Speed-the-Plow. David Mamet

. . .

      FOX: . . . I'm looking out the window . . .

      GOULD: . . . son of a bitch . . .

      FOX: . . . Douglas Brown drives up . . .

      (The phone rings. GOULD picks it up.)

      GOULD (into phone): Hello. Yes. Richard . . . (Pause.) Yes. Put him . . . Hello, Richard. Fine, just fine. They're painting it. Well, thank you. Thank you. Listen Richard. Do you need some good news . . .? (Pause.) Well, it's a surprise that I've got for you. No, I want to tell you in person. Do you have five mi . . . (Checks watch.) We'll be there. (Pause.) Charlie Fox . . . Charlie came in with a . . . (Pause.) Right. Right. We'll be there. Right. (Hangs up.) Well. We see him in ten minutes.

      FOX: Yessir. I need some coffee.

      GOULD: Oh, Jesus, what's the . . .

      FOX: What. . .?

      GOULD: The, what's the story? Tell me the . . .

      FOX: I can tell it. No, you're right. You tell it.

      GOULD: Gimme the broad outl. . .

      FOX: Yes, yes.

      GOULD: Just sketch me the broad . . .

      FOX: Yes, yes, the thing, of course, is . . .

      GOULD: Douggie, Brown, of course, the thing . . .

      FOX: "A Douggie Brown picture” . . .

      GOULD: A Douggie Brown picture . . .

      FOX: Eh? A buddy . . .

      GOULD: A Buddy Picture.

      FOX: Douggie and . . .

      GOULD: “Watch this space,” I got it. . .

      FOX: Right.

      GOULD: The Flavor of the Month . . . okay, now, what's the story?

      FOX: Doug's in prison.

      GOULD: . . . prison . . .

      FOX: Right. These guys, they want to get him.

      GOULD: Black guys . . .

      FOX: Black guys in the prison.

      GOULD (into phone): Coffee, quickly, can you get some coffee in here? (Hangs up.)

      FOX: And the black guys going to rape his ass.

      GOULD: Mmm.

      FOX: Okay. Now. “Now, you could,” he goes, “you could have your ‘way’ with me, all of you . . .”

      GOULD: Uh huh, what? ten or twenty guys . . .

      FOX: “. . . and you could do that. But I'd have to, you see? Here's the thing of it. Unless you killed me, I would . . .”

      GOULD: Uh huh . . .

      FOX: “. . . have to come back and retaliate, sometime, somehow, because . . .”

      GOULD: . . . okay . . .

      FOX: “I couldn't..

      GOULD: . . . uh huh . . .

      FOX: “. . . live with that.”

      GOULD: . . . The degradation . . .

      FOX: “So whyn't you skip all the middle shit, kill me right now.”

      GOULD: . . . he throws it in their face.

      FOX: You got it.

      GOULD: . . . uh huh . . .

      FOX: “Or.” (Pause.) Or . . .

      GOULD: . . . yes . . .

      FOX: “If you could use a friend, why not allow me this? To be your friend . . .”

      GOULD: He teams up with the guys . . .

      FOX: “To side with you . . .”

      GOULD: Yes.

      FOX: “and together. . .”

      GOULD: . . . and . . .

      FOX: . . . they become friends, they teach him the . . .

      GOULD: . . . he learns the Prison Ways . . .

      FOX: They blah blah, so on . . .

      GOULD: Uh huh . . .

      FOX: Now. Eh? Now. With his, his knowledge of computers, so on, with his money . . .

      GOULD: . . . yeah . . .

      FOX: His Links to the Outside . . .

      GOULD: A girl. . .?

      FOX: Ah. Now that's the great part, I'm telling you, when I saw this script. . .

      GOULD: . . . I don't know how it got past us . . .

      FOX: When they get out of prison, the Head Convict's Sister. . .

      GOULD: . . . a buddy film, a prison film, Douggie Brown, blah, blah, some girl. . .

      FOX: Action, a social. . .

      GOULD: Action, blood, a social theme . . .

      FOX (simultaneously with "theme"): That's what I'm saying, an offbeat. . .

      GOULD: Good. Good. Good. Alright. Now: Now: when we go in . . .

      FOX: That's what I'm saying. Bob.

      GOULD: Don't even say it.

      FOX: Bob:

      GOULD: I understand.

      FOX: . . . I wanted to say . . .

      GOULD: I know what you wanted to say, and you're right. I know what you're going to ask, and I'm going to see you get it. Absolutely right: You go on this package as the co-producer. (Pause.) The name above the title. This is your . . .

      FOX: . . . thank you . . .

      Gould: Thank me?

      FOX: Thank you, Bob.

      GOULD: Hey: You came in here.

      FOX: . . . thank you . . .

      GOULD: Hey, Charl, it's right. . .

      FOX: No, but the thing is that you thought of it. You thought of me. You thought to say it.

      GOULD: I should be thanking you and I do thank you.

      FOX: Thank you, Bob.

      GOULD: This is your thing and you should get a bump.

      FOX: Thank you.

      GOULD: Because. Charlie: Don't thank me. You start me off here with a bang. I know that you could have Gone Across the Street. . .

      FOX: I wouldn't have done that.

      GOULD: But you could.

      FOX: I wouldn't. . .

      GOULD: But you could. And that's the point, Charl. That you absolutely could. And it was “loyalty” kept you with us . . .

      FOX: Hey, hey it's only common sense.

      GOULD: You stuck with the Home Store.

      FOX: Hey you've been good for me, to put it bluntly all the years . . .

      GOULD: . . . you stuck with the Old Firm, Charl, you stuck with your friends.

      FOX: It's where I work, Bob, it's what I do, and my relationship with you . . . we were all happy for you, Bob, you got bumped up, and I feel that I'm lucky . . .

      GOULD: I'm the lucky one, Charl. . .

      FOX: Hey, Bullshit, to have somebody I could come to . . .

      GOULD (simultaneously with “come"): Because you could have gone Across the Street. Who would have blamed you?

      FOX: Yeah, but I wouldn't of done it.

      GOULD: Who would of blamed you, Charl? You get a Free Option on a Douggie Brown film, guys would walk in here, hold a