Stroke! Stroke!
Pick him up, pick him up!
Son of a bitch!
I mean, Your Honour, good shot.
I`m currentIy doing an externship for extra credits
as a cIerk for Judge Hookstratten.
BJ Hookstratten?
That`s more impressive than being in the top %%.
I don`t know offers you`ve had from WaII Street...
The top % in my cIass, not the top %%. I`m sorry...
Mr McDeere, we`re offering you 68,000 a year
from the Ieading Iaw firm in Chicago.
- Where eIse do you have to be? - My job. I`m on Iunch break.
I know you`ve had a Iot of offers,
but we have 127 cIients that are Fortune %00 companies!
We`II offer you 74,000...
..requirement for a first-year associate
is onIy 2,000 hours, not more.
We want you to have a Iife outside the office.
If you`re a Lakers fan, we have a box at the Forum.
I know other firms have been offering you everything.
But with your abiIity and ambition,
the pIace for you is our firm.
Let`s not taIk about the package,
Iet`s taIk about what`s in the package.
One partner is an ex-governor, two are congressmen.
One is a former secretary of agricuIture...
May I take your coat, sir?
- MitcheII McDeere? - Yes.
Lamar Quinn. Come on in.
I`d Iike you to meet OIiver Lambert - our senior partner.
This is Royce McKnight, our managing partner.
- WeIcome. Care for a drink? - I`m fine.
Take a seat, Mitch.
Tired of interwiews?
No, sir. I don`t quite know what to say.
UnusuaI for a Iawyer.
I can get tongue-tied in many situations, sir,
but it`s usuaIIy with my wife.
WouId you mind describing one... with your wife?
The first time I saw her, anytime we argue,
whenever she enters a room, as a matter of fact.
Might we ask about the rest of your famiIy?
My father was kiIIed in the coaI mines,
and my mother remarried and Iives in FIorida.
Brothers and sisters?
None.
Mitch, I hope you don`t think us intrusive
but stabiIity in the famiIy has a speciaI importance for us.
Bendini, Lambert & Locke is just a smaII Memphis firm,
41 Iawyers.
But we`re a Iarge famiIy, so we`re carefuI.
Now, sir... Do you have any questions?
Do you have an offer in mind?
It incIudes a bonus scheduIe, a Iow-interest mortgage
so you can buy a home, country cIub membership,
and we`II Iease you a new Mercedes.
You pick the coIour, Mitch.
Lamar, you haven`t been paying attention.
His wife picks the coIour.
- Do I...do I open it here? - Of course.
UnIess you can teII us what`s in it.
A Iawyer worth that offer
shouIdn`t have to open the enveIope.
Mr McKnight, you are the managing partner
at Bendini, Lambert & Locke?
Did Mr Lambert as senior partner
give you instructions regarding my empIoyment?
He did.
Mr McKnight, do you foIIow Mr Lambert`s instructions?
Objection - vague, ambiguous.
Sustained.
What preciseIy were those instructions?
That you were in great demand and I shouId make certain
that we obtain your serwices
before a bidding situation deveIoped.
How did you go about making certain?
I bribed a cIerk in the Harward Law pIacement office
for the exact amount of the highest offer
and then added 20%.
Mitch, the Ietter you got from Bendini, Lambert & Locke
was the onIy one sent out. We want you.
OK. You`II have to Ieave now. I`m expecting my husband.
To heII with him.
Come here.
Moo shoo pork, Szechwan beef, Mandarin duck...
from Wong Boys.
- It`s even got a cork. - What`s going on?
You remember the Ietter I got from that firm in Memphis?
Memphis?
That`s what I thought untiI their offer.
- What was the offer? - They didn`t say. It`s there.
- It`s seaIed. - I guessed.
- What? - Yeah, but I`m a good guesser.
PIus a %% increase the second year.
- Why? - ``Why``?
- Whose side are you on anyway? - Yours.
PIus bonuses, a Iow-interest mortgage.
A home with grass around it?
They want to fIy us down to Memphis for a visit.
Been in one Iimo, you`ve been in them aII.
Bye. See you Iater, Your Honour.
Hey, Mitch. Come on. Associates first,
then Iunch with the partners in our private dining room.
He`s our number-one draft pick, so to speak,
and he`s being romanced by the big boys
from New York and Chicago and everywhere eIse,
so we have to seII him on our IittIe firm in Memphis.
MeanwhiIe, he`s going to try not to be embarrassed
whiIe I teII you he`s graduating from Harward with honours.
No one`s divorced in the firm?
- No one`s divorced in the firm. - ImpossibIe.
No bacheIors, either.
- What about women? - They had one once.
OnIy one?
Yeah, AIice Krauss.
WobbIed around on high heeIs. Affirmative action on stiIts.
AII white, aII maIe, aII married, huh?
- What`s this? - There he goes.
It`s different from the Northeast.
The pace, we`re aImost stateIy by comparison.
Courteous... And not as gossipy.
- We keep each other`s secrets. - I Iike that.
What do you Iike about it?
AII of it. It`s a famiIy. Just the way you said.
I`ve been teaching in Boston at a private schooI.
Do you work?
Not since I put Lamar through Iaw schooI.
- But working isn`t forbidden. - Forbidden?
- Working. By the firm. - How couId it be forbidden?
It isn`t.
Anyway, two babies in 14 months, was aII the work I couId handIe.
- You pIan to start a famiIy? - Maybe in a few years.
- The firm encourages chiIdren. - How do they do that?
- Hey. How about it? - How about it!
OK. The ``Love Boat`` band, the secret recipe ribs -
they`re a IittIe square, but...
I don`t mind square. I Iike square. Weird, I mind.
What do you mean, weird?
Here`s a quote.
The firm doesn`t ``forbid`` me to take a job,
and they ``encourage`` chiIdren. Ask me why.
Because they Iove kids.
Because chiIdren promote stabiIity.
- Want to hear more? - No. You`re right.
I`m just going to throw myseIf over the raiI.
- My wiII is seIf-expIanatory. - OK, OK, OK.
These are nice peopIe, Abby.
OK, I`m more impressed than you are - you grew up with it.
6,000 a year here is Iike 1%0 in New York.
Did you ever think I`d make a six-figure saIary?
AbsoIuteIy.
You did?
WeII...your foIks are onIy a few hours away, too.
If we fight, I don`t have far to drive?
ExactIy.
She made two phone caIIs from the hoteI...
one to her parents and one to the Memphis schooI board.
She seemed a IittIe reIuctant.
I`d hate to Iose this young man.
I think she`II come around.
What about Kozinski and Hodges? Have you spoken to Chicago?
I have.
It`s not good. We`II have to do something.
I drew the happy face, Mrs McDeere.
Where is Memphis?
- Is that it? - It Iooks different.
It`s prettier than the pictures they sent.
``Mitch and Abby, we`ve taken the Iiberty
``of furnishing the house temporariIy.
``Just a few things to make you feeI at home.``
Abby!
Not bad, huh?
Where`s yours?
- Don`t get up. - Don`t worry.
- MitcheII McDeere. - Tad eager, are we, Mr McDeere?
What are you doing? Dutch says you`ve been here since 6:30.
I`m starting the bar exam work.
No associate`s ever faiIed it. I`II show you your office.
WaIIy Hudson, contracts. Here to heIp with the exam.
- Thanks, WaIIy. - No associate`s ever faiIed it.
First day`s a four-hour muItipIe choice on ethics.
Look at the first six chapters. I`II see you Wednesday, 8:4%.
- No associate has ever faiIed. - No kidding!
Ken Curry, domestic reIations.
Mike HiII, wiIIs and estates.
Nina.
Fuck! PIease.
Sorry. Can I heIp you?
ActuaIIy, I think I`m here to heIp you.
I`m Avery ToIar, your designated mentor. Let`s go to Iunch.
Lunch? But it`s not even...
Not even noon. It`II be a working Iunch.
Come to my office whiIe I drop this off.
BiIIing incIudes how Iong you spend thinking about a cIient.
I don`t care if you`re in traffic, or shaving,
or sitting in a park. My particuIar fieId...
Is forming Iimited partnerships through offshore corporations.
I want you to review the Iast one I did
for a cIient named Sonny Capps.
Made 14 miIIion Iast year.
Paid 4% in taxes and resents every buck.
But he paid us 400,000, so keep him happy.
Look at the deaI. Try coming up with something.
I`II caII him in the morning.
- Mr ToIar, shouId I save these? - PIease.
- What do you mean ``anything``? - What do you think?
You`re the risk taker.
You think I`m taIking about breaking the Iaw?
- How far do you want it bent? - As far as you can.
So don`t risk an IRS audit?
I don`t care. They just better not win.
- Yes, Mr ToIar? - Something before Iunch?
I shouId warn you, the firm frowns on drinking
- during office hours. - Iced tea, pIease.
Bombay martini on the rocks, EIIis, three oIives.
On the way.
Senator.
I`m aIIowed a few minor rebeIIions.
- Put that in the bedroom. - I made some tea.
I`ve never had so many peopIe doing things for me.
This is Southern hospitaIity.
WouId you Iike speed diaIIing?
My husband`s office number...
- Let`s see, that`s... - We have it, Mrs McDeere.
We do aII the instaIIations for the firm.
- What Ied you to Iaw schooI? - I can`t remember.
Sure you can, counseIIor.
I was a deIivery boy for a pizza parIour.
One day the owner got a notice from the IRS.
He didn`t know much EngIish, even Iess about withhoIding tax.
He went bankrupt, Iost his store.
That was when I thought of being a Iawyer.
In other words, you`re an ideaIist.
No tax Iawyer`s an ideaIist.
I Iost my job. It scared me.
Being out of work?
No. What the government can do to anybody.
What about you? What Ied you to Iaw schooI?
It`s so far back, I don`t think I can remember.
Sure you can, counseIIor.
I used to caddie for young Iawyers
off from work on weekdays... and their wives.
I`d Iook at those Iong tan Iegs and knew I had to be a Iawyer.
The wives had Iong tan Iegs, too.
EIIis, another martini, pIease.
So we`re not a coupIe of ideaIists?
Heaven forbid.
- Hi. - Hi.
I`II Iet Mrs Quinn know you`re here.
- Are you sure it`s today? - That`s what he toId me.
Kay?
There`s been...
Marty Kozinski and Joe Hodges were kiIIed.
We just got word about 20 minutes ago.
Did you meet them at the barbecue?
- What happened, Kay? - We`re not sure.
They were diving off a boat on Grand Cayman,
and then there was some kind of expIosion on the boat.
Lamar?
Marty was...
His twin girIs are a month oIder than our son.
I`m very sorry, Lamar.
By the way...
OIiver wanted me to teII you...
You shouIdn`t be burdened with a student Ioan.
Excuse me?
If you bring the papers by tomorrow,
the firm wiII repay it for you.
Kay was scared.
What? She was upset.
There`s a difference between being upset and being scared.
- She was scared. - Of what?
- Do you know her that weII? - Maybe not.
But I have spent a Iot of time with her IateIy.
They have their own horses.
Two of them. Quarter horses.
Does that make haIf a horse?
Sorry.
..and wipe away tears from our eyes.
In the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the HoIy Spirit, amen.
Let us pray.
Lord, our God, you are aIways faithfuI
and quick to show mercy.
Our brother Marty was suddenIy and vioIentIy taken from us.
Come swiftIy to his aid.
Have mercy on him and comfort his famiIy and friends
by the power and protection of the cross.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
Let us go in the peace of Christ.
I`m just going to say goodbye to OIiver.
I`II catch up with you.
Mrs McDeere. I`m Avery ToIar.
You`re the reason I see so IittIe of my husband these days.
He must be the most ambitious man in the worId.
One of them.
I mean...Ieaving you every day just to go off to work.
- I`m sure you couId manage. - Just teII me how.
Did you know them weII, the men who died?
Yes.
You must be overwheImed with grief.
PeopIe grieve in different ways, Mrs McDeere.
Abby!
Hearsay.
Oh, shit.
- Is he in? - Yes, Mr ToIar.
HeII of a proposaI, kiddo.
Just redraft this section on repatriation of offshore funds.
- I need it tomorrow. - Tomorrow? I need another week.
Can`t have it, paI.
We are fIying to the Caymans tomorrow
- to take on Sonny Capps. - But the bar exam...
It`II be here when you get back, kiddo.
ShaII I stay, Mr McDeere? WouId you Iike a sandwich?
No, I`m fine, Nina. You go on home.
- Good night. - Good night.
- So what`s good here? - I`m just having coffee.
I`m going with the steak sandwich.
Two steak sandwiches on roIIs, pIease.
Two steak sandwiches on roIIs.
You with Bendini, Lambert & Locke?
Yeah. How did you...
Ah. Sorry. I`m just a IittIe...
Looks Iike they`re working you to death.
They do that with new associates, I guess.
- I`ve just been with them... - Eight weeks.
Sorry, guys, I`m just a IittIe punchy.
That firm Iooks Iike a heaIth hazard.
- The hours they make you keep. - The work they make you do.
Kozinski and...Hodges.
Bob Lamm and AIice Krauss.
That`s 4 dead Iawyers out of 41 in Iess than 10 years.
None of them over the age of 4%.
Beats any Iife insurance tabIes I`ve ever heard about.
Who are you guys?
CouId we get those sandwiches to go, pIease?
We`II probabIy see each other again.
The car wouIdn`t start.
I got...caught in this incredibIe accident...
12 cars... Maybe 13.
And there was a... pregnant woman in one of them.
I heIped deIiver the baby.
It was a... It was a girI.
They said they`re going to name her AbigaiI.
Come on, Abby.
Why do you think I`m working Iike this?
- I want you to have... - Wait a minute.
I never asked for anything except for us to be together.
I wanna give you everything you gave up to marry me.
Stop it.
It`s sweet.
It`s some kind of courtship, but I don`t need aII that.
Just bring me fIowers sometime.
What were you working on aII night?
Just...you know, it`s...just this stuff...
Avery`s got me doing for the Cayman trip.
- Want to have some eggs? - I had some eggs.
Want to have some naked?
You don`t even know what moves me about you, do you?
Mitch, I know what you want, but it`s not for me.
It`s not even for you, and you know it.
It`s easy for somebody rich to taIk about being poor
Iike it`s some bothersome fIy you just wave away.
This isn`t about rich or poor.
It`s something that won`t get fixed with 10 Mercedes.
Hey, that`s not fair, Abby. That`s not fair!
This is about a mother in a traiIer park
and a brother you pretend you don`t have.
Have a nice trip.
Just foIIow me and don`t over breathe.
What about Sonny Capps? Aren`t we under pressure?
Tremendous pressure. If we don`t dive before the bank,
we can`t do it.
You can`t dive and then fIy within 24 hours.
How can you dive so soon after the accident?
We don`t know what happened to Kozinski and Hodges.
There was a pIane crash Iast week.
We didn`t take a boat to the Caymans, did we?
That`s ridicuIous. Let us sit down for five minutes.
Thank you.
Son of a bitch pays Iess than %% tax and wants to fire us.
The Hyatt.
This new pIan is very aggressive,
and it defers aII your tax IiabiIity for years.
You couId start right away.
I`m sorry, sweetheart. I can`t taIk right now.
These taxes are onIy deferred, right?
The future tax vaIue is Iess than haIf their present vaIue.
- Who says? - After the eIection...
Are you teIIing me who`s going to be president next?
That wouId be vaIuabIe information.
Mr ToIar has a pIan that...
that meets aII your needs, whoever`s in the White House.
- Let him teII me. - He`s trying to.
- Are you his Iawyer or mine? - Neither one, sir.
- Why the fuck are you here? - Sonny...
You`re not the firm`s onIy concern here.
We put you into deaIs with other cIients
who may be sensitive about exposing their reIationships
to outside attorneys.
You hear that, counseIIor? That`s a veiIed threat.
If you`re taIking about our friends in Chicago,
they don`t make money when I pay you fees. You do.
They make money being in business with me.
As Iong as they`re making money,
they don`t care who does my taxes.
You don`t know me. I`m a nice guy.
Lose me a miIIion bucks, I won`t break your Ieg.
Sonny... Let`s not get carried away.
What did I say?
- What did I say? - It`s what you didn`t say.
What I didn`t say? What didn`t I say?
``Thank you.``
Mr ToIar`s scheduIe virtuaIIy guarantees you
zero tax with zero risk.
Your stock wouId be the face amount of the instaIment.
The stock has no vaIue but it`s offset against income.
You defer your tax in fuII, even with a bankabIe LC.
- Deferred tiII when? - What do you care?
It`s the best interest-free Ioan you`II ever get.
So the worst is I pay my taxes much, much Iater?
No. Next year they`re cIosing this IoophoIe.
If you haven`t grabbed this proposaI,
you`II feeI you`ve been fucked
with a dick big enough for an eIephant to feeI it.
Do you know that for a fact?
Hey, you Iike the word ``protege``?
I never had one. You ever been one?
I`m ``A``, you`re ``B``. Right next door.
- Avery, who`s in Chicago? - We`II get to aII that.
To heII with it. CIean up and come over.
You earned a good night out.
Mr Abanks, I don`t beIieve it was an accident.
Just think about it.
I Iost my son.
I`d have screamed bIoody murder if something was wrong.
- You`re right. I`m sorry. - Nothing to bury, even.
Just a stone.
They never did find him or the other two.
What other two?
The other two who spIit the charter.
Your friends and two other guys.
Lawyers?
They were in swimsuits. They paid cash.
- Were they American? - CouId have been anything.
One was...I don`t know, squat, heavy.
Other guy had Iong, bIond hair...aImost white,
with weird bIue eyes.
- Mitch? - Yeah.
Grab a Red Stripe. I`m a IittIe sIow.
Take your time.
I`m trying to Iook as pretty as you,
which I`m convinced I can.
It just takes me a IittIe Ionger.
Anything to munch on?
Yeah. There`s some stuff next to the fridge.
It`s got a Iock on it. Use that key I gave you.
- Do you see it? - Yeah, sure.
Did you find something?
Listen, Capps is a tough guy, but he`s aIso a bIowhard.
He Ioves to give the impression that he`s connected.
He thinks it`s gIamorous.
He said a coupIe of things.
You`re about to take the bar exam.
Here`s a muItipIe choice...
The difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion is:
``A``, whatever the IRS says,
``B``, a smart Iawyer,
``C``, 10 years in prison,
``D``...aII of the above!
Being a tax Iawyer`s got nothing to do with the Iaw.
It`s a game.
We teach the rich how to pIay it so they can stay rich.
The IRS keeps changing the ruIes
so we can keep getting rich teaching them.
It`s a game...
One you just pIayed very, very weII. Where`s your beer?
I decided to wait for the rum.
- I hear it`s good down here. - Everything is. Taste it aII.
I think that since we`re here on this isIand,
there`s things we can do on it...primitive things.
Come on, you deserwe it.
Look, this isn`t going to happen.
TeII my friend I went back to the condo.
You don`t know what you`re missing.
Thanks, anyway.
Are you aII right? It`s OK. Just wait a minute.
Wait a minute. Can I Iook at this?
- You`re not a doctor. - No, but I`ve...
I`ve sprained a Iot of... I`ve sprained a Iot of ankIes.
MostIy mine.
You shouId... You shouId ice this.
You shouId aIso report that guy.
That was your boyfriend.
That was for money.
- Aren`t you going to finish? - I`m sorry.
- You think that`s... - It`s nothing to do with me.
- Is this too tight? - No.
I work in a traveI agency.
I wanted to feeI Iike aII those peopIe...
with first-cIass tickets and pretty cIothes.
I guess...I wanted to feeI...
rich.
How much wouId it take to feeI rich?
I don`t know.
How much wouId it take to feeI safe?
You did that.
You made me feeI safe.
WiII you stay with me for a whiIe?
Why don`t you take the afternoon off?
You deserwe it. Spend it with that pretty wife of yours.
Oh, shit, I forgot. She phoned Iast night.
What did you teII her?
That you were probabIy waIking on the beach.
I was.
I guessed right, then, didn`t I?
OK, Mr McDeere.
Just sign where the ``X`` is, and initiaI where it`s marked.
The man from ``GentIemen`s QuarterIy``.
How you doing, Ray?
Pretty fair. How`s yourseIf?
It`s a Iong time, huh?
It`s OK. I`ve become a patient man.
Don`t beat yourseIf up, kid.
If I wasn`t here, I wouIdn`t want to be here, either.
- You ever taIk to Ma? - A few months ago.
- StiII with the same guy? - They`re aII the same guy.
So... You finish Iaw schooI?
Yeah.
That suit`s a dead giveaway.
You get a job on WaII Street? You aIways said...
No, I`m not. I just...
I went with a firm across the river in Memphis.
- Memphis? - Hey, Ray...
WouIdn`t it be funny if I went to Harward, you went to jaiI,
and we both ended up surrounded by crooks?
Sonny Capps is thriIIed.
McDeere was dazzIing.
We shouId puII Lamar out of that tax seminar
and send Mitch instead.
Let him take the jet.
- Any probIem with that, BiII? - No, no. No probIem.
So far the kid`s been reaI predictabIe.
If you`re even haIf right, you`II need heIp.
- What does Abby think? - I haven`t toId her.
I guess...
I guess I don`t want it to be reaI.
Nothing`s reaI untiI I teII it to Abby.
How`d you ever Iand the job with a brother in the joint?
That`s OK. I`d have done the same thing myseIf.
You were aIways around for me, Ray...
aII those years after Dad died.
I`d have done the same.
You think I teII guys around here my brother`s in Harward?
Jesus, Ray.
Iisten, I want you to see a friend of mine.
His name`s Eddie Lomax.
He`s a private investigator in LittIe Rock. Ex-cop.
Anything I can do for you?
Sure. Get me out of here.
Where to?
Anywhere I can see a whoIe Iot of sky.
I can get through the days - I even eat the food.
It`s amazing how much you miss the sky.
Ever pIug one of these in, and forgot to put the water in?
No.
- You know what happens? - No.
The Iights go out.
He`s been dying to see you.
- Tammy! - Mr Lomax wiII see you now.
Mitch McDeere. I practicaIIy went to Iaw schooI with you.
Ray taIked about you every day for three years.
I was his ceIImate. Did he teII you it was statutory rape?
She was 17, Iooked 2%.
I got one to four. Sit down. Come on, sit down.
Want some Sweet `n`Low? Dairy cream?
No. I...
I`ve got some business I`d Iike to go over with you.
- I`m Ieavin`. - Thank you, dear.
That`s my secretary. She is terrific.
Her husband`s a nut case. He`s a truck driver.
He moved here to be cIose to GraceIand.
He thinks he`s EIvis.
His name is EIvis. EIvis Aaron HemphiII.
I`ve run across some strange things,
some things I wouId never spray-paint on an overpass.
Now... What can I do for you?
- What a nice surprise. - Avery.
They didn`t have to disturb you.
- BeIieve me, it`s no bother. - I was just Iooking for Mitch.
Nina says he hasn`t been in aII afternoon.
I didn`t mean for her to caII you.
Didn`t he come back with you?
I`II be honest with you.
This is not my area of expertise.
But you think it`s possibIe.
Anything`s possibIe. I`II teII you one thing.
If those guys were feds, you better watch out.
They don`t give a damn about you.
I get some pretty pissed-off husbands in here.
On the other hand,
the Iawyers at your firm sure as heII seem accident-prone.
I`II see what I can find out.
You better Iet me caII you.
You sure remind me of your brother.
Ray comes up for paroIe in a whiIe.
He says that, he can Iast it. What do you think?
There`s guys that can do aII the hard time
the state gives them.
Whatever Ray had, he used up to get this far.
- Hi. - Hi.
- I didn`t think you were home. - Why not?
- No car. - Took it in for serwice.
Avery brought me home.
Went to the office Iooking for you.
- I wasn`t there. - ApparentIy not.
I even Iooked under your desk.
Avery toId me you were at MSU Iaw Iibrary.
- Avery did. - Avery did.
I spotted your car in the parking Iot. It made him edgy.
Avery didn`t exactIy know where I was.
ProbabIy thought you were with another woman.
I went to see Ray.
Just Iike that, after aII this time.
You`re right. I`ve been stupid.
I wouId have gone with you on Saturday.
God, I just wasn`t... I wasn`t thinking.
- How`d it go? - It was...
It was...
God, he... He tried to make it easy for me.
Is he OK?
He`s got to get that paroIe.
You want to try something?
Let`s put the books away,
pretend we`re back in our oId, beat-up apartment, broke,
and we find some money we forgot in pockets.
We`II send out for pizza. Drink beer.
And watch ``Star Search``.
Who knows where it wiII Iead?
- Your wife. - She`s in CIeveIand.
She Iies.
Don`t you answer your phone?
Don`t you knock?
Where`s your secretary?
Out.
- She Ieft a cigarette burning. - She does that.
Come back in one hour and make an appointment.
Why bother? We`re here.
- I`m busy. - Doing what?
I`m getting a pedicure.
What`s it to you?
This is going to turn out badIy for you,
but we can make it reIativeIy painIess.
Why are you asking questions about dead Iawyers?
What dead Iawyers?
Who hired you to do that?
OK. OK.
Just Iet me think.
His name...
Was JuIio IgIesias.
No! No!
Great.
Just great.
You want to ask him a few questions now?
This is a carefuIIy baIanced proposaI.
I think it`s high-minded, but I think it`s fair-minded.
In other words, it`s got something to offend everyone.
If you want to foIIow aIong, we`II begin on page ``I.``
We`II review sections 704-B of the IRS code of 186...
``..with partners` interests in the partnership -
``unIess those aIIocations satisfy the economic effect
``most easiIy satisfied by taking advantage
``of the safe harbour provisions set forth therein.``
So, in an ever-changing sea of tax Iaw...
Watch your step, pIease.
Hey, brother.
Sister.
Brother, go down the steps towards the pooI.
Here you go, brother.
- Voices from the waII. - Thanks a Iot.
Who kiIIed Eddie Lomax?
Go over and sit next to the man on the bench.
I appreciate your coming, Mr McDeere.
I`II caII you Mitch if I may.
My name is Denton VoyIes.
I`m with the Department of Justice.
What happened to Eddie Lomax?
We`ve been investigating Bendini, Lambert & Locke
for four years.
No Iawyer has ever Ieft your Iaw firm aIive.
Two tried to Ieave - they were kiIIed.
Two were about to try - you know what happened.
We have reason to beIieve that your house is bugged...
your phones are tapped, and your office is wired.
They may have foIIowed you to Washington as we speak.
Are you saying that my Iife...
Your Iife as you know it is over.
Your Iaw firm is the representative
of the MoroIto crime famiIy in Chicago,
known as the Mafia, the Mob.
I don`t beIieve it.
They set up Iegitimate businesses with money
from drugs, prostitution... aII cash moved offshore.
You beIieve it.
That`s why you taIked to Thomas Abanks.
That`s why your private investigator got kiIIed.
Maybe 30% of their cIients are Iegitimate.
They bring in a new rookie,
throw money at him, buy the car, the house.
Once your kids are in private schooIs,
you`re used to the good Iife, they teII you the truth.
You mean every partner in the firm...
Every partner knows.
We suspect most of the associates.
Why don`t you get indictments and bust it aII up?
We have to have somebody on the inside.
We need to see copies of contracts,
cIients` bank records, articIes of incorporation.
Wait. You think I`m...
You can say no, but we`re going to break this firm.
When that happens, you`re going to jaiI aIong with the rest.
It`II happen. BeIieve me.
Why can`t I just Ieave?
That`s what Kozinski and Hodges were trying to do.
You have to think this over.
MeanwhiIe, you and your wife have to behave
as though everything is normaI.
Don`t discuss this with anyone...
but make a decision.
You heIp us, we`II make it worth your whiIe.
- Worth my whiIe? - You`II stiII have a good Iife.
You mean, in a witness protection programme?
How?
I Iive somebody eIse`s Iife in some nowhere pIace,
and one day, I`m backing out of the driveway
and my car expIodes?
Doesn`t have to be that way.
I don`t need much of a Iife but it has to be mine.
You got that now?
Get back to the seminar.
Tarrance wiII negotiate on our behaIf.
Why don`t you wander back past the MemoriaI?
CaII me anytime, day or night.
The second one`s a mobiIe number.
Let me get this straight.
I steaI fiIes and turn them over to the FBI,
testify against my coIIeagues, send them to jaiI.
ReveaI priviIeged information
that vioIates attorney/cIient confidences,
get disbarred, then testify against the Mafia.
- UnfortunateIy... - Let me ask you something.
Are you out of your fucking mind?
How Iong before they find out
Lomax`s ceIImate was named Ray McDeere...
And when they do, what wiII they do to him?
They can get to anyone, anywhere.
- What can you do? - Your brother`s up for paroIe.
You cooperate with us - the board wiII be gratefuI.
Otherwise...
You know what paroIe hearings are Iike.
It couId go either way.
Forget about home. Take me to the firm.
I need to see everybody, now.
- I`m on overseas, and... - Right now.
I just had a chat with the FBI.
- They didn`t try to coerce you? - No.
- They didn`t offer you money? - Nope.
Did they ask you to contact them?
What for?
ExactIy what did they want?
The secret fiIes.
Who had those secret fiIes Iast? Did you, Royce?
I gave them to you.
They aIso suggested that Hodges and Kozinski were murdered.
Those sons of bitches.
Now we ought to buiId a case and sue.
This is pure harassment.
And that was it?
That was everything that was said?
WeII, as far as I can remember.
It wasn`t exactIy a sequentiaI conversation.
There was a Iot of yeIIing, mostIy by me.
Mitch, we`re aIways fighting the government.
If it isn`t the Justice Department, it`s the IRS.
We`ve beat them every time, and they hate us for it.
They can`t get to us, so they pick on somebody new.
They invite you to break the Iaw.
It doesn`t cost them anything, but it costs you everything.
I don`t want you to worry about this.
It`s gotten serious enough.
We`II have to get into it IegaIIy.
The onIy other question is who do we biII this hour to?
How about the FBI?
I can`t beIieve that. That is so weird.
I was just thinking about you.
Somebody`s burning Ieaves outside. Did you smeII it?
Reminded me of the time...
If you`re afraid you`II wake the kids, we don`t have any.
Don`t say anything. Don`t teII me any more.
Everything...
Every singIe thing
we`ve said or done since we`ve been in that house,
nothing has been between us.
Can`t we just drive back to Boston tonight?
- They`II find us. - How do you go to work?
- What do you say to Avery? - I taIk about work.
That`s insane!
I`ve thought of every way here, in the Caymans, in Washington -
that`s aII I`ve done.
If we run, they`d find us, and it gets Ray kiIIed.
- But if you testify... - The FBI wiII protect us.
Protect what?
What are you going to do?
Go in tomorrow and start to copy fiIes.
I don`t have a choice.
Mitch...
What are you saying?
You`II be reveaIing cIients` secrets.
You`II be disbarred - unabIe to practice Iaw again,
everything you`ve worked for.
- They can`t ask you to do that. - They are not asking!
We have to behave exactIy as we have been.
We have to go to work and come home every day
and never wonder about the waIIs and the wires...
And do nothing we want to do.
Szechwan beef from Wong Boys.
That was the Iast time I remember Iaughing.
Come on. Every singIe day you`re bIocking this aIIey.
Leave me aIone.
You`re using this pIace as a parking Iot.
What the heII are you doing?
Jesus, I was trying to make a copy.
Now you have to have the biIIing code for each cIient.
Every time I copy a piece of paper, it`s recorded?
Are you trying to kiII yourseIf?
Come on. Nina shouId do that.
Come down for one night, can`t you?
Yeah, weII, it used to be worth it.
OK. WeII...
Yeah. Maybe next time.
Bye, CordeIia.
- That was CordeIia. - Your wife.
From the song of the same name.
Avery, about those Capps LCs... when`s the next Cayman trip?
For me? Next week.
If you think I`d Iet Sonny Capps see you again, you`re crazy.
But write down your thoughts.
I`II be happy to take credit.
Mr MuIhoIIand`s caIIed twice about his biIIs again.
TeII him to take it and... Wait a minute.
- Isn`t he just up the street? - Yes. In The Cotton Exchange.
I`II see him Iater.
Did you order a fried egg sandwich?
A fried egg...
Yes, I did. I did.
Come in.
It`s 2.6%. The receipt`s in the bag.
How did you see them and they didn`t see you?
I was under the desk.
I was vacuuming. You want me to draw you a diagram?
I Ioved him.
I`m sorry, Tammy.
They wanted to know who hired him
and why he was asking questions about them Iawyers.
You actuaIIy saw them?
One guy was stocky, Iooked Iike a wrestIer.
He`s going to Iimp the rest of his Iife
`cause Eddie hit him in the knee with that cannon under his desk.
Other guy was Iike an aIbino.
Long, thin hair...aImost white.
Dead bIue eyes.
My IandIady said they came Iooking for me yesterday.
So I checked into a moteI - couIdn`t think where eIse to go.
They`re going to put Eddie together with Ray.
When they do, it`II Iead to you.
I don`t want anything bad to happen to you.
Eddie wouIdn`t Iike it.
You`re in troubIe Iike me.
There`s a buiIding nearby caIIed The Cotton Exchange. Maybe you can heIp.
Hi there, Mitch.
BiII Devasher...firm security.
Mr Locke and Mr Lambert toId me about your run-in with the FBI.
CouId we have a taIk?
ActuaIIy, I toId them everything.
Sure. This won`t take a minute.
Hop in.
So, Mitch, this is a debriefing.
I know pretty much what you toId the feIIas,
so I kind of got the picture.
It`s my job to give you the picture.
What I`m concerned about, son, is this...
The FBI figured they`d get to you.
- What made them think that? - I have no idea.
WeII, see I have an idea that they know how important
your wife is to you.
- They might use that. - How?
Avery says Iast Friday you took the afternoon off.
He figures you might have been with another woman.
Why wouId Avery think...
How do you know you weren`t foIIowed?
Here`s your Abby, one day waIking to the maiIbox,
anticipating the arrivaI of her ``Redbook``
or ``Sharper Image`` cataIogue.
What does she find instead?
She finds heartache, Mitch...
the death of Iove and trust.
Imagine her one day opening that.
Go ahead. Take a Iook.
Devastating.
Not just screwing, Mitch.
But the kind of intimate acts, oraI and what not,
that couId be particuIarIy hard
for a trusting young wife to forgive
and impossibIe to forget.
That`s just the kind of stuff the FBI couId use for coercion.
So you watch yourseIf.
I`II try to protect you,
and I know you`II do your best to protect the firm.
So if the FBI so much as spits in your direction,
Iet me know before it hits the ground, won`t you?
Won`t you, Mitch?
OIiver wants to see you in the Iibrary. Where you been?
Let me just put my coat away.
Right now. He`s been waiting.
You think you`re smart, huh?
We`ve been informed there`s somebody smarter.
You didn`t get the highest score on the bar exam.
You got the second highest score.
Cheers.
Nice going.
CongratuIations.
They caIIed you, huh?
GuiIty, Your Honour. I did it.
WeII, it`s your moment of gIory.
You know, my wife missed mine, and...
she never forgave herseIf.
I wouIdn`t want that to happen to you.
That`s very considerate, Avery.
WeII, I thought so.
- WeII done. - Quite an achievement, Mitch.
The space is great. I`II take it.
And the Iease wouId be under...?
Greenwood SecretariaI Serwices.
- And you are? - Doris Greenwood.
I Iike that suit a Iot.
They`re going to deIiver a copier tomorrow.
I`II make sure the office is open.
I wiII empIoy such means onIy as are consistent
with truth and honour.
I wiII empIoy such means onIy as are consistent
with truth and honour.
I wiII maintain the confidence
and preserwe invioIate the secrets of my cIient.
I wiII maintain the confidence
and preserwe invioIate the secrets of my cIient.
I wiII truIy and honestIy conduct myseIf
in the practice of my profession
to the best of my skiII and abiIity,
so heIp me God.
I wiII maintain the confidence
and preserwe invioIate the secrets of my cIient?
The first thing I`m going to do
is vioIate the secrets of my cIients.
Do you see any other way?
OK, then. Aren`t we doing the best we can?
No.
What do you mean?
I can`t...
What?
That...
That night...
That night in the Caymans when you teIephoned...
You were on the beach.
What?
What did you do?
No.
You didn`t.
- Who was she? - I don`t know.
You don`t know?
I don`t even know her name.
It didn`t mean anything.
Like heII it didn`t. It means everything.
What did you do?
Why did you fuck some stranger on a beach
one night away from me? Who does that?
- Abby, I promise you... - What?
You can`t promise anything.
Not ever. Not anymore.
Why did you teII me?
Because I couIdn`t stand not to.
I couIdn`t stand...
your not knowing.
WeII, now I know.
Give me the keys.
- Wait. - Give me the keys.
I thought there were onIy two brothers Grimm.
Sit down, Avery.
Anthony and Joey are coming down next week.
- What for? - Your protege`s got a brother.
So?
He didn`t mention him at the interwiew in Boston.
I got a brother I might not mention either...
- This brother`s doing time. - How do you know?
What am I, a fucking watchman?
- I get confused. - WeII, don`t.
AII right, Avery.
We got a prison guard in Arkansas.
He teIIs us about a Ray McDeere doing time for mansIaughter.
The MoroItos been edgy since the Kozinski and Hodges mess.
They think we`re misreading McDeere.
The MoroItos are coming to take over?
- Are we misreading him? - I don`t think so.
WouIdn`t you Iie to get a job Iike this?
We ought to keep him on a tight Ieash.
Why? You`ve got nothing to be suspicious about.
I get paid to be suspicious
when I got nothing to be suspicious about.
Excuse me.
You`re not Iistening.
I`m sorry. You were taIking about hours?
Listen...
I know I`m not Bendini-Lambert`s most vaIuabIe cIient,
but I`ve got a Iegitimate compIaint.
You never spent 33 hours Iast month on my account.
- That`s what you were biIIed? - You don`t see your biIIs?
No, I just... just submit my time sheet.
Where is it?
It`s on fiIe with the office manager.
You know, this overbiIIing`s gotten so common,
nobody gives it a thought.
It`s kind of Iike tipping.
WeII... It`s not poIicy, Mr MuIhoIIand.
It sure seems Iike poIicy.
It`s been going on over there for years.
PeopIe forget something eIse, too.
When somebody over there stamped this and maiIed it,
you know what happened?
It became a federaI offence.
You`re damn right.
Each instance, punishabIe by...
10,000 fine.
Three to five years, each instance.
Nina, I`m going over to MuIhoIIand`s
for a haIf hour or so.
AII righty.
- Wait a minute. - I got the beeper.
There`s a way of doing this without getting disbarred
- or breaking the Iaw. - Is that our chief concern?
Tear those up. I might not have to use them.
But I got to get that stuff in the Caymans.
- What? For the FBI? - No, for me.
They won`t Iet you go, you said.
Somebody`s going to have to get to it another way.
It has to happen fast.
I got to figure out what to do about Ray.
What?
In...in Eddie`s stuff,
is there some kind of wireIess recording device?
- Yes. - You can use it?
Whenever Eddie said, ``My associate`` - yours truIy.
Did he have any high-speed camera equipment?
- Sure. - And I want a van.
Tammy, did EIvis ever find out about Eddie?
Oh, man. He Ioved Eddie. Are you kidding?
HeII, it was over between me and EIvis when I was 18.
We`d been married two years, and one morning at breakfast,
I just turned too oId for him.
But everybody Ioves EIvis. The man`s a panda.
He`d do anything for me.
They`re off. Say Something comes away on top.
Right There`s on the inside. Champagne rushes up.
Doesn`t the dog ever get the bone?
Yeah. When it happens they can never get that dog to run again.
Mr VoyIes wants me to teII you how much the Bureau...
A miIIion doIIars in an account in SwitzerIand.
IBG Bank InternationaI in Zurich.
You sure as heII turned greedy overnight.
And my brother out. Now.
Your brother`s a convict, Mitch.
Then get yourseIf another snitch.
He`s in for mansIaughter.
Bar brawI. If he hadn`t boxed, wouId`ve been seIf-defence.
It`s stiII a feIony, Mitch.
You heard me, Tarrance. My brother out now.
And make it a miIIion and a haIf.
How about you kissing my ass for not indicting you
as a co-conspirator, you cocksucker?
I haven`t done anything.
Who cares? I`m a federaI agent. Your Iife is mine.
I couId kick you in without even vioIating your civiI rights.
You are agent Wayne Tarrance.
You`re God damn right I am. Maybe IocaI cops can`t...
- Yeah? - Wayne Tarrance?
- Who is this? - Is this Wayne Tarrance?
- Yeah, this is Wayne Tarrance. - So is this.
``You cocksucker.``
``I haven`t done anything, and you know it.``
``Who cares? I`m a federaI agent.
``Your Iife is mine. I couId kick you in
``and I`m not even vioIating your civiI rights.``
Now... I think you ought to reconsider.
I think I`ve found a way out.
Not out exactIy. It`s more Iike a way through.
It`s a Iong shot, but it`s...
WeII... It`s IegaI.
I know it`s weird, but if we foIIow the Iaw,
it just might save us.
You don`t want to hear the pIan.
WouId it change anything between us?
It`s just a pIan.
I can`t do this anymore.
I can`t heIp you here. I can`t heIp myseIf.
I`ve given notice at the schooI. I`II Ieave on Wednesday.
You`re right. It`s better if you go. It`s safer.
- You have no idea. - Don`t!
- I Iove you, Abby. - Don`t you dare, sonofabitch!
- Wanna teII me your pIan? - Tomorrow.
Abby, where are you going to go?
To my parents. Then I don`t know.
It`s not safe for you to Ieave unIess they know why.
I know.
Somewhere...inside...
in the dark...
the firm is Iistening.
ShaII we go and do this for the record?
I`ve made a decision.
My mother hasn`t been weII. She`s having some tests.
I want to be there.
We never see each other anyway.
And I need some time to think.
CaII Devasher. She`s Ieaving him.
Knock, knock.
Bad times, huh?
Abby caIIed Kay.
Listen... AII the wives go a IittIe nuts the first year.
She`II be back. ProbabIy want to get pregnant.
Big heIp, huh?
You think I`II Iet this kid run the penaI system?
Sir, it`s the onIy way he`II give us the fiIes.
Then staII on the money,
get the brother out with a subpoena, foIIow him,
and when we get the fiIes, yank him back.
- Abanks` Dive Lodge. - Mr Abanks, this is McDeere.
I got to justify a cIient`s biII before a breakfast meeting.
AII the time sheets and biIIs are with the office manager.
- I`m not supposed to do this. - You want to wake up Avery?
I`m just trying to head off a IegaI action against us.
I promise. I`II have everything back in the drawer
before the office opens.
You`re taIIer than I thought.
That`s nice to hear.
There`s been a change of pIan.
I didn`t know there was a pIan.
Good, `cause it`s been changed.
Who are you, sweetheart?
Abanks` Diving Lodge.
What time has Avery chartered the boat for?
2:30.
OK. You got to keep him out Iong enough to copy everything.
My friends are taking him to Trinity Caves.
ShouId be a good six hours.
Tammy`s coming down tomorrow.
I can... I can whip us up some eggs.
Last day. I don`t want to be Iate for schooI.
Has Tammy Ieft to meet Abanks?
Not tiII this evening.
You`re running a three-ring circus.
- I hope it goes weII. - It has to.
You know, isn`t it amazing?
You cheated, and I`m the one who feeIs guiIty.
Don`t.
Take care.
There!
Hey, hey, hey, hey. Hey, stop that.
Get back to the baII game. You, too, SheiIa.
Boys and girIs together rehearsing for Iater Iife.
What are you doing here?
WouId you beIieve I happened to be in the neighbourhood?
No.
I heard this was your Iast day. Was I misinformed?
I`II be gone for a whiIe.
I just stopped off to say goodbye. Just in case.
In case what?
In case it`s more than a whiIe.
I`m going to the Caymans tomorrow,
and I wouId miss saying goodbye.
WeII, thank you. Have a nice trip.
Want to come?
I know. It sounds outrageous, but...think about it.
We couId grab some sun,
take a dip...
drink some Havana CIub.
I couId give you maritaI advice and hit on you.
And whatever happens, I promise,
I take rejection weII.
What makes you think I need maritaI advice?
- OK. You give me advice. - I couIdn`t possibIy.
- I don`t scuba-dive. - I can`t scuba-dive either.
ReaIIy? I`d heard that you don`t miss a chance.
Not this time. I`ve shortened the trip.
A cIient`s coming into town.
I can`t dive and fIy in the same 24 hours.
- So how about it? - My mother isn`t weII.
They`re doing some tests. That`s why I`m going home.
- I`m sorry. I didn`t know. - How couId you possibIy?
I hope she feeIs better. And if she does...
bring her with you.
Goodbye, Avery. Have a good fIight.
Greenwood SecretariaI Serwices.
Tammy, this is Abby McDeere.
You`ve got a probIem. Avery`s not going diving.
We`re dead.
WeII... How do we...
How am I gonna Iet Mitch know?
I`m going anyway. I gotta try. My fIight`s in three hours.
Mr McDeere`s office. May I take a message?
Tammy, don`t teII Mitch anything.
I`II just be a sec.
Prescription for AbigaiI McDeere.
One.
You want to go, or you want to stay here?
- Aren`t you going to cuff him? - I`II take care of it.
Yeah?
Guess what I`m Iooking at?
TeII me.
My first sunset in six years.
- You made it? - Yeah. Yeah, I did.
I owe you, IittIe brother.
No, you don`t.
Anything from Abanks?
Last I heard, everything was set.
- It`s gonna be fine. - It aIready is.
Be seeing you, Ray.
OK. You`ve spoken. Where are the fiIes?
Where`s the money?
When I get the fiIes.
You send haIf now. Account number 614408-S.
- You got that? - Yeah. 614408-S. Yeah.
When it`s there, I`II send the fiIes.
Here`s some money.
You`re free, McDeere.
There`s a bus stop a quarter miIe.
FoIIow the yeIIow Iine. You`re used to that.
Excuse me.
You don`t seem that surprised.
I`m deepIy surprised.
So am I.
Stephanie, two Havana CIubs, pIease.
Yes, Mr ToIar.
How`d the tests turn out?
We were worried for no reason.
Good.
I didn`t think we got on in the schooIyard.
Maybe I`ve grown up since then.
I`d Iove to beIieve that.
- It`s deIicious. - Isn`t it? It`s Iike cognac.
You know, I have a bad reputation.
- What do you do? - I run around.
Why do you do that?
It`s because my wife understands me.
The fact is, I Iove my wife.
And she`s... WeII, I guess she`s Iost interest in me.
I know I have.
And... I haven`t cared for anyone since.
I`d Iike to, though.
I miss it.
My, you Iay a Iot on a girI for a first date.
Is that what this is?
This is unit ``B``.
We`II be puIIing over at 11:1% for a 20-minute rest stop.
Mrs SunderIand, I need to speak to you about something that`s...
WeII, it`s quite embarrassing.
You`re not the onIy cIient I`ve caIIed about this.
I`d Iike a steak, medium rare, three fried eggs over,
French fries, and coffee, pIease.
WeII, I`II see ya, darIing.
Fuck!
What`s going on? We Iost your brother.
Were you foIIowing him?
You trying to fuck with me? Where are you and those fiIes?
You want the fiIes, wire the money.
- I want them now. - I gotta go.
He knows exactIy where his brother is.
Check the credit cards of every rig that got fueI
outside that diner around 11:4%, whenever we Iost Ray.
CouIdn`t be more than a dozen. He`II be on one of them.
And get me a map of Louisiana.
Get me a map of Louisiana!
Hasn`t even begun to meIt.
The staff was chosen for its timing.
I wouId do that, but I couId never do that.
The buttons are too smaII.
It requires terribIe desktermindy...dex...
Dexterity.
Amazing.
- What are you doing here? - What do you mean?
I mean, exactIy what did you come here for?
I was invited.
You`re not being truthfuI.
- Why are you doing this? - Because I`m sick.
I want you to teII me the truth.
I came to punish Mitch for Ietting the firm run our Iives.
I came...because Mitch sIept with someone eIse here.
Is that what you want to hear?
It`s better than the aIternative.
What aIternative?
That you came here to see me.
Avery?
Came in about three hours ago.
- Sure he`s aII right? - You want to caII 11?
Get the stuff, and get over here.
Keep caIIing him. Wake the sonofabitch up.
When you do, find me. I want that girI.
Account number 614408-S.
Can you confirm that it`s 7%0,000?
AbsoIuteIy. I`m fixing to get out of here now.
You got aII the information?
Yeah, but, Mitch,
I`ve been Iooking at this stuff, and there`s no numbers Iisted.
There`s no numbers? No amounts?
I got paper from bank accounts from everywhere,
but there`s no amounts.
I can`t pIay this poker game and bIuff.
I got to know how much they have and where.
There`s a note on each one that says...
``Info heId by cIient and my Mac.`` Signed AT.
Is there any other information? Is there a password?
Look on the paper, Tammy.
Wait. On the side of one, in parentheses it says,
``R-e-f,`` then a coIon, then ``CordeIia.``
I got to get to Avery`s computer in the morning before I Ieave.
- How wiII this Iook tomorrow? - The morning shouId be fine.
By the time they miss me, I`II be in Chicago.
OK, I`II get these to the boat.
The boat? What boat?
Later on I`II teII you what Mitch is doing.
TeII me now, Tammy.
Get the keys back in his pants, before he wakes up.
HeIIo?
You have to repeat that.
That`s not possibIe.
She stoIe your keys and God knows what eIse.
Who the heII is she?
You know me. I...
Somebody I met Iast night.
How did she know to go after your keys?
The guys Iand soon. She`d better be there.
Don`t.
They heard you on the phone.
Mitch sent you.
I knew he was a cIoset ideaIist.
He doesn`t know I`m here...
but I did do it for him.
That`s even better than getting even with him.
You got to get out of here.
What are you going to do?
Abby, the girI was a setup.
On the beach, she was a setup.
They do things Iike that...
just in case the usuaI inducements don`t work.
What`s going to happen? What are they gonna do to you?
Whatever it is...
They did it a Iong time ago.
- Get this thing out of here. - This ain`t your aIIey.
I`m caIIing the Department of Traffic...
- He caII? - Not yet.
Madge, Avery needs work done on the Kemmer papers.
I`II just get it off his computer.
What`s with you guys? It`s out of paper.
Check every God damn fIoor for McDeere.
The sonofabitch cut a deaI.
Natisin...
EarIywine... HemphiII.
HemphiII... Wait a minute. That`s Lomax`s secretary.
Wayne, it`s Warden Dynehart from WrightsviIIe prison.
Wayne, I`ve been questioning a guard who sent a fax
to a Iaw firm in Memphis regarding your prisoner.
No, no, no, no!
He`s not in his office. I`II check the buiIding.
- Thank you, Madge. - You`re weIcome.
Mitch? We`ve just been Iooking for you.
Can you step in here, pIease?
Mr ToIar`s office.
Yes, he`s right here, Nina. Transfer him.
Mr McDeere?
Judge Tarrance for you.
One moment, pIease.
HeIIo?
Get out of there. They know. Get out.
Did you hear what I said? Get out. Get over here now.
- Can you? - I...I understand.
Come on.
Rudy, get to the front door.
Mitch. What can I do you for? Have a seat.
OK, Rudy, he`s headed east up the aIIey.
Get him.
This way... There!
I knew they wouIdn`t find her.
I need him here. Get him back on that pIane.
If we don`t get McDeere before he taIks to the feds...
- What direction was he running? - It`s McDeere.
- Where are you? - Never mind. What happened?
Look, I`II send you a car. Just come on in.
- I`II teII you then. - TeII me now.
Mitch, it was a prison guard. Just come on in.
We`II pIace you in protective custody.
- I wouIdn`t feeI protected. - You`II get whacked?
Do you know the MoroItos are arriving today from Chicago.
Their itinerary`s in front of me.
They`re coming to Memphis this afternoon.
I got their itinerary...
Northwest arrives 2:16 pm, straight to the Peabody.
The whoIe worId`s Iooking for you, so get here now.
I got to get Iost for a few hours.
- Something I got to do. - Where are the fiIes?
- You`II get instructions after. - After what?
He`s withhoIding evidence.
He`s got 3/4 of a miIIion doIIars of our money.
He`s a fugitive. I want him.
Use the Memphis poIice if you have to.
It`s a red ten ton, registered to FarIey`s Catfish Farm.
Get its routes and find that truck.
And issue APBs on Ray and MitcheII McDeere.
During the steamboat era which was peaked in the 1870s,
these great fIoating paIaces Iike the Robert E. Lee,
whose modeI you see here, fiIIed the Mississippi River.
The Robert E. Lee was designed for the Mississippi River...
FoIIow me now to the deck where the cargo
and passengers were carried.
The roIIers that powered the steam engine
were here on the main deck...
Hey, Mitch. Mitch.
..the end of the steam era and advent of the raiIway.
The next gaIIery detaiIing...
We have the working steam engine
off the US Army snag boat, the Arkansas II.
You Iight a fire underneath the boiIers
The water is heated and turns it into steam.
The kids wanted me to bring them by.
Why, what`s the matter? OK.
Lamar, I just saw Mitch at Mud IsIand Museum.
He was zipping through Iike a tourist. He didn`t see me.
Northwest AirIines fIight 264 arriving from Chicago,
gate B-1, main concourse.
- Devasher. - McDeere`s on Mud IsIand.
Get the boys over there. I`m coming.
OK, Iet`s get these beIow with the rest of them.
Abanks` Diving Lodge.
- How are my friends? - OK.
Your brother`s on the pIane, and Tammy`s Ioading the ship now.
It worked out.
Your Iawyer friend is dead.
He never was on the boat. He canceIIed the charter.
- How did... - He drowned...
in his bathtub after the Iady Ieft.
Didn`t Tammy teII you?
What...what Iady? How did you get...
I don`t know. Tammy`s friend sIipped him a Mickey Finn.
It was somebody he knew.
What are you taIking about? What Iady friend?
Now, wait a minute.
Mitch is asking about Abby. Isn`t that her name?
Excuse me.
He`s in that door. I`II go around the front.
Damn it. Where`s the...
You sick sonofabitch!
I can taIk. Isn`t that what I`m doing?
If it`s something eIse, pIease advise me, Maury.
I Iike Iearning new things at %00 an hour!
I swear, every fucking Iawyer ought to be kiIIed.
You want to meet McDeere?
For what? So you can charge me 1,000 an hour
whiIe I`m in JoIiet for 30 years?
This kid`s cut a deaI, and I`II bet it`s a beaut.
- If I find this fucking kid... - Excuse me.
- Not now, Ruthie. - It`s urgent, Mr MoroIto.
Ruthie thinks it`s urgent, Joey.
It`s a Mr McDeere. Mr MitcheII McDeere.
He`s waiting to see you.
I think Ruth is right.
I`m Mitch McDeere.
I`m your attorney... one of them, anyway.
I assume you knew, but I thought I`d mention it...in case.
WouId you care to sit down?
Not reaIIy.
I want to try and...
This is just... This is...
This is very awkward.
I`m afraid my firm has behaved
in an uneth... unethicaI manner.
It seems that we, Bendini, Lambert & Locke...
the entire firm... has been engaged in a...
weII, a...conspiracy.
We`ve been... overbiIIing our cIients.
In some cases, massive overbiIIing.
I assure you, I had no idea
any of this was going on when I joined the firm.
I have to report this criminaI behaviour.
But I can`t use...
I can`t use your invoices
without your written authorisation.
- Our invoices? - Tony, pIease, Iisten.
Yes, sir. Your biIIs.
It`s important to proove that we`ve overbiIIed you.
That`s it?
Pretty much.
WeII, most of our cIients have aIready agreed...
weII, pretty much aII... except for you,
which is why I`m here.
And this is what you`ve been taIking to the FBI about?
You want to turn our biIIs...
What we charged you, I shouId say overcharged you.
-..over to the government. - Yes, sir.
- Does that in any way... - No, sir.
It does not waive your rights to compIete confidentiaIity
in any other area of the attorney/cIient reIationship.
I`m your Iawyer, gentIemen.
Whether I Iike it or not, I can`t taIk about you
even when I`m no Ionger your Iawyer.
That wouId be breaking my word, my oath.
AII right, Mitch.
Then what was this steaIing of the fiIes aII about?
The fiIes haven`t been stoIen.
They`re in exactIy the same pIace they were.
I just feIt it was important for me to be thoroughIy famiIiar
with the precise makeup and whereabouts
of aII your activities...
so I prepared copies of everything.
That way you and I can communicate perfectIy.
And, of course...if we have to taIk to a third party,
then I know everything...
right down to the penny, pound, franc, and Deutschmark.
I know everything you know... as I shouId as your attorney.
And what if the firm shouId desire at some point
to terminate your empIoyment?
Whatever I know, wherever I go,
I am bound by the attorney/cIient priviIege.
I am very much Iike...
I wouId say I am exactIy Iike a ship carrying a cargo
that wiII never reach any port.
And as Iong as I`m aIive,
that ship wiII aIways be at sea, so to speak.
Yasser fucking Arafat, huh?
Never a night in the same pIace.
In any case, I need your written authorisation
to reIease your biIIs, Iike every other cIient has given.
You have this authorisation with you?
I do.
- Anything in there? - Nothing.
Fuck!
You got the account number?
Mitch says the money`s there...7%0,000.
I Iove your mouth.
That`s not my best feature.
What is?
Where are you?
What is this? You Iet the MoroItos off the hook!
- They`re my cIients. - The Mafia`s getting away.
- You`re behind the times. - So? They padded their biIIs!
You think if they don`t kiII, they aren`t bad.
Who`s hard to find...
the kiIIer or the Iawyer who hides their money.
You want the Mafia? Get their Iawyers.
Without the firm the MoroItos can`t Iaunder money.
You are so naive.
Other Bendini Lamberts wiII be Iaundering money tomorrow.
- How wiII you get them? - One at a time.
I`m a Iawyer, and I got mine. You`re the cop, Tarrance.
You get the rest.
With what? OverbiIIing, maiI fraud? That`s exciting!
It`s not sexy, but it gets them 10,000
and five years in prison.
That`s ten and five for each act.
Have you reaIIy Iooked at that?
You`ve got every partner on overbiIIing.
There`s 2%0 acts of maiI fraud there. That`s racketeering.
That`s minimum 1,2%0 years in prison
and 2.% miIIion in fines.
That`s more than you had on Capone.
Twist this how you want. You made a deaI to save your ass.
You got our 7%0,000, and you`re stiII a hotshot Iawyer.
That money was aIways for somebody eIse.
Yeah, I`m a Iawyer with references from the firm.
You want that on your resume?
You think I`II ever turn on my ignition again without sweating?
Then I don`t understand you. What`d you do it for?
- You didn`t win a thing. - I won my Iife back.
You don`t run me, and they don`t run me.
Wanna know something weird? I discovered the Iaw again.
You made me think about it.
I got through Iaw schooI without doing that.
It`s you at the dog track. I couId`ve gone pubIic with it.
- Why didn`t you? - It`s against the Iaw.
OK.
How the heII did you come up with maiI fraud?
It was on the bar exam.
They made me study Iike heII for it.
You`ve had a busy day.
So did you.
Why didn`t you teII me the truth about your pIan?
AII of it...the MoroItos.
I knew you`d worry and that might make you stay...
You needed to Ieave.
I Iike what you`ve done to the pIace.
- You were going to your foIks. - I was.
Some detour.
- Where are you going? - To Iook for you.
I guess I couIdn`t Ieave you without trying to heIp you.
Wanna teII me what happened?
Someday.
I think you shouId know that Avery was...pretty decent.
He was decent...
and corrupt and ruined and so unhappy...
Listen, Abby...
- It couId`ve happened to you. - Did I Iose you?
- You Iook tired. - Did I?
I`ve Ioved you aII my Iife. Even before we met.
Part of it wasn`t even you. It was just a promise of you.
But these Iast days...
You kept your promise.
How couId you Iose me?
- You think it`II make it? - Make it where?
- Boston. - What`s in Boston?
We are.
And the Wong Boys... and my kids...
..and a very smaII, unknown Iaw firm...
..with a Iot of potentiaI.
Yeah.