How much is a man worth?
Four bucks an hour for the Iucky ones.
How do you feed your famiIy?
Where do you find hope
when your name isn't even worth writing down?
There's a big fence separating the rich and the poor,
bigger than the one dividing the Iand
and much harder to cIimb.
Where does a man get his strength to survive?
From his wiII to fight.
I come from a peopIe of fighters,
who fight because they have to.
How much is a man worth?
It depends on which side of the fence you're on
the day you were born.
From Mexico With Love
Laredo, Texas 7 miIes from Mexican border
Tensions at the border continue to escaIate
as Congress decreed that a doubIe reinforced
steeI and wire fence be buiIt aIong portions...
...as NationaI Guard troops take positions aIong the border
for an extended period of time.
This is the United States Border PatroI.
You have iIIegaIIy entered into U.S. territory.
HaIt!
AItos!
Hands up!
Los manos arriba todos! Los manos arriba!
- Let's go. - Que se meten por adentro.
Inside everybody.
Por adentro, por adentro.
Look out, I gotcha there.
- Tito! - Hey, Pete.
- Hey, you Iike this one? - God, darn it!
Man, that's a huge one!
- Ain't she beautifuI? - About the biggest one I've ever seen!
She'II catch a good price. There you go, baby.
How big you think that is?
I don't know, about five, six pounds.
God dog. Man.
You out here aIone?
Just me and the snakes, brother.
Hey, I got to check the back of your van.
Do what you got to do, brother.
AII right.
Nice! Looks Iike business has been good.
I can't compIain.
I saw you got yourseIf a pretty good catch this afternoon.
Yeah, every day, 24/7.
WeII, you got your majaIos, I got my snakes, brother.
Business is good for us both.
Just stay out of troubIe, Tito.
Hey, you know me.
The first thing I Iearned, how not to get bit.
Come on, man, you're Iate, Iate, Iate.
Come on, Iet's go!
This is aII you can find?
I thought you put the word out.
I did put the word out,
but everyone prefers the action at Red's.
AII right! Fight night at Giorgi's.
Here we go. Ready to make some money?
Let's go. Better, better, better, bet, bet, bet!
Come on, three to one odds. Let's do it.
HoId on, aII right.
You got it.
Good! AII right! We'II get some money.
We get aII of the money. That's what we Iike.
Any more? Two to one? There you go.
Giorgi, I'II go for 25, man!
He's betting on himseIf! Look out!
Twenty-five, we got that.
Big guy! Big one, he Iooks tough.
Come on!
Gracias.
Yo, Tito.
- You're Iate. - I'm sorry.
Go. Come on.
Get in there.
- You got the medicine? - Yeah.
AII right.
- Hey. - What?
You know them?
I don't know. They come in different shifts.
CouId be someone eIse.
What are you doing?
We can't Iet them find them now, Tito.
Yeah, they'II find 'em for sure you start shooting.
Get out of here.
Come on, man!
Step out.
One,
two,
three,
four,
five,
six,
seven,
eight,
nine,
ten!
You okay?
Yeah, we're Iooking for another one now.
Just Iooking for another one.
Come on. Who wants to fight?
You okay for another fight?
Hey, okay, we need another fighter.
Looking for somebody.
- Look at him. He's tired. - Who wants to fight?
- He aImost Iost that one! - I'm tired.
What the heII is going on?
It's a garage, Tito.
No one thinks otherwise.
AII right, I'II get them out.
- Vamanos, vamanos. - Look, Tito...
we need the money, man.
What, from a bunch of drunks?
I got enough shit happening on the border aIready, okay?
I don't need this shit!
Gente, servicios a Ia derecha,
agua fresca a Ia izquierda.
Hey.
WeII, weII, weII.
StiII the same oId Hector,
fighting in the dirt.
Last time I saw you,
you were fighting some IittIe runt back in Asunc¡ön.
Things don't change much, do they?
Yeah, it's funny.
Last time I saw you, you were a stuck-up IittIe brat.
Maybe things don't change at aII.
I remember this.
They were your dad's, right?
Don't touch those, okay?
Why did you come here?
Why does anyone come here?
Who's that?
Nobody.
WeII, he's a Ioud nobody.
Yeah, they usuaIIy are.
Joven, medicina.
This is it?
What? They're cheap, okay?
It doesn't aIways mean they got them in stock.
PIus, you owe me from Iast week.
Yeah, I was going to pay you back with what I won.
And if you Iost?
You didn't think of that? No.
You can take it out of my cut of the side bets.
Which wouId Ieave you just with the bruises, right?
You're not using your head.
Come on, we've got to go now.
WeIcome home.
Okay, Maria.
Hector, show her to the room.
Everybody eIse come with me.
Sígame.
You'II share your beautifuI suite with Lupe.
She mostIy works up at the house,
so you'II have the whoIe penthouse here to yourseIf.
This is the kitchen,
toiIet's down the haII,
shower's around the corner.
We share them, so there's no time for pampering.
There's a very modern pay phone
here right outside your door in case you get homesick,
but it cuts peopIe off, so make the tears quick, aII right?
What is your probIem?
I ain't got a probIem.
Mamí.
Hijo.
Dönde fuiste?
I don't Iike this medicine.
Ma, it wiII heIp you breathe.
This heIps me to cough.
Yes, that's because you're not using it right.
Listen...
Mama, Iisten,
don't go out to the fieIds tomorrow, aII right?
PIease.
No work, no pay.
I wiII take care of it.
Fighting?
No, hijo, ya no.
You can't soIve every probIem with your fists.
Ya no.
Mama, pIease, I'II take care of it.
Don't worry about it, pIease.
Now you sound Iike your father.
Who's this?
Ay, no. Dios mío, Maria!
HoIa, Señora ViIIa.
So grown up.
How time fIies.
How Iong has it been?
Nine years.
Nine?
Oh, my, you're so beautifuI.
Verdad que esta Iinda, Hector?
I didn't notice.
What do you mean, you didn't notice?
Ay, me dices que tenemos azotes, tu tío.
TeII me.
TeII me about yourseIf,
teII me about your famiIy.
Mamí.
Mama, okay, take it easy.
Mama, take it easy now.
Lie down.
It's okay. We can taIk Iater, Señora ViIIa.
We'II taIk tomorrow.
Take it easy now. Try to rest a IittIe bit.
- Don't go far. - No, I'II be here.
She doesn't Iook that bad.
Yeah, weII, she is.
I'm sorry.
You shouId get some rest, too,
because the first day in the fieIds takes it out of you.
What?
Nothing, it's just...
there's something different about you.
You mean I was not being a stuck-up IittIe brat?
Yeah, maybe.
Sorry, it's just different.
PeopIe change, Hector.
Life happens.
PeopIe grow up.
Here.
Oh, una mariquita!
They say they're very good Iuck for farms
because they eat a Iot of the pests.
Maybe I brought some good Iuck.
Maybe you brought the pests.
Oh, shut up.
Come on, Iet's go.
But I'm not done yet.
WeII, if I waited for you, we'd be here aII day.
Mama, you okay?
That's too heavy, hijo.
No, IIeves dos!
Vas a Iastimar, Hector.
He's crazy.
I know. Strong, but Iike his father, so pig-headed.
Don't hurt yourseIf.
Not a chance.
Thank you, Hector.
Bye!
Hey, Iooks Iike you missed the truck.
I wanted to waIk.
It's a Iong way in the heat.
I don't mind the heat.
Besides, you're driving a convertibIe.
StiII be hot.
Not if you go fast enough.
Why don't you take one of these?
It's better than water on a day Iike today.
Are you going to drive by every day when it's hot?
If you want me to.
My name's Robert.
You sure you don't want a ride?
No, thanks.
Suit yourseIf.
What did he want?
He just gave me a drink.
You want some?
Nah, I Iike mine just fine.
It sure is pretty up here.
Yeah, if you're rich.
I wouIdn't get too comfortabIe, you know.
Is that Robert?
Yup, this is where he trains.
He's the IocaI champ at Red's.
Take it easy, God damn it.
You're just working out...
brat.
Is he any good?
Yeah, he's very good.
It's just his baIance sucks.
Time.
What the heck did you say?
He didn't say anything.
So what, you got to hide behind your girIfriend?
I said you got to work on your baIance.
- BuIIshit. - He's right.
That's why you're aIways off kiIter after two punches.
ReaIIy?
Why don't you come up here if you know so much?
I don't.
I think you do.
Maybe your girIfriend does.
What's your name, sweetie? I didn't get it earIier.
Maria.
Maria? What do you say you come on up here,
and we show your boy here a thing or two about how I move?
That's right, bring it on up, SaIIy!
You want to change your shirt?
Hector, don't.
It's okay, Maria.
If he's any good, maybe I'II give him a new job.
You ever done this before?
Yeah.
You got a mouthpiece for him?
No. How strong are your teeth, kid?
There's another one around here somewhere.
You sure you know what you're doing?
Yeah, I used to hear my dad's trainer scream a Iot.
Who was your father?
AIfonso ViIIa.
Watch his right.
AII right, square off. No funny shit, you hear?
No probIem.
You got twenty pounds on this kid.
Just move around, work your jab, get some work in.
I said no probIem.
Time.
Come on, come on.
Show me what you got.
What you gonna do?
Throw cucumbers at me?
Yeah, come on.
You're sIow.
Nothing. Come on.
There you go. Bring it.
You're a picker, not a fighter!
That's cute.
Da, Hector, aIIí, aIIí cuIo!
Qué, qué, qué? Cut it out!
Get these peopIe out of here.
He's got something, though.
Come on.
You didn't actuaIIy hear us taIking, did you?
No, I just wanted your girIfriend's name.
You don't mind, do you?
Break that shit up!
God damn it!
AII right, that's it! Take it easy!
Cut it out! Hey!
God damn it, that's enough!
Get out of here!
What's with the hockey game buIIshit?
That's the same crap you puIIed in your Iast fight.
I won that fight, didn't I?
Yeah, you won, but this ain't Red's, and you're just sparring.
I didn't want our boy to get too cocky here.
You did good.
Job's yours if you want it.
What's it pay?
See, that's what I need, a sparring partner with some guts.
Hey!
I say who fights and who don't.
Break this shit up!
Vamanos, aII of you!
Daddy, I just gave him the job.
The job isn't yours to give.
BiIIy, what are you doing, hosting amateur hour here?
You know I want the boy in the ring with a professionaI sparring partner,
not a goddamn picker.
But, jefe, Hector's good.
I mean, even BiIIy said so.
I couId use him.
It ain't about him.
I want somebody down who's got a name,
somebody who can heIp to moId this boy into a champion.
Name won't heIp.
Discussion is over.
Move it, you heard the man!
Hey, BiIIy, when Tito brought you to me,
you were just a busted-out drunk,
running two-bit smoker fights from the gutter in Mexico,
and Iook at you now.
You got yourseIf a steady paycheck,
pIus you got yourseIf a contender to train.
Just train him to win.
Here.
Take it. It's your share
of my boy's winnings Iast night. Go on!
This haIf I earned.
The rest came from these.
This ain't boxing.
Hey, BiIIy, what the heII do you think peopIe want?
They want titans.
They want bIood, they want action.
That's what puts asses in the seats.
Then you shouId have buiIt a goddamn wrestIing ring.
Wait, BiIIy, you're quitting?
You Iet him go!
I'm tired to death of your oId-schooI buIIshit!
BiIIy!
Wow.
Never been in here before.
You have no reason to come here.
Yeah, but now that you're here, maybe you can fix the toiIet
and get the water pressure working in the showers.
- Hector. - No.
Or maybe we can come up and use your pooI.
He's onIy joking.
Hector, Robert has something for you.
What's this?
Fifty bucks.
You earned it in the ring yesterday.
Isn't that great?
Thanks, bro.
I don't need your charity.
Robert, I'm sorry.
He didn't mean it.
I'II give it to him.
No probIem.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Why do you do that?
He was just trying to heIp.
Why were you riding with him?
I went back to get your mom's inhaIer.
She dropped it in the fieIds.
He gave me a ride back. It's no big deaI!
These peopIe pIay games, Maria.
You know about games, don't you?
Oh, you're an ass.
You'II fit right in.
Take it. This is for your mom.
Hey, I just saw...
I just saw Ro--
This farm's going to be in the red this keeps up.
The boss ain't gonna Iike it.
We got to crack the whip.
It's the third goddamn time this week.
How much we short?
About sixteen buckets.
But it's very hot, señor.
I don't give a good goddamn how hot it is!
The way you Pepes pick,
the crops are gonna rot before you get to them.
Now we're onIy paying per bucket from now on.
We get paid by the day, sir. That was your deaI.
Not anymore, son.
Hey.
It's buIIshit.
No te puedes, no te puedes.
Hey, whose sorry-ass work is this?
It's mine.
I'm sorry. My mom's sick.
WeII, then she shouIdn't be in my goddamn fieIds!
That's not even haIf day's work!
She didn't make but haIf the Ioad.
Listen, Chico, you keep this up,
I'II have your Mama shoveIing shit with you out in the fieId,
'cause it seems to be about aII your famiIy's worth!
Damn!
Damn it!
Sorry, Tito.
Tito, sorry, man.
I'm sorry.
You didn't want to take my money, and now you've got nothing.
What, no smart comeback?
Get this piece of shit out of here.
Hey, pinche mojado...
you ever set foot on this property again,
I'II deport every one of your peopIe. You understand me?
I'II deport every goddamn one of them.
WouId you controI your animaIs?
Come on, Iet me go!
No! Get your hands off me!
No! I'm not going in there!
I'm not going in there! Let me go!
Hey! Let me out!
Let me out of here!
God damn it!
Let me out of here!
Hey! Let me out of here!
What do you want?
Some water.
- Thanks. - That aII?
You trained my father.
Tito teII you that?
I saw the spiders on your sign.
Your dad, he was a good guy.
Stubborn, bad temper, wouIdn't Iisten, wouIdn't train.
He went his way, I went mine. I don't Iook back.
Hey, I want to Iearn to fight.
I don't teach anyone to fight.
What about the kids?
They don't fight.
You smeII bad.
Muchachos, nos vemos.
Hombre...
Tito toId me about what happened, ese.
He said it was some show you put on.
Hey, I need to get back.
WeII, it's, uh...
$2,000 to cross the border, ese.
You're a IittIe short.
I know. It's aII I got.
Don't insuIt me.
Keep your bIue money.
You know what? You owe me $2,000.
Dos, tres, por adentro.
What? Look at me.
That Jake was right.
You're a reaI son of a bitch, you know that?
And I Iike your mother, so you must get it from your father,
who was a no-good son of a bitch himseIf.
I'm sorry.
Are you aII right?
Yeah.
How's your nose?
My nose is fine, not broken.
How's my mom?
She's not good.
Can you take me to her?
You want to fouI things up for me, too?
Here.
That's aII your crap.
I fished it out of the trash.
I can take you to another farm.
I'm sure you can find another Jake there to fight.
Hey, man, I got to take care of my mom.
Yeah, weII, you shouId have thought about that
before you started sIugging.
I can't go to another farm.
That's not my probIem!
AII right, this is what I'II do.
I'II Iook in on your mom, okay?
Make sure she's okay untiI you get settIed.
Then I'II bring her to you.
Listen, think about this.
Maybe I can become a coyote with you and Chucho.
The farm's aII I can offer,
or eIse Chucho wiII take you back over the border right now.
Okay, I'II go back with Chucho.
I'II Iet you know where I end up.
The kid is crazy, dude. Where's he going?
He's aII right. There's some hope for him.
You know what, Tito? You're crazy, too.
Aguantense.
Hey.
You must be a pretty good fighter, huh?
I ain't a fighter.
I'm a boxer.
Oh, yeah? What's the difference?
Boxers think.
We're out of water.
How do I get one of those trophies?
Go down to the corner store, they're a buck apiece.
Is that how the kid got one?
No, he earned it.
Okay, then I'd Iike a room.
WeII, you get a room the same way you get a trophy.
You buy it or you earn it.
What do I got to do?
You pIay chess, kid?
A IittIe.
Okay, not much.
None, but I can box.
I mean, I want to box.
TeII you what, I'II give you a choice.
You pIay me in chess, or you box EI AngeIito.
Okay, I'II box EI AngeIito.
Wait, who's EI AngeIito?
AngeIito!
Can you go another coupIe of rounds?
- With who? - New kid.
Yeah, okay.
You got guts, kid. I'II teII you that.
HoIy shit.
Wait, who are you?
I work your corner.
Don't worry. Hands up, chin down, got it?
Got it.
Hands up, chin down!
Whose side is she on?
Stay focused.
Here you go.
Time!
Go on.
So, how'd it go?
You can have the back room.
Hey, where are you going?
Hey, Robert.
Hey. HoIa, Maria.
Cömo estas?
Bien gracias.
Do you speak Spanish?
Un poquito.
Y'aII, uh, quiere agua?
Yeah, sure.
There you go.
Thanks.
This is beautifuI.
You Iike it? Yeah, it's nice.
You haven't seen the property?
Come on, Iet me show you around.
You see that tree right there?
My great-granddaddy pIanted that.
That's how we teII if it's going to be a good season.
And how is that?
WeII, peaches are reaIIy fickIe to weather.
Every time this tree bears good fruit,
we strike goId out in the fieIds.
The thing is, great-granddad never Iet a man pick from this tree.
AIways said that women had softer hands
that wouIdn't bruise the fruit.
I think that's a prize one right there.
Come on.
There you go.
Now, I think you shouId be the one to take the first bite this year.
Maria and I have to get groceries for dinner.
Then I'II give you a ride into town. How about that?
- Okay. - AII right.
You know what? Give me a minute.
I'm going to go get changed, okay?
Why did you say yes?
I know what I'm doing.
Hey, you're supposed to be in the ring with OIIie.
OIIie's useIess, Dad.
Thought you said you were going to get me a new trainer?
I'm working on it.
Okay.
What's going on with that girI?
Nothing.
Just having a IittIe fun, okay?
Trust me. I know what I'm doing.
You Iisten to me, Robert, and Iisten good.
I don't intend to spend the rest of my Iife here,
and unIess you do, you better keep your eye on the prize.
Your grandfather saddIed me with that piIe of dirt out there.
Everything I got is tied up in it and you.
That's why I ride you so hard, you understand?
I know, Dad.
AII right.
Let me teach you a IittIe something about boxing.
You see, it's aII in the combinations.
Jab, cross, uppercut, hook.
You do that right,
the other guy wiII never know what hit him.
What if someone hits you first?
WeII, the onIy ones who get cIose enough to hit me
are usuaIIy just beautifuI women.
They aII faII for that crap, huh?
Who's that?
The other girIs you've been with.
Yeah, pretty much.
Listen, we're having a party up at the house tonight.
You shouId come on up.
It'II be fun.
I want you to come.
I can't. I have to make dinner.
After dinner.
We're not getting started tiII Iate.
Maria!
Hey! Wear something nice!
Man, I thought you were going to fix this, Giorgi!
Hey, I did, and I guess I'II fix it again.
God damn! Just repIace the damn thing!
Tío Tito.
What are you doing?
He heIped us with the groceries.
WeII, Lupe's over here with her groceries,
and you're over there?
We were just taIking.
Yeah, weII, taIk Ieads to other things.
Oh, come on.
Maria, one wrong word from that kid,
and Stevens wiII shut me down.
He'II shut me down!
That means aII of us! You'II ruin everything!
Why are you aIways worried about someone ruining everything?
Don't you understand? I've got everything invested in this.
I'm not going to bIow it.
Sorry, Tío Tito.
Your kids taIk to you Iike that?
You're stiII going?
Yeah.
What about Tito?
Tito's not my father.
Maria, you don't know these peopIe Iike I do.
I work at that house.
I see what happens.
You're just jeaIous.
He didn't invite you.
Is that what you think?
I'm not afraid to Iive my Iife, Lupe.
I don't want to end up Iike...
Like what? Like Rosa?
Like me?
Like the rest of us?
That's not what I meant, Lupe.
PIease.
Thanks.
That is a nice dress.
Oh, thanks.
I'm gIad you came.
I'm gIad you invited me.
Now that I got you here,
can I get you on the dance fIoor?
What's up, man?
Hey, sweetie, how are you?
Wow.
Come on.
I'II teII you something.
None of the girIs I know dance Iike you do.
That was something.
Where are we?
This IittIe pIace is where I used to hide away
when my dad wouId yeII at me.
Aren't your friends going to miss you?
My friends can have their fun without me.
Besides, unIess you think there's a prettier girI
I shouId be taIking to...
you're the onIy one I want to hang out with.
That's why I invited you.
What are you doing?
It's what you wanted, isn't it?
I mean, I thought...
Are you drunk?
Does this have something to do with Hector or something?
Hector?
You know, what happened to him was nothing but business.
He brought it on himseIf.
Hector has nothing to do with this.
Okay, aII right.
I shouId probabIy get back to my guests.
Y'aII can start to have fun with the heIp.
AII right. We'II stay.
No, no, no, you're not going anywhere now.
- Fancy. - Robert!
Where you going, baby?
- You can pick this cucumber right here. - Where are you going?
Hey.
Hey, take it easy, honey.
What the heII's going on?
What? They're just having fun.
Fun? You caII that fun?
They're my friends, and I teII you,
I sure have Iearned my Iesson with your boy Hector
about trying to heIp you peopIe out.
HeIIo?
Hey, Berta, it's me, Hector.
Is my mom there?
No, Hector, your mama, she's sIeeping.
Oh, okay. Is Tito there?
Oh, sí. HoId on, okay?
Come, teIéfono.
Gracias, pues.
Hey, Tito. How are you?
Good.
- How's my mom? - Your mom's okay.
I checked in on her earIier.
CooI.
I was caIIing you because,
Iisten, man, I need to borrow some money from you.
I knew this was coming.
Hey, Hector, you aIready owe me and Chucho.
Yeah, I know.
I swear to God, I'm going to pay you guys back, okay?
It's just that I'm reaIIy worried about my mom,
and I need to make sure she's getting her medicine, you know.
I just need the money, pIease, man.
Yeah, I'II see what I can do, Hector.
Thanks, bro. ReaIIy appreciate it, man.
Hey, guess what? I'm going to get BiIIy to train me
so I can fight Robert at Red's.
Wait a minute, you're fight...
Are you stupid?
I reaIIy got to go.
Thank you so much. ReaIIy appreciate it.
Take care, bye-bye.
This is you?
A whiIe back, yeah.
CooI.
You fought Bob Foster?
You know Bob Foster?
WeII, yeah.
I got some of his oId posters. They were my dad's.
I mean, he was one on the greatest.
Nobody went the distance with him.
I did.
Fifteen rounds,
fighting for the Iight heavyweight championship.
I Iost the decision, but I went the distance.
How many fights you have?
Fifty-eight.
I won the fifty.
Wow, what happened?
I mean, after aII that, how did you end up here?
What's wrong with here?
Nothing. It's just not there.
OnIy thing guaranteed in Iife is a hangover, kid.
Breakfast?
Too far, too fast,
dig you a deep hoIe in this game,
and if you're not carefuI,
that hoIe can right quick become your grave.
Your dad, Tito brought him to me.
He died on his own.
I'm not in the business of bar fights.
And Tito brings you other boxers?
Tito's got a good eye.
He's got a way of doing things before anyone knows what hit them.
He wouId have made a good boxer.
The oId guys, Joe Lewis, Jack Dempsey,
Ray Robinson, Rocky Marciano, Muhammad AIi,
you know what set those guys apart from the rest of the boxing worId?
Brains.
A chump don't become champ without them.
It's what you did wrong with EI AngeIito.
You Iet him get in your head, get you mad.
You get angry, you get frustrated, you can't think,
and you're as good as dead.
Your father never understood that.
AII he wanted to do was hit peopIe.
Any piece of meat can fight, kid.
Boxing is thinking.
You got to read the other guy Iike a chessboard,
aIways think two, three moves ahead of him.
I'm not that good with the big words in EngIish.
WeII, you can read the pictures, can't you?
I'II teII you what.
I'II train you if you Iearn the words.
OnIy two kinds of these in the worId, kid.
Ones that get you into troubIe and ones that get you out.
Which side are you on?
Your side.
Good.
Fifty for the mitts and two hundred for first and Iast month's rent.
You got it.
That won't get you far.
WeII, I don't need to go that far,
just up to Red's.
I want to take on Robert, and you can get me there, right?
That's powerfuI ambitious right there.
That's just this side of stupid.
Listen, I know it's kind of crazy,
but I need this fight, man.
I want to take care of my mom and get her out of the fieIds.
And I can do it, but I need your heIp.
Let's see what you do with the book first.
Here, you can work off what you owe.
I'm used to that.
Okay, watch this guy, now.
He's got heavy hands. He can hurt you.
You don't want to trade with him.
EIusive. EIusive.
I said eIusivo!
My trainer's so hard on me
WeII, my trainer's so hard on me
His basket of rocks
About to bust my jock
My trainer is so hard on me
What'd you do that for?
Wasp.
This fighter has aII the speed
you're going to have to deaI with with Robert.
I ain't fighting a girI. Come on.
Yes, you are.
What, you want me to kiss her or something?
I don't care what you do with her after you spar with her.
Time.
What the heII was that?
- The wasp again. - I didn't hear no wasp.
Do you want me to Iet him sting you, huh?
What the fuck?
Look, you got to think under pressure.
You got to Iearn to concentrate
when you're getting cIobbered from aII sides.
You Iose your cooI in the ring, and it's aII over.
You okay?
Honor the ring, touch gIoves.
My trainer is so hard on me
BiIIy Jenks is so mean on me
Makes me hauI him up and back
In this rusty piece of crap
My trainer is so mean on me
Way behind on points, son.
- It's not funny. - Offense, offense.
It's not working, son. You've got to make him miss.
AII that stuff we taIked about.
- Time. - You okay?
- You sure? - Yeah, I'm okay.
I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry.
If it was a guy, wouId you apoIogize?
No.
Then don't apoIogize to her. It's insuIting.
Okay, I'm sorry.
What did I just say?
I'm just saying sorry for insuIting her!
Don't say sorry at aII!
I was just being poIite!
If I wanted poIite, I'd be training baIIerinas!
- Sorry. - Damn it.
Y'aII, I'II teII you
My trainer, he's so hard on me
- His basket of rocks - Time!
About to bust my jock
My trainer is so hard on me
Makes me hauI him up and back
- In his busted CadiIIac. - Come on, big feIIa.
My trainer is so hard on me
Got a IittIe one.
I want you to take him aII over this ring.
You'II wear him out.
Get him breathing out of his mouth without hitting him once, okay?
What's up, man?
Mamí.
Hijo.
You've been fighting?
I'm Iearning to pIay chess.
I got my own pIace now, okay?
So I'm going to take you there and take care of you.
How's that?
I got something for you.
Yeah?
Mamí...
don't go.
Mama?
I Iove you.
He's been up there for a whiIe.
Leave him.
He'II come down when he's ready.
Take him something to eat, mija.
Hermanita, qué buena eres.
What the heII happened to this pIace?
I don't remember it this bad.
I don't remember the Iast time you came back.
It's peopIe Iike you who heIp make it this way, my brother.
I Iike to think I heIp peopIe, not chase them away.
If aII the peopIe who Ieft
had the money to come back,
do you think they wouId come back here?
I wouId.
And how much money wouId it take?
How much is enough?
I'm so sorry.
It's okay.
You were right.
About what?
Robert and everything.
Wait.
Sit down.
What did he do?
Nothing.
Maria, hey...
did he hurt you?
No, just...
You were right. We're just a game for them.
I don't want you to fight him.
How can you say that?
It's not worth it.
Yes, every bit of it.
What wouId it prove?
That we're not just some freakin' Pepes in the mud.
Root maggots, sir.
God damn!
I hate this farm.
How bad is it?
It's the whoIe goddamn fieId.
Just this fieId?
So far.
What about pesticides?
It's too Iate for that.
We gotta keep it from spreading.
Burn it.
Burn the whoIe damn fieId.
Hey, BiIIy.
No breaks, Hector. You won't get any breaks on fight night.
Here.
What's this?
That's the other side of the money.
That's the other haIf from Robert's winnings
the day you quit.
This beIongs to you.
I want you to spend it on Hector.
I want you to take him on fuII-time.
Get him ready for Robert.
I can make this happen.
How?
That's my business. I work with snakes, right?
When?
You teII me.
How fast can you get him ready?
Fast and ready don't go good together, not in this game.
Come on. You trained Robert, right?
That gives us the edge, doesn't it?
You are some kind of a snake oiI saIesman.
Straight, straight, straight right.
That's it. Turn it over.
AII right, but I need time, at Ieast a month.
- More is better. - A month?
Robert's had a Iot of fights.
He's twenty pounds heavier.
He's a schooIed fighter.
I ought to know, I schooIed him.
Hector's ready now. You know that.
I watch him fight, okay? You know he can win.
You got Hector's best interest in mind here, or your own?
I got aII our best interests in mind.
There's a Iot of money to be made here, BiIIy.
AII right, one month minimum.
Can you arrange it or not?
Yeah, I mean...
I don't know what I can arrange.
- I haven't taIked to the oId man yet... - Oh, great.
- but you just get him ready. - That's just great.
You get him ready, I'II take care of the rest.
That doesn't set too weII.
WeII, try a IittIe tequiIa, wash it down,
then it'II sit fine, my friend.
Keep it up.
Finish hard.
Knock the shit out of it!
Time.
Damages wouId affect mortgage payments for the house and farm,
empIoyee payroII, property tax,
undiscIosed monies for the pickers.
Screw the pickers.
UnsoIicited monies for the pickers
ain't reaI high on my priority Iist right now. You understand?
A ranch Iike this wouId coIIapse without them.
Hey, you know how to knock?
I got no time for you now, Tito.
Come back Iater.
No, but I got a way for you to cover your Ioss.
What Ioss is that?
WeII, the fieIds.
I mean, I've been to the fieIds.
You want to give me five minutes?
Sure.
WeII, jefe, I got you a fight for Robert
against the most popuIar fighter come out of Mexico in a Iong time.
And who wouId that be?
Hector ViIIa.
Didn't I just cIean that boy's cIock?
Oh, yeah, you did, but not for money.
Oh, man, you're dreaming.
Odds wouId be 15, 20 to 1 for Robert.
It's going to cost me twenty doIIars to make a doIIar, man.
Not if I can fiII the rafters with every migrant,
every Mexicano putting his IittIe peso down for their boy.
What's your point?
If I can guarantee there's going to be heat on this fight,
maybe I can even make a IittIe percentage on the head count.
I don't share the house with anybody.
Hey, what's a IittIe percentage, you know,
compared to what you stand to make?
Easy money, Pop.
Easy money, my ass.
Why in heII wouId I even consider this?
WeII, I couId bIow the whistIe on you,
on your hiring iIIegaIs to pick your fieIds.
It's against the Iaw, boss.
Now, why wouId you do that, Tito?
You'd be deporting your own peopIe.
Yeah, but I can get them back here in a week,
and, you know,
who's going to pick your fieIds in the meantime?
I couId make your Iife miserabIe.
I don't want to do that.
Hey, and who knows?
Maybe I couId doubIe my money when I bet on Robert.
You'd bet against your own man?
WeII, I may Iook stupid,
but I'm not going to throw away hard-earned cash on, you know.
You're a reaI snake, aren't you?
You've given me something to think about.
WeII, don't think too Iong because BiIIy's getting our boy ready,
and, you know, he's going to be training the boy.
BiIIy's behind him?
BiIIy's behind him a hundred percent.
Twenty percent.
Twenty-five.
I'II set it up at Red's for this weekend.
Oh, no, give me a month,
because I've got to create a buzz, man.
I want to bring every Mexicano down here,
more piggies in the bank for you and for Tito.
A month.
Shit.
I couId take that boy right now.
I hope that's true, 'cause I'm betting the farm on you.
Come on, Maria.
Where are you going, bro?
I don't want to miss the show, amigo.
Besides, the kid aIready owes me two grand.
- Oh, come on, Chucho. - That's four grand with this trip
and six counting Maria.
You'II get your money, okay?
Just making sure.
WeII, get on. Come on.
Hey, Pete.
PatroIman Pete and his twin.
What's up, Mr. PresIey?
Hey, Tito, how's business?
Never better, man. I got some good ones back here,
up in the front here for you.
You'II see, I got some Iive ones.
That's fine. I just want to check out the van.
Yeah, what for?
I got onIy the oId dry skins back there, man.
That's fine. I just want to see for myseIf, that's aII.
Yeah, okay.
- What the-- - Shut up.
You never toId him about how I saved your Iife, did you?
He's fuII of shit.
You never heard that story, did you?
Nah, I didn't teII him.
Aw, man.
You know what? I caught this guy
on the side of the road with a rattIer bite,
and he'd faIIen over running from the snake.
Remember that, right?
And he had sat on some cactus, right?
And I had to sit there by the side of the road.
It's a good thing nobody was watching,
because I was sucking the poison out of his Ieg,
and puIIing the thorns out of your butt, right?
WeII, anyway, I did you a big favor.
I found that son of a bitch, and I kiIIed him,
and I saved him for you as a souvenir.
'Cause, you know, the oId foIks say it wards away eviI spirits, Pete.
I got the skin if you want it.
No.
No? That means...
Look, the NationaI Guard's going to be here soon.
You can't hunt snakes out here anymore, Tito.
That's okay, man, I can go eIsewhere.
It's a big desert.
No, you don't understand, Tito.
You got to Ieave the state if I see you out here again.
If I do, you'II be hunting snakes on the other side of the fence.
That's no probIem, Pete.
I mean, after tonight, I probabIy won't need to come back here at aII.
I won't even need to come back here.
God bIess you.
Take care.
Pete.
It's good seeing ya.
Hey, Tito, you reaIIy sucked the poison out of his ass?
Shut up.
Hector, you're Iate, man.
- I know. - It's my fauIt.
What? Is everything covered?
Yeah, I got it aII.
Not to worry.
Where the heII are you going?
I'm protecting my investment.
I'm working the kid's corner.
What the heII you know about working a corner?
I hoId the bucket and he spits, nothing to it.
- Get out of here! - No, he's good.
He knows what he's doing. I can heIp you.
I mean, you need heIp.
I couId get somebody from out at Stevens' to heIp you.
No. Just hoId the bucket,
do exactIy what I say, nothing eIse.
No probIem, señor.
Chucho's reaIIy good,
and he's a IoyaI worker. He reaIIy is.
Get off me.
Come on, Maria.
- That son of a bitch. - Come on, man.
Just be a minute. Maria?
This is buIIshit, BiIIy.
Hey, you wanted the job, right?
Protecting your investment?
Chucho, how do you think I feeI with you touching me.
Man, this is freaking gross, okay?
Yeah.
How's the action?
Not good.
Kick it to 1 3 to 1. Let's see if any of these fish bite.
Sure, aII right.
AII right, boys, change of pIans.
Thirteen to one.
Not tonight, OIIie.
Hey, come on, hurry this shit aIong.
I need you out there, SIick. Come on.
I'm not taking the needIe tonight.
The heII you ain't.
Come on, drop your drawers, you take it Iike a man.
I don't need it,
not for no damn picker.
WeII, that ain't the point, now, is it, Robert?
Picker or not, I need you to be my one sure thing tonight.
I can take him on my own.
And what if you can't?
I just need everything you got tonight, son.
I've aIways given you everything I got.
Come on. Lace him up. What the heII am I paying you for?
You ready?
Yeah.
You know what those spiders mean?
My dad said spiders fight up cIose.
Get in tight, and then take him out with your sting.
No, God damn it!
He never Iistened to a thing I toId him!
Spiders buiId a web, wait for their prey,
draw them in for the kiII.
If you do it right, your opponent does most of the work.
The way your father had it, you'd be doing aII the work.
You'd burn yourseIf out.
I know, I was onIy kidding.
My dad toId it to me just Iike you said.
I just Iike to see you getting aII worked up.
Oh, you do?
You know, they used to caII your father ''Boom-Boom,''
'cause that's aII you heard.
If somebody hit him, boom, he hit the fIoor, boom.
He was getting to be a joke, and I...
I just don't want you to become the punch Iine.
He was no joke.
What?
He did the best he knew how, okay?
And so am I.
You're right.
Your father was the best I'd seen in a Iong time.
He was a good friend.
He was good to your mother.
He couId have been a great boxer,
better than me maybe, and I was good.
When I see you now,
it couId be him sitting there,
Iooking at me the same way you are now.
And I'd say to him exactIy what I'm going to teII to you now.
What's that?
Cut the mush and Iet's get out there in that ring, boy!
AII righty.
You good?
- Yeah. - Let's go, champ.
Hurt him, boy. Hurt him!
- Just wait. - Why?
- ViIIa! ViIIa! - Okay.
- ViIIa! ViIIa! ViIIa!
Hey, oId schooI, gonna get a whipping tonight.
You shouIdn't have showed up, boy.
Don't worry about that. He's just buIIshitting.
Let him run his mouth. Can't hurt you with his mouth.
He's not so big.
Ladies and GentIemen, this is the main event,
ten rounds of boxing.
In the red corner, weighing in at 182 pounds,
from StevensviIIe, Texas,
28 and 0, 24 by way of knockout,
our own champ, Mr. Robert ''SIick'' Stevens.
And in the bIue corner, weighing in at 159 pounds,
from Mexico with Iove,
first time fighting in the U.S.A.,
Hector ''Boom-Boom'' ViIIa.
Yeah! Come on!
And the referee tonight from HoIIywood, CaIifornia,
Judo Gene LeBeII.
Okay, fighters, in the middIe.
Nice of your picker friends to come.
Too bad your mama couIdn't make it.
You guys know the ruIes.
This is a non-sanctioned fight,
but I want you to stick to the ruIes.
If the guy faIIs down, don't Iay the boots to him,
don't step on him, and no thumbing in the eyes.
Now, if you feeI Iike it,
shake hands and come out fighting.
What the heII are those supposed to be?
He's just shit-taIking to get in your head.
Just stick with what I taught you, and you'II be fine.
Stay Ioose, son. This guy's a chump.
Do the job, we go home earIy.
One more thing.
Knock that shit-eating grin off that bastard's face.
I banged Maria whiIe you were gone.
She was begging for more.
Two,
three,
four,
five...
Fight!
That a boy, that a boy.
Pick it up!
Two, three...
Take the rest.
...four,
five,
six,
seven...
Okay, fight.
Come on, ref!
Didn't you hear the beII?
Get back to your corner.
What the heII are you doing, son?
He's good.
Yeah, he's good.
You're kicking his ass. Keep it cIean, aII right?
You cannot stand toe to toe with this guy.
He's too strong.
You got to work on aII the stuff we taIked about.
Keep pressuring him, aII right?
Keep working the jab.
Don't Iet him get you mad. Boxing is thinking.
He's aIways dropping his Iead hand, but don't get compIacent.
- He's good. - Yeah, he's good.
Two,
three,
four,
five...
You okay?
Fight!
One,
two,
three...
Va, Hector.
five,
six...
Go, come on.
Break.
God damn it! Stop it!
Come on, man, come here!
That's it, son, that's it.
I think I hurt him.
Yeah, you did. Take a Iook.
Look at that guy. You cut him.
That's the way to move.
Move in one Iine, move out the other Iine.
Change those angIes going in.
Go in one way, come out another way.
He doesn't know where you are.
You know what eIse? You're faster than he is.
Stay away from that right.
He's getting in with that right hand.
Do not stand in front of this man.
If you stand stiII, he can think.
As soon as you move, he freezes.
A deer in the headIights, the second you move, aII right?
Push away!
I need you to make this man miss.
You see him breathing through his mouth?
You get him working.
You Iook Iike shit, bro.
WouId you shut the heII up?
He's bIowing air.
You see him breathing through his mouth?
He's sucking air.
I need you to make him miss.
If you make him miss, you'II wear him out.
Keep moving. Don't stand in front of him.
It's aII working.
He's going to give you that Iiver,
and I want you to bury your hand in it up to the wrist.
You got me? Right it into his back!
Get in there! Go on!
God damn it, boy!
Get in there and finish him, boy! You hear me?
Yeah, Hector, get in there!
That a boy, that a boy!
Vamos, Hector!
Stay away from that right.
Get up, Hector!
Five,
six,
seven,
eight...
Fight.
That's right.
DaIe, Hector.
That's right!
You can count to 105! He's ain't getting up!
You won, kid! You won!
You're out.
Ladies and gentIemen,
referee Gene LebeII has caIIed this bout!
Come here, kid. That's my boy.
Two minutes and ten seconds of the sixth round.
- I Iove you. - I Iove you, too.
And the winner by a knockout,
from Mexico with Iove...
You did it.
Hector ''Boom-Boom'' ViIIa!
Hey, Tito, give me a Iight.
You bet on the picker, didn't you?
Yeah.
I bet aII I had on the picker,
and everything my friends had.
What you gonna do with aII that money?
We're going home, jefe.
We're going home.
How much is a man worth?
WeaIth is not measured by money aIone,
but by the kind of Iove he has around him
at the end of the day.
Because it's that Iove that gives him the wiII to fight,
to fight for something better
than what he had the day he was born.