Amsterdam

I was working in my office on 138th Street.

Mostly fixing up banged-up guys, like myself, from the Great War.

See? Beautiful.

All from injuries the world was happy to forget.

Fixing faces, lifting spirits, singing songs.

Peanuts

I left my eye in France.

And I was constantly on probation with the medical board...

for trying to make new medicines.

I mean, we needed medicines that didn't exist yet...

just to get through the day, with the pain and the nerves.

I hope this is a better pill. That's all I'm saying.

I hope you're right.

Some worked better than others.

This is my second of the day.

And I feel great.

Victor, you wanna try one?

Yeah. I'll try the new one next week.

All right. That gives you zing.

Put your pants on, Burt. I repaired 'em for you.

Are you all right?

Because of my war injuries, I had a back brace I hated.

They're gonna put you away...

-if they don't close this place down. -That's not helpful, Shirley.

Experimental medicine.

-You look good. How's the infection? -All right.

Good, good, good. And I got the message.

No need to pay yet.

Burt, you got messages.

Your parents called. They can't make the holiday.

Herb Getz called about the ear drops.

And Harold Woodman called. Meet him at this address.

Walk right in. Urgent.

I worked with an attorney...

my best friend from the war, Harold Woodman.

-Hey, Burt. -What is going on? What is this place?

-It's a very important case. -Yeah?

-Pays very handsomely. -Nice.

We have a lot of back bills.

People depend on us, our business.

Most importantly, it's very meaningful to both you and I.

Meaningful how?

-You care about the annual gala, don't you? -Yeah.

And you always say it's important for us vets to have reunions...

-to be remembered. -It is.

And you say it's great medicine for us to get together and sing. Don't you say that?

Where's this going?

It's going to a particular procedure...

and I know how you prefer some procedures over others.

Just tell me what it is. What kind of procedure?

What are you doing with these flowers?

Dinner date with Beatrice.

-Dinner date with Beatrice? -Yes.

-So disappointing. -She's my wife.

Is he all right to perform the procedure?

Yes. He is. It's okay.

-He's not gonna do it. -He's gonna do it.

-Calm down. -Who is this?

This is Liz Meekins, Burt.

Meekins? As in, relation to...

He's my father. I know you admire him very much.

-Oh, my God. Yes. -We both did. Do.

I really do.

That's why he's gonna speak at our reunion this year.

Very nice to meet you.

-Are we meeting your father here? -Let her finish, Burt.

My father came back yesterday on a boat.

Okay. He goes to Europe on business, right?

Did he catch a bug or something? I'll look at him. Where is he?

You should see him.

Yeah. Come on. Let's go.

This place is gorgeous. Look at it.

So, where is...

the good General "Quiet and Still" Bill?

Excuse me.

My allergies are terrible today.

I wake up, it's in my sinus...

and it's the whole day.

I don't know what you're doing, and I don't wanna know what you're doing.

You have two hours until the embalmer comes.

What happened? He was gonna speak at the gala.

You will help me, won't you?

I'm not buying that he died of natural causes.

He was a very healthy man.

No one in my family agrees with me. They're all wrong. They're all liars.

I want an autopsy.

That's correct. It is your right. Your father died intestate.

You're the next of kin. I read the papers.

I hate autopsies, Harold. You know that.

We have to do it, Burt.

Bill "Quiet and Still" Meekins is the reason we met.

He formed our regiment.

How did a man like this end up dead? You're telling me it's suspicious?

Yes, I'm telling you it's suspicious.

Will you please sing with me?

He said that you used to sing with him when you were at war.

He enjoyed it so much.

-Precious memories -Memories

Unseen angels

Sent from somewhere to my soul

Hurry up.

You only have two hours to do whatever it is you're gonna do.

All right. You have to do the autopsy...

and immediately after, meet me at Minters Restaurant.

I need to know what you find.

-Why did she say two hours? -Because we're in the mortician.

They're gonna put him in the ground.

Minters Restaurant, after 5:00.

-You've gotta get him out of here. -Yeah, we should get going, Burt.

Harold? I don't know what you think you're doin'.

Liz, excuse me. Hello.

You got a dead white man in a box.

Not even a casket.

Important man, in a pine box of old wood.

Doesn't even have a top on it.

His daughter's cryin'.

Who do you think is gonna get in trouble here?

-The Black man, that's who. -Milton.

Right now we need to get him, our leader, who founded our regiment...

into the truck.

Do the autopsy.

Meet me at Minters Restaurant immediately after.

-Got it. -I need to know.

-I need to know what you found. -Okay.

-Minters Restaurant at 5:00. -Milton. Milton.

-Please be careful. -It's got a bum wheel.

-That's not careful. -Milton.

-This is why you'll never drive my car. -The embalmer is coming for this.

You better be here. Two hours.

You remember Burt, don't you?

-Of course. -Irma St. Clair.

-Hello, Burt. -Hello, Irma.

Don't be nervous. I do at least two autopsies a month.

I've done two autopsies my whole life.

One to prove I didn't leave a clamp on someone's small intestine...

the other to remove a clamp I did leave on someone's small intestine.

Now we know you're good with small intestines, Burt. Thank you.

You and Burt should get coffee sometimes, Irma.

Maybe you and Irma should get coffee sometime.

We're friends, Milton.

You know, Irma...

his wife wouldn't stand up for him to her family.

They haven't lived together in over a year.

That is my situation. Not now.

I just wanna see you happy.

Dead man makes you realize...

time is short and love is real, if you know what it is.

-What's going on here? -Autopsy. Paperwork.

The police are waiting for this body to return to the mortuary.

The sooner we start, the sooner he's out.

These two men need to leave immediately.

They're veterans. They served their country.

-Go wait at McGee's. -We'll be downstairs at McGee's.

At McGee's.

Irma's Portuguese. That's different.

I didn't know you were Portuguese.

I'm not.

Do you wanna start this or shall I?

Just emotional because I knew him.

-You can just sign this if you want. -No, no, no.

-That's what Harold needs. -I can help.

He was such a kind man.

There we go.

Oh, God.

Didn't ask how you were doing.

My man left.

This kind of thing happens every day.

I'm sorry.

It's fine.

True love is based on choice, not need.

Do you need your wife...

or do you choose your wife?

Well, can't it be both?

No. The second one is the one that truly matters.

At the end of the day, it is.

Choice matters over need.

I don't like to be alone.

That sounds like "need."

I'm opening up the stomach. Look at that.

Oh, yeah. That's an unusual color.

-Something... -Yeah.

Given to him over a period of time.

It's hard to tell how long.

He just got back from Europe.

I'll close him up and take more blood samples.

I'll have more news for you tomorrow.

-I take it you're still at the same office? -Yeah.

Harold says you deserve a better circumstance...

but you allowed yourself to be corrupted.

He says you followed the wrong God home.

What? "Corrupted"?

"Followed the wrong God home"? Why doesn't he say that to me?

-What does that even mean? -I don't know.

Maybe you spent enthusiasms and urgencies you didn't know you were wasting...

until it was too late.

You ended up without a chair by the time the music ends...

even in your own home.

We need this room.

That's perfect, 'cause we were just leaving.

Liz said to meet her after 5:00 at Minters.