Bloody Mama (1970) - full transcript

Get her.
- Got her.

I don't wanna! Please, Papa!

I don't wanna! Papa!

Pipe down.

I don't wanna,
Papa! I don't wanna!

Please, Papa!

You're a stubborn
little bitch, Kate.

You ain't hospitable.

Kate, don't you have
no respect for your pa?

Don't mean to hurry you up, Pa,

but why don't you just
hurry up and hurry?



You just shut up, Henry.
Hold your sister down.

Blood, Kate.

Thicker than water.
- I don't want to!

Gonna have me some boys.

And there wasn't any one of
them who wouldn't kill for me...

and didn't kill for me.

Or me for them.

That's what you call family.

Mama's boys.

♪ Ma Barker loved her sons. ♪

♪ She loved them every one. ♪

♪ And She raised them all ♪
♪ to be a mother's child. ♪

♪ She took them from their Pa, ♪

♪ it was down
towards Arkansas. ♪



♪ Bloody Mama ♪

♪ and her sons
were goin ' wild. ♪

♪ Mama, Bloody Mama, ♪

♪ sing me a lullaby ♪

♪ Mama, Bloody Mama, ♪

♪ we'll all meet in ♪
♪ that sweet by-and-by. ♪

♪ Ma Barker was her Name, ♪

♪ she lived up to her fame. ♪

♪ As the one and only ♪
♪ pistol-packin ' Ma. ♪

♪ She taught her
sons to shoot, ♪

♪ some other Things to Boot. ♪

♪ Bloody Mama and her sons ♪
♪ have fought the law. ♪

♪ Mama, Bloody Mama, ♪

♪ sing me a lullaby. ♪

♪ Mama, Bloody Mama, ♪

♪ we'll all meet in ♪
♪ that sweet by-and-by. ♪

♪ Ma Barker taught her Boys, ♪

♪ to play with guns, Not toys. ♪

♪ But She overlooked ♪
♪ one plain and simple fact, ♪

♪ with the law
around the bend. ♪

♪ Dyin ' is the end, ♪

♪ 'cause when you
shoot at people ♪

♪ they're gonna
shoot right back. ♪

♪ Mama, Bloody Mama, ♪

♪ sing me a lullaby. ♪

♪ Mama, Bloody Mama, ♪

♪ we'll all meet in ♪
♪ that sweet by-and-by. ♪

- Ma!
- Herman, you gonna fry me to death!

Oh, Freddie, stop being a baby!

Hot water never did
hurt your vital parts.

Taking a bath every
Saturday is disgusting.

Turner boys don't have to
take a bath all winter long.

Yeah. Not, til June, earliest.

Yeah and that's
why my sweet lamb...

That's why the
Turner boys stink.

They stink all winter long.

Hey, Ma...

Herman stole a pie from
Mrs. Turner's kitchen.

Oh, big mouth.

Did you do that?

Yeah, Ma, I did.

You must've been
powerful hungry, huh?

Only ate half of it.

Threw the rest away.

That's good, baby.

Mrs. Turner's dogs
couldn't keep her pies down.

They'd have to puke them up.

Ma!

Damn little tattletale bastard!

I told you, and I told
you, and I told you!

You're not to curse in my house!

What does that
bastard want over here?

We don't need a
sheriff, Mr. Sheriff.

Just wanna talk to you
about your boys, George.

Well, Ma takes care of the boys.

You gotta talk to
Ma about the boys.

Hello, Sheriff. Talk!
Come on! Come on!

Want me to talk to
you with the boys here?

All of them?

Sure, unless you're
scared of my boys, Sheriff.

Herman, give me
that soap over there.

And if you're scared
of them, Sheriff,

then I think I would keep
my mouth shut if I was you.

Wanna tell your ma what
you did to the Turner girl?

Herman? Lloyd?

Wanna tell your ma before Mrs.
Turner finds a man with a shotgun

to come up here and
blow your heads off?

Now, come on, Sheriff.

Why don't you stop
pestering my boys?

All they done was swipe
one of Mrs. Turner's pies.

They got definitely sick on it.

That Suzie Turner's a smart ass.

She's awful pretty.

Suzie Turner does
it with everybody.

She don't do it with nobody.

And if she does...

she don't get her
arm broke doing it.

Now, come on, Sheriff.

You know my boys
ain't touched no gal.

And may God rip out the guts of
anybody who says that they did.

Who tattletaled this lie?

Sheriff, come on, who
said this lie? Who said it?

Suzie Turner said so.

All right, then, you
just spit on her for me.

You understand?

You just spit on her
for me. She's a liar.

You get him off our place.

George, get him off our place!

My boys is my boys,
you understand?

They're my boys.
They're my babies!

Understand?

She's white trash,

and probably
filthy with disease,

like all the other
gals in this town!

You understand?

A smart boy, a smart
boy stays with his equals!

You understand that?

The trouble is...

my boys...

my boys ain't got no
equals in Joplin, Missouri.

Come on, boys. Come on.
Get moving. We're going.

If the damn deputies left my
boys alone, they'd be good.

They'd be the best.

Well, where did
you get that car?

I didn't know there was a car
that good in this crummy town.

Whose is it?
- The Sheriff's.

Good boy!

Good boy.

Thank you, George.

Why don't I go along, Kate?

I told you, you can't.

You gotta stay here and...

scare off anybody
tonight. Shoot 'em up.

Why don't I go along?

If...

You can't. Now, come
on, I told you, you...

You gotta tell everybody that
me and the boys is gone forever.

How will I find you, Kate?

You're gonna find me.

You're gonna find me
someday in a palace.

And if you don't find me in a palace,
George, you ain't gonna find me.

And when you find me
and the boys in that palace...

you come in through
the kitchen door.

And you remember,
wipe your feet.

Kate, I'm the father.

You're a good man.

You made good sons.

You've got all the equipment...

but, you know, you never
could make a decent living.

You never did mount me proper.

I guess your heart wasn't in it.

See his eyes, Ma?

I couldn't stand it.

You gonna divorce him, Ma?

Shut up, Herman.

There ain't no divorces in
the Barker family. Never was.

He's your pa and you
love him, remember?

You always love him,
boys. You love your pa.

Sure, Ma.

It was only just that...

George did everything the
way he was supposed to do it.

He was a born
loser, and I ain't.

And you boys ain't.

You gotta fight the
bastards always, boys.

You gotta remember
you gotta fight 'em.

The world was sure changing
from when I was a little gal.

Women was showing
their bodies in public,

smoking, doing God
knows what else.

I'm sure glad I didn't
raise me any girls.

Who knows how
they'd have turned out?

You know, some people
even tried to put through

an anti-lynching
bill in Congress?

But a lot of folks went to
Washington to help defeat it.

Anyway, my boys and me
were never much for politics.

If we had to steal,
we did it our way.

Morning.
- Morning.

How much is it?

50 cents.
- 50 cents?

What, are you crazy?

50 cents just to cross
over to the other side?

It won't cost you nothing
to stay on this side.

Stupid!
- Damn fool.

I need a quarter.

A quarter? How we gonna buy
gasoline if we give old skinny a quarter?

Shut up, Freddie.
How much you got?

Come on!

Ten.

Seven pennies, Herman.

So, three buffaloes and
one penny. How much is that?

How's business, Captain?

$17, Herman.

18 dollars and 23 cents.

Good.

Come on.

Come on, old man, open up.

Come on.

Come on. Come on.

Get him! Let's get him.

Son of a bitch!

God damn it!

Get him. Help!
- I can't...

Get on the ferry!

Let's go! Come on!

Hell! Move over, Freddie.

Herman, grab him!
Grab him, Herman.

Push him up! Push him up!

Look inside his wallet, Arthur.

Come on, get it.
- How much you got?

2 dollars.
- 2 dollars?

Get over here and take his arm.

Go ahead.

He thinks you're gonna
put your foot down, Herman.

Maybe I am gonna
put my foot down, Lloyd.

Ma wouldn't like it.

You don't know what
Ma would like, Freddie.

Ma wouldn't like it.

God damn it, don't tell
me what Ma would like!

Herman had one
of his bad moments.

Didn't you, Herman?

That's what I had, Ma.

Baby?

Herman, tonight
you'll sleep with Ma.

You'll sleep with Ma. She'll
keep away all the dreams.

I didn't mean to kill him, Ma.

I know that you didn't, baby.

I know that.

In this world we can't always
do what we wanna do, Herman.

We can't always have
what we wanna have.

But, baby, we got each other.

Now, come on.

Come on, now. We're gonna
sing, we're gonna sing a hymn.

We're gonna sing
something sweet,

like the Barker
family does. Come on.

Ok, we're gonna sing "The Battle
Hymn of The Republic", all right? Sing.

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!

Our troops was marching on!

Once again!

He has sounded
forth the trumpet.

That shall never call retreat.

We listened to Billy Sunday
and Aimee Semple McPherson

and put a little something
extra in the plate at church.

I knew if God got his, he'd
see to it that we got ours.

We were all happy when
Lindy made it to Paris.

I liked a man who took
things in his own hands.

My Herman was a lot like that.

Do you like me?

What kind of dumb
question is that?

Do you like me at all?

You're a customer, baby.

I fucked you.

But you're a freak.

What do you mean, I'm a freak?

Tell me what you want me to do.

You wanna marry me?

Or you want me to fix him up?

Oh, hell, everyone
knows what she can do.

Ask her if she can
cook as good as Ma.

You should taste my
pie crusts, little boy.

They'd melt in your mouth.

Tell you what you can do for me.

Buy me a diamond ring.

Never expected
anyone to marry me.

Still, I kind of dream
about a diamond ring.

I cut my finger on
your friggin' glass.

Anything we take out
of this store is glass,

I'll be back to shove a few
splinters throu your head.

Maybe I oughta just take out
one of your eyes for good luck.

No. Please, don't.

Put it in a ring. Maybe sell it.

Leave him alone, Herman.
- Come on, let's get out of here, Herman.

He got eyes like Pa,
Herman. Leave him alone.

Come on.
- Come on, come on.

You got eyes like my old man.

Come on.

You lucky son of a bitch.

Come on, Herman.
- I'm sorry.

Come on. Come on!

Let's get out of here.

That's the most beautiful
darn thing I ever saw.

That's... Thank you, sweetheart.

From me to you, Ma.

Big baby.

Gee, Ma.

We hardly got anything
from that damn jewellery store.

Well, don't you fuss.

Don't you fuss no more. Come on.

Don't fuss no more.

Mama's here.

Another day, another dollar.

Hi, there.

I'm Sheridan.

Would ya like to
take me on a walk?

No, thanks.

I think you'd better.

My brother, Herman, he's a...

Thief! This boy's
stealing your coats!

Thief!

No!

Get him!
- Get him!

Gimme my dress! Gimme my dress!

You stupid idiot.

1929 was a bad
year for a lotta folks.

The rich men was
jumpin' outta the windows.

And as usual, they
fell on the poor.

Well, at least my Herman and
Freddie had a roof over their heads

and three square meals a day.

Let me know if it hurts, now.

Hey, that hurt.

But it hurts good.

Ma taught us how to walk a back.

Ain't no Barker boy can't
take out any pain you got.

Did your mom walk
your back a lot?

Yeah.

Ozark massage, she calls it.

Like when you're
nervous before a big job,

Ma will walk your back and sing.

She sings:

"What an Army of Boys we'd
have if we'd ever draft the girls."

Everybody would feel
so goddamn easy inside,

you could kill 20 cops
and not even blink.

What did you say? You
have three brothers, Fred?

Yeah.

Are they all just as
good as you are?

Well, Herman, he's the oldest.

Herman's a little rough.

When Herman walks your
back, it's kind of a beating.

I mean, Herman, Herman would...

kill a guy, just like that.

Or beat him up.

Yeah, he'll beat 'em up.

Like a...

'Cause he enjoys it.

What's the matter?

You don't a...

You don't like to
beat a guy up, do you?

No.

Not unless I have to.

Tell me something.

What?

You like to get beat up?

Oh, Jesus!

I got an idea.

What you gonna do?

What you gonna do?

I'm not gonna hurt you.

I really like you.

♪ It's a-me, it's a-me. ♪
♪ It's a-me, O Lord. ♪

♪ Standing in the
need of prayer. ♪

♪ Not my brother,
not my mother. ♪

♪ It's a-me, O Lord. ♪

♪ Standing in the
need of prayer. ♪

♪ It's a-me, it's a-me. ♪
♪ It's a-me, O Lord. ♪

♪ Standing in the
need of prayer. ♪

And God bless Freddie.

And God bless Lloyd.

And God bless Arthur.

And God bless Ma.

God damn it!

And God bless Pa.

Wherever my blessed Papa is...

God damn it!

You bless him.

Hey, that guy's a creep!

Oh, shut up.

What the hell's
the matter witcha,

that guy's a creep!

They did this to my Herman.

They did this to
my little Freddie.

Oh, hell, Ma, they
just got caught.

Don't curse in my house.

John Wilkes Booth
just got caught.

Jesus H. Christ just got caught.

You with all your book learning.

I'm not Mary, mother of God,

so I'm gonna see
that they get sprung.

How you gonna do that, Ma?

I'm gonna raise
me a heap of money

and I'm gonna hire the
smartest and the slickest lawyer.

Now the trouble with
Jesus H. Christ, Lloyd?

The trouble with
our Lord was that

he didn't have no
smart, slick lawyer.

Ma...

you are dark.

And what's that
supposed to mean?

Oh, well, I just mean
you're very deep.

Deep like a well.

You know, Mama,
sometimes I look at you...

and I see a ray...

of bright glory all around you.

Deep, ink black.

And deep, dark.

Thank you, Arthur.

My eyes have seen the glory.

Hallelujah!

Hallelujah!

Lloyd, when you're all working
on those model airplanes,

you get to acting awful silly.

No, Ma. It's just that mine
eyes have seen the glory.

Hallelujah.

Hey, Ma, how you gonna
raise yourself a heap of money?

We are going to do a big job.

And this time, I am
gonna go on it with you.

Hallelujah.
- Lloyd!

Here Ma.

Alright, now everybody reach
for the nightgown of the Lord.

Reach.

Anybody moves, you're dead.

Alright now, we're
all gonna play a game.

I'm sure you all know it.

Called Simon Says.

And this here is Simon.

Open the safe.

Simon says: "Everybody
down on the floor."

Look, buddy...

Come on, hurry up, baby.

Alright...

Simon says that you,
you, you, and you stand up.

Now come on, Simon says:

"Get up as fast as you
can." Come on, come on.

Reach!

Alright, now, you... You
two fat ladies, you come here.

You come here and this
nice little boy's gonna hug you.

Alright, now, you
two fat ladies...

come forward, Simon says.

Come on.

Turn around, back up.

You back up with me
now. Everyone on the floor,

Simon says you
count to 100 slowly,

or Simon might get awful mad.

Now, come on, ladies, back
up. Come on, fast. Let's go, fast.

Go, come on. Baby, let's go.

Five,

six, seven, eight,

nine, ten, eleven, twelve,

thirteen, fourteen...

It looks like those policemen
don't think that we mean business.

Well, we just gotta
show them we do.

Sweethearts, it looks like they
just don't care a damn about you.

Well, I'm gonna have
to show them they better!

Let go, you bitch, let go!
- No, no!

Let go, you silly bitch!

They're gone! We did it!
We did it, boys, we did it!

There you go!
- We're gonna get those boys out!

We did it! We did it!

Now, ladies, there's nothing
here for you to be bashful about.

My boys are farm boys.

They're used to seeing pigs
puckering around in the mud.

Come on, you give me that there!

Alright. Now, boys, you see
anything here at all that shames ya?

Liek Ma, you sure didn't pick
any pretty ones. That's for sure Ma.

Now, Lloyd, I wouldn't mind a
piece of that plump little pink 'un.

Now, you just stop that. You
just stop that there talking dirty.

And come on, come on,
get in the car. Come on!

I ain't exactly gonna curl
up and die if I don't get her.

Come on, get, get, get.

Ladies, I want you to
understand something.

We is not sex perverts,
you understand?

I undressed you 'cause I
don't want you running around

too fast looking for help.

Come on, kids, let's go!
We've got to lose them! Let's go!

It was God's will.

If he didn't want us to
have that there money,

he wouldn't have left
it for us in that bank.

And I got my boys out of
jail and back together again.

Freddie brought his new
friend Kevin Dirkman along,

but Herman brought
that there Mona Gibson.

It's just plain nasty,
taking that gal with us.

Nasty and sort of sick,
and it's just plain ungodly.

Mona's all right, Ma.

No, she ain't. She ain't
country folk. She ain't Ozark.

Neither is Kevin, Ma.

That's right, Ma. Neither am I.

As a matter of fact, you
know, the only thing I am

is about the 1907 mumble
peg champion of Cairo, Illinois.

Well, you're different.
You're a friend of Freddie.

Freddie likes you, and I'm
aiming to pleasure myself with you.

Ma don't wear no
painting pencils.

You wanna lay her in
the backseat of the car?

Be my guest, baby.

You getting ready for
me, ain't you, Mona?

You want it again?

Now, what would
your Ma say, tiger?

She'd say it's a long
way to Memphis.

She'd say a hell of
a lot more than that!

Do I get it or not?

Ask big brother Herman.

Herman, look, do
I get her or don't I?

Now you do.

But when I marry Mona,
and I'm gonna marry her...

nobody touches her.

You understand?

Help her over.

My pleasure.

Mona, don't you
feel like a silly ass?

You mean, like,
who do I gotta screw

to get out of this
happy, happy time?

Like Ma says: "Another
day, another dollar".

Mona, do you really love Herman?

That's funny.

Who do you think I'm
doing this for, then?

For what, Mona?

Well, it gives me a sense
of belonging, wise guy.

Even Ma's hating.

Even with Ma hating me, see...

see, that's more
than I ever had before.

I love you, Arthur.

I love you, I love
you. I love you!

Sweet damn!

Now, the idea of the game
is we play 5 bucks a stick.

Throw the knife, keep
moving your foot out,

the first man to
fall is the loser.

I move it to where you stick it?

You know, sort of like that.

Move it to there.

Alright.
- Good.

Ten bucks a stick.
- What, are you out of your skull?

Come on, 10 bucks a stick.

You know, Alice Joyce has
one blue eye and one brown eye.

Yeah, so what?

So, Renée Adorée is cross-eyed.

Yeah, so what?

And Pearl White has really
big feet. I mean, you can see it.

What, are you crazy?

Oh, she's very beautiful.

See, like, you gotta have something
ugly about you to be really beautiful.

I mean, like, to attract
the fans, don't you know?

Herman, what do
I got that's ugly?

Mona, you are a true beauty.

You do not need
anything ugly at all.

I mean, some little flaw to
make you really beautiful.

So, bitch.

When's Ma coming back?

She is fixing up the biggest
goddamn deal in the business.

Come on, doper,
move out of the way.

Clara Bow. She's
not even pretty at all.

Some of the things
she says are really dirty.

Thank you, my friends.

You know what's
ugly about you, Mona?

Is your fat ass, your bow legs,

and your goddamn fat lip!

Hi, there, honey doll.

You nuts or something?
- Why?

You got your shoes on.

And where'd you come from?

I swam.

Clear across the lake.

I'm gonna swim back.

Oh, I bet you could
swim the English Channel.

I bet I could.

My name is Rembrandt.

Rembrandt? Oh, boy.

That's my first name.

Oh.
- I'm very artistic.

Jesus, lover of my soul.

Hey, why have you got
your feet in the water?

I mean, with your shoes on.

I guess I'm just artistic.

Go on.

Is...

Is this your first summer
at Bearskin Lake?

Hey, why don't you
give me a little kiss, huh?

No.
- Ohhh...

No! I think you're
out of your mind.

Ah, come on.
- No, no, I don't want to.

Stop!

You must be drunk.

Oh, no. No, ma'am,
no. No, I'm high.

I'm high. Yeah.

I take lots of dope.

Oh, come on.
- Nope.

You know, I'd love
to love you up...

if I can make it.

I think you're crazy.

No, I like it. I really like
it, even if I can't make it.

Sometimes I can make it,
sometimes I can't, honey-honey.

You know?

I mean, shove a lot
of stuff in your arm,

well, it makes you just
want someone you can just...

be loving around, that's all.

You know, you don't need
to hit the jackpot every time.

Wait. You just...
You just let me...

You just let me go now, okay?

You let go, please.

Would you please
just let me go, huh?

Oh, no, no. No.

Don't you see?
Everything frightens me.

I see a dog cross the
street, I cross the street.

I want to go now.

You don't understand?

I'm not people, see?

None of us Barkers is people.

Oh, I shouldn't have
told you we was Barkers.

Do you know what
Barkers are? Huh?

Huh?
- I wanna go swimming now.

Let's go swimming.
- What are Barkers?

Dogs?
- Dogs?

Yes.
- Dogs.

That's right, "dog."

Yeah, dogs do it.

And dog eats dog.

Please...

No, please, don't do this.

No. No!

No!

It's all right.

No, no, don't
cry, little girl. It's...

- No!
- L... Please let me go!

Oh, Jesus.

Lloyd, you don't remember, son?

Now, I told you and I told you.

I told you that up here,
we're not the Barkers.

We are the decent, respectable,

Law-abiding Hunters of Bearskin
Lake. You don't remember?

I know I forgot, Ma.

But...

she was just so cute, I
had to take a shot at her.

Alright.

You just keep this
pretty little gal here,...

and you don't dare
untie those knots...

maybe sometime we'll
all have a shot at her.

Herman!

Herman!

Herman, I got 300,000 bucks
all set up for us just to take.

Just to take it.

Then your dumbbell
of a brother...

he brings that silly
goon of a girl up here.

She ain't no goon, Ma.

Lloyd's the goon.

We gotta kill her, baby.

We gotta.

Herman, we gotta...

We gotta drown her and drop
the body in that bottomless lake.

We ought to dump Lloyd's
body in that bottomless lake, Ma.

That's immoral.

That's beneath my contempt.

Lloyd is your brother.

So?

Let Mona kill him for us.

That way we'll keep it
all outside the family.

Scrub my back, Ma.

Ma...

you reckon Dillinger's more
famous than we are, or...

we're more famous
than Dillinger?

Come on, honey. Baby,
you're not concentrating.

We're in trouble.

Don't you understand
that? We're in real trouble.

You know something, Mama?

There's a new song out.

Mona heard it on the radio.

It's called:

"Murderin' Ma from Arkansas".

That ain't funny, Herman.

Sing it, Mona. Sing it for Mama.

Go ahead, Mona.

You sing it. Sing it.

And then I'll have to do to you

what I gotta do to
that other little whore.

Oh, Mama!

Mona!

Come on, Herman.
Mama needs chores done.

In a minute.

Her name is Rembrandt.

Her name is Rembrandt.

Herman! Herman!

You'll have do it yourself?

There's nothing you
won't do, is there, Ma?

It's supposed to be a
free country, Mona...

but unless you're rich, you
ain't free, and you know that.

So I aim to be freer than
the rest of the people.

I don't wanna
sleep alone tonight.

Ma, I can't.

Freddie, I don't wanna
covet with you tonight, baby.

Kevin, I want you.

Well, we're all feeling
kind of weird tonight, Ma.

What the hell kind of a
name for a gal is Rembrandt?

That's a mighty peculiar name.

Kevin, I've been promising
myself you for a long time.

And I want you tonight.

Well, honey, I'm ready.

Lloyd.

What we had to do to that
little gal last night, baby.

We had to do it.

We weren't bothering her none.

She swam clear across that lake to
come over here and mess us up, honey.

Now, we gotta get
out of here quick.

Now, come on.

Come on, I wanna hear a sweet
song like only the Barker boys can sing.

I wanna hear some sweet singing.

Let's have a
song. I got a song...

from that there war where they killed
all those innocent boys, remember?

♪ Ten million soldiers ♪
♪ to the war have gone, ♪

♪ who may never return again. ♪

♪ Ten million mothers' ♪
♪ hearts must break, ♪

♪ for the ones
who died in vain. ♪

♪ Let each mother answer ♪
♪ in the years to be, ♪

♪ remember that my
boys belong to me! ♪

Now, come on.
Freddie, everybody.

♪ I didn't raise my
boy to be a soldier. ♪

Arthur.

♪ I brought him up to ♪
♪ be my pride and joy. ♪

♪ Who dares to place a ♪
♪ musket on his shoulder. ♪

♪ To shoot some other ♪
♪ mother's darling boy? ♪

Herman!

♪ Let nations arbitrate ♪
♪ their future trouble. ♪

♪ It's time to lay the ♪
♪ sword and gun away. ♪

♪ There'd be no war today, ♪

♪ if mothers all would say, ♪

♪ I didn't raise my ♪
♪ boy to be a soldier. ♪

The cops were so busy
shooting down the strikers

during the Depression.

I guess they just didn't have
much time to pay attention to us.

Everybody was trying to make
a buck any way they could.

I told my boys:

"You just rob banks
and stay out of trouble."

And then I got this here idea

concerning a Memphis cotton-broker
named Samuel Adams Pendlebury...

a nice, respectable
family man with three kids

and three million bucks.

Jesus, Dirkman! You
almost killed the poor guy.

She never said anything
about being gentle.

Ma wanted him whole.
Ma wanted him well.

Since when did the sight of blood
make you so panicky, boy, huh?

Did you see his eyes?
- What's the matter with his eyes?

Yeah, I saw his eyes.

What the hell
y'all talking about?

You dumbbells, you
dang near killed him.

If you wanna keep this man
alive, you better get a doctor.

That's right.

For once, Mona is right.

You nitwits! We
gotta keep him alive!

We gotta keep him alive!

'Cause we gotta
prove that we got him.

All right, Mona, you're
gonna take care of him.

No, but first...

Nobody ever takes
those goggles off.

Understand me?

This here hunk of meat is
worth $300,000 on the hoof.

And this time
we're gonna get it.

We've been planning this a long,
long time, and we're gonna get it.

No, now, Mrs. Pendlebury,

you will be hearing from us...

about where and when we want the
ransom delivered. You understand?

Mrs. Pendlebury, we need to
know the name of his doctor.

No, no, no, ma'am!

He's perfectly fit, he...

He has to have
a doctor, that's all.

Hell, we even like
him, Mrs. Yeah.

Okay, go ahead, shoot. I mean...

Okay.

And he's just fine now, ma'am.

Now, you listen to me real
close, Mrs. Pendlebury. Listen.

I don't want you going doing
nothing dumb like calling the cops or...

talking to nobody. You
understand? You hear me?

Mr. Pendlebury is just fine.

But if you go do something
like that, he won't be just fine.

We'll kill him.

Sam's a good man.

He's a good father.

He took his boy on a
camping trip up Kentucky.

Boy fell out of a tree.

Way the hell out
in the wilderness.

Broke his arm.

Sam's no doctor.

He set that boy's arm.

That boy's got the best
father in Tennessee.

I'm finished. He's
gonna be all right.

God bless him and
take care of him.

And you take care of him, too.

Listen, are you bastards gonna
let me get up and take a leak?

Well, are you?

Just let us figure it out
and we will do something.

Can you hold it just a second now?
- Yes, yes, yes.

Only so much you
can expect of a man.

I know it. I know it.

I know it.

Come on.

Nice and slow.
- Take it easy, take it easy.

Nice and slow.

Don't you try nothing,
now, you hear?

Straight ahead.

Do you think they'll
raise the $300,000?

We don't know.

So far they screwed
up everything.

Made contacts
with your jerk lawyer.

He screwed up everything.

He called the cops.

How do you know
he called the cops?

We know, buddy. We know.

My name is not Buddy!

What are you, a wise guy?
- My name isn't Buddy.

Jesus!

I could put a bullet
through your brain...

That still wouldn't make
my name Buddy, sonny boy.

You're right out of
your mind, ain't you?

I don't make my living the way
you do, if that's what you mean,

but either way, my name is
Samuel Adams Pendlebury.

But since you've seen fit to place
me in fairly intimate circumstances,

you have my permission
to call me Sam.

But not buddy.

You're a real hot number
from the loony bin, ain't you?

Maybe.

Now, why'd you
call me sonny boy?

Because you sound like a kid.

I ain't no kid.

All right. I'm sorry.
How old are you?

None of your damn business.

Ain't you scared, Mister?
- Not "Mister," sonny boy. Sam.

Jesus lover!

Okay.

Okay...

okay.

Ain't you scared, Sam?

I have a wife, two
sons and a daughter...

all of whom I love very much,

so I'm not entirely
without fear, no.

What's more to the
point, they need me.

Yeah, they'd better
need you, $300,000 worth.

Why, hell, even if
they got up the money,

sons of bitches like you
might just kill me anyway.

We brought your own damn doctor.

You just did that to
prove you really had me.

You really ain't grateful
for anything, are you?

All right! All right! I'm
grateful. Thank you.

What colour are your eyes?
- What?

What colour are your eyes?

What difference does that make?

My old man had blue eyes.

Really blue.

Why don't you take
these goggles off

and see what colour
my eyes are, sonny boy?

I can't.

Yeah, it's a helluva thing
to be without power, isn't it?

Memphis is crawling
with those lousy G-Men.

Somebody must have
called the damn President.

Still gonna send the ransom note?
- Nope.

Arthur here is gonna phone that
dumb Mrs. Samuel Pendlebury.

But I want you all to
understand something.

We may still have to kill him.

I don't wanna hear it.
- You sit there, you little bitch!

Ma, Jesus.

Mama, it is time to feed him.

All right. When I'm here, I
feed him, you understand?

You understand?
- I understand.

Mona, just 'cause I told
you to take care of him

doesn't mean that
he belongs to you.

All right, Mama.

If I left him alone with you
very long, you'd probably...

Probably what?

I know whores, Kevin.

She'd probably turn
him every way but loose.

Well, that ain't
gonna hurt nobody.

And she might even do that.

And from now on, you shut up
and go play your mumble peg.

We told your lawyer
not to call the cops.

He done called the cops.

And I told your wife
not to call anyone.

She calls in the whole damn FBI.

What kind of wife you got, Sam?

She's a good wife.
She's a good mother.

Sure easy. With all
your damn millions.

I don't have damn millions.

I got maybe two, three million,
and it's not in cash, Lady.

Sam, if she's such
a good woman...

why is she calling
in the whole country?

Sam?

Don't she realize she's
painting us into a corner?

I'm sorry.

Well, she better be sorry.

Here.

What... What am I eating tonight?
- Come on, it's your supper.

And with all your money, she
can't even cook a decent meal.

Yeah, she can cook
better than you can.

Listen, when I had the vittles', I
was the best cook in our county.

I just don't have time now,
Buster, to bake you a pie.

I'm sorry.

"I'm sorry."

My... My man said
that for so many years...

You just damn well don't
say that no more, understand?

I don't like for ladies
to swear. It's not right.

Some things better left to men.

Now, you should
try to control yourself.

If his partner gets the cash...

there'll be three NRA
posters in the window.

That's a really swell signal.

Who thought of that
really swell signal?

Ma did.

Peachy keen.

If we get the money,
you gonna marry me?

Sure I'm gonna marry you, Mona.

We gonna live with your mama?

Ma's the boss.

Peachy keen.

Now, what the hell is
that supposed to mean?

One-and-a-half posters means
they only got half the money.

I'm pregnant.

Jesus Christ!

That car over there.

Hey!

Love me, Mona?

Here, take care of that.

That's a helluva of a
way to tell a guy, baby.

Didn't know you'd carry on so.

Oh, shut up.

Sam?

They've gotta come up with
that other 150,000 bucks.

Well, they know it.

I told them.

It takes time to get
that much cash together.

Yeah.

Sam, I didn't mean to
keep you here this long.

I know that it's rotten for you.

I just have to roll with
the punches, don't I?

Would you like a drink?

Yeah.

Here.
- Where?

Thank you.
- Welcome.

Sam, I gotta roll
with the punches, too.

My goddamn teeth
are hurting me...

and I got a damn stupid gal
running around the place pregnant.

Shouldn't have
said that, should I?

No. You shouldn't swear, either.

Funny, I don't mean
to do that around you.

I guess I can't seem
to help myself no more.

Apology accepted.

Sam, would you
make love with me?

Three weeks is a long
time, but I'm a married man.

Come on.

We being outside the
law, as you would say...

and us being gangsters...

we got certain advantages.

We don't have to pay no mind to
those respectable, nice people rules.

How could I make love
to you, tied up like this?

Supposing you just had
on those goggles, and...

And you could imagine I was
anybody, even your lily-sweet wife.

And you could do
whatever you wanted to?

Supposing, though, I
was to hold you down,

rip these goggles off,
and gag you and tie you,

make my escape?

And supposing I had my boys
sitting over there with a machine gun,

you just so much as
reach for those goggles

and they'd blow your brains out?

That'd be one sorry way to
make love, wouldn't you say that?

Don't you get so damn uppity
with me, Samuel Pendlebury.

I know what all you
proper bastards really think.

You wish you could
be more like us.

But you're scared of your
neighbours, and you ain't got the guts.

So you buy all those newspapers

and you just spend your
time reading about us,

and you turn on your radios
and you listen about us.

Sam, you just got
it all bass-ackwards.

We're important people
in this country now.

I bet I'd have more fan mail than
Eleanor Roosevelt if they could find us,

and I'm prettier than she is.

God bless her all the same.

You're a proper,
growed-up man, Sam.

Yours getting to us.

But we are getting to you, too.

We don't want Mrs. Pendlebury
seeing you look like a real mess,

do we, Mr. Pendlebury?

We bought you a brand-new
white shirt with French cuffs.

$300,000.

She thinks an
awful lot of you, boy.

I mean, God, what a price.

Half the time
from the beginning,

I didn't think we
was gonna get it.

And, Mr. Pendlebury, I bought
you a pair of real black specs,

and if you want my
advice, you'd wear them.

At least for a couple of weeks.

We're gonna leave
you some sandwiches,

then you hike to the nearest
farmhouse and phone.

Boy, your kids are gonna
be real, real glad to see you.

And remember,
now, Mr. Pendlebury,

if there's ever anything we can do
for you, you just get in touch. Anything.

How would I get in
touch with you boys?

Well, hell.

No way.

Isn't this a dumb damn world?

I wanna see his eyes.

Are you crazy, Herman?
He'd recognize us.

I don't think he'll be
able to see us in the light.

Now the rest of
you get over there.

No.

I'm gonna look at his eyes.

I knew it.

I think I'm going
right out of my mind.

He's got Pa's eyes.

I can't see you.

You take my word for that.

But before I leave here, I want
to say just one thing to you fellas.

You are a strange
pack of young men.

And if I were your father,

I'd take each one of
you boys across my knee

and I'd wail the living
daylights out of you.

We can take the goggles off.

For Pete's sake,
Ma, he can't see.

How do you know he can't see?

He can't. He can't.

He can't see, Ma.

All right, Arthur. You,
with your smart allick lip.

You get to kill him.

You made so damn sure
we can't turn him loose now.

We can turn him loose, Ma.

No, we can't!
- We got the money, Ma!

We got it all set up.
- What's money?

We need him walking around
alive, broadcasting about us?

He don't know,
Ma, he don't know.

When they start
asking him questions...

when they start showing
him your pictures,

he'll make one helluva
of a good guess.

Pull over Herman, right here.

All right, Herman.
Turn off the ignition.

All right, Arthur, you.

Go on.

Arthur, you don't pray
over him, you understand?

You just kill him.

Where you going, Lloyd?
Lloyd, where you going?

Lloyd!

Damn it, Ma! I'm going down
to see what they're doing.

I'm gonna see what
they're doing, Ma!

Herman, they're buggy.

Herman, now, you
listen to your mama.

Baby, you was my firstborn
when I still was a little gal...

and I had to tie off your belly
button with my own two hands.

There isn't nothing I
wouldn't do for you, baby.

There isn't nothing I
wouldn't protect you from.

There's nobody I
wouldn't kill for you.

Your brothers are standing out
there with their hands in their pockets...

waiting on the electric chair.

Now you get, baby.

You understand
your mama? You get.

I love you, Mama.

♪ Poor butterfly ♪

♪ 'neath the blossoms waiting ♪

♪ Poor butterfly ♪

♪ For she loved him so ♪

♪ The moments pass into hours ♪

♪ The hours pass into years ♪

He's not dead, Mama.

We didn't kill him.

What'd you say, Herman?

He's not dead.
We didn't kill him.

Who's not dead, baby?

Sam...

Sam Pendlebury.

We didn't want to kill him, Ma.

Now, Ma, like you say, this
ain't gonna be a safe place.

His whole territory.

Sure ain't gonna be,
Ma. We gotta move, quick.

No, no.

You're joshing your mama.
- No, Mama.

You're joking. You're
joking with your mama!

You're an old lady, Mama.

You just can't go beating
up on full-grown men

like they was little babies.

Just ain't ladylike.

Now, you listen to me!
I'm taking over now!

We're gonna move south.
Going down to Florida.

You understand?

Do you understand, Mama?

Herman. Not you,
Herman. Not you.

Not you.

Morning, sir.
- Morning.

Morning, ma'am.
- Morning.

Mr. Hanson sent word for me to
make you folks comfortable as can be.

Boy, that wide spot down the
road, is that the closest town?

Yes, ma'am. Sure is.

That's Owensby's Park.

Nice little old town.

Real nice little town?
- Yes, sir.

Nice little town.

Yes, sir.
- Yes, sir.

Moses?
- Yes, sir?

What y'all do around
here for kicks?

Well, sir, there's an engine
boat Mr. Hanson likes to play with

when he comes
down here on a visit.

He takes it out there
and tries to catch Old Joe.

Thank you, sir.

My furs are dragging, son.

That's an... A
nice little house...

Who is Old Joe?

Ma'am, Old Joe's a gator.

Biggest gator you ever seen.

Biggest gator you ever seen?
- Yes, sir.

Hear that, Arthur? Let's
do us a little gator hunting.

Biggest gator you ever seen.

Lloyd?

Son? What's ailing you?

Lloyd?

Ma, he's been sticking
himself with that needle.

God damn you, Lloyd! What
are you... Why do you do that?

Leave me alone, old lady.
Leave me alone, old lady, old lady.

Leave me alone, old lady.

More and more and more, Ma!

Lloyd...
- Ever since that little girl.

Why don't you take care of your
brother? Why don't you, Lloyd?

Lloyd, listen to
your mama. Listen.

That... That little girl... That
little girl was no good for you.

Your mama's good for you, Lloyd.

When you're sick, your
mama's good for you. Lloyd!

Lloyd...

Lloyd?

Hey, Dirk. What do
you reckon gators eat?

Well, I don't know. Lot of
people say they like chicken.

Oh, boy!

Look at this right here.
- Oink, oink.

I'm thinking...

Too bad, little boy. I'm gonna
get your little brown brother.

Come here! Come here!
- Take that son of a bitch, Dirk!

Oh, boy, I got you, brownie.

No, you old baby. I'm
gonna feed you to a gator.

Let's go.

This place is like
the end of the world.

You mean you don't
like it here, Mona?

It's okay, if you're a Barker.
- Well, you're a Barker now.

Lloyd?

What are you doing down there?

Lloyd?

Lloyd?

He looks just like
Moses in the bulrushes.

You just playing
gator, Lloyd, huh?

He's dead.

Get Ma.

No. No!

No! No! Not one of mine!

Not one of my boys! No!

No! No, no! No! No! No!

God! This is Lloyd!
Bright, beautiful one, Lloyd!

I know he's got...

Everybody's got faults, God!

God, let me add to
your blood, bastard!

Let me add to your...
- No!

Mama!

Lloyd! No, God!

No, he won't hurt my baby...
- Come on, Mama. Come on.

- Come on, Mama. Come on.
- He wouldn't do that! He wouldn't!

Come on, Mama.
- He wouldn't! No, Fred!

He wouldn't take my
baby! He wouldn't...

Here!

Herman, boy!

Son Herman!

Herman!

Herman!
- What?

Your brother's dead, Herman!

You're playing with
gators. Your brother's dead!

They're burying your brother!

How did it happen?

Herman, it was the dope
stuff, he put it in his arm!

Your brother's dead!
- Just bury him deep.

Lot of animals around here.

That's right, Sheriff.

They killed my pig.

And they killed Old Joe.

And they did it with
a chatter gun, too.

The kind they had in the war.

License plates?

It just could have
been Tennessee plates.

Do you want
anything before I go?

Where you going?

Miami.

Yeah?

Drop me a line when
you get settled down there.

I'll be down that
way pretty soon.

Okay.

Okay.

Kate Barker!

We have the house surrounded!

Kate Barker!

Arthur! Wake up the
other ones! They're here!

Hold it! Hold it!

Hold your fire!
- Hold your fire!

Hold your fire!

I'm not a Barker!

You bet your
sweet ass you ain't.

Ma!

Back, baby, back!

No!

Oh, my God!

Look at that.

The gun is jammed

Arthur, it's Mama. Mama
loves you. I love you! I love you!

They're dead!

They're dead. Herman.

Herman!

They're dead. All your...
All your brothers is dead.

Dead!

Kevin's dead.

He's dead. Dead. Dead.

Kevin's dead.

Honey, I've been thinking and
wondering, you know, what...

What you said, you
know, about Lloyd.

Lloyd's been buried
too... Too shallow.

My baby. You know? The...
The way it is, any animal...

Any animal can get at him.

All the damn animals,
they can get at him.

Herman, my...

No!

Please, no, no!

Stand back!

The best one.

The best! The best
one! You bastards!

He'll never get his
chance! You bastards!

You bastards! You always had
everything! We never had nothing!

Lord.

You've gone
through my children...