[♪♪♪♪]
[Music playing, fireworks popping]
Aah! [Gagging]
[Funeral music playing]
Come on. Back up.
Come on, move back a little bit.
Step back. Come on, let the funeral through.
Come on, step back.
Get Laura. That's the daughter.
Get a close-up. Go to her.
Come on.
Hey!
Don't touch the camera!
[Speaking Chinese]
John, let's get McKenna.
Captain McKenna.
Captain McKenna, any leads in the murder of Jackie Wong?
Nothing at this time.
Do you think this killing means
there is some kind of war
going on in the Chinatown tongs?
No, I don't.
This is basically a situation
where the youth gangs are lashing out
at the establishment.
The community is cooperating.
The situation's under control.
Hey, kid.
What's going on?
We got to talk, Lenny--privately.
Sure. Some funeral, huh?
So, what's new, kid?
Listen.
No news this week,
but I got some pretty good uptown you should try.
I'll give you a taste for nothing.
You greaseball don't listen so good, Lenny.
What are you talking about?
[Speaking Chinese]
I thought it was loud and clear.
This is our street now.
You want to stay on this street,
you pay US like everybody else.
Hey, come on, Ronnie. Me?
You want to extort money from me?
You know who you're talking to here?
You know who my cousins are?
[Speaking Chinese]
Fuck your cousins. No one rides free anymore.
You owe me money.
It's 300 a week to operate out of here.
4 weeks, that's 1,200 bucks you owe.
You come across canal street
and start throwing your weight around here?
You little scumbag.
You're going to end up with a wire around your neck.
Now get out before I kick your ass.
Hey, kid--
[gunshot]
The rumor is that Jackie Wong was more
than the unofficial mayor of Chinatown,
that he was also the head of a secret triad.
Jackie Wong, no question, will be missed.
He was loved.
He made money for his people.
But the head of a secret triad?
There's no triads in New York.
I'm sure, Captain McKenna, you've at least heard old rumors
that Wong's successor, Harry Yung,
was a corrupt Hong Kong policeman
who came here with $15 million.
$15 million?
That's a good one.
Somebody should tell Harry Yung, then.
I have no further comments at this time.
Get that? Ok.
You're a hell of a reporter, honey.
But you've been talking to a guy
with a bag on his head and cotton in his ears
and a stick up his ass.
You stick around, you might learn something.
Who are you?
Just ask for Stanley White.
Which Stanley White?
There's only one Stanley White.
Hello, will. How's the view up there?
You can see a long way.
Still believe in keeping a high police profile, huh?
If you wore your uniform once in a while, White,
you'd know that police visibility
is the strongest deterrent to crime.
Well, will, it doesn't look like you're deterring
too much around here lately.
Aren't you in the wrong precinct, Captain?
Not really. They gave me a new command.
Oh, yeah? What did they give you?
Chinatown.
That's right, will. They just cut off your oats.
Why?
Because of this?
How was I supposed to prevent this?
How am I supposed to prevent anything around here?
Come on, will. I'll buy you a cup of coffee.
[Beeping]
What the hell?
[Siren]
I Told you before, man. No pictures.
John!
Go to her.
Right there.
Get Laura Wong. Get the close-up, come on.
That's the daughter.
I'm not going to tell you people--
hey, don't touch the camera.
Don't touch the camera!
[Shouting in Chinese]
[Speaking Chinese]
Hey, that's enough!
Hey, what'd I tell you people, man? Get on out of here!
Come on. Move aside, huh?
He's over there in the back.
Tell me when, ok?
Tell me when.
Ok?
And so with the passing of dai Jackie Wong,
a piece of Chinatown history passes with him.
This is Tracy Tzu, wkxt news.
Mott street, Chinatown.
[Horns honk]
What are you doing around here, huh?
Girl: What? Just hanging out.
Let go, man.
What you doing?
Girl: You bastards! You fucking bastards!
There's nothing down here, man.
[Shouting]
[Shouting stops]
It's no raid.
Keep on playing.
No problem.
Looking for uncle Harry.
Uncle Harry?
[Speaking Chinese]
Where's Harry?
Not here quite long. Maybe bank.
[Speaking Chinese]
You tell Harry I'm coming over.
[Speaking Chinese]
I'm looking for uncle Harry. Harry Yung.
Where are you going?
Is Harry in there?
Where are you going?
Wait, wait, wait!
I thought we should all have a little talk,
seeing we're both new at our jobs.
Why did you go to the gambling place?
We have the same arrangement
over a long period of time.
No policeman ever go
to gambling club.
Foolish man. Rude.
I'm going to have to tell your superiors.
Well, it won't be the first time,
uncle Harry.
I'm glad you guys are here. Saves me some lung power.
This is it. I'll give it to you fast.
There's a new marshal in town.
Me.
New marshal means new rules.
New rules means no more street violence.
You collar the gangs.
I don't want to see their fucking faces
unless they're bringing me spareribs in a restaurant.
I don't care what you do.
Get 'em jobs catching cockroaches.
I don't care. But you get them off the streets.
Nobody can control the gangs.
Everybody knows that.
Too big a problem.
Captain, Chinatown behind you,
all the way in favor of what you do.
You take gang kid in the alley.
You put bag over their head.
You beat them with club.
Chinatown behind you 100%.
100%.
Good.
Because I'm going to need your help.
I'm going to put a stop to all this bribe-paying
and extortion to the gangs.
I want the help
of all 60 family and merchant associations.
Wait a minute, Captain.
This is very difficult-- very, very difficult.
It's a long history.
For thousands of years,
Chinese do not go to the police.
If they go to the police, they'll get in trouble.
So I'll tell you straight.
Nobody will come to see you.
[Speaking Chinese]
No disrespect is intended to the police by our remarks,
but if the citizens of Chinatown
regard what you call extortion and bribery
as part of the cost of doing business
and have felt that way for thousands of years,
why should you be so concerned?
What about the ones that don't want to pay?
You know, Captain,
when I first came to New York,
I worked as a waiter in a restaurant.
I saw something terrible happen
because my boss did not want to pay.
I signed a complaint
against a gang leader who was arrested.
The next day, he was out on the streets again.
Now, 6 months go by before his trial,
and the police chief was transferred to the Bronx.
This was, what, 6 or 7 chiefs before McKenna.
7.
And the new chief dropped the charges.
3 months later, I got stabbed right here.
Sure. See?
You must understand, Captain.
To US, your good samaritan was a fool
to risk the security of his family
to help a stranger.
You're too impressed with yourself.
Fuck you.
What did you say?
I said fuck you!
I'm tired of all this Chinese this, Chinese that.
You people,
you think gambling, extortion, corruption are kosher
because it's a thousand years old?
Well, all this thousand-year-old stuff,
it's a lot of shit to me.
This is America you're living in,
and it's 200 years old,
so you better get your clocks fixed.
You're not special,
and you're not beyond the law
any more than the Puerto Ricans or the polacks.
So we're all going to obey the law
the way it says.
So start doing something about it and fast,
or you're all going to suffer.
You can believe that.
[Door slams]
[Speaking Chinese]
Morning, Stan.
Both: Hi, Stan.
Good morning, Stan.
He's early.
He's always early.
I got a complaint about you already,
well, there's a line around the block.
Harry Yung was very upset
about you busting into his place of business.
He says you're threatening
the arrangement we've always had with these people.
Is that true?
Well, what is this arrangement?
I mean, is it carved in stone?
Did it come out of a burning bush or something?
What the hell did you rush in there for?
You made him lose face. You made US lose face.
You got no respect? They were just sitting there
having breakfast.
What kind of evidence did you have
to go in there like that?
That's the point, Lou. With these people,
you're not going to have any evidence.
You're talking shit, Stanley.
Lou, I didn't buy this job at Macy's.
You gave it to me.
And I told you to kick ass on the youth gangs.
Not the old guys. You lay off them, you hear?
The fifth precinct's a nice, quiet area.
A good springboard for promotion,
if you get my meaning.
Lou, I've been down there one goddamn day.
It doesn't take a genius
to figure out something's going on.
There's going to be blood flowing in the gutters.
These Chinese are going to muscle across the canal.
They're going to push the mafia out.
I'm talking banks, real estate, drug money--
who told you all this? The DEA?
They've been peddling that cock and bullshit
Chinese mafia theory for years,
and they never made a case in Chinatown.
I wouldn't believe nothing those clowns said.
Lou, you don't know what the hell you're talking about.
The mafia concept's not even Italian.
It's Chinese.
It's Chinese!
It was invented in China 1,000 years ago.
They call them triads.
Triads.
And that's what we have here.
We have the offshoots of the Hong Kong triads.
The Hong Kong triads. Stanley, you're letting your imagination
- ...run away with you. - Like hell I am.
These people are the biggest overall importers
of heroin in this country.
And the fact that we don't have one single bust
against one of these guys tells me something.
They're smart, Lou. They're smarter than you are
and kearney, this Irish sphinx over here.
At least I didn't change my name, wizynski.
What do you want?
You want to attack Chinatown
with the 82nd airborne?
You're not in Vietnam here, Stanley.
There the difference was I never saw the goddamn enemy.
Here, they're right in front of my eyes.
They got no place to hide, no jungle.
Stanley, this is just like
the south Bronx and red hook.
You got a bunch of juvenile delinquents,
youth gangs.
Call them what you want--
snot-nose chink scumbags.
Now go and kick their asses.
That's what you're good at.
Youth gangs? Lou, these are midget hit men.
You know what your problem is, Stanley?
You move through this department like a piece of heavy machinery.
Nobody likes you, Stanley.
They all tell you you're a great cop,
but they don't like you.
So what?
Just put my request through, will you?
Kearney, it's a pleasure talking to you.
It's like one hand clapping.
All of a sudden this job's made you an expert?
He's got a thing for chinks.
[Bell tolling]
[Speaking Polish]
Yoo-hoo, Connie.
I'm home.
I'm here.
Where you been? I been calling for 2 days.
You don't answer the phone anymore?
Connie, what the hell's going on here?
Don't ask. It's the washing machine again.
While I was at it, I fixed the sink.
Jesus.
Connie, why don't you ever call a repairman?
You're living in the past, Stanley. You find one.
Hey, look at this mess.
Buy me a new machine,
but don't break my balls, Stanley.
Been trying to fix this thing for 3 hours,
and I'm not in the mood.
Hey, I didn't say anything.
Yeah, but you were going to, weren't you?
I can always tell when you're in a ball-breaking mood.
Connie, what the hell is wrong with you? I walk in the door.
You don't even say hello. You don't smile.
All you do is you say,
"Stanley, don't break my balls."
I mean, what kind of relationship is this?
You don't care about our relationship.
I do care.
I do care about our relationship.
Come on.
I just want to know why you're so angry all the time.
Well, Stanley, it's because you have become
an arrogant, self-centered,
condescending son of a bitch.
Well, you have to admit, Connie,
there's a lot to be arrogant about.
Oh, don't start, ok?
I'm not taking any more of your shit, Stan.
You want to fix the fucking washing machine,
you go ahead and fix it.
Oh, Jesus.
You fix it. I got to go to work.
Hey, lookit, I'm not having
such a great day, either, you know?
I thought you said you had the night off.
I thought maybe we could go out or something.
They shifted me back to nights.
What is biting your ass?
Don't tell me it's the washing machine.
No. Nothing.
Because I don't expect anything
from you anymore, Stanley.
Well, what is that supposed to mean?
It means you bombed out.
You forgot. You weren't here.
You missed target practice.
What?
Wednesday.
The day of my ovulation.
I forgot.
Don't bullshit me, Stan.
I don't like it.
I'm getting the picture, ok?
It's clear as ice.
If you really wanted a kid--
of course I want a kid.
No. No.
You'd take care of yourself a bit.
You'd sleep decent hours.
You'd eat regular.
You'd take your vitamins.
You promised me you'd take your vitamin e.
I paid 50 bucks for this.
And you'd screw me once in awhile
at the right time of month.
How the hell do we stand a chance when you're not even home
- for a week at a time? - Hey, I'm sorry.
I know you're sorry. You said that last month
and the month before that!
All right, I'll tell you what.
Next month, we'll take a weekend off.
We'll go up to that place in the poconos,
the place your brother-in-law is always talking about--
the place with the heart-shaped tubs.
We could try there.
Don't give me all that.
Don't treat me like an idiot.
[Sighs] It doesn't work anymore.
It doesn't work.
Oh!
Shit!
[Woman singing in Chinese]
Good evening, miss Tzu.
Hi. How are you?
We're very happy you're joining US tonight.
This way, please.
How are you?
This is miss Tzu.
How do you do?
Thank you.
I didn't think you'd show up.
Well, I guess I had to get a closer look
at the jerk who insulted me on the street.
What would you like to drink?
Tea.
Why didn't you tell me who you were?
Hostile, aren't you?
I showed up, didn't I?
Why don't you have some spareribs?
They have great spareribs here, but lousy lighting.
You ever wonder about that?
Why the inside of a Chinese restaurant
makes you feel like
you're inside a motor vehicle bureau.
Feel like I'm waiting for an eye test.
Well, you know, the atmosphere is not the thing.
Besides, I like Italian food better anyway.
I'm impressed.
Are you doing your homework?
I'm scratching the surface.
So, you from Hong Kong?
No, American born.
San Francisco, the bay area.
How many generations
have your people been here?
My great-grandfather came, worked on the railroads.
Went back.
My grandfather worked in a gold mine.
He also went back. They all went back
because the law wouldn't allow their wives to come over.
Finally, my father married a Japanese woman
and settled here in the forties.
Yeah, I know the story. It's a pretty sad one.
Thousands of you Chinese came over here,
and you died building the railroads
of this country.
It says so right here.
Their bones are scattered all over the west.
We don't even know their names.
There's a photograph here--
promontory point, Utah, 1869.
It's where the union
and central pacific first met.
Take a look at it. What do you see?
What do you see?
You see the bosses. You see the politicians.
You see the bankers. You see the Irish workmen.
There's not one single solitary chinaman.
They weren't even asked to show up.
They died anonymous.
Goddamn people--
you keep everything a secret.
I know the story, Captain.
Yeah, well, most people don't,
because no one remembers in this country.
No one remembers anything.
You sound just like my father.
Sounds like a great guy. What does he do?
He's in shipping.
Now, what's your story?
Me? What's there to say?
Uh... I'm Polish. I'm from Brooklyn.
I'm a cop, but I happen to be
the most decorated cop in the city of New York.
I'm talking action-decorated.
No desk citations here.
I'm sure about that.
I got to admit. I saw you a few times on the tube.
I don't watch much television,
but I think you're pretty good
and a hell of a lot sexier than those broads
on the other channels, though.
Aw, well, Captain,
very pleased you've come.
Hello.
Uncle Yung, you know Tracy Tzu?
Oh, yes.
Very pleased you've come.
This is my wife, su shin.
Captain, do you like Chinese champagne?
This is very good.
This is on the house, huh?
Thanks, but no thanks. I pay my own way.
A fish stinks from the head, does it not?
The Chinese eat the head, Captain.
Enjoy.
It looks like champagne anyway.
I think you upset him.
I certainly hope so.
[Car horns honking]
[Singing in Chinese]
Look at it this way-- Harry Yung is the head
of the richest tong in Chinatown.
He's got to be involved in the Chinese mafia.
Even if he isn't doing anything,
he's got to be doing something.
And if I can nail the son of a bitch,
and he's got face, I get face.
And if I get face,
I can win the war in Chinatown.
Captain, why did you call me?
What do you want?
I'll tell you what I want.
I want the rice to boil over in Chinatown.
I want to change things.
Why? Is Chinatown so bad the way it is?
It stinks.
Harry Yung's got this place locked up like a jail.
You got a slave population of sweatshop women
working for 12 cents apiece.
You got shopkeepers paying bribes
to every punk that comes along.
You got 30 people living in a room.
You got the highest rate of tb and mental illness
in any city neighborhood.
You got a male population--
look, I'm a reporter.
I am not a crusader.
You're an actress.
I can help you.
How?
I'll give you hard facts off the record.
You do one of those exposes on Chinatown.
One week, you do the gambling connection.
The next week,
you do the youth-gang extortion racket.
Move up the ladder
to the bosses that own the places.
You splash their faces on the tube.
Take a little journalistic license.
You know what I mean.
Each week we peel another layer off the onion.
I mean, if it was some white broad,
they'd say it's racist,
but with you, they got to figure
it's on the up and up.
This is outrageous!
There are boundaries, Captain White--ethics.
The press is independent.
It's not just another undercover cop.
What you're asking for is absurd.
It's almost criminal.
You wouldn't know a real criminal
if one popped out of the toilet
and bit you on the ass.
I don't think there's any point in going on with this.
You sit down.
You get smart. You listen to me.
[Car horns honk]
Go fuck yourself.
[People screaming]
Aah!
Stanley!
[Siren approaches]
I didn't see nothing.
2 men wearing ski masks
ran up the stairs. Boom boom.
It was all over.
It's all right. It's all right.
It's all over now.
It's all right.
Stop crying.
[Speaking Chinese] Who would dare to attack me here in Chinatown?
Who would challenge the hun San so openly?
It's possible...
...they were sent from Toronto by white powder ma.
And how does white powder ma gain from attacking me?
An attack on you is an attack on US all.
Why would the Nam Soong send two young boys?
Why not? White powder ma is a reckless adventurer.
But not a fool!
I'm afraid white powder ma has everything to do with the attack.
The two kids were from Toronto.
They were seen on mott St. before the attack.
Believe me, we'll find them.
You sound very sure of yourself.
I am.
But why would white powder ma attack US, Joey?
Thailand, uncle... Ban Sung's favor.
So he attacks US here, makes US look weak.
Ban Sung will be impressed with the new power of white powder ma.
Our throats will be cut like sheep.
Last night's attack...
...is not just a serious loss of face for our tong...
...but also, I'm sorry to add, for our president, uncle Yung.
Not to retaliate...
...is to lose even more face!
There is merit in these words.
There can be no success in business without Harmony.
And we are in a time of much disharmony.
There has been a 30% fall-off in all restaurant business.
The Italians are angry at US over the candy store incident.
And after all the money we've made for them...
...they still treat US like junior partners.
Behind our backs they call US yellow niggers.
Our banking and shipping profits are all down.
Gold prices are slumping.
Our stocks are sluggish.
Our commodity position has slipped.
There's no new money coming in, gentlemen.
It's only a question of time
before the Vietnamese start competing
with our gambling profits.
And this new policeman,
making rude noises about Chinatown injustice and all...
[Speaking Chinese] My respect for men of many years...
...men like yourselves... is very great.
But I suggest it is time to consider a more vigorous leadership.
Gentlemen...
Since I am the subject of discussion...
...it would be rude of me to remain.
I will excuse myself.
What you say about the state of our business is true.
But what steps would you propose to take?
My first obligation is to smooth uncle Yung's exit with a gift.
My second obligation is to punish these people who attacked his restaurant.
Then there will have to be a trip to Thailand to reassure bans sung.
Then there's the matter with the Italians.
It is perhaps time to consider ending
the old arrangement with them.
Do like they do--
sell directly to the blacks and Puerto Ricans.
[Speaking Chinese] We'll make a bigger profit.
Otherwise it's our money in the Italians' pockets.
Good morning.
Good morning, chief.
Good morning, frank.
Good morning.
Good morning, commissioner.
Anything to tell me on the wild-west show
at the Shanghai palace last night?
Yes, sir. Our information
is that it was an east Broadway gang.
We're checking on it right now.
I wouldn't bet on that information, sir.
You know something your commanding officers don't know?
No, sir.
It's just that our street information in Chinatown
hasn't been right so far.
We're the last ones to know what's going on there.
But the important thing is
that both of these punks were hit,
and it's going to be hard for them to hide.
And if I can get to them, and I will,
then I got one hand on their balls.
Captain White is speaking for himself, sir.
I don't care who he's speaking for.
We know this--
these punks are whacking out people left and right.
Tourists. I spent the last half hour on the phone
getting my ass chewed out by the mayor,
who is mighty pissed off. And so am I.
What the hell has happened to Chinatown?
It was never like this.
The causes of this run deep, sir.
Be that as it may,
I want this crap stopped, and I want it stopped now,
or heads are going to roll.
Am I making myself clear to you people?
Yes, boss.
You want some fast results, commissioner,
and no bullshit?
Let me have one Chinese undercover cop,
and I'll penetrate these fuckers just like we did the Colombians
out in queens.
Stanley, what are you talking about?
Have you taken this request to your commanding officer?
Yes, sir, and it was ignored.
As was my warning
that the gutters were going to run red with blood.
The request is under consideration, commissioner.
This kid he wants is a trainee.
He's already got 6 Chinese cops.
I got 6 too many, commissioner.
I got 6 Chinese cops down there
no one talks to.
They treat them like lepers.
This kid, Herbert kwong, he's from China,
and no one knows him down there.
And he don't know shit from shinola!
He needs another 100 hours minimum.
We don't have another 100 hours.
Give him what he wants.
Now.
And get some results.
That's it.
Nobody does what you did in here--nobody.
Man: Look down when you're holding the gun.
Make sure it's in line with the target.
Think of what you're doing.
You're going to fire 6 rounds.
Hold combat positions and freeze.
The time limit will be...
Are you sure about this?
Yeah.
Man: 3 seconds for 6 rounds.
Then you will freeze in that position.
You will not move.
[Stereo playing infatuation]
[Turns off stereo]
[Speaking Chinese] All you guys want to do is eat and gamble.
I told you to keep this place clean.
It is.
It smells like a sewer!
We'll clean it again.
- Where's the doctor? - In the kitchen.
You gave them morphine?
Yes. Get up!
How are you? Is the bullet inside?
Does it hurt very much?
No. Good like new, lord.
How is your brother?
Little brother... Can you walk?
You're good boys.
Both of you, get some rest.
Good.
You did well.
How long before the wounds heal?
Two weeks, maybe less.
But the one with the toes...
Thank you, doctor.
You know what is expected of you. All of you.
Clean this goddamn place up!
Ok. See you.
[Stereo playing music]
How'd you ever get a name like Herbert?
My Chinese name is too complicated.
I looked in the phone book.
I found Herbert.
You know anything about go Joey Tai?
Harry Yung? Fred hung?
Uncle Milton bin?
No, sir.
Well, you're going to.
Because you're going to put them to sleep at night,
you're going to wake 'em up in the morning.
I want to know where they go, who they see.
And when you're not doing that,
you're going to monitor a wiretap on these guys.
Watch it, will you?
You drive worse than you shoot.
I told you, stay out of the left Lane, all right?
Yes, sir. What hours am I working?
Hours? Forget it. You're on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
What about sleep?
Forget sleep. Nothing sleeps at the fifth precinct.
But I got a second job.
Hey, Herbert, quit.
I'm serious.
You want to be a cop, or you want to fuck around?
I don't understand. What's the point of the exercise?
It's not an exercise, Herbert.
We're dealing with the Chinese mafia,
who eat people like you for breakfast.
[Laughs]
Jesus! I told you.
Stay out of the left Lane.
Did you ever notice this? These Chinese guys
are always blocking traffic.
They drive like their music, from right to left.
[Chuckling]
Did you ever see a Chinese grand prix driver? Huh?
No.
Goddamn cab doesn't know how to drive! Come on!
[Car horns honking]
Dispatch: Central to 2-7 Adam boy.
Got 2 male asians shot dead in the cellar at 6 eldridge.
They match the description of the suspects
in the Shanghai palace shooting.
All right, that's US. You're out.
Out of the car. You're undercover now.
Out, out! Get out!
Where's White?
[Police radio chatter]
Alan Perez, Captain.
Nobody of course saw nothing.
Most of these people are illegal.
They're sweating a bust.
The building and the farm
are registered to one tan wan lo.
He lives in Hong Kong. We're checking it out,
but if you ask me, he's probably been dead for 10 years.
Building ownership down here
makes a Chinese fire drill look organized.
Where are they?
Tony, get out here.
This is the guy that tipped US.
Calls himself Tony.
Says he's been working down here 40 years.
Tony, you want to show the Captain
what you showed me?
[Speaking Chinese]
What are you looking at? Move it.
Come on. Look.
You're a good man, Tony.
Not too many of you left.
I know. You don't have to tell me.
I know.
All good men gone... Long time.
Everything changed.
Young people, no respect.
Steal, shoot, kill, like white man.
Chinese man is not afraid to work hard.
I work 40 years here.
I put every dollar in chase Manhattan bank.
Young people have no respect no more.
Old men afraid.
Not me.
Not me. I been here long time.
I have seen many things.
I see things a lot of people don't even think I see.
Tony, there should be more men like you.
Bullshit!
[Speaking Chinese] I have six children, lord.
But Tina is the hope of our family.
Even with all of US working, we don't have enough for her college.
I don't want you to worry about it anymore.
Tina's education will be provided for.
Please forgive me. I had no one else to turn to.
You did the right thing by coming to me.
Tina will be attending Columbia in the fall.
Thank you.
I hope you understand how difficult it was...
...for your mother to come here to me.
You must show your appreciation by studying hard.
Some say an act of revenge
linked to the restaurant massacre,
but no one knows.
And in this once quiet tourist-orientated community,
the tourists are beginning to stay away,
and the people here are beginning to ask
the dismaying question--
"what is happening to Chinatown?"
You're running late.
This is Tracy Tzu,
eldridge street, Chinatown.
Here he is. Let's get a headshot.
Captain White, Captain White,
can you give US any idea
who and what's behind this wave of violence?
Who? What?
A thousand years of civilization,
that's who, that's what. You ought to know that.
Now get that goddamn thing out of my face.
What's the matter with you?
If you don't know, you don't know.
You're acting like there's something between US.
[Car horns honking]
[Siren]
[Speaking Chinese] Auntie, stop worrying. I have to go.
Have something to eat. Don't worry.
Mr. White, I'm so glad you came.
Joey, congratulations.
I hear Harry Yung's out, and you're in.
Stuart, everything all right?
Joey, did you meet my favorite lady?
Connie, this is Joey Tai.
He owns the place. This is my wife.
It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. White.
Hi.how are you?
Look, I'm sorry I'm late. Something came up.
Why don't you just order some spareribs or something?
I Told you, I got a late shift tonight.
We can talk after dinner.
No. It might disturb my digestion.
You really are something,
you know that, Stanley?
Just come over here. Let's call it a truce.
How about some good champagne, Joey?
Sure. Mrs. White, come this way.
[Speaking Chinese]
You have an eye for beauty, Captain.
Yeah, she's a real rock. She's the best.
By the way, you must've heard we dug up those 2 midgets
that hit Harry's place.
We found them in a soybean basement.
No, I didn't.
My guess is somebody didn't want US to find them.
You don't think it might have been
the friends of the boy who was killed?
Well, if you accept the surface of things, Joey,
which most people do.
Why the bodyguard?
Does it come with the new title or what?
Just a precaution.
There's been too much violence lately.
I agree. The thing is,
what are you and I going to do about it?
Are you enticing those to be conquered
in coming to the conqueror?
You should try our exploding lobster.
My chef does it better than anybody in the world.
I brought him from Hong Kong.
Hey, what do you want, Joey? Spit it out.
Cigarette?
No.
This is not the Bronx or Brooklyn.
It's not even New York.
It's Chinatown, White.
It can be very easy, or it can be very hard.
Well, why don't you make it easy?
I'll help you get some of these renegade youths--
witnesses, evidence, everything you need.
You'll get headlines,
your superiors will relax,
and everybody happy.
Then you can stay in Chinatown,
no transfer, and we can do business.
You understand what I am saying to you, Mr. White?
Yeah. I get the punks.
What do you want in return?
Nothing.
Just work with US.
Chinese people come here to prosper
and not to change things.
You know, this cross-eyed conversation we're having, Joey,
gets me confused.
See, I'm a stupid polack, a peasant.
You got to make things real clear to me.
Sure. How clear do I make it?
Oh, I don't know. I'm thinking.
Would a contract with US
for security work after you retire
be what you need?
We got some late-night clubs
you could keep an eye on.
Could mean 100,000 a year.
And we could put it anywhere in the world.
I don't think 100,000 is going to be enough.
Ok.
How much then?
I'll take the same amount that you're going to make
off your next 50 keys of heroin.
[Laughing]
At last,
the clouds part to show the true sky.
You know, most drug dealers
are morons, Joey, but I got to hand it to you.
You're one silky son of a bitch.
This the way you deal with the Italians?
Is this the way you moved out Harry Yung?
How about your father-in-law,
Jackie Wong?
You know, rumor has it
it was your hand that was on the knife that killed him.
You're a smart guy, go Joey,
but you made one mistake.
I'm not Italian.
I'm a polack.
[Chuckles]
And I can't be bought.
I'm going to burn you down.
I'm going to drag you
and your dirty laundry
out on the street.
And I'm going to humiliate you.
You are very stupid.
And you're not going to last.
I'll last long enough to piss on your grave.
Connie, what's wrong with you?
I was only 20 minutes late.
What's the matter with you?
[Horn honking]
Hey, look. You're right.
I thought it over.
I tried very hard to suppress it,
but I think there's definitely
something between US.
Get in the car. I'll drive you home.
You know, I'm not some gook hooker
on the streets of Saigon.
[Speaking Vietnamese]
Does that work with all the girls?
Comme ci, comme ca.
Hey, listen, why don't you give me a break?
It's not every day I get to meet a famous person.
Listen, I got a legitimate story for you.
Want some wine? White or red?
Both.
Wow, this is some place.
Hey, listen, forget what I said in the restaurant.
I know you got your ethics. I respect that.
[Music playing]
But listen, you know,
you got a great human interest story
in Joey tal.
A kid from the slums of kowloon comes over here,
works his way up,
marries the boss' daughter,
maybe knocks off the boss,
becomes the boss.
I mean, that's the American dream.
Why don't you shine a light on the son of a bitch?
What if he's involved in nothing?
What if he's just a successful businessman,
like my father?
Hey, the Chinese are always involved in something.
They're never involved in nothing.
Remember that.
You're really cracked, you know that?
The first time I saw you, I knew you were cracked.
And a racist, too.
Were you in Vietnam?
Yeah, why?
I knew it.
It ruined you.
The first time I saw you,
I hated your guts.
I think I even hated you before I ever met you.
I hated you on TV.
I hated you in Vietnam.
You want to know what's destroying this country?
It's not booze. It's not drugs.
It's TV. It's media.
It's people like you.
Vampires.
I hate the way that you make your living
sticking microphones in people's faces.
I hate the way you lie every night at 6:00.
I hate the way you kill real feelings.
I hate everything that you stand for.
Most of all, I hate rich kids,
and I hate this place.
So why do I want to fuck you so bad?
Maybe you're right. Maybe I got no ethics.
I can't. Stop it.
What do you mean, you can't?
I just spent all afternoon here
making love with my boyfriend.
I can't.
So why did you invite me here?
What year are you living in?
We're not in the back seat of some car at a drive-in.
You don't have to get your money's worth.
Well, so who is he? What's his name?
What is he, rich?
You want to know if he's Chinese, right?
That's what you want to know, so ask it.
Yeah, that's the question, so why don't you answer it?
He's white, all right.
He went to Princeton.
His name's Roger, and he's a lawyer.
Well, I hate lawyers,
and I wouldn't want to make love
to a woman who just got done screwing a lawyer anyway.
What's he got, money?
Yes.
Roger pumpernickel ill?
And he's not a crackpot racist. He's a gentleman.
Oh, yeah? What does he do?
He plays tennis and golf
and goes out sailing on a yacht.
What's with all these machines here?
What, are you with at&t?
What, do you got everybody in town
jumping in and out of your bed?
You're acting like a child.
Well, a great man is one who in manhood
still keeps the heart of a child.
Why don't you go home?
I can see this was a big mistake.
Yeah, it was a mistake. It was a giant mistake.
I'm going to go home to a woman
who at least acts like a woman.
If this Roger's so great,
how come he didn't marry you? What's the matter?
He didn't want a little
slant-eyed Roger iv at Princeton?
I don't know.
We've never discussed it.
We just meet here to fuck.
I want to arrest the gang members
for loitering, spitting in the gutter, anything.
What about their civil rights?
Fuck their civil rights.
I want the honchos around here to go ape shit.
I want to disrupt the entire commerce of Chinatown.
Do you understand me?
I want chaos.
You know, you people,
you're starting to look like the Chicago cubs.
I'm not kidding.
You look like you already lost.
The world has fucked you over,
so now you don't give a shit.
I know. I've been there.
I've been in the job 15 years.
I know all the stories.
My heart has been broken a hundred times.
I've got scar tissue on my soul.
But let me tell you something.
I give a shit,
and I'm going to make you people give a shit.
I don't care what you think of me.
You guys are going to go through the numbers on this one.
Now, that's it. Get out of here.
Whoa! One last thing.
The next cop that I hear about
who's taking money in this precinct
I'm going to personally bust their mouth.
Are there any questions?
What if it's a woman?
She better bend over.
Whoo!
[Laughter]
[Speaking Chinese]
[Jackhammer rattling]
[Shouting]
Mr. Wong, Mr. Wong, do you think Joey tal
is responsible for the death of your father?
I want my lawyer!
And even double-parked cars?
[Car horns honking]
Come on, get in there!
Captain Stanley White,
commander of the fifth precinct
and the most decorated cop in New York City,
has declared war on Chinatown.
Today there were 43 gang arrests,
3 gambling parlors raided,
6 sweatshops busted,
and now in an opening blow at the man who's been called
the godfather of Chinatown, Joey Tai,
Captain White has padlocked his restaurants
on a health violation.
Needless to say, a crackdown is in the works.
And although district attorney Jane katzman denies it,
a major drug-conspiracy case is rumored to be pending
against various respected older members
of the Chinatown ruling elite.
Mr. Tai, can you tell US
if there is such a thing as the Chinese mafia?
Sounds very exciting, like a comic book.
The existence of triads
is documented by the drug enforcement agency.
Documentation without proof.
This farce is further evidence
of the consistent discrimination
against Chinese in this country.
Mr. Tai, are you saying there is no criminal element
in all of Chinatown?
Of course not,
but why do you media people
insist on emphasizing
this sinister Charlie chan image?
Why don't you talk about
the chair in Chinese history
our association has endowed at Yale university
or our $12-million fund for our 10,000 members,
our free meals for the aged and the unemployed,
free burials, things like that?
Positive things.
Mr. Tai, what is your comment on Jackie Wong?
Mr. Tai, do you have any comment on Jackie Wong?
I'm very happy you could make it, Teddy.
I'm really happy you're ok.
My doctor would kill me if he knew I was here.
They just took my voice box out.
They keep taking things out.
I have nothing left, Fred, but my brain.
My brain says
I'd rather do business
with a smart thief
than an honest man who is stupid.
A stupid man is dangerous,
like a defective time bomb.
You never know when it's going off on you.
But a thief, you can control what he steals.
I think, Teddy, you're going to find Joey
Avery smart young man.
Not cautious as Jackie or Harry,
but aggressive.
He wants power.
All young men want power.
That's what it means to be young, Fred.
I want to see his face, his eyes.
I want to know if he's reckless.
One look in his eyes, I will know.
Bring him in, but leave the nigger outside.
[Camera clicks]
Joey: My esteemed friends are...
How's it sound?
A little background noise, but it's not too bad.
The point, Mr. Tedesco, is that we are happy
to let you continue the distribution
of our software,
but with a 50% reduction in volume
and at a reduced fee.
Something like 17 or 18%.
The rest stays with US till we weigh other offers.
Jackie Wong made these arrangements with me.
We were pioneers
when you were sucking your mother's tit,
and I don't see why anything should change now.
Because Jackie Wong is dead,
and Harry Yung has stepped down,
and I am the chun ko now.
Hey, Joey--
and I say we can't afford to sell
to old men the old way.
You know, Fred, in all my years,
nobody, and I Mean nobody,
has ever talked to me like that--nobody.
No insult was intended, Mr. Tedesco,
but you people don't control canal street anymore.
We do.
I think when you think through my offer to you,
you'll see that it's not unprofitable to both sides.
Who are you going to sell to?
The niggers, the spics?
You people don't have that kind of weight here.
They will Bury you so fast, like you never was here,
and if they don't, I will.
[Speaking Chinese]
You're flying too high, kid,
and the air is very thin up there.
[Camera clicks]
[Speaking Chinese]
You got anything?
Seems to be mostly financial talk, Captain.
There's mention of some problem
in Thailand.
A man in Bangkok is saying something about...
Oh, I'm not quite sure about what.
But he's very angry about a group from Toronto
that calls itself the Nam Soong.
Sister, you got to be more precise.
That's going to be very difficult, Captain.
It's been many years
since we've heard the hakka dialect spoken.
They're talking around things,
not about them.
Damn it, sister, that's the point.
They're not going to spell it out for you.
This is drug talk.
You got to use your imagination.
Listen...
You look like you don't eat enough
to keep a bird alive.
Why don't you have some real food?
Captain White, I've managed to live 75 years
without your help
eating precisely what I'm eating now.
My body fat is 12%.
My blood pressure is 120 over 80,
and my lymphocyte count is 22%.
And if you want to compare
white blood cells and red blood cells,
I might even outlast you, Captain,
red-meat eater that you obviously are.
[Speaking Chinese]
Copy that.
The perpetrator is saying
he's flying into Bangkok next week.
He's flying under another name.
Ok, he's making his move. I want you to get the DEA on his tail.
Call the Bangkok police, whatever you got to do
to eyeball this scumbag while he's over there.
I'm sorry, sister.
I just wish the fuck I could go there myself.
Come on. Back on the street.
That'll be the day--
the NYPD Springs for a ticket to Hong Kong, huh?
You guys are doing a great job.
Keep it up.
Rizzo, come on.
I want you to hit Chinatown like genghis Khan.
I want restaurant health violations
and immigration busts...
[Shouting]
You were only meant to shake up the gang kids,
not turn the whole goddamned city upside-down.
Let me make this real clear to you, White,
here and now.
Joey Tai goes
to the Manhattan borough president,
who he contributes $100,000 a year to, right?
The borough president goes to the mayor,
the mayor goes to me,
and the word is lay off.
That is the way the game is played, ok?
No more wiretaps on Joey Tai,
and you don't go to the drug enforcement agency.
Going to outside agencies isn't your job.
It is Lou's job.
What about the dead tourists, commissioner, huh?
I guess they don't add up to a can of sardines, do they?
You know, you change your tune pretty fast
just because that slime bag is having tea with the mayor.
You can't link Joey Tai to that, and you know it.
The point here is you cease and desist.
Yeah? And what if I don't, huh?
What are you going to do? You going to suspend me?
What's that going to look like
in the papers, commissioner? You tell me.
First, you suspend the most decorated cop in the city.
Second, you call off an investigation
into the Chinese mafia.
What investigation? What Chinese mafia?
The investigation's in your mind.
What's it going to look like? You tell me, commissioner.
Your department's going to look like shit, that's what.
Are you trying to blackmail me, White?
You call it what you want.
I've been swallowing the bullshit
around here for 10 years, and I'm choking on it.
You ever think about your pension, White?
Fuck the pension. That's what's wrong with this whole goddamned
police department, everybody's so worried about their pension.
Stanley...
Never in the history of the department
have I ever heard anything like this.
This is a fucking disgrace.
No, Lou, this is a fucking war,
and I'm not going to lose it--not this one.
Not over politics. It's always fucking politics.
This is Vietnam all over again.
Nobody wants to win this thing, do you?
Just flat out win, do they, Lou?
You go to the press again, White,
you know what you're doing?
You're putting a gun to my head, Stanley.
That's where we are.
We're 4 guys in a room with guns to our heads.
Kenny, will you step outside for a minute?
[Door closes]
I can't listen to this crap no more, Stanley.
I can't watch a good man
piss his career down the drain like this.
You never had any respect for anything, did you?
First, you throw away your loving wife--
shut up! You don't know what you're talking about.
And now you're turning on US,
because you got delusions of grandeur or something,
sucking up to this chink reporter to get your face
all over the tube. What is it with you? You gone chink on US?
- She do it sideways or something? - Take it back, Lou.
Don't tell me to take it back. You got no shame.
Connie was the best thing you ever had in your life--
that wasn't between cops.
That was between 2 guys from the old neighborhood.
Lou, I'm sorry.
Look...
I don't know why we're fighting.
I love you. I love Connie.
When things aren't working at home,
you start overreacting to things on the street.
We all had flings when we were young.
I'm not a prude.
Why don't you at least sit down with Connie
and try to straighten this out, huh?
Even if you walk away, you walk away friends.
Because no one's going to care
when you're lying in your grave but Connie and me.
Well...
What are you going to do, Stanley?
I don't know.
All I know is that when I give up...
The system gives up.
[Knock on door]
Tracy!
[Knock on door]
Tracy, open the door!
[Knock on door]
Tracy!
[Knock on door]
Tracy!
I'm coming!
Tracy!
Come on, open the door!
[Knock on door]
Hey!
[Buzzes]
Oh.
Who do you think you are?
And what are you doing with that?
These are my Chinese books.
I'm moving in.
You what?
Did I misinterpret what you were saying
to me the other night when I was lying on top of you?
Fuck you.
What's the matter with you Chinese?
Why don't you ever come out and say what you're really thinking?
- I'm going to call Roger. - Well, go ahead and call him.
I got something I want to say to him, too.
Go away, will you, Stanley?
You're cracked. You're really crazy.
Do you ever listen to yourself?
My--ow!
Tell me the truth. There is no Roger, is there?
You know how I know?
It's because when you talk about him,
your eyes, they're not real.
There is a Roger.
Well, tell me what you see in this guy?
Come on, tell me. I want to know.
I want you to look me in the eyes,
and I want you to say it.
What do I have to do to get you out of here?
Holy god.
Nothing. It's hopeless.
Surrender.
Hmm.
Why am I laughing?
I'm becoming a crazy like you.
Oh.
I'm tired.
I think I need to sleep.
Maybe everybody's right.
I'm chasing something that doesn't exist.
I ought to stop.
Jesus, I'm tired.
It's the same thing as in nam.
We lost because you were smarter than US.
And you couldn't even have a decent parade.
A fucking Chinese parade--
they come at you in 15 different directions.
It's a fucking joke.
Stanley...
You can't stay here.
Don't you have a friend I could call?
Somebody you could stay with tonight?
You're the only friend I have left.
I just want to be with somebody tonight.
I just...
I don't know anybody else.
Isn't that a real laugh? Ha ha!
I don't know anybody.
I feel like such an asshole.
Tracy, I, uh...
I love you.
Did you hear what I said?
There is no Chinese word for love.
I'm serious.
I know you are.
[Some ringing]
It was bad enough doing business
with the old general, that double-dealing slime,
but ban sung's even worse.
But you lose all face by going up
there to deal with him directly. Ban Sung's got an ego like
- ...a fucking octopus. - I know,
but I don't trust his agent here.
White powder ma knows
ban sung's got a bumper crop--
150 to 200 tons.
Ma offered him 6,000 a key,
plus his shipment of kalashnikov assault rifles.
Hey.
[Speaking Chinese] Ah, brother ma!
A happy surprise.
A pleasure to meet you at last, Joey.
I must pass on my personal regrets...
...on the death of your esteemed father-in-law Jackie Wong.
We are all poorer without his wise guidance.
Even we, in the Nam Soong...
...think that whoever is responsible for assassinating him...
...is no better than a crow that flies up the ass of a dead animal...
...to reach the gut without work.
A miserable crow.
We also have reason to believe this little crow...
...is behind some recent problems in Toronto and New York.
But we ain't gonna worry about a crow.
Now that you've enlightened me, older brother...
...perhaps I can share some information of my own...
...so that together we can tear the wings off this crow.
I'm leaving in the morning.
It would give me great pleasure...
...to have you as my guest at dinner tonight.
You can count on me.
[Bell tolling]
[Woman speaking Polish]
[White answers in Polish]
Will you open the door?
Open the door! What do I got to do, break it down?
We got to clear the air between US.
We got to talk it out.
So talk.
I don't know what got into me
with this Chinese girl.
I care more about you
than anybody in the world.
I mean, if you don't know that, Connie, then...
So, what do you want me to say?
Do you want me to forgive you, Stanley?
Is that what you want?
The truth is, I don't know what I want.
You want to marry her?
You want to have babies with her?
Look, I didn't plan for things to happen this way.
It just happened.
How do you think that makes me feel?
It makes me feel pretty low, Stanley.
I feel pretty low myself,
it's about time.
You used me up, Stanley,
and then you burned me down.
And I was a rock.
I carried the cross with you
in Brooklyn and in queens.
I lived in a fucking war zone with you.
And now you're going to go off
and have babies with a woman
10 years younger than me.
I don't have any pity for you, Stanley.
I hope you feel bad.
Look, why don't we just let things ride for a while,
just let some time pass.
I don't have any time.
I just need some time to think.
I'm out of time.
I'm 35, sliding into 40.
So, what do you want me to do?
You want me to just walk away, just like that?
Is that what you want?
It's over, Stanley.
Don't you get it?
We're not playing from the same sheet music anymore.
Now will you get out of here
before I Start to cry?
And I don't want to do that.
Not in front of you.
I got my pride.
[Sobbing]
[Connie sobbing]
You ok?
I--I'm washing my face.
Look, honey...
I'd feel a whole lot better if you'd just keep the house
and the bank accounts.
I mean, whatever is mine is yours.
I don't want the house anyway.
Stanley?
Aah! Aah!
Stanley, what the hell's going on?
They got Connie!
Stanley!
What are you, crazy? Stanley!
Stanley, get out of there!
Stanley!
Get out of there!
What, are you crazy?
He's evidence.
He's--he's dead.
Long time no see, Joey tal.
It's an honor and a pleasure
to see you again, general.
Time looks like it's been good to you.
And to you, too, honorable cousin.
The last time, as I remember,
both of US were taking orders.
Now we give them.
How is the health of our old friend,
the great Sao mong khawn,
who paved the golden road of our success together?
Truly, he is one of the great ones.
He'll be happy to see you.
I think so.
Come.
I think we'll surprise him.
Perhaps the general doesn't recognize you.
The general likes heroin in his soup.
It keeps him happy.
Thank all gods,
he feels no pain.
Come, go Joey.
A kalashnikov, best rifle ever made.
The Russians used to give them to US
to fight the Burmese.
But now it's harder to get.
They wants dollars.
Everybody wants dollars.
One bullet, by the time it gets to me,
costs me one American dollar.
Dollars are like small fish--
difficult to catch, but not to be thrown back,
except as bait for something bigger.
I'll make it 4,500 a kilo.
You give me 6,500, and I'll refine it
to number 4 right here myself.
No, no.
You'll have 200 keys in Bangkok in 2 weeks.
You know we can't control the quality
unless we refine it to states for ourselves.
We've always bought stage 3 from you.
You don't think my drug import is good?
I have the best chemists in the world.
Maybe.
Better than your people in Hong Kong.
Lin shin Sao!
But then we would be forced
to unemploy our chemists.
Go Joey, I offer you the chance
of putting your old friend
out of his misery.
He was going to betray US to the Americans.
Hold him!
[Speaking Chinese] Save me! Save me!
No, don't!
Don't shoot me!
You don't have the bullets to spare.
Each bullet can kill one Burmese soldier.
Then you don't have to use a gun.
[Speaking Chinese] Don't do this to me!
I'll buy him from you.
$5,000.
Buy?
U.S. dollars, cash. Now.
Why?
Why not?
If you think this shit-faced old worm
is worth $5,000, you can have him.
Good.
[Laughs]
The food's been great,
and your hospitality has left an impression, general.
But time is pressing.
I must be in Hong Kong before the banks close on Friday:.
My final offer.
I'll make it 4,900 a key
for your number 3 dragon Pearl.
I'll take 200 kilos
deliverable in Bangkok early next week,
another 800 kilos for the next 3 months.
Beyond that, I'm not prepared to go.
White powder ma's offer makes yours insignificant.
Piss on him!
Nam soong triad is like dog shit
littering the streets.
They'll be extinct in 2 years.
I think perhaps
I put my money on white powder ma.
I think so.
I think white powder ma will be pleased to hear this.
Tell him yourself, general.
My gift to ban sung,
in honor of our association.
Let no motherless fuck
ever raise his head again between US.
[Man speaking Polish]
Come on, let me get a shot. Come on!
Come on, let me get a shot!
Come on!
Press-- come on, let US in.
Come on, let US in.
I'm sorry, Stanley.
She looks beautiful, Stanley.
[Reporter yells]
Let US in. Press-- come on, let US in.
Let me go!
Let me in!
Let me go!
My deepest condolences to you, Mr. White.
If it makes you feel any better,
she said it wasn't that Chinese girl.
Connie was a bigger person than that.
She knew, Stanley. She knew what was going to happen.
You should've listened to her once in a while.
You were talking to Connie behind my back, Lou?
Yeah, I was talking to Connie behind your back.
I know Connie even longer than you.
Why shouldn't I talk to her if I want to?
You know, you and I don't agree on anything anymore.
That's your problem, Stanley.
You're fighting the whole world all the time.
I'm sick and tired of Vietnam
as an excuse for everything you guys do.
You act like everybody in world war ll and Korea
came home to a picnic.
Well, it wasn't.
We lost 50,000 men in Korea, too.
We came back, and nobody gave a shit, either,
but we fitted in. Why can't you fit in?
What is it that's so different?
I don't know what you're talking about anymore.
You know what I'm talking about.
I know you're not one of them belly-aching,
professional Vietnam veterans
who's making a career
out of pissing and groaning about the war.
You made something out of yourself.
But you're still acting
like you're on a fucking crusade, Stanley.
You think you got the right
to trample over anything and everything.
We got an arrangement, a treaty with these Chinese.
And however tarnished it is, it works.
Life is arrangement, Stanley.
Life is getting along.
That's why this neighborhood is what it is.
That's why 8 million people
every day in this city can function.
Lou, I don't want to argue with you anymore, all right?
Honest. I don't.
Take it easy.
You need anything, you call me, you hear?
If you want a bed, there's always a bed at my place.
You know, your arrangement
is what killed Connie, Lou.
Mr. Tai.
- Mr. Tai. - Mr. Tai.
Mr. Tai, people in Chinatown
are saying Ronnie Chang was your protege,
and his involvement in the murder
of Captain White's wife implicates you.
Do you have any comment?
Well, that was a terrible tragedy,
but I hardly knew Ronnie Chang.
Ronnie Chang represents
much of what is bad in Chinatown.
We are trying hard to get rid of his element.
Mr. Tai, my sources say
you've just returned from Bangkok.
Was there a business purpose for this trip?
I have interests there.
I import foods from the far east.
I also have a company
that distribute films in Thailand.
Why do you ask?
And would this business take you into the jungle
500 miles north of Bangkok
to meet with a reputed drug lord
by the name of ban sung?
You know, there are ethical boundaries, miss Tzu,
even for the press.
Then does the name white powder ma ring a bell?
All right, cut it.
I know your sources, miss Tzu,
and I'm going to raise the issue
with your legal department.
Hey, look, I don't give a shit.
I got the new lady district attorney
behind me on this thing now.
You think the NYPD is going to lift a finger for me?
No.
No, I'm not going to tell you where I am.
Hey, look, I'm going to make this case
with the DEA, customs,
and immigration, if I have to.
The goddamn internal affairs is sniffing around again.
I'll bet you it's that fuck kearney.
Get me scappy peck on the line over at customs.
He owes me a few favors.
What did that son of a bitch say
when you hit him with white powder ma?
What is all this?
What's happened?
I couldn't work in my office anymore.
The walls have ears.
I let you use this place, but this is ridiculous,
get off the phone!
And get these people out of here!
Right now!
Scappy peck's on the line.
No!
No more calls!
Look at this place!
I give you an inch,
and you take a mile!
I want these people out of here right now.
I mean it.
Look, I don't have time
to write you thank you notes.
I'm going for Joey Tai's throat,
and nobody's going to stop me,
so just don't break my balls, all right?
Just hang in there a little while,
and you'll be famous.
That's what you want, isn't it?
You ungrateful, overbearing, self-centered
son of a bitch!
Don't tell me what I want.
That's it. Let me hear it. Ignorant polack.
Everybody, get out!
Sit down.
Ha ha ha!
What's so funny?
You drive everybody crazy, Captain, not just me.
But she's an aristocrat. You can't push her around too easy.
That's an aristocrat?
She's from the north--mandarin. They're like that.
Call Wainwright back. This is all bullshit.
We're not getting anywhere.
Look, that dope is somewhere between here and Thailand.
It's on the move.
We got to get a tap
into Joey Tai's office in the restaurant.
You must be kidding me.
A white face would never get in there.
Impossible, Captain.
Aw, come on, Herbert.
You could get in there as a bus boy or something.
After that, plenty of time off for sleep.
Promotion.
No way, Captain.
Tough kid from kwantung.
A kid whose ancestors used to hang in baskets
in the sierras,
poking dynamite sticks in cliff faces.
All I'm asking you to do is to be a fly on the wall.
Your ancestors are probably rolling in their graves.
Goddamn bullshit, Captain. You're pushing too much.
I'm no slave.
I gave up a security job.
I gave up my chauffeur job.
I send less money home. I'm tired all the time.
I don't eat right. I'm getting sick.
I die, I'm fucked. My family's fucked.
- For what? - Hey, what do you mean, for what?
You don't care nothing for people.
You'll make US all die for you.
And let me tell you something, Captain.
When your ancestors were living in caves
and scrabbling for coal in Poland,
the Chinese were sailing their ships
across the pacific.
Hey, what do you know about my ancestors?
What do you know about mine?
We were traders, shipbuilders, explorers.
We taught you agriculture.
We gave you the orange, the grape,
your irrigation system.
We dug your gold and silver, Stanley.
We taught you how to fish the pacific.
And still we were barred
from American citizenship until 1943.
We worked so hard to build your railroads.
And when our opium didn't come on time,
we were so desperate,
we helped each other kill ourselves.
But I'm not going to kill myself
for you, Captain White.
No more chinaman Joe.
Those days are over.
He'll be back. He loves me.
Look, Stan,
the kid's pushing it to the limit.
I don't know.
Maybe you should take him off the case.
I mean, there's never been an undercover
that lasted more than a month in Chinatown.
Hey, let me tell you something. That kid is tough as nails.
And I'm going to make it up to him.
[Speaking Chinese]
Pick it up!
[Speaking Chinese] Tracy Tzu is becoming dangerous.
Publicity can only embarrass US all.
What's next?
Our faces in the white newspapers?
How this reporter...
...found out about your trip to Thailand...
...is a serious question.
It worries me that the Nam Soong are very upset about the white powder ma.
We are very upset. Very unhappy.
And also our old friends the Italians are very angry.
Look at me!
It was a very serious mistake to make an attack on this policeman...
...and not succeed!
Are you thinking with your ass or your brain?
Our younger cousin has overemphasized the Thailand end of the business...
...at the risk of endangering all our other enterprises.
With great risk comes great reward!
What I'm hearing in this room is the cackling of crows.
Our friends in Toronto are adventurers who can be dealt with.
The Italians are a separate issue.
They'll give in once we move with our new friends.
The stink in the press is coming from Captain White.
And like a fly's bite on an elephant's ass...
...he too can be dealt with.
The new shipment arrived in Bangkok Tuesday...
...and it was in Amsterdam by Saturday.
I spoke to our chemist in Hong Kong.
- He guarantees US one load every two weeks. - [Belch]
The finest quality yet.
It took Jackie Wong 2 years to make the money I'll make in 3 months.
What nonsense!
When is it due in New York?
Less than a week.
We'll have the balance of our payment...
...in our banks by next Monday.
How much faster can you go than that?
It's too dangerous to take delivery now.
We must wait at least a month!
I don't agree! To send it back only compounds the risk!
I have complete confidence in our couriers.
Trust me, honorable uncles.
I assume we're working with rising sun lines.
No, it's a new courier.
One of my own choosing.
For your own protection it's best I don't mention the name.
[Knock on door]
Excuse me.
Aw, shit! The goddamn name of the ship!
White has a wire in your office.
Who?
I don't know, but I'm going to find out.
Hey, Perez,
I don't want anything to go wrong
with this shipment.
It's important to me.
Don't worry.
I want you at the pier.
All right. Where?
The kazimierz pulaski. Polish.
It docks Tuesday. Pier 11.
I'll be there.
Thanks.
[Speaking Chinese] Everybody...
...back to work.
[Woman screams]
Stanley!
Hey, dick!
Hey!
You're ok. You're going to be all right.
I'm proud as hell of you.
11.
What?
The dock.
Get to beekman, for Christ's sakes!
What was the name of the ship?
Dear god.
Herbert, what was the name of the ship?
Kasimir... Pul-pulki...
He's at the bar.
You and me are going to have a little talk
about Herbert kwong.
Get off! Fuck you!
I should fucking kill you, you little bastard!
Fucking...
Fuck!
Press charges!
I'm begging you!
Come on, Joey, call a cop!
Come on, let's go to court!
Come on, I'm begging you!
Go on upstairs!
Fuck!
[Speaking Chinese]
Aw, shit.
♪♪ Girl, you've got the need ♪♪
♪♪ To move on down the line ♪♪
Woman: Get out! Get out! Get the fuck out!
♪♪ Want to share your lovin' ♪♪
♪♪ Want to share your heart ♪♪
[Alarm]
Get in, get in, get in! Get your fucking ass--
[Shouting, whistling]
[Car horns honk]
Fucker!
Bastard!
Aah!
[Horns honk]
You look like you're going to die, beautiful.
Oh, yeah? Don't count on it.
Well, you're not going to make it.
Was it worth it?
You got anything you want to tell me
before you go, sweetheart?
Yeah. Fuck you.
Check that side for traffic.
What happened, Captain?
Captain, what the hell happened?
[Speaking Chinese] You run too fast...
...you fall down.
We look back with fond memories to the peaceful days of Jackie Wong...
...when the earth was earth, heaven was heaven...
...and man had his two feet on the ground.
I think in the interest of all Chinatown, of the white press...
...of our relationships with city hall and the Italians...
...we must consider a return to an older and more stable leadership.
I think Harry's proposal has merit.
I couldn't agree with you more.
But perhaps you will also consider that Joey's youth...
...has caused Harry...
...to color the situation with personal animosities.
I will be more than happy to be proven wrong, cousins.
But I think we've all been put in great jeopardy by Joey's youth.
We've always survived...
...by not turning on each other in the face of the white demon.
You've questioned my honor.
If for no other reason, I will personally guarantee everyone's share.
I will be there myself at pier 11.
Look, I'm talking about one ship out of Rotterdam,
the kazimierz pulaski.
What the hell's the problem?
You know how big that ship is, Stanley?
We can't go roaming around, ripping up floor plates,
cutting boilers open,
poking through 10,000 edam cheeses,
or drilling in a shipment
of Danish furniture on your say-so, Stanley.
There's a lot of money involved.
We got passengers. We got waiting time.
Besides, it's the flagship of a foreign government.
Hey, look, all I'm asking you to do
is go through one ship.
I got a deathbed confession.
A cop died for this.
You're pissing against the wind, ace.
Get a live informant.
You ok?
Yeah.
You shouldn't have come here.
Why not? What, are you embarrassed
your friends are going to see me?
Tonight's the night, honey.
Get your crew to pier 11 in red hook.
We're going to watch the rice boil over in Chinatown.
I have to talk to you.
Well, what? What is it? What is it?
You going to weasel out on me? What?
Spit it out.
I can't go there.
I've been told not to do any more stories on this.
What do you mean, you've been told? By who?
- By the network, Stanley. - What are you feeding me
this crap for? There's a war going on down in Chinatown.
- You're not going to cover it? - Look, I don't think
this is the time or the place.
Then why don't you tell me the time and a place,
and we'll go to that place and we'll discuss it?
Would you just quit?
There's times you have to know when to quit.
Oh, yeah?
Did Herbert quit?
What's wrong with you?
He's dead. Connie's dead.
I'm putting my whole goddamned life on the line,
and you're sitting here
acting like some phony white-bread cunt.
You're not even white. You're Chinese.
Those are your people down there.
I mean, are you a reporter? Are you a whore? What?
You're a son of a bitch, Stanley.
Yeah, well, the day you put your ass on the line,
that's the day you'll be a real reporter.
My ass on the line!
God damn you, Stanley!
I was almost killed for you!
I was raped! And I'm not going to die for you!
I'm not going to be pushed like Connie and Herbert!
They're dead because you pushed them!
What do you mean you were raped?
You're like poison, Stanley!
Who--who did this to you? Who?
Rape is rape.
Who?
- Who raped you? - 3 boys.
- Who? - 3 boys.
Who raped you?!
3 Chinese boys, Stanley!
He went too far this time, that fucking Joey.
It didn't happen to you!
It happened to me!
You don't give a shit about me, do you?
I'm going to kill him.
Leave, Stanley. Go away and leave me alone.
You should take a look at yourself, Stanley.
You're selfish.
You're callous.
You're indifferent to suffering.
Your wife was right.
And you still don't get the message.
How many more people are you going to kill
before you do?
Tracy, I, uh...
No, Stanley. Just go away and leave me alone.
Don't say anything! Just go away!
Hello, Stanley.
You weren't in your office.
Hello, Lou.
Francis, I'm disappointed.
You didn't show for Connie's funeral.
You were warned about Joey tn.
Clean your desk.
You're going back to Brooklyn.
You have been properly served.
Sorry, stash.
You were told to lay off.
If you think that I'm going to stand for that,
you got another thing coming.
You don't like it? Resign!
You're through, anyway. It's all over for you, White.
That's enough.
Your balls will be cut off
Friday!
You're not cops. You're liars, both of you.
If you don't bend, you break, Stanley.
Then I'll break.
You care too much, Stanley.
How can anybody care too much?
Huh?
[Beeping]
[Barking]
Go on! Go on!
What?
Jesus!
Come on! Get out on my side! Get the--
what is this?
What do you want?
You tell me where the heroin is on the ship,
or you walk out of here with a head stuffed--
hey, Stan white! You cocksucker!
Aah!
[Engine starts]
[Whistle blowing]
Joey!
Come on!
Waah!
Come on!
[Both firing]
Aah!
[Sirens]
Give me your gun.
For pity's sake, please.
Tell me where it is.
Mercedes.
Please.
[Gunshot]
[Funeral music playing]
There are those who liken Chinatown to a skating pond--
on the surface, we see a lovely,
picture-postcard landscape of snowflakes and skaters.
But underneath, the cannibal fish--the gangs,
the sharks--those who control the gangs,
and the whales-- the big bosses,
all move in deadly swarms.
These bosses, some people are beginning to say,
are tied into an international crime network
with its headquarters in Hong Kong.
Everyone denies it, but in the wake
of the shootings of Joey Tai and Ronnie Chang,
questions are mushrooming left and right.
Charges of illegal wiretapping
have been leveled by h.J. Yung,
head of the hung-San association,
resulting in the removal of Captain Stanley White.
One wonders if this is not a smokescreen
to distract from the main issue--
which is what part the hung-San plays
in this Chinese opera.
Tracy Tzu, Chinatown.
Ok. That's it.
Stanley!
John, follow him!
Where's he going?
He's a great cop, but he won't stop.
He won't stop.
White! God damn it, White,
what the hell is going on?
I'm arresting these people!
You want to do something
they're going to remember in Chinatown, Lou?
Book them! Be a cop again.
[Crowd yelling]
Stanley!
Move back! Move back!
Move back! Come on, move back! Back it up!
Stanley!
Oh, thank god.
You know, you were right.
I was wrong. Sorry.
I'd like to be a nice guy.
I would. I just don't know how to be nice.
You're really cracked, you know that?
[Singing in Chinese]