Gangs of New York Page #15

JENNY:

That's right.

JOHNNY:

And tonight I got the ned.

JENNY:

And now what?

JOHNNY:

Now I'm ready for you. Unless there's an arrangement between you and

Amsterdam.

JENNY:

(glancing over at Amsterdam)

Not to my thinking.

JOHNNY:

(needs to be sure)

Amsterdam... listen up, Amsterdam...

Amsterdam glances over at them.

JENNY:

(to Johnny)

You going with me or him? It's my thinking matters here. You don't have to

ask him nothing.

AMSTERDAM:

What?

JOHNNY:

(makes his decision)

How's the evening passing?

AMSTERDAM:

Fine. Why?

JOHNNY:

(puts his arm around Jenny)

'Cause it's treating me fine too.

She gets up and starts toward the stairs to the second floor, Johnny

following her, holding her hand. As they pass Amsterdam he LEANS toward

Jenny.

AMSTERDAM:

This is no game, you and me. Don't go on like it's a game.

JENNY:

I said already, it's not a game. It's business.

Johnny pulls her away. As he watches her go through the crowd, Amsterdam's

gaze falls on Bill the Butcher again...

... and for the first tine their EYES MEET. Bill's eyes rest on Amsterdam,

take him all in... but DON'T REMEMBER him. He looks away as a TAMMANY HACK

steps up to pay court....

.... and a MASTER OF REVELS, center-floor, SHOUTS ...

MASTER OF REVELS

Gentlemen and gentlewomen, if you please ... we will now... raise the

cages and start the bidding!

The Crowd CHEERS and KIDS PULL on a series of ropes and pulleys to RAISE

the CAGES further above the floor until they are parallel with the

second-floor gallery of the Pagoda. WOMEN AND MEN call out BIDS even as

the cages rise through the air. Depending on their age, the Women and

children inside the cages respond to the auction with grim resignation,

trepidation or fear. A few, drugged or drunk on all-sorts, lie insensible

in their impossibly cramped space.

Johnny and Jenny make their way along the second floor gallery until she

spots a COUPLE LEAVING a room and walks inside. Johnny CLOSES the door

behind them as a BURST of APPLAUSE...

... rises from the main floor, where Bill the Butcher stands in the dead

center of the room. He slowly removes his coat and hands it to a FLUNKY.

He is wearing his battle vest underneath, and it is fully rigged with all

his butcher's implements.

The place QUIETS. KIDS swarm silently, like busy ants, all over a huge

wooden CHANDELIER, LIGHTING its HUNDREDS of CANDLES. Only the noise from

the Chinese playing fan-tan in the far corner of the room can be heard now.

The Kids finish lighting the candles and the chandelier is RAISED toward

the Pagoda ceiling, casting the whole place into a new riot of LIGHT and

SHADOW as The Butcher prepares himself.

Now the Chinese Opera DANCER steps forward and stands near Bill. He NODS.

The unsprung MUSIC begins. The DANCER starts to move, sinuously...

...and Bill, with amazing skill, starts THROWING his KNIVES. The knife

MISSES the Dancer by a hairsbreadth, landing in the floor near her foot.

She doesn't flinch. She keeps dancing. And Bill keeps THROWING...

... the KNIVES, which follow the Dancer around the room in a careful,

deadly choreography. They land just inches from where she has just been,

or will be:
in a wall; a pillar; the apron of the small stage; the bar;

the barrel of all-sorts. After each knife LANDS, kids retrieve it. When

one of the KNIFE KIDS pulls the blade from the all-sorts barrel, DRUNKS

knock each other over to drink from the stream that flows from the hole.

Native Americans, meanwhile, WORK THROUGH the awed, attentive Crowd. They

AVOID Cops, Tammany Members and anyone who looks too prosperous or too

sober. But when one of the Natives SPOTS a MARGINAL CITIZEN, they GRAB his

hand and examine it as if they were telling fortunes.

Center floor, Bill pulls TWO KNIVES out, BALANCES one in each hand ...

... as a WHORE in the crowd pushes a guy who's groping her toward a couple

of Natives. Hels wearing a large RING. As soon as the Natives SEE the ring

they throw their arms around the GROPER like a long-lost pal and escort

him to Bill ...

... who THROWS both knives rapidly at the Dancer. They land on the floor,

inches from her dancing feet. She SPINS AWAY to great applause as the

Natives bring the Groper to Bill.

BILL THE BUTCHER

Evening, sir. Are you prepared to be celebrated? Are you ready to be

famous?

GROPER:

How much will it cost?

BILL THE BUTCHER

Just a moment of your time. My men will assist you.

They do quite a bit more than that: they GRAB the Groper and KNOCK him to

the floor. In the crowd, one SPECTATOR turns to his companion.

PAGODA SPECTATOR

Watch this careful. I've never seen the like, not even in Barnum's Museum.

The Groper CRIES OUT as the Natives PIN HIM to the floor, SPREADEAGLED.

Bill has one weapon left... in a special pocket, inside his vest. It's his

CLEAVER. He takes it out slowly, SAVORING the moment.

The Pagoda goes QUIET. Only the gambling continues. The MUSIC dies. The

only SOUND beside the noises of the Chinese at their fan-tan is the

Groper, who HOLLERS for help as soon as he sees the cleaver.

Bill HEFTS the cleaver in his hand, feels its weight, calculates timing,

figures distance .... and starts THROWING it in the air...

... CATCHING it by the handle ... then throwing it again... higher, FASTER

and HARDER with every toss.

BILL THE BUTCHER

(in full control)

What's it so quiet for? I don't need quiet.

The Chinese opera MUSIC commences with a dissonant CRASH...

... and Bill catches the cleaver again. But EVERY TIME he throws it and

every time he catches it by its handle ...

... he also MOVES CLOSER to the terrified Groper. Now... standing

very close... he gives the cleaver a mighty toss ...

... sending it SPINNING high in the air... up past the cages ... past the

second-floor gallery, jammed with appreciative spectators ... until it

SLOWS ... seems to HANG in the air... then starts its descent...

... FALLING FASTER... towards Bill's waiting, STEADY HAND.

The Groper SCREAMS in fear. Bill SMILES confidently, holding his hand out

until ... just as smoothly, just as confidently...

... he PULLS his hand AWAY and the cleaver FALLS with terrific impact on

the SPLAYED HAND of the Groper, cleanly SEVERING it at the wrist. The

Groper FAINTS dead away as a TREMENDOUS CHEER greets Bill's amazing feat.

One of the Natives TOSSES Bill the severed hand.

Bill SLIDES the ring off the finger and TOSSES it to the Chinese Dancer.

BILL THE BUTCHER

There's for your beauty and your song.

The Dancer puts the ring on her finger and DANCES OFF. Bill TOSSES the

hand to the floor and walks back to his table. The Crowd PARTS, murmuring

compliments on his dexterity, and the Knife Kids reverently RETURN the

Butcher's implements.

Now two DOGS from the rat pit in the back room RUN through the crowd and

FIGHT FRENZIEDLY over possession of the bloody hand.

The Crowd PASSES the Groper overhead and WE SEE from ABOVE: the Groper's

unconscicus BODY being passed from hand to hand. The Crowd looks like a

wave bearing the body toward the door. The Groper's stump BLEEDS on them

as he passes overhead, sprinkling drops of blood and flesh like a moveable

sacrament.

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