"Mr. Brickner you're in here for your initial appearance before the parole board." "You entered a plea of guilty to manslaughter in the second degree." "The court imposed a term of seven years four and a half of what you've served." "Yes sir, it's correct." "This involves an incident occurring in February of 2002" "You are responsible for taking the life of one Matthew Reynolds." "Is that correct?" "Yes sir, it's correct." "Are you sorry for your crime?" "There's no day that goes that I won't think about the man but not the crime...the man." "It's just takes a switch to kill a man." "You can use a gun from a 100 feet away." "Or you can poison a man dead and never look him in his eyes." "Taking a human life in your own two hands is the most unemotional thing a man can do." "It changes you in a way I can't really explain." "Why don't you try?" "You don't just take away a man's life." "You carry it with you." "It's yours forever." "Every action, every movement and every thought." "It's not something you can shake." "Not the best thing anyway." "I see!" "So tell me if released how would you spend your time on the outside?" "What are your plans?" "I'm gonna be a productive member of society." "Get a job." "But first off, I've gotta get right at the situation." "I don't have a choice." "Just gotta get right." "I've read your files." "You've been a model inmate." "And I think you're a reasonable candidate for parole." "Congratulations, Mr. Brickner!" "It's my strong hope that you make good with the rest of your life on the outside." "Best of luck to you." "Come to eight and talk to Mike, alright." " Brickner" " Brickner" "Sandbox an hour and don't ask questions and hours pay cash, alright?" "Take that load up to eighteen and convict!" "Don't even think about fucking with me." "Can you hear me?" "Here's another." "Hey!" "Were we telling you that your ass is a wonderland?" " Hands off, okay." " What's wrong?" "Right clothes for an eviction." "You can't afford the price of the mission." " Are you okay?" " Yeah...touches me again." "Hey, bar girl, let's go!" "Here we go." "Would you spring that sweet little..." "Don't you fucking touch me!" "Would you apologize to the lady?" "I'm sorry." " What?" " You want a job?" "Brickner" "Is there a problem, convict?" "So, how's it been going?" "Well, I got a job." "I got two jobs, actually." "Made me think..." "eight hours a week is killing me." "Your piss is clean, good job!" "I'll see you next week." "Come on, guys!" "Hey!" "Hey!" "Hey!" "Come on!" "Hey baby." "Is that him?" "Settle down." "So what do you think?" "I think we'll see." "Don't let the door hit you when the good Lord spits you." "See you tomorrow night." "Hey I...saw what you did with these.." "It was great... it was fantastic..." "Call me." "And you and I could make some money." "We could make some real money." "Thanks." "Suit yourself." "John." "John Brickner." "So I guess you got my letters." "I mean, I never really knew coz I never heard back from you." "Yeah, John, I got your letters." "There's a reason I wrote the parole board." "I told them they should release you, that you're sorry and that you want to set things right." "But make no mistake!" "If it wasn't for you my husband would still be alive." "And if it wasn't for me you'd still be behind bars." " Thank you." " Don't." "I didn't do it out of the good of my heart." "I have another selfish reason." "My daughter Sarah is eight years old... and she'll probably won't make it to nine because she needs a heart transplant." "I have written letters to every major donor organization in the country." "And only one of them would even consider her case." "And I have yet to hear back from them." "I'm truly sorry." "I don't want your sympathy, John." "I didn't get you out of prison so you could move buildings supplies around all day." " You are gonna save my baby's life." " How?" "You're gonna get her that operation." "It costs $250,000 and that is money I don't have." "Well, I got my parole..." "I'm not interested in what you got." "I'm only interested in what you can get." "And I'm not asking you, John." "There you go." "Can't be that bad, can it?" "You know I've decided, it's time to count our blessings." "My ass is a wonderland." "Can I ask you a question?" "That guy that offered me a job the other night." "You know him?" "Yeah, Reno." "You know where I can find him?" "Call." "Oh, you gotta be shitting me, Farris." "All you got is that ragged ass pair of tens." "Send it." "I have a flush." "Bring it here." "You know what." "I'm out." "Good game, losers." "Frankie." "Looking for me?" "Yeah..." "He wants to talk to you." "Were you serious about that job?" "So what is it?" "Come on, I'll show you." "Spotter's name is Timmons." "He represents the Holy Grail of underground fighting." "His manager is this guy named Sharp." "He's a friend of mine." "No, thanks." "What?" "What?" "Are you afraid of that guy?" "I'm not interested." "The guy's a lumberjack for Christ's sake, some basic cable." "He is not even quick to pick her up." "Are you telling me you're scared of a lumberjack?" "Do you know how much money you could make beating that guy down there?" "Not enough." "And with the right management, Frankie, tell him how much." "Six figures, easy, one fight." "Six." "Six figures." "One fight." "And all I gotta do is whip that guy down there." "Well, you gotta earn that fight." "Goodbye." "Look, I know you're on parole." "It can't be easy, being an ex-con." "And when do you know when I end up cracking your ass?" "Let's just keep it that way." "Listen, I'm sorry about your situation." "I really am." "I just don't see how I can help." "Really?" "Yeah..." "I'm sorry." "Nothing you can do, huh." "Well, then." "How the hell do you explain these, huh?" "You're singing a different tune than you sang in prison, John." "If there's anything I can do, you just name it, I wanna help." "I can make amends with these." "You know what?" "Will you get the fuck out of here?" "Sighting you makes me wanna puke." "Mommy?" "Go to bed, dear." "Did I wake you?" " I heard you yelling." " It's okay, there's nothing to worry about." "Go back to bed." "This is John." "He's a friend." "This is Boomer." "It's a good name." "She's my friend." "I bet he's a good friend too." "She snores." "Bed." "Let me see what I can do." "Would you lend money, I need a loan." "Dewey, I'm telling you, I could feel this one" "I could feel it." "I could feel it in my bones." "Yeah, yeah." "You ever heard of phantom pains?" "Come on, he's prime." "You set me up on this." "I'm gonna double your investment." "Ah come on, if this guy is as good as you say." "What the hell do I need you for?" "Right, Frankie." "I mean, we know you are a piece of shit liability." "Look around here." "The shows are lined with your busted dreams." "The only reason I still got them is coz nobody else wants it." "You're wrong, Dewey." "You did wrong." "Listen to me, Reno." "Your instincts are for shit." "If they're any good in the first place, you wouldn't have to come to me for help." "You would've known better." "I heard that you and the Veltz we're facing." "Okay, let's just clear this throat, alright." "I come telling you, this guy, this guy's a luck." "Bullshit, I tell you what is a luck." "These car-shaped couplings I like so much." "You bring them to me, I'll make you a good price young man." "Those are my daddy's couplings." "Your soul is degenerate." "Can I help you, folks?" "Brickner!" "Brickner!" "Brickner!" "Brickner!" "I told you to clean up the scrap pile down there an hour ago." "What is the hold up?" "I've been working on the saw like you tell me to." "Jesus." "You ex-cons are all exactly the same." "Do you hear anything I say to you!" "?" "I tell you what." "Grab your shit." "And get out of here." "You're fired." "Do you hear that?" "Fuck off!" "You're fired!" "Are you okay?" "Somebody call 911." "Don't die on me, you son of a bitch." "Don't die." "Come on!" "You saved his life, you know." "By those giant hands of yours." "Cracked seven of his ribs too." "Atta boy, come on!" "Nice going fella, you won." "You won, okay." "We got one more to go." "Dickson wins." "Next fight Dickson vs Wolfey." "Stop moving, okay!" "Alright, good news is you won." "Bad news is you got one more to go." "Yeah." "Would you hold still?" "We got five, five minutes." "I don't feel so hot, man." "Hey, I can't talk right now." "Hey Reno, we got a fight or what?" "Look, he's gonna be ready okay." "Don't worry about it." " You got five minutes." " It's fine." "You heard that, five, we got five minutes." "You're all set." " Alright, you ready?" "Stand up." " Good as new, okay." "Hands up, hands in the air." "Let's go." "Ready." "You got time for me now?" "Somebody want to explain the damn rules?" "Put it this way if you lose..." " they don't pay you." " Got it." "Would you want my advice?" "Yeah, why not?" "Expect anything." "It's not a fight to the death but some guys they don't know when to quit." "Look, all you need to know John is that if you won't actually kill this guy you wanna make sure he wishes he was dead." "Come on." "What's his name?" "We got a sub." "You gotta forfeit, that's what you got." "Hey, come on." "My guy took a nap on me, alright." "Don't worry about it, you're gonna get your cut." "Fine." "Is it okay with you Wolfey?" "Alright, good enough." "The fuck it is." "I'm his manager, it ain't alright with me." "Colin Powell, come on." "I would do the same for you." "Don't you owe me some money, man." " Look, Trini." " Look, gentlemen, gentlemen." "Do we have a scrap here or not?" "Coz otherwise I'm gonna take a mathlock at home with my name all over it." "I want my fucking money, man." "Trini, you're gonna get your money as soon as my guy kicks your guy's ass." "Listen, listen..." "I'll give your guy 3-2, now we both know that's generous." "Yeah, generous." "Alright, let's get it on." " Alright, so what do we know about this guy?" " Nothing, alright, he's a pussycat." " He bites." " Not if you bite back, okay." "So just do whatever you gotta do to keep yourself out of him." "Do some jumping jacks or something, okay." "Alright, fighters to the chalk line." "Wolfey, you know the rules." "I'm assuming that you don't." "The fight goes until one man surrenders or is unable to continue." "Blood flow is not a reason to stop the fight, if you stop you forfeit." "A fighter cannot start the fight with a weapon in hand but found weapons are legal." "Did you say found weapons?" "Well, with the exception of firearms of course." "Any questions?" "No." "Alright, fight starts when you hear the horn." "You bite me chief, we're gonna be friends after." "Come on, man in black." "Keep it up." "Come on, get up, John." "You can't win on your back." "Do some damage, John." "Goddamn, don't say he can't miss." "Come on, damn it, get up!" "Alright, good job, good job, come on." "Well done." "Flick him out, baby." "Come on, hit him." "Right in his head." "Good job, good job, come on." "Nice!" " Yeah, I told you." " That's my boy, John." "Hey, where did you learn that finishing move?" "What finishing move?" "This, we might call it "The Bone Crusher"" "Let's hold on for that." "Let's take a look at you, come on." "I can't believe that son of a bitch bit me." "How's the head?" "Is it okay?" "Clear vision?" " No." " No." "Let's see that arm of yours." "I'm gonna need to disinfect that." "Hey man, did I win?" "Did you win?" "That's funny." "Yeah, you won, man." "I did, right?" "Caught him with that big right hand." "How about it dude?" "How about a discount?" "Hey, what the fuck are you doing?" "He just gets his tired ass motherfucker a happy sleep." "Ain't you forgetting something, Reno?" " Thanks, man." " Yeah." "You know, I think what Reno was trying to say... is gotta give action together." "You got your purse money?" "Yeah." "Better to have your own than to borrow." "Appreciate it." "Hey, big man... it is time to celebrate." "I'd go for that." "Are you keeping out of trouble?" "Yes, sir." "What else?" "I got fired from my job." "Really?" "Yeah, it's a long story and I'm gonna be looking for another one, so don't worry." "Do I look worried to you?" "The piss is clean." "Good." "Now, get out of here." "You have to keep tip-tap?" "I like that." "What are you doing in my room?" "Are you afraid I'm gonna steal something?" "Hey, Frankie." "How much money you got, John?" "Keeping the money in your own vent trick." "I love that." "How much money you think you got there, John?" "I wonder if you'll give me a second." "I'll count it." " 2200 and 17 dollars." " 2200 and change." "You could've doubled that had you not given that wannabe a happy split." "You're still whining about that." "Let me explain how this works." "Now, we put up the first money." "We usually wanna take all." "And the side betting, the Deacon he sets the art." "Now, to get that Timmons fight, we gotta go to his gas shop." "And believe me, to do that we're gonna need money." "Now, you wanna make some scratch." "You wanna make some real scratch?" "Yeah, I know, we gonna give action to get action." "Amen, brother." "Pack your shit, John." "You're coming to live with us." "Drop that off the house." "Then we're gonna go see the Deacon." "He's always in a good mood first thing in the morning." "I'm gonna pass." "Why do you mean "you're gonna pass"?" "We got the money." "Not enough, you don't." "You know, people saw that little show your boy here put on." "They're gonna wanna know, there's decent money to be made if they win." "Look, John here, is a good fighter." "Now, we all stand to make money on him including you." "Short term maybe but long term not so much." "Look, with all due respect, Deac, what are you?" "A hundred and ten years old?" "Now what is long term to you realistically?" "You got balls, I respect that." "But you need to get your goddamn ears fixed coz I said no." "Reno." "Step outside for a minute." "Let me talk to the Deacon." "Yeah, let's go outside." "Give him a chance to talk." "Look, you seem like a nice kid." "But you're an unknown variable in this game." "People aren't gonna wanna dance with you for a little money coz they know even if they win, they're gonna take a beating." "So what you're offering, it's just not worth it." "Well, if it just about the money then..." "Money is a problem, it's just not the biggest problem." "You're on parole, ain't you?" "You can lie to me if you want but I can see it in your eyes." "You got that hinky convict look." "Okay, I'm on parole." "So what?" "Are you a religious man?" "More or less." "Have you ever heard the parable of the unforgiving slave like in the Bible?" "No." "Well, in the parable of the unforgiving slave... the kingdom of God is likened to a king who is trying to settle accounts with his slaves..." "Now, who does that old son of a bitch think he is?" "It's not like he needs some money." "Goddman tight ass." "He's just protecting his business." "I'm sure it's nothing personal." "He said he'll set the fight if we get the money, alright." "It's not about that, man." "It's about respect." "You know, it's about me getting respect." "Man, I've set up over a million fights with this asshole." "The guy should do it on principle alone." "Hey, how many times have I told you not to light up in my car, Frankie?" "I don't know, how many did I listen?" "Let me tell you something about this town, John." "The rain it does weird shit to people." "All that gray, it's fucking depressing." "I'm beginning to see that." "You know, what lies beneath all that self-pity and hopelessness?" "What's that?" "Rage, John, fucking rage." "People are motivated by rage and anger." "They spend their lives eating shit." "It builds up." "They try to deny its existence, it turns into cancer and migraines and ulcers... bunch of shit like that." "What the hell does that got to do with me?" "You wanna win, right?" "You wanna win?" "You're gonna have to tap into that." "Tap into it." "I mean, you're good, John, you're good." "But you're too fucking nice." "Like all that time you spent in the clink." "Don't tell me you ain't pissed off." "I'd be pissed off, I wanna take me a fucking hostage." "Nobody likes what they got, John." "Everybody wants what they haven't got." "And you're just like everybody else, John." "No matter what you're telling yourself at night to go to sleep." "And we need money." "So we gots to improvise." "Reno." "Reno, wait, no." "Don't go in there, no." "Big picture, Frankie, big picture." "I'd give you five grand for them." " Five grand?" "Are you out of your fucking mind?" " Yeah." "Those are my daddy's couplings." "You're killing me here." "Alright, fine." "You're getting a good price here, young man." "But if I was you, I wouldn't let Val know that you sell them." "Coz he might take an interest." "Well, he's not gonna find out, is he?" "Coz you're not gonna sell them, am I right?" "I doubt anybody make my price." "Tell me something, huss..." "You ever heard of a dog match?" "Big picture, Frankie, big picture." "They don't let the dogs go, do they?" "No, that would be dangerous." "It's like we're just in time." "You know what, you guys hang here for a second." "Think about any bad things the last time I was here." "What the hell does that suppose to mean?" "I got it under control, I'm a manager, right?" "You trust me?" "Can I ask you a question?" "What?" "What am I doing with a guy like Reno?" "What did he pawn back there?" "Just something special to him." "Look, he saved my life, okay." "I owe him." "Nestor." "You know what they say." "You lay down with dogs." "Reno." "I've heard you've paid up Trini." "Well, you must be here to give me my fucking money." "Do I owe you money?" "Yayo, Jaime, kill this motherfucker." "Hold on, man, come on." "Nestor, come on, we're friends." "We're old friends, we can work it out." "Too late for that." "You're a piece of shit and everybody knows it." "There's a long line of people out there you owe money to." "And I bet you every single one of them is waiting to see you get what's coming to you." "That's not true, Nestor." "People love me." "My dogs will love you." "Hold up!" "What's he owe you?" "What's it to you?" " I'll fight for him." " What?" "You let me fight for him." "I win, you let him go free and clear." "I lose, he's lunch." "What kind of bullshit deal is that?" "Well, if I lose then I'll also cover his death." "Let him go." "So what about sidebet?" "You ask for a lot, amigo." "I should kill that motherfucker." "Now, you wanna bet." "How much?" "Two thousand." " That's all?" "Forget it, go..." " Ten thousand." "Show me the cash." "Here." "Ten minutes." "Get ready." "Come on, John." "Get up, John." "Look at his triceps, they're made up of Jell-o." "Come on, John, you got it." "He's nothing." "He's nothing, he can't fight sleep." "He's fat." "He's just a big fat ass fatty." "I bet his mom has got a grandular problem." "Well, you give him a treadmill for Christmas, come on." "She called you biscuit." "Let me go, fuck me, no biscuit." "Fuck you fat ass, man, what?" "Atta boy, John, you gotta win." "Get up, John." "Nestor." "Seventeen grand, it's go time." "We talk to the Deacon." "See if we can get started right away then you go with that, big man." "Who's Veronica?" "Thanks for coming." "She was okay for most of the day, just tired." "And she collapsed." "I'm working on something." "Is there some kind of way we can give them a downpayment?" "At least she had medicard." "Yeah, well." "It's a county hospital." "I don't have a choice." "How are you holding up?" "Don't waste your energy on me, John." "You know what you gotta do." "You're flying blind, aren't you?" "You know, what's that suppose to mean?" "Veltz, it's a little money." "Jesus Christ, Frankie." "I just got Nestor and Trini off my ass." "Can I get a moment of some peace?" "You know what, John, isn't like those other meatheads." "Last time I checked, John Brickner could take care of himself." "He's just not another walking cash machine." "What, do you like him?" "Well, you do, huh." "You like him." "Shut up." "Well, he got that whole quality you like." "He just seems like one of the good ones, okay." " One of the good ones?" " Yeah." "Let me tell you something about John Brickner." "You just spent four years in prison." "You know what for?" "And I'm serious, Frankie, you know what?" " I don't care." "He choked a man to death." "With his own two hands." "He looked him in the eye." "And he strangled the life out of him." "Does that sound like a good guy to you?" "Does that sound like a good guy to you?" "But we need him." "You trust me?" "You trust me?" "Okay." " Hey look, John, about last night." " Forget about it." "I really don't wanna forget about it." "You know we'll talk about it." "I said forget about it, didn't I?" "Hey, John." "Good luck." "Come on, wrap this up." "We gotta go home." "Let's go." "Get him off your neck, John." "You see that?" "That's my guy." "Fifty four thousand." "It's good." "But it's not good enough." "We're gonna need at least a hundred grand." "to even start a conversation with Timmons guy sharp." "Okay, good as new." "John, I wanted to apologize for other night." "Don't worry about it." "I'm serious." "It's just noise." "When I was inside..." "I did my best to control my environment." "One thing you can't control is noise." "Prisons are loud noisy places." "After a while, you'll learn to just turn it off." "Sorry." "Sounds horrible." "Goddamn it." "The hardest earning." "No one wants to fight him." "Hell, they just don't want their kneecaps daunted." "Don't you worry, big man." "It's a good thing." "Alright, they're just scared of you." "I'm gonna go make a few phone calls, okay." "Who in there right mind would wanna get into a scrape with you?" "You'd be surprised." "How did you get involved with that rascal, the Deacon?" "I keep asking myself the same question." "Oh Deacon's alright..." "He's just like everyone else on the run... from one thing or another, looking for something to believe in." "Friends of yours?" "Unlikely." "Hey, Frankie." "Hey, John." "How's the patient?" "Touch and go, for a while there but I think we're okay." "It's called the buried suture." "Sounds like fun." "It's supposed to close in dead space." "And I thought it might be useful in the future." "Where's Reno at?" "He's probably at Trips." "So how are you doing?" "Fine." "Let me ask you a question." "How come you never went to nursing school or became an MD or something?" "I don't know what makes you think I didn't." "What?" "I'm gonna look after people for a living?" "Guess, I can understand when you put it like that." "Healthy people, they take enough." "Sick people take a lot more." "Piece of shit, give me something." "Anything, Jesus Christ." "Time to take a walk." "Yeah, I like exercising, I'm just right in a middle of a card game." "Mr. Veltz wants his hundred fifty grand, Reno." "It's all fine when you're making payments but now you're late." "Why are you late?" "You know what I told him?" "I said he doesn't have any money." "Why don't you just let me kill him?" "Now, we don't have to go to the hassle of trying to collect." "Mr. Veltz believes that you can be motivated." "He said we should hurt the girl instead of you." "Man, after all, she's the one with all the money when we take you to death." "I swear to God, you fucking touch her." "You swear to what?" "You don't have the part to piss here." " And you have one week." " I'll be needing more time than that." "After that..." "We'll start negotiations with your girl's fingers." "I'm gonna need more time than that." "Look, I'm gonna need more time than that." "Come on, I'm gonna need more time than that." "Come on, I'm gonna need more time than that." "What are we doing back here, Reno?" "I made a few calls, John." "Pulled a favor or two." "You happy now?" "We're all gonna die at the sea." "Come on, I dig out that salty old pirate like you would love this place." " What?" " What the hell do you think you're doing?" "Why are we doing business with Nestor again?" "How else do you think I'm gonna pay back Veltz?" "We gotta go where the money is." "What's Steroid freak doing here?" "John is fighting Yayo." "I thought you said you don't want that kind of action." "We don't want that kind of action, John." "We need it." "Alright." "Look, you're gonn have to look real ugly with this guy." "You have to look for his weakness and exploit it." "I've known Nestor and Yayo for years, you wouldn't know the look at it but Yayo has a weak jaw." "If he walks into one, he's gonna go down and he's gonna stay there, okay." "Goddamn, how hard can be a landed one?" "You'll find out." "You should be thankful, it isn't his brother Jaime, alright." "That's one tough chico Mexican." "Let's go, come on." "Brickner versus Yayo." "Brickner coming off the fight to Juan Yayo at 3-2." "Just so we're clear, gentlemen." "Drowning is the same as a forfeit." "Let's get this over and done." " You know, I'm gonna rip you apart, right." " Got it." "And then, I'm gonna rip apart that little girlfriend of yours right there." " Keep talking." " Fighters touch them up." "I gave you a warning, John." "No!" "What did I tell you, bitch?" " Stop it." " We can't stop it." "Hey John, how about a funny little rage." "It's fun to rage, John." "Hit me, man." "Let's go!" " Have you got all your shots?" " Oh yeah, what do you think?" "This thing, Frankie here, wanted me to stop the fight." " Is that true?" " Don't you worry, John." "I wouldn't let her." "Coz I believe in you." "Brickner, congrats, man." "Cheers, do a toast to John Brickner." "Cheers." "And his size 13 fist." "That Timmons fight is right around the corner." "I can feel it." "Right around the corner?" "That last fight should've put us in a six-figure range." "Then, what are we waiting for?" "Look, John." "Sharp's pushing for a bigger purse." "He's holding all the cards." "What do you expect me to do?" "The hell I would ask you guys about what you can do." "It's none of my business." "But first, I have an agenda here." "Hello." "What?" "Who are you?" "Veronica?" "Hello." "Veronica." "Veronica." "Holy shit!" "Reno, start the car." "Reno." " Reno, start the car!" " Come on." "Hey!" "John, what's this all about?" "I mean, I know it's none of my business." "I just..." "She's the wife of the man that I..." "She wrote out to the parole board and she got me out." "That's nice of her." "But she had a reason." "Her daughter needs a heart transplant." "The letter from the apartment." "She wants me to pay for the operation." "Obviously, that costs money." " Big money." " Oh my God." " John.." " Hey, don't make me out to be some kind of hero." "This is not enough." "Yeah." "Where is Reno at?" "He doesn't do this kind of thing." "Yeah, I noticed." "He kinda froze out back there." "Look, um..." "Don't be too hard on him, okay." "He is in his first trip down this road." "Please, don't say anything." "I saw the letter." "Then you'd understand..." "No, I don't understand..." "Goddamn, I'm doing everything I can." "You don't need to checkout." " You don't get to just give up." " Don't you get it?" "My heart is a match." "They could've given her my heart." "No, no, no, not like this." "I can do this." "Can you just trust me?" "I'll check back with you later." "Dewey, my favorite handicapped." "Come on, baby." "I'm here to see my babies, bust them out." "Just a visit, mind you." "But I'll be back to take full custody soon enough." "Reno, I got an offer." "You got a what?" "On the couplings, I got an offer." "You sold them?" "You motherfucker." "You motherfucker." "I told you not to sell them." "Oh, come off." "And how am I suppose to know you're gonna come back for them?" "You sold them, huh." "I got an offer." "A big one." "Cash." "I took it." " Why?" " Who'd you sell them to?" "Look, you know I can't give out that kind of information." " And even if I did, he paid cash." " Hey, who'd you sell them to?" "Is it Sharp?" "Was is Nestor?" "Was it Nestor?" "Was he in here?" "That's low down." "That's some real scumbag shit." "Yeah, well you might be right." "I mean, who in their right mind would sell something with such sentimental and intrinsic value." "Fuck you!" "Fuck you!" "I'll fucking show you..." "I'll show you." "How's she doing?" "She's alive." "It's good." "It's a tough thing, you know." "Look, John." "I know you got a lot on your plate right now but... we gotta stay focused." " We got momentum." " I don't wanna talk about this right now." "Well, you tell me." " What does supposed to mean?" " Donor heart operations don't come cheap." "You need for me to find fights." "The money-making kind." " Forgive me if that's what I do best." " Reno." "Nestor called..." "Jaime's looking for a revenge match." "Do you want me to set it up or not?" "Set it up." "So how's it going?" "It goes." "Great." "Anything else I should know?" "Sure." "I spent the last few weeks beating up the men in this commission for money." "It's taken a piece of me everyday but..." "I figured if I squashed the fellows down hard enough I might just have enough saved up for a complete mental breakdown." "You know for when I retire..." "Good." "The piss is clean." "I'll see you next week." "Touch my breast and I'll kick your teeth." "Looks like a lot more than we agreed on." "It's a hundred fifty thousand dollars." "Bullshit!" "We ain't prepared to go that high." "Oh, I'm sorry." "I didn't think you could put a price on family honor." "Well in case, Jaime." "How much is it for you to take it up the ass tricks style?" "Hey, fuck you!" "Poppy, I can get the extra money." "I could whip this fool." "Alright, enough of this bullshit." "You both got a hard on for each other." "You wanted to fight, I set the fight." "So stop crying." "Fine." "Fine." "Let's go." "Whoa, fellas." " Where is it?" " Today's your lucky day, I got your money..." "Great." "Lead on." "Well, I don't have it yet but I will..." "Hey man, hold on a second." "Look, I swear, okay." "Look, I put all my money on the fight." "Now, my guy he's a luck." "He hasn't lost a fight yet, okay." "So just hang tight, you're gonna get your money... plus interest." "Honestly." "You better not be yanking us, hey." "For this is gonna get very ugly." "Where the hell have you been?" "Hello, Frankie." "Still beautiful, I see." "We'll be waiting there." "Take the car and I want you to get out of here, okay." " Now?" " Yeah, right now." "Can you just trust me?" "Trust me." " What is going on?" " Nothing." " What is going on?" " Nothing." "What?" "There's nothing going on." " You're lying." " About what?" "Hey look, it's not like that." " What's going on?" " Nothing, man." "What's going on with Frankie?" "She just a..." "She just wanted some air." " Are you serious?" " Nothing's going on." "The fight, she just needs some air." "Come on, let's go." "Come on, big John." "Come on, John Brickner." "Johnny." "All that is for you, buddy." "Alright, you big guys..." "Are you ready for some real ball busting?" "Fighters, the fight commences... when I give the signal." "There are no rounds." "No bells and no whistle." "Good luck to both of you." "Come on, John." "He knows that he's dead, right?" "Oh yeah?" "Says who?" "Come on, John." "Get up, John." "Get up, John." "Move, John, move." "Come on, get up." "Don't stop, John." "Don't stop." "Come on, get it up." "My brother was weak, not like me." "If you're begging me to stop..." "You're not likely..." "Come on, John." "Come on, Johnny." "Get up." "Get up." "Come on, John." "Go for the face." "Go for the face." "Whoa, Johnny." "Come on, put it up." " You ain't done yet?" " My bitch wife hits harder than that." "Come on, John." "You got it." "Stay down." "Fuck you." " Come on, man." "It's done, it's done." " Talk to him." "Please tell your man to stay down." "Come on, bring it John." "I'm done." "Whoa, we're done?" "What do you mean done?" "I'm done." "Wait a second." "What are you doing?" "When are you done?" "We can't be done." "It's a forfeit." "John." "John, John." "Hey man, come on." "Game's off, got it?" " Wait." " Leave me alone, Frankie, okay." " Leave me alone!" " It's okay." "Nothing's okay, everything's fucked." "I know." "Frankie, come quick." "Shit!" "Reno." "Baby." "I got it." "Okay." "Move." "I got it." "I got it." " You owe how much to this guy?" " About a hundred and fifty thousand dollars." "Jesus Christ, why didn't you say something?" "What do you want me to say, John?" "It's not your problem." "You got your own problems." "What the hell happened?" "It's not important." "You know, it is important." "You can't keep protecting me, okay." "It was my debt, it was me." "Reno was just trying to help." "Hell of a taxi service you got there." "Straight to the point." "I like that." "Well, you got in a lot of trouble to bring me here, so what's this all about?" "I could tell from our little chat so far you don't have the first clue who I am." "It appear however that you you know my son-in-law." "I believe you saved his life." "Who?" "Sullivan?" "Yeah." "My people tell me that he had a massive heart attack and you stepped in and brought him back to life." "Did I forget anything?" "Yeah, just the part about him being a giant pain in my ass." "Well, that's true, he is a giant pain in the ass." "But of course, he married my daughter and she loves him so..." "That's real nice." "Bottom line is it would appear that I'm in your debt." "No shit." "No shit." "So tell me." "What can I do for you?" "You name it." "I don't know, I'm not sure you can help me at all." "Okay." "Well, here it goes." "There's a little girl, see, and she needs a new heart." "But she's a little short on medical insurance." " How short?" " Try a number." "The way this country treats the poor and destitute is shameful." "It's appaling." "Anyway, I've been fighting in this underground circuit to try to make enough money that will pay for her operation." " The heart transplant of hers." " Yeah." "It's about 250,000 on low end things." "But if I get my hand on the purse money on this big fight and I win" "I'll have enough." "So what I'm really saying is I need a 150,000." "I know, right, it's crazy." "But I had to ask." "That's a lot to ask." "Yeah, it is." "There's an upside." "You can make side bets on the fight." " And the last fight." " Oh, I heard about your last fight." "You did." "So you know how it went down." "Go on." "This next fight if I get it just gonna have me going off some pretty crazy odds." "You make the side bet you can make your money back and earn some." "Mancin." "You saw this man fight, right." "Yes, sir." "Wait a minute." "Your name is Veltz?" "That's right." "Well, Veltz Construction." "Reno Polsen..." " ...he owes you money?" " He owes me a considerable amount of money." "Only that he would have been able to pay me back if you hadn't walk away from that fight last night." "So you know I'm his fighter then." "I didn't." "Not at first." "But yes." "I didn't think it mattered." "This matter is completely separate in my mind." "Well, not mine." "What are you saying?" "Reno is a friend of mine." "That's not it." "Reno Polsen doesn't have any friends." "I'm his friend." "Oh, I see." "Quite a dilemma." "Well." "I tell you what, Mr. Brickner." "I always pay my debts, I owe you a favor." "And I'm gonna hold up my end of the bargain." " Thank you, I appreciate that." " Hold on." "I'm not gonna solve both your problems." "It's only fair, I'll leave it to you to decide... either I forgive Reno his debts." "Or I'll stake you and your fight for the little girl's heart." "What happens to Reno if he doesn't pay?" "Clear his debt." "You are sure?" "Yeah." "Are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine." "Are you sure?" "Yeah." "Do you know..." "I was voted least likely to succeed in highschool?" "I didn't know they voted on that." "Well, it wasn't in the yearbook if that's what you mean." "But, I remember thinking, you know what, I'm gonna show them..." "I couldn't wait to get out there and make my mark in the world." "A lot of years moved by and nothing happened." "I went to college with a blast." "Then I got pregnant." "I know, it's gonna sound really stupid." "But she was my only real accomplishment." "All those dreams that I had you know, they really didn't matter anymore." "I just..." "I was okay with that." "Then I got married." "Turns out to a real Grade A loser." "Don't get me wrong." "That man loved me." "He really did." "I know that you didn't intend to kill him." "I know it was self-defense." "I know that." "We're not the bad things that we do." "We're not the good things either." "We're just the start." "Thank you." "Well, come on in and have a seat." " Sit down." " I need to ask you something." "Me?" "Yeah, the story about the slave." "What story?" "The Unforgiving Slave." "That's not a story, kid." "It's a parable." "Alright, but why don't you tell me the story?" "When I made it, I can't stop thinking about it." "You are in parole, aren't you?" "You got that hinky look." "Anybody ever tell you that?" "Yeah, you told me that." " I did." " Yeah." "I'm a little confused here." "I need some help." "Trying to get enough money for a heart operation of this little girl." "It just seems that... everytime I get close... the heart seems to go in the price of somebody else." "Everybody's got that, kid." "Not just you." "Some people give it till it hurts." "What's the play here?" "You know kid, I.." "I ain't your priest." "Maybe you should ask somebody else." "Hello." "God is weary of recruits." "The awesome clouds." "How about the chariot wheels?" "Pointing hooves of heavens of cavalry." "Released in all their finest might." "All watches." "One of the night..." " So." " Do you mind?" " What's that?" " Do you mind looking me in the eyes when you talk to me?" "That's better." "Now, you were saying?" "I can't stay here." "I got a call John." "I don't know what I can do or say to thank you." "You've been a great friend to me." "I mean, we were friends, right." "We're friends." "Yeah, we're friends." "I know, I haven't really been the best example." " of a friend." " What am I suppose to do?" "Sign your death warrant?" "You know, um..." "I don't know, if you notice about me but" "I'm selfish." "I don't really have a lot of friends." "You know, fuck it, man." "I don't have any friends." "Honestly." "Frankie maybe." "And only reason she's hanging out with me is... out of some sick obligation." "That's not true." "You know, when I was laying there bleeding after the fight." "After my fight." "I was thinking about Frankie and me." "She thinks I saved her life." "But the truth is, man..." "She saved mine." "And I know the best thing for me to do is to let her go." "I'm just..." "I'm just too afraid." "She loves you." "What are you afraid of?" "I don't know..." "You have to think a lot about all these." "My time in prison... there's a little girl that needs a heart so badly." "Yeah, all this time, I'm doing all these to try to get them to forgive me for what I did." "The truth is I need to forgive myself." "Truth is I haven't." "I don't know if I ever will." "But everything else is just background on this." "Yeah." "Reno, it's the Deacon." "Just tell him, I'll call him back." "It's about the Timmons fight." "Frankie, there isn't a Timmons fight." "Not according to him." "Hello." "You're leaving?" "Yeah, that was the plan." "Thank you." "Thank you." "It's just a relief you know." "When Reno took all my debt, he gave me my life back." "Now, you're doing the same for him." "Did he tell you how it happened?" " It's not important." " No." "I got to say it out loud." "You're a big reason I'm able to." "I..." "I belong to Veltz." "It wasn't a relationship, it was a business agreement." "I was young, I was desperate, and I needed the money." "He needed a place to put his... dissatisfaction with life." "After a while, I went numb." "Reno and Veltz had business back then and when he saw me, he knew what was up." "He convinced Veltz to sell me to him." "He wanted to free me." "Meanwhile, I, you know..." "I've reached my limit and I tried to end it." "By the time that Veltz delivered me to Reno" "I was... covered in blood and half-dead." "Reno still paid him." "And he never asked for anything in return." "The Deacon said that the Timmons fight... is scheduled for tomorrow night that some guy... just put up the money for your fight." " What guy?" " Well, he didn't say." "How much will I take?" "I don't know if he'll answer that question, John but it's a start." "So are we in?" "What do you think?" "Come on, one time for old time's sake." "Are we in or is it all like dead and gone?" "Come on!" "Come on!" "Big John Brickner!" "Come on, John Brickner." "Ladies and gentlemen..." "Tonight... is a fight for the ages." "A once in a lifetime brawl." "For this, there are no rounds." "And no bells to save you just what the Good Lord gave you." "Fighters." "Toe to talk." "Start the fight when I give the signal." "Come on, John." " Come on, John." " Get moving, John." "Man, you gotta go at him." "Go at him." "Come on!" "You can't win outside the ring, John." "You gotta take it to him." "Take it to him." "Take it to him." "What?" "Come on, John." "Get up!" "Get up!" "Get up, John." "He's dead." "It's over." "Holy shit." "You mind if we finish this?" "Come on, everybody back and give them some room." "Go at him, John!" "Go at him!" "Bravo, John!" "Oh, who's the dead now?" "John, that was beautiful!" "Oh my God." "John, unbelievable." "Okay, not the bone crusher, I'm not gonna call it that but I'm working on another one." "What do you think about "The Damage"?" "Can we call it "The Damage"?" "I guess I'll go for that." "Congratulations, kid." "You did good." "It was you who put up the money." "Now, that's a laugh." "That would mean I actually give a damn." "Who'd believe that?" "Alright, I'll see you at the car." "This is exciting." "I get to use that new suture." "That's right, what's it called?" "The Buried Suture." " Oh yeah." " Hold still, or you won't look pretty after." " Can I bet?" " No." "Is Reno getting the cash?" "Yeah." "You guys look good together." "You know that." "It's like we're all done here." "Great." "Don't move." "Thank you." " If it wasn't for, I'd..." " Hey, you better get in there." "Thanks." "Everything okay?" "No, as a matter of fact." "It's not." "We got some unfinished business to take care of." "What's that, John?" "What is this?" "My daddy's couplings." "You son of a bitch." "John, I don't know what to say." "Thank you." "Good enough." " Hey, I got a call from Deac." " Forget it." " It turns out he needs a new liver." " That surprise me." "Seeing as you got the miracle here." " That's out of the question." " Have you ever heard the story of the unforgiving slave?" " Well, it's a parable not a story." " Yeah, whatever." "Tell me all about it." " Alright, you got a God right?" " Yeah." " Let's call him Jack." " Jack?" "Yes, Jack!"