The Grifters
- R
- Year:
- 1990
- 110 min
- 1,444 Views
FADE IN:
AN ANGLE establishing the race track, Ruidoso Downs
(pronounced Ree-oh-do-so), set among the beautiful mountains
of New Mexico's Lincoln National Forest, as a white Chrysler
turns in with a stream of cars moving toward the parking
area.
AN ANGLE through the open driver-side window of the Chrysler
at LILLY DILLON, 39 but looking younger, beautiful but cold
and watchful.
WIDE SHOT, track in b.g. as Lilly parks the Chrysler, gets
out, locks the car. As she walks toward the track, WIPE
RIGHT, as SCENE TWO WIPES IN from the left. SCENE ONE CAMERA
FOLLOWS Lilly as she walks across the large parking area.
SPLIT SCREEN.
SCENE TWO:
Downtown Los Angeles, near the courts and the business
section. ROY DILLON, 25, handsome and charming but self
indulgent, parks his orange Honda convertible, gets out,
picks up a large ledger book from the back seat, goes around
to open the trunk.
AN ANGLE on the trunk, establishing the tools of the
salesman's trade: catalogs, samples, ledgers full of manuals
and product sheets. Roy adds the ledger from the back seat,
shuts the trunk, walks away.
EXT. 6TH STREET - DAY
Roy walks around the corner near a bar/restaurant. As he
approaches it, WIPE LEFT, the two half-width scenes
contracting to one-third each as SCENE THREE WIPES IN from
the right.
SCENE ONE:
Lilly approaches the track's entrance doors.SCENE TWO:
Roy approaches the bar.SCENE THREE:
EXT. SANTA MONICA BOULEVARD - DAY
A baby blue Cadillac parks in front of a jeweler.
AN ANGLE on the driver's door as MYRA LANGTRY, 36, beautiful
in an impersonal calculating way, gets out, carrying a small
jewelry care, and locks the car. At first glance, Myra looks
rather like Lilly. (Myra always wears large dangly earrings,
and usually wears big-lensed dark sunglasses.)
SIMULTANEOUSLY:
SCENE ONE:
Lilly enters the track.SCENE TWO:
Roy enters the bar.SCENE THREE:
Myra enters the jeweler's.WIPE RIGHT AND LEFT, as SCENE TWO takes FULL SCREEN.
INT. BAR - DAY
AN ANGLE on a hurried bartender in a full bar, crowded with a
NOISY lunchtime crowd. In b.g., Roy slithers his way to the
bar, waving a bill in the air to attract the bartender's
attention.
AN ANGLE on Roy as the bartender comes to him. Roy puts the
bill on the bar, holding it down with one finger, as he
SHOUTS his order. The bartender looks down.
BARTENDER'S POV:
Roy's finger holds down a twenty dollarbill.
AN ANGLE steep over Roy's shoulder, the twenty visible, as
the bartender hurries away to get the drink. Roy's hand makes
a fist, swallowing the twenty, opens, pushing a ten out onto
the bar, holding it there with one finger.
AN ANGLE on the bartender returning with a draft beer,
nodding to other ORDERS shouted to him along the way, putting
the beer down, grabbing the bill without looking at it,
hurrying away.
AN ANGLE on Roy, content, smiling, sipping his beer.
AN ANGLE on the bartender, hurrying by, slapping Roy's change
down, moving on, Roy nodding acknowledgement, reaching out.
CU, the change, a ten dollar bill on top. Roy's hand closes
over it.
WIDE SHOT, the tote board at the track, showing the shifting
odds on the horses for the next race, the amounts bet.
CLOSE SHOT, number 3. Not much bet, odds 70-1.
AN ANGLE on Lilly, frowning at the tote board. She carries a
large heavy shoulder-bag, which she opens, looking in it as
though it were a file drawer.
AN ANGLE on Lilly studying the contents of her bag, the track
beyond her, the mountains visible out beyond the track wall.
Lilly moves.
AN ANGLE on a high-dollar betting window, as Lilly
approaches, taking bank-banded wads of bills from her bag.
A change of numbers sweeps across the board.
Lilly moves away from the betting window, tucking betting
tickets into her bag.
ECU, Lilly's bag, compartmented, with stacks of money, small
envelopes and notes on notepaper in each compartment. Lilly
carefully files the betting slips.
AN ANGLE on Lilly looking out at the tote board.
CU, number 3. Odds 32-1.
AN ANGLE on Lilly, not satisfied. She turns and goes back.
AN ANGLE at the betting window as Lilly arrives and makes
more bets.
CU, number 3. Odds 32-1. CROWD NOISE INCREASES. The numbers
shift:
odds 26-1.CALLER (O.S.)
And they're off!
INT. JEWELER'S OFFICE - DAY
Very quiet, stately; abrupt contrast with the track. A slow
ticking clock.
Myra sits in the client's chair, while at the desk sits the
JEWELER, a pleasant but overweight man of 40, who studies a
jeweled bracelet through a loupe. He sighs, drops the loupe,
shakes his head regretfully.
JEWELER:
Mrs. Langtry, I'm sorry.
MYRA:
Why? What's wrong?
JEWELER:
(personal emotion mixed
in)
You are a valued customer, as you
know.
MYRA:
But what's wrong?
JEWELER:
I can't understand a thing like
this. It's something you almost
never see.
MYRA:
What is?
JEWELER:
(holding up bracelet)
This is some of the finest
filigreed platinum I've ever seen.
But the stones, no. They're not
diamonds, Mrs. Langtry.
MYRA:
But they must be! They cut glass!
JEWELER:
(wry)
Glass will cut glass, Mrs. Langtry.
Do you know where it was purchased?
An expensive hotel room, with a sunstruck day beyond the
windows. Myra, naked, a few years younger, sits cross-legged
on the bed and laughs at COLE "FARMER" LANGLEY, 55, stringy
bodied, who stands naked, his back to us, hands on hips,
presenting himself to Myra. She reaches forward, hand hidden
by his body as she lifts something that was hanging on
something at the front of him. She brings back the bracelet,
looks at it, is delighted, puts it on, and then leans forward
again toward the unmoving Cole, her head hidden by his body.
INT. JEWELER'S OFFICE - DAY
MYRA:
It was a gift. It isn't worth
anything at all?
JEWELER:
(warm, encouraging)
Why, of course it is. I can offer
you -- well, five hundred dollars.
Myra expected -- and needed -- a lot more. She's worried,
tense, but stuck. She nods.
MYRA:
All right.
JEWELER:
(rising)
I'll get you a check.
He leaves the room. Myra grimaces, in almost physical pain.
Another crowded lunchtime bar. A big beefy BARTENDER moves
quickly, carrying a draft beer.
AN ANGLE on Roy, in position, finger holding bill down, as
the bartender arrives, puts down the beer, reaches for the
bill, stops, stares at the bill.
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"The Grifters" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Nov. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/the_grifters_364>.
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