Chapter 2 Freedom Town

We cut to a Federal transportation bus with two particular prisoners Tony and Manny or Manolo (Ribera).

The Bus is packed full of refugees looking like a bus full of wild animals. The bus is packed with harder looking prisoner types. The windows are caged and we see guards. The noise level is high like a sack of monkeys.

Manny Ribera's (Manolo) has got his feet up on a seat. He's big , strong , handsome with dashing darkly feminine eyes. he is younger than Tony and dapper in his clothing He's eating a Baby Ruth chocolate bar.

Seat's taken,

So i'll sit in your lap , Tony pushes Manny's feet off the seat . He takes the Baby Ruth out of Manolo's hands Then Tony pulls out the candy bar and peels off the wrapper. And then returns the empty wrapper to Manny.

So what'd you tell them? I told them what you told me to tell them. I told them I was in a santation . I told you to tell them you was a santatarium not a santation, Santatarium yeah I told you to say you have tv , and you was in a santatarium You were cured , Why didn't you tell me that then man Come on , You shoulda kept your mouth shut , they woulda thought you was a horse and let you out .

Theme continues...

Fuck you Tony....

You did nothing right shoulda left you in cuba...

Theme continues.....

We exit Miami Temporarily and hear the immigration theme continue.

We dissolve into Tony's tent -FreedomTown- Night - 6 Months Later

A movie projector.....

...The face of Bogart-- unshaven , paranoid. We're watching a badly damaged 16mm print of The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre. It's near the end of the film and he's alone , talking to himself just before the bandits get him....

The ragtag audience is noisily yammering back at the the screen. The camera moving Manny Ray chewing gum , hair slicked eyes in cat like repose... to Tony entrapt eyes like an eleven year old mouth hanging open.

Conscience. Conscience. What a thing. If you believe you have a conscience, It'll pester you to death. But if you don't believe you've got one. What can it do to you? Makes me sick so much. Talking and fussing about nonsense. Time to go to sleep (Closes eyes ) Not for long.....

Cut to a tent later that night.

Tony is moving down 23rd street, The walk proud and jungle in the rock of the hips and the cast of the shoulders now accompanied by his handsome compadre Manny.

Tony talking now , The bogart Chico hunh?

Continued

Manny now talking ,Fucking crazy , hunh!

Tony now talking ; That gold dust blowing in the wind. Y'see Manny he's always looking over his shoulder. hunh? Like me...

He hunches , darting exaggerated looks over his shoulder imitating Bogart. Manny laughs . in his black shirt zig zags , dots and colors and the baggy pants and sunglasses. Tony's starting to look American. He's even got himself a pop button pinned to his shirt thats says "Fuck off and die". and his english rolls faster off his tongue , his confidence more pronounced.

Don't trust nobody Yeah all that gold hhunh? I guess you get 60 crazy you never , trust nobody , no more , never happen to me chico, That's one thing I never gonna be . I never gonna be crazy like that. Yeah how do you know? I know . I don't know? , Sometimes you crazy, too, Tony, Assholes , I go crazy . You Manny I never go crazy with you . You're like my brother, I love you.

Yeah sure

Hey C'mon

Tony playfully punches Manny and they walk on into the human night intersecting a young punk Chi - Chi

Chi-Chi Begins to talk to Tony and Manny

Hola Manny

Oye Chi-Chi what's going down?

Usual shit want some peanuts ? Pogo's carrying tonight

I don't know, I get all fucked up on it.....

Want some new snatch? A pussycat by the name of Yolanda just rolled onto the boulevard.

Oh yeah what she look like?

She looks like you except she got a snatch.

A real snatch You're not kidding it talks.

As they chatter Tony moves on with a movement to Manny who says later.

He's in the middle of a "boulevard" where a bustling black market in toiletries, clothing , cigarettes and transves-tities was conducted nightly. In the harsh glare of barrack neon. He ambles past a bunch of young boys throwing a frisbee. Past a "Viva Carter" Proclamation in graffiti.

Tony walking past people What about you sugar -- You wanna party? Tony walking past her Yeah with whose cock honey.

Tony five minutes later , in a phone booth, in the middle of a bank of them, Dozen's of Marielietos pressing to get in. Trying still to contact -- somebody -- Anybody -- on the outside.

Tony is dialing his eyes shifting down at the telephone number written in pencil on the back of a snapshot. As he finishes the number , he flips the snapshot over and we see . A young girl about thirteen years old. Dark , Tiny , Fiery , Standing together with a dog and Tony , Early twenties , In shadow , the fringes of the photo heavily tattered with handling . Tony stares at it his mind drifting as the phone rings in a distant place. A brief moment of repose we have not yet seen in Tony.

Someone picks up the phone an older woman. With more of a strong voice. Tony's expression alters to uncertainty. Yesss?.... Hello?....Who is this?....

Tony changes his mind, Hangs up. Pause. The faces of those in line peer in , the next party raps on the door but , Tony ignores it , Slips the snapshot back into the wallet in his pants , Then at his own pace exits the phone booth.

He walks in a few beats, his eyes pensive . Then recognizes somebody in another phone booth and goes over.

Angel Fernandez has got the face of one, as he argues on the phone , then hangs up , A desolate look on his face , a worn phone book in his hand .

Hey Angel how ya doing? You know how many goddamn Fernandez's are living in Fucking Union City , And I gotta call every fucking one of em to find my brother!

Tony in passing by Angel , Don't waste you're dime , Chico . You know your brother hates you. Angel (In response ) Go Fuck yourself! , Tony

Manny catches up with Tony

Watchu hanging around with that hustler for ? Hey Chi Chi's okay , he hears things , What's he hear , I don't hear. Angel comes over, listens . He hears we got problems. Immigration is having these hearing's ya know? And they're saying nine out of ten of us are getting shipped back! Oh Yeah, Yeah and a lot of shit just went down at Indiantown Gap. Riots , Fires , Broken heads ...Things are gonna pop here , Shit I coulda told you that. Yeah so what you think the immigration gonna do when we riot? You think they're gonna let us out. No they're gonna throw away the key, That's what. Oh Shit ! That's what I say this is gonna end bad muchachos ....

Hey , I tell you guys this isn't Cuba here , This is the United States Mang , I tell you mang this is the fucking United States. They got nothing but lawyers here. We're on the television , We're in the newspapers . What they gonna do -- ship us back to Cuba? Castro -- He don't want us. Nobody no place want's us so what are they gonna do -- Put us in a Gas Chamber so all the people can see? They're stuck with us Chico -- They gotta let us go!

Yeah, well , what if we gotta sit here another 6 months hunh? You worry to much mi hermano. Like the man says , when you got 'em by the balls , their hearts and minds gonna follow hunh? Tony winks and walks off.

The radio is playing hard rock , something like blondie or benatar from the stoop of a nearby barrack. Tony loves the sound and swings into it , snapping his fingers and rolling his hips like Presley . He backpeddles smiling at Manny and Angel. Tony enjoying himself with a quick dance.

(In awful imitation) 'Oh yeah America! Love-to Love you baby, Oh yeah!'

Cut to a playing field two weeks later Camera on Tony Shuffling and feinting a soccer ball in an impromptu game; he's covered in sweat and tired as a kid performs a trick on him landing Tony flat on his face. As Tony is lying there Aw Fuck! The game leaving him behind shift's downfield Oye! Tony! C'mon! Manny ,who just arrived on the edge of the field waves him on. Tony , Getting up brushes himself off , walks off the field towards him .

Angel asking Tony where he is going ? Tony in response " I got better things to do" .

Chicken liver hunh?

Come on, Man, it's important Come on , I gotta talk to you man.

Where you going man? I got better things to do. Leave him alone . You're chicken man, you almost made it

Angel walking towards them. Tony signals him. Tony shaking his head.

Forget it . Oh yeah -- there's a hundred greenbacks in it, for both of us.

(Enthusiastic) Tony saying hey you're kidding, That's great! But Manny you tell your guys Angel gets out with us.

Yeah , Let's walk? They begin walking .

Are you ready for the good news Coño? Sure. What you got man? Yeah , We can be outta this place in thirty days . Not only that. We got a green card and a job in Miami! Hunh? Now are we made , or are we made man? What do we gotta do go to Cuba and hit the beard or what? No man , Somebody else . You're kidding? No. You're not kidding? Guy named Rebenga man , Emilio Rebenga , Rebenga you said? Coño , Man I know that name . He's political , Yeah , Well he's coming in here today. Castro just sprung him. This guy man, was one of the top dogs for Fidel in the early days. But Castro felt like he couldn't trust him anymore and threw him in jail. But while Rebenga was on top, he tortured a few guys to death. And one of the guy's brother is a rich guy in Miami now, and he want's the favor repayed , That's where we come in . He's ugly man , Yeah {Laughing} You tell your guys in Miami-- , Your friend-- It'd be a pleasure . The camera now looking at Tony as he begin's speaking " I Kill a communist for fun , But for a green card, I gonna carve him up real nice."

As Rebenga, in a long lensed closeup, nervously smokes a cigarette eyes roving as the guard examines his papers.

The riot

The visuals are swift , dispassionate and documentary like . The refugees storm the barbed wire at the main gate , Carrying bricks and wooden slats.

All in unison yelling Libertad Libertad!!!

National guardsmen and police form ranks outside

Refugees flee through a hole in the fence Guards move on them wielding clubs

Several refugees are scooting down a highway

Police dogs on chains are glimpsed , refugees throw stones and debris from the rooftop of a barrack. Rebenga , A cigarette in his mouth , nervously hurries into a barrack. Angel tracks him , Signals..... Inside refugees are pulling apart their beds, going for the wooden slats . Others set fire to their mattresses. The police and guards are moving through the gates, Restoring order . Loudspeakers blast, Injuried refugees lie bleeding on the ground. An entire barrack now goes up in flames . A bewildered Emilio Rebenga grabs his papers and valuables.

Manny runs up on him . Rebenga sees him , senses danger , flees down the aisle with his satchel , Intersecting other panicking refugees . Manny follows

Rebenga stumbles into a bed frame , shatters his glasses , Then runs on. Into the smoke and and flame. Out of which Scarface now appears in his killing wrath.

Rebenga!

Rebenga snaps to the sound of the voice.

From the friends you Fucked!

The work is fast. The stiletto punches nine quick holes into his lung and his heart.. And the figure of death is gone.

Emilio Rebenga staggers wildly in the smoke, Uncomprehending eyes encased in broken glasses sinking out of frame.

The riot is over. The grounds are still , smoke and debris the aftermath

An immigration officer passes a sheaf of documents across a desk into a pair of hands. The camera gliding along a Green card pinned to the top of the stack . The green card says "ANTHONY MONTANA " , and it has a picture and stamps . It's official as the camera moves with triumphant immigration theme music to the face of Mr. Montana examining quite contendly the rewards for his efforts.

End of Montage music continues .