"DOG DAY AFTERNOON" by Frank Pierson Final Draft FADE IN: EXT. ELECTRIC SIGN It FILLS THE SCREEN (designed to exactly FILL THE FRAME size of whatever ratio we're shooting in). It says: 2:51 This message will be a little cryptic to the movie audience on an essentially BLACK SCREEN. HOLD for a beat, then it changes: the lights flash this sign, which should explain it to everyone: 94° And a slow distant ROLL OF THUNDER in the far distance; now the SOUND of media begin to come up loud, under: EXT. FLATBUSH AVENUE - DAY LONG SHOT down the Avenue, 400 mm lens, heat waves shimmering, thousands of old people, and people with children in strollers moving restlessly about in the heat on those endless miles of benches. The SHOT is ON SCREEN only for a beat or two, then gone... SOUND TRACK COMES FROM A THOUSAND TRANSISTOR RADIOS, TV SETS, AUTO RADIOS, BLENDED IN THE OPEN AIR... RADIO ANNOUNCER 1 (V.O.) ...the situation continued tense in the Middle East today, as... EXT. SHEA STADIUM (TV CLIP) - DAY An unnamed player swings and hits a high pop up... ANNOUNCER 2 (V.O.) ...hits a high inside pitch foul into the upper stands... ANGLE ON CROWD as the ball comes down they scramble and fight for it... A touch of viciousness... ANNOUNCER 3 (V.O.) ...B-52's meanwhile, unleashed the heaviest bombing of the war... EXT. MOVIE HOUSE TO MACDONALD'S - DAY We are SEEING HEIDI, though we don't know it yet - she's just another pretty 175-pound Italian girl with two kids, KIMMY, JIMMY, about four and five years old. Right now she is a lump of browning flesh, shining with oil among rows of similar ladies (mostly thinner, but all with a certain unhealthy softness about them) laid out in rows and groups across the sand. SHOOT LOW AND LONG, so heat shimmers rise, as though the heat were baking the oil out of this mob, visible suntan oil pollution... Heidi's transistor blasts ROCK MUSIC into the air. LYRICS (OVER) (Roberta Flack) REVEREND LEE, SHE SAID, LORD KNOWS I LOVE YOU, REVEREND LEE - DO IT TO ME (etc., etc.) ANNOUNCER 3 (V.O.) ...the American High Command announced the famed 25th Cavalry Division would be coming home! The 25th Cavalry, long since afoot, hardened in battle in the jungles of World War II... FAR DISTANT THUNDER ROLLS... INT/EXT. SONNY'S CAR - STREET - DAY It is parked in a drab Brooklyn street. Beside the car stands SAL, medium height, also good-looking in an intense boyish way. His eyes dart about suspiciously, the ever-watchful Sal. There is a watchful reserve in Sal that contrasts to Sonny's outgoing bounciness: first impression is Sonny is all bark; Sal is the bite. Sal is dressed in impressive blue suit style, he looks like a kid trying to impress the Godfather. He even wears a hat. Now, matching Sal's preparations inside the car, he checks his tie's alignment, shoots his cuffs and is ready... Meanwhile, on their car radio: ELTON JOHN (Amoreena) AND SHE DREAMS OF CRYSTAL STREAMS OF DAYS GONE BY WHEN WE COULD LEAN LAUGHING FIT TO BURST UPON EACH OTHER... ANOTHER ANGLE BY CAR As he turns, from the back of the car, JACKIE appears with a huge florist box, tied with ribbon. Jackie is an eighteen year old with bad complexion and in contrast to Sonny and Sal is dressed in teenage sloppiness. Adidas, T-shirt, bowling jacket, jeans. He is uncertain: waits for directions from Sonny. Sonny takes the florist box from him. We see a water truck drive down the street, followed by Sonny's car, which drives up near bank. It stops, Jackie gets out, crosses to bank window, peers through, then ANGLE INSIDE CAR returns to car. Leans in, has fake conversation with Sonny. They are waiting. Sonny checks his watch, turns to Sal in back seat: SONNY 30 seconds, Sal... They wait. At appropriate moment, Sal exits car, walks toward bank. Slowly Sonny gets out. INT. BANK - DAY A slightly seedy little branch bank, old yellow brick, blond varnished wood, a rubber plant, an American flag. Through the windows we SEE HOWARD, the aged black bank guard, in uniform, taking down the American flag from outside. Past him comes Sal carrying an attache case. He passes Howard coming toward us through the door into the bank. As he passes CAMERA: INSERT: BANK CLOCK as it CLICKS from 2:57 to 2:58 PM. MOVING SHOT WITH SAL as he moves toward the left-hand deposit-slips desks. He picks out a car-loan application slip, then walks toward the manager's desk (as the sign on the desk proclaims) of PATRICK MULVANEY. Sal sits down, his back to Mulvaney, facing the front door of the bank. Mulvaney is on the phone. ON DOOR as Sonny bustles through in his bouncy dancer's walk. He carries the large florist box. He moves toward the left- hand deposit-slips desks, takes one out and begins to fill one out. ON HOWARD as he pulls out the keys, attached to the belt of his uniform. Jackie approaches the door of the bank and stops, neither in nor out, as though he can't make up his mind. Howard watches him, waiting patiently, keys in hand, folded flag under his arm. CLOSE - SAL still sitting, back to Mulvaney, watching Jackie's approach and entrance, ready to move on cue. ON DOOR on Howard as he looks at Jackie, still half in, half out. Howard speaks to him: HOWARD Closing time; you want in or out? Jackie steps in and as Howard locks the door to prevent more customers from entering, Jackie walks toward Sonny, filling out a slip at the left-hand area. CAMERA FOLLOWS Jackie. He stops at deposit-slips desk, next to Sonny. CLOSE - SAL as if by pre-arranged signal, Sal now stands up, moves to the side of Mulvaney's desk. SAL You the manager? ON MULVANEY who is still on the phone. He gestures at the sign on his desk that says so, and gestures for Sal to sit down. ON SAL as he sits, producing as he does a machine pistol, which he holds on Mulvaney's chest, out of sight from others in the bank. MULVANEY His mouth simply stops, and he stares at the gun. Mulvaney is a comic opera Irishman in his early fifties, florid... cheerful, bushy eyebrows; he acts out everything he says... SAL Just go on talking, like nothing was happening, okay? MULVANEY (into phone) Listen, lemme call you back. He hangs up, and looks from the gun up to Sal's blank hard face. To his own amazement, he grins: a hopeful grin that says: "Like me - don't hurt me." And he's embarrassed by it. As we watch, his smile turns sour. HIS POV - FLASH Sal's absolutely unmoved face. TWO SHOT - SONNY AND JACKIE Jackie moves over to Sonny. JACKIE Sonny, I'm gettin' real bad vibes. SONNY Jackie - what are you talking about? JACKIE Maybe we can take something smaller... like a Spanish grocery. SONNY (indicating what's happening with Sal and Mulvaney) It's too late - just get away from me - don't talk to me now - go over to your place... Jackie moves to another deposit-slips desk - takes one out and begins to fill it out. ON TELLER'S CAGE AREA as a LADY with a BABY in a stroller moves away from the Teller and starts to walk toward the front door. DEBORAH is marking figures on a piece of paper at 1st Teller's cage. SYLVIA and MIRIAM stand behind her - their backs to Sonny. Howard, who has put the folded flag in a plastic bag in a front desk, follows Lady toward the door. He unlocks the door and hands the Baby a lollipop, courtesy of the bank, and she exits the bank. CLOSE - NEW ANGLE - SONNY glancing at clock, taking a sharp deep breath... SAL staring at Mulvaney. MULVANEY the ruins of his smile still on his face. HOWARD straightens up from locking the door; the figure of the Lady and the Baby can be seen receding outside... SONNY seeing that the bank is closed, locked in, with no customers, crosses toward the front teller's cage area, carrying the florist box. As he reaches the other side, he rips open the box and takes the rifle out and aims it level onto SYLVIA BALL, the teller, who automatically takes the "closed" sign and holds it in front of her face as though to protect herself from the rifle. SYLVIA (holding sign in front of her face) Sorry, this window is shut... TWO SHOT - MULVANEY AND SAL as Mulvaney stands and yells to Sylvia... ANGLE ON BACK OF BANK, REST ROOM AREA as MARGARET, an accountant, comes out of the ladies' room, starts to cross downstage toward her desk, sees what is happening, and momentarily freezes in her tracks. SONNY The cues have got all fucked up, but he's so programmed and ready, he can't adjust, so the speech he had ready comes out now: SONNY Okay, this is a stickup! Nobody move! This is a fucking stickup! Just freeze now, goddammit! Get away from your desk... get in the center - get in the center! Sylvia and Edna start to move toward the rear of the bank, toward Margaret's desk. MULVANEY aghast at his own outspokenness... Sal holding the gun levelled on him. MULVANEY Okay, okay... we know it's a stickup! SONNY (to Jackie, re: Howard) If he moves - blow his guts out... Cover him! TWO SHOT - SONNY & JACKIE Jackie, staring at the real guns, turns to Sonny... JACKIE I'm sorry, Sonny... I can't make it... Jackie starts to move toward the front door. SONNY Hey, for christ's sake... now... fuckin' asshole... (turns to Sal) He can't make it. SAL Fuck him - let him out! Sonny yells out at frozen Howard. SONNY Hey... let him out! MULVANEY (yells) Do what the gentleman says, Howard. Sonny sees that Howard is useless, so he runs to Howard, grabbing the keys from him and pulls Howard along with him to the front door. Jackie unlocks the door, and Jackie, with a last apologetic glance, gives his gun to Sonny and vanishes into the sweltering afternoon. Sonny then frisks Howard and has a sudden afterthought as he locks the door again. He quickly unlocks it and shouts out at Jackie. EXT. BANK - DAY SONNY Hey, don't take the car! JACKIE (on sidewalk) Well, how'll I get home? SONNY Take the subway. We need the car. (as Jackie starts to walk away) Hey, gimme the keys - the keys! Jackie stops, fumbles for keys, crosses back to Sonny with them. JACKIE (points to fig. desk) Sonny, there's somebody under that desk over there... I'm sorry... SONNY It's okay... it's okay... Sonny turns into the bank once more, as Jackie walks off toward the subway, pointing inside at a desk near the window as he does, to point something out to Sonny. INT. BANK - DAY Sonny, re-entering the bank, speaks to Howard. SONNY Lock it. Sonny now crosses to desk that Jackie indicated, as everyone watches him, as though it's all in the game. SONNY (taps loudly on top of desk) Hey... get outta there! Nobody's gonna hurt you. JENNY, a young, frightened girl, peeks out from under the desk, obviously afraid to reveal herself. Sonny starts to move toward the front of the bank. Sal turns so he can cover everyone. Sonny turns to order Howard. SONNY Pull the drapes. Howard doesn't move. SONNY Pulla drapes! Howard belatedly leaps to work, pulling drapes that screen off the interior from outside. The door has no drapes or blinds and thus when the drapes are closed there is a corridor of space across the street we will always be able to see. And from which people outside will always be able to see in. As Howard finishes the task, he then walks back to the huddled group on the rear. SONNY on his way to the back of the bank, is digging into his jacket pocket; he swings around as he passes the camera that is bolted to a wall bracket covering the tellers' area. He whips out a spray can and gives the lens a shot of red paint. There are three cameras in all, each of which he sprays. SONNY (grinning) No replay, folks... no alarms... After spraying the three cameras, he has reached Mulvaney's desk area. The girls are scattering to group farther back and Sonny and Mulvaney are heading for the vault. MULVANEY (on cross to vault with Sonny) We're hip... let's just get you all fixed up and on your way! MIRIAM, a young, awkward, overweight Jewish girl, chewing gum with nervous machine-like rapidity, moving toward the vault. The gate is closed, and she holds one key and Mulvaney the other. They pass Sal, who now holds the others in the bank under his gun while at the vault gate. SONNY Okay, is the vault open? MULVANEY I can take care of that. NEW ANGLE Mulvaney is about to insert his key in his lock. Sonny quickly reaches out and grabs Mulvaney's hand, and looks at the key he has extended. He explodes. SONNY Son of a bitch! He almost hits Mulvaney with his fist. SONNY What the fuck you tryin' to do? Trip the alarm? Use the spur key? Use the other one... He's grabbed the keys from Mulvaney and holds up the key Mulvaney was going to use... we're in a: VERY TIGHT TWO SHOT - MULVANEY AND SONNY'S HEADS Sonny holds the key right in the middle of the FRAME where Mulvaney and the audience can SEE the key has a tiny projection or spur at the end. If this key is used, the spur triggers a silent alarm. MULVANEY I must of been outta my mind. SONNY (furious) Well, you get your mind right. I'm a Catholic and I don't wanna hurt nobody, but goddamn it, don't you play no games with me. Unnastand?!? Mulvaney nods and picks out a key that is identical except for the spur. He shows it to Sonny. Sonny nods. NEW ANGLE as Mulvaney carefully uses the safe key to unlock the gate. Miriam is crying as she unlocks her side. The gate swings open. Sonny shoves Mulvaney inside and, as he passes Miriam, notices her tears. She just stands there staring into his face like a hypnotized chicken, the tears streaming down her face. Sonny stops, staring at her. Mulvaney, starting to open the gate, moves inside the vault, impatient... MULVANEY Okay. Let's get you on your way. Miriam - open the safe. Miriam hesitates. SONNY What's the matter with you? MULVANEY (to Miriam) Come on, lemme load you up... MIRIAM There isn't any money... Sonny looks at Mulvaney, alarmed... MIRIAM They picked it up this afternoon... SONNY No money?! (moves inside the vault) MIRIAM There's only about four thousand in singles, and maybe a few hundred in larger bills... he's going to kill us! Sonny storms into the vault. NEW ANGLE IN VAULT as Mulvaney pulls a cash drawer out to show Sonny: even we can see there isn't much there. Sonny searches for more, finds nothing. SONNY This is it? What am I gonna do with this? Holy shit! MULVANEY It's all we got. SONNY Okay, don't worry about it. Stick it in the bag... At this, Sonny pulls out a plastic bag from his pocket, hands it to Miriam, who opens it and puts the money into it. As he turns, we see that Miriam is still staring at him, terrified, and as his rifle swings around, she reels back with a little screech of terror... SONNY Ah, Jesus... SAL Let's go, Sonny. SONNY (suddenly gentle) What are you crying for? Jesus Christ. It's not your fault there's no money... MULVANEY She's afraid you're gonna shoot... (hands Sonny the bag of money) Sonny starts out of the vault toward the teller's area with bag of money. He speaks to Mulvaney. SONNY What the hell would I shoot her for? Miriam follows Sonny to teller's cages gate. He carries the bag. PHONE STARTS TO RING (#1) SONNY Answer the phone! Mulvaney crosses to his desk, picks up the receiver. Sal follows him, yanks receiver from one ear to the other, so he can hear conversation. SONNY (to Miriam) Okay... open this. Miriam crosses to gate, presses the necessary button and the gate opens from them. Sonny watches this carefully, noting where the buzzer button is. He crosses in front of the drawer at the first cage. He tries to open the drawer. It's obviously locked. SONNY Okay, who's the head teller here? SYLVIA I am. SONNY Open this up! Sylvia comes forward and unlocks the first drawer, and begins to remove the cash, but Sonny grabs her hands... alarmed... SONNY Don't take it all out! He grabs a piece of paper or cardboard... CLOSE SHOT - SONNY'S HANDS AND CASH IN DRAWER He takes all the singles but one out of the singles slot in the drawer, leaving the bottom single in place. It is held there by a metal clip. He carefully slips the paper under the clip and then removes the single. It is clear this is an automatic alarm - meanwhile... SONNY Boy, I can't trust a one of you... I worked in a bank, I know the alarms, so don't try to fool around with me! BACK TO SHOT OF SONNY AND SYLVIA AND MIRIAM as they move to 2nd cash drawer at 2nd teller's cage. Sylvia unlocks the drawer and starts to reach in for the cash, but Sonny pushes his hand into the drawer instead. He begins to stuff the money into the bag. Some fives, packaged with rubber bands, in the drawer, he holds up so Sal and all can see them... He laughs! SONNY Decoy money, right, it's marked! Shit! He throws it into the air so the bills flutter all around him, gaily... In the background, Mulvaney, having finished with the phone conversation, is moving to the rear with the rest of the girls. Sonny now moves to the 3rd cage's cash drawer... Mulvaney ends phone conversation and Sal moves him over to group at vault. SONNY (mimicking Sylvia) 'This window is shut...' Again, the same procedure begins. Sylvia unlocks the cash drawer and Sonny starts to scoop it out and put it into the opened plastic bag that Miriam holds. SAL Cheer up, you'll be the veteran of a robbery, the bank sends you a dozen red roses, you know that? At this point, THE PHONE BEGINS TO RING AGAIN (#2) SONNY (yelling to Sal) Sal, let him answer the goddamn phones, they're driving me crazy! Look at this chicken shit! Again, Mulvaney starts to cross back to his desk, again followed by Sal. Sonny yells out to Mulvaney as he crosses to answer the phone. SONNY Hey, you, manager... Don't get any ideas, fucker... See that man there? I bark and he bites! MULVANEY Believe me, I'm on your side. SONNY My side, shit! They move to Drawer #4. SYLVIA Listen, we got young girls here... you could watch your language. SONNY I speak what I feel. MULVANEY ON THE PHONE MULVANEY Hello... I'm sorry I can't talk to you right now... I suggest you call during banking hours tomorrow. What is your name? BACK ON SONNY, SYLVIA AND MIRIAM SONNY Gimme the traveler's checks and the register. They cross toward the last drawer area (#5). Miriam is still crying silently. Sonny holds out the plastic bag for the checks for her. She drops it. SONNY Please... quit that. It's not necessary. With everything in the bag, Sonny now takes the register and starts to move the two girls toward the rear near the vault. MULVANEY Can you hurry it up? BACK TO SONNY as he moves toward the rear (Sylvia and Miriam now re-joining other women), to get a wastebasket. Accomplishing this, he starts to burn the pages of the register, tearing out pages as he does so. It's smokey as hell, but not burning well. He drops it, smoking, into the wastebasket. SONNY (to Howard) Hey, you! Give me the keys... We're gettin' outta here. HOWARD (gasping for breath) Huh? MULVANEY Howard? HOWARD Huh? ON HOWARD The old man is panicked, great patches of sweat spreading around his armpits. He breathes in asthmatic gasps; now he flinches at his name, as though he's been hit. MULVANEY (stands, receiver still to ear, then covering it with his hand) Howard, give him the keys... SONNY Gimme the keys to get outta here! Howard is unable to move. Seeing his predicament, Edna moves to him and starts to unfasten his belt to remove the keys. Mulvaney continues with his phone conversation. ON SONNY who now crosses to Howard and Edna, losing patience with the situation. As he moves closer, Howard backs away from him, frightened by his rifle. Seeing that, Sonny puts it down and looks over to Sal for coverage. SONNY Sal... As Sonny approaches Howard, he realizes that he can't get close enough. SONNY Take it easy... just gimme the keys. I'm not gonna hurt you. Listen, calm down, huh? You're gonna have a heart attack. Just gimme the keys... that's all I want. Howard gives him the keys and as Sonny starts to walk back toward the burning register... ON SAL with Mulvaney still on the phone. SAL (looking past camera, falling onto the floor behind Mulvaney) Sonny... who's that? Across the street. ON SONNY who now starts to move quickly toward the front of the bank, being sure to hide behind the posts as he moves. MULVANEY (O.S.) (on phone) No, it was the credit rating. The credit rating. I don't know, you'd have to find that out from him. Sonny has now reached the front of the bank. He carefully peeks out through the closed draperies to look outside. ANGLE ON STREET - SONNY'S POV A man, in a business suit, sweaty and harassed-looking, is walking from an insurance office across the street directly toward the bank... The man continues coming straight toward them and us... REVERSE Sonny starts to run back to get his gun from Margaret's desk. Mulvaney is still on the phone. MULVANEY It was something a couple of years ago in St. Louis, I don't know... Sonny grabs the gun from the desk top and moves over to Mulvaney. ANGLE ON DOOR AT FRONT OF BANK The man walks straight toward the glass door, already lifting his hand to shadow his eyes, so when he reaches the door, he'll be able to see inside. REVERSE ON SAL AND MULVANEY Sal brings the gun up so he can shoot the man, at the same time, crabbing himself aside so he is concealed behind Mulvaney and the desk. Mulvaney sees the approaching man and cups his hand over the phone. MULVANEY It's the insurance guy across the street. He probably saw the goddamn smoke! (motions toward smoking register) Please! Put out the fire! ON MAN The last few feet from the door. ON SONNY who rushes through the teller's cages gate toward the register, grabs the smoking register, throws it onto the floor near Edna's desk, and starts to stamp it out. MARGARET I'll get some water! Before anyone can move, Sonny grabs the gun on them all. SONNY Nobody move! Freeze! The women now begin to scream as real hysteria sets in. Deborah screams, collapses. CLOSE - ON SAL BRINGING GUN UP ON: DOOR The man actually kicks the glass with his foot, then leans against the glass, shades his eyes, trying to see in. MULVANEY (O.S.) Sorry... I can't talk now... I'll call you back. SOUND of hanging up. The man is looking all around. SAL AND MULVANEY SAL Get rid of him. MULVANEY Howard, wave him off. Tell him we're closed. Whatever... ON HOWARD who is useless. ON MULVANEY who starts to move toward the front door, looking over at Sonny trying to put out the fire. CAMERA FOLLOWS MULVANEY TO THE FRONT DOOR; Sonny moves with him, covering him all the time. ANGLE ON FRONT DOOR as Sonny stands behind closed venetian blinds to listen to the conversation and to cover Mulvaney. SONNY The gun's right on your back... MULVANEY Give me the keys... Sonny hands him the keys. VERY CLOSE SHOT - SAL He raises the gun and sights it now, and in this moment, we should sense a kind of luxurious relaxation into anticipation on Sal's part. He is smiling a little, and for the first time, looks happy, and that's what makes him seem dangerous. He's looking forward to an excuse to kill. It's here now: survival. There is something almost sexual about the way he settles his body down behind the weapon, getting ready for the squeeze on the trigger, the report, the violent shove of recoil against his muscles and sinews. In the background, we see Sylvia bringing Howard a cup of water. ANGLE ON DOOR emphasizing the small of Mulvaney's back. The man is somebody he knows from across the street. He looks worried and mystified... MULVANEY (unlocking door) What is it, Sam? SAM Everything's all right? You okay? MULVANEY Yeah, just a cigarette got in a wastebasket. Silence. Sam stares around... thinking. SAM You all right? MULVANEY Little smoke: like a Polish four- alarm fire, is all. SAM Yeah. Well, you're okay? MULVANEY Yeah, thanks for keeping an eye out. SAM Okay. He's not satisfied, but he can't see anything and he can't think of anything more to say, so... MULVANEY Thanks again, Sam. SAM I'm glad it's okay. MULVANEY It's okay. [Regards to the family, Sam.] Mulvaney locks the door and walks inside the bank, giving the keys back to Sonny. MULVANEY For God's sake, will you please go now? We gave you every nickel we got. SONNY You're goin' outside with me. If there's no cops around, we just split. Otherwise, you go with us. Mulvaney and Sonny starts to walk back toward Sal. As they do, the PHONE BEGINS TO RING AGAIN (#3). SONNY (to Mulvaney) Answer it. Mulvaney shrugs helplessly. Picks up the phone, standing at desk opposite his. ON SAL SAL He's gone? SONNY Yeah - it's all right... let's go. MULVANEY ON PHONE MULVANEY Hello, Mulvaney here... TWO SHOT - SONNY & SAL SONNY Sal, get 'em in the vault. SAL Where's the money? SONNY Get 'em in the vault! As Sal starts to herd them into the vault (Sylvia helping Howard, still with the cup of water), Mulvaney is still on the phone. Sonny moves down to get the money bag atop the teller's cages and we hear Mulvaney on phone. MULVANEY (tired) What property is that, Mrs. Anterio? The Third Avenue property - you already got a second mortgage on. We discussed it before... ANGLE AT VAULT The girls are afraid; Miriam unlocks the gate as Sonny uses Mulvaney's keys to the matching lock. JENNY (from inside vault area) You won't close the vault? How can we breathe? SONNY No, that's okay... just close the gate... Sylvia, helping Howard, is the last to go through the gate. As Sonny is about to lock the gate, she turns to him. SYLVIA Listen, I'll never make it. I'll have to go to the toilet. SONNY What's the matter... they never housebroke you? SYLVIA It's not a joke. I got this terrible fear of being locked in... SAL Goddamn women... SONNY Ah shit. Okay... go ahead. Anybody else have to go? EDNA Me, too, please. SAL You see... now they all gotta go. As Sylvia starts to move out, Sonny starts to cross ahead of her. SONNY Wait a minute - I want to check. Mulvaney finishes his phone conversation. He moves toward the group at the vault. NEW ANGLE as Sonny sprints for the door to the Ladies' Room. INSIDE LADIES' ROOM It is a little lounge; sitting on a couch under the window, making up her face (or painting her toenails) and listening to her tiny transistor radio, oblivious to all that's happened, is MARIA, heavily-painted and voluptuous Latin girl. Sylvia, following him in, is shocked. She's forgotten about Maria. Now she runs over to her, puts her arms around her. SYLVIA Oh - Maria! SONNY Who the hell is that? God damn it! What the... Maria is about to protest, but Sylvia grabs her and starts to hustle her out. SONNY What are you trying to pull? SYLVIA I forgot she's in here. SONNY Come on, nobody's going to the bathroom - come on... He moves with them back to the vault area, herds them into it. At this point, PHONE RINGS AGAIN (#4). Sonny moves to get the empty wastebasket, shoving it into the vault for the girls to use in case of emergency. Mulvaney moves to his desk and phone. Mulvaney has by this time answered the phone, and is now holding it out to Sonny. HOLD THE BEAT... MULVANEY (to Sonny) It's for you. ON SONNY AND SAL They both stare at Mulvaney. Sonny slowly moves toward Mulvaney. For the first time since he entered the bank, he's quiet and slow. He takes the instrument and slowly puts it to his ear. The group from the vault now slowly starts to move out to listen to the conversation. SONNY (into phone) Yeah. MORETTI (V.O.) What are you doin' in there? SONNY Who's this? MORETTI (V.O.) This is Detective Sergeant Moretti, asshole, we got you completely by the balls. You don't believe me, I'm lookin' you right in the eye. Right now, I can see you... SAL Who is it? Sonny turns and looks out through the door. Sure enough, in the window of the barbershop across the street, the dim figure of a man on a telephone can be SEEN looking out toward us. He wears a hat in spite of the weather and a cigar is clamped in his mouth. He is an old-time, hard-nosed, uneducated, street-wise, sarcastic New York cop, outspoken, rude and sentimental. Right now he's a distant silhouette and a voice on the telephone. CLOSE ON SONNY holding the phone. Listening to the voice of his death speaking in New York accents. MORETTI (V.O.) Okay? Let's be reasonable and not stupid and not get anybody hurt. You come to the front door with hands folded on your head, unnastand? Nobody's gonna shoot or... Sonny slowly, almost sadly, puts the telephone receiver back down, cutting off the little voice at the other end. He looks up at Mulvaney, then to Sal. SONNY (to Sal) It's the cops. Shit! SAL How'd that happen? MULVANEY (backing away from Sonny) I swear to God... on my salary, I'm not gonna be any hero... SONNY I took too long. SAL It was the fire, asshole! Sonny paces. MULVANEY I told you, just go, get out when you could, but no, you just got to hang around. Sonny is pacing back and forth, trying to figure out what to do. SONNY Oh, shit! I gotta have time to think. SYLVIA What is it? Did you just barge in here... He doesn't have plan. It's all a whim. (sarcastic) 'Rob a bank! What not?' SONNY ...Just give me time to think... PHONE STARTS TO RING (#5). MULVANEY We're all in the barrel together... Phone continues to ring. Sonny finally grabs it (desk opposite Mulvaney). SONNY (into phone) All right, bastards! You keep away from the bank or we start throwing bodies out the front door one at a time. You got that? A startled apologetic man's voice speaks: Now ANOTHER PHONE BEGINS TO RING (#6). MAN'S VOICE (V.O.) I just called to ask Jenny what time she's gonna get off. SONNY Who's this? MAN (V.O.) It's her husband. Sonny abruptly holds the phone out from his body at arm's length, disgusted. SONNY Is there a Jenny here? Nobody moves. They all stare at him. Finally he singles her out. SONNY It's your husband. Jenny starts to move toward Sonny. JENNY What do I say? SONNY Tell him the truth! Tell him whatever you tell him! OTHER PHONE CONTINUES TO RING (#6). As he puts down the phone for her to pick up, Sonny reaches for the other phone that is RINGING. SONNY What a fuckin' comedy! (into phone) WNEW plays all the hits. MORETTI (V.O.) Listen, first off, is anybody hurt in there? SONNY ...But you keep away from the bank or we start throwing bodies out the front door one at a time... You got it? Okay? He hangs up the phone. Sal looks at him. SAL You mean that? SONNY What? SAL ...The bodies out the door. SONNY I want him to think that. SAL But do you mean it? At this moment, Jenny, phone in hand, is turned to him, respectfully like a child in an authoritarian household, addressing her father: JENNY He wants to know what time you think you'll be through. ON SONNY stares at her. For the first time, he realizes how frightened she is, how serious, grotesque, and funny it all is. He takes the time to be tender with her, as though she were a not-too-bright child in the presence of a tragedy she'll never understand. SONNY Tell him I don't know. Now Sonny turns to speak to Mulvaney. SONNY Where's the back door? MULVANEY It's locked on the inside. (beat) It's through that passageway and to the right. Sonny disappears toward the back door. Jenny continues her phone conversation. MAN (V.O.) Jenny? JENNY He says he doesn't know. Why don't you cook whatever's there? MAN (V.O.) It looks like a whole roast. JENNY Honey, send out for Kentucky fried chicken. The baby, just open a bottle of prunes, and one of the beef. The bottles are in the fridge. MULVANEY (to Jenny) Hurry up! MAN (V.O.) I know how to fix the bottle. They got guns? JENNY (with the baby on her mind) What guns? MAN (V.O.) The robbers in the bank. They got guns? JENNY Yeah. A lot of guns. MAN (V.O.) Well, stay away from them. Don't get close. JENNY Oh, yeah, I will... Now Sonny returns from the rear door area, sees that she's still on the phone and signals to her to hurry up. SONNY Hey, Jenny - let's go... JENNY Hon? I got to go. MAN (V.O.) I love you. Jenny hesitates. Everyone is looking at her. They look away, as though to give her privacy. JENNY Yeah. Well, I got to go now... A beat of silence. Realizes she can't talk... MAN (V.O.) I'll kiss the baby for you. JENNY (past embarrassment) I love you. She hangs up and then crosses to the group by the vault. NEW ANGLE on Sonny as he moves to Sal, to reassure Sal out of some guiltiness about trapping him in this situation. His tone apologetic... almost tender... SONNY Sal, I'm sorry about this. But we can get outta this thing. There's a way outta this. SAL Are you serious? About throwin' a body outta here if we have to? SONNY Well, I stalled him for a while. When it comes the time, then we'll work it out. Okay? SAL But do you mean it?... But you just told him that if worse comes to worse... SONNY I want him to think that. SAL But I want to know what you think. SONNY We won't have to. SAL I'll tell you right now - that I'm ready to do it. Now Sonny moves over to the group at the vault gate and speaks to them. SONNY What I want to say is... everything's gonna be all right... if we all cooperate and we don't, you know... carry on... I don't know you and you don't know me... and what I'm tryin' to tell you is that if you stay cooled out, we can work this thing out and nobody's going to get hurt... believe me, I don't want to hurt anybody... Everybody is going to have a chance to do what they have to do... she's gotta go to the bathroom - so you go - and you can go after... Everybody's gonna get a chance... Everybody's gonna get a chance to use the phone... Let's just take it a step at a time. Sonny now turns toward Mulvaney. Howard lies down, head on jacket, in the vault. SONNY (to Mulvaney) Now, you -- what's your name? MULVANEY Mulvaney... SONNY You and me are checking the other ways in and out. Sal takes a position where he can cover the door and also the girls and Howard. NEW ANGLE as Sonny and Mulvaney move toward the rear of the bank. SONNY Let's go to the back door. (referring to Howard) How'd that guy get to be a guard? MULVANEY Well, they go to guard school. SONNY To what... learn how to shoot? They don't get a gun. MULVANEY They make $105 a week to start. They fold the flag, check the place out in the morning. I don't know what they learn, Sonny. At some point in their move toward the rear door, Sylvia exits the Ladies' room and moves back toward the group. MULVANEY Here we are... the back door. They look at it. It is big, black, steel and seems solid. Sonny tests it. SONNY They could shoot the lock... I want to block it, so if they try comin' here, we're gonna hear it. Here, you pull on that side. (puts gun aside) He has found a big office machine, a Xerox or whatever, which he now starts to push toward the door. On the opposite side, Mulvaney starts to pull it toward the door. It's very heavy and they have to strain to budge it at all. Meanwhile: SONNY You got kids? MULVANEY I got two kids... and I'd like to see them again. SONNY Ah, I know! You're being very cooperative. I got no complaint against you whatever; you got bank insurance? Mulvaney has removed his suit jacket. MULVANEY You know I do. You seem to know a lot about bank procedure. Sonny laughs and pushes the machine. Mulvaney pulls from the opposite side. SONNY Don't ask me questions. I got connections. You find out who I am, you're cold meat. MULVANEY I don't care who you are... (shove) I just want to get you outta here, safe, right? SONNY What if I take you with me? MULVANEY (stopping to rest for a beat, thinking) If you take anybody, please take me. SONNY They'll shoot you; the fucking cops'll shoot you... they don't give a damn. In spite of that bank insurance. You see what they did in Attica, they shot everybody, the hostages, prisoners, cops, guards, forty-two people they killed, the innocent with the guilty. They have the machine almost to the door now, with Mulvaney almost pinned between the machine and the door. He eases himself out. Looks at the gun, then at Sonny, then they shove the machine against the door. Sonny then gives Mulvaney his jacket to put on again. SONNY Anyway, I'm not gonna take you. I'm gonna take one of the girls, a married one with a couple of kids. The cops don't like it in the papers when they kill a mother, especially if she's got young kids. Finished with the task, Sonny takes his gun and with Mulvaney, they start to cross back toward Sal and the rest of the group. SONNY You're just a nice guy, Mr. Mulvaney. Only don't fuck around with me, you know what I mean? MULVANEY I don't fool around with you. Mulvaney crosses back to his desk and sits down. At this point, all the phones are off the hooks. EXT. (AERIAL) ANGLE FROM INT. POLICE HELICOPTER (OVER BANK) As it banks steeply we can see past Pilot to bank, and cops around car. We see a small crowd being held back by a few police still setting up barricades. It is the first indication of the crowd event it became. It also sets the geography for us, but very quickly another copter swims into view and the two circle each other. The other copter -- only feet away -- is a TV news helicopter, with a big camera sticking out the open door on our side. It is turned down by the Cameraman to focus on the bank. A COP in the police helicopter yells through his bullhorn at the TV Cameraman. BULLHORN COP This is a restricted area. You are flying in a restricted area... The TV Cameraman swivels his camera up to focus on the Cop, and as the lens hits us dead center... INT. APARTMENT NEAR BANK Though an open window a fire escape can be seen and beyond it an angle of street and the bank. Near the window in a corner is a TV set, and on the TV set we are seeing the shot of the police helicopter and the Cop yelling on the bullhorn as seen from the TV copter. A couple of Elderly Men are sitting watching the TV set, ignoring the bank, which they can see in the flesh, as it were. Outside we are HEARING the copters, and on the TV set likewise, and the voice of the Announcer. ANNOUNCER (V.O.) ...police as yet have made no contact with the bank robbers who are locked in the bank... There is a HAMMERING at the door, and the men at the TV set barely have time to look around before several burly Cops wearing flak vests and helmets and carrying sniper rifles with telescopic slights move through the room, ignoring the men. They move out onto the fire escape, a couple going up higher, settling themselves down to aim in their rifles on the front of the bank. A lot of AD LIB dialogue, but what we note is the Cops, as a man, take a look at themselves on the TV. EXT. BANK - DAY The FRAME is full of cop faces... tough, mesomorphic faces with a layer of fat under the skin, increasing as age. They have the look of cops: alert, curious, weighing. They are city cops; they don't have that old-fashioned condemnatory expression, there is an element of playfulness in their nature -- the fact is they love their work, which is criminals. There is a peculiar delight in ferreting out the criminal impulse in everybody, and a matching fury in punishing it -- which is the action of repressing their own strongly developed criminal unconscious. These are tense, funny, violent, and rigidly controlled men. MORETTI is an old-line cop, a lot more relaxed than the younger men and the cold professionals of the FBI, who as a group resemble astronauts, and like them hide (but do not deny) the psychic chaos underneath. Right now they are looking at the sky. We HEAR a heavy helicopter track. We feature SHELDON, the silver-haired FBI Agent-in-Charge, who looks like an accountant, and Moretti, with hat and cigar, and a face out of Warner Brothers movies of the Forties. In spite of Sheldon's age, Moretti plays though he's a smart kid who still needs a little help. Sheldon is getting out of a gray car, wears a gray suit. Three men with him are carbon copies of him at younger ages. The three hang around him. They approach Moretti who looks at them without moving. MORETTI (to no one) Here comes the FBI. (to Sheldon) You men lookin' for protection? We got all the police right here. SHELDON Why didn't you just wait and try to take 'em out there in the street? Moretti looks at him, cheerfully sarcastic. MORETTI I made an error in judgment. I thought the sons of bitches would be overwhelmed with remorse at the sight of a police officer. And you know somethin'? Nobody has said hostage yet. Unnastan? They are moving past Cops on the corner heading toward a small barbershop across the street from the bank. We now sense the growing crowd, standing quietly, just staring not yet knowing what's going on. NEW ANGLE From down the street come a group of odd-looking men in suits, carrying all kinds of electric junk: The NEW REPORTERS. They run heavily, sweating martinis and cigarette smoke... they run up to Moretti and Sheldon, who walk along, trying not to catch an eye. MOVING SHOT - MORETTI AND SHELDON AMONG NEWSMEN. VOICES How many in the bank? Have they got hostages? Any shots exchanged? (Etc., AD LIB) MORETTI No, we don't know that yet. This young fella without the hat is FBI. I'm Detective Sergeant Eugene Moretti ... M-O-R-E-double-T-I. Eugene. I don't give a shit, but my wife cries if you spell it wrong. They have arrived at the barber shop where Moretti fights his way inside. INT. BARBER SHOP - DAY A COP is talking on the wall phone as MORETTI, BAKER, etc. are trying to get inside. COP ...no, just get hold of Al, tell him to get the catering truck over to 26th and Avenue B, there's a bank robbery in progress and big crowd. Big! Tell him to bring ice cream -- I got to hang up. He hangs up and immediately begins thumbing through a POCKET PHONE BOOK. Throughout this Cop is engaged in personal business on the fringe of this affair, and though he's on duty he hardly knows what's happening on the robbery. He's trying to get his brother-in-law with the ice cream truck down here, etc. Moretti has got the crowd cleared back, so that now we SEE why this has been chosen as a tactical command post. From here, while talking on the phone, Moretti can see the bank, and through the uncurtained door he can even see some distance inside. Moretti picks up the phone. MORETTI (to phone cop) You get the phone company? PHONE COP It's being set up... this phone'll be a direct line into the bank. Moretti is already dialing. The phone is answered. INT. BANK - DAY (Re Moretti's 3rd conversation on phone with Sonny.) The group inside the bank have now been waiting approximately twelve minutes since anything last happened. Sonny is seated at Mulvaney's desk, all the phones off the hooks. The rest of the group is huddled around the vault area where Sal is keeping his eye on them. Suddenly, Sonny jumps up and puts all the receivers back on the hooks, crossing back to sit at Mulvaney's desk again. PHONE STARTS TO RING and Sonny picks it up. MORETTI Okay, you're in there and we're out here. What do we do now? SONNY I told you -- keep away. I don't know what we do now. MORETTI Awright, but I wanna talk to you. First off, we wanna know if the people in the bank are okay. SONNY They're okay. MORETTI You alone, or you got confederates? SONNY I'm not alone. MORETTI How many you got in there? SONNY I got Sal. MORETTI Sal? What's that for? Salvatore? SONNY Sal. He's the killer. We're Vietnam veterans so killing don't mean anything to us, you understand? A cop passing by presses a portable two-way radio into Moretti's hand: He accepts it and holds as though he expected it. The Cop passes the same type of set to certain other officers. These sets are tuned in to each other, and throughout the movie, there is a constant background talk on these sets. This is police procedure; the orders are for everyone to talk about everything. If anyone has a question, has heard a rumor or a sound, whatever, it is immediately responded to, so that there can be the fewest possible surprises. Sample dialogue might go: "Did I hear a shot?" "Over here, by the bank, there was a report like a gunshot, inside." "Roger, we heard that from the barbershop... it was inside the bank." "Barbershop, you can see inside?" "Roger, we heard from the barbershop... it was inside the bank." "Barbershop, you can see inside?" "Roger, this is the barbershop, we see inside, the perpetrator is moving toward the rear of the bank." "Who's that guy walking through the barricade?" "The blue suit?" "Yeah." "Off-duty Inspector come down to see can you use him." Etc. They really do use the word Perpetrator, Felon, etc. The Cop handing out radios makes Moretti sign for it -- which Moretti does during the following: MORETTI Right -- got ya. Okay, so there's you -- what's your name? SONNY What do you want to know that for? MORETTI Give me a name, any name, just so I got somethin' to call you. SONNY Call me Sonny-boy. MORETTI Sonny-boy, one word? SONNY One word. You won't find it in the phone book. MORETTI Listen, Sonny... can I call you Sonny for short? SONNY Call me whatever you want. MORETTI Okay, Sonny, I want to see if the people in the bank are okay, then what I want to do is work out a way to get them out of there. I want to come over there, without a gun... and you can frisk me. So you can see you can trust me. So we can talk and find a way outta this mess. SONNY I frisk you? MORETTI You frisk me. SONNY Right -- I'm with you, buddy. MORETTI I'd like just some sign I can trust you too, Sonny. I don't want to trust my body out where you could just shoot me. Some sight... right? SONNY Sure... like... I'm not gonna shoot you. MORETTI How about letting the people out of the bank. Why put them in this position? SONNY They're what's keeping me alive. You think you're dealing with an idiot? Talk to me then. MORETTI Okay, give us the women. SONNY Oh, no... Women is all we got. MORETTI You're all one way! I'm bein' reasonable with you; give me somethin'... Give me one of them, anyway... Just one... SONNY So -- you want me to send one out there... Okay. I'll see what I can do. Sonny hangs up and moves over to Sal. The rest of the group has been trying to make out what's being said at the other end of the conversation. SONNY (to Sal) He wants one. SAL Dead or alive? SONNY Alive. Now Sonny looks at the group. SONNY Okay... who's gonna go first? Mulvaney now stands up at his desk, looks over at the group near the vault. They look back at him, waiting for some instructions. MULVANEY It's up to you ladies. SYLVIA Howard! They are now unified. Sonny whispers something to Sal. SONNY To show that we're negotiating. SAL All right... send them the guard. SONNY All right... let's go. Sylvia takes Howard by the arms and starts to lead him toward the front door. Sal watches as they move toward front door. SAL Cover her, Sonny. Sonny moves with them toward the front door, his gun aimed at them during the walk. Finally they arrive, and Howard moves toward the door by himself. But the door is obviously locked. SYLVIA He needs the keys. Sonny gives her the keys. SAL (from the rear) Only one, Sonny. Sonny covers Sylvia as she moves to unlock the front door for Howard. SYLVIA Go along, Howard. ANGLE OUTSIDE DOOR As Howard is pushed out the door by Sylvia, a cop from a nearby car rushes up to him and shoves him to a curbside car where he bends Howard over the car, putting his hands behind him for handcuffs and starts to frisk him. HOWARD'S POV - QUICK CUTS About 100 weapons ranging from machine guns to hand guns to sniper rifles are whipped up and pointed straight at his chest and head. The effect is as though he is about to be blown entirely away. ANGLE ON THE BARBER SHOP Moretti rushes out, screaming to the cop with Howard. MORETTI Don't fire! THE RADIO NETWORK SCREAMS RADIO VOICES Did he say fire? What fire? Do we fire or what? Who fired? (Etc.) VARIOUS COPS Confusion reigns. They don't know if the perpetrator or not, since they haven't yet seen Sal or Sonny. Guns are up, aimed, being pushed down... Cops run for better vantage points. ANGLE ON HOWARD as Moretti reaches him. He pulls the cop away from him and starts to give him hell for the rough treatment being given the guard. ANGLE IN DOOR OF BANK With Sylvia in doorway, staring wildly at the street scene. Sonny is beside her covering her with his rifle. SYLVIA My God! That's Howard! We voted to send him out! VARIOUS ANGLES as the cops slowly realize their mistake. They stand back from Howard, who is virtually catatonic with fear and shock now. They get him up, a reluctant to believe they could have made such a mistake... ANGLE ON TV CAMERAMAN Near barber shop, across the street, jockeying, trying to focus in on him, elbowing each other, they yell out: CAMERAMAN Hey! Come out, get in the light. Hey, out where we can get a shot, huh? Who's the black guy? (etc. AD LIBS) LOW ANGLE - HELICOPTER (TO AND FROM) swings in over street to try for a shot. Howard is being taken in the direction of the barber shop. MORETTI to Cops. MORETTI Get him outta here! DOOR OF BANK Sonny back in the shadows with Sylvia, looking at Moretti, appalled. ON MORETTI Behind him a mob scene. Howard is being led away, weeping. Photographers, cops, a phalanx of cops have their weapons levelled on Sonny like a firing squad. It is right on the edge of violence... of blowing up. Sonny and Sylvia are in the shelter of the doorway, Moretti stands on the sidewalk, looking toward Sonny inside the bank. MORETTI Sonny - come out here a minute. At this point, he removes his jacket and drops it to the ground, showing Sonny that he is unarmed. SONNY You got these cops outta here. They're comin' in too close. MORETTI Come on. I want you to see something. SONNY You want me to give up, huh? Look, Sal's in back with the girls. Anything happens to me - one move - and Sal gives it to them. Boom boom. How do I know you won't jump me? MORETTI I don't forget about Sal and the boom boom room. I want you to see this. Sonny turns back to tell Sal he's going outside. Moretti stands well out in the street, to reassure Sonny nobody is going to try to jump him. Sonny stares around; he nudges Sylvia out ahead of him. As they edge into sight of the Media across the street: NEWSMEN AND PHOTOGRAPHERS Out in the light. Hey, Lady! You're on TV, Lady! Smile, any... god damn thing... ANGLES - SHOWING CROWDS straining against police lines: this is where we begin to sense the size of the event. People are eating popsicles and ice cream. They are diverted and excited. Sonny and Sylvia begin to emerge: CATCALLS and HOOTS of greeting... CLOSER - SONNY AND SYLVIA as he looks around, and the impact of his situation really hits him: he's not only totally surrounded, he's an event. Some of the crowd CHEER him. An army of Cops, and guns all levelled on Sonny. MORETTI Let Sal come out, take a look. What hope you got? Quit while you're ahead. All you got is attempted robbery. SONNY ...armed robbery... MORETTI Well, armed, then. Nobody's been hurt. Release the hostages, nobody is gonna worry over kidnapping charges, the worst you're gonna get is five years -- you can be out in a year. Sonny stares at him, his face utterly blank. SONNY Kiss me. Moretti stops, stares back. MORETTI What? SONNY (deadpan) When I'm bein' fucked, I like to be kissed a lot. (bursting out) Who the fuck are you tryin' to con me into some deal? You're a city cop, where's the FBI? This is a federal offense, I got kidnapping, armed robbery, they're gonna bury me! You know it, you can't talk for them, you're some flunky pig tryin' to bullshit me. Now God damn it, get somebody in charge here to talk to me! MORETTI Calm down, you're not... SONNY Calm down... look at this, look at him...! Gestures at the cops, the wall of rifles and machine guns levelled on him. It is incredible and terrifying... SONNY (continuing) They wanna kill me so bad they can taste it! He takes a defiant step into the street. The crowd SCREAMS as they get their first view, which is of Sonny telling the Cops off. They don't need to hear the words, they can see it. SONNY (screaming) Attica! Attica! Go ahead! Blow off the front of the whole God damn bank! He holds his hands wide offering himself as a target to the hulking officer. SONNY (to the TV) If it wasn't for you guys they'd kill everybody and say it was me and Sal. (to Moretti) You tell 'em to put the guns down. I can't stand it. He means it. Moretti gestures to the officers to back away, lower the guns. The crowd YELLS: Sonny has beat the Cops. He is momentarily their hero. It's a breaking point. Moretti makes a decision. MORETTI (Cop language command to put gun away) All right - put the guns down! He has to YELL it twice before the Cop slowly, angrily, stuffs the gun into his holster. SOUND: The crowd screams. ON SONNY hearing the Crowd APPLAUSE. He turns and grins and waves to them. They SCREAM more. He turns and waves to the media. They've been YELLING. MEDIA Hey, over here! Give us a wave! It is at this point that newsman leans out a window of the second floor of the bank, quickly lowering a mike boom. Sylvia sees this above her head. ON MORETTI unhappy, looking around at Sheldon, who shrugs. He did what he had to do. ON SONNY Suddenly realizing what control he has, enjoying it. He turns mockingly his left and his right profile to cameras. INT. TENEMENT HALLWAY A FAT WOMAN runs heavily, stumbling, a delighted grin on her face, up the stairs PAST CAMERA, yelling to someone unseen upstairs. FAT WOMAN Vi! Oh, Jesus. Vi! Turn on the TV, turn the TV on, you can see it's him. INT. VI'S APARTMENT - DAY Small, jammed with little things of sentimental value and cheap furniture, clean, but well-worn. VI, a small woman in her fifties, with a perpetual smile, and the sweating Fat Woman trot in, just as Vi's HUSBAND, a dour man in his fifties, is exiting. FAT WOMAN ...I swear to God it looked just like him! He hesitates in the doorway as the two women rush to the TV which is already on, the station showing live coverage of the bank robbery. On SCREEN, Sonny can be seen ordering the cops around. Moretti looks furious. ON THE TV SET VI (as the recognizes Sonny) Oh, My God in Heaven! TV NEWSMAN ...the robber, whose identity is not known, came out of the bank, with a hostage, Mrs. Sylvia Ball... FAT WOMAN (proud) Did I tell you? He looks good! IMAGE OF SYLVIA ON TV VI What's he doin' this for? He didn't tell me he needed money. He would of told me. TV NEWSMAN ...Mrs. Ball, is everyone all right in the bank? HUSBAND Why rob a bank when you got a sucker for a mother? SYLVIA Oh, yeah, the one girl was cryin', but we're havin' a ball, so far, if just nobody shoots... VI Why didn't he tell me? NEWSMAN What about the man inside the bank? What is he doing? HUSBAND I just hope he gives the wrong name. He reaches for TV to turn it off. Vi stops him. SYLVIA Sal? He never talks, only goes: 'Sonny, you want me to shoot that one, this one.' HUSBAND Is that all there is -- that little bastard down there in the bank? TV NEWSMAN Mrs. Ball, do you think they might shoot, if they get desperate? VI You got money for the subway? SYLVIA Hey, wait, he's goin' back in. (she turns OUT OF PICTURE) FAT WOMAN Subway! It's a special occasion -- take a cab, for God's sake! NEW IMAGE Sonny returning toward bank. EXT. BANK - DAY TWO SHOT - SONNY AND MORETTI as they shake hands. As Sonny starts into the bank first, he holds the door open, waiting for Sylvia. In the meantime, the 2nd-floor media man yells down to her. SYLVIA (looking up toward them) I gotta go now. MEDIA (2ND FLOOR) Hey, lady... you're out now. Stay out! Sonny, waiting patiently, holds door open for her. SYLVIA They're my girls. They need me in there. And she walks through the door past Sonny and into the bank. Moretti yells up at the media to get the hell away and at the same time, turns to a nearby cop and gives orders for the air conditioning to be turned off inside the bank. As the crowd realizes what has happened, they APPLAUD and SCREAM. At the door: ANGLE IN BANK DOOR as Sonny turns to grin and wave back at crowd. CUT TO: INT. BANK - DAY as Sonny and Sylvia walk into bank and head for the group at the rear. Mulvaney is seated at his desk, but the rest of the girls are standing around the vault area. Sylvia heads for the girls as Sonny walks toward Sal. SYLVIA Hey, girls -- I was on television... MULVANEY (to passing Sonny) What about Howard? Sonny makes reassuring gesture to let him know Howard is safe. SONNY (to Mulvaney) Turn on the TV. Mulvaney turns on the TV set. In the meantime, Sylvia has reached the other girls. GIRLS What happened? And Sylvia begins to recount the events out on the street, mainly about herself as a television celebrity. ANGLE ON TV SET as we see the image of a TV NEWSMAN across the street. Then, as his director CUTS, we will see on the TV set an ANGLE ON THE BANK AS SEEN FROM ACROSS THE STREET. The TV Cameraman ZOOMS and the TV image ZEROES IN through the door to show a partially-screened but quite clear image of Sonny, talking to Sal. SONNY (to Sal) The whole media is out there... it looks a lot better for us than it did before... ON SAL absorbing this... TV NEWSMAN'S VOICE (V.O.) We can see the robbers inside the bank, and we're trying now to establish contact. THE PHONE BEGINS TO RING. TV NEWSMAN'S VOICE (V.O.) We're on the telephone to the bank manager, Patrick J. Mulvaney... Mister Mulvaney... Mulvaney answers the phone. MULVANEY'S VOICE (V.O.) Yes, I can hear you. SONNY serious, nodding to Sal. TV NEWSMAN'S VOICE (V.O.) Can you put the robber on the phone? Will he talk to us? MULVANEY'S VOICE (V.O.) You wanna talk to him... Sonny... Sonny turns, trying to understand... NEW ANGLE SONNY What? MULVANEY The TV... they want to talk to you... He holds out the phone. Sonny walks over to him and takes the receiver. On the TV screen, we can see him doing this. SONNY (into phone) Yeah? Who's this? WABC TV NEWSMAN Sir, you're on the air. I wonder if you'd answer a few questions. SONNY (to Sal) Hey, Sal... (to phone) Sure. TV NEWSMAN Why are you doing this? SONNY Doing what? TV NEWSMAN Robbing a bank. SONNY I don't know... It's where they got the money. I mean, if you want to steal, you go to where they got the money, right? Jenny now edges over and sits on top of Edna's desk. TV NEWSMAN But I mean, why do you need to steal? Couldn't you get a job? SONNY Get a job doing what? You gotta be a member of a union, no union card - no job. To join the union, you gotta get the job, but you don't get the job without the card. TV NEWSMAN What about, ah, non-union occupations? SONNY Like what? Bank teller? What do they get paid - (now looks over at girls who offer the information - $135.37) they pay one hundred thirty-five dollars and thirty-seven cents to start. I got a wife and kids. I can't live on that -- You want to live on that? What do you make a week? TV NEWSMAN (swiftly, evasive) I'm here to talk to you, Sonny, not... SONNY Wait a minute... I'm talkin' to you. I'm askin' you a question... TV NEWSMAN The audience is interested in you, Sonny... not me. SONNY Yeah! We're hot entertainment, right? You got me and Sal on TV... we're entertainment you sell, right? TV NEWSMAN You're news, Sonny... SONNY How much you have to pay an entertainer to fill this slot? TV NEWSMAN Newsman, not... SONNY Okay, newsman. How much you make a week? (beat) You're not talkin'. You payin' me? What have you got for me? We're givin' you entertainment... what are you givin' us? TV NEWSMAN What do you want us to give you? You want to be paid for... SONNY I don't want to be paid. I'm here with Sal and eight other people... and we're dyin'! They're gonna blow our guts out, man! You're gonna see our brains onna sidewalk! How's that for all you shut-ins and housewives to look at! You gonna help, or you just put it on instead of AS THE WORLD TURNS? We're dyin' here! What have you got for me? TV NEWSMAN You could give up. SONNY Oh yeah? Give up? You ever been in prison? TV NEWSMAN Of course not... SONNY Then talk about somethin' you fuckin' know about... At that instant, the TV screen switches to a PLEASE STAND BY card and we hear an announcer's voice over: ANNOUNCER (V.O.) Ladies and gentlemen, our transmission has been temporarily interrupted. Please stand by. Sonny hangs up the phone, looks at Mulvaney, puzzled at the outcome of the conversation. SONNY Why the hell did he do that? What the hell did I do? MULVANEY I guess he didn't appreciate your use of language. They don't speak that way on television. It's a rule. Do you realize you've cut off a valuable source of communication? Sonny now moves over to Sal. SONNY Okay, Sal... what do we do? SAL (no answer) SONNY I figure maybe we can get the FBI to make a deal... SAL What kind of a deal? SONNY Maybe we can get outta this thing alive... get 'em to drop the kidnapping charges... SAL What do you mean? You talkin' about coppin a plea? SONNY (starts to speak, but Sal interrupts) SAL ...because if you're talking about coppin' a plea, I'm tellin' you right now, there's no deal... I'm never going back to prison... We got our own deal already... Do you remember the pact we made? You and me and Jackie - that night in the bar... we were talkin' about if we get trapped in the bank, what are you gonna do... Right? What did we say? What did we say! SONNY We'd kill ourselves. SAL Does that still go? PHONE RINGS. SONNY We're not there yet. PHONE CONTINUES TO RING. Sonny now walks over to the ringing phone on Edna's desk. Jenny, sitting on top of the desk, thinks the call is from her husband, starts to reach for it but as she does, Sonny grabs it away from her. SONNY You're on the phone! 1ST CRANK (V.O.) Kill them all. Now. It's a heavy adhesive voice that can be heard clearly throughout the bank. SONNY Kill them all now? You fuckin' creep! Don't call here again! Sonny slams down the receiver, looks around at the group. SONNY You see what we're dealing with? They want me to kill all of you! MULVANEY What now, Sonny? SONNY Wait a minute... I've been looking at this all wrong... Let's look at it the other way... He crosses over to Sal. SONNY Look, we gotta get a jet outta here... outta the country. We gotta get a helicopter. Okay, Sal? We get a helicopter on the roof to take us to the jet and we fly to the sunny Caribbean. Algeria. We got to look at the bright side. We got 'em by the balls, we got the hostages, we can get anything we want. They gotta give it to us. Edna exits ladies room as Sonny crosses back to the phone, picks it up. SONNY (into phone) Get me Moretti. Now Sonny turns and speaks to the group. SONNY We're all gonna get outta here. You're all gonna be all right. I'm gonna ask for a helicopter and a jet... and we're gonna get outta here alive... You've all been all right with me and as long as it stays that way, then things are gonna be all right - as long as you cooperate... (into phone) Moretti, I want to talk to you. I'm comin' out. Sonny slams the phone down and walks over to Sal, rifle still in his hands. SONNY You realize, Sal, that we're gonna get outta the country, so if you wanna talk to somebody, do it now... You gotta Mother or a Father? Friends? (Sal nods no) If we gotta be outside the country, where do you wanna go? Any country. Just name a country. SAL Wyoming. SONNY (stopped for a moment) Wyoming... That's not out of the country -- that's in the United States... Look, I'll be back. Sonny starts to walk toward the door. As he does, Sal calls back to him. SAL Sonny! Gimme the gun. You don't need that. Sonny realizes what he's saying and crosses back to Sal and hands him the gun, then moves toward the front door. EXT. BANK - DAY Much as before. Sonny steps out. The guns start to come up. SONNY Put them down. The Cops lower their weapons. Moretti comes out on the sidewalk. He's eating an ice cream bar, and stands seemingly at ease, an island of calm control in a storm of passion about to be let loose. The Cops are always about to explode. MORETTI Sonny, ya want somethin'? Sonny is about to open his mouth when a medium-size dark- haired Man who has been standing among people behind the barriers puts his head down and runs at astonishing speed right across the street towards Sonny. He catches everybody so by surprise he is already on Sonny before anyone can do more than start to yell at him to stop. Sonny, himself, can't believe it! He is slammed to the ground and the Man begins to punch him and beat him viciously. Cops charge in and with great difficulty pull him off. YELLING on the radio network; TV Reporters and the crowd up and SCREAMING for blood! CLOSE ANGLE as Moretti steps in. Sonny gets up, dazed. The Man goes on kicking and fighting Cops... MORETTI Who the hell is that? ANGLE SHOWING DOOR OF BANK Mulvaney stands in the door... MORETTI (to Maria's boy friend) Hey! What the fuck you tryin' to do? You don't think the whole police department can do the job? MARIA'S BOY FRIEND I think he's got Maria in there, and I see blood, man! I wanta jam him up... MORETTI Jesus, the Spanish! You gotta do it yourself, right? Eye for an eye! Go wan get outa here, we'll take care of her. (turns to Sonny) You okay, Sonny? Boy, he hung a couple good ones on you there! MULVANEY (from door; alarmed) Sal wants to see Sonny. He says he'll shoot unless he can see Sonny. He means Sal. Sonny, dazed and bleeding, reels to the door and calls in... Sal now stands alone behind 3rd pillar. SONNY It's okay, Sal. He turns back to face Moretti, Sylvia, Mulvaney. SONNY (continuing; hurt, wondering) He wanted to kill me! MORETTI It's okay, you got a lot of protection. CLOSE - SONNY Looking around, bewildered, the crowd is YELLING and now it sounds unfriendly. He is really shaken up... He shakes himself -- stops that line and starts over in a business- like tone. SONNY I want a helicopter to get outa here! And a jet to take us to... (cagey) ...wherever we want to go. Outa the country, so no little jets. A big one with a bar and a piano lounge. MORETTI I don't know, Sonny. I don't know if the helicopters can land in here. I'll have to check it out. I got superiors, unnerstan? They don't always see eye to eye with me. I'll do what I can. Sonny looks him in the eye. Suddenly he makes kissing motions and sounds with his lips. We know what he's referring to: he thinks Moretti's trying to fuck him over. MORETTI (continuing) Sonny, be reasonable! SONNY I want to see my wife. I want you to bring her down here. MORETTI Okay, what do you give me? SONNY What do you want? MORETTI The girl hostages. SONNY Nothin' doin'. I give you one hostage when you bring my wife, and one for the helicopter, one for the jet, and the rest can come home on the jet. MORETTI (kiss) I'll see what they'll do. Sonny smiles and pantomimes kissing. MORETTI Okay, you pick out who you're gonna give us. Where's your wife? EXT. ROCKAWAY BEACH - DAY There's Heidi. Her body lies exactly as before, baking in the sun. The transistor RADIO plays... she seems to be asleep... RADIO ...the leader of the pair, a Vietnam veteran, Sonny Abramowicz, has demanded in return for releasing one of the hostages that police allow his wife to visit him at the bank. Police spokesman... Heidi sits bolt upright, stares at the radio, which continues to blather on. Abruptly she begins to gather up her things, her children, in a characteristically scatter-brained and hyperactive sort of way. Heidi is a one woman panic: she hustles away across the broiling sand carrying the radio wadded up in towels, and lugging a child, crying helplessly, by one elbow, as though it were a handle, a silhouette against the late afternoon sun, out of Fellini... meanwhile on the SOUND TRACK we are hearing her voice. It is a breathless, harsh childish voice that pours out the words in a torrent: HEIDI (V.O.) The transistor goes Sonny what? I couldn't believe my ears, so I shut the transistor, get outta here, who needs this? I say Sonny didn't do it. It's not him to rob a bank. It's not him to hurt anybody, to threaten anybody, to steal or do anything wrong. 'Cause he's never done nothin' wrong from the day I know him. She is stumping off into the sunset as she says these words and we CUT TO: EXT. BROOKLYN STREET - DAY Out of a subway crowd, she struggles, pulling the two kids by the hand, a very ordinary woman in a most ordinary New York scene... HEIDI (V.O.) ...Only he tells me this and he tells me that, he's with the Mafia, I say, Sonny, where do you get the money, you're on welfare, how can you rent a new Eldorado, red, you don't like the color you rent a yellow. EXT. HEIDI'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY A working class block, dirty, shops in the first floor, three story walk-ups above... Heidi appears and runs up the stoop. TWO COPS get out of a squad car where they've been staked out and move up to her. They never really get in a word edgewise. They follow her into the hall... Now as we CUT CLOSER to her, we will SEE Heidi's mouth in SYNC with the words... HEIDI So night before last we're at Coney Island, he's on the rides with the kids, an' I have this habit of goin' in glove compartments an' all, an' I see... INT. HALL - DAY Heidi struggles up the stairs, dragging the kids -- the cops following... HEIDI this gun with bullets in there, an' I go to myself, oh God, Sonny! That's all I had to see, I didn't say anything. She's got her door unlocked. Below and on the stairs behind the Cops, curious neighbors peer in... INT. HEIDI'S APARTMENT - DAY Chaos out of cut-rate furniture stores. Full of unwashed glasses, kids' clutter. Throughout, the children rush around unchecked. Neighbors enter without ceremony and listen. The Cops stand, trying vainly to communicate... As they enter... HEIDI (continuing) And things are adding in my head, how crazy he's been acting, and in with a bad crowd, an' I look at him, he's yellin' at the kids like a madman. So inna car I said to him, Sonny, what you gonna do with the gun? You gonna shoot me and dump my body inna river or what? I was so scared of him, I never been scared of Sonny never. You know, his mother says the cops was always at our house, we was always fighting. I hit him with the jack in the car once, but I only missed and hit myself, you should of seen my leg. And all he would ever do is put on his coat and go out. So they say it's Sonny but I don't believe it. COP 1 Lady, you saw him. You saw his gun. HEIDI He might of done it, his body functions might of done it, but not he himself. INT. BANK - LATE AFTERNOON - APPROX. 5 PM The group is now situated like this: 1) MULVANEY'S DESK - the TV is on; seated in his chair, filing her nails is MIRIAM. Seated to her left, having pulled the chair a patron uses, is MARIA, watching TV and listening to her transistor radio, against her left ear, at the same time. MULVANEY (at back water cooler - will eventually move back to his desk, sit down to Miriam's right.) 2) EDNA - is now behind the Tellers' cages, straightening up the mess; she picks up the loose money that Sonny had scattered thru the air, puts them into packets and ties them with rubber bands. 3) SAL - is seated in the rear Conference room, still holding his rifle, feet up on the table. 4) MULVANEY & DEBORAH - at the rear water cooler (from which she will move to see what's wrong with Margaret) 5) MARGARET - seated at her desk, obviously ill, wiping her forehead, head bowed. 6) SYLVIA and JENNY - at far right table, doing a crossword puzzle. 7) SONNY - pacing back and forth Mulvaney's desk, posing a legal puzzle for Maria. Sonny, his gun now lying across the top of Mulvaney's desk, is pacing back and forth between the desk areas. He's talking to Maria in particular, but anyone in earshot in general. SONNY Let's say I put a gun to your head and I tell you to kill a cop... and you did. Who'd go to the electric chair... you or me? MARIA You would... you told me to do it. SONNY But you shot him. MIRIAM (joining in) But you told her to. SONNY Yeah - But you did it. Deborah crosses to Margaret who is ill. Deborah goes to Sylvia - who returns with her her to Margaret. It should begin getting dark in through here. It is very hot and sweaty in the bank. OPEN SCENE ON: CLOSE MULVANEY ON PHONE He is sweating, worried. He is listening to a conversation we can HEAR... as it goes on SHOT WIDENS to reveal the others in various postures of waiting. Sal more disheveled, Sonny's restlessness is unabated; he paces about like a caged animal. The voice on the phone is breathy and youthful: Sonny has been listening for a long time. JESUS FREAK (V.O.) Jesus Christ is coming back and he's really pissed. SONNY (gently) Yeah, well I don't blame him. JESUS FREAK (V.O.) You know, Sonny, I used to dope a lot, and I was into dipping? And I did a couple bank jobs, and the Lord Jesus in his everlasting mercy saved me, you know how? Sonny is desperate to get off the phone but doesn't dare risk the wrath of God by hanging up on this guy. He might have the secret after all. SONNY No. Look, we're kind of.... JESUS FREAK (V.O.) That's why I can talk to you, as