Milagro Beanfield War, The (1988) Movie Script
Thank you, God,
for letting me have another day.
I'm not even sick!
You don't look
so hot to me.
- You get yourself outta here!
- Take it easy, viejo.
You should have a little more
respect for your elders.
How do you know
I didn't come here to help?
Well, nobody around here
needs your help.
Ah?
Relax, amigo.
Relax. It's your town
that's dying.
Lupita.
Lupita!
Lupita!
Don Amarante de Milagro,
I see windmills
on your horizon.
Lupita!
Lupita!
Ay, Lupita!
La camisa de Mario!
Lupita!
Goddamn pig!
Go on! Get outta here, Lupita! Go on!
I told you you wouldn't like it.
Okay, we're open.
Let's go to work.
Listos?
Where you gonna
drive to, anyway?
Did you say good-bye to Lisa?
Yeah.
Esperate un momento.
Esperate un momento. here, hon.
There's something about this day.
Oh, come on, hon. Let a
smile be your umbrella.
Oye, Ramon.
Ven por aqui.
Hola, muchachos.
Como estan?
Muy bien, gracias.
Bueno.
It's a pretty day.
Yeah. So far.
Perro!
Heads Up!
Swing wide!
We need a flat bar over here!
- What?
A flat bar!
Hey. Look at that.
- Hey, Shorty!
- Yo, Joe!
You got any work for me?
Can't help ya.
Sorry, Joe.
I can run a backhoe.
I can lay pipe.
I'm a good finish carpenter.
What can I tell ya?
What the hell is this?
That's the future, amigo.
You can see it.
Hi!
The views will just
knock your eyes out.
Ladd, is this development gonna
be as big as the Dancing Trout?
No. Miracle Valley, in fact, is gonna go far
beyond what we've done at the Dancing Trout.
It's going to be the largest leisure-time
development in the history of New Mexico.
This is the greatest thing
that has ever happened,
and the city of Milagro and the people
of Milagro are behind this project 100%.
Here's the water,
and I can't use it.
You can't do this.
You can't have that.
Dios! What's the use?
Lupita, vete por alli.
Andale!
- Shit.
- Que hace aqui?
Vayase de aqui! Quien
le dio permiso para entrar?
- Jose!
- Buenas tardes, Amarante.
Buenas tardes, Jose. I was talking
to your father the other day.
He was telling me he was going to
have the squash all near the house...
My father's dead. And the corn
all over along the chicken coop.
Amarante!
Yeah?
Amarante, my father's
been dead for six years.
Yes. I know.
What are you
doing here?
I'm gonna sell the place.
It's not good for anything anymore.
This field's dying of thirst.
Everybody else
has sold out.
Did they say
you could use the water?
Aw, shit. It must've come
loose when I kicked it.
I ought to shut it off,
huh?
Maybe I'll sleep on it.
- Hi.
- Hi.
I'm gonna get a new motor
for that dryer.
- Is something wrong?
- Hijita!
Estan bien, Papa.
How come we don't
pick raspberries anymore?
When I was a kid, my dad used to
take us up to the hills every August.
We'd pick raspberries.
Sometimes on summer nights, he'd
take me out to shoot baskets.
How come I never
get to do that with our kids?
I'm always too tired,
too busy, too broke.
Jesus, it's always something.
Cuidado. No!
Ay, ay, ay!
Good morning, Amarante.
How are you?
Still living,
thanks to God.
Do you know what I know?
What I saw?
The devil riding
a white horse through town?
A white horse, the devil.
Jose Mondragon let water
into his father's bean field.
Ay, chihuahua!
I'm not saying it's good,
and I'm not saying it's bad.
Ay, vieja loca!
You know, the Mexican
was slurping on the soup.
And he kept saying, "how do you
likey your soupy, Lupe?"
The Mexican got hot, man! He said,
"Hey, man. Don't be calling me Lupe. '"
Your mother
hit me with another rock.
They're just pebbles.
I hid all the rocks.
Jose Mondragon is irrigating his
old man's field over by the highway.
"How you likey my speechy,
son of a bitchy?"
Joe Mondragon...
is irrigating his old man's
bean field over by the highway!
What?
He can't do that.
Did you know Jose Mondragon was
watering his father's bean field?
Que?
Sammy! Is the mayor in?
Joe Mondragon
is irrigating...
I don't know what you
do to your cars.
I think it's the alternator.
How much is that gonna cost me?
- Hey! Where in the hell have you been?
- Slow down, Sammy.
Have you heard yet? You gonna
be on The Price is Right?
Joe Mondragon is cutting water into his
dad's old field over on the west side.
Why would he wanna do
something like that for?
What about when Devine finds
out? Relax. You didn't do it.
No, but I'm the mayor!
What?
Yeah.
What does that half-pint son of a
bitch wanna cause so much trouble for?
I knew Jose Mondragon couldn't
go through his entire life...
without attempting
at least one great thing.
How come you kids are
watching TV? Mom said we could!
I'm gonna have this damn thing
repossessed.
I didn't raise my kids to be
lapping up that garbage!
Now get out! Get out.
All of you!
I never watched TV
when I was a kid.
You never had
a television.
Tobias called. He wants you
to fix his refrigerator.
Nobody can fix
that refrigerator.
What do you say
you and I take a nap?
Aren't you gonna answer that?
- I don't need to.
- You know already?
Everybody knows already.
I heard it from Stella
Armijo and Betty Apodaca...
and Lucy hernandez
and Gloria Martinez...
and everybody else
who has a telephone!
Good. We don't have
nothin' to talk about.
- Maybe you should have talked to somebody before you did it.
- If I had,
I'd still be talking;
it's done now!
- How could you keep this from me, Joe?
- I didn't wanna worry you.
Bueno, bueno!
My husband wants
to get himself shot...
without giving his wife
a chance to worry?
- It's my bean field, Nancy!
- It's not your water!
I'm scared, Jose.
I'm trembling, I'm so scared.
I'm gonna plant that
bean field, Nancy. Good.
The children and I'll decorate your
tombstone with beans instead of flowers.
Would you like a punch
in the mouth? Go ahead.
I'll hit you so hard, they'll
arrest you in El Paso for speeding.
Nobody gives a damn about
a lousy bean field, Nancy.
He's irrigating parcel 1477,
which is...
right here.
It's in the middle of what's
going to be the 13th fairway.
That's the only piece of property
on the west side we don't own.
Then why don't you go
tell him to stop, Bernie?
Because he'll tell me to go sit on
a chile and go right on irrigating.
Well, then, arrest him. I don't
think that is such a good idea.
Oh, I see. We just let lawbreakers
go in Milagro, is that it?
Why don't we see
if he needs anything out there?
Anybody here need anything?
- Okay. Bye.
- Mr. Devine, I think that people will get very upset...
Aw, come on, Bernie. Nobody's
gonna go off half-cocked...
just becauseJoe Mondragon
gets arrested.
I know this town.
These are my people.
Jerry, your own people would like
to see you strung up by your nuts.
You're a Forest Service cop. I'm
surprised that fat, green truck of yours...
doesn't blow up every morning
when you step on the gas.
Look, the man cannot keep
running water off, and that's it.
I wouldn't even know
what to arrest him for.
Nobody even understands
the water laws.
- State engineer.
- What?
State engineer. It's really
their problem, and the governor's.
We can't
keep stalling Williams.
I promised him an okay
for three test wells.
You gotta put some kind of limit on
drilling permits that close to Santa Fe.
Too damn visible. Oh,
shit. You want cutbacks.
Did you know Commerce just lowered our
ranking again in terms of per capita income?
They did?
Yes, they did.
There's a call for you. You
know, Clark, you think small.
You brayed like a goddamn mule when
they put in that Mesa Verde reactor!
Mesa Verde! We've already got
Los Alamos, White Sands, Sandias.
Who the fuck
is Joe Mondragon?
Charlie Bloom? Bloom?
Yeah?
- I'm Ruby Archuleta.
- Yeah, I know.
I wanna find out...
What do you know?
Oh, nothing, nothing.
I, uh...
Just spendin'
the afternoon, uh,
tryin' to keep old Amarante's
pig out of my garden.
A good-sized rat
could knock this over.
- Is there a paper
coming out next week?
Probably.
You takin'out an ad?
You gonna write an article
aboutJoe's bean field?
Mmm.
Well, I don't know
if I am or not, Ruby.
That's... That's kind of a
touchy situation, don't you think?
Don't you think this new recreation
area is a touchy situation?
And what's the new recreation
area got to do with Joe Mondragon?
Nothing, if you don't
write anything about it.
Joe's bean field could draw some attention
to this whole Miracle Valley project.
You know what I think? I think
that'll just work people up.
I think they'll get all worked
up, and maybe somebody'll get hurt.
ProbablyJoe. In the end, I
don't think anything will change.
I thought you were supposed to
be some big, progressive lawyer.
Hmm, big? Big?
Never. No.
But my clients couldn't pay,
so I guess, uh, progressive.
So you're retired?
I don't have to defend
my lifestyle to you or anybody.
I've been representing guys likeJoe most of
my life. I know a lost cause when I see one.
So do I. I'll write the article
myself, and I'll pay you to print it.
Let's face it, Bloom.
You're just not up to it.
Where does she get off talkin'
to us like that, huh, daisy?
Plus cinco?
Siete!
Right. Cinco plus cuatro? Nueve!
Esta Milagro.
Okay, yeah. Bye.
Bye!
Appreciate it.
Hi. Excuse me. Do you know
where I can find Mr. Cantu?
Sammy Cantu? Billy Cantu?
Meliton Cantu? Felipe?
Amarante? Chemo? Which one?
Well, uh, let me take a look here.
I got, uh...
Agh!
Say, excuse me.
Okay.
Excuse me.
Would you be able to tell me
where Mayor Cantu is? Alli esta.
- "Alli esta'". - How's
your leg? - Oh, okay.
Ah!
Mr... Mr. Cantu?
Mr. Cantu. Hi.
Hi.
Herbie Platt.
Department of Sociology,
N.Y. U?
Yeah?
Wait. Wait a second.
Herbert Platt.
Department of Sociology.
I'm doin' research. I'm writin'
a thesis. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Oh.
I'm...
I'm supposed to be here
six months.
I've got a grant
to stay here.
Hey, cut it out, woman!
I want you to help me with these.
Can I have a Popsicle first?
I want you to help me with this.
Yeah, but can I have a Popsicle first?
Okay.
Put these on my bill, huh?
So, you gonna
eat these beans?
No, I'm gonna grow 'em.
Then you're out of credit.
You already
owe 96 bucks.
How much for the beans? Nine
dollars and eighty cents.
- Put 'em back. - But you
said... - Put 'em back!
Okay, okay! Cuando te
digo, hazlo, me entiendes?
Ahora. Recoge esos
y vayanse al carro.
And no one told you I was
coming, huh? Nobody told me.
That doesn't mean
nobody told nobody.
Maybe somebody told somebody.
But nobody told me.
- I don't have a place to stay?
- We have to get you a house?
Well, no, no. But I...
I need a place to stay.
Look, I... I'm not lookin' for a handout
here. I'm gonna work. I'm plannin' on workin'.
I wanna help out!
Maybe... teach.
Look, if we don't know it already, chances
are we're not interested in learnin' it.
Wh-Wh-Wh...
What am I supposed to do?
Join the army.
Hey. You know that help you
were offering back there?
Is that for free?
Yeah.
Hop in. I know a place you could
stay, if you're not too particular.
I'm... hey, thanks! Great.
Move over, kids.
Hey, thank you. I'm herb.
Nice to meet you. Joe.
Hi. Who are you?
Mario.
Hi, Mario.
Hello.
Aah. Gonna have to
get that fixed.
Okay, here you go.
You're sure I'm not gonna
be puttin' anybody out?
A few snakes, maybe.
I'll get you a cot and a heater.
You'll be all set.
Yeah, this'll be fine.
This was used as grazing land
by old man Devine.
Then what we did was,
we put in the Ribald Ditch...
to irrigate the land
for the small farmer.
Who's that?
Detective.
Conducted an evaluation to determine
whether to continue this program.
- We found out
it wouldn't be very feasible.
So, as a result of the
Interstate Water Compact of'73,
these people lost
their irrigation rights.
The farms dried up.
Most sold out to Devine.
Why is this
gettin' dumped on me?
Because, Governor, we approved the
dam and the conservancy district...
in order to make
the development possible.
This will open up the north
to economic opportunities.
- That sounds good to me.
- Except the people living there now...
will find taxes so high, they'll
have to sell out or lose their land.
- They know about that?
- That's the point. We don't want to wake these folks up.
We have to do something. That son
of a bitch is breakin' the law!
Gentlemen,
exactly what is the problem?
If we arrest him, we could
end up in a hornet's nest.
It could turn violent. It would
certainly have racial overtones.
- Very hard to keep that quiet.
- Generate publicity we don't want.
- Why should there be any publicity?
- Wait a minute.
There's an attorney up there by the
name of Charlie Bloom. He's an activist.
He runs a small, bimonthly paper
that covers all of San Juan County.
We sure as hell don't want him
turning Mondragon into a folk hero.
So y-you just want to stop "Mandrigen"...
Mondragon... without an arrest.
- Yes. - Mm-hmm.
- Exactly.
All right.
Here you go, sir.
I asked for something used.
That's all we've got.
Andale!
Vete, Lupita!
Hey, Jose. What are you up to, cousin?
Lookin' around.
Keepin' an eye on things.
What are you planting?
Beans. Pintos.
Beans, huh?
What's the matter, Bernie? You afraid this
thing will keep you from getting reelected?
Nah, nah. Got a heavy
majority in this town.
Come on. You beat
Luis Armijo by two votes.
That's because Domingo
and Gustave were out of town.
- So you would have won by four.
- Hell, no.
Those guys vote six,
seven times apiece.
Joe.
Think about this thing
before it gets out of hand.
I'm asking you as a friend,
someone you used to run with.
Why don't you think
about running with me now?
- Run where? Where are you running to?
- I don't know!
All I know is I'm not gonna
go north like my dad...
and pick somebody else's beans
for two fucking dollars an hour.
Joe.
So you're not gonna stop.
I'll stop when I think
I'm doing the wrong thing.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
Yes, it is.
I don't think your boy
knows what he's in for.
Nobody would do anything if
they knew what they were in for.
Maybe so, but the bogeyman
just came to town.
Cop.
Gotta be.
Yeah.
He wants dinero.
Here's the article.
How much?
Uh, we don't need it. I just wrote
your article. I'm almost finished.
Is it any good?
Well, it's not bad.
Better keep this one anyway, in
case yours isn't strong enough.
This is, uh...
Hey, wait a minute.
You can't write this.
This one doesn't even mention the meeting
we're going to have about the recreation area.
Well, this one will get us
both sued for libel.
Say, since you're a lawyer,
why don't you go and talk
to the people?
Give them an idea, an explanation what's
going to be happening to this valley.
Talk to the people?
No, I don't think so.
Why not?
Well, it's very hard to get
people to agree in this town.
First there'd be an argument.
Then there'd be a fight... Okay.
I don't think... That's
okay. I don't want to argue.
I'm happy
you wrote the article.
Will you at least
go to the meeting?
How could it hurt you?
I don't know yet.
Probably in a way that
I'm overlooking right now.
You can cover it for your paper. Yeah.
Yeah, I could cover it for the paper.
- But you won't talk?
- No, I won't talk.
Okay. It's a deal.
What's a deal?
You? Posible.
How's your research coming? Shouldn't
you be taking notes or something?
Yeah, I am. I am. Hey, uh,
who's the old guy over there?
Hmm? Amarante Cordova. He's
the oldest man in Milagro. Oh.
Well, is he, uh...
You know, is he okay?
I meant, with his head.
Last night I heard him
shoutin' or something.
I think it was to himself.
I thought he was alone.
He was probably talking
to a saint or an angel.
A what?
Hey, don't worry about it.
They've never seen a college guy
planting a bean field before.
Oh.
Hola!
Bernie. This is
Kyril Montana.
This is our sheriff,
Bernie Montoya.
Mr. Montana's from the capital. I know.
How do you know? My
cleaning lady told me.
This was found in my driveway
this morning.
It's probably some kind of a
joke. I don't think it's funny.
What does "zopilote'" mean?
Vulture. Buzzard.
And who is "El Brazo Onofre'"?
That's Onofre Martinez's arm.
He lost it in an accident some
time ago and nobody ever found it.
People around here think
it leads a life of its own.
Yeah. Something turns up missing in
Milagro, people feel El Brazo stole it.
Young girls returning home
at night from their date...
without their underwear
usually blame him.
Well, that looks like a death threat
to me. I'd say a prank, Mr. Devine.
You got surveillance
on Charlie Bloom?
What for?
He's a professional agitator.
He's organized demonstrations,
disrupted courtrooms,
defended every leftist
he could.
Been in jail several times.
Bloom?
Mondragon didn't
come up with this by himself.
When does Bloom's paper
come out?
- Couple of days.
- You know the routes of his trucks?
He delivers them himself.
I don't think
there's a problem.
I want some copies
of La Voz.
Sure, Mr. Capps. How many
would you like? All of'em.
Este estara bueno? No, that's
no good. Try the other one.
Hey, Nick? Has Bloom
delivered the papers yet?
He sure has.
Where are they?
Sold out.
- What are you talking about?
- They're all bought.
Nick. Where
are the papers?
Ruby, I-I'm sold out.
My friends, my cousins.
Do you remember
when we were not rich,
but when our poverty
was different...
not a thing
to be ashamed of.
There was a time
when our children stayed home...
and raised their children
in Milagro.
Think about that.
We could become a town
of old men and old women.
We are a family,
and I love you very much.
But I must tell you,
sometimes when I wake up
in Milagro, I wanna cry.
I think of Ladd Devine
and the development,
and I know, if it comes,
it means the end
for most of us.
I've spent too much of my life
watching bad things happen to my people.
But...
if we want to fight
the recreation area,
we have to understand it.
I know.
It is very complicated.
That's why I asked
our friend, Charlie Bloom,
to talk to us tonight
and explain things.
Charlie?
Thank you, Ruby.
Uh, good evening.
See, once wealthier people from out
of state move in, they want things.
They want... They want new
schools for their children...
not necessarily yours,
for theirs.
They want new roads,
new sewage systems...
for cleaner water
for their shiny new faucets.
And for all of these things,
they are able to pay.
But at the same time,
you also are gonna have to pay.
Your taxes
are gonna go sky high.
And it is doubtful...
very, very doubtful...
that any of you will be holding
the new, higher-paying jobs.
Unless, of course,
you happen to be a golf pro.
- So my guess is that
most of you...
will be forced to sell out
and to move elsewhere.
Are there any questions?
Yes?
We ought to go out and
irrigate the whole west side!
Estas loco? They would set up a
machine gun and kill the bunch of us.
Are we gonna let an outsider
tell us how to run our lives?
- Jerry, just let him talk.
This could make us all rich.
It could make you rich.
Come on, Jerry G. It's a
trap, man. Don't you know that?
They build that dam, and the next morning
we'll all wake up in El Chuco, Texas,
like a bunch of mojados.
- Benny, think, man. Think!
- Sit down, Jerry!
Joe, maybe you shouldn't irrigate. A
lot of innocent people can get hurt.
Over what, amigo? One little bean
field and a couple of gallons of water?
That's no little bean field.
That's trouble.
Nick, hold it!
I was hoping we could
form ourselves into a group.
Something like the "Milagro Land
and Water Protection Association. "
- No way, Ruby! No way!
- I nominateJoe Mondragon to be president...
of the Milagro Land,
uh, whatever.
- No. Not me. I ain't no president.
- You started this, Joe.
If the chota puts a bullet in my
ear, it's because of your bean field!
I didn't call for this meeting. Joe.
I didn't ask for help. No! If that's the way
you feel, I'm gonna plow this thing under.
- The hell you will!
- I nominate myself president.
- I nominate Ruby Archuleta for president.
- You can't have a woman.
Why not?
- Let's form a committee.
- I didn't grow this thing for you to form a committee.
And I don't wanna be
nobody's president!
- Aw, who wants you?
- You nominated him.
Cousins, please! I feel that I could
get good work in a recreation area.
As a busboy?
- Come on! Come on, people!
We're all growing donkey ears
here. Let's go home.
- Let's vote first.
- Vote on what?
- Whatever we're gonna do.
- And what are we gonna do?
- I don't need their money.
- Like hell. You still owe me 40 bucks!
- I paid you that.
Bullshit!
This was a good idea.
All you're gonna do
is scrub dishes, that's all.
- I can get any damn job I want, Benny!
- Yeah? Who's gonna hire you?
I got a skill, pendejo. Yeah? Bending
over every time you see a gringo dollar?
I don't kiss nobody's ass!
You're under arrest!
What for?
For creating a disturbance.
Oh.
- And they threw Bloom's ass
in jail.
Idiots! Full of sound and
fury, signifying nothing.
What a start for a revolution,
eh, viejo?
Milagro will wake up.
You'll see.
The people will fight Devine.
Hello? Oh. Will they
fight their feared enemies?
- Hello?
- Who the fuck is that?
For that pitiful bean field
that can't grow one weed?
What do you mean? These fields
have been growing beans...
since the Treaty
of Guadalupe hidalgo.
Hell, you don't know
anything about it.
Hi. I'm sorry.
Am I interrupting you?
Well, I'm... I'm herbie
Platt. I live... Yes, I know.
You work forJose.
- Right. Well, I'm also a sociologist.
- What?
I'm doing a study on indigenous cultures
in the Southwest. If you had time...
- What is that? What are you doing?
- It's a tape recorder.
What, uh, what
does Milagro mean?
Miracle.
Like the town.
Ah. Oh, thank you.
Oh, this looks good. What
is it? Lizard tail tea.
Ohh. Been in the family
for generations, I bet.
No, I found it on the highway
this morning.
Ah. Hey, uh,
wh-what...
What was that little statue
I saw out there on the altar?
Ah. Mmm.
Mmm.
SaintJude.
He's the patron saint
of desperate causes.
Pulled me through
six operations.
I would be long dead
except for him.
Really?
How did he do that?
He's a saint.
Yeah, I know. But... But...
I mean... No, no, no, no.
You have to put out
for him a nice meal.
Some tamales, some salsa.
Maybe a little beer.
And then you talk to him
and ask him for help.
People now...
I don't know.
They have forgotten
how to act with saints...
or talk to angels.
Angels. Now, now, angels.
I mean, do you mean...
Yes. They are around here.
They've been dead a while.
But you actually talk
to the angels?
Those are the only ones
around...
get time to spare.
I'll give you a lift home.
Get in.
Thanks, Ruby,
for bailing me out.
Look, I'd be a hell
of a lot more grateful...
if you hadn't gotten me in
in the first place.
Or at least if you had
bailed me out sooner!
I had no cash. I had to
wait for the bank to open.
Oh, I see! So I got
no reason to be sore?
No. You had all night
to get over it.
You were right. They weren't
ready for a meeting like that.
That's why I think it's best
to circulate a petition.
Line them up...
one at a time.
Petition? Nobody writes petitions
anymore. Mostly because nobody reads 'em.
I don't care
if they read it.
What's important, Charlie, is
people get together to sign it.
People in this town have been burned
too many times signin' papers, Ruby.
You're gonna get their hopes up.
They're gonna come crashing down.
Then they're gonna blame you.
I've seen it a hundred times.
I don't know where you come from,
but things must turn out shitty there.
Wake up, Ruby! It's not the
'60s. Nobody gives a shit anymore.
I do!
What do you know about
people here? You're a tourist.
You write your
sympathetic articles,
but when it gets rough, you run
away to someplace more comfortable.
My people have been here for 300
years. I have a right to stay.
Great. Stay. Your garage
business will triple.
I don't fix those kind of cars. Well...
you better start.
What good
is a hometown,
if everyone you know
is gone?
- Buenas tardes, Senor Platt.
- Oh, hello, Amarante.
I brought you
Saint Ignacio.
He helps smart people.
Wh... Thank you.
Maybe you could use a couple
of other saints too.
Osha.
Osha?
It keeps
the rattlesnakes away.
Good night, neighbor.
Thank you.
Mmm! Oh.
If you sleep with your bed
pointed west,
you're just asking
for stomach trouble.
The scorpions will make nests in
your shoes if you leave them there.
And be sure not to lean too far
back on the seat in the outhouse...
or let your testicles
swing up under the wood.
Black widows.
Who were your parents? Do you
have your parents still living?
Oh, yeah. They live in...
I grew up in New York.
New York. That is so far
away. I saw that on a map.
A couple times?
Yeah, yeah. Sure.
Two.
You been around the block
twice. You don't get out much.
No, not very much.
What are you laughing at?
You think it's...
Well, I mean... No, "around
the block" means, uh...
Never mind.
Okay, let me see if I got this
right. Over there is the lake.
And up there, the ski lodge? Yeah.
And the condos.
Uh-huh.
And the golf course.
That's it!
You've got it.
- What's that over there?
Those shiny lines over there?
That is Joe Mondragon's bean field,
and it looks like he's watered it again.
Son of a gun. Sure
got some huevos on him.
Huevos?
Eggs.
Eggs?
You know, balls.
Huevos. I like that.
That's cute.
Joe can't afford a grazing permit, so
he keeps his cow in Sammy Cantu's field.
It's right
by the forest line.
It's cheaper, 'cause
there's not much grass.
What do you do if you find a cow
grazing on federal land without a permit?
We impound it.
There's a fine?
Yeah, it costs a hundred
bucks to get it back.
So Mondragon's cow somehow
wanders into a national forest.
Excuse me, gentlemen.
I didn't hear this.
Okay. Come on!
Come on, cow.
Come on.
What are you looking at?
Get behind her.
Come on!
Jesus!
Come on.
What's her name?
- I don't know what her name is.
- Come on, you goddamn cow.
- Come on.
- That's it. That's it. Don't let her stop.
- They got your cow.
- Joe, they got your cow.
In the Floresta pen.
What?
- They got your cow in the Floresta pen.
- Son of a bitch!
Si.
Joe?
Cow broke out of Cantu's field. The Floresta's
got her. They're gonna yank my permit.
I'm gonna get my cow!
What are you gonna do,
shoot it?
I'm gonna shoot Cantu for not keeping
up his fences! Oh, great! Kill! Kill!
Remember the time I asked you
to kill a turkey for dinner?
Did you use an axe? No, notJoe!
You take a pistol and shoot it.
Only, you don't aim so good. I
aim good; it didn't die right away.
It didn't die at all.
It just flopped around.
Hey! What the hell
do you think you're doing?
Taking my cow.
- You got the hundred bucks for the fine?
- I'll take her and pay later.
Joe, you
come back here!
Hold it right there!
You're under arrest for stealing
government property.
Holy shit!
Hold it, please!
Please.
What's the trouble? Joe's trying
to steal government property.
How can I steal something that
belongs... She ate on federal grounds!
Whoa! Whoa!
Jerry, holster the gun
before somebody gets hurt.
If I do,
they'll shoot my nuts off.
LfJerry holsters his gun, are
you gonna shoot his nuts off?
Jerry, when did you find that
cow? About 10:00 this morning.
When you do reckon she
escaped from Sammy's field?
She was fine
last night.
There. See?
You guys probably found the cow before she ate
any government property, so she's stillJoe's.
Bernie, you don't know your ass
from the law on this case.
It's your ass that's got a
bull's-eye on it right now, Jerry G.
Fuck the cow! He's
trying to save our lives!
Maybe you're right.
Maybe the cow
didn't eat enough grass.
I wasn't gonna
shoot anybody.
You people know that.
Right?
Right. Right. Right.
We showed them that the
Forest Service can be flexible.
How 'bout
a little snack, fellas?
Huh?
What are you
gonna do, Bernie?
What do you want me to do?
Check it for fingerprints?
Yeah, so when the Spaniards
brought in Christianity,
they tried to wipe out all the
pagan rituals of the American Indian.
Yeah, but everybody
around here is Catholic.
That's true. But you see, they worship
to the carved statues of saints.
They don't
worship to God.
We believe in God. Yeah, but
it's still a form of idolatry,
except now those idols
represent Christian heroes,
like saints,
instead of pagan gods.
- The rituals themselves...
- Agh!
Did you get any kind
of look at them?
No!
Pssst! Bed!
Get your head up.
Aah!
What happened?
The Zopilote sent them.
- Ow!
- This whole thing is getting out of hand.
Did you get to where he says,
"This does not mean nothing"? No.
Are you expecting
somebody? No. Wait a minute.
Just a minute.
Did ya hear?
Did ya hear what
happened toJoe? Uh, yes.
You don't look like
you're writing about it.
The paper doesn't come out for
three days. Could we talk tomorrow?
What's the matter?
Got a girlfriend? Ruby.
Okay, listen. I don't
want to ruin your evening,
but things
are heating up.
You'd like to see 'em fried. We're going to
have a harvesting party when the beans are ready.
Who's that? Sylvia Lopez? No. Have you
cleared this harvesting thing with Joe?
No! He'd never agree
to something like that.
I want you to print an
announcement in your paper. Okay.
Good!
No! You can't!
Let me
rent your machines.
Do you know how to work them? No!
I'll do the flyers tomorrow,
but nothing in the paper. Okay.
Wait. The petition. You
want to be first to sign?
Jesus Christ, woman! Don't you
ever let up? Gloria Martinez.
Ay.
Ah, Jesus!
Hola, chamaco!
Pistolero, eh?
Get out
of my way.
I see.
Desperate times...
call for desperate measures,
eh?
Bullshit!
Ay, pobrecito.
Pero que cojones!
What kind of bullets
does this take? I forget.
.45s. Why?
How much?
Well, let me see.
7.95.
Hey, what are you doing?
You can't buy bullets
with food stamps, Grandpa.
It is the same as
money. It's not the same!
You can't buy beer; you can't
buy cigarettes. Where you going?
Gracias.
Que pasa?
Do you think you are
Pancho Villa?
How do you know
you can pull the trigger?
Don't encourage him.
Leave him alone. Fuck him.
Sinverguenza!
Me la vas a pagar!
Vuelve a la cocina
a limpiar los platos!
Do something!
Start a forest fire.
Oh. What?
Put everybody to work on the fire line.
Get their minds off that damn bean field.
Shorty,
you're crazy.
Build some more cabins out
there behind the tennis courts.
I don't need
any more cabins, Shorty.
Ladd, Joe Mondragon needs
three months' pay as crew boss.
You buy all your plumbing
from Ruby, all the fixtures...
She's off
your back too.
That's pretty good thinkin'
for an old mule.
Well, if you pay 'em, they
ain't gonna slit your throat.
Que no, Bernie?
Three cabins?
Yes!
I head the crew. You supply the
plumbing. And do you know for what price?
Fourteen dollars an hour! That's
three months' work guaranteed.
Just a bribe, Jose.
So what?
As long as you're being overpaid, see if
you can get some work at the condos too.
You know what I could do
with $ I4.00 an hour?
I could pay off the
refrigerator, that stupid TV.
Buy yourself a new truck. And in return,
you give up the bean field, right?
What bean field? I'll make more
in one day than on all those beans.
Four-wheel drive.
AM-FM.
They want to buy you!
- She's right, Jose.
- Oh! Now you want me growing the bean field?
I don't know! At first I was
scared. Now they make me mad!
- I gotta look out for this family, right?
- What about everybody else?
If you quit now, you let
a lot of people down! Who?
Name five people who have signed that
petition. Nobody's gonna miss that field.
How about the guys who saved
your ass at the Floresta?
They're so old, they'll all be dead
by the time I get those cabins built.
- So you gonna take the job?
- I don't know!
I don't know! You know,
we could use that money.
I hate that
fucking bean field!
Joe, no! Joe!
Two boxes of 30-30s.
Put it on my bill. Hey!
You still owe me 96 bucks!
- Toma! - 12-gauge. -
12-gauge, high-power.
- Huh?
- 30-30 Winchester.
What?
30-30 Winchester!
30-06, high velocity.
Remington,.22 long.
30-30 Winchesters.
A can of beef stew.
And a box
of 16-gauge Express.
Yeah.
The worse-case scenario, we'll have
80% of these units sold... Mr. Devine.
We could actually be showing a profit
while we're still in construction.
Yeah? There's a problem with your sign.
I want to know
who the dumb-ass was...
that shot
at Mondragon's house.
Well, don't look at me. I
don't think Joe did this.
- Then who did?
- I don't know.
Maybe it was El Brazo Onofre.
That guy don't like anybody.
Jesus! Yeah, maybe
it was his arm, Shorty.
Christ! This valley's turned
into a goddamn war zone!
Somebody sure got a lot of time
on their hands.
Hi, honey.
When did you start
carrying a gun?
I won already, okay?
You got nothin' right now.
Now you got a pair...
Tonight, President Reagan will make a
special address to the American people...
Yeah.
From the Oval Office.
What time he'll make his speech
tonight, we're uncertain at this point.
As soon as the White house
tells us...
Did you hear anything?
Mm-mmm.
Oh, it's probably Mondragon pouring
gasoline on all the cottages.
You know something, honey?
When we were first married,
it was different.
Oh, it's that
goddamn bean field!
I should've come down hard
on it right at the start.
I thought I was really doin'
somethin' good for this town.
You were, honey. I just don't know if the
world really needs another golf course.
That bean field don't look
so bad. I've seen worse.
No thanks to you.
I thought you
were going to help.
When are you
going to do something?
I don't do things;
I give advice.
You have some advice?
You're gonna need
a big sacrifice here.
You get down
from there.
Back off, old man!
This bean field business
has gone far enough!
You get down or I'll blow a hole in your
chest big enough for an owl to nest in.
Jesus Christ! Don't be
pointing that thing at me!
Get out of the way!
Shit! Okay!
Okay! All right.
Now get out of here. Hey, hey, that's
Devine's. You better not be doing that.
Crazy old bastard!
We'll be back!
Butterflies
ate your arm?
Yes. I had fallen asleep
on a very warm spring day.
It was cold
the night before.
One thousand butterflies
took it,
and I haven't been able
to find it since.
It has to be somewhere...
Hola! Que pasa?
Getting groceries
for your friend.
Hey, hope you didn't buy any beans!
We'll have our own in a few days.
Ay, Dios mio!
You fucking...
Hija de su chingada!
Vete! No vas
a chingar mas!
Whoa!
- Jesus, Joe, you hit him.
- Oh, Jesus.
No! Wait!
Don't shoot!
Oh, my God!
- My God! Oh, no!
- Oh, Jesus. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!
Oh, my God! Get a doctor!
Let's get him outta here.
Get him a doctor!
Come on!
Hold on, viejito.
Hold on!
You better get out of here,
Joe. Let's get him to the clinic.
You gotta get out of here,
Joe. But he didn't mean to.
- Nobody's gonna believe that.
- Joe, you gotta get out of here.
Let's go! I just can't leave him.
Get away from here, Joe.
Vete, Joe, vete!
Why is it...
every time we're mad at one of
them, we end up hurting one of us?
You've got
to defend him, Charlie!
Ruby, will you just lay off. Don't push!
I'm trying to get it together so we can at least get
printing material. We can't even get up a spirit master.
I do not know if I want to
represent somebody. Why not?
In the first place, I do
not have all the facts.
What facts?
Charlie, what facts?
It was self-defense.
Let's hope so, Ruby.
I don't know if he wants
or needs representation.
I've been away from this stuff, and
I don't know if I'm good anymore.
And besides,
I've told ya...
or maybe
I didn't tell you...
I lost a lot
of my cases.
Come in.
Both of you know thatJoe Mondragon
is a fugitive from justice.
He's a fugitive
anyway.
If you have any idea where he is or any
information that might be helpful in finding him,
I suggest that now's
the time to speak.
How 'bout yourself?
I have no idea.
I remind you that withholding information
is a felony. So is harboring a fugitive.
If I discover that either of you
is involved like that,
I'll have you prosecuted
to the full extent of the law.
Hold it!
I am Joe Mondragon's lawyer.
And he has certain rights...
with which I'm sure
you are familiar.
And if you go after him
and shoot him down like a dog,
or even manhandle him
in the least little bit,
I'll hang you by your balls, even if I
have to go to the Supreme Court to do it!
Hmm.
How many men
you got, Bernie?
- Around 20 or 30.
- I mean exactly.
Twenty-six.
Did you count 'em?
- No.
- Count 'em.
Don't sing.
Hey.
This posse
couldn't find itself.
Unless it wanted to.
We're wasting our time. Take the
men back down before it gets dark.
What are you gonna do?
Take a look around.
By myself.
I doubt
you'll ever find him.
Maybe not.
If I thought
you had a chance,
I wouldn't go back.
Ay-yi-yi-yi
Canta y no llores
Porque cantando
se alegran
Cielito lindo
los corazones
Ay-yi-yi-yi
Canta y no llores
He's not gonna die.
He should have been dead a long
time ago, but he never quits.
Hey.
Hmm. Let me see here.
Here.
Here. Let me
open that for ya.
Uh, no tamales.
I hope, uh,
that the tacos are okay.
Sorry if I'm
not doing this right.
I mean, I don't want
to insult you or anything,
but, uh,
I'd really appreciate it if you
could help my friend Amarante.
He's a good man.
Hello?
Hello?
Bloom?
Yeah?
Did you open the gate?
Somebody had to.
Be a shame
to let it all die now.
Okay, Bloom.
Do you hear that?
What?
You don't hear anything?
Uh-uh.
Ahh.
What are you
all doing here?
- Buenas tardes, viejo.
- Where's my pistola?
I don't know where your gun
is, Amarante. I wish I did know.
But I found one
of your bullets...
in Joe Mondragon's wall.
.45 Peacemaker?
You wouldn't know anything about
who burned Devine's sign, would you?
No.
What about
the rest of you?
How about the crosses?
Dead fish?
Flaming arrow?
I didn't think so.
I hate climbing rocks.
Madre!
Son of a bitch.
Right here.
Son of a bitch!
Don't run!
It's over, Joe.
You won't get hurt if you come out
with your hands above your head.
- Come on out now!
- I got a pistol.
No, you don't!
How can you be sure?
If you did,
you'd have used it by now.
I've been saving my last
bullet. I don't believe ya.
- Why not? It's possible.
- I'm comin', Joe.
I should have
built those cabins.
Joe.
Shorty?
Headed up
to Baldy Bear Creek?
Yeah.
Be some big rainbows
up there.
Oh! Looks like
Amarante's gonna make it.
Thanks, Shorty.
It'd be a shame
for it to end like that.
I'm gettin' kind of interested in
what's gonna happen next. Be seein' ya.
Hey, Shorty.
How 'bout a ride down the hill?
Well, I wouldn't
push it, Joe.
That's the message, because...
You cannot get it from books.
I'm hungry.
I am so hungry!
Luisa! Maria!
Papa!
- Joe.
- How's Amarante?
- Joe!
- The doctor says he's okay. At least he's awake.
- Joe, what happened?
- I came back!
- You still got that petition?
- Yeah. - I want to sign it.
Joe, there's things that
you and I have to talk about.
Sure. Later.
Later?
Let's go. Wait a minute. Where ya goin'?
- Pick beans.
- We're gonna pick beans.
We're gonna pick beans,
beans, beans!
Vamos corriendo!
Come on!
Joe? Hey, Joe!
Mario,
go get the baskets.
Hey, sign this!
Everybody, come sign
the petition!
Come sign the petition.
You want that first pot of
beans? Then you start picking.
The pintos, eh?
Glad to see you.
There you go.
Taste it.
Here. Put them all in the
basket for me. Gracias, amigo.
What now?
Mondragon, you're under arrest.
Cuff him.
- Wait a minute. What's he charged with?
- Attempted murder.
Unlawful flight
to avoid prosecution.
Let's go.
I hope none of these people
cause trouble for your sake.
Montana, the key.
I don't have the authority
to do that.
You'd better get somebody who's
got the authority right now.
- What's the problem?
- Because we're about to have a fucking war!
I'm warning you people,
don't try to interfere.
Maybe we shouldn't push this.
Quiet!
Hold it!
Montana.
Hold it! Hold it right
there. Nobody move.
Put those guns down. I think
we better slow down here.
Tell these people to back off!
I'm takin' him in.
- No, you're not.
- What?
Amarante's feeling much better.
He refuses to press charges.
So,
there's no attempted murder;
there's no unlawful flight.
And unless he has a warrant to arrest Joe for
taking water, he's outside his jurisdiction!
Get out of my way.
I'm deputizing everybody in this
crowd for crowd control duty.
- You gotta be jokin'.
- Mr. Montana!
- There's a call for you on the radio.
- Not now!
Sir. Sir. It's important.
Can I speak to you?
Don't let him move!
- Governor's on the phone. He needs to talk to you.
- Bruno,
the name Custer
ring a bell?
Kyril?
Yeah.
You got Mondragon with ya? Yes.
Stop the arrest procedures. Come back
to the office and bring the men with you.
What? You can't
do that to me. He's...
he's already under arrest.
I'm... I'm takin' him in.
Don't arrest him. Get the men back in.
I'll explain it later. Do you follow?
Right.
Let him go.
Yeah.
- You can undeputize
your crowd, Bernie.
Maybe I'll be back.
If not, I'll send you
a sack of beans.
Montana.
The key.
You're a pain in the ass!
La-La-Ladd?
Yeah, uh, yeah,
it's harry. The governor.
Yeah, how you doin'?
Yeah, listen, uh, there's a little
somethin' we gotta talk about.
I don't believe it!
"Let's put it
on the back burner"!
I gave money
to that chicken-shit!
Son of a bitch!
I even voted for him!
Look at all
these signatures.
Yeah. You know, they're all
gonna have hangovers tomorrow,
and they're gonna come begging and
crying to take their names off that list.
But right now,
at this moment,
isn't it wonderful?
It sure is.
Ruby.
Give me that petition.
You're gonna
lose your job.
If I'm lucky.
Nice.
Ypor eso
los grandes amores
De muchos colores
me gustan a mi
Por eso
los grandes amores
De muchos colores
me gustan a mi
Ypor eso
los grandes amores
De muchos colores
me gustan a mi
Hey, compadre,
where you going?
I've got to get
to the bean field.
Ah, yes. There's one
hell of a party going on.
Come on.
Come on.
I know a shortcut.
Shortcut? Yes, my feet
are killing me. Come on!
Sometimes you do not act like an
angel. I want to tell you something.
I don't want to know
anything. I hate beans.
What? You are a disgrace!
I'd rather have steak.
Oh, sometimes I think
you're just making fun of me.
Cuidado!
Whoa!
Not bad. Not bad.
Mira. Estas un atleta.
Nunca habia caminado
tanto en mi vida.
Ay, pobrecito.
Pero no falta
mucho ahora.
En un ratito, creo que vamos a oir la musica.
- M Musica?
Si, hombre. Musica de
la fiesta, naturalmente.
The fiesta.
There's a fiesta.
for letting me have another day.
I'm not even sick!
You don't look
so hot to me.
- You get yourself outta here!
- Take it easy, viejo.
You should have a little more
respect for your elders.
How do you know
I didn't come here to help?
Well, nobody around here
needs your help.
Ah?
Relax, amigo.
Relax. It's your town
that's dying.
Lupita.
Lupita!
Lupita!
Don Amarante de Milagro,
I see windmills
on your horizon.
Lupita!
Lupita!
Ay, Lupita!
La camisa de Mario!
Lupita!
Goddamn pig!
Go on! Get outta here, Lupita! Go on!
I told you you wouldn't like it.
Okay, we're open.
Let's go to work.
Listos?
Where you gonna
drive to, anyway?
Did you say good-bye to Lisa?
Yeah.
Esperate un momento.
Esperate un momento. here, hon.
There's something about this day.
Oh, come on, hon. Let a
smile be your umbrella.
Oye, Ramon.
Ven por aqui.
Hola, muchachos.
Como estan?
Muy bien, gracias.
Bueno.
It's a pretty day.
Yeah. So far.
Perro!
Heads Up!
Swing wide!
We need a flat bar over here!
- What?
A flat bar!
Hey. Look at that.
- Hey, Shorty!
- Yo, Joe!
You got any work for me?
Can't help ya.
Sorry, Joe.
I can run a backhoe.
I can lay pipe.
I'm a good finish carpenter.
What can I tell ya?
What the hell is this?
That's the future, amigo.
You can see it.
Hi!
The views will just
knock your eyes out.
Ladd, is this development gonna
be as big as the Dancing Trout?
No. Miracle Valley, in fact, is gonna go far
beyond what we've done at the Dancing Trout.
It's going to be the largest leisure-time
development in the history of New Mexico.
This is the greatest thing
that has ever happened,
and the city of Milagro and the people
of Milagro are behind this project 100%.
Here's the water,
and I can't use it.
You can't do this.
You can't have that.
Dios! What's the use?
Lupita, vete por alli.
Andale!
- Shit.
- Que hace aqui?
Vayase de aqui! Quien
le dio permiso para entrar?
- Jose!
- Buenas tardes, Amarante.
Buenas tardes, Jose. I was talking
to your father the other day.
He was telling me he was going to
have the squash all near the house...
My father's dead. And the corn
all over along the chicken coop.
Amarante!
Yeah?
Amarante, my father's
been dead for six years.
Yes. I know.
What are you
doing here?
I'm gonna sell the place.
It's not good for anything anymore.
This field's dying of thirst.
Everybody else
has sold out.
Did they say
you could use the water?
Aw, shit. It must've come
loose when I kicked it.
I ought to shut it off,
huh?
Maybe I'll sleep on it.
- Hi.
- Hi.
I'm gonna get a new motor
for that dryer.
- Is something wrong?
- Hijita!
Estan bien, Papa.
How come we don't
pick raspberries anymore?
When I was a kid, my dad used to
take us up to the hills every August.
We'd pick raspberries.
Sometimes on summer nights, he'd
take me out to shoot baskets.
How come I never
get to do that with our kids?
I'm always too tired,
too busy, too broke.
Jesus, it's always something.
Cuidado. No!
Ay, ay, ay!
Good morning, Amarante.
How are you?
Still living,
thanks to God.
Do you know what I know?
What I saw?
The devil riding
a white horse through town?
A white horse, the devil.
Jose Mondragon let water
into his father's bean field.
Ay, chihuahua!
I'm not saying it's good,
and I'm not saying it's bad.
Ay, vieja loca!
You know, the Mexican
was slurping on the soup.
And he kept saying, "how do you
likey your soupy, Lupe?"
The Mexican got hot, man! He said,
"Hey, man. Don't be calling me Lupe. '"
Your mother
hit me with another rock.
They're just pebbles.
I hid all the rocks.
Jose Mondragon is irrigating his
old man's field over by the highway.
"How you likey my speechy,
son of a bitchy?"
Joe Mondragon...
is irrigating his old man's
bean field over by the highway!
What?
He can't do that.
Did you know Jose Mondragon was
watering his father's bean field?
Que?
Sammy! Is the mayor in?
Joe Mondragon
is irrigating...
I don't know what you
do to your cars.
I think it's the alternator.
How much is that gonna cost me?
- Hey! Where in the hell have you been?
- Slow down, Sammy.
Have you heard yet? You gonna
be on The Price is Right?
Joe Mondragon is cutting water into his
dad's old field over on the west side.
Why would he wanna do
something like that for?
What about when Devine finds
out? Relax. You didn't do it.
No, but I'm the mayor!
What?
Yeah.
What does that half-pint son of a
bitch wanna cause so much trouble for?
I knew Jose Mondragon couldn't
go through his entire life...
without attempting
at least one great thing.
How come you kids are
watching TV? Mom said we could!
I'm gonna have this damn thing
repossessed.
I didn't raise my kids to be
lapping up that garbage!
Now get out! Get out.
All of you!
I never watched TV
when I was a kid.
You never had
a television.
Tobias called. He wants you
to fix his refrigerator.
Nobody can fix
that refrigerator.
What do you say
you and I take a nap?
Aren't you gonna answer that?
- I don't need to.
- You know already?
Everybody knows already.
I heard it from Stella
Armijo and Betty Apodaca...
and Lucy hernandez
and Gloria Martinez...
and everybody else
who has a telephone!
Good. We don't have
nothin' to talk about.
- Maybe you should have talked to somebody before you did it.
- If I had,
I'd still be talking;
it's done now!
- How could you keep this from me, Joe?
- I didn't wanna worry you.
Bueno, bueno!
My husband wants
to get himself shot...
without giving his wife
a chance to worry?
- It's my bean field, Nancy!
- It's not your water!
I'm scared, Jose.
I'm trembling, I'm so scared.
I'm gonna plant that
bean field, Nancy. Good.
The children and I'll decorate your
tombstone with beans instead of flowers.
Would you like a punch
in the mouth? Go ahead.
I'll hit you so hard, they'll
arrest you in El Paso for speeding.
Nobody gives a damn about
a lousy bean field, Nancy.
He's irrigating parcel 1477,
which is...
right here.
It's in the middle of what's
going to be the 13th fairway.
That's the only piece of property
on the west side we don't own.
Then why don't you go
tell him to stop, Bernie?
Because he'll tell me to go sit on
a chile and go right on irrigating.
Well, then, arrest him. I don't
think that is such a good idea.
Oh, I see. We just let lawbreakers
go in Milagro, is that it?
Why don't we see
if he needs anything out there?
Anybody here need anything?
- Okay. Bye.
- Mr. Devine, I think that people will get very upset...
Aw, come on, Bernie. Nobody's
gonna go off half-cocked...
just becauseJoe Mondragon
gets arrested.
I know this town.
These are my people.
Jerry, your own people would like
to see you strung up by your nuts.
You're a Forest Service cop. I'm
surprised that fat, green truck of yours...
doesn't blow up every morning
when you step on the gas.
Look, the man cannot keep
running water off, and that's it.
I wouldn't even know
what to arrest him for.
Nobody even understands
the water laws.
- State engineer.
- What?
State engineer. It's really
their problem, and the governor's.
We can't
keep stalling Williams.
I promised him an okay
for three test wells.
You gotta put some kind of limit on
drilling permits that close to Santa Fe.
Too damn visible. Oh,
shit. You want cutbacks.
Did you know Commerce just lowered our
ranking again in terms of per capita income?
They did?
Yes, they did.
There's a call for you. You
know, Clark, you think small.
You brayed like a goddamn mule when
they put in that Mesa Verde reactor!
Mesa Verde! We've already got
Los Alamos, White Sands, Sandias.
Who the fuck
is Joe Mondragon?
Charlie Bloom? Bloom?
Yeah?
- I'm Ruby Archuleta.
- Yeah, I know.
I wanna find out...
What do you know?
Oh, nothing, nothing.
I, uh...
Just spendin'
the afternoon, uh,
tryin' to keep old Amarante's
pig out of my garden.
A good-sized rat
could knock this over.
- Is there a paper
coming out next week?
Probably.
You takin'out an ad?
You gonna write an article
aboutJoe's bean field?
Mmm.
Well, I don't know
if I am or not, Ruby.
That's... That's kind of a
touchy situation, don't you think?
Don't you think this new recreation
area is a touchy situation?
And what's the new recreation
area got to do with Joe Mondragon?
Nothing, if you don't
write anything about it.
Joe's bean field could draw some attention
to this whole Miracle Valley project.
You know what I think? I think
that'll just work people up.
I think they'll get all worked
up, and maybe somebody'll get hurt.
ProbablyJoe. In the end, I
don't think anything will change.
I thought you were supposed to
be some big, progressive lawyer.
Hmm, big? Big?
Never. No.
But my clients couldn't pay,
so I guess, uh, progressive.
So you're retired?
I don't have to defend
my lifestyle to you or anybody.
I've been representing guys likeJoe most of
my life. I know a lost cause when I see one.
So do I. I'll write the article
myself, and I'll pay you to print it.
Let's face it, Bloom.
You're just not up to it.
Where does she get off talkin'
to us like that, huh, daisy?
Plus cinco?
Siete!
Right. Cinco plus cuatro? Nueve!
Esta Milagro.
Okay, yeah. Bye.
Bye!
Appreciate it.
Hi. Excuse me. Do you know
where I can find Mr. Cantu?
Sammy Cantu? Billy Cantu?
Meliton Cantu? Felipe?
Amarante? Chemo? Which one?
Well, uh, let me take a look here.
I got, uh...
Agh!
Say, excuse me.
Okay.
Excuse me.
Would you be able to tell me
where Mayor Cantu is? Alli esta.
- "Alli esta'". - How's
your leg? - Oh, okay.
Ah!
Mr... Mr. Cantu?
Mr. Cantu. Hi.
Hi.
Herbie Platt.
Department of Sociology,
N.Y. U?
Yeah?
Wait. Wait a second.
Herbert Platt.
Department of Sociology.
I'm doin' research. I'm writin'
a thesis. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Oh.
I'm...
I'm supposed to be here
six months.
I've got a grant
to stay here.
Hey, cut it out, woman!
I want you to help me with these.
Can I have a Popsicle first?
I want you to help me with this.
Yeah, but can I have a Popsicle first?
Okay.
Put these on my bill, huh?
So, you gonna
eat these beans?
No, I'm gonna grow 'em.
Then you're out of credit.
You already
owe 96 bucks.
How much for the beans? Nine
dollars and eighty cents.
- Put 'em back. - But you
said... - Put 'em back!
Okay, okay! Cuando te
digo, hazlo, me entiendes?
Ahora. Recoge esos
y vayanse al carro.
And no one told you I was
coming, huh? Nobody told me.
That doesn't mean
nobody told nobody.
Maybe somebody told somebody.
But nobody told me.
- I don't have a place to stay?
- We have to get you a house?
Well, no, no. But I...
I need a place to stay.
Look, I... I'm not lookin' for a handout
here. I'm gonna work. I'm plannin' on workin'.
I wanna help out!
Maybe... teach.
Look, if we don't know it already, chances
are we're not interested in learnin' it.
Wh-Wh-Wh...
What am I supposed to do?
Join the army.
Hey. You know that help you
were offering back there?
Is that for free?
Yeah.
Hop in. I know a place you could
stay, if you're not too particular.
I'm... hey, thanks! Great.
Move over, kids.
Hey, thank you. I'm herb.
Nice to meet you. Joe.
Hi. Who are you?
Mario.
Hi, Mario.
Hello.
Aah. Gonna have to
get that fixed.
Okay, here you go.
You're sure I'm not gonna
be puttin' anybody out?
A few snakes, maybe.
I'll get you a cot and a heater.
You'll be all set.
Yeah, this'll be fine.
This was used as grazing land
by old man Devine.
Then what we did was,
we put in the Ribald Ditch...
to irrigate the land
for the small farmer.
Who's that?
Detective.
Conducted an evaluation to determine
whether to continue this program.
- We found out
it wouldn't be very feasible.
So, as a result of the
Interstate Water Compact of'73,
these people lost
their irrigation rights.
The farms dried up.
Most sold out to Devine.
Why is this
gettin' dumped on me?
Because, Governor, we approved the
dam and the conservancy district...
in order to make
the development possible.
This will open up the north
to economic opportunities.
- That sounds good to me.
- Except the people living there now...
will find taxes so high, they'll
have to sell out or lose their land.
- They know about that?
- That's the point. We don't want to wake these folks up.
We have to do something. That son
of a bitch is breakin' the law!
Gentlemen,
exactly what is the problem?
If we arrest him, we could
end up in a hornet's nest.
It could turn violent. It would
certainly have racial overtones.
- Very hard to keep that quiet.
- Generate publicity we don't want.
- Why should there be any publicity?
- Wait a minute.
There's an attorney up there by the
name of Charlie Bloom. He's an activist.
He runs a small, bimonthly paper
that covers all of San Juan County.
We sure as hell don't want him
turning Mondragon into a folk hero.
So y-you just want to stop "Mandrigen"...
Mondragon... without an arrest.
- Yes. - Mm-hmm.
- Exactly.
All right.
Here you go, sir.
I asked for something used.
That's all we've got.
Andale!
Vete, Lupita!
Hey, Jose. What are you up to, cousin?
Lookin' around.
Keepin' an eye on things.
What are you planting?
Beans. Pintos.
Beans, huh?
What's the matter, Bernie? You afraid this
thing will keep you from getting reelected?
Nah, nah. Got a heavy
majority in this town.
Come on. You beat
Luis Armijo by two votes.
That's because Domingo
and Gustave were out of town.
- So you would have won by four.
- Hell, no.
Those guys vote six,
seven times apiece.
Joe.
Think about this thing
before it gets out of hand.
I'm asking you as a friend,
someone you used to run with.
Why don't you think
about running with me now?
- Run where? Where are you running to?
- I don't know!
All I know is I'm not gonna
go north like my dad...
and pick somebody else's beans
for two fucking dollars an hour.
Joe.
So you're not gonna stop.
I'll stop when I think
I'm doing the wrong thing.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
Yes, it is.
I don't think your boy
knows what he's in for.
Nobody would do anything if
they knew what they were in for.
Maybe so, but the bogeyman
just came to town.
Cop.
Gotta be.
Yeah.
He wants dinero.
Here's the article.
How much?
Uh, we don't need it. I just wrote
your article. I'm almost finished.
Is it any good?
Well, it's not bad.
Better keep this one anyway, in
case yours isn't strong enough.
This is, uh...
Hey, wait a minute.
You can't write this.
This one doesn't even mention the meeting
we're going to have about the recreation area.
Well, this one will get us
both sued for libel.
Say, since you're a lawyer,
why don't you go and talk
to the people?
Give them an idea, an explanation what's
going to be happening to this valley.
Talk to the people?
No, I don't think so.
Why not?
Well, it's very hard to get
people to agree in this town.
First there'd be an argument.
Then there'd be a fight... Okay.
I don't think... That's
okay. I don't want to argue.
I'm happy
you wrote the article.
Will you at least
go to the meeting?
How could it hurt you?
I don't know yet.
Probably in a way that
I'm overlooking right now.
You can cover it for your paper. Yeah.
Yeah, I could cover it for the paper.
- But you won't talk?
- No, I won't talk.
Okay. It's a deal.
What's a deal?
You? Posible.
How's your research coming? Shouldn't
you be taking notes or something?
Yeah, I am. I am. Hey, uh,
who's the old guy over there?
Hmm? Amarante Cordova. He's
the oldest man in Milagro. Oh.
Well, is he, uh...
You know, is he okay?
I meant, with his head.
Last night I heard him
shoutin' or something.
I think it was to himself.
I thought he was alone.
He was probably talking
to a saint or an angel.
A what?
Hey, don't worry about it.
They've never seen a college guy
planting a bean field before.
Oh.
Hola!
Bernie. This is
Kyril Montana.
This is our sheriff,
Bernie Montoya.
Mr. Montana's from the capital. I know.
How do you know? My
cleaning lady told me.
This was found in my driveway
this morning.
It's probably some kind of a
joke. I don't think it's funny.
What does "zopilote'" mean?
Vulture. Buzzard.
And who is "El Brazo Onofre'"?
That's Onofre Martinez's arm.
He lost it in an accident some
time ago and nobody ever found it.
People around here think
it leads a life of its own.
Yeah. Something turns up missing in
Milagro, people feel El Brazo stole it.
Young girls returning home
at night from their date...
without their underwear
usually blame him.
Well, that looks like a death threat
to me. I'd say a prank, Mr. Devine.
You got surveillance
on Charlie Bloom?
What for?
He's a professional agitator.
He's organized demonstrations,
disrupted courtrooms,
defended every leftist
he could.
Been in jail several times.
Bloom?
Mondragon didn't
come up with this by himself.
When does Bloom's paper
come out?
- Couple of days.
- You know the routes of his trucks?
He delivers them himself.
I don't think
there's a problem.
I want some copies
of La Voz.
Sure, Mr. Capps. How many
would you like? All of'em.
Este estara bueno? No, that's
no good. Try the other one.
Hey, Nick? Has Bloom
delivered the papers yet?
He sure has.
Where are they?
Sold out.
- What are you talking about?
- They're all bought.
Nick. Where
are the papers?
Ruby, I-I'm sold out.
My friends, my cousins.
Do you remember
when we were not rich,
but when our poverty
was different...
not a thing
to be ashamed of.
There was a time
when our children stayed home...
and raised their children
in Milagro.
Think about that.
We could become a town
of old men and old women.
We are a family,
and I love you very much.
But I must tell you,
sometimes when I wake up
in Milagro, I wanna cry.
I think of Ladd Devine
and the development,
and I know, if it comes,
it means the end
for most of us.
I've spent too much of my life
watching bad things happen to my people.
But...
if we want to fight
the recreation area,
we have to understand it.
I know.
It is very complicated.
That's why I asked
our friend, Charlie Bloom,
to talk to us tonight
and explain things.
Charlie?
Thank you, Ruby.
Uh, good evening.
See, once wealthier people from out
of state move in, they want things.
They want... They want new
schools for their children...
not necessarily yours,
for theirs.
They want new roads,
new sewage systems...
for cleaner water
for their shiny new faucets.
And for all of these things,
they are able to pay.
But at the same time,
you also are gonna have to pay.
Your taxes
are gonna go sky high.
And it is doubtful...
very, very doubtful...
that any of you will be holding
the new, higher-paying jobs.
Unless, of course,
you happen to be a golf pro.
- So my guess is that
most of you...
will be forced to sell out
and to move elsewhere.
Are there any questions?
Yes?
We ought to go out and
irrigate the whole west side!
Estas loco? They would set up a
machine gun and kill the bunch of us.
Are we gonna let an outsider
tell us how to run our lives?
- Jerry, just let him talk.
This could make us all rich.
It could make you rich.
Come on, Jerry G. It's a
trap, man. Don't you know that?
They build that dam, and the next morning
we'll all wake up in El Chuco, Texas,
like a bunch of mojados.
- Benny, think, man. Think!
- Sit down, Jerry!
Joe, maybe you shouldn't irrigate. A
lot of innocent people can get hurt.
Over what, amigo? One little bean
field and a couple of gallons of water?
That's no little bean field.
That's trouble.
Nick, hold it!
I was hoping we could
form ourselves into a group.
Something like the "Milagro Land
and Water Protection Association. "
- No way, Ruby! No way!
- I nominateJoe Mondragon to be president...
of the Milagro Land,
uh, whatever.
- No. Not me. I ain't no president.
- You started this, Joe.
If the chota puts a bullet in my
ear, it's because of your bean field!
I didn't call for this meeting. Joe.
I didn't ask for help. No! If that's the way
you feel, I'm gonna plow this thing under.
- The hell you will!
- I nominate myself president.
- I nominate Ruby Archuleta for president.
- You can't have a woman.
Why not?
- Let's form a committee.
- I didn't grow this thing for you to form a committee.
And I don't wanna be
nobody's president!
- Aw, who wants you?
- You nominated him.
Cousins, please! I feel that I could
get good work in a recreation area.
As a busboy?
- Come on! Come on, people!
We're all growing donkey ears
here. Let's go home.
- Let's vote first.
- Vote on what?
- Whatever we're gonna do.
- And what are we gonna do?
- I don't need their money.
- Like hell. You still owe me 40 bucks!
- I paid you that.
Bullshit!
This was a good idea.
All you're gonna do
is scrub dishes, that's all.
- I can get any damn job I want, Benny!
- Yeah? Who's gonna hire you?
I got a skill, pendejo. Yeah? Bending
over every time you see a gringo dollar?
I don't kiss nobody's ass!
You're under arrest!
What for?
For creating a disturbance.
Oh.
- And they threw Bloom's ass
in jail.
Idiots! Full of sound and
fury, signifying nothing.
What a start for a revolution,
eh, viejo?
Milagro will wake up.
You'll see.
The people will fight Devine.
Hello? Oh. Will they
fight their feared enemies?
- Hello?
- Who the fuck is that?
For that pitiful bean field
that can't grow one weed?
What do you mean? These fields
have been growing beans...
since the Treaty
of Guadalupe hidalgo.
Hell, you don't know
anything about it.
Hi. I'm sorry.
Am I interrupting you?
Well, I'm... I'm herbie
Platt. I live... Yes, I know.
You work forJose.
- Right. Well, I'm also a sociologist.
- What?
I'm doing a study on indigenous cultures
in the Southwest. If you had time...
- What is that? What are you doing?
- It's a tape recorder.
What, uh, what
does Milagro mean?
Miracle.
Like the town.
Ah. Oh, thank you.
Oh, this looks good. What
is it? Lizard tail tea.
Ohh. Been in the family
for generations, I bet.
No, I found it on the highway
this morning.
Ah. Hey, uh,
wh-what...
What was that little statue
I saw out there on the altar?
Ah. Mmm.
Mmm.
SaintJude.
He's the patron saint
of desperate causes.
Pulled me through
six operations.
I would be long dead
except for him.
Really?
How did he do that?
He's a saint.
Yeah, I know. But... But...
I mean... No, no, no, no.
You have to put out
for him a nice meal.
Some tamales, some salsa.
Maybe a little beer.
And then you talk to him
and ask him for help.
People now...
I don't know.
They have forgotten
how to act with saints...
or talk to angels.
Angels. Now, now, angels.
I mean, do you mean...
Yes. They are around here.
They've been dead a while.
But you actually talk
to the angels?
Those are the only ones
around...
get time to spare.
I'll give you a lift home.
Get in.
Thanks, Ruby,
for bailing me out.
Look, I'd be a hell
of a lot more grateful...
if you hadn't gotten me in
in the first place.
Or at least if you had
bailed me out sooner!
I had no cash. I had to
wait for the bank to open.
Oh, I see! So I got
no reason to be sore?
No. You had all night
to get over it.
You were right. They weren't
ready for a meeting like that.
That's why I think it's best
to circulate a petition.
Line them up...
one at a time.
Petition? Nobody writes petitions
anymore. Mostly because nobody reads 'em.
I don't care
if they read it.
What's important, Charlie, is
people get together to sign it.
People in this town have been burned
too many times signin' papers, Ruby.
You're gonna get their hopes up.
They're gonna come crashing down.
Then they're gonna blame you.
I've seen it a hundred times.
I don't know where you come from,
but things must turn out shitty there.
Wake up, Ruby! It's not the
'60s. Nobody gives a shit anymore.
I do!
What do you know about
people here? You're a tourist.
You write your
sympathetic articles,
but when it gets rough, you run
away to someplace more comfortable.
My people have been here for 300
years. I have a right to stay.
Great. Stay. Your garage
business will triple.
I don't fix those kind of cars. Well...
you better start.
What good
is a hometown,
if everyone you know
is gone?
- Buenas tardes, Senor Platt.
- Oh, hello, Amarante.
I brought you
Saint Ignacio.
He helps smart people.
Wh... Thank you.
Maybe you could use a couple
of other saints too.
Osha.
Osha?
It keeps
the rattlesnakes away.
Good night, neighbor.
Thank you.
Mmm! Oh.
If you sleep with your bed
pointed west,
you're just asking
for stomach trouble.
The scorpions will make nests in
your shoes if you leave them there.
And be sure not to lean too far
back on the seat in the outhouse...
or let your testicles
swing up under the wood.
Black widows.
Who were your parents? Do you
have your parents still living?
Oh, yeah. They live in...
I grew up in New York.
New York. That is so far
away. I saw that on a map.
A couple times?
Yeah, yeah. Sure.
Two.
You been around the block
twice. You don't get out much.
No, not very much.
What are you laughing at?
You think it's...
Well, I mean... No, "around
the block" means, uh...
Never mind.
Okay, let me see if I got this
right. Over there is the lake.
And up there, the ski lodge? Yeah.
And the condos.
Uh-huh.
And the golf course.
That's it!
You've got it.
- What's that over there?
Those shiny lines over there?
That is Joe Mondragon's bean field,
and it looks like he's watered it again.
Son of a gun. Sure
got some huevos on him.
Huevos?
Eggs.
Eggs?
You know, balls.
Huevos. I like that.
That's cute.
Joe can't afford a grazing permit, so
he keeps his cow in Sammy Cantu's field.
It's right
by the forest line.
It's cheaper, 'cause
there's not much grass.
What do you do if you find a cow
grazing on federal land without a permit?
We impound it.
There's a fine?
Yeah, it costs a hundred
bucks to get it back.
So Mondragon's cow somehow
wanders into a national forest.
Excuse me, gentlemen.
I didn't hear this.
Okay. Come on!
Come on, cow.
Come on.
What are you looking at?
Get behind her.
Come on!
Jesus!
Come on.
What's her name?
- I don't know what her name is.
- Come on, you goddamn cow.
- Come on.
- That's it. That's it. Don't let her stop.
- They got your cow.
- Joe, they got your cow.
In the Floresta pen.
What?
- They got your cow in the Floresta pen.
- Son of a bitch!
Si.
Joe?
Cow broke out of Cantu's field. The Floresta's
got her. They're gonna yank my permit.
I'm gonna get my cow!
What are you gonna do,
shoot it?
I'm gonna shoot Cantu for not keeping
up his fences! Oh, great! Kill! Kill!
Remember the time I asked you
to kill a turkey for dinner?
Did you use an axe? No, notJoe!
You take a pistol and shoot it.
Only, you don't aim so good. I
aim good; it didn't die right away.
It didn't die at all.
It just flopped around.
Hey! What the hell
do you think you're doing?
Taking my cow.
- You got the hundred bucks for the fine?
- I'll take her and pay later.
Joe, you
come back here!
Hold it right there!
You're under arrest for stealing
government property.
Holy shit!
Hold it, please!
Please.
What's the trouble? Joe's trying
to steal government property.
How can I steal something that
belongs... She ate on federal grounds!
Whoa! Whoa!
Jerry, holster the gun
before somebody gets hurt.
If I do,
they'll shoot my nuts off.
LfJerry holsters his gun, are
you gonna shoot his nuts off?
Jerry, when did you find that
cow? About 10:00 this morning.
When you do reckon she
escaped from Sammy's field?
She was fine
last night.
There. See?
You guys probably found the cow before she ate
any government property, so she's stillJoe's.
Bernie, you don't know your ass
from the law on this case.
It's your ass that's got a
bull's-eye on it right now, Jerry G.
Fuck the cow! He's
trying to save our lives!
Maybe you're right.
Maybe the cow
didn't eat enough grass.
I wasn't gonna
shoot anybody.
You people know that.
Right?
Right. Right. Right.
We showed them that the
Forest Service can be flexible.
How 'bout
a little snack, fellas?
Huh?
What are you
gonna do, Bernie?
What do you want me to do?
Check it for fingerprints?
Yeah, so when the Spaniards
brought in Christianity,
they tried to wipe out all the
pagan rituals of the American Indian.
Yeah, but everybody
around here is Catholic.
That's true. But you see, they worship
to the carved statues of saints.
They don't
worship to God.
We believe in God. Yeah, but
it's still a form of idolatry,
except now those idols
represent Christian heroes,
like saints,
instead of pagan gods.
- The rituals themselves...
- Agh!
Did you get any kind
of look at them?
No!
Pssst! Bed!
Get your head up.
Aah!
What happened?
The Zopilote sent them.
- Ow!
- This whole thing is getting out of hand.
Did you get to where he says,
"This does not mean nothing"? No.
Are you expecting
somebody? No. Wait a minute.
Just a minute.
Did ya hear?
Did ya hear what
happened toJoe? Uh, yes.
You don't look like
you're writing about it.
The paper doesn't come out for
three days. Could we talk tomorrow?
What's the matter?
Got a girlfriend? Ruby.
Okay, listen. I don't
want to ruin your evening,
but things
are heating up.
You'd like to see 'em fried. We're going to
have a harvesting party when the beans are ready.
Who's that? Sylvia Lopez? No. Have you
cleared this harvesting thing with Joe?
No! He'd never agree
to something like that.
I want you to print an
announcement in your paper. Okay.
Good!
No! You can't!
Let me
rent your machines.
Do you know how to work them? No!
I'll do the flyers tomorrow,
but nothing in the paper. Okay.
Wait. The petition. You
want to be first to sign?
Jesus Christ, woman! Don't you
ever let up? Gloria Martinez.
Ay.
Ah, Jesus!
Hola, chamaco!
Pistolero, eh?
Get out
of my way.
I see.
Desperate times...
call for desperate measures,
eh?
Bullshit!
Ay, pobrecito.
Pero que cojones!
What kind of bullets
does this take? I forget.
.45s. Why?
How much?
Well, let me see.
7.95.
Hey, what are you doing?
You can't buy bullets
with food stamps, Grandpa.
It is the same as
money. It's not the same!
You can't buy beer; you can't
buy cigarettes. Where you going?
Gracias.
Que pasa?
Do you think you are
Pancho Villa?
How do you know
you can pull the trigger?
Don't encourage him.
Leave him alone. Fuck him.
Sinverguenza!
Me la vas a pagar!
Vuelve a la cocina
a limpiar los platos!
Do something!
Start a forest fire.
Oh. What?
Put everybody to work on the fire line.
Get their minds off that damn bean field.
Shorty,
you're crazy.
Build some more cabins out
there behind the tennis courts.
I don't need
any more cabins, Shorty.
Ladd, Joe Mondragon needs
three months' pay as crew boss.
You buy all your plumbing
from Ruby, all the fixtures...
She's off
your back too.
That's pretty good thinkin'
for an old mule.
Well, if you pay 'em, they
ain't gonna slit your throat.
Que no, Bernie?
Three cabins?
Yes!
I head the crew. You supply the
plumbing. And do you know for what price?
Fourteen dollars an hour! That's
three months' work guaranteed.
Just a bribe, Jose.
So what?
As long as you're being overpaid, see if
you can get some work at the condos too.
You know what I could do
with $ I4.00 an hour?
I could pay off the
refrigerator, that stupid TV.
Buy yourself a new truck. And in return,
you give up the bean field, right?
What bean field? I'll make more
in one day than on all those beans.
Four-wheel drive.
AM-FM.
They want to buy you!
- She's right, Jose.
- Oh! Now you want me growing the bean field?
I don't know! At first I was
scared. Now they make me mad!
- I gotta look out for this family, right?
- What about everybody else?
If you quit now, you let
a lot of people down! Who?
Name five people who have signed that
petition. Nobody's gonna miss that field.
How about the guys who saved
your ass at the Floresta?
They're so old, they'll all be dead
by the time I get those cabins built.
- So you gonna take the job?
- I don't know!
I don't know! You know,
we could use that money.
I hate that
fucking bean field!
Joe, no! Joe!
Two boxes of 30-30s.
Put it on my bill. Hey!
You still owe me 96 bucks!
- Toma! - 12-gauge. -
12-gauge, high-power.
- Huh?
- 30-30 Winchester.
What?
30-30 Winchester!
30-06, high velocity.
Remington,.22 long.
30-30 Winchesters.
A can of beef stew.
And a box
of 16-gauge Express.
Yeah.
The worse-case scenario, we'll have
80% of these units sold... Mr. Devine.
We could actually be showing a profit
while we're still in construction.
Yeah? There's a problem with your sign.
I want to know
who the dumb-ass was...
that shot
at Mondragon's house.
Well, don't look at me. I
don't think Joe did this.
- Then who did?
- I don't know.
Maybe it was El Brazo Onofre.
That guy don't like anybody.
Jesus! Yeah, maybe
it was his arm, Shorty.
Christ! This valley's turned
into a goddamn war zone!
Somebody sure got a lot of time
on their hands.
Hi, honey.
When did you start
carrying a gun?
I won already, okay?
You got nothin' right now.
Now you got a pair...
Tonight, President Reagan will make a
special address to the American people...
Yeah.
From the Oval Office.
What time he'll make his speech
tonight, we're uncertain at this point.
As soon as the White house
tells us...
Did you hear anything?
Mm-mmm.
Oh, it's probably Mondragon pouring
gasoline on all the cottages.
You know something, honey?
When we were first married,
it was different.
Oh, it's that
goddamn bean field!
I should've come down hard
on it right at the start.
I thought I was really doin'
somethin' good for this town.
You were, honey. I just don't know if the
world really needs another golf course.
That bean field don't look
so bad. I've seen worse.
No thanks to you.
I thought you
were going to help.
When are you
going to do something?
I don't do things;
I give advice.
You have some advice?
You're gonna need
a big sacrifice here.
You get down
from there.
Back off, old man!
This bean field business
has gone far enough!
You get down or I'll blow a hole in your
chest big enough for an owl to nest in.
Jesus Christ! Don't be
pointing that thing at me!
Get out of the way!
Shit! Okay!
Okay! All right.
Now get out of here. Hey, hey, that's
Devine's. You better not be doing that.
Crazy old bastard!
We'll be back!
Butterflies
ate your arm?
Yes. I had fallen asleep
on a very warm spring day.
It was cold
the night before.
One thousand butterflies
took it,
and I haven't been able
to find it since.
It has to be somewhere...
Hola! Que pasa?
Getting groceries
for your friend.
Hey, hope you didn't buy any beans!
We'll have our own in a few days.
Ay, Dios mio!
You fucking...
Hija de su chingada!
Vete! No vas
a chingar mas!
Whoa!
- Jesus, Joe, you hit him.
- Oh, Jesus.
No! Wait!
Don't shoot!
Oh, my God!
- My God! Oh, no!
- Oh, Jesus. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!
Oh, my God! Get a doctor!
Let's get him outta here.
Get him a doctor!
Come on!
Hold on, viejito.
Hold on!
You better get out of here,
Joe. Let's get him to the clinic.
You gotta get out of here,
Joe. But he didn't mean to.
- Nobody's gonna believe that.
- Joe, you gotta get out of here.
Let's go! I just can't leave him.
Get away from here, Joe.
Vete, Joe, vete!
Why is it...
every time we're mad at one of
them, we end up hurting one of us?
You've got
to defend him, Charlie!
Ruby, will you just lay off. Don't push!
I'm trying to get it together so we can at least get
printing material. We can't even get up a spirit master.
I do not know if I want to
represent somebody. Why not?
In the first place, I do
not have all the facts.
What facts?
Charlie, what facts?
It was self-defense.
Let's hope so, Ruby.
I don't know if he wants
or needs representation.
I've been away from this stuff, and
I don't know if I'm good anymore.
And besides,
I've told ya...
or maybe
I didn't tell you...
I lost a lot
of my cases.
Come in.
Both of you know thatJoe Mondragon
is a fugitive from justice.
He's a fugitive
anyway.
If you have any idea where he is or any
information that might be helpful in finding him,
I suggest that now's
the time to speak.
How 'bout yourself?
I have no idea.
I remind you that withholding information
is a felony. So is harboring a fugitive.
If I discover that either of you
is involved like that,
I'll have you prosecuted
to the full extent of the law.
Hold it!
I am Joe Mondragon's lawyer.
And he has certain rights...
with which I'm sure
you are familiar.
And if you go after him
and shoot him down like a dog,
or even manhandle him
in the least little bit,
I'll hang you by your balls, even if I
have to go to the Supreme Court to do it!
Hmm.
How many men
you got, Bernie?
- Around 20 or 30.
- I mean exactly.
Twenty-six.
Did you count 'em?
- No.
- Count 'em.
Don't sing.
Hey.
This posse
couldn't find itself.
Unless it wanted to.
We're wasting our time. Take the
men back down before it gets dark.
What are you gonna do?
Take a look around.
By myself.
I doubt
you'll ever find him.
Maybe not.
If I thought
you had a chance,
I wouldn't go back.
Ay-yi-yi-yi
Canta y no llores
Porque cantando
se alegran
Cielito lindo
los corazones
Ay-yi-yi-yi
Canta y no llores
He's not gonna die.
He should have been dead a long
time ago, but he never quits.
Hey.
Hmm. Let me see here.
Here.
Here. Let me
open that for ya.
Uh, no tamales.
I hope, uh,
that the tacos are okay.
Sorry if I'm
not doing this right.
I mean, I don't want
to insult you or anything,
but, uh,
I'd really appreciate it if you
could help my friend Amarante.
He's a good man.
Hello?
Hello?
Bloom?
Yeah?
Did you open the gate?
Somebody had to.
Be a shame
to let it all die now.
Okay, Bloom.
Do you hear that?
What?
You don't hear anything?
Uh-uh.
Ahh.
What are you
all doing here?
- Buenas tardes, viejo.
- Where's my pistola?
I don't know where your gun
is, Amarante. I wish I did know.
But I found one
of your bullets...
in Joe Mondragon's wall.
.45 Peacemaker?
You wouldn't know anything about
who burned Devine's sign, would you?
No.
What about
the rest of you?
How about the crosses?
Dead fish?
Flaming arrow?
I didn't think so.
I hate climbing rocks.
Madre!
Son of a bitch.
Right here.
Son of a bitch!
Don't run!
It's over, Joe.
You won't get hurt if you come out
with your hands above your head.
- Come on out now!
- I got a pistol.
No, you don't!
How can you be sure?
If you did,
you'd have used it by now.
I've been saving my last
bullet. I don't believe ya.
- Why not? It's possible.
- I'm comin', Joe.
I should have
built those cabins.
Joe.
Shorty?
Headed up
to Baldy Bear Creek?
Yeah.
Be some big rainbows
up there.
Oh! Looks like
Amarante's gonna make it.
Thanks, Shorty.
It'd be a shame
for it to end like that.
I'm gettin' kind of interested in
what's gonna happen next. Be seein' ya.
Hey, Shorty.
How 'bout a ride down the hill?
Well, I wouldn't
push it, Joe.
That's the message, because...
You cannot get it from books.
I'm hungry.
I am so hungry!
Luisa! Maria!
Papa!
- Joe.
- How's Amarante?
- Joe!
- The doctor says he's okay. At least he's awake.
- Joe, what happened?
- I came back!
- You still got that petition?
- Yeah. - I want to sign it.
Joe, there's things that
you and I have to talk about.
Sure. Later.
Later?
Let's go. Wait a minute. Where ya goin'?
- Pick beans.
- We're gonna pick beans.
We're gonna pick beans,
beans, beans!
Vamos corriendo!
Come on!
Joe? Hey, Joe!
Mario,
go get the baskets.
Hey, sign this!
Everybody, come sign
the petition!
Come sign the petition.
You want that first pot of
beans? Then you start picking.
The pintos, eh?
Glad to see you.
There you go.
Taste it.
Here. Put them all in the
basket for me. Gracias, amigo.
What now?
Mondragon, you're under arrest.
Cuff him.
- Wait a minute. What's he charged with?
- Attempted murder.
Unlawful flight
to avoid prosecution.
Let's go.
I hope none of these people
cause trouble for your sake.
Montana, the key.
I don't have the authority
to do that.
You'd better get somebody who's
got the authority right now.
- What's the problem?
- Because we're about to have a fucking war!
I'm warning you people,
don't try to interfere.
Maybe we shouldn't push this.
Quiet!
Hold it!
Montana.
Hold it! Hold it right
there. Nobody move.
Put those guns down. I think
we better slow down here.
Tell these people to back off!
I'm takin' him in.
- No, you're not.
- What?
Amarante's feeling much better.
He refuses to press charges.
So,
there's no attempted murder;
there's no unlawful flight.
And unless he has a warrant to arrest Joe for
taking water, he's outside his jurisdiction!
Get out of my way.
I'm deputizing everybody in this
crowd for crowd control duty.
- You gotta be jokin'.
- Mr. Montana!
- There's a call for you on the radio.
- Not now!
Sir. Sir. It's important.
Can I speak to you?
Don't let him move!
- Governor's on the phone. He needs to talk to you.
- Bruno,
the name Custer
ring a bell?
Kyril?
Yeah.
You got Mondragon with ya? Yes.
Stop the arrest procedures. Come back
to the office and bring the men with you.
What? You can't
do that to me. He's...
he's already under arrest.
I'm... I'm takin' him in.
Don't arrest him. Get the men back in.
I'll explain it later. Do you follow?
Right.
Let him go.
Yeah.
- You can undeputize
your crowd, Bernie.
Maybe I'll be back.
If not, I'll send you
a sack of beans.
Montana.
The key.
You're a pain in the ass!
La-La-Ladd?
Yeah, uh, yeah,
it's harry. The governor.
Yeah, how you doin'?
Yeah, listen, uh, there's a little
somethin' we gotta talk about.
I don't believe it!
"Let's put it
on the back burner"!
I gave money
to that chicken-shit!
Son of a bitch!
I even voted for him!
Look at all
these signatures.
Yeah. You know, they're all
gonna have hangovers tomorrow,
and they're gonna come begging and
crying to take their names off that list.
But right now,
at this moment,
isn't it wonderful?
It sure is.
Ruby.
Give me that petition.
You're gonna
lose your job.
If I'm lucky.
Nice.
Ypor eso
los grandes amores
De muchos colores
me gustan a mi
Por eso
los grandes amores
De muchos colores
me gustan a mi
Ypor eso
los grandes amores
De muchos colores
me gustan a mi
Hey, compadre,
where you going?
I've got to get
to the bean field.
Ah, yes. There's one
hell of a party going on.
Come on.
Come on.
I know a shortcut.
Shortcut? Yes, my feet
are killing me. Come on!
Sometimes you do not act like an
angel. I want to tell you something.
I don't want to know
anything. I hate beans.
What? You are a disgrace!
I'd rather have steak.
Oh, sometimes I think
you're just making fun of me.
Cuidado!
Whoa!
Not bad. Not bad.
Mira. Estas un atleta.
Nunca habia caminado
tanto en mi vida.
Ay, pobrecito.
Pero no falta
mucho ahora.
En un ratito, creo que vamos a oir la musica.
- M Musica?
Si, hombre. Musica de
la fiesta, naturalmente.
The fiesta.
There's a fiesta.