Script 07: A Change of Heart

Logline

Torn between his thieving father and Christian mother, a young man struggle to find his own way as he starts stealing with his father before he gives his life to Jesus and steals to make a difference.

Synopsis

Father is in a jewelry store. He robs the store and leaves. He and Thief drive off.  Detectives 1 and 2 investigate and see distorted faces on the camera. They inform Salesman the thieves have struck before.

Thermon cooks at the stove. Mother (a Christian) comes home and smiles then frowns. They fight again about his Father and girlfriend. Mother is at church and he is not. Nicole (girlfriend) comes over and complains again about his HUMBLE abode. They fight and she leaves. Mother prays for her son in church. Her praying doesn’t work at work either because she is turned down for a raise again at the supermarket.

Thief cases another jewelry store and leaves. Detectives investigate the earlier tapes of the first store and make out someone. Father goes to Mother’s (his ex-wife) house and gives Thermon some money. Mother comes home, sees the improvements to the house, and prays. Nicole walks around the mall with Calvin. They run into Thermon, who is wearing better clothes. Calvin and Nicole leave in his new ride.

Detectives go to the second jewelry store and warn her of a future robbery. They look at her footage, recognize someone, and stake out the store. Father goes to his local pawn shop and unloads his jewelry. Clerk warns Father about police reports. Mother is home. Thermon comes in and lies about a new job which is how he could fix the house. She doesn’t believe him and kicks him out.

As they count the money, Father hands Thief a paper with his face on it. The Detectives stake out the jewelry store and nothing. Meanwhile, a check cashing place is being hit. They go to the check cashing place but they are too late.

Thermon is at the mall. The alarm goes off as he and a woman leave the store. They stop them both and she is caught. They let him go. He gives his mother the birthday gift he stole. She threatens to call the police. He leaves and returns it to the store he stole it from.

Lieutenant wonders if the second jewelry store will get hit while Thief wants to teach Saleswoman of the jewelry store a lesson. Customer leaves then Father goes inside and robs her. Thief takes Customer into the alley and shoots him. Informant calls the Detectives who leave the precinct. Thief comes back and sees Detectives. Thief shoots a Detective 2. Detective 1 calls it in and tends to his partner while Father and Thief leave.

Lieutenant looks at the tapes. Police find Customer in the alley. EMT’s take him away. Lieutenant looks at Customer’s phone. Lieutenant and Detective 1 visit Detective 2 in the hospital. She talks to Doctor about Customer and they leave. Informant calls in Father’s location. Thermon goes to the supermarket for a job and gets hired. He sees his mother and heads out the door secretly.

Father and Thief count their money. Father leaves the motel room to get some ice. Police including Detective 1 and Lieutenant surround their motel room. Lieutenant calls out to them. Thief and Lieutenant go back and forth. Father sees them from a distance. Thief apologizes and opens fire. They exchange gun fire and Thief dies. Father leaves. Police find the money and search for clues to Father’s whereabouts.

Thermon goes to the supermarket for his new job. He gets introduced to all the workers except Mother and info on how to do the job. He and his co-worker stock shelves until he is called into Manager’s office who fires him for lying. He goes to the register where Mother is working and yells at her before leaving. Father is in Mother’s fridge gathering food as Thermon comes in. They eat together. He talks to his son about stealing and Thermon wants to work with him. Father lets his son hold his gun and teaches him how to use it.

Police give Detective 1 a forensics report who calls Lieutenant. They go to the hospital. Customer recognizes Father from the pawn shop in a six pack of pics. They go to the pawn shop and interrogate Clerk who points out Customer.

Thermon and Father go to a check cashing place and rob it. Detective 1 gets the call and goes to the place with Lieutenant. Both faces are distorted. They show the owner pictures of Thief’s friends and he picks Father. They go to Mother’s house and questions her. She throws father and son under the bus.

Mother visits Pastor. He tries to encourage her about her son, but it isn’t working. Father and Thermon count their money. Dad says “I am proud of you” for the first time in life. Detective 1 and Lieutenant surround the office. Thermon grabs his gun and money. Father shoots. They shoot back as Thermon leaves. They come in. Father is dead and Thermon is gone.

Nicole cries as she watches tv. Thermon knocks on the door until she opens it and lets him in. He offers to pay her to stay with money from his new job, which excites her. Lieutenant and Detective 1 go to Mother’s house to question her. She tells them about Nicole.

Detective 1 visits Detective 2 who is at home in a wheelchair. Wife offers him something, but he declines. He tells his partner they are both dead, but his son is the new kid on the block and leaves. Thermon is in a jewelry store and looks around. Salesman sells to Buyer who leaves. Thermon doesn’t like the prices obviously until he robs the place and leaves. Detective 1 tells Lieutenant he hit in another city.

At the mall, Thermon and Nicole run into Calvin and his new babe, Dorothy. All four share words as each is happy with their new set up until Dorothy leaves Calvin alone. Thermon takes Nicole to a store at the mall and buys something where he stole something before and took it back. They go out to eat and he gives her the jewelry he stole.

Lieutenant comes over to Detective 1 with a bulletin about another store getting hit in another city. Detective threatens Informant to come up with something. Nicole and Thermon watch tv as he comes clean about robbing stores and defends his reasons. Thermon goes to a store with the midnight munchies and is spotted by Informant, who calls Detective 1. Detective 1 and Lieutenant corner the store. They chase Thermon who runs into a church. He prays with Pastor to give his life to Jesus. They give up looking for him and leave. Thermon thinks “What do I do now?” He looks into his pocket and sees the paper Father gave him.

Buddy sits on the sofa with no legs beneath his knees when there is a knock at the door. He gets in his wheelchair and opens the door. Thermon is standing there. Thermon tells him Father and Thief are dead. He goes back to Nicole and tells her he is going to help Father’s friends. Pastor comes to the supermarket and tells Mother Thermon is now a Christian which Nicole struggles to hear from Thermon.

Detective 1 visits his partner who is still in a wheelchair. They argue about this case and sympathy for veterans which Detective 1 and the two robbers happen to be. “I’m in a wheelchair but I do feel sorry for them and you don’t? Buddy is in his wheelchair. Thermon helps Buddy with his meds and gives him some money. Thermon robs Drug Dealer during a deal and leaves. He helps Lefty who is missing his right arm below the elbow.

Detective 1 tells Lieutenant, Thermon just robbed some drug dealers, but she doesn’t want him out in the street naked. Nicole runs into Mother at the supermarket and they have a nice talk. Nicole leaves and is snatched by Drug Dealer at her house. Detective and Lieutenant arrest him.

Thermon comes to Nicole’s house, see Lieutenant and Detective 1, and keep driving. They chase him in cars. He gets out, runs through the supermarket and out the back. Mother leaves her cash register with people in line and goes out back to see them corner her son. Thermon reaches into his pocket and Detective 1 shoots him. Thermon has a tract in his hand.

Thermon is in a hospital bed with one arm in a sling and the other arm cuffed to the bed. Detective 1 is there with Mother. He confesses to stealing and apologizes to Mother. She apologizes to him also.