The US is supposed to be the shining light in the global post-war gloom.
Your problem is you can't get your head out of Changi.
You still live in a world
where the white hats win and the black hats lose.
You can't go to war over everyone who's been dealt a shitty hand.
You'll go mad.
You and I... What?
It's just convenient.
I just want to talk.
My grandfather is displeased.
He hears you've been asking questions,
making accusations about a break-in.
Please pass on my regrets to Mrs Cheng.
Winston was a much respected man in this community
and her loss is our loss.
I guess the Tiger General didn't exactly throw himself at your feet
and confess?
You send out a couple of invoices and suddenly you're being burgled.
Well, he had a policy.
He would never take any cases involving the secret society.
Maybe the Red Dragons were involved
in something Winston was investigating.
Then we'll find out what.
You talk me through all the invoices you sent out last week.
Let's see what stirred them up.
The government has confirmed
that a series of disturbances
started around 5:00pm this afternoon
in the Geylang area between Kallang and Geylang Serat.
Four deaths have been confirmed
among both Chinese and Malays, and there are reports of arson.
Riot squads and Federal Reserve Unit police are being sent to the area.
The Acting Prime Minister has appealed for calm.
The government has announced that a curfew will come into effect
from 1800 hours tonight.
Oh, my God, the rioters are in Victoria Street.
They smashed up Chee Feng's store.
It's madness.
You're not going out there.
The client needs the photos and we need to be paid.
But there's a curfew.
Doesn't start until noon. And I'm only going to Telok Ayer.
This was Winston's last case.
I need to do this myself.
Aunty, there's so many angry people in the streets.
They're not interested in me, lah.
Just want to break windows. I'll call you if there's a problem.
It's only two blocks.
Thank you.
♪ Theme music
The radios need to be locked up.
I'm not leaving our profits lying around for looters.
You sure these chickens are safe?
Oh, they better be. Not risking a delivery before curfew.
It's still burning over in Geylang.
Yeah, last night my cousin got pulled off his bike,
was beaten up in Geylang.
This city is eating itself up, man. That's why I don't get involved.
Not anymore.
Hey, Malaya was a long time ago, OK?
Now I've got my work cut out for me.
I got two hands, a boat, one lousy partner.
Stop complaining. We'll both get home before the curfew.
Or you could stick around and take stock.
If someone's going to burn my apartment down, I want to be there.
If your apartment goes, Mrs Cheng's agency goes too.
Oh! Hey!
Why are you in such a hurry to go back?
Uncle, need a hand?
I need to make a living. What curfew!
The whole city's gone crazy.
They were setting fires on Jalan Besar.
You're staying with Patricia, right? No, she's not here.
She went to see a client in Telok Ayer Street.
What? It's not safe anywhere. It had to be done.
We really need the money.
It's that important she's got to do it in the middle of a riot?
She's going to lose the agency. She needs this job to pay the bank.
Well, I'm sure she's... fine.
She's probably just caught in the curfew.
She said she'd call if that happened.
It's been an hour and a half.
Telok Ayer?
That's too far, even if I drove. There'd be roadblocks by now.
So, what do you intend to do?
I don't know why they won't listen.
You know, most of these people only live a couple of blocks away.
And the others all have their cars.
Have you heard anything?
It's no good. They say the situation keeps changing.
They do have everything under control, though, don't they?
So they say, but they still can't guarantee our safety if we leave.
I think we all need to take a powder here.
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
- Terima kasih. - Mr Callaghan.
I was hoping you weren't here. It's that easy charm of yours.
No, really, I wish you'd just stayed at home.
Yeah. Frank.
Bloody police.
Same in every country. It's not a joke out there, Frank.
People are killing each other in the streets.
You've really got to try and hose this lot down. How?
Don't know. Talk to Sir Phillip, get some free drinks organised
and get some of the rugby boys to stand at the doors.
If the riot heads this way, the cops will need all the help they can get.
OK. Do you think you can keep the ladies busy with a game of bridge?
Yes. Whatever you do, don't leave here until the curfew's over.
Alright.
Harrison. Yeah?
Did you lot come in an embassy car? Sure.
I need it. No.
The plates'll get me through the curfew.
And get me fired. Or posted to New Zealand, which is worse.
Just a couple of hours. No, Wild Bill wants to get out of here
as soon as no-one's looking. Can't have it.
Stay off the streets, Mr Callaghan.
Why's that?
It's not just the politics out there.
People are using the riots to settle old scores.
Hey. Hey!
Hey, you're not taking the car.
Patricia's gone missing.
She could be hurt. I've got to find her.
I need you to go back inside. Pretend you never saw me.
I could stop you.
I know.
Mr Callaghan?
Su Ling? I found her bag.
Something's happened to her, I just know it.
Hang on. She could be hiding somewhere until the curfew's over.
I told you, she said she'd call. She hasn't. Something's happened.
Now, who was she meeting here?
She was meeting... Mrs Lim.
One of her husband's old cases.
Mr Callaghan, I have a really bad feeling about this.
It's going to be alright.
I need you to start phoning around.
Call who? Start with the hospitals.
I'll talk to the police, see if they know what happened.
Mr Callaghan, I didn't mean to imply it was your fault earlier.
It's OK.
Just make those calls.
Right away.
Penny for your thoughts.
I'm just worrying about what's going on out there.
Mr Callaghan.
If there's anyone in Singapore you don't have to worry about, it's him.
Why do you say that?
He was a soldier, fought in Malaya with the Brits.
That is a man who can look after himself.
One I'd want on my side.
Anyway, I'm sure it's settling down.
It's horrible.
You expect to feel safe in your own city.
Does it feel like home to you?
Yes.
I'm thinking you must hate me for dragging you here and into all this.
No.
No, I want to be here.
No, please, don't kick them out.
What's going on?
Please, sir.
You let them in. They have a child.
Please, sir. Can you let them in, please?
Can you let them in? They have a child.
Thank you. You're OK? You're not injured?
No-one's injured? Can we get some water, please?
Hey, you OK?
Sorry, couldn't rush you to the hospital.
The streets are closed.
Where is this?
Don't worry, it's our safe house.
You've been out for two hours.
You fell and cracked your head.
I was attacked.
There was a Chinese man.
I had a folder... of photographs.
I think I was robbed.
Well, lady, you're not the first one.
Look around us.
We all have to pay a price today, change the world tomorrow, don't we?
Thank you for saving me.
Who are you?
I photograph, I write, I publish the stories they don't like.
Hurry. Hurry! We'll find a way out.
Come on!
I can't help you anymore.
You've got to go that way. Where?
Down past Hill Street. You'll find the police station there. Come on.
Listen, just tell them that you were caught up in the riot
and all that chaos, OK?
Just ask for refuge, right?
Thank you. OK, go. Good luck.
Men and women are missing all over Singapore, Mr Callaghan.
Have you seen her name anywhere, on any of the lists?
I don't have a list of the people arrested,
let alone the refugees or the injured.
Sorry about Mrs Cheng. Fill out a form and you wait.
Come on, I'm not asking much.
Sam. Sam!
What are you doing here?
Thank God! You alright?
Yeah.
Are you alright? I can't believe it. Yeah.
Mrs Lim was one of Winston's last cases.
According to the case file,
she thought her husband was having an affair
and wanted Winston to get evidence.
I found this near your bag.
I think that's one of the photographs.
Yes. But most of the photographs were just Mr Lim with his colleagues
Nothing overt.
Why would anyone assault me to get them?
Well, that's James Lim alright.
He's a businessman on his way up.
Oh, and his brother's Lim Chee Kit, the senior union leader.
Chee Kit.
So same blood, different politics. Mm-hm.
You think that's the other woman?
That's the mystery.
And we can't even see her face here.
So I sent Mrs Lim an invoice about a month ago
when all the outstanding bills went out.
And then she called, she said she wanted to meet.
Not at her house, but somewhere more private.
In the middle of a rioting mob.
Do you have an address?
Yes. I'll have a chat to Mrs Lim.
She set up that meeting. Let's see what she's got to say.
I'm coming with you.
I want you to stay here with Patricia.
But Mrs Cheng, do you think Mrs Lim
will talk to an ang moh stranger about her unfaithful husband?
He might need a woman along.
Take her.
Let's go, Chen Su Ling.
Isn't that Mr Harrison's car, from the US Embassy?
Yes, it is. I can't believe he let you have it.
You're a very bad man.
It's the only way to get around in a curfew,
unless you've got a problem being in a borrowed car.
So you'll drive me around while I pretend to be a diplomat?
Mrs Lim has been dead for three years.
A boat accident.
So who set up the meeting with Mrs Cheng?
Who wanted those pictures?
Who hired the agency in the first place?
Maybe Mr Cheng thought he was working for Mrs Lim, but in fact...
You sent the invoices here, to this address?
Yes.
So the letter would have been opened by...
Hello, I'm Sam Callaghan. Hello.
This is Chen Su Ling. Hello.
We're with the Cheng Detective Agency.
We sent you an invoice a couple of weeks ago.
It was addressed to your wife. Did you see it?
No.
I think I would notice a letter to my wife.
Of course. I understand.
Ah, Mr...? Callaghan.
Mr Callaghan. It's been years.
Why are you sending my late wife invoices?
Your wife's name was on the file.
The agency was hired to photograph you.
Not by my wife, obviously.
It's all a bit of a puzzle.
You see, the case was being handled by the owner of the agency,
but he's dead.
Can you think of anyone who'd want you followed?
I have no idea what this is all about.
Does anyone else in your household collect the mail?
I'm sorry, I have a lot to do. Excuse me.
Why didn't you just show him the photograph we have?
He lied about the invoice.
He was going to lie about everything after that.
He lied? You know this?
Well, an innocent man would have wanted to know
what the hell was in those photographs, and he didn't even ask.
Well, we don't have them anymore.
But he wouldn't know that, or he shouldn't.
Unless he's guilty. How do we prove it?
Well, first we've got to find out who the real client is.
If it wasn't his wife, who else would want James Lim followed?
Well, he's holding hands with someone.
Pity we can't see who it is. But he'll know.
But we have even less idea who he is.
I just noticed his cufflinks.
Unusual.
It's a small expat community.
So someone might know who wears them.
This is real detective work. We're peeling an onion.
With more tears.
Thank God you're alright. I'm fine.
How'd you go getting back? Yeah, fine.
No trouble on the way? No, we had a police escort.
I'm actually here to see Frank. You liar.
You are here to see Frank. He's gone back to work.
Patricia was attacked this morning.
What? Is she OK? Yeah, she's fine.
I was hoping Frank would know who this man is.
He might recognise the cufflinks.
Who cares about the cufflinks? That jacket is stunning.
The jacket? Yeah.
It's just a jacket. You're such a man.
It's not just a jacket. It's last year's Coco Chanel.
I'm surprised there's even one in the country.
Can you find out who this woman is?
I can make some calls, yeah.
Thank you.
Is that all you need?
Well, I need to find a... a witness.
A man with a camera. Mm.
I don't suppose you can help with that, too?
Oh, you'd be surprised what I can do.
I mean, he was right there, Macca. Johnny-on-the-spot.
He would have seen the whole thing.
I know he's Malaysian, he's a photographer.
Sure, they work hard.
Maybe he's a journalist. Not so much.
Is that lipstick?
No, sweet and sour sauce.
If you're kissing witnesses, you can count me out.
Do you use local stringers for your shots?
Sure. What's his name again?
Hafiz. Hafiz?
Yeah, bit of a chip on his shoulder, Patricia reckons.
Hafiz. Hafiz bin Ariffin.
Bloody good snapper.
But such an earnest young radical.
He's no mate of the Brits?
Tell me someone who is, unless they're buying rounds.
Is he based somewhere?
Yeah, he works for Kebenaran.
Kebenaran. It's a local political rag.
But he's more interested in shit-stirring
than printing any news.
Do you have the address?
Do I look like a subscriber?
Alright, alright. Kebenaran?
Kebenaran.
I don't care about your photographer,
and Patricia Cheng is not my problem.
Are you here to work or not? Alright!
People can't come in and pick up their goods,
and I can't go out to deliver.
Zero cash flow, zero orders, zero restock.
This curfew's killing us, Sam.
This photographer works for Kebenaran. You heard of him?
You won't like that paper.
'Brits out, Aussies out'. Troublemakers.
Do they have an office? Are they based somewhere?
How did you get back here? Embassy car.
You know, I might just remember where the office is.
I just need a little encouragement to help jog my memory.
It's lucky we weren't stopped.
It's hard to pretend this is embassy business.
Of course we can.
'The ambassador is very hungry, you know, Officer.'
Oi, ten percent extra for the delivery.
Alright, so where's this office? Just go to Sing Avenue.
Ask anyone there. Everybody knows where the office is.
Thought you said it was a secret location.
Huh?
Callaghan.
Wild Bill.
You spent four years in Changi already.
You really want to go back?
I found your car.
I'm not in the mood for your crap.
It was abandoned on Serangoon Road, engine still running.
I was about to bring it back to you.
With a few stopovers on the way?
Anyone seen me steal it? That's US Government property.
Doesn't matter if anyone saw you. Arrest him.
He's got a point.
Do we really want to be locking up white guys
when it could be some crazy local?
Got your car back. Chicken shit's for free.
Another stunt like this one
and you'll see the inside of Changi again, I promise.
Get out of here.
Hafiz?
Hafiz bin Ariffin?
What do you want?
Hafiz?
You helped a woman out this morning. Friend of mine.
Nothing much. Is she OK?
Yeah, she's fine. I'm after the man who attacked her. Did you see him?
Don't know him. Some guy.
I thought you were taking photographs.
You might have caught his face. Hey, why should I help anyway, huh?
She's nothing to me, OK?
Besides, you're part of Malaysia's problem.
Police! Do not resist arrest.
Police. What's this?
Amran, come on.
Amran!
You're being held under the Internal Security Act.
I had nothing to do with this. I was there on business.
Curfew breaking and consorting.
Hey, what's he doing here? What's Miller doing here?
Hafiz bin Ariffin, you'll be charged with affray and malicious damage...
Looking, I'm a working journalist...
..relating to the firebombing of the Ba Ai Lin Furniture Palace
at 10:00am this morning. I was halfway across the island!
I wasn't there. I wasn't there!
There are witnesses.
Oh, come on, they're lying! I wasn't there!
I'm gonna get you out of here, alright?
Oh, what, you're a lawyer now?
No. But I know you didn't firebomb anything this morning.
You were helping Patricia Cheng in Telok Ayer Street.
Look, all I did was just taking photographs, OK?
I was just taking photographs, mostly snapping the British.
They were in the street, up above.
Who?
The MI6. Special Branch.
They were watching the riot all this while.
They knew it was going to happen.
They knew!
I put your bail on my expense account.
It'll take some explaining.
Thanks. I'll pay you back.
I'd rather you give me a story.
What are you chasing so hard?
Someone left Patricia for dead. I want to know why.
I want to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Ooh, worthy.
But I've already got four fully dead people from the riots so far.
And I've got another 3,000 arrests, not counting yours.
This had nothing to do with the riots.
It's to do with a businessman, or his lover.
Or maybe both.
Hey, if you get the mate in there too,
I can get you a full front page.
Miller was hanging around the police station.
Hafiz reckons they knew it was going to happen.
Ha! You know it and I know it.
Listen, South-East Asia's like one big bloody seesaw.
You've got the CIA on one side and you've got MI6 on the other.
The CIA are going up because the Chinese and the Russians are here.
And the Yanks are shit scared that the whole place
is going to turn Commie, because, well, they're Yanks.
And the Brits, well, they're King Dick now,
but they're on the seesaw going down.
The empire's stuffed and no-one's seen the memo,
so they're still here taking out the radicals,
shoring up the conservatives
and looking after the good old British investments.
Oh, the riots scare the shit out of them.
Yup.
Hey, I think I just came up with 500 words for page, well, 17 at least.
What, so MI6 were out taking photos last night?
Photos?
They've got a whole bloody film crew on the job.
They're shooting on 16mm.
I'd love to get hold of that footage.
See you later, Macca.
I'll stand up in court.
I was right in the middle of the riot at ten, and Hafiz was with me.
Well, you blacked out. Maybe he firebombed the store then.
There wasn't any time. You should drop the charges.
Please don't tell me my job, Mrs Cheng.
You're just one witness.
The report has three more who will swear they saw the accused
doing exactly what he's been charged with.
Then they've been paid to do that.
Good luck saying that to the court.
You're calling me a liar? No.
Just outnumbered. There was a room full of men.
They saw him too. Associates of Mr Hafiz?
If they come forward, they'll be locked up with him.
And you call this justice?
I'm sorry.
I need more or Hafiz will be going to jail.
A favour? You've got to be kidding me.
They've got footage of the riots, right?
Almost certainly in Telok Ayer Street.
What, can't you borrow it for a day?
You owe me. And I will be collecting.
I got arrested today, huh? You should be smiling.
I was. That was Miller's lot, wasn't it?
They've been feeding information to the police,
using the riots as an excuse
to pull a bunch of troublemakers out of the game.
Yeah.
I know a photographer they're trying to frame for a fire in Geylang.
And those Brits, they just keep denying they film anything.
Wild Bill, he'd love to prove otherwise, but I mean,
he could probably force them to share the intel.
But if I just call them up and ask them for it,
they're just going to deny it till they're blue in the face.
It's late, Sam.
Go home.
They knew!
People are using the riots to settle old scores.
- I wasn't there! - There are witnesses.
Come on, they're lying, OK? I wasn't there!
Special Branch.
They've got a whole bloody film crew on the job.
It's not just the politics out there.
All this while watching the riot. Shooting on 16mm.
Stay off the streets, Mr Callaghan. They knew!
I'd love to get hold of that footage.
Hey, you coming? We've still got to do this run upriver.
No, no, we can do the run tomorrow. What?
Oh, I don't have time for this.
I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important.
OK.
My uncle, he met a man, a driver, who told him that every morning
there's a delivery from the film processing lab.
Sorry, sorry, sorry!
Sorry, sorry.
Bye-bye, sorry.
Mr Harrison.
Miss Chen. You're late.
Here, I saved you some. Nuts?
I hope you like a good film.
I do. I do.
I'm a little surprised.
Oh, so sorry to mess up your busy day.
Oh, no, no, I mean in a good way. I'd love to see a film with you.
Get to know you better. Why?
So you can open a file on me?
So we can, er, be friends.
You mean, I tell you things
and you tell me things and then we're friends?
Well, if that works for you, yeah.
But that sounds like a date and it's not a date.
It's not a date? Of course not.
Mr Callaghan wanted to see you.
Mr Callaghan.
Great. Great.
What is this?
Sharing intelligence.
Don't dirty my floor.
There's Hafiz.
That proves he was there and not burning some shop in Geylang.
Where'd you get this stuff?
Boots on the ground, mate.
I thought you and your boss would like to know
what your Pommy friends have been up to.
There.
That's him. You sure?
Alright.
I'll organise a Polaroid.
I'm going to need this one for a few minutes.
You can take the rest.
Hope you don't let Miller know where you got it.
Thanks.
You still owe me though, Sam.
Come on, that's worth a borrowed car.
Yeah, we'll see.
Do you mind taking a look at this photograph for me?
Do you recognise him?
I've never seen him.
Excuse me.
Sorry, I got here as quick as I could.
What'd you find?
What's the matter?
What's all this about?
Oh, it's just one of Patricia's cases. Why?
Maybe you should drop it.
What are you talking about?
The woman. The jacket.
Lynette Northcote knew who it was right off. It's Susannah Chong.
Susannah Chong, the wife of the politician?
And I found this in the paper.
No wonder Lim wanted to keep it quiet.
Isn't that what you do with any affair?
If James Lim is seeing this woman, maybe you need to be careful.
Where did you get this? A contact.
A contact who knows about women's fashion?
Yeah, a female contact.
I think I should talk to James Lim again.
So you think this is a case?
I'm not sure.
If it's not a case, what is it?
I want to make sure you don't get hurt again.
I want to find out who did it, and why.
Sounds like a case to me.
OK.
If it's a case, are you sure you have the time to work on it?
You know, what about your chickens and whisky?
Your import and export business?
Should I talk to James Lim or not?
Yes, you should.
Coming, coming!
You don't give up, do you?
Not when there's a rat that needs chasing.
I think I should call the police.
Maybe I should call Susannah Chong's husband.
I want answers.
And I'm happy to go public with this if I don't get them.
Well, would a sum of money paid to Mrs Cheng
make this matter go away?
Small businesses usually like cash bonuses now and then.
Do you think this is about money?
An innocent woman was attacked.
Ah, Mrs Cheng.
My assistant.
Tan Yew Leong.
You may recognise him. Yeah, I do.
You attacked my friend.
He said please apologise to Mrs Cheng.
Impressive.
Mr Callaghan, please accept this cheque.
You think you can buy off an assault charge?
It's ten times your invoice.
Well, I imagine a struggling detective agency run by a widow
could do with all the help it could get.
So, please.
Well, it seems like that's the end of the matter.
Not quite.
The client was listed as your wife.
That's clearly not the case.
Who was the real client?
Well, does it matter?
That's who hired the agency.
This isn't finished until the client says it is.
Susannah, Sam Callaghan.
I'm honoured to meet you.
Mr Callaghan?
Mr Lim tells me you hired Winston Cheng to follow him.
I was jealous.
So I asked Mr Cheng to pretend Mrs Lim was the client.
Even though she was dead?
It hasn't worked out well for anyone.
But I need to hear from you that this is finished.
Please, close this case, and please keep our secret.
Thank you.
And I hope we never meet again.
I fell in love with a woman I can't have.
You don't know how that feels.
It's just stupid, just goddamn stupid.
I'm risking her reputation, her family, her position.
The time to end it was earlier on when it was just still a game.
But... the heart leads, we follow.
It never remains a secret for long.
Sooner or later...
Sooner or later, the world finds out.
I gave Amran the film.
I knew justice would prevail.
Yeah. But this is not justice.
What's the point when my camera's smashed
and all the newspaper presses are destroyed?
I may be free but I haven't won.
I'm sorry.
No, don't be.
I'm grateful, really.
I owe you a debt.
Don't be silly. I'm repaying one.
Take care of yourself.
Is this how it's supposed to feel? Success?
I'm the last person to ask.
I'll see you back at the agency.
Mrs Simpson.
I wanted to thank you.
You were spot-on about the jacket, and its owner.
Well, any case involving haute couture, I'm your girl.
Frank would be very impressed by all this.
Unfortunately, he's away for a couple of days.
What a shame. Mm.
I wanted to say, when you asked the other night, what we have is...
It's not a game.
No, I suppose it isn't.
So, what do we do about it?
Are we risking too much?
I mean, do you want to stop?
No.
Whatever it is, we're in it together.
I made it to the bank. The cheque was very decent.
Now we're a proper detective agency.
That's our first dirty money.
But definitely not our tastiest.
Do you remember when we were paid in chilli crab?
One of Uncle Cheng's cases?
Oh, God, yes.
Oh, that was so spicy.
That's your uncle.
Getting paid in everything but money.
Aunty, I...
He'll be proud.
We did really well.
But we did well because of Mr Callaghan's help.
We can't always count on him, can we?
I've been thinking.
I think... I think I have...
I think I have an idea.
Might work.
Stupid curfew tomorrow.
These people want us to starve.
Could do a run to Tengah tomorrow if we left before dawn.
It's going to be a mad rush.
Sam? What's wrong?
Kang. Mrs Cheng.
I have a good deal for both of you.
Let's hear it.
You know and I know you don't need him all the time.
Why go 50-50?
Why not make more money?
The business is a partnership, Patricia.
He owns half the boat. 30-70?
20-80?
Done.
Well, slow down.
Welcome to the agency.
Eyes on the job.
That's her, isn't it?
Say nothing. You have work to do, OK?
It's not what he would want.
This is just like that children's story with the goat and the tiger.
And you're the goat.
Mr Callaghan here has a knack for knowing where the bodies are buried.
You're a piece of shit.
You're not the only one with problems. But you know me.
We're so corrupt, unlike the British and the Americans.
You have no idea whom you're talking to.
Or maybe she knows what he's done and is trying to protect him.
I don't like being set up. You talked to him and not me.
It was complicated. We end this here.