Donnie Brasco
LEBOW The surveillance is in place at the church hall.
CUT TO:
EXT. DAY. CHURCH HALL NEW JERSEY
A large RECEPTION HALL adjoining a Catholic CHURCH. Sounds of a BIG BAND tuning up inside. Up the block:
MA BELL REPAIR VAN
parked by a telephone pole. FBI #1, in the guise of a telephone LINESMAN, climbs the pole…
CUT TO:
INT. SAME TIME. SURVEILLANCE VAN
An FBI TECH TEAM monitors listening devices. An array of SURVEILLANCE PHOTOS and MUG SHOTS as they’re spread over a small table. TECH #1 looks with BINOCULARS through ONE-WAY GLASS.
TECH #1 (to phone) …By tonight we’ll have a guy inside…
CUT TO:
INT. SAME TIME. FBI HEADQUARTERS
LeBow covers the phone, turns to Hogue.
LEBOW They’re gonna put in one of our guys as a busboy tonight.
JULES Who?
LEBOW I don’t know.
JULES I want to know. If we’re gonna put a guy inside, I want it to be one of our best guys.
LeBow goes back to the phone. Hogue turns to Jules.
HOGUE I want to talk to Berada.
FLASH CUT TO:
INT. THE PAST. PISTONE HOME
Donnie SHAVES his moustache in the bathroom. Sounds of the FRONT DOOR unlocking and then closing downstairs.
MAGGIE (O.S.) Joe?
DONNIE Up here.
ON MAGGIE
as she heads up the stairs…
MAGGIE I had no idea you were coming home. I’m supposed to go to the movies tonight with the Grants.
She enters the bathroom as he wipes the shaving cream off his face.
He looks up, half his moustache SHAVED OFF. Her face FALLS.
MAGGIE Oh, Joe, don’t — (beat) Forget it.
DONNIE What’s the matter?
MAGGIE I liked your moustache. It’s the only thing I liked about this thing of yours.
DONNIE Well, what do you want me to do now?
MAGGIE I want you to ask me.
DONNIE You could’ve said something.
MAGGIE What would you suggest I do — tell Berada to get a message to you that I like your moustache?
DONNIE That’s not the point.
MAGGIE I have to ask you about every frigging thing.
She jockeys for room at the mirror to put on her makeup.
DONNIE Maggie, I’ll be two seconds.
MAGGIE They were supposed to pick me up five minutes ago.
DONNIE You’re going to the movies with the Grants?
MAGGIE Why don’t you come?
DONNIE The last thing I want to do tonight is go to the movies with the Grants.
MAGGIE I’m not canceling.
Agitated, he starts to compulsively organize the medicine chest, the shelves.
DONNIE Where is everybody? I didn’t say anything? I’m sure I said something.
MAGGIE Joseph — I think I’d remember.
DONNIE Well, they should be home anyway. What time is it?
MAGGIE Sherry’s sleeping over at Mom’s, she’s teaching her how to sew. Kerry’s at choir practice.
DONNIE Where’s Terry?
MAGGIE She’s with her boyfriend. (off his rearranging) Leave my stuff alone.
DONNIE What boyfriend?
MAGGIE Kenny. What are you worried about? I was 14 when we started dating.
DONNIE That’s what I’m worried about.
MAGGIE He’s a nice kid. Nice family. He’s on the wrestling team.
DONNIE I’m sure he is. I ‘m sure he’s practicing his takedowns right now.
MAGGIE Maybe I’11 shave my head next time — see how you like it.
A car horn HONKS outside. Donnie’s rearranging grows more agitated…
DONNIE (angry) I expect you to have some sense of priorities. I put a roof over your head. I put clothes on everybody’s back. I put gas in the car.
Maggie grabs his wrists… He wrestles her off.
MAGGIE Leave my stuff alone.
DONNIE I give you whatever I can give. What I can’t give you is a moustache. I don’t have a choice. I have to shave the moustache.
MAGGIE I don’t give a shit about the moustache. But if you’re gonna live your life however the fuck you want then let me live mine.
She storms out. He balls up a towel, HURLS it against the wall.
CUT TO:
INT. NIGHT. PISTONE HOMEBEDROOM
Maggie sleeps. Donnie, WIDE AWAKE, stares at the ceiling. Hears an ENGINE. A car door.
4:32 A.M.
on the clock. He gets up. Looks through the blinds. Sees his daughter Terry as she kisses her boyfriend good night.
DONNIE’S POV
Terry kisses and kisses… And kisses… Falls back onto the hood of the car and slides down it. Donnie senses that he’s losing control of his family.
CUT TO:
INT. DAY. FBI HEADQUARTERS
Hogue looks up at the clock.
12 NOON
A tape plays on the TAPE RECORDER…
LEFTY (O.S.) Hello?
DONNIE (O.S.) Left? Donnie. I’m just checking in.
LEFTY (O.S.) Where you been, Donnie? You gotta check in.
DONNIE (O.S.) That’s what I said. I’m checking in.
LEFTY (O.S.) Did you see the paper?
DONNIE (O.S.) I just woke up.
LEFTY (O.S.) How come every morning you’re reading the paper except this morning?
DONNIE (O.S.) I just woke up, Left.
LEFTY (O.S.) Fuggedaboudit. You better fucking get down here.
Click! And a DIAL TONE…
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INT. DAY. CADILLAC
The FRONT PAGE of the New York Post — a PHOTOGRAPH of Carmine Galante, his cigar still clenched in his teeth, sprawled bloody, DEAD in a Brooklyn restaurant. Under the headline:
