Prizzi's Honor (1985) Movie Script

The Partanna baby. My baby.

Angelo, my oldest,

dearest friend...

your son, he lost his mother...

but he's got another father.

I'm his father now, with you.

I will be as one with you...

protecting his future. Yeah.

We are honoured, Don Corrado.

Raise the first finger

of your right hand.

This drop of blood...

symbolises your birth

into our family.

We are one until death.

We protect you...

so must you protect Prizzi honour.

- Do you swear it?

- Yes.

Now that you have sealed a

truly Christian marriage...

give these wedding rings to

each other, saying after me:

"In the name of the Father, and of

the Son, and of the Holy Spirit...

"take and wear this ring...

"as a sign of my love...

"and fidelity."

"In the name of the Father...

"and of the Son...

"and of the Holy Spirit...

"take and wear this ring...

"as a sign of my love...

"and fidelity.

"In the name of the

Father, and of the

Son, and of the

Holy Spirit, amen."

Fella, watch it.

See that girl up

there? The blonde?

In lavender, the gloves?

Look, pal, I'd like to help you.

But I got to take shots of the

notables, the bishops,

commissioners.

Do you want something?

What can I do for you?

I want some shots of that woman

up there in the lavender...

You got it. My pleasure.

Yeah? Okay, here.

Take care of yourselves.

Don't tell me that was

Charley Partanna?

- Himself.

- Holy shit.

Give me a ride over

to the reception.

It's worth a half a dozen veal

steaks on the Prizzi meat company.

You got it, Charley. Jump in.

Okay, quiet down.

Ladies and gentlemen...

my brother, Eduardo and I...

want to introduce you to a man

who needs no introduction...

our father, your dear friend...

a legend to his people...

Don Corrado Prizzi.

My father welcomes all of you

to this great family occasion.

He said that you should

have a good time.

He offers his toast of love to the

happiness of the

bride and groom...

and he wishes them many children.

Excuse me. Would

you care to dance?

Yes.

Some spread, huh?

Haven't I seen you before?

I'm sure I'd remember.

I mean, maybe you

went to Marymount

with the bride or something.

Could never miss you.

And you are?

Charley Partanna.

Pleased to meet you.

Miss. Telephone, lady.

- Telephone?

- I'll be right back.

Hello, Aunt Amalia.

Maerose, my daughter.

Papa actually invited me to

my own sister's wedding.

Imagine that.

He must be getting

soft in his old age.

Cara, let me look at you.

So, Aunt Amalia,

what do you think?

Such a one, you are.

Always making a show of yourself.

Come on, Aunt Amalia, I got

a reputation to live up to.

I'm the family scandal.

Everybody would be

disappointed if I stopped.

Have you paid your respects

to your father yet?

Do I have to?

Sure, you have to. Come

on, let's go together.

Hello, Papa.

She came to pay her

respects. Speak to her.

Then how come she

ain't dressed right?

If she's so respectful...

how come she shows up

at a family wedding...

dressed like a devil whore?

Don't worry, Aunt Amalia,

he'll get his one day.

You ought to be

ashamed of yourself.

Kid.

Where's the lady you

took to the telephone?

How should I know, mister?

- Who told you to go get her?

- Some old guy, I don't know.

Okay, here.

Watch out for them

cannolis, there.

Thanks, mister.

Hello, Charley.

- Hi, Maerose.

- Hi.

- How are you, Mae?

- Fine, Charley. You?

I'm fine, too.

- How's the decorating business?

- It's just great, Charley.

We're always busy.

Everything is art deco now.

Art who?

Charley, art deco. You

know, after art nouveau.

It's a style. It's not a person.

You know, it's like

all that Erte stuff.

Oh.

Goddamn.

What's the matter, Mae?

I should have known to stay away.

What happened?

I went to say hello to my

father. He called me a whore.

I'm sorry.

Listen, Mae, what you got to do

is forget about your father.

Forget about the environment.

They're never gonna take you

back anyway, so screw them.

They don't deserve you.

Especially that fucking Dominic.

Mae, you're still beautiful.

Why don't you find

yourself someone who

has nothing to do

with the families?

Settle down...

have a couple of kids, a life.

Practise your meatballs.

Sure, Charley. Thanks

a hell of a lot.

You're a big help.

Are you the guy that

took the pictures?

- Yeah.

- So when do I get to see them?

They're in the lab, Mr. Partanna.

I'll get them to you as soon as

they're out, about noon tomorrow.

Okay, meanwhile, give me her name.

Her name?

Yeah, the name. Her name,

for Christ's sake.

Jesus, Mr. Partanna, I didn't get

no name. I thought you knew her.

For Christ's sake...

- Hello?

- Mae?

She ain't here.

- Do you want to leave a message?

- Who is this?

This is the girl.

Ask her, and this is

very important...

ask her if she knows a

woman at the wedding...

who wore a lavender dress.

- You got it?

- Yeah, I got it.

Make sure she calls me, you hear?

Now, tell me your name, and

I'm gonna send you $10.

$10?

This is Miss Peaches.

Okay, Peaches.

Now, you tell Miss Prizzi

she has to call me...

- no matter how late, tonight.

- Okay.

Okay, Peaches. Thank

you. Bye, bye.

Hey, Partanna.

Gallagher, Homicide.

What's up?

Somebody tagged Sal

Netturbino this afternoon.

Yeah? Who done it?

Where were you between

2:00 and 5:00 today?

I was at the wedding, Corrado

Prizzi's granddaughter's wedding.

What did I tell you? They're all

gonna turn out to

be at the wedding.

Come on, we're taking you in.

You couldn't be cleaner, right?

- Who made the hit, Pop?

- We did.

We did? How come we did? I

don't know nothing about it.

That's the best way, ain't it?

Who hit him?

Out-of-town talent. It

was a specialist job.

How come?

Dominic told me to set it up so we

couldn't have nothing

to do with it.

We was all at the wedding.

You have any luck?

What kind of message was that?

Who can remember a girl

in a lavender dress?

I was wearing a pink

and black dress.

So you don't know who she is?

The woman in the lavender dress?

Go soak your head.

Yeah?

Mr. Partanna, please. It's

Irene Walker calling.

- What?

- Is this Charley Partanna?

Yeah.

I hope you don't mind

my calling so late.

I just wanted to

apologise for running

out the way I did this afternoon.

This is you? Irene Walker?

I recognise the voice, but I

didn't get your name before.

I just wanted to explain. I

hope you don't think I'm rude.

Rude? No.

You could never be rude.

Say, listen...

why don't we get together

later, like for a late dinner?

When? You mean tonight?

I could pick you up,

like, in half an hour.

But I'm in California.

California?

That's where I live.

I had to come home.

How about lunch tomorrow?

All right.

How about the bar at

the Bel Age Hotel?

That would be

tremendous. What time?

- About 2:00?

- Great.

I was scared I was never

gonna see you again.

- What was that you said?

- I ordered us a drink.

Something I think you'll like.

Say it again.

What is it? Something

Puerto Rican or something?

Yes, I guess it could be.

Pineapple juice with rum.

I had it in Cuba.

What were you doing in Cuba?

I was on my honeymoon.

I didn't know you was married.

My husband left me four years ago.

I don't know where he is.

I don't want to know.

He left you?

Crazy, huh?

I could find him for you.

Let him stay lost.

You might want to get

married again someday.

Maybe.

But until that happens, I guess

I don't want to know about him.

What about you? Are you married?

Once, I was almost married.

Maerose was her name.

We grew up together.

One night, we had a big fight...

because I was dancing too

much with this other girl.

I suppose I did it

on purpose, because

I wanted to make her jealous.

So she flew off to

Mexico with a guy...

shacked up in a hotel.

Her father sent some goons

down there to clobber the guy.

Brings her back to

the States, then he

don't let her in

back into his house.

That was four years ago.

And that's it?

You know, she can't even

go to Brooklyn anymore...

unless it's a special occasion.

Weddings, funerals,

stuff like that.

We're still friends.

She's a decorator. She did my

apartment. Real nice

job she did, too.

That's some family you've got.

Anyway, I like your coat.

Do you?

A coat like this would stand

out in New York, you know?

My father always says it's

better to stand out...

because of how serious you

are, instead of, you know...

the clothes, the

cars, diamond rings.

For men, that is.

What am I doing all

the talking for here?

How come I met you at the Prizzi

wedding, and you ain't no wop?

The bishop who married

them wasn't Italian.

No, he's a Polack.

So am I.

Walker is a Polack name?

It was Walkiewicz. I shortened it.

My maiden name was

Maida Walkiewicz.

Either way...

you're sure one

beautiful woman to me.

I guess I felt that Walker sounded

more like a tax consultant should.

You're a tax consultant?

What do you do when you consult?

I save people money.

Show them the angles.

There are a lot of angles.

Like this L.A. corporation had a

guy kidnapped in the Middle East.

So I told them that

the ransom money

was tax-deductible

as a theft loss.

- Things like that.

- That's terrific.

Shall we?

- Go?

- Yeah, sure.

- We'll take my car?

- Okay.

- What kind of a car is this?

- An Excalibur.

The Japanese make them in

England for the Arab market.

- It's a great California car.

- It's a great any place car.

Jesus, it must cost though, huh?

It wasn't free, but think what

it will cost in two years.

- Like to eat outside?

- Yeah.

Irene,

I got to say it, I can't sleep.

I'm a grown man,

middle-aged maybe, even.

But nothing...

nobody in my life has

ever affected me...

anything like the way

that you make me feel.

I love you.

That's it. That's everything.

I love you.

I think I'm in love

with you, too, Charley.

Not "in love." "In

love" is temporary.

Then you move on to

the next "in love."

Everybody's always falling

in and out of love.

I know this.

I remember everything, I read

about it in the magazines.

When you're just "in

love," it's just...

Wait a minute...

a hormonal secretion which

changes the sense of smell...

so as to affect somebody

in a certain way.

That's what "in love" is.

Who needs it?

Love?

I mean, I love you, I think.

That sounds like I'm hedging...

but I don't know how to say it,

because I've never said it before.

All my life, I've had

to protect myself...

and you can't protect

yourself from

anything when you love somebody.

I love you, Charley.

What's that they're playing?

That's Noche de Ronda.

I'm never gonna forget it.

I'm never gonna forget this dress.

I'm never gonna forget

anything about today.

Wherever we go, whatever it is...

whenever they play this song...

this is gonna be our song.

Everything being...

equal...

would you marry me?

- Everything being equal...

- Yeah.

I'll marry you, Charley.

Yeah.

Here, have a cigar.

Pass them around.

- Sure. Yeah, my favourites.

- Thanks.

They're really fabulous.

So delicious, very good.

Charley, come in. You

know Cyril Bluestone?

- Hello, Charley.

- How are you?

Here, you want a cigar, Charley?

Sit down.

Now, Cyril, you tell him...

what happened at the big

casino, those dirty bastards.

I've been president of the three

Prizzi casinos in

Vegas for 20 years.

And I have never seen a

scam like this before.

I've got 14 phony IOUs here.

They come to $722,085.

When the collectors go

to pick up the money...

the player that signed

the IOU is dead...

from some bad cold or something,

before he signed the paper...

or he was some place else and

he wasn't in Vegas to sign it.

Every piece of paper is

countersigned. That's

house rules...

by Louis Palo, the

acting manager, and

a man in the cage, Marxie Heller.

They had to have been

working together.

I don't get it.

Louis takes paper to the cage,

all he gets back is chips.

- That's house rules, too.

- Yeah.

Now the pit boss tells me

there's a woman in it.

He says that he twice saw Louis...

bring two big racks of $1,000

plates to this woman...

and she went to the

cashier's window.

He didn't think anything

of it at the time.

So where's Louis and Heller?

Louis caught a bullet in the head,

and Heller's holed up in L.A.

He's got a wife out there.

They found Louis across the

front seat of his car...

in the parking lot at Presto

Ciglione's bar, way

out in the Strip.

I knew Louis when he was a helper

on an ice truck 30 years ago.

We taught him his trade.

He wasn't smart enough to

figure a scam like this.

So I guess the first thing

to do is find Marxie Heller.

I remember him now. He always

wore a silver toupee on a job.

He had dark brown bags

under his eyes...

like he was carrying coffee

grounds in them or something.

That's him. He was good

with figures. Steady.

But he got TB.

Charley,

Louis Palo was a thief,

but he was ours.

Heller must have iced

him, so you ice Heller.

Okay.

What do you want, my friend?

The Prizzis sent me.

Where's your wife, Mr. Heller?

She's at the supermarket.

And just who are you?

Charley Partanna.

Where's the money, Marxie?

"Straight Arrow" Charley.

The all-American hood.

I don't know what

you're talking about.

Get up on your feet. Come on. Up.

Put your hands up, just

spread, that's right.

I think you broke my wrist.

You won't need it. Come on.

I'm home, dear.

Marxie's not here, Mrs. Heller.

What are you doing here?

Why didn't you call first?

You always call first.

You're Marxie Heller's wife?

You're married to Marxie Heller?

- Where's the money?

- Money?

No bullshit.

Your husband killed Louis Palo

for the money. Where is it?

I don't know what

you're talking about.

You've really knocked

me for a loop here.

- Where's Marxie?

- Dead. In the trunk of his car.

Stop this cheap bullshit.

Where's the money that your

husband and Louis Palo...

scammed from the

Prizzis in Las Vegas?

Maybe I do know

something about it.

He had a bag with him.

I'll show you.

It could be in here. It's the

only place I know it could be.

You're short.

I'm short?

I got $360,000 here. Half.

Half?

Don't keep telling me what I just

said. Where's the

rest of the money?

You got to believe me.

I didn't even know the money was

there. How could I

know it was short?

When Marxie came home

three nights ago...

after being away from me for five

years, he threw that

bag in the closet.

That's all I know.

Ever ask him why he came

back after five years?

Charley, please try

and understand.

I was glad when

Marxie showed up...

because it gave me a chance

to ask him for the divorce.

You want to know what I remember?

I remember you

coming in that door,

and saying, "I'm home, dear."

Is that the way they ask

for a divorce these days?

Charley, I could see

how sick he was.

I didn't need to ask him.

He only had a few weeks left.

Poor Marxie.

In all the years that I

knew Marxie Heller...

he never yelled at me, or

hit me, or stole my money.

He was my friend.

If it wasn't for him,

I'd probably still

be earning my living on my back...

with half of the take going

to your pals in Chicago.

It was his idea that I

study bookkeeping...

and he got me a job on

the main wire, too.

Then he talked them into

making me a courier...

and told me to study

the tax laws while I

was flying back and

forth to Switzerland.

Marxie was always there for me

like nobody else in my life.

And I loved him. Not like I

love you, but I loved him.

Now that's the God's

honest truth, Charley...

and if you don't

believe me, why don't

you kill me and get it over with?

I can't.

I can't change the way

I feel about you.

I look at you...

and I see what I want to see.

That's what love is.

If you were anybody else,

I'd blow you away.

But I can't.

I have to believe this.

How did it go out there?

Half right.

I got back $360,000.

How come only half?

I talked to Heller, he

won't say nothing to me.

So I pay him off with ba-bing.

Then the wife comes home.

We talk, no problem.

She brings me the money which

she thinks is there...

because Heller brought a satchel

home with him when he came.

I count. It's only half.

You worked her over?

She was scared. She knew

I tapped her husband.

I think she's telling the truth.

What happened to Louis' split?

I don't know, Dominic.

Well, somebody's got our $360,000.

Find it.

Okay.

When I close my eyes and eat

your cooking, Charley...

I think your mama's still with us.

Thanks, Pop.

You think Dominic believes that

I copped that other $360,000?

What the hell, Charley. The

money had to go somewhere.

Dominic hates your guts, anyway.

Yeah, that's getting real

bad. He never lets up.

He don't eat right. Look,

he never eats like this.

He's got permanent

heartburn from that place

he eats at, Tucci's, I

think they call it.

They make that Neapolitan garbage.

It's not like this.

Well, the man can't hate me

because he don't eat right, Pop.

Believe me.

I know how Dominic's mind works.

His whole life turned

out miserable.

He has to blame someone.

Every time he sees you, he's

reminded of the shame...

Maerose put on you, on

him, and the whole family.

You forgot. Not Dominic.

He probably worked

it all around, so

the whole mess is all your fault.

If he could have you

hit, he'd have you hit.

Great dinner, Charley.

What's the occasion?

I wanna show you the woman.

The one that I went to

California to see about.

Ain't she beautiful?

Well, I like a kind of darker,

more round woman myself.

I see you got a picture

of me with her.

- Pop, what are you doing?

- Jesus, Charley...

she was the outside talent...

we brought the day of the wedding

to make the Netturbino hit.

She was the speciality hitter.

Let me give you a

hand with the dishes.

No, that's...

I'll just stack.

The girl'll take care of

that in the morning. Thanks.

All right.

Well, then, I'll

just head on home.

Getting late by my clock.

- Great dinner, Charley.

- Thanks.

- Good night, Pop.

- Good night, Son.

Thanks a lot.

Maerose? Charley.

Charley, what is this?

It's 12:45 in the morning.

It's the second time you're

calling me in almost four years.

Mae, listen.

- I broke that vase.

- The vase? What vase?

That special vase that matches

the border on the rug.

The one you knocked yourself

out trying to find.

Charley, what are you,

out of your mind?

- Are you alone?

- Of course I'm alone, Mumpola.

I gotta see you.

What's with you?

I gotta talk.

You wanna talk out here, or you

wanna come in and sit down?

Sure.

This is a beautiful setup

you got here, Mae.

The colours are right.

That's what counts.

Everybody sees shapes differently,

but colours are forever.

Yeah.

Why did you call, Charley?

We wasted a lot of time, Mae.

Four years. You call

that a lot of time?

How come you didn't

wait till I was 50?

You could have been a fat wop

broad by the time you were 50.

You want to do it, Charley?

Is that what you want?

Woah.

Take it easy. What the hell, Mae?

Nobody took it slower

than me, Charley.

Four years.

Answer the question.

You want to do it?

Yeah.

So,

let's do it.

- With all the lights on?

- Yeah.

Right here on the Oriental...

with all the lights on.

Mamma Mia.

Thanks.

What's your problem, Charley?

It certainly isn't

the goddamn vase.

How can I tell you, of all people?

But I got nobody

else I can talk to.

It's about a woman.

Go ahead, tell me anyway.

How can I feel worse than I

used to feel before last night?

We grew up together.

We're the same people.

What the hell, Charley? The

calendar takes care of everything.

Met her in a church.

It just happened.

I knew she was the woman for me.

She organised a scam in Vegas.

I go looking for the bad guy, and

it turns out to be my woman.

Can you imagine this?

Not only that...

Pop tells me she's the piece man

for the Netturbino contract.

Just the same, I love her, Mae.

I love her.

Well.

How can I live with this? I've

got to do something about it.

I've got to straighten it out.

Then do.

Do what? Do I ice her? Do I

marry her? Which one of these?

Marry her, Charley.

Just because she's a

thief and a hitter...

doesn't mean she's

not a good woman

in all the other departments.

If she were some kind

of fashion model,

it wouldn't last

more than 30 days.

But you and she are in the

same line of business.

You are lucky you found each

other, you know that, Charley?

- Yeah, I guess.

- She's an American.

She had a chance to make a

buck, so she grabbed it.

Marry her, Charley.

Then at least I'll be able

to get something out of it.

I'll be able to go

back in the family.

Yeah.

Thanks.

Shall we have them

play Noche de Ronda?

- Yeah.

- Would you ask them?

- I've been all shook up.

- Why?

I know everything.

I know you made the

hit on Netturbino,

after the wedding

reception, when we met.

I know you've been scamming us

with Louis and your husband.

I did the work on Netturbino.

I had nothing to do with what

Marxie and his partner did.

Louis Palo was so suspicious that

he checked the car for bombs...

every time he started it.

But he would have let

some beautiful broad

walk over, get in,

and sit on his face.

No matter how you got it in your

head, Charley, you're wrong.

I had nothing to do with it.

Charley.

Did you mean it that first night,

when you asked if I'd marry you?

All right.

The Prizzis are gonna have to

believe me, because I believe you.

When can we get married?

Let's have another one of

those pineapple drinks.

The honeymoon has already started.

Kiss me, Charley.

In public?

Pop? Charley.

I'm in L.A., and that ain't all.

I'm gonna get married.

- The same woman, the contractor?

- Yeah.

She's Polish, but the family

will get used to that gradually.

Every time she walks

in a room, the other

women in the family

will have to shut up.

But I know how you

feel about it. I won't

try to stop nature.

Good luck, Son.

Thanks, Pop.

Say listen, the Don wants you here

for a big meeting tomorrow night.

Jesus, Pop, what

about my honeymoon?

You'll have it in Brooklyn.

Shit.

What do you say we go

for some confetti...

and maybe a couple of pictures?

Whatever you say, honey.

God, Charley. If Marxie

could only see me now.

- What's so funny?

- Me marrying a Sicilian.

You know, I can just hear him.

He always use to say,

"The Jews in this

business are bad

enough, darling...

"but the Sicilians, they'd

rather eat their children...

"than part with money, and they

are very fond of their children."

If Marxie Heller is

so fucking smart,

how come he's so fucking dead?

Next.

The gentleman at the end of the

table is Mr. Alvin Gomsky.

He's treasurer of the 18th largest

bank in the United States...

of which we own 25 percent.

Now, I asked Mr. Gomsky

to come here today...

so you can hear from his own

mouth what has been happening.

The bank president, Mr. Robert

Finlay, is stealing

from the bank...

principally through crooked

foreign exchange deals.

If he's allowed to

continue, the bank

will go under in less than a year.

Thank you, Mr. Gomsky.

Harry go.

See Mr. Gomsky to his car.

Robert Finlay's real name...

is Rosario Filargi.

Now, anybody who'd change his

name from Filargi to Finlay...

is also stupid enough...

to think that we wouldn't

protect our 25 percent.

Tell them our plan, Eduardo.

We are gonna kidnap Filargi.

He's covered with $2.5 million

in kidnap insurance...

so that's the tag on him

when we make the snatch.

We know the insurance company will

pay, because as Charley stated...

that ransom money

is tax-deductible.

We are also going

to leave a trail...

so the Feds will think Filargi

organised the whole thing...

cheating the bank, milking

the insurance company.

When the shit hits the fan...

we can buy another

good-size chunk of the

bank for about 10

cents on the dollar.

We get controlling interest.

Eventually...

we stand to make $60-70 million.

Thank you, Eduardo, my son.

Some men suffer most when

you take their lives.

Life is what is sweetest to them.

To Filargi, money is sweetest.

We'll leave him with his life and

without money or

any way to get it.

Marron, Don Corrado,

that's beautiful.

I almost feel sorry for the guy.

Beautiful is right.

I like most beautiful

things, Charley.

This one is very simple.

We rely on you.

How do you want me to handle it?

Pick your own people.

We don't want to know.

Dominic, my son, stay

with me a moment.

Maerose has written

to me, Dominic.

The man she wronged has

married another woman.

Now, Maerose has suffered,

Dominic, as you have suffered...

during the years of her disgrace.

Now honour is protected.

I beg you, on my knees...

show compassion.

Here, read her letter.

Look how the child loves you.

She wants to take care of you.

Send her to me, Papa.

She's my daughter again.

What we've got to do is take

care of the bodyguard...

and get Filargi down to our

van in the basement, right?

There's only three

apartments on the floor.

This one is Filargi's,

we get the other two.

How you gonna do that?

One of them is empty.

This one, we rent it.

The other one, we send

matinee theatre tickets...

and a heavy-duty lunch invitation

to the dame that lives there.

A limo picks her up

and brings her back.

She thinks it's a prize that she's

getting for helping

to plant tulips...

at the public library last year.

She'll go, all right? Now...

every day, Filargi's

bodyguard comes out first...

he goes to the elevator,

pushes the button,

when it gets there,

he puts it on hold.

Then he goes back to the apartment

and knocks on the door.

That's when Filargi comes out.

Now, you know, you guys, you

need a woman on this stand.

- A woman?

- Yeah.

Look, Charley, a woman

comes out of the

south apartment, holding a baby...

after Filargi's bodyguard gets

him out of his apartment.

She smiles at them.

She goes "goo-goo Ga-Ga" to the

baby, then she tosses it...

at the bodyguard, who

naturally tries to catch it.

While he's doing that, she gets

her piece out and covers him.

Then you come out of

the other apartment.

You take Filargi to the garage.

Then she takes the

bodyguard to Filargi's

apartment, does the

job on him there.

That's good.

For Christ's sake.

Where we gonna get a baby?

Where we gonna find a broad

would do something like this?

Where? Here. Me.

- We'll get a fake baby.

- Good thinking, Irene.

You guys work it out. I got a

terrific dinner almost ready.

Just be a couple of minutes.

What's the matter with you?

I didn't get married so my

wife could go on working.

Charley, she's right,

and you know it.

Throwing a baby, why, that's

strictly a masterpiece.

If the Prizzis ever found out I

used my own wife on this job...

I couldn't hold my head up.

I'd be the laughing stock of every

family in Brooklyn and New York.

Who's gonna know, Charley?

And anyway, what's a little honour

compared to $60-70 million?

Gentlemen, dinner is served.

Coming, Papa.

Jesus, Mae...

you look awful.

My beautiful daughter has

turned into an old woman.

Charley Partanna did this to you.

He had a chance to become

part of the Prizzi family.

He had no use for you.

Oh.

He had a use for me, Papa.

He came to my place in New York...

the night before he left to

marry the woman in California.

And he forced himself on me...

and he did it to me.

- He did it to you?

- Yeah, Papa.

He screwed me three times,

maybe four. I can't remember.

You wash out your

filthy mouth, you hear?

How can you say such

things to your own father?

He done that to you? Are you sure?

Am I sure?

Papa, you should see the

size of him, you should.

Shut up. How can you say

such things to your father?

- Where's your honour?

- Are you kidding, Papa?

I have no honour anymore.

Here, Papa.

Come on.

- Good afternoon.

Do you mind?

Catch.

No, no, please.

I must have the wrong floor.

Oh, my God.

No blood stains.

Okay, come on, let's move them.

I had to hit her. She was

looking straight at me.

You done right. Really.

I can't get over it.

I mean, what kind of creep

wouldn't catch a baby?

If it was real, it would

have been crippled for life.

He wasn't paid to

bodyguard no baby.

When the Don gets what he wants,

I'll ask him for some time...

we go to the old country,

have a real honeymoon...

maybe even a real baby.

God, Charley, I love you.

What's going on?

What are you doing?

- See you at dinner.

- Okay, dear.

Recapping our top

stories at this hour,

there are new

developments in that...

- Phone, Charley.

- Shut up. I want to hear this.

Police have now

identified both victims.

One of them was a

police captain's wife.

Shit.

The man found with her

was the bodyguard...

of bank president, Robert Finlay.

Finlay's apartment is right

next door to the one...

where the two bodies

were found. Bank

officers reported him missing...

when he didn't show up at

a meeting Monday morning.

Police now speculate

he has been kidnapped.

They also believe that

Victoria Caihane,

who'd gone to visit

in the building...

stumbled accidentally into

the scene of the crime.

How about this? First, she's

got to push the wrong button.

And then, the broad turns

out to be a cop's wife.

The phone's still waiting.

Matinee theatre tickets

for a Broadway show.

A limousine picked them up, and

returned them after the show.

We will have more late-breaking

news after this pause.

- Yeah?

- Hi, honey.

Were you watching the TV just now?

Yeah.

A police captain's

wife. Just my luck.

Yeah, all hell's gonna break

out over this, Irene.

The cops don't like it much when

you hit one of their wives.

But it was an accident.

Mr. Ciglione?

Miss Prizzi, would you like

to come to my office, please?

Miss Prizzi, would you

care to have a drink?

I'll have a Babycham.

Babycham?

You heard what the

lady said, a Babycham.

Please, sit down, Miss Prizzi. I

think I got something for you.

Sit down over there.

Is that the broad? Tell the lady.

I was using this camper as a

trick room in the parking lot.

As I lifted up my

head from the job,

I seen this woman in hot pants...

run into the lights

of the car where

Louis Palo caught it in the head.

She was in the car a couple of

minutes, then she gets out...

and she goes to the trunk and

she takes out a satchel.

- Then she fades.

- Same woman?

Yeah, it's the same one.

Why don't you go on one

of those cruises, honey?

You've reached the answering

machine of 555-4375.

No one can take your

call right now.

Please leave a message

after the beep.

Meet me on the

Promenade, Brooklyn.

7:00 p.m. tomorrow. Full price.

I'll be at the south end, on a

bench, reading Popular Mechanics.

You the contractor?

How much?

It depends. Some hits are tricky.

Who is it?

A Brooklyn fellow,

Charley Partanna.

Amalia told me that you want to

thank me for bringing you home?

Who else?

You are blood of my blood.

You're flesh of my flesh. Yeah.

And as long as I'm able...

I'm gonna think about

your well-being.

- Thank you, Grandfather.

- Yeah.

You have drawn me

back from purgatory.

I wish you had been a son.

You are a true Prizzi.

You like to have a cookie?

It is I who must offer

you a gift, Grandfather.

- A gesture of my gratitude.

- I have always enjoyed gifts.

Who is this handsome lady?

That is Charley Partanna's wife.

Well?

Grandfather, my gift to you

is not only the pictures...

but also what they mean.

Louis Palo was killed in a

parking lot in Las Vegas.

- I know.

- I took these pictures there.

There was a woman

who'd been turning

tricks in a camper

in the parking lot.

She told me she saw this woman

get into a car with Palo.

After a minute, she got

out, went to the trunk.

She took out a satchel.

- This woman?

- Yes, Grandfather.

She killed Palo...

and she stole $720,000 from us.

She gave back half

to save herself.

What do you want me to do?

She dishonoured us.

You are like me.

We forgive nothing.

Now what would that do

to Charley Partanna?

She must pay, like anybody else.

To do what you ask, that

would cause Charley...

great pain.

What is that compared to

the honour of the Prizzis?

Charley is like my son.

I pledged to be his second father

on the day that he was born.

- Grandfather.

- Shut up.

Have another cookie, my dear.

What we're here for is

to tell you what we're

telling all the

families in this town.

All contracts are off until we get

whoever killed Captain

Calhane's wife.

- How do you mean, Davey?

- He means nothing is happening.

We're coming down hard on you.

A police captain's wife

has been murdered.

You got narcotics, right?

Plus loan sharking.

Plus horse books, football,

basketball, boxing...

as well as what you take out of

restaurants and the

trucking business.

There's a couple of

million in television

sets that fall off trucks

every week, right?

We're gonna put them all out

of business, as of now.

It'll cost us hundreds

of thousands,

but that's the way it's gonna be.

Davey, I've been

doing business with

the Police Commissioner's squad...

for 40 years now.

We always went under one rule: you

take our money, you

leave us alone.

The more pressure

you put on us, the

more money you'll cost yourselves.

There ain't a cop

that's had to get along

on straight police

pay for a long time.

Yeah.

Look, Angelo, our

people don't like

this any better than you do...

but this one's a point

of honour with us.

You understand that, Angelo?

You're a fine looking woman.

Charley Partanna is a lucky man.

Thank you for coming.

What a surprise you gave us

with this sudden wedding.

Well,

We just sort of swept

each other away.

I understand. I was young once.

But this marriage of yours...

has troubled me.

Why, Don Corrado?

The people at Presto

Ciglione's place in

Vegas have looked at

pictures of you...

and they told us that

you killed Louis Palo.

Under ordinary circumstances...

you would have to be punished...

because those who steal must pay.

But you're the wife

of my godson...

and I've searched to find some

way to show you clemency.

What can I do?

You got the other

half of the $720,000?

Yes.

- Was Charley in this with you?

- No.

He believed me when I told him

the half was Marxie's split.

He didn't know I had

anything to do with

it, or that I did the

number on Louis.

Good.

You can have five days...

to get the $360,000 together.

Then you will give it back...

together with a 50-percent penalty

for what you have done to us.

Will five days be

enough time for you?

Five days? Yeah, I can get

it together in five days.

- Irene?

- Charley.

How come you're in L.A.?

I had business to attend to.

Didn't you see my note?

Can you get out here this weekend?

I don't think so.

Tell me.

Tell you what?

Tell me, "I love you."

- I love you.

- I love you, too.

And it's real.

It may not be scientific,

but it's real.

Scientific?

I read it in a magazine.

According to a doctor, everyone's

always trying to get...

what they thought they needed from

their mothers, but

they didn't get it.

Charley, I don't even

remember my mother.

That's the amazing part.

There's something in

you that knows anyway.

The magazine said so.

That's what love is.

When you find someone

who will give you...

what you think you wanted

when you were a baby.

But you didn't get it.

A doctor wrote this.

Charley, forget doctors.

Better yet, let's play doctor.

On the phone?

Doctor Partanna, I have this itch.

Well, they're not kidding

around this time.

It's gonna get worse.

They're gonna keep

leaning on us...

until we give them whoever it

was that hit that cop's wife.

All I know is one thing here.

The cops tell us that the

guy who got snatched...

the day they did the number

on the cop's wife...

also did big business...

with the Prizzi family.

I want to make this a short meet.

I want to put it to

a vote right now...

that Dominic Prizzi...

tells us what the hell

he's gonna do about it.

Am I right?

Raise your hands.

Hold the hands.

Who do you think

you're talking to?

I am Dominic Prizzi.

While most of you

was walking around

with holes in the ass

of your pants...

we were sticking up gas stations.

We was the biggest

family in the country.

And now, most of you have

figured out how to push broads.

We're still the biggest.

We lose more, when the cops get

in an uproar, than any of you.

Now, we don't like it...

but you ain't gonna tell us

how to run our business.

We ain't taking any shit

from any outsiders...

about the family business.

And I mean, especially...

a scummy little pimp, like you...

Signor Bocca.

I hope you like it.

Thank you.

Padrino, I never saw

anything like this here.

The broad pushes the wrong

button in the elevator.

The door opens just

in the minute...

when the second man

drops the bodyguard.

The woman is standing there.

She makes all three of us.

She had to go.

I am sure you didn't

act without thinking.

That's why I called

you here today.

You're a thinker.

Dominic is a sick man...

and the return of his

daughter brought him no ease.

He's got ulcers coming on.

I'm gonna move Dominic

out to Vegas...

and make you boss.

I'm speechless, Padrino.

This is an honour...

beyond my dreams.

What could I do to

show my gratitude?

For the time being, this

must be our secret.

You must not even

tell your father.

I don't understand, Padrino.

We will announce everything once

the Filargi thing is settled.

Then Dominic will move out...

and you will move in.

God, I missed you.

So I gather.

What's been happening?

Plenty.

I just had a meeting with the Don.

Private audience.

He wants me to take over.

He says Dominic's sick. They're

gonna send him to Vegas.

- I'm to be the boss.

- Charley, that's fantastic.

I don't know.

It smells fishy to me.

Number one:

It should've been Dominic who

told me, instead of the Don.

Maybe the Don hasn't broken

the news to Dominic yet.

Whether he has or whether he

hasn't, he would've told Pop.

He don't decide what Mass to

go to unless he talks to Pop.

A big deal like this, they go

over every angle 15 times.

- And he didn't?

- No, worse than that.

The Don says for me

not to tell Pop.

Want to know what I think, Irene?

What?

I think they're setting me up.

I think you're right, Charley. I

think they're after our scalps.

How do you know that?

I got a couple of

things to tell you.

I went out to L.A. on

orders from the Don.

He told me, return the

money I took from Louis...

plus 50-percent interest.

So you did zotz Louis Palo.

You swore to me that you

didn't. You lied to me.

I lied to you because

you wanted me to. I

only told you what you

wanted to be true.

And I told the Don

it was all my doing,

but Jesus, Charley, I'm so sorry.

What's the other thing

you've got to tell me?

Dominic's put out a

contract on you.

- What are you, fucking nuts?

- Charley, I'm the contractor.

Dominic hires my own

wife to clip me?

Charley, he didn't know I was your

wife. He just wanted the best.

Charley, honey...

let's go to Hong Kong tonight.

What are you talking about?

I mean, let's beat it

while we still can.

Beat it?

Yes, scram, split. Let's

make a run for it.

I know this guy in

Hong Kong can give us

new prints, even new

faces, in a few days.

We can get out of this crazy

world. We can start fresh.

We can be together all the time.

- Hong Kong?

- Hong Kong. Brazil. South Africa.

It doesn't matter. What

matters is us, together.

Listen...

I've been doing three,

four hits a year, for

the last few years,

most of them, full pay.

That many?

It's not many if you consider

the size of the population.

The thing is, I got

almost $1 million...

in a safe-deposit

box on the coast.

You must have at

least that much put

away. We can take all

the money and run.

We can go where we

want, do what we

want. We can be

together all the time.

Please, Charley, let's just

go before they get us.

They're not gonna get us.

Piss on the Prizzis.

These people can't

win all the time.

There has to be a way

to beat them bastards.

Let's call Pop.

And the Don told you to keep

making you Boss a secret from me?

Yeah.

And he told you he's letting you

off for giving him back the money?

- Plus 50 percent.

- Right.

And Dominic gave you a $50,000

down payment to hit Charley?

Absolutely. Brand new bills.

He's hot. I never

seen him this hot.

It's just business,

Charley. Just business.

What are we gonna do?

You have to take away the

only thing the Don wants.

Filargi, golden Filargi. You

have to snatch Filargi again.

This time from the Prizzis.

How many people you got

there holding Filargi down?

Two. My people. They do

whatever I tell them.

Good. Filargi's worth

$70 million...

maybe more to the Prizzis,

including the bank.

What are you next to

$70 million? Nothing.

He'll take whatever

deal you offer.

- Yeah. No choice, right?

- Right, no choice.

They know we can let Filargi

go and testify against them.

Or even worse...

you can turn and go

into the government's

Witness Protection Program...

and testify against

the Don and Dominic.

To a jury, the cold

facts would be,

you shot the police

captain's wife...

on orders from the Don

and Dominic, after

they hired you to

do it for $150,000.

You're very dangerous

to the Prizzis, Irene.

Yeah.

It could turn out

to be a good thing

Irene zipped the

police captain's wife.

It could solve all our problems.

We are here tonight

to honour my son.

He's gonna leave us...

to live in a $935,000 house...

next to his own golf course

in Las Vegas, Nevada.

And I say to him, for you...

from my heart...

God speed you.

God bless you, Dominic.

And I want to present you...

with these tokens of the

esteem of your entire family.

It's a going-away present...

a complete set of sterling

silver golf clubs.

Now, that bag is made out

of a hide of an elephant.

Its the only one in

the United States.

And 1,000 of your

favourite Mexican cigars.

Now we're gonna have a song, in

celebration of this

grand occasion.

The great tenor, Tomasino Baratta.

Get moving.

Holy shit, Boss. Somebody

done the job on Zingo.

The Boccas.

This killing of the

police captain's wife...

is costing us all too much.

I got something to read to you.

It's a letter.

A letter? Who from?

Charley.

You all set?

"Dear Eduardo...

"you're probably hot right

now because we took Filargi.

"But when you hear

the reason why...

"you and the Don are

gonna understand

there was no other

way we could go.

"Dominic put out a

contract on me."

- He's a fucking liar.

- You want to hear the letter?

Listen, don't talk. There's about

$130 million here, maybe more.

We've got to renegotiate

it before we

get it back. Just

shut up and listen.

Go on, sit down.

"Dominic will say it's

a lot a bullshit.

"But it so happens he

hired my own wife,

and he gave her a down

payment of $50,000.

"My wife is sitting here next to

me, and she's laughing like hell.

"I personally think the Don

found Dominic on a doorstep...

"because Dominic is 50 times

too dumb to be a Prizzi.

"The first thing I got to have

before you get Filargi back...

"is that you deliver

Dominic to me...

"where I tell you, and

when I tell you."

This time, no contract.

I'll kill him myself.

Listen to the letter,

Dominic, will you? Come on.

"For the main money,

this is what I want:

"$2,314,000 for expenses...

"then $50,000 for my helper...

"of course, the

$150,000 promised to my

wife, as second man in

the Filargi stand."

Charley's wife was the second man?

Right. She was the only way we

could take out the bodyguard.

"Then I want all of the insurance

coverage on Filargi's

kidnap policy...

"which is $2.5 million."

My God, he's a real businessman.

That's my boy.

We've got to make him

a counter-offer,

and eventually we settle.

The way I see it...

we get about $60-70 million, and

only about 5.9 percent

sales cost...

if we give Charley everything

he wants, which we won't.

And I am part of the

fucking sales cost.

Dominic, you take some

blood-pressure medicine, will you?

Charley is just making a point.

Everything is negotiable.

We go over to Papa's...

we hash this thing out.

Come on, Dominic. Up, let's go.

- Somebody is dead?

- Yes.

Who? Who's dead?

Poppa.

Dominic.

The Boccas again?

Poor Dominic.

He got old.

Something happened.

Maybe it was his

daughter, who knows?

But he agreed to retire...

and I give the job to Charley.

I told him to keep it a

secret a little while...

until Dominic's banquet.

It's all right.

Now, Charley's all mixed up,

and we've got to get him back.

Only Charley can hold

everything together here.

How you doing, Pop?

- I'm fine. Everything all right?

- Yeah.

Everything's quiet out here.

Mezza mezza, huh?

Sorry to drag you out

here, Pop, but I

didn't want anyone

taking a potshot at me.

When I told the Don about Dominic

putting out a contract on you...

it knocked him out. He

couldn't believe it.

Yeah?

He told me with tears

in his eyes, he's

got to straighten all

this out with you.

Then he wasn't setting me up?

He said, and I know

him for 50 years, so

I know he was looking

into his heart...

he said, "We need Charley."

He said that?

The Don and me don't

have much time

left. The family

has to keep going.

You're the only one

that can run it.

Then everything's okay? We don't

have to hang on to Filargi.

The Don gave his guarantee.

Tomorrow morning at 10:00...

you bring Filargi to 42nd

Street library and let him out.

I'll tip off the cops and the FBI.

They'll be in his hotel room.

Okay, Pop. Want the paper?

I read it from cover to cover.

Jupiter's Accord,

sixth at Belmont.

Okay.

By the way, the insurance

company paid off.

Take care of yourself, Charley.

How we gonna take Filargi in?

Pop's sending someone up on

the Palisades to meet us.

We'll transfer him

to the van there,

and I'll drive him into the city.

You stick with the plumber, he'll

drop you off at the apartment.

Tell me about the money, Charley.

My end is $2.5 million, plus

I'm boss of the Prizzis...

with heavy points in

everything the family does.

This time next week, we'll

have all the money.

You mean you're gonna turn

over our whole ball of wax...

to some Sicilians

who are gonna pay

you what they owe you next week?

Honey, I'm the boss. They need

me. I've got to believe Pop.

They're not gonna

screw us over now.

Maybe Pop's in there looking

after your interests...

but that doesn't necessarily

mean he's looking after mine.

There's a real pressure to

turn over the second man.

- You're my wife.

- I'm your Polack wife.

Irene, will you shape up? Jesus.

Okay, I'll shape up.

As soon as I get my $900,000.

What $900,000?

The $720,000 from

the Vegas scam...

plus the $180,000 that Don made me

pay as penalty. That's $900,000.

I just want what's mine.

That's Prizzi money, honey,

not yours. You stole it.

The Prizzis got

theirs back from the

insurance company. I

just want it back.

That ain't gonna make no

sense to the Prizzis, honey.

Remember the words of the

late great Marxie Heller:

"We'd rather eat our children

than part with money."

You remember those words, honey.

I am, Charley, I am.

Mr. Filargi...

you were born a poor

kid in Naples, right?

Yeah, that's right.

You remember the Camorra?

The Camorra was small,

we're very big.

There's nowhere we can't go.

They could lock you

in a steel room, in a

submarine on the bottom

of the ocean floor.

We'd still get to you.

Cops are gonna talk to you.

You tell them anything

about who took

you, or where you

thought we took you...

we're gonna kill you, capisce?

I understand.

Good.

You're free, Mr.

Filargi. Good luck.

Yeah.

I've forgotten the

Prizzis already.

I got a request to

make, or Irene has.

What kind of request, Charley?

She wants her money back.

What money?

The $540,000 she gave

you for the Don...

plus the $360,000 I

took the night I

zipped Marxie Heller. That money.

She's willing to

forget about the $2.5

million from Filargi's

insurance...

and the rest of what Dominic

owed her for the contract on me.

But she wants her $900,000 back.

With all due respect, Charley,

the wife must be cracked.

Try to see it from

her point of view.

I mean, you agreed

to all that stuff in

the letter we sent,

when we had Filargi.

You made a commitment, Pop.

Anyway, it was Irene's moves...

that got Filargi out

in the first place.

We're gonna get the

bank, so $900,000

doesn't seem like so much money.

Irene figures she's got it coming.

Yeah, I'm glad that she's

so foolish and grasping.

Makes it a little easier,

what we got to do.

The family decided...

that we've got to give the

second man to the cops.

Give Irene to the cops?

The family decided that

we got one week...

to give up the second

man, or we'll be at war.

War would cost us

everything we got.

Now, that could mean

the end of the family.

But, Padrino...

Charley, you shouldn't

have married a

woman that wasn't in

the environment...

that wasn't smart.

Might have been all right if she

was straight, but she wasn't.

She got to go...

and you got to do the

job on her, Charley.

You're the only one who could

get close enough to do it.

Zotz Irene?

Clip Irene?

If they take her

alive, they're gonna

make her talk, and

then, if she talks...

she's gonna drag us all to

jail, maybe even to the chair.

Filargi will go free. We

will never get the bank.

There is no choice here.

How is doing a number on Irene

gonna satisfy the cops...

about the broad that

pushed the wrong button?

Filargi will identify

your wife's body.

There will be no one to question.

Everybody will get

what they want, and

we can all go back

to doing business.

But, Padrino...

she's my wife.

I can't kill her.

You swore an oath of blood...

my blood and yours...

that you would always

put the family

before anything else in your life.

So we are calling on you now

to keep that sacred oath.

Irene is my family,

Padrino, she's my wife.

Charley, she is a woman you have

known for only a few weeks.

She is your wife,

we are your life.

You failed in your oath...

when you covered up for her

part in the Vegas scam.

A great sin...

against your honour.

For this, you must atone.

I need her.

Look at you.

You've been alone since Mama died.

You, Padrino, you've

been alone all my life.

Is that what you want for me,

to grow old, like you...

with nothing but bodyguards

and money to keep me company?

Charley, my beloved man...

you will be even more alone...

if you turn your back on

us. We are your blood.

I feel like I'm drowning

or something. I mean...

I covered up the Vegas

scam to protect her.

That's what I thought

we did for our women.

How could that be a

sin against honour?

She is a hitter and a thief.

You must give her to us.

What is your answer?

The family is the only place

I can be. I know that.

It's business, Charley.

It's only business.

Irene.

Charley.

Everything's okay. The Don's gonna

give you your money back...

the whole $900,000. I

got it right here.

The Don's giving money

back? Since when?

Yeah, you could've knocked

me over. That ain't all.

He's gonna pay you every

dime, the Filargi stand...

and what Dominic said.

How about that?

Oh Charely.

Well.

I'm glad everything's settled.

I just wanted you to know...

everything is 100-percent okay.

Marxie...

I should have listened.

After you take the stone

out of my shoe...

you call your father and tell

him where he can get her...

and then the wind

will stop blowing.

Charley, here's $900,000.

Next, what's the first flight out

of LAX in the morning

to Hong Kong?

Flight 009, leaving at 10:45 a.m.

We can get you to Hong

Kong tonight out of LAX.

No, thanks, I have to go to

the bank in the morning.

Reserve 009 then.

One seat, one way,

first class. The name

is Hilary Jackson.

Mrs. Hilary Jackson.

This is the final boarding call...

for Pan Am Flight 811 to

Los Angeles at Gate 22.

All passengers should be

on board at this time.

Irene?

Look who's here.

Charley, what a

wonderful surprise.

Baby, I got three whole days,

anything you want, you name it.

Baby, we are gonna have a ball.

Yeah, that's just the half of

it, sugar. Get over there.

Jesus, what a beautiful song.

Why don't you go and warm up

the bed? I'll be right there.

Mae?

Charley.

Charley, you know what?

My sister, Theresa, just got

back today from her honeymoon.

Where did they go? Outer space?

What do you say...

we go to dinner tonight?

Dinner?

What do you mean?

What do I mean?

I mean, let's go some place

and get something to eat.

You and me and Irene?

No.

Just you and me.

What about Irene?

She had to go away,

she won't be back.

- How about it?

Holy cow, Charley, just tell

me where you want to meet.

Prizzi's Honor (1985) - full transcript