"El Bastardo"

August Kelm · Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 6:22 am Post subject: "El Bastardo"

Was on a bit of a marathon of Robert Rodriguez films when I thought of this idea.

Thought I had wrote my whole BS2 out on my word processor but apparently I didn't. I'll have to find the notebook I wrote it in and edit this. But for now this is what I have. It's a bit wordy and I know absolutely no Spanish whatsoever, so bear with me.

Project Title: El Bastardo

Genre: DWAP

Logline: When an aggressive drug cartel moves in, amateur luchador “El Bastardo” becomes an unlikely hero in his towns fight for freedom.

Opening Image: We see an amateur wrestling match in progress, a man in a blue and red sequined mask is in a head lock and drops to the mat. He gets up and gestures to the crowd who boo him. An older man in a suit watches from the bar, he laughs as the wrestler continues to play up the crowd. The WRESTLER climbs the ropes and does a dive on his opponent, then pinning him and winning the match to the ire of the crowd.

The announce proclaims our wrestler EL BASTARDO the winner.

Bastardo sits down at the bar next to the man with the suit. “They would not boo you if they knew the man underneath that mask.” Bastardo laughs. “What do you know of lucha libre, you’re just the mayor. The only thing you wrestle with is building permits and parking tickets.”

The suited man holds a large sports ring in his hand, “I was once a luchador like you. I was ‘El Azul Diablo’. I was the pride and champion of this town.”

Bastardo focuses his attention to the stray cat under his seat. He picks it up and pets it while the suited man continues to talk.

Theme Stated: “I was unmasked in the last match of the 1978 Mexico City Royale. I had been shamed in front of everyone. My name, ruined. I drank that night, and I realized something while I looked in the mirror, it is not the name of the man that defines him, but the actions of the man.”

Set-Up: The suited man is called outside while Bastardo has soothed the cat into a ball of fur on his lap. He looks over to where the suited man was and spots the ring. He picks it up and examines the diamonds and then the logo “Champion 1979 – Mexico City Royale”.

Bastardo gets up, says to the bar tender “ I’m going to return the mayors Cracker Jack prize.”

Catalyst: As he enters the alley, he comes upon the mayor arguing with three men, one a police officer. He only catches “This is my town! You will do no such thing!” The men don’t like what they hear and they shoot the mayor in the chest. He dies, slowly.

As they watch the mayor writhe in pain, Bastardo tries to sneak away unnoticed, but it’s hard not to miss a muscle clad man in blue and red spandex. They open fire and he runs. They chase him down the street where he loses them in a back alley. He takes a breather then runs for home.

Debate: He enters his farm house out of breath. Looking in the mirror he washes his face with cold water. Drying his face he hears vehicles parking outside his house. He checks his blinds to see men with large guns lining up to fire upon his house.

Bastardo runs to his cellar door in the kitchen and hides while the bullets tear through his small farm house.

They shoot until they run out. And just as fast as they arrived, they leave.

After hearing no more movement, Bastardo crawls out of what’s left of his house and stares down the road. He could leave now, and start a new life, or he could stay and fight.

---more to come when I find my notebook.

_________________
"I shall be Dian Fossy, and they the Gorillas. But where will I find...the mist?!" - Principal Cinnamon J. Scudworth

Mike Rinaldi · Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 6:57 am Post subject:

I picture Die Hard meets Nacho Libre meets The Three Amigos. That's a compliment.

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The Slusho's gone? Why is all the Slusho gone?

writingmama · Huggy Cat Joined: 13 Aug 2008 Posts: 2496

Woohoo, August!

I'm with Mike!

Get down with it!

Hugs

Rachel T. · Ocelot Joined: 15 Jan 2008 Posts: 1909 Location: Michigan

This sounds like a good one! Keep going, I want to know what happens next! Very Happy

_________________
Don't be afraid to admit that inside you is a seething, fiery core of ambition and lust for success that would appall Napoleon.
-Russell Galen

quade · Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 11:37 pm Post subject:

I think I'm in just on the title alone.

August Kelm · Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 10:24 am Post subject:

Found more! I guess I was in between BS2's, so the rest might not be as cohesive. Warning, contains adult language.

Debate Cont'd: Looking down at his uniform, Bastardo decides to leave it behind in the ruble and steals some cloths from a neighbors wash line.

Holding the ring in his hand, he makes a fist. He will fight.

Break into Two: After sleeping the night off in a barn, he comes to awaken to his own funeral, slowly going down the street. He follows as the mourners sing and chant, ending at a church.

His mother turns around to look, but Bastardo grabs a newspaper and hides his face. She enters the church. His best friend, who is taking it pretty hard stays outside and grieves. Bastardo knows he can trust him and approaches him.

"Jorge! It is me! Emmanuel!"

His friend looks at him like he's from outer space. Quickly thinking, Bastardo pokes two holes in the newspaper and holds it over his face.

"It is me! Bastardo!" His friend recognizes him finally. "We don't have much time! Our town and people are in danger."

"From who?"

B-Story: Before Bastardo can speak, they hear a commotion across the street. A young woman is being harassed by thugs. One of them Bastardo recognizes from outside his house.

"Them."

"Bastardo, no! This is not our fight. They will move on. What if someone recognizes you!"

Bastardo walks across the street. One of the thugs looks over at him. "Go away, we have no work for you."

As the man waves his had at Bastardo, he grabs the mans arm and breaks it. "That was for my house."

The man recognizes him now. "Shit!"

Bastardo takes out the rest of the thugs with ease.

The doors open to the church as people enter the street the see what happened. Bastardo has already taken off with the young woman.

His mother looks at the carnage with a grimace. "Such disgrace on the day of my sons funeral."

Fun and Games: The thugs return to their boss who is not pleased that Bastardo still lives.

"Call Raul, get every man we have to find this guy. Otherwise its business as usual. With shit hitting the fan over in Juarez we can't afford to take our time here."

Bastardo knows he's a hunted man. But he also knows the dire situation the town is in and what evil they face.

"This man commands his own army. We need to mobilize the town against him. That's the only way we can win."

They begin recruiting everyone they can find, turning Bastardo from hated home town wrestler into a shadowy hero known as "El Azul Diablo", in honor of the deceased mayor.

Mid-point: When hunting down more henchmen, Bastardo is arrested and taken to the drug lord.

"I can be a reasonable man. I'll give you five million. Just get the Funk out of my town by sunrise and never return."

Bastardo spits in his face. "This town belongs to the people. They will not be tainted by your drug money."

"Fine. Die like a dog then." The boss has the thugs beat Bastardo and toss him in a jail cell.

"Find the rest of them. Arrest the whole town if you have too."

Bad Guys Close In: The police track down his friend and the young girl and arrest them. They too are taken to the drug lord.

All is Lost Bastardo is drug out his jail cell and into a room where his friend and the woman are gagged and tied.

The drug lord is pacing behind them. "Someone here is going to pay for your freedom. Now who shall it be then?"

Bastardo's friend nods his head.

"Well look boys, we have a volunteer. Bastardo is mortified, but his friend gives him a look." His friend is shot and killed.

Bastardo is bagged and tossed out of a moving van into the street.

Dark Night for the Soul: Sobbing, he walks the streets towards his mothers house, he begins running when he see's flames shooting out of the roof.

He falls to his knees and screams.

He is suddenly hit from behind and knocked out.

Break into Three: He awakens in a strange house and notices his mother in the kitchen cooking. She turns to notice him awake and comes after him with the frying pan.

"What's the matter with you! Letting me think you were dead, then I thought you were one of those thugs come to finish me off! On top of that, running around using the name of your father!"

Bastardo's eyes go wide.

"He was your father. We were both young and he was just going pro. I couldn't hold him back, it was his dream. After he won the championship, he became involved in this town, always keeping an eye on you."

She hands him the mask his father. He proudly puts it on.

Finale:

Gathering the Team: Bastardo makes his way to the jail. A police officer grabs his night stick and threatens Bastardo.

Bastardo grabs the mans night stick, along with the man, and hurls him into a squad car. He flexes. All the other police officers back off.

The drug lord isn't there, but they are able to free the towns people and turn a few police officers.

Executing the Plan: The towns people gather what they can for weapons, some have guns, some have whatever they can swing. Others take the lead of Bastardo and go unarmed.

The High Tower Surprise: As they make their way through town they come upon the full force of the drug lord. Every high-end weapon you could think of are in the hands of these badies.

The drug lord is holding the young woman as his personal hostage.

Dig Down Deep: Many of the towns people retreat, fearing a horrible, painful death. Even Bastardo is contemplating on running.

When it seems its darkest, the night air is torn by the sound of an RPG ripping through the drug lords army. Bastardo looks to see his mother on a roof top, holding the smoking barrel...barely. "That's for my house you bastards!"

Both Bastatrdo and the Drug Lord "Where the Funk did she get that?"

Execution of new plan: This is enough for many of the towns people to stand tall, now that the numbers are a little more even.

A fierce fire fight breaks out, while Bastardo fights his way toward the drug lord.

Bastardo punches the drug lord in the face, but the drug lord pulls a gun on Bastardo and points it at his head.

Bastardo halts his attack. The drug lord grabs his mask and begins to pull it off. "You are nothing, you hear me, nothing!

The mask is off, at first, Bastardo looks ashamed, but he then head butts the drug lord in the face and continues his attack.

He beats the drug lord senseless. "Now what are you going to do? Kill me in revenge?"

"Death is too good for you."

Final Image: We are in Mexico City, the final round of the current Luchador Battle Royal, Bastardo, enters the ring to a deafening sound of cheers. He flexes and readies to face off with his opponent. We hear the bell ding.

Fade Out

_________________
"I shall be Dian Fossy, and they the Gorillas. But where will I find...the mist?!" - Principal Cinnamon J. Scudworth

August Kelm · Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 7:45 am Post subject:

Hmmm...I was thinking about the other half of this beat sheet at work and the ending seemed all to familiar to me.

I went through my head thinking of all the movies I had watched that were similar in genre or writing style and then it hit me. Machete'.

*facepalm*

Maybe its just me, but I feel, maybe not consciously but certainly unconsciously my mind became lazy and seemed to recycle how Machete' ended.

I fear its the same thing only...the same thing.

_________________
"I shall be Dian Fossy, and they the Gorillas. But where will I find...the mist?!" - Principal Cinnamon J. Scudworth

quade · Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 11:27 am Post subject:

August Kelm · Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 8:14 pm Post subject:

Well, I'll write an alternative ending but put it on the side.

Otherwise, I'll move on to the 40 scenes with what I wrote, polish it up and then perhaps move onto a STCrenzy.

If it looks like the end of Machete' still, then I'll break out the alternative ending.

_________________
"I shall be Dian Fossy, and they the Gorillas. But where will I find...the mist?!" - Principal Cinnamon J. Scudworth

Hollywood crAZRick · Snarky Cat Joined: 28 Mar 2008 Posts: 1645

don't forget, it's also the end of The Wrestler

Razz

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RobbRoss · Siberian Tiger Joined: 04 Jan 2012 Posts: 336

Cool idea.

I think the log can be tweaked...if it's a DWAP, then fighting for his town becomes a turning point in the story, like the midpoint, after starting with something just about him. If he fights for his town from an earlier point in the story, like the start of Act II, then it seems like a GF.

Clarify the location and consider "wrestler" instead of "luchador."

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