开头，黑白，伴着电台调频的杂音，标有KTBC字样的汽车驶进画面。

”This is Neal Spelce in Red Rover on the University of Texas campus.This is a warning to the citizens of Austin.Stay away from the University area.Stay away from the University area.There is a sniper on the University Tower firing at wili.”

KTBC发布预警

接着，猝不及防，枪响，这是第一声。在之后的80分钟里，这样的枪响就像一个计时器般，没完没了地引人不适。伴随着一缕缕白烟从塔上飘出，一枚枚子弹居高临下判决着无辜的人们。

那是极其炎热的一天，是1966年8月1日。 中午12时左右，在美国德州奥斯汀市，前美国海军陆战队成员查尔斯•乔瑟夫•惠特曼(Charles Joseph Whitman)爬上了德州大学的一个钟楼，并向钟楼底下的行人开枪，于13时20分被奥斯汀警方击毙。他的袭击共造成16人死亡、至少30人受伤。

影片通过漫画和实景的拼接，访谈片段的穿插，从几个不同的视角为我们复原了现场。

Claire和Tom受到袭击倒地

孕妇Claire和她的男友Tom最早一批受到袭击。Claire受伤后，Rita冒险来到Claire身边鼓励她。而John经过犹豫终救下Claire。当然更多的人只是躲避、围观和感叹。从枪击开始就有许多人自发的用猎枪远距离进行还击，但收效甚微。真正进入最终进入钟塔的是4人，3名警官和一个叫Allen的店堂经理。其间，媒体做着各种一线资料的采集和信息的发布。最后，警官Ramiro 、Houston击毙了歹徒。

登上校塔击毙Charles Joseph Whitman 4人行动小组

至此，时间过去了将近80分钟。

正如一个受访者所言， ”That was the moment that separated the brave people from the scared people.(这是个区分勇者和懦者的时刻。)I knew that there was no way that I was going to go out there and help him.I didn’t wanna get shot.(我知道我没有办法过去帮助他，因为我不想冒中弹的风险。)That was a defining moment because I realized I was a coward.(这是个具有决定意义的时刻，因为我意识到我是个懦夫。)”。

Brenda Bell在陈述

复盘时刻，人们总能够冷静下来去思考更多，最多的惭愧便是当时的自己没能以勇者的姿态做出应激处理。

高龄的Houston 回忆起受伤的同伴，又一次谈起让他懊悔地红着眼眶语无伦次。

面对镜头，Houston老泪纵横

“But…but…but……didn’t happen that way. Shoulda-coulda but I didn’t ……so I don’t know.If somebody were to ask how you feel,well,I’d say no words.”

关于最后的射击，他曾总被问起感受，他说我无话可说，就像如何向一个天生的盲者描述彩虹的颜色。

“It’s something …I’ve been asked that before. How … how did it make you feel ? And then I kinda have to say ,”Well…how would I describe the colors of a rainbow to a person born blind? You can’t, cause there ain’t no words. Uh ,I don’t know.”

那个冲进钟塔的店堂经理，他并不是被神化的超级英雄，他也顾虑孩子和家庭。最开始他只是想打个电话给家人报平安，然而命运推着他走向更高处。他称自己从来不说勇敢的人，那只是及时作出正确选择后用可敬的态度完成它罢了。并且，他拒绝了金钱奖励。

“I’ve never known braver men.Their decisions were correct timely done,and accomplished in an honorable manner.If I had to do this over again with these men,I certainly would.The Chief of Police offered me a check from the City of Austin for one day’s deputized citizen’s pay.I refused it, of course.” (Allen Crum)

Allen Crum本人

终于，西部牛仔片式惊险的午后过去了。

晚些时候的KTBC Television NEWS SPECIAL节目里放送了这样的评论内容

KTBC Television News now presents a special program on today’s mass murder in the capital city.Here is KTBC Television News Editor ,Neal Spelce. “Good evening. One of history’s worst mass-murders occurred here in Austin today. By official count tonight,49 persons were hit by gunfire.There are 16 dead and 33 injured. It started last night,when a man reportedly killed his wife and his mother.That same man appatently rounded up an arsenal and supplies this morning and then went to the observation deck of the University of Texas Tower.It was then that rerror rained down from the Tower.Charles J.Whitman was shot down on the observation deck by two city policeman.The policeman were aided by an Austin man,Allen Crum. The story of how they ended the 90 minutes of terror was told this afternoon at a news conference held by Austin Police Chief Bob Miles.The horror of these, the sick among us,must be found in the horror of out hyper civilization. A strange pandering to violence, a disrespect for life fostered in part by governments, which in pursuit of the doctrine of self-defense,teach their youth to kill and to maim. A society in which the most popular newspaper cartoon strips television programs,and movies are those that can invent new means of perpetrating bodily harm. A people who somehow can remain silent while their own civilization seems to crumble under the force of the caveman’s philosophy. That might makes right. It seems likely that Charles Joseph Whitman’s crime was society’s crime.”

KTBC Television NEWS SPECIAL

我是在想啊，击毙Charles Joseph Whitman未必是最好的选择，当然击毙又只能是情急之下的必然选择。只是，如果时光回到那个时刻。如果Charles Joseph Whitman能有机会留下自白的话，他会说些什么？到底是什么在困扰他。在整个杀害家人、袭击民众的暴力事件发生中，他又在想什么？这些都是事件留下的永恒空白，没法填补。但是我们能联想：战争造成创伤，自我封闭，情绪膨胀………

袭击开始前的校塔广场

正如，John在访谈中提到的，那可能只是一瞬间的情绪失控，做了荒唐的事，恶就在我们中间。

“I remember looking at the Tower ,of course ,a lot.And from the Main Mall ,you can see there’s a biblical line from the Bible.You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. I’ve thought about it.One of the truths I learned is that there are monsters that walk among us.There are people out here that think unthinkable thoughts and then do unthinkable things.”

没错， Charles Joseph Whitman的行为固然荒唐，但我们能做的一定不只有愤怒。

Claire 得救

在接近尾声处，很高兴能看到Claire 说出forgive(原谅)这个词。尽管她在事件中痛失孩子爱人，但她说看到杂志里一个如此小的男孩子手握两杆长枪的图片，她于心不忍去责怪。

“Thtough the years ,he remained largely kind of wooden in my mind.But the longer I’ve lived and the more I’ve seen,these precious little children who grow up and do sometimes horrible things,the more I have come to think of him as a very confused,very damaged young man.He died at about 25.There’s a picture of him standing at three years old holding a rifle on either side on the beach.I just think of him when he was that three-year-old who would have been sitting in my lap,you know.I’m a teacher ,and I love that age.So much promise and so much hope.How can I hate somebody like that?I can’t hate him , in spite of the incredible damage that he’s done.I can’t hate him.I just can’t do that. I forgive him yes.How can I not forgive? I’ve been forgiven so much.” (Claire)

Title：“From toddler to U.S.marine he showed an easy familiarity with guns.(从蹒跚学步到海军陆战队成员，他总是表现了对枪只的亲切感)”

是啊，他还只是个孩子。我想知道，在Charles Joseph Whitman与自我彼此折磨的岁月里，有没有出现过那么一个人，他能够对之敞开心扉呢？或许某个瞬间，他也想过向周围表达他的软弱？可能是碰触了迟钝麻木的周遭，于是只能堕入越来越深的黑暗里。所以啊，我们，漠视消极情绪我们，把坚强视作理所当然的万能膏药、甚至吝啬一个拥抱的我们，是不是就是罪行的催产妇呢。

写到这里，突然想起东京地铁沙林毒气事件和村上春树的《地下》。

那是1995年3月20日。早上于日本东京的营团地下铁（现在东京地下铁）发生了恐怖袭击事件：奥姆真理教邪教组织人员在东京地下铁三线共五列列车上发放沙林毒气，造成至少13人死亡及5,510人以上受伤。

奥姆真理教出现在1984年，最初仅有3名成员，在涩谷租用一个公寓套间，作为“奥姆神仙会”开始活动。提出的构想是创造衣食住全部基于真理的所谓幸福生活，建立教育、医疗和就业机构，进而“转生”进入高层次世界。11年间，他们的势力不断扩大，95年这起恐怖事件震惊了整个日本。

《地下》，与这部电影有着异曲同工之妙。村上在筹备的一年多时间里采访了62位事件亲历者的叙述，以文本方式整理，致力于还原毒气事件本身。 关于此书产生的动机，村上在前言中这样说。

选自《地下》（村上春树著，林少华译）

选自《地下》（村上春树著，林少华译）

选自《地下》（村上春树著，林少华译）

选自《地下》（村上春树著，林少华译）

选自《地下》（村上春树著，林少华译）

选自《地下》（村上春树著，林少华译）

类似的，影片中受访者也提到相似的观点。

“Well ,to say it hasn’t affected me in my life,it would’t be a truthful statement,But I have ,um…tried. I have tried to just forget it.I hate to see people get hurt.But ,you know you have to be realistic and know that these things are gonna happen.And so you have to have the way how to cope with it, how to take care of the problems.”

的确，时间过去，无论是硝烟或者毒气都会散尽，秩序会恢复。但，这一切并没有真正过去，也不该就这样过去。当然，还原事件的过程是痛苦的。它势必挖开一部分人心头的伤疤，也让安于平静的世人重新堕入恐惧反思的深渊。但是，它依然非常必要。它就像一场外科手术，把掩盖的表皮剖开、寻根问源、最终揭起血淋淋的毒瘤、摘除病灶，控制病情。

因此，我们可以说，只有经过这一次，所有伤口的闭合才会是真正痊愈。

无论如何，我们希望，我们拥有的每一个美好清晨都能带来令人心旷神怡的一天，我们希望，广播电台里播放的Waterloo不再被枪声和预警打断。

事件发生前，Claire和Tom穿过校塔广场