YAOWARAT
Written by
Ben Robertson-Macleod
benrobertsonmacleod@gmail.com
INT. FLOWER SHOP - NIGHT
A small flower shop deep inside of Bangkok’s Chinatown. The
air is cold in here and the turquoise wall paint is chipped
and fading. Evidence of wear and tear is visible in almost
every detail of the room’s furniture and decor.
Despite the run down interior the room is lined with
beautiful arrangements of iridescently colored roses.
HUANG (30s) sits at a central wooden table, dethorning a
large bouquet of white roses with a pair of flower clippers.
A small bell rings as the front door is opened.
A FEMME FATALE (30s) enters.
Huang takes no notice of her, he continues to work.
Femme walks around and stops at an arrangement.
She pulls out a single black rose.
She places it in front of Huang.
She remains beside him for a beat before walking out.
INT. HOTEL HALLWAY - NIGHT
A sparsely decorated hallway washed in a deep yellow light.
Femme crosses the hallway towards her room.
Huang follows a few seconds behind.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
A modest hotel room with cheap Chinese style decor - probably
a gimmicky trap “authentic” enough to appeal to the European
tourists staying in the hotel.
Huang and Femme sit facing each other at a table, Yaowarat
Road outside the window, only a few storeys below.
Femme smokes a cigarette.
She slides an envelope across the table to Huang.
FEMME
I want there to be pain.
She puts the cigarette out and gets up. She turns and takes a
step towards the bedroom behind her.
She slips out of her dress and reveals her freshly torn up
back.
BEDROOM - LATER
A muffled noise. Huang wakes up alone in bed.
He hears the noise again and gets up. His body is heavily
tattooed.
BATHROOM
Huang enters and discovers Femme slumped up against the wall
and floor.
Her wrists are slit open and she has an ornate straight razor
in one hand. She isn’t dead but she’s close, her breaths are
heavy and laboured.
Huang watches her dying for a beat.
He eventually turns away and leaves.
HOTEL ROOM
Huang, now dressed again, stands by the window considering
his options.
After a beat he takes the envelope and leaves.
EXT. CHINATOWN STREETS - NIGHT
Huang walks through the empty streets of Chinatown. As he
does he turns into back alleys, takes short cuts.
He arrives at his destination.
INT. KNIFE SHOP - NIGHT
An old knife shop.
The walls are covered floor to ceiling with every type of
blade imaginable - cleavers, machetes, scythes, kitchen axes.
Huang approaches the SHOPKEEPER (60-70s) sitting behind the
counter.
The shopkeeper looks up from his newspaper and clocks Huang.
2.
He folds up his paper, reaches below the counter and produces
a black case.
He puts it on the counter.
Huang takes it and leaves.
EXT. FISH SHOP - NIGHT
Back of the house at a local restaurant. The remainder of the
day’s sales are on ice. There’s a row of live fish in
makeshift styrofoam tanks. A set of hands grabs a live one,
pulls it out of the water and kills it on the spot.
The FISH WORKER (20s) gives the fish to Huang.
INT. HUANG’S APARTMENT - NIGHT
The place is small, bare bones and lit only by candles.
KITCHEN AREA
Huang filets the fish, preparing a simple meal for himself.
Huang eats in silence.
MAIN AREA
Sitting in a meditative pose, Huang slowly opens the black
case and removes a pair of crude and slightly curved daggers.
He reaches for and picks up a stone knife sharpener.
He starts to sharpen the daggers.
LATER
Huang opens the envelope and pulls out a picture of OLDER MAN
(50-60s).
INT. CHINATOWN STREETS - NIGHT
Huang walks down a street, he passes elderly prostitutes who
feebly attempt to capture his attention. Huang arrives at
dark and seedy alleyway, a black hole in the wall flanked by
storefronts that have been foreclosed upon.
Two THUGS wearing grotesque masks stand either side of the
alleyway.
Huang strides forward into the darkness.
3.
The thugs follow him in.
ELEVATOR
Huang arrives at a grotty old elevator, he presses the “call”
button.
The doors open, he enters the carousel and presses the
“basement” button.
Just as the doors are about to close a hand reaches in,
obstructing and preventing the doors from closing.
The two thugs enter and stand either side of Huang.
We see that both thugs are armed; one with a claw hammer, the
other with a chicken sickle.
HALLWAY
The elevator doors open to reveal Huang and the two now very
dead thugs.
Their bodies fall out into the hallway.
As Huang steps out of the elevator a shotgun blast overhead
forces him to take cover.
The DOOR THUG (also masked) fires off a couple more rounds as
he gets closer to Huang.
His gun jams.
Huang seizes the opportunity, quickly closes the distance
between them and stabbing the door thug between the ribs.
Thug’s lifeless body collapses to the ground.
Huang approaches the door.
It opens freely.
INT. OPIUM DEN - NIGHT
A hidden opium den inside the belly of Chinatown.
The space is surprisingly big, dimly lit and completely
washed in red light.
There are several old men, comfortab