The Godfather Scene 5

CUT TO: INSIDE THE CORLEONE OFFICE – DAY

SONNY *to Tom*: Tom-anuch! Hey, a hundred button men on
the street twenty-four hours a day; that Turk shows one hair on his ass, he's dead.

TOM *going to sit down*: Yeah?

SONNY: Believe me... *to Michael, whose face is bruised from McCluskey's punch* Hey, Michael, come're, let me look at you. You look beautiful! Beautiful! Just gorgeous! *to Tom* Hey, listen to this...the Turk wants to talk. Eh gosh...imagine the nerve of the sonofabitch, eh? Craps out last night, and wants a meetin' today...

TOM: What did he say?

SONNY: What did he say...Badda-beep, badda-bap, badda-boop, badda-beep. He wants us to send Michael here to proposition. And the promise is, that the deal is so good, that we can't refuse. Eh...

TOM: *as Tessio enters the room* What about Bruno Tattaglia?

SONNY: That's part of the deal. Bruno cancels out what they did to my father...

TOM: Sonny, we ought to hear what they have to say...

SONNY *standing in front of Tom, who's seated*: No, no, no! No more! Not this time, consiglieri. No more meetin's, no more discussions, no more Sollozzo tricks. You *more*

SONNY *Cont'd*: Give'em one message: I want Sollozzo. If not, it's all-out war. We go to the mattresses...

TOM: *stands* Some of the other families won't sit still for all-out war!

SONNY: Then they hand me Sollozzo!

TOM: You're father wouldn't want to hear this! This is business, not personal, Sonny!

SONNY: They shot my father...that's business? Your ass...

TOM: Even the shooting of your father was business, not personal, Sonny!

SONNY *now seated behind the desk*: Well, then, business will have to suffer, alright? And listen...do me a favor , Tom. No more advice on how to patch things up, please. Just help me win, please, alright?

TOM *after they settle down*: I found out about this Captain McCluskey who broke Mike's jaw...

SONNY: What about 'im?

TOM: Now he's definitely on Sollozzo's payroll, and for big money. McCluskey has agreed to be the Turk's bodyguard. What you have to understand, Sonny, is that while Sollozzo is being guarded like this, he is invulnerable. Now nobody has ever gunned down a New York police captain...never. It would be disastrous. All the Five Families would come after you, Sonny. The Corleone Family would be outcasts! Even the old man's political protection would run for cover! So do me a favor take this into consideration.

SONNY: Alright. We'll wait.

MICHAEL: We can't wait.

SONNY: Huh?

MICHAEL *who's seated with his arms on the chair's arms*: We can't wait. I don't care what Sollozzo says about a deal, he's gonna kill Pop, that's it. That's the key for him. Gotta get Sollozzo.

CLEMENZA: Mike is right...

SONNY: Lemme ask you something...? What about McCluskey? Huh? What do we do with this cop here?

MICHAEL: They wanna to have a meeting with me, right? It will be me, McCluskey and Sollozzo. Let's set the meeting. Get our informers to find out where it's gonna be held. Now, we insist it's a public place...a bar, a restaurant...some place where there's people so I feel safe. They're gonna search me when I first meet them, right? so I can't have a weapon on me then. But if Clemenza can figure a way to have a weapon planted there for me, then I'll kill 'em both. Clemenza, Tessio and Sonny laugh. Tom shrugs.

SONNY: Hey, whataya gonna do, nice college boy, eh? Didn't want to get mixed up in the Family business, huh? Now you wanna gun down a police captain, why, because he slapped ya in the face a little bit? Hah? What do you think this is, the Army, where you shoot 'em a mile away? You've gotta get up close like this and bada-bing! you blow their brains all over your nice Ivy
League suit. Come're...

MICHAEL *as Sonny kisses his head*: Sonny...

SONNY: You're taking this very personal. Tom, this is business and this man is taking it very very personal.

MICHAEL: Where does it say that you can't kill a cop?

HAGEN: Come on, Mikey...

MICHAEL: Tom, wait a minute. I'm talking about a cop that's mixed up in drugs. I'm talking about ah... ah... a dishonest cop...a crooked cop who got mixed up in the rackets and got what was coming to him. That's a terrific story. And we have newspaper people on the pay roll, don't we, Tom? Hagen nods in the affirmative. And they might like a story like that.

HAGEN: They might, they just might...

MICHAEL: It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business.

CUT TO: CLEMENZA'S CELLAR – DAY

[Clemenza is showing Michael the gun he's to use.]

CLEMENZA: It's as cold as they come...impossible to trace, so you don't worry about prints, Mike. I put a special tape on the trigger, and the butt. Here, try it... *after Michael tries it but doesn't shoot it* What's the matter, the trigger too tight?

MICHAEL *after shooting the gun*: Oh, my ears...

CLEMENZA *laughs*: Yeah, I left it noisy – that way it scares any pain-in-the-ass innocent bystanders away. *more*

CLEMENSA *Cont'd* *then*: All right, you shot'em both...now what do you do?

MICHAEL: Sit down, finish my dinner...

CLEMENZA: Come on kid, don't fool around. Just let your hand drop to your side, and let the gun slip out. Everybody'll still think you got it. They're gonna be staring at your face, Mike...so walk outta the place real fast but you don't run. Don't look nobody directly in the eye...but you don't look away, either. Hey, they're gonna be scared still of you, believe me, so don't worry about nothin'. You know, you're going to turn out all right. You take a long vacation...nobody knows where and we're gonna catch the hell.

MICHAEL: How bad do you think it's gonna be?

CLEMENZA: Pretty goddamn bad. Probably all the other Families will line up against us. That's alright...this things gotta happen every five years or so...ten years helps to get rid of the bad blood. Been ten years since the last one. You know you got to stop them at the beginning, like they should have stopped Hitler at Munich, They should've never let him get away with that. They were just asking for big trouble. You know, Mike, we was all proud of you – being a hero and all. Your father, too.

[Clemenza hands Michael the gun after adjusting it. Michael points and fires the unloaded gun.]

CUT TO: THE CORLEONE DINING ROOM (6:30PM)

[Sonny, Clemenza, Tessio and Rocco are sitting around, eating Chinese food while waiting for news about where the Sollozzo meeting will take place. Michael smokes as the others eat.]

TOM *as he enters*: Nothing. Not a hint. Absolutely nothing. Even Sollozzo's people don't know where the meeting's going to be held.

MICHAEL: How much time do we have?

SONNY *checking his watch*: They're gonna pick you up in front of Jack Dempsey's joint in an hour and a half. Exactly an hour and a half.

CLEMENZA: We could put a tail on them and see how it turns out...

SONNY: Sollozzo'd lose our ass going around the block!

TOM: What about the negotiator?

CLEMENZA: He's over at my place playin' pinochle with a couple of my men. He's happy, they're lettin' him win...

TOM: There's too much of a risk for Mike. Maybe we outta call it off, Sonny.

CLEMENZA: The negotiator keeps on playing cards until Mike comes back safe and sound.

SONNY: So why don't he just blast whoever's in the goddamn car?

CLEMENZA: Too dangerous – they'd be lookin' for that.

TOM: Sollozzo might not even be in the car, Sonny! The phone rings, Sonny gets up to get it.

SONNY: I'll get it. *into the phone* Yeah...Yeah...Well, thanks... *after hanging up the phone and returning to the table* Louis' Restaurant in the Bronx.

TOM: Well is it reliable?

SONNY: That's my man in McCluskey's precinct. A police captain's gotta be on call twenty- four hours a day. He signed out at that number between eight and ten. Anybody know this joint?

TESSIO: Yeah, sure, I do. It's perfect for us. A small family place, good food. Everyone minds his business. It's perfect. Pete they got an old-fashion toilet...you know, the box, and... and... and... ah the chain-thing. We might be able to tape the gun behind it.

CLEMENZA: All right, Mike: you go to the restaurant, you eat, you talk for a while, you relax. You make them relax. Then you get up and you go take a leak. No...better still...you ask for permission to go. Then when you come back, you come out blastin', and don't take any chances...two shots in the head apiece.

SONNY: Listen, I want somebody good and I mean very good...to plant that gun. I don't want my brother coming out of that toilet with just his dick in his hands, alright?

CLEMENZA: The gun'll be there...

SONNY: All right *to Tessio* Listen, you drive him and you pick him up after the job, okay?

CLEMENZA: Come on, let's move...As they're standing by the door, preparing to leave.

MICHAEL'S VOICE *O.S.*: Thank you, Tom...

SONNY: Did he...ah...tell you to drop the gun right away?

MICHAEL: Yeah, a million times.

CLEMENZA: You don't forget: two shots apiece in the head soon as you come out the door, ah? Let's go...

MICHAEL: How long do you think it'll be before I can come back?

SONNY: At least a year, Mike. Listen...um...I'll square it with Mom, uh – you know, you're not seeing her before you leave; and uh, I'll get a message to that girlfriend, when I think the time is right *after he and Michael embrace* Take care, huh?

TOM: Take care, Mike...

MICHAEL: *embracing Tom* Tom.

[DISSOLVE TO: JACK DEMPSEY'S RESTAURANT *8:00PM*]

[Michael's waiting on the sidewalk until Sollozzo's car pulls up
and he gets in.]

SOLLOZZO: I'm glad you came, Mike. I hope we can straighten everything out. I mean, this is terrible. It's not the way I wanted things to go at all. It should've never happened.

MICHAEL: We'll straighten everything out tonight. I don't want my father bothered any more...

SOLLOZZO: He won't be, Mike; I swear on my children he won't be. But you gotta keep an op en mind when we talk. I mean, I hope you're not a hothead like your brother Sonny. You can't talk business with him... something in Italian.

MCCLUSKEY: Ahh, he's a good kid. *as he leans forward* I'm sorry about the other night, Mike. I gotta frisk you, so turn around uh...on your knees, facing me. *as McCluskey frisks Michael* Ah, I guess I'm gettin' too old for my job. Too grouchy...can't stand the aggravation. You know how it is... *to Sollozzo* He's clean.
A little while later, as the car begins to cross the Triborough bridge. Michael notices the sign that says "To New Jersey".

MICHAEL: We're goin' to Jersey?

SOLLOZZO: Maybe...

[Sollozzo's car does a high-speed U-turn, cutting off cars who sound there horn, as he crosses over the road's divider into the other direction across the bridge.]

SOLLOZZO: Nice work, Lou. Later, the car pulls up to Louis' Italian-American Restaurant. They go in.

[DISSOLVE TO: AT A TABLE IN LOUIS' ITALIAN RESTAURANT]

[The waiter brings a bottle of wine to the table.]

MCCLUSKEY: How's the Italian food in this restaurant?

SOLLOZZO: Good...try the veal...it's the best in the city.

MCCLUSKEY: I'll have it.

SOLLOZZO *to the waiter*: Capide? *after the waiter nods, opens the bottle and pours the wine* All right. *to McCluskey* I'm gonna speak Italian to Mike.

MCCLUSKEY: Go ahead...

SOLLOZZO: Me dispiace? *after Michael nods; in Italian* What happened to your father was business? I have much respect for your father but your father...his thinking is old fashioned. You must understand why I had to do that...

MICHAEL *in Italian*: I understand that...

SOLLOZZO *after the waiter brings McCluskey's veal and leaves; in Italian* Now let's work through where we go from here...

MICHAEL:... come si diche...? *in English* What I want? What's most important to me is that I have a guarantee: No more attempts on my father's life.

SOLLOZZO: What guarantees could I give you, Mike? I am the hunted one! I missed my chance. You think too much of me, kid. I'm not that clever. All I want, is a truce.

MICHAEL *after a while*: I have to go to the bathroom. Is that all right?

MCCLUSKEY *while eating*: You gotta go, you gotta go... *after Sollozzo begins to frisk Michael as he's standing* I frisked him – he's clean.

SOLLOZZO: Don't take too long...

MCCLUSKEY *while watching Michael enter the bathroom*: I've frisked a thousand young punks...

CUT TO: INSIDE THE RESTROOM

[Mike's looking for the gun behind the tank. He can't find it.]

CUT TO: TABLE

[McCluskey glances toward the restroom; Sollozzo smokes.]

CUT TO: RESTROOM

[When Michael finally finds the gun. He's relieved.]

CUT TO: TABLE

[McCluskey glances up again.]

CUT TO: RESTROOM

[Where Michael hesitates by the door, preparing himself as a train is loudly heard passing close by, just before he goes back to the dining area.]

CUT TO: DINING ROOM

[Sollozzo and McCluskey watch Michael emerge from the restroom, hesitate at the door, then sit down.]

SOLLOZZO *voice fading into background* *in Italian*: Everything alright? – Look – Your father...

[Michael doesn't pay attention to Sollozzo – he's under too much mental anguish. He rises, and quickly shoots Sollozzo in the head. He shoots McCluskey in the throat, then the forehead as McCluskey holds his throat. McCluskey falls, overturning the table. Michael goes to exit, dropping the gun. Outside, Michael gets picked up by Tessio, and they speed off.]

[DISSOLVE TO: NEWSPAPER STACK]

[Showing headline: "Police Hunt Cop Killer" Newspaper headline: "City Cracks Down"]

[DISSOLVE TO: Tessio by a lamp working on a crossword puzzle.]

[DISSOLVE TO: Newspaper headline: "Police Captain Linked With Drug Rackets"]

[DISSOLVE TO: Clemenza seated on a cot, starting to lie down.]

[DISSOLVE TO: BUTTONMEN SEATED AROUND TABLE EATING – DAY PAN RIGHT to piano player *who's playing the music we hear*.]

[DISSOLVE TO: Newspaper headline: "Mobster Barzini Questioned in Underworld Feud"]

[DISSOLVE TO: Buttonmen sitting on mattresses. Buttonmen at table passing food.]

[DISSOLVE TO: Newspaper photo of police overlooking a dead body in a bar.]