The Two Jakes (1990) Movie Script

1
I suppose it's fair to say that
infidelity made me what I am today.
I know lots of investigators
won't handle divorce cases.
The truth is, not that many guys
are good at matrimonial work.
It takes finesse and experience.
Hell, everybody makes mistakes.
But if you marry one,
they expect you to pay for it
for the rest of your life.
I don't care whose fault it is,
his, hers or the milkman's.
If one of them comes to me,
it means they're both miserable.
And that's my job,
putting people out of their misery.
Oh, no.
Oh, no.
Oh, no, Kitty. How could you?
You told me you were going
to the beauty parlor in Hollywood,
and now I find you here,
just where they said I'd find you
in Room 19-H of the...
Bird of Paradise Motel.
Of the Bird of Paradise Motel
in Redondo Beach
at 2:00 in the afternoon
on October 27, 1948, with this man.
Mr. Berman, it's unnatural to
discuss what year it is
when you're staring at your wife
in bed with another man.
- But my lawyer said to be very specific.
- We'll establish the date.
Just...
All right?
Oh, no. Oh, no.
It's an earthquake.
Relax.
Mr. Gittes? Did you feel that?
Yes, Gladys, we felt it.
And everybody all right out there?
All right.
Are we okay?
Relax, Mr. Berman. It's just a temblor.
- A trembler?
- A temblor.
Look, I know how edgy
you must be, Julius, but...
- My friends call me Jake.
- Well, that makes two of us.
That's what my friends call me.
Is that right? Is that right?
He's a Jake, and I'm a Jake.
Yeah. How about that? Two Jakes.
Now, listen, Jake.
I never lost a husband yet,
but I got a golf date at 1:00
and if I'm not ready to tee off at 12:55,
they'll break every club in my bag.
You're kidding. That's terrible.
No, that's the Wilshire Country Club.
I'm lucky they let me join.
I know what you mean.
Please, Mr. Berman... Jake...
Go ahead.
Oh, no, Kitty. How could you?
You told me you were going
to the beauty parlor in Hollywood,
and now I find you here,
just where they said I'd find you,
in Room 19-H
of the Bird of Paradise Motel
in Redondo Beach
at 2:00 in the afternoon with this man.
- Oh, no, Kitty. How could you?
- What's going on here?
You told me you were going
to the beauty parlor in Hollywood...
And now I find you here.
Look, Jake, what's this going to prove?
It's just where they said I'd find you,
in Room 19-H
of the Bird of Paradise Motel
- in Redondo Beach...
- Just take it easy.
With him? How could you, Kitty?
How could you? With him?
Not with him! Not with him!
- Not with him!
- Look, Jake.
- We were going to tell you soon.
- Get her out of here!
Damn!
What the fuck's happening?
Damn! Just calm down, ma'am.
Just calm down.
Where did that gun come from?
Somebody call an ambulance!
Come on.
Get pictures of everything, Larry.
Most cops' ethics are
a little like the cars they drive,
black and white.
Lou Escobar is different.
I did my share of fighting in the war
and even got a medal for it,
but Lou lost a leg
with the 1st Marines at Guadalcanal.
So he knows about regrets
and what might have been and how life
doesn't always give you a fair shake.
Cowboys and Indians!
You can't trust a guy
who's never lost anything.
How's that, Lou?
Your client shot a guy
right out of his saddle.
Oh, yeah. I never had
anything like that happen to me before,
not while I was in the room, anyway.
See you, Lou.
You witnessed it.
I was next door.
By the time I got in the room,
Berman had him trapped in the john.
He fired the last two shots
through the door.
Then they could've struggled
over the gun.
I'm sure they did.
Why are you so sure
if the door was closed?
You're right, Lou.
Maybe the guy shot himself three times
and gave Berman the gun.
Jake, walk me to homicide.
I just came from there, Lou.
Besides, I got an appointment
at 8:00 at Perino's with Linda.
I'll give you an escort.
Now, where did Berman
get a hold of the gun?
- In the bedroom.
- In the bedroom.
How do you know
he didn't have the gun with him?
I'd never frisk him
before I let him walk in on his wife
hanging on the headboard
while some guy was slamming her
into the wall, Lou.
Just asking you, Jake.
Look,
Berman got the gun from somewhere
in the motel room and fired it.
Somewhere in the motel room?
That's absolutely all I know.
Then what happened?
What usually happens
when somebody pulls a gun?
Everybody ducks.
I guess you talked
to the investigating officer,
Detective Loach.
I just came on duty, Lou.
Now, this is not a case
where I want any difficulty for anybody.
It's simple.
A guy gets fucked getting fucked.
Let's not get cute.
Haven't seen you in a while, Jake.
I never seem to get away from my desk.
Makes me wonder.
I should've made captain.
Well, for your 20th year, Lou,
I'll get you a pillow for your chair,
something you can
sit on besides Loach.
Jake, there's a call for you.
This is homicide. It ain't your office.
Let it ring.
You're not lost, are you, Gittes?
You know the way out.
Jesus, don't go, don't go.
You're just the man I want to see.
What for? I can't.
I just got asked to leave.
Is that true?
Yes, Mr. Weinberger.
- Answer the phone, please.
- Get the phone.
Homicide.
Lieutenant Loach, it's for him.
It's his office again.
Take your call.
He's been disruptive, Mr. Weinberger.
Disrupting homicide is not all bad.
So, we have sheets, blankets,
one shower curtain
with broken rings attached,
toupee...
And I do need to speak
with Mr. Gittes about our client.
- Our client?
- I'm counsel for Jake Berman.
We have one 2-inch
Smith & Wesson revolver
registered in the name of the dead man,
Mark Bodine, on behalf of B & B Homes.
No wire recording on the police report?
His men didn't pick one up.
What's B & B Homes?
You're not thinking, Jake.
B & B Homes.
Bodine & Berman.
It's just another one
of their corporations,
Berman's and the dead man's.
Just remember,
you have a fiduciary relationship
with our client, Mr. Berman.
We'll talk about it later.
I'll be in my office.
Can I use your phone?
Cotton was right. We should have
turned up B & B Homes,
and maybe Berman's partner
would still be chasing his wife
instead of cooling his dick
down at the county morgue.
So my client didn't level with me,
not exactly Movietone News.
Cotton only tells one side
of the story in court.
Escobar knows
I don't tell him everything.
And when husbands and wives
lie to each other,
one of them comes to my office
and lies to me.
Frankly, if I waited for an honest client,
I'd be sitting around
until Rocky Graziano
played Rachmaninoff
at the Hollywood Bowl.
- Lucy, what the hell's going on?
- I don't know, Mr. Gittes.
Please, get away...
I wouldn't go in there if I was you.
Ralph, what are you doing
to that woman?
- Let go of her this instant.
- Oh, my God! Jake!
Don't you touch me!
Oh, my goodness.
Oh, I'm terribly, terribly sorry.
Oh, I know how difficult this must be.
- Yeah.
- It must hurt you so.
Yeah. Yes, it does.
Everything will be fine.
Just rest for a moment.
See? All right.
Scotch.
All right. Now, who the fuck is that?
- Mark Bodine's widow.
- Who?
The wife of the guy
that Jake Berman shot.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yes.
She knows you were there
when he was killed.
So what? So was Mrs. Berman.
Why ain't she over at her house
breaking the joint up.
It'd be a lot more appropriate.
She wants to talk to you.
You're a war hero.
Oh, you may be slick as a floorwalker,
but you and that little kike
killed my husband,
you son of a bitch!
Gladys, get my lawyer on the phone.
Ralph...
They're not going to get away with this.
Mrs. Bodine, if you were there,
you would've known
that when Mr. Berman saw Mrs. Berman
in bed with your husband,
he just lost his head.
That little prick never lost his head
or the first nickel he ever made.
- Not only that...
- Get me a handkerchief.
There's Kitty Berman.
She's a cold-hearted frigid bitch.
- She and Jake were in this together.
- In what together?
Jake and Kitty Berman
killed my husband, and you helped.
What the hell.
I'm going home now,
and I'm going to call the newspapers.
Mrs. Bodine, it would be
highly irresponsible of me
to allow you to do that.
- Give me one good reason.
- I'll give you two.
You can't walk, and you shouldn't drive.
All right.
Ralph, don't just stand there.
Call the lady a cab.
Oh, my God!
She just walked right into it.
Get her out of here.
That's kidnapping.
Not if you take her home.
Walsh!
Get the wire recorder out of the car,
and don't leave evidence
laying around like that.
Larry?
Why didn't you tell me
that Berman and Bodine were partners?
He just gave us B & B Homes.
Oh, yeah, sure.
Look, when you get her back there,
take her in through the window
or the side door.
Stay till she sobers up.
There'll be papers
jumping all over the lawn like flies.
Like the song says, till then.
Yeah, sure.
Mr. Gittes.
Your tuxedo is laid out
and your private phone line is on.
- Thank you, Gladys. Good night.
- Good night.
Bird of Paradise Motel,
October 27, 1948, 1300 hours.
I'm based in bedroom one-niner.
Okay, Ralph, you on the bed?
Mayday, mayday. Bail out of there.
What's wrong?
Some linen supply guys,
they're making a delivery
right outside your door.
They're making a delivery.
Yeah?
Hi, kid. You got the wire recording?
Right here. You wanna hear it?
Yeah.
- Oh, no, Kitty, how could you?
- What's going on here?
You told me you were going
to the beauty parlor in Hollywood...
Jake, for Christ's sake!
Jake, are you there?
Are you okay, Jake?
Yeah.
Yeah, I'm fine.
Never mind. Hang up and put
the recording back in the safe.
I can't do that, Cotton.
When the power comes back on,
it'll trigger the alarm for 40 blocks,
and I'll have the LAPD all over my ass.
So stay till the power's on and then
put the recording back in the safe.
All I want is a chance to go over it
before the police do.
Is that it?
Jake, we've done business many,
many years.
- We'll keep on doing business...
- Cotton...
Just so long as you protect
- your client and mine, Jake Berman.
- Cotton...
- Cotton.
- What?
Thank you.
And fuck you.
Thank you, Jake. It's always a pleasure
doing business with you.
Honey.
Oh, Kitty, there's another woman
who can give Akey a bad time.
- And you know who.
- Who?
Honey, I think you do know.
We're talking about Katherine Mulwray.
Oh, not her. Not again.
Kitty, I'm telling you,
Katherine Mulwray can give Jake
a real bad time, you know?
What other...
I'm telling you,
she retains rights to the subdivision,
and if I can get to her I can prove that
Jake has taken advantage of the land.
We could all strike it rich.
Just hold me.
Hold me.
Look, just help talk Jake into...
Kitty, there's another woman
who can give Akey a bad time.
And you know who.
Honey, I think you do know.
We're talking about Katherine Mulwray.
Oh, not her. Not again.
Kitty, I'm telling you,
Katherine Mulwray can give Jake
a real bad time, you know?
A real bad time, you know?
What other...
I'm telling you,
she retains rights to the subdivision,
and if I can get to her I can prove that
Jake has taken advantage of the land.
We could all strike it rich.
Hello?
I've spent half the night
at Perino's waiting for you.
Oh, my God. Linda.
What have you been doing?
Nothing.
- Just an emergency.
- A nothing-emergency?
That I'd like to hear about sometime.
Maybe you'll tell me in another life.
What are you talking about?
- Oh, no, Kitty. How could you?
- What's going on here?
You told me you were going
to the beauty parlor in Hollywood
and now I find you here...
Jake, what's this going to prove?
...just where they said I'd find you,
in Room 19-H
of the Bird of Paradise Motel
in Redondo Beach.
Just take it easy.
- Yes?
- Hello, darling.
I'll be right there.
I can explain everything.
Are you still at Perino's?
Would I be answering my own phone
if I were still at Perino's?
You jackass.
What the fuck's happening?
Hello?
Honey, I'm so sorry. I'll be right there.
- You and that little son of a bitch.
- Who is this?
You're going to pay for this,
you Irish dick!
- Where is she?
- Upstairs in bed.
Jake, she's fine. Ralph's with her.
Ralph? Jesus Christ.
All right, Mrs. Bodine.
What did you take?
It's enough to make you want to skeeve.
All right. Let me have this.
Come here.
- We'll do this sunny-side up.
- You bastard!
- Call the doctor.
- You sleazy lowlife.
Hers, if you can find the number.
I'm going to rip your face off,
you son of a bitch!
That's all right, honey.
Don't worry about a thing.
I'm going to make sure
you don't even get your hair wet.
That's right.
Chuck Newty, Mr. Gittes.
Mr. And Mrs. Bodine's attorney.
Come on, Minnie.
- How are you?
- Fine.
Mr. Walsh indicates you've been trying
to keep Mrs. Bodine from the press.
That's fine. I have no quarrel with that.
At least until the courts arrive
at some disposition of criminal charges,
then, of course, there'll be civil actions.
Civil actions?
Mrs. Bodine is not only widowed,
but she's been left out in the cold
financially as well.
Chuck.
Mr. Bodine and Mr. Berman
were in business
with a San Fernando subdivision,
but it was not an association
either man treasured or trusted.
So, in the event
of either partner's death,
all liabilities are to be assumed
by the surviving partner,
but, of course, all profits, as well.
Therefore, when Mr. Berman shot
and killed Mr. Bodine,
we could be talking about a man
who exploited his wife's infidelity
- to the tune of a 5 or $6 million profit...
- Chuck!
And used you, however unwittingly,
as an accomplice.
Chuck, did you hear me?
Excuse me a moment.
Who's that?
Mattie Rawley.
- She's from Pasadena.
- So is General Patton.
All right. Fine, fine.
Here.
- Keep them.
- Thanks.
Chuck...
What I do for a living
may not be very reputable, but I am.
In this town,
I'm the leper with the most fingers.
No court's gonna view me
as an accomplice.
Probably not.
Mr. Berman will undoubtedly
plead temporary insanity.
And if he's successful,
you'll be sued for allowing a crazy man
to see his wife in another man's arms.
On the other hand,
if there's evidence of premeditation
in the killing of Mr. Bodine,
Berman's not crazy.
Mrs. Bodine gets to
keep her husband's money,
and she would have no need
to sue you at all.
Quite the contrary.
Let's keep in touch, Mr. Gittes.
Does that mean he wants you to prove
your own client is guilty of murder?
Yeah.
Is that ethical?
Larry, he's a lawyer.
Jeez.
Bodine mentioned
Evelyn Mulwray's daughter
on the wire recording.
He did? What did he say?
Just her name. I couldn't hear.
Right before Berman shot him.
Well, that doesn't mean anything.
It could have been just gossip.
Could have.
...7th delivered here.
See the Pontiac Auto Show
at your dealer now.
Pontiac Fine Car.
Time changes things.
Like the fruit stand
that turns into a filling station.
But the footprints and signs
from the past are everywhere.
They've been fighting over this land
ever since the first Spanish missionary
showed the Indians
the benefits of religion, horses,
and a few years of forced labor.
The Indians had it right all along.
They respected ghosts.
You can't forget the past
any more than you can change it.
Hearing Katherine Mulwray's name
started me thinking
about old secrets, family, property,
and a guy doing his partner dirt.
Memories are like that,
as unpredictable as nitro,
and you never know
what's going to set one off.
Like the clues that keep you
on the right track
are never where you look for them.
Are never where you look for them.
They fall out of the pocket
of somebody else's suit
you pick up at the cleaners.
They're in the tune
you can't stop humming
that you never heard in your life.
They're at the other end
of the wrong number
you dial in the middle of the night.
The signs are
in all those old familiar places
you only think
you've never been before.
But you get used to seeing them
out of the corner of your eye,
and you end up tripping over the ones
that are right in front of you.
I should've been wise
to Berman's hand-wringing act
from the very beginning.
It was as plain as the shoes on his feet.
What do you call
four drowning Mexicans?
Cuatro sinko.
You know who Lou Escobar is?
Yeah.
He's captain of detectives in homicide.
You know you turned
his sister down for a house?
Had to be done.
Had to be done?
Folks, here's Eucalyptus Place
and there's 17.
- I'll be with you in a moment.
- Okay, no problem.
Jake?
Jake?
I'm sure you're gonna love living
in El Rancho San Fernando.
- Yeah. Thank you.
- We sure are.
You know who else
couldn't buy a house here?
Me.
I can build it and I can sell it,
just as long as I don't move in next door.
They don't want Mexicans
or Jews around.
Let me tell you something else.
The customer is always right.
I got a wife to protect.
Protect?
- You mean divorce, don't you?
- Yeah.
That, too. Yeah.
You know, your wife is
a possible accessory in this.
- To what?
- Come on.
You picked the one time
you can murder a man
and make him pay for it.
One way or the other, she helped.
Please stay away from my wife or else.
I recognize that as a valid threat
coming from you, Mr. Berman,
but the police are gonna
think the same thing,
you murdered your partner
for his half of the subdivision
and 5 or $6 million,
to which you and your wife
are now legally entitled.
Yeah, Ty, what's the problem?
Tyrone Otley, J.J. Gittes.
I know Mr. Gittes from the DWP
when I worked for Hollis Mulwray.
Mr. Berman, it's the same problem.
These earthquakes are shaking up
our water wells like soda pop.
Only it's not soda pop.
It's millions of gallons of water and gas
under all these homes.
- And it's getting hazardous.
- What do you mean, hazardous?
It could explode.
But you said it was marsh gas.
I thought only natural gas
was explosive.
Mr. Berman, whether it comes
from an old marsh or baked beans,
all gas is natural.
Gas is gas.
How do I get rid of it?
Call the gas company.
- You all right?
- Yeah.
How am I gonna build homes
with the gas company drilling
farkakte holes in the ground?
Where were we?
Well, I was accusing you of murder,
Mr. Berman.
Call me Jake. Which way's your car?
I'll walk you to it.
So, Jake...
Why all this nervous Nellie horseshit
you gave me in my office?
Well, I'm telling you,
I was genuinely nervous.
It's upsetting knowing
your wife's involved with a strange man.
You didn't know it was your partner?
How should I know it was my partner?
You didn't.
Well, if it was my partner and my wife,
I would've known.
Well, that's your business.
I'm not complaining, Jake.
You did your job.
Somebody out there?
Funny thing about land.
What do you mean?
I used to know the people
that owned this.
- Did you?
- No.
How you gonna plead
at the preliminary hearing?
Well, that's Cotton's job.
You think you're gonna
get away with this?
I'm not getting away with a thing, Jake.
Tell you what I'm gonna do.
You guarantee Mark Bodine's widow
her husband's full share
of the subdivision
so I don't have to worry
about lawsuits and the police,
and you won't have to worry about me.
Otherwise, I'm gonna prove
that you deliberately murdered the man.
You know something, Jake?
You might think you know
what's going on around here,
but you don't.
You might think you know
what you're dealing with...
How long have you been here?
Jake, you better lie back.
The doctor's on his way.
Not long.
- You ever been here before?
- What difference does that make?
Yes.
Me, too.
Really?
This used to be all orange groves.
Walnut groves, too.
- How did you say you got this land?
- Take it easy.
I didn't say.
Mr. Gittes,
this isn't the time to discuss it.
- I think you should lie down...
- Who are you?
- Kitty Berman.
- Oh.
Sorry, Mrs. Berman.
I didn't recognize you.
Well, that's understandable.
We've never actually been introduced.
What about you, Mrs. Berman?
Do you know
where Mr. Berman got this land?
I've asked you nicely
not to involve my wife in this.
Jake, please.
Mr. Gittes, I think
there's something you should do
before you ask any more questions.
What's that?
Get your head examined.
You've been in an accident.
You may not be thinking clearly.
And I don't like waking up
with someone staring at me,
especially when I can't see their eyes.
You're lucky you're awake at all.
Okay.
Mr. Weinberger,
Lieutenant Loach again.
Mr. Novak.
Mr. Weinberger again.
And a Mr. Oatley.
Oatley?
- Tyrone.
- Otley.
Gosh dang it. Otley.
Gittes Investigations.
It's Lieutenant Loach. It sounds serious.
Gladys, it's only serious if it's Escobar.
Detective Loach,
Mr. Gittes is in conference...
I thought you were tailing Berman.
Ralph is.
I thought you were gonna see a doctor.
First thing in the morning.
You just had
your bell rung pretty good, Jake.
Yeah.
Captain Escobar. It's serious.
Take a message.
They're after the recording.
- Doesn't even know we have it.
- Are you gonna lie to him?
Would I lie to him?
When was the last time
you saw the Mulwray girl?
Must have been 14, 15 years old.
People can get in a lot of trouble
in that amount of time.
I'd have heard.
Did she ever send you a bottle of Scotch
saying, "Welcome home, sailor"?
How about a fruitcake for Christmas?
Did she ever send you a postcard?
For cripes sake, Jake,
you're not responsible
for Evelyn Mulwray's death
and you're not responsible
for Katherine Mulwray's life.
Her name was on the wire recording.
That's all I'm saying.
That's got nothing to do with our
problems with this fellow Berman.
How do we know?
Okay.
I'll check the chain of title to the land.
I'll see if there's anything peculiar.
You don't have to do that.
If I don't, you will.
Why don't you put that file away?
Life's been good.
You're a seven handicap.
Six.
Six.
Marrying a wonderful girl.
Why don't you go see a doctor?
Put that file away.
Okay.
"Dear Jake,
"I'm leaving with Katherine for Mexico.
"I couldn't wait for you any longer.
"Once we're safe,
I'll get word to you through Khan.
"Please don't try to look for us.
"My father is crazy enough
to track you to us.
"I want my daughter
to believe a new life is possible.
"I know I told you
I don't see men for very long.
"You seem to be that rare exception.
"I can't say goodbye to you.
"Evelyn.
"P.S. Katherine said that you seemed
"a very nice man, and Curly concurred.
"Ha ha."
- I see you survived the war.
- Oh, yes.
It's been a long time.
But I read about you in the papers
once in a while.
What can I say?
Trashy publicity's part of my business.
The less you want, the more you get.
Please. I enjoy it.
I'm sure many people do.
Besides,
you are very successful.
- Oh, I can't complain.
- Does that mean you are happy?
Who can answer that question
off the top of their head?
Anyone who's happy.
What about Katherine?
I'm sure she's as happy as she can be.
No problems?
I can't quite catch your concern.
Well, for instance, is there any reason
she might need money?
I can't see why.
She owns a lot of land.
Taxes have risen since the war.
I wouldn't know.
We've had no contact for quite a while.
Odd flowers.
Yes.
Isn't it amazing they still grow here?
It's her favorite. She bred them.
You see those purple hues?
They're caused
by the burning of the seed.
And this is how I remember her last.
Where did she go from here?
If she's in trouble,
I just wanna help her, that's all.
Oh, no. If she is in trouble,
you would not be the one to help.
Like her, you are a prisoner of the past.
You would do her more harm than good.
Such things have happened.
Wherever fate has taken her,
I'm sure that she is grateful
for what you've done for her.
Isn't that enough?
I don't wanna live in the past, Khan.
I just don't wanna lose it.
You keep it.
I am the Whistler.
And I know many things,
for I walk by night.
I know many strange tales,
hidden in the hearts of men...
I know the nameless terrors
of which they...
The city's different at night.
The air smells better.
It's harder to see that the oil rigs
outnumber the palm trees
and it's almost like the good old days.
At least the way
I'd like to remember them.
But stay in this business long enough,
and every street leads to a place
you'd like to forget.
Every case brings back memories
of what you should have done
and what might have been.
And every skirt reminds you
of another woman.
Or, if you've got it bad enough,
the same woman.
Trick or treat.
You shouldn't be breaking
into people's offices, Mickey.
Not with your reputation.
And Halloween is this weekend.
Well, I guess we got
the jump on everyone.
Liberty Levine, say hello to Jake Gittes.
Liberty Levine?
You know, he can wrap his fist
around a roll of silver dollars.
- And what's this?
- It's a hand grenade.
You ought to know that.
You're a war hero.
See?
Jeez, don't let go of the handle, Jake.
You only have about, what,
four seconds
to answer your calls, nudnik?
You wouldn't have enough time.
You were very popular today.
"Weinberger. Escobar.
Weinberger. Weinberger."
He wants to sue somebody, naturally.
"Linda. Escobar. Linda." Again.
She's nuts about you.
I wonder what she wants.
Captain Escobar, I know what he wants,
he wants the Berman wire recording
by the end of business tomorrow.
Otherwise, he's gonna come after you
with a court order
for withholding evidence, conspiracy...
So, Jake...
You got criminal, you got civil...
You got love.
But before anything
of this nature comes to pass,
you got me.
And I want you to do something for me.
I need a favor.
Favor?
I think that the Berman wire recording
is in your safe.
So what I want you to do
is I want you to open the safe,
drop the grenade in the safe,
and then, most important of all, Jake...
Close the safe.
- You're crazy, Mickey.
- That may be.
But do you know
a better way to stay healthy?
Okay. All right.
I was wrong.
It's not here.
Liberty.
That was a nice show. Take a bow.
Where is it? Where is it, Jake?
At my lawyer's.
Your lawyer's?
I want the Berman wire recording
by tomorrow.
Be a mensch.
Otherwise, I'm gonna have to
give you a serious reprimand.
Oh, I'm shedding all over the place.
I'm sorry.
Lie back.
Mickey do this to you?
- Yeah.
- I thought so.
I saw he and Liberty going down
as I was coming up the stairs.
Mrs. Bodine...
How do you know
the biggest hood in LA?
I've seen him around town.
Santa Anita, private screenings,
the Bolanos fight at the Legion.
Jake introduced us.
Berman?
He and Mickey grew up together
in Boyle Heights.
They're best friends.
Mrs. Bodine...
What can I do for you?
Testify in court that Berman knew
his wife was in bed
with his business partner.
Just that one little thing?
That and I hear you have
a wire recording
that proves Berman
murdered my husband.
Well, that's what they say,
but I'm not sure it proves anything.
Well, anyway, I'd like it.
- Mrs. Bodine...
- Lillian.
Lillian.
Ethically, I can't do that.
Ethically?
I have certain statutory obligations.
I can't use information
adverse to a client
when I acquired that information
while employed by the client.
Well, then I'll hire you.
Prove Berman planned it.
Lillian, just listen...
No!
Just prove it and put the weasel in jail.
Nothing else matters.
Nothing else in the world.
How about five or six million bucks?
Your husband's share
of the subdivision.
Berman said he'd let you have it.
Could I make a phone call?
Please.
No.
That's what your lawyer told you to say
to five or six million bucks?
Yes.
You always do what
your lawyer tells you?
More or less.
And who tells him what to do?
What do you mean?
That woman at your house
the other night.
He listened to her.
That's Mattie Rawley.
Everybody listens to her.
- He's her lawyer, too?
- Her husband's.
Any reason Mr. Rawley would have
to be interested in Jake Berman?
I don't know. He was a friend of Mark's.
That's how I met Mattie.
Tell you what I'm gonna do.
I can't let you have the recording,
but I could let you listen to it.
Mark and Kitty talk on it?
Mainly, yeah.
Look, if you're not up to this,
I'll understand.
I'm up to it.
All right?
Adam Boy Charlie, Adam Boy Charlie.
Lawrence Walsh.
- Mayday, bail out of there.
- What's wrong?
Some linen supply guys,
they're making a delivery
right outside your door.
They're making a...
Honey.
Oh, Kitty, there's another woman
who can give Akey a bad time.
And you know who.
Does that mean something to you,
"Akey"?
Mark called Berman "Jakey" sometimes.
Oh, Kitty, there's another woman
who can give Akey a bad time.
And you know who.
"There's a woman who can give
Jakey a bad time, and you know who?"
Something like that.
Honey, I think you do know.
We're talking about Katherine Mulwray.
Oh, not her. Not again.
Kitty, I'm telling you, kid.
Sounds like he thinks
this Katherine what's-her-name
could give Berman a hard time.
Did Mark ever mention
that woman to you?
Mark never talked
about women with me.
He was a chaser.
And he never had to run very far.
...get to her I can prove
that Jake has taken
advantage of the land.
We could all strike it rich.
Just hold me.
Hold me.
- See what I mean?
- About what?
...Mulwray woman.
Did you ever hear of whipstocking?
Whips and stockings? God damn it!
- That son of a bitch was really...
- Lillian, just calm down.
I always knew that Kitty
was a perverted little snat.
Oh, no, Kitty, how could you...
Don't let it start.
You told me you were
going to the beauty parlor...
No. Don't let me hear.
It's coming. Don't let me hear!
No. Don't let me hear.
I'll kill you, son of a bitch!
Don't let me hear! Don't...
I don't want to hear anymore!
All right.
Where'd that gun come from?
All right. All right. It's over. It's over.
Somebody call an ambulance!
- I'm getting out of here.
- Can I help you?
Stop me.
Don't let me go back to the house.
- So stay here.
- I'm not responsible for one more thing.
No! Damn you, you bastard.
All right!
All right! That's enough.
That's enough! Enough.
Oh, don't make me do it.
Don't make me do it. Don't...
Oh, you're going to make me do it,
aren't you?
You're gonna make me.
You're gonna make me.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, I am, I am, I am.
All right.
Take the rest
of that goddamned thing off.
Lillian. Lillian!
Honestly, I'm trying to be
a gentleman about this.
Now just get down on your knees.
Down on your knees.
Stick your ass up in the air,
and don't move until I tell you.
Jake, I did come across
some documents.
You've met Mrs. Bodine.
Lawrence Walsh, my oldest associate.
Mrs. Bodine and I have been having
a rather lengthy consultation, and...
I see.
Yes, and going over a number
of matters and so forth,
and Mrs. Bodine has expressed a wish
to employ us to locate
the previous owner
of the B & B subdivision land.
Pardon me, Jake.
Can I talk to you for a minute?
Excuse us, Mrs. Bodine.
This is Berman's title insurance report.
The previous owner was Mickey Nice.
Mickey Nice?
Now look at the previous title transfer.
Now, don't go off half-cocked.
We don't know what this really means.
Well, you got to admit
it was pretty generous of Katherine
to just give her land away.
From Katherine to Mickey to Berman,
same day, same place.
- It's Ralph calling again.
- I'll take it in my office.
Ralph, hold on.
He'll be with you in a minute.
Is everything all right?
Fine.
Yeah, Ralph.
I'm at the Bay City Laundry at the corner
of Little Washington and Venice,
and somebody is following Berman
besides me, pal.
Probably the cops.
No. It's not the cops,
it's one guy in a tan Studebaker.
- Not the cops?
- No.
All right.
If Berman leaves, stick with him.
Get a number on the Studey and call in.
- I'm on my way out.
- Yeah. Okay.
Do you think Mr. Walsh
has any idea that we...
Absolutely none.
- They're still in the laundry.
- Who?
Berman, Mickey, that hood Liberty,
and some blonde.
Some blonde?
What the hell is
Chuck Newty doing here?
- Is that the tail?
- Yeah.
All right. You stay with Berman.
I'll cover the mouthpiece.
- You got dimes?
- Yeah.
Sometimes it's best
to follow the piece that doesn't fit.
Chuck Newty wouldn't do anything
he couldn't charge $30 an hour for,
so he wouldn't shadow Berman
without a client.
You know, you can follow the action,
which gets you good pictures.
You can follow your instincts,
which will probably get you in trouble...
Or you can follow the money,
which 9 times out of 10
will get you closer to the truth.
Earl Rawley's trademark
was on Newty's matchbook,
Lillian Bodine's lighter,
and half the oil wells in LA.
Who else could afford
to keep a lawyer's meter running?
In 1792,
a certain Jose Longuinez Martinez,
while traveling through
the Pueblo de Los Angeles,
about 3 leagues to the west,
found a great lake of pitch
with many pools
in which blisters were
continually rising and falling.
In hot weather,
animals looking for water
could be seen sinking into the tar.
Their cries would attract predators.
We've pulled nearly a million specimens
from a couple of holes in the ground.
Animal after animal, literally dying
to eat another dying animal.
The greatest record of life on earth
is what it is.
All caught in little seeps
from the greatest lake
of oil on Earth there is.
Twenty-two miles long, 46 miles wide,
the entire LA Basin,
where we work and live today.
Ladies, this way.
- How many jobs you got, Mr. Otley?
- Call me Ty.
- Wonderful speech you gave the ladies.
- Thank you.
"LA, the greatest lake of oil on Earth
there is." Pretty good.
Mr. Gittes, could we continue
this discussion some other time?
My secretary said
you called me repeatedly, Ty.
Said you made it sound like
something of an emergency.
Yes, of course. After the explosion,
I was very concerned about you,
Mr. Gittes.
That's very thoughtful of you, Tyrone.
Now...
- Who got to you?
- Who got to me?
- Was it Berman?
- Got to me about what?
Or was it somebody
from Rawley Petroleum?
Brother,
Berman, Levine...
And some woman, blonde.
- This the clearest you got?
- Well, yeah, yeah.
Did you follow her?
What for?
You told me to follow Berman.
Berman had a 2:00 appointment
at his lawyer's, Ralph.
You don't follow somebody
when you know where they're going.
But you said stay with Berman.
Who the fuck is this woman?
Who is that woman?
Laura Teal.
You remember her, don't you?
Old rubber gloves? You bet.
Hey, hey, hey. There he goes.
She's alone now.
Better hurry up and get in there.
Mrs. Teal, how nice to see you.
What are you doing here?
Don't tell me I'm being watched.
No, Mrs. Berman.
Your husband has all the matrimonial
information he needs to go to court.
Oh, yes. If only he wanted a divorce.
He doesn't?
- You've been talking to Lillian.
- I have?
You have.
Lillian loves angora.
You make a big enough mess...
And you can't be ignored.
What did she call me?
Aside from frigid and conniving.
A killer.
Killer?
I enticed her husband into bed
so my husband could shoot him
in a fit of jealous rage?
That's right.
- And what's the rest of the plan?
- That's it.
You slept with a man
so he could be legally murdered,
the entire subdivision
belongs to you and your husband.
Jake doesn't want Mark's money.
I'm sure he'll see Lillian gets
whatever it is her husband's entitled to.
All she wants is the wire recording.
I find that difficult to believe.
Look, lady,
you may have a worldly, wise
and sophisticated veneer,
but I got ties older than you are.
And Mrs. Bodine thinks your husband
ought to be in jail.
She thinks something
on that wire recording
proves that he's a murderer
and if she's right,
I want to tell the police what it is
before they tell me.
I am sure my husband did
what he did because he loves me.
And suppose you're wrong,
suppose I'm wrong.
Suppose he didn't kill Bodine
for love or money?
- Now what?
- That's not possible.
There's got to be a reason.
I think the reason
is on that wire recording.
Well, I don't know
what that possibly could be.
Mrs. Berman,
would it surprise you to know
that your husband
was seeing another woman?
Is he?
Would it surprise you?
No. Not necessarily. No.
In other words, he loves you
enough to kill somebody,
but you're not surprised
that he's fooling around?
What do you think
a jury is going to think of that?
Who is this woman?
Mrs. Berman, wouldn't you like to know
one way or the other?
Lf...
If there's a relationship...
I'd like to know about it, yes.
Then you'll tell me what I want to know?
What's that?
Exactly what Bodine
was asking you on the wire.
I'll tell you what I remember,
but it may not be
what you need to know.
- Who is it?
- It's the colorist, Mrs. Berman.
Come back a little later,
would you, please?
Fine.
Mr. Gittes, I want to remind you
that so far you have yet
to show me anything
that proves my husband
deliberately did anything to anyone.
- And if I can prove otherwise?
- Then we'll talk later.
After all,
first things first.
Look, Mr. Gittes,
it was two and a half years ago
these people were here.
I have very little recollection
of the transaction,
and these photographs
are not going to refresh my memory.
I don't wish to talk about these people.
Well, can you tell me this much?
Why wouldn't Miss Mulwray
quitclaim the deed
to Mr. Berman directly?
Mr. Gittes, I am a notary public,
not a mind reader.
If that's the way they want it,
that's the way I do it.
Well, this deed doesn't
even mention mineral rights.
Any exception to title rights
will be found in some other agreement.
And if there is no other agreement?
Then the original owner retains
all rights not specifically granted.
Delores, would you please
show Mr. Gittes out?
He's awful touchy.
How did it happen?
You don't know?
Come on. You can tell me.
- That's how it happened. He told.
- What?
About three weeks ago,
just after I came to work here,
somebody else was in
asking about these people.
And one of those people
came back and broke his jaw.
Him, right?
All right. Forget about him.
What about the guy who was asking?
Can you remember what he looked like?
I'll bet he asked you out.
Oh, no. He's married.
Not anymore.
Thank you.
Good of Mr. Rawley to see me
on such short notice.
Oh, he's looking forward to it,
Mr. Gittes.
He's just around the point.
- Do you like shrimp?
- Sure do.
We've got some good ones.
I prefer matches. Thank you.
I love the smell of sulfur.
Chuck here said that you want to
talk to me about Mattie.
Well, not exactly, I was hoping
you could help me with Lillian.
Well, that's up to Chuck
and my wife Mattie.
As far as that's concerned,
it's really none of my business.
None of your business?
Well, I suppose, in a sense,
when you're in the oil business,
you're in everybody's business.
That's right.
Is that why you broke into my office
and why you got
Jake Berman under surveillance?
Mr. Gittes, I...
- Just excuse us a little bit, will you?
- Yes, sir.
Thank you.
Before Mark got killed,
he became aware
of Berman's other associates.
And he was concerned
that he might have
a silent partner in this Mr. Nice.
Mark was frightened.
He came to me for help
purely as a friend.
- Frightened of Berman and Mr. Nice.
- Yes, indeed.
But not too frightened
to sleep with Berman's wife.
I'll tell you what we'll do, John.
You tell me what the hell
you think's a-going on here,
and I'll tell you if I think you're right.
Mr. Rawley, I think you think
there's oil under the B & B subdivision,
and I think you're trying to get to
whoever has the mineral rights.
All I'd find under that subdivision
is a lot of hot air and gas.
You wanna know why?
Look up and down the coast here.
Summerland, Huntington Beach,
Bolsa Chica.
That's where the oil is.
That's where it's juicy. Out there.
It ain't 6,000 feet inland,
down through 2,000 extra feet
of cretaceous granite.
Have I answered all your questions?
There's one thing about Los Angeles
that makes it different
than most places, John,
and that's two things.
You got a desert with oil under it,
and, second,
you got a lot of water around it.
Hollis Mulwray and Noah Cross
moved the water onto this desert,
and we have to move people
the same way they moved the water.
Without my oil, you got no automobiles.
Without automobiles,
you got no road construction,
no sidewalks, no city lights,
no gas stations, no automotive service,
and no Berman subdivision
stuck out in the tules
because nobody can get there.
Then Mr. Berman's out of business
before he even gets in business.
The name of the game is oil, John.
That don't go here, Oren.
Take it up to Hill 36.
Back to 36!
What's that for?
Did you ever breed any horses?
Can't say that I have, no.
Well, it's sort of like
helping a stallion mount a mare.
Whipstocking is something you do
to coax the drilling bit
in the right direction.
After you've gone
to all that time and trouble,
you wouldn't want your big fella
to miss what he was aiming at,
now, would you?
I know what your time's worth, John,
and I'll take care of you.
Just don't let me down.
Old Cactus Arrow probably hoodwinked
quite a few city boys
with his Will Rogers routine,
but I knew he wasn't talking
about two horses on their honeymoon.
Whatever Rawley was mounting,
it wasn't a mare.
I just wanted to make sure
it wasn't me, either, pardner.
Do you want to meet or not?
Anywhere you say.
Green Parrot Bar and Grill
on Cahuenga,
just south of Franklin
anytime after 10:00.
Are you all right, honey?
Honey? What did you say?
Good evening. May I help you?
- No. I'd like to sit at the bar.
- Fine.
Can I help you, sir?
Yeah. Johnny Walker Black, straight up.
- Soda back?
- Yeah, thanks.
Thank you. Thank you.
Mr. Gittes.
I'm so glad you could make it.
Well, Tyrone, what's on your mind?
This is an HK-100 Go-Devil.
It's how you put a camera
in a compass on the ground
to tell what direction you're drilling.
Take it easy, Ty.
This is a photo of the compass.
It'll prove Rawley's drilling east
toward the Berman subdivision,
not west, out toward the ocean.
Double Scotch, soda back.
We're...
- We're talking about oil here, right, Ty?
- Obviously.
Mr. Rawley believes there's oil
under the subdivision.
He's endangering hundreds of lives
drilling under those homes
with all the seismic activity.
He's whipstocking.
Someone has got to stop him.
Well, I can't do that, Ty. Nobody can.
Guys like Rawley don't get arrested.
They get streets named after them.
In this type of situation,
it's best just to leave it alone.
Rawley's stealing from Berman.
It's a big thief stealing from a little thief.
Who are we to quarrel?
Did you bring my treat?
What the fuck for?
Then why did you come here?
What are you doing here?
I own the joint. What's your excuse?
I got a date.
Then be a gentleman
and excuse yourself.
- Hey.
- Come on, nudnik.
Look around. What do you see?
Strictly class. Polite. Big tippers.
Not only that, they're nice to the help.
If the cops didn't keep
bumping up the payoffs,
this would be the best business I got.
What business you got
with Jake Berman?
- Jake Berman is 100% legitimate.
- What do you call legitimate?
Take off his jacket.
I can tell you what
I don't consider legitimate.
- Must be a short list.
- Blackmail.
What are you talking about?
Blackmail. It's a form of mental torture.
It's the worst.
Physical torture? It's not so bad.
There's only so much of it you can take,
and then eventually, you die.
It's over.
But mental torture?
That's real aggravation.
It goes on and on and on.
You got the wire recording.
Why are you withholding evidence
from your own client,
if you're not a blackmailer?
Answer that, you putz.
- Hey, boss, I think we're in trouble.
- What are you talking about?
- Smile at the birdies, lady.
- Smile.
Now gather your hats and your purses.
The vans are in the back.
Nice and orderly. That's it.
Okay, ladies and gentlemen,
right this way.
Come on, Gittes.
There you were,
consorting with a known hoodlum
under grand jury investigation
and known to be friendly
with your client Jake Berman.
So what?
So either you were
doing business with Mickey, or...
Or what?
We got a vice officer
who swears you approached him
and fondled his privates
in the men's room.
How was it?
You'll get a chance to tell everybody
at the state board.
Either that, or prove
you're not withholding evidence.
How will I do that?
Let us hear the wire recording.
And then you'll decide if it's evidence
that I'm withholding.
Get your court order, Loach.
It's my private property.
How much are they paying you
to suppress it?
Bribery. Conspiracy.
- Conspiracy to commit murder.
- Maybe not bribery anymore.
- Oh?
- Maybe he's back to blackmail.
What are you talking about, Loach?
- I'm talking about incest.
- Incest?
You know, incest.
Like when a father bangs his daughter,
like with dogs and squid.
I'm talking about him
extorting money from the Mulwrays
to keep his mouth shut.
Loach, I don't recall anything like that.
All I recall is that your father
shot an innocent woman
while their little girl watched him do it.
And what a fine shot it was.
Well, it was a long time ago.
Besides, I wouldn't extort a nickel
from my worst enemy.
That's where I draw the line.
Well, I'll tell you, Jake.
I knew a whore once.
For the right amount of money,
she'd piss in a guy's face.
But she wouldn't shit on his chest.
See, that's where she drew the line.
Well, junior, all I can say is,
I hope she wasn't
too much of a disappointment to you.
Get back! Get back!
Get back or I swear this motherfucking
son of a bitch is gonna suck on this
until he dies!
Now suck it!
Suck it!
- Okay.
- Suck it.
You pissed your pants, junior.
Maybe you'll need a change.
You're off this case
and suspended for 30 days.
And you! When I get through with you,
you're going to wish
Loach was back on the case.
Book Mr. Gittes. Then I'll make bail.
Get him out of here.
Get him out of here!
- Get him out of here!
- Hey, who the fuck is this asshole?
Just get over there and sit down.
Sit down.
Some linen supply guys,
they're making a delivery.
You Mexican piece of ass!
They're making a delivery.
- Yeah, Gladys?
- It's Mr. Weinberger.
- He says it's urgent.
- Okay, I'll take it.
- Hello, Cotton.
- I'm here with Flynn.
- Give him my best.
- Jake says hello.
- Hello, Jake.
- Well, Escobar got his court order.
- When?
- Just now.
And if you don't produce
that wire recording,
you're going to jail till you do.
At least let me have it, Jake.
Let me worry about it.
- Yeah. I'd better get back to you, Cotton.
- Jake...
Jake. Jake, didn't you hear?
- Escobar's got his court order.
- What did they deliver?
Who? Jake, Escobar is gonna be
knocking on that door any minute.
The guys from Bay City Linen,
what were they delivering?
- It was a chair, wasn't it?
- Jeez. I think so.
A chair and some towels.
Kitty Berman had said
she wouldn't believe
her husband did anything wrong
until I delivered proof.
Well, she was going to get
what she asked for,
the kind of proof she could sit on.
I don't expect you to remember
where this came from.
The police report said the weapon was
a.38 caliber Smith & Wesson
Police Special
with a 2-inch barrel, like this.
The chair was delivered to your room
at the Bird of Paradise Motel
forty minutes before you arrived
by Bay City Linen
right out of the back
of one of Mickey's trucks.
Well, Mrs. Berman?
Mrs. Berman?
Watch it!
- Kitty?
- Get away from me.
- Kitty.
- Stay away.
I got a new deal for you.
When you wanna talk, pick a spot
where nobody can sneak up on me
and nail me with Escobar's court order.
Anything else?
And tell Mickey I stole his truck
before he tells the cops,
because if they stop me,
they'll have enough evidence
to arrest you both.
Murder one.
How do you want to play this, Jake,
20 bucks a hole?
What's the matter? Too rich for you?
Let's cut out the cute bullshit.
We're here to discuss your life.
Let's wait till we get
on the course, okay?
- I'm a 14 handicap.
- Nine.
What the hell. It's my club.
I'll play you even. Twenty bucks a hole?
- Hell, yes.
- Be my guest.
Hell of a shot.
Good bounce.
Nice putt.
Okay.
What's it going to take,
100, 200, 300 grand?
If I don't give it to Escobar,
he's gonna put me in jail.
I'll pay your legal fees.
Contempt of court, big fucking deal.
More like conspiracy to commit murder.
Escobar's gonna think
I'm trying to cover my ass, not yours.
Jake...
I can make the rest
of your life awful easy.
You never know when
you're gonna need something extra.
Make it. Fuck.
I'll tell you,
nothing beats bad luck, does it?
Okay. What's your deal?
Tell me how you got Katherine Mulwray
to give you her land.
She suggested it.
Bodine know that?
Is that why you killed him?
Because he was mousing around
asking the same questions I am?
She's alive and well, Jake.
Put me in touch with her.
That's all I ask.
I can't do that.
That's the deal.
The deal is you'll turn
the wire over to me
at the end of this round,
or I'll have you killed.
My money or your life.
Say, Jake.
Ever seen my one-legged golfer?
Liberty. Liberty.
- You all right?
- Yeah.
- Relax.
- What's wrong?
Remember what I said, Jake.
- No sign of the wife?
- No, I haven't seen the wife.
The big guy came out,
made a phone call to Nice.
- Something about Elsa, radio...
- Watch your feet, buddy.
Got dimes?
Just take it easy. You'll be all right.
It's gonna be all right, Jake.
Please hurry.
They're waiting for us at the hospital.
Some blonde.
Okay!
New Ajax cleans all bathroom surfaces
of mildew and stains faster.
I'm used to seeing
the intimate details of people's lives,
but looking at a guy's x-rays
is as intimate as it gets.
It's the kind of thing most guys
don't even tell their wives about.
Sorry. It has to look like nobody's home.
The D.A.'s still trying to serve me.
Hand over the wire recording.
- Pardon me?
- Give the recording to the police.
Otherwise, you're in contempt of court.
You'll go to jail.
Would you mind if I had a drink, please?
The preliminary hearing's tomorrow.
You've got to answer some questions.
- Scotch and soda?
- Fine.
There's nothing I can tell you
you don't already know.
We'll see.
Thank you.
How is your husband's health?
Fine, obviously.
Anything else?
What did Mark Bodine ask you
about Katherine Mulwray?
Well, apparently,
she retains the mineral rights
to the subdivision land.
Mark thought they might be valuable.
I guess he was trying to
get in touch with her.
I don't remember all that much.
When you're
with somebody like that...
Well, you can imagine.
Yes, I can.
I was honestly unfaithful.
And with a very ambitious man.
So?
- Maybe that's why he was killed.
- Over mineral rights?
Jake cared about land.
He wouldn't kill anybody
over mineral rights. Believe me.
Oh, my God. Linda.
Honey, there's somebody
I'd like you to meet.
Please don't bother.
I can see you're hard at work.
I don't need any introductions.
Don't stop for a thing.
I simply wish to say
that I never want to see you
or hear from you again.
I'm sorry.
Not your fault.
That was your fiance?
Used to be.
Well, I'm sure once
you explain everything,
she'll calm down and be okay.
What?
What are you looking at?
Oh. This.
Jake gave it to me. It's stuck.
Let me.
What...
- What kind of flower is it?
- A poppy.
Why is it two colors?
With wildflowers,
you can change the color.
You don't say.
The way summer fires do. You simply
scorch the seeds.
Of course, it's not permanent.
Wildflowers are very unstable,
so you have to keep scorching them.
- Sort of like dyeing your hair.
- Exactly.
Otherwise, the color will simply
revert.
I don't get it.
I'm sorry.
All I ever wanted was...
All I ever wanted all these years
was just to see
that you hadn't been hurt,
and that you wouldn't be hurt.
I didn't want you to be involved.
I am involved.
Your crazy husband saw to that.
I didn't want to give you
any reason not to testify.
You said you'd always protect me
no matter what.
I knew you would.
- What about Jake?
- I don't know. He...
I don't know about Jake.
He made me feel I could live
a normal life like anybody else.
He was romantic.
He's a murderer, right?
Right.
Hand over the wire recording.
It is the necessary nature
of any evidentiary hearing
to tolerate, and even to encourage,
some informality.
However, I must remind everyone
that we are seeking probable cause
that a capital crime
has been committed.
There can be no more serious matter
before this court.
Will opposing counsel
approach the bench?
Look, we're all a little new
to this sort of evidence.
If something isn't clear,
I want the witnesses available
to testify as we go.
All right. Thank you.
Will investigators Tilton and Walsh
please take the stand?
Your Honor, may I respectfully request
that the courtroom be cleared
of all those not directly
involved with this case,
due to the delicate nature
of the material we're about to hear?
Mr. Weinberger,
this is an open public hearing.
Since there are no minors present,
we shall continue as we are.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Bailiff?
I must ask for complete silence
in the courtroom.
Adam Boy Charlie. Adam Boy Charlie.
Lawrence Walsh at the
Bird of Paradise Motel,
October 27, 1948. 1300 hours.
I'm based in bedroom one-niner...
Honey.
Oh, no, Kitty. How could you...
What's going on here?
- Jake, what the...
- You told me you were going...
- It's different. He's done something to it.
- It's procedure.
It's not the same.
It's just where they said I'd find you...
19-H...
The Bird of Paradise Motel...
Redondo Beach...
- Just take it...
- Don't fuck with me, Jake.
How could you? How could you?
With him?
- It's not the same.
- Not with him! Not with him!
- Oh, no, you're not. I'm going...
- They have changed it.
Get her out of here!
Oh, my God!
Just calm down, ma'am.
Just calm down.
Where did that gun come from?
Somebody call an ambulance!
Come on.
Get pictures of everything, Larry.
This isn't it!
They've done something to it!
Those bastards!
Those... Son of a bitch.
- Was that it, Mr. Gittes?
- Yes, Your Honor.
Was that Mr. Bodine's voice at the end
saying,
"Oh, no, you're not, Jake, I'm going to..."
- Something or other?
- Yes, Your Honor.
In what context
was that statement made?
Having his photos
taken by my associate.
And the,
"I'm going to" something or other?
Your Honor, I believe
that's when Mr. Bodine drew the gun
and tried to stop us.
What's he talking about?
He wasn't even in the room.
He's lying through his teeth.
Isn't it a fact, Mr. Gittes,
that you weren't even in the room?
Objection, Your Honor.
What for? To give Mr. Gittes time
to come up with something to say?
Mr. Hannah,
if you have something to say,
address the court.
Objection overruled.
You may answer the question,
Mr. Gittes.
I'm certain that I was in the room.
I'm not positive where I was
when the shots were fired.
- Were you, Larry?
- Well, Jake, I was under the bed.
Actually, I thought
Berman did have the gun first,
but I had no idea where he got it.
Your Honor, I object to the witnesses
engaging in this colloquy.
I mean, they weren't even sworn in.
I might add, Your Honor,
I find it extremely distracting
to see the district attorney
getting all his objections
from Captain Escobar.
Gentlemen, please.
Can we at least agree
that there was a gun in the room?
- I agree.
- I hope so, Your Honor.
Very good.
Now, to whom was the gun registered?
To the deceased, Mr. Mark Bodine.
Green Parrot Bar and Grill.
Isn't it a fact, Mr. Gittes,
that you're out on bail,
having been arrested
at the Green Parrot Bar and Grill?
Wait a minute.
Your Honor, the witness has
been charged, not convicted.
- What's the charge?
- The charge?
Yes. The charge.
Well, that Mr. Gittes was fondling
the private parts of a vice officer
in the men's room
of the Green Parrot Bar and Grill.
- Objection, Your Honor.
- I'm with you, Mr. Weinberger.
I have no idea
what you thought you could do
with this kind of evidence, Mr. Hannah.
It certainly has no place
in my courtroom.
Do yourself a favor.
The next time,
you be sure you've got a case.
That's about it for this hearing.
Bailiff, we'll have a short recess
before considering the next matter.
Maybe I didn't tell the whole truth
at the preliminary hearing.
But there's one thing
I've learned about the truth,
a little bit goes a long way.
And splashing Katherine Mulwray's past
all over the LA Times
wouldn't do anybody any good.
That's one truth
Jake and I had in common.
Berman's x-rays said more than
a couple of missing words
on a wire recording.
What's the difference
who passes the sentence,
a doctor or a judge?
This way, Katherine can deal
with her ghosts in private
and I can try to tell myself
I kept my promise.
But that's the problem with the past,
there's always plenty more
where that came from.
You want to see it again?
What's new?
We're going into the model.
Keep customers out for a while.
Sure.
Believe it or not,
I thought I was doing something here,
giving G.I.'s and couples
their first home.
Tell you this, they're the only
tract homes in the valley,
G.I. Or not, with lath and plaster
and hardwood floors.
Is that right?
They're built to last.
For a while, anyway.
There was a time, a few years ago,
when Kitty and I had a cash problem.
For us to own our own home
was a dream.
I figured you got hold of those.
Mark Bodine have any idea
how sick you were?
I didn't know myself till a few days ago.
Elsa told me the radium and...
She's the doctor.
The radium implants weren't working.
Months of aggravation,
with my skin breaking out and itching,
and trying to keep it from Kitty.
And I'm still riddled with this drek.
So the only thing that Bodine
was blackmailing you about was
Katherine Mulwray?
How did he find out who your wife was?
Oh, for some reason,
he was checking out
the mineral rights on the land,
found the quitclaim to Mickey
and got hold of the notary public.
He threatened to expose her
if I didn't have her
sign over the mineral rights,
dump the subdivision in his lap.
Knowing that vantz,
I figured he'd do it
after I was dead anyway.
Well, he was in it
for a lot more than that.
Everything okay?
Yeah.
How much do you want for those?
How much do you think
I want for those?
- Kitty tell you who she was?
- No.
- Then how did you find out?
- I just did my job.
She couldn't tell you, Jake.
And she didn't know what I was doing.
I was too afraid to tell her
I was this sick.
If she had known,
none of this would have happened.
It's my fault.
I wouldn't undress in front of her.
I slept in the den.
She thought...
She thought I lost interest in her.
Jake...
We wanted to have a baby.
She was devastated, Jake.
You know Kitty.
She was looking
for assurance from somebody,
and, as it happened,
Mark was there looking for her.
Well, you took a hell
of a chance hiring me.
Nothing like the chance
Bodine would talk about Kitty.
And besides, there was something else.
What's that?
He was fucking my wife.
Come on, Jake!
Jake! Come on, Jake!
Jake!
- Are you all right, Jake?
- Yeah.
Come on, Jake. Let's get out of here.
Wait a second. Better check...
Look at the crapper. See the crapper.
There's stuff coming out of the toilet,
the sink, the shower.
I don't know. Just take a look.
Jesus, he's right.
There's shit everywhere.
That's expensive shit.
You're telling me.
I'm gonna have more lawsuits
than Carter has liver pills.
That's oil.
That's oil.
That's what Rawley
and Bodine have been after.
They're drilling
under your subdivision to get it, Jake.
My oil?
Not for long, if we don't get out of here.
Come on, Jake.
- Then it's Kitty's?
- Come on, Jake.
I'm gonna stick around
and have a smoke.
What?
Would you want an autopsy
if you were me?
That wouldn't be so good for Kitty,
would it?
Got a light?
Go ahead.
Give him the light.
Get out of here. Go on.
Get out of here. Get out.
Dear Kitty,
I can't face you with this.
I guess from the day we met,
all I ever really wanted
was to know I could take care of you
and that you would love me
and think well of me.
So naturally,
I haven't liked being reminded
I can't take care of you
or protect you much longer.
You remind me about that
more than anybody.
All you have to do is walk into a room
or look like you need help
opening up a can of soup
or buttoning the back of your dress.
If I hurt you, honey...
Just try and forgive me.
It's been rough
knowing I wouldn't be able
to keep anybody from hurting you.
I love you, Kitty.
That son of a bitch.
What the hell does he mean,
he doesn't feel
he could face me with this?
- I think he means...
- Why didn't you tell me?
I thought he should tell you himself.
Could you...
What?
Could you...
What? Anything.
Open the window.
Yeah. I can do that.
Thank you.
Jake.
Mrs. Berman, if you want to talk to him,
sometimes I think that's the best thing.
- I don't have to listen.
- Jake.
Mrs. Berman?
Does it ever go away?
- What's that?
- The
past.
Well...
I think you have to work
real hard on that one.
I can't do it alone.
I don't suppose you'll have to.
That's wrong.
Don't be too sure.
That's your problem, kid.
You don't know who you're kidding.
You take too good a care of me,
Mr. Gittes.
Well, it's a tough habit to break.
Think of me from time to time.
Katherine!
It never goes away.