American-Gangster.txt

                        AMERICAN GANGSTER




                           Written by

                        Steven Zaillian




                                                      FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT
                                                              July 27, 2006




1   EXT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY                                                  1

    A tall, handsome man in a dark suit emerges from a Lincoln
    Towncar and enters a small, basement R&B;/Jazz club.

2   INT. JAZZ CLUB - DAY                                                  2

    He approaches a booth, says something in the din to the men
    there, then calmly shoots them and exits.


                           AMERICAN GANGSTER



3   EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY (NOVEMBER)                                   3

    Bumpy Johnson, an elderly but still sturdy black man,
    elegantly dressed - cashmere overcoat, gloves, Homburg -
    stands in falling snow atop a flatbed truck - as he does
    every Thanksgiving - tossing down turkeys to the poor -
    like a benign king.

    Legend:   Harlem

    A younger man, the gunman from the club - Frank Lucas -
    Bumpy's driver/bodyguard/collector/protege - watches from
    below.

4   INT/EXT. STREET / DISCOUNT EMPORIUM - DAY (NOVEMBER)                  4

    Whispering gunfire from a television set veiled by
    foreground snow: Soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam in
    1970. A rich, cultured, authoritative voice offers:
                            BUMPY O/S
               This is the problem. This is what's
               wrong with America.

    The war footage multiplies by twenty: a stack of TVs with
    price tags dangling from the knobs behind a display window.

                            BUMPY O/S
               It's gotten so big you can't find your
               way.

    People on the sidewalk, out of respect or fear, part to let
    Frank and Bumpy and Bumpy's German shepherd pass.

                            BUMPY
               The corner grocery's a supermarket.
               Candy store's a MacDonald's. And this
               place.
                            (MORE)
                                                                    (CONT)

                                                                      2.
                               
4   CONTINUED:                                                          4
                              BUMPY (CONT'D)
                 Where's the pride of ownership here?
                 Where's the personal service? Does
                 anybody work here?

    Inside, the emporium is vast, with aisles that seem to
    stretch off into infinity. The TVs give way to a display
    window full of Japanese stereo componentry.

                              BUMPY
                 What right do they have cutting out the
                 suppliers, pushing all the middlemen out,
                 buying direct from the manufacturer -
                 Sony this, Toshiba that, all them Chinks -
                 putting Americans out of work?

    He's not really asking Frank, so Frank doesn't answer.

                              BUMPY
                 What am I supposed to do with a place
                 like this, Frank? Who am I supposed to
                 ask for, the assistant manager?
                        (pause)
                 This is the problem. This is the way it
                 is now: You can't find the heart of
                 anything to stick the knife.

    Bumpy stops before a display of cameras and stares in.
    They're all pointed at him as a pain grips his chest and he
    sinks to his knees. Frank kneels down.

                               FRANK
                 What is it?

    Bumpy seems unable to speak, looks to Frank confused.
                              FRANK
                 Somebody call an ambulance!

    But the store suddenly seems empty. Frank yells into the
    emporium but can't be heard above the Muzak and the cash
    registers ringing up sales Bumpy will never see a piece of.
    Looking up at Frank, Bumpy manages weakly -

                              BUMPY
                 Forget it, Frank. No one's in charge.

5   EXT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - DAY                                        5

    Limousines from the funeral disgorge mourners: family,
    friends, celebrities, politicians. Cops on horseback move
    through the enormous crowd that has gathered to watch. FBI
    agents in cars snap pictures with long lenses of Italian
    mobsters like Albert Tosca.

                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                     3.
                              
5   CONTINUED:                                                         5


                              REPORTER
                 - whose passing has brought together a
                 who's who of mourners on this chilly
                 afternoon. The Governor has come down.
                 The mayor of New York - its Chief of
                 Police and Commissioner - sports and
                 entertainment luminaries -

    A white Bentley pulls up, disgorging Jackie Fox - the
    original Superfly - and his entourage. With his trademark
    tinted Gucci glasses on, he happily poses for anyone with a
    camera - including the Feds - before going inside.

6   INT. BUMPY'S APARTMENT - LATER                                     6

    The report continues on a TV no one's really watching here:
    a March of Time-like history of Bumpy Johnson, famed Harlem
    gangster, Robin Hood and killer.

                              REPORTER ON TV
                 He was a Great Man, according to the
                 eulogies. A giving man. A man of the
                 people. No one chose to include in their
                 remembrances the word most often
                 associated with Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson:
                 Gangster.

    Sitting off by himself in Bumpy's elegant garden apartment,
    heretofore his private sanctuary, Frank surveys the mourners
    circling the place like vultures:

    Tango Black, a huge brute, scavenging the catered food and
    tended bar ... Jackie Fox, surrounded by his ever-present
    coterie of sycophants ... Albert Tosca, an elegant Italian
    capo, and an underling, Rossi, at the bar.

                              TOSCA
                 White wine, please.

    A white man who looks like a banker - and is - sits down
    next to Frank.

                              BANKER
                 How you doing, Frank?

                              FRANK
                 All right.

                              BANKER
                 What a loss.
                        (Frank nods)
                 How are you otherwise?   Things okay
                 financially?
                                                                    (CONT)

                                                                    4.
                              
6   CONTINUED:                                                        6


    Frank doesn't say. It feels unseemly to him to be talking
    about money here. He watches Tango carelessly set a watery
    glass of ice on an antique inlaid chess table.

                              BANKER
                 Bumpy set something up for you?

    Frank excuses himself without an answer, crosses to where
    Tango left the glass, and sets it on a coaster.

                              TANGO
                 Hey, Frank, get me an ashtray while
                 you're at it.

    Bumpy's German shepherd watches as Frank reaches into his
    jacket, revealing a gun nestled in its shoulder holster. He
    takes out a handkerchief, wipes the condensation dry, opens
    a drawer and removes an ashtray. He holds it out to Tango -
    who isn't sure it's not a dare and decides to wander off.

                              CHARLIE
                 I know you're hurting, Frank.    So am I.

    Frank sits back down with Charlie Williams, an older dope
    man.

                              CHARLIE
                 You going to be all right?

                             FRANK
                 Yeah.

                              CHARLIE
                 I'm sure Bumpy never told you, but he
                 made me promise, anything ever happened
                 to him, I'd make sure you didn't go
                 without.

                              FRANK
                 I'll be fine, Charlie. Half the people
                 here owed Bumpy money when he died. A
                 lot of money. If they think I'm going
                 to forget to collect, they're wrong.

                              CHARLIE
                 That's the spirit. Go get them.

    On the TV, over archive film and photographs of crime
    figures from the 1940's and `50's, the opinion is offered
    that Bumpy's death "marks the end of an era ..."

                                                                     5.
                              




A7   INT. CLASSROOM - NIGHT                                           A7

     A figure, his back to us, walks slowly toward a blackboard
     like a man to the gallows.

                             RICHIE V.O.
                I live in fear of hearing my name                             
                called.                                                       

                             PROFESSOR
                Mr. Roberts, Give us U.S. vs. Meade -                         

                             RICHIE V.O.                                      
                Of walking up there, turning around,                          
                knowing every one of them knows more                          
                than I do -                                                   

                             PROFESSOR                                        
                Subject, issues, what the determination                       
                was and what it means to us today.                            

     Richie Roberts turns and faces his classmates, all of them a
     decade or more younger than him.

7    EXT. MOTEL - NEW JERSEY - DAY                                        7

     Harlem's jagged teeth skyline juts across the river at the
     other end of the George Washington Bridge. On this side - a
     sledgehammer gripped in Richie's fist, on the move, suddenly
     fills the frame.

                             RICHIE                                           
                You know the Number 1 fear of most                            
                people isn't dying; it's public speaking.                     
                They get physically ill. They throw up.                       

                             RIVERA                                           
                And that's what you want to do for a
                living.

                             RICHIE
                I don't like being like that.     I want to                   
                beat it.

     Armed with the sledgehammer, Richie and his partner - Javy               
     Rivera - come past a seedy motel office where a TV shows                 
     another report about Bumpy Johnson.

     Legend:   New Jersey

     A motel clerk looks up, glimpses the sledgehammer -


                                                                    (CONT)

                                                                     6.
                              
7   CONTINUED:                                                         7


                              CLERK
                 Hey -

    Rivera flashes a New Jersey detective's shield without                   
    breaking stride. Takes a subpoena out of another pocket.                 

                              RIVERA                                         
                 Who's going to do this?                                     

                              RICHIE
                 He knows me, he'll take it from me.                         
                 I've known him since high school.                           

                              RIVERA                                         
                 Just throw it in, he doesn't take it.                       
                 That's good service.                                        

    They reach a particular motel room door. Rivera knocks.                  
    The door opens the length of a chain, revealing a wise guy
    in an undershirt, who, when he sees the subpoena, start to               
    close the door -                                                         

                              RIVERA                                         
                 Throw it -                                                  

    As Richie flings the subpoena in, the door slams on his                  
    hand. He wails in agony, tries to shoulder it open, hears                
    the dead bolt lock on the other side, feels Campizi's teeth              
    bite into his fingers, watches his blood run down the frame.             

                              RIVERA                                         
                 Down -                                                      

    Richie hangs down from his hand as the sledgehammer swings               
    past his head shattering the door -                                      

8   INT/EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS                                   8

    The door rips from its hinges and the detectives crash in.
    The wise guy - Campizi - hurries for the bathroom, slams the             
    door. This one's hollow and the detectives more easily                   
    break through it -                                                       

    Campizi tries to climb out the bathroom window. Richie                   
    grabs him, throws him into the shower stall, taking the
    plastic curtain down with them, smearing it with blood as
    Richie beats at him before Rivera can pull him off.                      

9   INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - DAY                                      9

    A male paramedic attends to Campizi's bloodied face while a
    female paramedic cleans Richie's bloodied hand.

                                                                    (CONT)

                                                                     7.
                               
9    CONTINUED:                                                        9


                               CAMPIZI
                  I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it
                  was you. I would never slam a door on
                  your hand. Knowingly.

                               RICHIE
                  You bit my fuckin hand -

     Richie lunges at him, hits him again with his injured hand -
     which hurts Richie more than it does Campizi. The
     paramedics manage to pull him away.

                               CAMPIZI
                  What can we do, Richie? You don't want
                  to do this. For old times sake, what can
                  we do? Who do you want? Who can I give
                  you? You want Big Sal's bookie? You want
                  his accountant? I'll give him to you.

     Richie regards him a moment. A policy ring's accountant
     wouldn't be bad. He glances back to his paramedic dabbing
     at his bloody hand, and notices she's not bad-looking. She
     smiles back.

10   INT. NY POLICE HQ - ENTRANCE/STAIRS - DAY                        10

     Four men in long black leather coats stride toward like
     they own the city. It's impossible to tell if they're cops
     or gangsters.

     Legend:   New York City

11   INT. NEW YORK POLICE ANNEX - PROPERTY ROOM - DAY                 11
     One of the same undercover cops - Detective Trupo -
     scribbles a signature and badge number different from the
     one on his gold shield lying next to the voucher requesting
     evidence needed in court.

     He pushes the voucher under a sign - "All Handguns and
     Narcotics Before 10am Next Window" - to a clerk who takes it
     past floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with files, plastic
     bags bulging with handguns, knives and gambling receipts.
     Bulkier items - like shotguns and baseball bats - lie
     unwrapped with dangling tags.

     The clerk reaches a chain-link cage where the most valuable
     items are locked up - narcotics, pornography, cash - checks
     the voucher against tags, takes down an old green suitcase.

                                                                          8.
                                    




12        EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY                                             12

          Trupo's car - a Shelby Mustang - roars up. He climbs out,
          crosses to a warehouse with the suitcase as the other three
          SIU Princes of the City follow from another car, cradling
          grocery bags.

13        INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY                                             13

          Trupo snaps the suitcase open revealing five half-kilo bags
          of uncut heroin in clear plastic bags. The other cops pull
          from the grocery bags: a Pyrex mixing bowl, flour sifter,
          boxes of milk-sugar, latex kitchen gloves, a medical scale,
          and yellow baggies.

          Hands peel back the distinctive black and green "evidence"
          tape on the clear plastic bags. Dump the heroin into twenty
          yellow baggies. A half-kilo of lactose is poured into each
          of the now-empty property room bags.

                                 TRUPO
                    Now just enough for the reagent test.

          He removes one tablespoon of heroin from each of the
          baggies, and the now-almost-heroin-free powder is mixed
          through the flour sifter, poured back into the clear bags,
          the tape resealed, the bags returned to the suitcase.

14        INT. NY COURTROOM - DAY                                          14

          The suitcase and   "heroin," and some weapons and money, have
          been arranged on   an evidence table with the care of a Macy's
          display window.    Trupo - the officer in charge of the case -
          watches the jury   files in -
15        EXT. UNDER EXPRESSWAY - DAY                                      15

          A Lincoln Continental pulls up. Trupo climbs out of his
          Shelby with a sports bag, crosses to the Lincoln, climbs in
          back where an Italian wise guy - Rossi - sits. Trupo unzips
          the bag revealing the recut heroin - in the yellow plastic.

                                 ROSSI V/O
                    This is the French Connection dope.
                    The same dope Popeye Doyle and Sonny
                    Grasso took from us.

16 OMIT                                                             16 OMIT

                                                                       9.
                                




17     INT. ITALIAN BAR - NY - DAY                                      17

       Frank comes into an empty bar, chairs up on tables. A
       middle-aged man mopping up glances up at him as he crosses
       to a back room.

                              ROSSI V/O
                 They seize it, arrest everybody,
                 whack it up and sell it back to us.
                 Our dope. They been living off it for
                 years, these New York cops.

18     INT. ITALIAN BAR - BACK ROOM - NY - DAY                          18

       Several ounces of the dope sits in foreground on a table.

                              ROSSI
                 They basically control the market with
                 it. What the fuck has happened to the
                 world, Frank?

                              FRANK
                 Fuckin crooks.

       Rossi, who looks more like a middle-aged accountant than the
       Italian dope supplier he is, makes two espressos.

                              ROSSI
                 Sad about Bumpy.

       Behind Frank, a TV airs a report by Walter Cronkite on the
       heroin problem among GIs in Vietnam.

                              ROSSI
                 Things are never going to be the same in
                 Harlem. The girls, the clubs, the music -
                 walk down the street, nobody bothers you
                 because Bumpy's making sure of it.
                        (hands Frank one of the
                         espressos)
                 How bad is it there now?

18pt   FLASHCUTS TO HARLEM                                            18pt

       Guys barge into a room, steal money from a crap game at
       gunpoint - Cops push guys against a bar, empty their pockets
       - A dealer shoots another dealer in an alley -

18pt   BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM                                         18pt

                                FRANK
                 It's chaos.    Every gorilla for himself.

                                                                      (CONT)

                                                                          10.
                                   
18pt   CONTINUED:                                                        18pt


                                 ROSSI
                    Who can live like that? There has to
                    be order. That would never happen with
                    Italians. More important than any one
                    man's life - is order.

19     EXT. HARLEM - DAY                                                   19

       A street sign on a corner:        116th and 8th Avenue.

20     INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY                                           20

       As is his custom, Frank eats breakfast alone. A middle-
       aged waitress appears when he's done, picks up his plate
       and refills his coffee.

                                 FRANK
                    Thank you, Charlene.      Last one.

                                 CHARLENE
                    It's all right with me, Frank, you can
                    stay all day if you want, but I wouldn't.
                    It's nice outside.

                                 FRANK
                    Then maybe I'll have to go for a walk.
                    Just cause you said so.

       She smiles and leaves. Frank pours some sugar in his
       coffee. Someone taps on the window and he looks up, sees
       two servicemen - one in uniform - one he recognizes.

21     INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY                              21
       Frank leads the servicemen up the stairs of a building.

22     INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY                                       22

       Corner apartment above the street. A girl sits smoking at
       a work table covered with drug-cutting apparatus. Another -
       Frank's cutter and sometimes-girlfriend, Red Top - sets a
       couple of packets of heroin in front of the servicemen.

                                 RED TOP
                    On the house for our men in uniform.

                                 SERVICEMAN 1
                    Why, thank you, sugar, that's very kind.

                                   RED TOP
                    Thank Frank.


                                                                         (CONT)

                                                                           11.
                                     
22        CONTINUED:                                                         22


          Frank nods, you're welcome before the man can thank him.
          The servicemen start cooking up the dope.

                                     FRANK
                       How's Nate?   You seen him?

                                    SERVICEMAN 1
                       All the time. Nate is everywhere.
                       He's good. Got himself a club now.

                                    FRANK
                       Where, Saigon?

                                     SERVICEMAN 1
                       Bangkok.

                                    SERVICEMAN 2
                       I don't think he's ever coming home.

          Regarding the dope as the servicemen shoot it up -

                                    FRANK
                       You're gonna have to boot it a couple
                       times. Cops keep cutting it, selling it,
                       cutting it -

                                    SERVICEMAN 1
                       I don't want to say anything cause the
                       price is right - but the shit in Nam is
                       way, way, way, way, way -

          He begins to nod out before he can finish the sentence.

23 OMIT                                                                23 OMIT
24        EXT. SOCIAL CLUB - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON                         24

          Across the river, Richie, Rivera and Campizi sit in the car             
          parked across from a closed social club. A man carrying a
          grocery bag comes out and Campizi ducks lower in the seat.

                                     CAMPIZI
                       That's him.

          Newsboy Moriarty's mob accountant puts the grocery bag in
          the trunk of a car, climbs in behind the wheel.

25        EXT. NEWARK - SCRAP METAL YARD - LATE AFTERNOON                    25

          From the parked car they observe the accountant putting
          another bag in his trunk.

                                                                  12.
                            




26   EXT. STREET - NEWARK - LATE AFTERNOON                          26

     He comes out of another place with another bag.       To Campizi -

                             RICHIE
               All right.   Get lost.    Get out.

     Campizi slinks out of the car. Richie and Rivera follow               
     after Newsboy Moriarty's accountant's car.

27   EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON                              27

     They tail the car into a lot, park and watch the accountant
     leave his car and get into another car that's parked there.

                            RIVERA                                         
               We gonna stay with him or the car?

     Whatever they do, they'll have to decide quick.

                            RICHIE
               Let's see who comes for the car.

28   EXT. PARKING LOT - NEWARK - NIGHT                              28

     All the other cars are gone. Rivera climbs into Richie's              
     with coffee and a Coke in a bag, hands him the can.                   

                            RIVERA                                         
               Think he made us?

     Richie doesn't know. Glances at his watch.      Cranes in his
     seat to look behind them.
                            RICHIE
               You called for the warrant?     Where are
               they?

                            RIVERA                                         
               I just called. I called and walked back
               here and ten seconds has gone by.

     Richie watches an attendant lock up, listens to the street
     lamps buzz, grows impatient. Indicating the other car:

                            RICHIE
               We saw him with the slips, Javy.                            

                            RIVERA                                         
               You saw policy slips? You saw grocery
               bags. You don't know what's in them.


                                                                  (CONT)

                                                                      13.
                                
28   CONTINUED:                                                         28


                               RICHIE
                  Yes, I do, and so do you, don't give me
                  that bullshit -

                               RIVERA                                          
                  What's the rush? Half an hour the
                  warrant'll be here -

                               RICHIE
                  I got night school.

                               RIVERA                                          
                  Guess you're going to miss it.
                         (Rivera sips at his coffee;                           
                          then:)                                               
                  You know, what you were saying before
                  - about throwing up in front of people -
                  money will take that feeling away.

                               RICHIE
                  Not when it's less.

                               RIVERA                                          
                  Less than what.

                               RICHIE
                  Than what I make now.

                               RIVERA                                          
                  No lawyer on earth makes less than a cop.

                               RICHIE
                  They do in the Prosecutor's Office.
                  Three thousand less.
                               RIVERA                                          
                  You're fuckin kidding me.

     Richie isn't kidding. Rivera stares at him like he's crazy.               
     Richie checks his watch. He's waited long enough.

                                RICHIE
                  Fuck this -

                                RIVERA                                         
                  Richie -

     Richie gets out, opens the trunk, grabs a Slimjim and
     bolt cutters, cuts through a gate chain and strides to the
     accountant's car, Rivera following. Richie trips the                      
     passenger door lock and pulls at the trunk release, and, as
     he comes around back to search it -

                                                                      (CONT)

                                                                    14.
                              
28   CONTINUED:                                                       28


                               RICHIE
                  Check inside.

     Rivera may as well; the damage to the case, if there is one           
     anymore, is done. He crawls inside the car to look under
     the seats and in the glove compartment. Gravely -

                              RICHIE
                  Javy ...                                                 

     Richie's staring into the trunk like there's a body inside.
     Rivera comes over, takes a look, sees it's money: stacks of           
     it rubber-banded together, spilling from grocery bags - more          
     than either of them has ever seen. As the trunk closes -              

29   EXT. PARKING LOT / RICHIE'S CAR - LATER - NIGHT                  29   

     Richie and Rivera sit in their car in silence, staring out            
     at the car with the money in it. Eventually -                         

                               RICHIE
                  This isn't a couple of bucks.

                               RIVERA                                      
                  It's the same thing.   In principle.

                               RICHIE
                  We're talking about principle?

                               RIVERA                                      
                  Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of
                  money says one thing: He'll turn in cops
                  who take money. We'll be pariahs.
                               RICHIE
                  We're fucked either way.

                               RIVERA                                      
                  Not if we keep it. Only if we don't.
                  Then we're fucked, you're right. But not
                  if we keep it.

                               RICHIE
                         (more to himself)
                  Yes, we are.

                               RIVERA                                      
                  Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we
                  put a gun to someone's head and say, Give
                  us your money? Cops kill cops they can't                 
                  trust. We can't turn it in.                              

     They regard each other again in silence ...

                                                                 15.
                           




30   INT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - LATER - NIGHT                    30

     As a police captain counts the stacks of money, Lou Toback,
     Richie's superior from the prosecutors office, walks in, his
     night out interrupted by this emergency. He crossed to where
     Richie and Rivera sit alone in a corner. Quietly:                    

                            TOBACK
               How much.

                            RICHIE
               Nine hundred and eighty thousand.

                            TOBACK
               What happened to the rest?

     It's a joke but isn't funny, not even to Toback. He regards
     his men who turned it in, then the other cops in the place -
     who are watching them and the money being counted. Toback
     walks over to the captain, and, quietly:

                            TOBACK
               What're you doing counting this in front                   
               of everybody? Are you out of your fuckin
               mind? Take it into a room. Now.

     Richie's glance to Rivera says, You're right, we're fucked.          

31   INT/EXT. NEWARK POLICE STATION - PRE-DAWN                     31

     As Richie leaves alone, he's aware of all the eyes on him -
     knowing the other cops' looks don't signify awe or respect,
     but contempt and fear, like Rivera predicted. Neither will           
     ever be trusted again. He climbs into his car, drives off.
32   INT. DINER - HARLEM - DAY                                     32

     Tango and his bodyguard come in and approach Frank's table
     where he reads the morning paper as he eats breakfast.

                            TANGO
               Didn't you see the jar, Frank?
               I think you walked right past it.

     Frank ignores him, forks at his eggs, eats.    Tango sits.

                            TANGO
               The money jar. On the corner.      What I
               got to do, put a sign on it?

     Frank indicates that he would answer if his mouth wasn't
     full. He swallows finally, but then only reaches for his
     coffee cup to take a sip, further irritating Tango.
                                                                 (CONT)

                                                                     16.
                               
32   CONTINUED:                                                        32


                               TANGO
                  Bumpy don't own 116th Street no more,
                  Frank. Bumpy don't own no real estate in
                  Harlem no more. I'm the landlord now and
                  the lease is twenty-percent.

     Frank dabs at his mouth with a napkin and gives Tango a look
     that says that won't be happening.

                               TANGO
                  Then don't sell dope, Frank. Get a
                  fuckin job. You need a job? You can be
                  my driver, drive me around, open my door,
                  yes, sir, no sir, where to, sir, right
                  away, Massa Johnson, sir.

     Right now Tango is dead. No doubt about it.          On the
     surface, though, Frank remains cool.

                               FRANK
                  Twenty percent?

                               TANGO
                  Of every dollar. Every VIG, every
                  truckload, every girl, every ounce.      In
                  the jar.

                               FRANK
                  Twenty percent's my profit. If I'm
                  giving it to you then what am I doing?
                  Twenty percent puts me, and everyone you
                  know, out of business, which puts you out
                  of business.
                         (reaches for his breakfast
                          check)
                  There are ways to make money
                  legitimately, and then there's this way.
                  Not even Bumpy took twenty percent.

                               TANGO
                  Bumpy's fuckin dead.

     Frank regards Tango a moment, gets up, takes out his money
     clip, covers the check on the table with a five, peels off a
     $1 bill from the clip, tosses it down in front of Tango.

                                FRANK
                  There.   That's twenty-percent.

     As he turns and leaves, Tango watches after him ...

                                                                 17.
                           




33   INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT                               33     

     Stitched-up, black and blue hands dump a can of soup in a
     pot, put it on the stove.

34   INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT                     34     

     A pencil clutched by long fingers scribbles figures. But
     no matter how many times Frank does the arithmetic, there's
     not much left, he calculates, after he pays the Italian
     suppliers and, if he were to, Tango.

35   INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED                   35     

     Richie has moved to a small desk cluttered with law
     textbooks. He cracks one open to study for the New Jersey            
     Bar exam as he eats the soup out of the pot he heated it in.         
     Above him on the wall is a framed photograph of Joe Louis            
     standing over a sprawled-on-the-mat Billy Conn.                      

36   EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - INTERCUT                    36

     A bleak day. Seagulls fighting over scraps on the sand as
     others hover overhead, flapping and cawing. Alone near the
     water, Frank tosses a stick for the German shepherd he
     inherited.

37   INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT                    37     

     Richie opens a small wooden box in his bleak apartment,
     revealing an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers and clips.
     As he rolls a joint -

                            BUMPY V/O
               A leader is like a shepherd -

38   EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED                   38

     The sounds of the gulls and surf and roller coaster begin to
     fade as Frank throws the stick again.

                            BUMPY V/O
               Sends the fast nimble sheep out front,
               and the others follow as the shepherd
               walks quietly behind -

     The dog retrieves the stick, but this time - somehow - it's
     to Bumpy's hand he returns it. Frank listens attentively.

                            BUMPY
               He's got the stick - the cane - and
               he'll use if he has to.
                            (MORE)
                                                                 (CONT)

                                                                    18.
                              
38   CONTINUED:                                                       38
                               BUMPY (CONT'D)
                  But most of the time he doesn't have to.
                  He moves the whole herd - quietly.

     Bumpy smiles and tosses the stick.

39   INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - INTERCUT                       39   

     The smoke from the joint rises to the ceiling as Richie               
     studies.                                                              

40   EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BEACH - DAY - CONTINUED                      40

     The dog trots back to Bumpy and Frank with the stick.

41   EXT. BOARDWALK - CONEY ISLAND - LATER                            41

     Hot dog stand. Bumpy hands a hot dog to Frank, holds out
     another to the shepherd. To camera:

                               BUMPY
                  What right do they have cutting out the
                  suppliers, the middlemen, buying direct,
                  putting Americans out of work ... This
                  is the way it is now, Frank.

     Frank nods. The vender hands him a napkin. The shepherd
     is still with him, but Bumpy is gone, and the gulls and the
     people on the roller coaster squeal as Frank comes out of
     his meditative trance with an idea.

42   CLOSE-UP: (DOCTOR'S OFFICE)                                      42

     A needle pierces the crook of Frank's arm.       Slight grimace.
     A cotton ball is pushed onto the puncture.       Malaria shot.
43   CLOSE-UP: (PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP)                                     43

     A strobe lights up Frank's face:      a passport photo.

44   CLOSE-UP: (POST OFFICE)                                          44

     The photo and a duplicate are stapled to a passport
     application.

45   INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY                   45

     Keys turn the locks of a safety-deposit box. The lid lifts
     revealing decks of cash. Frank takes it all out, slips one
     slender packet into Bumpy's banker's jacket pocket.

                               FRANK
                  Get yourself a new suit.

                                                                      19.
                                




46      INT. CHEMICAL BANK - VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY              46

        Under portraits of bank Vice Presidents before him, the man
        types out a Chemical Bank check for Frank for $400,000.                

47 - 48 OMIT                                                47 - 48 OMIT

49      EXT. PARK - NEWARK - DAY - SAME TIME                            49

        The sound of the plane growls and fades overhead as Richie's
        ex-wife keeps an eye on their son playing on a grassy area.

                                RICHIE
                  I'm sorry.

                               LAURIE
                  I don't know, Richie.

                               RICHIE
                  It couldn't be avoided. Next weekend
                  I'll be able to take him.

        She regards him with a weary look, but he's looking over at
        one of the other - better-looking - moms in the park.

                                LAURIE
                  I'm moving.

        He looks back, not sure he heard right.

                                RICHIE
                  What?   Where?

                               LAURIE
                  To the St. Regis, what do you care.
                         (pause)
                  My sister's.

                               RICHIE
                  Your sister's. In Vegas?

        He glances away to a sound: shattering glass.        Some teen-
        agers breaking bottles on the ground.

                               RICHIE
                  You can't move to Vegas.     Not with
                  Michael anyway.

                               LAURIE
                  What am I supposed to do with him?       Leave
                  him with you? There's a picture.


                                                                      (CONT)

                                                                       20.
                                 
49   CONTINUED:                                                          49


                               RICHIE
                         (to the vandals)
                  Hey, you want to shut up over there?

     The teenagers ignore him. He tries to ignore them, but it's
     hard with the constant noise.

                               RICHIE
                  No court will allow it for one thing.
                  I won't allow it.

                                 LAURIE
                  You?

                               RICHIE
                  When am I supposed to see my son?

                               LAURIE
                  Last weekend!

     Their son glances over at them. Richie looks over at the
     teenagers again breaking bottles, then back to Laurie.

                               RICHIE
                  Laurie, you can't raise a kid in Las
                  Vegas.                                                        

                               LAURIE
                  Oh, like this is a good environment.
                  Around your friends. There are less                           
                  creeps in Vegas.                                              

                               RICHIE
                  What's he going to grow up to be in a                         
                  mobbed up place like that? What are you                       
                  thinking?

                               LAURIE
                  I'm thinking - Richie - of him!

                                 RICHIE
                  Goddamn it -

     The noise of the glass is driving him crazy. He strides
     over to the teenagers, who look at him like, What are you
     gonna do, old man, it's four against one.

                               RICHIE
                  I told you nice to shut the fuck up.
                  Now I'm gonna kill you.

     He pulls out his gun and aims it at one of them, then the
     others. All instinctively try to cover their heads.
                                                                       (CONT)

                                                                       21.
                                 
49      CONTINUED:                                                       49


                                  RICHIE
                     Pick up the fuckin glass!

        As they dive to their knees to do what they're told, Laurie
        walks away with her son, who looks back over his shoulder at
        his father with his gun out.

50      EXT. BANGKOK - NIGHT                                             50     

        Frank sits in the back of a motor samlor.       Bicycles dart
        around it like flies.

51 - 52 OMIT                                                 51 - 52 OMIT       

53      INT. SOUL BROTHERS BAR - NIGHT                                   53

        The clientele is almost exclusively black servicemen on R&R;
        and Asian women. A trio of ex-GI's plays authentic Southern
        blues on a small stage. Ham hocks and collard greens come
        out of the kitchen. Smoke chokes the place.

        Frank, one of the few men not in uniform, and not drunk or
        stoned, sits alone at a table with a Coca-Cola and surveys
        the activity: Dope being rolled. Dope being smoked. Dope
        being shot. GI's and prostitutes climbing a staircase.

        His eyes follow an Army Master Sergeant, moving among the
        tables as if checking on the GI's well being. But at some,
        his hand takes money, leaves in its place packets of powder.

        The Sergeant feels eyes on him and glances up, catching
        Frank watching him from across the room. He squints through
        the smoke at the figure at the table in the shadows, and, in
        a kind of shock, more to himself -
                                 NATE
                     Frank - ?

        Frank half-lifts his glass to wave, and Nate beams.

54      INT. SOUL BROTHERS BAR - NIGHT                                   54

        Frank has guests at his table now: his cousin Nate the
        Sergeant, and two young Asian wise guys. They talk about
        him in Thai (subtitled):

                                  THAI
                     He say how much he wants?

                                  NATE
                     He said "a lot." What that means, I
                     don't know. Four or five keys?

                                                                       (CONT)

                                                                    22.
                              
54   CONTINUED:                                                       54


     The Thais regard Frank a moment, size him up.

                               THAI
                  He's your cousin.

                               NATE
                  My cousin-in-law.    My ex-wife's cousin.

                               THAI
                  Ask him how much he wants.

                               NATE
                  How much you gonna want, Frank?

                               FRANK
                  A hundred kilos.

     Nate blinks like there's something in his eye ...

55   EXT. BANGKOK - STREET VENDER - DAY                               55

     Steam and neon.    Frank and Nate at a crowded stand.

                               NATE
                  No one I know can get that much. It'd
                  have to be pieced together from several
                  suppliers and none of it's gonna be 100-
                  percent pure.

                               FRANK
                  That's not what I want.

                               NATE
                  I know that. But that means dealing
                  with the Chiu-Chou syndicates in Cholon
                  or Saigon - if they'll deal with you -

                               FRANK
                  No, even then it's too late. It's been
                  chopped. I want to get it where they get
                  it. From the source.

     Nate stares at him ... then laughs.       Frank doesn't.

                               NATE
                  You're gonna go get it.

                              FRANK
                  Why not.

                               NATE
                  You're gonna go into the fuckin jungle -

                                                                    (CONT)

                                                                      23.
                                
55     CONTINUED:                                                       55


                                 FRANK
                    I've lived in jungles all my (life) -

                                NATE
                    No. This is the jungle. Tigers.
                    Vietcong. The fuckin snakes alone will
                    kill you.

AA56   INT. NEW JERSEY BOARD OF BAR EXAMINERS - DAY                   AA56   

       A room of student-type desks and no character. Richie,                
       and fifty others, have been here for hours taking the exam            
       less than half of them will pass.                                     

A56    EXT. JUNGLE - DAY                                               A56

       A motley bunch of Thai thugs and black American soldiers
       with automatic weapons ride mules through the dense jungle
       with Nate and Frank, who - armed with a pistol, a rifle and
       ammo bandolier like Pancho Villa - is enjoying himself.
       From his POV, the jungle canopy suddenly opens up on a poppy
       field the size of Manhattan. Frank stares down at it.

B56    EXT. JUNGLE RISE / OPIUM FARM - DAY                             B56

       On the ground now with their small private army, Nate speaks
       with one of the Thais, then translates for Frank.

                                 NATE
                    He says this whole area's controlled
                    by the Kuomintang - Chiang Kai-Shek's
                    defeated army.

       Some of whom they can see down below on the opium farm -
       Chinese soldiers with outdated weapons. Frank tips his head
       to Nate at some other figures below -

                                 FRANK
                    They ain't Chinese.

       A handful of better-armed American sentries at the perimeter
       of the farm. CIA. Frank, Nate and the others hang back as
       one of the Thais steps ahead to speak to the guerillas.

C56    EXT. OPIUM FARM - LATER                                         C56

       The processing center for the entire region. The Thai
       translator is with Frank to negotiate with a vanquished
       Chinese general. Other Americans and Thais guard them
       while the Chinese with their CIA advisors guard them.

                                                                   24.
                            




D56   INT. BAMBOO DWELLING - LATER - DAY                            D56

      The Chinese general examines Frank's papers - passport,
      visa, bank receipts - and lots of cash - then studies Frank.

                             GENERAL
                How would you get it into the States?

                             FRANK
                What do you care?

                             GENERAL
                Who do you work for in there?

                             FRANK
                What do you care?

                             GENERAL
                Who are you really?

                             FRANK
                It says right there.   Frank Lucas.

                             GENERAL
                I mean, who you represent?

                             FRANK
                Me.

      The man doesn't believe it, but lets it go.

                             GENERAL
                You think you're going to take a hundred
                kilos of heroin into the US and you don't
                work for anyone? Someone is going to
                allow that?

      Frank shrugs. The general regards one of his men.       In
      Chinese, subtitled:

                             GENERAL
                I don't believe a word of this.

      The general regards the cash and paperwork again for a
      moment. And, to Frank:

                             GENERAL
                After this first purchase, if you're not
                killed by Marseilles importers - or their
                people in the States - then what?



                                                                   (CONT)

                                                                     25.
                               
D56   CONTINUED:                                                     D56


                                FRANK
                   Then there'd be more. On a regular basis.
                   Though I'd rather not have to drag my ass
                   all the way up here every time.

      The man regards Frank for a long moment.       Glances back to
      the cash and paperwork again. Finally -

                                GENERAL
                   Of course not.

E56   EXT. JUNGLE ARMY LZ - VIETNAM - DAY                             E56

      Torrential monsoon rains. Dripping camouflage. Nate and
      Frank climb down from the Huey. Frank no longer wears the
      bandolier. Now a press card dangles from his neck.

F56   INT/EXT. TENT / JUNGLE ARMY LZ - LATER - DAY                    F56

      Stripes on the uniform of a black colonel with Nate under a
      canopy. Outside, in the distance, in the rain, Frank hangs
      out with some other black servicemen.

                                COLONEL
                   Where's it now?

                               NATE
                   Bangkok. I can bring it here or anywhere
                   in between.

                                COLONEL
                   A hundred kilos.
                          (Nate nods)
                   I never seen that much dope in one place.
                                NATE
                   It's bigger than an Amana refrigerator-
                   freezer.

G56   INT/EXT. JUNGLE ARMY LZ - LATER - DAY                           G56

      Nate and Frank watch the colonel emerge from the tent and
      cross through the rain on duck-boards to another tent to
      speak with a white officer, a 2-star general.

                                NATE
                   Fifty grand. In advance. That'll
                   cover them, the pilots and the guys on
                   the other end.

                                FRANK
                   Give them a hundred.

                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                       26.
                                 
G56   CONTINUED:                                                       G56


                                NATE
                   Fifty, to cover them all.

                                FRANK
                   A hundred. And it's all I got left. So
                   if that dope doesn't arrive, for whatever
                   reason -
                          (embraces Nate and whispers)
                   Cousin or no cousin - don't let me down.

      He holds out a business envelope fat with money. Nate
      hesitates, knowing Frank has just said he'll kill him if
      things don't go right, then takes it.

                                NATE
                   I'll let you know when it's in the air.

56    INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NEWARK - DAWN                            56

      The nurse/paramedic who stitched up his hand is in Richie's
      bed making so much noise he's worried someone will call the
      cops. The phone rings. And won't stop. Neither will the
      nurse as Richie answers it -

                                RIVERA V/O                                      
                   Richie? Richie, I'm in trouble.    This
                   fuckin guy "made" me - I don't know how
                   but he did. He went for his gun. I had
                   to do it, I swear to God. Now they're
                   going to kill me.

      Richie can hear in Sander's voice how serious it is and
      manages to disentangle himself from the woman.
                                 RICHIE
                   Who.

                                RIVERA V/O                                      
                   There's a hundred people out there heard
                   the shots. You gotta help me. You gotta
                   do something.

                                 RICHIE
                   Is he dead?

                                  RIVERA V/O                                    
                   He's dead.    I'm dead. They're gonna kill
                   me.

                                RICHIE
                   Where are you? Javy, where are you?                          


                                                                       (CONT)

                                                                     27.
                               
56    CONTINUED:                                                       56


                                RIVERA V/O                                    
                   That's the problem.

A57   INT. RICHIE'S CAR - MOVING - EARLY MORNING                      A57

      Richie on his police radio, which cuts in and out -

                                DISPATCHER
                   There are no cars in that area,
                   Detective Roberts.

                                RICHIE
                   Bullshit. I got a man in trouble and I
                   need back-up.

                                DISPATCHER
                   I missed that - you're breaking up -

                                RICHIE
                   I said, put the fucking call out again -

                                DISPATCHER
                   I just did. No one responded.     I'll try
                   again, but -                                               

                                RICHIE                                        
                   Fuck you, too.                                             

      He slams the mic down.

57    EXT. STEPHEN CRANE PROJECTS - MORNING                            57

      As Richie's car turns a corner, the Stephen Crane Projects -
      the most foreboding place on earth - rises up: three dark
      30-floor towers planted on war-torn grounds where a long-ago
      torched and abandoned patrol car sits like a monument.

      He parks and moves through an agitated all-black crowd, past
      an ambulance outside one of the towers, through oppressive
      heat. It's riot weather.

58    INT. STEPHEN CRANE PROJECTS - MORNING                            58

      Drugs on a coffee table. Body on the floor. Rivera,                     
      despondent, on the couch. The male paramedics, scared.                  
      Richie on the phone -                                                   

                                RICHIE                                        
                   Sergeant, I'm not asking, I'm fuckin                       
                   telling you: Get some patrolmen over                       
                   here now.                                                  


                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                       28.
                                 
58    CONTINUED:                                                         58


      Dial tone: the police sergeant has hung up on him.           Richie       
      throws the phone. The paramedics stare at him.                            

                                PARAMEDIC
                   You got no back-up? Why is that?                             

      The only other person who would know the answer to that is
      Rivera, who just shakes his head in despair.                              

                                RICHIE
                   Bandage his head.

                                PARAMEDIC
                   Detective ... he's dead.

                                RICHIE
                   I know he's fucking dead. Bandage his
                   head, clean him up, put him on a gurney
                   and prop it up so he's sitting. And open
                   his eyes.

59    EXT. STEPHEN CRANE PROJECTS - MORNING                              59

      Richie comes out ahead of the gurney, moving quickly like
      it's a matter of life and death (which it is), motioning at
      the crowd to allow a path to the ambulance.

                                RICHIE
                   Step back, injured man coming out. Let
                   them do their job and he'll be all right.
                   Ma'am. Excuse me. Step back. Sir.
                   Please.

      The people step back when they see the victim on the gurney:
      tubes in his nostrils, IV in his arm, eyes open. Before they
      can look any closer, he's put in the ambulance. As it pulls
      out, siren wailing, Richie leads Rivera safely away -                     

A60   EXT. ALLEY NEAR STEPHEN CRANE PROJECTS - MORNING                  A60

      They cross through an alley near the Projects and Rivera                  
      finally breathes a sigh of relief.

                                 RIVERA                                         
                   Thank you -

      The words aren't out of his mouth before Richie shoves him                
      up against a car.                                                         

                                RICHIE
                   You robbed him, didn't you.


                                                                       (CONT)

                                                                       29.
                                 
A60   CONTINUED:                                                       A60


                                 RIVERA                                         
                   What?   What are you talking about?

      Richie rips Rivera's jacket pockets.        Money spills out.             

                                 RICHIE
                   This.   Where'd this come from?

                                RIVERA                                          
                   What. That's my money. I've never
                   taken dirty money in my life.

                                RICHIE
                   You lying piece of shit -

                                RIVERA                                          
                   Maybe the occasional gratuity. Like
                   anybody else. You're going to tell me
                   that's wrong?

                                 RICHIE
                   Yeah.

                                RIVERA                                          
                   No, it isn't. It's part of the salary
                   for getting shot at. For that, certain
                   courtesies are shown. In gratitude -                         

      Richie, disgusted with him, lets go of him.         Rivera is             
      embarrassed, almost crying, pleading -                                    

                                RIVERA                                          
                   A discount on a TV, a Doughboy in the                        
                   backyard, a new dress for your girlfriend                    
                   maybe once a year. I'm talking about not                     
                   living in fucking poverty. You want to                       
                   call that wrong, call it wrong.

                                 RICHIE                                         
                   It's wrong.                                                  

                                RIVERA                                          
                   Then goddamn it, pay me fifty grand a                        
                   year, you son of a bitch. Pay me what I
                   deserve for getting shot at. No? Fine.
                   Next time four guys come into your place
                   with sawed-off shotguns, you take care of
                   it.

                                RICHIE
                   You robbed him, and then you shot him,
                   and I helped you get out of there. How
                   many more you shot?
                                                                       (CONT)

                                                                       30.
                                 
A60     CONTINUED:                                                     A60


        Rivera suddenly tries to get tough -                                    

                                  RIVERA                                        
                     You know what, Richie? Fuck you, you
                     make that kind of accusation against your
                     own kind. And you know why.

        He takes out his car keys, turns to leave. Comes past                   
        Richie who grabs his arm and pushes the sleeve up exposing a            
        line of puncture scabs and scars.

                                  RICHIE
                     You're a disgrace.

                                  RIVERA                                        
                     I'm a leper. Because I listened to you
                     and turned in a million fucking dollars.
                     You know who'll work with me after that?
                     Same as you. No one.

        Richie squeezes Rivera's hand around the car key.                       

                                  RICHIE
                     Don't look down there. Look here.
                            (at Richie's eyes)
                     You ever fuckin threaten me again, I'll
                     kill you.

        Richie squeezes Sander's hand so hard the car key cuts
        through the skin, drawing blood.

60 - 69 OMIT                                                 60 - 69 OMIT

70      EXT. ARMY BASE, NEW JERSEY - DUSK                                70
        Silence. Marshland. A beat-up Chevy parked alongside a
        perimeter fence. Frank waits by the car as a military Jeep
        with its lights out comes across a firing range. It slows,
        stops. In it, the silhouettes of three servicemen, black,
        armed with M-16's. Silence again, before:

                                  ARMY CAPTAIN
                     Open the trunk.

        Frank does it, then stands aside as the other servicemen
        drag four large taped-up duffel bags from the Jeep to his
        car, lift them into his trunk and slam it shut.

71      INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - LATER - NIGHT                           71

        The duffel bags, still closed, on a table. Frank regards
        them, nursing a drink, putting off the moment of discovery
        that he has perhaps spent his life's savings on nothing.
                                                                       (CONT)

                                                                     31.
                               
71    CONTINUED:                                                       71


      The German shepherd watches as Frank removes the tape from
      one of the bags. He pulls it open - has almost no reaction -
      except to breathe again - then opens the next, and the next.

      And we see: Several brick-like packages of No. 4 heroin
      wrapped in paper marked with Chinese writing, stamped with
      a label: two lions on their hind legs, paws on a globe,
      and, in English: DOUBLE UOGLOBE BRAND 100%.

A72   INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - LATER - DAWN                           A72     

      The duffel bags are elsewhere. The only evidence of any
      drugs is the small amount Frank has given a chemist - who
      looks like a Harvard student - to test. It responds                     
      instantly. The young man looks at Frank.                                

                                CHEMIST
                   Typically what I see is 25 to 45                           
                   percent pure. I've never seen anything                     
                   like this. No alkaloids, no adulterants,                   
                   no dilutents. It's a hundred percent.                      
                   May I?                                                     

      The chemist opens a leather travel syringe kit to shoot up,             
      but Frank gives him some to take home instead.                          

                                FRANK                                         
                   Take it with you. I don't want to have                     
                   to call the coroner.                                       

      The chemist gathers his things to leave, offering a last                
      piece of advice -                                                       

                                CHEMIST                                       
                   Store it in a cool, dark place.                            

72    EXT. GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - DUSK                           72

      A clapboard house set down on a piece of land that was
      probably once worked by sharecroppers. An elderly woman
      framed in a lit kitchen window, doing dishes.

      Dark yew trees and scavenged, discarded cars and car parts
      like patches of rusty snow. Crickets and bullfrogs. From a
      mound of dirt, a young man hurls a baseball to another with
      a catcher's mitt exactly sixty feet away. The kid's got a
      major league arm.

      Legend:   Greensboro, North Carolina

      A glow spills out from a detached shed where a short man in
      his early 30's works on a stock car.

                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                      32.
                                
72   CONTINUED:                                                         72

     A greasy phone on the workbench rings and another
     disreputable-looking man, thumbing through a magazine,
     answers.

                               JIMMY
                  Yeah ... for you.

                                TEDDY
                  Who is it?

     Jimmy doesn't know, sets it down. Teddy comes over wiping
     his hands on a rag, takes the phone.

                                TEDDY
                  Yeah.

                                FRANK V/O
                  Teddy.

                                TEDDY
                  Who's this?

                                FRANK V/O
                  Frank.

                                TEDDY
                  Frank who?

                               FRANK V/0
                  Frank your brother.

73   INT. COURTROOM - DAY                                               73

     Divorced couples in custody battles wait with their                       
     attorneys in a packed courthouse. An lawyer carrying papers               
     clipped with a $10 bill, comes past Richie, who's sitting                 
     with his lawyer, a woman he's probably slept with.                        

                               SHEILA
                  I'm not talking about your proclivities,
                  Richie. Those I only know too well. I'm
                  talking about being a cop.

                               RICHIE
                  About taking money? I don't care about                       
                  money. I don't do that.                                      

                               SHEILA
                  Because it'll come out. You're going to
                  have to sit down with shrinks and social
                  workers, her lawyers, the judge, lots of
                  questions.


                                                                      (CONT)

                                                                      33.
                                
73   CONTINUED:                                                         73


                               RICHIE
                  What's going on there?                                       

     The judge's assistant rearranging the pre-trial cases in                  
     order of the amount of gratuity clipped to each - $5, $10,                
     $20 bills.                                                                

                                SHEILA                                         
                  Scheduling.                                                  

                               RICHIE                                          
                  No, the money.                                               

                               SHEILA                                          
                  Scheduling. What about your friends                          
                  from the neighborhood? You still hang
                  out with them?

                               RICHIE
                  I play softball on Sundays with some
                  guys.

                                 SHEILA
                  Wise guys.    That's going to look good.

                               RICHIE
                  I grew up with them, big deal.

                               SHEILA
                  What about Anthony Zaca?                                     

                               RICHIE
                  What about him?
                               SHEILA
                  Richie, I'm just trying to understand
                  things your wife has said. If they're
                  not true, tell me.

                               RICHIE
                  Yeah, Tony's one of them.

                               SHEILA
                  Is he also your son's godfather?

     Richie nods. Sheila glances over to where Richie's ex-wife
     sits with her own lawyer across the room.

                               SHEILA
                  Do you really care about this? Or do
                  you just not want her to win - ever. How
                  often do you see your son as it is?

                                                                      (CONT)

                                                                      34.
                                
73   CONTINUED:                                                         73


                                RICHIE
                  Not enough.   But she wants to make it                       
                  never.                                                       

                               SHEILA                                          
                  Yeah, all right. Give me a twenty.                           
                         (Richie doesn't reach for                             
                          his wallet)                                          
                  Well, I'm not going to sit here all day.                     

     She takes a twenty from her purse and carries it up to the                
     judge's assistant clipped to their paperwork.                             

                                BAILIFF
                  All rise -

74   EXT. HOUSE - TEANECK, NEW JERSEY - DAY                             74

     Frank and the dog in the back yard of a suburban house.
     His neighbors - those he can see - are white. He hears a
     sound - cars arriving - and crosses toward the house where
     a sold "For Sale" sign leans against a half-built kennel.

     Out front, a caravan of cars and pickup trucks - North
     Carolina plates - loaded with boxes and suitcases - has just
     arrived. Exhausted from the drive but excited to be here,
     the travelers climb out: Frank's five brothers, their wives
     and kids, and their mother.

     Teddy thinks it's the right place. The others aren't as
     sure. The house is too nice. There's a new Lincoln Towncar
     parked outside the garage. They'll probably be shot for
     trespassing.
     The front door opens and Frank comes out, trailed by his
     dog. He first gathers his mother in an embrace, then each
     of his startled brothers.

75   INT. FRANK'S TEANECK HOUSE - LATER - DAY                           75

     The house is alive with the noise of family and scent of
     home-cooked food as the extended Lucas clan - there's more
     than twenty of them - sits around a big dining room table
     passing the platters around. Frank, at the head of the
     table, clearly loves having them all here.

                               TURNER
                  He got an arm on him.     Major League arm,
                  ain't that right.

     Everyone agrees as Turner's son - Frank's nephew - the 18-
     year-old boy seen pitching in the North Carolina back yard -
     tries to shrug.
                                                                      (CONT)

                                                                      35.
                                
75   CONTINUED:                                                         75


                               FRANK
                  You show me after supper.

                               TURNER
                  You can't catch him. He'll take your
                  head off. We're talking 95-mile-an-hour.
                  You know how fast that is? You see the
                  ball leave his hand, and that's the last
                  you see it before it knocks you down.

                               FRANK
                         (smiling; happy)
                  Is that right.

76   INT. FRANK'S TEANECK HOUSE - LATER - DAY                           76

     The wonderful noise continues downstairs as Frank leads his
     mother on a tour of the upstairs. The place is a showroom
     of traditional Americana.

                               FRANK
                  This is your room.

     Mrs. Lucas is   in awe of the splendor of the bedroom and its
     furnishings.    It's unlike anything she's used ever seen -
     not Graceland   exactly - but not far off. Her eyes settle on
     an old vanity   dotted with French perfume bottles.

                               MRS. LUCAS
                  How did you ...

                               FRANK
                  I had it made. From memory.
                               MRS. LUCAS
                  You were five when they took it away.
                  How could you remember it?

                                FRANK
                  I remember.

     She's stunned. Touches the reproduction of the vanity her
     son last saw more than thirty years ago.

                               MRS. LUCAS
                  It's perfect.
                         (looks at the room)
                  It's all perfect.
                         (she looks at him)
                  I'm so proud of you.

                                                                 36.
                           




77   EXT. HUDSON RIVER - DAY                                       77

     The Statue of Liberty against the New York skyline.

                            FRANK V/O
               The man I worked for ran one of the
               biggest companies in New York City for
               almost fifty years.

78   EXT. HARLEM - DAY                                             78

     As Frank leads his brothers down the sidewalk, the Towncar
     that was parked at the Teaneck house, driven by Frank's body-
     guard, Doc, follows alongside at the same pace they walk.

                            FRANK
               I was with him every day for fifteen of
               them, looking after him, taking care of
               things, protecting him, learning from
               him.

     The brothers can't help but notice the storekeepers who wave
     to Frank, the women who smile, the men who step out of his
     path like there's a red carpet under his polished shoes.

                            FRANK
               Bumpy was rich, but never white   man rich.
               Why? Because he didn't own the    company.
               He thought he did. He didn't.     He only
               managed it. Someone else owned    it. So
               they owned him.

79   INT/EXT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT BUILDING - HARLEM - DAY           79
     Frank leads his brothers up the stairs and down the hall.

                            FRANK
               Nobody owns me. Because I own my
               company.

     INTERCUT: Feminine hands stamp small packets of blue
     cellophane with the words `Blue Magic' -

                            FRANK
               And my company sells a product that's
               better than the competition's at a price
               that's lower.

     Frank stops outside an apartment door.

                            TEDDY
               What are we selling, Frank?

                                                                 (CONT)

                                                                     37.
                               
79   CONTINUED:                                                        79


     Frank pushes the door open, revealing -

80   INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS - DAY                        80

     Five naked women at work tables, their faces veiled by
     surgical masks, cutting heroin with lactose and quinine in a
     precise mixture of controlled purity. The Lucas brothers
     stare as the supervisor of the activity - clothed, with red
     hair - comes over.

                               REDTOP
                  Hi, Frank.

                               FRANK
                  Honey, these are my brothers.

81   EXT. HARLEM - LATER - DAY                                         81

     Tango strolls down the street like he's the Godfather of
     Harlem, girl on his arm, bodyguard at his side.

82   INT. DINER - SAME TIME                                            82

     As his brothers eat lunch, Frank - who can see Tango outside
     - uncaps a glass sugar container.

                               FRANK
                  What matters in business is honesty,
                  integrity, hard work, loyalty, and never
                  forgetting where you came from.

     For reasons his brothers can't imagine, Frank empties all
     sugar from the container onto his plate.
                               FRANK
                  You are what you are and that's one of
                  two things. You're nothing ... or you're
                  something. Understand what I'm saying?

     The brothers nod tentatively, stare at the now-empty glass
     container. Frank wipes his mouth with a napkin, gets up.

                               FRANK
                  I'll be right back.

83   EXT/INT. DINER - MOMENTS LATER                                    83

     He comes out of the diner, crosses the street toward Tango,
     who's buying fruit. Greets him cheerfully -

                               FRANK
                  Hey, Tango, what's up.    I was just
                  thinking about you.
                               (MORE)
                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                    38.
                              
83   CONTINUED:                                                       83
                               FRANK (CONT'D)
                  I was looking at the jar and you know
                  what? I didn't    see nothing in it.

                               TANGO
                  The fuck you want, Frank -

     Before the last word is out of Tango's mouth, Frank's got a
     gun pressed against his forehead. Silence. Everyone backs
     away - the bodyguard, too. Tango's girl pulls her arm from
     his and takes off. Eventually -

                               TANGO
                  What're you going to do, boy? Shoot me
                  in broad daylight? In front of everyone?

     It's as if life on the street has stopped. No one moves;
     everyone is looking at Frank; maybe that's what he wants.
     As Tango laughs at the thought -

                               FRANK
                  Yeah, that's right.

     Frank pulls the trigger and the big man falls back like
     someone hit with a board. Frank stands over him and empties
     the gun in his chest, the shots echoing down the street.

     Then it's quiet again. Everyone's still looking him, but
     Frank doesn't run. Instead, he calmly reaches into Tango's
     suit pocket, takes out a money clip thick with cash, drops
     it in the "jar" and sets it next to the body.

                               FRANK
                  For the cops. Should be enough.

     Frank returns to the diner and sits back down, ignoring the
     astonished stares from his brothers and everyone else in the
     place. Tries to remember where he was in his lecture as he
     tucks the napkin back in his shirt collar.

                               FRANK
                  That basically's the whole picture right
                  there.

84   INT. MORGUE - NIGHT                                              84

     A cadaver drawer slides open revealing - not Tango - but
     Rivera, staring up lifeless, his arms, stomach, legs and                
     toes dotted with the scabs of a longtime addict.

                               DETECTIVE
                  Did you know his girlfriend? Good-
                  looking girl. One of his informants.


                                                                    (CONT)

                                                                    39.
                              
84   CONTINUED:                                                       84


                              RICHIE
                  Beth.

     The medical examiner slides open another cadaver drawer
     containing her body. Richie stares at it.

                               DETECTIVE
                  Should've seen their place.    Like animals
                  lived there.

                               RICHIE
                  I have seen it.

                               DETECTIVE
                         (to the examiner)
                  Chose a good night, huh?   Grand Central
                  Station in here.

                               MEDICAL EXAMINER
                  It's been like this. I'm lucky I get
                  home before midnight; lots of careless-
                  ness.

     Richie regards Rivera's personal effects resting on his                 
     chest in a plastic bag: few bucks, the Corvette key, a half-
     empty packet of heroin in blue cellophane. Richie takes the
     blue cellophane from the bag and, as the drawer closes
     entombing Sanders, holds it in his hand ...

                               REPORTER V/O
                  Heroin addiction is no longer exclusive
                  to big city neighborhoods; it's epidemic -

85   TIME CUT.    A TELEVISION:                                       85
     The reports shows lawmakers on Capitol Hill juxtaposed
     against images of inner-cities, junkies, homicide victims
     and, perhaps most telling, white suburbia.

                               REPORTER ON TV
                  Since 1965, law enforcement has watched
                  its steady increase and with it a rise in
                  violent crime. Now unaccountably, it has
                  exploded, reaching into cities as a whole
                  - our suburbs and towns - our schools.

     INT. POLICE GYM - DAY

     The TV is in a small police gym where Richie lifts weights,
     very much aware of his pariah status as out-of-shape cops               
     come in, only to leave again when they see him.


                                                                    (CONT)

                                                                    40.
                              
     CONTINUED:


                               REPORTER ON TV
                  Someone is finally saying: enough.
                  Federal authorities have announced their
                  intention to establish special narcotics
                  bureaus in Washington, New York, Los
                  Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Newark and
                  other major cities -

     Toback comes in, watches Richie, alone, working out.

                               RICHIE V/O
                  It's a dog and pony show.                                  

                               TOBACK V/O
                  It's not being advertised as one.

86   INT. POLICE GYM - LATER - DAY                                    86     

     Richie's changing into his street clothes.

                               RICHIE
                  But it's federal. I'd have to answer
                  to who? FBI?

                               TOBACK
                  Me and the U.S. Attorney. No one else.
                  No FBI. Hoover knows better than to mix
                  his men with dope. Too much temptation
                  for the feeble-minded.

     Though he's not in much of a position to refuse the
     assignment, Richie still isn't convinced it's a good idea.
     Toback levels with him -
                               TOBACK
                  Richie, a detective who doesn't have
                  the cooperation of his fellow detectives
                  can't be effective.

                               RICHIE
                  You know why I don't have it.

                               TOBACK
                  Doesn't matter.

                               RICHIE
                  No, they're all on the take and I'm not                    
                  and it doesn't matter to anyone. Instead
                  of giving you a medal for turning in
                  money, they bury you.



                                                                    (CONT)

                                                                    41.
                              
86   CONTINUED:                                                       86


                               TOBACK
                  It's fucked up. You're right. Maybe                        
                  this's an opportunity away from all that.                  

     They regard each other.    Eventually -

                               RICHIE
                  I'll do it, but only like this: I
                  don't set foot in a police station again.
                  I work out of a place of my own. And I
                  pick my own guys. Guys I know wouldn't
                  take a nickel off the sidewalk.

                               TOBACK
                  Done.

87   EXT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - DAY                           87

     An old building that was once an Episcopal church.

88   INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - DAY                           88

     The place has been long abandoned. The city maintenance
     worker who let Richie in watches him move through the debris-
     strewn church.

89   INT. PENTHOUSE - NEW YORK - DAY                                  89

     A real estate broker watches Frank consider the high-
     ceilinged spaciousness of a grand, unfurnished 50's modern
     Upper East Side penthouse -

90   INT. BASEMENT - NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - DAY                         90
     Richie regards the colored light thrown down by the stained
     glass windows -

91   INT. PENTHOUSE - NEW YORK - DAY                                  91

     Frank regards light streaming in from the garden terrace -

92   INT. MAIN FLOOR - NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - DAY                       92

     Richie picks up a faded photograph of a priest in a broken
     frame. To the maintenance man:

                               RICHIE
                  This is the only floor we'll be using.

93   INT. PENTHOUSE - NEW YORK - DAY                                  93

     Frank distractedly opens and closes a 12' high curtain in
     one of the rooms -
                                                                    (CONT)

                                                                    42.
                              
93   CONTINUED:                                                       93


                               FRANK
                  No loan, no contingencies.    Cash sale.

94   EXT. SMALL'S PARADISE - NIGHT                                    94

     Wet streets and neon. Well-dressed crowd behind a velvet
     rope outside the club. The Apollo in the background: James
     Brown on the marquee.

95   INT. SMALL'S PARADISE - NIGHT                                    95

     A still-powerful older man in a nice suit rises from his
     chair to wild applause. From the stage -

                               SINGER
                  Mr. Joe Louis, ladies and gentlemen.

     Joe bows graciously, gives a little wave to the crowd, and
     sits back down as the band starts up again.

     At another table, Frank sits with Charlie Williams and
     Rossi, slightly older dope men. Like Frank, they favor
     expensive tailored suits. Their dates, too, are nicely
     dressed - not too much make-up or jewelry. Frank's glance
     moves from Joe Louis and his wife to a beautiful young woman
     at the table.

                               FRANK
                  Who's the beauty queen?

                               CHARLIE
                  She is a beauty queen.    No kidding.
                  Miss Puerto Rico.
     Her glance crosses Frank's briefly but is yanked to the
     entrance of the club when Frank's brothers come in with
     their wives and girlfriends. Teddy's in a parrot green
     suit, gold chains, hat, acting like he owns the place.

96   INT. BACK ROOM - SMALL'S PARADISE - LATER                        96

     Frank hustles Teddy into an empty back room.

                               FRANK
                  What is this?

     He turns Teddy so he's facing a mirror.

                               TEDDY
                  What. These are clothes.     This is a very
                  nice (suit) -


                                                                    (CONT)

                                                                    43.
                              
96   CONTINUED:                                                       96


                               FRANK
                  I'm wearing clothes. These are clothes.
                  Those -
                         (Teddy's in the mirror)
                  - are a costume. With a sign on it that
                  says Arrest me. You look like fuckin
                  Jackie Fox.

                               TEDDY
                  What's wrong with Jackie.    I like Jackie.

                               FRANK
                  You like Jackie? You want to be
                  Superfly? Go work for him, end up in a
                  cell with him.

     Teddy pulls himself from Frank's grasp. Smooths his shirt,
     adjusts his hat. Frank tries to explain to him:

                               FRANK
                  The guy making all the noise in the room
                  is the weak one. That's not who you want
                  to be.

                               TEDDY
                  He wants to talk to you by the way.     I
                  told him I'd tell you.

     Frank stares at his brother's reflection in the mirror.

                               FRANK
                  You and Jackie were talking about me?

                               TEDDY
                  Not about you. We were talking. He said
                  he wanted to talk to you about something.

     Frank clearly wants nothing to do with Jackie Fox.

                               FRANK
                  I'm taking you shopping tomorrow.

                               TEDDY
                  I went shopping today.

                               FRANK
                  You go shopping every day.    Like a girl.

97   EXT. SMALL'S PARADISE - LATER - NIGHT                            97

     A creme Bentley pulls up and out pour Jackie Fox and his
     entourage.

                                                                    (CONT)

                                                                     44.
                               
97   CONTINUED:                                                        97

     He's got an armful of New York Times Magazines -with him on
     the cover, flaunting Gangster Chic. He starts handing them
     out to the crowd on his way into the club.

98   INT. SMALL'S PARADISE - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT                        98

     Joe Louis has come over to speak to Frank at his table.

                               JOE LOUIS
                  It's a tax thing. It's a mistake my
                  lawyers will straighten out, but for the
                  time being it's a headache -

                               FRANK
                  How much you owe?

                               JOE LOUIS
                  It's nothing, like - fifty grand.

     Frank isn't sure if it's an honor or a curse to have a
     celebrity like Joe Louis asking to borrow money, but nods.

                                FRANK
                  Sure.   Don't worry about it.

                                JOE LOUIS
                  Thank you.   I'll pay you back soon as -

                               FRANK
                  Joe. It's a gift. Not a loan.       You
                  don't owe me nothing.

     Jackie glides into the club with his magazines and
     entourage. Frank watches him make the rounds, lingering at
     Miss Puerto Rico's table and holding her hand longer than he
     should with his girlfriend on his arm. Frank glances to
     Teddy wearily, then to Doc, alone at the next table like a
     sentry. Frank doesn't have to say he's ready to leave. Doc
     knows the look. Gets up.

99   INT. SMALL'S PARADISE - LATER - NIGHT                             99

     Frank comes into the coat check area where Doc waits with
     his overcoat. As Frank slips into it, Miss Puerto Rico -
     returning from the ladies room - comes through.

                                ANA
                  Hi.   I'm Ana.

                               FRANK
                  I'm Frank.



                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                     45.
                               
99    CONTINUED:                                                       99


                                ANA
                   You're Frank and this is your place.
                          (he doesn't say whether
                           it is or not)
                   Why's it called Small's? Why don't you
                   call it Frank's?

                                FRANK
                   Because I don't have to.

      He smiles, and it's hard to tell which is more enchanted
      with the other.

100   INT. NIGHTCLUB - NEWARK - SAME TIME - NIGHT                     100

      A club across the river. Not nearly as nice as Small's -
      much louder - but like Small's, almost all black. Richie
      shares a booth with a black undercover detective.

                                RICHIE
                   I'm reluctant to bring anyone in I
                   don't personally know.

                                SPEARMAN
                   You know me, and I vouch for them.

      Richie nods, Yeah, he knows that, but remains unconvinced.

                                SPEARMAN
                   Richie, we work together. You want me,
                   you got to take them, too.

                                RICHIE
                   Where are they?
      Spearman looks out across the crowded dance floor.

                                SPEARMAN
                   That's Jones. With the skinny white
                   woman.

      Richie's glance finds a young black man dancing wildly with
      his skinny white date.

                                SPEARMAN
                   That's Abruzzo, with the fat black one.

      Richie sees a young Italian with tatoos - the only other
      white man in the place - dancing with a heavy black woman.
      Both Jones and Abruzzo look more like criminals than cops.



                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                      46.
                                
100   CONTINUED:                                                      100


                                SPEARMAN
                   Both are good with wires. Have good
                   informants. They're honest. And they're
                   fearless. They'll do anything. They're
                   insane, Richie, like you.

101   INT. FRANK'S CAR - MOVING - NEW YORK - DAY                       101

      Frank sits in back alone. Peers ahead through the
      windshield. His face relaxes as he sees -

102   EXT. RIVERSIDE - DAY                                             102

      Ana waiting on a corner, dressed nice, handbag.         The Towncar
      pulls to the curb.

                                FRANK
                   I got it.

      Frank gets out before Doc can, and escorts Ana to the car.

                                FRANK
                   I hope you weren't waiting long. A
                   woman as beautiful as you shouldn't have
                   to wait for anything.

      He opens the door for her like a perfect gentleman, slides
      in after her.

103   EXT. MAMA LUCAS'S TEANECK, N.J. HOUSE - DAY                      103

      Outside the house, Doc sits in the car reading a newspaper.

104   INT. MAMA LUCAS'S TEANECK, N.J. HOUSE - DAY                      104
      Ana considers some family photographs on a mantle.

                                ANA
                   This is your father?

      Frank shakes his head no.       It's a picture of Bumpy.

                                FRANK
                   You really don't know who that is?
                          (she doesn't)
                   It's Martin Luther King.

                                ANA
                   It is not.

                                FRANK
                   You're right. He was as important as Dr.
                   King, though.
                                                                      (CONT)

                                                                     47.
                               
104   CONTINUED:                                                     104


                                ANA
                   What'd he do?

                                FRANK
                   A lot of things. He had a lot of
                   friends. He served New York and it
                   served him.

                                ANA
                   What was he to you?

      Frank has to think.     Bumpy was more than his employer.

                                FRANK
                   Teacher.

                                ANA
                   What'd he teach you?

                                FRANK
                   How to take my time ... how if you're
                   going to do something, do it with care
                   ... do it with love.

      And it's working here.     It's seductive.

                                ANA
                   Anything else?

      FLASHCUTS -

      Sudden bursts of violence - guys beat up - others shot - one
      being poured with gasoline as Bumpy looks on calmly -
      BACK TO FRANK'S LIVING ROOM

      The same calm, benign face in the photograph.        Frank nods.

                                FRANK
                   How be a gentleman.

                                ANA
                   That's what you are?

      Ana smiles like she knows better. Any second now, like
      every other guy she's ever met, she's sure he'll try to take
      her upstairs.

                                FRANK
                   I got five different apartments in the
                   city I could've taken you to. I brought
                   you here instead -

                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                          48.
                                    
           CONTINUED:


           Ana glances to the stairs which Frank's mother is coming
           down.

                                    FRANK
                        To meet my mother.

                                     MRS. LUCAS
                        Is this her? Oh, she's beautiful,
                        Frank. Look at her. She's an angel
                        come down from heaven.

           Mrs. Lucas embraces Ana like family.

105 OMIT                                                            105 OMIT

106        INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - DAY                          106

           A single, half-empty packet of heroin, the same one from the
           morgue, in distinctive blue cellophane, tacked to a bulletin
           board. Richie, perched on a desk in front of it.

                                     RICHIE
                        Our mandate is to make major arrests.
                        No street guys - we want the suppliers -
                        the distributors.

           Spearman, Jones and Abruzzo sit in the back, looking like
           delinquent students. Of everyone in the open ground-floor
           that's been only slightly renovated - and there are about
           fifteen of them - they're the most disreputable-looking.

                                     RICHIE
                        Heroin, cocaine, amphetamines. No
                        grass under a thousand pounds. Less than                   
                        that, someone else can waste their time.

           Jones nudges Abruzzo to pay attention. Abruzzo elbows him
           back. Richie just waits like a teacher for their attention.

                                     RICHIE
                        We'll be handling big shipments, big
                        money, big temptation.
                               (Jones raises his hand)
                        Yeah.

                                     JONES
                        There's a story about you. About
                        turning in some money. A lot of money.
                        Is it true?

           Jones isn't the only one here curious to know.        Simply:


                                                                          (CONT)

                                                                     49.
                               
106   CONTINUED:                                                     106


                                RICHIE
                   It's not true.                                           

107   INT/EXT. CAR / STREET - NEWARK - DAY                            107

      Abruzzo, looking like a junkie, dirty jeans, wool cap,
      approaches a dealer on the corner. The perspective shifts
      to Richie, Spearman and Jones in a car, watching as Abruzzo
      chats briefly with the dealer before the exchange takes
      place: $10 for a blue-cellophane packet.

108   INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - LATER - DAY                  108

      Richie and the others watch Jones tests the heroin.

                                JONES
                   Stuff's ten percent pure. Strong
                   enough to smoke for all those suburban
                   white kids afraid of needles.

      The other detectives are exchange a glance.       None has ever
      heard of anything on the street that pure.

                                RICHIE
                   You paid ten bucks for it?

                                JONES
                   And it's all that's out there.

                                RICHIE
                   Now, how is that possible? Who can
                   afford to sell shit twice as good for
                   half as much?
      Richie glances to a Table of Organization: Surveillance
      photos haphazardly thumb-tacked to a bulletin board - known
      dope men in the hierarchies of their individual crime
      families - almost all of them Italian.

      WOMB TO TOMB SEQUENCE:

      An R & B song begins and continues over -

109   CLOSE-UPS:                                                      109

      A poppy bulb being pierced, the white liquid oozing,
      changing into filthy liquids in wooden bowls, and finally
      a gray paste ...

110   INT. BANK VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - CHEMICAL BANK - DAY 110

      Frank sits with the bank Vice President who wires a transfer
      to:

                                                                  50.
                            




111   INT. BANGKOK BANK - DAY                                      111

      Where Nate sits with the same Thai bank president as before
      who converts the transfer to cash.

112   INT. SOUL BROTHERS BAR - BANGKOK - DAY                       112

      Nate slides cash across a table to a couple of Chinese
      gangsters.

113   EXT. JUNGLE ARMY BASE - VIETNAM - DAY                        113

      A tent: Nate hands more cash - the military brass's cut -
      to the 2-star general from before.

      An airstrip: Slicing propellers. Wounded soldiers on
      stretchers, helped onto a transport plane. Nearby, four
      large crates - Japanese TVs - under cargo netting. The
      pilot stuffs more cash in a pouch and salutes Nate.

114   TV IMAGE:                                                    114

      General Westmoreland returns a salute (archive).

115   EXT. ARMY BASE - NORTH CAROLINA - DUSK                       115

      The same plane on the tarmac here, taxiing. A pile of
      discarded TV boxes outside a supply warehouse.

      At the perimeter of the base, black servicemen transfer
      heavy taped-up duffel bags from an Army Jeep to a station
      wagon, hoisting those that won't fit inside onto a roof
      rack. Two Lucas brothers tie them down with twine.
116   INT/EXT. CAR / HIGHWAY - NEAR WASHINGTON DC - DUSK           116

      The station wagon heading north on a rain-slicked highway,
      the canvas tarpaulin on top flapping. In the distance, the
      spire of the Washington monument glows.

117   EXT. DISCOUNT DRUGSTORE - HARLEM - DAY                       117

      A black woman pushes a shopping cart containing a baby,
      Pampers, and cases of milk sugar across a parking lot.

118   INT. RED TOP'S APARTMENT - HARLEM - DAY                      118

      Empty milk sugar boxes. Redtop and her five table workers
      - clothed now, the surgical masks dangling from their necks -
      wiping down table surfaces, scales and apparatus. Tens of
      thousands of blue-cellophane packets of heroin neatly cover
      two of the folding tables.

                                                                  51.
                            




119   EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY                                     119

      August. Hot. Kids wrench open a fire hydrant and with an
      empty soda can direct the water into a fountain. The water
      sprays down onto the windshield of a beat-up Chevy coming
      slowly through, revealing when it clears, Frank behind the
      wheel. He parks. Glances at his watch.

120   INT. NYPD 23RD PRECINCT - LOCKER ROOM - DAY                  120

      Clock on the wall of a locker area: 3:58. Shift change.
      Cops in t-shirts. Fans blowing the humid air around.

121   INT/EXT. NYPD 23RD PRECINCT GARAGE - DAY                     121

      Blue and whites arriving and leaving, shirts coming off as
      the cops alight.

122   INT. BUS - MOVING ON 116TH STREET - DAY                      122

      The driver checks his watch:   3:59.   Turns his almost-empty
      bus up 8th Avenue.

123   INT/EXT. FRANK'S PARKED CHEVY - HARLEM - DAY                 123

      Air conditioner full blast. Radio announcing the time: 4
      o'clock. Frank glances out the wet windshield of the Chevy
      and watches 116th Street transform:

      It's as if an outdoor market has just opened its stalls.
      Junkies and dealers emerging from the alleys, storefronts,
      tenements and side streets - from the street itself it seems
      - snarling the cars and delivery trucks caught unaware.
      Small blue cellophane packets - and only blue - are pulled
      from pockets and change hands. In alleyways it's cooked up
      and sucked into syringes, and in dank, grim, indescribably
      filthy rooms, plunged into veins -

124   AND THE REVERSE:                                             124

      10 and 20 dollar bills changing hands - decks of cash
      rubber-banded together - put into envelopes and delivered
      to the Lucas brothers, to:

125   LESTER at his metal door shop.                               125

126   EUGENE at his dry cleaners.                                  126

127   TURNER at his tire service shop.                             127

128   EARL at his electrical shop.                                 128

                                                                  (CONT)

                                                                      52.
                                
123   CONTINUED:                                                      123


129   TEDDY at his body shop.                                          129

130   INT. REDTOP'S APARTMENT - DAY                                    130

      Piles of cash.    The brothers try counting it all, but it's
      just too much.    It's actually tiring.

                                TEDDY
                   We're going to be here all night if we
                   count every bill.

      TIME CUT: A money-counting machine flips through the
      bills, its counter flying. The brothers rubberband it all
      in $100,000 decks. Jot down the numbers. Put the money
      in newly-assembled file boxes. Tape them shut.

131   INT. CHEMICAL BANK - SAFETY-DEPOSIT ROOM - DAY                   131

      Alone in the room, Frank transfers stacks of $100's from the
      file boxes into several open safety-deposit boxes.

132   INT. FRANK'S PENTHOUSE APARTMENT - NIGHT                         132

      The penthouse is now richly decorated. The R & B music
      playing through a state-of-the-art stereo system. It's a
      kind of office party for Frank's brothers, cousins, wives
      and girlfriends, distributors like Rossi and other East
      Harlem guys, Charlie Williams, couple of cops on Frank's
      payroll, and the Chemical Bank Vice President.

                                BANKER
                   You got a stockbroker, Frank?

                                FRANK
                   I deal with enough crooks as it is.

      The banker jots down a name and phone number on the back of
      one of his business cards.

                                BANKER
                   This one couldn't be more honest. Ask
                   around. He's got a lot of clients in the
                   business. You can't leave all your money
                   in safety deposit boxes; give him a call.

      The banker hands him the card and moves on. Frank's trying
      to have a good time, but the level of noise and revelry is
      beginning to make him uncomfortable.

                                 CHARLIE
                   Frank.   This is Mike Sibota.

      Sibota tries not to look as nervous as he feels.
                                                                      (CONT)

                                                                       53.
                                 
132   CONTINUED:                                                       132


                                 FRANK
                   Mr. Sibota.   What can I get you?

                                SIBOTA
                   A left-hander from what Charlie tells me.
                   Your nephew?

      Frank points to his nephew, Stevie, across the room.

                                FRANK
                   It's been his dream all his life to play
                   for the Yankees - and he's good enough.

                                SIBOTA
                   So I hear. You have him come see me.
                   We'll give him a try-out.

      As the scout hands his card to Frank, we whip over to where
      Teddy, his driver Jimmy Racine and their girlfriends, coked
      up, are laughing as a black cop, flashing his detective's
      shield, pretends to frisk Jimmy.

                                DETECTIVE
                   What's this?
                          (taking a .45 from Jimmy's
                           pocket)
                   Oh, that's it, I'm taking you in.

                                JIMMY
                          (joking)
                   You can't take me in for that, I got       a
                   license for that, motherfucker.

                                DETECTIVE
                          (gives the gun back)
                   This then -
                          (the pile of coke on the
                           coffee table)
                   But first -

      The cop sucks up a line before pretending to cuff Jimmy.

                                DETECTIVE
                   All right, now I'm arresting you.

      Everybody laughs.    Teddy peels $100's from a money clip.

                                 TEDDY
                   Let him go.   This is for you.

                                DETECTIVE
                   What is that, a bribe?     Oh, now you're
                   all under arrest.
                                                                       (CONT)

                                                                     54.
                               
132   CONTINUED:                                                     132


      The cop pretends to arrest them all, but what he doesn't
      pretend is the hand he puts on Jimmy's girlfriend's breast
      as he frisks her.

                                JIMMY
                   What is that?

      It was quick but Jimmy saw it, even though his girlfriend
      didn't react. The cop, oblivious, is cuffing Teddy now.

                                DETECTIVE
                   I'm taking you all in.

                                JIMMY
                   I said, what the fuck was that?

                                DETECTIVE
                   What was what?

      The room explodes with a boom and the detective crumples to
      the floor, clutching at his leg, blood running through his
      fingers onto the carpet. Frank stares.

                                JIMMY
                   Oh, he's all right. I just shot him in
                   the leg. You got a health plan, what are
                   you complaining about. He's fine. Here -
                          (peels off some money)
                   Five hundred all right? Six? Look, he's
                   feeling better all the time.

      Suddenly, Frank grabs Jimmy and throws him against the wall.

133   INT. FRANK'S PENTHOUSE APARTMENT - NIGHT                        133
      As Ana tries to clean the blood stain on the rug with salt
      and soda water, Frank sits with his five brothers in the
      debris-strewn aftermath of the party. Silence before:

                                FRANK
                   I can't have this kind of stupidity.

                                TEDDY
                   It was an accident.   He feels terrible
                   about it.

                                FRANK
                   He doesn't feel shit, coked up all the
                   time. Get rid of him.




                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                        55.
                                  
133   CONTINUED:                                                        133


                               TEDDY
                   Frank. He's your cousin. What's he
                   gonna do? Go back home? I'll talk to
                   him. I'll straighten him out.

      Frank looks at Teddy in his tinted Jackie Fox-like goggle
      glasses - like he's going to straighten anybody out.

                                FRANK
                   Gimme those glasses.

                                  TEDDY
                   What?   Why?

      Frank pulls them from Teddy's face and crushes them.

134   INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - DAY                             134

      Richie sifts through the morning mail at his desk. Stops                   
      on an envelope from the New Jersey Bar Association. As he                  
      works up the nerve to open it, Spearman, Jones and Abruzzo                 
      organize the Italian wise guys' photos on the T.O.                         

                                JONES
                   Ice Pick Paul goes here -

                                ABRUZZO
                   No, he's under Benny Two-Socks -

                                JONES
                   No, you're thinking of Benny the Bishop.
                   Benny Two-Socks is Tosca's deadbeat son-                      
                   in-law.
                                SPEARMAN
                   Jonesy's right.                                               

      Richie comes over, studies the Table of Organization a                     
      moment, then begins untacking the photos from the top down -               

                                JONES
                   What're you doing?     We just -

                                RICHIE                                           
                   For a cop the uppermost thing is the                          
                   arrest. For a prosecutor, the arrest is                       
                   nothing without the evidence to convict.                      
                   We don't have any real evidence on anyone                     
                   on this board, so they're coming down.                        
                   We're starting over from the street.                          



                                                                        (CONT)

                                                                     56.
                               
134   CONTINUED:                                                     134


                                ABRUZZO                                       
                   What are you, a prosecutor all of a                        
                   sudden?                                                    

      Richie tacks his exam results onto the T.O.       He passed.            

135   EXT. STREET - NEWARK - DAY                                      135     

      Richie and the Amigos observe a buy from a parked car, the
      blue cellophane changing hands. Ignoring the buyer as he
      walks away, they keep watching the seller.

136   EXT. GAS STATION / CAR WASH - NEWARK - DAY                      136

      The seller is observed coming out of a mechanics garage.
      Richie ignores him as he walks away, watching instead the
      garage. Eventually, a mechanic wiping his hands on a rag
      steps out, and Richie raises a camera. The image of the
      mechanic - a supplier - freezes -

137   INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - DAY                          137

      A slightly-blurred photo of the mechanic goes up on a new,
      almost bare Table of Organization.                                      

138   EXT. GAS STATION / CAR WASH - NEWARK - DAY                      138     

      Atop of a telephone pole, Abruzzo, dripping with lineman                
      equipment, works to attach a `slave' to the lines -                     

139   INT. STOREFRONT APARTMENT - DAY                                 139

      Bare room. Richie, Jones and Spearman eating take-out food
      as tape recorder reels turn.
                                PHONE VOICE
                   Those snow tires you give me last time
                   come in yet? I'm going to want some more
                   of them, gimme one and a half more of
                   them.

      The detectives laugh.

140   INT. PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE - DAY                                  140

      Toback has Richie sign a voucher for $20,000 cash.

                                TOBACK
                   This is more than a year's salary,
                   Richie. If it disappears, I won't be
                   able to get it for you again.


                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                     57.
                               
140   CONTINUED:                                                     140


                                RICHIE
                   It'll never be out of my sight.

141   INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - DAY                          141

      Jones tapes a tape recorder the size of a pack of cigarettes
      to Richie's bare chest.

142   INT. GAS STATION GARAGE - DAY                                   142

      Undercover in a wise guy's cashmere sweater and slacks,
      Richie watches the mechanic count the $10,000 he's given
      him.

                                RICHIE
                   It's got to be `Blue Magic.'

                                MECHANIC
                   Yeah, yeah, it's `Blue.' You can pick
                   it up here tomorrow. Where's the rest of
                   the money?

                                RICHIE
                   That's half. I'll give you the other
                   half tomorrow when you give -

                                MECHANIC
                   No, no, no, I don't do that.    Go fuck
                   yourself.

      Richie rather reluctantly hands over the rest of the 20K.

143   INT/EXT. SPEARMAN'S CAR - MOVING - NEAR GW BRIDGE - DAY 143
      Spearman watches the pickup truck driven by the mechanic
      change lanes up ahead - heading for the George Washington
      Bridge - and glances over concerned to Richie, who is
      changing the cashmere sweater for an old t-shirt.

                                SPEARMAN
                   He's going into New York.   Are we?

                                RICHIE
                   What are they going to do, arrest us?

                                SPEARMAN
                   They could. New York cops.     They can
                   do worse than that.

                                RICHIE
                   We're not losing that money.    Go.


                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                     58.
                               
143   CONTINUED:                                                     143


      As Spearman follows the truck, the George Washington Bridge,
      linking Jersey to Manhattan, looms in the windshield ...

144   EXT. EAST HARLEM STREET - DAY                                   144

      The pickup pulls to the curb outside a Pleasant Avenue
      grocery store. As the guy enters the place, Spearman's car
      stops long enough for Richie to climb out, and continues on.

      Richie crosses the street, tries to see who the guy is
      talking to inside, but he's just buying a cup of coffee to
      go. Spearman's car turns the corner to circle around the
      block. As soon as it's gone, the man emerges from the
      restaurant with the coffee and walks straight at Richie who
      has to double back quickly not to be seen

      Richie sees a delivery truck double-parked, guys unloading
      crates. Hears a horn and knows it's must be Spearman stuck
      on the side street. The mechanic starts his truck.
      Desperate not to lose him (and his money), Richie hurries               
      over to a taxi stopped at a light, flashes his badge.                   

                               RICHIE
                   Get out.

                               TAXI DRIVER
                   What?

                                RICHIE
                   Get the fuck out of the car!

      The driver realizes the man outside his taxi is crazy and
      tries to get his window rolled up. Reaching in, Richie gets
      his arm stuck, pulls at the lock, yanks the door open, drags
      the driver out, breaking the cabbie's arm, and jumps in.

      He swings the cab into opposing lanes to get around traffic,
      screeches around the corner, glimpses the truck far up ahead
      - guns the engine, flies through a red light, glances at his
      mirror at the cars that just missed him almost colliding -

      The truck turns up ahead, and Richie barrels through another
      red light, turns the corner and keeps the truck, a couple
      car-lengths ahead - in sight.

145   EXT. EAST HARLEM - DAY                                          145

      Richie curbs the cab as the guy goes into a dingy pizza
      parlor. Richie climbs out, crosses the street. Coming past
      the place, he tries to look inside without breaking stride.



                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                      59.
                                
145   CONTINUED:                                                      145


      From around a corner, striding toward him, come four men
      looking like Gestapo thugs in leather coats, manicured hair -
      the Princes of the City. Richie detours into an alley as
      they enter the restaurant.

      Richie peers in at the restaurant kitchen through a grimy
      basement window. Watches Trupo and his SIU detectives burst
      in, guns drawn. They rough everybody up, get some down on
      the floor. One detective gathers the money and stuffs it in
      a bag. Another gathers the dope. The mechanic tries to
      protest and Trupo slaps him down with his pistol.

      Richie keeps watching as the NY cops arrest no one - but
      take the dope and the money (Richie's money) - and stride
      out as abruptly as they appeared, like bandits. As they
      come past Richie -

                                RICHIE
                   That's my money.

                                SIU DET 1
                   The fuck are you. What money?

      Richie shows them his Bureau of Narcotics ID.                            

                                RICHIE
                   The bills are sequenced and registered
                   with the Essex County Prosecutors Office.
                   All begin with CF3500. Take a look.

      One of them checks some of the bills and sees he's right.

                                SIU DET. 2
                   Goddamn it, I thought we had a score.
                   I thought I had a fucking Chris-Craft
                   sitting in my driveway.

                                RICHIE
                   Honest mistake. Just give it back to me.

                                SIU DET. 1
                   This time.

      Three of the four cops laugh. It's an affable gang of
      thieves. The one who doesn't laugh hangs back as the others
      start off. He examines Richie's New Jersey ID.                           

                                TRUPO
                   When's the last time I was in Jersey?
                   Let me think. Never. What're you doing
                   coming over here without letting anybody
                   know? You don't know you can get hurt
                   doing that?
                                (MORE)
                                                                      (CONT)

                                                                       60.
                                 
145     CONTINUED:                                                     145
                                  TRUPO (CONT'D)
                            (Trupo smiles; Richie smiles)
                     You got your money. Now, never, ever,
                     come into the city again unannounced. You                  
                     come in to see a fuckin Broadway show you
                     call ahead first to see if it's okay with
                     me.

        Trupo pats him on the back and leaves with the others.                  

                                  TOBACK V.O.
                     What do we hate most? Isn't it the
                     transgressions of others we fear we're
                     capable of ourselves?                                      

147 - 148 OMIT                                            147 - 148 OMIT        

149     INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - LATER - NIGHT                149     

        It's very late.    Richie and Toback are alone.      Eventually -       

                                  TOBACK                                        
                     Richie - cops are like -

                                  RICHIE
                     Yeah, I know, like everyone else.
                     Some of them will steal no matter what.                    
                     There can be a camera on them they'll do
                     it. Some'll never do it. The rest are                      
                     capable of either, depending how their
                     department leans ... Only theirs isn't
                     leaning, it's fallen over. The patrol                      
                     cars don't even stop in Harlem, just roll                  
                     down the window so the dealers can throw                   
                     the money in. I saw drops made on                          
                     precinct steps.                                            
                                  TOBACK
                     What were you doing there?

                                  RICHIE
                     It's where this dope is coming from.                       
                     Blue Magic. Out of New York. What am
                     I supposed to do, ignore it?

                                  TOBACK
                     The cab driver's filed aggravated assault                  
                     and grand theft charges -                                  

                                  RICHIE                                        
                     He wouldn't stop. Motherfucker almost                      
                     ran me over.                                               



                                                                       (CONT)

                                                                          61.
                                    
149     CONTINUED:                                                        149


                                  TOBACK                                          
                     - which he may reconsider depending on                       
                     the amount the State of New Jersey offers                    
                     to settle -                                                  

                                  RICHIE                                          
                     I told him I was a cop.      I showed him my                 
                     identification.                                              

                                  TOBACK                                          
                     You stole his cab and broke his arm.                         

                                  RICHIE                                          
                     I was chasing your 20 thousand dollars.                      

                                  TOBACK                                          
                     I don't want to hear about you going
                     into New York anymore.

                                  RICHIE
                     Then my investigation's over.

                                  TOBACK
                     You're not listening to me. I said:
                     I don't want to hear about it ... You do
                     whatever you have to do, go wherever you
                     have to go to find out who's bringing
                     this shit into the country ... Just don't
                     tell me.
                            (turns to leave)
                     Get some sleep.                                              
A150 - 152 OMIT                                       A150 - 152 OMIT             

AA153   INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - MORNING                                 AA153   
        Richie - in robe and underwear - opens the door to find a                 
        woman in the hall holding a briefcase.                                    

                                    VIDA                                          
                     Mr. Roberts?    I'm here for our                             
                     appointment.                                                 

        He has no idea who the black woman is. An old girlfriend                  
        he's forgotten maybe. Behind him, Vida can see a stewardess               
        buttoning up her uniform by a little travel case on wheels.               
        The apartment itself, she can also see, is a mess.                        

                                  VIDA                                            
                     From Child Social Services?                                  

A153 - 155 OMIT                                             A153 - 155 OMIT

                                                                   62.
                             




156   EXT/INT. TONY ZACA'S BACKYARD & POOL HOUSE - DAY              156     

      Barbecue after their Sunday softball game. Richie and his
      O.C. friends - wise guys - still in their brown and orange
      Weequahie jerseys, drinking beer, cooking hamburgers.

                             TONY
                When you asked me to be your son's
                godfather, I took it very seriously.

                             RICHIE
                I know.

      Richie and Tony Zaca relax in the den-like pool house.

                             TONY
                I said yes, I'd take on this
                responsibility, take care of your son,
                God forbid something happened to you -

                             RICHIE
                Tony, the things she's telling Child
                Social Services make me look very bad:
                Out all night. Lowlife informants
                hanging around.   Women -

                             TONY
                Old friends like me.

      Richie feels horrible doing this.    Silence.   Then:

                             TONY
                It's all right. I understand. They
                ask me, I'll tell them what you want me
                to tell them. I'll lie for you.

                             RICHIE
                Thank you.

      Tony nods, You're welcome.    Can tell there's something else
      on Richie's mind.

                             TONY
                What.

                             RICHIE
                You don't have to talk about it, you
                don't want. What do you hear about Blue
                Magic? Anything?

                             TONY
                A lot of sorrow and misery from guys
                being put out of business. That's all.
                                                                   (CONT)

                                                                     63.
                               
156   CONTINUED:                                                     156


                                RICHIE
                   Nothing about who's bringing it in?

                                TONY
                   Guys down south is all I heard.

                                RICHIE
                   Down south, Florida?   Cubans?   What.

                                TONY
                   I don't know. All I can tell you is
                   whoever it is, they're upsetting the
                   natural order of things.

      Among the framed family photos around them, is a picture
      of Tony's uncle, Albert Tosca.

157   EXT. LIVINGSTON, NEW JERSEY - DAY                               157

      A Napoleonic statue of the same man on horseback in a
      fountain outside a castle-like mansion. Next to it "ride"
      three others on marble horses - a woman and two children.

                               TOSCA
                   Pull -

      A clay pigeon sails out across the manicured garden. A
      shotgun blast shatters it. The man with the gun - Albert
      Tosca - hands another to Frank. As Frank sets to shoot, Ana
      can seen behind them, with Tosca's wife in the opulent
      house, looking uncomfortable.

                                MRS. TOSCA
                   The whole place was imported brick by
                   brick from Gloucestershire.

                                ANA
                   It's very nice.

      Mrs. Tosca nods. Ana nods. A strained silence thicker than
      the tapestries settles over them until -

                               FRANK
                   Pull -

      The shotgun booms -

158   INT. TOSCA'S MANSION - LATER - DAY                              158

      As servants stand by, Tosca and his wife and their only
      guests - Frank and Ana - finished with lunch, get up from
      the table in the formal Formal dining room.

                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                      64.
                                
158   CONTINUED:                                                      158

      As Mrs. Tosca leads Ana off to give her a tour of the house,
      the men head off the other way.

                                TOSCA
                   She's a lovely girl.    You should marry
                   her.

                                FRANK
                   Too many things to look after right now
                   to think about that.

                                TOSCA
                   Frank. That's a mistake. If I may say.
                   Don't take her for granted, girl like
                   that.

      They enter a rich, wood-paneled study lined with books.

                                TOSCA
                   You interested in history, Frank? The
                   events that have brought us to where we
                   are today? You know who was? Bumpy.

                                FRANK
                   Bumpy was interested in a lot of things.

                                TOSCA
                   I always wonder if people know when
                   history's being made. And what they're
                   doing at the time. This, for instance,
                   could be a historic moment, and you're
                   sipping a glass of ice water.

      Droplets snake down Frank's glass. He senses Tosca has
      finally gotten around to why he was invited here.
                                TOSCA
                   Bumpy and I did a lot of business
                   together, as you know. Whatever he
                   needed, he'd come to me and I'd do my
                   best to provide it. He came to me, I
                   didn't go to him, is the point I'm trying
                   to make. You know why?

                                FRANK
                   He didn't have what you needed. You had
                   what he needed. We've always had to come
                   to you.

                                 TOSCA
                   Yes.   Until now.

      Tosca studies Frank, who is a study in inscrutability.

                                                                      (CONT)

                                                                     65.
                               
158   CONTINUED:                                                     158


                                TOSCA
                   Monopolies are illegal in this country,
                   Frank, because no one can compete with a
                   monopoly. If they let the dairy farmers
                   do that, half of them would go out of
                   business tomorrow.

                                FRANK
                   I'm just trying to make a living.

                                TOSCA
                   Which is your right. Because this is
                   America. But not at the unreasonable
                   expense of others. That's un-American.
                          (he studies Frank)
                   You know the price you pay for a gallon
                   of milk doesn't represent its true cost
                   of production. It's controlled. Set.

                                FRANK
                   I set a price I think is fair.

                                TOSCA
                   It's very unfair, in fact. Your
                   customers are happy, but what about your
                   fellow dairy farmers? You're not
                   thinking of them.

                                FRANK
                          (very calmly)
                   I'm thinking of them as much as they ever
                   thought of me.

                                TOSCA
                   All right. I can see you're getting
                   excited. Don't get excited. That's not
                   why I invited you to my home. To get
                   excited.

      Frank doesn't look excited at all. He's the picture of
      calm. Tosca smiles benignly and gets up.

                                TOSCA
                   Here, I got something for you.

159   INT. TOSCA'S SMOKING ROOM    - LATER - DAY                      159

      Tosca opens a humidor, takes out a couple of Cuban cigars.

                                TOSCA
                   Now what if - I'm just thinking out loud -
                   you sold some of your inventory wholesale
                   and I helped with the distribution.
                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                     66.
                               
159   CONTINUED:                                                     159


                                FRANK
                   I don't need it. I already got
                   everything from 110th Street to Yankee
                   Stadium, river to river.

                                TOSCA
                   Which is a little mom and pop store
                   compared to what I'm talking about. I
                   could make you bigger than K-Mart. L.A.,
                   Chicago, Detroit, Vegas. I'm speaking
                   nationwide. And I'd guarantee you peace
                   of mind. You know what I mean by that.

      Frank does. It's a backhanded threat.        Tosca clips the
      cigars with a gold guillotine

                                TOSCA
                   Frank. You can see I'm a Renaissance
                   man. Unfortunately not all my people are
                   as enlightened. Ask them, What is civil
                   rights, they don't know. They're not as
                   open to change from the way things are
                   done and who's doing it. But I can talk
                   to them so there won't be any
                   misunderstanding. That's what I mean by
                   peace of mind.

      Frank knows, in truth, he's not being given any choice in
      this matter. Still, maybe it's not so bad.

                                FRANK
                   You pay what a kilo now, 75, 80? I'd
                   consider 50. And I can get you as much
                   as you want.
      Tosca slips on his best poker face. Fifty thousand a kilo
      would be an extraordinary coup for him.

                                TOSCA
                   You see, I was right. This is a
                   historic moment. You're going to be
                   bigger than Bumpy himself.

      He hands Frank one of the cigars, expertly prepared.

                                TOSCA
                   Can't smoke it here, unfortunately.
                   Grace doesn't like it. Take it with you.

                                                                   67.
                             




160   INT/EXT. TOSCA'S MANSION - LATER - DAY                        160

      Doc waits by the car as Frank and Ana walk toward him.
      The Toscas wave goodbye from the front step of the mansion.
      Frank slips the cigar into his top pocket as they climb in.

                             ANA
                Why would you trust these people, the way
                they look at you?

                             FRANK
                They look at me like it's Christmas and
                I'm Santa Claus.

                             ANA
                They looked at us like we're the help.

                              FRANK
                        (kisses her cheek)
                No.   They're working for me now.

161   INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - DAY                        161

      A TV: Muhammad Ali, the black man's black man, and Joe
      Frazier, the white man's black man, at their 1971 Madison
      Square Garden press conference where Ali says as much.

      Most of the guys watching it. Richie isn't. He comes
      over to Table of Organization. Tacks his Bar Association
      notice to it. Regards the photographs, like tentacles of
      octopus yet to have a head.

      Only the lowest section is made up of blacks (including
      Charlie Williams and Jackie Fox, but not Frank Lucas). The
      rest of the faces are white and stop about midway up.
      They've hit a wall they can't get past.

162   INT. FRANK'S PENTHOUSE - DUSK                                 162

      Another TV here: Howard Cosell, ringside at the Garden as
      the first early fans arrive, pointing out that the fight,
      because of the political stand Ali's taken, is less about
      boxers than war versus anti-war.

      Frank chooses a linen jacket from his extensive color-
      coordinated racks of Phil Cromfeld suits as Ana, in her
      lingerie, puts on make-up at a vanity. He comes up behind
      her and sets down a small jewelry box.

163   INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - SAME TIME                  163

      The TV in the background as Richie puts a camera with a long
      lens in a sports bag and reaches for his coat -                       
                                                                   (CONT)

                                                                            68.
                                      
163        CONTINUED:                                                       163


164 OMIT                                                              164 OMIT

165        INT. FRANK'S PENTHOUSE - CONTINUED                                165

           Ana's reflection in the vanity mirror as Frank slips the
           engagement ring on her finger. She wipes at a tear, then
           gets up and hugs him.

                                      ANA
                        Yes.

           She kisses him.     Admires the ring.     And -

                                     ANA
                        I bought you something, too.

           She crosses past the TV, takes a garment bag down from her
           side of the closet, lays it on the bed next to Frank's suit
           jacket. She takes hold of the zipper but doesn't
           immediately pull it, hoping perhaps to create some dramatic
           tension.

                                      FRANK
                        What is it?

           She unzips the bag like she's unveiling great art. But
           instead of seeing what's inside, we're allowed only Frank's
           reaction: his smile of anticipation slowly changing to
           chagrin.

166        INT/EXT. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - BACK ENTRANCE - NIGHT            166

           Richie observes celebrities and gangsters arriving in
           limousines - Sammy Davis Jr. and his wife, Joe Louis and
           his, Tosca and some of his guys - then enters the arena as
           another limo pulls up. Ana climbs out.

                                     ANA
                        Come on. You look great.
                               (no one else emerges)
                        You want to miss the fight? Come on.

           Finally, a patent leather shoe pokes out, sets down on the
           curb. Then its mate beside it. The shoes step away from
           the limo and -

167        INT. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - NIGHT                                167

           Pre-fight. Richie, blended in with the a group of press
           photographers, regards the organized crime figures ringside.
           He takes a few pictures with the long lens camera as -


                                                                            (CONT)

                                                                       69.
                                 
167   CONTINUED:                                                       167


      The owner of the gleaming patent leather shoes is shown to
      his second row ringside seat just behind the sports writers,
      and we move up the full-length chinchilla coat to Frank's
      uneasy expression -

      Richie's camera roams the faces of the prime ticket holders
      ringside: organized crime figures, celebrities, politicians,              
      women with plunging necklines and platinum hair -                         

                                 JOE LOUIS                                      
                   Excuse me -                                                  

      Richie can't believe it's Joe Louis brushing past him -                   

                                 RICHIE                                         
                   Mr. Louis -                                                  

      Joe looks back as Richie approaches him -                                 

                                RICHIE                                          
                   I'm sorry, but I just have to tell you,                      
                   sir, you were a hero to me growing up. I                     
                   still push elevator buttons eight times                      
                   for the rounds you beat Billy Conn in.                       
                   For luck.                                                    

      Louis acknowledges Richie only slightly more than not at                  
      all. Turns away to join his friends. Richie watches after                 
      him, stung by Louis's disregard.                                          

      He snaps a picture of an Italian wise guy he doesn't                      
      recognize ... sifts the camera's view past Frank in the                   
      chinchilla coat ... then returns to him, watches as Tosca                 
      and his guys sit down behind Frank. Richie can't hear -                   
      but can see - their good-natured exchange -

                                TOSCA
                   Hey, Frank, you keep that hat on, I'm
                   gonna miss the fight -

      The odd thing to Richie is, Chinchilla's seat is better
      than all the Italians'. Detective Trupo notices this, too.
      Richie focuses on the Chincilla's date, a stunning girl, a
      beauty queen, then shifts back to her boyfriend who's now
      shaking the proffered hands of other Italians, then Don
      King. Joe Louis himself - who barely acknowledged Richie's                
      existence - comes over and playfully exchanges "punches"                  
      with the man in the chinchilla coat.

      A sudden roar from the crowd as the lights go out except
      for the spot on the ring. Ali and Frazier are coming down
      the steps through the crush of fans and reporters, preceded
      by soldiers carrying flags -
                                                                       (CONT)

                                                                     70.
                               
167   CONTINUED:                                                     167


      Richie tries to find the guy in the chinchilla coat, but
      he's hidden by a flag. Then he glimpses him again just as
      Ali shakes his hand before climbing into the ring -

      Flashbulbs pop throughout the arena as Robert Goulet
      begins the National Anthem. Ali pointedly doesn't sing
      along. Richie frames the shadowy figure in the chinchilla
      coat, focuses as sharp as he can in the bad light, and
      snaps the shutter -

168   INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - DAY                          168

      Richie tacks the photograph of the man in the chinchilla
      coat to his Table of Organization - low and off to the side
      by other pieces of the puzzle that don't fit, other new
      faces with no names. Spearman holds a scrap of paper -

                                RICHIE
                   That's is the plate number on the limo.
                   Check with the company, who rented it.

                                SPEARMAN
                   He's a supplier at most. Or just a pimp.
                   We'd've heard of him otherwise.

                                RICHIE
                   No, he's bigger than that. His seats                       
                   were phenomenal; better than Al Tosca's.                   
                   Joe Louis and Ali shook his fuckin hand.                   

      They look from Tosca's high position on the board to Frank's
      low one, and a wedding march played in traditional fashion
      on organ begins and carries over:
169   INT. BAPTIST CHURCH - DAY                                       169

      From above, a sea of ladies' hats, all coral and pink.
      Below, Frank stands at the altar, waiting for his bride.

                                RICHIE V/O
                   His name is Frank Lucas ...

170   INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - DAY                          170

      Toback sifts through documents Richie has gathered:
      limousine company records, Frank's thin arrest record, mug
      shots of him years younger, the photograph from the fights
      and some more from subsequent surveillances.

                                RICHIE
                   Originally from Greensboro, North
                   Carolina. Couple of arrests years ago.
                   Gambling, robbery, unlicensed firearm.
                                (MORE)
                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                     71.
                               
170   CONTINUED:                                                     170
                                RICHIE (CONT'D)
                   For fifteen years he was Bumpy Johnson's
                   collector, bodyguard and driver. He was
                   with him when he died.

171   INT. BAPTIST CHURCH - CONTINUED                                 171

      Ana's family and friends on one side of the aisle, the
      extended Lucas family - on the other. Frank's mother looks
      at her eldest son at the altar with pride.

172   INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - CONTINUED                    172

                                RICHIE
                   Five brothers, he's the oldest, lots of
                   cousins, all living here now, spread out
                   around the boroughs and Jersey. The
                   brothers are -

173   INT. DRY CLEANERS - DAY                                         173

      A Lucas brother hands some dry cleaning to Spearman -

                                RICHIE V/O
                   Eugene Lucas in Brooklyn -

174   INT. ELECTRICAL SHOP - DAY                                      174

      Another Lucas brother examines a lamp with a frayed cord
      brought in by Jones.

                                RICHIE V/O
                   Earl Lucas in Newark -

175   INT. METAL DOOR SHOP - DAY                                      175
      Another brother at the register, hands Abruzzo a receipt -

                                RICHIE V/O
                   Lester Lucas in Queens -

176   EXT. TIRE SERVICE SHOP - DAY                                    176

      Another brother is photographed by Spearman from a parked
      car as he changes tires on a car up on a hoist.

                                RICHIE V/O
                   Turner Lucas, the Bronx -

177   EXT. STREET - NEWARK - DAY                                      177

      Richie kicks a dent into the fender of his old car.

                                                                       72.
                                 




178        EXT/INT. BODY SHOP - DAY                                     178

           As an appraiser writes up an estimate, Richie observes
           Teddy, attending to paperwork inside.

                                  RICHIE V/O
                     And Teddy Lucas, in Bergen County.

179        INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - CONTINUED                 179

           A photograph of Teddy goes up on the T.O. next to Frank and
           the other brothers and some cousins -

                                  RICHIE
                     Except for the chinchilla coat, which
                     no one can explain, Frank's life seems
                     orderly and legitimate.

180        INT. BAPTIST CHURCH - CONTINUED - DAY                        180

           Best Man Teddy standing next to Frank at the altar as the
           bride is escorted down the aisle by her father. Tight on
           Frank in a beautiful tuxedo -

181        EXT. FRANK'S PENTHOUSE BUILDING - DAWN                       181

           A light goes on in a penthouse window. Down below, by his
           parked car, Richie shivers in the early morning cold.

                                  RICHIE V/O
                     He gets up early. Five a.m.

182        INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - CONTINUED                 182
                                  RICHIE
                     Has breakfast at a Midtown place,
                     usually alone.

183        INT/EXT. DINER - MORNING                                     183

           Richie tosses a glance inside a restaurant as he passes the
           window to where Frank sits eating at a table, Doc nearby.

184        INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - CONTINUED                 184

                                  RICHIE
                     Then goes to work. Meeting with his
                     accountant, or lawyer, dropping in on one
                     of the several office buildings he owns.

185 OMIT                                                         185 OMIT     

                                                                       73.
                                 




186        INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - CONTINUED                 186

                                  RICHIE
                     Nights, he usually stays home. When
                     he does go out, it's to a club or dinner -
                     with his new wife - friends, celebrities,
                     sports figures - never O.C. guys.

187        EXT. SMALL'S PARADISE - NIGHT                                187

           Richie sits in his car across from Small's where bouncers
           keep out people like him. Frank, Ana, Wilt Chamberlain and
           his wife emerge from the restaurant together.

188 OMIT                                                         188 OMIT

189        INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - CONTINUED                 189

                                  RICHIE
                     Sundays he takes his mother to church.
                     Then drives out to change the flowers on
                     Bumpy's grave. Every Sunday, no matter
                     what.

190        INT. BAPTIST CHURCH - CONTINUED - DAY                        190

           Frank's mother tearfully watches her son slip a ring onto
           Ana's finger next to the fat engagement diamond - before
           Ana, in turn, puts a gold band on Frank's. The minister
           pronounces them husband and wife, the veil is lifted, and
           they kiss to great applause -

191        EXT. BAPTIST CHURCH - DAY                                    191
           As a photographer takes the official photograph of the
           wedding party on the steps of the church -

192        INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - CONTINUED                 192

           Lou Toback looks from a surveillance photo of the wedding
           party in his hands, to Richie's Table of Organization: The
           Lucas brothers and cousins - in the streets of New York and
           New Jersey, arranged in some imagined hierarchy.

                                  TOBACK
                     Not your typical day in the life of a
                     dope man, Richie.

                                  RICHIE
                     Neither was Bumpy Johnson's and he owned
                     Harlem.


                                                                       (CONT)

                                                                      74.
                                
192   CONTINUED:                                                      192


                                TOBACK
                   You think Frank Lucas took over for Bumpy
                   Johnson? His driver? That's a little
                   far-fetched.

                                 RICHIE
                   Is it?   Everything he does, he does like
                   Bumpy.

                                TOBACK
                   Bumpy never wore a chinchilla coat in his
                   life.

                                RICHIE
                   We haven't seen that again. That
                   apparently has been retired to the
                   closet.

193   EXT. BAPTIST CHURCH - DAY                                        193

      Frank and Charlie look on as Ana throws the bouquet.

                                CHARLIE
                   She's the most beautiful bride I ever
                   saw, Frank.

                                FRANK
                   I wish Bumpy could've met her.     I wish
                   she could've met him.

194   INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - CONTINUED                     194

      Looking at the Lucas Table of Organization -
                                TOBACK
                   What do you got on him you can use in
                   court? Because this isn't it. You try                     
                   this without informants and powder, no                    
                   one's going to jail.                                      

                                RICHIE
                   Won't get any informants. Not inside.
                   It's like a Sicilian family. Like he's
                   structured his own family the same way to
                   protect himself.

195   EXT. BAPTIST CHURCH - CONTINUED                                  195

      Exactly like one, like a scene from The Godfather as Frank
      dances with Ana before the reception guests.

                                                                   75.
                             




196   INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - CONTINUED                  196

                             RICHIE
                Being with Bumpy long as he was, he
                would have been around Italians a lot.
                Enough to learn that much.

197   EXT. BAPTIST CHURCH - CONTINUED                               197

      Rice rains down on the bride and groom as they climb into
      the back of the Towncar. Doc comes around to the driver's
      side, gets in and slowly pushes through the crush of guests
      waving and throwing kisses.

198   INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - CONTINUED                  198

                             RICHIE
                But it's not even Frank Lucas I want. I
                want to know who he's working for: Which
                Italians are bringing the heroin in.

199   INT/EXT. TOWNCAR / NEW YORK - TWILIGHT                        199

      Flanked front and rear by Frank's security, the marriage
      car moves along a rain-slick street. The newlyweds cuddle
      in back. Another car pulls up alongside - Trupo's Shelby -
      and Doc's right hand instinctively comes off the steering
      wheel to settle on his holstered gun. Trupo smiles and
      shakes his head, no.

200   EXT. CENTRAL PARK - LATER - TWILIGHT                          200

      The Lincoln and security cars and Trupo's Shelby parked.
                             FRANK
                       (to Ana)
                Stay in the car

      As Frank and Doc climb out, Frank motions to his other
      security men to remain calm, he'll handle this.

                             TRUPO
                Hello, Frank.

      If Frank is surprised Trupo knows his name, he doesn't show
      it, or anything else except an air of professional courtesy.

                             FRANK
                Detective.

      Trupo looks in at Ana in the back seat, smiles at her. She
      turns her head away and closes the door. Trupo leads Frank
      away for a private conversation -
                                                                   (CONT)

                                                                       76.
                                 
200   CONTINUED:                                                       200


                                TRUPO
                   You sure you done the right thing?
                   She's a beautiful girl - there's no
                   question - but she's got an attitude
                   on (her) -

                                  FRANK
                   Listen   to me. Before you say another
                   word -   about her - or me - remember that
                   you're   saying it on the most important
                   fuckin   day of my life.

                                TRUPO
                   Man walks around in a fifty thousand
                   dollar chinchilla coat and he never even
                   bought me a cup of coffee? Something
                   wrong there.

                                FRANK
                   I don't know what you're talking about.

                                TRUPO
                   You pay your bills, Frank?

                                FRANK
                   You want to keep talking, talk to my
                   lawyer, here's his card. You call him,
                   because we're done here -

                                TRUPO
                   Do you pay your bills, I asked you.

                                FRANK
                   If you're not getting your share, it's
                   not my fault, go ask the chief of police.

                                TRUPO
                   What's my share? You don't even know me.
                   Maybe I'm special.

                                FRANK
                   No, you're all the fuckin same.

                                TRUPO
                          (shows his shield)
                   What does that say?
                          (Frank ignores him)
                   Special - Investigations - Unit. See
                   that word there? "Special."
                          (he takes out a restaurant
                           business card)
                   Ten grand, first of each month, delivered
                   here.
                                                                       (CONT)

                                                                        77.
                                  
200   CONTINUED:                                                        200


      Frank ignores the card, stares at Trupo like he's a fool.

                                FRANK
                   Detective ... There are some things you
                   don't do. This is one of them. Not on a
                   man's wedding day.

      Frank's resolve throws Trupo off his rhythm.           He manages:

                                TRUPO
                   Have a nice honeymoon.

201   INT. FRANK'S PENTHOUSE - LATER - NIGHT                             201

      Frank doesn't carry Ana across the threshold. He strides in
      leaving her at the front door, throws a match in the gas
      fireplace, comes back from the bedroom a moment later with
      the $50,000 chinchilla coat and throws it on the flames.

202   TELEVISION IMAGE:                                                  202

      A march on Washington, protesting the war (archive).

      INT. JIMMY RACINE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

      The report continues on a TV here as Teddy's driver, Jimmy
      Racine, yells at his girlfriend -

                                  JIMMY
                   Where is it?

                                DARYLYNN
                   Fuck you, I'm not telling you.
      She comes past the TV and into the kitchen past a table
      covered with dope paraphernalia.

                                JIMMY
                   Where is my fuckin dope? You and your
                   girlfriends take it again? I'll fuckin
                   kill you.

      She yanks open a drawer, grabs a knife and slashes it at
      him. He grabs a gun and she runs for the stairs -

203   EXT. JIMMY RACINE'S - APARTMENT - NIGHT                            203

      He chases her into the street, yelling, raises the gun and
      fires, and she goes down, clutching at her butt, moaning -

                                                                   78.
                             




204   INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - SAME NIGHT                          204

      Moaning here, too.   Richie's lawyer-ex-girlfriend, in bed
      with him.

                             SHEILA
                Richie, yes, fuck me like a cop, not
                a lawyer -
                       (the phone rings)
                Oh, God, Richie, no - don't answer it -
                       (he reaches to pick it up)
                No, no, no -

                              RICHIE
                Yeah -

                             SPEARMAN V/O PHONE
                Richie. Newark just picked up one of the
                celebrities on our Wall of Fame: Teddy's
                driver. For attempted murder.

205   INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - NIGHT                      205

      Richie's had Jimmy Racine brought over. Sits with him as
      the Three Amigos watch from the shadows. Just coming off
      his high, and the attempted murder, Jimmy looks disoriented
      as he sits in cuffs in the dungeon-like basement.

                             RICHIE
                Because it's an attempted homicide,
                that's Grand Jury. Now, that Grand Jury
                could come in very favorably. Might turn
                out to be Attempted Manslaughter. Self
                Defense even. She had a knife. Depends
                on how I want to deal with you. You see
                where this is going.

      Jimmy looks around at the basement dungeon with concern.

                             JIMMY
                The fuck is this place?

                             RICHIE
                Let's say you beat it somehow. What do
                you think Cousin Frank'll think of that?
                He knows you had to sit here listening to
                something like this. And then you beat
                an attempted murder? Is he stupid?
                He'll assume you talked.

      Jimmy can easily imagine that scenario and it frightens him.


                                                                   (CONT)

                                                                      79.
                                
205   CONTINUED:                                                      205


                                RICHIE
                   You fucked up, Jimmy. But nobody knows.
                   Frank doesn't know. Yet. Do you want him
                   to read about it in the paper? Or do you
                   want to walk out of here - no bail, no
                   trial - just walk out, now.

206   EXT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - DAWN                          206

      Jimmy has thought about it all night and walks out of the
      building into the chilly morning air.

                                 RICHIE V/O
                   Jimmy?   Look at me -

      Jimmy looks over his shoulder as if Richie just called to
      him from it, which he didn't. There's no one in sight -

                                RICHIE V/O
                   Any time I want to change my mind? I
                   don't like the quality of your work? I
                   can find a witness saw you shoot your
                   girlfriend. It just took me a while. I
                   even know what he'll look like. He'll
                   look just like you.

207   EXT. MEAT PACKING DISTRICT - DAY                                 207

      Teddy's car comes around a corner and down the street.

208   INT. TEDDY'S CAR - MOVING - DAY                                  208

      Jimmy Racine, wired, looks in the rear view mirror at Teddy
      in the back seat, and, behind him, Richie's car following.
209   INT. RICHIE'S CAR - SAME TIME                                    209

      Richie keeps Teddy's car in view ahead. Glances in his
      mirror at the cars following him. His detectives.

210   EXT. MEAT PACKING DISTRICT - LATER - DAY                         210

      The detectives' cars parked behind a warehouse. Richie
      peers into binoculars at: Teddy's car parked by Frank's
      outside another warehouse loading dock. Frank gets out,
      discusses something with his brother, comes past Jimmy to
      some men in bloody white coats.

      He talks to them, returns to his car, takes a valise from
      the trunk. He snaps it open revealing stacks of cash, hands
      it over and walks to a semi-truck, glancing once in Richie's
      direction. Though he can't see anyone there he gives a wave
      to them - or is it to the truck driver to pull out -

                                                                   80.
                             




211    EXT. HARLEM STREET - DAY                                     211

       Like Bumpy used to do every Thanksgiving, Frank and his
       brothers, from the back of the truck, hand out hundreds of
       freshly-butchered turkeys to the poor.

212    INT. MAMA LUCAS'S TEANECK, N.J. HOUSE - DAY                  212

       Frank, in an apron, carries in a huge cooked turkey as the
       extended Lucas family gathers around the table. It's like
       Norman Rockwell painting -

213    INT/EXT. ALLEY / ROOMS HARLEM - SAME TIME - DAY              213

       Another Thanksgiving picture: addicts shooting up and
       nodding out in alleys and dingy rooms. Tight on needles,
       veins, spoons, filth -

214    INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - SAME TIME - DAY                    214

       Richie alone at his kitchen table with a sandwich and a
       beer. The Macy's parade plays silently on his TV.

A215   INT/EXT. TRUPO'S HOUSE - SAME TIME - DAY                    A215

       A doorbell summons Trupo. He comes through his entry.
       Opens the front door. Finds no one there - except a large
       live turkey on the doorstep. He stares at it nonplussed,
       then looks up to a sound - a whoosh - as flames engulf the
       interior and spit out the windows of his Shelby Mustang ...

B215   INT. MAMA LUCAS'S TEANECK, N.J. HOUSE - DAY                 B215

       The big knife in Frank's hand slices into the turkey and
       lifts meat onto a plate that's passed from hand to hand, the
       family engaged in several conversations at once, laughing -

215    INT. MAMA LUCAS'S TEANECK, N.J. HOUSE - DAY                  215

       Bathroom. Jimmy Racine, shirt off, wired, changes the
       batteries of the little tape recorder.

216    EXT. MAMA LUCAS'S TEANECK, N.J. HOUSE - DAY                  216

       Jimmy comes out, tries to take a chair not too far from
       Frank who's watching his nephew toss pop-up flies for the
       younger kids to catch.

                              FRANK
                 Stevie. Come over here.
                        (the nephew comes over)
                 I heard you didn't show up.
                              (MORE)
                                                                   (CONT)

                                                                       81.
                                 
216   CONTINUED:                                                       216
                                 FRANK (CONT'D)
                   You're     too busy to meet with Billy
                   Martin?   After I set it up?

      Stevie shifts around, not wanting to make Frank mad ...

                                STEVIE
                   I don't want to play pro ball, I decided.

                                  FRANK
                   What're you   talking about? This is your
                   dream since   you were their age -
                          (the   younger kids)
                   Maybe I can   set it up again.

      Stevie just stands there, uncomfortable.         Finally -

                                STEVIE
                   It's not what I want. I want to do what
                   you do, Uncle Frank. I want to be you.

      Frank stares at him unhappily.       Teddy comes over but Frank
      barely notices.

                                TEDDY
                   We got a problem.

217   INT. TEDDY'S CAR - MOVING - LATE AFTERNOON                        217

      Jimmy Racine behind the wheel.       Frank and Teddy in back,
      speaking quietly.

                                TEDDY
                   He's been cutting it so much it's down
                   to two, three percent pure.
                                FRANK
                   You tested it. You're sure.

      Teddy nods. Frank notices Jimmy looking at them in the rear
      view mirror.

                                FRANK
                   The fuck you looking at?

218   EXT. JACKIE FOX'S CLUB - NEW YORK - DUSK                          218

      The car pulls up in front of a building in the clothing
      district. Jimmy stays while Teddy and Frank go inside.

                                                                   82.
                             




219   INT. JACKIE FOX'S CLUB - DUSK                                 219

      Jackie's club looks like a set from a blaxploitation film.
      Frank and Teddy, led by a bodyguard, come past some turkey
      carcasses and other remnants of Thanksgiving to where Jackie
      and a couple friends cavort with some naked girls.

                              JACKIE
                Frank.   Welcome.

                             FRANK
                We need to talk.

                              JACKIE
                Great.   Girls, get out.

      The girls gather their things and leave. Frank wipes at a
      modern leather chair with his handkerchief, throws it away,
      sits. Jackie lays out a couple lines, offers Frank a rolled
      up hundred dollar straw. Frank shakes his head, no thanks.

                             JACKIE
                You talked to Charlie. You want to hear
                more about my Black Coalition. Let me
                explain it to you -

      But first, let me suck up a line of coke -

                             FRANK
                That's not why I'm here.
                       (Jackie glances up from the
                        powder. No?)
                Everybody's happy, Jackie. Charlie, Baz,
                the cops, the Italians, everybody.
                Everybody except you.

                             JACKIE
                I'm happy.

                             FRANK
                Then I don't understand. Why do you have
                to take something that's perfectly good
                the way it is, and wreck it?

      Jackie doesn't seem to understand.

                             FRANK
                Brand names mean something, Jackie.
                Consumers rely on them to know what
                they're getting. They know the company
                isn't going to try to fool them with an
                inferior product. They buy a Ford, they
                know they're gonna get a Ford.
                             (MORE)
                                                                   (CONT)

                                                                     83.
                               
219   CONTINUED:                                                     219
                                FRANK (CONT'D)
                   Not a fuckin Datsun.
                          (his look says, right?)
                   Blue Magic is a brand name; as much a
                   brand name as Pepsi. I own it. I stand
                   behind it. I guarantee it and people
                   know that even if they don't know me any
                   more than they know the chairman of
                   General Foods.

                                JACKIE
                   What the fuck are you talking about,
                   Frank?

                                FRANK
                   What you're doing, as far as I'm
                   concerned, when you chop my dope down to
                   five percent, is trademark infringement.

      That.   That's what this is about.      Jackie nods, but -

                                JACKIE
                   With all due respect, Frank, if I buy
                   something, I can do whatever I want with
                   it.

                                FRANK
                   That's not true. That's where you're
                   wrong.

                                JACKIE
                   If I buy a car, I can paint it, God damn
                   it.

                                FRANK
                   Jackie, you don't need to. You don't
                   need to make more money than you can with
                   Blue the way it is. No one does. At a
                   certain point it's just greed.

                                JACKIE
                   What do you want, Frank?    You want me to
                   call it something else?

                                FRANK
                   I have to insist. You call it Blue
                   Magic, that's misrepresentation.

                                JACKIE
                   Fine. I'll call it Red Magic, even
                   though it doesn't sound as good.

                                FRANK
                   That's all I'm saying.   Wrap it in red
                   cellophane and -
                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                       84.
                                 
219   CONTINUED:                                                       219


                                 JACKIE
                   Pink Magic.   Black Magic -

                                FRANK
                   Whack it down to nothing, tie a bow
                   around it and call it Blue Dogshit if you
                   want, just don't let me catch you doing
                   this again.

      Jackie regards Frank for a long moment ...

                                JACKIE
                   Catch me? Insist? Infringement? I
                   don't like these words as much as please -
                   thank you - sorry to bother you, Jackie.
                   These are better words to use you come
                   into my place without an invitation.

      Jackie waits to hear a kinder word but Frank doesn't offer
      one. Jackie nods, Fine, okay, but it's more like a warning.

220   INT. JACKIE'S CLUB - DUSK                                         220

      Frank pulls a girl off Teddy's lap and points him toward
      the door. Jackie watches them leave.

221   EXT. JACKIE'S CLUB - DUSK                                         221

      They emerge from the building to where Jimmy waits.

                                TEDDY
                   Give me the keys; take a cab home.

222   INT. TEDDY'S CAR - MOVING - NIGHT                                 222
      Frank and Teddy driving in silence.        Eventually -

                                FRANK
                   You don't go over there any more.

      Teddy doesn't like it, but nods. Suddenly his face is
      illuminated by light reflecting in the rear view mirror, an
      unmarked police car behind them, flashing its brights.

                                FRANK
                   It's all right, pull over, what are they
                   going to do? Give us a ticket?

      But Teddy isn't as calm as he begins to pull over.

                                                                     85.
                               




223   EXT. GARMENT WAREHOUSE DISTRICT - NY - LATE AFTERNOON           223

      As Trupo and his partner climb out of their car and approach
      Teddy's -

                              TEDDY
                Frank?   Some of it's in the trunk.

      Frank regards him with utter disbelief. Teddy shies as if
      he expects to get hit. The SIU detectives arrive.

                             TRUPO
                Hello, Frank.

                             FRANK
                Detective. How's it going?        You have a
                nice Thanksgiving?

                             TRUPO
                I did not, as a matter of fact.       Get out
                of the car.

      The Lucases climb out.

                             FRANK
                Where's the Shelby?

                             TRUPO
                The Shelby's gone, Frank.

      Trupo reaches in the driver's side window, takes the keys
      from the ignition and comes around to the trunk. Frank and
      Teddy exchange a glance as it opens. Silence. Then -
                             TRUPO
                Want to come over here a minute, Frank?

      Six kilos of heroin are illuminated by the trunk light.
      Frank and Trupo regard it in silence. Then -

                             TRUPO
                Now what are we gonna do about this?

                             FRANK
                We're gonna shut the trunk and say good
                night, forget you pulled us over.

                             TRUPO
                I got a better idea.

      Trupo reaches into the trunk, picks up two of the heroin
      bricks, tucks them under his arm and looks at Frank -

                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                          86.
                                    
223    CONTINUED:                                                         223


                                 TRUPO
                    Or would you rather I took it all and
                    threw you and your brother in the fuckin
                    river?

                                 FRANK
                    I don't know, would you rather it's your
                    fuckin house blows up next time?

       They hold each others' stare for a long moment.

                                 TRUPO
                    I loved that car.

                                    FRANK
                    I know.

       Trupo closes the trunk and walks away with his cut of the
       heroin, calling to his partner -

                                    TRUPO
                    Let's go.

       As the SIU cops walk to their car, the perspective shifts,
       through binoculars: Richie watching.

A224   INT. TEDDY'S CAR / STREET - LATER - NIGHT                          A224

       From outside the driver's side, Teddy's head, inside the
       car, suddenly smashes against the window, cracking it. His
       groan is interrupted by Frank's muffled voice -

                                 FRANK
                    Don't you ever put me in a car with dope
                    in it.

224    INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT                                     224

       Richie comes in, opens the fridge and stares in, his mind
       elsewhere. A ringing phone pulls him out of it.

                                    RICHIE
                    Yeah.   Tony.    How's it going?

225    INT/EXT. TONY ZACA'S HOUSE - DAY                                    225

       Tony's wife and daughters can be seen in the suburban
       backyard. Here in the kitchen Tony and Richie watch kernels                 
       of popcorn bounce off the inside walls of the first Amana                   
       microwave oven. It's noisier than modern ones.                              

                                 RICHIE                                            
                    The fuck is a `micro' wave?                                    
                                                                          (CONT)

                                                                       87.
                                 
225   CONTINUED:                                                       225


                                TONY                                            
                   It's a scientific force like atomic                          
                   energy. It rearranges the molecules.                         

                                 RICHIE                                         
                   Of what.                                                     

                                TONY                                            
                   Of anything. Of popcorn. You don't                           
                   want to put your head in there.                              

      Tony rakes out the plain, `pre-microwaveable' popcorn,                    
      using his hand. Gives some to Richie. Half of it's burnt.                 

                                TONY                                            
                   I can get you one of these. Just like                        
                   this, brand new. I'll have it delivered.                     

                                 RICHIE                                         
                   No, thanks.   I don't want one.                              

      Tony hands Richie some snapshots: The Zaca family on the                  
      slopes of a resort, and in and outside a beautiful snow-
      dotted cabin.

                                RICHIE
                   This is nice, where's this?

                                 TONY
                   Aspen.   Just got back.    Had a great time.                 

                                RICHIE
                   I'd like to ski Aspen some day.
                                TONY
                   Know who we met? Burt Reynolds. I'm not
                   kidding. Lot of people from Hollywood go
                   up there now, buying up everything.

                                RICHIE
                   This is your place?

                                TONY
                   Are you kidding? You know what it's
                   worth? Ski-in-ski-out, five bedrooms,
                   sauna, everything. We were guests.
                          (pause)
                   No ... No, that's your place.

      Everything seems to stop. Richie becomes aware of the
      sounds around them, the girls splashing around outside ...


                                                                       (CONT)

                                                                       88.
                                 
225   CONTINUED:                                                       225


                                TONY
                   Isn't there something we can do - about
                   leaving the big guy alone? You know who
                   I mean.

      What Richie knows is that no matter what he does or says at
      this point he's got a problem.

                                RICHIE
                   If I don't report what you just said
                   to me, you know I could be in a lot of
                   trouble. If I do, then it's you.

                                TONY
                   I'm hoping you won't do that.

      Richie considers the room itself, measuring the odds of
      microphones and a recorder being in it somewhere.

                                TONY
                   I'm not taping it. How do you know?
                   Because we're friends and I'm telling
                   you. This is a real offer.                                

                                RICHIE                                       
                   From who, your uncle?                                     
                          (Tony doesn't say)                                 
                   Why would you do this? Why would you                      
                   risk our friendship?                                      

                                TONY                                         
                   Because I care what happens to you.                       

                                RICHIE                                       
                   You shouldn't have done it.                               

                               TONY                                          
                   I had to. I had no choice. Neither do                     
                   you. Leave Frank Lucas alone.                             

                                RICHIE                                       
                   He's not important enough for you to do                   
                   this.                                                     

                                 TONY                                        
                   Yes, he is.                                               

      Richie stares at Tony, then puts the pictures in his hand.

                                RICHIE
                   Tell Marie I'm sorry I had to leave.
                   You can tell her why.

                                                                     89.
                               




226     INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - LATER - NIGHT                       226

        Alone in the empty building, he stares at the T.O.: The
        higher echelon Italians like Tosca; lower echelon Harlem
        guys like Charlie Williams and Frank Lucas.

        He gets up then, untacks Frank's photograph from its lowly
        position and moves it to a place no black has ever occupied -
        to the top of the pyramid - above the mafia.

                                                                              

227 - 230 OMIT                                          227 - 230 OMIT        

A231    INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - DAY                                A231     

        Toback regards Frank's picture at top of the Lucas T.O.

                               RICHIE
                  INS, FBI, IRS - I can't get anything out
                  of them. Nothing on his travel, his bank
                  accounts, property holdings - nothing.

                               TOBACK
                  That's because they all think you're on
                  the take and you think they are.

                               RICHIE                                         
                  They don't want this to stop. It                            
                  employs too many people. Cops, lawyers,                     
                  judges, probation officers, prison                          
                  guards. The day dope stops coming into                      
                  this country, a hundred thousand people                     
                  lose their jobs.                                            
        Toback isn't as sure the corruption of the official world is
        that complete.

                                SPEARMAN
                  Richie.   Excuse me.

        Spearman gestures to a couple of men in suits who want to
        talk to him.

B231    INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - LATER - DAY                        B231     

        Richie and Tobacke regard the two stone-faced FBI agents -

                               RICHIE
                  Who took it out?
                         (nothing from the agents)
                  If there's a contract on me, it would be
                  nice to know who took it out.
                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                          90.
                                   
B231   CONTINUED:                                                        B231


                                 FBI AGENT
                    We can't say without compromising our
                    source. You understand.

                                   RICHIE
                    No.    I don't. Not when it's my life.

                                 FBI AGENT
                    If you want, we can assign someone to
                    you.

                                    RICHIE
                    Who?    FBI?   You're going to protect me?

       Richie almost laughs at the thought, looks to Toback.             In
       fact, none of this is funny.

C231   EXT. STREET - NEWARK - NIGHT                                      C231

       Walking toward his apartment down its dark street, bag of
       groceries in arm, Richie becomes aware someone is following
       him. He slows to let the figure get closer, closer, then
       turns fast, drops the guy and puts a gun to his head.

                                   MAN
                    Don't shoot!    For God's sake.

       Richie keeps the gun pressed against the guy's forehead.

                                   RICHIE
                    Talk.

                                 MAN
                    Are you Richard Roberts?      I got a
                    subpoena.

231    INT. COURTROOM - NEWARK - DAY                                      231

       Richie and Laurie sit with their respective lawyers, waiting
       for the judge to appear. He leans over -

                                 RICHIE
                    Laurie. I'm sorry I couldn't give you
                    the kind of life you wanted. I'm sorry
                    it was never enough. But don't punish me
                    for being honest. Don't take my son
                    away.

       She stares at him in disbelief.        Then responds in a louder
       voice than his -



                                                                         (CONT)

                                                                      91.
                                
231   CONTINUED:                                                      231


                                LAURIE
                   What are you saying? That because you
                   were "honest" and didn't take money like
                   every other cop, I left you?

      The bailiff looks over, but she doesn't care.

                                LAURIE
                   You don't take money for one reason:
                   to buy being dishonest about everything
                   else. And that's worse than taking money
                   nobody gives a shit about - drug money,
                   gambling money nobody's gonna miss.
                          (more people look over)
                   I'd rather you took it and been honest
                   with me. Or don't take it, I don't care.
                   But don't then go cheat on me. Don't
                   cheat on your kid by never being around.
                   Don't go out and get laid by your
                   snitches and secretaries and strippers.
                   I can tell just by looking, she's one
                   of them.

      His lawyer.    Which is true.    Everyone's watching them now.

                                LAURIE
                   You think you're going to heaven because
                   your "honest." You're not. You're going
                   to the same hell as the crooked cops you
                   can't stand.

                                BAILIFF
                   All rise -
232   INT. COURTROOM - LATER - DAY                                     232

      The same judge who sends a collection plate around sits
      before Richie and Laurie and their attorneys.

                                SHEILA
                   Your honor, a lot has been said here
                   today about how unsavory Mr. Roberts'
                   environment is for a child. How
                   dangerous it is. I'm sorry, but this is
                   our world. This is where we live and we
                   tell him, Protect us. We give him that
                   responsibility, and then say, Oh, but we
                   don't trust you to raise a child. We
                   don't think you're fit for that.

                                RICHIE
                   I'm not.

                                                                      (CONT)

                                                                          92.
                                    
232        CONTINUED:                                                     232


           Silence. Sheila looks at him, but he's looking at Laurie,
           and speaks to her like they're alone in the room:

                                     RICHIE
                        You're right. This is no place for him.
                        Around me. Take him. The further away
                        the better. For him.

233 OMIT                                                            233 OMIT

234        TV IMAGE (ARCHIVE):                                             234

           The lights on the Rockefeller Christmas tree blink on to
           applause. A carol begins and continues over:

A235 OMIT                                                          A235 OMIT       

235        INT/EXT. FRANK'S CAR / FRANK'S PENTHOUSE - NIGHT                235

           Seats covered with Christmas presents. Doc, driving, sees
           Trupo's car parked out front Frank's penthouse.

                                    DOC
                        Frank -

                                     FRANK
                        Yeah, I see them.

           Doc pulls to the curb outside Frank's building. As the
           doorman helps Doc with the big Christmas tree tied to the
           roof of the car, Frank crosses to Trupo's car with a couple
           of bottles of Crystal tied with holiday bows.

                                     FRANK
                        Here you go, boys.   Merry Christmas.

236 OMIT                                                            236 OMIT

237        INT. FRANK'S PENTHOUSE - NIGHT                                  237

           Charlie has come to visit. A Christmas carol plays as Frank
           strings the tree with some lights.

                                     FRANK
                        Paying cops is one thing, I understand
                        that. I been paying them since I was ten
                        - put more of their kids through college
                        than the National Merit Award. This is
                        different, this Special Investigations
                        Unit. They think they are special.



                                                                          (CONT)

                                                                     93.
                               
237   CONTINUED:                                                     237


                                CHARLIE
                   They're fucking crooks.   No code of
                   ethics.

      Frank plugs the cord in and the tree lights up.

                                FRANK
                   Someone's been following me. Besides
                   cops. I see cars where they shouldn't
                   be. Guys I don't know -

                                CHARLIE
                   Me, too.

      They regard each other.    The carol continues over:

238   INT. FRANK'S PENTHOUSE - LATER - NIGHT                          238

      Ana hangs tinsel on the tree as Frank gives the shepherd
      some dog toy presents he's bought. More to himself:

                                FRANK
                   Bumpy hardly ever went out at a certain
                   point. He stayed in - read - watched TV -
                   played chess. I thought he chose to lead
                   a quiet life. He didn't. He couldn't go
                   out without something happening.

                                ANA
                   We can still go out.

                                FRANK
                   Where? With who? Everyone I know is
                   under surveillance. I can't even be with
                   my family at Christmas anymore.

      He gets up, pets the dog, and looks out the window at
      Christmas angels stretched across the street, at people on
      the sidewalk, wondering perhaps which of them are undercover
      cops, at Trupo's car, still parked outside.

                                ANA
                   Why don't you just pay who you have to
                   pay?

                                FRANK
                   I do pay them, I pay them all. Cops,
                   accountants, lawyers, who don't I pay?
                   Everybody. I pay them a fortune, it
                   doesn't matter. It doesn't satisfy them.
                   The more you pay, the more they expect.
                                (MORE)

                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                             94.
                                       
238        CONTINUED:                                                        238
                                     FRANK (CONT'D)
                        You can't start with them because they
                        can't stop. It's like dope. They
                        always want more.

           Ana looks vulnerable. Frank almost feels bad that it's his
           life and problems that have put them here. Eventually, to
           try to turn it around -

                                     FRANK
                        Put on something nice, we're going out.

239        INT/EXT. FRANK'S PENTHOUSE BUILDING - NIGHT                        239

         Frank and Ana emerge from a service elevator, come down   a
         dark hall and out the back door to an alley to where Doc
         waits with the car in the falling snow.
240 OMIT                                                    240 OMIT                  

241        EXT. SMALL'S PARADISE - LATER - NIGHT                              241

           Frank's car approaches Small's just as Jackie, with a
           Santa Claus hat on, climbs out of a sky blue Bentley with
           his entourage. Frank groans to Doc -

                                       FRANK
                        Keep going.

                                       DOC
                        Around back?

                                    FRANK
                        Fuck that. I'm not going to sneak into
                        my own club. Just drive.

242 OMIT                                                               242 OMIT       
243        INT. CHINESE TAKE-OUT PLACE - NIGHT                                243

           Waiting for a take-out order under harsh fluorescent lights -

                                     ANA
                        I'm going to wait in the car.

                                     DOC
                        Go ahead, Frank.       I'll wait for it.

                                     FRANK
                        You can carry it all?      We ordered a lot.

           Doc nods, go on, go with Ana. Frank hands him a couple
           twenties. Ana's already outside.



                                                                             (CONT)

                                                                          95.
                                    
243        CONTINUED:                                                     243


                                     FRANK
                        Don't forget the yellow sauce.
244 OMIT                                                            244 OMIT     

245        EXT. STREET - CHINATOWN - NIGHT                                 245

           Ana's half a block ahead, waiting outside the locked car by
           the time Frank arrives and realizes -

                                     FRANK
                        Doc's got the keys.   Let's go back.

                                     ANA
                        The lights give me a headache, you go.

                                     FRANK
                        I'm not leaving you on the street.

                                     ANA
                        Get the keys, Frank, it's cold.

           He starts back through cascading snow.       Notices a car coming
           slowly down the street -

246        INT. CHINESE PLACE - CONTINUED                                  246

           The cook dumps sizzling vegetables into a take-out container
           and puts it in a bag -

247        EXT. STREET - CHINATOWN - CONTINUED                             247

         The car passes, continues to the end of the block, turns the
         corner.
248 OMIT                                                    248 OMIT             
249        INT. CHINESE PLACE - CONTINUED                                  249

           Doc hands over money, waits for his change -

                                     DOC
                        Gimme some of that yellow sauce.

250        EXT. STREET - MIDTOWN - CONTINUED                               250

           Frank sees the car again, coming around the corner, walks
           briskly back to where Ana waits. The car is almost upon
           them as he grabs her by the wrist and pulls her hard along
           the sidewalk. The car guns its engine -

251 OMIT                                                            251 OMIT     

                                                                       96.
                                 




252        INT/EXT. CHINESE PLACE - CONTINUED                           252

           As Frank pushes in past the doors with Ana, the windows
           explode. They dive to the floor, bullets ripping through
           the place.

           Doc draws his two guns and fires back at the car, hitting
           it a couple times as it screeches off. He gathers Ana and
           Frank off the floor like a presidential bodyguard, hustles
           them out to the car. Frank's shoulder is bleeding.

                                  DOC
                     You hit?

                                  FRANK
                     What the fuck was that?

           They pile in and Doc screeches away from the curb.

253 OMIT                                                         253 OMIT       

254        INT. FRANK'S PENTHOUSE - NIGHT                               254

           Heavy security in the hallways: Frank's own men and some
           cops he's got on the payroll. Ana steps from the elevator
           and hurries past, early edition New York paper in hand.

255        INT. FRANK'S PENTHOUSE - NIGHT                               255

           The brothers watch as a private doctor attends Frank's
           wounds. He seems all right fine except for the fact that
           someone had the fucking nerve to take a shot at him - and
           Charlie he sees in the newspaper - gunned down, dead, lurid
           Weegee-like photo of him on the front page.
                                  TEDDY
                     Was it Jackie?
                            (Frank doesn't say)
                     I'll fuckin kill him whether it was or
                     not, you tell me to.
                            (nothing from Frank)
                     What do you want us to do, Frank? We
                     can't just sit here and -

                                  FRANK
                     Who didn't like Charlie?   Everybody liked
                     Charlie ...

                                  ANA
                     Who shot at us?
                            (Frank can't tell her)
                     It doesn't matter. We're leaving.

                                                                       (CONT)

                                                                        97.
                                  
255   CONTINUED:                                                        255


      She pulls a drawer open. Takes out their passports.
      Begins packing. The brothers watch, not sure what to do,
      or say. To them -

                                 FRANK
                   Go home.   Go see your kids.

      He obviously wants to talk to Ana alone. Pulls away from
      the doctor. They all leave. Ana keeps packing.

                                FRANK
                   What are you doing?     Where've you been?

                                ANA
                   We're leaving from here.      Money's in
                   the car.

                                  FRANK
                   What money?

                                ANA
                   Everything from your mother's house.

                                  FRANK
                   In your car?

                                  ANA
                   Yes.

                                FRANK
                   Where's the car?

                                  ANA
                   Out front.
                                FRANK
                   With ten million dollars in it?

                                ANA
                   I didn't count it.

                                FRANK
                   Are you crazy? Take it back to Teaneck.
                   What are you doing driving around without
                   security? Doc'll take you back.

                                ANA
                   We're not going there, we're going to the
                   airport. We're leaving the country.

                                  FRANK
                   To go where?    No, we're not.

                                                                        (CONT)

                                                                        98.
                                  
255     CONTINUED:                                                      255


                                  ANA
                     Frank, Charlie's dead. They tried to
                     kill us. What else has to happen - ?

        He grabs her and holds her to calm her down.

                                   FRANK
                     Shhh.   Come on, now.   Shhh.

        He holds her close, waits for her breathing to slow before:

                                  FRANK
                     Where are we going to go? Spain?
                     China? Which fuckin place is it going
                     to be?

                                  ANA
                     We can go anywhere we want.     We can live
                     anywhere.

                                  FRANK
                     We can run and hide is what you're
                     saying.

        He slowly shakes his head: that's something he'll never do.

                                  FRANK
                     This is where I'm from. This is where
                     my family is. My business. My mother.
                     This is my place. This is my country.
                     This is America.

256 - 263 OMIT                                             256 - 263 OMIT
264     EXT. HUDSON RIVER - MORNING                                      264

        The Statue of Liberty in morning light and mist rises from
        the waters of the Hudson River.

A265    INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - MORNING                      A265

        Richie, at his desk, looks up to see Trupo walking through
        the squad room, followed by Spearman.

                                  SPEARMAN
                     Said he'll only talk to you.

B265    INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - LATER - MORNING              B265

        Trupo's attitude has completely changed from the first time
        they met. He talks to Richie now like a fellow conspirator -


                                                                        (CONT)

                                                                       99.
                                
B265   CONTINUED:                                                     B265


                                 TRUPO
                    From what I hear, it was the Corsicans.
                    The French Connection, Fernando Rey, the
                    exporters Frank has put out of business.
                    Now, I can take care of him in New York,
                    but I don't want to have to worry every
                    time he drives across the bridge to
                    Jersey someone's gonna take another shot
                    at him.

       Richie gives nothing away even as it stuns him that Trupo
       would speak to him this blatantly.

                                 TRUPO
                    We need to start working together. We
                    need to step up our efforts. Next time
                    their aim could be better. We need to
                    keep this cash cow alive.

       Jimmy Racine comes in - sees Trupo - and leaves - but not
       before Trupo has seen him. And now he sees the Lucas Table
       of Organization he didn't notice when he came in. Gets up
       and walks over to it now and takes a closer look. Sees
       Frank's picture at the top, like Enemy Number 1.

                                 TRUPO
                    Jesus. What the fuck you doing here?
                    You actually going to arrest Frank Lucas?
                    What's the matter with you?

                                 RICHIE
                    I'm crazy. Can't you tell that? I'm
                    crazy enough to shoot someone and make it
                    look like an accident next time he comes
                    over the bridge without my permission.
                    Get the fuck out of New Jersey.

       They regard each other a moment before Trupo turns to leave.

C265   INT. FRANK'S PENTHOUSE - DAY                                   C265

       A large TV shows chaotic scenes in Saigon. The US is
       pulling out of Vietnam. Tosca has come to see how Frank is
       recovering, and finds him, agitated, too long in bed even
       though it's only been a day, changing into a nice shirt,
       putting on his shoes -

                                 FRANK
                    "I can guarantee you peace of mind,"
                    you said. Do I look like a man with
                    peace of mind to you? They shot at my
                    wife. Who does that?
                                 (MORE)
                                                                      (CONT)

                                                                       100.
                                 
C265   CONTINUED:                                                      C265
                                 FRANK (CONT'D)
                    Who was it, which one of your people?
                    I'll take that gun away and shove it up
                    their ass.

                                 TOSCA
                    I don't know that it was any of them,
                    Frank. Neither do you.

                                 FRANK
                    Then maybe I'll kill them all just to
                    make a fuckin point.

       Tosca seems more philosophical about it - like Bumpy might
       have been - but it wasn't him who was shot at.

                                 TOSCA
                    You want to know who it was? I can
                    tell you. It was a junkie. Or a rival.
                    Or some dumb ass kid trying to make a
                    name for himself. Or someone you forgot
                    to pay off. Or slighted without
                    realizing it. Or someone you put out of
                    business by being too successful.
                           (pause)
                    Success has a lot of enemies. Your
                    success is who took a shot at you. How
                    you gonna kill it? By being
                    unsuccessful? You can be successful and
                    have enemies, or unsuccessful and have
                    friends. It's the choice we make.

265    INT. MASSAGE ROOM - SOUL BROTHERS BAR - NIGHT                    265

       A call has interrupted Nate's massage (and later activities)
       with a bevy of Thai girls. He wraps himself in a robe,
       takes the phone.

                                  NATE
                    Hello?

266    INT. REGENCY HOTEL - SAME TIME - DAY                             266

       Frank on a pay phone in a comfortable alcove with a stack
       of quarters. Other guests are gathered around a TV in the
       lounge that shows images of helicopters plucking diplomats
       off the roof of the American Embassy in Saigon.

                                 FRANK
                    I'm watching the news.     Where the hell's
                    everyone going?

                                   NATE
                    Home.    The war's over.

                                                                       (CONT)

                                                                      101.
                                
266   CONTINUED:                                                       266


                                FRANK
                   Just like that? We're going to leave the
                   fuckin country to the communists?

                                NATE
                   We been here since 1961, Frank.

                                 FRANK
                   I haven't!                                                

      HARD CUT TO:

267   EXT. JUNGLE - DAY                                                267   

      Frank and Nate and their "army" of black servicemen and Thai
      thugs wind through the jungle with pack mules.                         

268   INT. BAMBOO DWELLING - OPIUM FARM - DAY                          268

      The same farm and hut as before. Frank and the Chinese
      General sip tea. The four million dollars in cash Frank
      brought sits on the table.

                                GENERAL
                   Opium plants are hearty enough to
                   outlive any war. They'll still be here
                   long after the troops are gone. But what
                   are you going to do for transportation
                   when the last US plane goes home?

                                FRANK
                   I'll figure something out.      You'll see
                   me again.
      The General seems fond of Frank, and not only because of all
      the money on the table.

                                GENERAL
                   It's not in my best interest to say
                   this, Frank ... but quitting while you're
                   ahead is not the same as quitting.

                                FRANK
                   That's what my wife thinks.

                                GENERAL
                   But you don't think she's right.

      Frank doesn't say.

                                                                     102.
                               




269    EXT. OPIUM FARM - DAY                                           269

       Mules are loaded up with burlap bags containing 3,000 kilos
       of heroin.

A270   EXT. OPIUM FARM / JUNGLE - DAY                                 A270

       The mule train approaches the jungle that surrounds the
       opium farm. Nate's Thai thugs, left behind in sniper
       positions in the trees, stand ready to open fire if they
       have to as Frank, Nate, the soldiers and mules pass below.

B270   EXT. JUNGLE - LATER - DAY                                      B270

       They seem to have made it, winding back down through the
       jungle with the mules. Suddenly a barrage of gunfire erupts
       from the trees - a couple of Nate's men are hit as the rest
       dive for cover, shouting "Vietcong," and returning the fire.
       Frank drops down from his mule, gets a pistol out and shoots
       into the trees. Bullet-severed palm fronds rain down.

                              FRANK
                 Give them half!

       Nate, pinned down by the mules, can't hear him over the
       noise.

                              FRANK
                 Cut half of them loose!      The mules!

       Nate cuts the mule-train tether in the middle, slaps at the
       animals. As the freed mules disappear into a wall of trees
       the shooting subsides, then stops altogether. Smoke from
       all the gunfire rises like mist around the half dozen Thais
       and Americans lying dead on the ground.

270    EXT. STREET - NIGHT                                             270

       Teddy makes out with a girl in the back seat of his car.
       The pay phone just outside on the corner rings, and he gets
       out, steps past Jimmy, answers it -

271    INT. SOUL BROTHERS BAR - BANGKOK - INTERCUT - DAY               271

       A Thai singer attempts Otis Redding on the little stage.
       Frank, at a table here, with a drink and a phone.

                                 FRANK
                 Newark.     Short Term Parking Lot 3.

                              TEDDY V/O
                 When you need it? Today?

                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                    103.
                              
271   CONTINUED:                                                     271


                                FRANK
                   Tomorrow will be fine.

272   EXT. STREET - CONTINUED                                        272

      Jimmy loiters close enough to the open pay phone, to hear
      Teddy's side of the conversation.

                                TEDDY
                   Short Term Lot 3. This the Mustang were
                   talking about ... Camero? ... What's the
                   plate number?
                          (writes on a napkin)
                   Yeah, I got it ... I got it, Frank ...
                          (sighs; reads from the
                           napkin:)
                   KA 760.

273   INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - DAY                         273

      Jimmy's come over to share his news with the detectives.
      But Richie isn't pleased with it - or with Jimmy.

                                ABRUZZO
                   There's no Short Term Lot 3 at Newark.
                   They're lettered, A, B, C, D -

                                JIMMY
                   I'm just telling you what I heard -

                                ABRUZZO
                   Then you heard wrong!

      Jimmy shies back a step in case Abruzzo takes a swing.
                                SPEARMAN
                   Maybe he means the time?   3 o'clock?

                                JONES
                   And this isn't a Jersey plate. Or New
                   York. Not with just two letters. It's
                   three and three, not two and three -

                                JIMMY
                   It's what he said -

                                JONES
                   Then what the fuck is it -

                                JIMMY
                   The fuck should I know -


                                                                    (CONT)

                                                                         104.
                                   
273        CONTINUED:                                                     273


                                     ABRUZZO
                        You're fuckin lying -

                                     JIMMY
                        It's what he said.   I'm sure.

                                    SPEARMAN
                        KA 760 -

                                    JIMMY
                        Yes!

           Silence.   They all look at each other.       After a moment -

                                     RICHIE
                        None of you ever been in the service?
                        It's an Air Force tail number.

274        EXT. SKY - DAY                                                 274

           The plane, with that tail number, descends through clouds.

275        EXT. NEWARK AIRPORT - DAY                                      275

           Richie's entire staff of detectives, along with Toback, the
           DA and several customs agents, stand on the tarmac, watching
           the military plane taxiing toward them -

276        EXT. MAMA LUCAS'S TEANECK, N.J. HOUSE - DAY                    276

           Quiet sounds of suburban domesticity - chirping birds, a
           distant lawn mower -

277        EXT. NEWARK AIRPORT - CONTINUED                                277
           The cabin door slides up, the passengers begin emerging:
           Military officers, embassy personnel and families. Richie's
           detectives and Toback watch him with concern as the official
           passengers, met by a bevy of assistants, file past -

278        INT. MAMA LUCAS'S TEANECK, N.J. HOUSE - CONTINUED              278

           The kitchen. Frank's mother shows Ana some old photographs             
           of Frank as a boy as they sip coffee. There's a tap on the             
           glass French door. The women look up and see Trupo just                
           outside it, and other police moving past. He waves.                    

279 OMIT                                                            279 OMIT

280        EXT. NEWARK AIRPORT - CONTINUED                                280

           An Army captain approaches Richie's law enforcement group.

                                                                         (CONT)

                                                                    105.
                              
280   CONTINUED:                                                     280


                                RICHIE
                   Captain, I'm Richard Roberts, Director of
                   the Essex County Narcotics Bureau.

281   INT. MAMA LUCAS'S TEANECK, N.J. HOUSE - CONTINUED              281

      Front door. Trupo sort of waves a search warrant at Julie              
      as invites himself in. The NY cops follow, fan out. Trupo              
      and his detectives head upstairs -                                     

282   INT. AIRPORT HANGAR - LATER                                    282     

      The plane has been brought into a hangar where it's being
      taken apart like a car stripped by thieves. Inside the
      cabin, seats are removed and inspected, carpeting pulled up,
      panels unscrewed, lavatories dismantled.

283   INT. MAMA LUCAS'S TEANECK, N.J. HOUSE - CONTINUED              283

      Downstairs - Ana and Frank's mother, guarded, can hear                 
      Trupo and his detectives, upstairs, ransacking a bedroom.              

      Upstairs - the SIU detectives pull open drawers, throw                 
      clothes from the closets.   Trupo picks up an invitation to            
      a United Nations ball, tosses it down again. Finds a safety-           
      deposit box key in a sock drawer, puts it in his pocket.               

284   INT. AIRPORT HANGAR - CONTINUED                                284

      The engines and landing gear are disassembled, the tires
      opened up and searched. A nozzle plunges into a toilet and
      pumps out the contents into barrels detectives fish through
      with gloved hands -
285   INT. MAMA LUCAS'S TEANECK, N.J. HOUSE - LATER - DAY            285

      Ana is taken upstairs, brought before the SIU detectives               
      who wait for the NYPD cops to leave the room. The place
      has been torn apart.

                                TRUPO
                   Your husband's illustrious career is
                   over. The Feds are going to come in and
                   take it all. Everything. But not before
                   I get my gratuity. Where's the money?

                                ANA
                   There was some on that dresser, but it's
                   gone now so I guess you (took it) -

                                TRUPO
                   The money! The getaway money Frank and
                   every other gangster keeps in his house!
                                                                    (CONT)

                                                                      106.
                                
285   CONTINUED:                                                       285


                                ANA
                   If you leave now, there's a chance
                   Frank might not kill you -

      Trupo slaps her hard across the face -

286   INT. AIRPORT HANGAR - LATER                                      286

      Richie, off by himself, watches with a growing sense of
      panic as the mechanics, detectives and customs agents begin
      removing the metal skin from the plane. Coffins are being
      off-loaded.

287   INT. MAMA LUCAS'S TEANECK, N.J. HOUSE - LATER                    287

      Downstairs, Mama Lucas puts washcloth on Ana's swollen
      cheek. They can hear the search continuing upstairs: things
      being ripped from the walls, the walls themselves splintered
      apart with sledgehammers, glass breaking. To Mama Lucas -

                                 ANA
                   I'm sorry.

288   INT. AIRPORT HANGAR - LATER                                      288

      They've looked everywhere and found nothing. The plane,
      in fact, hardly resembles a plane anymore - no panel left
      that hasn't been removed, no cavity not probed - except -

      Richie's glance settles on the military caskets as they're
      loaded onto a truck, armed soldiers standing guard -

289   INT/EXT. MAMA LUCAS'S TEANECK, N.J. HOUSE - DAY                  289
      Frank's bedroom has been destroyed. Trupo, standing at a
      window glances out at the sound of a barking of a dog to see
      Frank's German shepherd down in its kennel.

290   INT. AIRPORT HANGAR - CONTINUED                                  290

      Richie gets up slowly and approaches the coffins as -

291   EXT. MAMA LUCAS'S TEANECK, N.J. HOUSE - DAY                      291

      Trupo crosses the lawn toward the kennel and barking dog -

292   INT. AIRPORT HANGAR - CONTINUED                                  292

      Richie stands over the nearest coffin -

                                 RICHIE
                   Open it.

                                                                      (CONT)

                                                                    107.
                              
292   CONTINUED:                                                     292


      The army captain regards the detective for a long moment.

                                RICHIE
                   The warrant permits me to search the
                   plane and its cargo.

      The captain doesn't comply. Richie moves to open the coffin
      himself and every soldier's shouldered rifle immediately
      comes into firing position, aimed at him.

                                ARMY CAPTAIN
                   But you don't have my permission.

      Richie stares at the weapons and the uniformed men holding
      them, safeties off, fingers on the triggers; all they're
      waiting for is their commander's order to fire.

                                RICHIE
                   I don't need it.

293   EXT. MAMA LUCAS'S TEANECK, N.J. HOUSE - CONTINUED              293

      Trupo regards the shepherd snarling at him from behind the
      kennel fence. Comes around back. Pushes at the frame. It
      moves a little, like it's levered -

294   INT. AIRPORT HANGAR - CONTINUED                                294

      With the rifles still pointed at him, Richie kneels down,
      pulls the latches of the coffins, half expecting to hear an
      accompanying barrage of gunfire. He lifts the lid. Sees a
      long black body bag inside -

295   EXT. MAMA LUCAS'S TEANECK, N.J. HOUSE - CONTINUED              295
      Trupo comes around to the front of the kennel again with his
      gun out and aims it at the dog. As he fires -

296   INT. AIRPORT HANGAR - CONTINUED                                296

      Richie pulls at the zipper, parting the plastic body bag,
      revealing the remains of a young soldier -

                                US ATTORNEY
                   That's enough.

297   EXT. MAMA LUCAS'S TEANECK, N.J. HOUSE - CONTINUED              297

      The dead dog slides against the fencing as Trupo overturns
      the kennel to reveal Frank's stash of cash.

                                                                 108.
                           




298   INT. AIRPORT HANGER OFFICE - MINUTES LATER - DAY             298

      Richie and Toback sit before the Federal Attorneys and
      customs agents. The US Attorney hangs up a phone ... then:

                             US ATTORNEY
                That was a military transport plane. If
                there was heroin on board then someone in
                the military would have to be involved.
                Which means that even as it fights a war
                that's claimed 50,000 Americans lives,
                the military is smuggling narcotics.

      Richie's in serious trouble and knows it.    As does Toback.

                             US ATTORNEY
                That's how these events are being
                interpreted by General Easton in that
                call to me. That someone employed by the
                this office believes the United States
                Army is in the drug trafficking business -
                and is trying to prove it by desecrating
                the remains of young men who've given
                their lives in the defence of democracy.

                             RICHIE
                There are drugs on that plane -

                             US ATTORNEY
                Shut the fuck up.

      Richie does, but can't conceal the contempt he feels for
      these men who've never spent a minute on the street but act
      as if know more than him, and who are, in the unfortunate
      organization of his world, his superiors.

                             US ATTORNEY
                Is it any wonder then, because of your
                actions, the entire federal narcotics
                program is now in jeopardy of being
                dismantled as completely and enthusiastic-
                ally as that fucking transport plane?
                That's what you've accomplished Mr.
                Roberts. Single-handedly.

                             RICHIE
                I had good information the target of my
                investigation was bringing dope in on
                that plane.

                             US ATTORNEY
                And that target is?

                                                                 (CONT)

                                                                    109.
                              
298   CONTINUED:                                                     298


                                  RICHIE
                   Frank Lucas.

      No one in the room, except Richie and Toback, has ever
      heard the name. The federal men regard one another blankly.

                                US ATTORNEY
                   Who?  Who's Frank Lucas?
                          (no one seems to know)
                   Who's he work for? Which family?

                                RICHIE
                   He's not Italian. He's black.

      Now there's a longer, even deeper silence, before -

                                US ATTORNEY
                   Is that supposed to be some kind of joke?
                   You're this close to the end of your
                   career in law enforcement, you're making
                   jokes?

                                RICHIE
                   I believe Frank Lucas is above the mafia
                   in the dope business. I believe he buys
                   direct from the source in Southeast Asia,
                   cuts out all the middlemen, and uses US
                   military planes and personnel to bring
                   pure No. 4 heroin into United States.

      Richie is looking at faces that are still trying to make
      sense out of his ridiculous theory. Toback tries to come to
      his defense -
                                TOBACK
                   Richie has a lot of experience -

                                US ATTORNEY
                   Does he. And how many arrests has he
                   made in his so-called investigation?

                                RICHIE
                   I was promised when I took this job, it
                   was about real arrests.

                                US ATTORNEY
                   Does that mean `none?'

                                RICHIE
                   I have cases against most of Frank's
                   organization. Not him -


                                                                    (CONT)

                                                                           110.
                                     
298        CONTINUED:                                                       298


                                     US ATTORNEY
                               (more to the others)
                        Frank's organization -

                                     RICHIE
                        That's right.

                                     US ATTORNEY
                        No fucking nigger has accomplished what
                        the American Mafia hasn't in a hundred
                        years!

                                     RICHIE
                        Yeah, you'd know, sitting here, having
                        never been on the (street) -

                                     US ATTORNEY
                        Lou, get this fucking kike out of here -

           Richie goes for him and lands several punches before Toback
           and the others can pull him off.

299 OMIT                                                              299 OMIT

300        INT/EXT. AIRPORT HANGAR OFFICE - DAY                             300

           Richie and Toback walk briskly across the lobby -

                                     TOBACK
                        He was out of line, Richie.

           Richie isn't really listening. Strides past his detectives
           on his way out of the building. To Spearman -
                                      TOBACK
                        It's over.   You're shut down.

           Toback watches as the detectives follow after Richie
           striding toward his car.

301 - 302 OMIT                                                 301 - 302 OMIT

A303       INT/EXT. AIRPORT TERMINAL - NIGHT                                A303

           Frank comes out with an airline representative to find Doc
           waiting for him. He can tell immediately something's wrong.

B303       INT. FRANK'S PENTHOUSE - NIGHT                                   B303    

           Frank slaps a cartridge into the butt of a pistol.

                                     FRANK
                        Ten million dollars means nothing to me.
                                                                           (CONT)

                                                                      111.
                                
B303   CONTINUED:                                                     B303


       Ana stares at the floor. It all just seems to get worse and
       worse. They had their chance to get out and missed it.

                                 FRANK
                    This - is his death warrant.

       He lightly touches his wife's bruised face and walks out.

C303   INT. FRANK'S PENTHOUSE - NIGHT                                  C303    

       He comes down the stairs to where Doc waits.         As they head
       for the door -

                                 MRS. LUCAS
                    Frankie -

       Frank glances to where his mother sits in the living room.
       Nods to Doc to say, Get the car, I'll be out in a minute.
       Goes over to his mother.

                                 MRS. LUCAS
                    Sit down.

       He sits. She studies him in a way she hasn't since he was
       little. Eventually -

                                 MRS. LUCAS
                    If you'd have been a preacher, your
                    brothers would be preachers. If you'd
                    been a soldier, they'd be soldiers. Do
                    you know that?
                           (he doesn't say)
                    They all came here because of you. You
                    called and they came running. They look
                    up to you. They expect you to always
                    know what's best.
                           (pause)
                    But even they know you don't shoot
                    cops. Even I know that. Ana knows it.
                    You seem to be the only one who doesn't.

                                 FRANK
                    Is that where I'm going?

                                 MRS. LUCAS
                    I never asked you where all this came
                    from because I didn't want to hear you
                    lie to me. Don't lie to me. Don't do
                    that, too.

       She's not pleading, she's telling.       Silence.    Then -


                                                                      (CONT)

                                                                      112.
                                
C303    CONTINUED:                                                    C303


                                  MRS. LUCAS
                     Do you really want to make things so
                     bad for your family they'll leave you?
                     Because they will. She will -
                            (points upstairs)
                     I know I will.

        Frank has some trouble looking at her. But then gets up.
        Walks toward the front door to leave. Hesitates near it a
        long moment. Then turns and walks upstairs. Trupo will
        live, at least for now, because of her.

D303    INT. ARMY HOSPITAL - NIGHT                                     D303

        Down in the basement, the body bags are lifted from the
        wooden coffins. Set down on tables. The bags unzipped and
        the bodies removed.

        A rack of clean uniforms is brought in. The morticians
        begin dressing the corpses and applying make-up on the dry
        gray skin.

        New white military caskets are trundled in. Gold handles
        lifted. The bodies, clothed and painted now, are deposited
        on the silk linings. The lids of the coffins come down and
        cellophane bags containing folded flags are taped on top.

303 - 309 OMIT                                            303 - 309 OMIT      

310     EXT. ARMY HOSPITAL - NIGHT                                     310

        The white caskets are taken to a loading dock, put in a
        military truck. Papers are signed, copies exchanged. As
        the truck drives off -
311     INT. ARMY HOSPITAL - NIGHT                                     311

        Two black privates on janitorial duty come into the room
        where the original plain wooden coffins have been discarded.
        They remove the lids, then the finely-crafted false bottoms,
        revealing in 4-inch cavities of each, tightly-packed bricks
        of Double UO Globe heroin. As they take them out, a gospel
        choir begins and continues over:

312     EXT. ARMY HOSPITAL - MORNING                                   312    

        A laundry truck idles. Stevie, the Lucas nephew who could
        have played for Yankees, jumps down, helps the two privates
        toss several laundry bags into the back of the truck.

                                                                         113.
                                   




A313       EXT. BAPTIST CHURCH - MORNING                                  A313   

           A minister on the steps welcomes the congregation which
           includes Frank, his mother, and Ana -

313        EXT. PERIMETER OF THE ARMY BASE - MORNING                       313   

           The laundry truck comes past a guard gate, leaves the base,
           drives past a stand of trees. As it passes, Richie, parked            
           by his detectives' cars, recognizes the young driver - who's          
           wearing the same Yankee baseball cap in his T.O. photo.               

           As Richie and his detectives climb into their cars, two               
           Lucas cars fold in behind the laundry truck. The detectives           
           follow at a distance -                                                

A314 OMIT                                                          A314 OMIT

314        INT. BAPTIST CHURCH - MORNING                                   314   

           The sea of ladies' hats from above move in time with the
           gospel choir. As always, no matter what else is going on in
           his complicated life, Frank sits with his mother and Ana in
           their usual pew. The gospel music continues over:                     

A315       EXT. BAPTIST CHURCH - MORNING                                  A315

           Frank emerges from the church, kisses his mother and Ana and
           put them in a car with a driver. He climbs into Doc's
           alone. His mother watches, wondering perhaps if he intends
           to go kill Trupo after all. As Doc's car leaves, so does
           another.

315 - 318 OMIT                                               315 - 318 OMIT      
319        INT/EXT. RICHIE'S CAR - MOVING - NEAR GW BRIDGE - MORNING19
                                                                   3

           The laundry truck approaches a ramp leading to the George
           Washington Bridge. Richie, a couple of car lengths behind,
           follows. The truck continues straight.

320 OMIT                                                            320 OMIT

321        EXT. NEWARK - MORNING                                           321   

           From overhead, the laundry truck, the gun car and the van -
           and the detectives' cars following them all - converge from
           different directions -

                                                                   114.
                             




322    EXT. NEWARK - NEAR STEPHEN CRANE PROJECTS - MORNING           322

       Red Top's van makes a turn. As Abruzzo's makes the same
       turn behind it, the infamous Stephen Crane Projects rise up
       in his windshield.

       His foot comes off the gas. As the gun car passes, he
       sees Jones's car slow. Teddy's car approaches from another
       direction into the Projects, and Abruzzo sees Spearman pull
       over. Then the laundry truck turns in, and Richie's slows
       to a stop, like Abruzzo's, outside the grounds of the
       foreboding towers. The gospel music ends.

A323   EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING                                      A323

       Doc waits in the car while Frank buys some flowers at a
       cemetery flower stand. The surveillance car cruises past.

323    INT. TOBACK'S HOUSE - MORNING                                 323

       Toback, in his bathrobe, glass of milk in one hand, phone in
       the other ...

                                 TOBACK
                 Where is it?

                              RICHIE V/O
                 Somewhere in the South tower.

                              TOBACK
                 You know that it's there.     You're sure.

                                 RICHIE V/O
                 Positive.
324    EXT. STEPHEN CRANE PROJECTS - SAME TIME                       324

       Richie, on a pay phone across down the street from the
       Projects, looks up at the dark South tower.

                              RICHIE
                 Lou. We're ready to go in there
                 knowing there's a good chance we won't
                 all come out. That's what we're willing
                 to do. All I'm asking you to do get me a
                 warrant.

       Silence on the other end of the line ...

                              RICHIE
                 We don't have a lot of time to fuck
                 around -

                                                                   (CONT)

                                                                     115.
                               
324    CONTINUED:                                                     324


                                 TOBACK V/O
                    I'll call in the warrant. And some
                    backup. Don't go in before either gets
                    there.

       This call disconnects.

325    INT. APARTMENT, THE PROJECTS - MORNING                         325

       The girls spread and tape plastic sheeting to tabletops,
       then begin changing for work, which means undressing.

326    EXT. STEPHEN CRANE PROJECTS - MORNING                          326

       Richie and his guys wait for the warrant by their cars.

                                 JONES
                    How long we gonna wait for it?

327    INT. APARTMENT, THE PROJECTS - MORNING                         327

       Pharmaceutical scales balance to their counterweights as
       the five naked, masked women cut the heroin with quinine to
       Frank's exacting standards. Red Top puts on some coffee.

328    EXT. STEPHEN CRANE PROJECTS - MORNING                          328

       Richie stares down the street, waiting for whatever it is
       they're waiting for. Spearman looks at his watch.

                                 RICHIE
                    It'll be here.

329    INT. APARTMENT, THE PROJECTS - MORNING                         329
       A paper-cutter blade slices a sheet of blue cellophane.
       The girls at the tables, with the expertise of Cuban cigar
       makers, wrap pieces of the cellophane like tobacco leaves
       around precisely-measured 1/4-ounce drifts of Black Magic.

A330   EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING                                        A330

       Frank's car winds up the road of the cemetery. The
       surveillance car comes through the main gate and parks.

330    EXT. STEPHEN CRANE PROJECTS - MORNING                          330

       Several black and white and undercover cars approach,
       sirens off. Toback himself climbs out of one of the cars
       and hands Richie the search warrant.

                                                                  116.
                            




331    EXT. STEPHEN CRANE PROJECTS - MORNING                        331

       The tall buildings cast long shadows of dread on every
       activity below, no matter how routine: A woman pushing a
       stroller, guys shooting hoops, a couple arguing, kids on
       bikes, old men resting on a graffiti-covered bench.

       The unmarked cars drive slowly through it all. The place
       teeters on the brink of violence you can feel as gangs move
       under the shadow of the towers.

332    INT. GROUND FLOOR, SOUTH TOWER, THE PROJECTS - DAY           332

       Richie removes the cover plate of an elevator, cuts the
       wires, disengaging it, then leads the Amigos, followed by
       more detectives to a stairwell. The place is like Beirut.
       Debris-strewn, graffiti-covered.

A333   EXT. CEMETERY - CONTINUED - DAY                             A333

       Frank walks past graves to Bumpy's. Replaces some dried
       flowers with fresh ones. Looks around for something to sit
       on. Sees some wooden folding chairs around a fresher grave
       nearby. Doc waits by the car in the distance.

333    INT. STAIRWELL - FLOORS - SOUTH TOWER - DAY                  333

       Floor by floor, they work their way up the tower like
       commandos, the squalor and decay and hopelessness somehow
       intensifying the higher up they go.

       Reaching the 17th floor, they listen to a strange sound
       before easing the fire door open enough to see a kid on a
       Big Wheels pedalling straight at them. He passes and the
       sound fades.

334    INT. 17TH FLOOR HALLWAY - DAY                                334

       Half the apartment doors are gone. TVs and radios echo,
       voices argue, infants wail. The detectives come around a
       corner and see at the end of it: a couple of guys with a
       sawed-off shotguns sitting outside a closed door.

       They step back. Consider one other. Spearman volunteers
       with a nod, continues on alone as the others wait. He walks
       up to the guys with the guns.

                              SPEARMAN
                 I got to talk to Teddy.

                              GUY WITH GUN
                 Get the fuck out of here.

                                                                  (CONT)

                                                                    117.
                              
334   CONTINUED:                                                     334


                                SPEARMAN
                   What the fuck is that? I got business
                   with Teddy and it's none of your fuckin
                   business except to knock on the fuckin
                   door and get him.

      As the guy stands, pumping the shotgun, Spearman yanks it
      hard against his throat like a garrote, forcing him to the
      floor. The shotgun explodes, showering plaster and pellets.
      Jones and Abruzzo are instantly all over the other guy as
      Richie swings the sledgehammer into the door -

335   INT. APARTMENT, THE PROJECTS - CONTINUOUS                      335

      The door splinters - the room already in chaos - Teddy,
      panicked, runs for the bedroom - the detectives crash in
      yelling at the girls to get down - a shot from somewhere
      inside wings Abruzzo - Jones and Spearman firing back -
      crawling across the floor like an infantrymen -

      Richie comes into the darkened bedroom leading with his
      pistol. But Teddy's gone. He sees a tapestry of a tiger on
      a wall. Pulls at it, finds a big hole knocked into another
      dark apartment, climbs through, sees an open door -

336   INT. THE PROJECTS BUILDING - CONTINUOUS                        336

      As Richie rushes out to the hallway he can hear footfalls
      echoing in the stairwell. He starts down, taking the stairs
      five at a time, chases Teddy down two flights -                      

      Teddy yanks open a door, runs down a corridor, bangs into            
      an apartment. Richie reaches the apartment just as Teddy is          
      goes out onto an exterior balcony -                                  
      Richie continues along the interior corridor, running                
      parallel to Teddy on the balcony, who trips over some debris         
      and garbage, looking over his shoulder for Richie -                  

      Richie cuts through another apartment to head him off, but           
      the door to the balcony is nailed shut. So are the windows.          
      Richie looks around, grabs a small portable television and,          
      just as Teddy runs past, hurls it through a window at him,           
      hitting him in the head.                                             

      He falls hard, dazed. Richie hurries through the broken              
      window. Teddy comes to and fights back, until Richie breaks          
      his femur with his bare hands. Teddy howls in excruciating
      pain -

337   INT/EXT. DRY CLEANERS - DAY                                    337

      Police cars outside.    Eugene Lucas is cuffed and led away.

                                                                    118.
                              




338    EXT. METAL DOOR SHOP - DAY                                     338

       More police outside Lester's place.     They cuff him.

339    EXT. TIRE SERVICE SHOP - DAY                                   339

       New Jersey troopers cuff Turner Lucas and lead him away.

340    EXT. ELECTRICAL SHOP - DAY                                     340

       Cuffed, Earl Lucas is put in the back of a patrol car.

341    EXT. CEMETERY - CONTINUED - DAY                                341

       Frank, on a wooden folding chair at Bumpy's grave, hears
       the gunning of engines and barking of cops. He turns to see
       Doc being handcuffed on the ground by the Towncar. Glances
       to a lone figure walking toward him over a rise. Richie.

       Richie arrives at the grave. Regards the monument to
       Ellsworth Johnson, and Frank sitting calmly regarding him.
       Richie glances around the peaceful surroundings ...

                              RICHIE
                 What kind of trees are these?

       Frank looks at the trees, then at Richie, with equal
       serenity.

                              FRANK
                 You think you got Frank Lucas.      You
                 got nothing.

A342   INT. RICHIE'S APARTMENT - DAY                                 A342    
       Richie cuts the tags off a new, inexpensive suit. Slips               
       the jacket on, which seemed somehow to fit a little better            
       at the store. Cuts the tags off a tie.                                

B342   INT. COURTHOUSE MENS ROOM - DAY                               B342    

       Someone throwing up in a stall. The toilet flushes, the               
       door opens and Richie steps up to a sink, regards his face            
       in the mirror. Under the fluorescent lights - maybe under             
       any kind - his skin is a shade of death. He splashes water            
       on it and tries to gather himself.                                    

342    INT. COURTROOM - DAY                                           342

       At the prosecutors table, Richie steals glances at the
       battery of expensive attorneys over at the defense table.


                                                                    (CONT)

                                                                    119.
                              
342   CONTINUED:                                                     342


      The courtroom doors swing open and Richie sees Frank Lucas,
      in a tailored suit, escorted in without cuffs by an amiable-           
      looking federal marshal.

      As Frank moves through the gallery, Richie sees it's full of
      the gangster's friends, many of them celebrities, who smile
      and greet and fawn as if the Pope has arrived.

      Richie has evidence tables covered with cash, weapons,
      stocks, bonds, property deeds, pictures of Frank's holdings,
      heroin in blue cellophane.

      Frank has celebrities, community leaders, Joe Louis himself
      who will testify to Frank's benevolent character. The Champ
      hugs the heroin trafficker warmly in front of everyone and
      Richie wonders if he should just give up now.

      Richie sees it in slow motion: the hands reaching out to
      Frank, the pats on his back, lipsticked mouths of beautiful
      women offering kisses and words of encouragement, his old
      mother giving him a hug.

      He watches Frank's head turn slowly, his eyes passing his
      phalanx of attorneys, the jury, finally settling on Richie
      in his cheap suit seated at the prosecutors table.

      Frank's eyes smile as they regard Richie, and seem to ask,
      Can you see this - can you see what you're up against - can
      you see how insignificant you are?                                     

      Reaching the end of the welcoming line finally, Frank                  
      brushes by Richie and disappears from view somewhere within            
      the protective husk of his multi-million-dollar legal team.            
                                JUDGE                                        
                   Mr. Roberts -                                             

      Richie slowly lifts himself from his chair, steps forward,             
      turns to look at the jury that's studying him, finally finds           
      his voice:                                                             

                                RICHIE                                       
                   Thank you, your Honor.   Ladies and                       
                   gentlemen -                                               

343   INT. COUNTY JAIL - INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY                        343

      Wire mesh separates Frank from his battalion of lawyers.
      He glances over them to Richie being led through the large
      Visiting Room.

                                FRANK
                   Here he is, let me talk to him alone.
                                                                    (CONT)

                                                                       120.
                                 
343   CONTINUED:                                                        343


      The attorneys get up and leave. Richie takes their place.
      Frank regards him a moment, offering the same knowing smile
      from the courtroom. Richie offers nothing.

                                FRANK
                   I just heard something. I said it
                   couldn't be true. You didn't really
                   turn in a million dollars you found
                   in the trunk of a car, did you?

      Richie doesn't say. Frank searches his face for some clue
      to where on earth he's from.

                                FRANK
                   Want me to tell you what happened to
                   it? It ended up in cops' pockets.

                                  RICHIE
                   Maybe.

                                FRANK
                   Maybe? No. It did. All you did was
                   give it to them for nothing in return.
                   Not nothing: You got their contempt.

      Frank studies him.

                                FRANK
                   Why'd you do that? What're you trying
                   to prove, you're better than them? You're
                   not better than them. You are them.

                                RICHIE
                   I don't have the time or interest to
                   listen to (this) -

                                FRANK
                   You did it because it was right.
                   That's all. Why's that hard to say?
                   The question is would you do it again?
                   That was a long time ago. It'd be very
                   easy to find out. Tell me you want to
                   find out, tell me the address, and a car
                   will be there, the trunk loaded.

      Richie knows Frank isn't kidding ...

                                  RICHIE
                   No, thanks.

      Frank suddenly explodes -


                                                                       (CONT)

                                                                     121.
                               
343   CONTINUED:                                                      343


                                FRANK
                   Who the fuck are you to say no to
                   that? You think that impresses me?

      Guards look over, then glance away once it's clear the
      outburst is through. Richie remains serene. Eventually -

                                FRANK
                   Let me ask you something. You think by
                   putting me in jail, you're going to stop
                   even one junkie from dying? Because you
                   won't. If it isn't me, it'll be someone
                   else. With me or without me, nothing's
                   going to change.

                                RICHIE
                   Then that's the way it is.

                                FRANK
                   You have any sort of case? Or just
                   that idiot drives for my brother. Is he
                   your case? Because if it's just him and
                   the powder, it's not enough.

                                RICHIE
                   Then you got nothing to worry about.

      But Frank is worried, most of all by this cop who doesn't
      take money sitting placidly in front of him.

                                FRANK
                   My brothers won't talk to you. My
                   cousins. None of my family. No one but
                   that mother fucking driver.
                                RICHIE
                   I got more than that. I got a line of
                   people wanting to testify that stretches
                   out the door and around the block.

                                FRANK
                   Bullshit.

                                RICHIE
                   Is it? Tony the Bug.     Benny Two-Socks.
                   Carmine Camanetti.

                                FRANK
                   Who the fuck are they? I don't know
                   them and they don't know me.



                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                    122.
                              
343   CONTINUED:                                                     343


                                RICHIE
                   They sell dope for the Mazzano crime                      
                   family. Which you all but put out of
                   business.

                                FRANK
                   This is who you're going to put on the
                   stand? Guys who don't know me? Who got
                   nothing to do with me?

                                RICHIE
                   They have everything to do with you.
                   And the only thing they hate more than
                   you is what you represent.

                                FRANK
                   I don't represent nothing.

                                RICHIE
                   You don't? Black businessman like you?
                   Of course you do. But once you're gone,
                   things can return to normal.

                                FRANK
                   Look at me. You looking? Can you tell
                   by looking it would mean nothing to me if
                   tomorrow you turned up dead?

                                RICHIE
                   Get in line. That one stretches around
                   the block, too.

      Frank has never been so frustrated by anyone in his life.
      He wants to work something out with Richie obviously, but he
      can't figure out how. Frank studies him.

                                FRANK
                   What can we do?

                                RICHIE
                   You know what you have to do.                             

      Frank does, but doesn't like it, and doesn't know if he can            
      do it.                                                                 

                                FRANK                                        
                   I could give you cops, but that's not                     
                   who you want, is it. You want organized                   
                   crime names.                                              

                                RICHIE                                       
                   I'll take them, too.   I want them all.                   

                                                                    (CONT)

                                                                    123.
                              
343   CONTINUED:                                                     343


      Frank isn't sure he heard right.                                       

                                FRANK                                        
                   You'll take them, too? You'd go after                     
                   cops? Are you serious? You'd do that?                     
                   Lock up your own kind?

                                RICHIE
                   They're not. Not the ones in business                     
                   with you. They're not my kind any more                    
                   than the Italians are yours.

      They regard one another in silence.      Richie can tell Frank
      sees daylight.

                                FRANK
                   What can you promise me?

                                RICHIE
                   I can promise you if you lie to me about
                   one name, you'll never get out of prison.
                   Lie about one dollar in one offshore
                   account, you'll never get out. You can
                   live rich in jail the rest of your life,
                   or poor outside it, that's what I can
                   promise.

      Frank is silent for several moments.      Finally -

                                FRANK
                   You know, I don't care if the feds take
                   all my buildings, my stocks, my off-shore
                   accounts. They can take it all, I don't
                   care - use it to build battleships, paint
                   bridges, whatever the fuck they want.
                   Fight another war. But those other
                   motherfuckers - the cops - put my money
                   in their pockets. Millions.

                                RICHIE
                   I believe it.

      Frank debates with himself the step he's about to take ...

                                RICHIE
                   I want to know everyone   you've met for                  
                   the last twenty years.    Everyone you sold               
                   to. Every cop you ever    paid off. Every                 
                   one who ever stole from   you. Every one
                   you remember.



                                                                    (CONT)

                                                                    124.
                              
343   CONTINUED:                                                     343


                                FRANK
                   Oh, I remember them all.   That's not the
                   problem.

                               RICHIE
                   What is?

                                FRANK
                   The jail's aren't big enough.

344   INT. COUNTY JAIL CELL / STREETS OF NEW YORK - DAY              344

      Surveillance photographs of cops seen earlier taking
      envelopes of money on 116th Street and other drops go up
      on a new, elaborate Table of Organization - of cops.

345   INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - DAY                         345   

      Richie dismantles the Lucas Table of Organization here,
      taking down the photographs. As it collapses -

346   INT. COUNTY JAIL CELL - CONTINUED                              346

      Frank puts up photographs of detectives -

347   QUICK CUTS of the same detectives, in handcuffs, led through
                                                              347
      police stations past other cops watching with dread like
      maybe they're next -

      A surveillance photograph of the four Princes of the City
      striding down a sidewalk goes up on the cell wall -

348   FLASHCUT as three of the four SIU cops are led away in cuffs
                                                              348
      from a golf course -
349   A surveillance photograph of Trupo in a black hand -           349

                                FRANK
                   You go up here. Your "special."

      As Frank tapes the picture of Trupo at the top of the
      pyramid of corruption -

350   INT/EXT. TRUPO'S GARAGE - MORNING                              350

      Trupo, coffee in hand, comes into his garage from his
      kitchen. Opens the garage door and sees two squad cars
      parked outside ...

351   A TV: A report on the indictments handed down by the    351
      Manhattan DA's office against 53 NYPD and SIU detectives -

                                                                  125.
                            




352   INT. PRISON CELL - DAY (YEARS LATER)                          352

      Frank gathers his few personal belongings and puts them in
      a box. Stands with the box and waits for the cell door to
      open. The Table of Organization and files are gone.

      Legend:   Frank Lucas was convicted of Conspiracy to
                Distribute Narcotics and sentenced to 70 years.
                He served 15 of them.

      Legend:   Federal authorities confiscated over 250 million
                dollars from him in real estate, equities and cash
                in US and foreign banks.

353   INT. NARCOTICS SQUAD HQ - NEWARK - DAY                        353

      Richie, too, is packing, putting personal items into boxes.

      Legend:   The day after he convicted Frank Lucas and 30 of
                his Country Boy relatives, Richard Roberts borrowed
                $400 from his credit union to help pay for a 3-day
                vacation to the Bahamas.

      Richie, carrying the box, switches off the lights and closes
      the door behind him on his way out.

      Legend:   Six months later, he quit the Prosecutors Office
                to become a defense attorney. His first client was
                Frank Lucas.

354   EXT. PRISON - DAY (1990)                                      354

      Frank steps out into sunlight, free but owning nothing but
      the cardboard box in his arms. Looks out across the parking
      lot to see if anyone has come to pick him up. Sees Richie
      by his car, hand raised above his head like a flag.

355   EXT. 116TH STREET, HARLEM - DAY                               355

      The two of them stand outside Richie's car on the same
      corner Frank shot Tango. Frank looks up at the street signs
      that used to say 116th Street and 8th Avenue. Now they say
      116th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard.

                              FRANK
                 Frederick Douglass Boulevard? What was
                 wrong with just plain 8th Avenue?

      He considers the street itself. It too has changed. The
      corner groceries, as Bumpy prophesied, really are gone now.



                                                                  (CONT)

                                                                     126.
                               
355   CONTINUED:                                                      355


                                FRANK
                   I used to sit here with Ana in my old
                   car. She hated it. Now I don't even
                   have a car. Or her.

      Frank glances to where his favorite diner used to be, and
      across the street to where he shot Tango. It isn't a fruit
      stand any more.

                                FRANK
                   Just do what?

                                RICHIE
                   What?

                                FRANK
                   The fuck is that? Just do what?

      It's a Nike store with huge paintings of Michael Jordan and
      the admonition "Just Do It."

                                 RICHIE
                   Sneakers.   Expensive ones.

                                FRANK
                   Who the fuck would buy those?

      A car equipped with sub-woofer bass comes booming past.
      Frank stares at it with the same pained look Bumpy had at
      the discount emporium.

                                RICHIE
                   Your brothers know you're out?
                                FRANK
                   I haven't talked to them in years. It's
                   better that way. For them. I don't know
                   where they are. Went back to Greensboro
                   when they got out, I guess.

      Richie nods.    Frank looks back at the new storefronts.

                                FRANK
                   What am I going to do now, be a janitor?
                   What do I know how to do? How am I going
                   to live?

                                RICHIE
                   I told you I wouldn't let you starve.

                                FRANK
                   You told me but you can barely take care
                   of yourself.
                                (MORE)
                                                                     (CONT)

                                                                     127.
                               
355   CONTINUED:                                                      355
                                FRANK (CONT'D)
                          (glances to a pay phone on
                           the corner)
                   You know, one phone call, Richie, I could
                   be back in business.

      The look Richie gives him calmly assures Frank if he did
      that it'd be the last phone he made outside prison - ever.

                                 FRANK
                   I won't.   I'm just saying I could.

      He buttons the cuffs of the fake Members Only windbreaker
      Richie bought him off the street.

                                FRANK
                   Thanks for the clothes.

                                RICHIE
                   You're welcome.

      Frank glances away to three young hoods coming toward them
      like they own the sidewalk and everything around it - baggy
      pants, bandanas tied around their heads.

                               FRANK
                   Uh-oh. Look out. Here come the
                   gangsters.

      Frank's right in their path but doesn't move, forcing one
      of them to squeeze between him and a parking meter. The
      gangsta looks back, is about to say something, or do
      something, but, examining the expression of quiet menace on
      Frank's face, thinks better of it. The others stop.

                                GANGSTA 2
                   What.

      The first one is still staring at Frank, but finally has the
      good sense to let it go.

                                GANGSTA 1
                   Nothing.

      They move on.    Frank glances to Richie.

                                FRANK
                   Every idiot gets to be young once.

      Frank zips up his Members Only jacket, props up the collar
      and points himself in the other direction.

                                FRANK
                   Let's get out of here.





American Gangster
Writers :   Steven Zaillian  Mark Jacobson
Genres :   Crime  Drama
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