Gangs of New York Page #12
JACK:
Tammany makes the streets nanitary, I make 'am safe.
WOMAN CITIZEN:
(apprehensive)
Even against them?
A small distance behind the anti-plague cart, moving in rough formation,
come some of Shang's mob, heading aimlessly across the Square cruising for
action
JACK:
Against them especially. Let me demonstrate.
Jack takes out his GOLD WATCH AND CHAIN, which he HANGS carefully over a
nearby lamppost. Then, very casually, he leads the Citizens off.
JACK:
We'll be back for this at our leisure.
WOMAN CITIZEN:
You dare leave it here?
JACK:
Safe as a vault, lady. Since all knows it's mine.
The Gang draws abreast of the lamppost. No one makes a move to take the
watch until one of the YOUNGEST BOYS reaches out ... but
Shang knocks his hand away. Jack, at a distance, NODS approvingly.
SHANG:
You know that's Jack's.
BOY:
So what?
AMSTERDAM:
It should be hangin' off Jack's vest, then. Not here, like some war flag.
SHANG:
That watch is a small price for free run of the Points.
AMSTERDAM:
If it's free, how come we pay so much? Wo shouldn't pay for what's our due.
SHANG:
We don't tight when we don't have to. It's not warring that counts. It's
the living day to day.
ANSTERDAM:
(smiles)
Is that right? Did I hear that correct? John, did we hear that correct?
Eyes now on Johnny. Jenny looks at him with great interest.
JOHN:
(uneasy pause)
We heard the same.
AMSTERDAM:
So then.
He reaches for the watch.
CUT TO:
50 EXT. STREET AND PARADISE SQUARE NIGHT
Happy Jack stands at the lamppost, aghast. A WOMAN lowers her head and
retches. Jackls watch and chain are still in place.
But the watch has been SMASHED. And hanging from the chain is a BLACK CAT,
skinned and strangled.
CUT TO:
51 INT- HIDEOUT
Happy Jack stands with his Citizens. The room QUIETS as, one by one, the
mob notices him.
JACK:
You!
He GRABS the Young Boy who had reached for his watch on the lamppost and
starts to BEAT him.
JACK:
What'd you do to my watch, you dirty little bastard...
Jack breaks the Boy's hand with his nightstick. The Boy SCREAMS
and FAINTS. So does one of the Women in the group. Jack takes the Boy's
other hand.
JACK:
Hands won't be so quick in future.
SHANG:
That's enough sport this evening, Jack.
JOHNNY:
(stepping forward)
It wasn't him.
All turn to look at Johnny. Jack drops the Boy's hand.
JOHNNY:
I have word for you from who did it. You're to meet him at Sparrow's
Chinese Pagoda.
CUT TO:
52 INT. SPAPROW'S CHINESE PAGODA NIGHT
A low and lunatic place: a combination of an opium dream out of the
Arabian Nights and a panel from a Bosch triptych. FAN-TAN games played by
Orientals; WOMEN and CHILDREN of various colors suspended in cages from
the ceiling as MEN and WOMEN in a secondfloor GALLERY point at them and
JOKE. On the main floor, a long line waits for a shot at the barrel of
All-Sorts. Jack charges in the front door, looks around.
JACK:
All right, step out, you yellow...
All the NOISE subsides. Only the Fan-Tan game continues;
nothing is so interesting that these Orientals will stop gambling.
Now Amsterdam STEPS right in front of him. It's a grandstand play.
AMSTERDAM:
Hello, Happy Jack. I'm the one you're looking for.
JACK:
Then you're marked for dead.
Jack lunges ahead, swinging his NIGHT STICK. Amsterdam throws a chair
across his path. Jack stumbles, goes down, dropping his night stick.
Amsterdam grabs it, jumps on top of him, HITS him twice on the side of the
head. There is a CRACKING SOUND. The PATRONS of the Pagoda gather round.
CUT TO:
53 INT. SPARROW'S CHINESE PAGODA NIGHT
Later. Festive again. And no sign of Amsterdam.
Two PATRONS step away from the all-sorts barrel. Hanging from the spigot
like the cat from the watch chain is the BODY of Happy Jack Mulraney. The
belt has been removed from his trousers, tied like a NOOSE around his
throat, then looped over the spigot. His TEETH lie scattered on the floor
around him. His NIGHT STICK has been jammed down his throat.
CUT TO:
54 EXT. DOCKS/HIDEOUT NIGHT
Amsterdam holds the FANCY COAT from Jack's uniform over his arm.
Carefully, he DRAPES the coat over Jenny's shoulders. SHANG steps forward.
SHANG:
I gave no order for this.
Amsterdam says nothing at first, just holds his hand out: he's holding the
RED SILK SCKRF.
AMSTERDAM:
(very quietly)
Never mind giving orders. What were you giving this for?
SHANG:
I'm calling you out, Amsterdam.
AMSTERDAM:
I got this at the hanging. It was Charles McGloin's. Everybody here saw
you take it from Jenny. What was MCGloin doing with it? What'd you give it
to him for?
SHANG:
I didn't give it to him. Why would I give it to him?
AMSTERDAM:
I gaw you give it to him. Last week, behind the Old Brewery.
SHANG:
(to group)
He's gone flat. I got no reason to trade with the Native Americans.
AMSTERDAM:
What about stepping up in the world, as it were, and leaving the rest of
us behind. There's a reason. Making a separate arrangement for yourself
with the one Native so stupid and luckless that he got hung. That's you to
the ground, Shang.
SHANG:
(very edgy now; to group)
Who believes what he's saying? Can any of you believe what he's saying?
AMSTERDAM:
Bene. We'll see. Any of you that believes I did proper by Happy Jack
Mulraney tonight, stand beside me. Any of you that still likes Shang's way
with the cops, and Shang's way with the Natives, go to him.
(to Shang)
Or should we settle right now, you and me, and just see which of us is
left standing?
SHANG:
Let see where they stand.
Jenny rises, stands next to Amsterdam. Jimmy Spoils, Johnny, Sheeny Mike
are next. Now the other members of the mob move in clusters to all STAND
with Amsterdam.
AMSTERDAM:
What's your pleasure, Shang?
One of the YOUNG BOYS has a dead rat blackjack hanging from his belt.
Shang grabs it. He BITES the head oft the rat and spits it across at
Amsterdam. Amsterdam almost smiles at him. Shang sneers, drops the body of
the rat, and LEAVES.
AMSTERDAM:
This mob ever have a proper name?
JOHNNY:
We was called after Shang when we was named at all.
AMSTERDAM:
We're the Dead Rabbits from now. They were the best. They were history.
They were legend, and we'll live up to them.
CUT TO:
55 EXT. DOCKS/WATERFRONT NIGHT
Amsterdam sits on an empty pier, watching the ships in the river. There's
a SUDDEN RUSTLING NOISE as a NOOSE coils around his neck.
It's Jenny. She's slipped the SILK Amsterdam gave her close to his throat,
and she's TIGHTENING it. Amsterdam starts to resist. Then he sees how's
she's looking at him.
She uses the silk to bring his face closer to hers. She KISSES him.
AMSTERDAM:
What's this then?
JENNY:
Payment for the silk.
Then DROPS the silk from his throat and starts to touch him. Then his
hands are under her skirt. Then, under the cloudy moonlight, they start to
make love.
CUT TO:
56 EXT. DOCKS/WATERFRONT NIGHT
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"Gangs of New York" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 20 Dec. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/gangs_of_new_york_294>.
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