Gangs of New York Page #8

... the same eyes. But OLDER. Smart and full of savagery.

It is Amsterdam. He is now in his early 20s, fully grown and no man to

trifle with. Moving with jungle stealth and strength he ...

... BURSTS out the door within the massive frame of a great iron gate over

which hangs the sign "High Bridge Orphan Asylum." He starts to RUN and a

TITLE comes up...

1852

Pursued by GUARDS, Amsterdam runs hell-for-lather for a long vaulted

bridge. It's a beautiful, stern old Romanesque span across the Harlem

River with rolling banks of leafy trees on the far side. Even in the

twilight, we can see that it is late spring, the end of a long afternoon.

CUT TO:

30 EXT. HIGH BRIDGE DUSK (MATTE)

Amsterdam is on the bridge. But he does not slow up until ....

... two orphanage GUARDS suddenly TACKLE him. A THIRD GUARD beats him with

a billy club. Amsterdam moans and curses, as much from frustration as pain.

SECOND GUARD:

It's Blackwell's Island certain now, boyo.

The SECOND GUARD pulls AMSTERDAM up by the hair.

THIRD GUARD:

Are you hurting? Let's hear you!

Amsterdam won't give him the satisfaction. The Guard hits him. Amsterdam

goes down, biting his lip so he won't cry out. Instead, he forces a SMILE.

SECOND GUARD:

There's nothing funny, boyo! You been beat and turned back four times now.

AMSTERDAM:

But every time you bring me back... you got to come further to catch me.

CUT TO:

31 EXT. CORLEAPS' HOOK PIER NIGHT

Through the THICK FOG comes a ghostly apparition: a tattered SKULL AND

CROSSBONES, made of rags, fluttering from the mast of a leaky, unstable

vessel.

The bow of the small boat breaks the fog, and on board we see: a hulk

called SHEENY MIKE KURTZ and a huge black kid named JIMMY SPOILS, manning

the cars. Johnny Sirocco, grown wary and wiry, peers into the fog like a

lookout, while Shang Draper, at the tiller, looks anxious.

The HULL of a large boat suddenly laoms in front of them, not five yards

away.

JOHNNY:

Hard starboard, Shang! Hard starboard!

SHANG:

(panic)

I told you forget that sailor stuff! Which way's star...

Too late. Their Ticket craft crashes into the side with enough force to

make a LOUD THUMP and to send Shang sprawling.

SHEENY MIKE:

(sarcastic)

Why don't we just knock on their front door?

Shang gestures for QUIET. They wait and listen. No sound from the deck of

the boat above them. The boys throw two ROPE LADDERS over the rail of the

larger ship and start climbing.

CUT TO:

32 EXT. SHIP NIGHT

The boys board the ship and gather on deck. They look around uneasily,

spooked by the silence and the fog.

SHANG:

Spread out and make for the cabin.

Moving slowly, the boys FAN OUT and move toward the cabin at the far end

of the deck. Johnny stays close to Shang, holding onto the shipls rail for

support.

SHANG:

(whispering)

Nothing. Looks picked clean.

Johnny stops. His hand, on the railing, is BLOODY. On the other side of

the deck, Sheeny Mike discovers more traces of blood and SIGNALS Shang.

SHANG:

Bill and the Natives must have got here first.

Johnny freezes in terror.

SHANG:

What ...

A long SHADOW falls across his shoulder. Shang jumps.

Standing before him, holding a musket and covered in blood, is the ship's

CAPTAIN. A BUTCHER'S CLEAVER is imbedded between his neck and shoulder.

With his dying energy, the Captain takes AIM at a petrified Shang and

fires his musket.

Jimmy Spoils JUMPS the Captain from behind, sending the musket ball way

wide. But the SOUND of the musket is thunderaus, and echoes through the

harbor. The boys panic and head for the side.

SHEENY MIKE:

That'll bring the Harbor cops for sure.

JOHNNY:

(about the dead man)

Wait! Take him. If he's still alive he's good for ransom!

SHEENY MIKE:

Hels dead as Good Friday, can't you...

JOHNNY:

Then we'll take Bill the Butcher's cleaver and sell the body to the

medical students. They'll go five dollars for it anyway.

SHANG:

Come on. We'll get something out of this.

Shang and Johnny start DRAGGING the body. Pushing, pulling and mostly

panicked, the others help. As they boost the body over the side, the SOUND

of a bell cuts through the fog.

SHEENY MIKE:

The Harbors!

Shang shoves the body off the side and into the boat. It lands with a

resounding THUD. The boys CLAMBER after it.

CUT TO:

33 EXT. BOAT/RIVER NIGHT

PUSHING OFF with cars, tearing their rope ladders from the side of the

ship, stumbling over the captain's body, the boys slip off into the fog.

The Harbor Police are so close to them they can see a police LANTERN

shining. The boys stay absolutely still. Suddenly, WE SEE: the POLICE

BOAT, breaking through the fog, then

DISAPPEARING again.

SHEENY MIKE:

We can't go back to Corlears Hook, they'll be watching...

SHANG:

We'll make for Blackwells.

JIMMY SPOILS:

And which way's that through this fog?

Johnny throws his hands up for quiet. From close by comes the SOUND of

COP'S VOICES. They are near. Very near. The boys stay as still as they

can...

... and the VOICES recede again in the thick fog.

JIMMY SPOILS:

Should have asked them directions as they drifted by, Shang.

SHANG:

You'd have liked that, wouldn't you Coal Face? You're the only one they'd

miss in the dark.

SHEENY MIKE:

Let's quiet, or we'll all be found out!

As the BOYS stay still, their boat DRIFTS against an outcropping of land

and STOPS.

SHANG:

Alright. We lay up here till first light. Then we run back across the

river.

JIMMY SPOILS:

(contemptuously)

River pirates!

Spoils settles back and tries to sleep. Johnny watches Shang in the bow.

Shang is too agitated to notice Johnny's stare. He looks away, waiting for

the sun.

CUT TO:

34 EXT- BLACKWELLS ISLAND DAWN

Shang drowses in the boat, fighting fatigue, then succumbing to it. But

h's brought awake suddenly by a loud SPLASH. He looks in the direction of

the noise, SEES ...

... the BODY of the slaughtered ship's captain floating away in the

company. He starts to cry out but Amsterdam GRABS him, locking his throat

in the crook of his arm.

AMSTERDAM:

(to everyone)

Push off! Or his pipe snaps!

The other boys are too stunned to resist. They push the boat away from the

island.

AMSTERDAM:

Head straight out, then turn for the current.

He pushes Shang away from him. The two boys stare at each ather, finally

remembering...

SHANG:

(breathing hard)

Figured you for dead.

AMSTERDAM:

Close enough.

SHANG:

This is my crew. And welcome to join, if you've the mettle. We're river

pirates and quick thieves and street brawlers...

AMSTERDAM:

(casual disdain)

You're lost.

SHANG:

Yeah? You've no business saying anything against us! Do you know how much

you cost us? You know how much that body's worth?

AMSTERDAM:

I doubt it's worth the water it's floating in.

SHANG:

Fifteen dollars! Fifteen dollars from them medical ghouis.

AMSTERDAM:

I'll make it back for you whatever it is, once we're in the city. Just

keep sailing, or we're all done for.

SHANG:

(beat; to crew)

Go ahead then.

(beat; to Amsterdam)

He was in his prime. He'd have fetched thirty dollars easy.

CUT TO:

35 INT. HIDEOUT DAY

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