Godfather of Harlem

.

.

So, you're the Joe Colombo

I've been hearing so much about.

Folks saying you the shit.

If you go into business with me, you'd be owning Harlem.

- You killed a made man... -

...and then you fenced his ring?

What, you gonna feed me to the wolves?

Your time's up, Country.

Fuck this guy. He's gotta go.

You think you got Bumpy in your pocket, huh?

Check again. He playing you.

All right, I'm gonna let you live, on one condition.

I need to know everything

that's happening on the streets of Harlem.

- Elise, right? - Yeah.

Sadiq. Pleasure to meet you.

I joined the Panthers.

Have you lost your goddamn mind?

The Panthers are the only ones helping the community right now.

What do you have against them?

Nothing. I just don't want to see you arrested.

I can take care of myself.

Malcolm's killers will pay.

You do that, you gon' have to answer to Bumpy Johnson.

Turn him loose!

I am thrilled to be considered

for the New York Fine Arts Board.

I think bringing the real Harlem to the museum

is exactly what we need.

Thank you all for coming

to the groundbreaking for Club St. Clair.

...union town.

I made arrangements with the necessary parties

that my men will be able to work on this site.

I'm a union boss, and we don't got no arrangement.

Only Negro workers?

You're living in fantasy land, brother.

Some fantasies are worth fighting for.

Fucking Sally "Beesh" and Joe "Fig"

are light this week.

Yeah. I'll talk to them.

Yeah, tell 'em it better not fucking happen again.

Well, what do you want?

Frank Lucas is here to see you.

Frank?

All right, send him in.

Hey! Look who it is.

What happened?

Some more Genovese duji fell off a truck?

Nah, I ain't that lucky.

What? You just missed my smiling face?

Not quite.

Look, man, I'm wondering if you got some work for me.

Work?

What, this look like a fucking employment office to you?

Look, it's my old lady, all right?

She likes certain things, man.

Certain things cost money.

All right, yeah, I understand.

What's her name?

You got some work for me?

Have him collect from Sally and Joe.

No. You know what? I got somethin' better--

somethin' more in your lane I could use a hand with.

Yeah, what's that?

Well, Bumpy Johnson broke ground on his site uptown in Harlem.

Somehow, he found a concrete company

not under my influence.

I need you to go talk to the owner.

Guy's name is Earl.

Tell Earl that he owes me a G a week

for as long as he pours for Bumpy.

And if he don't pay?

Well, then, you don't get paid.

Well, let's make sure he pay, then.

That's the idea, Frank.

[ship horn blowing, traffic sounds]

Your name Big Earl?

I am, boy. Who's you?

My name Frank.

I work with Mr. Joe Columbo.

Oh. You mean you work for him.

What you want, man? It's been a long day.

I'm ready to get home to my old lady.

I'm guessing you know how this work.

Now, like, Joe only want one G from you a week.

Now, he gonna be sending me down here to get it from you now.

I'm being shaken down by my own kind.

Fuck this world coming to?

Look, you're paying a lot less

than a lot of other motherfuckers now.

Listen to me, boy.

I ain't ever paid shakedown money.

Know why?

I'm sure you gon' tell me.

'Cause when you were swimming around in your daddy's balls,

I was putting bullets in Nazi heads.

Yeah, protecting this country so shitbags like you

could see the light of day.

Now, you go tell your boss I want a G a week from him

for saving his spaghetti-shitting ass

from eating schnitzel for the rest of his life.

How much you got on you?

All right, look, whatever you got, man,

could be a down payment--

Yeah, mm-hmm. Yeah.

Get the fuck off my goddamn lot!

I'll kill you if I see you around here again, you hear?!

I said, you hear?!

Aah! Shit! Ah! The fuck you gone done?

Put your fucking hands on me.

- -

You fucking-- Oh, you fucking punk!

Oh, goddamn it!

Bring it in.

[indistinct conversations continue]

Look at that! At this rate, we'll be over by summer.

You really think Bumpy gon' make it happen, huh?

- What did you say? - You heard me.

Every time he about to break free,

they put something else in front of him.

Nat, you ever known Bumpy not to do what Bumpy say he gon' do?

No, no, I ain't never heard Bumpy say something,

then that something don't happen. No.

Then shut the fuck up. It's a beautiful fucking sight.

Look around you.

Got nothing but brothers up in here.

Brothers doing the demo, brothers digging ditches,

brothers pouring the cement.

Yeah, yeah. From Brother Earl in Trenton.

Earl,

the only motherfucking Negro in the Tri-State area

with a cement yard.

I gotta give you that one, man.

Earl is one tough, hard-headed brother.

Almost as hard-headed as you.

What that supposed to mean?

Well, if being hard-headed was a sport, you had a trophy case.

- What? -

- We got a fucking problem! - What?

- What the fuck is it? - Come on. Follow me then.

Excuse--Move, move, move.

What's going on?

No fucking way.

Earl!

This is so fucked. Damn.

You did good work, kid.

Hey, let me ask you somethin'.

You really put the guy inside the mixer?

Can't say I too much remember.

Ah! This kid-- he catches on quick.

Yeah, he's a keeper.

So, who the fuck do you think you are?

I tell you when it's time to leave.

As I was saying,

I could always use a kid catches on quick.

What do you say,

you wanna come on board with me, more permanent?

Got a lot of stuff I need managed uptown.

With all due respect, Mr. Colombo,

I ain't come up from Goldsboro

to be nobody's house nigga.

You see, I comes out here to make it on my own.

Nobody makes it on their own.

Everybody needs friends.

Sooner or later, you'll find that out.

Probably sooner, as stubborn as you are.

But hey, hey, look, I ain't gonna force you to work for me.