The Hustler Page #14

EDDIE:

All right, then. I'll play him with my own

money.

He reaches in his pocket, then remembers that he gave his money to

Sarah.

EDDIE:

I'll be right back.

He bounds up the stairs.

CUT TO:

78 INT. UPSTAIRS COAT ROOM - NIGHT

He bursts into the room, goes past Sarah, stretched out on the bed, and

takes the money out of her purse. She is facing away from him but her

eyes are open. She listens to him as he shuts the door loudly on his

way out.

CUT TO:

79 INT. THE BILLIARD ROOM - NIGHT

Eddie leaps down the stairs, two at a time.

EDDIE:

Okay, c'mon. Let's play.

Bert eyes Eddie with controlled rage as the two get ready to play again.

DISSOLVE TO:

80 INT. BILLIARD ROOM - TIME LAPSE

A game has just ended as Sarah quietly descends the stairs. She stands

at the rail, listening.

EDDIE (o.s.)

There it is. I'm broke.

FINDLEY (o.s.)

Ah, that's unfortunate, Mr. Felson.

EDDIE (o.s.)

For who, Mr. Findley? ... Bert, he only beat me

by one point. Now, you can't get off me now.

BERT (o.s.)

The bank is closed.

Bert sits with his shoes up on the couch.

EDDIE:

Please don't get off me now.

BERT:

I know when to quit. You don't. Win or lose,

you don't know when to quit.

EDDIE:

(down on one knee)

What do you want me to do, huh? What do you

want me to do? Just say it and you got it but

PLEASE don't get off me now.

SARAH:

(from the stairs)

Don't beg him, Eddie.

Eddie turns and sees her.

EDDIE:

Go on back to the hotel.

SARAH:

Please, Eddie, don't beg him.

EDDIE:

Would you go on back to the hotel? Take a cab,

go on back to the hotel.

SARAH:

Doesn't all of this come through to you, Eddie?

Doesn't any of this mean anything to you? That

man, this place, the people. They wear masks,

Eddie. And underneath the masks they're

perverted, twisted, crippled.

EDDIE:

Shut up.

His eyes are shut tight; his balled-up fists rub against his temples.

SARAH:

(moving to him)

Don't wear a mask, Eddie. You don't have to.

(points to Bert)

That's Turk, Eddie, the man who broke your

thumbs. Only he's not going to break your

thumbs. He'll break your heart, your guts. And

for the same reason -- 'cause he hates you,

'cause of what you are. 'Cause of what you have

and he hasn't.

EDDIE:

(rises)

Would you get off my back, Sarah? Once and for

all, will you get out, will you GET OFF MY

BACK?!

There is a long pause.

BERT:

Go ahead and play him, Eddie. Play him for a

thousand dollars a game.

A stunned Eddie moves to the billiard table. Defeated, Sarah turns and

goes up the stairs. The men return to the table to continue their game.

Bert, deeply satisfied, puts on his coat and sits to watch the action.

DISSOLVE TO:

81 INT. FINDLEY'S DEN - TIME LAPSE

A shaken Findley flops into a leather swivel chair. A bucket of iced

champagne sits on the desk, ready to be emptied. Findley puffs on his

cigarette as he looks at the impatient face of Bert, slouching in the

chair across from him. Eddie leans against a wall nearby. He is quiet,

morose.

FINDLEY:

Will you take a check, Bert?

BERT:

(pause)

Cash.

FINDLEY:

How much do I owe you?

BERT:

Twelve thousand.

Findley reaches nervously for the bottle, gulps at his drink. Then he

unlocks his desk drawer and takes out the money. Eddie looks on as

Findley gives the money to Bert.

FINDLEY:

Here.

(to Eddie)

Been an interestin' evening.

EDDIE:

Yeah, sure has.

FINDLEY:

(to a valet)

Charles, will you call a cab for these

gentlemen, please.

(to Eddie)

I'd show you to the door, but I ...

EDDIE:

Oh yeah, yeah. You're tired.

(to Bert)

And beat.

FINDLEY:

Yeah. You must come again.

EDDIE:

Yeah. Sure.

Eddie moves to leave. Findley and Bert watch him go.

DISSOLVE TO:

82 INT. FINDLEY'S FOYER - NIGHT

Eddie waits for Bert to come down the stairs.

BERT:

There's your share. Three thousand.

CHARLES:

The cab's waiting.

BERT:

(tips him)

Oh, yeah. Here. Thanks ... C'mon, Eddie, let's

go.

EDDIE:

I wanna walk.

BERT:

It's a long walk.

EDDIE:

I got time, Bert.

BERT:

You want me to tell her for you?

EDDIE:

Tell her what?

BERT:

You gotta be hard, Eddie.

Eddie abruptly turns and walks out of the house. Bert watches him for

a moment then follows.

CUT TO:

83 INT. BERT'S HOTEL SUITE - LATE NIGHT

Bert enters his suite, removes his overcoat, then looks at the door

that divides his room from Sarah's. He seems hesitant, unsure of

himself. He pours himself a drink and downs it in one gulp, walks to

the door, listens, and opens it himself without knocking. Sarah is

there, seated primly on the bed. There is a drink in her hand, and a

suitcase beside her on the bed. Bert enters her suite and confronts

her.

BERT:

When are you leaving?

Sarah's voice is subdued, controlled.

SARAH:

In a little while. That's what you want, isn't

it?

BERT:

It's what Eddie wants. He, uh, told me to give

you some money.

He stands over her, pulling a wad of bills from his pocket.

SARAH:

Put it on the bed. That's the way it's done,

isn't it?

BERT:

(tossing it there)

That's the way it's done.

SARAH:

And the way you're looking at me, is that the

way you look at a man you've just beaten? As if

you'd just taken his money, and now all you

want is ... his pride?

BERT:

All I want's the money.

SARAH:

Sure, sure, just the money, and the

aristocratic pleasure of seeing him fall apart.

You're a Roman, Bert. You have to win them all.

He picks her up and tries to kiss her but she is cold and limp in his

arms, so he lets go and she drops back on the bed. Then he turns and

walks back into his room. She waits for a moment. Then she takes a

cigarette out of a pack, gets up, and goes into his room.

SARAH:

(at the door)

You got a drink?

DISSOLVE TO:

84 INT. BERT'S HOTEL SUITE - TIME LAPSE

In the bathroom mirror we see Bert asleep on his bed. The sheets are

rumpled and tossed about. Then we see Sarah, in her slip, enter the

bathroom and shut the door. She takes out her lipstick and scrawls

across the image of herself in the glass "Perverted, twisted,

crippled." She underlines the word "crippled."

DISSOLVE TO:

85 INT. HOTEL LOBBY - EARLY MORNING

Eddie is just getting back. He walks through the lobby, ignoring the

uniformed policeman standing nearby, and stops at the desk.

EDDIE:

Give me my key, please. Room fifty-seven.

The concierge stares dumbly.

EDDIE:

Well, c'mon, give me my key.

The concierge hands it to him. Eddie walks quickly toward the elevators.

DISSOLVE TO:

86 INT. HOTEL SUITE - TIME LAPSE

He enters, sees the money on Sarah's bed, puts down his cue case, and

turns to see a crowd in the adjoining room. Bert, laying in bed, talks

to a plainclothesman who stands over him, taking notes. A photographer

with a flash camera stands by the bathroom.

PLAINCLOTHESMAN:

Now, let's go over this again. You say you

were in the other room...

BERT:

No, she closed the door. I told you she closed

the door. I was in the other room. She closed

the door, went in there, maybe, I don't know,

ten minutes, five minutes...

Bert stops when he sees Eddie through the open door. A uniformed

policeman bars Eddie's entrance.

BERT:

(to the policeman)

Hey. Let him come in, huh?

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