Tower of Strength by Jeremy Storey - Short, Thriller, Drama - A father with a violent and mysterious past seeks retribution, after his son is tragically killed in the cross-fire between rival gangs. 22 pages - pdf format

Contests: World Series of Screenwriting, 2015 - Finalist, Short Screenplay Category; Screencraft Short Screenplay Contest, 2016 - Qtr Finalist; Creative World Awards 2015, Semi-Finalist

Writer interested in feedback on this work

This Script Has Been Reviewed By Shootin' The Shorts
Tower of Strength
Good Guys vs. Bad Guys isn’t always well-defined…

Nothing’s more intense than a good cop story.

Crime tales have built-in tension. There are always good guys – usually the police. And the Bad Guys run the gamut of Evil: one hundred and fifty Shades of “grey”. For anyone who loves such gritty tales, you can usually expect one pivotal scene: usually with three ingredients – a cop, an interrogation room, and a suspect.

And the conflict goes wild from there.

The good cop in Jeremy Storey’s Tower of Strength is a detective named Peter. When TOS opens, Peter has suspect Alex in custody – imprisoned in a cramped interrogation room. As Peter turns his tape recorder on, the lightning quick questions begin.

PETER
Please state your name for the record.

ALEX
Alex Barnes.

PETER
Where do you live?

ALEX
456 Dorchester.

PETER
Where do you work?

ALEX
Crescent Security.

Sound familiar? Well, just you wait.

Because, just about the time you think Peter may elicit that confession of guilt: “Peter’s voice starts to fade. Alex looks over his shoulder to the outside. He’s no longer listening… just looking at the sky” …

The next scene describes Alex “tightening a few bolts” on his son Ben’s new bicycle. And hence the tragic flashback begins…

What’s the “gotcha” of this story?

Well, Peter’s got a grisly murder to solve. He thinks – in fact, he’s damn certain — that this “ruggedly handsome, athletic” father is somehow involved in the bloody mix.

So who exactly has been killed?

No spoiler here: but there are bad cartel guys across the border. A gang of murderous thugs and monsters that take-no-prisoners-alive.

PETER
These ‘monsters’ are like locusts. For every one put away or put down another three will appear. For every eye they take two. They fear no one.

ALEX
You’re worried about retaliation?

PETER
It’ll be a bloodbath.

Absolutely. Alex is a guy with a different agenda – one he keeps very close to his chest. Will Peter be able to solve the murderous crime? Does he even have the right suspect?

Maybe, maybe not… And for folks who love crime stories, that mystery’s the juicy part.

Are you a director on the hunt for a riveting drama – one with adrenaline-pumping tension and pace? Then TOS could be your fix. It doesn’t get much better than this…

Review by KP Mackie