Detective Franklin Hall has returned to work after time off following the death of his wife. He is questioning serial killer Benjamin En'Zolo about the murders of 21 people. En'Zolo claims the victims were criminals who deserved to die. When Hall leaves upset, Chief Inspector Bruce remains behind. Bruce has secretly let En'Zolo go free, believing he is doing what the police cannot by ridding the city of dangerous criminals. Hall is furious to discover En'Zolo has escaped. Bruce admits he freed En'Zolo, feeling the killer is doing important work protecting the innocent that the police cannot always do due to rules and corruption within the force.

1. 23
Scene 1 - Int. Police Station Corridor – Morning
Detective FRANKLIN HALL (mid 20s) is walking through the
corridor of the police station he works at. He is wearing a
shirt and tie. HALL is a moderately muscular man of average
height. The camera is behind his head but we get enough view
either side of his neck to see the surroundings. He takes a
sip of coffee. As he rounds a corner we see another man
looking through a small window into a rom. The other man
glances at HALL then looks back through window of the door.
HALL approaches the other man, Chief Inspector TITUS BRUCE.
BRUCE is a larger man, in his 50s. He has a file in his hands.
BRUCE
Hall.
HALL
Chief Inspector.
BRUCE scalds HALL
BRUCE
How many times, HALL. No ranks; we’re all just guys trying to
do the right thing. You call me BRUCE.
HALL
Erm, Bruce.
BRUCE (Chuckles)
Good to have you back, kid.
BRUCE extends his hand and HALL shakes it
HALL
Thanks, sir. Its good to be back… Some case, huh?
BRUCE
Yep, you ready?
HALL
As I’ll ever be
BRUCE opens the door and both men proceed inside. The door is
slammed behind them.
Scene 2 – Int. Police interrogation Room – Morning

2. The room is bare. There are 4 empty walls and a table in the
middle, 3 chairs, 2 on one side; the 3rd is on the opposite
side occupied by a hooded figure. The arms of the figure are
folded and the head is laid on them.
HALL throws his empty coffee in the bin in the corner and
takes a seat, BRUCE follows but remains standing and opens the
file and begins to read.
BRUCE (with authority, almost shouting)
Jennifer Whale, 38. Ryan Oslo, 19. William Thomas, 24. Simeon
Goodyear, 22. Ellen Saunders, 31. Mary Christie, 40. Alex
Brampton, 61. Shall I go on?
After each name, a picture of a corpse flashes on screen, then
cut back to silhouette of hooded figure, zoomed in slightly
after each time it reappears.
BRUCE throws the file on the table and slams his hands on the
desk. The hooded figure remains motionless. HALL casts a
glance at BRUCE and picks up the file and continues to read.
HALL
(Scans through file briefly before starting)
Benjamin Phillip En’Zolo. Son of Mia and Elijah En’Zolo. Born
and raised in Kyton. Ex-army, ex-fire-fighter (looks up from
file) and a serial killer… Any of this correct, Mr En’Zolo?
The figure remains silent.
BRUCE
You better answer the damn question!
HALL
Mr En’Zolo?
BRUCE
Look, this isn’t a--
En’Zolo raises his hand and Bruce stops. The figure removes
his hood. He is a male and bald.
EN’ZOLO
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie
down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still
waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of
righteousness. For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For
You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You
prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You
anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and
mercy shall follow me. All the days of my life; And I will
dwell in the house of the Lord. Forever.
HALL

3. What is that?
BRUCE
Psalm 23. So you’re a man of the Lord, huh?
EN’ZOLO
I believe, yes
BRUCE
What are you? Christian, Jehovah’s?
EN’ZOLO
I believe, yes, but I have no faith in religion.
HALL
Is that right?
BRUCE
You say you believe but we have you pinned for the murder of
21 people. Now I ain’t all that good at maths but even I know
that doesn’t add up.
EN’ZOLO
Hm, usually the bad cop is the funny one
BRUCE looks angrily and flares nostrils
HALL
So, you’re not denying those murders were you?
EN’ZOLO
It is true. Those people died at my hands, yes.
BRUCE (yelling)
Listen, you do realize you’re going to jail for a damned long
time. The hell’s wrong with you!?
EN’ZOLO
Wrong with me? Wrong with me?! You have bigger fish to fry, my
friend. I am one man in a city of sin.
HALL
You say you believe in God? I’m pretty sure one of his
commandment things is thou shalt not go around killing folks.
EN’ZOLO
You are as stupid as the rest… And you are as soft as He is.
Thousands of years ago, He sent floods and he sent plagues; he
felled the monuments of the sinner. He was feared. Who is
afraid now? His rod and his staff comfort me, eh? Where is the
rod, where is the punishment, the consequence for sin.
BRUCE

4. You quote scriptures one minute and question God the next. Do
you think you’re a God?
EN’ZOLO
I am no God, I am his janitor. God gave man choice and man
threw it in his face. Fear, that is why people follow. God
fearing people. God could end your life in an instant and
still nobody fears. Nobodies fears because they are unclean.
Their eyes are clouded by the filth of this world. I cleanse
those who are dirty.
BRUCE
And these people are unclean to you?!
EN’ZOLO grabs the file and points at individuals.
EN’ZOLO
She runs a criminally inhumane sweatshop, rapist, rapist, he
exploits old people out of their money. Shall I go on, Mr.
Bruce.
HALL is silent. BRUCE looks at the file for a few moments.
En’Zolo sits back in his chair.
BRUCE
So what happened to you?
EN’ZOLO
Excuse me?
BRUCE
What happened? You were so slick. You had the whole police
force running around after you, completely clueless. We had
nothing. And then errors, mistakes. A child could have traced
it to you. What the heck happened?
EN’ZOLO
A mistake? No Sir. This is a city of sin, nowhere is sacred.
(runs finger on desk) this place is filthy. And I’m here to
clean up. I am the new authority.
HALL (Stands up, slams hands on desk)
WE BRING PEOPLE TO JUSTICE!
EN’ZOLO (almost matching Hall’s rage)
I BRING PEOPLE TO JUSTICE!
HALL
YOU ARE SICK
EN’ZOLO (calm)
Am I? These people hurt people. They are a virus. I am the
immune system. Sometimes you have to get worse to get better.
Sacrifice the finger, keep the hand. Sacrifice the hand, keep

5. the arm. Sacrifice the arm, keep the man. Sacrifice the man…
Keep the many.
En’Zolo gestures for each body part he speaks about. HALL
clenches his fist, his arm shakes. He pounds the desk and
charges out the door, slamming it behind him.
Scene 3 – INT. Police Station Bathroom – Morning
HALL moves up into shot. HALL is in front of the bathroom
mirror washing his face. The camera is slightly askew.
HALL
Come on, Frankie. Get it together.
HALL
Maybe it’s too soon
BRUCE
Maybe it is, kid
HALL spins round, BRUCE is stood in the doorway.
BRUCE
It’s okay if you need more time. Nobody expects you to come
back to work so quickly.
HALL
It’s a tough one to come back to but we can’t give him what he
wants. He wants this. He wants anarchy. This is bigger than
just me, this is about making this city safe. I can’t let
anyone else die-(stops himself) down. I can’t let anyone else
down
BRUCE walks up and stands next to HALL. Goes to put his hand
on HALL’s shoulder then retracts it.
BRUCE
…I get it. Losing her was really rough on you. You loved her
but now you’ve got to love yourself.
A few quick flashes of HALL with a woman. They eat ice cream.
They sit in on a park bench. They eat dinner together. The
final flash is her lifeless body.
BRUCE
Go home, HALL. Rest up.
HALL
No! I need this. I need to get back to work.

6. HALL darts out the room
BRUCE
Hall! HALL! GET BACK HERE!
BRUCE goes to chase him.
Scene 4 – INT. Police Station Corridor – Day
HALL runs back to the interrogation room, BRUCE is trailing
behind.
BRUCE
FRANKLIN!!
HALL stops a few paces from the door and spins around
HALL
What! What is it! When I was just getting started, you told me
I could be the best officer you’ve seen… let me prove it.
BRUCE says nothing and sighs. HALL opens the door and goes
inside, BRUCE follows. Both men enters the room, EN’ZOLO is
not there.
Scene 5 – INT. Police interrogation Room – Morning
HALL
What the! Where is he!
BRUCE
Frankie, I…
HALL
BRUCE, what happened! Where is he?
Flash back to interrogation after HALL had left. Filter.
EN’ZOLO
Every man and woman and child have choices, we all have
choices, but we don’t all make the same ones because we are
all so different. 46 chromosomes in human DNA. That code is
what makes you different to me, to your partner, to everyone.
Cut back to HALL and BRUCE
BRUCE
31 years in the force. I’ve had to put away so many people.
People who ruin lives.

7. Cut back to BRUCE and EN’ZOLO
EN’ZOLO
You want to know why I love Psalms 23 so much… I’ll tell you
anyway. I like it because it is so ironic. It asks you to put
all of your faith in God. The very same God who does so little
for us. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes
me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still
waters.” I am not a sheep, you make me in your image yet he is
the Shepard and we his flock. Yet he is too sheepish to tend
to his flock and protect them from the wolves. The wolves have
claimed so many innocent sheep. “You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies” My enemies, I would not have
enemies if they could be eliminated. You have the power to
make a heaven on Earth but he doesn’t do it… He is not the
only one with power… Use it, Mr. Bruce. Set your city free.
Cut back to HALL and BRUCE
BRUCE
You know as well as I do that we can’t catch them all. We have
rules to follow. Rules that slow everything down. Sometimes
the bad guys get away. They don’t get away from him. 21
criminals off our streets… Hall, think of how-
HALL
How what! How much paperwork that would save?
BRUCE
It’s not like that!... Listen and listen well. I didn’t sign
up to this just to arrest people. I did it to protect the
innocent. (Points out the door) He does that.
HALL
We do that!
BRUCE
Not all of us. You know not everyone sees this job like we do.
Heck, that’s why he’s here
Cut back to BRUCE and EN’ZOLO
EN’ZOLO
Some of your officers are scum… Hm, you know this. I can see
it on your face. Bribes, falsified evidence, selective
enforcement. Mr. Bruce, I like you, you seem like an honest
man. But not all your cops are like you or your partner even.
If they did their job properly, I wouldn't be here... (winks)
Cut back to HALL and BRUCE
HALL

8. (Points at BRUCE) BRUCE, YOU HAVE JUST LET A KILLER LOOSE! YOU
HAVE JUST HANDED HIM HIS NEXT VICTIM! BRUCE, YOU’VE AS GOOD AS
KILLED A MAN! YOU’RE JUST AS MAD AS HE IS!
BRUCE
Frankie, he, he wants what we want.
HALL
What we want or what you want?
BRUCE
What we need.
There is a distant scream
HALL
Well, I NEED to go and catch a serial killer. Thanks a lot,
Chief
HALL runs out of the room leaving the door slamming the door
behind him.
BRUCE
Maybe the world needs a little mad
BRUCE pulls a crucifix from around his neck and holds it for a
second before dropping it on the floor.
BRUCE AND EN’ZOLO (Voice over)
Maybe the world needs a little mad.
Low camera angle as BRUCE opens the door and shuts it gently
behind him.