Last Winter, The (2006) Movie Script
Alaska. Vast wilderness
of the North.
Land of great natural beauty
and diversity.
This is rugged country.
Land of black gold.
Alaska's north slope
has been producing oil...
out of Prudhoe Bay since 1969.
Delivering to refineries and ports
eight hundred miles to the South...
through the great
Trans Alaskan Pipeline.
But another northern region...
known as the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge...
has remained untapped.
Only once have prospectors gained
access to this barren landscape.
In nineteen eighty-six,
KIC Corporation...
a partnership between native
and business interests...
commissioned the drilling
of a test well.
The results of that drilling have been
a carefully guarded secret ever since...
with only a solitary white box...
marking the footprint,
where the rig once stood.
Now, at last, after an historic
vote in congress...
the KIC Well will
reveal her secrets...
and North industries will be there.
Working in consort with
environmental experts...
North Industries will send
advanced teams to map the area...
and determine strategic
drilling locations.
Ice roads will be constructed...
to transport the rigs...
and drill sites and pipe lines...
will be operational
within the decade.
One step closer
to energy independence.
We have got the vision,
the experience, the know-how.
North Industries:
Trust. Risk. Results.
Jesus Christ, Ed, I could
use a longer runway.
Sounds like a personal problem Gary.
It's on my list, that's for sure.
Go get my gear, will you?
- Going ahead.
- Motor! Rise and shine!
Where's Abby?
Where's my welcoming party?
Abby god damn it, you're beautiful.
You took my room!
I want it back.
With you in it.
Sorry, Ed. How you doing?
Hundred percent, Abby.
Hundred and twenty.
- Yeah, I put on a few pounds.
- Well, you know...
Is that Ed Pollack here?
Dawn, baby, you're a sight
for sore eyes.
How's that new exercise
regime going?
Okay.
Put me down, dinner's almost ready.
Lee, pipe down, will you?
You're far too excitable.
Yeah, Lee, pipe down.
It is good to see this team
taking shape here.
The big boys, they send their love,
everybody's gearin' up.
Where's the kid?
Maxwell is out on the flats.
Should be back by now.
I'm supposed to keep my eye on him,
for the old man.
Gary's taken off,
he wanted to beat the snow.
I wanted him to stay for a drink.
Dawn, find some glasses, will you?
Boy, he's sure in a hurry.
What have you got in the bag, boss?
Mind your damn manners, Motor.
Hey, Dawn, where's those glasses?
Oh, this is Elliot Taylor.
He is doing the impact evaluations.
I thought the new Green Flag
was named Hoffman.
That's my boss.
They sent two guys?
Is this what you were
looking for, Motor?
A little fish, cigarettes...
This one looked sexy.
- Oh, that looks nice.
- Stooges...
And... more fish.
Is this going to be Maxwell?
- Hi.
- Hi.
James Hoffman, meet Ed Pollack.
How are you doing?
I'm doing fine.
- Raven?
- That's right.
This thins came off the wing of a
female common raven. Corvus Corax.
- Corvux Corax?
- Before your time.
Listen up, this is what
l wanna say.
I know you've all been in a holding
pattern and I wanna apologize for that.
These ice roads have been
a bitch to get in...
and Hoffman can give you
the reason for that.
Ah, it's not cold enough.
Hell, it feels cold as a witch's
boob out here to me.
Well, you need a sustain sub-zero...
to build ice-roads.
Well, then find me some sub-zero.
I mean, we're in fucking Alaska!
It's the Arctic Circle!
It's the dead of winter here.
That's exactly the problem.
The temperature's been all over the place.
So, how is it you came to work
for North? I mean, you're not the type.
We don't work for North.
We work for the American people...
to make sure that North keeps its end
of the bargain up here being on this land.
What the American people want
is energy independence.
That's what the American
people want.
Hell, the amount of oil that they're
gonna get out of here...
they could save by inflating their
tires and caulking their windows.
Hoffman knows all that crap.
He's an oil geek.
He was at the Kuwaiti oil
field fires.
Right? And Valdez?
He was there when
the Titanic went down.
It appealed to me to come
to the last piece of pristine...
untouched wilderness on the planet,
before we fuck it up.
So, if North is willing to pay me
to be here, then, so be it.
Maxwell, you're on my team.
Here we go, Pipe Dogs, here we go!
- What about the dart finals?
- Here we go, Pipe Dogs.
Dawn? Dawn?
You're gonna be my center over here.
Okay, you got it, Ed.
Let's go, let's go, let's go!
I think we'll call you House" out here.
What do you think of that, Maxwell?
That's okay, Mr. Pollack.
- You can call me Ed, House.
- Yes, sir.
What do I say, hike?
You're gonna go to the right,
you go to the left.
- One, two, three.
- Go!
- Hut! Hut! Hut! Hut!
- I don't even know the rules.
Come on, house, run!
Go! Get him!
Give me some love, bro!
- I got it.
- You can't kick it.
Don't run!
- Okay he's down, he's down!
- We're here, we're here!
Flag on the play.
- I got it!
- Yes! You got it!
Yeah, baby!
- What happened?
- Hike!
Go long, go long!
Max! Max!
That's pass interference, Elliot!
- Are you okay?
- Sorry, I didn't see you, the ball...
Are you okay, Elliot?
Step aside.
House, let's have a look.
Hey, Elliot.
- Oh, geez.
- Oh, fuck.
He just took a little elbow.
He's got a little blood.
Dawn! Let's get him inside
and get him fixed up.
All right. Come on.
Bring him up slow.
You're gonna be alright.
You okay?
Ready for the big meeting today?
Sure. What's it about?
Well, he flew in to talk
to you, basically.
Sounds ominous.
You would think everything
is ominous.
Wasn't this supposed to be
a one-night stand a month ago?
I think you should hear him out.
He's got a lot riding on this.
This is not a fair conversation.
Let's go, Abs!
I'll be, I'll be right there!
- Does he know?
- I'm not so sure.
He sees what he wants to see.
Hey, man, forgot your stuff.
Thanks.
It's weird. You almost don't need
your gear, right?.
Yeah, right. I just ought
to take it, just in case.
Hey, have you ever been out
to the KIC Well?
Yeah. I mean, yeah... That box?
I mean I go by it on my way
to sight 7, you know.
- Right.
- What's under there?
A pipe, with a valve on it.
Why?
- What's under that?
- What?
Nothing.
Wait, you saw the North video.
They talked about it.
Yeah, I watched it.
Yeah, whatever.
I'm gone for what, five weeks?
And she hooks up with this guy.
Jesus, I thought Abby
was smarter than that.
Hoffman's cool. He's a sharp dude.
I saw some of his articles.
Some deep shit man...
put me right to sleep.
It's just bad judgement on Abby's
part. You know what I'm saying?
- She's too young for you, Ed.
- Hey, take it easy, will you?
Hoffman heading out.
How long have they been at it,
Abby and him?
I don't know man, ask her.
Can you hand me that Allen
wrench, will you, Boss?
How long?
It won't last,
I'll tell you that much.
I guess he just got lucky.
Here's his thing.
You wanna check it out?
EARTH NOW!
NUCLEAR WASTE!
THE REAL COST OF OIL
BY JAMES HOFFMAN
This guy's seen it all, hasn't he?
That's him.
Thanks for the Allen wrench,
by the way.
North thinks they can win
a P.R. campaign hiring greenies...
to do the impact statements.
It's a waste of money, you know?
The public is with us on this.
They can see the potential, they
don't need to get bogged down with...
a lot of hand-wringing.
He thinks there's something
off-kilter going on out here.
Is that what he's telling everybody?
Yeah. The permafrost is melting.
That's what he says.
Haven't you smelt it?
Fucking dick!
Saturday, week nine...
Radical temperature rises
continue from last week.
Since lizard of February
temperature on consistent rise with
high of 36 on February 12th.
Then the going weather
fluctuations continue...
but consistent subsurface warming.
Ground readings 3 to 7 degrees
increase over same week...
same quadrant average
of last 5 years.
Oh, it's you again.
You messed up all my stuff, hum?
Was that you?
Beggar.
Something up here is off.
It's in the numbers, but,
also l can feel it.
Maxwell?
Maxwell. Over.
I don't know why they don't lay tarmac
down at the start of these projects...
instead of fucking around
with these ice roads.
That would be a violation
of the terms...
that got North industries
onto this land.
Well, my onIy concern
is getting my equipment in.
My onIy recommendation is that we
wait for a sustained temperature drop.
I'll tell you what.
Change of plans.
We're gonna bring the rigs
in on Rollagons.
Rollagons?
Has that been approved?
Everybody's behind it back
at the office.
Nobody wants to miss the season.
That's gonna be very expensive.
Rollagons would cause serious
damage to the tundra...
with the temperatures this high.
Well, luckily I don't have to have
this discussion with you.
I need Hoffman.
Where the fuck is he?
I don't know.
He was coming right back.
I need for him to sign off on this.
This is what I came back here for.
We should be careful
how we handle that.
Motor, what's up?
We're a little busy here.
Maxwell's not back yet, I'm worried.
The skidoo was acting up,
maybe it conked out on him.
- Abby, what's going on?
- Where the hell have you been?
Maxwell's not back.
He's not answering the walkie.
He's not answering?
You need any help?
I wouldn't worry about Maxwell.
He could walk from here
to Vegas on his hands.
- Maxwell, do you read?
- Where you been?
You guys didn't get any kind
of a sudden wind down here?
Anything strange like that happened?
Yeah, we had a meeting
and you never showed up.
That was strange.
Lee, let's go.
Look, I am sorry
about being late.
We need to talk, you and me.
We don't need the others.
I don't know you...
and I'm not gonna try to handle this
with some diplomatic mumbo-jumbo.
I'm just gonna tell you what I need,
and I'm gonna expect you to deliver.
Go ahead.
I got environmental impact
statements I need you to sign...
saying we can bring the rigs
in on Rollagons.
What?
The ice roads aren't working...
it's what we gotta do.
Okay.
What, is that a "yes"?
I'll look at your proposal.
It's not a proposal.
It's an okay.
I need you to sign.
I'm not gonna sign something
just 'cause you need me to.
I think we should make
sure Maxwell's back...
safe before we get into this.
Foster? Yeah.
He's... he's not biting.
We should go through with that.
That's it.
- You should call her.
- I just tried. Nothing.
These things ever work?
Maxwell was bound to get
lost eventually.
Is that right?
He seems overwhelmed.
This whole damn operation needs
an attitude adjustment.
It's unacceptable.
Go ahead.
Hello?
Pollack here.
Hoffman? No, he's here.
Yeah. Hang on.
Hoffman?
Hoffman!
Foster's on the line.
Make it quick, will you?
Hello?
I'm good.
Really?
Just like that?
Tuesday? Fine.
I'll be out of here.
Visibility's turning to shit
out there.
We checked his route.
He abandoned his skidoo.
It started up fine.
He's out there on foot.
- Where's his skidoo?
- Didn't want to leave him stranded.
We gotta call a plane
for a real search.
No way! No way!
That would mean we'd have
to wait until morning.
No, we do this ourselves
and we do it now.
I'm not losing a man!
- I'm going out there now.
- I'll go with you.
Jesus!
House!
You had everybody's panties
in a knot, man!
Are you alright?
I'm okay.
I don't think this works.
According to this thing,
you walked 300 miles.
- We looked for you.
- You got lost? What happened?
- Hot tea.
- Welcome back, man.
You gotta stay in contact, alright?
Let somebody know where you're going.
It's standard procedure.
And never ever turn your walkie off.
It wasn't working. I mean, it was,
it was just screeching at me.
Sorry. I'm gonna go lie down.
That boy's got Big Eye.
He hasn't been out
here long enough.
He'll be fine.
They're calling it a promotion.
Can they even do this?
Of course they can.
They don't like the message...
they get a new messenger.
- I'm gonna quit.
- You should stay on.
Take some notes on this new guy.
You're giving up pretty easy.
Look, man I've been reporting
on this stuff a long time.
People just don't want
to deal with it. It's tiring.
That was intense.
What's up with you?
I'm leaving.
They're pulling me off the project.
I didn't know if you knew.
Why weren't you
at that meeting today?
Why weren't you
at that meeting today?
I don't think they can get
those rigs in.
Jim, it's too late for that.
How's Maxwell?
Try to get some food
in him, will you?
Work some of your magic.
I figure we take him out here first.
We tell him we're gonna get
the rigs in here in 9 days...
they're gonna stay through March,
I don't know, 19th...
then we're gonna get them over
to the North Eastern site.
I mean, you know, we just tell
'em that like it's a done deal.
Well, you tell them that, Ed! God!
I'll handle 'em.
Is Maxwell flagging these sights?
- Is he sniffing glue out here or what?
- I don't know what this is.
Jesus! We're gonna have
to check all these sights now.
Lee! This is gonna be you, all of 'em.
Will do.
Excuse me.
You're gonna have your work
cut out for you.
I think this is gonna take
more than one of us.
Better you than me.
Oh, nature calls!
So, Hoffman, what do you figure?
We bring the rigs in here
on Rollagons? Is that gonna work?
The tundra's barely frozen.
It won't support the weight
of those vehicles.
Well now...
how do you propose we get
the equipment in here then?
Maybe you won't get it in.
Maybe you're gonna have
to reconsider your plans.
That's the wrong answer.
It's the CO2 feeding back up.
As the ground warms the permafrost...
all this organic material that's
been frozen for thousands of years...
is thawing,
which accelerates the warming...
it's exponential, what we're
talking about here.
What, is this some global
warming bullshit?
Don't you think it's a little late in the
day to be having that particular debate?
It's not a debate about
global warming, Ed.
It's just what we're dealing
with out here now.
Yeah, well, fortunately, I don't have
to listen to you anymore.
- You asked.
- Just making conversation.
Empathy with the land.
ls this learned in childhood?
The land is changed.
The biosphere turned, become
unfamiliar and erratic.
l would say vengeful, but nature
is indifferent to us.
We fight for our survival,
not nature's.
There's a fierceness in the wind
I've never felt before.
Something is being unleashed
from the softening permafrost.
Why do we despise the world
that gave us life?
Why so alienated?
Why wouldn't the wilderness
fight us...
like any organism would fend
off a virus?
The world we grew up
in is changed forever.
There is no way home.
ls there something behind science
that is happening out there?
What if the very thing we're here
to pull out of the ground were...
to rise willingly and confront us?
What would that look like?
This is the last winter.
Total collapse.
Hope dies...
There's something happening, Dawn.
That's great! Do that again.
Very "Twilight Zone".
Would either of you like to comment
on the fact that it's fucking raining out.
February in the Arctic.
I'm freaking, man.
Uggianaqtuq.
What's that, Dawn?
It means "like a familiar
friend acting strangely".
That's how we speak of the weather.
It gets worse every year.
What's happening?
What do you say about it, Hoffman?
The climate is changing
exponentially...
it's collapsing, it's altering.
I'm taking about right now, today?
What happened?
That's what I'm talking about.
Today.
It was rain.
For Christ sake, the temperature's
already dropping back. It was a fluke.
- Well?
- He's staring out the window.
- Did he say anything?
- Nope.
Did you tell him I said
it was dinner time?
- Send him home, Ed.
- That's what I say.
He's not going anywhere.
Well, if he doesn't eat,
he can't work.
I realize. Jesus Christ, can I get
a little fucking positivity here?
Wipe your face. You're pathetic.
You do realize that there are restrictions
on alcohol consumption's at this station.
And what about you?
Would you pass a piss test?
- Where do you think you're going?
- Let him try, Ed.
Yeah, House likes him.
Can I come in?
I brought you this.
What happened out there yesterday?
When we lost you?
I don't know...
Out by the KIC...
it's haunted.
Just take a deep breath down
that one, there, Maxwell.
We shouldn't be here.
We're grave robbers.
It's coming out from the ground...
ghosts.
I mean, what is oil anyway,
but fossils...
plants and animals from whatever
millions of years ago?
Listen, Maxwell, that's...
maybe this has gotten to be
a little too much for you.
It's pretty intense our here.
You can go home.
Have you thought of that?
I can't.
My parents would kill me.
Your parents aren't gonna kill you.
It was my father's idea
for me to be here.
Satisfy my love of the outdoors by...
drilling for oil with Uncle Ed.
Maybe your father would listen
if you explained it to him.
Have you thought about that?
Okay. Eat some food.
I'm telling you, there's
something's out...
there and it's trying to drive
us out of here!
- It's like a force fighting back.
- Maxwell, you have to...
No. People need to know!
Isn't that your job?
To let people know what
we're going here?
- Calm down.
- What the hell is going on in here?
- That's OK.
- Tell them what you know!
- Calm down.
- You get out of here!
You know what's happening.
You said things!
Calm down!
You're gonna calm the fuck down.
Yes, sir. I just need...
I need to rest.
I'm sorry.
He's resting.
Dawn's got him on something.
What in the hell was that in there?
I got Maxwell out here.
I told his old man how good
it would be good for him.
I've known that kid since
the day he was born.
I know, Ed.
It's Hoffman!
I have no idea how you ended up
in the sack with that guy.
But I gotta tell you, I consider
it a security breech.
We got nothing to hide, Ed.
Everything's by the book.
He works for North.
Every report he
does goes through us.
I think you made a big mistake
transferring him out of here.
I'll be damned if I let him
or anybody else fuck this up for me.
I had his confidence.
I had my eye on him.
You let me down, Abby.
I did not, Ed.
I mean personally.
But I guess that's over with.
Yeah, it is.
Good night.
Sure hope you don't like
the new guy as much.
Who you got?
Marshowitz.
Abby?
I'm tired.
Maxwell saw something out there.
Something's going on here.
Don't think you need to get involved
with Maxwell. We'll take care of him.
That sounds ominous.
You're getting awfully vocal about
what we're doing up here.
That's not gonna work with Pollack.
You should have just signed
those impact reports.
Pollack has no idea what's
going on out here.
- And you do?
- No, I don't either.
That's why I'd like to take
a giant step backwards...
and get some people up here who
can figure it out what is going on.
Your deal with North prohibits you from
saying anything about this to anyone.
What's that supposed to mean?
I just need to make that clear.
You don't feel that something's
off here?
Abby, you could make
a real difference here.
Draw a line in the sand.
If they shut this project down...
the other's could be called
into question.
You could be part of
a change for the better.
Take your case to North
if you need to.
At this station, we're fighting
to get those rigs in.
Whatever it takes,
and on schedule.
What's been going on with us
these last three weeks?
I gotta sleep.
This is on the fritz too.
We gotta do something to get these
systems up and running, Motor.
I fix stuff around here,
two hours later it's broke again.
Maybe we need to get somebody down
here who can figure this shit out.
Hey. Look at this.
How's he doing?
What is this now?
There's my camera, man.
We should thaw the fucker out...
and see if he shot anything with it.
God damn it!
- Where was he?
- Out by the KIC Well.
You should have sent him home.
You should have sent him
the fuck home!
- We better call and report this.
- Radio's dead.
We wait until morning.
Foster's fIying in here
with what's his name...
we get Maxwell flown out by Gary.
That's final.
Ever since l got here, l could
tell then there was something wrong.
Not the job, not the cold,
not being isolated.
A feeling.
Now I'm telling you...
I'm seeing something out
there in the snow.
l wanna show you.
Jesus! What's he doing?
Do you see it?
Did you see it? Listen.
Do you see it?
I'm further out now.
Listen, listen... Dad...
It... Dad, do you hear that?
Listen!
You see it, Dad?
They're out there.
They're right out there.
You... you see it?
Did you see it?
Alright, that's it.
Ed?
Ed!
You can't burn that! What the hell
do you think you're doing?
Ed! Ed!
I'm in charge here!
And that tape does nobody any good!
Back off, Pollack!
You want his parents to see that?
Is that what you want?
Their kid, whacked out wandering
around in his birthday suit?
You're out of your mind.
That was evidence!
There will be an investigation!
He wandered off and he
died of exposure.
Did you hear what he was saying?
You're on the next plane
out of here, Elliot!
You and Hoffman.
Until then, you stay out of my way!
We should all be
on that plane, Ed.
And what did you put
in his head last night?
Elliot, your nose.
Come on, get inside. Get inside.
Go, go, go, go, go... Come on.
What do you say, Lee?
ls it the coming of the Chenoo?
Chenoo?
Chenoo is a dark spirit.
Sometimes called. Windigo.
What do you say, Lee?
I believe what I see with
my own eyes.
Damn it!
Wonderful...
Damn it...
Motor?
What are you doing?
I had to check the engine.
We might have to get
out of here.
Yeah, I understand. Listen...
It's cold out here.
You should go inside, okay?
Your hands...
My hands are fine.
I can hardIy feel them.
You know what I'm thinking?
I'm thinking maybe, you ought to lay
off the hooch just a little bit...
because you're not
thinking so straight.
I'm heading down South.
After this winter I'm...
I've had it.
I'm out of here.
I need to talk to you.
- Can it wait?
- No.
Maxwell's father
is an old friend of mine.
I lost his kid on my watch.
I know, and I'm sorry.
It wasn't your fault.
Well, I'm responsible.
For this crew and everything that happens
to them, your sorry ass included.
Then do the responsible thing and let's
get everybody out of here tonight.
- Because you say so?
- Because it's not safe.
I think there's an atmospheric abnormality
here that's effecting everyone's judgement.
I think that's what happened
to Maxwell.
And now Motor is out there
not making any sense either.
If you're starting a new shit...
It's some kind of low-level sour gas
that's seeping up out of the ground.
H-2S is half a mile under
the earth's surface.
It doesn't just seep out
of the ground, for Christ sake!
Do you even know what the fuck
you're talking about?
I say it does.
This permafrost is melting.
Somehow this Hydrogen Sulfide's...
making its way to the surface
like a low-level blowout.
Bullshit.
Alright. Well, then it's some kind
of contagion or a virus...
or spores.
I don't know, alright?
I don't know. But I do know that
this ground's been frozen...
for the last 10.000 years.
We have no idea what's
coming out of it.
Do you even realize you're putting
everybody at risk with this kind of talk?
- I'm going to be turning in, Pollack.
- Fuck you.
I got a series of alarmist ideas.
The warming is melting
the tundra...
but then you are worried about
a whole sour gas scenario.
- You haven't made yourself clear.
- Well, it's a lot of factors. Okay?
All at once, none of which
I fully understand at this point.
But I think that we should
err on the side of caution.
Well, I can't make a run on it
based on a hunch.
I need evidence.
There's a corpse outside.
That's evidence of something.
That's evidence of a major
malfunction on Maxwell's part.
Well, you should know that Motor
is now totally freaking out.
He's taken apart the snow cat.
What?
Look, we're all under a lot
of pressure out here.
You guys...
"You guys" who?
You and Pollack.
You're perfect for each other.
I can't e-mail out of here.
You should be packing.
Elliot, I want you to come
down to Fairbanks with me.
Staying here's just bullshit.
Alright?
And dangerous.
Listen.
Did you see it?
Did you see it?
Help me... it's right out there!
Ghosts...
what's oil anyway, fossils...
plants and animals
millions of years ago?
We shouldn't be here.
Grave robbers.
It's like a force fighting back!
People need to know!
lsn't that yourjob?
I just hope this
isn't happening everywhere else.
Abby has decided...
in light of recent goings-on...
that we should all ship out of here
and get our heads checked.
I'm gonna second that motion,
for the good of the team.
But, make no mistake,
we're coming right back.
We'll go to Dead Horse, we're gonna
get checked out there at the infirmary.
l want everybody's bags packed.
Just the essentials.
Lee, l want you to go out and tell
Motor what's going on.
Foster and Marshowitz will
be here any minute.
We'll get Gary to radio
for another plane. It'll be fine.
Gary's getting
to that age, right?
Pollack is an animal,
He will never retire.
He'd go crazy without this job.
My bottom line is that he's
just not delivering.
He's alright.
Hey, what about Abby?
- What about her?
- She's a piece of ass, right?
I got one of those too.
The wind pick up, Gary?
There it is.
Doesn't look like it'll house
a whole crew, huh, Marshowitz?
UgIy as sin out here.
It's pure white nothingness.
It looks like
the last place on earth.
God's Country!
North Country!
Are you seeing inside?
Oh, my God, Gary!
See if you can get in the inside.
Foster! Foster, are you with me?
Can you get to the other side?
Fuck! Hang on, pal.
Maxwell,
what the fuck are you doing?
Ed, what are you doing?
What are you doing?
Where's Gary?
Did he make it out of there?
I can't get him out.
Jesus Christ!
Jesus!
We gotta get Foster out of there!
Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!
Pull him out! Pull him out!
Easy, guys, easy...
Lee, I need that fire out now!
Clear!
Foster! Foster!
Stay with me!
His legs...
Oh, God, what's this.
I need Morphine for Foster!
Motor, help me.
I need Morphine.
Hang on, man.
Hang in there, brother.
Hang in there.
Hang in there.
It's alright, buddy.
- Fucking Gary!
- Fucking Gary, right, man!
We gotta stop the bleeding.
You gotta get us out of here.
You gotta get us out of here,
Hoffman.
You gotta get us out.
There's no heat.
No electricity.
We have to get some plastic
or some tarps over these walls...
and move everybody back through
the kitchen into Dawn's room.
If they haven't heard from us...
by tomorrow, they'll send another
plane. We can hold out 'til then.
I don't think so.
What?
There's one snowmobile working.
I can take it to Fort Crow.
Fort Crow?
What are you talking about?
It's an Inupi village nineteen miles
southwest of here.
- Is there gas in the tank?
- It's full.
No. We're not, we're not leaving
the station.
If we stay here, we could all
be dead by the morning.
He's right, Ed.
It's 25 miles to the ice road camps.
It's a flat ride.
They're working today.
It's 9h20, they'll be there till 5h.
That's what we'll do.
We'll hook up with these guys
and we'll radio for help...
and we'll have somebody
here by nightfall.
I'll go to Fort Crow. It's closer.
They'll have a plane.
It's North's Equipment.
We're gonna do it North's way.
If you want to come along,
that'll be fine.
Could use your help.
Two of us doubles our chances.
We better get going.
It's a straight shot.
Straight shot.
Keep this on Channel three.
It should work for a while.
See you tonight.
Abby, you're in charge.
Stay strong everybody and ah...
We'll be back with help.
I won't leave you guys here.
See that?
What did I tell you?
Hey! Anybody here?
They're supposed to be here.
- This is Tuesday, isn't it?
- All day.
What is going on?
God damn it!
No juice at all.
They must have gotten
a ride out of here.
Well...
there's a pumping station about
Fort Crow is about eight or nine
miles south of here.
Ed, Fort Crow's gonna save our ass.
Piece of shit!
- Pollack!
- What?
She lost all her oil.
She's not gonna start.
Fuck!
Alright, Ed, listen. Fort Crow
is 9 miles south of here, maybe 10.
We've got 3 hours of daylight left.
Let's not squander it.
Out there, on foot.
God damn it!
- He's gone.
- Let's cover him up.
Where's Lee?
Pollack! See that ridge?
Fort Crow's on the other side.
The river is around here somewhere.
What are you doing?
He was one of those drivers?
From the ice road?
Pollack!
Pollack!
Hang on!
Hang on, Pollack!
- Pollack!
- My foot!
The belt! You got it?
That's it!
Hang on a second!
Pollack, pull!
Get it!
- I can't do it!
- Yes, you can.
- I can't do it!
- Come on, Pollack.
We gotta get off this ice.
It's unstable.
Come on! Come on!
Come on!
You're doing great.
You're doing great!
Come on, let me get this off.
Shit!
- Fuck, man. My boot.
- Forget about it.
- I gotta go get my boot.
- Forget about your boot.
It's gone.
We gotta get these
clothes off you.
Thanks, man. Fuck it!
I'm fucking burning up!
No, you're not, you're freezing.
Keep moving! Keep moving!
You're gonna make it.
Let's go.
Here we go, Okay.
Right, boy.
Take it easy with that stuff.
It doesn't mix well
with hypothermia.
We could die out here.
Is that gonna be a boot?
Anyway, I...
Well anyway...
You and Abby...
I guess I get it.
She's...
She means a lot to me.
I guess we had our go at it.
She's a handful.
Believe in God?
No. Not the way you mean.
Jesus Christ, Jim.
I would not do what you've
chosen to do up here.
Whatever God it is that
doesn't sanction that...
then no, I'm not a believer.
What's needed out here
is a pipeline...
and a base camp.
A couple wells.
That's what God wants.
Lee?
Dawn?
Dawn?
Dawn!
Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
Motor!
Motor! Motor!
Motor!
Dawn, what did you do?
Motor!
Motor!
Dawn!
What's wrong with you?!
Dawn! No!
Motor!
Dawn?
Dawn?
Listen up.
This is how it's gotta go.
- I want your boots.
- What?
I'm in charge here.
And that's the decision.
What is it?
Hoffman, what is it?
- I can't tell!
- It's wind!
Enough of this shit!
You got into Maxwell's head...
but you're not getting into mine.
- I'm not afraid of this place.
- You see it?
You see it?
Do you see it?!
Hoffman, you are as crazy
as a shit-house rat!
I'm going for help and help
is over that rise!
We gotta stick together!
We can't split up!
We have no idea what
we're dealing with here!
We gotta watch each other's backs!
You're gonna calm down, man!
Look!
Open your eyes!
- I don't see anything!
- Look!
- Give me the boots!
- Open your eyes!
Crazy bastard,
you're making me do this.
Hoffman, are you there?
Hoffman, are you there?
- Abby?
- Jim, are you okay?
I'm ah, I'm ah...
I'm okay.
Where's Pollack?
Uh... he took off. I'm alone.
- Me too.
- Alright.
Well, just hang on.
I'm so close. I'm so close.
We're gonna get out of this, Jim.
You know, daylight's coming
and, and...
they're gonna send somebody for us,
so we're gonna get out of this.
You're gonna get out and you're gonna
tell the whole world what happened.
You're gonna sound the alarm,
you're gonna tell the whole world.
And people are gonna rise up
and make change.
Hell, they'll build
a whole monument.
The whole world's gonna
band together, Jim.
There it is Abby. Abby,
l can see the town.
We're gonna be okay.
Just hold on.
Okay.
Jim, what's happening?
It's Pollack. He's fallen.
Is he alive?
- Abby?
- Jim?
l can't tell if this is happening!
Jim?
Jim, what's happening?
Jim?
Jim!
Jim!
Shoot it!
Town's right over there!
What are you waiting for?
Mom! Mom!
No!
Let's take a look at the big picture.
We have got a lot to talk about.
Mother Nature out doing herself
right now in the country.
Let's take a look up north.
The folks in Buffalo watching the snow
come down today and you know...
today they had snow, but yesterday
a record high, 67 degrees.
So how do you deal with those
weather swings in Buffalo?
Gonna be some mood swings
as well, l bet.
Down in Florida of course we still
got that recovery efforts going on...
from the flooding last week.
We've got some video here.
This is, l believe, Durrigan St.
in Ormond Beach.
Those folks just really
taking a pounding.
And now we've got a couple of storms
up and down the East Coast...
some flash flooding and, of course...
Cape Cod's still recovering from the winter
storm that almost swept through the bay.
While that's going on...
we've got bright sunshine out
in Atlanta and Phoenix as well.
They hit 79 in Phoenix, that's
a record for this time of year.
Spring dropping in a little early.
Talking about.
Now out in Seattle,
this is something, Seattle...
we're getting reports, this is no
exaggeration, of hail earlier this morning.
In some places,
hail reported the size of baseballs.
For all you Mariners fans enjoying...
this one that's one for the records
books as well.
So we've got something for you
wherever you are in the country.
Now here's something that's got
folks scratching their heads.
Anchorage, Alaska, 68 degrees,
Fairbanks 71.
That's correct, all up
and down the state...
they're dealing with record highs.
And it's causing a lot
of problems for folks up there.
They're used to some
very bitter winters.
A lot of people are scratching their
heads saying basically which way...
of the North.
Land of great natural beauty
and diversity.
This is rugged country.
Land of black gold.
Alaska's north slope
has been producing oil...
out of Prudhoe Bay since 1969.
Delivering to refineries and ports
eight hundred miles to the South...
through the great
Trans Alaskan Pipeline.
But another northern region...
known as the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge...
has remained untapped.
Only once have prospectors gained
access to this barren landscape.
In nineteen eighty-six,
KIC Corporation...
a partnership between native
and business interests...
commissioned the drilling
of a test well.
The results of that drilling have been
a carefully guarded secret ever since...
with only a solitary white box...
marking the footprint,
where the rig once stood.
Now, at last, after an historic
vote in congress...
the KIC Well will
reveal her secrets...
and North industries will be there.
Working in consort with
environmental experts...
North Industries will send
advanced teams to map the area...
and determine strategic
drilling locations.
Ice roads will be constructed...
to transport the rigs...
and drill sites and pipe lines...
will be operational
within the decade.
One step closer
to energy independence.
We have got the vision,
the experience, the know-how.
North Industries:
Trust. Risk. Results.
Jesus Christ, Ed, I could
use a longer runway.
Sounds like a personal problem Gary.
It's on my list, that's for sure.
Go get my gear, will you?
- Going ahead.
- Motor! Rise and shine!
Where's Abby?
Where's my welcoming party?
Abby god damn it, you're beautiful.
You took my room!
I want it back.
With you in it.
Sorry, Ed. How you doing?
Hundred percent, Abby.
Hundred and twenty.
- Yeah, I put on a few pounds.
- Well, you know...
Is that Ed Pollack here?
Dawn, baby, you're a sight
for sore eyes.
How's that new exercise
regime going?
Okay.
Put me down, dinner's almost ready.
Lee, pipe down, will you?
You're far too excitable.
Yeah, Lee, pipe down.
It is good to see this team
taking shape here.
The big boys, they send their love,
everybody's gearin' up.
Where's the kid?
Maxwell is out on the flats.
Should be back by now.
I'm supposed to keep my eye on him,
for the old man.
Gary's taken off,
he wanted to beat the snow.
I wanted him to stay for a drink.
Dawn, find some glasses, will you?
Boy, he's sure in a hurry.
What have you got in the bag, boss?
Mind your damn manners, Motor.
Hey, Dawn, where's those glasses?
Oh, this is Elliot Taylor.
He is doing the impact evaluations.
I thought the new Green Flag
was named Hoffman.
That's my boss.
They sent two guys?
Is this what you were
looking for, Motor?
A little fish, cigarettes...
This one looked sexy.
- Oh, that looks nice.
- Stooges...
And... more fish.
Is this going to be Maxwell?
- Hi.
- Hi.
James Hoffman, meet Ed Pollack.
How are you doing?
I'm doing fine.
- Raven?
- That's right.
This thins came off the wing of a
female common raven. Corvus Corax.
- Corvux Corax?
- Before your time.
Listen up, this is what
l wanna say.
I know you've all been in a holding
pattern and I wanna apologize for that.
These ice roads have been
a bitch to get in...
and Hoffman can give you
the reason for that.
Ah, it's not cold enough.
Hell, it feels cold as a witch's
boob out here to me.
Well, you need a sustain sub-zero...
to build ice-roads.
Well, then find me some sub-zero.
I mean, we're in fucking Alaska!
It's the Arctic Circle!
It's the dead of winter here.
That's exactly the problem.
The temperature's been all over the place.
So, how is it you came to work
for North? I mean, you're not the type.
We don't work for North.
We work for the American people...
to make sure that North keeps its end
of the bargain up here being on this land.
What the American people want
is energy independence.
That's what the American
people want.
Hell, the amount of oil that they're
gonna get out of here...
they could save by inflating their
tires and caulking their windows.
Hoffman knows all that crap.
He's an oil geek.
He was at the Kuwaiti oil
field fires.
Right? And Valdez?
He was there when
the Titanic went down.
It appealed to me to come
to the last piece of pristine...
untouched wilderness on the planet,
before we fuck it up.
So, if North is willing to pay me
to be here, then, so be it.
Maxwell, you're on my team.
Here we go, Pipe Dogs, here we go!
- What about the dart finals?
- Here we go, Pipe Dogs.
Dawn? Dawn?
You're gonna be my center over here.
Okay, you got it, Ed.
Let's go, let's go, let's go!
I think we'll call you House" out here.
What do you think of that, Maxwell?
That's okay, Mr. Pollack.
- You can call me Ed, House.
- Yes, sir.
What do I say, hike?
You're gonna go to the right,
you go to the left.
- One, two, three.
- Go!
- Hut! Hut! Hut! Hut!
- I don't even know the rules.
Come on, house, run!
Go! Get him!
Give me some love, bro!
- I got it.
- You can't kick it.
Don't run!
- Okay he's down, he's down!
- We're here, we're here!
Flag on the play.
- I got it!
- Yes! You got it!
Yeah, baby!
- What happened?
- Hike!
Go long, go long!
Max! Max!
That's pass interference, Elliot!
- Are you okay?
- Sorry, I didn't see you, the ball...
Are you okay, Elliot?
Step aside.
House, let's have a look.
Hey, Elliot.
- Oh, geez.
- Oh, fuck.
He just took a little elbow.
He's got a little blood.
Dawn! Let's get him inside
and get him fixed up.
All right. Come on.
Bring him up slow.
You're gonna be alright.
You okay?
Ready for the big meeting today?
Sure. What's it about?
Well, he flew in to talk
to you, basically.
Sounds ominous.
You would think everything
is ominous.
Wasn't this supposed to be
a one-night stand a month ago?
I think you should hear him out.
He's got a lot riding on this.
This is not a fair conversation.
Let's go, Abs!
I'll be, I'll be right there!
- Does he know?
- I'm not so sure.
He sees what he wants to see.
Hey, man, forgot your stuff.
Thanks.
It's weird. You almost don't need
your gear, right?.
Yeah, right. I just ought
to take it, just in case.
Hey, have you ever been out
to the KIC Well?
Yeah. I mean, yeah... That box?
I mean I go by it on my way
to sight 7, you know.
- Right.
- What's under there?
A pipe, with a valve on it.
Why?
- What's under that?
- What?
Nothing.
Wait, you saw the North video.
They talked about it.
Yeah, I watched it.
Yeah, whatever.
I'm gone for what, five weeks?
And she hooks up with this guy.
Jesus, I thought Abby
was smarter than that.
Hoffman's cool. He's a sharp dude.
I saw some of his articles.
Some deep shit man...
put me right to sleep.
It's just bad judgement on Abby's
part. You know what I'm saying?
- She's too young for you, Ed.
- Hey, take it easy, will you?
Hoffman heading out.
How long have they been at it,
Abby and him?
I don't know man, ask her.
Can you hand me that Allen
wrench, will you, Boss?
How long?
It won't last,
I'll tell you that much.
I guess he just got lucky.
Here's his thing.
You wanna check it out?
EARTH NOW!
NUCLEAR WASTE!
THE REAL COST OF OIL
BY JAMES HOFFMAN
This guy's seen it all, hasn't he?
That's him.
Thanks for the Allen wrench,
by the way.
North thinks they can win
a P.R. campaign hiring greenies...
to do the impact statements.
It's a waste of money, you know?
The public is with us on this.
They can see the potential, they
don't need to get bogged down with...
a lot of hand-wringing.
He thinks there's something
off-kilter going on out here.
Is that what he's telling everybody?
Yeah. The permafrost is melting.
That's what he says.
Haven't you smelt it?
Fucking dick!
Saturday, week nine...
Radical temperature rises
continue from last week.
Since lizard of February
temperature on consistent rise with
high of 36 on February 12th.
Then the going weather
fluctuations continue...
but consistent subsurface warming.
Ground readings 3 to 7 degrees
increase over same week...
same quadrant average
of last 5 years.
Oh, it's you again.
You messed up all my stuff, hum?
Was that you?
Beggar.
Something up here is off.
It's in the numbers, but,
also l can feel it.
Maxwell?
Maxwell. Over.
I don't know why they don't lay tarmac
down at the start of these projects...
instead of fucking around
with these ice roads.
That would be a violation
of the terms...
that got North industries
onto this land.
Well, my onIy concern
is getting my equipment in.
My onIy recommendation is that we
wait for a sustained temperature drop.
I'll tell you what.
Change of plans.
We're gonna bring the rigs
in on Rollagons.
Rollagons?
Has that been approved?
Everybody's behind it back
at the office.
Nobody wants to miss the season.
That's gonna be very expensive.
Rollagons would cause serious
damage to the tundra...
with the temperatures this high.
Well, luckily I don't have to have
this discussion with you.
I need Hoffman.
Where the fuck is he?
I don't know.
He was coming right back.
I need for him to sign off on this.
This is what I came back here for.
We should be careful
how we handle that.
Motor, what's up?
We're a little busy here.
Maxwell's not back yet, I'm worried.
The skidoo was acting up,
maybe it conked out on him.
- Abby, what's going on?
- Where the hell have you been?
Maxwell's not back.
He's not answering the walkie.
He's not answering?
You need any help?
I wouldn't worry about Maxwell.
He could walk from here
to Vegas on his hands.
- Maxwell, do you read?
- Where you been?
You guys didn't get any kind
of a sudden wind down here?
Anything strange like that happened?
Yeah, we had a meeting
and you never showed up.
That was strange.
Lee, let's go.
Look, I am sorry
about being late.
We need to talk, you and me.
We don't need the others.
I don't know you...
and I'm not gonna try to handle this
with some diplomatic mumbo-jumbo.
I'm just gonna tell you what I need,
and I'm gonna expect you to deliver.
Go ahead.
I got environmental impact
statements I need you to sign...
saying we can bring the rigs
in on Rollagons.
What?
The ice roads aren't working...
it's what we gotta do.
Okay.
What, is that a "yes"?
I'll look at your proposal.
It's not a proposal.
It's an okay.
I need you to sign.
I'm not gonna sign something
just 'cause you need me to.
I think we should make
sure Maxwell's back...
safe before we get into this.
Foster? Yeah.
He's... he's not biting.
We should go through with that.
That's it.
- You should call her.
- I just tried. Nothing.
These things ever work?
Maxwell was bound to get
lost eventually.
Is that right?
He seems overwhelmed.
This whole damn operation needs
an attitude adjustment.
It's unacceptable.
Go ahead.
Hello?
Pollack here.
Hoffman? No, he's here.
Yeah. Hang on.
Hoffman?
Hoffman!
Foster's on the line.
Make it quick, will you?
Hello?
I'm good.
Really?
Just like that?
Tuesday? Fine.
I'll be out of here.
Visibility's turning to shit
out there.
We checked his route.
He abandoned his skidoo.
It started up fine.
He's out there on foot.
- Where's his skidoo?
- Didn't want to leave him stranded.
We gotta call a plane
for a real search.
No way! No way!
That would mean we'd have
to wait until morning.
No, we do this ourselves
and we do it now.
I'm not losing a man!
- I'm going out there now.
- I'll go with you.
Jesus!
House!
You had everybody's panties
in a knot, man!
Are you alright?
I'm okay.
I don't think this works.
According to this thing,
you walked 300 miles.
- We looked for you.
- You got lost? What happened?
- Hot tea.
- Welcome back, man.
You gotta stay in contact, alright?
Let somebody know where you're going.
It's standard procedure.
And never ever turn your walkie off.
It wasn't working. I mean, it was,
it was just screeching at me.
Sorry. I'm gonna go lie down.
That boy's got Big Eye.
He hasn't been out
here long enough.
He'll be fine.
They're calling it a promotion.
Can they even do this?
Of course they can.
They don't like the message...
they get a new messenger.
- I'm gonna quit.
- You should stay on.
Take some notes on this new guy.
You're giving up pretty easy.
Look, man I've been reporting
on this stuff a long time.
People just don't want
to deal with it. It's tiring.
That was intense.
What's up with you?
I'm leaving.
They're pulling me off the project.
I didn't know if you knew.
Why weren't you
at that meeting today?
Why weren't you
at that meeting today?
I don't think they can get
those rigs in.
Jim, it's too late for that.
How's Maxwell?
Try to get some food
in him, will you?
Work some of your magic.
I figure we take him out here first.
We tell him we're gonna get
the rigs in here in 9 days...
they're gonna stay through March,
I don't know, 19th...
then we're gonna get them over
to the North Eastern site.
I mean, you know, we just tell
'em that like it's a done deal.
Well, you tell them that, Ed! God!
I'll handle 'em.
Is Maxwell flagging these sights?
- Is he sniffing glue out here or what?
- I don't know what this is.
Jesus! We're gonna have
to check all these sights now.
Lee! This is gonna be you, all of 'em.
Will do.
Excuse me.
You're gonna have your work
cut out for you.
I think this is gonna take
more than one of us.
Better you than me.
Oh, nature calls!
So, Hoffman, what do you figure?
We bring the rigs in here
on Rollagons? Is that gonna work?
The tundra's barely frozen.
It won't support the weight
of those vehicles.
Well now...
how do you propose we get
the equipment in here then?
Maybe you won't get it in.
Maybe you're gonna have
to reconsider your plans.
That's the wrong answer.
It's the CO2 feeding back up.
As the ground warms the permafrost...
all this organic material that's
been frozen for thousands of years...
is thawing,
which accelerates the warming...
it's exponential, what we're
talking about here.
What, is this some global
warming bullshit?
Don't you think it's a little late in the
day to be having that particular debate?
It's not a debate about
global warming, Ed.
It's just what we're dealing
with out here now.
Yeah, well, fortunately, I don't have
to listen to you anymore.
- You asked.
- Just making conversation.
Empathy with the land.
ls this learned in childhood?
The land is changed.
The biosphere turned, become
unfamiliar and erratic.
l would say vengeful, but nature
is indifferent to us.
We fight for our survival,
not nature's.
There's a fierceness in the wind
I've never felt before.
Something is being unleashed
from the softening permafrost.
Why do we despise the world
that gave us life?
Why so alienated?
Why wouldn't the wilderness
fight us...
like any organism would fend
off a virus?
The world we grew up
in is changed forever.
There is no way home.
ls there something behind science
that is happening out there?
What if the very thing we're here
to pull out of the ground were...
to rise willingly and confront us?
What would that look like?
This is the last winter.
Total collapse.
Hope dies...
There's something happening, Dawn.
That's great! Do that again.
Very "Twilight Zone".
Would either of you like to comment
on the fact that it's fucking raining out.
February in the Arctic.
I'm freaking, man.
Uggianaqtuq.
What's that, Dawn?
It means "like a familiar
friend acting strangely".
That's how we speak of the weather.
It gets worse every year.
What's happening?
What do you say about it, Hoffman?
The climate is changing
exponentially...
it's collapsing, it's altering.
I'm taking about right now, today?
What happened?
That's what I'm talking about.
Today.
It was rain.
For Christ sake, the temperature's
already dropping back. It was a fluke.
- Well?
- He's staring out the window.
- Did he say anything?
- Nope.
Did you tell him I said
it was dinner time?
- Send him home, Ed.
- That's what I say.
He's not going anywhere.
Well, if he doesn't eat,
he can't work.
I realize. Jesus Christ, can I get
a little fucking positivity here?
Wipe your face. You're pathetic.
You do realize that there are restrictions
on alcohol consumption's at this station.
And what about you?
Would you pass a piss test?
- Where do you think you're going?
- Let him try, Ed.
Yeah, House likes him.
Can I come in?
I brought you this.
What happened out there yesterday?
When we lost you?
I don't know...
Out by the KIC...
it's haunted.
Just take a deep breath down
that one, there, Maxwell.
We shouldn't be here.
We're grave robbers.
It's coming out from the ground...
ghosts.
I mean, what is oil anyway,
but fossils...
plants and animals from whatever
millions of years ago?
Listen, Maxwell, that's...
maybe this has gotten to be
a little too much for you.
It's pretty intense our here.
You can go home.
Have you thought of that?
I can't.
My parents would kill me.
Your parents aren't gonna kill you.
It was my father's idea
for me to be here.
Satisfy my love of the outdoors by...
drilling for oil with Uncle Ed.
Maybe your father would listen
if you explained it to him.
Have you thought about that?
Okay. Eat some food.
I'm telling you, there's
something's out...
there and it's trying to drive
us out of here!
- It's like a force fighting back.
- Maxwell, you have to...
No. People need to know!
Isn't that your job?
To let people know what
we're going here?
- Calm down.
- What the hell is going on in here?
- That's OK.
- Tell them what you know!
- Calm down.
- You get out of here!
You know what's happening.
You said things!
Calm down!
You're gonna calm the fuck down.
Yes, sir. I just need...
I need to rest.
I'm sorry.
He's resting.
Dawn's got him on something.
What in the hell was that in there?
I got Maxwell out here.
I told his old man how good
it would be good for him.
I've known that kid since
the day he was born.
I know, Ed.
It's Hoffman!
I have no idea how you ended up
in the sack with that guy.
But I gotta tell you, I consider
it a security breech.
We got nothing to hide, Ed.
Everything's by the book.
He works for North.
Every report he
does goes through us.
I think you made a big mistake
transferring him out of here.
I'll be damned if I let him
or anybody else fuck this up for me.
I had his confidence.
I had my eye on him.
You let me down, Abby.
I did not, Ed.
I mean personally.
But I guess that's over with.
Yeah, it is.
Good night.
Sure hope you don't like
the new guy as much.
Who you got?
Marshowitz.
Abby?
I'm tired.
Maxwell saw something out there.
Something's going on here.
Don't think you need to get involved
with Maxwell. We'll take care of him.
That sounds ominous.
You're getting awfully vocal about
what we're doing up here.
That's not gonna work with Pollack.
You should have just signed
those impact reports.
Pollack has no idea what's
going on out here.
- And you do?
- No, I don't either.
That's why I'd like to take
a giant step backwards...
and get some people up here who
can figure it out what is going on.
Your deal with North prohibits you from
saying anything about this to anyone.
What's that supposed to mean?
I just need to make that clear.
You don't feel that something's
off here?
Abby, you could make
a real difference here.
Draw a line in the sand.
If they shut this project down...
the other's could be called
into question.
You could be part of
a change for the better.
Take your case to North
if you need to.
At this station, we're fighting
to get those rigs in.
Whatever it takes,
and on schedule.
What's been going on with us
these last three weeks?
I gotta sleep.
This is on the fritz too.
We gotta do something to get these
systems up and running, Motor.
I fix stuff around here,
two hours later it's broke again.
Maybe we need to get somebody down
here who can figure this shit out.
Hey. Look at this.
How's he doing?
What is this now?
There's my camera, man.
We should thaw the fucker out...
and see if he shot anything with it.
God damn it!
- Where was he?
- Out by the KIC Well.
You should have sent him home.
You should have sent him
the fuck home!
- We better call and report this.
- Radio's dead.
We wait until morning.
Foster's fIying in here
with what's his name...
we get Maxwell flown out by Gary.
That's final.
Ever since l got here, l could
tell then there was something wrong.
Not the job, not the cold,
not being isolated.
A feeling.
Now I'm telling you...
I'm seeing something out
there in the snow.
l wanna show you.
Jesus! What's he doing?
Do you see it?
Did you see it? Listen.
Do you see it?
I'm further out now.
Listen, listen... Dad...
It... Dad, do you hear that?
Listen!
You see it, Dad?
They're out there.
They're right out there.
You... you see it?
Did you see it?
Alright, that's it.
Ed?
Ed!
You can't burn that! What the hell
do you think you're doing?
Ed! Ed!
I'm in charge here!
And that tape does nobody any good!
Back off, Pollack!
You want his parents to see that?
Is that what you want?
Their kid, whacked out wandering
around in his birthday suit?
You're out of your mind.
That was evidence!
There will be an investigation!
He wandered off and he
died of exposure.
Did you hear what he was saying?
You're on the next plane
out of here, Elliot!
You and Hoffman.
Until then, you stay out of my way!
We should all be
on that plane, Ed.
And what did you put
in his head last night?
Elliot, your nose.
Come on, get inside. Get inside.
Go, go, go, go, go... Come on.
What do you say, Lee?
ls it the coming of the Chenoo?
Chenoo?
Chenoo is a dark spirit.
Sometimes called. Windigo.
What do you say, Lee?
I believe what I see with
my own eyes.
Damn it!
Wonderful...
Damn it...
Motor?
What are you doing?
I had to check the engine.
We might have to get
out of here.
Yeah, I understand. Listen...
It's cold out here.
You should go inside, okay?
Your hands...
My hands are fine.
I can hardIy feel them.
You know what I'm thinking?
I'm thinking maybe, you ought to lay
off the hooch just a little bit...
because you're not
thinking so straight.
I'm heading down South.
After this winter I'm...
I've had it.
I'm out of here.
I need to talk to you.
- Can it wait?
- No.
Maxwell's father
is an old friend of mine.
I lost his kid on my watch.
I know, and I'm sorry.
It wasn't your fault.
Well, I'm responsible.
For this crew and everything that happens
to them, your sorry ass included.
Then do the responsible thing and let's
get everybody out of here tonight.
- Because you say so?
- Because it's not safe.
I think there's an atmospheric abnormality
here that's effecting everyone's judgement.
I think that's what happened
to Maxwell.
And now Motor is out there
not making any sense either.
If you're starting a new shit...
It's some kind of low-level sour gas
that's seeping up out of the ground.
H-2S is half a mile under
the earth's surface.
It doesn't just seep out
of the ground, for Christ sake!
Do you even know what the fuck
you're talking about?
I say it does.
This permafrost is melting.
Somehow this Hydrogen Sulfide's...
making its way to the surface
like a low-level blowout.
Bullshit.
Alright. Well, then it's some kind
of contagion or a virus...
or spores.
I don't know, alright?
I don't know. But I do know that
this ground's been frozen...
for the last 10.000 years.
We have no idea what's
coming out of it.
Do you even realize you're putting
everybody at risk with this kind of talk?
- I'm going to be turning in, Pollack.
- Fuck you.
I got a series of alarmist ideas.
The warming is melting
the tundra...
but then you are worried about
a whole sour gas scenario.
- You haven't made yourself clear.
- Well, it's a lot of factors. Okay?
All at once, none of which
I fully understand at this point.
But I think that we should
err on the side of caution.
Well, I can't make a run on it
based on a hunch.
I need evidence.
There's a corpse outside.
That's evidence of something.
That's evidence of a major
malfunction on Maxwell's part.
Well, you should know that Motor
is now totally freaking out.
He's taken apart the snow cat.
What?
Look, we're all under a lot
of pressure out here.
You guys...
"You guys" who?
You and Pollack.
You're perfect for each other.
I can't e-mail out of here.
You should be packing.
Elliot, I want you to come
down to Fairbanks with me.
Staying here's just bullshit.
Alright?
And dangerous.
Listen.
Did you see it?
Did you see it?
Help me... it's right out there!
Ghosts...
what's oil anyway, fossils...
plants and animals
millions of years ago?
We shouldn't be here.
Grave robbers.
It's like a force fighting back!
People need to know!
lsn't that yourjob?
I just hope this
isn't happening everywhere else.
Abby has decided...
in light of recent goings-on...
that we should all ship out of here
and get our heads checked.
I'm gonna second that motion,
for the good of the team.
But, make no mistake,
we're coming right back.
We'll go to Dead Horse, we're gonna
get checked out there at the infirmary.
l want everybody's bags packed.
Just the essentials.
Lee, l want you to go out and tell
Motor what's going on.
Foster and Marshowitz will
be here any minute.
We'll get Gary to radio
for another plane. It'll be fine.
Gary's getting
to that age, right?
Pollack is an animal,
He will never retire.
He'd go crazy without this job.
My bottom line is that he's
just not delivering.
He's alright.
Hey, what about Abby?
- What about her?
- She's a piece of ass, right?
I got one of those too.
The wind pick up, Gary?
There it is.
Doesn't look like it'll house
a whole crew, huh, Marshowitz?
UgIy as sin out here.
It's pure white nothingness.
It looks like
the last place on earth.
God's Country!
North Country!
Are you seeing inside?
Oh, my God, Gary!
See if you can get in the inside.
Foster! Foster, are you with me?
Can you get to the other side?
Fuck! Hang on, pal.
Maxwell,
what the fuck are you doing?
Ed, what are you doing?
What are you doing?
Where's Gary?
Did he make it out of there?
I can't get him out.
Jesus Christ!
Jesus!
We gotta get Foster out of there!
Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!
Pull him out! Pull him out!
Easy, guys, easy...
Lee, I need that fire out now!
Clear!
Foster! Foster!
Stay with me!
His legs...
Oh, God, what's this.
I need Morphine for Foster!
Motor, help me.
I need Morphine.
Hang on, man.
Hang in there, brother.
Hang in there.
Hang in there.
It's alright, buddy.
- Fucking Gary!
- Fucking Gary, right, man!
We gotta stop the bleeding.
You gotta get us out of here.
You gotta get us out of here,
Hoffman.
You gotta get us out.
There's no heat.
No electricity.
We have to get some plastic
or some tarps over these walls...
and move everybody back through
the kitchen into Dawn's room.
If they haven't heard from us...
by tomorrow, they'll send another
plane. We can hold out 'til then.
I don't think so.
What?
There's one snowmobile working.
I can take it to Fort Crow.
Fort Crow?
What are you talking about?
It's an Inupi village nineteen miles
southwest of here.
- Is there gas in the tank?
- It's full.
No. We're not, we're not leaving
the station.
If we stay here, we could all
be dead by the morning.
He's right, Ed.
It's 25 miles to the ice road camps.
It's a flat ride.
They're working today.
It's 9h20, they'll be there till 5h.
That's what we'll do.
We'll hook up with these guys
and we'll radio for help...
and we'll have somebody
here by nightfall.
I'll go to Fort Crow. It's closer.
They'll have a plane.
It's North's Equipment.
We're gonna do it North's way.
If you want to come along,
that'll be fine.
Could use your help.
Two of us doubles our chances.
We better get going.
It's a straight shot.
Straight shot.
Keep this on Channel three.
It should work for a while.
See you tonight.
Abby, you're in charge.
Stay strong everybody and ah...
We'll be back with help.
I won't leave you guys here.
See that?
What did I tell you?
Hey! Anybody here?
They're supposed to be here.
- This is Tuesday, isn't it?
- All day.
What is going on?
God damn it!
No juice at all.
They must have gotten
a ride out of here.
Well...
there's a pumping station about
Fort Crow is about eight or nine
miles south of here.
Ed, Fort Crow's gonna save our ass.
Piece of shit!
- Pollack!
- What?
She lost all her oil.
She's not gonna start.
Fuck!
Alright, Ed, listen. Fort Crow
is 9 miles south of here, maybe 10.
We've got 3 hours of daylight left.
Let's not squander it.
Out there, on foot.
God damn it!
- He's gone.
- Let's cover him up.
Where's Lee?
Pollack! See that ridge?
Fort Crow's on the other side.
The river is around here somewhere.
What are you doing?
He was one of those drivers?
From the ice road?
Pollack!
Pollack!
Hang on!
Hang on, Pollack!
- Pollack!
- My foot!
The belt! You got it?
That's it!
Hang on a second!
Pollack, pull!
Get it!
- I can't do it!
- Yes, you can.
- I can't do it!
- Come on, Pollack.
We gotta get off this ice.
It's unstable.
Come on! Come on!
Come on!
You're doing great.
You're doing great!
Come on, let me get this off.
Shit!
- Fuck, man. My boot.
- Forget about it.
- I gotta go get my boot.
- Forget about your boot.
It's gone.
We gotta get these
clothes off you.
Thanks, man. Fuck it!
I'm fucking burning up!
No, you're not, you're freezing.
Keep moving! Keep moving!
You're gonna make it.
Let's go.
Here we go, Okay.
Right, boy.
Take it easy with that stuff.
It doesn't mix well
with hypothermia.
We could die out here.
Is that gonna be a boot?
Anyway, I...
Well anyway...
You and Abby...
I guess I get it.
She's...
She means a lot to me.
I guess we had our go at it.
She's a handful.
Believe in God?
No. Not the way you mean.
Jesus Christ, Jim.
I would not do what you've
chosen to do up here.
Whatever God it is that
doesn't sanction that...
then no, I'm not a believer.
What's needed out here
is a pipeline...
and a base camp.
A couple wells.
That's what God wants.
Lee?
Dawn?
Dawn?
Dawn!
Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
Motor!
Motor! Motor!
Motor!
Dawn, what did you do?
Motor!
Motor!
Dawn!
What's wrong with you?!
Dawn! No!
Motor!
Dawn?
Dawn?
Listen up.
This is how it's gotta go.
- I want your boots.
- What?
I'm in charge here.
And that's the decision.
What is it?
Hoffman, what is it?
- I can't tell!
- It's wind!
Enough of this shit!
You got into Maxwell's head...
but you're not getting into mine.
- I'm not afraid of this place.
- You see it?
You see it?
Do you see it?!
Hoffman, you are as crazy
as a shit-house rat!
I'm going for help and help
is over that rise!
We gotta stick together!
We can't split up!
We have no idea what
we're dealing with here!
We gotta watch each other's backs!
You're gonna calm down, man!
Look!
Open your eyes!
- I don't see anything!
- Look!
- Give me the boots!
- Open your eyes!
Crazy bastard,
you're making me do this.
Hoffman, are you there?
Hoffman, are you there?
- Abby?
- Jim, are you okay?
I'm ah, I'm ah...
I'm okay.
Where's Pollack?
Uh... he took off. I'm alone.
- Me too.
- Alright.
Well, just hang on.
I'm so close. I'm so close.
We're gonna get out of this, Jim.
You know, daylight's coming
and, and...
they're gonna send somebody for us,
so we're gonna get out of this.
You're gonna get out and you're gonna
tell the whole world what happened.
You're gonna sound the alarm,
you're gonna tell the whole world.
And people are gonna rise up
and make change.
Hell, they'll build
a whole monument.
The whole world's gonna
band together, Jim.
There it is Abby. Abby,
l can see the town.
We're gonna be okay.
Just hold on.
Okay.
Jim, what's happening?
It's Pollack. He's fallen.
Is he alive?
- Abby?
- Jim?
l can't tell if this is happening!
Jim?
Jim, what's happening?
Jim?
Jim!
Jim!
Shoot it!
Town's right over there!
What are you waiting for?
Mom! Mom!
No!
Let's take a look at the big picture.
We have got a lot to talk about.
Mother Nature out doing herself
right now in the country.
Let's take a look up north.
The folks in Buffalo watching the snow
come down today and you know...
today they had snow, but yesterday
a record high, 67 degrees.
So how do you deal with those
weather swings in Buffalo?
Gonna be some mood swings
as well, l bet.
Down in Florida of course we still
got that recovery efforts going on...
from the flooding last week.
We've got some video here.
This is, l believe, Durrigan St.
in Ormond Beach.
Those folks just really
taking a pounding.
And now we've got a couple of storms
up and down the East Coast...
some flash flooding and, of course...
Cape Cod's still recovering from the winter
storm that almost swept through the bay.
While that's going on...
we've got bright sunshine out
in Atlanta and Phoenix as well.
They hit 79 in Phoenix, that's
a record for this time of year.
Spring dropping in a little early.
Talking about.
Now out in Seattle,
this is something, Seattle...
we're getting reports, this is no
exaggeration, of hail earlier this morning.
In some places,
hail reported the size of baseballs.
For all you Mariners fans enjoying...
this one that's one for the records
books as well.
So we've got something for you
wherever you are in the country.
Now here's something that's got
folks scratching their heads.
Anchorage, Alaska, 68 degrees,
Fairbanks 71.
That's correct, all up
and down the state...
they're dealing with record highs.
And it's causing a lot
of problems for folks up there.
They're used to some
very bitter winters.
A lot of people are scratching their
heads saying basically which way...