The Two Jakes Script - Dialogue Transcript

Voila! Finally, the The Two Jakes script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the movie sequel to Chinatown with Jack Nicholson.  This script is a transcript that was painstakingly transcribed using the screenplay and/or viewings of The Two Jakes. I know, I know, I still need to get the cast names in there and I'll be eternally tweaking it, so if you have any corrections, feel free to drop me a line. You won't hurt my feelings. Honest.

Swing on back to Drew's Script-O-Rama afterwards for more free movie scripts!

The Two Jakes Script


  

  

 

                   

I suppose it's fair to say

infidelity made me what I am today.



 

                   

I know lots of investigators

won't handle divorce cases.



 

                   

The truth is, not that many guys

are good at matrimonial work.



 

                   

It takes finesse and experience.



 

                   

Hell, everybody makes mistakes.

But if you marry one,



 

                   

they expect you to pay for it

for the rest of your life.



 

                   

I don't care whose fault it is,

his, hers or the milkman's.



 

                   

If one of them comes to me,

it means they're both miserable,



 

                   

and that's my job,

putting people out of their misery.



  

                   

Oh, no!



  

                   

No, Kitty. How could you?



  

                   

You said you were going to

the beauty parlour in Hollywood,



  

                   

and now I find you here

where they said I'd find you,



  

                   

in room   -H of the...



  

                   

Bird of Paradise Motel.



  

                   

...of the Bird of Paradise Motel

in Redondo Beach,



  

                   

at two in the afternoon on

October   th,      with this man.



  

                   

Mr Berman, it's unnatural

to discuss what year it is



  

                   

when you're staring at your wife

in bed with another man.



  

                   

My lawyer said to be very specific...



  

                   

We'll establish the date. Just...



  

                   

It's an earthquake.



  

                   

- Relax.

- Mr Gittes? Did you feel that?



  

                   

Yes, Gladys, we felt it.

Everybody all right?



  

                   

- Right.

- Are we OK?



  

                   

Relax, Mr Berman.

It's just a temblor.



  

                   

A trembler?



  

                   

A temblor.

I know how edgy you must be, Julius.



  

                   

- My friends call me Jake.

- That makes two of us.



  

                   

- That's what my friends call me.

- Is that right? Is that right?



  

                   

He's a Jake and I'm a Jake.



  

                   

Yeah. How about that?

Two Jakes. Now, listen, Jake.



  

                   

I never lost a husband yet,

but I got a golf date at one o'clock.



  

                   

If I'm not ready to tee off at    :  

they'll break every club in my bag.



  

                   

You're kidding. That's terrible.



  

                   

The Wilshire Country Club.

I'm lucky they let me join.



  

                   

I know what you mean.



  

                   

Please, Mr Berm...

Jake... Go ahead.



  

                   

No, Kitty, how could you? You said

you were going to the beauty parlour,



  

                   

and now I find you here,

where they said I'd find you,



  

                   

in room   -H of the Bird of Paradise

Motel in Redondo Beach,



  

                   

at two in the afternoon

with this man.



  

                   

- Kitty, how could you?

- What's going on?



  

                   

You said were going

to the beauty parlour...



  

                   

What will this prove?



  

                   

...room   -H of the Bird of Paradise

Motel in Redondo Beach, with him!



  

                   

How could you, Kitty?

How could you?!



  

                   

With him?! Not with him!

Not with him! Not with him!



  

                   

Get her out of here!



  

                   

Damn!



  

                   

What the fuck... hey!

What the fuck...?



  

                   

- Damn!

- Just calm down, ma'am.



  

                   

Where'd that gun come from?



  

                   

Somebody call an ambulance!



  

                   

Come on. Get pictures

of everything, Larry.



  

                   

Most cops' ethics are

a little like the cars they drive.



  

                   

Black and white.

Lou Escobar is different.



  

                   

I did my share of fighting

in the war and even got a medal,



  

                   

but Lou lost a leg with

the first Marines at Guadalcanal.



  

                   

He knows about regrets and how life

doesn't give you a fair shake.



  

                   

You can't trust a guy

who's never lost anything.



  

                   

How's that, Lou?



  

                   

Your client shot a guy

right out of the saddle.



  

                   

I never had anything like that

happen before,



  

                   

not with me in the room, anyway.

See you, Lou.



  

                   

You witnessed it.



  

                   

I was next door.

By the time I got in the room,



  

                   

Berman had him trapped in the john.

He fired two shots through the door.



  

                   

- Maybe they struggled over the gun.

- I'm sure they did.



  

                   

Why are you so sure,

if the door was closed?



  

                   

You're right, Lou.



  

                   

Maybe the guy shot himself three

times and gave Berman the gun...



  

                   

- Jake, walk me to Homicide.

- I just came from there, Lou.



  

                   

I got an appointment at eight o'clock

at Perino's with Linda.



  

                   

I'll give you an escort. Where

did Berman get hold of the gun?



  

                   

- In the bedroom.

- In the bedroom.



  

                   

How do you know

he didn't have the gun?



  

                   

I'd never frisk him

before I let him walk in on his wife



  

                   

while some guy was slamming her

into the wall...



  

                   

Just asking you, Jake.



  

                   

Berman got the gun from somewhere

in the motel room and fired it.



  

                   

- Somewhere in the motel room?

- That's absolutely all I know.



  

                   

Then what happened?



  

                   

What usually happens

when somebody pulls a gun.



  

                   

Everybody ducks.



  

                   

I guess you talked

to the investigating officer



  

                   

Detective Loach.



  

                   

I just came on duty, Lou.



  

                   

Now, this is not a case where

I want any difficulty for anybody.



  

                   

It's simple. A guy gets fucked

getting fucked. Let's not get cute.



  

                   

Haven't seen you in a while, Jake.



  

                   

I never seem to get away

from my desk.



  

                   

Makes me wonder

if I should've made Captain.



  

                   

For your   th year,

I'll get you a pillow for your chair,



  

                   

something you can

sit on besides Loach.



  

                   

Jake, there's a call for you.



  

                   

This is Homicide.

It ain't your office. Let it ring.



  

                   

You're not lost, are you, Gittes?

You know the way out.



  

                   

Jesus, don't go.

You're just the man I want to see.



   

                   

I can't. I got asked to leave.



   

                   

- Is that true?

- Yes, Mr Weinberger.



   

                   

- Answer the phone, please.

- Get the phone.



   

                   

Homicide. Lieutenant Loach,

it's... for him. His office again.



   

                   

Take your call.



   

                   

He's been disruptive, Mr Weinberger.



   

                   

Disrupting Homicide is not all bad.

So, we have sheets, blankets,



   

                   

one shower curtain

with broken rings attached, toupee...



   

                   

And I do need to speak with Mr Gittes

about our client.



   

                   

- Our client?

- I'm counsel for Jake Berman.



   

                   

We have one...

two-inch Smith & Wesson revolver



   

                   

registered in the name

of the dead man, Mark Bodine,



   

                   

on behalf of B & B Homes.



   

                   

No wire recording

on the police report?



   

                   

His men didn't pick one up.

What's B & B Homes?



   

                   

You're not thinking, Jake.

B & B Homes. Bodine & Berman.



   

                   

It's another of their corporations,

Berman's and the dead man's.



   

                   

Just remember,

you have a fiduciary relationship



   

                   

with our client, Mr Berman.

We'll talk about it later.



   

                   

I'll be in my office.



   

                   

Can I use your phone?



   

                   

Cotton was right.

We should have turned up B & B Homes.



   

                   

Maybe Berman's partner

would still be chasing his wife



   

                   

instead of cooling his dick

at the County Morgue.



   

                   

So my client didn't level with me.

Not exactly news.



   

                   

Cotton only tells one side

of the story in court.



   

                   

Escobar knows I don't

tell him everything.



   

                   

And when husbands and wives

lie to each other,



   

                   

one of them comes to my office

and lies to me.



   

                   

If I waited for an honest client,

I'd be sitting around



   

                   

until Rocky Graziano played

Rachmaninoff at the Hollywood Bowl.



   

                   

- Lucy, what's going on?

- I don't know, Mr Gittes.



   

                   

I wouldn't go in there if I was you.



   

                   

What are you doing to that woman?

Let go this instant!



   

                   

- Ralph!

- Oh, my God! Don't you touch me!



   

                   

My goodness.

I'm terribly, terribly sorry.



   

                   

- I know how difficult this must be.

- Yeah.



   

                   

- It must hurt you so.

- Yes, it does.



   

                   

Everything will be fine.

Just rest for a moment.



   

                   

See? All right.



   

                   

Scotch.



   

                   

All right. Who the fuck is that?



   

                   

- Mark Bodine's widow.

- Who?



   

                   

The wife of the guy Jake Berman shot.



   

                   

Yeah.



   

                   

- She knows you were there.

- So what? So was Mrs Berman.



   

                   

Why isn't she breaking her house up?

It'd be more appropriate.



   

                   

She wants to talk to you.



   

                   

You're a war hero.

You may be slick as a floorwalker,



   

                   

but you and that little kike killed

my husband, you son of a bitch!



   

                   

Get my lawyer on the phone.



   

                   

They're not gonna

get away with this.



   

                   

If you were there, you would've

known that when Mr Berman



   

                   

saw Mrs Berman in bed with your

husband, he lost his head.



   

                   

That prick never lost his head

or his first nickel. Not only that...



   

                   

- Get me a handkerchief.

...there's Kitty Berman.



   

                   

She's a cold-hearted, frigid bitch.

She and Jake were in this together.



   

                   

In what together?



   

                   

Jake and Kitty Berman

killed my husband and you helped.



   

                   

What the hell. I'm going home now

to call the newspapers.



   

                   

It would be highly irresponsible

of me to allow you to do that.



   

                   

- Give me one good reason.

- I'll give you two.



   

                   

You can't walk

and you shouldn't drive.



   

                   

All right.



   

                   

Ralph, don't just stand there,

call the lady a cab.



   

                   

My God.

She just walked right into it.



   

                   

- Get her out of here.

- That's kidnapping.



   

                   

Not if you take her home. Walsh!



   

                   

Get the wire recorder out of the car,



   

                   

and don't leave evidence

laying around like that.



   

                   

Larry? Why didn't you tell me that

Berman and Bodine were partners?



   

                   

- He just gave us B & B Homes.

- Yeah, sure.



   

                   

Look. When you get her back there,



   

                   

take her in through the window

or the side door.



   

                   

Stay till she sobers up. Papers'll be

jumping all over the lawn like flies.



   

                   

- Like the song says, till then.

- Yeah, sure.



   

                   

Your tuxedo is laid out

and your private phone line is on.



   

                   

- Thank you, Gladys. Good night.

- Good night.



   

                   

Bird of Paradise Motel,

October               hours.



   

                   

I'm based in bedroom one...

OK, Ralph... on the bed?



   

                   

- Mayday. Bail out.

- What's wrong?



   

                   

Some linen supply guys are making

a delivery right outside your door.



   

                   

They're making a delivery...



   

                   

- Yeah?

- Hi, kid. Got the wire recording?



   

                   

- Right here. You want to hear it?

- Yeah.



   

                   

Kitty, how could you?



   

                   

You said you were going to

the beauty parlour in Hollywood...



   

                   

Jake, for Christ's sake,

are you there? Are you OK, Jake?



   

                   

Yeah, I'm fine.



   

                   

Hang up and put

the recording back in the safe.



   

                   

I can't do that, Cotton.

When the power comes back on,



   

                   

it'll trigger the alarm

for    blocks,



   

                   

and I'll have

the LAPD all over my ass.



   

                   

Stay till the power's on and

put the recording back in the safe.



   

                   

I just want to go

over it before the police do.



   

                   

- Is that it?

- We've done business many years.



   

                   

And we'll keep doing business



   

                   

so long as you protect

your client and mine, Jake Berman.



   

                   

- Cotton.

- What?



   

                   

Thank you. Fuck you.



   

                   

Thank you, Jake.

Always a pleasure doing business.



   

                   

Honey.



   

                   

Kitty, there's a... woman



   

                   

who can give "akey" a bad time,

and you know who.



   

                   

Honey, I think you do know. We're

talking about Katherine Mulwray.



   

                   

Mark, not again.



   

                   

Kitty, Katherine Mulwray can give

Jake a real bad time.



   

                   

I'm telling you, she retains

rights to the subdivision,



   

                   

and if I can get to her I can prove

Jake has taken advantage of the land.



   

                   

- We could all strike it rich.

- Just hold me. Hold me.



   

                   

Just help talk Jake into...



   

                   

Kitty, there's a... woman



   

                   

who can give "akey" a bad time,

and you know who.



   

                   

Honey, I think you do know. We're

talking about Katherine Mulwray.



   

                   

Mark, not again.



   

                   

Kitty, Katherine Mulwray can give

Jake a real bad time.



   

                   

I'm telling you, she

retains rights to the subdivision,



   

                   

and if I can get to her I can prove

Jake has taken advantage of the land.



   

                   

We could all strike it rich.



   

                   

I've spent half the night

at Perino's waiting for you.



   

                   

- My God. Linda.

- What have you been doing?



   

                   

- Nothing. Just an emergency.

- A nothing emergency?



   

                   

That I'd like to hear about sometime.

Maybe you'll tell me in another life.



   

                   

- What are you talking about?

- No, Kitty. How could you?



   

                   

You said you were going to

the beauty parlour in Hollywood...



   

                   

What'll this prove?



   

                   

...in room   -H of the Bird of

Paradise Motel in Redondo Beach!



   

                   

Hello, darling. I'll be right there.



   

                   

I can explain everything.

Are you at Perino's?



   

                   

Would I be answering my own phone

if I were? You jackass.



   

                   

Honey, I'm so sorry.

I'll be right there.



   

                   

- You and that little son of a bitch.

- Who is this?



   

                   

You're going to pay for this,

you Irish dick!



   

                   

- Where is she?

- Upstairs in bed.



   

                   

- She's fine. Ralph's with her.

- Ralph? Jesus Christ.



   

                   

All right, Mrs Bodine.

What did you take?



   

                   

It's enough to make you wanna skeeve.



   

                   

All right. Let me have this.



   

                   

Come here.



   

                   

- We'll do this sunny side up.

- You bastard!



   

                   

- Call the doctor.

- You sleazy lowlife.



   

                   

Hers, if you can find the number.



   

                   

I'm going to rip

your face off, you son of a bitch!



   

                   

That's all right, honey.

Don't worry about a thing.



   

                   

I'm going to make sure

you don't even get your hair wet.



   

                   

That's right.



   

                   

Chuck Newty, Mr Gittes.

Mr And Mrs Bodine's attorney.



   

                   

- Come on, Minnie.

- How are you?



   

                   

Mr Walsh indicates you've been trying

to keep Mrs Bodine from the press.



   

                   

That's fine.

I have no quarrel with that.



   

                   

At least until the courts

arrive at some criminal charges,



   

                   

then, of course,

there'll be civil actions.



   

                   

- Civil actions?

- Mrs Bodine is not only widowed,



   

                   

but she's been left out in the cold

financially as well.



   

                   

Chuck.



   

                   

Mr Bodine and Mr Berman did business

with a San Fernando subdivision,



   

                   

but it was not an association

either man trusted.



   

                   

In the event of

either partner's death,



   

                   

all liabilities are to be assumed

by the surviving partner,



   

                   

but, of course, all profits, as well.



   

                   

Therefore, when Mr Berman

shot and killed Mr Bodine,



   

                   

we could be talking about a man

who exploited his wife's infidelity



   

                   

to the tune of a $  million profit,



   

                   

and used you, however

unwittingly, as an accomplice.



   

                   

- Chuck, did you hear me?

- Excuse me a moment.



   

                   

- Who's that?

- Mattie Rawley.



   

                   

- She's from Pasadena.

- So is General Patton.



   

                   

All right. Fine.



   

                   

- Here. Keep them.

- Thanks.



   

                   

What I do for a living may not be

very reputable, but I am.



   

                   

In this town, I'm the leper

with the most fingers.



   

                   

No court's going

to view me as an accomplice.



   

                   

Probably not.



   

                   

Mr Berman will undoubtedly plead

temporary insanity.



   

                   

And if he's successful,

you'll be sued



   

                   

for allowing a crazy man to see

his wife in another man's arms.



   

                   

On the other hand,

if there's evidence of premeditation



   

                   

in the killing of Mr Bodine,

Berman's not crazy,



   

                   

Mrs Bodine gets to keep

her husband's money,



   

                   

and she would have no need to sue

you at all, quite the contrary.



   

                   

Let's keep in touch, Mr Gittes.



   

                   

Does that mean he wants you to prove

your own client is guilty of murder?



   

                   

- Yeah.

- Is that ethical?



   

                   

Larry, he's a lawyer.



   

                   

Jesus!



   

                   

Bodine mentioned Evelyn Mulwray's

daughter on the wire recording.



   

                   

He did? What did he say?



   

                   

Just her name. I couldn't hear.

Right before Berman shot him.



   

                   

That doesn't mean anything.

It could have been just gossip.



   

                   

Coulda.



   

                   

See the Pontiac

auto show at your dealer now.



   

                   

Pontiac. Fine car.



   

                   

Time changes things.



   

                   

Like the fruit stand

that turns into a filling station.



   

                   

But the footprints and signs

from the past are everywhere.



   

                   

They've been fighting over this land

since the first Spanish missionaries



   

                   

showed the Indians the benefits

of religion, horses,



   

                   

and a few years of forced labour.



   

                   

The Indians had it right all along.

They respected ghosts.



   

                   

You can't forget the past

any more than you can change it.



   

                   

Hearing Katherine Mulwray's name

started me thinking about



   

                   

old secrets, family, property,

and a guy doing his partner dirt.



   

                   

Memories are like that -

as unpredictable as nitro,



   

                   

and you never know

what's gonna set one off.



   

                   

The clues that keep you on track

are never where you look for them.



   

                   

They fall out of the pocket



   

                   

of somebody else's suit

you pick up at the cleaners.



   

                   

In the tune you can't stop humming,

that you never heard in your life.



   

                   

They're at the wrong number you dial

in the middle of the night.



   

                   

The signs are in

those old familiar places



   

                   

you only think

you've never been before.



   

                   

But you get used to seeing them

out of the corner of your eye,



   

                   

and you end up tripping over the ones

that are right in front of you.



   

                   

I should have been wise to Berman's

hand-wringing act from the beginning.



   

                   

It was as plain

as the shoes on his feet.



   

                   

What do you call four

drowning Mexicans? Quattro sinko.



   

                   

You know who Lou Escobar is?



   

                   

Yeah. He's Captain of Detectives

in Homicide.



   

                   

You know you turned

his sister down for a house?



   

                   

- Had to be done.

- Had to be done?



   

                   

Folks, here is Eucalyptus Place.

And there is    .



   

                   

- With you in a moment.

- OK, no problem.



   

                   

I'm sure you're gonna love

living in El Rancho San Fernando.



   

                   

- We sure are.

- Thank you.



   

                   

You know who else

couldn't buy a house here? Me.



   

                   

I can build it and I can sell it,

as long as I don't move in next door.



   

                   

They don't want Mexicans

or Jews around.



   

                   

Let me tell you something else.

The customer is always right.



   

                   

- I got a wife to protect.

- Protect? Don't you mean divorce?



   

                   

Yeah. That, too.



   

                   

Your wife is a

possible accessory in this.



   

                   

- To what?

- Come on.



   

                   

You pick the one time you can

murder a man and make him pay for it?



   

                   

- One way or the other, she helped.

- Stay away from my wife, or else.



   

                   

I recognise that as a valid threat

coming from you,



   

                   

but the police will think

the same thing -



   

                   

you murdered your partner

for his half of the subdivision



   

                   

and $  or $  million to which you and

your wife are now legally entitled.



   

                   

Ty, what's the problem?

Tyrone Otley, JJ Gittes.



   

                   

I know Mr Gittes from the DWP

when I worked for Hollis Mulwray.



   

                   

It's the same problem.

These earthquakes are shaking up



   

                   

our water wells like soda pop.

Only it's not soda pop.



   

                   

Millions of gallons of water

and gas under these homes.



   

                   

It's getting hazardous.



   

                   

- What do you mean, hazardous?

- Could explode.



   

                   

You said it was marsh gas. I thought

only natural gas was explosive.



   

                   

Mr Berman, whether it comes from

an old marsh or baked beans,



   

                   

all gas is natural. Gas is gas.



   

                   

- How do I get rid of it?

- Call the gas company.



   

                   

- You all right?

- Yeah.



   

                   

How am I going to...



   

                   

build homes with the gas company

drilling holes in the ground?



   

                   

Where were we?



   

                   

I was accusing you of murder,

Mr Berman.



   

                   

Call me Jake. Which way's your car?

I'll walk you to it.



   

                   

So, Jake...



   

                   

Why all this nervous Nelly horseshit

you gave me in my office?



   

                   

I'm telling you,

I was genuinely nervous.



   

                   

It's upsetting when your wife's

involved with a strange man.



   

                   

You didn't know it was your partner?



   

                   

How should I know? You didn't.



   

                   

If it was my partner and my wife,

I would've known.



   

                   

That's your business. I'm not

complaining. You did your job.



   

                   

Somebody out there?



   

                   

- Funny thing about land.

- What do you mean?



   

                   

I used to know the people

that owned this. Did you?



   

                   

No.



   

                   

How you gonna plead

at the preliminary hearing?



   

                   

That's Cotton's job.



   

                   

You think you'll get away with this?



   

                   

I'm not getting away

with a thing, Jake.



   

                   

Tell you what I'm gonna do.



   

                   

You guarantee Mark Bodine's widow her

husband's share of the subdivision



   

                   

so I don't worry about the police,

and you won't worry about me.



   

                   

Otherwise, I'll prove that

you deliberately murdered the man.



   

                   

You know something, Jake?



   

                   

You might think you know what's

going on around here but... you don't.



   

                   

You might think you know...



   

                   

How long have you been here?



   

                   

Jake, you'd better lie back.

The doctor's on his way.



   

                   

Not long.



   

                   

- You ever been here before?

- What difference does that make?



   

                   

- Yes.

- Me, too.



   

                   

Really?



   

                   

This used to be all orange groves.



   

                   

Walnut groves, too.



   

                   

- How did you say you got this land?

- Take it easy. I didn't say.



   

                   

Mr Gittes,

this isn't the time to discuss it.



   

                   

- You should lie down and...

- Who are you?



   

                   

Kitty Berman.



   

                   

Sorry, Mrs Berman, I...

I didn't recognise you.



   

                   

That's understandable.

We've never actually been introduced.



   

                   

What about you, Mrs Berman?



   

                   

Do you know where

Mr Berman got this land?



   

                   

I've asked you nicely

not to involve my wife.



   

                   

Jake, please.



   

                   

I think there's something you should

do before you ask any more questions.



   

                   

What's that?



   

                   

Get your head examined.

You may not be thinking clearly.



   

                   

I don't like waking up

with someone staring at me,



   

                   

especially when I can't

see their eyes.



   

                   

You're lucky you're awake at all.



   

                   

Mr Weinberger,

Lieutenant Loach again,



   

                   

Mr Novak, Mr Weinberger again,

and a Mr Oatley.



   

                   

- Oatley?

- Tyrone.



   

                   

- Otley.

- Gosh dang it. Otley.



   

                   

Gittes Investigations.



   

                   

It's Lieutenant Loach.

It sounds serious.



   

                   

Gladys, it's only serious

if it's Escobar.



   

                   

- Mr Gittes isn't in...

- You were tailing Berman.



   

                   

Ralph is. I thought

you were going to see a doctor.



   

                   

First thing in the morning.



   

                   

You just had your bell rung

pretty good, Jake.



   

                   

- Yeah.

- Captain Escobar. It's serious.



   

                   

- Take a message.

- He's after the recording.



   

                   

- He doesn't even know we have it.

- Are you going to lie to him?



   

                   

Would I lie to him?



   

                   

When was the last time

you saw the Mulwray girl?



   

                   

She must have been        years old.



   

                   

People can get in a lot of trouble

in that amount of time.



   

                   

I'd have heard.



   

                   

She ever send a bottle of Scotch

saying, "Welcome home, sailor"?



   

                   

How about a fruitcake

for Christmas? A postcard?



   

                   

Cripes, Jake, you're not responsible

for Evelyn Mulwray's death.



   

                   

And you're not responsible

for Katherine Mulwray's life!



   

                   

Her name was on the wire recording.

That's all I'm saying.



   

                   

That's got nothing to do with our

problems with this fellow Berman.



   

                   

- How do we know?

- OK. I'll check the land title.



   

                   

I'll see if there's

anything peculiar.



   

                   

- You don't have to do that.

- If I don't, you will.



   

                   

Why don't you put that file away?



   

                   

Life's been good.

You're a seven handicap.



   

                   

- Six.

- Six. Marrying a wonderful girl.



   

                   

Why don't you go see a doctor?

Put that file away.



   

                   

Dear Jake, I'm leaving

with Katherine for Mexico.



   

                   

I couldn't wait for you any longer.



   

                   

Once we're safe,

I'll get word to you through Khan.



   

                   

Please, don't try to look for us.



   

                   

My father is crazy enough

to track you to us.



   

                   

I want my daughter

to believe a new life is possible.



   

                   

I know I told you

I don't see men for very long.



   

                   

You seem to be that rare exception.



   

                   

I can't say goodbye to you. Evelyn.



   

                   

P.S. Katherine said that you seemed

a very nice man, and Curly concurred.



   

                   

- I see you survived the war.

- Yes.



   

                   

It's been a long time,



   

                   

but I read about you

in the papers once in a while.



   

                   

What can I say? Trashy publicity's

part of my business.



   

                   

The less you want, the more you get.



   

                   

Please. I enjoy it.

I'm sure many people do.



   

                   

Besides, you are very successful.



   

                   

- I can't complain.

- Does that mean you are happy?



   

                   

Who can answer that question

off the top of their head?



   

                   

Anyone who's happy.



   

                   

What about Katherine?



   

                   

I'm sure she's as happy

as she can be.



   

                   

- No problems?

- I can't quite catch your concern.



   

                   

- Is a reason she might need money?

- I can't see why.



   

                   

She owns a lot of land.

Taxes have risen since the war.



   

                   

I wouldn't know. We've had

no contact for quite a while.



   

                   

Odd flowers.



   

                   

Yes. Isn't it amazing

they still grow here?



   

                   

It's her favourite. She bred them.

You see those purple hues?



   

                   

They're caused by

the burning of the seed.



   

                   

This is how I remember her last.



   

                   

Where did she go from here? If she's

in trouble, I just wanna help her.



   

                   

If she is in trouble,

you would not be the one to help.



   

                   

Like her,

you are a prisoner of the past.



   

                   

You would do her more harm than good.



   

                   

Such things have happened.

Wherever fate has taken her,



   

                   

I'm sure that she is grateful

for what you've done for her.



   

                   

Isn't that enough?



   

                   

I don't wanna live in the past, Khan.

I just don't wanna lose it.



   

                   

You keep it.



   

                   

I am The Whistler. And I know

many things, for I walk by night.



   

                   

I know many strange tales

hidden in the hearts of men.



   

                   

I know the nameless terrors

which they fear most.



   

                   

The city's different at night.

The air smells better.



   

                   

It's harder to see that the oil rigs

outnumber the palm trees



   

                   

and it's almost like

the good old days.



   

                   

At least the way

I'd like to remember them.



   

                   

Stay in this business long enough



   

                   

and every street leads to

a place you'd like to forget.



   

                   

Every case brings back

memories of what might have been,



   

                   

and every skirt

reminds you of another woman.



   

                   

Or, if you've got it bad enough,

the same woman.



   

                   

Trick or treat.



   

                   

You shouldn't be breaking into

people's offices, Mickey.



   

                   

Not with your reputation.

And Halloween is this weekend.



   

                   

I guess we got the jump on everyone.



   

                   

Liberty Levine,

say hello to Jake Gittes.



   

                   

Liberty Levine?



   

                   

He can wrap his fist around

a roll of silver dollars.



   

                   

- What's this?

- It's a hand grenade.



   

                   

You ought to know that.

You're a war hero. See?



   

                   

Don't let go of the handle.



   

                   

You only have what, four seconds

to answer your calls, nudnik?



   

                   

You wouldn't have enough time.

You were very popular today.



   

                   

Weinberger. Escobar.

Weinberger. Weinberger.



   

                   

He wants to sue somebody, naturally.

Linda. Escobar. Linda again.



   

                   

She's nuts about you.

I wonder what she wants.



   

                   

Captain Escobar, he wants the Berman

wire recording, by tomorrow.



   

                   

Otherwise, he's coming after you

with a court order



   

                   

for withholding evidence,

conspiracy... So, Jake...



   

                   

You got criminal,

you got civil, you got love.



   

                   

But before anything of this

nature comes to pass, you got me.



   

                   

And I want you to do something

for me. I need a favour.



   

                   

Favour?



   

                   

I think that the Berman

wire recording is in your safe.



   

                   

So what I want you to do is open the

safe, drop the grenade in the safe,



   

                   

and then, most important

of all, close the safe.



   

                   

- You're crazy, Mickey.

- That may be.



   

                   

But do you know a better way

to stay healthy?



   

                   

All right.



   

                   

I was wrong. It's not here.



   

                   

Liberty?



   

                   

That was a nice show. Take a bow.



   

                   

Where is it? Where is it, Jake?



   

                   

- At my lawyer's.

- Your lawyer's?



   

                   

I want the Berman wire recording

by tomorrow. Be a mensch.



   

                   

Otherwise, I'm going to have

to give you a serious reprimand.



   

                   

I'm shedding all over the place.

I'm sorry.



   

                   

Lie back.



   

                   

Mickey do this to you?



   

                   

I thought so. I saw he and Liberty

going down as I was coming up.



   

                   

Mrs Bodine...



   

                   

How do you know

the biggest hood in LA?



   

                   

I've seen him around town.

Santa Anita. Private screenings.



   

                   

The Bolanos fight at the Legion.



   

                   

- Jake introduced us.

- Berman?



   

                   

They grew up together in

Boyle Heights. They're best friends.



   

                   

What can I do for you?



   

                   

Testify that Berman knew his wife

was in bed with his business partner.



   

                   

Just that one little thing?



   

                   

And I hear you have a recording that

proves Berman murdered my husband.



   

                   

That's what they say,

but I'm not sure it proves anything.



   

                   

Anyway, I'd like it.



   

                   

- Mrs Bodine...

- Lillian.



   

                   

Lillian.



   

                   

- Ethically, I can't do that.

- Ethically?



   

                   

I have certain

statutory obligations.



   

                   

I can't use information

adverse to a client,



   

                   

when I acquired that information

while employed by the client.



   

                   

Then I'll hire you.

Prove Berman planned it.



   

                   

- Lillian, just listen...

- No! Put the weasel in jail.



   

                   

Nothing else matters.



   

                   

How about five or six million bucks?



   

                   

Your husband's share

of the subdivision.



   

                   

Berman said he'd let you have it.



   

                   

- Could I make a phone call?

- Please.



   

                   

That's what your lawyer told you

to say to six million bucks?



   

                   

Yes.



   

                   

- You always do what he tells you?

- More or less.



   

                   

- And who tells him what to do?

- What do you mean?



   

                   

That woman at your house

the other night. He listened to her.



   

                   

That's Mattie Rawley.

Everybody listens to her.



   

                   

- He's her lawyer, too?

- Her husband's.



   

                   

Any reason Mr Rawley would have

to be interested in Jake Berman?



   

                   

He was a friend of Mark's.

That's how I met Mattie.



   

                   

Tell you what I'm gonna do.



   

                   

You can't have the recording,

but you can listen to it.



   

                   

Mark and Kitty... talk on it?



   

                   

Mainly, yeah.



   

                   

If you're not up to this,

I'll understand.



   

                   

I'm up to it.



   

                   

All right?



   

                   

Adam boy charlie, adam boy charlie.

Lawrence Walsh.



   

                   

- Mayday, bail out.

- What's wrong?



   

                   

Some linen supply guys are making

a delivery right outside your door.



   

                   

They're making a delivery...



   

                   

Honey.



   

                   

Kitty, there's a woman who can give

"akey" a bad time, and you know who.



   

                   

Does that mean something to you -

"akey"?



   

                   

Mark called Berman Jakey sometimes.



   

                   

Kitty, there's a woman who can give

"akey" a bad time, and you know who.



   

                   

"There's a woman who can give Jakey

a bad time, and you know who"?



   

                   

- Something like that.

- Honey, I think you do know.



   

                   

We're talking about

Katherine Mulwray.



   

                   

- Mark, not again.

- Kitty, I'm telling you...



   

                   

Sounds like he thinks this Katherine

could give Berman a hard time.



   

                   

Did Mark ever mention her to you?



   

                   

Mark never talked about women

with me. He was a chaser.



   

                   

And he never had to run very far.



   

                   

If I get to her I can prove Jake has

taken advantage of the land.



   

                   

- We could all strike it rich.

- Just hold me. Hold me.



   

                   

- See what I mean?

- About what?



   

                   

Did you ever hear of whipstocking?



   

                   

Whips and stockings? God damn it.

That son of a bitch was...



   

                   

Lillian, just calm down.



   

                   

I always knew that Kitty

was a perverted little snat.



   

                   

- Kitty, how could you?

- Don't let it start.



   

                   

...to the beauty parlour...

- Don't let me hear. It's coming.



   

                   

Don't let me hear.

No, don't let me hear!



   

                   

God damn it, you son of a bitch,

don't let me hear!



   

                   

I don't want to hear any more!



   

                   

All right.



   

                   

Where'd that gun come from?



   

                   

All right. All right.

It's over. It's over.



   

                   

Somebody call an ambulance!



   

                   

- I'm getting out of here.

- Can I help you?



   

                   

Stop me.



   

                   

- Don't let me go back to the house.

- So stay here.



   

                   

I'm not responsible

for one more thing.



   

                   

- No! Damn you, you bastard!

- All right!



   

                   

All right!

That's enough! That's enough.



   

                   

Don't make me do it.

Don't make me do it. Don't...



   

                   

You're going to make me do it,

aren't you?



   

                   

You're going to make me.

You're going to make me.



   

                   

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, I am. All right.



   

                   

Take the rest of

that goddamned thing off.



   

                   

Honestly, I'm trying to be

a gentleman about this.



   

                   

Now just... get down on your knees.

Down on your knees.



   

                   

Stick your ass up in the air,

and don't move until I tell you.



   

                   

I did come across some documents.



   

                   

You've met Mrs Bodine.

Lawrence Walsh, my oldest associate.



   

                   

Mrs Bodine and I have been having

a lengthy consultation, and...



   

                   

I see.



   

                   

Going over a number of matters.

Mrs Bodine has expressed a wish



   

                   

to employ us to locate the previous

owner of the B & B subdivision land.



   

                   

Pardon me, Jake.

Can I talk to you for a minute?



   

                   

Excuse us, Mrs Bodine.



   

                   

This is Berman's

title insurance report.



   

                   

- The previous owner was Mickey Nice.

- Mickey Nice?



   

                   

Now look at the previous

title transfer.



   

                   

Now, don't go off half-cocked,

we don't know what this really means.



   

                   

You got to admit it was generous

of Katherine to give her land away.



   

                   

From Katherine to Mickey to Berman,

same day, same place.



   

                   

- It's Ralph calling again.

- I'll take it in my office.



   

                   

Ralph? Hold on.

He'll be with you in a minute.



   

                   

- Is everything all right?

- Fine.



   

                   

I'm at the Bay City Laundry, corner

of Little Washington and Venice.



   

                   

Somebody's following Berman

besides me.



   

                   

- Probably the cops.

- No. It's a guy in a tan Studebaker.



   

                   

- Not the cops?

- No.



   

                   

All right. Stick with Berman. Get a

number on the Studey. I'm on my way.



   

                   

Do you think Mr Walsh

has any idea that we...



   

                   

Absolutely none.



   

                   

- They're still in the laundry.

- Who?



   

                   

Berman, Mickey,

that hood Liberty and some blonde.



   

                   

Some blonde?



   

                   

What the hell is

Chuck Newty doing here?



   

                   

- Is that the tail?

- Yeah.



   

                   

Stay with Berman, I'll cover

the mouthpiece. You got dimes?





 

                   

Sometimes it's best

to follow the piece that doesn't fit.



 

                   

Chuck Newty wouldn't do anything

he couldn't charge $   an hour for,



 

                   

so he wouldn't shadow Berman

without a client.



 

                   

You can follow the action,

which gets you good pictures.



 

                   

You can follow your instincts,

which'll probably get you in trouble.



 

                   

Or you can follow the money,



 

                   

which nine times out of ten

will get you closer to the truth.



 

                   

Earl Rawley's trademark

was on Newty's matchbook,



 

                   

Lillian Bodine's lighter

and half the oil wells in LA.



  

                   

Who else could afford to keep

a lawyer's meter running?



  

                   

In       a certain

Jose Longuinez Martinez,



  

                   

while travelling through

the Pueblo de Los Angeles,



  

                   

found a great lake of pitch,



  

                   

with many pools in which blisters

were continually rising and falling.



  

                   

In hot weather, animals looking for

water were seen sinking into the tar.



  

                   

Their cries

would attract predators.



  

                   

We pulled a million specimens

from two holes in the ground.



  

                   

Animal after animal, literally dying

to eat another dying animal.



  

                   

The greatest record

of life on earth is what it is,



  

                   

all caught in little seeps from

the greatest lake of oil on earth.



  

                   

   miles long,    miles wide,

the entire LA basin,



  

                   

where we work and live today.

Ladies, this way.



  

                   

- How many jobs you got, Mr Otley?

- Call me Ty.



  

                   

- Lovely speech you gave the ladies.

- Thank you.



  

                   

LA, the greatest

lake of oil on earth there is.



  

                   

Could we continue this discussion

some other time?



  

                   

My secretary said

you called me repeatedly, Ty.



  

                   

Said you made it sound like

something of an emergency.



  

                   

After the explosion,

I was concerned.



  

                   

That's very thoughtful of you,

Tyrone. Now...



  

                   

- Who got to you?

- Who got to me?



  

                   

- Was it Berman?

- Got to me about what?



  

                   

Or was it somebody

from Rawley Petroleum?



  

                   

Brother... Berman... Levine...



  

                   

Some woman, blonde.



  

                   

This the clearest you got?



  

                   

- Well, yeah.

- Did you follow her?



  

                   

What for?

You told me to follow Berman.



  

                   

Berman had a two o'clock appointment

at his lawyer's.



  

                   

You don't follow somebody

when you know where they're going.



  

                   

But you said stay with Berman.



  

                   

- Who the fuck is this woman?

- Who is that woman?



  

                   

Laura Teel.

You remember her, don't you?



  

                   

Rubber gloves, you bet.

There he goes. She's alone now.



  

                   

Better hurry up and get in there.



  

                   

Miss Teel, how nice to see you.



  

                   

What are you doing here?



  

                   

- Don't tell me I'm being watched.

- No, Mrs Berman.



  

                   

Your husband has all the matrimonial

information he needs to go to court.



  

                   

- Yes. If only he wanted a divorce.

- He doesn't?



  

                   

- You've been talking to Lillian.

- I have?



  

                   

You have.



  

                   

Lillian loves angora.

You make a big enough mess...



  

                   

and you can't be ignored.



  

                   

What did she call me?

Aside from frigid and conniving?



  

                   

- A killer.

- Killer?



  

                   

I enticed her husband into bed



  

                   

so my husband could shoot him

in a fit of jealous rage?



  

                   

- That's right.

- And what's the rest of the plan?



  

                   

That's it. You slept with the man

so he could be legally murdered,



  

                   

the entire subdivision

belongs to you and your husband.



  

                   

Jake doesn't want Mark's money.



  

                   

I'm sure he'll see Lillian gets

whatever her husband's entitled to.



  

                   

- All she wants is the recording.

- I find that difficult to believe.



  

                   

Look, you may have a worldly wise

veneer but I got ties older than you.



  

                   

Mrs Bodine thinks your husband

ought to be in jail,



  

                   

that the recording proves

your husband's a murderer.



  

                   

If she's right, I wanna tell

the police before they tell me.



  

                   

I am sure my husband did what he did

because he loves me.



  

                   

And suppose you're wrong, I'm wrong.



  

                   

Suppose he didn't kill

for love or money? Now what?



  

                   

That's not possible.

There's got to be a reason.



  

                   

I think the reason

is on that wire recording.



  

                   

I don't know

what that possibly could be.



  

                   

Would it surprise you to know your

husband was seeing another woman?



  

                   

- Is he?

- Would it surprise you?



  

                   

No. Not necessarily. No.



  

                   

In other words,

he loves you enough to kill somebody,



  

                   

but you're not surprised

that he's fooling around?



  

                   

- What will a jury think of that?

- Who is this woman?



  

                   

Mrs Berman, wouldn't you like to know

one way or the other?



  

                   

If there's a relationship,

I'd like to know about it, yes.



  

                   

Then you'll tell me

what I want to know?



  

                   

What's that?



  

                   

Exactly what Bodine

was asking you on the wire.



  

                   

I'll tell you what I remember.

It may not be what you need to know.



  

                   

- Who is it?

- It's the colourist.



  

                   

- Come back a little later, please.

- Fine.



  

                   

Mr Gittes, I want to remind you

that you have yet to show me anything



  

                   

that proves my husband

deliberately did anything to anyone.



  

                   

- And if I can prove otherwise?

- Then we'll talk later.



  

                   

After all, first things first.



  

                   

Mr Gittes, it was two and a half

years ago these people were here.



  

                   

I have very little recollection

of the transaction,



  

                   

and these photographs

are not going to refresh my memory.



  

                   

I don't wish to talk about

these people.



  

                   

Can you tell me this much?



  

                   

Why wouldn't Miss Mulwray quitclaim

the deed to Mr Berman directly?



  

                   

Mr Gittes, I am a notary public,

not a mind-reader.



   

                   

If that's the way they want it,

that's the way I do it.



   

                   

This deed doesn't even mention

mineral rights.



   

                   

Any exception to title rights will be

found in some other agreement.



   

                   

- And if there is no other agreement?

- Then the original owner retains



   

                   

all rights not specifically granted.



   

                   

Dolores, would you please

show Mr Gittes out?



   

                   

He's awful touchy.



   

                   

How did it happen? You don't know?



   

                   

Come on. You can tell me.



   

                   

- That's how it happened. He told.

- What?



   

                   

About three weeks ago,

just after I came to work here,



   

                   

somebody else was in,

asking about these people.



   

                   

And one of those people came back

and broke his jaw.



   

                   

Him, right?

All right. Forget about him.



   

                   

What about the guy who was asking?

Can you remember what he looked like?



   

                   

I'll bet he asked you out.



   

                   

No. He's married.



   

                   

Not any more. Thank you.



   

                   

Good of Mr Rawley to see me

on such short notice.



   

                   

He's looking forward to it.

He's just around the point.



   

                   

- Do you like shrimp?

- Sure do.



   

                   

We've got some good ones.



   

                   

I prefer matches, thank you.

I love the smell of sulphur.



   

                   

Chuck here said you want

to talk to me about Mattie.



   

                   

Not exactly. I was hoping

you could help me with Lillian.



   

                   

That's up to Chuck

and my wife Mattie.



   

                   

- That's really none of my business.

- None of your business?



   

                   

In a sense,

when you're in the oil business,



   

                   

- You're in everybody's business.

- That's right.



   

                   

Is that why you broke into my office



   

                   

and why you got Jake Berman

under surveillance?



   

                   

- Mr Gittes, I don't...

- Excuse us a little bit. Thank you.



   

                   

Before Mark got killed, he became

aware of Berman's other associates.



   

                   

He was concerned that he might have

a silent partner in this Mr Nice.



   

                   

Mark was frightened. He came to me

for help, purely as a friend.



   

                   

- Frightened of Berman and Mr Nice.

- Yes, indeed.



   

                   

Not too frightened to sleep

with Berman's wife.



   

                   

Tell you what we'll do, John.



   

                   

You tell me what the hell

you think's going on,



   

                   

I'll tell you

if I think you're right.



   

                   

Mr Rawley, I think you think there's

oil under the B & B subdivision,



   

                   

and you're trying to get to

whoever has the mineral rights.



   

                   

All I'd find under that subdivision

is a lot of hot air and gas.



   

                   

You want to know why?

Look up and down the coast.



   

                   

Summerland, Huntington Beach, Bolsa

Chica-that's where the oil is.



   

                   

That's where it's juicy, out there.

It ain't      feet inland,



   

                   

down through      extra feet

of cretaceous granite.



   

                   

Have I answered all your questions?



   

                   

There's one thing about Los Angeles



   

                   

that makes it different

than most places, John,



   

                   

and that's two things.

You got a desert with oil under it,



   

                   

and, second, you got a lot

of water around it.



   

                   

Hollis Mulwray and Noah Cross

moved the water onto this desert,



   

                   

and we have to move people

the same way they moved the water.



   

                   

Without my oil, you got no cars.



   

                   

Without cars,

you got no road construction,



   

                   

no sidewalks, no city lights, no gas

stations, no automotive service,



   

                   

and no Berman subdivision out in the

tules because nobody can get there.



   

                   

Then Mr Berman's out of business

before he even gets in.



   

                   

The name of the game is oil, John.



   

                   

That don't go here, Oren.

Take it up to hill   .



   

                   

Back to   !



   

                   

What's that for?



   

                   

- Did you ever breed any horses?

- Can't say that I have, no.



   

                   

It's like helping a stallion

mount a mare.



   

                   

Whipstocking is something you do



   

                   

to coax the drilling bit

in the right direction.



   

                   

After you've gone

to all that trouble,



   

                   

you wouldn't want your big fella

to miss what he was aiming at.



   

                   

I know what your time's worth, John,

and I'll take care of you.



   

                   

Just don't let me down.



   

                   

Old Cactus Earl probably hoodwinked

quite a few city boys



   

                   

with his Will Rogers routine,



   

                   

but I knew he wasn't talking about

two horses on their honeymoon.



   

                   

Whatever Rawley was mounting,

it wasn't a mare.



   

                   

I just wanted to make sure

it wasn't me, either, pardner.



   

                   

- Do you want to meet or not?

- Anywhere you say.



   

                   

Green Parrot Bar and Grill

on Cahuenga, any time after ten.



   

                   

- Are you all right, honey?

- Honey? What did you say?



   

                   

Good evening. May I help you?



   

                   

- No. I'd like to sit at the bar.

- Fine.



   

                   

- Can I help you, sir?

- Johnny Walker Black, straight up.



   

                   

- Soda back?

- Yeah, thanks.



   

                   

Mr Gittes.

I'm so glad you could make it.



   

                   

Tyrone, what's on your mind?



   

                   

A Go-Devil underground camera tells

which direction you're drilling.



   

                   

- Take it easy, Ty.

- This is the photo of the compass.



   

                   

It'll prove Rawley's drilling east

toward the Berman subdivision,



   

                   

not west, out toward the ocean.



   

                   

Double Scotch, soda back.



   

                   

- We're talking about oil here, Ty?

- Obviously.



   

                   

Mr Rawley believes there's oil

under the subdivision.



   

                   

He's endangering lives, drilling

with all the seismic activity.



   

                   

He's whipstocking.

Someone has got to stop him!



   

                   

I can't do that, Ty. Nobody can.



   

                   

Guys like Rawley don't get arrested,

they get streets named after them.



   

                   

In this situation,

it's best to leave it alone.



   

                   

Rawley stealing from Berman is the

big thief stealing from the little.



   

                   

Who are we to quarrel?



   

                   

- Did you bring my treat?

- What the fuck for?



   

                   

Then why did you come here?



   

                   

- What are you doing here?

- I own it. What's your excuse?



   

                   

- I got a date.

- Be a gentleman and excuse yourself.



   

                   

Come on, nudnik.



   

                   

Look around.

What do you see? Strictly class.



   

                   

Polite. Big tippers.

And they're nice to the help.



   

                   

If the cops didn't keep

bumping up the payoff,



   

                   

this would be

the best business I got.



   

                   

What business you got

with Jake Berman?



   

                   

- He's     per cent legitimate.

- What do you call legitimate?



   

                   

Take off his jacket.



   

                   

I can tell you

what I don't consider legitimate.



   

                   

- Must be a short list.

- Blackmail.



   

                   

- What are you talking about?

- It's a form of mental torture.



   

                   

It's the worst.

Physical torture? It's not so bad.



   

                   

There's only so much you can take

and then eventually, you die.



   

                   

It's over. But mental torture?

That's real aggravation.



   

                   

It goes on and on and on.

You got the wire recording.



   

                   

Why are you withholding evidence

from your own client



   

                   

if you're not a blackmailer?

Answer that, you putz.



   

                   

- Boss, I think we're in trouble.

- What are you talking about?



   

                   

Smile at the birdies, ladies.



   

                   

Now gather your hats and your purses.

The vans are in the back.



   

                   

Nice and orderly. That's it.



   

                   

I'm telling you, Sergeant,

I just stopped in for a quick drink.



   

                   

You were consorting with a hoodlum

under grand jury investigation,



   

                   

- Known to be Jake Berman's friend?

- So what?



   

                   

So either you were doing business

with Mickey, or...



   

                   

Or what?



   

                   

We got a vice officer

who swears you approached him



   

                   

and fondled his privates

in the men's room.



   

                   

How was it?



   

                   

You'll get a chance to tell everybody

at the state board.



   

                   

Either that, or prove you're not

withholding evidence.



   

                   

- How will I do that?

- Let us hear the wire recording.



   

                   

Then you'll decide if it's evidence

that I'm withholding?



   

                   

Get your court order.

It's private property.



   

                   

How much are you paid to suppress it?



   

                   

Bribery. Conspiracy.

Conspiracy to commit murder.



   

                   

Maybe not bribery any more.

Maybe he's back to blackmail.



   

                   

- What are you talking about, Loach?

- I'm talking about incest.



   

                   

Incest?



   

                   

Incest, like when a father bangs his

daughter, like with dogs and squid.



   

                   

Extorting money from the Mulwrays

to keep his mouth shut.



   

                   

Loach, I don't recall

anything like that.



   

                   

All I recall is that your father

shot an innocent woman



   

                   

- While their little girl watched.

- And what a fine shot it was.



   

                   

It was a long time ago.



   

                   

Besides, I wouldn't extort a nickel

from my worst enemy.



   

                   

That's where I draw the line.



   

                   

I'll tell you, Jake.



   

                   

I knew a whore once. For the right

money, she'd piss in a guy's face.



   

                   

But she wouldn't shit on his chest.

That's where she drew the line.



   

                   

Junior, all I can say is,



   

                   

I hope she wasn't too much

of a disappointment to you.



   

                   

Get back! Get back! Get back or

this motherfucking son of a bitch...



   

                   

...will suck on this until he dies!



   

                   

Now, suck it! Suck it!



   

                   

- OK.

- Suck it.



   

                   

You pissed your pants, Junior.

Maybe you need a change.



   

                   

You're off this case

and suspended for    days. And you!



   

                   

When I get through with you, you'll

wish Loach was back on the case.



   

                   

Book Mr Gittes. Let him make bail.

Get him out of here.



   

                   

- Get him out of here!

- Get your hands off me!



   

                   

Get over there and sit down.

Sit down.



   

                   

Some linen supply guys,

they're making a delivery.



   

                   

Right outside your door.

They're making... delivery.



   

                   

- Yeah, Gladys?

- It's Mr Weinberger.



   

                   

- He says it's urgent.

- I'll take it.



   

                   

- Hello, Cotton.

- I'm here with Flynn.



   

                   

- Give him my best.

- Jake says hello.



   

                   

- Escobar got his court order.

- When?



   

                   

Just now. If you don't produce that

wire recording, you're going to jail.



   

                   

At least let me have it, Jake.

Let me worry about it.



   

                   

Yeah. I'd better

get back to you, Cotton.



   

                   

Jake, didn't you hear?

Escobar's got his court order.



   

                   

- What did they deliver?

- Escobar's gonna be here any minute.



   

                   

The guys from Bay City Linen.

What were they delivering?



   

                   

It was a chair, wasn't it?



   

                   

I think so.

A chair and some towels.



   

                   

Kitty Berman

had said she wouldn't believe



   

                   

her husband did anything wrong

until I delivered proof.



   

                   

She was gonna get

what she asked for.



   

                   

The kind of proof she could sit on.



   

                   

I don't expect you to remember

where this came from.



   

                   

The police report said the weapon was

a.   Smith & Wesson police special,



   

                   

with a  -inch barrel, like this.



   

                   

The chair was delivered to your room

at the Bird of Paradise Motel



   

                   

   minutes before you arrived

by Bay City Linen,



   

                   

right out of the back

of one of Mickey's trucks.



   

                   

Well, Mrs Berman? Mrs Berman?



   

                   

Watch it!



   

                   

- Kitty?

- Get away from me.



   

                   

- Kitty.

- Stay away.



   

                   

I got a new deal for you.



   

                   

When you want to talk, pick a spot

where nobody can sneak up on me



   

                   

and nail me with

Escobar's court order.



   

                   

- Anything else?

- Tell Mickey I stole his truck



   

                   

before he tells the cops,

because if they stop me,



   

                   

they'll have enough evidence

to arrest you both. Murder one.



   

                   

How do you want to play this?

   bucks a hole?



   

                   

What's the matter? Too rich for you?



   

                   

Let's cut out the cute bullshit.

We're here to discuss your life.



   

                   

Let's wait till we get

out on the course.



   

                   

- I'm a     handicap.

- Nine.



   

                   

What the hell. It's my club.

I'll play you even.    bucks a hole?



   

                   

- Hell, yes.

- Be my guest.



   

                   

Hell of a shot.



   

                   

Good bounce.



   

                   

Nice putt.



   

                   

What's it going to take?

            grand?



   

                   

If I don't give it to Escobar,

he'll put me in jail.



   

                   

I'll pay your legal fees.

Contempt of court, big fucking deal.



   

                   

More like conspiracy

to commit murder.



   

                   

Escobar's gonna think I'm

trying to cover my ass, not yours.



   

                   

I can make the

rest of your life awful easy.



   

                   

You never know when

you're gonna need something extra.



   

                   

I tell you,

nothing beats bad luck, does it?



   

                   

What's your deal?



   

                   

Tell me how you got Katherine Mulwray

to give you her land.



   

                   

- She suggested it.

- Bodine know that?



   

                   

Is that why you killed him? Cos he

was asking the same questions I am?



   

                   

She's alive and well, Jake.



   

                   

Put me in touch with her.

That's all I ask.



   

                   

- I can't do that.

- That's the deal.



   

                   

The deal is you give me the wire

at the end of this round,



   

                   

or I'll have you killed.

My money or your life.



   

                   

Ever seen my one-legged golfer?



   

                   

You all right?



   

                   

Just relax.



   

                   

- What's wrong?

- Remember what I said, Jake.



   

                   

- No sign of the wife?

- No, I haven't seen the wife.



   

                   

The big guy came out, called Nice,

something about Elsa, radio...



   

                   

- Watch your feet, buddy.

- Got dimes?



   

                   

Take it easy. You'll be all right.

You're gonna be all right, Jake.



   

                   

Please hurry.

They're waiting at the hospital.



   

                   

Some blonde.



   

                   

I'm used to seeing the intimate

details of people's lives,



   

                   

but looking at a guy's x-rays

is as intimate as it gets.



   

                   

It's the kind of thing most guys

don't even tell their wives about.



   

                   

Sorry. It has to look like

nobody's home.



   

                   

The DA's still trying to serve me.



   

                   

Hand over the wire recording.



   

                   

- Pardon me?

- Give the recording to the police.



   

                   

Otherwise you're in contempt

of court, you'll go to jail.



   

                   

- Would you mind if I had a drink?

- The preliminary hearing's tomorrow.



   

                   

You've got to answer some questions.



   

                   

- Scotch and soda?

- Fine.



   

                   

There's nothing I can tell you

you don't already know.



   

                   

We'll see.



   

                   

- Thank you.

- How's your husband's health?



   

                   

Fine, obviously. Anything else?



   

                   

What did Mark Bodine ask you

about Katherine Mulwray?



   

                   

Apparently, she retains the mineral

rights to the subdivision land.



   

                   

Mark thought

they might be valuable.



   

                   

I guess he was trying to get

in touch with her.



   

                   

I don't remember all that much.

When you're...



   

                   

with somebody like that...

Well, you can imagine.



   

                   

Yes, I can.



   

                   

I was honestly unfaithful.



   

                   

- And with a very ambitious man.

- So?



   

                   

- Maybe that's why he was killed.

- Over mineral rights?



   

                   

Jake... Jake cared about land.



   

                   

He wouldn't kill anybody over

mineral rights. Believe me.



   

                   

God. Linda.



   

                   

Honey, there's somebody

I'd like you to meet.



   

                   

Please don't bother.

I can see you're hard at work.



   

                   

I don't need any introductions.

Don't stop for a thing.



   

                   

I simply wish to say that I never

want to see or hear from you again.



   

                   

I'm sorry.



   

                   

Not your fault.



   

                   

- That was your fiancée?

- Used to be.



   

                   

I'm sure once you explain everything,

she'll calm down and be OK.



   

                   

What?



   

                   

What are you looking at?



   

                   

This. Jake gave it to me.



   

                   

- It's stuck.

- Let me.



   

                   

- What kind of flower is it?

- A poppy.



   

                   

Why is it two colours?



   

                   

With wild flowers,

you can change the colour.



   

                   

You don't say.



   

                   

The way summer fires do,

you simply scorch the seeds.



   

                   

Of course, it's not permanent.



   

                   

Wild flowers are very unstable,

so you have to keep scorching them.



   

                   

Sort of like dying your hair.



   

                   

Exactly. Otherwise,

the colour will simply...



   

                   

...revert.



   

                   

I don't get it.



   

                   

I'm sorry.



   

                   

All I ever wanted was...



   

                   

All I ever wanted

all these years was just...



   

                   

to see that you hadn't been hurt...



   

                   

and that you wouldn't be hurt.



   

                   

I didn't want you to be involved.



   

                   

I am involved.

Your crazy husband saw to that.



   

                   

I didn't want to give you any reason

not to testify.



   

                   

You said you'd always protect me,

no matter what. I knew you would.



   

                   

- What about Jake?

- I don't know.



   

                   

I don't know about Jake.



   

                   

He made me feel I could

live a normal life like anybody else.



   

                   

He was romantic.



   

                   

He's a murderer, right?



   

                   

Right.



   

                   

Hand over the wire recording.



   

                   

It is the necessary nature

of any evidentiary hearing



   

                   

to tolerate, and even to encourage,

some informality.



   

                   

However, I must remind everyone

that we are seeking probable cause



   

                   

that a capital crime

has been committed.



   

                   

There can be no more serious

matter before this court.



   

                   

Will opposing counsel

approach the bench?



   

                   

We're all a little new

to this sort of evidence.



   

                   

If something isn't clear, I want

the witnesses to testify as we go.



   

                   

All right. Thank you.



   

                   

Will investigators Tilton and Walsh

please take the stand?



   

                   

Your Honour, may I respectfully

request that the courtroom



   

                   

be cleared of all those

not directly involved with this case,



   

                   

due to the delicate nature

of the material we're about to hear?



   

                   

This is an open public hearing.



   

                   

Since there are no minors present,

we shall continue as we are.



   

                   

- Thank you, Your Honour.

- Bailiff?



   

                   

I must ask for complete silence

in the courtroom.



   

                   

Adam boy charlie.

Adam boy charlie.



   

                   

Lawrence Walsh

at the Bird of Paradise Motel,



   

                   

October               hours.



   

                   

I'm based in bedroom one...



   

                   

Honey.



   

                   

No, Kitty. How could you...



   

                   

- What's going on here?

- You said you were going...



   

                   

It's different.

He's done something to it.



   

                   

- It's procedural.

- It's not the same.



   

                   

It's just where

they said I'd find you...



   

                   

Room   -H... the Bird of

Paradise Motel... Redondo Beach...



   

                   

Just take it easy.

Don't fuck with me, Jake.



   

                   

How could you?

How could you? With him?!



   

                   

It's not the same.



   

                   

- Not with him!

- They have changed it.



   

                   

Get her out of here!



   

                   

- Just calm down, ma'am.

- Where'd that gun come from?



   

                   

Somebody call an ambulance!



   

                   

Come on.

Get pictures of everything, Larry.



   

                   

This isn't it!

They've done something to it!



   

                   

Bastards! Those... Son of a bitch!



   

                   

- Was that it, Mr Gittes?

- Yes, Your Honour.



   

                   

Was that Mr Bodine's voice at the end



   

                   

saying, "No, you're not,

Jake, I'm going to..." something?



   

                   

Yes, Your Honour.



   

                   

In what context

was that statement made?



   

                   

Having his photos taken

by my associate.



   

                   

And the "I'm going to..." something?



   

                   

I believe that's when Mr Bodine

drew the gun and tried to stop us.



   

                   

- What? He wasn't even in the room.

- He's lying through his teeth.



   

                   

Isn't it a fact that

you weren't even in the room?



   

                   

Objection!



   

                   

To give Mr Gittes time

to invent something to say?



   

                   

If you have something to say, address

the court. Objection overruled.



   

                   

You may answer

the question, Mr Gittes.



   

                   

I'm certain that I was in the room.



   

                   

I'm not positive where I was

when the shots were fired.



   

                   

- Were you, Larry?

- I was under the bed.



   

                   

I thought Berman had the gun first,

but I didn't know where he got it.



   

                   

Your Honour, I object to the

witnesses engaging in this colloquy.



   

                   

They weren't even sworn in.



   

                   

I find it distracting

to see the District Attorney



   

                   

getting his objections from Escobar.



   

                   

Gentlemen, please.



   

                   

Can we at least agree

there was a gun?



   

                   

- I agree.

- I hope so.



   

                   

Very good.

Now, to whom was the gun registered?



   

                   

To the deceased. Mr Mark Bodine.



   

                   

- Green Parrot Bar and Grill.

- Isn't it a fact you're out on bail,



   

                   

having been arrested

at the Green Parrot Bar and Grill?



   

                   

Wait a minute. The witness

has been charged, not convicted.



   

                   

- What's the charge?

- The charge?



   

                   

- The charge.

- Well, that...



   

                   

Mr Gittes was fondling

the private parts of a vice officer



   

                   

in the men's room

of the Green Parrot.



   

                   

- Objection, Your Honour.

- I'm with you, Mr Weinberger.



   

                   

I have no idea

what you thought you could do



   

                   

with this kind of evidence,

Mr Hannah.



   

                   

It has no place in my courtroom.

Do yourself a favour.



   

                   

The next time,

you be sure you've got a case.



   

                   

That's about it for this hearing.



   

                   

Bailiff, we'll have a short recess

before the next matter.



   

                   

Maybe I didn't tell

the whole truth at the hearing.



   

                   

There's one thing

I've learned about the truth,



   

                   

a little bit goes a long way.



   

                   

And splashing Katherine Mulwray's

past all over the LA Times



   

                   

wouldn't do anybody any good.



   

                   

That's one truth

Jake and I had in common.



   

                   

Berman's x-rays said more than some

missing words on a wire recording.



   

                   

What's the difference who passes

the sentence, a doctor or a judge?



   

                   

This way, Katherine can deal

with her ghosts in private.



   

                   

And I can try to tell myself

I kept my promise.



   

                   

But that's the problem

with the past.



   

                   

There's always plenty more

where that came from.



   

                   

You want to see it again?



   

                   

What's new?



   

                   

We'll be in the model,

keep customers out.



   

                   

Sure.



   

                   

Believe it or not,

I thought I was doing something here,



   

                   

giving Gls and couples

their first home.



   

                   

They're the only tract

homes in the Valley, GI or not,



   

                   

with lath and plaster

and hardwood floors.



   

                   

Is that right?



   

                   

They're built to last.



   

                   

For a while, anyway.



   

                   

There was a time a few years ago,

when Kitty and I had a cash problem.



   

                   

For us to own our own home

was a dream.



   

                   

I figured you got hold of those.



   

                   

Mark Bodine have any idea

how sick you are?



   

                   

I didn't know myself

till a few days ago.



   

                   

Elsa told me the radium

- She's the doctor -



   

                   

...the radium implants

weren't working.



   

                   

Vay iz mir. Months of aggravation

with my skin breaking out



   

                   

and itching,

and trying to keep it from Kitty...



   

                   

And I'm still riddled with this drek.



   

                   

So Bodine was only blackmailing you

about Katherine Mulwray?



   

                   

How did he find out

who your wife was?



   

                   

He was checking out

the mineral rights on the land,



   

                   

found the quitclaim to Mickey

and got hold of the notary public.



   

                   

He threatened to expose her if she

didn't sign over the mineral rights,



   

                   

dump the subdivision in his lap.



   

                   

Knowing that vantz, I figured

he'd do it after I was dead anyway.



   

                   

He was in it

for a lot more than that.



   

                   

Everything OK?



   

                   

How much do you want for those?



   

                   

How much do you think

I want for those?



   

                   

- Kitty tell you who she was?

- No.



   

                   

- Then how did you find out?

- I just did my job.



   

                   

She couldn't tell you, Jake.

And she didn't know what I was doing.



   

                   

I was too afraid

to tell her I was sick.



   

                   

If she had known,

none of this would have happened.



   

                   

It's my fault.



   

                   

I didn't want to undress

in front of her, I slept in the den.



   

                   

She thought I'd lost interest in her.



   

                   

We wanted to have a baby.



   

                   

She was devastated, Jake.

You know our Kitty.



   

                   

She was looking for assurance

from somebody



   

                   

and as it happened,

Mark was there looking for her.



   

                   

You took a hell of a chance

hiring me.



   

                   

Nothing like the chance Bodine

would talk about Kitty.



   

                   

- Besides, there was something else.

- What's that?



   

                   

He was fucking my wife.



   

                   

Come on, Jake!



   

                   

Come on, Jake!



   

                   

Are you all right, Jake?



   

                   

Come on, Jake. Let's get out of here.



   

                   

Wait a second. Better check...



   

                   

Look at the crapper. There's

stuff coming out of the toilet,



   

                   

the sink, the shower.

I don't know. Just take a look.



   

                   

Jesus, he's right.

There's shit everywhere.



   

                   

That's expensive shit.



   

                   

Yeah, I'll have more lawsuits

than Carter has liver pills.



   

                   

That's oil. It's oil. That's what

Rawley and Bodine have been after.



   

                   

They're drilling under

your subdivision to get it, Jake.



   

                   

My oil?



   

                   

Not for long if we don't

get out of here. Come on, Jake.



   

                   

- Then it's Kitty's?

- Come on, Jake.



   

                   

- I'm gonna stay and have a smoke.

- What?



   

                   

Would you want an autopsy

if you were me?



   

                   

That wouldn't be so good for Kitty.

Got a light?



   

                   

Go ahead. Give him the light.



   

                   

Get out of here. Go on.



   

                   

Get out of here. Get out.



   

                   

Dear Kitty,

I can't face you with this.



   

                   

I guess from the day we met,



   

                   

all I ever really wanted

was to know I could take care of you



   

                   

and that you would love me

and think well of me.



   

                   

So naturally,

I haven't liked being reminded



   

                   

I can't take care of you

or protect you much longer.



   

                   

You remind me about that

more than anybody.



   

                   

All you have to do

is walk into a room



   

                   

or look like you need help

opening up a can of soup



   

                   

or buttoning the back of your dress.



   

                   

If I hurt you, honey...



   

                   

try and forgive me,

it's been rough...



   

                   

knowing I wouldn't be able

to keep anybody from hurting you.



   

                   

I love you, Kitty.



   

                   

That son of a bitch.



   

                   

What does he mean, he doesn't feel

he could face me with this?



   

                   

- I think he means...

- Why didn't you tell me?



   

                   

I thought he should tell you himself.



   

                   

Could you...



   

                   

What?



   

                   

- Could you...

- What? Anything.



   

                   

...open the window?



   

                   

Yeah. I can do that.



   

                   

Thank you.



   

                   

Mrs Berman,

if you want to talk to him,



   

                   

sometimes I think that's the best

thing. I don't have to listen.



   

                   

Does it ever go away?



   

                   

- What's that?

- The past.



   

                   

I think you have to work

real hard on that one.



   

                   

- I can't do it alone.

- I don't suppose you'll have to.



   

                   

- That's wrong.

- Don't be too sure.



   

                   

That's your problem, kid.

You don't know who you're kidding.



   

                   

You take too good

a care of me, Mr Gittes.



   

                   

It's a tough habit to break.



   

                   

Think of me from time to time.



   

                   

It never goes away.











  

 
Special help by SergeiK