The Fortune Hunter - excerpt - Screenplay by Graeme Beck
INT. PHILL'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON
Phill is on the phone.
PHILL
Any results from that rig yet?
INT. MICK'S FURNITURE STORE'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON
Mick's office and store is run down and seedy
compared to Phills. He opens another beer.
MICK
Nothing yet. But what do you expect
from hiring a Chick. If you really
want to get the price up, I'll make
bloody sure of it. But it's going to
cost you a bit
CUT TO:
PHILL
A bit, like what?
CUT TO:
MICK
Fifty per cent of your shares.
CUT TO:
PHILL
Fifty per cent Mick! That's bloody
ridiculous!
CUT TO:
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2.
MICK
I'll get the price to over a dollar.
CUT TO:
PHILL
A dollar!
CUT TO:
MICK
Look, I'm the one who has to set
this up and take all the risks.
It's going to be worth a bloody
fortune to you.
INT. DRILL RIG'S CABIN - DAY
Jude is driving through the bush while her offsider is navigating with a
map and a hand held GPS. She does a hard right.
DRILLER
No I mean left! Left.
JUDE
Make up your bloody mind!
He turns the map around 180'.
DRILLER
Year left back there.
She slams on the brakes and reverses the rig.
INT. MICK'S WORKSHOP - DAY
In a workshop at the back of his suburban house, Mick files gold from an ounce bar
into a mortar and from a couple of dusty old jars adds a pinch of copper sulphide and zinc.
EXT. MICK'S HOUSE - DAY
He loads up his 4WD.
EXT. DRILL RIG POSITION 1 - DAY
The rig is positioned about a kilometer from Jack's mine.
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3.
SUE
(shouting)
We're drilling an anomalie which
runs through here.
(pointing towards
Jack's mine)
It's located along Komatite and Basalt
contact. You can determine from the
sulfurous smell.
Sue takes a handful out of the sample bag and lets Mick smell it. It stinks.
MICK
How far down are you?
SUE
One fifty.
MICK
One fifty! Fuck, we can't afford to
go that deep!
SUE
They drilled to a hundred on this
block in the seventies with no
success.
(pause)
At one twenty we struck abundant
alteration and at one forty, some
sulfides.
(shrugging)
It's a good sign.
MICK
Yeah?
SUE
The results aren't back yet so don't
get too excited.
EXT. TRACK - DAY
At an isolated spot Mick stops his vehicle and opens a few
of the collected sample bags. He stirs in some of his powder.
INT. TRADING FLOOR - MORNING
TV screens flash out the bids as stockbrokers type in orders. Others talk quickly on the
telephones.
INT. PALACE HOTEL DINNING ROOM - MORNING
Nial has finished his breakfast and is sitting back with a
coffee reading the newspaper.
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4.
George in his new waiters outfit clears Phil's plate.
NIAL
I'll have another coffee thanks.
Nial is alerted to a headline.
NIAL (CONT'D)
(loud)
Shit! Gold strike by South Am.
George is alarmed at hearing 'South Am.' A couple of the
other miners look their way.
GEORGE
South Am!
NIAL
(reading)
The rumors were rampant in Perth
yesterday driving South Am shares up
in heavy buying to one dollar twenty.
Nial throws the paper down, and George picks it up.
NIAL (CONT'D)
Fuck! A dollar twenty! I was given
the tip when they were three cents.
MINER 2
Hey Nial, didn't you put any money
on South Am?
NIAL
Piss off!
The miner laughs. George is still reading the paper.
GEORGE
Struth!
NIAL
Fuck it! Fuck it! I would of done alright!