Chapter 22: Ripping off A+  

Outside the train car, the sky was blue with white clouds, the scenery was beautiful and pleasant. The car was speeding across the airport grounds, and a bomb could explode at any moment, with the shadow of death looming over the protagonists, Jack and Annie. They finally slid out from under the car, escaping the deadly speed trap.

"Wow…"

The applause was loud, but with so few audience members, it sounded sparse. However, no one cared about that. After experiencing the life-or-death trials and the tense excitement of the journey, they, like the movie's protagonists, needed the most appropriate way to release the heightened emotions the film had stirred in them.

"Boom…"

An unmanned bus crashed into a Boeing cargo plane, the explosion erupting in a blaze that filled the entire screen, pushing the audience's emotions to a peak!

It was an explosion that escalated the audience's nerves to the breaking point!

The camera slowly panned out, and in the wide-angle shot, the distant sunset was about to dip below the horizon. The explosion's flames painted half the sky red, alongside the beautiful view, giving a sense of tranquility that momentarily eased the taut nerves.

But this was far from enough; the audience needed a more satisfying release after the buildup of emotions over the past several minutes.

So, under the beautiful sunset, Jack and Annie, lying on the ground, finally kissed. The scene was shown in slow motion, circling 360 degrees, portraying the kiss after enduring trials in the most beautiful way, giving the audience a visual feast of this long-awaited moment.

In just a few minutes, applause once again filled the air!

It was a kiss that allowed the audience to release their pent-up emotions in the most exhilarating way possible!

"So beautiful, so romantic!"

A girl's exclamation came from behind Duke. "Keanu Reeves and Uma Thurman are a perfect match. They shouldn't just be a couple on screen—imagine if they were together in real life!"

Hearing this, an idea sparked in Duke's mind. If the film could have a wide release, maybe they could play this angle in the marketing?

In another theater in Los Angeles, Kunitis sat in his seat, muttering, "The stunning explosion effect drained my soul, and the beautiful camera work left me dizzy and overwhelmed…"

"Shut up!"

Several voices shushed him at once for interrupting their viewing experience.

The film wasn't over yet. As the protagonist, Jack had to face the villain one last time, playing out an epic showdown. And, of course, this final battle also took place on one of the city's most common modes of transportation—the subway!

In typical action films, the female lead was often just eye candy. Though Annie had a bit of a wild streak, she was still a standard American ditzy girl. And now, she had been kidnapped by the bomber and was trapped on the subway, waiting for the hero to rescue her.

Jack rushed into the subway car, only to face a situation almost identical to the one in the building. Annie was strapped with a bomb, and the bomber held a remote control, ready to detonate it the moment he let go. The two were locked in a tense standoff!

The theater had gone completely silent; everyone was glued to the screen, wondering how Jack would save the heroine. What method would he use? Would it be brute force like Arnold Schwarzenegger, a no-holds-barred brawl like Bruce Willis, or would he channel the never-dying resilience of Sylvester Stallone?

The bomber stood behind Annie, who was handcuffed to the subway rail. Further ahead, the subway driver lay dead. The bomber taunted Jack, and Jack seemed at a loss.

But in the corner of his eye, the slightly wild ditzy girl kept giving Jack a look. When Jack subtly nodded, she shifted her body, found the right angle, and delivered a swift kick to the bomber's groin. In that split second, Jack rushed forward, grabbed the remote, and slammed the bomber's head into the subway wall. The bomber's aged body slowly slumped to the ground.

"He threw away the key!"

Annie reminded Jack, who was frantically looking for the handcuff key. Jack quickly realized the bomber had no intention of letting Annie live.

The bomb couldn't be defused, the handcuffs couldn't be opened, and the subway was out of control. Jack decided to stay with Annie and face the danger together…

"That's so touching…" said a female audience member.

"So cliché…" said a male audience member.

Whether it was touching or cliché, deep down, didn't they all secretly hope for such a plot?

As for the main characters, they had nothing to worry about. With the protagonist's halo protecting them, could they ever really be in danger?

And so, the final big scene unfolded. The subway shot out of the underground tunnel, crashing through the barricaded station and bursting onto the streets of Los Angeles. Once again, the protagonists shared a passionate kiss in the flashing lights of police cars and amidst the gathering crowd.

Sparse applause rang out once more, as the film's credits slowly rolled up the screen, with the boldest name reading: A Duke Rosenberg Production!

"Remember this name!"

As they were about to leave, Kunitis turned to his companions and said, "This film he made was simply…"

Unable to find the right word of praise, he said to Jones, "If he makes another movie, I'll definitely go see it."

"Me too," Jones replied, walking with the others toward the exit. Remembering the survey form in his pocket, he quickly asked, "Hey, does anyone have a pen?"

"I do!" The girl beside him handed over a pen.

Since the audience wasn't large, under the dim theater lights, Jones heavily marked the 'A+' section of the survey. Kunitis grabbed the pen next and also circled the 'A+.'

"You all better choose A+!" he told the rest of the group.

"Come on," the girl scoffed. "Do you think any of us would be dumb enough to pick anything else for such a great movie?"

The group laughed together.

At the door, they handed their surveys to the theater staff. After taking a few steps out, they heard the voice of a middle-aged man behind them.

"Darn, I didn't bring a pen."

Although the survey wasn't mandatory, Johnson felt he had to do something for such an outstanding film. Looking at the small survey, he simply ripped off the part with only the 'A+' rating and handed it to the staff.

"Uh…"

The people around him were a bit surprised, then burst out laughing. Soon, more people who hadn't brought pens followed suit, also tearing off the 'A+' section to express their approval for the film.

In another theater, Duke and his mother were walking out, surrounded by discussions about the movie.

"When the leads were passionately kissing, it was like an explosion—so intense."

"From the elevator rescue to the bus chase to the final subway showdown, my heart was in my throat the whole time."

"First the elevator blew up, then the bus, and then the subway! It made me race to the bathroom like my life depended on it, and it scared the wits out of me!"

"This director has a special obsession with explosions, and the way he films them is incredibly impactful."

Though there were a few negative remarks, at least 90% of the dozen or so people exiting the theater seemed highly satisfied, both in their words and expressions. This somewhat eased Duke's nerves about the film's poor attendance. He reminded himself that this was just a weekday preview with limited promotion; the first few days of screenings wouldn't draw large crowds.

At the parking lot, Duke sat in his Mercedes and waited for his mother to get into her car. Only then did he start the engine and drive away from the theater that had been on his mind all night.

"Duke…"

Hearing his mother speak, Duke glanced over. "Yes, Mom?"

"You did great, much better than I expected." Mrs. Leah leaned back in the passenger seat, as if deep in thought. After a while, she said, "From the perspective of a completely ordinary audience member, the movie was exciting and engaging. It kept me hooked without a single moment where I wanted to leave. I think you might surprise people."

"Thank you," Duke replied, glancing again at his mother, who had always supported him. "Thank you for your support, Mom!"

In this world, there is no such thing as love or hate without reason. Twenty-one years of being together is more than enough to foster deep familial bonds. It was his mother's seemingly risky support that had given him his first chance to direct in the contentious, cutthroat world of Hollywood. Without it, who knew how long he would've had to wait?

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

As they neared home, Mrs. Leah spoke again. "You're still young. Even if this fails, you'll have another chance."

Yes, if "Speed" really flopped, he would be like David Fincher or Michael Bay, who had not yet risen to fame, retreating into the world of commercials or music videos to build up his experience slowly. After waiting several years, or perhaps even longer, he would attempt to re-enter the Hollywood director scene.

This is a path that many renowned Hollywood directors have walked or are still walking.

Even though he thought about what to do in case of failure, Duke's anxiety barely eased when he got home. He's just a regular person, and these feelings are natural for a director.

Before the film is finished, the director frets over its production; once completed, he worries about its release; and after it's released, anxiety over box office performance and audience reception sets in. It's an incredibly high-pressure career. A director without pressure, completely carefree, exists only in fantasy.

Duke's main problem was that he didn't have a good outlet to release this pressure.

"Maybe I should find a temporary girlfriend," he mused.

During an evening walk along the seaside promenade, the thought crossed his mind. Back in school, he'd had several short-term girlfriends, but as he'd told his mother, they were only for fun. He never had enough energy to fully commit to a serious relationship. Since starting work on "Speed," the whole issue of romantic relationships had completely fallen by the wayside.

Everyone has limited energy, and there's no such thing as a superman with endless reserves. If you invest too much energy in romantic pursuits, your demanding career as a director will inevitably suffer.

Another long night passed, and Duke found himself unable to sleep, worrying about the preview data from the first day. He only fell into a deep sleep in the early hours of the morning. After finally waking up, the first thing he did was call Robin Grand