Hard Street (4)
Angel Obregon

Pull what?

DENVER
Keep it in focus.

COSTAS
Why do you talk so funny?
CONTINUED
56

CONTINUED

DENVER
Company I keep.

COSTAS
It's like a puzzle, like how many
fairies are hiding in this picture.
You got to stop and squint to figure
out what you're seeing.

DENVER
The lighting doesn't separate figure
and ground. He was afraid of losing
color saturation so he turned all the
lights high as they would go.

COSTAS
It's lit like a porn movie.

DENVER
Precisely.

COSTAS does a double take.

COSTAS
Did you have anything to do with this?

DENVER
You didn't see my name on it, did you?

COSTAS
That sounds like a 'yes'. Can we stop
watching this now?

He doesn't wait for an answer. He pops the cassette and
hands it to him. Denver smiles at him.

CUT TO:

INT. LAWYER'S OFFICE

DENVER
The tape and the script.

LAWYER
I've talked to them already.

DENVER
You shouldn't have done that.

CONTINUED
57

CONTINUED

LAWYER
They're offering $5000 to get rid of a
nuisance lawsuit I think you should
take it.

DENVER
It's a lock There's no way we can
lose. I've got the copyright.

LAWYER
It's more complicated than that. As
your lawyer I insist that you accept
their offer. I will not pursue this
case any further.

DENVER
There's a malpractice suit here.

LAWYER
If you like, but I'm withdrawing from
the case on account of ill health.

DENVER
Then give me my money back.

LAWYER
No, I've done considerable legal
research on this, filed certain
papers, made certain inquiries and I
think I've earned my fee.

Denver grabs the phone and begins to dial.

DENVER
May I use your phone.

LAWYER
Who are you calling?

DENVER
Street justice and divine
intervention...Hello, is Vlad still
there?...Right...Vlad, it's Denver.
I got this lawyer here. He took
15,000. All he's got to do is
file some papers, but he won't
move. I think the other side got
to him. Will you talk to him please?

CONTINUED
58

CONTINUED

He hands the phone to the lawyer.

LAWYER
I don't know what he told you, but...I
understand that, but...Look, it's a
very complicated case and he wants
guarantees...Yes, I know the
name...I've heard of him too.
Yes, I'll do my best.

He hangs up sweating.

DENVER
The KGB vs. the Mafia, cute, huh?,
only the Russians don't give up their
people and the Italians do.

LAWYER
Why don't you settle it among
yourselves?

DENVER
It's cheaper this way.

LAWYER
I'm caught in the middle. It's a little unfair.

DENVER
You going to file for that injunction today?

LAWYER
When I get around to it. I have other
cases that are far more pressing.

DENVER
I think I understand the problem.
You're not working for a percentage
so, you want to get rid of the case.

LAWYER
I won't accept a percentage on this.

DENVER
Will this do? There should be 5,000 here.

He takes a huge wad of money out of his shoulder bag. The
denominations are very mixed and it's impossible to tell
how much it amounts to. It might only be a few hundred.
Denver puts in on the front of the desk.
CONTINUED
59

CONTINUED

LAWYER
You understand that there are no guarantees.

He smiles and reaches across the desk for the money

Denver grabs him by the hair and sticks a stun gun in his
ear. The Lawyer swoons soundlessly.

Denver turns him on his back and puts the stun gun to his
throat.

DENVER
The problem here is to find the
carotid sheath. That holds the vagus
nerve which controls the bating of the
heart. The stun gun interferes with
that. The beating of the heart becomes
irregular and uncoordinated.

I think it's called tachycardia which should
be a decisive inconvenience in under a minute.

Blood pressure drops to zero, brain death
begins almost at once. Within 30 seconds
it should be irreversible.

Of course, the electrodes leave nasty red marks,
but the way you shave, no one will ever notice.

The Lawyer stops twitching. Denver sticks a finger in his
eye and gets no reaction. He looks around the room,
moving the pictures, looking for a safe. No luck. He goes
through the desk. No luck. Then he gets an idea. He
reaches into the middle drawer and runs his fingers along
the underside of the desk top. Sure enough, there's an
envelope taped to it. He pulls it loose an opens it.
It's a considerable amount of money. He puts all of it
into his shoulder bag.

INT. LAW OFFICE ANTEROOM (BRIGHT)

Denver passes the SECRETARY who looks at him with
sorrowful compassion. Clearly, she knows that he just got
the bureaucratic shuffle.

DENVER
It's really humiliating to be a grown
man and still so helpless.

CONTINUED
60

CONTINUED

SECRETARY
I'm sure Mr. Garvey will do his best.

DENVER
I don't know. He didn't seem very
interested.

SECRETARY
Shall I speak to him for you?

DENVER
Yes, please, I'd be grateful if you
did, but I honestly don't think he'd
listen. But I'm in your hands.

Denver walks out. The SECRETARY smiles at him
contemptuously behind his back.

CUT TO:

INT. WRITERS'S GUILD EAST (BRIGHT)

Classic 1950's motel decor.

DENVER
I need a lawyer.

CLERK
Are you a guild member?

DENVER
Of course.

He flashes a union card.

CLERK
This way, I guess.

CUT TO:

INT. LAWYER'S OFFICE

LAWYER#2 gets up. Denver puts the cassette and the script
on the desk.

DENVER
Plagiarism. This is the movie. This is
the script and the guild registration.

CONTINUED
61

CONTINUED

LAWYER#2
Come on.

CUT TO:

INT. SCREENING ROOM

Lawyer#2 slips the cassette into the VCR and flips out
the lights.

THE SAME

The film is winding down. The end credits come on.

LAWYER#2
You don't have a case.

DENVER
It's the same script.

LAWYER#2
It's the same story, but it's history
and that's in the public domain.

DENVER
Scene by scene it's the same structure.

LAWYER#2
You cannot copyright structure.
For example, you did not invent the
the flashback. All you can copyright
is your dialogue and he butchered
that beyond recognition. All you
have is a nuisance lawsuit and I
don't think you want that.

DENVER
Then why do I feel ripped off?

LAWYER#2
Because you've been ripped off, but
the way he did it is entirely legal.

DENVER
Not entirely. It's the same problem you
have writing a dictionary: You cant copyright
the English language so, how do you protect
yourself? The answer is easy.

CONTINUED
62

CONTINUED

LAWYER#2
(surprised at the sound of
his own voice.)
By including some errors?

DENVER
Yeah, the errors are fiction and
therefore subject to copyright
protection. And you can figure that
anyone who steals it is going to steal
the whole thing, errors and all.

LAWYER#2
What errors?

DENVER
The dates. All the dates are off by 1
year, 1 month and 1 day.

He starts pulling history books out of his shoulder bag.

LAWYER#2 (smiling)
Well then, yes, you just killed him.

CUT TO:

EXT. TAXI YARD (NIGHT)

Denver is parking the Porsche. VLAD AND ARUBA come
running out.

He's wearing a T-shirt that shows Smokey the Bear holding
a shotgun at port arms with the caption.

DEFEND THE RIGHT TO ARM BEARS

It looks like a personal statement.

VLAD
The cops been breaking my balls cause
a you. That guy had a heart attack
right after I talk to him.

DENVER
That won't hurt your reputation any.

VLAD
You bring me the detective stories?

CONTINUED
63

CONTINUED

Denver hands over 2 paperbacks.

DENVER
Yeah, these take place in Moscow so,
if there's something you don't understand,
maybe you can figure it out.

VLAD
I from Leningrad.

DENVER
They call it St. Petersburg now.

VLAD
(almost crying)
For me will always be Leningrad.

DENVER
Russians, we should have dropped the
bomb when we had an excuse.

VLAD
(smiling like a werewolf)
That's right, you should have.

And he walks back to the trailer, apparently satisfied.

ARUBA
She give you that car?

DENVER
Yeah.

ARUBA
You that good?

DENVER
No one is.

ARUBA
What are you doing here? I know you
don't need the money.

DENVER
It wasn't a decision. I'm just here
before I knew what I was doing.

ARUBA
Go home.
CONTINUED
64

CONTINUED

DENVER
It doesn't feel natural. Give me a car.

ARUBA
Get out of here. Come back when you
need the money.

He turns away. Denver gets in the Porsche and drives off.

CUT TO:

INT. PORSCHE (NIGHT)

Denver is driving, flat out at 140. Troute is next to him
and not watching the road.

TROUTE
He's going to win. He has the copyright.

DENVER
Leave it to the lawyers.

TROUTE
He's going to subpoena both of us
into court and prove that we were
sleeping together.

DENVER
So what?, it was his idea.
Anyway, not relevant.

TROUTE
Of course, it is. He's going to make
it look like we set him up.

DENVER
We did.

TROUTE
That's entrapment.

DENVER
No, it isn't. It's part of a pattern.
He's ripped off writers before.

TROUTE
But you can't get them to testify.

CONTINUED

65

CONTINUED

DENVER
Why not?

TROUTE
They're all dead.

DENVER
Let me guess, you slept with them too.

She nods.

In any civilized society you'd be
burned at he stake.

TROUTE
You going to say that in court?

DENVER
I'm not going to court. He can't subpoena me

because he won't be able to find me.

TROUTE
He knows where to find me. I have to go.

DENVER
Tell him that you won't ruin your reputation
to save one of his dirty little deals. Tell
him that you'll say that in court.

TROUTE
He'll throw me out.

DENVER
Time you divorced him.

TROUTE
I won't get a cent. You don't know
his lawyers.

DENVER
I can always kill him for you.

TROUTE
You'd do that? You'd do that for me?
You love me that much?

DENVER
That much, yeah.
CONTINUED
66

CONTINUED

TROUTE
I think I should take the Porsche back
I'm sorry I said that. It was spiteful.

DENVER
It was spiteful.

TROUTE
He's going to report it stolen.

DENVER
I know he will. Of course, he will.

CUT TO:

EXT. HELL'S KITCHEN(TWILIGHT)

The Porsche is coming out of a garage. It's been
repainted candy-apple red and the license plates are
different. Money changes hands and Denver drives off.

CUT TO:

EXT. DENVER'S APT. HOUSE (NIGHT)

DENVER comes out followed by 6 cats walking single file
like ducklings after a mother duck. He opens the door of
the Porsche and they march in. He gets in and drives off.

CUT TO:

EXT. LONG ISLAND EXPRESSWAY (DEEP NIGHT)

The Porsche doing 160 and leaving a cop car behind.

CUT TO:

EXT. SOUTH HAMPTON (NIGHT)

Denver parks in front of an old mansion and walks up to
the door. He knocks and goes in without waiting for an
answer.

A 65 YEAR OLD WOMAN who looks like CHER comes out to meet
him. There's a picture of his wife and daughter on the
wall behind her.

GEENA
What the hell are you doing here?
CONTINUED

67

CONTINUED

DENVER
Begging sanctuary. How's your crazy
daughter?

GEENA
My younger sister is fine. Take the
back bedroom.

Denver opens the front door and the 6 cats march in. At
least 40 cats come out to meet them.

CUT TO:

EXT. (DAY)

Denver is feeding an apple to a horse. They both look
fascinated.

CUT TO:

EXT (DAY)

Denver is working with a trowel in GEENA's herb garden.

GEENA
(from the house)
Dinner's ready.

DENVER
I'll be done in a minute.

GEENA
Dinner's ready now.

He sticks the trowel in the ground and walks back toward
the house washing his hands with a watering can.

CUT TO:

INT. DINING ROOM (AFTERNOON)

There are guests for dinner. They smile at him. He sits at
the head of the table as GEENA comes in carrying a roast
turkey on a platter. She sets it down in front of him.

GEENA
Will you carve?

CONTINUED

68

CONTINUED

Denver looks impossibly innocent and happy. He begins
to carve very professionally. POV pulls back. Most
of the guests are human, but there is a racoon wearing
a lobster bib and a possum wearing a pointy party hat:
the kind with elastic under the chin.

CUT TO:

EXT. GAS STATION (DAY)

Denver is on the phone. The scene is cross-cut between
Denver and Lawyer#2

LAWYER#2
You didn't tell me you were banging his wife.

DENVER
It's irrelevant.

LAWYER#2
Fortunately, yes. The judge said that
it would justify shooting you. It did
not justify stealing your script.

DENVER
How we doing otherwise?

LAWYER#2
Fine, by the way, do you have his car?

DENVER
Yeah.

LAWYER#2
Jesus. Decision soon, just stay out of
sight for a few more days.

CUT TO:

INT. DENVER'S ROOM IN GEENA'S HOUSE

Denver is packing when GEENA walks in.

GEENA
I think you should pay rent.
The club isn't doing that well.

Denver opens his shoulder bag and shovels a huge pile of
bills onto the bed.
CONTINUED

69

CONTINUED

DENVER
Take care of the cats, if something
happens.

GEENA stands open mouthed as Denver packs and leaves.

CUT TO:

INT. DENVER'S APARTMENT (DAY)

He opens his mail. There isn't much . He looks around for
his cats, but they're gone. He takes a long look at the
photo of his ex-wife and daughter then shrugs into a
Browning Hi- Power in a shoulder holster. He puts on a
Travis Bickle jacket with the .38 belly gun in the right
hand pocket. He's about to leave then stops and makes a
phone call. A woman answers.

DENVER
If I don't call in 24 hours, clean out
the apartment and take the cats.

WOMAN
(filtered)
I am not going to clean your apartment!

DENVER
No, clean it out. Take the guns and
the cameras and the silver and the
computers and my mother's diamond
ring. Just take care of the cats.

WOMAN
(filtered)
How do you know I will?

DENVER
I trust you.

WOMAN
(filtered)
Don't trust me, stay alive.

She hangs up. The cats appear. The cats stare at Denver.
He shrugs, they shake their heads in disgust. The cats
vanish. There's nothing left undone. He leaves.

He takes a long look at the apartment like he doesn't
expect to see it again. Then he closes the door.

70

INT. DOJO (DAY)

Denver is cleaning out his locker. The SENSEI looks at
him. Denver shrugs. The SENSEI shakes his head in
disgust.

CUT TO:

EXT. STREET (DAY)

Denver drops his gi and brown belt in a garbage can and
keeps on walking.

CUT TO:

INT. LAWYER'S OFFICE (DAY)

LAWYER#2
Either you've gained 20 lbs. or you're
wearing a bullet proof vest. Strange,
I had the impression you thought you
were bullet proof.

The Lawyer#2 is glad handing Denver in.
He sits behind his desk obviously pleased
with himself. Then Denver sits too.

LAWYER#2
You should have come to the trial.
Well, yes, you couldn't could you?
And you do make a very bad first
impression. We got a RICO prior to
discovery.

DENVER
RICO?, that's criminal.

LAWYER#2
He makes porn movies, that's organized
crime. We got his assets frozen before
he found out that your copyright was
earlier than his.

He hands Denver a check.

DENVER
Holy Mary mother of God!

CONTINUED



71

CONTINUED

LAWYER#2
Well, Paul Schrader got $350,000 for
his 1st script and that was 20 years
ago. Ordinary inflation brings that up
to a million 5. Besides, the judge was
pissed.

DENVER
This is made out to you.

LAWYER#2
How else do I get paid?

DENVER
How much?

LAWYER#2
40%

DENVER
Alright.

LAWYER#2
Do you have a corporation?

DENVER
Screaming Fist.


LAWYER#2
I love it. I'll open an account for
you downstairs, Chemical. If you're
going to avoid income tax, the only
way to do it is from the beginning.

DENVER
That check certified?

LAWYER#2
Well, yes, but it's a foreign bank.
It will take a week to clear.

DENVER
We'll get ripped off yet.

LAWYER#2
No, no, give me some credit. His assets
are frozen until the funds clear to your
account. A week, 10 days at most.
CONTINUED

72

CONTINUED

DENVER
Looks like I'm working tonight.

LAWYER#2
I can loan you a few bucks.

DENVER
No, thanks.

LAWYER
Are you going to run off with his wife?

DENVER
No.

LAWYER
It would look better if you did. If it
looked like the woman was all this was
about, they might leave you alone.

DENVER
Who are 'they'?

LAWYER
His partners, the porn film makers,
the ones that invested in the movie.
The one's he convinced that it was an
easy way to launder money.

DENVER
May I use your phone.

The Lawyer nods and Denver nods.

LAWYER
You scared?

DENVER
I had that disconnected.

A woman answers the phone.

DENVER (continuing)
Lisl, will you get Troute, please.

EXT. GAY STREET (DAY)

LISL runs out of her house across the street to
Hildebrandt's
CONTINUED
73

CONTINUED

LISL
Troute run come quick, taste my
cookies before they get cold.

CUT TO:

INT. LAWYER'S OFFICE (DAY)

The conversation is cross cut between Denver and Troute

TROUTE
I can't talk right now.

DENVER
I love you, I want to marry you.

TROUTE
You never said that before.

DENVER
I'm saying it now.

TROUTE
It's a little late.

DENVER
It's only late if you say it is.

TROUTE
I can't talk now. The German
government has revoked the subsidies.
They've seized the film and they're
suing him for two million marks.

DENVER
Have they frozen his bank accounts?

TROUTE
No, why?

DENVER
That's good.

The Lawyer looks even more relieved.

TROUTE
But his partners are here and
they're talking crazy.

CONTINUED
74

CONTINUED

DENVER
Where's Nick?

TROUTE
They have him in the basement.

DENVER
Troute, get out of there. don't even

Copyright © 1999 Angel Obregon
Published on the World Wide Web by "www.storymania.com"