Come on, sweetie.
You're a big girl now.
You know what's going on here, don't you?
Now, you know, after today...
...you won't see Daddy no more.
But I will be there in spirit.
I promise.
You can talk to me whenever you want, all right?
Remember what we talked about, the little baby Jesus?
Remember that?
Well, I will be up there with Him. And I will be watching you.
And I'll wait for you.
And if you want to talk to me anytime, I will be there...
...listening.
I'll miss you so bad, honey.
I wrote you a letter.
And your mama will have it...
...when you need it later on, okay?
You go on now.
Gail, you want to take these, honey?
Take these, okay?
Come on. It's time.
I love you.
I'll always love you, Gail. Okay?
Why can't you just come home?
Why can't you just kill all these people and come home?
Don't say that, Gail. Don't ever say that, okay?
Don't ever say that.
I love you, baby!
I'll always love you.
Goodbye, Daddy!
Goodbye!
Oh, God!
It's too much.
She loves you. I know, honey.
Remind me not to start a life of crime.
They lie, you know?
-Who's that? -Prisoners.
That's what they do.
Every word they say is a lie.
Well, everyone lies, pal.
I'm just here to write it down.
You've got 15 minutes, Mr. Everett...
...by order of Warden Plunkitt.
Keep to 15 minutes.
Mr. Everett, Frank Beechum.
All right, have a seat.
I got them.
So how's that girl?
The other, Michelle?
I heard she was in some kind of accident?
Yeah, she was.
She was in a car wreck.
She didn't make it.
Oh, man.
I'm sorry to hear that.
Thanks.
I guess you want to hear...
...about how it feels to be in here.
Yeah, it's a human-interest piece.
I feel isolated.
I feel fear.
Fear of pain.
Fear of prison.
Fear of being separated from my loved ones.
All those fears rolled up into one.
Never having a chance to see my daughter draw pictures like this.
She says it's Green Pastures.
I want to tell everyone that...
...I believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
I believe I'm going to a better place.
And there's a better place, better justice there.
I came into my faith...
...late in life.
Did a lot of bad things when I was younger. You know?
Anyway...
...I believe the crookeds will be made straight.
That's what the Bible says. I believe that.
So that's how I feel about it.
Is that all right, Mr. Everett?
You got nine more minutes.
I mean, is there any more that you want?
Mr. Beechum, you don't know me.
I'm just a guy out there with a screw loose.
Frankly, I don't give a rat's ass about Jesus Christ...
...and I don't care about justice in this world or the next.
I don't even care what's right or wrong. Never have.
But you know what this is?
What is this, some kind of joke?
No, it's no joke. That's my nose.
To tell you the pitiful truth, that's all I have in life.
When it tells me something stinks...
...I have faith in it, like you have faith in Jesus.
When my nose is working well, I know there's truth there somewhere.
But if it isn't working...
...you may as well drive me off a cliff. I'm nothing.
Lately...
...I'm not 100% sure...
...my nose has been working that great.
So I've got to ask you...
...did you kill that woman or not?
What?
What happened at that store that day Amy Wilson was shot?
I went into the store to buy a bottle of A-1 Sauce.
You paid at the counter...
No, I never got it.
I told everybody this. Why are you asking me this?
Tell it again. To me.
I went into the store...
...to buy a bottle of A-1 Sauce.
I didn't know where it was. Amy was behind the counter.
Hey, Amy. Where you keep the steak sauce?
It's in the back. See where the ketchup and relish is?
I've been meaning to talk to you.
I don't have it.
I mean I could give you 30 now, but I don't have it all.
When can you give me the whole 96?
When I get paid, July 15th.
You're not gonna always do this, are you?
No, I swear. It's just, the end of school year. We have extra expenses.
All right, then.
July 15th?
July 15th.
Mind if I use the bathroom?
You know where it is, right?
So you weren't mad about the money?
I just wanted her to know I didn't do business that way.
She was cool. I liked her.
Were you carrying a gun?
So then what?
I asked her, could I use her restroom.
I went in to use the restroom, and the next thing I know...
...there was a gunshot.
That's all you got?
It's the Fourth of July and we're not that busy.
-Give me the chain! -Not that!
Give me the fucking chain!
Oh, God. Amy!
Oh, Jesus!
Oh, God!
Sweet Jesus!
Can you breathe, Amy?
Somebody help us!
Anybody here?
Help!
-"Please, not that. " -That's what I heard.
Why'd you run?
It was stupid. But I've been running from something most of my life.
There I was, covered in blood next to a dead girl...
...a white man staring at me like I was... I just panicked.
-Who shot her? -I don't know.
Did Porterhouse see the gun?
-You got five minutes. -Wasn't no gun!
Did he see the shooter?
How would I know?
Of course he didn't.
By the time he pulled in the lot, the shooter had left.
That's why he didn't hear the shots.
I don't know when anything happened.
That's because you were on the floor trying to save Amy's life.
What was this, a random shooting? Or was someone else there?
I don't know. I didn't see anything.
Give me something!
What do you want? What do you people want?
That's it.
You believe us, don't you? Do you believe us?
-Bonnie, don't. -Do you believe us?
Yes! I believe you.
For chrissake!
Where's your heart? Don't these people have enough?
Then where were you?
Dear God! Where were you all this time?
It wasn't my story. There was an accident...
Where were you?
Everett?
Warden.
You know, people come in here, the press.
Prisoners tell them things. All kind of heart-wrenching things.
And the next day in the paper, we come off sounding like hard guys.
It can get pretty frustrating, is all.
Yeah, of course.
We have to do what the state tells us to do.
Makes it tough on us...
...if we show up in the paper as bloody murderers.
Yeah, I understand. Completely.
Knew you would.
These things go through all kind of trials and appeals...
...before they get to us.
No use trying to figure out who's naughty or nice...
...and then come sliding down the chimney like a hero.
Not on execution day.
You're not Santa Claus.
No such thing as Santa Claus.
Warden?
You're not really sure, are you?
You drive safe now.
-Cecilia, I want to talk. -Not a good time.
Not now. Call my office.
-This is important. -Please, just back up.
Back off, will you?
What are you, a court attorney?
Hit a reporter. See how long you keep your job.
-Why don't you get in the car? -Yeah, why don't you?
New York asshole!
-What is it? -Frank Beechum. Who else was there?
Are you back on the bottle?
There was Frank Beechum, Nancy Larson, Porterhouse...
-Who else? -What's the difference?
That's the one who shot Amy.
I don't know what kind of conspiracy theory you're working on...
...but we've got a solid case. I don't send innocent men to death.
I know that. I do.
But you made a mistake. He was just using the bathroom.
He went in for steak sauce.
You've always been a gullible son of a bitch.
Read the transcripts. A witness saw Beechum with a gun.
He couldn't have. Not through the potato chips.
Is that what he said?
I saw it in his eyes. I could tell.
-You haven't got jack shit. -How much jack shit do I need?
There was somebody, wasn't there?
A kid got a Coke from the machine. He didn't even look inside.
He's the one who killed Amy.
We interviewed him. We issued a description of his car.
His story checked out...
The plain fact is you had Beechum in custody.
You didn't have the right person.
-This was the right guy. -He was nothing!
He was in a lineup with Beechum. Both witnesses still fingered Beechum.
He was gone before the witnesses even got there. Just give me his name.
How can I remember after six years?
-You've got files! -He was nothing to the case!
Call in the morning. I'll try to help.
You wait till morning, you better sleep well tonight.
Because after today, I'm gonna haunt the shit out of you.
I'm gonna haunt your ass all over this goddamn town.
I am not Wally. I'm a lot bigger than Wally.
Threaten me and I'll have pieces of you in the gutter...
...and I'll blow the rest away.
One more thing, barfly.
You ought to know this before your latest lost cause confesses.
Did you know Beechum volunteered for a lie detector test?
And he flunked it bigtime. Sure, it's inadmissible.
It wasn't in the transcripts...
...but it certainly captured our attention.
So why don't you just go pour yourself a tall one and think about that?
You want a nip?
No, thanks. I'd better not.
Sorry, I forgot.
What's with Bob? He's been giving you the evil eye all day.
Know something? It's starting to work.
Did something happen at the prison? Some big uproar?
Why would a guilty man volunteer for a lie detector test?
Happens all the time. Perp thinks he can slide one by.
Of course, innocent men flunk them sometimes too.
Does Bob want you to take one?
That's a cute idea.
I don't think my guilt's in any doubt.
Where's Bridget? I want her to do some scutwork.
Women feel much more secure in the workplace now.
She left. But I'll get your coffee if you give me head.
Better yet, track down an investigator in the Beechum case.
See if there was another...
...witness on the scene.
A kid. Just an address and a name will do.
You got it.
After that, get me some coffee.
Oakland Police. Sgt. Bartlett.
Donaldson at the Tribune. Who headed the Beechum case?
Anyone there know the Beechum case?
All of us. Anyone here.
Before Beechum comes to the store...
...there's another witness in the parking lot, right?
Wrong. There's nothing like that in the files.
-How do you know? Have you looked? -Believe me, we know.
Everybody here has memorized these files.
No other witnesses. Porterhouse and Larson, that's it.
But a lot of circumstantial.
This is Donaldson at the Tribune.
On the Beechum case, was there a record of a kid who was a witness?
A kid?
I don't think so.
-You're sure? -Thanks anyway.
All right, thanks.
That was the whip in the investigation.
Says it rings a bell. But he doesn't remember any names.
Ardsley, who headed the investigation, retired. Florida somewhere.
Shit!
Everett! Come here.
Shit!
-Don't look so happy about it. -Who said anything about being happy?
I understand your prison interview went beyond just a human-interest sidebar.
I colored outside the lines a bit, but the warden wasn't sore about it.
He just probably thought you were back on the booze.
-There's no smoking in the building. -You got a minute?!
I can't tolerate this.
Steve, say you're sorry. Bob, punch his lights out.
This isn't personal.
I gave him an important story with specific instructions.
The newspaper promised...
-The guy is not guilty. -Come on!
This isn't a human-interest sidebar. It's a crucifixion.
Want me to look at the cross and say "How's the weather up there?"
I've got all the personal crap here in this book.
He believes in God. Thinks he's going to heaven.
He's happy as shit. He's glad they're juicing him.
-Go write your sidebar! -That's not the point.
Of course it's not the point.
Fine. Take Steve off the execution and put Harvey on it.
-That's still not the point. -We know what the point is.
I can't work with you, Steve.
You're a good reporter...
...but there's plenty of good reporters here who follow instructions.
I can't work with him.
Why don't you hit me in the face?
I'll fall down. I'll bleed.
I'll do all that. I deserve it.
Then go home and hit your wife. She likes it.
Nice one, babe.
We can't all live in the world of your imagination.
I won't hit anybody, because that's exactly what you'd want.
If Patricia needs to find something outside our marriage, she can find it.
My marriage isn't your business, number one.
Number two, you're a thoughtless...
...unbalanced man. I can't work with him!
I've enjoyed this episode of Oprah...
I got the shooter.
-We shouldn't confuse the issues. -I got the guy who killed Amy Wilson.
-Even if it's the guy who shot JFK... -Bob, shut up!
How have you got him?
I've got him. I know who he is.
All right, who is he?
He's a guy. He's a guy who was there.
You're telling me that the shooter is a guy who was there?
Great! Should I hold the front page or wait for two sources?
The D. A. won't give me the name.
-What about the defense? -The defense doesn't have it.
This is ridiculous.
Shut...
...up.
What about the cops?
They're sitting on it.
Jesus!
Sorry, Alan. This is just too much.
Alan, I gotta be clear on this, okay?
This is causing problems for everybody.
I love the paper but I'm ready to go.
I can't work like this. This environment's become intolerable.
"Intolerable environment"? Are you a feminist?
Are you a cooze? What's wrong with you?
You gotta give me notice.
My contract says if you dump me, you gotta give me notice.
How much notice do you want?
Six hours and seven minutes.
Testing red. Testing red.
Testing tan. Testing tan.
Testing white. Testing white.
Testing black.
We're in San Quentin's gas chamber...
...now converted for lethal injection.
The first syringe delivers five grams of sodium Pentothal...
...and that will put him to sleep within a few seconds.
Then the injection line is flushed with 20 cc's of saline solution...
...and then he'll be given 50 cc's of pancuronium bromide.
Now that is a muscle paralyzer, and at that point...
...he won't be able to breathe.
And finally, 50 cc's of potassium chloride.
And that'll stop his heart.
Yes, this is...
This is Steve's wife. Why?
What's the matter? Something happen to him?
Already, the vultures come...
So steal. Go ahead.
Mr. Ziegler?
I'm not a thief.
I'm a friend of Michelle's, a colleague at the paper.
My friends, most of them knock.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry about Michelle. She was really topnotch.
A really fine reporter.
So you came to give the eulogy?
Michelle was on a story.
A man will be executed tonight. I think he's innocent.
I think the answer may be in Michelle's papers.
Something Michelle did?
Something she was onto, yeah.
So look!
Great.
I've been going through her things too.
See this?
Gave her this when she was 9. She loved it.
She saved everything.
Look at this.
I don't know when she did it. Must have been 4 or 5.
Where'd this come from? Over here?
This anything?
"Warren Russel, 17 years old.
4331 Knight Street. Interviewed July 7th at own request. "
"Says he bought a soda and left. Saw nothing.
Something fishy here. "
Mr. Ziegler, that Michelle, she was really on top of things.
Great!
Sorry, Frank.
We'll have to ask Mrs. Beechum to leave now.
Give us a minute, okay?
Sure.
I don't think I can do this.
I won't get a chance to say goodbye later on.
So I need you to take care of yourself and our little girl.
You know I will, baby.
-I will. -And give her this.
And don't forget.
It ain't much, but it's...
It'll be precious to her.
It will be her most precious thing.
I really hate that you have to go through this.
I know.
Okay, I love you.
I love you.
I wanted to be there for you.
God knows I wanted to see my little girl grow up.
If we just had more time...
We have to be thankful for the time we had.
It's that it was short.
At least we made Gail.
We made Gail together.
We made something beautiful in this world.
You look at her and remember how much I love you.
Can you do that?
God, Frank, I'm so scared.
If I can see your face...
I'll talk to you every day.
-If I can see you at the end. -Come with me!
You going to be talking to me?
If I could see your face!
How did this ever happen to us?
The only thing in my life...
...that made it worth anything.
God bless you for that.
Who's there?
I'm Steve Everett. I'm a reporter for the Tribune.
Go home!
And quit casing that man's car.
It's almost your dinnertime.
Go home!
-Sorry about them kids. -That's all right.
I'm just glad to find you here.
What, you thought I moved to the suburbs?
Come on in.
And you are...?
Angela Russel.
And Warren?
My grandson.
Is this Warren here?
It is.
Want to tell me why you're here?
Mrs. Russel, it's important that I talk to Warren.
It's important I talk to him tonight.
It is? And what could be so important, if you don't mind my asking?
There's a man on death row, and they're gonna execute him tonight.
They say he killed a store clerk...
...six years ago. An Amy Wilson.
I think he's innocent.
I think Warren knows something about it.
Why would you think a thing like that?
He's the only other person that was there.
And how do we know that?
The witnesses didn't see anyone else.
Wait a minute. There were witnesses, even though nobody else was there?
-Yes, that's right... -No, wait. Help me out here.
I am getting confused.
There was an accountant and a housewife.
White people?
And I bet...
...that girl that got killed, that Amy Wilson...
...she was white too, wasn't she?
That's right. But I don't think...
You don't think those nice white people...
...would kill that nice white girl.
But they all looked around...
...and what do you know? There was a black boy.
Look, it isn't like that.
Will you just think back in your mind? Six years ago.
Was Warren using drugs or anything like that?
He was into drugs.
Did he own a gun?
They all own guns, Mr. Everett. Don't you know that?
All those black dope-fiend boys, they all own guns.
Can I just talk to him?
Do you know where he is?
Yes, I do.
And no, you can't.
Look, an innocent man is gonna die tonight.
I have seen a lot of innocent folk...
...die in this part of town, Mr. Everett.
But it's funny.
I ain't never seen you around here before.
Mrs. Russel, you're making this into a racial thing, and it isn't.
The man on death row, he's a black man too.
Did you know that?
They'll kill him at midnight. I can't help unless I have the facts.
The only fact I know, Mr. Everett...
...is that my grandson, Warren...
...he's been in his grave now going on three years.
Stabbed out there in the park.
My Warren...
...was a loving child.
But I don't remember you coming around...
...looking for the facts when he was killed.
Nobody came around here looking for the facts then.
Fucking loser!
Goddamn it!
We're told he's having the last meal he requested...
...steak and french fries. Oddly enough...
...he also requested two six-packs of Coke.
If you're just tuning in, we'll repeat our top story.
Convicted killer Frank Beechum has, for the first time, confessed his crime.
The confession was made to the chaplain...
...as an expression of remorse...
...for the murder of Amy Wilson and her unborn child six years ago.
A source in the governor's office says despite this...
...the execution will proceed at one minute after midnight tonight.
And in other news, the market slumped badly...
I am tired.
Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?
Why are you here, Daddy?
I'm here to see you, you little goon.
Where did you go?
A wild-goose chase.
You went chasing?
Chasing salvation. Never did find it.
Just disappeared.
Let me tell you...
About today, I'm sorry.
Maybe this weekend we'll...
...go and spend the whole day? Play Slow Zoo.
And this time, could we see...
...the hippopotamus?
I've already talked to him. We have an appointment.
My little Daddy.
I'll go to sleep now.
Okay, I think that's a good idea.
Close them, now.
If this were a bullet...
...you'd be dead.
Bob call you?
What difference does it make who called me?
I know you're going to apologize.
I know you will try to do better.
But I don't want this anymore.
Because I'm tired.
I just think this'll be hard on her.
Barbara, I can change.
Can't we just erase all this?
I just had a terribly ridiculous day.
It isn't just today.
But today is the end of it.
Today I understand.
Hell, I know I've been...
...tempted a lot, but...
But I love you, baby.
It's just that I...
I'm just kind of coming apart here, and I didn't...
I know it's nobody's fault but my own.
I need you. I got to put these pieces back together.
I feel sorry for you.
You and your famous nose for a story.
You think you can just...
...sniff your way along, you know?
From one hunch to another...
...one girl to another, one drink to another when you're drinking.
But I'm not one of your stories, Ev.
I'm your wife.
You can't line up all the facts...
...and think you know something about me.
Your hunches...
...are shit.
Even when they're right, they're shit.
They're all I've got.
I hope they do somebody some good someday...
...because they sure as hell didn't do us any good, did they?
I packed all your stuff.
You can take it now, or you can come back later.
Please, just get out.
Get out of here, Ev, please.
Just get out.
Sometimes, the governor's aides call me on matters that concern the governor.
In giving spiritual guidance and ministrations...
...I might have misunderstood what the prisoner said to me.
But these things happen from time to time.
If he says, meaning the prisoner...
...says, "I'm sorry," under these extreme...
You know what you've done, right? I have to call the governor.
I have to issue a retraction to the press to say there's no confession.
Beechum has his own pastor. What the hell were you doing?
You made me look unprofessional.
Not a good thing to do.
Spiritually speaking.
If any of the men feel they need counseling...
...I'll be here.
Long as they need me...
...I'll be here.
You sure you want to do this?
Does a bear shit on Goldilocks?
I don't know. I've never been asked that before.
That's the trouble with having kids.
It screws up your quips.
So you're seriously rolling off the wagon. Must have been a rough day.
Yeah, lost my wife, lost my kid...
...lost my goddamn job. Is that rough enough?
Did you lose your car too?
Because if you start driving in this...
I'm the best fucking driver on the planet.
I'm talking to a dead man.
Will you leave me your stamp collection?
How about filling this up? I ain't eaten anything all day, either.
Jesus Christ!
Go the fuck home, will you?
Ain't got no home.
I ain't got no fucking home.
You have confidence...
...the state should sanction an execution to satisfy your rage.
Wait. This isn't about my rage. Let's be honest.
My daughter was killed in cold blood for no reason.
He took $96...
...and a ring and a locket I'd given her...
...for her 16th birthday.
My Warren...
...was a loving child.
That's someone who doesn't deserve rights as a human being.
-Will you be there tonight? -You bet.
July 15?
July 15.
Mind if I use your bathroom?
You know where it is, right?
The fucking money!
Don't hurt me, please.
What the fuck? This is all you fucking got?
The 4th of July. We're not that busy.
Give me the chain!
-Fucking chain! -No, please, not that!
Amy?
Jesus!
Still on the Beechum story...
...the report we got an hour ago...
...in which Frank Beechum confessed to his crime...
Are you driving?
You sack of shit! Let's get going!
There are two executioners. Each one has a button.
Each button is connected to a computer...
...that scrambles the circuits so no one knows who does it.
Brother Beechum, let me tell you of the Lord.
He is my refuge and He is my fortress.
He is my God.
And therefore, even in the darkest moments, even when there is no hope...
...He will deliver you from the snare...
...of the fowler.
Step in there.
That Robinson man on TV, I saw him.
And I started remembering that night Warren gave me that locket.
Her maiden name! And I started remembering Warren's face.
I can always read that boy's face.
He did a terrible thing, Mr. Everett.
He wasn't a bad boy, but I know he did a terrible thing!
They're gonna kill that man in less than a half-hour.
We can't get to the prison in that time.
You're right, lady. Fasten your seat belt.
Reverend, it's time.
Set him up.
There's this boy sold Warren a gun around that time.
This boy's in jail.
He might talk to them if they give him time off.
Mrs. Russel, I could kiss you.
Release your hands.
Gun it, mister!
We go fast.
Pull over! Pull over and stop the car!
Don't stop now!
Prepare yourself, all right?
I'm going to attempt this maneuver.
They really ought to do something about that place.
Boy, something must be going on.
Maybe a fire, another accident on the curve.
"To all whom it may concern, be it known...
...whereas the Superior Court and county of Alameda...
...ordered that Frank Louis Beechum suffer the death penalty...
...within the walls of San Quentin...
...for the crime of murder in the first degree with special circumstances. "
I love you.
McCardle. Yes, sir.
We have a go.
But it's too late.
Go! Go!
What's up? It's official, it's for the kids.
I need some charity.
It's charity on toast, baby. Come on.
How you doing?
Thank you very much.
How you doing, sir?
Kate like that dalmatian?
She loved it.
Even my ex managed to muster up a little enthusiasm.
I've got to get something better for Christmas.
Sheepdog, collie, we got Saint Bernards...
How about a hippopotamus?
Check it out! Local designer, based on the one at the zoo.
Yeah, this is a beauty.
Think a homeless man can afford this?
You're not homeless.
Well, I'm wifeless and jobless...
...and I live in a hotel.
That's unless...
...you'd be interested in putting me up.
First, you have a big book contract.
Money's already spent.
Second, everybody says you'll win the Pulitzer Prize or something.
I think everyone's being a little optimistic.
And third of all, I have a boyfriend.
Well, that's good!
Maybe he's out of town for the holidays.
Cash or charge, Ev?
I better charge it.
I'm charging everything else these days.
Give me some charity, baby. It's for the kids.
It's official!
I need some charity on toast! Come over here, help me out.
I know you got some charity.
You famous! Rich and famous.
I know you got charity on toast. Give me some charity.
It's for the kids.
That's right, come on.
Give me 20, give me 100. Come on, Steve.
Take it before my wife does, and get out of here.
A 10?
Steve, you got more than that. Come on, now. It's for the kids.
All right. All right, newspaperman.
I been here two hours freezing my ass off.
I'm going home.
You haven't got a home.
I got no wife and no elves, either.
You want to be Santa Claus these days, you on your own.
You're right there, pal.
Santa Claus rides alone.
It's for the kids!
Daddy!
Come on!
Come on, Daddy.
Come on, now, Daddy.
English Subtitles by GELULA & CO., INC.