American Bullshit By Eric Warren Singer 9/2/10 The following is a true story based on a whole lot of bullshit… EXT. STREET - OUTSKIRTS OF ATLANTIC CITY - NIGHT HIGH ANGLE OVER a dark street lined with industrial buildings and warehouses. Behind the street, The Jersey Turnpike --- we can see billboards advertising Atlantic City. A SILVER CADILLAC DEVILLE appears, rolls down the street, turns into the lot of the "Allied Amusements" warehouse and HONKS. SUPER: "December 29, 1979 - Atlantic City" INT. CADILLAC DEVILLE - CONTINUOUS MEL WEINBERG in the back seat stuffed in between TWO LARGE GINZO BONEBREAKERS. Immaculately dressed in a Pierre Cardin suit and overcoat, Mel's wearing a pair of gold Cazal eyeglasses with just enough tint to hide the fear in his eyes. SONNY BLITZ, a nattily dressed wiseguy, is behind the wheel. Riding shotgun is the Capo of this crew, DOMINICK CASALE, a stalwart man with the jovial facade of a grandfather. We see FIVE MOB GOONS emerge from the warehouse and approach. Blitz gets out, confers with the lead soldier and nods to the Bonebreaker on Mel's left who then opens the door and exits. Looking to Dom, Mel makes a silent appeal to him with his eyes but is ignored --- so he gets out. EXT. PARKING LOT - ALLIED AMUSEMENTS - CONTINUOUS Blitz flashes Mel a vicious grin as the Goons take custody of him and escort him towards the warehouse. INT. ALLIED AMUSEMENTS - SECONDS LATER MOVING with Mel as the Goons manhandle him through the dark warehouse filled with slot machines and arcade games --- down a flight of stairs --- through a door and into... INT. RUMPUS ROOM - ALLIED AMUSEMENTS - CONTINUOUS A formica wood-paneled rumpus room. Mel is ushered over to a card table seated at which is a little switchblade of a man, NICKY SCARFO. He’s reading the Wall Street Journal and marking his stock picks with a mechanical pencil. On the table: a plate of Italian cheese, a bottle of Barolo, glasses and the Milton Bradley Game of Operation ready to play. SCARFO You know who I am? Mel nods. Gesturing him to take a seat, Scarfo pours a glass of wine and slides it towards him. Mel declines. SCARFO (CONT'D) Well then try some of this Belicino --- MEL How about you just tell me what I’m doing here, Scarfo? 2. SCARFO Come on Mel, I insist. Try the goat cheese. It’s world famous... (slides plate towards Mel) Comes from my family’s farm in Sicily’s Belice Valley... Feigning disgust, Mel slides the plate back. SCARFO (CONT'D) What’s the problem? MEL I know a guy, a fuckin’ cheesemonger --- he told me all about the goat cheese from that part of Sicily. He says he won’t touch it. Says it’s tainted... SCARFO Fuck do you mean it’s tainted? MEL Tainted with that, uh, that animal disease, you know --- Anthrax... SCARFO What!? MEL Yeah. The cheesemonger says they got serious anthrax problems in that area of Sicily, like an epidemic, cause all the farmers there --- after they assfuck their goats they all assfuck each other. It’s like a vicious circle. Scarfo flashes a lethal grin and eats a piece of cheese. SCARFO You like to play games Mel? From the darkened, far corner of the room a lighter is ignited and a cigarette lit --- in the brief illumination Mel catches a glimpse of the dim outline of a SHADOW MAN seated in a chair. SCARFO (CONT'D) Friend of mine down in Florida -- you know the guy you’re into some business with -- he calls me the other day, says that you like to play games. This revelation hits Mel like a fucking sledgehammer --- and the fear that was contained begins to seep out. MEL Bullshit --- why would the guy in Florida say that you? SCARFO Cause he knows that I’m an avid gamesman myself and he thought that I’d enjoy playing with you. Monopoly, Clue, Parcheesi, Chutes and fucking (MORE) 3. SCARFO (CONT'D) Ladders --- I love ‘em all --- but the game I love the most is this one right here, Operation. (Beat) So whaddya say Mel, wanna play? MEL I don’t think so... SCARFO Mel, what do I do for a living? MEL --- You paint houses. SCARFO That’s right --- (slides him ‘Doctor’ cards) Now pick a fuckin’ card. Mel hesitantly picks the card: ‘WISHBONE, $300.’ SCARFO (CONT'D) Tough break. Wishbone’s a bitch. On edge, Mel takes the tweezers connected to the wire and plucks the Wishbone out without touching the metal. SCARFO (CONT'D) Bravo --- Scarfo picks his own card, ‘CHARLIE HORSE’ and then masterfully plucks the piece from the gameboard. He gestures to Mel who picks another card: ‘WRITER’S CRAMP, $200’ with an illustration of a pencil in someone’s arm. SCARFO (CONT'D) Lucky prick, that’s a fuckin’ gimme. Struggling for the pencil, Mel’s finger twitches, he hits the metal -- the patient’s nose FLASHES RED as the BUZZER SOUNDS. And like a COBRA STRIKING --- Scarfo PINS Mel’s left arm to the table and PILEDRIVES his metal pencil through Mel’s WRIST like an icepick. Mel screams in agony as blood SPURTS from the wound. Scarfo’s Goons hold Mel down, keeping his arm pinned. MEL WHADDYA DOING?! SCARFO Whaddya mean? We’re playing the game. MEL You don’t need to tune me up. Whatever you want --- we can talk --- SCARFO My friend in Florida, he’s through talking Mel. He never got the Arab’s money --- 4. MEL (screaming at SHADOW MAN) There was nothing I could do ---- SCARFO Who you talking to, Mel? There's nobody there. It's just you and me. Mel SCREAMS as Scarfo GRINDS the pencil into the wound. MEL Whaddya want?! SCARFO Whaddya think I want? The truth. MEL The truth? (Beat) The truth... CLOSE ON MEL’S FACE AS SCARFO PUNCHES HIM IN THE SKULL: MEL (V.O.) (CONT'D) (calm, meditative) The truth is bullshit. MATCH CUT TO: CLOSE ON THE TERRORIZED FACE OF MEL'S FATHER, NATHAN WEINBERG: Nathan screaming a millisecond before a thick pane of clear glass is savagely smashed and broken over his face --- MEL (V.O.) (CONT'D) I learned this lesson at a very early age from the most honest man I ever knew, my father Nathan... PULL BACK TO REVEAL: INT. GLASS INSTALLATION SHOP - BRONX - DAY SUPER: "1954 - Bronx, New York" A warehouse filled with panes of glass, glazier’s tools, etc. Nathan is splayed out on the floor; helpless to stop LUCKY BARRETTI from stomping his ass out. MEL (V.O.) Nate had a successful glass business in the Bronx --- that is until Lucky Barretti decided to start a local glaziers union --- and then everything just went to shit... BARRETTI Smatter with you Weinberg? (stomps him in the balls) Why won’t you just fall in line like everyone else!? CAMERA CONTINUES PULL BACK through warehouse as Barretti’s crew of FIVE UNION GOONS destroy everything in sight. 5. MEL (V.O.) My father wouldn't get in line cause even though joining the union would’ve insured his business, Barretti was gonna take a piece of every dollar he clocked --- making it so that the only way he could earn for himself would be to cheat his customers --- which is something Nathan Weinberg would never do... THE CAMERA FINALLY PULLS BACK INTO: INT. TRUCK - GLASS INSTALLATION SHOP - CONTINUOUS An ELEVEN YEAR OLD MELVIN WEINBERG hides behind the steering wheel and cries -- watching the violence in helpless terror. MEL (V.O.) And so they tuned his ass up --- wrecked his shop --- tried to knock him outta of the box... INT. WEINBERG APARTMENT - KITCHEN - BRONX - NIGHT Mel is seated at the kitchen table, a birthday cake in front of him, his face cast aglow by the twelve candles. He’s flanked by his SISTER and MOTHER, everyone singing “Happy Birthday”. Mel blows out the candles and with excited anticipation looks across the table with at his battered and bandaged father. NATHAN Mel, I know I promised you a bike for your birthday but business is --- (starts to choke up) I’m sorry Mel --- The heartbroken expression on Mel’s face is too much for his father who breaks down and starts to cry. MEL (V.O.) It was a terrifying thing for me to see my father like that. But more than fear, there was the anger. I mean just look at this poor schmuck. Here he is on verge of losing his livelihood, security for his family, the respect of his son --- INT. WEINBERG APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - LATER THAT NIGHT It’s late, all the lights are out and everyone is asleep. MEL (V.O.) ...And for what? We see Mel slink out of the shadows and sneak out the front door, fully dressed to brave the cold winter night. EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD STREET - BRONX - MINUTES LATER A winter-swept street lined with row houses... We see Mel approach the rear cab of his father’s work-truck. 6. MEL (V.O.) What’s the point of having integrity? CLOSE ON TRUCK: Mel unlocks a storage chest, takes two boxes of bolts and stuffs them into a shoulder-slung bag. MEL V.O. (CONT’D) Integrity ain’t gonna get you what you want outta this world. EXT. CLASSIC NEW YORK CITY STOREFRONT WINDOW - BRONX - LATER CLOSE ON an old school store front window: MANNY’S MEATS. MEL (V.O.) Why pledge allegiance to the truth? Mel’s reflection suddenly appears in the glass.