A Most Violent Year Page #2

EXT. MASSIVE OIL TANK FARM: BROOKLYN NY WATERFRONT - DAY

ABEL comes walking across the parking lot and sees ANDREW

WALSH standing in the middle of the dusty parking lot. ANDREW

is their longtime LAWYER/RIGHT-HAND MAN and is in his mid

fifties. He is smart but tired. The oversized briefcase in

his left hand seems to have permanently tilted his posture

that direction. The large oil-holding tanks loom above them.

The place is rusting and could use some work.

As they wait, the setting has the look and choreography of an

illegal transaction about to go down.

ANDREW WALSH:

So how are we this morning?

ABEL:

(gives a smile and nod)

ANDREW WALSH:

Well I woke up feeling very good

about this.

ABEL:

Really?

They both take a look at their watches.

ABEL (CONT’D)

You’ve been telling me not to do

this for a year.

ANDREW WALSH:

Well we are going all in... so now

I love it.

Gives him another slight smile. They stand around in awkward

silence. Finally a late-model Ford Ltd. station wagon pulls

into the lot.

6

ANDREW WALSH (CONT’D)

Here we go.

And a group of FIVE HASIDIC JEWS gets out. There are two guys

in their twenties, two in their fifties, and one in his midto-

late seventies. They all shake each other’s hands then

stand around for a beat.

ANDREW WALSH (CONT’D)

Should we head inside?

INT. SMALL TEMPORARY OFFICE TRAILER - DAY

The group is now jammed around a folding table inside the

trailer. ABEL and his lawyer sit at one end facing the rest

of them. Finally, the senior member of the group, JOSEPH

MENDELSOHN, eyes up ABEL and leans forward. His accent is

strong yet you can understand every word.

JOSEPH:

So why is it you want this land?

ABEL:

I’m sorry?

JOSEPH:

It has been difficult for you to

get me here, no? Over a year?

ABEL:

Almost two.

JOSEPH:

There are many like it around? And

thanks to all these tests you paid

for, we now know it is as much of a

mess below the ground as it is

above. My people have looked at

your books, I know this is a lot of

money for you, so why have you kept

on us so... just for this ugly and

polluted little piece of the earth.

ABEL:

I have been looking over my fence

at this property for a very long

time.

JOSEPH:

So it is just proximity?

ABEL:

No... I imagine I want it for the

same reason you did.

JOSEPH:

And what’s that?

ABEL:

To grow.

JOSEPH:

Well, I am in the garment business

so I appreciate that sentiment. But

I inherited this land from my

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