Masked and Anonymous (2003) - full transcript

God does not suffer.
He doesn't feel pain.

He is not a courageous God.

Human beings can be
courageous or cowardly.

Neither of these things
is in God's nature.

Will man destroy the earth
to move on?

Is that his Destiny?

Ask yourself a question,
people-

Are you humble before God?

...Believe in the one true God.

Ezekiel saw the wheel,
but what kind of wheel?

The cigar-shaped hubcap
from the Sky?



Are these the gods
that created mankind?

People, there are many gods.

It is written in the bible
that there are many gods.

Does the bible lie?

These gods left
before the bible was written.

Would you swear on a bible?

I'd swear on a bible.

A book of treachery and murder
and genocide.

Of course I'd swear on that,
and I'll tell you why.

The false Christianity
you subscribe to

Is nothing more
than the cult of the virgin.

People, it's time to evaluate
and reflect on your lives.

God has turned his back
on this nation.

Think about it.



What did Martin Luther King
get out of the whole thing?

A boulevard?

It's the dark princes,

The democrats and republicans,

Working for a barbarian

That can scarcely spell
his own name.

Hey, the only thing
more pleasant than seeing you

Would be seeing
the grim reaper himself.

You gentlemen are about to make
a hideous choice.

You two are pitiable figures,
weeping with blood,

And it's going to be
your own blood.

Are you aware, gentlemen,
that this is all a play?

We don't want
paper money.

We want
gold and silver.

Okay, listen.

Uncle sweetheart is organizing
a benefit concert...

A benefit concert

To help the real victims
of this revolution,

However,

I will be personally siphoning
the majority of the funds

Into the kitty
of the fattest cat of all,

Me,

And you gentlemen
will be paid in full.

When?

Definitely in this lifetime.

Look, you got
the money or not?

I understand
you're not accustomed

To staring
into the face of God.

Shut up.

I can't.

As long as I keep talking,
I know I'm still alive.

There's no use
talking to you, huh?

Yeah, ain't no point
in listening, neither.

I'm not going
to debate semantics with you.

Look, it's real.
It's beyond phenomena.

They're shooting and killing.

I mean, how do you define war
in this day and age?

What are they
fighting about?

I don't know
what they're fighting about.

I mean,
do the Hindus,

Arabs, Jews, Irish,
Muslims, Buddhists

Know what they're
fighting about?

The last person who
actually knew that

Was killed a long time ago.

They're all religious wars.

Look, we've got dead aliens

Stacked up
in warehouses.

What else do you
want to know?

We're talking about a war
with no technological spin-off.

It's an uneasy puzzle
to solve, gentlemen.

So why a benefit concert?

Well, how else
do you get rock stars

To do television, huh?

You either give them a cause
or you give them an award. Hmm?

What happened
to you?

What happened to me?

How far back
you want to go?

So where's
my headliner, huh?

I just got off the phone
with the network.

They want something
to promote.

They need
something to promote.

They have some questions
about your ability

To perform
services due.

And I suppose you told them
I was a total show biz stud.

That you have total
mystical knowledge

And Faith in me,

And absolutely
no question

About my ability
to perform services due.

Yeah, yeah. Something like that.

So who are we getting, huh?
We getting any important people?

You know, headliners?

Top-of-the-line
performers?

Maybe. Could be.
You never know.

Should I believe you?

Of course.

Yeah?
So, now tell me,

Are we screwed,

Or are we
not screwed?

Oh, I'm not.
Are you?

I don't think you are
getting screwed.

That's your problem.

Yeah, yeah.

I can't believe

You're going to
turn this disaster

Into a seduction.

This place bugged?

Uncle sweetheart,

We're fighting a war here,

In case
you didn't know.

War? Don't tell me about war.

I fought in the granddaddy
of all wars,

The war
to end all wars.

The one to rip
your heart out.

Look, honey... Honey,
I'm on your side.

My side?

Everyone I've ever met,
I can look in the eye

And tell what side
he's on,

So let's stop
the spiffy chatter.

I'm on my way
to a meeting

At the network.

They have a much greater
reach and resonance

Than even they themselves
might suspect.

Well, for the love of humanity,
we must limit their power.

Ha ha. You don't take
any of this seriously.

Yes, I do. Look at me,
being all serious.

Hmm.
No, look.

No, wait a minute,
here's the thing.

I don't think sting
or Springsteen

Or Billy Joel
or McCartney

Is going to work out,

But, but, but...

I have a surprise
for you.

I don't understand
what just happened here.

Where are the headliners?

The big waves,
big names, superstars?

Well, what's
to understand?

There's nothing
to understand.

They're not here,
they're not coming.

Do you mean
to tell me

After all this time,

We wind up
with Jack fate?

Jack nobody
is more like it.

He was over
before he started.

Are you finished?

We're all finished.

You know, ultimately,

We didn't have the money
in the budget

To attract a big name.

You said we did.

Yeah, well, then, I was wrong.
I'm sorry.

You're sorry?

Something is starting
to smell here.

Something is giving off
a very bad odor,

And these fumes are starting
to choke me.

We can do some
very ugly things.

I could have you killed
right now

For the price
of a cup of coffee,

And everybody
in this room

Would turn
the other way.

Hey, can we stop
kidding around here, now?

I think we should
pull the plug.

Plug?

There's no plug.

You show me a plug,
I'll pull it.

There's no plug,
there's no socket,

There's no wall.

If I'm going down,
I'm taking the wall with me.

By the way, Jack fate,

He isn't a blood
relative, is he?

Shut up, valentine.

You think you're going
to get off cheap

With Jack fate...

But believe me,
the price will be steep,

And one more thing.

If you want to suffer agony
for someone else's happiness,

Do it on your own time.

Now, go away.

Fate!

Fate!

You're getting out,
Jack.

Somebody sprung you.

Must be my lucky day.
Who'd have done that?

Some angels must have intervened
on your behalf.

Maybe a bunch of people
put their savings together.

Hell, I don't know.

Haven't felt free
in a long time.

Keeping people
from being free

Is big business.

I'll keep it in mind.

Open it up!

Hey, Jack. Jack...
Where you going?

Roswell.

You don't seem
to understand.

When they heard

Jack fate's name
mentioned,

There was
complete silence.

Like reverence.
Like prayer.

Yeah.

I was doing the praying.

They wanted to cancel
the whole thing.

Don't they understand
who Jack fate is?

Nobody knows who
Jack fate is anymore.

Nobody cares.

I mean, he doesn't make records.

He doesn't
go on tour.

He doesn't do interviews.
He doesn't do anything.

He doesn't have to.
He's a legend.

Does Jesus
have to walk on water twice

To make a point?

Besides, he's virtually free.
Who else can you say that about?

Virtually free?

No one is virtually free.

You're either free
or you're not free.

You know, if he's going
to play this concert,

Then he's going to play
exactly what we tell him.

Hey, prospero.
What's happening, man?

You missed it.

Two eagles just killed
a pregnant rabbit.

Hmm.

Rabbit must have
done something.

Leaving town?

Yeah.

Oh.

By choice
this time?

Not really.

Nothing ever
really is.

Where you heading?

That way.

That's a good direction.

I've done that a lot.

One of my favorites.

You know what else is good?

That way.

Maybe next time.

Think there's going
to be a next time?

For you, maybe.

So, you ever
coming back?

I did come back.

This bus going
across the border?

No, sir, you're going
the wrong way.

All right.

What are you drinking?

What am I drinking?
I'm drinking my life away.

Why? You want some?

Make you forget
that you're poor.

Yeah, but I'm not going
to have any.

So what's up?

"what's up?"

Isn't that an interesting
question to ask me?

I've got reporters wounded.

I've got reporters
that are held captive,

Held hostage.

I've got two
reporters dead.

I've got reporters
on the front lines.

I've got reporters
that are, uh...

Undercover with
the insurgents,

With the counter-insurgents.

I've got people
inside the capitol,

Even in the office
of the president himself.

Yeah, I've done all that.

Yeah, you've
done all that,

And people are still
dying out there, my friend.

Everybody's
doing the killing now.

Everybody's doing the dying.

Where does that leave you?

Are you still a journalist,
or are you a novelist?

Same thing out here.

So, what's this all about, huh?
I've got things to do.

I've got my awards,

I've got my scars.

I've got nothing
to prove to you.

You'll never change.

There's a benefit concert.

A benefit concert?

For medical relief.

It's going to be broadcast
on the network.

Government controls the network.

I just want
to make sure

It's not a pr thing,

That they're
not trying

To make themselves
look compassionate,

Or that it's not
some kind of a set-up

Or a nefarious ploy
to weed out the rebels...

But I will tell you this.
There is a story there.

That's no story.
That's no story.

That's every story.

That is the story.

Make something out of it,

And if you can't
do that, sir,

Then make it up.

How much time do I have
to do this?

I don't have a lot of time.

Jesus Christ, man.

You don't have a lot of time?

Abraham Lincoln...
Listen to me.

Abraham Lincoln gave
the famed Gettysburg address

In five minutes.

Five. So don't ever
talk to me about time.

There's...

Something else.

Only one performer.

Only one?

Yeah. One.

Try that on.

You don't need more
than that performer.

Okay. I changed my mind.

About what?

About what?
About everything.

Everything?

Every... Thing.

Enjoy it,

Because this is
your last shot.

Arise, o Lord. Save me.
Arise, o Lord. Save me.

Arise, o Lord. Save me.

What's the matter?
You look disturbed.

Yeah,

Because there's always
something the matter,

Right?

I don't want there to be.

You don't understand.

You can't stay honest
out there anymore.

Shit.

Why? What's changed?

I'm going to be gone
for a couple of days.

Maybe you shouldn't be
here when I get back.

Where are you going?

I want to go.

Don't we always
have a good time?

Yeah, good times
don't last long.

You're making everything
so tragic.

Tragic?

I'm not making it
tragic.

Every period in history

Has been more or less
tragic.

I don't know
what you're saying.

Don't you read the paper?

The pervert's going to be
the top man now.

The man of the hour.

Tommy,

If you had to kill somebody,
how will you do it?

With a gun or with a knife?

With my bare hands.

Look,

It's an overcrowded world.

It's hard to get to the top.

There's a long line
at the elevator.

Doesn't matter.

We'll take the stairs.

Let me go with you.

I come from a small
village in the mountains.

We don't even
have a doctor,

So I joined the rebels.

I didn't know
what the answers were.

I still don't.

I just knew you had
to take sides.

I suffered sickness and wounds.

My whole family
turned against me.

They disowned me.

I tried to explain, but...

But they just wouldn't
listen to me.

Pretty soon,

I saw the rebel movement
was corrupt.

The leadership were
lying to the people.

They wanted to replace
the old government

With a new government
which was just as bad.

They were taking
people's money.

They were making promises

With no intentions
of keeping them,

And then a small army
of counter-revolutionaries

Battled the rebels
in the mountains

Where the government forces
weren't effective.

I changed sides.

No one ever noticed.

This new movement
was fighting for the truth

The rebels
supposedly believed in

But really didn't,

And then I realized

That this movement
was being funded

By the very government
I wanted to topple.

At that point,

I realized I didn't want
the government to fall.

It would only be replaced
with anarchy.

I started believing in
preserving the republic,

So I joined
the government forces.

I fought bravely for the cause,

And then one day,

We wiped out
a small village.

They told us something

About the rebels
having infiltrated.

It was a lie.

All the men
were either dead or old...

And there...

And there was nothing
but women and children left.

We... We...

It was my village.

And, uh...
Sometimes when I dream,

My dreams become my reality,

And I wish
I could live in my dreams.

Do you ever dream?

Yeah, I dream.

My dreams
are walking through fire.

Intense heat.

I don't pay any attention
to my dreams.

Does he know
about the concert?

Of course not.

Shouldn't we tell him?

Of course not.

Did you hear who
the headliner is?

Look, I like Beethoven.

Stravinsky.

Chopin's really good.

Modern music doesn't
do much for me.

Quite frankly,

It doesn't do much for
the president, either.

At least it's not
some banjo player.

Anything we should do?

If they would have
gotten a big star

To headline the concert,

We might have
had to take action,

You know,

But they didn't get
a big star.

Big stars think
it's too dangerous here.

Big stars, you know,
they like doing benefits,

But only
if the benefits

Are held in places

Where they won't
get shot at.

Oh, man.
Let me ask you.

You ever met
any big stars

With a set of nuts?
With any big balls?

Any goddamn brains
or charisma? Huh?

My man, big stars,
they like...

They like it safe.

They don't like to put
their life on the line

For a cause
they don't understand.

I mean, who does, huh?

What do you want to do
about Jack fate?

Nothing.

Hey, Jack fate doesn't
understand anything.

Besides, he ain't
a big star.

What's going on?
Who are those guys?

They're the, uh...

They're the counter-
revolutionaries.

They've stopped the bus.

What do they want
with the bus?

Anything they can
get their hands on.

They might
just harass us,

They might let us go,
they might... Kill us,

They might
make us join them.

They might drug us.
I don't know.

You know, it's...

Violence is the only
thing they know.

It's the only tool
in their box,

And you can't
build a house

With one tool.

I've got a tool too.

Hey!

They have
no ideology.

They push both
Jesus and Judas aside.

Once he was a real father,

Full of love, compassion,
and forgiveness.

That didn't last too long.

After a while,

Being a father didn't amount
to more than an official title.

He sacrificed everything
he ever wanted

To reach his Destiny,

To rule this empire
with an iron fist.

From the cathouses
and gambling joints,

He Rose to the top rung
of civilization,

President
of this godforsaken nation.

Hey, do I need
to ring a bell

To get a refill?

You see, my glass
is empty.

Yeah,

The glass is always empty.

So is the spot on the counter

Where the money's
supposed to be.

Tell me, who in the hell

Is presiding
over this slaughterhouse, huh?

You or me?

Look, tough guy.

You want the world to be flat?
It's flat.

You want it to be round?
It can be round.

You son of a bitch.

I know
some things too.

Yeah, the more you know,
the more you'll suffer.

You've got that right.

Hello?

What? Jack?

How am I doing?

Man, I didn't think
I'd ever hear from you again

After that night.

I thought that-

No, I'll leave now.
I'll be there by morning.

Is this for real?

I'm on my way.

Hey, man, no hard feelings,

But I'm sure the next Guy
that serves you a drink

Is probably going
to draw the same conclusions.

It's on the house.

He's not here.

How do you know?

Because
I don't see him.

How do you know
he's not like Claude rains

In that movie
the invisible man?

Who?

He doesn't show up,

You'd better
get invisible.

This place
looks familiar.

I think I stayed
here before.

Well, welcome back.

Your pen's still out of ink.

Not a problem, sir.
You here for the concert?

Yeah, isn't everybody?

Oh yeah.

Will you be in need
of a woman, sir?

What kind of woman?

We've got all kinds.

Slave women, immigrant women,

Black women, white women,
young women, old women,

Rich, poor, middle-class,
free women,

Western women,
northern women,

Southern women,

Intellectual,

Radical women, modern...

They run the gamut.

Which kind would you like?

I'm just tired.
Can you give me a room?

I'm going to give you
the same room Nixon slept in

The night before he made
that famous speech to the press.

"you won't have Nixon
to kick around anymore."

I'm going to give you that room,
because it's got

The most comfortable bed
in the house.

Okay, I'll take that room.

All right.

By the way,

What side of the political fence
are you on?

I do not belong
to any political party, sir.

I guess you could call me...
A feminist.

Sir, your pen?

It's filled.

You have reached

The official residence
of the president,

Built in 1714,
burned down in 1809,

Rebuilt in 1818,

Burned down again
in 1841.

Hello?

Hello?

Some of us pursue
perfection and virtue,

And, if we're lucky,
we'll catch up to it,

But happiness can't be pursued.

It either comes to you
or it don't.

You can always say,
"if only this,"

Or "if only that,"

But "if only"
is a state of mind

That we get into
when we feel deprived.

In my father's world,
you do not take what is his...

Not his gold, not his silver,
not his woman.

I thought I was doing it
for my mother.

I thought I was doing it
for my country.

Ultimately,
I knew I was doing it for me.

In the end,

It's the strongest arm
that stretches the bow.

Hey... Give your uncle sweetheart
a hug.

Hey, you're all skin and bones.

Aren't we all?

Anyway, I don't have
to throw my weight around.

Look at you.

You must have put on
a few pounds.

Eating from the tree
of knowledge of good and evil.

Let me show you this place.

I own a piece of it.

Which piece?

It changes every day.
Come on, sit down.

There's a chair.
Plant your ass in it.

You look good.

You've got the jail pale.
It suits you.

So what do you got
cooked up,

Sweetheart?

What's your angle?

This is going to be
a patriotic rhapsody, Jack.

Here's the deal.

You'll be working
for the people,

The peasants, the children.

Imagine yourself
being reincarnated

In the civil war in Babylon.

Civil war in Babylon?

Come on, son.
Snap out of it.

You've got to stand up
on your tiptoes

To see the future.

Look, man,
this is our big Chance.

Another big Chance.

Yeah, that's right.

You do this show, this benefit.

It'll be seen
all over the world.

You put your career
back on track,

Maybe a tour, maybe a record,

Maybe both,

Make a little money
and save the world

All at the same time.

It's all politics, Jack,

And money is the mother's milk
of politics,

And we'll be a-raking it in.

You know you're not going

To make any of them things
happen.

So?

So what?

So, will you play?

Of course I'll play.
You know I'll play.

Well, good.
I already told them you would.

You couldn't get anybody else,
could you?

That didn't even cross my mind.
It didn't even occur to me.

Nobody could
be like you,

And a great many
have tried.

I just know
this is going to come off.

I need some boys who can play.

I got some musicians
right here.

Feast your eyes
on simple twist of fate,

The best,
and only,

Jack fate cover band
in the world.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We have a special treat for you
this evening.

Not only do we possess
the twist of fate,

We possess the cha-cha,
the boogaloo,

And the watusi of fate,
Jack fate!

Yeah! Whoo!

The only power the government has

Is to crack down on criminals.

When there aren't enough
criminals,

You make them.

You make so many things a crime

That it becomes
impossible to live

Without breaking laws.

How'd they ever get
you to do this?

They must be scraping
the bottom of the barrel.

I might have a few songs left.

You wouldn't try
anything, would you?

I got a lot of respect
for a gun.

You create
a nation of lawbreakers,

And then you cash in on guilt.

That's the system.
That's the game.

Once you understand that,
you'll sleep a lot easier.

Remember, life is like riding
in a taxi-

Even if you're not
going anywhere,

The meter is ticking.

Beautiful animals.

Oh, thank you,

But it's God
deserves the credit.

They don't have time to bother
with success or getting rich.

They don't have
fantasies of glory.

They don't borrow money
to buy things

That decrease in value
while they own it.

See, they're beautiful
because they just are.

They do what they do.

A lion don't try to be a tiger.

Rabbit don't try
to do an impression of a monkey.

They don't try to be
what they're not,

Unlike us,
us human beings.

The cheetah, the tiger,
the snake, the monkey,

The baboon, the muskrat,
the bobcat...

The pig that's fat,

The hippo, the rhino, the dodo,

The honey badger,

The slithy toad.

Each one, each perfect
in their own original forms.

Then man came in-

Who created him
and for what purpose?

Still a mystery.

Why is he here?

It's a mystery.

We know
he's trespassing.

Doesn't know his own place.

Of course he doesn't know
his own place.

He don't have one.

Man, the bear-hunter,
the fur-trapper,

The deer-chaser.

Man, the bear-hunter,
the deer-trapper, the, the...

Man, the bear-hunter,

The f-fur trapper.

Man, the-the-the deer-chaser-

Baby-seal-clubber.

The dolphin-snagger.

Lowest form of existence.

He's a rabble rouser,

He's a stir-upper,
agitator,

Goes around sticking his nose
where it don't belong.

The zoo, the aquarium,

They are-they are prisons
for the animals.

These animals cannot learn
anything from mankind.

Man doesn't have a thing
to teach them.

I abhor looking at human beings.

Disgust me so much

With their atom bombs
and blow-dryers and automobiles.

They build hospitals

As shrines
to the diseases they create.

Human beings
alone with their secrets,

Masked and anonymous.

No one truly knows them.

If I see
a crack in the sidewalk,

It's more
beautiful to me

Than any human being.

A crack in the mud at the bottom
of a sun-dried dead lake,

I count that more beautiful
than any human being.

You know what I mean?

I know what you mean.

Kind of like a curse,
isn't it, being born?

You got that right.

Yeah, because we live in fear,

Because we know
we're going to die.

Animals don't know
they're going to die.

They got no fear.

They live content

In the moment.

Holds us back,

Knowledge of death.

I say amazing Grace indeed.

Oh, man.

I'll tell you
something else-

Ancient cultures, civilizations,

Used to sacrifice animals,

Like cattle and rabbits
and goats and such

Instead of
human beings.

Now, today, we do it
the other way around.

We sacrifice
the human being,

Like the Incas,

Like the Aztecs,
like the big corporations.

Amazing Grace indeed.

Hey. Howdy.

What was that
all about?

The guy's into animals,
I guess.

Come on inside. I want
to show you this place.

You'll like it.

Sure.

Right up your alley.

The networks are really
behind this.

They're putting up a lot
of money for this deal.

It's a bitched-up
world, Jack.

The only way we can
protect ourselves

Is by going mad.

I'm not going to kill you.

Some famous star
from the jazz age

Was disfigured

Right here on this stage
during a live show.

Uh, what the hell
was that sucker's name?

I can't remember
that guy's name.

I don't know,
stagger Lee?

No.

You want to know
what really,

Really gets
my goat, though?

I mean, all this talk

About race this,
race that,

Ethnic this,
ethnic that.

I mean, when you come
right down to it,

There's really
only two races-

Workers and bosses.
That's it.

Hey, man.

You hear
what I'm saying?

Yeah, you said
the same thing last week.

I told you he was here,
and you were worried.

Miss Veronica...
Meet Jack fate.

Oh, yeah.
I had one of your first albums.

It's a shame.

It's one of the things
my husband took

During the divorce.

So, are you
ready for this?

I'm as ready as I'll ever be.

Look, I've got
a few things to do.

I'll see you
later, maybe.

I hope you've got
this cat's priorities

In order.

Have you explained
the restrictions,

The limitations,
the boundaries, huh?

The rules?

We talked about it.

I hope you know

We're dealing with
the here and now.

You can't compare
the here and now

With the there and then.

I don't care what he's
done in the past.

Calm down. Everything's
under control.

Are his songs going
to be recognizable?

That's what I
want to know.

All of his songs
are recognizable

Even when they're not
recognizable.

Don't worry about it.

We know
right where we are,

Where everything else is.

We don't chase after things
that are out of reach.

Ooh! Ooh!

You're so spontaneous.

Howdy.

Troubles...

I don't talk about my troubles
while they're happening,

I'll tell you about them
when they're over.

Anyway...
I slept like a log last night.

I got so much shit happening,
man,

I'm going to turn
this here thing

Into Woodstock, Altamont,
the Beatles at Shea, Live Aid,

And the Elvis comeback special
all rolled into one.

We'll see, we'll see.

I know
what you think, man,

But I feel good
about this.

I feel like someone
who's lived 10,000 years,

Has 17 senses,

And is standing ankle-high
in the Atlantic.

Well, I hope you pull it off.

Wait a minute.

Who's that?

Just the greatest
human menagerie

Since the Stone age

At our services.

No mediocrity here.
Totally beyond criticism.

I got all the acts here

Who are going
to round out this show

And fill up the Bill.

Come on in, come on in,
Jean darkness,

Dolly, the rubber girl,

Eddie Quicksand with Milo,

The great el Mundo
with Ella the fortune teller,

And our shooting gallery
of beloved world leaders,

Jean Paul Deuce, Mahatma Gandhi,

And our own beloved
Abraham Lincoln.

Come on in. Come on in.

Hey, you put on
a couple of pounds.

Don't call that home number
I gave you, dolly.

Here they are, Jack.

Friends, thank you all
so much for coming,

But Mr. Fate and I

Have some fiscal business
to discuss,

So if you could
all step out

To the holding area,

There's refreshments
out there.

Just see Ollie,
our stage manager.

Thank you so much.

Hey, cookies.

Oh, Milo.

Hee, hee, hee, hee.

Oh, lookee here.

Lookee what the cat drug in.

Bobby cupid,

How'd you
get in here?

Jack, did you know
he was coming?

Where's your passport?

I don't need
no stinking passport.

The land's too big
out there, man.

After a while,
it starts to swallow you up.

A billion years
of weather and wind.

I got a surprise for you.

Wait till you
see this.

What's that?

That, my friend,
is blind lemon's guitar.

Where'd you get this from?

Well, I've been
saving it for you.

How do you know
it belonged to blind lemon?

Because I got it

From this old boy's house
in Dallas

Down on the fifth ward

Near where lightning
used to live.

Blind lemon
gave it to him

When he was
leading him around.

Looks like the only thing
you could play on that guitar

Is solitaire.

This is one of the guitars
that started it all.

Looks like something

I could go out
to the corner pawn shop

And buy something just like it.

Well, maybe you could,

But it wouldn't be
like this one,

Because this is the one

That played,
"matchbox blues."

Oh, "matchbox blues."

Just like me and you, Jack
we got so far to go.

Yeah..

I'm going to go and put
some new strings on this.

See you later!

The later the better.

Did you ever notice
when you dream,

The dream seems to
span several hours,

But actually only lasts
a few moments?

No, not really.

I'm looking for Jack fate.
Is he in there?

Who's looking for him?

The name's friend, Tom friend.
I'm with the press.

Who are you? What do you do?

I'm a mechanic.

Well, I'm a writer.

I got an assignment to cover
this so-called fundraiser.

I'm looking for Jack fate.

Hey, you ever read
for whom the bell tolls,

Hemingway?

There's a guy that could write,
you know?

Yeah, I read it.

I need to see Jack fate.

Are you gonna make my job easy
or difficult?

Well, I don't know anything
about any fundraiser.

Get word to him that I was here.
Can you do that? I'll be back.

I don't know.

This say anything to you?

Hmm?

Not a thing. No.

I'm hungry, Tommy.
Are you hungry?

Let's go get
something to eat, okay?

Thank you
very much.

He seems like
a good person.

Yeah, pretty much.

They want you to sing
that song, "revolution."

You know,
the Beatles' song?

The slow version,
the in-and-out one.

Oh, "revolution."

What else do they
want me to play?

I got the play list
right here.

Let's see,
where's my glasses?

Okay, here we go.

"revolution,"
"street fighting man,"

"I won't get fooled again,"
"cell block number nine,"

"Ohio,"

"Eve of destruction,"
"kick out the jams."

You could do all those.

No, no, no,
sweetheart.

Sounds like a lot of songs.

Look, son,
you blew it before.

This is your
big Chance.

I'm trying to get your career
back on track.

There's people out there

Giving prizes
to people like you.

Prizes?

Yeah, people
are impressed

By people
who win things,

Don't you know?

Ain't that the truth?

Look, son, I'm trying
to be on your side.

Just let me.

You've got to be born
on my side, sweetheart.

Oh, behold,
the dreamer cometh.

What's going on,
dreamer?

Well, there's some guy out there
snooping around.

He looking for me?
What's he look like?

What's he look like?

Well, he's got
a fu manchu goatee.

He's with some weird
half-breed chick.

Looks like a leech, a bleeder,
some kind of two-faced monster,

A spy.

Well, that's
a good attitude.

You can tell all that
just by looking at somebody?

Yeah. Well, a guy does
all kinds of things

To give himself away.

He said he was with the press.

Lee? He probably would have
had him shot.

Sherman would have hung him.

Well, maybe we should
talk to him.

We could use some publicity.

Who does he want to talk to?

He wants to talk to Jack.

Well, maybe you ought
to talk to him, Jack.

Exposure can't hurt.

Well, if you ask me,
his pen's sweating blood.

Well, nobody's
asking you.

Look, Jack,
I'm doing my best.

I'm trying my hardest.
I'm only human.

I know. It ain't easy
being human.

No, sir.

Where have you been?

Well, they bumped off
another taxi driver.

Had to walk.

What's going on out there?

Police are trying to bust out
some political prisoner,

Or bust in and take some
damn child molester out

And hang him
from the lamppost.

Hell, I don't know.

What is it, Tommy.
What's bugging you?

What's bugging me?

The absurdity of a
lifetime of futile labor,

That's what's
bugging me.

Condemned to some
pointless task.

I'm trying to
track down some guy,

Ask him
the meaning of life.

Look at that crowd
down there.

Life is the meaning of life.

Your problem is

That you're
always looking

At the bug
on your windshield,

And if you keep looking at it,

You're going to miss
the whole scenery

And have an accident.

You've got to look
through the windshield,

Not at it.

What's that?

The dictatorship,

It's getting worse
day by day,

And newspapers, they're just
a false map of the world.

Did you ever hear
of the aids epidemic, huh?

What if I told you

It was cooked up by some
mau mau men in Africa

And they gave it
to British sailors?

What about the Vietnam war, huh?
You ever hear of that?

What if I told you

It was lost in
the whorehouses of Saigon

Instead of
on the battlefield?

How do you know that?

never reveal
your sources.

Be careful, Tommy.

The light in your brain
will go out.

I never thought I had a brain
until now.

Hey, Jack. Tom.

Friend.

Tom friend.
I'm with the press.

Oh, I know
who you are.

I know
who you're with.

Great.
Long time, huh?

Uh...

You mind if I ask you
a few questions,

Clear up a few things?

Not at all.
I don't mind, uh...

Ask away.

You got a smoke?

Uh, no. No, I don't.

What do you
want to know?

What do I
want to know?

I want to know
a lot of things.

Like what?

Well, I know you had
a twin brother.

What ever
happened to him?

A hunting trip.

Yeah, well, Jack,

That doesn't
explain anything.

Well, he never
came back.

Wait a minute,
wait a minute,

Now, it won't
hurt you

To answer
a few questions.

Nobody has to answer
any questions.

No, this will do us
a lot of good.

Let's just
keep it simple.

Just tell him what
he wants to know.

What does he want to know?

Can we keep
it short?

Yeah, we can
keep it short.

Okay, Jack. I've got
a few things here.

What about...

Mothers of invention, Jack,
hmm? Zappa?

Now, there's a guy,

He wouldn't take "no"
for an answer.

He did that whole movie,
uncle meat,

16 hours long,
totally unedited.

He let it all
hang out, didn't he?

What about you, huh?
You ever let it all hang out?

It always has been hanging out.

You know that singer

In the group
the bee gees?

Yeah, he sounds
a lot like, uh...

Gene Pitney, doesn't he?

As opposed to who?

As opposed to who.

"town without pity."
you remember that, Jack? Hmm?

That place
where they'd lock you up

For doing something

You haven't even
thought about doing yet?

It's a pretty lonesome world,
isn't it, Jack?

Hey... This here's
supposed to be

About a Charity
fundraiser, right?

Yeah.

Yeah, okay,
let's wrap it up.

What about... Hendrix?

Remember Hendrix
at Woodstock?

I'm just curious.

You weren't there,
were you?

You weren't
at Woodstock.

You weren't up there
with Hendrix.

Why? Where were you?
Hey?

You should have
seen Hendrix, man.

He was all business.

Didn't mix business
with pleasure.

Playing
"the star spangled banner"

Through two
lousy speakers

To a half a million
people in the mud?

What a cry that was.

Cry forlorn.

Yeah, one desperate cry
for freedom

Up there
with that screaming guitar.

Now, what was he saying,
Jack, hmm?

That "star spangled banner"
trip?

Now, what was that
all about, huh?

Revolution?
No, I don't think so.

You could hear tears
in every note he played,

Saying,
"love me. Love me.

I'm not a traitor.
I'm a native son."

He took that glorious anthem...

He dropped drug bombs on it.

You could hear that cry
around the world

Saying, "hey,
I'm an American citizen."

He was calling out
to his forefathers,

Yeah, the pilgrims.

Pilgrims... They didn't need
any stinking passports,

Did they, hmm?

Hendrix, Jack,
he was the last man standing.

Pride and honor, right,
that's what it's all about,

But, um, no,
they didn't hear him.

One sad cry of pity
in a town without pity.

Now, what about you?

What do you think about that?
That's what I want to know.

Would you reach out
to a drowning man?

Would you think
while you were doing it

That he might
pull you in?

I think this Guy
is way out of line.

Hey, hey.

Who wants a drink here, huh?

Anybody want a drink?
I want a drink.

Tommy. Tommy!

Tommy, I've lost something.

Hey, wait a minute!

Maybe we could still
work this out!

This...

Whoa, whoa, whoa,
hey, hey, hey.

We can work this out.

I got my story.

We ain't working
nothing out. Come on.

That was all off
the record, you know?

Nothing's off
the record.

Come on.

Here, have a drink,
become part of the club,

Have a swizzle,

Become a member
in full standing.

Thank you very much.
I don't drink.

I don't drink alcohol,
I don't drink.

Oh, I get it.

You're one of them
hot corn girls, ain't you?

You got a lot of self-control.

Freedom is only for those

Who practice self-control,
right?

Ain't that what you're
thinking, right?

There he is. Go on.

Come on.
He won't bite you.

It's a pleasure
to meet you, Mr. Fate.

Who's this?

This is Mrs. Brown,

And she's got
a lovely daughter.

My daughter has memorized
all of your songs.

Why did she do that?

Because I made her
do it, that's why.

What do you think
of that, Jack?

Used to be
she'd be sweating away

In some factory underage,

And now we got
child labor laws.

All these kids,

We took them
out of the factories,

Put them in the streets
how about that?

Anyway, she wants
to sing for you.

She wants to sing
her little heart out.

Go ahead and let her.
Go ahead, darling.

If I know nothing else,

I know at least one thing
is true-

That the sacred
is in the ordinary,

The common things in life.

They tell you
that everything is nonsense,

That the laws of nature
are nonsense,

Gravity is nonsense,

Relationships don't exist,
jobs don't exist,

Everything is up for grabs,

And there's no cause
of anything.

That's what
they'd like you to believe.

I guess you could say
that I was pushed downhill,

But my fall from Grace
didn't end

At the bottom of those stairs.

It went on,
and it seemed to go on forever.

Expect the worst,
and you'll get it.

That's about all
he ever taught me.

All of us in some way
are trying to kill time.

When it's all said and done,
time ends up killing us.

Isn't she Precious?

Come along.
Mr. Fate has work to do.

Come along.

Get out
of my chair, man.

Jesus.

All right, so...

Here are the lyrics
for "jailhouse rock."

The executives
are insisting

That this song
be sung, okay?

"jailhouse rock"?
Why they want to hear that?

Well, look at
the lyrics, man.

Here, give it to me.

Uh, where is it?

I don't know.

It's something
about a party

That the warden's going to throw
in the... County jail.

They see it as a song of hope,
you know?

Some, uh... Some kind of
egalitarian thing.

They want to plant
the seeds of hope.

A lot of people
try to plant

The seeds of hope.

Yeah, but the seeds won't grow
if you plant them on the carpet

Or a hardwood floor.

You've got to put them
in the earth.

"jailhouse rock," Jack.
What do you think?

I don't know, sweetheart.
You ever heard of cellulose?

Cellulose?

Yeah, cellulose.
It's in the grass.

Cows can digest it...

But you can't...

And neither can I.

Jack, I screwed up.
I screwed up big-time.

That's one thing
about you, sweetheart.

You don't do
nothing small-time.

Shut up. I'm not
talking to you.

I got a couple of guys
chasing me down.

I made them
some promises.

Promises are hard
to fulfill.

Well, I had to
borrow money, Jack.

I did a stupid thing.

I borrowed money
to buy something

That's been
decreasing in value

Ever since
I bought it.

Ain't that a bitch?

You live and learn.

Don't you
understand?

I'm trying to get clear
of my mistakes.

I've got a family,
Jack.

I'm not going to be
a burden on my children.

Oh, don't leave, Jack.

Look, you know I'm not
some vicious person

In a position
of wealth and power.

You're like a chemist
who invents a new drug

And doesn't care
about the side effects.

I'm in over
my head, Jack.

You're nothing
but a piker, man,

A door-to-door
encyclopedia salesman.

You'd commit treason
against your own self.

Who's talking to you?

Common sense.

The voices
inside my head.

That's who.

I mean, screw this
so-called concert, Jack.

These cats here,

They're just addicted
to lights and sound.

Man, let's go someplace

Where we can see
the earth and the Sky.

Let's go to the south seas.

Let's go
where Gauguin went

And just disappear
for a while,

Because this guy here,

He's like
a praying mantis.

He don't kill
his victims, he just-

Hey...

I don't know
which one of these voices

Is coming out of your mouth,

But tell it to shut the fuck up.

Gauguin was a stockbroker.

Let me borrow
the keys to your car

For a while.

Yeah?

Hey, whoa, don't threaten me.

Lucius, why are
you hassling me?

I told you, we're in
this thing too deep

To make a change
like this

On such
short notice.

Hey, sweetheart...

Well, well, well, well,
it's two scavengers.

Somebody must have left
some food scraps lying around.

Your bones break easy,
you know?

My father controlled
a lot of things,

A lot of people,

But he couldn't control
my mother.

I can tell you one thing.
She never loved him either.

It wasn't a marriage.
It was a masquerade.

She could love no one,
not even herself,

And he loved somebody else.

My mother tried to love me,

But I think
she was trying to kill me.

I don't think she recognized me
as her son.

It was like I had become
a symbol

Of everything that had
gone wrong in her life,

In her world.

I wondered if
you'd ever return.

I wondered if I'd ever
seen you again.

You were pretty beaten
and banged up that night.

That was a bad night.

You never resolved it
with him, did you?

Nothing to resolve.

You going to try
to straighten it out with him?

You think you can?

It can't be
straightened out.

Will never be
straightened out...

Not by me, anyway.

Then what you coming back for,
Jack?

He's on his deathbed.

I got to see him.

I'm tired of not seeing him.
I want him to see me.

You gave it all away,
didn't you?

You gave all the best of you
away.

Yeah, I did. I gave it all
to them sons of bitches,

Either unwilling
or unable to accept it.

Yeah, we all did.

You want to go see him,
you better go now.

I hope it's not
too late.

Me too.

Look, don't you
forget...

A home is a refuge,

A warm place
for the heart and mind.

What can I
do for you?

I want to do
something for you.

What can I do?

It's been
a long time, Jack.

Yeah, it's
been a while.

So much happens

In such a short time,
don't it?

Seems like
only yesterday.

Maybe to you.

Remember when
we were kids,

We used to play
in the back out there.

My mother
cleaned this house.

My father took care
of the grounds.

We were illegal
back then.

We ain't illegal
anymore.

We're in charge now,
Jack.

I remember your ma.
Wonderful lady.

Used to ask permission
before she did anything.

Yeah, before she
cut a leaf off a flower,

She'd ask permission.

Couldn't wash away
the real dirt, though.

No. Nobody could.

I'm the man your father
always wanted you to be.

I'm the next president
of this country.

Yeah, that's something,
isn't it?

You seem pretty
convinced of that.

Well, you know
how it is, Jack...

When inferior people
want to revolt, they do.

When they become equal,
they want to be superior.

You're looking at
the top man now, Jack.

This ain't no
dog and pony show.

We're not just
a couple of macho men

From the flea market.

Sweetheart, that's it.
I'm pulling the plug.

I'm not going to
wait any longer.

Wait a little longer.

No. What harm will it do
to wait a little longer?

He'll show up.

I know he'll show up.

Let her
pull the plug.

What the hell's
the difference anyways?

What's going on?

Are you canceling
the concert?

I get my exclusive,
sweetheart, right?

You made promises.

I did?
Yeah.

I don't remember,
I got amnesia.

Hey, big promises, buddy.

Get the hell
out of my face.

Hey, I got one
for you.

What did the monkey
say to the leopard

At the card game?

"I thought
you were a cheetah."

He's good. He's great.

I love his songs,
because they are not...

They are not precise.

They are completely open
to interpretation.

You got any idea what
that song was about?

Yeah, it's about trying
to get to Heaven.

You got to know the route
before you start out.

No, it's not
about that at all.

What strikes you
about the song

Is the Jekyll
and Hyde quality.

The song is written from
Hyde?s point of view.

That's what you like.

It's about doing evil

And trying to kill
your conscience

If you can.

It's not like
those other songs of his,

The ones
about faithless women

And booze and brothels
and the cruelty of society.

It's not like those.

This one's
right up your alley.

It's about doing good

By manipulating
the forces of evil.

It's just like you.

Geologists in Trenton

Are digging
the world's deepest hole

And have reached
the depth of 30 Miles.

Scientists have measured
the temperatures down there-

They have lowered
microphones into the pit

And heard the sounds
of millions of suffering souls.

Dr. Samosa at the project
management center

Has determined that
the center of the earth

Is hollow.

"hopefully," he says,

"whatever is down there
will stay down there."

In the west, rains-

What have I
been doing?

Pissing and missing
the ball?

I owe you an apology.

You've been
avoiding me, man.

You don't need
to avoid me.

I just want to know
a few things.

I want to ask you
a few questions.

Who's making the money
on the concert, hmm?

You know, whose
pockets is it lining?

Remember
Janis Joplin, huh?

The Judy garland
of rock 'n' roll?

Now, she took it
all the way, didn't she?

Lord, all she wanted
was a Mercedes Benz.

You know, what pipe of power
you smoking from?

Come on, man, tell me.

You're supposed to have
all the answers.

What makes you
tick, man?

You like people
to fall on their knees, right,

And fall all over you, huh?

I don't do that. That's why
you don't like me, right?

How much they paying you
to trot around the ring?

What about the king of
the sexual revolutionaries, huh?

Hefner, the son of
a bible-thumping Baptist?

How does that Guy
figure into this?

You're supposed to have
all the answers, man.

Come on, huh?

Sexuality is
more revolutionary

Than any ideology,
and you know it.

What, you think

Good and bad
are irrelevant?

Tell me why.

Who's your
true companion?

Who makes
your life easier?

Can you at least
answer me that?

I'm on your side, okay?

I'm going to
put your story

On the cover

Of the London
times, man.

You need the publicity.
You know that.

You been to England
lately?

It ain't so English
anymore.

The empire is finished.

You know, they got the big Ben
and the tower,

But it's just a theme park.

Jeez, you got your start
there, man.

How does that make you feel,
that the empire is finished?

What do you think about that?
That's what I want to-

Hey, man,

I'm on your side.

It depends
on your point of view.

Hey, I don't want to be here
any more than you do.

I doubt it.

Hello, Jack.

Do you know me?

You look familiar.

I was the star
of the show here,

One of
the biggest stars.

I was one of your father's
favorite performers once.

Everything was going great

As long as you kept
your mouth shut,

But he was doing things
that were wrong, your father.

His desire
for retaliation and revenge

Was too strong.

I was the only one

Who was in any position
to say anything.

Everybody else was too scared.

I had the show, I had a forum,
so I spoke out.

It's not what goes in the mouth,
it's what comes out that counts.

They said it was an accident.

Some even said it was a suicide.

Some people choose to die
in all kinds of ways.

Some people jump
out of buildings

And slit their wrists
on the way down.

Some fall on
their own swords.

I opened my mouth.

Do you remember?

My name is Oscar Vogel.

Oscar Vogel.

Well, I've got to get back
to the stage.

The stage...

Ah, yes. The stage.

The whole world's a stage.

What's the matter, huh?

Come on. We're
behind schedule.

We've got
a problem here.

Too much
electrical load.

The voltage
at the output terminals,

They're undergoing
a decrease.

So, can we do this?

Can we start on time?

We're all over that.

We're going to...
Yeah.

Yeah.

We're all over it.

30 seconds.

Five.

And three.

And one.

The president is dead.

The president
was a brave and strong man.

His principles and beliefs
never wavered,

And which we must continue
to strictly adhere to

And carry out

In accordance
with his last wishes.

At the moment,

We are giving people
a new identity

And erasing
the collective memory.

We are rewriting
the history books.

Nothing was more important
to our president

Than bringing peace
to this war-torn country...

Peace, a lasting peace,

That can only be achieved
through strength,

So in my first act
as the new president,

As the leader
of this new government,

Of this new regime,

We will begin immediately
to deploy troops

In the southern region.

We will resume bombing
in the jungle.

There will be no more violence
from the organized media.

Real actual violence

Will take the place
of manufactured violence.

We will empty the prisons

And we will build
the football stadiums,

And the evildoers
from the prisons

Will be trampled
by wild elephants,

Mauled by uncaged bears,

And pecked to death
by screaming eagles.

Furthermore, we will alert
the rebel leaders

That the negotiation's
finished.

There will be
no more compromises,

No more concessions,

Just complete and utter
unequivocal surrender.

We have learned
a valuable lesson-

Great nations do not fight
small wars.

There will be
no more stupidity,

No more mistakes.

It's a new day.

God help you all.

We are living in a tawdry
and vulgar age.

What do you think?

Yes, we are.

You know, when
the Roman empire fell,

You know what Caesar

And the rest of them
Romans were doing

When the barbarians
was at the gate?

What?

They were
shooting craps

And gambling.

Gambling is a waste
of time and energy.

You know, if you
build a casino,

You've got build it
like a fortress

In case there's
a police raid.

I suppose.

Can I offer you
a drink?

You want
to be sociable?

No, I don't drink,

I don't drink,
I don't drink.

Just one little
sip of nectar?

I don't drink,

I told you before
I don't drink.

Come on,
you're not on duty.

I said no.

Come on, you can get
to the truth of things.

Discover the riches
of a wise and good life.

Well, I stay as I am.

Don't you want
to live forever?

Put a little liquor
in your blood.

Come on.

No. No!

She don't want
a drink.

Oh, look who it is!
The sultan of sleaze!

The thing that came
from outer space!

Where'd you come from,
the world's fair?

We're having
a conversation here!

Your day's over. There's
no more conversation.

Look, son,

I was selling porno books

Out of the trunk of my car
before you were born.

Don't tell me
I've had my day.

You're the scum of all scum.

You never should have been born,
you pickled punk!

Maybe it is your day.

Tommy, let's go home.

It's not too late.
Let's go.

Yeah, it's always been too late.

Look, I won the jackpot.

The booby prize, huh?

A dead dog!

He's done
nothing to you.

You're going to try
to protect him?

You're going
to try to kill me?

That sack of shit?

I wouldn't spit on him,
him and his monkey lying tongue.

He's screwing you over like-

Aah!

Once when I was passing
a cathedral,

A white dove came flying by

And dropped a twig
it was carrying in its beak

At my feet.

This guy's gone.

Somebody better call
the meat wagon.

You better
get out of here.

Go out the back way.

You coming too?

No, I'm not.

I'll see you later.

Oh, man,

I had no idea
it'd come down like this.

How could you?

All right...
Anybody see anything?

Anybody?

Yeah, I saw it. I saw it all.

I was right there.

He did it.

What?

Shut up.

He did it.

I was right there.
I saw it all.

He's responsible.

I mean, it might have been
a random act, but...

I'll tell you what-

You could put his whole life
on trial.

For everything in life
you do, sweetheart,

There's a price.

You pay it up front,
in the beginning,

Or you pay it
at the back end.

Oh, yeah.

I was always the singer,
and maybe no more than that.

Sometimes it's not enough
to know the meaning of things.

Sometimes we have to know
what things don't mean as well,

Like what does it mean
to not know

What the person you love
is capable of?

Things fall apart,

Especially all the neat order
of rules and laws.

The way we look at the world
is the way we really are.

See it from a fair garden,
everything looks cheerful.

Climb to a higher plateau,

And you'll see plunder
and murder.

Truth and beauty
are in the eye of the beholder.

I stopped trying
to figure everything out

A long time ago.