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MINORITY REPORT

by

Scott Frank

REVISED DRAFT

May 16, 2001

BLACK

We hear a woman WHISPER:

WOMAN'S VOICE
Murderer.

FADE IN: A SERIES OF IMAGES

Some coming at us fast and furious, some slowed down, and
some still as photographs, none making sense to us yet:

A HAND picks up a PAIR OF SCISSORS... THE FACE OF ABRAHAM
LINCOLN. The SCISSORS POKE THROUGH THE EYE. A NEWSPAPER BOY
rides by on a recumbent bike. A NEWS PAPER HITS THE GROUND.
SNIP go the scissors and now we see...

A MAN'S face watching us -- muscular, handsome -- with a
KID'S FACE beside his own. The same man's face with the
kid's face on the other side of him, now facing backwards.
SNIP go the scissors and we now see...

A WOMAN admires herself in a mirror. WATER runs into a
BATHTUB. A HAND REACHES FOR A DOORKNOB. WE MOVE THROUGH IT,
leaving the DOOR OPEN BEHIND US. A FLIGHT OF STAIRS. SNIP
go the scissors and we now see...

The woman UNBUTTONS HER BLOUSE as THE MAN -- now half-nude,
WATCHES from a doorway. We START UP THE STAIRS. A DOOR at
the top, slightly ajar. SNIP go the scissors and we see...

The WOMAN at the mirror. The MAN comes up behind her and
enfolds her in his arms. SNIP and we see...

A KISS on the NECK. SNIP. SNIP. And we CONTINUE ON UP THE
STAIRS. We're at the door now. SNIP. A HAND now dips into
the rush of WATER from the spout, testing it. SNIP SNIP SNIP
and we see...

THE WOMAN smiling into the MIRROR, pleased with her
reflection. SNIP SNIP and we see...

The WOMAN and the MAN on the bed making love. ANOTHER MAN'S
face rising over the bed now as he watches. The WOMAN looks
over her lover's shoulder, sees the face and sits up...

The man by the bed is smaller than the lover, older, but
ENRAGED as he now raises THE SCISSORS and we PULL AWAY TO
REVEAL:

That we're looking at the image as it plays out inside the
dark pupil of a HUMAN EYE. The eye BLINKS and now we go...

WIDER, we're looking now at A FEMALE FACE staring up at us --
eyes blue as gas flames -- floating in some sort of WHITE
LIQUID as she looks up at us and speaks:

FEMALE FACE
Howard --

PULLING BACK STILL FURTHER we see A MALE FACE next to her:

MALE FACE
I forgot my glasses.

THE SCISSORS SNIP.

MALE FACE
You know how blind I am without
them.

WE SEE THE WOMAN IN THE BEDROOM

As she SCREAMS and the man stabs her in the throat with the
scissors as now the MUSCULAR MAN gets out of the bed, tries
to run for the safety of the bathroom, gets stabbed in the
back. QUICK FLASHES of the scissors as the muscular man goes
down.

The bloody scissors bounce open onto the bathroom floor.

Now BLOOD-RED water begins to overflow onto the floor. We
follow the water through the cracks and lines in the tile, to
an OUTSTRETCHED HAND, still, striped with blood. We then...

DISSOLVE TO:

THE THREE FACES

As they shut their eyes, begin to slowly sink back down into
the white liquid as they all whisper together:

THE THREE OF THEM
Murderer.

As their faces disappear into the milky void, we HEAR A SIREN
ALARM and now see...

A RED BALL - ANALYTICAL ROOM

Rolling fast down a chute from the top right CORNER OF FRAME.
And now another RED BALL rolls down from the top left corner.
The motion is slowed for an instant so that we can see NAMES
etched into it: SARAH MARKS. And then: DONALD DOOBIN.

It rolls past and now A SECOND RED BALL rolls right at us
from the top left. The motion on this one is slowed for an
instant so that we can read the name etched into the side:
"HOWARD MARKS". Just as it rolls over to us, we now see...

INSIDE PRECRIME HEADQUARTERS - MAIN FLOOR

Slides open, revealing senior detective JOHN ANDERTON. Mid
thirties, military haircut. He pushes through a second,
pressurized door, leading us past a series of glassed-in
offices and viewbicles.

INT. PRECRIME ANALYTICAL ROOM - MORNING

ANDERTON
Okay, Jad, what's coming?

JAD
Red Ball -- double homicide: one
male, one female. Killer's male,
white, 40's.

JAD (28, African- American), the main dispatcher, one of six
TEAM MEMBERS crowded around the computer display. They back
off so Anderton can take a look.

JAD
We need confirmation on the time
frame. Location still uncertain.
Remote witnesses are hooked in...

ANDERTON
Case #1108, previsualized by the
Precogs and recorded on holoshpere
by Precrime's q-stacks.
(to a screen)
My fellow witnesses for case #1108
are Dr. Katherine James and Chief
Justice Frank Pollard.

ON A VIDEO SCREEN

As a split-image emerges of James and Pollard in their
respective offices.

ANDERTON
Have the witnesses previewed and
validated #1108?

INT. POLLARD'S OFFICE - MORNING

As an elderly man, retired CHIEF JUSTICE FRANK POLLARD stares
at a video monitor showing the Prevision.

POLLARD
Affirmative. Validated.

INT. DR. JAMES' OFFICE - MORNING

As KATHERINE JAMES, a bespectacled, middle-aged criminal
psychologist yawns, a big cup of coffee in one hand.

JAMES
Go get him.

INT. PRECRIME ANALYTICAL ROOM - MORNING

As Anderton pulls a small disc from his pocket.

ANDERTON
Stand by...

The men all share knowing glances as he inserts the disc into
a player and we now hear a STRAUSS SYMPHONY OVER...

Anderton slips on an eyepiece and special finger gloves, then
moves his hands over the huge PREVISION SCREEN, "conducting"
the array of images we saw during the opening. The screen
responds to wherever he looks, or whatever he touches...

ANDERTON
Alright, Howard, where are you...

INT. SUBURBAN D.C. KITCHEN - MORNING

We HEAR BIRDS CHIRPING, someone HUMMING softly, then...

A WOMEN'S VOICE
Breakfast!

SARAH, the woman we just saw murdered, cooks breakfast,
bathed in a halo of bright sunshine that streams in from a
window. She looks up, smiles. A beautiful day outside.

VOICE
For score and seven years ago our
fathers brought forth on this,
um...

She sets two plates of scrambled eggs down on the table where
her SON -- 10 -- sits reciting the Gettysburg Address as he
cuts out A CARDBOARD MASK with a pair of SCISSORS, poking
through Lincoln's eyes to make holes he can see through.

SARAH
Continent...

SON
Continent. A new nation, conceived
in liberty...

SARAH
Howard?! Breakfast!

INT. PRECRIME ANALYTICAL ROOM - MORNING

Everybody in the room working on the vision. A team of
researchers study the buildings. The trees in the area.

JAD
I show eight "Howard Marks" inside
the District. Sorting by race and
age.

On another screen, Driver's license photos now begin to FLASH
PAST.

ANDERTON
Let's see if we can get lucky...

He ZOOMS IN on the image of a NEWSPAPER. The headline reads
PRESIDENT SUPPORTS PRECRIME AMENDMENT...

ANDERTON
Come on...

EXT. BROWNSTONE IN GEORGETOWN - MORNING

As the SPRINKLERS COME ON just as HOWARD MARKS, the older man
we saw stab his wife, steps out of the house.

VOICE
Morning, Mr. Marks.

He looks over as A PAPERBOY waves from a recumbent bicycle
and tosses A NEWSPAPER. As it flies at us...

INT. PRECRIME ANALYTICAL ROOM - MORNING

The image auto-enhances as we zoom in closer to the newspaper
sitting on the KITCHEN TABLE. We see AN ADDRESS LABEL with
the name HOWARD MARKS...

EXT. BROWNSTONE - MORNING

As the paper lands on the lawn, starts to get soaked by the
sprinklers. Howard frowns at the kid, reaches through the
water to grab it...

INT. PRECRIME ANALYTICAL ROOM - MORNING

As Anderton sees that the INK ON THE WET ADDRESS LABEL has
run, blurring the information. Jad shakes his head.

JAD
We can't grab it...

ANDERTON
Run the subscription list...

EXT. BROWNSTONE - MORNING

As A MOUNTED POLICEMAN rides by. Howard smiles, turns and
starts to head back inside when he notices something across
the street...

INT. PRECRIME ANALYTICAL ROOM - MORNING

As Anderton focuses now on the "murder room". He ZOOMS IN on
a blurry nightstand clock. A stack of books blocks it... He
ZOOMS OUT THE WINDOW...

ANDERTON
I've got north facing shadows out
the window of the building behind.
I need trig and image analysis...

VECTORS from the shadows appear on the screen now.

JAD
Workin' it.

Anderton turns and looks at THREE SCREENS showing the male
faces and the female face floating in the liquid we saw in
the beginning.

ANDERTON
Morning, detectives.

The faces don't respond. Just stare into the void. Anderton
touches the screen and now the FEMALE seems to turn and look
at him.

EXT. BROWNSTONE - MORNING

Howard Marks pauses, notices A MAN -- handsome, muscular,
practically bursting out of a nice suit -- loitering in front
of the small park across the street. Howard studies the man
a moment as Sarah appears in the doorway behind him, sees him
looking at the man.

SARAH
Breakfast, honey.

And now the Man across the street looks this way, sees
Howard, sees Sarah right behind him and quickly moves off.

HOWARD
He looks familiar.

SARAH
Who?

HOWARD
The man across the street. I've
seen him before...

SARAH
How can you even tell? You know
how blind you are without your
glasses.

INT. PRECRIME ANALYTICAL ROOM - MORNING

As Jad looks at an array of Driver's License Photos... We see
ONE FOR HOWARD MARKS. Then ANOTHER FOR SARAH MARKS. Same
address.

JAD
Got him in the Foxhall. 4421
Gainsborough.

ANDERTON
Send a DCPD blue & white out there,
set up a perimeter and tell 'em
we're en route. What's our
confirmed time?

JAD
From solar position, Trig & Image
confirms it at approximately eight
oh-four a.m.

The whole team looks up at the clock on the wall. 7:47.
Anderton sets THE TIMER ON HIS WATCH.

FLETCHER
Seventeen minutes.

ANDERTON
Armor up -- sick-sticks and
concussion guns -- this is gonna be
close.

INT. PRECRIME READY ROOM - MORNING

Like a firehouse, everybody slipping into uniform, riding up
poles on chairs. A flurry of activity as weapons, helmets,
and other newfangled gear are pulled from wall racks.

KNOTT, a big redhead, thick of neck and thicker of head,
hands out the gear. He takes what looks like A BILLY CLUB
and points it at a HEAVYSET COP who wolfs down the last of a
Danish...

KNOTT
Hey, Steadman, wanna lose those ten
ugly pounds like right now?

The cop reacts, pushes the stick away...

PETROTTA
Touch me with that puke-pole,
asshole, you're gonna wear the
fuckin' risoto I had for dinner
last night along with the two
chilidogs I had for breakfast.

INT. PRECRIME ANALYTICAL ROOM - MORNING

As Jad spins around in his chair...

JAD
Chief, we got a problem with our
location --

Anderton looks at him.

JAD
It's no longer there.

Jad indicates a video screen showing VIDEO BOT VIEW OF A FIRE
CHARRED HOME. Only one wall is left standing...

INT. PRECRIME ANALYTICAL ROOM - MORNING

As Anderton looks at the Prevision, begins manipulating the
images... He glances at the PRECOG MONITOR. The female face
writhes in the screen and Anderton looks at her.

ANDERTON
Where we going, Agatha? Talk to
me.

Anderton turns away as FLETCHER (30), second in command
approaches Anderton. The FEMALE FACE turns and seems to look
at Anderton through the screen.

FLETCHER
Chief, the investigator from the
Fed is here.

ANDERTON
(distracted)
You're kidding, that's today?

FLETCHER
I wrote it down in your calendar,
then left a message at your house --

ANDERTON
(working)
All I need, some twink from the Fed
poking around right now.
(then, to Jad)
Check again with the paper, they
had it forwarded. See if the
neighbors know where they went,
check all relations --

FLETCHER
Uh, sir...

ANDERTON
Get him some coffee and tell him to
wait outside.

VOICE
I've got coffee, thank you.

Anderton turns to see DANNY WITWER. Mid-twenties, quietly
looking at everything and everyone. He extends his hand.

WITWER
Danny Witwer.
(then)
The "Twink from the Fed". Gum?

Anderton gives him a look, Witwer offers Anderton a stick of
GUM.

JAD
The Marks moved two weeks ago. No
one knows where. Still searching
for family and employer.

MECHANICAL VOICE
Time horizon: 12 minutes...

Anderton looks at his watch: COUNTING DOWN, 12 MINUTES.

ANDERTON
I'm sorry Danny, but I'll have to
give you the full tour later on.

WITWER
Your secretaries were all kind
enough to give me a look around the
office...

Anderton looks through the glass doors where A HALF DOZEN
FEMALE PRECRIME OFFICE WORKERS ogle Witwer, even one that's
pregnant (a moving image of her baby on the front of her
maternity T-shirt). They ALL CHEW GUM.

Witwer watches as Anderton moves his fingers across the
display, "flying through" the precrime scene, moving forward
and back in time. ARCHITECTURAL REFERENCE SCREENS run side
by-side with the Prevision Screen...

ANDERTON
Original running bond brick
pattern, streamlined early Georgian
Details...

Fletcher begins pointing out the equipment to Witwer who just
listens quietly... asks no questions.

FLETCHER
What he's doing now, we call
"scrubbing the image", looking for
clues as to where the murder's
going to happen.

ANDERTON
The brick has been repointed, the
glass is original with new glazing
bars. I show composite mouldings
with dentils.
(then)
Someone took care in the
renovation. Let's find the
architect...

FLETCHER
Victims are pronounced here.
Killers here. We never touch
anything.

ANDERTON
I show a cop on horseback.

JAD
Somewhere near the capital?

ANDERTON
No maglev system.

JAD
The mall?

ANDERTON
Georgetown.

Fletcher introduces Witwer to a female member of the team.

FLETCHER
This is Evanna, the team pilot.

WITWER
Nice to meet you. Gum?

She gives him a once over, takes a piece of gum.

EVANNA
Oh, thank you...

He pops a piece in his own mouth, cuts a look back at her...

WITWER
She's cute.

Witwer now notices the three faces on screen, can't take his
eyes off them. Witwer looks at the images on the screen.
These three faces writhing in agony.

FLETCHER
Filtered, the Precogs can see
outward up to four days with a
sensory range of 200 miles.

Witwer stares at them, blowing a bubble.

WITWER
So if you wanna kill someone, you
take him to Miami.

FLETCHER
Not after the vote next week. Once
the Amendment passes, we go
national, there's gonna be nowhere
to run.

Anderton cuts a look at him as Jad indicates a 3D map full of
BLUE DOTS...

JAD
Two Howard Markses EYEdented in the
sprawl. Neither show married --

Anderton looks at THE REFERENCE SCREENS AS THEY SCROLL
THROUGH ARCHITECTURAL IMAGERY...

ANDERTON
I show a match for Dwight Kingsley.
Nineteenth century architect. He
did two dozen houses in D.C....

MECHANICAL VOICE
Time Horizon, ten minutes...

Witwer reacts to the incessant RINGING OF THE ALARM BELL.

WITWER
Can't they shut that off?

FLETCHER
That's the Red Ball Alarm.

Witwer looks at him.

FLETCHER
Crime of passion. No
premeditation. They show up late.
Most of our scrambles are flash
events like this one. We rarely
see anything with premeditation
anymore.

WITWER
People have gotten the message.
(to Fletcher)
Gum?

INT. MARKS KITCHEN - MORNING

As Howard sits down with his son who keeps cutting the piece
of cardboard while reciting the address.

SON
... the world will little note, nor
long remember what we say here...

HOWARD
(looks at Sarah)
I was thinking, maybe I'd play
hooky, stay home today.

Her back to him, Sarah pauses for just a second.

SARAH
What about your meeting?

HOWARD
I'll reschedule. I've been working
too much anyway.

The boy holds up what WE NOW SEE IS A LINCOLN MASK to his
face...

SON
... that these honored dead we take
increased devotion to that cause
for which they gave us they gave
the last full measure of
devotion...

He looks at the back of his wife as he pokes at his
breakfast.

HOWARD
We could have lunch together.

SARAH
I'd love to, but I've got an open
house today at the Ressler place.

HOWARD
Ah. That must be why you look so
nice.

As Sarah turns and smiles at Howard.

SARAH
Raincheck?

HOWARD
Sure. Raincheck.

SON
... that we here highly resolve
that these dead shall not have died
in vain...

We hear a HORN HONK O.S. Sarah looks at her son.

SARAH
Your ride's here. Get your stuff.

The boy gets up, setting THE SCISSORS down on the table.

INT. PRECRIME ANALYTICAL ROOM - MORNING

Two men act as "dressers", getting Anderton into gear while
he works. They help him on with a jacket, the word PRECRIME
emblazoned on the back.

JAD
Director. Line three.

And now we see an IMAGE OF LAMAR BURGESS, DIRECTOR OF
PRECRIME in one corner.

BURGESS
Tell me not to worry, John.

ANDERTON
Don't worry, Lamar.

BURGESS
The nation votes this week...

Anderton notices something on the prevision screen, brushes
off the "dressers".

BURGESS
Which makes this the worst possible
time to show that we're only human.

ANDERTON
(working)
Uh-huh...

BURGESS
Has the observer from Justice shown
up yet?

ANDERTON
Hang on, Lamar --

Anderton mutes the director, looks at AN IMAGE OF THE
MUSCULAR MAN IN THE SUIT. There's a CHILD'S FACE to the left
of his own.

INT. MARKS KITCHEN - MORNING

Howard takes his jacket and leaves. Sarah watches after him
for a beat, a little out of sorts.

INT. PRECRIME ANALYTICAL ROOM - MORNING

As Anderton indicates the screen to Jad. Witwer watches.

ANDERTON
Look at the kid. In this one, he's
on the left of the man in the suit.

JAD
Yeah? So?

ANDERTON
Now look at him...

Anderton moves his hand so the image changes and the kid is
now to the right of the man, but FACING BACKWARDS. He now
moves back and forth between the images...

ANDERTON
It's a park.

He runs the image and we see the kid back on the left facing
front, then on the other side facing back...

EXT. PARK ACROSS FROM THE MARKS BROWNSTONE - MORNING

The HANDSOME MAN IN THE SUIT watches the house. Behind him,
we see A KID ON A PUSH MERRY-GO-ROUND, as he goes by we see
him facing one way, then the other...

The man glances about, then crosses the street. He climbs
the steps to the front door. Doesn't even get to knock
before Sarah opens it.

SARAH
Come on...

The man follows her inside. A beat later, Howard steps into
FRAME. He never really left for work.

INT. PRECRIME - MORNING

As Anderton runs with his team -- five in all. Witwer trails
behind them.

FLETCHER
There's only sixteen of those old
merry-go-rounds left in the city.
Two of which are in Georgetown.
One in Barnaby woods, the other
Woodley.

Anderton looks at the readout Fletcher hands him.

ANDERTON
Woodley's all Victorian. It's
gotta be Barnaby Woods.
(keeps moving)
I want two cameras: one Spyder, one
floater.

Witwer watches as Anderton pulls a .45 from his waistband.
Jacks the clip and checks it.

WITWER
As I recall, they outlawed
compression firearms in the
District ten years ago.

ANDERTON
(replacing the clip)
They did. Make yourself
comfortable. We'll be back in an
hour.

WITWER
You mind if I tag along?

Some looks amid the team. They know Anderton doesn't want
him here.

ANDERTON
I'd love to take you along,
Inspector, but there's no room on
the ship.

EXT. DEPARTMENT OF PRECRIME - ROOF - MORNING

Anderton and his team head for a HOVERSHIP. Anderton climbs
in beside EVANNA, the female pilot. Even with everyone
onboard, one seat is conspicuously vacant. KASI, an African
American cop, sets some equipment on it, smiles at Anderton.

EVANNA
Time Horizon six minutes.

As the hovership lifts off.

EXT. MARKS HOUSE - GEORGETOWN - MORNING

Howard walks up the steps to his house, takes out his key.
His hand shaking, he inserts the key into the lock. A long
beat. He makes a decision and he finally turns it.

INT. MARKS HOUSE - KITCHEN - MORNING

We hear LAUGHING from the second floor. Howard picks up the
scissors from the table.

INT. HOVERSHIP - MORNING

As Anderton looks at his watch. COUNTING DOWN 5:38...
5:37...

INT. MARKS HOUSE - MORNING

As we HEAR FOOTSTEPS and Howard steps behind a door, watches
as the Lover, wrapped only in a towel, comes WHISTLING into
the kitchen, grabs a couple of sodas from the refrigerator,
then heads back out.

EXT. D.C. - MORNING

Overhead, the precrime Hovership ROARS past. In the
distance, we see familiar Washington buildings, along with
some new ones.

INT. MARKS HOUSE - MORNING

Howard starts up the stairs. We hear the sound of WATER
RUNNING.

INT. MARKS HOUSE - MORNING

Howard gets to the door, slowly pushes it open with the point
of the SCISSORS.

INT. BEDROOM - MORNING

As we see Sarah's reflection in the bathroom mirror as she
wraps her arms around her lover, kicks the door closed with
her foot.

We now see HOWARD MARKS standing there, reflected in the full
length mirror on the other side.

EXT. PARK - MORNING

The only sound, the SQUEAK OF THE MERRY-GO-ROUND as the kid
goes round and round. All of a sudden several PRECOPS drop
down on DESCENDERS. The kid looks off at them, confused as
to why it's now raining cops... he slowly looks UP and sees
THE HOVERSHIP floating above him...

INT. BEDROOM - MORNING

We hear GIGGLING O.S. as Howard Marks sits down on the bed,
and starts to weep, he slides onto the floor...

EXT. PARK - MORNING

As Anderton studies his portable screen, the image of the kid
with the house behind him. He looks up and realizes that the
PARK IS SURROUNDED ON FOUR SIDES BY HOUSES. And THEY ALL
LOOK ALIKE...

INT. PRECRIME HOVERSHIP - MORNING

As Evanna watches the image, watches Howard Marks kill his
wife over and over. The rest of the team is anxious.

MECHANICAL VOICE
Time Horizon. One minute.

EVANNA
Chief, we're catching up to the
future.

EXT. PARK - MORNING

As Anderton calmly looks around at the surrounding houses,
all we hear is the SQUEAK of the merry-go-round.

ANDERTON
Jad?

INT. PRECRIME ANALYTICAL ROOM - MORNING

As Jad answers the call. Witwer is right there watching.

JAD
Go ahead.

ANDERTON (PHONE)
Did he close the front door?

JAD
What?

ANDERTON (PHONE)
Did Marks close the front door?!

Jad looks over the prevision a moment. He sees the image of
the front door... the stairs just beyond it...

JAD
Negative -- front door is open!
The front door is open!!

EXT. PARK - MORNING

As Anderton scans the houses, sees one across the park with
the door open --

INT. BEDROOM - MORNING

As the two lovers now stumble wet from the bathroom onto the
bed, neither of them see Howard sitting there on the floor on
the other side of the bed, his head in his hands. They start
to make love. Howard doesn't move.

EXT. PARK - MORNING

As Anderton makes a headlong dash for the house. The other
cops right behind him...

INT. PRECRIME HOVERSHIP - MORNING

As Evanna takes off...

MECHANICAL VOICE
Time Horizon, thirty seconds --

EVANNA
Hold on!

The craft pitches as she heads over the park now...

INT. BEDROOM - MORNING

As the motion of the two lovers now begins to rock Howard
back and forth. He looks at the SCISSORS in his lap, also
rocking back and forth to the rhythm of the two in the bed.

EXT. HOUSE - MORNING

As Anderton blows through the open front door...

INT. BEDROOM - MORNING

As Howard now stands up, looks down at the bed, his face
turning from disgrace to rage as he raises the scissors over
his head.

INT. HOUSE - MORNING

As Anderton sprints up the stairs, the other cops behind him.

INSERT - HIS WATCH COUNTING DOWN the last few seconds...

INT. BEDROOM - MORNING

As Sarah opens her eyes, sees Howard standing there over the
shoulder of her lover and gasps.

SARAH
Howard --

HOWARD
I forgot my glasses.

The lover rolls off of her and sits up.

HOWARD
You know how blind I am without
them.

She sees the scissors in his hand. SCREAMS. He's bringing
them down when, suddenly, the HAND HOLDING THE SCISSORS IS
GRABBED by Anderton...

HOWARD
What --

TIGHT ON THEIR TWO HANDS

As Anderton's watch BEEPS as it counts down the last second
and now...

... the SKYLIGHT OVERHEAD EXPLODES, wood and glass flying
everywhere as the other Precops descend from the Hovership,
drop straight into the room.

A FLOATING CAMERA BOT pushes past Anderton to the center of
the room.

CAMERA BOT - POV

GRIDS and VECTORS place and locate everyone in the room. A
screen-within-a-screen zooms in on the SCISSORS. It films
Sarah's lover as he comes away from the bed.

ANDERTON
Mr. Marks, you're under arrest
for --

Howard makes a run for the door...

ANDERTON
Knott --

Knott grabs him, but the man puts up a fight.

Anderton takes a hand-held device from his belt (A SPYDER)
and scans Marks' retina.

ANDERTON
Positive for Howard Marks --

Howard stands frozen, mouth agape as he now fully sees the
PRECRIME SHIP hovering right out the window.

ANDERTON
By mandate of the District of
Columbia Precrime division, I'm
placing you under arrest for the
future murder of Sarah Marks and
Donald Doobin that was to take
place today, April 22, at oh-eight
hundred hours, four minutes --

SARAH
What?

HOWARD
I didn't do anything! Sarah!

ANDERTON
(to Fletcher)
Give the man his hat.

And now the other team members grab hold of Howard and start
to shave his head with an electric sheer right there on the
stairs, his hair falling in clumps to the floor below.

HOWARD
Oh, God. Don't put the halo on me!

And now Fletcher steps forward with what is essentially a
metal HALO. Fletcher places it on Howard's head while he
screams...

HOWARD
I wasn't going to do it! I wasn't
going to hurt her! I just wanted
to scare her!

As the halo is fitted onto his head, Howard's body arches in
a convulsive shock, his eyes rolling white into his head as
he finally goes limp.

INT. PRECRIME ANALYTICAL ROOM - MORNING

As Witwer watches the Prevision Screen.

WITWER
I thought they stopped the murder --

Jad looks over as Witwer indicates an image of Howard Marks
stabbing his wife, now from a slightly different angle.

JAD
That's just an echo.
(smiles)
Precog Deja Vu.
(looks at the screen)
Some of the really bad ones, the
Precogs see over and over again.

The stabbing happens again and Jad moves his hand across the
screen and it goes BLANK. Witwer looks at the PRECOG SCREEN,
watches as the female rolls over and sinks under the milk.

INT. MARKS HOUSE - MORNING

Anderton goes into the bathroom and SHUTS OFF THE WATER in
the bathtub just as it's about to overflow.

He stands, sees Sarah, hugging herself in the middle of the
room. She stares back at him, confused and overwhelmed as we
now...

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. INNER CITY - NIGHT

As Anderton, now in a hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants, jogs
through the rain, the neighborhood around him getting worse
and worse as he goes.

INT. A DARK ROOM - NIGHT

We can see Howard Marks' breath as he's laid out naked on a
metal table. His head has been shaved.

VOICE OVER
Precrime: It works!

EXT. INNER CITY - NIGHT

As Anderton runs through the city, we now hear OTHER VOICES
joining in saying the same thing, over and over, finally
overlapping one another:

VOICES
PRECRIME: IT WORKS!
(until we hear)
IT WORKS IT WORKS IT WORKS...

And now, PROJECTED ON THE WALL BESIDE ANDERTON, we start to
see a SERIES OF HUGE CLOSE-UPS as he runs by:

AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN
I used to worry about my children
going to the playground...

POLICEMAN
My partner was murdered...

VARIOUS PEOPLE
My sister was murdered... My
brother was killed... I was
attacked in the stairwell... My
teacher was stabbed... My neighbor
was shot... My child was
murdered...

And now we see a series of shocking murder scenes, as the
above testimonials continue in the b.g.

INT. DARK ROOM - NIGHT

A LARGER METAL HALO, spikes pointing inward, is fitted onto
Howard Marks' head. He starts to SCREAM...

A DEEP VOICE
In a world where we look to science
for answers, they were a gift...

EXT. INNER CITY - NIGHT

As Anderton runs along the wall, the PROJECTIONS CONTINUE:
the images are of different people on the street now. WE
BEGIN PULLING BACK...

VARIOUS PEOPLE
I was going to be killed in my
apartment... He was going to rape
me and then stab me... It was going
to happen in a parking lot... We
were having marital problems, I had
no idea he would try and...

So that now we see we're looking at some sort of SCREEN ON
THE SIDE OF THE BUILDINGS. On it, we see a shot of the
Precrime building, a statue of the precogs out front.

THE DEEP VOICE
And now, Precrime is coming to your
state, allowing you to sleep as
well as we do in the District of
Columbia.

Anderton, runs past the HUGE PROJECTION...

THE DEEP VOICE
On April 30, vote Yes on the
National Precrime Referendum and
make murder a thing of the past.

On the screen we see a SCHOOLYARD FULL OF KIDS...

CHILDREN
Precrime: It works!

Above Anderton, in the middle of the projection, some MENTAL
CASE sticks his head out a window and SCREAMS at the night.

EXT. INNER CITY - DARK

As Anderton slows down, turns up a DARK ALLEY. He pauses,
looks around.

ANDERTON
Lycon?

A VOICE
What's the matter, can't sleep?

Anderton turns and we see a dark FIGURE in a black coat
sitting in a doorway. LYCON.

ANDERTON
I just need a little clarity.

LYCON
True that. You want the customary,
or the new and improved?

ANDERTON
I'll try the new stuff.

Anderton reaches into his sock and takes out some CASH.
Lycon takes out his own, much filthier sock and reaches
inside. He pulls out a handful of tiny BLACK INHALERS and
holds a few of them out to Anderton who hesitates, then takes
them.

LYCON
Sweet dreams, Chief.

"Chief". Anderton turns and looks at the Dealer.

LYCON
Oh, don't worry none, your secret's
safe with me.
After all, you gonna be The Big
Boss soon enough, be nice to have a
little juice on my side.

ANDERTON
What makes you say I'm gonna be the
boss?

LYCON
You're the perfect man for the job.
It's like my Daddy used to say, "In
the land of the blind..."

Lycon leans forward and the moonlight catches his face, and
we see that BOTH OF HIS EYES ARE GONE FROM THEIR SOCKETS.

LYCON
"The one eyed-man is King".

Lycon starts to laugh. Anderton watches him a moment, then
turns and jogs off into the wet night.

INT. ANDERTON'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Dark. Rain falls on the towers and pavilions of the inner
city that fill the large windows. The front door opens and
Anderton comes inside. When he turns on a light, we see the
place is a complete mess.

Trash and black INHALERS litter the floor. Clothing is
strewn about. In the kitchen, cupboards, even the
refrigerator door have been left open. You might think the
place has been burglarized, but it's just the way he left it.

Anderton walks past a bedroom -- an airplane bed and toys on
the floor tell us this was once a kid's room. He continues
on to...

HIS BEDROOM

Where he peels off his sweatshirt, then moves to the bed and
sticks the old .45 back under the pillow it came from.

On the nightstand, are piles of NEWS CLIPPINGS, all of them
with headlines like "BOY MISSING ELEVEN YEARS RETURNS HOME!"
Or "FAMILY FIGHTS TO CLONE DEAD CHILD" or "GIRL RESCUED FROM
KIDNAPPERS AFTER TWO YEAR ORDEAL".

Anderton grabs a BLACK INHALER from atop one of the clippings
and shakes it, sees that there's still something in it. He
takes it, goes into...

THE SOLARIUM

Anderton moves to a COMPUTER and types in an entry. All at
once, the room begins to fill with HOLOGRAPHIC IMAGES of his
son, SEAN. The images are ghostlike, not solid; created by a
dozen LASER PROJECTORS placed around the room.

The scenes themselves are "stolen" from birthday parties,
outings and vacations from a life that's somehow no more.

In one of them, his son Sean (age 2), playing with toys on
the floor with LARA, Anderton's ex-wife. Anderton looks at
Lara a moment, reaching out to her when we hear...

SEAN
Daddy!

Anderton looks to a HOLOGRAM where Sean (age 4) is throwing a
Frisbee on a beach. The hologram-Sean looks up in Anderton's
general direction as he throws...

SEAN
Catch!

And the Frisbee sails right through Anderton. He takes a
deep hit off the inhaler and then looks around the room.

ANDERTON'S POV

As the images GRADUALLY BEGIN TO FILL IN. LOOK REAL.

SEAN
Hi, Daddy...

Anderton moves to one of the images in the middle of the room
and crouches down in front of it.

ANDERTON
Hi, Sean. How was your day?

And then the image cuts to Sean (age 6) holding a soccer
ball...

SEAN
I scored a goal!

ANDERTON
That's great.

And now the IMAGE JUMPS and we see Sean (age 4) at a younger
age...

SEAN
I raced mommy!

And we see LARA, smiling beside him on a beach. Anderton
looks at Lara a moment, then...

SEAN
I won!

ANDERTON
What a big boy. How old are you?

The image JUMPS and we see Sean (age 6)...

SEAN
I want pizza!

Wrong answer. Anderton frowns, goes over to the computer,
starts searching through the images. He stops when he sees
one of Sean at age 4, at a birthday party, holding up four
fingers. He then walks back to the image...

ANDERTON
(tries again)
How old are you, Sean?

And now the holo-image JUMPS so that it's the same as the one
we just saw on the computer. SEAN HOLDS UP FOUR FINGERS.

ANDERTON
Four. Wow. What a big boy.
(then)
I love you, Sean.

SEAN
(age 2)
I love you, too!
(age 4)
I love you daddy.
(age 6)
Love ya, dad.

Anderton sits down on the floor beside the image and takes
another hit off the inhaler. He then lies back and watches
his "son" as we now...

FADE OUT.

VINCENT NASH (V.O.)
On the eve of a national referendum
that will make all of our citizens
safe from violent crime...

FADE IN:

INT. ANDERTON'S APARTMENT - MORNING

As Anderton opens an eye, looks off AT A CLOCK TV that shows
the image of L. VINCENT NASH, U.S. Attorney General as he
addresses a press conference at Precrime...

NASH
... it's the responsibility of the
Justice Department to fully review
and inspect the Precrime system.

Anderton sits up, looks at the screen. To his horror, he
sees WITWER sitting at a long table beside Nash with LAMAR
BURGESS sitting on the other side. The chair next to Burgess
EMPTY...

ANDERTON
Shit --

Anderton jumps to his feet, begins ripping off his sweats and
getting dressed as fast as he can. He grabs his shirt off
the answering machine...

SYNTH VOICE
You have twelve messages.

BURGESS' VOICE
John? Where the hell are you?

Anderton sits on the bed and starts pulling on his boots.

BURGESS
Speaking on behalf of Precrime, I'd
just like to say that we welcome
any review by Attorney General Nash
and his team, although I must say
I'm somewhat baffled by their
timing.

Anderton grabs his coat, pulls his .45 out from under the
pillow and tucks it away behind his back.

BURGESS
In the six years we've been
conducting our little experiment
there hasn't been a single murder
in the District.

Anderton opens the door and gets RIGHT INTO HIS VEHICLE.
It's there IN THE WALL. He sits down, closes the door and
the VEHICLE DROPS FROM SIGHT.

EXT. PRECRIME - DAY

As Anderton runs across the busy quad to the entrance of the
building.

BURGESS (V.O.)
So I'm sure I speak for Chief
Anderton who's on assignment, that
we plan to do everything we can to
help our good friends and
colleagues at the Justice
Department...

He lowers his sunglasses and two ultraviolet lights STROBE on
the retinal scanner as Anderton is EYEdentiscanned and
cleared to enter.

INT. PRECRIME HEADQUATERS - MAIN FLOOR - DAY

As Anderton enters, is immediately cut off by Burgess.

BURGESS
Those bastards at Justice want to
take it all away from us.

Anderton stops, faces Burgess who looks at his watch, then
stares back at Anderton.

BURGESS
And this is exactly the kind of
behavior that will give them an
excuse to do it.

ANDERTON
Lamar, I'm sorry. I don't know
what --

BURGESS
Don't apologize, John.

His tone stops Anderton.

BURGESS
You understand that a week from now
people are going to vote on whether
or not what we've been doing down
here has been some noble-minded
enterprise or a chance to change
the way this country fights crime.

ANDERTON
I understand. Sir.

Burgess stares at Anderton.

BURGESS
I need you to do two things for me.
One, watch Danny Witwer.

ANDERTON
Yes, sir.

BURGESS
You can let him look around, answer
his questions, but watch him. If
there's any problems, make sure we
know about it first.

ANDERTON
I understand. What's the other
thing?

BURGESS
Tuck in your shirt.

Burgess gives him a look, then turns and walks away.
Anderton looks down, tucks in his shirt, then hurries off...

INT. PRECRIME ANALYTICAL ROOM - DAY

As Jad, Fletcher and Knott show Witwer one of the wooden
"eggs". All of them now chewing gum, friendly with Witwer.

FLETCHER
The information we need is embedded
in the grain of wood. And since
each piece is unique, the shape and
grain is impossible to duplicate.

WITWER
(returns the sphere to
Fletcher)
I'm sure you've all grasped the
legalistic drawback to precrime
methodology.

KNOTT
Here we go again...

WITWER
Look, I'm not with the ACLU on this
Jeff. But let's not kid ourselves,
we are arresting individuals who've
broken no law.

JAD
But they will.

FLETCHER
The commission of the crime itself
is absolute metaphysics. The
Precogs see the future. And
they're never wrong.

WITWER
But it's not the future if you stop
it. Isn't that a fundamental
paradox?

ANDERTON (O.S.)
Yes, it is.

They all turn and look at Anderton as he comes into the room,
takes the sphere from Fletcher.

ANDERTON
You're talking about
predetermination, which happens all
the time.

Suddenly, Anderton rolls the ball towards Witwer who catches
it just as it's about to go off the table.

ANDERTON
Why did you catch that?

WITWER
Because it was going to fall.

ANDERTON
You're certain?

WITWER
Yes.

ANDERTON
But it didn't fall. You caught it.

Witwer looks at the ball in his hand.

ANDERTON
The fact that you prevented it from
happening doesn't change the fact
that it was going to happen.

WITWER
You ever get any false positives?
Someone intends to kill his boss or
his wife, but they never go through
with it. How do the precogs tell
the difference?

ANDERTON
The Precogs don't see what you
intend to do, only what you will
do.

WITWER
Then why can't they see rapes, or
assaults... or suicides?

FLETCHER
Because of the nature of murder.
(quoting)
"There's nothing more destructive
to the metaphysical fabric that
binds us than the untimely murder
of one human being by another".

WITWER
Somehow, I don't think that was
Walt Whitman.

Anderton looks at Witwer. The man knows more than he
thought.

ANDERTON
(looking at Witwer)
It was Iris Hineman. She developed
the Precogs, designed the system
and pioneered the interface.

WITWER
Speaking of interfacing, I'd love
to say hello.

ANDERTON
To Hineman?

Witwer looks at the screens showing THE PRECOGS.

WITWER
To them.

ANDERTON
Cops aren't allowed inside the
temple.

WITWER
Really? You've never been inside?

ANDERTON
We keep a strict separation so that
no one can accuse us of tampering.

WITWER
So I'll be the first one to go in
then?

ANDERTON
Maybe you didn't hear me.

WITWER
If it's a question of authority.

ANDERTON
There's no question. You don't
have any.

WITWER
I have a warrant in my pocket that
says different.

The other men don't move, don't blink.

ANDERTON
Show it to me.

Witwer pulls out a piece of paper from his pocket folded
several times and hands it to him. As Anderton unfolds it...

WITWER
Contrary to what you might think,
this experiment is being conducted
under the supervision and with the
express permission of the Attorney
General of the United States. I'm
here as his representative. Which
means... you're now operating under
my supervision.

Anderton looks up from the paper, at his men, at Witwer.
He's lost and he knows it. Witwer takes the paper back.

WITWER
It seems you've been left out of
the loop, John.

INSIDE THE TEMPLE

AS WALLY, the caretaker, an odd little guy who doesn't get a
lot of sun looks over as Witwer and Anderton walk through A
LASER DECONTAMINATION BOOTH...

WALLY
No no no no no...

Witwer smiles, extends his hand. Wally backs away.

WALLY
I can't touch you! And John, you
can't be in here! You'll confuse
them!

ANDERTON
Wally. This is Danny Witwer. He's
from Justice and we're to give him
a full run of the farm.

WITWER
Nice to meet you, Wally.

WALLY
Shhh! They're sleeping.

WITWER
(whispers)
Tell me how all this works.

AND NOW WE SEE: THE TANK

As a RIPPLE APPEARS in the white liquid.

WITWER (O.S.)
The photon milk acts as both a
nutrient supply and a liquid
conductor. It makes the images
that each of them receive strong.

And now a MAN'S FACE slowly breaks the surface, then ANOTHER
MAN'S FACE, followed by A FEMALE FACE...

PULL BACK TO REVEAL: THE THREE PRECOGS

Three nude bodies -- TWO MALE, ONE FEMALE. As they writhe
about in the liquid, we can see that their bodies are thin,
nearly translucent.

The precogs appear to be in suspended animation or in comas.
They are absolutely still and limp, except for their faces
which are in constant motion, reacting to murders only they
can see.

WALLY
We call the female Agatha. The
twins are Arthur and Dashiell.

REVEAL: THE PRECOG TANK

Egg-like in shape, it's filled with the milky-looking liquid
the three Precogs are suspended in.

WALLY
We scan by way of optical
tomography, white light pinpoints
pulse along the entire length of
the headgear and are re-read after
absorption through their brain
tissue.

Witwer looks at him, has no idea what he just said.

WALLY
In other words, we see what they
see.

Wally lifts one of the Male Precogs into a harness and hoists
him up for exercise and cleaning. Wally starts to trim his
nails and the Precog begins convulsing...

WALLY
They're not in any pain. We keep
their heads pretty well stocked
with dopamine and endorphins.
Plus, we maintain careful control
over their serotonin levels --
don't want 'em to drift off to
sleep, but they can't be kept too
awake either.

ANDERTON
It helps if you don't think of them
as human.

WITWER
(staring at them)
No... they're much more than that.

Witwer nods, looks up at THE SCREENS ABOVE THE TANK, a series
of screens tapped into each Precog. We can see all sorts of
images, but none of them clear right now. He's mesmerized by
all of them.

WITWER
Science has stolen most of our
miracles. In a way...
(indicates the tank)
... they give us hope... hope of
the existence of the divine.

He sees Anderton and Wally looking at him.

WITWER
I find it interesting that some
people have begun to deify the
precogs.

ANDERTON
The precogs are pattern recognition
filters, nothing more.

WITWER
But you call this room the
"temple".

ANDERTON
Just a nickname.

WITWER
(nods, then)
The oracle isn't where the power is
anyway. The power's always been
with the priests.
(looks at the Precogs)
Even if they had to invent the
oracle.

Anderton looks to where Fletcher, Jad and Knott stand near
the entrance, nodding their heads.

ANDERTON
You guys are nodding your heads
like you actually know what the
hell he's talking about.

JAD
Come on, Chief, you think about it,
the way we work -- changing destiny
and all -- we're more like clergy
than cops.

ANDERTON
Uh-huh. Jad?

JAD
Sir?

ANDERTON
Go back to work. All of you.

The others give him a look and walk out. Anderton turns back
to Witwer who smiles at him.

WITWER
Sorry. Old habit. I spent three
years at Fuller Seminary before I
became a cop. My father was a
minister. Lutheran.

ANDERTON
What does he think of your chosen
line of work?

WITWER
I don't know. He was shot and
killed when I was fourteen on the
steps of his church in Bethesda.

He looks at Anderton.

WITWER
I know what it's like to lose
someone close, John. Of course,
nothing is like the loss of a
child.

Agatha rolls over now, seems to be looking at Anderton.

WITWER
I don't have any children of my
own, so I can only imagine what
that must have been like, to lose
your son in a public place like
that.

Anderton says nothing. Hates the man all over again.

WITWER
At least now you -- and I -- have
the chance to make sure that kind
of thing doesn't happen to anyone
ever again.

ANDERTON
(beat)
Why don't you cut the cute act,
Danny, and tell me exactly what it
is you're looking for?

WITWER
Flaws.

ANDERTON
There hasn't been a murder in six
years. There's nothing wrong with
the system. It's perfect.

WITWER
I agree. The system is perfect.
If there's a flaw, it's human. It
always is.
(then)
Thank you for the tour, Wally.

Anderton watches him walk out, shakes his head, then
notices...

The FEMALE PRECOG'S ARM is resting on the edge of the tank.
He looks down at her a moment. She's looking at him, but her
eyes seem somewhere else.

Anderton looks around for Wally, doesn't see him. He doesn't
want to touch her. He finally reaches down and gently takes
her arm, sets it back into the tank.

As it submerges, she takes hold of ANDERTON'S FINGER and
hangs on. He stares back at her. She holds on tight...

ANDERTON
Uh, Wally --

He tries to pull his hand away, but she holds on, grabs onto
Anderton's shirt, and STARTS TRYING TO PULL HERSELF OUT OF
THE WATER...

ANDERTON
Wally!

AGATHA
(whisper)
Can you see?

And now she's clinging to Anderton, looking up. He looks up
at the SCREEN above her and sees...

A FLASH OF A WOMAN'S FACE. Silent. Eyes and mouth wide
open. A shock of red hair all around her. Her face is a
white mask of terror. She seems to be beckoning Anderton
with her arm...

He looks at Agatha, who continues to cling to him, HER OWN
FACE HOLDS THE SAME EXPRESSION as the woman on the screen.
She finally lets go of Anderton and falls back into the tank.

WALLY
John?!

Anderton, shaken, looks up and THE IMAGE FADES, replaced with
the blurry flood of images we saw earlier.

WALLY
What the hell just happened? Her
ACTH levels just shot through the
roof!

Anderton turns and looks at the Precog writhing about.

WALLY
Her pituitary dumped a week's worth
into her system... What did you do
to her?

ANDERTON
Nothing... she grabbed me, and then
there was an image on the screen...

WALLY
She grabbed you? Impossible. The
Precogs aren't even aware of us.
In the milk all they see is the
future.

Anderton shoots a look down the hall as WITWER WALKS THROUGH
THE LASER DECONTAMINATOR, unaware of what just happened. He
turns to Wally and lowers his voice...

ANDERTON
She was looking right at me.

WALLY
It could have been a nightmare...
Sometimes they dream about the old
murders.

Anderton looks back down at Agatha, her eyes closed now as
she sinks down into the milk and disappears, her own arm in
front of her, beckoning in the same way as the woman.

ANDERTON
She spoke to me.

WALLY
(dismissive)
To you? I don't think so...
(but has to know)
What'd she say?

ANDERTON
She said...

Anderton looks up at the screens...

ANDERTON
"Can you see?"

EXT. THE DEPARTMENT OF CONTAINMENT - EARLY MORNING

Anderton takes off his sunglasses, looks at a screen:

ANDERTON
Anderton. John.

He moves his eyes close to the screen and gets
EYEdentiscanned at the door and goes inside.

INT. DEPARTMENT OF CONTAINMENT - EARLY MORNING

Silent. A huge open space, a human warehouse. Along the
floor -- ringing the entire perimeter -- are markers with
numbers on the front of them. We now HEAR FOOTSTEPS as...

Anderton enters the building. As he moves further into the
space, our angle changes and we now see HUMAN BODIES lying on
their backs on the other side of the markers. Each
"prisoner" has a metal HALO-like apparatus -- spikes going
inward -- fitted onto his head.

Anderton slows his pace, eyeing the row of inert bodies along
the floor as he goes. Above each inert prisoner is a SCREEN
that continuously plays the Precog's PREVISION OF THE MURDER
for which they've been convicted.

Suddenly we hear a blast of ORGAN MUSIC reverberating from
somewhere O.S. and he looks off towards a CURTAIN at the
back...

ON THE CURTAIN

As Anderton parts it to REVEAL:

A LIVING SPACE

A bed. A stove. A fridge... And A HUGE PIPE ORGAN. A MAN
IN A WHEELCHAIR playing with his back to us. From the sound
of it, he seems to be making it up as he goes along.
Anderton taps the guy on the shoulder, startling him --

MAN
HOO BOY!
(then)
You scared me, Chief.

He takes a breath, looks at Anderton standing there. The
man's face is large, almost retarded in appearance. He wears
A PRISON GUARD UNIFORM.

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