The Iron Triangle: The Screenplay

Rating:
Summary: Read Something Different: "The Iron Triangle" (Screenplay)
Review: The Iron Triangle
Screenplay by Mike Baron
Black Coat Script Library
www.blackcoatpress.com
2004
ISBN # 1-932983-07-4
Large Trade Paperback
$15.95 US


"In film and television, thousands of fine scripts by established writers are never produced. The Black Coat Script Library is dedicated to presenting some of those scripts." (Back cover)

Frequent readers of my review work here and elsewhere are very much aware of my strong appreciation and admiration for the efforts of Black Coat Press. As foremost a reader and secondly as a reviewer, I have learned quickly that BCP can always be counted on to provide quality books in terms of appearance as well as story. This new division of BCP is no exception.

For those that do not know and I certainly didn't before receiving this book (one of three and I will be reviewing the rest soon) a "script book" is the basic movie or TV show in script form within a bound book. The best and simplest analogy I can come up with is that if remember reading plays in High School English, this is the same idea. And the effect is the same. Other than scene location explanations, character development and actions are told almost entirely through spoken dialogue. As such, it requires a certain style of writing and narration to make the characters come alive.

It certainly works in the "The Iron Triangle" which the author refers to as "American Beuaty meets Enter The Dragon." (Introduction (page 5) and Back Cover) Set in Fielder's Creek, the action revolves around a small karate school, "Rick's Karate." Owned and operated by Rick Mayer, the school is having serious hard times and placing enormous strain on his already shaky marriage to his beautiful wife, Darcy.

Rick is not that aware of the level of her unhappiness or the multiple reasons for it and he is certainly not aware of the actions of several of his students who are out vandalizing homes and pushing drugs. Using skills he is teaching them in advance of competing in the coming state tournament, they are a part of the rapidly growing crime problem in the small town. The question becomes as various matters take their course resulting in more and more violence and deceit, will Rick figure out friend from foe, in time to save himself and those he cares about?

This was a very enjoyable read and filled with what could be interesting characters if brought to the screen. This murder mystery features numerous fight scenes, which would have to be depicted correctly to raise tension while retaining the overall noir feeling to the work. It could be done and done well and hopefully somebody in Hollywood is paying attention.

Kevin R. Tipple © 2004