Sit. Sit. Come back.
A pain au chocolat, bud?
Please, one.
Bud,
I can't give you no more for free, huh?
Not every time.
Not no more.
I have to subsist.
I know. I know. I know.
I--I don't carry money when I run.
I'll give it to you tomorrow.
- Tomorrow 100%? - 100%.
Lou come by,
ask if you're feeding here too much.
Oh, that's 'cause he thinks
that I'm coming out of retirement,
but I'm not, so this is okay.
If you go back fighting, you're heavyweight now.
Not middleweight.
- Come on. Let's go. - Wait.
Bye, Claude.
Come on. Come on.
Hey.
Hey, Hernandez, no plantain for Silly.
I'm serious, dude.
She shits on the rug,
and she feels ashamed of herself.
No plantains.
Why does Hernandez always have to mop the floor so diligently?
It depresses the hell out of me.
How do you mean?
He's always mopping the floor
like LIFE magazine is gonna come,
and they're not.
He mops to mop.
You're trying to change the subject.
From what?
You working with me training Kid Sunshine,
like we talked about.
I'm going to J.J.'s tonight.
He wants to open a Bud's Place in the city.
J.J. huh?
Just checking it out.
Just being friendly.
Okay, I'm intrigued. What's his weight?
159.
We got to get him down to welterweight.
I thought you wanted to turn him into Floyd Patterson.
Mercury Williams' people came to us last night--
$500,000 and 2% of the pay-per-view.
For WBO at the Garden?
I mean, really getting shortchanged.
But the point is, it's Madison Square Garden next month.
Kid goes for the welterweight title.
HBO wanted to bring their cameras in here
and shoot Kid training.
"Behind the scenes," they called it.
I told them no.
You told them no?
Relax.
The fight is what's consequential.
Oh, the fight's what's consequential.
HBO's not consequential. It's not consequential at all.
It's just the only game in town.
Boardwalk Empire's not consequential.
Girls isn't consequential.
Oh, Silly.
You know how much coffee costs these days?
Uh, a buck fifty?
You say that like it makes some sort of sense.
It does.
It's a large cup, hot, doesn't taste like ass.
It's a decent deal.
Can I have a section of the paper?
You can have the whole thing. I'm gonna take a shower.
How come you never get The Ledger?
Who cares what's happening in Jersey?
I do. I fuckin' live here.
You do too, you know.
Don't remind me.
No Broadway, no Derek Jeter,
no Rockefeller Center, but I got you--
my own personal national treasure.
You stink. Take a shower!
Sorry.
I'm not used to you wanting it all the time.
I always want it all the time.
I was training. I couldn't have it.
What the fuck?
The water's not hot.
- Is it cold? - It's lukewarm.
Better take that.
That doesn't bother you? Lukewarm?
You really should take a shower while it's hot at all.
What are you doing with that pen?
Better if you get The Ledger.
You're making me depressed here.
Give me a week, a week and a half.
All right?
If I haven't gotten something together by then,
you can--you can do whatever the fuck you want.
Waitress at Beau Morley's.
You trying to make me depressed?
I was circling practical things.
Well, you're making me practically suicidal.
Give me a week. Okay?
I know I've been saying it,
but things are coming together.
All right? No red pen for a week.
You're not gonna make fun of me?
Good.
Let's go see a movie.
Want to see a movie?
You want to see a movie with me?
De Niro?
Yeah.
That is truly terrible.
Well, how'd you know who it was, then?
Oh, please. Give it up.
You won't see the Sandra Bullock movie, right?
Right.
Well, I don't want to see any action movies.
- Oh--here we go. - What?
I'm allowed to not want to see a bunch of people
get killed today, aren't I?
I don't want to fucking fight about it.
I don't want to fucking fight about it either.
Look, just pick something. I don't care what it is.
I just want to sit in a dark theater and kill time.
I was thinking I want to try auditing
some classes at Columbia--
Robert Thurman's classes on Buddhism.
Robert Thurman?
You say that like I'm supposed to know him.
I know Thurman Munson.
Robert Thurman was the first white guy
the Dalai Lama ordained as a monk.
And he's Uma Thurman's father.
He's a monk and he's Uma Thurman's father?
He resigned his monk's vows of celibacy
and married a Swedish woman.
Of course he did.
She probably looked just like Uma Thurman.
What's--what's infinite nirvana compared to Swedish skin?
That's who you want to be your teacher?
I love it. You never cease to amaze me.
He gets a pass
because he crammed with, you know, holy-moly man,
but the rest of us can't get a break--
Forget I fucking mentioned it, okay?
You don't get it. It's not about being holy.
It's about nothing being sacred or holy.
Tried to explain it, and you don't fucking listen.
Right, right. I don't listen.
It's me. It's me.
It's better with butter.
There's still time for you to get some butter.
Please shut the fuck up.
Oh, that's right.
There's no-- there's no trailers here.
Shh.
I told you that was gonna happen.
You got one of them Steve Jobs,
and now all you do is check it and check it and check it.
I'm checking it constantly
because I'm in a state of disbelief.
Nobody ever fucking texts or calls anymore.
It's like they gave me the number of a ghost.
Where have all the hangers-on gone?
You used to complain about them being around.
I've lost 73 Facebook friends in the last few months.
Your shoelaces are untied.
Are they really your friends?
Anyways, very least, you can not check your phone
in the middle of the movie.
Movies like that bug the hell out of me.
I mean, why don't they just move?
I thought the movie was solid.
So if you don't mind, I want to be alone with my thoughts
for a little bit before you pollute me with your negativity.
And where would they move? Where are they gonna move?
Far away. You're in love.
Some assholes tell you not to fall in love.
Move away from the assholes.
I think wherever they went--
They went-- please.
They move to Rome. They move to Paris.
Who the fuck is gonna care? They can do their own thing.
They can lick pears and chew salami.
Even if you move, your problems don't vanish.
They do if your problem is where you live.
Oh, look!
- Did you hear that? - Yeah.
It was spitting something up.
He was not. He was laughing.
I made him laugh. You couldn't tell?
Oh! Ho-ho-ho!
Uppercut, uppercut, left, right, left.
Right?
Right.
You want money, huh?
They called you The Saint.
Yep. You want money?
I'm Ray.
That's good.
Don't be a fuck, honey.
That's okay, ma'am. He ain't got to talk to me.
Too bad your saint...
didn't have a stronger chin.
Oh, sure, you had blazing speed
but no whiskers.
Jesus got hit hard, but he stayed the course.
Come on, Bud.
You're a fuckin' bum.
What do you know about saints?
I could smell you all the way from here.
Oh, so what? I smell.
You never heard of Saint Francis,
ignorant motherfucker?
Here, here, take this.
Oh, no, that's okay, ma'am. That's fine. I'm fine.
Thank you very much, ma'am, kindly.
You should absorb some dignity from your woman, Saint.
Wouldn't kill you.
We're done. Come on.
Wise men may be free of greed but not you.
I can't believe you tried
to give that rambling twat $2.
It's cold.
Yeah, I know. I'm fucking freezing.
Did I tell you how those yogis
generate heat in the cold through meditation?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
You told me something about the breathing techniques
to fire up the heart pulmonary or something.
That's not exactly it.
Well, it had something to do with breathing.
Sorry. I'm not a yogi.
How late you gonna be?
If it goes good, late.
He might want to drink or watch fights or something.
Text me if you're gonna be out all night.
Good luck.
Welcome to The Silver Apple.
I parked out front, in front of the fire hydrant--
Yeah, that's my spot. Cops know that.
I got, like, a shitty car.
Hey, that's my spot.
Whoever parks there is with me.
Don't be so dubious.
They closed your restaurant.
You know, people in Jersey don't have any taste.
I should have known not to bother with them.
All that money down the drain.
What are you doing for work now?
Lou wants me to work with him.
Work with this kid, uh, Kid Sunshine.
Teach him the science of the game.
Hit and don't get hit, no?
You say that like it's easy.
It's easier said than done.
No, I believe you. I believe you.
But Lou Powell...
Thank you, sweetheart.
He digs the smell of sweat and piss.
Lou don't care if it's MSG or VFW halls.
He's a gym rat. Well, hooray for him.
Whatever's clever,
but you're someone
who's not afraid of the finer things.
Am I right?
Mm-hmm.
Yes, that's pure silver you're holding, by the way.
You feel the weight?
Why don't you come work for me for a little while?
Hmm?
Pickups. Deliveries.
You go around the city with Roberto.
Make sure everybody we associate with is--
is full of good cheer.
I must warn you of one thing, though.
What's that?
He listens to glam rock all day on the radio,
so if you're similar to me, you're gonna have to
figure something out-- some kind of arrangement.
I used to like the New York Dolls, not no more.
What kind of music you got on your iPod?
Oh, fuck me. Is that a Walkman?
Well, I-I got an iPhone.
I just don't have any music for it.
I believe it's important to turn yourself completely over
to digital technology.
My entire life...
is in the iCloud.
What kind of music you dig on?
Uh, Laura Nyro. It's this beatnik chick.
My--my girl recommended her.
I-I don't really listen to anything other than
what she has in her cassette collection.
She never got into iTunes or anything.
She never even got into CDs.
You know, I never used to listen to anything.
You know, Lou says that you should never jog
with music.
Says if you run to the theme song to Rocky,
you'll just be a bitch fighter.
Well, he doesn't say the word "bitch," though.
He says "sentimental fighter."
Sentimental fighter?
Yeah, an emotional fighter.
Lou says the worst thing you can be
is an emotional fighter.
You know, that's why it's science.
You know, you got to be like a scientist.
Otherwise, you get all emotionally involved
and unbalanced.
Yeah.
You see my face right now?
This is me marveling.
I marvel at you lads.
You're monks in the gym.
The most peaceful place on earth.
Oh, the sound of the--
the ropes and the bags and the breathing.
It's funny that it all leads towards violence.
Hmm? All that peacefulness.
But, hey, what do I know?
I know one thing;
I want The Saint
and his scientific mind
on my side.
Roberto fights dogs, doesn't he?
I got nothing to do with the dog fighting
and neither will you.
You just go around with him for a couple of weeks,
and in the meantime,
we start bringing your restaurant down here
to the West Village.
You mean like it was in Jersey but in Manhattan?
Exactly.
Oh, I dug your place.
Bud's. Hmm?
I mean, this place here, it's all trumps and strumpets,
but Bud's...
An everyday guy can watch a fight, lay down a bet,
and I'll own it, of course, but after a while,
you make enough money; you buy a stake...
We become partners.
I even got a spot picked out.
So it'll be Bud's,
or it'll be some other guy's.
What say you?
Let's break out the special California chardonnay.
Pour yourself a glass too.
Oh, I get to drink with the big shots?
Wow.
She's not normally so trenchant.
She must have a schoolgirl crush on you.
Oh, yeah.
You seen her over from back in the day?
S.I. swimsuit pics?
Oh, you fuckin' monk.
She was 19 with no top off.
Ow.
She was versatile too.
She could do the beach. She could do heroin chic.
That was a great time in fashion.
I miss heroin chic badly.
It'll come back, though.
Emaciated, suicidal teen haute couture.
Ooh.
Still there if you look closely.
Yup.
Ah, I forgot. I gotta--
Hey, Champ!
Hey. How's it going?
Hey. Why are you so tight?
What's going on?
You're smelling good. What--
What is that? What fragrance is that?
What are you wearing?
It's CK Obsession.
You got to let me borrow that.
They sell it everywhere.
I want to share with you.
J.J., you got a sec?
I got to jaw with you, man.
Been watching MSG fights?
No, I've been with my friend here.
Can't you see that?
Yeah, I see that.
It can wait.
I can tell you now, or I can tell you later
and you'll be mad at me.
You'll make me join the Church of Scientology with you.
Washington went down in the 12th.
A real barn burner!
Drink. Come on.
We'll be back.
I know a lot of good shit about you, man.
They won't be back.
No?
No.
Text Ellen.
I should call her.
Text her.
Tell her you're staying at a hotel for the night.
You--you're too drunk to drive.
You are, by the way.
Is there, like, a--is there a Holiday Inn or something?
Don't know. Don't do dumps.
Oh, you say that like I have a choice.
I don't even have hot water.
We can't have you staying at the Holiday Inn
all alone and all pale.
I get off in an hour.
I got a guest room at my place.
You'll have your own bathroom with a shower,
Bud.
Come on. Go to his body. Come on.
Side to side. Side to side.
All right. Good. Good. Keep coming in.
Coming in. Yeah.
All right, Kid.
That's it.
All right. Good. Keep coming in.
- On your toes. That's it. - All right.
- Good. - Step into him.
- Good. - That's it.
That's right. That's right.
- Get him off him. - That's it.
Good. Good.
- Stay on him. - Stay. Stay.
- All right. Back it up. - Don't let him off the hook.
That's right. That's good.
Do it again. That's right.
You're gonna help Lou train Kid,
but you're also committed to J.J. Cook.
Right.
Sounds conflicting.
Look, it's not like I told Lou
I was gonna be at the gym forever.
I just said I'd--I'd help him with Kid Sunshine
for this title fight; by the time we have to
move to Manhattan, the fight'll be over.
You've got it all figured out.
You know, I thought you'd be happy.
This way, if this works,
you don't have to work that shitty job.
You could be maître d' at Bud's like before.
How was the Holiday Inn?
Asleep the second I got there.
Why do I feel like my good news is bad news here?
It's a big move, is all.
It's a couple U-Haul vans. We've moved before.
From two blocks away.
Don't you miss having, like, a big, nice place like before?
That place was party-worthy.
I honestly don't miss it.
To me, this place is cozy.
Even if we had a baby, I think we could stay here--
Please, don't get on that again.
Sorry.
All right, what's your weight today?
156.
All right, you got to lose 9, 10 in the next few weeks.
I can do it.
Stay away from the sweet stuff,
and I'm not talking about candy.
Right.
It's hot in here. Makes you feel tired, huh?
Nah, I'm fine.
You drink?
- Nah. - Sleep around?
- Nope. - That's good.
All right, to the body.
Now to the head.
To the body.
Generate momentum off the toe.
Off the toe, not the heel. Come on.
Get it up. Get it up.
See?
All right. All right, all right, all right.
Hit the lockers.
Thanks, Saint.
Don't mention it.
Hey, let me see your hands.
Who taped your hands today?
My homeboy Lonnie.
No more Lonnie.
I'll do it tomorrow.
It's too tight. There's too much tape.
What are you looking at, old man?
Nothing.
You're smiling about something.
I suppose I'm smiling because...
you're having fun.
Hell I am, man.
It's disgusting here.
It's full of sweat and old memories.
Sure. Sure.
Good night, old man.
Silly, come on.
Silly?
You seen Silly?
I saw her about five minutes ago.
Silly? Come on, girl.
Hernandez, you seen Silly?
Silly?
Come on, girl.
Silly, is that you?
What are you doing in there?
Hey, chill, man.
Put down the guns--
Is this your car?
Well, look who's driving Bimmers.
Is this your fucking car?
Damn skippy. Can't you see the resemblance?
That's my fucking dog!
I know. I took her for a joyride.
You were training.
Gave your pooch a couple of frankfurters.
Pooch loves frankfurters, you know that?
Yeah, I know that.
She'll eat whatever you give her.
She'll even eat plantains.
Give a pooch fruit?
I don't understand that.
Give a pooch meat,
breed the killer instinct in them--
that I understand.
Pooch will even eat another pooch, you know that?
Yeah, it depends on the dog.
No, no, no. Any pooch.
Fuck anything too.
Well, the vet took care of that.
Ouch.
Still, pooch would fuck anything.
Could you let her out, please?
Kind of muscular, your dog,
You ever think of fighting her?
- No. - Why not?
It's not just pits. That's a common misconception.
Yeah, I know. I'm not into that. Okay?
It's not humane.
It's kind of funny coming from a boxer, no?
No.
Whatever.
If you ever change your mind, let me know.
Can make big bills, the three of us.
Can you let her out, please? The windows are rolled up.
It's cold; I didn't want her to catch a cold.
It's fucking frosty out here.
Please just unlock the door. I got to go home.
No. We're working tonight.
Tonight?
Or should I call J.J.
and tell him you're not up for it?
No, no, no. I'm up for it.
Great. Let's rock and roll.
All right, you know, I got to--
I got to go change. I'm stinky.
And put on that aromatic Calvin Klein scent?
Don't fret about it.
We got to get to know each other anyways.
Oh.
J.J. told me to give you this.
He loaded it with all that crappy music you like.
Let's go.
We're gonna have to leave the pooch in the car.
The guy we're gonna go see has a cat.
I don't know.
Dude, my boy runs this fucking joint.
Nobody's gonna fuck around with my whip anyways.
It's only gonna be 15 minutes.
All right.
We'll be right back. Stay here.
Yo, check this shit.
Cuban heel, yo.
You know what I'm saying? Cuban heels.
Yeah, I like-- I like that whole dance too.
Yeah, fucking right you like it.
That's some fucking Riverdance shit.
I want to do, like, a crazy Miles Davis voice for this.
So just play along.
Okay.
Jeez.
Gee whiz.
Can we come in?
This is my pal Bud.
Boy, uh,
I was just getting ready for bed.
Oh, we just walked up all the stairs.
Maybe we could all have a glass of milk together
before bed.
I don't have any milk.
You're being rude, Stanley.
Since it's your bedtime,
straight, no chaser.
You owe 10 grand to J.J.
That's more than I owe. No?
I explained our system to you last time.
You pay interest for every week you don't pay.
Don't I know you?
He's Bud Gordon.
Gee whiz.
Why do I know that name?
The Saint.
Bud "The Saint" Gordon?
I lost money on you.
You beat the hell out of Jackson for four rounds.
He punches you hard once in the fifth,
and you're out.
Boy, that was some disappointment for me.
Yeah, for me too.
With the Garden cheering you,
I thought for sure
this scrawny kid from Atlanta is not gonna take the title.
He was long, like Tommy Hearns.
Tommy Hearns my ass.
He lost his belt the next fight
to some kid from the Poconos.
Eh, the whole thing made me shit funny.
If we look under your mattress,
in a Hefty bag, there's how much?
$300.
No. $275. I had Chinese delivered.
Hutch!
Put him down, will you?
I'm taking fucking Hutch.
You can't. He'll die without his insulin.
He's diabetic.
Just put him down, will you?
Wait, wait, you're good for the money?
Yes.
Or you got somebody who can lend you some money?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Please don't take Hutch.
He needs his shots. You're holding him all wrong.
He doesn't like to be held like that.
He's good for it. Look at the man.
I don't know. It's a lot of money.
Come on, man. He's good for it.
I'm gonna listen to my associate tonight, Stanley.
We'll both find out if he makes good choices.
Come here. Come here, boy.
Come here, Hutch.
Oh, Hutch.
Stanley,
you got any Chinese food left?
I look fucking amazing eating noodles.
Look at this.
Hey, uh,
hey, mind if I ask you something?
What?
Were you really gonna take his cat?
Dude,
I go into this shit--
I'm Johnny Thunders going into a guitar solo.
I don't know how the fuck it's gonna go down.
So what's gonna happen with Stanley now?
Come here.
Stand here.
Hold on. Wait.
Have a-- have a baby carrot.
It's okay. I'm not hungry.
Have a fucking baby carrot.
Have a baby carrot.
- It's good, right? - It's good. Yeah.
Let me tell you something.
J.J. is interested in money,
but he's more interested in people
and owning them.
Stanley owns that apartment.
We let him stay there. We own Stanley.
He loves owning people, J.J.
Hang over their lives, cloud-style,
like a fucking Wu-Tang Clan.
We're the fucking ultimate wingmen.
Look at that.
All right, let's fucking go. Come on.
One more collect.
Light load tonight.
But this dude is into us deep.
It's gonna be tricky.
How deep?
300.
Large?
Large.
He's rich, huh?
No. Not really.
He lives in a one-bedroom on West End Ave.
Teacher. Math, I think.
Math teacher?
Yeah.
J.J. loves to hook pedestrian people.
He loves hooking commonplace folk
even more than high rollers.
I didn't understand it for a while myself.
How'd you meet J.J.?
2005.
He read about me online.
Local boy goes to Iraq, gets a Purple Heart.
Article said I was a super sniper,
killed lots of Iraqis.
I come home;
there's, like, a million purple flowers in my house.
I thought the guy was a faggot.
But then the landlord tells me I got no home.
You ever been homeless?
No.
Those old men down on the corner,
around an old oil drum with holes up and down the side,
feeding it whatever,
they pass gloves back and forth,
stamp their feet.
I didn't last three days of that shit.
Nasiriyah was easier.
I went to meet J.J.
I've been in business ever since.
Later I find out he paid my landlord to evict me.
That didn't make you mad?
Nah.
Showed me what a badass businessman I was dealing with.
What if you wanted to get out of the business?
Why would I want to do that?
Just, you know, theoretically speaking.
J.J. said you was one smart bruiser.
"Theoretically speaking,"
that's fucking good.
You're fucking smart.
Even with my tiny, feminine hands,
it can be problematic to put these amazing gloves on.
But once they're on,
they're amazing.
In the glove box.
Pass it to me.
Don't worry. It's not loaded.
Well, then what do you have it for?
I'm gonna scare the fuck out of this guy.
You come in with a Beretta and a silencer,
he's gonna shit his pants.
How many cokeheads you had to collect money from?
Coke? J.J. deals coke?
Just pass it to me.
Let's go.
You have the doorman call him.
Colby, ninth floor.
Don't worry. There's an elevator.
- What do I say? - Don't say anything.
Say your name.
Say you're here on behalf of the installment plan.
Simple.
You can't say it yourself?
Dude is scared of me.
He won't let us up if he hears my moniker or voice.
The doorman will say there's two of us.
There's a side entrance around the way.
No cameras on that entrance.
You let me in from inside.
The doorman won't hear you open that entrance.
It's past the elevator on the right.
Then we go up together in the elevator.
Ah. Fuck.
Oh, I should have fucking known.
I'm so fucking stupid.
Hey, calm down.
Calm down.
God damn it.
I just want to talk.
You want to talk?
Or you want to punch me in the face
while you strap me down?
Dude, that was, like, a one-time thing,
and I apologized for it, like, a billion times.
Bud, could you wait for me in the car?
No. Don't go, man.
You want this guy coming in?
Bro, this is a former boxing champ.
Think I hit hard?
This guy hits so hard he should be in jail.
Fuck. Just don't-- Just don't go.
What do you got--what do you got going on in here?
Little teachers' convention?
No.
Grading papers, huh?
No, I'm just watching a movie.
I turned down the movie volume and put on some music
because the movie sucked.
What--which--which-- which movie?
Wolverine.
Bud, I'll be down in a minute.
Oh, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, Silly.
I know. I know.
It's too much time in this little car.
We're almost done. Huh?
I'm not gonna take you on
any more of these trips anymore.
Okay?
I didn't know he was coming.
I wouldn't have taken you to the gym.
We're almost done. Okay?
We'll be home soon.
Yeah, I know what you're thinking.
You're thinking, "What are we doing here?"
Huh?
Well, we're making our way back to the top of the heap.
I know it doesn't look like it, but we are.
We don't need no coke-fueled self-deception either.
No fucking messages or calls.
Okay.
They'll see.
I'm gonna be held in high regard again.
I'm a select champion.
I never once doubted it since childhood.
Not once. You know?
Cash moves everything around.
Got the money. Dollar, dollar bill, y'all.
Souvenir.
Our first date.
Keys.
What happened back there?
Oh, my God.
Are you fucking dense?
What always happens, man,
the same shit that always happens.
That guy had to be fucked with. That's what we do.
We're in the fear business.
What? Are you a baby?
Hey, baby. Oh, baby. Ooh.
Anyways, you can talk to J.J. about that shit.
We're gonna see him in a minute.
We're stopping by his new art gallery in Chelsea.
J.J. has an art gallery?
Yeah.
J.J. has an art gallery.
'Cause that's where the real money is.
'Cause you put shit in the right frame,
and these fuckin' dopes that went to Brown and Princeton,
they'll think it's cool, and they'll be like,
"Here's a million dollars for that fucking turd.
"Oh, please, come on my face.
I'll pay you a million dollars for that."
Jackasses.
Bud,
that's Petals, and that's Kathryn.
We know you.
They know you.
They're card girls from the Garden.
You weren't supposed to tell him, J.J.
He was supposed to guess.
Now we'll never know if he remembers us.
My bad, ladies.
We were just babies back then.
We were barely legal.
Mm, and then the years passed,
taking with them the semblance of youth.
It's not like we're fucking old.
No. Not yet.
Get this, Bud,
their first night at the Garden
was your last night at the Garden.
See how the past is not yet finished?
I hope we're not bad luck.
You were all bloody back then...
What's its name?
Oh, her name is Silly.
I like dogs because they're like people
except they can't talk.
They're like people.
They're like people...
The cement glaze on the floor I had put in a month ago,
it's from Morocco.
You can get it wet and not worry.
What do you think of this piece?
The trailer?
Right.
This is it.
My gallery's first show.
I-I didn't know that was the art.
It's--you know, I don't know much about art.
Mm-hmm.
The girls seem to like it.
This artist is highly sought after.
No one in the art world understands how I booked him.
What they don't realize, of course,
is that while he may have an MFA degree from Yale,
he's also addicted to spread betting.
What I like is, he told me
the silver aluminum of the Airstream trailer
is an homage to Andy Warhol's Silver Clouds.
You know Andy Warhol?
Yeah, yeah. I heard of him.
Oh, yeah. He's my favorite.
He's from my hometown, Pittsburgh.
We both got the fuck out.
He sure understood about silver--
how it could appeal to people's vanity,
suck crowds in with its flash and its coolness.
See how the Airstream projects a sexy invulnerability?
You feel like maybe you could be inhuman, unassailable
in a silver thing like that.
Am I right, Roberto?
I always feel that way, so I'm a bad barometer.
Mm.
Let's go inside and have dinner.
I'll show you what I mean.
Oh, Kathryn...
Kathryn, sweetie, can you just step up for me?
Sure you can.
There you go. You feeling okay?
Good.
Right this way, boys.
Come on.
I--I don't want to go in by myself.
Just go in. I'll be in in a minute.
It's like being in...
Go.
A sleek, fresh bunker.
You should come to my house in Riverdale sometime.
I designed it myself.
I keep it on the DL, but if I wanted it to be,
that house would be famous;
Architecture Magazine, this and that.
It's not that I don't have a fondness for notoriety.
It's for legal reasons
that I remain... obscure.
Steve Jobs,
a pioneer of digital music,
his legacy is tremendous.
When he went home, he listened to vinyl.
You like country music?
Oh, who am I talking...
Mr. Monk.
I play jazz at the Apple in case a paint job comes in.
You look pale, sport.
I get headaches sometimes.
Oh, yeah.
- Walk on Query Street...
I'm exhausted.
Mostly it's from being at the gym.
Oh, yeah. Coming out of retirement?
No. That's funny.
No, no, I'm just helping with Kid Sunshine.
Kid Sunshine, talk of the town.
A week ago, nobody hears of this kid.
Now everyone's talking about him.
Champ, you get the little digital jukebox I sent you?
I did. Yes. Thank you, J.J.
Silly's hungry.
No, please, don't feed her.
Hey. Hey, please.
I told you not to do that.
He likes it.
Don't you? Yes, you do.
You know, it's a girl. She's a girl.
And--hey, come here. Come here, Silly.
- Come here. - No, she wants the--
What the fuck?
Sit down. I apologize.
The girls will be reprimanded. I can assure you of that.
I'm a soft touch for animals.
Here. See this?
I keep her in my backyard with an electronic fence.
She's just a little, tiny doll.
Oh, you phantasm, you.
Look at her go. I love to hold her.
You're not afraid she'll kill you?
Pussy.
Have you ever seen anything...
We don't like him, J.J.
So beautiful?
You know, there was never a name for that color.
We need more blow, J.J.
The snow leopard is the most rare
and elusive animal in the world.
It's mythical,
ultra mysterious, powerful loners,
alone its whole life.
The furthest thing from ordinary
on this planet.
Ordinary is our enemy.
Ordinary people doing ordinary things,
like the laundry.
When I left Pittsburgh,
I promised myself I would never do
those humdrum things again,
and I have not,
and you will not.
You will be burnished.
I will aluminize your world.
You'll be untouchable.
Ellen?
Couldn't sleep.
You're a sight for sore eyes.
Why are your eyes sore?
There's some coffee in the fridge.
Is it that very ordinary deli shit?
What's so wrong with ordinary?
Breathe through the nose as much as you can.
Keep that mouth closed.
Keep your brain stale. Keep your brain in your toes.
Let the cold move your brain into your toes.
Go get some water for Kid, please.
Small bottle.
I don't want him drinking much.
Stretch it.
Are you getting the paper as well?
Would you like to make a donation
to the Make-A-Wish Foundation?
Hey, you need me, Lou?
I'm giving Kid a rubdown.
I thought after, you could do some footwork drills with him.
How about tomorrow?
- Everything all right? - Yeah. Yeah.
I'll see you tomorrow, Kid.
All right, Saint. You good?
Yeah.
- Hola. - Roberto?
You know what time it is, man?
It's in the fucking paper, man.
- What? - You killed him?
You fucking shot him?
Hey, hey.
You should talk to J.J. about that.
Okay? Big comandante J.J.
Too high for me, partner.
No, no, I'm not your fucking partner anymore.
That's over.
I don't think so, man.
Told you J.J. owned people.
One of the people he owns is Colby's super.
J.J. has video footage of you in the lobby,
your beautiful face.
Claro, that's not what the cops have, though.
Our super gave him some looped-up shit.
You ain't in that version.
Course, that's how it is now.
Things change. Your situation is pliable.
It's up to you, bro,
if you want to be in the clear or not.
Me, I'm gonna cozy on up
and go to sleepy time.
Bye.
Um, it's over on McDonald.
Yeah, it's really nice.
But I only take her, like, once a year.
And every time, they tell me,
"She's so big."
Do you want to get that?
Or somebody else got it?
Yeah, I think they got it in the back.
Yeah, don't worry about it.
- I hope. - I know. Right?
- Is Ronnie working today? - Yeah.
Anyway, sorry, you were saying.
So you only take her once a year, anyway, but--
Yeah.
Because I always get worried
about, like, how often you're supposed
to take 'em in for shots and everything.
- Yeah. - Anyway.
- Hey. - Hey.
Were you wanting anything?
Coffee.
You're not eating?
You see these spoons?
The spoons are fine.
Yeah, if you like someone else's clam chowder.
Picking a fight with the Starlight?
- Not hungry. - Oh, yeah, sure. Since when?
Okay, listen to me, just listen.
Something bad happened last night.
I didn't know it, but it did.
I give up. Denzel Washington.
- What? - Not Denzel?
It's not a fucking impersonation.
I'm leaving if you do that again.
You hear me? Fucking control yourself.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Um...
Something bad has happened.
I'm in trouble.
Now you're scaring me.
It's 'cause I'm scared.
Now, look,
whatever I say for the rest of this conversation,
just act normal.
You're the one who's slamming the table and making a scene.
Okay, I don't want to get into a fucking debate about it.
- Just act regular. - Okay. Okay.
A man was killed.
A man? What man?
Just some man.
And the thing is,
I'm being framed for it.
Or being threatened to be framed for it.
Framed? Framed by who?
What the fuck are you talking about?
J.J. That's who.
J.J.? Why would J.J. frame you?
I thought he wanted to go into business with you.
He wants to own Bud's and me.
And I should have known. J.J. doesn't have partners.
Can he frame-- how would--
how would he frame you?
My prints are on the murder weapon.
- Murder-- - Shh.
Roberto had me hand him his gun.
Roberto left the gun behind for the cops to find.
They got me walking in on tape,
but that's not the tape the cops have yet.
I don't know what you're talking about,
but what are you gonna do?
Roberto's coming by to pick me up later.
We're supposed to go on our rounds.
So we call the cops.
My cousin Reggie on the force in Hoboken.
They got me on tape, Ellen.
My prints are on the gun.
They got me.
These guys are pros at the game.
I'm a layman.
Your cousin Reggie can't do shit.
Who died?
He was a schoolteacher.
Shh. Shh. Shh.
Don't cry. Don't cry.
A schoolteacher?
Yeah, he was also a cokehead,
if that helps.
Come on. Hey. Use this napkin.
Come on, just act like everything is everyday ordinary.
Oh, now you want ordinary.
That's good.
Don't get hit.
Come on. Push me back.
All right, pivot off the front.
Pivot off the back.
Pivot off the front again.
Off the back.
Some water now?
Not yet. Come on.
Hey, there.
Ellen's walking Silly.
And at Pittsburgh, there wasn't much else to do
but learn to pick locks.
In fact, this place reminds me a lot of Pittsburgh.
Faint smell of Dutch elm disease.
What do you want?
Well, a cup of coffee would be kind.
It's chilly in here, Bud.
There's some coffee on the stove,
if you don't mind it not being fresh or gourmet.
Not being fresh or gourmet is fine.
It will complete the experience of this apartment.
Is the building a landmark?
I don't know.
Worn flights of stone stairs look like they've seen wars.
I bet, you excavate the basement,
there'd be armloads of tumbrel and peasant rags.
I'm sure some fool wants to preserve it.
It's dark in here, but did you lose a few pounds?
Possible. Yeah.
Kid Sunshine, sometimes it seems like he's training me.
Or maybe you're having a nervous breakdown.
That'll make people lose weight sometimes, if you're lucky.
Yeah, maybe that's it.
Kid Sunshine,
I wanted to talk to you about him.
What do you want to talk about Kid Sunshine for?
Well, he's got to fall down, Bud.
Ow.
You weren't kidding about this coffee.
You got any sugar?
We're all out.
In the first round, to be exact.
You put your money on Kid Sunshine,
you're gonna come out like gangbusters.
That's an inside tip.
This is a great fighter we're talking about.
He's gonna win.
Oh, that's kindly of you. The insider's tip--
Let me give you an inside tip.
I don't dig taking chances.
I dig sure things.
If Kid goes down in the first
and I got a ton of money on him going down in the first,
that is very sure.
Yeah, but is that believable? In the first round?
That's gonna be shady to the commission.
Come on.
All fighters are vulnerable in the first round.
You know that, Bud. I don't need to tell you.
Hmm, especially with two knockout guys.
Hell, if you told me Mercury went down in the first,
I'd believe you, but it's not gonna be Mercury.
We, um-- we sent the footage of you
in the lobby on the West End to one of my pocket cops,
and if Kid doesn't go down in the first,
the tape turns up immediately,
and the superintendent will tell the cops that
you threatened to kill him, thus the cover-up
and the fake tape.
Super used to be a soap opera actor.
He's quite convincing, actually.
Come on now.
Hey, hey, hey.
You caught sight of this side of darkness before.
You knew it was there. Don't act like a birthday boy.
Yeah, maybe. Maybe. I just--
why--why do you always want to send it all to hell so often?
Hell, my friend, is rising first thing in the morning
and throughout the day.
I'm just a surfer.
Can't you see that?
No, I guess I can't.
Mmm. Really?
I think you can.
I think you've surfed some yourself.
Only difference is, you got rolled.
How about the Yankees signing, huh?
Looks like they just bought themselves another championship.
And people say boxing is crooked.
Prevaricators.
Are we having an awkward moment?
If it's any consolation,
a lot of the money we make off Kid
will go straight to Bud's Place.
I've sketched out some design stuff.
I'm thinking linoleum, hyperborean-style.
I know we said it'd be the same as it is here in Manhattan,
but I need to express myself creatively,
and a few clued-in alterations,
I'm gonna make it fit in better in Manhattan.
Bud's needs some irony
if it's gonna fly downtown.
As it is, it's too sincere.
Also, we'll have $1/2 million set aside
for Kid, to take the edge off.
He's got the whole world ahead of him.
You can't stand it.
Are you analyzing me?
Don't hurt yourself.
Tell Kid to call me.
Confirmation call.
Put me at ease.
There's a long limousine driving by outside.
I looked in, but the windows were darkened.
Thought it was Bruce.
Yeah, I don't think so.
Yeah, you're right.
The Boss wouldn't be so ostentatious.
Sure he would.
The Boss has hair plugs.
- No way. - Yeah.
Bruce Springsteen has hair plugs?
All those guys have hair plugs.
No way.
You have dinner?
No. I'm not hungry.
I'm gonna go take a shower.
Can I get in with you?
Sure.
I know it's only lukewarm.
It's fine.
You want to hear some neat stuff I read
about the Fuji River?
You remember that TV show we saw
about Sonny Liston and the phantom punch?
A lot of fighters have dropped for money.
A lot of good guys. It's complicated.
You have to consider the men we deal with.
You didn't drop.
Yeah, I guess I was fortunate that way.
I think you have to tell Lou.
No.
If I tell Lou, he'll have Kid take the fall.
He's not gonna let me do another round.
Kid Sunshine would be crushed if he wasn't champ?
Not even about that for him.
If he wins, it's not about him.
It's about something else.
I can't explain it. It's--
I wish I was like that when I was a fighter.
I wasn't. I was up here.
Big ideas. Big ideas.
I used to make fun of stuff.
And when people's love for me cracked
and I saw that love for what it was,
I called them "player haters."
"Haters gonna hate," I used to say.
What a stupid thing it is to be a player.
"Meanwhile, in your life,
"you hardly notice the world around you.
"Lights changing,
"sirens dying along the buildings,
"your eyes intent on a sight you do not see yet.
"Not yet there, as long as you're only yourself,
"with whom, as you recall,
you were never happy to be left alone for long."
I don't know if that was a poem
or you're just talking really great tonight.
Bud?
Yeah?
That sweatshirt stinks.
- Does it? - Yeah.
- Sorry. - I'm doing laundry tomorrow.
Could you put it in the bag?
Yeah.
Now, you always do laundry.
I should do that stuff sometimes.
I don't mind it.
It's peaceful,
the laundromat.
Everything whirling around in soap.
I read.
Do you ever think that
you'll just go through this life
and be forgotten?
Well, we'll all be forgotten regardless.
Even the most famous person,
someday, no one will know they were here.
Brad Pitt, someday, all his movies will be dust.
That's fucking depressing.
I don't think so.
You should read this book I'm reading.
It's all about how the ego suckers us into thinking
that we're all separate from each other.
But actually, in reality,
you, me, this bed,
this wall...
Silly--
Don't say her name. She'll wake up.
We're all the same thing.
We're not separate at all.
And this is all just our mind.
Is that supposed to be solacing?
No.
It is what it is.
If this is our mind, the mind is a scary place.
It can be.
Well, there's no way out, so...
might as well learn to enjoy it.
You got any ideas about a good way to enjoy it?
Is that your car?
Yeah.
Is there someone in it?
What's wrong?
You're sad.
Well,
lonely.
Maybe it's just it being Christmas Eve and all.
I get lonely around Christmas.
They kill so many trees.
Statistics are reprehensible.
Oh, shit. Did you hear that?
What?
I think I hear
thousands of trees crying.
Shut up.
It's not funny.
- It's a little funny. - It's not funny!
Asshole.
Oh, yeah?
Oh, yeah, bring it.
This is the most gourmet shit I ever had.
I can't seem to find my appetite for it.
What is that again?
It's...scallops with raisins, basically.
What's that?
This is the egg caviar.
Good?
No.
You ever had caviar before?
No.
I figured as long as the hotel is paying for it,
I should try it, but...
it's kind of funky.
You know, Kid can't eat before his weigh-in,
but he's not missing much.
You got a phone call this morning
from a woman named Mae.
You were out with Silly. It was an unknown number.
I thought it might be best if I answered,
considering everything that's going on.
She sounded very strange when she heard my voice.
Then she said,
"Merry Christmas" and to wish you luck.
That's all.
Okay.
- She works for J.J., right? - Yeah.
- I think I've seen her before. - Yeah, yeah, probably.
She was at some of my fights back in the day.
Look up at me, Bud.
When people ask about you,
I don't tell them everything that I know.
You haven't always been good to me.
Breaks my heart.
I love you so much, but...
I don't know if I can be your girl anymore.
I'll always be your friend,
but--
I got to look out for myself a little bit.
You know?
All those lights and all those buildings...
You know, if I-- if I could do it over again,
I'd do it-- I would have married you.
I would have had a little baby with you.
No, you wouldn't, Bud.
You're gonna do this to me now?
Out of nowhere, you're just gonna do this?
You're supposed to be my fucking friend.
You know I'm your fucking friend.
We're not happy, Bud.
You fuck around on me.
So you don't love me anymore?
I'll always love you.
But you're not, like, in love with me anymore?
Not--not enough to make it work.
'Cause if you were in love with me,
we could make this function; I-I could change.
People can change.
That's the whole Buddha thing, right?
I mean, things are always changing.
A couple months ago, you said, "Let's do couples therapy."
I said no, like a fuck-head, but I would do it.
I would do that couples therapy shit with you.
So you're gonna leave me too, huh?
You're gonna turn on me just like everyone else
now that I'm not the man anymore.
That shit is in your head, Bud.
That is your dumb ESPN-conditioned version
of the universe where you're completely dependent
on outside circumstances and just crumble
the second someone doesn't bow to you.
I loved you despite all that neurotic, infantile
football shit.
It's icy streets. Careful driving. Okay?
Okay.
Hey, when you walk Silly, just make sure
she doesn't eat anything off the street.
I know. I know. I won't.
'Cause she wants to eat, like, chicken bones and shit.
That stuff will kill her.
I'm the one who told you about the chicken bones.
You really are a fruitcake if you think that's true.
Wow. I'm not even getting into that with you.
You're fucking nuts if you think that,
because I told you about the chicken bones
when I first met Silly 'cause you had no idea.
Okay, whatever you say, cuckoo.
Just--I mean, the main thing is,
we agree on her diet.
I won't let her eat off the street.
- Okay, I promise. - Okay.
Hello?
My mom always told me to stay in Montana.
I thought Montana was for squares.
I had a poster of the Chrysler Building in my room.
Stared at it for hours.
Metal and stainless steel.
My goal was to come here
and become one of those Chrysler eagles.
Who knows?
Maybe I achieved my goal.
I know it was J.J.
who had you go down that night in the fifth.
Even Lou Powell bought it 'cause you got hit so hard
and you were known for being chinny.
You didn't open your restaurant on bank loans.
Look, I'm not judgy. I understand.
You wanted to get out while your brain worked
and still have something to show for it.
You could win more by losing.
You know, we could have a really good time.
Don't be so prideful.
Sometimes I get these headaches.
I used to tell myself it was because of the punch,
but I think a person's conscience can take on
all sorts of physical manifestations.
J.J. always said you're one of the smart ones.
Maybe too smart.
No such thing.
Yeah, I don't know about that.
But, you know, if I get a good lawyer--
I'm guilty of a lot of things, but murder's not one of them.
You don't want to fight him.
You know, you're looking at me like I'm ugly.
Wasn't I pretty yesterday?
You still are. I'm somewhere else.
God, I wish I could convince you.
The times we'd have...
Yeah? You'd take me to Montana?
Show me the fields?
If you wanted.
I'm not completely sure if they're still there
or if I could even find them.
They're still there.
I think I'm all turned around.
I should get back to Kid.
Don't try to go straight on a crooked road.
You'll only get flattened.
Bud?
Sir, do me a favor and turn off the music.
Sorry. What?
Sir, do me a favor. Turn off the music.
You want me-- you want another station?
No station.
Hey, Kid's not taking any visitors.
Sorry.
I'm visiting you. Not Kid.
J.J. asked me to check in with you.
You checked in.
Is there a trace of defiance in your demeanor,
or did I mistake?
You mistake.
Look, what can I do for you?
Why are you acting like you don't know me, man?
I'm not.
Whatever, dude. Be that way.
Kid never called J.J.
That's somewhat discourteous, don't you think?
Discourteous?
I'm sure he didn't mean it that way.
So it's just an oversight?
The kid's gonna do what he's supposed to do?
Kid's gonna do what he's supposed to do.
Actually, I should get back to Kid.
Hell, why do you have to get back to Kid?
Get back to Kid.
I can't believe you're gonna act
all cold and shit with me, man.
Your fucking dice are loaded.
Make no mistake, people like us,
we're made to go to war as entertainment for the rich.
This world is run by a pack of ferociously ambitious
teenage girls at the Saint Anne School.
This shit going down, honor just don't apply.
There ain't no fucking honor possible in this situation.
It's, are you smart, or are you stupid?
And you're smart, Spartacus.
So don't be stupid.
Okay.
'Cause you're fucking smart.
They didn't count on chop-shop parts like us--
motherfuckers with fox brains to outwit the system.
I know it seems like I'm asking you to betray your friend,
but what I'm really asking you to do
is to be enterprising and entrepreneurial,
because suffice it to say that I fucking love you, man.
So I'll see you after the fight.
Condolences to Lou and Kid.
And, hey, man, J.J. says you got to get
your Twitter follower numbers way up.
You got, like, no one following you.
And you're tweeting in the wind.
Who was that?
Roberto, J.J.'s guy.
What'd he want?
Plainly see he's overwhelmed.
Mercury Williams has too much power...
Everyone's going one way; you're going the other.
- What? - Where to?
Nowhere.
Could you just, like, drive around?
- You want to see the sights? - No, no, no.
I've seen the sights.
Just drive around wherever. Okay?
You want to turn up the radio now?
I got to hear this.
Yeah, I can turn the radio up.
You don't got to attitudinize me about it.
Sorry.
Kid Sunshine grabbing Mercury.
Holds on to him for dear life.
The crowd begins to boo.
Referee Smith has to break the fighters up.
Kid Sunshine's mouth is bleeding badly.
Ay-yi-yi.
Now Smith checks to see...
It's a massacre.
If Sunshine can continue.
And Sunshine is saying he can.
So here we go. Fight is back on.
And here comes Mercury again.
Mercury comes in with the left hook.
Kid Sunshine ducks it. Hits Mercury in the ribs hard!
Well, there's some life from the Kid.
- Where did that come from? - Wowee!
Well, that's what Mercury Williams is wondering.
He looks angry.
He chases Sunshine into the corner
and lands a hard body punch,
but Sunshine slides out of the corner
before Mercury can start any kind of combination.
Mercury chases after the Kid.
Kid Sunshine stops in his tracks
and throws a right hand.
Was that a right-hand lead?
I think it was, Joe.
A right-hand lead!
- And Mercury Williams is hurt! - Oh, mama!
Mercury shakes it off, comes after Sunshine,
jabs some at Sunshine's head, but Sunshine blocks.
They circle...
And there's the bell. The round is over.
Fans are on their feet, loving it.
An action fight.
Shit. What the hell?
What did I do?
You didn't do anything wrong. Don't worry.
- They want me. - What did you do?
Come on.
Right-hand lead.