"21"

 When Ken Uston, a repressed corporate executive who has discovered a sure-fire way to win at blackjack, quits his job, he is denied the chance to play in casinos after he wins too much, is targeted by security expert Jacques Dupree, Dupree's girlfriend Lisa is sent to spy on Ken, but she breaks up with Dupree and instructs Ken, skeptical of her motives, on how to use disguises and to avoid showing card-counting tendencies, in order to evade Dupree.

 

Ken, a piano aficionado, befriends jazz great Doolittle Scott. Ken and Lisa eventually fall in love when they discover commitment to each other, and later Doolittle, are greater motivations than money.  Dupree bans thems from playing in casinos worldwide.  Ken and Dupree gain mutual admiration for each other's skills.  Doolittle's fingers are broken by the mob in order to intimidate Ken, Las Vegas mob boss Carlos Santucci orders a "hit" on Ken when Ken keeps winning, Dupree learns of the hit, realizes he is on the wrong side of the moral equasion, and in order to help Ken and Lisa he utilizes the help of capo regime Salvatore Vitti.  Vitti has greater power than Santucci, considers Santucci a scungili, and owes a big favor to Dupree. 

 

Under Vitti's protection, a card-counting team is formed.  Using disguises, Ken, Lisa and Dupree "sting" Santucci's operation in the Bahamas and make a million-dollar payday, earning each player $10,000 and using the rest of the money to set Doolittle up for life with his own jazz club. 

 

This is a Capra-esque story of David (Ken) vs. Goliath (casinos and the mob), using a Rocky-style theme of overcoming tremendous odds through the use of a clever plot that pulls the wool over the bad guys heads in the end, similar to the finale of The Sting.  Ken learns committment (to Doolittle) and love (with) Lisa.  Lisa also transforms, when her motivations change from pure monetary considerations, as she falls in love with Ken.  Dupree also changes when he learns that he cannot separate himself from his work for immoral people.

 

FIRST INSTIGATING INCIDENT: When Ken sheds his corporate job for the freedom of professional gambling.

 

PLOT POINT I: When Lisa offers to show the skeptical Ken how to use disguises and the avoidance of card-counting tendencies in order to evade Jacques.

 

(i.e., Will Jacques catch Ken? - approximately page 30, ending Act I)

 

SECOND INSTIGATING INCIDENT(S): When Doolittle's fingers are broken by the mob and Santucci orders a "hit" on Ken and Lisa.

 

PLOT POINT II: When a card-counting team is formed.

 

(i.e., Will the "team" win the money, beat the bad guys and will Ken, Lisa and Jacques stay alive? - approximately page 90, ending Act II)

 

MAIN CHARACTER'S (KEN'S) MISBEHAVIOR AND NEED: Ken is a repressed thrill-seeker.  He is repressed in the beginning by his job and his boss.  He seeks thrills.  He fulfills his need by gambling and courting danger.

 

REFLECTION: Doolittle and, to a lesser extent, Jacques.

 

KEN'S CHARACTER ARC: He begins repressed and living in a fantasy world.  He ends having his adrenaline needs fulfilled, his fantasies lived out, and thus a worldly character replaces the innocent fellow we first meet.

   

SUB-PLOTS: (a) The "love triangle" between Ken, Lisa and Jacques. (b) Ken's love of piano and his admiration for Doolittle. (c) The mutual admiration developed for each other's professional skills by Ken and Jacques.

       

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

 

THREE FACETS OF CHARACTER (KEN): (a) Physical makeup...Late 30's, male, cleancut, mod-looking, long sideburns, later grows a beard, flashy dresser. (b) Personality...Intelligent, well-spoken, educated, math wizard. (c) Background...Public school/college education, Californian, corporate, slightly protected.

 

DEVELOPING THE HERO (KEN) - ESTABLISHING CHARACTER IDENTIFICATION: (a) Create sympathy for the character...Little guy vs. the big guy in typical "Capra-esque style."  Good vs. evil (mob). (b) Put character in jeopardy...Must evade Jacques' security detection, and then must evade a mob hit. (c) Make character likable...Root for Ken to get Lisa to fall in love with him.  He is typical, average, next-door neighbor type, slightly gullible at first, gambles for thrills and is not outwardly greedy. (d) Introduce character as soon as possible...Show what Ken does for living within first page or so (stock exchange and gambling). (e) Show character in touch with his own power...He is fully aware of his blackjack skills, enough so to quit/be fired from his job in order to make living doing it. (f) Place character in familiar setting...Gaming casino's. (g) Give character familiar flaws and foibles... Unconventional...Uneasy around opposite sex?...Nervous under pressure. (h) The eyes of the audience...Achieved when audience learns information only when hero learns it.  Done by making hero the eyes of the audience. 

 

MAKING CHARACTERS ORIGINAL: (a) Go against cliche...Ken is not a slick riverboat gambler-type, but rather a little sheepish, corporate, bookworm-type.  As time goes on he grows in confidence and stature in order to deal with crisis situations. (b) Play off other characters...Lisa, Jacques, Doolittle. (c) Cast the hero...Ken - Al Pacino, Alan Arkin, Robert De Niro, Eric Roberts, Ray Liotta, etc.  Lisa - Julia Roberts, Michelle Pfieffer, Linda Fiorentino.  Jacque - Brad Cole, Kevin Kline, French actors, etc.  

DEVELOPING OTHER CHARACTERS (FOUR CATEGORIES OF PRIMARY CHARACTER): (a) Hero - Ken. (b) Nemesis - Jacques/Carlo Santucci. (c) Reflection - Doolittle. (d) Romance - Lisa.

 

Outer mot. Outer con. Inner mot. Inner con. Hero      Win blackjack; Jacques; Lisa  Thrill-seeker; Can't trust  KEN       Affair w/Lisa  is "rival"     Desires Lisa   Lisa

          Win for Doolittle

 

Nemesis   Prev. Ken      Ken won't      Sense of fair  Admires Ken

JACQUES   from playing   stop           play

 

Nemesis   Prev. Ken      Ken is beating       - -         - -

CARLO     from winning   casino

 

Romance   Partner w/Ken  Affair w/Ken   Thrill-seeker  Still likes

LISA                     Break-Up/Jacques              Jacques

 

Pair with opposite character?  Perhaps when Jacques teams with Ken they can be opposites.

A Hero.  Ken's visible motivation drives the plot (to win at blackjack despite efforts to stop him).

 

Identification.  Audience must experience emotion through Ken (Ken's frustration at being denied chance to play; exhilaration at winning).

 

Motivation.  For the card-counting team to win $1 million in one night and get Doolittle back on his feet.

 

Obstacles.  Jacques; the mob.

 

Courage.  Achieving goal with knowledge that mob has a "hit" on him.

 

High concept.  It is a story about how a man overcame odds to become the world's greatest blackjack player.

 

Originality and familiarity.  Have we seen this theme explored before?  Not off hand.

 

Second level of sell and sub-plots.  Love triangle/story between Ken, Lisa and Jacques.  Sub-plot may be the relationship between Ken and Doolittle and how that ultimately is the motivation for the final conflict.

 

Familiarity of setting.  Everybody in the world has been in a casino.

 

Film category.  Drama.

 

Medium.  Major motion picture or television/H.B.O.

 

Cost.  No big special effects; medium-sized crowd scenes; possibly some international locations; 1990's setting (late 1970's at earliest); weather is not a factor. 

 

Character growth.  Ken must battle himself to find the courage to proceed with the plan, thus gaining greater self-knowledge and confidence.

 

Theme.  If the good guys are smart, clever and courageous, they can triumph over the bad guys.

 

It is the story of a corporate executive who wants to be the world's greatest blackjack player.

 

PLOT STRUCTURE 

 

Act I   - Establish

Act II  - Build

Act III - Resolve

 

1. Every scene contribute's to hero's outer motivation - to win at blackjack, get Lisa to love him, avenge Doolittle.

2. Early on, show where story is leading them - Ken is fired and embarks on blackjack career, and Jacques is clearly out to stop him.

3. Build conflict - first through Lisa, then Jacques tracks Ken, until we up the stakes by introducing the dangerous element of the mob.

4. Accelerate the pace - when mob hit is ordered pace picks up.

5. Create peaks and valleys - let audience catch breath.

6. Create anticipation - get audience to try to guess what happens next.

7. Superior position - does audience know something character's don't know?  May conflict with courage aspect of character, who is aware of danger. 

8. Surprise audience/reverse anticipation - jolt audience out of sense of security.

9. Create curiosity - audience is given reason to "stick around" and learn what happens.

10. Foreshadowing - show Jacques early?  Make events believable.  11. Echo change through dialogue/situations to illustrate character growth - line of dialogue perhaps uttered throughout film which reveals changes every time we hear it.

12. Pose a threat to character - mob "hit" ordered on Ken.

13. Credibility - based on a true story.

14. Teach audience how to do something - counting cards.

15. Humor and seriousness - costume changes are humorous; mob hits are serious.

16. Effective opening - similarities of gambling and hustle-bustle of Vegas casino's with stock exchange, the two world's of Ken Uston.

17. Effective ending - Ken wins money; Doolittle benefits; everybody survives.

 

SCENE OBJECTIVES

 

1. How does scene begin, end and how do I get character's to that point?  Is each scene carrying main character's motivation? 

2. Does scene carry a beginning, middle and end?

3. What is each character's objective?

4. Attitude?

5. Action - or dialogue?

6. Serve multiple functions?

 

SEQUENTIAL OUTLINE

 

Act I   -  No.'s 1-3 (includes 1st instigating incident, PPI).

Act II  -  No.'s 4-9 (includes 2nd instigating incident, PPII).

Act III -  No.'s 10-12.

 

 

21

 

SEQUENTIAL OUTLINE

 

1. THE TWO, SIMILAR WORLD'S OF KEN USTON ARE CASINO AND STOCK EXCHANGE, AND KEN WINS AT BLACKJACK.

 

We close on a dealer's hands expertly shuffling blackjack on a casino table.  Credits roll and Elvis Presley's "Viva Las Vegas" plays while a montage of Vegas casino action is intercut with the hustle-bustle of the Pacific Stock Exchange.  The similarities between the shills and the floor traders is intercut.

 

Angle-on a stock exchange floor trader asking an unidentified investor, "What do you want to do?"

 

Quick-cut to a close on a shill asking, "What do want to do, Mr. Uston?" 

 

Angle-on KEN USTON, flashy dresser, sitting at the blackjack table.  Close on the dealer's hand - a King.  Uston has 16.  He concentrates, eyeing the situation.  He hits and comes up five - 21!  Applause from a small group that has gathered around the table.  Uston has a large stack of chips in front of him.  He is the center of attention.  A series of hands is played.  Uston hits on unusual hands but comes up a winner time after time.  He bets large amounts, and keeps winning.  The stack gets bigger.  The crowd gets bigger.  Oohs and aahs accompany each successive winning hand.  We see Ken concentrating intently amid the maelstrom of activity surrounding him.  A little old lady sits next to Ken, behind him are beautiful women. 

 

Angle-on the "eye in the sky," then pit bosses observing, then talking into a phone, back to the "eye in the sky."  Ken wins and wins and wins. 

 

We see Ken take a break and speak to a casino representative, who assures him he is comped at the hotel - free room, food, alcohol, limo service, and airplane whenever he wishes to come back to Vegas.  He deposits his chips into his house account. 

 

Ken is back at the table, winning.  The house is showing an ace.  Angle-on the shill asking, "What do you want to do?"

 

We see the San Francisco skyline.

Dissolve to the stock exchange, angle-on on the floor trader asking, "What do you want to do, Mr. Uston?"  Ken, dressed in a somewhat flashy business suit compared with the staid dark suits of others, buys long.  The bell rings, the trading session is over, and Ken walks towards his office.  He is the vice president of the Pacific Stock Exchange.

 

2. KEN IS AUDITED BY I.R.S. AND QUITS HIS CORPORATE JOB.

 

We follow Ken to his office.  His secretary, JAN, informs him that his appointment with an I.R.S. auditor is on time.  The auditor wants to know why Ken has made such expensive purchases in the last year - a new home, a classic 1959 Porsche Speedster - $250,000 all told on a salary of $50,000.  Ken explains that he has had a run of luck gambling in Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas.  The auditor is skeptical that anybody can win that much playing blackjack, and promises further investigation.  The auditor leaves.

 

Ken is then confronted by his boss, MR. FARADAY, a humorlous, efficient man.  Faraday is furious and has a laundry list of complaints about Ken: The stock exchange does not need its vice president audited by the I.R.S.; Ken is always late on Mondays and comes in disheveled after a weekend of out-of-state gambling; his clothes are not conservative enough, his hair and sideburns are too long; he is not available to work weekends; he gambles; the exchange does not need bad publicity; his attitude is cavalier, and he obviously does not want the big promotion he is in line for.

 

Ken agrees with Mr. Faraday, tells him he does not gamble, rather he has a winning system in blackjack, and that he would rather work for himself anyway, so "I quit."  With that, Ken terminates his employment.

 

3. SECURITY EXPERT JACQUES DUPREE EXPLAINS HOW CARD-COUNTERS OPERATE AND FOCUSES ON HIS TARGET: KEN USTON.

 

A shot of the Las Vegas skyline at night.

 

Dissolve to JACQUES DUPREE, a dapper Frenchman, and his lovely American girlfriend, LISA PETERS.  They are in the "eye in the sky" control room of a large casino.  Monitors of card games being played downstairs line the wall.  DuPree is holding court with HOLLIS, the casino security chief, and a phalanx of other security personnel.  Hollis explains that DuPree is with the Logan Agency, a worldwide firm retained by almost every casino in the world to track cheaters, pilferers, embezzling employees - and card counters.  DuPree then directs their attention to the television monitors and points out various things - breaches of security, signals being given by players and shills.  They focus on the little old lady who had been playing next to Ken.  She touches her ear.  DuPree explains that is a signal the dealer is cheating.  The little old lady works for him.  He introduces Lisa.  She explains that she is a world-class card counter herself, trained in undercover casino security, and she will be infiltrating the card games in order to expose big-winner card counters.  Card counting is not illegal, but will not be tolerated when the counter wins extraordinary amounts from the house.  She cites a code in the Nevada Gaming Code that states the house may prevent a player from playing if it is not in the best interests of the state, which is of course to take money, not pay it out.  After all, the casinos and hotels, the employment and tax base of the state are all predicated on gamblers losing money. 

 

"That's why we're paying you."  Everybody turns and we see CARLO SANTUCCI, Vegas mob boss, and his entourage of "wise guys."  Santucci owns the casino and controls territory.  He is a "made" guy.  He is smooth and pleasant but his words barely conceal a controlled fury.  He is not a man to mess with.  "Who are you targeting?" she asks DuPree.

 

"Him," he says, pointing to a monitor.

 

Angle-on Ken Uston, now with a beard and long hair, dressed flashy, on the screen, concentrating, a big pile of chips in front of him and a coterie of admirers watching him win. 

 

4. KEN BEFRIENDS PIANO GREAT DOOLITTLE SCOOT; DUPREE'S GIRLFRIEND LISA IS SENT TO SPY ON KEN AND THEY SLEEP TOGETHER.

 

Ken is taking a breather from blackjack.  He enters the lounge area.  An elderly black man, DOOLITTLE SCOTT, is playing the piano.  He is good.  Ken listens and recognizes Scott by sound and by sight.  He introduces himself to Doolittle and they quickly become friendly.  Ken explains that his greatest passion is to play the piano.  Doolittle lets Ken play a few bars.  Ken is good, and Doolittle is impressed.

 

So is Lisa, who has wandered into the bar.  She listens to Ken play and makes eyes at him.  Ken is encouraged and introduces himself to her.  They have a few drinks, Ken plays some more piano, and Lisa starts to ask Ken about gambling.  Ken says he has won over $10,000 that night.  He is bragging.  Lisa is duly impressed.  She asks him what his secret is.  Ken is sly about it, he says he has a system.  Lisa inquires more.  Ken holds back a bit, not revealing that he "counts cards."  Lisa pushes the subject just a little then backs off. 

 

Later, we see Ken and Lisa making love in Ken's hotel room.    

 

5. JACQUES DISCOVERS LISA SLEPT WITH KEN, THEY ARGUE AND BREAK UP; KEN DISCOVERS LISA WAS A SPY; LISA PROPOSES TO HELP HIM EVADE JACQUES THROUGH DISGUISES AND CARD-COUNTING TENDENCIES, BUT KEN IS SKEPTICAL.

 

Jacques is sitting in the "eye in the sky" control room.  Lisa saunters in.  Jacques is mad, and asks where she spent the night.  Lisa replies that she was just doing her job per Jacques' instructions - she was spying on Ken Uston to find out what his card counting secrets were.  Jacques asks what she discovered, and Lisa says she needs more time because Ken is very cautious about giving out that kind of information.  Jacques then explodes and accuses her of cheating on him.  Lisa replies that she was just doing her job, that is what Jacques pays her to do.  Jacques says that by sleeping with Ken, Lisa is a prostitute and, since Jacques pays Lisa, that makes Jacques a pimp.  They argue back and forth, with Jacques resoundingly explaining that he is not paying Lisa to use her body like she has.  Lisa says that it's just fine that Jacques sleep with other women and even bring lovers into their bed, but when she does it Jacques holds her to a double standard.  That does it, Jacques explodes, and they break up.

 

Lisa goes back to Ken.  At first she is coy, but she starts hinting around that she can help Ken win more at blackjack.  Ken starts getting suspicious and asks her if she is a spy.  Lisa says that she was a spy, but not anymore.  Ken is miffed that apparently Lisa slept with him with reasons other than love or attraction.  Lisa says she does care for him, which is why she wants to help him.  She then spills everything about how she was Jacques' girlfriend. he is targeting his card counting, she was sent to gather information, they argued and broke up.  She warns Ken that Jacques is about to put him out of every casino in the world, and says she is a quick-change artist and blackjack expert.  She can help Ken evade Jacques, and will do so for a 50/50 split of Ken's winnings.

 

Ken is very skeptical and tells Lisa to take a hike.

 

6. JACQUES PUTS KEN ON THE WORLDWIDE BANNDED LIST; KEN HAS ROMANTIC FEELINGS FOR LISA, WHO PREFERS A BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP;  KEN AND LISA USE DISGUISES, TRAVEL TO DIFFERENT CASINO'S AND OVERSEAS, AND MASK CARD-COUNTING TENDENCIES TO EVADE JACQUES AND WIN BIG AT BLACKJACK.

 

 

7. JACQUES DOGGEDLY TRACKS KEN AND LISA DOWN; JACQUES AND KEN GAIN MUTUAL ADMIRATION FOR EACH OTHER; KEN IS FORCED TO SELL PORSCHE BECAUSE HE IS UNABLE TO PLAY AND WIN; KEN AND LISA FALL IN LOVE.

 

8. LAS VEGAS MOB BOSS CARLO SANTUCCI WANTS KEN STOPPED FROM WINNING; HE WARNS JACQUES OF CONSEQUENCES; DOOLITTLE'S FINGERS ARE BROKEN BY MOB.

9. KEN MANAGES TO KEEP WINNING; SANTUCCI ORDERS A HIT ON KEN AND LISA; JACQUES WARNS KEN OF HIT AND THEY JOIN TOGETHER TO FORM CARD-COUNTING TEAM.

 

10. JACQUES GETS PROTECTION FROM RIVAL MOB BOSS KEN VITTI AND CARD-COUNTING TEAM IS TRAINED BY KEN.

 

11. "DOUBLES" OF KEN, LISA AND JACQUES DECOY SANTUCCI'S THUGS IN BAHAMAS.

 

12. THE TEAM WINS OVER $1 MILLION IN LAS VEGAS; DOOLITTLE IS SET UP FOR LIFE.

 

 

1. Ken wins in Vegas and is a flashy "high roller."  He counts cards and is targeted by Dupree and we see Lisa, Santucci.

2. Ken, in contrast to "high roller" is a buttoned up exec on Mon. am.  He attends gala's, is on bd. of directors, makes a lot of $ and has a lot vested in job.

3. Ken leads double life.  He meets Doolittle.  Lisa is sent to spy on him, they sleep with each other.

4. Jacques discovers Lisa slept with Ken, they break up, and Ken is caught counting.

5. Ken goes back to SF and is busy exec.  Lisa sees him in SF and proposes to help him evade Jacques.  She wants 50/50 and will blackmail him w/photos, etc. unless he says yes.  Ken says no.