A Most Violent Year Page #15

ABEL:

And you are aware of the position

this is putting me in?

ARTHUR LEWIS:

I am.

ABEL:

I paid off my first loan to you

eleven years ago.

ARTHUR LEWIS:

I know.

ABEL:

Do you remember the term on that

loan?

ARTHUR LEWIS:

I don’t.

ABEL:

I had seven years to pay you back.

They both nod knowing what’s coming next.

ABEL (CONT’D)

Do you know how long it took me to

pay you off?

ARTHUR LEWIS:

Seven months?

ABEL:

Six and a half.

ARTHUR LEWIS:

I’m sorry.

ABEL:

I put 40 percent down as a deposit

on this. It’s all we had.

ARTHUR LEWIS:

You now have three separate serious

pending legal cases against you.

One with sixteen counts of

misconduct ranging from fraud to

tax evasion. And then in the middle

of our meeting today I get a report

saying you had armed your entire

fleet of drivers which led to a

shoot-out on the 59th Street

Bridge.

ABEL:

None of it is true.

ARTHUR LEWIS:

That may be.

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ABEL:

May?

They look at each other.

ARTHUR LEWIS:

It doesn’t matter.

ABEL:

It does matter, that you know we

didn’t do this.

ARTHUR LEWIS:

I do... I do. But it doesn’t

matter, I can’t do anything. I’m

sorry.

ABEL’s demeanor shifts.

ABEL:

I’ll find it.

ARTHUR LEWIS:

I know you will.

The banker gets into his car and backs out. The gate opens

and he drives out. Just as it is about to close it starts

opening again. SALES STUDENT ALEX drives in with his car

trashed. He pulls up and gets out of the car looking at ABEL.

He knows what has happened and is crushed. Neither of them

say a word, finally ABEL gives the kid a cautious but

meaningful hug around the shoulder and leads him inside.

INT. ABEL AND ANNA’S LIVING ROOM - THAT NIGHT

ABEL walks into the room and ANNA is sitting at the large

dining table smoking a cigarette inside. She has been crying.

ANNA:

It’s horrible.

ABEL:

Yes.

ANNA:

Where is he?

ABEL:

We’re looking for him.

ANNA:

And they haven’t gotten the other

guys?

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ABEL:

Of course not.

ANNA:

Are you okay?

ABEL:

No... I’m not... They’re out.

This gets her attention.

ANNA:

Who?

ABEL:

The bank.

With that ABEL walks out of the room and heads up the stairs

to his bedroom. When he’s halfway up the stairs she stops

him.

ANNA:

So what does that mean?

ABEL:

It means we need to find the money

somewhere else.

ANNA:

We have two days!

ABEL:

I’ll figure it out.

INT. ANNA’S CAR, WESTCHESTER SCENIC HIGHWAY - DAY

ABEL is driving ANNA’S car towards the city. ANNA is in the

passenger seat and the three DAUGHTERS are in the back. ANNA

and ABEL do not look any better. In fact there is now a tinge

of anger mixed into the sadness.

The DAUGHTERS are arguing about who’s taking up too much room

in the back seat.

DAUGHTERS:

Move.

ANNA:

Quiet.

DAUGHTERS:

You move.

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ANNA turns and snaps at them a bit.

ANNA:

Stop. I’ve told you guys not to

push it this morning, this is not

the morning to be doing this... but

since the second you all woke up.

It’s this, it’s that. Just stop.

The world does not revolve around

you!

This shuts them up for a beat. ABEL is seething. But then

ELIZABETH (middle) nudges ANNIE (oldest) so she gives

CATHERINE (youngest) a good hit. ANNA sees it and freaks.

ANNA (CONT’D)

That’s it Annie we’ve told you...

Before ANNA can get the full sentence out ABEL suddenly pulls

the car off the side of the highway into the grass. Everyone

in the car is taken aback. The road is a smaller scenic

highway not some eight lane affair but this whole sequence

still plays out with the menacing roar of the cars going by

right next to them.

EXT. HIGHWAY - DAY

ABEL gets out of the car and slams the door. He walks around

the back of the car as the cars fly by them on the highway.

He goes around to his oldest daughter’s door and pulls ANNIE

from the car. They stand behind the car and go at it with the

traffic flying by. ABEL is louder than he has been in the

entire film. He is losing it from all the pressure but his

daughter bears the brunt.

ABEL:

You are thirteen years old. What

are you doing? Your mother asks you

an hour ago to help her get out of

the house smoothly and you are

acting like an...

ANNIE:

Oh f*** you!

ABEL:

What? What? What are you talking

about?

ABEL is looking around for someone to help him and witness

this. He then switches, he has had enough and gets right up

in her face.

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ABEL (CONT’D)

I’m not sure who the hell you think

you are, but you don’t talk to me

that way... You are in serious

danger of becoming a rich little

spoiled brat and I can tell you

from experience there is nothing

worse in the world than a rich

little girl who thinks the whole

world revolves around her.

ANNIE is yelling back over the traffic.

ANNIE:

The world revolves around me? Me!

What about her? And what about you?

You’re both so totally obsessed

with your stupid business. You

walk around like you are saving the

world but what are you doing...

nothing!

This stings. He now changes his tone to a quiet low roar. But

he can’t keep quiet and by the end of the line he is yelling

again.

ABEL:

First off I don’t walk around like

I am saving anything. I chose this

business because I looked at the

world and said ‘What’s the last

bill people stop paying every month

when they are low on cash?’ ‘Cause

that’s a business I want to be in.

‘Cause failure wasn’t much of an

option for me. I lived in

reality... not whatever this world

is you are living in. And we help

people stay warm... which isn’t all

that bad.

(now he is yelling again)

Maybe you’ve got grander ambitions

but for now this is how you eat,

sleep, and get all dressed up... So

you better shape the f*** up and

NEVER speak to me like this again!

ANNA:

Stop!!

They both look over and ANNA is standing there. A calmness

suddenly falls down on all of them.

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INT. ANNA’S CAR ON HIGHWAY - DAY

All five of them are sitting in the car, sadness prevails.

INT. ANNA MORALES’ LIBRARY - NIGHT

The camera moves slowly across a dark hallway. We hear the

sounds of a manual adding machine grinding away. As we come

through the doorway we see ANNA MORALES sitting at her desk

in a pool of light from the desk lamp. She is deep in it

crunching numbers. Finally ABEL walks into the doorway, he

looks exhausted.

ABEL:

Hey.

She looks up with a small but sweet smile.

ANNA:

Hi.

ABEL:

How’s it coming?

ANNA:

I’ve made it to 1975.

ABEL:

That was a good year.

ANNA gives a slight look that the numbers may not totally

support that claim.

ABEL (CONT’D)

Well it was for me...how is it?

ANNA:

I’m not sure yet... but it’s not as

bad as they are saying it is...

Turns out I kinda knew what I was

doing.

They give each other a slight smile.

ANNA (CONT’D)

How’d you do?

ABEL:

I got us a three more days... and

one piece... from Saul. But we’re

still about a million short.

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