Godfather of Harlem (2019) s04e08 Episode Script
If We Must Die
1
What are we gonna do
about Johnson interfering?
All we have to do is make sure
that Marshall Grant
stays in our pocket.
[MARSHALL] Are you gonna tear down
the Apollo Theater to put this up?
I'm selling my property
to Bumpy Johnson.
[LAUGHS]
[BUMPY] Welcome to Club St. Clair.
[APPLAUSE]
Monique!
How's Jerome? How old is he now?
Almost 18. Crazy how fast they grow.
He's always playing music now.
He's gon' be as good as Teddy was.
[COLOMBO] You got gambling, you
got girls, who knows what else?
And cops, they give you a pass.
I'm just saying you can't say
that I don't experience
prejudice, too.
You wanna complain? Go march
the fuck on Washington.
Today, the Italian-American
community stands proud
- [MAN] That's right.
- [MAN] Yes, sir.
and determined to fight injustice.
- [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
- [MAN] Yeah!
The fuck is he doing?
[COLOMBO] Their determination
has inspired us.
You want me to protect you?
Here's one problem. I don't trust you.
Bumpy Johnson's wife
was in my shop today,
trying to pawn her valuable jewelry.
- I had to send her way downtown.
- Where?
- Stop, thief!
- [GUNSHOT]
[WOMAN SCREAMS]
- [BUMPY] Why'd you do it?
- [SOBS]
- I don't wanna run no more.
- You still want my protection?
Hell, I could sure use it.
Well, you're a damn mess.
You know that?
But you got something.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
[JAZZ MUSIC PLAYS]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
♪♪♪
- [WOMAN LAUGHS]
- Thank you.
♪♪♪
[ICE RATTLING]
[BUMPY] Hey.
[MAN] Hey, what's happening, man?
It's good to see you, man.
This place, man
this place is great, man.
♪♪♪
Bumpy.
Man, you put this club together,
man. Thank you so much.
When I grew up,
I wanted to be just like you.
Making Harlem look good. Thank you.
[BUMPY] Thanks.
♪♪♪
[BUMPY] Kate, how you doing?
- Love the dress.
- Isn't it darling?
Tom picked it up for me
while he was in Paris.
Tom, stop making
the rest of us look bad.
[LAUGHS]
♪♪♪
- How you feeling?
- I'm healing all right.
How's the, uh, rake so far today?
Well, it'd be higher
if it weren't for that
damn Johnny the Roach.
Motherfucker caught fire
on a blackjack table.
All right.
Tell Marty to send over
some top-shelf booze,
a couple of girls to cheer him on.
See what we can rake back from there.
I'm on it, Bumpy.
Look at that country
suck-up motherfucker.
[CHANCE]
Oh so you don't like Frank?
Bumpy wants me to work with him.
Yeah, I'll work with him all right.
But
But I'll bust that
nigga's head wide open
if he even thinks about
making the wrong move.
I'm serious, man.
You think, since that heart thing,
something's wrong
with Bumpy's judgement?
Don't even think that.
How could I not think that?
Frank nearly killed Bumpy while
he was laid out in the hospital.
Shh!
He didn't go in there
to bring him flowers.
He went in there
to put a bullet in his head.
And don't you forget.
Yeah, he tore you up a bit, too.
♪♪♪
Well the kid risked his life
for a second chance
with Bumpy, so, uh
I can respect that.
You can suck up to him, too.
I don't trust that motherfucker
for a hot second.
Let me get another one.
♪♪♪
Hell of a set.
- Sit.
- [SIGHS]
To you.
To you, for giving me
a place to play again.
Although my fingers
are still a bit stiff.
Well, you couldn't tell.
No. This place,
it's amazing what you've built.
Just wish your big sister
could have seen it.
She never would've believed it.
Well, that's right. [LAUGHS]
Yeah. I, uh
I brought you something
as a thank you.
Unnecessary.
No, it is.
Something that
you gave Mabel long ago.
A book of poems.
You was always reading
and tryin' to get Mabel
to share your love of poetry.
♪♪♪
Claude McKay.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
"If We Must Die."
"If we must die,
let it not be like hogs
hunted and penned
in an inglorious spot.
While round us bark
the mad and hungry dogs,
making their mock
at our accursed lot."
♪♪♪
[CHUCKLES]
You got me.
- To you.
- Mm-hmm. To you.
♪♪
Good work, fellas.
[HORNS HONKING]
Night.
Hey, you was right about Johnny Roach.
Motherfucker got drunk on
his ass and lost all his dough.
Greed and booze
are the perfect playmates
- for a casino.
- [CHUCKLES]
- [GUN COCKS]
- We know you?
I'll blow your fucking head off.
Take your hand out slowly now
I'm an officer of the court.
Ellsworth Johnson?
You've been served.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪♪
[CHOIR] Yeah ♪
Change ♪
Yeah ♪
[SWIZZ BEATZ]
Open up my window again ♪
Open up my window again ♪
I can hear death
Calling my name ♪
I can hear death
Calling again ♪
I swear to God,
Things ain't gon' change ♪
I swear to God, things
Ain't gon' change ♪
I keep a revolver
With your name ♪
I keep a revolver
With your name, just in case ♪
[RICK ROSS RAPPING] Lay on my
Back watching the ceiling fan ♪
I had a dream
To touch a kilogram ♪
Still at odds
With the Irish mob ♪
Rolls-Royce down
Malcolm X Boulevard ♪
Lord, these really
Out here preying on me ♪
Got the .40 on me
And His hand on me ♪
Snow-white mink
Like I'm Dutch Schultz ♪
Run the books and let me show
You how the numbers look ♪
You can't be lucky
Like you Luciano ♪
The kilos slammin'
Like they new pianos ♪
Fat Boy got the big body ♪
Coast to coast,
I can shoot product ♪
[SWIZZ BEATZ]
Open up my window again ♪
Open up my window again ♪
I can hear death
Calling my name ♪
I can hear
Death calling again ♪
I swear to God,
Things ain't gon' change ♪
I swear to God, things
Ain't gon' change ♪
I keep a revolver
With your name ♪
I keep a revolver with
Your name, just in case ♪
I see. Right.
Let me think about it
and get back to you.
Well, what did the lawyers say?
Straub is suing me for
the ownership of the St. Clair.
How can you be sued
for something you own?
Declaring voidable conveyance.
- Which is?
- Some legal BS,
claiming I didn't pay
a fair price for the land.
He's trying to take control
of what I built.
The land was in Marshall Grant's name.
It was all a scam so Straub
could control the property.
And he's in with Colombo.
Ellsworth, if you lose the St. Clair,
the bank can call in the mortgage.
We lose everything:
Palmetto Chemical,
this apartment, everything.
[SIGHS] Well, what are
you going to do?
I'm gonna catch up
with the son of a bitch.
- I'll get him to back off.
- Be careful, Ellsworth.
There are lawyers involved.
Everybody in New York knows
Straub has a history
of suing people into oblivion.
Don't worry. I'll use all my charms.
[SMOOCHES] Yeah.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
♪♪♪
- Private.
- Sir.
Have you ever experienced
any mental health issues,
such as depression or anxiety?
[JEROME] No, sir.
Do you have any religious
or moral objections
to military service?
- No, sir.
- Open your mouth, please.
Are you currently or have
you ever been a member
of any political organizations?
No, sir.
[CHANTING] We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
- We won't go, hell no!
- What is that?
Ignore them, son. They're traitors.
We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
Get these traitors out of here!
We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
[DOOR BELLS JINGLE, POP MUSIC PLAYS]
Darling, you are ♪
You are my destination ♪
And if you'll say you're mine ♪
They'll be no hesitation ♪
May I?
Please.
♪♪♪
[CLEARS THROAT]
I got to hand it to you.
You dug real deep on this.
I have a fantastic legal team.
Best in the country.
I'm never gonna give you
the St. Clair.
I got good lawyers, too.
Let's make this easy.
Save us both the time and legal costs.
I'll buy the St. Clair from you
for what you put in, plus 10%.
[CHUCKLES]
Hell, no.
[CHUCKLES]
Okay, so then lose it all in court.
No skin off my back.
Why are you doing this?
You could buy any lot in Harlem.
♪♪♪
People seem to think that
you bested me, Mr. Johnson,
and despite the fact
that I have enough money
to buy most of Harlem,
I can't afford to look like a loser.
This is a rough and tumble game,
real estate in New York City.
I'm a winner, Mr. Johnson.
I like to come out on top.
What is this?
Just a reminder
of what you're up against.
It's a signed affidavit
from Marshall Grant
stating that you forced him
to sign over the property.
Marshall would never sign this.
But he did. Now, if I were you,
I'd accept my generous offer
and move on to your next endeavor.
Or don't and end up in the gutter,
where you originated.
Go fuck yourself.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
Gutter it is, then.
♪♪♪
[DOOR BELLS JINGLE, DOOR CLOSES]
I can't hardly think
about nothing else.
Being a soldier wasn't the only thing
that made your father a hero.
[SIGHS]
I know you wanna walk
I'm walking in my own footsteps.
If you wanna risk your life at war,
you oughta have a real reason
you're fighting.
[SIGHS] Mama, I practically
have as much chance
of catching a bullet here
in Harlem as I do in Vietnam.
Tell that to Shirley Hines.
Got the death notice for Darryl
as soon as he went to Vietnam.
[SIGHS]
I heard some boys
are sneaking into Canada.
It's my duty to fight.
You didn't raise me to turn my back.
I didn't raise you to lose you
like I lost your brother Teddy.
You'd lose me anyway
after I was off in Canada.
Yeah. At least I'd know
you're still alive.
[COLOMBO] Here's what I'm thinking
for my Civil Rights speech.
[CLEARS THROAT] So
75 years ago,
my family came to this country
with nothing
but the clothes on their back.
Uh, no one wanted 'em here.
No one wanted to hire them.
What do you think? Start with that?
It's good. I like it.
But
I think you should start
with how Italian food
is the most popular food in the world.
Fuck is wrong with you?
Talking about my family.
- [DOOR OPENS]
- What, are you fucking hungry?
[BUMPY] I wanna talk to you.
[LOUIE] Sorry, boss,
they just barged in.
Nah, nah, it's okay.
I thought he might stop by.
Hey, I'm working
on my Civil Rights speech.
- You wanna hear it?
- Fuck, no.
You wanna explain what the fuck
you're doing with Straub?
Yeah, sure. Why not?
Uh, fellas, give us a minute.
You too, Frank.
I don't take orders from you.
I see you found your tribe.
That's right.
He's with me, and he stays.
Okay.
[CLEARS THROAT] So, what can
I do for you both?
Straub is trying to take
the St. Claire from me,
for which I pay you
and the Families a tribute,
and you're protecting him?
Yeah, I am.
Maybe I should stop paying you.
Well, that wouldn't be smart.
Look, I'm the one who told
Straub to make you a fair offer.
And I told him to go fuck himself.
Okay, well,
you can't say I didn't try.
We had a deal.
And Straub came to me
with a better one.
I don't get it. Sinclair's is booming.
We're both raking it in.
Yeah, look, I don't know
what to tell you.
Straub he's got it out for you,
You know, and he's got a lot
of powerful people behind him,
people that can make
all our lives a living hell.
I just backed the horse
that's gonna win.
And you think I'm just gonna lay down
and let him take what's mine?
No, I don't. I think you're
gonna fight like hell.
But in the end, we both
know you're gonna lose.
My word is good.
Yours is shit.
Bumpy, it's just business.
And every businessman
is out for himself,
ain't that right, Frank?
Just business.
Yeah, see? You gotta be wary
of this one, Bumpy.
Fucking kid's more trouble
than he's worth.
I don't take advice from you.
Well, that's too bad,
'cause [CLEARS THROAT]
if I were you,
I'd take Straub's money,
pay off my debts,
and live to fight another day.
- And if I don't?
- [LIGHTER CLICKS]
You'll lose everything.
For what?
Don't be stupid.
All five Families are behind this.
♪♪♪
Better watch your back.
And Straub better watch his.
♪♪♪
[EXHALES DEEPLY]
[DOOR CLOSES]
He's got to report in three days.
He'll get bussed down to
Fort Polk for basic training,
- then straight to Vietnam.
- [MAYME SCOFFS]
Jerome, drafted?
I remember when he was a skinny
little boy in the Rucker League.
They got him a week after turning 18.
[ELISE] A lot of white boys
are finding a way
to get medically disqualified.
Even if Jerome got some sort
of fake doctor's note,
it don't matter.
He wants to go.
[SCOFFS] Because of his dad.
All Big Will's honors
from World War II?
Fighting the Nazis.
This isn't the same thing at all.
And who knows why and what we're
fighting for in the first place.
I can try to get Sadiq
and some of the other
brothers to talk to him.
They burned their draft cards.
Jerome says draft dodgers
are "shirking their duty to country."
Do you think Daddy could talk
some sense into Jerome?
I have an even better idea.
It might be a long shot,
but there is someone
I can get in touch with.
And if he can't persuade him,
no one can.
[WOMAN SINGING IN ITALIAN]
- I'll have the branzino.
- Very good.
Bring me the ribeye, rare,
with some lemons on the side.
Yes, sir.
You know, the acid from the lemon,
it helps break down the fat.
It's easier to digest.
- You're so fucking worldly.
- [LAUGHS]
Yeah, well, I've been to all
five boroughs, you know?
A couple of foreign countries,
including new Jersey.
Well, Stella, it's been too long
since you and I sat down
and broke some bread.
Yeah, well, we've both been busy.
I mean, who would have
thought that a smart,
enterprising, attractive young lady
who started off
answering phones for me
would wind up running a family?
I'm not running anything.
He knows the boss.
Come on.
We all know what's going on.
♪♪♪
Yeah, well, I know you
didn't ask me here to talk
over my family dynamics.
[CLEARS THROAT]
I'm sure you've heard that, uh
things in Harlem are changing.
Are they?
Yeah.
Trust me, they are.
Might be a shift in power,
so to speak.
What is this, some kind of warning?
An invitation.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
Something wrong, Bumpy?
Is this your signature?
♪♪♪
Yeah.
Yeah, it is.
Why?
Why'd you sign it?
I didn't know what it said.
It says that I coerced you
into selling me the property
under the St. Clair.
You stabbed me in the back, Marshall.
Bumpy, they put a gun to my head,
told me to sign.
I didn't read it or know
what the hell it was.
They didn't give me time.
So, why didn't you come
and tell me about it?
They told me they'd kill me
if I talked to anybody.
♪♪♪
It's bad, what I signed, isn't it?
It's not good.
It's definitely not good.
Bumpy, I'm sorry,
but you you know that I'd
never do anything to hurt you.
You You know that, right?
♪♪♪
Yeah.
I'll do anything
to set it straight, huh?
You name it.
I'll let you know
if we need your help.
In the meantime, go get ready
for your set tonight.
♪♪♪
So, what's the plan?
The plan is I'm gonna get
Chance and Pettigrew
to deliver a-a message to Straub.
A clear fucking message.
♪♪♪
[COLOMBO] Stella, you know
that I'm not a guy
who's satisfied until he has it all.
So, that's what I'm gonna do.
I'm gonna get it all.
Capo di tutti capi.
I'm gonna take the crown and be king.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
Thing is [CLEARS THROAT]
I'm still looking for a queen.
Is this your way
of proposing? [CHUCKLES]
Because it's not very romantic.
Look, you and I, we belong together,
you know, professionally
and personally.
Together as one,
our families would be unstoppable.
♪♪
It's a nice idea.
It's just one problem.
Oh, yeah? What's What's that?
I don't love you.
Yeah, but this ain't about love.
This is about power.
Listen
when your father's gone,
what happens to you then?
Huh? I mean
I mean, you know they'll never
open up the books to a woman.
Respect? You won't get none.
Yeah, maybe you get a few envelopes,
plus whatever your father
has stashed away.
Live a few good years.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
And then the money's gone.
You find yourself living
in a townhouse
in Staten Island downwind of the dump.
No kids. It's a miserable life.
That's what you want, dried up?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪♪
Joe, did you ever read
"The Man Who Would be King"?
♪♪♪
Nah.
Well, in the end, his hubris,
it causes him to die a violent death.
♪♪♪
He gets his companion killed, too.
Oh, yeah? I'll have to
go down to the library
and check that one out.
You should.
♪♪♪
Well, in the meantime,
think about my offer, hmm,
especially as things unfold.
♪♪♪
["IT'S ALL RIGHT" PLAYS]
You always order this much
food on your lunch break?
We expecting company.
Who?
Come on, Mama! Who?
Look, I hope you ain't hire no clown,
- 'cause it ain't my birthday.
- Ain't no clown.
Well, I hope it's not someone gon' try
and talk me out of what I want to do.
[DOOR BELLS JINGLE]
Say it's all right ♪
It's all right ♪
[WOMAN] Cassius! That's Cassius Clay!
- How you doing?
- Ali! It's the champ!
- How you doing?
- [LAUGHING]
- How you doing?
- Oh, man!
- How you doing?
- [MAN] It's Muhammad Ali.
[GASPS] Oh, shoot. Is that
[PATRONS CHATTERING EXCITEDLY]
It is, and I can hardly
believe it myself.
- That him?
- Sure is.
Just see if you can talk
some sense into him.
Okay, Mayme. I'll do my best.
- Give Bumpy my regards.
- Of course.
♪♪♪
You got soul, and everybody knows ♪
How you doing, ma'am?
Muhammad Ali.
[DELIA] My pleasure.
You must be Jerome.
[MUMBLES]
So, tell me again
why you wanna go fight
Whitey's big, fat war?
To be honest, Mr. Ali,
I wanna become an engineer,
and my mama got no way
of sending me to school.
Plenty of schools here. Study hard.
Maybe you'll get a scholarship.
It's not just that.
My dad was a-a war hero.
War hero?
You wanna be one, too?
I'll never be as great as him,
but I would want him
to be proud of me.
I'm not a coward.
Coward?
[R&B MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪♪
It takes courage
to stand up to the system.
Hell, I've lost millions of dollars,
been banned from boxing,
facing jail time.
You think that don't require courage?
It does.
But you're a fighter.
Why don't you just go fight?
My conscience won't let me go shoot
some poor hungry folks
in the mud for white America.
No Vietcong has ever called me nigger.
Yeah but if if we let
one country fall to communism,
others are gonna fall, too.
Aren't you worried about that?
Not at all.
Why are you?
Um
♪♪♪
Listen, if I thought the Vietnam War
was gon' bring freedom and equality
to 22 million of my people
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
they wouldn't have to draft me.
I'd join tomorrow.
I see.
One more thing.
You may be willing
to sacrifice your life,
but others may pay.
Your mama.
Your friends. The children
you'll never have.
And the God you'll never serve.
Hey.
I want you to think about that.
♪♪♪
Thank you, Champ.
♪♪♪
Hey, uh
can I get your autograph?
[DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE]
[BUMPY] So, what do you think,
Miss Willa?
Well, legally, you don't
have a leg to stand on.
But if I were a betting woman,
I'd say the court is gonna favor
a white developer like Straub.
And the offer?
You walk away with some
money in your pocket.
You still got the Geechee,
and, uh, you can move on.
And Mr. Grant will live out
his life in luxury.
So, you're saying
that I should take the deal?
You know I grew up
in the Bronx, right?
Yeah.
Then Robert Moses came along
and built that expressway.
- The Cross Bronx.
- Yeah.
And they blew up my neighborhood.
Blew it up.
Did you know my father
had a grocery store?
No.
I used to help him stack the produce.
And, I mean, we knew everybody,
and everybody knew us.
It was a neighborhood.
And he gave everybody credit.
Everybody.
[CHUCKLES] I think that's
why I became an accountant.
Didn't wanna make the same mistakes.
No, I didn't.
Bumpy, we had a neighborhood.
I mean [LAUGHS]
I felt like I was raised
by every woman in that neighborhood.
[CHUCKLES]
I got a thousand cousins out there.
Well, that's nice.
It was.
And the problem with Straub
is that what he builds
destroys communities.
And he says, yeah,
there are gonna be jobs,
but you know none of those jobs
are going to Black people.
Not one.
We can't even afford to live
in any of these luxury condos.
He's gonna come in here,
destroy the culture,
destroy the community.
But you'll be fine.
I get the point.
I just wanted a professional opinion.
Well, my professional opinion
is this man should burn in hell.
♪♪♪
I can't believe I met Muhammad Ali.
Thanks to Mayme. So, what did he say?
Did y'all talk about the war?
- Yeah.
- And?
Did you know he's given up
boxing and millions of dollars?
It's crazy. I mean, he's a celebrity.
You think they're gonna put him
in the line of fire?
- No way.
- That ain't the point.
He's a Black Muslim, Ma.
That's a whole nother thing.
I ain't like him.
I'm not religiously opposed
to fighting for my country.
And what's this country
ever done for you
other than enslave your people?
Mama, not everything
about this country is bad.
I'm not afraid to fight,
and I'm not afraid to die.
- And I'm an adult.
- [SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE]
I got to think for myself, okay?
I got to make my own decisions.
[FOOTSTEPS DEPART]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
[MAN] Sir.
♪♪
Mr. Straub. Can we have a word?
We have a message from Bumpy Johnson.
We just want you
to look over this affidavit
you gave Marshall Grant to sign.
Ah.
You'll have to talk to my lawyer.
No.
I need you to sign this affidavit
that gives the St. Claire
back to Bumpy Johnson,
or else you'll see
the business end of my .45.
[SCOFFS]
- [GUNSHOTS]
- Shit.
He's got backup. It's Colombo's guys!
Aah!
[GUN CLICKING]
I'm out.
I'm out, too.
♪♪
♪♪
- Oh!
- Get down!
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
[DOOR OPENS]
[ROCK 'N' ROLL MUSIC PLAYS]
[DOOR CLOSES]
♪♪♪
I'm here to see Stella Gigante.
Delia.
What are you doing here?
You said if I ever needed help.
I could come to you.
Yeah, of course.
Come on. Let's sit down.
♪♪♪
I'm telling you, Stella,
not even Muhammad Ali,
Muhammad Ali himself,
could convince that boy.
Well
I'm so worried. I'm worried sick.
I understand.
I don't wanna lose another one.
You can imagine how I feel.
Of course.
How can I help?
Well, uh, can't you get him
out of it somehow?
You know a lot of powerful people.
It's It's tough to avoid
the draft if he wants to go,
and if Muhammad Ali can't
convince him otherwise.
I think he has a need to prove himself
after his father died, Teddy died.
Jerome's been close to so much death.
Maybe some part of him
wants to face it
to prove he's not afraid.
It could be.
It's all psychological.
And he's so damn stubborn.
Just like Teddy.
♪♪♪
What can I do?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
I was thinking maybe
you could kidnap him
and send him up to Canada.
- Delia
- Please.
I need your help. You're all I got.
♪♪♪
Let me talk to some of the boys.
I'll see what I can do.
♪♪♪
[BUMPY] So you're advising me
to take this to trial?
If you think that's
our best shot, then
then let's do it.
Huh?
I think we can win this case. Mm-hmm.
[WHISPERING] Ain't nothing
going our way lately.
[WHISPERING] Nah, it ain't.
I knew getting out
of the duji business
- was the wrong move.
- Right.
If we lose the St. Clair, then what?
I don't know.
Well, I'll tell you.
We gon' be scraping
for dimes to get by.
[RECEIVER CLATTERS]
You best keep your mouth shut
before Bumpy catches wind
of your hot air.
You hear me?
That was my lawyer.
What'd he say?
We're gonna file a motion
to dismiss the case.
Marshal's gonna have to go
in front of the judge
and say that he was coerced
into signing those papers.
Then you get to keep the St. Claire?
Yeah.
- What if you lose the case?
- I ain't gonna lose.
Straub owns the judges,
but it's the jury that decides.
And they'll believe Marshall.
I'm gonna go talk to him now.
No fucking way. No.
Come on, Pino.
It's not a difficult job.
I don't give a fuck.
We got bigger problems.
And I don't want my guys
getting all bent out of shape
over helping some fucking moolinyan.
Delia's my friend.
- Do you understand?
- Yeah, well, I understand
you need better friends.
Be honest, Stella.
What does that old
Black lady have over you?
She doesn't have anything over me.
I consider her like family.
She's not your family, Stel.
She's the kind of family
I would have wanted.
I was in love with her son, Teddy.
♪♪♪
I wanted her to be my mother-in-law.
But I'm partly responsible
for Teddy's death.
So, not only do I love her,
but I owe her.
And you're gonna fucking help me.
[SCOFFS]
All right.
All right. You wanna help her so bad,
you take her kid
up to Canada yourself.
Me? I'm concerned
with this fucking family.
The Genovese Family.
Just like your father wanted me to,
I'm gonna be here,
taking care of business.
You? I don't give
a flying fuck what you do.
You hear me? But I'm sorry,
Stel. This is not our problem.
End of fucking story.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪♪
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
[DOOR CREAKS]
[DELIA] Hey. May we come in?
Who the hell are you?
And why you got
this white woman with you?
This is Stella Gigante.
She's my friend,
and we're here to see Elise.
Yeah, well, we don't make
a habit of letting white folks
up in here
since most of them is police.
Hold on, Sadiq.
I know you.
Yeah. I know your father.
Can we please talk to you?
Stella's good people.
She can be trusted.
If you can get Jerome up to Canada,
I'll provide the car, money for gas,
supplies for whoever goes with him,
and money for him to settle
once he gets across the border.
Look, we've helped smuggle
young Black men out of Harlem
if they're draft resisters.
Hell, most of us
burned our draft cards
the minute they arrived.
But you're talking about a boy
who wants to go to Vietnam.
- He's young and confused.
- If he wants to fight,
there ain't nothing
we can do about that.
Yeah, there is.
Kidnap him.
Take him no matter what he says.
[SCOFFS] That's gangster tactics,
and we don't do that.
Sometimes the only way
to go is gangster.
I'm sure Elise can
tell you about that.
[HORNS HONKING]
- How can I help you?
- Hey there, young fella.
I'm looking for some peaches.
You got those?
Uh, right here. How many you want?
Enough for an eight-hour car ride.
Wow. That's a long trip.
Four should do you.
And what's
your favorite fruit, Jerome?
How do you know my name?
Oh, we know all about you, brother.
We gon' take
all that shit to go, Jerome.
Elise? What are you doing here?
Got a message from your mama.
Oh, yeah? What's that?
"Goodbye."
Hey, hey! Hey, get off me!
Hey! What the hell?!
Elise, wait!
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪♪
[ENGINE STARTS]
[TIRES SQUEAL]
♪♪♪
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪♪
[DOOR CREAKS]
Marshall, you here?
[GASPS]
Fuck, no.
♪♪♪
I'm sorry, Bumpy.
I know how much he meant to you.
♪♪♪
[BIRDS CALLING]
[DELIA] I had them bring you
here for a reason.
To say goodbye
to the men this family
has lost and to me.
What the hell? I can't believe this.
'Cause if you died,
they'd have to bury me, too,
right next to your father.
[ELISE] Jerome,
we're taking you to Canada,
- whether you wanna go or not.
- I packed your clothes.
There's money in here for rent,
and you'll need a good winter jacket.
You'd do this against my will?
Even if it makes you hate me.
If Muhammad Ali could give up
the thing he loves most, boxing,
I can give you up.
Mama, if you do this,
I'll just come back.
You can't stop me from fighting.
I guess you're right.
But you'll break my heart.
When you become a parent,
you'll understand.
Jerome, the military
requires Black people
to fight their battles.
They're willing to risk your life
while here at home,
they treat you like shit.
They're throwing you
into the meat grinder.
Can't you see that?
My conscience won't let me
go shoot some poor,
hungry folks in the mud
for white America.
No Vietcong has ever called me nigga.
I just wanna do
something with my life.
I feel like I'm suffocating
here in Harlem.
Why not make a better
life here in Harlem?
How?
By joining the Panthers.
We got plenty of draft dodgers
in our ranks.
If you're gonna fight a war,
fight a just war.
Fight with us for what
we deserve as a people.
Hope. A future.
You may be willing
to sacrifice your life,
but others may pay.
Your mama.
Your friends.
The children you'll never have.
[DELIA] Elise
Delia, this boy is not
gonna sit up in Canada
twiddling his thumbs.
He needs a cause, and there's
one right here at home.
But that's just as dangerous.
Mama
I hear what she's saying.
Look, Muhammad Ali was right.
Ain't no Vietcong
ever called me nigga.
I won't join the military
if I can join the Panthers.
At least you'll be home.
Anybody got a lighter?
♪♪♪
[ELISE CHUCKLES]
[APPLAUSE]
- [SADIQ] My man.
- [ELISE] Hell, yeah!
[SADIQ] Welcome to the Panthers.
[HORNS HONKING,
SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE]
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACH, DOOR CLOSES]
Oh, hey.
What are you doing home so early?
What was I thinking?
What?
You could have told me
that rebuilding Harlem
was a crazy idea.
Ellsworth, what is going on?
What happened?
Marshall Grant he's dead.
What?!
Oh!
They outplayed me, Mayme.
They're gonna get the St. Clair.
No, you don't know that.
I lost, Mayme.
I lost, and it cost a man his life.
[SIGHS]
I'm-a give 'em what they want.
I'm gonna take their money,
pay off all our debts
and we're gonna live
to see another day.
You know, for what it's worth,
I am sick of this shit, too.
And I am sorry about Marshall.
[FOOTSTEPS DEPART]
[BELLINI'S "CASTA DIVA" PLAYS]
Casta ♪
Diva ♪
Casta diva ♪
[STRAUB] You know, I love this place.
It's so real, so Italian.
It's very Italian, yeah.
I come here a lot with some
friends of mine, you know?
We like it because
it's old school cooking,
and they fly all the ingredients
in from all over Italy
Can we get down to business?
I wanna get this over with.
Okay.
It seems our friend here
is in a bad mood.
I don't know why. You're gonna
make a tidy profit on this sale.
A very good man is dead,
a man who was my friend.
Oh, yeah. Jesus, we
we heard about that.
Such a shame.
They said he offed himself.
I'm not so sure
that's how it happened.
And if it didn't,
whoever is responsible,
they'll pay.
[OPERA SINGING CONTINUES
IN BACKGROUND]
Are you accusing us of somethin'?
Marshall Grant could have
easily blown up
your whole bullshit case against me.
Maybe yes, maybe no.
But the poor man is not here anymore.
Now, uh [CLEARS THROAT]
Joe and I are glad
that you came to your senses.
Let's cross the T's
and dot the I's on this.
Money first.
Of course.
♪♪♪
Yeah, make sure it's all there.
I wouldn't want Mr. Straub here
to take advantage.
Joe, I'd never cheat
on a business deal.
As partners, I don't want you
to ever worry about that.
♪♪♪
[LATCHES SHUT]
All right. Let's get on with it.
♪♪♪
[SINGER VOCALIZING]
[DOOR CREAKS]
Tempra, o Diva ♪
[STELLA] "Times are changing,
sweetheart.
Think about my offer. Joe."
♪♪♪
[SIGHS]
♪♪♪
Tempra ♪
Ancora ♪
[SIGHS]
Tempra ancora lo zelo audace ♪
Spargi in terra ♪
Quella pace ♪
Spargi in terra ♪
Spargi in terra ♪
Che regnar ♪
[VOCALIZING CONTINUES]
Che regnar ♪
Regnar tu fai nel ciel ♪
We good?
Yes, we are.
Good.
- [GUNSHOT]
- What the fuck, Joe?!
You think you can trust
this fucking guy?
Fellas, let me take these
off your fucking hands.
That's my money.
[CATERINA CASELLI] è tutto nero ♪
Not anymore.
Now that you're broke,
you can go back
to doing what you do best
selling dope in Harlem.
But, hey, listen, no hard feelings.
Oh, and feel free to stop by
the St. Clair whenever you want.
Drinks are on me.
Hey, Dom, get the fucking contract.
- Yeah, boss.
- Let's go.
Son nere le pareti
Bianche della stanza ♪
Dov'è la luce
Che fa bella l'esistenza? ♪
Chi mi viene incontro per
Le strade guarda e non sa ♪
sync & corrections awaqeded
Io cerco il bene che
Ho perduto e sto piangendo ♪
Affrontar la vita,
Semi manchi, come farò ♪
Se la bianca aurora
Del mattino nera vedrò ♪
L'inchiostro nero è diventato
Verde mare ♪
Da quando so che non
Potrai più ritornare ♪
Mm mm mm mm mm mm,
Mm mm mm mm mm mm ♪
E come un bimbo appena nato
Cerca il mondo ♪
Io cerco ♪
What are we gonna do
about Johnson interfering?
All we have to do is make sure
that Marshall Grant
stays in our pocket.
[MARSHALL] Are you gonna tear down
the Apollo Theater to put this up?
I'm selling my property
to Bumpy Johnson.
[LAUGHS]
[BUMPY] Welcome to Club St. Clair.
[APPLAUSE]
Monique!
How's Jerome? How old is he now?
Almost 18. Crazy how fast they grow.
He's always playing music now.
He's gon' be as good as Teddy was.
[COLOMBO] You got gambling, you
got girls, who knows what else?
And cops, they give you a pass.
I'm just saying you can't say
that I don't experience
prejudice, too.
You wanna complain? Go march
the fuck on Washington.
Today, the Italian-American
community stands proud
- [MAN] That's right.
- [MAN] Yes, sir.
and determined to fight injustice.
- [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
- [MAN] Yeah!
The fuck is he doing?
[COLOMBO] Their determination
has inspired us.
You want me to protect you?
Here's one problem. I don't trust you.
Bumpy Johnson's wife
was in my shop today,
trying to pawn her valuable jewelry.
- I had to send her way downtown.
- Where?
- Stop, thief!
- [GUNSHOT]
[WOMAN SCREAMS]
- [BUMPY] Why'd you do it?
- [SOBS]
- I don't wanna run no more.
- You still want my protection?
Hell, I could sure use it.
Well, you're a damn mess.
You know that?
But you got something.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
[JAZZ MUSIC PLAYS]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
♪♪♪
- [WOMAN LAUGHS]
- Thank you.
♪♪♪
[ICE RATTLING]
[BUMPY] Hey.
[MAN] Hey, what's happening, man?
It's good to see you, man.
This place, man
this place is great, man.
♪♪♪
Bumpy.
Man, you put this club together,
man. Thank you so much.
When I grew up,
I wanted to be just like you.
Making Harlem look good. Thank you.
[BUMPY] Thanks.
♪♪♪
[BUMPY] Kate, how you doing?
- Love the dress.
- Isn't it darling?
Tom picked it up for me
while he was in Paris.
Tom, stop making
the rest of us look bad.
[LAUGHS]
♪♪♪
- How you feeling?
- I'm healing all right.
How's the, uh, rake so far today?
Well, it'd be higher
if it weren't for that
damn Johnny the Roach.
Motherfucker caught fire
on a blackjack table.
All right.
Tell Marty to send over
some top-shelf booze,
a couple of girls to cheer him on.
See what we can rake back from there.
I'm on it, Bumpy.
Look at that country
suck-up motherfucker.
[CHANCE]
Oh so you don't like Frank?
Bumpy wants me to work with him.
Yeah, I'll work with him all right.
But
But I'll bust that
nigga's head wide open
if he even thinks about
making the wrong move.
I'm serious, man.
You think, since that heart thing,
something's wrong
with Bumpy's judgement?
Don't even think that.
How could I not think that?
Frank nearly killed Bumpy while
he was laid out in the hospital.
Shh!
He didn't go in there
to bring him flowers.
He went in there
to put a bullet in his head.
And don't you forget.
Yeah, he tore you up a bit, too.
♪♪♪
Well the kid risked his life
for a second chance
with Bumpy, so, uh
I can respect that.
You can suck up to him, too.
I don't trust that motherfucker
for a hot second.
Let me get another one.
♪♪♪
Hell of a set.
- Sit.
- [SIGHS]
To you.
To you, for giving me
a place to play again.
Although my fingers
are still a bit stiff.
Well, you couldn't tell.
No. This place,
it's amazing what you've built.
Just wish your big sister
could have seen it.
She never would've believed it.
Well, that's right. [LAUGHS]
Yeah. I, uh
I brought you something
as a thank you.
Unnecessary.
No, it is.
Something that
you gave Mabel long ago.
A book of poems.
You was always reading
and tryin' to get Mabel
to share your love of poetry.
♪♪♪
Claude McKay.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
"If We Must Die."
"If we must die,
let it not be like hogs
hunted and penned
in an inglorious spot.
While round us bark
the mad and hungry dogs,
making their mock
at our accursed lot."
♪♪♪
[CHUCKLES]
You got me.
- To you.
- Mm-hmm. To you.
♪♪
Good work, fellas.
[HORNS HONKING]
Night.
Hey, you was right about Johnny Roach.
Motherfucker got drunk on
his ass and lost all his dough.
Greed and booze
are the perfect playmates
- for a casino.
- [CHUCKLES]
- [GUN COCKS]
- We know you?
I'll blow your fucking head off.
Take your hand out slowly now
I'm an officer of the court.
Ellsworth Johnson?
You've been served.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪♪
[CHOIR] Yeah ♪
Change ♪
Yeah ♪
[SWIZZ BEATZ]
Open up my window again ♪
Open up my window again ♪
I can hear death
Calling my name ♪
I can hear death
Calling again ♪
I swear to God,
Things ain't gon' change ♪
I swear to God, things
Ain't gon' change ♪
I keep a revolver
With your name ♪
I keep a revolver
With your name, just in case ♪
[RICK ROSS RAPPING] Lay on my
Back watching the ceiling fan ♪
I had a dream
To touch a kilogram ♪
Still at odds
With the Irish mob ♪
Rolls-Royce down
Malcolm X Boulevard ♪
Lord, these really
Out here preying on me ♪
Got the .40 on me
And His hand on me ♪
Snow-white mink
Like I'm Dutch Schultz ♪
Run the books and let me show
You how the numbers look ♪
You can't be lucky
Like you Luciano ♪
The kilos slammin'
Like they new pianos ♪
Fat Boy got the big body ♪
Coast to coast,
I can shoot product ♪
[SWIZZ BEATZ]
Open up my window again ♪
Open up my window again ♪
I can hear death
Calling my name ♪
I can hear
Death calling again ♪
I swear to God,
Things ain't gon' change ♪
I swear to God, things
Ain't gon' change ♪
I keep a revolver
With your name ♪
I keep a revolver with
Your name, just in case ♪
I see. Right.
Let me think about it
and get back to you.
Well, what did the lawyers say?
Straub is suing me for
the ownership of the St. Clair.
How can you be sued
for something you own?
Declaring voidable conveyance.
- Which is?
- Some legal BS,
claiming I didn't pay
a fair price for the land.
He's trying to take control
of what I built.
The land was in Marshall Grant's name.
It was all a scam so Straub
could control the property.
And he's in with Colombo.
Ellsworth, if you lose the St. Clair,
the bank can call in the mortgage.
We lose everything:
Palmetto Chemical,
this apartment, everything.
[SIGHS] Well, what are
you going to do?
I'm gonna catch up
with the son of a bitch.
- I'll get him to back off.
- Be careful, Ellsworth.
There are lawyers involved.
Everybody in New York knows
Straub has a history
of suing people into oblivion.
Don't worry. I'll use all my charms.
[SMOOCHES] Yeah.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
♪♪♪
- Private.
- Sir.
Have you ever experienced
any mental health issues,
such as depression or anxiety?
[JEROME] No, sir.
Do you have any religious
or moral objections
to military service?
- No, sir.
- Open your mouth, please.
Are you currently or have
you ever been a member
of any political organizations?
No, sir.
[CHANTING] We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
- We won't go, hell no!
- What is that?
Ignore them, son. They're traitors.
We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
Get these traitors out of here!
We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
We won't go, hell no!
[DOOR BELLS JINGLE, POP MUSIC PLAYS]
Darling, you are ♪
You are my destination ♪
And if you'll say you're mine ♪
They'll be no hesitation ♪
May I?
Please.
♪♪♪
[CLEARS THROAT]
I got to hand it to you.
You dug real deep on this.
I have a fantastic legal team.
Best in the country.
I'm never gonna give you
the St. Clair.
I got good lawyers, too.
Let's make this easy.
Save us both the time and legal costs.
I'll buy the St. Clair from you
for what you put in, plus 10%.
[CHUCKLES]
Hell, no.
[CHUCKLES]
Okay, so then lose it all in court.
No skin off my back.
Why are you doing this?
You could buy any lot in Harlem.
♪♪♪
People seem to think that
you bested me, Mr. Johnson,
and despite the fact
that I have enough money
to buy most of Harlem,
I can't afford to look like a loser.
This is a rough and tumble game,
real estate in New York City.
I'm a winner, Mr. Johnson.
I like to come out on top.
What is this?
Just a reminder
of what you're up against.
It's a signed affidavit
from Marshall Grant
stating that you forced him
to sign over the property.
Marshall would never sign this.
But he did. Now, if I were you,
I'd accept my generous offer
and move on to your next endeavor.
Or don't and end up in the gutter,
where you originated.
Go fuck yourself.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
Gutter it is, then.
♪♪♪
[DOOR BELLS JINGLE, DOOR CLOSES]
I can't hardly think
about nothing else.
Being a soldier wasn't the only thing
that made your father a hero.
[SIGHS]
I know you wanna walk
I'm walking in my own footsteps.
If you wanna risk your life at war,
you oughta have a real reason
you're fighting.
[SIGHS] Mama, I practically
have as much chance
of catching a bullet here
in Harlem as I do in Vietnam.
Tell that to Shirley Hines.
Got the death notice for Darryl
as soon as he went to Vietnam.
[SIGHS]
I heard some boys
are sneaking into Canada.
It's my duty to fight.
You didn't raise me to turn my back.
I didn't raise you to lose you
like I lost your brother Teddy.
You'd lose me anyway
after I was off in Canada.
Yeah. At least I'd know
you're still alive.
[COLOMBO] Here's what I'm thinking
for my Civil Rights speech.
[CLEARS THROAT] So
75 years ago,
my family came to this country
with nothing
but the clothes on their back.
Uh, no one wanted 'em here.
No one wanted to hire them.
What do you think? Start with that?
It's good. I like it.
But
I think you should start
with how Italian food
is the most popular food in the world.
Fuck is wrong with you?
Talking about my family.
- [DOOR OPENS]
- What, are you fucking hungry?
[BUMPY] I wanna talk to you.
[LOUIE] Sorry, boss,
they just barged in.
Nah, nah, it's okay.
I thought he might stop by.
Hey, I'm working
on my Civil Rights speech.
- You wanna hear it?
- Fuck, no.
You wanna explain what the fuck
you're doing with Straub?
Yeah, sure. Why not?
Uh, fellas, give us a minute.
You too, Frank.
I don't take orders from you.
I see you found your tribe.
That's right.
He's with me, and he stays.
Okay.
[CLEARS THROAT] So, what can
I do for you both?
Straub is trying to take
the St. Claire from me,
for which I pay you
and the Families a tribute,
and you're protecting him?
Yeah, I am.
Maybe I should stop paying you.
Well, that wouldn't be smart.
Look, I'm the one who told
Straub to make you a fair offer.
And I told him to go fuck himself.
Okay, well,
you can't say I didn't try.
We had a deal.
And Straub came to me
with a better one.
I don't get it. Sinclair's is booming.
We're both raking it in.
Yeah, look, I don't know
what to tell you.
Straub he's got it out for you,
You know, and he's got a lot
of powerful people behind him,
people that can make
all our lives a living hell.
I just backed the horse
that's gonna win.
And you think I'm just gonna lay down
and let him take what's mine?
No, I don't. I think you're
gonna fight like hell.
But in the end, we both
know you're gonna lose.
My word is good.
Yours is shit.
Bumpy, it's just business.
And every businessman
is out for himself,
ain't that right, Frank?
Just business.
Yeah, see? You gotta be wary
of this one, Bumpy.
Fucking kid's more trouble
than he's worth.
I don't take advice from you.
Well, that's too bad,
'cause [CLEARS THROAT]
if I were you,
I'd take Straub's money,
pay off my debts,
and live to fight another day.
- And if I don't?
- [LIGHTER CLICKS]
You'll lose everything.
For what?
Don't be stupid.
All five Families are behind this.
♪♪♪
Better watch your back.
And Straub better watch his.
♪♪♪
[EXHALES DEEPLY]
[DOOR CLOSES]
He's got to report in three days.
He'll get bussed down to
Fort Polk for basic training,
- then straight to Vietnam.
- [MAYME SCOFFS]
Jerome, drafted?
I remember when he was a skinny
little boy in the Rucker League.
They got him a week after turning 18.
[ELISE] A lot of white boys
are finding a way
to get medically disqualified.
Even if Jerome got some sort
of fake doctor's note,
it don't matter.
He wants to go.
[SCOFFS] Because of his dad.
All Big Will's honors
from World War II?
Fighting the Nazis.
This isn't the same thing at all.
And who knows why and what we're
fighting for in the first place.
I can try to get Sadiq
and some of the other
brothers to talk to him.
They burned their draft cards.
Jerome says draft dodgers
are "shirking their duty to country."
Do you think Daddy could talk
some sense into Jerome?
I have an even better idea.
It might be a long shot,
but there is someone
I can get in touch with.
And if he can't persuade him,
no one can.
[WOMAN SINGING IN ITALIAN]
- I'll have the branzino.
- Very good.
Bring me the ribeye, rare,
with some lemons on the side.
Yes, sir.
You know, the acid from the lemon,
it helps break down the fat.
It's easier to digest.
- You're so fucking worldly.
- [LAUGHS]
Yeah, well, I've been to all
five boroughs, you know?
A couple of foreign countries,
including new Jersey.
Well, Stella, it's been too long
since you and I sat down
and broke some bread.
Yeah, well, we've both been busy.
I mean, who would have
thought that a smart,
enterprising, attractive young lady
who started off
answering phones for me
would wind up running a family?
I'm not running anything.
He knows the boss.
Come on.
We all know what's going on.
♪♪♪
Yeah, well, I know you
didn't ask me here to talk
over my family dynamics.
[CLEARS THROAT]
I'm sure you've heard that, uh
things in Harlem are changing.
Are they?
Yeah.
Trust me, they are.
Might be a shift in power,
so to speak.
What is this, some kind of warning?
An invitation.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
Something wrong, Bumpy?
Is this your signature?
♪♪♪
Yeah.
Yeah, it is.
Why?
Why'd you sign it?
I didn't know what it said.
It says that I coerced you
into selling me the property
under the St. Clair.
You stabbed me in the back, Marshall.
Bumpy, they put a gun to my head,
told me to sign.
I didn't read it or know
what the hell it was.
They didn't give me time.
So, why didn't you come
and tell me about it?
They told me they'd kill me
if I talked to anybody.
♪♪♪
It's bad, what I signed, isn't it?
It's not good.
It's definitely not good.
Bumpy, I'm sorry,
but you you know that I'd
never do anything to hurt you.
You You know that, right?
♪♪♪
Yeah.
I'll do anything
to set it straight, huh?
You name it.
I'll let you know
if we need your help.
In the meantime, go get ready
for your set tonight.
♪♪♪
So, what's the plan?
The plan is I'm gonna get
Chance and Pettigrew
to deliver a-a message to Straub.
A clear fucking message.
♪♪♪
[COLOMBO] Stella, you know
that I'm not a guy
who's satisfied until he has it all.
So, that's what I'm gonna do.
I'm gonna get it all.
Capo di tutti capi.
I'm gonna take the crown and be king.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
Thing is [CLEARS THROAT]
I'm still looking for a queen.
Is this your way
of proposing? [CHUCKLES]
Because it's not very romantic.
Look, you and I, we belong together,
you know, professionally
and personally.
Together as one,
our families would be unstoppable.
♪♪
It's a nice idea.
It's just one problem.
Oh, yeah? What's What's that?
I don't love you.
Yeah, but this ain't about love.
This is about power.
Listen
when your father's gone,
what happens to you then?
Huh? I mean
I mean, you know they'll never
open up the books to a woman.
Respect? You won't get none.
Yeah, maybe you get a few envelopes,
plus whatever your father
has stashed away.
Live a few good years.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
And then the money's gone.
You find yourself living
in a townhouse
in Staten Island downwind of the dump.
No kids. It's a miserable life.
That's what you want, dried up?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪♪
Joe, did you ever read
"The Man Who Would be King"?
♪♪♪
Nah.
Well, in the end, his hubris,
it causes him to die a violent death.
♪♪♪
He gets his companion killed, too.
Oh, yeah? I'll have to
go down to the library
and check that one out.
You should.
♪♪♪
Well, in the meantime,
think about my offer, hmm,
especially as things unfold.
♪♪♪
["IT'S ALL RIGHT" PLAYS]
You always order this much
food on your lunch break?
We expecting company.
Who?
Come on, Mama! Who?
Look, I hope you ain't hire no clown,
- 'cause it ain't my birthday.
- Ain't no clown.
Well, I hope it's not someone gon' try
and talk me out of what I want to do.
[DOOR BELLS JINGLE]
Say it's all right ♪
It's all right ♪
[WOMAN] Cassius! That's Cassius Clay!
- How you doing?
- Ali! It's the champ!
- How you doing?
- [LAUGHING]
- How you doing?
- Oh, man!
- How you doing?
- [MAN] It's Muhammad Ali.
[GASPS] Oh, shoot. Is that
[PATRONS CHATTERING EXCITEDLY]
It is, and I can hardly
believe it myself.
- That him?
- Sure is.
Just see if you can talk
some sense into him.
Okay, Mayme. I'll do my best.
- Give Bumpy my regards.
- Of course.
♪♪♪
You got soul, and everybody knows ♪
How you doing, ma'am?
Muhammad Ali.
[DELIA] My pleasure.
You must be Jerome.
[MUMBLES]
So, tell me again
why you wanna go fight
Whitey's big, fat war?
To be honest, Mr. Ali,
I wanna become an engineer,
and my mama got no way
of sending me to school.
Plenty of schools here. Study hard.
Maybe you'll get a scholarship.
It's not just that.
My dad was a-a war hero.
War hero?
You wanna be one, too?
I'll never be as great as him,
but I would want him
to be proud of me.
I'm not a coward.
Coward?
[R&B MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪♪
It takes courage
to stand up to the system.
Hell, I've lost millions of dollars,
been banned from boxing,
facing jail time.
You think that don't require courage?
It does.
But you're a fighter.
Why don't you just go fight?
My conscience won't let me go shoot
some poor hungry folks
in the mud for white America.
No Vietcong has ever called me nigger.
Yeah but if if we let
one country fall to communism,
others are gonna fall, too.
Aren't you worried about that?
Not at all.
Why are you?
Um
♪♪♪
Listen, if I thought the Vietnam War
was gon' bring freedom and equality
to 22 million of my people
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
they wouldn't have to draft me.
I'd join tomorrow.
I see.
One more thing.
You may be willing
to sacrifice your life,
but others may pay.
Your mama.
Your friends. The children
you'll never have.
And the God you'll never serve.
Hey.
I want you to think about that.
♪♪♪
Thank you, Champ.
♪♪♪
Hey, uh
can I get your autograph?
[DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE]
[BUMPY] So, what do you think,
Miss Willa?
Well, legally, you don't
have a leg to stand on.
But if I were a betting woman,
I'd say the court is gonna favor
a white developer like Straub.
And the offer?
You walk away with some
money in your pocket.
You still got the Geechee,
and, uh, you can move on.
And Mr. Grant will live out
his life in luxury.
So, you're saying
that I should take the deal?
You know I grew up
in the Bronx, right?
Yeah.
Then Robert Moses came along
and built that expressway.
- The Cross Bronx.
- Yeah.
And they blew up my neighborhood.
Blew it up.
Did you know my father
had a grocery store?
No.
I used to help him stack the produce.
And, I mean, we knew everybody,
and everybody knew us.
It was a neighborhood.
And he gave everybody credit.
Everybody.
[CHUCKLES] I think that's
why I became an accountant.
Didn't wanna make the same mistakes.
No, I didn't.
Bumpy, we had a neighborhood.
I mean [LAUGHS]
I felt like I was raised
by every woman in that neighborhood.
[CHUCKLES]
I got a thousand cousins out there.
Well, that's nice.
It was.
And the problem with Straub
is that what he builds
destroys communities.
And he says, yeah,
there are gonna be jobs,
but you know none of those jobs
are going to Black people.
Not one.
We can't even afford to live
in any of these luxury condos.
He's gonna come in here,
destroy the culture,
destroy the community.
But you'll be fine.
I get the point.
I just wanted a professional opinion.
Well, my professional opinion
is this man should burn in hell.
♪♪♪
I can't believe I met Muhammad Ali.
Thanks to Mayme. So, what did he say?
Did y'all talk about the war?
- Yeah.
- And?
Did you know he's given up
boxing and millions of dollars?
It's crazy. I mean, he's a celebrity.
You think they're gonna put him
in the line of fire?
- No way.
- That ain't the point.
He's a Black Muslim, Ma.
That's a whole nother thing.
I ain't like him.
I'm not religiously opposed
to fighting for my country.
And what's this country
ever done for you
other than enslave your people?
Mama, not everything
about this country is bad.
I'm not afraid to fight,
and I'm not afraid to die.
- And I'm an adult.
- [SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE]
I got to think for myself, okay?
I got to make my own decisions.
[FOOTSTEPS DEPART]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
[MAN] Sir.
♪♪
Mr. Straub. Can we have a word?
We have a message from Bumpy Johnson.
We just want you
to look over this affidavit
you gave Marshall Grant to sign.
Ah.
You'll have to talk to my lawyer.
No.
I need you to sign this affidavit
that gives the St. Claire
back to Bumpy Johnson,
or else you'll see
the business end of my .45.
[SCOFFS]
- [GUNSHOTS]
- Shit.
He's got backup. It's Colombo's guys!
Aah!
[GUN CLICKING]
I'm out.
I'm out, too.
♪♪
♪♪
- Oh!
- Get down!
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
[DOOR OPENS]
[ROCK 'N' ROLL MUSIC PLAYS]
[DOOR CLOSES]
♪♪♪
I'm here to see Stella Gigante.
Delia.
What are you doing here?
You said if I ever needed help.
I could come to you.
Yeah, of course.
Come on. Let's sit down.
♪♪♪
I'm telling you, Stella,
not even Muhammad Ali,
Muhammad Ali himself,
could convince that boy.
Well
I'm so worried. I'm worried sick.
I understand.
I don't wanna lose another one.
You can imagine how I feel.
Of course.
How can I help?
Well, uh, can't you get him
out of it somehow?
You know a lot of powerful people.
It's It's tough to avoid
the draft if he wants to go,
and if Muhammad Ali can't
convince him otherwise.
I think he has a need to prove himself
after his father died, Teddy died.
Jerome's been close to so much death.
Maybe some part of him
wants to face it
to prove he's not afraid.
It could be.
It's all psychological.
And he's so damn stubborn.
Just like Teddy.
♪♪♪
What can I do?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
I was thinking maybe
you could kidnap him
and send him up to Canada.
- Delia
- Please.
I need your help. You're all I got.
♪♪♪
Let me talk to some of the boys.
I'll see what I can do.
♪♪♪
[BUMPY] So you're advising me
to take this to trial?
If you think that's
our best shot, then
then let's do it.
Huh?
I think we can win this case. Mm-hmm.
[WHISPERING] Ain't nothing
going our way lately.
[WHISPERING] Nah, it ain't.
I knew getting out
of the duji business
- was the wrong move.
- Right.
If we lose the St. Clair, then what?
I don't know.
Well, I'll tell you.
We gon' be scraping
for dimes to get by.
[RECEIVER CLATTERS]
You best keep your mouth shut
before Bumpy catches wind
of your hot air.
You hear me?
That was my lawyer.
What'd he say?
We're gonna file a motion
to dismiss the case.
Marshal's gonna have to go
in front of the judge
and say that he was coerced
into signing those papers.
Then you get to keep the St. Claire?
Yeah.
- What if you lose the case?
- I ain't gonna lose.
Straub owns the judges,
but it's the jury that decides.
And they'll believe Marshall.
I'm gonna go talk to him now.
No fucking way. No.
Come on, Pino.
It's not a difficult job.
I don't give a fuck.
We got bigger problems.
And I don't want my guys
getting all bent out of shape
over helping some fucking moolinyan.
Delia's my friend.
- Do you understand?
- Yeah, well, I understand
you need better friends.
Be honest, Stella.
What does that old
Black lady have over you?
She doesn't have anything over me.
I consider her like family.
She's not your family, Stel.
She's the kind of family
I would have wanted.
I was in love with her son, Teddy.
♪♪♪
I wanted her to be my mother-in-law.
But I'm partly responsible
for Teddy's death.
So, not only do I love her,
but I owe her.
And you're gonna fucking help me.
[SCOFFS]
All right.
All right. You wanna help her so bad,
you take her kid
up to Canada yourself.
Me? I'm concerned
with this fucking family.
The Genovese Family.
Just like your father wanted me to,
I'm gonna be here,
taking care of business.
You? I don't give
a flying fuck what you do.
You hear me? But I'm sorry,
Stel. This is not our problem.
End of fucking story.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪♪
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
[DOOR CREAKS]
[DELIA] Hey. May we come in?
Who the hell are you?
And why you got
this white woman with you?
This is Stella Gigante.
She's my friend,
and we're here to see Elise.
Yeah, well, we don't make
a habit of letting white folks
up in here
since most of them is police.
Hold on, Sadiq.
I know you.
Yeah. I know your father.
Can we please talk to you?
Stella's good people.
She can be trusted.
If you can get Jerome up to Canada,
I'll provide the car, money for gas,
supplies for whoever goes with him,
and money for him to settle
once he gets across the border.
Look, we've helped smuggle
young Black men out of Harlem
if they're draft resisters.
Hell, most of us
burned our draft cards
the minute they arrived.
But you're talking about a boy
who wants to go to Vietnam.
- He's young and confused.
- If he wants to fight,
there ain't nothing
we can do about that.
Yeah, there is.
Kidnap him.
Take him no matter what he says.
[SCOFFS] That's gangster tactics,
and we don't do that.
Sometimes the only way
to go is gangster.
I'm sure Elise can
tell you about that.
[HORNS HONKING]
- How can I help you?
- Hey there, young fella.
I'm looking for some peaches.
You got those?
Uh, right here. How many you want?
Enough for an eight-hour car ride.
Wow. That's a long trip.
Four should do you.
And what's
your favorite fruit, Jerome?
How do you know my name?
Oh, we know all about you, brother.
We gon' take
all that shit to go, Jerome.
Elise? What are you doing here?
Got a message from your mama.
Oh, yeah? What's that?
"Goodbye."
Hey, hey! Hey, get off me!
Hey! What the hell?!
Elise, wait!
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪♪
[ENGINE STARTS]
[TIRES SQUEAL]
♪♪♪
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪♪
[DOOR CREAKS]
Marshall, you here?
[GASPS]
Fuck, no.
♪♪♪
I'm sorry, Bumpy.
I know how much he meant to you.
♪♪♪
[BIRDS CALLING]
[DELIA] I had them bring you
here for a reason.
To say goodbye
to the men this family
has lost and to me.
What the hell? I can't believe this.
'Cause if you died,
they'd have to bury me, too,
right next to your father.
[ELISE] Jerome,
we're taking you to Canada,
- whether you wanna go or not.
- I packed your clothes.
There's money in here for rent,
and you'll need a good winter jacket.
You'd do this against my will?
Even if it makes you hate me.
If Muhammad Ali could give up
the thing he loves most, boxing,
I can give you up.
Mama, if you do this,
I'll just come back.
You can't stop me from fighting.
I guess you're right.
But you'll break my heart.
When you become a parent,
you'll understand.
Jerome, the military
requires Black people
to fight their battles.
They're willing to risk your life
while here at home,
they treat you like shit.
They're throwing you
into the meat grinder.
Can't you see that?
My conscience won't let me
go shoot some poor,
hungry folks in the mud
for white America.
No Vietcong has ever called me nigga.
I just wanna do
something with my life.
I feel like I'm suffocating
here in Harlem.
Why not make a better
life here in Harlem?
How?
By joining the Panthers.
We got plenty of draft dodgers
in our ranks.
If you're gonna fight a war,
fight a just war.
Fight with us for what
we deserve as a people.
Hope. A future.
You may be willing
to sacrifice your life,
but others may pay.
Your mama.
Your friends.
The children you'll never have.
[DELIA] Elise
Delia, this boy is not
gonna sit up in Canada
twiddling his thumbs.
He needs a cause, and there's
one right here at home.
But that's just as dangerous.
Mama
I hear what she's saying.
Look, Muhammad Ali was right.
Ain't no Vietcong
ever called me nigga.
I won't join the military
if I can join the Panthers.
At least you'll be home.
Anybody got a lighter?
♪♪♪
[ELISE CHUCKLES]
[APPLAUSE]
- [SADIQ] My man.
- [ELISE] Hell, yeah!
[SADIQ] Welcome to the Panthers.
[HORNS HONKING,
SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE]
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACH, DOOR CLOSES]
Oh, hey.
What are you doing home so early?
What was I thinking?
What?
You could have told me
that rebuilding Harlem
was a crazy idea.
Ellsworth, what is going on?
What happened?
Marshall Grant he's dead.
What?!
Oh!
They outplayed me, Mayme.
They're gonna get the St. Clair.
No, you don't know that.
I lost, Mayme.
I lost, and it cost a man his life.
[SIGHS]
I'm-a give 'em what they want.
I'm gonna take their money,
pay off all our debts
and we're gonna live
to see another day.
You know, for what it's worth,
I am sick of this shit, too.
And I am sorry about Marshall.
[FOOTSTEPS DEPART]
[BELLINI'S "CASTA DIVA" PLAYS]
Casta ♪
Diva ♪
Casta diva ♪
[STRAUB] You know, I love this place.
It's so real, so Italian.
It's very Italian, yeah.
I come here a lot with some
friends of mine, you know?
We like it because
it's old school cooking,
and they fly all the ingredients
in from all over Italy
Can we get down to business?
I wanna get this over with.
Okay.
It seems our friend here
is in a bad mood.
I don't know why. You're gonna
make a tidy profit on this sale.
A very good man is dead,
a man who was my friend.
Oh, yeah. Jesus, we
we heard about that.
Such a shame.
They said he offed himself.
I'm not so sure
that's how it happened.
And if it didn't,
whoever is responsible,
they'll pay.
[OPERA SINGING CONTINUES
IN BACKGROUND]
Are you accusing us of somethin'?
Marshall Grant could have
easily blown up
your whole bullshit case against me.
Maybe yes, maybe no.
But the poor man is not here anymore.
Now, uh [CLEARS THROAT]
Joe and I are glad
that you came to your senses.
Let's cross the T's
and dot the I's on this.
Money first.
Of course.
♪♪♪
Yeah, make sure it's all there.
I wouldn't want Mr. Straub here
to take advantage.
Joe, I'd never cheat
on a business deal.
As partners, I don't want you
to ever worry about that.
♪♪♪
[LATCHES SHUT]
All right. Let's get on with it.
♪♪♪
[SINGER VOCALIZING]
[DOOR CREAKS]
Tempra, o Diva ♪
[STELLA] "Times are changing,
sweetheart.
Think about my offer. Joe."
♪♪♪
[SIGHS]
♪♪♪
Tempra ♪
Ancora ♪
[SIGHS]
Tempra ancora lo zelo audace ♪
Spargi in terra ♪
Quella pace ♪
Spargi in terra ♪
Spargi in terra ♪
Che regnar ♪
[VOCALIZING CONTINUES]
Che regnar ♪
Regnar tu fai nel ciel ♪
We good?
Yes, we are.
Good.
- [GUNSHOT]
- What the fuck, Joe?!
You think you can trust
this fucking guy?
Fellas, let me take these
off your fucking hands.
That's my money.
[CATERINA CASELLI] è tutto nero ♪
Not anymore.
Now that you're broke,
you can go back
to doing what you do best
selling dope in Harlem.
But, hey, listen, no hard feelings.
Oh, and feel free to stop by
the St. Clair whenever you want.
Drinks are on me.
Hey, Dom, get the fucking contract.
- Yeah, boss.
- Let's go.
Son nere le pareti
Bianche della stanza ♪
Dov'è la luce
Che fa bella l'esistenza? ♪
Chi mi viene incontro per
Le strade guarda e non sa ♪
sync & corrections awaqeded
Io cerco il bene che
Ho perduto e sto piangendo ♪
Affrontar la vita,
Semi manchi, come farò ♪
Se la bianca aurora
Del mattino nera vedrò ♪
L'inchiostro nero è diventato
Verde mare ♪
Da quando so che non
Potrai più ritornare ♪
Mm mm mm mm mm mm,
Mm mm mm mm mm mm ♪
E come un bimbo appena nato
Cerca il mondo ♪
Io cerco ♪