Miller's Crossing Page #3

From a small mirror behind the couch we see that we are in

the back room of a gambling establishment. The leavings of

a card game litter a table in the middle background.

Tom

. . . How'd I do?

Voice

What do you think. You're a millionaire. You

gonna remember your friends?

Tom reaches up to feel his head, and looks stupidly about.

Tom

. . . Where's my hat?

Voice

You bet it, ya moron. Good thing the game broke

up before you bet your shorts.

After a beat of staring at nothing in particular, Tom

abruptly lurches to his feet and staggers out of frame.

The other man sits heavily onto the couch that Tom has just

vacated. He is Fat Tony, a big man wearing an apron.

He watches as we hear Tom, offscreen, staggering across the

room, bumping into something which scrapes and then

clatters over, opening a door, staggering across tile, and

then vomiting.

Fat Tony watches with mild interest.

Finally:

Tom's Voice

. . . Who left with my hat?

Tony

Verna. Verna and Mink.

Tom

. . . Who?

Louder:

Tony

Mink and Verna.

Offscreen we hear a tap running.

Tom

. . . Thunderclap running tonight?

Tony

Yeah.

Tom

What's she leave at?

Tony

Three-to-one, more'n likely. Lay off, Tom. You

shouldn't go deeper in the hole.

Tom

Tell Lazarre I want five hundred on the nose.

Tony shrugs.

Tony

You would have it.

Tom

. . . Somebody hit me?

Tony

Yeah. Mink hit you.

Tom

. . . Whyzat?

Tony inspects a hangnail on his thumb.

Tony

You asked him to.

4. CUT TO:

A HALLWAY:

A loose shot looking over Tom's shoulder as he knocks on an

partment door. Head credits continue.

The door swings open and Verna, an attractive but hard-

looking woman in her late twenties or early thirties looks

coldly out at Tom.

Tom

(still slightly woozy)

Miss me?

Verna

You again. What now?

Tom

I want my hat.

Verna

. . . Is that all you came for?

Tom

Yeah. I want my hat.

Verna

I won it. It's mine.

Tom

What're you gonna do with it?

Verna

Drop dead.

She slams the door.

There is a long, motionless beat. Tom raises his hand and

knocks again, missing the door completely on his first try.

After a knock or two the door swings open again.

Tom

I need a drink.

Verna

Why didn't you say so.

She steps away from the door and Tom enters the apartment.

As the door clicks shut we cut to black, and the last of

the movie's head credits.

Music clays under the credits, mixed in with the woods

sounds we heard earlier. As the last of the credits is

fading to black we hear a distant knocking, and from black

we:

5. CUT TO:

CLOSE SHOT A FEDORA

Lying on a marble bureau top in a dark room. A gently

rippling cookie plays over it--light from a streetlamp

thrown through a curtained window. Reflected in the bureau

mirror behind the fedora we see the soft glow of a burning

cigarette.

REVERSE:

Tracking in on Tom, sitting in bed, smoking, staring at the

bureau. The rippling street light plays over him from the

window. We hear a distant knocking.

WIDER:

The bedroom, as Tom swings his legs around and gets out of

bed.

Tom throws on a dressing gown and leaves the bedroom

through its double oak pocket doors, closing the doors

behind him.

6. LIVING ROOM

Also dark, lit only by streetlight filtering in.

The knocking is louder here. Tom crosses the room,

silhouetted against the windows, to the apartment's front

door. Light fans in as he opens it.

Shiftng uncomfortably in the hallway is Leo, in an

overcoat and fedora.

Leo

'Lo, Tommy. Sorry about the hour.

Tom

I'll live. What's the rumpus?

Leo

Can i come in?

Tom thinks about this for the slightest beat.

Tom

Sure.

He lets Leo precede him into the living room.

Tom turns on a lamp that sits on a rolling bar.

. . . Drink?

Leo

I wouldn't mind. . . I tried calling earlier.

Tom

I got home late.

As Tom sits down facing Leo with two drinks:

Leo

Well. . . Sorry about the hour.

Tom

Uh-huh.

He waits, with no apparent impatience.

The older man is uncomfortable; he is having trouble

finding the words. Finally he lifts his glass and swallows

it in one gulp.

Leo

. . . Not bad. . .

Tom

Better than the paint we sell at the club.

Leo

That it is. . . That it is. . .

Tom

Thought about cutting Bernie loose?

Leo is shuffling his hat nervously from hand to hand.

Leo

Can't do it, Tommy, can't do it. . . That's sort

of why I'm. . . Tommy. . . I don't know where

Verna is.

Tom fixes him with a level stare, then takes a sip of his

drink.

Tom

Uh-huh.

Leo

I know what you're thinking: What else is new?

But the situation now, I'm worried. . .

Tom blows out air.

Tom

Verna can take care of herself. Maybe better

than you can.

Leo

What does that mean?

Tom stands up, takes Leo's glass and walks back over to the

bar.

Tom

Want another?

Leo

No. What does that mean?

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