Meet Joe Black
Meet Joe Black is a 1998 American romantic fantasy drama film directed and produced by Martin Brest, starring Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, and Claire Forlani. Celebrating his 65th birthday, businessman and devoted family man Bill Parrish is visited by Death, who wants to know what it's like to be human in return for giving Bill extra days of his life. The screenplay was written by Bo Goldman, Kevin Wade, Ron Osborn, and Jeff Reno, and is loosely based on the 1934 film Death Takes a Holiday, an adaptation of the 1924 Italian play La morte in vacanza by Alberto Casella.
38.3s
This is damn big of Bill. - Ooh. You all right? - Yeah. Also smart, you know? Well, he had no choice. He knows you're a formidable adversary. He said that? Yeah, I mean, you got him by the short hairs. Yeah, the short and gray hairs. - We're all here, Bill. - I appreciate this, Eddie. Members of the board, this will just take a minute of your time. As custodians of the company, you may receive information from what follows... that will be valuable to you or not. - Either way, thanks. - We're all ears. Thanks.
Meet Joe Black
1m19s
You're a useless sack of shit, Drew. You played footsie with John Bontecou... so you could dismember my company to line your own pockets. I don't know where you get that idea. The board agreed... The board didn't know you were a mole who burrowed inside so you could bury us all. Is this Mr. Black's fantasy? Another one of his whoppers? Aren't you sick of this asshole lurking around? Nobody knows who he is. But one thing everybody does know, he somehow got your ear and has been pouring poison into it ever since. You're the poison, Drew. You've operated behind the scenes to suborn the trust of a man... who has stamped you with his imprimatur of class, elegance and stature. I've had the opportunity to be witness to every kind and degree of deception. But Bill Parrish has been on the receiving end of machinations so Machiavellian... that it has rarely been my experience to encounter. And yet, he has combatted them stoically and selflessly, without revealing my identity. Had he violated the vow of secrecy he took, his task would have been far easier. He could have turned defeat into victory. But he is too honorable a man to have done that. Because of me, he has lost his work, his company, his reputation. So now, given these losses, I'm compelled to end the need for secrecy.
Meet Joe Black
28.3s
So tell me. Tell me. I'm peeing in my pants. - And you're going to pee some more. - Joe, don't do this. It's okay, Bill. It's time we put this person in his place. It's not necessary, Joe. Drew's gonna step aside. - I'm not stepping anywhere. - I appreciate your gentlemanliness. But what we need to do here is drive the dagger home. - "The dagger"? - I told you to shut up! Prepare yourself, Drew. - I... - Joe, please. Kindly let me take it from here. - Am... - Don't.
Meet Joe Black
1m43s
- Bill? - Huh? Bill. - Bill. - Yeah. Yes, he's, um... He's an agent for the Internal Revenue Service. Mmm, yes, we were convinced that Bontecou, on past deals, has structured his mergers and acquisitions... in suspicious and complicated ways so as to evade paying the taxes he is liable for. The agency asked Bill for his cooperation in an undercover investigation of Bontecou. We wanted to go after him, and this deal gave us that perfect opportunity. - And I offered to cooperate. - And we're very grateful. Uh, Agent Joe Black here... Of course, that's not his real name... smelled out your involvement, Drew. He developed evidence you were working both sides of the fence. Unfortunately, that is what is known as a conflict of interest. Undisclosed conflict of interest. - An offense. - An indictable offense. - And a likely conviction. - Very likely. I think I'd like to talk to my lawyer. No lawyers, Drew. Uh, we're gonna offer you a deal. Confess to the board every detail of your participation, then submit your resignation. What do I get? You get not to go to jail. You're talking through your hat. You're offering me a deal because you've got no proof. Proof? We've got plenty of proof. He's talking through his lips. Drew, make no mistake. Should you choose to test my resolve in this matter, you will be looking at an outcome that will have a finality... that is beyond your comprehension. And you will not be counting the days or the months or the years, but millenniums in a place with no doors.
Meet Joe Black
47.6s
All right, you win. Soon as I get back to the city, I'll meet with the board. You're meeting with the board right now, Drew. Resignation accepted. Moreover, I propose a motion to reconfirm William Parrish... as chairman of the board of Parrish Communications, as well as a rejection of the merger with Bontecou International. - How say you, board? - Yes. - Yes. - The motion is passed. Thank you. That's great. But it's more than I bargained for. I just wanted to set the record straight. You have. Sounds like these guys want you back, Bill. We'll get their apologies later. Meanwhile, enjoy your party. Celebrate. I'll attend to the nasty details. And, Mr. Black, may we say thank you? My pleasure. This is an I.R.S. Agent's dream. I'll be promoted chief of section off this.
Meet Joe Black