Two punks were killed in Bed-Stuy.
Very nasty.
Someone pinned that on them.
And you think it was me?
Are you saying that these men threatened my client?
There have been no formal threats made.
There's nothing we can do!
It is not your ability to arrest them.
It is your ability to hold them that is in question.
(TlRWS SCRWWCHlNG)
Anyone comes anywhere near this door, Mickey will deal with them.
(SHUSHlNG) I'm so scared.
It's just starting to get good.
What would this man look like?
You. Like you.
I don't like what you do.
If you mean that I'm anything like this madman out there, then you're wrong again.
Let me tell you something, Sergeant,
that man is harming my reputation.
So if you think you want him,
I want him a damned sight more!
(TlRWS SCRWWCHlNG)
(BABY WAlLlNG)
(TlRWS SCRWWCHlNG)
(PWOPLW CHATTWRlNG)
They walk.
That's unless you can convince them to cop a plea.
Lack of physical evidence?
That and the witness. She's shaky.
Put her on the stand and have one of your clients glaring at her,
and she's gonna forget her maiden name.
I'll inform my clients.
They already know. Probably from my expression.
Those vicious punks are guilty as sin.
They'll be back. It's just a matter of time.
Okay, you're free to go.
All right!
He was 73 years old, the man you killed. 73.
You're missing the point.
He called us.
Nobody calls us.
Don't that sound pure? Free to go!
You're gonna pay!
(SHOUTlNG)
JUDGW: Order in the court!
What are you gonna do, huh? Come on!
(ROCK MUSIC PLAYING)
(CHATTWRlNG)
Mmm? She didn't tell me.
Hey, check this out.
I'm fine.
(SHOUTlNG)
Give me back my bag!
(SHOUTlNG)
(LAUGHlNG)
That was too easy.
Hey, how you doing?
Look who's here for a visit.
(PWOPLW CHATTWRlNG)
(DOORBWLL RlNGlNG)
You Robert McCall?
Yes.
I'm Sergeant Oliver Gant.
New York City Police Department.
This your calling card?
Come in.
What's this all about?
Two punks were killed in Bed-Stuy.
You know, little holes in the front, big holes in the back.
Magnum.44, with hollow points.
Very nasty.
Someone pinned that on them.
And you think it was me?
No.
If I did, I'd be dragging you down those stairs right now.
Really?
I don't like what you do.
What is it you think I do?
You are a hired gun.
If by that remark you mean that I sometimes help people in trouble,
yes, I do.
But if you mean that I'm anything like this madman out there,
then you're wrong again.
Let me tell you something, Sergeant,
that man is harming my reputation.
So if you think you want him,
I want him a damned sight more!
Very righteous, McCall.
Who's fronting you?
I mean, where do you get your money?
Who set you up to do this?
(SCOFFS)
You wanna try one of those?
No.
Giving you the benefit of the doubt,
you might have started out with the right idea,
good intentions.
But I've known men who have started out with the best of intentions,
and they have taken it right over the top.
That's what I've done, is it?
Doesn't matter.
Because there's no place in this town
for someone who's operating outside of the law,
and, buster, that's what you are doing,
and I don't like it.
Good day!
(DOOR SLAMS)
(BWWPS)
MAN: Listen, Equalizer, it's probably gotten back to you.
I'm sorry I had to put it on you,
but I can't take the rap.
You understand.
(R&B MUSIC PLAYING)
(TlRWS SCRWWCHlNG)
I'm W. Donald Polk from the public defenders office.
Which of you is Tessor and who is Abmennet?
Don't matter, slick, we haven't been charged with nothing.
No, I know, we just thought you might require legal counsel.
Just in case.
Come on, guys. Inside.
(DOORBWLL RlNGlNG)
(SlGHlNG)
Please.
Come in.
You got here so quickly.
Is your name Sydney Blake? Yes.
There is something I didn't tell...
Do you drive a red BMW?
License number 5-9-7-F-W-M?
Yes, I'm the one who called.
Your car was reported leaving the scene of an accident.
You're under arrest.
(lNAUDlBLW)
This way.
Can you see her in there?
TWSSOR: Yeah, that's her.
Are you sure?
You damn right!
She the one who ran over DJ.
McCall, I was beginning to think you had contempt for the 20th century.
I'm glad to see you lose this paranoia you had about technology.
Oh, if anybody wants to know, you didn't get this from me.
For my own information, where did you get it from?
Well, most of it is off the shelf.
The trick was putting it together.
Well, do help yourself, Ronnie.
Thanks.
Now, this... This I know about.
This tells me if my telephone is being tapped.
But how does it work? I mean, what's the principle?
It monitors the line surge. The technology's new.
Is it reliable?
It's the same one they have at Pennsylvania Avenue.
If you have any problems, I'll be around.
Do leave me some milk, will you?
Miss Blake, we know what happened.
These guys have been playing this game for a long time.
We just never caught them at it.
I feel so bad about all of this.
Look, if they had gotten you out of that car,
they would have...
Well,
wouldn't have been very nice.
The best thing you did was to get away from there.
Just too bad that DJ had to get hurt.
Are there going to be any charges filed?
No, I doubt it.
Hey, look,
these are very bad guys we are dealing with.
When you filled out this report,
and they're going to get a copy of this,
your lawyer will tell you that.
Now that means that they're going to know your address,
where you live.
What I'm telling you is you gotta watch yourself.
Officer, are you saying that these men threatened my client?
I'm not saying anything.
All I'm telling her is that if I was her,
or if she was my daughter,
I would tell her to change her address.
Better yet, get out of town.
I can't leave.
I've been studying in this country for 18 months.
If I leave now, I can't get back into the program
and everything will be wasted.
Aren't your parents here? Isn't there anybody you can stay with?
Can you provide someone for her?
Officer, isn't that the responsibility of the police department?
Counselor, you're not hearing what I'm saying.
There have been no formal threats made.
There's nothing we can do!
If it was up to us, this scum would be under the jail!
You take care of yourself, all right?
Look, I don't know what to tell you,
except perhaps the policeman is right.
Maybe you should leave for a while.
And go where?
This is all too much.
I didn't meant to hit him.
I never meant to hurt anyone.
This is all wrong.
If there's anything I can do, please, you have my card.
Call my service.
I'm late. I'm sorry, I have to go.
They let her go?
(LAUGHlNG) Just like that. Right.
Why not? She didn't do anything.
It was your set-up, right?
You were gonna play out a little game of bump and run.
Make it look as if she hit DJ to get her out of the car.
And then there'd be a little mugging, some rape.
So what? The point is she rolled up DJ.
The way the prosecutor's viewing this,
you can expect criminal charges to be filed.
And if DJ dies,
the charge is murder.
Against us?
We didn't do it. We didn't do anything, she did it.
Yeah, well, in the eyes of the law, you two are responsible.
When someone dies during the commission of a felony,
the charge is murder.
And what you were trying to do
constitutes attempted robbery, which is a felony.
She got to pay.
If you attempt to intimidate a witness...
We don't care who testifies, Counselor.
It doesn't matter anyway.
It'll be reduced to some...
Chump charge.
We'll walk.
You know it and I know it.
No, she got to pay for what she did to DJ 'cause that's the way it is.
You're threatening her? No.
I'm not threatening her.
Not me. All I'm saying is she gotta pay for what she did
and she will.
(FOOTSTWPS APPROACHlNG)
(BANGlNG)
(DOOR CLOSlNG)
(ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPING)
Oh, damn! It's a machine!
McCALL: State your problem, leave a number or a forwarding address.
(ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS)
I don't know
if you are the right person,
but I've got to talk to someone.
I'm so scared.
The policeman said that these men
are going to hurt me.
(SOBBING)
Calm down, now calm down.
Calm down.
But I have to ask you one or two questions.
First of all, are you talking from your own phone?
Yes.
And what is your name?
Sydney Blake.
Well, we're gonna have to meet, Sydney.
I'm too frightened to leave.
Can you please come here?
Yes, of course, I'll come there.
I've been working for 18 months
to get ready for this exam.
I'm in competition with people from all over the world.
If I blow this opportunity,
I'll never be able to get back together again.
I can't concentrate.
I don't know whether those men are going to get me or not.
I'm wondering if I'm the man you need for this.
Please, I'm desperate.
Please don't misunderstand me.
I'm not going to leave you alone.
I've already arranged for somebody to come here for a few days,
if that's what you need.
Yes, that's all I need.
My exam is tomorrow.
Anyway, these men may have other things
on their minds at the moment.
And if they don't, well, Mickey will look after you.
Mickey?
Sydney Blake, Mickey Kostmayer.
This is the man I was telling you about, Sydney.
He's going to be looking after you for a while.
Can I get you anything?
Coffee?
No, I got everything I need here.
Fine. Well, I'll be checking in.
Gosh, McCall,
could you bring me back some toothpicks?
Sure, how many do you want this time?
I need four or five boxes. You got it.
Should I tell him anything about these men? Or...
Oh, no, no, no.
Mickey wouldn't care about that anyway.
Anyone comes anywhere near this door, Mickey will deal with them.
Gotta go, gotta go.
Nice place you got here.
Thank you.
What do you want those toothpicks for?
(LAUGHS) Oh!
Toothpicks.
McCALL: I'm still looking, Jimmy.
JlMMY: This isn't an area I feel comfortable in, McCall.
People who use guns are, you know, undependable.
Oh, come on, Jimmy.
There can't be too many sellers.
This is very specialized hardware.
Yeah, especially for New York.
.38s and.32s, you get those anywhere.
But Magnums,.44s or.357s, only a couple of places.
Ziggy Hitsick, you remember him? No.
Well, it don't matter 'cause he's closed down.
And the Mole doesn't deal in weapons at all anymore.
But there is someone, right?
Sugar Fly, a hustler in the South Bronx.
Right now, if you're looking for a.44 Magnum, he's the man.
What's the matter?
Well, it's just that you haven't mentioned your divorce yet.
Don't even ask. I won't.
Well, how about a deal?
Car of your choice, new, used.
Whatever you want.
Then what can I sell you?
Let us suppose that a man came to you
requesting a very special ltem.
How special?
Let's say a.44 Magnum Redhawk,
with soft-nose bullets thrown in.
I'd probably tell him to hike on.
Let us suppose that he was willing to pay...
Now mind you, of course, I mean, I know you wouldn't do it.
Absolutely not.
But supposing you were to do it.
Who would the buyer be?
I don't know what he'd be like and I wouldn't ask him his name.
If I were to make such a transaction.
Which, of course, you wouldn't.
But just supposing you were to make such a transaction,
what would this man look like?
Huh?
I mean, would he like him?
Or the guy over there?
You.
Like you. Like me?
Why, how me?
Suit.
Only younger.
Yeah?
This man, where would he come from?
I mean, would he be from
the Bronx, Brooklyn, Westside, Wastside, where?
Westside.
Hmm.
What else?
Wouldn't know.
Because you don't deal in guns.
Yeah.
Thank you very much.
I think you've been a great help.
MAN: The most incredible thing is
the look in their eyes when they
realize that justice,
justice is gonna smack them right in the gut.
They've hurt innocent people,
so I'm hurting them.
The hardest thing, you know this too,
is you don't have anybody to talk to.
Drivel.
You know, I had this guy figured wrong.
He's no vigilante. He's no serial killer.
He doesn't fit the pattern.
He's looking for acceptance,
some kind of validation, that's why he keeps calling me.
He wants to be caught.
He certainly wants to be understood.
He's a whacko!
And since apparently he has made me his confidante,
I do think that it's wise for me to find out
as much about him as possible.
That's what these toys are about?
Mmm.
This back-traces all the calls.
And the calling number is displayed there.
This is a waste of time!
He would have to stay on the telephone at least 15 minutes.
Ah, with the equipment available to you, yes.
But this is far more sophisticated.
This takes about less than a minute.
It starts out by elongating the time between the rings.
And this makes sure that the caller
at the other end is not suspicious.
You know, I almost know who's calling...
I'm sorry.
I don't wish to appear to be smug.
Is that the number?
That is the number from which he made his last call.
Yes.
Why don't you...
Why don't you check it out?
Here we are.
Just press that button there.
I think you'll find it very interesting.
OFFICER: 74th Precinct.
Hello?
What's that?
The Acropolis.
It's really quite lovely.
Yeah, I liked it there a lot.
Wspecially the islands in the south.
Good fishing.
I don't mean the place, I mean the sculpture.
Thanks.
Who are you?
Friend.
What do you do, friend?
Whatever needs to be done.
You don't like to talk about yourself, do you?
Nah, it's boring.
It's boring to you because you know it.
It wouldn't be boring to me.
Where were you born?
(SlGHlNG) Houston.
A cowboy, Mickey?
You are a cowboy?
Well, not exactly.
Sort of.
(SYDNWY LAUGHlNG)
Who uses this phone?
Anybody with a quarter.
Do better than that.
I don't know, Sergeant.
A lot of reporters, some of the lawyers.
What do you want me to tell you?
It's a public phone! The public uses it!
(lNAUDlBLW)
(CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO)
Cheers. Cheers.
Sydney.
Why should something like this happen to me?
(SHUSHlNG)
I'm so scared.
Very scared.
Hey, Sarge, they're looking for you at the 30th.
The message is that DJ's dead.
They scraped up Tessor and the other guy
and they're coming in on a murder in the commission of a felony charge.
You see, McCall, that's the way it works.
This time, yes.
It's been set up to work like that for a long time
by a lot of very smart people who do the job that is required.
It is not your ability to arrest them.
It is your ability to hold them that is in question.
You've hit on the flaw in the system.
We run ourselves ragged chasing around after the bad guys,
but hell, the bad guys are relaxed.
Because they understand that the system will just pop them out.
It's a joke on us.
And the bad guys are laughing.
They got their rights.
It's getting to the point where they can do anything to anyone
at any time and just walk away.
The system is falling apart
and there's no one holding it together.
It stinks.
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
"Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
"The blood-dimmed tide is loosed,
"and everywhere the ceremony of innocence
"is drowned"
"And the best lack all conviction,
"While the worst are full of passionate intensity."
Oh, McCall!
We're gonna post a no bail on Tessor and Abmennet.
To keep them on ice.
So the girl's in the clear.
That's good.
(DOORBWLL RlNGS)
McCall. Hi, Mickey.
It wasn't what you think.
Some years ago,
a colleague of mine
on a simple job, rather like this one,
decided he was going to have a little bit of fun.
During the course of that little bit of fun,
the opposition came in and destroyed them both.
You were supposed to protect that girl, not seduce her.
It wasn't what you think.
And what happened between us is our business.
Wrong!
That girl was under my protection.
Anyone under my protection is very much my business.
Get out. No, I'm not leaving.
The most important thing to me in the world right now is Sydney's safety.
It's more important to me than what you think.
So I'm staying.
Mickey, if anybody's staying, I am.
Those two men have been picked up.
She's in no danger.
Good night.
Mickey.
It was bad timing.
What's going on?
Where's Mickey?
Oh, Mickey had to go.
The two men who were after you are in jail,
so there's no more problem. You'll be quite safe.
Why did Mickey leave?
Well, he...
He had things he had to do.
Well, he'll be back.
He left his sculpture.
Ah. Yeah.
Thank you.
And thank you for introducing me to Mickey.
Yeah.
He's very special, isn't he?
Oh, yes, yes.
He's very special. Yes.
But he has other things to do.
Look, if you have any problems, if you're
nervous or you want to talk to anybody,
you have my number. Call me.
Bye. Thank you.
You're waiting for me? Yes!
We have a problem.
Well, what is it?
Somebody in the public defender's office messed up.
It was all set, both sides agreed.
And? They're out!
Tessor and Abmennet. They are what?
I'm gonna go reel them in if I have to make up a charge!
I'll find the girl.
TWSSOR: Well, now, there's our schoolgirl.
Mickey, they're out.
Meet me at Sydney's.
KOSTMAYER: She's not there, McCall, she's at school.
Then get to the school as quickly as you can.
I'll call the police.
I'll meet you there.
Hey!
Casino and lrving, go!
Go!
I feel good about it.
You've worked hard, Miss Blake. There's no reason why you shouldn't do well.
Thank you.
Here's to DJ.
Gonna fix it up for DJ.
(BANGlNG)
(HONKlNG)
Keep the change.
Is that her?
Bet on it!
(SYDNWY GASPS)
(WXCLAlMS)
(SCRWAMlNG)
Help me! Help!
Help! Help! Help! Please!
Help!
Help! Help!
Help me!
(GASPS)
(SCRWAMS)
Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on!
McCall! McCall! Down here!
I like it.
Oh, no. Please.
Oh, no.
Sydney, get out! Get out, Sydney!
You can't let them go, McCall.
They will be dealt with. But not here.
And not by you.
How? A trial?
A judge with no guts, who's gonna turn them onto the streets
so they can kill again?
No!
(SlRWNS WAlLlNG) Put your gun away.
You're not going to kill me.
Put it away.
I thought we were on the same side.
If you thought that,
you're wrong.
Quite wrong.
Nice and slow. Up against the car. Come on.
Spread your legs.
Come on. Come on. That's it.
Come on. Just relax.
Polk?
Yes.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, because of his brother.
Yeah.
Tell me about his brother.
His brother was killed a while back by some street punks.
And like some bizarre joke, his name came up to defend them.
And why, when he didn't disqualify himself,
why didn't someone hear alarm bells?
Yeah, sure, in retrospect.
But at the time, we felt he was being stand up about his job.
So, he defended them, got them off and killed them.
And then in order to allay suspicion,
he killed a few other thugs at random.
All because nobody heard the alarm bells!
Sounds right.
Oh, by the way, Sergeant,
I...
I really do understand your point of view.
KOSTMAYWR: McCall.