Speed Kills (2018) Movie Script
Can I help you?
[man] I'm lookin', uh,
for Ben Aronoff.
I'm afraid he's not in.
Huh.
I've been trying to
reach him for a week,
but he hasn't gotten back to me.
I call, and I call, and I call.
Now, look, my boss
is a very wealthy man
who wants to buy a boat.
And he wants to buy the boat
before he goes back to Michigan.
Now, look, I'm just trying to
give this man some money.
I'm Ben.
Why don't you bring
your boss in?
We'll show him some boats,
and he can see what he likes.
My boss...
took me from the gutter,
gave me a job.
Everything I have,
everything I am, I owe to him.
I'd do anything for my boss.
Anything... and everything.
I'd never turn my back
on my boss.
You tell your boss
that I'm done.
I don't owe anybody anything.
I'm paid in full and more so.
You tell him that.
OK. I'll tell him.
I'll tell him every word.
Hey, Ben.
[gunshot]
[man] You couldn't build a
fuckin' outhouse right now
without somebody
blowing up your goddamned car!
[Ben] Irv, calm the fuck down
and just tell me what happened.
[Irv] It's over! The war's over.
We lost, man.
[Ben]
No. No, what did Lansky say?
[Irv] You don't get it!
[Ben] What did he say?
[Irv] We're done!
We're out of business, Ben!
We lost the union!
You still got your cash, right?
[Ben] Son of a bitch.
- [Irv] What's that?
- [Ben] I got it.
[Irv] You've always
been a lucky bastard.
Now grab your family
and your money,
and get the hell out
before things get any worse!
[Ben] I'm Ben Aronoff, contractor,
entrepreneur, husband, father,
and out of business.
Time to start over.
[jazz music plays]
Let's take off
on an adventure
Let's take off fancy-free
Worry not,
forget the weather
It's a perfect fantasy
Flying high above the clouds
Without a destination...
You gotta see this.
[sighs]
We are done with
winters in New Jersey.
New start, babe.
What about our house, Ben,
and the construction business?
We outgrew it.
Coney Island, New Jersey...
It's a new beginning,
Mrs. Aronoff. We're in Florida.
New life.
I'm not sure what was wrong
with our old life.
You're swinging with
Tarzan now. Hang on.
I'm going down to the front desk
to square some things away.
[all laughing]
Hey, hey, hey.
Come on. Keep it down.
You two over there,
Melissa in this bed.
Settle down.
I'm coming back in two minutes,
turning off the lights.
[laughing resumes]
[Latin music playing]
- [bartender] Hey.
- Bourbon neat.
[bartender] You got it.
Two Millers and a highball.
[bartender] You got it.
Well, if I had known
that you were working,
I'd have taken a table.
It's never too late.
[man] The king of construction,
- Big Ben.
- Jules!
[Ben] Now this guy is Jules
Bergman, Meyer Lansky's main man.
Very connected
and very dangerous.
- How are ya?
- Welcome to Miami.
- Thank you.
- Find everything? Family good?
Yes. Yes. We're all
settled in upstairs...
and I thank you
for the arrangements.
Of course.
They tell me you built
100 houses in one suburb
from dirt-to-sold
in under four months?
More than once.
Drove the banks crazy.
Wow. Let's have a seat.
Sure.
So you call me when you're ready
and I'll get you in
front of the old man.
Well, how is he?
When Castro came back to Havana
and stole Mr. Lansky's casino,
who took care of me?
Who got me off the island?
If you cut open
Mr. Lansky's heart,
he would bleed only loyalty.
To you too, Ben.
You know, I appreciate that.
I appreciate all of it, but I,
I want to do something
on my own here, you know?
A new town, new beginning.
Like a second game
of a doubleheader.
So what are your plans?
Like usual, to win.
OK.
You call me when you're ready.
- Good seeing ya.
- Good to see you.
Thanks.
So, you still want that table?
Why wouldn't I?
[rock music plays]
That burning desire to
not do what I'm told
Yeah to change
your perspective
Is long overdue
Return to my roots
before I need you
Maybe I said things
that I never meant...
Ben?
Shelley?
Shelley Katz, real estate law.
[Ben] Yep, he was a
small-time lawyer,
but I needed someone hungry.
- How are ya?
- I'm great. Here's my card.
So do you, uh,
make the laws or do you
figure out ways to break 'em?
Scotch rocks.
I make, I break.
I just don't do floors.
And what about you,
Mr. Big Shot?
No, I checked up on you.
Giant shopping centers,
entire neighborhoods.
What are you planning
for Miami? Pyramids?
Just looking for opportunities.
Well then, for the record,
beyond my hourly rate,
I take 5% of any deal we close.
I'm a lot more than purchase
agreements and deeds of trust.
3%.
OK.
You're too damn easy.
That's my new client discount.
All right, tell me Counselor,
what do you know about that?
[Shelley] That, my friend...
is what makes Miami Miami.
It beats the hell
out of concrete and dirt.
Mm-hmm.
[rock music plays]
Ah, yeah, ah
So long, so long
I gotta be moving on
Yeah, so long, so long
I gotta be moving on, oh
Yeah, so long, so long
I gotta be...
You're hired.
For what?
- How ya doing?
- Good, you?
- Ben.
- Knocky House, Mr. Aronoff.
Knocky? Is that you real name?
- It's what my friends call me.
- Oh, yeah?
Yeah.
So what do you got in there?
Twin 327 cubic inch Chevy V-8s.
- Oh, yeah?
- [engine revving]
Wow.
[Ben] Yeah! Let's get out there!
- Go ahead, open her up!
- [Ben] Let's do it!
[Knocky] Use that line!
[cheers]
All right!
[Ben] Woo!
[Ben] And boom, just like that,
I was in love.
The speed, the water, the rush.
I wanted it, I needed it,
I would have it.
[Knocky] Ready?
Yeah! I never get
tired of this shit!
[kids laughing]
[Ben] What do you think, guys?
And you, come here.
How about this? Whose name
do you think should be there?
- Who?
- Yours, silly!
What do you think?
- Yeah, it is kinda sexy.
- Yeah. It is.
[Ben] Now this here
was my first race
against a bunch of rich fat cats
and their toys, and I loved it.
That's the suckers
we gotta beat right there.
Bet they never wrestled
a kid from Brooklyn College.
[both chuckle]
[starting pistol fires]
Keep the throttle down!
- Let's go for it!
- I'm on it!
We're doing it!
[chuckles] Yeah!
- Yeah!
- Whoo-hoo!
[Ben] We're beating 'em!
- We got 'em!
- Ah, yeah!
[engine puttering]
[Ben] What was that?
[Knocky] Hold on, I'm gonna
check the back.
Keep her straight.
Ah, no. God. She's toast.
OK, forget it.
Fine, you know what?
It's fantastic.
Forget the motor,
forget everything.
This is fantastic. I love it.
[rock music plays]
Let's go celebrate,
have a glass of champagne!
There's a thousand
miles of highway...
The 233. It's an exclusive
boat. It's an icon for,
for style and speed.
It's the kind of sexy toy
that you can't live without.
Well, you close one door
and you open another.
A new company with a new vision.
We're building boats
that, well, they...
push the envelope
and break barriers.
Daring, defiant, of course,
they're irresistible.
If you want to cross the
finish line first, by a Donzi.
[male announcer] It's a glorious day
here where a field of 51 racers stream
full speed ahead from
the starting line in Miami.
And there's Dick Bertram
racing his way
to his usual position
at the front of the pack.
[interviewer] Mr. Aronoff,
tell us about that first
win from Miami to Nassau.
Well if you really want to win,
sometimes you have to take
a chance, let it all hang out.
As the kids say,
it's gotta be your bag.
[male announcer] As the leaders
approach Nassau, it's Bertram,
Webb, and Ben Aronoff.
The racers make the turn to
clear the outside of the island
and oh, my! That's Aronoff
placing a big bet,
risking it all on a shortcut
through the shore,
threading the needle
through the jagged rocks!
Aronoff in the 0-0-7.
- [Knocky] Aronoff!
- Yes!
[announcer] James Bond himself
has taken the lead!
And no one's gonna
catch him now!
[jazz music plays]
Lady luck is at my side
This hot streak
can't be denied
She has put me at the top
May this run never stop
Bringing wondrous
riches on this crazy ride
You start the day
flat busted
Deep down in a hole
Now it's seven come eleven
The girls are heaven
And life is on a roll
She's the charm
I'm holding fast
He's betting
his luck will last
Fortunes come and
go just like the blues
But with lady luck at
my side I'll never lose
[Latin music playing]
Thank you.
No olives.
Hey, dad! Hey, dad!
Catch!
Nice spiral, Joe Namath!
Wanna come play with us?
Later. I gotta find your mom.
Yeah.
Oh, wonderful of you to show up.
It got so late last night,
I just stayed at Knocky's.
Yesterday's race,
I think I broke something.
Yes, you did.
Excuse me.
The woman has a tattoo
of Elvis on both thighs,
and she's not convinced
that it looks like Elvis.
So she goes out in the street,
she finds a drunk,
and she lifts up her skirt,
and she says to the drunk.
"Do you recognize these guys?"
And the drunk says, "I don't
know who the twins are",
but the guy in the middle
is definitely Willie Nelson."
[all laugh]
I need a drink. A good joke
always makes me thirsty.
Ben, somebody wants to see you.
Mr. Lansky.
[Ben] Meyer Lansky, the financial
wizard of organized crime.
When he called, you answered.
Ben Aronoff of Sheepshead Bay.
How are ya?
- All right. You look good.
- Oh, thanks.
Real good.
I've been keeping up with you.
- Oh?
- Yeah.
Our box houses in Jersey
must feel like ages ago
and not nearly as sexy
as those boats of yours.
Build boats, build homes,
same thing.
- Not according to my nephew.
- Is that right?
He's gaga for those
powerboats of yours.
And those ads.
[both laugh]
Hey, Robbie!
[Ben] That's Robbie Reemer, Meyer
Lansky's little asshole nephew.
Tell us why you
like Ben Aronoff.
Because Ben Aronoff
has everything!
[Lansky laughs]
See?
[sighs]
Still remember Jacob,
your father.
He'd be proud of you selling
to that hoity toity crowd.
Making a stir, making a buck.
But on your own?
New beginnings?
That's crap.
Not wanting to be a bother?
More crap.
We're your family, Benny.
These are your people.
Sometimes you just want
to do some things on your own.
You do that when it
comes to banging shiksas
and betting the ponies.
You don't put that
bullshit in front of me.
You ever seen a head all
swelled up? That's you.
Not good for a goddamn thing.
Don't remember who you are,
or where you came from.
Hey. Are you kidding me?
You know him?
You know Meyer Lansky?
Oh, fuck Lansky!
I've worked too hard, Shelley
for him to come in
the middle of our shit.
We've got too many
big things coming in.
[announcer] Aronoff's
revolutionary Cigarette has taken
offshore powerboat
racing by storm.
At each stop on
the European circuit
the Cigarette has burned
thru the record books
shattering every mark
for time and speed.
A fantastic 66 miles an hour,
13 miles an hour faster than
the record set three years ago.
Boats are sex symbols, and
certainly the Cigarette boat
is a sexy boat, but we
don't market it that way.
[camera shutters]
It's a man's boat, and
it's a dangerous machine.
[announcer] And there's
Ben Aronoff speeding home
heading towards his seventh
victory this season.
One more, and he reclaims
the world championship.
My husband would like to
purchase two Cigarette boats.
- Hmm.
- Hmm.
Well for you,
I'll have to charge him double.
[both laugh]
[sighs]
You know, I would have to come
to America, pick them up.
Could you?
Does it ever get
cold in, uh, Florida?
Very.
But I could always
use some warmth
of the... Tuscan... sun.
[Shelley] Hey, Ben.
Shelley?
I've been lookin'
all over for ya.
- Who is this man?
- He's my lawyer.
We gotta talk.
I'll be back. Don't you go.
[Shelley] Now I didn't volunteer,
OK, to run your office,
your business and your family,
for Christ sake.
I'm just a lawyer, remember?
You flew 3,000 miles
to complain?
What are you doing here, Ben?
What are you running
away from? Lansky?
I'm busting my ass
for our company.
Oh, oh, OK. Yeah, right.
I can see that.
Winning races
sells boats, Shelley.
Do you throw in the sex with every sale
or do they gotta pay for that, too?
You better watch
your fuckin' mouth.
Oh, good. Great. Rip me
to shreds, Ben, because then
there will be absolutely
nobody running your company.
I'm sorry.
Yeah.
I'm gonna win the
world championship
at the end of
this month, Shelley.
That's big. It's very big.
Mazel tov.
By the way,
your son just got into college.
He's leaving in a week.
I just thought
you'd like to know.
I'll see you back in Florida.
["Relapse City" by
Elijah Honey playing]
[people cheering]
Oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah
Oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah
Oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah
I may have fallen upset
But I won't stop this time
I may have fallen upset
And I'll be gone for a while
You see those cracks
in the sidewalk
They're like the cracks
in my mind
Don't wanna talk to nobody
I've reached the end
of the line
Oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah
Oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah
[Ben] But while I was
winning championships
I was losing something
far more important.
[sirens wailing]
Kathy.
[Kathy sobbing]
Andrew.
He damaged his spine...
in the car accident.
He's in surgery now.
They say he may not make it.
Don't worry.
We'll get this right.
We will get this right.
[monitor beeping]
[sighs]
Andy, you gotta
fight through this.
You need to stick around.
You're an Aronoff.
We fight back. We battle.
OK, this is the deal.
You're gonna get through this,
you're gonna get better,
and you're gonna
walk the hell outta here.
You hear me?
[sighs]
I'm gonna be here
all night with you, OK?
I'll be right here. I'm gonna
sleep right there on the couch.
I'm not going anywhere.
OK? Dad's back.
Dad's back.
Baby boy.
Your son had to
almost lose his life
to get his father's attention.
What do the rest
of us have to do?
Come on.
Come on.
- You got a lot of friends, Ben.
- Do I?
How is he? How's Andrew?
They told me he'll
never walk again.
Oh, God.
I mean, he's here though, right?
He's a tough kid.
He'll battle back.
Kathy and I are through. Done.
A long time ago, Ben.
So how are we doing?
What do you mean? Business-wise?
- Yes.
- Oh.
No, I'm not talking
about that right now.
Oh, yes you are, Shelley.
Actually, no, I'm not.
Just tell me how are we doing?
What are the numbers?
Just tell me.
Look, it's not like every
time you win a race
they gave you a million bucks,
which is half of what it costs
to run the racing team across
Europe for the summer.
To be honest, we can't sell
enough hulls a year
to keep the company afloat,
not the way we're running it.
We're in a deep hole, Ben.
Well, I'll fix it.
Like I always do.
[Ben] I knew where I had to go
and he was waiting for me.
I thought I got out,
but you never get out.
Great to see you, Ben.
[Ben] Someone else
was waiting for me, too.
[TV playing softly]
Hell of a day out there, champ.
But they're still
running the horses at noon.
So what do you say
we burn a grand or two
and remember what
real beer tastes like?
Andy?
I'm telling ya, feeling sorry
for yourself ain't gonna work.
You gotta get out there, boy.
You gotta live again.
Come on, buddy. Let's go out.
Let's go out to the track.
[turns volume up]
OK, that's it.
I fuckin' hate you!
Well, I love you.
What do I see?
I see a smile?
You know you're
still fucking crazy?
Yeah. I know that.
Now let's go to the track.
[announcer] And they're off!
Here we go! Here we go!
Here we go! Come on! Come on!
Do it! Five! Come on!
Five! Come on!
- You got this!
- Do it! Do it! Do it!
Five! Come on!
Yes! There it is! Look, look!
Look, look, look! We got it!
Yes! Yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah!
[Ben] Bring it home! Woo!
- That's it, baby!
- We got it!
Come on, five!
Whoo-hoo!
[Ben]
Two wins today, buddy. Not bad.
You like it?
Yeah, what's not to like?
It was fun.
You know, I got a line on a
big stable up North in Ocala.
What do you say we buy it?
We fill it with thoroughbreds,
and you run
the whole damn thing.
I don't know anything
about horses, dad.
I didn't know anything about
boats or building houses.
See this? See that?
That was my whole year's salary
when I was a gym teacher
in Brooklyn.
How do you think I did that?
How do you think
I made that happen?
I busted my ass, and
I beat the fuckin' odds.
So can you.
- You really think so?
- I know so.
[Ben] I was never really there
for him, but I wanted to buy him
some happiness, and he took
that money... and ran.
Coo.
Top-of-the-line model.
- How much?
- Retail, 32K.
- You'll take 35?
- 45.
[speaking foreign language]
Fuck it. We take together, pair.
- Say, 80K.
- 100K.
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
OK.
Ah.
Deal.
What do you want
the title to be?
Pick a name. A good one.
Nobody wants to explain
where the cash came from.
- Come with me.
- I like this guy.
[Ben] And just like their
drug sniffing dogs,
once the DEA got the scent,
they were hard to shake.
Mr. Aronoff!
Stuart Lopez, DEA.
Nice boat!
I'd like to ask you
a few questions.
Office.
I'll see you there.
Look, no surprise to you,
Mr. Aronoff.
Cigarette boats are a big hit
on the drug-running circuit.
Lately, we busted a lot of
smugglers driving your boats.
My boats?
I mean, boats manufactured
by your company.
Ah, yes.
The problem is the
sales names are fiction
and the hull numbers
don't make any sense.
We sell boats.
They're registered,
re-registered,
sold and resold. And by the way,
the resale value
is through the fucking roof.
Do you record the hull numbers
associated with each purchase?
Now you know, and I know,
that it's illegal
not to record those numbers, so
where are you going with this?
Just doing our job, Mr. Aronoff.
You know, catching bad guys.
OK, so do you go
to Smith and Wesson
every time you haul
someone in with a gun?
Look, I make boats. Fast boats.
People want them. They come
in here, I take their ID,
they pay me money and boom,
they are standing
in the cockpit of a speedboat.
A very sexy speedboat.
So what do you want me to do?
To chase them down
and fingerprint them?
We'd put you on our
payroll if you did.
[laughs]
That's good.
- Whoa, watch out.
- Out of the road!
Make sure you get
the name right.
I'm Robbie fuckin' Reemer!
[Ben] With the feds closing
in on him,
Meyer Lansky fled to Israel,
but Israel's welcome to
all Jews from anywhere
did not include him, and
he was forced back to Miami.
Hey, Ben. Come.
Meyer, welcome back. How are ya?
Ben.
[coughs]
They tell me that you made
all the payments back to me.
Yes. Almost six months ago.
We've just been
rolling them out.
You know, it's a...
Business booming and it's...
It's like everyone and their
brother wants a speedboat.
Here, let me get that.
Yeah, it's good.
[laughs]
You self-satisfied little prick.
You took the money, Ben.
You took the fuckin' money!
You didn't borrow it
from Household Finance!
You don't think that I got
other things to worry about?
Besides Ben Aronoff and his
little fuckin' boat business?
[Ben] Meyer. Meyer, please.
You know I'm grateful,
and you also know
I went to great lengths to...
Stop!
We are growing our
operations on the seas.
You're clean and that helps.
Don't play dumb.
You know exactly
what I'm talking about.
Now there is a big
difference between
what we had agreed upon and
what you're implying here.
You'll do your fuckin' part!
- Hey, champ.
- Hey.
I got a fucking name!
You remember me, right?
Because Ben Aronoff
has everything.
Meyer's nephew.
Meyer's nephew?
You're not?
I'm racing now!
You better watch out!
Oh yeah?
We'll be lookin' for ya.
[engine revving]
Good to see ya.
I gotta see it.
We're good?
Yeah, we're good. It's this way.
1.5 tons.
Now that's what
I'm talking about.
- Boys, get to work.
- Yes, sir.
Woo!
It tastes stronger
every day, man.
Hey boss! You want some?
Yeah, pass it over here!
Some fuckin' good weed!
[coast guard 1] See if you see him.
He's coming at you. Late model C.
[coast guard 2] Yeah, we
got eyes on him right now.
Here he comes. Here he comes.
Everybody set?
- Yes, sir. All set.
- All set. All set.
Go! Go! Go!
- Fuck!
- Oh, shit! Fuck!
[coast guard]
This is the Coast Guard!
Stop your boat! Stop your boat!
[yells]
Oh, man!
You OK? You OK?
Shit! Brad looks bad!
Grab the wheel!
You're gonna be OK!
Move!
[coast guard] Pick him up!
Pick him up!
Need some repairs, champ.
I got some holes in her,
and I want you
to take care of it.
No. We don't do
those kind of repairs.
I'm sure you do.
As a matter of fact,
I know you do.
And while you're at it, how
about you put some of them
custom seat stitching you've
been doing on the new ones?
I'd really like that.
And when you're done,
you can run the bill
over to my uncle.
Let me ask you something.
Did your uncle teach
you how to swim?
[Latin music playing]
Let's get a drink. Come on.
This is so fun being
with you, Ben.
- Manhattan, two cherries?
- Let's do champagne.
Champagne!
Are they getting younger, champ
or are you just getting
more distinguished?
Do you really want to start this
with your best-paying client?
I'm not starting anything.
- You are the famous boat racer?
- Yes.
Yes.
So shall I call you
"The Animal?"
Yes.
You can call me, "The Animal."
- Your majesty.
- King Hussein of Jordan?
Now you know this is the spot!
[Ben] And oh, my God,
she walked in.
I've known him for years.
I'll be right back.
How's my favorite king?
You didn't realize?
I stopped speaking to you
after you sold those
Donzis to the Israelis,
and they turned them
into torpedo boats.
Anything to beat the damn Arabs.
Still the same Ben.
My friends.
You can't say "Miami"
without saying Ben Aronoff.
And this lovely creature
is Emily Gowen.
My pleasure.
I lure her from New York to
come slum with us on the beach.
I wouldn't call it that,
Your Highness.
[woman] Emily, how are you?
[Latin music playing]
Last night at The Jockey Club,
this motherfucker came up to me
and said, "Get down
to your warehouse right now."
So I dump my date, I speed down,
I open up the fucking gates,
and bam!
There are two boats pulling
up, filled with marijuana.
They take that shit through my
warehouse, put 'em on trucks,
and this is what we get.
This is how you go to jail, man.
Ben, what are we doin' here?
This is Lansky saying,
"Do your bit!"
And on top of that, he wants
me to fly down to the Caymans
and make deposits
on their money.
That's not my biggest problem.
You know anything
about Emily Gowen?
- You gotta be kidding me, right?
- No.
Besides the fact that she's
King Hussein's girlfriend?
Shelley, he's got
two fuckin' wives.
And bodyguards, and an
enormous bankroll, and an army.
Please. Just get me
the number, will ya?
Hey! Hey, Emily!
There's a guy up there says
he wants to talk to you.
I didn't know what to bring,
but I saw that you drank this
the other night at the club.
You're nothing if not
persistent, Ben Aronoff.
I got your calls.
Examine a man's faults,
you'll find his virtues.
I have some stuff to do.
You're welcome to come along.
Thank you.
So have you been
riding since you were a kid?
That's all I lived for.
Until my mother
threw me into modeling.
Have you ever been on a horse?
[chuckles]
I have a tough enough time
staying on a boat.
No horses, but I do
like horse races.
- Yeah, me too.
- Yeah.
There's nothing like it
when they're really running
and turning for home. It is
the best 20 seconds on Earth.
Yeah. The sound
of those hooves and
the muscle and grit.
It's amazing. It's truth.
Yeah.
Marlboro, he's my favorite, so
I always make time to feed him.
If he had his way,
he'd bust right outta here
and just keep running, right?
I know how you feel, Marlboro.
May I feed him? May I?
Here, let me try.
There you go. Oops.
Let me try again. Here you go.
Here. There you go. Wow.
You're pretty comfortable
around a horse.
You sure you
haven't been on one?
- You're a natural.
- Nah. I wouldn't say that.
[thunder rumbling]
It's gonna get worse.
Hey, there's no shame
in sitting this one out.
Half the field's
already dropped.
Really?
You know, I knew a guy once,
looked a lot like you.
He said, "I'll never get
tired of this shit!"
- Come on.
- Yeah.
Oh.
I'm no sailor, but those
dark clouds can't be good.
Do they have rain-outs
like they do in baseball?
Let me explain, sweetheart.
In the glorious sport of
offshore powerboat racing,
you take the beating
of a lifetime for hours,
there's no one there to cheer
you on, and if you get hurt,
which Ben does every single
race, you can't quit.
You gotta just keep going
until you see land.
That's good to know, Mr. Katz,
that the chances of Ben standing
me up on this date are...
Zero to none. OK? And would
ya please call me Shelley?
OK. Shelley.
[announcer]
I've got Ben Aronoff up front.
Brassfield coming up in second.
And there's Robbie Reemer
fighting the waves
and keeping it close.
And there's Brassfield!
He's making a run!
Oh, he crashed!
Brassfield crashed!
Circle back! Circle back!
We're gonna need a rescue!
This is suicide!
Come on. Come on. Come on.
Oh, come on! Get over there!
[shouting]
We're turning the fuck around!
- We're the last one left!
- Keep going!
- We can still turn!
- No!
Full throttle! Full throttle!
We can make it!
Yeah?
Yeah, OK.
Well, keep me posted.
All boats accounted for,
except for Ben's.
It's been over six hours.
If he was gonna make it,
he'd be here by now.
I hardly know him...
or knew him.
But he gets to you, your Ben.
He made it! He made it!
He made it! He made it!
[all cheering]
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[knock on door]
[man] Hey Robbie!
I just heard Ben Aronoff made
it to Nassau, won the race.
Just thought you'd want to know.
[knock on door]
[announcer] This is Channel
Three News at Six.
The new administration's War on
Drugs on full display tonight.
DEA Special Agent Lopez
at the Miami Field Office.
We're sending a message.
The hunt is on.
No matter who, where or how,
we'll cut off the flow of
illegal drugs into our country.
This represents just
one night of action.
[rock music plays]
You can try
But I'll always
come back around
I'm the one, I'm the one
Oh, yeah, baby
I'm the one, I'm the one
[police sirens wailing]
Don't be surprised
I'm the one, I'm the one
I'm the one
Welcome to
World Choice Island Bank.
Follow me.
This way.
We'll use the vault.
Divide it evenly
among these 10 accounts.
No problem.
Pleasure to have your business.
Looking forward
to have much more.
Yes.
You're supposed to eat
your food, not wear it.
You work late,
and I don't want to wake you.
- It's OK.
- Morning.
Morning. Bobo. Bo.
[both laugh]
I'll be home early.
[Ronald Reagan] Our goal is
to break the power of the mob
in America and
nothing short of it.
We mean to end their profits,
imprison their members
and cripple their organizations.
[coughing]
If anyone doubts what federal,
state and local authorities
working with the support
of the people can achieve,
let them come to South Florida, and
see here what we've seen today.
[TV shuts off]
[coughing]
[coughing]
[coughing]
[reporter] Meyer Lansky
is the reputed crime boss
"who was once said to have
boasted, "We are bigger
than U.S. steel," but today,
dead at the age of 81,
Lansky was buried in a Miami
cemetery in a plain coffin.
[Ben] I don't like it, Shelley.
I still have mud on my shoes
from Lansky's funeral.
That's 36 hours ago. Why?
Why this meeting?
Hey, it's just a
courtesy, all right?
We're gonna sit down with him.
We're in, we're out.
- Hey. Hey, Al.
- Shelley!
- Ben.
- Hey.
OK.
I want to keep this short.
Our company, Comanche
is building a new plant
on Thunderboat Alley.
Really?
Have you bought the land yet?
That's why we're all here.
Well good. So why don't you
just put a proposal together,
present it to Shelley,
and I'll review it. Simple.
Good. Let's go.
Sit down, Ben.
This is bullshit,
and you know it.
Hey, hey, no, Ben. Ben, Ben.
- What?
- Let's come to peace.
For you. That's it.
What? What is it?
Here's the proposal. Only
it's not really a proposal.
You're gonna give us the land.
Al's gonna take care
of the deed,
you and your lawyer pal here
are gonna sign it. And then,
we're gonna build our own boat
factory right down the street.
We'll be neighbors.
Now won't that be great?
You're fucking crazy.
Come on! Jesus Christ!
We're gonna throw a big
fuckin' block party, Ben!
- Good!
- You're invited!
Motherfuckers!
It's just dirt, Ben. What do you care?
You're not using it anyway.
You know how much money
they're making.
Why do they have to rip me off?
You're making
a lot of money too, buddy.
And you're rich enough
to not give a damn.
Besides, that kid is sloppy.
All right?
He's all over the place.
He'll be back in prison before you
know it, while you, my friend,
have a new company to run.
USA Racing, baby.
I'll call you tomorrow.
[Shelley] Safe flight, buddy.
I can't believe this, Shelley.
Last run.
I'm with you.
Last run for me, too!
Last time, Shelley!
Ha-ha! Big Ben!
Mister Vice President.
Oh, go tell it to the Marines.
I'm happy with just
plain old George.
I'm happy with Ben.
[all laughing]
- How are ya?
- How are you?
This is Nick Brady.
He's a long-time friend.
He runs a big bank in
New York... Dillon Read.
Oh, well.
I've been hearing
loads about you, too,
'cause George
is always bragging.
Is that right?
You need someone
to manage your millions.
Nick runs a pretty good outfit.
- I'll keep that in mind.
- Yeah.
- Is that it?
- That's it.
- Come.
- Holy smokes.
Hey, what do you think
of the jacket?
You look like a...
like a boat racer.
- Barbara thinks I look silly.
- How is Barbara?
She's doing great. Thank you.
Well, it certainly passes
the eye test.
[Ben] Mm-hmm.
[George] What are you gonna
call this one?
Blue Thunder.
- Blue Thunder.
- Blue Thunder.
- Let's take her for a ride.
- Yeah, let's do it.
["Ain't Nobody Gonna Bleed for
You" by Elijah Honey playing]
Suffer in silence
'Cause you've been
broken this time
Well there ain't nobody gonna
bleed for you
Ain't it true,
ain't it true now
[Lopez] Santa Anita, big race
track on the West Coast.
And that's Gypsy Red winning
the Breeders Cup last spring.
I remember. My source.
Trained here at Ocala Stables.
- Over 500 horses now.
- It's beautiful.
Lansky's place,
if we ever prove it.
That's right.
We're getting there.
The Tricycle Club in California,
legalized card gambling.
Bought for 30 million
a year ago,
and now worth five times that.
What do they all have in common?
Bought with loans by the same
bank in Liechtenstein.
Same forms, even.
Liechtenstein.
Jesus, secrecy laws there.
Hit the lights.
This is the Isle of Man,
just off the coast of England.
The money to Liechtenstein
comes from here.
And this man is
singing like a canary.
And has the bank records
to back it up.
- Now where's the trail start?
- It starts here.
Deposit in the Cayman Islands
to a whole host of companies.
But it's dope cash rolling in
every day by the wheelbarrow.
Half a billion dollars
last year alone.
All cash.
Here's how we think it lays out.
From our investigation,
a large network.
Nice family.
Who's the guy on top?
That right there,
that's Robbie Reemer.
[Ben] What is this? "Let's
snuff out the Cigarette."
George Bush.
We are pleased to place
an initial order
for 100 Blue Thunder catamarans.
Forget the royals
and the celebs.
We just got us some
government money!
Sincerely, William Van Raab,
Commissioner U.S. Coast Guard.
Ten million dollars!
Couldn't get any richer!
Well break out
the fuckin' champagne!
- Come on, buddy!
- We did it!
- Yeah.
- U.S.A.-Rizzy, baby!
I gotta call. I gotta...
[Emily chuckles]
I can't believe it.
A fleet of my catamarans
protecting the coastal waters
of these United States.
What'cha doin', bo-boo?
Oh, you don't have a chance.
This is the Coast Guard.
We're driving the Blue Thunder.
I am so proud of you,
Ben Aronoff.
Not bad for the
son of an immigrant
from Sheepshead Bay, huh?
Hm, no. No, not bad at all.
Now you, you coulda done better.
You could have had
that King of Jordan.
You are my king.
Shelley! Shelley!
[Ben] Shelley!
Hey, Ben.
I need your help on something.
Right there.
I'm not gonna sign over
Blue Thunder to you.
You arrogant piece of shit.
Ah!
Do you think you're
different than us? Huh?
Something better?
Something special?
You're just another guppy
in the food chain.
Sign! Sign now!
[grunting]
You're property, Ben.
All you've ever been.
Sign.
[groans]
Good morning!
Headed to the office.
You don't have to sleep
in the guest room
when you get home late at night.
It makes me feel unwanted.
I didn't want to wake you.
I love you.
You know the Blue Thunder deal?
All that hoopla about catching
bad guys with better boats?
I just got off with customs,
and they've been asked to make
checks payable to a new
company: Super Chief South.
Robbie Reemer owns that company.
So you're telling me the biggest
dope smuggler in the country
is in charge of building the
boats intended to catch 'em?
[all laughing]
I thought the Blue Thunder
contract went out to Ben Aronoff.
Yeah, it did. An old friend.
[sighs]
Please. Sit.
[clears throat]
No reason to coat this, Ben,
but our Dade County guys tell
us the Feds are digging around,
looking into everything.
Dope running, money,
the whole operation.
A Grand Jury's collecting evidence
faster than we can clock it.
It's bad. And it's moving
right up our asses.
So you're all
personally suspects?
Some fuckin' banker in Europe
is ratting us all the fuck out
for a fuckin' plea deal.
So what do you want me to do?
How about some
basic co-operation?
- Really?
- Really.
You know what? You better
bring your fuckin' goons here
'cause I'll cut your
fuckin' heart out.
Get this asshole outta here,
or this meeting ends!
I'm not kidding!
Get him out! Get out!
Fuckin' handle this.
Handle this!
Look, Ben...
We need to put some assets
back under your name,
back under the purview
of your companies.
Remove it from the Feds'
reach... for a period.
You guys are precious. You
really, really are precious.
This is serious, Ben.
Hm.
Fuck it. Move the assets.
But you put every single one
of them in my name
not my company's name.
And then, good luck
on getting them back.
Nobody's winning here, Ben.
We're just talking
about surviving.
This is bigger than you,
or Robbie, or fuckin' anyone.
Well guess what?
It ain't my problem.
What have you got us into?
He has a gun.
- Where's Willie?
- He's in his room.
You go to him. You go to him.
Nice place. Nice family.
I hate to see you lose it all.
Now it's my family?
You're gonna get subpoenaed,
and all kinds of people
are worried about it.
Worried about
what you're gonna say.
But I tell them, I'm sure
old Ben's gonna play ball.
He's on the team.
That is what
teammates do, right?
Get out.
- Get the fuck outta here.
- Good luck.
- You've been warned, Ben.
- Get the fuck out.
Tell me something.
You owe me something.
I have to get you out of here.
I want you to get on the phone and
call your sister in New York,
and tell her that
you're on the way.
- Just do that.
- What is going on?
I will tell you everything when
you get to New York. I promise.
I am scared.
I am scared for you.
I am scared for all of us.
Don't be. Don't be.
- I love you.
- God. I love you, too.
OK.
Now listen. Listen.
Listen to me.
We're gonna be fine.
I'll call your sister
with the number where
you can reach me. OK?
I'll call you when I get in.
OK. OK. Go, go. Go.
Slow down.
Slow down. Take it easy.
Don't alarm her.
Plenty of time before
we get to the causeway.
Stay with her.
Go, go, go, go.
Don't let her go too far.
[phone rings]
- Emily.
- Hey.
Oh, thank God. Hey, babe.
You're safe? No problems?
Yeah. Yeah,
William's already in bed,
and Aunt Cynthia's
been incredible.
Except, I think I forgot
what winter was like.
Yeah, man. Oh, I used
to hate Jersey winters.
Well, it's pretty here.
You should come.
I can't, babe.
You know,
I can't put you guys at risk.
So are you gonna tell me?
OK, look.
Over the years, I did business
with a lot of shady guys, OK?
And I stepped on some toes.
I don't know what that means.
It means that I made promises to
people that I can no longer keep,
and it's come back to haunt me.
The guy in the living room?
The guy in the
living room is just
one of a whole line of people
going all the way back to
my days in New Jersey.
- The mob?
- [sighs]
OK, babe, listen.
There is a big court case.
A lot of people
are gonna go down,
and the Feds are pushing hard
on everyone, including me.
So...
So you and me, our lives,
it's just all been one big lie?
Babe, don't say that.
When I fuckin' saw you,
I dropped to my knees.
You fuckin' stoned me.
You're the one
who cleared up my life.
Then run.
I can't do that now, babe.
I'm a fighter too, Ben.
If you're in a fight,
I wanna be right at your side.
Just hang in there.
Hang in there for me, baby.
I love you.
[sighs]
[phone rings]
Yeah?
Hey.
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
Where?
What's the name?
OK, Dutch. It's a straight
shot down to 75.
It's a little bend in Orlando, but
we don't change highways, so...
- OK.
- Yeah. Take it easy.
- Hey. Come on.
- What? No tickets.
- No tickets.
- No tickets.
- No tickets!
- Yeah, no tickets.
[chuckles]
- That means the cops are...
- Yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember.
[knocking on door]
- Morning.
- Morning. Agent...?
- Lopez.
- Ah.
- It's been a while, hasn't it?
- Yes.
A couple of gumbahs wound up
in the ER last night.
Smashed into by a Ford Bronco.
Thought you might know
something about it.
I, uh, I ran your plates.
Put the word out,
called around, and bingo.
It's kinda weird to find a
Mercedes in this parking lot.
Although, more likely
to find Robbie Reemer
with a couple of hookers.
- What do you want?
- I'm just curious.
You know, I really am, 'cause
your name keeps popping up
all over this big-ass
investigation.
You know,
a guy who was friends
with kings and queens, and
goddamn Vice-President,
sells his multi-million-dollar
government contract
to a mobbed up hustler?
- It's just business.
- Just business?
Look, you know, I read this
book once by a Jewish guy.
He said, "People who
have a why to live"
can bear almost anything."
What's your why, Ben?
Let me tell you something.
Sometimes, it doesn't matter
who you are or what you have.
It's just too hard to say no.
Do you have a plan? 'Cause
you're in with a rough crowd.
You can help us,
and we can help you.
Water's calmed down, we just
gotta stay in the boat.
Hang on.
That's a risky bet.
I've been winning with it
my whole life.
Now if you're not going to
arrest me, you have a nice day.
[Shelley]
Hey buddy, there he is.
Secret rendezvous on the beach.
Black.
I spoke to my buddy
at the D.A.'s office.
They won't confirm anything.
On the other hand, they would
have told me to take a hike
if the subpoena wasn't coming.
If it's typed, it's ripe.
You're getting served,
buddy-o, tomorrow.
[sighs]
- That's actually great news.
- Really? How's that?
Once you get served,
they'll keep you safe.
The Reemers, whoever,
they're not gonna touch you
once that happens.
They'll bring the feds
and the Miami-Date P.D.
Dirty as they are,
no one wants that.
25 years of your giving
me high-end advice,
and it all boils down to "Stick
around 'til you get served."
That's the ticket.
Here's something: Now
you're involved in this, too.
All right, I'll tell you what.
Head back to your office,
grab your cash,
anything you want,
meet me at the Hollywood Marina,
we'll take my boat and just...
just disappear for the day.
All right? We'll wait it out.
Just two good ol' boys
gone fishing. Sounds good.
Millie, it's me. Anyone there
I should know about?
Nothing moving
but the waves, Ben.
Good.
[water splashing]
Can I help you?
[man] I'm lookin', uh,
for Ben Aronoff.
I'm afraid he's not in.
Huh.
I've been trying to
reach him for a week,
but he hasn't gotten back to me.
I call, and I call, and I call.
Now look, my boss is
a very wealthy man
who wants to buy a boat.
And he wants to buy the boat
before he goes back
to Michigan. Now, look,
I'm just trying to give
this man some money.
I'm Ben.
Why don't you bring
your boss in,
we'll show him some boats,
and he can see what he likes.
My boss...
took me from the gutter.
Gave me a job.
Everything I have,
everything I am, I owe to him.
I'd do anything for my boss.
Anything... and everything.
I'd never turn my back
on my boss.
You tell your boss
that I'm done.
I don't owe anybody anything.
I'm paid in full and more so.
You tell him that.
I'll tell him.
I'll tell him every word.
Hey, Ben.
[Ben] I'm Ben Aronoff.
I was on top of the world.
I loved, I created, I won.
It was one hell of a race.
[reporter 1] Internationally-known
race boat designer Don Aronow
was shot to death
this afternoon outside...
[reporter 2] ...two-time world
offshore powerboat racing champion...
[reporter 3] ...pronounced
dead at about 5:00...
[reporter 4] ...the Godfather, that is him.
You could call him
the Henry Ford of Powerboats.
He is the man...
[reporter 5]
starting up and developing
the sport of offshore
powerboat racing...
[reporter 6] ...raced his
creations to three national
and two world championships.
His friends are badly shaken,
unable to understand
why anyone would...
[man] I'm lookin', uh,
for Ben Aronoff.
I'm afraid he's not in.
Huh.
I've been trying to
reach him for a week,
but he hasn't gotten back to me.
I call, and I call, and I call.
Now, look, my boss
is a very wealthy man
who wants to buy a boat.
And he wants to buy the boat
before he goes back to Michigan.
Now, look, I'm just trying to
give this man some money.
I'm Ben.
Why don't you bring
your boss in?
We'll show him some boats,
and he can see what he likes.
My boss...
took me from the gutter,
gave me a job.
Everything I have,
everything I am, I owe to him.
I'd do anything for my boss.
Anything... and everything.
I'd never turn my back
on my boss.
You tell your boss
that I'm done.
I don't owe anybody anything.
I'm paid in full and more so.
You tell him that.
OK. I'll tell him.
I'll tell him every word.
Hey, Ben.
[gunshot]
[man] You couldn't build a
fuckin' outhouse right now
without somebody
blowing up your goddamned car!
[Ben] Irv, calm the fuck down
and just tell me what happened.
[Irv] It's over! The war's over.
We lost, man.
[Ben]
No. No, what did Lansky say?
[Irv] You don't get it!
[Ben] What did he say?
[Irv] We're done!
We're out of business, Ben!
We lost the union!
You still got your cash, right?
[Ben] Son of a bitch.
- [Irv] What's that?
- [Ben] I got it.
[Irv] You've always
been a lucky bastard.
Now grab your family
and your money,
and get the hell out
before things get any worse!
[Ben] I'm Ben Aronoff, contractor,
entrepreneur, husband, father,
and out of business.
Time to start over.
[jazz music plays]
Let's take off
on an adventure
Let's take off fancy-free
Worry not,
forget the weather
It's a perfect fantasy
Flying high above the clouds
Without a destination...
You gotta see this.
[sighs]
We are done with
winters in New Jersey.
New start, babe.
What about our house, Ben,
and the construction business?
We outgrew it.
Coney Island, New Jersey...
It's a new beginning,
Mrs. Aronoff. We're in Florida.
New life.
I'm not sure what was wrong
with our old life.
You're swinging with
Tarzan now. Hang on.
I'm going down to the front desk
to square some things away.
[all laughing]
Hey, hey, hey.
Come on. Keep it down.
You two over there,
Melissa in this bed.
Settle down.
I'm coming back in two minutes,
turning off the lights.
[laughing resumes]
[Latin music playing]
- [bartender] Hey.
- Bourbon neat.
[bartender] You got it.
Two Millers and a highball.
[bartender] You got it.
Well, if I had known
that you were working,
I'd have taken a table.
It's never too late.
[man] The king of construction,
- Big Ben.
- Jules!
[Ben] Now this guy is Jules
Bergman, Meyer Lansky's main man.
Very connected
and very dangerous.
- How are ya?
- Welcome to Miami.
- Thank you.
- Find everything? Family good?
Yes. Yes. We're all
settled in upstairs...
and I thank you
for the arrangements.
Of course.
They tell me you built
100 houses in one suburb
from dirt-to-sold
in under four months?
More than once.
Drove the banks crazy.
Wow. Let's have a seat.
Sure.
So you call me when you're ready
and I'll get you in
front of the old man.
Well, how is he?
When Castro came back to Havana
and stole Mr. Lansky's casino,
who took care of me?
Who got me off the island?
If you cut open
Mr. Lansky's heart,
he would bleed only loyalty.
To you too, Ben.
You know, I appreciate that.
I appreciate all of it, but I,
I want to do something
on my own here, you know?
A new town, new beginning.
Like a second game
of a doubleheader.
So what are your plans?
Like usual, to win.
OK.
You call me when you're ready.
- Good seeing ya.
- Good to see you.
Thanks.
So, you still want that table?
Why wouldn't I?
[rock music plays]
That burning desire to
not do what I'm told
Yeah to change
your perspective
Is long overdue
Return to my roots
before I need you
Maybe I said things
that I never meant...
Ben?
Shelley?
Shelley Katz, real estate law.
[Ben] Yep, he was a
small-time lawyer,
but I needed someone hungry.
- How are ya?
- I'm great. Here's my card.
So do you, uh,
make the laws or do you
figure out ways to break 'em?
Scotch rocks.
I make, I break.
I just don't do floors.
And what about you,
Mr. Big Shot?
No, I checked up on you.
Giant shopping centers,
entire neighborhoods.
What are you planning
for Miami? Pyramids?
Just looking for opportunities.
Well then, for the record,
beyond my hourly rate,
I take 5% of any deal we close.
I'm a lot more than purchase
agreements and deeds of trust.
3%.
OK.
You're too damn easy.
That's my new client discount.
All right, tell me Counselor,
what do you know about that?
[Shelley] That, my friend...
is what makes Miami Miami.
It beats the hell
out of concrete and dirt.
Mm-hmm.
[rock music plays]
Ah, yeah, ah
So long, so long
I gotta be moving on
Yeah, so long, so long
I gotta be moving on, oh
Yeah, so long, so long
I gotta be...
You're hired.
For what?
- How ya doing?
- Good, you?
- Ben.
- Knocky House, Mr. Aronoff.
Knocky? Is that you real name?
- It's what my friends call me.
- Oh, yeah?
Yeah.
So what do you got in there?
Twin 327 cubic inch Chevy V-8s.
- Oh, yeah?
- [engine revving]
Wow.
[Ben] Yeah! Let's get out there!
- Go ahead, open her up!
- [Ben] Let's do it!
[Knocky] Use that line!
[cheers]
All right!
[Ben] Woo!
[Ben] And boom, just like that,
I was in love.
The speed, the water, the rush.
I wanted it, I needed it,
I would have it.
[Knocky] Ready?
Yeah! I never get
tired of this shit!
[kids laughing]
[Ben] What do you think, guys?
And you, come here.
How about this? Whose name
do you think should be there?
- Who?
- Yours, silly!
What do you think?
- Yeah, it is kinda sexy.
- Yeah. It is.
[Ben] Now this here
was my first race
against a bunch of rich fat cats
and their toys, and I loved it.
That's the suckers
we gotta beat right there.
Bet they never wrestled
a kid from Brooklyn College.
[both chuckle]
[starting pistol fires]
Keep the throttle down!
- Let's go for it!
- I'm on it!
We're doing it!
[chuckles] Yeah!
- Yeah!
- Whoo-hoo!
[Ben] We're beating 'em!
- We got 'em!
- Ah, yeah!
[engine puttering]
[Ben] What was that?
[Knocky] Hold on, I'm gonna
check the back.
Keep her straight.
Ah, no. God. She's toast.
OK, forget it.
Fine, you know what?
It's fantastic.
Forget the motor,
forget everything.
This is fantastic. I love it.
[rock music plays]
Let's go celebrate,
have a glass of champagne!
There's a thousand
miles of highway...
The 233. It's an exclusive
boat. It's an icon for,
for style and speed.
It's the kind of sexy toy
that you can't live without.
Well, you close one door
and you open another.
A new company with a new vision.
We're building boats
that, well, they...
push the envelope
and break barriers.
Daring, defiant, of course,
they're irresistible.
If you want to cross the
finish line first, by a Donzi.
[male announcer] It's a glorious day
here where a field of 51 racers stream
full speed ahead from
the starting line in Miami.
And there's Dick Bertram
racing his way
to his usual position
at the front of the pack.
[interviewer] Mr. Aronoff,
tell us about that first
win from Miami to Nassau.
Well if you really want to win,
sometimes you have to take
a chance, let it all hang out.
As the kids say,
it's gotta be your bag.
[male announcer] As the leaders
approach Nassau, it's Bertram,
Webb, and Ben Aronoff.
The racers make the turn to
clear the outside of the island
and oh, my! That's Aronoff
placing a big bet,
risking it all on a shortcut
through the shore,
threading the needle
through the jagged rocks!
Aronoff in the 0-0-7.
- [Knocky] Aronoff!
- Yes!
[announcer] James Bond himself
has taken the lead!
And no one's gonna
catch him now!
[jazz music plays]
Lady luck is at my side
This hot streak
can't be denied
She has put me at the top
May this run never stop
Bringing wondrous
riches on this crazy ride
You start the day
flat busted
Deep down in a hole
Now it's seven come eleven
The girls are heaven
And life is on a roll
She's the charm
I'm holding fast
He's betting
his luck will last
Fortunes come and
go just like the blues
But with lady luck at
my side I'll never lose
[Latin music playing]
Thank you.
No olives.
Hey, dad! Hey, dad!
Catch!
Nice spiral, Joe Namath!
Wanna come play with us?
Later. I gotta find your mom.
Yeah.
Oh, wonderful of you to show up.
It got so late last night,
I just stayed at Knocky's.
Yesterday's race,
I think I broke something.
Yes, you did.
Excuse me.
The woman has a tattoo
of Elvis on both thighs,
and she's not convinced
that it looks like Elvis.
So she goes out in the street,
she finds a drunk,
and she lifts up her skirt,
and she says to the drunk.
"Do you recognize these guys?"
And the drunk says, "I don't
know who the twins are",
but the guy in the middle
is definitely Willie Nelson."
[all laugh]
I need a drink. A good joke
always makes me thirsty.
Ben, somebody wants to see you.
Mr. Lansky.
[Ben] Meyer Lansky, the financial
wizard of organized crime.
When he called, you answered.
Ben Aronoff of Sheepshead Bay.
How are ya?
- All right. You look good.
- Oh, thanks.
Real good.
I've been keeping up with you.
- Oh?
- Yeah.
Our box houses in Jersey
must feel like ages ago
and not nearly as sexy
as those boats of yours.
Build boats, build homes,
same thing.
- Not according to my nephew.
- Is that right?
He's gaga for those
powerboats of yours.
And those ads.
[both laugh]
Hey, Robbie!
[Ben] That's Robbie Reemer, Meyer
Lansky's little asshole nephew.
Tell us why you
like Ben Aronoff.
Because Ben Aronoff
has everything!
[Lansky laughs]
See?
[sighs]
Still remember Jacob,
your father.
He'd be proud of you selling
to that hoity toity crowd.
Making a stir, making a buck.
But on your own?
New beginnings?
That's crap.
Not wanting to be a bother?
More crap.
We're your family, Benny.
These are your people.
Sometimes you just want
to do some things on your own.
You do that when it
comes to banging shiksas
and betting the ponies.
You don't put that
bullshit in front of me.
You ever seen a head all
swelled up? That's you.
Not good for a goddamn thing.
Don't remember who you are,
or where you came from.
Hey. Are you kidding me?
You know him?
You know Meyer Lansky?
Oh, fuck Lansky!
I've worked too hard, Shelley
for him to come in
the middle of our shit.
We've got too many
big things coming in.
[announcer] Aronoff's
revolutionary Cigarette has taken
offshore powerboat
racing by storm.
At each stop on
the European circuit
the Cigarette has burned
thru the record books
shattering every mark
for time and speed.
A fantastic 66 miles an hour,
13 miles an hour faster than
the record set three years ago.
Boats are sex symbols, and
certainly the Cigarette boat
is a sexy boat, but we
don't market it that way.
[camera shutters]
It's a man's boat, and
it's a dangerous machine.
[announcer] And there's
Ben Aronoff speeding home
heading towards his seventh
victory this season.
One more, and he reclaims
the world championship.
My husband would like to
purchase two Cigarette boats.
- Hmm.
- Hmm.
Well for you,
I'll have to charge him double.
[both laugh]
[sighs]
You know, I would have to come
to America, pick them up.
Could you?
Does it ever get
cold in, uh, Florida?
Very.
But I could always
use some warmth
of the... Tuscan... sun.
[Shelley] Hey, Ben.
Shelley?
I've been lookin'
all over for ya.
- Who is this man?
- He's my lawyer.
We gotta talk.
I'll be back. Don't you go.
[Shelley] Now I didn't volunteer,
OK, to run your office,
your business and your family,
for Christ sake.
I'm just a lawyer, remember?
You flew 3,000 miles
to complain?
What are you doing here, Ben?
What are you running
away from? Lansky?
I'm busting my ass
for our company.
Oh, oh, OK. Yeah, right.
I can see that.
Winning races
sells boats, Shelley.
Do you throw in the sex with every sale
or do they gotta pay for that, too?
You better watch
your fuckin' mouth.
Oh, good. Great. Rip me
to shreds, Ben, because then
there will be absolutely
nobody running your company.
I'm sorry.
Yeah.
I'm gonna win the
world championship
at the end of
this month, Shelley.
That's big. It's very big.
Mazel tov.
By the way,
your son just got into college.
He's leaving in a week.
I just thought
you'd like to know.
I'll see you back in Florida.
["Relapse City" by
Elijah Honey playing]
[people cheering]
Oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah
Oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah
Oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah
I may have fallen upset
But I won't stop this time
I may have fallen upset
And I'll be gone for a while
You see those cracks
in the sidewalk
They're like the cracks
in my mind
Don't wanna talk to nobody
I've reached the end
of the line
Oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah
Oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah
[Ben] But while I was
winning championships
I was losing something
far more important.
[sirens wailing]
Kathy.
[Kathy sobbing]
Andrew.
He damaged his spine...
in the car accident.
He's in surgery now.
They say he may not make it.
Don't worry.
We'll get this right.
We will get this right.
[monitor beeping]
[sighs]
Andy, you gotta
fight through this.
You need to stick around.
You're an Aronoff.
We fight back. We battle.
OK, this is the deal.
You're gonna get through this,
you're gonna get better,
and you're gonna
walk the hell outta here.
You hear me?
[sighs]
I'm gonna be here
all night with you, OK?
I'll be right here. I'm gonna
sleep right there on the couch.
I'm not going anywhere.
OK? Dad's back.
Dad's back.
Baby boy.
Your son had to
almost lose his life
to get his father's attention.
What do the rest
of us have to do?
Come on.
Come on.
- You got a lot of friends, Ben.
- Do I?
How is he? How's Andrew?
They told me he'll
never walk again.
Oh, God.
I mean, he's here though, right?
He's a tough kid.
He'll battle back.
Kathy and I are through. Done.
A long time ago, Ben.
So how are we doing?
What do you mean? Business-wise?
- Yes.
- Oh.
No, I'm not talking
about that right now.
Oh, yes you are, Shelley.
Actually, no, I'm not.
Just tell me how are we doing?
What are the numbers?
Just tell me.
Look, it's not like every
time you win a race
they gave you a million bucks,
which is half of what it costs
to run the racing team across
Europe for the summer.
To be honest, we can't sell
enough hulls a year
to keep the company afloat,
not the way we're running it.
We're in a deep hole, Ben.
Well, I'll fix it.
Like I always do.
[Ben] I knew where I had to go
and he was waiting for me.
I thought I got out,
but you never get out.
Great to see you, Ben.
[Ben] Someone else
was waiting for me, too.
[TV playing softly]
Hell of a day out there, champ.
But they're still
running the horses at noon.
So what do you say
we burn a grand or two
and remember what
real beer tastes like?
Andy?
I'm telling ya, feeling sorry
for yourself ain't gonna work.
You gotta get out there, boy.
You gotta live again.
Come on, buddy. Let's go out.
Let's go out to the track.
[turns volume up]
OK, that's it.
I fuckin' hate you!
Well, I love you.
What do I see?
I see a smile?
You know you're
still fucking crazy?
Yeah. I know that.
Now let's go to the track.
[announcer] And they're off!
Here we go! Here we go!
Here we go! Come on! Come on!
Do it! Five! Come on!
Five! Come on!
- You got this!
- Do it! Do it! Do it!
Five! Come on!
Yes! There it is! Look, look!
Look, look, look! We got it!
Yes! Yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah!
[Ben] Bring it home! Woo!
- That's it, baby!
- We got it!
Come on, five!
Whoo-hoo!
[Ben]
Two wins today, buddy. Not bad.
You like it?
Yeah, what's not to like?
It was fun.
You know, I got a line on a
big stable up North in Ocala.
What do you say we buy it?
We fill it with thoroughbreds,
and you run
the whole damn thing.
I don't know anything
about horses, dad.
I didn't know anything about
boats or building houses.
See this? See that?
That was my whole year's salary
when I was a gym teacher
in Brooklyn.
How do you think I did that?
How do you think
I made that happen?
I busted my ass, and
I beat the fuckin' odds.
So can you.
- You really think so?
- I know so.
[Ben] I was never really there
for him, but I wanted to buy him
some happiness, and he took
that money... and ran.
Coo.
Top-of-the-line model.
- How much?
- Retail, 32K.
- You'll take 35?
- 45.
[speaking foreign language]
Fuck it. We take together, pair.
- Say, 80K.
- 100K.
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
OK.
Ah.
Deal.
What do you want
the title to be?
Pick a name. A good one.
Nobody wants to explain
where the cash came from.
- Come with me.
- I like this guy.
[Ben] And just like their
drug sniffing dogs,
once the DEA got the scent,
they were hard to shake.
Mr. Aronoff!
Stuart Lopez, DEA.
Nice boat!
I'd like to ask you
a few questions.
Office.
I'll see you there.
Look, no surprise to you,
Mr. Aronoff.
Cigarette boats are a big hit
on the drug-running circuit.
Lately, we busted a lot of
smugglers driving your boats.
My boats?
I mean, boats manufactured
by your company.
Ah, yes.
The problem is the
sales names are fiction
and the hull numbers
don't make any sense.
We sell boats.
They're registered,
re-registered,
sold and resold. And by the way,
the resale value
is through the fucking roof.
Do you record the hull numbers
associated with each purchase?
Now you know, and I know,
that it's illegal
not to record those numbers, so
where are you going with this?
Just doing our job, Mr. Aronoff.
You know, catching bad guys.
OK, so do you go
to Smith and Wesson
every time you haul
someone in with a gun?
Look, I make boats. Fast boats.
People want them. They come
in here, I take their ID,
they pay me money and boom,
they are standing
in the cockpit of a speedboat.
A very sexy speedboat.
So what do you want me to do?
To chase them down
and fingerprint them?
We'd put you on our
payroll if you did.
[laughs]
That's good.
- Whoa, watch out.
- Out of the road!
Make sure you get
the name right.
I'm Robbie fuckin' Reemer!
[Ben] With the feds closing
in on him,
Meyer Lansky fled to Israel,
but Israel's welcome to
all Jews from anywhere
did not include him, and
he was forced back to Miami.
Hey, Ben. Come.
Meyer, welcome back. How are ya?
Ben.
[coughs]
They tell me that you made
all the payments back to me.
Yes. Almost six months ago.
We've just been
rolling them out.
You know, it's a...
Business booming and it's...
It's like everyone and their
brother wants a speedboat.
Here, let me get that.
Yeah, it's good.
[laughs]
You self-satisfied little prick.
You took the money, Ben.
You took the fuckin' money!
You didn't borrow it
from Household Finance!
You don't think that I got
other things to worry about?
Besides Ben Aronoff and his
little fuckin' boat business?
[Ben] Meyer. Meyer, please.
You know I'm grateful,
and you also know
I went to great lengths to...
Stop!
We are growing our
operations on the seas.
You're clean and that helps.
Don't play dumb.
You know exactly
what I'm talking about.
Now there is a big
difference between
what we had agreed upon and
what you're implying here.
You'll do your fuckin' part!
- Hey, champ.
- Hey.
I got a fucking name!
You remember me, right?
Because Ben Aronoff
has everything.
Meyer's nephew.
Meyer's nephew?
You're not?
I'm racing now!
You better watch out!
Oh yeah?
We'll be lookin' for ya.
[engine revving]
Good to see ya.
I gotta see it.
We're good?
Yeah, we're good. It's this way.
1.5 tons.
Now that's what
I'm talking about.
- Boys, get to work.
- Yes, sir.
Woo!
It tastes stronger
every day, man.
Hey boss! You want some?
Yeah, pass it over here!
Some fuckin' good weed!
[coast guard 1] See if you see him.
He's coming at you. Late model C.
[coast guard 2] Yeah, we
got eyes on him right now.
Here he comes. Here he comes.
Everybody set?
- Yes, sir. All set.
- All set. All set.
Go! Go! Go!
- Fuck!
- Oh, shit! Fuck!
[coast guard]
This is the Coast Guard!
Stop your boat! Stop your boat!
[yells]
Oh, man!
You OK? You OK?
Shit! Brad looks bad!
Grab the wheel!
You're gonna be OK!
Move!
[coast guard] Pick him up!
Pick him up!
Need some repairs, champ.
I got some holes in her,
and I want you
to take care of it.
No. We don't do
those kind of repairs.
I'm sure you do.
As a matter of fact,
I know you do.
And while you're at it, how
about you put some of them
custom seat stitching you've
been doing on the new ones?
I'd really like that.
And when you're done,
you can run the bill
over to my uncle.
Let me ask you something.
Did your uncle teach
you how to swim?
[Latin music playing]
Let's get a drink. Come on.
This is so fun being
with you, Ben.
- Manhattan, two cherries?
- Let's do champagne.
Champagne!
Are they getting younger, champ
or are you just getting
more distinguished?
Do you really want to start this
with your best-paying client?
I'm not starting anything.
- You are the famous boat racer?
- Yes.
Yes.
So shall I call you
"The Animal?"
Yes.
You can call me, "The Animal."
- Your majesty.
- King Hussein of Jordan?
Now you know this is the spot!
[Ben] And oh, my God,
she walked in.
I've known him for years.
I'll be right back.
How's my favorite king?
You didn't realize?
I stopped speaking to you
after you sold those
Donzis to the Israelis,
and they turned them
into torpedo boats.
Anything to beat the damn Arabs.
Still the same Ben.
My friends.
You can't say "Miami"
without saying Ben Aronoff.
And this lovely creature
is Emily Gowen.
My pleasure.
I lure her from New York to
come slum with us on the beach.
I wouldn't call it that,
Your Highness.
[woman] Emily, how are you?
[Latin music playing]
Last night at The Jockey Club,
this motherfucker came up to me
and said, "Get down
to your warehouse right now."
So I dump my date, I speed down,
I open up the fucking gates,
and bam!
There are two boats pulling
up, filled with marijuana.
They take that shit through my
warehouse, put 'em on trucks,
and this is what we get.
This is how you go to jail, man.
Ben, what are we doin' here?
This is Lansky saying,
"Do your bit!"
And on top of that, he wants
me to fly down to the Caymans
and make deposits
on their money.
That's not my biggest problem.
You know anything
about Emily Gowen?
- You gotta be kidding me, right?
- No.
Besides the fact that she's
King Hussein's girlfriend?
Shelley, he's got
two fuckin' wives.
And bodyguards, and an
enormous bankroll, and an army.
Please. Just get me
the number, will ya?
Hey! Hey, Emily!
There's a guy up there says
he wants to talk to you.
I didn't know what to bring,
but I saw that you drank this
the other night at the club.
You're nothing if not
persistent, Ben Aronoff.
I got your calls.
Examine a man's faults,
you'll find his virtues.
I have some stuff to do.
You're welcome to come along.
Thank you.
So have you been
riding since you were a kid?
That's all I lived for.
Until my mother
threw me into modeling.
Have you ever been on a horse?
[chuckles]
I have a tough enough time
staying on a boat.
No horses, but I do
like horse races.
- Yeah, me too.
- Yeah.
There's nothing like it
when they're really running
and turning for home. It is
the best 20 seconds on Earth.
Yeah. The sound
of those hooves and
the muscle and grit.
It's amazing. It's truth.
Yeah.
Marlboro, he's my favorite, so
I always make time to feed him.
If he had his way,
he'd bust right outta here
and just keep running, right?
I know how you feel, Marlboro.
May I feed him? May I?
Here, let me try.
There you go. Oops.
Let me try again. Here you go.
Here. There you go. Wow.
You're pretty comfortable
around a horse.
You sure you
haven't been on one?
- You're a natural.
- Nah. I wouldn't say that.
[thunder rumbling]
It's gonna get worse.
Hey, there's no shame
in sitting this one out.
Half the field's
already dropped.
Really?
You know, I knew a guy once,
looked a lot like you.
He said, "I'll never get
tired of this shit!"
- Come on.
- Yeah.
Oh.
I'm no sailor, but those
dark clouds can't be good.
Do they have rain-outs
like they do in baseball?
Let me explain, sweetheart.
In the glorious sport of
offshore powerboat racing,
you take the beating
of a lifetime for hours,
there's no one there to cheer
you on, and if you get hurt,
which Ben does every single
race, you can't quit.
You gotta just keep going
until you see land.
That's good to know, Mr. Katz,
that the chances of Ben standing
me up on this date are...
Zero to none. OK? And would
ya please call me Shelley?
OK. Shelley.
[announcer]
I've got Ben Aronoff up front.
Brassfield coming up in second.
And there's Robbie Reemer
fighting the waves
and keeping it close.
And there's Brassfield!
He's making a run!
Oh, he crashed!
Brassfield crashed!
Circle back! Circle back!
We're gonna need a rescue!
This is suicide!
Come on. Come on. Come on.
Oh, come on! Get over there!
[shouting]
We're turning the fuck around!
- We're the last one left!
- Keep going!
- We can still turn!
- No!
Full throttle! Full throttle!
We can make it!
Yeah?
Yeah, OK.
Well, keep me posted.
All boats accounted for,
except for Ben's.
It's been over six hours.
If he was gonna make it,
he'd be here by now.
I hardly know him...
or knew him.
But he gets to you, your Ben.
He made it! He made it!
He made it! He made it!
[all cheering]
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[knock on door]
[man] Hey Robbie!
I just heard Ben Aronoff made
it to Nassau, won the race.
Just thought you'd want to know.
[knock on door]
[announcer] This is Channel
Three News at Six.
The new administration's War on
Drugs on full display tonight.
DEA Special Agent Lopez
at the Miami Field Office.
We're sending a message.
The hunt is on.
No matter who, where or how,
we'll cut off the flow of
illegal drugs into our country.
This represents just
one night of action.
[rock music plays]
You can try
But I'll always
come back around
I'm the one, I'm the one
Oh, yeah, baby
I'm the one, I'm the one
[police sirens wailing]
Don't be surprised
I'm the one, I'm the one
I'm the one
Welcome to
World Choice Island Bank.
Follow me.
This way.
We'll use the vault.
Divide it evenly
among these 10 accounts.
No problem.
Pleasure to have your business.
Looking forward
to have much more.
Yes.
You're supposed to eat
your food, not wear it.
You work late,
and I don't want to wake you.
- It's OK.
- Morning.
Morning. Bobo. Bo.
[both laugh]
I'll be home early.
[Ronald Reagan] Our goal is
to break the power of the mob
in America and
nothing short of it.
We mean to end their profits,
imprison their members
and cripple their organizations.
[coughing]
If anyone doubts what federal,
state and local authorities
working with the support
of the people can achieve,
let them come to South Florida, and
see here what we've seen today.
[TV shuts off]
[coughing]
[coughing]
[coughing]
[reporter] Meyer Lansky
is the reputed crime boss
"who was once said to have
boasted, "We are bigger
than U.S. steel," but today,
dead at the age of 81,
Lansky was buried in a Miami
cemetery in a plain coffin.
[Ben] I don't like it, Shelley.
I still have mud on my shoes
from Lansky's funeral.
That's 36 hours ago. Why?
Why this meeting?
Hey, it's just a
courtesy, all right?
We're gonna sit down with him.
We're in, we're out.
- Hey. Hey, Al.
- Shelley!
- Ben.
- Hey.
OK.
I want to keep this short.
Our company, Comanche
is building a new plant
on Thunderboat Alley.
Really?
Have you bought the land yet?
That's why we're all here.
Well good. So why don't you
just put a proposal together,
present it to Shelley,
and I'll review it. Simple.
Good. Let's go.
Sit down, Ben.
This is bullshit,
and you know it.
Hey, hey, no, Ben. Ben, Ben.
- What?
- Let's come to peace.
For you. That's it.
What? What is it?
Here's the proposal. Only
it's not really a proposal.
You're gonna give us the land.
Al's gonna take care
of the deed,
you and your lawyer pal here
are gonna sign it. And then,
we're gonna build our own boat
factory right down the street.
We'll be neighbors.
Now won't that be great?
You're fucking crazy.
Come on! Jesus Christ!
We're gonna throw a big
fuckin' block party, Ben!
- Good!
- You're invited!
Motherfuckers!
It's just dirt, Ben. What do you care?
You're not using it anyway.
You know how much money
they're making.
Why do they have to rip me off?
You're making
a lot of money too, buddy.
And you're rich enough
to not give a damn.
Besides, that kid is sloppy.
All right?
He's all over the place.
He'll be back in prison before you
know it, while you, my friend,
have a new company to run.
USA Racing, baby.
I'll call you tomorrow.
[Shelley] Safe flight, buddy.
I can't believe this, Shelley.
Last run.
I'm with you.
Last run for me, too!
Last time, Shelley!
Ha-ha! Big Ben!
Mister Vice President.
Oh, go tell it to the Marines.
I'm happy with just
plain old George.
I'm happy with Ben.
[all laughing]
- How are ya?
- How are you?
This is Nick Brady.
He's a long-time friend.
He runs a big bank in
New York... Dillon Read.
Oh, well.
I've been hearing
loads about you, too,
'cause George
is always bragging.
Is that right?
You need someone
to manage your millions.
Nick runs a pretty good outfit.
- I'll keep that in mind.
- Yeah.
- Is that it?
- That's it.
- Come.
- Holy smokes.
Hey, what do you think
of the jacket?
You look like a...
like a boat racer.
- Barbara thinks I look silly.
- How is Barbara?
She's doing great. Thank you.
Well, it certainly passes
the eye test.
[Ben] Mm-hmm.
[George] What are you gonna
call this one?
Blue Thunder.
- Blue Thunder.
- Blue Thunder.
- Let's take her for a ride.
- Yeah, let's do it.
["Ain't Nobody Gonna Bleed for
You" by Elijah Honey playing]
Suffer in silence
'Cause you've been
broken this time
Well there ain't nobody gonna
bleed for you
Ain't it true,
ain't it true now
[Lopez] Santa Anita, big race
track on the West Coast.
And that's Gypsy Red winning
the Breeders Cup last spring.
I remember. My source.
Trained here at Ocala Stables.
- Over 500 horses now.
- It's beautiful.
Lansky's place,
if we ever prove it.
That's right.
We're getting there.
The Tricycle Club in California,
legalized card gambling.
Bought for 30 million
a year ago,
and now worth five times that.
What do they all have in common?
Bought with loans by the same
bank in Liechtenstein.
Same forms, even.
Liechtenstein.
Jesus, secrecy laws there.
Hit the lights.
This is the Isle of Man,
just off the coast of England.
The money to Liechtenstein
comes from here.
And this man is
singing like a canary.
And has the bank records
to back it up.
- Now where's the trail start?
- It starts here.
Deposit in the Cayman Islands
to a whole host of companies.
But it's dope cash rolling in
every day by the wheelbarrow.
Half a billion dollars
last year alone.
All cash.
Here's how we think it lays out.
From our investigation,
a large network.
Nice family.
Who's the guy on top?
That right there,
that's Robbie Reemer.
[Ben] What is this? "Let's
snuff out the Cigarette."
George Bush.
We are pleased to place
an initial order
for 100 Blue Thunder catamarans.
Forget the royals
and the celebs.
We just got us some
government money!
Sincerely, William Van Raab,
Commissioner U.S. Coast Guard.
Ten million dollars!
Couldn't get any richer!
Well break out
the fuckin' champagne!
- Come on, buddy!
- We did it!
- Yeah.
- U.S.A.-Rizzy, baby!
I gotta call. I gotta...
[Emily chuckles]
I can't believe it.
A fleet of my catamarans
protecting the coastal waters
of these United States.
What'cha doin', bo-boo?
Oh, you don't have a chance.
This is the Coast Guard.
We're driving the Blue Thunder.
I am so proud of you,
Ben Aronoff.
Not bad for the
son of an immigrant
from Sheepshead Bay, huh?
Hm, no. No, not bad at all.
Now you, you coulda done better.
You could have had
that King of Jordan.
You are my king.
Shelley! Shelley!
[Ben] Shelley!
Hey, Ben.
I need your help on something.
Right there.
I'm not gonna sign over
Blue Thunder to you.
You arrogant piece of shit.
Ah!
Do you think you're
different than us? Huh?
Something better?
Something special?
You're just another guppy
in the food chain.
Sign! Sign now!
[grunting]
You're property, Ben.
All you've ever been.
Sign.
[groans]
Good morning!
Headed to the office.
You don't have to sleep
in the guest room
when you get home late at night.
It makes me feel unwanted.
I didn't want to wake you.
I love you.
You know the Blue Thunder deal?
All that hoopla about catching
bad guys with better boats?
I just got off with customs,
and they've been asked to make
checks payable to a new
company: Super Chief South.
Robbie Reemer owns that company.
So you're telling me the biggest
dope smuggler in the country
is in charge of building the
boats intended to catch 'em?
[all laughing]
I thought the Blue Thunder
contract went out to Ben Aronoff.
Yeah, it did. An old friend.
[sighs]
Please. Sit.
[clears throat]
No reason to coat this, Ben,
but our Dade County guys tell
us the Feds are digging around,
looking into everything.
Dope running, money,
the whole operation.
A Grand Jury's collecting evidence
faster than we can clock it.
It's bad. And it's moving
right up our asses.
So you're all
personally suspects?
Some fuckin' banker in Europe
is ratting us all the fuck out
for a fuckin' plea deal.
So what do you want me to do?
How about some
basic co-operation?
- Really?
- Really.
You know what? You better
bring your fuckin' goons here
'cause I'll cut your
fuckin' heart out.
Get this asshole outta here,
or this meeting ends!
I'm not kidding!
Get him out! Get out!
Fuckin' handle this.
Handle this!
Look, Ben...
We need to put some assets
back under your name,
back under the purview
of your companies.
Remove it from the Feds'
reach... for a period.
You guys are precious. You
really, really are precious.
This is serious, Ben.
Hm.
Fuck it. Move the assets.
But you put every single one
of them in my name
not my company's name.
And then, good luck
on getting them back.
Nobody's winning here, Ben.
We're just talking
about surviving.
This is bigger than you,
or Robbie, or fuckin' anyone.
Well guess what?
It ain't my problem.
What have you got us into?
He has a gun.
- Where's Willie?
- He's in his room.
You go to him. You go to him.
Nice place. Nice family.
I hate to see you lose it all.
Now it's my family?
You're gonna get subpoenaed,
and all kinds of people
are worried about it.
Worried about
what you're gonna say.
But I tell them, I'm sure
old Ben's gonna play ball.
He's on the team.
That is what
teammates do, right?
Get out.
- Get the fuck outta here.
- Good luck.
- You've been warned, Ben.
- Get the fuck out.
Tell me something.
You owe me something.
I have to get you out of here.
I want you to get on the phone and
call your sister in New York,
and tell her that
you're on the way.
- Just do that.
- What is going on?
I will tell you everything when
you get to New York. I promise.
I am scared.
I am scared for you.
I am scared for all of us.
Don't be. Don't be.
- I love you.
- God. I love you, too.
OK.
Now listen. Listen.
Listen to me.
We're gonna be fine.
I'll call your sister
with the number where
you can reach me. OK?
I'll call you when I get in.
OK. OK. Go, go. Go.
Slow down.
Slow down. Take it easy.
Don't alarm her.
Plenty of time before
we get to the causeway.
Stay with her.
Go, go, go, go.
Don't let her go too far.
[phone rings]
- Emily.
- Hey.
Oh, thank God. Hey, babe.
You're safe? No problems?
Yeah. Yeah,
William's already in bed,
and Aunt Cynthia's
been incredible.
Except, I think I forgot
what winter was like.
Yeah, man. Oh, I used
to hate Jersey winters.
Well, it's pretty here.
You should come.
I can't, babe.
You know,
I can't put you guys at risk.
So are you gonna tell me?
OK, look.
Over the years, I did business
with a lot of shady guys, OK?
And I stepped on some toes.
I don't know what that means.
It means that I made promises to
people that I can no longer keep,
and it's come back to haunt me.
The guy in the living room?
The guy in the
living room is just
one of a whole line of people
going all the way back to
my days in New Jersey.
- The mob?
- [sighs]
OK, babe, listen.
There is a big court case.
A lot of people
are gonna go down,
and the Feds are pushing hard
on everyone, including me.
So...
So you and me, our lives,
it's just all been one big lie?
Babe, don't say that.
When I fuckin' saw you,
I dropped to my knees.
You fuckin' stoned me.
You're the one
who cleared up my life.
Then run.
I can't do that now, babe.
I'm a fighter too, Ben.
If you're in a fight,
I wanna be right at your side.
Just hang in there.
Hang in there for me, baby.
I love you.
[sighs]
[phone rings]
Yeah?
Hey.
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
Where?
What's the name?
OK, Dutch. It's a straight
shot down to 75.
It's a little bend in Orlando, but
we don't change highways, so...
- OK.
- Yeah. Take it easy.
- Hey. Come on.
- What? No tickets.
- No tickets.
- No tickets.
- No tickets!
- Yeah, no tickets.
[chuckles]
- That means the cops are...
- Yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember.
[knocking on door]
- Morning.
- Morning. Agent...?
- Lopez.
- Ah.
- It's been a while, hasn't it?
- Yes.
A couple of gumbahs wound up
in the ER last night.
Smashed into by a Ford Bronco.
Thought you might know
something about it.
I, uh, I ran your plates.
Put the word out,
called around, and bingo.
It's kinda weird to find a
Mercedes in this parking lot.
Although, more likely
to find Robbie Reemer
with a couple of hookers.
- What do you want?
- I'm just curious.
You know, I really am, 'cause
your name keeps popping up
all over this big-ass
investigation.
You know,
a guy who was friends
with kings and queens, and
goddamn Vice-President,
sells his multi-million-dollar
government contract
to a mobbed up hustler?
- It's just business.
- Just business?
Look, you know, I read this
book once by a Jewish guy.
He said, "People who
have a why to live"
can bear almost anything."
What's your why, Ben?
Let me tell you something.
Sometimes, it doesn't matter
who you are or what you have.
It's just too hard to say no.
Do you have a plan? 'Cause
you're in with a rough crowd.
You can help us,
and we can help you.
Water's calmed down, we just
gotta stay in the boat.
Hang on.
That's a risky bet.
I've been winning with it
my whole life.
Now if you're not going to
arrest me, you have a nice day.
[Shelley]
Hey buddy, there he is.
Secret rendezvous on the beach.
Black.
I spoke to my buddy
at the D.A.'s office.
They won't confirm anything.
On the other hand, they would
have told me to take a hike
if the subpoena wasn't coming.
If it's typed, it's ripe.
You're getting served,
buddy-o, tomorrow.
[sighs]
- That's actually great news.
- Really? How's that?
Once you get served,
they'll keep you safe.
The Reemers, whoever,
they're not gonna touch you
once that happens.
They'll bring the feds
and the Miami-Date P.D.
Dirty as they are,
no one wants that.
25 years of your giving
me high-end advice,
and it all boils down to "Stick
around 'til you get served."
That's the ticket.
Here's something: Now
you're involved in this, too.
All right, I'll tell you what.
Head back to your office,
grab your cash,
anything you want,
meet me at the Hollywood Marina,
we'll take my boat and just...
just disappear for the day.
All right? We'll wait it out.
Just two good ol' boys
gone fishing. Sounds good.
Millie, it's me. Anyone there
I should know about?
Nothing moving
but the waves, Ben.
Good.
[water splashing]
Can I help you?
[man] I'm lookin', uh,
for Ben Aronoff.
I'm afraid he's not in.
Huh.
I've been trying to
reach him for a week,
but he hasn't gotten back to me.
I call, and I call, and I call.
Now look, my boss is
a very wealthy man
who wants to buy a boat.
And he wants to buy the boat
before he goes back
to Michigan. Now, look,
I'm just trying to give
this man some money.
I'm Ben.
Why don't you bring
your boss in,
we'll show him some boats,
and he can see what he likes.
My boss...
took me from the gutter.
Gave me a job.
Everything I have,
everything I am, I owe to him.
I'd do anything for my boss.
Anything... and everything.
I'd never turn my back
on my boss.
You tell your boss
that I'm done.
I don't owe anybody anything.
I'm paid in full and more so.
You tell him that.
I'll tell him.
I'll tell him every word.
Hey, Ben.
[Ben] I'm Ben Aronoff.
I was on top of the world.
I loved, I created, I won.
It was one hell of a race.
[reporter 1] Internationally-known
race boat designer Don Aronow
was shot to death
this afternoon outside...
[reporter 2] ...two-time world
offshore powerboat racing champion...
[reporter 3] ...pronounced
dead at about 5:00...
[reporter 4] ...the Godfather, that is him.
You could call him
the Henry Ford of Powerboats.
He is the man...
[reporter 5]
starting up and developing
the sport of offshore
powerboat racing...
[reporter 6] ...raced his
creations to three national
and two world championships.
His friends are badly shaken,
unable to understand
why anyone would...