Michael Clayton Page #5

(gentle but firm)

If I know where he is, I don’t have

to keep asking.

MICHAEL:

He’s upstate. His wife took him

back. He’s living in his in-lawsbasement.

ZABEL:

He’s gotta have something.

MICHAEL:

Sure. He’s got the two kids withher. He’s got Jennifer, the coke-

dealing waitress he knocked up -four

Michelin snow tires he boosted

from my sister’s garage...

(a f***-it smile)

Make him an offer.

ZABEL nods. His version of sympathy.

ZABEL:

I had a wife was a drunk. Beautiful

girl. Young girl. But live like that?

Even they do a program. I think she

did once two years. It’s like you’restrapped to a bomb.

MICHAEL:

Timmy was sober six years.

ZABEL:

That’s what I’m saying. They slip?

Forget it. They don’t give a sh*t,

they’re stoned. It’s everybody elsewho’s got a problem.

Enough with this. They both have places to be.

MICHAEL:

What’s my time frame here?

ZABEL:

For you? I don’t know. I didn’t

think it was gonna be a problem.

(Michael’s silence says

it is)

I’ll ask.

MICHAEL nods. THE AUCTIONEER still at it, as --

INT. LAW FIRM BUILDING LOBBY -- DAY

MICHAEL’S ID CARD swiping the scanner. KENNER, BACH & LEDEEN

LOGO by the elevator bank and -

INT. ELEVATOR BANK/ELEVATOR -- DAY

MICHAEL making it as the doors close. Three lawyers in here.

Dominant power is JEFF GAFFNEY. Big blowhard partner.

GAFFNEY:

Hey, Miguel, how’s it going?

MICHAEL:

Great, Jeff, how’s it with you?

Both men instantly into a superficial, glad-hand familiarity.

GAFFNEY:

You know Brini...

MICHAEL:

Sure.

BRINI GLASS nods hello. She’s a young polished, go-getter.

The guy standing beside her a chilly, forty year-old Brit --

GAFFNEY:

This is Paul Julian. Paul’s visitingus from the UK...

MICHAEL:

How you doing? Michael Clayton.

PAUL JULIAN with a quick hello. Handshake. The usual crap.

GAFFNEY:

Michael’s the guy who actually knowseverything that’s really going on here.

(with a smile)

He won’t tell you, but he knows.

MICHAEL:

Which is what the guys who reallyknow what’s going on always say tocover their tracks.

(THE DOORS OPEN, stepping

off as--)

Take it easy, Jeff. Brini.

ELEVATOR DOORS CLOSE. MICHAEL, alone, drops the punchlinesmile. Heading toward his office as we begin to hear -

MICHAEL (V.O./PHONE)

...look, Del, I don’t know how hard

to press here. You’re gonna have to

let me know how brave he wants to be.

DEL (V.O./PHONE)

Well, I’m not sure how brave he can be

right now. We just got a confirmationhearing scheduled for the end of themonth.

(continuing, as--)

INT. MICHAEL’S OFFICE/TIME CUTS -- DAY

A large corner twenty stories high. Midtown looming throughwindows. Probably the best office on this floor. But it’s

not a partner’s floor. More comfortable than flashy. More

clubhouse than a place to bring clients. WALLS COVERED WITH

PHOTOGRAPHS AND MEMORABILIA. A cluttered mix of banquethandshake pics and framed family snapshots. Two decades of

testimonial horseshit and tribal gatherings. MICHAEL pacingand THE CAMERA WANDERING as --

MICHAEL/PHONE

Any chance she knows that?

DEL/PHONEIt was in the paper. Who knows?

Maybe she got someone to read it toher.

(incredulous)

She called his wife. She’s callinghis house. It’s a nightmare.

MICHAEL/PHONEMy guess is that she’s gonna want to

hang onto this condo.

DEL/PHONE

That’s insane.

MICHAEL/PHONEWhat can I tell you? Don’t piss off

a motivated stripper.

(wrap it up)

Look, find out his pain thresholdand get back to me. I’ll take it from

there. Or have him call me...

DEL/PHONEI hear you. Lemme get into it.

(click, and--)

MICHAEL:

(hanging up, calling backout the door--)

Where are we with Marty?

PAM:

(calling back)

We left word.

TIME CUT:

Later. New call. MICHAEL pacing. Speakerphone now.

MICHAEL/PHONEHow old’s the kid?

WENDY/PHONEHe’s not a kid. He’s twenty-two.

MICHAEL/PHONEThis is Miami?

WENDY/PHONEKey Biscayne.

MICHAEL/PHONEThey charged him?

WENDY/PHONEReckless Endangerment. My client,

I think really what they want, theywant a reality check on the attorneydown there. Wayne said you had someconnections in the area...

MICHAEL/PHONEYup. Lemme just grab a pen...

TIME CUT:

Later. New call. MICHAEL still on speakerphone.

RANDALL/PHONEWhat’re you trying to do, Michael?

Get me to kill the story?

MICHAEL/PHONERandy, please... I’m saying letsomebody else write it.

RANDALL/PHONEWhy would I do that?

MICHAEL/PHONELove? Decency? Fear? Want me to

keep going?

RANDALL/PHONEC’mon, man...

MICHAEL/PHONE

(pulling it off speaker)

You know what story I keep waitingto read? The one about the business

reporter who’s sick of watchingeveryone else get rich.

Silence. Tone shift. MICHAEL waiting.

RANDALL/PHONEThis is breaking news, or somethingyou’re just spitballing?

MICHAEL:

The Beverly Fund’s looking for a newDirector Of Communications. I gavethem your name, I hope you don’t mind.

TIME CUT:

Later. New call. MICHAEL by the window --

MICHAEL/PHONE-- if she calls INS directly she’sgonna get nowhere --

EVAN/PHONE-- even with the appointment? --

MICHAEL/PHONE-- it’s retail, Evan, it’s like DMV

over there, unless they get a call froma District Supervisor nobody moves --

EVAN/PHONE-- but your guy can do that? --

MICHAEL/PHONE-- he’s a former Commissioner --

EVAN/PHONE-- and none of this comes back to

me, right? Cause that doesn’t do

anybody any good.

MICHAEL/PHONENo, I’d be the one doing the asking.

EVAN/PHONECan you hang on a minute?

MICHAEL:

Sure.

(on hold now, glancing

back because--)

PAM, his assistant, is in the doorway.

PAM:

Are we merging?

MICHAEL:

What?

PAM:

Marty Bach’s in London. First theysaid he was in Atlanta, then Lara

said he was in the building, so Icalled back up -- I know you want thismeeting -- now she tells me the truth,

he’s really in London.

(quiet, nervous)

Are we merging? Because that’s what

everyone’s saying. All these Brits.

That this time it’s for real.

MICHAEL:

Like I would know.

(she’s staring like,

“yes, you would.”--)

I don’t know.

A PHONE starts ringing now from behind her --

PAM:

Even if we are, even if they merged,

it wouldn’t effect you, right?

MICHAEL:

Pam, your phone is ringing.

She steps out to answer. MICHAEL alone again. Still standingthere. Still absorbing this morning’s shrapnel, as --

EXT. OMAHA NEBRASKA -- DAY

Cold morning. Stark windblown flatness. A highway on-rampin the foreground tells us where we are.

EXT. OMAHA RIVERFRONT TOWNHOUSES -- DAY

Modern, tidy, downtown Omaha living. As we hear:

KAREN (V.O.)

At the moment, U/North currently has

seventy thousand employees working insixty-two countries around the world...

(continuing, as we--)

INT. KAREN’S OMAHA HOME/BATHROOM -- DAY

KAREN CROWDER alone at the mirror. Fresh from the shower --

KAREN:

...around the planet...sixty-twocountries around the planet.

(trying it again)

At work in more than sixty countriesaround the globe.

INT. U/NORTH OMAHA CONFERENCE ROOM -- DAY

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