Donnie Brasco
RUBOUT
Lefty folds the paper in disgust, lights an English Oval — even more JUMPY than usual. Donnie drives Lefty’s Cadillac across the Brooklyn Bridge.
LEFTY The Boss gets whacked. The fucking boss — you don’t even know the fucking boss exists until he gets whacked, and then your whole fucking life gets turned around.
DONNIE Where’re we going?
LEFTY Brooklyn. I got sent for. (mutters) The boss gets whacked. Another thing I get left out of.
DONNIE What does that mean, you got sent for?
LEFTY What do you think it means? I got sent for by Sonny Black. I’m telling you, I’m sick with this.
DONNIE Sonny Red?
LEFTY Did I say Sonny Red? Not Sonny Red. Sonny Black. (gestures) And don’t ride the brake. Don’t drive my Cadillac the way you drive your car.
DONNIE How do you know what he wants?
LEFTY That fucking Sonny Black. I know him. He gets upped to skipper, first thing he’s gonna do is go out and buy a big fucking Mercedes.
DONNIE They should up you before they up Sonny Black.
LEFTY It’s his reward for whacking the boss. Do I have to explain every fucking thing to you?
DONNIE I thought you and Sonny Black were friends.
LEFTY If you ever whacked a guy, Donnie, you wouldn’t ask such stupid questions.
DONNIE I whacked a guy once.
LEFTY When?
DONNIE In an argument.
LEFTY An argument don’t count. (derisive) An argument — you whack your wife in an argument.
DONNIE I’m just saying.
LEFTY Ain’t the question. Don’t say you know when you don’t know.
DONNIE It could be anything Sonny sent for you for.
LEFTY I got sent for, Donnie. With This Thing, you go in alive and you come out dead. And the one that kills you is your best fucking friend.
Lefty lights another cigarette. Donnie powers the window down a crack. Lefty glares at him. Donnie powers the window back up.
CUT TO:
EXT. DAY. TEE MOTION LOUNGE BROOKLYN
Donnie drives up Withers Street. Pulls up to a three-story building in a working-class neighborhood. Lefty takes a last drag of his cigarette, climbs out.
LEFTY Anything happens, make sure Louise gets the Cadillac.
CUT TO:
INT. DAY. MOTION LOUNGE
Nicky and Boobie play gin. Neil Diamond’s “Love on the Rocks” plays on the JUKEBOX. Lefty enters.
NICKY (sings) ‘Love on the rocks, ain’t no surprise.’ Look’t this hand. This ain’t a hand. This’s a deformed fucking Creature of the Black Lagoon fucking claw.
BOOBIE Left.
NICKY Left. ‘Love on the rocks, ain’t no surprise.’ (to Boobie) Ming’! I knew you was gonna grab that!
Lefty, white with fear, sits down with his back to the wall.
NICKY ‘Love on the rocks, ain’t no surprise.’
BOOBIE It ain’t no fucking surprise neither.
NICKY (laying out cards) Gin.
BOOBIE Nicky, that ain’t gin.
NICKY Geddadaheah, that’s gin.
BOOBIE You got two sevens.
Boobie shows him his cards.
NICKY Whaddaya mean I got two sevens? I know I had three sevens.
BOOBIE From now on we play the honor system. You don’t even show me your hand.
CUT TO:
EXT. DAY. MOTION LOUNGE
Donnie sits in the car. Drums his fingers on the wheel.
THINKS… Then reaches behind himself —
UNSNAPS THE HOLSTER
strapped to his belt, holding his COMBAT KNIFE. Climbs out of the car. Up a couple of steps. And through the door…
CUT TO:
INT. MOTION LOUNGE
…into the Motion Lounge. Nicky and Boobie shoot wary looks at him.
Who’s this? Lefty turns to them.
LEFTY It’s okay. He’s a friend of mine.
Lefty glares at Donnie — ACCUSES him with his eyes: who told you to come in here? Donnie sits down — something in the placid atmosphere that tells him: this is how it happens. Nicky peers over as Boobie writes on the SCOREPAD.
NICKY You giving me credit for that?
Boobie slides him the scorepad.
BOOBIE Fine. You keep score.
NICKY I don’t know how.
BOOBIE How the hell can you play gin if you don’t know how to keep score?
NICKY I’m a natural.
THE FLUSH OF A TOILET
as Sonny emerges from the bathroom, reading a slip of paper.
Crumples it, throws it in the trash.
SONNY (complaining) Two hundred in action and we came out with 35. That fucking Bootshe runs that book like an old lady. That’s gonna change. (off Donnie) Who’s this fucking guy?
BOOBIE He’s with Lefty.
SONNY (to Lefty) C’mon. Let’s go take a ride. (to Donnie) You too.
Donnie and Lefty share a look of FEAR.
CUT TO:
EXT. DAY. MOTION LOUNGE
They emerge. Parked in the back — a brand-new MERCEDES. Lefty looks at it. Turns to Donnie.
LEFTY (mutters) What the fuck did I tell you?
Sonny unlocks the car.
SONNY Hey, Left — ride up front with me.
CUT TO:
INT. DAY. MERCEDES
Sonny drives on the Long Island Expressway. Lefty in the front seat, EDGY. Boobie and Nicky flank Donnie in back. He glances nervously at them. Sizes them up.
SONNY Ain’t this beautiful, the ride on this?
NICKY Hey, Sonny — can’t you drive any faster? I got a date tonight out in Jersey.
SONNY Which broad is this?
NICKY This is the one from the calendar. Remember that calendar I showed you? Miss Pennzoil Air Filter of 1976.
Sonny and Boobie MIME holding two big BREASTS.
SONNY AND BOOBIE (unison) CHE MENNEL.
NICKY That’s the one.
Lefty, NERVOUS, pulls down the sun visor. Looks at Boobie in the mirror.
SONNY Hey, Left, what’cha doing?
LEFTY Just checking my part.
SONNY (chuckling) Ah, Left — what am I gonna do without you? (to Donnie) What would you do without this guy, hah, kid? You’d have to find yourself a new goombah.
Lefty getting VERY NERVOUS…
