Year of the Dragon Page #3

...and died building the railroads

in this country. Says so right here.

Their bones are scattered all over

the West. We don't even know their names.

There's a photograph here.

Promontory Point, Utah, 1 869.

That's where the Union

and Central Pacific first met.

Take a look at it. What do you see?

What do you see? You

see the bosses. You...

see the politicians. You see the bankers.

You see the lrish workmen. There's

not one single, solitary Chinaman.

They weren't even asked to show up.

They died anonymous.

Goddamn people,

you keep everything a secret.

I know the story, captain.

most people don't. Because no one

remembers in this country.

No one remembers anything.

You sound just like my father.

- He sounds like a great guy.

What does he do?

He's in shipping. Now what's your story?

me? What's there to say?

I'm Polish.

I'm from Brooklyn. I'm a cop.

But I happen to be the most decorated cop

in the city of New York.

I'm talking action-decorated,

no desk citations here.

l'm sure about that.

- I saw you a few times on the tube.

I don't watch much television,

but I think you're pretty good.

And a whole lot sexier than

those broads on other channels.

Well, captain, very pleased

you've come. Hello.

Uncle Yung, you know Tracy Tzu?

- oh, yes. Very pleased you've come.

This is my wife, Su Shin.

Captain, do you like Chinese champagne?

This is very good.

This is on the house, huh?

Thanks, Harry, but no, thanks.

I pay my own way.

Fish stinks from the head, right?

The Chinese eat the head, captain.

Enjoy.

Let's go.

Looks like champagne, anyway.

I think you upset him.

- I certainly hope so.

Look at it this way.

Harry Yung...

...is the head of the richest tong

in Chinatown.

He's gotta be involved

in the Chinese mafia.

Even if he isn't doing anything,

he's gotta be doing something.

And if I can nail the son of a b*tch,

and he's got face, I get face.

And if I get face,

I can win the war in Chinatown.

Captain? Why did you call me?

What do you want?

I'll tell you what I want. I want

the rice to boil over in Chinatown.

I wanna change things.

Why? Is Chinatown so bad the way it is?

It stinks. Harry Yung's got this place

locked up like a jail.

Got a slave population of sweatshop

women working for 1 2 cents a piece.

You got shopkeepers paying bribes

to every punk that comes along.

You got 30 people living in a room.

You got the highest rate

of TB and mental illness...

...in any city neighborhood.

You got a male population--

Look, l'm a reporter.

I am not a crusader.

You're an actress. I can help you.

- How?

I'll give you hard facts off the record.

You do one of those

exposs on Chinatown.

one week you do

the gambling connection.

The next week you do

the youth gang extortion racket.

You move up the ladder

to the bosses that own the places.

You splash their faces on the tube.

Take a little journalistic license.

Each week we peel another layer

off the onion.

If it was some white broad, they'd say it's

racist. But with you, it's on the up and up.

This is outrageous. There are

boundaries, captain. Ethics.

The press is independent,

not just another undercover cop.

What you're asking is absurd.

It's almost criminal.

You wouldn't know a real criminal

if one bit you on the ass.

I don't think there's any point

in going on with this.

You sit down. You get smart.

And you listen to me.

Go f*** yourself.

Stanley.

Didn't see nothing happen.

Two men. Ski masks.

Ran up the stairs.

It was all over.

It's all right. It's all right.

It's all over now.

It's all right. It's all right.

Stop crying. Stop crying.

Stop crying.

Right?

our banking and shipping profits

are all down.

Gold prices are slumping,

our stocks are sluggish.

our commodities have slipped.

There's no new money coming in,

gentlemen.

Soon the Vietnamese will start competing

with our gambling profits.

And this new policeman...

...making rude noises about Chinatown

and justice, and all.

Right?

Then there's the matter with the ltalians.

It is perhaps time to consider ending

the old arrangement with them.

Do like they do. Sell directly

to the blacks and Puerto Ricans.

Good morning.

- Good morning, chief.

Good morning.

- morning, Frank.

morning, commissioner.

- morning, commissioner.

Anything to tell me on the Wild West show

at the Shanghai Palace last night?

Yes, sir.

our information is that it was

an East Broadway gang.

We're checking on it right now.

I wouldn't bet on that information, sir.

- You know something they don't?

No, sir, but just that our street information

in Chinatown hasn't been right so far.

We're the last ones to know

what's going on. The important thing is...

...both of these punks were hit,

and it's gonna be hard to hide.

And if I can get to them, and I will,

then I got one hand on their balls.

Captain White is speaking for himself, sir.

I don't care who he's speaking for.

I know this:

These punks are whacking out people

left and right. Tourists.

I just got my ass chewed out by the mayor,

who's mighty pissed off.

And so am l. What the hell has happened

to Chinatown? It was never like this.

The causes of this run deep, sir.

Be that as it may, I want this crap

stopped, and I want it stopped now...

...or heads are going to roll.

Am I making myself clear to you people?

Yes, boss.

You want some fast results,

commissioner, and no bullshit...

...Iet me have

one Chinese undercover cop...

...and I'll penetrate these f***ers.

What are you talking about?

You took this request to your C.o.?

- Yes, sir, and it was ignored.

As was my warning that the gutters

were gonna run red with blood.

The request is under consideration,

commissioner.

This kid he wants is a trainee.

He's already got six Chinese cops.

I got six too many.

I got six Chinese cops down there...

...no one talks to. They're like lepers.

This kid, Herbert Kwong, he's from China.

No one knows him down there.

And he don't know sh*t from Shinola.

He needs another 1 00 hours, minimum.

We don't have another 1 00 hours.

Give him what he wants. Now.

And get some results.

That's it.

Nobody does what you did in here.

Nobody.

Look down the muzzle of the gun.

make sure it's aligned with the target.

on the whistle, you're going

to fire six rounds...

...from the close-combat position

and freeze.

Your time limit is...

Are you sure about this?

- Yeah.

... three seconds for six rounds.

You will freeze in that position.

You will not move.

okay, see you.

How'd you get a name like Herbert?

my Chinese name is too complicated.

I looked in the phone book.

I found ' Herbert.'

You know anything about Go Joey Tai?

Harry Yung? Fred Hung?

Uncle milton Bin?

No, sir.

- Well, you're going to.

You're gonna put them to sleep at night,

wake them up in the morning.

I wanna know where they go, who they

see. When you're not doing that...

...you're gonna monitor a wiretap

on these guys.

Watch it, will you?

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