One thing I've learnt in the last seven years...
in every game and con, there is always an opponent,
there is always a victim.
The trick is to know when you're the latter
so you can become the former.
Just got to take care of one little problem and it's yours.
I don't want this to haunt me, Paul.
Bury that shareholder, deep.
Today is the last you'll hear of it.
Casino will be yours by morning.
Oh, and by the way,
Jake Green got out today.
Seven years goes by quick, doesn't it?
Have someone keep an eye on him for a while.
Dorothy Macha,
the man responsible for the time I served...
a man who'll pass a death sentence
quicker than you'll pass the salt.
How deep did you bury that shareholder, Paul?
Deep.
Are you sure this is a good idea?
He has to pay us something, doesn't he?
You got more money than you could ever spend.
That's all you think about nowadays.
He owes me, and he owes you.
Now he has to pay.
It's cause and effect.
But he still has to pay.
He has to pay something.
Anything.
I need to see him squirm.
Every man has a weakness.
His...
he'll eat a yard of his own shit before he'll look bad in public.
Macha's been busy building himself an empire,
and he's done well.
Very well.
He hasn't seen me for nine years,
but he'll know I'm here before I've crossed the state line.
French Paul, his gravedigger to the stars.
He'll tell him to throw me out the door I came in.
But I know Macha.
He won't send me packing
till he's shown his audience that he's still the boss
by giving me a mouthful of words that taste like bullets.
Sorry, sir. This table is closed.
Send him up.
I'm not sure that's a good idea, Mr. D. He's got better.
I mean, a lot better.
All the tables are closed.
Send him up, Paul.
Like I said, every man has a weakness.
Mine? I don't like tight spaces.
Twenty.
Hold on.
Then we'll take the stairs, eh, Billy?
You wanna walk 20 flights, Jake? Don't be silly.
Don't like to feel trapped.
Never did, never will.
Why should a man do what he doesn't like to do?
Look, Jake, if you wanna take the stairs, we'll take the stairs.
There's always a choice.
What's wrong with the stairs?
Go on. Be all right.
Now I've got to spend the next two minutes shaking,
sweating like a crack whore clucking for a fix.
Should've taken the stairs,
'cause it's getting very, very tight in here.
I'm afraid it's only two at the table, Mr. Green.
Freddy, you're done.
Have a seat, Mr. Green.
I hear you've done very well for yourself.
Against all the odds.
Well, they do say,
the harder the battle, the sweeter the victory.
I've been warned if I let you sit down at this table,
I might regret it.
They say you've become very ambitious in your maturing
and you now wish to acquire yourself a business...
a business like my business.
But we both know what you are, don't we, Jake?
You're a man who needs a master.
You're an employee.
So what's in it for me?
The pleasure of doing an old employee a favor
by reminding him of the position nature chose for him.
Rade, how much you got?
What's that got to do with you?
Toss you for it.
He's got you there, Rade.
It's not worth a heart attack. Get on with it.
I'll toss you for a tenth.
You're a risk-taker of the highest caliber, ain't you, Rade?
I'll take red.
Very impressive, Mr. Green.
You've honed those talents most skillfully.
Pay the man his money, Billy.
You have to teach me that trick sometime.
You're on.
I'll toss you for everything under your chin.
There isn't a problem, is there, Mr. D?
You got a big mouth on a small head, sunshine.
I'll take purple.
You're on.
Come on.
Mr. Green?
Mr. Macha would appreciate it if you came back to the table.
I haven't finished with him yet.
Now would be a good time.
I think it's time to fly, don't you, Jake?
- Excuse me. - Hey, coming through.
Relax.
You're in trouble, Mr. Green. We could help.
Thank you.
Taking the stairs.
Body's not listening to the brain no more.
Should feel pain, but the mind's been frozen...
caught by a puzzle that it can't solve.
It was the man with the card.
How did he know what he couldn't know?
He got lucky, Mr. D, that's all.
Fuck luck! The man's a danger.
Since he's been out, he's made a fortune, Mr. D.
He's fat and comfortable.
He's got what he wanted.
I'm sure we won't be hearing from him again.
He ate seven years, Paul. Seven years doesn't taste nice.
Not to mention the accident with his brother's wife.
And what the fuck does "I haven't finished with him yet" mean?
Get rid of him.
And I don't want any mistakes.
No crackheads with sharp sticks acting like silly fucking gangsters.
You take Sorter and Slim Biggins,
you do it quickly, you do it quietly.
We don't know what caused the blackout,
but we've run some blood tests,
and we'll have the results within a few hours.
It's a miracle you didn't sustain any damage from your fall.
Can I go now?
Once you put your clothes back on.
And we'll call you back with the results.
All right. Look, I'll take him on back.
Billy, you go home. It's late.
Go easy now, yeah?
Get down!
Move!
- Joe! - Jake!
- Joe! - Move! Get out of here!
Get in the fucking car!
- Go! - But...
Get in the car.
If I wanted you dead, I would've shot you already.
Sit back and be quiet.
And here he is again.
Following disasters like pain follows pleasure.
What?
You missed?
Sorter never fucking misses.
I don't know what happened.
Something went wrong.
I had him in my sights...
three times.
You never miss, let alone three times.
Somebody told him we was coming.
Something is very wrong here.
Yeah, something's fucking wrong all right.
Don't make me angry, Slim.
I might have missed him, but I ain't gonna miss you,
not at this range.
Maybe it's better you just drive.
Doreen, Mr. Green.
Mr. Green, Doreen.
Good morning, Mr. Green.
Avi.
Mr. Green.
Mr. Green, Avi.
Sit down.
I gather you're quite the player.
I'm a bit of an enthusiast myself.
I thought... maybe we could have a few games.
I think you should tell me what's going on, don't you?
We have your medical results from the hospital.
It's not important how we got them.
What is important, however, is
what it has to say.
You will die within three days from a very unpleasant ailment
that contaminates your blood and organs.
Thanks, fellas.
Get back to you on this one, yeah?
Mr. Green.
30 seconds and you can be on your way.
Longer you listen, the sweeter the pitch.
30 seconds.
We've already saved your life once. The next time will not be for free.
We shall assist you under two conditions.
These conditions are not negotiable.
Oh, I'm being grafted.
Condition one...
we will bleed you dry.
Have to pawn a pet shop before you bleed me dry, my friend.
You will give us every penny you have got.
This is a con.
It is only natural that you think that you are somehow being conned,
but think a little harder
and you'll realize that this is not a trick.
Now, condition two...
you will do as we tell you without argument.
This includes answering any questions that are asked.
You don't have a lot of time.
And in reality, you don't have a choice.
Now the most sensible thing to do would be to get a second opinion.
Macha has unleashed his legions.
We can protect you from the dangers you face.
That is our deal.
You have three hours to decide.
After that, you will be beyond our help.
Think I'm gonna part with my hard-earned cash
for a set of homemade hospital results?
I don't think so. Not today.
I don't have good news, I'm afraid, Mr. Green.
They've thought this one through, all right.
Oh, they're smart.
Smart as a pair of little boy's shoes.
She has to be in on it.
That's how they got the results.
Gotta find someone they couldn't have got to.
Well, Jake...
we...
there's no easy way to tell you this.
You...
you have a rare blood disease.
How'd they get to him?
He's in on it.
More than a few days, I would think...
- How much they pay you? - What?
- Who? - How much?
What are you talking about?
You got five seconds.
Five.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
- Four. - But l...
- Three. Two. - I don't know!
I have no idea what you're talking about!
When you're winning, who thinks about losing?
But when you're faced with what I'm looking at...
a new and cold reality dawns.
A fact we like to ignore...
you can not win.
The only prize they guarantee when you play this game
is that you will lose.
It's only a question of when.
I made a mistake.
You never miss, so why now?
And why three times?
Well, I had a bad feeling.
Feeling?
I'm not sure if I paid you to have feelings,
now did I, Sorter?
I paid you because you're the best in the business.
Why would you let feelings confuse that relationship?
Listen to me.
Urgency has become something of an issue...
so if you could restrain those feelings
until you've completed the mission,
I would be most grateful.
Do you think you could do that for me?
Sure.
I'd appreciate it.
If there's one thing I've learnt about experts,
they're experts on fuck all.
If there's a rule, you can bend it.
If there's a law, it can be broken.
And from now on, I'm breaking all the rules...
because desperate men...
do desperate deeds.
Cash just seems to remain king, doesn't it?
New bills. Not too many of them in this town.
I love a new bill.
Represents so much hope.
Look how clean and stiff it is.
It even smells proud.
Your work starts now.
You'll be driving.
We are...
and I apologize for the unnecessarily dramatic moniker...
loan sharks.
People hate and fear us just like you
will learn to hate and fear us.
We know how much you love a dollar bill,
and it won't be easy watching them fall through your hands,
because it will be your money that we will be loaning.
Don't say a word.
Just hold the bag, and if we nod, leave it on the table.
There is nothing left.
It's a very sad story, Mr. Horowitz.
My sympathies are with you and your colleague.
Maybe I am being conned.
Maybe I am being fooled.
Excuse us for having to know the reason for your loan,
but we have to assess our clients very carefully.
They say the sentence has been passed, the certificate signed.
So? What's the point?
The point is, this is the only option.
If you snap those fingers at me again, I'll fucking break 'em.
You know our rates, right?
And our policies?
No offense, gentlemen, but you have a reputation.
I wouldn't be speaking to you if I had a choice.
It's a strange thing,
but I still don't like to give it away.
I know I can't take it with me,
so why the pain?
Why the fuck does it still hurt?
And greasing the sheaths of these two pricks
isn't making it any easier.
What did I sign up for?
I try to make sense out of it.
Not now,
'cause it doesn't make sense.
Hang the old brain up for a while.
It's just been getting me into trouble anyway.
Just know if you start a job, then finish it.
In three days, we'll have it.
- I promise. - Yes, you will.
Goddamn right.
Their idea of discretion is to choose a motel
whose only clients are blood, come, and Afro Sheen.
Here, make yourself at home.
You'll be hearing from us.
We can't see Gold.
What are you talking about? I've been here for an hour.
They're the ones who asked for this meeting!
Apparently no one sees Gold. We got one of his representatives.
Walker.
- Lily Walker? - That's right.
Mr. Macha, I don't think we've met.
I'm Miss Walker.
I work for Mr. Gold. Do you mind if we walk?
No, no.
I understand you've been commissioned
to do some work for us.
I thought it might be a good idea if we had a little chat.
Make sure you understand the gravity
of the endeavor you've undertaken.
Yeah, yeah, I do, I understand.
Everything's set. The date hasn't changed.
- I'll get the powder by Friday. - Good.
Mr. Gold has put his faith in you, and he has people to please.
We've heard you might be having some problems.
No, no, no, no.
We don't like publicity, Mr. Macha.
No, neither do I.
I won't let you down. I won't let Mr. Gold down.
So we're clear?
Mr. Gold doesn't give more time.
Or second chances.
Good day.
There's your money.
What now?
Have a seat.
We need to know how much time you did and who you did it with.
- Why? - Why?
The deal is we ask the questions.
I had two choices inside...
14 years normal time or 7 years solitary.
I chose the solitary.
I spent 20 hours a day locked up in between two salty convicts.
I've been down there for more years than I care to remember.
One was a chess master, the other a master con man.
Never seen or spoken to each other,
but they might as well have been married,
they knew so much about one another.
Once a day, the library on wheels would be pushed around
by a pair of axe-murdering twins
who pushed the trolley for 22 years.
My neighbors used to write down chess moves
and concepts of the con
on the back pages of books based on subjects like
Theoretical Astrophysics Part Four,
and The Mathematics of Quantum Mechanics.
They just used them for their con.
I used to intercept the books
because I was sandwiched in between their cells.
Dangerous combination...
chess and cons.
These boys were locked up for ten years with no distractions,
nothing to do but think about how to steal one another's pieces.
Oh, yeah, they thought.
They really thought.
I was under the impression that I was the clever bastard before I went in,
but these boys were a completely different class.
Head tricksters of the premier division.
Their sole ambition was to create the ultimate con
and win the ultimate game,
always thinking quicker, always thinking bigger.
Gradually they thought they'd found a formula to the con.
Check. A formula to win the ultimate win.
The formula.
I couldn't understand the depth of it,
but they were confident it was real, and I believed them.
After all, they'd been right on everything else.
So now they felt they'd had their moment
and it was time for them to leave the confines of their cell.
The concrete and steel wasn't even mentioned.
I didn't even doubt them.
They got whatever they wanted anyway.
You could smell their food through 12 inches of concrete.
Bastards knew it used to drive me mad.
Oh, you bastards.
We were all gonna go together. They swore to me...
"You're coming with us, Jake."
I trusted them. Never for a second did I doubt them.
Next day, they were gone without a trace.
For the next week, the authorities tore the place apart.
Couldn't find evidence of their existence, let alone their exit.
They just evaporated.
Check.
Two years later I was out,
but those two knew everything about me.
Everything.
All my dirty little secrets...
how much money I had, where I kept it.
Hustling bastards cleaned me out.
They didn't leave so much as a pair of socks, only a note.
Rule one...
"You only get smarter by playing a smarter opponent."
But I had their formula,
and it worked.
It really worked.
Not doing you much good now, is it?
Checkmate.
He needs to get moving.
Give him the addresses.
Why are they dragging this on?
Just clean me out in one hit.
They want me to suffer.
These twisted bastards are making me pay...
pay for my own pain.
A part of me dies every time I think about it.
They found a weakness,
caught me fair and square, crosshaired, blindfolded,
wrapped and packed and cooked,
hard-boiled, well done,
stick a fork in me and see if I'll bleed.
Checkmate.
You're quite good at this game.
Stuck in a trance, somewhere between hell and a hard place.
What I want now is a little peace.
Where are you?
The old lady's house.
Does she have it?
Of course she doesn't have it.
She's barely got a heartbeat.
Where the hell is this woman gonna get that kind of money?
That's what she owes. Any furniture?
No.
Take the dog.
I'm not taking the dog.
Then take the TV.
TV don't work.
Then get your ass over here.
How do you sleep at night?
How'd we do?
Ask the man.
No thanks, darling.
Time's up. Let's go!
Mr. Green. You took your time.
Did you get anything from the old lady?
No.
Did you get anything from Horowitz?
- No. - Why not?
Because he didn't have it.
Listen, pal, either he pays or you pay.
I pay anyway.
Don't be a smartass.
Look, man,
we're not sending you out to polish doorknobs.
You gotta get with it, man.
Doreen, take his car.
You're coming with us.
What is this?
Where was security?
They gassed them. We found them tied up.
Hold tight, Mr. Green.
It was a 12-ton Hermann & Ziegler safe, Mr. D.
It was impossible to break into.
Well, obviously it wasn't fucking impossible to move,
now was it, Paul?
What did anyone take it for?
We don't even use that safe, do we, Paul?
Checkmate.
How in the hell did you do that?
Paul?
Not usually, no.
Sam Gold's powder was in there. It came in yesterday.
No, Paul. You're wrong.
Try again.
You stupid motherfucker.
That shit'll rattle him.
The fuck was it doing on one of our properties?
Why don't you just fucking rape me, Paul?
Pull the troops together.
Break some bones, hurt some people.
- Results. You hear me? - I'll take care of it.
You're damn straight you're gonna fucking take care of it.
The word "excuse" does not exist in Sam Gold's lexicon.
We're the walking dead until you fucking remedy this situation.
- You understand? - I'll take care of it.
No, I said do you understand?
- Yes. - You'd better.
In the meantime, get some more powder.
I don't care where it comes from or how much it costs, just get it.
There's only one man that can get us that amount on such short notice.
Who?
Lord John.
No way.
I'm not nourishing the competition.
That's twice the market price.
Come to us to do business
and don't have the money,
waste my time.
Fat Dan, tell the cocksucker to get out of my office.
Point his compass to a boy bar.
Sorry we can't help, Mr. Paul.
Tony'll show you the way out.
All right, hold on.
Hold on.
I am prepared to talk.
Talk.
Do you think I have time to talk?
Tell him to go to some scab-covered old whore and fuckin' talk.
Pete, if you wanna talk,
go talk to the man who made you them shoes.
I'm too fuckin' busy to talk.
Talk.
What do you wanna talk about?
- Okay, get it. - What?
Am I having déjà vu, Paul?
Didn't I just say get it?
This is Sam Gold I've found myself chained to!
Mr. Black Magic!
Mr. "I run this game" Gold!
Not some plastic gangster with a pocket knife for backup.
Gold doesn't give second chances, Paul.
I want in, and I want rewards.
Got it?
Paul?
When you make the deal,
keep both eyes on that untrustworthy, greedy motherfucker.
They accept the price?
Yes.
Okay.
They must be desperate.
So set up the transaction, Dan.
Give the deal to Skinny Pete.
Skinny Pete.
Tell him to take enough firepower
to quell any fuckups.
One more thing...
Don't trust those dogs.
If they make you smile,
it's only to steal the gold that's hiding there.
If anyone asks...
you don't speak the language.
After you, Mr. Green.
I'm taking the stairs.
What's the problem, Mr. Green?
Don't like elevators.
- What are you scared of? - Are you fucking deaf?
I said I just don't like them.
Well, tough, 'cause you're getting in.
Everything?
He wants a fucking war, I'm gonna give him a fucking war!
I don't think it was Lord John, Mr. D.
He knows you'd come looking for him.
He's not far from wrong, is he?
'Cause that is exactly what I am gonna fuckin' do.
Macha set us up,
and you slept through it.
Why didn't you see this coming, fat boy?
I'll take the stairs.
Before we do anything, Mr. D,
we have to get Sam Gold his powder.
- Don't pull the trigger on the Lord... - Shut your fucking mouth!
- I'm getting out. - You ain't going nowhere.
We might as well have just given it to him.
- I'm not. - I said you're staying right here.
Get rid of the Lord...
there will be consequences.
Do I look like I'm afraid of the consequences?
- I'm taking the stairs. - You ain't going nowhere!
You motherfucker, listen!
Look at me!
You think I'm afraid of the fucking consequences?
- Take the stairs! - You listen to me!
Sit down. Get back. Sit down.
You open your mouth one more fucking time,
I'll blow your fucking head off!
- Fuck him! - Fuck him.
- Fuck the consequences! - Fuck the consequences.
Fuck them all.
Fuck them all!
- Do I look like I'm afraid? - No.
Do you understand me? Do you?
Lou, what's going on?
We're here.
They're here.
- How many are there? - Six men.
We're doing the deal in the next room.
We'll trade in the adjacent room.
When do you make the trade?
We've got...
- Ten minutes. - Ten minutes?
Ten minutes.
Don't trust those yellow dogs.
I don't trust anyone.
Lou?
Talk to me, you motherfucker,
or I'll kill you myself.
The consequences can kiss my black ass!
They even stole my watch.
Do not worry. I'll buy you a new one for your funeral.
This has become a large problem, Avi.
There's no such thing as problems, Mr. Green.
Only situations.
Wake up, cocksuckers.
Wake up. The powder's gone.
Sorry, Big Brother.
Wake up, Mr. Green.
Checkmate.
How?
How what?
We've kept you alive, now you can tell me.
How do you keep winning?
Very simple.
You do all the hard work, I just help you along.
The art is for me to feed pieces to you
and make you believe you took those pieces
because you're smarter and I'm dumber.
In every game and con there is always an opponent
and there is always a victim.
The more control the victim thinks he has...
the less control he actually has.
Gradually, he will hang himself.
I as the opponent just help him along.
So...
that the treasured formula?
The formula has infinite depth in its efficacy and application,
but it is staggeringly simple and completely consistent.
Rule one of any game or con...
you can only get smarter by playing a smarter opponent.
Rule number two...
the more sophisticated the game,
the more sophisticated the opponent.
If the opponent is very good,
he will place his victim inside an environment he can control.
The bigger the environment, the easier the control.
He'll toss the dog a bone...
find their weakness,
give 'em just a little of what they think they want.
Check.
So the opponent simply distracts their victim
by getting them consumed with their own consumption.
Check.
The word "snake" springs to mind.
Don't knock it.
You only get smarter by playing a snake.
The bigger the trick and older the trick,
the easier it is to pull...
based on two principles...
they think it can't be that old,
and they think it can't be that big
for so many people to have fallen for it.
Eventually, when the opponent is challenged or questioned...
it means the victim's investment,
and thus his intelligence, is questioned.
No one can accept that...
not even to themselves.
Checkmate.
I ain't playing you again.
You will always find a good opponent
in the very last place you would ever look.
You got more tricks than a clown's pocket,
don't you, Mr. Green?
Everything all right?
Can they hear you?
Two minutes.
Yeah, you're okay.
Get out, Jake, as soon as you can.
I had to dig very deep to find someone who'd talk.
They're the last resort.
When no other loan sharks will lend 'em,
your boys move in.
They've stepped on Gold's toes, and he wouldn't touch 'em.
- Gold? - Yes.
The Gold.
Sam Gold.
Mr. Clandestine.
Mr. Ambiguous.
Mr. Mystery.
Get out of there.
Get out of there, Jake.
No one lives and displeases Gold.
No one but your two friends.
Gotta be something wrong if Gold won't touch 'em.
Gotta be something wrong if the Goldfather won't touch 'em.
No one sees Gold,
but Gold sees everything.
The smoke signals say
dodge 'em like an angry bullet.
Tell your friend to get out of there.
Jake, get out of there.
Get out of there.
Tomorrow!
You're worse than a stuck record.
"Tomorrow, tomorrow."
Tomorrow's never gonna come, is it?
Hello, it's warming up.
Zack, kick him. See if that jogs him on.
You want to play mother?
I took care of Horowitz. It's your turn.
Change of plan.
I can see what's coming.
Give it to Mr. Green.
Mr. Green.
Shoot Fred for me.
Not dead, stupid.
Just in the back of the knee.
I ain't shooting Fred, Zack.
Sometimes a little voice tells you to think about number one.
Told you, Avi.
Never had the gumption.
Never gonna have what it takes.
It's easier than you think.
Just one little squeeze.
Just like a tube of toothpaste.
Who the fuck are you two?
You can't see what's right in front of you.
You supposed to be stiff,
cold, and horizontal.
And you still don't trust us?
Shoot him in the kneecap. The debt has to be paid.
Sometimes it's best to listen to it.
Get your ass up, Fred.
Go on. Get out.
He can't do that, Jake.
Then why don't you stop him, Avi?
What the fuck do you know?
Shoot that toad now.
One more step, Avi.
Just like a squeeze of toothpaste.
You realize what you're doing, Mr. Green?
Hold on, Jake.
This isn't the plan.
This won't have a happy ending.
One more step, Avi.
Wake up, Mr. Green.