Animals (2026) Movie Script

[dramatic music playing]
- Rolling, as they say. [Laughs]
- Rolling, all right. Yes. [Chuckles]
- [sighs] You know the
- [man coughs] I know the drill.
- Yes, um
- Okay.
Mark Kimball.
I'm running for the mayor
of Los Angeles as an independent.
Uh, Mr. Kimball, so let's start with,
um, what made you wanna run.
I wanted to run
[clicks tongue] because I
I wanna help people.
- [car horns honking]
- I grew up here.
This is my city.
This is home for me.
It's home for my family,
and my son will grow up here.
We have to live up
to the promise of Los Angeles.
This city's made up
of all different kinds of people,
but we're all here,
trying to build the same thing.
The life that we dreamed of.
- How long you been in business?
- 33 years.
What's the most important thing
you'd like to see change?
What do you care about the most?
[crowd chattering]
[Mark] I believe
the people deserve a mayor
who works for each and every one of them.
[speaks Spanish]
Looking good, my friend.
LA!
We in Los Angeles know full well
that our lives,
everything that we've built, are fragile.
We watched our skies darken
and our hillsides burn,
and we held our breath as flames
swept through our neighborhoods.
And we stood together to protect
what we hold dear,
our families and our homes.
Some of the very foundations
of our core values feel threatened today.
I believe leadership
has never been more important.
The strength of this city is our bond
and our common humanity.
- Each child is precious.
- [chattering]
Each family is deserving of safety.
When we embrace those values,
we bravely choose hope over fear.
We become the very best version
of ourselves.
[interviewer] Tell the voters,
who is Mark Kimball?
My father was the first member
of our family to go to college.
When other kids graduated,
went off to Wall Street,
I became a teacher.
When I was at Watts on 112th Street,
when I was on the LAPD's task force
to protect children,
when I worked with the DA's office,
the public defender's office,
when I was a lawyer
and filed the Environmental Action Act,
fighting for clean drinking water
for the people in this city,
when I was in the first Gulf War,
enlisted to serve my country,
I did my best to walk in the shoes
of as many people as I could.
I believe the people of Los Angeles
deserve a mayor who respects
each and every one of them.
It would be an honor to be elected mayor,
and the biggest asset I have
as a candidate is my partner.
I think we're a team
that has an enormous amount to give
and that believes in service to this city.
And I will be transparent with you.
I will not lie to you as your mayor.
I humbly thank you for your time today.
- God bless Los Angeles.
- [cheering]
I look forward to seeing you
when I'm elected. [Chuckles]
[train whistle blows]
[Mark] Yes, we had
the super fund site declared.
It mandates an entire area has
to be clean.
You know, there are rules that go
with that. There are regulations.
We didn't write them.
Look, I think all this talk
is really a corporation
that's hiding behind small businesses,
rather than facing the consequences
of having contaminated drinking water.
That's a big win for Kimball Law.
We got them held accountable,
and now this is just claiming
some small businesses were impacted
to get this overturned.
This is entirely irrelevant.
- [metal clanks]
- [buzzer sounds]
[exhales]
- Hi, Ceci.
- [Ceci] Good morning.
- [woman laughs] Yes.
- [laughs]
[gasps] Oh, these are gorgeous.
- Thank you.
- Oh.
- Look.
- Oh, they're perfect. Thank you.
- Look.
- He should be down any second.
Of course.
- Uh, Mrs. Abby.
- Yeah.
Can I speak with you for a moment?
[Abby] Of course.
- Is it about Ramon?
- [laughing]
- I'm sorry.
- It's okay.
But I forgot to tell you
something very important.
- Okay.
- In Mexico, he's a capataz.
- I don't know what that is.
- Um, it's like a captain of a farm.
Very skilled, work with the land, rancher.
He can do anything. Believe me.
Ceci you know
we would do anything for you.
We adore you.
But Mark is
under a lot of scrutiny right now,
and he can't enforce laws
that he doesn't abide.
I'm so sorry.
But also I'm really happy for you, Ceci,
because you are in love.
- [laughs] Yes.
- [Abby] He sounds amazing.
And I'm sure he will find something.
He's an amazing dad, just like Mr. Mark.
He raises his son Hector alone.
'Cause Hector's mother died from cancer.
He leaves this place
when he supervises 30 men
to take care of Hector.
And Denny met him the other day,
and he likes him too.
You know what?
I can ask some other families.
Maybe there's somebody who doesn't
have the same restrictions we have.
- [boy] Mom!
- Yeah.
- Hey, sweetie, you ready?
- Hey! Denny!
Hey!
- Hi, baby.
- Hi.
Hey.
- I love you.
- I love you too.
- [chattering]
- [Mark] Champ!
[panting] Hey.
Hold on one sec.
Come inside.
I got something to show you.
I don't know if you still have
any interest in this, but
It did show up. Uh
- You got it!
- [laughs] Yes.
Check it out. Aww.
Oh my God.
- I know, right?
- This is dope.
Got a couple sizes,
just in case they run big. You know?
- Thanks, Dad.
- Oh!
I love you, dude.
Hey, I'm sorry
I haven't been around much lately.
- It's good. I understand.
- Yeah?
You're such a good kid. Mm!
- Go get 'em.
- All right.
Oh, hey, they have a weapons rule
at the school, right?
We're coming back after school.
I can pick it up then.
Yeah, that's a good call.
Keep it safe. All right?
- All right.
- [Mark] Got it.
- [Denny] Love you, Dad.
- I love you, my dude! [Exhales]
You know I asked Suzie
to make him a ninja costume.
I do. I was not thinking of that
at the time, and he really wanted it.
I haven't been around.
I felt guilty, so I got it for him.
Maybe next time, tell me.
Yeah [exhales]
Well, it's I'll try.
There's a lot going on, you know?
Right.
Well, it's good. He's happy.
[exhales] Abby.
- Hey.
- Yeah?
Did you talk to Cecilia about Ramon?
Yes, I did.
Apparently now he's a capataz or rancher.
Capataz. Yeah,
it's like a guy who, you know
- Horses and shoots varmints, you know.
- [sighs]
I'm sure he's qualified. It's not that.
- I'd like to help the guy out.
- No, I agree.
Okay, well, you know, it's the law.
We can't ignore it because we disagree.
No, that's almost exactly
what I said to her, word for word.
Oh, well, then why is it that I feel
like I end up the bad guy here?
Oh, Mark, not everybody's gonna like you.
It's okay.
[inhales]
- [man] Hello.
- Yeah, I'm almost there.
I'm on La Brea and, uh, Rosewood.
Did... did the poll numbers come in?
She should have it
by the time we get there.
So, they go to, what's her name,
on the secret iPad thing, right?
- Nobody sees it before we...
- No, I think they'll be good.
I'm at a light here. Okay, great.
Just pick one of 'em and do it. Hey!
So, Brooke has the numbers now, correct?
- [advisor] Yeah.
- Okay, great.
- [Mark] Hey! Hey, team, how's it going?
- [cheering]
[Mark] How are you? How are ya?
- Can you approve these?
- [Mark] Yeah.
- [chattering]
- [woman] They're fine?
- Let's see it.
- [man] That's good work.
[exhales]
- [man 2] Social media would be great too.
- [woman 2 laughs] Would be good.
Those are great.
Those are great. Great work.
Thank you. Keep it up, guys!
You are great!
- You're doing great!
- [all cheer]
- [woman 3] Yeah!
- [exhales]
Fuck!
- I'm losing, man.
- [exhales]
By less than four points.
[mutters] Fucking
That was a big, big fucking spend, man.
I know we didn't wanna borrow
against any more,
but it doesn't touch the money.
It's frozen. It's collateral.
And once you win,
you raise that back in three nights,
then you pay down the debt.
You won't even have to trade
or touch that money.
It's literally all our savings.
And it'll be there.
Look, the strategy is working. The message
is landing when it reaches the voters.
It's just people are expensive to reach.
This is why assholes run as independents,
because the party
doesn't pay your debt down.
To be unaffiliated with all the bullshit
people associate with parties,
that is the piece...
I know.
I've been giving this speech all day.
[exhales] God.
Look, you've come this far,
and I strongly believe that you will win.
And if we have enough gas in the tank
for this last push
I'm not gonna spend
almost all my money to almost win.
It's just I want you to understand
this is a big fucking risk, man.
This is a big swing.
[exhales]
History's made with big swings.
[Mark groans]
[sighs] Dude, I cannot be a dishonest
asshole like my father.
- I need to tell Abby...
- That I do not advocate.
You're gonna bring conflict into the house
over a non-issue if you win?
- If you get hit by a truck and you lose...
- I cannot lose.
I will be broke.
My wife, who I love, will leave me, okay?
- I cannot fucking lose this election.
- Mark!
You are not gonna lose the election.
You are the right person,
and I am fucking great at this job.
[Mark inhales]
Down six points with Latino...
Half that ad buy was me speaking Spanish.
You are running against a Latin woman.
She doesn't speak Spanish.
She's got three bribery convictions.
No one gives a fuck
about being corrupt, Mark.
They believe that she is on their side.
We need to show them that you are.
Well [exhales]
There's no more money. That's it.
[exhales] The... the event tonight
is the single largest
Latino endorsement in the city.
You can close this tonight.
[Mark] This isn't about the money we won.
That's... that's not what this is about.
It's about how do you teach
these huge mega companies
that they can't treat
the San Fernando Valley like a dump
and just dispose of whatever,
you know, battery acids they want
into the something that ends up
in the groundwater.
I understand that there's
this sort of excuse that,
well, what about other small,
local, regional, et cetera, et cetera
[Abby] Are you in here to fix
your relationship with him
or to fix your relationship with yourself?
[woman] I know.
I know I have to fix my relationship
to myself first. I know.
- [Abby] Uh-huh.
- [laughs]
Do you know why we have to start there?
I guess it's like put your
mask on before someone else's.
You also can't control any
of his choices or behaviors.
I don't know what else I can do.
Like, I know I guess I have to find
the courageous voice inside, but, like
I feel like, why can't, uh, he do that?
Why does it have to be me?
I don't... it's not fair.
[chuckles]
Psst.
Hi.
Hi.
- Come here.
- [chuckles]
[laughs]
Mm. [Sighs]
Mm.
[man] Mm.
[Abby chuckles]
- I missed you.
- [sighs]
[exhales] Okay. Okay, what's so crazy
that you can't tell me
on Signal? [Chuckles]
Uh
I moved out last night.
Really?
I did. To be with you.
Oh, oh, oh, we I thought we were gonna
have a plan? [Chuckles]
I get it. You're right. You're right.
[exhales, chuckles] Wow.
- Ron. [Exhales]
- Hey. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay.
- Breathe, baby, breathe. [Chuckles]
- [laughs]
- [sighs]
- This is what something good feels like.
- Right? Right?
- [laughs] Right. Yes. Um
And you deserve to feel good, right?
[Abby exhales]
I'm just dying
to be with you, baby. [Laughs]
I'm dying to be with you.
I've never felt this way before.
Is she okay?
She will be.
Well, what about Denny?
Does wanting to be happy
make you a bad mom?
Walking away from his dad at this moment?
Don't let him use you like a prop.
That's not fair.
- It is what it is. You know how it goes.
- That's not fair. [Sighs]
I can't do that to my family right now.
You only get one life.
And I would share mine with you.
In a one-bedroom on La Brea.
[gasps]
[Abby sighs]
[sighs]
- I'm gonna try without the jacket.
- Okay.
I think it's, you know what I mean?
It's a little bit like stiff.
- [camera beeps, clicks]
- It's casual. You know what I mean?
[photographer] Relatable.
Relatable, right?
[Denny] Dad!
Hey!
- Where's my costume?
- [Mark mutters]
Right where we left it, in the office.
-[exhales] Hello, Mr. Mark.
-Hey, Cecilia.
Can you do me a favor
and help him get this costume on?
- Sure, yes.
- It's got a bunch of like
You know what I mean? Stuff.
- Hey.
- Hey. [Sighs]
Is he getting changed?
Yeah, he's doing his whole
getting the whole
Good. Good. [Exhales]
Uh, how are the internal numbers?
- Um, not as good as we'd hope, but
- Oh.
I think, uh, we got momentum.
- Sam thinks it'll close the next few days.
- Hannah's here.
[laughing]
Yeah, she's... we've been
doing some social stuff.
I'm gonna take him, uh, trick-or-treating,
and then we'll get some dinner,
so you should just eat.
Oh wow!
- My goodness!
- Look at you!
- Look at this! Unbelievable, dude.
- [laughs]
- Amazing. I gotta tell you.
- You ready to go?
- [Mark] Spectacular.
- Going with Ceci, right?
Yeah, I have, um
I just have a quick Zoom
that I have to do, an emergency.
With a patient,
so if you guys wanna get started, you can.
- All right, yeah. Is Hector here?
- Oh yes.
- Uh, I'm sorry.
- What?
I didn't ask...
Uh, the time to ask you if it's okay
that Hector comes
with us trick-or-treating.
I thought you were with your boys,
um, Gabe and Seth.
Do you know Hector?
Yeah, I met him last time
me and Ceci went to practice.
And after, we just went
to the Country Mart.
- Oh. All right. You met him one time.
- It's fine. It's okay.
- Have a costume?
- He can come.
- Okay, thank you.
- He can wear the one that Suzie made.
He can wear the other one you got, Dad.
The other Crossbar.
The one that's too big.
Oh. Yeah.
Yeah. Hey, Hector! You can come!
They are here.
Oh, hey, Hector,
you going with these guys?
[Ceci chuckles]
Mr. Mark, Mrs. Abby, Hector.
Let's go, bitch.
Denny.
Hey, what'd we say
about talking that way around mom?
- [Denny] Sorry, Mom!
- You can't talk that way to anybody.
[in Spanish] Good afternoon.
[in English] Hey.
[in Spanish] Are you going
trick-or-treating with the kids?
No, I have a few hours of work nearby.
- That's good.
- [Ramon] Yes.
Yes, thank you.
- [in English] What'd he say?
- Ramon's not going.
- He's got some work nearby.
- [Ceci] Let's go.
All right, let's go.
- All right, guys. All right, my man.
- Wow. Love you.
Have fun. I love you, dude.
Have a good time! Get some candy!
Not too much!
[in Spanish] Stay together.
[in English] He's just trying
to impress this older boy.
- I see it. I see it.
- [car door closes]
[engine turns over]
I'm gonna do the Zoom.
- Okay, great.
- Okay.
[Mark] Hannah, ready for social,
uh, media madness?
[in Spanish] Behave yourself, son.
- [Hannah in English] Chin up.
- Chin.
- This feels ridiculous. This good?
- No, actually, it looks great.
I feel like... are you making fun of me?
- No.
- Okay. Would you vote for me?
- Yes.
- [Mark] Thank you very much.
[crying softly]
[chattering, shouting]
[muffled drums beating]
[man speaks indistinctly over loudspeaker]
- [boy shouts]
- [chattering continues]
[boy 2] Spider-Man! Look, Daddy!
[laughs maniacally]
[in Spanish] Let's go
to the haunted house.
You like it?
[Hector] It's fine.
- [in English] Let's go.
- [Denny] Ready?
[Hector] No, you go.
- Let's go.
- [Hector] I'm good, go.
- No, you go.
- Go, Denny.
Okay. We'll be here. Yes. Go, go!
- [in Spanish] You okay?
- [Hector] Yeah, I'm fine.
[in English] Okay.
[in Spanish] Hector, where are you going?
- [Hector] I'll be right back!
- Aye! This kid
Hector! Hector! Wait for me!
[Mark muttering]
[continues muttering]
[Abby in English] Hey.
[Mark] Hey.
I think I'm gonna go try to find Denny.
Right now?
Seems like he's okay
with Ceci and, uh, Hector.
- Yeah, but, you know [chuckles]
- [sniffles]
How was your, uh, your Zoom?
Oh, it was... it was pretty bad.
It's a... it's a terrible divorce.
- I'm sorry.
- Yeah.
- Hey. Hey.
- [sniffles]
- [Mark] I am sorry.
- [exhales]
[camera shutter clicks]
Oh, Mark.
[Mark] What?
[groans softly] That's not
why I hugged you.
You're not stopping her.
Yeah, well, Sam told her we're light
on "happy couple" shots. She's trying to...
- [advisor] Mark.
- Shocking.
- Your phone's blowing up. [Gasps]
- [chiming]
[vibrating]
[inhales]
- Hello. This is Mark.
- [male voice] Is this Mark Kimball?
- Yes, it is. Who's this?
- Good.
- Shoo. Go. Go home now.
- Listen very carefully.
This is the worst day of your life.
I have your son.
Who the fuck is this?
- [Abby] Who is it?
- This is your worst nightmare. Karma.
I have your son sitting in front of me.
- What?
- Unless you...
Guess what? He's trick-or-treating
with friends, asshole.
Not anymore. I have him now.
- You wanna see him again, you need to pay.
- It's bullshit. Hang up the phone.
If you call the cops,
picture what your son would look like
in a dumpster.
- Who the fuck is this?!
- [advisor] Mark.
- Who the fuck are you?!
- Oh-ho-ho!
Welcome to the nightmare, Mark.
If this is a fucking... let me tell you.
You think this is funny, a fucking joke?!
If this is fucking a joke to you,
I will fucking
[line beeps]
I will... [panting]
- Call Cecilia.
- I don't have my phone. Can you?
- Find your phone. I don't have the number.
- You don't?
- No. Can you please find your phone?
- Okay. It's on the table.
Okay, bring it down, man. This is a prank.
I know. I'm sure it is a fucking prank,
but it's not funny.
- It's not real.
- It's on the couch I think, sweetheart.
- This is fucking bullshit.
- All right, we'll check.
I'm gonna find out
who the fuck is doing this.
- And I'll tell you what
- It's going straight to voicemail.
- [advisor] Bad service. It's the Hills.
- No, I have great service.
I don't get any service in LA.
They don't let them put cell towers up.
It's this 100-year-old cell phone
that she has is the problem.
- No, we just got her a new phone.
- Just try her again.
This has to be a prank.
- Absolutely.
- What if it's not, Mark?
Look, crazy people call the campaign
all the time.
Well, this guy sounds serious.
[advisor sighs] Okay. All right, hold
Guys, hold on, all right?
Just take a second.
Sam, I do not want her taking
our fucking picture right now!
- I'll ask her to leave.
- Did you hear this man's voice?
- Yes.
- Sounds like a crazy person.
- It was disguised. AI.
- Do not gaslight me. I know crazy.
I'm not gaslighting.
Let's not jump to the worst scenario.
- Okay. Where are you going?
- I'm going outside to talk to Sam.
- [Abby] Give me your phone.
- Why?
[Abby] Because...
Just give me your phone, please.
- [Mark] Dude.
- [Sam] Hey.
- What the fuck is this?
- Okay. All right.
This is a very scary moment,
but I need you to understand,
this is five-to-one, a prank, at least.
And I need you to be careful
how you handle this right now.
What do you mean?
It's a desperate opposition play
to see that you're easily fooled,
that they can get you to panic.
- [cell phone rings]
- You gotta get the phone from her.
- Abby! Abby!
- Sir, if this is a prank, just tell us.
It's okay if you tell us.
We... we won't prosecute.
- Give me the phone.
- It's fine. Tell us.
- No!
- Put it on speakerphone.
[panting] Yes. Okay. Okay. Okay.
[male voice] Who just left your property?
That's right, as swipe. I'm watching you.
If she just went to the police,
you cannot imagine the world of agony...
- No, no, no, she just works for us.
- No, no.
She works for us, so we sent her away.
- She's not a threat to you.
- Yeah.
Do exactly
and only what I say, understand?
Yes. Of course.
Listen, if you have our son
- "If"?
- We will do whatever you say.
- You think I'm bluffing?
- [phone vibrates]
- Take a look.
- What is it? What?
Oh God! Mark! Oh God!
What do you want?
What do you want, sir? Please.
Seven million in cash by midnight.
Seven? I ju... it's nighttime.
The banks are closed.
I can't get that...
That much cash right now.
- You're gonna have to just work with...
- In cash. Tonight.
Please, it doesn't work that way.
Just give me a second.
- Please, sir!
- Or your son never comes home alive.
- Do you hear me?
- Yes, yes.
Listen to me. Listen to me.
Can I talk to him, please?
Let me talk to him. I just I really
I want him to hear my voice.
Bitch, shut your fucking mouth.
Get my money or I will cut up his body
and send you the pieces,
and I think I'll start with his liver.
I will fucking kill you
if you touch my son, you cocksucker!
I will rip your fucking head off!
I will fucking kill you!
Please. It's... listen, it's...
It's us that you're mad at.
You are not angry at him.
Do not take this out on him, okay?
Shut off the light
on the gate of your house.
Okay.
And when you have my money,
you turn the light back on.
- Okay.
- You understand?
- Yes. Yes.
- Yes. Yes.
- [line beeps]
- Oh God. Oh God.
- [huffs] How do you turn this light off?
- Okay, stop. Stop.
I will do it. How do we get our money?
We need money tonight.
Getting that money may not be an option.
What do you mean?
Of course it's an option.
Just who do we call? Can we wire it?
[Sam] He said cash.
Okay, well, wiring is basically cash.
It needs to be explained. It's late.
So you call up, say, "Give me my money."
There's a bank somewhere that's open.
If you do a withdrawal like this,
it'll trigger an FBI notification.
I don't care what it does,
as long as it brings my son home.
Getting that much cash from the bank
right now is not an option.
If you tell me again
what is an option about my son's life,
I will rip your fucking face off.
- [Mark] Abby.
- What?
We don't have it.
We... what? We have it.
We don't have it available
to get right now.
What? Call Richard. Get him out of bed.
Get him to give it to you.
[Mark] The bank. It's a bank.
- Find another bank. In London or Dubai.
- [Mark] We don't have the cash.
I can get you $7 million
in cash in one hour.
[Abby] What?
Some campaign problems are so ugly
that the national party
won't even touch it.
That's where this person operates.
I believe she can broker all this safely.
[cell phone rings]
[Mark] Hello. Hello.
- [male voice] Don't let him in the house.
- Who?
The fucking gardener.
Just send him to work out back.
It's Ramon.
- [Mark] Shit. Fuck. All right.
- [Abby] It's Ramon.
[panting]
Fuck. [Gasps]
[panting]
[gasps]
[Mark] Ramon!
Ramon.
[in Spanish] Have you spoken with Cecilia?
No. She asked me to wait here
to take her back home.
Okay, don't worry.
Look. Um
I would like to fix the fence
behind the play area.
You know the one?
Can you take care of that?
I can pay you a hundred dollars.
- Right now?
- Yes.
Oh no, it's quite dark.
Five hundred?
Look, it's important, man.
Do me a favor, please?
My tools are in my truck.
Good, thanks. Thanks, brother.
[in English] Most crimes against
high-net-worth individuals involve people
that work at the house.
[Abby scoffs]
Maybe he tipped somebody off.
You know him well?
- These are concerns.
- [Abby] Stop.
Stop.
Okay, so the, uh [exhales]
lady with the money.
What's... what's the story?
She is a, um, "in case of emergency,
break glass" kind of person.
I know people who've worked with her,
and she's very good.
Okay, and these people were happy
with the, you know, results?
Yeah, I mean, all things considered.
Okay, let's call her.
Guys, she's very good.
She's very discreet,
but she's very expensive.
Expensive is not an issue.
Just for her to bring over money,
her fee is 20%.
- [Abby] Great. Yes.
- $7 million you're borrowing.
- Plus 1.4 on top, nonrefundable...
- Yes, we can do the math, Sam.
- Call her. We have it.
- [Sam sighs]
I... I think it might be more meaningful
to your family than you realize.
A lot went into the campaign.
How much?
It's very expensive, so I can't
- How much do we have?
- I don't know.
It doesn't matter. We have the house.
Collateral. We have the money.
- We have the house?
- Yes.
Just the house?
A campaign like this
is very expensive to run.
I know that my husband
would not spend that kind of money
without talking to me first.
You know, the airtime for prime-time
Los Angeles is astronomical.
Dude, stop.
I borrowed more money than I told you
against my father's inheritance
to buy media
to get the message out to the voters
because it was important,
because I couldn't be compromised.
When we win, it'll be very easy to raise
against that money and repay the debt.
However, right now, at this moment,
technically, that money is frozen.
It's not frozen. It's spent.
- It doesn't matter, okay?
- [Abby] It does!
I'm sorry! I should've told you.
Mark, are you telling me that you spent
all of our money on your campaign?!
Let's not have this fucking argument
right now because our son needs help!
- You did this.
- [Mark] Don't do this! Don't blame me.
I didn't know
someone was gonna kidnap our son!
Well, you should have,
'cause you put this fucking target
on our backs!
You think if you weren't running,
they would even have Denny?
You wanna say things now,
you should fucking be careful.
You will never forget it.
If you're gonna blame me for getting
our fucking son kidnapped, Abby!
- It's not my fault!
- Hey! Hey, hey, both of you stop, okay?
You don't have the money.
The only thing that matters is
do you want me to call her, or don't you?
Because once I do,
you owe her the money regardless.
- Yes.
- Yes. Yes.
Okay.
[exhales]
[Sam] Mark, Abigail, this is...
Dayle Burton.
[Abby exhales]
Hello.
This where you want to talk?
No, no, please come in.
- [cell phone rings]
- Answer it.
Say I'm your banker,
here to procure the money.
It's important they think
you don't have it yet.
- Hello.
- [male voice] Think I'm fucking around?
Who just came into your house?
This is my advisor.
She's gonna help us get the money.
Your advisor.
Well, I hope she gives you good advice
because your son is crying.
[line beeps]
Rule one,
say exactly what I tell you to say.
Uh, okay.
- [Dayle] Have you seen proof of life?
- He just said Denny was crying.
[Dayle] I didn't hear anybody crying.
- Have you seen proof of life?
- He texted us a photograph.
Photos don't count.
Do you have the money?
The worst thing you could possibly do
at this stage is to communicate
that you have the money.
He's going to kill my son.
Comply too quickly
and you are demonstrating
that he is in control [sighs]
And that no request will be refused.
Sit down.
- [Mark sighs]
- [beeps]
So for my services,
security, negotiation, capital,
you now owe me 1.4 million,
plus the 7 million I procured,
so that's 8.4 million.
In a fire sale, the house will go for ten,
so the deed will stand as collateral.
I need to hear you say
that you understand and agree.
[both] We understand and agree.
- We have an agreement.
- [beeps]
Your son's life is at stake.
Whatever secrets [sighs]
you've kept from each other
need to come out now.
We need to understand
who might be interested in harming you.
But we all have a few secrets we keep.
I'm not interested in judging.
I just need to know.
So if anyone comes to mind
with a grudge, resentment,
feelings that cross certain lines.
Anything at all
that you can think of. Abigail.
Um [laughs]
No.
[Dayle] Mark.
[sighs] No, I mean, um
The only things that...
That you wouldn't know
I didn't have secrets or whatever, um
Fifteen years ago, before we met,
I had, like, a brief affair
with a woman that was a coworker
at my father's law firm.
When she was fired,
she sued for wrongful termination.
But that's not why she was fired.
She was fired because my father's
an asshole, but, so [exhales]
You said things.
[exhales] Yeah, um
[clicks tongue, mutters]
[inhales] There was a woman
on the campaign
who I was never in the same room with,
who I barely even knew,
who threatened to file a claim
for sexual misconduct of some kind,
claiming that I made crude sexual remarks,
which I never did ever once.
What actually happened?
Well, I mean,
we paid her because we had to.
We needed her to sign an NDA.
And you didn't tell me because...
Because it wasn't true.
- No?
- No, Abby, no.
I didn't tell you.
I didn't think you would believe me.
- That's the truth.
- This is not my fault. Be honest.
I admit this is what I'm doing,
is that some people go,
"Look, this guy's got a reputation
to protect or has money,
"and it'll cost him $250,000 to defend,
so they'll settle for 200." And we do.
Even though I literally did nothing.
I'll take a lie detector test.
If anyone should have
an axe to grind, it would be me.
- Even though nothing happened.
- You are not a victim, Mark.
I'm a victim.
We're victims now. Right now.
And that's what I [splutters]
I do believe him, Abigail.
About this.
Tell her about Ramon.
What about Ramon?
Has access to our house.
Probably has a grudge.
Are you kidding me?
- Who's Ramon?
- He's our nanny's boyfriend.
Yes, who asked us for a job.
And we weren't able to hire him
because he's undocumented.
He's running for mayor, so
- Oh my God. He's here. He knows our house.
- He comes to see the woman he loves.
I'm not saying I think the guy's
She asked us if anyone has a grudge.
- The guy's out back right now.
- Ramon does not speak English.
- That doesn't matter.
- The kidnapper speaks English.
- What if he's in cahoots? Oh my gosh.
- It's not Google Translate!
Will you ask him to come in?
- Ramon!
- [dog barking in the distance]
He's gone.
- Ramon is gone. His tools are still there.
- Well, that's meaningful.
- [Mark sniffles]
- He's gone. Cecilia's gone.
Cecilia has nothing to do with this.
Jesus Christ, what is he doing here?
This is a family matter.
Sam, do me a favor
and take a coffee out to Rand in the car.
Yeah.
Abigail, look at me.
[sniffles]
[Mark exhales]
[sniffles]
Kidnappings are always
like this in the first few hours.
Chaos and terror.
They want their money. That's all.
And their greed is a weakness.
You have far more control than you think.
So hang in there.
I just need to know
that you are going to give us the money
and that we are going to get our son.
Yes and yes.
- Absolutely.
- [Abby sniffles, sobs]
[Denny] Mom.
- [gasps] Denny!
- [Mark] Oh God!
- Denny! Oh! [Panting]
- [Mark grunts]
- Oh my God. Where have you been?
- What happened?
[Mark] You all right? What happened?
I wanted to do the haunted house,
but Hector was scared.
And Ceci said it was okay
and go quick, and they'd wait for me.
- They left you? [Sighs]
- Dad, I got lost. I'm sorry.
- No, no, no.
- It's not your fault.
- We were just so worried.
- [Mark sniffles]
I was walking,
and the streets were going down,
so I decided to go the other way.
- Oh, buddy, I love you. You did good.
- [Abby laughs]
- We were just really fucking scared.
- That was smart.
- [Mark] That's all.
- Dad.
- [Mark] What?
- Language around Mom.
[laughing]
-[Mark] That's a good point.
-[Sam] What did I tell you guys? All good.
I told you, right? Nothing to worry about.
[laughing]
- God, man.
- [Sam] Oh, family, man.
- Thank you so much, man.
- [Sam] Absolutely.
- Um, Abby, don't rip my head off.
- [Mark sighs]
Can I have your husband back?
- I gotta go talk to Cecilia real quick.
- You're gonna look for her now?
- Well, she left our kid alone.
- It's fine. I'll deal with it.
We can make the 11 o'clock slot right now.
We got momentum. You just gotta rally.
- Let me ask my wife. Sweetheart?
- Go.
- [Sam] Okay.
- Let's get you upstairs.
- [Sam exhales]
- [Abby laughs]
Sweetheart, how about a bath, yeah?
[Sam] You did it. We got through it.
- Holy shit.
- That's a killer chapter in the book.
[chuckles] Yeah. It's like,
you know, all of a sudden, it's over.
You know, I should be fine,
but look, my hands are still shaking.
- [exhales]
- Adrenaline takes 20 minutes to dissipate.
Hey, thank you very much.
I appreciate it. I won't forget this.
I couldn't have done this without you.
The most sincere form of gratitude
is a check that clears.
We don't need the money.
The seven million in my car
cost 1.4 million to deliver, which I did.
You want the full fee?
[exhales] Mark, I told you.
You needed $7 million,
or your son was going to die.
You were quoted a price.
I performed a service.
You don't want to be someone
who goes back on a commitment.
No. I'm... I'm not.
Uh, I'm sorry.
I'm sure you didn't mean it,
but that sounded a bit like a threat.
- It's the agreement we made.
- Well
It is the agreement we made.
But what's the interest on $7 million
for two hours?
I mean, every agreement is subject
to changing circumstances
and renegotiation around what's fair.
Fair is what one agrees.
We agreed to 1.4.
[cell phone rings]
Yeah.
[male voice] I have instructions
where to bring the money.
Hey, asshole, you fucked up. Sorry.
Oh, you're the one who's fucked.
[Mark] You know what? Shut up. Understand?
- The number hasn't changed.
- The number's go fuck yourself.
- What was that?
- That was all trying to get you off TV.
- [knocking on door]
- [in Spanish] Help! Help!
Some bastard attacked her.
- [gasps] Denny.
- The son of a bitch hit her.
- They hit her.
- [in English] Denny's okay?
What? Yeah. He's fine.
[in Spanish] They attacked her.
She called. I brought her here.
- [in English] The kids are okay?
- Yeah, fine.
- Abby. Abby! Abby!
- [Ramon] Hey.
[in Spanish] We have to
find the bastard who did this.
- Yes, of course.
- [in English] Oh! What happened?
[gasping]
We were waiting,
Denny outside of the haunted house.
But Hector wanted to buy something
for a man who was selling them.
I didn't want to leave Denny,
but I had to.
- [Abby] It's okay.
- [Ceci] Hector.
But I didn't want to leave
from waiting for Denny,
but I just run quick
for a minute to see where Hector go,
just, like, around of the street.
Then someone hit me.
Who? Who hit you?
He was just in a, um
[in Spanish] In a zombie mask.
[in English] Um, can I talk to you
for a moment in private?
[Abby] It's okay.
- [Ceci] I'm so sorry.
- [Ramon speaking Spanish]
- [in English] Let's get you some ice. Yes.
- Thank you.
[Dayle] Let's see.
Is that Hector?
Yeah.
[sighs]
[inhales] This is
an important turning point.
- [sighs]
- Do you still want the money?
You paid for it.
The 1.4 you owe buys you
the right to borrow the seven in the car.
What's going on?
They took Hector by mistake.
- What do they want?
- [Mark] Same thing.
Seven million dollars.
What did you say?
Well, no one's said anything yet,
except for Sam,
who thinks this
is an important turning point.
- We should call the police.
- It'll raise complicated questions.
Such as?
Why didn't you call
when you believed it was your son held?
But did so once you realized
it was an unrelated boy?
Is his life less valuable?
This is so fucking cynical.
Whatever happens will be subject
to a lot of second-guessing
and judgment if this ever gets out.
And spin.
Well, there's the truth,
and there's a story.
The truth is authentic, convincing,
easy to remember under duress.
And ideally, that aligns with the story.
But when it doesn't,
the story takes precedence.
[scoffs]
Well, the truth is we're expected
to spend everything we have
to ransom a child we barely know,
who's in this country illegally.
[Sam] Those are irrelevant facts.
The truth is you need two
to three points from the Latino vote.
If you don't make it
to this event tonight,
then your chances of winning
meaningfully decrease.
If you're seen to disregard
the value of a Latino boy's life,
then your chances of winning
are essentially zero.
Now, you spent everything
on this campaign.
If you wanna keep it, you have to win.
Data and my own experience have proven
that ceding to their demands
too quickly can endanger the child.
So don't call the police
and don't pay the ransom.
Leverage is the balance
between the allure of incentive
and the consequence of refusal.
What value can I offer
to give you to get what I want?
What pain can I credibly threaten
to inflict if you don't?
Power creates leverage,
and leverage dictates outcomes.
You have more leverage now.
Do you mean because the boy
who's been kidnapped is not my child?
- Yes.
- That's awful.
[Dayle] It's honest.
Ignoring it doesn't make you kinder
or more virtuous.
It makes you blind.
I looked you up.
There's nothing.
Why should we trust you when you
haven't even given us your real name?
Because when this is resolved
And it will be resolved,
we all need to go back to our lives.
I will not have been here.
You will not have met me.
And you will be more comfortable
if I am comfortable
that you're revealing my involvement here
is not a lever
that is even available to you.
When your son walked through that door,
your heart was no longer racing.
Your mouth was no longer dry.
Your child was safe.
That enabled you to think more clearly.
Which gives you leverage.
Our adversary has made a mistake.
But if we can cause him
further stress and fatigue,
we may be able to open
a door to a kinetic option.
And what does that mean?
Kinetic refers to bodies in motion
and the forces associated therewith.
When one thing collides with another,
you are witnessing kinetic energy.
No one in this room is obtuse.
Jesus Christ.
[Abby] Is she telling us
to pay her to kill someone?
Uh, I mean, unless I'm obtuse.
We have to call the police. Maybe we
should have before, but we have to now.
First of all, LAPD is a fucking sieve.
They would love to leak this.
They're in the mayor's pocket.
And if they do,
this guy is gonna kill Hector.
What does it say
that the man who wants to be mayor
doesn't trust his own...
The world's fucked up.
It's a dark place. We can't fix that now.
There is not calling the police,
and then there is killing somebody
on purpose.
You tell me then, as a psychologist,
what do people typically do
when they're faced
with a horrible,
intractable moral fucking quandary?
They find out what they care about,
because that's what they protect.
And how does it end?
They make peace with it,
or they spend their lives
pretending they didn't have a choice.
Why didn't you suggest it before?
Because before, when it was your child,
you wouldn't have even considered it.
Forgive yourself.
It's simply how we're built,
to survive and protect our families.
And concern for money may seem craven,
but money is the symbol
of the security of that family.
It's a survival need,
and it's a great deal of money.
[cell phone rings]
Hello. [Exhales]
[male voice] You get it now?
Yeah, I get it.
Took the wrong child.
Doesn't change a thing.
Wouldn't you hate it
if the whole world knew
you were a selfish, racist, elitist cunt?
The number hasn't changed.
[Mark] The number's go fuck yourself.
[male voice] We still
have a deal, $7 million?
Yes.
Better get that money.
[line beeps]
- [Ramon in Spanish] He's not upstairs.
- [in English] What money?
[in Spanish] Where is Hector?
One moment. We have to explain.
The other room, please.
Please, give me a moment.
- What happened?
- Look
The man who attacked Cecilia
Uh-huh.
[exhales]
kidnapped your son.
They thought they were trying
to kidnap my son.
The kids were wearing the same costumes.
The important thing is
that we're trying to figure out
what the best thing is we can do
for Hector now.
How much are they asking?
- A lot a lot of money.
- [Ceci in English] No!
- No!
- Ceci, he's gonna be fine.
I don't know how,
but I know that he's going to be fine.
You're gonna pay?
- Mark, he's gonna pay?
- Yes.
The woman who's here,
she's here to help us because she's
- She's police? [Gasps]
- No. No.
- [in Spanish] No police no.
- [mutters]
- And we're going to go look for them?
- No, no.
We can't leave the house
because he told me
if we leave the house,
they'll kill your son.
They're watching us.
I don't know where from, but
They can see us.
At least, in front of the house.
Look, you have my word.
I intend to get Hector back as best I can.
Okay? I promise you. Okay?
But I'm between a rock and a hard place.
- I have to talk to this woman who is here.
- Who is this woman?
[exhales] Someone powerful.
[Ceci sobs]
[sobbing continues]
I'm sorry!
[sobbing]
I'm sorry.
[continues sobbing]
- [Ramon] Motherfucker!
- [Ceci] Ramon!
The only thing I promised his mom
was that nothing would happen to him.
- It was my fault.
- No, it's not your fault!
I should've been more careful.
I had to watch him.
Ceci, Ceci, my love!
I'll die if anything happens to him.
- [sniffles]
- There was no way for you to know.
[gasping]
But they're going to help us.
They have to.
They can't have a scandal like this
for his voters.
- They have to help us. They will.
- Yeah.
And this man has
that much money in the bank?
Just like that, ready?
I don't know, but they said they did.
Look at me, my love.
On the ranch, for the boss,
if you mess with one of the worker's kids,
it's the same as messing
with the boss's kids.
[Ceci sniffles]
Is it the same here?
[Dayle in English] We have three choices.
Call the police.
Pay him.
Or option three.
Option three. That is something
that we have to take to the grave.
I also think that option one
will get the child killed.
It also doesn't get you paid.
Yes, it does.
[clears throat]
You know, there's leverage,
and there's also right and wrong.
And decency is
what separates us from the animals.
Humans are animals who tell stories.
I'd like this to be a story
of the safe return of a child.
The best chance of that is making
the exchange in daylight,
when the kidnapper is most stressed,
least certain
and likeliest to make another mistake.
So in a few minutes,
you will tell the kidnapper
that you are not willing
to deliver his money until the morning.
Terms which, because he's greedy,
he will accept.
I don't wanna sound insensitive.
Look, the event tonight,
it could swing the entire race.
So
We leave to go to the event.
Prompting the kidnappers to call us.
We tell them we're getting his money,
but we can only give it
to 'em in the morning.
And instead, we go to the event.
That is my recommendation.
- [Mark] Where is it?
- [Sam] It's Aldergate.
[exhales] I told them you were dealing
with family health,
so they'll think you're a hero
just for showing up.
Stand over there and wave the phone
so he knows to call.
- Over here?
- Yeah.
- [exhales]
- [Ceci sobs]
[cell phone rings]
[male voice] Where the fuck
do you think you're going?
We're going to secure his money.
[hesitates] With your permission,
we're going to secure the money.
Permission granted, you fucking pussy.
But we won't deliver it
till tomorrow morning, for your safety.
But we won't deliver it
until tomorrow morning, for my safety.
No. Get it to me now.
This is the only option.
This is the only option.
If you don't have my money by morning,
I'm gonna cut his head off
and stick it on one of your yard signs.
Understood.
- Understood.
- [beeps]
[in Spanish] I'm going to pray to God
to bring our boy back.
- [sobbing]
- It's good to pray. Praying is great.
But just like my mom used to say
It helps to move your feet.
Where are you going?
Ramon, where are you going?
[panting]
[dog barks in the distance]
[panting]
[crowd clamoring]
[crowd shouting]
- [in English] Not a care in the world.
- [Dayle] No.
They're not likely
to be mayor next Tuesday.
Or in the Senate. Or the White House.
That's quite a job.
Are you sure you want it?
It's not that I don't understand
how you operate.
I just I choose not to live that way.
That's a nice luxury.
If you do want the job,
I'm doing you a favor
by disabusing you of it now.
- [crowd shouting]
- [audience applauding]
CHIRLA
[in Spanish] The Coalition for Human
and Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles.
Tonight's event is sponsored
and organized by CHIRLA
as part of our ongoing mission
to connect the community
with those who seek to represent us.
Danza Floricanto USA.
[gasps]
[exhales]
[rustling]
[grunts]
[shouts]
[both grunting]
[shouting]
[gagging]
[grunts] Where is my son, motherfucker?
Where is my son, motherfucker?
- Where is my son, motherfucker?
- [shouting]
- [grunts, shouts]
- [panting]
[groaning]
[panting]
[grunts]
[grunts, pants]
- [loud thud]
- [shouts]
[Ramon shouts]
[panting]
- [dancing continues]
- [shouts]
- [grunts]
- [tires screech]
[grunting]
[shouts, groans]
[tires screech]
[grunts, pants]
Hey!
[in English] And now, let's introduce
candidate for mayor Mark Kimball.
[audience applauding]
[Mark in Spanish] Thanks so much.
Thank you. Thank you.
Good evening.
It's a great honor to speak
in front of such an esteemed group.
Thank you.
And I know that most of you prefer to be
with your families tonight.
And for some people,
every day is Halloween.
For example, Paula Mendoza
has been pretending to be mayor
every day for the last four years.
- [scattered laughing]
- [Mark] No?
[clears throat]
[cell phone ringing]
[in English] Mr. Kimball?
S. Uh
[presenter] Mr. Kimball.
[in Spanish] I'm sorry.
I have a family emergency.
- Thank you very much!
- [audience murmuring]
- [in English] Hello.
- [male voice] You motherfucker!
Look... look... look. I... I...
I'll cut his fingers off right now!
[Mark] No, no! Don't... don't do that.
You sent your
fucking gardener after my guy?
I have no idea.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Don't lie to me.
Listen, I have no idea.
I'm getting your money right now.
We're in the process of trying.
The days where you fuck the people
are so over.
Now we fuck you. The price just went up.
Now it's $10 million.
I don't have that much. I don't have it!
Get it.
The number hasn't changed.
- The number hasn't changed.
- You wanna fuck with me?
I want proof of life.
I want proof of life. Right now.
[Hector speaks Spanish]
Hector. Is that you?
I wanna go home.
I know, buddy. I know.
We're gonna get you home, okay?
I promise... Hector, can you hear me?
Hey! You hear me?
Tell him we're gonna fucking get him home!
[kidnapper] $10 million.
Or he's dead.
- [line beeps]
- [exhales]
[exhales] Fuck!
[Ramon sniffles]
[door opens]
So what's the plan now?
- [Mark sighs]
- [Dayle] The plan is the same.
- [Mark sniffles]
- We force them to wait.
What if he doesn't call back?
They think we just procured their money.
When they believe the drop-off is imminent
and the money is close
[in Spanish] They wanna wait to pay him.
[in English] we can ask
for any logistical adjustment,
and they will accede to it.
This is when they stumble. [Exhales]
Because they are most vulnerable.
And we suffocate them.
Splenda?
[in Spanish] Ramon, why did you do this?
Because... because
these people have my son, sir.
What do you mean "why"?
- [in English] I thought you wouldn't pay.
- [sniffles]
Ceci, I told you that we would pay.
You are a part of this family.
I think that
we have to do this for Hector ourselves.
I wanna go check on Denny.
[Abby exhales]
We wait.
[sighs]
[in Spanish] No, we can't go
to the police. If we go,
I would be arrested,
and I would become a suspect.
They'd send me back to Mexico
before they lift a finger
to get my son back.
- I could.
- No, of course not.
- Yes.
- No, of course not.
- [sobs] This country is so fucked up.
- [sobs]
My son's life is in the hands
of these American politicians.
What the fuck do we do?
- [sobs]
- Who is this woman who's always with them?
I've never seen her.
- They seem scared of her.
- Yes, I see.
She seems like a Mafiosa.
I don't know who she is.
[cell phone vibrates]
[sighs]
[exhales]
[knock on door]
[Sam in English] A difficult conversation.
I don't need a strategy session right now.
Abby.
Tomorrow, at best, we are about
to be co-conspirators in a felony.
We're talking about option three
right now, okay?
And I don't know if I can trust you.
Trust me?
You and Mark
have been lying to me for months.
Look, you can judge me.
You can judge Mark.
- But at some point, you're gonna...
- Someone's child was stolen.
That is a pain
you can't even begin to imagine.
Well, I [exhales]
I have a son.
He's five.
Look, I know Mark.
All right? He's yes, he's flawed.
But he is a good man,
and he's a good husband,
and he's gonna make a good mayor.
This is what it was, right?
This is how you did it.
You stroked his ambition,
and you wrapped it up in virtue.
That doesn't work on me.
That's why you didn't let him ask
about the money.
I didn't let him
because I didn't believe you'd say yes.
Well, you don't believe in
anything except winning.
Without you, he can't win anything.
Yes, because I am his Black wife,
and we have a brown child.
That actually hurts more than it helps.
What he needs is a wife he can trust.
What I need is for tomorrow to go well.
I need Hector to come home.
I need to win this election.
I need to pay back this campaign debt,
and I need to make sure I don't go
to prison so I can raise my son.
[door opens, closes]
Hey.
[Mark inhales]
[sighs deeply]
He's good. He's asleep.
It's funny, but you're
so overprotective of Denny.
But the password to your phone is 1111.
Who's Ron?
- Not here.
- [Mark] No?
[Abby gasps] Not here.
"Sweetheart, say the word, and I'm there.
All is forgiven."
Mark.
Not here.
[exhales]
[sniffles]
[sniffles, exhales]
[Abby sighs]
[sniffs, clears throat]
[Abby sniffles]
Can I be completely honest with you?
[clicks tongue] Sure, go ahead.
I met someone this summer.
I know. I I read all the dates.
I think I allowed it because
[inhales] it felt really good.
It was fun.
And he's great.
And you and I, you know, we're [inhales]
We're not great right now.
Well, the feeling that you've lost
of being so miserable and lonely,
and now you've gotten that joy back
in your life, so I'm happy for you.
I was gonna tell you after the election.
It's not so much
that you waited to tell me.
But that you did it in the first place.
Who is he?
He's a teacher. He teaches at UCLA.
So this teacher,
he's, um, in love with you?
- I think so.
- I think so.
I would say so, according to what
according to him.
If you're being honest, right?
I hope this isn't getting
in the way of your plans for tonight,
where you say you're tired,
and you're not in a good mood,
but then you go in the bathroom
and jerk off to fucking Ron.
- You don't need to be an asshole.
- [Mark] I am an asshole.
I am a fucking asshole.
But I didn't do this.
I didn't betray our marriage.
I didn't lie to you like this.
- I didn't betray our son.
- Do not bring Denny into this.
You brought Denny into this.
You did this to his parents' marriage.
Is he Black?
Hmm. Does his wife know about you?
Mark, this doesn't matter.
Doesn't matter?
Did it matter when our son's life
was at stake,
and this fucking woman asked us
if we could think of any people
that might have a grudge? And you said no?
Because maybe the woman
whose husband you're fucking
might be a little bent out
of fucking shape about it!
This is not my fault, Mark!
Do not do that!
I'm trying to talk to you!
Oh, thank you. That's really considerate.
You're not trying to talk to me.
You are trying to lie to me.
God damn it. [Sighs]
[sighs]
[sobs, in Spanish] If they do something
to my son
Ramon, I love you.
- [gasps] I love you so much
- Yes.
I will do whatever you ask
whatever you want is what I'll do.
- [both speak Spanish]
- [sobbing]
[in English] God, I'm a fool.
- [sniffles]
- [Mark] I can't believe it.
You really wanna be with somebody else?
Because I don't.
I only wanna be with you.
You... you wanna be with
the entire city of Los Angeles.
You need this whole fucking city
to love you.
You love being loved.
And I don't think that it actually
has anything to do with me.
Because if it did,
I would not feel so alone
every time I'm in a room with you, Mark.
- [sobs]
- [Mark] I love you so much.
But I can't... I can't do this.
I don't want my son to see me
[sobs] God, our son.
What are we gonna tell our son?
- [sobs, exhales]
- [Mark groans]
[voice breaks] I'm sorry I made you
feel so alone. I must be an asshole.
God damn it.
[sniffles] I'm sorry.
[inhales] For what it's worth,
I really, really loved you,
and I never wanted this to happen.
[cell phone ringing]
[Abby gasps]
- [sniffles, grunts]
- [ringing continues]
[exhales] Hello.
[kidnapper] Hi, motherfucker, $7 million.
I'll call you back at five a.m.
with instructions.
Understood.
- [line beeps]
- [Mark gulps]
[sighs]
I guess we should go tell Dayle.
[exhales] Here's your phone.
[sighs] He called. You were right.
The number's back
to seven million. [Sniffles]
We pay them.
We get Hector back. That's it.
You know my position.
By morning, he'll be maximally vulnerable.
It's your choice.
Think about it.
Get some sleep.
[match strikes]
[exhales]
Mark.
Are you asleep?
No. [Exhales]
Our marriage is falling apart.
My career ending in humiliation.
We're giving everything we have
to some fucking criminal,
a woman whose name we don't know,
and I'm kind of hoping
that Hector doesn't get killed tomorrow.
So I got a lot on my mind.
No, I'm not asleep. Why would... what's up?
[inhales] I'm really sorry.
- [grunts softly]
- [Abby] I really am.
I know that
what I did was really reckless.
And selfish.
And that I hurt you.
[inhales]
And I'm ju... I'm really sorry.
I know. I'm sorry too.
It's a lot right now.
I just... I didn't
I couldn't Imagine that my wife
[scoffs] you know.
Getting railed in the UCLA weight room
would be down on my list of priorities
- Jesus Christ, Mark.
- [Mark] But life's full of surprises.
I'm sorry. Are you appalled?
[sniffles] What are we doing?
- How about we stop bullshitting?
- Okay.
'Cause I am so fucking tired
of auditioning.
For my father, for you,
for this fucking city,
to prove that I'm deserving somehow.
You know what?
Nobody gets what they fucking deserve.
[exhales] You get what you start with,
what you can keep and what you can take.
You sound like her.
We're not lying to each other anymore,
so if you're gonna ask me a question,
I'm gonna tell you the truth,
and you may not like the answer.
[Abby] Okay.
- What do you want?
- [Mark chuckles] What do I want?
I wanna keep our house.
I wanna keep all our money.
I want Ramon to get his son back.
I want Hector to be alive tomorrow.
I wanna be mayor. I do.
I wanna be elected.
You know what?
I wanna be president
of the fucking United States.
I want to fuck my wife.
I wanna fuck my wife all the time.
All the time. Whenever I want.
And I don't want my wife
to fuck anybody else.
And this fucking guy who kidnapped Hector?
I want this guy to die.
I don't wanna do it.
I don't want my hands
I don't wanna risk it.
I don't wanna lose my freedom.
But if I could press a button right now
and his head would explode,
I would do it.
And I would sleep fucking great.
I wish we had a gun.
It's a misdemeanor
in the state to have a concealed weapon.
I didn't get one
'cause of what people would think.
I know Ramon doesn't have one
'cause he'd get seven years
for shooting a guy
who's trying to rape his wife, but
[chuckles] I sure as fuck
wish I had one, don't you?
Mark, what do you wanna do tomorrow?
I want option three.
That's what I want.
But here's the problem.
Even if everything works out,
if you leave me, you wanna get divorced
and all this
is just gonna turn into a fight.
You're gonna have your own Dayle
whispering in your ears,
"You should use your leverage."
And if that leverage is
"Mark had someone killed."
"I had nothing to do with it."
I just, I can't risk that.
As it turns out,
in marriage,
like any criminal conspiracy,
you're either all in, or you're all out.
And I haven't heard you say,
"Mark, I want you to do whatever it takes
to protect this family."
So what do you want, Abby?
I want you to forgive me.
Really.
I want you to trust me.
I want you to fuck your wife.
[chuckles]
[Mark] Come here.
[grunts]
[ringing]
[Mark exhaling]
- [clattering]
- [exhales]
[pills rattling]
[crunches]
[gasps]
[sniffles]
[ringing]
[exhales] Yes.
[kidnapper] Leave now.
Take my money and head to Frogtown.
Right on Fletcher. Left on Rowena.
Cross the railroad tracks,
you'll see an access road.
Stop under the overpass
where a rock is blocking the way.
Wait there.
I will call with further instructions.
- Got it. Understood.
- [line beeps]
Want me to go with you?
No, I appreciate it. It's okay.
[inhales] I do, however,
want you trailing behind me.
Why?
I've got a lot of money,
and I'm driving through
an under-policed part of the city,
and if something happens to me,
money's gotta get where it's going.
Ramon.
[in Spanish] I will be home with your son
in less than two hours.
[Ceci exhales sharply]
[Abby whispering]
- [inhales, exhales]
- [door opens]
- [Ramon huffs]
- [door closes]
[Ceci sniffles]
[tense music playing]
[cell phone vibrates]
[sighs]
[line rings]
[cell phone vibrating]
[in English] Yes.
[Mark sighs]
So who do you think we're dealing with?
Two men. [Exhales]
One dominant, one submissive.
- You sure?
- Yes.
That dynamic doesn't scale.
It relies on proximity.
Constant reinforcement.
It's common to dyadic pathology.
One who does the damage
and one who just wants
to be told that they matter.
[Mark] You know why they chose
this location, right?
No. Why don't you tell me?
A lot of escape routes.
Bodies turn up here all the time.
Often, months later
and totally unrecognizable.
Slowest response time in the LAPD scope.
You call 911 around here,
they may come in two,
three hours, if they come at all.
What are you saying?
Option three.
When Hector is safe,
I want you to kill
whoever shows up to take the money.
That's not what your wife agreed to.
My wife and I have an understanding.
Not the first time
I've heard that from a married man.
I'm sure, but in this case,
it happens to be true.
[sighs] That puts us
in a different fee structure.
And what's that?
An additional $1.4 million.
I guess you think I'll be beholden to you.
Everyone's beholden to something, Mark.
That's big-boy life.
You'll be in a position to help people.
So they'll want to help you.
I assume Rand has experience
with this sort of thing?
Yes.
Mark, I want you to remember something
when all this is over so that
you can take all the factors into account.
[Mark] When Hector is safe,
I want you to kill
whoever shows up to take the money.
I see.
If this is what it's like
working with you, Dayle,
I'd hate to find myself
on your list of enemies.
The best leverage never has to be used.
[Mark] All right.
Looks like I'm here.
Just get out and wait for instructions.
[inhales, exhales]
- [wind blowing]
- [metal rattling]
[grunts]
[kidnapper panting]
[phone line rings]
- [phone vibrates]
- Hello.
- [kidnapper] Walk to the chair.
- Okay.
- Where?
- 500 yards.
You'll see a break in the fence.
Stop there.
- All right.
- [line beeps]
[tense music continues]
[cell phone vibrates]
Yeah.
[kidnapper] You see that red chair?
You wanna see the kid?
Get yourself down to that chair.
This'll be fun.
[line beeps]
[groans]
[grunts]
[grunts]
[panting]
[grunts]
[shouts, grunts]
[groans, grunts]
[grunts, groans]
[grunts]
[panting]
[grunts]
- [panting]
- [cell phone vibrates]
Yeah.
[kidnapper] You have any idea how easy
it would be for me to kill you right now?
[huffs] Is that why you got me out here?
Nah. If I wanted to kill you,
I'd have done it already.
You're here so you can understand
what it feels like
to live with the humiliation.
What humiliation?
When you lose everything you built.
Everything you cared about.
[exhales] Aren't you worried
of getting caught after all this?
No. [Laughs]
From now on, you're the one
who's gonna be living in fear.
[exhales] Do you live in fear?
Not since you destroyed everything I have.
Now I got nothing to fear, motherfucker.
And I got nothing to lose.
I don't even know who you are.
Exactly. And you never will.
Now, put the money down, shithead.
- [grunts]
- Take the money out.
See, these are very simple instructions
that even you could follow.
Oh, you know me pretty well, huh?
Well, it's hard
to get away from you these days.
- You're all over the place.
- [exhales]
- All right. Now take your pants off.
- What?
I just wanna make sure
you don't have a weapon.
I don't have a weapon.
I'm a marksman, asshole.
Yeah? Shoot me.
Don't tempt me.
- All right, now put it back in.
- What?
Put it back in.
What, you think I'm gonna do it?
[Mark sighs]
Remember this.
As long as you live,
I'm gonna be out here,
watching you and laughing my ass off.
And you're never gonna know who I am.
[Mark] I know who you are.
Who's that?
A sad, angry guy.
Something bad happened to you.
Blame the world. [Exhales]
Now you're rich.
And after today,
you're not my problem anymore.
[panting]
$7 million.
[exhales] Where's the boy?
[panting]
Show me the boy!
[panting]
[metal squeaks, clanks]
[Hector gasps]
[grunts]
[shouts]
[both grunt]
[Mark] Oh my God. Oh!
- Are you okay? Are you all right?
- [whimpers]
Oh, Jesus Christ.
All right. Wait.
All right, don't move. Don't move.
Just wait a second.
Wait, wait, wait.
[clicks]
Don't look.
[grunts]
- [grunts]
- Oh God.
All right. All right.
[both grunt]
[kidnapper exhales]
[gunshot]
[Mark gasps]
[panting]
[tires screech]
No! Dayle, there's someone else!
Dayle, wait! There's a third...
[gunshot]
Oh shit.
[grunts]
[gasps]
[gasps]
[gasps]
No. Hold on.
Wait, wait. That wasn't me. Hold on.
Wait, no. Wait, wait! No, no!
No! Wait, wait! No, not the boy!
No! No! God, no!
- [gunshot]
- [kidnapper grunts]
[Mark panting]
[exhales]
- [Mark sighs]
- [gasps]
[panting]
There's your dad.
[Hector gasping]
[panting]
[panting continues]
[sobbing]
[Ramon inhales, kisses]
[both sobbing]
[speaks Spanish]
[Dayle grunts]
[exhales, gasps]
[Ramon panting]
[in Spanish] Wait for me in the car.
[Dayle gasps]
- [exhales]
- [Dayle gasps]
[gasps]
[exhales]
Thanks.
I was just protecting my son.
Yes, but
you're a hero regardless.
[exhales] Depends on who you ask.
No?
Yes.
Is this your money?
Depends on who you ask.
No?
[Sam in English] Good morning, everyone.
Thank you for joining us
in what is undoubtedly
a very difficult time.
Thank you
for bearing this weather. [Inhales]
We have already spoken
with the district attorney and LAPD.
And reminder,
this is still an ongoing investigation.
We called today's press conference
for the sake of transparency.
As you all know, Mr. Kimball
is a candidate for mayor of Los Angeles.
But please, first welcome Mr. Ramon Valle.
[camera shutters clicking]
Mr. Mark saved my life.
Tell me about the day
that you arrived at...
The day I got the endorsement by CHIRLA,
the largest immigrants group in the city?
I'm sure that's what you're asking about.
[interviewer chuckles] No. No, the day
that you arrived at the LAPD station
and relayed to them the events
of a failed kidnapping
of your, uh, friend's son.
Well, I would hate
for that one day to define me.
[interviewer chuckles] Yeah,
I don't think you got a choice.
So as we sit here less than a year later,
what was it like for you?
You know, a somewhat normal guy,
and then this awful thing happens,
and you have to give Ramon the news
that his son has been kidnapped.
- Yes.
- What did you do first?
Well, first, uh, we said a prayer.
They tried to kill me.
Shoot at me.
He shoot him.
Save my life and my son's life.
[Mark] We gave Ramon the ransom.
He took that money and went down there
that morning to get his son back.
So you followed Ramon?
We knew it was
a really important turning point.
[TV reporter] Did Ramon
know you were following?
[Mark] Well, I had overheard Ramon
getting the directions
from this kidnapper on the telephone,
so I waited for him to go,
and then I got my father's hunting rifle
from downstairs
because I didn't want Ramon to know.
I think it is fair for the public to view
these events as a test of character.
[in Spanish] I put up more than
$100,000 in cash to get his son back.
Yes, I should have contacted the police.
Yes. I knew he was undocumented, yes.
But I also know he is a good man.
Who loves his son the same as I do.
The same as I do.
[in English] You went up
16 points with Latinos
in the last four days before the election.
I don't look at the electorate
as grouped by any race.
We told this person
that Ramon would meet him
at the location with the $100,000 that my
My father believed
in keeping a lot of money in the safe.
So you get there, Mark,
and what do you see?
I saw Hector and Ramon
on the ground, and I saw the kidnapper
coming toward them with his weapon.
He was gonna shoot Hector.
Only when there was risk of harm
to the child,
uh, was action kinetic action taken.
You shot him from 200 yards away.
That's a hell of a shot.
- [gasps]
- You could say he saved Hector's life.
Is what he did.
But she's right. 200 yards is a long way.
I had some rifle training in the Army,
and I think it was providential.
I'll tell you what.
I couldn't make that shot again.
I have pled guilty
to the negligent discharge of a firearm
and misdemeanor possession of a rifle
without a serial number.
These are serious offenses,
and I accept the sentence I've been given.
A year, a full year of probation,
meaningful community service
around firearms safety
and a $10,000 fine.
I have acknowledged
I committed a crime and broke the law.
Ramon also broke the law
by coming to this country illegally.
Ramon has arranged with ICE
for voluntary deportation tomorrow
at his expense.
He will serve no prison time,
as he had absolutely no contact
with my father's hunting rifle.
Ramon lives in Mexico
with his, uh, fiance and son,
and he owns and manages
a large and prosperous ranch,
and I'm told he's doing well.
[interviewer] Have you heard from Ramon?
[Mark] The last thing that Ramon said
to me was he was relieved
to go back to Mexico
because it was too dangerous in LA.
And that, as mayor, is first on the list
of things that I need to change.
- Let's talk about you.
- [Mark] Mm-hmm.
A long-shot candidate.
People didn't even know your name.
[laughs]
[TV reporter] You are at the top
of many lists
to be president of the United States.
How are you processing that?
What's it like?
That's very kind, but to be honest,
right now, I am wholly and entirely
focused on our agenda at City Hall.
Everybody says that.
"We're focusing on our agenda."
They may say it, but trust me.
It's very much a full-time job.
But I'll tell you the truth.
I don't wanna be president.
It is the last...
[TV reporter] Haven't you set up
an exploratory committee?
- That doesn't sound like not interested.
- [Mark] That's something people have done.
Because there are a lot of people
who care about this country.
It just seems like a very difficult job.
And it's not something I have a lot
of ambition for,
and it has a lot of effect
on a person's family. And I just...
[TV reporter] You're in the position
where you are about
to take someone's life.
[Mark] Mm-hmm.
What did you think?
It seemed clear to me, uh,
what the stakes were, and
It had to be done.
And I guess if I had thought about it
in advance, I would have been more scared.
But in the moment
It was easier than I thought.
[dramatic music playing]