Q:Build a movie plot around this: How much ransom money does Jabir demand from Paul? $5 million
A:
On October 23, 2006, Paul Conroy, an American civilian truck driver working in Iraq, wakes up and finds himself buried alive in a wooden coffin, bound and gagged, with only a Zippo lighter and a BlackBerry phone at hand. Although he initially has no idea how he got there, he starts to piece together what has happened to him. He remembers that his and several other trucks were ambushed by terrorists, who killed his colleagues; he was hit by a rock and passed out. He receives a call from his kidnapper, Jabir, demanding that he pay a ransom of $5 million by 9PM or he will be left in the coffin to die.Conroy calls the State Department, which tells him that due to the government policy of not negotiating with terrorists, it will not pay the ransom but will try to rescue him. They connect him with Dan Brenner, head of the Hostage Working Group, who tells Conroy they are doing their best to find him.His kidnapper calls Conroy and demands he make a ransom video, threatening to execute one of his colleagues who survived the attack. Conroy insists that no one will pay $5 million, so the kidnapper drops the amount to $1 million. Despite his compliance in making a video, the kidnappers execute his colleague and send him the recording of it, which he watches in horror. Shortly afterwards, distant explosions shake the area, damaging his coffin, which begins to slowly fill with sand. Conroy continues sporadic phone calls with Brenner, skeptical of the man's promises of help. To reaffirm his wholehearted intentions, Brenner tells Conroy about a 26-year-old named Mark White who was rescued from a similar situation three weeks previously, telling him that the kid is home with his family and happy.Later on, Conroy receives a phone call from his employers, who inform him that he was fired from his job due to an alleged prohibited relationship with a colleague (the one who was executed), and thus he and his family will not be entitled to any benefits or pension he earned during his time with the company. Brenner calls back and...