He's too messed up, man.
I can't get through to him like you can.
He just won't listen to me.
Look, come on.
Come on. We'll go and we'll knock out
another tour, and we'll come home.
Another tour?
You're always talking about how snakebit this war is,
how they won't let us fight it the way we need to win it.
Now you want to go back?
That makes no fucking sense.
Like this makes any fucking sense?
This isn't who we are, man.
Man, look, we didn't get through all this shit together
just for you to end up like one of these AWOL shitbags.
We ain't like these guys.
We're soldiers.
We stand for something, man.
We're from Texas.
All right. Stow the Boot talk, man.
You let him talk you into going back?
That's fine. You got a right to be stupid.
Well, fuck you, man!
I did what I had to do for the time I had to do it,
and I ain't gonna do it anymore.
You can take that back to Boot.
You're the only person who thinks you're getting out of this!
Boot called the Senator.
He knows what you're up to.
You're AWOL, Brandon.
No senator is gonna help you. You're done!
Steve, you know what they're doing is wrong.
I'm not going back.
I'm fighting this thing.
Hey!
Watch your six.
(MAN CHATTERING)
WOMAN: Sergeant King, I've told you several times already,
the Senator cannot see you.
BRANDON: Ma'am, I'm a decorated soldier.
Now, a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star got to mean something.
I understand.
But you're a fugitive.
No U.S. official, no government official
is gonna help a soldier on the run.
Go back to your base before you get arrested.
(DIAL TONE)
(TIRES SCREECH)
(ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC PLAYING)
# Now, when I was just a little boy
# Standin' to my daddy's knee
Tequila.
You know, it's happy hour.
You can get two for one.
Well, lucky me. Double, double.
# 'Cause he'll get you
now, now
# And I can remember the fourth of July
# Runnin' through the backwood, bare
Can I join you?
# And I can still hear my old hound dog barkin'
# Chasin' down a hoodoo there
# Born on the bayou
# Born on the bayou #
The way I see it,
Steve's married to the Army.
It's everything to him.
(SIGHS)
I can't go another year without having him touch my face.
I can't be a military wife.
I just ain't that strong.
Well, Michelle,
you know, life is very long, and...
Brandon.
...you're very young.
Shut up and drink.
Yes, ma'am.
We're both fucked.
Same again.
All right, men. You all straighten up and walk sober, all right?
Yes, sir. Sergeant Shriver, the man in charge.
What are you doing with a fucking bottle, man?
You ain't even supposed to be drinking.
Come on, man. What are you...
Where are you going?
Over to Jeanie's.
Jeanie don't want you, dummy.
That's what a restraining order means.
STEVE: Come on, Tommy. You can stay at my house, man.
I'm gonna make it better.
Swear to God.
Just propose again.
We'll get married again.
Only thing you proposing is to get locked up, man.
Let's get out of here.
All right. Come on, man.
You know I ain't gonna let you go over there. Let's go.
You talking about Jeanie?
You can't even manage your own woman.
No, I didn't mean it like that, Steve. Steve.
No, seriously. No, come on. Tommy. Tommy!
I'm sorry.
Steve, come on. I'm sorry.
(ALARM BLARING)
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
(GRUNTS)
(GREETING IN SPANISH)
I smell a woman, and it ain't a nurse.
Then who?
Hola, Private Rodriguez.
Sergeant King!
My first visitor.
You found me.
I did.
And who?
Michelle.
Hey, Rico.
Sergeant Shriver's Michelle.
Sunny blonde hair, green eyes.
Steve showed us your picture a million times.
Sergeant King came to see me with his best friend's girl!
(RICO CHUCKLES)
It's a long story.
Yes, sir, I bet it is.
Sit, man. I got time.
Good to see you.
It's good to see you.
How's my mother?
She's good. She's missing you.
Yeah. And my brothers?
They're getting big. Growing up.
They strong? Seem to be.
Taking after their brother.
Not as handsome. Close.
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
I'll let you guys talk.
All right. Thanks for coming to see me.
(BOTH LAUGH) She sounds cute.
How're you feeling? Feeling good, sir.
Just as comfy as a Humvee.
You think?
I wouldn't have thought, but...
They taking good care of you?
First-class treatment, Sarge.
Good. So I don't have to talk to anybody?
No, sir.
All right.
Nice break.
Thank you.
(LAUGHS)
That's impressive.
Sloppy.
What can I say? You're in, though.
Come on. I think she's a butter face.
Yeah? She's hot, but her face.
But does she give a good bath?
She's got some soft hands.
Well, there you go. That's what matters.
I haven't felt anything else, but that'll change.
Soon as I get the rest of this. All right.
Man, I had this thing, like a dream, all right?
You were at the bottom of a swimming pool,
and I dove in to try to save you.
But I couldn't.
It's okay, man.
You did save me.
I'm right here.
And seeing stuff, man?
Here, at night?
Sounds like a fucking horror movie.
Guys screaming, nightmares...
Sarge, we got out just in time.
I mean, Haji's new bombs...
You don't want to survive, man.
Sounds crazy, but I feel lucky, you know?
They want to send me back.
I hope you told them no fucking way.
I mean, I might go back.
'Cause if I got killed, my family would get green cards.
Sir. Yeah?
Could you move me out of the sun?
Okay.
So, I'm sorry, but I got to ask.
What you doing with Sergeant Shriver's fiancee?
They broke up. She's just giving me a ride.
She was giving you a ride before or after they broke up?
Not like that.
Michelle's close to my family.
She's just helping me out. She's somebody...
(SHUSHING)
(LAUGHS) What?
You should hear the way you sound, Sarge.
You a Jody.
It's time for you to go back to your room, Private Rodriguez.
# Jody got your girl and gone #
Sing it.
I don't know the words. You sing it.
# Ain't no use in going home Jody got your girl and gone #
You watching this one? Mmm-hmm.
Nice shot. Now we're even.
What you laughing at? You lost.
That's pretty funny.
"Give you a hand." Dumbass.
Help me push it. Yeah.
Thank you.
It's fucking strong. Is it?
I'll be in touch, Rico.
Tell the boys I said, "What's up?"
I will.
I signed up,
thinking I was gonna go over there and protect my country.
My family.
We wanted payback for 9/11,
and you get there,
and you realize the war wasn't even about any of that.
The enemy ain't out in the desert.
They're in the hallways and rooftops, living rooms, kitchens.
Everybody's got a weapon.
Everybody.
Nobody knows who's who.
The only thing you can believe in is surviving.
Protecting the guy to your left and the guy to your right.
Side by side, willing to die for each other.
By the time you start seeing
good friends' bodies held together by a belt after a car bomb,
you get a kill-or-be-killed mentality.
It's okay.
No, it ain't.
Michelle, I'm worried if I tell you these things,
you're gonna think differently of me, and I...
I couldn't stand that.
I ain't gonna think that.
(SIGHS)
Our last mission, in the alley,
well, when Rico got hit,
I looked in his face, and most of it was burned off.
I had to go in to get Steve.
I knew he was in trouble.
(SPEAKING ARABIC)
I'm done with killing.
And I ain't leading any more men into a slaughter.
You have to call Carlson.
I know.
(SNIFFLES)
Mr. Carlson.
My name is... CARLSON: No names.
All right. What's the problem?
I'm a Staff Sergeant, a squad leader,
two tours, Afghanistan and Iraq, and I just got stop-lossed.
They're shipping me back at the end of the month.
There's so many of you guys out there.
I've heard it before. It's the same story, and you eventually call me.
Do you understand what I do?
I strip away who you are. I set you down in a foreign place
where you're gonna live the rest of your life
pretending to be someone else.
Do you want that?
I can't go home. I can't go back. I got no other options.
I need your services.
I won't be able to discuss this further over the phone.
Do you have some money? Like a grand?
I have a few bucks.
Well, when you get a grand, start driving north toward New York City.
700, 800, 900, 1000.
Not a bad price.
Thank you, sir.
Come on. This is a good opportunity.
Rainey said that people will just line up to buy a Cadillac from a vet.
Yeah, not with a BCD.
It's not like you're gonna hang it on the showroom wall, Tommy.
What's a BCD?
(SIGHS)
It's the big chicken dinner.
It's what we call it in the Army.
It's a Bad Conduct Discharge.
We gonna shoot this shit up, or what?
That shotgun loaded?
What's the first rule of weapon safety, Tommy?
Always assume every weapon is loaded.
Yes, sir.
Sorry.
(CHUCKLES)
Where are you going?
I'm going back to the bunkhouse, write a hit song.
# Don't feel like shooting shit up today
ALL: # 'Cause we'll put a boot in your ass It's the American way
# Hey, Uncle Sam... #
Later, guys. All right, man.
SHORTY: Later, Tommy.
# Brought to you courtesy of the red, white and blue
# Of my red, white and blue #
I spotted you guys from a mile off.
Oh, well.
What happened?
I just had a run-in with a couple guys.
Yeah. That kind of shit happens when you're on the run.
All you guys get popped eventually.
Is this a package deal?
Just one for now.
You thought about this?
Yes, sir.
'Cause one-way means one-way.
You go, you're going for good,
unless you get fucked with extradition.
Pardon my French.
I don't want you calling me up crying
how you can't go to grandma's funeral back in Tennessee.
Texas.
We're from Texas.
(CLEARS THROAT) Whatever.
I just want it all laid out straight.
Canada's not that bad.
I just had a guy up there, got married to a real sweet local girl.
Loves Toronto.
Says it's a lot like New York.
I ain't so crazy about New York, so far.
You got any other options?
Like, what about Mexico?
Look, I don't know shit about Mexico.
Here's your new I.D.
They'll fix in the photos before you leave.
Day after tomorrow, somebody will meet you at this address in Buffalo.
Take you over.
You got the money?
MICHELLE: Here.
No refunds, right?
Got it. Half now and half across.
Go make your calls.
Say your goodbyes.
Hi, Mom?
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
He did what?
When?
I don't...
Let me call you back, Mom.
(BRANDON BREATHING HEAVILY)
Tommy shot himself out at the ranch.
(GUN FIRES)
(TAPS PLAYING)
OFFICER: Left, face.
This flag
is presented on behalf of a grateful nation
and the United States Army
as a token of appreciation for your loved one's
honorable and faithful service.
(SIGHS)
Come on, Ida. Let's go.
(SOBBING QUIETLY)
Look who came home.
(BRANDON COUGHING)
That's for fucking running out on us.
And that's for coming back too fucking late.
And that's on general principle.
(COUGHING)
Fuck you.
You're throwing everything in your life away. You stupid...
(GRUNTS)
(BOTH GRUNTING)
Y'all gonna get yourselves killed, you know that?
Do you hear me?
Shut the fuck up.
So you just go over there and you do your fucking duty.
You see this?
This is you next.
(BOTH COUGHING)
(BOTH PANTING)
Steve.
You don't fucking belong here!
I don't... I don't even know you anymore!
(SOBBING)
Maybe you don't.
Bullshit! I've known every thought in your head
since we were fucking stealing Playboys from the fucking bus station.
That was a long time ago.
Then, please. Tell me.
Tell me what you've been thinking,
because nothing in the last few days
has made any fucking sense to me at all.
You know that box inside your head?
That box inside your head where you...
You put all the bad shit you can't deal with?
Well, mine's full.
And it's spilling out.
Steve, it is full of all the people I got killed.
Preacher.
Randy.
Harvey.
Thomas.
All the rest I've lost in this fucked-up war.
Think how many people would have fucking died
if you wouldn't have been there!
Including me!
Steve, I didn't do what I was supposed to do!
I fucked up!
If you don't fall in beside us,
it all comes apart.
BRANDON: The ranch always felt so safe.
You'll find another place and make it safe.
Sir.
Damn.
(DOOR OPENING)
(DOOR CLOSING)
You okay?
Across that border,
that ain't gonna be me coming up the other side, Mich.
It's gonna be the ghost of me.
Brandon, please.
And never the ranch.
Never you and Dad, never Brazos.
This war ain't never gonna be behind me.
I'm sorry, Mom.
OFFICER: Bruckner,
Rodriguez,
Naughton,
Stevens,
Williams... WOMAN 1: Bye-bye, sweetheart.
We love you, sweetie. We love you, honey!
WOMAN 2: Adiós, Augustin. WOMAN 1: Bye, sweetheart.
Take care of her. Bye, sweetie.
Write to me.
MAN 1: I'll keep those e-mails coming.
MAN 2: We're proud of you. We love you.
Better e-mail me, Shorty!
(CHATTERING)
WOMAN 3: Take care of each other.
MAN 3: All of you come back safe.
(MOUTHING) MAN 4: God bless you.
(MOUTHING)
# Truth of the matter is
# And I tell you firsthand
# I'm just to the point now where fuck it, you know?
# Just let the cards fall as they may
# I'm halfway home, but it's still a long road to be traveled
# And I know at any given moment, things can go sour
# From sweet to the streets on fire
# Problems unravel
# Still holdin' my breath, boots laced for battle
# In a place where they would gladly
# See me scattered all over they streets
# 'Cause here, my life don't matter
# And though they smile, underneath those grins
# They only waitin' on their next chance to try to kill me again
# And don't be caught thinking out here that your chances are slim
# 'Cause there are those who have thought it who will never think again
# 'Cause we're alone in this country 140,000 friends
# And some 20-odd million that'd see us all dead
# You could only imagine our struggle, the odds we're against
# And though it once killed me to kill, I'd gladly do it again
# If only you could really understand the state of mind that I'm in
# Only then could you feel me, only then would I make sense
# If only I hadn't have been to some of the places I've been
# If only I wouldn't have seen what I saw, maybe I could feel again
# But it's too hard to separate what's goin' on within me
# It's just so much easier to let hate be my remedy
# So for everything I'm guilty of, let the Lord sentence me
# If only I wouldn't have let everything I been through get to me
# Things could've been different, but that is not my reality
# And either way, it's only a matter of time before I'm outta here #