MIA BELLA
MCGARITY

In the streets of Clarksdale, Mississippi, the sun sets on Ground Zero Blues Club, as music roars from inside. People of all races are partying, dancing among the Mardi Gras beads strewn about the floor. TUCKER, mid 30s, takes the cover charge at the door.

Tucker leaves Ground Zero and walks over to a parking lot nearby. A HANDSOME MAN in his 50s pulls up in a white BMW, whispers something to Tucker, and subsequently leaves the lot just after. Tucker gives one last glance back at Ground Zero, and begins to walk away, into the darkness.

Tucker arrives at the Red Lounge, a dive juke joint in need of some serious renovation. In the corner of the dimly lit lounge, JET, mid 30s, sings the blues and plays his guitar for the lounge audience. He’s quite good. People drop their tips in the bucket in front of him, and Jet collects the extra cash at the end of his set, before joining Tucker at the bar. Just as he orders his beer, Jet’s phone buzzes. Shit.

On a street corner outside of the Red Lounge, Tucker tells Jet there’s another “one of those gigs” tomorrow night. Jet is reluctant to participate, but he knows he needs to pay his bills one way or another. Tucker wants him to at least consider it.

At home, Jet’s 8-year-old son JORDAN lies asleep on the couch and his wife BILLIE rustles through the kitchen drawers. He playfully sneaks up on Billie, surprising her. The lights are all out, only candles glow in the dark. Billie tells Jet their electricity has been shut off, and they are out of insulin shots for their Jordan, who has diabetes. She is off to cover another night shift at her job, barely able to make ends meet. Bills are covering the kitchen table. Jet decides to call up Tucker. He’s gonna take the gig.

The following night, Jet plays the blues in an extravagant Antebellum home filled with wildly wealthy guests. MR. ADAMS, 50s, the owner of the home, approaches Jet with his arms crossed, requesting a more upbeat tune. Jet obliges. Mr. Adams tells him to tighten up his tie in a condescending tone. The guests sit around at tables, gambling obscene amounts of money. Jet eyes the money as he plays.

As the tables are cleared by the wait staff and dessert is served, Jet finishes his set. The dealers take the metal boxes of money, placing them in an adjacent room that opens up to an outdoor patio. Jet downs his meal, until he receives a text message from Billie. He ignores it and gets back to playing.

The guests now back at their table insult Jet as he plays, recognizing him as “Cash’s son.” Jet brushes off their comments. Billie then calls Jet, who steps away from his guitar to take the call, which pisses Mr. Adam off. Jet takes the call in the bedroom upstairs. Billie frantically tells Jet that she is in the ER with their son Jordan, who is suffering from insulin shock. The hospital won’t admit Jordan, since the family already owes so much money. Billie hangs up when a nurse requests her attention, and Jet throws his phone straight into the bathroom mirror shattering it. He is distraught.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jet sees two of the dealers load boxes of money in a steamer trunk and leave. He quietly enters the bedroom, checking to make sure no one is around. Jet takes the two boxes of money out of the trunk, and tosses them out the window onto the ground outside the home. No one notices. Jet heads back to the main dining room to continue playing for the guests. The story intercuts between Jet’s intense playing and Billie in the ER with Jordan, where a nurse secretly slips them insulin shots for free. At the end of the night, Mr. Adam hands Jet a mere 50 bucks for an evening of playing, even after his guests were incredibly rude. To make matters worse, Mr. Adam’s two sons grab Jet’s guitar, wrecking the strings. Mr. Adam patronizes Jet with another fifty.

Driving home from Antebellum, the two metal boxes of money clunk around in Jet’s old Caprice Classic.

In the Delta swamplands, BOSSMAN, 50s, lurks through the mud with his CREW, hunting an alligator. SLICK, Bossman’s right-hand man, acknowledges the phone that keeps ringing, asking Bossman if he wants to take the call. Bossman listens to the call, says nothing, and tosses the phone. He informs Slick that someone tried to rob the game that night, taking all of the money.

Cut back to Jet, who is still driving, making a call to Tucker. Jet wants Tucker to tell Billie and Jordan to not go home, and pack a bag for his mother-in-law’s home. He doesn’t answer any of Tucker's questions and hangs up.

At the Antebellum home, Mr. Adams is greeted by Bossman. Bossman intimidates Mr. Adams, suspecting he may be the culprit of the stolen money. Mr. Adams denies any involvement, and suggests perhaps the “blues boy,” referring to Jet, is responsible. He reveals to Bossman that he believes Jet is Cash’s son…a famous blues writer in prison. After continued tense conversation, Bossman takes a candelabra and smashes it over Mr. Adam’s head. He sets the curtains aflame with candles, and Mr. Adams screams and cries as he collapses on the floor.

At the same time, Jet arrives at his father CASH’s ramshackle home, cluttered with guitar strings and beer cans.

The next day ALMA, 50s, smokes a cigarette as she picks up Cash, 60s, from Parchman Penitentiary. The two share a kiss and ride off into the distance now that Cash is finally free.

At Ground Zero, Jet and Tucker meet and discuss the missing money from the game at Antebellum. Jet doesn’t give Tucker any details, but hands him the thick envelope of cash and tells him to take it to Billie. Outside, Bossman begins to walk towards the club. Jet quickly dips outside the kitchen door. Bossman asks where Jet is, but Tucker won’t budge. Bossman threatens Tucker, then leaves.

Jet heads back to Cash’s house, and greets him as he arrives with Alma back from prison. Cash, drunk and disheveled, almost doesn’t recognize his own son. Jet tells him he just needed a place to crash for the night and picks up the two metal boxes of money on the way out. Before he leaves, Cash offers him another gambling gig for the next day, as a peace offering for being gone for so many years. Jet accepts and leaves.

Cash heads to Lucille’s Juke Joint, where a 70-year-old LUCILLE jokes around with Cash. The scene intercuts with Jet playing at the gig Cash offered him. The phone rings and Lucille answers.

At the same time, Bossman and Slick ride in Bossman’s truck. Bossman is anticipating Jet’s appearance at the gambling gig.

Jet keeps playing at the gig, noticing Cash at the door. Cash essentially crashes the gig, offering to play as the crowd applauds. Cash plays, and the two eye the FAT MAN taking in the rake of money. He’s their target. Later that night, the pair follow the fat guy out to his car. Cash points his shotgun at the back of his head, and Jet takes the money. They jump into Jet’s car and speed off.

Jet and Cash head to Doe’s Restaurant for a quick meal. The GRILL COOK at the restaurant is on the phone with Slick, who informs him that the game was targeted again, and money was stolen. The cook tells Slick that Jet and Cash are at the restaurant. As they talk over beer, Bossman and Slick race to the restaurant. Cash notices the grill cook on the phone, and tells Jet they better get out of there real quick.

Bossman arrives at the restaurant, seeing that Jet and Cash have already left. Bossman whacks the grill cook across the face with a pan. Jet and Cash go back to Lucille’s. Cue a montage of Jet and Cash playing together, counting money, etc.

At Billie’s mother’s house, Jet brings Billie another envelope of cash. He tells her he can’t stay long, since he has another gig in Jackson that night. Jordan runs out to hug his father. Jet holds back his tears before he gets back on the road once again.

Jet and Cash arrive at Bad Apple’s Blues Club, where they speak to the owner BOBBY APPLE, a well-built ginger. He tells the pair they can hide out in his joint. Later that night, Bossman comes to the club, asking Bobby Apple’s 11-year-old daughter ROSIE where he is. She refuses to talk to the stranger, and Bossman orders her to step outside. Bobby Apple walks in from the hallway and begins speaking with Bossman. Bossman throws Bobby into nearby chairs and chokes him, threatening to smash his guitar. Bobby pleads and Bossman punches him square in the face, breaking his nose.

Cut to Jet and Cash in Po Monkey’s Lounge, once one of the most notorious juke joints in the Mississippi Delta. The joint is completely abandoned now. Cash recalls how this joint is where he met Cash’s mother, and where he committed the murder that brought him to prison. After the heartfelt reflections, the pair get back into Jet’s car and drive into the night.

Suddenly, Bossman, in the backseat of Jet’s car, holds up a pool cue to Cash’s throat from behind. Cash chuckles; the two go way back. Bossman comments on Jet stealing from the gig at the Antebellum house, referring to him as Cash’s sidekick. Offended by the title, Jet retaliates, only for Bossman to whack him in the head with the pool cue. Slick follows them in the car behind. Bossman and Cash wrestle and strangle each other. Bossman wraps a seatbelt around Cash’s neck. Slick fires a shot at the car, shattering the driver’s side mirror. Another shot explodes the rearview mirror. Cash bites down on Bossman’s hand. Jet yanks the steering wheel to the left, ejecting Bossman out of the car. Slick skids to a stop to see if Bossman is okay. Jet and Cash speed away.

Pulled over at the levee, Jet and Cash clean up their bloody selves. Cash proposes that the pair move to Arkansas to continue their heists. Jet immediately declines, saying that their recent encounter with Bossman was too much of a close call. He wants to be at home with his wife and son, not committing crimes. Cash reminds Jet that he’s going to need a lot more money to take care of his son. Jet tells Cash that he doesn’t want to become like him. Cash leaves in the darkness, walking towards the levee.

At his home, Bossman sits with his hand wrapped and pants torn. He sips pop. Slick calls and tells him that a boat of gamblers are docking for the night. Bossman asks Slick if Jet has a woman. They are going to find out.

Jet, who spent the night in his car, wakes up, frantically searching for the boxes of money in his car. Cash appears and hushes Jet. Jet agrees to one more heist.

That evening, Jet and Cash sit outside the hunting lodge where the gamblers have docked. They head in to play the gig, until Cash stops and points a gun at one of the obnoxious gamblers’ heads. He whacks him with the butt of the gun, and tells Jet to clean out the place. Jet piles the cash into his guitar case as the ROCKABILLY MUSICIAN who was supposed to play the gig smashes the guitar over Cash’s head. Jet points his gun at the crowd and orders them to let Cash go. Jet shoots the musician, and carries Cash out of the lodge and into the woods.

In Jet’s car, Cash lies badly injured. Jet drops Cash off at a hidden cabin and promises to come back to get him. Jet speeds to his mother-in-law BETTYE’s home, where she answers the door. Shocked at Jet’s bloody appearance, she responds that Billie and Jordan are not home and just left. Uh oh.

Jet storms out and calls Billie’s phone, but Bossman answers. Bossman tells Jet to meet him at Cathead Bridge with all of the money Jet has stolen, otherwise he will drown Billie and Jordan.

Bossman drives to the cabin where Cash is hiding out, and orders Cash to get in the car with Billie and Jordan. Jet follows Bossman’s car. In the parking lot, Billie and Jordan reunite with Jet and Cash. Bossman pulls out his pistol and orders Jet to hand over his dobro guitar. Slick grabs the guitar and loads it into Bossman’s truck. Bossman orders Jet and Cash to get in his truck.

Bossman tells Jet and Cash they will raid another gambling event that night on a riverboat, and give him the money. That night, Jet and Cash play at the gig. Bossman distracts some of the gamblers, then storms the party and orders Jet and Cash to grab all the cash they can and put it in the guitar case. A bartender fires, hitting Cash in the chest. The gunfire continues as chaos ensues. Jet carries Cash to Bossman’s truck and drives off.

Returning to the parking lot where Billie and Jordan were left, Jet loads them into his car. Cash begins to drive himself in Bossman’s car, distracting the people who are following them. At a fork in the road, Jet goes straight and Cash turns left. The car follows Cash. Cash skids to a stop in the middle of the road, and shoots the car behind him, which skids off the road. Cash heads to Po Monkey’s.

Cut back to Jet, who is taking Jordan to the hospital for his insulin shot. He tells Billie to stay with Jordan while he tries to find Cash. Jet meets Cash at Po Monkey’s, carries him out, and drives off into the night.

Bossman lies bloodied on an empty street.

Fade to the future, where Jet, Billie, and Jordan are in their second home, in a nice neighborhood. Jordan is healthy and shoots baskets in the driveway. Cash steps outside, offering Jordan a special present.

It’s the dobro guitar that Bossman took from Jet and Cash years prior.

Per his grandson’s request, Cash bursts out into the tune of “The Thrill Is Gone” as the screen fades to black.