"Nine-ball is rotation pool." "The balls are pocketed in numbered order." "The only ball that means anything, that wins it, is the nine." "Now the player can shoot eight trick shots in a row, blow the nine and lose." "On the other hand, the player can get the nine in on the break, if the balls spread right, and win." "Which is to say that luck plays a part in nine-ball." "But for some players, luck itself is an art." "Color." "Check the color." "Dead giveaway, huh?" "It's so thick you can almost feel it." "Lay down and just let it roll over you." "That's single malt." "Then on the other hand, you got something like Old McDonnell." "More like Young McDonnell." "Tastes like six-year-old bonded." "Smell this." "Mmm." "Hmm?" " That's good stuff." " Yeah." "Very good stuff." "I can get you a case of this for $35.50 less than your wholesaler will give you a case of Jack Daniel's." "$45.50 less than he can get you a case of Wild Turkey." "Why don't you go peddle that to one of your hotel chains?" "Peddle?" "I don't do that." "Do I do that?" "I mean, this is family." "I'm glad to see you, too." "Come to my house tonight and I'll make you an omelet." " I make the omelets." " Okay, you make the omelets." "Did you forget the omelet I made you last time?" "No, I didn't forget." "Yeah, what was it?" "What was in it?" "Eddie." " Sweet sausage." "Sweet sausage?" "Hey." "I never made you sweet sausage." "Who the hell made you sweet sausage?" "Eddie." "Come on, what was in it?" " Uh, um..." " Sour..." "Sour cream and caviar, right?" "Okay." "Excuse me." " Eddie." " Aw, Julian, what am I doing here?" " Am I working?" " I'm working, too." " I got this guy, he's up to 20 a rack." " What guy?" "Been playing two and a half hours for five a game." "He's up 30." " So?" " So I've been playing him off." "That's what is up." "Yo, Vincent!" "Vincent, we're on!" "Hey, Vincent!" "Can you believe this guy?" "Hey, Vinny." "I mean, you slide some of this stuff into a bottle of Old Grand-Dad, Wild Turkey, you'd hardly be lying." "Don't even need iodine." "It's a beautiful bourbon." " Pick me up at 10:00." " What?" "I get off at 10:00." "Not without me, you don't." "Do you?" "Wait a minute." "Come on." "I'm talking bourbon." "Okay." "You know the secret?" "These people, they get a hold of aged kegs." "What are you tasting?" "Tasting low fusel oil content, low acidic content." "Just like the big guys, honey, it's the kegs." "Where do you get the kegs?" "You don't just get kegs like that, Eddie." "Hey!" "That was fast." "What the hell happened?" "I slipped." " He slipped." " Yeah." "Where do they get the kegs?" "They just do." "That's all." "Okay, listen, do whatever you want to do." "It's gonna leave the warehouse one way or the other." "Come on." "On the snap, Vincent!" "That kid has got a sledge-hammer break!" "One more night" "Bottoms up." " Do you know who loves this stuff?" " Who?" " The Chinese." " It must be the low fusel oil content." "Don't kid yourself." "It has its effect." "It's just like one of those things that you never think about, but it can make your day, like electricity." " Eddie, throw me another 20." " Who are you working, me or him?" "He's on the ropes, Eddie." "He just lucked out." "You know me, right?" "Take it easy." "Victory!" "Maybe you're not alone" "Pick us out a nice bottle of wine for tonight, will you?" "Red or white?" "Come on." "On the snap, Vincent!" "One more night" "'Cause I can't wait forever" " Eddie, about those labels." " Yeah." "Can you get me some Wild Turkey labels?" "Sure." "Oh, one more night" "'Cause I can't wait forever" "Give me one more night" "Give me just one more night" "Give me one more night" "I can't wait forever" "Hiya." "How are you doing?" "Like a river to the sea" "I will always be with you" "And if you sail away" "I will follow you" "Give me one more night" "Give me just one more night" "The kid draws some bead, huh?" "I can't wait forever" "I know there'll never be a time" "You'll ever feel the same" "Play him again, Julian." "You really got him on the ropes." "One more, right, chief?" "Eddie, I got to split." " You're going?" " I got to see somebody." "Oh, come on, one more game." " I'm bust." " So let's just play, play." " What?" " Let's play for play." "No money." "Play, play?" " Show me what you got here." " Vincent!" "Hey, Julian, I just want your best game." "I think maybe the money was what's throwing you off here today." "Okay, how about I win, no money." "You win, I'll throw you 20." "No?" "What's the matter with this guy?" "All right, Carmen, who's next?" "Nobody?" "Hey, excuse me." "Do you want to play me?" "For your girlfriend?" "No." "One game." "I'll spot you the seven and nine." "The seven, eight and nine." "I'll give you the table." "You want to play him?" "Me?" "Sure." " Twenty a rack." " No, 500 a rack." "What?" "Are you serious?" "I never kid about money." "Cowards!" "Off with their heads." "You don't know what you're doing, do you?" "What do you mean?" "You just blew 500 bucks." "That kid, he has both arms in traction, he beats anybody in the room." "Yeah, he could." "So I'll offer to you again, I'll play him for 500 bucks." "You don't know what to say, do you?" "Maybe I'm hustling you, maybe I'm not, you don't know." "But you should know." "See, if you know that, you know when to say yes, you know when to say no." "Everybody goes home in a limousine." "So what should I say, yes or no?" "You should say no." "You know why?" "'Cause it's too much money, and I'm an unknown." "He should be the unknown." "I mean, that would be nice." "That would be beautiful." "You could play around with that, you can control that." "You know what I mean?" "I'll offer it to you again." "I'll play him for 500 bucks." "No." "Actually, you should have said yes." "But how are you gonna know that?" "I mean, it's very hard to know that, it's very complex." "It's like, "Which twin has got the Toni?"" "Maybe they both got the Toni." "Maybe Toni's a guy." "Maybe Toni's bald, you know." "How you gonna know that?" "It's very complicated." "Plus, it's too much money." " Jesus, you're crazy!" " No, I'm not." "Just common sense." "How about I take you guys out for dinner tonight?" " You should ask Vincent." " No, you should ask Vincent." "You know the last time Julian lost for me?" "It's just a game, man." "Some balls and a stick." "Balls and a stick." "This is Vincent." "Nine-ball's not that tough." "Do you wanna know what's tough?" " Stocker." " Stocker?" "It's his video game." " Vincent's the best at it." " I'm the best at it." "I mean, in pool, you just got these balls, you're just sitting there, you take your time, you set up the shot." "But Stocker!" "Can you make any money playing Stocker?" "I'll tell you what I can do off Stocker." "Ten years from now, I can get into West Point." "That's what I can do with Stocker." "It's all coming down to video game reflexes." "I mean, uh, computerized tanks, Star Wars, you know, that movie." "I mean, 10 years from now, a guy who scores heavy on Stocker is a shoo-in at the Point." "You are beautiful." " You don't believe me?" " What do you mean, money?" " Money, money." " Really?" "Hey, look." "If you got an area of excellence, if you're good at something, you're the best at something, anything, then rich can be arranged." "I mean, rich can come fairly easy." " Really?" " Yeah." "You have some other area of excellence besides this Stocker?" "Nine-ball, right?" " You're some piece of work." " I'm some piece of work." "You're also a natural character." "I've been telling her that." "You know, I got natural character." "No, that's not what I said, kid." "I said you are a natural character." "You're an incredible flake." "But that's a gift." "See, guys spend half their lives trying to invent something like that." "You walk into a poolroom with that "go, go, go,"" "the guys will be killing each other trying to get to you." "You got that." "But I'll tell you something, kiddo." "You couldn't find big time if you had a road map." "Pool excellence is not about excellent pool." "It's about becoming something." "Yeah?" "Yeah." " Like what?" " A student." "You got to be a student of human moves." "See, all the greats that I know of, to a man, were students of human moves." " Students of human moves?" " Yeah." "That's my area of excellence." "Oh, yeah?" "Yeah." "What?" "Okay." "That guy at the end of the bar in a black suit." "He's been hustling that broad for half an hour." "He's going to throw in the towel in 30 seconds for a buck." "You got it, starting now." "Ten seconds." "What do you mean, rich could be arranged?" "Ssh!" "...25, 26, 27, 28." "Guess the news." "You lose." "Ah." "And I just missed it by a couple of seconds." "Want to up the bet?" "Yeah." "Check for the meal says I leave with her in two minutes." "Okay, ready, go." "Now!" "I'm counting." "I know this is going to sound crazy, but would you come outside and take a look at my car?" " Your car?" " Yeah." "Come on." "Hold it here for a second, will you?" "Human moves, kid." "You study the watch." "But I study you." "You get the check." "Excuse me." "Cab's on me." " What's with the car, Eddie?" " Nothing." "I'll drive you home." "I just hated to see you sitting alone at the bar, Diane." "It's just depressing." " Did you see Jimmy in there?" " Yeah, I saw him." "Does he still got his nighttime job?" "He wanted to talk to you about something, but you were busy." "Oh, yeah." "Where'd you go?" "What?" "You certainly weren't here." "Yeah?" "Where was I?" "God, the earth moved." "Didn't it move for you a little bit?" "That was a train." "No, it was you." "But it certainly wasn't San Juan." "You want to talk earth moving, you got to talk San Juan." "Remember that water bed we had?" "Gosh!" "Sometimes I think about that week, you know, Eddie, when I'm behind the bar, I think..." "I think, "I'm gonna go and get me a water bed" ""and not tell anybody, just make it a surprise." ""Get some rum and pineapple juice."" "You couldn't tell me one word I just said, could you?" "No, I couldn't." "Water bed, rum, pineapple juice." "It's not that." "It's..." "I don't know." "That kid today." "It was like watching home movies." "It just made me wonder." "Wonder what?" "Made me wonder about San Juan." "What did you mean last night about money and all that stuff?" "Come here, I want to show you something." " So this is liquor money, huh?" " Some." "I invest." "Do you know what I invest in?" "Excellence." " You think Vincent's that good?" " Well..." "He's got the eye, he's got the stroke." "He's got the flake." "He's got that down cold." "But can he flake on and flake off, I don't know." "See, I don't know whether that can be taught." "That's not clear." "He's got to learn how to be himself, but on purpose." " Yeah." " You like to travel?" " Yeah." " You like hotels?" "Yeah, sure, they're okay." "Are you gonna help me with him?" "That lady you picked up last night in the bar." "You knew her from before, right?" "Hmm?" "And the guy?" "You probably had his schedule down cold, right?" "Maybe he works around here somewhere, he's your brother-in-law?" "You're a hard broad." "What does Vincent see in you?" "Vincent's the best." "That's what he sees in me." "We've just been together for about a year." "And Vincent made us get a place together." "You know how we met?" "My old boyfriend last year got busted breaking into Vincent's parents' house." "We met at the police station, me and Vincent." "You were bailing him out, your boyfriend?" "No." "No, no, no." "I got busted, too." "I was driving the car." "See this?" " Vincent's mother's." " He gave that to you?" "No." "From the robbery." "Vince says his mother has one just like it." "He's sweet." "Vincent's real sweet." "Do you want something for your kid to bounce in?" "What country comes to mind when you think of bouncing?" "What animal?" "A kangaroo." "Comes from where?" "Australia." "That's right, this is Australian-made." "I'll be perfectly honest with you." "It's twice as expensive, but it's three times better than Taiwan over here." "I'll throw you $15 off on this." " Yeah, okay." " Yeah, we'll do it." "All right, Mr. and Mrs. Randall." "It's a good buy." "Hey, Lou, could you write them up?" "Australia, $15 off, all right?" "Thank you." "If you ever need anything, Vincent, okay?" " Okay." " Okay." "Thanks." "Mr. Felson, what can I do you for here?" "Uh, Eddie is okay." "In fact, just plain Ed, if you want." "Yes, sir." "Me and you, is there someplace private we can talk?" "There's gonna be a nine-ball tournament end ofApril, Atlantic City." "There will be lot of action there." "I think we ought to go." " We?" " Yeah, me, you and Carmen." "Yeah?" "That sounds like a lot of fun." "The best part is, we gotta leave tomorrow." "Tomorrow?" "Why not leave today?" "What is it with this guy?" "You crack me up." "Vincent, if you're gonna take the plunge, give yourself a fair shake." "Now, you go at this thing half-assed, nobody is going to do any good." "Go on the road, six weeks." "Get some seasoning." "Put together some stuff." "Why don't you ask Julian?" "I mean, he'd be into that, right?" "Julian is a face." "He's known." "You're nobody." "I get better bets with you." "Now, if you know some other way that I can be honest with you, you got to tell me." "This is my job, Eddie." "You think so?" "Hmm." "That's funny, I don't think so." "I think it's your problem." "What is?" "Well, you're hooked on Carmen, aren't you?" "Yeah." "Crazy about her?" "You're getting a little personal here." "What?" "You're losing her, kiddo." "What do you mean?" "She don't get the allure of this place." " Hey, Vincent!" " Wait." " What?" " Take a good look at her, Vincent." "She's starting to pack." "You don't know her." "I didn't know that broad at that bar last night, either." "She's bored, Vincent." "Are you listening to what I'm telling you?" "Vincent!" "So what are you saying?" "What I'm saying?" "You, me, her, on the road, six weeks." "She'll be a couple of years catching her breath." "Vincent, you know, these people got a babysitter." "Hey, look, can't you see I'm talking here?" "Do me a favor, will you?" "Take care of them!" "He's leaving, his coffee break." "Go on, get back to work." "But think about it." "Okay." "Take your time." " I'll give you about five seconds." " Five seconds." "Listen, you know where to find me, if you want to talk." "Vincent." "Don't worry about it." "If I could hold you tonight I might never let go" "Anybody asks, I'll be in the back." "If I could hold you tonight I might never let go" "Come on in." "Hey, Eddie." "Uh, I don't know..." "What we were talking about yesterday, I just..." "I wanted to ask you some questions about it." "Uh, what happens, you know?" "What happens exactly?" "Damn." "It's a Balabushka." "It's beautiful." "It makes the other ones look like stickball bats." " Is this yours?" " You want it?" "No." "I can't." "This isn't for me." "I don't know who this is for." "This is a..." "No, this isn't for me." "I don't know." "John Wayne would carry something like this if he played pool, you know." "Babe Ruth." "Oh, my." "No, I can't accept this." "Go ahead." "Take it." " You're pushing pretty hard." " You betcha." "I've been thinking about nothing else all day." " I don't know what to tell you, Eddie." " Whatever." "It doesn't matter." "Go outside." "Horse around with it." "If you don't like it, bring it back." "Eddie, hey, Eddie." "Uh, you know, I was talking to Carmen the other night, feeling her out." "Willie." "Sorry, hold..." "Wait a minute." "Sorry, go ahead." "I said I was talking to Carmen the other night, feeling her out." "You know, uh, I think you're wrong, man." "She's doing good." "She's doing real good." "Okay." "I'm glad I'm wrong." "Willie." "No, I know." "I can make it in half an hour, 45 minutes, something like that." "Sure." "Where's Carmen, my girlfriend?" " She just went in the bathroom." " Bathroom?" "You know what this is?" "Balabushka." " Balabushka?" " Yeah." " Where did you get a Balabushka?" " Eddie Felson gave it to me." " Eddie Felson gave you a Balabushka?" " Yeah." "It's a pretty good gift." "You know what that's worth?" "Yeah." "That guy died about 10 or 15 years ago." "It's gotta be a collector's item by now." "Yeah." "It's my word against yours, right?" "I'm a middle-aged Jewish man." "I'm a rare book expert." " Have you seen my girlfriend, Julian?" " She went out." " Out where?" " She's your girlfriend, man." "Where was I?" "Hey." " Everything okay?" " Yeah." " Where did you go?" " Went out to get cigs." "They sell cigarettes right here." "So I went across the street to get them." "So what?" "You needed some fresh air, right?" "What's your problem?" "No problem." "Did I say I had a problem?" "There's no problem." "I'm glad to hear it." "I just didn't know where you went." "I was looking for you." "I'm going to sit down now." "Is that okay?" "Yeah." "I might go to the bathroom again in about a half hour." "Is that okay?" " That's great, Carmen." " I'll be sure and tell you when, okay?" "Hey, look, I just didn't know where you went, all right?" "Come on." "I was looking for you." "Let's not make a federal production out of this, okay." "Okay!" "Okay." " It's a Balabushka." "Eddie gave it to me." " Great." "Eddie, uh, I've been thinking about it." " Let's do it, okay?" " Great." " I wonder what's upstairs." " Why?" "Well, there might be something soft for you to lean against." "So I don't crush your skirt." "What do they do in the Bahamas?" "Do they tango or rumba?" "Samba, I think." "How's that Old McDonnell working out?" " You're drinking it now." " You serious?" " Good stuff." " It's very good stuff." "Yo, Eddie." "My man, hey!" "Why don't you look in the mirror before you leave the john, huh?" "I hate that shit." "Better than that shit." "Hey, listen, Eddie." "You gonna be around Monday?" "There's a guy I got set up in Camden." "No, I'm gonna be out of town for a couple of weeks." "Bullshit." "What?" "You're taking that guy on the road?" "What's his name?" "I don't know his name." "It's none of your business." "That guy is a chump." "What did he do?" "Beat me one night." "I put the nine ball up both your asses." "Are you serious, taking him on the road?" "When was the last time you did the road?" "1960?" "They didn't even have cars then." "What?" "Come on." "You banging his girlfriend?" "Right?" "You can tell me." "Jesus, you are the best, Julian." "Let me play him again tonight." " Winner gets in the car with you." " No, you're the best, Julian." "You're not the only stakehorse around, you know that?" "See you in Atlantic City, okay?" "Don't look too hard for me, okay?" "Hey, we are going to the Bahamas." "I just didn't say when." "I appreciate hearing about it from that dope fiend." "I didn't want to tell anybody." "What if I get on the road and the kid doesn't work out?" "It makes me feel great, Eddie, great." "That guy sucks, man, and so do you!" "All right, I am wrong!" "Uh-huh." "But let me do it my way." "Do it any way you want to do it, Eddie." "What I want is, I just want to go on the road, I don't wanna tell anybody!" "Fine!" "If you got anything that you need at my apartment, you'll find it in a suitcase out front, okay?" "Hey, wait a..." "I'm sorry." "I cover all expenses." "Food, room, everything, entry fees, everything." "For that, I get 60% of everything you win, all bets." "I lay the bets, so I also take the losses if you lose." "So for that I get 60% of what you win." "60%?" "What are you, a slumlord?" "Honey, you find a newcomer with a better deal than that, you come to me, we talk." "Don't worry." "I'm not going to lose often." "Oh, yes, you will." "That's what I'm gonna teach you." "Sometimes if you lose, you win." "Go." "So who's the heaviest guy?" "What do you ask that for?" "I'm the heaviest guy." "Right, Eddie?" "Aw." "It doesn't make any sense." "It goes in streaks." "The balls roll funny for everybody, kiddo." "There is this guy, Grady Seasons." "He's making the most money straight up on paper, but..." " Grady Seasons?" " But that doesn't mean anything." " Grady Seasons." " The real money is in the practice room." "That's where you get a good game." "I mean, a guy can get wiped out in the first day of the tournament, and hang around in the practice room for a couple of days, and make more money than the guy who won the tournament." "Do you hear that?" "The practice room!" "Hey, watch the paint." "What?" "Oh." " Is that metal on yourjacket?" " Sorry about that." "Shit." "Rubba-dub, here comes the grub." "My pancakes are burnt." "What's this?" "No, no, wait a minute." "We ordered four on, two up." "I don't want sausage." "Sorry, I must've given you the wrong order." " That's a dead giveaway." " What is?" " The four on two." " Oh, egg talk." "She was the killer waitress at the Acropolis." "Then she did them a favor and quit." "Ow!" "What do you think?" "He's the only one who has to work?" "How come you don't play pool anymore?" "I quit." "Actually, somebody retired me." "Sometimes you get in with the wrong kind of people, you know?" "But, hey, that was a long time ago." "Back east." "It's dead and buried." "I don't even think about it." "I won my share of medals." "Don't you ever feel like picking it up again?" "I mean, you're always around those pool halls, you know, you see these guys..." "I'm too old." "My wheels are shot." "It's a young man's game." "Besides, there's drugs now." "Kids are playing on coke, speed." "I don't know." "When I was younger, it was booze." "Somehow it was more human." " Booze, huh?" " Booze, yeah." "Wine goes back to the Bible." "The Bible never said anything about amphetamines." " You religious, Eddie?" " Me?" "I get high on the man upstairs." "Isn't there a masters' tournament you can play in?" "I mean, I've seen this on the television, you know, them old golfers and stuff, like an old-timers' tournament?" "If you're too old to cut the mustard, you can still lick the jar, right?" "Nobody ever asked me for a refund, honey." "Not yet." "Hey, we're just talking around things here." "It ain't about pool, it ain't about sex, it ain't about love." "It's about money." "I mean, the best is the guy with the most." "That's the whole show." "The best is the guy with the most in all walks of life." "Are you the best liquor salesman?" "You betcha." "Ah." "What a way to get your feet wet." "This place is an all-time classic." "Hey, hey!" "Put that cue stick in the trunk." " What am I going to play with?" " Play with a house cue." "You go in there with that, nobody will come near you with a nickel." "I can't believe it, I got goose bumps." "I love it." "You just sit and watch for a while." "I got to see this guy." "I can't wait to see what's next." "Good thing I didn't bring the Balabushka." "60%.!" "Are we gonna divvy this up in the car?" "Enough!" "Had enough, junior?" "Hold on." "What the hell are you doing, Vincent?" "Beat him, eat him, and get out of here." "I know, I know." "I can't take this guy's money." " He's got a hole in his throat." " So what?" "That guy's breaking my heart, man." "Look at him." "He looks like he's on his last legs." "What is it so far?" "60 bucks?" "It's no big deal." "No big deal?" "You want me to quit?" "Yeah, if you're going to keep on dumping like this." "Unless." "Show me." "Make it a real performance." "Show me you can dump like a professional, it'll be worth it." "Like a professional." "Okay, chief." "I'll play you for 30." "Go around and get the car." " Why?" "What for?" " Just bring it around front." "Head it that way." "Okay, but that's the wrong way, Eddie." "Just do what I tell you." "Yeah, right." "Easy shot!" "I miss this, I'm a real chump, huh?" "Easy." "Straight in." "The tough one's the four now." "I don't know." "Oh, my God." "Don't even bother." "I just can't hit nothing!" "Jesus!" " That's it, kid." "Where's the money?" " Yeah, I know." "That's it." "Uh, Eddie?" "Eddie!" "Where's the money, you dirty little prick?" "Hey, Eddie's got the money." "See where they went?" " Where did they go?" " Hey, it looks like they left." "Hey, relax." "Take it easy." "What are you..." "What the fuck's the matter with you guys?" "Get your fucking hands off..." "Come on." "I'm going to get your money!" "What the fuck are you doing?" "Just hold it." "Just relax." "Take it easy, take it easy." "Come on." "I'm his father!" " Father?" " You little bastard!" "What do I do?" "I tell you not to play, I tell you to play!" "Ease off!" "Family!" "Get out of here." "Yo-yo." "You little punk!" "I hope your mother kicks the shit out of you." "Okay, go, go, go!" "Where to?" "Where?" "Take the parkway south down to Norwich." " All right, all right." " You never..." "Damn it, you never ease off on somebody like that." "Not when there's money involved." "That's the problem with mercy, kid." "It just ain't professional." "Let me look at your face." "You'll live." "You're gonna live, right?" "Get out of my face, will you?" "Jesus Christ." "My father." "Saved your ass." "Carmen, what's to be learned from this?" "Nice guys finish last." "Is that original or did you just make that up?" "Vincent, you look so sexy with that bloody lip." "Shut up." "You guys want me to drive?" "No, I'm good." " Slimy son of a bitch." " What?" "That guy, the hole." "I'll stick a pool cue down his throat." "Go back there with a fucking cannon and blow all their asses away!" "Oh, Vincent, that's gross." " Next time, kid." " I'm sorry." "One of you guys know where the Triumph Motel is?" "The what?" "The what?" " Triumph Motel." " Yeah, yeah." "Go left on Aurora and right on Seneca." "Chalkie's still around?" " Chalkie's?" " Yeah, it's a pool hall." "I know what it is, man." "Yeah, it's still around." "What?" "It's supposed to move somewhere?" "Some things never change." "Man, I wouldn't bet on it." " Eddie." " Enter!" "Hey, good morning." "What's happening?" "Come on." "Let's get going, guys." "I'm ordering room service." "You want anything?" "Food, you hungry?" "I hate the weather!" "You can't get room service in a motel." "Come on, let's check out Chalkie's." "Tell your girlfriend to get going." "Meet you all downstairs in the lobby." "What about food?" "I'm starved!" " Vincent?" " Yeah?" "Don't change the shirt, it's a nice touch." " Shirt?" " And leave the cue stick." "What the hell's the use of having it?" "This used to be a nice average bad neighborhood." " Now look at it." " Yeah, look at this." "Is all the places going to be like this?" "I mean, on your pool hall scale of one to 10, what do you rate this?" "10." " At least this one's got tables." " Hi, guys." " How you doing?" "Squeeze me in?" "Table Number 7 for Fast Eddie." "Yeah, see you don't recognize Orvis from way back when." "Son of a bitch." "What the hell are you doing here?" "Now you starting to remember." "How long do you want it for?" "A couple hours." "The last time I saw you, you were sweeping up at McGirr's." "Sweeping up at McGirr's, that's right." "Then I started working here for Chalkie." "Till he got scared of the bad element moving in and sold out." "Since then I've been running Chalkie's." "Well, what can I do for you?" "Looking for some action?" "Usually I steer for 20%, but for you it's 10." "Not me." "It's my friend here wants a game." "How you doing, Orvis?" "Wild place you got here." "What are you doing, Eddie?" "Stakehorsing?" "You know who you got here stakehorsing for you?" "This here is Fast Eddie Felson." "Who the hell are you?" "The end of the world?" "Come on, ease it up, will you, Orvis?" "Him, I'll steer for 15, since he's staked by Fast Eddie the Stakehorse." "What you playing, nine-ball or straight?" "It's in the way that you use it" " You should go back to the motel." " Why?" "Why?" "What?" "Are you kidding me?" "Take a look around this place." "There's gotta be tons of rape artists here. "Why?"" "Maybe you should go back to the motel." " Me?" " A pretty boy like you." " Cut it out." " A cute boy like you." " I'm serious..." " You're such a cute boy." " Carmen." " Vincent." " Not here." " Hey." "Let me give you the scoop, killer." "See that guy with the tiepin in his nose over there?" "Yeah." "Okay, that's Moselle." "Him, we stay away from." " No shit." " Grow up." "Him, we stay away from, 'cause he's the main stick around here." "You beat him, it scares away that gentleman over there." "Who's he?" "That's Earl." "He comes in here, he's got $5,000, $6,000 in his pocket." " Jesus." " Yeah." "Runs the numbers, Orvis says he don't mind losing, he just don't like to give it away." "So you beat Moselle and old Earl over there loses interest." "What happens now?" "Nothing for a little while." "We'll play over here." "He'll be watching you and he'll come to you." " Who am I going to play?" " Me." "You?" "Okay." "Eddie, but before we go, I want her to go back to the motel." "Oh, Christ." "I'm sorry, but this place is goddamn birdland." "Look, I've been in worse places, I've dated worse guys." " Hey, Carmen." " Hey, hey, watch your hands." "Okay, okay, okay." "That's enough." " That's enough." " You gotta tell me." " Let go, Vincent." " Okay, that's enough." "Tell Orvis to get you a cab back to the motel." " I don't want to take a cab." " Carmen, Carmen." "Goddamn it!" "Jesus Christ." "No thunderbolt breaks, no runs over four balls." "Just take it nice and easy." "Fate stumbles in" "She never went out with any guys like these." "Vincent, would you pay attention?" "That guy Earl is paying attention." "Are you listening to me?" "Yeah, yeah." "I needed someone" "Do you want me to break?" "You want to break?" "No." "I'll break." "What'd they do, saw the legs off this thing?" "This is a table for dwarfs or something." "Come on, Fast Eddie." "I want to see some heavy legend action here." "I think I see 35 balls down there." "Out of left field" "Not bad, huh?" "Love came along" "This isn't pool." "This is for bangers." "Straight pool is pool." "This is like handball or cribbage or something." "Straight pool, you got to be a real surgeon to get over." "It's all finesse." "Now everything is nine-ball, 'cause it's fast." "Good for TV." "Good for a loud break shot." "Oh, well, what the hell?" "Checkers sells more than chess." "Pretty damn good." "Not bad for a blind man." "Rack them up." "Yes, sir, boss." "Rack them up for Mr. Fast Eddie." "I haven't played serious pool since before you were born." "Right off the bat, I'm laying them to waste." "Watch this." "Nine on the break." "Oh!" "Jesus, Eddie!" "Damn." " All yours." " That was phenomenal!" "I'd like to play that big dude Moselle." "I bet he ain't that good." "Yeah?" "I don't know, Eddie." "Maybe you're right." "Maybe this game is just for bangers." "Cool it." "But the thing is, even if it is just for bangers, everybody's doing it." "If everybody's doing it, that's a lot of guys doing it." "A lot of guys doing it," "but only one guy can be the best." "Eddie, hey." "Hey!" "Eddie." "Eddie!" "Eddie, what?" "Where you going?" "All right, hey, those were easy shots, man." "Come on, all right, okay." "I'm sorry." "I'm a smartass, I was showing off." "I'm sorry, all right?" " You know what this is turning into?" " What?" "A waste of my time and a waste of my money." "Where are you going, huh?" "Eddie!" "What?" "You're gonna leave me here?" "What?" "I don't believe this guy!" "Child care." "Eddie." "Vincent back?" " Yeah, but he's out." " What do you mean, out?" "Out, like not in the room." " Mind getting dressed?" " Why, are we going somewhere?" "Guy comes into the room." "What if I was somebody else?" "Like who?" " That's not the point." " Look, I'm not naked or anything." "And another thing, work with me, not against me." "Don't go saying to Vincent what you said to him at Chalkie's." "Gets him all upset." "If you're going to use that thing, use it right." "Use what thing?" " C'mon." " What are doing?" " Me and you!" " Let me go." " I like it in the shower." " No!" "A quick one before Vincent gets back, all right?" "Hey." "I'm not your daddy, I'm not your boyfriend, so don't be playing games with me." "I'm your partner." "You don't flirt with me, you don't come on with me." "If you take a shower, you shut the goddamn door!" "Don't flatter yourself." "Don't waste my time with bullshit, Carmen." "We got a racehorse here." "A thoroughbred." "You make him feel good." "I teach him how to run." "Do you understand me?" "We're business people." "Gotcha." "Where's the Balabushka?" " Vincent took it." " I thought you said he was out." "Yeah, he was in, he was out." " He took the cue stick?" " Yes." " And you let him?" " So what?" "Shit." " I'm sorry." " Jesus goddamn!" "Child care." "Shit." "Good game." "Good game." "What you got in there?" "In here?" "Doom." " Come on, boy, let's play." " Yeah, let's play." "We're gonna have a lot of fun." "Werewolves of London" "He's the hairy-handed gent Who ran amuck in Kent" "Lately he's been overheard in Mayfair" "You better stay away from him He'll rip your lungs out, Jim" "I'd like to meet his tailor" "Werewolves of London" "Werewolves of London" "Well, I saw Lon Chaney Walking with the Queen" "I saw Lon Chaney Jr." "Walking with the Queen" "Doing the Werewolves of London" "I saw a werewolf drinking A pina colada at Trader Vic's" "His hair was perfect" "Werewolves of London" "Ow!" "Not bad, my man." "Not bad." " When you leaving town?" "Now, right?" " You don't want to play me again?" "Moselle, I'm joking." "Don't kill me, all right?" "That boy's hot." "Did you see me tonight?" "Hey!" "What?" "I made money." "You lost money." "The town is dead for you." "What the hell is it?" "Do I not speak your native language?" "What is the matter?" "You give me this stick, okay, and then you tell me to lay low." "I mean, the goddamn thing, I lay it down, it just jumps up at me, man." "You don't deserve this stick." "I don't deserve this?" "You don't deserve this stick." "All you do is you sit in there and you talk, you know, you tell me things." "Did you see me there tonight?" "I played." "I'm a fucking pool player, Eddie." "Know something?" "I'm a fucking animal!" "Animal." "Vincent, get in the car." "This is embarrassing." "You're acting like some girl who got felt up in a drive-in." " This looks terrible." "Get in, will you?" " Tough shit!" "How much did you take off of Moselle?" "I heard 100." "One fifty." " Hundred and fifty." " Yeah, 150." "You walk into a shoe store with 150 bucks and you come out with one shoe!" "We were working on 5,000." "Come on." "Get in, it's cold." "Vincent." "Well, I gotta hand it to you, kid." "You got me talking to myself." "I got half of me that says I got a hold of the best thing that I ever seen and half of me that says it just ain't worth it." "I mean, either I don't teach you right, or you don't listen." "Or you listen, but you don't hear." "What was that voodoo stuff back there?" "That wasn't pool." "That was a circus!" "You dropped your pants." "You want to get known?" "Good." "You and Gypsy Rose Lee." "I can always go back to whiskey." "It's been very good to me." "I mean, you're sitting in it and I'm wearing it." "But it's tired." "You know, it's just kind of run out." "All of a sudden you appear on the scene, and I'm jumping again." "You remind me that money won is twice as sweet as money earned." "Twenty-five years ago, I had the screws put on me." "I mean, it was over for me before it really got started." "But I'm hungry again and you bled that back into me." "You gotta have two things to win." "You gotta have brains and you gotta have balls." "Now, you got too much of one and not enough of the other." "All right." "I don't know." "Tell me what you want to do." "Give me a clue." "Uh..." "I'll try, I'll really try." "You know, let's go for it." "You know, Eddie, I mean, it's just tough for me to lay down." "You know, it's just..." "I get in there and it's just tough." "It's just..." "It's just tough to lay down." "But I'll try, okay?" "Tough to lay down?" "Well, roll over, sweetheart." "Give me." " What?" " Ninety bucks." "60%. of 150 is 90 bucks." "Did I wake you up?" "Well, do you want to hang up?" "Are you still pissed off at me?" "Well, if you were, I'd understand." "I don't know." "I'm having nightmares, sweats and everything." "What kind of rent are you paying?" "I said, what kind of rent do you pay?" "Well, listen." "After the Bahamas, maybe you could move in with me." "Just for practice." "What do you mean?" "No, nothing's going on." "What are you, a shrink?" "I miss you." "I say nice things to you." "Fine." "A couple of curve balls every now and then." "They're young." "They're kids." "No, no." "You're perfect." "I love this." "Hey, Carmen, you should have seen Eddie play last night." "Are we going to make some money today, or am I still talking to Our Lady of the Cue Balls?" "We'll make some money." "Definitely." "I'm a wild man today." "Did you ever hear of a hustle called "two brothers and a stranger"?" "Uh, yeah." "That's the guy in the Bible with the many-colored coats, right?" "Jesus, Vincent." "Hey, I'm joking, you guys." "Come on." "I'm just..." "Did I get through to you last night, kid?" "'Cause if I didn't, I'll run it by you another way." "If you'd have kicked ass in any other place but Chalkie's," "Atlantic City would be dead for us." "The guys never leave the street." "Otherwise, it would be all around." "Hey, let me tell you something." "Last night, you know, people never talked to me like that before." "You really talked to me." "And I just want you to know that I appreciate it." " And..." " Okay." "I want to thank you, you know, for everything." "Don't worry, kid." "Don't worry." "Two brothers and a stranger." "Okay?" "You got two guys that go into a bar, see?" "Give me two hours, they'll be building me a trophy wall in there, huh?" "Look at that kid." "He gets to have all the fun." "Lock and load." "All right." "Who's next here?" "You guys, you want to play?" "No?" "Anybody." "You want to play?" "What about you?" "You want to play?" " Forget it." " Spot you the break here." "Come on, I'll spot you the break." "How about it?" " I want the seven ball, too." " Seven." "How about the eight?" "I'll give you the eight." "Come on." "The eight, the break." "What do you want?" "All right?" "You up?" "Let's go." "Why don't you keep it down, huh?" "What did I say?" "I coughed." " Well." " Stop it, Eddie." " Do you mind?" " Excuse me?" "I said, do you mind?" "I mean, it's a money game here, guy." "Okay?" " Big money game." " Yeah, that's right." "A big money game." "So why don't you take your hands off the girl and let us play, okay, guy?" "What do you care where I put my hand?" "Why don't you mind your own business?" "Hey, Gramps." "Put your teeth back in, get your hands off your daughter there and pay attention." "You just might learn something here today." "I'll change my teeth, you change your goddamn diapers." "Hey, we've got a game going here." "Really?" "What are you playing for?" " What's it to you?" " What are you playing for?" " Fifty." " You want to win?" "I'll bet 500 bucks on this guy right here." "Huh?" "I think you're a choker, kiddo." "Five hundred bucks says you choke right now." "Why don't you take a walk, asshole?" "Anybody want to bet 500 bucks the kid chokes?" " Eddie, cut it out." " What are you starting trouble for?" "I'm not starting any trouble." " You're starting trouble." " Come on." "Any takers?" " Eddie, I'm gonna leave." " Any takers?" " This guy's a jerk." " Want to go for 1,000?" "I know." "I mean, you'd think he would have seen it before." " How are you?" " Pretty good." "Oh, my God, he got suckered into that so good." "Unbelievable." "Unbelievable." " Hey." " What's up?" "What do you think?" " Get in the car." " Hey." "Get away from me." "Hey, Vincent!" "What the hell is the matter with you?" "Did you have a good time, huh, Eddie?" "I'm a little disappointed in you, frankly." "Frankly, huh?" "Well, frankly, your ass!" "I seen you, man." " Seen what?" " Don't give me that." "I seen you!" "Seen what?" "Screw this." "You know what I mean?" "I don't need this." "I'm gone." "I'm going home." "Come on, Carmen." "We're going home." " The hell you are." " The hell I am?" "You're going home alone, man." "Is that right?" "Now I'm going home alone." "Yeah, what?" "Is it you and Eddie now?" "Are you gonna go to bars and get felt up by Eddie?" "Is that it?" " Vincent, Vincent." " Come on!" "You go in that place, you play your part." "It's nice, huh?" "I put my hands on her, I'm playing a part." "It's acting." " Your hands were all over her, Eddie!" " I'm acting!" "It's acting!" "Hey, look, Vincent, when you go into movies and you see people kissing, what do you think, they go home together?" " They're professionals, Vincent." " We're just trying to be professionals." "Okay, you guys." "It was just a little rough." "Okay?" "I mean, you know, I ain't used to that, Carmen." "Vincent." "Vincent." " I don't know about this." " Vincent, Vincent, Vincent." "Vincent the Kid, huh?" "You are gonna be one of the greats, kiddo." "One of the greats." "I got a good feeling about this." "Yeah?" "You say it's black But you know it's white" "You say it's day When you know it's night" "You'll say it's good When you know it's mean" "It's the finest music That I ever seen" "Don't you tell me nothin'" "So don't you tell me nothin' I can see" "Rock and rollin' is good for me" "You say it's a dog When you know it's two cats" "You say it's a mouse When you know it's a rat" "You say it's meat When you know it's bread" "You tell me it's gold And it's a hunk of lead" "Don't you tell me nothin'" "Well, don't you tell me nothin'" "Don't ya tell me nothin' I can see" "Rock and rollin' is good for me" "Don't you tell me nothin'" "You say it's right And you know it's wrong" "You say it's short And you know it's long" "You say it's low When you know it's high" "Tell me the truth And don't tell no lie" "Don't tell me nothin'" "Don't you tell me nothin'" "Don't tell me nothin' I can see" "Rock and rollin' is good for me" "This is too much." "No, really." "I can't." "Are you sure you don't want to play again?" "I mean..." "Hmm." "Do you smell what I smell?" "Smoke?" "Money." "Let's take a stroll around." "See what's what." "A starless black sky will be somewhere in America" "Hey." "Check out that guy that's playing back there." " That guy?" " Yeah." "This is a golden opportunity." "You know who that is?" "That's Grady Seasons." "He's the best money player in the world." "That's Grady Seasons?" "You want me to play him?" "You bet." "And you are gonna dump." "You are gonna lose something fierce." "You're gonna ask for a spot and you're gonna ask for the break." "Everything." "It's gonna be humiliating." "This is beautiful." " What do you mean, dump?" " What do I mean, dump?" "Because if you lose bad now to this guy, you'll be a super nobody in Atlantic City, and the odds on you will drop to nothing." " Right?" " See?" "She learns." "Let me ask you something." "I mean, I seen these guys, they hustle and they win." "How come I always got to play the jerk?" "I mean, why can't we have a hustle where I win?" "Because this is better than that." "There's something at the end of this." "I wouldn't even tell you to do it unless the payoff was phenomenal." "Look, do whatever you want to do." "Do it your way." "Whatever you want." "I'm gonna play." "I ask this guy a question, he gets his panties in a bunch." "It's like a nightmare, isn't it?" "It just keeps getting worse and worse, doesn't it?" "Are you gonna fall for this?" "We're gonna pay hell for it" "Now we can't wait for it" "Oh-ho-ho." "The impossible dream." "We let ourselves in for it" "Wild calculations" "Exert a fascination" "Tame speculation" "We let ourselves in for it" "Don't choke now." "It's not that hard a shot." " Did you just say, "Don't choke now"?" " Yeah." "You heard me." "Yeah." "Yeah, I heard you." "We let ourselves in for it" "We were bound to make the most of it" "Here's the best of it" "Let yourself in" "Any way that you figure it" "Got it at our fingertips" "Got to give in" "Hey, Grady." "Up your ass with the spot." "Okay with you?" "That's fine with me." "How you doing?" "Carmen, I'm playing here." "Yeah, I know." "I know." "Listen." "You win one more game, you're gonna be humping your fist for a long time." "Okay, Vincent?" "Got that?" "What are you doing, meditating?" "Yeah?" "Yeah?" "Hey." " Can I have the Balabushka?" " Yeah." " Are you gonna play, Eddie?" " Yeah, maybe." "Where?" " I don't know." "Gunther's." " Gunther's?" "Want me to go with you?" " No, that's okay." " You're not mad at me, are you?" " About last night?" " No, you done good." " Where's he going?" " He's going to Gunther's, ja." "Hey, Bill." "Why don't you call Dud?" "Thank you." "Bill, I'll have another Drambuie and potato salad." "And while you're at it, give my friend Eddie here another J.T.S. Brown." " One more time?" " Absolutely." "You know, you remind me a lot of a guy I played about 20 years ago." "Matter of fact, it was right after that, that five of us went on a road trip to San Antonio." "We didn't get any action." "The windup was all five of us ended up playing each other." "That's all she wrote." " Nice book, though." " Buy you one?" "No, I'll buy you one." "I'm gonna play for a while." "It's crazy, man." "I mean," "I was working at this job, busting my butt for about a year and a half." "They didn't give me a raise." "So my old lady, she leaves me, 'cause she says I'm a bum, 'cause I quit." "Then after, I get this job working at the university strictly for the experience." " Guess what it was." " What?" " What?" " Well, what were you?" " I was a subject." " A what?" "A subject in the psych department." "I was a subject for experiments." "Reflexes, memory things." "Except I didn't do anything where I got that electric shock." "Well, I did this once, but I just did that for the experience, so it don't count." " Shit." " Thank you." "Okay." "That's 80." " Do it again?" " Yeah, sure, I don't care." " Double or nothing?" " Double or nothing?" "What is there, an echo in here?" "Let's just do it, all right?" "Let's play." "Eddie, how you doing?" " Holding my own and a little bit of his." " Good man." "Here!" "Go!" "Go!" "Go!" "Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go!" "Fall!" "Is that it?" "Do it again." "Double or nothing?" "What else?" "All right." "That is bullshit." "I never did that!" "That is luck, man!" "I'm really sorry." "There's nothing I can do." "The nine ball fell." "I can't believe that." "You a hustler, Amos?" "Come on, Eddie, man." "Luck." "Are you a hustler?" "Hey, you don't want to pay me?" "Keep it." "Forget it." "I don't want no bad feelings." "I mean, a guy loses." "I lost, I paid." "I don't..." "You a hustler, Amos?" "What?" "You want to quit?" "Fuck you, kid." "Double it again." "Hey, I want to ask you something." "I want you to be real honest with me." "You think I need to lose some weight?" "How could I get suckered like that?" "You've got to work hard." "I mean, that takes a real gift to show your ass like that." "Everything, I got a stack." "Everything just right, a little too much booze." "A little too cocky." "Right amount ofjerk." "You missed all those fucking signals!" "You'll get him next time." "How much would you need to go it on your own?" "From here to Atlantic City?" "Why?" "Should have wiped the floor with that guy." "Yeah, so?" "How much would you need to go from here to Atlantic City?" "A couple thousand?" "Come on, Eddie, you've had a little too much to drink." "Let's go back to the motel and forget about it." "I got nothing left to teach you, kid." "That was the last lesson in here." "Come on, take the money." "Front for yourself." "You'll do fine." "What are you talking, man?" "Are you walking off?" "You're dumping us?" "Dumping you?" "I'm giving you a stake." "I showed you all I got." "I showed you my ass in here!" "And what the hell else do you want?" "That's it, that's all." "What are we supposed to do?" "Where are we supposed to go from here?" "Well, here is you, see?" "Here is Atlantic City." "In between is about 27 pool halls." "Three weeks, a couple thousand dollars." "What the hell else do you need, an Indian guide?" "Use your brains!" "Why are you talking to us this way, huh?" "Some guy comes in here and plays you for a chump, so you walk out on us?" "I mean, come on, we'll get this guy next time, Eddie." "Hey, hey." "You do this to some guy on the street, you don't do this to me." "What about all the stuff you told me, we talked about, me and you, huh?" " You're going to ruin everything here!" " Get out of here!" "Carmen and me." "What you told me about that?" "Okay, look, Eddie." "It's my attitude, right?" " Okay, from now on..." " Attitude, bullshit!" "Kiddo, you always do what you want to do." " Don't tell me that." " If I say you do this, you do that." " Don't tell me that." "I try to do everything." " I'm tired!" "I try to do everything that you tell me to do!" "You don't need me anymore." "Take the money." " It's the last thing I got left to give you." " Let it go, Vincent!" "You want to give me money and get rid of me." "You're young, kid." "You've got a long way to go." "You wanna give me money?" "Then give me money." "'Cause this is nickel and dime shit you've been giving me..." "I'll give you money, but don't you tell me what I'm about." " Just shut up and give me the money." " Make it $3,000." "It's our money." " Yeah, it's my fucking money anyway!" " I'll give you what I've got." "I'll give you what I got!" "You know something?" "Just keep your fucking money, pal." "Fuck it!" "Fuck!" "Here." "Yeah, well..." "Feel good, don't it?" " I'm blind." " You're cool." "Better?" "Same?" "Worse?" " Better." " Better?" "Same?" "Worse?" " Better." "Better?" "Same?" "Worse?" " I like the glasses." " Yeah?" "Fast Eddie, this here's Moselle." "He plays pool." " No kidding." " That's a nice stick." "I get the break." "What's the book?" "Fifty on Fast Eddie wins you 100." "Fifty on Moselle wins you 25." "Well, thanks." "Facts of life, man." " A hundred on the side?" " Read my mind." "Rack them up." "You guys going to Atlantic City?" "...on the boardwalk in Atlantic City welcomes you to our casino." "As anyone can tell you, the greatest single secret to success on the casino floor is knowing how to play the game." "There are slot machines, roulette, blackjack, craps, big six and baccarat tables." "The rules, regulations and pay-out odds are established and supervised by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission." "Knock 'em dead." "Gonna try." "Hey, Eddie." " What?" " You playing?" " Yeah." "You got a problem with that?" " I don't got any problem with that." " You got any problem with that?" " I ain't got no problems." "If it makes you happy, do it." "Just wanted to say hello." "Hello." "Test, test." "One, two, three, one, test." "Ladies and gentlemen, it's nice to see so many faces here for today's 9-ball Classic." "Players, start your matches." "I didn't deserve that." "Is this your first tournament, Duke?" "Match to Mr. Felson." "Eleven games to five." "I didn't deserve that." "Yes, you did." "Tall and tan and young and handsome" "The boy from Ipanema goes walking" "And when he passes, Each girl he passes" "Goes, "Ah"" "We'll play 10 games." "You only have to win eight, I gotta win 10." "And I'll put up $1,200 and you only have to put up $800." "Okay, wait a minute." "I only have to win eight games to your 10?" "That's right." "And you're gonna put up $1,200 to my $800?" "That's right." "Carmen, that sounds like a good deal." " It is a good deal, isn't it?" " It is a good deal." "This guy won the Akron Open, Vincent." "Don't be a jerk." "There is no such thing as the Akron Open." "Where did you hear that?" "No?" "What have I been reading about?" "Hey, Carmen." "I can win eight games here." "Don't blow this." "Let me play this guy..." "No, I know you can, I'm not gonna blow it." " I just don't like the deal." " What don't you like about it, lady?" "I think maybe you should up your end to about 1,500." " Up my end?" " That's right." "$300, Vincent." "It's not gonna kill the guy, 1,500." "All right, all right." "I'll tell you what, I shouldn't, but I will." "$1,500, how's that?" " Is that a deal?" " Okay, yeah." " Sorry about..." " Don't be sorry, it's all right." "It's 8:30." "I got a few things to do." "How about 12:30 in the green room?" "12:30." "Great." " Terrific." " You can get these, right?" " No problem." "We got it covered." " $1,500?" " Not bad, huh." " Not bad, huh?" " He wouldn't go for more." "You wouldn't go for more." "That guy had $2,000 written all over his face." "You just gave him $500, and you're gonna buy his drink, too?" " Thank you!" " Why don't you do it yourself next time?" "Hey!" "I gotta go rest." "Hey!" "Got new glasses, huh?" "They look good." "Well, it's Vincent the Kid and Carmen." "Hey, Eddie." "You looked real good today." " So how's it going?" " Can't complain." "How about you?" "$4,000 in three weeks." "I guess it could have been better, could have been worse." "All right." "I'm happy for you." "At 12:30 in the green room, we're gonna take out that lame from Akron." "Did you see what we did to that guy?" " You want in on it?" " Well, thanks." "Listen, I'll pass up on that." "I gotta play at 10:00." " I'm just packing it in early." " All right." "It's on you." " Good luck tomorrow." " Same to you." "Thank you." "I gotta go rest." "Come and get me in about three hours, okay?" " In three?" " Yeah, yeah." " Going good?" " Yeah, we're doing okay." "You were right, you know, we really didn't need you anymore." "That's what I said." "You wouldn't believe Vincent now." "You wouldn't even recognize him." "A new man, huh?" "Why didn't you take him up on tonight?" "Well, like I said, I gotta get up early and play, so..." "All right." "See you around." "It's like a nightmare, isn't it?" "You got lucky, you lucky prick." "Wipe your nose, will you, Julian." "You're going down, Eddie." "Oh, goddamn." "Jesus Christ!" "Yeah, and it just keeps getting worse and worse, doesn't it?" "Take it on off." "I can't help it." "Eddie?" " Nice game, Eddie." " Thank you." " Eddie, nice game." " Good game." "I'm doing fine, yeah." "I'm only feeling nervous, because I feel good." "Yeah, eyes feel good, legs feel great." "I got no grief down here." "Come on down here and give me some grief." "Forget the Bahamas, this is it, okay?" "It would be good having you here." "Hey!" "I'm going to beat him, you know." "Maybe." "Hello, Eddie." "That's nice." "...Brian Albrecht and Larry Schwartz." "The final match on Table Number 8, Vincent Lauria and Eddie Felson." "Hey, you shot a great game." "Well, the balls roll funny for everybody, I told you that." "I mean, you shot a great game." " Come on." " Eddie!" " Who is it?" " Vincent." " Hi, guys." " I'm sorry." "Should we come back later?" "No, we were just..." "Janelle's having a glass of early bubbly." "Come on in." "Listen, I drew this guy Kennedy, uh, in the semi-finals." "You know anything about him?" " What's that?" " It's for you." "Hey, how you doing?" "It's your cut." " Cut of what?" " For the game." " What game?" " Our game, man, I dumped." "I got a front to lay off $4,000 on you, and then I dumped." "All I had to do was dog about four shots, you know?" "But, Eddie, you know something, you are a very, very good player." "I feel shitty about getting booted, but there are other tournaments, right?" "Right." "You dumped, huh?" "Carmen didn't wanna go for it, but I told her, hey, you'd appreciate it." "I mean, of all people, there's $8,000 in there." "After I beat Grady Seasons, the odds between me and him were a joke." "Two brothers and a stranger, Eddie, just like you laid it out, you know." "It was beautiful, it was just..." "It was fucking beautiful." "When I banked the five..." "When I saw the lay of the table, I knew that it was gonna be the five." "That's the art of the dump, right?" "To be able to just miss the pocket by a hair." "I mean, the audience, "Oh!" It was..." "It was..." "I... $8,000 in there." "We gotta split." "Look, I've got green room games for the next three nights." "These guys, they just won't leave me alone." "Are you sure you don't want in on this?" "We're talking about a lot of money." "Yeah, maybe." "Okay." "I'll call you, okay?" "Good luck with Kennedy, all right?" "He's a little prick." "Ladies and gentlemen, it's good to see you all here today for the semi-finals of today's 9-ball Classic." "The matches on Table 1 will be between, from Chicago," "Larry Schwartz." "Larry will be playing, from Saint Louis, Missouri, the incomparable Saint Louis Louie, Louie Roberts." "On Table 2, this year's eastern states regional nine-ball champion" "Lorenzo Kennedy will be playing, and we welcome back, Fast Eddie Felson." "Players, begin your matches." " What are you doing?" " I forfeit." " Forfeit?" " Forfeit, Felson has forfeited his match." "What do you mean, forfeit?" "You can't forfeit." "What's he talking about?" "What kind of bullshit is this?" "I don't know." "He just threw 50,000 away." "Come on, Eddie, don't forfeit." "I don't want to win like this." "Yeah, but I don't want to win like that, though." "The match on Table 3 has been forfeited by Eddie Felson." "Lorenzo Kennedy wins by default." "So what do you say?" "Why don't we get the hell out of here?" "The Bahamas are looking real good to me about now." "Anyway," "I got out of my lease." "All my stuff's in boxes." "That's nice." "I'm a real big fan of character in people." "I don't know if you knew that about me." " Character, huh?" " Yeah." "Here it comes." "Vincent says this is yours." "You don't want it, you should give it to charity." "What'll that solve?" "I don't know." "I don't know anything anymore." "I want his best game." "Look, if you want his best game, Eddie, go talk to him yourself." "He won't listen to me." " What?" "So I gotta cover your ass now?" " No." "You gotta save it." "Why should I?" "I'll be in the green room." "Stings like a bitch, don't it?" "Yes, it does." "You got brass, man." "I'll give you that." "You want my game?" "You couldn't deal with my game, Jack." "You're outmanned." "Let's find out." "I'm asking you." "I ain't got a leg to stand on, but I'm asking you." " Shove it!" " Don't do that, kid." "I call the shots!" "I do what I want to do." "Don't do it." "I don't have that many games left in me." "God!" "You used us." "You used me!" "Yes, I did." "But you're in Atlantic City now, with the big boys." "You're not back there in the stock room playing around with baby dolls." "Think about it." "It's a wash." "And about all that other stuff, I don't take much pride in that." "It's even, but it ain't settled." "Let's settle it." " Why should I?" " How long do you want me to fry, huh?" "Five years, 10 years?" "You want to play kick the dog for the rest of your life?" "Come on, let's clean it up." "Listen to this." "What?" "You want to play for the envelope?" "Is that it?" "Whatever." "Thank you." "Eddie, what are you gonna do when I kick your ass?" "Pick myself up and let you kick me again." " Oh, yeah?" " Yeah." "Just don't put the money in the bank, kid." "'Cause if I don't whip you now," "I'm gonna whip you next month in Dallas." "You mean Houston." "There's nothing coming up in Dallas." "Houston, Dallas." "And if not then, then the month after that in New Orleans." "Oh, yeah?" "What makes you so sure?" "Hey, I'm back." "I feel so doggone lonely" "Todayjust isn't my day" "When I got home this morning" "I found a letter on my bed" "When I opened up that letter" "I broke right down and cried" "She said, "Now, Daddy, I hate to leave you" ""But I'm in love with another guy"" "I couldn't believe she wrote it" "So I read it over again" "And when I was finished" "The tears came down like rain" "The more I read this doggone letter" "The more my poor heart cries" "She said, "Now, Daddy, I hate to leave you" ""But I'm in love with another guy"" "My baby, she said" "Oh, yeah, My baby, she said" "My baby, she said" "This what she said" "She said, "Now, Daddy, I hate to leave you" ""But I'm in love with another guy""