American Hustle Page #6

MORT PAPIERMAN/RICHIE DIMASO (CONT’D)

Zurich? You got an office in

Zurich? Paris? I can call Paris?

IRVING ROSENFELD

If you could excuse me for one

second?

MORT PAPIERMAN/RICHIE DIMASO

Yeah, take your time. Do whatever

you need to do. Go ahead, take your

time.

HE HEADS TO THE REAR EXIT WHILE SYD MOVES TO ANOTHER -- IRV

OPENS THE DOOR - BAM -- A WARRANT IS HELD UP TO HIS FACE BY

STOCKY FBI AGENT SCHMIDT IN A SUIT - HE WALKS IRV BACK INTO

THE OFFICE --

AS Edith OPENS A SIDE DOOR -- BANG - FEDERAL AGENT STOCK

WALKS HER BACK INTO THE OFFICE WITH A WARRANT.

IRVING ROSENFELD

You got the wrong office, you’re

gonna be embarrassed.

31.

THE AGENTS START PUTTING EDITH IN CUFFS IMMEDIATELY.

IRVING ROSENFELD (CONT’D)

HEY, HEY, HEY! GO EASY ON HER.

MORT PAPIERMAN/RICHIE DIMASO

I may not have you, Irving, but I

have her on fraud. Impersonating

another individual.

IRVING ROSENFELD

Fraud?! Fraud? What is that?

Identity fraud?

AGENTS SCHMIDT AND STOCK IMMEDIATELY START TAKING BOXES OF

FILES FROM DRAWERS, IMPOUNDING EVIDENCE.

MORT PAPIERMAN/RICHIE DIMASO

You may be from England, Edith, but

you’re not royal and you have no

banking connections and that’s a

felony. How long is that? That’s 3

5 years I think.

EDITH GREENSLY:

(about the handcuffs)

Hey! Not so tight!

IRVING ROSENFELD

Oh really? That’s interesting. I

don’t even know your real name.

Richie pulls out a badge and shoves it in Irving’s face.

RICHIE DIMASO:

Richie Dimaso, FBI. Nice to meet

you.

Richie looks at Edith with concern and points at Irving.

RICHIE DIMASO (CONT’D)

You gotta get away from this guy.

Agents take boxes of files out of the office- Irv standing

alone in center of room- shell-shocked.

64 INT. FBI HOLDING OFFICES - DAY. 64

SYDNEY IS LED INTO A HOLDING CELL BY AN FBI AGENT.

32.

IRVING ROSENFELD (V.O.)

He wouldn’t let me see her for

three days. He even managed todelay a lawyer.

INT. FBI HOLDING CELL - DAY

65

Dim cell, lit only from small high barred window, no lights

on. Edith looks like she’s coming apart -- circles under hereyes, a shadow of her confident self -- pale, scared, hair

flat, stringy, unglamourous, pacing, rocking.

IRVING ROSENFELD (V.O.)

She couldn't handle it. 65

66 INT. FBI HOLDING CELL - NIGHT 66

FLUORESCENT LIGHTS COME ON IN THE CELL -- Edith squints. Cellis unlocked by Richie Dimaso WHO enters with a cup and saucerof tea. He stands near her with the tea.

RICHIE DIMASO:

(to the other side of thetwo-way mirror)

Joe, how come the fluorescents are

on? Can we kill that, please? (toSyd) Jesus I put this lamp here foryou 'cause I thought it'd be betterfor you. There's a wire here.

They're scared because people hangthemselves but I know you’re too

smart for that. Where’s the table

and chair? There's no bed here?

It’s like a f***ing asylum. Joe, iseverybody off today? Jesus Christit’s scary. Maybe I wanted to scareyou. I don’t know. Maybe it was my

idea. Maybe i’m a little off the

beaten path you know? I don’t know.

You look dehydrated. Here, want totry some tea? Oh yeah, your lipsare all chapped. (re: tea) It’s

herbal. My favorite.

Richie bends down to Edith who is sitting on the floor in thecorner and hands her the cup and saucer. She lifts the cupbut her hand is shaking almost violently as she raises thecup to her lips.

RICHIE DIMASO (CONT’D)

I know you think -- look at me.

Hey. Edith.

(MORE)

33.

RICHIE DIMASO (CONT’D)

I know you think Irv loves you. I

know you think you know him -- that

he sees the world as a cold, dark

place, and he cares about nobody

but very few people on his short

list:
his son, his father, Rosalyn,

and you. And you think you’re at

the top of that list. But what if

you’re not. What if you’re not even

on the list at all? He’d be in

here right now if he took the

check.

She thinks about this. She trembles.

RICHIE DIMASO (CONT’D)

He'd be in here right now if he

took the check. But no, you did.

God, it's, it's so clear to me.

It's so crazy -- it's clear to me,

but it's not clear to you. He uses

you, Edith, to protect himself. To

protect his son and his wife in

Long Island. No? Yes. He put a

ring on her finger, he adopted her

son. They have huge house, they

have two cars. What does she do all

day? I'll tell you what she does --

she plays with her nails, she

watches T.V., and she spends your

money, the money that you make.

Edith stares at Richie, taking this in.

RICHIE DIMASO (CONT’D)

I don't like that you're in jail

while he's going free. I don't

like any of that. I want to help

you. All the razzle-dazzle that he

does, it's not good. It's not real.

It's fake. It's not real. Who you

are is who you are, between you and

God. You and your soul. That's what

matters. That's what counts.

That's what I'm about. And that's

what I see in you. Tell me you

didn't feel it the first time we

saw each other. Am I crazy? I don't

think so. I'm not supposed to be

talking like this, but I don't

care, I break the rules.

Edith looks at Richie in silence as she thinks about what

he’s saying.

34.

RICHIE DIMASO (CONT’D)

Okay, Edith? Edith. I want to help

you. I like you. (whispers) I like

you. (dead serious) I like you.

67 INT. FBI OFFICE, FEDERAL OFFICE BUILDING, NY - DAY 67

Irv stands alone on the other side of the glass staring at

Sydney.

Richard Dimaso walks in.

RICHIE DIMASO:

Been in there three days. Hasn’t

been so good for her.

Irv continues to stare at Sydney.

RICHIE DIMASO (CONT’D)

How does that make you feel her in

there? That check was for you,

right? But you knew somethin' was

off. That's 'cause you're good.

You're, like, the best at what you

do in the whole country, aren't

you?

Irv looks at him.

RICHIE DIMASO (CONT’D)

But you know what? If the country

were run by people like you, Irving

Rosenfeld we'd be living in Eastern

Europe or Guatemala. You ever been

in Guatemala? You ever been in jail

in Guatemala? You ever try to get a

telephone or a permit or anything

in Guatemala? That's what this

country would be like if we let

people, let the liars like you, run

this country.

IRVING ROSENFELD

Who made you god and judge?

RICHIE DIMASO:

My grandmother lived to be ninety-

three years old. Never lied in her

life.

IRVING ROSENFELD

Congratulations.

35.

RICHIE DIMASO:

Thank you. I'm proud of that, too.

Does that make her not a good

person? Is that not something to

strive for?

IRVING ROSENFELD

Why you breaking my balls? Get to

the point.

RICHIE DIMASO:

I see something in you, Irving. I

get very excited. I think that we

have a lot of potential here. Now,

look. I came up with the idea.

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