Donnie Brasco

BURSEY This is a New York number — it patches through to here.

Maggie flutters through wearing her SWEATSUIT.

MAGGIE I’m sorry to run out, honey. I have an aerobics class. Take care of yourself.

She gives him a peck on the cheek, exits. Donnie turns to the girls

DONNIE That’s a special phone. You don’t call on it. You don’t answer it. Nobody touches that phone under any circumstances. Understood?

TERRY Jawohl, Herr Commandant!

Terry gives Donnie a NAZI SALUTE. Goosesteps out of the bedroom.

DONNIE Hey. Hey!

Donnie CHASES her a couple of steps. She HURTLES down the stairs.

SLAMS out the door. Donnie turns back. Bursey shrugs, continues to install the phone. Kerry and Sherry indict him with their eyes.

Exit the bedroom.

CUT TO:

INT. MORNING. CADILLAC

Donnie drives through a driving RAIN. Looks in the REAR-VIEW MIRROR.

Gets suspicious. Turns. A car turns with him… FOLLOWING him.

DONNIE TENSE

He turns again. Again, the car FOLLOWS. Donnie looks again in the rear-view mirror. Something FAMILIAR about that car… Turns again.

A scowl of RECOGNITION plays across Donnie’s face. And he goes COLD… Approaching an intersection:

A YELLOW LIGHT

Donnie slows, then SPEEDS through the intersection as the yellow light goes RED… Checks his mirrorthe other car is STUCK at the light.

INSIDE THE OTHER CAR

It’s Maggie. She SMACKS the steering wheel in ANGER.

MAGGIE Fuck you. Fuck fuck fuck you.

FLASH CUT TO:

EXT. THE PRESENT. FBI HEADQUARTERS

A HELICOPTER whips across the familiar face of Washington, D.C. Lands on the roof of FBI headquarters. FBI MEN, including Marshall, rush to meet it. Emerging from the chopper — IT’S BERADA.

Indomitable black eyes burn in a face grey with illness.

CUT TO:

INT. DAY. FBI HEADQUARTERS

Berada, surrounded by suits. Hogue paces with DOCUMENTS.

HOGUE $9,000 for miscellaneous — miscellaneous what?… A $22,000 car… $40,000 for X-rated videotapes?

FLASH CUT TO:

INT. THE PAST. THE COCKEYED CLAM

Donnie meets with a younger Berada.

BERADA …I got an agent down in Florida, Fred Calvin — I got my finger in the dike and he’s got his thumb up his ass. A million bucks in it and Calvin’s got nothing.

DONNIE Meanwhile three years I’ve been undercover and I can’t get a fucking two thousand dollar raise.

BERADA Joe —

DONNIE (correcting him) Donnie. Call me Donnie — I don’t wanna get confused.

BERADA We’ve been through this. To get a raise you gotta go up to supervisor grade.

DONNIE I supervise my prick. Not even three years — three and a half years.

BERADA GS-14 is supervisors. That’s the rules.

DONNIE Fuggedaboudit.

BERADA Now what the hell’s this about porno tapes?

DONNIE I need 40 grand, I gotta middle some porno tapes.

BERADA Forty grand for porno tapes?

DONNIE You’ll get it back. It’s nothing. Half of them are for fags.

BERADA Oh, that makes me feel much better. You don’t watch it, you’re gonna be back in the buckets listening to the Bulgarians all day.

FLASH CUT TO:

INT. THE PRESENT. FBI HEADQUARTERS

Berada addresses Hogue from his wheelchair.

BERADA He has to do some not-so-nice things, sir. He’s not undercover in the Camp Fire Girls.

HOGUE (reading) ‘UCA requests four handguns, preferably .38 caliber, to assist in a bank robbery’?

CUT TO:

INT. THE PAST. THE COCKEYED CLAM

DONNIE You take out the firing pin. The guns don’t work. What the fuck are you worried about?

BERADA NO.

DONNIE Why not?

BERADA How’m’ I gonna explain that to Washington?

DONNIE Hey, Guy, you have to explain this to Washington, that’s your fucking job. For me to do my job I need the fucking guns.

BERADA There’s no procedures for this.

DONNIE I don’t give a fuck about the fucking procedures. You think (gestures) they have fucking procedures? Hah? I want the fucking guns and I want the fucking money. Understood?

Berada stares at Donnie, frightened. On his face we see his doubts about what’s happening to Donnie.

FLASH CUT TO:

INT. THE PRESENT. FBI

BERADA You guys said no to the guns. I don’t see why it’s coming up now.

LEBOW There’s a 209 that says Sonny Black might get hit tonight. And Joe would get hit as one of his crew.

BERADA What does Joe say?

MARSHALL We don’t know where Joe is.

BERADA What do you mean — you lost him?

HOGUE Didn’t you think at any point that this was getting a little out there?

BERADA Everything in this operation was a judgement call, sir. And we relied on his judgement. He was the one in the field.

HOGUE (with documents) These requests have your name on them. Why the hell did you go ahead with this?

CUT TO:

INT. THE PAST. THE COCKEYED CLAM

DONNIE Santo Trafficante — how long’s he been the boss of Florida? You could put his head on your wall. (Berada thinks) If I go down to Florida and vouch for this jerkoff, whatever his name is —

BERADA Fred Calvin.

DONNIE Every door in Florida will open for this guy Calvin like it was on ball fucking bearings. But I want the guns. The money. And no more fucking bullshit.

BERADA Don’t talk to me like you’re talking to them, Joe.

DONNIE Donnie.

BERADA Joe.

DONNIE Don’t waste my time. With all this bullshit about procedures, you’ll do whatever it takes to get these guys. Same as me.

Berada mulls it over a beat.

BERADA You really think we could get Trafficante?

Donnie gets up. Turns.

DONNIE If I vouch for this guy and he fucks up — I’ll put a bullet in his fucking head.

Donnie exits. Berada WORRIES that this is getting out of hand.

CUT TO:

INT. THE PRESENT. FBI HEADQUARTERS

Berada stares at Hogue, stone-faced.