Mobsters Page #17

AND WE HEAR:

the BLAT! BLAT! BLAT! of machine gun fire shattering glass.

Tires squeal. Bystanders scream and stampede. A basso voice

howls, then gurgles as life drains out. A man struggles

against an onslaught of long knives, furniture crashing,

steel tearing flesh. A room explodes. Sirens wail. A dozen

police radios crackle with urgent calls. A hundred keening

widows screech their lamentations as a hundred shovels break

the earth. A Sicilian brass band bleats a funeral march.

CUT TO:

TWO WATCHFUL BODYGUARDS - DAY

posed like bookends on either side of the entrance to

Charlie's apartment building. Luciano emerges from the lobby

with Lansky, the guards falling in behind them as they move

down the street.

AT A CORNER NEWSSTAND

Charlie scoops up the New York Mirror. The tabloid headline

screams. "BLOOD FLOWS IN GANG WAR", over a photo of the bullet-

ridden remains of Albert Scalise slumped in a gutter.

LUCIANO:

Ain't nuttin' looks worse than a

stiff laid up in the street.

A CADILLAC LIMOUSINE PULLS TO THE CURB

next to the newsstand. Four men climb out and keep a watchful

eye in all directions. A second limo pulls up behind it.

It's armour plated doors and bullet proof windows remain

closed. A third limo pulls up after the second. Sonny Catania

climbs out.

OUTSIDE THE THIRD LIMO

Charlie's Bodyguards lead a reluctant Catania back toward

the apartment building as Luciano and Lansky climb into the

limo.

LUCIANO:

Sonny, you better hope you Boss needs

you more than he wants me dead.

CUT TO:

INT:
STAKE-OUT APARTMENT - DAY

In the bedroom, bare save a mattress on the floor and a chair

by the window, a Young Tough fights to stay awake as he

watches the courtyard and the street beyond. A dog roams the

room.

IN THE BATHROOM - AN OLDER TOUGH

sits on the toilet, reading an Italian newspaper.

IN THE BEDROOM:

the dog pauses by the mattress and lifts its leg. The Young

Tough leaps from his chair at the sound.

YOUNG TOUGH:

(IN ITALIAN)

NO! Get away you dirty bastard!

The dog jumps away from the mattress, moving right, then

left, determined to avoid the blows.

CUT TO:

EXT:
STREET IN FRONT OF APARTMENT - SAME

The three limousines pull up to the curb. The men from the

first car run to the second limo, forming a phalanx around

Masseria as he climbs out and heads into the courtyard.

Catania, Luciano, and Lansky follow behind.

CUT TO:

INT:
STAKE-OUT APARTMENT - SAME

Hearing cars on the street, the Young Tough runs to the

window.

YOUNG TOUGH:

(IN ITALIAN)

Giovanni! It's Masseria!

The Older Tough scrambles out of the bathroom, struggling

with his pants as he grabs for his gun. He reaches the window

just as Masseria disappears into the foyer across the

courtyard.

CUT TO:

INT:
MASSERIA SAFE HOUSE APARTMENT - SAME

A dark, musty space. Barely furnished. Dirty brown roller

blinds pulled down over the windows, shutting out light and

prying eyes. Masseria spills over a stout leather armchair,

his men posed in the corners of the room like Nubian guards.

Luciano and Lansky sit opposite.

MASSERIA:

Ya can do business with a guy a long

time and still have no idea what

gets his dick hard. Then, somethin'

happens, and he shows himself like

one of Minsky's broads. Then ya know

that fella.

LANSKY:

The worms'll be feastin' on that fat

gut of yours before Charlie Luciano

shows his ass.

MASSERIA:

That's just my problem.

LUCIANO:

If I wanted ta kill ya, I woulda

done it long ago. It's not like you

ain't given me reason.

MASSERIA:

I'm still the Boss of All the Bosses!

And you'll do what I say!

LUCIANO:

So tell me when I ain't done it.

MASSERIA:

How can I trust you when you look at

me like that?

LUCIANO:

You got no f***in' choice. You might

be able to stay alive, but you're

never gonna win the war from these

f***in' rat holes.

MASSERIA:

(pleading)

Tell me, Charlie. Please.

LUCIANO:

Why should I go against you, Boss?

Nobody can handle this business like

you. Maranzano'll never know the

crap that you forget. He's got no

business bein' Boss. The idea makes

me wanna puke. You're the Boss, an

it's gonna stay that way.

Masseria relaxes in the bosom of flattery. A broad smile

lights up his ugly mug.

MASSERIA:

So today, maybe I don't kill you Mr.

Lucky Luciano.

CUT TO:

INT:
APARTMENT FOYER - DAY

Luciano, Lansky, and Masseria stand aside in the elevator,

allowing the Guards to move ahead into the foyer.

MASSERIA:

Ain't had a decent meal in weeks.

This f***in' war's gonna have me

skin and bones like you boys.

INT:
STAKE-OUT APARTMENT - SAME

The windows overlooking the courtyard stand open, the winter

air gusting into the room. The two Toughs stand to either

side of the windows, hidden from view, shotguns at the ready.

IN THE COURTYARD - THE GUARDS

cluster by the entrance to the foyer. As the limousines appear

at the curb, one of them taps on the foyer door. Lansky steps

into the courtyard, and follows the guards to the street.

Charlie steps into the doorway, blinking against the harsh

midday light. He looks carefully up and down the courtyard,

then signals for Masseria.

AS CHARLIE STEPS ASIDE TO LET MASSERIA PASS

He spots the open windows on the third floor opposite, the

only ones open on a cold day. As Masseria steps through the

door, Charlie throws himself at the Boss, sending them both

tumbling backwards into the foyer. Shotgun BLASTS tear the

door apart, as Masseria shimmies backwards across the floor

of the foyer.

CHARLIE:

edges up to the wall, breaks out a tiny window onto the court,

and shoots up at the third floor.

ONE OF THE GUARDS

Charges up the courtyard from the street, only to be knocked

over by a shotgun blast. The other Guards stop in their

tracks.

DISGUSTED - LANSKY

grabs a shotgun from one of the Guards. Runs down the street

to the corner and around toward the alley.

THE TWO TOUGHS:

throw their weapons to the floor, sprint to the kitchen, and

on down the rear service staircase, followed closely by the

dog.

THEY DASH ALONG A NARROW PASSAGEWAY

that runs alongside the building, darting between garbage

cans, man's best friend still in hot pursuit.

AT THE END OF THE PASSAGEWAY

The Older Tough scales a tall chain link fence. As he throws

his leg over the top, Lansky jumps out from behind a wall

and blows the man's face clean off his skull. His body topples

backwards, landing at the feet of the Young Tough.

AS THE YOUNG TOUGH BACKS UP

Lansky shoves the barrel of the shotgun through the fence,

and blasts him in the chest. The dog yaps threateningly at

Meyer.

IN THE FOYER - MASSERIA

moves cautiously toward the door, where Charlie stands, as

the Guards outside shout confused instructions to one another.

MASSERIA:

These fools would have me dead.

Anything, Charlie. Tell me what you

want.

Charlie grabs Masseria playfully by the back of his fat neck,

then kisses him Sicilian style, full on the lips.

LUCIANO:

Trust me.

CUT TO:

EXT:
THE BRONX ZOO - DAY

A cold, overcast day. The place nearly deserted. Luciano,

Lansky, Siegel, and Costello wait in front of the lions'

cages.

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