Script To Screen: “BlacKkKlansman”

The dramatic Final Struggle scene in the 2018 Oscar-winning movie, screenplay by Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee, based on a book by Ron Stallworth.

IMDb plot summary: Ron Stallworth, an African American police officer from Colorado Springs, CO, successfully manages to infiltrate the local Ku Klux Klan branch with the help of a Jewish surrogate who eventually becomes its leader. Based on actual events.

In this scene, Connie, who is married to one of the key local Ku Klux Klan members, has been tasked with setting a bomb at the house of Patrice, a black activist.

Here is the scripted version of the scene:

EXT. PATRICE'S HOUSE - DAY

Connie drives up. She sits there for a long moment
staring at Patrice's House. Connie decides. She gets out
of the Car carrying her purse. She looks like an Avon
lady coming to call. She walks up on Patrice's porch
looking around. She
CAREFULLY SETS

CLOSE - HER PURSE

down by a pillar on the porch and slowly removes the
Bomb. She opens the mailbox to place the Bomb. She
nervously flips the toggle switch when she sees...

ANGLE - STREET

Patrice drives up. Flustered, Connie grabs her purse to
put the Bomb back inside while looking at Patrice and
Odetta getting out of the Car and getting Groceries from
the trunk.

Patrice talks to Odetta, not noticing Connie. Connie
quickly leaves the porch striding to her car sweating,
crazy nervous. Patrice and Odetta talk, entering her
House.

CLOSE - CONNIE

briskly moves toward the rear of Patrice's Car.

ANGLE - STREET

Ron whips around the corner seeing Connie through the
windshield! He SCREECHES to a stop!

Connie tries to nonchalantly head back to her vehicle.

Ron jumps out the car yelling!

RON STALLWORTH
CSPD! Stay where you are!

Connie looks back at Ron, increasing her pace.

RON STALLWORTH(CONT'D)
Don't move!!!

Connie breaks into a run. Ron dashes after her grabbing
her as she opens the Pick Up Truck door. RON STALLWORTH (CONT'D)
Where's that Bomb? Did you place it!

The Two fight as she SCREAMS, scratching and clawing at
Ron. The Fight moves from the Pick Up Truck as he throws
her down on the grass of a near by lawn, subduing the
SCREAMING Connie.

RON STALLWORTH (CONT'D)
Where is it!!!

Ron reaches back for his handcuffs...

CSPD OFFICER BRICKHOUSE
Freeze!

Ron looks right and OFFICER BRICKHOUSE has his Gun pointed
at him. Then looks left finding OFFICER MYERS, also White,
30’s, has his revolver aimed at him.

CSPD OFFICER BRICKHOUSE (CONT'D)
Get off her!

Ron slowly rises up off Connie, gradually turning to them.
With his hands raised you can see Ron's shoulder holster
and 38 CALIBER SNUB-NOSE. Officer Myers sees it!

CSPD OFFICER MYERS
He's got a Gun!

RON STALLWORTH
I'm a Cop! I'm a COP!!!

Connie springs up from the lawn! Pleading like crazy to
the cops!

CONNIE
He attacked me! That Nigger attacked
me, he tried to Rape me! Arrest him!

Myers and Brickhouse look at each other, unsure.

RON STALLWORTH
I'm Undercover!!!

CSPD OFFICER BRICKHOUSE
Show me your badge!

Ron goes to reach in his pocket but the two Officers make
aggressive moves with their Guns! Ron catches himself! He
doesn't want to get shot! He decides to just tell them.

RON STALLWORTH
It's in my pocket. CONNIE
You gonna believe this lying Nigger
or me?

CSPD OFFICER MYERS
Get on the ground!

RON STALLWORTH
I'm a Cop goddammit! She's got a
Bomb! She's a Terrorist!

CSPD OFFICER MYERS
Get on the ground NOW!!!

Ron slowly lowers down to his knees and the two Cops push
him face down on the street! Felix drives up with Ivanhoe
and Walker in the back seat.

ANGLE - STREET Felix has pulled up next to Patrice's Volkswagen Beetle.

INT./EXT. CAR - DAY

FELIX
Gimme' a detonator.

Walker unzips his Bag quickly handing a Detonator to
Felix.

ANGLE - DOWN THE STREET

Ron yells at the Cops trying to explain!

RON STALLWORTH
THAT WOMAN HAS A BOMB SHE'S TRYING TO
BLOW THAT HOUSE UP!

ANGLE - PATRICE'S HOUSE

Patrice hearing the commotion steps out on the porch with
Odetta.

Ivanhoe sees Patrice on the porch.

IVANHOE
There she is! Do it!

ANGLE - DOWN THE STREET

RON STALLWORTH
PATRICE!

Officer Myers jabs Ron in the Belly with his Nightstick.
Ron doubles over. CLOSE - PATRICE

PATRICE
Ron???

CLOSE - FELIX

FELIX
You're Dead, Black Bitch.

ANGLE - PATRICE'S HOUSE

Patrice looks at Felix.

CLOSE - RON

recovering from the blow SCREAMS to her!

RON STALLWORTH
RUN!!! RUN!!! RUN!!!

ANGLE - STREET

Connie finally sees Felix in the car. Felix sees her, nods.
She then sees that they are parked... NEXT TO PATRICE'S
CAR!!! Connie runs to Felix, screaming!

CONNIE
NO!!! FELIX!!! NO!!! FELIX!!!

Felix pushes the Button!

THE BOMB

is attached to the inside of the wheel well of Patrice's
car.

PATRICE'S CAR

EXPLODES! THEN IT BLOWS UP FELIX'S CAR NEXT TO IT!!! A
double explosion!!! THE IMPACT BLOWS OUT WINDOWS
EVERYWHERE! Patrice and Odetta are knocked to the ground.
Connie is hurled to the street! Glass and car parts flying!
Ron and the Cops are ROCKED by the force of the HUGE
BLAST!

THE TWO CARS TOTALLY DESTROYED! ENGULFED IN FLAMES!!!

Connie on her knees on the street, weeping!

RON STILL HANDCUFFED

through the smoke and flames is able to make eye contact
with Patrice, on the steps of her porch. She is shaken but
all right. SIRENS in the distance heading toward them!

ANGLE - STREET Flip drives up in a fury and jumps out and holds up his
BADGE.

FLIP
Hey, you fucking idiots!!! We're
undercover.

Officers Brickhouse and Myers lower their guns.

CLOSE - RON STALLWORTH

RON STALLWORTH
YOU'RE LATE.

CLOSE - FLIP Flip smiles.

Here is the movie version of the scene:

The versions are essentially the same in terms of structure. A few key differences:

• There is much more back and forth between Ron, Connie, and the cops including Connie’s insistence that Ron attempt to “rape” her.
• The cops are more violent in their assault on Ron.
• The biggest difference is the racist voice-over narration of David Duke which plays out over the action.

One important screenwriting takeaway: Watch the movie and track the Connie subplot. She appears in perhaps six scenes, so in order for the audience to buy (A) she would be called on to plant the bomb and (B) be willing to put herself at such risk, we would need to see that in her scenes. What we learn about her is that she’s a racist, she feels left out of the action at Klan meetings (because she’s a woman), and she is dedicated to her husband and malleable enough of a personality to be convinced by his persuasion.

In other words, the filmmakers had to earn this moment with her character in order for this climactic scene to work.

And it does.

One of the single best things you can do to learn the craft of screenwriting is to read the script while watching the movie. After all a screenplay is a blueprint to make a movie and it’s that magic of what happens between printed page and final print that can inform how you approach writing scenes. That is the purpose of Script to Screen, a weekly series on GITS where we analyze a memorable movie scene and the script pages that inspired it.

For more Script To Screen articles, go here.