Underpaid Genius

[from Brazil: the screenplay of the Terry Gilliam movie. I was thinking about the plumber, Tuttle, played by Robert De Niro, as a heroic corporate figure.]

INT. SAM'S FLAT - NIGHT

  Sam is grabbing the walls of the fridge. Water from the 
  defrosted freezer compartment drips on his head. He wakes 
  up. Before he can really take in where he is the phone 
  rings. He staggers over to it.

  SAM
   Hello... hello...

  PHONE VOICE
   Hello. Mr. Lowry?

  SAM
   Who's that?
   (pause)
   A sound at the kitchen door turns 
   Sam's head  and ours  just in time 
   to half see a quick blurred 
   movement, but then a rapid voice 
   in his ear-piece brings his head 
   back.

  PHONE VOICE
   Put the phone down and your hands 
   up.

  SAM
   (into the phone)
   What? Who is this?

  Sam realises that the voice is also in the room behind 
  him. He turns round and sees TUTTLE. Tuttle is middle-aged, 
  a short tough figure dressed in dark clothes suggesting a 
  cross between a cat burglar and a night-raid commando. In 
  one hand he holds a gun pointed at Sam. The other hand is 
  holding a telephone receiver which Tuttle is in the act of 
  placing in the large capacious bag at his feet. Sam puts 
  down his phone, and his hands up.

  TUTTLE
   Nice and easy now. Keep your hands 
   where I can see them.

  SAM
   What is this?
   (indignantly)
   Who the hell are you?

  Tuttle, keeping the gun on Sam, goes to different doors, 
  leaning backwards into bedroom, bathroom and closet.

  Tuttle suddenly relaxes and pockets his gun.

  TUTTLE
   Harry Tuttle. Heating engineer. At 
   your service.

  SAM
   Tuttle! Are you from Central 
   Services?

  TUTTLE
   Ha!!

  SAM
   But... I called Central Services.

  TUTTLE
   They're a bit overworked these 
   days. Luckily I intercepted your 
   call.

  SAM
   What?

  By now, both are pouring with sweat. Tuttle heads across 
  the room and swiftly begins to undo a wall panel.

  SAM
   Wait a minute, what was that 
   business with the gun?

  Tuttle hands Sam the panel and plunges his arm into the 
  space behind it.

  TUTTLE
   A little precaution, sir. I've had 
   traps set for me before now. There 
   are people in Central Services 
   who'd love to get their hands on 
   Harry Tuttle.

  SAM
   Are you saying this is illegal?

  By now Tuttle has managed to pull out some sections of 
  flexible ducting from the welter of mechanical offal behind 
  the removed panel. It is all very complicated and greasy 
  and it looks as though there is a lot more where that came 
  from. Tuttle is amazingly neat and deft as he works. A 
  real pro. As he works he hums a wee tune... yes... 
  "BRAZIL"!!

  TUTTLE
   Well, yes... and no. Officially, 
   only Central Service operatives 
   are supposed to touch this stuff... 
   Could you hold these.
   (he hands Sam a 
   bunch of wires 
   that he has detached)
   ... but, with all the new rules 
   and regulations... unncgh, c'mon, 
   c'mon... they can't get decent 
   staff any more... so... they tend 
   to turn a blind eye... as long as 
   I'm careful.
   (he hands Sam a 
   torch)
   ... Mind you, if ever they could 
   prove I'd been working on their 
   equipment... well, that's a 
   different matter... up a bit with 
   the torch, sir.

  SAM
   Sorry. wouldn't it be easier just 
   to work for Central Services?

  TUTTLE
   Couldn't stand the pa.. Ah, we're 
   getting warm

  SAM
   The pace?

  TUTTLE
   The paperwork, couldn't stand the 
   paperwork.
   (indicating the 
   torch)
   Over to the left please, if you 
   don't mind sir. Hold it there. 
   Yes, there's more bits of paper in 
   Central Services than bits of pipe  
   read this, fill in that, hand in 
   the other  listen, this old system 
   of yours could be on fire and I 
   couldn't even turn on the kitchen 
   tap without filling in a 27B/6... 
   Bloody paperwork.

  SAM
   (mildly)
   Well I suppose one has to expect a 
   certain amount

  TUTTLE
   Why? I came into this game for 
   adventure go anywhere, travel light, 
   get in, get out, wherever there's 
   trouble, a man alone. Now they've 
   got the whole country sectioned of 
   and you can't move without a form. 
   I'm the last of a breed. Ah ha! 
   Found it!
   (he holds up a small 
   charred gadget)
   There's your problem.

  SAM
   Can you fix it?

  TUTTLE
   No. But I can bypass it with one 
   of these.

  He pulls another gadget from his bag.

  SAM
   Fine.

  The door bell. Tuttle grabs for his gun.

  TUTTLE
   Are you expecting anyone?

  SAM
   No. Wait here.

  He goes out closing the immediate door and goes to the 
  front door which he opens. He is confronted by two officious 
  little men in boiler suits who are standing outside his 
  door. Their names are SPOOR and DOWSER. Dowser is Spoor's 
  echo.

  SAM
   Yes?

  SPOOR
   Central Services.

  DOWSER
   ... ervices.

  SAM
   Uh  what?  I...

  SPOOR
   You telephone, sir.

  DOWSER
   ... elephoned sir.

  SPOOR
   Trouble with your air-conditioning.

  DOWSER
   ... ditioning.

  SAM
   (gulps)
   No, not at all. I mean, it's all 
   right. It's fixed.

  SPOOR
   Fixed?

  DOWSER
   Fixed?

  They don't like that.

  SAM
   I mean it fixed itself.

  SPOOR
   Fixed itself.

  DOWSER
   ... ixed itself.

  SPOOR
   Machines don't fix themselves.

  DOWSER
   ... fix themselves.

  SPOOR
   He's tampered with it, Dowser.

  DOWSER
   ... ampered. with it, Spoor.

  SAM
   Look, I'm sorry about your wasted 
   journey.

  Sam tries to close the door but Spoor prevents this.

  SPOOR
   (to Dowser)
   I think we'd better have a look.

  DOWSER
   ... have a look.

  SAM
   No you can't.

  He is pushed aside. Spoor followed by Dowser, heads for 
  the door behind which is Mr. Tuttle. Sam is paralysed. 
  Spoor approaches the door as if it is dangerous. He turns 
  the handle quietly and gives the door a little nudge. The 
  door begins to swing slowly open. Sam suddenly finds 
  inspiration.

  SAM
   Just a minute!

  Spoor and Dowser turn round as the door continues to swing 
  open. When the door is open, behind their backs Tuttle is 
  seen holding his pistol in a two-handed grip, his knees 
  slightly bent. Tuttle freezes like that, pointing his pistol 
  through the open door.

  SAM
   Have you got a 27B/6?

  Dowser looks very angry. Veins stand out on his forehead 
  and he goes into what looks like some sort of fit. Spoor 
  knocks him to the ground.

  SPOOR
   (to Sam)
   Now look what you've done to him.

  SAM
   Have you got one or haven't you?

  SPOOR
   Not... as such...

  Dowser moans and begins to get back on his feet.

  SPOOR
   But we can get one.
   (worried about Dowser)
   It's all right, Terry, it's all 
   right, everything's all right.

  SAM
   (ushering them to 
   the door)
   I'm sorry, but I'm a bit of a 
   stickler for paper work. Where 
   would we be if we didn't follow 
   the correct procedures?

  SPOOR
   We'll be back.

  DOWSER
   ... Be back.

  SAM
   (closing the door 
   on them)
   Thank you.

  Sam turns back to Tuttle who is coming forward pocketing 
  his gun.

  TUTTLE
   Thanks, Lowry, you're a good man 
   in a tight corner.

  Tuttle returns to work, fitting in the new by-pass gadget 
  and tightening the nuts, and happily humming "BRAZIL".

  SAM
   Listen... um... I don't want to 
   get involved in any of this. But I 
   work at the Ministry of Information, 
   and I happen to know that 
   Information Retrieval have been 
   looking for an Archibald Tuttle, 
   Heating Engineer. You wouldn't by 
   any chance be..

  TUTTLE
   (pleased)
   My friends call me Harry. 
   Information Retrieval, eh? 
   Interesting!

  SAM
   What do they want you or?

  TUTTLE
   Time to go.

  Tuttle finishes the job and throws his tools into the bag.

  SAM
   Thank you very much. How much will 
   it...?

  TUTTLE
   On the house. You did me a favor. 
   Check the corridor.

  Sam goes to the front door, opens it and looks out.

  SAM
   All clear.

  Tuttle slips out and heads off down the balcony corridor.

  SAM
   Hey that's a dead end.

  But Tuttle merely undoes a pre-arranged rope and swings 
  Tarzan-like off the end of the balcony and across a multi- 
  story void to a neighboring block. Sam is amazed  not to 
  say  stunned.