Genre: Biography/Crime
Director: Scott Cooper
Writer: Roy Horne
Cast: Jesse Plemons, Michael Pena, Lucas Black, Florence Pugh, Elisabeth Shue, Richard Brake, Ethan Embry, Brett Cullen
Plot:
United States Marine Charles Whitman (Jesse Plemons) is approved for a scholarship program to study mechanical engineering at University of Texas at Austin. While in school he meets Kathleen Leissner (Florence Pugh) and they quickly strike up a romance. They get married in Kathleen's hometown of Needville. Whitman's parents, C.A. (Brett Cullen) and Margaret (Elisabeth Shue) drive up from Florida for the ceremony. With the distractions of married life, Whitman's grades suffer and the Marines order him back to active duty.
Back in military life, Whitman is quickly promoted and is noted for his excellent marksmanship. However, Whitman resents his college studies being ended. He starts gambling with the other soldiers on-base, forming a sort-of portable casino. He is busted by his superior officers, and Whitman is soon court-martialed. He is demoted and sentenced to 90 days of hard labor, but he remains a Marine.
He is honorably discharged from the Marines and heads back to Texas to be with Kathleen. He works multiple jobs in order to return to school, this time enrolling in the architectural engineering program at UT. One night, stressed from work and school, Charles hits Kathleen while they argue about money. Charles hates himself for this and makes a vow to not end up like his father.
Charles receives a phone call from his mother Margaret. She tells him that she has decided to divorce C.A. because of his continued abuse. Charles drives to Florida to help mother pack up her things. He calls the local police and asks an officer to remain outside the house while his mother packs her belongings, so that C.A. would not dare resort to physical violence. Charles begins getting terrible headaches. He starts using amphetamines to help curb the headaches, as well as help him have the energy to get all of his school work done. Charles expresses frustration with how his life has gone. Kathleen suggests he seek counseling, but Charles doesn't like the idea. He begins to suspect something is wrong with his brain, and that is causing his headaches and irrational thoughts that he works hard to suppress.
Charles goes to a hardware store where he buys a pair of binoculars and a knife. He then stops at a 7-Eleven to buy a couple cans of Spam. He picks up Kathleen from work, and together they have lunch with his mother. That night Charles types out a letter: "I do not quite understand what it is that compels me to type this letter. Perhaps it is to leave some vague reason for the actions I have recently performed. I do not really understand myself these days. I am supposed to be an average reasonable and intelligent young man. However, lately (I cannot recall when it started) I have been a victim of many unusual and irrational thoughts. These thoughts constantly recur, and it requires a tremendous mental effort to concentrate on useful and progressive tasks."
In the middle of the night, Charles lets himself into his mother's apartment and stabs her in the heart as she sleeps. He covers her body with sheets before writing out a note: "To Whom It May Concern: I have just taken my mother's life. I am very upset over having done it. However, I feel that if there is a heaven she is definitely there now. I am truly sorry. Let there be no doubt in your mind that I loved this woman with all my heart."
Charles then heads back to his house and stabs Kathleen three times in the heart while she sleeps. He covers her body with sheets as well, then resumes typing his letter: "I imagine it appears that I brutally killed both of my loved ones. I was only trying to do a quick thorough job. If my life insurance policy is valid please pay off my debts, donate the rest anonymously to a mental health foundation. Maybe research can prevent further tragedies of this type. If you can find in yourselves to grant my last wish, cremate me after the autopsy."
At dawn, Charles calls his wife's work, telling them that Kathleen is ill and will be unable to come into work that day. Later that morning, Charles rents a hand truck and cashes $250 worth of bad checks at a local bank. He then drives to a hardware store where he purchases a M1 carbine rifle, two additional ammunition magazines, and eight boxes of ammunition. He tells the cashier that he is on his way to go hunt wild hogs. At Sears, he purchases a shotgun and some more ammunition, giving the cashier the same story.
Charles goes back home where he saws off the shotgun's barrel and packs it into his footlocker along with the M1, a Remington hunting rifle, a .35-caliber pump rifle, a 9mm pistol, a .357 Magnum revolver, and more than 700 rounds of ammunition. He also packs food, coffee, vitamins, amphetamines, earplugs, jugs of water, matches, lighter fluid, rope, binoculars, knives, a transistor radio, toilet paper, and some deodorant. He puts on khaki overalls and loads his footlocker onto the hand truck.
Charles drives to UT and wheels his equipment into the Main Building on campus, which features a 300 foot tower. He exits the elevator on the 27th floor, and wheels his gear to the observation deck. There he encounters the observation deck receptionist. Charles beats her with the butt of one of his rifles and drags her behind a couch. Charles drags the desk in front of the doorway. A group of people try to get into the observation area, but Charles shoots them with his shotgun, before then shooting the receptionist in the head with his shotgun. Charles heads out to the observation deck and begins shooting at the people 230 feet down below.
Charles begins sniping every body he sees. People begin scattering, hiding behind any cover they can find. Many assume the noise is from nearby construction and that people the people falling to the ground are part of anti-war protests. Four minutes after Charles began shooting from the tower, the police are finally called. The first officer arrives on the scene and takes refuge behind a columned stone wall, but Charles fires a shot through a six-inch gap between the columns, killing the officer. Officer Houston McCoy (Lucas Black) hears about the shooting over his radio and makes his way toward the tower.
Allen Crum (Richard Brake), a retired Air Force tail gunner, is on campus managing the university book store. He heads outside to see what the commotion is. Realizing that gun fire is coming from the tower, he starts directing people out of harm's way. He then makes his way toward the tower where he meets McCoy and offers his assistance.
Around noon, Officer Ray Martinez (Michael Pena) is at home, off-duty, when he hears about the attack on the news. He calls his station to see how he can help, and is instructed to go to the campus to help direct traffic away from the incident. Once he gets there, he finds other officers already doing that, so he heads toward the tower. He assumes he will find a team of officers at the top of the elevator, but he only finds Crum, McCoy and public safety officer Dub Cowan (Ethan Embry). The police send a sharpshooter up in a small plane to see if he will be able to get a shot at Charles. The plane is driven back by Charles' fire, but continues to circle at a distance, hoping to distract him.
Martinez deputizes Crum and they begin searching the 27th floor of the tower. They find the first victims at the door to the observation deck staircase. Martinez heads for the observation deck, instructing Crum to wait at the door. Crum slips in blood and accidentally discharges a rifle.
Charles is alerted by the gunfire, but isn't sure where it came from due to the echo of the stairwell. While he is distracted, Martinez and McCoy round the corner of the observation deck. Martinez fires at Charles with his revolver, but misses. McCoy hits Charles twice with his shotgun. Martinez then borrows McCoy's shotgun and fires at Charles at point-blank range, killing him. The officers on the ground keep firing, almost hitting Martinez, not realizing that Charles is already dead.
In all, Charles Whitman killed 16 people over that 90 minute period atop the tower, injuring 31 others.
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