The Romeo Section (2015) s02e10 Episode Script
Final Measures
Previously on The Romeo Section [Wolfgang.]
: How much do you know about Michael Gary? Michael Gary has been on the short list to head the Intelligence Service.
A new godfather for a new world.
[Al.]
: Mr.
Gary is one of the authors of this, I take it.
He's a fucking gangster in a suit.
How much better off would we be if men like that were eliminated when the opportunity arose? Honduras was a long time ago.
We don't do these things anymore.
Sonya Faye had traces of scopolamine in her system.
Fucking scopolamine! [Wolfgang.]
: The pathologist is going to take the tox results to her boss, he'll take it to Homicide Nothing will happen, you know this already.
This is how we're going to get to Michael Gary.
It would be a perfectly easy thing to drop a little poof of this into his morning juice.
Then what? [Norman.]
: We get him talking about Sonya, about Mustapha, about his whole fucking game.
Before, you mentioned you could get your hands on scopolamine.
- [snorts.]
- Jesus Christ.
[snorts.]
You know you just snorted devil's breath.
Why are you fucking with me? You wanted a test.
You got your test.
S02E10 Final Measures Are you fucking with me? I honestly don't remember.
You don't remember going to the golf course? You went there packing a gun, looking for Michael Gary.
Okay, that probably wasn't the best course of action.
Neither was snorting scopolamine up your nose.
Do you have any recollection of that? Why would I do that? You said you wanted to test it and prove to me that it was real.
And now you believe.
I don't believe it's the right approach.
I have another idea.
Let me try and convince you.
If you disagree, we'll do it your way.
It needs to be simple.
It's not without some challenges.
Put one in the woods on your right and I'll show you the sweet spot.
That'll do.
It's got good cover.
Come in before sunrise and I lay in for two hours or so.
[Wolfgang.]
: There's no guarantee that the weather's going to cooperate or that he'll even be out here every day.
In terms of making a good getaway, we've got the service road right behind us.
You're in the car, we're off and away in seconds.
I don't love it.
Nice putt.
We could job it out.
Hire a man.
A freelancer? Not for this one.
Your problem is you don't trust anyone but yourself to do it right.
You were always like that.
Hands on.
Up close.
Solo.
That's so I know it's done good and proper and no one's the wiser.
I'd like to do it.
I'd like to be the one and I don't care if I'm caught.
Don told me you have HIV.
I suspected he would.
We all gotta go sometime.
I think that in that twisted heart of yours, there's a glimmer of hope that you're going to be remembered for your sacrifices when you do go.
Everybody wants to be remembered when they go.
I'm no different.
The trouble is, you take out Michael Gary in broad daylight in the middle of this golf course, you're going to be spending the rest of your days in prison.
Not if you make a last-minute appearance and put a bullet in my head after I shoot him.
Think about it.
Gary would no longer be a threat, I'd die a martyr, and you'd be celebrated for your heroic attempt to prevent it.
Hell, you might even be able to finally sell a few of your books off all the publicity.
Any other ideas? Accident.
A high-speed crash.
No collateral damage would be best.
There's always damage Copy that.
Check with me later.
Wolfgang McGee.
Wouldn't trust him an inch.
Slippery as an eel.
He's approached me.
He likes what I'm doing with Global Standard.
I like his international experience.
I could use a good China hand.
He's been investigating you.
That's why he wants to join your firm.
Perhaps Professor McGee's willing to play both sides.
He gave me that impression.
Sit.
My generation is on the cusp of holding power.
Yours has another few years left, but then it's step aside or get run over.
The future does not get rosier.
Where you come from, the toilet seats are heated and water doesn't catch fire when you turn on the tap.
"War is a racket," as the man once said.
Now the citizen watches helpless and horrified as their tax dollars get pissed down the sewer, the wars rage on, the limousines just get longer.
People know that won't ever change.
But they also know their hard-earned money can be better managed by experienced me from the school of hard knocks, who know how to play the game when all rules have been set aside and it's a global free for all that has no signs of abating.
That chaos presents my shareholders with a unique opportunity that I cannot pass up, or my competitors will eat my lunch.
Mr.
McGee may wear his righteous sentiments on his sleeve for the moment, but there will come a time when he tucks them in his wallet.
Power tempts every man.
You've tasted it yourself, and now you can feel it slipping away.
You no longer light up a room, or strike fear in men, but still, you cling to what little influence you have left.
Let's use some of that to make sure we get what we want.
Please set up an appointment with Mr.
McGee.
He's a useful man I think we should be recruiting.
Right, then.
I'll check with your secretary regarding your availability.
You've been a great help so far.
I won't forget that when it comes time to settle accounts.
Excuse me for a second.
You don't look too pleased.
No, well, I just woke up to realize the Devil's sleeping on the other side of the bed.
He wants to hire McGee.
No doubt so the inquiry issue goes away.
I suppose that's the idea.
It's time for us to leave those details in Gary's hands.
I'm going to go back to Ottawa and start selling Al Crenshaw all over town, okay? It could probably use some fixing up.
It's a little neglected.
It's got a kitchen.
Fully equipped.
You could open up again.
People don't come here to eat.
They come here to score dope and pick up hookers.
It's a good spot.
You could step it up a notch.
Get the fuck out and stop bleeding all over the fucking place.
Good morning.
You need something? Frank wanted to see me.
And I thought I'd show Lana what it looks like in daylight.
How's it lookin'? Better with the lights down low.
Like everything else.
Frank's not here.
Frank! Please forgive me, I was being squeezed.
Come on.
You were stealing from us.
Don't come crying to me about it.
Get the fuck out.
Go.
[door closes.]
Look who's here finally.
I was expecting you last night.
I was caught up in a couple of things.
It's Lana, right.
Frank.
We should get you together with the bookkeeper to show you how we do things.
Can I borrow your man for a few minutes? I don't own him.
He's a rental.
That's good to know.
I'll check out the place.
Yeah.
I'm getting a little anxious about our deal coming through or not.
It's back and forth like fucking ping pong and I still haven't scored.
It's the fisherman.
I'm trying to bring him down to the price you want, but he's skittish.
I don't like being played chump in somebody's negotiations with another party.
That's not happening.
You're sure about that? You're not being played? He's not playing me and I'm not playing you.
If I find out this fisherman is a ghost and doesn't exist and you're just playing with yourself, I'm going to be pretty upset.
He's real.
He's a nervous fucking guy, what can I tell you? Lana! Let me show you the kitchen.
The deal is this far from falling off the table, so think about how ugly it's gonna get with Mei Mei and fucking Jimmy Wuah when you gotta go out there on the street and start selling flaps for a dime a pop.
Did you think about what to do with Jimmy? It's not my fucking problem.
You're my problem.
Just give me the 10 ki's.
Take care of Jimmy Wuah.
My whole game is gonna fall apart.
I can relate.
Where's my fucking cast? Where the fuck is the cast? The drivers got lost coming from the hotel.
It's 10 fucking blocks away How do you get lost? This is the third day in a fucking row I'm losing three hours of shooting.
You gotta help me with this fucking guy.
Front me five ki's.
I gotta keep my man at the table.
First you deal with fucking Jimmy.
Get him out of my hair.
[Mei Mei muttering.]
[Mei Mei.]
: I was kidnapped and was driven around in the park for the past two hours by my own fucking driver! Don't act like you don't know who the fuck you're dealing with.
Stop and talk to me.
I'm trying to save your fucking movie.
I'm here to help, okay? I'm still here after all the bullshit so far.
I'm here because you're here.
Because I believe in you.
Tell me what I have to do.
We're five days from finishing the movie.
Five days.
If we can finish shooting.
We can hide out somewhere while you cut the movie in peace and show it to distributors.
You know Jimmy.
He's not gonna let you finish if you don't cave in to his wishes.
Fuck him.
Exactly.
You like this condominium? It's all right.
Little overpriced for me.
I have three of them.
This one and the one behind and the one over there.
This one is for my mother.
That one is for my second wife.
That one is for my first.
They must feel lucky.
Lucky.
Yes.
You know much about the movie business? I would say nope.
Tough business.
Too many crooks.
But it's a good business.
Interesting.
Lots of pretty girls.
Mei Mei was one of them when I first met her.
Sixteen.
She is no longer 16.
She has a very short shelf life now.
Is that why you're interested in her movie? Because she's got a short shelf life? Or because she's got a name and people like her movies? My movies.
They like my movies, the ones with Mei Mei, the ones without Mei Mei.
I think she doesn't understand that.
Maybe she thinks people come to see her.
I think they do.
But you don't know much about the business.
I got a hunch.
You and everybody else got a hunch.
How did you make your money? I guess I got lucky.
Right place, right time.
That's about it.
You invest in Mei Mei's movie? Yeah.
Your own money or you front for somebody else? Why do you need to know? Because I know how to make movies.
Movies that make money for people.
Movies that make people laugh and cry.
I want to make some of them here.
Why here? Because I am in a financial situation at home that will take some time to straighten out.
And I think maybe you can help me.
Me? You think Mei Mei can make money.
You believe in her.
I do.
Do you? I do.
I think she's got a good movie she's making.
I think it could be a big comeback for her Huge if it's handled the right way, but she's not going to finish it without another four or five million.
I've seen the footage.
It needs action.
It has no action.
It needs sex.
Nobody gives a shit about the Opium Wars and how it fucked China.
They want more sex, more action.
Maybe a joke or two.
Then I can sell it.
Can you raise four or five million? You're asking me to invest more money in her movie? It's technically my movie.
You know her husband might have something to say about that.
Wing Lei is my brother.
You mean that in like you have the same mother? No.
I mean like this.
You know I sold Mei Mei to him.
Uh, no.
Now he is selling her back.
Does she know that? She knows it.
But she has the foolish idea that she can be independent.
Maybe you and I together can convince her that's not in her best interest.
If you tell the drivers to go back to work on Mei Mei's movie, then we'll have something to talk about.
Okay.
[battle raging.]
[horses whinnying.]
Fan Fan! Why are you still here? The British are coming ashore.
They are burning the docks.
I cannot leave.
Fan Fan.
You must come.
You must come.
We will go together, you and I.
I have no will to live.
[battle raging.]
No will to live? What would your mother say if she heard you say such a thing? After all she went through Her only child.
She sold me into misery.
Come, before we end our lives on this bloody bed.
We have already wasted so many years.
[battle raging.]
Fan Fan.
Come.
[battle raging.]
Fan Fan.
Come.
Cut.
All right, moving on.
Very nice, Mei Mei.
Xishi, fantastic.
Boss, there's a guy named Rufus looking for you.
I don't know what you did, but we got our drivers back.
What'd you do? I told him if he wanted to make movies here in Vancouver, he'd better start making some Vancouver friends.
He might be able to stop some of the drivers on this movie, but his sets could catch fire the same as anybody else's.
He said he was going to make movies here in Vancouver? Yeah.
Huh.
That's interesting.
He likes the crews.
He likes the tax credit.
He likes the fact there's nobody chasing him down the street with machetes, trying to collect his gambling debts.
He's broke? I made a few calls.
He's broke.
He doesn't have the money he says he has.
He couldn't make Mei Mei's movie if he wanted to, but he can still scare a few people.
He's probably hustling around town, trying to sucker some fools into financing his movies.
I did my bit.
I got your drivers back to work.
I got the dope in the trunk of my car.
You think Jimmy Wuah makes good movies? Good sometimes, successful always.
You'd make a movie with him? Any day of the week.
Here's the thing with him.
He's made a billion dollars and lost it, and made it back again.
Right now he's down on his luck, but he's like the fucking stock market, you wanna get in at the bottom.
One good thing about Jimmy, when he's riding high he's got a hit movie or two out there, he throws money around like he's campaigning for office.
Now go get me some cash.
I overheard somebody saying Gary was leaving town tomorrow night.
That's a pretty short window.
We're going to get away clean or we're not going to do it.
Get away clean? We don't want a couple of fucking ratcatchers like ourselves hunting us down after the fact.
You, indeed, may be dead by that point and won't give a shit, but I intend to be under a palm tree sipping a whiskey and wishing not to be disturbed.
Jesus.
Gentlemen.
How's things? Good.
You're staying at the hotel? Yeah, for another day or so.
It's a busy time for me.
We should have a drink sometime.
You still have my number? I do.
I'll chase her down.
I've got a meeting, so we should talk about the getaway for a moment.
The wrap-up and the spin.
I'll introduce you briefly, then I'll leave you two alone.
He's predisposed towards you so don't fuck it up.
He's knows I'm investigating the stadium bombing? He does, but he doesn't hold it against you.
He knows it's your job that pays you money.
Mr.
Crenshaw.
Mr.
Gary is ready for you now.
Please come in.
[door closes.]
Mr.
McGee, good to see you.
It's my pleasure.
I understand you and Mr.
Crenshaw go back a ways.
We do.
I met Wolfgang on one of his original assignments.
A little mop-up operation in Nicaragua.
Then you hopped off to Panama? Honduras.
Honduras.
Then he spent the next decade in the East.
China mostly.
I bounced around.
Well, I just wanted to make the introduction.
I'll leave you to it.
Thank you, Al.
Please, sit.
So, let's get down to it.
You've been investigating the Quiller Inquiry.
I have.
On behalf of whom? I don't get full disclosure on these jobs.
I hand off my briefings to an anonymous gentleman.
But we can assume it's someone in an upper-management government position.
I'm guessing you're correct.
What have you discovered? It's a wandering trail.
Easy to get lost.
What sort of situation would you be looking for if you came to work for us? Clandestine activities management.
You're also an academic? Yes.
I've always found that field research provides me a good cover.
Developing and recruiting assets.
Right.
I need a China hand.
We're making inroads there quicker than anywhere else.
You've got the background there.
Fifteen years on the ground.
And before that, Honduras, I heard Mr.
Crenshaw say.
That's right.
We would have been there about the same time, I think.
We might have even crossed paths.
I'd have remembered.
If we were to hire you on, would you be available immediately? No other obligations? Nothing I couldn't get out of.
That's good to hear.
Well, I know I want to hire you.
Maybe you can tell me why would you like to work for us? Busy down here.
Grand Central Station.
You here for the conference? Not officially, no.
I don't know if anybody's here officially.
It's Norman, right? Good memory.
Al Crenshaw.
I know.
So, how's the professor been treating you? We're keeping busy.
So I hear.
Candy.
Hello again.
Can I buy you a drink? Absolutely.
Vodka tequila Moving up fast.
Just doing business.
Maybe this is too small a town for you.
Maybe it is.
Who's got the money? Frank.
He's in the office.
Go on up.
Watch the bag.
You gonna count the whole thing? I think I might.
What are you gonna do with all this cash, after you finish counting? Put it to use.
How you gonna clean it? Maybe pump some of it through the club.
No can do.
We're already maxing out.
That's my biggest fucking problem Getting the cash washed so I can spend some of it.
Nothing more painful than having a few million under the mattress and you can't spend it.
Good problem to have.
You'll have it soon enough, you keep this up.
Seriously, it's gonna be past my bedtime before you finish counting.
Just take it.
If it comes up short, let me know, I'll top it up.
I got other shit to do.
So how did your meeting with Mr.
Gary go? Not what I expected.
I was surprised how often I found myself agreeing with him.
A very capable salesman.
He laid out a pretty cushy offer.
Cushy enough to knock you off of whatever it is we're getting a whiff of? Well, that's the idea.
Well, is it working? We're meeting for drinks later to discuss.
Good.
You can get in close.
I'm beginning to think the long approach might be the way.
How long? Let's just see where things go.
I already know where it goes.
You do, do you? Yeah.
Any minute now, you're gonna start making excuses We play it out and we play it out, and it goes on and on, until finally, you cash a cheque.
Oh, fuck off.
It's a big revolving door.
Big enough for all of us.
Poor Norman.
We're all just here to disappoint you, isn't that right? That's been my experience.
I don't know if I can count on you anymore.
What are you talking about? The other day at the golf course, you had your moment Plenty of them But you waited, and you thought about it and you thought about it You fucking dithered.
You had your chance to take out Mr.
Gary, and you didn't.
You know why? You've lost your nerve.
You blinked, and he slipped away.
And that's the real reason that the service blackballed you You'd lost your nerve.
For all your huff and puff, you've lost it.
You're erratic.
You're all talk and no action.
I have a key to his room.
Where'd you get that? I've got a few regulars.
That simple enough for you? You got the money? I got it.
You got a half a ton of the best heroin anybody's seen in years locked down not too far from here.
I know you do, because I'm the guy who lifted it off the docks for you.
Your point is? We're gonna have a problem a lot bigger than this movie pretty quick.
We're gonna have a shitload of cash we can't invest.
We gotta launder it.
I'll take care of that when the time comes.
Jimmy Wuah can help us with that right now.
If that's what we want to do.
You wanna make movies with him? Depends on the deal.
[loud crash.]
[buzzer sounds.]
People want to make movies with you.
All the time.
They're begging me.
Why? Because I make good movies, and I give them a return on their investment.
You launder their money? What's your question? If I got too much cash on my hands, how can you help me? You invest your cash in one of my movies, or I package a few of them.
Your money comes back at 70 cents to the dollar direct to you as a legitimate share of the box office.
And my movies do very well.
Because you inflate the numbers of people in your theatres, and pump dirty cash down the pipe through the box office? Have I got that right? More or less.
You bought Mei Mei from Wing Lei.
That's right.
I could buy her from you.
You are an ambitious man.
[Rufus.]
: You've made some successful movies with Jimmy Wuah.
Yes.
You could work for him again.
No.
If you owned a big piece of the box office? If I owned a big piece of the back end, first dollar out [Rufus.]
: I finance the first couple of movies, whatever Mei Mei wants to do Not this period movie, something contemporary.
Okay, so you back away from this picture, these guys get to finish it without any more of your interference.
My man, Tony, produces her next two flicks.
It's got to be whatever I decide to make.
Whatever she decides to make.
And you tear up all future rights you own on Mei Mei.
Okay.
We have a deal.
As long as you can deliver on your promises.
[Eunuch.]
: The seed of the nightshade.
You must be cautious.
Use only one seed.
One seed, and he will sleep through the night.
Two, you will sleep day and night.
Three, you will never wake again.
Norman Rothman.
What of him? I didn't realize he was part of the team.
I didn't realize you were so interested in the details of my operation.
I'm not.
I'm just remembering some of the anecdotes I've heard over the years.
Like what? Well, like the one about him getting himself arrested in a crack motel with two young men and a diplomatic pouch.
We've all had our zipper trouble, haven't we? His problems go far beyond the zipper, my friend.
Should anything go awry for Norman or myself, I'm expecting your hand to be there to help guide things after the fact.
You're expecting things to go awry? No, but if they do, there will be another inquiry, and this time, I think we should be sitting at the table.
I'm in a better position now to make that happen.
Good.
Who's this? Homicide.
Detective Tanaka.
He's been helpful to us.
He might continue to make an excellent asset.
Good.
Let me guess.
Alienated young man.
Military background.
Meets some new friends online.
Gets himself radicalized.
Warning signs ignored.
Gets his hands on a gun.
Next thing you know, a liberal state senator is dead on the front steps of the statehouse.
And all the buzzards get to come on TV for another feeding.
It's becoming predictable.
It's more than predictable.
Look around.
Everyone's in a trance.
It's normal.
I have a few questions.
Fire away.
What's the long-term plan? Prepare for the worst.
We've both seen what happens when things collapse.
It's those at the bottom who get crushed.
Trust in the government has evaporated.
I want to be Global Standard wants to be Where people can put their trust.
This things a mess.
[text alert sounds.]
Shooter's dead.
Turned the gun on himself.
You've got boots on the ground there? Of course.
We're everywhere.
That's why I'm recruiting you.
Exactly how do I fit in in all this? That would depend.
Are you dropping your investigation into the Quiller Inquiry? Why don't we finish our drinks and then we can continue this discussion, somewhere in private? Hold that.
What floor? Nine, thank you.
- Here for the conference? - Just a guest.
[elevator bell dings.]
Before we talk numbers, I want to hear more about you.
I've seen the showman.
Who's the man behind that? That's the trick.
What you see is what you get.
I'm just a farm boy, telling it like it is.
Telling it like it is.
That's great.
I'm going to give you an opportunity to do that.
Can you tell me what happened on the 15th of August, two years ago? That was a case of very poor judgment.
What happened? Why did it go wrong? It did go wrong, didn't it? It went wrong.
It was the boy.
Mustapha.
He lost his nerve at the last minute.
Refused to take the backpack, didn't want to go through with it.
How did he die? One of my operatives shot him.
That probably wasn't necessary.
It's a pity.
If that operation had been successful, it might have changed the outcome of the election that fall.
I don't know why I'm suddenly so thirsty.
What was I saying? We were talking about the bombing at the baseball stadium.
How if that operation had been successful, it might have changed the outcome of the election.
How do you know about that? Did you put something in my drink? Ready? Go.
You can handle this alone? Go downstairs.
Mingle.
Start the spin.
[crowd screaming.]
I think somebody fell.
I saw it.
He jumped.
He jumped? Oh, my.
Is Mr.
Gary here? I was supposed to meet him at the bar.
I thought you already did.
Not yet, no.
Excuse me.
It looks like something going on outside.
[sirens wailing.]
Go back upstairs and pack your bag.
You're leaving.
What happened? Michael Gary.
He's dead.
[police detective.]
: Back into the lobby.
Everyone inside.
Everyone inside.
Let's go.
Back up.
[man.]
: Did you see it? I did.
It was on the top floor.
He stood there for a minute and he just stepped off.
Oh, my God.
[Tanaka.]
: Let's get this whole area taped off right away.
Find out which balcony he came off of, on which floor.
[Tanaka.]
: Clear the area.
Police.
I saw him drinking in the bar earlier this afternoon with a young woman in a blue dress.
[Tanaka.]
: Constables, come with me.
Excuse me.
He was on the top floor.
I saw him standing there, and he He just stepped right off.
This one's priority.
Excuse me.
Al Crenshaw, acting Director of the Intelligence Service.
Are you the only pathologist on duty? I am.
How can I help you? The Service is going to be bringing in our own pathologist for the Michael Gary post-mortem.
Yes, I just flagged the body.
Is your boss aware of this? Yes, I've just spoken to him.
I've been expecting you.
May I have a look?
: How much do you know about Michael Gary? Michael Gary has been on the short list to head the Intelligence Service.
A new godfather for a new world.
[Al.]
: Mr.
Gary is one of the authors of this, I take it.
He's a fucking gangster in a suit.
How much better off would we be if men like that were eliminated when the opportunity arose? Honduras was a long time ago.
We don't do these things anymore.
Sonya Faye had traces of scopolamine in her system.
Fucking scopolamine! [Wolfgang.]
: The pathologist is going to take the tox results to her boss, he'll take it to Homicide Nothing will happen, you know this already.
This is how we're going to get to Michael Gary.
It would be a perfectly easy thing to drop a little poof of this into his morning juice.
Then what? [Norman.]
: We get him talking about Sonya, about Mustapha, about his whole fucking game.
Before, you mentioned you could get your hands on scopolamine.
- [snorts.]
- Jesus Christ.
[snorts.]
You know you just snorted devil's breath.
Why are you fucking with me? You wanted a test.
You got your test.
S02E10 Final Measures Are you fucking with me? I honestly don't remember.
You don't remember going to the golf course? You went there packing a gun, looking for Michael Gary.
Okay, that probably wasn't the best course of action.
Neither was snorting scopolamine up your nose.
Do you have any recollection of that? Why would I do that? You said you wanted to test it and prove to me that it was real.
And now you believe.
I don't believe it's the right approach.
I have another idea.
Let me try and convince you.
If you disagree, we'll do it your way.
It needs to be simple.
It's not without some challenges.
Put one in the woods on your right and I'll show you the sweet spot.
That'll do.
It's got good cover.
Come in before sunrise and I lay in for two hours or so.
[Wolfgang.]
: There's no guarantee that the weather's going to cooperate or that he'll even be out here every day.
In terms of making a good getaway, we've got the service road right behind us.
You're in the car, we're off and away in seconds.
I don't love it.
Nice putt.
We could job it out.
Hire a man.
A freelancer? Not for this one.
Your problem is you don't trust anyone but yourself to do it right.
You were always like that.
Hands on.
Up close.
Solo.
That's so I know it's done good and proper and no one's the wiser.
I'd like to do it.
I'd like to be the one and I don't care if I'm caught.
Don told me you have HIV.
I suspected he would.
We all gotta go sometime.
I think that in that twisted heart of yours, there's a glimmer of hope that you're going to be remembered for your sacrifices when you do go.
Everybody wants to be remembered when they go.
I'm no different.
The trouble is, you take out Michael Gary in broad daylight in the middle of this golf course, you're going to be spending the rest of your days in prison.
Not if you make a last-minute appearance and put a bullet in my head after I shoot him.
Think about it.
Gary would no longer be a threat, I'd die a martyr, and you'd be celebrated for your heroic attempt to prevent it.
Hell, you might even be able to finally sell a few of your books off all the publicity.
Any other ideas? Accident.
A high-speed crash.
No collateral damage would be best.
There's always damage Copy that.
Check with me later.
Wolfgang McGee.
Wouldn't trust him an inch.
Slippery as an eel.
He's approached me.
He likes what I'm doing with Global Standard.
I like his international experience.
I could use a good China hand.
He's been investigating you.
That's why he wants to join your firm.
Perhaps Professor McGee's willing to play both sides.
He gave me that impression.
Sit.
My generation is on the cusp of holding power.
Yours has another few years left, but then it's step aside or get run over.
The future does not get rosier.
Where you come from, the toilet seats are heated and water doesn't catch fire when you turn on the tap.
"War is a racket," as the man once said.
Now the citizen watches helpless and horrified as their tax dollars get pissed down the sewer, the wars rage on, the limousines just get longer.
People know that won't ever change.
But they also know their hard-earned money can be better managed by experienced me from the school of hard knocks, who know how to play the game when all rules have been set aside and it's a global free for all that has no signs of abating.
That chaos presents my shareholders with a unique opportunity that I cannot pass up, or my competitors will eat my lunch.
Mr.
McGee may wear his righteous sentiments on his sleeve for the moment, but there will come a time when he tucks them in his wallet.
Power tempts every man.
You've tasted it yourself, and now you can feel it slipping away.
You no longer light up a room, or strike fear in men, but still, you cling to what little influence you have left.
Let's use some of that to make sure we get what we want.
Please set up an appointment with Mr.
McGee.
He's a useful man I think we should be recruiting.
Right, then.
I'll check with your secretary regarding your availability.
You've been a great help so far.
I won't forget that when it comes time to settle accounts.
Excuse me for a second.
You don't look too pleased.
No, well, I just woke up to realize the Devil's sleeping on the other side of the bed.
He wants to hire McGee.
No doubt so the inquiry issue goes away.
I suppose that's the idea.
It's time for us to leave those details in Gary's hands.
I'm going to go back to Ottawa and start selling Al Crenshaw all over town, okay? It could probably use some fixing up.
It's a little neglected.
It's got a kitchen.
Fully equipped.
You could open up again.
People don't come here to eat.
They come here to score dope and pick up hookers.
It's a good spot.
You could step it up a notch.
Get the fuck out and stop bleeding all over the fucking place.
Good morning.
You need something? Frank wanted to see me.
And I thought I'd show Lana what it looks like in daylight.
How's it lookin'? Better with the lights down low.
Like everything else.
Frank's not here.
Frank! Please forgive me, I was being squeezed.
Come on.
You were stealing from us.
Don't come crying to me about it.
Get the fuck out.
Go.
[door closes.]
Look who's here finally.
I was expecting you last night.
I was caught up in a couple of things.
It's Lana, right.
Frank.
We should get you together with the bookkeeper to show you how we do things.
Can I borrow your man for a few minutes? I don't own him.
He's a rental.
That's good to know.
I'll check out the place.
Yeah.
I'm getting a little anxious about our deal coming through or not.
It's back and forth like fucking ping pong and I still haven't scored.
It's the fisherman.
I'm trying to bring him down to the price you want, but he's skittish.
I don't like being played chump in somebody's negotiations with another party.
That's not happening.
You're sure about that? You're not being played? He's not playing me and I'm not playing you.
If I find out this fisherman is a ghost and doesn't exist and you're just playing with yourself, I'm going to be pretty upset.
He's real.
He's a nervous fucking guy, what can I tell you? Lana! Let me show you the kitchen.
The deal is this far from falling off the table, so think about how ugly it's gonna get with Mei Mei and fucking Jimmy Wuah when you gotta go out there on the street and start selling flaps for a dime a pop.
Did you think about what to do with Jimmy? It's not my fucking problem.
You're my problem.
Just give me the 10 ki's.
Take care of Jimmy Wuah.
My whole game is gonna fall apart.
I can relate.
Where's my fucking cast? Where the fuck is the cast? The drivers got lost coming from the hotel.
It's 10 fucking blocks away How do you get lost? This is the third day in a fucking row I'm losing three hours of shooting.
You gotta help me with this fucking guy.
Front me five ki's.
I gotta keep my man at the table.
First you deal with fucking Jimmy.
Get him out of my hair.
[Mei Mei muttering.]
[Mei Mei.]
: I was kidnapped and was driven around in the park for the past two hours by my own fucking driver! Don't act like you don't know who the fuck you're dealing with.
Stop and talk to me.
I'm trying to save your fucking movie.
I'm here to help, okay? I'm still here after all the bullshit so far.
I'm here because you're here.
Because I believe in you.
Tell me what I have to do.
We're five days from finishing the movie.
Five days.
If we can finish shooting.
We can hide out somewhere while you cut the movie in peace and show it to distributors.
You know Jimmy.
He's not gonna let you finish if you don't cave in to his wishes.
Fuck him.
Exactly.
You like this condominium? It's all right.
Little overpriced for me.
I have three of them.
This one and the one behind and the one over there.
This one is for my mother.
That one is for my second wife.
That one is for my first.
They must feel lucky.
Lucky.
Yes.
You know much about the movie business? I would say nope.
Tough business.
Too many crooks.
But it's a good business.
Interesting.
Lots of pretty girls.
Mei Mei was one of them when I first met her.
Sixteen.
She is no longer 16.
She has a very short shelf life now.
Is that why you're interested in her movie? Because she's got a short shelf life? Or because she's got a name and people like her movies? My movies.
They like my movies, the ones with Mei Mei, the ones without Mei Mei.
I think she doesn't understand that.
Maybe she thinks people come to see her.
I think they do.
But you don't know much about the business.
I got a hunch.
You and everybody else got a hunch.
How did you make your money? I guess I got lucky.
Right place, right time.
That's about it.
You invest in Mei Mei's movie? Yeah.
Your own money or you front for somebody else? Why do you need to know? Because I know how to make movies.
Movies that make money for people.
Movies that make people laugh and cry.
I want to make some of them here.
Why here? Because I am in a financial situation at home that will take some time to straighten out.
And I think maybe you can help me.
Me? You think Mei Mei can make money.
You believe in her.
I do.
Do you? I do.
I think she's got a good movie she's making.
I think it could be a big comeback for her Huge if it's handled the right way, but she's not going to finish it without another four or five million.
I've seen the footage.
It needs action.
It has no action.
It needs sex.
Nobody gives a shit about the Opium Wars and how it fucked China.
They want more sex, more action.
Maybe a joke or two.
Then I can sell it.
Can you raise four or five million? You're asking me to invest more money in her movie? It's technically my movie.
You know her husband might have something to say about that.
Wing Lei is my brother.
You mean that in like you have the same mother? No.
I mean like this.
You know I sold Mei Mei to him.
Uh, no.
Now he is selling her back.
Does she know that? She knows it.
But she has the foolish idea that she can be independent.
Maybe you and I together can convince her that's not in her best interest.
If you tell the drivers to go back to work on Mei Mei's movie, then we'll have something to talk about.
Okay.
[battle raging.]
[horses whinnying.]
Fan Fan! Why are you still here? The British are coming ashore.
They are burning the docks.
I cannot leave.
Fan Fan.
You must come.
You must come.
We will go together, you and I.
I have no will to live.
[battle raging.]
No will to live? What would your mother say if she heard you say such a thing? After all she went through Her only child.
She sold me into misery.
Come, before we end our lives on this bloody bed.
We have already wasted so many years.
[battle raging.]
Fan Fan.
Come.
[battle raging.]
Fan Fan.
Come.
Cut.
All right, moving on.
Very nice, Mei Mei.
Xishi, fantastic.
Boss, there's a guy named Rufus looking for you.
I don't know what you did, but we got our drivers back.
What'd you do? I told him if he wanted to make movies here in Vancouver, he'd better start making some Vancouver friends.
He might be able to stop some of the drivers on this movie, but his sets could catch fire the same as anybody else's.
He said he was going to make movies here in Vancouver? Yeah.
Huh.
That's interesting.
He likes the crews.
He likes the tax credit.
He likes the fact there's nobody chasing him down the street with machetes, trying to collect his gambling debts.
He's broke? I made a few calls.
He's broke.
He doesn't have the money he says he has.
He couldn't make Mei Mei's movie if he wanted to, but he can still scare a few people.
He's probably hustling around town, trying to sucker some fools into financing his movies.
I did my bit.
I got your drivers back to work.
I got the dope in the trunk of my car.
You think Jimmy Wuah makes good movies? Good sometimes, successful always.
You'd make a movie with him? Any day of the week.
Here's the thing with him.
He's made a billion dollars and lost it, and made it back again.
Right now he's down on his luck, but he's like the fucking stock market, you wanna get in at the bottom.
One good thing about Jimmy, when he's riding high he's got a hit movie or two out there, he throws money around like he's campaigning for office.
Now go get me some cash.
I overheard somebody saying Gary was leaving town tomorrow night.
That's a pretty short window.
We're going to get away clean or we're not going to do it.
Get away clean? We don't want a couple of fucking ratcatchers like ourselves hunting us down after the fact.
You, indeed, may be dead by that point and won't give a shit, but I intend to be under a palm tree sipping a whiskey and wishing not to be disturbed.
Jesus.
Gentlemen.
How's things? Good.
You're staying at the hotel? Yeah, for another day or so.
It's a busy time for me.
We should have a drink sometime.
You still have my number? I do.
I'll chase her down.
I've got a meeting, so we should talk about the getaway for a moment.
The wrap-up and the spin.
I'll introduce you briefly, then I'll leave you two alone.
He's predisposed towards you so don't fuck it up.
He's knows I'm investigating the stadium bombing? He does, but he doesn't hold it against you.
He knows it's your job that pays you money.
Mr.
Crenshaw.
Mr.
Gary is ready for you now.
Please come in.
[door closes.]
Mr.
McGee, good to see you.
It's my pleasure.
I understand you and Mr.
Crenshaw go back a ways.
We do.
I met Wolfgang on one of his original assignments.
A little mop-up operation in Nicaragua.
Then you hopped off to Panama? Honduras.
Honduras.
Then he spent the next decade in the East.
China mostly.
I bounced around.
Well, I just wanted to make the introduction.
I'll leave you to it.
Thank you, Al.
Please, sit.
So, let's get down to it.
You've been investigating the Quiller Inquiry.
I have.
On behalf of whom? I don't get full disclosure on these jobs.
I hand off my briefings to an anonymous gentleman.
But we can assume it's someone in an upper-management government position.
I'm guessing you're correct.
What have you discovered? It's a wandering trail.
Easy to get lost.
What sort of situation would you be looking for if you came to work for us? Clandestine activities management.
You're also an academic? Yes.
I've always found that field research provides me a good cover.
Developing and recruiting assets.
Right.
I need a China hand.
We're making inroads there quicker than anywhere else.
You've got the background there.
Fifteen years on the ground.
And before that, Honduras, I heard Mr.
Crenshaw say.
That's right.
We would have been there about the same time, I think.
We might have even crossed paths.
I'd have remembered.
If we were to hire you on, would you be available immediately? No other obligations? Nothing I couldn't get out of.
That's good to hear.
Well, I know I want to hire you.
Maybe you can tell me why would you like to work for us? Busy down here.
Grand Central Station.
You here for the conference? Not officially, no.
I don't know if anybody's here officially.
It's Norman, right? Good memory.
Al Crenshaw.
I know.
So, how's the professor been treating you? We're keeping busy.
So I hear.
Candy.
Hello again.
Can I buy you a drink? Absolutely.
Vodka tequila Moving up fast.
Just doing business.
Maybe this is too small a town for you.
Maybe it is.
Who's got the money? Frank.
He's in the office.
Go on up.
Watch the bag.
You gonna count the whole thing? I think I might.
What are you gonna do with all this cash, after you finish counting? Put it to use.
How you gonna clean it? Maybe pump some of it through the club.
No can do.
We're already maxing out.
That's my biggest fucking problem Getting the cash washed so I can spend some of it.
Nothing more painful than having a few million under the mattress and you can't spend it.
Good problem to have.
You'll have it soon enough, you keep this up.
Seriously, it's gonna be past my bedtime before you finish counting.
Just take it.
If it comes up short, let me know, I'll top it up.
I got other shit to do.
So how did your meeting with Mr.
Gary go? Not what I expected.
I was surprised how often I found myself agreeing with him.
A very capable salesman.
He laid out a pretty cushy offer.
Cushy enough to knock you off of whatever it is we're getting a whiff of? Well, that's the idea.
Well, is it working? We're meeting for drinks later to discuss.
Good.
You can get in close.
I'm beginning to think the long approach might be the way.
How long? Let's just see where things go.
I already know where it goes.
You do, do you? Yeah.
Any minute now, you're gonna start making excuses We play it out and we play it out, and it goes on and on, until finally, you cash a cheque.
Oh, fuck off.
It's a big revolving door.
Big enough for all of us.
Poor Norman.
We're all just here to disappoint you, isn't that right? That's been my experience.
I don't know if I can count on you anymore.
What are you talking about? The other day at the golf course, you had your moment Plenty of them But you waited, and you thought about it and you thought about it You fucking dithered.
You had your chance to take out Mr.
Gary, and you didn't.
You know why? You've lost your nerve.
You blinked, and he slipped away.
And that's the real reason that the service blackballed you You'd lost your nerve.
For all your huff and puff, you've lost it.
You're erratic.
You're all talk and no action.
I have a key to his room.
Where'd you get that? I've got a few regulars.
That simple enough for you? You got the money? I got it.
You got a half a ton of the best heroin anybody's seen in years locked down not too far from here.
I know you do, because I'm the guy who lifted it off the docks for you.
Your point is? We're gonna have a problem a lot bigger than this movie pretty quick.
We're gonna have a shitload of cash we can't invest.
We gotta launder it.
I'll take care of that when the time comes.
Jimmy Wuah can help us with that right now.
If that's what we want to do.
You wanna make movies with him? Depends on the deal.
[loud crash.]
[buzzer sounds.]
People want to make movies with you.
All the time.
They're begging me.
Why? Because I make good movies, and I give them a return on their investment.
You launder their money? What's your question? If I got too much cash on my hands, how can you help me? You invest your cash in one of my movies, or I package a few of them.
Your money comes back at 70 cents to the dollar direct to you as a legitimate share of the box office.
And my movies do very well.
Because you inflate the numbers of people in your theatres, and pump dirty cash down the pipe through the box office? Have I got that right? More or less.
You bought Mei Mei from Wing Lei.
That's right.
I could buy her from you.
You are an ambitious man.
[Rufus.]
: You've made some successful movies with Jimmy Wuah.
Yes.
You could work for him again.
No.
If you owned a big piece of the box office? If I owned a big piece of the back end, first dollar out [Rufus.]
: I finance the first couple of movies, whatever Mei Mei wants to do Not this period movie, something contemporary.
Okay, so you back away from this picture, these guys get to finish it without any more of your interference.
My man, Tony, produces her next two flicks.
It's got to be whatever I decide to make.
Whatever she decides to make.
And you tear up all future rights you own on Mei Mei.
Okay.
We have a deal.
As long as you can deliver on your promises.
[Eunuch.]
: The seed of the nightshade.
You must be cautious.
Use only one seed.
One seed, and he will sleep through the night.
Two, you will sleep day and night.
Three, you will never wake again.
Norman Rothman.
What of him? I didn't realize he was part of the team.
I didn't realize you were so interested in the details of my operation.
I'm not.
I'm just remembering some of the anecdotes I've heard over the years.
Like what? Well, like the one about him getting himself arrested in a crack motel with two young men and a diplomatic pouch.
We've all had our zipper trouble, haven't we? His problems go far beyond the zipper, my friend.
Should anything go awry for Norman or myself, I'm expecting your hand to be there to help guide things after the fact.
You're expecting things to go awry? No, but if they do, there will be another inquiry, and this time, I think we should be sitting at the table.
I'm in a better position now to make that happen.
Good.
Who's this? Homicide.
Detective Tanaka.
He's been helpful to us.
He might continue to make an excellent asset.
Good.
Let me guess.
Alienated young man.
Military background.
Meets some new friends online.
Gets himself radicalized.
Warning signs ignored.
Gets his hands on a gun.
Next thing you know, a liberal state senator is dead on the front steps of the statehouse.
And all the buzzards get to come on TV for another feeding.
It's becoming predictable.
It's more than predictable.
Look around.
Everyone's in a trance.
It's normal.
I have a few questions.
Fire away.
What's the long-term plan? Prepare for the worst.
We've both seen what happens when things collapse.
It's those at the bottom who get crushed.
Trust in the government has evaporated.
I want to be Global Standard wants to be Where people can put their trust.
This things a mess.
[text alert sounds.]
Shooter's dead.
Turned the gun on himself.
You've got boots on the ground there? Of course.
We're everywhere.
That's why I'm recruiting you.
Exactly how do I fit in in all this? That would depend.
Are you dropping your investigation into the Quiller Inquiry? Why don't we finish our drinks and then we can continue this discussion, somewhere in private? Hold that.
What floor? Nine, thank you.
- Here for the conference? - Just a guest.
[elevator bell dings.]
Before we talk numbers, I want to hear more about you.
I've seen the showman.
Who's the man behind that? That's the trick.
What you see is what you get.
I'm just a farm boy, telling it like it is.
Telling it like it is.
That's great.
I'm going to give you an opportunity to do that.
Can you tell me what happened on the 15th of August, two years ago? That was a case of very poor judgment.
What happened? Why did it go wrong? It did go wrong, didn't it? It went wrong.
It was the boy.
Mustapha.
He lost his nerve at the last minute.
Refused to take the backpack, didn't want to go through with it.
How did he die? One of my operatives shot him.
That probably wasn't necessary.
It's a pity.
If that operation had been successful, it might have changed the outcome of the election that fall.
I don't know why I'm suddenly so thirsty.
What was I saying? We were talking about the bombing at the baseball stadium.
How if that operation had been successful, it might have changed the outcome of the election.
How do you know about that? Did you put something in my drink? Ready? Go.
You can handle this alone? Go downstairs.
Mingle.
Start the spin.
[crowd screaming.]
I think somebody fell.
I saw it.
He jumped.
He jumped? Oh, my.
Is Mr.
Gary here? I was supposed to meet him at the bar.
I thought you already did.
Not yet, no.
Excuse me.
It looks like something going on outside.
[sirens wailing.]
Go back upstairs and pack your bag.
You're leaving.
What happened? Michael Gary.
He's dead.
[police detective.]
: Back into the lobby.
Everyone inside.
Everyone inside.
Let's go.
Back up.
[man.]
: Did you see it? I did.
It was on the top floor.
He stood there for a minute and he just stepped off.
Oh, my God.
[Tanaka.]
: Let's get this whole area taped off right away.
Find out which balcony he came off of, on which floor.
[Tanaka.]
: Clear the area.
Police.
I saw him drinking in the bar earlier this afternoon with a young woman in a blue dress.
[Tanaka.]
: Constables, come with me.
Excuse me.
He was on the top floor.
I saw him standing there, and he He just stepped right off.
This one's priority.
Excuse me.
Al Crenshaw, acting Director of the Intelligence Service.
Are you the only pathologist on duty? I am.
How can I help you? The Service is going to be bringing in our own pathologist for the Michael Gary post-mortem.
Yes, I just flagged the body.
Is your boss aware of this? Yes, I've just spoken to him.
I've been expecting you.
May I have a look?