Page One: ‘War Games’ (1983)

Written by Lawrence Lasker, Walter F. Parkes

The movie version of the opening:

This movie had particular resonance for me. My father was an Air Force Colonel. Our family lived at Minot AFB, North Dakota for four long, cold, and gloomy years. Because of my father’s rank, he took me to visit an underground missile launch site. I met two airmen who manned the command center. I saw the keys.

Each airman had a pistol. Afterward, I asked my father why. His reply: “That’s for protection in case the Soviets force their way in.” That was a lie. As I discovered years later, the reason each soldier had a pistol was to turn on the other if that soldier refused to turn the key.

Scary stuff.

Page One is a daily Go Into The Story series featuring the first page of notable movie scripts from the classic era to contemporary times. Comparing them is an excellent way to study a variety of writing styles and see how professional writers start a story.

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