Communication between self and self...
...between self and others, may take many forms.
Dreams are a language which we may learn to interpret.
Our deeper self talking to our self.
The needs, the sensations, the flights of fancy of others...
...impinging on our own.
Take heed not to disregard these communications...
...but rather, listen and hear what they have to say.
Your tread must be light and sure...
...as though your path were upon rice paper.
It is said a Shaolin priest can walk through walls.
Looked for, he cannot be seen. Listened for, he cannot be heard.
Touched, he cannot be felt. This rice paper is the test.
Fragile as the wings of the dragonfly, clinging as the cocoon of the silkworm.
When you can walk its length and leave no trace...
...you will have learned.
Thank you.
What will you do now?
Stay here for a time, if I may.
Allow me to offer advice.
Leave.
- Go elsewhere. - Why?
There are emanations of evil in this place.
- Evil? - Yes.
Perhaps the spirits of this soil are not right for us.
There is danger.
It is present when we work, and it does not stop when we sleep.
You do not go elsewhere?
I am too old to search for other places.
But you, you should.
Is there work to be had?
Far more than a man can do...
...for less than he should be paid.
I do not seek wealth.
What then, huh?
Exhaustion? Peril?
That is all a man can find in this place.
Is it?
Have I not already found...
...a friend?
You sure look like you could use the work. The pay's 75 cents a day.
Of that, we keep 30 for feeding you, 10 for work clothes.
That leaves 35 for me.
You count too fast. You haven't been hired yet.
You said you needed men to lay track.
I know what I said.
Pete.
Yeah?
- New john, huh? - Yeah, wants to be.
Well?
This one wasn't sent to us. He just walked in.
Oh, I see.
- What do you think? - Damion will be very interested.
That's what I thought.
- What is Damion? - He's an investigator for the railroad.
Let's go.
Come in.
Damion, we might have something for you.
New john, walked in out of nowhere, asked to be put on tracklaying.
- Chinese? - Big one.
All right. Let's take a look at him.
- And get Joe. - Go on in.
You're not full Chinese, are you?
My father was American.
Like you.
Joe?
All right. Now, do you recognize this man?
Are you sure, Joe? Now, it was dark when you saw him.
Yeah, but it lit up.
And I saw the face clear. And I ain't never gonna forget it.
This ain't him.
All right. Thanks.
- What's your name? -I am Caine.
- I'm sorry, I have to check everyone. - Why?
We've had a series of explosions around here.
That's how the boy was hurt.
Someone's trying to roll up our track and maybe us along with it.
I could not do such a thing.
I am sorry any man can.
This man is a will-o'-the-wisp.
One minute, he's here. The next, he's gone.
-I hope you can stop him. - I'll stop him.
You're free to go, Caine.
What do we do with him?
You said he wanted to work. Let him work.
All right, come on. Put that tie down.
Get that rail down here. Come on. Come on, move it there.
Move it along. Honest day's work, honest day's wages.
Come on. You're getting paid good wages. Move it out.
Come on. Come on.
Pick it up. Pick it up. Come, come, come, come.
Get that lined up there. That's it.
Move it along.
Honest day's work, honest day's wages. Come on.
All right, line it up. Come on, move it.
I will work more slowly.
No, no. The foreman will be angry with you...
...as he is with me.
Then they will take more money from your pay.
Come on, swing that sledge, old man.
You people down there, what are you doing?
Come on, get up here, go to work.
They are worse with us...
...since our countryman has caused them trouble.
What do you know of this man?
He strikes with the surprise of a snake and the strength of a tiger.
Is it strength to use explosions to harm a small boy?
All of us are harmed.
If one Chinese brings evil, they expect evil from all Chinese.
Please, take this.
They permit us this.
They know we will work twice as hard once we are refreshed.
Here, you can get rid of them rags you got on.
Come on, let's go. Get up. Get up, old man. Let's go. Hurry up.
- Let's go. - Where are we going?
- I'm putting you on guard duty at the bridge. - Guard duty?
- I'm very tired. - Well, maybe I'll give you...
...an easier shift tomorrow. Come on, now.
Not you. I don't know about you yet.
Please...
...come closer.
You wear the robes of a Shaolin master.
They are my own.
Master Li?
We could not be sure you were alive.
As you see...
I had heard that you were in this country.
Your exploits have preceded you.
You do me honor.
May one ask why you left China?
Fleeing the same enemy as yourself, master.
The emperor.
A most imperfect movement, Disciple Caine.
Fortune, not skill, achieved the result.
May I be instructed, Master Li?
Let us repeat the movements.
You see?
Yes. I will try to improve, master.
Kwan Li of the family of Kwan Chou of the province of Hupeh?
Yes.
A message for you.
- Speak. - It was the order of the emperor...
-...that you be killed. - Why?
Your family has been decreed guilty of treason.
That is not true.
The emperor's edict makes it the truth...
...whatever the truth.
Does my family still live?
Their death was to follow quickly upon yours.
-I must go to Hupeh. - At once.
Forgive me if I have injured you.
Do you know that [ have sent for you?
I felt it.
Do you wish to learn why?
If such is your wish.
You have been in the work camp. Have you heard nothing?
They search for a man who has done harm to the railroad.
You have found him.
But you are not this man.
You are Shaolin.
You could not follow such a path.
For any reason?
For any reason.
Your clothes are in tatters.
Please...
...take these.
You are kind.
We will speak again. I will come to you.
You do me honor.
Go now.
Come on, get this man out of here! Come on, let's hurry up. Hurry up!
Get him out. Hurry!
Come on, let's get some shovels, and let's get these guys out of here.
Hurry up. Let's get some men. Get these shovels. Come on.
- Is he hurt badly? - Yes, very badly.
I'm sorry.
What kind of thing is it...
...to take an old man on guard duty after a long day's labor?
I'm not the track boss.
How bad is the damage?
The bridge is a complete wreck. We've lost a week, at least.
- That'll make somebody very happy. - You sure he ain't the one?
No, but I think he knows more than we do.
I could prod him a little.
That's my job.
Caine?
Come on, you men, let's go.
- Gets worse and worse. - Worse?
People hurt, damaged. He's like a ghost.
But he has been seen.
That doesn't seem to bother him. He was seen again tonight.
Yet they do not know him.
You know what they say. All Chinese look alike to white men.
And you?
Let me get one look at him.
No Chinese ever seen him?
None that'll talk about him.
That is, perhaps, understandable.
Is it?
- You left the camp this afternoon. - Yes.
Do you mind telling me where you went?
- For a walk in the woods. - And?
Then I came back.
You walk very quietly.
Now, that's one thing that they say this man I'm looking for does also.
Yet Joe has told you I am not that man.
Is there a doctor?
They don't think we need a doctor.
But they think we need an investigator.
I must attend my friend.
Work for the railroad and return a rich man to Siangfan.
You see how rich I have become.
And I may never see Siangfan again.
You cannot be certain.
I cannot believe--
Believe the man who did all this damage is Chinese.
He would not hurt us.
My master.
You do not wear the garments I gave you.
No, master.
They were made for my nephew.
Has he grown so tall?
You remember him.
I remember.
If only he would cry out his grief, his rage.
Did he see the slaughter?
He saw it.
Father, mother, two brothers...
...his sister, dragged from the house and killed before his eyes.
The whole family?
All but the boy.
How was he spared?
A whim of destiny.
He had climbed a tall tree in the garden, dared the highest limb.
It was then the soldiers came.
He has not eaten since, and I am worried for him.
It is not food that he needs now.
He would have been 17.
Would have been?
He's dead.
He was crushed to death under the wheels of the railroad.
May his spirit be at rest.
Mine is not.
He was the last of my family.
No seed remains to link us to the future.
We are removed from the earth for all time.
It is said the soul may be reborn.
None may know that for certain.
No, master.
Shall I tell you why I sent for you?
If such is your wish.
May a man love, Kwai Chang?
As you have loved your nephew.
And may a man also hate?
We are taught this is the human condition.
I will destroy the railroad.
It is said the way avoids destruction.
I destroy the destroyer, iron and steel.
More than iron and steel are destroyed.
Who is he?
His name is Han Tsung.
He was injured last night in the explosion.
He will not live.
One man.
There were many before him.
The railroad has killed thousands.
Are you asking me to join you?
I gave you the garment of one who was to me as a child of my own flesh.
You could fill his place.
Venerable master...
...that is why I cannot wear the garments.
Cannot?
Say it, will not.
You--
- How is the old man? - Asleep.
Where were you when the bridge blew up last night?
Here.
- Anybody with you? - Yes, we all heard it.
Do you always go barefoot?
- Yes. - Why?
I do not like shoes.
This is a piece of fuse wire, and I found it down by the bridge.
Now, it's the first time our mystery man has left anything behind...
...and maybe he's getting a little careless, a little cocky, but he also left...
...a bare footprint where I found this.
The footprint is not mine.
That will be very easy to prove. How do you feel about all this?
About the track being blown up? Men being hurt?
I do not like it.
But you won't help me find the man who's done it.
It is not my place.
Will it be your place to bury that old man if he dies?
Is your cup empty?
Master.
I walk among them.
I sit.
They cannot see me.
How can they stop me?
Tea.
I'm sorry to hear about the old man.
He's not the first to die working for the railroad.
You can't blame his death on the railroad.
- No. - But someone else does.
Is that it?
You're not a tracklayer, Caine. Now, what brought you to Station 4317?
My own...
...path.
And that path, I suppose, has no connection with the mystery man?
Do you approve of what he's doing?
He does not care if I approve or disapprove.
If you find this man who is doing these things...
...what will you do to him?
They'll put him on trial, and if he's found guilty, hang him.
Please, excuse me.
Sir.
You are Damion?
- Yes. - The investigator for the railroad?
That's right.
You are well armed.
Do I know you?
You must answer that.
Well, what do you want?
To be of service to you.
How?
Take your rifle.
- Why? - This man you are looking for...
...I know him.
- You know him? - And can lead you to him.
- Now? - Yes.
Follow me.
- How do you know him? -I have dealt with him.
- Helped him? - He needs no help.
Who are you?
I am a john.
Is that your name?
You are not interested in my name.
You want the man who blows up bridges.
Yeah?
I am looking for Mr. Damion.
He ain't here.
Where is he?
I don't know. He went off somewhere with the tea john.
Just the two of them?
I didn't see no one else.
It is not far now.
Are you afraid?
I asked you before. Who are you?
It is of no matter.
We are here.
- There's no one here. - No one?
You.
- Yes.
I am the man you are looking for.
I don't believe you.
I think you do.
All right, I do.
Why do you do this?
You must be shown the weakness you take for strength.
If this man dies...
-...others will take his place. - Stronger?
They will not yield.
Are they Shaolin masters?
No.
Do you believe you can stop me?
I will have to try.
Kwan Li, stop.
I am not Kwan Li.
- May I go? - Go.
Kwai Chang, I called you here.
Now I tell you...
...leave.
Who is he, Caine?
How many other people is he gonna kill?
You tried to stop him.
You can do no more.
I can do one thing.
- Pete? - Yeah, Damion.
Arrest this man.
- Caine? But he-- - You heard me. Lock him up.
Come on out, Caine. Damion wants to see you.
I would like to see him.
Nothing bothers you, does it?
It would seem that way to you.
Over there.
Let's take a ride.
How do you feel?
A question I must ask you.
You save my life, I throw you in jail, and you're not angry?
Are you not holding me for a purpose?
I guess you know you're the only hope I have of bringing him in.
Can I count on you?
Why should I do this?
Maybe because you feel enough outrage at the harm he's causing.
I could feel the same outrage at the railroad.
I should quit.
I'm no match for him.
It is true. You are not.
Trying to cheer me up?
I was at his mercy yesterday.
I was frightened.
Didn't help having two guns and a knife.
He would've finished me off if you hadn't shown up.
How'd you happen to follow us?
That is between me and him, not you.
You can't leave me out of it. I wanna back you up.
- What? - There must be things that you want.
Things that I can get you. Not me, but the people who hired me.
They want to track this man down, and they can be very generous.
I am not a bounty hunter.
I wasn't talking about money.
So...
...you do not capture him, but you have me.
Let's walk.
There are ways of getting rid of this.
The men who run this railway have a lot of influence.
They could get a crime off the books.
A crime committed in China?
If they could pull it off, you'd be a free man.
And for this questionable freedom...
...I must surrender my friend?
Your friend?
Remember, I saw the two of you together.
Would he be as scrupulous about you?
Yes.
What would happen if I turned you in?
I would be sent back to China.
And be beheaded.
I'm not a sheriff.
I don't work for the government.
You must do what your conscience tells you.
What do you owe this man?
Much.
I would say so.
You are still here.
As you see.
Despite my order.
The investigator has asked me to betray you.
Betray me.
It is of no consequence.
Hi, what's this?
We feel refreshed when we drink tea.
I thought you would like coffee.
Thank you, john. I was about to fall asleep.
It smells good.
Pass me a cup of that.
Oh, that looks good too.
That's good.
Good and strong.
You know, Pete, what this really needs is a good shot of whiskey.
Then you will fall asleep, Stanley.
I didn't think that was funny.
- You didn't think so? - No.
I thought it was funny.
I thought it was very funny.
-I still think it's a great idea. - Yeah, we should do this every night.
With the shot of whiskey.
You have been taught that you dare not disobey your master.
Yet I must if I believe my master is wrong.
I am Shaolin, but I am also a man.
I feel pain, grief, the sorrow of loss.
- How can we question the ways of destiny? -I can and do.
All we may question are the ways of men.
Are not emperors men?
Was it not men that built the train that crushed my nephew to death?
And may a man not strike back?
There will be people in here in the morning.
- Company men, bosses. - Men.
And outside, those you are doing this for...
...you will kill them too.
I must stop you.
You of all men, the last I would wish to harm.
You are the master.
I am the student.
I wear the garments of the nephew you have loved.
Yet if I were he, if I were your son...
...still, I should do this.
I must.
You insist.
Let it be.
Now call the investigator to arrest me.
I only meant to show you what you yourself have taught me.
No man is omnipotent.
It is not for me now to tell you what to do.
You are the master.
You got paid.
- Looks like you're ready to leave. - Yes.
Settled what I had to.
Did you go into the headquarters building last night?
What does it matter?
Well, somebody left all this, and we found it this morning.
Nobody saw him, as usual.
Now, wait. Aren't you gonna tell me how you did it?
It is nothing to do with you.
But the results do.
I had a conference with the bosses this morning.
I made a few suggestions.
Nothing much, just safer working conditions.
A doctor in the camp.
They wouldn't listen.
Perhaps they will when the explosions end.
No.
I didn't deliver a culprit. They wanted a carcass.
They, too, look for revenge.
Yeah.
Joe. Joe, let me help you with that.
Please, I do not need this.
Thanks.
I've done my last job for the railroad.
You will improve nothing by going away.
But I don't have to be a part of it.
I think that's something I picked up from you.
I said that?
You don't have to put everything in words.
Can I give you a ride?
I thank you.
But I think it is better that I go my own way.
Why? Where are you going?
I may never know.