Miller's Crossing Page #10

Tom goes down. His head hits the floor with a thunk.

We are on a low angle an the floor. Behind Tom's head, in

the background, we see the door to the room.

The door splinters in with a loud crash.

Frankie's feet are walking up alongside Tom's head, as blue

uniforms stream into the room.

Frankie

Just in the nick of time, huh?

He brings his foot back to deliver a walloping kick to the

back of Tom's head. On the impact we cut to:

BLACK:

Over black we hear the sound of running water.

19. FADE IN:

TOM:

Gasping for air as his head is pulled out from under a

running faucet.

The uniformed policeman who was holding him there and is

now pulling him back up, grins at him.

Cop

No harm done. Unless your friend broke his foot.

Tom is still woozy.

Tom

. . . Wuzzit. . . How long. . . What day is it?

Cop

Friday, 12th of September, 1929. Same as when

you left us, about ten seconds ago. . .

He is leading Tom by the arm out of the cramped bathroom,

back into the card room where he was beat up. Another cop

has Frankie cuffed in a straightbacked chair and is taking

roundhouse swings at him. He pauses, breathing heavily.

Second Cop

. . . 'Lo, Tom. Care to skin a knuckle an your

playmate here?

Tom

No. . . thanks, Delahanty. . .

As Tom and the first cop leave the card room:

Second Cop

Well if you change your mind, we'll be inter-

rogatin' for a while. . .

Tom and his escort are emerging onto the casino floor.

First Cop

What was that party about, anyway?

Tom

We do this every weekend.

Blue uniforms are everywhere. Some are escorting tuxedoed

patrons and employees to the exit; some wield axes on the

gaming equipment; others are using nightsticks to smash the

bottles behind the bar. Tom winces at this and lights a

cigarette.

Tom

Jesus. . .

He takes a battle and glass from a table as they walk by.

. . . What the hell is the matter with you

people?

First Cop

Well, they said make it hurt. . . So we make it

hurt.

22. EXT THE BUILDING

We see that the building's facade claims to be SABBATINI'S

ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES.

Tom weaves across the street with his battle and glass

towards O'Gar, the police chief, leaning against a squad

car, chewing a toothpick. He is watching morosely as his

men load other men into paddywagons; the street is clogged

with police vehicles.

Tom

Drink, O'Gar?

O'Gar does not bother to look at Tom as they talk; he is

unhappily watching the spectacle.

O'Gar

I'm an duty.

Tom pours himself a glass.

Tom

To Volstead. . .

He tosses back a shot.

. . . Any news on Rug?

O'Gar

Still dead, far as I know.

Tom

Get a slug out of him?

O'Gar

Yeah, a .22. Listen, Tom, I'm just the chief

around here, so don't bother telling me if you

don't happen to feel like it, but what the hell

is Leo doing?

Tom

Ours is not to reason why, friend.

O'Gar

Balls. Look at this mess. Make him listen to

you, Tom. It ain't right, all this fuss over one

sheeny. Let Caspar have Bernie--Jesus, what's

one Hebrew more or less?

He nods at the building.

. . . We're burning our mealticket here.

Tom

Leo'll do what suits him, and you'll do what he

tells you. Last I heard Leo's still running this

town.

O'Gar

He won't be for long if this keeps up. It's no

good for anyone--you said as much yourself.

Tom

First off, O'Gar, I can say what I please to Leo

and about him. . .

He taps him on the chest.

. . . You can't. Second, once Leo decides--

that's that. And if that sticks going down,

there are plenty of other coppers wouldn't mind

being chief, and could swallow it clean.

O'Gar looks chastened.

O'Gar

Jesus, Tom, I was just speculatin' about a

hypothesis. I know I don't know nothin'. It's

just a damn mess is all--

He is interrupted by gunfire from an upper story of the

facing building.

O'Gar's men react, finding cover, returning the fire.

O'Gar unholsters his gun as he and Tom scramble for cover.

. . . a goddamn mess.

23. HALLWAY

We are shooting over Tom's shoulder as he knocks at the

door to Verna's apartment.

After a beat, Verna opens the door.

On seeing who it is she starts to swing the door shut.

Tom puts his toe in the doorway and leans into the door.

As he pushes his way in:

Tom

Thanks, don't mind if I do.

24. INT APARTMENT

As Verna gives up and Tom enters.

Verna walks over to the phone. As she dials, Tom tosses

his hat onto a chair and checks the apartment to see if

they're alone.

Verna

Hello, officer, I'd like to report an intruder at

346 West--

Tom grabs the phone away from her.

Tom

Who's this?. . . 'Lo, Shad, Tom Duchaisne here.

We won't be needing any today. . . That's right,

my mother. She didn't recognize me. Lemme talk

to Mulvaney.

He takes a flask out of his packet and looks across the

room towards Verna.

. . . Miss me?

Verna

Drop dead.

We hear a voice barking through the line and Tom turns back

to the phone.

Tom

. . . 'Lo Sean, tell O'Car to send a car over to

Leo's tonight. If we're going to be banging away

at Caspar we ought to be ready for him to bang

back. . . Yeah.

He hangs up the phone and tips the flask back, draining the

last drop.

Verna

What do you want?

Tom is crossing to the bar.

Rate this script:5.0 / 2 votes