# From the corner to the block # # From the corner to the block, to the block # # From the corner to the block, you know # # You can't stop the music # # From the days of hop # # From the corner to the block # # Oh, oh, from the corner to the block # # From the corner to the block, you know # # You can't stop the music # # From the days of hop # # TC and LD with me # # # # My front porch was the bus stop # # My face was a mug shot # # Money was coming slow, so I hit hustles and whatnot # # From the corner to the block # # From the corner to the block # # To the block, from the corner to the block # # You know you can't stop the music, from the days of hop # # From the corner to the block # # From the corner to the block # # From the corner to the block # # You can't stop the music, from the days of hop... # Ha-ha! I can't remember the last time this thing worked. Son, you've got a gift. (electrical popping) Your man, on the other hand... Stop! Ooh! Do me a favour. Tonight when you close, double-check and make sure everything is locked. Mm-hmm. Had a few things walk out of here. Now, you know, Soul Joe, I'll never steal nothing from you. After everything you did for me? Just... keep a look out. Damn! Rob from the rich and give it to myself! LeeJohn, what the hell you doing? Getting my money on. -Man, we putting that back. -No, we're not! Put it back, man. It's going back in there. Just get you this job, and you're gonna get us fired? Hey! No! That's my TV! # Get that cheese, hit the block, get that cheese # # Hit the block, get that cheese, hit the block # # Get that cheese, hit the block # # It's the first of the month, my ... so you know what it is # # Let's get down to the block and get to handlin' this biz # # Call the dealers, killers # # Cutthroat thugs are gorillas # # Got my haters to feel us # # Recognize who da trillest # # I got my mind on my paper # # It's time for collecting # # My issue you neglectin' # # Seem to me you disrespectin' # # Boy, don't play with my pape # # 'Cause I'm-a gon' spray where you stay # # Pull out that K in a day # # And get done away # # Like you fake, I gotta # # Hit the block, count the cash # # Get that cheese, get that dough # # Hit the block, count the cash # # Get that cheese, get that dough # # Hit the block, count the cash # # Get that cheese, get that dough, get that cheese... # Somebody gonna get pregnant tonight. That's what's up. Uh-huh. Hey, come on, Rell, man, that's my new joint, man. You get the job? Do it look like I got the job? I got us a job. Where? (honking horn) You need to take the bumper stickers off. You ain't even never got no weed. (Jamaican accent): 24-inch chrome-plated rims. 24-inch chrome plate, we are deal. Custom leather seats. Custom cush leather seats! Whoo! Ten chairs-- $1,200 apiece. You do the math. You have 24 hours. Bon bokla. "Bon bokla"? Tick... tock... gun... shot... Bah! Bullet, bullet! Bullet, bullet, bullet! You think that's 24 hours from now or from when he said it ten minutes ago? Hey, is that Jamaican time or American time? What is this, man, "Pimp My Wheelchair"? What this is, is us getting paid $3,000 to deliver these wheelchairs across town. What the hell was that? (tyres squeal) # # What the hell you doing? Why you running the light? LEEJOHN: Police! -MAN: Watch out, man! -(siren wailing) I ain't going back to jail, man! I ain't going back to no jail! OFFICER: We got a beige van going over 4th Avenue... Police, black man, wheelchair-- that's jail! All right, don't panic, just roll. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. (grunting) Aw, you didn't lock the back latch! We're losing chairs! It's not my van! This is my cousin Doug's van. The one with the one eye-- this is his van. He said he fixed it. (siren continues wailing) (excited chatter) Yo! Yo, those are our chairs, man! They're taking our chairs! Don't worry about them chairs-- just worry about them cops! (siren wailing) LEEJOHN: They're coming on us! They're still on us! They still on us, man. Turn right here, right here, right here. -(panicked grunt) -(tyres squealing) -Watch out! Watch out! -(LeeJohn screaming) -(both screaming) -(horn blows) (screaming continues) DURELL (voice-over): What had happened, it was just me and LeeJohn, we was driving... Shut up. -Your Honour... -Yo, wait a minute. You need to shut up. Wouldn't be in this damn mess if it weren't for you. -For me?! -Yeah! Wait a minute, I... now it's my fault because I... (both arguing) Shut the hell up! The both of you, shut up! JUDGE: Mr. Jackson, six months ago, you were caught shoplifting at a Stop-N-Shop with a box full of... Ding Dongs and a six-pack of Banana-Strawberry Boone's Farm. Your Honour, it was Goober Grape. -(laughter) -When the arresting officer searched you, he found a $20 bill in your pocket. Why didn't you just pay for it? Because this dude named Bo Peep was on my ass about $20... (gavel bangs) And you, Mr. Washington, now, you scored higher on your SAT test than anyone in your graduating class, and yet, you've been in three juvenile detention centres, twice on house arrest and once on probation. A perfect example of potential with no purpose. (whispers): Zero. JUDGE: Is there anything either of you have to say for yourself? If I go to jail, they're gonna make me a woman! Look, Your Honour, LeeJohn Jackson has been shuffled from one foster home to another. A-And Durell Washington is the product of a single-parented home, Your Honour, never having the benefit of a father figure. Your Honour, the youth of our city need to be given a chance. PROSECUTOR: Yes, the youth do. But with all due respect, Your Honour, these are grown-ass men. Lewis, what is your problem! Talitha, you need to get a hobby. No, you need to get another hobby, besides sending black men to jail! LEWIS: I'll send any man to jail I want. Order in the court! And, Counsellor, you better watch your language. My bad, Your Honour. JUDGE: Now, given the record that Mr. Jackson and Mr. Washington have so enthusiastically earned, I have every right to send the both of you to jail for a very long time. Come on, man, I can't go... -But I'm not gonna do that. -(whispers): Yes! Now, I've decided to forego any possibility of a jail sentence, under the condition that the both of you perform community service. -Ain't got no problem with that. -I love my community. I could... 5,000 hours of community service! BOTH: 5,000 hours?! -Good-bye and good riddance. -(bangs gavel) -Do we get paid for this? -I ain't doing no 5,000 hours! (Durell and LeeJohn continue shouting) (shouting continues) Attica! (amplified): Attica! # We shall o... # (tyres screech) (door slams, tyres squeal) All right, Ishkabibble! I'm sorry. I know. I know you sorry. You know how I know? 'Cause you were sorry in kindergarten, you were sorry in elementary, and super sorry in junior high. You would've been sorry in high school, but you never went. I went to high school. I just ain't graduate. I hate you. Yeah? Well, I love you. It could always be worse, Rell. Worse? What could be worse? # # Yo, Rell, you got to walk with me over here, man. -That's your problem. -Yo, come on, don't leave me hanging like this... -That's your problem. -Rell... Don't do it. Hey. Blahka? Blahk. Open, up, Blahk. (laughs): Hey, what's up! My favourite buffalo soldier! Man, we heard you was in the region. Myself and Durell. Durell is gonna come over and... Durell! I'm done with criminal activity. Well, he ain't gonna come over right now, 'cause he's preoccupied. But listen, man, we was looking for you and searching high and low, baby. 24 hours was up 72 hours ago. But you... I know, but what had happened was that... Ten chairs. $1,200 apiece. You do the math. Tick... tock... gun.... shot. Blahka? Blahka! Blahka! WOMAN: Who is it?! It's me. Me who? It ain't nobody that pay bills in here. -Say your name. -Omunique, open the door. You got a damn peephole. (locks clacking) What you want? Not you. I came to walk my son to the bus stop. Mm-mm. Mm-mm. Yo, move back. Now, where's my money? -I ain't giving you nothing. -Oh, really? I gave you money last Friday; what'd you do with it? I bought gum. Don't make me go downtown and file these court papers, Rell. Don't make me do it. Don't make me put the man in the middle, 'cause I promise you I will. Mm-hmm, rethink it. Dig in them pockets and pull out something. That's what I thought. Might as well be pimping. -Here. -Give me... (sighs): $40. What I'm supposed to do with this? What you always do with it-- complain about it, then go spend it. You know what? You come here every day with the same thing: nothing! He don't eat air. Well, learn how to cook. We got bills up in this house. Why don't you contribute, pay, do something?! BOY: Uh, hey, Dad. Hey, man. Hey. Rell, come say hello to your father. Girl, don't play with me. -Hey, hey, hey. -Hey, Dad. What's up, man? How you doing? I'm doing good. What's up with this hair? Look like a S.O.S. pad. You tell your mama you want your hair done just as good as she do her clients. And you tell your father that he should either contribute to my business or stay out of it. (toilet flushing) Ooh! Mm. Shit. I put in some work! (laughs): What up, little gangsta? Hey, hey, man. Watch your mouth around my son. Why you sweating? It's hot in here. I'm trying to say it's a little stuffy up in here. Rell, go get your backpack for school. And comb your hair. Hey. What are you doing? Fixing your raggedy-ass thermostat... before my son dies of heat stroke. Anyway... I'm thinking about moving down South to Atlanta with my grandmother. You out your rabid-ass mind? You ain't taking my son nowhere. What'd you say? Listen, my lease is up on the shop. Now, the owner got somebody who's willing to pay a year in advance, so unless you got $17,342, I got to go. Why you can't do hair out your house like you been doing? I can't run an entire salon out of my house, Durell. I got equipment, I've got employees. You got clients. And I got goals. Durell, I was two stylists away from filling up my shop. I'm tired of struggling. I'm tired of our son watching me struggle. I don't want to take Durell away from you, but... I got to do what's best for him. And I got to do what's best for me. What's best for him is to be with his father. -Really? Really? -Yeah. And what about what's best for me? Or does that even matter to you, ever? No. It don't. Because you not my responsibility no more, he is. Why you always doing this to me? -I'm not doing nothing... -I'm not raising the next man's kid, I'm raising your son! Your son. You keep your ass out of it, okay? Stop disrespecting my client! All you need to do is sit there and worry -about getting your burnt out. -What you need to do is stand up there and burn a job out, that's what you need to do. -I'll walk over there and pull a track out. -Stop it! You ain't gonna pull out nothing, not up in here you ain't-- I'm good. DURELL: Your client's disrespecting me. OMUNIQUE: You don't have to talk about her weave-- that's her hair! Listen, I'm asking you right... Baby, hey. Come give me a hug. -You got your bags? Hm? -Yeah. Oh! You gonna have a good day at school? -Mm-hmm. -Give me a soul kiss? Mm. I love you. Love you, too. Can I get you to fix the cable, too? No, why don't you fix the cable? How you gonna ask another man -to fix the cable? -He fixed the air. Old boy up there, he don't be messing with you, do he? Nah. He just sleeps all day. You know, since the cable's not working. Yeah. Well, your mama sure know how to pick 'em. She picked you-- I mean, you weren't so bad. What you mean I wasn't so bad? Don't be pushing on me, boy. -You know I'm the most finest. -Yes, yes. -I'm the most finest. -I know. I know. All right, then, let it be known. Right. (out of breath): Okay. Okay. You ever finish that report on what you wanted to be when you grow up? Yeah, I want to be like LeBron James. (chuckles) You and every other little kid in the hood. Just in case that don't work-- I'm not saying it won't, but... if it don't, you got to have a plan B. What's a plan B? A plan B is, like, a backup plan if your original plan don't work. Okay. So... what's your plan B? My plan B, um... My plan B is to make sure your peanut head get on the bus on time every morning. That's my plan A and B. Dad, you need a plan C. (laughs): You need to get on that bus. Hey, Dad. Yeah? I know what my plan B is. What? Is to be just like you. I want you to promise me something. Promise me you'll be better than me. I want you to promise me something, too. What? Please don't let Mom take me to Atlanta. Please. Oh, man, don't worry about that, man. Ain't nobody gonna take you nowhere. All right. Go on and make your bus. (chuckles) (horn honking repeatedly) (horn continues honking) LEEJOHN: Yeah! Come on, Rell! Get your lazy ass up! Let's go to work! Let's go, Rell! Come on, get the molasses out your ass! Andale! Andale! Ha-ha! # # $17,342 in a month? 'Cause she wants you to pay her bills? Selfish. She know damn well I can't leave the state. By the time I see my son again, he gonna be graduating from high school. There's always college. So you really don't care if somebody's trying to kills us. Us? They're trying to kill you. Now, this was your idea, remember? I don't even know these dudes. You got your ass in it, you can get your ass out of it. Matter of fact, all I'm really worried about is getting 17 G's so my son don't have to move to Atlanta. You see that whole conversation there that just came out of your mouth? Selfish! Yeah, that's me. Selfish. Crenshaw! Crenshaw! What?! May I have three slices of lemon, four packs of sugar, and a tall glass of ice water? With no attitude. So, one lemonade? Well, let me rephrase it for you-- 'cause I know you was in Special Ed and I'm gonna forgive you for that-- but I would like three free slices of lemon, four free packs of sugar, and a tall glass of free ice water. And it's called baby hair 'cause it's for babies. You know what? I got some more baby hair, wanna see it? You shouldn't've never messed with that girl. Oh! Durell, get down! It's Blahka, man! -It's Blahka! -So? Hey, I know where we can get the money from. -Who? -Mordecai. He gives out loans at a massage shop in the west side of Baltimore. That way I can get the money that I need and you can get the money you need. (Asian music plays) - Hi, how are you? - (meows) (meows) (chuckles) You speak my language. (clears throat) Oh, we're here to see, uh, Mordecai. Um, our Swedish massages start at $49.50. We need to talk to Mordecai, we trying to get a loan here. (giggles) So, what sort of massage will it be? Didn't you hear me? (hisses) Let me speak to you over here for a minute. That's the code, man. Damn, relax. We came here to get a loan. And I'm gettin' a massage! Are you comin' or not? Not. (sultry R&B plays) (fabric rustling) (chuckles) Ooh! Let's go, baby. (woman sighing) # The time is right... # # You hold me tight # # And love's got me high # (woman sighing) (sheep bleating) -DURELL: LeeJohn? -You like Minnie Riperton? I love Minnie Riperton. Yo, LeeJohn? I save that song for special occasions, baby. Hey, LeeJohn? # Loving you # # Is easy 'cause you're beautiful # Hey, yo, LeeJohn, we need to find Mordecai and get outta here. # La-la-la-la-la # # La-la-la-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la... # # Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo... # (sharp thud) (falsetto shriek) God! Whoo! Hey, man, let's go. My name is LeeJohn Jackson. I'm a Leo. (roars) King of the jungle! (whispers): Do you want to know my name? I just don't want to know your name. I want you to whisper it in my ear. (man's voice): Mordecai. (screams) (shrieking) # Y'all gon' make me lose my mind # # Up in here, up in here # # Y'all gon' make me go blind # # Up in here, up in here # MORDECAI: Bitches, help me! Shit. That's a man, dog! LeeJohn! That's a man! I won't tell if you don't tell! Don't bring your ass around here unless you ready to borrow some money! (deep voice): Playing with my emotions. # Whoo! # Hey, yo, um... about last night? About the fact that you was enjoying that massage by a man? Hey, Durell, I was not enjoying no massage by no nasty du... Just because a man sings a slow jam while another man is massaging his lower back does not mean he was enjoying it. What does it mean? Maybe it means I'm in love with Minnie Riperton. That song always touches a sensitive side of me, so I wanted to share it with other men. Hey, man! Yo, homie! Yo, that could be one of our chairs! DURELL: No, not today. Durell, we gonna get creamed by... -Not today. -That's our chair! -Don't worry 'bout that chair. -But Blahka... That's what you need to be worrying about. That right there. LEEJOHN: Whoa... DURELL: Now let the church say "amen." Whoo! Or "a-woman." DURELL: Hey there, Beige. That's what I'm talking about. See, now, that's the reason why I sing. Yo, LeeJohn, where you going? -I'ma meet me a Mary Magdalene! -(horns honk) -DRIVER: Get your ass out the street. -Wait a minute. Man, you better get back over here. LeeJohn! Yo, LeeJohn! -(church organ plays) -Wait for me! (cheering) (upbeat gospel plays) Durell, man, this is like Club Jesus. # The presence of the Lord is here # And they got a open bar. Look at this. # The presence of the Lord is here # # I feel it in the atmosphere # # The presence of the Lord is here # # The presence of the Lord... is here # VIP. - All the way in the cheap seats? - Here we go, right here. Come on, man, this is the Rosa Parks' section. You remind me of my uncle, man, his name was Tom. # I feel it in the atmosphere # # A blessing from the Lord is here # # A blessing from the Lord # # Is here # # Everybody blow the trumpet and sound the alarm # # Because the Lord is in the temple # # Let everybody bow # (groans) My knee. # Let all the people praise Him now, the Lord # -# The Lord # -Yes! # The Lord # # Is here # # I can feel the presence of the Lord # # And I'm gonna get my blessing right now # # I can feel the presence of the Lord # # And I'm gonna get my blessing right now # # I can feel the presence of the Lord, and I'm gonna get... Hey, y'all got Cheez Whiz? I don't know what goes on in church. I've never been here. # And I'm gonna get my blessing right now # # Can't you see Him working on the outside? # # I can feel Him moving on the inside # # So come and enter in and cast your cares on Him # # He'll open up a window and pour you out a blessing # # Oh, when the Lord steps in, He brings everything you need # # Healing, power, and victory # You have, like, a three-drink minimum? # It's all up to you # I'm gettin' tore up from the floor up. # And then by faith you will receive # # I can feel the presence of the Lord # # And I'm gonna get my blessing right now # # I can feel the presence of the Lord # # And I'm gonna get my blessing # -# Right now # -Right now! # I can feel the presence of the Lord # # And I'm gonna get my blessing right now # # The presence of the Lord is, the presence of the Lord is # # The presence of the Lord is here... # (cheering) Whoo! Yes! (applause and cheering) These people be feeling it! The presence... of the Lord... is here! (cheering) Hallelujah. I would like all of our visitors who are here in the church today to please stand. - WOMAN: Right now. - Welcome. That's all right. WOMAN: Welcome to the house of the Lord! I want y'all to know, the first time you're a visitor, -the next time you're family. -Hallelujah. Welcome, sugar. See, y'all visiting today, so y'all may not know here at First Hope, we don't believe in last hope, amen? CONGREGATION: Amen! When you go for three months without paying your electric bill... (whooping) And you hope they don't cut you off. Say it now, preacher, say it! Talking about you, Sister Baker. You need to just slow down, baby. Whoo! Over the last year and a half, we've raised almost $230,000. -Say "amen," Church. -Yes! Bingo! Yahtzee! (applause) (mouthing) Which, as you know, we are considering using to build a... a new sanctuary... in a less... um... Urban. ...congested neighbourhood. He's using big words now. Sanctuary. Congested. That means, um... The ghetto. The ghetto, yeah. SISTER BAKER: Oh, no, sugar. Right here, right here. It's all right, right here. Ain't nothin' wrong with this neighbourhood! Oh, Lord, my husband turnin' over in his grave. Even if we don't move, even if we stay right here... we still need some more money... to help us with these costly repairs and improvements here in the church. Like central air, for one thing. (cheering) So, Church, I'm calling on you 'cause we need your help this morning. Anybody out here in the church this morning who's got $100 hope, stand to your feet right now. (murmuring) Don't stand up if you ain't got it. That's a lot of $100 hope up in here. Yeah, I'm gettin' them on my camera phone, too. Now, Malachi 3:8, it asks a simple question. Will a man... rob God? $100 hope down to a penny-with-a-hole-in-it hope, stand to your feet right now. Now, I want you all to turn to your neighbour. Get some of these people over here. And look your beautiful neighbour in the eye, and say to him or her the same thing that was said over a thousand years ago. Will a man... CONGREGATION: Will a man... ...rob God? CONGREGATION: ...rob God? DURELL: I'm not robbing no church, man. Would you shh? Ain't anybody talking 'bout robbing no church. I'm talking 'bout robbing the people in the church. Like they ain't never done nothing wrong. I remember one time, my foster mother took me into a street service, and they was giving out free food to people who was gettin' baptized. And just 'cause I wasn't gettin' baptized, I couldn't eat. And I couldn't swim. Okay, get over it. How many times you gonna tell this story? A million more! Get over it. Look, that is God's money, and God do not want Blahka to kill us. LeeJohn, I'm not robbing no damn church. All right, don't rob the church. But when Durell Jr. is in Atlanta calling some big ugly black dude "Daddy" don't be mad at me. Watch your mouth. My son ain't going nowhere. I'll come across this table on you, boy. It ain't the first time you came across the table on me, Durell! It won't be the last time, either. I'm telling you the truth, now you wanna explode in violence? (cell phone rings) Yeah? Durell, I'm leaving next week. Next week? Wh-What happened to next month? The landlord said I have to have the money by next week. And I don't have it. Do you? No. Of course you don't. Now where you gonna get the money from? (phone rings) (machine clicks) RECORDING: Record your message after the tone. (beep) DURELL, JR.: Hey, Dad, it's me. You promised. You promised that you won't let Mom take me to Atlanta. I love you. I gotta go. Bye. (receiver clicks) Everybody and their mother thought they was gonna win. Well, you tell Scott when I get his money I will give it to him. Okay? He can't get what I ain't got. Uh-huh. Right. I'm in. Let me call you right back. I'll call you right back. Look, now, all we got to do is get to whoever got the money before they get to the bank. No. We ain't lettin' the money get out. We gonna get it while it's still in there. Tonight. That's what I was sayin'. We gonna go get the money tonight. Before it walks outta there. # # # A handful of stamps all around me # # C.R.E.A.M. get the money # # Dolla-dolla bill, y'all, yes! # Shh! Shh! (clang) Shit! (loud clanging) Shh! Shh! I don't care about that goddamn pole! Let's go. I see something. Put that damn thing down. Let's go. - (loud barking) - (shouting) (whimpers) That scared the hell outta me. (barking) Come on, man. Come on, D. D? Let's go, baby. Yeah-yeah-yeah. Yeah. - What the hell you doing? - Huh? What the hell you doing? Why you got that in my face? Just trying to... Man, you're so dumb sometimes. (thump) Aw, damn. I broke it. Durell, that's a sign, man. That's a omen, man! Things happen for a reason, Durell. The universe is starting to speak to us. We can go that way. I'm not climbing up there! I'm not Spiderman. And I'm not scaling no wall! Who plan was this? This was my plan, but it ain't say nothing about scaling no wall! No. No. No, Durell, no. Ten wheelchairs, $1,200 apiece. You do the math. Kiss my ass, Rell. Don't bust your ass. (glass shatters) (thump) Who the hell you looking for? Oh, I ain't see you. I'm standing right here, dumbass. I got you. All right. You gotta stop tweaking. Get it together. LeeJohn, get it together. -Okay. -Come on. Hurry up! -(thud) -Ow! Shh! That's my knee! Mother Fletcher! Hey, Durell? What? He keep looking at me. Who? White Jesus. No matter where I go... ...the eyes go with me. White Jesus! DURELL: Damn. What happened? My grandmamma done gave 31 G's to this church. We should've robbed her ass. - Hey, D? - What? You think there's really a hell? 'Cause I'm not a bad person. I just be in bad situations. You know what it is? My foster mother used to beat me too much. She used to come in my room and say, "I'ma beat you till candy come out, I'ma beat you till candy come..." What's this? Pastor's study. Lock that door. (chuckles) -Yo, Durell. -What? They doin' the same thing. Look at the eyes. Don't worry 'bout them pictures. I didn't kill the dream! # # Jackpot. Pot-jack. That's good work, homeboy. For shizzle. We ain't got time for that. Be careful, man. Don't blow us up. Let's get this... Man, you know that ain't no damn cherry bomb. Come on. You know what you doing? If you blow us up, boy, I'll... Hit the deck! Get your head down. -(beeping) -DURELL: Try it again. - (grunts) - (beeping) Do you know what you doin'? I know what I'm doing. (doorknob rattles) (doorknob rattling) (door creaks) (whispering): Okay, okay. Keep your mouth shut, and you won't get shot. - (panting): Oh, my God. - Open up that safe. Wha-What safe? (weak explosion) - (coughing) - That safe. - Oh, my God. It still ain't open, man! All right, give me the combination. -I don't know the combin... -Don't get cute, Pink! I don't know the combination. You got the key to the office but you don't know the combination? Don't lie to me. Hey, what are you doing? Come here! Look, man, what the hell wrong with you? Do you know this is your plan? Do you remember that? Not to put a grown-ass man in time-out, it wasn't. Now, I'm climbing out that window, and I'm jumping off that fire escape, and I'm gonna boogie-woogie my black ass out of here... right now! No, you ain't. -No, you... -(knocking) -Who is that? -Don't know. All right, Pink, you know what I got in my pocket, don't you? -Yes. Yes. Okay. Okay. -Get over here. -(knocking) -WOMAN: Deacon? -Okay. Okay. Why is this door locked, Deacon? Oh, you have company! Timmy, sit down over there. Well, no smoking in the church. -TIMMY: Whoo-hoo! Hm? Yeah? Hm. Sorry. I'm Doris McPherson, the church secretary, and this is my son Timmy. Timmy, Timmy, stop all that jumping. Stop. Stop! Oh. (chuckles) And you are...? - Leonard. - Leonard. Leonard. You're both named Leonard? Yeah, but we say it differently. It's a family tradition that both the boy cousins is named Leonard. (chuckles): Interesting. Deacon, the pastor would like for you to come to the meeting so that we can get started and leave early. He'd also like for you to bring the financial records, okay? All right. Timmy, come on. Baby, come on. Very nice meeting you, Leonard. Leonard. (laughs) Please bring the records now, Deacon. Who else is here? Everybody. Everybody? Get over here, get over here and open that safe right now. DORIS: Deacon! Could you come now? Deacon? Let's leave right now! Shh. Open. Look, if I don't go, they're just gonna keep coming back. That's why we should be out of here! Let's take flight! DORIS: Deacon, the pastor, he's waiting. Shh. (door creaks) Congregations move all the time, Tianna. It's called progress. VOICEOVER: Allergies can hold you back. Break through hayfever allergies with Telfast 5-in-1 multi-benefit relief. It works fast, relief last 24 hours and it's non-drowsy. Break through hayfever allergies with Telfast. Congregations move all the time, Tianna. It's called progress. Oh, no, Daddy, it's called profit, which is why the deacon is always trying to get us to move. (sputtering notes) Don't do that. Let me tell you something, you blow that bugle one more time, you hear, Jesus himself gonna have to come and get off the cross and save you, you hear me? Come on, baby, just sit where you always sit. You find the deacon? DORIS: He's behind me. I told him to come on, we been here all day everybody tir... Timmy, stop with the imaginary friends, okay? Slow down. Okay, relax-- I'll do whatever you say. Here's what we gonna do-- you go in there, you answer whatever little question they got, excuse yourself, and then we're gonna ease on out. They ask who we are, we're here to fix the church. You got that? Do you got this? Okay. That is the most crackish idea ever! What, more crackish than selling wheelchairs? I don't know yet! But they don't know us. They're gonna know something's wrong. Only way they're gonna know something is wrong is if you act like something's wrong-- so don't. Something is wrong! Oh, there he is. TIANNA: Oh, well, Deacon, how gracious of you to return. Tianna, don't start now. Everyone, this is... Leonard, -and this is... -L-Leonard. Oh, so both of y'all are named Leonard. Oh, it's a family tradition-- all of the first boy cousins are named Leonard. DEACON: Yeah, and-and they're doing some work on the church, so I'm just gonna straighten them out, and then I'll be right back. I hope you do some work on this air-conditioning. It's hotter than four sisters in a phone booth with G-strings on. That's hot, ain't it? Why would we do work on the old church? I mean, we're obviously just gonna move to a new church, right, Deacon? That decision hasn't been made, Tianna. Hold on, Deacon. But I thought the deacon had already made that decision for you. And for me. Well, and for all of us, actually. Momma T, did you know that the deacon cast your vote? Were you aware? You cast her vote? No. You mean that you let him cast your vote and not cast mine? Darling, I would never let anybody take our voices away. (quietly): Lord have mercy! What is this about? Well, Momma T, that's... that's not entirely true. I didn't do that. The money that we raise should be used to fund outreach programs in this community. Oh, yes, and a foster care centre would be nice. A convalescent home, after-school programs. The church should inspire the community. What about folks that walk to church and can't afford transportation to the suburbs? Maybe moving the church will inspire them to get a job so that they can afford some transportation. - Deacon... - Pastor, I thought we hadn't even decided whether or not we were gonna move the church. TIANNA: You know what, Sister Doris, I thought the same thing, until I found these... ...on my daddy's desk. -DEACON: Those... -Oh. those are... ideas, Pastor. Just, you know, possibilities in case we all voted to move the church. I'm just trying to be prepared. Arthur... is this true? (clears throat softly) PASTOR: As I told my inquisitive daughter... (quietly): Nosy daughter. Deacon. Momma T, I haven't made any decision yet, okay? That's why we're meeting here this evening. Right. And I-I want to participate... -(Deacon continues) -Look right there. He's planning to put an ATM right in the church. ...I will be right back. Well, you can't do any business yet. Why not, lady? We got to go. Because... we haven't prayed yet, and we need to pray on this. Lord have mercy. Like my late husband used to always say, "Man should always pray and not faint." Luke's 18 and one. I don't mean to disrespect your husband Luke 18 and one, but is he gonna help us with this drywall? Because I got to get these tools off the truck. (Doris laughs) Oh, he's so funny, don't you think? MOMMA T: You gentlemen... will join us in a moment of prayer, won't you? Everybody join hands. Join... uh, take his hand, Timmy. MOMMA T: Arthur? -(organ music playing) -PASTOR: Precious Father... BERNICE (deep voice, off-key): # Precious Father... # # We need You now... # PASTOR: We come to You once again this evening, thankful for yet another opportunity to join as one. # Today right now... # You said, where two or three are gathered in Your name... Matthews 18 and 20. PASTOR: ...there You'd be. (crying): Thank You, Jesus. PASTOR: We ask today, Father, that You not only speak to our minds and our hearts... Or our wallets. BERNICE: Lord, pray for all of the parents that keep bringing their babies down here to get baptized without giving them a hot bath. Last time there was a ring around the pool, and Brother Bertware got gout. PASTOR: But also to our purpose. BERNICE: Yes, and speaking of that, please, please, everybody, please pray for Sister Cora. Pray for her-- she got her head stuck between the slide doors at Walgreen's. She was trying to change the station on the iPod her grandbabies bought her. What a gift, what a gift. We also seek Your guidance today, Heavenly Father, so that we seek Your will and not ours. -Or the deacon's. -Or Tianna's. PASTOR: All these things we ask... In Jesus' name. Let's get to work. -Amen. -Amen. -Amen. -Amen. -Amen. All right, I got to go. I love you. Go to go home. (choir singing in distance) DORIS: This is first Sunday. They're not supposed to rehearse till second Sunday. Well, they can't rehearse tonight. Why not? Because i-it's just not a good night. I'll be right back. I'm gonna construct some construction that needs to be constructed. This is exactly what I was talking about. Tianna, hold on a second. You were supposed to be singing from your diaphragm, and you are singing from somewhere that you have pain and anger, and we don't need that. Why are you always singling me out? No, see, I'm not singling you out. You are singling yourself out. CHOIR LEADER: Okay? You can't be Deniece Williams. You can't be a black butterfly-- somebody got to be a moth. -Rickey, excuse me. -Or one of them big bugs that just fly out like a flying roach-- you're not supposed to be that. -Rickey, excuse me. -You're supposed to be the... Yes, may I help you? -You can't meet here tonight. -Really? Well, that's kind of interesting, because I am here tonight. Why I can't be here? You-you can't meet here tonight, 'cause we're meeting here tonight. You know what? Is there a problem? Is this personal? I am the deacon here, and... The problem, Rickey, is that he's always trying to control everything. That's exactly what his problem is. Back to y'all. One, two, three, four. # I can feel # -# The presence of the Lord # -DURELL: Excuse me. # And I'm gonna get # -# My blessing right now... # -DURELL: Excuse me, man. Excuse you? Don't nobody even know you. Come on, let's sing. They lettin' strangers just walk in. How you doing? - Good, thank you. All right, here we go. - Why? What's over there? -I'm about to do something... -What you about to do? Just go over there and sit. (LeeJohn muttering) (indistinct conversations) Hey, Leonard. (indistinct chatter continues) DURELL: Everybody! -Shut the hell up! -DORIS (gasps): Oh! All that construction has put Leonard on edge. DURELL: First of all, my name ain't Leonard. -DORIS: It ain't? -No. -You Leonard? -I'm still Leonard. -All right, Leonard. -DURELL: And second of all, we didn't come to repair this church, we came to rob it. Is this some sort of a joke, sir? Nobody has time for-- Look, I'm gonna need everybody... Who are these two clowns you brought in here? # I can feel the presence of the Lord, and I'm gonna... # (all talking) -(gunshots) -(screaming, shouting) Where are you going?! You get off of me! (indistinct talking) (excited chatter continues) Durell, you better get down. Somebody got a gun! That's me with the gun, fool. Get up. You got a gun? In the church? God gonna whip your ass! Go lock all the doors. DURELL: Now, we didn't come here to hurt nobody, but we will-- all we want is the money. Take your two-ways, cell phones, beepers, anything you got that beep, buzz or get on my nerves, put it in the basket. Drop it in the bucket. Save yourself a trip to the hospital. Now, we're gonna take this deacon to the back. He gonna open up this safe, and we're gonna get out of here. Simple and plain. -(whimpers) -(women gasp) -Oh, my God! DURELL: What's wrong with him? Get your ass back! What the hell's wrong with you? You sure you want to do that? (crying) Look around you. You're not gonna get away with this-- this is a church. I'm gonna get away with it just like you been getting away with it. Selling hope. Take his ass to the back, he gonna open up this safe, and we're gonna walk out that door. And I'm gonna hope I don't have to pull this trigger. I can tell you're gonna be trouble. I need to sit you down. DEACON: We've seen your faces, and that's not good. But perhaps I can somehow persuade the others to let the two of you just walk right out of here and we can pretend this never happened, but if I open this safe... Never mind. (papers rustling) It's gone. -Gone? -(excited chattering) Who would steal money from a church? (chattering stops) What? See, this is exactly why I wanted to move the church out of this community ` to avoid this type of thing. This has nothing to do with the community. This has everything to do with these two fools over here. Oh, these two fools are the community. Hold up. What's he talking about? Who you calling fool, chump? The two fools waving a gun in a church. Don't call the two Leonards fools. Didn't I tell you my name ain't Leonard? What is your name? I'm LeeJohn and that's Durell. Oh, LeeJohn. Leonard. You just told them our real names. Come back over here and sit down. DURELL: All right, one thing I do know, whoever stole that money is still up in here, right now. Who's to say? Was the safe broken into? No. Is the money missing? Yeah. Yet everybody that got the combination is sitting right here on the same night the money come up missing. -Ain't that a coincidence? -Lenny! Leonard! Leonard, you and your crazy logic! Now, how you know they the only ones that know the combination? Ain't nobody meeting on the money and how to spend it unless they know where it is. Simple. (gasps) Well, we-we certainly don't have it. None of us. We just got here. You should point this at whoever's been here since the 1:00 service. Hanging around the church all-- We certainly wasn't in here. I was not gon' be in here in somebody's meeting sweating my perm out long as it take me under some flatirons. This is not even my church. I-I saw this on MySpace. I'm just not a good hostage in a crisis situation. Since nobody left the church, that mean the money is still here. So, one of y'all either got it or know where it is. So, we ain't leaving until we find it. Now is the time to start snitching. You know something? If you didn't have that gun, I'd come over there and whoop that... Tianna! Hush. I want to see Jesus, too, but I don't want to see Him tonight. (cell phone rings) Whose phone is that? -Is that your phone? -Who got a cell phone? Didn't I tell y'all to put it in the basket? That's probably Jesse Jackson callin' to free me. (ringing continues) Well, that's your phone. - Hey, man. - DURELL, JR.: Hey, Dad. My PSP just stopped working. Handle this. Handle what? Just sit right there and hold that. LEEJOHN: What, that?! Why there always got to be a sidebar with you? Here. (gasping) When was the last time you charged it? Last night. Try turning it over and just take the battery out. Okay. All right, wipe off the battery terminal... But not with your hand, okay? All right. (gasping) It's his son. Try it again. -(start-up tone plays) -It's working! Oh, I got to go. I love you, Dad. I love you, too. (phone snaps shut) I'm sick of this bullshit! I need to know where this money is right now! Please, have some respect for the house of the Lord. I got to use the bathroom! Okay, baby, let these people finish robbing the church. -I got to use it now! -Do you want me to give you a whipping -in front of all these people? -Shut him up! You know what? Why don't you just let the boy go to the bathroom? Why don't you just mind your own business? You-You might as well let him... let him pee because he... he's gonna pee, regardless. And I was watchin' him earlier, he hadn't been drinking water so it's probably ammonia; you don't want that strong smell. So, I'ma take him to the house and I'm gonna make sure he's hydrated and get some juice in him. And I'll bring him right back here. And I'ma get Momma T 'cause I saw what you had for breakfast. I know you probably bubblin' right now. LeeJohn, take that little boy to the bathroom. I am not gonna let anybody take my Timmy to the bathroom. Well, then let him pee in your purse! (gasps) And sit down! Okay, the double doors. The first door on the left. And, uh, make sure you jiggle the handle after you use it because it'll make noise. Go ahead, Timmy, go on. Why do I have to take him to the bathroom? 'Cause I got to sit here and figure out who got this money. Why don't you take him to the bathroom and let me figure out who got the money? Wait a minute, this is my idea. Why do you always got to give the orders? Oh, you wanna give orders now? RICKEY: Please don't let him give the orders. I might. All right. We got church people held hostage. The money we came to steal? Somebody stole it. They done seen our faces and, 'cause of you, they know our names. LeeJohn and Durell. See? So, what you suggest, huh? You the smart one now. And make sure you jiggle the handle, too. (flushing) (handle jiggling) Tuck your shirt in so I can take you back to your moms, man. She ain't my momma! What you mean she ain't your moms? This is my mom and this is me. She said she's coming back to get me. Least that's what she said. Yeah, well... Until she do, tuck your shirt in your pants. Boy, nobody never teach you how to tuck your shirt in your pants? No. You know, that's all right. Nobody never taught me either. But this how you do, you put the left in first. Why? Well, I don't know! Who's doing the tuckin'?! Put your left in first... Then you put your right in. Let me see you do it. Yep. Yeah, that's it. MAN: Look around. As the Favourites come out, it begins. Observing with an eagle eye. Mastering the art of stashing. Oh, brilliant move, Gran! Cadbury Favourites. Why don't somebody just tell them where the money is so we can go home? You know, Leonard... Maybe you should ask someone who wishes we didn't have the money so we couldn't move the church. -Deacon, you out of line. -You are way out of line. -Out of line? -Yeah, out of line. (BOTH ARGUE) Everybody just shut up! Shut up! Y'all fuss and fight more than me and LeeJohn up in here. # What a friend we have in Jesus # -(congregation murmurs) -Who's that? Mr. Wally. He cleans the church. Y'all make a move, I'll pop a cap in your ass. You don't need to be scared. He ain't got that many bullets. He would need one of them ones where the bullets come all the way around. -He's legally blind. -RICKEY: He can't see. He's partially deaf. He can't hear. Then why y'all got this man cleaning up the church? He's free. You don't need to clean the church tonight. -DURELL: Hey, man? -Huh? -Not tonight! -MR. WALLY: Come again? Not tonight, man. If I can't clean tonight, it throws my whole week off. What about my Monday appointment? Can't do that till Tuesday. What about my Tuesday appointment? Can't do that till Wednesday. What about my Wednesday appointment? Can't do that till Thursday. What about my Thursday appointment? He's free. Can't do that till Friday. What about my Friday appointment? Can't do that till Saturday. Yo, who was that? That was the blind and deaf cleaning man. Thought you was supposed to lock all the doors. I did! I ran out of chain! DURELL: Okay. Here's what we gonna do. We gonna do a little one-on-one session. See if I can jog some memories. So you, big mouth. I got your big mouth. You lay one hand on my daughter... I'll go first. No, no, no, no. I'll go first. I-I'll talk to him. I would go first, but first has already been taken twice. I will go first. -But Pastor, listen... -It's fine, Deacon. - Daddy, you can't... - It's fine. - Honey, it's fine. RICKEY: It's fine. The Bible says first will be last. I'ma be last first. You can go first. All right. I'ma take his ass up there and figure out where this is, okay? You keep a eye on everybody. Anybody move, you know what to do. What? DURELL: Take that. LEEJOHN: Another gun?! Who are you? I'm telling you, King, it's the mambo sauce. That's the magic, my man. I hear you. I hear you. I'm telling you, boy. Look at that. It's a disgrace. The church owns that building, right? Yeah. If they're not gonna take care of it, they should sell it. PASTOR: Why would I steal money from my own church? That's what we're here to find out. Don't you got a Rolls-Royce? -Bentley? Phantom? -Ford. You throw some D's on that bitch? On a Ford? I love Momma T. I do. You are talking about one of the sweetest, kindest... most gentle woman ever. But she'll steal. MOMMA T: At my age... the only thing I'm looking to steal is time. All the money in the world can't buy that. I love Sister Doris like... like she was my own sister. But raising other people's children is not cheap. DORIS: Kids is a necessary expense of life. Every penny I get, I put on that boy's costumes. Last Christmas, he was the Virgin Mary. Thanksgiving, he was a drumstick. Easter, he had to play a egg. Anytime you want to pitch in and help, you are welcome, because it is not cheap. But I don't steal from nobody. I love the deacon as... It's endless. Cuts such a dashing figure. Very articulate. He's got to be gettin' some money. Listen, I was... I was brought here to help fill the safe, not empty it. Little pink shirts. I know they cost. I think there's a lot of jealousy... about me and about what I've done for the church. Tianna. We talk like girlfriends. Chitter-chatter. Ohh! Ohh! Always, always, "How are you?" "I'm good, how are you?" "I'm great." She doesn't tell the lie, but you can tell she's thinking it. Okay, but why would I steal from my own father? -Get your nails done. -I do my own nails. -Get your car fixed. -I ride the train. -Get your hair did. -I don't have any hair! To keep this church from movin' to the suburbs. (knocking at door) CONGREGATION: Help! Shut it up! Please don't make me use this! Yo, Durell?! - Please help us! - You're hurting my arm! Hey! Everybody, shh! Be quiet! - Get up! Get in the basement. - (Doris gasps) Hurry up, Pink. Get over there! (woman gasps) Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. LeeJohn, handle it. Hey, Kirk Franklin, hold up. No, I need to go with them, because I need... Boy, come on. You going with me. Where we going? You gonna be the lady of the house. Hello, upstanding... gentlemen of the law. This church owns the building across the street, right? (whimpering): Yes. Are you aware there's some, uh... illegal activity taking place over there? # Yes... # # My Lord! # I'm-I'm just the choir director... but I will tell the pastor, who is the shepherd of our flock. We are sheep, and he sheep-herds us. Don't be in here too late. We saw some unsavoury characters lurking around over there. When you say "unsavoury," you mean like jaywalkers or you mean like actual... robbers and thieves and killers? Which one? Like, how unsavoury? Murder unsavoury, or just regular, run-of-the-mill unsavoriness? KING: Okay, well, you have a good evening, all right? And just be careful. Okay, then. All right. All right. Y'all can make this a base camp at any... (mutters) They was still talking to me. Thought that was cute, huh? Let's go. Did it look like he was winking at us? He's the choir director. All right, look. Don't y'all wanna go home? I ain't got time for this. Now, y'all need to tell me what I need to know! Don't y'all wanna go... Don't y'all wanna go home? 'Cause I do. So, somebody need to tell me what I need to know. Look, if we have to comb this church inch-by-inch... (sighs) What now? DORIS: It's all this humidity mixed with emotions and excitement. DEACON: Mixed with the fact that we're being held hostage by gangbangers in a church with no air. Tianna, get me a wet towel for this child. Wait a minute, where you... where you goin'? I'm getting her a wet towel. DORIS: She needs some air! What she needs is to lose a few pounds if she's gonna be landing on people like that without warning. Rickey! I'm just saying, that would help if people got to catch her. Thank you. Put it on the back of her neck, baby. All the money you making on Sundays, why you can't get the air on? The air conditioning works, it-it just... don't work all the time, that's all. Why doesn't somebody just fix it? PRESTON: Fix what? The air! Durell could fix anything! Durell, remember that time your Aunt Cynthia deep freezer broke after she went food shopping? You came right over and fixed it! I don't remember. Matter of fact, it ain't even hot to me. So, we straight. What church are you in?! Rickey, sit down. What? No, get your hands off of me. Sit down, man. It is hot as Satan's toenails in here. - Rickey? - What? Are you all right? Yes, I'm all right. Are you all right, Miss "I Just Fainted"? I'm just a little frustrated. I'm not scared no more. I'm not just gonna keep being scared! (panting): 'Kay? So, shoot me. Shoot me. Here I am, shoot me. Go ahead, shoot him. Shoot him! Go ahead, shoot him. You'll probably really shoot me. Rickey, sit your butt down. Would you make sure that I look good in my casket when I...? Lawd! (congregation gasping) Shut up! I'll scratch his eyes. Just fix the AC, Durell. Y'all get off of me! Get off of me! Don't trip on me right now. Do anybody know where this air conditioning unit is? Hold up. Let me get that light. Come on, give it up. You're supposed to be fixing the air conditioner, not taking a tour of the church. I know. Let's go. First, we got to look for this money in one more place. DORIS: As hard as it is to keep crime out of the streets, now it's in the church. Why would y'all wanna steal money from a church anyway? 'Cause to them, it's not a church. It's just a building on the corner next to a liquor store. Where the neon "wine and beer" sign is brighter than the cross. You know, if we separate the two like I've been wanting, maybe ours would shine brighter. Brighter because we're brighter, Deacon? Or brighter because we're separate? I want the key to that cabinet right there... and I know you got it, so don't lie. Were y'all trying to blow open the safe? It wasn't my idea. # # (drawer slides open) (coughs) (clears throat) You find it? Do I look like I found it? Let's go. What kind of name is LeeJohn, anyway? When I was born, my mother had two boyfriends-- Lee and John. She ain't know who my real father was, so she named me LeeJohn. (sighs): Of course. I don't think I would've told that. (clicking) Hot. Oh, God... (sighs) You know... if that doesn't work, there's always Sho-Blo. Yeah, well, maybe it'll work if I can get... if I can get the light pointed straight. Oh, yeah, the problem is the light. It's my fault. I'm hungry. I'm hungry, too. When are you not hungry? Well, I have some leftover chicken, ham, potato salad, greens and some peach cobbler from this afternoon's dinner. I could fix something up, y'all would like to eat. (congregation clamouring) What about a eight-year-old boy who was hungry and didn't know how to swim? And was scared to get baptized 'cause he thought he was gonna drown? How come he couldn't eat, huh? Huh? Is that a yes or a no on the chicken? (Tianna sighs) How do you know how to fix air conditioners, anyway? When you grow up in a house and everything around you is broke, that's what you do. You fix things. Watch this. -(machinery whirring) -Whoo! Oh, my gosh. Hit that light. Don't want to electrocute myself. Wow, you know this thing has never worked right. You're pretty good. Well, I mean, you're obviously not good, but what you just did was good. You always so stank? Only when I'm hungry. Oh, yeah, and occasionally when I'm being held hostage at gunpoint, yeah, I get a little cranky. Well, maybe I got a good reason. You ever think of that one? Oh, you mean like Robin Hood? Or in your case robbing the hood? Take from the poor and give to the poor-- is that what you're doing? I'm just trying to give somebody something I never had. -A felony record? What? -No, a father. Do you have a tissue I can borrow? I seem to have left mine in the offering bucket along with anything that would beep, buzz, or get on your nerves. My mother died when I was six years old. You don't see me out robbing a church. Yeah, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to get where you goin'. Would that be jail? Parenting from within the penal system-- yeah, that would be brilliant. That's not smart. You wouldn't even understand. And I don't want to. What you care for anyway, church girl? -I don't. -Good, neither do I. -Good. -Good. -Good. -Good. -(Tianna sighs) -G-double O-D. -Good. -Perfect. Wait a minute. (machinery whirring) -(utensils clanging) -Mm. -Thank you. -Oh, Sister Doris. PRESTON: That's good. I brought you some food. I know you hungry, too. I don't have to get baptized, right? 'Cause I can't swim. (chuckling): No. - There you are. - Thank you. It's good, ain't it? Something about you remind me of my husband. I think it's your nose. He had a wide one just like you. Oh, he was a beautiful man inside and out-- one of the best deacons this church ever had, no matter what they say. He loved my cooking, too. (chuckles) You know, today was his birthday and nobody remembered but me. He's been gone, oh, what, six years? Oh, he loved the birthday parties I planned for him. You like birthday parties, Leonard-- I mean LeeJohn? I don't know, I never had one. You never had a birthday party? When they took me to my foster home, they lost my birth certificate, so nobody never knew when my birthday was. Oh... I know when it is. You do? When? Today. Give me your hand. # Happy birthday # # To you # # Happy birthday # # To... you # # Happy # # Birthday # # Happy birthday # # Happy... birthday # # LeeJohn # # To you. # Happy birthday. Come on now. It's all right. It's all right. Yes, it is. (door opens) It's all right. LeeJohn. The hell you doing? You hungry? Want fried food with less fat? Discover Philips Airfryer XXL. It removes fat but keeps food crunchy. Experts agree, healthier frying tastes amazing. Innovation and you - Philips. Now with cash back on selected appliances. It's blowing harder than it's ever blown before. It's a miracle. It's air, the same air as before, just a little cooler. A young man that's as good with his hands as you are should have more options than robbing a church. -I'm all out of options right now. -That's not true, son. Don't say that, that's not true. You're only out of options when you stop looking for them. - LEEJOHN: Durell. - Go back over there. - Durell, I need to talk to you. I don't want to talk to you right now. Go back over there. Can I talk to you for one minute? I don't want to do this anymore. These people ain't did nothing to us. You came and got me from my grandmomma house with this and you don't want to go through with it? Trying to punk out? What's up?! I ain't no punk, man! DURELL: You forgot you need this money just as bad as me? LEEJOHN: I'll think of something... and I don't know what it is, but I know... it ain't gonna be this. Durell, not this. # # Our jobs would be a whole lot easier if people would just listen and go home. Pastor knows they're supposed to be out of there by 10:00. DURELL: I don't know what y'all did to him, but I don't like it. Now, stop playing with me and just give me the money and we can leave. For some reason, y'all think I won't use these. It's simple! Just give up the money! I thought you were supposed to be cleaning the church. I told you he's blind. - Can't see and he's deaf. - He can't hear you. I've been cleaning this church for 30 years. Seen a lot of things, found a lot of things, too. Why y'all got this man cleaning this church? 'Cause he's free. But never nothing like this. (onlookers gasping) Evenin'. DURELL: All right, get back. Sit back, sit down. Look at all that money. Yeah. It's probably just the cleaning man, you know? Whoa. Or not. We got a 10-31 in progress at the corner of Preston and Greenmount. A perp with a gun. -Request for immediate backup. -DISPATCHER: 10-4. DEACON: That's our money. Son, that's God's money. DURELL: LeeJohn, let's roll. LeeJohn. I think I'm gonna stay here with them, Durell. (cell phone ringing) (sighing) It's your son, isn't it? Tell him what you're doing. You want him to hear it on the news? Or read about it in tomorrow's paper? (phone rings, stops) I get up every morning and I take my son to school every morning. He look at me, he don't see no thug. He see a man. All right? I'm somebody to him. So you did this for your son? TIANNA: Momma T, what are you doing? You're doing this for yourself. Blaming everybody but the one person responsible. You're a coward. Using foul language and shooting guns off in the church. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. You deserve to lose your son. I'm not gonna lose my son! (congregation murmuring) If this is what he sees... in the morning when he looks at you, you've already lost him. JUDGE: A perfect example of potential with no purpose. DURELL JR.: I know what my plan "B" is, it's to be just like you. We can't lose any more sons. (sighing) (loud thud) I'm not losing my son. Come on, LeeJohn, let's go. (siren wailing distantly) (over bullhorn): Individuals and suspects in the building... Close the door. We want you to release the hostages and come out with your hands in the air! Durell, man! We're going to jail! We're not going to jail! Let me think, let me just think. What are you talking about?! They got this whole place surrounded! - We're going to jail! - Just calm down! Pastor, isn't there something we can do? DEACON: Oh, yeah. We can help the police put these two criminals behind bars where they belong. Deacon, I was talking to the pastor; I didn't ask you anything. You heard Momma T. They're in here all night, waving and shooting guns, and we're not... I haven't called your name all day. Don't talk to me, okay? Quiet! I have an idea. Durell? Come on, cut me out this chair, I'll show you. Show me what? Son, I'm gonna show you a better option. Come on, son. Pastor, they need to go to jail. They got two guns in here. -Come on. -They're obviously gangbangers and, and, and thugs and hoodlums. This doesn't make any sense. It doesn't-- Pastor. Pastor, what are you going to do? -You're doing the right thing. -What are you going to do? Pastor, you are putting your ministry in jeopardy. KING (over bullhorn): Suspects inside the church, come out with your hands in the air. I am gonna go outside, tell those policemen this was all just a big misunderstanding. You're gonna, you're gonna go out there and, and, and lie?! Deacon, I'm going to go out there and help. I'm going to go out there and I'm going to tell them the truth-- that, that, that we were being held hostage by terrorists! Or have we all forgotten that? What about forgiveness, Deacon? Or have you forgotten that? Pastor, these-- I wasn't held hostage. Neither was I. Me neither. What's a hostage? A hostage is what we were downstairs in that basement for four and a half hours. -I'm gonna need therapy. I need Dr Phil -Rickey? Rickey? Okay, maybe not. Well, I was held hostage, and when the policemen get in here, I'm going to tell them exactly that! Do whatever you want. LeeJohn, Durell, y'all, y'all come on with me. Come on. Y-You can't be serious. You're a man of God and they're taking advantage of that! If we turn them in, we can get a reward! DORIS: We can do something. We can do something to help. TIANNA: If you're going, I'm coming, too. Hey, hey, hey. Where y'all going? Sit down, sit down. Everybody's doing they part. Sit down. Our part is singing. That's our part-- what we do here in the church as a choir-- sing. We make things better, singing. OFFICER (over bullhorn): Suspects, your time is up! We are entering the building! CHOIR: # I can feel the presence of the Lord # # And I'm gonna get my blessing right now # # I can feel the presence of the Lord # -Clear! -# And I'm gonna get my blessing # # Right now, I can feel the presence of the Lord # # And I'm gonna get my blessing... # - DEACON: Please, don't shoot! - Okay, um... We're up here! We're up here! There's a laundry chute behind these boxes. It's never been used, but I guess there's a first time for everything. Okay. Where does it go? To the basement. And there's a door downstairs that'll get you out, I hope. The rest is up to you. We got to try. Pastor, what are you doing? I'm getting the police. DEACON: Police, we're up here! OFFICER: Let's go, guys. Follow me. Hey, you better give me those pistols. Thanks, man. You're doing the right thing. Don't worry about your son. Everything's gonna be okay. Just have faith. Guess I'm supposed to go first, right? I know you smarter than that. Hey, um, try-try not to break your neck. I didn't think you cared. I'll try. God bless you, son. (loud metallic clattering) Bye, LeeJohn. LEEJOHN (descending echo): Good-bye, Timmy...! Okay, let's go. Go, go, go, go. (Durell yells and grunts) -(LeeJohn yelling) -# Get by, just to get by # -(grunts) -# Just to get by, just to get by # -Durell, don't leave me! -# We do or die like Bed-Stuy # # Through the red sky with the window of the red eye # Come on, Rell, don't leave me! Wait up! -# This morning I woke up # -Come on. -# Feeling brand-new # -Let's go. Let's go. -Oh, spider webs. Spider webs. -# I jumped up feeling # -# My highs and my lows # -Go, go, go, go. # In my soul, and my goals # # Just to stop smoking and stop drinking # -(sirens approaching) -# But I been thinking # # I have my reason just to get # LEEJOHN: Wait a minute. Yo, hey, that's our chair, and you ain't even cripple. # Buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh # # Buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh # (sirens wailing) # Just to get by, just to get by # # Just to get buh, buh, buh, buh, by # # Just to get by # # Buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh # # Buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh # -# Just to get # -(officers yelling) # Just to get by # # We keeping it gangster, say "fo shizzle" # # "Fo sheezy" and "staying crunk" # # It's easy to pull a breezy, smoke trees, and we stay drunk # # Yo, I activism, attacking the system # # The blacks and Latins in prison, numbers have risen # # They victim black in the vision # # ... and all they got is rapping to listen to # # I let them know we missing you, the love is unconditional # -Hurry up. -# Even when the condition is critical # # When the living is miserable, your position is pivotal # # I ain't bull... you, some people cry # # And some people try # (siren wailing) DURELL: This way! Move! (sirens wailing) All right. DURELL: This way! This way! # Feeling my highs and my lows # DURELL: Come on, boy! LEEJOHN: Wait up! Wait up, Rell! Hurry up! Hurry up! (guns cocking) Freeze! Right there, right there. Look. (guns cocking) Freeze! -# Just to get by, yo, yo # -(Durell moans) # Some people cry, some people try # # Just to get by for a piece of the pie... # You robbed a church? Your Honour, Mr. Judge, it wasn't even like that. We wasn't tryin' to rob no church. We was gonna rebuild it. We was gonna refurbish it and everything. We wasn't... Allegedly robbed a church, Your Honour. Your Honour, I haven't been to church in a while, yeah, I apologize, but the last I checked, the Holy Ghost doesn't hold people hostage, and I'm pretty sure the pastor isn't packing. Your Honour, if it pleases the court... Your Honour, I object to her trying to please the court. Lewis, when are you going to get a life... Your Honour, you commit a crime, you have to do the time. Can I speak? Your Honour, can I speak? Can I speak for myself? No objection to that, Your Honour. Why not? Durell, I don't want to go back to jail... Let me just say this. We're in bad enough shape as it is. Okay, thank you. Just sit down. Judge Galloway, how many times have you seen me in this courtroom? And how many times have you said the exact same thing you sayin' today? And here I am again. Man, my whole life I done made bad decisions. Like the one you're making now? And my whole life, I done blamed everybody but the person that's responsible for those decisions. That's me. (people murmuring) So, it was my idea to go up in that church. -And I want to apologize... -Whoa, hey... Wait, that was my idea. We was sittin' in Cookie's that night and I... -Just sit down. -Sit your ass down. LEWIS: Now, Your Honour, can we please get back to the facts? Now, I have a witness that'll testify that the defendants not only had firearms but they used them to hold members of the church hostage. And they almost stole $64,000. (shocked murmuring) Well, on first Sunday you wrote down that we took in $34,000. (bangs gavel): Young lady, you'll have to sit down. TIANNA: But, Your Honour, I actually have proof. Bailiff, escort the young woman to the witness stand. Go on up there, baby, talk to him. Wait, what is that? What is that? RICKEY: Thieves in the temple. She's falsifying pieces of paper. DEACON: I don't know what that is, Pastor. (mic feedback) In the report on first Sunday, the deacon wrote down that we only took in $34,000. Pastor... He just said that they almost stole $64,000. (shocked murmuring) I did? Now, there's a discrepancy. Mm-hmm. Why is she doing this to me? You see right here? (excited chattering) DEACON: Why are you doing this? Is there anything else? No. No, there isn't. Deacon... What's going on, Deacon? Exactly how much money was raised on the first Sunday? Well, I object, Your Honour. -LEWIS: No, I object. -Well, everybody objects. Answer the damn question. Look, the deacon is not on trial here. However, these two miscreants are. Now... -Miscreants?! -(gavel banging) We are African American. They held members of the church hostage! -Wow. -(clamoring) -(gavel banging) LEWIS: These are criminals of the first order. Period. The counsel will sit down. And the deacon will answer the question. The court is waiting. MAN: Yeah, answer the question. (snaps fingers) Well, Your Honour... If I may, Your Honour, like you, I-I handle lots of paperwork each and every day. And if an error was made in my haste, I must've mistakenly entered a "three" instead of a "six". (shocked clamouring) I have never known the deacon to make a mistake. That's ridiculous. People make mistakes all the time. You mistakenly got caught. That's what happened. Are you stealing the church's money? Of course not. - I'm not angry. If you did, just` - No, I came... I came here to improve the church. I didn't steal the money. Hey, I did not steal the money. I-I wasn't stealing money. Look, Pastor... I'm investing it. - (clamouring) - (gavel banging) He's an investor now. Is he a stockbroker or a deacon? -Order, order! -(gavel banging) -Order in the court! -(talking stops) Invested it where? In an escrow account for a piece of land... -Who is Escrow? -...I wanted the church to purchase. She don't even go to this church, thank you. We aren't affecting the community, the community is affecting us. I'm not infected. I have papers to prove I'm not infected. It's them-- these two right here! They're the problem! (clamouring) -(gavel banging) -Order, I said! Order in this court! I've had enough. Sit down! - But, Your Honour, let me finish what I'm saying. - Sit down! The tough decisions have to be made. Sit down. (people shouting out) JUDGE: Counsellor? You have a witness that's willing to testify that the defendants held members of the church hostage with firearms while attempting to steal money from first Sunday's offering? Look, um, Your Honour... Actually, Your Honour... we have a lot of witnesses here that are willing to testify to a lot of things, like embezzlement. Embezzlement? Misappropriation of funds? Falsifying documents. Not to mention wearing a Easter suit with a Halloween shirt and tie set. Now, that is not true. I will not have this man denigrating my wardrobe in open court. Your Honour, can I just, uh... (clears throat) Let me just get a quick second here. I much appreciate it, Your Honour. Now, we need to have a quick word. - I'm the only one here` - Listen, I just need you to go up there and tell him what is going on. Can you just`? DEACON: People don't know. You have a degree, don't you?! Use it! - Counsellor? - Yes? Do you have a witness or not? Your Honour, if I may? It was a very long day, and we had three services, normally, it's two, and it was... late... and hot... and dark. And no. No, Your Honour, we have no more witnesses. Your Honour, if it pleases the court, I would like to make a motion that the case against Durell Douglas Washington and LeeJohn James Jacob Jackson be dismissed due to lack of evidence... - What?! - ...and witnesses. (onlookers murmuring) Yes, and 'cause they didn't do it. Motion granted, case dismissed. -(bangs gavel) -(cheering) Yes! Yes! Whoo! This is a travesty! Praise the Lord. Pastor. Pastor. (applause and cheering) WOMAN: Praise the Lord. (cheering) Yeah! (footfalls running up staircase) DURELL: I'm just trying to get... BLAHKA: Ten chairs, $1,200 apiece. Check it out, man. You stole them wheelchairs from somebody and then somebody stole them from us, so... the way I look at that, I think we even. Now, my baby momma might've took my son away from me today. And if y'all gonna kill us over some chairs, then go ahead. But kill him first, 'cause it was his dumbass idea. We still have business. Go get your son, man. - (LeeJohn grunts) - PIRATE: Tick-tock... ...gunshot. Leave me. Omunique? -(pounding on door) -Omunique? (pounding continues) Where did you get it, huh? Where?! What is this? I don't know what this is. Rell and I were leaving for the train station when I hear a knock at the door. I open it, nobody's there, just this bag filled with $17,342 exactly. You stole it, didn't you? Did you steal this?! I know where it came from, but I did not steal it. If I told you, you wouldn't even believe me. I wouldn't even believe me. Look... now, somebody gave me this money. But since we got it, I need to know something. You stayin' or you goin'? -That's not fair. -You got enough money. You got what you need. What you gonna do? You gonna take my son away from me? Huh? And move to Atlanta? Don't take my son from me. Okay, that's all I got. All right, you want to break me now? He's all I got. I ain't got nothing else. I'll-I'll do whatever I can. I'll come around more. Whatever you need from me, I can do that. I'm a different man now. What's different? I'm different. I'm changed. You gonna stay? What you gonna do? We're... (clears throat) we're gonna stay. Thank you. I told you. Didn't I tell you? - Didn't I tell you? - Yes. Ain't nobody gonna take you from me. Nobody. I love you. (whispers): Thank you. (gospel music plays) MOMMA T (voice-over): It was no mistake how those two boys landed in our church. They weren't all bad, just 180 degrees from good. They just needed a change in direction, and that's what we all need sometimes. # Yeah, yeah # # We all have faults # # Some problems, some pains # # It's all about making good decisions # # To live again # # Gotta change how we walk # # Change how we talk # # Live a life # # Full of giving # # To live again # # We'll keep our head high... # MOMMA T (voice-over): I figure if God can give these two boys a second chance... # To live again # MOMMA T: ...well, why can't we? # Change how we walk # -# Change how we talk # -Why can't we? # Live a life # # Live a life that's worth living # -# To live again # -# Live again # # Keep your head high # -# Reach for the sky # -# Yes, we will # -# Gotta change our direction # -# Whoa-ho # -# To live again, oh # -# Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah # # Change how we walk # -# Change how we talk # -# We can change # # Live a life full of giving # -# Oh # -# To live again, hey, hey # # If we keep our head high # -# We can reach the sky # -# Yeah, yeah # # Gotta change our direction # # We can live again # # Gonna change our direction # # Live again, hey, hey # # We have the power # # To better how we live # # Got the power # -# To live again # -# Got the power # -# If we just believe # -# Got the power # # If we just believe, yeah # # Stay faithful # -# Yeah! # -# Stay faithful # # Yeah, yeah # # He loves ya # # He loves ya, yes, He does, yeah # # You want to be free! # (people shout, cheer) (church organ plays upbeat gospel rhythm over handclaps) # The presence of the Lord is here # # The presence of the Lord is here # # I feel it in the atmosphere # # The presence of the Lord is here # # The presence of the Lord # # Is here # (people shout, cheer) # # # A blessing from the Lord is here # # A blessing from the Lord is here # # I feel it in the atmosphere # # A blessing from the Lord is here # # A blessing from the Lord # # Is here # # Everybody blow the trumpets # # And sound the alarm # # Because the Lord is in the temple # # Let everybody bow # # Let all the people # # Praise Him now # # The Lord # # The Lord... # # The Lord # # Is here # # I can feel # # The presence of the Lord # # And I'm gonna get my blessing right now # # I can feel # # The presence of the Lord # # And I'm gonna get my blessing right now # # I can feel # # The presence of the Lord # # And I'm gonna get my blessing right now # # I can feel # # The presence of the Lord # # And I'm gonna get my blessing right now # # Can't you see Him # # Working on the outside? # # I can feel Him # # Moving on the inside # # So come and enter in # # And cast your cares on Him # # He'll open up a window and pour you out a blessing # # 'Cause when the Lord steps in, He brings everything you need # # Healing, power and victory # # It's all up to you # # Whatever you need Him to do # # Just trust in Him, believe and then # # By faith you will receive # # I can feel # # The presence of the Lord # # And I'm gonna get my blessing right now # # I can feel # # The presence of the Lord # # And I'm gonna get my blessing right now # # I can feel # # The presence of the Lord # # And I'm gonna get my blessing right now # # I can feel # # The presence of the Lord # # And I'm gonna get my blessing right now # # The presence of the Lord is # # Presence of the Lord is # # Presence of the Lord is here! # (people shouting joyously) (song ends) www.able.co.nz Able 2018