"So gather around as I run it down... and unravel my pedigree." "My father... was a junkie." "Don't you never do this shit, you hear me?" "This is bad shit." "Yeah, OK." "Don't you never be like me, all right?" "Don't do it." "What you want for Christmas?" "I don't know." "You don't know?" "Boy, you better know what you want." "Else, how do you expect to get what you want... if you don't know what you want?" " I'll be right back." " Daddy, don't go!" "No, man, don't." "Come on, I'm sorry, boy." "You know you're my main little nigger." "You go— you go..." "Get out of here, man." "Give to the poor." "Let's go, come on." "Hey!" "Merry God damn Christmas, kid!" "You been a good boy, huh?" "Murderer!" "Don't teach my boy that fairy tale elf shit!" "Did you see?" "I'm sorry." "The money." "My father, when I saw him die like that— saw him find his grave in the snow—" "I only had one thought." "It wasn't going to happen to me." "Tell me, do you know the difference... between a black man and a nigger?" "Most niggers don't." "Next, please." "Good morning." "Have a seat." "So tell me, Officer Winston... what's the difference... between a black man and a nigger?" "Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?" "Right." "Thanks for coming in." "So, Officer Stevens... tell me, do you know the difference... between a black man and a nigger?" "The nigger's the one that wouldn't even answer that question." "Most undercover cops don't know what they're doing... because it's a day gig." "I'm looking for somebody who will go under... and stay under— six months, a year, five years." "What does he have to do?" "Buy drugs, sell drugs... set up the people that I want to bust." "No." "He's a snitch." "He's a drug dealer." "He's a criminal, he's a scumbag." "But most importantly... he's a scumbag for the right side." "You'll be on loan to the DEA... and you'll report directly to me." "I've stayed away from this kind of stuff all my life... drugs and stuff." "I've never even had a drink." "I never have, and I never will." "Because your father was killed robbing a liquor store... when you were ten years old?" "I'm God." "I know everything." "Why did you join the force?" "Because I wanted to be of some use... to make a difference somehow." "Have you ever seen your psychological profile?" "You score almost exactly like a criminal." "Look at this." ""Resents authority." ""Rigid moral code..." ""but with no underlying system of values." ""Insufficiently developed sense of self."" "Look at all the rage... look at all the repressed violence." "I'm telling you, undercover... all your faults will become virtues." "You'll be a star there, John." "You'll do a lot more good there than in uniform." "You will be of use." "You will make a difference." "Those guys... after work, they went home to their wife and kids." "Then one day on the street, they forgot where they were... and now they're dead." "But you'll never go home... so you won't forget." "Because there's only one rule in this game, John— don't blow your cover." "I didn't want the assignment." "I sat there the whole interview... thinking that if I took it... it would be the biggest mistake of my life." "And I was right." "I'm looking for a room." "So you see?" "That's what's wrong— there's just no imagination these days." "Hey, bassino!" "That's Belinda Chacon... and if you want my opinion... you'll stay away from that bitch." "If you want to get anywhere in drug enforcement... don't bother with street dealers." "You take one of them out... there's ten more to take their place." "Go after the big guys... try to knock out the big networks." "Felix Barbosa." "He's like a middle-level executive." "He supplies the guys who supply the guys... who supply the street." "He gets his stuff from the importer..." "Anton Gallegos." "Gallegos is the number one importer in the West Coast." "Forty percent of all the drugs in Los Angeles... go directly through this guy." "Very cute." "He's able to do this largely because his uncle..." "Hector Guzman... is an influential Latin-American politician... a self-promoting duplicitous greaseball... according to our friends at the State Department." "He helps Gallegos get the product into the country." "Are we going after him?" "Uh, well... no, not directly." "He's too big." "But if we can nail the nephew... maybe it'll smear the uncle, hurt him back home politically." "That would be very good for you and me." "That would get us friends in high places." "But we want the uncle." "We want Guzman." "John, listen." "Will you stay with me?" "One step at a time." "You go for Barbosa... and then Gallegos... nice and orderly." "The beauty of that is it protects your ass." "Hollywood..." "The great thing about life on the street... is you know how it's going to be." "It's always the same." "It's always getting worse." "Eddie, in his red caddy and his nice clothes... that his mama must have bought him... he supplied the street dealers." "He was a crazy, good-natured, desperate asshole... with a life expectancy of about a half an hour." "But people said he got his dope by way of Felix Barbosa... so I had to get to him and through him... while he was still around." "Yo, baby boy." "What the fuck I tell you about being around here?" "They told me I had to." "No, that's sad, sad, but too fucking late." "Hasta la vista... motherfucker!" "That's cold shit, man." "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust." "He done done, ain't he?" "Fuck it." "So this young lady is on trial for prostitution." "The judge says, "You're very attractive." ""You look like you might have Indian heritage." ""Are you a Navaho?"" "She said, "No, your honor." ""I'm a Chicago ho."" "Would you get us some beers, Eddie?" "All right." ""I'm a Chicago ho."" "I hung around the obvious places for awhile... then one day Eddie walked up to me and started talking... just like I knew he would." "I will have two beers... and a white wine for the tremendous behind." "How you doing, brother?" "Remember?" "Yes, I remember." "I once knew a brother named John... who loved to dance when he got it on." "He made the pussy do the watusi... and she said, "Ooh, God damn, this rhythm is strong."" "Stay black." "What's that nigger talking about, "Stay black"?" "He should stay off that crack." "Eddie?" "He's a space case." "I don't know." "He, uh... buys from this man..." "David Jason... who, uh... apparently is supplied by the Latins." "Good." "I saw this kid... killed the other day." "he couldn't have been more than 12, 13 years old." "Shot him in the back." "I want you to buy from Jason and then get to the Latins." "You don't want to rush this thing." "Rush it, please." "What do you need?" "I'm looking for Eddie." "It's OK." "Tell him to get that door." "What's up, man?" "What brings you to my office?" "Just say no." "I need a bird, man." "You want to straighten up and fly right." "Stratosphere, baby." "What the fuck you doing?" "Shit, stop slurping." "This ain't no 7-11." "Bitch, you fucking up!" "I'll send your ass back to Reseda." "Can you come up with that 1-8 straight mañana?" "Yeah." "I'll have the money." "You need to take this girl off the fire, man." "She's done." "Why you gonna dis my Nubian queen like that?" "Mañana." "You got a right to remain silent, Eddie." "You got a right to an attorney." "As you might have expected... it didn't take Eddie long to get himself in a jam." "After holding out for two or three seconds... he started offering the cops anybody he could think of." "The first person he could think of was me." "It turned out to be just the break I needed." "Three times four?" "Seven." "No, no." "You're adding again." "Three plus four—" "Honey, she's already done this." "Honey, she will get it." "Three times four?" "Twelve." "Right!" "That's right." "See?" "We worked on this already." "Excellent." "Uh, three times five?" "Honey, can you get that?" "Eight." "Daddy, why can't I just use a calculator?" "Honey, you can't learn with a calculator, OK?" "What are you doing here?" "We got a problem, David." "Call me on the phone." "I don't like—" "Your friend Eddie just got busted." "He's bending over for the cops... trying to save his ass." "And he'll lose that skinny little thing." "Did he name us?" "Not yet, but he will if he has to... and eventually he'll have to." "Daddy, help me with my homework!" "I don't think he'd talk about us." "If we whack him, he definitely won't." "Don't worry, David." "I'll take care of him." "Daddy!" "Just a second." "Felix, if there's a problem, we'll kill him." "I'll kill him myself." "Nancy, get out of here!" "For you." "It's Eddie." "I'm Felix Barbosa." "Thank you, sweetie." "Thank you very much." "You've got a beautiful wife, David." "No wonder he doesn't invite us over, eh?" "Don't— If you come to my house... please show a little respect." "He can't help it, David." "It's his nature." "Uh, I know how to handle this." "He'll get you busted." "No, he won't." "Eddie, my man." "All right." "So, you wanted to meet me?" "I like to know the important customers." "We've met." "Now what?" "You're taking a lot away for a guy we hardly know." "Where are you moving this stuff?" "Do Macy's tell Gimbel's, motherfucker?" "Forget it, Eddie." "This guy's a cop." "What?" "Eddie, what the fuck is this, man?" "You know me." "I done gave you a lot of paper, man." " I thought you were serious." " I'm very serious." "You're serious?" "Look, fucking call me when you get serious." "I will call you." "Let me just talk to him." "Kill it." "You cool?" "No." "Get down." "I'll talk to him." "Is that our bust?" "Well, who is he?" "Some scumbag." "The guy is not a cop." "Come on, David." "Did you see it in his eyes?" "Don't fuck with me." "Eighteen thousand, David." "We need it." "We're behind." "You know that." "Fucking animal!" "Fuck!" "Make sure he gets it all." "Mr. Hull, hey, how you doin'?" "All right." "How you doin'?" "Hey, James." "Say hi to Mr. Hull." "I was to the welfare today... and I got on the wrong fucking bus, and... by the time I got there... they changed the time on me, and shit... without notification, right?" "They're supposed to give me notification." "So I'm off the welfare." "Hey." "How you doin'?" "You all right?" "What did you eat today?" "I had ding dongs." "You had ding dongs." "Yeah, he had ding dongs." "You go across the street to the Mexican place." "Get yourself a chicken tostada... a beef and bean burrito... or something like that... and get you some milk, OK?" " I don't like milk." " Get some anyway." " Don't talk back to Mr. Hull." " Yes, sir." "He's a good boy." " Go on." " Yes, sir." "You be careful crossing that street, James." "You know, Belinda, uh... it ain't none of my business, but you got a really nice kid." "You ought to take better care of him." "Don't fucking tell me how to take care of my fucking kid!" "I take damn good care of my kid!" "My kid is clean!" "Look, I'm clean, too, right?" "I've been tested." "I'm HIV-negative." "Just so you know." "I'm just laying that out there, but, um... it's very hard raising a kid, Mr. Hull... so you know that." "It's not an easy fucking thing, all right?" "You dig what I'm saying?" "I know you like my kid, right?" "I could tell you likes him, right?" "So, listen..." "I thought of something." "Maybe you like this." "He needs a male role model, right?" "Maybe you would like to take care of him." "You could have him for three thousand dollars." "All right, all r—" "Two thousand dollars." "But that's it, man." "Two thousand dollars." "What the fuck is that?" "That's too much for my only son?" "I know you're a rich motherfucker." "Wait a fucking minute!" "All right." "Hey, I ain't on your shit." "Go for your phone call, man." "Where you at, Eddie?" "Yeah, I'll be there in a few." "Yeah, all right." "So what do you say, man?" "Yo, Mr. Hull!" "I ain't got fucking time for this shit." "Wait, wait, Mr. Hull!" "I could be your lady, man!" "I could do it right!" "Hey, my man." "All right, Eddie." "I got that big bird for you, baby." "You going to be flying back to Africa." "Ooh!" "Feel like the 1-8... taste like the 1-8... look like the 1-8." "Oh, yes!" "1-8." "Would you like to do a taste test on that, brother?" "Oh, shit, the police!" "Come on, Eddie, let's go." "I'm going to get you, Eddie!" "Right there, scumbag!" "Put your fucking hands in the air, man!" "Come on, nice and easy." "Turn around, baby." "Hands in the air." "How you doing, Judas?" "Give me a name!" "Why you keep asking me?" "For the last time, I'm telling you." "For the last fucking time..." "I don't know the guy!" "I don't know nothing!" "Bobby, give me a minute." "Are you a Christian?" "Oh, shit." "Yeah, man." "In God we trust, right?" "Well, I'm a Christian." "When a Christian does something wrong... he or she has to make amends." "At the arrest tonight..." "I was wrong in hitting you." "Yeah, you was wrong." "I apologize." "You have a right to file a complaint." " That's all right." " I'd file it if I were you." "No." "That's all right." "You're a new face around here." "I haven't seen you on the street before." "Where you from?" "From Oakland, man." "Nah." "You're not from Oakland." "I know Oakland." "You're from back east—" "Jersey, New York, D.C." "Maybe." "Let me ask you something— you got kids?" "Well, these... are my African-American beautiful babies." "If somebody put a gun to your baby's head... would you try and kill them if you could?" "Me, too." "And by selling that stuff... you're putting a gun to my baby's head." "Let me warn you." "I'm like a mad dog after a bone." "I'd be all over you like stink on doo-doo." "Trust me." "Here." "You read this." "It gives me a lot of pleasure." "A prayer book." "Check this out, reverend." "God bless you." "Sit." "What are you doing here?" "I work here." "You work here as what?" "David Jason, Attorney at Law." "All rise." "The court is now in session." "The honorable Judge H. Aracott presiding." " Want a chiclet?" " Be seated." "You're a lawyer?" "Yeah." "I'm your lawyer." "Who hired you?" "I'm handling it pro bono." "If you don't want me, there's the P.D." "And she's good." "She's just can't provide special services." "Like what?" ""People vs. John Hull."" "Getting your case called first." "How do you plead?" "Um, your honor, I'd like to, uh—" "If I may approach you?" "Your honor, uh... this is the preliminary police toxicology report... which says that the substance seized from my client... was Mannitol, a baby laxative." "I've spoken with the prosecutor." "She agrees to an immediate dismissal." "Miss Ryan?" "Dismissed." "Audi 5000." "You're a saint." "Is he here?" "Yeah." "Him and Eddie." "You sold me Mannitol." "If I hadn't, you'd be in jail right now." "Don't worry." "You'll get what you paid for." "Police helicopter shined the light on us." "He said, "Shit." "The police done you a favor."" "You been eating grass for the last half hour." "My man." "Were you surprised to see him?" "Salaam aleichem, brother." "Listen, John here got busted... but he kept his mouth shut." "Now, uh, everybody here can't say that, right?" "Finally, Felix Barbosa... the first stop on Carver's pyramid." "I was right where I was supposed to be." "That really depends on what you're saying, David." "Are you saying something about me?" "Come on, Eddie." "Tell the truth." "Be honorable." "That's all you got left." "Fuck you, little faggot." "Ain't had pussy since pussy had you." "Cops made you give them somebody." "Yeah." "OK." "All right." "Cool." "I gave somebody up." "All I gave up was this little motherfucker." "You got the money." "Eighteen grand." "Count the shit, David." "There it is on the table." "Next time you might give up us." "Now, wait a minute." "Wait a fucking minute." "Never, Felix." "I swear to God." "I would never—" "I know you never will." "Why y'all gonna do me like that?" "Shit." "I'm worth money to you." "I could give you money." "Why, Eddie?" "You don't owe me anything." "Just to tell you that I'm cool." "I could hook you up with another 18 or 2-4." "I could go with an extra two." "You know, just for the wildlife fund." "I could go with 5-0." "Why not one hundred?" "One hundred?" "Cool." "One hundred." "Give it." "Twenty four hours, man." "Tomorrow." "Now." "Ten seconds." "One." "I don't have it." "I got to see the versateller." "Two." "What you gonna do, man?" "Five." "Why you treating me like this, man?" "I'll get it." "I swear to God!" "Six." "You want to do it, David?" "Come on." "You know me." "What am I doing?" "Oh, God!" " Motherfucker!" " Let him go!" "Let him go!" "I'm sorry." "Oh, God." "Jesus fucking Christ, man!" "It was a fucking joke, Eddie." "Eddie, please go home, huh?" "Apologize to these guys and go home." "Fuck." "All right." "Gopher, Gopher, I'm very sorry." "Listen, man, I didn't mean to call you a homosexual." "And you know I'm a businessman." "I go to work." " Hey, brother—" " Go home, man." "Eddie, I just want to ask you a question." "You really fucking think you'd get away with this shit?" "You work for me, Eddie... learn to keep your fucking mouth shut!" "Understand?" "If you can't fucking do it, I'll do it for you!" "I'm sorry." "I'll fucking do it for you permanently." "Come here." "I'm sorry!" "Come here, you..." "Fuck it." "Come on, you guys." "Take a look at this, huh?" "So, Johnny... what do you think?" "I think you made your point." "Hey, I like him." "That's very good." "What about you, bar mitzvah boy?" "First time you see somebody die?" "Uh, I was fourteen, and uh..." "I was in camp, and, uh... a friend of mine was water-skiing, and... a junior counselor was driving the boat, and... the motorboat ran him over." "You ought to kill a man someday, David." "It's... liberating." "Coke is dead." "So what's next?" "Oh, you're so smart." "Well, that's the question... but that's for me to know and you to find out." "Why aren't you selling it, then?" "'Cause, uh..." "I can make it chemically." "I know how to market it." "I need a chunk of money... and that's why I'm hanging around with this Barbosa." " I can't get the big guys." " Who are the big guys?" "Why can't you get next to them?" "I don't move enough quantity." "Why do you ask so many questions?" "'Cause I'm a cop." "That's funny." "Hey, I told you that." "You know anything about designer drugs?" "What, ice and ecstasy and tar?" "Yeah, yeah." "You know, they've gotten a bad name... 'cause there's a limited market for Parkinson's disease... but what about a substance... that was absolutely safe and currently legal... that you could go to work on... and do your job better... than you ever did it straight?" "Right." "Sounds like a dream." "In dreams begin responsibilities." "So what is this new thing, this thing you can make—" "Oh, some other time, John, when we know each other better." "Let's see what we have." "This is more than I bought." "Yeah." "Well, half we owe you." "The other half's on consignment." "It's a token of our esteem 'cause you kept your mouth shut." "You having trouble moving it... especially since you got no more Eddie." "You got me." "That's true." "Make me your partner, I'll get your money." "I need a salesman, not a partner." "You need a partner... 'cause Felix Barbosa won't back you and your wonder drug... whatever it is." "One." "Two." "I can't buy that much shit." "I don't have that in the budget." "What am I supposed to do with it?" "You're a drug dealer." "Deal drugs." "Hey, man." "Me first!" "I was supposed to be making a difference." "Here I was selling drugs to kids and pregnant women." "I hating doing what I was doing... but I was good at it." "Being a cop was never this easy." "Peace." "Listen, if you working for me, you either use or you sell." "You can't do both." "How am I supposed to use if I got four kids?" "Fine young thing like you?" "What you doing with four kids?" "I'll give you fine young thing, baby." "Bitch, I told you—" "Another fucking nigger's car—" "I don't want to have to see you here!" "Get your hands off me, buddy!" "All right." "It's cool." "Hey, it's cool, baby." "Listen up, sissy." "This place ain't yours no more." "It's ours." "So take your weasel-looking ass... and this scrawny bitch the fuck out of here." "Send that nigger home!" "Yeah." "I'll be back." "You see that movie, man?" "Rent it at your local video store." "Let's roll, baby." "David, there's someone here to see you." "So what's your name?" "John." "You?" "Jacquiline with a "J."" " I got to go." " No, wait." "Come back." "Same time, same station." " Don't let it get cold." " All right." "David, we got to go, man." "How come I like bailing black chicks so much?" "Maybe you feel like you fucking a slave." " Like a bondage thing?" " No." "Like a racist thing." "You ever been with two women at once?" "Yeah." "Your mother and your father." "Yeah?" "Did my mama get buck wild on you?" "OK, Mack Daddy... you're about to meet somebody very—" "You'll thank me for this." "She's a truffle." "Lock the door." "Ooh, baby!" "Baby." "David, you're late." "So beige." "You're a vision in beige." "This is Betty." "Isn't she... a stone fox?" "John Hull, my new associate." "Your new Eddie." "I hear the old one wore out." "Factory recall." "This is the advanced model." "That's $50,000, thanks to John, employee of the week." "So how does this work?" "Dig— dig this." "Betty sends this money... to an unnamed African nation... to a store for stuff she never bought." "They deposit it in a bank down there... who then, in turn... makes a loan to Betty which she never has to repay." "That way it doesn't show up as income for the IRS." "It's the laundress' math." "You talk too much." "Why?" "John is— John is the coolest, baby." "I'm the coolest." "How much is this?" "Do you know anything about ethnic art?" "Have you ever been in a store like this?" "See, we don't put price tags on our merchandise." "So if you have to ask... then obviously you can't afford it." "In that case, I'll take two of them." "You're up..." "Eddie II." "Not for me." "Thank you." "Why not?" "Because it can get to be a very expensive habit... and as you said, I can't afford it." "You know something?" "I don't trust you." "You know something?" "I don't think you could trust yourself." "And you know something else?" "A man has two things in this world— his word and his balls... or is that three things?" "Lighten up, Betty." "What's the vibe here?" "You should have seen this guy on the street." "You were so... like some beautiful panther... or— or— or jungle storm." "This is not my condescending infatuation... with just everything black." "Those politically conservative Negroes can kiss my ass... and these anti-Semitic pricks can kiss my ass... but you have the gift of fury." "You're like a— a dangerous... magnificent beast." "Watch your mouth, David." "Watch my mouth?" "I can say anything I want." " You can say anything you want?" " You didn't hear me?" "I can say anything I fucking want to say!" "Boys." "Is this some type of male bonding thing?" "Because you can take it outside." "You're blowing my high." "She wants us bad." "She wants us both." "Mmm!" "But we got to go." "I want two of those masks." "Two of them." " You can't take shit off nobody." " Man, I—" "I don't care how big they are." "I ain't afraid of no nigger." "I'm back!" "Wild, wild west!" "Wild, wild west, motherfuckers!" "Motherfucker!" "We got to kill him." "'Cause, look, she worked for you." "You were supposed to protect her." "If you don't assert now... you're going to lose authority with the other dealers... and one of them's going to kill you." "Plus with Ivy out the way, we can take over his territory." "Thank you." "All right." "We'll get Barbosa's man Chino to do it." "No." "If we use Chino, then it's Barbosa who's asserting." "It'll be Barbosa's territory." "It's got to be us, baby." "If it's us, it's got to be me, right?" "If I do this, we partners, man." "Fifty-fifty." "Everything down the middle." "I want to see you come back in one piece." "Me, too." "Come on, I see you jam." "Sinkin' into that format flow" "Get dollars, hit the door" "And I'm at the core like rhythm and blues" "I pay dues like taxes" "So I like to match a negative emcee" "Against smoke like a primo" "Send home, win a little butt-naked demo" "We came with" "How you gonna play the game?" "With compromise?" "No, sir" "While some change for a little chump change" "And more air play" "And they complain when they don't hear" "A little tape in the back of a caddy or a jeep" "He shoulda stayed with the street" " Come on" " Ow" "I see you jam, come on" "Yo, this is ragtime, and right about now..." "I'm out of time... but the deejay's going keep the party bumping... with funky rhythms, know what I'm saying?" "Peace!" "I knew you'd come." "Should have popped me when my back was turned, bitch." "What the fuck you looking at?" "Ah, you a bitch." "You want to suck it, bitch... or you want a drink?" "You in a coma, motherfucker?" "You fucking bitch." "You did it... partner." "You see?" "I had killed a man... a man who looked like me... whose mother and father... looked like my mother and father... and nothing happened." "And the police didn't come after me." "No one did." "I could have killed others if I'd wanted to... and gotten away with it." "This is cocaine... an addictive alkaloid... which distorts the thought processes... destroys the sex drive... and makes most people too obnoxious to bear." "It's illegal, and as you know... you can buy it on any street corner." "This is a chemical variant." "It increases attention, energy, cognitive powers... yet with a smooth... opiate-like emotional surface." "It's completely legal... and I'm the only one who knows how to make it." "How much can you make it for?" "Give me five million dollars... and I'll supply the whole West Coast... for thirty cents a pop." "The world will cost more." "So all we need is the..." "Money." "And we're out of business with these morons forever." "I want you to get a new apartment." "Something expensive." "What's wrong with where I'm at?" "That dump?" "Come on." "You're a big dealer now." "Act like it." "Spend some money." "Get new clothes." "Have some fun." "That's an order." "So what was it like?" "What was what like?" "Popping Ivy." "I'm God, remember?" "Then you should know what it was like." "We've taken over Ivy's territory." "We're moving more product." "That means Gallegos will probably come to us himself." "Great." "If we can take him down by the end of the month... it'll go on this quarter's report." "The faggots in congress will love that." "Make us look efficient." "What's the problem?" "You ever kill anybody?" "Are you kidding?" "I went to Princeton to avoid all that shit." "What am I doing here, man?" "Have you ever seen a crack baby?" "Newborn crack baby... six hours old... screaming its heart out... because it's going through withdrawal?" "Over the course of the next year... it doesn't learn to crawl or walk... or talk on time... because it's got deformities." "Physical deformities... mental deformities." "It's got brain damage... lowered IQ... dyslexia— God only knows what else." "Maybe it goes to school... but it can't learn." "And it's violent... so it gets in trouble with the law." "It's unable to form any close emotional ties... so it's faced with the prospect... of going through this hideous, miserable life... completely alone." "There are millions of these babies, John." "There's a whole generation of your people... who are being destroyed... before they are even born... because these guys... are bringing that shit into this country." "Now do you remember what you're doing here?" "Good." "He was right." "That's why I was here." "So I did what he said." "I got myself a nice place in the hills... some new threads... a nice ride." "It was fun." "I liked being a big shot." "Wouldn't you?" "I'm tired." "I want my masks." "You always shop at night?" "I'm a nocturnal creature." "I do a lot of things at night— shopping... laundry." "Business is improving." "From almost nothing to almost something." "Oh, are you an ambitious boy?" "In my own way." "Why do you look at me like that?" "How do I look at you?" "Like you know something I don't." "Like you're better than me." "I don't think I'm better than you." "I don't think..." "I'm better than anybody." "I know you can't stop thinking about me, though." "No." "That's part of your—" "imagination." "I have a present for you." "You want to see it?" "David, what's the freakiest thing you ever did sexually?" "Me?" "Really?" "Brown shower?" "Oh, I don't do that." "No brown shower." "Although, a woman, sometimes when she comes... has a discharge that's liquid." " You like that?" " I like that suit." "Where did you get that?" "Nice Italian lady picked this out." "It's nice." "Gianni Versace, right?" "Mike Tyson wears Versace." "Take your feet off the couch." "You don't do that at your mother's house." "Nouveau anal, I think this is called, but all right." "And here." "Here." "Here." "Coaster." "Coaster." "Yeah." "We need more stuff." "No." "We don't want to push it." "We've been having fun." "We've been doing good." "Look." "What do we got here?" "Chump change." "Rent money." "You talking about designer drugs." "We need more." "What kind of monster have I created?" "Where's Barbosa getting his stuff from anyway?" "Gallegos." "Gallegos, who you couldn't get next to." "Why?" "You didn't move enough product." "So now you will." "We buy direct from Gallegos, we get a better price." "Barbosa's never going to let us near Gallegos." "If we buy twenty keys, Gallegos will come to us himself." "How do you know that?" "How do you think I got next to you, David?" "Yes, my game was strong... and my money was long." "I really made this business pay." "Everything was going exactly the way it was supposed to." "Carver was thrilled at my rapid ascent as a dealer." "I was telling David what to do, instead of him telling me." "Then it all started to go wrong." "Today's Gopher's birthday?" "Hey, David... what are you going to do with ten kilos?" "You're always late on two." "It's not ten kilos." "We want twenty." "Oh, man." "Wait." "David and I have been talking." "There's markets we can't open... 'cause we don't have the inventory." "There's money to be made out there." "The more we have, the more we can move." "Son of a bitch." "Finally, somebody with balls on the team." "Johnny, why don't you come work for me?" "You'll have your own franchise." "You can supply David." "Lean on him when he's late." "I'm with David, Felix." "But why, man?" "Did he give you that synthetic coke routine?" "That's a joke, John." "I'm telling you it's a joke." "Felix, don't kid about it." "No." "No." "Who's kidding, man?" "We talked about that a couple months ago." "You are going to invest, right?" "Do I look dumb enough to back this schmuck in anything?" "Don't talk to me that way." "I'm not talking to you." "I'm talking to John." "David, don't listen to him." "Felix, he's your friend." "Fuck him." "He's a schmuck." "Hey, Felix, is that necessary, man?" "All right." "OK." "OK, I apologize." "It's your birthday party, Gopher." "We should all have a nice time." "It's good he never went to jail." "He'd come out with an asshole big enough for a watermelon." "David, relax, OK?" "I think he's pissed off, man." "I don't believe this." "You're really pissed off." "Wait a second." "I think we should lighten the party up." "We're going to have a little game." "But I know what you do." "David, get up." "Come on." "You want to play a game with me?" "No, I don't want to play." "It's a nice game." "You slap my hands." "Don't." "Don't." "What's it take to get you up, a stiff dick up your ass?" "Come on." "Get up." "You afraid of me?" "Come on, you pussy." "Oh, he's growing balls." "Who's first?" "I know this game." " You go first." " Great." "Oh, you missed, David." "Felix, you're wrong." "You stay out of this." "First one to four wins, like the World Series." "Come on." "Put them down there." "Oh, you flinched, David." "That's too bad, man." "That means I get to hit you." "One more time, David." "Put them back there." "Come on." "You got balls now, right?" "You're a big, tough guy." "You like that, huh?" "Felix, that's one." "That was two." "No, that's not two." "This is two." "Ooh, it hurts." "Boy, does it hurt." "Come on, schmuck." "You grew balls." "You're going to have to wear them now." "Fuck it." "Let's play to four." "The game's to four." "You want to play to four?" "We'll play to four." "OK, put them up there." "You want four, eh?" "OK, Felix, you made your point." "He wanted to go to four." "That's what he wanted." "David, come on." "Please." "Just calm down." "I knew from that moment... that Barbosa was going to kill David... unless David killed him first." "My whole plan was coming apart." "What did they do to you?" "They... taught me what I needed to know— they don't respect me... that I don't deserve respect." "You have got to get out of this business." "You have a wife and a daughter who love you." "I love you." "What more do you want?" "I want my cake and eat it, too." "Taft's partner Hernandez was a dirty cop." "He needed a bust to look clean... so Barbosa decided to give him us." "You going to make me wait?" "I'm telling Taft here that I got people here working." "I need some busts... or they're going to start wondering about me." "They're already wondering." "Relax, man." "I told you to come here." "You can have Gopher if you want." "How about a lawyer?" "Felix, what?" "Lawyers are great, Jewish even better... but I need some spades." "Politicians like the dark faces... so they can scare the suburbs into voting Republican." "Lawyers and spades." "I got the trifecta." "Two dealers and a girl who does the wash." "Two niggers and a kike, all democrats." "You're my man." "Can the lawyer end up dead?" "It can be arranged." "Carver already knew about it." "He always knew about everything." "Don't ask me how." "What's your problem?" "What is my problem?" "I'll tell you my problem." "You think you're hot shit... and you don't know what's happening." "Tell me what's happening, Jerry." "You said it yourself." "If Barbosa doesn't bust Jason, he's got to kill him." "We can't be responsible for that." "Then what do we do?" "You stay away from that bust and let it go down." "They take Jason and the girl." "That's it." "Jerry, if Jason goes to jail... we have no way of getting to Gallegos." "Tell the cops to call off the bust." "I can't interfere with local police." "Bullshit." "You do it all the time." "You're God, remember?" "So that's it?" "You're throwing away all this work?" "I've been putting my life on the line." "You let Jason and Barbosa get into it last night... which you should not have done... and now it is out of our hands." "I'll take care of it myself then." "You stay away from that bust." "Is that an order?" "Yes, that's an order." "You stay away from that bust." "You understand me?" "Yes, sir." "I don't like this, David." "I think we need to do it another time." "We're doing it." "Why does she got to be here?" "Because he wanted me to come." "He's testing me, not you." "Testing what?" "How you wear shoes?" "This is bad, David." "She's in the stratosphere... and you're definitely not yourself." "We need to rethink this, man." "It's too late." "We're here." "Here they come." "There they are." "Nobody moves until they make the switch." "Hey, sorry to drag you out so late... but you can't be too careful, huh?" "It's been a long time." "Yes, it has." "David, how are you?" "All right." " Let's see what we got." " You bet." "Chino." "Relax, Chino." "Felix, this don't feel right." "What do you mean?" "I'm talking about a feeling." "I thought you were the crazy one." "This motherfucker's crazy." "I'm crazy, Felix." "I'm crazy about you." " This bastard's wearing a wire." " Oh, shit." "So why don't we get in your car now?" "What the hell's going on there?" "Looks like we got a problem." "Let me use the scope." " What are you doing?" " He's got a gun." " Everybody in the car!" " He has a gun!" "He was going to shoot the informant." "All right, move in!" "Move in!" "Now, don't shoot!" "The informant's in the vehicle." "What the hell are you doing?" "It went all right." "We're all right." "Hold on!" "Look out!" "Look out!" "Felix the rat." "He's a fucking cop." "How else would he know what was happening?" "You— you motherfucker." "If I was a cop, you'd be on the floor." "Get out of the car." "Fine." "Stop the car." "No time." "Get out of the car." " Not now!" " Yes, now!" "Open the fucking door." " Open it!" " All right." "I'll open the door." " Oh, God!" " God damn it!" "He traded us to the cops, just like Eddie." "Eddie had to die." "So should Felix." "Never again." "David, we can't do this." "David, stop it, or we're going—" "Shut up, or you'll die." "You'll both die." "Everybody will die." "How does it feel, Felix?" "Fuck you." "It's almost time." "It's not open." "OK, I'll get it." "God damn it!" "You open it." "David, stop it!" "Now, now, now!" " Get the fuck out!" " David, please!" "OK, now, get out!" "Go!" "Adios!" "See you soon, David." "Yeah." "We'll have shrimp." "Get the fuck out!" "I'll see you in fucking hell!" "Then we'll have barbecued jumbo shrimp, you motherfucker!" "Get back in the fucking car, David!" "This is the greatest night of my life." "Terrible." "Terrible, but... great." "You know, Felix was right." "He said I should kill a man." "They're going to kill us." "Am I right?" "They're not going to kill anybody." "We're too valuable to them." "We move the product." "That's all they care about, right, David?" "After tonight... after this..." "I can't do this anymore." "No more laundering." "No more anything." "I like her, and I know you like her, but, uh... she's got to go." "We got to kill her, John." "If you even think about hurting her, David... your ass is mine, you understand?" "I'll kill you." "Then she's your responsibility." "I'll fucking kill you, David." "Well... veiled threats aside... she's on your fucking head... and you know which way I mean that." "I had violated orders." "People had died." "I couldn't go back to Carver." "I didn't know where to go... but I needed someone." "What do you want?" "I wanted to make sure you were all right." "You don't think I know what David said about me... when I left the car?" "That's what David wants." "You think I want to hurt you?" "You think I'd let somebody hurt you?" "You think I'd let anybody hurt you?" "Understand?" "It's all right." "I'm not going to let anything happen to you." "I just want to be here when they come." "They won't come for you." "They'll come for me." "My father died when I was ten years old." "Heart attack." "I held him in my arms." "He told me he loved me, and he died." "I'm sorry." "It's OK." "Tell me something about you." "This really scares me." "Yeah." "Me, too." "Don't hurt her." "No mas." "Delicioso." "Felix Barbosa was a skinny fourteen-year-old..." "Here he was at last—" "Anton Gallegos... a creep in a black cape." "And now I began to wonder." "Barbosa's death had gotten us here." "Did I let David kill him?" "Did I want him to?" "Felix owed me $1,800,000." "When you killed him, you bought his debt." "Now you owe it to me." "You get to keep thirty percent— same as he did." "You have three days." " How will we do that?" " David." "I ought to kill you." "Everybody says I ought to kill you." "The only reason I let you live... is if I can get something from you." "We will start with this." "I'd done it." "I'd gotten to Gallegos... the number-two man on Jerry's pyramid." "Where've you been, man?" "I met with Gallegos today." "We can take him down tomorrow." "Get in." "You're coming in now." "I'm coming in where?" "You know what the fuck I'm talking about." "Your assignment is terminated." "You violated a direct order to stay away from that bust!" "As a result, a police informant is dead!" "That's not my fault!" "Two officers were injured and a vice cop was murdered!" "I didn't blow my cover." "Don't get smart with me, you son of a bitch!" "You want to bring Gallegos to trial." "I got him." "Who gives a shit how I did it?" "Give me your gun." "What the fuck's wrong with you?" "If I have to, I'll put you in custody!" "Now give me your fucking gun!" "You're protecting him, right?" "You're protecting Gallegos..." "This motherfucker!" "What is he, the new Noriega?" "He helps you fight communists, you let him bring in drugs... to sell it to niggers and spics, and you use me to do that shit?" "You violated orders!" "Don't make a conspiracy of it!" "Just give me the gun!" "Talk to me, man." "What are you doing?" "Tell me what the fuck's going on?" "It's not me!" "It's the State Department!" "Don't give me that shit." "Remember the uncle, Hector Guzman?" "Well, things have changed." "We like him now." "We want him to run for president down there someday." "Jerry, I sold drugs." "I watched people die, and I didn't do nothing." "I killed people!" "You lied to me!" "They lied to me, John!" "How naive can you get?" "Are you so stupid you can't see that?" "You think I like this?" "John, I'm sorry, huh?" "It's all bullshit." "You know that." "I know that." "What the fuck am I going to do now?" "Hey, they're bringing me to Washington." "Come along." "We'll have a budget." "I didn't get into this for that." "Neither did I, but that's all there is." "The spoils of war." "You might as well enjoy it." "Then I've been wasting my time with you." "I can get more clout and money on the street... than I can get following your ass to Washington!" "This whole fucking time..." "I'm a cop pretending to be a drug dealer." "I ain't nothing but a drug dealer pretending to be a cop." "I ain't going to pretend no more, Jerry." "I quit." "It's not that simple." "You don't think so?" "You watch me." "I quit." "It's not that simple, John." "My first drink, Jer." "Shit ain't bad." "So the whole game had been a joke... a joke on me." "I was a fool." "I'd been turned out like a two dollar ho." "Used... abused... but with no towel... and no kiss." "Never have, never will." "You know the jungle creed... say that the strongest feed on any prey it can... and I was branded beast at every feast... before I ever became a man." "Are you fucked up?" "We've been everywhere you told us looking for this money." "We only got 1.1 million of what—" "What do we owe Gallegos?" "A million eight." "He's lying." "Barbosa barely owed him a mil." "He's going to kill you guys." "Sit them down!" "Come show me!" "Come!" "All right." "It's not one eight." "It's a million one." "Now... that's more than what he owed you." "That's all we're paying." "Big brass balls... but if I say... it's a million eight, then it's a million eight... so you owe me another seven hundred thousand dollars... which is already late... so we add it with the interest... and there are those little penalties." "So let's say... a million?" "Is that OK?" "OK." "That's fine." "Is that going to be OK with you?" "Because if it's not, we will talk about it." "It's fair." "Things that get in the way of collecting my money..." "He wasn't going to let us live anyway, huh?" "Let's go, let's go." "I'm coming." "You thought I'd let you live, let you get away?" "I got you twice." "Where is it?" "No se." "Even if we'd given him another million... he'd have killed us." "I could tell by the look in his eyes... and the smirk on his face... so I got Gallegos after all." "Despite Carver and despite the State Department..." "I got him—" "John Q. Hull, the dealer... not Russell Stevens, the cop." "It was like Jerry had said— all my faults were becoming virtues... and now that I had whacked Gallegos... there was no turning back." "Motherfucker." "We're in business, David." "It's all right." "There could be something like 100 million bucks." "If we take it... half of Latin America's going to come after us." "That's the idea, David." "You don't work for Gallegos, you work for Guzman, right?" "This is what you're going to do." "Tell him we got his money... and we talk to him and nobody else." "Entendes?" "I see." "Oh, you flinching now, huh?" "What?" "Hector Guzman goes fishing with George fucking Bush." "He's going to give us money for synthetic drugs." "We're going to be big time." "What if they go after Nancy and Miranda?" "Do you want to do the designer drug thing or not?" "So this is what-the-fuck it takes." "Right?" "Right, Molto?" "You got the balls for this, David, or what?" "OK, get your family and take care of it." " You take the van." " All right." "You killed Gallegos." "You're going to pay for this." "Next time I put your fucking eye out." "You're lucky I need you." "You deliver the message, you understand?" "Molto and the rest of Guzman's boys... were going to be all over my condo." "The banks were closed... but I had money at the hotel... and I wanted to check on James." "Belinda had been smoking all afternoon as usual... then suddenly collapsed and went into convulsions." "Mrs. G. called the rescue squad." "By the time they got there, she was dead." "Until I saw her lying there quiet for once..." "I never realized how pretty she was." "I didn't want to think about it." "I didn't want to look at her... but I couldn't get up off the bed." "Give me a minute, chief." "You're the boss." "These people are coming after me... and anybody close to me, and that's you." "You're going to the airport." "Get out of the country as soon as possible." "You got any money?" "A little." "You're going to need some money, OK?" "Why don't you take that?" "The money don't know where it came from." "You take it, OK?" "You and me finished?" "If you're still in business." "Are you still in it?" "Please go." "KMP-five-four." "License number 2-Sam-Adam-George-389." "Repeat." "2-Sam-Adam-George-389." "What's happening, reverend?" "You know you killed that little girl up there... don't you?" "Almost the same as if you shot her." "You deal in vice, you pay the price, reverend." "You really don't believe that, now, do you, son?" "Yeah, what do I believe, reverend?" "Well, I can see you're in pain." "Anybody can see it." "The girl's death is a sin on your eternal soul... and you're going to stay in pain... until you can atone for it... somehow." "Sin and souls— who believes in that shit anymore, reverend?" "You do." "Want to know what a sin is?" "A sin's ending up like that girl— where junkies prowl, where the tigers growl... in search of that much-needed blow." "Where winos cringe on a canned-heat binge... and find their graves in the snow." "You and me are one." "Don't forget who you are." "We got word that Mr. Guzman had come to town... looking for his late nephew's one hundred million dollars." "We couldn't fight all of Latin America... so we invited Mr. Guzman down to the docks... to discuss a new arrangement." "OK, Gopher, you know what you got to do?" "Yeah, yeah." "I know what to do." "Hold it right there." "You have something that belongs to Mr. Guzman." "Most of it's here, but we have a proposal." "We're sorry about your nephew." "My time is very short, Mr. Jason." "We've developed a new product." "Eight-Y-five-four." "Request backup." ""C" Street Pier, San Pedro." "Possible narcotics transaction taking place." "Male suspects." "Be advised some suspects exited limousines." "Diplomatic plates." "Repeat." "Diplomatic plates." "It's completely synthetic... therefore, no growing, no refining, no peasants... best of all, no international borders, no customs agents." "In that case are two detailed prospecti on marketing... with anticipated cash flow and so forth." "You racist Americans." "You just want to cut us poor Hispanics... completely out of the market." "No." "There's no such thing as an American anymore— no Hispanics, no Japanese, no blacks, no whites." "It's just rich people and poor people." "We three are rich." "We're on the same side." "You cannot— repeat cannot— delay him or arrest him in any way." "Do you copy?" "Yeah." "Will not arrest or delay... but I think there's drug money out there... and I can arrest and delay that." "You get me backup... because I'm not letting it get away." "You got it?" "We'll pay back eighty percent of what we took from Anton." "The rest you invest in the new drug... with proceeds paid according to figures on page six." "Is there a product sample?" "It's in the case." "Buy it." "You have a deal, Mr. Jason." "Now where's my money?" "Work with me, Jesus." "Work with me, Lord." "Now, we've already taken out the 20% for the company." "That's the other eighty." "Tenemos un pequeño problema." "Something's wrong." "Hold it!" "Take it easy!" "Who are you?" "A policeman." "Welcome." "It's always good to see the police." "Very reassuring... but, fortunately, we don't have a problem, officer." "We're just on our way to dinner." "Well, what about your money?" "Money?" "What money?" "Is there money here?" "I keep my money in a bank." "El banco." "Thank you for your concern, officer." "Vamanos." "Now put the guns down!" "I said put them down!" "The cops'll be here— three minutes!" "It's your last chance!" "Take his gun." "I'll lower the van." "Let's go." "Johnny, put the gun down!" "In the name of God, Johnny... now you put that gun down." "I'm going for my backup gun!" "I got backup." "Don't do that!" "You're not going to shoot me are you, Johnny?" "Are you, son?" "Put... the gun down!" "Come on now, son." "Put it down." "Don't!" "I'm going for my gun!" "Don't do that!" "Johnny!" "You're supposed to be wearing a fucking vest!" "What the fuck were you doing?" "You're not bad." "I need a rescue ambulance!" ""C" Street Pier, San Pedro!" "Let's go." "What are you doing?" "Officer needs assistance!" ""C" Street Pier, San Pedro!" "Code three!" "Code three?" "What the fuck?" "What— what?" "I need a rescue ambulance!" "Code three!" ""C" Street Pier, San Pedro!" "Officer down!" "What in God's name are you doing?" "I'm a cop, David!" "OK, you're all right." "You're not that bad." "I got you." "In the name of God..." "Five hundred million dollars... and no more nigger." "Forget this Judeo-Christian bullshit." "The same people that taught us virtue... are the very ones who've enslaved us, baby." "Shh!" "I got you, partner." "We've had fun... and I know your dick gets hard for money... power, and women." "It doesn't matter that you're a cop." "Let's get in the van." "I can't." "Is this what's between us and destiny?" "Oh, God..." "Is this what's standing between us and greatness, huh?" "You shouldn't have done that, David." "But I did, so let's get in the van." "But I did, so get in the fucking van!" "Learn, John." "Wake up, my brother." "Wake up." "There's not much time." "Wake up!" "You... have... the right to remain silent." "You have... the right to an attorney." "You're under arrest, David." "John, what's the—" "What's the weirdest thing you ever did sexually?" "Nothing seems that weird anymore, man." "We were almost there." "Sit down." " So how you doing?" " Swell." "In about an hour, you're going to be testifying... in front of the subcommittee, and I need a favor." "I just need you to do a little soft-shoe... make them feel good about how their drug money is being spent." "What if I don't feel good about it?" "Can I show you something?" "She never made the plane." "You son of a bitch." "She is up on multiple counts... of violating various state and federal bank laws." "If you badmouth us..." "I'll see that she gets convicted on all of them... and that the judge runs the terms consecutively." "If you play ball, she walks." "What do I have to say exactly?" "All you have to do is speak highly of the operation... and the DEA and all the agents in it, particularly me." "I want it in writing." "I want it signed by you and the prosecutor... and my attorney approves every single word." "Mr. Stevens, so what have you actually accomplished... with this vast expenditure of time, money... and violence?" "Madam chairman... my assignment was to bring down Anton Gallegos... the chief supplier of cocaine to the West Coast." "I did that." "Mr. Stevens, whom do we have to thank for all this?" "Besides yourself, or course." "I had very little to do with it." "The true credit belongs to the agency... in particular, my superior officer Gerald Carver... and his superiors." "They designed the operation... they gave me the intelligence, latitude... and strategy to carry it out." "If it was not for Mr. Carver and his superiors..." "I would not have been able to do what I did." "You consider the operation a success?" "Almost." "Tape." "What the hell's he doing?" "What you're about to see is a videotape... of Hector Guzman, a diplomat to this country... a very powerful and important Latin American politician... and a friend of our president's." "You got a problem, Jerry." " I don't know anything about it." " Deal with it." "Here you can see him meeting with drug dealers... including myself... late last month in Los Angeles." "For years, Mr. Guzman has been a conduit... for his nephew Anton Gallegos, a major drug importer." "This is slanderous and irresponsible." "I want that tape seized now!" "I want that tape!" "I'm sorry." "Copies have already been distributed to the press." "Let's go." "Let's have some order here!" "Mr. Stevens, one question." "Mr. Guzman has been mentioned... as a possible presidential candidate for his own country." "Do you intend for these revelations... to damage his political career?" "I don't know anything about politics." "What are your motives?" "Please, let us through." "You motherfucker!" "We had a deal." "The deal was he wouldn't criticize the agency... and he didn't criticize the agency, so back off." "Go get the car, Gopher." "You and Jason took a hell of a lot of money... out of that van before you gave it to Guzman." "How much was that exactly?" "Jerry, what's the difference... between a black man and a nigger?" "What?" "The nigger's the one... that wouldn't even think about telling you." "You all right?" "Put it down." "Go wait with Betty." "We took eleven million in drug profits... out of the van." "The money doesn't know where it comes from... but I do." "If I keep it, I'm a criminal." "If I give it to the government, I'm a fool." "If I try and do some good with it... maybe it just makes things worse." "Either way, I'll probably just wind up... getting myself in more trouble." "It's an impossible choice... but in a way, we all have to make it." "What would you do?"