Original subtitles

Like swatting flies.

There.

Just like Nam.

Nam. What's Nam?

What's Nam?

Vietnam.

Nam is Vietnam, buddy. What else?

How's it going?

Don't ask.

When are you going to get a job? You got the enemy in it, you take your life.

That's right.

Kill her big time.

Credit.

Big war you wrote down there. My man was coming down a valley like this.

Comes in here like he owned a joint.

Killed this one, killed that one.

Real good point, man. Kid from Montana.

Went in that garbage for three hours.

So, we come down here, lined up, found us a little perch.

And we bushwhacked them bushwhackers.

Ba -dam, ba -dam, ba -dam. We swatted them little sons of... Them little

like flies.

Hey, uh... Yeah, yeah.

Wasn't your friend?

Yeah, I was there.

You know what it was really like? It was gonna be you.

Yeah, sure.

Charlie makes it.

Yeah, he hit him. Ba -dam, ba -dam.

Did you look at that loud, Ma?

Yeah, I always told him.

This is a war.

This is a mean business.

You can't cut it.

Back behind your mama's skirts.

Come here.

Got to be a man, I said.

Let some cry, baby.

Jobs do some killing.

That's what you do.

But what's the matter?

I told you.

You're a Marine.

This is my rifle.

It is my life.

Now, a dirty weapon will blow up in your face.

You don't have a clean weapon.

You're going to pay the price to Sergeant Guido.

You're going to get dirty detail until you puke.

Commander, are you all right?

Yes, Captain.

You don't look too good.

Hey,

barkeep, what you owe you?

Six bucks.

Uh, six.

Nice shooting.

Hey. Bam, bam, bam.

What's your problem, fella?

Hey, barkeep.

Give this guy a drink.

Looks like he needs one.

I know it was him. So it was him. What difference does it make?

He made my life hell.

That was years ago. That was in the Marines.

Pearson. Dirty detail.

Dirty detail.

He was out to crack me. He wouldn't leave me alone.

Nothing I can do is right.

Dirty detail. Dirty detail.

That was the Marines. Everybody gets dirty detail in the Marines.

He had it in for me.

Everybody has it in for you.

You lost five jobs. Your boss had it in for you. The whole world has it in for

you. You don't know what it was like with Guido.

We had Nam, my first firefight. The guy standing next to me is shot.

I roll him over and his stomach is hanging out.

I threw up.

Guido sees that. He laughs. He says, Pearson, clean it up.

When we get back, you do the latrines. Then you do the garbage pits. Then you

the body bags. Just take it easy now.

Come on.

You don't want to get yourself all upset.

You don't want to have to go back to the vet's hospital, do you?

He did it.

He broke me. He had it out for me.

Oh, Fred.

Poor Fred.

Everybody has an end for you.

Just go to sleep.

Everything will be all right.

Okay, it's clear. Come on.

Here, come here.

I'm going to put you on dirty detail.

I'm going to put you on the garbage.

Go on.

Go, go, go, go.

Dead.

Dead, doctor. Be dead. Come on.

You're going to pay the price to Sergeant Guido.

Man, you're shaped up.

Charlie saw to it.

Shipped out in a body bag.

I got my share of lemons.

Big warrior goes back again.

Sure.

It didn't last long in Sergeant Guido's outfit.

Always tough on my men.

We swear some of these guys, the high point of their life is a damn war.

I got him shipped out.

I got him shipped out alive.

A sloppy marine's a dead marine.

There, you guys owe me some beers.

I'll be back to collect.

Never mess around with Crackshot Guido.

Hey, Pearson, you owe me a buck.

Would you put that cigarette out, please?

Thank you.

Look, kid, just kill or be killed.

You hear me?

What did I say?

Did you hear me?

What did I say?

He'll be killed.

Did you hear me call you?

Oh, yeah.

I had something on my mind.

Well, where have you been?

A job. I went to see about a job.

And?

I have to go back tomorrow.

Well, what kind of a job?

They want a man with military experience.

That's no good for you.

You've got a medical discharge.

They think I'm perfect for it.

Well, what kind of a job is it?

It's a surprise. You'll see when I get it.

Oh, Fred, I hope it works out.

That's all you really need. A good job would do you just fine.

It'll work out.

Don't worry.

Don't worry about anything.

Are you all right?

I mean, all that talk about your sergeant and the Marines.

Yeah, I'm fine.

I don't even think about him anymore.

Well, are you coming to bed soon?

Soon?

Yeah. Yeah, soon.

Ruthie, for what it's worth, I love you.

The office is just overflowing with work.

Oh, yeah. You better hurry.

Did you sleep all right?

Fine. Never better.

You were throwing yourself around. I thought maybe those bad dreams would

back again.

No. No more bad dreams.

Remember, we're having dinner at my mother's tonight.

I can't go.

Why not?

The job.

I have a chance for the job. I've got to see the man tonight. You'll have to go

to your mother's by yourself.

You know, you haven't told me anything about this job.

I told you it was going to be a surprise.

Wish me luck.

Sure.

Good luck.

I'll see you late tonight then.

Yes.

Here's the bucket.

No sweat.

You know the guy that's been coming in here?

The guy at the pool table?

You mean the big war hero?

Yeah. He looked so familiar to me. Then it dawned on me who he was.

We were in the service together.

You gotta be kidding me.

I own something.

Money? Death.

I always pay my debts.

Hey, Ernie.

Speaking of the devil.

Give me a shot and a beer.

Hey, the engine started.

Hey, listen.

Pearson down at the end of the bar.

Says he knows you.

Says you was in the Marine Corps together.

How you doing?

You know, when it dawned on me, I was telling Ernie.

It finally happened. I remember where it was.

Fifth Marine.

Sergeant Guido. That's right.

Pearson.

Private Pearson.

Come on, you gotta remember.

You always said I was the worst recruit you ever had. I must hold the record for

pulling the most dirty details.

Hey, foul ball Pearson?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Foul ball Fred.

Foul ball Fred Pearson.

You should have seen this guy.

What a mess.

How you been, buddy? Fine. How you doing, buddy?

Well, some days are good, some days are better. You know how it goes.

Sure.

Here's to you, foul ball.

Here's to you, Sarge.

I knew you looked familiar. I just couldn't figure it out.

Yeah, it's been a few years.

Yeah.

I thought about you a lot, Sarge.

All right.

Yeah.

You had a strong effect on me.

Yeah?

We was in NAMM together.

He was the sloppiest Marine I've ever seen.

I was afraid you were going to blow up the whole outfit.

Yeah.

I'm beginning to remember now.

They shipped you on a cycle, didn't they?

Yeah.

And there was a little shot.

From all those dirty details.

That's just why you got shipped out.

You could have got some of the other guys killed.

You had to know your weapon.

You were ready to use it.

Well, good to see you, Powerball.

Yeah.

All those years, I've had something on my mind, Sarge.

What's that?

The hundred bucks you loaned me.

A hundred bucks?

Yeah, you remember.

We were on Liberty and Da Nang.

All the guys were partying out downtown. I was a little low on you. You helped

me out.

A hell of a guy for helping me out.

I'd pay back all my debts, huh, Ernie?

Yeah, that's right.

I'm gonna pay you back.

You owe me a hundred bucks?

Right.

I'll be a son of a gun.

It's real good to see you, pal.

Fred.

Mr. Rivick.

Now, just a couple of bus stops from here. You know, we'll jump on the bus,

by the house, pick it up. I'd say okay with me. That sounds fine.

You're giving, I'm taking.

Ernie, what do you get? Take it out of here. No, no. Come on. No, no. It's on

me. No.

Reeboks. Reeboks.

No.

It's on me, buddy.

Thanks, buddy.

Yeah.

This is my lucky day.

It's over here.

So long way from Da Nang, huh?

Yeah.

Lucky to get him in doubt when I did.

Make yourself at home.

Thanks.

That was a nice setup.

Oh, yeah.

What night of work are you in?

Semi -retired.

Live alone?

I'm married.

Huh. Where's the wife?

She works.

It's nice.

Real nice.

Sit down. Make yourself comfortable.

Thanks.

Now, get your drink, buddy.

Yeah, I don't mind if I do.

Rye? Whatever you say.

You know, I just can't get over running into you like this.

Well, some days everything just comes to you.

That's right.

Now, here's to my old buddy, Pearson.

Foul ball, Pearson.

Here's to all the dirty details you used to give me.

I'll drink to that.

Caused me to suffer a lot, Sarge.

That's the core, Fred. You know, make or break.

My life's never been the same.

Knowing when you can't make it, you can't cut it, it hurts.

Foul ball.

Your life can really get rotten.

That's the past.

Water over the dam.

How's your life, Sarge?

How you doing these days?

I've been better, I've been worse. Digged it bad with the good.

What do you do for a living?

Dirty work, I hope.

Like the dirty details you used to give me.

Look, Pearson.

Why don't you just give me the money you owe me?

Money?

You think I brought you here to give you money?

No.

I owe you something else.

What do you want?

I want to see how tough you really are.

Yeah?

What's that supposed to mean?

You brought me here for nothing.

No, not nothing.

Oh, no.

Punk.

I wouldn't talk like that. Not here, Sarge.

Still, a whining punk.

You have no rank here.

I got better things to do than talk to punks. You hold it right there!

What are you doing with that thing?

Sit down.

We're going to straighten out some things.

You're nuts or something.

Is that thing loaded?

Yeah, it's loaded.

Remember you used to yell at me all the time to keep it loaded?

You taught me well, Sarge.

Sit down!

You're a psycho.

It's not nice to call me names.

I'm just trying to be sociable, Sergeant.

I just want to talk about the old times.

You remember the old times, don't you?

16 hours in the grease pits.

What a buddy.

Garbage detail in the body bags.

Falbo Pearson, get in the garbage pit.

How'd you like to stuff body bags for 16 hours?

What's to stop me from putting a bullet right through your head?

Give me one good reason.

Hey, Pearson.

Start talking, Sergeant. Give me a reason.

That was a long time ago.

I didn't mean nothing by it.

And see, things are different now.

Not for me.

Things are the same. Everything's the same day in, day out. Dirty detail.

detail.

I hate you just as much now as I did then.

I want to hear you beg, big shot.

Start begging.

For nothing.

You shoot me, go ahead and shoot.

Maybe you got the guts, finally.

Guido.

I don't regret nothing I did.

I did what I had to do.

You weren't a Marine.

You're a sloppy punk.

You're not helping yourself, Sergeant. You couldn't march.

You couldn't dress. You couldn't shoot.

You're a disgrace to the Marine Corps.

You miserable coward!

An M -16.

Yeah.

He was in my outfit in Vietnam.

You vets never learn, do you?

These souvenirs are dangerous.

They kill.

Poor dumb guy.

I was his sergeant.

I told him to keep his rifle clean.

Had a dirty rifle blow up in his face.

He wouldn't listen.

Tried my best.

Just would never listen.