ALBRIGHT ANNOUNCER BOBBY BRENNAN CROWD CUBBY DAD DIANE EDDIE FEMALE_CHILD FEMALE_FAN GEORGE GET HUSBAND JOYCE KING LACKER MALE_FAN MALE_FAN_2 MARY MAX PARAMEDIC PEG REFEREE RING_DOCTOR ROSE SAILOR SHUT WOMAN ROSE “Young Percival, no more than fifteen, from the safety of the thicket, watched the Knights pass by.” ROSE “He perceived they served a higher calling…” ROSE “…a calling he felt stirring within him.” ROSE “Percival asked his mother permission to journey to King Arthur’s Court and seek Knighthood.” ROSE “His mother had long-feared this moment would come, Sailor.” ROSE “Nonetheless, she gave her son blessing to pursue his quest.” ROSE “But, she warned him, he would be tested beyond imagination. Be deprived, know pain and sadness. Perhaps, never become a Knight.” ROSE “Percival travelled to King Arthur’s Court.” ROSE “There, he met rebuke and ridicule. For he was not of noble birth, nor did he possess skill of arms.” ROSE “In secret, he studied the ways of the Knights.” ROSE “His plight caught the eye of Sir Lancelot, who began to mentor him.” ROSE “During Percival’s ordeal, the Red Knight – an incarnate of darkness – sought to destroy the Grail.” ROSE “He lay waste to King Arthur’s Knights, one by one…” ROSE “Finally, it fell upon slender Percival to face the Red Knight.” ROSE “And Sailor, Percival had no fear.” BRENNAN Get up, Sailor!!! ROSE “His years of hardship had taught him how to suffer; he was ready in body, mind and spirit.” ROSE “He would prove in life or death, his worthiness in battle.” ROSE “Percival went forth with joy in his heart.” ROSE “For this was what he wanted – to be an instrument of peace.” ROSE “To be able to sacrifice all in service of God and man.” ALBRIGHT Lead with your right, kid! CUBBY Get away from him! REFEREE Let him go! Let him go! MALE FAN Kill him, Sailor! REFEREE Come on, let him go, let go guys, come on. Let’s go, let’s go. MALE FAN Let’s see some blood! MALE FAN You got to throw back here, let’s go! CUBBY Break it up, boy! Break it up! ALBRIGHT Stop the haymakers! Stop the haymakers! Double up! ROSE Another fight then, is it? ROSE Once more into the fray. SAILOR Once more into the fray. ROSE You’re a silly man. SAILOR It’s okay, mom. ROSE No, it’s not okay! SAILOR I’m not going to get hurt. ROSE Yes, you will. You’re too old. SAILOR I’m in good shape. ROSE No, you’re still old. SAILOR I got one or two fights left in me, all right, ma? ROSE No, you are used up and broken. SAILOR I’ve never been knocked down. ROSE See, that’s why you’re broken. ROSE A man should know when to go down. You don’t. ROSE You never did. ROSE I never should have said it to you. SAILOR Said what? ROSE That I want to go to Ireland… ROSE …before it comes. SAILOR You didn’t, I did. ROSE You are such a liar. SAILOR Anyways… ROSE Oh-- I see you’re aiming high. SAILOR Father Brennan wants to talk to you. ROSE About what? And don’t say God. SAILOR About what’s coming. ROSE I’m not afraid. SAILOR You should pass in a state of grace, ma. ROSE You still believe, don’t you? SAILOR Yeah, I do. ROSE How can you? After what he did to you? ROSE Only a monster takes the innocent. ROSE If there is a God, it’s a monster. ROSE A doer of evil and wicked things. ROSE I will not seek grace from a monster. ROSE Nor will a monster give it. SAILOR Will you talk to Father Brennan? ROSE Maybe. ROSE If he takes off his robes and shoves a crucifix up his arse. ROSE Maybe. SAILOR Nice, ma. SAILOR I’ll ask him, see what he says. ROSE Good. ROSE Have you gone to see Albright? Will he be there with you? SAILOR He can’t be there. ROSE Why not? SAILOR He’s busy at Safe Hope. ROSE Ah, I see… SAILOR He’s a good man. ROSE If he was a good man, he would talk you out of this fight. SAILOR No one’s gonna talk me out of the fight, ma. KING Come on man, come on. REFEREE Back to your corners, guys, let’s go! KING You’re done. SAILOR Yeah-- CUBBY Hey King… Come on, sit down. CROWD You’re getting schooled Sailor! CROWD Sailor! Sailor! Sailor! ALBRIGHT All right, come on, sit down. You ain’t got all day. Come on-- CROWD Sailor! Sailor! Sailor! ALBRIGHT You want to make it ten rounds? ALBRIGHT You got to listen to me, will ya? Every time you hit the ropes, you’re dropping your right hand. …like that? Keep your head on his right shoulder. Can’t you do that for me? SAILOR Yeah. CUBBY It’s time for you to put this old man down now. Do it now, hear? KING Yes, sir. CUBBY No more fooling around. That’s enough of this nonsense! You’re young, man, fast! Put him down, so we can go home, all right? RING DOCTOR Let’s take a look, Sailor. How’s that eye? SAILOR Good, Doc. It’s good-- RING DOCTOR Are you sure? SAILOR Yeah. RING DOCTOR All right. Albright, that opens up anymore, I’m gonna stop the fight. ALBRIGHT I’ll do my best, Doc. RING DOCTOR Do the best you can. CUBBY Hey, King’s fine. You check that old man over there. He ain’t so fine. REFEREE Back off, Cubby. REFEREE Any better than Sailor? KING I’m fine. REFEREE Didn’t think you could take a punch. KING I can take a punch. REFEREE You’re proving it, kid. CUBBY You’re gonna get up close so you can do some damage, okay? CUBBY Concentrate. KING I want to have it. PEG You don’t know what that means. KING Yes, I do. PEG No, you don’t. KING It means work. KING It means money. KING I can make money. PEG How? KING I can box. KING And I have some modeling jobs, too. PEG We’re too young. KING To young for what-- PEG To have a baby. KING I want to spend the rest of my life with you. PEG No, you don’t. KING Yes, I do. PEG No, you don’t. KING I want to marry you. KING I want to marry you right now. This morning. KING And I’ll take care of you and our baby. KING I promise you that. KING We have a family. KING I’ve never had that before. PEG Me neither. KING Let’s have our baby. PEG Okay. KING Okay. PEG Okay. PEG But King… PEG I want to give this baby something besides life. KING What? PEG I want to give it something it can be proud of. CUBBY You keep him at a distance with that jab. You dance around, huh? CUBBY That man throws some wild hooks, you know? CUBBY Duck! ALBRIGHT Stop! You cannot win a fight laying on a guy, okay? ALBRIGHT So, let’s win it. You cannot outmuscle this kid. You cannot outfight him. ALBRIGHT And you can’t outrun him. But you outweigh him and you can outthink him. Let’s outthink him. You want to win it? SAILOR Yeah-- ALBRIGHT Okay-- You're the heavier one, lay on him. SAILOR Yeah-- ALBRIGHT Keep your head on the right side of him. ALBRIGHT Let the kid get cocky. Listen to me! ALBRIGHT Hey! Hey! What are you doing?! ALBRIGHT What the hell’s the matter? You want to win the goddamn fight… ALBRIGHT:…listen to me! You keep that head on the right shoulder. Once you feel that… ALBRIGHT …rhythm, you set up to drop… ALBRIGHT …step, and cross him, okay? EDDIE Cubby! EDDIE And what’s this I hear about King? CUBBY Nothing, I’m gonna give the kid another chance. EDDIE King is a screw-up-- CUBBY No, no, he’s all cleaned up now. CUBBY The kid does have talent. Real talent. EDDIE Yeah, he’s always had talent. Poured a lot of money into him, and you gotta have it to go with that talent. CUBBY Yeah, well, he’s going to have a baby. EDDIE There’s a disaster waiting to happen. CUBBY Well, he got married. To a nice, young girl. EDDIE You know he was my fighter before you stole him from me. CUBBY I did not steal him. Hey, look-- You’ve got that night coming up at Lionhead, right? EDDIE Yeah. CUBBY I want you to get King a fight there. EDDIE Maybe as an undercard-- CUBBY No, no, no, main event. EDDIE What? King is no main event. CUBBY Yes, he is. CUBBY I put up the best, man. CUBBY Ten-thousand dollars. CUBBY Ten rounds. EDDIE You really think he has his head on straight? CUBBY Yes. Yes, yes. EDDIE All right, I’ll take a piece of him. CUBBY No, no, no, no. He doesn’t like you. EDDIE I’ll take fifty percent of him-- CUBBY He’s not for sale. EDDIE Hey, look, you know he was my fighter before you took him. CUBBY I didn’t steal him. Hey, you know why all your fighters leave you, man? CUBBY Huh? EDDIE ‘Cause you steal them from me. CUBBY Yeah. Same reason why your wife left ya. The same reason – hey – why I left ya. EDDIE Just give me a piece of the kid. CUBBY Hey, look-- CUBBY You line up something for King - someone the kid could handle, huh? CUBBY More than just a warm body, but-- CUBBY Somebody he could beat, huh? CUBBY Keep it local, huh? I don’t want to bear the expense of, uh, bringing somebody in here, huh? EDDIE What about Charlie Simms? CUBBY Nah, he’s in prison. Armed robbery. EDDIE Teddy Bigfoot? CUBBY Teddy Bigfoot? Teddy Bigfoot, man, he’s a lot of Bigfoot. Benny’s 350 pounds now, man. CUBBY Bigfoot, there-- CUBBY How about Sailor O’Connor? EDDIE Sailor? CUBBY Yeah. CUBBY Is he still fighting? EDDIE No, but it might not really matter. I mean, if I could get him to take one more fight. People loved him. CUBBY Yeah, yeah, he was very popular. EDDIE And everybody wanted to see if he’s… EDDIE …gonna get knocked down. CUBBY Yeah… EDDIE And every fighter wanted to be the first to knock him down. CUBBY That’s a good hook, man. EDDIE Yeah, that’d be big if King… EDDIE …could knock Sailor down. EDDIE That’s good. CUBBY Yeah. I’m gonna run it by King. EDDIE I’ll talk to Sailor. CUBBY Yep. EDDIE Hey, I want a piece of the kid! CUBBY Not gonna happen, man. EDDIE Well, we’ll see. CUBBY Yeah, yeah. ROSE Why should we bother to go see the doctor? ROSE What’s there to talk about? If you’re dying, you’re dying. I know I’m dying. SAILOR How do you know? ROSE Tell me you wouldn’t know if you were rotting from the inside out. SAILOR It’s cancer. ROSE Cancer, rot…no difference. SAILOR Ma-- ROSE Ah. Don’t get all melancholy on me. SAILOR I think it’d be good if you and I went and saw a doctor together. ROSE Yeah, well, you go see him if you want. SAILOR Ma-- There may be some pain. ROSE How long did he say I have? SAILOR Ma-- ROSE Oh, don’t be… ROSE …such a baby. How long did he say I have? SAILOR Six months. SAILOR I’m sorry. ROSE Sorry for what? ROSE No one’s getting out alive. SAILOR Is there anything I can do for you? ROSE Well, it might be nice to take one last trip to Ireland before it comes. ROSE That’d be nice. ROSE Maybe you and me. SAILOR Yeah. CUBBY King, come on-- ALBRIGHT Go box. Go box. BRENNAN She’s been in for five years. She’s asked me to be there… BRENNAN …for her parole hearing. SAILOR You gonna go? BRENNAN I don’t know. BRENNAN I’ve gotten to know her a lot better through the letters that she sent me. BRENNAN She wants to speak with you when she gets out. SAILOR I can’t do that. BRENNAN You can try. SAILOR Sean, I don’t have it in me. BRENNAN Sailor, her loss is as great as yours. SAILOR Is it? BRENNAN I’m sorry. Loss can’t be measured. SAILOR No. No, it can’t. BRENNAN Do you want her to continue to suffer? BRENNAN Do you? BRENNAN Want her to continue to suffer? SAILOR Yeah. I think I do. BRENNAN Don’t you think she’s suffered enough? SAILOR Sean-- I thought we agreed, you can’t measure suffering. BRENNAN Do you have no pity? For her? SAILOR No, uh, my Ma has a saying about pity-- SAILOR Pity arrests the heart, and unites it with those who have wronged us. BRENNAN I need to go see Rose. SAILOR Won’t do any good, she’s at war with God. BRENNAN Yes… SAILOR You taking confessions today, Father? BRENNAN You have nothing to confess. BRENNAN Other than what we just talked about. DIANE Yes. DIANE I’m remorseful, yes. DIANE I know what that means – really means. DIANE I violated the most-- basic and primary of relationships. DIANE Destroyed the lives that were entrusted to me. DIANE I’m a ghost. DIANE Haunting of…what’s left of life. DIANE Until there is no life. DIANE But the pain I suffer… DIANE …is nothing compared to the pain I caused. REFEREE Quit pushing, quit pushing there, King. MAX We shouldn’t let him do this. ALBRIGHT It’s done. Forget it. LACKER Thank you again for seeing me. You know, the Mayor has got an election coming up and he would really love to have your support. ALBRIGHT Thanks. Well, you tell him to come see me himself. LACKER Well, you know, the Mayor, he’s-- He’s a very busy man. ALBRIGHT Oh-- Oh, well-- ALBRIGHT Thank God – thank God that I have absolutely nothing to do. And the truth is, I don’t believe in politics. LACKER You don’t-- Well, what do you believe in then? ALBRIGHT I believe in, uh, the luxuries of life. Like food, shelter. Clothing. ALBRIGHT You know? You tell your Mayor that, and then tell him come and talk to me. Okay? ALBRIGHT Okay, come on-- What’s on your mind? SAILOR I got a fight coming up. ALBRIGHT You got a what? SAILOR A fight. ALBRIGHT A fight? I thought we left that all behind. SAILOR It’s just one fight. ALBRIGHT You feeling some need to get punished, because I’ll take a hammer and beat you with it… ALBRIGHT …if that’s what you’d like. SAILOR No. ALBRIGHT Well, then why? ALBRIGHT Do you feel you gotta prove something to somebody? ALBRIGHT Huh? SAILOR No. ALBRIGHT No. ALBRIGHT So, why? SAILOR I miss it. ALBRIGHT Okay, well, I mean, you know, I miss it, too. But, um, I don’t miss getting my face busted up. SAILOR Mikey… it ain’t the same for me. ALBRIGHT What ain’t the same? SAILOR Life. Life as a civilian. ALBRIGHT Oh, so, so, um… when you get in the ring you feel more civilized, is that it? SAILOR It’s the fight I know. ALBRIGHT Well, wouldn’t this just-- there’s a lot of fights out there, a lot of them. I mean, that’s what you want, we got a lot. We can find them. SAILOR I’m suited to this one. ALBRIGHT Well, I could argue that. Your record ain’t that good, you know. I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. SAILOR Even when I lost, I-- I knew who I was. I… was a fighter. ALBRIGHT All right, look, let’s just cut the bullshit-- I, I, um… I mean, bottom line is, I just really don’t want you fighting, okay? SAILOR I’d like you in my corner. ALBRIGHT I can’t, man. I just can’t do that. SAILOR Help me get ready. ALBRIGHT I can’t do that either. SAILOR You’ve always been there with me. ALBRIGHT I always will be. ALBRIGHT But, I don’t have to be there and watch you get destroyed. I don’t need that. SAILOR I’ve never been knocked down. ALBRIGHT Well, that’s great. That’s great. We’ll keep it like that, okay? SAILOR All right-- Just-- Just one more. One more fight. ALBRIGHT No. ALBRIGHT Because I love you, man, I do. I love you and I do not see the need. SAILOR I told you the need. ALBRIGHT You didn’t tell… ALBRIGHT …me shit! ALBRIGHT What’d you tell me? I didn’t get knocked down. That’s what… ALBRIGHT …you told me! What? Do you want to prolong this, or extend this stupid, idiotic legacy you got?? ALBRIGHT That’s what you told me. SAILOR I can’t do this without you. ALBRIGHT Please, man, just don’t do this to me, okay? SAILOR I need your help on this. ALBRIGHT Jesus… I just, I just can’t. I just-- ALBRIGHT I just can’t. FEMALE FAN Come on, old man! ALBRIGHT You gotta punch back Sailor to stop it. CROWD You’re getting schooled, Sailor! SAILOR Once more into the fray. EDDIE Sailor! SAILOR What you doing here, Eddie? EDDIE I want to talk! EDDIE About what? EDDIE A fight. EDDIE Look, do you want to fight? SAILOR I haven’t had a fight in four years. That’s a long time. EDDIE Look, it doesn’t matter. You got a reputation. Sixty-three fights, never knocked down. SAILOR That’s right. EDDIE Yeah, and a lot of people would pay to just see something knock you down. Come on, Sailor, you don’t tell me you don’t miss it. SAILOR Yeah, I miss it. SAILOR Who would I be fighting? EDDIE He’s a kid. His name is King Soloman. SAILOR Never heard of him. EDDIE Cubby likes him. SAILOR Oh he’s with Cubby. SAILOR How is Cubby? EDDIE Ah, he’s good. But, look, I used to have this kid, and he’s gonna be mine before the fight. What about you? You got management? SAILOR Does it look like I got management? EDDIE I could line you up with some stuff. SAILOR I don’t think so. SAILOR This kid good? EDDIE He’s a pretty good fighter. EDDIE Look, he’s got nice moves, but he can’t take a punch. I think you… EDDIE …can beat him. EDDIE Look, you go out on a win. That’s the way to go out. Worse case scenario, loser’s purse is two grand. SAILOR Four. EDDIE Four what? SAILOR Four thousand. EDDIE Three. SAILOR Four. EDDIE Come on, when’s the last time you made four grand… EDDIE …for a fight? SAILOR Never. EDDIE Exactly. SAILOR Eddie, you’re a good promoter. You’ll make a lot of money out of this. SAILOR Four thousand. EDDIE All right, deal. Four grand. ALBRIGHT (INDISCERNIBLE DIALOGUE) ALBRIGHT Over top with the left hook! ALBRIGHT Come on Sailor, put your hands up. KING Good time? JOYCE King? JOYCE Baby, that you? JOYCE I can hear you… JOYCE King! JOYCE Baby boy… KING Yeah, mama? JOYCE Come here. JOYCE Where you been? Mama miss you. KING With Peg. JOYCE She giving you money, or are you free fucking her? KING I just came to get my stuff, mama. I’m leaving. JOYCE Leaving where? KING Here. JOYCE You’re just like him. JOYCE You’re just like your father. KING Nope. No, I’m not at all. JOYCE Yeah, you are. You’re a fucking taker. JOYCE You just fucking take… JOYCE …and take and take. JOYCE I used to be something. I used to have a face. JOYCE I used to have tits. JOYCE I did it all for you. JOYCE Now, what do I got, King? JOYCE Now, what do I got… KING I don’t know. JOYCE Look at this fucking shit hole. JOYCE You gonna go and see… JOYCE …Bobby? JOYCE That modeling stuff-- JOYCE That’s good. JOYCE Bobby’ll take care of you. KING I’m never coming back, Mama. JOYCE You’ll be back. JOYCE You’ll be back. JOYCE You’ll be back… KING You’re lucky, old man. FEMALE FAN We love you, Sailor! REFEREE Go back to your corner. REFEREE Come on, guys, get back to your corners. KING Come on! Come on! Come on! CUBBY Don’t get too cocky, boy! KING What do you want? EDDIE Wanted to talk a minute. KING You mind if I don’t listen? EDDIE Look-- EDDIE I been watching you, and you’re looking pretty good. EDDIE You’re training hard, showing discipline. EDDIE I like what I see. Just glad I put you on the card at the Lion Head. KING Cubby got me on that card. EDDIE Ah, no. I did. EDDIE And I could put you on bigger cards than Cubby can. KING I’m with Cubby. EDDIE You used to be with me. KING Used to be. EDDIE You owe me and you know it. EDDIE Look, I could take you places that Cubby can’t. EDDIE You want real fights and real purses, right? EDDIE I hear you got a family coming. And you want to take care of them the best way you can. EDDIE You’re gonna need money for that. EDDIE You don’t want to end up being a deadbeat nigger dad. KING I never will be. EDDIE That’s good. EDDIE This fight is important to you. EDDIE If you can knock down Sailor, you got a name… EDDIE …for yourself. No one has ever knocked him down. KING I’m not gonna knock him down. I’m gonna knock him the fuck out. EDDIE Yeah… See, I like that enthusiasm. EDDIE You know, you’re gonna win a lot of money in this game. EDDIE You just gotta be with the right person who knows how to play it. KING And you do, right? EDDIE What can I say? KING I’m with Cubby. EDDIE Think about it. I’ll give you money to train, money to live on. And I’ll move you up quick. EDDIE All you gotta do is leave Cubby after the fight. KING I’m with Cubby. EDDIE Don’t be stupid. EDDIE All right. Be stupid. EDDIE And I’ll tell you what – you’re not worth my time, or my money. REFEREE Sailor, how you doing? ALBRIGHT He’s doing great, thanks. REFEREE I’m talking to Sailor. REFEREE You don’t look good. REFEREE How many fingers? SAILOR Two. REFEREE How many fingers? SAILOR Two. ALBRIGHT He said two. REFEREE Boxes like that again takes a shit-kicking like that, I’m stopping the fight. ALBRIGHT Just do me a favour, I gotta do something here, all right, Gordy? REFEREE Mike, I’ll stop the fight. ALBRIGHT I gotcha. BRENNAN Gordo! BRENNAN Gordo! BRENNAN We need to stop the fight. REFEREE Father, sit down. BRENNAN You need to stop this fight, Gordo. REFEREE Father-- BRENNAN Just please stop the fight-- REFEREE Father, sit down. BRENNAN Please, we know how this is going to end, Gordo. ALBRIGHT Double up on the left hand. Double up on left. ALBRIGHT Keep busy on him. Don’t lay on him-- SAILOR Yeah-- ALBRIGHT Make him push you. ALBRIGHT Make him push you. Wear him out. All right? SAILOR Yeah. CUBBY You letting that old man shame you. Disgusting. CUBBY You’re young, strong and fast. Disgusting… WOMAN Bobby… What do you want us to do today? BOBBY Yo, King, baby. You’re late. BOBBY It’s time to take those clothes off and get your dick hard. Am I right? Am I right? BOBBY What is it, King? BOBBY What is it? What’s the matter? BOBBY Do you need a fluffer? BOBBY Come on, buddy. You got two hot chicks here for you, let’s go. Come on. Let’s do this, huh? KING Can’t do this. BOBBY What do you mean you can’t? BOBBY It’s only going to take about an hour. I already paid your mom the money. KING She’s your problem. BOBBY What are you doing, King? BOBBY King, you’re killing me here, buddy. You’re killing me! CUBBY …you go down. You work on your jab, all right? CUBBY (INDISCERNIBLE DIALOGUE) CUBBY (INDISCERNIBLE DIALOGUE) Hey, hey-- Good. CUBBY You got to remember what I told you. You got to close up your stance a little bit, so you have balance, huh? CUBBY What are you doing here? KING I need a fight. I need to make some money. CUBBY You can make money other ways. KING I like fighting. CUBBY Ah, nobody sane he likes fighting. KING I’m sane and I like it, and I’m good. CUBBY But you can’t take a punch. KING I can take a punch. I just don’t like to. CUBBY Ah. That’s sane. KING Get me a fight. Please. CUBBY What do you want that money for? Drugs? KING No, that’s over. CUBBY Are you sure? KING It’s over. My girl is pregnant. I mean my wife is pregnant. CUBBY You married? KING Yep. CUBBY You’re an idiot. CUBBY How old are you now? Nineteen? KING Twenty. CUBBY Twenty, oh-- How old is she? CUBBY What’s her name? KING Peg. She’s eighteen. CUBBY Babies having babies. KING She’s gonna be a good mom. KING I know she is. CUBBY She’s gonna be a good mom and you gonna be a good daddy, too, right? KING Yeah. Cubby, I can fight. KING I can be somebody. CUBBY You go be somebody with somebody else and let me be. Huh? KING You know I can fight. CUBBY Don’t know if you got the heart, or the head. KING Just-- Give me a shot. CUBBY You had your shot! CUBBY You know what you did before, huh? KING I’m sorry about before. I know I disappointed you. I-- I didn’t know better. CUBBY You got that right. KING Can you please just give me another chance? CUBBY Hey! CUBBY You watch your stance, huh? CUBBY You got to put your left-- I told you not to be so wide, yeah? CUBBY Close up your stance, and you keep your left… CUBBY …in his face, huh? CUBBY Hey, kid! CUBBY King! CUBBY You not going to flake out on me this time, are you? CUBBY Hm? KING No. CUBBY And are you going to stick to it? Train? CUBBY Come to the gym on time? KING Yeah, I promise. You know-- You know I got talent-- CUBBY Yeah, but are you willing to put in the hard yards? KING Give me a fight, you’ll see. CUBBY Hey-- CUBBY If you fail me this time – hey, look at me-- CUBBY If you fail me this time, it’s over. CUBBY Huh? You got it? KING I got it. CUBBY All right. CUBBY Now, this is against my better judgment, but, uh, I will give you a fight. CUBBY All right? KING Thanks, Cubby. CUBBY It won’t be much. KING That’s okay, I just-- KING I just need something to get me going again. ALBRIGHT Keep those hands low, Sailor, let’s go-- CUBBY Pick it up! MALE FAN Take the old man out, King! MALE FAN Put him in the hospital, King! KING Head butt, really? That’s how you want to fight? Huh? Huh? REFEREE Break it up, break it up, guys, come on. KING You ain’t know how to box! REFEREE You’re a boxer, let’s go. REFEREE Get to your corner. SAILOR I apologize. ALBRIGHT Let me see your head! Let me see your head! ALBRIGHT All right. All right. MAX You know Sailor’s got a fight coming up. ALBRIGHT Yeah, yeah, I know. MAX He can’t do it. ALBRIGHT No. But, uh… I’ll bet you’re going to be in his corner though, right? MAX What am I gonna do? It’s Sailor-- ALBRIGHT What am I going to do? I mean, you could try talking to him. MAX Did you? ALBRIGHT Yes, I did. MAX You know what this is all about. ALBRIGHT Well, I don’t know. He told me he missed it. MAX Yeah, well, that’s all well and good, but, uh… it’s his mother. His mom’s dying. ALBRIGHT Ah… ALBRIGHT That’s kind of convenient for her. MAX Rose wants to visit the old country again before she passes. MAX He gets four grand. Even if he loses. ALBRIGHT Yeah, but, I mean, you and I could put up that money for him, and-- MAX He wouldn’t take it. ALBRIGHT You tried already? MAX I offered him money. I said all you gotta do is come by the shop, couple of times a week. MAX Tell stories to the guys and he goes, MAX “no, I don’t take handouts.” ROSE Are you a religious man? ALBRIGHT Why do you ask? ROSE Oh, just to see if you reside in that Papas camp of blind obedience. ALBRIGHT Well…no, no, I’m not, uh… not especially religious. ROSE But they call you Brother Albright. ALBRIGHT I, uh, well… ALBRIGHT That’s down at the Harbor, it’s a…more of a term of affection. You know? Hey, brother, hey, bro. You know, that’s all. ROSE What do you do down there? ALBRIGHT We, um… just a group of people that do service. ROSE Service? ALBRIGHT Service, uh, you know, helping others in need. ROSE Well, that’s much better than religion. ALBRIGHT Yes. ALBRIGHT You know that, um – yeah, thanks. ALBRIGHT Sailor, um, has another fight lined up. ROSE I know. ALBRIGHT And, uh, he wants me to be in the corner. ROSE He said you couldn’t do it. Probably more correct is that you don’t want to do it. ALBRIGHT That would be correct. ROSE You don’t want him to fight, do you? ALBRIGHT No, no, no, no. And I don’t suppose you do either. ROSE No, certainly not. ROSE God only knows why his brains aren’t scrambled. ALBRIGHT Look, um, Rose-- I, uh… ALBRIGHT I hope I’m not talking out of turn here… ALBRIGHT …but, uh, Max told me that the reason he’s taking the fight is because he wants to take you to Ireland. ROSE No need to be delicate. He wants to take me to Ireland before I die. ALBRIGHT I got it, but-- See, the thing is that, uh, Max and I could easily… ALBRIGHT …easily cover that trip. ROSE No. Sailor would never go for it. Nor would I. ROSE But… ROSE I would appreciate it if you and max would be in my boy’s corner. ALBRIGHT You gonna be at the fight? ROSE Oh, I’ve never seen one of Sailor’s fights. Never will. ALBRIGHT Sixty-four fights… ALBRIGHT This’ll be his sixty-fourth fight. ROSE My boy has a terrible record, doesn’t he? ALBRIGHT Yes, Ma’am, he does. ALBRIGHT But – the man has never been down. Never. ROSE Ah, but you see, a man should know when to go down. A man should know when to quit. ALBRIGHT Yes, you think he should. But, your boy… ALBRIGHT I mean, the guy is, um… I just never seen anything like it. ALBRIGHT I mean, I thought I was tough, but I’m-- I’m like Tinker Bell or something. I mean… ALBRIGHT I mean, I see him get hit with, uh… ALBRIGHT With hammers, with-- I mean, and-- It would kill an elephant. He just will not go down. I just don’t believe it and I don’t get it. ROSE Yeah, well… ROSE When he was, um… ROSE …a little boy – about ten – we were driving in the car… ROSE …his father had been drinking… ROSE He started hitting me hard… ROSE …keep my mouth shut? HUSBAND Yes, your mouth shut. ROSE Boy’s in the back-- SAILOR Dad! DAD You think I don’t know the kid’s in the backseat? ROSE You…you need help. HUSBAND You know what I need? HUSBAND For you to shut up! SAILOR Dad! DAD Get off! ROSE Sailor-- DAD Get off!!! ROSE His father slammed his head against the side window. ROSE So hard that it cracked the glass. ROSE Sailor passed out. ROSE George hit me some more-- ROSE Then he threw us both out of the car. ROSE When Sailor came to, we were at the side of the road. ROSE it wasn’t your fault-- ROSE My face was a mess… ROSE Are you okay? ROSE He said he was okay, but he really wasn’t. ROSE He knocked you out Sailor. ROSE Sailor vowed it would never happen again. Maybe that’s it. I don’t know. ROSE Or, maybe he’s just got a stupid Irish head made of pig iron. ROSE But, my boy’s got sand. That’s for sure. ALBRIGHT Yes he does. ALBRIGHT Um, what happened to your husband? ROSE I don’t know. He left the day it happened. I never saw him again. ROSE Never heard from him. ALBRIGHT Sorry. ROSE Oh-- There’s no need to be. ROSE Please just be in my boy’s corner. ALBRIGHT Yes, Ma’am. Max and I will be. ROSE And you tell him when it’s time, you got that? You tell him when it’s time. ROSE Because-- Well-- Sailor just doesn’t know. KING I’m fine. REFEREE King, let me have a look at that. KING I’m fine! KING You check him! REFEREE Okay, that’s clock. ALBRIGHT Come on, you’re standing like an ape. Come on! ALBRIGHT Come on. He’s (INDISCERNIBLE DIALOGUE) like an ape, come on. ALBRIGHT Glove up, the left hand baby. CUBBY Come on, boy! Hurry up now! ALBRIGHT Double head him, baby! CUBBY Break it up! Break it up! REFEREE Break it up, guys! Come on break it up! ALBRIGHT Grab him! CUBBY Come on! Knock him out! CUBBY Let’s go home, boy! REFEREE Break it up, break it up, guys! Break it up! CUBBY Hit him again! REFEREE Hey, come on, guys! Back in your corners! Let’s go! REFEREE Get going! MALE FAN Put him out of his misery! Come on, King! ALBRIGHT Sit the fuck down! ALBRIGHT Get down-- FEMALE FAN Come on, Sailor! Get the King! MAX Let me have a look at you here-- CUBBY You letting that old man beat you! KING Get me a mirror-- CUBBY You don’t need no mirror! Not now! DIANE Hey-- PEG Hi-- DIANE Are you okay? PEG I, I couldn’t-- DIANE It’s okay, I’m a doctor. DIANE How far? PEG Fourth month. DIANE Okay. We should get you out of here. DIANE We need to get you into an ambulance, come on-- Come with me-- DIANE It’s okay. Come on. CUBBY Hey-- That old man is messing you up pretty good. CUBBY You gonna let him get away with that? CUBBY What are you smiling about? KING You got nothing to smile about. KING I never liked being pretty-- CUBBY You ain’t pretty no more. DIANE Best not to take any chances. PEG King Soloman’s my baby’s daddy. DIANE The young guy fighting? PEG Yeah. PEG We just got married. PEG I don’t have a ring yet, but he says he’s gonna get me a nice one after he wins the fight. DIANE Oh, that’s good. That’s good. PEG Why are you here? DIANE Sailor O’Connor, the guy your husband’s fighting. PEG The old guy-- DIANE Yeah. What’s your name? PEG Peg. DIANE Peg, I’m Diane. PEG Hm-- You got kids with Sailor? FEMALE CHILD Today you’re going crazy with the presents. DIANE No. Not with Sailor. PARAMEDIC Are you the lady that phoned 9-1-1? DIANE Yes. PARAMEDIC What seems to be the problem? DIANE Pre-term contractions. She’s in her second trimester. Do you have a heart-monitor? PARAMEDIC Are you a doctor? DIANE Yes. PARAMEDIC Okay-- ALBRIGHT You don’t need to do this, okay? There’s no need to go on. ALBRIGHT We can end this with dignity. You understand? With dignity-- ALBRIGHT Look-- GEORGE Come on, Sailor, come on! Fight back! Come on! Fight back… GEORGE …you little puss! GEORGE Come on! Come on, come on! Fight back! GEORGE Get up-- GEORGE Get up, you little wuss, get up! GEORGE Get up. GEORGE Get up! GEORGE GET UP. ALBRIGHT You don’t need to do this, okay? There’s no need to go on. ALBRIGHT You done yourself real good. You should be real proud. You made me damn proud. ALBRIGHT You’re doing great. ALBRIGHT There’s no shame in throwing in the towel right now. You still got the record. You still haven’t gone down. ALBRIGHT Please, we can-- Don’t do this-- I don’t want to do this-- SAILOR Mike, we can do this-- Mike-- ALBRIGHT But-- What for, you still got-- You haven’t gone down yet. SAILOR I ain’t going down, Mike. ALBRIGHT Well, if you go down, you might not get up, okay? ALBRIGHT And if you go down, I think I’ll kick your ass. How’s that? SAILOR All right. ALBRIGHT All right. SAILOR I love you, Mike-- ALBRIGHT I’m telling you, the last one-- SAILOR Mike-- I love you, Mike. ALBRIGHT I love you, too. ALBRIGHT Okay, tough guy-- DIANE Normal sinus rhythm, hemodynamically stable. DIANE Peg-- If this were me, I would go to the hospital just for some extra testing, okay? PEG I’m okay. Really, I’m-- PEG I gotta see the end of the fight. BRENNAN I must say, Rose-- BRENNAN I’m a tad uncomfortable. ROSE What? Sitting in the home of a woman who despises your God? BRENNAN I have a crucifix up my arse-- BRENNAN Those were the conditions under which you agreed to meet me, hm? ROSE You know, a man in your profession shouldn’t joke about having something up your butt. BRENNAN Sorry. Quite right. ROSE Do you know the old limerick? BRENNAN Which limerick would that be? ROSE The Altar Boy, the Altar Boy, the dirty little beast. ROSE He filled his ass with broken glass, and circumcised the Priest. ROSE That’s a sad commentary on what’s befallen the most noble calling. How do you handle such things? BRENNAN Such things-- ROSE Well, the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. You know, a Priest once told me, he tied his hands up with his rosary, ROSE every night before he went to bed. ROSE So, he couldn’t masturbate while sleeping. BRENNAN And why did he tell you that? ROSE I was a young girl at the time – I cut a bit of a skirt, I did in my day – BRENNAN No doubt. ROSE I think he wanted to get up under that skirt. Just wanted to talk sexy and try and get me going. BRENNAN Ah. ROSE Tell me – you’re a relatively young, seemingly virile man, who I’m assuming has all parts yet fully functioning. BRENNAN Yes, as far as I know. ROSE Oh, mores the pity then. BRENNAN Rose, I’m just a little embarrassed here. I’m not here to talk about my sex life. ROSE Huh. ROSE Well, here’s hoping there’s something to talk about. BRENNAN Rose-- Um…Sailor’s quite concerned about you. ROSE Sailor should be concerned about himself. You know what he’s gone and done, don’t you? BRENNAN You’re talking about the fight. ROSE Is that what you’re calling it? BRENNAN What are you calling it? ROSE My son is an old man. BRENNAN No, he’s not that old. ROSE No. He’s old and you know it. This won’t be a fight. BRENNAN Sure it will be. He’s very tough, he’s in terrific shape. ROSE You know why he’s taking it, don’t you? BRENNAN Yes. He wants to take you to Ireland. One more visit for you. ROSE That’s not it. He may think that’s it, but it’s not. BRENNAN What do you think the reason is? ROSE Guilt. BRENNAN Guilt – about… ROSE Being alive. MALE FAN Take the old man out, King! DIANE How much… DIANE How much wrong can… DIANE …a person do before… before they’ve used up whatever… DIANE …good is inside them. DIANE I mean… DIANE What I did-- BRENNAN Diane-- BRENNAN God… BRENNAN …can be far worse than us. BRENNAN He can do more damage, cause more pain and suffering-- BRENNAN Provide us with more temptation than anything in the universe and yet, we sin. BRENNAN And he doesn’t. BRENNAN I’m not quite sure how that works. DIANE I have nothing. DIANE How do I go on? BRENNAN You need to learn to surrender. CUBBY Break it up! REFEREE Break it up, guys! Break it up! BRENNAN Sailor-- Sailor, this boxing is a younger man’s sport, BRENNAN always has been, and quite frankly you’re not as young as you used to be. BRENNAN Now, you’re strong as a bull-- BRENNAN But if you’re taking… BRENNAN …this fight to make the money, BRENNAN to take Rose to Ireland, there are other ways. BRENNAN Bake sales. KING Yo, old-timer! Hey! KING You know who I am? KING I’m the man who’s gonna knock you… KING …the fuck out. KING That’s who I am. SAILOR Yeah. I know who you are. SAILOR I hope you punish me. I hope you knock me down, I really do. And-- SAILOR I-- I hope you, uh, knock some sense into this old man. SAILOR That would be my wish. SAILOR Let me ask you something-- SAILOR Do you have kids? SAILOR No, you’re too young-- KING I have one on the way. SAILOR That’s a beautiful thing. It really is. SAILOR Right, Sean? BRENNAN Yes, it is. SAILOR I held my son as he took his final breath. SAILOR I didn’t have an answer for him. SAILOR I will do my best, as will you. Now, get the fuck out of here. MARY You okay? MARY How long? DIANE Five years. DIANE Eleven months. DIANE Twenty-seven days. MARY So-- MARY How did you come to this? MARY Bad relationship? MARY Did anyone tell you about the three rings of a relationship? MARY Engagement ring, a wedding ring, and… MARY …the suffering. MARY Sorry. MARY Bad joke. DIANE It’s what I did. MARY What you did? MARY What we do is never really done. MARY What you got in that glass-- MARY It won’t help. MARY It’s not the answer. MARY You know that. MARY ‘Cause we all been there. DIANE Thank you. DIANE I, uh… DIANE I, I need to talk to you. SAILOR Talk to Him. DIANE Sailor, I-- DIANE I came here because-- SAILOR Diane-- SAILOR You were deceitful. SAILOR Without the slightest consideration. SAILOR A mother. SAILOR A monster. DIANE I’m sorry. I am so, so sorry. SAILOR You knew you were sick. SAILOR Why didn’t you seek help? SAILOR Help was – around you every day. SAILOR Why? SAILOR Why didn’t you seek help? SAILOR And now that you’re better, you want my forgiveness. DIANE No. SAILOR Diane, Diane-- Please, get out of here. DIANE I will spend the rest of my life trying to make up for what I did. DIANE For the pain I caused you. DIANE Caused my family. DIANE I see the hate in your eyes. DIANE I deserve it. DIANE You don’t. With each breath I take, I-- I hate myself enough for the both of us. DIANE I’m not-- I’m not asking for forgiveness. DIANE Contrary to the teachings of your faith, there… DIANE There are things that are unforgiveable. DIANE But I will not have you consumed by hate. DIANE So, you, you pray to your, to your God for your-- for your loss, for your salvation. DIANE But for theirs. DIANE You ask him to help you find a way out of your hate. DIANE But don’t you ever… DIANE …pray for me. DIANE I don’t deserve it. SAILOR Come on, son. You’re gonna be late. SAILOR Paulie! Come on! We’re gonna be late. SAILOR What you got there? SAILOR How about some ice cream after church? MAX Rinse that out. Rinse it good-- REFEREE Sailor, look at me. You okay? EDDIE All right, ladies and gentlemen! EDDIE How are you enjoying the fight tonight? EDDIE Well, I think these boys have suffered enough, don’t you? EDDIE So, what I’m gonna do is I’m gonna offer them a new prize! EDDIE Twelve grand to the loser. EDDIE Two grand more than the winner’s purse! What do you say?! EDDIE What do you say, Sailor? MAX Hey, get him out of the ring! MAX Get that piece of shit out of there! EDDIE That’s the biggest purse of your life! EDDIE All you gotta do is lay down… EDDIE …and the money’s yours. MAX Get out of the ring! Get out of here! ALBRIGHT Sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down-- ALBRIGHT What’s wrong with you? EDDIE No! EDDIE Oh, my gosh! EDDIE What about you, King? EDDIE I hear you got a baby coming soon. EDDIE All you gotta do is just lay down. EDDIE Yeah. EDDIE And I know you are a loser. EDDIE Twelve thousand dollars to the loser. CUBBY Don’t do this, Eddie. CUBBY Don’t do this. CUBBY Do not do this. Yeah, you want to mess up the kid’s career, yeah? You’re jealous. CUBBY ‘Cause you lost the purse. CUBBY You lost him. You’ll never get him back-- EDDIE Twelve thousand… EDDIE …to your loser! CUBBY Get him out of here! CUBBY Get him out of my face! CUBBY You piece of shit! EDDIE I’m done with you all! I’m out of here! BRENNAN Let’s pray. BRENNAN Father in Heaven, please protect Brother Sailor tonight. ALBRIGHT Amen-- SAILOR Amen-- BRENNAN Amen-- BRENNAN And protect Brother King tonight, as well. SAILOR Amen. BRENNAN Amen. KING Hold on for second-- KING Hey… KING Everything’s going to be okay. KING We’re a family. JOYCE You go, baby boy. CUBBY You got this fight. You’ve won it. CUBBY You’ve won the fight, man! Don’t do anything stupid. KING Gotta knock him down. CUBBY All right-- If you want to knock him down – CUBBY You work on his body. CUBBY God knows what his head is made of, but it sure ain’t skin and bone. KING Gotta knock him down. CUBBY You kill the body. And the head dies. CUBBY You hear me? Kill the body and the head will die. CUBBY All right. ALBRIGHT You all right? SAILOR Yeah. ALBRIGHT You all right? CUBBY Hey, hey-- I want you to know I’m proud of what you’ve become, boy. ALBRIGHT Okay, let’s go, guys. MAX Sailor-- ALBRIGHT That’s enough, bud. That’s enough, that’s enough-- ALBRIGHT Get outside that left foot! ALBRIGHT Outside the left foot! CUBBY Put him down! REFEREE Break it up guys, come on. MAX Hey!!! KING Sailor, I’m sorry. KING I’m sorry-- REFEREE Back to your corner, let’s go! MAX Hey, you okay? SAILOR I shat myself. MAX All right, Sailor, stay standing-- I got it. MAX Hey, hey, clean towels! Come on, now! CUBBY Hey, look-- He lost his mud. CUBBY The Sailor lost his mud, man. CUBBY The Sailor gonna go down. For the first time in history that Sailor’s… CUBBY …gonna go down. Now you`re a champion. CUBBY Now is your shot! You get rid of him! CUBBY This is your shot. For life. KING Shut up! ALBRIGHT All right, you’re doing good, buddy. It’s all over, okay? SAILOR One more-- ALBRIGHT It’s all over! SAILOR One more round-- ALBRIGHT What, are you nuts? Your kidneys are gone. What is the matter with you? What are you nuts? What’s the point? ALBRIGHT You couldn’t beat this guy with a baseball bat, okay? ALBRIGHT You got another “L” in the column. Big deal. ALBRIGHT You’re still standing, right? You never been down. What the hell is the point? SAILOR I swore on my ma’s head, I would never quit, Mikey. SAILOR I promised. MAX You’re good to go, Sailor. ALBRIGHT All right, we’ll let the doc decide. You sit-- ALBRIGHT Hey, Gordie, you bring the doc, please? RING DOCTOR Look at me-- RING DOCTOR Sailor-- RING DOCTOR Sailor, look at me. You okay? SAILOR I’m good, doc. RING DOCTOR Sailor, you’re taking too many shots. I’m gonna stop it. SAILOR one more round, doc, please. One more round. RING DOCTOR Albright, what do you think? ALBRIGHT I got no opinion. SAILOR Last round, doc, last round, please. RING DOCTOR I hope I don’t hate myself later for this. SAILOR You won’t. RING DOCTOR Ref, watch him close. MAX You`re almost done. CUBBY Knock him on his butt! KING Shut up! CUBBY You gonna be famous, man. KING SHUT UP! CUBBY What do you mean shut up?? KING Just SHUT UP! CUBBY This is your turn, man. I don’t care what you say; you get your butt up there and put your Sailor down! MAX All right, Sailor… All right. SAILOR I’m gonna be okay, Mike. SAILOR Promise. SAILOR I promise. SAILOR I love you. CUBBY Last round! Last round. CUBBY Come on. REFEREE Come on, guys. Seconds out. REFEREE Last round, guys, let’s go! Box! FEMALE FAN Come on, old man! MALE FAN One punch, Sailor! Come on, bud, one punch! MALE FAN 2 Quick on your feet, Sailor! ALBRIGHT Stay on his right shoulder! Stay on his right shoulder! REFEREE Break it up. CUBBY Pinch it up, boy! Break it up! ALBRIGHT Double that up, baby! CUBBY Get away from him! ALBRIGHT Sailor, grab him! Grab him! ALBRIGHT Gimme the towel! CUBBY Put him down! CUBBY Put him down! SAILOR Do it, kid. Do it. REFEREE Get off him. Let him go. REFEREE Let him go, King. REFEREE Let him go, man. ALBRIGHT Ref, leave him alone! Leave him alone! KING I got you-- CUBBY He’s taking him to the bell. REFEREE Let him go-- ANNOUNCER Ladies and Gentlemen! It’s a unanimous decision! ANNOUNCER The winner is King Soloman! SAILOR I’m proud of you. Good fight. SAILOR You’re a good kid. ALBRIGHT You know what, you’re the toughest son-of-a-bitch I know. SAILOR Thank you. ALBRIGHT Yeah, you’re also the dumbest son-of-a-bitch I know. CUBBY Go see your girl. PEG I love you. SAILOR The-- SAILOR The best we can do-- SAILOR --is to forgive ourselves. SAILOR Diane-- SAILOR You’re not alone.