Number Eight

Written by: Jason Tucker

A roughneck cowboy must overcome his guilty past when he's forced to drive his herd onto a deadly pasture in hopes of defusing an all out range war with a nearby reservation.

Two years ago Sonny Frain took a foolish bet in a bar. The wager led to a helicopter crash on a remote pasture known as "Number Eight" where an innocent man was killed.

The guilt has weighed like stone on Sonny ever since. To protect his prize hand, Sonny's boss Earl covered up the incident and gave his word he'd never make Sonny take a herd up to Number Eight.

Twenty-four months later, a drought and recession hit the ranch hard. The fertile pastures are drying up, and cattle prices have gone in the tank. Compounding the tough times are cattle raids by the nearby Blackfoot First Nation. During a routine run, Sonny pursues a heifer through a fence breach only to watch her killed by Frenchy Courchene, an old enemy of Earl's from the reservation.

Earl goads Sonny into paying Frenchy a visit to get payment for the cow, or lay the boots to the old man if he doesn't come up with the cash.

The next day Frenchy is discovered burned to death in his trailer. None of the Blackfoot know about Sonny's trip to Frenchy's. But the old man's nephews soon suspect his involvement. Sonny barely escapes with his life after a brutal bar fight.

In the wake of the battle, a full-scale range war threatens to break out between the ranch and the reservation. Earl is forced to go back on his word to Sonny. He orders his hand to move the cattle out of harm's way by driving them up to Number Eight. Sonny refuses, but soon recognizes the only way he's going to save his herd (and job) is to face the ghosts of his past. After a near-fatal run up to the high country, Sonny secures the herd and enters Eight for the first time in two years.

He finds debris from the wrecked chopper and realizes it wasn't his careless flying but a mechanical breakdown that brought the bird down. He uncovers the maintenance logs and discovers the crash was caused by Earl's negligence. Even worse, the logs point to Earl as Frenchy's killer.

Following a violent confrontation, Earl flees the ranch. Sonny tracks his boss down in Eight where he battles to clear his name and end the local blood feud once and for all.

Bio:

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada.  Graduate of the University of Manitoba Film Studies Program. Has been writing on and off for twenty years.


Recent Contest Placing:

"Number Eight"

Top 10 Finalist Barebones Film Festival - 2009
Quarter Finalist - Creative World Awards 2009
Official Selection - 2009 Action on Film Festival
Quarter Finalist - 2009 BlueCat Competition
Finalist Beverly Hills FF 2009
Finalist Cinema City Screenwriting Contest 2009

Assignment:

1st Runner-up Eastgate Films LLC "Write-A-Scene" - Scene to be shot in upcoming film, "The Shiloh Prophecy".

"Lights on the Lake"

Beverly Hills Film Festival - 2009 Finalist
Paranoia Film Fest Screenplay Contest - 2009 Finalist
Movie Script Contest - 2008 (Sci-Fi/Thriller) Bronze Brad Winner
Creative World Awards - 2008 Quarter Finalist (Top 4 Sci-Fi Entry)
Page International Screenwriting Awards - 2008 Semi-Finalist (Top 25 Historical Film)
Silver Screenwriting competition - 2008 Quarter-Finalist

2009 Script Selections