Donnie Brasco
LEFTY I’m taking care of it. I gotta reach out — in a month I’ll come back and sit down with the man.
SONNY He knows who you are?
ZZZZH! the whir of an autowinder and a black-and-white FREEZE FRAME, All over
LEFTY Fuggedaboudit, Sonny, the world I’m known.
ZZZZH!
ZZZZH!
NICKY You are not known in Iran.
And another freeze frame. Boobie gets up, dives in the pool and another FREEZE FRAME.
CUT TO:
INT. NIGHT. SAFE HOUSE
A nerve center set up in a hotel suite. FBI AGENTS with headphones listen to WIRETAPS, bustle in and out. Donnie, exhausted, sits with Bursey and Jules.
DONNIE I need a boat. Lefty loves boats. He wants something special to show off for Trafficante.
BURSEY Anything else?
DONNIE Yeah. What happened to my expense check? It’s gotta be three months already.
Bursey gets called to the phone, approaches.
BARBARA JONES, 30s, a PROSECUTOR,
JULES Joe, this’s Barbara Jones. She’s an assistant US Attorney.
DONNIE Donnie. Call me Donnie. (to Jules) I gotta get reimbursed, Jules. It’s fucking ridiculous.
JONES We’re missing bits and pieces on a lot of these cases. On the loansharking —
DONNIE Donnie Brasco has the worst fucking credit rating in the history of the Mafia.
JONES Like I was saying, with the loansharking — we have to get somebody on tape with what the rate of interest is.
Bursey covers the phone.
BURSEY Does Sally Paintglass report to Nicky?
DONNIE Not Nicky. Nicky Cigars.
BURSEY (to phone) Not Nicky. Nicky Cigars.
DONNIE Miss Jones, how many do I have solid?
JONES Indictments? I don’t know. Fifty. Sixty.
BURSEY (calling out) Who’s Nicky Glasses?
DONNIE Nicky Glasses. Little Nicky.
JONES Joe —
DONNIE Donnie. Call me Donnie. I don’t wanna get confused. (to Jules) What about the club? When’s it gonna be ready?
JULES It’ll be ready when you come back down.
DONNIE You gonna spend any money to fix it up or is it gonna stay a dump?
Bursey moves to the coffee machine. Jules sits with Donnie, hands him the NAGRA TAPE RECORDER. He sticks it inside his COWBOY BOOT.
BURSEY You want some coffee, Joe?
DONNIE (correcting him) Donnie.
JONES The loansharking predicates are very specific. It’s really important that you focus on these things.
DONNIE What about the boat? I need that fucking boat. You know, I ask Berada to do something and he just says, ‘Done’.
JULES Maybe that’s why he’s in the hospital.
JONES The state says twice the lawful rate. Can you get that on tape?
DONNIE Just get me that fucking boat, okay?
Bursey rejoins them, stirring his coffee.
BUPSEY They got that boat down here on that other investigation — whatchamacallit. Big fucking yacht.
DONNIE Perfect.
BURSEY (laughing) The agents dress up as Arab sheiks trying to bribe Congressmen. You think that’ll ever amount to anything?
CUT TO:
EXT. NIGHT. MARINA
Lefty talks to a CAPTAIN, 50s, topsiders and cutoffs.
LEFTY Five grand for that bucket for one day?
CAPTAIN Just listen to me —
LEFTY I listen to my prick. How can you say five grand?
CAPTAIN You don’t want it, don’t rent it.
Lefty looks up. DOUBLETAKES.
LEFTY’S POV
as he looks down the dock, where BOOBIE meets with two COLOMBIANS by a cigarette boat. He hands them a paper bag full of cash to the Colombians. They hand him a BRIEFCASE. Lefty backs into the shadows. Watches, TROUBLED, as Boobie climbs into his car, drives away.
LEFTY (sotto) What the fuck is he up to?
CUT TO:
EXT. MORNING. TAMPA AIRPORT
The guys head toward the terminal, followed by Calvino, burdened by their LUGGAGE. He lumbers like a pack-animal.
SONNY Left, you wanna take care of the bags? We’ll be in the lounge.
Sonny heads inside with Nicky and Boobie. Lefty looks around.
LEFTY Where’s that fucking redcap?
Lefty wanders off, looks up the block. Calvino stands on the curb with Donnie. Looks up and down. DOUBLETAKES.
CALVINO (aside) Oh, Jesus — that’s Hollman, Joe.
“Joe.” RAGE flickers almost imperceptibly in Donnie’s eyes.
CALVINO’S POV
HOLLMAN, 50s, a sharply-dressed LAWYER, climbs out of a Mercedes.
Moves to the trunk, opens it.
CALVINO He’ll make us for sure. He was the USDA with —
DONNIE (hard) Shut up and calm down. I’ll take care of it.
Lefty rejoins them.
LEFTY Now listen to me, Fred — you listening to me?
CALVINO’S POV
Hollman helps his wife out of the car. Shuts the door… The REDCAP shows up. Starts ticketing the bags.
LEFTY Just get that club fixed up. Anybody says anything, you just tell them to have their people get in touch with your people in New York.
Hollman drops his bags in line behind our guys. His wife fishes in her pocketbook for the tickets…
LEFTY Mulberry Street. Ask for Lefty.
CALVINO Okay, Left.
REDCAP (to Lefty) Excuse me, sir — your tickets?
LEFTY (ignoring Redcap) When we come back down, we’ll sit down with Who’s Who and straighten everything out.
HOLLMAN (to Lefty) Excuse me — he needs your tickets.
And then he… RECOGNIZES Donnie.
HOLLMAN Joe?
Donnie ignores him.
DONNIE (to Calvino) Help this fucking guy put the bags up on the cart. You got the tickets, Left?
HOLLMAN (persisting) Joe Pistone?
Lefty’s SUSPICION rises. Hollman moves to take Donnie by the elbow.
And Donnie WHIRLS on him.
DONNIE (angry) Hey, buddy — what the fuck are you selling?
HOLLMAN I’m sorry — I thought I recognized you.
