GRASS

Written by

Joe Pytka

"A lot of this shit is true."

-Teddy Power
INT. PRISON - NIGHT

Barbed wire. Guard towers. Dirt prison yard. Dilapidated

basketball hoop, bent and net-less. Weights strewn about on a
concrete mat. Some small animals scurry across the dirt,
probably rats. Sundry debris sticks against the chain link
fence. The place can be referred to as a shithole. Auschwitz
was better.

Inside the barracks TED lies in a top bunk. Yes, barracks.

This is a prison unlike any other. Ted’s a good-looking guy
young, fit, even pretty. His beauty is dangerous for him.
He’s new here.

The sounds of the barracks are out of a horror show,

chomping, moaning, crying. Ted just stares at the ceiling
that suddenly bursts with a glow.

Flames!

Ted sits up turns and looks at the source. One of the

prisoners has been set aflame and is running about the
barracks as the prisoners duck, avoiding him. No one attempts
to help. Ted leaps out his bunk and nears the guy but
realizes that he cannot do anything. He turns and sees a
contingent of other prisoners looking at him, laughing, lit
by the flames. The prisoner writhes in pain screaming and
another prisoner, BIGMAN, walks past Ted, smiling...and
pisses on the burning embers.

There is a commotion as the guards are running down the

hallway and sirens blast.

BIGMAN calmly walks away and as he passes Ted, he turns his

head without stopping.

BIGMAN
You better start getting smart.

The guards get a fire extinguisher and put out the last of
the flames. The poor bastard is now a pile of charcoal.

EXT. FLORIDA - DAY

A young boy, Teddy, is cutting grass like a fiend. His work

passes all the Florida lawn clichés, Flamingos and Mandingos
with an occasional big fin Caddie thrown in. Big fins!

He collects his money, quarters, singles, a fiver here and

there. He stuffs the money in his pocket, then drags the
mower down the street.
 2.

TEDDY
Money...Coin...Dough...Loot...Bread

EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD STREET - DAY

Teddy is attacked by a bunch of thuggish older kids, who beat

him and take his money. As they leave, laughing, he rises (a
bloody nose) and shouts back at them.

TEDDY
I’ll get you, you cocksuckers! You
motherfuckers! I’m gonna get you
and I’m going to fucking kill you!

The gang leader turns, laughing, and gives him the finger as
he holds up Teddy’s cash.

INT. TEDDY’S HOME - NIGHT

The family is sitting at the dinner table. Teddy is feeling

sorry for himself. HUGH, his father is talking.

HUGH
You gotta find a way to take care
of yourself. Your brother can’t be
there for you all the time.

TEDDY
It was a whole gang.

TONY
Those west side punks?

HUGH
I told you to stay away from there.

TEDDY
I make a lot of money over there.

HUGH
Yeah, but look at you. What good is
money if they steal it from you?

TONY
We’ll go over there tomorrow and
fix things.

HUGH
No you won’t. You’ll just get in
trouble. A Marine beating up kids?
(MORE)
 3.

HUGH (CONT'D)
Teddy’s going to have to find a way
to take care of himself. You and I
are not going to be around all the
time.

INT. TEDDY'S HOME - NIGHT

2 AM. Teddy is watching black and white television. BRUCE LEE

in Fist of Fury. His eyes are alight. He is captivated.

INT. PRISON - DAY

Bigman has gathered in the corner of the bunkhouse with his

gang and is laughing at the incident and the chaos with the
guards and the other prisoners. It mirrors the actions of the
gang that beat up young Teddy. Bigman is as malevolent a
creature as has traveled earth.

EXT. JOE HESS’ KARATE SCHOOL - DAY

Teddy, with his wagon and mower, stands in front of Joe Hess’
Karate School.

INT. JOE HESS' KARATE SCHOOL - CONTINUOUS

Inside he’s approached by JOE HESS, a huge, trim, athletic

man.

TEDDY
Who’s the boss around here?

HESS
That would be me. Who wants to
know?

TEDDY
I want to be like Bruce Lee.

Hess looks at Teddy’s emerging black eye.

HESS
What happened to you?

TEDDY
I got beat up and robbed.

HESS
You got robbed?
 4.

TEDDY
They took my grass money.

HESS
Grass money? You should go to
your daddy.

TEDDY
Fuck that. I want to kick all
their asses. COCKSUCKERS!

HESS
You have a dirty mouth.

TEDDY
I don’t need your shit. I want to
learn how to kick some ass.

Hess immediately grabs Teddy by the back of the neck and

drags him toward the gym.

HESS
First we’re going to clean out your
mouth.

TEDDY
(swinging and kicking)
No you’re not. I’ll kick your ass,
too.

Joe slaps the back of Teddy’s head twice, then tosses him
across the floor. Teddy skids across the floor and winds up
against the wall.

HESS
Let’s see what you got besides
pottymouth?

Teddy just sits there and starts to cry, then through his
tears...

TEDDY
Bruce Lee! I wanna be Bruce Lee.

Joe Hess laughs at the little kid.

HESS
Bruce Lee? Bruce Lee! Everyone
wants to be Bruce Lee.

The little kid breaks into a crude Bruce Lee pose.

“HIIYAA!!!” Then he shows mad skills.

A crowd starts to cheer.

 5.

EXT. PRISON YARD - DAY

Ted is in the prison yard shadowboxing, working out in a

corner by himself, away from everything. He’s in a corner, by
himself watching his back. It’s poetic and beautiful, but
only a fragment. The sound of a crowd cheering continues over
the scene.

INT. TEDDY & TONY’S BEDROOM -

Teddy is in the room he shares with his brother, Tony. He

opens the drawer to a bureau where he hides his grassmoney.

He’s puzzled when he finds a packet of weed.

He runs to the bathroom and flushes the materials down the

toilet.

Teddy is sitting on the bed reading and Tony walks in.

TEDDY
I found your drugs.

TONY
You, what?

TEDDY
I didn’t know you were a dope
fiend.

TONY
What are you talking about?

TEDDY
I found your drugs and I flushed
them down the toilet. I was going
to call the cops. You’re a drug
addict.

TONY
You fucking flushed my weed down
the toilet?

TEDDY
Yes.

TONY
You...are a fucking idiot.

TEDDY
You’re a fucking drug addict.
 6.

TONY
You just cost me some money but I
know you have it and you’re going
to pay me for what you flushed down
the toilet.

TEDDY
I’m not.

TONY
You are. You’re going to be cutting
grass for the rest of your life.

TEDDY
Not!

Teddy starts to cry. Tony grabs Teddy and they walk out into
the backyard. It’s dusk. Tony lights a joint.

TEDDY (CONT'D)
Are you a drug addict?

TONY
Why, because I smoke weed?

TEDDY
(pause)
Well if you...yeah.

TONY
Get over it, pal. It’s just a...a
pain killer.

TEDDY
Are you hurting?

TONY
There’s all kinds of pain.

TEDDY
I don’t get it...

TONY
You’re not going to understand.
Take a hit.

TEDDY
I don’t smoke.

TONY
It’s not tobacco. Tobacco kills,
grass doesn’t. Try it, you’ll like
it.
 7.

Tony proffers the joint. Teddy stares then carefully takes

it.

TEDDY
What do I do?

TONY
C’mon. Didn’t you try to smoke
once?

TEDDY
Once...or twice.

TONY
Take a drag and hold it in for a
little while.

Teddy takes a hit and coughs.

TONY (CONT'D)
That’s normal. Just take another
hit...like a man.

TEDDY
That’s not funny.

TONY
Yes, it is. Take another hit.

Teddy takes another drag.

TEDDY
I don’t feel anything.

TONY
Be fucking patient.

TEDDY
Why did you start smoking dope?

TONY
Everybody was doing something. The
army gave out speed, some guys
drank...too much...some did
grass...others heroin. Everybody
was fucked up in some way.
Everybody!

TEDDY
Heroin?
 8.

TONY
Yeah. The stupid fucking army
started arresting guys for smoking
weed so a lot of guys turned to
heroin.

TEDDY
That makes no sense.

TONY
You could smell weed, and you
couldn’t smell heroin.

TEDDY
That was stupid.

TONY
Everything was stupid. You knew
that as soon as you got off the
bus.

TEDDY
The bus?

TONY
I was being clever. As soon as you
got there you wondered what the
fuck you were doing there. It’s a
primitive fucking country and we
are killing them because they are
some kind of threat? What kind of
threat? To who? To what?

TEDDY
I think I’m starting to feel
something.

TONY
Like what?

TEDDY
I don’t
know...just...like...mellow.

TONY
Like peace?

TEDDY
Yeah...peaceful.

TONY
That’s why we smoked in ‘Nam.
Everything was bullshit so we
needed...peace.
(MORE)
 9.

TONY (CONT'D)
The army fucked up, though, when
they started arresting guys for
smoking weed. A lot of the guys
started using.

TEDDY
Using?

TONY
Heroin. Scag.

TEDDY
That makes no sense.

TONY
You already said that. Look.
Everybody in ‘Nam was fucked up.
How do you make grown men kill
women, children and babies in a
place they know nothing about? They
drop agent orange on people and
villages. Chemical weapons...

TEDDY
Did you kill any babies?

TONY
Why would you ask me that?

TEDDY
You said...

TONY
I said the army had ways of making
soldiers do shitty things. But I
foxed ‘em. I never did any shitty
things. I did my time. I served my
country.

EXT. VIETNAM -

A helicopter flies over the sight of a burning village.

American soldiers are firing their M-16s into a pit filled
with women, children, and old men. The pilot circles in
disbelief and then lands over the GIs forcing them away from
the pit. A child tries to climb out of the pit but slides
down the slippery walls.

The pilot is Tony.

He shouts at the soldiers.

 10.

TONY
What the fuck are you doing!?

SOLDIER
Destroying the enemy. Sir!

TONY
Are you out of your fucking minds?

SOLDIER
Following orders sir.

Several small children are scampering away from the pit.

TONY
This stops now!

Tony gets on the radio and starts to call the incident in.
The soldiers start to advance.

Tony throws the radio down and goes over to the machine
gunner who then fires a burst over the heads of the soldiers.

SOLDIER
You’re firing at your own men!

TONY
It’s a warning! Move forward and
the next burst will be lower. Now
get the fuck out of here!

The soldiers disburse and some Vietnamese stragglers start to

approach the scene. Tony just looks at the carnage. There’s
nothing he can do. He just stands there, trembling.

Tony’s helicopter takes off with a few wounded and burnt

children inside.

EXT. VIETNAM - MILITARY BASE

COLONEL
You fired on your own men.

TONY
I fired over their heads.

COLONEL
You fired at American soldiers.

TONY
I fired at murderers.
 11.

COLONEL
Why do you call them murderers?

TONY
They were killing women and
children, sir. And old men.

COLONEL
You could tell that from your
vantage point in the helicopter?

TONY
Yes, sir.

COLONEL
...and you’re sure of that?

TONY
Yes, sir. I was six feet away...and
what I saw was disgusting.

COLONEL
You could see that in the heat of
battle?

TONY
It wasn’t a battle, sir. It was an
execution...a massacre...but I
could understand. The babies were
massed to attack, sir...

COLONEL
You’re being ridiculous, Sergeant
Powers...

TONY
No, sir. You’re being ridiculous.
This court is ridiculous. This war
is ridiculous.

USA -

Tony is departing from a military transport plane in the

United States. He is in uniform with his duffle.

Tony, in his civies, meets a sketchy person and gives him a

satchel in exchange for a thick envelope.

INT. CIA HEADQUARTERS -

CIA BOSS
Where are the drugs coming from?
 12.

CIA MINION
We really don’t know, sir.

CIA BOSS
You don’t know. It’s your job to
know.

CIA MINION
I understand, sir, but our
operatives in Colombia aren’t
talking.

CIA BOSS
They’re not talking! They’re paid
to talk.

CIA MINION
Yessir, but they just are not
forthwith about this issue.

CIA BOSS
Forthwith? Forthwith! What the fuck
is this Shakespeare?

CIA MINION
What I was trying to say, sir, was
that our...operatives...have
examined the regular channels and
have found nothing.

CIA BOSS
Look, WE are the designated drug
dealers in this country, and we
don’t need this kind of
competition.

CIA MINION
Understood sir, but this seems like
the work of a big organization, not
some local...traders.

CIA BOSS
Big organization? We are the big
organization.

CIA MINION
Yessir, but there is something out
there.

CIA BOSS
Like what?

CIA MINION
Well...sir...like...
 13.

CIA BOSS
LIKE WHAT?

CIA MINION
I’m not sure but drugs are coming
from somewhere and getting into
South Central and Harlem.

CIA BOSS
Stop!

CIA MINION
No. Seriously.

CIA BOSS
Elaborate.

CIA MINION
We are looking into our own
servicemen bringing the stuff from
Vietnam.

CIA BOSS
If that’s true...what should we do?

CIA MINION
I’m not sure, but we didn’t have
much luck at the Bay of Pigs.

INT. REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS - THE FIGHT

The marquee says REGIONAL KICKBOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS. Inside,

Ted is in the ring fighting a huge Cuban guy and getting his
ass kicked. Out of nowhere, Ted uses a huge roundhouse kick
to knock the Cuban to the floor and out.

The referee raises Ted’s arms in victory and Hess goes crazy
and leaps into the ring screaming, lifting Ted into the air.

Just outside the ring Ted is surrounded by a bunch of

classmates. Joe Hess is off to the side talking to a couple
of older guys and two cops, letting Ted have his moment. A
few regional girls are hanging around. A thuggish guy right
out of a Martin Scorsese movie pushes his way through the
small crowd and confronts him.

THUG
Little Jimmy Smalls likes the way
you fight.

TED
Who’s Little Jimmy Smalls?
 14.

THUG
(laughing)
Who’s Little Jimmy Smalls?

TED
Yeah.

THUG
Little Jimmy’s the Man! You should
be thankful he likes you.

TED
I should be thankful?

THUG
Yeah. He’s having a party and he
wants you to come. You’ll have a
good time.

Ted looks over at the entourage. They are a bunch of people he

has never seen or been with, a lot like a movie. The girls
especially, are hot -- very hot.

THUG (CONT'D)
Here’s a card. Give it to the guy
at the door or you can’t get in.

The big guy laughs and moves back through the crowd. Little
Jimmy and his entourage are almost out of the auditorium. Joe
Hess has been watching, moving his eyes back and forth from
Little Jimmy to Ted and back. He doesn’t like what he sees.

INT. LOCKER ROOM - NIGHT

Ted is getting dressed and Joe Hess is comes into the room.

HESS
Let’s celebrate.

TED
I can’t.

HESS
Big fight. Big win. You can’t
celebrate?

TED
I mean, I can’t celebrate with you.

HESS
Whaddya mean?
 15.

TED
This guy invited me to a party...

HESS
What guy?

TED
(Handing Joe a card)
This guy.

HESS
This is Little Jimmy Smalls -- a
hood. You’re going to a party with
this guy?

TED
Not just this guy. It’s a party.

HESS
Listen. You gotta listen. This
guy’s trouble. Nothing but trouble.
You gotta stay away from guys like
this.

TED
It’s just a party. I’ve never
been...

HESS
Never been?

TED
The Dolphin Club. I could never get
into the Dolphin Club.

HESS
There’s nothin’ but queers and
hookers and druggies there.

TED
What’s wrong with that?

They both laugh.

HESS
He had some nice lookin’ women with
him didn’t he?

TED
A couple.

HESS
Whores.
 16.

TED
Maybe. Nice lookin’ whores,
though.
(a couple of beats)

HESS
...Have a good time. Just be
careful. The guy’s a bum.

TED
I’d invite you, but...

HESS
Get the fuck outta here.

As Ted’s leaving --

HESS (CONT'D)
The guy’s a bum! Be careful.

EXT. NIGHT CLUB - NIGHT

Ted approaches the club passing a long line of very well

dressed and attractive people waiting in line. He wonders
where they all came from because he has never seen anything
like them before. He approaches the huge DOORMAN. Ted is
dressed in wrinkled slacks and t-shirt with a zippered
jacket.

DOORMAN
Get in line, buddy.

Ted looks at the line...

INT. PRISON - DAY

...It has become the prison chow line. There is a commotion

in the middle of the line and a prisoner falls to the floor,
blood pouring from where he was shanked.

EXT. CLUB - NIGHT (CONT’D)

DOORMAN
...Look pal, get in line, or move
on.

Ted sizes up the guy. He’s huge and it’s a public place. Ted
fumbles around for Little Jimmy’s card as the doorman
glowers. Ted finally finds it and thrusts it at the doorman.
The doorman reluctantly looks at the card, lightens up a bit,
then motions him in with a dismissive gesture.
 17.

Ted passes the more worthy in line and they boo him as he
passes. Ted realizes he’s dressed like a dork (to them). The
thumping beat of the music becomes deafening.

INT. NIGHT CLUB - CONTINUOUS

Inside, Ted is overwhelmed by the sound, the lights, and the

people. John Travolta times a thousand. He looks around trying
to find Little Ray and his entourage. His eyes start
adjusting to the darkness and the pulsing lights. He has
never felt so alone and even helpless. He might just as well
be on Mars.

He goes to a restroom to get his bearings and sees some

serious drug use going on and realizes it’s a unisex room. A
white guy is fucking a black chick in one of the stalls and
Ted just stares. The black chick catches his look and gives
him the longest finger he has ever seen.

Ted scurries out of there, then gawks at two gays dancing on

tiny stages above the bar, defying gravity and the natural
articulation of their limbs. Stage Three Disco.

Ted is inside the Ninth Circle of Hell. There is the poet

Virgil and Aeneus. Lucifer is imprisoned in a block of ice,
his wings flapping furiously as he tries to escape. Athena,
a goddess of strength and courage flirts with him. Aphrodite
dances with Ptolemy as Judas passes drinks to Cain and his
famous mother. Ted is surrounded by a maelstrom of decadent
history. He stares at Venus dancing with Mars and she sees
him and moves toward him. He is in a daze.

Venus has become CARLA, the girl from Little Jimmy Small’s
entourage. She recognizes Ted, shrugs off her partner and
drags Ted through the club toward a lounge section where
Little Jimmy and his entourage are hanging.

CARLA
(shouting over the music)
I didn’t think you were coming. I
didn’t recognize you for a minute.
You look different with clothes on.

TED
I got sort of lost.

CARLA
You look lost.

TED
I guess I shouldn’t have come...
 18.

CARLA
I didn’t mean anything...

They approach Little Jimmy.

CARLA (CONT'D)
Look what I found wandering around.

Little Jimmy Smalls is really wrecked and looks puzzled when

he sees Ted, and incoherent, waves.

CARLA (CONT'D)
(shouting in Little
Jimmy’s ear)
It’s the wrestling guy. You invited
him.

Little Jimmy has no idea what she’s talking about.

CARLA (CONT'D)
(to Ted)
What’s your name?

TED
Ted, my name’s Ted.

CARLA
Well, Ted, Little Jimmy’s pretty
fucked up right now.

A waiter hands them two glasses of champagne. Ted looks at it

suspiciously.

CARLA (CONT'D)
Don’t worry, it’s only champagne.
Do you want anything else, PCP,
Ecstasy, anything?

TED
I don’t do drugs...I’m...

CARLA
I’m only kidding. I know you’re
training. But you won and we should
celebrate.

Carla pulls him onto the dance floor as Little Jimmy is being
dragged away by his bodyguards and the other girls drift away
into the club. Ted and Carla are alone. They walk back to
Little Jimmy’s lounge area. The only one left is a thuggish
guy, PATRICK MELITTA, sitting with a couple of wasted
hookers.
 19.

CARLA (CONT'D)
Gone! That fucker, leaves me here?
FUCKER!!!

Her cursing with an accent is funny.

Ted is embarrassed sitting there, looking around but no one

really cares. The music drowns everything out.

CARLA (CONT'D)
You gotta take me home.

TED
I’m on a bike.

CARLA
A bicycle? You’re on a bicycle?

TED
No. A bike. A motorcycle.

CARLA
Whatever. Let’s get out of here.

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

Carla’s on the back of Ted’s Harley, wearing his helmet. All

you can see is legs, what little there is of a dress is
“blowin’ in the wind.”

INT. THE GYM - NIGHT

Ted’s bike is parked outside Hess’ gym.

Inside the gym, the two of them are in the ring lit only by
the nasty streetlight coming in through the clerestory
windows. Ted is showing Carla some moves. It’s funny. Ted is
making Bruce Lee sounds and talking in a faux-Asian accent.

TED
Jab, jab, block, kick.

Carla’s is trying Ted’s moves.

TED (CONT'D)
C’mon, kick, kick, kick, kick!!

Carla tries to kick. Ted is fucking with her.

TED (CONT'D)
Kick, kick, kick, higher HIGHER!!!
 20.

Carla kicks and her shoe flies off, the stiletto heel hitting
Ted right above his left eye. He grasps his eye and blood
spurts through his fingers.

TED (CONT'D)
FUCK!

CARLA
Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.

Carla hobbles over on one shoe. Ted kneels, holding his eye.

CARLA (CONT'D)
I’m so sorry.

TED
(laughing)
Don’t worry, I’m just messing with
you.

Drops of blood hit the floor.

Carla quickly takes off her skimpy top and puts her arms
around him trying to quell the flow of blood. Her body mostly
naked rubs against his. Sweat, blood, lips, touches, all turn
to heavy sex.

After sex, Carla and Ted are sleeping in the middle of the
ring.

Some of Ted’s blood stains the ring.

INT. PRISON - MESS

A rush of water washes the fallen prisoner’s blood away.

EXT. BABE’S BEAUTY SHOP - DAY

There’s a gaggle of exotic cars parked outside BABE’S BEUATY

SHOP, a few Corvettes, a Ferrari Testarossa, and a Porsche
convertible. There is a young guy polishing the Ferrari.

INT. BABE’S BEAUTY SHOP - DAY

Inside, Little Jimmy Smalls is in a chair getting his hair

finished off by BABE, a babe. Ted sits quietly and shyly.
Little Jimmy’s entourage fills most of the remaining chairs.
Babe holds a mirror so Little Jimmy can see front and back.
 21.

JIMMY
Beautiful. I love it. Pat, don’t
you love it?

PAT MELITTA
It looks terrific.

BABE
You got great hair.

JIMMY
I love it. I love it. I love it.
Hair makes the man. Just ask
Sampson.

Nervous, forced laughter.

JIMMY (CONT'D)
Guys, give me a minute. I have to
talk to my friend here.

Babe straddles Little Jimmy’s leg and gives him a deep wet
kiss. Ray caresses her ample ass. She humps his leg a little.

JIMMY (CONT'D)
(looking at TEd)
C’mon, Babe, you’ll give the wrong
impression.

BABE
Just part of doin’ business, honey.

They all leave. Pat looks back at Ted warily. Then Jimmy and
Ted are alone. Jimmy takes out a handkerchief and wipes the
lipstick from his mouth. He looks at Ted.

JIMMY
Did I get it all?

TED
Yeah, looks like ... maybe there’s
a little there. Right there

Jimmy wipes some more.

TED (CONT'D)
Yeah. That’s it. You got it all.

JIMMY
Thanks. Babe’s a little friendly.
(pause)
Sorry about the other night. I
didn’t mean to ignore you.
(MORE)
 22.

JIMMY (CONT'D)
Things got a little out of hand,
but you had a good time, I hear.

TED
Sort of. I’m not a club guy.

JIMMY
Sort of? I heard you had a real good
time. The walls have ears.

TED
Yeah. I guess...I had a good time.
Different.

JIMMY
What’s the bandage for? I didn’t
see that at the club, not that I’d
remember anyway.

TED
There was a little...event.

JIMMY
Whatever...Listen I saw you fight.
I never seen anything like that.
You can really handle yourself.
You took that guy out. Completely
out. FUCK! You really nailed him!

TED
I got lucky.

JIMMY
Lucky? I seen lucky. I know lucky.
You were just too good.

TED
Thanks. I try...

JIMMY
Like I said, you can handle
yourself. I like people that can
handle theirselves. I respect that.
It’s hard to find that these days.

Jimmy stares at Ted for a few beats.

JIMMY (CONT'D)
Come work for me. What do you do
for a living? You can’t be making
any money fighting.

TED
I teach. I teach cops.
 23.

JIMMY
You teach cops? What do you teach
cops?

TED
I mostly teach them how to handle
themselves.

INT. POLICE ACADEMY KARATE CLASS

Ted is teaching a class and is having some trouble with one

officer, ALEX LOUIE. He is a chunky, uncoordinated mess and
has a bad attitude and a foul mouth. Alex laughs at the
various drills and philosophies. Ted has become aggressive as
well. In the middle of a class drill, Louie has just stopped.

TED
Is there a problem, Alex?

ALEX
(panting)
Yeah...there’s a problem. This
stuff is bullshit.

TED
Bullshit?

ALEX
Yeah, bullshit.

Alex starts to walk away.

TED
So, you’re a quitter?

Alex stops and goes over to Ted, right in his face.

ALEX
Yeah, I’m quitting this shit. I’m
tired of your bullshit, you long
haired faggot. Fuck you! Fuck you,
you faggot. Fuck you, fuck your
ugly sister, fuck your mother...

Ted explodes and suddenly he has Alex on the floor pounding

him. The others drag him off. Alex slowly sits up his hand
covering his face, blood streaming through his fingers.

Hess runs into the room.

HESS
What’s going on?
 24.

Ted is still seething with rage. Alex is getting up and

wiping the blood from his face.

TED
I lost my temper.

Hess goes over to Alex in a half-hearted attempt to help.

Alex flicks away Hess’ arm.

HESS
What happened, Alex?

ALEX
What happened is that this class is
bullshit. You’re bullshit, and your
bitch over there is bullshit.

Hess is at a loss for words and the cops start helping Alex
to the shower, abandoning the class.

HESS
What is the fuck is going on?

TED
I think we lost the cop business.

INT. COURTHOUSE -

JUDGE
WE have some serious troubles here.

DA
More than usual?

JUDGE
This is no time to be funny.

DA
Sorry. What’s the problem?

JUDGE
The CIA wants to come down
here...to get involved. They don’t
think we’re doing enough.

DA
That’s bad news. We don’t need
their kind of ‘help.’

JUDGE
Exactly.
 25.

DA
What do you need from us?

JUDGE
Action. You have to make something
happen. What’s happening with your
contact with the Little Jimmy
character?

DA
We’re just waiting for something to
happen.

JUDGE
You should probably MAKE something
happen...and soon. I don’t wannt
the CIA sniffing around here.

INT. BEAUTY SHOP - DAY

JIMMY
You teach cops how to handle
theirselves.

TED
Sort of...some of them. Some don’t
get it.

JIMMY
What does that pay?

TED
Well, right now, it doesn’t pay so
good.

JIMMY
Look, it’s simple. I want you to be
like...a bodyguard. Not really a
bodyguard but like a bodyguard.

TED
I don’t get it.

JIMMY
You look classy, dressed up right.
You’re a good-looking guy. I like
to be around classy people.
Patrick...he’s okay but he don’t
look good. He also has no tact.
He’s what we call a heavy. There’s
a place for him but not so close to
me.
(MORE)
 26.

JIMMY (CONT'D)
I’ll pay you five hundred a week.
Just weekends so you can still
teach. Cash.

TED
I’ll have to think about it.

JIMMY
You don’t have to think about it.
It’s a good deal. It’s the best
deal you’re gonna get right now.
Shake.

Ted smiles, shaking his head and reaches over and shakes
Ray’s hand.

TED
Deal.

INT. BEAUTY SHOP - LATER

Ted is gone and Patrick and the thugs are back.

PATRICK
What do you mean? You hired that
punk?

JIMMY
Yeah. I like him. He’s a tough kid.
You saw him fight.

PATRICK
Yeah, in the ring. With rules. That
ain’t the street.

JIMMY
I don’t want street. I want a
little subtlety...a little class.

PATRICK
That’s fucked up, Jimmy. I’m loyal
to you...

JIMMY
Of course, you are and I understand
that. I just like the guy is all.

PATRICK
...he ain’t one of us.

JIMMY
I don’t want him to be one of us.
That’s why I like him.
 27.

PATRICK
I don’t know, Jimmy, I think this
is a big mistake.

JIMMY
Patrick, Patrick, Patrick...don’t
be jealous. He ain’t no threat.
He’s just around for laughs...for
the parties.

PATRICK
Okay, whatever you say...but I
don’t know.

JIMMY
Be cool. We’ll have a lot of fun in
Vegas.

EXT. LAS VEGAS STRIP - NIGHT

A glamorous crowd is standing under a marquee, some getting

out of limos, others getting in.

Suddenly the lights above them explode in a shower of sparks

and a body crashes to the ground.

SPLAT!

The sparkles of the broken lights and shards of glass and

debris continue down. It’s actually quite beautiful. Some of
the blood has splashed on the elegantly dressed crowd and
there is a general chaos as they try to avoid the falling
debris while stealing a look at the flattened corpse.

MIAMI - EARLIER.

The gang is getting on a private jet bound for Vegas, Elvis

Presley’s jet, the Lisa Marie. There are a bunch of girls as
well.

Ted notices one, LINDA, who looks different, shy and lacking
confidence, almost innocent. Wary.

JIMMY
How ’bout this thing? Elvis’s jet.

PATRICK
How much pussy did he get on this I
wonder?

JIMMY
Patrick, have some respect.
 28.

PATRICK
Sorry. I was just wondering.

JIMMY
You ever been fucked on an
airplane?

PATRICK
No. Besides I’m scared to fly. I
get nervous.

JIMMY
This is different.

There are a number of hot girls, giggling, excited.

JIMMY (CONT'D)
Don’t be nervous. Look at this
shit. Plenty to go around, and more
waiting for us when we get there.
America’s a great country.

IN THE AIR

The plane is in the air and the normal debauchery, drugs, sex
is taking place, but Ted is aloof.

He goes to the john and the door is locked and he hears

someone crying. He knocks on the door, gently.

The door opens and LINDA is there, her mascara a mess from
crying. She pushes by Ted.

TED
Hey, what’s wrong?

LINDA
Don’t touch me!

TED
I’m not touching you. What’s wrong?

Ted sort of pins her against the cramped walls of the plane,
pretending to be intimate.

LINDA
Wrong? This whole thing is wrong. I
didn’t expect this. My agent...

TED
Your agent?
 29.

LINDA
I’m an actress...

Patrick intrudes. He’s stuffing his mouth with tiny

sandwiches.

PATRICK
(to the girl)
Where the fuck you been? I’ve been
looking for you.

Patrick grabs her arm. Ted grabs Patrick’s wrist.

TED
(strongly to Patrick)
This young lady and I are having a
conversation.

Patrick looks at Ted, then at the girl, then turns away,

backs off, nodding his head and holding his hands in the air
in mock surrender. Ted understands the look that Patrick
gives him.

LINDA
That guy’s a monster. He...he...

TED
Let’s sit down.

Linda tells Ted the story of her experience on the plane.

She’s in tears most of the time. After a while…

TED (CONT'D)
Don’t worry. I’ll tell Ray that
you’re mine, and just hide. Things
will be okay. Take a commercial
flight back.

LINDA
I don’t have any money.

TED
Don’t worry about that. I’ll take
care of that.

LINDA
What about...?

TED
Don’t worry about me. I’m not like
them. I’m not going to touch you.
Let’s pretend you’re my sister.
Well, not my sister...like...my
sister.
 30.

Linda laughs a little. Nervously.

LINDA
You really scared that guy.

TED
He’s easy. He’s a puss...a bluff.
You can see, we don’t get along.

Linda shares her story with Ted.

LINDA
My agent, I’m an actress/model, got
me this gig. He said that there
would be important, interesting
people on this trip. That it could
be a good career move. A weekend in
Vegas. Eye candy. First time I met
anyone was in the private terminal.
I thought I was in the wrong place.
I looked at the other girls and got
worried. The guys were worse,
except for you. You look as
misplaced as I do. Why are you part
of this? Anyway, this grossout,
Patrick, puts his hands all over
me. I panic and look around and
that’s going on everywhere. He
puts his hands up my dress
and...Horrible! That’s when I locked
myself in the bathroom. Tried to
pull myself together. Almost. I’m
going to get in trouble for this, I
know. I’m afraid, really afraid.

PATRICK AND LITTLE RAY

Little Jimmy is sitting with a couple of babes, busting

Patrick’s balls.

JIMMY
I thought that bitch was yours.

PATRICK
Your bitch stepped in. I didn’t want
to make a scene.

JIMMY
He would have fucked you up.
 31.

PATRICK
I’d put a bullet into that
motherfucker but I didn’t want the
plane to go down.

JIMMY
Good thinking. I’m really grateful
that you made the right choice.
Don’t take this shit so serious.
Pussy is pussy. There’s a lot to go
around and remember, there’s some
more waiting for us in Vegas. Be
cool.

PATRICK
That little prick gets on my
nerves.

JIMMY
He serves a purpose. He’s easy to
look at and doesn’t attract
attention.

PATRICK
I don’t look good?

JIMMY
Patrick, you’re ugly as shit, but I
love you.

INT. PLANE - LATER

Ted and Linda are sitting quietly, a blanket is across their

laps. Things have calmed down and most of the others are
sleeping. Linda starts to get frisky.

TED
Don’t do that.

LINDA
Don’t do what?

TED
Don’t be starting something.

LINDA
Why not? Everyone’s sleeping. You
feel good.

TED
I have a girlfriend.
 32.

LINDA
Is she here?

Ted points to an obvious buxom hooker, asleep, with her mouth

grotesquely open. Snoring.

TED
That’s her.

LINDA
She’s sleeping. I can hear her.
Does she keep you awake at night?

TED
I thought we had a deal.

LINDA
I don’t like being your sister.

TED
What?

LINDA
I said, I don’t like being your
sister.

Ted stares at her.

TED
(whispering)
You’ve got to stop it.

LINDA
Why? Don’t you like it?

Ted doesn’t answer.

LINDA (CONT'D)
I know you like it. I can feel that
you like it and you can’t lie about
it, can you? C’mon, make a
scene...make me stop. Make me stop.

TED
(soft whisper)
I thought you were a virgin
princess.

LINDA
...of course...and you are my
savior, my Prince Charming.

She looks at Patrick, sleeping with his mouth open,

grotesque.
 33.

LINDA (CONT'D)
...and that’s the evil ogre...you
rescued me…and now you want to fuck
the virgin princess...don’t you. I
can feel that you want to fuck me.
Don’t you want to fuck me.

Linda keeps messing with Ted under the covers and Ted
submits. He really has no choice as Linda has the controls in
her hand(s).

LINDA (CONT'D)
Is that what they call the Mile
High Club? Isn’t that what they
call it?

TED
I didn’t want that to happen.

LINDA
(playful)
Well, it did and what are you going
to do about it now?

TED
I don’t know. What can I do?

LINDA
Nothing. You liked it didn’t you?

TED
Actually...I loved it...but I feel
guilty...selfish.

LINDA
I know that you would like it...do
you like me? DO...you like me?

TED
Yeah, I do.

LINDA
...because I’m like your sister?

TED
My sister?

LINDA
Remember you said to pretend I’m
your sister.

TED
Yeah...I did say that, didn’t I?
 34.

LINDA
So I guess I’m not really like your
sister...do you even have a sister?

TED
Yeah...No...I mean...Well, she...

INT. TEDDY’S BEDROOM -

Teddy’s lying there reading a Kung Fu magazine. There’s a

knock at the door. It opens and his sister, JENNY, fifteen,
peeks through the slightly open door. Jenny is Teddy’s
favorite, quiet and vulnerable.

JENNY
Can I talk with you for a sec?

Teddy sits up, putting down the magazine.

TEDDY
Sure.

Jenny comes in a sits on the edge of the bed. Her eyes are
bloodshot.

TEDDY (CONT'D)
Is that asshole boyfriend of yours
messing with you again?

Jenny looks at him shaking her head, no. She’s ready to burst
into tears.

JENNY
I need a huge favor. I need a
hundred bucks.

TEDDY
Wow! What...

JENNY
Please! Please don’t ask me... just
help me.

Teddy looks at her. He has no idea.

TEDDY
Hide your eyes.

Jenny puts her hands over her eyes, and starts a nervous
giggle.

TEDDY (CONT'D)
Don’t peek.
 35.

He looks at her, then reaches behind his dresser and pulls

out a plastic bag full of money. He sits back on the bed and
empties the bag and begins to count out the money she needs.

TEDDY (CONT'D)
You can look now.

Jenny sees the money, bills, coins.

JENNY
How did you get that?

TEDDY
Grass.

Grass?

JENNY TEDDY
Grass. A couple of bucks here...a
couple a bucks there...it adds up.

He keeps counting out the money.

JENNY
You know I’ll pay you back.

TEDDY
You better, or...

JENNY
Or, what?

She starts to tickle and wrestle with him and the money falls
all over the place.

A FEW DAYS LATER

Teddy comes bounding into the kitchen after school. Hugh, his
brother, TONY, and his MOTHER, are sitting at the kitchen
table. His mother is distraught and his brother is trying to
console her. Teddy just stands there. His mother looks up.

MOTHER
Jenny’s dead.

Teddy tries to speak, but can’t.

MOTHER (CONT'D)
They...they...
 36.

TONY
The police found her body.
(tears)
They found her in a dumpster.

Crime scene pictures of Jenny, the dumpster, etc.

Teddy just stares.

TONY (CONT'D)
I know it was her fucking
boyfriend.

His Mother gets up and staggers out of the room, collapsing

at the doorway. Both boys rush to her. Hugh just stares into
space.

INT. TONY AND TEDDY’S BEDROOM - LATER

Tony and Teddy are in bed, talking.

TEDDY
What’s an autopsy?

TONY
It’s when they cut her open. They
cut her open to see what caused
the...death.

TEDDY
They cut her open?

TONY
Yeah. It’s a horrible thing but
they have to.

TEDDY
Why do they have to?

TONY
It’s the law. It’s the only way
they can find out what happened.

TEDDY
That’s disgusting.

TONY
They found out Jenny was pregnant
and had an abortion...some butcher.
Her boyfriend claims he had nothing
to do with it. He claims he didn’t
even know he knocked her up.
(MORE)
 37.

TONY (CONT'D)
They can’t prove anything. He’s
lying. He knew. He gave her the
money.

TEDDY
I love her.

Tony embraces Teddy.

TEDDY (CONT'D)
I love her. I miss her.

They fall back on the bed, embracing each other.

Teddy starts to cry. Tony embraces him and stars to cry as

well.

INT. THE PLANE - CONTINUED

Linda and Ted are sitting there in the darkened plane.

LINDA Where did you go?

TED
I just thought how stupid this all
is.

LINDA
Stupid?

TED
Not you. This whole thing. These
guys... how you got here...
everything. You know, I have no
idea what I’m doing here... same as
you.

LINDA
I know why we’re here...this was
meant.

TED
I have to stick with Little Jimmy
when we get there. He’ll get wasted
halfway through the evening...then
we can...

LINDA
What?

TED
Do this right.
 38.

LINDA
Like what?

TED
You’re the girl of my
dreams...don’t you know that?

VEGAS -

The boys are having stupid fun, gambling, sex, drugs. All the
normal Vegas stuff. Ted has to stick around Little Ray as Ray
makes his way around all the tables, blackjack, craps,
winding up at the baccarat table. During all this Patrick is
strangely absent.

Later, much later, Ted calls Linda’s room from a house phone.

No answer.

INT. LITTLE JIMMY’S SUITE -

The guys are all there in normal examples of disarray. Ted is

in workout gear, sneakers, t-shirt. Jimmy is in a tux, shirt
and tie open. Patrick Melitta is sitting there, strangely
quiet.

Ted has come into the room last and Ray addresses him.

JIMMY
We had an incident last night...an
unfortunate incident. We lost one
of the girls...the one that you
said was yours.

TED
What do you mean...lost?

JIMMY
What I mean is that she has died.

TED
Wha...?

JIMMY
She died in idiot Patrick here’s
room.

PATRICK
It wasn’t my fault...she...
 39.

JIMMY
Shut the fuck up, Patrick. I’ll
tell the story. We have to stick
together in all this. I can deal
with the issue. She had a heart
attack. That’s the story. You don’t
know nothing. It’s an innocent
tragedy. She don’t have no parents,
nobody. We came on a private jet.
There ain’t no record of her being
here. We can handle this.

TED
What happened, Patrick?

Patrick starts to say something.

JIMMY
Shut the fuck up, Patrick!

TED
If I’m going to take a hit I want
to know --

JIMMY
The bitch couldn’t handle the
drugs. She was nothing but a whore
that couldn’t handle it. She signed
up for something she couldn’t
handle. You were fucking her. You
should know what she was about.

PATRICK
Yeah, asshole, she needed a bigger
dick than yours.

Ted bursts across the group knocking Jimmy aside and pounding
the shit out of Patrick. The other guys wrestle him off but
not after he’s inflicted severe damage to Patrick. Blood
everywhere, splattered on Ray, the sofa...

INT. LITTLE JIMMY’S SUITE - LATER

Things have calmed down. Little Jimmy and Ted are alone.

JIMMY
(wiping the blood from his
face)
That was stupid Teddy. It’s
important that we stick together.
She was a cheap whore. She didn’t
matter. We matter. I can handle
this.
(MORE)
 40.

JIMMY (CONT'D)
I have the connections...but we
must stick together. You cannot let
pussy get in the way of
friendship...or loyalty. Do you
understand?

Ted stares at Patrick, his chest heaving.

JIMMY (CONT'D)
Do you understand?!

INT. ELEVATOR

It’s the middle of the night and Ted is alone on an elevator.

The doors open and Patrick is there with two ugly hookers.
He’s a mess, some bandages cover his face.

He stands, filling the doorway and the elevator doors bounce

off him trying to close. He pushes the hookers away and gets
on alone. He tells them, over his shoulder, to take another
elevator, he’ll meet them in a while.

The doors close and he confronts Ted. Patrick is completely

fucked up on drugs, painkillers, coke, what have you.

He just stares at Ted, breathing heavily. The door opens at

Ted’s floor and Patrick blocks the way and the doors close.

TED
What the fuck are you doing?

PATRICK
You fucked me up...now I’m going to
fuck you up.

TED
Get out of the way.

Patrick reaches into his pocket and pulls out a gun pointing
it directly at Ted’s face.

In the hallway, the elevator lights go to the top floor.

The door opens and Patrick’s body falls out, his head
smashing into the floor. He is either dead or close to it.
This whole scene is grotesque.

Blood streams from Patrick’s head as Ted drags him down the
hallway then Patrick’s head bounces on the concrete stairs as
he is being dragged to the roof. Pushing him over the side is
academic as he is clearly gone before that event. His fall is
beautiful.
 41.

THE NEXT MORNING

The death is being discussed by a couple of Jimmy’s THUGS in

a diner near the hotel.

THUG 1
A terrible thing.

THUG 2
Why would he do such a thing?

THUG 1
He was ashamed.

THUG 2
Ashamed? Why ashamed?

THUG 1
It was a known fact he couldn’t
handle pussy.

THUG 2
I didn’t know that.

THUG 1
Well, it was a known fact. It’s
not something you speak of that
much, plus the fact that Patrick
was a mean prick and you could
never be aware of consequences.

THUG 2
You don’t kill yourself over such a
small thing.

THUG 1
You’re not funny.

THUG 2
I wasn’t trying to be funny. I
didn’t mean it in the way you took
it. I apologize.

THUG 1
Accepted. He was a brother. A
colleague and should be respected.

THUG 2
Again, I meant no disrespect.
 42.

THUG 1
I apologize. I overreacted. Anyway,
I heard from two hookers that he
rejected them after he had made a
deal. He probably was afraid of
humiliation, they probably had a
non performance clause in their
deal. His dick was a no show. He
then took it out on the other
chick, the one that has died.

THUG 2
What happened?

THUG 1
No one really knows but Patrick
pulled a Fatty Arbuckle.

THUG 2
...a what?

THUG 1
Fatty Arbuckle was a fat comedian
that was the cause of the death of
a young babe. He was accused of
fucking her to death, but clearly,
that was not possible. They then
claimed that he crushed her with
his fat ass and caused internal
bleeding, but they could also not
prove that, so--

THUG 2
--So?

THUG 1
So, he got off, but--

THUG 2
--But what?

THUG 1
You can’t be so funny after that,
so he was washed up.

THUG 2
How do you know such things?

THUG 1
I’m a voracious reader.

THUG 2
A what?
 43.

THUG 1
I read a lot.

THUG 2
What do you think happened with
Patrick?

THUG 1
He obviously didn’t fuck her to
death. She was hanging out in the
suite and looked pretty fucked up.
I don’t think she had coke before.
Last time I saw her, she looked
like she was passed out in a chair
and Patrick was sniffing around
there. All’s I know is they found
her lying in her own vomit, cold as
shit, so she must have died a long
time before they found her. Country
girl. Little Jimmy knows and ain’t
telling but he blamed Patrick. I
guess Patrick felt bad, not because
of the girl, but because of Little
Jimmy, got really fucked up and
took a dive, literally.

THUG 2
Could he get that fucked up?

THUG 1
Oh yeah. I saw him once, completely
fucked up after Little Ray tore him
a new asshole, and he had a gun and
put it into his mouth several
times, all crying and shit.

THUG 2
You saw that?

THUG 1
Yeah. Now that was some scary shit.

THUG 2
Well, he’s gone and now we have to
see a good side to this.

THUG 1
We better have a laugh or two now.
First the little bitch and now
this. Shit’s gonna happen when we
get back to Florida.

THUG 2
Fuck.
 44.

THUG 1
Fuck.

INT. LITTLE JIMMY’S SUITE -

Little Jimmy confronts Ted.

JIMMY
What happened last night?

Ted says nothing.

JIMMY (CONT'D)
...last night? You and Patrick.

Ted keeps staring.

JIMMY (CONT'D)
We had to clean up a trail of blood
last night. The head of security
contacted us. He’s one of us.
Patrick didn’t jump from the
building with remorse. He didn’t
jump from the building because of
drugs. I don’t think he jumped from
the building. He fell from the
building but he didn’t jump. What
happened, Ted?

Ted just shakes his head, shrugs.

JIMMY (CONT'D)
I’m not saying that Patrick didn’t
deserve to end like that. I just
have a need to know and I know you
know. I’ll just leave it at that
for now. See you on the plane.

EXT. VEGAS STRIP -

Ted is walking outside the casino. He sees the workmen

repairing the marquee. He stares at Patrick’s chalk outline
on the sidewalk. A cop asks him to step back.

INT. PRISON - DAY

Ted is sitting alone eating his slop. Bigman and his

enntourage sit across from him and one of the entourage sets
down Bigman’s plate of ‘Prison Gourmet’ food. Ted can’t help
but notice.
 45.

BIGMAN
Excitement today.

Ted doesn’t answer.

BIGMAN (CONT'D)
Little Jimmy says you ‘re pretty
good with your...feet.

Ted is surprised at the mention of Little Jimmy.

TED
You know each other?

BIGMAN
We grew up together in Brooklyn.

TED
I’m from Brooklyn.

Ted catches himself embarrassed at his spontaneous response.

BIGMAN
I thought you were from here.

TED
We moved here a while ago...for my
mother’s health.

BIGMAN
How’d that work out?

INT. HOSPITAL -

Ted is visiting his mother in the hospital. She is in the

last stages of lung cancer. He just sits there, staring at
his mother, sleeping a fitful sleep. Her eyes open and she
smiles when she sees him.

MOM
How long have you been here honey?

TED
A little while. How are you
feeling?

MOM
Actually, not so hot.

TED
Are they taking care of you
brother?
 46.

MOM
I guess. How’s your brother?

TED
He’s okay. He’s working today, so
he couldn’t come.

MOM
That’s okay. That’s okay. He’s a
busy boy.

Mom winces in pain.

TED
What are they doing about your
pain?

MOM
I guess they do what they can. Who
knows? The nurses are nice. Nicer
than the doctors.

TED
Didn’t you want to be a nurse at
one time?

MOM
Once, but I worked as a volunteer
at the hospital for a little
while...and I couldn’t stand being
around all that pain...and sadness.

She winces again.

TED
You okay?

MOM
It hurts.

Ted pulls out a joint and lights up.

MOM (CONT'D)
Honey, you can’t smoke in here!

TED
Shhh...here take a hit.

MOM
What?

TED
Please don’t argue.
 47.

MOM
No. It’ll give me cancer.

TED
You already have cancer. It’s not a
cigarette. Take a deep drag, just
like you used to do with your
Luckies.

MOM
Why?

TED
Trust me. When you take it in, hold
it in a little.

Mom takes the joing and skeptically and with a lot of

puzzlement, takes a drag, a deep drag. She coughs a little.

TED (CONT'D)
Take another.

She does, and then she closes her eyes and after a bit starts
to smile.

TED (CONT'D)
Mom?

MOM
Shhh...shhh.

TED
What?

MOM
Don’t talk right now, please?

A NURSE bursts in.

NURSE
What’s going on in here? You can’t
do that!

TED
Shh! She’s sleeping.

NURSE
You can’t do this, I’ll have to
report you.

TED
For what? Doing what you’re
supposed to be doing?
 48.

NURSE
What does that mean?

TED
Look, the poor woman just needs to
be comforted. Whatever you people
are doing just isn’t working.

NURSE
I just do what I’m told to do.

TED
Like I said it doesn’t work. What
I’m doing works.

NURSE
You’ll go to jail. I’ll go to jail.

TED
Really? For what? Aid and comfort?

NURSE
For something. That’s how it works.

TED
I’m doing good, and I’m going to do
good. So turn me in.

NURSE
(pause)
Does that really work?

TED
Have you ever seen her so peaceful?

The Nurse stares at Ted’s mother.

A little time goes by.

MOM
The pain is gone.

TED
Yeah?

MOM
The pain is gone.
(softly)
Wow...wow...shh...peaceful.

Mom falls back asleep, but now she’s smiling, a small smile,
but a smile. Ted gets up and kisses her gently.

LATER -
 49.

MOM (CONT'D)
Will I become a dope fiend?

TED
I don’t think so.

MOM
I’m afraid.

TED
Afraid?

MOM
I like it, but I don’t want to
become a drug addict.

TED
It’s not a drug, Mom, it’s a plant.

MOM
So’s tobacco, and look what
happened.

TED
They should legalize marijuana and
outlaw tobacco.

MOM
Are you an addict?

TED
Mom, c’mon. I toke once and a
while.

MOM
Why?

TED
Mostly because of pain. After a
match, there’s a lot of pain, and
the stuff makes the pain go away.
Didn’t your pain go away?

MOM
Yes, and I got hungry, too.

A FEW DAYS LATER…

Ted Walks into the room and his mother and the night nurse
are high, sharing a joint.

MOM
How long have you been...
 50.

TED
Shooting up?

MOM
Be serious. What do they
say...turned you on?

TED
Tony.

MOM
Tony?

TED
When he got back from Vietnam, he
was a ‘user.’ Tony said there were
three options in Vietnam, booze,
heroin, or grass. He chose the
safest, grass.

MOM
What do you mean, ‘choices?’

TED
Tony said that everyone in Vietnam
was high...matter of choice how.
Anyway, I leant Tony money.

MOM
To buy drugs.

TED
Mom, it’s not a drug. It’s a
natural. Plant. Call it an herb.
Does it work for you?

MOM
(smiling)
Yes.

TED
See?

MOM
Teddy?

TED
Yes?

MOM
Do you love me?
 51.

TED
C’mon, Mom, what kind of question
is that?

MOM
Just answer.

TED
More than anything, Mom.

MOM
Then why didn’t you give me this
stuff before?

HOSPITAL, LATE LATE NIGHT

TED
How’s my mother?

NURSE
Sound asleep. You’re late.

TED
Couldn’t help it. The guy on night
shift was late. How’s she doing?

NURSE
The new medication is working
wonders.

TED
How do you deal with the...the
smell?

NURSE
When I’m administering
the…medication, I spray the room
with cologne. I say she likes the
smell and they don’t hassle me
since...she’s...

TED
...in bad shape. That’s really
smart.

NURSE
The doctors are congratulating
themselves.

Awkward moment.

NURSE (CONT'D)
Your mother says you fight.
 52.

TED
I compete. It’s not...fighting,
like...fighting.

NURSE
Then what is it?

TED
It’s sort of a friendly...
competition. Respect each
other...before we...beat the crap
out of each other.

NURSE
So, you do fight.

TED
Yeah...well, I guess.

NURSE
You don’t look like a fighter.

TED
What’s a fighter look like?

NURSE
Well...sort of...beat up,
nose...stuff. You
look...well...nice.

TED
Thanks. So do you.

NURSE
You’re just saying that.

TED
No. I appreciate what you’re doing
for my Mom...

NURSE
There are a few side benefits.

TED
Like...

NURSE
You know I must be sure the
medication’s safe before I give it
to her.

TED
I understand.
 53.

NURSE
If the medication makes me feel
good, I know it will make her feel
goos.

TED
It’s good to know that you’re
so...safety concious.

NURSE
To a fault.

TED
How was her medication this
evening?

NURSE
Perfect.

TED
So you feel good?

NURSE
I could feel better.

Ted and the Nurse have sex on the chair, while his Mother
sleeps.

INT. PRISON - DAY

TED
She was from Italy and couldn’t
stand the cold weather up north.

BIGMAN
Let’s get to the point. How good
are you?

TED
At what?

BIGMAN
At handling yourself. You were
Little Jimmy’s bodyguard. He had
all those badasses but he preferred
you.

TED
I can handle myself.

Bigman sees Ted eating the slop and pushes his plate in front
of Ted.
 54.

BIGMAN
Quit eating that shit. Try this.

Ted looks at the plate. A huge steak.

TED
No thanks. I like this. It reminds
me of my mother’s cooking.

BIGMAN
Cut the bullshit. Little Jimmy says
you can kick anyone’s ass. See that
big nigger over there?

Bigman points to a huge black man with enormous muscles. He

is the titular head of the Blacks in the prison yard and is a
threat to Bigman’s Neo Nazis. Ironically his nickname is
‘Nazi.’

TED
Nazi.

BIGMAN
You know then.

TED
How could you not know?

BIGMAN
Could you kick his ass?

Ted shrugs his shoulders.

BIGMAN (CONT'D)
Little Jimmy says you could kick
anyone’s ass. There was something
about Vegas.

Ted ingnores him. Bigman has hit a nerve.

BIGMAN (CONT'D)
You’re making a big mistake. You’re
here for a while and things
happen. Finish eating your slop.

INT. CIA HEADQUARTERS -

CIA BOSS
What’s happening in Miami?

CIA MINION
We got the locals involved.
 55.

CIA BOSS
Locals?

CIA MINION
The chief and the judges.

CIA BOSS
Are you crazy? Those guys are as
corrupt as the dealers!

CIA MINION
We had to do it. We’re understaffed
right now. They’re all over the
Little Jimmy Guy.

CIA BOSS
What do you mean ‘all over?’

CIA MINION
There’s a contact in the police
department that has infiltrated
Little Jimmy’s ‘group.’

CIA BOSS
Can the guy be trusted?

CIA MINION
As much as you can trust anybody.

CIA BOSS
I don’t know anything about Miami.

CIA MINION
Nor do I, but we’ve been assured
that this guy is the right person
for the job.

CIA BOSS
Who assured the assurer?

CIA MINION
I don’t understand.

CIA BOSS
I was being too clever. How can we
trust the assurer?

CIA MINION
Ah...we don’t really have a choice.

CIA BOSS
Well...let’s hope for the best.
 56.

CIA MINION
Yessir.

INT. CAR - PARKING LOT - DAY

ALEX, the cop, is meeting with a CIA AGENT.

ALEX
I can set up this Teddy guy.

CIA AGENT
Why him? He’s not a player.

ALEX
You can get to Little Jimmy through
him.

CIA AGENT
How...or rather why...should I
trust you?

ALEX
I got you this far, right? I can
get you all the way.

CIA AGENT
How do you know all this?

ALEX
I can’t give my secret. You have to
trust me.

CIA AGENT
I don’t trust you. You’re a cop.
But you don’t act like a cop. You
seem to have all the wrong friends.

ALEX
Look, do you want my help or not?
Your head’s getting flat by banging
it against the wall.

CIA AGENT
Be careful, now...

ALEX
I’m trying to be helpful. This can
be great for the both of us. Don’t
question what I’m trying to do. I
want to get this little prick and
it will get us both what we want.
 57.

CIA AGENT
What do you want?

ALEX
You know what I want. We negotiated
and now you gotta trust...

CIA AGENT
...trust?

ALEX
Yeah, trust. The FBI is all over
your ass and we have a deal. I’ll
deliver and you gotta deliver. I
have my reasons for getting this
little prick and I don’t need your
bullshit. You came to me because
you didn’t have any other options.
Now do we have deal, or do we NOT
have a deal?

CIA AGENT
(long pause)
Deal.

INT. OFFICE - WASHINGTON

FBI AGENT
Why are we picking on this guy?
He’s small potatoes.

CIA AGENT
He’s small potatoes, but he’ll lead
us to the steak.

FBI AGENT
Who picked him?

CIA AGENT
The boss. The boss picked him.

FBI AGENT
He picked him?

CIA AGENT
Actually, his wife. She’s taking
over her war on drugs and she wants
an example...in Florida.

FBI AGENT
How does she know?
 58.

CIA AGENT
How do I know how she knows but she
knows, and she picked this issue…or
non-issue to make a case. He does
everything she asks.

FBI AGENT
Too bad Marilyn’s gone.

CIA AGENT
What?

FBI AGENT
Didn’t he do her back in the day?

CIA AGENT
Where did you hear that?

FBI AGENT
We have files on everything. I
heard they busted your balls about
her diary.

CIA AGENT
Stop it.

FBI AGENT
But I heard...

CIA AGENT
Stop it. Stay on point. We’ll just
get after that fucking guy. That
should be easy.

FBI AGENT
Nothing’s easy in Miami.

INT. UNDISCLOSED LOCATION - DAY

ALEX is meeting with one of JIMMY’s guys, BOBBY VEGA.

ALEX
All I’m after is that little prick.

BOBBY VEGA
You got ‘im.

ALEX
You got the details right?

BOBBY VEGA
Yeah. I’ll be sure he leaves with a
big load on time.
(MORE)
 59.

BOBBY VEGA (CONT'D)

Just be sure you don’t connect him
with the yard. It’ll be a rental
truck.

ALEX
Why you doin’ this?

BOBBY VEGA
I don’t trust the bitch and I think
he...was...the cause...of Patrick’s
death.

ALEX
Your buddy?

BOBBY VEGA
Yeah. I never trusted the fucking
queer. He was Little Jimmy’s bitch.

ALEX
Well, I appreciate what you’re
doing. I’m embarrassed that I’m not
in a position to offer you
anything.

BOBBY VEGA
Just keep looking the other
way...like you’ve been doing.

ALEX
Of course.

BOBBY VEGA
...and enjoy our gifts.

Vega hands over a bag of coke. Not that much.

ALEX
The girls are gonna love me.

BOBBY VEGA
This shit is going to be a new
profit center. Your cooperation is
important to us. There’s no telling
how big these deals are going to
get.

ALEX
I’m already finding the materials
useful.

BOBBY VEGA
Be careful...and don’t be a pig.
 60.

Alex makes a pig noise and Vega laughs.

INT. TED’S APARTMENT -

Ted’s on the phone. Bobby Vega has called.

BOBBY VEGA
Jimmy needs you to do him a favor.

TED
What’s up?

BOBBY VEGA
He needs you to drive a van from
the marina to storage.

TED
What’s the deal, Bobby?

BOBBY
Don’t ask what the deal is. He
needs a favor. He hears you’re a
good driver these days.

Ted pauses. His deal with Jimmy was always nothing illegal,
but Jimmy’s been good to him.

TED
You got it, Bobby. Where, when?

BOBBY
You gotta do it right now. The
guys’ll meet you at the shed.

EXT. THE SHED -

Bobby Vega, chief hood that hates Ted, meets him at the shed.
The van is right there. It reeks of marijuana smell. Ted
looks around and what he sees doesn’t feel right.

BOBBY
It’s about time. You got pussy
smell all over you.

TED
Cut the shit, just tell me where to
go.
 61.

BOBBY
Here’s the address, just get the
shit...the truck there as soon as
possible but don’t speed and don’t
break no traffic laws.

TED
Why can’t you drive it?

BOBBY
Jimmy needs a favor. Did you say
you’d do it? Don’t ask so many
questions. Just drive the fuckin’
truck to the fuckin’ garage and
then go and fuck your old lady.

Ted holds back taking Bobby out.

EXT. STREET -

The truck moves slowly past the gate and Bobby closes the
gate. Bobby gives Ted an Italian salute as he leaves.

BOBBY
Motherfucker.

Ted drives slowly and carefully through the streets but sees
a car following him.

Then flashing lights explode.

He is surrounded by a series of police cruisers. Cops

approach with guns drawn. Ted holds his license out of the
window.

COP 1
Get out of the vehicle.

TED
What’s the problem officer?

The cop slaps the license from Ted’s hand and tries to pull
open the door. It’s locked. The cop puts his gun into Ted’s
face.

COP 1
Open the fucking door, asshole!

Ted unlocks the door and the cop opens the door and tries to
drag Ted from the truck. Ted deftly hops down with his hands
in the air. Meanwhile the other cops have pried open the back
of the truck and see the grass. A roar goes up.
 62.

COP 2
Jackpot!

Cop 2 approaches Ted and recognizes him.

COP 2 (CONT'D)
Hey, that’s Teddy Power, Joe Hess’
boy.

COP 1
I don’t care who’s boy this is,
he’s goin’ down.

COP 2
Teddy, what’s goin’ down here?

TED
I’m just driving a truck for a
guy...

Cop 1 is finishing cuffing Ted and slams him against the

truck. Then he kicks Ted’s legs out from under him and Ted
slams into the ground.

COP 1
Just driving a truck? Just driving
a truck?

Cop 1 kicks Ted in the ribs several times until Cop 2 pulls
him away.

COP 2
Take it easy.

COP 1
Take it easy? We’ve been after
these cocksuckers for years.

COP 2
You don’t want to fuck this thing
up.

The cops manhandle Ted into the squad car. A couple others,
watching, muse aloud.

WATCHERS
Isn’t that Teddy, Hess’ guy?

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM -

Ted is sitting in a chair his arms and legs shackled. There

are two cops, Alex Louie and his partner, BRIAN. Good cop bad
cop, actually bad cop, good cop.
 63.

A supervisor is inspecting the situation. Alex is the cop

that Ted busted up in a class earlier.

Ted looks a mess, having been roughed up already.

SUPERVISOR
Why is this man tied down like
this?

ALEX
He’s a dangerous person, sir, a
martial artist. His hands and feet
are lethal weapons.

SUPERVISOR
...What about the bruises?

ALEX
Resisting arrest, sir.

The supervisor looks skeptical, but leaves the room.

BRIAN
Ted? Coffee? Looks like you could
use some coffee?

Ted nods, his eyes darting back from Alex to Brian. Brian
leaves the room. Alex is standing behind Ted.

ALEX
You’re going to have to tell me who
you’re working for.

TED
I told you, it’s just some guy
called to ask me...

Alex hits the back of Ted’s head violently.

ALEX
Some guy? Some fuckin’ guy?

TED
Yeah, Alex, some fuckin’ guy…

Alex whacks Ted again and again, in the ribs. Leaving no

visible marks.

TED (CONT'D)
Fuck you, Alex. I’m going to kick
your sorry ass, you fat fuck.

Alex is crazed and he makes a fist but holds back as Brian

walks in with some coffee.
 64.

Alex takes the coffee and loosens the lid, offering it to

Ted. As he holds it at Ted’s lips he spills the steaming
liquid onto Ted’s chin and crotch. Ted screams.

ALEX
Ah, Jesus...I am so sorry.

BRIAN
For Chrissakes, Alex...

ALEX
It was an accident. You didn’t put
the lid on right.

BRIAN
We better quit this thing right
now.

ALEX
No! This fucker knows! I’m going
to get it out of him...

TED
I told you guys that a guy hired me
to drive the truck...

ALEX
A guy, what guy?

TED
I think I want to speak to a lawyer
now. You guys are holding me for
what? I wasn’t speeding. I didn’t
go through a stop sign...

BRIAN
Actually, you’re right, Teddy. We
haven’t charged you with
anything...

The supervisor walks in and tells the guys to release Ted. A

lawyer has shown up with papers to release him. The guys
reluctantly undo the shackles and Alex flinches as Ted gets
up to get out of the room. Alex is nervous again.

INT. LAWYER’S OFFICES

Ted comes into the room tentatively. He sees Little Jimmy is

sitting there with a bunch of lawyers. Little Jimmy rises and
goes over to Ted and embraces him.
 65.

JIMMY
I’m sorry I got you into this but
don’t worry. These guys will get
you off. They’re the best money can
buy. They don’t have anything on
you. You were just driving a truck.
You didn’t know anything. You still
don’t know anything, got it?

TED
I trust you, Jimmy. You’ve been
good to me.

The slick, well-dressed lawyer STERLING SMITH speaks up.

STERLING
Jimmy’s right. I don’t think they
have anything substantial against
you. I’m representing Jimmy
personally in this matter and
you’ll be represented by Mr.
William Golden here.

They look at Golden. He’s a very young man, bookish and

slender. Jimmy pulls Sterling aside and they whisper.

JIMMY
He’s just a fuckin’ kid.

STERLING
He’s a fine attorney. Top of his
class, University of Michigan. I
promise you.

JIMMY
Ted’s special to me and I don’t
want any fuckups, hear?

STERLING
I understand completely. Have I
ever let you down?

JIMMY
We’ve never been through anything
like this big before.

STERLING
We can handle it.

JIMMY
You better. You know me. Fuck up
and there will be consequences.
 66.

STERLING
I’m completely aware of that.
We’ve taken good care of you in the
past and that will continue, but
what about Ted? Can we depend upon
him...

JIMMY
Ted doesn’t know anything. He was
doing me a favor. He’s the only one
I trust. I’m going to find out who
the rat is and you gotta help me.

STERLING
Will do.

Little Jimmy turns to Ted and Golden.

JIMMY
We got it figured. They ain’t really
got nothing on you, Ted. Sterling,
he was just doing me a favor.
What’s the bullshit, resisting
arrest? Bullshit.

INT. COURTROOM -

PROSECUTOR
So...this ‘guy’ asked you to drive
this truck.

TED
Yes, sir.

PROSECUTOR
Who was this...guy?

TED
He was a guy I knew.

PROSECUTOR
How did you know this guy?

TED
I don’t remember. I meet a lot of
people.

PROSECUTOR
How did ‘this guy’ get your number?

TED
The Yellow Pages.
 67.

PROSECUTOR
The Yellow Pages?

TED
Yes, sir.

PROSECUTOR
So ‘this guy’ got your number from
the Yellow Pages and asked you to
drive a truck filled with marijuana
and you accepted.

GOLDEN
Objection! My client has said he
didn’t know about the load.
Speculation.

JUDGE
Sustained.

PROSECUTOR
You’re telling me that you didn’t
know what the load was?

TED
No, sir.

PROSECUTOR
You couldn’t smell the truckload of
marijuana?

TED
No, sir.

PROSECUTOR
I find that hard to believe that
this truck is filled with bales of
marijuana and you can’t smell it.

TED
I have no idea what marijuana
smells like.

PROSECUTOR
You don’t know what marijuana
smells like?

TED
I’m training for a world
championship. I’m careful what I
put into my body. I don’t even
drink beer. I have no idea what
marijuana looks like, tastes like,
or smells like.
(MORE)
 68.

TED (CONT'D)
I was taught that there was a
reason they called it dope.

Courtroom LAUGHS.

The prosecutor and lawyer are at the bench as the judge

admonishes them.

JUDGE
I don’t have to tell you that this
case is a legal joke. The police
acted in an inappropriate manner
and the defendant’s civil rights
were abused. On the other hand,
there is no way his story has any
credibility. He’s guilty, but there
is a constitution that I have to
uphold. I’m going to dismiss this
case, but if there is any hint of
impropriety in the future, he’s
going down, do you get that
counselor?

GOLDEN
Yes, your honor.

PROSECUTOR
...But your honor...

JUDGE
You made a joke out of this case.
You wasted the court’s time and
denied the conviction of an
important criminal element. You’ve
done a great deal of harm to the
community. You’re not such a smart
guy. You think you are a smart guy
but there is a law and you and the
police force went outside the law
and now this guy is going free.
I’ll see you in my chambers after
this. Case dismissed!

EXT. COURTROOM -

As Ted moves toward the elevators, Alex Louie approaches him.

ALEX
You got out of that one,
cocksucker, but that was all
bullshit. You’re goin’ down. I’m
goin’ to haunt your ass...
 69.

The detective with Alex grabs him and pulls him away. Ted
says nothing.

ALEX (CONT'D)
(Shouting from afar)
I’m gonna get you, motherfucker!

INT. DA’S OFFICE -

The DA is speaking with the CHIEF OF POLICE. They have

glasses of liquor in front of them.

DA
How could you let this slip away?
We’ve been chasing Smalls for four
years.

CHIEF
Five...

DA
Five years and you screw the first
opportunity...

CHIEF
The guys were excited.

DA
The guys were excited? How do you
explain seven squad and detective
cars pulling this guy over without
cause? Were they all excited?
Couldn’t you make this somewhat
convincing? Were you there?

CHIEF
I was not there. Had I been there
it would have been handled
differently.

DA
This will set back our program for
a couple of years. We’ll still get
this Little Jimmy Cortese
character. I’m going to get this
smart ass Ted character, too.

CHIEF
Yes.

DA
You have something for me?
 70.

The Chief reaches into his briefcase and pulls out a glassine
envelope and slides it across the desk to the DA. The DA
quickly puts into his briefcase and wipes the desk. Looking
at it sideways to make sure there is no residue.

DA (CONT'D)
Where did you get that, exactly?

CHIEF
It’s contraband.

DA
Evidence?

CHIEF
Call it whatever you like. That
there stuff is the wave of the
future.

The DA looks a little puzzled.

CHIEF (CONT'D)
The profits there are madness and
it’s harder to track. Instead of
boatloads you’ll get suitcases.
Guys like Little Jimmy are small
potatoes compared to what’s going
to come. It’s gonna take the army,
navy, marines and couple of a bombs
to stop what’s coming. I’ve seen the
future and it ain’t pretty. Enjoy
it while you can. We shoulda bombed
the shit outta Castro while we had
the chance. Enjoy it while you
can...by the way, be careful. That
shit is pure.

The DA reaches over to pour a little more Scotch. The Chief

holds his hand up.

CHIEF (CONT'D)
I’m good.

DA
Who was your contact?

CHIEF
A guy named Patrick Melitta. He and
Alex Louie, our guy, have been
dealing with this for a little
while. It was our first real break.
It was a revenge thing with the
Little Jimmy Smalls guy.
 71.

DA
Revenge? Against who?

CHIEF
Against a new guy. Jealousy.

DA
Who was the new guy?

CHIEF
Ted Power, the guy that you just
let go.

DA
Be careful, here...

CHIEF
Sorry.

DA
This Little Jimmy Smalls character
has a smuggling fleet the size of a
small country’s navy. It cannot be
that hard to get something on him
again. The trouble is that he has
control of the entire county legal
department. Be more careful.

As the Chief is leaving, the very attractive Assistant

District Attorney enters. The Chief leaves and she removes
her jacket. The DA reaches for his briefcase.

The Assistant DA, moving subtly to some inner music she’s

hearing, unbuttons her shirt, then turns to the DA, showing a
sexy, red bra.

DA (CONT'D)
Nice.

The DA removes a glassine packet from his briefcase.

ASSISTANT DA
Party time.

INT. CIA OFFICE -

BOSS
What’s happening with the little
guy...Miami?

MINION
You mean Little Jimmy...
 72.

BOSS
Yes, that guy.

MINION
Well, we got to him...I mean
we...infiltrated...

BOSS
Watch out for the big words and get
to the point.

MINION
We fucked up.

BOSS
That’s better. How?

MINION
We busted one guy on a shipment,
but that didn’t work out so well.

BOSS
Why?

MINION
Fact is, we used too many
resources.

BOSS
You told me we were understaffed
down there.

MINION
We are but the locals got so
excitesd in our interest
that...they...

BOSS
That they what?

MINION
They used twenty-seven cars
intercepting a load of marijuana.

BOSS
Twenty-seven cars? That’s
ridiculous.

MINION
That’s what the judge said when he
threw the case out of court.
 73.

BOSS
Makes sense. I guess things down
there are worse than I expected.

MINION
Worse. Part of the problem is that
many of the cops are Cuban
descent...and the word got out that
this thing might be Castro
related...

BOSS
So?

MINION
They weren’t assigned to this
detail, but they all came anyway.
They left most of Miami
unprotected. Twenty-seven cars...

BOSS
I guess only losers left
Cuba...sorry...I just blurted that
out.

MINION
There’s another problem.

BOSS
What’s that?

MINION
Cocaine. There’s a shift coming
from grass to coke.

BOSS
Why is that a problem?

MINION
Our ‘Little Jimmy’ contact is grass
only at this point. The cocaine is
coming from another source and
we...don’t really have any idea
from where.

BOSS
Fuck.

MINION
That’s what I say.

BOSS
Where are we then?
 74.

MINION
Where are we?
(long pause)
Actually...nowhere.

BOSS
Fuck!

EXT. OUT ON THE OCEAN - NIGHT

Little Jimmy is driving his boat out in the middle of the

ocean. It’s a full moon night.

BOBBY VEGA and BILLY HARRIS are bound and gagged (with tape)
in the cabin. Little Jimmy and SCOTT ERICSON are sitting
there watching them. Scott Ericson is seasick, barely able to
hold in his lunch.

JIMMY
Bring them out here, I want to talk
to them.

The boat stops and Scott drags Bobby and Billy out onto the
deck.

The two men struggle against their restraints, their screams

muffled by the gags in their mouths.

JIMMY (CONT'D)
Billy. Bobby. I ain’t gonna shoot
you, guys.

The two men relax for a moment. Their breathing steadies.

JIMMY (CONT'D)
I don’t wanna put holes in the
boat...and I don’t wanna clean up
any fucking blood.

Jimmy turns to Scott.

JIMMY (CONT'D)
How deep is the water here?

SCOTT
How the fuck should I know?

JIMMY
You gotta know these things.

Scott looks over the side.

 75.

SCOTT
It looks pretty deep. I can’t see
the bottom.

JIMMY
It’s fucking dark. How can you see
anything? Just go fucking do it.

Scott is leaning over the side losing his lunch, dinner,

whatever.

SCOTT
What we said we were going to do.
Fuck.

JIMMY
Oh. Yeah.

Little Jimmy starts dragging some chains over to the two guys
and locks the chains and some improvised weights to their
legs.

JIMMY (CONT'D)
(to Scott)
Take the tape off their mouths.

SCOTT
Why?

JIMMY
Because if you don’t take the tape
off they can’t drown.

SCOTT
That don’t make no sense, Jimmy.

JIMMY
You have to have water in your
lungs to drown. If you have tape
over your mouth, you can’t get
water into the lungs, ergo…you
can’t drown.

SCOTT
I never thought of that. That makes
sense.

The two guys squirm violently.

Scott rips the tape off of Bobby’s mouth.

BOBBY VEGA
Jimmy wait!
 76.

Scott whacks Bobby Vega with his gun and blood spurts all
over the deck.

JIMMY
I told you no blood. Now we have to
clean all that shit up. TOSS THEM
OVER!

The two bodies fall into the ocean and are dragged to the
bottom quickly, bubbles float to the surface.

Little Jimmy stares at the bubbles until they are gone.

INT. BEAUTY PARLOR -

Little JIMMY is speaking with Scott.

JIMMY
I’m glad we got rid of those punks.
They brought down all this heat on
me. What the fuck were they
thinking, Scott?

SCOTT
I don’t have a clue, boss. I just
know they tipped off that cop, the
one that has it in for Ted.

JIMMY
I love that kid. I know you don’t
like him, but he’s a good kid.

SCOTT
I do not share your enthusiasm.

JIMMY
I know you don’t but you’re just
jealous. The kid has everything,
looks, strength, he can handle
himself, plus he don’t know shit. I
kept him safe, therefore we’re
safe.

SCOTT
Safe ain’t everything.

INT. JOE HESS’ GYM - DAY

ALEX LOUIE and his partner, BEN SMITH, are talking to Joe
Hess.
 77.

ALEX
I know your boy’s guilty. He just
got off on a technicality. I have
to ask you, what do you know about
this?

JOE HESS
I don’t know anything, Alex.

ALEX
Fuck you don’t. You know everything
about him.

JOE HESS
Fuck you, Alex. You’re still pissed
that he busted you up --

BEN SMITH
(interrupting)
Sensei. This is getting out of
hand. Alex is just trying to do his
job.

JOE HESS
Then tell him to go out and arrest
some speeders. Ted got off! He’s
innocent! Leave him the fuck alone.

ALEX
He got off on a technicality...and
he’s going down...and you’re going
down with him, fucker!

HESS
You better get the fuck out of here
Alex. If you think Ted busted you
up, just see what I got for you.
You got some charges against me,
bring ’em on. If not,
get...the...fuck...out.

BEN
Calm down, Sensei. Calm down. We
were just trying to get some
information.

HESS
Ben, you and Ted were black belts
together. He was in your wedding.
You know what a guy he is. The
courts found him innocent.
 78.

ALEX
They didn’t find him anything. They
just threw the shit out. The
fucker’s guilty and I’m gonna get
his ass.

HESS
The both of you get the fuck out.
You got nothing and I don’t have
anything for you.
(to Alex)
You’re just a fat-assed punk, Alex.
You got an agenda and you can’t
make it work. Get the fuck out, the
both of you!

INT. DINER - DAY

JOE HESS and Ted are having coffee.

JOE HESS
That asshole Alex is after you.

TED
I’m out. They didn’t have anything
against me.

JOE HESS
Be real, you’re out on a
technicality. They screwed up when
they arrested you. They’re coming
down hard on Little Jimmy, your
best buddy, remember? They’re going
to still come after you. I don’t
know what you did, or if you did
it, but it’s fishy. The only part
of you I know is the good part.
What you and I have done together.
That’s how I know you and that’s
the person I care for. Just look out
for that little prick. Stay cool.

TED
I will.

JOE HESS
You need some work. Let’s go to the
gym.

INT. ALEX’S CAR - NIGHT

Alex and his partner are cruising.

 79.

ALEX
They let the fucker off.

COP
Why did they do that?

ALEX
Technical bullshit. The judge is
what they call…a Consti- consti-

COP
Constitutionalist.

ALEX
Yeah. He said we violated the
fucker’s rights to search and
seizure. There was a lot of
bullshit about...fruit from the
poisonous tree.

COP
Poisonous tree?

ALEX
He said that the evidence was
gotten from a poisonous tree and
therefore was poisonous as well and
not admissible.

COP
Is the guy nuts?

ALEX
Seriously nuts, but he let the
fucker go and reamed the chief.

COP
Yeah, we all heard about that.

ALEX
Let’s get some pussy.

COP
You go. I’ll watch.

ALEX
Watch?

COP
Not you, the car.

ALEX
What’s wrong with you?
 80.

COP
I’m a married man. I get what I
need at home.

ALEX
Variety is the spice of life.

COP
I don’t need no more spices.

A little time goes by. Alex is snorting coke.

COP (CONT'D)
You should take it easy.

ALEX
I’m fine. Fine.

They approach the hookers.

COP
You gotta start becoming more
careful. Your shit’s been taking
longer and longer.

ALEX
Don’t worry. You worry too much. I
can handle myself.

COP
I know you can handle yourself. I
know that.

ALEX
Look at this. How can you turn this
down?

COP
Just hurry up. I’ll get a sandwich.

ALEX
You want a hit?

COP
C’mon Alex. You know I don’t play
that shit.

ALEX
You have no idea what you’re
missing.
 81.

COP
Alex. Ever since that shit hit
town, things have been fucking up
big time. Bad things are gonna
happen.

ALEX
Well, maybe, but some good things
are gonna happen.

They pull up to the group of hookers.

EXT. MIAMI STREET - NIGHT

Miami street. Alex is talking with a BOSS HOOKER. He hands

her a package and she passes him some folded over bills.

ALEX
Here’s some new shit. Enjoy. How’s
business?

BOSS
Could be better. Some Cuban girls
are giving shit away.

Alex hands some bills to his partner. Other girls are

smokinng and bullshitting nearby.

ALEX
What about the Germans?

BOSS
They love it here. They believe
once you go black you don’t go
back, but they are some sick
motherfuckers.

ALEX
Yeah. We pick them up from time to
time, but the guv doesn’t want to
make a big deal over their shit.
They don’t want to fuck up tourism.
I know you don’t want to hear this,
but Lufthansa had to add some
flights since the Cuban girls
showed up.

BOSS
Yeah, well fuck that. I hate those
whiney Cuban bitches.
 82.

ALEX
Who’s that new girl? That skinny
one.

BOSS
She’s not for you.

ALEX
What do you mean...not for me?
She’s hot. Bring that bitch over
here.

BOSS
C’mon Alex...

ALEX
Bring the bitch...

BOSS
Okay, okay, okay...

Alex is speaking to the NEW GIRL.

ALEX
Wher’re you from, darlin?

NEW GIRL
I’m from Harlem.

ALEX
What are you doing way down here?

NEW GIRL
I got tired of freezing my ass off.

ALEX
Did Rowena tell you how we do
things around here?

EXT. MOTEL - NIGHT

The police cruiser is parked outside a sleazy Motel. Alex’s

partner, ESTEBAN, is across the parking lot, eatinng a
sandwhich at a Cuban fast food place. There is a distant
gunshot and Esteban looks around not knowing where it came
from.

He walks toward the cruiser, wiping grease from his mouth. He

just throws the paper towel on the ground and reaches innto
the cruiser to pick up his radio. Nothing. He puts the radio
back and wanders over to the motel.
 83.

INT. MOTEL - NIGHT

Alex is slapping the hooker around. He punches her out and

she falls over the bed into a corner. Alex staggers into the
bathroom and starts to throw up into the toilet.

The hooker picks up Alex’s pistol from the floor, steps

behind him, and shoots him in the back of his head. Alex’s
head falls into the toilet and the commode fills with his
blood. The hooker just disappears.

EXT. MIAMI STREET - NIGHT

Officers are questioning the Boss Hooker.

COP
We know...that is we think we
know...that one of your girls did
this.

BOSS
Did what?

COP
Killed Alex...shot him.

BOSS
Who told you that?

COP
His partner.

BOSS
Where’s he?

COP
He’s in deep shit...but that’s not
the point.

BOSS
What is the point?

COP
Look, let’s not be stupid here. The
prostitution thing is bad, but the
drug thing is worse.

BOSS
Drug thing?
 84.

COP
Look, I don’t wanna do this.
I...we...have to get the
perpetrator and you can help us…and
I know you know you can help us.

BOSS
You know? What do you know?

COP
Look his partner filled us in. He
had to. The circumstances were too
obvious to hide anything…and he
said…that he was in there with one
of your girls.

BOSS
They’re not ‘my girls.’ We just
hang out together. Help each other
a little bit.

COP
Cut the bullshit! Who was he there
with?

BOSS
How would I know?

COP
Look, his partner gave you up. He
was told that you guys made a deal
and that Alex wanted to try a new
girl.

BOSS
Then why don’t you get him to tell
you?

COP
Because he lawyered up and we can’t
really bust his ass. He did tell
me before the shit hit the fan that
it was a new girl.

BOSS
We don’t have any new girls.

COP
Why would he tell us that?

BOSS
Because he’s an even dumber fuck
than fat Alex.
 85.

COP
I don’t get it.

BOSS
The girl was a tranny.

COP
How..what...

BOSS
The fucker was insistent. I tried
to tell him but you could never
tell that fucker anything.

COP
What happened?

BOSS
I don’t know what happend, she
disappeared.

COP
What do you think happened?

BOSS
Do the math. He was fucked up on
coke. Didn’t his partner tell you
that?

COP
Nothing. That’s why I’m...we’re
here.

BOSS
Your fat friend gets in there ready
for fun but the fun that’s there
for him ain’t the kinda fun he
wants, so he loses it.

COP
Tranny?

BOSS
Gone.

COP
That’s embarrassing…and you don’t
know where she went. She…is that
the right term?

BOSS
How the fuck should I know? Tranny
works.
 86.

COP
...and you don’t have any idea
where...she…went?

BOSS
Look, I’d help you if I could. She
was here for a few days…from New
York…and we haven’t seen her
since…the event.

COP
Why do I believe you?

BOSS
Because we’ve always had a
relationship with you guys. You
have more important things to do
than chase us around. This...event
makes it tough for us. As much as
I hated that fucker, I feel sorry
for him and the tranny fucked
everything up for us as well.

INT. MIAMI - FBI FIELD OFFICE -

A CIA agent and FBI agent discuss Alex.

FBI AGENT
What’s the story I’m hearing about
the arresting officer?

CIA AGENT
What story? There are a lotta
stories. The Alex guy?

FBI AGENT
The story about his...death.

CIA AGENT
This off the record?

FBI AGENT
Why?

CIA AGENT
Because we still need cooperation
from the cops.

FBI AGENT
The police.
 87.

CIA AGENT
The police, the cops, the fuzz.
Whatever.

FBI AGENT
Just tell me.

CIA AGENT
The guy was just a bad guy. Word
is...that he picked up a tranny and
didn’t know it.

FBI AGENT
...and?

CIA AGENT
...and...when he found out he
started to beat her.

FBI AGENT
Her?

CIA AGENT
Her, him, it, whatever...anyway
the...person...shot him.

FBI AGENT
Poetic justice.

CIA AGENT
It wouldn’t be so ‘poetic’ if you
saw the pictures.

FBI AGENT
Just tell me.

CIA AGENT
He was naked. Face down in a toilet
bowl filled with his blood.

FBI AGENT
Explain.

CIA AGENT
He was puking in the toilet when he
was shot in the back of the head.

FBI AGENT
Drugs?

CIA AGENT
Coke.
 88.

FBI AGENT
He was a user?

CIA AGENT
Serious.

INT. DINER -

Two officers sit a table, drinking coffee.

COP 1
Like I said, he’s fucked. He’s not
admitting to anything. He’s hiding
behind his rep. The funniest thing
though...and I kinda hate to tell
you, but you’ll hear it
eventually…is that whoever did the
act...shoved the gun up his ass.

COP 2
What?

COP 1
The funny thing was that it was
cocked so they had to extract it
very carefully.

COP 2
That must have been really painful.

COP 2 (CONT'D)
You’re not thinking straight.
He was dead by then. It appears to
be a symbolic gesture of some sort.

COP 2 (CONT'D)
Up his ass...could it be some kind
of gay thing.

COP 1
Could be, but it’s not our thing
right now. By the way, the amount
of coke in his system was off the
charts.

COP 2
So?

COP 1
You’re not thinking straight. It
was more than a normal person would
have access to.
 89.

COP 2
What are you saying?

COP 1
What I’m saying is that they aren’t
talking about a bigger picture
here. The DEA is all over our ass.
Alex had excessive amounts of
material in him. His partner’s
Cuban and ain’t talking.

COP 2
So what are you saying?

COP 1
What I’m saying is that there’s a
shitstorm coming.

INT. JOE HESS' GYM -

Hess and the cops have just finished a workout and are
discussing Alex’s murder.

JOE HESS
I guess Alex had the key to the
evidence locker.

COP 1
C’mon, Joe, Alex was a good guy.

JOE HESS
Yeah, he was a real credit to the
force.

COP 2
That’s not fair...

JOE HESS
The guy was too stupid to change
the evidence bag. At least he
coulda died with some dignity.

COP 1
He wasn’t exactly the dignified
type.

JOE HESS
He was a slob.

The other cops start to defend Alex but Hess keeps going.
 90.

JOE HESS (CONT'D)

He was a slob in every way and he
proved that. I saw the crime scene
photos and they were pitiful, his
hairy back and his head stuck in
there. The funny thing is the
bullet didn’t crack the toilet.
You’d think that it would go right
through his head and smash the
fucker but it didn’t.

COP 1
I never thought of that. Maybe his
skull bone was thicker than we
thought.

COP 3
Did the bullet go through his
skull?

COP 1
It’s not clear whether it did or
not but what does it matter?

COP 2
He was a hard head.

COP 3
Hard ass.

HESS
Did they find the hooker?

COP 1
How did they know it was a hooker?

COP 2
Alex was a regular there, but a
different hooker every time. We
questioned the manager but he said
they were all so made up he didn’t
even know whether they were girls
or guys. One had a deep voice,
once, but still...

JOE HESS
Alex couldn’t tell the difference
anyway.

COP 1
That’s not fair.
 91.

JOE HESS
You already said that. Did they
find the hooker?

COP 1
Still looking but there was some
other blood in the motel room that
wasn’t his. Maybe he busted her up.

COP 2
Him?

COP 1
I don’t think Alex played that
shit.

COP 3
The he is a she is a...

JOE HESS
Lou Reed said it better...so you
guys are looking for a busted up
hooker.

COP 2
Not us, that’s detective work.

JOE HESS
What do you do, just drive around
looking at hookers?

COP 1
C’mon, Joe, this is some serious
shit going on here.

JOE HESS
You shoulda called the emergency
rooms asking if they admitted any
busted up hookers. Maybe he was a
fag. Do you guys know if he was a
fag? Like we said, looking for a
busted up hooker might be the wrong
way to go. You guys used to get
dressed with him. Did he ever touch
any of you?

COP 2
Are you losing your fucking mind?

JOE HESS
Alex always looked uncomfortable
with you guys.
(MORE)
 92.

JOE HESS (CONT'D)

I thought it was because he
was...well...to be
kind...unathletic. But I’ll bet he
was a fag.

COP 1
The room smelled like
perfume...Evening in Paris...a
whore’s perfume.

JOE HESS
Now we’re getting somewhere. When
you guys drive around be sure to
keep your windows open to smell for
that shit.

COPS
(overlapping each other)
You’re nuts. That’s fucked up...no
respect. The poor guy...

JOE HESS
The guy was a fucking criminal and
he set your program back a ton.
The press loves this shit. I teach
an honest craft...a skill. Honor is
a key component. Truth. The guy
proved to be a scumbag. He didn’t
like it here and now we know why.
If you guys don’t understand this,
don’t come here anymore. I don’t
want you here. I want to teach men
of honor, not a self- protecting
and self-serving fringe element.
I’m going to my office now. If any
of you want to come and try to kick
my ass, just knock.

INT. DARK, SOMEWHERE -

The tranny is sitting there, just talking.

TRANNY
I got in the car and I wasn’t
talking. All I knew was that he was
an important cop.

VOICE
What did you do?
 93.

TRANNY
What could I do? I’m in the back
seat of a police car. It felt
weird.

VOICE
Then what?

TRANNY
We got to this shitty motel and the
Alex cop went to the office and
came out with a room key. His
partner stayed in the car while we
went in. He immediately started
snorting coke off a counter and got
undressed.

VOICE
Did he offer you any?

TRANNY
I declined.

VOICE
Did that upset him?

TRANNY
No. He laughed and said more for
me.

VOICE
Pig.

TRANNY
I don’t indulge anyway.

VOICE
Really?

TRANNY
Really.

VOICE
How do you cope?

TRANNY
I just do. I do what I have to do
and have fun. I don’t need
any...any...stimulants. Anyway, he
was snorting, undressing, and
losing control. I think he pissed
his pants.
 94.

VOICE
Funny.

TRANNY
Then he wanted me to undress. I
refused and asked him...what...what
he preferred. What he wanted me to
do. He just grabbed my crotch…and
he lost it. He...was...a big boy
and he started pounding me and
screaming. I fell between the bed
and the wall and he couldn’t get at
me. Then he staggered around and
waddled over to the bathroom. He
was starting to puke. I felt my
nose and I thought that he had
broken it. When I felt the blood, I
lost it. I grabbed his weapon...

VOICE
Weapon?

TRANNY
His gun. I saw his fat ass sticking
out...his head in the
toilet...and...and I couldn’t
resist.

VOICE
Well?

TRANNY
I executed him. One shot. In the
back of the head and his head went
into the john and his blood mixed
with his vomit. Disgusting. Then I
saw his hairy ass sticking in the
air.

VOICE
Disgusting...

TRANNY
You have no idea...anyway...I
shoved the pistol up his ass and
cocked it. I wish I had one of
those little cameras.

VOICE
What about his...partner?

TRANNY
I looked out the window and he was
stuffing his face across the way.
(MORE)
 95.

TRANNY (CONT'D)
He was looking around, I guess he
heard the shot but couldn’t figure
out where it was coming from. He
walked over toward the motel, but I
just left and went out the back
way.

VOICE
(laughing)
Then you’re a cold-blooded killer.

TRANNY
The fucker deserved it.

INT. OFFICE - WASHINGTON

A meeting. IRS, DEA, FBI, CIA AND A FEDERAL PROSECUTER ARE

THERE.

FEDERAL PROSECUTER
Our fearless leader has come down
on me pretty hard, so I’m going to
pass on some of the pain. This so
called miraculous drug bust wasn’t
so successful...

CIA AGENT
The locals screwed up.

FEDERAL PROSECUTER
The locals...This was an assignment
that we have worked on for over a
year. How could you lose control?

FBI AGENT
That’s their modus operandi...

CIA AGENT
...just Keep out of this.

FBI AGENT
Where was DEA during all this?

DEA AGENT
We were all over this until the
White House interfered. They sent
CIA to take over...

CIA AGENT
...nnot take over. Supervise. You
guys weren’t getting anywhere...
 96.

DEA AGENT
You guys don’t have such a great
track record...

FEDERAL PROSECUTER
Stop this...The White House wants
us to revisit the scene...

CIA AGENT
What scene?

FEDERAL PROSECUTER
What about the guy that was
arrested?

FBI AGENT
The judge thre that out. Misdeeds.

CIA AGENT
What misdeeds?

FBI AGENT
The bozos you used broke every
procedual law. The judge can’t
prosecture.

CIA AGENT
That was just a local screwup. The
guy that set it up screwed up.

DEA AGENT
He was a reliable informant. You
didn’t deal with it properly.

CIA AGENT
Reliable? He was a drugged out
cop.

DEA AGENT
He has access to everything. You
guys just screwed the setup.

CIA AGENT
The reason the White House sent us
was because you guys weren’t doing
your job...

DEA AGENT
The reason the White House sent us
was because of his old lady and her
‘just say no’ bullshit.
 97.

FEDERAL PROSECUTER
Stop all this nonsense. Let’s go
get on with this. The reason you
are all here is...

FBI AGENT
...to take news away from Panama.

CIA AGENT
That’s a bunch of crap...

FEDERAL PROSECUTER
Stop it!

FBI AGENT
Stop what? You have no authority
here. We’re here to do you a favor.
You’re just kissing ass...

FEDERAL PROSECUTER
That’s not fair.

DEA AGENT
All’s fair in love and war.

CIA AGENT
Yeah. You’re fucking funny. If you
knew what you were doing we all
wouldn’t be here.

FEDERAL PROSECUTER
Calm down. Like it or not, we’re
here and we have a job of work.

IRS
Job of work? Where have I heard
that...

CIA AGENT
Why are you here?

IRS
I have no idea. I guess the White
House just throws everything at the
problem.

FBI AGENT
Do we have to feed you?

IRS
I brought my own lunch.
 98.

FEDERAL PROSECUTER
Look, we’re here and we have to get
something donw and I’m the guy that
has to report, so just, just try to
contribute something, anything that
looks good, please!

IRS guy raises his hand.

FEDERAL PROSECUTER (CONT'D)

Yes?

IRS
Can I go to the bathroom?

INT. PRISON SHOWER - DAY

Water is running down Ted’s face in the shower. A couple of

big black guys approach Ted wanting to make him their bitch.
He wastes them quickly, in a particularly brutal manner. He
leaves the shower with them both bleeding on the floor.

INT. PRISON MESS - DAY

PRISONER 1
From what I hear there were several
guys that have to have done it. It
could not have been the work of
only one person.

PRISONER 2
The two niggers were studs. The
‘Nazi’s’ finest.

PRISONER 1
His finest no more.

PRISONER 2
It’s been peaceful around here.

PRISONER 1
...until now.

PRISONER 2
All kinds of shit is going to come
down now.

PRISONER 1
All kinds of shit.
 99.

PRISONER 2
Like this shit we’re eating. Is it
true that it’s full of chemicals to
keep us harmless?

PRISONER 1
Of course. We’re just a bunch of
guinea pigs. Lab animals. Like the
niggers they put syphilis into
during the war.

PRISONER 2
They did that?

PRISONER 1
Yeah and it worked. You don’t see
anyone getting the syph do you, the
clap, all the time, but never the
syph.

PRISONER 2
You know, I think you’re right.
Well niggers are good for
something.

INT. PRISON - DAY

Bigman is talking to Ted.

BIGMAN
You didn’t do me any favors with
that shower crap.

TED
I’m not here to do you any favors.

BIGMAN
I’ve been tellin’ you to get smart.
We can make a lotta dough. No one
knows you’re a major kickboxer, but
another episode like the shower
shit and it’s all gonna go down the
drain, so to speak. I know you can
kick the German’s ass...

TED
I don’t think I’m interested. I’m
not looking for trouble.
 100.

BIGMAN
It’s not trouble. It’s a deal.
Little Jimmy told me you were a
smart guy…to look after you. Help
you. I’m trying to help you.

TED
...Little Jimmy?

BIGMAN
We know each other for a long time.
We still do business together.
Look, you can’t survive here alone.
Nobody’s that tough. I’m the only
friend you got here. Make the deal!

INT. GOVERNMENT OFFICE - DAY

A crappy government office somewhere. Maybe in Florida. You

could see some leftoever palm trees from Full Metal Jacket
out the window.

CIA AGENT
There was this...issue of two black
guys being beaten in the shower.
Beaten badly.

FBI AGENT
Sex?

CIA AGENT
Sex gone wrong.

FBI AGENT
Probably. You questioned the Ted
character but the issue was never
really resolved.

CIA AGENT
Never?

FBI AGENT
Never. The black guys were
interviewed but they said it was
accidental. They slipped.

CIA AGENT
They were probably embarassed to
asmit they were trashed by a lone
white man.
 101.

FBI AGENT
Did you question this ‘Ted’
character?

CIA AGENT
Yeah. Same thing. Denial. He had no
marks, scratches, bruises. Nothing
like that. It became another
unimportant prison incident.

FBI AGENT
It’s not another unimportant prison
incident! That’s the way you guys
think. You’re sloppy. Careless...

CIA AGENT
Why are you going off like this?

FBI AGENT
Because you just don’t get it. The
president is all over us. His old
lady is on our ass. ‘Just say no to
drugs!’

News clip Nancy Reagan saying ‘JUST SAY NO.’ Maybe Ron is
there as well.

CIA AGENT
So you’re saying this beating was
drug related?

FBI AGENT
I’m not saying anything. It’s for
you guys to know. You’re not
getting it done. That’s why they
stuck me with this shit job. To
make up for you fuckups!

CIA AGENT
Fuckups...?

FBI AGENT
Yeah, fuckups. Didn’t they brief
you on what’s going on?

CIA AGENT
What’s going on?

FBI AGENT
Bigman is one of the biggest drug
operatives in the state, maybe even
in the country. His Neo-Nazis are
major dealers.
(MORE)
 102.

FBI AGENT (CONT'D)

We can’t crack, I mean you can’t
crack the methodology and that’s
why we’re involved. You guys, the
DEA, everyone is ineffective, but
what’s new with that?

CIA AGENT
You know you’re full of shit...

FBI AGENT
No. You’re full of shit. You guys
could fuck up a one car funeral.
You been a wreck from the
beginning. Hoover was right. We
never need you and now you’re
proving it.

CIA AGENT
Hoover? That fag?

Hoover looking stern.

FBI AGENT
That...’fag’...held every president
hostage. He knew how to get the
goods, something you guys can’t do.

CIA AGENT
What do you mean, can’t do...

FBI AGENT
What the fuck can you do? How many
times have you tried to kill
Castro? You need a calculator, but
fuck this bullshit. The problem is
simple, there’s a war brewing
between the blacks and Nazis. A war
right under your nose. If the
blacks take over we are fucked. I
am fucked and I don’t like to be
fucked… in that way. I certainly
don’t want to be fucked by you and
your other stooges so get off your
chump ass and be part of the
program. There’s something going on
here.

CIA AGENT
I’m not very happy with the way
you’re treating me.

FBI AGENT
By the way, what did you ever do
with Marilyn’s diary?
 103.

CIA AGENT
Marilyn?

FBI AGENT
Monroe. Word is that you guys
copped it from her bedroom.

CIA AGENT
Why would we do that?

FBI AGENT
It was supposed to contain
salacious material.

CIA AGENT
That’s more of your bullshit.

FBI AGENT
Then why did you guys hide the
diary?

CIA AGENT
That’s bullshit FBI gossip.

FBI AGENT
Word has it that there ws some fine
shit in there about JFK, RFK, and a
few others...

CIA AGENT
JFK was a fine man.

FBI AGENT
Who loved good pussy...

CIA AGENT
She did look good when she sang
‘Happy Birthday...’

Marilyn sings Happy Birthday.

FBI AGENT
How did she get into that dress?

CIA AGENT
I heard they had to sew her in
before the event.

FBI AGENT
Was his old lady there?

CIA AGENT
Not that I remember. I’d have to
see the newsreel again.
 104.

FBI AGENT
Was is in the diary?

CIA AGENT
Stop with that bullshit.

INT. PRISON - DAY

The Nazi approaches TED and taunts him about the shower
incident.

THE NAZI
You think you’re a badass? Huh,
punk?

Ted doesn’t even look at him.

THE NAZI (CONT'D)

Used that martial arts shit,
motherfucker. Faggot.

Ted still ignores him.

THE NAZI (CONT'D)

Nobody beats up my boys.

Bigman eyes Ted. Ted is silent and cool.

THE NAZI (CONT'D)

First chance I get, I’m gonna bust
you up. Then I’m gonna fuck you.
Then I’m gonna fuck your momma. I’m
gonna fuck her right in the ass.

INT. PRISON - DAY

Ted looks up at the Nazi.

The Nazi smiles, then walks away. Ted looks at him, silently,
then turns to Bigman.

TED
Make the deal.

INT. PRISON - THE BIG FIGHT

The Big Fight begins. The makeshift ring is surrounded by the

other prisoners, segregated as usual. Guards are stationed at
appropriate distances. There is a referee prisoner that gives
instructions.
 105.

The NAZI is huge compared to Ted and it looks like no

contest. As the fight starts, the Nazi takes a few short
punches at Ted that Ted deftly and quickly deflects. Ted
dances gracefully as the Nazi plods after him. The Nazi is
sweating, sweating, and sweating. Ted’s avoiding the punches
makes the Nazi’s arms seem short.

The crowd noise is insane.

In the center of the ring, Ted suddenly throws a roundhouse

kick at the Nazi, catches him behind the ear, and the Nazi
goes down hard and out. The referee bends over to check the
Nazi and a medic enters the ring to attend to the Nazi while
the referee holds up Ted’s hand.

Bigman has a smug smile as he looks around.

The crowd is abuzz and a few try to raise Ted on their

shoulders awkwardly. The Black guys are aghast.

EXT. PRISON YARD - DAY

The day after the fight Ted and Bigman are sitting in the
prison yard.

TED
When do I get mine?

BIGMAN
Your what?

TED
You made a killing on the fight.
Forty, fifty grand. Maybe more.

BIGMAN
You shoulda bet.

TED
Are you telling me --

BIGMAN
(cutting him off)
You shoulda bet. You’ll have a
little extra bacon for
breakfast...and listen. Don’t fuck
with me. This is my place. I run
this place. You fuck with me and
there will be consequences.
Capisce?

Ted stares at Bigman, then slowly gets up and walks toward

the off limits black gang across the way.
 106.

The black prisoners look at him warily but as Ted approaches,

Nazi rises and greets him. Bigman just stares.

EXT. PRISON YARD - ANOTHER DAY

Ted and the Nazi are sitting in the prison yard after their
‘match.’

THE NAZI
Never thought it could happen.

TED
What’s that.

THE NAZI
That someone could kick my ass so
easy.

TED
I caught you. You didn’t expect it.

THE NAZI
All my life I thought being
strong...was being strong.

TED
There’s different kinds of strong.
Why you call yourself ‘Nazi?’

THE NAZI
Because of those motherfuckers over
there. It pisses them off. That’s
why that Bigman motherfucker used
you. How did he know what you got?

TED
He knows Little Jimmy out there.

THE NAZI
They’re dealing together.

TED
Dealing? From here?

THE NAZI
Yeah.

TED
How?
 107.

THE NAZI
Organization. They got all kinds of
shit out there helping, Motorcycle
gangs, whores, pimps...
organization. That motherfucker is
the most conniving guy on the
planet.

During all this we see the various procedures of getting

drugs and other contraband in and out of prison.

A woman comes to visit her man in the prison and she has to
have her purse and garments searched.

A package is confiscated and deposited in a ‘safe’ place.

The package makes its rounds through a guard and his various
contacts through prisoners.

The lady (another time) retrieves a similar package that has

been put into safe custody.

Everyone is happy. All this is seen from afar without telling

details.

A little boy enters carrying a basketball…

INT. OFFICE - WASHINGTON

FBI
How does the shit get into the
place?

CIA
Everybody’s dirty.

FBI
Everybody?

CIA
You heard the warden. He doesn’t
care about anything as long as they
all get along.

FBI
Is he a part of the thing?

CIA
If not ‘a part’ at least he let’s
things happen.

FBI
‘Things.’
 108.

CIA
C’mon. Don’t bust my balls. It
isn’t a maximum security place.
Guards and prisoners are wandering
around all the time. Some stuff is
out in the open. Guys are shooting
up in the corners. It keeps
everybody happy and like I said,
that’s all the warden cares about.
They’ll drag a guy off to solitary
and who knows what transactions go
on there?

FBI
No wonder you guys are spinning you
wheels. How did you this get so out
of hand?

CIA
It’s human nature. Paths of least
resistance.

FBI
Cut off the head and the creature
will die.

CIA
Not this creature. This is like
Hydra. Cut off a head and two grow
back. You need some sort of golden
sword...and all we get is lead.

FBI
Greek tragedy.

CIA
But tragedy no less. We tried to
get to the source, but failed. Now
we have to find a way to get back.

FBI
The guy in Miami?

CIA
Yeah.

FBI
That should be easy.

CIA
It was supposed to be easy the
first time but it turned out to be
a fiasco.
 109.

FBI
We’ll do better this time.

INT. PRISON -

NAZI
What are you in for?

TED
I’m in for stupid. I was set up.

NAZI
Everybody says that.

TED
Listen. A guy asks a favor, deliver
a truckload of weed. I go three
blocks and get stopped and
arrested.

NAZI
A setup.

TED
Big time, but I don’t know shit.
They let me go, then they re-
arrested me. Technicalities.

NEWSPAPER HEADLINE READS: “45 PEOPLE INDICTED IN LARGEST DRUG

IN UNITED STATES HISTORY.”

A montage of all the “boys” being arrested, tried, and led

off to jail, including Ted.

Alex Louie is present in many of the scenes, smug and self-

satisfied.

INT. COURTROOM -

As Ted turns from sentencing, he sees Alex in the rear of the

courtroom. Alex gives him the finger.

COURTROOM HALLWAY
As Ted is being led out of the
courtroom, manacled, Alex follows
the “entourage” into the marble
hallway.
 110.

ALEX
...Told you, cocksucker, you were
going down, you fucking phony
faggot. Your asshole will be sore
as shit from the first night. I’m
goin’ to pay that spic bitch of
yours to suck my dick and...

Ted violently pulls away from the guards and dropkicks the
shit out of Alex. WHACK, WHACK, WHACK, and Alex is crumpled
in against the railing and wall, bleeding, belching, and
wheezing.

The guards pull Ted away and beat him with their sticks. Then
they lead him away while some other guards go over to the
helpless Alex. Alex has pissed his pants.

Alex’s blood is splattered on Ted’s face and shirt. Ted is

bleeding from a head wound or two but he doesn’t notice and
he smiles.

He turns and sees Carla standing there held back by guards,

crying and beautiful. The last sight she sees is his bloody
face as he turns and looks at her for quite a while.

INT. PRISON - CONTINUED

NAZI
How long will you be among us?

TED
I’m outta here in seven months,
three days, and about twelve hours.
You?

NAZI
I’m a life, plus ten.

TED
For sure?

NAZI
For sure.

Ted starts to ask.

NAZI (CONT'D)
Don’t ask. I deserve it. I deserve
to die, but the fuckers are keeping
me alive, the sadistic bastards.

TED
Why do you want to die?
 111.

NAZI
I don’t want to die. I deserve to
die. An eye for an eye...

TED
That’s Biblical bullshit!

NAZI
The Bible’s not bullshit. The Bible
is the truth...the word. “Whoever
sheds the blood of man, shall his
blood be shed.” I fucking shed
blood. I shed blood!!! I should be
punished. Punished properly. So I
can meet my maker.

While we hear this we see The Nazi’s life flash by in various

stages of violent acts.

Mug shots (from the age of thirteen).

Drug dealing.

Store robberies.

Rapes and gangbangs.

Bodies in the street.

Police units. Lights flashing.

Prison riot.

Shanking.

Blood.

NAZI (CONT'D)
I discovered the Bible when I got
here. It made my mind strong. I
made my body strong so when I meet
my maker, he will be proud. I have
no chance to re-live my life, to
undo my deeds. I will be judged by
my…deeds. Whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be
saved.

The Nazi embraces Ted and Ted almost disappears beneath the
Nazi’s massive arms.

NAZI (CONT'D)
I knew you were going to kick my
ass.
 112.

TED
What?

NAZI
I knew. The Bible says...

TED
The Bible says I was going to kick
your ass?

NAZI
Yes.

TED
I don’t get it.

NAZI
Look at me. I’m a giant. Bigger
than anybody. Stronger than
anybody.

TED
Yeah. Well?

NAZI
Nephilim.

TED
What the hell are you talking
about?

NAZI
When I read the Bible, I discovered
that I am a Nephilim.

TED
Neph...i...what?

NAZI
Nephilim were the offspring of the
sons of God and the daughters of
men. They were men of renown.
Giants.

Ted is astonished at the Nazi’s erudition.

NAZI (CONT'D)
“The sons of God saw that the
daughters of men were attractive
and they took as their wives any
that they chose.” Goliath was
Nephilim and we know what happened
to him. Your coming here was
ordained.
(MORE)
 113.

NAZI (CONT'D)
You smote the giant just as David
smote Goliath. David used a stone
and you used your feet.

While we hear this, we see the Nazi as Goliath and his demise
at the hand of David. Maybe another Nephilic detail or two.

NAZI (CONT'D)
“...having given themselves over to
sexual immorality and gone after
strange flesh, are set forth as an
example, suffering the vengeance of
eternal fire.”

INT. PRISON - MESS - DAY

Ted is sitting with the black prisoners at mess. His is the

only white face. He sits across from his new friend, the
Nazi. He stares at the ‘food’ spaghetti with a thin red
sauce.

TED
Look at this shit! Everything in
this place is an insult. They call
this pasta?

NAZI
Pasta? What’s pasta. This is
spaghetti.

TED
Pasta is spaghetti. Tortellini.
Lasagna. Rigatoni. Manicotti.
Linguini. Penne. Ziti...

NAZI
What are you talking about?

TED
My mother was Napolitan.

NAZI
I thought she was Italian.

TED
Italian? There are regions of
Italy...Sicily, Abruzzo, the best
call themselves by the region. The
best food comes from Napolitan...
Naples. My mother makes fresh pasta
like she did in the old country.
 114.

NAZI
Fresh? It comes in cans.

TED
No. Every Sunday she would make
everything fresh, the pasta, the
sauce. After working like a dog all
week she would do this for us. We
even grew the right kind of
tomatoes.

NAZI
Tomatoes are tomatoes.

TED
No! No, no, no. The best tomatoes
are San Marzano from Naples. My
mother would get the seeds from her
family there and we grew them in
the back yard. We could grow them
twice. Florida is great. Mama would
make the sauce and keep it until we
got fresh again. The best was
fresh, but even the old sauce was
great. Every Sunday.

NAZI
I’m getting hungry.

TED
Puttanesca. The sauce was called
puttanesca.

NAZI
What does that mean?

TED
Whore’s pasta.

NAZI
Your mother called it that?

TED
She slipped one day speakinng
Italian to my father.

NAZI
You speak Italian?

TED
No, but I picked up on that and
found out.
(MORE)
 115.

TED (CONT'D)
The whores in Naples used to get to
the restaurant after a night’s work
and the owners would cook them a
simple dish, tomatoes, garlic,
oregano, simple, not so many
ingredients...puttanesca.

NAZI
Whore’s pasta. Was your dad
Italian?

TED
Nah, he was Irish, from Brooklyn.
He met my mother at the end of the
war.

NAZI
War? What war?

TED
The Good War. World War Two.

NAZI
The good war? Why was that a good
war?

TED
Because he met my mother.

NAZI
Where was that?

TED
In Naples.

NAZI
What was he doing in Naples?

FLASHBACK

MAROCCHINATE

NAPLES 1944.

A group of Moroccan soldiers, called Goumiers, are being

addressed by their French commander.

GENERAL ALPHONSE JUIN

For fifty hours you will be the
masters of what you will find
beyond the enemy. Nobody will
punish you for what you do.
 116.

HUGH, a corporal in the Army, and some of his buddies are

giving out what few treats they have to the small children in
the bombed-out Naples. The children clamor for cigarettes.
There are vestiges of the formerly beautiful city, but smoke
still rises from the fighting and there is a mix of allied
troops there, including the Moroccan Goumiers, colonial
French troops.

INT. PRISON MESS - CONTINUOUS

TED
My father met my mother around
Naples during the war. He was
eighteen and he says that she was
thirteen. He jokes that he looked
fifteen and she looked eighteen.

NAZI
Did they get married then? They
were Catholics.

TED
All Italians were Catholics.

NAZI
Irish, too. Didn’t you say your old
man was Irish.

TED
Yeah, but I’m not sure how
‘Catholic’ he was.

NAZI
Yeah, but did he marry her then?

TED
That’s fucking sick.

NAZI
Well, when did he marry her?

TED
This is a great story. He went back
to Italy after the war, found her,
and then married her. He says she
never forgot him, but they don’t
say anything about the details.
It’s sort of a fairytale.
 117.

FLASHBACK - CONTINUED

Hugh hears screaming coming from a nearby church. He and his

buddy jump up to see what’s going on. As they enter, they
see a group of French Moroccans Dragging a young girl toward
the altar.

Hugh shouts at them but they ignore him so he fires a burst

from his Browning Automatic Rifle. The Moroccans stop and
stare. Hugh motions to them with the B.A.R. The Moroccans
stop and stare. Hugh motions to them with the B.A.R. They
hesitate.

Hugh fires another burst that decapitates a statue of the

Virgin Mary and the Moroccans run. The girl just sits,
tembling. She is enchanting.

HUGH IS BEING QUESTIONED.

COLONEL
You fired on our...allies.

HUGH
I fired over their heads, sir.

COLONEL
They say you fired AT them.

HUGH
If I had fired at them, they would
be dead, sir.

COLONEL
Don’t be impertinent, corporal.

HUGH
I’m not impertinent, sir, I’m being
accurate.

COLONEL
Then why did you fire at them?

HUGH
They were...assaulting a young
girl, sir. It looked wrong.

COLONEL
They said they were arresting her.

HUGH
She’s thirteen years old.

COLONEL
She’s the enemy.
 118.

HUGH
Enemy? That’s ridiculous. We’re
supposed to be liberators, not
conquerors. Those guys were just a
bunch of rapists. Worse than the
Germans.

COLONEL
They’re brave soldiers.

HUGH
At what cost, sir. They’re animals.
The French just look the other way.

COLONEL
They’re our allies.

HUGH
What they were going to do was
wrong. Are you going to take my
word or some frog’s?

NAPLES 1948

Hugh is sitting at a table on a pleasant terrace looking over

the city of Naples, Mt. Vesuvius in the background. You can’t
see the wartime devastation. He is sitting with the young
lady he rescued. Her little brother is sitting with them.
Hugh is struggling with his Italian. They laugh a lot as they
eat their pasta.

END FLASHBACK

INT. PRISON MESS - PRESENT DAY

TED
The reason the best SAN MARZANO
tomatoes grow best there is the
volcanic soil from Mount Vesuvius.
The seeds came from here.

NAZI
From here? From the U.S.?

TED
Actually, they came from Peru. A
gift.

NAZI
How do you know that?
 119.

TED
Italians know such things. They
have a sense of history...

NAZI
We ain’t got no history. I don’t
know shit about where I came from.
All I know is where I am.

TED
Well we’re both here.

NAZI
Tell me, are those tomatoes that
good or is this all more bullshit?

TED
They’re that good and I’m not
shitting you. funny thing is that
they say You gotta try them from
where they grew in Italy.

NAZI
That don’t make no sense. The seeds
came from here, but they taste
better there.

TED
Go figure.

FLASHBACK

SAN MARZANO SUL SARNO 1978

Hugh is sittiing in a tomato field on a hillside. He has a

tomato in his hands. He stares at it for a long time.

END FLASHBACK

INT. PRISON MESS -

NAZI
Is your Mom still alive?

TED
No. She passed a while
back...cancer.

NAZI
That sucks.
 120.

TED
Yeah. She...held us all together.
Funny, it was her cooking. The
tomatoes. The one thing we could
all count on was Sunday dinner. We
were all together and everything
seemed right. Now she’s gone and
I’m in here, eating this slop.

NAZI
Let’s get out of here and go to
Italy.

INT. PRISON - DAY

The Warden is meeting with an agent from the DEA.

WARDEN
I see the whites sitting over
there, the blacks right here, and
all the other gangs sitting
togheter, and you knnow what, I
don’t care. It helps me with the
orderly running of my institution.

DEA AGENT
‘Your’ institution isn’t running
properly. There are serious drug
problems here.

WARDEN
‘I’ don’t have a drug problem. YOU
have a drug problem. I have to
take care of 1500 inmates. I count
1500 each morning and if I count
1500 each evening, I’ve had a good
day.

DEA AGENT
I’m glad your life is so simple...

WARDEN
My life isn’t so simple and
you...assholes...are making it more
difficult. You keep feeding me
inmates because of your fearless
leader and his old lady that should
be in rehab, not prison.

DEA AGENT
I understand your...problems and
your...anger...but we have serious
problems out there.
 121.

WARDEN
Out there is the key word. Not...in
here.

DEA AGENT
You’re ignoring the problem...

WARDEN
I’m not ignoring anything. You
guys just go out and arrest
anything in sight then toss them in
here. Out of sight out of mind.
Good guys come in and become bad
guys. The most popular book in our
library is MEIN KAMPF.

DEA AGENT
You just use this...segregation for
control.

WARDEN
Your rhetoric is amusing, but let
me tell you…as long as they fight
with each other, they aren’t
fighting with us, and that’s okay.
If the blacks ever get organized, I
can tell you, in simple terms, we
are fucked.

EXT. PRISON YARD -

Nazi and Ted are sitting, away from the normal crowd.

NAZI
Where’d you learn all that Jap
shit?

TED
A guy named Joe Hess.

NAZI
Joe Hess. He ain’t no Jap.

TED
(laughing)
No, but he knows his shit. We all
come from Bruce Lee.

NAZI
The movie guy?

TED
The movie guy. Chinese.
 122.

NAZI
Chinese?

TED
He was born here but he went back
to Hong King and became the
greatest fighter ever.

NAZI
That’s how you beat me.

TED
I beat you because you expected me
to fight like you. You are
magnificent. I have never seen
anyone as strong as you, but you
only have one way to use your
strength. Bruce Lee knew every kind
of fighting and combined them into
JEET KUNE DO…

NAZI
Just can do...

TED
Funny, but it’s also called THE WAY
OF THE INTERCEPTING FIST. That’s
how you went down.

NAZI
(pause)
Teach me.

Ballet. Ted begins to teach Nazi the skills and philosophies

and it becomes a ballet. The Neos watch day by day as the
Nazi’s blacks become a martial arts force. Mentally and
physically.

The song is a rap version of SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL.

“Please allow me…

…who killed the Kennedys…

..it was you and me…”

The guards and Warden watch tentatively and fearfully.

INT. OFFICE - DAY

The DEA agent meets with an agent from the CIA.

 123.

CIA AGENT
How did your meeting with the
warden go?

DEA AGENT
Not so good. Actually. Terrible.

CIA AGENT
Terrible? Why Terrible?

DEA AGENT
He basically told us to go fuck
ourselves, that we created the
problem and we should fix it
ourselves and don’t bother him
anymore.

CIA AGENT
His words?

DEA AGENT
Not exactly.

CIA AGENT
Then what exactly?

DEA AGENT
He said that racism works for him.
He also said that some of the
‘innocents’ we are sending him turn
into Nazis.

CIA AGENT
What?

DEA AGENT
He also bitched that our boss...

CIA AGENT
Our boss?

DEA AGENT
...the president - and his old lady
- are causing the problems and that
it isn’t his problem. He said that
eighty percent of his prisoners
should be in health care, not
prison, since they are mostly
alcohol and drug abusers. Budget
cuts. He basically said, you do
your job, and I’ll do mine...and go
fuck yourself.
 124.

EXT. HAVANA

A Cigarette boat approaches the Havana docks in the early

evening.

The boat is unloaded and several suitcases are taken to a

waiting sedan, a 1954 Cadillac.

A mysterious, well-dressed WOMAN gets out of the boat and

gets into the car and the car exits and drives through the
Havana streets and into the countryside, through guarded
gates, into a manse.

She is escorted, with her luggage to a drawing room where she

sits and waits and her luggage stays with her.

She drinks a coffee and an aide enters the room asking about
her wellbeing and status from her trip. They pass a few
pleasantries.

An impossibly elegant GENTLEMAN enters and the aide quickly

disappears.

The woman and the man embrace for a moment and he sits across
from her. He waits a bit while she finishes her coffee. They
pass a few words.

She pulls the suitcase near and opens it. Money falls out to
the floor and the gentleman laughs uproariously. The woman’s
laughter is more restrained.

GENTLEMAN
Tu padrino estará feliz.

(CONT'D)

EL FIN