(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING ON CAR STEREO)
(HORN HONKING)
(MUSIC BREAKING)
(COUGHING)
That all you got?
It's gonna take more than
a few firecrackers to kill Danny Greene.
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
The Cadillac, it was Danny Greene's.
Put a 24-hour tail on him.
JOE: The Irish have this expression,
"He's a man you don't meet every day."
That was Danny, all right.
(ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC PLAYING)
We both grew up on the east side,
in Collinwood.
Danny was an orphan.
He was raised by his grandfather
in a dump on Waterloo Road.
He was a good athlete.
Made All-Metro in basketball and baseball.
School held no interest.
Danny was already marching
to a different tune.
Back then everything in Cleveland
was controlled by the Mafia,
which had been run since the '40s
by one man. John Scalish.
Every day after school, it was Danny
and his friend Billy McComber
against this one group of Sicilian kids.
(BOYS GRUNTING)
I don't know why they hated Danny so much.
You know what they say, "Kids will be kids."
As for me, I joined Cleveland P.D. At age 18.
After 12 years, I made detective,
investigating organised crime
on the Lake Erie shore.
MERKE: All right, listen up, men.
Grainbarten.
GRAINBARTEN: Here.
- Nungester, William.
- WILLIAM: Here!
- Harlet, Roger.
- ROGER: Here!
- Heuler, Leo.
- HEULER: Here.
Walton, William. Greene, Daniel.
Sneperger, Arthur. Walter, George.
McComber, William.
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
BILLY: Oh, great. It's only 91.
Wait till noon.
(MACHINERY WHIRRING)
(FOGHORN BLOWING)
ART: What is that?
It's one of those container ships
out of New Orleans.
They're gonna put us all out of business.
- And who told you that? Danny?
- Yeah.
Where's he learn that shit?
He reads.
ART: I read.
Comics don't count, Art.
(ALARM BLARING)
DANNY: You got him?
BILLY: Yeah, ready?
(ALARM CONTINUES BLARING)
Turn that thing off!
What's this all about?
(PANTING) You know the rules.
Temperature hits 110, we're done.
I got a contract to unload these barges
by close of day, and I will fulfil that contract.
Someone's gonna die in there.
Who? Him?
Ah!
Looks fine to me. In the pink.
If you wanna continue working in this union,
quit your belly-achin'
and get back up there.
Come on, Danny.
Ice him down.
You know, Danny, we at the national chapter
don't support Brooke.
He doesn't care about the rank and file,
and that's a problem.
(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)
You ever think about running against him?
(SCOFFS) Union president?
I don't know, Mr Gilroy.
The guys look up to you. I've seen it.
I didn't even finish high school.
(LAUGHS) So what?
You read the entire Library of Congress.
Think about it.
Here you are, boys.
- I'm Art.
- I'm Billy.
Hi, Art. Hi, Billy.
Uh... Who's your friend?
No, no, don't bother. He doesn't like girls.
What you got there?
Oh.
A little light reading, huh?
Yeah.
- My family's from Kildare.
- Nice.
Mmm.
Your friends said that you don't like girls.
They're being ironic.
Gotcha.
You know where you say
the opposite for laughs?
Well, I think that you are
the ugliest man on Lake Erie
and I'd rather kiss Richard Nixon.
Got that?
Why don't you read that?
(SLOW MUSIC PLAYING)
(CHUCKLES)
I never do this. Really.
What makes me so special?
'Cause you're different than all those idiots.
Danny. I'm in trouble.
I'm in really big trouble.
Go.
ART: It's in there.
Wait here.
(MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO)
I'm a friend of Art Sneperger's.
Oh, yeah?
Well, Sneperger's got no friends here.
Come over here.
Well, it looks like your friend owes us
a lot of money.
He can't pay.
You came here to John Nardi's casino
to tell him that your friend can't pay?
You know who he is?
Everyone in Cleveland knows
who John Nardi is.
I got a proposition.
You believe this fuckin' guy?
Well, let's hear what he's gotta say.
- I took care of it.
- What?
I want one thing in return.
You gotta promise me
you'll never gamble again.
- Yeah.
- Can you do that, Art?
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Jesus, Danny!
- Promise me!
- I promise.
Get outta here.
Okay.
Good call, Danny.
This place is like Sears and Roebuck.
MAN: We got one more.
I think there's four more rotisseraries.
(HORN BLOWING)
Mr Greene. A word with you, please.
What can I do?
Tell me, what can I do for you?
Resign.
That's out of the question.
Then I'll run against you.
Runnin' ploughs on a grain ship's one thing.
Running a union is quite another.
Think you're moving up? New career?
I don't think so.
I think you're gonna tell Mr Gilroy
you're not interested.
And then you're gonna pay me half
of what you been making
with your wop friends in the container yard.
Oh, I didn't know about that either?
I got no moral issues with it, mind you.
I just want my cut.
But next time,
the Cleveland P.D.
Will pay a visit to your house.
Oh, they're my friends, too.
And then it's over.
You won't work in any union anywhere.
You won't exist.
I'll come to your house
and drink all your beer.
I'll visit your girlfriend in the back bedroom.
And you, sir, will take it.
Because you have to.
Be in the machine shop at midnight.
I'll send my man to pick up the cash.
Now get the fuck out of my office.
(RAIN PATTERING)
A gun?
You Polack prick.
What do you do
if a Polack throws a hand grenade at you?
Take the pin out and throw it back.
You hear how the Polish firing squad died?
Stood in a circle.
Come on, Joe, let's dance.
(DANNY EXHALES)
Joe Buka!
Joe's not here.
I'll give you three seconds...
To do what?
Huh?
To do what?
Go ahead, yank it.
Get out.
(PANTING)
MAN: To the new president!
(ALL CHEERING)
This place is a dump.
Clean up the freight yard.
And replace those signs.
I'm sick to death of looking at them.
- Repaint these goddamn stairs.
- What colour do you want?
Green.
Styner, Barley. Holt, Richard.
Harlet, Roger.
Pitsford, Harold.
Stockbarge. Manscoter, Harold.
Mr MacLeish. Danny Greene.
I know who you are.
You're the tool that sent me this.
Four thousand to unload each vessel?
Are you out of your fucking mind?
The price is 2,000.
We have a contract
and you're going to honour it.
Or I'm gonna lock out your union.
Is that clear, you fucking potato eater?
Potato eater.
Seeing as how the potato
was the only source of nutrition
in Ireland for 300 years
and half the population,
including my ancestors,
died in the great famine,
I'd say that term is insensitive.
Speaking of culinary tastes,
Mr MacLeish, you're Scottish, aren't you?
Let's talk about haggis.
Haggis is seasoned lard
stuffed into a sheep's colon.
So I may be a potato-eater, Mr MacLeish,
but I don't eat fat out of a sheep's asshole.
(SCOFFS)
What do you think of the new carpet?
JOE: After all these years I had lost track
of Danny Greene.
You can imagine my surprise
when I heard a guy by the same name
had been elected president
of the Longshoreman's Union.
This is John Scalish.
And I wondered if it was the same guy
from my neighbourhood.
Yeah, same guy.
It was only a matter of time before he
started hanging out at that Theatrical Grill.
Every city's got a Theatrical.
The one place where crooks and cops
sit side-by-side.
Mr Greene wants you to know he appreciates
the fine job Cleveland P.D. Are doing.
He wants to pick up your tab.
Tell Mr Greene that Cleveland P.D.
Will pick up its own tab
to avoid any look of impropriety.
But thank you.
BARTENDER: He said no.
Something about impropriety.
Now you are a beauty.
(BABY CRYING)
(LAUGHING)
But I told you.
Come here.
He's not bothering you, is he, huh?
(CLICKS)
(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)
(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)
Thank you, Artie.
Detective Manditski?
Steve Marshack with the newspaper.
Can I talk to you for a minute?
Yeah, I know who you are, Mr Marshack.
I read your column. What can I do for you?
Somebody told me you played hoops
against Danny Greene in high school.
Is that true?
Was he really the best player at Metro East?
Second best.
So you're gonna do a story on Danny?
Went from rags to riches, from orphan
to union president? Something like that?
Well, we're gonna do a story on him, all right,
just not the kind he's going to like.
- Call this a heads up.
- Thank you.
(CLATTERING)
Danny, aren't you coming?
No.
I'm not going anywhere without you.
They don't want you, Billy.
Well, it was fun while it lasted.
(SIRENS WAILING)
(OFFICERS CHATTERING ON RADIO)
REPORTER ON TV:
A 12-count indictment has been returned
by a Cuyahoga County grand jury
against labour leader Daniel Patrick Greene.
Greene, arrested last Tuesday
is charged with multiple counts
of grand larceny, extortion
and labour racketeering.
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
WOMAN: All right.
Is it true?
All of it?
I paid the lawyer.
We don't have any money left.
Sell the house.
The house? Where are we gonna go?
We'll find somewhere next week.
We?
(SCOFFS) Excuse me. You're in jail.
No testifying?
No testifying. We drop the extortion
and labour racketeering charges.
It's 10 years.
You plead guilty to two counts
of falsifying financial records
and agree to a lifetime ban from the union.
That's what I get.
Fuck you. What do you get?
Well, the Bureau knows very little
about organised crime in Northern Ohio.
So talk to us, say once a month.
Tell us what you hear.
I can do that.
Feds just released Danny Greene.
GIRL 1: I win again.
GIRL 2: I won again.
GIRL 1: I won.
(MOTORBIKES APPROACHING)
(MEN WHOOPING)
I wanna ride.
We can't live here.
It'll have to do.
What are you gonna do for work?
It's America. Land of opportunity.
John Nardi, please.
Tell him it's Danny Greene.
He's got the best restaurant in town.
He runs the cleanest numbers.
Now everybody wants to play
Shondor's numbers. The Irish. Polacks.
Even the Shiser, Edie Stewart.
She doesn't discriminate.
Get yourself a job.
You like stroganoff?
(DANNY LAUGHS)
Danny, taste that.
Mmm.
More salt, I think.
I have to tell you how impressed I am
with how you handled your recent adversity.
I provide a unique financial service
to men who like to gamble.
Before your time,
gamblers borrowed money from casinos.
The problem was if a gambler skipped town,
the casino had no recourse.
So I started to offer a six-for-five, meaning
you borrow five, you owe six within a week.
If you don't pay,
you get charged 30% interest, figure-ish.
Now all this was perfectly legal.
And the best part,
I ran my own debt collection.
Then, in its wisdom, the federal government
labelled such practices "loan sharking",
which is (SCOFFS) a stupid term.
Come here, I wanna show you something.
Joey.
Honey, what happened?
The wife let you out of the doghouse finally.
Eat something. Enjoy.
(SOFTLY) Cuyahoga County DA.
Where was I?
Yes. The two of them running
like their collection had been incarcerated.
Is this a position
that would interest you, Danny?
DANNY: A man's gotta work, Mr Birns.
So many young people
don't understand that these days.
I swear I don't have it.
(UPBEAT JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING)
I swear I don't have it. I swear.
I swear I don't have it.
(GROANING)
WOMAN: Agent Malloy will be with you
in just a moment, Mr Greene.
MALLOY: Danny. How you doing?
Hanging in there.
You got anything for us?
Well, nothing of interest.
(ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC PLAYING)
MAN: Oh, Danny Greene, huh?
How about you tell Shondor Birns
that I get Shorty's money first, baby.
Second.
Hey, baby, I can deal with that.
Here, take this.
No, thanks.
Tell Shondor sorry I was light last month.
Giants plus seven against the Eagles.
It's a lock, right? Wrong.
I'm Mike Frato, by the way.
Nice truck, Mike.
Thanks. I was hauling gravel
till I discovered garbage.
Big money in garbage. I highly recommend it.
You like what you do?
Yeah. Sure.
It's good to like what you do.
Keeps the blood pressure down.
(CHUCKLES) Nice Caddy, by the way.
JOE: My wife met his wife Joan Greene
at a church luncheon. They hit it off.
That made things a little awkward.
JOAN: Thanks, Clare. Thank you.
Bye. Thank you.
CLARE: See you next Sunday.
Well, you missed an excellent sermon.
What the hell is this?
Joe and his wife gave us a lift.
Joe and his wife.
Father Kilden said it would be nice
if you came to one of his services.
You know, sometime this decade.
... to take the oath of induction...
Never should have taken away
this guy's title.
He wouldn't go to Vietnam.
DANNY: I wouldn't go if I were drafted.
Why stick our nose in Vietnam?
English been doing that to the Irish
for 2,000 years.
And by the way?
How we gonna pay for it, huh?
Deficit spending, my ass.
Next thing you know
we'll be going off the gold standard.
The country's going to hell.
So is kids smoking pot.
If I were President,
I'd legalize the stuff and tax the sales of it,
like booze and cigarettes.
In two years' time
we'd be richer than Ken Croesus is.
Danny, the game. It's the Packers.
Go ahead.
You got anything to eat other than that?
That's Grade-A sirloin chuck.
We got no vegetables, no fruit, no nuts.
The stuff's got too much cholesterol.
What's cholesterol?
(BIKES REVVING)
(BIKERS SHOUTING)
(ROCK MUSIC BLARING)
(MUSIC STOPS)
Party's over.
You got five minutes to clear out.
Party ain't over.
You show yourself here again,
I'm coming over there.
And I'm knocking all your teeth out.
And I'm fucking that hot little wife of yours
all night long while you watch.
(BIKERS LAUGHING)
(ROCK MUSIC BLARING)
(GUN FIRING)
(MUSIC STOPS)
MAN: Come on.
Come on, stupid, move! Come on!
ART: Get him, Danny!
(BIKERS CHEERING)
(GROANS)
ART: Come on, Danny!
(CHEERING STOPS)
Tell Licavoli we're sorry.
You're on my level, so mind your p's and q's.
You're the only wop I can stand, Johnny.
You know that, right?
(LAUGHS) Just be respectful.
Jack.
Leo. You remember Danny Greene.
Of course.
How you doing, Danny?
Here. Sit down, Danny.
(CHUCKLES)
Well, somebody say something?
Why am I here, John?
Well, we wanna talk about garbage.
You know, we wanna give you a hand.
Oh.
You decided we need a hand.
You know, Jack, you've been trying to get
the union off the ground for five years.
So you came here to tell us we're fuck-ups,
that it, John?
Now why do you have to talk to me...
Why does he have to talk to me like that?
I came here to do you a favour
and you're breaking my balls.
What do you propose, John?
We bring Danny in the mix.
Didn't you talk to Shondor?
Shondor Birns says you been
doing a good job for him.
And that thing
with the Longshoreman Union,
you handled yourself real well.
Thank you.
A guy who keeps his mouth shut
is a stand-up guy.
What do you say?
(WHISPERING)
All right. You got my blessing.
Be prepared, huh?
These garbage hauliers are tough nuts.
(CHUCKLES)
Some of these guys... (EXHALES)
There's no talking to them, you know.
Believe me, we tried.
With all due respect, Jack,
that was you talking to them, not me.
Wait a minute.
When you speak to Mr Licavoli...
I guarantee you,
you're not gonna be disappointed, all right?
JOE: The garbage hauling plan was Danny's
golden opportunity to get back in the game.
The only problem was he knew
next to nothing about garbage hauling.
So he found someone who did.
Former Golden Glove champion
of Cleveland, half-Lithuanian, half-Irish.
He'd been clearing out bars
down on the dock since the 10th grade.
Keith Ritson.
There's a million houses in Northern Ohio.
You know who collects the garbage?
Two hundred separate companies,
that's who.
It's chaos out there, no good to anybody.
It's going to be next to impossible
to organise these guys.
You got any new ideas?
We hold a recruitment drive.
I'll join! I'll join! I'll join!
What?
I know what you are.
Mrs O'Keefe.
Don't you start with me, you hear?
You got guys coming round here all hours
of the day or night doing God knows what.
You misunderstand.
Oh, I understand.
But I ain't afraid of you.
Now get the hell off my gate
before I stop being polite.
(HORN HONKING)
Hey, Danny. How are you, my friend?
- It's good to see you. How's everything?
- All good.
Be careful.
It could get a little hairy in here sometimes.
(CLATTERING)
(MIKE LAUGHING)
What'd I tell you, right?
It's like this every day.
(CHILDREN LAUGHING)
At first, I didn't want to have kids.
Babies, diapers... But shit happens.
My wife still looks pretty good, you know.
I got a hot salami. What can I say?
(BOTH ARGUING)
To what do I owe this privilege, my friend?
(SIGHS)
Jack Licavoli sent me.
I should have fucking known.
Okay, cut to the chase. You know what?
Fuck Licavoli. Fuck Lips Moceri.
And all due respect, fuck you, too.
- Calm down, Mike.
- No, I ain't calming down.
I don't wanna join a union.
I don't give a fuck
how many friends they got in New York.
I built this company from scratch,
up to my neck in shit every day!
And I didn't work my balls off
so somebody else can just fucking walk in!
You tell those guys
they can't fucking muscle me.
That's right.
I got all the muscle I need right here.
And that means you, too, Danny.
All I'm saying is it sets a precedent.
This here guy says no,
others will follow suit.
Are you friends with Frato, Danny?
Is that the problem?
More like acquaintances. But I like the guy.
Well, the fat fuck, he was given a choice.
And now he's gotta deal
with the consequences.
(STUTTERS) Hang on a sec.
I think I got a say in this.
"A say in this"?
No, you don't, John.
This is my union.
Well, fuck you very much.
Wait a minute. Is there a problem here?
You know, 10 years ago, Scalish,
he divided up the unions.
Now you got yours, I got mine.
Let's not come down
with a sudden case of amnesia.
You know, we did all the work.
Wait, wait. I didn't get that, John.
What? What?
I said, we did all the work!
JACK: You're trying to take over my action.
That's it, isn't it? You greedy, fucking prick.
Come on, look. I'm not trying to take over
anything. I'm just saying...
JACK: Oh, yeah, yeah.
I know what you're saying.
We're gonna have a sit-down
with Scalish over this, all right?
We're gonna take this up later.
Mike Frato is a dead man.
Now either you make it happen,
or Lips and Vic will.
(SIGHING)
(SIGHS)
Can you do this thing, Danny?
Frato's got 10 kids, John. Ten.
I don't care.
You gave him a reasonable option.
He crapped in your face.
You said you wanted to be in the bigs.
Sometimes you gotta do things
that you don't like.
You gotta make Frato go away.
Don't you disappoint me.
KEITH: It's got a 50-yard radius lens.
It works on one of those garage doors
or on those TV changers.
And a transmitter.
Sends a command
from the remote to the receiver.
It's lights out, lads. It's fucking lights out.
Good, Keith. Good.
So when?
Friday night.
(DANNY LAUGHING)
WOMAN: I'll put you right through
to Agent Malloy, Mr Greene.
MALLOY: Got something for you, Danny.
One of your guys was picked up
by the City P.D.
They're talking about making a deal.
Who?
Art Sneperger.
He was boosting a Mercedes
in Shaker Heights.
He said it was to pay down a gambling debt.
I don't believe it. Art doesn't gamble.
There's 10 blackjack dealers
in Youngstown who'll disagree.
Anyway, I just thought
I would keep you in the loop.
I wanted to talk to you about something...
(CAR APPROACHING)
(CAR DOOR OPENING)
(CAR DOOR CLOSING)
(CHUCKLES) Hey, what's going on?
Mike Frato tonight.
You said Friday.
Changed my mind.
But it's Halloween.
Were you going trick or treating, Art?
(STAMMERS)
What are you doing? Why isn't Keith...
Christ.
Danny, is everything all right?
Yeah. Why? Get going.
Maybe we could talk to him.
I mean, I've known the guy my whole life.
KEITH: He'll rat us out, Danny. Do it.
(SIGHING)
I told you not to gamble, Art.
What's going on? I heard voices.
Go back to sleep.
JOAN: Here's your paper.
(CAR TYRES SQUEALING)
You fuck! You slimy mick fuck!
You sent a guy to my house!
To my fucking house!
- It's not how it looks, Mike!
- "It's not how it looks"?
You lying fucking prick.
MIKEY: You shot Mikey! Jesus Christ.
What the fuck, Mikey?
What the fuck?
Don't shoot me. Don't shoot me.
Come on! Don't do that!
REPORTER ON TV: Police theorising
believe Frato's getting off three shots.
Greene returned one shot
from about 25 feet away
described by police as a lucky shot,
hitting Frato in the head.
Danny, did you do it?
Can you tell me who did it?
Give him some room.
- DANNY: For the fifth time...
- No, it's the fourth, actually.
I was at the municipal park like I am
every morning doing my pushups,
when I see Mike Frato
coming at me in a Cadillac.
Okay. It wasn't Mike Frato's car.
How'd you know it was him?
I could smell him.
The same Mike Frato who refused
to join your union.
I'm barred for life from the unions,
remember?
The same Mike Frato whose car
was blown up by your former associate,
Art Sneperger.
Doesn't sound very good, does it?
It's not gonna sound very good
to a jury, either.
- So what do you want from me?
- The truth.
I told you the truth.
Did you tell me
that Danny Greene murdered Mike Frato?
Hey, don't put fucking words in my mouth.
I never said that. I said no.
Then you didn't tell me the truth.
Let me tell you something.
I ain't going before the grand jury.
And I ain't testifying.
- Yes, you are. Yes, you are.
- I don't give a shit what you tell me.
- No, I'm not.
- I could subpoena you.
- I think I'm gonna throw up.
- Throw up.
Throw up all over yourself.
I'll help you clean it up.
Just tell me what I need to know.
Tell me the truth. Tell me the truth, Mikey.
Okay. This is how it went down.
Mike went to kill Danny Greene.
He threw a couple of shots at him,
Danny shot back.
That's it. Case closed.
So it was self-defence?
Absolutely. I think you got it now.
Fuck you, Mikey.
And I'm gonna push. And I'm gonna push.
Shut up.
To me you are just a thug.
You understand that?
I'm gonna be there when you fuck up.
I'm gonna put you away, you know that?
What part of Collinwood you from, Joe?
Catalpa Road.
- Ah. North or south of Euclid?
- South.
Very nice.
Look, I know you got a job to do and all that.
You gotta remember
there are some more important things in life.
You care to expand on that?
Don't rock the boat, Joe.
You got a nice job. Nice car. Nice home.
When it comes to pushing,
I'm the wrong guy you want pushing back.
You threatening me?
'Cause if there's even a hint of that,
badge or no badge,
I will cut your fucking heart out
with a rusty butter knife
and eat it while it's still beating.
Understand each other?
Good.
I thought we were gonna dance there
for a second.
What'd you say?
You really wanna dance with me?
(SCOFFS)
FEMALE REPORTER:
Danny, do you have any comment?
DANNY: Get out of here.
DANNY: Hey!
Where you going?
I've had it.
(UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC PLAYING)
See you tomorrow, fellas.
Son of a bitch landlord bastard.
Making a poor old woman homeless.
Shame on him.
You tell him for me,
may he rot in the lowest pit of hell,
and his children and his grandchildren
and everybody he ever knew and the...
What's she owe?
Three months.
Beat it.
I don't need your pity.
Grace, I'm not paying your rent out of pity.
You're a strong Irish woman and I like that.
Is that so?
I read that article about you
in the newspaper.
Regular desperado, huh?
Stinkin' lies. All of it.
Why, the reporter said that you believe
you're a descendent of Celtic warriors.
- Was that a stinkin' lie?
- No.
That I said.
Is this the Cuyahoga?
No, it's the Liffey, in Dublin, you big galoot.
(CHUCKLES)
You've never been there, have you? I can tell.
Here, have a seat.
You know, Celtic men were so committed
to a fight to the death.
But they'd always leave an heirloom
as a legacy to protect
the ones that they loved.
This was my father's.
Now, our forebears,
our people, yours and mine,
they weren't just fearless.
They knew that there was something better
than just being a big shot.
Something that means having the grace
of God on your shoulder to protect you,
so you can protect those around you.
You have the eyes of a warrior, it's true.
But I see something else.
I see goodness.
There's no good in me.
Don't you ever say that.
We're drunks. We're fighters.
(CHUCKLES) We're liars.
There's a bit of good in every Irishman.
Give me your hand.
Give me your hand.
Go on now, get out of here. Go on.
REPORTER:
What'd you think about Danny Greene?
He's a pretty good guy.
Like when I was 15, I had a mini-bike,
and the police took it away.
He went and got it the same day,
brought it back.
JOE: Do you believe
the press this guy is getting?
They're calling him
the Robin Hood of Collinwood.
I know this guy over
at Cuyahoga National Bank.
Danny Greene comes in the other day
and he wants to start an educational trust.
He wants to take 10 orphans
and put them in the best private schools
in Cleveland, on his own dime.
Merry Christmas!
(DANNY LAUGHING)
MAN: Good man for the neighbourhood.
Took care of a lot of families
that were in need.
Gave turkeys away for Christmas.
Gave turkeys away for Thanksgiving.
Merry Christmas, boys.
Merry Christmas.
KEITH: Happy holiday, if you want.
(SPEAKS HEBREW)
I tell you about the time
I met Marilyn Monroe?
She was in town on some publicity thing.
One night she comes
into the Theatrical with some people,
including the commie writer
she married, Miller.
- Arthur Miller.
- Archie Miller. Yeah.
And everybody's there. Licavoli. Lips Moceri.
And these guys are gushing for her.
End of the evening comes
and Miller goes home alone.
RUTH: What's the matter?
The soup's not hot enough?
- Why aren't you eating?
- It's hot. We're trying to talk.
RUTH: You must like potatoes. You must.
You're Irish.
We're trying to have a conversation.
- Ruth, for Christ's sake.
- RUTH: Okay. I'm going. Okay.
None of these guys had it in them
to make a move.
It takes chutzpah,
brass nuts, to get what you want.
She was a doll.
Her skin was like milk.
What sort of place do you envision?
- Restaurant and lounge.
- Mmm.
Good food. Good cocktails.
Pretty waitresses.
Pure class all the way.
I'm calling it the Dublin Public House.
How much do you need?
I figure 70 grand will get me started.
I'm gonna get you the money. Not mine.
A businessman doesn't invest
his own money.
- You know who the Gambinos are?
- Sure.
Big dagos in New York.
Oh.
Be serious.
Because when it comes to money,
take my word, they're very serious.
I'll send a courier to New York.
Thank you, Shondor.
You've earned it. My young friend.
I want the entrance to jump out, you know?
I want people to feel invited.
I want big gates.
You know, big wrought-iron gates.
Excuse me. What time do you open?
6:30.
I read this thing about the benefits
of an all vegetable diet.
What do you think?
- What do I think?
- Yeah.
Uh... Sure.
- Thanks.
- Yeah.
DANNY: Where are you from?
Are you shy?
Youngstown.
Youngstown is a tough town.
You don't look tough.
Why'd you leave?
I... I was living with my uncle.
Didn't work out.
Well, Ellie, the fair's over in Cuyahoga Falls
this month. Do you wanna go?
You mean like on a date or something?
Yeah.
Mind if I ask what you do for a living?
I'm in the restaurant business.
Ellie. Damn it, I told you
to sweep the back room.
Mr Greene. I'm sorry, I didn't...
She's okay with you. Okay? No problem.
It's all good. Everything's good.
Take your time. I'll sweep out the back room.
JOE: Looking back,
those were the good years.
Danny and I were never friends,
but I got a kick out of the guy.
We even ended up coaching
youth baseball together.
Hey, Joe. I'm going straight now.
You're about as straight as a bent shillelagh.
And just when it looked like Danny
was going to really turn the corner...
MAN: So where the fuck's a guy like you
come up with 70 large?
It was going to some chump in Cleveland.
I borrowed it temporarily.
OFFICER: All right! Up against the wall!
(SIGHS)
There's no way to sugarcoat this, kid.
The courier picked up your money,
but instead of bringing it here,
he bought six kilos of cocaine.
I'll fuckin' kill him.
Probably not. He's in Rikers Island.
Where's the money?
Evidence locker, I suppose.
I'll make an arrangement.
Talk to Licavoli, offer that you do
a couple jobs free for the family.
That way you don't have to pay a vig.
"Vig"?
There's gonna be interest on the money.
You borrowed money
from the Gambino family, Danny.
I did? How do you borrow money
if you don't receive it?
I understand that, but they won't.
In their eyes, lost money is lost money.
- I didn't lose it, the courier lost it.
- I understand.
It was your courier.
If anyone's on the hook, Shondor, it's you.
What?
I didn't hire the courier, you did.
What are you saying?
What I'm saying is, I lost nothing to nobody.
Thus, I owe nothing to nobody.
Coming after me will be unjust.
And if the wops in New York
don't see it that way, then fuck 'em.
And if you don't see it that way, fuck you!
You give this to the man
who kills the Irishman.
(ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC PLAYING
ON CAR STEREO)
DANNY: Come on. Shondor?
I mean, sure, we had a little argument.
Nah. Shondor wouldn't do this.
Contract went out yesterday.
Twenty-five G's
for the head of Danny Greene.
Twenty-five?
Yeah. In cash. (LAUGHS)
Hey, come on. You should be flattered.
You want my advice?
Always.
Turn this thing around. You know,
pay Shondor the 70 large that you owe him.
You know, don't argue, just pay it.
And walk away.
- I can't do that.
- Why not?
Pride.
What? Celtic warrior shit?
It's not shit.
You know, you've been careful always.
And that's what's kept you alive.
You cannot go to war with Shondor Birns.
Remember what I told you.
Can't be too careful.
Thank you, Mr Greene.
(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING ON CAR STEREO)
(MUSIC BREAKING)
(EXPLOSION IN THE DISTANCE)
...firecrackers to kill Danny Greene!
JOHN: Danny, come on!
The Cadillac. It was Danny Greene's.
Put a 24-hour tail on him.
That was fun.
That Ferris wheel was something, huh?
I'm not dumb.
The men outside,
they're the police, aren't they?
Cleveland's finest.
You have a bad reputation. People say
you're crazy and I should watch out.
What people? Who's saying this?
I'm not telling you. You'll probably kill them.
You really believe that?
Why'd your wife leave you?
I was different then.
- Look, maybe I should just go.
- No, no, no. Stay.
- There's beer in the fridge.
- I don't drink.
- You got soda?
- In the fridge.
KEITH: Shondor Birns is in the pawn shop
down the street from St Malachy's.
He's a sitting duck.
The alley behind my house. Five minutes.
(PEOPLE SINGING HYMNS)
(MAN CLICKS TONGUE)
Here he comes.
Ah, shit.
Where the fuck did she come from?
REPORTER: Investigators have been here
well over a half hour.
What have they pieced together?
Any idea who it is?
OFFICER: As far as I can determine,
it's a white male.
The part that we've got, recovered.
Just the upper torso.
There's pieces all over the place.
We found a leg over against the fence.
Inside, Rabbi Rudolph Rosenthal
characterised Birns as no saint.
But he said the numbers figure
had much charity
and was often generous
and had many friends.
But also to recognise
that everybody is fallible.
Shakespeare said if each one of us
got his just deserts,
nobody would escape a whipping.
John Scalish at 3:45 this afternoon
had a heart attack and died.
JOE: John Scalish, Cleveland's don of
34 years, died during routine surgery.
The problem was that Scalish
hadn't named a successor.
And the only two candidates for the job
hated each other.
Jack Licavoli, who spent half his time
sucking up to the Sicilians in New York,
and John Nardi, who didn't.
Guess who won?
LEO: What are we gonna do
about the Irishman?
All right. Ask for a meeting. And keep Nardi
out of it. He's friends with the fuck.
The Irishman can have Shondor's business.
But we take our cut.
So essentially what you're saying
is we do all the work
and you get 30% for doing nothin', right?
That's the arrangement. 30%.
And characterise it any way you want.
Any way I want?
Any way you want.
Really?
Really.
Okay.
How about this?
A gang of hairy, greasy wops who came
into existence when a Greek fucked a goat
want to extort hard-earned money
from a band of noble Irish stock. How's that?
- That is ridiculous! Fuck...
- Hold it! Hold it!
You got a dirty mouth, young man.
You guys have bled me dry for too long.
Irishman's in business for himself now.
Oh, by the way,
I know why you guys call each other
Ronnie the Crab and Peanuts and Frankie B.
It's 'cause you're too fuckin' stupid
to remember each other's names.
See you around, Lips.
Okay, what do you think?
Oh!
(CHUCKLES)
Thank you. (CHUCKLES)
(ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC PLAYING)
Danny Greene's going down.
- When?
- Tonight.
You wanna talk?
Yeah, I wanna talk. Not here.
- So you and Danny are close?
- We grew up together. What's your angle?
I know insults are insults.
But the Shondor Birns thing
has got a lot of people pissed.
Not at you, Billy.
How would you feel about
going into business with me
and owning all of Collinwood?
What the hell is this thing?
You've talked to Licavoli?
Of course.
Ain't it about time you stepped up?
Think how easy it'd be.
Very easy.
(PHONE RINGING)
Come on, Danny, come on.
Come on, Danny!
Danny?
(ELLIE GRUNTS)
(ELLIE COUGHING)
There's been times
when other people have attempted
shots at his life, the Frato situation...
But I have no idea.
And I'm sure Mr Greene doesn't at this time.
He's a little shook up.
Police have issued arrest warrants
for the two men they say are responsible
for blowing up Dan Greene's home.
So far those men have not been caught.
And police are expected to go to the
grand jury this week to seek indictments.
Ryan Ross, Action 3 News.
You missed?
What the fuck does that mean, huh?
People are intimidated!
Intimidated? Are you intimidated? Huh?
You? You intimidated?
Come on. Get outta of here. Get outta here!
DANNY: The night before my house went up,
I heard a rumour that Tommy Sinito
came to you with an offer to play Judas.
Two days later, Cleveland P.D. Finds him
at the bottom of a lake,
tied to a cast iron sink
you were hauling around.
I wouldn't know anything about that.
(DANNY LAUGHING)
BILLY: You're the only thing that I've
got in this world, Danny. You know that.
(GUN FIRES)
(GUN CLICKS)
(TYRES SQUEALING)
(GRUNTS ANGRILY)
REPORTER: This is about the fourth time
someone's tried to kill you.
How do you account for the fact
that you survive each time?
I'm an Irish Catholic
with the grace of God on my shoulder.
I'm not going anywhere until he says so.
You see this trailer behind me?
It's where I work.
See the bar at the end of the street there?
Get a shot of that. I live on the top floor.
Let me tell you something.
If any of these maggots from
the so-called Mafia wanna come after me,
I'm not a hard man to find.
JOHN: You know, you must have
the biggest nuts in Cleveland.
Yeah. I saw you on the news.
The problem is,
is you got too much heat on you.
Licavoli breaking your balls, John?
Well, he's not blowing up my house.
Ha!
The fucking cretin won, you know?
He's the boss. I get that.
(SIGHING)
The cocksucker's trying
to take over my business.
I gotta put my foot down.
I was thinking,
maybe you need somebody
to watch your back.
What are you saying?
Well, what I'm saying is,
alone, I could never take over Licavoli.
But together, there's no stopping us.
- You wanna be partners?
- Yeah.
You're serious?
You know,
I'm gonna show you how serious that I am.
(MUFFLED MOANING)
This is the kid from the Highlander,
the valet who put the bomb in your car.
(STABBING)
(MUFFLED MOANING)
Look at him.
Your enemies are my enemies.
(ROCK MUSIC PLAYING)
Fuck you! I never should have trusted you!
You ain't got the balls to do it yourself,
do you?
REPORTER: There is some
kind of gang war in Cleveland.
The figures over recent months
show that for those involved, life expectancy
is very short and getting shorter.
JOE: That summer in 1976,
36 bombs exploded in Cleveland.
The Danny Greene War
became the subject of national attention.
REPORTER: Federal authorities
expect more murders,
as the hierarchy of organised crime
in Cleveland continues to violently realign.
Jeff Campbell, Eyewitness News, Cleveland.
A steel door?
It's just a precaution.
I want you safe.
I don't want safe. I want you.
It's a Claddagh ring.
Women in Ireland have worn them
for 300 years.
The hands symbolise friendship.
The heart, love.
And the crown, loyalty.
If you wear it with the heart facing out,
it means you're free.
If you wear it with the heart facing in,
it means you're taken.
Don't put it on until you know.
Ellie, I have a plan.
A plan to set things right.
But it will mean leaving here for good.
- But Cleveland...
- It's all I've ever known,
but it's no good for me any more.
I wanna go someplace I can breathe again,
you know?
JACK: I'm getting calls from New York
every half hour.
This guy, he went on television
daring us to do something about it,
for crying out loud!
What am I gonna tell them, huh?
(SHOUTING) What is going on here?
Your people! Your people...
You can't do a simple job?
My people? My people are your people!
TONY: Your family is becoming
a major fucking embarrassment.
I am still getting calls from Paulie Castellano
about that 70 Gs
that he lent to that prick Shondor Birns.
What the hell is going on out there?
This is one guy, and you can't take care of it?
We've shot him. We've blown him up.
I mean, nothing we do
seems to matter with this guy.
Eight times you tried
to get this mick cocksucker, huh?
What are you doing? Where's your men?
Where's Brancato?
- He's watching the city.
- Watching the city?
You might as well
give the city to this mick prick.
(BREATHING HARD)
(EXHALES)
All right. I understand
that you got a difficult situation here.
Generally speaking, you got things
under control. I understand that.
I'm gonna propose something to you, okay?
I would consider it a personal favour
if you would ask my help in this.
Okay? I can do this for you.
I can be there for you on this one here.
But you have to give me the word.
Do me this favour.
Then it's done.
JOHN: "Vast lands
fit for an industry on the rise."
(READING)
I don't know
where you come up with these crazy ideas.
I mean, do you know anything about Texas?
No.
You know anything about cattle ranching?
No, you do not.
He's crazy. You know that?
What's it gonna take to get this place
in order, John? All of it.
The land, new cattle. The whole thing.
A couple of million.
I mean...
- That much, huh?
- I'm guessing.
Why not?
ELLIE: We can move there?
DANNY: Damn straight.
You have that much money?
You know, someone once told me,
"A businessman
never invests his own money."
(LAUGHING)
TONY: You got a pair of balls, let me tell you.
$2 million! $2 million!
You didn't pay back
the $70,000 that you borrowed.
Why should I lend you $2 million?
- To get rid of me.
- To get rid of you?
I could get rid of you with one spick outside
for $100.
What the fuck you talking about?
Hey, let me take this guy out back
right now and take...
TONY: Shut the fuck up!
I apologise.
I'll leave Cleveland,
hand everything over to Licavoli.
Your money will help fix up Texas feed lots,
land, cattle.
And the best part.
We sell the meat through co-op outlets
that I can tie directly to the unions.
That guarantees sales nationwide.
Projected income is $3 million
in the first year alone.
TONY: Gonna have a cattle drive
like John Wayne, huh?
Yippie-aye-oh!
We're gonna become cowboys.
So this is the Irishman, huh?
That's right.
It's not as crazy as it sounds.
You know, you'll be getting 50% of the cut.
And more importantly,
this business is legitimate.
You know, totally. I mean, almost.
I'll think about it.
Yeah, it's good to see you again, Frank.
How do you think it went in there?
Yeah, it was good to see you, too.
Who knows when I'll see you again.
- I got a joke you can pass on to Salerno.
- What is it?
Why do you call Italian guys "wops"?
Throw a piece of shit against the wall,
it goes, "Wop!"
- Yeah, yeah. Wop this.
- (DANNY LAUGHS)
Get the fuck outta here.
All of yous, you bunch of Irish pricks.
All of yous.
Move the fuck outta here.
I want you to go to Los Angeles,
see Ray Ferrito.
- I thought he went back to Italy.
- No.
You take Julius with you.
This way we get two for the price of one.
Okay. Whatever's gotta be.
Irish pricks.
JULIUS: This is the guy?
He don't look so tough.
(CAR DOOR OPENS)
(CAR DOOR CLOSES)
I understand you're having
some problems in Cleveland.
FRANK: I got two problems.
This guy Nardi and this guy, the Irishman.
- What's in it for me?
- JULIUS: Don't worry about your share.
New York wants this guy out,
you take him out.
You'll get yours, all right, guy?
Once John Nardi's gone,
you'll get his territory
and everything that comes with it.
- Licavoli's agreed?
- Yeah.
So how you gonna do it?
I mean, it's not like you can just walk up
to the guy in your fancy business suit
and say, "Hi, I'm here to whack you."
Sure you can.
Hi, I'm here to whack you.
See you in Cleveland.
Yeah, have a nice trip.
JOHN: Who gives a shit
about Texas, anyway?
The place smells like shit.
We're gonna take this city over, Danny.
- Right, pal?
- Sure.
You and me.
John, I want you to be careful.
You know, you Irish, you worry too much.
Look, I never liked that Licavoli.
And I don't trust that cocksucker
in New York, either.
You know what?
And they're scared of you and me.
And they got good reason to be.
(DANNY CHUCKLES)
Hey, Danny. We're moving up!
(EXPLOSION)
(DANNY PANTING)
John?
Give me a hand up, all right?
Come on. I'll walk home.
I don't live far from here.
I'm gonna go home.
I'm gonna lie down, have a rest.
John, let's just rest here. Hey, buddy?
Hey, Danny. We're moving up, Danny boy.
We sure are.
Everything's gonna be all right.
(SIRENS WAILING)
BILLY: Danny, come on.
REPORTER: John Nardi,
for three decades, a prominent member
of Cleveland's crime syndicates,
was killed today by a bomb
rigged to the ignition of his car.
Nardi's murder
brings the number of organised crime figures
slain in Cleveland this year to four.
Reporting live from Cleveland, Jeff Campbell.
You got a problem?
No. Do you?
I don't have a problem.
I think you do.
I think most people in Cleveland
would say you've got a problem.
Who are you? Huh?
(ENGINE STARTING)
Answer me!
(SHOUTING) Who are you?
What did you call me for?
I shouldn't be doing this.
Licavoli wants a sit-down with you.
Just you and him.
He's gonna offer you a treaty
and he wants you to sell it to Danny.
You're the only one he'll listen to.
What, do I look like a fucking idiot?
We're gonna drive over to a pay phone
down at the docks.
Licavoli is gonna call at 3:00 p.m.
You tell him where you want him to go,
and he'll be there.
And if anything feels fishy,
shoot me in the fucking head, okay?
Come on.
- Get in the fucking car.
- You fucking don't believe nobody.
You're fucking impossible, man.
(CAR HONKING OUTSIDE)
Danny? What the fuck?
Brings back memories, huh?
(PAYPHONE RINGING)
Right on time. Name the place.
- Tell him to meet me behind the Highlander.
- You got it.
JOE: What's with the ice?
DANNY: Bad tooth.
JOE: You wanna talk?
I heard about your friend Billy
and your man Keith.
Me and mine will take our chances.
(SIGHING)
It's bad, Danny. It's over.
His name is Ray Ferrito.
We checked him out.
He doesn't make mistakes.
He gets close. Your family.
Your mother. Your girlfriend.
They have not built a bomb big enough
to kill Danny Greene.
You really think the luck of the Irish
is gonna save you?
My enemies will be taken care of, Joe.
I promise.
Good luck, Danny.
Hey, Joe.
Thank you.
BILLY: "I was too embarrassed to recite this
in person, so I'm sending this in a letter.
"The Ballad of Danny Greene.
"They've shot and they've bombed.
"Tried all that they knew
to bring Danny Greene's time to an end.
"But warriors don't fall.
This legend still stands.
"My captain. My brother. My friend.
"Bill McComber."
(PHONE RINGING)
Hello?
ELLIE: Hey, baby.
I made you that dentist appointment.
Take this down.
Brainard Medical Building,
2000 Brainard Place, Lyndhurst, 3:00 p.m.
DANNY: Thanks, honey.
There's something else.
Something I...
I want you to know.
I love you.
Danny?
(SOBBING)
Danny?
(STIFLING SOBS)
I changed the oil. She's clean.
- You sure you don't want me to go with you?
- Nah.
Get your fuckin' hands off my car.
DENTIST: Let's take
a look at that tooth, Mr Greene.
Hey, mister, are you him? The Irishman?
What about it?
My cousin Timmy says you got
more balls than anybody.
He wants to be just like you.
(DANNY CHUCKLES)
You don't wanna be just like me, kid.
Go on, get outta here.
Come here, you.
Whoa.
Whoa.
Go on, beat it.
JOE: Ray Ferrito, the hit man who killed
Danny Greene, got too big for his britches.
So the Cleveland Mafia
took a contract out on him.
What did Ray Ferrito do?
Went to the feds and cut a deal.
The resulting trial led
to the indictments of Jack Licavoli
and L.A. Gangster
Jimmy "The Weasel" Fratianno,
who testified against Mafia associates
across the nation.
It would all lead to
the famous Commission trial,
which convicted bosses
in each of New York's five families.
Danny Greene's murder directly led to
the indictment of 27 Mafia associates,
and the collapse of organised crime
in Cleveland.
The Cleveland Mafia has never recovered.
REPORTER: This is about the fourth time
someone's tried to kill you.
How do you account for the fact
that you survive each time?
(DANNY CHUCKLES)
You want me to give you the Irish version?
REPORTER: What's the Irish version?
The guy upstairs pulls the strings,
you're gone. There's no other way.