INT. LATER. FBI HEADQUARTERS
Hogue looks at the clock: “11:10”. Looks at Jules. Gets back
on the phone.
HOGUE
(to phone)
What’s going on?
TECH #1 (O.S.)
They’re coming out.
CUT TO:
EXT. SAME TIME. CHURCH HALL
Sonny hands his car keys to his wife.
SONNY
You go home with Irene. We’re going
out bouncing.
(to Boobie)
C’mon. We’ll take your car.
His wife gives Sonny a perfunctory kiss on the cheek. She
and Boobie’s wife climb into Sonny’s new Mercedes.
CUT TO:
INT. SAME TIME. FBI HEADQUARTERS
Hogue covers the phone. Turns to the others.
HOGUE
They’re putting the wives in a
separate car.
JULES
Just get that van out of there.
LEBOW
We just found him. Now you want to
unfind him?
MARSHALL
Seems like a false alarm, thank God.
LEBOW
Tonight maybe it’s a false alarm. So
tomorrow night he gets killed. Or he
kills somebody — did you ever think
of that?
JULES
You make it sound like Joe’s the
only one in danger from these guys —
eight million people in the city of
New York are in danger from these
guys. If they walk away from this
because we don’t have the cases
they’ll be stronger than they ever
were.
MARSHALL
You have to make a decision, sir.
HOGUE
I can’t make a decision this way!
It’s fucking insanity!
JULES
You have to get that van out of there.
Just give me the phone.
HOGUE
It’s my watch. It’s my call.
JULES
(right back)
Then make the fucking call. Either
you trust him or you don’t. That’s
what it’s always been with this.
Either you trust Joe or you don’t.
Hogue thinks a long beat. Gets back on the phone.
HOGUE
(to phone)
Okay. Wrap it up and get out of there.
CUT TO:
EXT. NIGHT. CHURCH HALL
Sonny, Boobie, Lefty, Nicky and Donnie walk toward the cars.
Lefty and Nicky split off toward Lefty’s Cadillac.
SONNY
Donnie — ride with us.
Nicky and Lefty climb into Lefty’s Cadillac. Sonny, Boobie
and Donnie approach Boobie’s Cadillac. Donnie reaches for
the back door.
SONNY
(to Donnie)
Why don’t you sit in front?
A sudden chord of TERROR plays up Donnie’s spine. Donnie
looks to Lefty for help… For some indication… But his
eyes are DEAD. They all climb in Boobie’s Cadillac.
THE SURVEILLANCE VAN
pulls away from the curb, drives off… Boobie pulls out of
the lot in is Cadillac, drives off in the opposite direction.
CUT TO:
INT. SAKE TIME. FBI HEADQUARTERS
Hogue BROODS as the FBI men roll down their sleeves, pull on
their jackets, snap closed their briefcases…
JULES
I told you that wire was a fucking
fiction writer.
LEBOW
He’s never been wrong before.
HOGUE
What exactly did the informant say?
LEBOW
He said the hit’s going down tonight
at the wedding.
HOGUE
Did he say a hit on Sonny Black?
LEBOW
A hit. There’s a war between Sonny
Red and Sonny Black — they’re both
at the wedding — I interpolated
that —
HOGUE
Who was this informant? Where does
his information come from?
LEBOW
He’s close to guys who are close to
the guys in Sonny Black’s, crew.
He’s very reliable.
HOGUE
Goddamit!
Hogue frantically dials the phone.
LEBOW
What?
HOGUE
Sonny Black’s not the target. Sonny
Black’s the shooter!
LEBOW
I just assumed –
MARSHALL
Oh my God.
CUT TO:
INT. LATER. BOOBIE’S CADILLAC
Boobie drives, Donnie beside him. The menacing QUIET of the
open road. Past PROSPECT PARK…
SONNY
Hey, Boob, remember how we used to
run around here, when we was kids?
We used to have running races…
BOOBIE
I whipped your ass many a time.
SONNY
Fuggedaboudit.
BOOBIE
When I raced wit’cha, it looked like
you’re standing still.
SONNY
Oh, yeah? Pull over.
BOOBIE
Fuggedabouit. I whipped your ass.
Your day is done.
SONNY
Pull over. We’re gonna see whose day
is done. C’mon, Donnie. You do the
on the marks.
Boobie pulls over. They pile out of the car.
CUT TO:
EXT. NIGHT. PROSPECT PARK
Boobie and Sonny crouch at an imaginary starting line.
SONNY
Okay. We’re running to the fountain.
BOOBIE
Okay.
SONNY
You remember the fountain?
BOOBIE
I remember the fountain.
SONNY
Donnie — you do the ‘on your marks’.
DONNIE
On your marks. Get set. Go!
They JUMP off the line… RUNNING through the blackness…
Sonny takes an early lead, but Boobie’s leaner… Starts to
pull away… Looks over at Sonny, GRINS…
DONNIE PEERS
into the darkness… Sees them DISAPPEAR into the trees.
SONNY AND BOOBIE RUN
huffing and puffing… They disappear into the darkness…
And Donnie realizes that he’s
ALONE IN THE DARK
Turning, around and around… A RAT with no place to hide…
THE RACE CONTINUES
Boobie looks over at Sonny, pulls away…
DONNIE IN TERROR
Adrenaline rushes through him. As he turns, and turns, and
WAITS… For the bullet that will kill him…
BOOBIE RUNS
Sonny yards behind him. Then Sonny STOPS. Reaches into his
waistband. And pulls out
A PISTOL
Boobie running FREE in the night… Reaches the fountain,
holds up his arms in victory. Leans over, hands on knees,
WHEEZING. Turns, smiling. And his smile FRACTURES.
DONNIE FLEES
Jogs a couple of steps to find some cover… Then hears
A DISTANT GUNSHOT
as it echoes through the park. Donnie crouches by reflex.
From the shadows, a man STAGGERS toward Donnie — it’s Boobie,
bleeding profusely from a head wound… Sonny chases him…
The champagne POP! of more GUNSHOTS…
SONNY AIMS
fires… His .45 JAMS…
SONNY
Fucking son of a bitch! Donnie, get
‘im!
Boobie STAGGERS, bleeding from three wounds now… Running
toward his car… Donnie runs toward him… The CRUNCH of
wet grass…
DONNIE TACKLES HIM
Boobie falls heavily… BLOOD belches out of his mouth…
BOOBIE
Help me…
Sonny catches up. Grabs his .45 by the barrel and savagely
SMASHES Boobie in the head. A thick soundlike a melon falling
off a shelf.
Again and again… Blood EVERYWHERE… Donnie backs off,
looks up, as
LEFTY ARRIVES
in his Cadillac. Nicky beside him. Sonny tosses Boobie’s
keys to Donnie.
SONNY
Pull his car around, I think he has
a bag in the trunk.
CUT TO:
INT. LATER. LEFTY’S APARTMENT
Lefty pours Donnie a Scotch. Sits down with a spritzer.
LEFTY
He was holding out on him. Fucking
coke deal Boobie was running down in
Florida.
DONNIE
Sonny found out about it?
LEFTY
Do I still gotta school you after
whatever fucking years? That’s the
worst thing you could do to a man
like Sonny Black. You could pull his
cock before you could take a dollar
out of his pocket.
DONNIE
How’d he find out?
LEFTY
Who?
DONNIE
Sonny.
LEFTY
Why the fuck are you asking so many
fucking questions, Donnie?
DONNIE
I don’t know, Left. Boobie was a
friend of all of us.
LEFTY
Boobie wasn’t no friend to you,
Donnie, believe me.
DONNIE
What are you talking about?
LEFTY
Ain’t nobody gonna give you a pass
no more, Donnie. You walk on a chalk
fucking line from now on.
CLOSE ON — DONNIE
as he realizes that Lefty sold out Boobie to save him.
DONNIE
You told Sonny that Boobie was holding
out?
LEFTY
Ain’t the question.
DONNIE
Because of me? What was Boobie saying?
LEFTY
Ain’t the question, Donnie.
Lefty finishes his spritzer. Gets up to make another.
LEFTY
I don’t know what made you think I’d
give you up. I had too many fucking
disappointments in my life. Never in
the fucking end of the earth will I
give you up.
CUT TO:
INT. NIGHT. DONNIE’S APARTMENT
Donnie holds the Nagra in his hand. The SOUNDS of the murder
as it plays…
BOOBIE (O.S.)
(on tape)
Help me…
Then the CRUNCH as Donnie tackles him. Donnie rips the tape
out of the Nagra, throws it in the sink. BURNS it.
CUT TO:
INT. DAY. THE MOTION LOUNGE
Donnie watches “The Today Show” on the TV over the bar. The
guys plan gin.
JOHN PALMER (O.S.)
…In other news an FBI sting has
resulted in the arrests of over 100
state and Federal officials…
ON THE SCREEN
Surveillance images of FBI “SHEIKS” dressed in flowing
caftans… Then the image cuts to VIDEO of the same “sheiks” partying with CONGRESSMEN on a docked YACHT…
PALMER (O.S.)
…Known as ABSCAM, it was the largest
such operation in the Bureau’s
history…
Donnie peers more closely at the TV.
CLOSE ON — THE STERN
with the name “The Left Hand” emblazoned on it.
SONNY
Donnie, pull up a chair.
Donnie takes a last look at the TV. Joins Sonny, Nicky and
Lefty at the card table as Nicky shuffles the cards.
NICKY
(to Donnie)
You know how to keep score?
A moment of recognition that BOOBIE’S GONE.
CUT TO:
EXT. DAY. PISTONE HOME
Donnie mows the grass. Row after precise row. RAKES the
clippings into identical, evenly spaced PILES. Fills up TRASH
BAGS, piles them neatly on the curb.
IN THE DRIVEWAY
A STATION WAGON parked next to Maggie’s CORVETTE. Donnie
notices that the station wagon is filthy. RUNS a finger
through the dirt on the hood.
DONNIE CLEANS
the pile of TRASH in the well of the car — McDonald’s
wrappers, Tampax wrappers, a copy of Mademoiselle, a lipstick,
a basketball… DUMPS it. Pulls out the ASHTRAY. Something
that makes him suspicious…
DONNIE RUBS THE ASHES
between his fingers. RECOGNITION… He DIGS into the space
between the seats. Finds a quarter. A paper clip. And then:
A SEED
CUT TO:
INT. DAY. PISTONE HOME
Terry stumbles down the stairs in her bathrobe, half-asleep.
She hears Donnie CRASH inside, and something tells her it’s
about her.
ABOUT FACE into the bathroom…
IN THE LIVING ROOM
Donnie hears the bathroom door upstairs CLICK, locked. Turns
as Maggie enters from the kitchen.
DONNIE
Where’s Terry? She still asleep?
MAGGIE
I think so. What’s the matter?
DONNIE
Asleep. Perfect. Asleep at 12 noon.
It all fits the profile.
MAGGIE
What profile? Joe, you’re scaring
me.
DONNIE
The twelve warning signs. Our daughter
Terry is a drug user.
INSIDE THE BATHROOM
Terry listens by the door.
TERRY
Shit.
BACK IN THE LIVING ROOM
as Donnie counts off the “warning signs” of drug addiction.
DONNIE
Oversleeping. Short attention span.
Hostility to authority. Binge eating —
MAGGIE
That would apply to every teenager
in America.
DONNIE
Don’t tell me my business. Do you
know what this is?
He holds out the marijuana seed. Maggie peers at it.
DONNIE
This is a marijuana seed.
MAGGIE
Where did you find that?
DONNIE
Maggie, I am an FBI agent. That’s
who I am. I am out there risking my
life, 18, 20 hours a day, weekends,
Christmas —
MAGGIE
You don’t have to tell me, Joe.
DONNIE
Well, what do you think I’m doing it
for? I am spending my life to put
away the guys that make money off
this shit, and I’m damned to hell if
I’m gonna have it in my house.
MAGGIE
You know, Jules called me this week.
Do you know they’re looking for you?
DONNIE
Don’t change the subject.
MAGGIE
I’m not changing the subject. You’re
the subject, Joe. You’re becoming
like them.
DONNIE
I’m not the fucking pothead.
MAGGIE
You don’t see it.
Donnie turns, heads up the stairs, Maggie following.
DONNIE
Geddadaheah. Go weigh yourself or
something. Sleeping Beauty and I are
going out to the woodshed.
MAGGIE
In my next life I’m gonna marry a
Jewish doctor.
DONNIE
In the fucking car that I make the
payments on, in the fucking driveway
of the house that I pay the fucking
mortgage on — a goddam marijuana
seed —
MAGGIE
(defiant)
How do you know it isn’t mine?
Donnie stops a beat. RAGE drumming up inside him, rage that
CRESCENDOES as he
SMACKS HER BACKHAND
She looks up at him. Not hurt. But devastated. Donnie moves
to comfort her, to apologize… Maggie SMACKS HIM BACK.
Then storms out of the house. Donnie BROODS, looks up to the
landing as Sherry and Kerry come out from their rooms. From
outside, SOUNDS of Maggie as she SLAMS into her Corvette and
zooms out of the driveway, engine ROARING and tires
SQUEALING…
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. DAY. HOSPITAL
Donnie BANGS through swinging doors, past ORDERLIES in white
coats, his face tight with anxiety, his skin green in the
cold fluorescent light.
AT THE DESK
He bulls past two waiting GUESTS, accosts the NURSE.
DONNIE
I’m looking for my wife. Mrs.
Anderson. Maggie Anderson. She was
in an accident? I’m her husband.
The Nurse gives him a form on a clipboard.
NURSE
Here you go. You’re Mr. Anderson?
DONNIE
Where is she?
NURSE
Only the immediate family is allowed
in ICU. Do you have a driver’s
license?
He gives her his driver’s license.
DONNIE
Is she okay?
NURSE
Excuse me. This says, ‘Donald Brasco’.
DONNIE
Christ. Let me just see her. She’ll
tell you who I am.
NURSE
We can’t do that.
DONNIE
If I could see her we could clear
this whole thing up.
NURSE
I’m sorry, sir. We need proof of ID.
DONNIE
I need ID to see my fucking wife?
I’m her husband! Who the fuck else
would I be?
A DOCTOR, cold-blooded, 30s, arrives.
DOCTOR
Mr. Anderson?
CUT TO:
INT. NIGHT. X-RAY ROOM
The DOCTOR shows Donnie the X-rays.
DOCTOR
Collapsed lung. Broken wrist,
collarbone. Multiple lacerations
from the glass. The most serious
injury was from her contact lenses —
they smashed into her corneas. They’re
torn up pretty badly. She may lose
an eye.
DONNIE
Can’t I see her?
DOCTOR
We’ll see if she stabilizes in a
couple of hours.
CUT TO:
EXT. LATER. WAITING ROOM
Donnie sits, anxious. The girls sit alongside him.
KERRY
We had a family meeting, Dad. You
have to quit.
DONNIE
Look, Mom’s gonna be okay.
TERRY
This isn’t a democracy. This is a
dictatorship.
KERRY
A dictatorship of us.
DONNIE
I know how you’re feeling. But it’s
just —
SHERRY
Just another six months.
DONNIE
Maybe just a few more weeks.
KERRY
Forget it, Dad. It’s the job or us.
TERRY
End of discussion.
Kerry stares him down. Terry looks away. Donnie puts his arm
around her. She shrugs it off.
CUT TO:
INT. NIGHT. INTENSIVE CARE
Maggie lies in bed, eyes BANDAGED, her face a web of GASHES.
Wrist in a cast. A thick TUBE runs from a LUNG MACHINE into
her mouth.
Donnie takes her hand. She holds his HARD.
DONNIE
The doctor says you’re gonna be okay.
We just have to get you into
rehabilitation as soon as we can.
You’ll be as good as new before you
know it.
The lung machine whirs and wheezes…
DONNIE
Maggie, listen to me, Maggie, because
this is what it is. The minute I
come out from under all these guys
I’m with, they will all be killed —
because of me. Because they trusted
me.
(beat)
I gotta go back.
Maggie pulls her hand back. Turns away from him. He can tell
she’s not buying…
DONNIE
I have a chance here to become a
made guy — an FBI agent a made guy
in the Mafia. It’s gonna happen the
end of the year. And then I’ll come
out. Then it’ll all be over. You’ll
have me for the rest of your life.
Maggie waves him away. Turns away from him. A NURSE enters
and Donnie, with sadness but no regrets, exits.
CUT TO:
INT. NIGHT. LAGUARDIA AIRPORT
Donnie dials at a pay phone, cradles the receiver while it
rings.
DONNIE
Louise? It’s Donnie.
CUT TO:
INT. NIGHT. LEFTY’S APARTMENT
Louise on the phone in the kitchen.
LOUISE
What is it — Tuesday? I haven’t
seen him since Sunday. I thought he
was with you.
CUT TO:
INT. SAME TIME. AIRPORT
Donnie pumps a quarter into the pay phone. Bursey picks up
at the other end.
BURSEY (O.S.)
Hello, Bursey.
DONNIE
Look, I think that sitdown’s tonight.
I can’t find Lefty.
BURSEY (O.S.)
Why didn’t you go?
DONNIE
Only made guys can go to a sitdown.
BURSEY (O.S.)
So what do you want me to do?
DONNIE
I don’t know. Listen to me — I’m
worried.
CUT TO:
EXT. NIGHT. BIG TRIN’S HOUSE
Big Trin drives Philly Lucky, Sonny Red and Anthony Bruno in
his big Lincoln.
SONNY RED
All my fucking life I hadda be Sonny
Red. Sonny Red and Sonny Black. I
got upped. Then he got upped. Finally
the night has come. Tomorrow morning
I can just be ‘Sonny’. Not Red. The
one and only. ‘Sonny’.
BRUNO
Where you got the guns?
BIG TRIN
Relax. They’re in the basement.
BRUNO
The basement of your house?
BIG TRIN
Hey, Sonny, my jacket’s losing its
crease. Will you tell your kid to
stop breathing on me?
BRUNO
I wanna get there in time to set up.
Big Trin pulls into his driveway.
SONNY RED
The sitdown’s in two hours. I waited
my whole life, Bruno, you can wait
two hours.
They climb out of the car. Philly Lucky stays put.
BIG TRIN
What the hell’s wrong with you?
PHILLY LUCKY
I ain’t going in your fucking
basement. You got spiders all over
that basement.
BIG TRIN
He’s scared of spiders. What a piece
of work.
PHILLY LUCKY
Leave me the keys. I wanna play the
radio.
Big Trin flips him the keys.
TWO WOODEN DOORS
alongside the house, leading down into the basement. With a
groan, Big Trin bends, pulls them open. Flips a LIGHT SWITCH.
On. Off.
Nothing.
BIG TRIN
Shit. Bulb must be out. Watch your
step.
Sonny Red and Anthony Bruno follow him down…
INSIDE THE CAR
Philly Lucky starts the car. Turns on the radio. Frank Sinatra
sings “Nice Work If You Can Get It.” And PULLS AWAY.
DOWN THE STAIRS
go Big Trin, Sonny Red and Anthony Bruno, down into the dark,
damp concrete and sawdust in their nostrils.
BIG TRIN
Where’s that fucking flashlight?
BANG!
and the flash of a SHOTGUN firing. BANG! BANG! as shotguns
EXPLODE. By the light of the flashes we see Sonny, Lefty and
Nicky. BANG! And another flash. BANG! BANG! BANG!
Then a pause. Nicky reaches up, screws in the light bulb.
Lights on. Revealing the blasted corpses of Sonny Red and
Big Trin…
BRUNO
jumps out from behind a cabinet, RUNS out the door. Sonny
wheels, FIRES. The stairs SPLINTER as the blast lands just
under Bruno’s escaping feet. Lefty moves to chase him.
SONNY
Fuggedaboudit, Left. We’ll give the
contract to Donnie.
Nicky takes out a Hefty bag and a long-bladed BUTCHER KNIFE…
Sets to carving up the bodies…
CUT TO:
INT. NIGHT. DONNIE’S APARTMENT
Carrying his mail, Donnie enters a DARK room. MOONLIGHT
filters through the blinds. He closes the door. Flips the
light switch.
NOTHING
Instantly, he falls into a fighting crouch, knife at the
ready. His hand trembles with adrenaline. He moves with his
back to the wall, straining to see into the black room.
TO THE KITCHEN
He pivots in a combat stance — nobody. Then pivots again.
His free hand fumbles in the kitchen drawer. Finds a
FLASHLIGHT. The beam SWEEPS across the room. Donnie moves on
cat feet to the bathroom.
The shower curtains drawn shut. Donnie tears them back,
THRUSTS the knife… Into air.
Donnie thinks a beat. Snaps the flashlight back on. Riffles
through his mail. Rips open
THE ELECTRIC BILL
reads by the light of the flashlight DISCONNECT NOTICE: NON-
PAYMENT OF BILL.
Donnie, a dimly-seen dervish of RAGE… He hurls the
flashlight… Throws a chair and it SPLINTERS… Grabs the
bar from his weight bench and starts to swing…
SMASH!
and an electric sizzle as the television implodes. Donnie
drops the bar and throws a bookcase to the ground. PUNCHES
at the wall… Again and again and again… Then sags to the
ground… Weeping… Or LAUGHING…
DONNIE
The electric bill… I can’t get
over it… The fucking ‘B’ didn’t
pay the fucking electric bill!
CUT TO:
INT. DAY. HOSPITAL
Maggie convalesces — her wounds have begun to heal and she’s
no longer intubated, although her eyes are still bandaged.
Jules enters, sits down beside her. Takes her hand.
JULES
It’s Jules, Maggie.
MAGGIE
I could hear your cheap shoes all
the way down the hall.
JULES
How’re you feeling?
MAGGIE
Scared. Alone.
JULES
Did you see Joe?
MAGGIE
You mean did Joe see me?
JULES
The ‘B’ wants him to come out.
MAGGIE
He’ll never come out.
JULES
You don’t believe the shit that comes
up. I have to argue with them that
he hasn’t gone over to the other
side.
MAGGIE
Joe? He wouldn’t have the imagination.
I wish he’d become a gangster — at
least we could pay our frigging bills.
JULES
Maybe you could talk to him.
MAGGIE
Do you know what this is about, Jules?
This is about a promotion.
JULES
I talked to him about that.
MAGGIE
Not from you — from them. He wants
to be a made guy.
CLOSE ON — JULES
as he hears this… He knows that this has gone too far.
MAGGIE
For years I tried to figure out what
made Joe tick. And then I finally
figured it out — there’s nothing
ticking. He’s got his rules and he’s
gonna live by his rules. The job is
the job. Start what you finish. When
he’s in the FBI he wants to be the
best and when he’s in the Mafia he
wants to be the best — like it’s
all some frigging basketball game.
(disdainfully)
Men.
JULES
Maggie… Maybe this is none of my
business, but —
MAGGIE
Don’t worry — I’m not gonna leave
him. I didn’t have him when I had
him. Now that it’s almost over I’m
goddamned if I’ll let someone else
have him.
CUT TO:
INT. NIGHT. LEFTY’S APARTMENT
Christmas decorations, and a tree. Lefty watches a NATURE
PROGRAM on TV. A leopard moves stealthily…
NARRATOR (O.S.)
…Cloaked by the high grasses of
the African savanna, the stalking
leopard moves stealthily…
Louise enters with Donnie.
LOUISE
Bennie, Donnie’s here.
NARRATOR (O.S.)
…Separated from the herd, the
gazelle senses danger…
Lefty RAPT in his easy chair…
LEFTY
Bennie loves animals.
ON THE SCREEN
The leopard charges… Teeth tear at the gazelle… And soon
the leopard and her family feed on a bloody carcass.
NARRATOR (O.S.)
…Hunter and hunted, predator and
prey — the endless cycle of nature,
repeated once again…
LEFTY
Mino! You see that?
LOUISE
I’ll be inside if you need me.
LEFTY
We’re going out, Louise.
Louise exits inside. SATISFIED, Lefty snaps off the show
with his REMOTE CONTROL. Turns to Donnie.
LEFTY
They found Bruno. He’s shacking up
with a broad down City Island. On a
boat.
He opens up a drawer. Takes out a GUN. Loads it with
bullets…
LEFTY
You know what this means, don’t you?
You’re gonna get straightened out.
You become a made guy, Donnie, you
can lie, you can cheat, you can steal,
you can whack out whoever you want
and it’s all completely legitimate.
Being a made guy’s the greatest thing
in the world.
Lefty reaches into the drawer. Hands another gun to Donnie.
CLOSE ON — DONNIE
as he looks at the gun in his hand.
CUT TO:
EXT. NIGHT. MARINA CITY ISLAND
Donnie and Lefty sit and wait in Donnie’s Cadillac. Lefty
smokes.
DONNIE
Maybe he ain’t gonna show.
LEFTY
He’ll show.
DONNIE
I’ m just saying — maybe we should
forget about it, pop him tomorrow
night.
LEFTY
We can’t pop him tomorrow night, for
your information. Tomorrow night we
got the wake for Big Trin.
DONNIE
I forgot.
LEFTY
Fuggedaboudit — it’s better this
way anyway. Wait when nobody’s around.
DONNIE’S POV
of the deserted marina…
DONNIE
That’s some boat this broad has.
LEFTY
Fuggedaboudit. There’s one thing I
know, it’s boats.
DONNIE
What is that — a hundred grand?
LEFTY
Donnie — Where’d you get that boat
down in Florida?
DONNIE
I told you. That was this girl I
used to see down there, it’s her
brother’s.
LEFTY
What’s her name?
DONNIE
Florence.
LEFTY
Florence what?
DONNIE’S POV
In the distance, a TRANS AM pulls up near the boat they’re
watching, Bruno emerges. Locks his car. Climbs onto the
boat…
DONNIE
C’mon, that’s him.
LEFTY
Florence what, Donnie?
DONNIE
Hey, Left — what do you care,
Florence what? Florence Italy.
LEFTY
Donnie — why do you want to lie to
me, Donnie? Did I ever lie to you
once all these years about the time
of day?
DONNIE
I’m not lying.
LEFTY
How many fucking times did I have
you over for dinner at my fucking
house? You fucking rat bastard —
DONNIE
Hey, Left — that’s the problem? Are
we gonna whack this guy or what?
LEFTY
I went on the fucking record with
you, Donnie. You could walk on the
street and punch any man in the mouth
because I stood up for you.
DONNIE
What is the fucking problem?
Lefty reaches in his pocket. A piece of paper, folded, torn
from “Newsweek”. The headline:
ABSCAM: FBI ‘SHEIKS’ STING CORRUPT LAWMAKERS
Beneath the headline, a PHOTO of the “sheiks” partying on a
yacht — “THE LEFT HAND”. Donnie looks up from the article.
Sees
A GUN
in Lefty’s hand.
LEFTY
That’s a fucking Federal boat, Donnie.
That’s our boat.
DONNIE
Hold on a minute, Left. The boat
with Trafficante? That ain’t the
same boat.
LEFTY
Don’t tell me that ain’t the same
boat, Donnie! That’s a fucking Federal
boat! That’s a Taiwan-made boat,
there’s only five like that in the
world.
DONNIE
I really don’t think that’s the same
boat, Left.
LEFTY
Lookit that. You see that? ‘The Left
Hand.’ That’s like my name.
DONNIE
Maybe her brother’s a fucking agent.
How would I know? I thought he was
in real estate.
LEFTY
Ain’t the question, Donnie. You still
ain’t answered me why we’re fucking
on a fucking Federal fucking boat!
DONNIE
You’re right, Left. I’m a fucking
rat.
LEFTY
You’re a rat?
DONNIE
I met your girls. I talked to Tommy
for you I don’t know how many fucking
times. I don’t know how many times I
had dinner with you and Louise. I
lived with you, Left — partners.
Five fucking years, I ever had a
hundred bucks in my pocket, I gave
you half. And the whole time I was a
fucking rat. You’re right.
LEFTY
Donnie — did I say you was a rat,
Donnie?
DONNIE
You’d have to be the biggest fucking
mutt in the history of the Mafia.
LEFTY
You fucking laxed, Donnie. Don’t get
on your high horses.
DONNIE’S POV
as Bruno emerges from the boat. Lights a cigarette. Looks
around,
DONNIE
Shit. He’s up again.
LEFTY
How the fuck am I supposed to explain
this to Sonny?
DONNIE
You ask me it’s the funniest fucking
thing in the world. Those fucking
agents could scam Senators and
Congressmen and meanwhile we had a
party on their boat and they didn’t
get a fucking thing on us. Sonny’ll
laugh his ass off.
LEFTY
Where is the joke, Donnie?
DONNIE
We outsmarted the agents. We got a
higher I.Q. than the fucking
Congressmen.
LEFTY
You got so many black marks on you
now, Donnie, a fucking Einstein
couldn’t count them.
DONNIE
What black marks?
LEFTY
That time with the luggage and, uh,
uh… the other time.
DONNIE
Are we gonna whack this fucking guy
or not?
LEFTY
I ain’t no fucking mutt, Donnie.
Donnie checks the action on his gun…
DONNIE
How the fuck did I know it was a
fucking Federal boat?
LEFTY
I die wit’cha. I’m your best friend,
Donnie.
Donnie opens the door, climbs out, gun in hand.
DONNIE
That’s right, Left — you’re my best
friend.
“Your best friend is the one who kills you.” Donnie FREEZES.
Lefty looks at him.
LEFTY’S GUN
pointed at Donnie’s back… As his finger moves toward the
trigger.
Then suddenly —
LIGHT EXPLODES
from police cherrytops… SWARMS of FBI MEN in blue
windbreakers with big white letters — “FBI” — descend on
the car, guns drawn. They GRAB Donnie and Lefty. Jules hustles
Donnie away.
LEFTY
(calling)
Donnie, don’t say nothing. Don’t say
nothing to them.
JULES
Congratulations. It’s over, Joe.
DONNIE
What do you mean, it’s over?
JULES
You’re coming out.
DONNIE
What the fuck? Nobody –. I’m not
coming out.
JULES
It’s over, Joe.
DONNIE
It’s not over. I’m too close!
Donnie starts to run. FBI MEN are on top of him, wrestling
him down.
Donnie STRUGGLES, exchanges a look with Lefty as he’s dragged
away.
LEFTY
Donnie, don’t say nothing!
CUT TO:
INT. DAY. MOTION LOUNGE
PHOTOS OF DONNIE
at the FBI Academy at Quantico, then with Berada, LeBow and
other FBI MEN, as Marshall and Jules show them to Sonny,
Nicky and Boobie.
MARSHALL
You know this guy as Donnie Brasco.
He’s an FBI agent. We just wanted to
tell you.
CUT TO:
EXT. DAY. MOTION LOUNGE
Sonny, Nicky, Lefty, Legs and Philly Lucky watch as the FBI
men drive off. They stand on the street corner — DEATH and
disbelief written in their faces.
SONNY
You believe that fucking guy? There’s
no fucking way Donnie could be an
agent.
NICKY
The culliones on him, bluffing us
like that.
LEGS
You think they got him?
ON A ROOFTOP
A TECH TEAM aims a PARABOLIC MICROPHONE and a TELEPHOTO LENS.
The whir of an autowinder and a FREEZE FRAME as they stand
outside.
SONNY
No way he could be an agent.
LEGS
Nowadays they can doctor a picture
any fucking way they want.
PHILLY LUCKY
It still don’t explain that boat.
NICKY
Fuggedaboudit, Philly.
Lefty listens. Says nothing. He knows the truth. ZZZH! And
another FREEZE FRAME.
SONNY
That boat was a set-up. Then we think
Donnie’s a rat and we get scared and
fuggedaboudit.
NICKY
Maybe they brainwashed him. Like in
that movie, with Sinatra?
ZZZH! ANOTHER SHOT. ZZZH!
PHILLY LUCKY
They say he’s an agent, I say he’s a
fucking agent.
SONNY
You’re talking through your ass.
NICKY
You didn’t know him.
SONNY
You didn’t know Donnie, Philly.
CLOSE ON — LEFTY
as he listens. Says nothing.
CUT TO:
INT. NIGHT. LEFTY’S APARTMENT
Lefty sits, BROODS, watches TV. The phone rings.
LEFTY
Hello?
(listens)
Yeah, okay, Nicky. Okay.
He hangs up. Thinks a beat. As he looks into his open grave…
Takes off his GOLD WATCH, sticks it in a drawer. Then the
CROSS he wears around his neck. The KEYS to his Cadillac.
Closes the drawer as Louise enters.
LOUISE
Who was that?
LEFTY
Nicky. I’m going out.
He gives Louise a kiss.
LEFTY
Don’t wait up for me.
LEFTY
Donnie calls, tell him if it was
gonna be anyone, I’m glad it was
him.
CUT TO:
INT. DAY. FBI HEADQUARTERS
Donnie sits at his desk, preparing his testimony. Marshall
drops some SURVEILLANCE PHOTOS off.
MARSHALL
They just took these yesterday.
Donnie picks them up.
DONNIE’S POV
Photos of Lefty’s rooftop. As the PIGEON COOPS are dismantled.
JULES
in his office. Donnie ducks in. Jules looks up, sees Donnie
struggle a beat with his emotion. Then the mask descends
again.
DONNIE
You can stop looking for Lefty.
CUT TO:
INT. ANOTHER DAY. FEDERAL COURTHOUSE MANHATTAN
Under heavy guard, Donnie walks up a back staircase. Up a
marble hallway. Doors open and he enters the courtroom. A
HUSH falls as the MAFIA DEFENDANTS, lined up in the docks —
all faces we’ve seen earlier, including Sonny, Nicky, Legs,
and Philly Lucky — turn and look at him.
PROSECUTOR
The government calls Special Agent
Joseph D. Pistone.
CLOSE ON — DONNIE
as he takes in the proof of his accomplishment. With the
knowledge of what it has cost him.
FREEZE FRAME. A final CRAWL runs over this, The evidence
collected by “Donnie Brasco” led to over 200 indictments.
After testifying. Special Agent Joseph D. Pistone left the
FBI. He lives with his wife under an assumed name in an
undisclosed location.
There is an $500,000 open contract on his head.
The FBI denied him a pension. The IRS assessed him $7,000 in
back taxes and penalties.
FADE TO BLACK:
CREDITS ROLL
THE END
