Justice and the Hitman

NOTE
Much like my script: "The Royalty," this is not the complete script, but rather a sample. Please feel free to review and criticize the sample if you wish. Every bit of criticism is appreciated!


(The setting is 1940’s New York.)

(A tall white man with short black hair sits across the table from another man, one with blonde hair. His name is Arty. Both are well built. Behind the blonde man stands a large man, also with black hair, and with a black hat, of which the brim covers his eyes from plain view. He is standing attentively as he watches the two men who are sitting. The blonde man is eating spaghetti, while the black haired man is sprawled out in his chair, his food relatively untouched. He watches as the blonde man eats. The blonde man’s name is Hank.)

HANK: (Puts down his fork and leans back in his chair as he finishes off his mouthful of food. He reaches for the glass of water in front of him and takes a sip. Arty does not watch his hand as he does this, but remains intently focused on Hank’s face and facial expressions.) You not hungry?

ARTY: I thought I was. (Hank gets a cigarette out of his pocket and puts it in his mouth. He offers Arty one, but Arty declines. He then realizes that he doesn’t have a light.)

HANK: You got a light?

ARTY: I don’t carry one. I’m not a smoker.

HANK: What the fuck does that mean? Not a God damn smoker, my ass! (He looks at Arty with intense frustration.) Bull shit. (Hank then leans in to one of the candles on the table and lights his cigarette there. He leans back in his chair as he takes a large puff. Arty leans in to the table now, and he motions for Hank to do the same. Hank remains reclined in his chair.)

ARTY: Let’s cut the horse shit, all right. (Hank takes another large puff of the cigarette and blows it toward Arty. He smiles slightly and then leans in.)

HANK: All right. (He’s seems to be in a rather light mood, as opposed to Arty who is stern to say the least.) What the fuck’s this all about, huh? I don’t need to be here. You should consider yourself lucky I even decided to show up. Fucking ungrateful sitting there like the fucking king, you know that? (He sort of grunts and leans back, taking another whiff of his cigarette. He looks back to Arty who is still leaning on the table. Hank, now quite annoyed, leans back in.) So what the fuck you want?

ARTY: (Arty turns his head and looks back at the bartender who is cleaning the counter with a large white cloth wrapped around his hand. Arty then turns back and talks softly.) I’ve been told to tell you that you’re pushing it.

HANK: (He looks a little more concerned, but still just generally annoyed.) Pushing it? What the fuck!

ARTY: Relax. (He is stern, but calm.) There was an arrangement, long before you and I were even born. You’ve heard of it. You know it. So, I’m not going to waste my time or yours for that matter, discussing it. You know who your customers are, and we know ours. But you start fucking around with the agreement, then what does it mean? Nothing.

HANK: (Now looking more concerned.) You don’t own the fucking city, and you don’t own the fucking customers either. My grandfather came to this country because he could do whatever he wanted to. That’s what it’s all about, Arty. Freedom. Now, you’re telling me who I can and can’t do business with because of some fucking agreement a thousand fucking years ago?

ARTY: Your grandfather may have come to this country for freedom, but he was one of the guys who helped in coming to that very agreement. Now, if he means that much to you, I’d be willing to assume that you wouldn’t want to put his family business in jeopardy, would you? (Arty now starts to look a little more concerned, as well as infuriated.) Because that’s exactly what you’re doing.

HANK: Are you trying to tell me I don’t fucking care about my grandfather? Fuck you. All right, fuck you! (He stands up now, and throws his napkin from his lap on to the table. Arty sits back in his chair and surveys the situation as if it’s nothing more than an act. The man standing behind Hank takes a step forward, but Hank motions for him to move back.) You bring me here for what? To talk to me? About what, my business? I’ll tell you what, this is a fucking insult. I might be young, but it’s my fucking business now, all right? You fuckers think you can scare the shit out of me? Bull shit. Sending me a message? Well guess what, here’s a fucking message.

(The camera now switches to slow motion. Hank begins to reach for his pocket. Arty sees this and reaches for his. In the background, the man behind Hank reaches for his jacket pocket and pulls out a pistol. As Arty gets out his pistol, he fires it and hits the man in the middle of the forehead. However, Hank has drawn his gun and now has it pointed at Arty’s head. Arty looks at the gun, his gun still pointed in the direction of the man he has just shot. A loud bang is heard, but the camera quickly shows Arty’s face as he jumps in his seat out of shock. However, there’s no blood on him. The camera then shows Hank who has been shot in the chest. He is staring blankly ahead as blood rushes to the surface of the white shirt underneath his suit jacket. Another two bullets then hit him in the chest and he stumbles, falling backward. Arty then stands up, surveying the situation for only an instant. He then looks behind him toward the bartender who is now holding the cloth in his hand as if it were a pistol. Obviously, the pistol was underneath the cloth. The cloth is now smoking as the man un-wraps it from the gun and places the revolver under the counter. He gives Arty a slight nod of the head. Arty then approaches the counter and takes out his wallet, removing a few bills from the wallet and placing them on the counter.)

ARTY: Thanks for the food Bill.

BILL: My treat. (He looks back to the two men lying bloody on the tile floor.) I helped you, now you return the favor. I need those guys out of here by the morning.

ARTY: Need any help cleaning up?

BILL: No. I’ll do that, you just get them the hell out of here.

ARTY: Sure. Help me get them into the car, all right?

BILL: (Politely laughs.) Of course, Arty.

(The two men then approach the body of the large henchman.)

ARTY: So, Bill… how’s the kids?

BILL: Oh, they’re good. A pain in the ass sometimes, but they’re good kids. (The two men laugh.) Yours? (Arty pauses and looks at Bill with a kind of nervous, annoyed expression.) Oh… that’s right. You uh… you haven’t heard…

ARTY: Nothing. Of course, the letters don’t go to me. They go to his wife and kids.

BILL: That’s right! I forgot he got married. You know, I still think of Tom as that little kid who used to come into that old restaurant I had downtown and get ice cream. He’s a good kid, Arty.

ARTY: Yea, I know… I don’t want… you know.

BILL: Sure. Sorry, Arty.

ARTY: Forget about it. (Arty grabs the man’s arms and Bill grabs his legs.) You ready?

BILL: On three. One, two, three… (As the men move to pick the body up, the scene immediately switches to a dock on the Hudson River. Manhattan is seen in the foreground, and the moon is seen to the left of the island as Arty rolls a body off of the dock and into the Hudson. He looks off into the distance for a few seconds and then runs back into his car, parked on the dock, and speeds toward the camera. The scene then switches again as the car pulls up to a large white house. Arty gets out of the car and walks a few feet down the sidewalk and looks at another car parked along the side of the road. He looks up at the house and begins to walk slowly to the front door. As he opens the door, a woman’s voice can be heard through sobs.)

SARAH: Oh, my God! Arthur, thank God you’re home!

ARTY: Who’s car’s out that out front?

SARAH: It’s Frank Petty’s. He drove Tom and Sandy’s kids up here.

ARTY: (hesitantly) What’s going on?

SARAH: It’s Tom… and Sandy. When she found out, she went for a drive and ended up in the river. She’s…

ARTY: Why’d she do that? What… why was she running?

SARAH: Arty… I just… I don’t know why… he… he volunteered.

ARTY: Oh my God. Tom… Sarah… (The two hug and both cry for a few seconds. The screen then goes blank.)