Safe House (2012)
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Joel Kinnaman, Brendan Gleeson, Sam Shepard, Nora Arnezeder, Fares Fares, Jenna Dover, Daniel Fox, Tracie Thoms, Robert Patrick, Stephen Bishop, Vera Farmiga, Liam Cunningham, Stephen Rider, Rubén Blades
Plot: Denzel Washington plays the most dangerous renegade from the CIA, who comes back onto the grid after a decade on the run. When the South African safe house hes remanded to is attacked by mercenaries, a rookie operative (Ryan Reynolds) escapes with him. Now, the unlikely allies must stay alive long enough to uncover who wants them dead.
* * *
(GRUNTS)
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK AN HOUR BEFORE
(MEN SPEAKING RUSSIAN)
You’re lying to me.
I’m not. I don’t know what you’re talking about.
I don’t know what you want from me. I swear I don’t.
I have three children.
The first thing you have to learn as a father
is to know when your children are lying to you.
You’re lying to me.
And if you don’t stop,
I’m going to use one of those tortures
your people are so famous for on your little body
until you tell me what I want to know!
For the last time,
give me the numbers.
NANKING, CHINA
A YEAR BEFORE
Try it the other way, it adds up to 365.
Only one answer is correct.
I mean no disrespect, Mr. Sook, but your calculations are wrong. (STUDENTS LAUGHING)
Mei… we’re going to move you to a different school.
But all my friends are her, and my mother…
Mei, you are so smart, a genius.
You have to go to an appropriate school.
You’ll make new friends.
Don’t be sad, we’ll always be friends. Kids in Beijing are cool,
you’ll have a good time there.
But I don’t even like numbers.
I like my friends here. I don’t want new friends. I don’t like math.
Of course you do.
We’ll send you a letter every week.
You promise?
Of course. Think we want to miss out on having a famous friend?
It’s gonna be great, Mei.
(TIRES SCREECHING)
GIRL: Mei! (SCREAMS)
(ALL CHEERING)
THE MEADOWLANDS NEW JERSEY
How dare you come here?
You have no right.
Ma, enough, stop!
You have no right to be here. No right! You should be in jail!
(CRYING) You should be in jail.
You get out of here!
You get out of here.
I’m sorry.
I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you!
(COINS CLATTERING)
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
Piece of garbage. He should never have been in there with me.
Luke, come on. What, are you crazy, man?
LUKE: Get off!
Get off now!
I never liked you, Luke.
You’re a better fighter than 90 % of the guys you go in the cage with,
but you just let ’em pound on you like you’re a side of beef.
You already lost to every chump in the circuit.
But last night, of all nights,
you’re supposed to go down in the second, you son of a bitch!
Once. I hit him once.
MAN: Back off.
Where’d you find him, in a fucking playground?
YouTube, you asshole.
The kid’s an Internet sensation, until you put him in a coma,
which, frankly, I do not give a shit about,
but you cost me $1 million,
which is nothing compared to what you cost Docheski.
Yeah, you recognize the name?
He was betting on you big time to take the dive.
And he’s gonna take it out on me, too,
’cause he knows I’m the schmuck that set this whole thing up.
Unless I deliver your head with a down payment.
You know how the Russians are.
(GRUNTING)
Oh. Mei!
Mei.
This is my niece, Bai Yu.
Recognize her?
She’s in my class at school.
She says your mind is like a computer.
We spoke to your teacher and he said the same thing.
That’s why you’re here.
Lovely girl.
Computers are so annoying, they leave trails that are easy to follow.
(SHOUTING)
They say what you learn you never forget. Is that so?
Then we will kill your mother for making such a stupid girl.
So they are telling the truth.
Mr. Sook said your father ran away, left your mother.
And your mother is very ill.
Soon you will be all alone. So you want to be all alone?
Then we will take good care of your mother.
This is Chang, your new father.
He’ll take you over the ocean, where our enemies make trouble for us.
Once you are there…
You will count for us.
(\/OICEMAIL BEEPS)
ANNIE: You’ve got the Wright number, so leave the right message.
Call me when you get this, Annie.
I mean right away. If you’re out, don’t go home.
If I’m scaring you, that’s good. Call me.
Annie?
(SIGHS)
(MEN SPEAKING RUSSIAN)
(GUN COCKS)
VASSILY: That’s it?
I heard you were some kind of tough guy.
(CHEMYAKIN SPEAKING RUSSIAN)
No fighting?
You’re just going to sit on the floor like a dog who wants to die.
Sorry it had to be so messy.
The boy is still learning.
And I’m not a doctor, but I think she was eating for two.
We’re like Charlie Manson family. No?
My father was going to send someone else, but I’m making my bones.
LUKE: You make your bones by killing someone who can hurt you back.
And who would that be? You?
Well, why not? You just killed your wife.
I didn’t kill her. You did.
What? You want to hurt me? Good.
I want to see you try.
Get it over with.
Over? You cost my father money, made my family look bad.
Now we’re going to make an extra special example out of you.
So we looked into your records. Not much to find.
Worked for city, garbage collection, sanitation.
Good benefits, but no glamour, eh?
Father and mother, dead.
No brothers or sisters, which is too bad,
because I would like to take them from you, too.
But you love your wife. We know that.
So here’s the deal. You’re free to go.
But we will have eyes on you. Not always, but when you least expect it, we’ll be there.
Anyone you try to make friends with or even talk to,
other than ordering a hot dog or something,
will die, like your wife, because of you.
Of course, you can always end it.
Jump off a bridge, throw yourself in front of a train.
Damn your eternal soul to hell, if you believe in that kind of bullshit.
Personally I don’t, so I’d go for it if I were you.
But I am not you.
Thank God.
So do what you want.
If you’re still here tomorrow, we’re going to kill the landlady.
What was her name?
CHEMYAKIN: Tobolovski.
Mrs. Tobolovski. (GUN COCKS) Nice lady.
CHEMYAKIN: Clean up the mess, garbage man.
All right, she’s your daughter, and she’s an American citizen.
I ain’t gonna ask what the deal is with her.
That’s your business.
But I’m gonna tell you, pulling strings is hard work,
and hard work don’t come free.
Your price, Captain Wolf?
Chinatown precinct take goes up 20 %.
Bronx, 121st, Brooklyn divisions each go up by 10 % monthly.
That’s a steep price for a passport and some papers for a little girl.
Things are tough all over.
Chinatown gets upped 10 %.
Bronx and Brooklyn will settle for the current rate
and the fact that we won’t start shooting cops and their families
in the streets like dogs at the first sign of pressure.
Things are tough all over.
Hey, man, I know you.
I saw your fight in Jersey. It was really good.
You knocked that guy out.
Nah.
That was some good shit, man. Great fight.
Wei Lu’s store, 26,000 this week. 26,000 last week.
Hojin is even at 15,000 a week.
His store on Bowery St. showed a profit for May.
CHINATOWN, NEW YORK ONE YEAR AFTER
Cheng Sao, 42 last week, 42.5 this week.
His shop is showing a 7% increase in earnings every month.
In total Mott Street’s earnings are up 72,535 dollars.
Our other stores are all up 5%.
Weekly profits should be between 6,000 and 8,000 each.
Ant the Casino?
The casino?
800,000 last week. This week also 800,000.
Exactly $800,000?
It’s almost 800.
I’m not asking you if it’s almost 800. I want the exact number.
$785,370.
And the week before?
It’s losing money.
(GROANING)
(GLASS SHATTERING)
(SHOUTS ORDER IN MANDARIN)
(COUGHING)
You’ll have a new floor boss tonight.
If the tally comes up short again, he won’t be the only one who suffers.
(BOTH LAUGHING)
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
What?
What?
Why?
Because he was hurting business, and business is a serious matter.
I understand business,
but why beat him if we’re going to kill him anyway?
If you’re asking me that, it means you still don’t understand business.
No be quiet and eat.
(MAN SPEAKING GIBBERISH)
Fuck you! Fuck you!
No. Okay. What? Hey.
(MAN LAUGHING)
You can’t come in the shelter.
Just trying to get something to eat, man.
GUARD: You ain’t gonna eat in here.
You gotta get searched first.
Don’t touch my bag, man.
GUARD: Wrap it up. Lights out in five.
Wrap it up-
Come on, guys.
Nice kicks.
They better be here in the morning or you’ll be wearing them on your ears.
‘Cause I’ll chew your feet off at the goddamn ankles.
(GROANS SOFTLY)
I could really use some new shoes, man.
I’ll do whatever you want, you know?
Whatever gets you through the night.
I just… I can’t take…
Shut up, shut up.
Shut up and take ’em. I’ve still got my old ones.
Go get those feet looked at.
Gangrene is setting in.
I will.
Thank you, man.
Jesus loves you, brother.
Jesus loves you.
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
MAN ON PA: Lights out. Wake-up call is 7:00 a.m.
Lights out.
Lights out.
(WOMAN SPEAKING MANDARIN ON TV)
Shh!
Mei, I have sad news.
I heard them talking, and your mother is gone.
(SOBBING)
She died two weeks ago in the hospital.
They weren’t going to tell you,
but I’m telling you so that you can pray for her soul to find its way to heaven.
Please don’t say anything.
If they find out I told you…
I won’t say anything.
Thank you.
MAN ON PA: Everybody up.
The shelter needs to be cleared by 9:00 a.m.
Bed reservations for tonight need to be made by 3:30.
Please remove all your personal belongings.
GUARD 1: Everybody up. Come on, let’s go.
Take your belongings with you. You know the drill.
GUARD 2: Don’t make me late. Let’s go. Come on!
GUARD 1: So you wanna tell us what happened?
Someone liked his shoes.
GUARD 2: Funny guy. You think this is a joke?
You know, you guys are a hell of a crack security squad.
GUARD 3: You were right here. You could have said something,
but you were too busy sleeping off this contraband, right?
You come into this shelter again,
and I will run your raggedy ass back out into the street.
I want you to take this to your room and memorize it. Then…
I’ve memorized it.
This is an extremely important number.
For your mother’s sake, answer me carefully.
Are you sure you have memorized it?
I can repeat it for you, but it would be long and boring.
(LAUGHS)
Look at that. Here for a year and she has American attitude.
If she says she remembers it,
she remembers it.
I can vouch for that.
Then I have a very important job for you.
Hey, watch where you’re going, man!
You could get your ass kicked for that, okay, huh?
$4.55.
CLERK: If you got no money, you gotta get out of line.
I got money.
WOMAN: He doesn’t have any money. Look at him.
CLERK: Mister, I told you, if you don’t have money, you have to leave, okay?
You gotta get out of line. People are waiting.
Come on, buddy, you gotta go.
(LAUGHING)
Is this guy giving you trouble?
CLERK: He’s crazy, Officer. Get him out of here, okay?
All right, come on, let’s go. Hey, you! Come on, let’s go.
Out, on the street.
Let’s go, funny boy. You wanna be a clown, go join the circus.
Not in my precinct. You hear me? I don’t wanna see you around here. Hey.
Jesus Christ.
MEARS: Look what the cat dragged in.
Unbelievable. Look at him.
Look at him?
How about the smell?
I’ll call the boys.
Mei, these are your instructions.
Chang will take you to meet a man who has a second number.
You will memorize it.
You’ll go to another location where you’ll receive final instructions.
MEARS: You miss us, partner?
Welcome back to the force.
You’re learning fast.
If you do this job well, you have a bright future with Uncle Han.
(HORNS HONK)
(SHOUTING IN MANDARIN)
(GUNSHOTS)
(GUN COCKING)
I’m sorry. I can’t let them have you.
CHANG: Mei! Get back here!
(MEN SHOUTING IN RUSSIAN)
CHANG: Mei!
How’s your day been, Luke?
Started lousy. But it’s looking up.
(GRUNTING)
LASKY: Luke Wright, The Big Apple’s hardest cop, once upon a time.
You always could take a shot.
But you know what your real talent is? You’re a uniter.
I mean, who’d have thought that us and the Russkies
would ever be on the same page about anything?
Not me. Nice to see you, rat.
I’ve been wanting to do this ever since the day you opened your big fucking mouth.
When we heard what Docheski did to you, I mean, I had to laugh.
I mean, we felt bad for Annie and all.
Them’s the breaks. She knew who she was with.
When word come up on the street you were back,
we couldn’t believe our fucking ears.
Now, why would you come back?
Why wouldn’t you disappear somewhere far away, huh?
Like the moon?
I missed home.
(LAUGHS)
LASKY: You were one of us, Luke. We were a team.
We were family. Then you threw us under the bus.
We were kings, you son of a bitch!
Now we’re a bunch of goddamned serfs.
(CHUCKLES)
Whoa, whoa. Hey, hey, hey, easy, Benoit, huh?
LASKY: When you come back, we figured you want to die.
You know, we got a pool going on when you’re gonna end it and how, you know?
Bus, train.
(GUN COCKS)
I got my money on suicide by cop.
Come on, take it.
Take a shot. Come on.
Annie’s waiting for you.
Question is, do you really think she wants to see you again?
Actually, my real talent is costing other people money.
You ought to know that, Lasky.
You’re gonna lose that bet, unless you wanna shoot me in the back.
It wouldn’t be your first time.
LASKY: Why don’t you just end it?
What are you waiting for, more people around you to die?
What are you waiting for?
For the last time, give me the numbers.
You’re a very brave girl and clever.
But do you know how we knew exactly what you can do,
where you were going to be and when?
Someone told you.
That’s right. Can you guess who?
Let her in.
(SPEAKS RUSSIAN)
Your friend, the one who told you about your poor mother
when the scum who took you from home would not.
She’s working for us with a smile.
Ling.
I tell these men what they want to know and they pay me lots of money.
Do the same and they will help you too.
You are a stupid woman.
VASSILY: In English.
You gave them what they want, now they’re going to kill you.
(MEI CONTINUES IN MANDARIN)
VASSILY: I said, speak in English.
Well?
(STAMMERS) She won’t tell me any…
My father is a patient man.
I am not.
Tell him what he wants to know, or I’ll kill…
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
OFFICER: N.Y.P.D., open the door!
What the hell?
OFFICER: This is the police.
We got reports of a disturbance.
(MAN SPEAKING RUSSIAN)
(POUNDING ON DOOR)
OFFICER: Look, you can make this easy, or you can make it hard.
Open the door or we come in by force.
Bullshit, blue! You come in here, you go out feet first.
I swear on my mother.
(SIRENS WAILING)
Yeah, they’re in there, Captain.
I don’t know what the hell you’re looking for. They’re not cooperating.
You’d better get down here before things go to hell.
WOLF: Negative, negative, this is big.
I’m going back to the station to monitor the city. I’ll get back to you.
All right, we got ’em pinned down.
You know what I want.
We have a deal. Get the girl.
Alive if you can, dead if you can’t.
We go in, Brooklyn’s stake goes up by 10 %.
That’s the new deal. (PHONE BEEPING)
Hold on, I got an incoming call.
Hey, Emile. What’s up?
Back your men off, Wolf.
Whatever the Chinese offered to you, I’ll up it by five percent.
(DOOR CLOSING)
Get her back here!
(AGREES IN RUSSIAN)
(SPEAKING RUSSIAN)
WOLF: All right, Quan, I got the Russians offering
to up Brooklyn’s stake by seven percent.
Bronx the same. So I don’t know what to tell you.
I talked to my guys. They’re willing to go to war over this.
You know, you’re gonna be stuck between us and the Russians,
like Hitler fighting on two fronts,
so you better think hard about this one.
10 % both precincts. Final offer.
Hey, Mack,
both these bastards are willing to pay a stiff price for this little chink girl.
Whatever she’s got, I want it.
MACK: So what’s our play?
WOLF: I get the Russians to drop their guard, you go in.
If she catches a bullet, I want you to take out
every last one of those Bolshevik scumbags.
All right, Emile.
Your offer is good.
I’m gonna call my guys oft but only because I like you better.
Bullshit. You’re a greedy bastard, Wolf.
You got the scent of something big and now you want it all for yourself.
But I have to tell you something before you send your men in guns blazing.
She’s gone.
What do you mean she’s gone?
EMILE: I mean, she escaped
And with all your men out there, I can’t follow.
I offer you a truce until we find her.
Trust me, if the Chinese find her first,
that will be a thing you regret as long as you live.
Docheski, what does she have?
Do we have a truce, Captain Wolf?
MACK ON LOUDSPEAKER: The girl is Chinese, 11 years old.
She speaks Mandarin and English.
Her photo is being disseminated.
You are to find her and bring her straight to Center Street.
She’s headed for subway.
The police have screwed us.
Is that so?
That’s all you have to say?
You’re an idiot. If you don’t find the girl before the police do,
your head will be gone in an instant.
Let’s go to war.
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(TRAIN APPROACHING)
Sorry, Annie.
(MEN SPEAKING RUSSIAN)
(BEEPING)
I lost my lock on the Russian cell on Jay Street.
Sounds like they went into the subway station, Manhattan bound.
(BELL RINGING)
Hey!
(GRUNTS)
(INDISTINCT)
(GRUNTING)
(GROANS)
(BONES CRACKING)
(SCREAMING)
(GROANS)
You?
The garbage collector?
You got bad information. I never collected garbage.
I disposed of it.
(PASSENGERS SHOUTING)
Don’t lose sleep.
He had it coming.
(VOMITING)
MAN 1: Out of the way!
MAN 2: Chill, man.
No problem. No problem.
Are you all right?
MAN 3: Go, get out, get out! MAN 4: Move!
LUKE: It’s okay.
(BELL CHIMES)
MAN ON PA: Keep your eyes out for the girl.
The girl was last seen entering Jay Street station. Red alert.
When found, she needs to be brought to Captain Wolf at Center Street.
I repeat, red alert.
Whoa, easy. Easy there, hon.
We’re the police. Everything’s all right.
Hey, what’s your name, hon?
This is her.
I don’t know. They all look alike to me.
You got that picture up?
Yeah, let me see.
(WHISTLING)
(GRUNTING)
(GROANING) Fucking…
Fucking New York City.
Don’t see somebody for years,
and you bump into them twice in the same day.
Hey, hey, hey-
I’m not gonna hurt you.
(TIRES SCREECHING)
(MEN SHOUTING)
What the hell did you do, kid?
(GUNSHOTS)
(GLASS SHATTERING)
(MEN SHOUTING)
(TIRES SCREECHING)
(GUN FIRING)
(GRUNTS)
(TIRES SCREECHING)
You know, those men chasing you are bad. You wanna tell me why they’re after you?
Do you understand me?
Do you speak English?
(GUNFIRE CONTINUES)
What do you mean Chemyakin and the others disappeared?
Someone else has taken her.
No, not the police. He nearly killed a couple of cops.
No the Chinese, either. I don’t know who the hell he is.
Kill him and take the girl alive. If you can’t, then kill her too.
The other way. Cars go the other way!
(SHOUTING IN RUSSIAN)
Are you a crazy man?
(HORNS HONKING)
(SHOUTING IN RUSSIAN)
LUKE: Hold on.
WOMAN: Hey, what’s your problem?
(SHOUTING IN RUSSIAN)
If this goes on, a lot of innocent people are gonna get hurt.
You want that?
Good, then do what I say.
(SHOUTING IN RUSSIAN)
(SIRENS WAILING)
Are you okay?
Then let’s go.
I’m not five years old.
Then keep up.
WOLF: You had her, and you lost her.
No, Captain, we didn’t lose her. She was taken by force.
The Russians.
No, not the Russians.
Well, it was Luke Wright.
What?
TEAGUE: Captain Wolf…
Not now, Teague.
TEAGUE: The mayor wants you, Captain.
Put him through on two.
He’s not on the phone.
He wants you at the mansion yesterday.
WOMAN: There you go.
Thank you, Mr. Ivanov.
Thank you.
Mr. Ivanov. Here you are, Mr. Ivanov.
Room 1012, 10th floor.
Thank you.
You like a nice hotel.
I never stayed in a nice hotel.
No one’s gonna look for us in one.
She’s in the area, but there’s a lot of interference.
I can’t be more specific.
Wait…
Wait.
Got her.
(TV PLAYING)
(WATER RUNNING)
LUKE: Man, would I love a shower right now.
You could use one.
I could’ve just let those Russians grab you on the train.
Why did you save me?
I didn’t save you.
You saved me.
Rm Paying you back.
My name is Luke.
Mei.
You have parents, Mei?
I have a father.
What’s his name?
Chang Quan.
Chang Quan.
If we’re talking about the same guy,
he didn’t have any kids the last time I checked.
Any he made since wouldn’t be a day over three years old.
I’m adopted.
Did he bring you over from back home?
Chang isn’t the fatherly type.
Why are you here, Mei?
To count.
(TURNS TV ON)
You were sent over by the old guy, Chang’s boss.
What’s his name? Old school.
No computers, no electronic trails.
That’s just what you have in your head, right?
You know Jiao Han?
I know of him.
He told me a number, a very long number.
I was going someplace where I would get another number and more instructions,
but the Russians came and shot everyone.
Then the police came and I ran away. Now you know everything.
Happiness for you?
You wanna go back to Han Jiao?
I make too much trouble. Bad business.
After I do what he asks, he kills me.
Good business.
So what about this number?
It’s a long, boring number. I can tell it to you.
It wouldn’t mean anything to me.
But how do you know it’s one number and not a bunch of separate numbers?
You’re a crazy man, but not so stupid.
Is there anything interesting to you about these numbers?
Maybe a few of them.
Why?
Because they have a three or a seven before them.
All the numbers are random.
But five of them has a seven before and eight of them has a three before.
That’s too many times to be random.
It’s a code.
What else?
Nothing.
So, it’s the three and the seven that are interesting
because they happen too many times to be random.
Because they’re not numbers. They’re words.
Right-left or left-right.
Old school, a combination to a safe.
In the hotel?
(SPEAKS MANDARIN)
Where?
That’s as close as I can track.
What do you have for me?
We’re looking for a man now, who is supposed to be with the girl.
He’s armed and considered extremely dangerous. Dispatch says he’s…
About 5’11”, brown hair, 30s,
probably came in here less than a few hours ago.
Sir, we’re not allowed to discuss our guests.
So he’s a guest? Did he check in?
I’m sorry, sir. We’re not at liberty to…
He would have been with a Chinese girl, 11 years old.
I’m her father, and I’m very worried about her.
I’m so sorry. I can call the police for you.
Do that and I blow your brains out.
Now what room is he in?
What room is he in?
I think maybe I put him on the 10th floor.
Room!
I swear, he didn’t have a little girl with him.
Room.
I just need to check.
Then check quick,
or I put a bullet in your brain.
Quick!
Put your hands up.
You don’t want any part of this!
Hands up so I can see ’em.
(GUNFIRE)
No one leaves the hotel!
Come on!
1012.
He’s in room 1012.
I thought you said no one would look for us here.
It’s off. I turned it off
so no one could call…
Lt doesn’t need to be on.
Get back! Get back!
Get down on the floor!
Everybody back! You!
Write down the numbers,
just the ones with three and seven in front of them. Quick.
MAN: You, get over there! Get down, get down!
LUKE: I’ll try to get you someplace safe.
If we get separated, don’t tell them you told me anything. Lie.
If they try to scare you…
Try? I’m so scared already.
Yeah, me, too. Remember, lie.
We’re almost there.
If you see them downstairs, try not to kill the girl.
(GASPS)
Back inside.
Follow them. I’m going back down to cut them off!
(SIRENS WAILING)
OFFICER 1: I got the front desk!
OFFICER 2: Ready the back perimeter! OFFICER 3: Everybody ready?
The cops are here. Hold them off until I give the word.
Do not let them in!
(MEN SHOUTING IN MANDARIN)
(ALL SCREAMING)
MAN: Everybody stay down. You ain’t going nowhere!
Stay! Where you going? Step back. No!
Get back down!
Get back!
Move! Move!
(SCREAMING)
Get up! Everybody up.
We’re getting out of the hotel.
Up!
(FIRES GUN)
Up or I start killing you. Up!
OFFICER: Northeast corner on 58th, we got a suspect.
We got a suspect here.
Hey, don’t move!
Don’t move!
MAN 11 Watch it, buddy. MAN 21 Watch it!
MEN: Move! Over there! Go!
CHANG: Into the street and keep moving! Anyone who doesn’t, dies like this.
Into the street! Move!
OFFICER 1: It’s a stampede!
OFFICER 2: Hold your fire.
OFFICER 3: We got civilians!
OFFICER 4: Calm down. Calm down. Take it easy.
OFFICER 2: Hold your fire.
Suspects in the crowd. We can’t ID them.
Suspects in the crowd.
Hey! Stop right there!
(SHOUTS IN MAN DARIN)
(HONKING)
Hey! What the hell are you doing?
That’s my car!
Do something. He took my fucking car!
(WHISTLES)
Head downtown. I’ll give you an address in a minute.
Fuck!
Shit!
DRIVER: Hey, buddy, you wanna give me an address?
In a minute, just hold on.
Who? this?
How do you think? It’s Piotor. Don’t you have me in your phone?
Piotor? Police reports said you were found on the subway with…
Police reports were wrong.
The others got…
What’s that?
Sorry, bad connection.
I have the number.
You what?
Before the guy grabbed her, we got the number form her.
I’ve been ducking the cops for hours.
Igor, put this number into your phone.
Go ahead, give it to me.
Are you crazy? It’s on a really long piece of paper. Where are you ?
He might be bringing the cops.
Should we clear the place out?
If there are cops, we’re better off in the crowd.
Still, we need better positions.
Alright, Piotor…
Now’s your chance to be a hero.
Mamoschka’s.
Be here soon.
I’ll be there.
DANNY: He’s here. Luke Wright is back in the city.
In my city.
Actually, he’s been back for a while.
A While? What’s a While?
(CELL PHONE RINGING)
Maybe a year. It’s hard to say.
Turn that goddamn thing off.
Alex.
Guys.
MAN 1: Yes, sir. MAN 2: Sorry, Your Honor.
What’s going on, Wolf? And how’s Luke Wright involved in it?
I figured I might ask you the same question.
Don’t try to game me.
You’re nothing but a pawn,
playing on a board so big you can’t even see the edge.
That’s all you’ve ever been.
I know about Luke Wright,
which is more than you can say until five minutes ago.
What you know about Luke Wright rates less than a paragraph in a very fat book.
After the towers fell,
when our manpower was spread out tracking terrorist activity,
I was the one who formed the special task force
to deal with the crime that was filling the gap.
And don’t you ever fucking forget that I was the one who put you in charge.
I didn’t forget. My work made you mayor.
Your work?
You think Luke was just one of your cops?
When I put together your team, I knew it needed an edge
no ordinary detectives could give me.
Something surgical.
I called friends in places buried so deep
they don’t officially exist. They were sympathetic.
A week later, they sent Luke Wright.
Those wise guys who vanished over the last seven years,
you think that was internecine war?
Those coke kings you found in the gutter in Harlem,
Freddy Petrovich in Brooklyn, Tommy Lau in Chinatown.
Luke Wright is a ghost.
A very deadly ghost.
And it worked like a charm, too.
Then you dicks had to get greedy and pad your pockets.
Luke’s a killer, but he’s an honest one.
When he threatened to take the whole thing to IA,
it took some people with a lot of bronze stuck to their pajamas
to talk him off the ledge.
Yeah, my team gets dismantled, we’re peons again.
But if Luke Wright’s so connected,
how does he wind up in Jersey cage fighting on the B circuit?
Do I look like a shrink?
Get everybody on this.
Once Luke Wright gets on a roll,
there’s only one man in this city who can take him on one-on-one.
Excuse me. I know this is a closed door,
but there was just a major gun battle downtown at a hotel.
The media is going nuts. You’re gonna need to make a statement.
WOLF: Han Jiao is in the city, also.
He gave this little Chinese girl something.
I don’t know what.
Luke Wright grabbed her before I could.
What?
I said Luke Wright…
Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time.
Close every exit out of Manhattan.
Make sure that neither Wright or the girl gets away,
you get Commissioner.
Let ’em go,
you get a shovel to dig your own grave.
That girl does not leave this city.
Who was this man that killed the Russians?
I don’t know. He didn’t tell me.
Did he ask you about the number?
Everyone asked me about the number.
And what did you tell them?
Huh?
Nothing.
What?
Nothing.
You are lying!
I would never lie to you, Uncle Han.
Call our men back home.
Tell them to kill Mel’s mother
because her daughter is a deceitful little liar.
I swear. I pretended I didn’t speak English, or understand it.
They screamed but I didn’t say anything, I knew it would upset you.
I swear on my mother.
We recovered the girl, but the information might have been compromised.
Should we change our time frame?
ALEX: Impossible now that the whole damn thing has gone supernova.
If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen tonight.
The meeting place needs to be changed.
Where to?
I’ll let you know.
LUKE: Here. Right here.
Slow down. Stop the car.
DRIVER: No, no, you don’t bring no hookers in my cab, man.
Just keep the meter running.
Ladies.
Hey.
How about a drink?
(SLOW MUSIC PLAYING)
Good evening.
Good evening.
Will you be joining us for dinner tonight?
We don’t have a reservation or anything.
That’s okay.
It won’t be easy tonight, but we should be able to find you something.
There are tables downstairs
or some in the back.
Or you can sit upstairs if you like.
(SINGING IN RUSSIAN)
HOSTESS: Sir, do you have a preference? Sir?
I think we’ll just get a drink at the bar.
I want you to give me a kiss, turn around and walk out of here.
But I thought…
Just act like you forgot something outside.
Only don’t come back.
(KISSES)
Give me a White Russian, please, and a fork.
A fork?
One of those.
I never know what to say in these moments.
What moments?
The ones before I kill somebody.
(PEOPLE SCREAMING)
Boss!
What does he drive, and where is it parked?
A silver SUV in the alley outside.
(GRUNTING)
(ENGINE STARTS)
(PIANO PLAYING)
(CELL PHONE RINGS)
Vassily.
LUKE: Not even close.
Who is this?
The guy who’s been killing your boys all night, Emile.
The guy who has your son tied up in a very dark place.
Now here’s what I want.
Do you think I give a shit of what you want?
Do you think you can blackmail me because you have Vassily?
Kill him and go to hell!
I’m going to hell, all right.
Sit.
I’m not gonna kill your boy.
I’m gonna keep him around. Like a pet.
A very badly treated pet.
I’m gonna do things to him that’ll make me ashamed to look
in the mirror afterward, but I will do them.
Vassily’s gonna tell me everything he knows about your operation.
And then what you gonna do? Tell the police?
You want me to laugh?
Who said anything about the police?
I’m gonna share the information with the competition,
the ones I haven’t already killed.
Anything they don’t take from you, I will.
First, I’m gonna take your trophy wife.
Then I’m gonna take your trophy children.
I’m gonna leave you with nothing.
When I’m done, you won’t even be a memory of a memory.
But that doesn’t have to happen.
What do you want?
I wanna know what’s in the safe.
What safe?
The safe the girl gave me the combination to. That safe.
$30 million.
The kid was on her way to get a second number.
What’s in the second safe?
Something worth $30 million.
To whom?
No idea.
That’s ’cause you’re only half smart, Emile.
So here’s the deal.
You tell me where the first safe is, I take the money and let your boy go.
Lie to me and your world ends.
You have my word on that.
Idiot.
I know when a man is working alone, and you’re as alone as one can be.
You need a small army to get near that safe.
The kind of army I have.
Had. It’s been shrinking by the minute.
Last chance before I hang up and go to work on your son.
You going to kill me, garbage man?
You could have taken us out that day, couldn’t you?
But you just sat there. Let us ruin you.
Let us make you nothing.
I guess finding out about that safe gave you new motivation,
eh, garbage man?
I wouldn’t spend my time talking if I were you.
I’d spend it praying that when this is over, that little girl’s still alive.
(GRUNTS)
Pray.
(CELL PHONE RINGS)
CHANG: When and where?
ALEX: The underpass, under the bridge, one hour.
I’m sorry I pointed a gun at you
when the Russians attacked us, Mei.
It was. ..
Business. I know.
That’s good. It’s good you understand.
We’re going to get this done.
And you’ll be safe with me and Uncle Han.
I promise to be a better father to you than the one who left you and your mother.
There’s no one in the world who cares more about you.
You know that, don’t you?
LUKE: Well, the gang’s all here.
Almost.
Reddick have to call in sick?
He’s in the hospital, dickhead. You broke his trachea.
I didn’t know a trachea could break. I hope they can fix it.
Yeah, how about I fix you, you…
MEARS: Hey! Hey! Hey! Not here.
Been a while, Luke.
Can’t say I’ve missed you.
So let’s get down to business.
Did you bring what I asked for?
Toscani’s.
WOLF: Where else?
Mmm. That’s good.
I’ve been in restaurants all night.
All I got served was lead.
Anyone got a light?
You know what? Screw this.
Look, Cap, you asked us to come here, so we came,
but I ain’t gonna sit here and listen to this scumbag’s big mouth.
Shut up, Kolfax.
Still haven’t quit, huh?
Hey. Hey, what the hell is that?
Combination to the safe with 30 million bucks in it.
LASKY: Whoa, whoa, whoa. What the hell?
KOLFAX: You filthy piece of shit.
The only place it exists now is in here.
Remember that next time your little trigger finger gets itchy.
Why would Han Jiao stash it right in the middle
of Chinatown’s busiest gambling den?
Because of sleaze-bucket cops like you, Benoit,
who collect off of Chinatown’s busiest gambling den.
Where else would he have surrounded with dozens of armed men
without attracting police attention?
Captain, why do we know this son of a bitch is on the level, huh?
He’s a bum. Where do you get your information?
There’s an exchange happening tonight.
The triad half of the deal is in a safe in the casino.
No way I could get to it on my own, so I called on you,
my old pals.
$30 million split six ways is still a lot of money.
We’re risking a lot, Captain.
You especially. Everybody knows you got a bright future.
Promised by who? His Honor?
What carrot is he teasing you with, Wolf?
He’s gonna let you off the street knowing what you know now?
KOLFAX: Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?
Meaning his second term is gonna come to an end
and his hold on the city goes “poof.”
Just like that, he’s Joe Citizen again.
$30 million would be a nice retirement package.
What’s he giving the chinks?
If I knew that, I wouldn’t be standing here with you assholes, would I?
(SIGHS) Bright future, huh?
Big headlines.
“Hero cops take down New York City’s biggest underground gambling operation.”
Five million bucks apiece that no one will ever know about,
just to give it that extra sweet taste.
All right, who’s been in there?
For Christ’s sake, who’s been in there?
Me, Cap.
You two, you’re on point. The place is packed with civilians.
So exercise some judgment.
Remember, I got the combination.
You want that money, watch my back.
Where you going?
(PEOPLE SCREAMING)
Don’t move! Stay!
(DANCE MUSIC PLAYING)
(PEOPLE SCREAMING)
Out of the way. Move!
Hey, you! Settle down.
(GROANING)
This way. Let’s go!
(SHOUTING IN MANDARIN)
(GUNSHOTS)
(PEOPLE SCREAMING)
Jesus!
Heads up!
Go!
WOLF: Kolfax, take him out!
Cover him!
Open it! Take it.
(GROANS) Oh, shit!
KOLFAX: Oh, shit, I gotta get out of here.
Fuck! Fuck, Captain.
God damn, shit!
Shoot a man in the back, you son of a bitch!
All right, Mears. Where’re we going?
This way.
Move!
We’ve been attacked.
Not by the Russians. By the police, I think.
But they’re better than police.
We need help. They’ve killed a lot of our people.
Tell Chang as soon as he gets the number, to take out the errand boy.
We’ll have to decipher the code quickly.
Do as I said!
WOLF: The gates of paradise.
Locked and bolted to sinners like us.
Yeah, well, let’s not wait for an invitation.
(BEEPING)
All right, you bastard. Get started.
Here’s how we do this.
You put down your guns. I open the safe.
You wanna shoot me, go ahead.
Make your minds up quick, ’cause the real cops will be here soon.
On the floor.
Come on, you son of a bitch, what are you trying to pull?
I got right-left switched.
It’s gonna open.
Fuck!
You’ll live.
Left 26.
(SIRENS WAILING)
OFFICER: Captain Wolf, what the hell happened in here?
What do you think happened, huh? We had a raid on the place go bad.
We got dead cops, casualties. Get in there, will you?
Captain Wolf, you need an ambulance.
I need a fleet of ambulances, all right? Call it in, will you?
I’ll take my own busted ass to the hospital.
Not bad.
If you weren’t such a double-dealing asshole, I could almost like you.
Almost. Drive.
(GRUNTS)
It’s a scratch.
I’m not gonna kill you,
but I didn’t say I was putting you up at the Ritz.
(CELL PHONE RINGS)
Wolf.
LUKE ON PHONE: I have your money, Danny.
What?
LUKE: You heard me.
30 million, in 5,000 and $1,000 bills.
I wanna talk…
No. No, what you wanna do is calm down
so we can talk like adults. Shut it, Danny.
I wanna talk, but I don’t wanna talk to you.
I wanna talk to your boyfriend.
(CELL PHONE RINGS)
This is Alex.
LUKE: It’s been a while, Alex.
How’d you get this number?
Come on, Alex. Reach up the mayor’s ass, there you are.
(LAUGHS)
A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do, huh?
Well, he’s a better catch than Annie was anyway.
I never understood how you hooked up with a cow like that.
Yeah, it was never about her looks. It was her sense of humor.
She’s not so funny now, is she?
No, she’s not, neither am I.
I have the money, Alex.
I had to kill a lot of people to get it, so listen up.
You haven’t made the combination exchange yet.
What’s in the other safe?
A disk.
Names, money trails.
When our commanders sent the two of us to help Danny clean up the city,
they attached a price. In exchange, Danny looked the other way
while the assets seized from every group deemed a terrorist organization
were funneled into their private accounts.
It’s amazing what people let you get away with
when they’re scared and wanna feel protected, huh?
Amazing how many scumbags there are out there waiting to take advantage of it.
(LAUGHS) Like you didn’t.
I quit.
I bet that helps all those souls you sent to meet their maker
without due process rest a whole lot easier.
You thought you could atone by climbing into a cage
and allowing yourself to get beaten to a pulp?
Don’t fucking preach at me, Luke.
I’m getting paid for services rendered.
Right. You sell the disk to the Chinese so they can blackmail our old honchos,
take the 30 mil and waltz off with Danny to a villa in the Bahamas.
ALEX: Bali, but whatever, right?
So now you know. Now what?
LUKE: Now you’re dealing with me.
All right, I’m turning around.
No, you’re not.
What are you talking about?
You got the money. The Chinese have nothing I care about.
No, they have something I do.
Give the girl the combination to your safe
and she will give you our number.
We go to your location. You go to ours.
When we’ve gotten the disk, we will explain the code
and you get the cash.
That’s the deal. Let’s hear it.
It’s a very long number.
You’ll want to write it down.
Thank goodness I brought a pen, huh?
You might want to close your eyes.
Have it your way.
(NECK SNAPS)
Come on, Luke.
LUKE: The old place. Just you and me.
You’re a friend of Luke?
Not as far as you’re concerned.
TV REPORTER: The violence that has rocked the city tonight
continued in a bloody gun battle in a Chinatown nightclub
less than an hour ago.
This is really getting out of hand.
You think?
Thanks for that insight.
Your Honor, Alex Rosen is on your private line.
He says that it’s urgent.
WOMAN: Excuse me, Your Honor…
I’ll be back in five.
Don’t bother me now. Why didn’t he call me on my cell phone?
I thought I told you to put all my calls through to the…
I always told you this place had lousy security standards.
Well, that’s because nobody’s been crazy enough to come in here
and pull a stunt like this. You got some balls, Luke.
Yeah, amazing I can even walk.
The disk.
What, you think I’m stupid enough
to let a gang of Chinese walk up the front steps
and collect it from me in my living room?
It’s in a safe far away from here.
I don’t think you’re stupid,
which is why I don’t for a second believe you’d give away the only copy.
I’m gonna meet Alex.
First you’re gonna give me the disk,
or I’ll put bullets in places that won’t kill you,
but it will make you spend the rest of your life wishing I had.
Satisfied?
I wanna make sure it’s not Abba’s Greatest Hits.
Alex will kill you, you know?
Yeah, probably.
(CHUCKLES) Jesus, Luke, you look like hell.
Just alcohol, lack of sunlight, sleep deprivation.
Other than that, I feel great.
Yeah, I was thinking,
how many bodies did we dump in this place, huh?
You know, I didn’t keep count.
They were all assholes, though, right?
(COCKS GUN)
Let her go, Alex.
Danny called. Told me about your visit.
I have to admit, even I didn’t see that one coming.
You had the disk and the money.
What is she to you?
Life.
Well, enjoy it while it lasts,
’cause she’s the reason yours is gonna be a whole lot shorter.
Money, Luke.
In the car.
Or in a bank.
Or in a series of lockers in Grand Central.
Or maybe I donated it to charity
out of the goodness of my heart.
If you wanna find out where that money is,
you’re gonna have to do it the hard way.
(GUNSHOTS)
Are you all right, Mei?
I saw him fight before. Bad business for you.
Yeah, the worst.
You saved me again.
We save each other.
(GRUNTS)
I know how you feel.
Help me get this sack of garbage out of the car.
Make sure he gets to his daddy safe and sound.
Fifty grand. For your trouble.
Might not seem like much, but at least you’re gonna live to enjoy it.
You want him safe and sound
after what he did to you?
LUKE: For her sake.
We meet again, all bets are off.
Most revered uncle.
Here is 29,950,000 dollars.
We will pay back the remaining 50,000 with interest.
But in case you’re still angry, I know every account of every operation you have in Chinatown and the money routes back to China.
You don’t come after us, we won’t come after you.
Come after us, your world ends.
You have my word on that.
Get me on a flight home.
If I never set foot in this damned city again…
It will be too soon.
Watch where you’re fucking going, man!
Keep walking, pal.
Excuse me? Pardon me?
Keep walking.
Anything? This is fucking New York City!
Bank number five. How many more?
That’s it.
We got copies of the disk in security boxes all over the city.
Anything happens to us, a lot of important people are gonna be very sorry, our security.
Good business for us.
What now?
Now we get out of town.
Mei, you’re a kid, and I’m not sure I could be a good father.
I think that ship has sailed.
I don’t want no more fathers.
Will you be my friend?
Till my dying day-
I’ve got info on a school for gifted kids up in Seattle.
It’s a nice drive if you like trees and shit.
Are we safe?
One day at a time, Mei.
One day at a time.
