Miller's Crossing Page #12

BEDROOM DOOR:

From inside as--CRASH--it is kicked in.

LEO:

Hitting the floor and rolling under the bed.

THE TWO GUNMEN:

Striding into the room.

LEO:

On his belly under the bed, facing the door, swinging a

handgun in front of him.

HIS POV:

From floor level, the bottom of the mattress above us, the

floorboards stretching away.

The bed crops the two gunmen mid-shin as they swing their

guns up, firing.

RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT--the hems of their coats sway as they fire.

The floorboards in front of us are pocked by bullet hits

that walk across the floor towards the bed and hit the

mattress.

The mattress above us dances under the gunfire as ticking

sprays down at the floor.

Smoke curls up throuch the floorboards.

LEO:

Jaw clamped on his cigar, he starts firing.

HIS POV:

Blood spurts as one gunman takes a hit in the ankle.

He staggers and his tommy gun clatters to the floor.

LEO:

Still firing.

HIS POV:

The other gunman is ducking out the door.

The injured gunman pitches forward, head towards us, his

hat rolling off.

LEO:

Firing.

HIS POV:

A bullet hit in the top of the fallen man's head.

LEO:

Rolling out from under the bed.

He stoops to pick up the dead man's tommy gun. Thick smoke

seeps up through the floor.

The phonograph plays.

Leo ducks through another door.

28. HALLWAY

Facing down the length of the dark hallway, towards the

mouth of the stairs.

As Leo leaps across frame in the foreground, to enter a

facing room, muzzle flashes erupt at the end of the hall--

where the other gunman has been waiting in the darkness.

29. SECOND ROOM

Leo throws open a window.

30. EXT

As Leo rolls out onto the long sloping eave of a front

porch.

His gun skates down the eave and falls. Leo grabs the rain

gutter, hangs by his hands and drops down to the front

lawn.

The first floor of the house is in flames.

From a high angle the camera swoops down on Leo as he picks

up the gun and backs away from the house, looking up at the

second story. His open robe flaps in the breeze. The dead

cigar is still clamped between his teeth.

LEO'S POV

The second floor window that he just emerged from.

Staccato gunfire erupts in the dark room.

The strobing gunfire makes a strobing shadow of the gunman,

whose back is to us as he rakes the room with fire.

LEO:

Firing, the gun jumping and bucking in his hands.

29. INSIDE THE ROOM

The gunman, riddled with bullets and showered with broken

glass, spins around, his thompson still firing uncontrol-

lably.

Bullets dance across the walls and ceiling, blast out the

remaining glass and sing harmlessly into the trees outside.

BACK TO LEO:

As we hear the screech of skidding tires. A black coupe

takes a curve on the street behind him, machine gun fire

spitting out of the back window.

Leo turns, in the glow of the fanning flames, walking

calmly into the street, firing at the receeding car.

ON THE CAR:

Growing smaller, still snitting fire and lead.

PULLING LEO:

Still walking calmly up the street, the gun still bucking

in his hands. Bullets whistle by and claw up the pavement

around him.

BEHIND LEO:

His robe whips back in the breeze. He fires again and we

hear the distant sound of shattering glass. The car

weaves, runs up off the road, hits a tree and bursts into

flame.

A figure emerges from the car and staggers off into the

darkness. He is on fire.

CLOSE ON LEO:

As he stops, squinting, raising the gun.

HIS POV:

The burning gunman zig-zagging into the darkness.

BACK TO LEO:

A faint smile curls around the cigar. He drops the muzzle

of the gun.

Leo

Huhh. . .

The shell of the car explodes in a fireball as we:

31. CUT TO:

UPSTAIRS HALLWAY SHENANDOAH CLUB

The explosion echoes over the cut as we track up the

hallway behind Tom and a tall cadaverous man with pre-

maturely white hair. This is Dead Terry McGill.

Gunmen of every description line the hallway, lounging

against the walls, barely acknowledging the two men.

Tom

Who's winning?

Terry

We are, for the nonce.

Tom

What's the disposish?

Terry

Last night? Four to one. Dana Cudahy went up

with the house.

Tom

And theirs?

Terry

One burned.

Tom

The other three?

Terry

Lead.

Tom

Whose?

Terry

Leo's.

He is opening the door to admit Tom. In a low, gravelly

voice:

. . . The old man's still an artist with a

thompson.

32. INT LEO'S OFFICE

As Tom enters.

Leo is bellowing into the phone:

Leo

--well find him, goddamnit! Go see if he fell in

the john! And get him, over here!

He slams down the phone.

. . . Sonofabitch! No chief! Who's running the

goddamned store?

Tom goes to the bar to pour himself a drink.

Tom

Can't raise O'Gar?

Leo

No, nor the mayor either.

Tom

Hmm.

He takes a sip.

. . . That's not good. They're running.

Leo

They wouldn't dare.

Tom

I don't know, Leo. I warned you not to hit

Caspar's club--

Leo

I'm still here, ain't I?

Tom

Caspar's play hurt you anyway.

Leo

Hah! That sorry sonofabitch just slit his own

throat. He just made me decide to step on him--

Tom

Listen to me Leo. Last night made you look

vulnerable. You don't hold elected office in

this town. You run it because people think you

run it. Once they stop thinking it, you stop

running it.

Leo

Jesus, Tom, sounds like a bad break for me I

wasn't killed.

Tom

I mean it, Leo. Start taking Caspar seriously.

Leo

Don't sing me the blues again, Tommy. I need

your help. He shoots, we gotta answer--

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