Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation

MISSION

IMPOSSIBLE

R O G U E

N A T I O N

Christopher

McQuarrie

Revisions

Christopher

McQuarrie

Will

Staples

Drew

Pearce

WHITE

SHOOTING

SCRIPT

SEPT

GOLDENROD

REVISIONS

MARCH

EXT. FIELD - BELARUS - DAY1 1

An expanse of grass bordered by some distant trees. Hold

on it for as long as you like - but eventually, there’s

the distinct buzzing of a cell phone, followed by an

exasperated SIGH.

BENJI, in a ghillie suit, laptop beside him, raises his

camouflaged painted face and answers his phone.

BRANDT (ON PHONE)

This isn’t going very well.

BENJI

I can’t talk right now.

BRANDT

The package is on the plane.

BENJI

I know.

INT. MOBILE COMMAND CENTER - NIGHT2 2

Analyst WILLIAM BRANDT, at his computer screen.

BRANDT

It was never supposed to make it

onto the airfield.

BENJI

There were complications.

BRANDT

Where is Ethan?

BENJI

Radio silence. I don’t know.

BRANDT

That plane cannot take off with

the package on board.

LUTHER

We’re working on it.

BRANDT

Luther? What the hell are you

doing there? You have an

assignment in Malaysia.

EXT. LARGE ANTENNA ARRAY - MALAYSIA - DAY3 3

Where Luther is on a laptop at the base of a massive

antenna dish in a veritable field of them.

LUTHER

I am in Malaysia. Benji needed

help.

BENJI

I don’t need help. Assistance.

It’s not the same thing.

BRANDT

The package is on the plane.

BENJI

We understand. We’re trying to

cripple it remotely.

BRANDT

You can do that?

LUTHER

We can if the pilot left the

satellite uplink switched on.

BENJI

Which he has.

INT. MOBILE COMMAND CENTER- NIGHT4 4

Brandt, rubbing his temples, eyes closed.

BRANDT

How do you access the uplink?

LUTHER

It involves hacking a Russian

satellite.

BRANDT

I can’t authorize that.

LUTHER

Which is why I didn’t ask for

permission.

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 2.

EXT. FIELD / INT. COMMAND CENTER / EXT. ANTENNA - DAY5 5

Intercutting the following conversation, but never

revealing Ethan until his sprint along the wing.

Benji hears engines whine, looks through his binoculars

to see the plane’s propellers turning.

BENJI

Uh... Luther.

BRANDT

I’m reading a heat bloom. The

engines are starting.

BENJI

I’m well aware.

LUTHER

Benji, you’re connected.

The plane’s systems appear on Benji’s screen.

BRANDT

The package is on that plane.

BENJI

We all acknowledge the package is

on the plane.

LUTHER

Shut down the fuel pump.

BENJI

Yeah, mechanical’s on lockdown.

BRANDT

What about the electrical system?

BENJI

Encrypted.

LUTHER

Hydraulics?

BENJI

Uhhhhh, maybe. Make that a no.

The engines roar, the plane moves.

BRANDT

Benji, the plane is moving.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 3.

BENJI

(typing faster)

I see it, I see it.

BRANDT

BENJI.

BENJI

YES. THE PACKAGE. I GET IT.

ETHAN

Can you open the door?

BRANDT

Ethan. Where are you?

ETHAN

I’m by the plane. Can you open the

door?

Benji looks to the plane through his binoculars. Sees no

sign of Ethan.

BENJI

Of course I can open the door.

That’s easy.

ETHAN

Open the door when I tell you.

EXT. A400 - WING - DAY6 6

ETHAN HUNT, wearing a dark suit, sprints across the wing

of this 4-engine turboprop towards the fuselage as the

plane turns, headed for the runway.

He slides down the wing flap, landing on the landing gear

cowling, hauling himself up to the paratroop door by a

windscreen as the plane accelerates.

ETHAN

I’m on the plane.

BENJI

How did you get in the plane?

ETHAN

Not in the plane. I’m ON the

plane.

The plane taxis past Benji, who sees Ethan clinging to

the para door, shouting at Benji as he passes -

CONTINUED:5 5

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 4.

ETHAN

OPEN THE DOOR.

On Benji’s screen:

SYSTEM OVERRIDE: FAILED

BENJI

Damn.

EXT. A400 - PARA DOOR - DAY7 7

Ethan looks down, the tarmac flying by at 80 mph.

ETHAN

THIS IS NOT AN OPTION.

INT. OFFICE - DAY8 8

Brandt rockets to his feet, bringing his fists down on

his desk shouting -

BRANDT

Ethan, abort. ABORT, NOW.

EXT. LARGE ANTENNA ARRAY - DAY9 9

LUTHER

Oh my God...

EXT. FIELD - DAY10 10

Benji watches in horror as SCREAMING TURBOPROPS roar past-

EXT. A400 - DAY11 11

The plane LIFTS OFF, Ethan’s clothes and skin

rippling in the gale force wind as the world falls

away at 180 MPH. He’s certainly committed.

EXT. FIELD - DAY12 12

On BENJI, his fingers a blur.

BRANDT

BENJI, OPEN THAT DOOR. RIGHT NOW.

CONTINUED:6 6

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 5.

BENJI

Come on. I’m trying...

He hits ‘return’. On his screen:

SYSTEM OVERRIDE - ENGAGED

ETHAN

OPEN THE DOOR!

BENJI

GOT IT, HA. Opening... NOW.

Benji presses a key and -

EXT. A400 - PARA DOOR - DAY13 13

The rear lift gate opens - far out of Ethan’s reach.

Ethan looks back - ‘you’ve got to be kidding me.’

EXT. FIELD - DAY14 14

Benji’s face deflates.

BENJI

Uh oh.

INT. A400 - FLIGHT DECK - DAY15 15

A warning flashes. The PILOT sees the lift-gate is

opening by itself. Confused, he hits the button.

Gets nothing.

EXT. FIELD - DAY16 16

Benji, typing furiously -

INT. A400 - FLIGHT DECK - DAY17 17

The pilot hits the control again. Finally, he shouts

something to the NAVIGATION OFFICER, who unharnesses and

walks out.

CONTINUED:12 12

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 6.

INT. A400 - CARGO HOLD - DAY18 18

The nav officer comes down the stairs from the flight

deck and looks into the cargo hold.

Strapped to the floor is a pallet filled with clearly-

marked chemical warheads. Beyond that, the open lift

gate. The officer steps over to the manual controls for

the lift gate in the navigation suite.

EXT. A400 - PARA DOOR - DAY19 19

On Ethan, his grip threatening to give out.

LUTHER (V.O.)

BENJI, THE OTHER DOOR.

EXT. FIELD - DAY20 20

On Benji, emphatically hitting ‘return’.

BENJI

Ok - I’m going to open the para

door.

INT. A400 - CARGO HOLD - DAY21 21

Behind the nav officer, the paratroop door flies open,

and Ethan comes hurtling through it. The officer spins,

sees -

Now both the lift gate and the para door are open. But no

Ethan.

The officer walk down to check out the para door. Behind

him, Ethan stands, having slid around the corner of the

pallet. The officer turns, Ethan ducks.

The officer walks around, looks at the open para door,

looks down the length of the pallet along the other side.

Still no Ethan.

Reveal Ethan, now crouched against the cargo on the side

facing the cockpit. He flips through a couple of latches

on the floor, grabs the resulting loose nylon straps.

The officer walks back to the manual controls for the

lift gate - but before he tries again, he senses

something, and turns.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 7.

There’s Ethan, hurriedly strapping himself to the pallet.

He looks up.

Their eyes lock for a moment before Ethan reaches up and

pulls a ripcord, causing a cargo parachute to jettison

out the lift gate.

The officer pulls out a handgun, but can’t squeeze off a

single round before Ethan, in an insanely rapid exit,

rides the pallets out the lift gate, pulled by the

parachute unfurling behind them. Whooooooosh.

INT. COCKPIT - DAY22 22

The nav officer walk in slack-jawed.

PILOT

What’s going on?

The pilot and co-pilot turn to him.

NAV OFFICER

Some guy... in a business suit...

just took all our shit.

The pilot blinks.

PILOT

What?

NAV OFFICER

Yeah.

CUT TO:

EXT. BELARUS AIRSPACE - GOVERNMENT BUILDING - DAY23 23

The parachute holding the pallet deploys.

Ethan holds on as the pallet descends rapidly towards the

city. He passes a cell tower on top of a building, floats

over a government building quadrant where an official car

pulls up.

Ethan jumps off the pallet onto a roof.

Squads of soldiers in ceremonial dress stand to attention

and salute as a dignitary steps out of the car to greet

the waiting party when the pallet smashes into the

dignitary’s SUV, crushing it. The soldiers dive for

cover.

CONTINUED:21 21

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 8.

Ethan watches from the roof as the pallet spills more

cannisters.

ETHAN

The package is secured.

He ducks out.

EXT. LONDON - NIGHT24 24

The strains of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

singing “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” Then London

appears at the shimmering, rainy best. HIGH ABOVE

Piccadilly - the streets busy and alive - ZOOM IN SLOWLY

to a SINGLE FIGURE, walking toward:

EXT. THE VINYL OFFER - LONDON - NIGHT25 25

They sell Vinyl. Proudly.

INT. THE VINYL OFFER - NIGHT26 26

Ethan, looking a little worse for wear, walks in.

FEMALE VOICE (O.S.)

We’re about to close.

He turns to find a SHOPGIRL (20s) behind the counter,

glasses perched on the end of her nose.

ETHAN

It won’t be long.

He walks into the stacks, casually flipping through a few

titles.

SHOPGIRL

Looking for anything in

particular?

ETHAN

Something rare.

SHOPGIRL

Let me guess. Classical?

ETHAN

Jazz.

CONTINUED:23 23

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 9.

SHOPGIRL

Sax?

ETHAN

Coltrane.

SHOPGIRL

Piano?

ETHAN

Monk.

SHOPGIRL

Shadow Wilson on bass.

ETHAN

Shadow Wilson plays drums. Are you

testing me?

SHOPGIRL

Maybe. Know why they call him

Shadow?

ETHAN

Because he had a light touch.

The woman’s demeanor changes very so slightly. She

reaches under the counter and produces a blank, white

record sleeve.

SHOPGIRL

You’re in luck. I have a first

pressing.

Ethan approaches, takes the record. She nods to a

listening booth at the back of the store. As Ethan turns

to walk away.

SHOPGIRL

It really is you.

He stops, looks back. After a beat, he nods.

SHOPGIRL

I’ve heard stories. They can’t all

be true.

He considers the question, decides it’s one better left

unanswered, and continues towards the booth.

CONTINUED:26 26

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 10.

INT. LISTENING BOOTH - NIGHT27 27

Ethan enters, closes the heavy, sound-proof door and

studies a state-of-the-art record player. He opens the

glass lid, pulls out a record from its white sleeve,

places it on the player and starts it spinning.

A beam of light from the needle arm illuminates the

underside of the upright lid, making a small screen.

ECU on the needle, riding the groove of the record. A

VOICE is heard -- male, smooth and authoritative.

VOICE (ON RECORD)

Good evening, Mr. Hunt. The

weapons you recovered in Belarus

were confirmed to be VX nerve gas,

capable of devastating a major

city.

The beam projects a schematic of the A400, the weaponry,

a large metropolitan area flashing red.

VOICE (CONT’D)

The bodies of the aircrew were

found less than 24 hours after

they landed in Damascus. They were

identified as low-level Chechen

separatists - with neither the

access or the ability to acquire

the weapons they were

transporting.

The beam projects photos of three men Ethan saw on the

plane.

VOICE (CONT’D)

This would support your suspicion

that a shadow organization is

committed to inciting revolution

by enabling acts of terror in

nations friendly to Western

interests. The IMF suspects this

to be the same organization you

have been tracking down for the

last year. The IMF would be right.

On Ethan, his brow furrowing at the mention.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 11.

VOICE (CONT’D)

Normally, you and your team would

be tasked with infiltrating and

disrupting this terrorists

network. But we have taken steps

to insure that this will not

happen.

Ethan cocks his head - something is very wrong.

VOICE (CONT’D)

Because we are The Syndicate, Mr.

Hunt. And now we know who you are.

Ethan abruptly turns, reaches for the doorknob, finds it

LOCKED. Through the glass he sees:

The shopgirl. A MAN stands behind her, pistol to the back

of her head, staring at Ethan not so much with malice,

but confidence.

This is SOLOMON LANE.

VOICE (CONT’D)

Your mission, should you choose to

accept it, is to face your fate.

Pursue us, and you will be caught.

Resist us, and you will be killed.

Ethan pounds on the door with closed fists, the

Shopgirl terrified, eyes pleading.

VOICE (CONT’D)

And your precious Secretary will

disavow any knowledge of your

actions.

Solomon’s finger caresses the trigger - PULLS IT. He

turns and casually walks out.

VOICE (CONT’D)

Good luck, Mr. Hunt. This message

will self-destruct in 5 seconds...

5, 4,

The beam simultaneously projects the countdown 3, 2 -

Ethan stands back and kicks the door, over and over, as

the spinning record begins smoking behind him, a toxic

cloud filling the booth, overtaking him.

CONTINUED:27 27

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 12.

INT. THE VINYL OFFER - NIGHT28 28

Pulling back slowly from the smoke filled booth. All we

can see are Ethan’s hands pounding the glass.

EXT. THE VINYL OFFER - NIGHT29 29

Lane emerges onto the street and walks away. He places a

cigarillo in his teeth and runs a match along the wall,

IGNITING IT, taking us to the:

CREDITS

CREDITS. The fuse, the theme, flash-forwards that

tease the action to come, all of it ending at -

EXT. WASHINGTON D.C. - DUSK30 30

The Capitol Dome. The mall. The sound of a ringing

phone O.S.

VOICE (HUNLEY) (PRELAP)

This is not an isolated incident.

The IMF’s misadventures date back

to my earliest days in the CIA -

when the IMF broke into the CIA to

steal a list of covert operatives

INT. SENATE CHAMBER - DAY31 31

HUNLEY

Or more recently, when a Russian

warhead-

BRANDT

Disarmed Russian warhead-

HUNLEY

Russian nuclear warhead-

BRANDT

Rendered safe-

HUNLEY

-clipped the TransAmerica Pyramid

before plunging into the San

Francisco bay -

Closed session. Reading lamps illuminate the faces of

SIX MEN on the dais.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 13.

In the center is THE CHAIRMAN (60s), a silver lion of a

statesman with a commanding presence. They face TWO

FIGURES in the gallery.

One is CIA DIRECTOR ALAN HUNLEY (50s) sitting next to

Brandt in the hot seat, facing the panel.

HUNLEY (CONT’D)

- all this made possible by IMF

agents who did willingly provide

the launch codes to a known

terrorist. Do I have that right,

Agent Brandt?

The six man panel shifts it’s gaze to Brandt.

BRANDT

It’s... a long story.

HUNLEY

Perhaps now is the time to tell

it.

BRANDT

I can neither confirm or deny

details of any such operation

without the Secretary’s approval.

Hunley stands and walks away to the TV screen, remote

in hand.

HUNLEY

This was the same week - the same

week, mind you - that IMF agents

infiltrated the Kremlin.

He clicks the remote. An image of the Kremlin appears.

HUNLEY (CONT’D)

Here is the Kremlin before...

He clicks and a second image of the Kremlin appears - a

pile of smoking rubble.

HUNLEY (CONT’D)

And the Kremlin after.

The panel looks to Brandt again.

BRANDT

I can neither confirm nor deny

details of any such operation-

CONTINUED:31 31

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 14.

HUNLEY

-without the Secretary’s approval.

We know. Until this panel appoints

a new Secretary, you can’t say

much of anything, can you, Agent

Brandt?

BRANDT

Well, I didn’t write the rules,

Mr. Hunley.

HUNLEY

How convenient.

BRANDT

Mr. Director, the Secretary was

not just my mentor and superior.

He was my friend. And I happened

to be sitting next to him when he

was killed serving his country. I

don’t see anything convenient

about it.

HUNLEY

Mr. Chairman, the IMF is not just

a rogue organization, it’s an

outdated one -

BRANDT

(interrupts)

-Mr Chairman-

HUNLEY

-a throwback to an era without

transparency or oversight.

BRANDT

(interrupts)

-Mr Chairman-

HUNLEY

-The time has come for the IMF to

be dissolved and it’s salvageable

assets transferred to the CIA-

BRANDT

Mr. Chairman, the IMF has operated

without oversight for forty years.

HUNLEY

(interrupts)

-Mr Chairman-

CONTINUED: (2)31 31

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 15.

BRANDT

-Are its methods unorthodox, its

results less than perfect?

HUNLEY

(interrupts)

-Mr Chairman-

BRANDT

Absolutely. But without the IMF-

HUNLEY

-there will be order and stability-

BRANDT

WITHOUT THE IMF YOU’LL HAVE-

CRACK. The Chairman’s gavel brings silence.

CHAIRMAN

The panel recognizes the IMF’s

contribution to global security...

But the events laid out by CIA

Director Hunley also show a

pattern of wanton brinkmanship and

a total disregard for protocol.

From where I sit, your unorthodox

methods are indistinguishable from

chance. And your results - perfect

or not - look suspiciously like

luck. I’m afraid today is the day

when the IMF’s luck runs out.

INT. SUBTERRANEAN CHAMBER - NIGHT32 32

CLOSE ON: Ethan’s eyes, closed, lids fluttering. Then his

eyes open suddenly.

Ethan’s eyes quickly focus. His arms are over his head,

suspended by a strap around an upright steel pipe.

His jacket and shirt are folded neatly on the table

beside a rabbit foot’s key chain with a single cuff key -

presumably for unlocking Ethan’s shackles.

Ethan tugs at his restraints, looks up, sees the pipe

does not go all the way to the ceiling. Before he can

consider his next move, the door opens.

A WOMAN enters (30s) - attractive, well-dressed.

Ethan glimpses TWO ARMED SENTRIES out in the hallway

before the door closes.

CONTINUED: (3)31 31

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 16.

The Woman carries a small tray in one hand. She places it

on a table, removes her jacket and puts down the tray

revealing two needles and several vials of liquid.

The door opens and FIVE MORE FIGURES enter. Faces we’ve

never seen before. They stare at Ethan as if we were in a

zoo - a thing to be studied.

The fifth man is a SCARY BLOND we’ll call JANIK (40s).

This guy is trouble.

The Woman confronts Janik, speaking in Swedish. Ethan

studies them as:

THE WOMAN

[What are you doing here?]

JANIK closes and bolts the door.

THE WOMAN (CONT’D)

[Hey - I asked you - what are you

doing here?]

He walks directly up to Ethan, looming over him. He takes

off his jacket, rolls up his sleeves. Something about

Janik strikes Ethan as curious.

JANIK

What does he see in you, I wonder.

ETHAN

Who is he?

Janik punches Ethan.

JANIK

[I want to see what he’s made of.]

Janik walks over to the table, pulls a box out from

underneath.

ETHAN

Take the cuffs off and I’ll show

you, Vinter.

JANIK

You know who I am.

Janik smiles, opens the box, revealing surgical tools

- a saw, a hammer, etc.

CONTINUED:32 32

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 17.

ETHAN

You’re Janik Vinter. They call you

the bone doctor. Funny thing is,

you were officially declared dead

three years ago. Nice shoes, by

the way.

Janik and the Woman look at Janik’s feet.

ETHAN (CONT’D)

Not his. Yours.

The Woman looks at her own shoes, then Ethan. She can’t

believe this guy. She walks up to Janik.

THE WOMAN

[Our instructions were to break

him down, not kill him.]

He walks away from her back to Ethan.

JANIK

[Some guys break different than

others.]

Janik punches Ethan in the gut, twice. Ethan takes it as

well as can be expected.

JANIK (CONT’D)

(to the Woman)

You see. This one’s a fighter.

He punches Ethan again, twice.

JANIK (CONT’D)

(to Ethan)

He’ll die before you turn him.

THE WOMAN

Are you worried he’ll take your

place?

ETHAN

I don’t remember applying for the

job.

Janik looks at her. She’s struck a nerve. He walks to

her, looming. Janik punches Ethan in the ribs, twice.

JANIK

(re: Ethan)

He will be the death of us all.

CONTINUED: (2)32 32

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 18.

Janik punches Ethan again, in the face this time.

ETHAN

(to the Woman)

You should go before this gets

ugly.

The Woman quietly palms the rabbit-foot key-ring in her

hand.

JANIK

He’s right. You should go.

Vinter crosses the table. The Woman counters to the other

side of the room, staring at Ethan.

Vinter picks up any tool you like. Ethan notices an

object in the Woman’s hands. A rabbit’s foot with a cuff

key on it. From this vantage, only Ethan can see it.

Vinter and the other goon are none the wiser. She gives

Ethan a look that says “do something”. He’s not sure what

she means. She does it again.

Vinter approaches with the tool. Ethan braces.

THE WOMAN

[Du, Vinter.]

Vinter turns his head to address her and:

WHACK - Ethan kicks up both feet, catching Vinter in the

chest and sending him flying.

All eyes in the room follow the flying Swede. In an

instant, the Woman throws the rabbit’s foot. Ethan

catches it.

[FIGHT ENSUES]

INT. CORRIDOR - NIGHT33 33

Staring at the steel door from the outside. Five gunshots

ring out. Then silence.

The Sentries exchange a confused look.

INT. SUBTERRANEAN CHAMBER - NIGHT34 34

WIDE SHOT of all five men on the floor. Incredulous

pause. Then:

CONTINUED: (3)32 32

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 19.

ETHAN

What just happened here?

A knock on the door. One of the sentries calls out.

When he hears no reply, he bangs, shouts louder.

THE WOMAN

This way.

Ethan follows her out of the chamber as Vinter slowly

comes to.

INT. TUNNEL - NIGHT35 35

She walks toward a cage door at the end of the hall,

opens it. Ethan steps through to make sure the way is

clear. To his surprise, she slams it behind him.

Ethan grabs the gate, yanks it. Locked.

ETHAN

What are you doing?

THE WOMAN

I can’t leave.

ETHAN

You can’t stay here. We just

killed those men.

THE WOMAN

We didn’t kill them. You did.

(touching her bruised

eye)

Right before you knocked me

senseless.

ETHAN

Who are you?

Ethan hesitates. The sentries are slamming against the

door, trying to break it down. He hesitates.

THE WOMAN

Better hurry now. Good luck.

The Woman turns and runs out. Ethan hears shouting.

He backs up and races down the long corridor as Vinter

and the other Sentry run round the corridor and fire at

him through the locked gate.

CONTINUED:34 34

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 20.

[OMITTED]36 36

INT. SWITCHBOARD - DAY37 37

A hand connects a modern version of an analogue phone

terminal. THE OPERATOR connects a cable and answers.

OPERATOR

Satcom seven.

VOICE (ON PHONE)

Western Europe unsecured.

OPERATOR

Designator?

VOICE (ON PHONE)

Bravo, echo, one, one.

OPERATOR

Connecting.

INT. CORRIDOR - DAY38 38

A cell phone rings. A hand picks it up. REVEAL WILLIAM

BRANDT (30s).

BRANDT

This is Brandt.

ETHAN (ON PHONE)

Go secure.

He taps the screen on his phone. We hear three beeps.

BRANDT

Go.

ETHAN

London terminal is compromised.

I repeat, London compromised.

Agent... Agent in place is down.

Request immediate extraction.

BRANDT

Do you have anything to go on?

Ethan closes his eyes: sees Lane walking away from him in

the record store.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 21.

ETHAN

A face. He could have killed me

but he didn’t... He wanted

something... Not information...

BRANDT

What do you think it means?

Ethan thinks. Remembers the record player. Realizes:

ETHAN

The Syndicate is real. They know

who we are, how we operate...

(realizing)

I think I know why they’ve been so

hard to find.

(focusing)

Focus operations on gathering any

available intel regarding former

covert operatives - it doesn’t

matter what country or agency -

just as long as they’re dead or

presumed dead. Start with Janik

Vinter, also known as the Bone

Doctor.

[OMITTED]39 39

INT. CORRIDOR / EXT. STREET - INTERCUT40 40

Brandt is looking down the corridor at the panel

members filing out of the conference room, Hunley’s

look to Brandt is unsettling. Brandt keeps on eye on

him throughout:

BRANDT

I can’t do that.

ETHAN

What are you talking about?

BRANDT

The Committee shut us down.

Operations have been handed over

to the CIA. Ethan... There is no

more IMF... I’m sorry... I’ve been

ordered to bring everyone in.

ETHAN

I understand.

CONTINUED:38 38

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 22.

Ethan looks down to reveal he’s holding a compress to his

side. He’s been shot.

BRANDT

Ethan-

ETHAN

I understand, Brandt. We never had

this conversation. I’ve

disappeared in London. You don’t

know if I’m dead or alive.

BRANDT

This man you saw... Can you find

him?

ETHAN

I have to find him... I won’t stop

until I do.

Brandt looks up and sees Hunley approaching. He speaks

quickly.

BRANDT

This may very well be out last

mission, Ethan. Make it count.

Brandt hangs up, leaving Ethan alone in the world. He

erases his phone. Looks up to see-

[OMITTED]41 41

INT. CORRIDOR - DAY42 42

Hunley walking out of the Chamber towards him.

BRANDT

Mr Director. Mr Director, sir.

Hunley turns back to face Brandt.

HUNLEY

What is it Brandt.

BRANDT

With all due respect, you’re

making a mistake you may live to

regret.

CONTINUED:40 40

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 23.

HUNLEY

My only regret is that your

principal agent of chaos wasn’t

here to see what happened today.

Now Brandt, since we’re going to

be working together I want you to

choose your words very carefully.

Where is Hunt?

BRANDT

I don’t know.

HUNLEY

Of course you don’t.

BRANDT

I have no way of contacting him.

He was deep cover. The last I

hears he was tracking the

Syndicate.

HUNLEY

Let’s cut the bull. You know who

we are, what we are capable of.

How is it that the CIA has never

uncovered any actionable

intelligence regarding this

“Syndicate”?

BRANDT

Would you like a polite answer or

the truth?

HUNLEY

Where are they based? What is

their ideology? Who are their

members? Who is their leader? Do

you, in fact, have any Syndicate

intel not furnished by Ethan Hunt

himself?

BRANDT

What are you implying?

HUNLEY

Not implying. Stating. Leveling an

accusation. Hunt is both an

arsonist and a fireman at the same

time. I believe the Syndicate is a

figment of his imagination -

created to justify the IMF’s

existence. Well, I’m going to find

him, Brandt.

CONTINUED:42 42

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 24.

And when I do, he’ll be called to

answer for every wanton act of

mayhem he’s responsible for.

Welcome to the CIA.

As he leaves:

BRANDT

You’ll never find him.

HUNLEY

Set your watch, Brandt. Hunt is

living his last day as a free man.

BLACK. SILENCE.

TITLES: SIX MONTHS LATER

EXT. TROPICAL CITY - DAY43 43

TITLES: HAVANA, CUBA

ZOOM IN SLOWLY on a coastal shanty town.

The sound of intense breathing O.S.

INT. GRUNGY APARTMENT - DAY44 44

The home of a laborer. A bed, a basin for washing, a

hotplate, few pots and pans. The breathing continues.

REVEAL Ethan, his face covered in a bears and moustache,

his hair slicked back, his skin tinged by the sun. He has

a recently healed scar on his side. He’s doing pull-ups,

breathing steadily.

On the table in the center of the room we see cut up

newspapers, a ball of red twine, pencils, scissors, the

remnants of some project.

INT. WAR ROOM - DAY45 45

The dark heart of the CIA’s technology-centric universe.

Low lights emphasize large monitors watched by YOUNG

TECHNICIANS. TWO DRONE PILOTS prowl the skies half a

world away.

Hunley strides out his office past a Technician in front

of a bank of screens.

CONTINUED: (2)42 42

HUNLEY (CONT'D)

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 25.

HUNLEY

Are you sure he’s there this time?

TECHNICIAN

Hundred percent, Sir.

HUNLEY

He better be.

Hunley goes down the stairs as we find Brandt watching

him from the balcony. He strides through the main war

room.

HUNLEY (CONT’D)

Right everybody, heads up. This is

it.

He stops next to LAUREN (20s), his right hand and the

epitome of the new CIA and leans down to a Technician

sitting in front of a large monitor.

On the center screen, we see that aerial shot of the

shanty town. Our establisher was a CIA drone.

HUNLEY (CONT’D)

Execute.

A TECHNICIAN presses a button.

TECHNICIAN

Langley, Brimstone. Go. I say

again, we are go.

On the center screen, two local vehicles, both junkers

meant to avoid attention, screech to a halt in front of

the building.

On a second screen, we see video from inside the cars.

Each is occupied with SOLDIERS (based on their haircuts).

All wear civilian clothes, trying badly to look local.

Half of them wear head-mounted cameras, transmitting what

they see back to Hunley.

They bail out and:

EXT. GRUNGY APARTMENT - DAY46 46

THE DRONE P.O.V. watches the soldiers from above as they

rush the front door of the grungy building.

CONTINUED:45 45

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 26.

INT. GRUNGY APARTMENT - DAY47 47

Ethan calmly continues his pull-ups.

INT. CORRIDOR - DAY48 48

The Military men approach a door at the end of a hallway,

weapons drawn.

INT. WAR ROOM - DAY49 49

Hunley can hear Ethan’s breathing just inside the room.

With a look his men in Havana count 3, 2, 1-

And crash through the door. Hunley watches as the men

rush in, fan out, search the small apartment. No Ethan,

no pull-up bar, no table covered with trash.

INT. GRUNGY APARTMENT - DAY50 50

Just a cell phone on a chair, propped up and facing the

door. The screen is blank, but we hear the sound of

Ethan’s breathing on the speaker.

EXT. PARIS - DAY51 51

Aerial establisher of the city of light. Push in slowly

on a small apartment window. Inside it, we find:

INT. GRUNGY APARTMENT - DAY52 52

Ethan Hunt, half a world away, watching via cell phone as

the CIA searches an apartment in Cuba.

He drops to the floor, shuts off the phone.

INT. WAR ROOM - DAY53 53

Brandt joins Hunley.

SOLDIER (ON SCREEN)

Brimstone, Langley. There’s no one

here.

Something catches Brandt’s eye.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 27.

BRANDT

Langley, Brimstone. Face the North

wall.

Hundreds of miles away, a soldier faces the wall of the

grungy apartment revealing:

A map of the world. On one side of the map are newspaper

clippings: bank collapses, assassinations, acts of

sabotage such as plane crashes.

On the other side of the map is a perfect grid of

photographs. Dozens of them. Each is a simple dossier-

style image. Each is marked with one word, be it

English, French, German, Russian...

PRESUMED DEAD, DECEASED, TERMINATED.

Some of the photos have been taken from the grid and

pinned to the map along with a gloomy article.

Brandt hits a button. The giant center screen freezes on

the collage.

HUNLEY

Is this a joke?

BRANDT

No, it’s a message.

Hunley shakes his head and walks back to his office.

He passes the Tech.

HUNLEY

Hundred percent my ass, you’re

fired.

On the next screen, a soldier picks up a lone sketch from

a rickety table: a drawing of the Woman, less like a

composite sketch and more like a portrait.

Brandt takes notes.

The sound of epic opera music takes us to:

EXT. CIA CYBERDIVISION - DAY54 54

The newly minted off-shoot of the CIA’s Langley HQ.

CONTINUED:53 53

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 28.

INT. CIA TECHNICAL CENTER - DAY55 55

Clean lines, cleaner surfaces. A place for sifting

through trillions of bits of data, overlooking a massive

array of data servers. Welcome to the age of big data.

Here we find:

BENJI DUNN (30s), once bookish, now a bit rugged, hard at

work on a keyboard, presumably crunching code with the

most powerful computer on Earth. REVEAL:

He’s playing Halo on a three screen array. He glances up

at a rear view mirror strategically placed on the screen,

sees someone coming, he pulls off his headphones and the

opera music instantly stops.

He hits a button and the game vanishes, replaced by:

Three screens: 1) email 2) streaming raw code (which he

types nonstop) and 3) a browser in Chinese as:

A CLERK drops the day’s mail on his desk and moves on.

Benji picks up the mail and sifts through it, finding one

piece in particular that catches his attention. He opens

and removes a BROCHURE and a letter. The brochure reads:

YOU’VE WON! VIENNA OPERA

He smiles bitterly, almost disappointed. The phone rings,

startling him. He answers:

BENJI

Dunn.

Benji’s face darkens.

BENJI (CONT’D)

Is it that time already?

[OMITTED]56 56

INT. CIA - CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY57 57

Lauren is strapping Benji to a polygraph. The process

is rather intimate - blood pressure cuffs, chest

straps, etc.

A legal-size box sits on the center of the table.

After a long silence.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 29.

BENJI

You changed your hair...

(laughs)

It’s a joke... because you...

never change your hair. Or your

expression...

Lauren doesn’t answer.

BENJI (CONT’D)

What’s in the box? I ask because

it’s sitting there rather

ominously.

Lauren doesn’t answer.

BENJI (CONT’D)

Do you like opera? I love opera. I

just won two tickets...

LAUREN

Are you asking me out?

BENJI

No, no, no.

LAUREN

Because department policy strictly

forbids that.

BENJI

Yes, of course. Can’t go anyway...

Can’t get the time off... I never

used to think about time off. Work

was always interesting. Seeing the

world. Always something new every

day. Stressful, sure, but... Never

felt like a job, you know? Do what

you love, love what you do...

(distant)

I wonder if this is just a job to

you. That would explain why you

never smile. Unless, of course,

you love not smiling.

She fastens one last strap, bringing them face to face.

She stares at him expressionless.

BENJI (CONT’D)

In which case we’re having the

time of our lives right now.

CONTINUED:57 57

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 30.

There is some flicker in her eyes - a hint of her guard

coming down.

LAUREN

I’m going to ask you a series of

control questions-

Lauren takes a seat at her laptop.

BENJI

Yes, I know. You’ll ask me to

answer truthfully. Then you’ll ask

me to intentionally lie. Let’s go.

LAUREN

State your name.

BENJI

You ask me that question every

week.

LAUREN

Your name.

BENJI

The King of Norway.

His vitals fluctuate.

BENJI (CONT’D)

That was a lie. I’m actually third

in line to the throne.

His vitals don’t fluctuate.

The door opens and Hunley enters Brandt follows.

Benji is instantly nervous.

Hunley walks up, staring at Benji, making him even more

tense.

HUNLEY

Has Ethan Hunt contacted you?

Benji’s vitals jump. Hunley makes note.

BENJI

Why would he contact me?

Hunley opens the box, throws down a pile of newspaper

clippings, hand-drawn images of Lane and the woman, along

with photos of how it had been arranged in Havana.

CONTINUED: (2)57 57

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 31.

We see stories of plane crashes, fires, a seemingly

random mish-mash of disasters.

HUNLEY

He resurfaced again. This time in

Cuba. He left this behind. Tell me

what do you make of this?

BENJI

He’s taken up scrapbooking?

He tries to smile, but withers under Hunley’s gaze.

HUNLEY

Look at the photographs, Dunn.

Know what they have in common?

Benji shrugs.

HUNLEY (CONT’D)

They’re all missing or dead. Every

one. All of them were government

agents. Russian, French, British,

Israeli, you name it. These are

highly classified files. Hunt has

no problem collecting them? He

always manages to stay one step

ahead of us. I’m wondering how.

Brandt and Benji exchange a look.

BENJI

Are you suggesting I’m helping

him?

HUNLEY

The thought crossed my mind.

BENJI

Six months I’ve been here. Half a

year sifting through mountains of

metadata, exabytes of encoded

excrement. I’ve decrypted,

processed, parsed and interlaced

more data than anyone in my

section. And every week you haul

me in and ask me the same question

in a different way.

HUNLEY

And today you haven’t answered it.

CONTINUED: (3)57 57

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 32.

BENJI

You seem to think I have some

obligation to him. Nothing could

be further from the truth. Ethan

is still out there in the field.

And I’m stuck here answering for

it. He has never called. We are

not friends. I owe him nothing.

No fluctuation. Lauren is convinced. And is Brandt.

HUNLEY

That’ll be all, Dunn.

BENJI

Right. Same time next week?

INT. CIA - DAY58 58

Benji walks back to his station. Across the atrium, he

sees Hunley watching him from his glass enclosed room.

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY59 59

Brandt, sifts through the papers on the table.

HUNLEY

What did you want to say to me

Brandt?

BRANDT

Politicians and CEOs dying, banks

collapsing, governments

dissolving, and a lot of innocent

people are dying in the process.

HUNLEY

Just another day at the office.

BRANDT

Western Civilization is slowly

coming apart.

HUNLEY

It won’t happen on my watch.

BRANDT

Unless...

Hunley doesn’t reply.

CONTINUED: (4)57 57

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 33.

BRANDT (CONT’D)

Unless these random catastrophes

aren’t random at all. And some of

these dead operatives... aren’t

really dead. That might explain

why the Syndicate is so hard to

find. We’re looking for the

living...

Hunley shakes his head, dismissing.

HUNLEY

C’mon Brandt.

BRANDT

Hear me out. If I’m reading this

right... Ethan’s telling us

someone is recruiting operatives

to attack the very same system

that created them. A rogue nation.

One who has no regard for

collateral damage.

HUNLEY

I told you before. Hunt is making

it up.

BRANDT

I hope he is, sir. If he’s not...

This is your worst nightmare.

Brandt focuses on two images in particular: The sketches

of Solomon Lane and the Woman.

INT. CIA TECHNICAL CENTER - DAY60 60

Benji angrily returns to his desk, sits down, tries to

resume working. He stops, looks down at the brochure and

tickets on his desk.

YOU’VE WON! VIENNA OPERA

Long pause.

Fuck this. He grabs the envelope and leaves.

EXT. VIENNA - NIGHT61 61

Establishing the old city in all it’s glory.

CONTINUED:59 59

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 34.

INT. METRO - NIGHT62 62

Benji emerges from a train in a tuxedo, feeling pretty

good about himself. He takes only a few steps when a

hooded musician presses a manila envelope into his chest

and walks away without saying a word.

Benji opens the envelope, pulling out a program for the

Vienna opera, and a pair of dark-rimmed eyeglasses. He

notices metal disks on the inside of the earpiece.

Realizing what they are, he puts the glasses on and his

head is filled with a voice saying:

ETHAN (ON COM)

Benji, do you copy?

Benji tries to contain his reaction. He sort of manages.

BENJI

Ethan? Where are you? Where the

hell have you been?

ETHAN (ON COM)

No time for that now. Keep

walking. Make sure you’re not

being followed.

Benji does as he’s told.

INT. METRO TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS63 63

Benji walks as:

BENJI

I didn’t win these opera tickets,

did I?

ETHAN

No.

Benji curses under his breath.

BENJI

Where do we meet?

ETHAN

We don’t. For your sake, you can’t

be seen with me. You have mail.

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 35.

INT. METRO - ESCALATOR - CONTINUOUS64 64

Benji mounts the escalator, looks around, growing

paranoid.

Benji’s phone chimes in his pocket. He pulls it out and a

face appears on the screen - a photo of Solomon Lane,

blurry, grainy, taken at some distance.

BENJI

Who is he?

ETHAN

That’s what we’re here to find

out. What I do know is he’s out

only possible link to the

Syndicate. And I have reason to

believe he’s going to be here

tonight. But I can’t find him

alone. Are you in?

(repeats)

Are you in?

BENJI

Yes, yes, of course. What’s the

play?

INT. METRO - PLATFORM - CONTINUOUS65 65

Benji steps off the escalator onto another platform.

ETHAN

You find him, we tag him, I follow

him wherever he goes.

BENJI

And after that?

ETHAN

After that, you’re on a plane.

Back at work Monday morning. No

one is the wiser.

BENJI

Wait, you mean that’s it?

ETHAN

You’re in enough danger as it is.

I didn’t want to involve you this

much, but I had no choice.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 36.

BENJI

Well - yes, but I’ve come all this

way. I might as well.

INT. ESCALATOR II - NIGHT66 66

Benji sighs as he rides up to the street.

BENJI

If you’re going to bring me all

this way, at least give me

something a little more...

dramatic.

ETHAN

You want drama, go to the opera.

And Benji emerges from the metro TO REVEAL:

EXT. VIENNA OPERA HOUSE - NIGHT67 67

Scene of a fabulous gala: A command performance of

Puccini’s Turandot - an Italian Opera set in Ancient

China. Red carpet, limos, paparazzi and flashbulbs.

[OMITTED]68 68

EXT. STAGE DOOR - SIDE OF THE OPERA HOUSE - NIGHT69 69

CLOSE ON: Hands open an instrument case containing pieces

of flute. A POLICEWOMAN inspects it.

CLOSE ON: the owner - A MALE FLAUTIST (30s). We are not

allowed to see his face, making us instantly suspicious

of him. The Policewoman waves him on. The Flautist shuts

the case and enters the stage door with other ORCHESTRA

MEMBERS, all of whom are subject to search tonight. We

stay outside, watching him through the open door. We

notice the members of the orchestra turn right as they

enter.

But not the Flautist. He goes straight, vanishing into

the shadows... Up to no good.

EXT. OPERA HOUSE - NIGHT70 70

CONTINUOUS TRACKING SHOT:

CONTINUED:65 65

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 37.

Photographers, reporters, red carpet, expensive cars.

A limousine arrives: State seal on the door, fender

flags, SECRET SERVICE and MOTORCYCLE POLICE escort.

The STATELY CHANCELLOR (60s) and HIS WIFE (40s) emerge

from the vehicle to both cheers and jeers from the crowd.

They wave. ANGLE ON:

Security is tight. The POLICE are out in force. MEN IN

BLACK TIE and WOMAN DRIPPING WITH JEWELS must pass

through metal detectors, regardless of status.

Benji is at the metal detector. He is allowed to enter

the opera.

A POLICE OFFICER (30s). Something about him we don’t like-

the way he watches the Chancellor. He’s no good.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - BAR BALCONY - NIGHT71 71

An elegant setup on the second floor of the opera house -

small, chest-high tables, PEOPLE dressed to the nines.

Ethan stands at the balcony. He looks down at the

Chancellor and his wife, finishing their photo-op and

heading in. Ethan turns and we track with him from the

outside bar to-

INT. OPERA HOUSE - GRAND STAIRCASE - NIGHT72 72

A central space five stories high, balconies all around.

From this vantage, Ethan sees the Chancellor and his

entourage mount the grand staircase on the ground floor.

He spies Benji at the top of the stairs. When Benji

speaks, we hear him as if he were right beside us.

BENJI

Did you know the Chancellor was

going to be here?

ETHAN

No.

BENJI

Right, so - an European head of

state is here at the same time as

a nefarious terrorist.

CONTINUED:70 70

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 38.

I’m sure the two things are

completely unrelated and, as you

assured me, I’ll be back at my

desk Monday morning playing video

games, no one’s the wiser.

ETHAN

Benji. Show’s about to start. Just

take your position and tell me

what you see. Nice tux, by the

way.

Benji spins on his heels, expecting to find Ethan.

But Ethan is gone.

INT. OPERA HOUSE CORRIDOR - NIGHT73 73

Benji arrives at a service door marked with electronic

symbols. He quickly works the lock and slips into-

INT. ELECTRICAL ROOM - NIGHT74 74

A cramped space, humming with electrical conduits. He’s

very out of place in a tux. He finds a junction box he’s

looking for, opens it, studying the dense mass of wires

inside. He attaches a device, opens the program to reveal

a paper-thin computer screen and keyboard inside.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - STAGE MANAGER’S BOOTH - NIGHT75 75

The nerve center of the opera. From here, THE STAGE

MANAGER (FEMALE, 30s) can see anything on, above or

behind the stage via several monitors. Two static wide

angle cameras show her the audience and the lobby. She

whispers in German into a small headset.

STAGE MANAGER

[Final checks are complete.

Everyone on standby please.]

INT. LIGHTING BOOTH - NIGHT76 76

From here, TWO TECHNICIANS control the sophisticated

lighting for the entire opera. Talking quietly into their

headsets, they manipulate a few controls and:

CONTINUED:72 72

BENJI (CONT'D)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 39.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - SKYTOWER - NIGHT77 77

A trestle high above the stage - the bottom encrusted

with lights - descends into place.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - BACK STAGE - DRESSING ROOMS - NIGHT78 78

CAST MEMBERS rush to take their places. We see-

INT. OPERA HOUSE - STAGE MANAGER’S BOOTH - NIGHT79 79

-the same image on one of the stage manager’s monitors.

All the screens flicker simultaneously. Before she can

even react, they are back on.

INT. ELECTRICAL ROOM - NIGHT80 80

Benji has wired the laptop to the junction box. The

screen lights up with a glowing checkerboard. Each square

is the POV of a camera. He’s hacked into the stage

manager’s station. He can touch any square to zoom in.

Three words appear:

RUN FACIAL RECOGNITION

Fine lines rapidly scan any face with amazing speed. In

the upper right hand corner of his screen, he has the

constant, grainy image of Solomon Lane.

BENJI

I have eyes. Searching. Great

sketch by the way. Next time try a

photo.

ETHAN (ON COM)

Good to have you back Benji.

Benji sighs, looks at his dank surroundings.

BENJI

Join the IMF. See the world. On a

monitor. In a closet.

INT. LOBBY - NIGHT81 81

The lobby is empty apart from a lone WOMAN, ELEGANT AND

LEAN IN A FETCHING YELLOW DRESS. We can’t see her face.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 40.

The lobby lights dim. The show is about to begin...

The sound of a tuning orchestra takes us to:

INT. OPERA HOUSE - NIGHT82 82

ANGLE ON: The magnificent chandelier in the center of the

opera house ceiling as it dims...

A rapid tapping O.S. The tuning orchestra falls silent. A

CONDUCTOR’S HAND, holding a baton, rises into frame,

snaps down and the opera begins - the music as turns

triumphant and foreboding. The orchestra renders the

ominous “Tre enigmi m’hai proposto.” Subtitles above

the stage translate:

INT. OPERA HOUSE - BACK-STAIRS - NIGHT83 83

CONTINUOUS TRACKING SHOT: Ethan emerges through a set of

glass doors. He crosses a long, brightly lit hallway

where STRAGGLING LADIES AND GENTS check their coats. He

slips through a side door and into-

INT. OPERA HOUSE - UPPER BOX - NIGHT84 84

-an upper box with a view of the whole opera house. He

can see the audience, the orchestra, the stage.

REVERSE ON ETHAN TO REVEAL: In the box just below him,

the Chancellor and his wife are sitting down. TWO

BODYGUARDS scan the audience.

[OMITTED]85 85

INT. OPERA HOUSE - VARIOUS86 86

VARIOUS ANGLES FROM AROUND THE HOUSE - from the lights

high above, the box across the auditorium - each a

perfect vantage of The Chancellor.

INT. ELECTRICAL ROOM - NIGHT87 87

Benji bounces from camera to camera on his laptop. He

stops on the cast area. The CAST AND CHORUS wear either

heavy make-up or masks. His facial recognition software

becomes confused, flickering:

CONTINUED:81 81

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 41.

READ ERROR

BENJI

Dammit.

An image of a backstage camera catches his eye. A Man

walk away from camera with a case under his arm. THE

FLAUTIST. But Benji cannot see his face. His movements

are suspicious, however. He ducks out of sight to let TWO

CHORUS MEMBERS pass. Then he proceeds off camera.

BENJI (CONT’D)

Uh... Ethan... I might have

something. Cannot confirm.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - UPPER BOX - NIGHT88 88

ETHAN

Where?

BENJI (ON COM)

Back stage. I’ll direct you.

Ethan stands and rushes out of the box.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - CORRIDOR - NIGHT89 89

The shadowy Officer steps out of a door and walks down a

corridor.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - PROPS STORAGE - NIGHT90 90

A hallway filled with props. The Woman walks through and

climbs a metal ladder to platform.

CLOSE ON: the Woman’s hand inspects the scaffold, taps a

struts, removes it. It quickly transforms into a rifle.

The Woman in yellow turns, walks away from us.

INT. ELECTRICAL ROOM - NIGHT91 91

Benji tracks the Flautist on one monitor, Ethan on

another, approaching a door:

BENJI

Take the door on your left. He

should be right in front of you.

CONTINUED:87 87

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 42.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - BACKSTAGE DOOR - NIGHT92 92

Ethan throws the door open, turns right, finding an

empty corridor.

ETHAN

Where is he?

BENJI (ON COM)

I lost him.

ETHAN

Find him.

BENJI

I’m looking.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Ethan turns, just in time

to see the Woman in the yellow dress crossing the

opposite backstage area.

ETHAN

Benji, did you see that?

BENJI

See what?

ETHAN

That woman.

BENJI

What woman? Where are you?

Ethan looks down, sees the Flautist climb the stairs

backstage.

ETHAN

I’m backstage.

BENJI

I can’t see you.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - WINGS - NIGHT93 93

Extreme shadows, shafts of light streaming through the

semi-transparent backdrop and the stage beyond.

Hidden in the shadow, rifle in hand, the Woman moves

toward a Chinese-style tower with a parapet. She slips

inside just before TWO STAGE HANDS walk past.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 43.

A beat later, a stage door opens and Ethan enters. No

sign of the Woman. He looks left, right, up into the fly

tower high above - light trestles and back-drops

suspended from cables in a cavernous space rising one

hundred-plus feet above the stage.

Then he see him: the Flautist on the far side of the

stage, moving in silhouette, his case under one arm.

BENJI (ON COM)

Ethan I see him. Back-stage,

heading east.

ETHAN

I see him.

Ethan takes a step when the set besides him moves

unexpectedly. Ethan jumps back, nearly crushed by the

Chinese tower moving to the stage. We recognize it

immediately. He has no idea the Woman is hidden inside.

By the time he makes his way around the set, the Flautist

is gone.

ETHAN (CONT’D)

There’s a woman back here, too.

Find her.

He looks up at a catwalk above him, sees a ladder.

INT. CHINESE TOWER - NIGHT94 94

The Woman peers through the louvers of the tower as it

slides into place, ending in a perfect vantage of the

Chancellor and his wife. She assembles her weapon.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - STAGE - NIGHT95 95

The lavish production continues, the light dimming

dramatically, the music assuming an air of chilling

suspense, the stage largely empty. Mist hangs in the

air. We hear A CHORUS, but their voices are far away.

They sing from back stage, creating an eerie effect.

INT. ELECTRICAL ROOM - NIGHT96 96

The image on Benji’s computer flickers. He bangs on the

electrical box.

CONTINUED:93 93

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 44.

INT. LIGHTING CONTROL BOOTH - NIGHT97 97

The lighting technicians control the lights. One of the

controls moves on it’s own.

TECHNICIAN 2

[What was that?]

TECHNICIAN 1

[No idea. I don’t know.]

INT. FLY-TOWER - NIGHT98 98

The trestle holding up the backstage lights moves in

sections - some up, some down...

INT. FLY-TOWER CATWALK - NIGHT99 99

Ethan tracks along a catwalk high up in the fly tower,

looking down at the back-stage far below. He can see the

chorus, hear them clearly from here.

Numerous backdrops hang like louvers - perpendicular to

Ethan. He stops, steps back, spies a lighting trestle

between the backdrops. He sees the Flautist kneeling,

just a few yards away, opening his case, his back to

Ethan. Ethan climbs over the catwalk railing, about to

put his weight on the trestle when:

It drops from under him. Part of the show. Ethan grabs

the catwalks railing, narrowly avoiding a sixty foot

fall.

The Flautist is unaware that Ethan is there. But now

there is a ten foot gap between Ethan and the trestle.

Ethan looks around, looks up.

ANGLE ON: A second catwalk some twenty feet up. Ethan

grabs a hanging silk and hauls himself up toward it.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - TRESTLE - NIGHT100 100

The Flautist takes out his instrument, patiently reveals

its real purpose: a rifle complete with silencer and FIVE

BULLETS. More than he’ll need.

He opens a libretto, his fingers scanning the notes,

telling us where we are in the opera. He flips ahead,

finding a spot circled in red. His cue.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 45.

One thing puzzles us: From here, we cannot see the

audience, let alone the Chancellor.

EXTREME LOW ANGLE looking up at the Flautist as he loads

a single round. We sense movement above him. So does he.

The Assassin moves like a cat, turning and firing upwards

with his silenced rifle:

POP. WHAM. Ethan lands hard. A direct hit would have

crushed the Flautist. But the blow is a glancing one.

Bullets scatter. The flute case falls-

INT. OPERA HOUSE - BACK-STAGE - RIGHT101 101

-landing in the jagged horns of an upright dragon set-

piece.

INT. ELECTRICAL ROOM - NIGHT102 102

Benji’s earpiece squeals.

BENJI

Ethan - do you copy? Ethan - come

in!

INT. OPERA HOUSE - TRESTLE - NIGHT103 103

Ethan and the Flautist grapple for the gun - the Flautist

ends up on top of Ethan, pressing the weapon against

Ethan’s throat.

Ethan (and we) see the Flautist’s face clearly for the

first time. It’s not Solomon Lane.

CLOSE ON: The Flautist’s face... His eye.

ECU ON: He wears a contact lens in one eye, crossed with

delicate lines of circuitry. A camera.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - AUDIENCE - NIGHT104 104

CLOSE ON a small screen held in a man’s hand. On the

screen is Ethan’s face, looking directly into the

Flautist’s eye.

REVEAL: The face of the man holding the phone. It is a

calm, peaceful face. Making it all the more frightening.

CONTINUED:100 100

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 46.

It is Solomon Lane. He pockets the phone and exits the

auditorium.

ANGLE ON: A GRAY-HAIRED MAN (ATTLEE) in one of the boxes,

glancing over to watch Solomon leave. Remember him...

INT. OPERA HOUSE - TRESTLE - NIGHT105 105

Ethan and the Flautist trade blows, silhouetted through

the translucent backdrop behind them.

A flash of steel. The Flautist has a knife. The fight

intensifies with the music.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - STAGE MANAGER’S BOOTH - NIGHT106 106

EXTREME LOW ANGLE: looking up at the stage manager. She

is too involved in conducting her business to notice the

struggle on the trestle high above her.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - STAGE - NIGHT107 107

THE TENOR sings “Nessun Dorma” <No One Sleeps>, the

opera’s passionate signature piece.

THE CONDUCTOR turns the pages of his libretto, keeping

perfect time.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - PRESIDENT’S BOX - NIGHT108 108

The Chancellor takes his wife’s hand. She smiles.

INT. LIGHTING CONTROL BOOTH - NIGHT109 109

The Two Technicians are too busy to notice the door

opening slowly behind them, let alone that shadowy Police

Officer slipping in - tazer in one hand...

INT. OPERA HOUSE - TRESTLE - NIGHT110 110

Ethan’s in trouble, struggling to dodge a knife on a

narrow trestle in the dark sixty feet up.

The upstage backdrop lowers as the downstage backdrop

rises with the music, revealing a second backdrop - this

one translucent. A bright light descends.

CONTINUED:104 104

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 47.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - NIGHT111 111

For the audience, the effect is breathtaking. The light

creates a sunset in the misty sky. And it completely

obscures the action going on behind it.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - TRESTLE - NIGHT112 112

But from Ethan’s P.O.V. the entire house is visible -

including the Chancellor and his wife. The Flautist

lunges with his knife. Ethan parries.

The Flautist falls to his death, landing on the dragon’s

horns. Ethan turns to the house, the Chancellor. His eyes

lock in horror on the lighting control booth at the back

of the auditorium.

No one sees the Officer but Ethan.

INT. LIGHTING CONTROL BOOTH - NIGHT113 113

The Two Technicians are unconscious and bound. The

Officer assembles his own weapon: A barrel extension

disguised as a baton, a laser sight disguised as a

flashlight. He draws the rifle’s action from his holster,

of course.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - TRESTLE - NIGHT114 114

Ethan puts a hand to his ear, says something we cannot

hear over music.

INT. ELECTRICAL ROOM - NIGHT115 115

Benji puts a hand to his ear, taps the monitor and brings

up the lighting booth.

He sees the Officer there with his weapon. Benji rushes

from the room.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - TRESTLE - NIGHT116 116

Ethan grabs the Flautist’s rifle at his feet. He searches

frantically for a bullet, sees one resting on the edge of

the unsteady trestle, threatening to fall. He has to move

fast, but can’t move too fast.

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 48.

INT. LIGHTING CONTROL BOOTH - NIGHT117 117

The Officer sets his sights on the Chancellor. He

activates the laser scope, but we see nothing. The

officer puts on green sunglasses.

OFFICER’S P.O.V. a green beam, invisible to the naked

eye, sweeps across the room.

The Officer glances at the libretto - a note circled in

red. He raises his weapon chest-high. His eyes sweep from

the Chancellor’s box to the Chinese tower and back. He

waits.

INT. CHINESE TOWER - NIGHT118 118

The Woman shoulders her rifle, glancing down at the

orchestra, the audience beyond.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - TRESTLE - NIGHT119 119

Ethan snags the bullet. He quickly loads the rifle, turns

to aim and, to his renewed horror, he sees:

The Woman and her rifle in the Chinese tower. Worse

still, from this position, we see her face for the first

time. It’s the woman. That woman.

Ethan is momentarily stunned. Reluctantly, he aims at the

Woman, then the Officer, then back. With only one bullet -

and an unthinkable emotional conflict - what can he do?

The choice is impossible.

As the music reaches its highest high, Ethan turns on his

heels, aims at the Chancellor, and fires as:

INT. CHINESE TOWER - NIGHT120 120

The Woman fires.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - PRESIDENT’S BOX - NIGHT121 121

Ethan’s silences bullet grazes the Chancellor’s shoulder.

He lurches to one side as the Woman’s bullet hits the

back of his chair. Shocked, his wife and bodyguards react

and rush to his aid, obscuring him.

The aria finishes on stage and the audience erupts into

thunderous applause.

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 49.

INT. CHINESE TOWER - NIGHT122 122

The Woman tries to see. Is he alive? Is he dead?

INT. OPERA HOUSE - TRESTLE - NIGHT123 123

Ethan too.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - PRESIDENT’S BOX - NIGHT124 124

The Chancellor gets to his feet, perfectly fine. He is

rushed from the box by his security.

INT. LIGHTING BOOTH125 125

The Officer sees this. He quickly aims his weapon.

Not at the Chancellor. But at the Woman.

He fires just as the door bursts open and Benji attacks.

The Officer reacts. Shooting wide-

INT. CHINESE TOWER - NIGHT126 126

-his bullet strikes the wood just inches from the Woman’s

head. She reacts, searches for where the shot came from.

Her eyes find Benji grappling with the Officer in the

lighting control booth. She aims as:

INT. LIGHTING CONTROL BOOTH - NIGHT127 127

The Officer gets the better of Benji. They spin suddenly

and:

THUNK. A bullet hits the Officer square in the back.

INT. CHINESE TOWER / LIGHTING BOOTH - WOMAN128 128

THE WOMAN’S SCOPE P.O.V: The Office drops, revealing

Benji’s stunned expression in her cross-hairs.

INT. LIGHTING CONTROL BOOTH129 129

A single stage light flashes past the Chinese tower. For

one instant, Benji sees the Woman and her rifle. He

wisely hits the deck and backs out.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 50.

The applaude subsides, the music resumes, frantic,

matching the drama backstage.

INT. CORRIDOR - NIGHT130 130

One Bodyguard tears open the Chancellor’s sleeve,

revealing a flesh-wound. The other gets on the radio.

[OMITTED]131 131

INT. CHINESE TOWER - WOMAN132 132

The Woman turns to leave when she sees Ethan’s vague

silhouette moving behind the backdrop. She aims, the

bright light making the shot difficult.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - TRESTLE - NIGHT133 133

A bullet pierces in the backdrop, just missing Ethan’s

head. Then a second shot. He’s trapped on the trestle. He

sees the Flautist’s knife at his feet. He grabs it and

leaps into space, stabbing into a black upstage backdrop,

gripping the knife with both hands and sliding to the

floor a la Errol Flynn.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - BEHIND SET- NIGHT134 134

Ethan sees The Woman’s shadow slipping from the base of

the tower into the winds. He goes after her.

INT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT135 135

Police and Secret Service enter from every exit.

POLICE MAN (O.S.)

(in German)

[SEAL THE EXITS. SEAL ALL OF THEM

SEAL EVERYTHING.]

For the first time, the audience is aware of a problem.

THE DIRECTOR crosses the orchestra pit and signals the

Conductor. Confusion. The music stops.

CONTINUED:129 129

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 51.

INT. OPERA HOUSE - STAIRWELL - NIGHT136 136

The Woman is making her way down the steps when she

halts. She hears voices and footsteps coming up. She

turns, runs directly into Ethan.

ETHAN

I have a way out if you’re

interested?

She considers the alternative.

THE WOMAN

Lead the way.

They run.

INT. PARKING GARAGE - NIGHT137 137

The Chancellor and his wife are rushed to a waiting

armored SUV by their security detail.

CHANCELLOR

(to his wife)

[I’m all right, I tell you. I’m

all right.]

EXT. OPERA HOUSE - ROOFTOP - NIGHT138 138

Sirens approaching in the distance. Ethan and the Woman

burst through a doorway and onto the roof.

THE WOMAN

What’s next?

Ethan looks around, sees three flagpoles jutting over the

side of the building. They look down at a fountain on the

side of the opera house, surrounded by grass and a low

wall. He quickly wraps his necktie around his hand.

ETHAN

There!

THE WOMAN

What? There? Okay.

She runs after Ethan along the roof. Ethan vaults down to

the next level. The Woman sits on the ledge, and looks

down expectantly at Ethan.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 52.

THE WOMAN (CONT’D)

Shoes...

Ethan looks down at her high heeled shoes, at the uneven

roof. He takes them off and helps her down.

They run, jump and slide down to the edge of the roof.

The Woman grabs the back of Ethan’s jacket to stop him

from shooting over the edge.

Ethan loops the rope around the center flagpole, slides

it out a few feet and tugs. The knot clings to the pole.

Ethan jerks the rope harder. The joint holding the pole

in place snaps. The pole sags.

ETHAN

Did you have another plan?

THE WOMAN

Not a better one.

The doorway opens and THREE POLICE OFFICERS emerge onto

the roof. From their vantage, they don’t immediately see

Ethan and the Woman. She leaps up, wraps her arms and

legs around Ethan.

THE WOMAN (CONT’D)

Go.

And he launches them both over the railing.

EXT. OPERA HOUSE - NIGHT139 139

They fall like a stone. Thanks to the street performers,

no one even notices.

EXT. STREET - SIDE OF OPERA HOUSE - NIGHT140 140

An instant later, two black SUVs roar up the nearby ramp

to the parking garage, streaking right past the BMW. FOUR

POLICE MOTORCYCLES join as escort. Ethan and the Woman

watch the Chancellor go. Safe.

INT. SUV - NIGHT141 141

CHANCELLOR

[Everyone be calm. For God’s sake,

it’s just a flesh wound.]

CONTINUED:138 138

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 53.

ANGLE ON: The LEAD SECURITY MAN looks down at a silver

briefcase on the floor. He realizes.

LEAD MAN

[STOP THE C-]

EXT. STREET - SIDE OF OPERA HOUSE - NIGHT142 142

An explosion. Not a large one - just a muffled blast with

enough force to buckle the doors of the SUV from the

inside out. The windows turn opaque.

Ethan and the Woman watch the car slow, veer to one side.

A larger secondary explosion, lifts the SUV off the

ground, blasting the motorcycle in four different

directions. The sidewalk are screaming, running.

The Woman is as shocked as Ethan. Benji pulls up in a

BMW.

BENJI

Get in!

He grabs her and pushes her into the back seat of the

car. Benji hits the gas and they drive away, with Ethan

and the Woman looking out the back window at a pillar of

fire.

INT. BMW - NIGHT143 143

Benji sees the Woman, does a double take.

BENJI

What th- She tried to shoot me.

ETHAN

That doesn’t make her a bad

person.

(to the Woman)

I’m going to have to search you.

She puts her hands on her head. Ethan frisks her. She

stares at him, making him a little uncomfortable.

THE WOMAN

You need to let me out.

BENJI

Not a chance.

CONTINUED:141 141

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 54.

ETHAN

I assumed you were deep cover back

in London. But isn’t this taking

the role a bit far?

BENJI

Hold on. You know her?

ETHAN

We haven’t formally introduced.

I’m pretty sure she’s British

Intelligence.

He finds a knife on her thigh:

THE WOMAN

(extends a hand)

Ilsa Faust. And you’re Ethan Hunt.

Ethan finds a lipstick, pockets it.

ILSA

That shade is very hard to find.

ETHAN

What were you doing at the opera

tonight?

BENJI

Besides killing the Chancellor.

ILSA

Saving your life in London put me

in a tight spot with some very

dangerous people. I was sent to

kill the Chancellor to regain

their trust.

BENJI

So you admit you killed him.

ILSA

No, I went through the motions.

That’s not the same thing.

Ethan finds a carbon fiber spike in her hair. Jesus.

ETHAN

You thought you’d put him in the

hospital. Take him out of harm’s

way.

CONTINUED:143 143

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 55.

ILSA

The same thing you tried to do.

BENJI

You don’t actually believe that.

What about the rest of her team?

ILSA

Those other two idiots?

Redundancies.

ETHAN

One man to kill the Chancellor if

you missed, the other to kill you.

A test.

ILSA

The second one I’ve failed, thanks

to you.

ETHAN

And the car bomb was insurance.

BENJI

And shooting me? What was that?

ILSA

I had a choice of two targets. I’m

beginning to regret my decision.

(to Ethan)

It was never my intention to kill

anyone. I certainly didn’t plant

that bomb in the Chancellor’s

motorcade.

BENJI

You did, however, shoot him.

ETHAN

I shot him. She missed.

BENJI

You shot the Chancellor?

ETHAN

I saved his life.

ILSA

We merely delayed the inevitable.

Now please, for your sake and your

friend, let me out-

CONTINUED: (2)143 143

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 56.

BENJI

We have a tail.

Ethan looks back, sees a vehicle looming in the rearview

mirror. Ethan produces his phone - the photo of Solomon.

ETHAN

Who is he?

ILSA

We’re after the same thing. I can

help you. But if you want to bring

down the Syndicate, you have to

let me out.

BENJI

Uhhh... They’re closing.

She looks back at the car behind them.

ILSA

This should look like an escape.

Just throw me out anywhere.

Ethan produces the photo of Solomon.

ETHAN

Who is he?

Her expression darkens. But before she can answer:

BOOM. Bullets hit the back window - the bulletproof glass

holds - men firing from the car behind them.

BENJI

CHANGE OF PLAN. LET HER GO.

ILSA

YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO

FIND ME.

More bullets. Everyone ducks. Benji brakes, turns as:

Ilsa opens the car door and jumps out.

EXT. STREET - VIENNA - NIGHT144 144

Ilsa spills out onto the street in a heap. The BMW speeds

away into the night. A BLACK SUV screeches to a halt. TWO

GUNMEN jump from the back, shooting at the BMW.

CONTINUED: (3)143 143

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 57.

INT. BMW - NIGHT145 145

Benji has no choice but to drive. The shooting stops and

Ethan looks back as the scene behind him fades.

Lost her again. Dammit.

EXT. STREET - NIGHT146 146

Ilsa, a complete mess, is pulled to her feet by one of

the gunmen.

ILSA

Your boss is going to be very

upset with you.

BRANDT (PRELAP)

The evidence is strictly

circumstantial.

INT. HUNLEY’S OFFICE - DUSK147 147

Coverage of the Chancellor’s assassination on CNN.

Hunley staring out the window, his back to Brandt.

HUNLEY

Less than twenty-four hours after

we interview Benji Dunn about

Ethan Hunt, he’s on a plane to

Vienna with tickets to the Opera.

Within six hours of his arrival,

the Chancellor is dead. That might

be circumstance to a public

defender, but to the CIA, that is

actionable intelligence.

BRANDT

Consider for just a moment the

possibility that Hunt’s

investigation led him to the

opera. That he’s the one with

actionable intelligence.

HUNLEY

Consider for just a moment that

Hunt has taken his delusion to the

next level. That his little rogues

gallery is actually a trophy room.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 58.

BRANDT

You’re not actually suggesting

that he killed all those agents?

(off Hunley’s look)

You don’t know Ethan at all.

HUNLEY

On the contrary. I know him just

enough. You know him too well. In

any case, finding him is no longer

a pet project. Special activities

Division has full discretion.

BRANDT

You mean shoot to kill.

HUNLEY

Wether or not Hunt is taken alive

is entirely up to him.

EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT148 148

Ethan and Benji ditch the bullet riddled BMW in the

shadows and walk away.

EXT. CANAL - BARGE - NIGHT149 149

Ethan and Benji board a small barge in a canal.

INT. BARGE - NIGHT150 150

Ethan manually bypasses a hidden lock and opens a hatch

in the floor-

INT. SAFE HOUSE - NIGHT151 151

- and drops down into a hidden safe-room in the bow.

Vintage IMF - bunks, medical kit, spare equipment and

weapons. Ethan opens a drawer, produces a bag containing:

ETHAN

Your new identity - passport,

cash, move map, change of clothes

in that bag - everything you need

to make it back to D.C.

Undetected. Once you’re there,

you’ll have to inform on me.

CONTINUED:147 147

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 59.

BENJI

What?

ETHAN

Tell the truth. You came to Vienna

believing you won two tickets to

the opera. I attempted to recruit

you into assassinating the

Chancellor. You refused.

BENJI

That’s not the truth-

ETHAN

Your life depends on them

believing you, Benji. It’ll be

easier if you tell them what they

want to hear.

(before Benji can

argue)

When Hunley asks, you sell me down

to the river. It won’t make my

situation any worse.

BENJI

Ethan... At least tell me what is

going on here...

ETHAN

Ever have a crises of faith,

Benji?

BENJI

More than once. Am I fighting for

the right side? Should I really

risk my life for a world that

doesn’t seem to care?

ETHAN

And sometimes the answer is no.

Beat. Benji nods, yes. He’s not proud of it.

ETHAN (CONT’D)

It happens to the best of us. Of

course, most of us come back from

that place. But not all.

Ethan clicks on the TV with a remote control. Photos of

faces we have seen before in Havana and again with Brandt

and Hunley.

CONTINUED:151 151

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 60.

ETHAN (CONT’D)

Recognize anyone?

Benji finds a face we know. The Cop from the opera. Benji

points at the photo.

BENJI

Him.

ETHAN

He’s former KSA. German

intelligence. Missing, presumed

dead.

BENJI

He was at the opera tonight.

Ethan produces a photo of the flautist.

ETHAN

This one, too. Former Mossad.

BENJI

Let me guess. Presumed dead.

ETHAN

Tonight I made it official.

Benji looks at the image that started the night. Solomon

Lane.

ETHAN (CONT’D)

I was looking for him in the

Bosphorus, the same day a car

accident killed the visiting

President of Malawi. He slipped

away again in Jakarta, just before

a passenger plane vanished over

the Pacific with two hundred and

thirty six passengers. I just

missed him in the Philippines...

right before a fire at a

petrochemical plant gassed a

village of two thousand people.

BENJI

(a little unsure)

You’re not saying these accidents

are connected.

CONTINUED: (2)151 151

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 61.

ETHAN

(to chemical plant)

That fire bankrupted a global arms

corporation.

(pointing to plane

crash)

That missing plane was carrying

the Secretary of the World Bank.

(to car accident)

This wreck triggered a civil war.

These are no accidents. They’re

links in a chain. The work of a

single organization: the

Syndicate. An army of lost souls

trained to do what we do. Only now

they have a sense of purpose.

Benji looks at the photos with new eyes.

BENJI

An anti-IMF.

ETHAN

Out to destroy civilization as we

know it... And since Hunley shut

us down, they’ve been escalating

unchecked.

(ALT)

Out to destroy the system that

created them, regardless of who’s

in the way. And since Hunley shut

us down, they’ve been escalating

unchecked.

BENJI

Or... these could all be just what

they appear to be. A series of

random disasters.

Ethan points to the photo of Lane.

ETHAN

He was there, Benji. Every time.

Just like he was there tonight.

I’m sure of it. I don’t know who

he is, where he comes from or how

he’s funded, but I know he’s the

key. If I can bring him down, I

can make everything like it was.

Maybe even get you your life back.

CONTINUED: (3)151 151

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 62.

BENJI

Ethan, I’m back. This is my life.

This is what I signed up for. Let

me help you find him.

ETHAN

That’s why I brought you here, and

look what happened. I gambled with

your life tonight and I lost. I

can’t be sure how this ends. I

can’t protect you. That’s why I

need you to leave.

BENJI

That’s not your decision to make.

Ethan, I’m a field agent. I know

the risks. More than that, I’m

your friend - no matter what I

tell the polygraph every week. You

called because you needed my help.

You still do. I’m staying. And

that’s all we’re going to say

about it.

Ethan is moved. He nods.

ETHAN

Ok.

BENJI

Ok. Where do we start?

ETHAN

Ilsa.

BENJI

How do we find her?

ETHAN

She said we have everything we

need.

Ethan reaches into his pocket and produces the lipstick.

Benji picks it up. Fiddles with it for a moment. He turns

it upside down, twists it and:

A USB connector pops out. The game is afoot.

INT. HOTEL ROOM - VIENNA - NIGHT152 152

Solomon Lane sits at a table making notes in a small book

- a glass of wine and a meal are untouched.

CONTINUED: (4)151 151

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 63.

The door opens. Ilsa is escorted in by one of the gunmen

from the car. As soon as Ilsa sees Solomon:

She turns on the gunmen, punches his throat, disables and

disarms him. With a pistol in her hand, she stands over

Solomon. He never flinches.

ILSA

We had an agreement. You send me

to do a job, I do it. But my way.

My script. Not yours.

SOLOMON

And where did I deviate?

ILSA

You put two more gunmen at the

opera tonight. One of them tried

to kill me.

SOLOMON

You missed.

ILSA

I missed because Ethan Hunt was

there. Looking for you. You just

had to play games. You wanted him

to see your face in London. Well,

now it’s blown back to you.

SOLOMON

Ethan Hunt is in Vienna because

you let him in escape in London.

ILSA

Vinter would have killed him in

London. That’s not what you asked

for.

SOLOMON

Still, that’s twice you’ve let him

slip away. Curious.

ILSA

Are you questioning my loyalty? Or

my ability?

SOLOMON

I can’t decide.

CONTINUED:152 152

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 64.

ILSA

I told you before? Trust me or

kill me. But if you’re going to

kill me, be a man...

She tosses a gun on the table, scattering his dinner.

ILSA (CONT’D)

Do it yourself.

Solomon stares at the gun for a beat. He picks it up,

aims and fires. Ilsa reacts. For an instant, we think

she’s been shot. Until the gunman she disarmed falls

dead. Lane places the gun down on the table as if nothing

happened.

SOLOMON

Did he say anything?

Ilsa looks at the dead man on the floor, collects

herself.

ILSA

He knows about Morocco.

Solomon’s cool demeanor darkens.

SOLOMON

What does he know about Morocco?

ILSA

Now who’s upset?

SOLOMON

What does he know?

ILSA

He knows about the power plant. He

doesn’t know what’s in it.

Solomon thinks for a moment. Then:

SOLOMON

Can you find him?

ILSA

He’ll find me. I’ve seen to that.

CONTINUED: (2)152 152

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 65.

EXT. ROOFTOP - WASHINGTON D.C. - DUSK153 153

Brandt stands with a panoramic view of the city behind

him. Wind roars as a helicopter touches down. A MAN

climbs out, carrying a duffle bag. REVEAL:

LUTHER STICKELL, his rough exterior concealing a

genuinely gentle disposition. They shout over the sound

of the engine.

LUTHER

What couldn’t you tell me over the

phone?

The helicopter takes off, drowning out their voices as

Luther is caught up.

BRANDT

The Chancellor of Austria has been

assassinated. We believe Ethan and

Benji were there. Hunley has

handed this over to Special

Activities Division. We have to

find Ethan before they do.

As the helicopter fades away, Luther’s expression

hardens.

LUTHER

Not interested.

BRANDT

Luther, listen-

LUTHER

Man, I know Ethan Hunt. I don’t

know you. Except that you work for

Hunley.

BRANDT

And I don’t know you, except that

you resigned.

Luther just stares. Brandt backs off.

BRANDT (CONT’D)

Let’s be honest. Neither one of us

is where he should be.

LUTHER

And you think running Ethan down

is the answer to that?

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 66.

BRANDT

I’m not asking for our sake. I’m

asking for his.

LUTHER

You don’t worry about Ethan.

They’re never gonna catch him.

BRANDT

They’re not out to catch him,

Luther. This is Hunley, we’re

talking about. The CIA.

That gives Luther pause.

BRANDT (CONT’D)

They’re going to kill him. Benji,

too. Unless we can find them

first.

Luther chews on this. Finally:

LUTHER

Understand something... Ethan is

my friend. If I doubt you for one

second whose side you’re really

on... I’ll take you out.

Brandt considers this, nods.

BRANDT

I believe you.

Luther ponders this, then:

LUTHER

Arright, what have I got to go on?

Brandt pulls two folded sheets of paper from his breast

pocket. Luther unfolds them to reveal:

Ethan’s hand-drawn sketches of Solomon and Ilsa.

BRANDT

Not much - and not a lot of time.

INT. SAFE HOUSE - VIENNA - NIGHT154 154

TIME CUT:

CONTINUED:153 153

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 67.

Benji has the lipstick USB drive plugged into a computer.

As Benji decrypts, images appear on the screen: a

schematic of a strange looking structure - something out

of science fiction.

BENJI

That’s interesting.

ETHAN

What is it?

BENJI

It’s a skiff. A secure computer

facility. Off-line, ultra

contained. Impossible to hack into

it from the outside. It’s

essentially a digital safe-deposit

box. Strange thing for a lady to

be carrying in her sundries.

ETHAN

Where is it located?

BENJI

Morocco.

ETHAN

Morocco.

EXT. CASABLANCA - DAY155 155

A city by the sea, a tangle of white-washed buildings and

a towering Mosque - the tallest in Africa.

INT. BMW X-5 - DAY156 156

Ethan drives, directed by the GPS.

ETHAN

You’re sure this is it?

BENJI

These were the coordinates in the

file.

EXT. VILLAGE - DAY157 157

Ethan brings the car to a stop and they climb out. They

find themselves on a sunbaked dirt road, mud-brick walls

on the other side, perhaps centuries old.

CONTINUED:154 154

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 68.

It’s quiet except for a GOATHERD and his goats meandering

by. Ethan and Benji walk, wondering where the hell they

are. They come to a door in the old wall and something

catches Ethan’s eye.

A piece of paper tacked to the door. A woman has used it

to blot her lipstick, leaving a mark like a kiss.

Ethan knocks. No answer. He reaches for the bolt. The

door opens. With an uncertain look from Benji, they enter

and walk up a flight of narrow stairs.

INT. MOROCCO SAFE-HOUSE - DAY158 158

They find themselves in an unexpected oasis - a

completely modern home inside, made to match the

surrounding village. We notice surf boards and the

associated gear along the wall.

Out back, through the wide open sliding glass, is a long

infinity pool, the desert and the mountains beyond.

Someone is swimming.

Ilsa emerges from the cool water, steps out. Dripping

wet, she reaches for a towel.

ILSA

And what brings you gentlemen to

Casablanca?

She extends a hand. Ethan pulls something from his pocket

- holds up her lipstick.

INT. MOROCCO SAFE-HOUSE - DAY159 159

The lipstick is on a table next to Ethan’s phone, showing

the image of Solomon Lane.

ILSA

His name is Solomon Lane. He

created the Syndicate.

ETHAN

Where does he come from?

ILSA

He’s former British Intelligence.

BENJI

Well then Hunley knows about Lane-

CONTINUED:157 157

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 69.

ETHAN

Maybe - or maybe not.

BENJI

If British Intelligence knows the

Syndicate exists, why don’t they

tell the CIA.

ETHAN

Because they don’t want anyone

knowing the Syndicate was created

by one of their own.

ILSA

I was send undercover to earn

Lane’s trust and eventually

identify the members of his

organization. For the first time

in two years I’m close to knowing

who they are.

She holds up the drive.

ILSA (CONT’D)

Lane had a ledger. It contained

the identities of his operatives,

his terrorist associates, the

entire inner workings of the

Syndicate. One of Lane’s agents

stole it, hoping to blackmail him.

He stored the ledger in a highly

secure computer facility, for safe

keeping. He died being

interrogated for the access code,

leaving Lane with a serious

problem.

ETHAN

The key to crushing Lane is

sitting in that computer just

waiting for someone to take it...

BENJI

So why hasn’t Lane just sent

someone to steal it?

ILSA

He did. He sent me and I can tell

you it’s impossible.

Ethan and Benji share a look. The game is afoot.

CONTINUED:159 159

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 70.

INT. MOROCCO SAFE-HOUSE - LATER160 160

The room is dark. A projector connected to a laptop beams

images on the far wall. It shows pictures and a blueprint

of the massive power plant.

Benji controls the display via a tablet, zooming through

photographs of the large, modernized facility. Buried

deep underneath the plant’s saucer-like control room is

the Skiff (Secure computer facility).

ILSA

The facility is hidden beneath the

local power plant under military

guard.

FLASH - What we see next is a live version of what Benji

proposes. These images rush by us as he speaks:

Images of soldiers and military vehicles around the

compound.

ILSA (CONT’D)

And the only way to access the

computer room is through the

central terminal located there.

The image of the central computer room where information

is accessed.

BENJI

That’s easy, we just impersonate

the agent who stole the ledger in

the first place - and I get to

wear a mask!

INT. SAFE-HOUSE BACK ROOM - DAY161 161

The mask machine makes a perfect copy of THE AGENT’S face

from a photograph. Being Benji’s fantasy, he wears the

mask, with Ethan helping him put it on.

EXT. POWER PLANT - DAY162 162

Benji, disguised as the agent, uses an ID to pass through

security, to the main building and:

INT. POWER PLANT - LOBBY - DAY163 163

Into the main reception area.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 71.

ILSA (V.O.)

Unfortunately, to reach the off-

line computer terminal, you also

need to pass the main gate, access

the elevator with fingerprint

recognition, and open three

separate combination locks...

BENJI

Yeah, but, suppose we can beat all

that, we’d be home free - right?

The first lock is a simple key cars to enter the lobby.

The second lock is a thumb print scanner to enter the

elevator.

INT. SECURITY CORRIDOR - DAY164 164

TWO SECURITY GUARDS man the corridor at the far end.

The corridor is curved with three glass partitions. Each

partition has a different lock.

In a series of jump cuts, Benji in his mask passes

through three doors, each one them relying on a specific

combination lock.

INT. SECURE COMPUTER LAB - DAY165 165

Masked Benji enters a secure computer lab. He sits at a

terminal and inserts a thumb drive.

ECU on the screen: FILES COPIED

[OMITTED]166 166

INT. SAFE HOUSE - BACK ROOM - DAY167 167

Ethan and Ilsa are waiting. The agent walks in, holds up

the drive and peels off his face revealing Benji,

triumphant.

INT. MOROCCO SAFE-HOUSE - DAY168 168

Back to Benji in front of the TV. Ilsa points at the

images of several security cameras.

CONTINUED:163 163

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 72.

ILSA

Even if you could make it past

every other security measure, you

won’t beat the last one. And

that’s because it’s protected by a

gait analysis - the next step

beyond facial recognition.

INT. SECURITY CORRIDOR - GATE ANALYSIS - DAY169 169

REVEAL: A second corridor at a right angle from the

security corridor.

This one is long and straight, occupied by a large body

scanner on a track. It follows disguised Benji as he

walks down the hall towards the computer room.

The Security Guards man a computer screen. The screen

analyzes Benji’s movements to determine he is really who

he claims to be.

ILSA (V.O.)

These cameras actually know how

our agent walks, how he talks, how

he moves, and down to his facial

tics.

On a screen somewhere, software analyzes his move,

flashing red.

The gate analysis array fires tasers at disguised Benji,

electrocuting him instantly.

Disguised Benji is grabbed by the two guards who rip off

his melting mask off.

BENJI (O.S.)

Yes, so what you’re saying is no

mask can beat it. We’re screwed

before we even reach the vault.

And I wind up in a Moroccan

prison.

INT. MOROCCO SAFE-HOUSE - DAY170 170

BENJI

I don’t get to wear a mask.

Ethan stares at the info before him, thinking. He turns

to Ilsa. She enjoys watching someone else wrestle with

the problem.

CONTINUED:168 168

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 73.

ETHAN

And there’s no other way into the

computer lab?

BENJI

No other way in.

ETHAN

Air shaft?

ILSA

Six inch diameter pipe.

ETHAN

Foundation?

ILSA

Twelve feet of concrete, top and

bottom.

Ethan and Benji look at each other.

ETHAN/BENJI

Electrical conduit.

BENJI

Bottom line: there’s no way into

that terminal unless your profile

is pre-installed in the security

system.

Long silence.

Benji walks across the room to the projector.

Ethan turns to Ilsa. She smiles: “now you’ve got it.”

Ethan turns to Benji:

ETHAN

Profiles? Where are the profiles

stored?

Ilsa studies the pair as they work. Benji searches, calls

up the blue print of the torus - a water-filled tank

shaped like the inside of a donut, twenty feet high. The

walls are lines with hundreds and hundreds of data

drives.

BENJI

All security data is stored off-

line in the liquid cooled array

here, in the Torus-

CONTINUED:170 170

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 74.

Benji taps the screen, zooms in.

ETHAN

Liquid cooled. You mean that thing

is under water.

ILSA/BENJI

Yes.

Ethan takes a beat.

ETHAN

So to get the ledger, one of us

needs to enter the torus and

chance the security profile so

that the other one can access the

computer without being caught...

That’s the only way.

ILSA

That’s the only way.

Ethan’s eye catches something on the torus wall. He

motions to it.

ETHAN

Can I get in to the torus through

there? What’s that?

ILSA

That’s the service hatch. Can’t be

opened from the outside, and even

if you could, you’d be hit with

seventy thousand gallons of

pressurized water.

Ethan walks behind Ilsa, thinking. Takes a beat.

ETHAN

Where does the water come from?

ILSA

Desalinized sea water flows

through an intake located inside

the power plant.

He points to large pool with a giant, gaping, steel and

concrete mouth in the center - a circular waterfall.

CONTINUED: (2)170 170

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 75.

BENJI

So: I have to make it past gait

analysis in order to access the

computer room and steal the

ledger.

ILSA

Exactly.

BENJI

For me to do that, all Ethan has

to do is enter the torus, install

my profile into the security

system and escape through the

service hatch.

ILSA

Unfortunately, an alarm will sound

automatically if any metal enters

the intake.

ETHAN

(realizing)

No oxygen tanks.

Not to be deterred...

BENJI

How long would it take to free-

swim from the intake to the

surface?

ILSA

Two minutes with the current at

full power.

BENJI

(to Ethan)

You just have to hold your breath

for two minutes.

ILSA

What about installing the security

profile.

BENJI

Which would take like - a minute -

tops.

ETHAN

(really thinking)

So I have to hold my breath for

three minutes.

CONTINUED: (3)170 170

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 76.

BENJI

You can do that.

ILSA

The thing you’re overlooking is

the physical exertion. The more

you exert yourself, the faster you

consume oxygen.

BENJI

Don’t worry about him, alright -

all he has to do is install the

fake profile before I reach the

gait analysis. It’s the only way -

you said it yourself. And that

doesn’t seem... impossible.

EXT. SAFE-HOUSE - ROOFTOP - DUSK171 171

A peaceful, shady oasis overlooking Casablanca and the

ocean beyond.

Ilsa sits facing the sea in quiet contemplation, her eyes

closed. Then:

ILSA

Do you ever wish you didn’t know

the things we know?

She opens her eyes turns to find: Ethan walking up behind

her. She sensed him there.

ETHAN

Not anymore.

He takes a seat behind her, looks out at the sea.

ILSA

I figure you have two and a half

minutes to make the switch. The

only way to conserve oxygen is to

minimize-

Ilsa is taken aback as Ethan interrupts:

ETHAN

Lane doesn’t really believe you

escaped from us in Vienna.

Ilsa is taken aback. Finally:

CONTINUED: (4)170 170

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 77.

ETHAN (CONT’D)

What aren’t you telling me? What

else does Lane want from you?

ILSA

Deliver the ledger. Deliver you.

ETHAN

What do you want to do?

Beat.

ILSA

We use the ledger to take apart

the Syndicate from the ground up.

We can hunt them down, one at a

time. Isolate Lane... And kill

him.

Ethan says nothing.

ETHAN

I wish I could, but that’s not

what I do.

ILSA

So what’s the play?

ETHAN

I don’t know yet. Let’s just try

to make it through tomorrow alive.

ILSA

Two and a half minutes. No longer.

ETHAN

That’s the plan...

INT. CIA WAR ROOM - WASHINGTON - DAY172 172

A glass enclosed office overlooking the fully functioning

war room.

One screen is tracing flight routes in real time from all

over the world. Luther sits in the center of the frame,

typing furiously. Brandt stands behind him.

BRANDT

DNA profiling, facial recognition,

gait analysis... drone strikes.

Drone surveillance.

(points)

CONTINUED:171 171

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 78.

And that guy can even read your

vital signs over your home wifi?

He knows you have a heart problem

before your doctor does.

He shakes his head as if to say: what have we become?

BRANDT (CONT’D)

(turns to Luther)

So how are we going to find Ethan

and Benji before they do?

Screens display security camera footage from all over the

world, blazing past in the blink of an eye.

LUTHER

I’m not even looking for them. I’m

looking for her.

BRANDT

What do you mean?

Luther motions to the sketches of Ilsa and Solomon.

LUTHER

Look at the sketches, Ethan is

telling us what he knows. What do

you see?

The sketch of Ilsa is undeniably more forgiving.

BRANDT

Well, he’s not exactly sure who

this guy is. But the woman...

(picks up sketch)

He knows her. He’s invested.

LUTHER

He trusts her. I’m betting he’s

already with her, or he’s on his

way. Find her, find Ethan.

BRANDT

Tell me it’s possible to pull

facial recognition from a sketch?

LUTHER

For mere mortals? No. But me... I

could’a done this from home.

BRANDT

How long is this going to take.

CONTINUED:172 172

BRANDT (CONT'D)

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 79.

He types a few keys and a dossier opens. Luther hits a

button and an image file opens.

As Luther reads:

LUTHER

Found her.

BRANDT

Where?

LUTHER

Not where she is. It’s who she is?

She’s bad news.

On the screen, we see Ilsa’s face and her file. She’s

British Intelligence, all right. At least she was. Her

image is stamped in bright red letters:

WANTED: TARGET OF OPPORTUNITY

EXT. SKIFF - PRE-DAWN173 173

Establishing the fortress-like perimeter around the

facility.

EXT. SKIES ABOVE CASABLANCA - PRE-DAWN174 174

Looking straight down at the power plant from high above,

two skydivers free-fall past camera...

[OMITTED]175 175

EXT. POWER PLANT - ROOFTOP - PRE-DAWN176 176

ECU on a small security camera. A dart hits it. A red

light on the camera dies. Two pairs of feet sail into

frame from above as:

Ethan and Ilsa touchdown, skid on the gravel surface and

haul in their chutes.

EXT. MAIN GATE - DAY177 177

Establishing as Benji pulls up to the security gate in a

BMW M3.

CONTINUED: (2)172 172

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 80.

INT. MAIN GATE GUARD HOUSE - DAY178 178

A wall with 12 monitors, each split into four windows,

displaying the feed from security cameras all over the

plant.

The DUTY GUARD in military garb, armed with a machine

gun, stands, pausing when he notices a single window on

the monitor go dark.

He makes a note, heads out to greet Benji.

EXT. ROOFTOP SKYLIGHT - DAY179 179

Ethan approaches one of the windows and produces a small,

palm sized device. It emits a high-pitched noise when

activated. Ilsa covers her ears.

Ethan holds the device in his palm, placing it on the

glass. The device fires a shockwave of energy and:

The window is pulverized into sand, revealing a gantry

just ten feet below. This is suspended 100 feet off the

floor of the power plant.

EXT. GUARD HOUSE - DAY180 180

Benji hands the officer an ID with his picture on it. The

guard swipes it as we:

Focus on the BMW’s GPS display. Benji presses an icon on

the screen. A readout displays the car’s ability to

hijack the card reader.

A moment later, Benji is cleared and waved through as:

EXT. ROOFTOP - DAY181 181

Ilsa slips through the shattered window and onto the

gantry below.

BENJI (ON COMM)

I am through the front gate,

heading to reception.

Ethan turns back, aims a small remote at the security

camera. Click.

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 81.

INT. GUARD HOUSE - DAY182 182

The guard comes back in, about to address that glitchy

monitor when it comes back on, showing the rooftop,

empty.

[OMITTED]183 183

INT. POWER PLANT - GANTRY - DAY184 184

Arc welders, angle grinders, sparks and atmosphere, the

deafening hum of generators.

Ethan and Ilsa scale down to a lower portion of the

gantry where they are hidden from the floor below.

Ilsa patches in the laptop as Ethan strips off his jump

suit to reveal a wet-suit underneath. He slips on a pair

of fingerless gloves - the right one bearing a timer and

O2 meter.

When he inhales deeply, the O2 meter rises swiftly, then

slowly falls.

The same information shows up on Ilsa’s laptop.

Ethan sets his timer for three minutes. Ilsa synchronizes

a timer on her laptop.

Ethan removes a hard drive from his overalls. He stuffs

it in a pocket on one leg of his wet-suit. In the

opposite pocket he checks for a special folding tool made

of carbon fiber.

Ilsa opens a laptop and goes to work patching into an

electrical main. The laptop screen comes alive:

INTAKE VALVE CONTROL - 80%

A graphic demonstrates animated water pouring into a

circular intake as well as a graphic showing the torus -

it’s mechanical arms periodically moving.

Another display indicates:

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 82.

INT. SEDAN - DAY185 185

Luther and Brandt drive. Luther has a computer on his

lap. He is checking the security cameras of every hotel

in Morocco. So far, nothing...

[OMITTED]186 186

INT. INTAKE FACILITY - DAY187 187

The gantry slowly moves as:

ILSA

One more time: You have two and a

half minutes to switch the

security profile. Thirty seconds

to reach the surface.

[OMITTED]188 188

INT. POWER PLANT - GANTRY/INT. LOBBY - DAY189 189

Benji enters the lobby via a revolving door and moves to

the first layer of security.

BENJI

Important note: If you haven’t

switched that profile before I

reach the last gate, I’m dead.

He nods to a SECURITY GUARD behind the reception desk and

walks to a small gate. He flashes his ID and waves it

over a sensor on the gate.

ECU on the ID itself. We notice a wire attached to the

card, running up Benji’s sleeve.

A green light flashes and Benji is allowed to enter.

ILSA

Conserve oxygen. No unnecessary

physical exertion.

BENJI

Don’t move a muscle if you don’t

have to.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 83.

ILSA

Just switch the profiles and get

out.

BENJI

Remember. It’s not over when you

open the service hatch.

ILSA

Leave yourself enough time to

reach the surface.

He makes his way to the elevator at the end of the lobby

and presses his thumb on the sensor there.

ECU on Benji’s thumb and a small wire protruding from

under the false flash there, also running up his sleeve.

BENJI

If you’re not opening that hatch

in two and a half minutes, you’re

dead. Assuming... you can hold

your breath for three minutes, I

mean.

Ethan ignores this, swallowing air as he does so, his

blood O2 rising. He looks down at the intake, inhaling

tens of thousands of gallons of water every second.

Merciless.

ILSA

The current will carry you to the

torus. Once you’re there, I’ll

shut it down. You’ll have two

minutes before it automatically

restarts.

The elevator opens. Benji enters.

BENJI

You do not want to be in the torus

when that happens. Believe me.

ILSA

Thank you, Benji.

I.E. Shut the fuck up, Benji.

BENJI

I’m in the elevator.

Ethan is still inhaling, trying to shut out the noise.

CONTINUED:189 189

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 84.

ILSA

Remember... It’s at least thirty

from the service hatch to the

surface. If you haven’t made the

switch by the time your readout

turns red, abort.

Ethan nods, keeps breathing. Ilsa taps a few more keys

and:

INT. INTAKE FACILITY - ATOP GANTRY - DAY190 190

The gantry stops. A section of the floor opens, revealing

the intake, one hundred feet below - a giant, gaping,

steel and concrete mouth, inhaling thousands of gallons

of seawater every second.

The gantry is passing over it as the huge floor sections

slide away. Ethan breathes deeply, in and out,

oxygenating his blood.

He presses the button on his watch and sets it to three

minutes.

A clock on Ilsa’s tablet reads three minutes as well. She

can also see Ethan’s heart rate and his blood’s O2

levels.

Ethan nods, turns to leave. Ilsa grabs his arm, stops

him. She cannot hide her anxiety anymore. Ethan nods to

her reassuringly and goes.

Ethan climbs up onto the railing and jumps. He plummets

away from the camera, entering the roaring intake feet

first and:

INT. INTAKE - DAY191 191

The sound of the roaring intake facility is replaced by a

constant, muffled thunder. We’re looking up at a curtain

of violently churning white. A blue light and a

crystallin particles sterilize the water.

Ethan plunges through it, sinking rapidly.

PAN WITH HIM as he streaks past, sucked into a large

steel mesh tunnel and the blue light beyond. The clock on

his hand counts down:

2:51

CONTINUED: (2)189 189

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 85.

INT. GANTRY - DAY192 192

Ilsa’s clock corresponds. Ethan’s heart rate returns to

normal.

INT. INTAKE TUNNEL - DAY193 193

Quieter now. Ethan descends feet first, pinching his nose

to clear his ears. He looks down at his clock.

2:45

Other than this, he remains perfectly still to conserve

oxygen.

INT. GANTRY - DAY194 194

Ilsa checks Ethan’s vitals, the clock...

INT. INTAKE TUNNEL - DAY195 195

2:30

Ethan arrives at:

INT. TORUS196 196

The current whips Ethan around like a sock in a washing

machine. He finally manages to grab a hold of the side.

The current pins him. Meanwhile:

INT. GANTRY - DAY197 197

Ilsa looks down at her watch, taps controls on her

laptop. After a few seconds, the display is in her

control.

<REBOOT> appears on screen. She presses it.

The display shuts down and reboots, as expected.

INT. FACILITY - MAIN CONTROL ROOM - DAY198 198

Not unlike the control room in a nuclear power plant:

A large, brightly lit room with a circular console in the

middle manned by SIX TECHNICIANS in white overalls.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 86.

The walls are covered floor-to-ceiling with analogue and

digital gauges, colored lights and monitor screens. Every

function of the facility is monitored here.

A single red light comes on. This causes a chain

reaction. Several more red lights flash. All six

technicians look up from their work. While they are not

immediately alarmed, they are not dismissive.

TECHNICIAN 1

What’s the problem?

TECHNICIAN 2

The cooling system is rebooting.

By itself.

TECHNICIAN 1

Power surge maybe.

Technician 2 shrugs.

TECHNICIAN 2

Let me know when it’s back up.

They go back to their work.

INT. CORRIDOR - DAY199 199

Benji emerges from the elevator into the security

corridor.

He moves to the first combination dial lock.

Using his body to block the dial from view, Benji fixes a

small device in the center of the dial.

The device transmits an X-ray image of the lock itself.

Benji can see the tumblers in the lock on his without

even looking at the numbers.

INT. TORUS200 200

Complete silence, eerie blue light. Particles in the

water betray the gentle, circular current while giving

the impression of being inside a giant snow globe.

Hard drives line the walls, containing hundreds of

numbered drives. Ethan drifts with the slowing current,

conserving O2, looking for 108. He has to be careful to

avoid:

CONTINUED:198 198

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 87.

The two robotic arms - one high and one low - moving

elegantly through the space in their never-ending process

of maintenance.

Ethan notes the service hatch. His way out. His eyes

track the drives on the wall, 98, 99...

Up ahead he sees 108. He grabs hold and takes the tool

from his pocket.

Movement out of the corner of his eyes. He ducks as the

high arm whips past, just missing his head.

2:01 and counting down. At 2 minutes the numbers on his

watch turn from green to yellow.

INT. GANTRY - DAY201 201

Ilsa notes Ethan’s heart-rate increasing.

INT. CORRIDOR - DOOR 2 - DAY202 202

Benji arrives at the second combination lock. He attaches

the device and goes to work as the first.

INT. TORUS203 203

ETHAN’S WATCH: 1:31 and dropping. Heart rate increasing.

Ethan removes the cover. He pulls out the drive, puts it

between his teeth and pulls out the replacement drive. He

holds it up as:

The low arm comes up behind him and knocks into him on

its way past, taking him with it. The tool sinks to the

bottom. Shit.

INT. CORRIDOR - DAY 3 - DAY204 204

Benji approaches the final combination lock. His moves

are familiar to us now as he gets to work.

[OMITTED]205 205

CONTINUED:200 200

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 88.

INT. GANTRY - DAY206 206

Ilsa notes Ethan’s heart-rate spiking sharply. The noise

of rushing water below confirm what the screen is telling

her:

INTAKE REBOOTING

1:00

The display reads:

ILSA

No-no-no-no-no...

INT. INTAKE FACILITY - DAY207 207

The mouth of the intake submerges completely. Water

rushes in.

INT. TORUS208 208

ONE CONTINUOUS TAKE:

The numbers on Ethan’s watch are red. Ethan swims down,

noticing the speed of the particles in the water around

him is increasing...

He notices he’s drifting along the bottom, gaining speed.

He grips the bottom of the torus and crawls to the two

drives, grabs one, but as he reaches for the second it is

caught by the current and swept away.

Ethan is carried with the current, chasing the drive. He

struggles to reach the drive as it floats just out of

reach. Finally he grabs it.

He floats past the hatch and, once again, arrives at Slot

108, overshoots it.

He grabs hold and slams into the side of the torus. He

uses the other slots like rungs on a latter to pull

himself towards 108. It takes tremendous effort.

Ethan arrives at 108, looks at the two identical drives

in his hand. He looks at his watch.

0:10

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 89.

- then over at the service hatch, his way out for the

drives in his teeth.

He looks back at the two identical drives in his hand.

His air is out. He puts one drive in, not knowing whether

it is the right one.

0:00

The hatch light turns from red to blue.

Ethan starts to pass out as he is swept away toward the

service hatch, coming up fast. He reaches for the lever,

misses. He manages to grab hold of one of the spikes on

the wall.

INT. CORRIDOR - DAY 3209 209

Benji arrives at the last security barrier: gate

analysis. Here, the corridor turns right to a long,

straight corridor - the computer lab at the far end.

He presses a button and glass doors open. At the same

time, the gate analysis array slides toward him on a

track. Benji’s eyes lock on the tazers mounted on both

sides of the array - ready to shock him.

He steps inside to an uncertain fate.

INT. GANTRY - DAY210 210

On Ilsa’s display:

SERVICE HATCH: SECURE

The computer reboots. The display restored. The humming

of the generators decreases.

The clock reads 9...8...7...6...

Heart rate pounding.

INT. FACILITY - MAIN CONTROL ROOM - DAY211 211

TECHNICIAN 2

The cooling system is at full

power. All systems normal.

A technician notices on a security camera:

CONTINUED:208 208

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 90.

TECHNICIAN

Why is the intake open?

TECHNICIAN 3

I don’t know.

TECHNICIAN

Well close it.

Technician 3 hits a button.

INT. TORUS212 212

Ethan manages to grab the service hatch lever. His face

shows the strain. He is completely out of air.

He heaves the lever into position but before he can give

it the final twists... He blacks out. His hands slip from

the lever and he is carried away...

[OMITTED]213 213

INT. INTAKE FACILITY - DAY214 214

The intake remains submerged, sucking in water.

But the giant floor begins to close. TILT UP TO REVEAL:

INT. INTAKE FACILITY - ATOP GANTRY - DAY215 215

Ilsa, directly over the hole sees the floor is closing.

No time to consider her next move.

She jumps, falling toward an ever narrowing gap of steel

and concrete. She drops into the gap with inches to

spare. The floor slams shut.

INT. INTAKE - DAY216 216

That curtain of violently churning white. The blue light.

Ilsa plunges through it, sinking rapidly.

INT. INTAKE TUNNEL - DAY217 217

She rockets past and is-

CONTINUED:211 211

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 91.

INT. TORUS218 218

- shot into the torus like a bullet. She sees Ethan’s

body orbiting around the center pedestal. She swims with

the current, trying to catch him.

Her face shows the strain already, this exertion

consuming oxygen rapidly.

She grabs Ethan’s motionless, heavy form and wraps her

legs around his waist, keeping her hands free.

With no mask, she has to feel blindly for the service

hatch. She has to hope.

CLOSE ON: The extended service hatch handle. Ethan and

Ilsa whip past, her hand missing by several feet.

CLOSE ON: Ilsa’s hand, camera following it, the handle

coming up fast in the background. Her fingers find it,

but her grip misses.

CLOSE ON: Ilsa’s face, frustration turning to panic.

CLOSE ON: Ilsa’s hand, camera leading it, fingertips

skimming along the outer wall of the torus past drive

after drive. Milk it. Then:

Her hand finds the lever. She grabs it. Her eyes roll...

She’s blacking out.

Her body and Ethan’s are slammed against the wall of the

torus. Her legs strain to hold on to Ethan. With both

hands she pulls them both in front of the hatch and

turns.

Her body goes limp and her legs release Ethan as:

The hatch blows. An instantaneous implosion of air

engulfs them before the pressure of the water blows them

both out.

INT. CISTERN - DAY219 219

BLACK.

A long, interminable silence, giving way to a high pitch

whine, like a ringing in your ears, growing louder...

And then:

ZZZZ-THUNK

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 92.

Ethan’s eyes spring open. He gasps, coughs, gags.

The first thing he sees is Ilsa, wet, shivering, slightly

blue. Her trembling hands told a defibrillator - charging

in case she has to hit him again.

When Ethan inhales a second time, she sits back,

relieved. She puts down the defibrillator and looks down

at Ethan. He puts his hand to her face.

Benji runs down the stairs.

BENJI

I knew you could do it - three

minutes is nothing. I have to

confess, I had this terrible

feeling you weren’t going to m-

He suddenly sees Ethan and stops.

BENJI (CONT’D)

What happened? Is he ok?

Benji takes in the scene - the defibrillator, Ilsa

soaking wet and shivering. He realizes, pulls her clothes

from the bag. As she takes them:

BENJI (CONT’D)

I misjudged you.

Ilsa nods, turns her back to change. Benji steps in and

takes her place beside Ethan.

BENJI (CONT’D)

Hey buddy - you ok?

ETHAN

Benji - what are you doing here?

BENJI

You’re going to be fine. Just a

bit of sunshine, you’ll be good as

new.

Benji holds up the drive.

BENJI (CONT’D)

We got it. I knew we would get it.

As she pulls on her dress, Ilsa looks over her shoulder

and eyes the disc. Ethan tries to speak:

CONTINUED:219 219

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 93.

BENJI (CONT’D)

I really appreciate everything

you’ve done for me but, seriously,

one of these days you’re going to

take things too far.

Benji tries to laugh. Ethan tries to say something but

can’t. Benji’s smile gives way to sincerity.

BENJI (CONT’D)

I owe you my life, man. Thank you.

(holds up the disc)

We got it. We’re gonna get this

bastard.

Ethan’s eyes widen as:

ZZZZ-THUNK - Ilsa shocks Benji with the defibrillator,

stunning him. She grabs the drive. Ethan tries to grab

it, but he can’t get up.

She exits.

TIME CUT:

Ethan staggers to his feet. Benji is coming to -

ETHAN

Tell me you put the tracker on the

disc?

EXT. MEDINA - DAY220 220

Ilsa emerges through a doorway. Runs to Ethan’s BMW, and

tries to open the door - it’s locked and she can’t open

it. The hand recognition system does not allow her

access.

She is suddenly aware of a man in biker leather

approaching her.

LEAD MAN

Where’s Hunt?

She looks around. Another biker steps up, closing off her

access.

ILSA

He’s dead.

She follows the LEAD MAN out.

CONTINUED: (2)219 219

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 94.

EXT. ALLEY - DAY221 221

Ethan emerges from a doorway, having pulled on a change

of clothes. She’s gone. Benji emerges behind him. Ethan

rushes to a waiting BMW, opens it.

Ethan moves to get in the car. Benji stops him.

BENJI

Are you sure you’re OK to drive? A

minute ago you were dead.

ETHAN

What are you talking about?

Ethan gets in behind the wheel. Benji sighs and gets into

the passenger seat.

BENJI

This is not going to end well.

TIME CUT: as the BMW speeds way, bumping the parked car

behind as they go.

INT./EXT. MEDINA - BACK ALLEY - DAY222 222

BEAT LATER: Ilsa, now changed into biker leathers, zips

up her boots as she glances at the bikers surrounding

her.

The riders watch her as she gets on her bike, putting on

her helmet and gloves.

The bikers start revving their bikes. Ilsa makes her

decision. She guns the throttle and speeds towards the

bikers, turning 180 degrees taking out the bikes, and

takes off.

EXT. MEDINA - VARIOUS - DAY223 223

The walls are bone white, the streets are cobblestone.

There is not a soul in sight.

Ethan and Benji in the BMW drive up a narrow street, they

see Ilsa riding straight towards them.

BENJI

There she is!

Ilsa spins the bike one-eighty degrees and heads back the

way she came, chased by the BMW.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 95.

The streets are narrow, but not narrow enough. Ilsa isn’t

going to shake Ethan in this environment.

Ilsa turns a sharp left corner. The BMW drifts round the

corner, chasing towards...

EXT. STEPS - MEDINA - DAY224 224

Ilsa emerges from the medina and turns down a long set of

stairs. Ethan rounds the same corner, drifting down the

stairs almost sideways.

The stairs slope down gradually toward the busy inner

city of Casablanca’s marker: Jewish Quarter.

EXT. STREET - JEWISH QUARTER - DAY225 225

Luther and Brandt are driving through Casablanca, looking

for Ethan - a needle in a haystack.

Luther and Brandt bicker.

BRANDT

I thought you said you could find

him.

LUTHER

I said I was going to locate him.

You have to find him.

Suddenly Brandt slams on his brakes as Ilsa streaks past

him out of an alley, followed by Ethan and Benji in the

BMW.

Ethan makes eyes contact with Brandt before gunning the

engine and chasing after Ilsa.

BRANDT

Found him.

Brandt tries give chase, as another six bikes streak

round the Land Rover, slowing them down.

The difficulty in turning around is hopeless. They are

out of the fight before they even start.

BRANDT (CONT’D)

You just had to the get the four

by four, didn’t you! - Look out!

It’s a high speed chase!

CONTINUED:223 223

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 96.

LUTHER

You want me to drive?

[OMITTED]226 226

EXT. STREET - JEWISH QUARTER - DAY227 227

Ilsa on a straightaway, the BMW chasing Ilsa. All six

bikers chasing behind the BMW.

Ilsa looks back, flips down her visor and guns it.

One biker overtakes the BMW, slipping in between the BMW

and Ilsa and rises his gun - has a bead on her.

Ethan accelerates and clips the back wheel of the biker

chasing Ilsa, wiping him out. Now there are five Bikers

chasing the BMW. Ethan closes the distance rapidly.

[OMITTED]228 228

EXT. STREET - JEWISH QUARTER - DAY229 229

The FIVE BIKERS chasing Ethan draw their guns and

immediately open fire.

KAKAKAKA. The back window explodes from small-arms fire.

Ethan looks at his wing mirror in time to see it explode.

He ducks as the bullets fly past, hitting his headrest.

The main rear-view mirror explodes. Benji covers his

head.

Ethan has no choice. He evades, turns down a side street.

Two bikes carry on forward chasing Ilsa. Three bikes turn

the corner, chasing Ethan and Benji in the BMW.

EXT. SIDE-STREET - JEWISH QUARTER - DAY230 230

The speed picks up and the turns are more aggressive.

INT. BMW - DAY231 231

Ethan hits a button on the dash and the GPS switches to

REAR-VIEW CAMERA.

CONTINUED:225 225

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 97.

EXT. SIDE STREETS - VARIOUS - JEWISH QUARTER - DAY232 232

The three bikers chasing him try to get a bead, but Ethan

is too slippery. As long as he keeps moving and turning,

his pursuers have to keep both hands busy while driving.

EXT. NARROW STREET - DAY233 233

A tight space - just enough room for incoming cars to

move past. Ethan is going like hell - no more mirrors to

see how close his attackers may be.

INT. BMW - DAY234 234

Up ahead, Ethan sees a garbage truck coming, taking up

most of they alley, laying on the horn.

BENJI

We’re not going to make it. We’re

not going to make it.

PROXIMITY WARNING on the display. The bikes are

approaching on either side of the car - two on his left,

one on his right. Ethan gauges the proximity warning on

his screen and the oncoming truck.

He slams on the breaks and cranks the wheel.

EXT. NARROW STREET - DAY235 235

The BMW spins count clockwise. The front two bikes are

instantly crushed against the alley walls by Ethan’s

bumpers. One rider ends up on Ethan’s hood. He aims to

shoot at Ethan and Benji as:

The truck hits the spinning BMW’s right fender and

The car snaps into full reverse. The Rider on Ethan’s

hood is thrown off and into the alley wall.

INT. BMW - DAY236 236

One Bike remains, accelerating, leveling his weapon.

Ethan is driving in reverse. He tries to hit the breaks,

but they’re gone. With no other choice, he keeps the BMW

in reverse and punches it.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 98.

The rider opens fire. Benji hits the deck. Ethan’s

windshield spiderwebs and turns opaque. He ducks behind

the dash.

EXT. T-SECTION - DAY237 237

The BMW is going full-bore, in reverse, bashing through a

guard-rail and over a steep embankment. We’re airborne

for an agonizing long time before:

IMPACT. The BMW slams down to earth squarely on its rear

bumper.

INT. BMW - DAY238 238

With Ethan and Benji as the BMW flips end over end.

INT. BMW - DAY239 239

Benji is out cold. Already not in the peak form before

the chance, Ethan struggles to pull himself from the

overturned and utterly wrecked car. The sound of an

approaching motorcycle renews his focus. He tries to move

faster, but he’s trapped. As he struggles:

Ethan’s P.O.V. A low angle, upside down. Ethan sees the

motorcycle come to a stop. He sees the rider’s boots as

he dismounts, walking this way. The rider draws his

weapon. The sound of Ethan’s doom.

Then a screeching of tires.

The rider turns and is hit by a car - his boots flying

out of frame. The sound of two car doors opening. The

sight of two pairs of feet approaching.

Brandt kneels down, sticking his head in the window.

BRANDT

You good?

ETHAN

It kinda got out of hand.

Ethan unclips his seatbelt and climbs out of the back.

Brandt helps him out. Ethan emerges from the car, shaken,

dazed.

Brandt and Luther rush round the car to help Benji, who

can’t undo his belt.

CONTINUED:236 236

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 99.

Ethan looks up to see Ilsa race down the street from the

Jewish Quarter, chased by two Bikers.

He grabs his sunglasses, still intact after crash and

heads for the bike.

Meanwhile, Brandt pulls out a knife, and tries to cut

Benji’s seatbelt.

New tension. The sound of police sirens approaching.

The sound of a motorcycle revving. Brandt and Luther turn

in time to see Ethan racing away on the dead man’s bike.

Brandt drops the knife and they turn for the car.

BENJI

WAIT! Where are you going? Don’t

leave.

Benji sees them take off.

BENJI (CONT’D)

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

(tries to reach the

knife)

You could’ve dropped it closer!

[OMITTED]240 240

EXT. HIGHWAY - DAY241 241

Ilsa merges onto the open highway, medium traffic. She is

still being followed by the two bikes.

She throttles faster now, speeds exceeding 100 mph.

EXT. WINDING ROAD - DAY242 242

Ilsa and her two pursuers whiz past as:

Enter Ethan, gunning the bike up the highway in fast

pursuit.

EXT. HIGHWAY - ILSA - DAY243 243

Ilsa looks in her rearview mirror to see Ethan behind the

two riders. She shakes her head. These guys just don’t

stop.

CONTINUED:239 239

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 100.

EXT. HIGHWAY - BLACK BIKES - DAY244 244

One rider notices Ethan in his mirror. He signals to his

partner. “We have company.”

The second Rider nods, grabs his pistol and slows down to

allow Ethan to catch up.

EXT. HIGHWAY - ETHAN - DAY245 245

Ethan at max speed, catching up, threading the needle

through slower cars, trucks.

EXT. HIGHWAY - ETHAN / ILSA / RIDERS - DAY246 246

NEW HIGHWAY ACTION - Ilsa causes accident, one biker

crashes and Ethan avoids.

EXT. HIGHWAY - WRONG WAY - DAY247 247

Two 18 wheelers approach, side-by-side. Ethan passes

between them with inches to spare.

EXT. HIGHWAY - RIGHT WAY - DAY248 248

He falls in just behind the last bike just as Ilsa banks

hard, just making an off-ramp - the last biker makes the

turn with ease.

Ethan cuts off a speeding car and makes it by a hair.

EXT. MOUNTAIN ROADS - DAY249 249

Down to just two lanes. The road here is windy,

treacherous, a steep drop down one side.

The countryside is red and rocky, punctuated by ancient

mud-brick villages.

Only the occasional car passes, but on these roads,

that’s more than enough. Cars tend to straddle the line

on the narrow turns, appearing without warning from

around a sudden turn.

Ethan catches up to the rear bike. They are side-by-side

as they lean into a turn. Ethan’s on the inside, just

inches from the rider beside him.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 101.

Ethan brings his bike upright, nudging the biker beside

him. At this speed, it’s all you need.

The last biker wobbles, struggles to regain control. He

hits a guardrail at 80 MPH. The biker slams into a stone

wall.

His bike explodes on impact.

Now it’s just Ethan and Ilsa. But she’s gained separation

The road opens up. She pours on the speed. On his own

turns, Ethan follows.

CLOSE ON: Ethan, his face rippling in the wind high.

EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD - ETHAN - DAY250 250

Just Ethan now. He pushes the bike as hard as he dares,

going as fast as he can.

ETHAN’S P.O.V. the rocks and trees blurring into swaths

of red and green. The road seems to vibrate. We expect to

see Ilsa any second. What he doesn’t expect...

He leans into a curve to find:

An oncoming truck, straddling the line in the road. Ethan

reacts. Breaks, turns, too hard. He dumps the bike and

winds up sliding on his back, feet first - a human

bullet. The bike hits debris in the road and suddenly

flips up in the air, cart-wheeling violently,

disintegrating as it spins, kicking up dust. Ethan slides

into the cloud of debris a beat later and vanishes from

view. We go after him, into the cloud, flying blind.

Silence.

The smoke clears slowly, painfully. Ethan emerges,

battered and staggering. He wipes the dust from his eyes

in time to see Ilsa driving past, heading back the way

she came. She flips up her visor and we see the relief in

her eyes. He is alive. And he’s finished.

She flips back her visor and accelerates. Gone. Ethan

flops back in the dirt, wasted.

After a moment, a car drives past, stops, backs up. The

back door opens and Solomon Lane climbs out, followed by

TWO MEN. Lane approaches Ethan, crouches down to come

closer.

CONTINUED:249 249

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 102.

LANE

You need to learn to let go, my

friend.

Ethan tries to sit up. Lane pushes him back down gently.

LANE (CONT’D)

No, you stay still. You may have

broken something.

Lane keeps his hand on Ethan’s chest.

LANE (CONT’D)

Your mission, should you choose to

accept it... I’m curious... Did

you ever choose not to? Did you

ever question who was giving the

orders or why?

(off his look)

And what is your reward for years

of loyal service? When it suits

them, they cast you aside. I would

never do that to you Ethan.

Lane walks away, looks down the road in the direction

Ilsa left. Ethan sits up painfully.

LANE (CONT’D)

If it’s any consolation, she did

it for your sake. But there’s

nothing out there for her now.

She’ll have to come back. It’s

inevitable.

(looks back to Ethan)

She’ll keep telling herself she’s

playing the part. But you and I

both know that’s just a slippery

slope. One day she’ll wake up and

find herself on my side.

(back to Ethan)

And so will you.

(off Ethan’s look)

Oh, I don’t expect it to happen

all at once. Volunteers are

zealots. Fanatics. That sort of

thinking clouds the mind. No, I

want converts. People from whom

there’s simply nothing left.

Self-radicalized.

Lane crouches at Ethan’s feet.

CONTINUED:250 250

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 103.

LANE (CONT’D)

You’re already on your way. I sent

Ilsa to kill the Chancellor. But

you shot him? You can tell

yourself you were trying to save

his life. But he was a bad guy,

Ethan. Part of a corrupt and

crumbling system. One you’ve had a

hand in perpetuating. One you’ve

long-since ceased to question. He

had to be dealt with. And if you’d

fired a few inches to the left...

he’d be just as dead. But his wife

would still be alive.

As Ethan processes.

LANE (CONT’D)

It hurts, I know. The first one is

the hardest. But the pain you feel

is your own shell breaking.

He turns and walks away. His men follow.

LANE (CONT’D)

The next time we speak, I’ll have

a job for you. And for the sake of

others, you’ll do it. Deep down,

you may even want to. After all,

I’m not out to break you Ethan.

I’m out to see you free.

EXT. ROADSIDE BAR - OUTSIDE MOROCCO - DAY251 251

A beat-up truck pulls up and stops. Ethan painfully and

slowly climbs from the passenger seat. A small wave to

say thanks.

INT. ROADSIDE BAR - OUTSIDE MOROCCO - DAY252 252

A place with some character, local color, a little live

music.

Ethan sits at a table and stares into space. A half drunk

beer in his hand.

THROUGH THE DOOR BEHIND HIM: A familiar vehicle pulls up

outside.

CONTINUED: (2)250 250

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 104.

Luther and Brandt walk in, see Ethan and sit at the

table. Ethan looks at Luther. The two old friends share a

bittersweet smile.

ETHAN

He was right in front of me. I

know who he is.

Luther looks around, leans in to Ethan.

BRANDT

You know we gotta take you in.

LUTHER

You ready?

ETHAN

(nods)

I’m ready.

EXT. AMERICAN EMBASSY - MOROCCO - DAY253 253

Establishing America’s local patch of turf.

INT. AMERICAN EMBASSY - WAR ROOM - DAY254 254

A large reception area has been converted into a CIA

field office. Large monitors show real-time satellite

surveillance. There are even TWO DRONE PILOTS at work.

In the center of this hive is Hunley, papers in one hand,

a phone in the other. He hands up as Brandt and Luther

escort a handcuffed Ethan into the room.

CLOSE UP on hand-cuffs, Ethan drops down into a chair and

we see that it is Ethan who is in cuffs. Luther and

Brandt’s hands guide Ethan into his chair. They move off

to the side, clearly embarrassed at the awkwardness of

the situation.

Hunley saunters all the way down the very long corridor.

HUNLEY

Ethan Hunt. It’s an honor to

finally meet you face-to-face.

CONTINUED:252 252

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 105.

You’ve had a very busy weekend -

participating in the assassination

of the Austrian Chancellor,

drafting a former colleague into

an imaginary witch-hunt, breaking

into a secure computer facility

and streaking down a Moroccan

highway doing a buck-eighty on a

motorcycle with no helmet. You,

sir, have single-handedly

redefined the term covert

operative.

Ethan moves to speak, but Hunley is quicker:

HUNLEY (CONT’D)

And yet I owe you an apology. See,

I was convinced the Syndicate was

a ruse created entirely by you.

But you know what makes the CIA

great? Why we’ll always win?

Because we confront something no

one else can: Truth. We face it,

no matter how ugly. We accept it,

no matter how hard. And we deal

with it, no matter what it takes.

And the truth is, I was wrong...

The Syndicate isn’t a figment of

your imagination after all. It’s a

figment of hers.

He opens a manila file and holds up a piece of paper.

Ilsa’s image, along with the words:

WANTED: TARGET OF OPPORTUNITY

HUNLEY (CONT’D)

Ilsa Faust. Former British

Intelligence.

(off Ethan’s look)

Oh, did she not mention the former

part? She was disavowed.

ETHAN

It’s a cover.

HUNLEY

You don’t think I made that

assumption Hunt? I’ve been a spy

since you were eating lunch out of

a paper bag on the playground.

CONTINUED:254 254

HUNLEY (CONT'D)

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 106.

Being the courteous sort, I put in

a call to my British counterpart

before targeting one of his own.

Seems the Brits have been just a

half-step behind her since she

took her skills to the open market

- saboteur, assassin, you name it.

In fact, the more they told me

about this woman, the more

familiar her story sounded...

Hunley holds up another piece of paper. A photograph of

Ethan’s pyramid of evidence appears. Evidence collected

in places Hunley is listing...

HUNLEY (CONT’D)

Jakarta, Manila, the Bosphorus...

Every one of the attacks you

attribute to the Syndicate. She

was there.

ETHAN

Because she was after the same man

I am. The man you should be

looking for right now. Neither one

of us is equipped to fight this

guy alone.

HUNLEY

Hunt, are you familiar with the

term confirmation bias?

ETHAN

It’s the tendency of the human

mind to focus only on facts that

support a foregone conclusion.

HUNLEY

You destroyed your entire life

trying to prove there’s a

Syndicate. But the truth... The

truth is it was just her. A woman

who had your number from day one.

Her own people confirmed it. And

the Brits didn’t just give me the

green light to take her out, they

signed it Tally Ho.

ETHAN

I came here today because I

believe you’re a good man-

CONTINUED: (2)254 254

HUNLEY (CONT'D)

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 107.

HUNLEY

Came here? You must’ve fall off

that motorbike pretty hard. You

were captured and brought here.

Because Brandt and Stickell were

smart enough to pick the winning

side.. More than I can say for

your pal, Benji, when I find him.

How long do you think he’ll last

in Leavenworth?

ETHAN

I need your help.

HUNLEY

I can help you, Hunt. I can get

you twenty minutes of sunshine

every weekend for the rest of your

life... Tell me where she is.

ETHAN

Solomon Lane - that’s the former

British Agent you should be

looking for.

Hunley turns away and addresses the two Agents.

HUNLEY

Shackle him. We’re going to the

airport.

As Hunley walks away:

ETHAN

The Brits don’t want you to know

he even exists. Ask yourself why.

Hunley pauses for a step, then keeps walking.

As Ethan is taken away, he sees Brandt and Luther

standing off to the side. All three man make eye contact.

Ethan’s expression is stone. Then he’s gone.

As Brandt and Luther walk away:

BRANDT

I need you to do me a favor.

LUTHER

It’ll be my pleasure.

CONTINUED: (3)254 254

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 108.

INT. AMERICAN EMBASSY - WAR ROOM - DAY255 255

CLOSE ON: LUTHER at a CIA work-station. A thumb drive

sticking out of a USB slot. The computer requires a

password. Luther scoffs.

A moment later, he has access. A few keystrokes and:

<DOWNLOADING DATABASE> appears on the screen. A progress

bar begins. Almost there. Luther looks around nervously.

VOICE (O.S.)

Stickell.

Luther turns with a start to find Hunley staring at him.

Brandt is with him. They share a look. Shit.

HUNLEY

You’re coming with us.

Hunley turns and walks. Luther snatches the thumb drive

and follows with Brandt.

INT. EMBASSY LOBBY - DAY256 256

Ethan is escorted by the two Marines. They all walk out

the front door to a waiting SUV. Ethan is shackled into

the back.

Hunley leads Luther and Brandt out the front door and -

EXT. EMBASSY - FRONT STEPS - DAY257 257

- down the steps where TWO MARINE GUARDS stand sentry.

Two SUVs are waiting. Ethan is placed in the back seat of

the SUV. Hunley points to Stickell.

HUNLEY

Stickell - you’re driving.

(to CIA agents)

You two ride with them.

Luther nervously climbs behind the wheel. Hunley motions

for Brandt to get in the rear passenger seat. Hunley

climbs in next to Brandt.

The remaining four agents climb into the front vehicle

and all drive away.

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 109.

INT. SUV I - DAY258 258

Ethan, Brandt, Hunley, Luther. An awkward silence.

INT. SUV II - DAY259 259

The Agents ride in bored silence. The driver periodically

glances in the mirror at Hunley’s SUV behind them.

EXT. EMBASSY FRONT STEPS - DAY260 260

Hunley exits the building and comes down the front steps.

Confused? So is he. He turns to a MARINE.

HUNLEY

Where is my car?

The Marine looks at Hunley, perplexed.

INT. SUV II - DAY261 261

Looking through the heads of the four Agents and the

window behind them: We can see Hunley’s SUV make a sharp

turn and vanishes down a side street.

A beat later, the Driver looks back, does a double take.

He hits the brakes.

INT. SUV I - DAY262 262

Luther turns to Hunley and nods. Hunley grabs a hold of

his chin and pulls, tearing off his face. REVEAL:

Benji.

BENJI

(in Hunley’s voice)

Admit it - I was great!

Benji pulls off voice control patch on his throat.

They drive in silence for a few moments.

Benji pulls the cord to deflate his suit. He starts to

laugh. Brandt looks across at him and starts to laugh.

Luther joins in, breaking the mood. Ethan smiles.

The laugh subsides. Luther tips his hat at Ethan. Ethan

looks to Benji.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 110.

ETHAN

Please tell me you still have a

copy of that disk.

Benji holds up the drive.

BENJI

Still got it.

He nods. Brandt hands the handcuff key through the glass

to Ethan.

BRANDT

Where to now?

ETHAN

London.

Ethan deep in thought. We go to:

EXT. PARLIAMENT - LONDON - DAY263 263

Ilsa walks past Big Ben and along the embankment. A man

sits on a bench looking at the Houses of Parliament,

waiting. He’s well dressed, a newspaper by his side. He

nods politely. We recognize his face. He’s the GREY-

HAIRED MAN from the opera.

His name is ATTLEE. To you, anyway. Ilsa sits beside him.

She places the hard drive containing the ledger on the

newspaper and holds it over.

ILSA

A ledger - the Syndicate’s entire

infrastructure - who they are,

they politicians they control,

where their money comes from. It’s

everything you want to know.

Attlee is silent.

ATTLEE

How can you be sure this so-called

ledger is authentic?

ILSA

Why would Lane want it so badly if

it wasn’t authentic?

ATTLEE

Why would he ever let you have it

if it was?

CONTINUED:262 262

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 111.

(off her look)

Did you stop to consider he might

want me to have it?

Misinformation. Manipulation. It’s

what he does, Ilsa. It’s what he

was trained to do. Lane lies to

you, you sell his lie to Hunt.

Together, you compromise

yourselves. That’s Lane’s real

objective. This... It may be

authentic. But the only one I

trust to verify the information...

is you.

ILSA

(realizing)

No... my orders were to deliver-

ATTLEE

Your orders were to infiltrate the

Syndicate so that we may learn

more about them. First hand.

(re: disk)

This is not proof. This was a

test. Like everything else. The

only way to pass... is to go back.

ILSA

I can’t do that. I’ve betrayed

Lane’s trust once too often.

ATTLEE

And in every instance, you did so

on your own volition.

ILSA

He was going to torture and kill

an American agent.

ATTLEE

And you should have let him. Then

you would still have Lane’s trust.

This is the trade. Hunt

understands that.

ILSA

I wasn’t going to leave him to

die. He’s our ally.

ATTLEE

There are no allies in statecraft -

only common interests.

CONTINUED:263 263

ATTLEE (CONT'D)

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 112.

As it stands, Ethan Hunt is a man

without a country. This makes

killing him decidedly less

complicated.

Grim pause.

ILSA

Are you ordering me to kill Hunt?

ATTLEE

That would be crude. No. Lane will

give you the order. And, to regain

his trust, you’ll do it.

ILSA

You sent me to do a job, I did it.

Now bring me in.

ATTLEE

Need I remind you, you’re without

a country of your own.

Ilsa stands, turns to walk away. His voice stops her:

ATTLEE (CONT’D)

The director of the CIA called to

inquire about you personally. To

protect your cover, I had to lie.

To the Americans, you’re a rogue

assassin. A target of opportunity.

Ilsa turns back, glares at him.

ATTLEE (CONT’D)

Precious few people know your true

identity. It would be unfortunate

if they forgot.

He looks down at the drive on the newspaper. She walks

back, picks it up, thrusts it in her pocket.

ATTLEE (CONT’D)

Good to know you’re still with us.

Ilsa turns and walks away. Attlee waits a beat before

unfolding the paper yet again, revealing a cell-phone

there. The screen shows the outline of the drive Ilsa

laid on the paper. The screen reads:

COPY COMPLETE

CONTINUED: (2)263 263

ATTLEE (CONT'D)

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 113.

Attlee collects the phone and the paper, a satisfied look

on his face.

[OMITTED]264 264

EXT. CEMETERY - DAY265 265

Long forgotten, grass overgrown, any potential mourners

have since passed. Ilsa walks down the center drive, the

main road far behind her, hands in her pocket. Up ahead,

a car is parked, waiting...

The door opens and one of Lane’s goons climbs out. A beat

later, Lane emerges, then Vinter. Anxious pause.

Lane extends a hand. She pulls a hands from her left coat

pocket and produces the drive. Lane takes it.

LANE

All is forgiven.

He hands it to his goon. The goon places a laptop on the

hood of the car, plugs in the drive and enters a few

keys. Meanwhile, Lane motions for her to walk.

ILSA

It isn’t a ledger, is it?

LANE

You didn’t look for yourself?

ILSA

Of course I did. But the file was

encrypted.

LANE

Why would I lie to you?

ILSA

So that I would lie to Hunt.

LANE

If he knew what it really was, he

would never have stolen it. And

you wouldn’t have helped him.

ILSA

And what exactly is it?

Lane doesn’t answer.

CONTINUED: (3)263 263

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 114.

LANE

I’ll be honest with you when you

start being honest with me. You

and I both know why you really

came back. And you’re only

wondering what’s on the disk

because Attlee let you keep it.

She glances at Vinter.

LANE (CONT’D)

Relax. If I was going to kill you,

I would have done it in Vienna.

(stepping closer)

You’re still alive because I

believe in your potential. But I’m

losing my patience. Why do you

continue to resist?

ILSA

Because you’re a terrorist.

LANE

That would be true if my goal was

to spread fear. My methods are

more... surgical.

ILSA

You kill innocent people.

LANE

I helped my government kill many

innocent people and more - killing

to keep things as they were. Now

I’m killing to bring about change.

We’re not talking about good

versus evil. We’re talking about

the lesser of two. Which would you

rather be?

ILSA

Neither.

LANE

I’m afraid there’s no third

choice.

ILSA

Ethan Hunt would disagree.

Lane smiles.

CONTINUED:265 265

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 115.

LANE

Hunt is a gambler. One day his

luck will run out. And thousands,

millions of innocent people will

pay the price. Which of us will be

a villain then?

Vinter approaches, whispers something in Lane’s ear,

handing him the disc. Lane turns to Ilsa, his expression

darkening. He sighs.

LANE (CONT’D)

I’m through playing games.

ILSA

I don’t know what you mean.

LANE

There may have been something on

that disc in Morocco, but it’s

empty now.

Lane and Vinter exchange a grim look. Then they look back

at Ilsa.

She pulls a pistol a pistol from her right coat pocket,

but Vinter is faster. He grabs her wrist and disarms her,

holding her fast.

LANE (CONT’D)

I’m curious... Who will you blame

for what happens next?

BRANDT (PRELAP)

What do you mean you can’t open

it?

INT. SAFE HOUSE - LONDON - DAY266 266

A dimly-lit room in a third floor walk-up, heavy curtains

over windows.

Luther’s tablet lays on the table, actively searching for

Ilsa. Luther and Benji are huddled over a laptop puzzling

over the drive stolen from the torus. Brandt and Ethan

are sorting through IMF-issue gear.

LUTHER

I mean we can’t open it. Ever.

BENJI

It’s a red box.

CONTINUED: (2)265 265

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 116.

BRANDT

A what?

ETHAN

A red box. The British government

uses them for transporting state

secrets.

BRANDT

If you mean a ministerial red box,

you’re talking about an actual

box. Painted red.

LUTHER

This is a virtual red box.

BENJI

Triple encrypted, only accessible

with a fingerprint, retina scan

and a pass-phrase spoken by one

specific person.

ETHAN

The Prime Minister of Great

Britain himself.

Ethan sits down, deep in thought. As he calculates:

BRANDT

What you’re saying is, to be

clear, this isn’t a ledger at all.

Which means we don’t have proof

the Syndicate even exists. We’re

back to square one. Only now we’re

all wanted by the CIA. Awesome.

BENJI

What I don’t understand is why a

red box would be sitting in a

private data vault in Morocco?

LUTHER

And why would Lane want it if he

can’t open it?

BENJI

If Lane wants it, you can be sure

he has a way to open it. We just

helped him steal it.

CONTINUED:266 266

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 117.

LUTHER

(realizing)

He’s going to take the Prime

Minister.

ETHAN

Yes he is. Question is how.

The realization hits the team. After a beat.

BENJI

We have to warn the British

Government.

BRANDT

(reaches for phone)

Yeah - MI6-

ETHAN

Put down the phone. Just put the

phone down.

(thinking)

Let’s just think about this for a

minute. First, the British hide

the existence of the Syndicate

from the CIA. Next, a file we

believe to be the ledger turns out

to be a top secret British

government document. Lane worked

for the British Intelligence. We

can’t be sure the person you’re

warning doesn’t work for Lane.

BRANDT

That may all be true, it doesn’t

change the fact that we have a

responsibility to warn the British

Government, and not to gamble with

the Prime Minister’s life. Just so

you can beat the guy who’s beaten

you at every turn. I’m sorry.

ETHAN

Is that what you think this is,

Brandt? Is that what you think?

BRANDT

I think right now, you’re

incapable of seeing any other way.

LUTHER

Sometimes Ethan’s the only one

capable of seeing the only way.

CONTINUED: (2)266 266

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 118.

BRANDT

And if he’s wrong, it’s Vienna all

over again.

ETHAN

Brandt! You don’t know this guy.

If Lane wants something to happen,

you can’t prevent it.

BRANDT

Exactly. Which is why we have to

warn the British.

ETHAN

Maybe that’s exactly what he wants

us to do.

BRANDT

Are you listening to yourself? We

are going to warn the British.

ETHAN

No, no we’re not. We are going to

find Lane. We are going to get

Lane before he takes the Prime

Minister.

BRANDT

Ok. Let’s get Lane. So tell me,

how are we going to do what we’ve

not been able to do thus far.

Luther’s tablet chimes. He glances at it.

LUTHER

Found her.

INT. TRAIN STATION - LONDON - DAY267 267

A crowd of COMMUTERS file in and out of a door leading to

the platform. Focus on one in particular:

Ilsa is on the move, walking through the crowd. Just as

she passes a small cafe, she stops when she sees:

Ethan’s face in the crowd about twenty feet away - the

only face looking directly at her. She looks behind her

and sees Benji’s face.

Two new faces are staring at her. To the left is Brandt

at a news stand, to her right, Luther at a pay phone.

CONTINUED: (3)266 266

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 119.

Ilsa is surrounded, she sidesteps to the cafe and sits at

a table with two chairs. Ethan approaches, sits opposite

to her.

At a distance, the team watches them stare at one another

for a moment. (Note: Ethan can hear them, Ilsa cannot.)

BRANDT (ON COMM)

So that’s her.

BENJI (ON COMM)

That’s her.

Luther studies the way Ethan looks at her.

LUTHER (ON COMM)

Oh boy.

ON ILSA AND ETHAN

ETHAN

I have to say. You sure can ride.

ILSA

In all fairness, you were in no

condition to drive.

They share a slight smile, then:

ILSA (CONT’D)

Ethan-

ETHAN

You were just doing your job.

That’s all we’re ever going to say

about it.

ILSA

Attlee said you would understand.

ETHAN

Attlee. Is he your handler.

(off her nod /

realizing)

He didn’t bring you in.

(she nods again)

Even after you gave him the disc.

ILSA

You know perfectly well it was

blank.

Only Ethan can hear:

CONTINUED:267 267

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 120.

BENJI (ON COMM)

That’s a lie. The disc she took

from me was an exact copy. I’m

sure of it.

ETHAN

Was it in your possession the

entire time?

FLASH - In her mind, Ilsa sees Attlee on the bench by the

river, the disk on his newspaper. She picks it up and

leaves. Attlee unfolds the paper and reveals his phone

underneath. The screen reads:

FILES DELETED

BACK ON ILSA, containing her rage, humiliation.

ILSA

(realizing)

You knew I’d take it to him.

ETHAN

I hoped you would. I hoped it

would be enough to get you out.

BENJI (ON COMM)

Wait. That means Lane doesn’t have

the disc. Only we do.

BRANDT (ON COMM)

I have a question. If the disc was

blank, why is she still alive?

Beat. Ethan realizes.

ETHAN

So who are you working for now?

ILSA

Lane. Attlee. Your government,

mine. They’re all the same. We

only think we’re fighting for the

right side because that’s what we

chose to believe.

ETHAN

Where does that leave us?

ILSA

The way I see it, you have three

choices. One, you hand me and the

disc over to the CIA.

CONTINUED: (2)267 267

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 121.

I’m proof that the Syndicate

exists. Lane becomes their problem

and your work is done.

BRANDT (ON COMM)

My thoughts, exactly.

BENJI (ON COMM)

Works for me.

ILSA

But you know they’ll never believe

you. You’re all tried for treason.

Lane goes free.

LUTHER

I’m afraid she has a point.

ILSA

Two, you let me walk away to an

uncertain fate. You use the disc

as bait to trap Lane. But some

part of you suspects you’ve met

your match. And, being a gambler,

you’ll end up handling Lane that

disc whether you want to or not.

BENJI

That’s... entirely possible.

ETHAN

And option three?

ILSA

Come away with me. Right now.

LUTHER

Oh boy.

ETHAN

And what happens to Lane?

ILSA

Forget Lane. There will always be

another Lane. And there will

always be people like us to face

him. We’ve done our part and now

we’ve been cast aside. We can be

anyone, do anything... It’s only a

matter of going.

CONTINUED: (3)267 267

ILSA (CONT'D)

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 122.

Ethan glances at the TRAVELERS walking past, on their way

to ordinary lives. The look on Ethan’s face says he’s

almost tempted. But then:

ETHAN

Lane sent you to deliver a

message.

What hope she had for him slips away.

ILSA

You can’t beat him, Ethan. With or

without your team.

ETHAN

What’s the message?

ILSA

I saved your life twice. I won’t

be able to do it again.

ETHAN

I don’t expect you to.

Ilsa places a phone on the table, slides it across.

A crackling noise and a piercing electronic squeal in

Ethan’s ear.

ANGLE ON the pay phone. Luther hears it, too.

ANGLE ON the newsstand. Brandt hears it, too.

ANGLE ON Benji. Where is Benji?

Ethan is on his feet in a flash. The phone rings. Ethan

grabs it, running to the spot where Benji was just a

moment ago. He answers the phone.

The phone beeps. Ethan looks at it. To his horror he sees

someone’s direct POV, much like the contact lens in

Vienna. He sees Benji, unconscious, a bag being thrown

over his head as he is dragged away.

ETHAN

(re: Ilsa)

Parking garage. Luther, stay with

her.

Ethan and Brandt run for the escalator.

CONTINUED: (4)267 267

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 123.

Luther moves through the crowd towards Ilsa. She sits

still, looking right at him. He loses sight of her for

only an instant. But in that instant, she vanishes.

Meanwhile, as Ethan runs, he watches on the phone as

Benji is dragged toward a van, thrown inside.

THE POV moves to the passenger-side door, calmly climbs

in and adjusts the mirror TO REVEAL:

Vinter, winking directly at himself and thus Ethan. He

puts the van in drive. Ethan runs faster.

INT. PARKING GARAGE - DAY268 268

Ethan and Brandt emerge just as the van Ethan saw on the

phone roars past, down a long tunnel and out of sight.

Benji is gone. A moment later, Luther rushes up from

behind.

LUTHER

She’s gone. I lost her.

BRANDT

She set us up.

ETHAN

No. She delivered a message-

BRANDT

She set us up. She led us here.

She knew this was going to happen-

ETHAN

Only Lane knows what’s going to

happen.

The phone rings again. Ethan answers.

INT. HOTEL ROOM - DAY269 269

Lane on the other end of the phone. He faces a

television on mute, watching a press conference in

front of 10 Downing street - our first glimpse of

the PRIME MINISTER OF GREAT BRITAIN.

LANE

(on phone)

As promised, I have a job for you.

And for the sake of your friend,

you’ll do it.

CONTINUED: (5)267 267

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 124.

ETHAN (V.O.)

I’m listening.

LANE

Your mission, should you choose to

accept it, is to bring me the

unlocked disc by midnight tonight.

Now say the words.

Ethan is thinking...

LANE (CONT’D)

Say... the words.

ETHAN (V.O.)

...I accept.

LANE

I knew you would.

Lane clicks off the phone.

INT. PARKING GARAGE - DAY270 270

ETHAN

He wants the disc. Unlocked. By

midnight tonight.

LUTHER

Ethan, only one person on Earth

can unlock that disc...

ETHAN

We have to take the Prime

Minister...

BRANDT

Think about this. For just a

minute-

ETHAN

It’s the only way to get Benji

back.

BRANDT

Just think. It’s exactly what Lane

wants us to do.

ETHAN

WHICH IS WHY IT HAS TO HAPPEN.

THIS IS HOW WE BEAT LANE.

CONTINUED:269 269

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 125.

This is how we make everything

right. Can’t you see that...?

Ethan walks away. Luther and Brandt share an uncertain

look before Luther follows, leaving Brandt to contemplate

the horrible direction this is headed.

EXT. SKIES OVER THE MED - DAY271 271

A private jet streaks westward.

INT. JET - DAY272 272

TWO CIA AGENTS sit at the back of the plane. Hunley is

seated near the gallery, looking out the window,

contemplating his next move. He thumbs a tablet, swiping

images collected by Ethan - the map, the photos of dead

agents, a sketch of Ilsa.

The satellite phone rings. The 1st agent answers and

brings the phone to Hunley.

1ST AGENT

William Brandt, sit. He says it’s

urgent.

Hunley sets aside the tablet, snatches the phone. He

thinks for a beat as to how he wants to play it.

HUNLEY

I had a feeling you’d come to your

senses, Brandt.

EXT. STREET - DAY273 273

BRANDT

Let’s be clear. I’m calling you

because I have no other choice.

I’m trying to avoid a catastrophe.

HUNLEY

I can understand that. Where are

you?

BRANDT

London.

Hunley covers the phone, turns to the agent -

CONTINUED:270 270

ETHAN (CONT'D)

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 126.

HUNLEY

Reroute us to London, now.

(into phone)

Where in London?

BRANDT

I’ll tell you that when you land.

Not before.

HUNLEY

I’m not interested in playing

games, Brandt.

BRANDT

And I’m not interested on seeing

you kill my friends. If I’m going

to betray them, I’m going it on my

terms. Not yours. Keep your phone

on. Instructions to follow.

CLICK.

INT. SAFEHOUSE - DAY274 274

Luther checks out the equipment as Ethan pores over the

plans of Blenheim on the computer. Luther looks up as

Brandt walks across the room to his packed bags.

LUTHER

You should have gone.

BRANDT

Yeah.

LUTHER

Is everything okay?

He grabs his bags and turns to leave.

BRANDT

We’re supposed to take down the

Prime Minister of Great Britain

tonight - so - no.

Brandt starts to walk out. Ethan stops him.

ETHAN

Brandt - I can’t see another way.

BRANDT

Because there isn’t. We do what we

have to do for our friends. Right?

CONTINUED:273 273

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 127.

Brandt walks out. Luther watches him, concerned.

INT. HOTEL ROOM - DAY275 275

Benji has a hood ripped from his head to find himself

seated in a chair, in a hotel room with a sweeping view

of downtown London.

Before him stands LANE, to his side, Vinter. As Benji

glares:

LANE

You look like you’ve just seen a

ghost.

BENJI

You’re not a ghost yet... but you

will be.

Lane smiles, leans in to Benji:

LANE

Get him ready please.

Vinter picks up an explosive vest and walks over to

Benji.

EXT. BLENHEIM PALACE - DRIVE - NIGHT276 276

Establishing the grand residence, open this evening for a

charity auction. Cars deposit ATTENDEES at the base of

the grand stairway leading to the entrance.

PHOTOGRAPHERS are on hand to take pictures. Shades of

Vienna.

One of these delivers Hunley, emerging from the vehicle

with TWO CIA MEN. Hunley nods to his men. They step

forward and pat Brandt down, going so far as to check his

eyes, ears, pulling his face.

HUNLEY

You were right to call me, Brandt.

Where is Hunt?

BRANDT

He’s on his way here. You don’t

have a lot of time.

HUNLEY

What does he intend to do?

CONTINUED:274 274

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 128.

BRANDT

What matters is he’s alive. I want

assurance that he will stay that

way.

Brandt nods to an arriving motorcade, complete with

police escort and armored SUVs. A HANDSOME COUPLE emerges

and PHOTOGRAPHERS press forward to take pictures. As they

head up the palace stairs:

HUNLEY

Have you informed the British

government that Hunt is targeting

the Prime Minister?

BRANDT

I’ll help you capture him alive.

That’s the deal.

Just then, over Brandt’s shoulder, Hunley spies a

familiar face emerging from a limo and walking up the

steps: ATTLEE.

HUNLEY

You’ve learned more bad habits

from your friend, Brandt. The

worst being the belief that you

can control any outcome.

(to his men, re:

Brandt)

Stay with him.

EXT. BLENHEIM PALACE - FRONT STEPS - NIGHT277 277

Attlee is almost at the door when:

HUNLEY (O.S.)

Chief Attlee.

Attlee turns, surprised to find Hunley.

ATTLEE

Director Hunley. How delightful to

see you here. The last time we

spoke, you were hunting rogue

agents in Morocco.

HUNLEY

Too long to explain, I’m afraid.

But I have a reason to believe the

Prime Minister’s life is in

danger.

CONTINUED:276 276

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 129.

ATTLEE

Really?

HUNLEY

Bear with me.

Off Attlee’s alarmed expression:

EXT. BLENHEIM PALACE - DRIVE - NIGHT278 278

Brandt watches helplessly as Hunley spills the beans to

Attlee - both of them glancing this way.

EXT. BLENHEIM PALACE - FRONT STEPS - NIGHT279 279

ATTLEE

Fascinating.

HUNLEY

That’s one way to put it. In any

case, we need to warn the Prime

Minister.

INT. BLENHEIM PALACE - LIBRARY - NIGHT280 280

An auction is underway. The Prime Minister is in the

audience, sitting with his wife. A BODYGUARD approaches,

whispers in his ear.

BODYGUARD

Chief Attlee from MI6 needs to

speak to you. He says it’s urgent.

The PM looks at the bodyguard, confused, then concerned.

He whispers something to his wife and excuses himself.

INT. BLENHEIM PALACE - CORRIDOR - NIGHT281 281

The PM, escorted by two bodyguards, finds Attlee waiting

at the door to a stateroom.

PRIME MINISTER

What’s this all about?

ATTLEE

A matter of national security,

Prime Minister.

CONTINUED:277 277

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 130.

He opens the door to a stateroom, revealing Hunley and

Brandt inside. As the PM steps in:

ATTLEE (CONT’D)

(to bodyguards)

Under no circumstances is anyone

to enter. Do you understand.

Attlee steps in and slams the door:

PRIME MINISTER (PRELAP)

Fascinating.

INT. BLENHEIM PALACE - STATEROOM - NIGHT282 282

The Prime Minister sits while Brandt, Hunley and Attlee

stand.

PRIME MINISTER

Who is this man? Why is he after

me?

ATTLEE

I’m afraid Prime Minister,

Director Hunley an I share

responsibility in this.

HUNLEY

Hunt was part of a disgraced

intelligence agency that has since

been dissolved.

ATTLEE

He’s gone rogue, unfortunately,

intent on dismantling an imaginary

terror network.

HUNLEY

At first we believed he had

fabricated this network in a

tragic bid to justify his agency’s

existence. But new intelligence

suggests he has been manipulated

by one of your former agents.

The PM looks to Attlee who clears his throat.

ATTLEE

Ilsa Faust, Prime Minister. She

disappeared two years ago.

CONTINUED:281 281

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 131.

Both MI6 and the CIA are working

together to bring her in, along

with Hunt.

PRIME MINISTER

If you don’t mind me asking, what

do I have to do with this phantom

network?

HUNLEY

Sir - William Brandt, a former

colleague of Hunt. He came forward

with first hand knowledge of the

plot against you.

BRANDT

Sir, Hunt is in possession of a

virtual red box that can only be

opened by you.

The PM’s expression changes when he hears the words “red

box.” His gaze shifts to Attlee and remains there as:

BRANDT (CONT’D)

He believes it’s the key to

bringing down the Syndicate.

The word “Syndicate” strikes a cord with the PM. His eyes

shift back to Brandt. Attlee is visibly nervous.

Hunley senses the shift in the room immediately.

PRIME MINISTER

The Syndicate, you say.

BRANDT

Yessir. That’s what he calls it.

PRIME MINISTER

Attlee - he couldn’t possible mean

that Syndicate.

(before Attlee can

respond)

Because you assured me that that

Syndicate was merely an exercise.

ATTLEE

And it was, sir. I can assure you.

PRIME MINISTER

Yet here we have the Central

Intelligence Agency indicating

otherwise.

CONTINUED:282 282

ATTLEE (CONT'D)

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 132.

Hunley is confused.

HUNLEY

I’m sorry. I don’t understand.

ATTLEE

Mr. Prime Minister, your life is

in danger. Our main priority is to

move you to a secure location-

HUNLEY

Sir, does the name Solomon Lane

ring a bell?

PRIME MINISTER

Yes... Unfortunately, it does.

HUNLEY

(to Attlee)

So there actually is a Syndicate.

Attlee struggles for a response.

PRIME MINISTER

It was the hypothetical brainchild

of Chief Attlee. Recruit former

agents from other nations, supply

them with new identities, use them

to exterminate our enemies at home

and abroad. Its operating budget

was to be hidden off-shore in a

virtual red box which I alone

would control... It would have

made me judge, jury and

executioner. With zero

accountability. I unequivocally

rejected the proposal.

(focusing on Attlee)

Furthermore, I was given every

assurance that the program never

passed the planning stage...

Hunley can’t believe his ears. He looks at Brandt as:

ATTLEE

Prime Minister, there is no

Syndicate. These men have been

duped by Agent Faust-

PRIME MINISTER

Attlee. Save your words for the

Public Inquiry.

CONTINUED: (2)282 282

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 133.

The Prime Minister moves to the door. Hunley stops him.

HUNLEY

I urge you not to leave this room.

PRIME MINISTER

Excuse me.

HUNLEY

Please. Hunt is uniquely trained

and highly motivated - a

specialist without equal and

immune to any countermeasures.

There is no secret he can’t

extract, no security he can’t

breach, no person he can’t become.

He has most likely anticipated

this very conversation and is

waiting to strike in whatever

direction you move. Ethan Hunt is

the living manifestation of

destiny. And he has made you his

mission.

(realizing)

And I’ve unleashed him.

ATTLEE

Prime Minister-

CLACK. The PM recoils, slumps in his seat. Hunley turns

to find Attlee with a pistol in his hand, swinging it

from the PM to Hunley and Brandt before they can react.

Then Attlee reaches under his collar of his shirt and

rips off his face to reveal:

Ethan. As he peels the voice synthesizer from his neck,

Hunley grasps for words, managing finally to find:

HUNLEY

Hunt.

Ethan pulls off the voice patch and motions to Hunley

with the pistol.

ETHAN

Sir, please step away from the

Prime Minister.

Ethan nods at Brandt. He moves for the PM and checks his

pulse.

CONTINUED: (3)282 282

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 134.

BRANDT

Just relax sir -

(pulls out the dart)

- everything’s going to be

alright.

PRIME MINISTER

(slurring)

Attlee shot me.

BRANDT

Yes he did sir.

(nods to Ethan)

We’re good.

Brandt stands as Ethan pulls out a hand scanner. Brandt

looks into the Prime Minister’s right eye.

BRANDT

Just going to look at your eye.

HUNLEY

Hunt, I hope you realize you’ve

just set US-UK relations back to

the declaration of independence.

ETHAN

Desperate times, desperate

measures, sir.

Ethan pulls out a cell phone and dials.

INT. LONDON SAFE HOUSE - NIGHT283 283

A cell phone rings and Luther answers.

ETHAN

Stand by to receive.

Luther plugs the disc stolen from the torus into a

laptop. On screen, a graphic appears:

1) RETINAL SCAN

LUTHER

Ready.

CONTINUED: (4)282 282

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 135.

EXT. BLENHEIM PALACE - FRONT STEPS - NIGHT284 284

A limo pulls up and a familiar face emerges. Attlee.

The real Attlee. He addresses A BODYGUARD posted by

the stairs.

ATTLEE

The Prime Minister’s office asked

me to meet him here. Where is he?

INT. BLENHEIM PALACE - STATEROOM - NIGHT285 285

Brandt removes small dart from the Prime Minister’s neck,

checks his pulse.

Brandt holds open the PM’s eye-lid and holds a hand-held

scanner to it. The PM’s eye rolls, dazed.

BRANDT

Just need to look at your eye.

PRIME MINISTER

Of course, by all means.

The scanner in Brandt’s hand flashes across the PM’s eye

and transmits:

INT. LONDON SAFE HOUSE - NIGHT286 286

The real-time image of the PM’s eye to Luther computer

screen which reads:

1) RETINAL SCAN: CONFIRMED

LUTHER

Retinal scan, confirmed.

INT. BLENHEIM PALACE - FRONT HALL - NIGHT287 287

Attlee heads toward the stateroom corridor.

INT. LONDON SAFE HOUSE - NIGHT288 288

Luther’s screen reads:

2) BIOMETRIC SCAN:

LUTHER

Biometric scan, confirmed.

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 136.

INT. BLENHEIM PALACE - STATEROOM - NIGHT289 289

Brandt places the PM’s hand on a second scanner.

INT. LONDON SAFE HOUSE - NIGHT290 290

Luther computer screen reads a series of points,

including fingerprints, body temperature, electrical

impulse and stress levels. The screen reads:

1) RETINAL SCAN: CONFIRMED

2) BIOMETRIC SCAN: CONFIRMED

3) PASS-PHRASE:

KIPLING

INT. BLENHEIM PALACE - STATEROOM - NIGHT291 291

LUTHER (ON PHONE)

The prompt is Kipling.

ETHAN

The prompt is Kipling.

Ethan tosses the phone to Brandt who holds the phone up

to the Prime Minister’s face.

BRANDT

Mr. Prime Minister. I need the

pass-phrase. The prompts is

Kipling.

PRIME MINISTER

(a little slurred)

If you can keep your head when all

about you are losing theirs. If

you can trust yourself when all

men doubt you...

INT. LONDON SAFE HOUSE - NIGHT292 292

1) RETINAL SCAN: CONFIRMED

2) BIOMETRIC SCAN: CONFIRMED

3) PASS-PHRASE: CONFIRMED

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 137.

The screen flashes, Attlee appears on the screen. He

talks to camera.

ATTLEE

Greetings, Prime Minister. If you

are viewing this message, you have

chosen to activate the Syndicate.

This disk grants access to 2.4

Billion pounds sterling in

untraceable currency - enough for

the Syndicate to operate

undetected for decades. For your

chief operative and sole contact I

have chosen my top man, Solomon

Lane. He will be in charge of

recruiting field agents and

supplying them with new

identities. I know, Prime

Minister, that you’ve expressed

doubts about Lane’s methods in the

past, but there is no man more

loyal to Britain and British

interests. I am confident that

time will prove him out. The 2.4

billion in operating funds is

hidden in a series of numbered

accounts all over the world.

Instructions for how to access

these funds are as follows-

LUTHER

Oh my God.

BRANDT (ON PHONE)

You got it?

LUTHER

I got it. Oh man, do I got it.

INT. BLENHEIM PALACE - STATEROOM - NIGHT293 293

ETHAN

We get it?

BRANDT

We get it.

[OMITTED]294 294

CONTINUED:292 292

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 138.

INT. BLENHEIM PALACE - CORRIDOR - NIGHT295 295

Attlee arrives at the stateroom door, much to the

confusion of the two bodyguards who’ve already seen him

go in. They share a look.

ATTLEE

I’m here to see the Prime

Minister.

BODYGUARD

Uh... We were told not to let

anyone in?

ATTLEE

By whom?

BODYGUARD

... You, sir.

INT. BLENHEIM PALACE - STATEROOM - NIGHT296 296

Attlee and the Bodyguards burst in through the double

doors and, only to find Hunley standing over a semi-

conscious Prime Minister.

ATTLEE

Hunley? What is this? Security!

Both bodyguards from the hall rush in past Attlee and

toward Hunley and the PM. Ethan and Brandt step from

behind the open doors.

CLACK, CLACK. Both bodyguards go down without ever seeing

Ethan. Attlee turns to face Ethan.

ETHAN

Chief Attlee. Kind of you to

accept our invitation.

CLACK. Attlee goes down, too.

ATTLEE’S P.O.V. looking up at Ethan, Brandt and Hunley.

ATTLEE

What happened?

ETHAN

We know you secretly created the

Syndicate.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 139.

It was supposed to protect British

interests, but Lane went rogue and

turned it against you, didn’t he -

And you’ve been desperately trying

to cover it up. That’s why you

erased the disk when she brought

it to you.

ATTLEE

(confused)

That’s... true.

ETHAN

Now Director Hunley has some

questions for you regarding Ilsa

Faust... namely how you framed

her.

ATTLEE

That’s also true.

Ethan stands, faces Hunley as:

ETHAN

(handing over needle)

Antidote.

BRANDT

(motions to PM)

When the Prime Minister found out

about the Syndicate, Attlee

attacked him...

PRIME MINISTER (O.S.)

That’s true.

Ethan offers the gun to Hunley.

BRANDT

And you saved the Prime Minister,

sir.

PRIME MINISTER (O.S.)

Did he?

Hunley looks to the PM.

PRIME MINISTER (CONT’D)

I’m very grateful.

Hunley turns back and takes the gun.

CONTINUED:296 296

ETHAN (CONT'D)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 140.

INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT297 297

A cell phone rings. Solomon Lane checks his watch and

answers.

LANE

You’re cutting it very close

Ethan.

EXT. BLENHEIM PALACE - FRONT STEPS - NIGHT298 298

Ethan and Brandt hurry down the front steps.

ETHAN (INTO PHONE)

I have what you want.

INT. LOADING DOCK - (TRAP LOCATION) - NIGHT299 299

A car carrying Ethan and Brandt screeches to a halt by:

Luther, standing by a white van. On the open tailgate is

a laptop computer. We glimpse the materials in the back

of the truck, but can’t be entirely sure what they are.

Ethan moves to open the laptop. Luther places a hand on

it.

LUTHER

Ethan. Wait -

ETHAN

If I’m not there in fifteen

minutes, he’ll kill Benji.

LUTHER

Ethan... The mission is to bring

down the Syndicate. If Lane gets

his hands on this money, we’re

unleashing a terrorist’s

superpower.

ETHAN

He’ll never take me alive. I’ll be

sure of that. Just be ready.

Luther and Brandt share a concerned look.

BRANDT

And if you can’t make it back

here?

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 141.

ETHAN

I’ll make it back.

Luther steps back, taking his hand off the computer.

Ethan opens the laptop. On the screen: bank accounts,

each containing tens and even hundreds of millions.

PUSH IN ON ETHAN, intently staring at the screen - the

blues and whites of raw streaming data transmorphing -

ETHAN pulls out the disk and drills a hole in it,

destroying the data.

EXT. TOWER BRIDGE - LONDON - NIGHT300 300

Sweeping overhead shot of the city, past the iconic

landmark, finding:

EXT. TRAITOR’S GATE - NIGHT301 301

A restaurant on the waterfront alongside the Tower of

London. Tower Bridge looms in the background.

PEDESTRIANS are everywhere. It’s not the place we

expected to meet.

Ethan stops, noting the few FACES IN THE CROWD looking at

him - some we recognize.

They are LANE’S GOONS - Vinter, Saif and three others -

all keeping a distance. Off. Then he sees:

Benji, motionless, eyes front, a closed laptop on the

table in front of him, along with two glasses of wine.

Next to him sits Ilsa: also perfectly still.

Ethan approaches slowly, and as comes closer he can see

the beads of sweat on Benji’s forehead, the neutral look

on Ilsa’s face. Eerie. Benji looks up:

BENJI

This is the end, Mr. Hunt.

Ethan sees an earpiece in Benji’s ear.

ECU on Benji’s eye - a contact lens like the one the

assassin wore at the opera.

Then Ethan sees it - a small light flashing under Benji’s

coat. Ethan reaches over.

CONTINUED:299 299

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 142.

ILSA

Be careful.

Ethan gently pulls it open. REVEAL: Benji is wearing an

explosive vest. A lighted keypad sits smack in the middle

of Benji’s chest. The timer is ticking down.

INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT302 302

Lane sits before a monitor, watching Ethan.

LANE

Two pounds of semtex, five hundred

thirty calibre ball bearings...

Your friend is-

EXT. TRAITOR’S GATE - NIGHT303 303

BENJI

- sitting on a highly sensitive

pressure trigger. So no sudden

moves.

Ethan looks down at Ilsa’s hands in her lap, sees the

pistol there.

ETHAN

Your final test.

ILSA

When Lane has what he wants, I

kill you and Benji. If not...

Everyone dies.

Ethan looks at the PEDESTRIANS and DINERS all around

them. Innocent victims...

INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT304 304

LANE

No time to think, Ethan... Have a

seat.

EXT. TRAITOR’S GATE - NIGHT305 305

BENJI

- have a seat.

Ethan sits down opposite Benji.

CONTINUED:301 301

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 143.

LANE

Human nature. My weapon of choice.

ETHAN

(to Benji)

You never meant to recruit us. You

never had to.

BENJI

Everything you’ve done is because

I wanted you to do it. From the

moment I killed that woman in the

record shop, I knew you’d stop at

nothing to catch me. And I also

knew Ilsa wouldn’t have a choice.

Whether she broke you that night

you met or let you go, whether you

let her run in Morocco, whether

she went to Attlee or not...

ETHAN

You were certain we’d end up where

we are right now... Then again...

so was I.

[OMITTED]306 306

[OMITTED]307 307

[OMITTED]308 308

EXT. TRAITOR’S GATE / INT. HOTEL ROOM - INTERCUT309 309

ETHAN

I know you, Lane. Somewhere along

the line you had a crisis of

faith. Am I fighting for the right

side? Should I risk my life for a

world that doesn’t seem to care?

One day the answer was no. Human

life didn’t matter anymore or

maybe it never really did. Either

way, you’d killed too many

innocent people without ever

asking who was giving the orders

or why.

Close on Lane, Ethan’s words hitting home. The timer

continues counting down...

CONTINUED:305 305

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 144.

ETHAN (CONT’D)

You blamed the system for what you

are instead of yourself. You

wanted revenge. But Rome wasn’t

destroyed in a day. You needed

help. You needed money. A lot of

it. And you’ll stop at nothing to

get it. That’s how I know I’m

gonna put you in a box.

BENJI

Where’s the disk?

Ethan produces a pen, starts writing on a napkin.

ETHAN

(writing)

You like to play games. I have a

game for you. I’ll give you 50

million dollars to let Benji go.

With an assuring glance to Ilsa, he finishes writing and

holds up the napkin to Benji’s confused face.

INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT310 310

But not Lane. He sees a series of letters and numbers on

the napkin, along with the name of a bank.

Lane types on the laptop. A beat later, a familiar

interface appears on the screen. ECU on the number:

50,000,000.00 GBP

EXT. TRAITOR’S GATE - NIGHT311 311

Ethan puts the napkin down. The time continues...

LANE

Where is the disk?

ETHAN

You’re looking at it. I am the

disk. I memorized it. All two

point four billion in numbered

accounts. If that vest goes off,

you get nothing. And without this

money you’re nothing. Without me

you’re nothing.

CONTINUED:309 309

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 145.

INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT312 312

Through the screen, Ethan stares at Lane. Waiting. Lane

boils. The timer counts down.

EXT. TRAITOR’S GATE - NIGHT313 313

ETHAN

Right now you’re thinking it’s a

bluff. I’d never let me friends

die. I couldn’t possible memorize

the entire disk. There’s only one

way to be sure. Let Benji go.

INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT314 314

He stands, paces. Finally, he presses a button and:

EXT. TRAITOR’S GATE - NIGHT315 315

The timer stops at :03. Benji and Ilsa exhale. Ethan

glances about.

INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT316 316

LANE

Take him.

EXT. OUTSIDE TRAITOR’S GATE - NIGHT317 317

Vinter hears this in his ear. He nods to his goons. They

all step closer.

ETHAN

(to Ilsa)

If they come any closer; Shoot me.

Ilsa smiles, admiring the play. She slides her seat next

to Ethan, plans her gun in his ribs.

INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT318 318

Lane is furious. Trapped.

LANE

Stop. STOP.

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 146.

EXT. TRAITOR’S GATE - NIGHT319 319

Vinter and his goons halt...

BENJI

Remember when I said some day you

were going to take things too

far... and that’s me speaking -

not him.

ETHAN

The only way this ends is you and

me, Lane. Face-to-face. Only this

time I won’t be locked in a glass

box or half-dead on some highway.

Ethan leans closer to the lens...

ETHAN (CONT’D)

You want your money... the bone

doctor’s gonna have to beat it out

of me... Now let Benji go!

INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT320 320

Lane ponders, paces. Finally:

LANE

One-three-nine...

EXT. TRAITOR’S GATE - NIGHT321 321

Benji listens, looks down at the keypad on his chest. He

nervously punches in a series of numbers. The light on

the timer dies and the five-point harness springs open.

Benji sheds the vest as discreetly as he can. Wrapping it

in his overcoat.

ETHAN

Go.

BENJI

Ethan-

Ethan slides a phone across the table.

ETHAN

Luther and Brandt are waiting. Go.

With a final look to them both, Benji walks away. He

dials the phone as he goes.

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 147.

[OMITTED]322 322

[OMITTED]323 323

INT. LOADING DOCK - NIGHT324 324

The loading dock of an office building. Brandt is

crouched by a glass door, rigging a hinge. His phone

rings.

BRANDT

Go.

BENJI

(on phone)

It’s Benji. Where am I going?

Brandt turns to Luther seated nearby.

BRANDT

He’s coming.

LUTHER

We’re not ready.

BRANDT

GET READY.

(to Benji)

Alright - listen carefully -

EXT. TRAITOR’S GATE - NIGHT325 325

As he walks past Vinter:

VINTER

What do we do?

LANE

Kill the woman. I need Hunt alive.

Tense pause. Vinter and Ethan make eye contact. Then:

Vinter and his goons all reach for their guns as:

Ethan and Ilsa stand in a single motion. Ethan spins,

covering Ilsa with his body as she aims and fires with

her silenced pistol. Two goons drop. The commotion draws

the attention of NEARBY BYSTANDERS. As the panic starts:

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 148.

The other two goons rush through the crowd behind Ilsa.

Ethan spins, grabbing Ilsa’s gun, takes out the other two

guys. Pedestrians and patrons scramble, realizing now

that something bad is going down. Ethan grabs a phone off

a dead man and he and Ilsa take off into the crowd.

ILSA

Where are we going?

[OMITTED]326 326

[OMITTED]327 327

EXT. ALLEYS - NIGHT328 328

Ethan and Ilsa round the corner, and Ethan pushes her

back just as gunfire explodes across the wall above.

Ethan pulls his weapon, fires, a goon taking cover.

ON A GOON, reloading, getting an angle, sees Ilsa

flanking him, thinks he has a bead on her when -

He’s blown back, Ethan taking him out.

ILSA

Which way?

EXT. STREETS - NIGHT329 329

Ethan and Ilsa, ducking, running through some archways. A

goon follows them around a corner - too close. Ethan RAMS

him through a nearby window.

[OMITTED]330 330

EXT. ARCHWAYS - NIGHT331 331

Ilsa round the corner, ducks below a pillar, as the goon

in pursuit is close behind.

She elbows his midsection, drives a knee into his solar

plexus, finishing him off. She turns to head back towards

Ethan, when, from behind another pillar steps -

Vinter. Puffed up and looking like he’s like nothing more

than to strangle her with his bare hands.

CONTINUED:325 325

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 149.

She draws a knife. He draws a bigger one. Oh shit.

EXT. OTHER ALLEYWAY - NIGHT332 332

Ethan runs from gunmen, grabbing cover, turning and

killing one, before running down a narrow passageway. 2nd

goon follows, looks down there. Sees nothing. He starts

checking each doorway along the way. Ethan drop down from

ABOVE him, crushing him to the pavement, Ethan’s leg

crumpling beneath him.

EXT. ARCHWAYS - NIGHT333 333

Vinter and Ilsa circle each other. She slices him, but

he’s unaffected, countering with his backhanded hilt to

the side of her head. She recoils, looking at him.

VINTER

Now we’ll see what you’re made of.

He’s the physically superior, but she’s the more lithe

and cunning, allowing her to parry every attack - quick

and violent, no holds barred.

EXT. ALLEYS - NIGHT334 334

Grimacing, Ethan checks his gun. Empty. He tosses it.

Hangs his head, breathing hard. The sound of a car

approaching. A car is coming from his left. He looks

right, confronted by a long box alley.

Nowhere to run. He looks to a glass foyer across the

alley and runs for it as:

The car arrives from around the corner to his left. The

vehicle stops and Lane emerges, along with TWO GOONS.

Ethan runs toward the glass doors as they fire. The glass

shatters and Ethan throws his body through.

EXT. ALLEYS - NIGHT335 335

Convinced he’s going in for the kill, Vinter gets

careless, allows Ilsa to swing up behind him and DRIVE

her blade into his chest. He sinks to the ground, her

riding him all the way to the ground.

The sound of the alarm makes her look up, and she sprints

away.

CONTINUED:331 331

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 150.

INT. BUILDING UNDER CONSTRUCTION - NIGHT336 336

Ethan, stumbling, falling forward through a pane of

glass, past construction materials. He trips, falls

through a square hole cut in the floor. Lane walks to the

edge, looks down. He sees:

Ethan’s legs, dragging out of frame 10 feet below.

Lane jumps down into a -

INT. LOADING DOCK - NIGHT337 337

He sees Ethan, immobilized, 10 feet away. He walks

forward. Bump. He hits something. Holds his hand out.

A pane of glass. He turns right, hits another pane. Turns

left, hits another. He’s in a box.

THUNK. Something above. He looks up and sees:

Benji, smiling. He fires. The bullet appears to explode

in mid-air.

Lane turns to find Ethan standing in front of him -

inches away. Lane fires. The bullet hits the tempered

glass, useless. He looks to his left to see Brandt

emerging from the darkness. Luther appears from the

right. He looks up again and sees:

Ilsa, standing beside Benji, looking down at him with

contempt, and more than a little pleasure.

He fires again. And again. Nothing. He’s trapped in a

bulletproof glass box.

ETHAN

It hurts. I know. The pain you

feel is your own shell breaking.

Ethan nods to his friends. Benji smiles and holds up a

trigger in one hand. He presses the button.

The glass portico fills with gas. Lane glares at Ethan,

pounding his fists on the glass, screaming noiselessly,

flailing like a poisoned spider, until he is still, and

disappears in the fog.

Ethan steps back and shoves the case.

The light flicker on to reveal the box containing Lane

rests on the edge of a large loading dock.

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 151.

Energy, movement, a sense of urgency.

JUMP CUT as the box is slammed to the floor on it’s side.

JUMP CUT as a large van marked POLICE backs up to the

dock.

JUMP CUT as the rear doors are opened and the box is slid

inside the back of the van.

Luther, Brandt and Benji slip on bright police jackets

and hats before climbing into the van.

Ethan turns to Ilsa - both of them battered and exhausted

from the night’s ordeal - approach a waiting car.

ETHAN (CONT’D)

You’re free now.

Beat.

ETHAN (CONT’D)

Where will you go?

ILSA

I don’t know.

Ethan gives her a look. He doesn’t need to say it. She

shakes her head, no.

ILSA (CONT’D)

I’ve done my part.

Ethan nods, understanding.

EXT. BLACK ROCK BANK - NIGHT338 338

Police cars pull up outside the building. POLICE rush in

through the smashed window.

INT. LOADING DOCK - NIGHT339 339

The sound of sirens above. Pressure mounting.

LUTHER (O.S.)

Ethan, we gotta go.

And in that moment, they embrace - not as lovers but as

comrades. They kiss, not with passion, but with

understanding - a moment that says “I’ll miss you.”

CONTINUED:337 337

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 152.

ILSA

Better hurry now.

ETHAN

Good luck.

She climbs in the car and starts the engine.

ILSA

You know how to find me.

And she drives away. Ethan watches her go down a long

tunnel into the unknown before turning to the waiting

vehicle. As Benji starts the engine:

INT. BLACK ROCK BANK - NIGHT340 340

Police fill the desolate space - flashlight beams cutting

the semi-darkness.

ONE COP approaches a hole in the floor. He kneels down,

shines his light inside.

[OMITTED]341 341

EXT. STREET - NIGHT342 342

A POLICE VAN screams past, sirens wailing, lights

flashing. POLICE CARS scream past in the opposite

direction.

That police van kills the sirens and the lights.

INT. POLICE VAN - CAB - NIGHT343 343

Benji, Brandt and Luther dressed in a police uniforms.

Benji drives.

[OMITTED]344 344

INT. SENATE CHAMBER - DAY345 345

Closed session. SEVEN MEN on the dais. In the center is

the Chairman. They face two figures in the gallery.

One is Hunley. The other is Brandt.

CONTINUED:339 339

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 153.

CHAIRMAN

Director Hunley... Director

Hunley.

Hunley snaps out of his thoughts.

HUNLEY

Mr. Chairman.

CHAIRMAN

Six months ago you stood before

this panel and demanded that the

IMF be dissolved.

HUNLEY

That is correct, sir.

CHAIRMAN

How do you explain your testimony

today?

HUNLEY

It’s quite simple, really. We had

reason to believe the Syndicate

had infiltrated our government at

the highest level. For our man to

infiltrate the organization, his

cover needed to be absolute. The

entire operation was known only to

myself, Agent Brandt and a handful

of IMF operatives.

CHAIRMAN

So... the shuttering of the IMF

was all part of an elaborate

scheme to expose this so-called

Syndicate.

HUNLEY

That is correct, sir.

CHAIRMAN

Which is why you’re here today

asking that the IMF be reinstated.

HUNLEY

That is correct, sir.

The Chairman sits back, ponders.

CONTINUED:345 345

(CONTINUED)

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 154.

CHAIRMAN

I’m not sure the committee

approves of your methods, Director

Hunley.

HUNLEY

Desperate time call for desperate

measures, Mr. Chairman.

Long, tense pause. The Chairman turns to Brandt.

CHAIRMAN

And you, Mr. Brandt... How do you

justify this deception.

BRANDT

Sir... I can neither confirm nor

deny details of any such operation

without the Secretary’s approval.

INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE HEARING ROOM - DAY346 346

As Brandt and Hunley walk briskly away:

BRANDT

Welcome to the IMF, Mr. Secretary.

[OMITTED]347 347

[OMITTED]348 348

CONTINUED: (2)345 345

4TH GOLDENROD 23 MARCH '15 155.