The Godfather Page #13

MICHAEL radiates danger...SONNY stops laughing.

INT DAY:
CLEMENZA'S CELLAR (WINTER 1945)

CLOSE on a revolver.

CLEMENZA (O.S.)

It's as cold as they come,

impossible to trace.

(he turns it upside down)

Don't worry about prints Mike, I

put a special tape on the trigger

and butt. Here.

(he hands the gun to

another pair of hands)

Whatsamatter? Trigger too tight.

(it fires:
very LOUD)

I left it noisy, so it'll scare any

pain-in-the-neck innocent bystander

away.

MICHAEL is alone with CLEMENZA in a cellar workshop.

CLEMENZA:

Just let your hand drop to your

side, and let the gun slip out.

Everybody will still think you got

it. They'll be starin' at your

face, see? Then walk out of the

place real fast, but don't run.

Don't look anybody directly in the

eye, but don't look away from them

neither. Hey, they'll be scared

stiff o you, believe me. Nobody's

gonna bother with you. Don't worry

about nothing; you'd be surprised

how good these things go. O.K.,

put your hat on, let's see how you

look. Helps with identification.

They put the hat on; CLEMENZA adjusts it.

CLEMENZA:

Mostly it gives witnesses an excuse

to change their identification when

we make them see the light. Then

you take a long vacation and we

catch the hell.

MICHAEL:

How bad will it be?

CLEMENZA:

Probably all the other families

will line up against us. But, it's

alright. These things have to

happen once every ten years or

so...gets rid of the bad blood.

You gotta stop 'em at the beginning.

Like they shoulda stopped Hitler at

Munich, they shoulda never let him

get away with that, they were just

asking for big trouble...

INT DAY:
DON'S HALL & LIVING ROOM (WINTER 1945)

MICHAEL steps into the foyer of the main house. A card

table is set up with a man playing cards with three of the

Corleone buttonmen.

He continues into the living room. It's a mess. SONNY

asleep on the sofa. On the coffee table are the remains of

a take-out Chinese food dinner, and a half-empty bottle of

whisky. The radio is playing.

MICHAEL:

Why don't you stop living like a

bum and get this place cleaned up.

SONNY:

What are you, inspecting the

barracks?

(SONNY sits up with

his head in his hands)

You ready? Did Clemenza tell you

be sure to drop the gun right away?

MICHAEL:

A million times.

SONNY:

Sollozzo and McCluskey are going to

pick you up in an hour and a half

on Times Square, under the big

Camels sign.

HAGEN:

We don't let Mike go until we have

the hostage, Sonny.

CLEMENZA:

It's okay...the hostage is outside

playing pinochle with three of my

men.

The phone rings in the DON's office.

SONNY:

That could be a Tattaglia informer

with the meeting place.

INT DAY:
DON'S OFFICE (WINTER 1945)

HAGEN has hurried into the Den to get the phone; the OTHERS

move in.

HAGEN's on the phone; he writes something down.

SONNY:

One of Tattaglia's people?

HAGEN:

No. Our informer in McCluskey's

precinct. Tonight at 8:00 he

signed out for Louis' Restaurant in

the Bronx. Anyone know it.

TESSIO:

Sure, I do. It's perfect for us.

A small family place with big

booths where people can talk in

private. Good food. Everybody

minds their business. Perfect.

(he moves to the desk

and makes a crude drawing)

This is the entrance, Mike. When

you finish just walk out and turn

left, then turn the corner.

Clemenza, you gotta work fast to

plant the gun. They got an old-

fashioned toilet with a space

between the water container and the

wall. We can tape the gun behind

there.

CLEMENZA:

Mike, they're gonna frisk you in

the car. You'll be clean so they

won't worry 'bout nothing. In the

restaurant, wait and talk a while,

and then ask permission to go. See?

Then when you come out, don't waste

time; don't sit down...you come out

blasting. And don't take chances.

In the head, two shots apiece. And

out as fast as your legs can move.

SONNY:

I want somebody very good, very

safe to plant that gun. I don't

want my brother coming out of that

toilet with just his dick in his

hand.

CLEMENZA:

The gun will be there.

SONNY:

(to MICHAEL, warmly)

You're on, kid...I'll square it

with Mom your not seeing her before

you left. And I'll get a message

to your girl friend when I think

the time is right.

CLEMENZA:

We gotta move...

MICHAEL:

O.K. How long do you think before

I can come back?

SONNY:

Probably a year...

HAGEN:

(starting to crack)

Jesus, I don't know...

SONNY:

Can you do it Mike?

MICHAEL moves out.

EXT NITE:
CAMELS SIGN (WINTER 1945)

The enormous "CAMELS" sign, puffing smoke, below it stands

MICHAEL, dressed in a warm overcoat, and wearing the hat

CLEMENZA had given him. A long black car pulls around the

corner and slows before him. The DRIVER, leaning over, open

the front door.

DRIVER:

Get in, Mike.

He does, the car drives off.

EXT NITE:
SOLLOZZO'S CAR (WINTER 1945)

Inside the car, SOLLOZZO reaches his hand over the back seat

and shakes MIKE's hand.

SOLLOZZO:

I'm glad you came, Mike. I hope we

can straighten everything out. All

this is terrible, it's not the way

I wanted things to happen at all.

It should never have happened.

MICHAEL:

I want to settle things tonight. I

want my father left alone.

SOLLOZZO:

He won't be; I swear to you be my

children he won't be. Just keep an

open mind when we talk. I hope

you're not a hothead like your

brother, Sonny. It's impossible to

talk business with him.

McCLUSKEY grunts.

MCCLUSKEY:

He's a good kid. He's all right.

Turn around, up on your knees,

facing me.

He gives MICHAEL a thorough frisk.

MCCLUSKEY:

I'm sorry about the other night

Mike. I'm getting too old for my

job, too grouchy. Can't stand the

aggravation. You know how it is.

He's clean.

EXT NITE:
SOLLOZZO'S CAR - WEST SIDE HIGHWAY (WINTER 1945)

MICHAEL looks at the DRIVER and then ahead to see where

they're heading.

The car takes the George Washington Bridge. MICHAEL is

concerned.

MICHAEL:

We're going to New Jersey?

SOLLOZZO:

(sly)

Maybe.

MICHAEL closes his eyes.

EXT NITE:
SOLLOZZO'S CAR ON G.W. BRIDGE (WINTER 1945)

The car speeds along the George Washington Bridge on its way

to New Jersey. Then suddenly it hits the divider,

temporarily lifts into the air, and bounces over into the

lanes going back to New York. It then hits it very fast, on

the way back to the city.

EXT NITE:
SOLLOZZO'S CAR (WINTER 1945)

SOLLOZZO checks to see the cars that had been following, and

then leans to the DRIVER.

SOLLOZZO:

Nice work; I'll remember it.

MICHAEL is relieved.

EXT NITE:
LUNA AZURA RESTAURANT (WINTER 1945)

The car pulls up in front of a little family restaurant in

the Bronx:
The "LUNA AZURA". There is no one on the street.

MICHAEL looks to see if the DRIVER is going to get out with

them. He gets out, and opens the door. SOLLOZZO, McCLUSKEY

and MICHAEL get out; the DRIVER remains leaning against the

car. They enter the restaurant.

INT NITE:
LUNA AZURA (WINTER 1945)

A very small family restaurant with a mosaic tile floor.

SOLLOZZO, MICHAEL and McCLUSKEY sit around a rather small

round table near the center of the room. There are empty

booths along the side walls; with a handful of CUSTOMERS,

and ONE or TWO WAITERS. It is very quiet.

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