Poker Night (2014) Movie Script
In truth,
they're bastard stepchildren...
wisdom and hindsight.
You only get it
after you need it.
It doesn't help you right now.
It only teaches you enough
to help you the next time.
I'm talking about the kind of
wisdom that comes from experience.
The kind that tells you if your wife
pushes you to take the night shift,
there's probably a reason.
And then there's hindsight.
It's like looking
in the rearview mirror.
You can't see what you're going
through until you've driven past it.
Hindsight, like, "Ah, what do you
mean I've had too much to drink?
I'll be fine."
Wisdom and hindsight.
They don't help you with today,
only with tomorrow.
But tomorrow is a day away.
And today, well...
Today's a shitstorm
I might not live through.
So let me take you back
to the beginning.
'Cause the only way to get
any wisdom out of my story...
is to look at it in hindsight.
Well, you're legit now, hero.
If you make it through poker night,
it's all downhill from there.
And, uh, considering you're a...
wet-nose, son of a bitch
political appointee...
you did okay.
The boys seem to think
you got potential.
Glad to hear you approve,
Lieutenant.
I never said
I approve, shithead.
And don't fuck up, all right?
And don't ever make us look bad.
And get rid of that
piece of shit eyesore.
You're gonna be a detective,
you gotta start driving like one.
First thing tomorrow.
Hey, thanks, Lieutenant.
Fuck you.
10-16.
10-16.
Domestic disturbance.
413 East Morris.
Any units in area respond.
Dispatch,
Unit 4334 is 10-76.
There's nothing out
this time of night...
except for trouble,
and there's no reason
to go looking for it.
But it wasn't as if there was anything
waiting for me at home anymore.
Hey!
That was it.
The first sign.
I could've seen it coming if my
brain was working, but it wasn't.
Doesn't matter
how often I replay it.
Hello?
I never get it right.
Fucker.
Go! Run!
No.
Not again.
Please.
You said...
Taking the call.
I wasn't doing anyone
any favors.
Had a few two many at the game.
Wasn't really in any shape to go out,
and response is slow, not thinking clearly.
It's an empty street somewhere
between service towers,
but I had a radio in the car.
Just decided to go forward
without calling for backup.
And number four...
Go! Run!
Amy.
Well, she was a mistake in
more ways than one. Shit! Amy?
Where am I?
Who are you?
It is now day three, and still no word on
the whereabouts of Detective Stan Jeter,
missing since Sunday.
His car was found here
by the lake,
but there are no signs
of any struggle.
For the past two days,
search crews have dredged the waterway.
Lieutenant Calabrese, tell us what
you've heard about Detective Jeter.
We're not gonna give up
till we find him.
Anybody seen or heard anything,
please contact the station.
Channel 9 viewers
might remember Stan Jeter...
as the heroic officer who single-handedly
brought down Terence Alby.
Let me out of here,
you son of a bitch.
Oh! Hey, listen to me.
Listen to me. Listen to me.
You know I'm a cop, right? You... You hurt
a cop and they're coming after you, man.
And-And no-no mercy.
Well, you let me out right now,
we can sort this out and...
Everything happens
for a reason, Detective.
Remember that.
Also remember...
people see what
they want you to see.
They're looking for you
at the river.
Not here.
In a week,
no one will be looking
for you at all.
No one will remember you at all.
In fact,
you're already being forgotten.
What the fuck is that?
Three days.
God, help me.
Three days in this room.
Three days lost.
Come on.
Three days since poker night.
Ah. Look who's here.
Guest of honor.
How often do we get a fuckin'
genuine hero in our midst, boys?
Yeah. All right.
What'd you bring?
Come on. Come on. Listen.
Just get your stuff and listen.
I'm telling... I'm in the middle of a story.
Sorry.
All right, so...
Where was I?
You lost me at
"Once upon a time."
I got it. I got it. Okay.
Okay. So I spend, like, the next two
years... I'm following this guy, right.
Wherever he goes, I go.
Goes to a family reunion,
"Hello."
I mean, he's in a hotel room
banging some whore,
I'm in the room next door, you know, with a
glass against the wall, you know, listening.
- That's a little creepy.
- So...
I mean, this guy takes a piss, I'm so
close, I get tinkled on my shoes, you know.
And still nothing.
We get nothing.
And I can tell that the guys upstairs
are getting sick and tired of this shit.
'Cause every time I go in they give me the
"fuck you" eyes...
when I'm handing my card
for overtime.
But I don't care 'cause I know.
I know in my gut that this is the
motherfucker that capped Franklin and Meyers.
And I know I'll never sleep another night
in my life as long as he's still out there.
And then the day comes.
Then they tell me, we're done.
Case is retired.
No more overtime.
We've had two years.
Finito.
Really?
Thank you.
That was our best?
Yeah.
That's the best?
Fuck them.
I go apeshit.
I'm-I'm destroying shit.
I'm throwing shit.
So there I am.
I'm driving home.
I'm furious.
I'm driving by Spike's,
and that bastard's truck is sitting there.
He's, you know,
inside having a beer or whatever,
and my two friends are dead
in a ditch somewhere,
and only that asshole
knows where they're at.
And I sit there...
staring.
And I'm trying to come up
with a plan.
So, it comes to me.
Did you go in there
and beat the shit out of him?
You take him outside,
then you beat the shit out of him.
Nah, you idiots.
You take him outside.
You have him beat
the shit out of himself.
Don't they teach you kids
nothing in the academy anymore?
All right, no.
You see this?
I'm trying to tell a story, and all
these guys care about is a cheap laugh.
Hey, let's just remember there are
two dead cops in here. All right?
Hey, beautiful.
Hi.
Hi, I'd like, uh... whiskey double.
All right.
And... You know what?
Double for my friend here.
Thanks.
My pleasure.
What are you so happy about?
I am celebrating
the greatest day of my life.
Tell me about it.
All right.
I'm a cop, right?
I've been spending the last couple years,
every day of my life,
searching for the bodies
of these two buddies of mine...
that got killed by some
heartless bastard, right?
Nothing.
Then this morning
I found the bodies.
They were out in the woods,
not even that far from here.
I can finally take a vacation.
Hey, give him one more.
And keep the change.
Take care, my friend.
I couldn't have waited more than
10 minutes, and here he comes,
he's looking around,
he's all nervous.
He gets into his truck,
and he creeps off.
And I creep off
right behind him.
And then this idiot goes right
into the middle of the woods.
He walks right to a clearing.
Starts stomping around like
he's been missing something.
And after a while, he finally decides that
we must have made a mistake, and he leaves.
I get on the horn to the chief.
Hey, Captain. This is Cunningham.
I found them.
The next day
we dug those two up.
That prick's serving
double life now.
See, that's what it's all about.
That comes from years of being on the job.
You can't teach that.
Whole point of poker night,
young buck.
You listen, you learn,
you go and you do likewise.
And you always use
your best weapon,
and that's your brain.
You always trust your heart.
Yeah, thanks
for that, Confucius.
Getting all teary over here.
Are we gonna play cards or are
we just gonna shoot the shit?
That's what we're here for.
All right.
Time for you to lose money.
Hey.
Hey?
I'm not happy
about you being here.
If I had a say,
you wouldn't be getting this promotion.
Listen,
Maxwell... Am I wearing a fucking dress?
Don't interrupt me.
You knew my rules.
You broke my rules.
If this all goes wrong,
I'm gonna fuck you up.
Girls doing okay here?
Fine.
Just need a few more of these in me,
I'll be right as rain.
You hear anything, Floyd?
No.
But I got my cell.
You know my wife threw me out?
She says I'm driving her crazy.
Short fucking trip.
Wanna play some cards? You know how
I like taking your money, don't you?
- I know you like taking my money.
- I love taking your money.
I brought extra. Good.
I'm a little short.
Hey, can I borrow
20 before we start?
Of course.
Sit down.
Come on in, gentlemen.
So, this is how it works, kid.
You against us.
We win a hand,
we tell you a story.
And, uh, you ought to listen up 'cause these
stories are worth a year of street experience.
So, put yourself in our shoes,
you, uh, think like we think,
and then one day when you
find yourself in a bad spot,
you'll remember
what we taught you.
Hopefully,
you'll make it out alive.
We were there making mistakes.
You listen, you learn.
Maybe you don't have
to make the same ones.
We ain't good for much else
except these stories.
It's all we got left
to contribute to you young kids.
Speak for yourself,
Calabrese, old bitch.
I'm still out there kicking
ass and breaking balls.
I seen you, Calabrese. I could limp
faster than you with Bernard on my back.
I could take a shit
faster than you.
Hey. Hey. Fuck all
you all, motherfuckers.
You grumpy-ass motherf... I'll kick all your
fucking asses, right here and right now.
- Aw, shit. Come on. Sit down, Calabrese.
- All right. I'll sit down.
You're supposed to get wisdom as you get
older, not leak it out when you piss.
About 10 years ago, the chief
made a decision to start...
bringing in some heavy hitters.
We're a small town,
but crime was rising.
He figured you bring in some big
city vets about ready to retire...
and give them a couple years
here training the rookies,
they might just be able
to stay ahead of the curve.
He brought in some of the best.
Jason Cunningham.
This guy survived the Richmond drug
wars and took down over 300 collars.
Incorruptible and unsociable.
A.J. Bernard,
one of Memphis's finest.
A.J. solved over 45 homicides,
retired here seven years ago.
Been one of the poker squad
ever since.
Byron Davis, Chicago PD.
Toughest cop I ever met.
Had an accident four years ago
and headed for greener pastures.
Floyd Maxwell,
15 years on the front lines.
Doesn't say much,
but when he does, listen.
They call him "the Hawk,"
and the Hawk was watching me.
The lieutenant, Mike Calabrese.
Maybe the most beloved
senior officer ever.
Always looking out for his men.
Always there to lend a hand.
Last year he saved my life.
Through the, uh, gravel pit
up where the...
Shot fired. Shit.
Get your head
out of your ass, Jeter!
Thank you.
Stay close.
Lieutenant.
I want to say thank you.
You saved my fucking life.
No, you did. Y-You...
I would be dead and un-un-under
the ground if it wasn't for...
Get the fuck out of here
with this sympathetic bullshit.
Crying in your beer.
Somebody want to get
this fucking guy a dress?
You don't say thank you to me.
You do better.
You come onto the scene
ready for action.
You pay attention.
You learn.
And the next time
you help out the new guy.
You save his life.
That's all the thanks I need.
Hey, boys, get this.
This drunk fuck
wants to buy us all a round.
Hey!
Go figure.
So, nurse!
- Here we go.
- How did I get so lucky?
Five card draw. Straight up.
Oh, wait, wait. Wait a minute.
- Ah, here it comes.
- Jesus Christ.
Oh, my God.
You gotta be kidding.
We haven't even started yet and
you're asking a question? Hey, hey.
That is not how this works.
We ask the questions, we do the talking,
you do the listening.
Okay, but I'm serious.
I have a question. Just one. Oh, my God.
Jesus Christ, ask the fucking question before
our pensions run out, for Christ's sake.
What if I win?
Listen. Ten years of playing poker night,
rookie's never won, never will.
Okay, but if I do.
Say I get that, that one great hand.
What then?
Hey, look here.
If you win, all bets are off.
All right?
You tell the stories and we start learning.
And we'd be pretty bad cheaters
if we're dealing you good cards.
All right.
First lesson.
I wasn't looking at your card.
I saw you peeking.
It's an easy one.
It's about perspective.
We deal with three percent of
the population 97% of the time.
And now everyone in the world
is not a lowlife, lying,
backstabbing, ass-covering
son of a bitch.
But. But it's mostly who we
deal with on a daily basis.
And they all think
they're smarter than you.
So here's your lesson.
- They're not.
- Except for the ones who actually are.
We never catch those bastards.
We just pretend they don't exist.
But sometimes they do exist.
The monsters
from your nightmares.
They're real,
and you can't wake up.
There you are.
So tell me, Detective.
How old are you?
Twenty-five?
Twenty-six?
Take a little from column A
to fix column B.
Am I right?
I don't know what you're talking about.
I can make us a deal. Okay?
I-I-I got connections.
A deal?
Yeah.
Okay.
I was just like you once.
Just a normal guy
with a normal life...
who went to a normal job
day after day after day.
I was a forecaster, Stan.
Predicting behavior
and regulating change.
Just another one of the
worker bees buzzing around.
I just never seemed
to make ends meet.
I got to the point where I just
couldn't take it anymore, Stan.
I wasn't going to be just
another one of those sheeple...
marching to the beat
of someone else's drum.
So I decided,
right then and there,
I was going to change my life.
But in order to do that, Stan,
I needed goals.
It took me a while
to be honest with myself.
I had to look into
my inner recesses, Stan.
I had to look deep,
and then I found them.
Two to be exact.
Making the rules was easy.
Crossing the line is what
separates the men from the boys.
But I was diligent.
I was a hard worker.
Well, Stan, we're gonna have to
pick this up at another time.
- Just wait a second. Okay?
- What?
- Don't have to do that.
- Yes, I do.
No, you don't have to do that.
You don't...
Don't have to...
Sorry, Stan.
Rule number one calls.
Oh, God, no.
Amy!
Ow!
Hey, stop! Just leave her alone!
Hey!
Hey, kid, how you doing?
Hey.
You don't look so good.
Ah, no. I'm fine.
It's the night shift,
you know, kicking my ass.
Anything to do with this?
Let's talk.
Hi, Daddy.
No, it's okay now.
A nice officer
is here to take him away.
Yep.
Just like you taught me.
He won't be looking in any girls'
windows anytime soon.
Nicely done.
Jeter.
Where'd you go?
- I'm sorry.
- Look, Stan.
Just between us.
You're a good cop.
Could be a great cop.
So,
what's the deal with Amy?
Oh, come on, Lieutenant.
I mean, she's just a kid.
All right.
I just wanted to hear it
straight from you is all.
Hear what? That there's nothing
going on between the two of you.
I don't know anything,
Lieutenant.
I'm telling you the truth.
Something's going on.
I know she's been calling here,
asking for you.
Jeter.
Hi, Officer Jeter?
This is Amy.
Hi, Amy.
Listen, you can't call me here.
I know. I know.
I was just thinking.
Maybe you could
take me on a drive along?
You know, give me a firsthand peek
into the world of law enforcement.
Um, yeah, I don't think your dad
would be too happy about that.
Come on.
You're not afraid of my dad, are you?
Besides, I can do what I want.
I'm an adult.
Almost an adult.
Oh, come on, Stan.
It'll be fun.
Besides, if you don't pick me up, who
knows what kind of trouble I might get in.
Someone's gonna
call the cops either way.
I don't know.
Oh, me too.
I just like the spirit, you know?
Like, everyone's happy and there's lights.
It's pretty.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
And...
I need to know.
I don't want any stinking trouble,
not on this department, not on you.
You got me?
I'm telling you the truth,
Lieutenant.
I never saw her.
Don't let it hit the fan, Jeter.
You're a hero cop,
you're gonna make detective next week.
Don't give 'em any dirt.
Stan?
Stan, can you hear me?
Yeah!
- Oh, thank God.
- Are you okay?
Please.
We have to get out of here.
How long have you been here?
The whole time.
- How did he get you?
- I got a call.
He said you were in trouble.
Are you? Yeah, yeah.
Come on. Let's go. Get in.
Listen.
I don't just get in the car with strangers.
All right.
Look, you see this blood?
Huh? He doesn't
have much more time. Okay?
He's asking for you.
Let's go.
Wait. Wait a minute.
He knows that I know you?
But you found me, Stan.
They must know where we are, right?
No, I got a call on the radio.
A domestic. Five miles up the road.
My phone didn't work.
But I've been gone
for two weeks.
Aren't there any leads at all?
No, they...
They thought
I might be involved.
Please, Stan,
you have to stop him.
He comes in here...
I know this is hard.
Okay, I do.
I'm gonna try to think of a way out.
Can you get free?
No. No, I tried.
I tried everything.
I can't.
If we're gonna get out,
we've got to get out when he's gone.
- Wait. He's gone?
- Yeah, he... he's gone.
He leaves sometimes.
He leaves... I can hear his car leave.
All right.
I need you to listen carefully.
You tell me if you hear anything.
I need to know if he comes back, okay?
Okay.
All right. You deal, gimpy.
Watch it, tough guy.
I'm gonna shove my gimp cane up your ass.
Yeah. You'd have to
catch me first.
I've never been on your back.
Excuse me.
Hello?
Yeah, any news?
Okay.
It's in the study.
Yeah, I can come back if...
Okay.
All right, thanks.
Bye.
It's all gonna be okay.
Don't worry.
What's the game?
Texas Hold'em.
All right, so listen up.
You got to try
to put yourself in our shoes.
Try to picture the story.
What would you do?
What would you think?
Her name was Misty.
If you can't think it,
you can't see it.
If you can't see it,
you can't learn.
Do you see it?
Oh, yeah.
Then walk the scene.
Officers.
Hey, where's our Vic?
In there.
That way.
Jim, you got
an extra pair of gloves?
There you go.
As usual.
This is the big one.
Murder.
You look at the body
for a real long time.
Till it's burned into your head.
Without you,
whoever did this gets away.
You're responsible
for avenging her.
You're doing God's work now.
The place was a mess.
DNA everywhere.
This guy was
the Old Faithful of sperm.
We had the evidence.
Now we needed the match.
So the investigation started,
but it never stopped.
Started with family, friends,
boyfriends, coworkers.
I lost track at 100 guys.
One year stretched into three.
Nothing.
Her parents kept calling me,
wanting updates.
There was nothing to tell.
But I was gonna catch this guy.
I wasn't gonna let this one go.
I promised them I wouldn't quit.
Eight years later, a handyman
gets called for a broken furnace.
Something's blocking a vent.
And boom. Guess what pops out.
Panties.
Loads of fucking panties.
So here's how it works.
Those panties had sperm
all over them.
The sperm on the panties matched
the sperm all over Misty's house.
Whoever juked on the panties was
the same person who killed Misty.
The house the panties
were found in...
was a rental property about
three blocks away from Misty.
Going back eight years,
we found out who lived there.
A wannabe actor.
But the closest he ever got to the
film business was working here.
All I needed was a swab.
But the way
he was looking at me...
He must have been waiting his
whole life for me to show up.
He must have lived his life in fear that
someday, somehow his secret would out.
And he wasn't going down
without a fight.
Hey! Freeze!
I said stop!
Hey, stop!
Hey!
Stop! Stop!
Sorry!
Hey, police!
Move.
Jesus.
Fuck.
Hey!
Hey, stop!
Stay down!
Shit.
Hey, get out of the car!
Ah.
That was it for me.
Last run. Never walk
without a cane again.
But I wasn't done fighting.
I'd been chasing this guy
for eight years.
I wasn't gonna lose him now.
And that's how you get 'em.
- Same as I got you bastards.
- Whoo-hoo-hoo!
Whoo!
Son of a bitch.
The race doesn't always
go to the swiftest. Dang.
You take your time.
You build your case. And you...
Never, ever give up.
- Go fuck yourself.
- Look, it's true.
Fuckin' bumper sticker.
Why does Davis solve
all his cases with panties?
Why do all yours get solved
by naked sweaty boy informants?
- I stick with what I know.
- Reminds me of Maxwell's story.
Okay.
We're gonna just play cards,
thank you very much. All right.
Oh, no. Come on.
Tell that story. Come on.
Come on.
This is it.
The big moment.
Carpe Diem.
Make it happen.
Don't give up.
Ah.
Ah. Shit.
Ah.
Fuck. Shit.
Ah, fuck. Oh.
Fuck.
Amy?
Stan!
- Amy?
- Can you hear me?
- Amy!
- Stan!
Follow my voice.
Stan!
Can you hear me? Yeah.
I can hear you. Follow my voice.
Where are you?
I'm over here! In here!
Stan?
Amy?
Stan!
Please.
Oh, my God. Oh.
Are you okay?
What happened? Yeah, yeah.
What happened?
Hold on. Stop.
Oh.
The giant thing...
It doesn't work.
It doesn't work.
You gotta get me out.
You gotta get me out of here. Okay, Amy.
You gotta get me out... Listen to me, okay?
I can't pull these chains out.
I need to find some tools. I need to
call the police and get 'em over here.
I'm gonna go upstairs for a second.
No, no, no.
You can't leave me.
He's gonna come back. He's...
If I don't get something to break you out,
he's going to kill us both.
Okay?
Okay. I'll be back. I promise.
Okay.
You fucking...
Shit.
Fuck.
Ah!
I had my chance.
I had my chance, and I took it.
No one could fault me for that.
But I knew it would be a cold day
before I would get that chance again.
Now I had more important things
on my mind than escape.
I just needed to concentrate
on staying alive.
Ah!
Stan!
Ah.
Oh.
Game is called Chase the Queen.
Which I'm sure
you're all used to doing.
The queen and anything
comes after is wild.
Two down, one up,
two up, one down, one up.
Ugh.
Hand of crap.
Queens and wilds.
I can't keep track of this shit.
Hey, Bernard.
Why don't you just start your story, okay?
So I can go take a piss.
It was 1979.
Holy shit.
In '79 I was still in diapers.
Back then, they didn't give
you guns, right?
You just had a club. You hit the bad guy over
the head and then drag him back to your cave?
'79...
I was still married to my first wife.
Oh, yeah, Cleopatra.
It was 1979.
We had a double murder.
Gruesome double murder.
No witnesses, one suspect.
The son.
Shawn.
Just give me a call.
If you go anywhere,
give me a call, let me know.
Oh, okay. I will.
You feel that?
I don't think
I'm going anywhere.
- Feel what?
- Something's not right.
That's all.
Thanks, sir.
It's not what they say.
It's what they don't say.
Okay, so what should I do?
Help him find the words.
Hey, kid!
Hey.
Y-Yeah? Hold up.
Hey, come here.
Uh, okay.
Just wanted to ask you
a couple more questions.
I told the detective everything I know.
He's said I could go.
It's in the eyes.
Oh, yeah. Yeah, I know.
I know, I just thought we might
walk it over one more time.
It'll just take a few minutes.
Sure, I guess. I mean, should
I have a lawyer or something?
There it is.
I guess if I had something to hide,
sure, I'd want a lawyer.
But if you've done
nothing wrong.
That's up to you.
You think you need a lawyer?
N-N-No.
I-I guess not.
All right.
Well, then let's go. Go?
Take him on the drive.
The drive?
Oh, my God.
Not the drive.
Jones had the cup of coffee.
Douglas had the crying corner.
A.J. Bernard?
Long drive.
Well, he needs a long drive.
If the drive was any shorter,
he wouldn't figure a goddamn thing out.
It's... It's true.
It was 1979.
Silence was a part of it.
But it could also
gives you time to think.
Time to get inside
their heads a bit.
Figure out what happened.
Wait.
Why are we here?
You said... You said we were
going to my Grandma's house.
Just want to walk it through with you
again, like you told us bit by bit.
I just want to go.
I know, just once more.
Please.
Fine.
Here's the thing.
Killers all have a reason.
If you know the reason,
you're halfway home.
They just want you
to understand them.
They did those things
with a purpose.
You understand the reason...
Go on.
You found your guy.
Take me back there, Shawn.
What'd you see?
Here's the thing about this job.
There is no bottom.
Just when you think
you've seen it all,
the bottom falls out.
There is no worst.
Just new levels of hell.
What happened?
Shawn?
Tell me what happened.
I... I came in,
and someone was beating them.
Who?
Who was it, Shawn?
They were good people.
Who would want to kill your mom and dad?
No, they weren't what you think.
What am I supposed to think?
You told me they were good parents.
Now why would someone
kill these good people?
Y-You didn't know them.
- They...
- They what?
Open it!
Open the door right now!
They yell at you?
They beat you?
Mommy hold you a bit too close?
Yeah.
They did it all.
What were you gonna
do about it, Shawn?
Were you gonna let them get away
with treating you like that?
I can see why you did
what you had to do, Shawn.
This couldn't go on
like this forever.
- Now tell me what happened.
- Tell me, Shawn.
Tell me what happened.
Ah!
No!
Ah!
Ah!
I killed them!
It was me.
I killed them.
You don't always
get what you want.
I got a broken jaw
and 18 stitches.
But I got the confession.
Sometimes you pay a price
for justice.
How you doing, buddy?
Come here.
It's okay. I'm here.
It's okay. It's okay.
In my line of work...
You all right?
I see things.
Who did this to you?
You ain't got nothing on me, motherfucker!
Calm down, man!
- I'm fuckin' doing it!
- No, no, no!
Bad things.
Things that shouldn't be seen.
Food.
When you're faced
with this every day,
you find ways to deal with it.
It might not be the best ways.
At the academy, we were told
that we work for God.
That we are the last line of defense to protect
the world from the tyranny of evil men.
And I remember thinking
that sounded stupid.
Ah.
I don't now.
Now I know what evil looks like.
I've seen it
up close and personal.
I wouldn't do that
if I were you.
What the hell did you do to me?
And I can never look
at things the same again.
Oh!
Ah. Ah.
Do you know...
how many tubes of Krazy
Glue it takes to...
hold a man to a wall?
Would you believe 34?
A lot more than I thought too.
Please, just tell me what you want.
I'll do everything I can.
Shut up.
Please, there must be something you need.
Now you were close.
So close.
The next time you try to escape,
it's gonna hurt.
Really hurt.
Oh, you don't believe me?
Here.
Ah!
See what I mean?
You're sick!
Thank you.
Leave him alone!
Oh.
So touching.
She really likes you.
Too bad she's jailbait.
Just... Just let her go, okay?
It's me you want, right?
We have more in common
than I thought, Detective.
Although...
I think she's too old for me.
Why are you doing this?
Why?
Uh, where's this going?
Don't try and be smart.
I'm always five moves
ahead of you.
You see what I want you to see.
You know what
I want you to know.
While you're playing catch up,
I'm already planning next month.
Hey, wait... wait a second.
What about your family?
Huh?
Why did you kill them?
You're so transparent.
But sure. Why not?
Where were we?
Oh, yes, my new goals.
If you really
want to kill people...
and you really want
to get away with it,
then you need
to do a little research.
Now where do you go to learn
sick things like that?
The Discovery Channel of course.
The have a whole channel
just devoted to murder.
It was like watching TV
to get a PhD in murder.
And the Internet. A world of
debauchery right at your fingertips.
Everything you ever wanted to know
about anything sick and twisted,
available at a keystroke.
Night after night
I was learning more.
Arguing.
Sharing knowledge.
It was like being a member
in the most exclusive club ever.
I was liberated.
I didn't feel alone
for the first time in my life.
But...
I needed something more.
Someone to share with,
to learn from,
to help me sharpen my skills.
I needed a mentor.
It was everything
I ever hoped for and more.
Someone who got me,
understood me,
where I was coming from.
He helped me be the man
I am today.
To be all I could be.
But there comes a time
when you have to grow up.
There comes a time when you kill your
parents, and you leave the house.
What a dipshit.
That time came,
and that's when I knew
I was ready.
Ready to be on my own again.
What happened to your mentor?
And you call yourself
a detective?
Enough about me.
Let's talk about you.
I see potential in you,
Detective.
You're a lot like me.
Trapped.
Well, you saw what I had
to do to break free.
And I want you to do the same.
Please.
Just let me go.
Let yourself go.
Free yourself.
I want you to think
about something, Detective.
Why you?
Out of everyone.
Why you?
Do you think you have what
it takes to go up against me?
You think you're smart enough?
I don't think so.
I think you fall short.
Way short.
Game's almost over, Detective.
You know, I've been thinking.
You know,
what's going on here is, uh,
it's not right.
I used you to catch the detective
and now that I have him,
I don't really need you anymore.
I have a sickness, and, uh,
I see that now.
And I can't keep doing this.
So what I want is for you
to call your family...
and tell them that
you're all right,
and tell them to come get you.
Okay?
What?
Oh, but...
All right.
All right. So.
Here.
Daddy?
Can you hear me?
Yes, I'm alive.
He wants you to come get me.
He said he's gonna let me...
Ah!
No.
Dad.
Hello, Amy's dad?
How are you today?
Oh, I wouldn't talk like
that if I were you. Stop!
You do realize I have your daughter, right?
Daddy!
Don't listen to him.
Don't listen to him! Da...
Get off!
Yeah, that was her.
All right. So this is gonna be simple.
You're gonna take $10,000.
You're gonna get in your car and
you're gonna drive up River Road.
You're gonna drive 5.2 miles, and you're gonna
head up to the house there. You got it?
3:00 pm. And no cops.
And I mean no cops or your daughter
comes back dead and pregnant.
That's it for me, boyos.
Cash me out.
What are you talking about?
It's 11:30.
Yeah, you're not going anywhere
till we hear our favorite story.
Give me a fucking break.
No, no, no.
You're gonna stay right here
and tell us a sexy little story.
- I get all tingly just thinking about it.
- I bet you are.
Floyd. Come on.
I'm out of Viagra.
The little woman's been begging for it.
I need you, bro.
You guys are assholes.
Thirty-five years
on the fucking job,
highly-decorated detective,
you think I only got one story?
I got a million.
Here, there's one.
I had this guy...
No!
Hey! No! Nope.
Come on. Tell it, Floyd.
- We want the story.
- You want the story?
Yeah, the story.
Yeah!
For your own
fucking perverse pleasure...
All right.
Thank you.
I will indulge you...
in a tale of fine police work.
And whatnot.
It was a little ways back.
I had a little less gray in my hair.
I might have been wearing a
Members Only jacket, I'm not sure.
Bottom line is,
there were three bodies.
One in the water.
One in the woods.
One in the Dumpster.
Now this was a big deal
at the time...
because this was the first serial
killer in the area, right?
Each of the victims was killed
in a different place.
But all of them were missing
their pinkies.
So we called this guy
"the pinky thief."
All the victims though,
they were hustlers, right?
Guys selling themselves
out to the highest bidder.
But the one common thing was,
each of 'em was afraid of the same guy.
This asshole named Nate Munson.
He's some bullshit photographer,
right?
He would lure 'em
into his world,
you know, with the promise
of glamour pictures, right?
'Cause they're all aspiring models,
fucking actors and whatnot.
So we liked this guy
for all these killings.
Oh, such a nice night.
He would lead them into the woods to his
own little personal lovers' lane place...
that he'd staked out.
Oh, watch your step.
It's slippery on this moss.
We thought he killed them there,
then disposed
of the bodies later.
I don't see anything here that
says that this is our guy.
- This is our guy.
- We know this is our guy.
- I know it is. I can feel it.
- But each scene is too clean.
We can't bring him in
without evidence.
He'll take a fucking walk.
But if we're right,
and he kills someone else,
we're gonna catch hell in the press when
they find out that we knew about the guy...
and he went on killing.
So there's only one way
to do this right.
Someone had to go undercover.
I drew the short straw.
They wired me up,
and the go word is,
"You're making me hot."
"You're making me hot."
Wow.
Poor choice of words.
It comes from upstairs.
They make the unfortunate
fucking tactical decision...
to link us up with
some local SWAT team.
These guys were fucking
world-class bozos, right?
Shit-bird number one.
Shit-bird number two.
Shit-bird number three.
Here, that's you.
Sniper two, Johnson, there.
Snipers had me triangulated, ready to put this
fuck in the ground first sign of craziness.
Nice.
Whoa, hey.
The guy's fucking feeling me up
and I'm thinking to myself,
this better be the fucking guy,
all right? You know?
Because if this guy's just in it
for the fucking sex,
he's never gonna see
a jail cell...
'cause I'm gonna take him out
right there on the spot.
So after a while he starts
getting rough.
Handcuffs.
Oh, hey. Hey.
- What is that?
- Who's in charge now, huh?
What are you doing?
Huh? Come here, come here,
come here, come here.
Hey.
Ah, yeah.
Yes. You're kinky.
You're fuckin' kinky.
Come on.
Now you're fucking... You're making me hot.
Why don't we get...
- You're making me hot.
- Why don't we...
You're making me hot.
Yeah, you're making me hot!
You're... You're making me...
Oh, shit!
Hey, you're making me hot!
Shit-bird number one has been
on the phone with his wife.
They're having a fight.
Shit-bird number two catches
some kids smoking pot.
Shit-bird number three ate Mexican for
lunch and he's got the fucking runs.
You're ma...
You're making me hot!
Hey, hey.
You're making me hot.
Uh.
So at this point,
Munson moves behind me,
and I know he's gonna cut my finger off.
I realize that
I'm on my own, right?
There's gonna be no back up.
So I do the one sensible thing
that any man would do.
Hey, hey, hey, hey. W-W-Wait.
Come here. Come here.
I asked for a kiss.
Give me a kiss.
Huh?
Turns you on?
Yeah. Fuck it.
Come here.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah. Come on.
Oh, yeah.
- He's down.
- Move!
Hey, where the fuck were you?
Fuckin' piece of shit.
Come on!
Bottom line.
If you're in the shit,
you're all you got,
you make your fucking play.
You're right.
It's a lesson, kid.
And if all else fails...
Ask for a kiss!
Don't move, motherfucker.
Okay. Okay.
Right there.
Get your fucking hands up.
Okay, okay.
Get 'em up.
Where's my daughter? What do...
Where is she?
What do you mean your daughter?
I don't know what
you're talking about.
Don't fuck with me
or I will smoke you.
You tell me where she is now.
Okay, don't. I don't know
what's going on here, man.
I... You know, I was just
walking my dog,
and I saw you at the house and I just came
to tell you that nobody's home, okay?
They're away.
They're away.
Don't give me that.
You called me on my cell phone,
you piece of shit.
- Where is she?
- Don't. Please.
Just listen, okay?
I don't know
what's going on here.
I don't know what you're talking about.
But please don't kill me, okay?
Don't... Don't kill me.
I got kids too.
You fuck...
Please.
Please.
Oh, shit.
Shit. Fuck.
I'm sorry.
Put your hand down.
Put your hand...
Stand up.
You all right?
Yeah.
Shit.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
Fuck. Are you okay?
I mean...
You should really call the cops
or something. They can help.
I am the cops.
Oh.
It's okay.
Hey, you know,
I'm sure everything's gonna turn out fine.
You know.
I hope you find your kid.
Thanks. Look, I'm sorry
about that back there.
Yeah.
Thanks for your help.
Yeah.
No problem.
Ah.
Come on.
Stan. Stan, can you hear me?
Yeah.
Stan! Are you okay?
Yeah, I'm okay.
Is he here?
Have you been down?
No, he left. He left.
He called my dad.
What are you doing?
Stan, what's going on in there?
What did he do to you?
No. No.
Get behind the bed.
Get...
Sit.
You move, you die.
All right?
Shit.
Amy!
I had a rough day at work today.
I could use something
to relax me.
I think you know
just what it is.
No, don't! Stop!
Stop it!
No!
No! Don't!
That was dumb, Detective.
Oh, no.
Oh, no.
You fucker!
What's wrong?
Hmm?
Oh, it's not that bad.
Shit!
You're gonna pay for that.
I've pulled my gun three times
in the line of duty,
with mixed results.
One.
Two.
The third is really
the story of my career.
It all starts with a call.
A strange one this time,
a guy named Fisher.
He works at
this trailer storage facility.
Now it seems last month his phone
bill goes up 700%. No clue why.
It's not 3,700 cents.
It's 3,700 fuckin' dollars! Okay.
It's a fucking phone bill! It's not a fucking
mortgage payment, for Christ's sake!
And all of a sudden, he's billed for seven
lines and hundreds of international calls.
First, he thinks it's Johnson,
a manager who works there,
runnin' up some phone sex numbers.
But the calls are there whether Johnson
is or not. Phone company won't help him.
They say they have invoices,
invoices with his signature,
and the signature looked good.
It matched.
Fisher swears it's not his.
I told him I'd look around.
Might be some kids tying into the
line somewhere and messing around.
Anyway, it beats sitting
in the car.
Quiet night.
It's nice out.
Good night for a walk.
Full moon.
And something struck me.
I don't know what.
But I wondered what things would look like
from the top of those cars looking down.
I just decided to go
for a climb.
I've replayed that night
thousands of times.
It was the turning point
in my career.
And the truth was...
it was all luck.
Some people work
to get where they are.
Some people marry into it.
Fuck.
And I got here by climbing up a bunch
of train cars to look at the moon.
Jesus!
I can't describe what I saw
that night.
I would never have thought the
things there were even possible.
When I close my eyes,
the pictures are still there, haunting me.
Fuck.
This is good.
Real good.
Police! Freeze!
Terrence Alby.
I had just shot Terrence Alby.
Never had fired a gun
at a person till then.
And I killed him.
They called me a hero.
They made me a detective.
But I really had nothing
to do with it.
I was just lucky.
I wanted to see the moon.
Three times I pulled my gun.
But I had never, ever,
shot and killed an innocent man.
Until today.
Jesus Christ.
What the fuck?
Don't get up,
you lazy fucking bastard.
If you wanted to lose weight,
you should've just quit drinking.
All right.
You're gonna be fine.
Let's just get some back up and
get you the fuck out of here.
Goddamn it.
I knew something was wrong.
Fucking guy.
Can I help you?
Uh, Detective Calabrese,
Warsaw PD.
Uh, we're going door-to-door
in the neighborhood.
Well, it's not much of a neighborhood.
The next house is three miles.
You okay there?
Oh, yeah. I just have a cold.
Still contagious.
We, uh...
We had a detective go missing
a couple of weeks ago. Jeter?
Mmm. Yeah, yeah.
I've been following the story.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Uh, he was working in the area,
on call.
Oh.
Well, I haven't
seen anything here.
No cars?
No suspicious people?
Nobody coming to the door
you didn't know?
You mean, besides you?
Yeah, well, thanks
for your time, Mister, uh...
James.
Uh, you mind if I come in?
Why?
Just a routine check.
You got a routine warrant?
Do I need to get one?
Nope.
Hey, do you have a partner
in that car outside?
Why?
Well, I was gonna put on a pot of coffee.
Wanted to know
how many cups to make.
Nope.
Just me.
Please, come in.
We got a 911 call
about a week ago.
Please state your emergency.
When the operator
picked up the call,
there was nobody there.
Hello?
So is that unusual?
Not really.
But, uh, when she went to end the call,
she missed the button.
She was, uh, deeply immersed in
an article about the Kardashians.
Anyway, she didn't realize that
the call was still connected.
Hello?
Sir?
Hello? Can you hear me?
So what happened?
Well, finally the call ended.
But not the story.
No, not the story.
We traced the call.
I mean, it was a partial trace.
Strangely enough, that call was made
from somewhere in this neighborhood.
Uh-huh. Interesting.
Yeah.
And then, uh, cops came out here about
a week ago, do a little follow-up work.
One of 'em never came back.
So that's two down,
somewhere out here.
Yeah.
Jeter, somewhere out here.
And, uh, that call
from somewhere out here.
And then another cop goes
missing from somewhere out here.
There's just so many questions.
Anyway, I figured I should
probably check it out and...
Goddamn cell phones.
You can never get a fucking signal.
Is he dead?
Who?
The man.
Is he dead?
No, no.
No, he's still alive.
But I tagged him pretty good.
He's not going anywhere.
What did you use?
Fuck!
What?
I used my .45.
No. To keep him there.
What did you use?
Handcuffs.
Never, ever,
in my wildest dreams.
This is not how it's supposed to happen.
I-If I would have said something.
Anything. I knew in my heart the cuffs
weren't enough. I was just too slow.
Too damn slow.
This can't be happening.
- Shit!
- You bastard!
Fuck!
You... No!
Do it!
Fellas, read 'em and weep.
Oh, fuck me.
Goddamn it.
Full house. Aces wild.
You called it.
Hang on, hang on.
We ain't seen
what the kid's got yet.
You mind, kid?
Deuce.
Another deuce.
No help there.
Oh, shit.
The plot thickens.
And...
No!
Come on!
Oh, man!
Damn!
Kid beat you with four twos.
Twos? What the fuck?
Who was dealing?
Holy shit.
You know what this means?
Huh?
What?
You get to ask
the questions, kid.
This is insane.
You're dead, for Christ sakes.
- You too, Maxwell.
- Yeah, they're both dead.
What we want to know is,
did they die for nothing?
No, you don't know.
You weren't trapped in this
fucking room for weeks.
You sit there and-and you smoke your
cigarette and you tell me these stories,
but h-h-how the fuck
is this gonna help me?
I have done everything I can.
I can't get out if I'm stuck
to the fucking wall!
Take it one step
at a time, Jeter.
One step.
You gotta rescue my daughter.
You put this motherfucker in the ground.
Put a stake in his fucking heart.
Whatever you do, do not give up.
Hey, you are in a fight.
So fucking fight.
I just... I just gotta...
I just want this to stop.
Come on, kid. Figure it out.
You got all the clues.
You just got
to string them together.
What the fuck are you
talking about, clues?
The guy, he comes in here and drugs
me and beats the shit out of me.
Think about it.
He grabbed Amy to get to you.
She disappeared two weeks before you did.
He had a plan.
This place, middle of nowhere.
The rooms in the basement... that took a
lot of work. It's no random accident.
Come on. He set this up for you.
You're the one he wants.
Just stop it.
Please, just... Just stop it.
He could have killed you right away.
But he didn't, all right?
So think about it.
Why did he let you live?
He's trying
to tell you something.
He wants you to figure it out.
I can't do this.
Yes, you can!
Now you think about it.
What's the key?
He said you already knew what it was.
How am I supposed to find the key when
I don't know who this guy is, huh?
The mentor.
There you go.
I had no idea who he was.
Without the mask,
he was simply no one.
Now tell me.
Tell me why this? Why me?
What? Because of Alby?
Because I killed your mentor?
Very good, Detective.
I knew if I spelled it out for you,
you'd catch on eventually.
Just took longer than
I anticipated.
Yeah, but why all this,
you sick fuck?
Because in that train car
was my life's work.
I did it all for him.
To please him.
I was shipping that car out
the next day.
Moving on to California where they really
appreciate people in my profession.
I wanted him to see it
before I left.
To show him that I was a man.
You robbed me of that.
All my crimes, wiped away,
assigned to a corpse.
The corpse of a man
I surpassed in every way.
I had a rough time after that.
I couldn't get out of bed.
I wouldn't take my calls.
Go away!
- Hey.
- Hey. How you doing?
My friends, they took me out,
tried to introduce me to girls.
He's in the back, right there.
He sure is nice.
Is your mom around? No?
Nothing.
And then it comes to me.
I needed to go back
to the beginning.
When things were more simple,
more clearer.
My goal statement.
Mmm.
Now let me think.
Who stands in my way?
Oh, yeah.
Detective Stan Jeter.
The man who stole
my greatest moment of triumph.
Now that man had to pay.
Well, bravo, Detective.
You have all the answers.
Too bad you don't have
much time left.
What are you talking about?
You didn't think I could take care
of this all by myself, did you?
Oh, no.
Too many loose ends for one man.
I have my own apprentice now.
And he should be here
any minute.
Amy?
Amy, can you hear me?
Amy. Amy. Oh, Amy.
Oh, shit.
Amy, wake up.
Amy. Amy, wake up.
Come on.
- Okay.
- We're getting out of here.
Stop it!
No! Stop!
I'm in here!
No surrender! Let's move in!
- Police, I need help!
- Drop the weapon!
Guys, I said I need help!
Somebody help!
Keep Amy breathing!
- Drop your weapon!
- No, he's in the basement!
So that was my story.
Wish I could say
it had a happy ending.
Wisdom and hindsight.
In the end,
I don't know if they mean shit.
Because he was right.
People see
what they want to see.
- So that's it?
- Pretty much.
Hard to argue with that much
physical evidence.
Three dead cops,
two killed with bullets from my gun.
Kind of hard to talk your way
out of that one.
And the kiddy porn thing.
Juries don't really like that.
Hey, what's he doing?
But you claim you're innocent.
And this mysterious kidnapper?
The guy who supposedly kept you
in the basement the whole time?
What about him?
- He was gone.
- And how would you respond to those who say you made him up?
Well, it doesn't really matter
much now, does it?
Amy Maxwell?
Coma, three months.
Time's up.
I have a few more questions.
Time's up.
He was still out there.
And no one knew him
better than me.
How he operates,
what he's capable of.
I wasn't done,
not by a long shot.
One day, I'll be free.
And then I'm gonna do to him
what he did to me.
And then it all changed.
Amy was awake.
And talking.
The evidence against me took on a
new light, and it didn't hold up.
Now getting free
was just the beginning.
I thought back to all that I
learned that first night of poker.
Then, they were just stories,
but now they were my guides.
A map that would lead me to
the end of my journey, to him.
I was using my brain
and following my heart.
Lots of false leads
and wrong turns,
but I knew I was getting closer,
patiently moving forward.
I knew this guy
better than anyone else.
I knew how he thought,
what he was looking for.
I knew his reasons.
And that meant I could catch him.
And I heard this little girl screaming.
So I went over to see what was happening.
- How does that look?
- Oh, yeah, that was def...
So... So, that's it.
He got him?
He's a cop.
That's what he does.
One shot,
right through the heart.
And I say, rot in peace.
We lost two of our best
to that bastard.
There's only one choice there.
That's your captain.
Pride of the department.
He got two fucking parades for that.
Got more balls
than he does brains, man.
Hey, that's my kind of cop.
Who's your kind of cop?
- Hey!
- Not you.
Finally. Come on,
you're late. Sit down.
- What, you don't wear a watch?
- There it is.
Come on, come on, come on.
Let's get the game on.
Go. Salud.
They always like this, Captain?
Always. I told you
it was gonna be like this.
Don't listen to a word
he tells you.
This guy was crapping his pants
worse than you his first night.
Couldn't play cards.
Couldn't tell stories.
Same then as he is now.
Uno, baby.
Stop jawing. Start dealing.
Let's play some fucking cards.
You done bitching?
All right. Here we go.
Five card stud, no wilds.
Wisdom and hindsight.
In the end,
that was the purpose of poker night.
To teach the next guy
a lesson from your mistakes.
We deal with three percent
of the population...
97% of the time.
And they all think
they're smarter than you.
They're not.
Except for the ones
who actually are.
We never catch those bastards.
We just pretend they don't exist.
There are some lessons...
you just have to
learn on your own.
they're bastard stepchildren...
wisdom and hindsight.
You only get it
after you need it.
It doesn't help you right now.
It only teaches you enough
to help you the next time.
I'm talking about the kind of
wisdom that comes from experience.
The kind that tells you if your wife
pushes you to take the night shift,
there's probably a reason.
And then there's hindsight.
It's like looking
in the rearview mirror.
You can't see what you're going
through until you've driven past it.
Hindsight, like, "Ah, what do you
mean I've had too much to drink?
I'll be fine."
Wisdom and hindsight.
They don't help you with today,
only with tomorrow.
But tomorrow is a day away.
And today, well...
Today's a shitstorm
I might not live through.
So let me take you back
to the beginning.
'Cause the only way to get
any wisdom out of my story...
is to look at it in hindsight.
Well, you're legit now, hero.
If you make it through poker night,
it's all downhill from there.
And, uh, considering you're a...
wet-nose, son of a bitch
political appointee...
you did okay.
The boys seem to think
you got potential.
Glad to hear you approve,
Lieutenant.
I never said
I approve, shithead.
And don't fuck up, all right?
And don't ever make us look bad.
And get rid of that
piece of shit eyesore.
You're gonna be a detective,
you gotta start driving like one.
First thing tomorrow.
Hey, thanks, Lieutenant.
Fuck you.
10-16.
10-16.
Domestic disturbance.
413 East Morris.
Any units in area respond.
Dispatch,
Unit 4334 is 10-76.
There's nothing out
this time of night...
except for trouble,
and there's no reason
to go looking for it.
But it wasn't as if there was anything
waiting for me at home anymore.
Hey!
That was it.
The first sign.
I could've seen it coming if my
brain was working, but it wasn't.
Doesn't matter
how often I replay it.
Hello?
I never get it right.
Fucker.
Go! Run!
No.
Not again.
Please.
You said...
Taking the call.
I wasn't doing anyone
any favors.
Had a few two many at the game.
Wasn't really in any shape to go out,
and response is slow, not thinking clearly.
It's an empty street somewhere
between service towers,
but I had a radio in the car.
Just decided to go forward
without calling for backup.
And number four...
Go! Run!
Amy.
Well, she was a mistake in
more ways than one. Shit! Amy?
Where am I?
Who are you?
It is now day three, and still no word on
the whereabouts of Detective Stan Jeter,
missing since Sunday.
His car was found here
by the lake,
but there are no signs
of any struggle.
For the past two days,
search crews have dredged the waterway.
Lieutenant Calabrese, tell us what
you've heard about Detective Jeter.
We're not gonna give up
till we find him.
Anybody seen or heard anything,
please contact the station.
Channel 9 viewers
might remember Stan Jeter...
as the heroic officer who single-handedly
brought down Terence Alby.
Let me out of here,
you son of a bitch.
Oh! Hey, listen to me.
Listen to me. Listen to me.
You know I'm a cop, right? You... You hurt
a cop and they're coming after you, man.
And-And no-no mercy.
Well, you let me out right now,
we can sort this out and...
Everything happens
for a reason, Detective.
Remember that.
Also remember...
people see what
they want you to see.
They're looking for you
at the river.
Not here.
In a week,
no one will be looking
for you at all.
No one will remember you at all.
In fact,
you're already being forgotten.
What the fuck is that?
Three days.
God, help me.
Three days in this room.
Three days lost.
Come on.
Three days since poker night.
Ah. Look who's here.
Guest of honor.
How often do we get a fuckin'
genuine hero in our midst, boys?
Yeah. All right.
What'd you bring?
Come on. Come on. Listen.
Just get your stuff and listen.
I'm telling... I'm in the middle of a story.
Sorry.
All right, so...
Where was I?
You lost me at
"Once upon a time."
I got it. I got it. Okay.
Okay. So I spend, like, the next two
years... I'm following this guy, right.
Wherever he goes, I go.
Goes to a family reunion,
"Hello."
I mean, he's in a hotel room
banging some whore,
I'm in the room next door, you know, with a
glass against the wall, you know, listening.
- That's a little creepy.
- So...
I mean, this guy takes a piss, I'm so
close, I get tinkled on my shoes, you know.
And still nothing.
We get nothing.
And I can tell that the guys upstairs
are getting sick and tired of this shit.
'Cause every time I go in they give me the
"fuck you" eyes...
when I'm handing my card
for overtime.
But I don't care 'cause I know.
I know in my gut that this is the
motherfucker that capped Franklin and Meyers.
And I know I'll never sleep another night
in my life as long as he's still out there.
And then the day comes.
Then they tell me, we're done.
Case is retired.
No more overtime.
We've had two years.
Finito.
Really?
Thank you.
That was our best?
Yeah.
That's the best?
Fuck them.
I go apeshit.
I'm-I'm destroying shit.
I'm throwing shit.
So there I am.
I'm driving home.
I'm furious.
I'm driving by Spike's,
and that bastard's truck is sitting there.
He's, you know,
inside having a beer or whatever,
and my two friends are dead
in a ditch somewhere,
and only that asshole
knows where they're at.
And I sit there...
staring.
And I'm trying to come up
with a plan.
So, it comes to me.
Did you go in there
and beat the shit out of him?
You take him outside,
then you beat the shit out of him.
Nah, you idiots.
You take him outside.
You have him beat
the shit out of himself.
Don't they teach you kids
nothing in the academy anymore?
All right, no.
You see this?
I'm trying to tell a story, and all
these guys care about is a cheap laugh.
Hey, let's just remember there are
two dead cops in here. All right?
Hey, beautiful.
Hi.
Hi, I'd like, uh... whiskey double.
All right.
And... You know what?
Double for my friend here.
Thanks.
My pleasure.
What are you so happy about?
I am celebrating
the greatest day of my life.
Tell me about it.
All right.
I'm a cop, right?
I've been spending the last couple years,
every day of my life,
searching for the bodies
of these two buddies of mine...
that got killed by some
heartless bastard, right?
Nothing.
Then this morning
I found the bodies.
They were out in the woods,
not even that far from here.
I can finally take a vacation.
Hey, give him one more.
And keep the change.
Take care, my friend.
I couldn't have waited more than
10 minutes, and here he comes,
he's looking around,
he's all nervous.
He gets into his truck,
and he creeps off.
And I creep off
right behind him.
And then this idiot goes right
into the middle of the woods.
He walks right to a clearing.
Starts stomping around like
he's been missing something.
And after a while, he finally decides that
we must have made a mistake, and he leaves.
I get on the horn to the chief.
Hey, Captain. This is Cunningham.
I found them.
The next day
we dug those two up.
That prick's serving
double life now.
See, that's what it's all about.
That comes from years of being on the job.
You can't teach that.
Whole point of poker night,
young buck.
You listen, you learn,
you go and you do likewise.
And you always use
your best weapon,
and that's your brain.
You always trust your heart.
Yeah, thanks
for that, Confucius.
Getting all teary over here.
Are we gonna play cards or are
we just gonna shoot the shit?
That's what we're here for.
All right.
Time for you to lose money.
Hey.
Hey?
I'm not happy
about you being here.
If I had a say,
you wouldn't be getting this promotion.
Listen,
Maxwell... Am I wearing a fucking dress?
Don't interrupt me.
You knew my rules.
You broke my rules.
If this all goes wrong,
I'm gonna fuck you up.
Girls doing okay here?
Fine.
Just need a few more of these in me,
I'll be right as rain.
You hear anything, Floyd?
No.
But I got my cell.
You know my wife threw me out?
She says I'm driving her crazy.
Short fucking trip.
Wanna play some cards? You know how
I like taking your money, don't you?
- I know you like taking my money.
- I love taking your money.
I brought extra. Good.
I'm a little short.
Hey, can I borrow
20 before we start?
Of course.
Sit down.
Come on in, gentlemen.
So, this is how it works, kid.
You against us.
We win a hand,
we tell you a story.
And, uh, you ought to listen up 'cause these
stories are worth a year of street experience.
So, put yourself in our shoes,
you, uh, think like we think,
and then one day when you
find yourself in a bad spot,
you'll remember
what we taught you.
Hopefully,
you'll make it out alive.
We were there making mistakes.
You listen, you learn.
Maybe you don't have
to make the same ones.
We ain't good for much else
except these stories.
It's all we got left
to contribute to you young kids.
Speak for yourself,
Calabrese, old bitch.
I'm still out there kicking
ass and breaking balls.
I seen you, Calabrese. I could limp
faster than you with Bernard on my back.
I could take a shit
faster than you.
Hey. Hey. Fuck all
you all, motherfuckers.
You grumpy-ass motherf... I'll kick all your
fucking asses, right here and right now.
- Aw, shit. Come on. Sit down, Calabrese.
- All right. I'll sit down.
You're supposed to get wisdom as you get
older, not leak it out when you piss.
About 10 years ago, the chief
made a decision to start...
bringing in some heavy hitters.
We're a small town,
but crime was rising.
He figured you bring in some big
city vets about ready to retire...
and give them a couple years
here training the rookies,
they might just be able
to stay ahead of the curve.
He brought in some of the best.
Jason Cunningham.
This guy survived the Richmond drug
wars and took down over 300 collars.
Incorruptible and unsociable.
A.J. Bernard,
one of Memphis's finest.
A.J. solved over 45 homicides,
retired here seven years ago.
Been one of the poker squad
ever since.
Byron Davis, Chicago PD.
Toughest cop I ever met.
Had an accident four years ago
and headed for greener pastures.
Floyd Maxwell,
15 years on the front lines.
Doesn't say much,
but when he does, listen.
They call him "the Hawk,"
and the Hawk was watching me.
The lieutenant, Mike Calabrese.
Maybe the most beloved
senior officer ever.
Always looking out for his men.
Always there to lend a hand.
Last year he saved my life.
Through the, uh, gravel pit
up where the...
Shot fired. Shit.
Get your head
out of your ass, Jeter!
Thank you.
Stay close.
Lieutenant.
I want to say thank you.
You saved my fucking life.
No, you did. Y-You...
I would be dead and un-un-under
the ground if it wasn't for...
Get the fuck out of here
with this sympathetic bullshit.
Crying in your beer.
Somebody want to get
this fucking guy a dress?
You don't say thank you to me.
You do better.
You come onto the scene
ready for action.
You pay attention.
You learn.
And the next time
you help out the new guy.
You save his life.
That's all the thanks I need.
Hey, boys, get this.
This drunk fuck
wants to buy us all a round.
Hey!
Go figure.
So, nurse!
- Here we go.
- How did I get so lucky?
Five card draw. Straight up.
Oh, wait, wait. Wait a minute.
- Ah, here it comes.
- Jesus Christ.
Oh, my God.
You gotta be kidding.
We haven't even started yet and
you're asking a question? Hey, hey.
That is not how this works.
We ask the questions, we do the talking,
you do the listening.
Okay, but I'm serious.
I have a question. Just one. Oh, my God.
Jesus Christ, ask the fucking question before
our pensions run out, for Christ's sake.
What if I win?
Listen. Ten years of playing poker night,
rookie's never won, never will.
Okay, but if I do.
Say I get that, that one great hand.
What then?
Hey, look here.
If you win, all bets are off.
All right?
You tell the stories and we start learning.
And we'd be pretty bad cheaters
if we're dealing you good cards.
All right.
First lesson.
I wasn't looking at your card.
I saw you peeking.
It's an easy one.
It's about perspective.
We deal with three percent of
the population 97% of the time.
And now everyone in the world
is not a lowlife, lying,
backstabbing, ass-covering
son of a bitch.
But. But it's mostly who we
deal with on a daily basis.
And they all think
they're smarter than you.
So here's your lesson.
- They're not.
- Except for the ones who actually are.
We never catch those bastards.
We just pretend they don't exist.
But sometimes they do exist.
The monsters
from your nightmares.
They're real,
and you can't wake up.
There you are.
So tell me, Detective.
How old are you?
Twenty-five?
Twenty-six?
Take a little from column A
to fix column B.
Am I right?
I don't know what you're talking about.
I can make us a deal. Okay?
I-I-I got connections.
A deal?
Yeah.
Okay.
I was just like you once.
Just a normal guy
with a normal life...
who went to a normal job
day after day after day.
I was a forecaster, Stan.
Predicting behavior
and regulating change.
Just another one of the
worker bees buzzing around.
I just never seemed
to make ends meet.
I got to the point where I just
couldn't take it anymore, Stan.
I wasn't going to be just
another one of those sheeple...
marching to the beat
of someone else's drum.
So I decided,
right then and there,
I was going to change my life.
But in order to do that, Stan,
I needed goals.
It took me a while
to be honest with myself.
I had to look into
my inner recesses, Stan.
I had to look deep,
and then I found them.
Two to be exact.
Making the rules was easy.
Crossing the line is what
separates the men from the boys.
But I was diligent.
I was a hard worker.
Well, Stan, we're gonna have to
pick this up at another time.
- Just wait a second. Okay?
- What?
- Don't have to do that.
- Yes, I do.
No, you don't have to do that.
You don't...
Don't have to...
Sorry, Stan.
Rule number one calls.
Oh, God, no.
Amy!
Ow!
Hey, stop! Just leave her alone!
Hey!
Hey, kid, how you doing?
Hey.
You don't look so good.
Ah, no. I'm fine.
It's the night shift,
you know, kicking my ass.
Anything to do with this?
Let's talk.
Hi, Daddy.
No, it's okay now.
A nice officer
is here to take him away.
Yep.
Just like you taught me.
He won't be looking in any girls'
windows anytime soon.
Nicely done.
Jeter.
Where'd you go?
- I'm sorry.
- Look, Stan.
Just between us.
You're a good cop.
Could be a great cop.
So,
what's the deal with Amy?
Oh, come on, Lieutenant.
I mean, she's just a kid.
All right.
I just wanted to hear it
straight from you is all.
Hear what? That there's nothing
going on between the two of you.
I don't know anything,
Lieutenant.
I'm telling you the truth.
Something's going on.
I know she's been calling here,
asking for you.
Jeter.
Hi, Officer Jeter?
This is Amy.
Hi, Amy.
Listen, you can't call me here.
I know. I know.
I was just thinking.
Maybe you could
take me on a drive along?
You know, give me a firsthand peek
into the world of law enforcement.
Um, yeah, I don't think your dad
would be too happy about that.
Come on.
You're not afraid of my dad, are you?
Besides, I can do what I want.
I'm an adult.
Almost an adult.
Oh, come on, Stan.
It'll be fun.
Besides, if you don't pick me up, who
knows what kind of trouble I might get in.
Someone's gonna
call the cops either way.
I don't know.
Oh, me too.
I just like the spirit, you know?
Like, everyone's happy and there's lights.
It's pretty.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
And...
I need to know.
I don't want any stinking trouble,
not on this department, not on you.
You got me?
I'm telling you the truth,
Lieutenant.
I never saw her.
Don't let it hit the fan, Jeter.
You're a hero cop,
you're gonna make detective next week.
Don't give 'em any dirt.
Stan?
Stan, can you hear me?
Yeah!
- Oh, thank God.
- Are you okay?
Please.
We have to get out of here.
How long have you been here?
The whole time.
- How did he get you?
- I got a call.
He said you were in trouble.
Are you? Yeah, yeah.
Come on. Let's go. Get in.
Listen.
I don't just get in the car with strangers.
All right.
Look, you see this blood?
Huh? He doesn't
have much more time. Okay?
He's asking for you.
Let's go.
Wait. Wait a minute.
He knows that I know you?
But you found me, Stan.
They must know where we are, right?
No, I got a call on the radio.
A domestic. Five miles up the road.
My phone didn't work.
But I've been gone
for two weeks.
Aren't there any leads at all?
No, they...
They thought
I might be involved.
Please, Stan,
you have to stop him.
He comes in here...
I know this is hard.
Okay, I do.
I'm gonna try to think of a way out.
Can you get free?
No. No, I tried.
I tried everything.
I can't.
If we're gonna get out,
we've got to get out when he's gone.
- Wait. He's gone?
- Yeah, he... he's gone.
He leaves sometimes.
He leaves... I can hear his car leave.
All right.
I need you to listen carefully.
You tell me if you hear anything.
I need to know if he comes back, okay?
Okay.
All right. You deal, gimpy.
Watch it, tough guy.
I'm gonna shove my gimp cane up your ass.
Yeah. You'd have to
catch me first.
I've never been on your back.
Excuse me.
Hello?
Yeah, any news?
Okay.
It's in the study.
Yeah, I can come back if...
Okay.
All right, thanks.
Bye.
It's all gonna be okay.
Don't worry.
What's the game?
Texas Hold'em.
All right, so listen up.
You got to try
to put yourself in our shoes.
Try to picture the story.
What would you do?
What would you think?
Her name was Misty.
If you can't think it,
you can't see it.
If you can't see it,
you can't learn.
Do you see it?
Oh, yeah.
Then walk the scene.
Officers.
Hey, where's our Vic?
In there.
That way.
Jim, you got
an extra pair of gloves?
There you go.
As usual.
This is the big one.
Murder.
You look at the body
for a real long time.
Till it's burned into your head.
Without you,
whoever did this gets away.
You're responsible
for avenging her.
You're doing God's work now.
The place was a mess.
DNA everywhere.
This guy was
the Old Faithful of sperm.
We had the evidence.
Now we needed the match.
So the investigation started,
but it never stopped.
Started with family, friends,
boyfriends, coworkers.
I lost track at 100 guys.
One year stretched into three.
Nothing.
Her parents kept calling me,
wanting updates.
There was nothing to tell.
But I was gonna catch this guy.
I wasn't gonna let this one go.
I promised them I wouldn't quit.
Eight years later, a handyman
gets called for a broken furnace.
Something's blocking a vent.
And boom. Guess what pops out.
Panties.
Loads of fucking panties.
So here's how it works.
Those panties had sperm
all over them.
The sperm on the panties matched
the sperm all over Misty's house.
Whoever juked on the panties was
the same person who killed Misty.
The house the panties
were found in...
was a rental property about
three blocks away from Misty.
Going back eight years,
we found out who lived there.
A wannabe actor.
But the closest he ever got to the
film business was working here.
All I needed was a swab.
But the way
he was looking at me...
He must have been waiting his
whole life for me to show up.
He must have lived his life in fear that
someday, somehow his secret would out.
And he wasn't going down
without a fight.
Hey! Freeze!
I said stop!
Hey, stop!
Hey!
Stop! Stop!
Sorry!
Hey, police!
Move.
Jesus.
Fuck.
Hey!
Hey, stop!
Stay down!
Shit.
Hey, get out of the car!
Ah.
That was it for me.
Last run. Never walk
without a cane again.
But I wasn't done fighting.
I'd been chasing this guy
for eight years.
I wasn't gonna lose him now.
And that's how you get 'em.
- Same as I got you bastards.
- Whoo-hoo-hoo!
Whoo!
Son of a bitch.
The race doesn't always
go to the swiftest. Dang.
You take your time.
You build your case. And you...
Never, ever give up.
- Go fuck yourself.
- Look, it's true.
Fuckin' bumper sticker.
Why does Davis solve
all his cases with panties?
Why do all yours get solved
by naked sweaty boy informants?
- I stick with what I know.
- Reminds me of Maxwell's story.
Okay.
We're gonna just play cards,
thank you very much. All right.
Oh, no. Come on.
Tell that story. Come on.
Come on.
This is it.
The big moment.
Carpe Diem.
Make it happen.
Don't give up.
Ah.
Ah. Shit.
Ah.
Fuck. Shit.
Ah, fuck. Oh.
Fuck.
Amy?
Stan!
- Amy?
- Can you hear me?
- Amy!
- Stan!
Follow my voice.
Stan!
Can you hear me? Yeah.
I can hear you. Follow my voice.
Where are you?
I'm over here! In here!
Stan?
Amy?
Stan!
Please.
Oh, my God. Oh.
Are you okay?
What happened? Yeah, yeah.
What happened?
Hold on. Stop.
Oh.
The giant thing...
It doesn't work.
It doesn't work.
You gotta get me out.
You gotta get me out of here. Okay, Amy.
You gotta get me out... Listen to me, okay?
I can't pull these chains out.
I need to find some tools. I need to
call the police and get 'em over here.
I'm gonna go upstairs for a second.
No, no, no.
You can't leave me.
He's gonna come back. He's...
If I don't get something to break you out,
he's going to kill us both.
Okay?
Okay. I'll be back. I promise.
Okay.
You fucking...
Shit.
Fuck.
Ah!
I had my chance.
I had my chance, and I took it.
No one could fault me for that.
But I knew it would be a cold day
before I would get that chance again.
Now I had more important things
on my mind than escape.
I just needed to concentrate
on staying alive.
Ah!
Stan!
Ah.
Oh.
Game is called Chase the Queen.
Which I'm sure
you're all used to doing.
The queen and anything
comes after is wild.
Two down, one up,
two up, one down, one up.
Ugh.
Hand of crap.
Queens and wilds.
I can't keep track of this shit.
Hey, Bernard.
Why don't you just start your story, okay?
So I can go take a piss.
It was 1979.
Holy shit.
In '79 I was still in diapers.
Back then, they didn't give
you guns, right?
You just had a club. You hit the bad guy over
the head and then drag him back to your cave?
'79...
I was still married to my first wife.
Oh, yeah, Cleopatra.
It was 1979.
We had a double murder.
Gruesome double murder.
No witnesses, one suspect.
The son.
Shawn.
Just give me a call.
If you go anywhere,
give me a call, let me know.
Oh, okay. I will.
You feel that?
I don't think
I'm going anywhere.
- Feel what?
- Something's not right.
That's all.
Thanks, sir.
It's not what they say.
It's what they don't say.
Okay, so what should I do?
Help him find the words.
Hey, kid!
Hey.
Y-Yeah? Hold up.
Hey, come here.
Uh, okay.
Just wanted to ask you
a couple more questions.
I told the detective everything I know.
He's said I could go.
It's in the eyes.
Oh, yeah. Yeah, I know.
I know, I just thought we might
walk it over one more time.
It'll just take a few minutes.
Sure, I guess. I mean, should
I have a lawyer or something?
There it is.
I guess if I had something to hide,
sure, I'd want a lawyer.
But if you've done
nothing wrong.
That's up to you.
You think you need a lawyer?
N-N-No.
I-I guess not.
All right.
Well, then let's go. Go?
Take him on the drive.
The drive?
Oh, my God.
Not the drive.
Jones had the cup of coffee.
Douglas had the crying corner.
A.J. Bernard?
Long drive.
Well, he needs a long drive.
If the drive was any shorter,
he wouldn't figure a goddamn thing out.
It's... It's true.
It was 1979.
Silence was a part of it.
But it could also
gives you time to think.
Time to get inside
their heads a bit.
Figure out what happened.
Wait.
Why are we here?
You said... You said we were
going to my Grandma's house.
Just want to walk it through with you
again, like you told us bit by bit.
I just want to go.
I know, just once more.
Please.
Fine.
Here's the thing.
Killers all have a reason.
If you know the reason,
you're halfway home.
They just want you
to understand them.
They did those things
with a purpose.
You understand the reason...
Go on.
You found your guy.
Take me back there, Shawn.
What'd you see?
Here's the thing about this job.
There is no bottom.
Just when you think
you've seen it all,
the bottom falls out.
There is no worst.
Just new levels of hell.
What happened?
Shawn?
Tell me what happened.
I... I came in,
and someone was beating them.
Who?
Who was it, Shawn?
They were good people.
Who would want to kill your mom and dad?
No, they weren't what you think.
What am I supposed to think?
You told me they were good parents.
Now why would someone
kill these good people?
Y-You didn't know them.
- They...
- They what?
Open it!
Open the door right now!
They yell at you?
They beat you?
Mommy hold you a bit too close?
Yeah.
They did it all.
What were you gonna
do about it, Shawn?
Were you gonna let them get away
with treating you like that?
I can see why you did
what you had to do, Shawn.
This couldn't go on
like this forever.
- Now tell me what happened.
- Tell me, Shawn.
Tell me what happened.
Ah!
No!
Ah!
Ah!
I killed them!
It was me.
I killed them.
You don't always
get what you want.
I got a broken jaw
and 18 stitches.
But I got the confession.
Sometimes you pay a price
for justice.
How you doing, buddy?
Come here.
It's okay. I'm here.
It's okay. It's okay.
In my line of work...
You all right?
I see things.
Who did this to you?
You ain't got nothing on me, motherfucker!
Calm down, man!
- I'm fuckin' doing it!
- No, no, no!
Bad things.
Things that shouldn't be seen.
Food.
When you're faced
with this every day,
you find ways to deal with it.
It might not be the best ways.
At the academy, we were told
that we work for God.
That we are the last line of defense to protect
the world from the tyranny of evil men.
And I remember thinking
that sounded stupid.
Ah.
I don't now.
Now I know what evil looks like.
I've seen it
up close and personal.
I wouldn't do that
if I were you.
What the hell did you do to me?
And I can never look
at things the same again.
Oh!
Ah. Ah.
Do you know...
how many tubes of Krazy
Glue it takes to...
hold a man to a wall?
Would you believe 34?
A lot more than I thought too.
Please, just tell me what you want.
I'll do everything I can.
Shut up.
Please, there must be something you need.
Now you were close.
So close.
The next time you try to escape,
it's gonna hurt.
Really hurt.
Oh, you don't believe me?
Here.
Ah!
See what I mean?
You're sick!
Thank you.
Leave him alone!
Oh.
So touching.
She really likes you.
Too bad she's jailbait.
Just... Just let her go, okay?
It's me you want, right?
We have more in common
than I thought, Detective.
Although...
I think she's too old for me.
Why are you doing this?
Why?
Uh, where's this going?
Don't try and be smart.
I'm always five moves
ahead of you.
You see what I want you to see.
You know what
I want you to know.
While you're playing catch up,
I'm already planning next month.
Hey, wait... wait a second.
What about your family?
Huh?
Why did you kill them?
You're so transparent.
But sure. Why not?
Where were we?
Oh, yes, my new goals.
If you really
want to kill people...
and you really want
to get away with it,
then you need
to do a little research.
Now where do you go to learn
sick things like that?
The Discovery Channel of course.
The have a whole channel
just devoted to murder.
It was like watching TV
to get a PhD in murder.
And the Internet. A world of
debauchery right at your fingertips.
Everything you ever wanted to know
about anything sick and twisted,
available at a keystroke.
Night after night
I was learning more.
Arguing.
Sharing knowledge.
It was like being a member
in the most exclusive club ever.
I was liberated.
I didn't feel alone
for the first time in my life.
But...
I needed something more.
Someone to share with,
to learn from,
to help me sharpen my skills.
I needed a mentor.
It was everything
I ever hoped for and more.
Someone who got me,
understood me,
where I was coming from.
He helped me be the man
I am today.
To be all I could be.
But there comes a time
when you have to grow up.
There comes a time when you kill your
parents, and you leave the house.
What a dipshit.
That time came,
and that's when I knew
I was ready.
Ready to be on my own again.
What happened to your mentor?
And you call yourself
a detective?
Enough about me.
Let's talk about you.
I see potential in you,
Detective.
You're a lot like me.
Trapped.
Well, you saw what I had
to do to break free.
And I want you to do the same.
Please.
Just let me go.
Let yourself go.
Free yourself.
I want you to think
about something, Detective.
Why you?
Out of everyone.
Why you?
Do you think you have what
it takes to go up against me?
You think you're smart enough?
I don't think so.
I think you fall short.
Way short.
Game's almost over, Detective.
You know, I've been thinking.
You know,
what's going on here is, uh,
it's not right.
I used you to catch the detective
and now that I have him,
I don't really need you anymore.
I have a sickness, and, uh,
I see that now.
And I can't keep doing this.
So what I want is for you
to call your family...
and tell them that
you're all right,
and tell them to come get you.
Okay?
What?
Oh, but...
All right.
All right. So.
Here.
Daddy?
Can you hear me?
Yes, I'm alive.
He wants you to come get me.
He said he's gonna let me...
Ah!
No.
Dad.
Hello, Amy's dad?
How are you today?
Oh, I wouldn't talk like
that if I were you. Stop!
You do realize I have your daughter, right?
Daddy!
Don't listen to him.
Don't listen to him! Da...
Get off!
Yeah, that was her.
All right. So this is gonna be simple.
You're gonna take $10,000.
You're gonna get in your car and
you're gonna drive up River Road.
You're gonna drive 5.2 miles, and you're gonna
head up to the house there. You got it?
3:00 pm. And no cops.
And I mean no cops or your daughter
comes back dead and pregnant.
That's it for me, boyos.
Cash me out.
What are you talking about?
It's 11:30.
Yeah, you're not going anywhere
till we hear our favorite story.
Give me a fucking break.
No, no, no.
You're gonna stay right here
and tell us a sexy little story.
- I get all tingly just thinking about it.
- I bet you are.
Floyd. Come on.
I'm out of Viagra.
The little woman's been begging for it.
I need you, bro.
You guys are assholes.
Thirty-five years
on the fucking job,
highly-decorated detective,
you think I only got one story?
I got a million.
Here, there's one.
I had this guy...
No!
Hey! No! Nope.
Come on. Tell it, Floyd.
- We want the story.
- You want the story?
Yeah, the story.
Yeah!
For your own
fucking perverse pleasure...
All right.
Thank you.
I will indulge you...
in a tale of fine police work.
And whatnot.
It was a little ways back.
I had a little less gray in my hair.
I might have been wearing a
Members Only jacket, I'm not sure.
Bottom line is,
there were three bodies.
One in the water.
One in the woods.
One in the Dumpster.
Now this was a big deal
at the time...
because this was the first serial
killer in the area, right?
Each of the victims was killed
in a different place.
But all of them were missing
their pinkies.
So we called this guy
"the pinky thief."
All the victims though,
they were hustlers, right?
Guys selling themselves
out to the highest bidder.
But the one common thing was,
each of 'em was afraid of the same guy.
This asshole named Nate Munson.
He's some bullshit photographer,
right?
He would lure 'em
into his world,
you know, with the promise
of glamour pictures, right?
'Cause they're all aspiring models,
fucking actors and whatnot.
So we liked this guy
for all these killings.
Oh, such a nice night.
He would lead them into the woods to his
own little personal lovers' lane place...
that he'd staked out.
Oh, watch your step.
It's slippery on this moss.
We thought he killed them there,
then disposed
of the bodies later.
I don't see anything here that
says that this is our guy.
- This is our guy.
- We know this is our guy.
- I know it is. I can feel it.
- But each scene is too clean.
We can't bring him in
without evidence.
He'll take a fucking walk.
But if we're right,
and he kills someone else,
we're gonna catch hell in the press when
they find out that we knew about the guy...
and he went on killing.
So there's only one way
to do this right.
Someone had to go undercover.
I drew the short straw.
They wired me up,
and the go word is,
"You're making me hot."
"You're making me hot."
Wow.
Poor choice of words.
It comes from upstairs.
They make the unfortunate
fucking tactical decision...
to link us up with
some local SWAT team.
These guys were fucking
world-class bozos, right?
Shit-bird number one.
Shit-bird number two.
Shit-bird number three.
Here, that's you.
Sniper two, Johnson, there.
Snipers had me triangulated, ready to put this
fuck in the ground first sign of craziness.
Nice.
Whoa, hey.
The guy's fucking feeling me up
and I'm thinking to myself,
this better be the fucking guy,
all right? You know?
Because if this guy's just in it
for the fucking sex,
he's never gonna see
a jail cell...
'cause I'm gonna take him out
right there on the spot.
So after a while he starts
getting rough.
Handcuffs.
Oh, hey. Hey.
- What is that?
- Who's in charge now, huh?
What are you doing?
Huh? Come here, come here,
come here, come here.
Hey.
Ah, yeah.
Yes. You're kinky.
You're fuckin' kinky.
Come on.
Now you're fucking... You're making me hot.
Why don't we get...
- You're making me hot.
- Why don't we...
You're making me hot.
Yeah, you're making me hot!
You're... You're making me...
Oh, shit!
Hey, you're making me hot!
Shit-bird number one has been
on the phone with his wife.
They're having a fight.
Shit-bird number two catches
some kids smoking pot.
Shit-bird number three ate Mexican for
lunch and he's got the fucking runs.
You're ma...
You're making me hot!
Hey, hey.
You're making me hot.
Uh.
So at this point,
Munson moves behind me,
and I know he's gonna cut my finger off.
I realize that
I'm on my own, right?
There's gonna be no back up.
So I do the one sensible thing
that any man would do.
Hey, hey, hey, hey. W-W-Wait.
Come here. Come here.
I asked for a kiss.
Give me a kiss.
Huh?
Turns you on?
Yeah. Fuck it.
Come here.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah. Come on.
Oh, yeah.
- He's down.
- Move!
Hey, where the fuck were you?
Fuckin' piece of shit.
Come on!
Bottom line.
If you're in the shit,
you're all you got,
you make your fucking play.
You're right.
It's a lesson, kid.
And if all else fails...
Ask for a kiss!
Don't move, motherfucker.
Okay. Okay.
Right there.
Get your fucking hands up.
Okay, okay.
Get 'em up.
Where's my daughter? What do...
Where is she?
What do you mean your daughter?
I don't know what
you're talking about.
Don't fuck with me
or I will smoke you.
You tell me where she is now.
Okay, don't. I don't know
what's going on here, man.
I... You know, I was just
walking my dog,
and I saw you at the house and I just came
to tell you that nobody's home, okay?
They're away.
They're away.
Don't give me that.
You called me on my cell phone,
you piece of shit.
- Where is she?
- Don't. Please.
Just listen, okay?
I don't know
what's going on here.
I don't know what you're talking about.
But please don't kill me, okay?
Don't... Don't kill me.
I got kids too.
You fuck...
Please.
Please.
Oh, shit.
Shit. Fuck.
I'm sorry.
Put your hand down.
Put your hand...
Stand up.
You all right?
Yeah.
Shit.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
Fuck. Are you okay?
I mean...
You should really call the cops
or something. They can help.
I am the cops.
Oh.
It's okay.
Hey, you know,
I'm sure everything's gonna turn out fine.
You know.
I hope you find your kid.
Thanks. Look, I'm sorry
about that back there.
Yeah.
Thanks for your help.
Yeah.
No problem.
Ah.
Come on.
Stan. Stan, can you hear me?
Yeah.
Stan! Are you okay?
Yeah, I'm okay.
Is he here?
Have you been down?
No, he left. He left.
He called my dad.
What are you doing?
Stan, what's going on in there?
What did he do to you?
No. No.
Get behind the bed.
Get...
Sit.
You move, you die.
All right?
Shit.
Amy!
I had a rough day at work today.
I could use something
to relax me.
I think you know
just what it is.
No, don't! Stop!
Stop it!
No!
No! Don't!
That was dumb, Detective.
Oh, no.
Oh, no.
You fucker!
What's wrong?
Hmm?
Oh, it's not that bad.
Shit!
You're gonna pay for that.
I've pulled my gun three times
in the line of duty,
with mixed results.
One.
Two.
The third is really
the story of my career.
It all starts with a call.
A strange one this time,
a guy named Fisher.
He works at
this trailer storage facility.
Now it seems last month his phone
bill goes up 700%. No clue why.
It's not 3,700 cents.
It's 3,700 fuckin' dollars! Okay.
It's a fucking phone bill! It's not a fucking
mortgage payment, for Christ's sake!
And all of a sudden, he's billed for seven
lines and hundreds of international calls.
First, he thinks it's Johnson,
a manager who works there,
runnin' up some phone sex numbers.
But the calls are there whether Johnson
is or not. Phone company won't help him.
They say they have invoices,
invoices with his signature,
and the signature looked good.
It matched.
Fisher swears it's not his.
I told him I'd look around.
Might be some kids tying into the
line somewhere and messing around.
Anyway, it beats sitting
in the car.
Quiet night.
It's nice out.
Good night for a walk.
Full moon.
And something struck me.
I don't know what.
But I wondered what things would look like
from the top of those cars looking down.
I just decided to go
for a climb.
I've replayed that night
thousands of times.
It was the turning point
in my career.
And the truth was...
it was all luck.
Some people work
to get where they are.
Some people marry into it.
Fuck.
And I got here by climbing up a bunch
of train cars to look at the moon.
Jesus!
I can't describe what I saw
that night.
I would never have thought the
things there were even possible.
When I close my eyes,
the pictures are still there, haunting me.
Fuck.
This is good.
Real good.
Police! Freeze!
Terrence Alby.
I had just shot Terrence Alby.
Never had fired a gun
at a person till then.
And I killed him.
They called me a hero.
They made me a detective.
But I really had nothing
to do with it.
I was just lucky.
I wanted to see the moon.
Three times I pulled my gun.
But I had never, ever,
shot and killed an innocent man.
Until today.
Jesus Christ.
What the fuck?
Don't get up,
you lazy fucking bastard.
If you wanted to lose weight,
you should've just quit drinking.
All right.
You're gonna be fine.
Let's just get some back up and
get you the fuck out of here.
Goddamn it.
I knew something was wrong.
Fucking guy.
Can I help you?
Uh, Detective Calabrese,
Warsaw PD.
Uh, we're going door-to-door
in the neighborhood.
Well, it's not much of a neighborhood.
The next house is three miles.
You okay there?
Oh, yeah. I just have a cold.
Still contagious.
We, uh...
We had a detective go missing
a couple of weeks ago. Jeter?
Mmm. Yeah, yeah.
I've been following the story.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Uh, he was working in the area,
on call.
Oh.
Well, I haven't
seen anything here.
No cars?
No suspicious people?
Nobody coming to the door
you didn't know?
You mean, besides you?
Yeah, well, thanks
for your time, Mister, uh...
James.
Uh, you mind if I come in?
Why?
Just a routine check.
You got a routine warrant?
Do I need to get one?
Nope.
Hey, do you have a partner
in that car outside?
Why?
Well, I was gonna put on a pot of coffee.
Wanted to know
how many cups to make.
Nope.
Just me.
Please, come in.
We got a 911 call
about a week ago.
Please state your emergency.
When the operator
picked up the call,
there was nobody there.
Hello?
So is that unusual?
Not really.
But, uh, when she went to end the call,
she missed the button.
She was, uh, deeply immersed in
an article about the Kardashians.
Anyway, she didn't realize that
the call was still connected.
Hello?
Sir?
Hello? Can you hear me?
So what happened?
Well, finally the call ended.
But not the story.
No, not the story.
We traced the call.
I mean, it was a partial trace.
Strangely enough, that call was made
from somewhere in this neighborhood.
Uh-huh. Interesting.
Yeah.
And then, uh, cops came out here about
a week ago, do a little follow-up work.
One of 'em never came back.
So that's two down,
somewhere out here.
Yeah.
Jeter, somewhere out here.
And, uh, that call
from somewhere out here.
And then another cop goes
missing from somewhere out here.
There's just so many questions.
Anyway, I figured I should
probably check it out and...
Goddamn cell phones.
You can never get a fucking signal.
Is he dead?
Who?
The man.
Is he dead?
No, no.
No, he's still alive.
But I tagged him pretty good.
He's not going anywhere.
What did you use?
Fuck!
What?
I used my .45.
No. To keep him there.
What did you use?
Handcuffs.
Never, ever,
in my wildest dreams.
This is not how it's supposed to happen.
I-If I would have said something.
Anything. I knew in my heart the cuffs
weren't enough. I was just too slow.
Too damn slow.
This can't be happening.
- Shit!
- You bastard!
Fuck!
You... No!
Do it!
Fellas, read 'em and weep.
Oh, fuck me.
Goddamn it.
Full house. Aces wild.
You called it.
Hang on, hang on.
We ain't seen
what the kid's got yet.
You mind, kid?
Deuce.
Another deuce.
No help there.
Oh, shit.
The plot thickens.
And...
No!
Come on!
Oh, man!
Damn!
Kid beat you with four twos.
Twos? What the fuck?
Who was dealing?
Holy shit.
You know what this means?
Huh?
What?
You get to ask
the questions, kid.
This is insane.
You're dead, for Christ sakes.
- You too, Maxwell.
- Yeah, they're both dead.
What we want to know is,
did they die for nothing?
No, you don't know.
You weren't trapped in this
fucking room for weeks.
You sit there and-and you smoke your
cigarette and you tell me these stories,
but h-h-how the fuck
is this gonna help me?
I have done everything I can.
I can't get out if I'm stuck
to the fucking wall!
Take it one step
at a time, Jeter.
One step.
You gotta rescue my daughter.
You put this motherfucker in the ground.
Put a stake in his fucking heart.
Whatever you do, do not give up.
Hey, you are in a fight.
So fucking fight.
I just... I just gotta...
I just want this to stop.
Come on, kid. Figure it out.
You got all the clues.
You just got
to string them together.
What the fuck are you
talking about, clues?
The guy, he comes in here and drugs
me and beats the shit out of me.
Think about it.
He grabbed Amy to get to you.
She disappeared two weeks before you did.
He had a plan.
This place, middle of nowhere.
The rooms in the basement... that took a
lot of work. It's no random accident.
Come on. He set this up for you.
You're the one he wants.
Just stop it.
Please, just... Just stop it.
He could have killed you right away.
But he didn't, all right?
So think about it.
Why did he let you live?
He's trying
to tell you something.
He wants you to figure it out.
I can't do this.
Yes, you can!
Now you think about it.
What's the key?
He said you already knew what it was.
How am I supposed to find the key when
I don't know who this guy is, huh?
The mentor.
There you go.
I had no idea who he was.
Without the mask,
he was simply no one.
Now tell me.
Tell me why this? Why me?
What? Because of Alby?
Because I killed your mentor?
Very good, Detective.
I knew if I spelled it out for you,
you'd catch on eventually.
Just took longer than
I anticipated.
Yeah, but why all this,
you sick fuck?
Because in that train car
was my life's work.
I did it all for him.
To please him.
I was shipping that car out
the next day.
Moving on to California where they really
appreciate people in my profession.
I wanted him to see it
before I left.
To show him that I was a man.
You robbed me of that.
All my crimes, wiped away,
assigned to a corpse.
The corpse of a man
I surpassed in every way.
I had a rough time after that.
I couldn't get out of bed.
I wouldn't take my calls.
Go away!
- Hey.
- Hey. How you doing?
My friends, they took me out,
tried to introduce me to girls.
He's in the back, right there.
He sure is nice.
Is your mom around? No?
Nothing.
And then it comes to me.
I needed to go back
to the beginning.
When things were more simple,
more clearer.
My goal statement.
Mmm.
Now let me think.
Who stands in my way?
Oh, yeah.
Detective Stan Jeter.
The man who stole
my greatest moment of triumph.
Now that man had to pay.
Well, bravo, Detective.
You have all the answers.
Too bad you don't have
much time left.
What are you talking about?
You didn't think I could take care
of this all by myself, did you?
Oh, no.
Too many loose ends for one man.
I have my own apprentice now.
And he should be here
any minute.
Amy?
Amy, can you hear me?
Amy. Amy. Oh, Amy.
Oh, shit.
Amy, wake up.
Amy. Amy, wake up.
Come on.
- Okay.
- We're getting out of here.
Stop it!
No! Stop!
I'm in here!
No surrender! Let's move in!
- Police, I need help!
- Drop the weapon!
Guys, I said I need help!
Somebody help!
Keep Amy breathing!
- Drop your weapon!
- No, he's in the basement!
So that was my story.
Wish I could say
it had a happy ending.
Wisdom and hindsight.
In the end,
I don't know if they mean shit.
Because he was right.
People see
what they want to see.
- So that's it?
- Pretty much.
Hard to argue with that much
physical evidence.
Three dead cops,
two killed with bullets from my gun.
Kind of hard to talk your way
out of that one.
And the kiddy porn thing.
Juries don't really like that.
Hey, what's he doing?
But you claim you're innocent.
And this mysterious kidnapper?
The guy who supposedly kept you
in the basement the whole time?
What about him?
- He was gone.
- And how would you respond to those who say you made him up?
Well, it doesn't really matter
much now, does it?
Amy Maxwell?
Coma, three months.
Time's up.
I have a few more questions.
Time's up.
He was still out there.
And no one knew him
better than me.
How he operates,
what he's capable of.
I wasn't done,
not by a long shot.
One day, I'll be free.
And then I'm gonna do to him
what he did to me.
And then it all changed.
Amy was awake.
And talking.
The evidence against me took on a
new light, and it didn't hold up.
Now getting free
was just the beginning.
I thought back to all that I
learned that first night of poker.
Then, they were just stories,
but now they were my guides.
A map that would lead me to
the end of my journey, to him.
I was using my brain
and following my heart.
Lots of false leads
and wrong turns,
but I knew I was getting closer,
patiently moving forward.
I knew this guy
better than anyone else.
I knew how he thought,
what he was looking for.
I knew his reasons.
And that meant I could catch him.
And I heard this little girl screaming.
So I went over to see what was happening.
- How does that look?
- Oh, yeah, that was def...
So... So, that's it.
He got him?
He's a cop.
That's what he does.
One shot,
right through the heart.
And I say, rot in peace.
We lost two of our best
to that bastard.
There's only one choice there.
That's your captain.
Pride of the department.
He got two fucking parades for that.
Got more balls
than he does brains, man.
Hey, that's my kind of cop.
Who's your kind of cop?
- Hey!
- Not you.
Finally. Come on,
you're late. Sit down.
- What, you don't wear a watch?
- There it is.
Come on, come on, come on.
Let's get the game on.
Go. Salud.
They always like this, Captain?
Always. I told you
it was gonna be like this.
Don't listen to a word
he tells you.
This guy was crapping his pants
worse than you his first night.
Couldn't play cards.
Couldn't tell stories.
Same then as he is now.
Uno, baby.
Stop jawing. Start dealing.
Let's play some fucking cards.
You done bitching?
All right. Here we go.
Five card stud, no wilds.
Wisdom and hindsight.
In the end,
that was the purpose of poker night.
To teach the next guy
a lesson from your mistakes.
We deal with three percent
of the population...
97% of the time.
And they all think
they're smarter than you.
They're not.
Except for the ones
who actually are.
We never catch those bastards.
We just pretend they don't exist.
There are some lessons...
you just have to
learn on your own.