(SPLASHING)
(QUAKING)
YUELIN: When I was a child, I would come to this park and play.
My grandmother told me why the bamboo is here.
She said, "It is waiting for the wind to touch it.
"It is filled with emotion."
Listen to the sound and you can feel that.
(BELL RINGS)
(FOOTSTEPS THUMPING)
(HORN HONKING)
(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)
The guy with the cigarette's the man. Liu is his name. He decides what to buy.
JACK: So how are we doing?
They got problems with the TV package.
That's why we flew in on such short notice.
They seem to be enjoying themselves.
So who's the competition? Germans already been here?
Hoffmann came in yesterday. Aha! Right on time.
Show time.
INTERPRETER: The director has real concerns about your programming package.
He says your programs are pornographic, violent and superstitious.
As they are.
Have you lost your mind?
We've made a recommendation and would like you to comment.
Your great Chairman Mao once said...
Excuse this pronunciation. I'm sorry.
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
"Use the West for Chinese purposes."
Is that true? Or am I mistaken?
If our programming teaches your people
that America is imperfect, often violent and prurient,
wouldn't that tend to discourage the pursuit of Western values?
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
INTERPRETER: With some deletions, perhaps we can come to an understanding.
Let us talk among ourselves.
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
David. Nice work, Jack.
They're buying the package outright.
Great. Minus The Brady Bunch.
Which deviates from party mandate. One child per family.
Mr. McAndrews, welcome.
Dan.
Hello, Jack. Hi.
My father offers a thousand apologies if he kept you waiting.
Please.
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
David McAndrews, welcome.
Mr. Jack Moore.
Mr. Lin. Mr. Moore.
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
Please come in. Thank you.
David is an old friend. He is the first Western businessman I met
after my appointment to the Ministry of Radio, Film and Television.
He was the one who convinced me that not all foreigners have horns.
Only some. I ran into Gerhardt Hoffmann in Beijing today.
Yes. Mr. Hoffmann. HoffCo Telekomm.
He gives the appearance of tremendous enthusiasm.
My son told me how skillfully you softened our very stubborn censor.
(SIGHS) Yes, we reached a meeting of minds.
There are those in my government
who wish to severely limit the flow of Western entertainment.
And there are those who are impatient,
who wish the floodgates released.
Like my son.
But there must be a happy medium. We must proceed with balance.
(YMCA PLAYING)
¶ Young man, there's no need to feel down
¶ I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground
¶ I said, young man, 'cause you're in a new town
Is this how you imagined China?
¶ There's no need to be unhappy
¶ Young man, there's a place you can go
¶ I said, young man
¶ When you're short on your dough
¶ You can stay there and I'm sure you will find
¶ Many ways to have a good time
¶ It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A
(MAN SHOUTING)
(MAN SHOUTING IN MANDARIN) ¶ They have everything that you need to enjoy
¶ You can hang out with all the boys ¶
(PEOPLE SHOUTING)
What are they saying?
"Is it good? Is it great? Let's do it one more time, baby!"
(PEOPLE CLAPPING)
So is this what your father would construe as "proceeding with balance"?
My father has the power to make things happen, but he rarely uses it.
He's going to be using it on behalf of McAndrews.
I like your style, Jack. I like the way you cut to the chase.
You do your homework.
Why do you need this deal to happen so much?
I want my son to grow up in a different China than the one that exists today.
We could be an unbeatable partnership, you and I.
Especially with my backers over there.
Yeah. We can talk about that after the deal goes through.
Of course.
We can discuss this further tomorrow.
Tonight we celebrate the first Chinese-American satellite joint venture.
(CAMERA CLICKING)
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
How much?
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
JACK: Oh, Dan paid for it.
Mine?
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
You call Americans "big noses," don't you?
These are great. These are really great.
Do you mind?
What have we got here? Maillol.
And a Henry Moore.
Rodin. Correct?
(LAUGHS) Yes, correct.
(I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE PLAYING)
I should be getting you home.
¶ Ooh, I bet you're wondering how I knew
¶ 'Bout your plans to make me blue
¶ With some other guy you knew before
¶ Between the two of us guys you know I love you more
¶ It took me by surprise I must say
¶ When I found out yesterday
¶ Don't you know that I heard it through the grapevine
¶ Not much longer would you be mine
¶ Oh, I heard it through the grapevine
(SPEAKS WORD IN MANDARIN) ¶ Oh, and I'm just about to lose my mind
¶ Honey, honey, yeah Lips.
¶ Not much longer would you be mine, baby
¶ I know a man ain't supposed to cry
¶ But these tears I can't hold inside Tongue.
¶ Losin' you would mean my life, you see
¶ 'Cause you mean that much to me ¶
Breast.
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
(LAUGHING)
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
What is it? Who were you talking to?
I know meishi.
Meishi means, "It doesn't matter."
That's pretty.
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
(REPEATING PHRASE IN MANDARIN)
Hand.
I wanna hold your hand.
Yeah, that's right.
¶ I wanna hold your hand ¶ ...hand
¶ I want to hold your hand ¶ ¶ I want to hold your hand ¶
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
(CLICKING)
Whoa. Wait a minute.
What's happening here?
(CAMERA CLICKING)
(MEN CHATTERING IN MANDARIN)
Oh, my God.
Help me. What is...
Please! Wait.
Get a doctor.
Lin.
Do you speak English?
I'm American.
(SIREN WAILING)
Ah!
Wait.
JACK: Let me go.
(GUN FIRING)
I'm an American citizen.
(DOOR OPENING)
Finally. Hello.
Jack Peter Moore.
Yes, that's right.
English no good. So...
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
INTERPRETER: You have refused to cooperate and answer questions.
No one has asked anything.
INTERPRETER: Did you rape and murder Hong Ling?
You've made a big mistake!
INTERPRETER: There is no mistake.
I have the right to contact my embassy.
You have no rights. No, no. I have a right to contact the embassy.
I would like to talk to my embassy.
Your case will be tried according to the laws of
the People's Republic of China.
I would like to talk to the American Embassy. Do you understand me?
First the investigation.
Did you rape Hong Ling before or after you murdered her?
I want to talk to my embassy. Please translate this.
I would like to see an attorney.
The sign says, "Leniency for those who confess.
"Severity for those who resist."
I'm not resisting, and I...
It can be more easy if you confess your crime.
You okay? Yeah.
I brought along Ed Pratt.
We're only allowed five minutes, so let me make it crisp.
As Senior Consular Officer at the embassy
I need some information about the night in question.
You bring me the Senior Consular Officer? Hear him out.
The embassy is trying to track through what happened.
Can you give me some details?
I met her. We went back to the hotel.
(CLICK ON LINE) We...
Hello?
I can't hear.
It's off! I can't hear anything. This doesn't work.
Doesn't work. The phone doesn't work. Yes? Hello?
The gentleman says we can't talk about the details of the investigation.
What can we talk about?
You're on Chinese soil, and you're subjected to Chinese law.
You can discuss the investigation only with your lawyer.
Get me a lawyer. Call Joe Shapiro in Washington.
Ask him who's plugged in here. That's a non-starter.
Non-Chinese lawyers aren't allowed to practice here.
There are three or four Chinese criminal lawyers who could handle
a case of this magnitude, but none of them will touch it.
The procuracy will appoint a defense advocate for your case.
We'll get you bail.
ED: There again, I should warn you, it's very rare.
It's called a guarantee, and it almost never happens.
Ed, I'm sure it's very rare, but I would assume the ambassador...
Ambassador Reed is in Shanghai.
I assume that he could even possibly from Shanghai, make a few phone calls.
Use his influence. Absolutely.
He'll do everything he can for you.
Naturally, as ambassador, you juggle your crises in the interests
of pushing out the envelope for many parties.
We're really gonna be pushing that envelope now.
You're gonna get me a copy of the criminal code in English.
I can certainly try.
Thanks, Ed.
(MAN COUGHING)
(MAN RETCHING)
(DOOR OPENING)
(CHATTERING)
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
What is he saying? Who is he?
This is General Hong. You killed Hong Ling, his daughter.
All right. You tell him that I did not kill her. Go on, tell him.
I understand.
I understand your grief.
I understand your pain that comes from losing a child
but I did not kill her.
(INTERPRETER SPEAKING MANDARIN)
What did he say?
He said he will see you dead.
I say it again.
It can be more easy if you confess your crime.
(SIREN WAILING)
(WOMAN SPEAKING MANDARIN)
FEMALE INTERPRETER: Jack Peter Moore,
you are charged with intentional homicide and rape
with aggravating circumstances.
Does any participant in these proceedings
challenge the composition of the court?
Procurator Ma? MALE INTERPRETER: No challenge, Presiding Chairman.
Does the defense aide challenge the composition of the court?
Huh?
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
MALE INTERPRETER: I'm sorry. Can you please speak a little louder?
Do you challenge the composition of this court, sir?
No challenge, Presiding Chairman.
Advocate Shen Yuelin.
Please excuse me. I was with Chief Li
at the Ministry of Justice preparing for this case.
You're excused, Advocate.
Accused Moore, do you understand the charges against you?
What I understand is I have never met my attorney before.
INTERPRETER: Advocate Shen Yuelin, have you not met with the accused?
Presiding Chairman...
(STATIC)
Wait a minute. I've lost the sound.
I can't hear anything. What is she saying?
(FEEDBACK IN HEADPHONE) JACK: Wait.
I don't hear. I've lost the sound. I can't hear anything.
What? I can't... This is very important...
Can you hear me now, accused Moore?
FEMALE INTERPRETER: Can you hear me? Can you hear me now?
Yes, I hear.
I would like my attorney I have never met to repeat what she has said.
(MALE INTERPRETER SPEAKING MANDARIN)
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
I told Chairman Xu I was assigned this case only today
but I'm familiar with facts of the investigation.
How could you... You never spoke with your client!
XU: You must address the court in the proper manner.
I'm sorry. What is the proper manner, Your Honor?
Accused Moore, please be seated now.
All right.
FEMALE INTERPRETER: Advocate Shen Yuelin, what does the accused plead
to these charges?
The accused pleads guilty. The hell I do!
The defense attorney represents the accused, not the State!
Do you speak English?
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
Yes.
I am not pleading guilty. You will change the plea.
No.
Fine. I want another lawyer.
There is no other lawyer who will agree to defend you.
Only because the Ministry of Justice requested my service
have I assumed this role.
Assuming the role requires listening to the facts
which you seem unwilling to do!
Let me share with you the facts.
A foreigner takes a girl to bed after knowing her for a few hours
and consuming much liquor.
Next morning she is dead.
The foreigner says he is innocent. I am.
His hands are covered with her blood,
and his fingerprints are all over the murder weapon.
With a guilty plea, the court may be persuaded
by my arguments of extenuating circumstances.
Alcohol, perhaps even momentary insanity to be lenient in your sentencing.
I was not insane. I'm not pleading guilty.
If you plead not guilty, the judge and the two members of the public
sitting next to her, called "People's Assessors"
will be offended by your unrepentant attitudes.
Their majority vote will determine your fate.
In our country, moral education of criminals is of great importance.
Leniency is granted to those who confess.
Severity is required... Yes, I know that.
...for those who stubbornly insist on their innocence.
Therefore, it would be wise of you
to treat our legal system with respect.
Spare me the lecture on the morality of your judicial system.
If you plead not guilty, you will be sentenced to death.
And, unlike in your country, Mr. Moore,
sentences are carried out within a week.
You will be shot, and the cost of bullet will be billed to your family.
I'm innocent!
You truly believe you are innocent?
Yes, I know I am!
How do you know? How can you be certain?
You were unconscious when the police came to your room.
I was asleep. You had consumed an excess of alcohol.
An enormous amount was consumed, by anybody's standards!
I know what I did and did not do!
How can you be sure of anything
while under the influence of so much alcohol?
How can you ever be certain?
In China, we hold the welfare of the State
above that of the individual.
We have six times the population of your country,
and one-tenth the crime rate.
Tell me, who is right?
Your plea is guilty.
(MAN SHOUTING IN MANDARIN)
(ALL SHOUTING)
What?
What is happening?
(JACK GRUNTS)
Courtesy of your embassy, the Chinese criminal law code
translated into English. Great. Thanks.
Jack, you should know that your advocate is one of our best.
She got permission for my visit. Very unusual.
Where's Ghery?
ED: He's giving his deposition.
About what?
His knowledge of the case. He has no firsthand knowledge
but I'm sure he'll give you a crackerjack character reference.
We don't have much time here. What kind of coverage are we getting?
The embassy seems convinced it's wiser to keep a lid on this.
It's good strategy. There are questions of face involved.
And geopolitically, there are certain trade issues pending
which ensure you a fairer shot than usual.
Is McAndrews still in Tokyo?
It's agreed that a visit from Mr. McAndrews would be imprudent.
Yeah. Right.
DAN: Jack, as you know, this is a dangerous time.
There are powerful forces for change
and there are powerful forces of resistance.
The old guard sees the murder of Hong Ling as justification
for their campaign against spiritual pollution.
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
Sorry.
No politics. House rules.
Excuse me.
You like Star Trek, Jack?
What?
Star Trek, with Captain James Kirk. The original.
I have all 79 segments on tape.
Good.
Programming now just doesn't compare.
It offers only violence.
Wouldn't you agree?
I'm very sorry.
I'm going to do everything in my power to help you.
There are those in my government
who wish to severely limit the flow of Western entertainment.
And there are those who wish the floodgates released.
ED: Is there anyone you want us to notify?
Any family?
So they know where to send the bill for the bullet? No, I don't think so.
(MAN COUGHING)
(CALLING OUT IN MANDARIN)
Hello?
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
JACK: Hello.
(SCOFFS)
(DOOR OPENING)
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
(DOOR CLOSING)
SHEN'S VOICE: Tell me of your relationship with Hong Ling.
JACK'S VOICE: We laughed. We had fun.
No expectations, just a terrific night.
Is one night the typical duration of your relationship with women?
I didn't choose the duration.
Next time you pick your sexual partners, you might wish to know more about them.
You will make my job a lot easier.
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
MALE INTERPRETER: Did you have the knife tested for blood?
Yes. The blood on the knife is that of the victim.
FEMALE INTERPRETER: When you first saw the accused,
what was your assessment of his condition?
A strong smell of alcohol was coming from him.
He was unsteady, confused.
He seemed surprised by it all.
Did you find alcohol in the room?
Two empty bottles of champagne and two empty bottles of Scotch whiskey.
I have no further questions for this witness.
Advocate Shen Yuelin.
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
What time did you receive the call about screams coming from the accused's room?
Approximately 5:45.
And they entered the accused's room when?
6:04 a.m.
How would you describe the accused's state of mind?
Surprised.
In the situation, would you describe "surprised" as a rational response?
No.
Would you describe "surprised" as a sane response?
What was he waiting for, his own arrest?
Objection!
I'd like to confer with my advocate, Your Honor.
(WHISPERS) I am not insane.
I was not drunk. I am not going to plead diminished capacity.
I am obliged to do what is required to avoid your execution.
Advocate, does the defense have further questions for this witness?
Yes, I have questions. I am not finished.
According to article 26 of the criminal procedure law,
or article 32 of the amended version of the same,
I have the right to defend myself,
to comment on and ask questions of witnesses
even if my advocate has already questioned them.
Accused Moore, this right is rarely exercised.
I know, but I do have the right to exercise it, Your Honor.
The appropriate form of address is Presiding Chairman.
You may proceed.
Ask your question.
Thank you, Presiding Chairman.
Captain,
you testified that you entered my room at 6:04.
When you entered, was the blood on my hands and my shirt wet or dry?
MALE INTERPRETER: Dry. Dry.
The screams were heard at 5:45.
Wouldn't it have taken more than 19 minutes for so much blood to dry?
Usually, yes.
So the murder must've taken place before 5:45 a.m.
Perhaps.
If the murder took place before 5:45,
who was there to scream at 5:45?
Perhaps you. Perhaps me?
Why would I have been screaming?
You were drunk.
Two bottles of Scotch had been emptied.
Not two bottles of Scotch. Only one bottle.
I ordered one bottle. You can verify that from room service records.
Your fingerprints were found on both bottles.
The hotel records show that two bottles were ordered.
XU: Accused Moore, are you finished?
Accused Moore,
are you quite finished?
Just one more question, Presiding Chairman.
Captain, did you find a gold locket
on or about the person of the victim, Hong Ling?
I have no information about a locket.
There was a locket there. I'm sure there was. Where is it now?
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
(ALL LAUGHING)
What? I'm sorry, I didn't get a translation.
Why are they laughing?
Presiding Chairman, how can I mount a defense
if I can't understand the procurator?
The People's Assessor may not be interested in listening, but I am!
(XU SPEAKING MANDARIN)
Accused Moore,
what the procurator said that brought levity to this court
was that perhaps the victim had a magic wand
and turned the locket into a second bottle of Scotch.
Are you finished now, accused Moore?
Yes, I am finished.
FEMALE INTERPRETER: The court is dismissed.
In our country, it is wise not to raise questions
to which you do not know the answer.
My country, too.
If you wished to have law books, you should have requested them from me.
(TIRES SQUEALING)
I hear you've been questioned.
Then you appreciate my situation.
You should go home.
What should I tell David about Hoffmann?
Tell David
to let HoffCo have the satellite.
Concentrate on American content and production.
Make Hoffmann pay through the nose.
You think the world's waiting for programming from Bonn?
I doubt it. Yeah.
If a Chinese guy woke up at the Plaza Hotel
with a dead American girl in his suite
and the Chinese government tried to muscle in on his trial,
I see the point.
Your lawyer's very good.
She even got a few dissidents off. Go on.
Give my best to Janie and the kids.
I will.
Get out of here. Thanks, Jack.
I'll be back.
Mr. Moore,
I have some questions to ask you
but...
If you still prefer that I resign, I will do as you wish.
No, I do not prefer.
(BELL RINGING)
YUELIN: Roll it, please.
What is my country girl with a city mouth looking for?
The truth about my client.
Wait. Freeze it.
Hit "play."
I have a certain sympathy for your American.
One man against everyone.
Very cool.
Peng, back it up.
Stop.
(BELL RINGING)
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
What are you doing?
(SPEAKING IN MANDARIN)
You cannot have this book!
(JACK GRUNTING)
(HONG SPEAKING IN MANDARIN)
(SPEAKING IN MANDARIN)
(SIGHS)
I wish to speak of the locket you said Hong Ling was wearing.
She was wearing a locket.
I know. I have confirmation.
Confirmation? You didn't believe me?
The locket was a gift from her father.
He asked for its return.
Where is it?
It has not been found.
You find that insignificant?
Open this.
I have already examined this.
Smell it.
What do you smell?
(SNIFFS)
Something strange. Exactly.
(YUELIN SPEAKING MANDARIN)
FEMALE INTERPRETER: Dr. Tao, do you detect a chemical odor on this shirt?
A familiar chemical odor?
MALE INTERPRETER: These questions serve no purpose.
We will see.
Continue.
Give us your expert opinion as to what you believe the odor to be.
Maybe chloroform or an ether derivative.
Could chloroform or ether be used to render someone unconscious?
Yes, it could. These questions waste the court's time.
I will make that decision. Continue.
Presiding Chairman, the accused had neither chloroform nor ether
in his possession at the time he entered the country
and no authorization was issued for him to purchase either chemical.
Neither chemical was found in his hotel room.
These chemicals must have been brought
to the crime scene by someone else.
By the someone else who rendered Mr. Moore unconscious.
By the someone else who murdered Hong Ling.
Presiding Chairman,
the accused wishes to change his plea to "not guilty."
(XU SPEAKING IN MANDARIN)
The court is dismissed.
(WOMAN CHATTERING IN MANDARIN ON RADIO)
(BELL RINGING)
(DOOR OPENS)
(DOOR CLOSES)
(GRUNTS)
(GRUNTING)
(CHATTERING IN MANDARIN)
(GRUNTS)
(PHONE RINGING)
(SPEAKING IN MANDARIN)
(MAN SHOUTING)
And I want to see any of Hong Ling's effects gathered at the scene.
Why do you put yourself at risk for this foreigner?
He was attacked last night.
Because he is a foreigner.
I may not be able to protect you this time.
Thank you for your concern, Division Chief Li.
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
Good morning, Mr. Moore.
I was informed that you were attacked last night.
Are you okay? I'm all right.
What am I doing here?
It is a provisional guarantee.
The court will not meet today so that we may prepare your defense.
So the embassy finally got off its ass.
You must return to confinement at nightfall.
Would you like some tea?
Yes, tea. Please.
(PLAYING PIANO)
(PLAYING JAZZ BALLAD)
You play the piano?
I am teaching myself. My progress is slow.
When I was younger, I played the Chinese instrument, the pipa.
The what? Pipa.
(CLEARS THROAT)
What does it sound like?
We have much to do.
No, please.
Play for me.
(EXHALES)
I'd just like to hear some music again.
You have beautiful hands.
Why did you stop?
We have little time and much to do.
My grandmother.
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
It's a great honor to meet you.
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
So, your parents are deceased?
Yeah.
And brothers and sisters?
No.
And a wife?
No wife.
For us, to be without a family is a terrible thing.
But you never married.
I have been unable to find a man who's not threatened
by a woman's intelligence.
With half a billion men in this country, it's hard to believe.
Yes, isn't it?
You had a prestigious and expensive education at Harvard
and Stanford Law School.
I had scholarships.
I served drinks at rich people's parties.
You pursued law because you wanted to be one of the rich people you served?
I wanted to be in control.
And were you?
I thought I was.
Until now.
Yeah.
(EXHALES)
(CLEARS THROAT)
You asked me if I had a wife. I said no.
I don't, but I did.
We had a daughter, seven years old.
They were in a taxi in San Francisco. There was an accident.
I am sorry.
Anything else you want to know?
What was your first contact with Hong Ling?
Do you think I killed her?
My job is to find the truth,
to handle this case according to law.
Do you believe me or not?
I have growing questions about what happened that night.
Now, please tell me of your first contact with Hong Ling.
(TIRES SQUEALING)
Did you approach her?
No, she was modeling. Some kind of a fashion show.
You simply saw her?
We saw each other.
Your eyes met?
I guess so. Are you sure?
Yes, I'm sure.
So you were attracted to her?
Yes, I was attracted.
Because she was beautiful?
(SIGHS)
I guess so.
You approached her later when you saw her at the table?
I was over there. She was over here.
She was looking at me and drawing something.
So you were curious, then you approached her?
What was she drawing?
My nose.
She said, "Da bi zi."
(LAUGHS)
It means big nose. Yeah.
Thanks.
We were sitting there and talking and looking at her drawings
and laughing.
We just clicked.
"Clicked"?
You mean chemistry. Is that the right word?
Mmm-hmm. Chemistry, clicked.
So you are a romantic.
You were drawn to each other.
Did you kiss?
Not here.
To return here is difficult for you.
Do you remember anything unusual happening? Think back.
Is that the proper way to say it?
That's fine.
She got a phone call. It upset her.
On the hotel phone? No, it was on her cellular.
She said it was nothing. Period. Meishi.
Meishi. Meishi. Meishi.
Anything else?
She said...
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
JACK: Does that mean anything?
You did not hear her scream? No.
Someone made an anonymous call to the police claiming
to hear screams coming from this suite.
This is an old hotel, isn't it?
It's very solidly constructed.
Outer door and an inner door.
(SCREAMS)
It's all right. Meishi. Meishi.
You hear anything?
No. Come.
These are objects Hong Ling had with her in this room.
The police developed the pictures.
(BEEPS)
The last call she made on this phone was 517857.
It has been disconnected.
There must be a central telephone exchange.
That's where the billing records are kept. We are going there now.
Why are you smiling?
I usually figure out the next step.
This must be extremely difficult to rely on a stranger, a woman,
a foreign woman, in such a serious matter.
That's why I smiled.
(PHONE RINGING)
You will wait here, please.
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
(WOMAN CHATTERING ON TV)
(MAN CHATTERING ON TV)
...has selected HoffCo Telekomm
as China's partner in this multibillion-dollar
satellite undertaking.
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
(APPLAUSE ON TV)
JACK: What's wrong?
(SIGHS)
The records cannot be accessed. They have been deleted.
By whom?
Do not talk about this here.
Who deleted the records?
Who has the power to delete telephone records?
You couldn't delete your own telephone records.
Only a government official could authorize the deletion of his records.
Is that it? Is that true?
Whoever Ling called that night...
Might know something about what happened.
Do not say more. We must leave now.
If that person is an official of a government I'm negotiating with...
If I could be embarrassed or discredited in some way,
maybe he gets a better deal with my competitor.
Sweet system you've got here.
The records were not deleted by the system.
They were deleted by an individual.
Individual. I'll go with that. Who do we have?
We have Minister Lin Shou and Herr Hoffmann.
What about General Hong? It is not General Hong.
Why not? He's got influence with the PSB, with the prisons, with everybody.
General Hong is not corrupt. He only wants his daughter's killer punished.
He's old guard! He's losing control.
You do not understand.
You do not understand! This is a satellite communications deal!
And for better or for worse, the effect of the McAndrews deal
would have been to open a totally closed system.
Who are you to criticize? Once the system opens up, there's no going back.
You come from a country where the infant mortality rate is higher than ours.
The reason you know that is we don't delete the records.
Where people are punished for the color of their skin.
Have you ever been there? You find it easy to assume
that a Chinese father would kill his daughter to stop your business deal.
I do not find that easy to assume.
How many people are killed each week in your peaceful country?
I don't find that easy to assume.
How many?
Too many.
(SIGHS)
(HORN HONKING)
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
(HORNS HONKING)
(PEOPLE SCREAMING)
(GUN FIRES)
(GRUNTS)
(SCREAMS)
(GUN FIRING)
I gotta go. Don't!
Jack, they'll kill you!
Stop!
Sorry.
(SCREAMS)
Get outta my way!
Look out!
Shit.
(WOMAN SPEAKING MANDARIN)
(COOS)
(QUAKING)
Shh! Shh!
(POLICEMEN CHATTERING)
(ENGINE REVVING)
(WOMAN SCREAMS)
(GUN FIRING)
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
(GRUNTS)
(CAMERA CLICKING)
(GIRLS SCREAMING)
(SIREN WAILING)
(TIRES SCREECHING)
Open up! I'm an American citizen seeking asylum!
May I see your passport, sir?
If I had a passport, I wouldn't need asylum.
Please, you've gotta let me in.
Let me make a phone call.
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
Oh, man.
Pratt, I'm requesting asylum.
This is a confidential matter. This is not the place to hold this discussion.
Very good acoustics. This used to be the Pakistani Embassy.
Before that, it was wired to the hilt by the PRC. Follow me.
This, however, is entirely bug-free.
Mr. Moore. Peyton Reed.
The ambassador has already been summoned to see the Minister of External Affairs.
This has the makings of a full-scale incident.
A full-scale incident!
(LAUGHING)
I'm sorry I didn't call for an appointment.
Do the two of you have any idea what I've been through?
I am not leaving here.
No one said you should leave.
I'm not going.
No, you're in.
But getting out is another story.
You've gotten other people out. You can get me out.
It took us a year to get those Chinese physicists out
and the Chinese Army threatened to storm the embassy.
That was a simple asylum case. You're charged with a capital crime.
Once this becomes an international dick-measuring contest
they might never let you leave.
What? What is it?
Your attorney is at the guard station.
She wishes to see you. I would advise no contact.
It will only make things harder for her.
What are you talking about?
Yuelin put up your guarantee.
I thought the embassy put it up.
In China, bail has nothing to do with money. It's reputation.
To have you released today so that she could prepare a defense
Shen Yuelin put up her career, her future.
It was really quite unique.
(SIRENS WAILING)
Yuelin.
Your shoulder. It's all right.
If I'd known what you did for me, I wouldn't have left.
I'm glad you left.
"Glad"?
Yes. Because I am not sure I could have saved you
from the decision of the court.
I... I could not have lived with that.
Why did you risk your life for me if you didn't believe me?
I always assumed the worst about you.
I have never questioned.
I have always accepted things.
It is the same as when I was a child.
Why?
I was blind. I was mute.
When you were a child
it was during the Cultural Revolution, wasn't it?
Yes.
What is it?
I went to school until they closed down and everything went mad.
I do not know if you could understand this.
Try me.
I watched...
I watched my father be humiliated, and I said nothing.
I watched my father be spat on. I did nothing.
I even watched my classmates pour black ink over his head
one after another and after another.
What did I do?
I hid my head in shame while he was dragged away.
I never questioned.
(CRIES) I was blind.
I'm very sorry that I did not believe your innocence.
But now, I do.
I do.
(POLICEMEN CHATTERING)
Somebody alerted the press. Let's get you out of here
before your face is on the cover of Time and Newsweek.
(ALL CHATTERING IN MANDARIN)
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
(MUTTERING IN MANDARIN)
(GASPS)
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
A certain general has a personal interest
in seeing that some of this evidence is returned.
If, by chance, any one of the arresting officers
pocketed this evidence and it is not returned,
then even an attorney as good as I am cannot ensure your well-being.
I suggest you search again. Anything you turn up
can be given to my aide and brought to the court for safekeeping.
(BELL RINGING)
(GUN FIRING)
I need your counsel.
I want you to walk away from this.
I'm trying to get access to evidence which would help to prove your innocence.
I want you to walk away now.
Why did you not do the same?
The smart thing would have been to stay at the embassy.
Yeah, and move past it. Yes, I do that really well.
Why did you not?
(SCOFFS)
Did you ever see little girls play soccer?
Little, silly bundles of energy
just swarming all over each other, tripping on each other.
Hair ribbons left on the ground when they're through.
Your daughter?
Yeah. They were...
(SNEEZES)
They were driving back from a game when the accident happened.
And you were?
(INHALES) I was in Tokyo.
I was...
I was closing a deal.
I could have finished it the day before if I'd wanted to.
You cannot blame yourself.
No, I didn't. I set it aside.
I just moved past it. Built a wall around it.
Hired somebody to close up the house in San Francisco.
I got on a plane,
went somewhere to do something.
And I did it again and again
and I ended up here.
But what you leave behind catches up with you.
Took me a long time to learn that.
If I had stayed in the embassy, you would have been in danger.
I am not moving past this.
Jack.
You once offered to resign.
I want you to do that now.
(SNIFFS)
My duty is to prove your innocence.
It is also...
It is also my wish.
Courage.
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
(DOOR OPENING)
(DOOR CREAKS)
PENG: Shen Yuelin.
Why did you come here?
I am hero.
A record of calls made to and from her cell phone
and a printout at home.
Where did you get this?
My friend Mai. She say I am the world's greatest lover.
And now I am hero, too.
Peng, how did you talk your way past the security man outside?
I did not have to. There was nobody there.
Come. You leave now. Go on, leave.
(GRUNTS)
(MUFFLED SCREAMS)
(SCREAMS)
(COUGHING)
ED: It doesn't brighten the situation that your attorney got roughed up last night.
My attorney got what? She was a trace roughed up.
A little bruised is all.
Bruised? What... By who?
She didn't know who.
She was in the hotel suite where the victim expired.
She's more shook up than anything. Stop. Go back.
I'm afraid there's no stopping it now.
The instant you left sanctuary you way overshot any point of possible return.
I don't know what you're saying!
You left the embassy out on a limb.
We've got zero options.
The embassy? What about her?
You didn't make our job easier.
All right!
What about her? I told you not to talk to her.
How can I not? She's the one putting herself on the line for me!
She's not our job.
She's out there all alone, isn't she?
Yes.
What happened?
I have the telephone records. Are you all right?
Whatever government official called Hong Ling that night
also had conversations with a PSB officer named Huan Minglu.
It doesn't matter. I don't want you hurt.
I have requested his presence in court today.
It does matter. It will matter.
Why are you doing this?
You could be taken from your house and your grandmother.
You could be sent away, put here or worse.
So why are you doing it?
(SIGHS)
I'm doing this because
I do not wish to be silent anymore.
Supervising judges. They are here to monitor.
It means today is the day.
Procurator General Yang next to General Hong.
And many of the party elders.
(WOMAN SPEAKING MANDARIN)
FEMALE INTERPRETER: This final session of our People's Court
hearing criminal case 4116 is now open.
Court is in session. Advocate Shen Yuelin.
Presiding Chairman, I wish to summon Huan Minglu to the witness stand.
MALE INTERPRETER: Huan Minglu has not been introduced as a witness.
This man may know the truth of what happened to Hong Ling.
Advocate Shen Yuelin, this appears to be a diversionary tactic.
This is pure manipulation of the facts.
Advocate Shen Yuelin, request denied.
Presiding Chairman, I can offer evidence
that Huan Minglu attacked the accused and me in Dazhalan...
Such evidence is outside the scope of this proceeding.
...and attempted to murder the accused in Beijing Number One Detention Center.
I must protest once more.
This is crucial evidence that suggests the accused is innocent.
Advocate Shen Yuelin,
there's a procedure for bringing any unrelated charges.
When will that be?
After my client is sentenced or after he is executed?
Answer me, please.
Enough!
We must call an end to testimony only indirectly related.
Presiding Chairman...
Will you please sit down?
No, Presiding Chairman.
(MURMURING)
What did you say?
A man's life is at stake.
Not an American life, not a Chinese life.
A man's life.
In such circumstances what I am asking is not an unreasonable request.
(XU ANSWERING IN MANDARIN)
I will decide what is reasonable and unreasonable.
Now sit down.
I said, sit down.
The matter is decided.
The court is not interested in the testimony of such witnesses.
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
I am.
You are what?
I am interested in hearing. What about you?
(PEOPLE MURMURING)
I have already ruled.
MALE INTERPRETER: Why not?
Presiding Chairman, the vote on this matter is two to one.
With the approval of the court, I summon Huan Minglu as a witness.
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
What's happening? What's going on?
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
You cut the sound. I've lost the sound again!
It's okay. The Procurator General wishes to see me.
Why do they want you?
Trust me. Everything will be okay.
I'll be right back.
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
FEMALE INTERPRETER: Be seated.
I declare the People's Beijing Intermediate Court
hearing criminal case 4116 once again open.
Defense advocate is not present.
Nor is her legal aide.
Then the witness should step down.
No, wait a minute.
XU: Yes, accused Moore?
I believe I'm entitled to question this witness.
Your right to question has been previously established.
You may do so, briefly and to the point.
(SPEAKING IN MANDARIN)
I cannot sign it.
At approximately 2:00 a.m. on the morning of the murder,
records indicate you received a call from an unlisted cell phone.
You remember who made that call?
Irrelevant! This is a waste of the court's time.
XU: You may proceed, accused Moore, but please be direct
or even your friends, the People's Assessors, may lose their patience.
Do you remember who called you?
It was the wrong number.
"Wrong number"?
Then why did the call last five minutes?
Maybe it was someone talkative, like the accused.
Presiding Chairman, would you instruct the witness
to wipe the smirk off his face?
I cannot sign it.
Then you'll be dismissed of your duties and disciplined.
Accused Moore, I am losing my patience.
Get to the point before I dismiss the witness.
Have you ever served as a guard for any government official?
Yes.
Have you ever met Minister Lin Shou?
XU: Irrelevant.
Have you ever met General Hong or his daughter?
XU: Irrelevant.
I have already ruled against this line of questioning.
All right. As an officer in the PSB,
did you ever work in a prison...
Beyond the scope of this hearing. XU: Sustained.
Are you finished?
No, I am not!
On the evening of April 10, did not you and two accomplices rough me up
in Detention Center Number One?
Beyond the scope of this hearing.
XU: Sustained. On April 11th,
while I was sitting in a PSB car in Dazhalan
did you not attack me and my attorney?
Irrelevant.
I have not finished this line of questioning.
I have lost my patience.
Why will you not let this witness answer my questions?
He just sits there, laughing at me!
Laughing and lying!
Where's my attorney?
Causing too much trouble? Is that why you dragged her out?
You are in contempt. If that's the case,
why don't you let her go and stay with me?
You've already measured my coffin! I said you are in contempt!
You think I give a shit? Are you gonna shoot me twice?
Let my attorney go and take me.
I don't have any money, but my shoes will pay for the bullet.
Put a nice drop cloth down. Put a bullet right in the back of my head.
Do it right here. Bullet in the back of my head!
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Do it right here right now! I don't want to wait!
(WOMAN SPEAKING IN MANDARIN)
FEMALE INTERPRETER: We will now proceed to final arguments
if Procurator Ma is prepared.
MALE INTERPRETER: Presiding Chairman...
(SPEAKING IN MANDARIN)
For you.
Your lawyer is very persuasive.
Presiding Chairman, I wish to call an additional witness.
This has no precedent.
I have already ruled.
(MAN CHATTERING IN MANDARIN)
...multibillion-dollar satellite undertaking.
Presiding Chairman,
I apologize to the court.
I request the court's permission to call an additional witness.
I have already ruled.
The foreigner is making a mockery of the People's Court.
Presiding Chairman, I implore you!
I recognize that I have tried the court's patience.
I promise you it will not happen again.
This witness is in a position to have unique knowledge
of the proceedings of this case.
Not to call him
would call into question the proceedings of this case altogether.
Please.
Presiding Chairman, please, just one more witness.
Request denied.
Presiding Chairman,
the Procurator General has given his permission to call another witness.
Presiding Chairman, I would like to call Minister...
Presiding Chairman, I would like to call Lin Dan.
There is no foundation for this witness.
(MURMURS)
Lin Dan, please take the witness stand.
You made use of the criminal code I gave you.
Speak English. I know you can.
Congratulations on your recent appointment
as principal Chinese programming partner
for HoffCo Telekomm's joint venture with the Chinese government.
Thank you.
JACK: Wonderful opportunity.
Yes.
Would it be accurate to say
that my own company, McAndrews Communications
was HoffCo Telekomm's principal competitor
for that recently awarded contract?
I suppose so.
You suppose so. Okay.
Would it also be accurate to say that you had no guarantee
of an equivalent payoff from McAndrews?
Presiding Chairman, "Payoff" has negative connotation.
Let me rephrase.
McAndrews Communications did not offer you an equivalent position.
That had not been discussed.
This has nothing to do with Hong Ling's murder.
It has everything to do with Hong Ling's murder.
Would you say my indictment
was responsible for McAndrews Communications losing that deal?
Why does the court permit this?
You used her. And you sacrificed her.
To sabotage the deal your father was completing with McAndrews.
With whom he had a long personal relationship.
It could've left you in the cold.
These are not questions.
But this is.
What was the nature of your relationship with Hong Ling?
I had no relationship with Hong Ling.
None at all?
Would you like to reconsider that statement?
I knew her, I knew of her family, but there was no relationship.
"No relationship." How do you explain this?
This is Hong Ling's locket.
She wore it the night of the murder. It just turned up.
Inside is a picture of General Hong.
Inside of that,
there is a charming photograph
of Hong Ling and...you.
XU: Accused Moore, let me see this evidence.
Please share that with the People's Assessors.
They seem a little more interested now.
Also, Procurator Ma. You're not smiling so much.
Why would there be a photograph of you and Hong Ling inside her locket?
There was no relationship.
I knew her the way many men knew her.
The way you knew her.
YUELIN: But you did know her?
Answer me. I knew her a long time ago.
I had not talked to her
since I can't remember when.
JACK: "Can't remember when"?
Will you enter the phone records into evidence, please?
On the night Hong Ling was killed
three calls were made from this number
and two calls were received.
Objection!
The first call received was from Hong Ling early that night.
Then later, around 2:00 a.m.,
a call was made for a number registered to Huan Minglu.
You're out of order.
At 3:10 a.m., the second call made was to a number registered
to Hong Ling. What do these telephone numbers...
At 5:41 a.m., a call was apparently received from Huan Minglu.
At 5:46 a.m.,
a two-minute call was made from this number to police headquarters.
Presiding Chairman, this is chaos. I will have you removed.
Do you own a cellular telephone? Yes or no?
I do.
What is the number of that phone?
I am not a secretary, I rarely call myself, so I would need to check it.
Is the number of your cell phone 517857?
No, it is not.
You're quite sure, even though you rarely call yourself?
Yes, I am quite sure.
Who do you think has that number? 517857?
(INTERPRETER SPEAKING MANDARIN)
Is the telephone number yours, Minister Lin Shou?
It is my number.
Don't, Father.
Don't what? I'm not afraid.
Why are you afraid?
You used your father's phone 'cause you knew the records of an official
can be withheld. Hong Ling was supposed to set me up.
Whatever it was, she changed her mind.
Then someone got in there and drugged me with chloroform.
Isn't that what happened?
Was it Huan Minglu?
XU: Such speculation is out of order.
She resisted!
She ended up dead!
He killed her, didn't he?
She got killed, and I got set up!
I wasn't there. Ask him.
What did he just say?
That's what Hong Ling said that night, over and over.
He is saying da guar.
Hong Ling said, "Da guar, women de guanxi wan la."
It means "big shot," like a minister or an important business person.
"Big shot, our deal is off."
Or maybe...
"Our relationship is over."
YUELIN: Are you known to your friends as Da Guar?
The court is dismissed.
Presiding Chairman, I request... I lost sound again!
I request this session be reopened and my client be released!
(SPEAKING MANDARIN)
He said it again!
You can't let them take you out of this room!
What's he saying? "Huan Minglu's the killer. Arrest him."
(SPEAKING IN MANDARIN)
Did he confess?
He just said it was all Lin Dan's idea!
Hong Ling was supposed to drug you.
Then he would photograph you with a young girl, embarrass you.
You must reconvene the court
and allow my client to be free!
Arrest Lin Dan!
Did you hear what I said?
He said he's sorry he caused you so much trouble.
XU: In keeping with the laws of the People's Republic of China,
the guilty parties have now confessed to the crime
of conspiracy and murder, namely, the death of Hong Ling.
The court would particularly like to thank
all levels of party and government leadership involved in this case,
for their diligence and professionalism.
The justice accorded will be swift
as it will be fair and impartial.
Her tragic murder would not have been solved had it not been...
ED: Mr. Moore.
We never had any doubt.
We were always there for you behind the scenes.
You really believe this shit, don't you?
What did you say?
I said, "Go to hell."
YUELIN: I have to take my grandmother to the country.
You should see me. I love to be there.
I'll miss you.
There are so many beautiful and remarkable things here.
Yes. I know.
When I was a child, I would come to this park and play.
Do you know why the bamboo is here?
It is waiting for the wind to touch it.
It is filled with emotions.
Listen to the sounds, and you can feel them.
Come with me.
You know I cannot.
Change your mind. I know you can. I've seen it.
For now, especially now, I must stay here.
I am needed to make it better.
You understand.
So, do we just say good-bye now,
like nothing has happened?
No.
Something did happen.
My life has changed.
You have opened up.
You are a part of my life now, Jack Moore.
I'll never be the same.
Neither will I.
I hope I'm a part of your life now.
Wherever we are.
(SPEAKS MANDARIN)
You should go.
Yeah.
Remember, everything is different now.
Now you have someone on the other side of the world who is family.
You will always have a family.
(LAUGHS)