What Lola Wants (2015) Movie Script
[music playing]
[wind blowing]
[music playing]
[screaming]
Get out of the cage now!
No!
You just cross your
pretty legs, honey.
We'll be right back.
LOLA (SCREAMING): No!
How am I supposed
to go down here?
Like a dog.
Is that what I am?
A dog?
A dog can be trained.
Why are you so bad to me?
It's cause you ain't no good.
That's why.
MARLO: You're wrong.
I'm good at lots of things.
MAMA: Hm, like what?
Like stealing.
But you ain't much for
getting away, now, are ya?
Yeah.
Scammin' and stealin' may
well be the crust of life.
But there's only one meat
worth putting in that fire.
And what's that?
Well, love, of course.
[applause]
[angry voices]
RADIO REPORTER (ON RADIO):
A dramatic scene today
at the Beverly Hills home
of Emmy Award-winning actors
Michael and Maria Franklin.
Just hours ago, their
16-year-old daughter, Lola
Franklin, was reported missing.
Police are treating it as
a potential kidnapping.
Details on her abduction
are still coming in.
But here's what we can tell
you-- Lola Franklin, daughter
of Emmy Award winning
actors Michael and Maria
Franklin was taken
from her home sometime
after 10:00 PM last night.
And at 1:24 AM, she
made a distress call
from her cell phone.
Police are still not
sure where exactly
that call was made from.
But they are focusing the
investigation around her home
and in the East
Los Angeles area.
You have no idea
who I am, do you?
No, ma'am.
But you seem real nice.
I'm sure it's all going
to work out for you.
What's good?
I'm generally partial to
eggs-- boiled or fried.
Mostly boiled.
I mean, who knows
what kind of drippy,
poison body fat
was on that griddle
before they even fry those eggs.
You know what I mean?
WAITRESS: What'll it be?
I'll have four fried eggs.
WAITRESS: What about
you, sweetheart?
I'll take six.
WAITRESS: Six fried eggs.
Make that eight.
WAITRESS: Eight fried eggs.
Yes, ma'am.
This is fun.
TV REPORTER (ON TV): We have
breaking news on the kidnapping
of Lola Franklin.
Just minutes ago,
police released
this recording of the terrified
teenager pleading for her life.
A warning-- this may be
upsetting for some viewers.
LOLA (ON TV): I don't
know where I am.
I don't know where we're going.
I don't what he wants.
But please, help me.
Faked your own kidnapping.
Pretty good, right?
My parents are actors.
Why would you do that?
They look like
nice people, right?
My parents.
But they're not.
Their tears are fake.
Seem pretty genuine to me.
You don't recognize them?
You know when there's
a natural disaster,
and the TV has those
phone in and give
money the victim things?
Mm hm.
And the celebrities come on.
And they're all like,
give money and stop
the suffering and the
starving of the children,
blah, blah, blah, blah.
Yeah.
Have you ever noticed that the
football players are all cool?
The actors are like
choking back tears.
Have you ever noticed that?
Yeah.
Do you think it's cause
they're like really
sensitive and emotional, and
the very thought of recording
a video message about
shivering kiddies
gets them all misty eyed
and broken up inside?
Or do you think
it's because weeping
in front of the camera's
part of their fucking job?
See?
They're all hugging and shit.
They did the exact same
thing in "Cold Harbor."
Episode Four, Season Three.
Their kid went missing.
And they did the
exact same thing.
They're not even married.
They haven't been
married for years.
Ah.
No.
You think I'm upset because
my parents are divorced?
Everyone's parents are divorced.
You think there's
like a billion kids
flopping around on the floor--
oh no, my parents are divorced,
it's all my fault!
It's because they're evil.
Evil.
Evil like what?
Like outer space evil?
Like vampire evil.
Right.
So that's why you ran away?
Because they're vampires.
Wouldn't you?
I'll take those eggs to go.
I'm coming with you.
You know what you get
for kidnapping a minor?
Doing sick and confusing
things to them?
Things regular people wouldn't
even know how to spell.
Do you know what
you get for that?
You get your fucking
balls cut off, is what.
Are you a bitter man?
By night.
Do you carry in your
heart a measure of dislike
towards cute and furry animals?
No ma'am.
Well, I'm guessing
about seven seconds.
Seven seconds?
That's how long it will
take to convince the people
in this diner that you're
a ruthless, dangerous
kidnapper that has taken
my person, and likely
my virginity.
If they don't cut
your balls off,
the two dozen state
troopers that come
pouring in through this door
when called certainly will.
So it's up to you.
You can be a nutless,
kidnapping eunuch, or my hero.
What's it gonna be?
I like you.
I know.
So.
What kind of trouble you in?
Who said I'm in any trouble?
Boy like you.
Car like this.
You're in trouble.
Well, I guess it's sort
of a misunderstanding.
I guess it must've been.
Nice picture.
That's pretty sneaky.
You're a pickpocket.
I'm a fingersmith.
I like you.
I know.
So where you headed?
Mobile, Alabama.
Yeah?
What's in Mobile, Alabama?
All things good
that back then was,
and everything's
that's yet to be.
Yeah, well it
sounds like heaven.
Don't it, though?
1,200 miles.
You got any money?
I was planning on acquiring
the criminal version
of invisibility.
Honey, you tell
me why a Beverly
Hills princess fakes
her own kidnapping,
runs off into the desert.
I'll teach you to shear the
gold from a judge's jaw bone.
Fake?
Lover, I escaped
the cold, stone,
ghoulish clutches of an
undead vampire castle.
Ah, you don't live in a castle.
Like you've ever seen a castle.
Well, does it
have a drawbridge?
It's got guards.
It's got towers.
And vampires.
Those vampires.
My so-called parents.
At night, they crawl out the
tower windows, down the castle
wall, to the village below.
There, they steal
through open windows
to suck the blood from
babies and children.
Night after night,
the ghouls return
to feed on that same child.
And that child begins
to pale and weaken.
Are you trying to tell
me-- did your father--
Molest me?
If the man did that,
he wouldn't be undead.
He'd be dead-dead.
That, I believe.
So you gonna share with me
your dark art of thievery?
Not exactly a satisfactory
answer as to why you ran away.
It's the only one
you're gonna get.
Show me your hands.
Oh, you got stubby fingers.
I'm close to positive it's
not a no you want to say to me.
First thing to understand
is that fingersmithing
involves no weapons, no
violence, no long-term effects
on the mark.
Take only wallets and purses.
We only take them from those
who can afford to lose them.
Now, what do you see?
I see a couple of pickpockets
standing under a "Beware
of Pickpockets" sign.
That's the whole point,
is they see the sign.
Then their heart catches a
beat-- where's my wallet,
they think.
And as they think it,
their hand instinctively
goes to their money.
Cool.
It's practically an invitation.
OK, so now you have your mark.
You know where the money is.
LOLA: How do we get it?
Operating on your
own is trickier.
But with two, the simplest
version is a sandwich.
LOLA: A sandwich?
We're the bread.
And the mark-- well
, he's the turkey.
Just like any sandwich, you have
two bits of bread-- one behind
and one in front.
Pick and a stall.
The one in front's a stall.
The one behind's a pick.
All the stall has to do
is stall so that-- then
the pick bumps into the mark.
Oh, beg your pardon.
Not at all.
That bump allows for
believable contact.
And in that contact, the lifting
of the wallet is concealed.
It's magic!
Nah, just genius.
Mister?
I'm sorry.
Man gotta have a code.
So.
This misunderstanding.
Yeah?
Has it got something to do
with the unsolicited years
of your spirit fingers?
It does.
What did you steal?
Just a kiss.
And for that you're on the run?
I'm a good kisser.
Maybe you can deliver a kiss
worthy of interstate pursuit.
But you're a terrible liar.
I don't know what
it is you did steal.
But a baby's sweet
nothing, it was not.
Stop!
Tell me you love me.
Tell you?
I'm gonna show you.
Tell me.
Well, I love you
like a bad disease.
Like a death star,
plane crash fireball.
Show me.
What's your name?
Marlo.
Marlo.
I want to gouge your
fucking eyes out.
I want to bite your face off.
I believe if we
concentrate our powers we
can make ourselves invisible.
I believe every cop they got's
out there looking for you.
They're not going
to find me, are they?
Why'd you run away?
They're not going to find me.
They're not going to
take me back, are they?
No.
Never.
Where did you go?
What about him?
Not with those boots.
Ooh, maybe her.
Only poor people
use pay phones.
This was back in
the 50s, back when
Vegas was Sinatra and
gangsters and the atomic bomb.
Clubs used to throw these
all night A-bomb parties.
And in the morning, they'd
all go out on the deck,
put on the dark glasses,
and watch the A-bomb test
like it was the 4th of July.
The Vegas of today-- the strip--
couldn't hold a candle to it.
So it was at one of
these A-bomb parties
that the robbery occurred.
Now, when she realized that her
diamonds were missing-- well,
she was very upset.
So the owner, he
bars up the doors.
And they search
everybody in the joint.
Now, unfortunately,
the perpatrator--
the only thing missing, apart
from the necklace, was him.
[CONTINUES TALKING IN
BACKGROUND]
It's the last great buried
treasure in America.
[inaudible] and $10 million
in diamonds and pearls.
You!
Who are you?
Who the hell are you?
I'm Jeff.
Are you a cop?
Are you a police officer?
No.
I--I--I--I--I'm Jeff.
What the fuck are
you doing here?
We just came to get ice cream.
Uh, darlin'--
Guy in the back, get out here.
Everybody put your arms down.
Put your arms down.
Baby, get the money.
Excuse me?
Come on, baby.
Get the money from the register.
Let's go.
Lola!
Lola, get back in here!
What the hell are you
doing with my life?
I'm so hot for you right now.
What?
Christ!
Just stay there!
Stay there!
Stay!
What I do takes style.
It takes subtlety.
[inaudible] Lola.
You're out there auditioning
for America's Most Wanted!
LOLA: God, you're such a baby.
Lola, you are, without
a doubt the craziest,
the most dangerous,
worse time 10
version of a bad
idea I ever had.
Well, I guess I
love you, too, baby.
Who's that?
MARLO: That's Mama.
Aren't you going
to introduce us?
No.
Well, I would.
But me and Mama, we had
that misunderstanding.
What kind of misunderstanding?
The unresolved kind.
[screaming]
You see what you made me do?
Do you see?
Do you see how your
mama loves you?
What's going on, baby?
I swear to you, I'll
tell you everything.
Right now, I need you
to get the fucking bags.
We gotta go.
We gotta go.
Don't you see?
Right.
There's a church.
Did it come out?
-What?
The bullet.
Did it come out?
I--I don't know.
Get down here, Lola.
Get down here!
Just check.
There's no hole.
There's no hole.
You gotta get it out.
I gotta get a doctor.
No no no no no.
She'll find us.
I know you can do this, baby.
No, I know it.
I know that you can.
I know it.
Five minutes.
God!
I love you.
I love you.
Do it.
Do it.
Do it.
I can feel it!
Hush, you!
Come on!
I am awesome.
Mama shot me.
Wedding's gonna
be a barn burner.
Is she your real mama?
Well, I can't claim to
be a reliable witness
to my own birth, which I'm
pretty sure is a good thing.
But she raised you.
Now, in a way she did.
He's a gentle soul,
that son of mine.
You should have borrowed
that money from him.
And that's why she shot you?
Because you saw her?
Not exactly.
What I am is on the
run from my own mama.
Direct result of me stealing
from her a duffel bag
full of cash, tossing it off a
building to a crowd in a kind
of Robin Hood kind of gesture.
A million dollars?
And change.
[inaudible]?
I was very upset.
I'm not scared of her.
Let her come.
REPORTER (ON TV): Emmy
Award-winning actors,
Michael and Maria Franklin.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN
(ON TV): Whoever
you are that took
our daughter away,
you will pay for what you did.
MARIA FRANKLIN (ON
TV): We want her back.
And to anyone who returns
her to us safe and sound,
we're offering a
reward of $1 million.
I got these tacos from this
couple on the side of the road.
I swear they must be like a
thousand and three years old.
And they got this
TV hooked up to
this donkey-powered generator.
And they just sit there all day
watching Mexican soap operas,
being really happy.
How is that even possible?
Why'd you run away?
I was kidnapped.
Lola.
I told you.
My parents are werewolves.
You said vampires.
No, they're werewolves.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
TV): You know what?
That's a matter for the police.
It's not our concern.
This is a cash offer.
No questions asked.
$1 million for the safe
return of our daughter.
Why'd you run away?
I saved your life.
And now you want to cash me in?
You're selling me?
I want to protect you.
By sending me back?
By taking you somewhere safe.
They're monsters!
They're your parents.
And since they're clearly
not werewolves or vampires,
and they're not molesting
you or abusing you,
then it's a whole lot
safer than being with me.
So you're selling me?
You think I want to do this?
I don't pay off
Mama, I'm a dead man.
And if you're with me when
she finds me, you're dead too.
I was with you.
I'm the reason you're alive.
It's the right thing to do.
What the fuck do you know
about the right thing to do?
You're a thief.
You're a liar.
You're a coward.
I love you.
Fuck you.
I'm sorry.
Fuck you.
Fight back!
I love you, Lola.
Stop saying that!
But I'm taking you back.
I'll give you five
seconds to call this off.
No chance.
Four, three, two--
Lola.
---One.
Done.
Help!
Help!
Kidnap!
Kidnap!
Help!
Kidnap!
Kidnap!
Help!
Help!
Help me!
Of course she was a captive.
Everyone saw that.
But she didn't seem scared.
No.
She seemed angry,
but not scared.
So this is the honeymoon?
What are you doing?
MICHAEL FRANKLIN
(ON PHONE): Lola?
Mr. Franklin, my name is Marlo.
I'm the guy that didn't
kidnap your daughter.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): Mr. Marlo,
there are billions of people
that didn't kidnap my daughter.
But the man who calls
me from her cell phone
is not likely one of them.
Nobody kidnapped
her, Mr. Franklin.
She ran away.
I'm calling because
I'm bringing her home.
And I wouldn't want to be
mistaken for a kidnapper.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON PHONE):
Are you around 18 years old?
Yes.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): 5'10", dark hair?
Yep.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN
(ON PHONE): Did you
drag my daughter handcuffed
through a wedding
and into a stolen car?
Well, I did, but it was--
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): Kidnapper.
No, it was just to bring
her home, Mr. Franklin.
She's a runaway.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): Let me speak to her.
You're on speaker.
She's sitting right next to me.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN
(ON PHONE): Lola.
Lola, honey, are you OK?
Lola.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): Lola, speak to me.
Lola!
I-- [whispers] I'm
sorry, Mr. Franklin.
She's not talking.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON PHONE):
If this is some kind of prank,
I assure you--
-It's not a prank, Mr. Franklin.
She's just in a bad mood.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): Bad mood?
What kind of fool
do you think I am?
Mr. Franklin, let me
send you a picture.
I'll take a photo of Lola and
send it to you right away.
OK?
MICHAEL FRANKLIN
(ON PHONE): Do it.
All right, smile.
Nice.
No, real, real nice.
Come here!
Get!
You know what you just did?
You just put a big
goddamn target on my head.
Whoops.
Now, listen, sweetheart.
Now, between Mama, the cops,
the state troopers, the FBI--
I think they got killing
me down pretty good.
They don't need
any help from you.
I told you I didn't
want to go back.
And I told you every second
you spend with me is one second
closer to you getting
caught and killed
by a crazy-ass bitch
with a thing for dead man
pussy licking.
It's no way to live.
And it's sure as shit
ain't no way to die.
Now, you're going back
to the lap of luxury.
I'm going to pay off Mama.
Nobody's gonna get killed!
Anytime any part of that
sounds like a bad idea,
you just let me know.
Do me a favor.
Try to contain your
cinematic fantasies.
Don't do anything that's
gonna get us killed.
I would have done
anything for you.
I know.
10 fingers against
the dash, please, sir.
Please, now is it?
Any one of them
moves, it will be nine.
Are you Lola Franklin?
No.
Out of the car.
I'm going to push your face
into the hood of the car here.
But I want you to know
there's no malice in it.
Safety first.
Everything's all
right, Ms. Franklin.
It's all over.
You're safe.
However flattering it is or
isn't to be mistaken as Lola
Franklin, the stars in
your eyes have caused
you to make a secondary error.
Oh, shit!
Oh, sh--what the fuck?
Gotcha.
I'm sorry about that, officer.
But please believe my
sole and goodly purpose
is to return Lola,
here, safe and whole
to her parents warm embrace.
I'm sure you understand that's
difficult for me to believe.
Truth is, I never thought it'd
be quite so difficult to do
the right thing.
COP: First time?
No, but I sure
hope it's the last.
And do you imagine
that in addition
to the courage of
your convictions,
you possess the means
to see them through?
Well, I bested you, sir.
LOLA: I'm not going back.
Not something you often
hear from a kidnap victim.
True enough.
Well, if you could relate
that to your law enforcement
colleagues, I'd be grateful.
Situation of this
complexity is best
explained by you in person.
Well, as entertaining as arrest
and incarceration would be,
I'm afraid I must decline.
Thank you for not shooting me.
I hope my eluding your
policing in this way
has not caused you any
professional embarrassment.
Oh, I'm sure any
persecution I might face
will be more than
compensated for by the memory
of our delightful conversation.
Well it's always a pleasure
to meet a gentleman.
Hey, fella?
Should information come
to me that contradicts
the honorable sentiments
that you have displayed
in relation to Ms.
Franklin, I'll pour gasoline
on you, set you on fire.
What?
Alabama.
No chance.
I helped you.
I helped you back.
I'll escape.
I'll catch you.
I'll kill you.
We need a new car.
REPORTER (ON TV):
Remarkable images
today of the kidnapped teenager,
Lola Franklin, the daughter--
REPORTER (ON TV): The
kidnapper seen here
has not yet been identified--
[interposing voices]
We shouldn't steal
from these people.
Nobody's here.
It's the perfect
people to steal from.
LOLA: Have you ever
been to Alabama?
MARLO: Have you ever seen your
mother blow a guy's brains out?
LOLA: You don't know my mother.
MARLO: No, but you know mine.
LOLA: I know you're
running from her.
MARLO: Not for much longer.
LOLA: Courage is not
the absence of fear.
MARLO: And love is not
a license for suicide.
LOLA: Of course it is.
What do you think?
I think that you're scared.
Goddamn it!
Goddamn it.
Who the hell are you?
Nobody.
What do you want?
Nothing.
[inaudible], it's all yours.
Sir, um, what are you doing?
She serious?
She's very nurturing.
I mean why are you doing it?
May have escaped
your direct attention.
I've moved beyond the why.
I'm well into the how.
What's your name?
That's none of your business.
LOLA: Please.
I'm just trying to help.
You want to help?
You get me a bigger box.
Marlo, fetch me a box.
Now.
What's your name?
I'll tell you my name,
you give me that box.
I give you the box,
you give me a stream
of piss running down your leg.
Sounds like a no.
Normally I'm not the kind of
girl to fish for compliments.
But I'm pretty sure we're
saving your life here.
I wouldn't be doing that.
Why?
I'm a very bad man.
I was born in nineteen
hundred and sixty.
Or '61.
Can't be sure of the date.
Place was where we sit.
[inaudible] my
mama pushed me out
and my daddy caught me
before I hit the dirt.
He was a prospector.
Little success and less cheer.
My presence in the world did
nothing to improve his luck.
He was a god-fearing
man, my daddy.
For all his bible learning,
he did one irretrievable evil.
The man put into me a lust
for gold would make Cortez
and the rape of
the new world seem
an afternoon perambulation.
Gold.
There was a time the
word itself would,
with the will in me so strong--
the self-abuse would last
from sundown to cock's crow.
Truth is, there was never
enough gold in these hills
to fill the teeth of 10 men.
20 years of hardscrabble did
nothing to teach me better.
Or was it 30 years?
Or 40?
My whole life, I prayed
to the golden god.
I worshipped and I sacrificed.
Every day I woke with
the true belief--
the true belief--
that this would
be the day to find the
nugget would change my life.
I woke this morning and
my faith was broken.
And with no faith in the dream,
got no place in the world.
LOLA: That doesn't
make you a bad man.
No.
No.
This might.
You have a gun?
Now, why didn't you
just shoot yourself?
Shut up.
Fear not, ma'am.
Your ordeal of captivity and
deprivation is at an end.
Oh my god.
MARLO: Listen, buddy--
Shut up, you
villainous desecrator.
You know who I am.
Yes, ma'am, I do.
What are your intentions?
My intentions?
Your Intentions.
What are they?
I'm going to rescue you from
the clutches of your captor,
and return you safe and whole
to the bosom of your family.
And collect the reward?
A lifetime of trial
and testing of my faith.
I seen the lord of
the yellow rock.
Lay a $1 million nugget at my
feet, I'll take it with thanks.
Yes, ma'am.
I won't go.
What?
I have no wish to,
and no intention
of returning to my family.
A child should be
with their parents.
And where should
be the kidnapper?
Because if you attempt
to take me hence,
that's what you will be.
Kidnapper.
There's a legal reward.
The reward for
kidnapping a child
can be no less than the
eternal flames of damnation.
For those who worship
the yellow rock,
there is no hell like
life without coin.
I do not know, nor
do I much care, why
you do not wish to return home.
But home is where you're going.
Just what to do with this
sinner, I can't decide.
Hey, you can give
me the reward.
You give me a good reason not
to put you under the ground
right now.
Well, I did deliver
Lola to your doorstep.
The holy golden nugget you spent
your whole life looking for.
I call that reason enough.
But if you need more,
you might remember
I did it when you lay
low with loss of faith,
and looking to
stretch your own neck.
I won't deny you a
party to the events
that kept me from the rope.
But my clear memory of your
role was not as my savior,
but to liberally
encouragize my mortal folly.
I remember you asking
for direct assistance
in that department.
JED: I took leave of my senses.
And now?
All of my faculties
have returned to me.
MARLO: Then task your mind
with the following question--
how many George
Foreman lean mean
fat reducing grilling machines
can you get for this nugget?
How many Ab [inaudible] Pros.
How many limited edition
Hoover Dam commemorative coins
can you buy with
a million dollars?
Now, you ask yourself that.
Because you kill me, the only
way you enjoying that reward
is TV shopping from a
death row prison cell.
We saved your life.
I asked you not to do that.
Not my fault you don't
heed fair warning.
So long, kidnapper.
You some kind of sorcerer, boy?
Oh, you have no idea.
I told you, I didn't
want to go back!
JED: Hold me.
Hold me.
Lola!
Lola!
Take me, crush me, kill me.
I got you, baby.
I got you.
Never let me go, never.
Never.
Don't ever take me back.
OK.
[gunshot]
What is this?
This is the morning.
This is bullshit.
It's the right thing.
It's not!
It's not the right thing.
You fucking asshole!
MICHAEL FRANKLIN
(ON PHONE): Yeah.
Hello, Mr. Franklin.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): Ah, the kidnapper.
MARLO: Let's clear
this up right now.
Did you or did you not offer
a million dollar reward
for your daughter's return?
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): For her rescue.
From the kidnapper.
No no, no, no, no, no, no.
No, I saw you on TV.
Now, what your wife
said was, the reward
is open to anyone that
returns our daughter to us
safe and sound.
And that's me.
I'm the guy trying to
return your daughter
to you safe and sound.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON PHONE):
Tell me where you are?
Not until you believe me.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): I believe you.
Now tell me the truth.
Because if you think
I'm going to listen
to any more of your bullshit,
you don't know me at all.
Mr. Franklin.
The truth is, I love
your daughter very much.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): Oh, my god.
No, she loves me too.
We're in love.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN
(ON PHONE): I have
seen footage of you
dragging my daughter out
of a goddamn church, no less.
The whole nation saw it.
Why do you think Lola
doesn't want to come home?
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON PHONE):
Oh, she wants to come home.
Why did she run away?
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): She didn't run away.
You kidnapped her.
Uh, Mr. Franklin,
if I kidnapped her,
we wouldn't be having
this conversation.
No, we'd be having a
ransom-type conversation.
We'd be arranging money,
and times, and places.
No, we wouldn't be discussing
whether or not she ran away
from home, or why the idea
of her returning is so awful,
she'd choose a life on
the run over the love
and comfort of her own family.
So I ask you again, sir--
why did she run away?
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON PHONE):
You listen to me, smartass--
whether you're the
kidnapper or not,
whether you're in love with
her or not, it doesn't matter.
The only thing to do
is arrange an exchange
where you give me
my daughter, and I
will give you your reward.
My reward?
I can guess what that is.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): Give me a time
and a place, or this
conversation is over.
Time and a place, kidnapper.
All right.
Now, here's what
you're going to do.
You're going to take
the million in cash.
You're going to drive
to Van Nuys airport.
Now, you take off
and you fly east.
Stay below 10,000 feet.
You should be in
cell phone contact.
Well, now I'm a kidnapper.
COP (ON TV): I don't
know the facts.
But what I do know is
that a man doing what
he believes to be right is
the most dangerous kind of man
we got.
You really think they're
going to bring the money?
I have no idea.
They're going to eat me.
They're going to
stick me to a wall,
and lay eggs in my stomach,
and it's going to chew
and gash through my chest.
And they're going to eat me.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN
(ON PHONE): Yeah.
MARLO: You up in the air?
MICHAEL FRANKLIN
(ON PHONE): We are.
OK.
Here's what you're going to do.
You're going to turn north
and fly low until you
see a big plane bone yard.
You see, you put
the money in the bag
and toss it out the window.
That bag lands on the far
north side of the wreckage.
You'll have Lola
back safe and sound.
But I see black and white or
flashing light of any kind,
you will not.
I should've let you die.
Mama's got the
big gun this time.
Is she gonna shoot?
I wish she'd just
get on with it.
I have your money.
But not your manners.
Mama, I'd like you
to meet Lola Franklin.
Lola, this is Mama.
MAMA: Come down here, child.
Ooh.
I like her.
In a few minutes, a
plane is gonna fly over.
And from that plane is gonna
fall a bag full of money.
My heart breaks for a child
who's never felt a mama's love.
But when a child betrays that
love, it leaves a wound in Mama
don't never heal itself right.
All that I have to
offer you is in that bag.
Well, as a cash for
kidnappee exchange, the plan's
got some bite,
I'll give you that.
But you left your mama
out of your reckoning.
And I can't pretend that
that didn't hurt my feelings.
Two minutes.
Get in the van, honey.
Mama's going to take you home.
Mm hm.
Come on.
Here puppy puppies.
Come on.
You've killed us.
Why didn't we
wait for the money?
Why didn't we wait
for the money?
You just let mama take care.
You scared?
Yes.
Come.
[screaming]
Get out of the cage!
No!
You just cross your
pretty legs, honey.
We'll be right back.
LOLA: No!
Marlo, I love you!
I know.
LOLA: No!
No, don't leave me.
Where are we going?
Shh.
LOLA: Please, please
don't leave me here.
I don't want to go.
Shh.
It's gonna be all right.
-Mama.
LOLA: Marlo!
Mama, I don't want to go.
I'm gonna make it all right.
LOLA: Marlo!
Scammin' and stealin' may
well be the crust of life.
But there's only one meat
worth putting in that pie.
Yeah?
What's that?
Why, love, of course.
Do you know what it
is to love, child?
To tend, and cherish a living
thing that all it wants to do
is cut you up to pieces?
I believe I do.
Oh, if you did, you would
not have done what you did.
What you know is to
steal and harm and hurt.
At that, you are an expert.
Love is something in
which you need schooling.
That's not true.
Yes it is.
No it is not!
Yes it is!
I'm sorry, baby.
Look at me.
Look at me.
You gotta put your
hand on your heart
for a true and proper sorry.
Will you do that?
I promise I'll do everything
I can to forgive you.
Well?
I'm sorry, Mama.
Elaborate.
I'm sorry I stole from you.
For the dollars, yes,
but more so for the hurt
I must have cost you.
-Mm hm.
My little boy.
You hurt me. [inaudible].
[inaudible].
Yes ma'am.
And I'm sorry you had to come
cross country and fetch me.
Oh, I am trying, Marlo.
I am really trying.
I know you can do it, Mama.
You've got a big
heart, and I know it.
I'm sorry, baby.
Words alone are
not enough to right
the injury you have done me.
You've got that
big reward coming.
My heart's broken, Marlo.
You gotta mend that.
MARLO: I will, Mama.
You gotta make that right.
MARLO: You tell me how.
Tell me how to make it right.
You do it gentle, darling.
You do it real gentle.
Come to Mama, now.
No.
You show Mama you love her.
Shh, pretty baby.
Mama's here.
No, Mama!
No!
Where's Mama?
I'm not so sure
she's really my mama.
MARLO: Marlo!
Marlo!
You OK?
It's difficult to say.
What?
What happened?
Uh, you what?
No.
I don't know what.
What happened?
Speaking as a man
that just unravelled
his own parental
mystery, discovering
but little satisfaction
in the experience--
you say your parents
are monsters?
That's fine by me.
I believe you.
You believe me?
I do.
Really?
Absolutely and completely.
Hey, don't cry.
I didn't want to
tell you before,
because I-- I didn't want you
to think I was all messed up.
But I am.
I'm all messed up.
I'm going to tell you now.
I'm going to tell you the truth.
You don't have to
tell me anything.
I know.
BABY LOLA (CRYING): Mommy!
Daddy!
MARLO: So the real
kidnappers are your parents?
You were a cute baby.
Alabama.
So is this the place?
I don't know.
You want me to go with you?
Yeah.
OK.
It's OK.
[music playing]
[wind blowing]
[music playing]
[screaming]
Get out of the cage now!
No!
You just cross your
pretty legs, honey.
We'll be right back.
LOLA (SCREAMING): No!
How am I supposed
to go down here?
Like a dog.
Is that what I am?
A dog?
A dog can be trained.
Why are you so bad to me?
It's cause you ain't no good.
That's why.
MARLO: You're wrong.
I'm good at lots of things.
MAMA: Hm, like what?
Like stealing.
But you ain't much for
getting away, now, are ya?
Yeah.
Scammin' and stealin' may
well be the crust of life.
But there's only one meat
worth putting in that fire.
And what's that?
Well, love, of course.
[applause]
[angry voices]
RADIO REPORTER (ON RADIO):
A dramatic scene today
at the Beverly Hills home
of Emmy Award-winning actors
Michael and Maria Franklin.
Just hours ago, their
16-year-old daughter, Lola
Franklin, was reported missing.
Police are treating it as
a potential kidnapping.
Details on her abduction
are still coming in.
But here's what we can tell
you-- Lola Franklin, daughter
of Emmy Award winning
actors Michael and Maria
Franklin was taken
from her home sometime
after 10:00 PM last night.
And at 1:24 AM, she
made a distress call
from her cell phone.
Police are still not
sure where exactly
that call was made from.
But they are focusing the
investigation around her home
and in the East
Los Angeles area.
You have no idea
who I am, do you?
No, ma'am.
But you seem real nice.
I'm sure it's all going
to work out for you.
What's good?
I'm generally partial to
eggs-- boiled or fried.
Mostly boiled.
I mean, who knows
what kind of drippy,
poison body fat
was on that griddle
before they even fry those eggs.
You know what I mean?
WAITRESS: What'll it be?
I'll have four fried eggs.
WAITRESS: What about
you, sweetheart?
I'll take six.
WAITRESS: Six fried eggs.
Make that eight.
WAITRESS: Eight fried eggs.
Yes, ma'am.
This is fun.
TV REPORTER (ON TV): We have
breaking news on the kidnapping
of Lola Franklin.
Just minutes ago,
police released
this recording of the terrified
teenager pleading for her life.
A warning-- this may be
upsetting for some viewers.
LOLA (ON TV): I don't
know where I am.
I don't know where we're going.
I don't what he wants.
But please, help me.
Faked your own kidnapping.
Pretty good, right?
My parents are actors.
Why would you do that?
They look like
nice people, right?
My parents.
But they're not.
Their tears are fake.
Seem pretty genuine to me.
You don't recognize them?
You know when there's
a natural disaster,
and the TV has those
phone in and give
money the victim things?
Mm hm.
And the celebrities come on.
And they're all like,
give money and stop
the suffering and the
starving of the children,
blah, blah, blah, blah.
Yeah.
Have you ever noticed that the
football players are all cool?
The actors are like
choking back tears.
Have you ever noticed that?
Yeah.
Do you think it's cause
they're like really
sensitive and emotional, and
the very thought of recording
a video message about
shivering kiddies
gets them all misty eyed
and broken up inside?
Or do you think
it's because weeping
in front of the camera's
part of their fucking job?
See?
They're all hugging and shit.
They did the exact same
thing in "Cold Harbor."
Episode Four, Season Three.
Their kid went missing.
And they did the
exact same thing.
They're not even married.
They haven't been
married for years.
Ah.
No.
You think I'm upset because
my parents are divorced?
Everyone's parents are divorced.
You think there's
like a billion kids
flopping around on the floor--
oh no, my parents are divorced,
it's all my fault!
It's because they're evil.
Evil.
Evil like what?
Like outer space evil?
Like vampire evil.
Right.
So that's why you ran away?
Because they're vampires.
Wouldn't you?
I'll take those eggs to go.
I'm coming with you.
You know what you get
for kidnapping a minor?
Doing sick and confusing
things to them?
Things regular people wouldn't
even know how to spell.
Do you know what
you get for that?
You get your fucking
balls cut off, is what.
Are you a bitter man?
By night.
Do you carry in your
heart a measure of dislike
towards cute and furry animals?
No ma'am.
Well, I'm guessing
about seven seconds.
Seven seconds?
That's how long it will
take to convince the people
in this diner that you're
a ruthless, dangerous
kidnapper that has taken
my person, and likely
my virginity.
If they don't cut
your balls off,
the two dozen state
troopers that come
pouring in through this door
when called certainly will.
So it's up to you.
You can be a nutless,
kidnapping eunuch, or my hero.
What's it gonna be?
I like you.
I know.
So.
What kind of trouble you in?
Who said I'm in any trouble?
Boy like you.
Car like this.
You're in trouble.
Well, I guess it's sort
of a misunderstanding.
I guess it must've been.
Nice picture.
That's pretty sneaky.
You're a pickpocket.
I'm a fingersmith.
I like you.
I know.
So where you headed?
Mobile, Alabama.
Yeah?
What's in Mobile, Alabama?
All things good
that back then was,
and everything's
that's yet to be.
Yeah, well it
sounds like heaven.
Don't it, though?
1,200 miles.
You got any money?
I was planning on acquiring
the criminal version
of invisibility.
Honey, you tell
me why a Beverly
Hills princess fakes
her own kidnapping,
runs off into the desert.
I'll teach you to shear the
gold from a judge's jaw bone.
Fake?
Lover, I escaped
the cold, stone,
ghoulish clutches of an
undead vampire castle.
Ah, you don't live in a castle.
Like you've ever seen a castle.
Well, does it
have a drawbridge?
It's got guards.
It's got towers.
And vampires.
Those vampires.
My so-called parents.
At night, they crawl out the
tower windows, down the castle
wall, to the village below.
There, they steal
through open windows
to suck the blood from
babies and children.
Night after night,
the ghouls return
to feed on that same child.
And that child begins
to pale and weaken.
Are you trying to tell
me-- did your father--
Molest me?
If the man did that,
he wouldn't be undead.
He'd be dead-dead.
That, I believe.
So you gonna share with me
your dark art of thievery?
Not exactly a satisfactory
answer as to why you ran away.
It's the only one
you're gonna get.
Show me your hands.
Oh, you got stubby fingers.
I'm close to positive it's
not a no you want to say to me.
First thing to understand
is that fingersmithing
involves no weapons, no
violence, no long-term effects
on the mark.
Take only wallets and purses.
We only take them from those
who can afford to lose them.
Now, what do you see?
I see a couple of pickpockets
standing under a "Beware
of Pickpockets" sign.
That's the whole point,
is they see the sign.
Then their heart catches a
beat-- where's my wallet,
they think.
And as they think it,
their hand instinctively
goes to their money.
Cool.
It's practically an invitation.
OK, so now you have your mark.
You know where the money is.
LOLA: How do we get it?
Operating on your
own is trickier.
But with two, the simplest
version is a sandwich.
LOLA: A sandwich?
We're the bread.
And the mark-- well
, he's the turkey.
Just like any sandwich, you have
two bits of bread-- one behind
and one in front.
Pick and a stall.
The one in front's a stall.
The one behind's a pick.
All the stall has to do
is stall so that-- then
the pick bumps into the mark.
Oh, beg your pardon.
Not at all.
That bump allows for
believable contact.
And in that contact, the lifting
of the wallet is concealed.
It's magic!
Nah, just genius.
Mister?
I'm sorry.
Man gotta have a code.
So.
This misunderstanding.
Yeah?
Has it got something to do
with the unsolicited years
of your spirit fingers?
It does.
What did you steal?
Just a kiss.
And for that you're on the run?
I'm a good kisser.
Maybe you can deliver a kiss
worthy of interstate pursuit.
But you're a terrible liar.
I don't know what
it is you did steal.
But a baby's sweet
nothing, it was not.
Stop!
Tell me you love me.
Tell you?
I'm gonna show you.
Tell me.
Well, I love you
like a bad disease.
Like a death star,
plane crash fireball.
Show me.
What's your name?
Marlo.
Marlo.
I want to gouge your
fucking eyes out.
I want to bite your face off.
I believe if we
concentrate our powers we
can make ourselves invisible.
I believe every cop they got's
out there looking for you.
They're not going
to find me, are they?
Why'd you run away?
They're not going to find me.
They're not going to
take me back, are they?
No.
Never.
Where did you go?
What about him?
Not with those boots.
Ooh, maybe her.
Only poor people
use pay phones.
This was back in
the 50s, back when
Vegas was Sinatra and
gangsters and the atomic bomb.
Clubs used to throw these
all night A-bomb parties.
And in the morning, they'd
all go out on the deck,
put on the dark glasses,
and watch the A-bomb test
like it was the 4th of July.
The Vegas of today-- the strip--
couldn't hold a candle to it.
So it was at one of
these A-bomb parties
that the robbery occurred.
Now, when she realized that her
diamonds were missing-- well,
she was very upset.
So the owner, he
bars up the doors.
And they search
everybody in the joint.
Now, unfortunately,
the perpatrator--
the only thing missing, apart
from the necklace, was him.
[CONTINUES TALKING IN
BACKGROUND]
It's the last great buried
treasure in America.
[inaudible] and $10 million
in diamonds and pearls.
You!
Who are you?
Who the hell are you?
I'm Jeff.
Are you a cop?
Are you a police officer?
No.
I--I--I--I--I'm Jeff.
What the fuck are
you doing here?
We just came to get ice cream.
Uh, darlin'--
Guy in the back, get out here.
Everybody put your arms down.
Put your arms down.
Baby, get the money.
Excuse me?
Come on, baby.
Get the money from the register.
Let's go.
Lola!
Lola, get back in here!
What the hell are you
doing with my life?
I'm so hot for you right now.
What?
Christ!
Just stay there!
Stay there!
Stay!
What I do takes style.
It takes subtlety.
[inaudible] Lola.
You're out there auditioning
for America's Most Wanted!
LOLA: God, you're such a baby.
Lola, you are, without
a doubt the craziest,
the most dangerous,
worse time 10
version of a bad
idea I ever had.
Well, I guess I
love you, too, baby.
Who's that?
MARLO: That's Mama.
Aren't you going
to introduce us?
No.
Well, I would.
But me and Mama, we had
that misunderstanding.
What kind of misunderstanding?
The unresolved kind.
[screaming]
You see what you made me do?
Do you see?
Do you see how your
mama loves you?
What's going on, baby?
I swear to you, I'll
tell you everything.
Right now, I need you
to get the fucking bags.
We gotta go.
We gotta go.
Don't you see?
Right.
There's a church.
Did it come out?
-What?
The bullet.
Did it come out?
I--I don't know.
Get down here, Lola.
Get down here!
Just check.
There's no hole.
There's no hole.
You gotta get it out.
I gotta get a doctor.
No no no no no.
She'll find us.
I know you can do this, baby.
No, I know it.
I know that you can.
I know it.
Five minutes.
God!
I love you.
I love you.
Do it.
Do it.
Do it.
I can feel it!
Hush, you!
Come on!
I am awesome.
Mama shot me.
Wedding's gonna
be a barn burner.
Is she your real mama?
Well, I can't claim to
be a reliable witness
to my own birth, which I'm
pretty sure is a good thing.
But she raised you.
Now, in a way she did.
He's a gentle soul,
that son of mine.
You should have borrowed
that money from him.
And that's why she shot you?
Because you saw her?
Not exactly.
What I am is on the
run from my own mama.
Direct result of me stealing
from her a duffel bag
full of cash, tossing it off a
building to a crowd in a kind
of Robin Hood kind of gesture.
A million dollars?
And change.
[inaudible]?
I was very upset.
I'm not scared of her.
Let her come.
REPORTER (ON TV): Emmy
Award-winning actors,
Michael and Maria Franklin.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN
(ON TV): Whoever
you are that took
our daughter away,
you will pay for what you did.
MARIA FRANKLIN (ON
TV): We want her back.
And to anyone who returns
her to us safe and sound,
we're offering a
reward of $1 million.
I got these tacos from this
couple on the side of the road.
I swear they must be like a
thousand and three years old.
And they got this
TV hooked up to
this donkey-powered generator.
And they just sit there all day
watching Mexican soap operas,
being really happy.
How is that even possible?
Why'd you run away?
I was kidnapped.
Lola.
I told you.
My parents are werewolves.
You said vampires.
No, they're werewolves.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
TV): You know what?
That's a matter for the police.
It's not our concern.
This is a cash offer.
No questions asked.
$1 million for the safe
return of our daughter.
Why'd you run away?
I saved your life.
And now you want to cash me in?
You're selling me?
I want to protect you.
By sending me back?
By taking you somewhere safe.
They're monsters!
They're your parents.
And since they're clearly
not werewolves or vampires,
and they're not molesting
you or abusing you,
then it's a whole lot
safer than being with me.
So you're selling me?
You think I want to do this?
I don't pay off
Mama, I'm a dead man.
And if you're with me when
she finds me, you're dead too.
I was with you.
I'm the reason you're alive.
It's the right thing to do.
What the fuck do you know
about the right thing to do?
You're a thief.
You're a liar.
You're a coward.
I love you.
Fuck you.
I'm sorry.
Fuck you.
Fight back!
I love you, Lola.
Stop saying that!
But I'm taking you back.
I'll give you five
seconds to call this off.
No chance.
Four, three, two--
Lola.
---One.
Done.
Help!
Help!
Kidnap!
Kidnap!
Help!
Kidnap!
Kidnap!
Help!
Help!
Help me!
Of course she was a captive.
Everyone saw that.
But she didn't seem scared.
No.
She seemed angry,
but not scared.
So this is the honeymoon?
What are you doing?
MICHAEL FRANKLIN
(ON PHONE): Lola?
Mr. Franklin, my name is Marlo.
I'm the guy that didn't
kidnap your daughter.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): Mr. Marlo,
there are billions of people
that didn't kidnap my daughter.
But the man who calls
me from her cell phone
is not likely one of them.
Nobody kidnapped
her, Mr. Franklin.
She ran away.
I'm calling because
I'm bringing her home.
And I wouldn't want to be
mistaken for a kidnapper.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON PHONE):
Are you around 18 years old?
Yes.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): 5'10", dark hair?
Yep.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN
(ON PHONE): Did you
drag my daughter handcuffed
through a wedding
and into a stolen car?
Well, I did, but it was--
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): Kidnapper.
No, it was just to bring
her home, Mr. Franklin.
She's a runaway.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): Let me speak to her.
You're on speaker.
She's sitting right next to me.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN
(ON PHONE): Lola.
Lola, honey, are you OK?
Lola.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): Lola, speak to me.
Lola!
I-- [whispers] I'm
sorry, Mr. Franklin.
She's not talking.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON PHONE):
If this is some kind of prank,
I assure you--
-It's not a prank, Mr. Franklin.
She's just in a bad mood.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): Bad mood?
What kind of fool
do you think I am?
Mr. Franklin, let me
send you a picture.
I'll take a photo of Lola and
send it to you right away.
OK?
MICHAEL FRANKLIN
(ON PHONE): Do it.
All right, smile.
Nice.
No, real, real nice.
Come here!
Get!
You know what you just did?
You just put a big
goddamn target on my head.
Whoops.
Now, listen, sweetheart.
Now, between Mama, the cops,
the state troopers, the FBI--
I think they got killing
me down pretty good.
They don't need
any help from you.
I told you I didn't
want to go back.
And I told you every second
you spend with me is one second
closer to you getting
caught and killed
by a crazy-ass bitch
with a thing for dead man
pussy licking.
It's no way to live.
And it's sure as shit
ain't no way to die.
Now, you're going back
to the lap of luxury.
I'm going to pay off Mama.
Nobody's gonna get killed!
Anytime any part of that
sounds like a bad idea,
you just let me know.
Do me a favor.
Try to contain your
cinematic fantasies.
Don't do anything that's
gonna get us killed.
I would have done
anything for you.
I know.
10 fingers against
the dash, please, sir.
Please, now is it?
Any one of them
moves, it will be nine.
Are you Lola Franklin?
No.
Out of the car.
I'm going to push your face
into the hood of the car here.
But I want you to know
there's no malice in it.
Safety first.
Everything's all
right, Ms. Franklin.
It's all over.
You're safe.
However flattering it is or
isn't to be mistaken as Lola
Franklin, the stars in
your eyes have caused
you to make a secondary error.
Oh, shit!
Oh, sh--what the fuck?
Gotcha.
I'm sorry about that, officer.
But please believe my
sole and goodly purpose
is to return Lola,
here, safe and whole
to her parents warm embrace.
I'm sure you understand that's
difficult for me to believe.
Truth is, I never thought it'd
be quite so difficult to do
the right thing.
COP: First time?
No, but I sure
hope it's the last.
And do you imagine
that in addition
to the courage of
your convictions,
you possess the means
to see them through?
Well, I bested you, sir.
LOLA: I'm not going back.
Not something you often
hear from a kidnap victim.
True enough.
Well, if you could relate
that to your law enforcement
colleagues, I'd be grateful.
Situation of this
complexity is best
explained by you in person.
Well, as entertaining as arrest
and incarceration would be,
I'm afraid I must decline.
Thank you for not shooting me.
I hope my eluding your
policing in this way
has not caused you any
professional embarrassment.
Oh, I'm sure any
persecution I might face
will be more than
compensated for by the memory
of our delightful conversation.
Well it's always a pleasure
to meet a gentleman.
Hey, fella?
Should information come
to me that contradicts
the honorable sentiments
that you have displayed
in relation to Ms.
Franklin, I'll pour gasoline
on you, set you on fire.
What?
Alabama.
No chance.
I helped you.
I helped you back.
I'll escape.
I'll catch you.
I'll kill you.
We need a new car.
REPORTER (ON TV):
Remarkable images
today of the kidnapped teenager,
Lola Franklin, the daughter--
REPORTER (ON TV): The
kidnapper seen here
has not yet been identified--
[interposing voices]
We shouldn't steal
from these people.
Nobody's here.
It's the perfect
people to steal from.
LOLA: Have you ever
been to Alabama?
MARLO: Have you ever seen your
mother blow a guy's brains out?
LOLA: You don't know my mother.
MARLO: No, but you know mine.
LOLA: I know you're
running from her.
MARLO: Not for much longer.
LOLA: Courage is not
the absence of fear.
MARLO: And love is not
a license for suicide.
LOLA: Of course it is.
What do you think?
I think that you're scared.
Goddamn it!
Goddamn it.
Who the hell are you?
Nobody.
What do you want?
Nothing.
[inaudible], it's all yours.
Sir, um, what are you doing?
She serious?
She's very nurturing.
I mean why are you doing it?
May have escaped
your direct attention.
I've moved beyond the why.
I'm well into the how.
What's your name?
That's none of your business.
LOLA: Please.
I'm just trying to help.
You want to help?
You get me a bigger box.
Marlo, fetch me a box.
Now.
What's your name?
I'll tell you my name,
you give me that box.
I give you the box,
you give me a stream
of piss running down your leg.
Sounds like a no.
Normally I'm not the kind of
girl to fish for compliments.
But I'm pretty sure we're
saving your life here.
I wouldn't be doing that.
Why?
I'm a very bad man.
I was born in nineteen
hundred and sixty.
Or '61.
Can't be sure of the date.
Place was where we sit.
[inaudible] my
mama pushed me out
and my daddy caught me
before I hit the dirt.
He was a prospector.
Little success and less cheer.
My presence in the world did
nothing to improve his luck.
He was a god-fearing
man, my daddy.
For all his bible learning,
he did one irretrievable evil.
The man put into me a lust
for gold would make Cortez
and the rape of
the new world seem
an afternoon perambulation.
Gold.
There was a time the
word itself would,
with the will in me so strong--
the self-abuse would last
from sundown to cock's crow.
Truth is, there was never
enough gold in these hills
to fill the teeth of 10 men.
20 years of hardscrabble did
nothing to teach me better.
Or was it 30 years?
Or 40?
My whole life, I prayed
to the golden god.
I worshipped and I sacrificed.
Every day I woke with
the true belief--
the true belief--
that this would
be the day to find the
nugget would change my life.
I woke this morning and
my faith was broken.
And with no faith in the dream,
got no place in the world.
LOLA: That doesn't
make you a bad man.
No.
No.
This might.
You have a gun?
Now, why didn't you
just shoot yourself?
Shut up.
Fear not, ma'am.
Your ordeal of captivity and
deprivation is at an end.
Oh my god.
MARLO: Listen, buddy--
Shut up, you
villainous desecrator.
You know who I am.
Yes, ma'am, I do.
What are your intentions?
My intentions?
Your Intentions.
What are they?
I'm going to rescue you from
the clutches of your captor,
and return you safe and whole
to the bosom of your family.
And collect the reward?
A lifetime of trial
and testing of my faith.
I seen the lord of
the yellow rock.
Lay a $1 million nugget at my
feet, I'll take it with thanks.
Yes, ma'am.
I won't go.
What?
I have no wish to,
and no intention
of returning to my family.
A child should be
with their parents.
And where should
be the kidnapper?
Because if you attempt
to take me hence,
that's what you will be.
Kidnapper.
There's a legal reward.
The reward for
kidnapping a child
can be no less than the
eternal flames of damnation.
For those who worship
the yellow rock,
there is no hell like
life without coin.
I do not know, nor
do I much care, why
you do not wish to return home.
But home is where you're going.
Just what to do with this
sinner, I can't decide.
Hey, you can give
me the reward.
You give me a good reason not
to put you under the ground
right now.
Well, I did deliver
Lola to your doorstep.
The holy golden nugget you spent
your whole life looking for.
I call that reason enough.
But if you need more,
you might remember
I did it when you lay
low with loss of faith,
and looking to
stretch your own neck.
I won't deny you a
party to the events
that kept me from the rope.
But my clear memory of your
role was not as my savior,
but to liberally
encouragize my mortal folly.
I remember you asking
for direct assistance
in that department.
JED: I took leave of my senses.
And now?
All of my faculties
have returned to me.
MARLO: Then task your mind
with the following question--
how many George
Foreman lean mean
fat reducing grilling machines
can you get for this nugget?
How many Ab [inaudible] Pros.
How many limited edition
Hoover Dam commemorative coins
can you buy with
a million dollars?
Now, you ask yourself that.
Because you kill me, the only
way you enjoying that reward
is TV shopping from a
death row prison cell.
We saved your life.
I asked you not to do that.
Not my fault you don't
heed fair warning.
So long, kidnapper.
You some kind of sorcerer, boy?
Oh, you have no idea.
I told you, I didn't
want to go back!
JED: Hold me.
Hold me.
Lola!
Lola!
Take me, crush me, kill me.
I got you, baby.
I got you.
Never let me go, never.
Never.
Don't ever take me back.
OK.
[gunshot]
What is this?
This is the morning.
This is bullshit.
It's the right thing.
It's not!
It's not the right thing.
You fucking asshole!
MICHAEL FRANKLIN
(ON PHONE): Yeah.
Hello, Mr. Franklin.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): Ah, the kidnapper.
MARLO: Let's clear
this up right now.
Did you or did you not offer
a million dollar reward
for your daughter's return?
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): For her rescue.
From the kidnapper.
No no, no, no, no, no, no.
No, I saw you on TV.
Now, what your wife
said was, the reward
is open to anyone that
returns our daughter to us
safe and sound.
And that's me.
I'm the guy trying to
return your daughter
to you safe and sound.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON PHONE):
Tell me where you are?
Not until you believe me.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): I believe you.
Now tell me the truth.
Because if you think
I'm going to listen
to any more of your bullshit,
you don't know me at all.
Mr. Franklin.
The truth is, I love
your daughter very much.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): Oh, my god.
No, she loves me too.
We're in love.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN
(ON PHONE): I have
seen footage of you
dragging my daughter out
of a goddamn church, no less.
The whole nation saw it.
Why do you think Lola
doesn't want to come home?
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON PHONE):
Oh, she wants to come home.
Why did she run away?
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): She didn't run away.
You kidnapped her.
Uh, Mr. Franklin,
if I kidnapped her,
we wouldn't be having
this conversation.
No, we'd be having a
ransom-type conversation.
We'd be arranging money,
and times, and places.
No, we wouldn't be discussing
whether or not she ran away
from home, or why the idea
of her returning is so awful,
she'd choose a life on
the run over the love
and comfort of her own family.
So I ask you again, sir--
why did she run away?
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON PHONE):
You listen to me, smartass--
whether you're the
kidnapper or not,
whether you're in love with
her or not, it doesn't matter.
The only thing to do
is arrange an exchange
where you give me
my daughter, and I
will give you your reward.
My reward?
I can guess what that is.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN (ON
PHONE): Give me a time
and a place, or this
conversation is over.
Time and a place, kidnapper.
All right.
Now, here's what
you're going to do.
You're going to take
the million in cash.
You're going to drive
to Van Nuys airport.
Now, you take off
and you fly east.
Stay below 10,000 feet.
You should be in
cell phone contact.
Well, now I'm a kidnapper.
COP (ON TV): I don't
know the facts.
But what I do know is
that a man doing what
he believes to be right is
the most dangerous kind of man
we got.
You really think they're
going to bring the money?
I have no idea.
They're going to eat me.
They're going to
stick me to a wall,
and lay eggs in my stomach,
and it's going to chew
and gash through my chest.
And they're going to eat me.
MICHAEL FRANKLIN
(ON PHONE): Yeah.
MARLO: You up in the air?
MICHAEL FRANKLIN
(ON PHONE): We are.
OK.
Here's what you're going to do.
You're going to turn north
and fly low until you
see a big plane bone yard.
You see, you put
the money in the bag
and toss it out the window.
That bag lands on the far
north side of the wreckage.
You'll have Lola
back safe and sound.
But I see black and white or
flashing light of any kind,
you will not.
I should've let you die.
Mama's got the
big gun this time.
Is she gonna shoot?
I wish she'd just
get on with it.
I have your money.
But not your manners.
Mama, I'd like you
to meet Lola Franklin.
Lola, this is Mama.
MAMA: Come down here, child.
Ooh.
I like her.
In a few minutes, a
plane is gonna fly over.
And from that plane is gonna
fall a bag full of money.
My heart breaks for a child
who's never felt a mama's love.
But when a child betrays that
love, it leaves a wound in Mama
don't never heal itself right.
All that I have to
offer you is in that bag.
Well, as a cash for
kidnappee exchange, the plan's
got some bite,
I'll give you that.
But you left your mama
out of your reckoning.
And I can't pretend that
that didn't hurt my feelings.
Two minutes.
Get in the van, honey.
Mama's going to take you home.
Mm hm.
Come on.
Here puppy puppies.
Come on.
You've killed us.
Why didn't we
wait for the money?
Why didn't we wait
for the money?
You just let mama take care.
You scared?
Yes.
Come.
[screaming]
Get out of the cage!
No!
You just cross your
pretty legs, honey.
We'll be right back.
LOLA: No!
Marlo, I love you!
I know.
LOLA: No!
No, don't leave me.
Where are we going?
Shh.
LOLA: Please, please
don't leave me here.
I don't want to go.
Shh.
It's gonna be all right.
-Mama.
LOLA: Marlo!
Mama, I don't want to go.
I'm gonna make it all right.
LOLA: Marlo!
Scammin' and stealin' may
well be the crust of life.
But there's only one meat
worth putting in that pie.
Yeah?
What's that?
Why, love, of course.
Do you know what it
is to love, child?
To tend, and cherish a living
thing that all it wants to do
is cut you up to pieces?
I believe I do.
Oh, if you did, you would
not have done what you did.
What you know is to
steal and harm and hurt.
At that, you are an expert.
Love is something in
which you need schooling.
That's not true.
Yes it is.
No it is not!
Yes it is!
I'm sorry, baby.
Look at me.
Look at me.
You gotta put your
hand on your heart
for a true and proper sorry.
Will you do that?
I promise I'll do everything
I can to forgive you.
Well?
I'm sorry, Mama.
Elaborate.
I'm sorry I stole from you.
For the dollars, yes,
but more so for the hurt
I must have cost you.
-Mm hm.
My little boy.
You hurt me. [inaudible].
[inaudible].
Yes ma'am.
And I'm sorry you had to come
cross country and fetch me.
Oh, I am trying, Marlo.
I am really trying.
I know you can do it, Mama.
You've got a big
heart, and I know it.
I'm sorry, baby.
Words alone are
not enough to right
the injury you have done me.
You've got that
big reward coming.
My heart's broken, Marlo.
You gotta mend that.
MARLO: I will, Mama.
You gotta make that right.
MARLO: You tell me how.
Tell me how to make it right.
You do it gentle, darling.
You do it real gentle.
Come to Mama, now.
No.
You show Mama you love her.
Shh, pretty baby.
Mama's here.
No, Mama!
No!
Where's Mama?
I'm not so sure
she's really my mama.
MARLO: Marlo!
Marlo!
You OK?
It's difficult to say.
What?
What happened?
Uh, you what?
No.
I don't know what.
What happened?
Speaking as a man
that just unravelled
his own parental
mystery, discovering
but little satisfaction
in the experience--
you say your parents
are monsters?
That's fine by me.
I believe you.
You believe me?
I do.
Really?
Absolutely and completely.
Hey, don't cry.
I didn't want to
tell you before,
because I-- I didn't want you
to think I was all messed up.
But I am.
I'm all messed up.
I'm going to tell you now.
I'm going to tell you the truth.
You don't have to
tell me anything.
I know.
BABY LOLA (CRYING): Mommy!
Daddy!
MARLO: So the real
kidnappers are your parents?
You were a cute baby.
Alabama.
So is this the place?
I don't know.
You want me to go with you?
Yeah.
OK.
It's OK.
[music playing]