ok, i just got through the second version of the script for takedown. this one was written by john steppling but it retains many scenes from the howard rodman version. there are some significant changes, some for the better, some for the worse, and much that is the same. the intro scene shows kevin changing grades for depayne. it's better written, funnier, and shows kevin in a better light but he's still doing something here that he never did in real life. they make a big deal in this version about kevin's father being "not known." i don't believe this is based on reality. there is still no word on *why* kevin was running in the first place. but there is this very significant scene addition which i'll quote here only because it relates directly to many of our concerns. the scene involves two fbi people: ornellas and his boss, burns. _________________________________________________________________ BURNS You see this? He hands Ornellas a copy of the New York Times, the Mitnick story prominent. ORNELLAS Yeah, it's bullshit- BURNS Washington wants an arrest. ORNELLAS Levord, even the article says there's no proof. Nothing connects Mitnick to any of these allegations. BURNS It's the perception. The perception we're helpless against these hackers. (beat) I just spent an hour getting chewed out by the Director and the Attorney General over that perception. ORNELLAS Arrest Kevin Mitnick on what charge? Parole violation? BURNS It's up to you. ORNELLAS I have real cases. With real victims. BURNS stops and, for the first time, faces Ornellas. BURNS Stan. Find Kevin Mitnick. Arrest Kevin Mitnick. That's it. _________________________________________________________________ this is a very positive step but there's a vital detail missing. why all the attention in the new york times? the implication seems to be that this is the only reason they went after him with such a vengeance (the shimomura stuff happened much later on). but i don't think it's stated clearly enough. Mitnick still rigs a radio contest to win a TV for him and Lewis. I still don't think a radio station would ever give away a television. A new love interest is introduced named Angie who used to go out with Kevin and is now living with Lewis. Actually, she's not really a love interest as she says about four words and disappears. Mitnick is shown pulling Shimomura's credit report. This did not happen in the first version. this addition: SHIMOMURA I've been hacked. They do a better job here of showing Shimomura in an irrational state: "He's completely freaked, crazed, scared, angry, you name it." There is much better dramatic tension when shimomura is trying to figure it out. Mitnick still whistles touch tones in this version. In addition, he now spies on FBI computers. Kevin says no to a joint. Shimomura is more candid about his past associations: "There was quite a bit of stuff from my NSA work." Kevin still messes with an FBI agent's lights, water, and gas. Lewis DePayne is revealed as the originator of the famous voice mail message on Shimomura's machine. This is flagrantly false. Kevin still cards plane tickets for Lewis. Another falsehood. Julia suddenly develops a knack for analyzing Kevin: "There's another thing about Kevin Mitnick. He grew up without a father. A very high percentage of hackers come from deficit father households." The plot is tightened by introducing a magical virus that Kevin will almost certainly upload to the net: "You can crash Air Force One with this virus. Hell, you can crash Wall Street with this virus." Mitnick still uses scanning as a substitute for sex The garbage can lid scene is still there. More Julia analysis: "Mitnick will never stop. He can't. What drives him is a desire to punish everyone for how orphaned he felt growing up. He feels empty and he tries to fill that hole with behavior that proves he is the smartest. The smartest in the world. He has to keep doing what he does because there is never enough proof. Sooner or later, he'll make a mistake." Mitnick expresses his contempt for street people. "I can't stand to look at people like you." Julia turns against Gilmore when he and Shimomura have a confrontation Mitnick's still portrayed as a racist. JSZ is mentioned although his role in the whole affair goes unexplained. Mitnick is traced in typical Hollywood fashion with no explanation *whatsoever* as to why they know it's his number. They achieve this by tracking his telnet session and they realize he's in north carolina because he didn't use an area code. sure. The modem sound is still deafening. Burns is made into a comical character. The two FBI agents are reduced to one. Some new banal drivel: "All that Los Alamos stuff, the NSA research... those viruses, programs for breaking down firewalls... it just... If Mitnick figures it out, and wants to give it... or sell it... then the whole world is affected. I mean he could cripple governments. People would die." He looks at Julia. She sees tears welling up in his eyes. "What have I done?" A black market dealer expresses fear when he hears what's happening: "You didn't get this from me. I don't want Kevin Mitnick coming after me." Mitnick hacks the NSA as the authorities move in. In the still-existing Shimomura visiting Mitnick in jail scene, Shimomura wraps it up in a new way: "You're not a victim. You're just a bad guy." _________________________________________________________________ there were definite improvements in the writing in this version but kevin is still seen as evil incarnate. it just becomes a bit more unclear as to why they're locking him up. but in the end, nobody seems to care. of course, all of this may have been thrown out the window with the existence of the 3rd script. if not, then we still have many concerns. emmanuel