Erin Brokovitch http://youtu.be/5Jdk3riKKwo INT. MASRY & VITITOE - MAIN ROOM - DAY Ed and Erin come out and see DAVID BAUM waiting at reception. Forget law school, this kid looks like he's just out of twelfth grade. Not a hair on his chin. His suit and shoes look brand new. Ed stops suddenly, before being seen. Erin stops too. ERIN What? Ed's expression upon seeing the "young" representative tells us he's none too happy. INT. MASRY & VITITOE - CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Ed and Erin are seated across the table from Baum. To say this kid lacks authority is a gross understatement. He doesn't talk; he squeaks. BAUM ...in the interest of putting this whole thing to rest, PG&E is willing to offer the Irvings 250,000 dollars for their home. Ed laughs a little in disbelief. ED 250,000? BAUM In terms of land value out in Hinkley, Mr. Masry, we feel it's more than fair price. ED What about in terms of medical expenses? 250,000 doesn't come close to what this family's gonna have to spend on doctors. BAUM I understand they've had a bad run of luck, health-wise, and they have my sympathies. But that's not PG&E's fault. ED You're kidding, right? Baum doesn't answer. ED (CONT'D) Look at these readings for Christ's sake. PG&E's own technicians documented toxic levels of hexavalent chromium in those test wells on numerous occasions. Ed shoves them across the table. Baum doesn't look at them. ED (CONT'D) Everything the Irvings have had is proven reaction to exposure to hexavalent chromium. They've had... He stalls a moment. Erin jumps in. ERIN -- breast cysts, uterine cancer, Hodgkin's disease, immune deficiencies, asthma, chronic nosebleeds. Despite their persuasiveness, Baum parrots what is obviously the party line: BAUM A million things could have caused those problems. Poor diet, bad genes, irresponsible lifestyle. Our offer is final and more than fair. ED Wait a minute -- I thought we were negotiating here. BAUM 250,000 is all I'm authorized to offer. Ed looks across at this pissant little kid. Then stands. ED I will present your offer to my clients. I doubt they'll accept it. As Ed starts out, Baum tries to take a stand; BAUM Mr. Masry, before you go off on some crusade, you might want to remember who it is you're dealing with here. PG&E is a twenty-eight-billion-dollar corporation. ED (smiles, acting excited/greedy) Twenty-eight billion dollars! I didn't know it was THAT much! WOW! Baum suddenly realizes he's made a mistake admitting the company's wealth. Ed leaves the conference room. Erin follows him out. Is notable due to Masry's sense of irony and the beginings of his willingness to really engage in this battle. then later this: http://youtu.be/BGX4nMrnxg0 INT. MASRY & VITITOE - CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Sanchez, Webster, Buda, and Cooper are seated. The door opens and Ed enters, legal pad under his arm. Followed by Erin, legal pad under her arm. Followed by Anna (looking professional in Brenda's suit coat), legal pad under her arm. Followed by Donald (in a suit produced from who knows where), legal pad under his arm. If you didn't know better, you'd assume it was a team of lawyers as well. ED Counselors -- MR. SANCHEZ Counselors. Ed and Erin sit down and get to work. Mario and Anna, clearly told to just follow along, sit down a moment later. INT. MASRY & VITITOE - CONFERENCE ROOM - LATER Mario and Anna are sitting mutely in their seats beside Ed and Erin, firing blank looks across the table. SANCHEZ ...Let's be honest here. Twenty million dollars is more money than these people have ever dreamed of. Erin has no patience for this today. ERIN Oh, see, now that pisses me off. First of all -- since the demur, we now have more than four hundred plaintiffs...and (mocking her) "let's be honest", we all know there's more out there. Now, they may not be the most sophisticated people, but they do know how to divide, and twenty million dollars isn't shit when it's split between them. Donald and Anna exchange a look. This is getting interesting. ED Erin -- But there's no stopping her. ERIN And second of all -- these people don't dream about being rich. They dream about being able to watch their kids swim in a pool without worrying they'll have to have a hysterectomy at age 20, like Rosa Diaz -- a client of ours -- or have their spine deteriorate like Stan Bloom. Another client of ours. Ed sits now with a light smile, content to let Erin continue. ERIN (CONT'D) So before you come back here with another lame-ass offer, I want you to think real hard about what your spine is worth, Mr. Buda -- or what you'd expect someone to pay you for your uterus, Miss Sanchez -- then you take out your calculator and multiply that number by a hundred. Anything less than that is a waste of our time. Sanchez, throughout her speech, has been reacting in a patronizing manner - as if Erin's words were of no import. By the end of Erin's speech, Sanchez has picked up a glass of water in front of her and is about to drink, when Erin says: SANCHEZ I think this meeting is over. ERIN Damn right it is. Erin gets up and storms out first. We see on Anna's face, the first signs of respect for Erin. The script on IMSDB is slightly different but neither one I found had that line where Erin says "We had that water brought from Hinkley". Which really made that scene for me. Must have been a later revision, much later. Anyone know?

The Untouchables (1987) Ness: I want you to translate this ledger for us. Capone's Man: In hell. Malone: In hell? You're mucking with the G here, pal. You're gonna hang high unless you cooperate. Wallace: This man could finger Al Capone. This man could put Capone behind bars. Capone's Man: Why don't you guys just fuck off. [Malone puches him in the face.] Malone: We have to have that information one way or another. Ness: Not that way. Malone: You're gonna talk. You're gonna be begging to talk. Or somebody's gonna talk. Capone's Man: Son of a bitch. Ness: Enough out of you. [Malone goes outside and props up a dead gangster.] Malone: Hey you, on your feet. We need you to translate this book, and you are going to do it for us. I won't ask you again. What's the matter? Can't talk with a gun in your mouth? One... two... three... [Malone shoots the dead gangster through the head.] Capone's Man: Don't -- I'll tell you whatever you want to know. [Malone walks back inside.] Malone: And don't let him clean himself until after he talks. Now, ask him what you want to know. Wallace: Okay, I want to know the name of the bookkeeper. I want a complete translation of the code. Mountie Captain: Mr. Ness! I do not approve of your methods. Ness: Yeah...well you're not from Chicago. (transcript) Clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAM2Q7Sqlbk Takeaway: Malone continually asks Ness what he is prepared to do to get Capone. This scene demonstrates "the Chicago way". Ness is at first reluctant, but affirms his dedication to the job by delivering that iconic last line.

"True Grit" has multiple excellent examples, including the mother of all negotiations between Mattie and Mr. Stonehill. She wipes the floor with him. Notable to me are several things. First she has a plan when she walks in that door. It's a multi-layered, complex plan too. She opens by talking about their sale of their cotton which gets him on the hook. Then she proposes a big, hair, audacious plan (BHAP) which he initially refuses with prejudice, but he couldn't resist the offer on the table and the urge to put her in her place. He thwarts her a little bit with threats, but she has a mastery of math beyond him and outmaneuvers him every time. She also has a ballsy approach to invoke her lawyer. She bluffs him! Mattie also uses the BATNA - Best Alternative to No Agreement - and is willing to walk away, which forces him into the corner she wanted. He took the bait, underestimated her (as everyone did in that story), and she trounced him so soundly that the next time she came in he was literally afraid. Her ability to use consistent underestimation by everyone, plus adept, complicated thinking combined with sheer guts and determination cause her to be successful at almost always getting her way. She had True Grit and met the only other person in the world with an equal amount of True Grit in Cogburn. From him she learns honor and physical toughness and her eyes are opened to the true nature of the world. She only thought she knew how the world works. He, in turn, is redeemed through her devotion to him and her father. What a great movie! I can't find a clip, unfortunately. Mattie strides along, looking at facades. She stops, looking at the signage on a barnlike building: Col. G. Stonehill. Licensed Auctioneer. Cotton Factor. INSIDE Mattie steps to the doorway of an office set in a corner of the stable. Mattie How much are you paying for cotton? Stonehill looks up from his desk. He eyes the girl up and down. Stonehill Nine and a half for low middling and ten for ordinary. Mattie We got most of ours out early and sold it to Woodson Brothers in Little Rock for eleven cents. Stonehill Then I suggest you take the balance of it to the Woodson Brothers. Mattie We took the balance to Woodson. We got ten and a half. Stonehill Why did you come here to tell me this? Mattie I thought we might shop around up here next year but I guess we are doing all right in Little Rock. I am Mattie Ross, daughter of Frank Ross. Stonehill sets his pen down and leans back. Stonehill A tragic thing. May I say your father impressed me with his manly qualities. He was a close trader but he acted the gentleman. Mattie I propose to sell those ponies back to you that my father bought. Stonehill That, I fear, is out of the question. I will see that they are shipped to you at my earliest convenience. Mattie We don’t want the ponies now. We don’t need them. Stonehill Well that hardly concerns me. Your father bought those five ponies and paid for them and there is an end of it. I have the bill of sale. Mattie And I want three hundred dollars for Papa’s saddle horse that was stolen from your stable. Stonehill You will have to take that up with the man who stole the horse. Mattie Tom Chaney stole the horse while it was in your care. You are responsible. Stonehill chuckles. Stonehill I admire your sand but I believe you will find that I am not liable for such claims. Mattie You were custodian. If you were a bank and were robbed you could not simply tell the depositors to go hang. Stonehill I do not entertain hypotheticals, the world as it is is vexing enough. Secondly, your valuation of the horse is high by about two hundred dollars. How old are you? Beat. Mattie If anything my price is low. Judy is a fine racing mare. She has won purses of twenty-five dollars; I have seen her jump an eight-rail fence with a heavy rider. I am fourteen. Stonehill Hmm. Well, that’s all very interesting. The ponies are yours, take them. Your father’s horse was stolen by a murderous criminal. I had provided reasonable protection for the creature as per our implicit agreement. My watchman had his teeth knocked out and can take only soup. We must each bear his own misfortunes. I will take it to law. Stonehill You have no case. Mattie Lawyer J. Noble Daggett of Dardanelle, Arkansas may think otherwise—as might a jury, petitioned by a widow and three small children. Stonehill Where is your mother? Mattie She is at home in Yell County looking after my sister Victoria and my brother Little Frank. Stonehill I cannot make an agreement with a minor child. You are not accountable. Mattie Lawyer Dagget will back up any decision I make, you may rest easy on that score. You can confirm any agreement by telegraph. Stonehill stares. Stonehill I will pay two hundred dollars to your father’s estate when I have in my hand a letter from your lawyer absolving me of all liability from the beginning of the world to date. The offer is more than liberal and I make it only to avoid the possibility of troublesome litigation. Mattie I will take two hundred dollars for Judy, plus one hundred for the ponies and twenty-five dollars for the gray horse that Tom Chaney left. He is easily worth forty. That is three hundred twenty-five dollars total. Stonehill The ponies have no part of this. I will not buy them. Mattie Then the price for Judy is three hundred twenty-five dollars. Stonehill I would not pay three hundred and twenty-five dollars for winged Pegasus! As for the gray horse, it does not belong to you! And you are a snip! Mattie The gray was lent to Tom Chaney by my father. Chaney only had the use of him. Your other points are beneath comment. Stonehill I will pay two hundred and twenty-five dollars and keep the gray horse. I don’t want the ponies. Mattie I cannot accept that. (she stands) There can be no settlement after I leave this office. It will go to law. Stonehill This is my last offer. Two hundred and fifty dollars. For that I get the release previously discussed and I keep your father’s saddle. I am also writing off a feed and stabling charge. The gray horse is not yours to sell. You are an unnatural child. Mattie The saddle is not for sale. I will keep it. Lawyer Dagget can prove ownership of the gray horse. He will come after you with a writ of replevin. Stonehill A what? All right, now listen very carefully as I will not bargain further. I will take the ponies back and keep the gray horse which is mine and settle for three hundred dollars. Now you must take that or leave it and I do not much care which it is. Mattie Lawyer Daggett would not wish me to consider anything under three hundred twenty-five dollars. But I will settle for three hundred and twenty if I am given the twenty in advance. And here is what I have to say about the saddle—

BAD SANTA (2003) Director: Terry Zwigoff Writers: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa uncredited Joel and Ethan Coen, Terry Zwigoff Gin: Well, let's face the facts. Y'all are a couple of half-bucket small-timers. You, because of your physical attributes, found a niche, and I respect that. But you also been caught... by me. So this is how it's gonna be. I don't want to take over. I don't even want to change your scam. Whatever you guys do, it works. All I want is a taste. When the deed is done, we part ways. I'll buy a little ranch in Havasu, and you all take your little medicine show back on the road. Marcus: How much? Gin: Half. Willie: No fucking way... Marcus: Just back off, Will, I got this. I got this! Okay, 30%. That's three of us. 30%, that's fair. Gin: Half. Marcus: I meant 33%. Gin: I meant half. Marcus: And 1/3. Gin: Half. Marcus: 35%. Gin: Half. Marcus: 40%. Gin: Half. Marcus: 42%? Gin: Half. Marcus: Um... 45%. Gin: [Thinks for a minute] Half. Marcus: 48%? Gin: [In British accent] Half. Marcus: 49%? Gin: Half. Willie: Well, what's one point. Gin: We split the dough right down the middle. Any merchandise you take, I get to look at and cherry pick. Marcus: No. Money is one thing but you ain't getting the sh... Gin: This ain't no Chinese menu, jagoff! I tell YOU how it's gonna be. This is pricks fix! [Exits] Willie: Pricks fix? Marcus: Ah, he's a fucking moron. Willie: Oh really? Is that how you got the upper hand? Dialogue takeaway: In a way, this isn't even really a negotiation as Gin has the upper hand from the start, he's basically just torturing Marcus here. For writers, it's a study in how much comic mileage you can get out of repetition and one word - "half." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt8DoNerIPY

Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Screenplay by Frank Pierson. http://movieclips.com/oc36w-dog-day-afternoon-movie-attica/ DOOR OF BANK Sonny back in the shadows with Sylvia, looking at Moretti, appalled. ON MORETTI Behind him a mob scene. Howard is being led away, weeping. Photographers, cops, a phalanx of cops have their weapons levelled on Sonny like a firing squad. It is right on the edge of violence... of blowing up. Sonny and Sylvia are in the shelter of the doorway, Moretti stands on the sidewalk, looking toward Sonny inside the bank. MORETTI: Sonny - come out here a minute. At this point, he removes his jacket and drops it to the ground, showing Sonny that he is unarmed. SONNY: You got these cops outta here. They're comin' in too close. MORETTI: Come on. I want you to see something. SONNY: You want me to give up, huh? Look, Sal's in back with the girls. Anything happens to me - one move - and Sal gives it to them. Boom boom. How do I know you won't jump me? MORETTI: I don't forget about Sal and the boom boom room. I want you to see this. Sonny turns back to tell Sal he's going outside. Moretti stands well out in the street, to reassure Sonny nobody is going to try to jump him. Sonny stares around; he nudges Sylvia out ahead of him. As they edge into sight of the Media across the street: NEWSMEN AND PHOTOGRAPHERS: Out in the light. Hey, Lady! You're on TV, Lady! Smile, any... god damn thing... ANGLES - SHOWING CROWDS straining against police lines: this is where we begin to sense the size of the event. People are eating popsicles and ice cream. They are diverted and excited. Sonny and Sylvia begin to emerge: CATCALLS and HOOTS of greeting... CLOSER - SONNY AND SYLVIA as he looks around, and the impact of his situation really hits him: he's not only totally surrounded, he's an event. Some of the crowd CHEER him. An army of Cops, and guns all levelled on Sonny. MORETTI: Let Sal come out, take a look. What hope you got? Quit while you're ahead. All you got is attempted robbery. SONNY: ...armed robbery... MORETTI: Well, armed, then. Nobody's been hurt. Release the hostages, nobody is gonna worry over kidnapping charges, the worst you're gonna get is five years -- you can be out in a year. Sonny stares at him, his face utterly blank. SONNY: Kiss me. Moretti stops, stares back. MORETTI: What? SONNY (deadpan): When I'm bein' fucked, I like to be kissed a lot. (bursting out) Who the fuck are you tryin' to con me into some deal? You're a city cop, where's the FBI? This is a federal offense, I got kidnapping, armed robbery, they're gonna bury me! You know it, you can't talk for them, you're some flunky pig tryin' to bullshit me. Now God damn it, get somebody in charge here to talk to me! MORETTI: Calm down, you're not... SONNY: Calm down... look at this, look at him...! Gestures at the cops, the wall of rifles and machine guns levelled on him. It is incredible and terrifying... SONNY (continuing): They wanna kill me so bad they can taste it! He takes a defiant step into the street. The crowd SCREAMS as they get their first view, which is of Sonny telling the Cops off. They don't need to hear the words, they can see it. SONNY (screaming): Attica! Attica! Go ahead! Blow off the front of the whole God damn bank!