[People chatting and sirens]
[Radio, indistinct]
[Men yelling]
[Radio] We are also going to be talking...
with Kim Alexander on following the money trail.
[Radio continues, indistinct]
[Police radio, indistinct]
[Talk radio, indistinct]
[Traffic, honking]
[Man shouting in Spanish]
Getting broken in by Senor Rape-ez here, huh?
Yeah? You having a good day?
- Yeah. - I'll break it down for you, alright?
All you really need to know is...
among this whole sea of brown skin...
a Mexican man hates a Honduran,
just like a Guatemalan hates a Salvadoran.
They're really not all the same.
Everybody's dealin' dope, twenty-four/seven.
It's an open-air supermarket.
Everybody's got a woodstick for the LAPD.
Typical, onionhead gangbanger.
It'll be a Mexican. You know.
A Patuso or a Fuego. And all this shit,
it all derives from something real important,
like what little berg in the Culiacán Uncle Juanito comes from.
How many fuckin' coyotes the dirty little hamster
bred with on his journey up here to the promised land.
What about the scandal?
The scandal's bullshit.
Two dickhead cops got embroiled
in some fuck up.
Ratted out an entire sweet division...
to save their own wretched asses.
The D.A.'s office is running scared, afraid to file,
afraid not to exonerate en-fucking-masse.
Now you got a lot of hopped-up Rodney King wannabe beaners
making whoop-de-doo of their own,
with get-out- of-jail-free cards and a pile of county cash.
This used to be a glorious soldier's department. Now it's... you.
[Laughs]
What's funny?
Private Hatchet woman over here is inquiring
about the scandal of the century.
You didn't touch your fries.
What? Oh.
I had a couple of them, but I got a cholesterol thing. Why, you want them?
No, you want them. Finish it.
I can't... I don't eat French fries.
Well, then you shouldn't have ordered them.
Finish those fries.
Dave hates wasting food.
You never see him eat, but...
he hates wasting food.
If you keep going like this,
you're gonna look like a crackhead.
[Monroe] Munch, munch, cowgirl. C'mon.
A very attractive crackhead, mind you.
[Morone] You makin' eyes at me?
You want one?
No, no, no. You're doin' good.
I stay healthy.
Finish those fries if you wanna make probation.
- Okay? - Yes, sir.
Your dad ever discipline you?
Huh?
No, sir.
I never met my father.
You never met him. Why?
He wasn't around.
[Police radio]
[Man] General!
You guys make a great couple.
I was just bull-shitting you.
Thanks, boss.
There you go. Eat up. Eat up.
You aim for the shortest wetback, you watch him skedaddle...
plow the dice and the Schlitz Malt Liquor cans...
and hit your siren in farewell.
Let's see what we've got.
[Siren]
Wooo!
[Laughs]
Green cards!
Yeah, you'll get the hang of it.
- Aren't you worried? - About?
You'll get a 128?
Okay, listen. This is the most important thing I've told you so far.
Everything you learned at the Academy is bullshit.
An Illegal is just a sick bird.
This is some military occupation, kid. Emergency law.
Alright, let's have some fun.
[Crowd noise, loudspeaker announcements, indistinct]
What went on here?
[Security guard] Caught him boosting ephedrine and propyl alcohol.
What happened?
Ow.
He hit you?
Yeah.
You hit him? Tough guy?
[Dave] Step outside, will you?
- Outside? - Yeah, outside.
[Dave to guard] Hey, will you step out, too?
- I don't know, sir - Now!
And shut that door behind you.
[Police radio chatter]
[Door closes]
Nice tat.
Now, you're cooking crank out of somebody's garage.
I don't know where that garage is, but you do.
Now where oh where could that damn garage be?
I don't see it, but you do.
- No, I don't. - Yes, you do.
Okay, so now you have petty theft, assault...
I'm sure you have at least four priors.
That's a violation and mandatory bullet, compadre.
Now, you give me that address, and it all goes away.
What's the address?
[Dave] I don't want to hurt you. I don't. I like you.
[Shouting, fighting]
[Crashes against glass]
- You don't know anything? - Don't know, nothin'.
Tell me where it is. C'mon.
I don't know where it fuckin' is. I don't fuckin' know!
[Punk screams]
[Station noise, people talking]
That's your man.
- What? - Meth lab. 41 East Cesar Chavez.
That's it? No explanation, Dave?
- Hey, Dave, question? - Yeah?
Circuit Court appeals for illegal search and seizure.
Give me a precedent.
Cuthbert versus Ingleside County, Virginia, 1966. Look it up.
You have all those cases memorized?
Sure, and if I don't, I make it up.
[Car radio] ...takes place in this great, great country of ours. C'mon.
But let's imagine if you will what might be happening out there beyond America,
beyond our word, because I'm sure this will leave you
simply breathless.
It's my opinion that when we hear
of some bizarre or repugnant or deviant story
like the one you are about to hear, well,
it's not that the world suddenly... [radio turns off]
- Hey, ladies. - Dave.
- Hey, babe. - Any wine for me?
- Dinner's at 6:30. - I'll be there.
[Dogs barking in distance, birds chirping]
Daddy!
Hey.
[Kisses child]
- How are my girls? - Great.
Yeah? No hello, Helen?
[Guitar music]
- Hey, Date Rape. - Don't call me that.
[Talk radio] Something about it that's...
[door squeaking]
[Door closes]
[Someone enters the room]
[Girl clears her throat]
What's up, monkey?
Helen has a question.
Maybe you have a question.
We both have a question.
Helen's studying genetics in school,
and since our moms are sisters...
and you're our dad, we were just wondering...
if we were inbred.
[Laughs]
It's not funny!
No, sorry. Sorry.
No, I married your moms consecutively, not concurrently...
which makes you and Helen first cousins and sisters, half.
[Grunts]
It's all perfectly legal
and genetically up to insurance industry standards.
You're not gonna turn into mongoloids any time soon,
if that's what you're asking.
You're not inbred. You know what you are?
You're native.
- It's sad. - They're dead. They can't commit suicide.
[Margaret] Is this a new TV show?
[Helen] No. I'm trying to make it up.
[Barbara] It sounds like it. The ghosts are depressed?
[Helen] No. I was thinking about maybe making it
a graphic novel or something.
[Barbara] You could do that.
- Suicidal ghosts. - I would like to see that.
They want out. So these people, who I think are actually...
Barbara, where's the olives? There's no olives.
I'm sorry. I don't know.
I think we're out, I'll look, but I think we're out.
They're complete barbarians.
And they have just as many problems as we do.
Why do you let her put that on the wall?
Helen's poster?
Yeah, that little collage.
It's amazing. She's been working hard on it.
She's worked on that thing for three weeks.
- It's amazing, is it? It is amazing. - It's quite something.
[Barbara] I think it should be in a museum.
That's what I think.
[Girls laughing]
[Margaret] Don't you tell your mother you learned that from me.
[Helen] Here, give me your plate, Marg.
And that's not okay if that's a bowl.
May I sleep with you tonight?
I have sketching to do. Please.
So that's not a no, is it?
That would be a very nice way to say no.
What about a nice way to say yes?
What about after your sketching?
No, no...
[Barbara] I'm gonna be up all night.
Aunt Bee, is there any more broccoli?
Are you asking for more vegetables?
Only broccoli because I like eating the stems.
Helen, I'm curious about that artwork you have...
on the wall there.
- What is it? - What kind of a mother are you?
- She's a broccoli hoarder. - What does it mean?
What does it mean...
Yeah, what does that mean? That collage?
It's these little bits of paper,
and you cut them out
and you glue them together and make another picture.
Okay, so you have a man's head and...
a woman's heel digging into his head and
stepping on his mouth and...
- It's art, Dave. It's art. - We can be grateful that he noticed.
...a naked woman with the blood flowing from her vagina.
Alright. Okay.
- You have the C word prominently displayed. - Alright.
You have eyes. That's great. What's the problem?
What is the problem? What is the problem?
- Oh, let it be, would you? - Margaret?
Do you like her collage?
I'll ask it. What is it?
It just needs more color.
More color.
[Margaret] Like rainbows.
Honey, how's your spaghetti?
- Pretty good. - Yeah?
That's good.
How is yours?
It's very good, thank you. You should try some.
Oh, I'm fine, thank you.
Do you want to cuddle later?
I have a boyfriend.
Cheat on him.
Like you cheat on your taxes?
I don't cheat on my taxes.
Okay? You can't cheat on something
you never committed to.
How do you know how much you pay for taxes anyway?
I think I'm gonna go take a walk, look for some olives.
Come on. Would you sit and have something to eat?
[Margaret] He wouldn't be like this if you guys
weren't so hard on him.
[Margaret] It's the truth.
[Helen, Barbara] No, it's not the truth.
[Margaret] He is too hard on you, but still...
[Dave sighs]
♫ Listen to the rhythm of the gentle Bossa Nova ♫
♫ You'll be dancing with 'em too ♫
♫ before the night is over ♫
♫ How can you lose? ♫
♫ The lights are much brighter there ♫
♫ You can forget all your troubles ♫
♫ forget all your cares ♫
[piano player shouts] And where you go? That's right.
♫ Things'll be great when you're... ♫
[audience] ♫ Downtown... ♫
[piano player] ♫ Don't wait a minute more ♫
Dave Brown's just too plain a name for someone like me.
What, you don't have a moniker?
You don't have a moniker? Like something your cop buddies call you?
You know the lingo.
Yeah, my brother was on the San Berdoo Sheriff's.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
I got a little thing for cops.
[Laughs]
You don't have it for your brother?
What, no! No!
Nice! [Laughs]
That was a very, very impressive...
No, thank you. I don't smoke.
- You don't smoke? - No. I don't need it.
Then that wasn't as impressive
as it would have been.
No, it was still a very impressive trick.
No smoking in here, sir.
Jesus Christ.
You used to let me smoke in here.
Poor little rose.
That's for you.
Wow. I didn't get you anything.
That's okay. You'll think of something.
So come on, tell me. What's your moniker?
What does it matter?
Could tell me all I need to know about you.
You know, maybe a little bit more.
Come on. Don't be shy. What is it? Let me guess.
Is it...
"Roughhouse" Dave?
[Snickers]
Yeah? Or...
I like that.
[Laughs] Or "Bang Bang" Brown?
"Date Rape" Dave.
Why is that?
Rumor from when I worked Hollywood Sex...
and I can't confirm it and I won't deny it.
So tell me.
Maybe I killed a bad guy, maybe I didn't.
Either way, he got what he paid for
and he'll never hurt another woman ever again.
Is that your foot?
Yeah.
Oh, stop, stop, stop.
Okay, Do it again, do it again, do it again.
Woo!
[Woman gasping, Dave moaning]
[Laughs]
Oh, well.
[Blows air out]
[Man on loudspeaker, speaking Spanish]
[Police radio]
[Squealing breaks, crash, broken glass]
Hey, what's your fucking problem?
Ow!
[Grunting, hitting]
[Newscaster[ Brown was videotaped severely beating a motorist
named Shondell Parmallee in what civil rights groups
are calling "old school L.A.P.D. Brutality
"revisited, revived, and regurgitated."
Local activists have launched new attacks on the L.A.P.D.
For its "culture of racial misconduct"
while Officer Brown remains on limited duty
awaiting possible disciplinary action
and pending civil lawsuits.
The Shondell-gate matter is in the early stages of investigation,
as opposed to the Rampart Scandal,
which as you know is a longstanding
highly complex and multifaceted issue
- of great social import. - Son of a bitch.
That's Bill B. For you. He got "highly complex", "multifaceted"
and "great social import" into one sentence,
and he didn't say a damn thing.
I'll say this though.
Our citizens are sick and tired
[knock] Yeah?
...of the old way of doing business.
How was your day?
- Good. You? - Pretty good.
Is Helen still mad at me?
I don't know. What are we watching?
Just...
yeah. [Switches channel to non-news]
Hey, did you do your homework?
No.
Great idea.
How about we make this a homework-free day?
Not that you'll tell your mom.
And we'll just watch television.
Okay.
What do you want to watch? Is this good?
- Yeah. - Okay.
[TV show]
[TV] Jab it in and turn it.
Suction. Suction!
Now. Now!
Where the hell is the blood?
Grab that clamp and push it back hard.
- I can't - Come on!
[Crowd chanting] No justice, no peace! No justice, no peace!
[Chanting continues]
[Officer] Hey, Dave. Man of the hour.
Date Rape?
[Detectives] Thanks for making us look good, Dave.
You're the man! Good job!
Thank you.
[Officer] Thighs apart, heads up.
Have a nice day.
What's the word, Chief?
Close the door.
[Fax machine dialing]
[David sighs] What should I say?
I'll say whatever I need to.
[Fax machine]
Have you thought about retirement?
No.
In fact...
if you force me to retire and file on me,
I'll plead not guilty, take it to trial, and represent myself.
I'll be playing to a mentally deficient jury, so I'll lose
though I'll work Vietnam for all it's worth.
I'll have PTSD, DDT, TNT, Agent Orange
and the Creeping Chinese Crud before it's over,
not to mention 24 years on the job.
I'll draw a fine and a suspended sentence.
Court TV will broadcast the whole thing.
I'll have my own show on Fox News inside one week.
You'll be my first guest.
So you have thought about it?
I don't intend to retire, Miss Confrey.
[Whispers] All right.
You know, Rampart has become a shitstorm
of such epic proportions, legally and financially.
We have bullshit police brutality complaints
bullshit felony evidence plants,
wrong door fuck-ups, we have them all.
I have a ton of testimony, solicited and unsolicited,
that is ambiguous, if not downright indecipherable.
The county's going bankrupt paying out lawsuit money.
The D.A.'s office and L.A.P.D.
Are hemorrhaging prestige,
and many hardened criminals
are out on the street way before they should be.
And now, Dave, we have you to deal with.
And we can't afford you.
So how do we solve a problem like Dave Brown? You tell me.
I was under attack.
I went after the suspect. End of story.
The tape doesn't show everything. They never do.
- I had to neutralize him. - The tape shows you,
brutally beating a man almost to death.
I think on his part it was assault with a deadly weapon
You think he drove into you on purpose?
It was an assault with a deadly weapon.
- I got out of the car, - It was an accident.
- It was a collision. - I intended to help that gentleman.
He opened the door into me and ran.
A lot of cops would have shot him and got a medal.
I took it easy on him, and now I'm here before you.
I don't think what we saw was taking it easy on anyone.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but nine out of ten cops
would have shot him right there.
Do you admit that you overreacted?
You seem to have everything under control here,
and I do appreciate the opportunity.
Just remember which side you're on.
♫ If I could go back to our mistakes ♫
♫ we both know how this act is gonna end ♫
♫ After Boston and seattle ♫
♫ we thought maybe California was the place ♫
♫ Thought I might hold out awhile ♫
♫ and we could start to move from grass to grace. ♫
You're wearing a courtroom suit
and you have litigator eyes.
You here for me?
No.
Dave.
Linda.
[Groans] Gordy!
Isn't there a game on?
[Gordy] I can't find the clicker.
Yeah.
Tell me you're not a lawyer.
Okay, I'm not a lawyer.
Are you selling something? Art? Insurance? Pharmaceuticals?
- What about real estate? - Great.
That's good.
Yep. I'm in from Phoenix.
My 87-year-old husband
He's taking a six-hour nap, I'm taking a five-hour walk. How's that work for you?
- Perfect. - Good.
- I am looking to refinance. - That's good.
Gordy.
Anyway, thank you for talking to me.
Yeah, well, I figure I'll be safe.
Everybody's watching your every move.
Now they're watching you.
Maybe I like being watched.
Well, I'm watching you.
You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen...
in this bar.
[Laughs]
What are you doing?
[Clears throat]
I gotta go.
Sneaking out on me?
- You don't have to go. - I gotta go.
Come here. Give me that purse.
I gotta go.
- You don't have to go anywhere. - I gotta go. I do.
Okay, I gotta go. I have to go.
You have to stay.
[Mariachi music outside]
- What's the matter? - Jesus! Hartshorn.
You too famous for me all of a sudden?
It's all deliberate provocation.
They predicted your response, and you fell for it.
And who are "they?"
"They?" They who don't like you.
And why me?
Because they don't like you.
Look, what do I know?
Maybe it's a coincidence the camera was there.
Look, if this is the gang fucks, I don't mind.
Or generic criminal scum, bogus lawsuit settlement scum.
Press scum.
I can deal with scum.
But if this is Rampart, L.A.P.D.,
some fucking girly politician
setting me up as a shit magnet
to take the heat off the fucking scandal,
I gotta go deep into this.
Look, what can I do?
I am just a law-abiding retiree
enjoying his golden years.
Fuck you with the Mickey Cohen routine, old man.
You've got your fingers in more Department twat
han any active cop I know.
Now, milk your contacts.
I've got cash left from the Harris job.
Thanks for that, by the way.
You could just stop beating people up.
This isn't your father's L.A.P.D., you know.
I know.
It's more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
[Laughs] It is a barrel of monkeys.
[Both laugh]
I'll get through it. I always do.
You know, when you first came in the Department,
I wasn't certain whether you were the dumbest rookie ever
or the most bull-headed. [Laughs]
I'm still debating it.
That's what my old man said about you,
you were the most bullheaded man he ever met.
[Laughs]
I should have filed Murder One on you
for that date-rape shooting.
I would've booked him on eleven counts of rape,
Sodomy One, penetration with a foreign weapon, etc.
Gentlemen, can we talk about the present circumstances?
Fourteen years, tops.
I'd say your punishment breached legal status
as well as moral code.
"The law must acknowledge and occasionally accommodate..."
"the extraordinary vicissitudes of justice." Judge D.T. Eagleton, 1946.
I don't know that quote.
You went to Cal State.
At least I passed the bar.
Knock it off.
Barely, I'm told. Hence, politics.
Should I break out the milk and cookies here?
Can we actually talk about the possibility
of your holding a press conference together,
addressing what's happened with Mr. Parmallee,
issuing an apology, and moving on?
It would help if I'd done something wrong.
You've done nothing wrong.
Someone planted a camera in my way.
Maybe it's you, maybe it's someone smart...
definitely smarter than me, because I don't stop to see
if there's a photographer nearby
when I do the people's dirty work.
So you can't see yourself taking any responsibility that moves us beyond this?
No, because the only thing that's wrong here
is that a camera caught him doing "police work."
[Dave laughs]
Is this a fucking joke to you? You think it's funny?
What is funny and peculiar to me is how this office
spends all its time going after decent cops.
Did you do it?
Do what?
Without admitting guilt or complicity, did you actually kill that rapist?
Alleged rapist?
Did you do it?
[Sighs] I don't live in the past.
Is that a yes?
Let me rephrase. If you were to have done it, could you tell me why?
So women would love me.
I don't think that could be the reason.
I'm curious why you're so curious.
We can talk about it this weekend.
Give me a call.
Brown, I have your number.
I bet you do.
[Radio] The stupidest trade in the history of sports...
[radio continues]
[Exhales heavily]
What did you do to the Captain?
Come on, let's get back to homework, hon.
You have anything you want to say to me?
As in what?
Why am I still collecting a paycheck?
Shondell skipped town.
His nerves are shot. And that civil lawsuit is still going forward.
Someone upstairs is pulling strings for you.
Close the door.
[Dave] Shoot.
[Door closes] Close the door with you on the outside.
I'm L.A.P.D. And I want to stay L.A.P.D.
That's the most important thing for me.
Why?
Why what?
I'm just asking. What if we negotiated a settlement?
Why is staying a cop the most important thing?
Because I'm a hard-charging dutiful motherfucker,
and I want to explicate the L.A.P.D.'s somewhat hyperbolized misdeeds
with true panache, regardless of my alleged transgressions.
Capiche?
In other words, I have nowhere else to go, so...
if I get canned by the Department, I swear to God,
I'll study for the bar this time, and come back here
and work as your token fascist.
[Male lawyer laughs]
[Clears throat] Well...
we'll need a retainer. That's standard.
[Rattling outside]
[Cocks gun]
- You're so cute. - No, you're cute.
[Releases gun]
[Kissing, giggling]
- Have you seen my pick? - No.
- Are you still mad at me? - Yeah.
Why? What did I do?
][sighs] Whatever.
You didn't even finish it.
I just quit.
Right.
Hey. You remember when we used to make up songs together?
You know, like that one...
[sings] "I am you and you are me"
- " we were always meant to be" - No.
"You are me and I am you"
- "And we were meant to see it through." - No.
You have to remember that.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
Let's take a walk.
No, I'm busy.
How long you been standing there?
"You are me, I am you..."
[tray crashes to floor]
Get out.
Get out, Dave.
[Door shuts]
[Cell phone rings]
Yeah?
Hey. Back in town?
Yeah, it was fun.
What do you mean, "the truth?"
[Heels stomping on floor]
[Dave] So you were lying about everything?
Dave, we were playing with each other. C'mon.
I liked the way you moved, okay? That was it.
It's like a John wayne thing or something. I don't know.
And I like to suck cock. So sue me.
It seemed like a fine idea at the time, didn't it?
And you were asking for it, Dave.
"Tell me you're not a lawyer." I did.
There's something you're not telling me.
What, that I hate the scum that I represent? Okay, I told you.
And when I was at the D.A.'s office,
at least I got to see these guys go down.
That's not it.
Dave, I help criminals go free
with County cash in their fuckin' pockets because L.A.P.D. Fucks up.
And 8 times out of 10, they're right back at Rampart again.
You're giving me a closing statement.
- You came looking for me. - No, I didn't.
What is it you're not telling me?
You're either lying to me
or you're withholding. This is what I do.
The guy that you killed, the date-rape guy...
I'm a defense attorney. And I'm not supposed to, but I respect what you did.
I'm sorry.
No proof I killed anyone.
I have daughters.
I'm sorry.
Can I sleep with you tonight?
Yes.
[Birds chirping]
[Dave] Nice surprise.
- Hello. - Hello.
Was she any good?
She was.
[Whispers] I've got to talk to you.
Can't it wait?
No.
I'm kind of busy right now.
We've got to put the houses on the market.
You've got to start thinking about finding another place to live. Okay?
No. That's not okay.
You've got to do it. This isn't working.
You can't do that.
Everybody living on top of each other?
You know it isn't working as well as I do.
- We've got to... - You can't do that.
We gotta go our own ways.
You can't make the decisions for us anymore.
You've got to let us go.
That's not acceptable. We've got to keep everybody together.
This is gonna blow over, I promise you.
We've been trying to keep us together for a long time.
But we've got to know when we're licked.
[Whispers] You've got to let us go.
- Don't say that. - You've got to let us go.
[Speaks in full voice] I'll never let you go.
- That's what I mean. - I'll never let you go.
[Hartshorn singing] "You won't see me no more"
"'Cause I'm gonna stay down here in L.A."
They all know someone like me is more dangerous
on the witness stand than on the streets.
Right?
You gave them only one option.
Top brass is gonna try to bury the beating and the scandal
and keep you as the sideshow.
Keep the press guessing while they investigate it into oblivion.
Just stick to the "assault with a deadly weapon" routine,
and they won't touch you.
I hope you're right.
Meanwhile, I'm hemorrhaging cash.
I know that twitch.
[Sighs]
Okay.
There's gonna be a high-stakes card game
at the Crystal Market tonight.
You didn't hear it from me, buddy.
Thanks, Hart. You don't know how much this means to me.
I was gonna mention it before, but...
You know, man, the shape you're in, jeez...
[sighs]
I hate to see you bled dry like that.
How you doing?
Are you okay?
I'm fine.
You're hanging in there.
- Hanging in there. - You're hanging in there.
- You keeping it going. - Yeah.
[Spanish talk radio]
[Men] Yeah, I'm in on this one, too.
What have you got?
I'm in on this one.
Twenty on that one.
[Men shouting on street]
[Men continue talking]
[Men shouting, fighting]
Shut the fuck up!
Don't even look up! Look the fuck down!
Stop moving, motherfuckers!
Look the fuck down!
[Shouting]
[Shouting, falling through brush]
[Men fighting, yelling]
[Cocks gun]
[Gun shots]
No, fuck! I got kids, man, please! Don't fucking kill me!
Take off your mask.
Take off your mask!
Alright, man!
Please don't fucking shoot me, man! Please!
Get some money out of there.
Put it in your fucking pocket!
Hurry up, goddamnit!
Go! Go!
[Approaching sirens]
[Nearby sirens]
[Radio] Brown is embroiled in a high-stakes card game robbery
that he apparently...
[newscasters talking]
[Reporter] Is this a two box or a three box.
I can't remember what you said.
That's the part that gets me the most upset, Mom,
is when you keep saying sorry.
I know, I just feel bad.
Why do you feel bad? You didn't do anything. What did you do?
That's the point. I didn't do anything.
[Door closes]
[Dave] I'm sorry about the reporters.
Do you have cancer?
Because if you don't, I'm done.
We're done.
He fired at me three times.
I returned fire in self-defense.
It was self-defense. I swear to God.
You need rest. You need to eat.
I didn't know about the card game. I swear.
You need to set up shop someplace else.
Right now.
I talked to Barb.
[Clears throat] Big Jim.
The hookers that work the bar weekends, your call.
I notify Central Nightwatch or I don't.
You can't keep doing this, Dave.
A fifth of scotch, a room and a wake-up call.
I could lose my job.
At least you'll be on the outside.
[Bells chime as someone enters store]
Your bun boy honked a Vice cop at the Pink Parrot last night.
He's got a parole hold, so no bail.
Lorazapam and Phenobarb, and it all goes away.
[Door closes]
[Vacuum cleaner]
[Vacuum continues]
[Vacuum turns off, maid's voices]
[Maids laughing]
[Vacuum starts again]
[Cars honking below, sirens]
We've taken a look at your team's report.
It's a pretty extensive package.
Not germane to the issue, sir.
I'd like the event to be judged ad hoc.
Empirical knowledge often distorts the content
of the act under scrutiny, sir.
You're not making this easy.
And you're not making friends here.
I have all the friends I need at this stage in my life, sir.
Describe the events that led up to your use
of deadly force, Officer Brown.
[Man questioning] You're alive. And an individual named...
Jose Lancha Macias is dead.
Now how did that occur?
[Dave clears throat]
At approximately 2350 hours, I was parked
near the southeast corner of Ewing Street and Echo Park Avenue.
A man approached my patrol car and stated
that he thought he had seen suspicious men in the adjacent alley.
The alley in question was just to the west of my location.
At this time, I observed an unknown suspect with a gun
chasing another man who appeared to be unarmed.
I identified myself verbally and began chasing the man with the gun.
[Rap music]
[Rap music continues]
Get on past me.
[Rap music continues]
[Dave whispers] Who tipped you to the game?
[Hartshorn] You know I can't give you that, Dave.
You got a tip. I improvised. There's a man dead.
How do you feel about that?
The streets smell cleaner already.
L.A.P.D. Is back in town, and it's called Dave Brown.
Where's your gratitude?
Glad I could help.
I need to know.
Forget it, I can't. I don't play games, I don't name names.
[Dave slams table, person shushes Dave]
Shh yourself, goddammit!
That's the way I handle it. You understand?
Yeah. It's a good motto.
What are the odds they go and I go
the same night to take that game down?
What are the odds?
You handled it, Dave. Hurray.
I could have got killed myself.
You didn't.
I don't know how much more of this shit I can take.
Jesus Christ!
Where were you? I left you six messages.
I'm not your fucking girlfriend. My battery died.
I nearly got killed the other night
while you were out looking for a bone to chew on.
Where the hell were you?
[Glass shatters]
Fuck you.
[Laughs]
You're insane, Dave. You're insane.
Well, guess what, Linda? It takes one to know one.
I want the truth.
You came after me that night.
Of course I fucking did. You're the man of my dreams, right?
Who the hell are you working for?
You watch too much television.
I told you I'm on your side!
I'm not working for anyone or anybody.
- You're paranoid. - You're breaking my heart.
Yeah? You broke into my fucking house.
I located your security flaw.
- Fuck you. - Your pool gate was open.
[Sighs]
Should I leave?
Yeah.
[Coughs]
I'm sorry.
I'm a mess.
[Kisses]
Will you sleep with me?
Just tonight?
[Kisses]
No. You drink too much.
Really?
You're great in the sack, Linda, but you lie to be liked.
Is that right?
That's right.
Yeah, well, guess what?
It takes one to know one.
[Clears throat]
You're a bitch. You know that?
Yeah.
General?
[Dave coughs]
General!
Get over here, now!
[Spanish rap music]
How are you doing?
Doing okay. How're you?
I'm good.
How are you?
- Didn't we just go through this? - Yeah.
Hey... look at me.
Look me right in the eye.
Did you see anything unusual lately?
No.
Anything around the Crystal Market?
I said no. I didn't see shit.
- You sure? - Yeah.
- You positive? - Not a damn thing.
Fancy.
Go ahead, take two.
What the hell happened to your head?
Watch that beard.
Don't want to see you go up in smoke.
Two dickhead cops
broke flashlights on me.
Ow!
Fuck! Don't do that!
Just keeping the streets safe.
I'm not hurting anybody.
If I sell a little, smoke a little,
it's no big deal to nobody.
I'm nobody. I'm nothing. I'm nobody. Nobody.
They got fucking niggers slinging golf balls
up and down these streets.
All talk, cavi, cavi, cavi, cavi.
Want to crack my head open.
Asshole cops.
Give me a sip.
[Car peels out]
Give me a sip.
Here.
Call this lawyer, sue the L.A.P.D.
Linda.
Is she hot? Linda... Fentress?
And blonde all over.
Fuck, yeah.
Why, your thing still working?
No. Not really.
But a starving man eats the best pussy.
Are we brothers?
You're my brother.
Keep it...
brother.
[Bells on door chime, someone enters]
- Hey, man. - Can I help you?
Let me get a number six.
[Whispers] A number six.
Okay. It'll be five minutes.
You fucking with me?
What?
I'm listening. What are you, I. A?
Man, I'm just sitting here trying to get my shrimp.
Is that what you're gonna say next time I spot you?
Here we go. Here we go.
Kyle Timkins, D.A. Investigator.
You say both robbers escaped?
That's kind of hard to believe.
Also, there's a big gap between the time the neighbors
say they heard the shots and you reported the incident.
Also, it's kind of strange
that you would be in that location without your radio.
Why isn't the Robbery Unit on this when both robbers did indeed escape?
- Your recent misconduct... - Perceived misconduct.
Perceived misconduct brings into question your mental state
on the night of the incident.
That's why I'm here.
Listen, uh, Jack...
No, I'm Kyle.
Listen, Jack...
you got this assignment because I'm controversial
and your ancestors were stolen from Africa.
You got this assignment to cover the Department on perceived racial bias
pertaining to Shondell J. Parmallee and other shit-faced scum.
You're mad as hell, and you want me to know it.
But while you're playing gumshoe,
bear in mind that I am not a racist.
Fact is, I hate all people equally.
And if it helps, I've slept with some of your people.
You want to be mad at someone,
try J. Edgar Hoover. He was a racist.
Or the Founding Fathers, all slave-owners.
Me, I'm just doing my job.
All that may be true, but we're not here talking about me.
We're here talking about you. Okay?
Officer Hoover?
I've got another question.
Why are you still with the Department?
After all the shit that's going on,
the scandal, the Mayor, the D.A., the Chief of Police,
why do they still have you around?
Must be because I'm innocent.
Nice to meet you, Kyle.
[Starts engine]
You all have seen how every wannabe gangbanger
walking down the street being pulled down by their dogs
Hey, Boss! Boss! Get him!
Get him, Boss! Boss, what did I say? Sit tight. Hey, Boss!
[Whistles]
Dave.
Stay up late last night?
Of course.
How you feeling?
Good, good, good.
Just waiting for the pits to eat a protestor.
You know you're being watched?
What do you mean?
Good boy! There he goes.
I'm glad you found me.
It wasn't hard. I just wanted to see for myself.
Mom says you're deeper in the shit.
Those are my words, not hers.
Well...
people keep telling me that.
Well, maybe it's true, then.
[Sighs] Yeah, I am.
You took a cab, right?
Tell me you didn't take a bus
out here to the goddamn jungle.
It's the Barrio, Dad. It's not the fucking jungle.
- And yes, I took a bus. - I told you, babe, I don't want you...
Don't call me "babe."
I don't want you straying east of La Brea...
It's disgusting.
How is... How's school?
It sucks.
It's full of...
"candy-assed future fags and dykes, like me."
Those are your words, not mine.
I never said that.
How's it going at home?
[Clicking lighter]
Margaret's onto you. She's angry.
Guess that's something every Dave Brown daughter has to go through.
[Lighter clicks, won't light]
You're a dinosaur, Date-rape.
You're a classic racist, a bigot, a sexist.
A womanizer, a chauvinist, a misanthrope,
homophobic clearly, or maybe you don't like yourself.
How long did it take you to rehearse that?
[Crying softly]
Well, say something.
Don't touch me, say something!
Why don't I drive you home?
No, I don't want to go home.
They're having an open house.
I don't want to be there. I want to be at Jo's.
Joe/Joseph or Jo/Josephine?
I'll just take the bus!
Helen... I'm kidding!
[Sighs]
[Cell phone ringing]
Yeah.
[Hartshorn] Your phone is tapped. Don't say a word.
Jesus, the shit I have to take care of because of you.
You're just like your father, Dave.
You think you're smarter than you are.
Every shooting testimony contains inconsistencies.
Otherwise, you wouldn't have a job.
No man who ever shoots and kills another man
is entirely cogent in the moment.
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
Did you learn that with the first man you killed?
I learned that serving my country
as a non-electric pop-up target
in an often misunderstood crusade for liberty and justice
turned puppet show for politicians
Called Vietnam.
Known as the Vietnam war.
Can we not go to Vietnam today?
Let's fast-forward to the present.
Why are you looking to hang me? Why me?
I know you're setting me up. Blago's got it in for me.
Answer my question. Of all the truly rotten cops out there
why are you after the one guy who gets it?
"The one cop who gets it"?
- Are you in on this? - Are you fucking kidding me?
Let me remind you that several years ago
you killed an alleged serial date-rapist premeditatively.
Did you know that he had a wife and three small children?
She had a nervous breakdown after his death,
and ended up in an insane asylum, where she spent nine years
until she cut her wrists with a disposable razor blade.
The kids were raised, by the way, in foster homes.
Two of them alleged that they were sexually abused by their foster fathers.
So please don't come in here whining.
You've got a lot of nerve.
Up this time. And something to make it hard.
[Unbearably loud music]
[Loud musical beep]
[Loud music]
[Surreal music]
[Vomiting]
[Man] Watch it, man.
I mean, I feel like...
Dave, what are you doing here?
Listen, my lawyers are burning through my money
and we're gonna have to tighten our belts.
We're gonna have a trial date soon, so...
what are you even doing here, Dave?
I came to talk to you about this.
You don't live here any more.
You can't walk in like you still live here.
[Dave] Oh, for God's sakes.
You know what I think?
I think you were a dirty cop from day one.
Okay.
You were a dirty cop with a dirty mind
and you dirtied all of us up by default.
I think you think you can just ride this out,
thinking you can go back to your fucking
- You've got to go. - Tough guy, law and order bullshit.
It's over, Dave. It's over.
You know what happened to you?
- Just let him go. - First the bar. And then
- the women and the booze - Cathy.
- You're a selfish man, Dave! - Come on.
It's not worth it. Just let him go.
You were a bad husband. You're a bad father.
- You're a bad lay. - Why are you doing this?
Just let him go.
This "man keeping family together" bullshit?
It's fucked the girls up forever. Forever.
Helen is out here. Can you stop?
You don't know one thing about your girls.
You are a fraud, Dave.
That's enough.
- You're a fraud. - You've got to go.
[Dave] Okay.
It's okay.
Bye.
[Barbara] Come on. Everything's okay. Let's go inside.
I'm sorry, honey.
[Tires squealing]
[Tapping, Dave sighs]
Damn it.
I'm thirsty.
I'll bet you are.
Come on, just give me a pull. Just give me a pull.
Get your fucking hand out of the car.
Come on. You're my brother. Just a sip. A sip.
Give me a smoke.
I want a cigarette. Give me a cigarette.
No.
Yeah. Come on, give me a drink.
Sober up.
Linda's a good woman. She's taken really good care of me.
We're gonna take all your asshole friends down.
Can you spot me a fiver? I don't feel so hot.
Sell your wheelchair.
Fuck you, white skin. I got robbed.
I need a blanket.
Five bucks, please. Just five bucks.
Do I look like Santa Claus to you?
No, you don't look like Santa Claus. You're my brother.
Us vets got to stick together, don't we?
I'm not your brother.
- I don't have a family. - Yes you are. Yes you do.
I'll pay you back.
I'll pay you back when Linda and I make a killing.
- Stop saying her name. - Linda.
You stop saying her name, okay?
You say her name one more time,
I'll hurt you.
You don't get it. We're gonna be rich as shit.
I'm gonna go around the world,
around the world.
Around the world. Around the world.
I'm gonna tell my story and they're gonna fucking pay me.
I'm gonna be on talk shows. I'm gonna have a suit.
- What did you tell her? - I told her everything.
- Tell me exactly what you told her. - I told her my plan...
about we're gonna get a big house together...
somewhere in Northern California
on a lot of property where anybody can come
who needs a place, has a place
where you can shower, you can hang out,
or you can get your head right.
All my friends are gonna be there,
so you should definitely come.
And Linda will make us eggs.
What about the Crystal Market?
- I told her everything. - Everything?
Everything.
Come on, give me a drink.
[Shouts]
Get the fuck out of here!
What the hell are you doing?
Why, are you afraid of something?
Will you come inside? Come on. It's raining.
Yeah, I can see that. I'm already in. What does it matter?
What are you doing?
General told you.
Who?
He saw me shoot that man in the Crystal Market and drop a piece on him.
Baby, I don't want to hear this.
It's raining. Come inside.
He got roughed up by the L.A.P.D. That's all.
You gonna believe him over me?
- What? - Get in the pool.
I'm not getting in the fucking pool. No.
If you're on my side, get in the fucking pool.
No. You're crazy. I'm going in.
Get in the fucking pool.
I'm going in. You make the next move.
- Get in the pool. - Don't fucking touch me. Get off.
Don't go inside. Get in this pool.
No.
- Come here. - No.
- Don't. - Get in this pool.
No.
You bitch.
Come in.
You think you can take me down?
I don't need you! I don't need anyone!
I'm just a fucking cop!
I'm a fucking soldier! I'm dispensable!
There're a lot of other cocks to suck!
[Muffled] You're heartless, Linda! You played me!
I hate you! I fucking hate you!!
[Muffled] Are you even listening, you bitch?!
Get in this fucking pool!
Discrepancies and inconsistencies.
Ah, Jesus.
Dave, I've got six card players,
all of them claiming that it was a no weapons game.
Four of them heard the shots.
All of them claim it was two sets of three pops,
all at the same clip,
which indicates you fired your weapon first.
Right? Now, I traced the gun right back
to this station right here.
Ballistics show that the gun was involved
in another officer shooting.
Alright?
So I'm sweating the cop that sold you the gun,
because not only can I prove that his shooting was dirty,
I can prove that your shooting was dirty,
just like I can prove you're dirty.
I got two eyewitnesses that saw your ass
outside of that Crystal Market
right before it jumped off.
So go home and pack a bag.
Make sure there's a wetsuit in there
because I'm sending your ass up the river.
Come on, baby.
I've been up river, motherfucker,
when you were still sucking on your mama's tit.
My mother died when I was born, you racist son-of-a-bitch.
[Laughs]
You save that Grand wizard shit for the jury.
I need you to help me put a leash on Kyle Timkins.
Help you?
That's all I do is help.
I am not the help.
Crystal Market.
[Sighs] Again with the market.
No, still with the market.
You're covering for someone who's trying to bury me.
I'm not sure I understand the rules, okay?
The rules change.
The laws change. The people change.
They accommodate. They adapt.
But not you.
Why is that?
Explain to me exactly what happened at the Crystal Market.
[Scoffs] I've got to get away from you.
I've got a business to protect, contacts.
I don't know you. I don't know...
Put that away.
Why me, Hart? Why me?
Stop whining. Why you? Why me? Why anybody?
You set me up.
You set yourself up, Dave.
Give me the gun.
[Dave sighs]
[Grunts]
[Laughs]
[Grunts and laughs]
[Gasps]
[Hartshorn panting]
Call an ambulance.
[Hartshorn coughs and gasps]
[Knock]
[Cocks gun]
[Releases gun]
Hey.
Come in.
What was that noise?
Oh, the lock.
Come on. Come in. Get out of the hallway. Please.
Come on.
Hey, what a surprise.
Do you want to give it to him?
- I thought you wanted to. - No, I'm fine.
[Drops gun in vase]
These are for you.
Thank you.
- How are you? - Good.
Yeah?
So tell me... what have you been up to?
Nothing. We just came by to drop off the clothes.
Oh. Okay.
You found me.
How did you do that?
There was a caller I.D.
What?
Caller I.D. You called the house from here.
That's good police work.
Yeah, it was really hard.
So...
here you are.
[Laughs]
Come on in. Don't be afraid. You want to sit?
No.
Can I get you a soda?
- No, I'm good. - Yeah?
Okay.
[Helen] You don't want anything?
[Margaret] No, I'm good.
You look beautiful, both of you.
[Helen] Your face looks red.
Too much sun.
[Helen] It means he's been drinking.
Haven't you?
What?
[Helen] You've been drinking.
[Dave] I was just... Yeah, a little bit.
[Whispers] A little bit.
[Dave] Okay. Wow.
- Do you wanna go? - Yeah.
I don't know.
We're gonna go.
[Dave] You want to talk a little bit?
No, that's fine.
Hey. Hey.
I know why you came.
To drop off the clothes.
Let's go. Come on.
You want to know if it's true.
Every bad thing you've heard about me?
You want me to give you some way out so it doesn't
hurt so much.
There's no way out.
Every single thing you heard
and more, it's all true.
I can never... change.
But I want you to know
I never hurt any good people.
What about us?
No, that's not what I mean, Helen.
I don't understand what you do mean.
Have I hurt you?
I didn't mean to.
We have to go, okay?
Hey.
- It's okay. It's okay. - Hey. Come on.
Hey! Hey, come here!
- Come back to the room. - What are you doing?
I love you, monkey. You know that, right?
I'm not letting you do this.
I'm gonna get you a soda, okay?
- I'll get you a soda. - No.
Will you come back? Monkey, come back to the room.
[Crying softly]
[Soundtrack, sirens and traffic]
[Soft music continues, watch ticking]
[Soundtrack, airplane taking off]
[Cocks gun]
[Laughs/whimpers]
What's on your mind, Hoover?
[Turns on recorder]
This is Officer David D. Brown
of the Los Angeles Police Department.
This statement is made of my own free will.
During my twenty-four year police career
I employed brutal and coercive methods at whim.
And... created racial animus
with reckless disregard for the law
that I was sworn to uphold as a police officer.
On April 15th, 1987,
I murdered a business acquaintance of mine, Karl Joseph Huneck
and rationalized the act as a morally sound expression of street justice
against a man who I knew to be a serial date-rapist.
I was legally sane at the time I committed the act.
[Kyle sighs]
Over the years, I've killed many men. Bad guys, all of them.
And if there are one or two exceptions
I can only assume they ended up on the wrong end of my gun
to satisfy some karmic breech.
This statement is proffered lucidly.
I am not in a state of duress.
[Turns off recorder] Okay.
I'll give you this tape if you cut me a deal.
I don't want your tape.
[Laughs] What?
That's not the confession I want.
You want that fucking Crystal Market case. You're a fucking idiot.
Next time I see you, I'm putting cuffs on you.
Are you out of your mind?
Timkins! Take what you've got, which is a good case.
It's the wrong confession.
Take the fucking tape. You fucking idiot.
[Car starts]
Take this fucking tape!
You're a fucking idiot, Timkins!
[Car drives away]
[Laughs] Fucking idiot.
[The girls and mothers chatting]
[Silverware clanking, chatting]
[Man] But this one has something in her ear.
[Laughing] Oh!
Watch.
- Where did it go? - You get to keep it.
Where will it say? Oh, 1882.
[Barbara] 1882? That's pretty valuable.
[Man indistinct]
Really? That's so sweet of you. Oh, my goodness.
[Catherine] Where you going?
[Helen] Smoke.
- What? - Smoke.
What did she say?
[Family chatting]
[Soft guitar music, soundtrack]
[Family chatting continues]
[Soft music continues]