Donnie Brasco
— A TRUCK HIJACKING takes place on an access road to Kennedy Airport.
In a choreographed ballet, the DRIVER gives up the keys to a crew of TOUGH GUYS… Then Donnie and VINNIE THE FENCE help unload cartons of PERFUME from the truck…
BURSEY (V.O.) …UCA purchased two dozen cartons Yves St. Laurent ‘Eau My Sin’ perfume…
— Donnie plays backgammon at Carmello’s… On the board, as the pieces move CLOSER… Vinnie introduces him to JILLY GRECA, a tough-looking WISEGUY in his late 40s.
BURSEY (V.O.) …UCA was introduced to Giuliano Greca, a.k.a. Jilly…
— Donnie opens a carton of WATCHES…
DONNIE These go for 80 apiece. My end’s 20.
BURSEY (V.O.) …UCA sold 50 Pateau Mitsu Boshi Boeki digital watches…
He hands them to… Jilly. Who inspects them. Takes the carton.
Peels off bills to Donnie.
BACK TO PRESENT
— Hogue, with headphones on, stubs out a cigarette…
FLASH BACK
— Donnie sits in Hippopotamus… Casa Bella… An after hours joint… The pieces on the backgammon board as they move CLOSER… Donnie collapses heavily on his bed, amidst the spare furnishings of his apartment…
BURSEY (V.O.) …UCA reported no significant contacts…
BACK TO PRESENT
— Hogue opens a BUDGET FOLDER…
BERADA (V.O.) New York office requests an extension of six months due to…
FLASH BACK
— Donnie and Berada at a booth in the Cockeyed Clam, a manila FILE between them.
BERADA I got you another six months. I told them it takes time.
DONNIE Same budget?
BERADA Same budget. Look, Joe, not that I don’t see any movement, but — do you see any movement? I got my neck out on this.
DONNIE Whatever it takes, I’m gonna get these bastards.
BERADA Do me a favor. Just get one bastard.
Donnie READS from the file.
DONNIE (frustrated) ‘…no significant contacts…’
BERADA One other thing. You know how it is with the ‘B’. They saw some of the surveillance pictures…
DONNIE What?
BERADA They want you to shave the moustache.
DONNIE I’m undercover!
BERADA You’re still in the FBI. That’s the rules.
CUT TO:
INT. DAY. CASA BELLA
WINTER — fog on the windows. DISCO plays on the jukebox. Drinking DEMITASSE in the late afternoon:
BENJAMIN “LEFTY” RUGGIERO, early 50s, gaunt and raspy-voiced, SWITCHED-ON with nerves, testy and restless. He lights up an English Oval. Sitting around him:
DOMINIC “SONNY BLACK* NAPOLITANO, middle 40s. Fireplug muscles, dyed black hair. Sleepy as a lion after a big meal. Don’t fuck with the lion.
NICHOLAS “NICKY” SANTORA, late 30s, teddy bear paunch. Plays the fool.
JOHN “BOOBIE” CERASANI, early 40s, gun-metal hard. All business. Nobody’s Fool.
SUPERED BELOW:
CASA BELLA RESTAURANT. LITTLE ITALY. 1976.
LEFTY You can’t say to me a Lincoln is better than a Cadillac.
NICKY It’s the better automobile, no question. Head and shoulders.
LEFTY Geddadaheah. Geddadaheah before you make me mad.
SONNY Lefty, how you gonna be mad at Nicky?
LEFTY I ain’t mad at him. I’m mad at his stupidity.
AT THE BAR
A man sits, unfolds a newspaper. The bartender looks up– it’s Donnie.
DONNIE Coffee.
BACK ON TABLE
LEFTY Ain’t no comparison. Cadillac got more acceleration, more power, more better handling, better looking, more legroom for your legs, more power —
BOOBIE You said that.
LEFTY Said what?
BOOBIE More power.
LEFTY Be got me so fucking aggravated, Boobie, I forgot what I said.
NICKY I’ll tell you one thing — the Lincoln is longer.
LEFTY Longer what?
BOOBIE Whaddaya talkin’ about? Longer wheelbase?
NICKY Longer. Like longer. In inches. It’s a longer car.
LEFTY You know something, Nicky, you don’t make no fucking sense sometimes.
NICKY You got two cars. One’s longer. All things being equal, the longer car is the one gonna get there first.
LEFTY Ain’t the question all things being equal. One’s a Cadillac and one’s a Lincoln.
NICKY The one’s longer gets there first. That’s scientific fact. (to Sonny) What’s better, a Lincoln or a Cadillac?
LEFTY Why’re you asking him?
NICKY I’m asking him.
LEFTY Why don’t you ask me?
NICKY I asked you already.
LEFTY That’s right. And I told you there’s no comparison.
SONNY What the fuck are you arguing about? Mercedes got it all over both of them.
NICKY Fuggedaboudit. Mercedes? That’s a Jewish car. They didn’t get it enough from the Germans in the war — now they gotta be robbed by them.
JUDY approaches — the WAITRESS, early 20s. NEW to the job. Sonny takes her hand, KISSES it.
SONNY Angel, how about some pastries for the table?
LEFTY WATCHES DONNIE
sipping coffee at the bar. Leans over to Nicky.
LEFTY Who’s that?
NICKY Don. Don the Jeweler. Jilly brought him around.
LEFTY Jilly Four Eyes?
NICKY Not Jilly Four Eyes. You know, Jilly. From Queens Jilly.
LEFTY He’s a jewel guy? He knows jewels?
NICKY What — you got a thing to lay off?
LEFTY Ain’t the question, I got a thing. I’m saying, if I had a thing, he could lay it off?
NICKY Whaddayou got to lay off?
SONNY WITH JUDY
as he punctuates his order with KISSES of her hand.
SONNY A little cannoli. (kiss) Svingi. (kiss) Zeppole. (kiss) Sfogliatelli. (kiss)
JUDY We’re out of sfogliatelli.
SONNY Oh. Then you gotta give me that kiss back.
She giggles, kisses Sonny on the cheek.
JUDY Can I ask you guys something? You guys are wiseguys, right?
SONNY What makes you think we’re wiseguys?
