Gladiator Page #3

You might learn.

You think it's all about strength, but

it's not. You think it's all speed.

Strategy! Look, you gotta find

your opponent's weakness...

...and then you exploit it.

Now listen to me. Youth is a tool.

All right?

It's a good tool,

but it's only one of the tools.

There's also knowledge. There's...

There's focus. Strategy.

You think you can whup my ass?

- What do you think?

- I'm tired of thinking, motherfu...

Oh, sh*t.

He's playing possum.

Mr. Horn and Mr. Good Chocolate,

best f***ing finishers I ever saw.

All right. See?

Strategy.

You got more of a show

than you bargained for.

- You still got it.

- Yeah.

I feel better already.

You got some on your lip there.

Very sexy.

Give him a rest.

Put him against Lincoln.

Got too much weight.

Put him in with Lincoln...

...and bet the farm against him.

He ain't got it upstairs.

Tommy Riley!

Hello.

You the boy I've been waiting for?

No.

Take good care of this boy.

Give him whatever he wants.

What do you want, Tommy?

I just want the money that you owe me.

Go ahead.

Of course that.

- On top of that, what?

- That's all I want.

How refreshing. Everyone else I meet

has their hand out.

You know, Tommy.

I should be upset with you.

Why?

You cost me my investment.

What's that mean?

Means Black Death is

damaged goods, kid.

So now I'm invested in you.

How would you like

to fight for me, Tommy?

I appreciate the offer, Mr. Horn,

but I'm not interested.

Come on, kid.

If it's a matter of money...

No, it's not the money.

I don't wanna end up

without a brain.

Don't be stupid, kid. Mr. Horn is

giving you a terrific shot here.

Tommy.

I respect your decision.

Been a pleasure meeting you.

Likewise. I guess.

Good luck to you.

Get him.

Hey, Tommy.

Hey, Romano.

I got you something.

I was buying some new duds.

I thought, " Hey, my amigo

needs a little style. "

You like it or what?

Yeah. I'm...

This is my first hat.

You look sharp, man.

How about me?

Real sharp, Romano.

Yeah. You got to be a...

You got to be a real

perverse individual...

...pass up this kind of money.

It's got a bad smell.

Hey, maybe it don't give off

the best odor...

...but it smells better

than any other chances.

Once I save some...

...I'm gonna do

what I promised my old man.

I'm gonna go ship his body

back to Romano, Cuba.

That's where he was born,

and how come I got my name.

Then you'll quit, right?

You crazy, man?

I'm gonna get a real apartment.

A stereo, TV, VCR.

Gonna buy a waterbed.

I like you, Romano.

You take care of yourself.

Just because you quit...

Hey, Sharkey. Pappy Jack.

You still with me when I make my move?

Listen, you son of a b*tch.

There's a couple of your collectors

down here.

All right.

Yeah...

Soda?

I didn't think you'd be at work

last night.

Why not?

Why would a person wash dishes

when they can make money boxing?

I'm not boxing anymore.

That was a one-shot deal.

I can't figure you out.

Neither can I.

Hey, Tommy.

How are you doing, kid?

I'm doing.

Mr. Horn wants to see you.

Well, I'm busy right now.

Sweetheart, I know half a dozen ways

to make a guy get into an automobile.

Bye, Tommy.

Just telling you one thing, kid.

I found you.

I brought you in.

Don't you forget that.

Come on in, kid. Give him a call.

Tell him I'm not happy.

Keep an eye on it for me.

Let me know what he says.

Those pictures.

Gladiators, Tommy.

They fought with their bare hands.

Fifty, a hundred rounds.

Next day they go back to work.

They were tough.

Tough in body, tough in mind.

And they understood about strategy.

When you're weak, you act strong.

And when you're strong...

...pretend to be weak.

Care for some champagne?

No, I don't drink.

Why did you wanna see me?

I was hoping you had a chance

to think things over.

Come aboard, Tommy.

Three grand a fight.

- That is very generous. But I'm not...

- Kid, money is talking.

Well, maybe it's not talking to me.

Tommy.

Sit down, Tommy.

Come on. Sit down. Relax.

Why don't we be straight

with each other?

I can't afford to let you go.

I'm my own man, Mr. Horn.

Nobody is his own man.

Not from the day we're born.

Everybody owes.

Somebody. Something.

Who do you owe?

Me? Who do I owe?

God.

Don't we all. Amen.

But some of us...

...some of us owe...

Jack, show him.

Here you go. Read them and weep.

Look at the signatures.

Those are markers.

Your father's markers.

Your father has managed

to accumulate gambling debts...

...somewhere in the neighborhood

of $15,000.

That's an expensive neighborhood

to be in.

There's evil people in this world,

Tommy.

Nasty people, like Sharkey.

Your old man gives him a song about

waiting a few weeks, then giving 50/.

Sharkey's gonna give him concrete

boots and throw him in the river.

So I did your old man a favor.

I did you a favor.

I bought the debts.

Those debts are mine now.

Do you understand?

And what's mine is yours.

Okay.

Okay.

Come on.

Hey!

- Well, look who's next.

- Leave him alone!

Sure, after we carve our initials

in his butt. Get him!

Run, hotshot!

Come on. Move. Move!

Rats.

Don't worry though.

Ain't the human kind.

- Damn it!

- Don't worry. We'll find them.

What's worse? Getting skinned by

Shortcut or owing some white boy?

You don't owe me.

How come you do it?

Save my ass.

I don't know.

See somebody in trouble, you know...

I've been in trouble

since the day I was born.

No white boy come to my rescue.

Maybe there were no white boys around.

Say that again.

Poverty is a black disease.

Not just.

No?

I hear you wannna be a college boy.

You think I'm going to college?

You could.

I got one chance.

One chance for my baby,

and that's this, right here. These.

What do you mean, your baby?

That's my lady.

Laura Lee.

She just turned 16.

That's Cecilia.

They're beautiful. Both of them.

I call her Baby Black Beauty.

That's her nickname.

Not many fighters like Lincoln

can give this much weight.

One! Two!

Three! Four!

Five! Six!

He can't do that!

Who's to stop him?

One!

Two!

Three!

Four!

Gonna ruin him.

Seven!

Eight!

Nine!

The harder they fall, eh?

How much do you think we made?

A bundle.

So tell me about Horn.

Oh, Lord.

Mr. Horn was supposed to be the light

heavyweight champion of the world.

God gave him one bad foot.

They operate.

Don't work.

Try it again.

Same thing.

By the time he's ready to fight again,

he's lost too many years.

But he's smart.

He sees more money upstairs and

a lot less danger to boot.

Anybody ever beat him?

Before his foot go, he lost one fight.

I remember.

Comeback, rematch.

He punished that man.

Retired him for life.

No.

He ain't got no weaknesses.

It's not what Horn says.

What do you mean, son?

Well, he says that everybody's

got a weakness.

Well...

I'm looking, son.

I am looking.

All right, all right. I'm coming.

- I was just...

- Come on in.

Where you been, Tommy?

People are asking.

You're not at school or Millie's.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes