.303 (film)


.303 is a 2009 short film directed by David Serge and produced by The Bigger Picture Malta.

It is mostlikely spring or summer of 1943. A plane full of allied soldiers from the United Kingdom comes to invade Axiscontrolled Sicily, Italy. One of them, Private Atkins, is given a custom engraved .303 calibre cartridge by his friend, Private Mattocks, which is supposed to bring him luck. The brass casing seems to be engraved with the name EMMA, who is, apparently, a sweetheart of Atkins or Mattocks. They parachute into the streets, which are deserted with the exception of a child and Nazi German SS soldiers. Atkins parachute is tangled on a bridge and he is left dangling on the ground, with his No.Mk.SMLE rifle with extra magazines and clips of ammunition laying on the ground below. Atkins is able to cut himself free, but only has enough time to collect his rifle and hide before a vehicle filled with Nazi soldiers arrives. Seeing the remains of his parachute and sensing that he is still around, they seize his ammunition and split up to go find Atkins. Terrified and confused, Atkins explores the town square and finds the corpse of another British soldier on a staircase, taking a few clips of .303caliber ammunition for his own rifle. However, before he can grab more, he is surprised by a German sniper with a Mauser Kar 98k. The two snipers have a brief but intense shootout that ends with Atkins running out of ammunition. However, he remembers the engraved .303 round given to him by Private Mattocks, his good luck charm. Atkins loads the cartridge into his rifle and aims at the landing, as soon as he sees movement, shoots and kills the other soldier. He goes over to the landing and finds that his friend Private Mattocks had really shot the Nazi, and that he had just shot his friend, ironically, with the very round that was supposed to bring him luck. Private Mattocks dies in agony from a gunshot wound to his throat as a heartbroken Atkins watches and attempts to stop the bleeding. He takes off his helmet to mourn his dead friend, unsure of what to do next.

Source: Wikipedia


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