Mean Streets

You don't make up for your sins in church.

You do it in the streets. You do it at home.

The rest is bullshit and you know it.

What the hell is this?

Not in my fuckin' place!

Keep out of my place! I know your face!

And you, scumbag!

I told ya about passin' that shit in my place.

I didn't do nothin'!

You're supposed to be the bouncer.

-I didn't do nothin'. -That's it. Ya didn't do nothin'.

Come on, hurry up with that shit, huh?

What's this, more shit?

No, that ain't shit. That's a German lens.

I've got two shipments of those. That's good stuff.

Can't use it.

What do ya mean ya can't use it?

That's a telescopic one. That's the best one they make.

It's not German, it's Jap. This is an adaptor, it's not a lens.

You bought two shipments of Jap adaptors, not lenses.

Jap adaptors.

Lord, I'm not worthy to eat your flesh.

Not worthy to drink your blood.

Not worthy to drink your blood.

Okay, I just come out of confession, right?

Right.

And the priest gives me the usual penance:

Ten ''Hail Marys'', ten ''Our Fathers'', ten whatever.

Next week, I'll come back and he'll give me another ten ''Hail Marys'' and...

... another ten ''Our Fathers'' and....

I mean, you know how I feel about that shit.

Those things, they don't mean anything to me. They're just words.

Now, that may be okay for the others, but it just doesn't work for me.

I mean, if I do somethin' wrong, I just want to pay for it my way.

So, I do my own penance for my own sins.

What do ya say, huh?

It's all bullshit except the pain, right? The pain of hell.

The burn from a lighted match increased a million times.

In finite.

Ya don't fuck around with the in finite. There's no way you do that.

The pain in hell has two sides:

The kind you can touch with your hand.

The kind you can feel in your heart.

Your soul, the spiritual side.

And ya know...

...the worst of the two...

...is the spiritual.

Hey, Charlie, you're crazy.

The priest taught me this.

Terrific. You know any other tricks?

Yeah, but I'll show 'em to ya when I learn this one.

You know somethin'? She is really good-lookin'.

I gotta say that again. She is really good-lookin'!

But she's black.

You can see that real plain, right?

Look, there's not much of a difference anyway, is there?

Well, is there?

Oh, great.

Hey, Marlboro.

For these prices, Charlie, you shouldn't complain.

But it's the best I could do. Maybe next week I can do better.

If ya can't smoke 'em, maybe ya can sell 'em.

No, I'll be okay for a week.

Bless you.

Seen Johnny Boy?

No.

He's supposed to be here.

But who knows what goes on in that kid's head, right?

I'd like to know, Charlie. I think the kid's trying to duck me.

Don't you think you oughta care more about Johnny's payments to me?

I think you should. You know that.

Michael...nobody's out to screw you.

I guarantee that.

Well, you're not lookin' at it from my side. You vouched for the kid.

What happens if he doesn't pay? I gotta collect from you?

-I don't want to do that. -You're right.

I made a deal with him, not you, right?

You're right. I'm not gonna pay his debts, believe me.

I'll talk to him. I'll straighten him out.

Straighten him out? The bum owes money left and right.

Don't worry, Michael--

Hey! Hey, come on!

Get out of here!

-Come on, sit down. -Take it easy.

-Hey, what's the matter with you? -Everybody's friends here, right?

Come on, sit down.

Dammit, Charlie, I don't understand you.

I don't understand why you hang around with a punk kid.

I mean, he's the biggest jerk off around.

Don't say that. Don't quarrel man, will ya?

What's the matter?

Family things, a few things. I can't explain it, all right?

He really is a good kid.

All right, sure. I'll see you.

Right, later. Be well.

Come on, girls. Give her your coats. Give her your coats.

If you don't mind, young lady, I would like to check these.

But I'm keeping my skin pants.

Hey, here he is!

Are those the shorts with the hearts on 'em?

Girls, after you.

All right, okay. Thanks a lot, Lord. Thanks a lot for opening my eyes.

You talk about penance and you send this through the door.

Well, we play by your rules, don't we?

Well, don't we?

-How are ya? -All right. How are you?

I want you to meet two beautiful young ladies here.

This is my good friend, Charlie.

This is my good friend, Tony, who owns the joint.

This is, what's your name, darling?

-Sarah. -Sarah, Sarah Kline, right?

Sarah Kline, this is Tony.

This is...what's your name?

Heather, Heather Weintraub, right?

I met them in the Village.

Bohemian.

Yeah, over at the Cafe Bizarre.

-What do ya want to drink, huh? -Tequila.

-You got tequila? -No.

Never mind. Listen....

I'll order somethin' that's good for the both of ya.

Go on, give yourself a drink. Give me and Charlie a J& B, will ya, please?

-What's this? -What's what?

-This. -What?

-That. What does this look like? Huh? -What?

Where did you get this?

-What? -Where did you get this?

-This. -What?

-This? -Yeah. In the back, come on.

You're makin' me look bad, Charlie.

In front of the girls here.

Oh, excuse me. I didn't mean to be rude, girls.

Mr. Civello, I'd like your presence in the back room, if you got a moment.

Well, you mean you request my presence for a moment or two in the back room?

I most certainly do.

Well, after you.

-Nah, after you. -No, after you.

-Mr. Civello, after you. -No, after you.

In the back!

Tony, give them whatever they want.

Hey, girls, excuse me.

Tony, keep an eye on these nice girls here.

Don't let none of the vultures look, okay?

What are ya doin'?

What do ya mean? What are ya doin' to me, huh?

What do ya mean?

Michael's been on my back all night. He's botherin' me.

Why didn't ya make your payment last Tuesday?

I made my payment last Tuesday. What are you talkin' about?

-You paid him last week? -Yeah, I paid him last week.

What did he say, I didn't pay him? He's a fuckin' liar. Where is he?

-You paid him? -Yeah, I paid him.

-Last week? -Yeah!

-Last Tuesday? -Yeah.

-Charlie, you don't know.... -He's here.

-Where? -Out front.

-He's here? -Yeah.

So, what do I care?

Let me go get him. We'll straighten this thing out, all right?

Hey, wait a minute, Charlie.

-What? -Well, you're right.

I'm right?

Yeah, was it last Tuesday?

It's the Tuesday that was last week, that's before the one about to come up.

My mistake, I'm sorry. It was last week, the week before, that I was thinking of.

-Oh, yeah. It was, huh? -That's right.

What's the matter with you? You can't bullshit people that way.

You give your word, you gotta keep it.

You know what happened? I'm so depressed about other things.

I can't worry about payments, you know what I mean?

I come home last Tuesday. I have my money in cash.

Comin' home, I ran into Jimmy Sparks.

I owe him $700, like for four months. I gotta pay the guy.

He lives in my buildin', hangs out across the street. I gotta pay him.

So what happened?

I had to give some to my mother.

I wound up with $25 at the end of the week.

And today, you ain't gonna believe, 'cause it's incredible.

-I can't believe it myself. -What?

I was in a game. I was ahead like $600 or $700, right?

-You're kiddin'? -That's the streak.

You know Joey Clams?

Joey Scala, yeah.

-I know him, too, yeah. -No, Joey Scala is Joey Clams.

-Right. -Right.

-They're the same person. -Yeah.

So I was in there playin' bankers and brokers. All of a sudden...

...I'm ahead like $600, $700. I'm really winnin'.

All of a sudden some kid walks in and yells that the bulls are comin', right?

The cops are comin'. Everybody runs away. I grab all the money. I go in.

It's an excuse, like to get away.

I'd give everybody the money later, and that way I'd get out.

I don't have to get into the game and get a losin' streak.

When I come out into the yard, I don't know this buildin'.

I don't know nothin'. I couldn't get out. It was like a box.

Big, like this. So I gotta go back in.

Not only do I go back in, but this kid says it's a false alarm.

Imagine that? I wanted to kill this fuckin' kid.

I was so crazy, I wanted to kill this kid.

Meanwhile, I gotta get back in the game. Bing, bing, bing! I lose $400.