CROUPIER A screenplay by Paul Mayersberg Shooting Script Copyright 1988 Paul Mayersberg All rights reserved. FADE IN: INT. CASINO - NIGHT A roulette table. The PUNTERS place their bets. TWELVE PLAYERS, nine men, three women. The FACES of the men, all ages, intense, hopeful, fearful. Which of them is JACK? JACK'S VOICE Now he had become the still centre of that spinning wheel of misfortune. A MAN'S hand spins the wheel. The ball is thrown against the spin. Hands, faces, chips... JACK'S VOICE The world turned round him... leaving him miraculously untouched The little white ball circles the spinning wheel. The PUNTERS'S faces as the ball starts to bounce. All eyes are on the bouncing ball. JACK'S VOICE The croupier had reached his goal. He no longer heard the sound of the ball. The back of the CROUPIER'S hand, his slicked-back short hair, razor cut. The CAMERA moves around to his face... JACK'S VOICE To begin with he was Jack Manfred... whistling sound takes Jack back in time. INT. PUBLISHER'S OFFICE - DAY JACK is walking through a maze of open-plan partitioned offices. He ls casually but fashionably dressed, hair dyed blond long, a nervous elegance about him, almost unrecognisable from the croupier's face. He searches for the right office. He finds it. The name on the open is GILES CREMORNE. INT. GILES' OFFICE - DAY GILES CREMORNE, a public schoolboy in his late twenties comes forward and vigorously shakes JACK'S hand. Jacketless, he wears yellow braces. Next to his tidy desk is a slot machine. GILES Take a pew, Jack. You look well. What's it been, two years since we broke bread? GILES has an upper-class accent, but an acquired street manner. JACK Three years, two months. March '93. GILES What a memory you've got. Maths always was your strong suit. What happened to the moaning Lisa? JACK She went back to South Africa. GILES (digging) Did she? (smiles) You were pretty thick at one time. JACK We all played the field. GILES frowns at a memory, an implication. GILES'S mobile phone buzzes. He picks up. GILES Hi-ya... I'll call you back. (to Jack) Now then... JACK (suddenly) I want a job, Giles. GILES (cautiously) All right. As what? JACK I was thinking perhaps I could be a reader. You employ readers, don't you? GILES We do. For unsolicited manuscripts. We pay twenty pounds a manuscript. You might get two, maybe three in a week. Can you live on sixty pounds? JACK opens a pack of Gitanes. GILES Sorry. This is a no-smoking office, Jack. You've written a book, haven't you? I didn't read it myself, but -- A WOMAN SECRETARY puts her head into the office. GILES Give me ten minutes, Fiona. FIONA puts a fax on GILES'S desk, smiles at JACK, and goes. GILES Fiona used to read for me. He winks at JACK. GILES Let me tell you about our operation. We like personality authors. People the public recognises. Celebrity's what sells books. We can always find someone to do the writing. First, we need the face. Then the concept. (he is reading the fax) Right now I'm looking for a soccer novel. Something where a tycoon buys a lousy team and takes it to the top. Seven figure transfer fees. Corruption all down the line. Violence on and off the pitch. Steroids. Got any concepts? It could be a thug story. I tell you what. Why don't you think about it. A couple of pages. The pitch. Steroids. Got any concepts? It could be a thug story. I tell you what. Why don't you think about it. A couple of pages. (smiles) With plenty of sex, of course. GILES pops a coin into the slot machine, pulls the handle, waits. JACK Interesting, Giles. I will think about it. The machine spits out several coins. GILES takes them. GILES Let me give you three words of advice, Jack. Don't give up. Stick with it. Who persists wins. That's my motto. Write, write, write. JACK nods, extends his hand. A firm handshake. JACK'S VOICE Jack had three words for, Giles. Go fuck yourself. Meeting over. GILES smiles goodbye, pockets his slot machine winnings. INT. JACK'S BASEMENT FLAT - SITTING ROOM - DAY The untidy evidence. To the accompaniment of the music, a discordant version, three dog-eared copies of 'The Invention Of The Wheel', A Novel by JACK MANFRED. Worn furniture. A pile of literary magazines. Two elegantly arranged vases of flowers. Women's fashion magazines. Books everywhere, including 'Scarne on Gambling', 'The Education of A Poker Player', 'Delta of Venus' and other books by Anais Nin. A woman's dress, back from the cleaners. A framed etching of Cape Town, South Africa, in the eighteenth century. Finally... Beneath the iron barred window, with a view of the iron steps down from the street, JACK sits at the dining table. In front of him is a word processor. He toys with a glass of vodka, smoking a Gitane, and leafing through a soccer fan magazine. He starts to touch-type, looking at the screen, not the keyboard. Words appear, letter by letter... THE BALL... A NOVEL... BY JACK MANFRED. He pauses to drink. EXT. PHONE BOOTH - DAY A MAN, face unseen, steps into a phone booth. CLOSE ON: his hands. It is impossible to tell where he is. He opens his pocket book, addresses, diary etc., and searches through for something. EXT. PHONE BOOTH - DAY He finds what he's looking for: a small photograph, among others of girls, of a ten year-old boy in school uniform. On the back are three phone numbers, two of them crossed out. The MAN lifts the receiver, inserts coins. He starts to press the numbers. There are CLOSE-UPS of his finger pressing the sequence of digits, each one CLOSER, longer than the one before, until... INT. JACK'S SITTING ROOM - DAY The phone rings. JACK looks to the answering machine, waits for the voice. MAN'S VOICE Jacko, if you're there, pick up. I want to talk to you. It's important. JACK hesitates, then picks up. JACK Dad, I'm here. EXT. PHONE BOOTH - DAY The MAN is handsome, tanned, 50ish, white shirt, dark tie. He is JACK'S father. JACK SR. How's it going? The subsequent conversation is INTERCUT between SITTING ROOM and PHONE BOOTH. JACK Great. JACK SR. Found a job? JACK No. JACK SR. Well I've got something for you. In London, I mean. I've been chatting to some friends. Do you know the Golden Lion casino? It's in Bayswater, I believe... They're looking for a dealer, a croupier. JACK SR pulls out a cigarette - a Gitanes. JACK That's not what I want to do, dad. JACK stubs his cigarette out. JACK SR. (lighting his cigarette) Don't be stubborn. The pay won't be grand, but it's regular. That's what you need, isn't it? I know you don't like taking my advice... JACK (drinks) It's not that. JACK SR. I've set this up for you. Call the Golden Lion and ask for Mr Reynolds, he's the Manager. I don't know him personally, but I've spoken to his boss. Don't say no, Jacko. Give yourself a break. JACK reaches for a cigarette. JACK All right, I'll think about it. I won't. Goodbye, dad. JACK SR. Just do it. You've got the knack, you've got the personality, you got that from me. JACK lights up. JACK SR. You understand the punters. Think about it, you can write during the day and sleep knowing the bills are paid. As he speaks, he watches passing WOMEN. JACK SR. For Christ's sake, Jacko, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Have you written that name down? Reynolds, at the Golden Lion. (exhales) JACK (exhales) All right, dad. Yes, I'll call him. JACK is not enthusiastic, but he scribbles the name down on a pad. JACK So how are you doing, dad? JACK SR. Great. I've just started a new company. Solid financing. It's good. (pause) I love you Jacko, you know that JACK Yes, I know that. JACK SR. Don't let yourself down. JACK I won't. Goodbye, dad. JACK hangs up. INT. PHONE BOOTH - DAY Stubbing out his cigarette, JACK SR. leaves the booth. We now see where he is. A beach bar in South Africa. He walks to the bar and....goes behind it, slipping on his barman's jacket. A WOMAN in dark mirror glasses and a bathing suit is waiting. JACK SR. (smiles) Sorry to keep you. What'll you have? INT. JACK'S SITTING ROOM - DAY JACK, disturbed by the call, pours himself a vodka. He looks at what he's written: 'THE BALL... A NOVEL BY... JACK MANFRED.' JACK'S VOICE Jack knew something was wrong. He'd forgotten Giles' advice. Giles said three words. JACK inserts a word in the title. It now reads: 'ON THE BALL'. JACK drinks. After a moment... JACK'S VOICE JACK'S VOICE No. Jack knew it still wasn't quite right... He types: 'IN THE BALLS'. Then, on reflection, deletes 'IN THE'. Through the iron bars JACK watches feet pass on the street above. A drunk drops a beer can over. The can falls in SLOW MOTION but the clatter is loud. DRUNK'S VOICE I want to fuck the whole world over. INT. CASINO - DAY Reception area. The CAMERA turns around the fake glitz of the interior: brass, drapes, polished wood, mirrors, and moves towards the front door. JACK'S VOICE Welcome back Jack... to the house of addiction. The door opens. Against a blaze of street daylight, JACK'S silhouette appears. The CAMERA moves forward to greet him. JACK removes his wristwatch. INT. CASINO - MANAGER'S OFFICE - DAY JACK shakes hands with DAVID REYNOLDS, a cold man in his late forties, dead behind the eyes. REYNOLDS David Reynolds, I'm the Manager here. Sit down, John. JACK Jack. REYNOLDS examines a file in front of him. REYNOLDS You've been recommended by the management here. They know your father. He has a bit of a reputation, hasn't he? JACK (frowns) Has he? REYNOLDS In any case, I understand you've had some previous experience... in South Africa. (Jack nods) You'll find the rules a little different here. Before we start, you haven't got a police record, have you? JACK No. REYNOLDS opens the door. He lets JACK go on ahead. REYNOLDS Where did you go to school? JACK (surpised) I was at Beadles. REYNOLDS I don't think I know that one. Private, I suppose. INT. CASINO - HALL - DAY The full overhead lights give the casino an exposed, tacky appearance, devoid of mystery or glamour. The place has roulette tables and blackjack counters. It is deserted except for several CLEANING LADIES, vacuuming, emptying ashtrays. REYNOLDS walks with JACK, talking. REYNOLDS There are three types of casino in the U.K. High volume. Small faction. And MOTR. That's middle of the road. Us. JACK Do you have a Salon Prive? REYNOLDS We tried. But there wasn't enough business. The punters like company. REYNOLDS goes to one of the tables with JACK. REYNOLDS Let's see you handle the chips. He slides open a box and tips 200 chips of varying denominations onto the table. JACK I have to assume the serial numbers on the bowl and cylinder correspond. REYNOLDS We check every four days. JACK Why four? And not three or five? REYNOLDS (shrugs) It's the procedure here. Now sort the chips. JACK starts to stack the chips in piles from a hundred pounds to five. REYNOLDS watches. JACK'S fingers work fast. In a matter of moments he has the lot stacked. JACK Stacks of 20. Rows of 5. REYNOLDS Any exceptions? JACK 25 pounds or 25 pence in fours. REYNOLDS Give me 365. He presses a stopwatch in his hand. JACK quickly sets out four neat piles, three of 100, one of 65. All four piles are in denominations of ten and five. REYNOLDS Very good. Now take these colours... He throws a pile of blue and white chips on the table. The blue are 10, the white are 5. REYNOLDS I want 780, but I want 500 in denominations of 25. JACK nods and gets to work. His fingers make Reynolds's ticking watch seem slow. REYNOLDS (impressed) Very good. INT. CASINO - DAY Now at a roulette table, REYNOLDS has prepared the bets for fifteen punters. It's a set-up to test Jack's style and concentration. REYNOLDS gives JACK the white ball. JACK You use two alternating, don't you? REYNOLDS We do. (hands him a second ball) JACK (hesitates) Where's the magnet? REYNOLDS They've been tested. JACK spins the wheel, throws the ball against the turn. JACK No more bets. As the ball begins to bounce, but before it stops, REYNOLDS turns to a CLEANING LADY who's emptying some ashtrays nearby. REYNOLDS Could you stop that for a minute? The WOMAN looks up, surprised. JACK watches, then catches sight of REYNOLDS surreptitiously moving a chip onto the third line. JACK I'm sorry, sir, I've called no more bets. JACK reaches across, takes the chip and puts it on the wood Grounding the wheel. REYNOLDS nods approvingly. The ball stops. JACK 23 Red. Odd. He now rakes away the losers' chips and pays out the smallest first, before getting to the major pay-out on 23. It's all very efficient and speedy. REYNOLDS is increasingly impressed. REYNOLDS Haven't you forgotten something? JACK (thinks) I don't think so. REYNOLDS Wipe your hands. JACK takes out a handkerchief. REYNOLDS Not with your own cloth. Besides, your pockets will be stitched. JACK What happens if I want to sneeze? REYNOLDS You won't. Not without permission. JACK laughs. REYNOLDS smiles. They like each other. REYNOLDS Fine. Now let's move on. INT. CASINO - DAY A blackjack table. JACK is turning cards over for five punters in an arc. REYNOLDS is moving from one chair to the next playing each of the five hands. REYNOLDS How many aces are left? JACK Five. REYNOLDS I make it six. JACK Five. REYNOLDS looks down at the table. REYNOLDS What makes you so sure? JACK It's a rule. Always stand by your first count. The odds are you're right. REYNOLDS Good call. JACK pulls out the shoe. JACK You want me to check? REYNOLDS (irritably) I said good call. REYNOLDS walks away. JACK puts the shoe back. He takes his watch out of his pocket, glances at it. JACK'S VOICE It had taken him 45 minutes, but Jack now had Mr Reynolds's number. The man couldn't count. INT. CASINO - OFFICE - DAY Back in the office REYNOLDS is talking to JACK. On REYNOLDS'S desk is a framed photograph of his suburban wife and two kids. REYNOLDS Let me just run through a few things. As a dealer you never gamble, not anywhere. We'll need your picture. JACK What for? REYNOLDS For the database. It can be accessed by every casino in the country. We have the same system for punters. JACK I don't gamble. REYNOLDS Ever? JACK I don't gamble, Mr Reynolds. REYNOLDS doesn't pursue it. REYNOLDS Next point. Friendships between croupiers inside or outside the casino are discouraged. Relationships with females working here are expressly forbidden. JACK We had the same rule at Sun City, but it was impossible to check. REYNOLDS This isn't South Africa. We'd know, because someone would report it. Believe me, someone always does. JACK Does know? Or does report? What would happen if I knew something like that and didn't report it? REYNOLDS We'd know. There are no secrets in this casino. You'd be punished. JACK How? REYNOLDS First offence: verbal warning. Second offence: written warning. That one's filed and sometimes copied to the Gaming Board. My discretion. Third offence: you're sacked on the spot. You'd never work in a casino in this country again. There's another rule: you're forbidden to talk to or recognise a punter outside the casino. If you see someone who's gambled here, even if it's just casually on the street, you must ignore him. Or her. You're not married, are you? JACK shakes his head REYNOLDS Girlfriend? JACK Yes. REYNOLDS She's not in the gaming business is she? JACK No. INT. CASINO - "CROW'S NEST" - DAY A CCTV Centre over the casino. JACK crosses the room, looking down through a glass floor at the empty casino below. REYNOLDS walks over to a series of twenty or more banked TV monitors with many Video 8 tape decks. REYNOLDS This is our Crow's Nest. I'm showing it to you now, but you'll never see it again. JACK Very impressive. REYNOLDS We have tapes in here that go back six months. Let me show you something. REYNOLDS presses a button. Together they look at a TV monitor which shows an overlook of a roulette table where a WOMAN is cheating. REYNOLDS freezes the frame. REYNOLDS See that? That was six weeks ago. The dealer missed it. The guy up here missed it, but I watch these tapes after hours. Nothing gets by me. Now the lady's in jail. It's easier to take ten million pounds from a bank than take one penny from this casino. INT. CASINO - MANAGER'S OFFICE - DAY Again in the office. REYNOLDS extends his hand. JACK shakes it. REYNOLDS You can start Monday week. JACK Fine. REYNOLDS That hair will have to go. JACK Fine. Pause. REYNOLDS Are you planning to make a career in casino work? JACK'S VOICE And end up like you? JACK I just want the job. REYNOLDS Jack, you're not the usual type we get here. JACK'S VOICE Mr Reynolds was right. It was true. Jack was up above the world. An artist, living in the clouds. Looking down. A HIGH ANGLED SHOT of the office, JACK and REYNOLDS. The phone rings. REYNOLDS Excuse me... REYNOLDS picks up and listens. The CAMERA descends. REYNOLDS I can't talk about this now... no, I'm with somebody. They can wait! I'll be home at the usual time... all right, I'll call you back in an hour... (hangs up) Don't ever get married, Jack. Casino work doesn't mix with house and garden. Any questions? The CAMERA reaches a LOW ANGLE on JACK, looking up. JACK Yes. What's the salary? EXT. CAR - STREETS - TWILIGHT The street lamps have come on. JACK is at the wheel of a Sixties Austin-Healey. JACK'S VOICE The casino paid its staff monthly in arrears. He would have to wait six weeks for his first cheque. He needed money now. EXT. USED CAR LOT - TWILIGHT Under a canopy of coloured lights A CAR DEALER is walking round jack's car, examining it. DEALER (fake American accent) What kind of deal you looking to? JACK What's the Blue Book price? DEALER That's not relevant. An old car like this, it depends on the condition. JACK'S VOICE The car was a gift from Jack's father. That's to say, Jack Senior had given it to him before the bailiffs arrived. The DEALER picks at the cracked leather seats, the protruding stuffing, the chipped dashboard, the rust. DEALER This ain't exactly what you'd call mint. He bends down and looks underneath the car. JACK How about fifteen hundred? DEALER How about five hundred. JACK What?! DEALER How about we split the diff... Seven-fifty. JACK Is that your idea of arithmetic? DEALER I'm not a mathematician. I'm in business. JACK Eight-fifty. DEALER Seven-fifty. The DEALER looks at JACK. JACK stares back. It's as if one is waiting for the other to blink first. Neither blinks. JACK'S VOICE He suddenly wanted to be rid of it. 'Hang on tightly, let go lightly'. It was a saying Jack remembered. JACK leans into the open car and takes out his hat and cigarettes. He has accepted the offer. The music begins... INT. UNDERGROUND - NIGHT ... And continues. JACK stands, with an unlit cigarette, in a crowded moving train. He looks at the faces, MEN and WOMEN. He sees PEOPLE reading books. He looks at the TITLES: Romantic fiction, Classics, Business Management, Thrillers, Self-Help, Cooking.... JACK'S VOICE Jack imagined people reading his book. One day he would enter their heads, play with their imaginations, test their feelings... EXT. STREET - NIGHT JACK crosses the road. He turns down a side street where Victorian houses have been converted into flats. There are scores of 'For Sale' and 'To Let' signs down the street. JACK'S VOICE He would tell them you have to make a choice in life. Be a gambler or a croupier. And then live with your decision come what may. He goes down into a basement, closing the iron gate behind him. INT. JACK'S BASEMENT FLAT - NIGHT JACK unlocks the door, goes in, to the accompaniment of street sounds and a dog barking. JACK'S VOICE Marion saw life differently. She was a romantic. And thought he was too. INT. JACK'S FLAT - NIGHT Radio music is playing from another room. An orchestral version of 'Try a Little Tenderness'. JACK comes in, hangs his hat up, looks around. He sees a neatly arranged vase of flowers that wasn't there before. He goes to the bedroom. INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT JACK sees on the bed, an open box and a carrier bag from a designer department store. Among the white tissue paper is a simple black silk dress and lace-decorated black underwear. He smiles and picks up the knickers. He goes to the open bathroom door, from which comes the music. INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT A radio plays beside the bath. The water is draining away. MARION NEIL, a red-haired woman in her mid-thirties, wearing a bathrobe with the name MARION on it is examining the lines on her neck in the half-steamed bathroom mirror. She sees JACK, turns with a smile. JACK holds up the black knickers. MARION I couldn't resist them. JACK You mean I won't resist them. JACK goes to her. MARION No, no. I'm not ready for you. There's some vodka in the freezer. JACK You want me drunk? MARION (laughs) I won't be that long. She pushes him gently with the flat of her palms towards the door. INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT JACK comes back into the bedroom. MARION pushes the bathroom door, not quite closed. JACK tosses the knickers onto the bed. INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT JACK takes the vodka bottle out of the freezer, pours himself a glass. He sees two bottles of wine opened, food neatly prepared, ready to cook, an open cook book. He pours a glass of wine. INT. SITTING ROOM - NIGHT JACK sits drinking his vodka. Looking up through the barred window he sees women's legs passing on the street above. On the desk beside the computer is the glass of wine. MARION materialises in the door to the bedroom. She is made up, wearing the black dress and high-heeled black shoes, a black scarf around her neck. JACK takes the glass of wine and gives it to her. JACK You really are a beautiful woman. MARION (pleased) It's not just inner beauty, is it? JACK Turn around. MARION whirls to show off her dress. JACK You're all I desire. He reaches for an envelope on the desk. He gives it to her. MARION opens it. There are several fifty pound notes inside. MARION Where did you get it? JACK I. sold the car. MARION You shouldn't have done that. I know what it meant to you. JACK I owe you for the rent. It's only a car. I can get another. MARION Take it back. Till you sell your book. JACK Come on, Marion. Let's face the truth. Nobody's going to publish it. MARION Of course they will. You just have to be patient. I'm betting on you. She raises the glass of wine, drinks. JACK I'm not much of a bet. He drains his glass. MARION You are to me. She takes her scarf, puts it round his neck, pulls him seductively towards the bedroom door. MARION Come into my world. She winds the black scarf across his face, covering his eyes. MARION (whispering) You're my prisoner. JACK I've got something to tell you. MARION I want to hear it. JACK I've got a job. MARION (startled) What job? MARION pulls the scarf from his eyes. She wants to look at him. JACK In a casino. As a croupier. A dealer. MARION How did you land that? JACK It came my way. 450 a week. MARION (sits up) 450? What did you do, just walked in and said I want to be a croupier? Don't you need training? JACK I had training. In the Republic. MARION You were a croupier there? You never told me that. I thought you just knew some gamblers. JACK I start Monday week. From the street comes the whining sound of a car alarm. MARION 450 a week. I've never earned that in my life. You're an enigma, you are. A fucking enigma. JACK'S VOICE Not an enigma, just a contradiction. MARION looks deeply into his eyes. MARION You sold the car. You got a job. What's the third thing? Tell me. JACK There's no third thing. Don't be superstitious. MARION I love you Jack, you know that. JACK'S VOICE And he half-loved Marion. And she knew that too. Outside, the car alarm stops. JACK takes MARION'S head in his hands. She reaches for one of them, examines it. JACK Are you trying to read my palm? MARION You've got such beautiful hands. JACK'S VOICE The hands of a conjuror, a woman had told him once. Or a card sharp. Their hands interlock. She leads him into the bedroom. INT. NAIL STUDIO - DAY JACK'S hands are being worked on by a woman MANICURIST. MANICURIST What line of work are you in? JACK I'm an undertaker. MANICURIST Really? The MANICURIST stops for a moment, looks at him with curiosity. INT. BARBER SHOP - DAY A BARBER is cutting JACK'S hair. He goes up JACK'S neck with electric clippers. Jack's hair is now black. BARBER Do you work round here? JACK My office is in Shanghai. BARBER (surprised) What do you do? JACK I'm an arms dealer. The BARBER stops for a moment, nonplussed. INT. CASINO - CHANGING ROOM - DAY In front of the mirror JACK buttons a white shirt and skillfully ties a black bow tie. His short hair is lacquered back. He reaches down for his black jacket... puts it on. The transformation is complete. As he scrubs his nails, JACK sees a WOMAN in the mirror. She is changing her clothes. She pulls off her Indian cotton dress. She's wearing pants but no bra. Quite unselfconsciously, not looking Jack's way, she dresses in her casino clothes. JACK dries his hands. He turns. The WOMAN smiles at him. BELLA I'm Bella. JACK Jack Manfred. BELLA Hi, Jack. (fits herself into the uplift bra) Welcome to the cesspit. JACK Is it that bad? BELLA (starts to do up her top) How do I look? JACK'S VOICE Like trouble, Bella. You look fine. BELLA The punters love it. Tits in uniform. She laughs. INT. CASINO - ROULETTE TABLE - NIGHT JACK appears at the head of the table. The PUNTERS look at him, not recognising him. JACK'S VOICE The usual bunch. They didn't know Jack, but he knew them. JACK Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. A fat INDIAN PUNTER addresses JACK. INDIAN Where's the other fellow? Where's Geoff? JACK He doesn't work here any more. INDIAN Well, let's hope you know your job. A MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN trying to look as young as possible throws 100 pounds in cash to JACK. WOMAN Tens, please. She turns to the WOMAN next to her, who looks very similar. WOMAN 2 Perhaps this man will bring us luck. The WOMAN has sensed her friend's interest in JACK. She's jealous. WOMAN (to Jack) What's that aftershave you're wearing? JACK'S VOICE Never converse with the punters. It slows things down. Speed is volume, and volume is profit for the casino. Aim at twenty spins an hour. JACK pretends he hasn't heard the question. In the background REYNOLDS is watching as JACK spins the wheel. JACK Last bets, please. INT. CASINO - ROULETTE TABLE - NIGHT Later. A plastic-looking BLONDE WOMAN, heavily made-up, sits at the table. She nods to JACK. PUNTERS are placing their bets. She has 50 casino chips of £100 denominations in front of her. JACK notes the large sum. The BLONDE puts £2,500 on red and £2,500 on black. PUNTERS round the table are astonished at the size of the bet and the strangeness of betting both red and black. JACK spins the wheel. Black 10 comes up. JACK takes the red loss and moves it across the table to the black win. The BLONDE picks up the £5,000 without a reaction and leaves the table. JACK notices that she goes straight to the cashier's desk. JACK clears the chips away, starts to pay out. A WHITE-HAIRED MAN on JACK's right speaks to him: MAN You're new here. You'll get used to Madame Claude. She comes in once or twice a week and does that. JACK nods. JACK'S VOICE He knew the scam. Come in with five grand cash. No questions asked. Launder it by getting a casino cheque when you cash in. Jack wondered why Mr Reynolds permitted it? After all there's was no profit in it for the casino. Or was there? INT. CASINO - ROULETTE TABLE - NIGHT Later. A different set of PUNTERS. The wheel spins. A GREEK MAN sits at the table. He doesn't attempt to bet. He looks around to see a CROUPIER in his late 20's waiting to replace JACK at the wheel. This is MATT. He gives JACK a curious complicitous smile. JACK collects the chips and pays out. JACK Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. I'm going to hand you over now to my colleague. Goodnight. MATT takes over. MATT Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. REYNOLDS appears and takes JACK'S arm. REYNOLDS (quietly) Good work, Jack. You handled yourself well. At the table, MATT glances at the GREEK man. INT. CASINO - BLACKJACK TABLE - NIGHT JACK is now dealing to FIVE PUNTERS. He has a 10 and a 5 exposed for the house. TWO PLAYERS go bust. ONE PLAYER sticks on 19, the next on 20. The LAST PLAYER buys a card for 21. JACK turns over an ace for the house. He twists again. It's a 5 - making 21. The two losing PLAYERS groan. The LAST PLAYER is paid evens for equalling the house. One of the PLAYERS who's gone bust gets up, having lost all his chips, and leaves. JACK'S VOICE Suddenly a delayed wave of elation came over him. INT. CASINO - NIGHT Across the casino an Oriental man, MR TCHAI, is walking towards the table with REYNOLDS. Behind him is a 6 foot 5 bulging BODYGUARD. REYNOLDS comes up to JACK's table. REYNOLDS Why don't you take a break, Jack. JACK (puzzled) All right, Mr Reynolds. He moves his chair back, nods at the remaining PLAYERS. MR TCHAI sits down, watched by the BODYGUARD. BELLA comes up, smiles sweetly, and takes over from JACK. BELLA Good evening, Mr Tchai. MR TCHAI Good evening. TCHAI pulls out a sealed bank packet of £5,000. REYNOLDS Enjoy yourself, Mr Tchai. REYNOLDS waves to a WAITRESS who comes over. WAITRESS (to Mr Tchai) Your usual, sir? TCHAI nods. He hands her a £50 note. WAITRESS Thank you, sir. Enjoy your game. JACK'S VOICE £50 for a diet Coke. Waitresses were the true winners in the casino. They were the only members of staff allowed to accept tips. On a good night they could get between £200 and £300. The WAITRESS goes. The other PLAYERS at the table look at MR TCHAI, wondering who he is. INT. CASINO - NIGHT REYNOLDS walks with JACK across the casino. REYNOLDS Mr Tchai always likes to play at that table, and only with Bella. JACK Does he win? REYNOLDS (smiles) He's a good customer. JACK'S VOICE A good customer is a consistent loser. Was that what Mr Reynolds meant? INT. CASINO - CHANGING ROOM - NIGHT JACK is changing into his street clothes. The young croupier MATT comes up to him. MATT Where do you live, Jack? JACK Over the river. MATT Have you got transport? JACK shakes his head. MATT I'm going over the river. I'll give you a lift if you like. JACK Thanks. INT. BMW - NIGHT MATT puts the car into gear, drives off, JACK sitting beside him. MATT So how do you feel, your first night? I'll bet you're on a high. JACK Nice car. MATT She's my baby. JACK How long have you worked at the casino? MATT Coming up to two years now. (mysteriously) But I was away for six months. JACK You've done pretty well. MATT (smugly) Not bad. I have other interests, of course. MATT spins the car round a corner. MATT I'm off to a little watering hole. Why don't you join me? Relax. JACK No thanks, Matt. I need my eight hours. MATT I'll lay you five to one you won't sleep. In this job you have to unwind. Otherwise it'll kill you. I mean that. JACK Some other time. INT. FLAT - KITCHEN - NIGHT JACK pours himself a vodka, smoking a cigarette. INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT JACK starts to take his clothes off. MARION is asleep in bed. She wakes. MARION What's the time? JACK I don't know. Clock beside the bed reads 4.30. MARION How did it go? JACK Fine. He gets into bed beside her. She takes him in her arms. MARION You're shaking. What is it? JACK Tension. It'll go. MARION Poor baby. This'll relax you. She starts to massage his neck, his hair. MARION I loved it blond. JACK It's only hair. I haven't changed. INT. BEDROOM - DAY MARION is dressed in a suit, preparing to leave. She throws her nightgown into a laundry basket. JACK is asleep. She bends to kiss him. He wakes. MARION When you get home, I'm asleep. When I leave home, you're asleep. JACK (dreamily) I'll see you in my dreams. INT. SITTING ROOM - DAY MARION drops a set of keys into her bag, glances at JACK'S covered computer. She draws the curtain back. Daylight illuminates the old etching of Cape Town. INT. CASINO - NIGHT JANI DE VILLIERS is 30-something, blonde, tanned, expensively dressed in designer clothes. She gives JACK ten £50 notes. JANI In 20s, please... He slots the cash into the "bank" beneath the table, then counts out £500 in £20 chips. He slides the chips towards her, looks at her. She smiles. There are ten other PEOPLE at the roulette table. An ARABIC- LOOKING MAN with a moustache behind JANI is looking down the front of her dress. JACK (frowns) Place your bets. Around the table the PUNTERS move their chips onto numbers, lines, colours. JANI throws three chips to JACK and calls the numbers: JANI 5...8...11. JACK places them for her. JACK'S VOICE Jack could see this woman was an experienced gambler. Professionals always place their bets through the croupier. That way there are no comebacks. The wheel spins, 11 is the number. JACK calls the number and puts the 'dolly' on 11. JANI smiles faintly. JACK pays out across the table. JANI leaves two chips on 11 The MAN behind JANI puts his chips on 11. JANI glances up at him. She sees the MAN is betting with her. JACK spins the wheel again. 33 comes up. INT. CASINO - ROULETTE TABLE - NIGHT JANI bets again on number 11. The MAN follows suit. The wheel spins. JACK watches the table. JANI glances at him. The MAN moves closer to the table to one side of JANI. Concealed in his hand is a chip. As the ball bounces round and lands again on number 11, the MAN deftly adds the chip to the square. JACK clocks it. JACK I'm sorry, sir, that's a late bet. MAN (in Arabic accent) What are you talking about? It's 11, I've won. With this lady. JACK (carefully) You've won with the two chips you placed earlier, but the third chip was a late bet. MAN I put them on together. JACK I'm afraid that's not so, sir. REYNOLDS, who has been watching the tables, sees the beginning of an incident. He comes over. The MAN is getting angry. JANI watches. MAN Now look here, you... REYNOLDS Is there a problem, sir? MAN Yes. This croupier is accusing me of cheating. JACK It was a late bet. This gentleman has been following the lady's numbers and... The MAN interrupts JACK and touches JANI's arm. MAN (to Jani) Do you think I cheated? JACK and REYNOLDS wait. JACK glances at JANI. JANI In my opinion... it was a late bet. REYNOLDS I think we should talk about this, sir. Away from the table. MAN (angrily) No. I won. I want to be paid. He bangs his fist on the felt. JACK waits for REYNOLDS'S decision. REYNOLDS looks at JACK. REYNOLDS Pay the gentleman. In full. REYNOLDS steps back, JACK pays out JANI and the MAN. The MAN takes his winnings. He looks at JACK with hatred, then leaves the table. REYNOLDS watches him, looks to JACK and nods. JANI collects her winnings and throws two chips to JACK. She stands up to leave. JACK I'm sorry, madam, we don't accept gratuities in the UK. It's different in South Africa. JANI (surprised) You know where I'm from? JACK nods and gives her back the two chips. JACK I've lived there. JANI (sweetly) Well, thank you anyway. JACK watches her leave. JACK'S VOICE Bright woman, he thought. She knew the rule of gold. Quit when you're ahead. JANI heads towards the cashier. JACK sees REYNOLDS arguing with the irate ARABIC MAN near the entrance. He looks back to the table. JACK Place your bets. On his way out the ARABIC MAN looks towards JACK and makes an occult sign with his hand. INT. CASINO - NIGHT It is late. There are few PUNTERS left at the tables. JACK tidies up his table, which is next to MATT's. He looks across at MATT and sees the GREEK MAN who was at the table the first night when MATT took over. The GREEK wins on a number. MATT clears the table and counts out the GREEK'S winnings, quickly and efficiently. JACK stiffens. He sees that something is wrong. MATT moves piles of chips across to the GREEK, who doesn't look up. JACK glances in the direction of the hidden video cameras and the crows' nest. REYNOLDS is in the back-ground, has seen nothing untoward. JACK watches the GREEK pick up his winnings and leave. INT. BMW - NIGHT Again MATT is driving JACK home. JACK (hesitantly) Look Matt, there's something I have to say to you. I saw you cheating. MATT (violently) What the fuck are you talking about? JACK That Greek guy who won at the end. You paid him out in 25s not 20s. MATT (angry) I don't cheat, Jack. You've got it wrong. JACK I'm not going to report it. MATT slams on the brakes. The car comes to an abrupt stop. MATT turns to JACK, furious. MATT What are you, a cop? JACK If I see you do it again, I'll report it. MATT I don't get you. Even if it was true, which it isn't, what the fuck difference would it make to you? JACK Because if a supervisor knew I'd seen you and I hadn't reported it, I'd lose my job as well. And I can't afford that. MATT So it's Mr Clean. Wise up, Jack, this whole business is bent. The casino is nothing but legal theft. And that's OK. It's the system. Half the punters who come in are using stolen money, drug money, they haven't earned it. We earn our money. (softens) I'm on your side, Jack. I don't need an enemy. JACK You're talking about complicity. MATT I don't know what that means. I'm talking about not rocking the boat. MATT holds out his hand for JACK. JACK shakes it. MATT grins. MATT OK, now let's unwind. He puts the car into gear and drives off. JACK'S VOICE Matt was an escape artist. Like Jack's father. EXT. GREEK RESTAURANT - NIGHT MATT's car pulls up in the parking lot at the back of the restaurant. He and JACK get out of the car and go through the open kitchen door. INT. GREEK RESTAURANT - KITCHEN - NIGHT The kitchen is full of people, some involved in cooking, some standing around smoking and drinking, mostly Greek. MATT Hey, Andros! He shakes hands with a GUY who looks like the owner. MATT This is Jack. JACK shakes hands too. They cross the kitchen and go through a bead curtain. Piped Greek music is playing. INT. RESTAURANT - DINING ROOM - NIGHT A smoke-filled private dining room. There is a poker game in Progress. FIVE MEN are playing, a DOZEN GIRLS are dotted about watching. There is a trestle table laden with Greek food, from stews to salad, buffet-style. An improvised bar with ouzo, vodka and wine. It's help-yourself. JACK Who are these guys? MATT Mostly people in the casino business. A few drug dealers. JACK And the girls? MATT Just girls. What are you drinking? JACK Vodka. Straight. On the rocks. MATT Good call. Help yourself. JACK pours himself a vodka, scoops up some ice with his hand from a bucket. Clouds of smoke envelop him. The noise is close to deafening. JACK Does Bella come here? MATT That bitch? No. INT. RESTAURANT - DINING ROOM - NIGHT The poker game. A MAN with fair hair gets up, kisses a GIRL whose dress is a bathing suit, puts his arm round her and they wander off. MATT is at the table. JACK is replenishing his vodka. MATT Hey Jack, join us. JACK No thanks. MATT (laughs) Don't worry, I won't report you! JACK I don't gamble. GIRL appears behind JACK's shoulder. GIRL You don't gamble, but do you smoke? The GIRL has a joint in her over-ringed hand. She is dressed in purple Indian cotton. JACK Sometimes. GIRL (hands him the smoking joint) How about now? She blows smoke in his face. JACK drains his vodka, pours himself another. INT. RESTAURANT - LAVATORY - NIGHT JACK comes into the Gents, another smoke-filled room. Three or four MEN are arguing over a drug deal, standing in front of the urinal. One of them has an envelope full of cash, another a packet of drugs. JACK goes to a lavatory stall, opens the door. In the stall the fair-haired MAN who was at Matt's table is sitting on the lavatory, his trousers round his ankles. The GIRL in the bathing suit is sitting on his thighs, bobbing up and down. JACK sees a butterfly tattoo on her left cheek, the Queen of Spades. JACK'S VOICE Marion. I'm on my way... INT. RESTAURANT - DINING ROOM - NIGHT JACK puts his arm on MATT's shoulder at the poker table. JACK I'm off. I need to sleep. MATT Loosen up, Jack. If you don't, this job'll get to you. The pressure's too much, believe me, it'll break you. JACK "The world breaks everyone, and afterwards many are strong in the broken places." Ernest Hemingway. JACK turns and leaves, helping himself to another drink. MATT Wasn't he the one who shot himself? INT. JACK'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT JACK comes to the flat. He is drunk. He starts across the dark room. Suddenly the light comes on. JACK turns to see MARION, sitting in a chair in her night-dress. MARION Where've you been? I've got to give evidence in court at nine. JACK Don't play the cop with me, Marion. MARION Take that back! (furious) Fucking take that back. I'm not a cop any more. JACK I take it back. You're not a cop any more. You're a store detective. MARION Are you drunk? JACK Probably. MARION This fucking job's getting to you. You haven't written a fucking word since you started. JACK Do you have to swear all the time? MARION (hurt) Well, that's my poor upbringing. I didn't go to no private school. I haven't got no class. I want to live with a writer. Not a fucking croupier. I don't even know what the word means. Croupier. JACK Marion, stop this. MARION (near to tears) What do I mean to you? I want to know. Tell me. There is a pause. JACK You're my conscience. MARION Haven't you got a conscience of your own? JACK has no answer. He goes into the bathroom. INT. JACK'S FLAT - DAY The computer is still covered. JACK is standing at the table dealing cards, practising. One card slips. He swears silently. He flexes his fingers, cracks his knuckle joints. He looks at a skirt, legs, high heels, Passing above the barred window. EXT. PICCADILLY - EVENING JACK emerges from the Underground, one of the CROWD. EXT. PICCADILLY - STORE - EVENING JACK goes into a large Department Store. INT. DEPARTMENT STORE - EVENING MARION is store-walking in the women's underwear department. It is Sale time. Baskets of tights and knickers on display. CUSTOMERS are rummaging. She is on the look-out for thieves. She jumps as JACK places his hand on her hip. MARION What are you doing here? (looks round nervously) You know the rules. JACK What about a drink on the way home? MARION I don't finish till eight. Make it nine and you're on. JACK I'm on at nine. MARION Well, that's our life now, isn't it? EXT. PICCADILLY - EVENING JACK pauses in front of an airline office. There is a large picture of Cape Town, and a special ticket offer. JANI comes out of the office. Her hair, tied back earlier in the casino, is now glamorously fluffed out. She sees JACK. He doesn't see her. JANI Thinking of going back? JACK is startled. He doesn't recognise her for a moment. Then... JACK Oh hello. JANI (smiling) You know what? I'd like to buy you a drink. JACK It's against the rules. Dealers are forbidden to talk to punters. JANI That's stupid. What are the odds of you being seen with me? JACK Impossible to calculate. JACK'S VOICE Jack knew that, in reality, all odds are calculable. INT. RITZ HOTEL - NIGHT The Art Deco bar. Expensive PEOPLE around. JANI and JACK are installed on a sofa. A WAITER puts down two Martinis. JANI (raises her glass) To coincidence. JACK (drinks) There's a casino in this hotel. JANI I'm not much of a gambler really. I just like this bar. JACK So why did you come to my casino? JANI I was at a loose end. A friend of a friend gave me a courtesy membership. JACK First visit to London? JANI No, no. I come every couple of years. I always think I'm going to stay. I'm from Cape Town originally JACK I was born in the Transkei, on the Wild Coast. JANI Near the casino. JACK In the casino. JANI Now there's a coincidence. My father used to gamble there. JACK Your father? JANI I loved the atmosphere. But it destroyed my poor mother. JACK The debts. JANI And the lies. Gamblers are born liars. JACK (nods) And superstitious too. It's like witchcraft. JANI That's Africa. There's an African in all of us, isn't there? JACK We all came from Africa, supposedly. JANI Do you believe in astrology? JACK Absolutely not. But then, I'm a Gemini and Geminis don't believe in astrology. JANI laughs out loud. JANI You know, you don't strike me as a typical croupier. JANI drinks. JACK notices her wedding ring. JANI catches the look. JANI I'm not married. I wear it to keep the flies off. (looks at her watch) I must go. Let me pay for this. JACK Absolutely not. JANI Toss you for it. JACK I don't gamble. JANI nods, stands up, takes out a notepad and pen. She looks round feigning conspiracy. JANI (low voice) I know this is verboten, but if you feel like a chat or maybe dinner, give me a call. She scribbles her name and phone number on the pad, tears off the page, gives it to him. JANI I'll understand if you don't. (smiles) But I hope you do. She leaves. JACK watches her go, looks at the page she's given him. INT. JACK'S FLAT - NIGHT In front of a mirror JACK trims his hair with nail scissors. He is dressed in his croupier's uniform. He straightens his bow tie. JACK'S VOICE He didn't know why, but he'd started to dress for the casino at home... INT. UNDERGROUND COMPARTMENT - NIGHT JACK sits in the compartment. JACK'S VOICE ... like a musician in his tuxedo, going to the concert hall on public transport... INT. CASINO - ROULETTE TABLE - NIGHT An ARAB at the end of the table kisses all his £50 chips and sets them out on the table. The wheel spins. JACK looks round at the PUNTERS. The ball bounces, falls on zero. Everybody loses. Many groans. A MEDITERRANEAN-LOOKING MAN with a gold bracelet coughs. A gob of phlegm from his mouth lands on a pile of chips that JACK is raking away. A WOMAN in her mid-thirties is appalled. WOMAN Animal! JACK Would you mind being more careful, sir. MAN I've got 'flu. He coughs again, but into a handkerchief. WOMAN Then go back home. To the zoo! JACK clears the piles of chips to one side. He signals to a SUPERVISOR. The SUPERVISOR hurries over. JACK This gentleman accidentally coughed onto these chips. I don't think it would be hygienic to stack them... The SUPERVISOR signals a WAITRESS over. SUPERVISOR Agnes. These chips have to be counted and put into the steamer. AGNES Yuck. She looks at JACK, grimaces, and takes the chips away. INT. CASINO - NIGHT The last PUNTERS are leaving. The overhead lights come on. A CROUPIER is wheeling away a trolley with thousands of chips. TWO MEN are covering the tables with shrouds. INT. CASINO - STRONG ROOM - NIGHT REYNOLDS watches as JACK and MATT count the thousands of pounds, putting them in piles. Behind them is a large open safe. MATT I can't give you a lift back tonight. JACK Don't worry. REYNOLDS places the notes in steel boxes. EXT. CASINO - NIGHT JACK, comes out. BELLA hurries after him, following him round the corner. BELLA (calling) Jack. Do you need a ride? JACK No. Thanks. BELLA My car's in the garage. JACK Maybe another time. BELLA I'll take you up on that. JACK (pleasantly) Goodnight. He straightens his hat and walks off. BELLA walks the other way. EXT. STREET. NIGHT A MAN lurks in the shadows ahead of JACK. JACK doesn't see him. But as he comes past, the MAN steps out blocking JACK'S way. He is the Arabic-looking MAN JACK earlier caught cheating at the casino with JANI. MAN You don't recognise me? You had me barred. You fucking little worm. JACK Wait a minute. You got yourself barred. MAN It was you, you shit. The MAN reaches forward and grabs JACK'S tie. He yanks it with farce. JACK gasps. He rams his elbow into the MAN'S chest. The MAN kicks JACK on the shins. JACK topples. The MAN leaps at him. JACK, knees him in the groin. The fight is untidy and vicious. Both men collapse struggling onto the pavement. A car appears, a Mini-Cooper. BELLA is driving. She sees the fight. JACK'S nose is bleeding. The MAN kicks him in the back. JACK yells with pain, gets to his feet. JACK Now I'm going to kill you. He boots the MAN in the head. BELLA gets out of her car and runs over to them. BELLA Jack! The MAN is screening under JACK'S repeated blows. BELLA pulls JACK away. BELLA Jack. Leave him! Come on! JACK'S face is masked with blood and fury. BELLA is frightened by JACK'S violence. BELLA Let's go. We don't want the cops here. Before she can get JACK into her car, he goes back to the MAN groaning on the floor. He stamps on the MAN's hand. BELLA is shocked. JACK (coldly) He won't cheat again. BELLA pulls him away, bundles JACK into her car, gets in, drives away. INT. BELLA'S FLAT - BATHROOM - NIGHT Water is running in the basin. BELLA puts JACK'S jacket on the lavatory seat. She starts to undo his tie. JACK wipes his blood-stained nose with a wet flannel. BELLA You're shaking. JACK It's the tension. She undoes his shirt and takes it off. He winces. She washes his torso, cleans him up. JACK looks at his shaking hands. BELLA takes him by the hand, leads him into the bedroom. INT. BELLA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT She sits him on the bed. The room is lit with coloured lamps. BELLA Excuse the mess. JACK pulls her suddenly into his arms, pulls her onto the bed. She is startled. BELLA Careful. JACK'S hands open her blouse. He reaches for her breast. BELLA'S surprise becomes excitement. He kisses her hungrily, his hands rummaging in her clothes. She reaches for a side zip in her skirt. BELLA Don't tear anything. BELLA kicks off her shoes. There is a burst of passion between them. For JACK, a continuation of the violence with the MAN on the street. For BELLA, it's a sudden release. Her naked foot knocks over the bedside lamp. JACK spreads BELLA on the bed. She tugs his trousers down. He rips her black underwear away. INT. BELLA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT Later. JACK is lying sprawled on the bed with BELLA. She reaches across him and retrieves the fallen lamp. BELLA It's funny, isn't it? If that guy hadn't come up to you, you wouldn't be here now. JACK strokes her bottom. JACK I hate cheats. BELLA All men are cheats. BELLA picks up a joint from the bedside and lights it. BELLA I spent two years on the game. I don't mind telling you that. JACK looks at her. BELLA But don't worry, I'm clean as a whistle. I only did S & M. (she hands the joint to JACK,) No blow jobs. No screwing. JACK Why did you quit? BELLA I got scared. JACK (inhales) I can imagine. BELLA Can you? I'm happy being a dealer. At least the punters keep their hands to themselves. JACK You called the casino a cesspit. BELLA Well it is. But I know where I am. JACK hands the joint back to BELLA. BELLA I've been watching you work. You're the best in the place. But you know that. JACK I despise the job. BELLA Ah, we all say that. But if we hate it, why do we do it? JACK doesn't answer. JACK'S VOICE Jack wanted to say we do it for the money. But that wasn't really true. BELLA leans over JACK and begins gently to massage his flesh. BELLA What do you really want to do? She puts the joint in an ashtray. JACK The Indian rope-trick. BELLA Look, now I'm pumping you. I'm sorry. It's none of my business. It's just that you're not like the others. JACK Not like Matt, you mean. BELLA Now he's a real shit. Don't get friendly with him. I'm sure he's got his hand in the till. You know what he said to me once? "I want to fuck the whole world over. That's my mission." The shit! BELLA touches a bruise on JACK'S body. JACK Ouch. BELLA Sorry. She kisses the bruised skin, pulls him to her. BELLA simply wants to be held. JACK'S VOICE Jack could hear Matt saying it... INT. JACK'S FLAT - DAY JACK is at his desk typing intently. There is a pile of new pages in the sunlight. JACK'S VOICE "I want to fuck the whole world over. It's my mission." MARION passes in the foreground. She kisses him on the back of his head and leaves. JACK'S fingers move across the keyboard, dancing. JACK'S VOICE At last he had found what he'd been looking for. A clear and simple theme. And a hero to act it out. Little Matt... (Pause) ...Chapter One. INT. CASINO - WASHROOM - NIGHT MATT is shaving. MATT I look like shit. JACK is scrubbing his nails at a basin. JACK Rough day? MATT Rough life, Jack. A YOUNG WOMAN appears in the mirror behind the two MEN. Her name is PAT. She is dressed like BELLA. PAT Hi. I'm Pat. MATT and JACK say 'Hello'. MATT appraises PAT'S appearance, winks approval at JACK. JACK (to Matt) What happened to Bella? MATT I'll tell you later. JACK is mystified. INT. CASINO - BLACKJACK TABLE - NIGHT JACK is dealing to MR TCHAI and three OTHER MEN. One chair at the table is empty. MR TCHAI What happened to Bella? JACK She was re-assigned. JACK shows 13. He turns over his third card, a King. The bank busts. JACK pays out. JANI sits down in the vacant chair. JACK conceals his surprise, a hint of nervousness. JACK (formally) Good evening. JANI nods impassively. JACK'S VOICE Jack knew this was no coincidence. Why had she come? The MEN look at the glamorous woman. MR TCHAI doesn't register her presence. He is as inscrutable as his BODYGUARD who hands him an envelope. JANI takes out money from her purse. JACK counts it. JANI One thousand even. In fifties. JACK slots the money down, counts out 20 £50 chips. JACK deals. Bets are placed. 100 from JANI. The cards turn. MR TCHAI splits two aces. JANI has a 6 and 7. MR TCHAI receives two los and wins big. JANI gets a 10 and busts. JACK'S VOICE He wondered if she believed he would bring her luck... JANI'S face is impassive. She receives her cards... INT. CASINO - NIGHT JANI busts again. JACK sweeps away the chips, the cards. JANI reaches into her bag, takes out another thousand pounds. JANI In fifties. The MEN at the table look at JANI. JACK'S VOICE Or did she think he would help her win? INT. CASINO - BLACKJACK TABLE - NIGHT JANI loses again. She is down to 4 chips. She looks up at JACK. Their eyes meet, hers desperate, his helpless. MR TCHAI picks up on the look. JACK'S VOICE He knew how to fix it for her. His father had taught him the trick. Switch the sequence. Bust the bank. The casino wouldn't spot it. But Jack was wary of the punters... JACK glances at the MEN at the table. JACK'S VOICE He could see Mr Tchai was counting. He couldn't risk it. JANI places her last bet, glances at the mountain of chips in front of MR TCHAI. JACK catches her look. He deals. JANI reaches for her next card. JACK observes her left hand. JACK'S VOICE He noticed she wasn't wearing her ring. Why not? Odds on she'd sold it. JACK plays out the hand. JANI loses. She immediately gets up. She is crushed. JANI Good night. Thank you. She walks away from the table. JACK Good night. JACK'S VOICE Thank you, she said. For what, Jack thought. Jani de Villiers knew the odds. TCHAI looks at JACK. MR TCHAI Pretty woman. INT. JACK'S BEDROOM/SITTING ROOM - NIGHT JACK is sitting on the bed fully clothed. He is carefully sewing a button on his croupier's jacket. Through the open bedroom door MARION can be seen sitting on the sofa, legs tucked under her, reading the new typescript. The phone rings. In the bedroom JACK picks up. JACK Hello... EXT. SOUTH AFRICA CASINO - NIGHT JACK SR. is in a public phone. Coloured lanterns hang round in the night. Distant laughter. JACK SR How's it going, Jacko? INTERCUT between JACK and JACK SR. JACK Fine. I took the job. JACKSR Good for you. I was wondering what happened. JACK I tried to call you, dad, but they said your line was disconnected. JACK SR (jovially) Ah yes, I moved house. Needed a bigger place. How's that book of yours coming along? In the sitting room MARION looks towards JACK in the bedroom. JACK I'm getting there. JACK SR It's good to have the job to fall back on, isn't it? (pause) There goes my other phone. JACK Goodbye dad. He hangs up. MARION turns the last page of the typescript. She's finished. INT. SITTING ROOM - NIGHT JACK comes in from the bedroom. MARION says nothing. She puts the typescript down. JACK waits. MARION gets off the sofa. MARION I don't like it. JACK Why not? MARION I don't like it at all. You had a wonderful character before, the Gambler. He was so romantic. JACK He was a loser. This guy's a croupier. He can't lose. People have shat on him all his life. Now he's in control. He's a winner. MARION Is that your idea of a winner? He doesn't give a shit about anyone. He uses people and -- JACK (interrupting) -- It's because of the sex, isn't it? You don't like the sex in it. MARION I don't give a fuck about the sex. Most men'll fuck a lamppost. He's just a miserable zombie. Is that the way you feel now? Is that what's happened to you? JACK Marion. It's a book. MARION Oh really. Then why is he called Jake. Why don't you come clean and call him Jack. (softens) There's no hope in it. JACK It's the truth. MARION Without hope there's no point to anything. JACK Now wait a minute. What's so hopeful about your job? Spending the day catching poor people stealing. You said yourself the organised gangs get away with it. At least in the casino everybody gets caught. Rich or poor, the odds are the same. It's all relative. MARION Crap. It's not relative. It's unfair. Like your casino. It's designed unfair. And your croupier's a little shit because he goes along with it. JACK sees MARION is getting really angry. He crosses the room, Pointedly takes MARION'S handbag, opens it, takes out a National Lottery card and receipt. The doorbell rings. JACK (coldly) You're just like all those other dummies out there. Fourteen and a half million to one! Is that your idea of hope? The doorbell rings again. MARION The door, Jack. JACK Leave it. MARION No. Answer it! JACK hands her the lottery card and goes to the door, opens it. BELLA stands there. BELLA You fucking little shit! You shopped me. JACK What are you talking about? MARION watches, numb. BELLA Reynolds got a doctor in. They forced me to take a dope test. It was positive. As you knew. JACK I don't know anything about it. BELLA looks over to MARION. BELLA Your boyfriend fucked me, smoked my dope, then shopped me. What do you think of that? I can't get a job now. (to Jack) You bastard. You're no different from Matt. A pair of vicious little shits, that's what you are. JACK (firmly) Look Bella, I don't know anything about this. You should talk to Matt. BELLA You're all scumbags. MARION I agree. Without looking at MARION, BELLA suddenly kisses JACK on the lips. BELLA looks hard at JACK, then leaves. JACK pursues her. EXT. BASEMENT - NIGHT BELLA runs up the iron stairs to the gate at the top. JACK Bella! Without looking back she flings the gate shut, goes off down the street. JACK turns. MARION Go on. Go after her! MARION slams the door to the flat. JACK is half-way up the stairs, alone. EXT. PICCADILLY DEPARTMENT STORE - EVENING The rush hour. 6 in the evening. JACK watches MEN and WOMEN coming out the store. JACK'S VOICE Jack had no idea where Marion was staying, or with whom. He realised he knew little about her life. But then, he had never asked about it. JACK now sees MARION. He is about to go up to her, moving through the flow of the crowd, then he stops. A MAN in his 30s, tall with a moustache, greets MARION. He's been waiting for her. JACK watches the two of them, unseen. The MAN and MARION exchange a few words. She smiles, takes his arm. He leans forward to kiss her. JACK'S VOICE For the first time in a long while Jack thought about his mother. She'd left when she couldn't take it any more. His father had said 'Don't worry, Jacko, she'll come back.' She didn't. JACK turns and walks away. JACK'S VOICE But Marion wasn't his mother... INT. CASINO - CROWS NEST - NIGHT JACK stands behind REYNOLDS who is playing back a video of the earlier incident in which MATT cheated with the GREEK. JACK He's paying out in stacks of 25. REYNOLDS I can see. He freezes the frame, presses a button, zooms in on the detail of MATT's hand covering the chips. On another video monitor MATT is dealing blackjack. REYNOLDS looks at the screen. REYNOLDS Little shit. JACK'S VOICE Chapter Three. His existence was forming an interesting pattern of betrayals. Sometimes he was unsure whether he was the betrayer or the betrayed. REYNOLDS looks up from the screen. REYNOLDS (grudgingly) Thanks for the information. JACK A pleasure. Pity about Bella. REYNOLDS She was a real asset. But what could I do? JACK lights a cigarette. REYNOLDS (shakes his head) Sorry. No smoking in the Nest, Jack. INT. JACK'S FLAT - DAY Working at his computer, JACK lights one cigarette from another. He pauses from his typing. On the desk beside him is the note with JANI's phone number. He picks up the phone, starts to dial, then stops, replaces the receiver. He looks distracted, lost. On the table MARION'S flowers are dead in the vase. INT. BOOKSTORE - DAY JACK comes downstairs from the upper floor. He is looking at a book he has selected: 'SCARNE ON CARDS'. Across from the cash desk near the entrance a book signing is in progress. A small crowd surrounds a Middle Eastern author called HABIB dressed in a kaftan. GILES is with him. A PHOTOGRAPHER is there. A few camera flashes. GILES sees JACK at the cash desk. He is uncertain for a moment, then smiles. GILES (calling) Jack! Hearing his name, JACK turns. GILES comes over. GILES I thought it was you. It's the hair! JACK (touching the back of his neck) I'm working on that soccer story. GILES (vaguely) Right. (suddenly) Look, I must get back to Habib. JACK Habib? GILES My author. He's a Terrorist. He's written a kill-and-tell book. (puts his hand on Jack's shoulder) Take care. GILES heads back to the signing. The CASHIER puts JACK'S book in a bag. GILES stops, thinking of something. He comes back to JACK. GILES Jack, look, next weekend I'm having a house party. Here... (removes a card from his pocket book) It's near Oxford. Why don't you come? It'll just be social. No business. (conspiratorially) Bring a friend. I've plenty of room. JACK (looks at the card) I'll try and make it. GILES Looking forward! GILES goes back to his group. JACK looks round the bookstore, sees thousands of books in piles. JACK'S VOICE Books piled like chips. Stack 'em high. Sell 'em fast. Make a killing. You think you're a gambler, Giles, but you're not. You're a dealer. A camera flash. EXT. COUNTRY ROAD - NIGHT JANI'S white Honda winds its way through the wintry Oxfordshire countryside. The moon is bright. JACK'S VOICE Chapter Four... INT. HONDA - NIGHT JANI, wearing dark glasses, is driving. JACK, beside her, reads a map with a torch. JACK I don't know how you can drive at night with those glasses. She turns and smiles at him. Her left hand is bandaged. JACK How did you hurt your hand? JANI Just an accident. Nothing. JACK Turn left ahead. The car turns into a lane. JACK Jani, there's something I want to say. Before we get there. I don't know what the sleeping arrangements are. Giles probably expects us to share a room. JANI That's fine. EXT. COUNTRY HOUSE - NIGHT The Honda's tyres crackle on the gravel drive which leads to a floodlit yellow stone country house. There are three cars parked outside the entrance. The Honda stops next to them. INT. HONDA - NIGHT JACK prepares to get out. JANI catches his arm. She takes off her dark glasses. Her right eye is bruised. JANI There's no point pretending it was an accident. I had a fight with someone, that's all. In the distance there is the sound of a tennis ball being struck. EXT. COUNTRY HOUSE - TENNIS COURT - NIGHT A floodlit tennis court. A racquet smacks a tennis ball. JACK sits with GILES drinking Bloody Marys watching a game of mixed doubles. Everybody's wearing sweaters. JANI is playing with one of GILES'S friends, GORDON. On the other side, two girls, FIONA from Giles' office, and CHLOE, Gordon's girlfriend. JACK follows JANI'S game. She is far and away the best of the four. GILES is also studying JANI's movements, her knickers when she serves. GILES She's a dab hand With a racquet, your friend. JACK South African women are very sporty. JACK watches JANI'S strong leg muscles as she moves about the court. GILES I can see. How did she get that shiner? JACK has been waiting for this. JACK I found her in bed with someone. GILES (surprised) Who was he? JACK She. GIEES I say. You're a dark horse, Jack. On court, Jani delivers a winning overhead smash. The four PLAYERS shake hands across the net. They come off the court. GORDON puts his arm around JANI. His girlfriend CHLOE notices. JACK is irritated. GILES catches the moment. GORDON (to Jack) You don't play tennis? JACK I don't play anything. GORDON How boring for you. JANI moves deliberately away from GORDON, who clearly fancies her, and sits down beside JACK. She pointedly kisses him on the cheek. GILES glances at GORDON, who shrugs. FIONA comes up to GILES. FIONA Where's our drinks? CHLOE They're so bloody selfish. JANI (to Jack) I'm so glad you brought me. JACK'S VOICE Jack wouldn't have come without her. INT. COUNTRY HOUSE - DRAWING ROOM - NIGHT JACK and JANI, GILES, GORDON and their two GIRLFRIENDS are sitting down with drinks at a card table. GORDON opens a fresh deck of cards. JACK I don't gamble. GILES Don't be a spoilsport. It's only a few quid. JACK It's nothing to do with money. I don't gamble. GILES looks to JANI to persuade him. JANI He doesn't gamble. JACK I'll watch. GORDON (insinuatingly) Jack likes to watch. (to Jani) Does he like to watch? JACK is getting angry. JANI is calm. JANI (to Gordon) One more remark like that and I'll break your balls. There is silence. GORDON is embarrassed. FIONA looks at CHLOE, they're shocked and impressed. JACK smiles. GILES (laughs) I'll bet she could, too. JACK defuses the atmosphere. JACK I'll deal, but I won't play. He sits down, picks up the cards. GORDON You sure you know how? JACK takes the pack of cards, splits it expertly into two, shuffles by pressing the two halves together open-palmed. There is a rattling noise as the cards fold mechanically into one another, leaving the pack as if it hadn't been shuffled. FIONA and CHLOE are fascinated. FIONA Do that again. JACK gives the cards to his right, GORDON cuts them. Another immaculate professional shuffle, and out come the cards from JACK'S right hand, flicking across the table. As the cards land, they fall exactly next to one another in front of each player. CHLOE That's sexy. At the end of the deal, five players are looking at a neat fan of five cards before them. FIONA Don't they look pretty. They all pick up their cards. GILES (frowns) There's nothing pretty about this hand. CHLOE You're not supposed to talk, Giles. FIONA He's probably lying. He does that. JACK catches JANI's eye. She winks. INT. COUNTRY HOUSE - DRAWING ROOM - NIGHT Later. JACK deals the cards. JACK Last hand. GILES Hey. I've got an idea. Why don't we... FIONA (sharply) No! No stripping. CHLOE Right. We're not having that again! (glances at Jack) Although... GORDON I'll stick to bluffing. That's what I'm best at. JANI smiles, says nothing. JACK slides the pack to JANI. She looks up at him and cuts the cards. JACK deals the cards deftly. The FIVE PLAYERS pick up their cards. Before each player calls we hear Jack's voice. In the end he correctly predicts their call. Is it telepathy? Or something else? GORDON I'll stick. FIONA Two cards. GILES One card. CHLOE Oh I don't know...Er...two cards. JANI Three cards. The PLAYERS examine their hands. The WOMEN are pleased. The MEN say nothing. JANI puts her cards together. The betting begins. No one drops out. The raising goes round three times. FIONA That's it. I haven't got any more cash. The betting comes to an end. JACK watches as they turn their hands over. GORDON turns over a Straight. GORDON Beat that. CHLOE turns over a Flush. CHLOE Ha. Ha. Ha. GORDON Shit. FIONA turns over a Full House. FIONA Not so fast, darling. GORDON (disbelieving) Hang on, chaps. That's impossible! GILES turns over four of a kind. GILES How's about that for impossible. Laughter, cries of amazement. GORDON What's going on? JACK is impassive. They all look to JANI, who turns over, one card at a time, a Straight Flush. CHLOE Wow. What are the odds for this happening? More laughter, cries of amazement. FIONA Thousands to one. JACK 42,300,000 to 1. JANI Approximately. GORDON I could've won if I'd been able to bluff. JANI leans forward and takes the pot. GILES looks at JACK, then at JANI. GILES I get it. JACK Get what? (smiles) Are you accusing me of cheating? GILES Good God, no. But with skill like that, what do you want a job for? You don't need to work. INT. COUNTRY HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT JACK sits on the side of a four-poster bed and takes off his shoes. On the other side of the bed JANI unzips her skirt. She looks round the room. JACK'S VOICE Here was an interesting question. Was writing work... or play? JANI puts her skirt over a chair and goes into the bathroom. She doesn't close the door. JACK continues undressing. From a hold-all he removes a pair of pajamas. He glances at the open bathroom door, then climbs into his pajamas. He has two ugly bruises on his chest from the fight with the ARABIC MAN. JANI comes out of the bathroom naked. She sees his body. JANI What happened? JACK Remember the guy who cheated at the table? JANI You don't like cheats, do you. She walks across to her case, opens it, rummages around and takes out a nightie. This, without the slightest hint of embarrassment. JACK goes into the bathroom to brush his teeth. JANI climbs into bed. JANI Which side do you like? JACK (calling) You choose. They get into bed. JANI That trick tonight, I don't think I've ever seen that before. JACK It can only work with amateurs, A pro would have spotted it. JANI I didn't. JACK Then you're not a pro. JANI leans over and turns off the lamp. Her hair brushes JACK'S face. JANI Goodnight. INT. COUNTRY HOUSE - NIGHT In the deserted hall is a nineteenth century painting, a copy of Gericault's 'Raft of the Medusa'. The picture light illuminates the group of men and women, clinging to the raft and to each other. INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT JANI'S VOICE Jack...? I need your help... JACK wakes drowsily. JANI I'm in trouble. JACK What kind of trouble? JANI I owe a lot of money. JACK Was that why you did the two grand? I couldn't help you. JANI I know that. But you can now. JACK I don't have any money. switches on the light. JANI is looking distressed. JANI Some people I know, they're planning to rob The Golden Lion. JACK sits up, turns on the lamp. JACK You don't mean that. JANI pulls up the bedcover around her body. JANI They mean it. JACK Who's they? JANI My creditors. One night, around three in the morning, they'll come into the casino - JACK (interrupting) Forget it, Jani. It'll never work. JANI The point is, they want a man inside. JACK (laughs) And I thought you were a bright woman. JANI Just listen. You don't have to do anything criminal. JACK (smiles) Robbery's not criminal? JACK gets out of bed, tours the room. JANI You don't have to be criminal. A man will come up to your table and deliberately cheat. You'll see him, stop him, and the guy will make a big scene. There'll be chaos. And that's when it'll happen. JACK You're serious. JANI You won't be committing a crime. The man will cheat, you'll just be doing your job, that's all. JACK comes right up close to JANI in bed. JACK And I thought you were only after my body. JANI I've come to know you. You're honest. (takes his hand) I trust you. JACK What'll you do when it all goes wrong? JANI It won't. JACK But if it does. JANI You keep the ten thousand pounds. JACK What ten thousand pounds? JANI gets out of bed. JANI These people will pay you ten thousand before and ten thousand after. They want someone they can be sure of, an honest dealer. That's the point. Not all dealers are honest. Mr Reynolds will never suspect you. JACK Reynolds? You've done your research. She puts her hand on his. JANI I didn't know what else to do. You're my last chance. She takes his hand and puts it on her bruised eye. JANI Next time it'll be my neck. JACK What about my neck? JANI is close to breaking down. Her toughness evaporates. JANI I want to go back to Cape Town, I want to start again, clean. JACK I can't do it, Jani. JANI I'm asking you, as a...friend. You'd be saving the life of a friend. JANI goes back to bed. She turns out the light. JACK stands in the middle of the dark room. INT. COUNTRY HOUSE - PASSAGE - STAIRS - NIGHT JACK comes out of the bedroom in his pajamas, wearing his hat. He walks slowly down the passage. He hears the sounds of love-making coming from one of the rooms. He passes 'The Raft of the Medusa' as he goes down the stairs. INT. COUNTRY HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHT JACK comes into the kitchen, switches on the light. He goes to the refrigerator, takes out a bottle of vodka. He washes a dirty glass and pours himself a drink. JACK'S VOICE Jack wondered why he was even considering it. Ten grand. In cash. That was why. But Jack didn't need the money. His father would have taken it, like a shot. But his father was a gambler. He downs his drink, and leaves the kitchen. INT. COUNTRY HOUSE - PASSAGE - NIGHT JACK walks back to his room. There is silence now, no sounds of sex. JACK'S VOICE He was always broke. Jake suddenly realised... it was Jake who was considering it. INT. COUNTRY HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT JACK comes in, tosses his hat on the bed. JANI isn't in the bed. The bathroom door is afar. He hears the sounds of gasping. He rushes to the bathroom. INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT JANI is holding her head over the lavatory bowl. JACK runs some water in the basin. He helps her to her feet and gives her a glass of water. She washes out her mouth. She looks at him, tears running down her face. JANI I want you to forget what I said. JACK Wait a minute... JANI No, forget it. The bet's off. She reaches forward for a toothbrush and starts to clean her teeth. JACK What about your father? Can he help? She spits the water out of her mouth, kisses him on the forehead and goes back into the bedroom. JACK looks at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He strokes his hair down. JACK Why don't you just go back to South Africa? He leaves the bathroom. INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT JACK gets back in bed with JANI. They turn away from each other and prepare to sleep. JACK How much do you owe? JANI Let it go. JACK Did they tell you to sleep with me? JANI I told you, all bets are off. INT. COUNTRY HOUSE - BEDROOM - DAWN JACK wakes as JANI is dressed getting ready to leave. She bends and kisses him. JANI I'm sorry. JACK What for? JANI I have to take the car. She looks at him then leaves the room JACK'S VOICE Hang on tightly... let go lightly. INT. COUNTRY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY JACK comes into the kitchen. GILES is making coffee. CHLOE is sitting at the table, half-asleep in her nightgown. GILES Good night? JACK Not particularly. GILES And your lady? JACK She had to leave early. She asked me to thank you. GILES A bit unexpected, wasn't it? JACK Not entirely. GILES How's that football story corning along? JACK You said it was going to be social, Giles. No business. JACK'S VOICE He was overcome with a sense of urgency. He had to get it down... Chapter Five. INT. JACK'S FLAT - NIGHT JACK comes in, puts down his overnight bag. He yawns, heads for the bedroom. Suddenly, he sees that the vase of dead flowers is now full of fresh blooms. Underneath is a small box, gift-wrapped. JACK opens it. Inside the tissue paper is a tiny gold charm on a chain. He examines it. CLOSE-UP: The charm is a book, no title engraved. JACK is touched. INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT JACK comes into the room. MARION is in bed asleep. He looks at her, smiles. He starts to get undressed. MARION stirs. JACK puts the book charm around his neck. She moves from the middle to one side of the bed, making room for him. He holds the charm. JACK It's beautiful. Thank you. MARION I hope it brings you luck. JACK It will. MARION I haven't brought you much luck, have I? Perhaps we shouldn't be together. JACK That girl, she works at the casino -- MARION -- I don't care about her. Of course, I was angry. But not with you. The book is yours not mine. I was wrong, what I said about it. I hurt you, didn't I? JACK You're entitled to your opinion. MARION It's none of my business what you write. And your job, that's none of my business either. I love you. And I've done everything wrong. JACK takes her in his arms. JACK I'll leave the casino soon. (he strokes her hair) I promise. MARION You will? JACK Within a month. Believe me, I'm going to quit! They begin to make love. She holds the back of his head. MARION Then you can dye your hair blond again. INT. JACK'S FLAT - NIGHT JACK is asleep in bed with MARION. He is murmuring indistinguishable words. It wakes her. She gently touches his shoulder. He opens his eyes. JACK What? MARION You were talking in your sleep. JACK Not talking. Writing. INT. JACK'S FLAT - DAY JACK is at work alone. The phone rings. He leaves it and continues I working. Then he hears JANI'S VOICE. JANI'S VOICE I need to see you. I've moved. I have a new number. It's 468-3275. Please call me. There is a click. JACK scribbles the number down and resumes work. INT. UNDERGROUND - NIGHT JACK gets off a train. He is dressed as a croupier. He walks to a public telephone on the platform, taking JANI'S note from his pocket. He dials the number. The noise of the train and PASSENGERS makes it difficult to hear. The phone at the end rings and rings. JACK waits. JACK I want to speak to Jani de Villiers... (waits) Jani... it's Jack... I'll come over now... He takes out a notepad and writes down the address. EXT. STREET - NIGHT JACK walks down a street of rough, transient's hotels. The street lamps are on. JACK'S VOICE Chapter Seven... Jack had decided to see her. The challenge was essential. He comes up to a hotel called 'Journey's End'. He goes in. INT. HOTEL. STAIRS - NIGHT JACK climbs the creaking stairs under the fluorescent lights. He knocks on a door. JANI opens it. She wears men's pajamas. She looks unslept. JANI Come in. She glances up and down the passage. JACK goes in. INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT JANI carefully closes the door. JACK looks round the dingy room. JANI It's not the Ritz this time. She switches on a standard lamp, looks at him. JANI Is it yes? JACK Yes. JANI Thank you. Reflected in a mirror, she opens her bag and takes out an envelope, gives it to JACK. He looks inside. Four bank packets of £2500. JACK It doesn't seem fair. You're offering me ten grand in cash but you can't afford a decent place. JANI Well, life's not fair. We know that. JACK It's all relative. I need the money too. JANI Do you? JACK Yes. JANI The date's not set yet. I'll call you. One last thing: the man you're going to catch cheating, he may get violent. But you know how to deal with cheats. JACK (looks at her face) That bruise has cleared up nicely. JANI Bruise? (touches her eye) Oh, yes. It's better. JACK (touches his chest) I've still got mine. JACK looks at her hand. JACK And your hand too. JANI (coolly) I took the bandage off yesterday. She crosses to pick up a bottle of Scotch. JANI Would you like a drink? JACK No thank you. JACK puts the envelope in his pocket. They look at each other. JACK I don't think we should meet again. JANI (nods) It's a shame there aren't more men in the world like you. JACK goes up to JANI and kisses her on the mouth. She puts an arm around him. JACK'S VOICE There was a part of Jani he really liked. He turns and leaves the room. EXT. HOTEL - STREET - NIGHT JACK comes out of the hotel, walks up the street. JACK'S VOICE Question: Was he gambling, taking Jani's money? Answer: No. Because he wasn't betting with his own money. He was being paid in advance for a service... INT. CASINO - NIGHT At the roulette table JACK spins the wheel, throws the ball. JACK'S VOICE In reality there were two clear elements of risk in this exchange. One: the possibility the cash was counterfeit. Two: the possibility Jani or her creditors would want the money back if the plan failed. A MIDDLE-AGED MAN is sweating. He fingers his last 2 chips. He reaches for a number, hesitates. JACK sees that the MAN's hand is shaking. JACK'S VOICE To begin with he put the odds at 2 against. 7 for. He checked a random selection of bills at a bank. They were all good. Across the table a well-dressed JEWISH WOMAN in her fifties is sitting next to a YOUNG MAN, a gigolo type, the top three buttons of his shirt undone. She too hesitates with her bet, looks down at her card, marked with the last thirty turns. JACK'S VOICE So now his odds were decidedly better. He put them at 8 to 1. The fact that the notes were good gave him one less negative. 2 minus 1. At the same time mathematically he had one more positive. 7 plus 1. The WOMAN looks up at the YOUNG MAN. She hands him the chip. WOMAN Bring me some luck. The YOUNG MAN smiles. Takes the chip and puts it on 21. The MIDDLE-AGED MAN puts his chips on 8 and 11. He prays silently. INT. CASINO - NIGHT The roulette table. The ball is bouncing in and out of numbers. JACK No more bets. The MIDDLE-AGED MAN closes his eyes. The WOMAN puts her hand on the YOUNG MAN'S arm. JACK'S VOICE Next stage. He had to be secure at 8 to 1 against having to give the money back, so he wouldn't spend it. If after one month no one had approached him, he calculated the odds of keeping it at 20 to 1. After three months he figured 100 to 1 no one would turn up. The ball bounces into 21. The WOMAN gives a cry of joy. She grips the YOUNG MAN's hand. He leans over to her, eyeing her diamond necklace, and whispers something seductive in her ear. She stiffens with apprehensive pleasure. The MIDDLE-AGED MAN opens his eyes, there is a look of misery on his face. JACK sweeps away the lost chips, pays out five minor winners. He calmly counts a small pile of chips and slides them to the MIDDLE-AGED MAN by sleight of hand. Then he prepares to pay out the WOMAN. No one has noticed the pay-out to the MIDDLE-AGED MAN. The MAN looks at JACK incredulously. JACK smiles mechanically. The MAN mouths the words 'Thank you' to JACK. The WOMAN looks up at the YOUNG MAN. She gives him a pile of chips. He gives them back. He kisses her neck. YOUNG MAN How about a drink to celebrate? The MIDDLE-AGED MAN stands up, his face creased in emotion, relief. MAN (to Jack) Cash me in. JACK converts the green coloured chips to £35 in house chips. The MAN nods at JACK, who smiles formally. The MAN leaves the table. PUNTERS place their bets for the next spin. JACK sees the MAN stop by the next roulette table. JACK'S VOICE Jake's experiment with the man would prove the point. The MAN hesitates. He can't resist. In CLOSE-UP: the MAN puts two of the chips down. JACK'S VOICE People don't change. INT. JACK'S KITCHEN - NIGHT MARION drops a plate as she's drying the dishes. She swears and bends to pick up the pieces. INT. JACK'S FLAT - BEDROOM - NIGHT MARION, undressed, pulls the old nightgown from the laundry basket. She lets it fall back, goes to look in the chest of drawers for another. She can't find one among the underwear. She goes on to JACK'S drawer and pulls out a shirt. She unfolds it. Out drop the four packets of £2500. She bends to pick them up. She looks at them incredulously. INT. CASINO - BLACKJACK TABLE - NIGHT JACK pushes several £50 notes into the slot and counts out two piles of chips for a PUNTER in front of him. JACK'S VOICE He watched their faces as they lost hour after hour, night after night, relentlessly. JACK'S FACE as he deals. JACK'S VOICE He questioned the conventional wisdom that gamblers are self- destructive... INT. CASINO - ROULETTE TABLE - NIGHT The FACES of PUNTERS around the table: concentration, grimness, apprehension... JACK'S VOICE He had come to believe that in reality, they want to destroy everyone else - their families and loved ones, everyone. Fuck over the whole world... The white balls lands. The FACES of the LOSERS, resigned, desperate, angry.... The PUNTERS who are cleaned out get off their chairs, tear up their sequence cards, turn and walk away, quickly, slowly. ON JACK'S FACE: JACK'S VOICE Without emotion he watched them go. Jake stayed. INT. JACK'S FLAT - NIGHT MARION is lying awake alone in bed. The phone rings. She leans over to pick it up, then doesn't. From the sitting room comes the message: JANI'S VOICE It's set. The day after tomorrow. The twenty-fourth. Good luck. Click. MARION gets out of bed. She goes into the sitting room. INT. SITTING ROOM - NIGHT MARION replays the message. She stares at the phone. Then carefully she presses the ERASE button, wiping the message. She goes back into the bedroom. INT. JACK'S FLAT - DAY JACK is at work. MARION'S hands are massaging his shoulders. The little book charm dangles round his neck. MARION Aren't you ever tempted to gamble? JACK (looks up) Never. Why do you ask? MARION I can just imagine, being around so much money all the time... JACK Gambling's not about money. MARION Really? JACK Gambling's about not facing reality. Ignoring the odds. She takes her hands away from his neck. MARION I must be a fool. I never think about the odds. The sound of an underground train. INT. UNDERGROUND - NIGHT JACK sits impassively among noisy Christmas TRAVELLERS. The train stops. SOMEONE pops a balloon. JACK gets up and alights, followed by a streamer. He disappears into the crowd. INT. CASINO - CHANGING ROOM - NIGHT JACK hangs up his hat and coat, examines himself in the mirror. He picks up a small roll of paper. He unfurls it. A Christmas party hat. JACK'S VOICE Chapter Twelve... INT. CASINO - NIGHT A Christmas festive atmosphere. The casino interior is decorated with red and green balloons, silver and gold streamers, a large tree hung with £1000 chips. JACK is dealing at a blackjack table. Like the other croupiers and dealers, he is dressed in a fancy red coat with green trim. He wears a silly paper hat. The PUNTERS at Jack's table include MR TCHAI and four expensively dressed CHINESE MEN. The BODYGUARD stands behind them. They are gambling big money. Wads of £50 notes are changed into £100 chips. JACK is coolly winning for the house. REYNOLDS looks on impassively in his Santa Claus suit. Three or four PUNTERS are watching the CHINESE lose heavily. MR TCHAI and his friends occasionally exchange a phrase in Chinese but they show no emotion as they lose. With each hand they prepare to lose even more. JACK pushes hundreds of pounds into the box beneath the table. REYNOLDS signals a SECURITY MAN to collect the cash which is building up. He comes over with a safety cart. During a short break the money is taken from under the table in a box, loaded into the cart and wheeled away. INT. CASINO - BAR - NIGHT TWO COLD-LOOKING MEN in suits are drinking mineral water at the bar. They watch the SECURITY MAN with the cart pass by and disappear through a green baize door marked PRIVATE. One of the SUITS looks at his watch: five minutes to midnight. INT. CASINO - NIGHT JACK is now at a roulette table. He sees a PUNTER's watch: 2.45. The atmosphere around the crowded table is noisy, laughter, loud voices. 1 One of the two MEN in suits from the bar eases himself into a chair. JACK sees him. The SUIT throws him £500. SUIT Fifties. Ten of them. JACK What colour chips? SUIT Whatever. JACK gives him ten pale blue chips and puts another pale blue chip into the rack alongside the rainbow of colours used by the other punters. The SUIT looks at his watch. INT. CASINO - NIGHT Two men in raincoats, DETECTIVES, approach REYNOLDS and talk to him. REYNOLDS becomes nervous, looks around the casino. The table at the bar where the SUITS sat is empty. The PRIVATE green baize door slowly closes. INT. CASINO - NIGHT The ball bounces into number 5. There are cheers of delight from the winners, 5 is heavily covered. The SUIT casually slides a pale blue chip onto the number at the side. JACK Sees the obvious cheat. So do other PUNTERS. JACK (stiffens) Sir, I can't accept that bet. The SUIT gets up and comes around the table to JACK. SUIT Are you calling me a cheat? PUNTER You are a cheat. I saw you. SUIT (grabbing Jack's lapel) I'm talking to you. JACK pushes him away. The SUIT hits JACK'S face with his fist. Uproar around the table. JACK hits the man. The SUIT grabs JACK and pushes him backwards across the table, knocking all the chips over. The PUNTERS start shouting. They grab their chips, especially the losers. One PUNTER tries to restrain the SUIT. JACK kicks the SUIT hard. They fight, trading blows. At the blackjack table MR TCHAI and the other CHINESE see the fight. MR TCHAI barks at the BODYGUARD in Chinese. The BODYGUARD heads for the fight at the roulette table. TWO DEALERS rush over to stop the fight. Somewhere in the distance there is the sound of a gunshot. PEOPLE start screaming. The SUIT punches JACK in the stomach. JACK doubles up. The SUIT breaks away, rushes across the casino, pushing screaming WOMEN aside, heads for the door. MR TCHAI's BODYGUARD blocks his way and fells the SUIT with a hammer blow to the head. The TWO DETECTIVES come up. One of them handcuffs the SUIT, who is lying on the floor. The casino is in uproar. A strange, violent Christmas party. INT. CASINO - NIGHT JACK lies groaning on the floor. MR TCHAI is standing, watching JACK. REYNOLDS'S VOICE comes over the tannoy system: REYNOLDS Ladies and gentlemen, please be calm. There's no cause for alarm. Enjoy yourselves. It's Christmas. REYNOLDS'S VOICE is replaced by a breezy version of 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'. JACK struggles to his feet, amid the chaos. He falls back in pain. MR TCHAI and the other CHINESE leave the casino with the BODYGUARD. INT. HOSPITAL - CASUALTY - NIGHT JACK is sitting in a Christmas-decorated cubicle, a curtain drawn round. An INDIAN NURSE is bandaging his arm. He has two large plasters on his chest. The NURSE finishes the job, smiles. NURSE There you go. She hands him two pills and a glass of water. In the background there are party sounds. The NURSE leaves. JACK fingers the charm around his neck. There is a pause. Then the curtain is pulled back. MARION enters. She carries a bottle of wine and two cartons of Chinese take-away. JACK is surprised. JACK How did you know I was here? MARION I thought you wouldn't want to spend Christmas Day alone in here. She starts to pour wine. JACK is still puzzled. JACK Did you go to the casino? MARION hands him a glass of wine. MARION Happy Christmas. They touch glasses and drink. MARION Now...noodles or rice? As she opens the cartons, JACK watches her, still uneasy. MARION (quietly) I don't want a criminal for a boyfriend. JACK (suddenly) There was a message, wasn't there? MARION It's probably easier for you to eat the rice. JACK Marion! What did you tell the police? MARION Nothing about you. JACK Then what? MARION Give up being a croupier, Jack. Or I'll shop you. All you have to do is keep your word. It's that simple. JACK sinks back on the bed. She hands him the rice dish. MARION Here...use a spoon. JACK Leave me alone, Marion. MARION You're already alone. JACK'S VOICE He had always been alone. He had always believed it would make the decisions easier. JACK All right. I don't want to lose you. I'll quit. I swear to you. MARION kisses him. MARION Why did you take the money? JACK I hate public transport. MARION What? JACK I want to buy a car. MARION (laughs) How can anyone be that naive? INT. CASINO - REYNOLDS'S OFFICE - DAY JACK sits in front of REYNOLDS. REYNOLDS How do you feel, Jack? JACK Bruised. REYNOLDS Take your time. Two weeks. Three if you need it. We'll pay you sick leave. I don't want to lose you. You're a good man. Here... He hands JACK an envelope. JACK What's this? He opens the envelope. Inside is a casino cheque for £500. REYNOLDS (smiles) Happy New Year. Have a drink on the company. You've earned it. INT. JACK'S FLAT - NIGHT JACK is sitting at his computer, drinking vodka, dressed in his CROUPIER'S suit. JACK'S VOICE Chapter Thirteen... He types... On the SOUNDTRACK we hear the CASINO noise. JACK'S VOICE It's all numbers, the croupier thought. A spin of the wheel. A turn of a card. The time of your life. The date of your birth. The year of your death. In the Book of Numbers the Lord said: 'thou shalt count thy steps'. There's a ring at the doorbell. He looks at his watch: 2.15a.m. The I ring comes again. JACK'S VOICE Jack thought, this is it. The famous two in the morning knock at the door. It wad pay-back time. JACK goes to the door. At the door. It was pay-back time. JACK goes to the door. JACK'S VOICE But he wasn't afraid. He hadn't spent one penny of the ten grand. He'd covered himself. He knew the odds. JACK calmly opens the door. A UNIFORMED POLICEMAN stands there. JACK hadn't expected this. POLICEMAN Mr Manfred? JACK Yes... The sound of the roulette ball bouncing against the numbers. INT. MORGUE - NIGHT A POLICE DOCTOR uncovers a body on a gurney. The sound of the ball find-ing a number. JACK can hardly bear to look. It is MARION. With emotion... JACK'S VOICE What were the odds of being killed by a car... on New Year's Eve? MAN'S VOICE She was on her way home... to you. JACK No. She wasn't. JACK looks away from MARION'S face. He sees the MAN with the moustache, standing on the other side of the gurney, the MAN he saw with MARION on the street. He is DETECTIVE INSPECTOR ROSS. JACK is disorientated. JACK'S VOICE Marion had been visiting his mother...no, no, not his mother - her mother. JACK (to Ross) She was visiting her mother. Her mother. (suddenly) Who are you? ROSS Detective Inspector Ross. JACK Who... ROSS Ross. JACK Who did it? Tell me! He grabs ROSS'S lapels. ROSS carefully removes JACK'S hands. ROSS We think it's a hit-and-run. A drunk driver, probably, But there is a possibility of a revenge killing. JACK'S VOICE (distraught) Revenge? For what? Whose revenge? ROSS As you know, she was a WPC with the Met. up until two years ago. JACK fumbles in his pocket for a cigarette. There is a No Smoking sign on the wall. ROSS produces a Zippo and lights JACK'S Gitane. ROSS She called me last week. She'd got wind of a planned robbery at your casino. JACK'S VOICE What had that got to do with her death? ROSS You didn't recognise the man who attacked you, did you? JACK (loudly) Of course I recognised him! ROSS (surprised) You did? JACK I know a cheat when I see one. The man was a cheat. ROSS sighs, looks at MARION. JACK suddenly reaches down and pulls the white sheet back over MARION'S face. JACK (to Ross) Do you gamble? ROSS is puzzled. JACK drops his cigarette on the floor, grinds it with his shoe. ROSS gives JACK his card. ROSS If anything occurs to you, call me. JACK walks away from ROSS without a word. The DOCTOR is now filling out a form. From the door JACK looks back. ROSS waits for him to say something. JACK doesn't speak. ROSS I was in love with her, you know. There is a REPRISE of JACK covering MARION'S face with the sheet. EXT. STREETS - NIGHT In his croupier's suit JACK walks the night streets. JACK'S VOICE (quoting) 'The world breaks everyone, and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break, it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these, you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry'. He passes a poster for the National Lottery bearing the legend: 'IT COULD BE YOU'. JACK doesn't see it. INT. GREEK RESTAURANT - NIGHT A WOMAN smashes a plate over a MAN'S head. It's plate- smashing party time, Greek-style. TWENTY drunk PEOPLE having fun. Zorba music. Plates are thrown, stamped on, smashed. JACK sits alone at a corner table, drinking, watching the fun, unsmiling. One plate cracks into a wall behind him. A MAN stumbles backwards into JACK's table. JACK swiftly moves his drink out of the way. The MAN apologises, turns to JACK. It is MATT. MATT Jacko! How're you doing? (shakes Jack's hand vigorously) I heard about the raid. Pity they didn't pull it off. I wish I'd been there. MATT has to shout above the noise and music. JACK smiles. JACK (quietly) But you were there Matt. MATT doesn't hear. MATT What? You know what happened to me, don't you? That bitch Bella shopped me. I'd like to beat the shit out of her. JACK I'd like to buy you a drink. MATT Cheers. Happy New Year. I really like you, Jacko, you're so fucking straight. (suddenly) Hey, you haven't changed your clothes! INT. GREEK RESTAURANT - NIGHT There are four or five PEOPLE left among the debris. MATT has gone. JACK is still there, drunk now. JACK'S VOICE The music stopped, Jack was drunk... hallucinating. He was back, as a child, in the Wild Coast Casino. A BLACK WOMAN comes over to him. Her name is LUCY. LUCY You've been avoiding me. JACK (blearily) Have I? LUCY I'm Lucy. JACK And what do you do, Lucy? LUCY I'm a witch. A white witch. Why don't we move on? JACK Are you going to put a spell on me? LUCY I might. EXT. GREEK RESTAURANT - DAWN LUCY guides JACK to a parked car. He is drunker than she. When he sees the car he starts to laugh. It is his Austin Healey. JACK Nice car. How much did you pay for it? LUCY Too much. Eighteen hundred. She opens the door for him. They climb in. LUCY starts the car. LUCY Where to? JACK Turn left at the lights. They drive off. EXT. STREET - DAWN A deserted intersection. The Austin Healey swings around a corner. A WOMAN steps out from the kerb. INT. CAR - DAWN JACK reacts. He swings the wheel. LUCY shouts. The car swerves, missing the WOMAN. LUCY Hey! I saw her! JACK looks back. The WOMAN is shouting after the car. LUCY You don't trust women drivers, do you? JACK'S VOICE Jack didn't trust anyone. Except himself. INT. JACK'S FLAT - DAWN JACK sits at his computer. He is watching the printer unloading page after page. JACK assembles the typescript. JACK'S VOICE It was finally finished. He thought of sending it to Giles. But that wouldn't be right. He would select a publisher at random, like a number. CLOSE UP: The dedication: 'To Marion'. The sound of the ball bouncing against the wheel. INT. CASINO - NIGHT The ball falls into 10. JACK puts the doll on 10. No one at the table has the winning number. JACK sweeps away the losing bets. INT. CASINO - NIGHT A Blackjack table. The bets are placed. JACK turns over the bank's cards: a KING and an ACE. He takes all the chips from the five PUNTERS. PUNTER (to Jack) You're wasting yourself. With your luck you ought to come over to our side. EXT. STREET. BOOKSTORE - NIGHT JACK comes up to a bookstore window. A sticker reads: 'IT'S A WINNER'. There are quotes blown up from the reviews: "AN INCREDIBLE INSIDE JOB...IT'S ALL HERE, THE SYSTEMS, THE SCAMS, THE SLEAZE...A TALE OF TRIUMPHANT DISGUST...OF EXHILARATING CONTEMPT..." The display is just one book: 'I, CROUPIER'. Number 1 Bestseller. JACK'S VOICE Even his publisher had no idea who the author was. He had done the deal through a lawyer. It gave him a good feeling, no one knowing... INT. REYNOLDS'S OFFICE - NIGHT REYNOLDS is reading the book. He laughs out loud at something. JACK'S VOICE ...It never occurred to anyone at the Casino that the Golden Lion had been his model. Why should it? Weren't all casinos the same.... INT. UNDERGROUND - NIGHT JACK is sitting in his croupier's suit on the crowded tube. He sees a WOMAN reading 'I, CROUPIER'. For the first time we see the back cover...'by ANONYMOUS'. JACK'S VOICE ...It gave him an exquisite pleasure, being an underground man. With all his money, he hadn't even bought a car. Jack knew the truth about himself, he was a one- book writer. A one time winner who had quit while he was ahead... INT. JACK'S FLAT - DAWN Five in the morning. JACK'S VOICE He changed nothing in the flat, bought nothing, spent nothing. The only thing he did was to remove the bars outside the window... JACK comes in. The phone rings. INT. SUN CITY. CASINO - NIGHT JANI is holding a mobile phone. In the background is the casino room, the lights, colours, rattling sounds. She waits. INT. JACK'S FLAT - NIGHT JACK hesitates, then picks up. JACK Hello... JANI Jack! It's Jani. The following conversation is INTERCUT. JACK Jani! Where are you? JANI Sun City. I've been meaning to call you for months. JACK (smiles) How are you? JANI Great. I'm getting married. At least, I think I am. JACK Did you solve your problems? JANI Yes. I'm all over that now. Jack, hold on a minute. There's someone here who wants to talk to you... JACK waits. INT. CASINO - NIGHT A MAN'S hand takes the phone from JANI. INT. JACK'S FLAT - NIGHT JACK SR'S VOICE Jacko - how're you doing? JACK Dad! INT. CASINO - NIGHT JACK SR. his arm round JANI, talks into the phone. JACK SR I never thanked you properly for your help. Jani told me you behaved like a perfect gentleman throughout. I knew you would. I know my son. INT. JACK'S FLAT - NIGHT JACK'S face is a mask, tight, fixed. JACK SR'S VOICE The woman thinks I'm going to marry her. But you know me. It's a shame things didn't work out. But we saw you all right. You didn't gamble the ten grand, did you? JACK (huskily) As a matter of fact I did. But I won. JACK SR'S VOICE That's my boy. How's that novel of yours coming along? JACK slowly puts the phone down. He takes a deep breath. Then smiles. JACK'S VOICE So that was it. The final card. Blackjack. His father, eight thousand miles and twenty seven years away, was still dealing to his son Jack from the bottom of the deck... CLOSE-UP: A copy of the book: 'I CROUPIER'. JACK'S VOICE ...But Jake the croupier had a sense of humour. INT. JACK'S KITCHEN - NIGHT Laughing, JACK pours himself a vodka, raises his glass. JACK To you. To both of you. He drinks at a gulp. He turns. Standing in the doorway is BELLA, wearing a nightdress. She is sleepy. BELLA What are you laughing at? Who was that on the phone? JACK A couple I know are getting married. BELLA puts her arms around him lovingly. BELLA Fools. A whistling sound... INT. CASINO - NIGHT We are back in the FIRST SCENE. The ball bounces around the spinning wheel. The FACES of the PUNTERS. Frozen expressions. They are almost still. We do not see the croupier. Then... JACK'S VOICE Now he had reached the point where he no longer heard the sound of the ball... Nothing moves except the little white ball in the spinning wheel. The ball slows... JACK'S VOICE ...the spin of the wheel had brought him home to the place where he was born. JACK'S face. A hint of a smile. JACK'S VOICE The croupier's mission was accomplished. The ball falls into green Zero. JACK rakes all the chips off the table. There are no winners. The film ends on a CLOSE-UP of JACK'S face. A look of calm satisfaction. JACK'S VOICE At last he was Master of the Game. He had aquired the power... to make you lose. FADE OUT: THE END