1
(INTENSE SOMBER MUSIC)
(GUN THUDS)
(BABY COOING AND SQUEALING SOFTLY)
(LIGHT CLICKING)
(CUSTOMERS CHATTERING)
GARCIA: Last week, we pulled into
Babylon Burgers on Western.
Gar, the 101's a fucking
parking lot after 7:00, let's go.
Order number two, extra cheese.
Guess what's not in the burger?
Gar, tell me in the car, come on.
Cheese, coo, there's no
fucking cheese in my burger!
You know, I feel like a fucking asshole
throwing on the lights in traffic.
This broad starts
screaming bloody murder.
I mean, this, (CHUCKLES)
you're gonna like this.
Turns out, we got our burgers swapped.
Problem is, she's lactose
intolerant, right?
So, we walk up to this scrawny teenager,
you know, working the counter,
and this bitch, listen to this,
is about to beat his face in, right.
And guess what he says?
That our shift starts in five.
Uh-uh.
Um, ladies, the meal's on the house.
And all three of us are
thinking the same thing.
The bitch always pays for the meal.
Hey, I paid every day this week.
No, you didn't, that was me.
(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
What's that, like 10%?
(GLASS CLATTERING)
Here we go again with this shit.
Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa,
that's, that's my lunch.
Possession is nine-tenths of the law.
What does that have to do with anything?
Oh, oh, oh, come on, po-po!
I ain't looking for no trouble, man!
Look, I'm just trying to scrape up
some change to get some grub.
It's okay, buddy, go home.
Zip it up.
That bum don't got no home!
Who the fuck you calling a bum?
I ain't no bum!
Hey, buddy, drunk in public smacks
a thousand dollars, so
take the food and leave.
The hell with your damn food.
Because I ain't no goddamn charity!
Shit!
And the police don't control us!
We control us!
Take your fucking food, man!
(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
- Police don't control shit.
- Get the fuck off me.
- Police don't control shit!
- Get the fuck off me!
BUM: Police don't control shit!
You want resisting, too?
You don't have anything sharp in here
that's going to stab me, do you?
Oh, get a real job!
One more word out of you
and you're getting disorderly.
You got that?
Sorry.
Fucking zoo out here, papito.
Peace officer oath
doesn't quite say it all.
Oh, you learn a lot about
the oath over the years.
Well, you've gotta find
the love in it somewhere.
Let me tell you something, Remito.
Hollywood ain't real.
Out here, you trying to be a hero,
Marley's gonna be IDing you at the morgue.
You wanna survive?
You duck your head and you
check that honor at the door.
You ain't gonna make no difference
to these fucked up people.
Time to clock in.
(SOMBER MUSIC)
(KNOCKING)
Yo, I gotta take a piss.
You ain't coming in here with that bag.
You of all people should know
I ain't bringing that shit here.
Yo, is today the day, dog?
Shit, mail comes in an hour.
Dog, I be hella nervous
- if I were you.
- Drew, sweetie?
Yo, quick, under here, fool.
Have you heard back yet?
No, nothing since you went to bed.
- Georgetown.
- I know.
Boy, wouldn't that be something?
Good riddance!
(LAUGHS)
Jesus Christ!
A little privacy, please?
Marion Ernesto Williams,
I have repeatedly
asked you to stay out of my house!
And do not use the Lord's name in vain.
Miss Stanton, have I mentioned
you look beautiful today?
Oh, yeah?
What about me looks so beautiful?
Um, um,
your feet.
Boy, get from under that table!
You ain't no dog.
(MARION GRUNTING)
Boy, the only reason why this
cane ain't up your behind
is I feel sorry for your little sister.
That was sweet what
you said about my feet.
Boy, you better shape up right now
or you gonna be bunking
with Drew's father.
And, boy, nobody looks at a woman's feet.
That's nasty!
(CLOCK TICKING)
For the millionth time,
raises mean more paperwork.
Are you serious?
Come on, Cap.
All you gotta do is dot the I's.
I got Internal at 3:00.
You got two minutes and
then you're outta here.
I know it's in my bones to serve, Cap.
I can't give up this life.
I'm sorry, kid.
I just figured after you asked for
his badge you had made peace with it.
Badge represents the oath I
took, not the one my dad did.
I remember you coming
in here with your pops.
Back when you had that one big fuckin' zit
above your forehead.
Cap, you know what's
goin' on in my family.
And my dad ain't here to
pay the bills now, so...
Look, it's a simple equation.
People get arrested, they pay fines based
on those arrests that pay our salaries.
No major arrests, no salaries.
Well, I got the guy from this morning
sitting in a cell right now.
A homeless man gets
me a stack of paperwork.
I'm not gonna go out
there and create crime
that doesn't exist, come on!
Open your fuckin' eyes, Remy!
I'm out there every day,
Cap, I know what goes down!
Time's up; go home and get cleaned up.
I'm on a double.
Who works a double after the owl shift?
The type of officer
who should get promoted!
You could just die and
collect the pension money.
My wife suggests that all the time.
Look, kid, I put you
with Garcia for reason.
Follow her lead and
your numbers will go up.
Look outside.
You've got assholes with
guns, kids with fuckin' drugs.
You wanna see the vilest
part of human society?
Take a five minute walk down East side.
Your raise is sittin'
right there on the street.
Go find it!
(PILLS RATTLING)
(MAJESTIC MUSIC)
Congrats, dog!
Hey, we gonna be all up
in those freshman parties.
What you mean, we?
You barely made it through middle school.
Man, Wesley High don't teach you nothin'
about gettin' guap.
Shit, whatever happened
to corporate sales?
Dog, that was some middle school shit.
People grow up.
Man, middle school sure
ain't no 30 a semester, dog,
I tell you that.
Shit, you could knock off about 10 bucks
with them cans you got.
(CHUCKLES)
90 cans at five cents a pop.
You can't even get a meal at
the dining hall with this shit.
Man, just keep grinding
down at Pepper's, dog.
Savin' that pay check.
Yeah, if only this shit had about
three more zeroes at the end of it.
I'd be living right now!
Yo, what about student loans and shit?
Still got about 25, 30 more to go.
You need to stop all
this minimum wage shit
and grab a pack off me.
I appreciate the gesture, bro,
but you know that ain't my scene.
And besides, I ain't trying to
have no reunion with the pops.
Well, shit, I guess
if you're gonna be poor
LA the place to be hustlin'.
Back when I lived in Philly,
damn, son, that weather!
Bro, you got me fucked up.
I ain't trying to fool
with no 40 degree winters.
Dog, you ain't never seen cold!
The spring ain't even
40 degrees in Philly.
Bro, why ain't you looking
at UCLA or nothin'?
Man, ain't shit out
here in this city for me.
Nothin' but a graveyard full
of dead dreams out here, man.
I could put you on,
just give me the word.
I got two weeks to make this cash.
Let's make some fuckin' moves.
Ah!
(FINGERS SNAPPING)
MARLEY: Salad's fresh
from the market on Vine.
Looks delicious, babe.
You're the best.
Uh, do we not say grace anymore?
Thank you, God, for the food,
for,
for this beautiful, gorgeous lady,
for our little offspring.
Thank you, God, for everything.
Amen.
Amen.
And thank you, God, for plates.
Thank you.
I gotta be back at the station in an hour.
It's $5 dollar Fridays at LA Dance.
No.
We don't need tickets to dance.
(LAUGHS)
(LATIN INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)
Come on.
Come here, baby.
Why don't you show me what you got?
(BOTH LAUGHING)
This reminds me of your Mom's basement.
It does.
Yeah, you were such a
sucker for that scooter.
I liked you in spite of your scooter.
What, orange flames aren't your thing?
Eh, it got pretty good gas mileage.
- Oh!
- Sorry.
Oh, that's my toe.
(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
You want me to kiss your
lips to make your toes better?
Mm-hmm, yeah, Eastern medicine, baby.
(CHUCKLES)
The body's one organ and it's
all functioning in unison.
What?
What's the matter?
Celery.
- Uh-uh.
- Mm-hmm.
No.
Mm-hmm, come here.
I'm here to protect
and serve the community
from the dangers of not flossing.
No, no, no.
You've seen my operations.
- No, stop it.
- Come on.
Stop it, weirdo!
(GUN FIRING LOUDLY)
(DOGS BARKING)
(INFANT CRYING)
The wonderful neighborhood of Westlake.
Hey, shh.
(CRYING)
It's okay, baby.
It's okay, come here.
(MUTTERING BABY TALK)
It's the first time
she's smiled in two days.
Anything new?
Just another inconclusive test.
Another week of this, she'll
go back on the tube again.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
Daddy's gotta go.
(KEYS JINGLING)
Thank you.
Where would I be without you?
See you sometime tomorrow?
Yeah, soon, baby.
You know I talked to Cap and
we're gonna be okay, I swear.
Yeah, it's just, you know.
No.
I'm not him.
I barely knew him.
Come here.
(BABY COOS)
Leftovers will be in the fridge.
It ain't breaking and
entering if the door's unlocked.
It's clever, right?
This shit's on a platter for you!
Some dude who ain't even home.
How you know that?
My boy already came
through, banging on the door.
CEO, bitch!
I'll go around back.
Yo, bro, hey, chill, man, hold up.
Chill, I ain't trying to move weight
this heavy with somebody, bro.
Like, my pops got sent away
for less than an ounce.
It's your choice, dog.
You can go donate blood for
$10 dollars and movie tickets,
but this stash shit is
gonna get you all guap.
Fuck it, man.
(SLOW RAP MUSIC)
We're cruising like a vill
Game taking the shells
Yeah, it ain't sell
But we gon' make it anyway
Grinding like I'm
trying to bust a pill
Hey, hey, bad things creep away
Never walked up on love
Trying to get a triple play
A lot of talkin', ain't no walkin'
I ain't got shit to say
The strong move quiet so my
silence like a Tyson fade
Tyson fade, Tyson fade
We gon' need a few more of your people
You can try to hide
That desert will definitely seek you
Uh!
Lookie here.
Misguided Jehovah's Witness
just strolls into my living room.
You mute, boy?
'Cause mute people still
make sounds and shit.
I'm giving you three
seconds to tell me why I
shouldn't carve your face up
with some nice plastic surgery.
(DREW STAMMERING)
Three, two!
(GLASS BREAKING)
(BOTH PANTING)
Damn, bro!
So we got that shit, didn't we?
Ain't nobody bleeding.
We all good.
GARCIA: Why the fuck
would I wear makeup?
I've seen you plumping those lashes.
That's mascara, you man!
That's not fucking makeup!
DISPATCHER: We got a 507 disturbance
at 403 Lanfair Avenue, Westwood, over.
Dispatch, can you repeat?
DISPATCHER: A 403 Lanfair Avenue.
Guns or drugs, papito.
Hey, they wouldn't call
something through for no reason.
Listen.
You ain't gonna find
anything at a 507 disturbance
in Westwood except some drunk college kids
arguing over who's
gonna tip the pizza guy.
Come on, take a left
here, see where it goes.
Remito, if ain't guns or
drugs it ain't paying the bills.
Bust your yap, here,
- Sylvia, come on let's hear it.
- Oh, my God.
(GARCIA SPEAKING SPANISH)
Okay, listen, you'd
rather deal with a bunch
of wasted college kids than
some dumbass motherfucker
with a little bit of coke in his pocket?
Come on, are you stupid?
Copy that, we're on it.
(SPEAKING SPANISH)
Somebody's gotta do the crap.
Who else is doing this shit?
The only thing worth investing in
is yourself, remember that.
(SPEAKING SPANISH)
They gave you that medal for a reason.
The least you could do is wear it for him.
I see that 806 on your chest.
Makes me feel like he's still here.
I learned a long time
ago; you keep pressing
that rewind button, it's gonna eat
you alive until there's nothing left.
(PUFFING)
(SIREN BLARING)
(SIGHING)
REMY: Little early
to be slinging out here.
Bitch, I'm chillin'.
And I got my med card.
(EXHALING)
Ooh, good shit.
ID, please.
I ain't gotta do shit.
I know my rights.
Well, you're this close to have
the right to remain silent.
Fuck you, pig!
Come on.
(THUDDING)
You know the routine!
You ain't got shit and
it's not gonna be straight!
What the fuck, man?
This is some bullshit!
It's plain view doctrine,
bro, read the law.
Spread your legs.
I'm gonna be back on
these streets tomorrow!
Now you have the right to remain silent.
But if you're not smart
enough to use that right
then I suggest you listen to the officer
who's telling you to shut the fuck up!
Man, all us niggers
ain't doing the same shit!
Well, I ain't seen no
brothers here selling mix tapes.
I need a background on a Jamal Wilson.
2820 Ventura Boulevard.
Man, I'm waitin' out here for my girl
and y'all motherfuckers roll
up to me with this bullshit?
I know you can see the badge.
Yeah, well, I knew I knew you.
You that cop livin' up on 33rd.
Wrong guy.
You that bacon that live with that fine
little brunette in them Hazey apartments.
Guy's clean, no priors.
Come on, Remy, you know there
ain't shit here, let's go.
What the fuck did you say?
You better watch your
step out here, cowboy.
Especially with that nice
little family of yours.
Is there something you wanna tell me?
(SPITTING)
Fuck you, pussy-ass 5-0!
(THUDDING)
Remy, move the fuck back!
That's assault, you stupid, pendejo!
Racist motherfuckers.
Soon as I walk out that jail,
gonna make my way down to 33rd block.
I might take a little
pitstop and do your bitch!
This guy's a fucking asshole.
- Let's go, Remy, come on!
- Shh, shh, shh.
Just gimme a few minutes.
I promise you, we all gonna
have her beggin' for more.
(PUNCHING)
Now you're silent!
I'll be fucking waiting for you!
- Get the fuck off of him!
- Pendejo!
MARION: Yo, relax, dog.
Shit, dry out here, man.
We've been waiting for a fucking hour!
Yo, fall back, dog!
When you posted up out here in my jungle
you just in kindergarten.
I don't need no directions.
Man, my dude's coming through.
DREW: I'll be surprised
if we get $500 for this shit.
Yo, never just whip
that shit out yo pants!
Like you're a seventh grader trying
to get his dick wet at
the dance or something.
Man, you're the one with all these
jinky-ass rubber bands all over this shit.
I'd be surprised if we
get a couple hundos.
Man, wise up real quick
or you gonna get us cracked.
(RAP MUSIC)
What's good, man?
Show us that fire, hombre.
MARION: What it do, Javi?
You got that shit or what?
Jimmy, you know I got
that shit, the best, nigga!
Who you fucking with?
Every fool on these streets
think they got the best shit, man.
You ain't special, motherfucker!
You know I got you.
This shit will freeze
your fucking face off,
dog, best pot out here.
JIMMY: What the hell it gonna run us?
Six.
Shit!
Your price is way too high,
you need to cut that shit!
Bro, holla, how much you got, man?
Who the fuck is this?
Drew, nigga!
Who the fuck are you?
Fall back, dog, I got this.
You the motherfucker
that's high, we out.
MARION: $550, shit's bomb, Javi.
Shit's worth four, nigga.
Can't go below five.
It better be on point, then.
MARION: You already know it, dog.
Man, fuck this shit!
Shit's a paycheck process.
Well, that's the number, chief.
You want some bullshit baby powder,
you can take yo ass up to Eagle Rock.
Look, man, we're just trying
to have a good time, you know?
Lemme see five and we can dance.
Man I do this to escape
Every thought all the pain
Imma crawl to the hall of fame
I'll be damned if you dare
Smear my name on the wall of shame
It's like the Goest Ryder gonna...
Hey!
Shit, dog, you got it.
I do this for the love, baby
Do this for the gold
I do this for the fans
Can't forget about them foes
I do this for my folks
My family, it shows
I do this from the heart
Every part of me it flows
I do this for the love, baby
Do this for the gold
I do this for the fans
Can't forget about them foes
I do this for my folks
My family, it shows
I do this from the heart
Every part of me it flows
This is beautiful, fucking beautiful!
Fucking kids in this neighborhood.
They got no respect.
Well, it seems like they
respect everybody else.
Everybody else doesn't wear a badge.
Look, Remington, I don't
wanna break your balls, here,
but it's the 18th of the month
and I ain't seen no fucking green.
I got a mortgage.
I don't pay, the bank'll
take my fucking house.
I'll pay double next month.
I don't get it, you're a cop.
It's just that all these hospital bills
with Lily are draining us.
Well, I got a daughter, too,
so that don't cut you
a fucking pass, okay?
Everybody's got their own shit to pay for.
Give me a few days.
You know I'm good for it.
No fucking way, you got one more day!
I can't keep giving you special privileges
just 'cause you wear this fucking uniform!
I'll have it by tomorrow.
LANDLORD: Gimme your word.
My word.
So good news, Cap is moving me to days.
We'll be okay, just give it a few months.
I just feel like I'm
watching you go down
the exact same road that he went down.
Oh, come on, come on.
I mean, what, do you want me to be
a fucking dishwasher
for $10 bucks an hour?
Dishwasher's don't end up
on the seven o'clock news.
Marley, please, wake up.
Fucking insurance barely
covers cold medicine
and last time I checked only one of us
is out there busting
their ass to pay for it.
I didn't choose for Lily to get sick.
And I sure as hell didn't choose
to sit here all day make sure she's
still breathing when you get home!
You have no idea what it's like
to be out there on those streets.
No, I don't.
The fucking shit I see!
Of course, I don't, but
you don't know what it's like
to sit here completely fucking helpless,
living in fear of a phone call!
Don't be afraid of a call,
be afraid of one more like this.
This is the third one this week!
What do you want me to do about it?
Be nice to have some little extra money
to pay for some of these bills.
What are you saying?
That I don't give a shit about Lily
because I don't have a job?
I only see one of us picking up the tab.
(SLAPPING)
You think that you
are so fucking honorable
because you're a cop!
(UNINTELLIGIBLE ECHOING)
You're not doing it for our sake,
you're doing it for you!
And all that makes you
is a selfish asshole!
(PILLS RATTLING)
(PUNCHING)
Harder, big boy!
Come on, you know it's bullshit, Cap!
It's not bullshit.
The more you sweat in here,
the less you'll bleed on the streets.
No, no, no, you
fucking know what I mean.
It's bullshit.
Most of them are, Remy,
but Internal will be so far up my ass.
The guy had weed on him.
Nobody gives a shit about weed.
Everybody has weed in California.
I'm two days away from
sitting on a beach somewhere.
Smokin' weed.
(REMY LAUGHS)
I acted accordingly
with how I was trained.
You were trained to act logically.
Now that's time.
You train us how to shoot a gun
and how to break down a door.
(PUNCHING)
Remy, you're not a person,
you're an LAPD officer.
You don't have emotions.
Yeah, that's the standard here
that's putting this fucking
place in the ground.
You wanna talk about standards?
You know how understaffed we are?
I work a double every other day.
Two applicants yesterday,
best recruits in the academy.
I would have begged these fucking guys
to work in this hellhole, but
I couldn't even look at them.
No, 'cause you were afraid
to fall in love with them.
No, because they're white.
Half the force is white.
40% of the force is
white, LA's 40% white.
Matching demographics and the minute
we sniff 41 Internal replaces me
and I don't get my retirement package.
Is that what it is?
Am I a fucking quota?
Remy, I hired you
because I saw the same look
in your eyes as I did in
my partner's 10 years ago.
It's a fucking calling, kid,
and you can't ignore it.
But if you're not Hispanic, neither you,
nor your pops, would
have worn this uniform.
Put me on tonight, then.
Shit doesn't just magically disappear.
And forget about that, you can't even go
anywhere near patrol in
a pending investigation.
I'm not gonna let some asshole
fuck with me 'cause I'm a cop.
They're not fucking with you,
they could give a shit about you.
All they see is blue.
And that's time.
Gimme Ralston Street.
Remy, that's time!
Kid, I'm doing everything
I can to keep you on.
I promised your pops that much.
But it's not my precinct anymore.
And I doubt they'd keep you
on with no major arrests.
The sad fucking truth
is life's about virtue,
but it's run by politics.
Get cleaned up, kid.
Hi, I'm looking for Cindy.
I have an interview in three minutes.
Yeah, sorry, there was
an accident on Sunset.
So, do you have any experience?
Yeah, sure, sorry I
thought we were gonna do
a formal sit-down thing,
but this is cool, too.
So, this is formal?
Oh, yeah, my daughter
was spitting up in the car.
Sorry, I'm just a little...
Tired, yeah, I can see
the bags under your eyes.
Do you bring her to interviews a lot?
Is that an issue?
Is it gonna be a recurring thing?
I could get a babysitter or a friend.
Do you even have any experience?
I was a hostess for a
summer in high school.
Oh, that's a long time ago.
Are you familiar with NetTables?
I can learn it.
We're really not interested
in people who need to learn it.
We just need people who already know.
Look, I'm sorry that you
came all the way out here,
but it's like, your shirt's
stained and your hair's a mess.
I mean, what would you
think if you were me?
That she's the diamond in the rough.
Listen, if this was a couple years ago,
maybe we could work something out,
but you know, you're just
not what we're looking for.
Like, at all.
Okay, shh, shh.
(BOTTLE CLATTERING)
(BABY CRYING)
Shh, sweetie, just stop crying, it's okay.
(CRUNCHING)
Ow, goddamn it!
(CRYING)
(SIGHING)
(THUDDING)
Oh, seriously, smalls?
Of all the things you
could spill on the carpet?
You know all there is around
here is pizza and candy.
School needs to be teaching you
about the dangers of processed sugar.
What's for dinner?
Dinner, little sis?
You eatin' breakfast.
Yeah, but I don't like breakfast.
I like dinner.
How come you and Drew don't
have to go to school at eight?
Because seniors get first block off.
Why does Drew only get one
block off and you get all five?
Because I need all five
to clean up this juice.
My shirt makes me look weird.
Let me see.
Yeah, you ballin' now.
If you want success
you gotta dress for it.
I want fruit snacks.
(LAUGHS)
I'll pick you up at six.
Same spot, okay?
(DOOR CLOSING)
You wanna help me bag it or
you just wanna stare at it?
I guess it's better
than being unemployed.
MARION: You never unemployed
if you're an entrepreneur.
DREW: This ain't enough.
Might as well book your lawyer now.
Look, man, we could be
pushing an ounce or a gram,
but they ain't puttin' us
away unless we packing heat.
Everybody out here's strapped.
The 5-0 are never lookin'
for nickel and dimers.
It's the big time bust that
get their name in the paper.
I know you got the
hookup on Ralston Street.
Dog, what you think happens to smalls
if I get caught up on my third strike?
I got a good thing going, I'm gettin' by.
$50 bucks a pop is not
gonna get us outta here.
You see me tryin' to go somewhere?
It's the only shit I know.
I ain't tryin' to be
stuck in my mom's kitchen
all day listening to
Home Shopping Network.
Ralston ain't kids trying
to make change for the better, dog.
You drop a bag in front of them niggers,
before you lift your head up
you'll have a fucking bullet through it.
I'm still here, ain't I?
(LAUGHS) Second day on the job, right?
I'm sittin' passenger, your pop's driving.
Guy behind us crosses the double yellow.
No hands on the wheel.
I'm about to make my first arrest.
Prove to the legend himself
that I'm no punk-ass kid.
So we got the sirens blaring and this guy,
I mean, the slowest fucking
thing, just creeps to a stop.
Well, I think shit's about to go down.
He's loadin' up, right?
Have you heard this one?
Mm-mm.
I was nine, he didn't tell me a lot.
Leap out of the car,
fingers shaking on the trigger, you know.
They didn't teach
gun safety in the '70s?
'90s! (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(LAUGHS)
Wise guy, '70s!
Hit the driver's side, put
your manos up in the air!
Guy throws up both hands, I
take one look, drop my gun.
Guy had his pants down by his ankles,
dick hanging out flopping everywhere!
Fuck, man, I'm eating lunch.
Shit was some big, old
girthy bastard of a thing.
Bigger than your dick?
Not quite.
We let him adjust and
we told him to go home.
What, you didn't book him?
No, the guy started
blabbing his whole life story.
Said he was having all
sorts of marriage problems.
His wife wouldn't even touch him.
I just felt sorry for the guy.
Tell me about it.
I haven't gotten any all week.
Whoa, stop the car.
REMY: What?
If there's anything
you learn right now here,
from us, from this, this whole experience,
is that no matter how bad it gets,
as long as you're fucking you
ain't got no real problems.
Me and Rosita, we made hot,
sweet love every single night.
We'd strip each other bare.
We'd rub hot oil on each other.
My chocha ravaging her chocha!
(REMY CHUCKLING)
And she's howling, hey, mami, aye, aye!
(POUNDING) Aye!
(LAUGHS)
(REMY SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
- Sylvia?
- Hmm?
Take me to Ralston Street.
Come on, Remito, you don't wanna fuck
with the malitos on Ralston Street.
Especially with the current investigation.
Well, guns and drugs, right?
You sure?
I will.
I can fucking handle myself.
Okay.
Let's get this party started.
REMY: Right on.
Hey, bro, don't you gotta be
under 12 to play Ninja Turtles?
I squeeze into that double XL vest.
I guess, man.
Small's always trying to play around.
Smalls wants the pizza, dog.
How you think you get such good aim?
You know there's a gun
range out in Covina, right?
They ask questions at the range, dog.
This ain't a game for little boys.
There go your ticket to Georgetown.
Hey, what up, bro?
What's up, bro?
Man, who the fuck is this?
Look, I told you, I'm not tryin'
to fuck with no bitch-ass narcs, bro!
Yo, son, we got the cash.
Shouldn't be no different.
Nigger, who the fuck you talking to?
This better not be no 9.9 bullshit.
Hey, we've been down since day one, dog.
It's all good, he's cool.
Yeah, he cool, you cool, I'm cool.
I guess we just a bunch
of cool-ass motherfuckers.
Shit, man!
Be cool, dog.
(FAST RAP MUSIC)
Get this lined in, bitch.
Nigger don't get his nose wet.
Yeah, well, snitches
don't get they nose wet.
Man, look, nigger, you're either hittin'
the line or I'm poppin' this.
Ain't no way
Ain't no way
You ain't gotta do this.
(SOMBER MUSIC)
SPIDER: That's what I'm talking about.
See?
We chillin', he's legit.
Look, nigger, out here who
you are don't make you shit.
It's what the fuck you got.
Any old nigger could be legit.
(THUDDING)
Immediate backup, 2022 Ralston Street.
You okay?
Yeah.
Take a minute, take a minute.
(GRUNTING)
Take it easy.
(PILLS RATTLING)
What?
I fucking slipped, I know.
Everything out there
is fucked up right now.
I'm sorry.
Just give me a few days to
get my head straight and...
Internal will understand.
Internal doesn't give
two fucks about you.
What they care about is our public image.
And you within a hundred feet of
this building is a PR nightmare.
Let's get it over with.
You know your pop's...
Can you just go one
fucking day without him?
Before your pops, my
partner was Steven Zabbas.
Jesus, hard to believe
that was 35 years ago.
We get a domestic dispute;
guy, girl arguing.
We're knocking but they're not answering.
Cap, enough with the stories.
Read the decision.
All of a sudden, door swings open,
sawed-off shotgun, cocked back.
Bam!
Guy fucking blew Steve away
before I could even blink.
I got a shot off.
I put the guy down.
But it's not Steve lying there lifeless
that keeps me up at night; it's
the asshole I fucking shot.
I would do anything I
could to get that out,
but it's seared in my memory, kid.
I took that man's life.
I'm sorry.
So who gives a fuck about Steven Zabbas?
Nobody!
You're not in it for
the glory, or the pride,
or any bullshit value they
preach at the academy.
You're an LAPD officer,
keep your fucking head down.
Do your job.
Pray to God that someday you can send
your daughter to college before she's
putting a flag over your coffin.
With all due respect, sir,
the badge stands for more than that.
I'm sorry, kid.
Every day you have assholes give you shit
and you gotta keep it all together
because if you don't nobody else will.
And you didn't.
Okay.
So let's forget about safety, then.
Base shit off arrest numbers.
Is that how you protect and serve?
Bullshit.
Badge and gun, Michael.
Badge belongs to him.
It belongs to the department
and you're no longer
associated with it whatsoever.
I don't know much about him
besides the stories you guys tell me.
But I do know one thing.
He served a brotherhood,
not a fucking business.
It's funny how life works.
They tell you to stop crime
and the minute you do,
you're the bad guy.
Maybe I'll find this
prick and bring him in.
Your career's over, Michael.
I talked to my buddies
at the security office.
They said to check back
in a couple months.
Might be something then.
I need my dad.
He always knew what to say.
You know, when Castillo pointed
that gun at me, I just froze.
I mean, you look down the barrel
of a gun and it's like you're not you.
You just shut off.
I've read the report
a thousand times looking
for answers, but it's the same old story.
It wasn't in the report.
Your dad, right before, looked
me dead in the eye and said,
you have to weigh every single detail,
no matter how small, to make
the best decision possible.
But in the end, sometimes it
just comes down to one thing.
Kill or be killed.
You know, your pops was something else.
I mean, he just went in
there and grabbed Castillo.
And they give this (SPEAKING
FOREIGN LANGUAGE) a medal.
You saved that girl's life.
Anybody would have grabbed the girl.
If I didn't freeze up he would
have never had to jump in.
I keep, I keep going over and over.
I keep trying to figure
out why I froze, but,
every day I just get
further from the answer.
I've made my peace with it.
You know that's this fucking gig.
They know what we signed up for.
No, Remito, nobody knows.
Only you do, your
family, they just see it.
We fucking live it.
The sooner you realize that,
the sooner you'll survive
out there and up here.
(CRYING)
(CELL PHONE RINGING)
Honey, I...
Wait, slow down.
What?
Is surgery our only option?
Is there medicine?
For this instance, with an infant,
we're morally obligated to operate.
And insurance covers that?
DOCTOR: Partially.
There will be some out-of-pocket expenses.
The hospital covers half,
but it's not unusual
for these things to get
into the six figures.
(ECHOING)
REMY: Jesus Christ, I fucked up.
Don't blame yourself...
No, I fucked up, Marley.
Fuck, I tried talking to the captain
again and again and I swear I tried!
MARLEY: What's happening?
You need to talk to me right now.
The department put me
on indefinite admin leave.
What?
When?
When were you gonna tell me about this?
I haven't seen you since it happened.
Okay.
Alright, look, I'll get a
couple shifts as a hostess.
Or I'll pick up night shifts.
No, Marley, you don't get it.
I'm not gonna be an officer again.
Maybe that's for the best.
The best?
You see, this fucking job is who I am.
And I don't have nothing without it!
(WATER RUSHING)
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
Promise me you won't cry anymore.
I've had enough of your crying shit.
(LAUGHS)
No more crying, okay?
Yeah, good.
I'm thinking it's not important.
You actually don't care about Marley.
You actually don't care
about your daughter.
Give up, give up, give up.
Give up now, give up.
Give, give the fuck up, come on!
Get out, let me fucking go!
Are you cool?
I'm cool, I'm fucking cool.
Perfect, perfect.
Perfect fucking cool.
(BANGING)
(GLASS SHATTERING)
(SOBBING)
I fucking give up, give up.
(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
Marley, Marley. (CRYING)
(SIRENS BLARING IN DISTANCE)
This officer, he dropped off my dad's
work box one random day after school.
My mom stared at it for days.
Like something was gonna happen.
Eventually, I ripped it open.
I was so fucking excited.
Like I got to see him one last time.
Do you know what I found?
Junk.
Pens, family pictures
and jammed into the corner was his badge.
Lately I've been thinking
that's life, though;
a bunch of random junk.
Last bus to Riverside leaves in 15.
It'd be great to get
the fuck out of this city.
I think I should go
to the hospital alone.
I can drive you.
I feel like I can't breathe around you.
I,
I think we should take
a break or something.
A break?
I can pick up a few
shifts at a cafe nearby.
Okay, so now we're
back to middle school.
How many coffees do I need to serve
to pay one hospital bill, Marley, one?
(MARLEY CRYING)
When I was eight I used to go
with my mom every Saturday to the diner.
I'd just sit there and color for hours.
To me it was like going to work with mom,
but for her, it's like she
had this glimmer in her eye.
Like she was alive and,
I don't know, just her.
Somewhere along the line I stopped going.
But my mom, she was never the same.
Those days in the diner just felt like,
like everything made sense.
I just wanna feel that with Lily.
And you will.
As soon as you realize that this life
is just a bunch of random junk.
You'll get through it.
(MARLEY SIGHING)
You know, you wearing that uniform,
you don't have a damn clue
what you're protecting.
(SOFT WHISTLING AND HUMMING)
(SOMBER MUSIC)
(CARS WHOOSHING)
(KNOCKING)
How are you doing this
fine morning, ma'am?
Drew here?
What's going on?
Oh, nothing.
I think he just misplaced this.
Where did you find that?
I'd really, really love
to give it to him myself.
He's not in any trouble is he?
Well, you see, I'm a cop.
So maybe we can get inside and have
a little talk about your son?
I don't see no warrant or nothing.
Oh, no, ma'am, don't get me wrong.
I'm not wearing my uniform
'cause I'm here to help you.
You see, I have no intention
of causing any more troubles.
Let me tell you something, officer,
the world don't work that way.
It's a two way street.
You ain't gettin' respect
without givin' it.
Respect, yeah, totally
agree on that one.
Respect.
You see this?
Your son.
So maybe respect is some
fairy tale you tell your kid.
But out here all there
is are law and order.
I mean, I saw the scene, man.
I saw your kid, he's hanging
out with the bad boys.
Guns and drugs.
Guns and drugs.
So either we do this the
easy way, or the hard way.
And word of advice; don't
fuck with the hard way.
Where is Drew?
My son out there trying to do
something for himself, get an education!
And I'm not talking about some
bullshit school in Westlake!
And I will not let some
crooked-ass cop drag him into the system!
Okay, okay, here goes the hard way.
Upstate you get visitation
rights once a year.
Shackles chaining your feet.
Shitting and pissing in a bucket.
No books, no TV, there's not even
a rope to take his own life.
After a few weeks he'll beg us for it,
but that ain't gonna do a goddamn thing.
You think your son is going to college?
Man, if we don't do something right now
he'll be so fucked in the head
he wouldn't even be able to read.
You think it's some kind of honor
to come up here and
destroy people's lives?
You took away his father
on the same petty bullshit
and now you wanna see my
boy locked up in a cell!
You're just a silly gang
who just don't understand!
The thing you're destroying
in our community's
the same damn thing you
should be protecting!
(DOOR SLAMMING)
I know you can listen.
I know you can.
Ma'am, we really need to save your son
from something really, really bad.
You see, right now we only have battery
against the person of a peace officer
and your son will be spending maybe
three to four years in a county jail,
a fine maybe up to 10 grand.
10 grand!
See, I'm a cop.
I have the information.
I can see through walls, doors and shit.
And I know you can listen.
Where is Drew?
Now you enjoy this
beautiful and sunny day.
(GUN CLICKING)
(HUMMING AND LAUGHING)
(PILL RATTLING)
(MUTTERING BABY TALK)
Bro, fuck tuition!
We can't do shit with $40 dollars!
That shit took every penny we had, damn!
Man, a piece of paper from
school don't change nothing.
Jake's gonna roll up
no your no matter what.
Man, I try to believe that shit.
You, you ain't know what you see.
You know the worst part?
Ain't shit to do about it all.
You just gotta sit there and take it.
Fuck this!
I'm about to go down to Ralston Street
take out shit from Spider.
It's over, dog!
We ain't gettin' shit!
What the fuck you still
doing with that thing?
You don't know how to load it!
It's a piece, ain't
that fucking hard to use!
You load the bullets and
you pull the trigger.
Shit, Spider don't play no games, right?
Am I right?
Well, shit, I ain't playin' either!
Boy, you still got a future.
Don't fuck it up on some bullshit!
Bro, if you don't at least try to reach
for something in life,
shit ain't gonna change!
You know the public
defender can barely read.
The record I got.
They catch me jay walking, ain't no way
I'm not doing at least three in county.
Bro, they ain't got shit on you.
The coke got tossed.
What the fuck you crying
about probation for?
And then what?
You don't get it, dog!
Out here in these streets you
don't get no second chance!
There's that one glimmer
of hope and that's it!
You blow it, shit's done!
City's right down the street.
What the fuck a community
college gonna do for me?
You miss your chance out of here
you live with that for
the rest of your life!
That fairy tale world's only in your head!
No, bro, you, you can stay here
and complain about your shitty-ass life,
but I'm gonna finish creating mine!
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
(CAN RATTLING)
DREW: Hey, bro, we
paid for half a kilo.
Nigger, I don't owe you shit.
Look, it don't matter to
me if you keep the money
or the yay, but I ain't leavin' out
of here without one or the other.
Oh, yeah?
What are you gonna fucking do about that?
You ain't gonna do a goddamn
thing about it, nigger!
Go back to your mama, boy!
This shit here is for fucking men.
Okay.
Yeah.
What's up now, nigger?
You better make shit
appear real fucking quick!
REMY: Put down the fucking gun, kiddo.
What the fucking you doing here, man?
Drop the fucking gun, come on!
Come on.
Or you're getting a bullet.
I'd say, oh, in your fucking chest.
What the fuck are you still doing there?
Huh?
Run, bitch!
Yo, get the fuck outta
here, man, mind your business!
I'm everywhere, son.
I'm a cop.
We are everywhere.
Better shut the fuck up or I'll shoot!
You think I won't?
I don't give a fuck, kid!
I don't.
Really, I don't.
It's all cool.
You see?
No regrets.
I swear.
But unless I'm in a fucking body bag,
just like I promised to your mom,
I ain't leaving here without you.
(SIRENS BLARING)
You hear that, kid?
They're, like, five blocks away.
Huh?
Four?
You see, if you're gonna
drop the gun do it now.
No, man, there's no other way.
I ain't going to prison.
Don't do it, son.
I came here to save you.
(GUN CLICKING)
Fuck!
REMY: Fucking give it to me!
No, no!
(GRUNTING)
(GUN FIRING)
(TRAGIC MUSIC)
Hands, let me see your hands!
This is Officer Davidson.
I need backup on Ralston Street!
Don't move a muscle!
(SNIFFLING)
(SOBBING)
You're joking, right?
You got an officer with his brains
scattered on the pavement.
A former officer
with a history of unprovoked
physical aggression
and at the time of the shooting
was an illegally armed
plain clothes civilian.
CAPTAIN: Look, I've known this kid
since before he could walk.
MAN: The coroner
discovered 200 milligrams
of antidepressants in Remington's system.
You have no idea what it's
like from behind that desk.
You think everything is as
simple as black and white.
These officers do the best they can
with the information that's available.
The investigation determined
the act was self-defense.
Do we care more about
the performance review
or actually keeping the community safe?
Hold on, let's just pause for a second.
It sounds like you are approving
of Remington's actions.
Protect and serve.
If we constantly condemn our boys
and just expect them to
turn away from crime,
then we don't have a justice system.
Really think about what
you are saying right now.
If you agree with the actions of Remington
after he was specifically instructed not
to interfere with police activity,
his file won't be the
only one under review.
CAPTAIN: I saw a tremendous individual
sacrifice his life.
Before you blame the officer
you damned well better look in the mirror
at this fucked up system we created.
I stand behind Michael Remington.
(CRYING)
Remy, I can't do this alone!
I really can't!
Please don't go!
I need you.
I need you!
A good kid like you,
no priors, college bound.
We know you got the gun from somewhere.
(MOM LAUGHS)
It's LA, every kid in
the neighborhood has a gun!
But I don't see you doing
a damn thing about it
until one of your own gets shot!
Look, lady, your son
killed a fucking cop.
Defended himself!
Against one of your racist crooked cops!
That's a nice shirt, fine school.
Would have no problem revoking
admission on a gun charge.
It's more than just
a fine school, honey.
Marion Williams.
Breaking and entering,
drug charges, petty theft.
He's already been on our
list for three years.
Most people only last one.
It's just a matter of time.
He ain't got nothing to do with this!
Look, lady, somebody
here's going up to state.
There's too many charges to drop.
You already got one break when
they ruled it self-defense.
Do the right thing.
We know you got it from Williams.
All you have to do is sign this paper,
we drop the gun charge.
You go to college on probation
and Williams pays his debt to society.
Illegal firearms?
With two priors?
He's going away for at least 20 years.
That's not on you, kid.
He got those priors on his own.
Williams is running
down a dead-end street.
Don't go down that road with him.
You're doing the right thing, kid.
Dog, how am I supposed to
feel about all this shit?
This GED test got me learning
about hypotenuses and shit.
Sounds like hippopotamus.
About as useful as a hippopotamus.
Like, do we need to learn
about balancing a checkbook
or reading a financial
statement or nothing?
I don't know.
This ain't really my scene.
DREW: I can still sign them papers.
You should have signed them papers.
Be on the other side of them bars.
Nah, you're just butthurt, that's all.
You mad they placed
you in elementary math.
Where is Drew?
MARION: He took a vacation.
When is he gonna be back home?
13 months on good behavior.
You ain't even been there a week,
you talking like you out already.
Man, I'm gonna pass the bar in 12 months
and be out in 13, believe that.
Now hold up, dog, I'm
supposed to be the salesman.
Nah, until you pass that test,
you're just another brother
out here in these streets.
Dog, I got too much on the line
to be caught up in that shit.
(SOMBER MUSIC)
MARLEY: Scrambled.
I could have sworn I
knew you from somewhere.
Sorry.
It's alright, I'd be scared of me, too.
Just, you know, don't
talk to strangers, right?
They ain't nothing but scars, now.
Got the last one when I was 17.
You clean now?
For the most part.
I've been keeping myself clean.
Do you ever miss it?
When I was 11 years old
my older brother gave me
one of them bags, he
was slingin', you know.
It's what he had to do to pay rent.
So, I decided to stick
needles up my arm instead.
Stuck it in good enough to where
I could just feel like I could fly.
Just fly away from everything, you know?
I don't know, I just felt
like I just had to have it.
It was like a craving.
You understand?
I craved every breath of this to a point
where the only thing I can think of
is where is the next bag coming from?
I didn't care about dying.
Without that shit I couldn't move.
I couldn't think.
Hell, I couldn't live.
And none of the other
bullshit mattered like family,
friends, or even gettin'
locked up in the pen.
It was just when's the
next time I can get high?
And then one night, there I
was, woke up in the hospital.
They said they found me
laid out on the pavement.
And then I realized that everybody
that I'd ever known were
either dead or a junkie.
My brother's doing life in
prison right now for robbery.
Got busted for robbing a
gas station for $40 dollars.
$40 dollars!
(EXHALING)
I quit right then and there, cold turkey.
I walked out that hospital
and I swore to myself
I'm gonna get me a good payin' job,
and I was looking, too, boy.
I was damn sure looking, but,
it's kind of tough, you know?
And it's even tougher when you're a felon.
I just wish I could have showed
them I was a good person, you know?
I was never really too
good at talking to folks.
Oh, man.
I just felt like getting
high every day after that.
And who knows?
Maybe,
maybe in another life I never would
have stuck that needle in my arm.
Or maybe I could have
became somebody else.
It don't matter what I think.
I always imagined myself
breaking the mold,
trying to beat the system.
Then I realized, that's all it was.
Just my imagination.
But, hey, you realize you gotta wake up
the next day and keep fighting.
'Cause as long as you still breathing
it's never too late to turn it around.
(UPBEAT RAP MUSIC)
Imagine
Bro was finally set free
Just imagine
If they ain't drugs in our street
Just imagine
If pops was never locked up
And mama never shot up
If they ain't never caught us
Look at what they brought us
("NEVER CHANGE AGAIN" BY GOEST RYDER)
SINGER: Hey, Ma, this one's for you.
Love the shit outta you.
I had it all
But then I look in your
eyes and I watch it all
Crash over, again
And, oh
I take a look at the tears
that I shed and now I know
I'll never change again
June 17th, 1983
Mama raised me from the age of 18
She drank and no AA, no stayin' clean
No home, no dad, known as the nomad
Shit, had to work her
fingers to the bone, was sad
Now I'm grown, rule my corner
Even have my own pad
High school dropout
No diploma, no grad
Little girl lost
Mama had to walk her own path
On her own track,
Patty's on her own, yeah
Up shit's creek, couldn't
float without no raft
Folks knew Tish, but
most didn't know Pat
Single mom, two jobs,
paying student loans back
Postponement, focused
on her grown shit
Barely fucking own shit
Captain of her own ship
Sewing kit, even though
mama never sewed a stitch
Pittsburgh, PA, the
city where no one quits
I had it all
Then I look in your
eyes and I watch it all
Crash over again
And, oh
Take the look at the tears
that I shed and now I know
I'll never change again
Check it out
I'm much older now
Never think I told you how
Much I love you when I trust
you 'cause you're older now
Such a foolish clown,
every time I fool around
Smile upside down,
you gonna hold a frown
Juvy did, screamin' can't
fucking hold me, pigs
15 with a kid on some movie shit
Lifetime I write rhymes
'cause this life's mine
You pray in the day,
cry in the night time
Dear God, save him, take
him from this crime life
Tears soaking till your eyes dry
Well, I try to know it
all, just a wise guy
Mr. Get Rich Quick, Mr. Die Tryin'
Drug addiction shit hit
him from the blind side
Prison life waiting for a lifetime
Nowadays I'm addicted to the limelight
Hindsight 20/20, just like my eyesight
I had it all
But then I look in your
eyes and I watch it all
Crash over, again