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A Stranger in Paradise (2013)
So, who are you?
They sent me all the way here to Bangkok... to be sure the Thai authorities don't let you walk away from this. I understand you had a profitable trip. There are dead bodies littered all over the city because of you. And how about these bank accounts with all that money? Bank accounts that you held the key codes to. Bank accounts that are now mysteriously empty. They have nothing to do with me. Oh, I think they have everything to do with you. I think you know exactly where the money is. And when I figure out how you pulled this whole thing off... and I will... You're gonna go away for a long, long time. Did I not warn you it was too much exposure? Don't they teach you anything over there at Goldman Sachs? Okay, so you're right, I should have listened to you. Next time, I promise. Not so fast, I actually want to hear you say the words, Kris. But, I... No, repeat after me... Josh Pratt. Josh Pratt. You are without a doubt, the smartest, the most brilliant... the most handsome man in the world. You are the smartest, most egotistical, pompous man I know. I have no idea what you're talking about. Any chance I could tempt you to switch sides? Corner office, 1.2 mil, plus bonus... you pick your own team. You know, if you guys are serious about that, you're gonna have to do better. I'm about to make partner. Big fish, small pond. I like my pond. I wouldn't switch it for anywhere in the world. I gotta go. I'll see you at 8:00. Okay, see you. Busy man. Hey, did the SEC get what they needed from Compliance? Why are they sequestering trade records? Because they want to learn how we're so great at making money. Which you do so well. Let me ask you something. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Paris, maybe? How come no one ever says the city they live in? I suppose the prospect of change is always exciting. Well, I'm done for the day if you want to take off. Good night. Good night, Mr. Monkong. Good night, Elena. Still here? Where else would I be? Listen, don't worry about that business with the FCC. Is there something I need to know about? I'm sure they're just fishing. What? Nothing to find... nothing to worry about. Seriously, Vicha, I've worked way too hard to build this business to where it's at. And I do appreciate your dedication... which is what brings me here. What? You're making me nervous. Relax, Josh, I think it's time you went on that vacation that you should have a year ago. Very funny. I'm serious. Vicha, we got way too much work going on. I need my new partner well rested. I've got the whole Asianic... Did you just say what I think you just said? Your new office will be ready by the time you return. Congratulations... partner. Vicha, thank you. Now, go visit your brother. You leave tomorrow. And when you see Paul, give this to him for me? It's just a little reminder of our college days. Try to enjoy yourself. Thank you! Thank you. Business is good? Yeah, it is. Lek will be happy to know. Interesting. How much? 5,000 bhats. Speak. Paul, it's Josh. Harvard! Where the fuck are you? I'm at the airport, no one is here to meet me. Shit, you're here already? Look, I'll have someone there in 30 minutes, okay? Are you sure you're gonna send someone? I'm jetlagged as hell. Yes, I am sending someone. I can take a taxi, it's fine. No, no, no, relax, look, they'll be right there, okay? Yeah, I need you to pick up someone at the airport. Oh, please, by all means, help yourself. Is that supposed to impress me? Lek wants you to come see him tomorrow. If it's so important, he can come see me himself. When Lek tells you to... No one tells me what to do in my club. You come to my club, you upset my guests... and you drink what you can't afford. Now you tell Lek, I will see him when I have time. Now, where were we? Josh Pratt? What about my bag? Just get on. Guess I slept through the "Welcome to Thailand" part. Whoa! What the hell are you doing? Who is that? Uh... okay. Slow down. Yo, what... Jesus! Okay, there is a street you can drive on, you know? Well, that was interesting. To you, maybe. So you work for my brother, huh? - Yup. - Nice. I will work for him, nothing else and nothing more. Sure. Got it. You're just like him. Hey! What took you so long? Very funny. What happened to you? Oh, I cut myself shaving. Yeah. Look at you. Oh! It's good to see you, Josh. Good to see you, too. Sorry it was so last minute. Are you kidding me? My house is your house. For the pain. Thank you. Yeah, I don't think it's big enough. Yeah, make yourself at home. Take off your jacket. I like your pajamas, by the way. Derek... Oh, how you doing? Josh. I heard a lot about you. It's a good night tonight. Derek's my... Bodyguard. Since when do you need a bodyguard? Long story. Let's talk about your brother. Now my resources say he's been wrapped up with the Jao Poh for several years now. Now how much contact have you had with him prior to this? I haven't seen my brother in about five years. We talk on the phone now and then, I knew about his club. I knew he was doing well, but that's about it. I was busy trying to make it at work... and I didn't talk to him as much as I would have liked to. Uh-huh. Look, whether he was involved with anything in the... Now whether or not we can connect Paul to the Jao Poh... we know for a fact he had a relationship with Virote... who just happens to be the most powerful boss in the whole damn Thai mafia. She's my daughter. Yeah, yeah, yeah, so what's all this SEC business? Oh, I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. Exhausted for right now. Yeah, of course. Here's to my baby bro. Cheers. Cheers. Sawadee ka, Paul, the ladies are here. Sawadee ka, please come in, sit down. Paul, what's this? It's a welcome distraction. You're in Bangkok, have some fun. When was the last time you got laid? That divorce wasn't cheap. Don't remind me. Mm, well that was three years ago. Why do you always have to bring this up? Hey, we're all travelers on the road to probation. Might as well do it with a couple of hookers and an eight ball. Ladies. Shit. Hey, Jules, come have a drink with us. We have enough company already. We were followed tonight. By who? I don't know, it was a black SUV. All right, tomorrow you stay with Josh. Okay. What about you? I got Derek. Does this have something to do with Lek? I'm not sure, but just keep your eyes open, all right? Sure. Okay. Good night. Good night. Good night, Jules. Yeah, okay. Yeah, I think I'm beginning to really like Bangkok. Doesn't take long, huh? Should have got four. Paul. Where are you, you dirty bastard? Anyone you like? Yeah, your future ex-wife. You don't look so good. Problems at home? We have to talk. There a problem in New York. You are responsible. Uh, I don't see the connection. Vicha, we can't reach him, you have to find him. Look, I haven't talked to Vicha in six months. You don't have a choice. We know you and Vicha have been friends long time. Yeah, we went to college together. That was 15 years ago. What about your brother? What about him? He worked for Vicha. What he know? I can ask him. Ask him tonight. Tonight? What's the rush? Find Vicha if you want your club to remain untouched. What, you're making me responsible just because Vicha has gone missing? Just find him. I don't care how. How much money are we talking about? More than you will ever know. Look, Lek, I came here today because I respect the people who own you. Now you're asking me to find your old business partner who lives halfway across the world? That's really not my problem. You have 48 hours. How the hell can he not know where Vicha is? Yeah, something's not right. When was the last time you spoke to him? I'm calling him now. You know what we're holding him for, right? Vicha was my boss, that was the extent of any relationship I had with him. I hadn't even been made partner yet. I wouldn't know anything. He used the both of us t... You carried illegal financial codes meant for the Thai mafia across the country. And you're gonna sit there and tell me you were none the fucking wiser? As far as I knew, my boss told me to take a vacation immediately. I'm the guy with everything to lose. You think I'm gonna lose my job over this? You know, it's funny, Vicha had no problem pointing the finger at you. What about your brother's so-called assistant, Jules? How much do you know about her background? Do you even realize how dangerous this woman is? So how long do you think you're gonna need this for? About two weeks maybe. Okay, well, consider it done then. Would you run one of my trades through your account until I get back? Sure, anything for you, Josh. All right, I need to finalize this Asiana deal by 80 million at par. So, who's name do you want on the title? Good morning. One, sec. Sorry, Kris, uh, I'll email you the details. Why don't you just send me the confirmation when it goes through? And then? Keep it in your client account until I get back. Sure, so, you having fun there? Kris, I'm gonna have to call you back. Let's catch up tomorrow. Okay. Don't enjoy yourself too much without me, okay? Bye. Good morning to you, too. How could you tell? You look like shit. How do you really feel? You know what? Let's start over. I'm Josh. I'm Jules. That's it? No last name? Born in? Favorite holiday? Look, I don't like to mix anything personal with work. We're not at work. Maybe you're not, but I am. So, I'm work? Today you are. You're here to baby-sit me? You said it, not me. So get dressed, and we have a 10:00 appointment. Let's go. Wait a second, where are we going? You'll see. Oh, yeah, that's wrong. Okay, did you want more? What are you laughing at? The masseuse weighed like 3,000 pounds. You're such a wimp. Wimp? I'm sore in places I never knew existed. I did like that scorpion tattoo, though. You were watching me? I mean, accidentally. Yeah, right, yeah. So are you going to tell me about the tattoo? What? Okay. So how long you been working for my brother? I've been working for Paul long enough to know never to trust men. So you two never... Never what? No, never, never. Jesus. What did you do before this? CIA? NSA? KGB? KGB is Russian, just, enough with the questions, okay? Ugh, this is so... You're disgusting. This is disgusting. Here, you eat it. Do you know how he was really hurt last night? No. Of course, you don't. You just work with him. There are some very powerful people in this city... who like to make their unreasonable demands. Your brother is one of the few unwilling to compromise. So that's why he has you and Derek to protect him? I mean, he controls things when he can, and he turns the other cheek when he can't. But he believes the night club is off-limits. Sanctuary of sorts from this sordid, fucked-up world. He's an idealist. Come on, nobody's perfect. I miss you so much. This is for you. Oh, thank you. Come in, come in. Come, Josh, you can sit there. Please. What are you... what are you making? Pad Thai? Pad Thai? Yeah? I'll see you very soon. Hey, take care. I hope everything works out, okay? I'll see you soon, Mei. Bye. Bye-bye. What was that place? Oh, they all work at night. Doing what? Some of them, they're kobo dancers. Except Mei, she works for Paul. Why do they look like that? Like what? Fucked. It's Ya Ba, a street drug they take for extra energy. What, for dancing? No, for sex. Just don't say anything to Paul about the house. Why? He definitely could use some perspective. True, now he can't imagine those girls without make-up. What's that? Ah, it's an old college joke. So next thing you know, the SEC was sequestering our records. Are they investigating VM Holdings or Vicha? I don't know, but your old college buddy assures me it's nothing. And you think otherwise? Well, the SEC doesn't start a formal investigation unless they have something. I'm the trading manager, if they find something I'm liable. Well, has Vicha already been indicted? No, he's been really calm about all of this. And he was the one who told you to come? Yeah, told me to take a few weeks off... vacation. Practically shoved me on the airplane. Yeah, maybe leaving wasn't the best idea. It makes you look guilty. Well, maybe he just wanted you away while things cooled down. I could lose my license over this shit. Well, not if you're innocent. I mean, if Vicha's guilty, you're more likely to be a witness in his indictment. Great. What do you think, Derek? Is my baby brother being set up? Well, accidents do happen in Bangkok. Busy streets, crazy drivers. I think you both are overreacting. Hold on. Speak. Have you heard the news? The big news today on Wall Street... was the arrest of Vicha Monkong... chairman and CEO of VM Holdings. Mr. Monkong was taken into custody earlier this morning... on charges of insider trading. The US Securities and Exchange Commission refused to comment... when asked for details regarding Mr. Monkong's arrest. An inside source is claiming links... between a number of crime syndicates in Southeast Asia... and VM holdings. Now if proved true... Shit. this could turn what was initially... believed to be a financial investigation... into an international criminal investigation. All VM Holdings' trade licenses have been suspended... and all associated accounts have been subsequently frozen. We'll bring you more on this story as it develops. Jesus Christ, I am fucked. Well, it depends how angry people get when they lose control. Lose control of what? Lek's on the move. Yeah. I'm sorry, am I missing something here? Look, we all know Vicha was laundering money to certain clients. We? What, do you think I knew something about this? Look, there's some very powerful people here... who assume that you were aware of these transactions. Look, there's people who have just lost a lot of money... and that's really bad news for us. Why us? Because Vicha, he lent me the money to start the club... and you work for him, and you're my brother. You keep saying "these people". Who the fuck are these people? The Jao Poh... the Thai mafia, they control the region. So now I'm implicated in this shit? Your shit? My shit? You work for Vicha, you have to know more. Is that what you think, Mr. Hotshot? That I know more? You don't even know how your employees live. I know enough. Enough to ignore it. Didn't Vicha just make you a partner? How the fuck do you know that? You know what? Never mind how I know it. What matters is what you know! You got me that interview. You vouched for him, said he was such a great guy. Yeah, he gave you a job, didn't he? Paul, I had my pick of firms. Not starting at 500K. You knew this would happen. You weren't even surprised when I called. Sure, come to Thailand. Take a break. Stay at my amazing fucking house. Oh, would you rather be back there with Vicha? You're welcome. Fuck you. So you claim you didn't know what Vicha was up to when he sent you here with the book? But then when you found out he was nailed for laundering money... from VM Holdings, you had to have figured to yourself... you got sent here by him for a reason. Yeah, I'm thirsty. Can I get a glass of water? What are you, a fucking wise guy? Well, no, I just thought maybe your friends behind the window here could, you know... hook me up with a couple... You know, forget about it. Look... you assume I was even in a position to comprehend all this illegal crap... amongst everything that was going on. I mean, how many times do I have to tell you, I am an investment banker... who got used as a pawn. Come on, Josh, do you really expect me to believe that? A guy with your smarts? Top of his class? Voted "Wonder Kid of the Year". Do you really expect me to believe that shit? Believe whatever the fuck you want to believe. Forget about what I believe. I'll tell you what I know, Josh. You either start talking to me, or there's a jail cell with your name on it... and you're gonna be in it for a long fucking time. You are directly tied to money laundering, and an accomplice to murder. That's fucking big. Captain. Hello, gentlemen. Captain. Hello. Please be seated. What can I do for you? As you are aware, we have an issue that spilled out into your streets. With so much involved, one could say the authorities are looking the other way. You two are very far from home for making accusations. The only reason you're here is because they let you in. So you can do your sniffing around, but I'm keeping you on a short leash. Whatever you say, chief. You call this breakfast? This is what we eat here. You have to try this. Oh, I... seriously? Just try it, it's really good for you. Don't you have any eggs or bacon or espresso or something? Coffee, yeah... Thai-style. Coffee? Does Paul eat this? He loves it. Well, I am not Paul. You remind me of him. Thank you. A younger version. Except I work for a living. What do you do? Investment banker. What's that? Bond trader. So, you don't make anything. Yeah, I do. I make money. I'm good at it. And that fulfills you? Yeah. I mean, it did. Now, I'm not so sure. Hey... where's Josh? He's with Jules. She took him for breakfast, Thai-style. Hope he likes it spicy. Welcome to Bangkok. Oh, shit. What happened? Lek, he slapped me. What happened? He hit me. Call Dr. Ellin. It's... it's gonna be okay, Mei, all right? Hey, Taxi! Now where are you taking us? Let's go to the market. Okay... But no insects. Ugh. Stop, stop, stop, stop. This way. So where are we going? Just keep calm and listen to me, okay? Okay. Why? Someone is tailing us. Don't look. Of course, I'm gonna look. Move! Get out of the way! Move! Watch out! Are you all right? Go! Run! Hurry up! Come on. Over here! Fuck! Josh! Here! Come on! A Thai police officer was found dead, Josh. I have several witness statements claiming that you and the girl... were tearing up the city in some sort of a foot chase. Now if you weren't involved in any of this, why would you run from the authorities? The authorities? They never made any mention that they were police. And I certainly wasn't going to slow down to ask. These were the same guys that were at my brother's club shaking him down. Oh, so you admit you knew your brother was paying out to the mob? No, I didn't say that. I said these were the same assholes... that were in my brother's club looking for money. You know, it's interesting, though, that you connect them to the mob. Especially after you just said that they were Thai police. I mean, if there's some sort of connection here... maybe you know something about this that I don't. Where the hell were you guys? I've been trying to call you. Fucking chased around this fucking city. Paul, where's Mei? She's gonna be fine. Don't worry. What happened to her? Has anyone told her family? No. Did you hear what I said? We just spent the afternoon chased around by the goddamn Thai police. You tell him why we were followed. Tell me what? A woman who works for me was beaten up. What does that got to do with us being chased around? Look, one thing at a time. Are you okay? Yes, I'm fine! All right. Paul. All right, look, you need to leave. What? You need to leave the country. Where am I supposed to go? Vietnam, Laos, I don't know, anywhere, just, you need to get out of here. Okay? You're not safe. Just trust me on that, all right? I'll talk to you about it later, but right now... I need to go to the club and put out some fires. Look, you still haven't told me what's going on. I'm coming with you. I don't think that's a good idea. I don't care what you think! Look, I'm getting dressed and I'm coming with you. I'm glad you're here. Nice place. Let's get a drink. Just like the old days. Cheers. Listen, I gotta take care of some business, I'll be right back, okay? All right. Ladies? You take care of my little brother, okay? I'll be here, contemplating life's choices. You found Vicha, so, we're all square, right? No... we're not done... until we get our money. Well, I have nothing to do with your money. Your New York brother does. Isn't Josh a handsome man? Yeah. Yes, your eyes real nice. Thank you. Have you been to Bangkok before? Yeah, I have, you know what? Um... Excuse me, I'll be... I'll be right back. Hey, where's Josh? You seen him? No. Where the hell is he? Could have just gone home. Yeah, maybe. Or Lek. Mr. Pratt, why do we have to do this? I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't know anything! Come on, wait! Ow! Fuck! Now, where is the package from Vicha? I told you, I don't... I have no idea what you're talking about. Then why are you here? I told you, I'm visiting! Yeah? Fuck you! Look, what do you want? The package your brother gave you before Jao Poh. Bring it to me. Okay. I told you I don't... I don't know what you're talking about. That is not the answer I want. Vicha gave you something that belongs to me. One more time... where is it? Vicha's fucked you over, hasn't he? The money is floating around somewhere in cyber space. And the only one who knows where it is... is in jail. Hey! Hey, where are you going? Drop it! Now! On your knees! Hands behind your back! That's for hitting a guy when he's taking a piss. Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you! Who are you guys? Justice Department. What the fuck are you doing here? Vicha already told us about the book. What? The yearbook, where is it? What the fuck? What is so important about this book? It contains the codes for all the offshore accounts the Thai mafia has. Where is it? Fuck. If I give you this book, I want certain guarantees. Like? I just got the shit kicked out of me. I want protection for me, my brother, everyone. I want my fucking trading license back. I want my whole fucking life back! You bring me the book, I'll have you on a flight out tonight. Everyone! Done. Jesus, what happened? Are you all right? Where's the book? What? The fucking yearbook! Where is it? What's so damn important about this book? Got all of Vicha's dirty account information. Fucking hell. The fucking Justice Department wants it. Yeah, so does Lek. If we don't give it to Justice, we're fucked. If we don't give it to Lek, we're even more fucked. Do you see what they did to me? Look what they fucking did, Paul! It's okay. Fuck! Come here, it's gonna be all right. It's okay. It's gonna be all right. We need protection, Paul, we need we need to find... I fucking made a deal. I made a... I made a deal. What deal? With the Justice Department. Paul, we just have to bring them the fucking book. We bring them the book, they're gonna fly us out tonight. All of us. You really believe Justice is gonna take care of all of us? Paul, I don't give him this book... I'm going to jail. Lek's not gonna give up, even if he gets the book. Fine. Paul? What about everything you've built here? What about the club? What about the house? What about the girls? Are you just gonna leave? Jules, I have dug a big hole, and I pulled you and Derek and everybody else down with me. But I've got Josh involved and I just have to make this right. You know, we're done here anyway. I'm with you, boss. I can't believe you're leaving. I have to. Look, I'll make sure Mei is taken care of, everyone else. Just, look, we gotta get out of here. I'm sorry. It's just... it's about my brother. Maybe I just follow you. And then? I don't know, we'll figure it out. Here. Oh, god, fuck. What is this? I have no idea. Give me your phone. They were right. Give me my computer. What are you gonna do? Cover our ass. Oh, my god, what the hell happened to your face? Kris... I need you to access my account. Sure. Anything. Hang on. Enter this number in. 4-3-5, 6-7-2-9-3. Make a new copy, but I need you to remove all source codes. Then email that copy to me. Do you see what I'm doing? Yeah, yeah, you're limiting access to their own accounts, I get it. Okay, Mr. Innocent, so you get sent to Bangkok on a vacation. You find out the Thai mafia is chasing you. My guys have to come in and save you. All because you're involved in something you know nothing about. Then you make a deal with my guys to bring them the book... but, of course, that never happens. So tell me something, my friend, with $80 million missing in a broken deal... with the US Justice Department, why shouldn't I be pointing my finger at you? First, you guys fucked up! Do you understand me! You! When you saved me, you let the guy go who stole the book and... Tell me we'll be okay. We're gonna be okay. Where'd she go? Don't worry, she'll be close by. Oh, shit. It's Lek. Fuck! Now what do we do? I'm gonna give them the book. Look, don't worry. Paul, we can't give them the fucking book. Look, just take this. Look, just take it, all right? It's gonna be fine. All right? All right. Fuck. Just the man I wanted to see. You, too. Is that for me? You know, I didn't know you could read. Just give me the book. Then what happens? Then you walk free. I don't care. Just like that. Just like that. No! Paul! Fuck. Jesus Christ. Paul! Paul! Paul. Paul! Oh, my god. Shit. Oh, god. You'll be okay, Mei. I'll take care of you. If you didn't know anything, Josh, why did you let your brother give Lek the book? With a gun to our head, we didn't have a choice. We had to give them the book. And the phone? You see? You had the phone, and on the phone were the accounts. And the accounts were full. I wouldn't know. I tried to see what was on the phone, but it was encrypted. Agh, come on, bullshit. You expect me to believe you couldn't access anything off that phone? At that point, I didn't care. My brother had just been killed. I thought I was next. I thought I could use the phone to get Virote off my back. And that's all I cared about. You're wearing me down, you know that? I gotta pee. Kris, we're ready. Okay, I'm ready. Make the account read Lek Senetran. Hello? It's Josh Pratt. I'm giving the phone with the account numbers to the Jao Poh. You're sure you don't want me to come with you? No, you stay here. I got this. You're either very stupid or really brave. I believe we both know why you're here. Your version was missing the new pass codes. I believe we're talking about 72 million or so. No, no, 80 million. Less the eight million that was transferred yesterday. Everything you need to know is right there. Now I believe we're done. Now I'm gonna walk out of here, and you're gonna let me go. You have everything. And I trust you're gonna take care of our mutual problem. Josh... I like the way you think. Bangkok is a very good place to do business. I'm beginning to like it here, too. Okay, so let's say all of this is true. And all you wanted to do was get Virote off your back. Then tell me why when my guys showed up on the scene... there were dead bodies, and a phone with completely empty accounts? Well? You're still alive. You're still here. May I ask you something? If you could live anywhere in the world... where would it be? Bangkok, of course. Where's the money, Josh? I don't know. I gave him the phone, he let me go. If you can prove otherwise, go ahead. But I think we both know, you got nothing on me here. If I were you, I'd go talk to the Thai police. And like you said, maybe they're connected to this somehow. Maybe they showed up before your guys killed Virote and Lek... wiped the accounts and then gave me the phone. All I know is, I've told you everything. And without any evidence that I've killed anyone... or stolen any money... you can't keep me here. Get this kid out of here. It's a hell of a way to go through life, Josh... looking over your shoulder. Corner office, 2.4 million, 80 million in capital. You in? Absolutely. Cheers. |
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