Michael Sloane

Who I am, or what I am? Who I am is complicated. What I am is a little easier. I'm a threat. I alter outcomes.

When you look at me, what do you see.

The answer's nothing. I have no feeling about you one way or the other. You're like… like lint or a bottle cap. You're just a thing to remove.

Well, Mr. Looney, I appreciate your candor. It's refreshing, and that makes me understand that you're not smart enough to have done this.

Which brings me to my next issue. We pay you 15 percent to do business here. The additional 10 percent you steal, we ignore. We anticipated it, as you people are such clichés. The fact that you're a rat to the Feds is also tolerable, Little John.

What we will not tolerate is... getting nothing for our money: no information, no protection... no assurances. You understand, Little Johnny?

Who I am? Or what I am? Who I am is complicated. What I am is easier, I'm a threat. I alter outcomes.

I want images from every security camera within a six-block radius. If you have any trouble call that number... and it will be taken care of. Phones charged and on. I tend to call at odd hours. Now, if you could drive me to my residence.

Let me apologize for my conduct. It was a long flight on short notice, and I... I like to focus, to work quickly. The deaths of Mr. Pushkin's men have interrupted his operations here. Imports, movements of goods, have all ceased. That's unacceptable. I am the one Mr. Pushkin calls in when people like you fuck up. I'm accountable now.

You have taken Mr. Pushkin's money for years. Money that comes with conditions. Non-negotiable conditions. Problem you're having with me is you still think you matter. You don't. I'm all that matters. And so we're clear. I'm not here to say "please." I'm here to tell you what to do.

Be ready for business. We open tomorrow.

Well, I'm still sifting through things, but the killings were spontaneous. Whoever did this specialized in killing. I've rarely seen skills like this. I don't think it's someone we've encountered before.

When you pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too.

I've done some bad things in my life, Nicolai… Things I'm not proud of. I promised someone I love very much that I would never go back to being that person… But for you, I'll make an exception.

Oh, it's about a guy who thinks he's a knight in shining armor. The only thing is, he lives in a world where knights don't exist anymore.

That girl, Alana… She's gonna go on living. You… You're gonna bleed out all over this funky floor… All over 9,800 dollars.

The men I killed, your men... I gave them a chance, they made their decision... Now I'm giving you the opportunity to make yours.

My wife did. She... She was working through the 100 Books Everybody Should Read. She made it to 97, so I figured... I'd give it a shot... And one day we'd have something to talk about when we get together.

Take singing lessons. Then I'm gonna open a donut factory. I am… What? Why you laughing?

Tomorrow you'll have returned all the money you extorted from those people. You'll tell them it will never happen again. Do that, and this video will never be seen... Don't, and a half an hour later you'll watch the uncut version on every news outlet in the area. Now I'm offering you a chance to do the right thing. Take it.

There you go. Thank you very much. There you go. Mr. Pushkin thanks you very much. We're going out of business. Closing down shop. Mr. Pushkin thanks you very much. There you are, sweetheart. Here you go. You're welcome. Accept these parting gifts on behalf of Mr. Pushkin. There you go. Three, two... Look at that, perfect... One. Thank you. Thank you, sweetheart.

Your heart's beating three times the normal rate because you're losing so much blood. About 30 seconds, your body's gonna shut down… and you're gonna suffocate. Alina, the girl you beat half to death, her life will go on. Yours is gonna end right here, on this funky floor… over $9,800. You should have taken the money.

26 one-thousand... 27 one-thousand... 28 one-thousand... I'm sorry.

Why waste city services when I got two corrupt cops right in front of me?

Your hands. If you really work on power lines, your hands wouldn't look like that. We gotta be waiting for somebody else.

What if that were me? You gonna leave me to die of smoke inhalation? I'm a buck-90. How you gonna pull me out of a burning building if you can't pull a tire 20 yards?

That's why we call it The Majestic. Any man, woman, child could buy their ticket, walk right in. Here they'd be, here we'd be. "Yes sir, yes ma'am. Enjoy the show." And in they'd come entering a palace, like in a dream, like in heaven. Maybe you had worries and problems out there, but once you came through those doors, they didn't matter anymore. And you know why? Chaplin, that's why. And Keaton and Lloyd. Garbo, Gable, and Lombard, and Jimmy Stewart and Jimmy Cagney. Fred and Ginger. They were gods. And they lived up there. That was Olympus. Would you remember if I told you how lucky we felt just to be here? To have the privilege of watching them. I mean, this television thing. Why would you want to stay at home and watch a little box? Because it's convenient? Because you don't have to get dressed up, because you could just sit there? I mean, how can you call that entertainment, alone in your living room? Where's the other people? Where's the audience? Where's the magic? I'll tell you, in a place like this, the magic is all around you. The trick is to see it.

The 5th Amendment is out of the question. But there is another Amendment that I'd like to invoke. I wonder if anyone here is familiar with it. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."

"Congress shall make no law... respecting... an establishment of religion... or prohibiting the free exercise thereof... or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press... or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances."

The fact is I… I've never been a man of great conviction. I never saw the percentage in it… and quite frankly, I suppose I, uh… lacked the courage. See, I'm not like Luke Trimble. He had the market cornered on those things. I never met the guy, but I feel like I've gotten to know him. The thing is, I can't help wondering what he'd say… if he were standing here right now. You know, I think what I think he'd probably tell you: the America represented in this room… is not the America he died defending.

He says I'm a communist. In fact, this very moment, some grey little FBI guy, in a grey little FBI suit, is hunched over my screenplay, checking it, line by line, for the poisonous Marxist propaganda which surely lurks therein. Hope they check the spelling. I can always use help with that.

'Ashes to Ashes', my movie! Could've been good, even with the stupid dog. My 'Grapes of Wrath', my shot at doing something really good, something...