Original subtitles

(uptempo rhythmic music)

- [Narrator] Tonight on Wiseguy.

- Vincenzo!

(midtempo instrumental music)

(phone rings)

- [Roger] Yeah.

- [Herb] It's Herb.

I've secured the collapse

of Mel Proffit's largest legitimate enterprise.

Now the ball's in your court, LoCocco.

You man enough to serve?

- [Henry] Mr. Proffit, we have a problem.

- I'm in this office one day a month,

now what is it that was so important

it couldn't wait till the executive meeting?

- [Henry] Catanga canceled the phantoms.

- A negotiating ploy.

Catanga took the delivery

of a half a dozen retooled Soviet Suhkois.

- From who?

- From Egypt, and the snafus continue.

Sirig dumped the Sakorsky deal.

Kurr canceled the harpoons.

The Palmyria turid tam chassis hybrid order was voided

by Kasavubu this morning.

- He's under siege!

- It was his last official action

before an up close and personal with a cluster bomb.

- [Mel] This is sabotage!

Somebody's undermining my work!

- [Henry] Don't you raise your voice to me!

(intercom buzzes)

- [Mel] Would you ask my sister

to come in here right now?

- So this is it, eh?

- All day.

- [Mel] I'm not being unreasonable.

Wars don't wait for better prices.

- Forget it. - This is sabotage!

- [Henry] I have no control!

- This is Mel's home base for his legitimate business.

Comes here once a month and chews out

all the former big shots he new employs as lackees.

- So what are we doin' here?

- Window dressin'.

The entourage.

- I mean, what's going on here, Henry?

- Business is being systematically dismantled

by outside forces.

- What outside forces?

- CIA, KGB, the Mossad, who knows?

I've asked contacts, I'm being stonewalled!

- Turn back the orders. - Not possible!

Delivery's been accepted, escrow is cleared,

the ordnance is bought and paid for

as far as the manufacturer's concerned.

- I said turn 'em back!

- They don't want them back!

- You stupid bastard!

I'm holding a billion dollars in notes!

You have any idea what the carrying charges are?

- Let go of me!

- I'll kill ya!

- Stay back! - No, no, Susan!

Susan! - I'm warning you!

- No!

Stay back!

- You're destroying me!

(Henry groans)

- Mel! - Henry, you dirty venal pig!

- Mel!

- We've lost everything!

At the forefront of my demise, goodbye, Henry!

(Henry yells)

(suspenseful music)

- Vinnie, Roger, quick!

- Ah!

- Go!

No, no, put me down!

You're fired!

Put me down, you are fired!

You're all fired, kill him, Rog!

- [Susan] Get him out of here!

- [Mel] You're dead, you are dead!

You are all dead!

- Mel.

- You can't hide from me, Henry!

- Mel! - I'll eat your children!

Kill him Roger, kill him!

- [Roger] Get back to work.

- It's gone, it's all gone.

- Leave us a lone.

- Oh no, it isn't a secret.

It's my necessity.

I live with a weakness, so what, Susan?

I mean, so what.

Please let go of me.

(Mel laughs)

You all right, Roger?

- Yeah, I think I sprained it.

(ominous music)

- I've removed myself from business.

And as a result, we're about to lose everything.

- We're still in control, Mel.

- We're up against the wall in arms sales.

- Nobody knows white powder like you, Mel.

- I've let it go to seed.

The middlemen are independent now.

- They'd fight for it.

- The source, Mel.

- Yes.

The source.

Why, there is still power in this shaman.

I have respect with suppliers that no man has!

I gave you one of these once.

Unknown forces rule more absolutely than the truth.

Vinnie, you still connected?

- You're always connected.

- High up, top Don?

- Why?

- Arrange a meeting.

- I need a reason.

- Because I pay you.

- No, no.

I need a reason that means something to them.

- Latin Americans, Asians.

They cut into their drug trade.

I can get it back for 'em.

I can supply them from the source.

Now you arrange a meeting.

- Mel, you can't take these people lightly.

- My life depends on them.

Roger, everything got canceled.

I need to know why to combat it.

(door knocks)

- Vince. - Hey, Frank.

- How you doin'?

Uh, this Lillah Warfield, she's with State.

A friend.

- Hi, Vinnie.

- [Vincent] How you doin', Lillah?

- Great.

- So uh, please, sit down.

- [Vincent] Thanks.

- So.

Well.

- Mel's had some major deals collapse this morning.

Seems he went off the deep end,

tried pushin' this guy named Halpert

off a 30-story balcony.

- Henry Halpert, retired general, regular army.

Profitt's front man in the munitions business.

- He could've conducted World War II with this hardware.

- Not easy ordnance to replace.

- Mm-mm, every buyer got replacement hardware.

- This makes me nervous.

- Yeah, makes Mel edgy too.

Force him back to his first love.

You know, he wants me to set up a meeting with the family.

- Are you serious?

- Yeah, he's scramblin'.

See his power's in the drug trade at the source.

And he's got this mystical thing

about guys controlling poppy fields.

Look, he gave me this thing, too.

Here.

- True to form.

- What?

- Charismatic leader, a cultist, genius IQ.

That same corporeal stew gave us.

Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot.

They become isolated by their own intellect,

reach out to the dark places

for answers they can't find anywhere else.

- Now he wants to meet the mob.

- Yeah, well now might be a time to move on him.

He's very prone to mistakes right now.

With him in the states, we'll have jurisdiction.

- Mob's had a major facelift, Vinnie.

Guys on top are third generation.

They inherited the worst of their family's traits

coupled with the best of educations.

They're MBA gangsters, they don't honor thy father,

they honor the leverage buyout.

This is a whole new ballgame.

- Yeah, sounds just like Profitt.

I wanna hold onto it, Frank.

Nice meetin' you, Lillah.

- Take care of yourself, Vinnie.

- Thanks.

- Vinnie. - Yeah?

- No hidden agendas.

- Like what?

- I may be a homesick.

- Frank, it's not gonna interfere with my work.

You got any names for me?

- Michael Brod, Brandon Castellano.

Manhattan based via Brooklyn.

They haven't been around long enough to lock down power.

- Never heard of 'em.

- [Frank] They probably heard of you.

- That's it?

- These are new players, Vince.

We don't know what they think of you,

this could be dangerous.

- Well how 'bout you, Frank?

You a homesick?

- This is not what it looks like.

- Hey, I don't make judgments.

I understand the need for intimacy.

- It started out that way, now we're just friends.

- Okay.

(midtempo rock music) (airplane whooshes)

(engine hums)

Pick me up at eight in the morning.

Hello?

Hi, Ma!

- Vincenzo! - How are you?

(Mom speaks in foreign language)

- How'd it go?

- Tried to throw Halpert off a balcony.

- (laughs) That's great, we pushed him into a corner.

- Yeah, maybe we pushed too hard.

Loss of that munitions deal really affected Mel,

he might snap for good.

- He's gonna see us a shining knights.

He'll swallow the bait hook, line and sinker.

When are you gonna feed it to him?

- After the spaghetti.

- What?

- We sent Terranova to New York to cut a deal with the boys.

If Mel fills their pipeline with his drug contacts,

the mob'll end up pullin' his rear end out of a sling.

- Terranova's a button man,

the men at the top aren't gonna trust

hundreds of millions of dollars

to a nickel and dime contract killer.

- You underestimate Terranova.

If he puts this deal together, Mel won't need us.

- Terranova isn't that good.

- I wish I was as certain.

- You worry like an old woman.

- If Mel puts together the source suppliers of cocaine

in the outfit,

he'll be the most valuable man in South America.

He won't need to own an island

because we will have given him a continent.

- Never happen.

- I need to know everything about Terranova.

- Ah come on, Roger, it's a waste of my time.

- It's gonna be a waste of you, Herb,

if I get any surprises.

(arrow click) (reel zips)

- Oh.

I'm so happy you're home.

- Ma, what's with the brownies?

- I'm making them for the senior center.

People who used to be my neighbors live there now,

all alone.

Their families abandoned them in their old age,

and some of their children are rich,

but refuse to care for them.

You and Pete are not like that.

- Ah, well.

- Ah, he'll be disappointed.

You should've told us you were coming.

- I'm sure he wouldn't give up his trip to the Vatican

on my account.

You know, he must be pretty special

to be asked to a delegation to meet the Pope.

But you're pretty special, too.

(Mom laughs)

- Oh no!

Vincenzo, what happnened to you?

- It's nothin', Ma.

It's nothing. - Nothing?

- It's nothing. - Vincenzo.

What happened?

- I got shot.

- Oh my god.

- But it's all right now, Ma, I'm okay.

It's all over with.

- Why don't I know about this?

- I didn't want you to worry about it.

- You don't tell your family?

Vincenzo.

What if you died without letting me say goodbye?

I want you to quit this work.

I want you to stop.

- Ma, I'm not gonna get hurt anymore.

- Why not?

Every time you go to a new job, you make new enemies.

How do you know they won't hurt you?

- All right, I'll think about it.

Maybe after this time.

- Oh, my sweet boy.

This time may be the last time.

Please.

- Okay, Ma.

I love you.

(traffic hums)

Hi, my name's Mr. Terranova, I'm here to see--

- Mr. Terranova. - Yeah.

- Mr. Castellano's expecting you.

May I take your coat?

- [Vincent] No thanks.

- It's policy.

More polite than frisking.

- [Vincent] Okay.

- Thank you, follow me.

- Mr. Terranova, Brandon Castellano.

- How you doin'?

- This is Michael Brod.

- How are you? - Hi.

- Sit down. - Thank you.

- So what can we do for you?

- I have a business proposition.

- Well, we appreciate your interest in our company,

but we generally recruit from our alma maters.

- I'm not even sure Mel Profitt went to college.

I'm sorry.

- What's Mel Profitt got to do with it?

- I represent Mel Profitt.

Take it easy.

- Wait a second, Vince.

We haven't heard your proposal.

- I thought I wasn't wearin' the right college tie.

- Sorry, Vince.

I didn't see past your Atlantic City reputation.

- Mel Profitt needs an organization

capable of handling all his Asian

and South American imports.

- All of it.

- That is correct.

- How can we be certain you speak for Mr. Profitt?

- Watch how little I give a damn.

(door thuds)

- He can't possibly represent Mel Profitt.

- If he does,

we just kissed away a couple of billion dollars.

(suspenseful electronic music)

- We have to take this to Aiuppo.

Come on, Terranova, this better be good.

(traffic hums) (suspenseful electronic music)

(knife taps)

Don Aiuppo, this is Vinnie Terranova.

- Don Aiuppo.

- Terranova, two Rs?

- Yeah, right next to each other.

- I like names with two Rs or two anything.

I got two Ps in Aiuppo.

I make the most of them.

Tell me about yourself.

How'd you get those pretty blue eyes?

You like garlic in your sauce?

- Yeah, of course, who doesn't?

- The bean sprout brothers.

Where are your parents, Vinnie?

- My mother lives about two miles from here, my father died.

- You take care of her, or is she in some nursing home?

- She's my mother.

- I believe you treat business like family.

There are ways of being righteous

and ways of being don't even belong under my shoes,

(speaks foreign language) it's my philosophy.

- Don Aiuppo, it's the only philosophy.

See suppliers lost respect for the distribution chain,

and that's who cut into your business.

- It hurt all of us, this loss of loyalty.

- Well Mel Profitt can correct that.

He can provide constant reliable product.

- The problem with trafficking drugs

is that too many people with too few brains

make too much money too quickly.

Productivity suffers.

Now if Mel Profitt can deliver quality tonnage

on a consistent basis, well we can reduce costs.

Reduce man power.

- I've always measured wealth

in the number of people loyal to me.

I don't know that I want this deal.

- If we stand this on its merits, it's very strong.

- Why does Mel Profitt suddenly wanna do business with us?

We always been here, why now?

- I think to join forces with an equal is reason enough.

- Thank you, Vincenzo, gracie.

You're very, very polite.

I will need a premium pay to handle distribution.

- We can arrive at what's fair

with a little number crunching.

Why do we have to hondle?

- [Mel] I don't wanna think about anything.

- This is not the picture I described to Aiuppo.

This is Roosevelt in Yalta.

- Mel.

Pull out of it.

- [Susan] Vinnie needs to talk to you.

- Talk leads to empty emotions.

Avoid talk, you must always avoid talk.

- So, where do you think Mel is?

- I've seen him like this before.

He'll be fine in New York, he'll own Aiuppo.

- Susan, come on, look at him!

- You guys do your job, and he'll do his, okay?

(suspenseful music)

Mel, wake up.

(crickets chirp)

- Nothing, Profitt's a blank slate.

- Check LoCocco.

- Look at this.

LoCocco was a hero 15 years ago.

Congressional Medal of Honor, Purple Heart.

- And then he drops outta sight.

Where'd he go?

- The VA hospital?

- That's pretty good, check it out.

(keys click)

- Whoops, separate clearance.

I won't be able to get in till tomorrow morning.

- Lillah. - Yeah?

- You were right about my wife.

- Oh?

- She came back home.

Probably get away from her mother as much as anything.

- I'm glad.

You'll work things out.

- If I ever get back to Jersey.

I really like you, Lillah.

- I really like you, too, Frank.

I wish to God you were single.

- Will you settle for dinner?

- Yeah.

I could do that.

Listen um, maybe we should try to track this LoCocco guy

through associations like military buddies.

(somber electronic music)

(door buzzes)

(keys click)

- [Woman] Mr. Profitt, the jet is now ready for boarding.

(people chatter)

- Terranova's an undercover operative for the OCB.

Take him out.

- Are you sure you're up to this now?

(suspenseful music)

(midtempo electronic music)

(doors thud)

- We're not gonna be able to get an elevator in this place.

- Well at least we won't be hurtin' for security.

Secretary of Defense or somebody speakin' here.

The place is crawlin' with secret service.

- Hey hey, be careful with that.

Look, you make sure these get to the right rooms.

Let's go.

- Mel, Mel.

Susan won't be able to attend this meeting.

Aiuppo is old school.

Women are either Madonnas or whores,

neither of which can go to a business meeting.

- Then to hell with him.

- Mel, it's all right.

It's okay, really.

- You sure?

- Yeah, no problem.

I'll just go shopping.

(gentle electronic music)

- Don Aiuppo.

Mel Profitt, Roger LoCocco, Brandon Castellano,

Michael Brod.

- Sit.

Vino.

It's not vintage, but I like it.

- Well, that's what matters.

- Mr. Profitt, what matters to you?

Money aside.

What are your interests?

- I like velocity, I like to feel that I'm always moving.

- I like standing still.

Or sometimes walking slowly.

To watch life, race by life, you cheapen it.

And a man who cheapens life is dangerous.

- Successful businessmen

are generally dangerous to somebody.

It isn't intent, necessarily.

It's just the way the world works.

- What is this?

- It's a small part of a greater world I care about.

I hope it brings you joy.

It's from the ruins of the church at Castelvetrano.

(Don Aiuppo speaks foreign language)

- The church of my father.

It fell in the earthquake.

Nothing left but rubble.

- And faith.

I looked in that eye, that simple eye carved in that stone

over 400 years ago, I felt renewed.

- We don't talk business now.

Now we eat.

Your soul comes from the tragedy of your childhood, Mel.

You are an immigrant.

- We have something in common.

- We should talk about having business in common.

- Yes, but I'm afraid what Mel wants from us,

we are unable to provide.

Our organization was crippled a year ago

by the federal government.

This would go a long way to rebuilding business,

but I'm afraid you are taking a risk with us.

I would advise a friend to think twice,

and you are becoming a friend.

- Why don't you boys go smoke a cigar?

- So you, you are gonna quadruple our drug operation, eh?

- Yes I am.

- Why?

- I overextended myself in a munitions business.

I lost several deals that cost me an arm and a leg.

While I was overextending, I ignored the drug trafficking.

My middlemen cut into a piece of my pie.

I was stupid.

Coming to you is an act of coming to my senses.

I can deliver on this deal

because it's the business I know best and because I need it.

- Ah.

I was expecting a truckload of crap.

I had no intention of doing this deal.

I wasn't expecting honesty. (laughs)

(Mel laughs)

- Smooth as silk, isn't he?

- He has his moments.

- But you heard Roger, personnel.

- [Don Aiuppo] (laughs) So you like redheads, huh?

- Mulatto.

- I don't know any red-headed Mulattos. (laughs)

You get a cab.

Mel and me are goin' to Sophia's.

- At your age?

You'll have a heart attack.

- Hey, what's good enough for a Rockafeller

is good enough for me.

(midtempo electronic music)

- Looks like we're in business.

- Probably not an FBI guy left in Washington.

- It's been a real button-down evening.

I feel like I've been awake for three weeks.

(Vincent sighs)

(suspenseful music)

(Vincent sighs)

(suspenseful music)

(explosion booms)

(uptempo marching band music)

I still get goosebumps when I hear that.

- (sighs) Yeah.

- Should we wait up for 'em?

- You pulled it off, Herb.

Profitt's doing business with some old olive oil salesman

named Aiuppo.

I told you not to dismiss Terranova.

Now Profitt's gonna get his legs back up

if this deal goes through.

You've got to kill it at the source.

- Roger, calm down, just calm down all right?

I'll take care of it, just tell me where and when.

I'll make sure the plane never leaves the ground.

And what about Terranova?

- Sends his love.

- Did you take care of him?

Did you take care of him?

- I'm not taking out a brother in arms.

- Roger, he could jeopardize this whole operation.

He's gotta go!

- He's here for the OCB.

If I've got a problem, I'm funneling it to him.

He can take out the problem as part of his objective,

he can be a tool.

- Yeah, he's a tool we can't control.

He's gotta go!

- I've made my decision, Herb.

You do this behind my back,

you send somebody else, I'm going to kill you,

over a four or five day period.

(suspenseful electronic music)

(door knocks)

- All right, all right, I'm comin'.

(door pounds)

- Is Mel in here?

- No, he's with Aiuppo.

- You left him alone with them?

- He insisted.

Actually, they left us alone, they went partying.

- He's unstable, Vinnie, they could kill him.

- They looked pretty happy when they left.

- Well where'd they go?

(Vincent groans)

Where'd they go?

- They went to a bordello.

You okay?

- You're telling me the truth?

- (chuckles) Yeah.

(Susan laughs)

You think that's funny, you should see Aiuppo.

- Oh god.

Are we in business?

Does Mel have something to focus on?

- Yeah, I think so.

- What do you think Mel's doing right now,

right this very second?

Show me, Vinnie.

Show me exactly what you think Mel is doing.

(rhythmic electronic music)

(traffic hums)

- What are you doin' here?

- You did it, Vince.

And here it is, $100,000 and more where that came from.

Rudy wants you to stay for the first shipment.

- Rudy?

- Don Aiuppo.

Now the first plan'll be in in two days.

I want you to escort Castellano's men to the site.

Now once it's in, you can come home.

There's no need to stay to collect the payment.

Oh and Vince, you did a damn good job.

- Wait a minute, whoa, whoa, wait a minute.

What if something gets fouled up?

- Now what's to foul up?

Plane comes in, you leave, simple.

No money exchanges hands.

- Mel?

- We'll be in Long Island for a couple of days.

Roger wants me to buy a bank in some banana republic.

- See you, Vince.

(traffic hums)

(coins clink)

- Silla Hardware, Mike Terranova.

- Day code, USA Entertainment section.

Meter, spleen, Connors.

- Hey, Vince.

- Tell McPike I'm the guarantee on a dope shipment

due to land at an old airstrip in Lakewood, New Jersey

around 8a.m. Friday.

I'm a sittin' duck on this one, I need protection.

- Are are gonna take it down?

- No, I don't want to.

Profitt's in Long Island.

If we're gonna get him,

it's either gotta be the smack or the money.

- We gotcha covered.

You watch your backside, son.

(birds chirp)

- Well, this is no good.

The plane's over an hour late.

- Yeah?

- Is Terranova with you? - Yeah.

- Hold him, he's ours.

I just got word the plane never left the ground.

We're being had, put Terranova on the phone.

- Terranova.

(birds chirp)

- All right, you set yourselves.

Nobody fire without my word.

- What's going on, here?

- The plane never left.

- I don't know anything about that.

- [Brandon] Well you better learn quick.

- You haven't lost a cent on this deal.

- I made promises to wholesalers.

You're chipping at my business from the inside.

You're making me out a liar.

- I'm the one with the gun to his head!

- I've made promises I gotta break because of you,

so until you right this deal,

your whole family's got a gun to its head.

- You stay away from my family!

- My family now.

Make the deal, or you're an orphan.

(guns fire)

- Who fired?

- [Man] Not us!

(gun fires)

(uptempo electronic music) (engine revs)

(engine revs)

- I'm doin' 90 miles an hour.

- I'm right with ya.

- [Vincent] Tie me to Frank.

- Yeah, hang on.

Yeah, he's comin' through.

- Yeah?

- You coulda killed me!

- I didn't give that order.

- You gotta pick up Castellano and Brod.

- Vince.

- Frank you got it? - Vinnie?

Vin? - Frank?

Frank!

- Vinnie!

(tires screech)

- Hey, Ma?

Ma?

What are you doing here?

- Covering your butt, what's the panic?

- Castellano threatened my family.

(suspenseful electronic music)

- She's not here.

- [Michael] Where we goin'?

- She's supposed to be bringing some baked goods,

so we look for an old lady

draggin' a shopping cart full of brownies.

(engine revs)

- He was here lookin' for her, let's go.

(man speaks in foreign language)

- Terranova?

- Yes?

- It's your son, Vinnie.

There's been an accident.

(tires screech)

But I can take you to him.

- Oh, oh!

(glass clatters)

(punches thud) (Brandon groans)

Vinnie!

(punches thud)

Stop it!

Vinnie!

(punches thud)

Vincenzo!

- That man was on his way to hurt you.

- The Lord protects me.

- Ma, these men don't listen to the Lord.

- Either does my son.

I saw my own son like an animal, a savage.

Something no more than a beast.

I feel so responsible.

I remember your first step.

That little boy,

how did he grow up to become so ugly?

Vincenzo, I die a little every day

knowing the evilness of the men you fight.

How much more of me will die

knowing that somehow, in some way,

you have become one of them.

- Mom, I haven't.

(fist pounds)

(door creaks)

(traffic hums) (people chatter)

I thought you were an honorable man.

- Castellano gave you a tough time.

- Did he do it for you?

- He did it because he's (speaks in foreign language).

Both of them.

I'm sorry.

To go after your mother, I would kill him myself.

You forgive me, Vinnie?

- Yeah.

- You know, Vincenzo, the world that I found

had no room for me, so I had to create my own.

Me and men like me.

We spilled blood to do that,

to do something important,

which was to feed and protect our families.

Today, our grandchildren remember only how to spill blood,

they don't even know why.

You know, when I first met you, Vincenzo,

I saw something I had not seen in 30 years.

- Yeah, what's that?

- Myself.

If you wanted to.

You could be Don.

(suspenseful electronic music)

(door knocks)

- How is he?

- [Susan] Catatonic.

- Mel?

Mel, I want you to know

I had nothin' to do with this deal goin' sour.

- We know that, Vinnie.

- I guess I feel responsible for Castellano's behavior.

- Mel?

Mel, your bust is here.

It kills me to see him like this.

Sometimes I think he's never gonna come out of it.

Vinnie, don't.

- Mel.

- Mulatto devil woman.

- What is that?

- Mulatto devil woman.

Mulatto devil woman.

- It worked, Herb.

Deal collapsed,

now Profitt can't even do business with the mob.

- You wanted delivery stopped at the source,

I took care of it.

- What a trooper.

- It didn't happen without cost.

I know owe a heavy favor for keeping that plane grounded,

are you making it worthwhile?

- He's in a fugue state, Herb.

He's mumbling Melthusian mantras

and cursing some downtown hooker.

He's as prepped and he's ready as he's ever gonna be.

Ball's in your court, Buckwheat.

You man enough to serve?

(apple crunches)

(midtempo electronic music)