The Italian Job Page #8

INT. GUARD HOUSE -INTERCUT

A SECURITY GUARD answers the intercom.

SECURITY GUARD:

What can I do for you, Mister Frezelli?

STEVE:

The cable's out. See if you can get

someone over here to fix it'.

SECURITY GUARD:

Yes, sir.

He finds the number and dials.

INT. CABLE TRUCK (PARKED) -MORNING

Lyle monitors a digital copy of the security guard's call

that's being routed to his laptop. Then he takes off his

headphones and tells Charlie and Stella:

LYLE:

Whoa. I've never heard the Muzak version

of Purple Haze before.

CHARLIE:

When's the.appointment?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

LYLE:

Thursday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Charlie dials a number on his cell phone.

INT. GUARD HOUSE -INTERCUT

The security guard answers the phone.

SECURITY GUARD:

Hello.

CHARLIE:

Yes, I'm calling from Adelphia Cable. I

understand your service is out and an

appointment was set up for Thursday.

SECURITY GUARD:

Yes.

CHARLIE:

Well we have a technician working in your

area who finished with an appointment

earlier than expected. Will someone be

there for the next hour?

SECURITY GUARD:

Sure. That'd be great.

CHARLIE:

Our technician will see you then. Have a

nice day.

SECURITY GUARD:

You too.

Charlie hangs up.

CHARLIE:

Let's check the camera.

LYLE:

Stella, you're going patriotic today.

Lyle puts an American flag pin on her work shirt. Then he

hits keys on his laptop and an image pops up on his monitor

via an RF antenna: the POV of the pin.

CHARLIE:

He's got cable lines in the kitchen,

living room, bedroom and a cable modem on

the computer in the office.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

CHARLIE (CONT'D)

Try to get a 360 look at each room. And

walk slowly or the image will streak.

Lyle hands her some papers.

LYLE:

I printed these up to look like paperwork

from Adelphia. When you're done, ask him

to sign and date the bottom.

Stella looks very tense.

CHARLIE:

How you doing?

STELLA:

Fine. I'm fine.

Charlie seems amused by that answer.

CHARLIE:

You know what .fine, stands for? Fuckedup,

Insecure —

Stella joins in with him...

STELLA & CHARLIE

Neurotic and Emotional.

They look at each other a moment...and smile.

INT. RENTAL CAR (MOVING) -DAY

While the others deal with the cable, Handsome Rob and Half-

Ear drive down Sunset.

HALF-EAR

Here's our spot.

They pull up in front of a strip joint.

HANDSOME ROB:

Girls girls girls.

Half-Ear pulls a switchblade out of his boot and puts it in

the glove compartment. Handsome Rob gives him a questioning

look.

HALF-EAR

Philly Steak said we'd be frisked.

INT. STRIP CLUB -DAY

Outside the doorway of a back room they're frisked by a BURLY

MAN. He's very thorough, digging hard into their crotches.

HANDSOME ROB:

(scowls)

Y'got a great job.

BURLY MAN:

Pays the rent, a**hole. You got a

problem, talk to Skinny Pete.

He opens the door to the —

INT. BACK ROOM

Where we meet SKINNY PETE, who is the FATTEST MAN YOU'VE EVER

SEEN. He takes up an entire couch in the rear of the room.

His catcher's-mitt-sized hands motion them to come closer.

SKINNY PETE:

Philly Steak sent you?

His voice is raspy, it's like a climbing-ten-floors-effort

just for this guy to get out the words.

HALF-EAR

That's right.

SKINNY PETE:

So was I right-on about the gold bricks

or what?

HALF-EAR

That's really not what I'm here to talk

about. Philly Steak said you could get

us some supplies.

The fattest man you've ever seen attempts a nod, triple-chins

colliding like a train wreck.

SKINNY PETE:

What do you need?

HALF-EAR

A four inch can of Nitramon. Nitramon

primer. Detonating cord. Two triple

charger chemical grenades. Launcher.

SKINNY PETE:

Nine p.m.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUEDONTINUED:

HANDSOME ROB:

Should we hang here? Check out the

dancers?

SKINNY PETE:

Nothing's going down here. I don't sh*t

in my own yard, do you?

HANDSOME ROB:

No, but I take a whizz off the deck

sometimes.

With his distended belly and bursting shirt, his eyes glazing

with repletion, Skinny Pete writes down an address.

SKINNY PETE:

Five thousand dollars. And don't be

late.

CUT TO:

INT. SECURITY GUARD BOOTH -DAY

Looking at a monitor, one of Steve's security guards sees the

Adelphia repair truck pull up to the gate. He hits a button

and the gate rises, beckoning it inside.

INT. CABLE TRUCK (MOVING)

Stella heads up the driveway, apprehension painted on her

features. Lyle is hidden in the back.

She parks next to the Ferrari and finds herself surrounded by

the four Rottweilers. They snarl and flash their teeth

outside her door until a shrill WHISTLE yanks their attention

to —

EXT. STEVE'S HOUSE

where Steve has just stepped out the front door. The dogs

immediately back off.

Stella gets out of the truck as Steve walks over, smiling at

her.

She comes face to face with the man who killed her father.

STEVE:

It's all right. They won't bother you

now.

She's not sure she's going to be able to speak or pull this

off.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

STELLA:

It's okay. I'm used to running into all

sorts of dogs on my job.

He holds out a hand.

STEVE:

I'm Steve.

STELLA:

Becky.

She shakes his hand. She hates this, feeling his skin touch

hers, but she can't betray her feelings. He stands there a

moment.

STELLA (CONT'D)

You want to show me the problem?

STEVE:

Yeah. Course. This way.

INT. STEVE'S HOUSE -SAME TIME

She enters, moving her body to give the pinhole camera a full

sweep of the entryway.

STELLA:

I'd like to check the cable modem first.

INT. BACK OF THE CABLE REPAIR TRUCK -SAME TIME

Lyle watches Stella and Steve on his laptop via the pinhole

camera and hears them talking through his headphones.

INT. HALLWAY -INTERCUT

Steve leads Stella down the marbled hall.. .

STEVE:

I'll show you.

They step into the —

OFFICE:

She turns her body so the mini-lens can stare at the gleaming

black Worthington 1000 safe. Then she goes up to his desk

and pretends to work on the cable line that feeds into his

computer.

He stares at her as she bends down.. .

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

STEVE:

The cable guy who hooked this up weighed

about 300 pounds, didn't wear any

underwear, and his pants slung a little

too low if you know what I mean.

She tries her best to ignore his flirtatious stare and his

words.

STELLA:

There we go. Now onto the TVs.

INT. BACK OF THE CABLE TRUCK -DAY

Lyle sees a perfect view of the main hallway as Stella walks

down it.

INT. LIVING ROOM -DAY

He escorts her inside. She works on the cable connection to

the plasma TV. Finishes.

STEVE:

Is it fixed?

STELLA:

Turn it on and see.

EXT. OPORTO DRIVE -SAME TIME

Back at the spot where Charlie disconnected the cable.

Wearing a headset with a mic, he gets the word from Lyle —

LYLE (V.O.)

Now.

Charlie reconnects the cable just as —

INT. LIVING ROOM

Steve turns on the TV and the picture is —

STEVE:

Perfect.

STELLA:

Then it looks like you're all set.

Steve stares at her a moment.

STEVE:

Have we met before?

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