SlD: Come to Los Angeles.
The sun shines bright, the beaches are wide and inviting...
...and the orange groves stretch as far as the eye can see.
There are jobs aplenty and land is cheap.
Every workingman can have his own house...
...and inside every house, a happy, all-American family.
You can have all this. And who knows?
You could even be discovered...
...become a movie star, or at least see one.
Life is good in Los Angeles.
It's paradise on Earth.
That's what they tell you, anyway, because they're selling an image.
They're selling it through movies, radio and television.
In the hit show Badge of Honor, the L.A. cops walk on water...
...as they keep the city clean of crooks.
Yep, you'd think this place was the Garden of Eden.
But there's trouble in paradise...
...and his name is Meyer Harris Cohen, Mickey C to his fans.
Local L.A. color to the nth degree. And his number-one bodyguard...
[POPS]
...Johnny Stompanato.
Mickey C's the head of organized crime in these parts.
He runs dope, rackets and prostitution. He kills a dozen people a year...
...and the dapper little gent does it in style.
And every time his picture's on the front page...
...it's a black eye for the image of Los Angeles.
Because how can organized crime exist...
...in the city with the best police force in the world?
Something has to be done.
But nothing too original, because, hey, this is Hollywood.
What worked for Al Capone would work for the Mickster.
Mr. Cohen, you're under arrest. Nonpayment of federal income tax.
But all is not well.
Sending Mickey up has created a vacuum, and it's only a matter of time...
...before someone with balls of brass tries to fill it.
"Remember, dear readers' you heard it here first.
Off the record, on the q.t...
...and νery hush-hush."
[MAN ΑND WOMΑN SHOUTlNG]
You're like Santa Claus with that list, Bud, except everyone on it's been naughty.
Guy's been out of Q two weeks.
Leave it for later.
We gotta pick up the booze and get it to the station.
[GLASS SHATTERS]
Hollywood' this is 6-Adam-7.
Have Central send a prowler to 421 6 Evergreen.
Parole violation. Assault arising from a family dispute.
We won't be here' but they'll see him.
[LAUGHlNG]
MAN: Quit your whining.
Quit whining all the time. lt makes me sick.
Shut up.
-Who in the hell are you? -The ghost of Christmas past.
-Dance with a man for a change. -What are you' some kind of smart-ass?
[GRUNTlNG]
You'll be out in a year and a half. l'll get cozy with your parole officer.
You touch her again' l'll have you violated on a kiddie-raper beef.
You know what they do to kiddie rapers in Quentin.
You got someplace you can go?
Go get yourself fixed up.
Merry Christmas, huh?
-Merry Christmas' ma'am. -Let's go' Bud.
The guys will be waiting.
[MUSlC PLAYlNG ON STEREO]
What do you do on Badge of Honor, Jack?
l'm the, um' technical adviser.
l teach Brett Chase how to walk and talk like a cop.
Brett Chase doesn't walk and talk like you.
Well' that's because he's the television version.
America isn't ready for the real me.
ls it true you're the one who arrested Bob Mitchum?
Mm-hm.
These Badge of Honor guys like to pretend...
...but being the real thing must be a thrill.
Why don't you and l go someplace quiet?
l'd love to giνe you the lowdown on Mitchum.
-Big V. Jack Vincennes. -Hey.
-May l have this dance? -Of course.
Karen, this is Sid Hudgens from Hush-Hush magazine.
-Hello, Karen. -Hello, yourself.
Mm-hm.
What's that about?
We did a piece, "lngénue Dykes in Hollywood." Her name got mentioned.
Hey' Jackie boy...
...a friend just sold some reefer to Matt Reynolds.
He's tripping the light fantastic with Tammy Jordan.
Sorry' l lost you for a second' Sid.
Contract players' Metro. You pinch them' l do a nice feature next issue.
-Plus the usual 50 cash. -No' l need another 50.
Two 20s for two patrolmen' and a dime for the watch commander.
Jackie' it's Christmas.
No, it's not.
lt's felony possession of marijuana.
Actually' it's circulation 36,000 and climbing.
There's no telling where this is gonna go. Radio, television.
Once you whet the public's appetite for the truth, the sky's the limit.
Sergeant Ed Exley' son of the legendary Preston Exley.
Must be a hard act to follow.
Why not make a mark somewhere else? Why become a cop, Ed?
l like to help people.
We heard two officers were assaulted this evening.
-What do you think about that? -Goes with the job.
l took the report. Luckily, they're okay.
Aren't you young to be watch commander?
lt's only tonight.
The married men haνe Christmas Eve off.
-That's a good lead for the story. PHOTOGRAPHER: Sure.
OFFlCER: Merry Christmas, captain.
-Captain Smith. -Drop the formalities' Bobby.
-lt's Christmas Eve. Call me Dudley. -l came up with a title for the story.
l'm calling it "Silent Night With the L.A.P.D."
That's grand.
Now' remember' Bobby' that's "Smith." With an S.
[LAUGHlNG]
-Thank you' gentlemen. Merry Christmas. -Thank you.
SMlTH: Hold on there, lads.
-Merry Christmas. -Merry Christmas to you.
l saw the test results on the lieutenant's exam.
First out of 23. What'll it be, then?
Patrol Division? lnternal Affairs? What?
l was thinking Detective Bureau.
Edmund, you're a political animal.
You have the eye for human weakness, but not the stomach.
You're wrong' sir.
Would you be willing to plant evidence on a suspect you knew to be guilty...
...in order to ensure an indictment?
-We'νe been over this. -Yes or no?
No.
Would you beat a confession out of a suspect you knew to be guilty?
No.
Would you shoot a hardened criminal in the back...
...in order to offset the chance that some lawyer--?
No.
Then for the loνe of God' don't be a detective.
Stick to assignments where you don't have to make those choices.
Dudley, l know you mean well...
...but l don't need to do it the way you did, or my father.
At least get rid of the glasses.
l can't think of a man in the bureau who wears them.
NlCK: lf l get held up, you guys better be here.
Hi, Nick. l need a delivery.
A case each of gin' rum' Scotch.
That sounds like a hell of a party. Be right with you.
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to you, officer.
That obvious, huh?
lt's practically stamped on your forehead.
There you go' White.
PlERCE: See what he wants' Buzz.
Hey.
Get lost' why don't you?
Down. Get your fucking head down.
l got a license for that.
Cut me some slack. l used to be a cop.
"Leland Meeks." Never heard of you.
They call me Buzz.
l don't give a rat's ass what they call you. Keep your head down.
And stay there, Buzz.
-You okay? -She's fine.
l'm not asking you' sir.
-Somebody hit you? LYNN: lt's not what you think.
What is it, then?
You got the wrong idea, mister. l'm fine.
But it's nice to know you care.
Drive safely.
What's going on?
-You know him? -Yeah, l've seen him around.
He used to be a cop.
[CHUCKLlNG]
They're sitting in the dark' goofing on a Christmas tree.
All right. Put your camera right there.
When l walk out, l'll stop here. Get the movie premiere in the background.
l like it. l like it. "The Moνie Premiere Pot Bust."
When l walk out, l don't want those floodlights in my eyes.
Big V' consider it done. You hear that, Chip?
All right, come on. Get down.
Go. Pop them.
[TAMMY SCREAMS]
Freeze. Police.
SlD: Hold it. -Come on. Come on, let's go.
MATT: l got my family coming--
-lt'll be a nice Christmas gift. SlD: Hi' Tammy. Hi, Matt.
Right over here.
-Just turn. -Hold it. Got it.
-"The Movie Premiere Pot Bust." -Take them in. l'll get the evidence.
[READS CARD]
lt's Christmas Eve in the City of Angels...
...and while decent citizens sleep the sleep of the righteous...
...hopheads prowl for marijuana...
...not knowing that a man is coming to stop them:
Celebrity crime-stopper Jack Vincennes...
...scourge of grasshoppers and dope fiends everywhere.
You like it' Jackie boy?
Yeah, subtle.
What took you?
My partner stopped to help a damsel in distress.
His priorities are all screwed up.
OFFlCER: Up to your old tricks again' Bud?
Bye.
OFFlCER: Hollywood Jack' what brings you to our humble station house?
-How are you? -What are you doing here?
You know me. Keeping the streets safe' boys.
Take these two, get them dressed and book them.
-The party's upstairs. -Okay, l'll be right up. Exley.
EXLEY: What's that for?
Well' you are watch commander tonight, aren't you?
Yeah. So?
A gratuity from Hush-Hush magazine. Buy yourself a new pair of loafers.
No, thanks, Jack. You keep your payoff.
l'm not interested.
[DOOR OPENS] [MEN SHOUTlNG]
[SHOUTlNG lNDlSTlNCTLY]
-What the hell's this? -Six spics.
Mexicans, sir. The ones who assaulted Brown and Helenowski.
l heard Helenowski lost six pints of blood and Brown's in a coma.
They're home with bruises.
-That's not what l heard. -Get these men into the lockup.
Stens' you guys hear what those taco benders did to Helenowski and Brown?
Helenowski lost an eye' and they're reading Brown his last rites.
That ought to make for a very merry Christmas for Helenowski and Brown.
Hey' guys. Guys. They brought the Mexicans in.
They're downstairs.
OFFlCER 1 : Let's do it. OFFlCER 2: Come on, guys. Let's get them.
Stensland, the party's upstairs.
This doesn't concern you.
Come on, guys. Haven't you got work to do?
Go back to the party.
-Come on, it's Christmas. Help me out. -Out of the way. Move it.
-l just got a few more questions. EXLEY: You don't all have to be down here.
Go.
Hey' White? You better put a leash on your partner before he kills somebody.
OFFlCER: Teach him a lesson. Get him' Stens.
This is for ours, Pancho.
Get him' Stens.
Let me through.
No. He didn't do nothing.
What are you looking at? What are you looking at?
-Tell that Mexican to shut up. -Move. Moνe.
You're sick.
Stens!
-Stens. Hey. Hey. Come on. Come on. OFFlCER: Don't break it up.
Get back. Get back.
-Yeah, and fuck your mother. -Fuck you.
-Come on! -Stop' officer. That's an order.
Hey.
Yeah, all right.
-You're all going in my report. -Let's go' Exley.
[SHOUTlNG lNDlSTlNCTLY]
[lNAUDlBLE]
POLlCE CHlEF: "Bloody Christmas."
The press love to label.
You should know this is bigger than the police board.
The grand jury's convening. lndictments may be handed down.
-Will you testify? -No' sir. l won't.
District Attorney Loew?
You and Officer Stensland brought the liquor to the station.
Stensland was already drunk.
Do you see how appearing as a voluntary witness against him...
...could offset the damage you've done to yourself?
Sir, l won't testify against my partner or anyone else.
LOEW: This man is a disgrace.
Your badge and gun, officer. You're suspended from duty.
Dismissed.
POLlCE CHlEF: Ed.
We need police witnesses to offset the damage done to the department.
-l'm asking you-- -Justice has to be served.
Of course l'll testify.
l'm glad you feel that way, Edmund. Most of the men don't.
They think silence and integrity are the same thing.
Not exactly the image of the new L.A.P.D. we're trying to create.
Welcome to Los Angeles' the city of the future.
-May l make a suggestion' sir? -By all means.
The public will expect the department to protect its own...
...and sweep this under the carpet. Don't.
Shift the guilt to men whose pensions are secured.
Force them to retire.
But somebody has to swing, so indict, try and convict...
...Richard Stensland and Bud White.
Secure them jail time. The message will be very clear:
This department, your new L.A.P.D...
...will not tolerate officers who think they're above the law.
Dick Stensland is an embarrassment as a policeman.
He's had rotten fitness reports from eνery CO he's served under...
...but Bud White is a νaluable officer.
White's a mindless thug.
No, Edmund.
He's just a man who can answer "yes" to those questions l've asked you.
POLlCE CHlEF: The department and the public need role models.
Clean-cut' forthright men the public can admire.
Sergeant' l'll promote you...
...to lieutenant' effective immediately.
Detective lieutenant.
Ed, you're 30.
Your father didn't make lieutenant until he was 33.
l know that' sir.
l also know when he made lieutenant, it was as a detective.
Before we start polishing our laurels...
...it'd look better if we had a corroborative witness.
That won't be easy to come by. The men hate a stool pigeon.
Jack Vincennes.
He hit one of the Mexicans and saw the whole thing.
A veteran like Vincennes might be willing to admit his own culpability...
...but he'd neνer rat out a fellow officer.
Jack's the technical adviser on Badge of Honor.
He lives for it.
That's the way to get to him.
l'd like you to observe' Ed.
Call Sergeant Vincennes.
Bright kid.
You may well reap the benefit, Ed...
...but are you prepared to be despised in the department?
Yes, sir' l am.
So be it.
SMlTH: Well' sergeant' we'll get right to it.
Nine civilian witnesses have identified you as hitting Ezekiel Garcia.
But we have a stellar witness who will name names...
...and also testify that you hit back only after being hit.
-And? -And you will testify against three officers...
...who have already earned their pension...
...and plead ignorance to questions at the other men.
No, thanks. l'm not a snitch.
l'll guarantee you a slap on the wrist' a brief suspension...
...followed by a temporary transfer from Narcotics to Vice.
When you transfer out of Vice, you'll be back on the show.
The show?
Badge of Honor, Vincennes.
We need to tone down your profile for a bit.
Jack...
...l doubt you've ever taken a stupid breath. Don't start now.
Okay, l'll do it.
POLlCE CHlEF: The grand jury will hear your testimony tomorrow.
Dismissed' Vincennes.
And so it goes...
...detective lieutenant.
Ace them at the grand jury tomorrow' son.
Wear a smart-looking suit and ace them.
And' Ed, lose the glasses.
So you're the stellar witness.
l should have known. What's the chief throwing you?
-Throwing me? -Yeah, Exley' what's the payoff?
You're the payoff expert.
l'm just doing my duty.
Come on, you're playing an angle here, college boy, right?
You're getting something so you don't have to hobnob with cops...
...who are gonna hate you for snitching.
Well' if they're making you detectiνe, watch out.
Some bureau guys are gonna burn in this...
...and you're gonna work with friends of theirs.
What about you?
l'm snitching three old-timers who'll be fishing in Oregon next week.
Next to you, l'm clean...
...and smart.
MAN: Edmund J. Exley to chambers.
And remember...
...Bud White will fuck you for this if it takes him the rest of his life.
Captain' what do you want?
Call me Dudley.
Dudley, what do you want?
Look, lad' l admire your refusal to testify...
...and your loyalty to your partner.
l admire you as a policeman...
...particularly your adherence to violence as a necessary adjunct to the job.
And l'm most impressed with your punishment of women-beaters.
Do you hate them, Wendell?
What do you want?
They're yours.
Go ahead' take them.
There's no goddamn bill on me?
-Four witnesses recanted their testimony. -Why?
-They had a change of heart. -What about Stensland?
Your partner's through.
Departmental scapegoat on the chief's orders.
A year from his pension.
Exley.
Exley made his play and got what he wanted.
As a politician' he exceeds even myself.
The department needs smart men like Exley...
...and direct men like you.
Look, lad' l need you for an assignment the chief's given me the go-ahead on.
A duty few men are fit for' but you were born for.
You'd be working out of Homicide down at City Hall.
Homicide?
Working cases?
Your talents lie elsewhere' Wendell.
lt's a muscle job.
You'll do as l say and ask no questions. Do you follow my drift?
ln Technicolor, sir.
SID: Meet Tony Brancato and Anthony Trombino...
...two rising lieutenants in the Mickey Cohen rackets.
With the dapper little gent in prison...
...who knows how far they'll go? The sky's the limit.
[GUNSHOTS]
Oh, well.
Meet Deuce Perkins, Mickey Cohen's narcotics lieutenant.
Could he be behind the hits?
Is he consolidating organized-crime power?
I suppose not.
One thing's for sure:
Two-man triggers are punching the tickets on the Mickster's muscle.
Meanwhile, rumor has it the L.A.P.D...
...has set up a not-so-welcome wagon to dishearten out-of-town criminal element...
...from filling the void left by Mickey's absence.
When I know more, dear readers, so will you.
Off the record, on the q.t...
...and very hush-hush.
SMITH: With Mickey Cohen in prison, Los Angeles is organized-crime free.
The chief wants to keep it that way.
[MAN GRUNTlNG]
Now' in Cleveland, you're an organized-crime associate...
...in desperate needs of reeducation in the ways of polite society.
l hear things.
Like those two-man shooter teams.
Bang, bang. They're eighty-sixing Cohen's lieutenants. Tell me' what do you want?
We want you to go home.
VlCE CAPTAlN: Picture-book smut, gentlemen.
There's been a bunch of this found at collateral crime scenes lately.
Quality ranges from piss-poor to νery well done.
-Look who's back from suspension. -Here, Jack.
We're honored' Sergeant Jack.
Ah, look at that. The great jerk-off case of 1 953.
There someplace you'd rather be' Vincennes?
Yeah, working Narcotics, looking for Cohen's missing H.
Yeah, finding 25 pounds of heroin would get you plenty of ink.
Maybe you should've thought of that before "Bloody Christmas."
Oh.
Make a major case' sergeant.
lt's the only way you're getting out of here.
Dismissed' gentlemen.
Go get the facts, Jack.
Just the facts.
WOMAN: Whatever you desire.
Hi. l'd like to get a delivery to Beverly Hills.
I don't know you.
Well' a friend just gaνe me this number and l just wanted to find out if--
[PHONE CLlCKS]
Ginger' you grab a reverse directory and shag a name and address for me?
Crestνiew 2239.
SlD: Hush-Hush' off the record´ on the q.t.
Sid' it's Vincennes.
Jackie! Hey' you back on Narco? l need some good copy.
No, but l do have something going with Vice.
Something juicy for the Sidster?
Tracking porn. Arty' high-class stuff.
What do you know about Fleur-de-Lis? Slogan's "Whatever you desire."
No, I've heard bupkes.
Get me some Narco skinny. l want to do an all-hophead issue.
Shvartze jazz musicians and movie stars. Υou like it?
Yeah, l'll talk to you later, Sid. What do you got?
-Number's not assigned' sergeant. -Thanks' Ginger.
A bootleg.
Hey.
Take it easy.
Tough break' Stens.
Good man. We're gonna miss you around here.
Raw deal, Stensland.
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHlNG]
OFFlCER: Here comes the snitch.
Sorry about that' lieutenant.
[LAUGHlNG]
Stay out of trouble, Bud.
l got a couple hours. l'll buy you a drink.
-Rain check. No, l got a hot date. -Come on.
Yeah? Who is she and what did you arrest her for?
lt's confidential.
Like that magazine that Vincennes scams for . Hush-Hush.
l'll see you later in the week.
We'll do the town' on me.
Yeah. l'll bring my wallet just in case.
OFFlCER 1 : See you tomorrow. OFFlCER 2: Hang on a minute.
l'll walk down with you.
OFFlCER 1 : Punk kid. Who the hell is he trying to impress?
-Yeah, l wonder. -Got himself a real career going.
DlSPATCHER [ON RADlO]: Sergeant Williams, pick up, please.
Sergeant Williams?
Is there anybody up there in Homicide?
Anybody there?
Lieutenant Exley.
You've got a homicide downtown.
-The Nite Owl Coffee Shop. -l got it. lt's mine.
Sir, at least one person's dead. l stopped for coffee.
No one comes through the front door. Understand?
Yes, sir.
l want barricades at both ends of the street. Make sure--
Sir? l took the call. lt's my case.
You don't want it' Edmund, and you can't have it.
-l took the call. -lt's mine.
l'll make you my second-in-command.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Captain Smith? Over here, please.
OFFlCER 1 : The back door. OFFlCER 2: Nobody else inside.
Looks like the cook drew a handgun and set it off.
The rest were killed in the men's room.
Sir...
...we got a total of 1 5 spent 1 2-gauge Remington shotgun shells.
l'm betting three men' five-shot capacity pumps, all of them emptying once.
Excuse me' sir' we got an lD on one of the victims.
lt's Dick Stensland.
MAN 1 : When l first saw her' l thought she was Rita Hayworth.
MAN 2: Yeah, me too.
EXLEY: Hell of a way to aνoid a prison sentence.
You tell me what happened?
Appears three men held up a coffee shop.
The guy at the register pulled a .38' so they killed him.
Then they took everyone else out back and killed them too.
MAN: Lieutenant, we're ready with that Nite Owl lD .
CORONER: ls this your daughter' Mrs. Lefferts?
l don't know.
We know this is difficult. Just take your time.
lt seems like my Susan...
...but my Susan was a blond' not a redhead.
When was the last time you saw her?
Just before Christmas.
We'd fought. l didn't like her boyfriend.
CORONER: Mrs. Lefferts, does your daughter have any distinguishing characteristics?
You got the wrong idea, mister. l'm fine.
MRS. LEFFERTS: She has a birthmark on her hip.
lt's her.
My baby.
[SOBBlNG]
l'm sorry, Mrs. Lefferts.
Who's in charge of this investigation?
Captain Smith and myself. Why?
SMlTH: "The Nite Owl Massacre."
Hyperbole aside...
...this is a heinous crime that requires swift resolution.
Six victims.
One of them one of our own. Dick Stensland.
As it happens' he was a Nite Owl regular' in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Robbery is the likely motiνe.
We have rubber-glove smears on the register...
...and preliminary forensics strongly tend towards a trio of shooters.
We do have one hot lead' so listen well.
Three Negro juνeniles...
...were seen discharging shotguns last night in Griffith Park.
A park ranger lD'd them as driving a 1 948 to 1 950 Mercury coupe...
...maroon in color.
An hour ago' a canvassing crew turned up a news vendor...
...who saw a maroon Merc parked across from the Nite Owl around 1 a.m.
DMV has come up with a registration list of Merc coupes.
Forty-eight two-man teams will shake three names apiece.
lnterrogations will be led by Lieutenant Edmund Exley.
[MURMURlNG]
Enough on that.
Gentlemen' just go out and get them. Use all necessary force.
The people of Los Angeles demand it.
Dismissed.
Why not just put a bounty on them?
BlLL: You ready to roll?
Take them. l got something l gotta do.
-What if one of these names--? -Get somebody else.
OFFlCER: Well' l got our assignments' Big V.
We go by this list' we got zero chance of making this collar.
l got a guy who knows what's going on south of Jefferson.
-He can put us at fifty-fifty. -Jack' what are you doing?
Same sort of thing that got you in trouble last time.
EXLEY: l'll take those odds.
We got it from here.
Between the two of you' you should bring a photographer.
l need an address on a customer of yours. Her name is Lynn.
-That's all l got to go on? -Yeah.
l think you already know who l mean, so cough it up.
NICK: There's a billing address and a delivery address.
Are you Pierce Patchett?
l am.
Are you soliciting for police charities? Last time you called at my office.
Go on down to the driνeway. We'll talk there.
What can l do for you?
-Where were you last night? -l was here hosting a party.
-Tell me about Dick Stensland. -l don't know him' Mr...?
Officer White.
Sue Lefferts? You know her?
You know l do. You saw me with her.
How did you find me?
Nick's Liquor. This is where Lynn Bracken's booze bills go.
Of course.
Sue Lefferts died at the Nite Owl.
l'm investigating.
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHlNG]
-Eνerything all right? -Fine, Phillip. Thank you.
What happened to the other guy, Buzz?
Buzz Meeks no longer works for me.
Lefferts looked beat-up Christmas Eve but didn't act it.
l think she'd been hit in the face with a tennis racket. She is--
Was a big doubles fan.
You're a known associate of a woman killed in a mass murder.
Wanna go downtown and discuss this officially?
ls that what this is? Official?
Somehow l have the feeling this is more personal with you' Mr. White.
All right, then...
...are you concerned about criminal matters peripheral to the Nite Owl murders?
-Not at the moment. -You wouldn't feel obligated to report them?
Why were Lefferts' eyes black?
l needed a Rita Hayworth to fill out my little studio.
What little studio?
Well' there's Gardner' Russell' Monroe, Turner....
Lynn Bracken is my Veronica Lake.
l use girls that look like movie stars.
Sometimes l employ a plastic surgeon.
When the work had been done' that's when you saw us.
That's why her mother couldn't lD her.
Jesus fucking Christ.
No, Mr. White' Pierce Morehouse Patchett.
l sense you're on your best behavior' but that's all l'm gonna tell you.
lf you persist, l'll meet you with my attorney.
Now' would you like Lynn Bracken's address?
l got her address.
Find Susan's killer, Mr. White.
l'll give you a handsome reward.
Whatever you desire.
WOMAN: Come on. I know you're not asleep.
Υou talking to me? What do you want?
My 5 bucks.
It was the only one I had.
LYNN: Right now?
MAN: Hey, doll face, tell him to leave us alone.
l understand. Okay, fine.
Oh' baby...
...bad news.
You have to go.
Go?
Something very important has come up and you have to go...
...but l'll make it up to you, okay?
[KNOCKlNG ON DOOR]
l will, l promise. Excuse me.
ls it the cops?
Miss Bracken' l'm Officer White.
l've been expecting you' just not this soon.
Pierce called. He told me what happened to Sue.
Everything all right, doll? Want me to get rid of him?
Hit the road, pal.
Maybe l will...
...maybe l won't.
L.A.P.D ., shit-bird. Get out of here or l'll call your wife to come get you.
-Officer. -Councilman.
-Would you care for a drink? -Yeah, Scotch straight.
l was friendly with Sue Lefferts' but we weren't friends.
You know what l mean?
You sorry she's dead?
Of course l am.
What kind of question is that?
Do you know why Pierce is humoring you?
Use words like that, you might make me mad.
-But do you know? -Yeah, l know.
Patchett's running whores cut to look like moνie stars.
And judging by his address, probably something bigger on the side.
He doesn't want any attention.
That's right. Our motives are selfish, so we're cooperating.
So cooperate. Why was Susan Lefferts at the Nite Owl?
l don't know. l never heard of the Nite Owl till today.
-How did she meet Patchett? -Pierce meets people.
Sue came on a bus with dreams of Hollywood and this is how they turned out.
Thanks to Pierce' we still get to act a little.
Tell me about Pierce.
He's waiting for you to mention money.
-You want some advice, Miss Bracken? -lt's Lynn.
Miss Bracken' don't eνer try to fucking bribe me or threaten me...
...or l'll have you and Patchett in shit up to your ears.
l remember you from Christmas Eve.
You have a thing for helping women, don't you' Officer White?
Maybe l'm just fucking curious.
-You say "fuck" a lot. -You fuck for money.
There's blood on your shirt. ls that an integral part of your job?
-Yeah. -Do you enjoy it?
-When they deserve it. -Did they deserve it today?
l'm not sure.
-But you did it anyway. -Yeah.
Just like the half-dozen guys you screwed today.
Well' actually' it was only two.
You're different' Officer White.
You're the first man in five years who didn't tell me l look like Veronica Lake.
You look better than Veronica Lake.
Pierce Patchett?
He takes a cut of our earnings and invests it for us.
He doesn't let us use narcotics and he doesn't abuse us.
Can your policeman's mentality grasp those contradictions?
He had you cut to look like Veronica Lake.
No.
l'm really a brunette' but the rest is me.
And that's all the news that's fit to print.
lt was nice meeting you, officer.
-l'd like to see you again. -You asking for a date, or an appointment?
l don't know.
-For a date, l should know your first name. -Forget l asked.
lt was a mistake.
Leonard Bidwell?
Come on down here and talk to us.
-How's the left these days? -What's it to you?
Oh' l saw you fight Kid Gavilan. l like your style.
What do you want, Mr. Policeman?
You got a brother in Folsom. l know' l put him there.
Until 1 9-fucking-70.
How'd you like to make it 1 960?
l know the judge' and Lieutenant Exley here...
...is νery good friends with the DA.
Yeah.
We're looking for three colored guys who like to pop off shotguns.
One owns a maroon Mercury coupe.
-Wanna giνe me a snitch jacket? -Wanna buy your brother 1 0 years?
-lt was 1 0 years, right? -Yeah, 1 0 years.
You don't have to say anything' just look at this list...
...and point.
He's bad' so l'll just tell you.
Sugar Ray Collins.
Drives a maroon '49 coupe.
Beautiful ride.
Don't know about shotguns' but he gets his thrills killing dogs.
He's righteous trash.
Look at that. lt's five minutes from here. Thanks.
So l'll hear from you' right?
-About my brother? -Keep it up' Lenny. Up.
VlNCENNES: There it is. lt's in the back.
-One of ours. -Shit' somebody beat us here.
-Damn it. -What?
-My glasses. -You're kidding.
Well' just don't shoot me.
What are you guys doing here?
We were just in the neighborhood.
What do you got?
Three 1 2-gauge pumps' an empty box of double-aught buck, and some cash.
So long, Vice. Badge of Honor, here I come.
-Fuck you' Vincennes. This is our collar. -Quiet.
l'm ranking officer here. We go as a team. End of story.
Yeah, right.
-How many ways in? -Only one. Up the stairs.
He's very serious.
-Police. -Don't shoot.
No!
-Don't move. -Ace him' Jack.
-Shut up. -Anxious, aren't you?
Don't kill them.
BREUNlNG: Hey. -Back' back, back.
-Man' get off me. -Against the wall. Against the wall.
-Put your hands up. BREUNlNG: Get over there. Come on.
Now' shut up. Hands behind your back.
So...
...how's it feel getting out of the office?
[OFFlCERS CHATTERlNG]
OFFlCER: This just came up from Forensics.
"Burning clothes.
Casitas Youth Camp...."
-lt's crowded in here, White. -These guys killed Stensland.
Ejection marks on the shells from the suspects' shotguns...
...are identical to the marks on the shell casings at the Nite Owl.
l want confessions' Edmund.
A night's stewing ought to have softened them up.
Oh' l'll break them, sir.
Are you sure Golden Boy is up to the task, cap?
Oh' l think you'd be surprised what the lad is capable of.
EXLEY: You're 22. Aren't you' Ray?
Did one of the officers work you over?
-You're 22, right? -Why do you keep asking that?
Twenty-two makes it a gas-chamber bounce.
You should've pulled this caper years ago.
Get life, do a little Youth Authority jolt...
...transfer to Folsom a big man.
-Get yourself a sissy.... -Hey' l don't truck with no sissies.
-Louis. -What?
You did the Casitas Youth Camp with Louis.
Why do you keep asking me about Louis? His business is his business.
Sugar, Louis told me you went sissy up at Casitas.
You couldn't do the time, so you got a big white boy to look after you.
Said they called you "Sugar" because you gave it out so sweet.
SUGAR: Louis gave it up at Casitas' man. I was the boss jock in my dorm.
Louis was the sissy.
Louis gave it up for fucking candy bars. He ain't got the sense of a goddamn dog.
-l heard you like to shoot dogs. -Dogs got no reason to live.
-You feel the same way about people too? -What you trying to say?
-We got the shotguns, Ray. -l don't own no shotguns.
Why were you throwing clothes in the incinerator?
Say what?
A neighbor said she saw you throwing clothes in the backyard incinerator.
lt doesn't look good.
l ain't got shit to say till l see a judge.
Were you on hop? You were passed out when we arrested you. You hopped up?
Ty and Louis fuck with that shit' not me.
Where do they get their stuff?
-Man.... -Come on.
Giνe me one to feed the DA. lt'll make me look good...
...and l'll say Sugar Ray's not a punk like his sissy partners.
All right, Raymond.
Tell me one more thing about Jones and Fontaine.
Where do they get drugs?
Roland Naνarette.
[lNAUDlBLE]
He runs a hole-up on Bunker Hill.
And he sells red devils.
-Exley's good, l'll give him that. EXLEY: l'm gonna take a break.
You know, Ray' l'm talking about the gas chamber...
...and you haven't eνen asked me what this is about.
You got a big "guilty" sign around your neck.
That was masterful, Edmund. This one's ready to go.
Giνe Jones the newspaper. l want him primed.
Take the cuffs off' so he can read it.
Ray Collins just ratted you off. Said the Nite Owl was your idea.
l think it was Ray's idea. You talk' l think l can save your life.
[SOBBlNG]
Son' six people are dead, and someone has to pay for it.
Now' it can be you' or it can be Ray.
Louis' he called you queer.
-Said at Casitas, you took it up the ass. -l didn't kill nobody!
Son...
...you know what's gonna happen to you if you don't talk.
You'll go to the gas chamber. So for God's sake, admit what you did.
l didn't mean to hurt her.
-Maybe she's okay. -Okay?
These people are all in the morgue. They were dead when you left them.
l just wanted to lose my cherry. She don't die' so l don't die.
Louis, who's the girl? What's her name?
Who are you talking about?
Was she at the Nite Owl?
Louis' listen to me. Was she at the Nite Owl?
[SOBBlNG]
-This newspaper shit ain't shit. -Where's the girl?
Did you kill her?
You wanted Louis to lose his cherry. That wasn't enough.
Things got out of hand. You made her bleed.
She bled on your clothes' so you burned the clothes.
Who told you that?
Now' listen to me.
lf that girl is alive' she's the only chance you've got.
-l think she's alive. -You think? Then where is she now?
Did you leave her someplace? Sell her out?
-Tell me where she is. WHlTE: Move.
What are you doing' man? Don't.
White.
-One in six. Where's the girl? -White' l haνe this under control.
-Put the weapon down. -Where is the girl?
[CLlCKlNG]
-Sylvester. -What?
Sylvester Fitch' 1 09 Aνalon...
...brown corner house, upstairs.
[OFFlCERS CHATTERlNG]
-Captain' just give me one minute. -You got it.
Nobody moves. The rest of us are going in the front.
Stay put until l give the word.
[MUSlC PLAYlNG ON TV]
[MAN CHUCKLlNG]
[LAUGHlNG]
[GRUNTlNG]
OFFlCER: He went around back, sir.
Miss, l'm Lieutenant Exley. l'm sorry to ask you this.
-l need to know what time they left you. -Get her to the hospital. Excuse me.
Giνe your career a rest.
Leave her alone.
A naked guy with a gun? You expect anyone to believe that?
Get the fuck away from me.
-How's it gonna look in your report? -lt'll look like justice.
That's what the man got. Justice.
You don't know the meaning of the word.
Yeah? Well, you think it means getting your picture in the paper.
Go after criminals for a change, instead of cops.
Stensland got what he deserved and so will you.
SMlTH: Whoa' whoa' whoa.
[GRUNTlNG]
OFFlCER: Take it easy. Come on, Bud.
Come on. Let it go.
lt's best to stay away when his blood is up.
His blood's always up.
You should stay away from him altogether.
DISPATCHER: Raymond Collins, Ty Jones and Louis Fontaine.
They are considered armed and extremely dangerous.
Repeat. The Nite Owl suspects have escaped.
How did they get out the window?
They jumped from the second floor.
Girl made her statement. Jigs left her at midnight.
Time to be at the Nite Owl by 1 .
The question was where did they get their drugs. What was the answer?
l haven't gotten that far yet.
"Roland Navarette, lives on Bunker Hill' runs a hole-up--"
Anyone seen Jack Vincennes?
-ls something up, lieutenant? -l need some backup. Come on.
-What? -Nothing. Let's go.
This should be it.
404.
[ELEVATOR DlNGS]
Nobody moves.
-Stay right there. You're under arrest. -Don't shoot.
-Please don't shoot. -Don't move. Don't move.
[SHATTERS]
[ELEVATOR DlNGS]
[GRUNTlNG]
There he is. You did good' kid.
OFFlCER 1 : You should've seen the place. lt was a nightmare. Blood everywhere.
Who would have thought? Shotgun Ed.
OFFlCER 2: Shotgun Ed. -Somebody get him cleaned up.
Come on, kid.
POLICE CHIEF: Edmund J . Exley has amassed a brilliant record...
...in his seven years with the Los Αngeles Police Department.
Recently, he evinced spectacular bravery in the line of duty.
lt is our privilege to present him with our highest honor:
The Medal of Valor.
BRETT: What kind of car was it? WOMAN: lt was a Ford.
My husband always drove a Ford. l know what they look like.
Excuse me' ma'am. Just the facts. Light or dark?
Light. And that's really all l remember' officer.
Thank you, ma'am. You've been a big help.
DlRECTOR: Cut. That's a print.
-Hey' Big Jack. MAN: He's back.
Hey. Jack's back. Ha-ha.
[TALKlNG lNDlSTlNCTLY]
Tell Mr. Patchett that l haνe no intention of changing my vote.
lt may surprise some that a man in office would admit to making a mistake...
...but after due consideration...
...l am changing my position on the matter before the council.
[MURMURlNG]
"Go west, America"' was the slogan of Manifest Destiny.
Today is that last step westward with no stop signs...
...no traffic signals, from downtown to the beach in 20 minutes.
[TALKlNG lNDlSTlNCTLY]
[MAN GRUNTlNG]
What were you gonna start with?
Prostitution?
Gambling?
Go back to Jersey' sonny. This is the City of the Angels...
...and you haven't got any wings.
Nice to see you again. Take care.
[KNOCKlNG ON DOOR]
l wondered when you might knock on my door again, Officer White.
lt's Bud.
Bud.
Why me?
l don't know.
This election...
...is about the future of law enforcement in Los Angeles.
City Councilman Rogers represents that future.
So let's dig deep...
...and let's get a moral man re-elected. Ellis Loew would like a few words.
Thank you. Thank you, Brett Chase, the very talented star of Badge of Honor.
Let me tell you' l am so thrilled to be here on the set of Badge of Honor.
SlD: Big V. Jackie.
Good to see you back.
-How they hanging, Sid? -Down around my ankles.
-You tight with the DA, Jackie? -Oh' yeah. Yeah.
He tried to throw me off the force last Christmas.
How about some payback, bigtime?
Plus the usual $50 donation to the Jack Vincennes retirement fund.
-Did you know the DA was a swish? -No kidding.
Uh....
Remember Matt Reynolds? Christmas Eve? "The Moνie Premiere Pot Bust"?
-He just got off the honor farm. -What's he doing here?
Reynolds is acey-deucey, not to mention broke.
l'm getting him to fuck the DΑ for 1 00 bucks.
That's twice the 50 you got for wrecking his career.
-Hey' Matt. Come here' come here. -Jesus, don't bring him--
That's DA Loew right there.
Yeah.
You need a drink, kid?
-Yeah. -Jack' look after him a minute.
Matt' this is Jack. No secrets between me and him.
-How you doing? -Oh' l'm okay. How are you?
l'm good. Yeah.
Have we, uh, met before?
Yeah.
-Was it at a party? -Well' it was something like that.
Fleur-de-Lis party, right?
Right.
Fleur-de-Lis.
"Whatever you desire."
Dope' hookers that look like moνie stars....
-Pierce Patchett has it all. -Ha-ha-ha.
Boy, you could say that again.
Pierce' he's not like regular guys. l mean, l dig him' but...
...you know, he, um' scares me too.
Really? How?
When l came out to L.Α., this isn't exactly where l saw myself ending up.
Yeah, well, get in line.
That's courage, kid. Drink up.
You know, l don't think l should do this.
lt's not like you don't know how.
And Jack here's got connections with Badge of Honor.
You pull this off, there'll be a part for you.
l smell a comeback' don't you, Jack?
Go on. The DA's free. Go introduce yourself. Go on.
Talk to him, Jack. Tell him about the opening on the show.
Oh' yeah. l'm pretty sure l can get you a part on this show.
But' uh' that's later on.
You know, tonight' just go on oνer there and pretend it's an acting job.
-Like show biz. -Acting, that's it.
-Right. -Yeah.
-No one's gonna know about this, right? -No.
lt'll be our secret.
Okay. Αll right.
-Show biz. -That's it. Go on.
Show biz. Man.
lf Reynolds works his charms, which l know he will...
...they'll be at the Hollywood Center Motel' Room 203.
Meet me there at midnight for a photo shoot.
Maybe we can work in the Hollywood sign this time.
What do you know about Pierce Patchett?
Patchett? l know what you know. He's very rich.
Just invested in freeway construction' which is gonna make him richer.
Why do you ask?
l just keep hearing rumors' you know.
High-class porn, drugs, hookers that look like movie stars.
Ha. Patchett's what l call twilight. He ain't queer and he ain't red.
He cannot help me in my quest for prime "sinnuendo."
[CHUCKLES]
As though Badge of Honor would touch that guy with a 1 0-foot pole...
...after he's been Hush-Hush cover boy twice in one year.
See you in a few hours, Sid.
Yeah, midnight. l guarantee all kinds of illegal activity.
[GlGGLES]
[CHUCKLlNG]
[WHlSPERS lNDlSTlNCTLY]
BARTENDER: Another, Jack? -Yeah.
Kid?
[MUSlC PLAYlNG]
Matt?
Come on, kid, you don't have to do the--
Thank you for what you did for me...
...for killing those animals who raped me.
Will you thank Officer White for me' please?
Sure.
Seeing him come through the door is about the only thing l remember.
Thank God.
You remember what time the Negroes left you' right?
ln your statement' you said they left you at midnight.
They might have.
-What do you mean' they might haνe? -l don't know what time they left me.
l wanted them dead.
Would anyone care that they raped a Mexican girl...
...if they hadn't killed those white people at the Nite Owl?
l did what l had to do for justice.
PHOTOGRAPHER: lnez? Exley' over here. Smile' lnez.
So is he your hero, Miss Soto?
Fellas' how about this? "Rape Victim Wheeled out of Hospital by Nite Owl Hero."
Hey.
All they get is Veronica Lake.
l get Lynn Margaret Bracken.
Bisbee?
Mm-hm.
l grew up there.
l'm going back in a couple of years' open up a dress shop.
The girls in Bisbee need a little glamour.
[CHUCKLlNG]
Where'd this come from?
When l was 1 2' my old man went after my mother with a bottle. l got in the way.
So you saved her.
Not for long.
-l'm sorry. lt's none of my business. -He tied me to the radiator.
l watched him beat my mother to death with a tire iron...
...and he left me there.
Three days before a truant officer found us.
They neνer found the old man.
ls that why you became a cop?
To get even?
Maybe.
Do you like it?
l used to.
Now it's all strong-arm' sitting-duck stuff.
l mean, if l could....
lf l could get a chance to work Homicide...
...like a real detective....
That prick Exley, he shot the wrong guys.
Whoever killed Stensland's still around. l know it in here. l know it.
There's something wrong with the Nite Owl.
l just can't prove it' that's all.
l'm not smart enough.
l'm just the guy they bring in to scare the other guy shitless.
You're wrong.
You found Patchett. You found me.
You're smart enough.
Bud White. What brings you down to the basement?
l got a couple of Nite Owl questions.
Don't know if you read the papers' but that case is closed.
Anything bother you about it' Ray?
The fact that the pack-up boys haven't hauled this shit out of here yet.
We got three shotguns taken from the suspects...
...which match the strike marks on the shell casings.
What more do you want?
There's blood on the wall here.
l thought everyone got shot in the men's room.
That is Stensland's blood.
Stensland?
Blow to the head. Probably unconscious when they dragged him in the john.
Did they hit anyone else?
No, but he was a cop. He probably tried to do something.
Grilled cheese' black coffee. Someone sitting next to him.
Two of the νictims were women?
Yeah, Patti DeLuca, the night shift waitress' and a Susan Lefferts.
Susan Lefferts.
Yeah, what about her?
You're welcome.
WHlTE: Mrs. Lefferts.
Mrs. Lefferts? l'm Officer White, L.A.P.D .
Tell me about the boyfriend. The one you mentioned at the coroner's office.
l told you l didn't approve of that boyfriend.
He was too old for you. And you let him be fresh with me.
They came here one day when l wasn't home.
Mrs. Jensen next door said...
...she thought she saw Susie's boyfriend and another man...
...and she heard a ruckus.
-What was the boyfriend's name? -We weren't properly introduced.
Susie gave him a nickname, "Muns" or "Luns."
Stens? Was it Stens?
-Maybe. l don't know. -Look at a picture for me.
That's him. That's him.
You said a neighbor heard a ruckus.
Was it outside? lnside?
Outside.
And then Mrs. Jensen said they kept going under the house.
You have to leaνe now' officer.
-What's through here? -Just a room full of old things.
Don't move that.
Phew.
Don't mind the smell. l think a rat died behind the wall.
My Susie was a good girl.
She was never in any kind of trouble at all.
Phew.
[COUGHlNG]
[GRUNTlNG]
WHITE: "Leland Meeks." Never heard of you.
They call me Buzz.
[GASPlNG]
Was it a rat?
Yeah, a great big one.
Here. Compliments of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Stomach of the week from a motel homicide.
Unemployed actor had frankfurter, french fries' alcohol and sperm.
Hell of a last supper, don't you think' lieutenant?
Anything bothering you about the' uh' Nite Owl case?
Yeah, the fact that you guys won't let it get filed away.
-What do you mean? -Bud White grilled me on it this morning.
-Bud White? -You know' he's not as dumb as l thought.
Did he say where he was going after he talked to you?
Let my daughter rest in peace.
Mrs. Lefferts' l just wanna ask a few questions.
Officer White already checked under the house.
Under the house?
-Where? -Out back.
All he found was rodents.
l need an lD on this as soon as possible. You talk only to me on this one.
Vincennes, l need your help with something.
l'm busy right now. Why don't you just go ask some of your boys in Homicide?
l can't. l need someone outside of Homicide.
l want you to tail Bud White till he goes on duty this eνening.
Do me a real favor and leaνe me alone.
Do you make the Negroes for the Nite Owl killings?
-What? -lt's a simple question.
Why in the world do you wanna go digging any deeper...
...into the Nite Owl killings, lieutenant?
Rollo Tomasi.
ls there more to that' or am l supposed to guess?
Rollo was a purse snatcher.
My father ran into him off-duty...
...and he shot my father six times and got away clean.
No one eνen knew who he was.
l made the name up to give him personality.
What's your point?
Rollo Tomasi's the reason l became a cop.
l wanted to catch the guys who thought they could get away with it.
lt was supposed to be about justice.
Then somewhere along the way' l lost sight of that.
Why'd you become a cop?
Huh.
l don't remember.
-What do you want, Exley? -l just wanna solve this thing.
-Nite Owl was solved. -No.
l wanna do it right.
Even if it means paying the consequences?
Mm-hm.
All right, college boy' l'll help...
...but there's a case your boys in Homicide don't care about.
They think it's just another Hollywood "homo-cide," but l don't.
You help me with mine' l'll help you with yours.
-Deal? -Deal.
Johnny Stompanato.
Officer Wendell White. How's tricks' paisano?
l ain't your paisano.
l ain't in the snitch business anymore.
You know a guy named Buzz Meeks?
Works for Pierce Patchett.
Should l?
You're muscle for hire. Meeks is muscle for hire.
You tell me.
Oh' yeah. Yeah, l remember now.
Meeks is a run-down ex-cop. Same as you're gonna be someday.
And that's all you're gonna get.
And you can keep your 20 bucks.
[GRUNTlNG]
What do l get if l give you your balls back' you wop cocksucker?
Okay. Okay.
There was a rumor going around...
...that Meeks had a line on a large supply of H.
-And? -And nothing. He skipped out.
[TALKlNG lNDlSTlNCTLY]
Bullshit.
How would Meeks get his hands on a large supply of heroin?
You're right. lt's probably bullshit.
Even if he did' he could never unload it.
Not without drawing all kinds of attention.
Maybe that's why he's under a house in Elysian Park and he don't smell too good...
...paisano.
[TALKlNG lNDlSTlNCTLY]
Maybe White's not so dumb after all.
EXLEY: We got Rita Hayworth at the morgue' and now Veronica Lake with White.
l think your case and my case are connected. lt's Fleur-de-Lis again.
Fleur-de-Lis?
Yeah. "Whatever you desire."
Porno.
High-class whores cut to look like moνie stars.
Who knows what else. Reynolds, the kid that got killed, was involνed.
So is Pierce Patchett.
The millionaire?
Yeah, l think we should go talk to him.
First l wanna brace Stompanato.
[MUSlC PLAYlNG]
[CHATTERlNG]
[CLEARS THROAT]
Want an autograph? Write to MGM.
Since when do two-bit hoods and hookers give out autographs?
-What did you say to me? -L.Α.P.D . Sit down.
Who the hell do you think you are?
Take a walk' honey, before l haul your ass downtown.
-You are making a large mistake. -Get away from our table.
Shut up.
A hooker cut to look like Turner is still a hooker.
-Hey! -She just looks like Lana Turner.
-She is Lana Turner. -What?
She is Lana Turner.
How was l supposed to know?
[CHUCKLlNG]
PlERCE: l believe the Nite Owl's your area of expertise, Mr. Exley.
l saw you on television getting your medal.
And you're...
...that other Hollywood celebrity policeman' aren't you?
The Veronica Lake look-alike works for you. She's one of your whores' correct?
-A νulgar term. -Why's she seeing Bud White?
Why do men and women usually see each other, Mr. Exley?
Let's try this on for size: Fleur-de-Lis.
"Whatever you desire."
An actor named Matt Reynolds.
No? Nothing?
-No? -We want some answers' Patchett.
We all want something.
DISPATCHER: Lieutenant Exley, come in. -Guy's as cool as they come.
Lieutenant Exley, come in' please. Over.
This is Exley.
The coroner wants to talk to you. He says he has your ID.
Tell him Sergeant Vincennes is coming in to talk to him.
-Roger. -l'll drop you at your car.
-Where the hell are you going? -Lynn Bracken's.
l'm gonna find out why Patchett has her seeing Bud White.
See you at the Frolic Room.
Oh' great. You get the girl, l get the coroner.
[RlNGS]
Hush-Hush, off the record and on the q.t.
Hey' l was just coming up to see you. You get that lD?
Thank God for dental records. Stiff used to be a cop. Leland Meeks.
Buzz Meeks?
-You knew him? -Of him.
He was around when l joined the force. Bad rep. Thanks.
Hey. "Just the facts," Jack. "Just the facts."
Anything else, sergeant?
Leland Meeks worked Vice '39-'41 . l need to see his arrest records.
Okay.
[KNOCKlNG ON DOOR]
Miss Bracken' l'm Lieutenant Exley.
l know who you are. Bud told me all about you.
ls that so?
And what did White have to say?
He said you were smart.
He also said you were a coward, and that you'd screw yourself to get ahead.
Well' let's concentrate on my smarts.
Pierce Patchett made you' didn't he? Taught you how to dress, talk and think.
l am very impressed with the results...
...but l need answers.
And if l don't get them, l'm gonna take you and Patchett down.
Pierce Patchett can take care of himself.
And l'm not afraid of you.
And you forget one thing, lieutenant...
...Pierce also taught me how to fuck.
And he tells you who to fuck. Why does he have you fucking Bud White?
What makes you think l'm not seeing Bud because l want to?
[SCOFFS]
lt would be easier for you if there was an angle' wouldn't it?
You're afraid of Bud because you can't figure out how to play him.
He doesn't follow the same rules of politics as you do.
lt makes him dangerous.
-l can handle Bud White. -Can you?
l see Bud because l want to.
l see Bud because he can't hide the good inside of him.
l see Bud because he makes me feel like Lynn Bracken...
...and not some Veronica Lake look-alike who fucks for money.
l see Bud because he doesn't know how to disguise who he is.
l see Bud for all the ways he's different from you.
Don't underestimate me, Miss Bracken.
The way you'νe underestimated Bud White?
Fucking me and fucking Bud aren't the same thing, you know.
Stop talking about Bud White.
[CHUCKLES]
Come on.
Shit.
Jack Vincennes.
lt's going on midnight, Jack.
l need two minutes' Dudley.
lt's important.
Good thing for you my wife and daughters are at the beach in Santa Barbara.
-Do you remember Buzz Meeks' Dudley? -A disgrace as a police officer.
Straight D fitness reports from every CO he ever served under. What about him?
Twelve years ago' he was on a Vice roust with Dick Stensland.
They questioned Pierce Patchett about a blackmail scam.
Patchett had Sid Hudgens photographing prominent businessmen with hookers.
Anyway' charges were dropped. lnsufficient evidence.
You were the superνising officer on that case.
l was wondering if you remember anything about it.
What's this all about' boyo?
Part of it has to do with a murder. l've been working with Ed Exley on it.
You're Narco, Jack, not Homicide.
Since when do you work with Edmund Exley?
lt's a priνate investigation.
Ah.
l messed something up. l'm trying to make amends.
Don't start trying to do the right thing' boyo.
You haven't had the practice.
Buzz Meeks and Dick Stensland. Hmm.
So, what does Exley make of this?
l haven't told him yet. l just came from the records room.
[GRUNTlNG]
Have you a valediction' boyo?
Rollo...
...Tomasi.
[CHUCKLlNG]
SMITH: Sergeant Vincennes was killed by a .32 slug to the heart.
Time of death, approximately 1 a.m.
Although he was found in Echo Park' forensics indicates the body was moνed.
l want two-man teams to scour that entire neighborhood.
Our justice must be swift and merciless.
That is all.
[CHATTERlNG]
Edmund, might l haνe a word with you?
We're trying to run down a lead on an associate of Vincennes.
The records check has led to a dead end.
What's the name?
Rollo Tomasi.
You ever heard Vincennes mention him?
No. No, l haven't.
Well....
lt's probably nothing. Still...
...keep your eyes open, eh, boyo?
l know it's unlikely' but suppose' just for a moment...
...somebody did have that much heroin, who would they go to to move it?
-White' in my office. -Captain. Look' just giνe me a name.
Mickey Cohen.
Captain?
l could use your fearsome habits at the Victory Motel.
Uh, when?
Now' Wendell.
Right.
Close the door' lad.
You're a bit of a puzzlement to me these days' Wendell.
You don't seem to be your old cruel self anymore.
And l had such grand plans for your future.
What plans?
You have your extracurricular activities and l have mine.
We must haνe a clarification session one of these days.
However, right now...
...we're gonna brace a man who may know who killed Jack Vincennes.
So the question is...
...can l count on you, lad?
-Yes or no? -Yes, sir.
l wanna know everything you and Jack Vincennes talked about last night.
Start with the lD on the corpse.
An ex-cop. Leland "Buzz" Meeks.
An ex-cop?
What did Jack say? Did he know him?
Only by reputation.
Wendell, this is Sid Hudgens.
l'm willing to cooperate. There's no need to tie me down.
lt's for your own safety.
Now' what can you tell us about Sergeant Jack Vincennes?
Hollywood Jack? The Big V?
l can tell you he's on the night train to the big adiós.
l didn't have anything to do with him getting killed' if that's what you mean.
-But you were business associates. -What's that got to do with anything?
Okay, okay' so we worked together.
lt was an information exchange.
l got him first-class collars' he got me good stories.
We were friends' for chrissake.
We'll drop that for the moment.
Care to comment on Pierce Patchett?
Patchett? You think he had something to do with Vincennes getting iced?
Wendell, l'd like full and docile cooperation on every topic.
Okay, okay' okay. All right.
Everybody knows that Patchett's worth a boatload of greenbacks.
But the man has hobbies too.
He bankrolls B-movies under the table.
And try this one on:
He's rumored to be a periodic heroin sniffer.
All in all' a powerful behind-the-scenes strange-o.
-And? -And what?
[GRUNTlNG]
Reciprocity, Mr. Hudgens' is the key to every relationship.
He runs call girls.
Primo tail fixed up to look like movie stars.
-And? -Blackmail shit.
ln my car' in the trunk, under the rug....
Patchett got me to photograph this cop screwing this gorgeous slut named Lynn.
Looks just like Veronica Lake.
Wendell. Wendell. Leave him be. l said' leave him be.
-Get him off me. Get him away from me. -Back off' Wendell. Back off.
l wouldn't trade places with Edmund Exley right now for all the whiskey in lreland.
SlD: Dudley.
Dudley, l thought you were gonna let the dumb bastard kill me.
And you' learn to pull your punches a little better.
You can uncuff me now' fellas.
Fellas....
Dudley, we had a deal.
You' me and Patchett' we're a team.
[MUMBLlNG]
Hush-hush.
-Anything? CLERK: Nothing.
Meeks never made an arrest the entire time he worked Vice?
Someone must've pulled the files.
What about the daily report books?
They'd be buried in the basement.
Find them.
[SlGHS]
Did you talk to Exley?
Come in out of the rain.
l wanna know what happened with Exley.
Just come in.
Are you gonna tell me what happened with you and Exley?
We talked.
-So tell me about him. -Later.
No! Now.
You fucked him.
l thought l was helping you.
Bud' l'm glad you're here. l need you to see this.
Wait.
[YELLlNG]
[MUMBLlNG]
[GUN COCKS]
Dudley killed Jack.
He wants you to kill me.
He showed you the photo' didn't he?
Didn't he?
Think. Goddamn you, think!
Get the fuck out of here.
[PANTlNG]
Dudley.
l checked the daily report books.
Dudley, Buzz Meeks and Stensland go way back.
l knew Stensland lied to me.
Lefferts' mother lD'd Stensland as Lefferts' boyfriend.
Stensland pretended he didn't know Meeks or her the night that l met...
...Lynn.
Stensland and Meeks...
...what the hell were they up to?
l don't know, but l think Stens killed Meeks over heroin.
What heroin?
Johnny Stompanato told me that Meeks had heroin for sale.
Meeks ends up dead.
Stensland dies at the Nite Owl.
lt wasn't the Negroes.
The rape victim lied in her statement.
The first guys to the Mercury coupe were Breuning and Carlisle.
Dudley's guys.
They planted the shotguns.
And they'd have killed the Negroes, too' if Jack and l hadn't shown up.
Dudley framed them because they were Negroes and had records.
He knew there'd be no questions asked...
...if they were killed resisting arrest.
Somehow this is all connected to Jack's angle.
Sid Hudgens...
...the pictures to blackmail Ellis Loew....
A kid got murdered.
lf we're gonna figure this out' we need to work together.
Why are you doing this?
The Nite Owl made you.
You wanna tear all that down?
With a wrecking ball.
You wanna help me swing it?
Let's go see Ellis Loew.
Find out what the district attorney knows.
May l--?
Hey. You can't go in there.
Want me to call the police' Mr. Loew?
Ask for Captain Dudley Smith.
Tell him we're haνing a discussion about the death of an actor at a motel.
These are the police.
What do you want?
l want DA bureau men to tail Dudley Smith and Patchett 24 hours a day.
l want you to get a judge to authorize wiretaps on their home phones.
l want authorization to check their bank records.
On what evidence?
Call it a hunch.
Absolutely not.
Dudley Smith is a highly decorated member of this department.
l'm not gonna smear his and Patchett's name--
Without what?
Them smearing yours first?
What do they haνe? Pictures of you and Matt Reynolds with your pants down?
You have any proof?
The proof had his throat slit.
So far' you're not denying it.
l'm not gonna dignify this with answers.
Now' if you gentlemen will excuse me...
...l have a press conference for Jack Vincennes that l have to prepare for.
Unless you came in to wipe my ass, l believe we're through.
Don't pull that good-cop-bad-cop crap. l practically invented it.
So what if some homo actor is dead.
Boys, girls, 1 0 of them get off the bus to L.A. every day.
[YELLlNG]
-Pull him off me, Exley! -l don't know how.
l know you think you're the A-number-one hotshot' but here's the juice.
lf l take you out, 1 0 lawyers will take your place tomorrow.
They just won't come on a bus.
[SCREAMlNG]
All right! Okay!
Dudley and Patchett' they-- Oh' my God.
l wouldn't play ball' so they set me up. l gave in, but the kid heard everything...
-...so they killed him. -Why?
-What are Dudley and Patchett up to? -Taking over Mickey Cohen's rackets.
Because of those pictures, l couldn't prosecute them.
Oh' Jesus. Help me up.
[WHlMPERlNG]
ls that how you used to run the good-cop-bad-cop?
Patchett?
Looks like his bodyguard had a conflict of interest.
Suicide note.
Says he killed Jack because Jack had figured out a pornography scam.
Slicing himself open wasn't his idea.
-Two of his fingers are broken. -They must haνe held him there.
Or drugged him.
l'd say Dudley's tying up his loose ends.
Patchett's dead. He sent you after me.
Lynn.
West Hollywood.
-They're closer than we are. -l'll get the car. Keys.
Hey. We took her to the station for safekeeping.
Hold her as Joan Smith. And no one sees her unless l okay it.
Somebody worked her over. She wouldn't say who.
-See you, Exley. -Sure.
-We should talk to Lynn. -You do it.
What are you gonna do?
l'm gonna talk to Sid Hudgens.
Compliment him on his performance at the Victory Motel.
-Remember' Bud, we need evidence. -l'll get the eνidence.
[DOOR OPENS]
Are you okay?
You okay?
Bud hates himself for what he did.
l know how he feels.
l need to know what you can giνe me on Dudley Smith.
He's a police captain. He's in business with Patchett.
l've never heard of him.
Do you have someplace you can stay?
l'll be okay.
OFFlCER 1 : Nobody goes in without official lD .
OFFlCER 2: He's okay. Let him through.
What happened?
Somebody beat him to death and stole a bunch of files.
Must have dug up garbage on the wrong guy.
We got it narrowed down to 1 000 suspects.
Sergeant White...
...Dispatch got a call for you.
Lieutenant Exley wants you to meet him at the Victory Motel.
You wanted to meet here?
-You called it. l thought Hudgens was-- -Hudgens is dead.
Let's get out of here.
lt's too late.
You figured this was a setup and showed up anyway?
A lot of bad stuff happened here.
lt's as good a place as any for it to end.
Here. Clip.
All l ever wanted was to measure up to my father.
Now's your chance.
He died in the line of duty, didn't he?
[CHUCKLlNG]
[GLASS SHATTERS]
Bud.
[MEN WHlSTLlNG]
MAN: Goddamn it!
[GUN COCKS]
-You okay? -Yeah.
Come on. Easy. Come on.
Move!
[GRUNTlNG]
Rollo Tomasi.
-Who is he? -You are.
You're the guy who gets away with it.
Jack knew it and so do l.
[GUNSHOT]
[SlRENS WAlLlNG]
Are you gonna shoot me or arrest me?
Good lad.
Always the politician.
Let me do the talking.
After l'm done, they'll make you chief of detectives.
Hold up your badge so they'll know you're a policeman.
MAN: Υou think you can talk your way out of this, lieutenant?
No...
...but l think l can tell the truth.
During our inνestigation...
...of events surrounding the Nite Owl case...
...Jack Vincennes, Bud White and l learned the following.
Your golden boy's throwing his whole life away.
The three Nite Owl suspects...
...while guilty of kidnapping and rape...
...were innocent of the multiple homicides at the Nite Owl.
The actual gunmen were most likely...
...Los Angeles Police Department officers Michael Breuning and William Carlisle...
...and a third man...
...who may or may not have been Captain Dudley Smith.
The objective:
The elimination of another police officer...
...Richard Stensland...
...who' along with former L.A.P.D . Officer Leland "Buzz" Meeks...
...also committed multiple homicides on behalf of Captain Smith...
...and then betrayed him over 25 pounds of heroin...
...the retrieval of which...
...was the ultimate motivation behind the Nite Owl killings.
Beginning with the incarceration of Mickey Cohen...
...Captain Smith has been assuming control of organized crime in Los Αngeles.
This includes the assassinations...
...of an unknown number of Mickey Cohen lieutenants...
...the systematic blackmail of city officials...
...and the murders of Susan Lefferts' Pierce Patchett, Sid Hudgens...
...and Sergeant Jack Vincennes.
Captain Smith admitted as much to me...
...before l shot him at the Victory Motel.
That's it.
Well...
...the press is gonna have a field day.
This-- Christ' it'll stain the department for years.
Decades.
lf we can get the kid to play ball...
...who's to say what happened?
Maybe Dudley Smith died a hero.
MAN: Good idea. -lf we get the press to play.
POLlCE CHlEF: You wanna tell me what you're smiling about?
A hero.
MAN: How'd he know what we're talking about?
He couldn't have heard us.
And?
ln this situation...
...you'll need more than one.
[CROWD APPLAUDlNG]
POLICE CHIEF: It is with great pleasure that I present this award...
...to Detective Lieutenant Edmund Exley...
...two-time Medal of Valor recipient.
Next year' the L.A.P.D. will move into its new facility.
With leaders like Edmund Exley...
...the image of fat cops stealing apples will be left behind...
...and Los Αngeles will finally have the police force it deserves.
You just couldn't resist.
They're using me, so for a while' l'm using them.
Come on.
Hey.
Thanks for the push.
Yeah.
Congratulations' Lieutenant Exley.
Some men get the world...
...others get ex-hookers and a trip to Αrizona.
-Bye. -Bye.
[lNAUDlBLE]
[ENGLlSH SDH]