Form 02-B · First look briefing · Sample deck on file

Uncut Gems

A debt-buried Diamond District jeweler stakes a smuggled black opal's entire sale on one basketball game, betting his life on a parlay that lands the instant his luck turns lethal.

Poster concept 01

Written by

Safdie & Bronstein

Genre / Format

Thriller, Crime Drama · ~117 minutes (117 pages at roughly 1 page/minute)

Setting

Contemporary

Tone

Frantic propulsive thriller

By the numbers

117

Scenes

Characters

Locations

Props

Exhibit A — Taglines

> A man this loud has never been this quiet on a phone with no signal.

> Every door in his life locks from the wrong side.

> Win the bet. Buzz the door. Find out which one kills you.

Synopsis

Howard Nagy runs a buzzer-locked jewelry office on 47th Street and a parallel debt he services by gambling the money he doesn't have. When a 600-carat black opal arrives smuggled inside a crate of vacuum-sealed fish, he sees the score that pays off everyone at once — his loan shark Jim, his bookie Anthony, his furious brother in Miami. Instead, basketball superstar Amare falls in love with the stone and begs to borrow it for one night, and Howard's clean exit dissolves into a week of doors that won't open in time. His loan shark's men trail him through his daughter's school play. His mistress Sadie and his wife Dina pull him in opposite directions while the phone never stops ringing. A Christie's appraisal goes badly; a rigged auction goes worse. Every plan Howard makes is really a bet, and every bet needs one more day he doesn't have. As the noise tightens and the people he owes close in from the sidewalk and the elevator, Howard chases the single impossible parlay that could clear all of it — or end him.

Themes

Compulsion and self-destruction

Howard cannot stop placing the next bet even when winning would be enough; he turns a $175,000 gem sale into a wager on a single game, choosing the rush over the exit at every fork.

Debt and the closing trap

Jim's 48-hour, $250k ultimatum is the clock the whole film runs on, and the office's buzzer-locked glass vestibule literalizes it — a space designed to keep danger out that ends up sealing everyone inside.

Greed and the seductive value of a stone

The opal's worth is pure belief: Amare is convinced it powers his game, while a Christie's appraisal quietly reveals it as an ordinary Welo stone, far below what Howard swears it's worth.

Hustle, performance and double lives

Howard runs a mistress in Manhattan and a family in Forest Hills, threatens to trash Sadie's suitcase then hides it in the stairwell — the threats are theater, the lies are the only thing he finishes.

Luck, faith and fatal timing

The parlay lands; the timing kills. Howard's biggest win arrives in the same breath as the men he locked out, the recurring trip inside the gem bookending a story where fortune and catastrophe share the same instant.

Scope at a Glance

117

Total scenes

Unique locations

Principal cast

Exterior scenes

Night shoots

VFX/FX scenes

Estimated shoot days

Company moves

approx. 28-36 meaningful location moves, though three hubs (the KMA office across 24 scenes, the school across 13, Howard's apartment across 15) absorb much of the schedule

Complexity Read

The real pressure points are the dense midtown street work in the Diamond District, the heavy night load (52 night scenes including the school-flight labyrinth), child performers in the play and dinner sequences, and two rigging-grade stunts — the sledgehammer hoisted up the building facade and Howard dangled upside down from a 12th-story window.

Atmosphere

This is a film with no off switch. From the moment the boxing-gym bell resolves out of that first plunge inside the opal, the air is overlapping voices, ringing phones, and somebody always wanting to be paid. Howard Nagy moves through it sweating, buzzing two doors at a time, half a sentence ahead of the people closing in. The energy is not action-movie kinetic, it is the kinetic of a man who has overdrawn every account in his life at once. Watch how the KMA showroom plays in scene 25: Larry corners him for the debt while Dina storms in screaming about the overdrawn account, all of it caged behind the buzzer-controlled double doors. Nobody can leave. The room itself is a trap dressed as a business. The light is glassy and hard. Diamond-district fluorescents bounce off showcases, security monitors glow, the loupe goes to the eye, and across town six and seven flat-screens burn at once in Howard's faux-marble bachelor pad, where he powers them up one by one and tells Amare's post-game interview that he loves him. Surfaces everywhere reflect and accuse: the mismatched fingerprint smudges on the mirrored bedroom walls that seed his jealousy, the bulletproof glass vestibule that pays off twice, the Taxi-TV he swats off in cold fury. Even tenderness happens against tile and steam, whether it is the Miami headlock pitch against pink bathroom tile or the shampoo Sadie keeps pouring over his head until he tears the curtain aside. The pace is compulsion, not suspense. Howard does not get cornered and then make a plan, he gets cornered and doubles the bet. On South Beach he zooms into spreads on a sports-betting site until his phone dies and a jogger's dog tackles him to the sand. In the Mirage he buys all seven blackjack hands himself, bluffs a fake bank number into his phone, and busts on five. The recurring trip inside the gem is the only stillness the movie allows, a hauntingly beautiful swirl of color and light that keeps promising transcendence and keeps cutting back to a man begging for forty-eight more hours. By the time Robert shears off a chunk of his hair with an electric razor in the back of the limo, dread has stopped being an event and become the weather. A week later you remember the textures of pressure more than the plot: the hot sooty boiler Howard wedges behind in the school basement, burning his own arm while Robert scorches a matching hand searching for him. The sledgehammer hauled up the building facade on twine and a dumbbell, swinging wild and cracking a stranger's window. The 600-carat opal pulled wet from a vacuum-sealed fish. And the last image, the camera diving into the bullet wound and through it into the kaleidoscopic gem-scape, the only place in this whole screaming city that was ever quiet.

Tonal Descriptors

01manic02cornered03garish04sweat-slicked05transactional06overlapping07compulsive08glassy-hard09profane10tender in the cracks11claustrophobic12phosphorescent

Reference Points

The Safdie brothers' New York handheld grammar

long lenses crowding faces in dense rooms, overlapping non-actors, the camera trapped in the scrum with the protagonist.

James Turrell light environments

for the inside-the-gem sequences, immersive fields of saturated color that read as physical space, not effect.

Nan Goldin's flash-lit interiors

the harsh, intimate texture of Sadie in the bathtub, the garish nouveau-riche apartment, glamour and squalor in the same frame.

Diamond District security-camera footage

the buzzer vestibules, the loupe close-ups, the showcase glare, the real texture of 47th Street's caged jewelry trade.

Casino sports-book signage and betting tickers

the phosphorescent grids of lines and scores Howard drowns in at the Mirage and Foxwoods, information as compulsion.

Daniel Lopatin / Oneohtrix Point Never's synth palette

celestial arpeggios over urban dread, the sound of beauty hovering above a man wrecking himself.

Music & Sound

The score should feel synthetic, pulsing, and slightly celestial, the opposite of the human chaos it rides over. When twinkling electronic music fades in as the camera moves into the opal in scene 2, that sound is the film's secret heartbeat: a shimmering, arpeggiated synth world that returns each time the camera plunges into the gem and resolves, in the final scene, into a crystalline soundscape rising over Howard's descent into the stone. Keep it analog-warm and otherworldly, a cosmic counterweight to a movie that is otherwise wall-to-wall argument. Most of the film, though, music should get out of the way and let the city do the work. The heavy lifting belongs to overlapping dialogue, ringing phones, and the specific noise of money: a money counter ripping through Howard's cash at the Mirage chip exchange, the betting ticker and bank of flat-screens in the sports book, the deafening hip-hop at Greenhouse where Paris taunts Howard that his girl has "bladder problems" and tips him to the bathroom. Diegetic sound carries the film's cruelest comedy too, Demany's voicemail greeting sampling Biggie's "Gimme the Loot / Gimme One More Chance" every time the gem comes up overdue, blasting Privelej's "All About the Money" in the red Lexus on the BQE. Let scored music and street noise fight for the same frequencies; the dissonance is the point. When the music drops out entirely, the sound design should clamp down to pressure: the magnetic-release door buzzing and jamming as Amare's bodyguards sweat in the glass vestibule, the dead-phone silence of the school hallway as the exit doors prove locked, the fifteen-second power cry Howard lets loose against the slammed metal service doors in the back alley. The final stretch should ride a single sustained tension under Amare's slow-motion highlights, then snap to the report of Robert's gun the moment Howard buzzes the door open.

Soundtrack References

Good Time · 2017

Daniel Lopatin

steal the neon-synth panic engine, arpeggios that mimic a racing pulse and never let a scene breathe.

Climax · 2018

the relentless, hypnotic electronic churn that turns a confined space into a pressure cooker without a traditional score.

Sorcerer · 1977

Tangerine Dream

borrow the analog synth dread laid over sweaty, grinding desperation, machine textures against human ruin.

Suspiria · 2018

Thom Yorke

take the way warm, fragile keys hover over horror, the unexpected tenderness inside something coming apart.

Color Palette

Opal Iridescence#3FB8C4

the shifting teal-and-violet swirl of the inside-the-gem trips, the only beauty the film fully surrenders to, bookending the cold-open mine and the final wound.

Showcase Fluorescent#E9F0E8

the hard cool wash of the KMA showroom, where buzzer doors cage Larry, Dina, and Howard together under glass in scene 25.

Diamond-District Gold#C79A3A

Nadav's dozen chains and Rolex, Ray's red Cobra-chain pyramid of $10,000 bundles, the gold Howard keeps unbuckling off his own wrist to stall a debt.

Boiler Soot#2B241F

the greased black of the school basement where Howard hides behind the boiler, reddened and torn, his phone dying as the exit doors lock.

Arterial Red#8C1C1C

Amare's elbows crashing bloodied through the showcase, and the point-blank gunshot to Howard's face the instant his luck finally pays.

Similar Moods

Good Time · 2017

the same airless, sweat-soaked velocity of a man digging the hole deeper with every move he makes to climb out.

Mean Streets · 1973

the claustrophobic ethnic-neighborhood pressure, debt and loyalty and small-time hustle turning lethal in familiar rooms.

Mikey and Nicky · 1976

a long night of one cornered man talking, charming, and lying his way past the people sent to collect, dread curdling under the camaraderie.

Punch-Drunk Love · 2002

an unexpected sibling, the same overwhelmed-male nervous system, garish blown-out color and sudden tenderness erupting inside the panic.

Scenes

1EXT

DAY

pp. 1-1

OPAL MINE - ETHIOPIA

unrest

A fist fight between white foremen and black miners erupts into a full riot, and two men slip into the mine under cover of chaos

Characters: MAN 1; MAN 2
Props: translators
Wardrobe: Standard
VFX/Stunts: Riot crowd choreography; fist fight
Notes: Cold open establishing the origin of the opal.
Camera: Wide establishing shot, slightly elevated
Lighting: Hard equatorial midday sun, deep cast shadows
Mood: Unrest

2INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 1-1

OPAL MINE - ETHIOPIA

wonder

Man 2 grinds windows into a grapefruit-sized rock and the camera plunges inside the gem into a shifting melange of abstract color and light

Characters: MAN 1; MAN 2
Props: head lamps; ragged t-shirt; screw driver; electric grinding sander; uncut black opal
Wardrobe: Standard
VFX/Stunts: Psychedelic journey-into-the-gem visual sequence
Notes: UNCUT GEMS title and opening credits play over the trip inside the opal; the metallic shimmer resolves into a boxing gym bell. Music: twinkling electronic music fades in as camera moves into the gem.
Camera: Push-in toward the gem, ending on extreme macro
Lighting: Headlamp pools in near-total darkness, gem self-illuminating
Mood: Wonder

3INT

NIGHT

pp. 1-1

UNIVERSAL BOXING GYM, QUEENS, NY - RING

introduction

Nadav, unibrowed and dim, takes three shots to the head center-ring as Arthur cheers ringside

Characters: NADAV; ARTHUR
Props: boxing gym bell; boxing gloves
Wardrobe: Standard
VFX/Stunts: Boxing match
Notes: None
Camera: Low ringside angle looking up into the ring
Lighting: Harsh caged overhead gym lamps, dark surround
Mood: Brutal

4INT

pp. 1-2

UNIVERSAL BOXING GYM, QUEENS, NY - LOCKERROOM - AFTER

camaraderie

A naked Nadav changes at his locker while Arthur invites him out to Glazz

Characters: NADAV; ARTHUR
Props: locker
Wardrobe: Nadav naked, changing
Notes: None
Camera: Medium two-shot at bench height
Lighting: Flat green fluorescent overhead
Mood: Casual

5INT

pp. 2-2

NADAV'S APARTMENT, SUNNYSIDE QUEENS - BEDROOM - AFTER

foreshadowing

Nadav clasps a star-of-David chain and a gold Rolex over his cologned body as Arthur watches from the bed and opens the window to smoke

Characters: NADAV; ARTHUR
Props: gold chains; star of David pendant; gold Rolex watch; mirror; cologne
Wardrobe: Nadav adorned with a dozen gold chains and a gold Rolex
Notes: Arthur opening the window plants the robbery; the Rolex and chains recur as the stolen jewelry.
Camera: Medium shot, mirror reflection visible
Lighting: Warm low bedside lamp, cold spill from the cracked window
Mood: Foreboding

6INT

pp. 2-2

GLAZZ NIGHT CLUB - AFTER

unease

Nadav, one of a few white faces in the club, clings to Arthur and Dev as they flirt at the bar

Characters: NADAV; ARTHUR; DEV
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Implied club music.
Camera: Medium shot, shallow depth, crowd compressed around them
Lighting: Saturated club neon, magenta and blue washes
Mood: Unease

7INT

pp. 2-2

NADAV'S APARTMENT, BUILDING HALLWAY - 12AM

calm-before

A drunk Nadav fumbles down his hallway and unlocks his door

Characters: NADAV
Props: apartment keys
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Wide hallway shot, character small in frame
Lighting: Dim hallway sconces, one flickering
Mood: Stupor

8INT

pp. 2-3

NADAV'S APARTMENT - AFTER

panic

Nadav discovers his apartment ransacked, bursts into tears, and frantically dials Howard

Characters: NADAV
Props: overturned bed; emptied dresser drawers; broken mirror; phone
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: The robbery that triggers Howard's introduction.
Camera: Wide, character centered amid the wreckage
Lighting: Single harsh overhead bulb, cold and unflattering
Mood: Panic

9INT

pp. 3-7

NADAV'S APARTMENT, SUNNYSIDE QUEENS - AFTER

revelation

Nadav pries up a floorboard to reveal a Duane Reade bag stuffed with $235,000 in cash, which he hands over to Howard

Characters: NADAV; HOWARD; GABI; CARMELLE
Props: metal shim; floor board; Duane Reade bag of cash ($235,000); Howard's phone; $40 cash
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Howard takes the inheritance cash and rushes off as Gabi and Carmelle blow up his phone; the Duane Reade bag of cash recurs through the Miami/Vegas run.
Camera: Medium, low angle from floor level on the lifted bag
Lighting: Practical apartment lamps, warm and uneven
Mood: Revelation

10EXT

pp. 7-7

LAGUARDIA AIRPORT - 2 AM

momentum

Howard peels bills from the Duane Reade bag to pay a cab and rushes into the terminal

Characters: HOWARD
Props: Duane Reade bag of cash
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Medium tracking shot following him toward the doors
Lighting: Orange sodium curb lamps against cold terminal glow
Mood: Momentum

11INT

pp. 7-8

MIAMI HIGH RISE APARTMENT BUILDING - 6 AM

confrontation

Carmelle answers the door in a nightgown, bursts into rage, and jerks Howard into the apartment by the wrist

Characters: HOWARD; CARMELLE
Wardrobe: Carmelle in a nightgown
Notes: Exterior hallway overlooks South Beach Miami.
Camera: Medium two-shot at the doorway, city visible behind
Lighting: Soft pink-and-blue Miami dawn, dim interior beyond
Mood: Confrontation

12INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 8-8

GABI NAGY'S APARTMENT, LIVING ROOM

tension

Howard surveys a stripped, empty room furnished with only two metal folding chairs and a card table as Carmelle shoves a $17,000 invoice in his face

Characters: HOWARD; CARMELLE
Props: two metal folding chairs; card table; printed invoice note ($17,000 sofa set)
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: The script attributes some of this dialogue to a 'LOUSIE' cue, but the speaker is Carmelle in the room.
Camera: Wide shot emphasizing the empty room around them
Lighting: Flat blown-out daylight through bare windows
Mood: Tension

13INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 8-11

GABI NAGY'S APARTMENT, BATHROOM

desperation

Howard locks himself in the steam-filled bathroom, takes a naked Gabi into a headlock against pink tile, and pitches his rescue plan

Characters: HOWARD; GABI; CARMELLE
Props: towel; shower curtain; $50,000 cash
Wardrobe: Gabi naked, in the shower
VFX/Stunts: Headlock struggle / scuffle against tile wall
Notes: Carmelle berates from offscreen behind the locked door.
Camera: Tight medium shot in the cramped bathroom
Lighting: Diffused, steam-softened bathroom light, no shadows
Mood: Desperation

14EXT

pp. 11-12

MIAMI STREET, NEAR BEACH - 7 AM

pressure

Howard strides the morning street smoking, pleading with Jim by phone that he can put 175 grand into the accounts the second the bank opens

Characters: HOWARD; JIM
Props: cigarette; phone
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Establishes Howard's debt to Jim; Jim is heard only by phone here.
Camera: Tracking shot moving alongside him
Lighting: Golden low-angle morning sun, long shadows
Mood: Pressure

15EXT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 12-13

BEACH, SOUTH BEACH MIAMI

compulsion

Barely listening to Jim, Howard opens a sports betting site on speaker and zooms into spreads until his phone dies; a jogger's dog tackles him to the sand

Characters: HOWARD; JIM
Props: phone (sports betting site); Duane Reade bag of cash
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: A jogger and his dog appear; Howard plays with the dog like a kid. Jim heard via speakerphone.
Camera: Wide shot, figures small against the beach
Lighting: Brilliant flat midday beach sun
Mood: Compulsion

16INT

pp. 13-13

AIRPLANE - DAYTIME, 30,000 FEET

restlessness

First-class Howard compulsively rips luxury-item pages out of a SkyMall magazine and pockets them while sipping Coke Zero

Characters: HOWARD
Props: Coke Zero; SkyMall Magazine
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Medium close-up across the cabin seat
Lighting: Cool flat cabin light, bright window glare
Mood: Restlessness

17INT

pp. 13-13

MIRAGE CASINO, LAS VEGAS - CHIP EXCHANGE - DAYTIME

mania

A money counter rips through Howard's cash and a slow zoom into the digital counter leads into a manic montage of him winning at craps, roulette and poker

Characters: HOWARD; TELLER
Props: Duane Reade bag of cash; money counter; $500 chips
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Montage of gambling wins.
Camera: Tight on the money counter and his watching face
Lighting: Windowless casino glow, warm and artificial
Mood: Mania

18INT

pp. 13-14

MIRAGE CASINO, LAS VEGAS - SPORTS BOOK - AFTER

escalation

Surrounded by flat-screens of scores and lines, Howard lays a 60-grand multi-leg parlay plus a 40-grand college-football parlay

Characters: HOWARD; TELLER
Props: betting ticker; flat-screen TVs
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Wide low angle, man dwarfed by the screen wall
Lighting: Saturated glow from dozens of TV screens
Mood: Escalation

19INT

pp. 14-16

MIRAGE CASINO, LAS VEGAS - NEAR SPORTS BOOK

hubris

Howard buys all seven blackjack hands himself, bluffs a fake bank-transaction number into his phone, then busts on five of his seven hands

Characters: HOWARD; DEALER; WAITRESS
Props: $1,000 chips; glass of sparkling water; $50 chip tip; phone; ESPN on TVs
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: ESPN airs a Ray Forecaster interview hyping a $70 million Vaidana fight; Howard fields a phone call about the unclear bank transfer.
Camera: High three-quarter angle over the felt
Lighting: Pooled table downlight, dark casino surround
Mood: Hubris

20INT

EVENING

pp. 16-21

BELLAGIO HOTEL, LAS VEGAS - PRESIDENTIAL SUITE

hustle

Howard photographs himself with Ray in front of a pyramid of $10,000 bundles and bedazzled jewelry, then begs Ray to peel off 50 grand 'from one bettor to another'

Characters: HOWARD; RAY; PAC; REG
Props: briefcase of bedazzled jewelry; money sign pinky ring; red diamond Cobra chain; pyramid of $10,000 bundles; Championship Belt; bong; champagne; Ray's three phones; camera/phone (Instagram); fake Rolex day-dates
Wardrobe: Ray in sunglasses; puts the red diamond Cobra chain around his neck
Notes: Howard sells Ray the red Cobra chain for 40 and admits losing 340 grand that day. Pac and Reg are Ray's bodyguards/entourage.
Camera: Medium two-shot over the loaded table
Lighting: Warm interior lamps, blue dusk and Strip neon through glass
Mood: Hustle

21EXT

pp. 21-21

TETERBOROUGH PRIVATE AIRPORT - ARRIVALS - EARLY MORNING

transition

Howard carries Ray's two kids off the tarmac, double-kisses Ray's wife goodbye, then climbs into Yussi's white BMW

Characters: HOWARD; YUSSI
Props: blacked-out SUV; white 7-series BMW; bottle of water
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Ray's family flies him back east; Yussi is Howard's brother-in-law.
Camera: Wide tracking shot across the tarmac
Lighting: Low pale dawn light, long tarmac shadows
Mood: Transition

22EXT

pp. 21-21

DIAMOND DISTRICT - 46TH STREET BTW 6TH AND 5TH - 11 AM

arrival

Howard and Yussi jaywalk 46th Street into an arcade throughway, Howard carrying flowers and a shopping bag

Characters: HOWARD; YUSSI
Props: flowers; shopping bag
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Medium tracking shot following them through traffic
Lighting: Overcast diffuse city daylight
Mood: Arrival

23INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 21-22

47TH STREET JEWELRY ARCADE

texture

Howard cuts through a maze of glass showcases and Hasidic card-players, then slides a dealer's hot lunch off the counter in passing

Characters: HOWARD; YUSSI; JOSHUA
Props: glass showcases; playing cards; plate of hot food
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: The arcade connects 46th to 47th Street; Joshua is a dealer who holds Howard's merchandise.
Camera: Tracking shot moving with him down the arcade
Lighting: Bright cool showcase lighting from all sides
Mood: Texture

24EXT

pp. 22-23

47TH ST BETWEEN 6TH & 5TH AVE, THE DIAMOND DISTRICT - AFTER

temptation

A street peddler flashes a diamond-encrusted Hublot at Howard, who can't help but glance before turning into his building

Characters: HOWARD; YUSSI; STREET PEDDLER
Props: diamond-encrusted Hublot watch
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Medium shot, watch in foreground, his glance behind
Lighting: Flat city daylight, hard glint off the watch
Mood: Temptation

25INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 23-30

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - SHOWROOM

overwhelm

Larry corners Howard for his debt as Dina storms in screaming about the overdrawn account, the buzzer-controlled double doors caging everyone inside

Characters: HOWARD; YUSSI; SADIE; JOANI; LARRY; WHITE GUY; DINA; ELAN; BODYGUARD 1; BODYGUARD 2
Props: tray of VVS2 diamonds; tweezer; security monitor / buzzer doors; flowers; bundle of cash; Howard's phone; briefcase; mezuzah
Wardrobe: Larry in a track suit, shaved head
Notes: Introduces the KMA showroom, Sadie, Joani, Dina, Elan and the buzzer-locked vestibule that pays off later. Bodyguards arrive to clear the room ahead of Amare's visit (next scene).
Camera: Wide, compressed depth, crowd pressing inward
Lighting: Bright showroom case lighting, no relief
Mood: Overwhelm

26INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 26-26

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - BACKROOM

appeasement

Howard secretly stuffs a handful of cash into Dina's jacket pocket and tells her to treat herself at Barney's

Characters: HOWARD; DINA
Props: handful of cash
Wardrobe: Dina now wearing sunglasses
Notes: Brief backroom beat between Howard and Dina nested inside the showroom sequence.
Camera: Tight two-shot, hands and pocket in focus
Lighting: Low warm backroom lamp, soft
Mood: Appeasement

27INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 30-37

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - SHOWROOM

anticipation

Amare and his entourage arrive; Amare quietly explores the showroom and admires Howard's celebrity photo wall while Privelej and Yussi haggle over Rolexes

Characters: HOWARD; YUSSI; SADIE; JOANI; LARRY; AMARE; DEMANY; PRIVELEJ; BODYGUARD 1; ELAN; WHITE GUY
Props: celebrity photo gallery; Day-date Rolex; jeweler's loupe; cushion ruby; hundred-dollar bill; Privelej's phone
Wardrobe: Amare wearing/displaying his wingspan; Privelej and Demany draped in jewelry
Notes: Larry is bounced as Amare arrives; Demany takes credit for bringing the basketball superstar.
Camera: Wide, the tall athlete dominant on one side
Lighting: Even showroom lighting, gold reflections
Mood: Anticipation

28INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 37-38

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - BACKROOM

triumph

Howard crowbars open a fish crate, slices through vacuum-sealed fish, and pulls out the 600-carat uncut Black Opal from a wet plastic bag

Characters: HOWARD; NADAV
Props: styrofoam/wooden fish crate; crowbar; vacuum-sealed fish; wet black plastic bag; uncut 600-carat Black Opal; loupe
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: The hero opal arrives smuggled inside fish; this is the same gem from the Ethiopian mine cold open.
Camera: Close on hands lifting the opal from the fish
Lighting: Hard work-lamp downlight on the wet counter
Mood: Triumph

29INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 38-38

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - SHOWROOM

enchantment

Howard presents the Black Opal and Amare leans on the glass case, transfixed, the loupe to his eye

Characters: HOWARD; NADAV; AMARE; JOANI; SADIE; DEMANY; PRIVELEJ; BODYGUARD 1
Props: uncut Black Opal; loupe; glass showcase
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Sets up Amare's fixation on the gem.
Camera: Over-the-shoulder onto the opal and his rapt eye
Lighting: Tight case downlight, gem catching fire
Mood: Enchantment

30INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 38-38

INSIDE THE GEMSTONE

transcendence

The camera zooms into the opal for a hauntingly beautiful psychedelic trip of color, light and swirling abstract shapes

Characters: None
Props: Black Opal
Wardrobe: Standard
VFX/Stunts: Psychedelic inside-the-gem visual sequence
Notes: Recurring inside-the-gem motif, echoing the cold open and paying off in the final shot. Implied otherworldly tones.
Camera: Slow continuous push deeper into the abstract field
Lighting: Self-luminous, refracted internal glow
Mood: Transcendence

31INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 38-40

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - SHOWROOM

fateful-decision

Amare's elbows crash through the glass showcase; bloodied and entranced, he begs to borrow the opal for one night in exchange for Instagram promotion

Characters: HOWARD; AMARE; JOANI; SADIE; DEMANY; PRIVELEJ; BODYGUARD 1
Props: shattered glass showcase; paper towels; Black Opal; Amare's phone (Instagram)
Wardrobe: Standard
VFX/Stunts: Breakaway glass showcase shatter — Amare's arms covered in blood
Notes: Howard lends the gem to Amare for one night; this loan drives the rest of the plot. Breakaway glass and blood FX needed.
Camera: Medium close on the bloodied arms and the gem
Lighting: Bright showroom light, glass glinting hard
Mood: Fervor

32INT

pp. 40-41

BORATTA'S RESTAURANT - EARLY EVENING

gamble

Howard slides a manila envelope of 65 grand and a Rolex box across the table to bookie Anthony to place a five-team parlay

Characters: HOWARD; ANTHONY; WAITRESS
Props: steak; manila envelope ($65,000); Rolex watch box; diet coke; menu
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Anthony reluctantly takes Howard's action; this parlay pays off and is then seized by Jim.
Camera: Across-the-table two-shot, objects in foreground
Lighting: Warm low restaurant tungsten, pooled
Mood: Gamble

33INT

NIGHT

pp. 41-42

BAR

elation

Howard claps like a circus seal as the bar TV announces Amare's mythical performance, his Instagram exploding with new followers

Characters: HOWARD; BARTENDER
Props: bar TV (Knicks game); phone (Instagram); $50 bill
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Amare plays a legendary game with the gem; an Instagram comment mocks Howard as a 'sweaty fatass JEWler.' Loud crowded sports bar ambience.
Camera: Medium, him beneath the TV, crowd around
Lighting: Mixed neon and TV-screen glow
Mood: Elation

34EXT

pp. 42-43

3RD AVENUE - AFTER

vindication

Howard freezes on the sidewalk, grinning, as a broadcaster describes a bizarre intentional-timeout play that lands his triple-double parlay leg

Characters: HOWARD
Props: phone (listening to game audio)
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Howard's parlay hits; he ends up in front of Wollensky's steakhouse.
Camera: Medium, him still as the street moves around
Lighting: Warm storefront spill against dark street
Mood: Vindication

35EXT

pp. 43-43

EAST 55TH STREET - AFTER

fright

Howard leaves a takeout container and shoves $100s into a sleeping man's pocket, who springs up as a gaunt toothless horror show

Characters: HOWARD; HOMELESS GUY
Props: two Wollensky's takeout bags; food container; bankroll of $100s
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Low medium shot, the waking man lunging up
Lighting: Sodium streetlamp, harsh and yellow
Mood: Fright

36INT

pp. 43-44

HOWARD'S APARTMENT BUILDING - JUST AFTER

evasion

The doorman greets 'Nagy!' as Howard tells the concierge to say they've left town to anyone who comes by

Characters: HOWARD; ALEX DOORMAN; FRANK CONCIERGE
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Howard's Manhattan apartment, the one he shares with Sadie.
Camera: Medium, over the concierge desk
Lighting: Warm recessed lobby downlights on marble
Mood: Evasion

37INT

pp. 44-45

HOWARD'S APARTMENT - KITCHEN/LIVING ROOM - AFTER

homecoming

Howard enters the garish nouveau-riche apartment littered with infomercial gadgets and a salt-water fish tank, calling for Sadie

Characters: HOWARD
Props: gizmos and gadgets; salt-water fish tank; keys; Wollensky's takeout
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Establishes the shiny black, faux-marble decor of Howard's bachelor pad.
Camera: Wide, him small in the showy apartment
Lighting: Cool fish-tank blue mixed with low warm lamps
Mood: Homecoming

38INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 45-45

HOWARD'S APARTMENT - THE BEDROOM

suspicion

Howard moves through the messy mirrored bedroom and toward the bathroom, noting smudges on the mirrors

Characters: HOWARD
Props: California-King bed; mirrored walls with smudges
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: The mirror smudges seed Howard's jealous suspicion of Sadie.
Camera: Medium, reflection in the smudged mirror
Lighting: Low bedside lamp, mirrors catching dim glints
Mood: Suspicion

39INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 45-47

HOWARD'S APARTMENT - BATHROOM

friction

Sadie springs up covering herself in the tub as Howard, oblivious, fusses over cigarette smell and unpaid-rent messages

Characters: HOWARD; SADIE
Props: bathtub; toiletries; bathroom fan
Wardrobe: Sadie naked in the bathtub
Notes: None
Camera: Wide two-shot, tub and sink at opposite sides
Lighting: Bright cold bathroom light, hard
Mood: Friction

40INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 47-47

HOWARD'S APARTMENT - HOWARD'S BEDROOM

brooding

Howard studies the mismatched fingerprints smudged on the mirror, then flicks on a 70-inch TV and leaves

Characters: HOWARD
Props: mirror smudges; 70-inch television
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Close on the smudges and his examining face
Lighting: Dim room, sudden cold TV flare
Mood: Brooding

41INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 47-47

HOWARD'S APARTMENT - KITCHEN/LIVING ROOM

infatuation

Howard powers up six flat-screens one by one and tells Amare's giddy post-game TV interview 'I love you'

Characters: HOWARD
Props: six flat-screen TVs; remote; phone
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Howard leaves Demany a voicemail demanding the gem back by 9am.
Camera: Medium from behind, him facing the screen bank
Lighting: Multiplied TV glow, blue-white wash
Mood: Infatuation

42INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 47-49

HOWARD'S APARTMENT - HOWARD'S BEDROOM

humiliation

Howard tears open the closet to expose a topless Sadie, accuses her of hiding someone, and crudely propositions her until she storms out

Characters: HOWARD; SADIE
Props: bedroom TV; closet; mirror smudges
Wardrobe: Sadie topless, changing into a nightgown
Notes: Howard leaves Demany a voicemail; ends on a slow-motion shot of Amare flying on TV.
Camera: Medium, closet revealed, both figures
Lighting: Cold TV glow and dim bedroom lamp
Mood: Humiliation

43INT

MORNING

pp. 49-49

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - BACKROOM

frustration

Howard glares at 10:30AM on his computer as Demany's Biggie-sampling voicemail picks up yet again

Characters: HOWARD; ELAN; NADAV; YUSSI
Props: speakerphone; computer clock
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Demany won't answer; the gem is overdue. Demany's voicemail: excerpt of Biggie's 'Gimme the Loot / Gimme One More Chance'.
Camera: Medium, computer clock prominent in frame
Lighting: Flat cool morning office light
Mood: Frustration

44EXT

pp. 49-50

MIDTOWN STREET - DIAMOND DISTRICT - AFTER

deflection

Larry sidles up demanding his 80 grand; Howard unbuckles his own Rolex on the sidewalk and offers it as partial payment

Characters: HOWARD; LARRY
Props: Rolex watch ($28,000 new); phone
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Howard descends into the subway dodging Gabi's call.
Camera: Medium two-shot, watch held out between them
Lighting: Flat overcast city daylight
Mood: Deflection

45EXT

AFTERNOON

pp. 50-51

BED-STUY PROJECTS

intrusion

Howard walks past young men shooting dice on the project blacktop and enters a building

Characters: HOWARD
Props: dice
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Wide, dice game foreground, him crossing behind
Lighting: Warm low afternoon sun, long shadows
Mood: Intrusion

46INT

pp. 51-53

DEMANY'S APARTMENT

stalling

A hungover Demany pours orange juice in no hurry while Howard insists they go pull the million-dollar gem back from Amare at practice

Characters: HOWARD; DEMANY
Props: orange juice; phone
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Demany insists Howard owes him the chain for the introduction.
Camera: Medium two-shot, juice pour in foreground
Lighting: Soft filtered daylight through blinds
Mood: Stalling

47INT

DAY

pp. 53-54

DEMANY'S LEXUS

banter

Howard bobs his head to Privelej's track 'All About the Money' blasting in Demany's red Lexus on the BQE

Characters: HOWARD; DEMANY
Props: red Lexus; car stereo; Demany's phone
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Music cue: 'All About the Money' — hip-hop track produced by Demany & Troy Ave.
Camera: From the dashboard, both men in the cab
Lighting: Bright daylight flooding the windshield
Mood: Banter

48INT

pp. 54-55

KNICKS PRACTICE FACILITY - AFTER

betrayal

Demany breezes past security into the locker room and disowns Howard, leaving him stranded and bribing the guard with two hundreds

Characters: HOWARD; DEMANY; SECURITY GUARD
Props: two hundred-dollar bills; phone
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Press gather; Demany abandons Howard at the door.
Camera: Medium, glass door dividing the two men
Lighting: Cool even institutional lighting
Mood: Betrayal

49EXT

pp. 55-55

CITY STREET - AFTER

transit

Howard rushes down a city street checking his phone

Characters: HOWARD
Props: phone
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Tracking shot following him through the crowd
Lighting: Flat overcast daylight
Mood: Transit

50INT

AFTERNOON

pp. 55-57

LACE STRIP CLUB

gut-punch

Anthony reveals there's no money — Jim recognized Howard's parlay and seized the 65 grand against his $375k debt — and hands the Rolex box back

Characters: HOWARD; ANTHONY
Props: Rolex watch box
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Howard's winning bet is taken straight up by Jim; the debt tightens.
Camera: Across-the-table two-shot, watch box centered
Lighting: Low red club light, blue stage spill behind
Mood: Gut-punch

51EXT

NIGHT

pp. 57-57

SCHOOL BUILDING, QUEENS, NY

arrival

Howard pushes through a crowd into the school building for his kids' play

Characters: HOWARD
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Medium, him cutting through the entrance crowd
Lighting: Warm doorway glow against night blue
Mood: Arrival

52INT

pp. 57-57

SCHOOL AUDITORIUM - AFTER

dread

Howard's playful mood curdles when he spots two out-of-place heavies, Tuna and Robert, staring at him from ten rows back

Characters: HOWARD; DINA; EDDIE; BENI; TUNA; ROBERT
Props: iPhone game (Knightmare Tower); Snow White banner; mountain scenery set
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Jim's men, Tuna and Robert, track Howard to his children's school play.
Camera: Over-the-shoulder, the two watchers in the back rows
Lighting: Dim auditorium house light, lit stage beyond
Mood: Dread

53INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 57-58

SCHOOL AUDITORIUM - 10 ROWS BACK

threat

Robert smiles with a fixed, menacing look as he tells Howard they're 'here to enjoy the play'

Characters: HOWARD; TUNA; ROBERT
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Tight on the smiling enforcer's face
Lighting: Low ambient stage spill, faces half-shadowed
Mood: Threat

54INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 58-58

SCHOOL HALLWAY

alarm

Howard phones Jim to protest the school ambush as Robert and Tuna round into the hallway

Characters: HOWARD; TUNA; ROBERT
Props: phone
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Deep-focus hallway, pursuers entering far end
Lighting: Flat fluorescent corridor light
Mood: Alarm

55INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 58-58

ANOTHER SCHOOL HALLWAY

chase

Howard tries locked doors and slips through an open one just as his pursuers turn the corner

Characters: HOWARD; TUNA; ROBERT
Props: locked doors
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Wide, him slipping through as they appear
Lighting: Low corridor light, single lit doorway
Mood: Chase

56INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 58-58

SCHOOL AUDITORIUM - BACK STAGE

tenderness

Cutting through the costumed children backstage, Howard pauses to tell his daughter Marcel she's going to kill them

Characters: HOWARD; MARCEL; TEACHER
Props: stage set pieces; costumes
Wardrobe: Marcel in Snow White costume
Notes: Marcel is Howard and Dina's daughter, playing Snow White.
Camera: Low medium, father crouched to the child's level
Lighting: Warm side spill from stage wings
Mood: Tenderness

57INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 58-59

SCHOOL STAIRWELL

flight

Howard scurries down into a labyrinth of dark basement corridors toward the boiler room

Characters: HOWARD
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: High angle down the stairwell after him
Lighting: Single caged stairwell bulb, deep shadow below
Mood: Flight

58INT

pp. 59-59

SCHOOL BOILER ROOM - SAME TIME

suspense

Howard wedges himself behind the hot sooty boiler, burning his arm, as Robert searches and scorches his own hand on the same metal

Characters: HOWARD; TUNA; ROBERT
Props: boiler; phone (no signal)
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Robert and Tuna are heard offscreen; the burned hand mirrors Howard's burn.
Camera: Tight, low, him crushed into the boiler gap
Lighting: Minimal, dull orange glow off hot metal
Mood: Suspense

59INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 59-59

SCHOOL AUDITORIUM

irony

Onstage, Marcel's Snow White bites the poisoned apple and drops dead as the Queen laughs maniacally and Dina checks her phone, irritated

Characters: MARCEL; QUEEN; DINA
Props: poisoned apple prop; phone
Wardrobe: Queen as an old-hag costume; Marcel as Snow White
Notes: The play continues without Howard; Dina seethes at his absence.
Camera: Wide from the seats, stage and mother in frame
Lighting: Bright stage wash, dark auditorium, phone glow
Mood: Irony

60INT

pp. 59-59

SCHOOL BOILER ROOM - MUCH LATER

exhaustion

Reddened and covered in soot and grease, Howard slips out from behind the boiler and lights his way with a dying phone

Characters: HOWARD
Props: phone (used as flashlight)
Wardrobe: Howard covered in soot and grease, reddened from heat, torn
Notes: None
Camera: Tight, him emerging lit by the phone
Lighting: Faint phone screen as sole source, deep dark
Mood: Exhaustion

61INT

pp. 59-60

SCHOOL HALLWAY - AFTER

entrapment

Howard finds the exit doors locked and the hall plunges dark as his phone dies

Characters: HOWARD
Props: locked exit doors; phone (dies)
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Wide, him small at the locked doors
Lighting: Failing phone then near-darkness, faint exit-sign red
Mood: Entrapment

62INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 60-60

SCHOOL BASEMENT

escape

Howard finds a loose sublevel window, stacks boxes, and squeezes through it

Characters: HOWARD
Props: sublevel windows; boxes
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Low angle up at him squeezing through the window
Lighting: Dim basement, pale moonlight at the window
Mood: Escape

63EXT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 60-61

SCHOOL PLAYGROUND

ambush

Howard scales the playground fence ripping his pants, only for a limo to pull up and a man to whack him in the back with a mini baseball bat

Characters: HOWARD; JIM; ROBERT; TUNA
Props: chain-link fence; limo; mini baseball bat
Wardrobe: Howard's pants ripped
VFX/Stunts: Fence climb; baseball-bat strike to the back, Howard falls
Notes: Jim's limo intercepts Howard; Jim is revealed in the car window.
Camera: Wide, fence and limo and the strike in one frame
Lighting: Limo headlights raking the dark playground
Mood: Ambush

64INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 61-63

LIMOUSINE

intimidation

Robert shears off a chunk of Howard's hair with an electric razor and punches him as Jim gives him a 48-hour, $250k ultimatum

Characters: HOWARD; JIM; ROBERT; TUNA; MICHAEL THE DRIVER
Props: electric razor; $250,000 ultimatum
Wardrobe: Howard now missing a chunk of hair
VFX/Stunts: Chest punch; razor shearing Howard's hair
Notes: Jim gives Howard until Wednesday to pay $250k; Howard talks them into going to Greenhouse to meet Amare and Privelej.
Camera: Tight interior, razor and the watching shark
Lighting: Passing streetlights strobing through dark glass
Mood: Intimidation

65EXT

pp. 63-64

GREENHOUSE NIGHT CLUB - AFTER THE CAR RIDE

bravado

Disheveled and missing hair, Howard palms a $100 to the bouncer and bluffs their way past the velvet ropes claiming Amare is expecting them

Characters: HOWARD; JIM; MICHAEL THE DRIVER; BOUNCER
Props: $100 bill; velvet ropes
Wardrobe: Howard disheveled, missing a piece of his hair
Notes: Blaring hip-hop from inside.
Camera: Medium, the bill passing at the rope
Lighting: Saturated club-entrance neon, hard shadows
Mood: Bravado

66INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 64-64

GREENHOUSE NIGHT CLUB

out-of-place

Howard and Jim, the only white faces, snake through the pumping club toward a bodyguard at a back banquette

Characters: HOWARD; JIM
Props: champagne bottles with sparklers
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: DJ shout-outs over blaring hip-hop.
Camera: Tracking shot behind them through the crowd
Lighting: Pulsing club color, sparkler bursts
Mood: Out-of-place

67INT

pp. 64-66

GREENHOUSE NIGHT CLUB - BANQUETTE

creeping-dread

Over deafening music Howard buys a bottle of Henny for Jim's crew while Kev and Paris taunt him that his girl 'has bladder problems'

Characters: HOWARD; JIM; MICHAEL THE DRIVER; KEV; PARIS; BODYGUARD 1
Props: blunts; bottle of Henny VSOP
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Paris's 'bladder problems' jab tips Howard off that Sadie is in trouble in the bathroom. Blaring hip-hop.
Camera: Medium across the banquette table
Lighting: Low colored club light, warm bottle reflections
Mood: Creeping dread

68INT

pp. 66-67

GREENHOUSE NIGHT CLUB - BATHROOM HALLWAY

rage

The door opens on a wasted Privelej with his pants unbuckled and Sadie barely conscious on the sink; Howard tackles him and is carried out of the club in a long tracking shot

Characters: HOWARD; PRIVELEJ; SADIE; DEMANY; BIG MAN 1; BIG MAN 2
Props: bathroom sink; metal service doors
Wardrobe: Sadie wasted, underwear around her ankles; Privelej's pants unbuckled
VFX/Stunts: Bathroom-floor brawl on a wet floor; Howard carried/thrown out by two big men
Notes: Demany hands Sadie back to Howard at the service entrance.
Camera: Handheld-style, the tackle and the corridor pull
Lighting: Harsh bathroom fluorescent, flat and ugly
Mood: Rage

69EXT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 67-67

GREENHOUSE NIGHT CLUB - BACK ALLEY

breakdown

Tossed into the alley, Howard pounds on the slammed metal doors, then crumples into a fifteen-second power cry as a blitzed Sadie can't respond

Characters: HOWARD; SADIE; DEMANY
Props: metal service doors
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Wide, him crumpled at the doors, her apart
Lighting: Single bare alley bulb, cold and dim
Mood: Breakdown

70INT

pp. 67-67

CAB - AFTER

cold-fury

In silent rage Howard swats away Sadie's hand and shuts off the Taxi-TV himself

Characters: HOWARD; SADIE
Props: Taxi-TV
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Tight two-shot in the back seat
Lighting: Passing streetlights, dim Taxi-TV glow
Mood: Cold fury

71EXT

pp. 67-67

HOWARD'S BUILDING

abandonment

A doorman helps a wrecked Sadie from the cab while Howard stays inside and tells the driver to take him away

Characters: HOWARD; SADIE; DOORMAN
Props: cab
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Same Manhattan building as Howard's apartment.
Camera: Medium at the curb, woman out, man inside
Lighting: Warm awning downlight, dark street beyond
Mood: Abandonment

72EXT

NIGHT

pp. 67-67

DIAMOND DISTRICT

isolation

Howard walks a ghost-town 47th Street late at night

Characters: HOWARD
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Wide, him alone in the empty street
Lighting: Sparse sodium streetlamps, deep shadow between
Mood: Isolation

73INT

pp. 67-67

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - BACKROOM - 1:45AM

rock-bottom

Howard throws his jacket down and makes a makeshift bed of a blanket and pillow on the office floor

Characters: HOWARD
Props: blanket; pillow; sports jacket
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: CUT TO the next morning; Howard now sleeps at the office.
Camera: High angle looking down at the floor bed
Lighting: Low blue after-hours work light
Mood: Rock bottom

74INT

MORNING

pp. 68-72

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - BACKROOM

rupture

Yussi rages over the missing red cobra chain and lunges for the safe; Howard calls his bluff and hands him the phone to call his sister

Characters: HOWARD; NADAV; YUSSI; JUAN; JOANI; SADIE
Props: speakerphone; tape dispenser (held as if the gem); open safe; four Rolex watches; plexiglass setter enclosure
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Howard works the phones for the auction/Amare's agent; Yussi quits in a fury. Juan is the Mexican setter grinding stones in the plexi enclosure.
Camera: Medium two-shot, open safe between them
Lighting: Flat cool morning office light
Mood: Rupture

75INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 71-71

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - SHOWROOM

exit

Yussi storms out, slamming each buzzer-locked door as hard as he can, as Howard taunts 'who's a big boy'

Characters: HOWARD; YUSSI; JOANI
Props: buzzer doors
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Howard heard offscreen; Yussi exits through the double doors.
Camera: Medium, him slamming through the glass doors
Lighting: Bright even showroom lighting
Mood: Exit

76INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 71-74

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - BACKROOM

scramble

Howard berates a hungover Sadie by speakerphone and threatens a Knicks staffer with lawyers and press just as Amare buzzes at the door with the gem

Characters: HOWARD; NADAV; JOANI; SADIE; AMARE; BODYGUARD 1; BODYGUARD 2
Props: speakerphone; intercom; security monitor
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Amare arrives to return the gem; segues into the jammed-door set piece. Joani relays calls over the intercom.
Camera: Medium, jeweler with monitor in frame
Lighting: Office light plus cold monitor glow
Mood: Scramble

77INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 74-76

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - SHOWROOM

farce

The magnetic-release door jams, trapping Amare and his sweating bodyguards in the glass vestibule while Howard frantically promises discounts and tries to bend the frame

Characters: HOWARD; NADAV; JOANI; AMARE; BODYGUARD 1
Props: jammed magnetic-release door; buzzer; cigarette
Wardrobe: Amare and bodyguards covered in sweat, seated
Notes: The buzzer-door gag set up earlier pays off; sets up the sledgehammer-out-the-window bit. Amare still holds the gem.
Camera: Wide, the glass vestibule cage in full
Lighting: Harsh showroom lighting, glass reflections
Mood: Farce

78EXT

pp. 76-76

47TH STREET BETWEEN 6TH AND 5TH, DIAMOND DISTRICT - AFTER

absurdity

Elan arrives on the street with a sledgehammer and looks up to find Howard, Nadav and Joani yelling from the office window above

Characters: HOWARD; NADAV; JOANI; ELAN
Props: sledgehammer
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Howard, Nadav and Joani are heard/seen from the window above.
Camera: Low angle, boy foreground, window high above
Lighting: Flat overcast daylight
Mood: Absurdity

79EXT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 76-77

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - OUT WINDOW

comic-tension

Howard lowers twine with a dumbbell to hoist the sledgehammer up the building; it swings wildly and cracks a third-floor window

Characters: HOWARD; NADAV; JOANI; ELAN
Props: twine/rope; dumbbell; sledgehammer; phone
Wardrobe: Standard
VFX/Stunts: Sledgehammer hoisted up the building exterior on a rope, cracks a window
Notes: Practical rigging stunt hauling the hammer up the facade.
Camera: Wide on the facade, hammer swinging up the wall
Lighting: Flat daytime exterior light
Mood: Comic tension

80INT

DAY

pp. 77-81

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - SHOWROOM

negotiation

After the sledgehammer fails, Howard frees the door with metal shavings, then retreats with Amare to negotiate before pocketing the gem and bolting as Sadie steps off the elevator

Characters: HOWARD; NADAV; JOANI; AMARE; BODYGUARD 1; SADIE
Props: sledgehammer; metal shavings; screwdriver; Black Opal; bottled water
Wardrobe: Standard
VFX/Stunts: Sledgehammer swings against the glass door
Notes: Amare offers $175k plus courtside seats; Howard refuses and tells him to bid at auction. Includes the brief INT. KMA BACKROOM negotiation nested in this sequence.
Camera: Medium, his bolt crossing her arrival
Lighting: Bright showroom plus cool elevator spill
Mood: Negotiation

81INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 81-82

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - VESTIBULE

cruelty

Howard waves a finger in a puffy-faced, sobbing Sadie's face — 'Good, die' — and shoves her out of the elevator

Characters: HOWARD; SADIE
Props: elevator; Black Opal in coat pocket
Wardrobe: Sadie's face splotchy and puffy from crying
Notes: Howard heads to Christie's to get the gem appraised.
Camera: Tight two-shot in the elevator vestibule
Lighting: Hard overhead elevator light, unflattering
Mood: Cruelty

82INT

DAY

pp. 82-84

CHRISTIES AUCTION HOUSE - BACK ROOM

deflation

Aren wets and lights the opal, then crushes Howard's hopes — it's a basic pin-fire Welo stone worth a fraction of the claimed harlequin estimate

Characters: HOWARD; AREN
Props: wet grinder; digital caliper; scale; Black Opal
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Aren reappraises the gem at $175k-$250k, far below the claimed $750k-$1M, and warns Christie's may withdraw it.
Camera: Medium two-shot over the workbench
Lighting: Cold focused lab task-lamp
Mood: Deflation

83INT

NIGHT

pp. 84-86

GOOEY'S PARK AVENUE APARTMENT - DINING ROOM

obligation

At a candlelit Shabbat table, Gooey hurls salted challah to each guest as Howard's phone vibrates again and again under his silencing thumb

Characters: HOWARD; DINA; EDDIE; BENI; MARCEL; GOOEY; RAQUEL; EDMOND; GINA; NICKI
Props: Shabbat candles; challah bread; salt; wine; yarmulkes; iPhone games; iPad; Alex Israel painting
Wardrobe: Men in yarmulkes
Notes: Family Shabbos dinner at Howard's wealthy cousin Gooey's; a sunset-gradient Alex Israel painting recurs as a visual rhyme to the gem's color trips.
Camera: Wide table shot, painting visible behind
Lighting: Warm candlelight, soft glow from the painting
Mood: Obligation

84INT

pp. 86-86

GOOEY'S PARK AVENUE APARTMENT - HALLWAY TO DINING ROOM

double-life

Howard ducks out of dinner to take a tearful Sadie's call, hissing that it's Shabbos

Characters: HOWARD; SADIE
Props: phone
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Sadie heard via phone.
Camera: Medium, him in the hall, dinner light behind
Lighting: Warm dining-room spill into dim hallway
Mood: Double life

85INT

pp. 86-87

GOOEY'S PARK AVENUE APARTMENT - CHILDREN'S BEDROOM

rejection

In a child's room rigged like a playground with wall monkey-bars, Howard coldly tells Sadie to move out for good, then throws his phone onto a giant pigeon-shaped pillow

Characters: HOWARD; SADIE
Props: monkey-bars; pigeon-shaped pillow; phone
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Sadie offers to move out; Howard demands she be gone by 10pm. Sadie heard via phone.
Camera: Medium, him among the playground decor
Lighting: Soft warm nursery lamp
Mood: Rejection

86INT

pp. 87-91

GOOEY'S PARK AVENUE APARTMENT - DEN - DURING

scheming

Watching a tortured 'Hero to Zero' Amare on ESPN, Howard recruits Gooey to shill-bid the opal up to 250 at Monday's Christie's auction

Characters: HOWARD; GOOEY
Props: TV (ESPN); iPad remote; drink
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Gooey agrees to bid for a 20% cut; the auction scheme is set.
Camera: Medium two-shot, TV glowing behind them
Lighting: Warm den lamps, cool TV flicker
Mood: Scheming

87INT

NIGHT

pp. 91-92

HOWARD AND DINA'S FAMILY CAR

domesticity

Eddie flips through fake cash on a 'Make it Rain' phone game in the back of the BMW SUV as Howard detours down 5th to his apartment

Characters: HOWARD; DINA; EDDIE; BENI; MARCEL
Props: BMW SUV; iPhone game (Make it Rain); car clock (10:15)
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Wide interior from the dashboard, family in cab
Lighting: Dashboard and phone-screen glow, dark cabin
Mood: Domesticity

88EXT

pp. 92-92

HOWARD'S BUILDING - AFTER

subterfuge

Howard pulls the family BMW up and tells the doorman he's just popping up for a second while his family waits in the car

Characters: HOWARD; DINA; DOORMAN
Props: BMW SUV
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Dina and the kids wait outside, unaware Sadie is upstairs.
Camera: Medium at the curb, SUV behind him
Lighting: Warm awning light, dark street
Mood: Subterfuge

89INT

pp. 92-92

HOWARD'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM/KITCHENETTE - AFTER

control

Finding Sadie relaxed in a robe past 10:30, Howard rages, digs her house keys out of her handbag and pockets them

Characters: HOWARD; SADIE
Props: Sadie's handbag; house keys
Wardrobe: Sadie in a robe
Notes: None
Camera: Medium two-shot, hands in the handbag
Lighting: Low warm apartment lamps on black surfaces
Mood: Control

90INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 92-92

HOWARD'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM

explosion

Howard hurls armfuls of Sadie's clothes into a suitcase, spewing jealous obscenities as she protests from the doorway

Characters: HOWARD; SADIE
Props: suitcase; clothing; dresser drawer
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Medium, clothes flying into the suitcase
Lighting: Hard overhead bedroom light
Mood: Explosion

91INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 92-93

HOWARD'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM/KITCHENETTE

ultimatum

Howard rolls the packed suitcase toward the door, threatening to have the doorman trash it, and storms out

Characters: HOWARD; SADIE
Props: suitcase
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Medium tracking him toward the door
Lighting: Low apartment lamps, cool hall spill
Mood: Ultimatum

92INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 93-93

HOWARD'S APARTMENT - BUILDING HALLWAY

deception

Instead of trashing it, Howard hides Sadie's suitcase behind a trash can in the adjacent stairwell

Characters: HOWARD
Props: suitcase; trash can
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Reveals Howard's threats are a performance; he hides rather than discards the suitcase.
Camera: Medium, him stashing the suitcase, glancing back
Lighting: Single dim stairwell bulb
Mood: Deception

93INT

NIGHT

pp. 93-93

HOWARD AND DINA'S FAMILY CAR

guilt

Howard climbs back in, answers Dina's icy 'Did you get what you wanted?' with a flat 'Yes,' and drives off in silence

Characters: HOWARD; DINA
Props: BMW SUV
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Tight two-shot across the front seat
Lighting: Faint dashboard glow, dark cabin
Mood: Guilt

94EXT

pp. 93-93

STREET IN SUBURBAN QUEENS, FOREST HILLS - AFTER

return

The BMW glides down a tree-lined street of oversized garish homes and pulls into the driveway

Characters: HOWARD; DINA
Props: BMW SUV
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Howard's actual family home in Forest Hills, distinct from his Manhattan apartment.
Camera: Wide, the SUV turning into the driveway
Lighting: Night street, warm porch lights, headlight sweep
Mood: Return

95INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 93-93

HOWARD AND DINA'S FAMILY CAR

deflation

The Nagy family climbs the decadent stone staircase while Howard is left dragging the recycling bin to the curb

Characters: HOWARD; DINA; EDDIE; BENI; MARCEL
Props: blue recycling bin; stone staircase
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Slug reads INT. but the action plays at the house exterior/entry; grouped with the Forest Hills home.
Camera: Wide, family on the steps, man at the curb
Lighting: Warm entry light above, dark curb below
Mood: Deflation

96INT

pp. 93-97

CHRISTIE'S AUCTION HOUSE - AUCTION FLOOR - AFTER

anticlimax

Christie's publicly apologizes and re-estimates the opal downward before a bidding war between Amare's people and a shill-bidding Gooey, who wins it at 190 grand

Characters: HOWARD; GOOEY; AUCTIONEER; JIM; ROBERT; BODYGUARD 1; MALE BIDDER 189; PERSONAL ASSISTANT; MODEL
Props: auction podium; paddles; auction catalogue; Black Opal on a pillowed cushion; gavel
Wardrobe: Model in a formal dress holding the gem
Notes: Amare's personal assistant stops at 175; Gooey is stuck winning at 190. Jim and Robert watch from the back.
Camera: Wide auction floor, podium and bidders
Lighting: Even hall light, spotlit gem at the podium
Mood: Anticlimax

97INT

pp. 97-98

CHRISTIE'S AUCTION HOUSE - HALLWAY - AFTER

fallout

A livid Gooey confronts Howard over the 190 price just as Christie's manager Lloyd intercepts them

Characters: HOWARD; GOOEY; LLOYD
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Medium three-shot in the corridor
Lighting: Cool even hallway light on marble
Mood: Fallout

98INT

pp. 98-98

CHRISTIE'S AUCTION HOUSE - LLOYD'S OFFICE

indignation

Lloyd bans both men from Christie's for shill bidding as Howard indignantly demands proof

Characters: HOWARD; GOOEY; LLOYD
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Medium, manager facing the two men
Lighting: Even cool office lighting
Mood: Indignation

99EXT

pp. 98-100

CHRISTIE'S AUCTION HOUSE - 49TH ST - AFTER

cornered

Out on the sidewalk Jim and Robert corner Howard, who leaves Amare a voicemail offering him the opal directly for 175 to make the debt good

Characters: HOWARD; GOOEY; JIM; ROBERT
Props: purple wooden box (gem); phone (speaker / voicemail)
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Gooey abandons Howard to Jim; Howard pivots to selling the gem to Amare directly. Demany's voicemail: Biggie's 'Gimme One More Chance' excerpt.
Camera: Medium, the two men flanking him against the wall
Lighting: Flat overcast daylight
Mood: Cornered

100INT

AFTERNOON

pp. 100-101

HOWARD'S APARTMENT - BATHROOM

reconciliation

In a steam-filled shower Sadie playfully pours endless shampoo over Howard's head until he tears the curtain aside with a full erection

Characters: HOWARD; SADIE
Props: shower; shampoo bottles; towel; phone
Wardrobe: Sadie naked; Howard naked with a full erection
Notes: Sadie reappears at the apartment; Amare calls as Howard hops out.
Camera: Medium two-shot through the steam
Lighting: Soft steam-diffused warm bathroom light
Mood: Reconciliation

101INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 101-102

HOWARD'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM

intimacy

Howard fixes his gaze on the ceiling, calmly setting the 4pm gem sale with Amare on the phone while Sadie performs oral sex on him

Characters: HOWARD; SADIE
Props: phone; towel
Wardrobe: Howard in a towel, then nude
Notes: Amare heard via phone; the sale is set for 4pm. Ends on an overhead shot of the bed.
Camera: Overhead-leaning angle on his upturned face
Lighting: Soft warm afternoon light, mirrors glinting
Mood: Detachment

102EXT

pp. 102-103

47TH STREET BETWEEN 6TH & 5TH, DIAMOND DISTRICT - NEXT DAY

encirclement

Jim rolls down the Mercedes window to tell Howard his man Nico is already upstairs waiting for the cash to change hands

Characters: HOWARD; JIM; ROBERT; MICHAEL THE DRIVER
Props: coffee cup; Mercedes
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Jim posts his men around the office to collect the moment Amare pays.
Camera: Medium, shark in the car window, jeweler outside
Lighting: Flat daytime exterior light
Mood: Encirclement

103INT

pp. 103-106

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - BACKROOM - AFTER

all-in

Amare hands over the 175-grand bag for the opal, and Howard, possessed, secretly dumps it into Nadav's gym bag and sends him to Foxwoods to parlay it all on Amare's game

Characters: HOWARD; NADAV; AMARE; JIM; ROBERT; NICO; BODYGUARD 1; BODYGUARD 2
Props: leather weekend bag of cash ($175,000); gym bag; purple wooden box; Black Opal; betting-instruction note; computer (betting site)
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Howard double-crosses Jim by betting the gem money instead of paying him; Nico keeps watch with the door open.
Camera: Medium, the cash transfer with watchers around
Lighting: Flat office light, cool
Mood: All-in

104INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 106-106

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - SHOWROOM

stealth

Nadav slips past Sadie and the watching men, claiming he's just 'going to the gym' with the money-stuffed bag

Characters: NADAV; SADIE
Props: gym bag of cash
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Medium tracking him toward the doors
Lighting: Bright showroom lighting
Mood: Stealth

105INT

pp. 106-106

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - BACKROOM

warmth

Amare gives Howard an earnest hug and heads off to medical with his new gem

Characters: HOWARD; AMARE
Props: Black Opal
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Amare leaves with the opal he believes powers his game.
Camera: Medium, the towering hug from the side
Lighting: Soft warm backroom light
Mood: Warmth

106INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 106-106

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - SHOWROOM

false-calm

Amare kisses Sadie goodbye and gladly shakes hands with a gushing Jim as Howard watches on the monitor

Characters: AMARE; SADIE; JIM; BODYGUARD 1
Props: security monitor
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Jim's crew fawns over Amare, unaware the money has already left.
Camera: Medium, the floor scene and the monitor view
Lighting: Showroom light plus cold monitor blue
Mood: False calm

107EXT

pp. 106-107

43RD AND 5TH AVENUE - SAME TIME

departure

Nadav hops into an idle Lincoln Town Car on the corner

Characters: NADAV
Props: Lincoln Town Car; gym bag of cash
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Medium, him entering the car at the corner
Lighting: Flat daytime exterior light
Mood: Departure

108INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 107-107

LINCOLN TOWN CAR

urgency

Nadav dangles a $400 tip to convince the reluctant driver to take him the fastest way to Foxwoods

Characters: NADAV; DRIVER
Props: gym bag of cash; cash tip
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: From the dashboard, both men in the cabin
Lighting: Bright daylight through the windshield
Mood: Urgency

109INT

pp. 107-109

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - BACKROOM - AFTER

terror

When Howard reveals he bet the money instead of paying, Robert draws a gun and they dangle him by the ankles out the window twelve stories above 47th Street

Characters: HOWARD; JIM; ROBERT; NICO; SADIE
Props: empty leather bag; gun; open window
Wardrobe: Standard
VFX/Stunts: Gun drawn; Howard hung upside down out a 12th-story window — high-fall/harness rigging stunt
Notes: Sadie pounds on the door offscreen; the window dangle is the film's stunt centerpiece.
Camera: Low, the man tipped toward the open window
Lighting: Office light against bright window daylight
Mood: Terror

110EXT

pp. 109-109

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - BACKROOM - OUT OF WINDOW

submission

Hanging upside down over the street, Howard screams promises until Jim has him hauled back in

Characters: HOWARD; JIM; ROBERT; NICO
Props: open window
Wardrobe: Standard
VFX/Stunts: Howard suspended upside down over the street — harness/high-fall rigging
Notes: Exterior coverage of the window-dangle stunt.
Camera: Wide exterior, man dangling against the facade
Lighting: Flat bright exterior daylight
Mood: Vertigo

111INT

pp. 109-110

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - BACKROOM

defiance

Hauled back inside and red-faced, Howard begins to dial Nadav, stops, and tells Jim with total sincerity that he just can't call off the bet

Characters: HOWARD; JIM; ROBERT; NICO; SADIE
Props: speakerphone; phone
Wardrobe: Howard's face beat red
Notes: Howard refuses to recall the money; Jim says 'Goodbye Howard' and moves to leave.
Camera: Medium two-shot over the phone
Lighting: Flat office light, cool
Mood: Defiance

112INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 110-112

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - SHOWROOM

standoff

Howard locks Jim, Robert and Nico inside the bulletproof glass vestibule and refuses to buzz them out until Amare's game is over, even with a gun pointed through the glass

Characters: HOWARD; JIM; ROBERT; NICO; SADIE; ELAN; MICHAEL THE DRIVER
Props: buzzer doors; bulletproof glass vestibule; gun; phone
Wardrobe: Standard
VFX/Stunts: Gun pointed through glass
Notes: Howard turns the buzzer-locked vestibule (set up early) into a weapon, trapping his pursuers. He phones Dina to evacuate the family on a fake gas-leak pretext. Michael and another of Jim's men arrive outside.
Camera: Wide, glass vestibule between the two sides
Lighting: Bright showroom light, glass reflections
Mood: Standoff

113INT

pp. 112-113

LINCOLN TOWN CAR - SAME TIME

race-against-clock

Stuck in rush-hour traffic with the gym bag on his lap, Nadav offers another $200 to make Foxwoods before 7pm

Characters: NADAV; DRIVER
Props: gym bag of cash; GPS
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: From the dashboard, him leaning forward, traffic ahead
Lighting: Dim cabin, red brake-light glow through windshield
Mood: Race against clock

114EXT

pp. 113-113

FOXWOODS CASINO, LEDYARD, CT - 6:55PM

frantic

Nadav bolts from the town car, slips and falls, then scrambles into the casino entrance

Characters: NADAV
Props: gym bag of cash
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Wide, him falling and scrambling toward the doors
Lighting: Dusk sky, warm casino entrance floodlights
Mood: Frantic

115INT

CONTINUOUS

pp. 113-113

FOXWOODS CASINO, LEDYARD, CT

disorientation

Lost on the casino floor, Nadav desperately asks a stranger where the sports betting is

Characters: NADAV; STRANGER
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Medium, him small amid the slot-machine sprawl
Lighting: Chaotic flashing casino-floor light
Mood: Disorientation

116INT

pp. 113-114

FOXWOODS CASINO, LEDYARD, CT - SPORTS BOOK

commitment

Out of breath, Nadav unloads $175,000 in cash onto the counter and places the two-way parlay as the teller calls over a supervisor

Characters: NADAV; FEMALE TELLER; SUPERVISOR
Props: betting-instruction note; $175,000 cash; gym bag; betting computer
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: The entire gem-sale proceeds go on Amare's points/rebounds plus the moneyline.
Camera: Medium at the counter, cash heaped in foreground
Lighting: Cool counter light, glowing screens behind
Mood: Commitment

117INT

pp. 114-117

KMA GEMS AND JEWELRY OFFICE - SHOWROOM - SAME TIME

catharsis-to-catastrophe

Howard exultantly watches Amare's slow-motion highlights carry the parlay home, then buzzes the door open and Robert immediately shoots him in the face

Characters: HOWARD; JIM; ROBERT; NICO; SADIE; ELAN
Props: flat-screen TV (Knicks game); extension cord; buzzer doors; gun; phone (Nadav on speaker); security camera drive; safe
Wardrobe: Standard
VFX/Stunts: Point-blank gunshot to Howard's face — squib/prosthetic head wound; Two further offscreen gunshots (Sadie, then implied)
Notes: Howard wins the bet but is killed the instant he opens the door; the camera zooms into the bullet wound and through it into the kaleidoscopic gem-scape for the end credits, completing the inside-the-gem motif from the cold open. Music: crystalline electronic soundscape rises over the final descent into the gem; END CREDITS.
Camera: Medium, the door opening as the gun comes up
Lighting: Bright showroom light, sudden muzzle flare
Mood: Catastrophe

Locations

opal mine ethiopia

An open-pit opal mine in Ethiopia where unrest erupts among miners and foremen; its dark tunnels yield the rough black opal.

BOTH2 scenes

DAYCONTINUOUS

Set Requirements

•Exterior pit with riot crowd
•Dark interior mine tunnel with crevice/rock to grind

Key Visual Moments

S1A fist fight between white foremen and black miners erupts into a full riot, and two men slip into the mine under cover of chaos
S2Man 2 grinds windows into a grapefruit-sized rock and the camera plunges inside the gem into a shifting melange of abstract color and light

universal boxing gym

A boxing gym in Queens with a fight ring and a lockerroom where Nadav trains and changes.

INT2 scenes

NIGHT

Set Requirements

•Fight ring with bell
•Lockerroom

Key Visual Moments

S3Nadav, unibrowed and dim, takes three shots to the head center-ring as Arthur cheers ringside
S4A naked Nadav changes at his locker while Arthur invites him out to Glazz

nadav's apartment

Nadav's apartment in Sunnyside, Queens — bedroom, building hallway, and a main room that is ransacked in the robbery.

INT4 scenes

NIGHT

Set Requirements

•Bedroom with mirror and gold chains
•Building hallway
•Ransacked main room with pried-up floorboard hiding the cash

Key Visual Moments

S5Nadav clasps a star-of-David chain and a gold Rolex over his cologned body as Arthur watches from the bed and opens the window to smoke
S7A drunk Nadav fumbles down his hallway and unlocks his door
S8Nadav discovers his apartment ransacked, bursts into tears, and frantically dials Howard
S9Nadav pries up a floorboard to reveal a Duane Reade bag stuffed with $235,000 in cash, which he hands over to Howard

glazz night club

A nightclub bar where Nadav clings to Arthur and Dev.

INT1 scene

NIGHT

Set Requirements

•Bar

Key Visual Moments

S6Nadav, one of a few white faces in the club, clings to Arthur and Dev as they flirt at the bar

laguardia airport

The departures entrance at LaGuardia Airport.

EXT1 scene

NIGHT

Set Requirements

•Departures curb with cab

Key Visual Moments

S10Howard peels bills from the Duane Reade bag to pay a cab and rushes into the terminal

gabi nagy's apartment

Gabi and Carmelle's South Beach Miami high-rise apartment — exterior hallway, a stripped-bare living room, and a steam-filled pink-tiled bathroom.

INT3 scenes

DAWNDAY

Set Requirements

•Exterior hallway overlooking South Beach
•Empty living room with folding chairs and card table
•Pink-tiled bathroom with shower and steam

Key Visual Moments

S11Carmelle answers the door in a nightgown, bursts into rage, and jerks Howard into the apartment by the wrist
S12Howard surveys a stripped, empty room furnished with only two metal folding chairs and a card table as Carmelle shoves a $17,000 invoice in his face
S13Howard locks himself in the steam-filled bathroom, takes a naked Gabi into a headlock against pink tile, and pitches his rescue plan

miami street near beach

A South Beach Miami street near the beach where Howard walks and smokes on the phone.

EXT1 scene

DAY

Key Visual Moments

S14Howard strides the morning street smoking, pleading with Jim by phone that he can put 175 grand into the accounts the second the bank opens

south beach

The South Beach Miami sand and ocean's edge where Howard checks bets and is tackled by a jogger's dog.

EXT1 scene

DAY

Set Requirements

•Beach with ocean
•jogger and dog

Key Visual Moments

S15Barely listening to Jim, Howard opens a sports betting site on speaker and zooms into spreads until his phone dies; a jogger's dog tackles him to the sand

airplane

First-class cabin of an airliner at 30,000 feet.

INT1 scene

DAY

Set Requirements

•First-class window seat

Key Visual Moments

S16First-class Howard compulsively rips luxury-item pages out of a SkyMall magazine and pockets them while sipping Coke Zero

mirage casino las vegas

The Mirage Casino in Las Vegas — chip-exchange counter, sports book wall of screens, and a blackjack pit near the sports book.

INT3 scenes

DAY

Set Requirements

•Chip exchange with money counter
•Sports book with flat-screen wall of lines
•Blackjack table

Key Visual Moments

S17A money counter rips through Howard's cash and a slow zoom into the digital counter leads into a manic montage of him winning at craps, roulette and poker
S18Surrounded by flat-screens of scores and lines, Howard lays a 60-grand multi-leg parlay plus a 40-grand college-football parlay
S19Howard buys all seven blackjack hands himself, bluffs a fake bank-transaction number into his phone, then busts on five of his seven hands

bellagio hotel presidential suite

Ray Forecaster's palatial Bellagio presidential suite, strewn with a championship belt, a pyramid of cash bundles, and jewelry.

INT1 scene

DUSK

Set Requirements

•Palatial suite
•Pyramid of $10,000 bundles
•Mirror
•Connecting back staircase to second suite

Key Visual Moments

S20Howard photographs himself with Ray in front of a pyramid of $10,000 bundles and bedazzled jewelry, then begs Ray to peel off 50 grand 'from one bettor to another'

teterborough private airport

Arrivals at Teterboro private airport where Howard lands and meets Yussi.

EXT1 scene

DAWN

Set Requirements

•Private-jet arrivals area
•blacked-out SUV
•white BMW

Key Visual Moments

S21Howard carries Ray's two kids off the tarmac, double-kisses Ray's wife goodbye, then climbs into Yussi's white BMW

diamond district

The 46th-47th Street Diamond District blocks, 'The Block,' midtown streets and subway entrance Howard moves through.

EXT6 scenes

DAYNIGHT

Set Requirements

•Crowded jewelry-district sidewalks
•Subway entrance
•Hasidic men, tourists, peddlers
•Spot to look up at KMA office window

Key Visual Moments

S22Howard and Yussi jaywalk 46th Street into an arcade throughway, Howard carrying flowers and a shopping bag
S24A street peddler flashes a diamond-encrusted Hublot at Howard, who can't help but glance before turning into his building
S44Larry sidles up demanding his 80 grand; Howard unbuckles his own Rolex on the sidewalk and offers it as partial payment
S72Howard walks a ghost-town 47th Street late at night
S78Elan arrives on the street with a sledgehammer and looks up to find Howard, Nadav and Joani yelling from the office window above
S102Jim rolls down the Mercedes window to tell Howard his man Nico is already upstairs waiting for the cash to change hands

47th street jewelry arcade

A congested indoor jewelry arcade of glass showcases connecting 46th to 47th Street, a dingy bazaar of dealers.

INT1 scene

DAY

Set Requirements

•Maze of glass showcases
•Dealer booths

Key Visual Moments

S23Howard cuts through a maze of glass showcases and Hasidic card-players, then slides a dealer's hot lunch off the counter in passing

kma gems and jewelry office

Howard's KMA Gems jewelry office on 47th Street — a buzzer-locked glass-door vestibule, a showroom of showcases, and a backroom with safe, desk, plexiglass setter enclosure and a window over the street.

BOTH24 scenes

DAYNIGHTMORNING

Set Requirements

•Bulletproof glass double-door vestibule with magnetic-release buzzer (jams as a plot point)
•Showroom with glass showcases (one breakaway)
•Backroom with safe, desk, security monitors and plexiglass setter enclosure
•Office window 12 stories above 47th Street (window-dangle stunt)
•Security camera recording drive

Key Visual Moments

S25Larry corners Howard for his debt as Dina storms in screaming about the overdrawn account, the buzzer-controlled double doors caging everyone inside
S26Howard secretly stuffs a handful of cash into Dina's jacket pocket and tells her to treat herself at Barney's
S27Amare and his entourage arrive; Amare quietly explores the showroom and admires Howard's celebrity photo wall while Privelej and Yussi haggle over Rolexes
S28Howard crowbars open a fish crate, slices through vacuum-sealed fish, and pulls out the 600-carat uncut Black Opal from a wet plastic bag
S29Howard presents the Black Opal and Amare leans on the glass case, transfixed, the loupe to his eye
S31Amare's elbows crash through the glass showcase; bloodied and entranced, he begs to borrow the opal for one night in exchange for Instagram promotion
S43Howard glares at 10:30AM on his computer as Demany's Biggie-sampling voicemail picks up yet again
S73Howard throws his jacket down and makes a makeshift bed of a blanket and pillow on the office floor
S74Yussi rages over the missing red cobra chain and lunges for the safe; Howard calls his bluff and hands him the phone to call his sister
S75Yussi storms out, slamming each buzzer-locked door as hard as he can, as Howard taunts 'who's a big boy'
S76Howard berates a hungover Sadie by speakerphone and threatens a Knicks staffer with lawyers and press just as Amare buzzes at the door with the gem
S77The magnetic-release door jams, trapping Amare and his sweating bodyguards in the glass vestibule while Howard frantically promises discounts and tries to bend the frame
S79Howard lowers twine with a dumbbell to hoist the sledgehammer up the building; it swings wildly and cracks a third-floor window
S80After the sledgehammer fails, Howard frees the door with metal shavings, then retreats with Amare to negotiate before pocketing the gem and bolting as Sadie steps off the elevator
S81Howard waves a finger in a puffy-faced, sobbing Sadie's face — 'Good, die' — and shoves her out of the elevator
S103Amare hands over the 175-grand bag for the opal, and Howard, possessed, secretly dumps it into Nadav's gym bag and sends him to Foxwoods to parlay it all on Amare's game
S104Nadav slips past Sadie and the watching men, claiming he's just 'going to the gym' with the money-stuffed bag
S105Amare gives Howard an earnest hug and heads off to medical with his new gem
S106Amare kisses Sadie goodbye and gladly shakes hands with a gushing Jim as Howard watches on the monitor
S109When Howard reveals he bet the money instead of paying, Robert draws a gun and they dangle him by the ankles out the window twelve stories above 47th Street
S110Hanging upside down over the street, Howard screams promises until Jim has him hauled back in
S111Hauled back inside and red-faced, Howard begins to dial Nadav, stops, and tells Jim with total sincerity that he just can't call off the bet
S112Howard locks Jim, Robert and Nico inside the bulletproof glass vestibule and refuses to buzz them out until Amare's game is over, even with a gun pointed through the glass
S117Howard exultantly watches Amare's slow-motion highlights carry the parlay home, then buzzes the door open and Robert immediately shoots him in the face

boratta's restaurant

An upscale restaurant with a quiet corner table where Howard meets bookie Anthony.

INT1 scene

DUSK

Set Requirements

•Corner dining table

Key Visual Moments

S32Howard slides a manila envelope of 65 grand and a Rolex box across the table to bookie Anthony to place a five-team parlay

sports bar

A loud, crowded sports bar with TVs showing the Knicks game.

INT1 scene

NIGHT

Set Requirements

•Bar with game TVs

Key Visual Moments

S33Howard claps like a circus seal as the bar TV announces Amare's mythical performance, his Instagram exploding with new followers

3rd avenue

A Manhattan sidewalk on 3rd Avenue near Wollensky's where Howard listens to the game.

EXT1 scene

NIGHT

Set Requirements

•Sidewalk near a steakhouse

Key Visual Moments

S34Howard freezes on the sidewalk, grinning, as a broadcaster describes a bizarre intentional-timeout play that lands his triple-double parlay leg

east 55th street

East 55th Street outside Wollensky's where Howard encounters a homeless man.

EXT1 scene

NIGHT

Set Requirements

•Sidewalk with sleeping homeless man

Key Visual Moments

S35Howard leaves a takeout container and shoves $100s into a sleeping man's pocket, who springs up as a gaunt toothless horror show

howard's apartment

Howard's garish nouveau-riche Manhattan apartment shared with Sadie — lobby with doorman/concierge, kitchen/living room of infomercial gadgets and a fish tank, mirrored bedroom, bathroom with tub and shower, building hallway and curbside entrance.

BOTH15 scenes

NIGHTDAY

Set Requirements

•Building lobby with doorman desk and elevator
•Living room/kitchenette full of gadgets, six flat-screens, salt-water fish tank
•Mirrored bedroom with California-King bed
•Bathroom with tub and shower
•Adjacent stairwell with trash can

Key Visual Moments

S36The doorman greets 'Nagy!' as Howard tells the concierge to say they've left town to anyone who comes by
S37Howard enters the garish nouveau-riche apartment littered with infomercial gadgets and a salt-water fish tank, calling for Sadie
S38Howard moves through the messy mirrored bedroom and toward the bathroom, noting smudges on the mirrors
S39Sadie springs up covering herself in the tub as Howard, oblivious, fusses over cigarette smell and unpaid-rent messages
S40Howard studies the mismatched fingerprints smudged on the mirror, then flicks on a 70-inch TV and leaves
S41Howard powers up six flat-screens one by one and tells Amare's giddy post-game TV interview 'I love you'
S42Howard tears open the closet to expose a topless Sadie, accuses her of hiding someone, and crudely propositions her until she storms out
S71A doorman helps a wrecked Sadie from the cab while Howard stays inside and tells the driver to take him away
S88Howard pulls the family BMW up and tells the doorman he's just popping up for a second while his family waits in the car
S89Finding Sadie relaxed in a robe past 10:30, Howard rages, digs her house keys out of her handbag and pockets them
S90Howard hurls armfuls of Sadie's clothes into a suitcase, spewing jealous obscenities as she protests from the doorway
S91Howard rolls the packed suitcase toward the door, threatening to have the doorman trash it, and storms out
S92Instead of trashing it, Howard hides Sadie's suitcase behind a trash can in the adjacent stairwell
S100In a steam-filled shower Sadie playfully pours endless shampoo over Howard's head until he tears the curtain aside with a full erection
S101Howard fixes his gaze on the ceiling, calmly setting the 4pm gem sale with Amare on the phone while Sadie performs oral sex on him

bed-stuy projects

The blacktop of a Bed-Stuy housing project where young men shoot dice.

EXT1 scene

DAY

Set Requirements

•Project exterior with dice game

Key Visual Moments

S45Howard walks past young men shooting dice on the project blacktop and enters a building

demany's apartment

Demany's apartment where a hungover Demany stalls Howard.

INT1 scene

DAY

Set Requirements

•Apartment with fridge

Key Visual Moments

S46A hungover Demany pours orange juice in no hurry while Howard insists they go pull the million-dollar gem back from Amare at practice

demany's lexus

Demany's red Lexus driving the BQE with loud hip-hop.

INT1 scene

DAY

Set Requirements

•Picture-car red Lexus (process/driving)

Key Visual Moments

S47Howard bobs his head to Privelej's track 'All About the Money' blasting in Demany's red Lexus on the BQE

knicks practice facility

The Knicks practice facility with a press-filled court and locker-room entrance.

INT1 scene

DAY

Set Requirements

•Practice court with press
•Locker-room entrance with security

Key Visual Moments

S48Demany breezes past security into the locker room and disowns Howard, leaving him stranded and bribing the guard with two hundreds

city street

A generic city street Howard rushes down.

EXT1 scene

DAY

Key Visual Moments

S49Howard rushes down a city street checking his phone

lace strip club

A strip club where Anthony breaks the news that Jim seized Howard's winnings.

INT1 scene

DAY

Set Requirements

•Strip club with table

Key Visual Moments

S50Anthony reveals there's no money — Jim recognized Howard's parlay and seized the 65 grand against his $375k debt — and hands the Rolex box back

school

A Queens school hosting the children's Snow White play — auditorium, hallways, backstage, stairwell, boiler room, basement and playground, which becomes a labyrinth Howard flees through.

BOTH13 scenes

NIGHT

Set Requirements

•Auditorium with Snow White stage set
•Hallways and locked classroom doors
•Backstage with costumed children
•Stairwell and labyrinthine basement corridors
•Boiler room with hot sooty boiler
•Sublevel windows and fenced playground

Key Visual Moments

S51Howard pushes through a crowd into the school building for his kids' play
S52Howard's playful mood curdles when he spots two out-of-place heavies, Tuna and Robert, staring at him from ten rows back
S53Robert smiles with a fixed, menacing look as he tells Howard they're 'here to enjoy the play'
S54Howard phones Jim to protest the school ambush as Robert and Tuna round into the hallway
S55Howard tries locked doors and slips through an open one just as his pursuers turn the corner
S56Cutting through the costumed children backstage, Howard pauses to tell his daughter Marcel she's going to kill them
S57Howard scurries down into a labyrinth of dark basement corridors toward the boiler room
S58Howard wedges himself behind the hot sooty boiler, burning his arm, as Robert searches and scorches his own hand on the same metal
S59Onstage, Marcel's Snow White bites the poisoned apple and drops dead as the Queen laughs maniacally and Dina checks her phone, irritated
S60Reddened and covered in soot and grease, Howard slips out from behind the boiler and lights his way with a dying phone
S61Howard finds the exit doors locked and the hall plunges dark as his phone dies
S62Howard finds a loose sublevel window, stacks boxes, and squeezes through it
S63Howard scales the playground fence ripping his pants, only for a limo to pull up and a man to whack him in the back with a mini baseball bat

limousine

Jim's limousine where Howard is beaten and given his ultimatum.

INT1 scene

NIGHT

Set Requirements

•Picture-car limo interior

Key Visual Moments

S64Robert shears off a chunk of Howard's hair with an electric razor and punches him as Jim gives him a 48-hour, $250k ultimatum

greenhouse night club

The Greenhouse nightclub on Varick Street — entrance with velvet ropes, a pumping main floor, a back banquette, a bathroom hallway/bathroom, and a back alley service exit.

BOTH5 scenes

NIGHT

Set Requirements

•Velvet-rope entrance
•Pumping dance floor with bottle service
•Back banquette
•Bathroom hallway and bathroom
•Back-alley service entrance with metal doors

Key Visual Moments

S65Disheveled and missing hair, Howard palms a $100 to the bouncer and bluffs their way past the velvet ropes claiming Amare is expecting them
S66Howard and Jim, the only white faces, snake through the pumping club toward a bodyguard at a back banquette
S67Over deafening music Howard buys a bottle of Henny for Jim's crew while Kev and Paris taunt him that his girl 'has bladder problems'
S68The door opens on a wasted Privelej with his pants unbuckled and Sadie barely conscious on the sink; Howard tackles him and is carried out of the club in a long tracking shot
S69Tossed into the alley, Howard pounds on the slammed metal doors, then crumples into a fifteen-second power cry as a blitzed Sadie can't respond

cab

A NYC taxi carrying a silent Howard and a wasted Sadie.

INT1 scene

NIGHT

Set Requirements

•Taxi interior with Taxi-TV

Key Visual Moments

S70In silent rage Howard swats away Sadie's hand and shuts off the Taxi-TV himself

christie's auction house

Christie's auction house — a back appraisal room, the main auction floor with podium and phone banks, a hallway, the manager Lloyd's office, and the 49th Street exterior.

BOTH5 scenes

DAY

Set Requirements

•Back appraisal room with grinder, caliper, scale
•Auction floor with podium, paddles, phone banks, tracking screens
•Hallway
•Manager's office
•49th Street exterior

Key Visual Moments

S82Aren wets and lights the opal, then crushes Howard's hopes — it's a basic pin-fire Welo stone worth a fraction of the claimed harlequin estimate
S96Christie's publicly apologizes and re-estimates the opal downward before a bidding war between Amare's people and a shill-bidding Gooey, who wins it at 190 grand
S97A livid Gooey confronts Howard over the 190 price just as Christie's manager Lloyd intercepts them
S98Lloyd bans both men from Christie's for shill bidding as Howard indignantly demands proof
S99Out on the sidewalk Jim and Robert corner Howard, who leaves Amare a voicemail offering him the opal directly for 175 to make the debt good

gooey's park avenue apartment

Howard's wealthy cousin Gooey's expansive Park Avenue apartment — a formal Shabbat dining room, a hallway, a playground-themed children's bedroom, and a plush velvety den.

INT4 scenes

NIGHT

Set Requirements

•Formal dining room set for Shabbos with Alex Israel sunset painting
•Hallway
•Children's bedroom with wall monkey-bars and pigeon pillow
•Velvety den with TV

Key Visual Moments

S83At a candlelit Shabbat table, Gooey hurls salted challah to each guest as Howard's phone vibrates again and again under his silencing thumb
S84Howard ducks out of dinner to take a tearful Sadie's call, hissing that it's Shabbos
S85In a child's room rigged like a playground with wall monkey-bars, Howard coldly tells Sadie to move out for good, then throws his phone onto a giant pigeon-shaped pillow
S86Watching a tortured 'Hero to Zero' Amare on ESPN, Howard recruits Gooey to shill-bid the opal up to 250 at Monday's Christie's auction

howard and dina's family car

Howard's family BMW SUV ferrying the Nagys around the city.

INT2 scenes

NIGHT

Set Requirements

•Picture-car BMW SUV interior

Key Visual Moments

S87Eddie flips through fake cash on a 'Make it Rain' phone game in the back of the BMW SUV as Howard detours down 5th to his apartment
S93Howard climbs back in, answers Dina's icy 'Did you get what you wanted?' with a flat 'Yes,' and drives off in silence

howard and dina's house

The Nagy family home in suburban Forest Hills, Queens — an oversized garish house with a stone staircase and curbside recycling.

BOTH2 scenes

NIGHT

Set Requirements

•Tree-lined street of oversized homes
•Decadent stone staircase
•Driveway and curbside bins

Key Visual Moments

S94The BMW glides down a tree-lined street of oversized garish homes and pulls into the driveway
S95The Nagy family climbs the decadent stone staircase while Howard is left dragging the recycling bin to the curb

43rd and 5th avenue

A midtown corner where Nadav grabs an idle Lincoln Town Car.

EXT1 scene

DAY

Set Requirements

•Street corner with idle town car

Key Visual Moments

S107Nadav hops into an idle Lincoln Town Car on the corner

lincoln town car

The Lincoln Town Car carrying Nadav and the gym bag of cash to Foxwoods through traffic.

INT2 scenes

DAY

Set Requirements

•Picture-car town car interior with GPS

Key Visual Moments

S108Nadav dangles a $400 tip to convince the reluctant driver to take him the fastest way to Foxwoods
S113Stuck in rush-hour traffic with the gym bag on his lap, Nadav offers another $200 to make Foxwoods before 7pm

foxwoods casino

Foxwoods Casino in Ledyard, CT — entrance, casino floor, and the sports book where the climactic bet is placed.

BOTH3 scenes

DUSK

Set Requirements

•Casino entrance
•Casino floor
•Sports book with teller counter and pregame TV

Key Visual Moments

S114Nadav bolts from the town car, slips and falls, then scrambles into the casino entrance
S115Lost on the casino floor, Nadav desperately asks a stranger where the sports betting is
S116Out of breath, Nadav unloads $175,000 in cash onto the counter and places the two-way parlay as the teller calls over a supervisor

inside the gemstone

An abstract kaleidoscopic interior of the black opal — swirling color, light and shape — used as a recurring psychedelic motif.

INT1 scene

CONTINUOUS

Set Requirements

•Fully realized psychedelic VFX environment (also recurs inside scenes 2 and 117)

Key Visual Moments

S30The camera zooms into the opal for a hauntingly beautiful psychedelic trip of color, light and swirling abstract shapes

Cast

HOWARD

Howard Nagy — a heavyset, hardened yet handsome olive-skinned Sephardic Jew in his early 50s with a thick Mediterranean accent. A compulsive-gambling Diamond District jeweler.

A debt-buried jeweler bets a smuggled black opal's entire sale price on one game, wins the impossible parlay, and is murdered the moment his luck finally turns.

99 scenes·6 wardrobe changes

SADIE

An attractive, tough, street-smart NYC native in her late 20s with short dark bangs. Howard's mistress and a KMA showroom saleswoman.

Howard's volatile lover endures his jealousy and cruelty, reconciles with him, and is killed in the robbery that follows his fatal bet.

27 scenes·5 wardrobe changes

NADAV

Howard's dim, strong young employee, late 20s, with a unibrow; an amateur boxer who runs errands for KMA.

After being robbed himself, Nadav becomes Howard's runner, carrying the gem money to Foxwoods to place the climactic bet.

24 scenes·3 wardrobe changes

DINA

Howard's wife, 40s, olive-skinned, made-up, Sephardic. Sharp-tongued and increasingly fed up.

Howard's wife who confronts him over the failing finances and grows colder as she senses his betrayals.

10 scenes·3 wardrobe changes

AMARE

Amare Stoudemire, 30s, a 7-foot black superstar Knicks basketball player; soft-spoken, mystical, soulful.

A superstar who becomes convinced the black opal gives him supernatural power on the court, borrowing then buying it from Howard.

9 scenes·3 wardrobe changes

DEMANY

A flashy black hustler, 30, draped in jewelry, who connects Howard with celebrity clients.

The connector who brings Amare to Howard, then jerks him around over the overdue gem and the chain he's owed.

8 scenes·2 wardrobe changes

JIM

Howard's loan shark, 50s, wax-faced and heavy-set; soft-spoken but lethal.

The patient, menacing creditor whose 48-hour ultimatum tightens around Howard until his men kill him over the diverted money.

17 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

ROBERT

One of Jim's oafish enforcers, 40s.

Jim's muscle who stalks, beats and ultimately shoots Howard dead.

16 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

TUNA

One of Jim's enforcers, 30s, stocky.

Jim's stocky heavy who tails Howard through the school but drops out of the later collection scenes.

7 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

NICO

A short, stocky, tough associate of Jim's posted at the office to collect.

Jim's collector who helps dangle Howard out the window and packs the safe during the final robbery.

6 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

ANTHONY

An impeccably groomed Italian bookie, mid 40s.

The bookie who takes Howard's parlay only to have Jim seize the winnings, breaking the news himself.

2 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

GOOEY

Howard's distant cousin, fat, clean-shaven, immensely wealthy; lives in a Park Avenue apartment.

The rich cousin Howard ropes into shill-bidding the opal, leaving him stuck with a 190-grand win and a Christie's ban.

6 scenes·2 wardrobe changes

YUSSI

Howard's brother-in-law, Sephardic, 36, swarthy; runs a side Rolex hustle out of KMA.

Howard's brother-in-law whose Rolex deals and the missing cobra chain explode into a fight that ends with him quitting.

9 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

ELAN

Howard's 19-year-old nephew and staff errand boy.

The teenage errand boy used for menial tasks who is forced to help the robbers and witnesses the final massacre.

7 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

JOANI

A KMA co-worker, late 20s, Sephardic Jew from Long Island.

The showroom co-worker who mans the buzzer doors and phones through Howard's chaotic week.

11 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

ARTHUR

Nadav's friend from the gym, 30s, black; cheers him on ringside.

Nadav's gym buddy who leaves the window open and sets up the robbery of his apartment.

4 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

GABI

Howard's brother, 57, disoriented; co-owns the Miami apartment.

Howard's furious brother in Miami whom Howard wrongs and tries to buy off with cash and an insurance scheme.

2 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

CARMELLE

Howard's sister-in-law, 55, with tight shiny skin; Gabi's wife.

Gabi's enraged wife who screams at Howard over the furniture stripped from their gutted apartment.

4 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

RAY

Ray Forecaster, 35, middleweight champion of the world; flashy, perpetually high, surrounded by money and jewelry.

A champion boxer client in Vegas who buys the red cobra chain and reluctantly fronts Howard 50 grand 'from one bettor to another.'

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

LARRY

A bookie/creditor, mid 40s, shaved head, track suit.

A creditor who stalks Howard for his money, accepting a Rolex as a stopgap on the debt.

3 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

AREN

A plump Jewish gem appraiser at Christie's, late 40s.

The appraiser who exposes the opal as an ordinary Welo stone worth far less than Howard claimed.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

AUCTIONEER

An Indian man, 40s, with a British accent, running the Christie's gem auction.

The auctioneer who announces the embarrassing re-estimate and gavels the opal to Gooey at 190 grand.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

LLOYD

A Christie's manager, Asian, 40s, effeminate.

The Christie's manager who bans Howard and Gooey for shill bidding.

2 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

BODYGUARD 1

Amare's lead bodyguard, a large black man.

Amare's protective bodyguard, present from the showroom break through the auction-floor bidding.

11 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

BODYGUARD 2

A second bodyguard in Amare's security detail.

Amare's secondary bodyguard who accompanies him on his showroom visits.

3 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

MICHAEL THE DRIVER

Jim's limo/Mercedes driver.

Jim's driver, eager to meet Amare, who shuttles the crew and turns up among Jim's men at the climax.

5 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

EDDIE

Howard and Dina's youngest son, 7, a mini-Howard.

Howard's adoring youngest son who idolizes his father.

4 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

BENI

Howard and Dina's oldest son, 15, pimpled and gangly.

Howard's gangly teenage son, glued to his phone games.

4 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

MARCEL

Howard and Dina's daughter, 11, a little-girl version of Dina; plays Snow White in the school play.

Howard's daughter starring as Snow White, whom he encourages even mid-flight from his pursuers.

5 scenes·2 wardrobe changes

DEV

Arthur's friend, black; out at the club with Nadav.

One of Arthur's club friends along for the night out.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

JOSHUA

An overweight middle-aged Jewish dealer in the jewelry arcade.

An arcade dealer trading barbs with Howard over consigned merchandise.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

STREET PEDDLER

A Diamond District street peddler hawking watches.

A peddler who flashes a Hublot at Howard on the street.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

WHITE GUY

A well-dressed customer, 36, shopping for an engagement ring.

A showroom customer mid-purchase who gets bounced when the celebrity clients arrive.

2 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

PRIVELEJ

A heavy-set rapper, 29, dripping with jewelry.

A rapper in Demany's orbit who flirts crudely with Sadie and is later caught with her in the club bathroom.

4 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

PAC

A giant black bodyguard in Ray Forecaster's suite, wearing the money-sign pinky ring.

Ray's bodyguard who reluctantly surrenders the pinky ring and posts to Instagram for him.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

REG

A 7'4 heavy-set black man in his 30s, part of Ray's entourage.

Ray's towering helper who fetches champagne and ice.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

DEALER

A blackjack/casino dealer at the Mirage.

The Vegas dealer who deals Howard's self-bought seven hands and tries to enforce the no-phone rule.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

WAITRESS

Cocktail/restaurant waitresses who serve Howard — one on the Mirage casino floor, one at Boratta's restaurant.

Waitress role serving Howard's drinks in Vegas and at Boratta's.

2 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

JUAN

A Mexican jewelry setter who grinds stones in a plexiglass enclosure at KMA.

The KMA stone-setter whose grinding noise Howard repeatedly silences.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

ALEX DOORMAN

The doorman at Howard's Manhattan apartment building.

Howard's friendly building doorman.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

FRANK CONCIERGE

The concierge at the desk in Howard's apartment building.

The concierge Howard instructs to deny he's in town.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

SECURITY GUARD

The guard at the Knicks practice facility locker-room entrance.

The unbribable guard who blocks Howard from the locker room.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

BARTENDER

The bartender at the crowded sports bar.

The sports-bar bartender feeding Howard live scores.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

HOMELESS GUY

A gaunt, grizzled, toothless homeless man sleeping on the street.

A sleeping man Howard tries to feed who springs up and terrifies him.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

BOUNCER

The bouncer working the velvet ropes at Greenhouse.

The club bouncer Howard bribes to get inside.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

KEV

A blinged-out, cool young man passing blunts at the Greenhouse banquette.

One of Privelej's crew who taunts Howard about Sadie.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

PARIS

A blinged-out young man at the Greenhouse banquette.

One of Privelej's crew who jeers that Sadie 'has bladder problems.'

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

BIG MAN 1

One of two large men guarding the Greenhouse bathroom door.

A club heavy who pins Howard before he forces the bathroom door.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

BIG MAN 2

A second large man guarding the Greenhouse bathroom door.

A club heavy who helps carry Howard out of the club.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

RAQUEL

Gooey's wife, an olive-skinned trophy wife.

Gooey's wife hosting the Shabbat dinner and explaining the artwork.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

EDMOND

Gooey's son, 14, chubby and bratty with braces.

Gooey's bratty teenage son at the dinner table.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

GINA

Gooey's daughter, 9, a princess.

Gooey's young daughter at the Shabbat dinner.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

NICKI

A 15-year-old at Gooey's Shabbat table.

A teenage relative at Gooey's dinner.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

TEACHER

A teacher backstage at the school play.

A teacher managing the backstage children as Howard cuts through.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

QUEEN

A young girl in old-hag costume playing the Queen in the Snow White play.

The child actress playing the poisoning Queen onstage.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

DOORMAN

A doorman at Howard's Manhattan apartment building (curbside).

The doorman who helps the wrecked Sadie from the cab and parks Howard's car.

2 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

DRIVER

The Lincoln Town Car driver hired to rush Nadav to Foxwoods.

The town-car driver fighting rush-hour traffic to get Nadav to the casino.

2 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

STRANGER

A casino-floor stranger Nadav asks for directions.

A stranger who points Nadav toward the sports book.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

FEMALE TELLER

The sports book teller at Foxwoods.

The teller who takes Nadav's massive parlay and calls over a supervisor.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

SUPERVISOR

The Foxwoods sports-book supervisor called over for the large bet.

The supervisor brought in to clear Nadav's $175,000 wager.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

MALE BIDDER 189

A random bidder on the Christie's auction floor, paddle 189.

A floor bidder who drives the opal price before dropping out.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

PERSONAL ASSISTANT

Amare's well-dressed white personal assistant, mid 30s, bidding on his behalf.

Amare's assistant who bids up to 175 before refusing to go higher.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

MODEL

A model in a formal dress presenting the opal on a cushion at the auction.

The auction model displaying the gem to the room.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

MAN 1

One of two black miners who sneak into the Ethiopian opal mine.

A miner who keeps lookout while the opal is extracted in the cold open.

2 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

MAN 2

One of two black miners who sneak into the Ethiopian opal mine; extracts the rough stone.

The miner who grinds windows into the rough opal in the cold open.

2 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

TELLER

Cashier/sports-book teller at the Mirage Casino in Las Vegas.

The Mirage teller who exchanges Howard's cash for chips and books his Vegas parlays.

2 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

Production Design · Props

uncut black opal

Hero

13 scenes

The central 600-carat black opal smuggled from Ethiopia inside fish; multiple close-ups, the inside-the-gem VFX, and the engine of the entire plot. Needs hero version plus the in-cushion auction version.

S2S28S29S30S31S80S81S82S96S99S103S105S117

duane reade bag of cash

Hero

4 scenes

Nadav's $235,000 inheritance Howard takes to Miami and Vegas; bundles of cash.

S9S10S15S17

gold rolex watch

Hero

4 scenes

Recurring luxury watch — Nadav's stolen Rolex, and Howard's own that he pawns/offers and that boomerangs in its box from Anthony.

S5S32S44S50

rolex watch box

Hero

2 scenes

The boxed Rolex Howard gives Anthony and gets handed back when the bet is seized.

S32S50

red diamond cobra chain

Hero

2 scenes

Yussi/Jo's red cobra chain Howard sells to Ray for 40, fueling the Yussi blow-up over the missing 25 grand.

S20S74

phone

Hero

27 scenes

Howard's perpetually ringing/dying phone is a constant pressure device; also used as a flashlight in the boiler room and on speaker for bets and threats.

S8S9S14S15S16S19S25S33S34S41S44S46S47S48S49S54S58S60S61S76S83S99S100S101S109S111S112

gun

Hero

5 scenes

Robert/Nico's handgun, drawn during the window dangle and used to kill Howard and Sadie in the finale.

S103S109S110S112S117

buzzer-locked glass doors / vestibule

Hero

6 scenes

The bulletproof double-door vestibule and magnetic release — set up early, jams as a farce, then weaponized to trap Jim's crew at the climax.

S25S76S77S80S112S117

sledgehammer

Hero

3 scenes

Hoisted up the building facade on a rope to break the jammed door; comedic set-piece prop.

S78S79S80

gym bag of cash

Hero

7 scenes

Nadav's boxing gym bag stuffed with the $175,000 gem money to be wagered at Foxwoods.

S103S104S107S108S113S114S116

purple wooden box

2 scenes

Christie's box that holds the opal after the auction.

S99S103

leather weekend bag of cash

1 scene

Amare's bag of $175,000 in stacked bundles, paid for the gem.

S103

betting-instruction note

2 scenes

The paper bet Howard writes out for Nadav to hand the Foxwoods teller.

S103S116

manila envelope of cash

1 scene

The $65,000 Howard gives Anthony for the five-team parlay.

S32

briefcase of bedazzled jewelry

2 scenes

Howard's traveling case of encrusted pieces, including the money-sign pinky ring.

S20S25

jeweler's loupe

4 scenes

Gold loupe on a necklace Howard hands clients to inspect stones.

S27S28S29S31

fish crate

Hero

1 scene

Wooden/styrofoam crate of vacuum-sealed fish concealing the opal; crowbar and slicing needed.

S28

celebrity photo gallery

1 scene

Wall of Howard posing with famous clients; Amare studies it.

S27

flat-screen tvs

Hero

7 scenes

Screens carrying the games and Amare broadcasts that track Howard's bets; the office TV is rigged on an extension cord for the finale.

S18S19S33S40S41S86S117

electric razor

1 scene

Running razor Robert uses to shear off a chunk of Howard's hair in the limo.

S64

mini baseball bat

1 scene

Used to whack Howard in the back outside the school.

S63

skymall magazine

1 scene

Howard compulsively rips out luxury pages on the plane.

S16

shabbat dinner setting

1 scene

Candles, salted challah, wine and yarmulkes for the Sephardic Shabbos dinner.

S83

alex israel painting

1 scene

Sunset-gradient artwork above Gooey's fireplace that visually rhymes with the gem's color trips.

S83

suitcase

3 scenes

Sadie's clothes-stuffed suitcase Howard packs then secretly hides in the stairwell.

S90S91S92

security camera drive

1 scene

The recording drive Jim's men rip out after the killings.

S117

diamond-encrusted hublot watch

1 scene

Synthetic watch a street peddler flashes at Howard.

S24

tray of vvs2 diamonds

1 scene

Loose diamonds Sadie and Joani show customers in the showroom.

S25

auction paddles

1 scene

Bidding paddles used during the Christie's opal sale.

S96

Poster Concepts

Character-Driven

Sweat Equity

“One stone. One game. One way out.”

A heavyset olive-skinned man in his early 50s, head and shoulders only, shot dead-on. His face is slick with sweat, jaw set mid-pitch, eyes pulled slightly off-axis as if tracking something just out of frame — a screen, a door, a price ticking up. A faint cool light grazes one cheek (a flat-screen's glow); the other side falls into bar-dark shadow. Background is pure black with a barely-legible smear of out-of-focus jewelry-case light leaking up from below his chin.

Character-Driven

The Dangle

“He owes more than he weighs.”

A man hangs upside down against a tall vertical sliver of midtown sky, ankles gripped by two pairs of anonymous hands reaching down from the top edge of the frame. He is small in the composition — the building facade and the drop dominate. Shot from below so the street is implied beneath him as a bright vanishing point. Most of the poster is the cold flat plane of a building wall and open window.

Character-Driven

Both Lives at Once

“A good husband. A worse bet.”

A single face divided down the center. Left half lit warm by Shabbat candlelight, a yarmulke edge visible, calm, domestic. Right half lit by the cold strobe of a club / a screen, sweat-beaded, eyes wider. The seam is a clean black gutter. Both halves are the same man, the same expression fractionally off between them.

Symbolic/Metaphorical

Inside the Stone

“Everything he wanted was the size of a fist.”

The entire poster is the kaleidoscopic interior of a black opal — swirling fields of color, light fracturing into abstract shape, the way the film plunges the camera into the gem at the open, the showroom, and the final shot. No figures. Buried deep in the swirl, barely perceptible, the silhouette of a tiny man falling or floating, scaled to almost nothing.

Symbolic/Metaphorical

Caged in Glass

“The lock works both ways.”

A buzzer-locked glass double-door vestibule shot straight on, empty, lit from within by jewelry-case glow. Trapped in the narrow glass airlock between the two doors: a man's dim reflection, hand pressed to the pane. The locking mechanism and a small red intercom light are the brightest points. The whole image reads like a beautiful, expensive trap.

Symbolic/Metaphorical

The Dying Phone

“Three percent and counting.”

A single smartphone held in a sweaty hand, screen-up, in total darkness. The screen shows a battery at near-empty red and an unanswered call stacked over a sports betting line. The phone's glow is the only light, throwing the hand and a sliver of a panicked face into being. Everything around it is void.

Scene-Based

Smuggled in Fish

“Out of the muck, the whole world.”

Overhead shot of a pried-open wooden crate of ice and vacuum-sealed fish, one fish sliced open, a wet black plastic bag spilling out — and inside it, the rough opal catching a single shard of color amid all the grey-silver flesh and ice. A crowbar lies across the crate. Hands at the frame edge. The most precious thing in the film, born from the ugliest place.

Scene-Based

The Sledgehammer on a String

“Every shortcut takes the long way.”

Looking up the flat face of a Diamond District office building. A sledgehammer dangles absurdly from a thin twine line weighted with a dumbbell, swinging mid-air a few stories up. Tiny faces lean out of a high window, yelling down. Pedestrians blur past at the bottom. The whole image is a small disaster in slow motion against a hard architectural grid.

Scene-Based

Out the Boiler Room

“No signal. No exit. No time.”

A man wedged in a cramped, sooty basement boiler room, face and hands streaked black with grease, skin reddened from heat, clothes torn. He lights his own face from below with a phone screen down to its last glow. Pipes and a hulking iron boiler crowd in around him. Pure entrapment.

Minimalist/Typographic

Numbers Going Up

“It was never about the money. It was about the next one.”

A stark black field filled, faint and grey, with rising columns of dollar figures — a debt and a bet climbing the page — 65, 175, 250, 340. One number near the top burns red and oversized. No image at all except this wall of money the eye can't keep up with. The title sits where the ledger finally runs out of room.

Minimalist/Typographic

One Fire in the Black

“Look closer. That's the problem.”

An almost entirely black sheet. Dead center, very small, a single point of opal fire — one fleck of cyan-magenta-gold light, like the gem glimpsed across a dark room. The longer you look, the more the surrounding black seems to pull toward it. Maximum negative space, one seductive spark.

Mood/Atmospheric

Noise You Can See

“Everything at once, all the time, louder.”

A wall of overlapping flat-screens and phone glows — game scores, a player mid-leap frozen in slow motion, a betting line, an instagram feed — all blown out and bleeding into one another into a single migraine of light. Half-buried in the lower corner, a man's face turned up to it, mouth open, lost in the wash. The film's sensory overload made into one image.

Collage/Ensemble

The Whole Week in One Window

“It all comes due at once.”

A tall vertical composition built like a building seen in cross-section, each floor a fragment of the story: at the top, the opal fire; below it, the man pitching across a glass jewelry case; below that, two enforcers waiting in a dark auditorium; below that, the family at a candlelit table; at the bottom, the man small and upside down against a window. Bodies and rooms stacked into one teetering tower of pressure, unified by the cool jewelry-case glow running up the spine of the image.