Dog Day Afternoon Page #23

SYLVIA:

Somebody give me a cigarette.

Maria walks over to her, offering her one, then remembers:

MARIA:

Sylvia, you don't smoke.

SYLVIA:

I never smoked before in my life but

I got a right to start now if I want

to.

SAL:

You don't smoke... why do you want

to start now.

SYLVIA:

Because I'm scared, that's why.

You never smoked?

SAL:

I used to, but I stopped.

SYLVIA:

You stopped? Why?

SAL:

Because I don't want cancer.

SYLVIA:

You don't want cancer? You're about

to get your head blown off, you're

worried about cancer.

(to Maria)

Gimme the cigarette.

Maria starts to hand one to her.

SAL:

No! I'm not kidding. Don't you

understand? You're pure!

SYLVIA:

Pure?

SAL:

You shouldn't start now.

SYLVIA:

For God's sake! As soon as I'm outta

this bank robbery, I'm gonna stop...

okay?

SAL:

Go ahead. Do what you want to do.

I hate to see you break a perfect

record. You oughta take care of

your body.

SYLVIA:

My body? What for?

SAL:

Your body is the temple of the Lord.

SYLVIA:

(staring at him)

You're serious!

SAL:

You're really pure, you know? You

got a perfect record. You never

used that stuff to ruin your body,

why start now?

SYLVIA:

You know, you remind me of my 19-

year-old brother - only he's got his

hair down to his knees - he looks

like something that eats berries and

roots out of the ground. God forbid

I should say something to him like,

'Listen, if you ever smoke marijuana,

just remember that it's illegal' and

he storms outta the house. You rob

a bank, but you keep your body pure,

is that it?

SAL:

You gonna smoke the cigarette?

SYLVIA:

Yes...

Sal gets up and starts to leave the room...

SYLVIA:

(calling to him)

Sal... If I die of cancer it's going

to be half your fault.

Sylvia grabs the cigarette from Maria.

SAL:

(exiting)

No - it's because you're weak.

Sonny continues with "Manual of Arms" business with rifle.

Mulvaney is on the phone.

MULVANEY:

(overlapping Janet

into phone)

Mulvaney...

(listens)

JANET:

(into phone)

I don't know.

MULVANEY:

(to Sonny)

It's for you. Moretti.

Sonny takes the phone...

SONNY:

Yeah?

MORETTI:

We're bringing in your wife...

ON SONNY:

He comes alert, looks around at Sal, nods, and starts for

the door of the bank, turns to Sal.

SONNY:

(gives him gun)

They've got my wife. They're bringing

her in.

He exits bank. Sal walks toward the door, stops behind the

first post.

EXT. FRONT OF APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY

The fire escape with the old lady and her jigsaw puzzle, the

flak vested snipers, etc. Below in the street a police car

plows through the crowd with red lights flashing but no sirens --

or perhaps just a low growl to help move the human sea aside.

People are leaning over trying to see inside.

BARBER SHOP:

Moretti and Sheldon and staff move out into the street. The

cop car is moving through police lines, cops lifting

barricades aside to let it pass.

MOVING SHOT:

with Moretti and others as they move to intercept the police

car where it will stop on the corner. As they stop, we can

see Sonny step into the door of the bank, in the distance.

He is greeted with CHEERS from the crowd. But is intent on

the car.

We are NOW SHOOTING ACROSS THE CAR, OVER MORETTI'S BACK TOWARD

THE BANK and Sonny.

The DRIVER of the police car gets out, with a huge grin on

his face and nods to Moretti. The back door opens and another

cop gets out, also grinning. They look around toward Sonny,

as his wife gets out of the police car, on this side. She

is spectacularly good looking in a lithe cruel sort of way,

like Lauren Bacall, but right now she is a mess.

CUT TO:

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