It is a very enlightening movie, if interpreted in the right way, and from an NLP perspective. And can bring great understanding to psychology, sociology, and the way people's minds work. It's a fairly existential movie, which of course is incompatible with the field of NLP, as we like to be as literal as we can, but is an invaluable tool for aspiring practitioners.
Ultimately the movie is about our so-called "inner demons" or negative mental representations, as we call it, and the journey of winning the war of living with faulty maps, i.e. rearranging and reorganizing our representations so as to enrich those maps and therefore our behaviours and experience thus creating more freedom of choice.
It can also serve as an excellent piece of material to listen to the Milton model (& its language patterns) being used, as gangsters/criminals and mob bosses are very good at using it. After all it is the language of influence!
It can also serve as an excellent piece of material to listen to the Milton model (& its language patterns) being used, as gangsters/criminals and mob bosses are very good at using it. After all it is the language of influence!
Tagline: "Your mind will not accept a game this big."
The trailer does it no justice, so just watch the full movie.
The clips below are much more direct.
The clips below are much more direct.
Also, reading the transcript will help you to understand certain parts more.
One thing I've learned in the last seven years,
in every game and con there is always
an opponent and there is always a victim.
The trick is to know when you're the latter,
so you can become the former.
How deep did you bury that shareholder, Paul?
Deep.
Are you sure this is a good idea?
He has to pay us something, doesn't he?
But you've got more money
than you could ever spend.
That's all you think about nowadays.
He owes me and he owes you.
Now he has to pay.
It's cause and effect.
Sorry, sir, this table is closed.
Send him up.
I'm not sure that's a good idea, Mr. D.
He's got better. I mean, a lot better.
All the tables are closed.
Send him up, Paul.
Hold on.
I think we'll take the stairs, eh, Billy?
You want to walk 20 flights, Jake?
Don't be silly.
I don't like to feel trapped. Never did, never will.
Why should a man
do what he doesn't like to do?
Jake, if you want to take the stairs,
we'll take the stairs...
There's always a choice.
What's wrong with the stairs?
Come on, you'll be all right.
I've got to spend the next two minutes
shaking and sweating like a crack whore
clucking for a fix.
Should have taken the stairs,
cos it's getting very, very tight in here.
I'm afraid it's only two at the table, Mr. Green.
Freddy, you're done.
Have a seat, Mr. Green.
I hear you've done very well for yourself...
...and against all the odds.
They do say, the harder the battle
the sweeter the victory.
A wise man once told me
there's only one rule in this world,
a small question that drives all success.
The more a man invests in that question,
the more powerful that man will become.
Can you guess what that question is, Mr. Green?
What's in it for me?
I've been warned
if I let you sit down at this table I might regret it.
They say you've become
very ambitious in your maturing,
and you now wish to acquire yourself
a business,
a business like my business?
But we both know what you are, don't we, Jake?
You're a man who needs a master.
You're an employee.
So, what's in it for me?
The pleasure of doing an old employee a favor,
by reminding him of the position
nature chose for him.
Rade, how much have you got?
What's that got to do with you?
Toss you for it.
He's got you there, Rade.
It's not worth a heart attack. Get on with it.
I'll toss you for a tenth.
You're a risk-taker of the highest caliber,
ain't you, Rade?
I'll take red.
Very impressive, Mr. Green.
You've honed those talents most skillfully.
Pay the man his money, Billy.
Should have bet the whole lot, Rade.
You have to teach me that trick sometime.
You're on.
I'll toss you for everything under your chin.
There isn't a problem is there, Mr. D?
You've got a big mouth on a small head,
sunshine.
Be my guest.
I'll take purple.
You're on.
It's a lovely color, purple,
discretely sandwiched within
the color spectrum between blue and white.
Always a royal winner.
Billy, do the honors.
Don't you fucking move.
Don't let your mouth put you in more trouble
than your body could handle.
I'll tell you what I'll do.
I'll exercise a bit of charity.
Double or quits?
You're on.
Come on.
Mr. Green, Mr. Macha would appreciate it
if you came back to the table.
I haven't finished with him yet.
Now would be a good time.
I think it's time to fly, don't you, Jake?
- Excuse me.
- We're coming through here.
Relax. You're in trouble, Mr. Green.
We could help.
Thank you.
I take the stairs.
He got lucky, Mr. D, that's all.
Fuck luck, the man's a danger.
Since he's been out, he's made a fortune, Mr. D.
He's fat and comfortable.
He's got what he wanted.
I'm sure we won't be hearing from him again.
He ate seven years, Paul.
Seven years doesn't taste nice.
Not to mention the accident
with his brother's wife.
And what the fuck does
"I haven't finished with him yet" mean?
Get rid of him.
And I don't want any mistakes.
No crackheads with sharp sticks
acting like silly fucking gangsters.
You take Sorter and Slim Biggins.
You do it quickly, you do it quietly.
We don't know what caused the blackout.
But we've run some blood tests
and we'll have the results within a few hours.
It's a miracle
you didn't sustain any damage from your fall.
Can I go now?
Once you've put your clothes back on.
We'll call you back with the results.
All right, look, I'll take your man back.
Billy. You go home.
It's late.
Go easy now, yeah?
Joe.
Joe.
Jake. Move.
- Joe.
Move. Get the hell out of here.
Al, drive the fucking car.
Sit down and hold on.
Get in the car.
If I wanted you dead,
I would have shot you already.
Sit back and be quiet.
What?
He missed?
Sorter never fucking misses.
I don't know what happened.
Something went wrong.
I had him in my sights...
three times.
You never miss, let alone three times.
Somebody told him we was coming.
Something is very wrong here.
Yeah, something's fucking wrong all right.
Don't make me angry, Slim.
I might have missed him,
but I ain't going to miss you, not at this range.
Maybe it's better you just drive.
Doreen, Mr. Green. Mr. Green, Doreen.
Good morning, Mr. Green.
Avi, Mr. Green.
Mr. Green, Avi.
Sit down.
I gather you're quite the player?
I'm a bit of an enthusiast myself.
I thought maybe we could have a few games.
I think you should tell me what is going on,
don't you?
We have your medical results from the hospital.
It's not important how we got them.
What is important, however,
is what it has to say.
You will die within three days
from a very unpleasant ailment
that contaminates your blood and organs.
Thanks, fellas.
I'll get back to you on this one, yeah?
Mr. Green.
The longer you listen, the sweeter the pitch.
We've already saved your life once.
The next time will not be for free.
We shall assist you under two conditions.
These conditions are not negotiable.
Oh, I'm being grafted.
Condition one.
We will bleed you dry.
You have to put on a better shirt
before you bleed me dry, my friend.
You will give us every penny you have got.
This is a con.
It's only natural that you think that
you are somehow being conned,
but think a little harder,
and you will realize that this is not a trick.
Now, condition two.
You will do as we tell you without argument.
This includes
answering any questions that are asked.
You don't have a lot of time,
and, in reality, you don't have a choice.
Now, the most sensible thing to do
would be to get a second opinion.
Macha has unleashed his legions.
We can protect you from the dangers you face.
That is our deal.
You have three hours to decide.
After that, you will be beyond our help.
Think I'm going to part with
my hard-earned cash
for a set of home-made hospital results?
I don't think so.
Not today.
I don't have good news, I'm afraid, Mr. Green.
They've thought this one through all right.
Oh, they're smart.
Smart as a pair of a little boy's shoes.
She has to be in on it.
That's how they got the results.
Got to find someone they couldn't have got to.
Well, Jake...
I'm sorry, there's...
there's no easy way to tell you this.
You have a rare blood disease.
How did they get to him?
He's in on it.
After a few days I think...
- How much did they pay you?
- What? Who?
How much?
What are you talking about?
I have no idea what you mean.
You've got five seconds. Five...
I have no idea what you're talking about.
- Four...
- Wh? I...
- Three... Two...
- I don't know what you mean.
God. No, no.
When you're winning,
who thinks about losing?
But when you're faced with what I'm looking at,
a new and cold reality dawns.
A fact we like to ignore.
You can not win.
The only prize they guarantee
when you play this game
is that you will lose.
It's only a question of when.
I made a mistake.
You never miss,
so why now and why three times?
I had a bad feeling.
"Feeling?"
I'm not sure if I paid you to have feelings,
now, did I, Sorter?
I paid you
because you're the best in the business.
Why would you let feelings
confuse that relationship?
Listen to me.
Urgency has become something of an issue.
So if you could restrain those feelings
until you've completed the mission,
I would be most grateful.
Do you think you could do that for me?
Sure.
I'd appreciate it.
If there is one thing I have learnt
about experts, they're experts on fuck all.
If there's a rule, you can bend it.
If there's a law, it can be broken.
From now on, I am breaking all the rules,
because desperate men do desperate deeds.
Cash just seems to remain king, doesn't it?
New bills. Not too many of them in this town.
I love a new bill.
Represents so much hope.
Look how clean and stiff it is.
It even smells proud.
Your work starts now. You'll be driving.
We are, and I apologize for the
unnecessarily dramatic moniker, loan sharks.
People hate and fear us,
just like you will learn to hate and fear us.
We know how much you love a dollar bill,
and it won't be easy watching them
fall through your hands,
because it will be your money
that we will be loaning.
Don't say a word.
Just hold the bag
and if we nod, leave it on the table.
There's nothing left.
That's a very sad story, Mr. Horowitz.
My sympathies are with you and your colleague.
Maybe I am being conned,
maybe I am being fooled.
Excuse us for having to know
the reason for your loan,
but we have to assess our clients very carefully.
They say the sentence has been passed,
the certificate signed, so what's the point?
The point is, this is the only option.
If you snap those fingers at me again,
I'll fucking break 'em.
You know our rates, right?
And our policies?
No offence, gentlemen,
but you have a reputation.
I wouldn't be speaking to you if I had a choice.
It's a strange thing,
but I still don't like to give it away.
I know I can't take it with me, so why the pain?
Why the fuck does it still hurt?
And greasing the sheaths of these two pricks
isn't making it any easier.
We need to know your history with Macha.
How much of it?
All of it.
Macha had these three clowns working for him
called the three Eddies.
Flash, loud, proud and stupid.
They were looking after these shitty little games
going on all over the city.
They were wild and dangerous,
but if you won they paid well.
Macha had lost his card man
just before a big game.
Anyway they knew I could play,
so they wanted me to take his place.
Like any man who was thinking, I refused.
So they started to lean on
my brother and his family.
He'd just had a little girl at the time and...
...the whole situation was getting messy.
# How many legs has daddy long-legs got?
So, for the sake of keeping the peace,
I rolled over and agreed to play.
I won, and I was done.
That's very good, Mr. Green,
but tell me, does your mum...
from a donkey?
Then some cowboy starts mouthing off.
I wasn't having any of that shit.
I'm not having any of that shit.
I've got a funny one for you too, George.
Very funny, George.
This one will make you laugh.
Next thing you know, it's a gunfight,
people get hurt and money disappears.
Two weeks later, someone drops my name
and I'm being questioned.
The Eddies thought I might talk,
so they threatened my brother's daughter.
The mother reacted badly, like they do
when their little ones are in danger.
They got into a fight
and she took an angry stray bullet.
My brother lost his wife
and his daughter lost her mother.
I lost my sense of humor and seven years
because I wouldn't tell the authorities
that Macha had organized the games.
Sometime after that,
the Eddies upset Macha in some way,
so he had them used as aggregate and mixed
into some concrete on one of his buildings.
Macha had to pay something, didn't he?
And I know nothing hurts more than humiliation
and a little money loss.
I employ hundreds of people.
They have to be paid tomorrow.
We need three more days.
Try to understand.
What did I sign up for?
Don't try to make sense out of it, not now,
cos it doesn't make sense.
I just know if you start a job then finish it.
I promise.
Yes, you will.
Goddamn right.
Their idea of discretion is to choose a motel
whose only clients are blood,
come and afro sheen.
Make yourself at home.
You'll be hearing from us.
We can't see Gold.
What are you talking about?
I've been here for an hour.
I'm not the one
who asked for a fucking meeting.
Apparently, no-one sees Gold.
We've got one of his representatives, Walker.
- Lilly Walker?
- That's right.
Mr. Macha, I don't think we've met.
I'm Miss Walker.
I work for Mr. Gold. Do you mind if we walk?
I understand you have been commissioned
to do some work for us?
I thought it might be a good idea
if we had a little chat
to make sure you understand the gravity
of the endeavor you have undertaken.
Yeah, I do, I understand.
Everything's set. The date hasn't changed,
you'll get the powder by Friday.
Good. Mr. Gold has put his faith in you,
and he has people to please.
We've heard
you might be having some problems?
No, no.
We don't like publicity, Mr. Macha.
No, neither do I.
I won't let you down, I won't let Mr. Gold down.
So, we're clear?
Mr. Gold doesn't give more time
or second chances.
As you can appreciate, there is no shortage
of people who wish to do business with Mr. Gold.
Good day.
Here's your money.
What now?
Have a seat.
We need to know how much time you did,
and who you did it with.
Why?
"Why?"
The deal is we ask the questions.
I had two choices inside,
I chose the solitary.
I spent 20 hours a day locked up
in between two salty convicts
who had been down there for more years
than they cared to remember.
One was a chess master,
the other a master conman.
They had never seen or spoken to each other,
but they might as well have been married,
they knew so much about one another.
Once a day, the library on wheels
would be pushed around
by a pair of axe-murdering twins,
that had pushed the trolley for 22 years.
My neighbors used to write down chess moves
and concepts of the con
in the back pages of books
based on subjects like...
Theoretical Astrophysics Part Four,
The Mathematics Of Quantum Mechanics.
They just used them for the con.
I used to intercept the books, because
I was sandwiched in between their cells.
It's a dangerous combination, chess and cons.
These boys were locked up on their own
for ten years with no distractions.
Nothing to do but think about
how to steal one another's pieces.
Yeah, they thought.
They really thought.
I was under the impression that I was
the clever bastard before I went in.
But these boys were a completely different
class. Head tricksters of the premier division.
Their sole ambition was to create
the ultimate con and win the ultimate game,
always thinking quicker, always thinking bigger.
Gradually, they thought
they'd found a formula to the con. Check.
A formula to win the ultimate win, the formula.
I couldn't understand the depth of it,
but they were confident it was real
and I believed them.
After all, they'd been right on everything else,
so now they felt they'd had their moment
and it was time for them
to leave the confines of their cell.
The concrete and steel wasn't even mentioned.
I didn't even doubt them.
They got whatever they wanted anyway.
I could smell their food
through 12 inches of concrete.
Bastards knew it used to drive me mad.
You bastards.
We were all going to go together,
they swore to me. "You're coming with us, Jake."
And I trusted them.
Never for a second did I doubt them.
Next day, they were gone without a trace.
For the next week,
the authorities tore the place apart.
Couldn't find evidence of their existence,
let alone their exit. They just evaporated.
Check.
Two years later, I was out.
But those two knew everything about me.
Everything. All my dirty little secrets,
how much money I had, where I kept it.
The hustling bastards cleaned me out.
They didn't leave so much
as a pair of socks, only a note.
Rule one: You can only get smarter
by playing a smarter opponent.
But I had their formula and
it worked.
It really worked.
Not doing you much good now, is it?
Checkmate.
He needs to get moving.
Give him the addresses.
Why are they dragging this on?
They could just clean me out in one hit.
They want me to suffer.
These twisted bastards are making me pay.
Pay for my own pain.
Hands down, that's the most radical concept
I have ever heard of...
...and a part of me dies every time I think about it.
I told myself if this is my last round,
they'll have to tear me out, piece by piece,
but this I can't take.
They've found a weakness.
Caught me fair and square, cross-haired,
blind-folded, one foot in the grave
and two hands on the coffin.
I'm cooked, well done,
stick a fork in me and see if I bleed.
- Checkmate.
- You're quite good at this game, Mr. Green.
I am stuck in a trance...
...somewhere between hell and a hard place...
...in a gear that doesn't exist,
and all I want now...
...is a little peace.
Where are you?
- At the old lady's house.
- Does she have it?
Of course she doesn't have it.
She's barely got a heartbeat.
How the hell is this woman
going to get that kind of money?
That's what she owes. Any furniture?
No.
Take the dog.
I am not taking the dog.
- Then take the TV.
- The TV don't work.
Then get your ass over here.
How do you sleep at night?
How are we doing?
Ask the man.
No thanks, darling.
Time's up, lets go.
Mr. Green, you took your time.
- Did you get anything from the old lady?
- No.
Did you get anything from Horowitz?
- No.
- Why not?
Because he didn't have it.
Listen, pal, either he pays or you pay.
I pay anyway.
Don't be a smartass.
Look, man,
we are not sending you out to polish door knobs.
You've got to get with it, man.
Doreen, take his car.
Come with us.
What is this?
Where was security?
They gassed them. We found them tied up.
Hold tight, Mr. Green.
It was a 12-ton Hermann and Ziegler safe, Mr. D.
It was impossible to break into.
Time's up, let's go.
Obviously, it wasn't fucking impossible
to move, was it, Paul?
What did anyone take it for?
We don't even use that safe, do we, Paul?
Checkmate.
How in the hell did you do that?
Not usually, no.
Sam Gold's powder was in there.
It came in yesterday.
No, Paul, you're wrong.
Try again.
You stupid motherfucker.
That should rattle him.
What the fuck was it doing
on one of our properties?
Why don't you just fucking rape me, Paul?
Pull the troops together.
Break some bones, hurt some people, results.
- You hear me?
- I'll take care of it.
You're damn straight
you're going to fucking take care of it.
The word "excuse" does not exist
in Sam Gold's lexicon.
We are the walking dead
until you fucking remedy this situation.
- Do you understand?
- I'll take care of it.
I said, do you understand?
- Yes.
- You'd better.
In the meantime, get some more powder.
I don't care where it comes from
or how much it costs, just get it.
There's only one man who can get us
that amount on such short notice.
Who?
Lord John.
No way. I'm not nourishing the competition.
That's twice the market price.
Sorry, we can't help, Mr. Paul.
Tony'll show you the way out.
All right. Hold on, hold on.
I am prepared to talk.
What do you want to talk about?
OK, get it.
What?
Am I having dj-vu, Paul?
Didn't I just say "get it"?
This is Sam Gold
I have found myself chained to.
Mr. Black Magic.
Mr. "l-run-this-game" Gold.
Not some plastic gangster
with a pocketknife for backup.
Gold doesn't give second chances, Paul.
I want in and I want rewards.
Got it?
Paul,
when you make the deal, keep both eyes
on that untrustworthy, greedy motherfucker.
If anyone asks, you don't speak the language.
After you, Mr. Green.
I'm taking the stairs.
What's the problem, Mr. Green?
- I don't like elevators.
- What are you scared of?
Are you fucking deaf?
I said I just don't like them.
Tough, because you're getting in.
Everything?
If he wants a fucking war,
I'm going to give him a fucking war.
I don't think it was Lord John, Mr. D.
He knows you'd come looking for him.
He's not far from wrong. Because
that is exactly what I'm going to fucking do.
I'll take the stairs.
Before we do anything, Mr. D,
we have to get Sam Gold his powder.
- Don't pull the trigger...
- Shut your fucking mouth.
- I'll get out.
- You ain't going nowhere.
I said you're staying right here.
Get rid of the Lord...
there will be consequences.
Do I look like I'm afraid of the consequences?
- I'm taking the stairs.
- You ain't going nowhere.
You motherfucking listen.
Look at me. You think I'm afraid
of the fucking consequences?
- Take the stairs.
- You listen to me.
You open your mouth one more fucking time,
I'll blow your fucking head off.
Fuck him.
Fuck the consequences.
Fuck them all.
- Do I look like I'm afraid?
- No.
Do you understand me? Do you?
Lou, what's going on?
We're here.
How many?
We're doing a deal in the next room.
When do you make the trade?
- Ten minutes.
- Ten minutes?
- Don't trust those yellow dogs.
- I don't trust anyone.
Lou?
Talk to me, you motherfucker.
Or I'll kill you myself.
The consequences can kiss my black ass.
This has become a large problem, Avi.
There's no such thing as problems, Mr. Green,
only situations.
Wake up, Mr. Green.
Checkmate.
How?
How what?
We've kept you alive, now you can tell me.
How do you keep winning?
It's very simple.
You do all the hard work, I just help you along.
The art is for me to feed pieces to you
and make you believe you took those pieces,
because you are smarter and I am dumber.
In every game and con there is always
an opponent and there is always a victim.
The more control the victim thinks he has,
the less control he actually has.
Gradually he will hang himself.
I, as the opponent, just help him along.
Is that the treasured formula?
The formula has infinite depth
in its efficacy and application,
but it is staggeringly simple
and completely consistent.
Rule one of any game or con: You can only
get smarter by playing a smarter opponent.
Rule number two.
The more sophisticated the game,
the more sophisticated the opponent.
If the opponent is very good,
he will place his victim
inside an environment he can control.
The bigger the environment,
the easier the control.
Toss the dog a bone, find their weakness,
and give them just a little
of what they think they want.
Check.
So the opponent simply distracts their victim
by getting them consumed
with their own consumption.
Check.
The word "snake" springs to mind.
Don't knock it.
You only get smarter by playing a snake.
The bigger the trick and older the trick,
the easier it is to pull.
Based on two principles.
They think it can't be that old
and they think it can't be that big,
for so many people to have fallen for it.
Eventually,
when the opponent is challenged or questioned,
it means the victim's investment
and thus his intelligence is questioned.
No-one can accept that,
not even to themselves.
Checkmate.
I ain't playing you again.
You'll always find a good opponent
in the very last place you would ever look.
You've got more tricks than a clown's pocket,
don't you, Mr. Green?
Everything all right?
Can they hear you?
Two minutes.
You're OK.
Get out, Jake, as soon as you can.
I had to dig very deep
to find someone who'd talk.
They're the last resort.
They're the last resort. When no other
loan sharks will lend them, your boys move in.
They stepped on Gold's toes
and he wouldn't touch 'em.
Gold?
Yes, the Gold, Sam Gold.
Mr. Clandestine.
Mr. Ambiguous.
Mr. Mystery.
Get out of there.
Get out of there, Jake.
No-one lives and displeases Gold.
No-one but your two friends.
Got to be something wrong with 'em
if Gold won't touch 'em.
Got to be something wrong
if the Goldfather won't touch 'em.
No-one sees Gold,
but Gold sees everything.
The smoke signals say,
"Dodge 'em like an angry bullet."
Tell your friend to get out of there.
Jake, get out of there.
Get out of there.
Get out of there.
Tomorrow.
You're worse than a stuck record.
"Tomorrow, tomorrow."
Tomorrow is never going to come, is it?
Hello, it's warming up.
Zach, kick him, see if that jogs him on.
You want me to play mother?
I took care of Horowitz. It's your turn.
Change of plan.
I can see what's coming.
Give it to Mr. Green.
Mr. Green.
Shoot Fred for me.
Not dead, stupid, just in the back of the knee.
I ain't shooting Fred, Zach.
Sometimes, a little voice
tells you to think about number one.
Told you, Avi.
Never had the gumption,
never going to have what it takes.
It's easier than you think.
It's one little squeeze,
just like a tube of toothpaste.
Who the fuck are you two?
You can't see what's right in front of you.
You're supposed to be stiff, cold and horizontal,
and you still don't trust us?
Shoot him in the kneecap.
The debt has to be paid.
And sometimes it's best to listen to it.
Get your arse up, Fred.
Go on. Get out.
He can't do that, Jake.
Then why don't you stop him, Avi?
What the fuck do you know?
Shoot that toad now.
One more step, Avi.
Just like a squeeze of toothpaste.
You realize what you're doing, Mr. Green?
Hold on, Jake. This isn't the plan.
This won't have a happy ending.
One more step, Avi.
Wake up, Mr. Green.
Congratulations, Mr. Green.
It's past the third day and you have risen.
I think you're due for a check-up.
Did the bad guys get you?
There's no such thing as "bad guys", Rachel.
Yes, there are.
That's why Daddy's friends are looking after us.
Never mind about that. Why don't you be a
good girl and get your Uncle Jake a cold drink?
It's a bit of a mess, isn't it?
Things will sort themselves out.
Is she all right?
Don't you worry about her.
You just look after yourself.
Mr. Green, I don't know how to tell you this.
Our first results,
they must have been wrong.
I cannot apologize enough for this error.
You're not a well man, but...
We have to assess our clients very carefully.
There is something about yourself
that you don't know.
Something that you will deny even exists
until it's too late to do anything about it.
It's the only reason you get up in the morning,
the only reason you suffer the shitty boss,
the blood, the sweat and the tears.
This is because you want people to know
how good, attractive, generous, funny,
wild and clever you really are.
"Fear or revere me,
but please think I'm special."
We share an addiction.
We're approval junkies.
We're all in it for the slap on the back
and the gold watch.
The "hip, hip, hoo-fucking-rah."
Look at the clever boy
with the badge, polishing his trophy.
Shine on, you crazy diamond.
Cos we're just monkeys wrapped in suits,
begging for the approval of others.
If we knew this, we wouldn't do this.
Someone is hiding it from us.
And if you had a second chance,
you would ask...
Why?
- Why what?
- Why am I still alive?
Why did you give my money away?
Why didn't you want 'em to know?
Why didn't you want me to know?
You'll find out soon enough.
Whilst I've been digging around on Lord John
I came across a couple
of cash-talking shit-sniffers
who came up with the name...
Green.
That's right, Jake Green.
- Go on.
- I'm working for his brother.
Patrick.
A couple of opportunists, looking after
his older brother, got a little bit greedy.
Want to impress you.
All right, you take Sorter and Slim Biggins
and enough men to avoid an excuse.
It's about fucking time.
Now that is a picture.
You took your sweet-ass time.
I was starting to get bored.
You should have kept busy with a swim.
Funny you should say that.
Zach's quite a swimmer, aren't you, Zach?
We thought it might be a record. You want
to try to beat it? Come on in and join us.
I'll just pop upstairs, grab my trunks,
and be down in a jiffy.
- I wouldn't do that if I were you.
- Oh, and why is that, Avi?
Why do you think we're in this icy birdbath,
when we could be upstairs, toasty
and cozy, watching the naughty channel?
How long can it take to get five coffees
and a couple of pizzas?
You are on your own, Jakey boy.
Move.
You've got to tell the boss.
Why me?
Because you're the one who ordered the pizza.
This time you're going to tell me what's going on.
Two sugars, am I right?
Forget the tea, Avi.
Thank you, Jenny, that will be all.
You didn't tell us the truth
about the three Eddies did you, Mr. Green?
The Eddies upset Macha in some way
so he had them used as aggregate, and mixed
into some concrete on one of his buildings.
Would you like us to remind you
of what really happened?
The Eddies were waiting for you
when you got out of prison.
It was Macha's fault.
They didn't work for him any more,
and wanted to...
...compensate you.
What they really meant was they wanted...
...to put 12 grams of angry lead
in the back of your fucking head.
But you gave them an offer they couldn't refuse.
No-one kills a man
who's going to make 'em money.
So you would give them 3% a month
on any money they would lend you.
You needed the money quickly for some small
but profitable deal that you'd made on the inside.
In fact, it was more profitable than any rate
they can get anywhere, legal or illegal.
- So, one of them said...
- I'm in.
- A month later he got his money back.
- Plus your 3%.
- Now, nobody kills a man...
...who's going to make him money.
- They always protect their investment.
- I can give you 4% a month.
- You know this is just between us?
- That's right, Eddie.
Next deal - this time they're all in.
I give you 4% a month.
For two years you always came through,
regular like clockwork.
But there was no deal.
You would take money off of one Eddie
and repay the other Eddie, plus the 4%.
Plus your 4%. On top.
You were not greedy, you did it nice and slow.
You were paying for their trust.
- This is just between us, right, Jake?
- That's right, Eddie.
It was the easiest money they'd known. Soon
they couldn't give you their money fast enough.
A few months later they didn't
have enough of their own to lend,
so they started to borrow money off Macha.
- 3%?
- Plus your 3%.
- 4%?
- Plus your 4%.
Macha became interested.
How could the Eddies
have such a good little earner?
- They hid you like a dirty little secret.
- Find out who's behind this.
Who's behind this?
Ask no questions, hear no lies.
- They tell anything but the truth.
- Find out if Green is behind this.
- Is Jake Green behind this?
- I'll tell you, no, it's not Jake Green.
- They'd do anything to protect their investment.
- I'm not sharing the golden goose.
But Macha got his interest,
so he kept loaning them more and more.
Lend them the money.
You were back gambling, making more money
than you knew what to do with. You were rich.
I am rich.
Seriously fucking rich.
After a year, you had enough of the Eddies'
money, or should I say Macha's money...
- Now I'm richer. A lot fucking richer.
...to buy a chain of hotels.
So you went on a discreet three-month holiday.
You took your brother, his daughter,
Macha's money and you enjoyed yourself.
A bit of the old sun, sand, sea and sausages.
The Eddies meanwhile
were having a terminal argument...
...about how they were going to pay back Macha
that obscene amount of cash they owed him.
I want my money back, Paul.
Those boys really suffered, Jake. The more
they told the truth, the more they suffered.
- It's Jake Green.
- He's telling the fucking truth.
They told me that story already.
Give me the truth.
You gave them just enough rope
to hang themselves.
You're a good little conman, Jake.
And you think you're smart, and you are,
just not as smart as you think you are.
Elvis. Come here.
If I wanted vinegar,
I would have ordered French fries.
Get me something with a price tag on it.
...Mr. Green. What did he do, anyway?
Hamish?
It's OK, we're among friends.
Come on, what have you got for me?
What am I going to tell him?
That's your problem, but it had better be good.
I turned up to pick them up...
...and that is what I saw.
That's a fascinating story.
I have one question for you.
How?
How what?
"How what?"
There were six of us,
plus Slim Biggins, who counts as another six.
How many were there of him?
- One.
- One.
So, how exactly did this "one"
manage to disarm and overpower
a four-time national body-building champion,
drag him half a block, throw him over a six-foot
wall and then get him to eat his own gun?
Get down, boss.
Just find the gunman.
Don't fucking move.
Lou. Lou.
- Keep the boss down.
- What the fuck's going on?
I don't know.
Sorter just shot the...
...and he went in the kitchen.
- Nobody fucking move.
- Bastard.
Keep the fucking boss down.
She shot my finger off.
The bitch shot my finger off.
Who is it?
Happy Tony, Lord John's man.
Not looking so happy now, is he?
Check she's dead, Lou.
Greed gets them all in the end.
Now, shoot straight, Sorter.
Glad to see you've got those feelings in check.
Find a couple of Lord John's boys and
persuade them to tell you where my powder is.
What is the first rule of any game, Mr. Green?
The only way to get smarter
is by playing a smarter opponent.
What's rule two of any game?
The more sophisticated the game,
the more sophisticated the opponent.
Almost the same,
but where does it stop, Mr. Green?
Where does this game stop?
It stops when you start to give me answers.
Don't let them play head games with you, Jake.
Is it me that's playing head games with you,
Mr. Green?
You've heard their voice for so long,
you believe it to be you.
You believe it to be your best friend.
They should believe
their opponent to be their best friend.
Where's the best place
an opponent should hide?
In the very last place you would ever look.
Do you know who Sam Gold is, Mr. Green?
You should,
because he knows who you are.
The Gold,
Sam Gold.
Mr. Clandestine.
Mr. Ambiguous.
Mr. Mystery.
He's all up here,
pretending to be you.
No-one sees Gold,
but Gold sees everything.
You're in a game, Jake.
You're in the game.
Everyone's in his game,
and nobody knows it.
And all of this, this is his world.
He owns it.
He controls it.
I've had enough of this shit.
Tell him you've had enough.
He tells you what to do...
- Look, that's enough.
...and when to do it.
- Tell him.
- I said that's enough, Avi.
Eventually, when the opponent
is challenged or questioned,
it means the victim's investment
and thus his intelligence is questioned.
No-one can accept that,
not even to themselves.
He's behind all the pain there ever was.
Behind every crime ever committed.
How can I be behind all the pain,
all the crime, if I don't even exist?
And right now,
he's telling you that he doesn't even exist.
No-one lives and displeases Gold.
No-one but your two friends.
We just put you to war
with the only enemy that ever existed,
and you, you think he's your best friend.
And they will protect their best friend
with everything they've got.
You're protecting him, Mr. Green,
but with what?
Where's the best place
an opponent should hide?
In the very last place you'd ever look.
He's hiding behind your pain, Jake.
You're protecting him with your pain.
Embrace the pain and you will win this game.
And I know nothing hurts more
than humiliation and a little money loss.
If you change the rules on what controls you...
...you will change the rules
on what you can control.
How radical are you prepared to be, Mr. Green?
The more power
you think you have in Gold's world,
the less power you have in the real world.
You are still in prison, Jake.
In fact, you never left.
Remember who they are, Jake.
Head tricksters, word slicksters.
You wanted answers and they gave you riddles.
You know the rules,
the longer you listened, the sweeter the pitch.
He's got all the tricks and all the right answers.
Don't let them do this to you, Jake.
Don't let them turn you against you.
You don't give because it's good.
You give because it hurts him.
What are we doing here?
He's the enemy, Jake, not me.
Use your perceived enemy
to destroy your real enemy.
Do not listen, Jake.
You've got a gun. Use it.
Don't wake him up. Suffocate him.
Put the pillow over his head and suffocate him.
He'd do it to you, Jake.
If you can't do it, then you're not a free man.
You are controlled.
"Controlled? Free man?"
Jake, wake up.
Look, Mr. Macha, I'm very sorry
to have woken you. Please listen to me.
Who's that? Mr. Green?
Mr. Macha, please, I'm sorry to have woken you.
Listen to me.
"Sorry." Listen at how you sound.
I came to apologize.
Forgive me for the things I've said
and for cheating you out of your money.
I couldn't think clearly.
- Shut up.
- No, no, that's too much.
Shoot the fucker. Shoot him.
He's been trying to kill you.
He killed your friend, shot like a fucking dog.
That's better, Jake, in control again.
Do the right thing.
Take care of your enemy, take care of business.
Use any means possible
to induce head pain, and engage the enemy.
Shut up.
Wake up, Jake.
What are you fucking doing?
Leave it.
You're groveling.
I now realize you're a man
to be feared and respected.
I now realize you're a man
to be feared and respected.
Stop groveling.
Where's your pride?
Where's your pride?
I made a big mistake, Mr. Macha.
Shut up.
I underestimated your power and your intellect.
I've made a donation in your name
as a peace offering,
as a token of my apology.
I want you to...
Shut up.
I want you to forgive my stupidity.
Wherever you don't want to go
is where you will find him.
What is it that you are afraid of, Mr. Green?
Why are you doing this to yourself, Jake?
It's too tight, Jake.
We've got to get out.
You're going to die in a tiny space, Jake.
Have to get out.
We're stuck, stuck.
The walls are moving in.
It's tight. I'm scared.
We've got to get out. I can hear you.
I can hear you.
What?
I can hear you.
I'm onto you.
Who takes care of the good times?
- We're a team.
- We're best pals, Jake.
- You want to get rid of me?
- Do you know life without me?
- No. Because it doesn't...
...exist.
- Do they talk about me, Jake?
- No.
Because I don't exist.
- Tell all your friends about me then, Jake?
- I protect you and I control you.
I say do, you obey.
- If I say you're scared...
...you're scared.
You've been listening to the other side,
haven't you, Jake?
- Listening to people who want to hurt you.
- New people. New.
Not old friends like me.
People you shouldn't trust. Not me. I've been
your friend forever, since the beginning.
Get rid of them, Jake, forever.
They're the enemy, not me.
They're new, I'm old. I stay, they go.
I say you do.
You do.
You're weak without me, weak.
It's us against them, Jake.
It's us against them.
I'm coming to get you.
You want to get rid of me?
You want to make an enemy out of me?
You want to get rid of me, do you?
Do you?
You want to get rid of me, me, me, me?
Still here, Jake?
How long have I looked after you?
You can't win this one without me.
You know why?
I am you.
You ain't me.
The greatest con that he ever pulled,
was making you believe that he is you.
You ain't me.
- I am you.
- You're not me.
Come on.
Your best fucking friend.
I am you.
You don't control me.
I control you.
You come to my house with a loaded gun.
You speak to me like I'm a fucking idiot.
What's your game?
What's your game?
Speak to me.
Speak to me.
Or I'll kill you like the fucking dog that you are.
Fear me.
Fear me.
We have already killed Lord John
and two of your colleagues.
If you value your life
more than a few bags of white powder,
you will tell me...
where it is hidden.
Is everything all right, Mr. D?
It will be when you take care
of my security, Paul.
What are you holding the papers for?
Because you're on the cover of half of them.
If you don't mind me asking,
what has come over you, Mr. D?
They think you did it.
Oh, my god.
Take the credit, they'll never know.
This feels good.
This feels quite good.
I'm going to take the credit.
It might come as a surprise to you, Paul,
but I do have a heart.
I have some news about Green.
I'll give you news about Green.
He now knows who's boss.
He was sniveling like a baby
begging for forgiveness.
It was embarrassing. We're not going to
be hearing from Mr. Green for a while.
I'm not sure if that's the case, Mr. D.
Whilst you've been sleeping, we've been busy.
If Lord John's boys know where the powder is,
they took it to the grave.
We know Green's behind everything.
He took your powder, not Lord John.
He's been playing games with us,
and he's been playing games with you.
Fear me. Fear me.
- Shut up.
- Fear me.
- Shut up.
- Fear me.
- It doesn't look good.
- Shut up.
It doesn't look good.
The drums have been talking.
And what have the drums been saying?
They've been saying
what Sam Gold's been hearing.
Fear me.
Hearing about the little problems Mr. Green
has been giving us, that's embarrassing.
We have an address for his brother.
We can take care of it.
Get him to talk, do whatever it takes.
Take Sorter and an army.
If they give any trouble, hurt 'em.
Let me read about that in the paper.
Get a hold of Green and get my powder.
Go.
Are we expecting anyone?
I'll get it.
I said, are we expecting anyone?
Shouldn't you check first?
If you love your daddy,
be a good girl, hide in that cupboard.
Now.
Check the house.
You know why we're here?
Serpent.
I said, do you know why we're here?
I've some kind of an idea, yes.
Are you going to tell me?
Paul, I swear to you,
I haven't got a fucking clue where he is.
He's been moving about.
I swear to you, I have no idea where he is.
It's all right.
That's it. That's better. That's better.
I still don't believe you.
You can't trust anyone.
They're out to destroy me.
They're out to destroy you.
- You can't trust anyone.
- I can't trust anyone.
Can't let Gold down.
He'll finish the business.
Then he'll finish me.
He's coming.
I won't see it coming.
He's coming. And I won't see it coming.
There's a woman here to see you, Mr. D.
Said she cannot wait.
Don't tell me her name.
- Says she works for Gold.
- Don't tell me her name. Anyone but her.
- What's her name?
- Walker.
Anyone but her.
And everybody thought you were
such a disgusting man, Mr. Macha.
Here it comes. Here it comes.
Mr. Gold wishes to extend his respect
for such a magnanimous gesture.
But he was wondering...
- That's a wreath.
- That's a fucking wreath.
...if you can afford the time to give so generously,
why you haven't had time
to conclude our business?
Everything's under control. I need more time.
It's anything but under control,
isn't it, Mr. Macha?
Mr. Gold doesn't give more time.
And he doesn't give second chances.
You will be hearing from him.
Good day.
"Good day?" What the fuck does that mean?
What the fuck does that mean?
Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?
Some fucking street hustler?
If he wants to meet me, you send him here
and we'll see what he has to say.
I'll kill 'em, I'll kill all of 'em.
I'll kill 'em first.
They'll kill us first, they'll fucking annihilate me.
Beg, beg. Take it back, beg, beg.
Beg, you idiot.
Wait, wait. I didn't mean what I just said.
"Good day?" What the fuck does that mean?
That means he's going to end my game
and I won't see it coming.
I'm going to make this fair.
This...
...is for you.
These...
...for me.
One good chop, and you'll make the sink.
OK, that's enough.
Question me again, Sorter,
and we will have a falling out.
Tell me what's happening, Lou.
I got tired of waiting by the car, so I went inside.
Paul, he was getting excited,
you know how he does.
He started messing with the little girl's hair.
Out of nowhere, Sorter shot him.
Your daddy loves you so much.
- Shot who?
- Paul.
Then he turned the gun on the two bodyguards,
both gone in a blink of an eye.
Listen to me, sweetheart.
None of this is real.
It's just a game that the grown-ups are playing.
Now what I want you to do,
I want you to get in the cupboard
and I want you to put your fingers in your ears,
and it'll be all over before you know it.
Do as the man says, babe.
Put your fingers in your ears
and go in the cupboard.
Good girl.
Pull yourself together, man.
Sorter, we're going to have to take the girl.
Of course you have.
Now all you've got to do is come and get her.
I'm the only one left.
Where's the girl?
What are we doing here?
One last treat,
and bring the powder.
Jake Green is in the Casino.
How the fuck does he know?
Why are we here?
You have a meeting.
Got a little time to spare.
Let's have a game.
Bring him up.
You know what's so elegant
about this little game, Jake?
Nobody knows where the enemy is.
They don't even know he exists.
He's in every one of their heads.
And they trust him...
...because they think they are him.
If you try to destroy him to save them,
they'll destroy you to save him.
It's beautiful, man.
You have to admire the opponent's elegance.
Check.
You're quite good at this game, Mr. Green.
I know because I'm quite good at this game.
Check.
Check.
Check.
The art is for me to feed pieces to you,
and make you believe you took those pieces,
because you're smarter and I'm dumber.
Checkmate.
Wake up, Mr. Green.
You can't see what's right in front of you.
I never saw or spoke to those boys
in all those years,
but you know
I would have died for either one of them.
One was a chess master,
the other a master conman.
Dangerous combination, chess and cons.
Those two knew everything about me.
All my dirty little secrets,
how much money I had, where I kept it.
Hustling bastards cleaned me out.
My neighbors used to write down chess moves
and concepts of the con
in the back pages of books based on subjects
like The Mathematics Of Quantum Mechanics.
Wake up, Mr. Green.
We were all going to go together,
they swore to me.
"You're coming with us, Jake."
We were always going to take you with us, Jake.
You just weren't ready to hear
how hard that was going to be.
We didn't do this because we like you.
We did this because...
...we are you.
Time for that meeting.
Give him what he wants.
I'm sure that will make him very happy.
I know you're still there,
cos I can feel you dying.
I can hear you, tapping me for a little nutrition.
Now who's clucking for a fix?
Think it's a little tight in here, do you?
You're not wrong,
cos the walls are moving in.
No food here, not today, sunshine.
My eyes are open and the restaurant's closed.
Jog on, slide off.
Find someone else to fill your pipe,
someone who won't see you coming
or know when you're there.
You think I'm an evil man.
You think I am an evil man, don't you?
Rachel, look at me, honey.
Think I don't know your fucking game?
I do, I know your game,
I see your game, I am your game.
Rachel, look at me, baby.
You don't play by the rules, Mr. Green.
You like to play silly games with my head,
don't you?
- You're a fucking survivor,
- A winner.
- You're a pussy drowning in his own shit.
- Shut up and leave me alone.
He chose his hiding place very carefully.
I can't let him kill me.
You're weak. It's too late.
You're a dead man anyway.
You'll be dead before dawn.
The word "excuse" does not exist
in Sam Gold's lexicon.
This is Sam Gold I found myself chained to.
Mr. Black Magic.
Mr. "l-run-this-game" Gold.
We can't see Gold.
Apparently, no-one sees Gold.
No-one gets away from Gold.
Get control of yourself.
It's anything but under control,
isn't it, Mr. Macha?
He's going to kill me, he'll kill me.
Where's your pride? Where's your pride?
I'd rather kill myself than let him kill me.
Why isn't he scared? He's just staring at me.
- You'll be hearing from him.
- But he can't kill a dead man.
But he can't kill a dead man,
can he?
He can't kill a dead man, can he?
You can't even do it, can you?
The greatest con that he ever pulled
...was making you believe...
...that he is you.
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