FADE IN:
With soft piano music, the opening credits roll over a series of shots of New York City’s glamorous side in the fall:
- Empire State Building
- Fifth Avenue
- Rockefeller Center
- Manhattan Bridge
- Brooklyn Museum of Art
- Wall Street
- Bright red maple trees in Central Park
¨ INT. GOLDEN CHOPSTICS CHINESE RESTAURENT, CHINA TOWN - EVENING
Soft piano music continues. (Close-up shot): A drop of water falls on the calm surface of water.
The water was violently disturbed. As the camera rises, we can see WAYNE – a short, timid, and scar-faced middle-aged man washing dishes at the sink among mountains of dishes. He obviously suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. He involuntarily counts one to five for his moves.
This is a small and stuffy basement of a humble Chinese restaurant. It appears very crowded and dirty under the dim lights. The chef is stir-frying; the bus boy is rushing in and out of the door.
The RESTAURANT OWNER, a shrewd and fat man, rushes into the basement.
RESTAURANT OWNER
(to Wayne)
Move your lazy ass faster! They ran out of dishes upstairs, again!
WAYNE
(nodding his head)
Yes, yes, boss. I’ll catch up, I’ll catch up.
Wayne washes the dishes faster. He accidentally bumps a stack of dishes into the sink. He clumsily tries to rescue them. His hand is cut by the broken pieces. Blood is gushing out from the wound. Wayne presses on the wound and doesn’t know what to do.
RESTAURANT OWNER
What are you standing there for? Wash those damned dishes.
Wayne puts his shaking hands in the sink and continues washing. The red blood splashes onto the white soap bubbles.
Soft pPiano music resumes.
¨ EXT. SOHO - SAME TIME
JACK CLAYTON，a detective from NYPD, 45 years old, tall and muscular, sits in an un-marked car parking on the side of a street and looks blankly at the streets in front of the car. He takes a sip from a bottle in a paper bag.
There is an empty street in front of him.
¨ INT，BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART，GRAND EXHIBITION HALL - SAME TIME
Newly renovated exhibition hall。People in tuxedos and nightgowns drink and chat on the red carpet.
The head of the museum – MRS.COHEN in a white dress appears behind the microphone in front of a curtain. A huge black DING (a 2,800-year-old Chinese ritual bronze vessel) is in the background.
MRS. COHEN
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Tonight, we are gathering here to witness one of the greatest exhibitions of this museum. We arranged this exhibition as the first grand exhibition after a two-year renovation. Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Brooklyn Museum of Art, I feel so honored and pleased to present you the crystallization of the wisdom and craftsmanship of one of the greatest countries and cultures on the planet, from The Taiwan National Palace Museum: “5000 Years China Treasure Exhibition”.
The curtain drops slowly, revealing the exhibition items on individual platforms.
MRS.COHEN
There are a total of 29 pieces in this exhibition, which are the best from the collection of The Taiwan National Palace Museum. The collection ranges from Shang Dynasty’s Bronze from 3700 years ago to the ceramic artworks from the most glorious period of China. Every item represents a period of history, a frozen piece in time, and a legendary story behind it. For the next 6 days, please enjoy them with people from all over the world. Now, I’d like to introduce a gentleman to all of you, who made this fantastic exhibition possible. Here is the exhibition initiator and major sponsor – Mr. Frank Shu and his organization “ China-US Culture and Art Exchange Association”.
Everybody applauds and cheers。FRANK SHU, about 60 years old, acknowledges the crowd with a dignified smile.
MRS.COHEN
Please, Mr. Shu。
Frank walks up to the microphone, looking at the people. Silence.
FRANK
（briefly）
Enjoy the exhibition.
¨ INT，INSIDE FRANK’S MOVING LIMO - LATER
Frank sits on the seat, gazing at the front.
A handsome young man walks up to him. He is Frank’s right-hand man-MICKEY. Mickey whispers to him. Frank nods his head slightly. He raises his head and looks up.
¨ EXT. BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART, ROOF - SAME TIME
（Elevation angle）A black helicopter hovers in the dark sky.
¨ INT. BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART, CORRIDOR ON THE 5TH FLOLOR - SAME TIME
（Elevation angle）The screws on the cover of the ventilation duct on the ceiling fall off one by one. THREE MEN wearing black masks and clothing emerge from the duct and land on the floor quietly.
MAN IN BLACK 1
(to the rest two)
80 secs, NOW!
Two men run to one direction, the third runs to the other.
¨ INT. BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART，SECURITY ROOM - CONTINUOUS
FOUR SECURITY GUARDS watch a wall full of monitors. Suddenly, one of them loses its image. One of the guards stands up and taps on the screen, the image re-appears.
¨ INT，BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART，CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS
Two Men In Black wait at the corner, watching the surveillance camera on the ceiling.
MAN IN BLACK 1
（to the ear piece）
5！
¨ INT. BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART，UTILITY ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Man In Back 3 uses the tool to black out the No. 5 monitor input signal.
¨ INT. BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART，CORRIDOR – CONTINUOUS
Two Men In Black rush through the No. 5 surveillance camera and stop at the next corner.
MAN IN BLACK 1
（to the ear piece）
6！
¨ INT. BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART，SECURITY ROOM - CONTINUOUS
The images on the monitors disappear and re-appear. The guards look at each other.
GUARD 1
What the hell is going on?
GUARD 2
Maybe something’s wrong with circuit. Same thing happened last week, don’t worry.
All the pictures come back to normal, and the guards relieved.
¨ INT. BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART，GRAND HALL - CONTINUOUS
Two Men In Black turn the corner and see the grand exhibition hall – the “5000 years China Treasure Exhibition” at the end of the corridor.
¨ INT. BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART，SECURITY ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Phone rings, Guard 1 picks up.
GUARD 1
Brooklyn Museum of Art Security.
NYPD DISPACHER
(V.O.)
This is NYPD，this is NYPD. We have just received a tip that there is a robbery going on at the “5000 years China Treasure Exhibition” NOW, the police units are on their way…
Guard 1 puts down the phone.
GUARD 1
（to other guards）
Bill, Sam, come with me！
¨ EXT. SOHO - SAME TIME
Jack’s dream scenes（fuzzy）：a sharp razor slowly cuts through a female body; the blood is like flowers blossoming on the pale skin. A man holds a razor with one hand, a cigarette in the other. Smoke covers his face and makes it blurry, the smoke disperses, and the details of the face gradually appear…
Radio breaks out, and Jack wakes up.
NYPD DISPACHER
(V.O.)
All units, all units, there is a robbery going on at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, all units close by respond, all units close by respond…
JACK
（picks up the radio）
This is 3001，I’m on my way！
