Movies

As many Resident Evil fans may remember, many years ago George A. Romero was originally slated to make the Resident Evil movie adaption. He even wrote a script, but due to differences he left the project, and we ended up with the film we have today. So why a movie section here? Because Chris was a main character in Romero's script. Read on to find out more.

Plot

The basic plot of Romero's script was fairly straightforward. In a derelict mansion in the Arklay forests B.O.W.s are being created, often without the knowledge of the scientists doing the research. After an outbreak occurs Wesker and his S.T.A.R.S are called in to rescue Dr Marcus, the head researcher, and to make sure no evidence is left behind.

Chris Redfield, a native to the Raccoon City area, wakes up one morning to discover his girlfriend Jill Valentine driving off with a bunch of people in uniform. He soon discovers that Raccoon City itself is being evacuated, and there is something terribly wrong in the forest zone. Discovering his horses and stablehand dead, and then later finding Jill's beret and assuming her also dead, he swears revenge.

At the same time Wesker's team arrives and infiltrates the mansion. Chris finds his own way inside (knowing the place well as he played there as a child) and eventually everyone meets up, including the still alive Jill. A few casualities later Wesker reveals their true purpose and the team get to work on finding Marcus.

Along the way they attacked by a variety of B.O.W.s, from the regular zombie variety, right up to sharks, Hunters, plants and enormous snakes. The casualities are heavy, and the team are often split up. The mansion's inbuilt defenses seem to be working against them as well, as the whole thing seems to be at times one giant puzzle.

Eventually the team discover Marcus is dead. However, a few scientists are still alive in the labs under the mansion, and they decide to help them get out. But not before Wesker can get what he's been looking for however, and he reveals the awesome Tyrant. Releasing it from its slumber, the remaining S.T.A.R.S. and Chris take off, taking Umbrella scientist Ada Wong with them. Barry Burton and Wesker remain to fight the Tyrant, as Wesker refuses to leave without its data. The Tyrant kills Barry, and then skewers Wesker as he tries to escape.

Elsewhere the escapees nearly reach the exit, but are also attacked by the Tyrant. Losing another member they reach the surface just in time for the Tyrant to break free and attack again. Taking a rocket launcher from the encircling helicopter, Chris fires and destroys the creature. He, Jill, Rebecca Chambers and Ada Wong manage to escape just before the entire mansion goes up in flames, and Raccoon City itself is then engulfed in the ensuing fireball.

Chris Redfield

Just reading the outline of the plot some differences in Chris' character are already evident. First and foremost, Romero took Chris out of the S.T.A.R.S. and made him a civilian. Not only that, for some reason he decided to make Chris part Mohawk, someone who would commune with nature and literally talk to the animals. Why? Who knows. Chris was also a native to Raccoon City, and knew the Arklay Mansion well because he played there as a boy.

Romero also decided to skip all subtlty and made Jill and Chris a couple. Chris was part of Jill's 'cover' while in Raccoon City. However, during their time together Jill had actually fallen in love with him, and her betrayal hit both of them deeply. The pair were often seen quarrelling as they made their way through the mazes of the labs underneath the mansion. It all ended well however, as both escaped and made their peace with each other, deciding to settle down together elsewhere.

Quotes

Chris: "I'm sorry. Really. You... have to be there at dawn. They ride the wind over the ridge."
Jill: "Dawn? You left at one a.m."
Chris: "I had to go fishing. It's the fish that bring them down, so I can get a close look at them. I've tracked a dozen of them, Jill. Twelve of those big bruisers. I can actually recognize them. I've even given them names, over the years."

Chris: "Beauty... isn't simple. If it was... I'd be beautiful."
Jill: "You are."
Chris: "No, no, no. I'm simple. You, on the other hand... have all that... stuff... hiding underneath somewhere. That's what fascinates me."
Jill: "Fascination. Not love?"
Chris: "I... honestly don't know. I guess I've been... living alone too long. You're the first, the only woman I've ever thought of as... a real partner."

"I'm part Mohawk. Indians are never confused. At least, they never let it show."

Wesker: "And... you are?"
Chris: "Nobody. Just a...a local guy... who gets pissed-off when he finds... his farm animals... and his father's oldest friend... dead. And the only woman he ever cared about turns out to be a goddam METAL HEAD!"

Chris: "They don't want anybody up here to go snoopin' ...upstairs or down."
Wesker: "Pretty good guess. You must have been in the military, son."
Chris: "Native American. Exempted."

Chris: "You up to the challenge?"
Jill: "Try me."
Chris: "I already have."

Jill: "I...I want to. I want... nothing more. But... I can't. When I'm in this uniform, I'm more than... just me. Try to understand...there's no "I" in Team, Chris."
Chris: "There's no "I" in dead, either. I should order you to come with me. You'd never refuse an order."

Chris: "Thank you."
Jill: "Any time. How do we get back up?"
Chris: "Shit, if you didn't have a plan, you shouldn't have jumped down here."

Chris: "No. I want you out. With the rest of them. Wesker won't push the button until you're clear."
Jill: "He doesn't want to push the button."
Chris: "He has to. Don't you see? He can't leave these labs here. And, Jesus... walking corpses! He's gotta get rid of the evidence."

Rebecca: "Jill... told me... you were nice."
Chris: "She did? She never told me."

Chris: "And I was gonna try to disarm the bomb. This place should be destroyed! It needs to be destroyed!"
Wesker: "Gotcha, son. It's only because of Valentine, here, that I didn't squeeze the trigger."
Chris: "If she's on your side... she doesn't mean shit to me. And I don't mean shit to her."

"Orders don't mean shit any more, Wesker. Especially when they come from sell-out bastards like you."

Chris: "It's destroyed. It's worthless. But you're not."
Ada: "I helped develop it!"
Chris: "Unwittingly. They lied to you. They lied to Marcus. They made you believe you were doing a good thing when it wasn't good at all. It was evil! The kind of evil that... resides in all of us. Makes us... greedy, uncaring. The kind of evil that will... wipe us out, in the end. Unless we stand up against it."

Jill: "It's... your home."
Chris: "I hoped... it would be our home."

Script Excerpts

The following are some extracts from Romero's script regarding Chris:

A DARK SKY ...and in the foreground, profiled against a FULL MOON, A DARK FACE ...watching the heavens with piercing black eyes, alert, though not predatory. This is CHRIS REDFIELD, young, handsome. More than simply an outdoor type, he seems perfectly in place, almost part of the environment.

CHRIS walks into a characterless apartment. He quietly sheds his clothes. Even in silhouette, we can see that his body is in perfect shape, not pumped, but lean and tight. Moving lithely, with the natural grace of a cat, he eases himself into a bed where...

Chris looks up. The sight of the war machine lifts him from defeat... to rage. His eyes are soft, for the last time, as he tucks Jill's beret into his pack. When he looks up again, those eyes have become newly predatory. He ducks out of sight as the helicopter swings lower.

Chris pulls his rifle away. At the same instant, Jill FIRES. The zombie is PROPELLED through the air. One of its flailing arms triggers another laser beam. Chris throws himself in on top of Jill as STEAM HISSES over them.

In this crisis, Chris finds himself sounding a lot like Wesker. It sobers him. It sobers Rebecca, as well. She rushes in and takes hold of the rope.

Chris looks up. Sees Jill holding the rocket launcher. He RUNS past the Tyrant, okey-doking, left, right, then dodging left again. The monster SWIPES at him with its elongated claw. Chris' flack-jacket is caught. Protective fibers fly. But Chris escapes without injury.

Script

You can read the entire script online here.