Film Noir: Film Treatment

The scene opens on a seemingly normal kitchen; a man stands at the sink with an air of desperation about him. The phone is rested on his shoulder, he has a cigarette tucked behind his ear and he seems to be desperately washing his hands. He is on the phone to a woman- dressed all in black with a net fascinator shielding the majority of her face. They have a brief and ambiguous conversation, discussing numbers and next targets- though the nature of the subject is not disclosed. He tells her to hold the line, and the camera tilts down. His shirt is covered in blood- and he is trying to wash it off his hands. We realise that the numbers they are talking about is that of people.

A young man called Zachary Swift kicks the door open, we see the world through his eyes as he stares at a floor full of old newspapers- blood splattered and a single high heel shoe. He sees in his mind how the shoe got there. A screaming woman was dragged down a hallway- her shoe getting knocked off in the process. He edges closer to the door. The man with the blood covered hands knows that he is here and stands in silence, a piercing stare on his face. Swift confronts the main- his eyes are drawn to a photo on the side, a picture of a young woman and her mother- it is covered in blood. Once again, Swift sees in his mind how the blood got there. We hear a woman’s scream and the picture is sprayed with blood.

His eyes are reverted back to the man. They stare each other off. We see their reactions- Swift has a cool, ‘devil may care’ attitude and the man has a violent look in his eyes, yet it seems false. They draw their guns back Swift is quickest. The man drops to the floor slumped against the counter. Swift picks up the phone from the body’s hand and holds it to his ear. The line goes dead.