Death Wish (1974) Movie Script
Hold it right there.
Hold it again.
Come on, Paul.
One more.
- You won't show those to anyone.
- Why? You've got a prime figure.
- You really have.
- That's a euphemism for "fat."
Wanna go back to the hotel?
What's wrong with right here?
We're too civilized.
I remember when we weren't.
But we'll go back to the hotel.
I don't wanna go back home.
Passengers on TW 76
from Honolulu to New York...
... should proceed from the check-in
counter to boarding.
Wanna know what was happening
while you were living it up in Maui?
There were 15 murders the
first week and 21 last week.
That's a lot.
Decent people will have to
live elsewhere.
You mean, people who can afford to.
Christ. You're such
a bleeding-heart liberal.
For the underprivileged, yeah.
The underprivileged
are beating our brains out.
I say, stick them
in concentration camps.
- Henry.
- Hello.
I'm running cost and profit on the
Jainchill development in Arizona.
Based on the figures, I don't see how
Blueridge can underwrite 50 percent.
Jainchill has been very successful
in a small way.
I suggest you send a man down from our
San Francisco office to step it out...
...redesign it if necessary.
Because that's a high risk
for the acreage involved.
I'll talk to Ing about it.
Thanks, Paul.
Oh, how does it feel to be back
in the war zone after Hawaii?
Good until I ran into Sam and he
delivered the crime rates statistics.
We need more cops than people.
You'll have to find other options.
No one could pay the taxes.
$2.17.
Would you have these delivered, Mary?
Hey, I'm gonna do a thing.
- Shit, man, got business.
- Let's go, man.
I'll get it.
Who is it?
Groceries, ma'am.
Nobody gets hurt. Don't move.
- What do you want?
- You know what we want.
- You won't hurt us?
- Not if you got money.
Nobody, nobody.
Look at the artiste doing his art.
Ain't that beautiful?
- My purse is in the kitchen.
- Stand still.
We'll do as they say, Carol.
Where's your purse?
You only got 4 bucks.
I got 3 and 2 bits.
You gonna get the shit
kicked out of you.
- It's all we have.
- Rich people like you? We want money!
It's true! That's all we have!
- Wanna get fucked?
- No!
I'm gonna stab you in the ass.
Leave her alone!
Goddamn rich cunt!
I kill rich cunts!
Mother's getting the shit
kicked out of her.
Let's screw this one.
- No, man. Let's travel.
- No, man, let me paint her ass.
I'll show you how to paint.
I'm gonna pee into her mouth.
Pee into her mouth.
I hope she likes my paintbrush.
Swallow all that pink, honey.
Open her goddamn mouth!
Eat it, bitch!
I'm gonna bust her mouth!
Mother's going for the phone!
Shit! Let's split.
Will you get my wife
on the phone, please?
Mr. Kersey's office.
- Is it my wife?
- No, sir, it's your son-in-law.
Hello, Jack.
Dad. Dad, we got trouble.
You and Carol?
Don't tell me about it.
No...
...it's Mom and Carol. They're taking
them to emergency receiving.
- What the hell for?
- I don't know.
The police just called.
- What's happening?
- I don't know any more.
I'm going to the hospital.
Meet me there.
- How are they?
- I don't know, I just got here.
You know anything?
Were they cut, stabbed, what?
No, sir. Just beat up.
This is Officer Joe Charles.
He came in the ambulance.
- They gonna be all right?
- I told him all I know.
If there's anything I can do,
ask for me at the 21st Precinct.
Come on, Dad.
What did they tell you?
- Not much.
- Well, what?
- They beat them both up.
- Who did? Why?
Take it easy.
I'm just as rattled as you.
The officer said
Carol wasn't making sense.
Maybe three men. She opened the door
thinking it was the delivery boy.
Jesus. God.
When are we gonna know something?
They know we're here?
The nurses know.
I spoke to one of them.
There's a man over there,
he's bleeding and nobody comes.
Nurse, what happened
to my wife and daughter?
- A doctor will see you after his exam.
- We've been waiting a long time.
It hasn't been that long.
Just two or three minutes.
- Mr. Toby?
- Yes.
Your wife is all right.
We've sedated her.
My name is Paul Kersey.
How's my wife?
I'm sorry, she died
a few minutes ago, Mr. Kersey.
Almighty God, we commend to you
our neighbor, Joanna...
...trusting your mercy and believing
in the resurrection to eternal life...
...through our
Lord Jesus Christ, amen.
Almighty God, Father of the whole
family in heaven and on earth...
...stand by those who sorrow...
...that on your strength,
they may be upheld...
...and believe the good news
of life beyond life...
...through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
I'm going back with Sam and Adel.
They go right by my place.
- Don't you wanna come to our apartment?
- It's time I went to my own.
Baby?
Baby?
I'm going back with Sam.
You get plenty of rest.
She'll be all right, Dad.
Residents will need time to dig
themselves out of a snowstorm...
... that's taking many counties
by surprise.
In New York City, light snow flurries
lingering till midnight...
- Turn that off.
- Why haven't you found my dog?
He's vital to my income. He paints
marvelous pictures with his paws.
- Yes?
- Where can I find Officer Charles?
- What's your business?
- I'm Paul Kersey.
Couple days ago my wife and daughter
were attacked. He was on the scene.
Is Joe Charles there,
or has he gone on duty yet?
Someone out here
wants to talk to him.
Have a seat, he'll be right out.
- Came up from behind me.
Do I have a description?
- The man came from behind me.
- You didn't see who it was?
- Hello, Mr. Kersey.
- Officer Charles.
Any information on the people
who attacked my family?
I'll take you
to the detective in charge.
Lieutenant, this is Paul Kersey, case
Mr. Kersey.
I'm going on duty now,
so I'll leave you.
Will you have a seat?
Have you found out anything?
Supermarket security and one of the
checkers remembers three characters.
But they haven't been able
to pick the faces out of a mug book.
- How is your daughter, Mr. Kersey?
- She's under doctor's sedation.
But today I had the funeral for
my wife and she was able to make that.
Your daughter
didn't give much information.
We wish she would take a look
at the mug books.
Did she refuse?
Her husband asked us to wait. But
the sooner she looks at the books...
...the better chance she has
of recalling their faces.
I'll talk to my son-in-law,
see what can be done.
I'd appreciate that.
Is there any chance
of catching these men?
There's a chance, sure.
Just a chance?
I'd be less than honest
if I gave you more hope.
In the city, that's the way it is.
I thought you were asleep.
Are you getting
the most out of life?
Are you satisfied,
fulfilled, happy?
Our bank has helped many
to a better future.
- Morning, Mr. Kersey.
- Morning.
Give me $20 in quarters, please.
- Morning, Paul.
- Morning.
You really are tough.
I told Ives you'd come in.
I said you're not the kind to leave
pieces of his life lying around.
Just a matter of keeping busy.
- Paul, welcome back.
- Morning, Henry.
- Lunch, Paul?
- Sure.
Paul, I'm giving you a vacation.
From New York, that is.
The Jainchill development
in Tucson, Arizona.
Take it over. Redesign it
if necessary. Whatever you have to.
All right?
Can I answer in a week? I don't wanna
leave New York now because of Carol.
Fine. When you're ready,
let me know.
A beautiful place, Tucson.
They can breathe out there.
She's sleeping too much.
It's not normal.
I've got TV dinners in the oven.
Just be a couple of minutes.
This drink's enough for me.
- You never drink without eating.
- I'm not hungry.
I think you ought to take Carol
to see another doctor.
I did. Today. A psychiatrist.
He feels it might help if I
took her to another environment.
Out of New York.
On the shore someplace.
Sounds good. I'll go along with you.
No, Dad. He felt it best...
...if she didn't associate with
anyone who reminded her of that day.
- How do I remind her of that day?
- You know how it is, Dad.
It happened at your apartment.
And you're living there.
You remind her of Mom.
Dad, don't make it tough for me.
Okay, I'll make it easy for you.
Ives asked me to go to
Tucson, Arizona on a job.
How long will you be gone?
I don't know till I look it over.
But you call,
let me know how Carol is.
Well, sure I will, Dad.
I hear Tucson's
a really beautiful place.
That's what everybody says.
How are you today, sir?
All right, you son of a bitch.
Turn around, son of a bitch.
Motherfucker, I said turn around.
Now hand me the money.
- Paul Kersey.
- Yeah.
- Ames Jainchill.
- How do you do, Mr. Jainchill?
Ames. I'll call you Paul.
- How'd you know who I was?
- You look like a New Yorker.
Howdy, Judd.
Wanted you to see this country
before you looked at the drawings.
Give you a better idea.
I don't wanna change these hills,
don't wanna bulldoze them flat.
You'll waste a lot of building space.
Wasting space.
Those are words you big developers
have to change for something else.
Such as?
Space for life.
Like old Judd up there.
Space for people, for horses, cows.
I got funny ideas
about building things.
Welcome to Old Tucson,
the famous movie studio.
Let's wet our whistle
before I trot you back to the motel.
- Boardwalks of the Red Dog Caf,
the Gunsmith Shop...
- What's happening here?
- That's a phony Western town.
They shoot movies here, but the rest
of the time it's for tourists.
This is where the performance
will take place.
This fellow's good, you wanna watch?
- Where the Wild West lives again.
- Where the Wild West lives again.
- Where's the marshal?
- He's in the bank.
- What do you got in mind to do?
- You steal my horse.
That's a good trick.
You spot yourself on the porch,
while I draw the marshal out.
Hey, marshal!
- What's the matter?
- Somebody stole my horse.
I told you
to get out of town by sunset!
You missing a mare that was tied
to the rail? I saw a fella take him.
- What'd he look like?
- Well, he was about this tall...
Get him, Frank!
Let's put him inside and get to the
bank and make that withdrawal.
All right, boys. The fun's over.
Throw out your guns
and put your hands up!
Listen up, marshal.
I've got dynamite.
Don't be a fool.
The outlaw life seemed a shortcut
to easy money...
...which could buy liquor and women.
But there were honest men
who would fight...
Let's get that beer.
- Who planted the roots
that would grow into a nation.
Blueridge won't buy it.
I don't build a thing
that'll be a slum in 20 years.
And I won't doze those hills.
What I build conforms to the land.
And you can't hear the toilets flush
next door.
You want our help,
you'll have to let me work on it.
Up to a point, I want your help.
And up to a point, I'll give it.
When do I get a look-see?
In a couple days.
Guard said you were here
until after midnight.
That's the way I work.
Somebody once said,
I forget who...
...that he never looked back, because
something might be gaining on him.
What's gaining on you, Paul?
Twenty-million-dollar investment,
what else?
I was gonna ask you to dinner but
I don't think you'd be good company.
No, I don't think I would.
Might amuse you. Maybe you've
never seen a club like this.
It's a gun club. We shoot guns.
So much hoopla
from gun control people...
...half the nation's scared
to hold a gun.
Like it was a snake that would bite.
Hell, a gun is just a tool.
Like a hammer. Or an axe.
Used to put food on the table.
Keep foxes out of the chicken coop,
bandits out of the bank.
How long since you held
a pistol in your hand?
A long time.
- Which war was yours? Korea?
- Yeah.
- See much action?
- A little.
Were you infantry?
I was a C.O. In a medical unit.
A commanding officer, huh?
Conscientious objector.
Oh, Christ.
What a guest to bring to a gun club.
You one of them liberals...
...thinks we shoot our guns because
it's an extension of our penises.
I never thought about it that way.
It could be true.
Maybe it is. But this is gun country.
Can't own a gun in New York.
Here, I hardly know a man who doesn't.
And unlike your city, we can walk
our streets at night and feel safe.
Muggers out here, they just plain
get their asses blown up.
Here, slip these on.
All right.
This is a percussion pistol.
You ever handled one before?
You know how to fire it?
Watch the kick. You'll think
your arm's gonna hit the ceiling.
Goddamn! Paul, you hit dead centre.
- Mind if I try this hogleg Colt?
- No.
You're a peculiar
conscientious objector.
- These notches for real?
- Yeah.
Belonged to a gunfighter
named Candy Dan in 1890.
I do know something about guns.
I grew up with them. All kinds.
My father was a hunter. I guess
out here you call them gunmen.
My mother
was the other side of the coin.
When my father was killed
in a hunting accident...
Some fool mistook him
for a deer, you see.
My mother won the toss.
I never touched a gun since.
I loved my father.
There are your hills.
Every house has a part of one
for a backyard for kids, dogs.
And you still have 12 hills.
I'm catching the 10:40 to New York.
What do I tell them?
You tell them
I'll buy it if they will.
You checking this bag in?
- Yeah.
- Good.
A little going-away present for you.
Thank you.
Good morning, sir.
How are you today?
Checking one bag?
I can't thank you enough
for what you did.
I want you to know if you ever
get tired of living in that toilet...
...you're welcome here.
- Welcome home.
- Hi, Jack.
I halfway expected to see Carol.
Let's go get your bags.
What is it?
She's in the hospital.
When I last spoke to you,
you said she was feeling better.
I didn't see any need to get you
disturbed on a long-distance call.
Come on, Dad. Don't do a number.
Don't do a number on me.
There was nothing you could do.
They haven't even let me see her
for two days.
They tried insulin shock yesterday.
She's not responding.
You want technical jargon?
I can reel it off.
Catatonia, dementia praecox,
passive schizoid paranoia.
It boils down to this: She's had
an experience she can't face...
...and she's running away from it
inside herself.
You didn't handle it right.
Oh, Christ, Dad.
I'll get other doctors.
Who are these doctors you have?
They're good doctors.
She's almost a goddamn vegetable.
If you don't sign the papers,
what happens?
They keep her until the insurance
runs out. That won't be long.
If you sign the papers
and she's committed, what then?
I've got insurance that covers it
up to $600 a month.
They've recommended
a sanatorium in Long Island.
This commitment,
is it a one-way thing?
Nobody can answer that, Dad.
You want to know what they are?
Statistics on a police blotter.
Mom and Carol, along with
thousands of other people.
And there is nothing we can do
to stop it.
Nothing but cut and run.
What a bummer. That was the
worst fucking movie I've ever seen.
You got money, man?
I'll kill you. Give me your money
or I'll bust you up.
Oh, Jesus.
Good morning, inspector.
Good morning. What do we got?
We got a corpse.
One bullet hole in his chest.
Fellow over there was jogging,
found him on the path.
- The dead man?
- Thomas Leroy Marston.
He had a parole card. Served 42 months
of a 5-year hitch for grand larceny.
He's a drug addict,
probably popping smack again.
We found this on the grass next to him.
The thing hasn't been fired.
Deceased had a gun clip on his belt,
must be his.
What would you say if I suggested
he tried a heist and got shot?
Maybe two guys
trying to heist each other.
No, this man wasn't robbed.
He still has money in his wallet.
- Morning, Paul.
- Morning.
- Hi, Paul.
- Morning, Sam.
Well, we've marked it out
as you've indicated.
It's beautiful.
What's our profit?
Not quite three million, but...
...our investment can be amortized
in two years. It is a show-place.
Look at that wasted space.
Jainchill loves those hills.
Besides, it's take it or leave it.
It's too pretty to leave.
Okay, I'll run it for the board.
- I may need your help, Paul.
- Okay.
Tucson agreed with you. You look well.
I feel good.
- Was he a white man or a black man?
- I just don't know.
They were under that light.
I wasn't seeing good,
I had blood in my eyes.
Well, was he tall, short, thin, fat?
Frank, forget it, huh?
Ride the ambulance to the morgue.
When they get the slugs out...
...run them over to the lab
for ballistics.
You saw him pretty good, didn't you?
You're full of shit.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
If we had the brains
to live in the country...
...we wouldn't be here
for the reason we are today.
We'd be going
into the city to work...
...Mom and Carol would be
safe at home waiting for us.
Nothing to do but cut and run.
What else?
What about the old American
social custom of self-defense?
If the police don't defend us,
maybe we ought to do it ourselves.
We're not pioneers anymore, Dad.
- What are we, Jack?
- What do you mean?
I mean, if we're not pioneers,
what have we become?
What do you call people...
...who, when faced
with a condition of fear...
...do nothing about it?
They just run and hide.
Civilized?
No.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have to start
this investigation somewhere.
So let's start here.
Motive: Revenge.
I want the records checked.
Go back, say...
...three months.
Limit it to homicide.
We could be looking for a man
who's had a member of his family...
...killed by muggers.
Now, he shoots that pistol
pretty good, right?
Okay.
Combat veteran.
Put Vietnam vets at the top of the
list because they're young and tough.
Then work through
Korea and World War II.
Oh, my God.
Who said that?
Whoever said it,
you're right on the button.
By God and Jesus Christ,
it's impossible.
But until we find a shortcut,
we at least keep busy.
So when the media demands to know
what we are doing...
...we'll tell them
we have definite clues.
Okay?
We won't tell them we have
Did anybody see what he looked like?
We're in Commissioner Dryer's office
waiting for a press conference.
Last night, there was another killing
which appears to be the work...
...of the person the media has dubbed
"the vigilante."
This is the first official statement
from the commissioner.
I can see the commissioner now...
Good morning.
With me is Inspector Frank Ochoa...
...who's been placed in command
of a police detail...
...assigned to what we've all
been calling the "vigilante murders."
Now, it has been confirmed
by our ballistics laboratory...
...that the same gun, a.32 pistol,
used in the previous homicides...
...was used last night in a shooting
aboard a subway train.
Now, I know that this person
has captured the imagination...
... of many people in our city.
And I want to say to our citizens...
... murder is no answer
to crime in a city.
Crime is a police responsibility.
And if this person
is listening to my voice...
... I urge him in the name
of law and order...
... to desist
from this one-man crusade...
... and turn himself in to the police.
He'll be given fair treatment.
That's our police commissioner,
the king of clichs.
- Vigilante's identification?
- No comment.
Do you think he's crazy?
He's got a wire down, all right,
but I don't believe he's a maniac.
It's rumored the rate of muggings
has dropped. Is that true?
Not true.
If it were, would you announce it?
Or are you afraid of imitators?
I don't want to get
into hypotheticals.
I'll bet muggings are down.
One way to find out.
Take a walk on Columbus Avenue.
I think I'll wait
for the official report.
Yes?
You want to confess
to the vigilante killings.
All right, I'll put you
through to Rosenberg.
He's in charge
of confessions today.
He's the 23rd. Put him through.
We couldn't get prints
off the groceries.
- Wasn't there a sales slip?
- Yeah. Here.
D'Agostino's.
Some of this code must identify
the particular store.
Find out where it is.
Get records and check on families
that have somebody killed by muggers.
Put them through the computer
and see if any live near this store.
People are inclined to buy groceries
in their own neighborhoods.
Hi, Jack. Come on in.
Make yourself a drink.
What do you think? The new paint.
- It's a little hard on the eyes...
- On the eyes? It's cheerful.
Turn it up, I can't hear.
We got liver and spaghetti for dinner.
How do you like your liver?
Hey, no drink? Let me make you one.
Listen, that's all right.
I'll get it myself.
I saw Carol today.
- Aren't you gonna ask how she's doing?
- I went up to see her yesterday.
What are you so high about?
You want me to moan and groan
for the rest of my life?
You want your liver medium?
Medium. I'll make it medium.
Hey, there goes the pussy posse.
Hey, mister, you got a match?
Yeah.
What else you got?
Let's see the money, man.
You'll have to take it.
He went that way.
Who rode in the ambulance with them?
I did.
Well, was he talking?
He said he cut whoever shot him.
Exact words: " I cut that motherfucker,
I hit him."
Can't save him.
Too much internal bleeding.
One slug chewed up the liver. Here.
Thirty-twos.
The mysterious vigilante
is in the news again.
Two hours ago in a subway underpass
two men were shot.
One died on the spot,
the other managed to reach the street.
He died shortly afterward.
The two men are Joseph
Roscoe Adams and George Riche.
Both had long criminal records.
The vigilante himself
may have been wounded.
The actions of a vigilante,
lawless as they may be...
... seem to be giving others
a new attitude toward crime.
Instead of allowing themselves
to be mugged, a few are fighting back.
Mrs. Alma Lee Brown
today successfully defended herself...
... against two muggers
with an unusual weapon.
- Tell us, how did you drive them off?
- With a hatpin.
- You ever seen a hatpin?
- I can't say that I have.
That's what we used to use
to hold our hats on with.
I ain't got no gun
like this vigilante fellow.
But I went to my closet,
and everybody better look out for me.
Because I been robbed
too many times. And I've had enough.
The men building this skyscraper
made a citizen's arrest today.
Andrew McCabe, a foreman,
will tell you.
Me and my crew was working
down in the hole.
One of the boys yelled down, "There's
a mugging. " So we come out...
... and we caught this guy and
roughed him up before the police came.
The hospital reports the man
had broken arms and cracked ribs.
No kidding? Jeez, the poor guy
must have fell down.
Walking distance from D'Agostino's...
...two blocks across,
six blocks uptown and downtown.
That's how far I'd be willing
to walk to a market.
Good. Very good, Miss Chamitti.
a death in the past three months...
...from mugging, stabbing,
shooting, assault.
Two families have no male members.
One has only
an 80-year-old grandfather.
That leaves nine families.
Total number of males
in these families...
...old enough to have served in
Vietnam, Korea or World War II...
...comes to 14.
Wild. It's a real wild shot.
But the vigilante plugged
his first victim in Riverside Park.
Exactly two and one half blocks
from that D'Agostino's Market.
Even if all of them are clean,
we can't ignore that coincidence.
No, sir.
Our friend lives in that neighborhood.
But, Frank, he was on a subway
with groceries five miles uptown.
There's no better come-on
for a mugging than groceries.
Means he's got some money
and his hands are occupied.
He might have been carrying
those groceries for hours.
I want a preliminary on these names.
Where they work...
...service record, reputation...
...police record, if any.
And I want it fast.
Like today, huh?
It's probably having as much effect
on crime as a Band-Aid on a leper.
I don't know. A mugger will
think twice about who he hits.
Sure, they hit more old ladies.
Paul, how you doing?
Let me get you a drink.
The guy's a racist.
- He kills more blacks than whites.
- More blacks are muggers.
You want to up the proportion of white
muggers to have racial equality?
What? Racial equality among muggers?
I love it.
- What have you got here?
- Guy named Paul Kersey.
Wife was murdered in their apartment.
Interesting detail:
The attackers
gained entrance to the apartment...
...posing as delivery boys
from our D'Agostino's Market.
- What else about him?
- He lives alone now.
Development engineer for Blueridge.
Served in Korea, medical corps.
Conscientious objector.
No police record.
His credits, reputation, excellent.
Conscientious objectors
are unlikely vigilantes.
- We got a finger?
- Yeah.
Over there. Patrolman Joe Charles.
Good.
Good morning.
- Joe Charles, Mr. Kersey.
- Of course.
Good to see you again.
How's your daughter?
The same.
Take care.
Follow him.
I'll see to that, Mrs. Cohen.
One moment. You're not residents.
- I'll call who you wish to see.
- No, you won't.
The district attorney
will see you now.
- Commissioner.
- You know the district attorney.
- Mr. Peters.
- Inspector.
Commissioner says you have
a good suspect.
Well, he fits the bill
in some respects.
We got a blood sample from the
knife used on him in the subway...
...and checked it against the sample
I found in his apartment.
It narrows it down.
But he could be the man.
Yeah. Yeah, he could be.
Suppose this Paul Kersey
is the vigilante.
All right, let's say that.
We don't want him.
Okay.
Inspector, on my desk I have a
statistic red-hot out of the computer.
Mugging has gone down
by how much, sir?
From 950 a week
to 470 reported last week.
Not too many people know that.
- And you want to keep it that way.
- No, we have to keep it that way.
This city would explode.
We'd have vigilantes killing anybody
who looked greasy. You can see that.
We want this man to quit, desist...
...go away. To stop.
So the mugging rate can go up?
Why not arrest him?
- I don't want a martyr on my hands.
- All right. All right.
I just want to hear you say it.
I'll try to scare him off.
But that's as far as I'll go.
That's right, Frank. Scare him off.
Scare him off.
A call from an old friend, who
wonders if you'll recognize his voice.
Do you want it,
or shall I insist upon his name?
- Okay, I'll take it.
- I'm putting you through.
Hello?
Is this Paul Kersey?
Yes, who's this?
Mr. Kersey, you're under
police surveillance.
You're being watched.
Scare him off.
Paper, papers!
Read all about the vigilante!
Get your papers here!
Read all about the vigilante!
How are you this evening?
Paper, papers!
Read all about the vigilante!
All right, get your hands up.
Hands on the car.
Spread your legs.
Okay, turn around.
Let's see some identification.
- Where do you live?
- Thirty-three Riverside.
Sorry to rough you up. We're looking
for a guy by your description.
He's armed,
so we couldn't take chances.
I hope you understand.
- If you want to make a complaint...
- It's all right, nobody was hurt.
Thanks. Good night.
Okay?
Yeah. Okay.
Went in the building 10 minutes ago.
Went to D'Agostino's first.
Let's check him, huh?
Go to that phone and call him.
- He's up there.
- Check him anyway.
Police! I need the phone. Come on.
Who is this guy?
He said, "Police."
I didn't see a badge.
I'll call as soon as he gets off.
Thanks.
Yeah, up yours.
No answer. He could be in the shower.
Stay here.
- Good night, Mr. Kersey.
- Good night.
Has Paul Kersey gone up?
Yes, sir. He went up and came down.
Just walked out.
- Where'd you go?
- Did he show here?
Can I ask a simple question?
Is this Paul Kersey the bird?
I won't ask any more questions.
- Go home, will you? I don't need you.
- Weird.
Come on down, motherfucker.
We gonna take you.
That's right, motherfucker.
And you can't go back up either.
Come down
and bring us the money, honey.
How much money you got, honey?
What the fuck?
- Units at the 26 Precinct. A 1034.
125 Street on the West Side highway.
Fill your hand.
Draw.
All right, get back!
Where's this patrolman?
- You're Reilly?
- Yes.
- I'm Ochoa.
- Yes, sir.
- You were the first on the scene?
- Yes.
God bless you, sir.
Never mind that. They told me
on the radio you had to see me.
Paul Kersey.
- You spoke to him before the ambulance?
- No, sir.
- What did you get?
- His address.
Is that all?
Well?
- You enter this on your report?
- Not yet, sir.
Why not?
I was waiting for instructions, sir.
You never saw it.
Yes, sir.
Oh, what's your full name?
Jackson Reilly, sir. 21st Precinct.
Okay. I'll remember it.
- Do you have the vigilante?
- No.
Well, who have you got there?
You in charge? How is he?
Wounds are clean, nothing vital.
Soon as we get some blood in him,
we'll sew him up.
- All right if I go in?
- He won't be able to talk.
- Can he hear me?
- He is conscious.
Police. I'd like to have him alone.
Good evening, Mr. Kersey.
This is your gun.
We gave you a chance to get rid of it.
You wouldn't take it.
Do you hear me okay?
We have here a peculiar situation,
Mr. Kersey.
It's necessary to make a proposition
since you won't favor us by dying.
You work for a company
with lots of offices.
Get a transfer to another city...
...and I'll drop this gun
in the river.
Are we connecting, Mr. Kersey?
We want you to get out of New York.
Permanently.
Inspector...
...by sundown?
There he is.
Do you have the vigilante?
- Like to give us some information?
- No.
- Is the wounded man the vigilante?
- He's just a mugging victim.
- What about reports that he is?
- False reports.
- Then he's still out there.
- That's right.
Was he shot by the vigilante?
Mr. Kersey.
Fred Brown. Welcome to Chicago.
- Nice trip?
- It was okay.
I found a nice apartment for you
on Lakeshore Drive...
...a view of Lake Michigan.
Your office is ready too.
There's a good golf club we can play.
- I think you'll enjoy it here.
- Excuse me.
SkyFury
Hold it again.
Come on, Paul.
One more.
- You won't show those to anyone.
- Why? You've got a prime figure.
- You really have.
- That's a euphemism for "fat."
Wanna go back to the hotel?
What's wrong with right here?
We're too civilized.
I remember when we weren't.
But we'll go back to the hotel.
I don't wanna go back home.
Passengers on TW 76
from Honolulu to New York...
... should proceed from the check-in
counter to boarding.
Wanna know what was happening
while you were living it up in Maui?
There were 15 murders the
first week and 21 last week.
That's a lot.
Decent people will have to
live elsewhere.
You mean, people who can afford to.
Christ. You're such
a bleeding-heart liberal.
For the underprivileged, yeah.
The underprivileged
are beating our brains out.
I say, stick them
in concentration camps.
- Henry.
- Hello.
I'm running cost and profit on the
Jainchill development in Arizona.
Based on the figures, I don't see how
Blueridge can underwrite 50 percent.
Jainchill has been very successful
in a small way.
I suggest you send a man down from our
San Francisco office to step it out...
...redesign it if necessary.
Because that's a high risk
for the acreage involved.
I'll talk to Ing about it.
Thanks, Paul.
Oh, how does it feel to be back
in the war zone after Hawaii?
Good until I ran into Sam and he
delivered the crime rates statistics.
We need more cops than people.
You'll have to find other options.
No one could pay the taxes.
$2.17.
Would you have these delivered, Mary?
Hey, I'm gonna do a thing.
- Shit, man, got business.
- Let's go, man.
I'll get it.
Who is it?
Groceries, ma'am.
Nobody gets hurt. Don't move.
- What do you want?
- You know what we want.
- You won't hurt us?
- Not if you got money.
Nobody, nobody.
Look at the artiste doing his art.
Ain't that beautiful?
- My purse is in the kitchen.
- Stand still.
We'll do as they say, Carol.
Where's your purse?
You only got 4 bucks.
I got 3 and 2 bits.
You gonna get the shit
kicked out of you.
- It's all we have.
- Rich people like you? We want money!
It's true! That's all we have!
- Wanna get fucked?
- No!
I'm gonna stab you in the ass.
Leave her alone!
Goddamn rich cunt!
I kill rich cunts!
Mother's getting the shit
kicked out of her.
Let's screw this one.
- No, man. Let's travel.
- No, man, let me paint her ass.
I'll show you how to paint.
I'm gonna pee into her mouth.
Pee into her mouth.
I hope she likes my paintbrush.
Swallow all that pink, honey.
Open her goddamn mouth!
Eat it, bitch!
I'm gonna bust her mouth!
Mother's going for the phone!
Shit! Let's split.
Will you get my wife
on the phone, please?
Mr. Kersey's office.
- Is it my wife?
- No, sir, it's your son-in-law.
Hello, Jack.
Dad. Dad, we got trouble.
You and Carol?
Don't tell me about it.
No...
...it's Mom and Carol. They're taking
them to emergency receiving.
- What the hell for?
- I don't know.
The police just called.
- What's happening?
- I don't know any more.
I'm going to the hospital.
Meet me there.
- How are they?
- I don't know, I just got here.
You know anything?
Were they cut, stabbed, what?
No, sir. Just beat up.
This is Officer Joe Charles.
He came in the ambulance.
- They gonna be all right?
- I told him all I know.
If there's anything I can do,
ask for me at the 21st Precinct.
Come on, Dad.
What did they tell you?
- Not much.
- Well, what?
- They beat them both up.
- Who did? Why?
Take it easy.
I'm just as rattled as you.
The officer said
Carol wasn't making sense.
Maybe three men. She opened the door
thinking it was the delivery boy.
Jesus. God.
When are we gonna know something?
They know we're here?
The nurses know.
I spoke to one of them.
There's a man over there,
he's bleeding and nobody comes.
Nurse, what happened
to my wife and daughter?
- A doctor will see you after his exam.
- We've been waiting a long time.
It hasn't been that long.
Just two or three minutes.
- Mr. Toby?
- Yes.
Your wife is all right.
We've sedated her.
My name is Paul Kersey.
How's my wife?
I'm sorry, she died
a few minutes ago, Mr. Kersey.
Almighty God, we commend to you
our neighbor, Joanna...
...trusting your mercy and believing
in the resurrection to eternal life...
...through our
Lord Jesus Christ, amen.
Almighty God, Father of the whole
family in heaven and on earth...
...stand by those who sorrow...
...that on your strength,
they may be upheld...
...and believe the good news
of life beyond life...
...through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
I'm going back with Sam and Adel.
They go right by my place.
- Don't you wanna come to our apartment?
- It's time I went to my own.
Baby?
Baby?
I'm going back with Sam.
You get plenty of rest.
She'll be all right, Dad.
Residents will need time to dig
themselves out of a snowstorm...
... that's taking many counties
by surprise.
In New York City, light snow flurries
lingering till midnight...
- Turn that off.
- Why haven't you found my dog?
He's vital to my income. He paints
marvelous pictures with his paws.
- Yes?
- Where can I find Officer Charles?
- What's your business?
- I'm Paul Kersey.
Couple days ago my wife and daughter
were attacked. He was on the scene.
Is Joe Charles there,
or has he gone on duty yet?
Someone out here
wants to talk to him.
Have a seat, he'll be right out.
- Came up from behind me.
Do I have a description?
- The man came from behind me.
- You didn't see who it was?
- Hello, Mr. Kersey.
- Officer Charles.
Any information on the people
who attacked my family?
I'll take you
to the detective in charge.
Lieutenant, this is Paul Kersey, case
Mr. Kersey.
I'm going on duty now,
so I'll leave you.
Will you have a seat?
Have you found out anything?
Supermarket security and one of the
checkers remembers three characters.
But they haven't been able
to pick the faces out of a mug book.
- How is your daughter, Mr. Kersey?
- She's under doctor's sedation.
But today I had the funeral for
my wife and she was able to make that.
Your daughter
didn't give much information.
We wish she would take a look
at the mug books.
Did she refuse?
Her husband asked us to wait. But
the sooner she looks at the books...
...the better chance she has
of recalling their faces.
I'll talk to my son-in-law,
see what can be done.
I'd appreciate that.
Is there any chance
of catching these men?
There's a chance, sure.
Just a chance?
I'd be less than honest
if I gave you more hope.
In the city, that's the way it is.
I thought you were asleep.
Are you getting
the most out of life?
Are you satisfied,
fulfilled, happy?
Our bank has helped many
to a better future.
- Morning, Mr. Kersey.
- Morning.
Give me $20 in quarters, please.
- Morning, Paul.
- Morning.
You really are tough.
I told Ives you'd come in.
I said you're not the kind to leave
pieces of his life lying around.
Just a matter of keeping busy.
- Paul, welcome back.
- Morning, Henry.
- Lunch, Paul?
- Sure.
Paul, I'm giving you a vacation.
From New York, that is.
The Jainchill development
in Tucson, Arizona.
Take it over. Redesign it
if necessary. Whatever you have to.
All right?
Can I answer in a week? I don't wanna
leave New York now because of Carol.
Fine. When you're ready,
let me know.
A beautiful place, Tucson.
They can breathe out there.
She's sleeping too much.
It's not normal.
I've got TV dinners in the oven.
Just be a couple of minutes.
This drink's enough for me.
- You never drink without eating.
- I'm not hungry.
I think you ought to take Carol
to see another doctor.
I did. Today. A psychiatrist.
He feels it might help if I
took her to another environment.
Out of New York.
On the shore someplace.
Sounds good. I'll go along with you.
No, Dad. He felt it best...
...if she didn't associate with
anyone who reminded her of that day.
- How do I remind her of that day?
- You know how it is, Dad.
It happened at your apartment.
And you're living there.
You remind her of Mom.
Dad, don't make it tough for me.
Okay, I'll make it easy for you.
Ives asked me to go to
Tucson, Arizona on a job.
How long will you be gone?
I don't know till I look it over.
But you call,
let me know how Carol is.
Well, sure I will, Dad.
I hear Tucson's
a really beautiful place.
That's what everybody says.
How are you today, sir?
All right, you son of a bitch.
Turn around, son of a bitch.
Motherfucker, I said turn around.
Now hand me the money.
- Paul Kersey.
- Yeah.
- Ames Jainchill.
- How do you do, Mr. Jainchill?
Ames. I'll call you Paul.
- How'd you know who I was?
- You look like a New Yorker.
Howdy, Judd.
Wanted you to see this country
before you looked at the drawings.
Give you a better idea.
I don't wanna change these hills,
don't wanna bulldoze them flat.
You'll waste a lot of building space.
Wasting space.
Those are words you big developers
have to change for something else.
Such as?
Space for life.
Like old Judd up there.
Space for people, for horses, cows.
I got funny ideas
about building things.
Welcome to Old Tucson,
the famous movie studio.
Let's wet our whistle
before I trot you back to the motel.
- Boardwalks of the Red Dog Caf,
the Gunsmith Shop...
- What's happening here?
- That's a phony Western town.
They shoot movies here, but the rest
of the time it's for tourists.
This is where the performance
will take place.
This fellow's good, you wanna watch?
- Where the Wild West lives again.
- Where the Wild West lives again.
- Where's the marshal?
- He's in the bank.
- What do you got in mind to do?
- You steal my horse.
That's a good trick.
You spot yourself on the porch,
while I draw the marshal out.
Hey, marshal!
- What's the matter?
- Somebody stole my horse.
I told you
to get out of town by sunset!
You missing a mare that was tied
to the rail? I saw a fella take him.
- What'd he look like?
- Well, he was about this tall...
Get him, Frank!
Let's put him inside and get to the
bank and make that withdrawal.
All right, boys. The fun's over.
Throw out your guns
and put your hands up!
Listen up, marshal.
I've got dynamite.
Don't be a fool.
The outlaw life seemed a shortcut
to easy money...
...which could buy liquor and women.
But there were honest men
who would fight...
Let's get that beer.
- Who planted the roots
that would grow into a nation.
Blueridge won't buy it.
I don't build a thing
that'll be a slum in 20 years.
And I won't doze those hills.
What I build conforms to the land.
And you can't hear the toilets flush
next door.
You want our help,
you'll have to let me work on it.
Up to a point, I want your help.
And up to a point, I'll give it.
When do I get a look-see?
In a couple days.
Guard said you were here
until after midnight.
That's the way I work.
Somebody once said,
I forget who...
...that he never looked back, because
something might be gaining on him.
What's gaining on you, Paul?
Twenty-million-dollar investment,
what else?
I was gonna ask you to dinner but
I don't think you'd be good company.
No, I don't think I would.
Might amuse you. Maybe you've
never seen a club like this.
It's a gun club. We shoot guns.
So much hoopla
from gun control people...
...half the nation's scared
to hold a gun.
Like it was a snake that would bite.
Hell, a gun is just a tool.
Like a hammer. Or an axe.
Used to put food on the table.
Keep foxes out of the chicken coop,
bandits out of the bank.
How long since you held
a pistol in your hand?
A long time.
- Which war was yours? Korea?
- Yeah.
- See much action?
- A little.
Were you infantry?
I was a C.O. In a medical unit.
A commanding officer, huh?
Conscientious objector.
Oh, Christ.
What a guest to bring to a gun club.
You one of them liberals...
...thinks we shoot our guns because
it's an extension of our penises.
I never thought about it that way.
It could be true.
Maybe it is. But this is gun country.
Can't own a gun in New York.
Here, I hardly know a man who doesn't.
And unlike your city, we can walk
our streets at night and feel safe.
Muggers out here, they just plain
get their asses blown up.
Here, slip these on.
All right.
This is a percussion pistol.
You ever handled one before?
You know how to fire it?
Watch the kick. You'll think
your arm's gonna hit the ceiling.
Goddamn! Paul, you hit dead centre.
- Mind if I try this hogleg Colt?
- No.
You're a peculiar
conscientious objector.
- These notches for real?
- Yeah.
Belonged to a gunfighter
named Candy Dan in 1890.
I do know something about guns.
I grew up with them. All kinds.
My father was a hunter. I guess
out here you call them gunmen.
My mother
was the other side of the coin.
When my father was killed
in a hunting accident...
Some fool mistook him
for a deer, you see.
My mother won the toss.
I never touched a gun since.
I loved my father.
There are your hills.
Every house has a part of one
for a backyard for kids, dogs.
And you still have 12 hills.
I'm catching the 10:40 to New York.
What do I tell them?
You tell them
I'll buy it if they will.
You checking this bag in?
- Yeah.
- Good.
A little going-away present for you.
Thank you.
Good morning, sir.
How are you today?
Checking one bag?
I can't thank you enough
for what you did.
I want you to know if you ever
get tired of living in that toilet...
...you're welcome here.
- Welcome home.
- Hi, Jack.
I halfway expected to see Carol.
Let's go get your bags.
What is it?
She's in the hospital.
When I last spoke to you,
you said she was feeling better.
I didn't see any need to get you
disturbed on a long-distance call.
Come on, Dad. Don't do a number.
Don't do a number on me.
There was nothing you could do.
They haven't even let me see her
for two days.
They tried insulin shock yesterday.
She's not responding.
You want technical jargon?
I can reel it off.
Catatonia, dementia praecox,
passive schizoid paranoia.
It boils down to this: She's had
an experience she can't face...
...and she's running away from it
inside herself.
You didn't handle it right.
Oh, Christ, Dad.
I'll get other doctors.
Who are these doctors you have?
They're good doctors.
She's almost a goddamn vegetable.
If you don't sign the papers,
what happens?
They keep her until the insurance
runs out. That won't be long.
If you sign the papers
and she's committed, what then?
I've got insurance that covers it
up to $600 a month.
They've recommended
a sanatorium in Long Island.
This commitment,
is it a one-way thing?
Nobody can answer that, Dad.
You want to know what they are?
Statistics on a police blotter.
Mom and Carol, along with
thousands of other people.
And there is nothing we can do
to stop it.
Nothing but cut and run.
What a bummer. That was the
worst fucking movie I've ever seen.
You got money, man?
I'll kill you. Give me your money
or I'll bust you up.
Oh, Jesus.
Good morning, inspector.
Good morning. What do we got?
We got a corpse.
One bullet hole in his chest.
Fellow over there was jogging,
found him on the path.
- The dead man?
- Thomas Leroy Marston.
He had a parole card. Served 42 months
of a 5-year hitch for grand larceny.
He's a drug addict,
probably popping smack again.
We found this on the grass next to him.
The thing hasn't been fired.
Deceased had a gun clip on his belt,
must be his.
What would you say if I suggested
he tried a heist and got shot?
Maybe two guys
trying to heist each other.
No, this man wasn't robbed.
He still has money in his wallet.
- Morning, Paul.
- Morning.
- Hi, Paul.
- Morning, Sam.
Well, we've marked it out
as you've indicated.
It's beautiful.
What's our profit?
Not quite three million, but...
...our investment can be amortized
in two years. It is a show-place.
Look at that wasted space.
Jainchill loves those hills.
Besides, it's take it or leave it.
It's too pretty to leave.
Okay, I'll run it for the board.
- I may need your help, Paul.
- Okay.
Tucson agreed with you. You look well.
I feel good.
- Was he a white man or a black man?
- I just don't know.
They were under that light.
I wasn't seeing good,
I had blood in my eyes.
Well, was he tall, short, thin, fat?
Frank, forget it, huh?
Ride the ambulance to the morgue.
When they get the slugs out...
...run them over to the lab
for ballistics.
You saw him pretty good, didn't you?
You're full of shit.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
If we had the brains
to live in the country...
...we wouldn't be here
for the reason we are today.
We'd be going
into the city to work...
...Mom and Carol would be
safe at home waiting for us.
Nothing to do but cut and run.
What else?
What about the old American
social custom of self-defense?
If the police don't defend us,
maybe we ought to do it ourselves.
We're not pioneers anymore, Dad.
- What are we, Jack?
- What do you mean?
I mean, if we're not pioneers,
what have we become?
What do you call people...
...who, when faced
with a condition of fear...
...do nothing about it?
They just run and hide.
Civilized?
No.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have to start
this investigation somewhere.
So let's start here.
Motive: Revenge.
I want the records checked.
Go back, say...
...three months.
Limit it to homicide.
We could be looking for a man
who's had a member of his family...
...killed by muggers.
Now, he shoots that pistol
pretty good, right?
Okay.
Combat veteran.
Put Vietnam vets at the top of the
list because they're young and tough.
Then work through
Korea and World War II.
Oh, my God.
Who said that?
Whoever said it,
you're right on the button.
By God and Jesus Christ,
it's impossible.
But until we find a shortcut,
we at least keep busy.
So when the media demands to know
what we are doing...
...we'll tell them
we have definite clues.
Okay?
We won't tell them we have
Did anybody see what he looked like?
We're in Commissioner Dryer's office
waiting for a press conference.
Last night, there was another killing
which appears to be the work...
...of the person the media has dubbed
"the vigilante."
This is the first official statement
from the commissioner.
I can see the commissioner now...
Good morning.
With me is Inspector Frank Ochoa...
...who's been placed in command
of a police detail...
...assigned to what we've all
been calling the "vigilante murders."
Now, it has been confirmed
by our ballistics laboratory...
...that the same gun, a.32 pistol,
used in the previous homicides...
...was used last night in a shooting
aboard a subway train.
Now, I know that this person
has captured the imagination...
... of many people in our city.
And I want to say to our citizens...
... murder is no answer
to crime in a city.
Crime is a police responsibility.
And if this person
is listening to my voice...
... I urge him in the name
of law and order...
... to desist
from this one-man crusade...
... and turn himself in to the police.
He'll be given fair treatment.
That's our police commissioner,
the king of clichs.
- Vigilante's identification?
- No comment.
Do you think he's crazy?
He's got a wire down, all right,
but I don't believe he's a maniac.
It's rumored the rate of muggings
has dropped. Is that true?
Not true.
If it were, would you announce it?
Or are you afraid of imitators?
I don't want to get
into hypotheticals.
I'll bet muggings are down.
One way to find out.
Take a walk on Columbus Avenue.
I think I'll wait
for the official report.
Yes?
You want to confess
to the vigilante killings.
All right, I'll put you
through to Rosenberg.
He's in charge
of confessions today.
He's the 23rd. Put him through.
We couldn't get prints
off the groceries.
- Wasn't there a sales slip?
- Yeah. Here.
D'Agostino's.
Some of this code must identify
the particular store.
Find out where it is.
Get records and check on families
that have somebody killed by muggers.
Put them through the computer
and see if any live near this store.
People are inclined to buy groceries
in their own neighborhoods.
Hi, Jack. Come on in.
Make yourself a drink.
What do you think? The new paint.
- It's a little hard on the eyes...
- On the eyes? It's cheerful.
Turn it up, I can't hear.
We got liver and spaghetti for dinner.
How do you like your liver?
Hey, no drink? Let me make you one.
Listen, that's all right.
I'll get it myself.
I saw Carol today.
- Aren't you gonna ask how she's doing?
- I went up to see her yesterday.
What are you so high about?
You want me to moan and groan
for the rest of my life?
You want your liver medium?
Medium. I'll make it medium.
Hey, there goes the pussy posse.
Hey, mister, you got a match?
Yeah.
What else you got?
Let's see the money, man.
You'll have to take it.
He went that way.
Who rode in the ambulance with them?
I did.
Well, was he talking?
He said he cut whoever shot him.
Exact words: " I cut that motherfucker,
I hit him."
Can't save him.
Too much internal bleeding.
One slug chewed up the liver. Here.
Thirty-twos.
The mysterious vigilante
is in the news again.
Two hours ago in a subway underpass
two men were shot.
One died on the spot,
the other managed to reach the street.
He died shortly afterward.
The two men are Joseph
Roscoe Adams and George Riche.
Both had long criminal records.
The vigilante himself
may have been wounded.
The actions of a vigilante,
lawless as they may be...
... seem to be giving others
a new attitude toward crime.
Instead of allowing themselves
to be mugged, a few are fighting back.
Mrs. Alma Lee Brown
today successfully defended herself...
... against two muggers
with an unusual weapon.
- Tell us, how did you drive them off?
- With a hatpin.
- You ever seen a hatpin?
- I can't say that I have.
That's what we used to use
to hold our hats on with.
I ain't got no gun
like this vigilante fellow.
But I went to my closet,
and everybody better look out for me.
Because I been robbed
too many times. And I've had enough.
The men building this skyscraper
made a citizen's arrest today.
Andrew McCabe, a foreman,
will tell you.
Me and my crew was working
down in the hole.
One of the boys yelled down, "There's
a mugging. " So we come out...
... and we caught this guy and
roughed him up before the police came.
The hospital reports the man
had broken arms and cracked ribs.
No kidding? Jeez, the poor guy
must have fell down.
Walking distance from D'Agostino's...
...two blocks across,
six blocks uptown and downtown.
That's how far I'd be willing
to walk to a market.
Good. Very good, Miss Chamitti.
a death in the past three months...
...from mugging, stabbing,
shooting, assault.
Two families have no male members.
One has only
an 80-year-old grandfather.
That leaves nine families.
Total number of males
in these families...
...old enough to have served in
Vietnam, Korea or World War II...
...comes to 14.
Wild. It's a real wild shot.
But the vigilante plugged
his first victim in Riverside Park.
Exactly two and one half blocks
from that D'Agostino's Market.
Even if all of them are clean,
we can't ignore that coincidence.
No, sir.
Our friend lives in that neighborhood.
But, Frank, he was on a subway
with groceries five miles uptown.
There's no better come-on
for a mugging than groceries.
Means he's got some money
and his hands are occupied.
He might have been carrying
those groceries for hours.
I want a preliminary on these names.
Where they work...
...service record, reputation...
...police record, if any.
And I want it fast.
Like today, huh?
It's probably having as much effect
on crime as a Band-Aid on a leper.
I don't know. A mugger will
think twice about who he hits.
Sure, they hit more old ladies.
Paul, how you doing?
Let me get you a drink.
The guy's a racist.
- He kills more blacks than whites.
- More blacks are muggers.
You want to up the proportion of white
muggers to have racial equality?
What? Racial equality among muggers?
I love it.
- What have you got here?
- Guy named Paul Kersey.
Wife was murdered in their apartment.
Interesting detail:
The attackers
gained entrance to the apartment...
...posing as delivery boys
from our D'Agostino's Market.
- What else about him?
- He lives alone now.
Development engineer for Blueridge.
Served in Korea, medical corps.
Conscientious objector.
No police record.
His credits, reputation, excellent.
Conscientious objectors
are unlikely vigilantes.
- We got a finger?
- Yeah.
Over there. Patrolman Joe Charles.
Good.
Good morning.
- Joe Charles, Mr. Kersey.
- Of course.
Good to see you again.
How's your daughter?
The same.
Take care.
Follow him.
I'll see to that, Mrs. Cohen.
One moment. You're not residents.
- I'll call who you wish to see.
- No, you won't.
The district attorney
will see you now.
- Commissioner.
- You know the district attorney.
- Mr. Peters.
- Inspector.
Commissioner says you have
a good suspect.
Well, he fits the bill
in some respects.
We got a blood sample from the
knife used on him in the subway...
...and checked it against the sample
I found in his apartment.
It narrows it down.
But he could be the man.
Yeah. Yeah, he could be.
Suppose this Paul Kersey
is the vigilante.
All right, let's say that.
We don't want him.
Okay.
Inspector, on my desk I have a
statistic red-hot out of the computer.
Mugging has gone down
by how much, sir?
From 950 a week
to 470 reported last week.
Not too many people know that.
- And you want to keep it that way.
- No, we have to keep it that way.
This city would explode.
We'd have vigilantes killing anybody
who looked greasy. You can see that.
We want this man to quit, desist...
...go away. To stop.
So the mugging rate can go up?
Why not arrest him?
- I don't want a martyr on my hands.
- All right. All right.
I just want to hear you say it.
I'll try to scare him off.
But that's as far as I'll go.
That's right, Frank. Scare him off.
Scare him off.
A call from an old friend, who
wonders if you'll recognize his voice.
Do you want it,
or shall I insist upon his name?
- Okay, I'll take it.
- I'm putting you through.
Hello?
Is this Paul Kersey?
Yes, who's this?
Mr. Kersey, you're under
police surveillance.
You're being watched.
Scare him off.
Paper, papers!
Read all about the vigilante!
Get your papers here!
Read all about the vigilante!
How are you this evening?
Paper, papers!
Read all about the vigilante!
All right, get your hands up.
Hands on the car.
Spread your legs.
Okay, turn around.
Let's see some identification.
- Where do you live?
- Thirty-three Riverside.
Sorry to rough you up. We're looking
for a guy by your description.
He's armed,
so we couldn't take chances.
I hope you understand.
- If you want to make a complaint...
- It's all right, nobody was hurt.
Thanks. Good night.
Okay?
Yeah. Okay.
Went in the building 10 minutes ago.
Went to D'Agostino's first.
Let's check him, huh?
Go to that phone and call him.
- He's up there.
- Check him anyway.
Police! I need the phone. Come on.
Who is this guy?
He said, "Police."
I didn't see a badge.
I'll call as soon as he gets off.
Thanks.
Yeah, up yours.
No answer. He could be in the shower.
Stay here.
- Good night, Mr. Kersey.
- Good night.
Has Paul Kersey gone up?
Yes, sir. He went up and came down.
Just walked out.
- Where'd you go?
- Did he show here?
Can I ask a simple question?
Is this Paul Kersey the bird?
I won't ask any more questions.
- Go home, will you? I don't need you.
- Weird.
Come on down, motherfucker.
We gonna take you.
That's right, motherfucker.
And you can't go back up either.
Come down
and bring us the money, honey.
How much money you got, honey?
What the fuck?
- Units at the 26 Precinct. A 1034.
125 Street on the West Side highway.
Fill your hand.
Draw.
All right, get back!
Where's this patrolman?
- You're Reilly?
- Yes.
- I'm Ochoa.
- Yes, sir.
- You were the first on the scene?
- Yes.
God bless you, sir.
Never mind that. They told me
on the radio you had to see me.
Paul Kersey.
- You spoke to him before the ambulance?
- No, sir.
- What did you get?
- His address.
Is that all?
Well?
- You enter this on your report?
- Not yet, sir.
Why not?
I was waiting for instructions, sir.
You never saw it.
Yes, sir.
Oh, what's your full name?
Jackson Reilly, sir. 21st Precinct.
Okay. I'll remember it.
- Do you have the vigilante?
- No.
Well, who have you got there?
You in charge? How is he?
Wounds are clean, nothing vital.
Soon as we get some blood in him,
we'll sew him up.
- All right if I go in?
- He won't be able to talk.
- Can he hear me?
- He is conscious.
Police. I'd like to have him alone.
Good evening, Mr. Kersey.
This is your gun.
We gave you a chance to get rid of it.
You wouldn't take it.
Do you hear me okay?
We have here a peculiar situation,
Mr. Kersey.
It's necessary to make a proposition
since you won't favor us by dying.
You work for a company
with lots of offices.
Get a transfer to another city...
...and I'll drop this gun
in the river.
Are we connecting, Mr. Kersey?
We want you to get out of New York.
Permanently.
Inspector...
...by sundown?
There he is.
Do you have the vigilante?
- Like to give us some information?
- No.
- Is the wounded man the vigilante?
- He's just a mugging victim.
- What about reports that he is?
- False reports.
- Then he's still out there.
- That's right.
Was he shot by the vigilante?
Mr. Kersey.
Fred Brown. Welcome to Chicago.
- Nice trip?
- It was okay.
I found a nice apartment for you
on Lakeshore Drive...
...a view of Lake Michigan.
Your office is ready too.
There's a good golf club we can play.
- I think you'll enjoy it here.
- Excuse me.
SkyFury