My reminiscence.
I always thought
that for such a lovely river...
...the name was mystifying:
Cape Fear.
When the only thing to fear
on those enchanted summer nights...
...was that the magic would end
and real life would come crashing in.
Okay, Cady, the moment
you've been waiting for.
Any people coming for you, Cady?
- What about your books?
- Already read them.
Hi. How are you?
- ?Cmo ests?
- Bien.
This ropa limpia?
No, that means "clean. " These are dirty.
The idea is to resolve the tension.
I need to find a motif
that's about movement.
Not the most mind-blowing concept
for a travel agency...
...but what the hey?
- Like an arrow, maybe?
- Yeah, like an arrow.
Maybe.
But, see, then the other aspect
is stability...
...a company that you can trust.
So if you can balance those ideas...
...in a way that's pleasing to the eye
then you got a logo.
Okay: Movement, stability...
...and an arrow.
Okay, I'll think of something for that one.
Benjamin! Yes.
They switched babies on me
at the hospital, didn't they?
How'd you do in there?
I got the judge to postpone
the alimony hearing for another 21 days.
Great.
I've got till Monday to find out
which S and L and which municipality...
- ... my son-in-law stashed all that money.
- Right.
- Anyway, my daughter and I thank you.
- You're welcome, Tom.
Here's Daddyl
Good-bye, Juniorl
!Adios!
Yes, that's very creative, Junior.
He liked me.
All this time, he actually liked me.
You can't go in. Your father's making
a television appearance for his campaign.
Dad, I've got to talk to you.
What the hell are you doing here?
I'm about to go on the air.
What is this smoke?
Excuse me.
Come on, let's move seats.
Okay, then I quit as yourson.
Do you believe that annoying loser guy?
You should have just punched him out.
What? Just punched him out?
What do you mean?
You boxed. You could've
shoved him around, shut him up.
- I could take you.
- Careful.
- That's who I could take.
- You could've kicked him in the face.
Kicked him in the face?
You know how to fight dirty.
You do that for a living.
Real cute, Leigh.
- Let's sit outside.
- How much do I owe you?
- It's taken care of.
- Taken care of? Who?
There.
Girls, come on, let's sit inside.
Yeah, let's sit inside.
Mr. Perfect Form.
- Look.
- What?
You gotta snap your wrist
on the backhand.
Usually I like a little music
at this point, Sam.
Sam, I want to play in this lifetime.
All right.
- You gotta snap your wrist.
- Tag.
- We should stop doing this for a while.
- Doing what? We're not doing anything.
- No, I know that.
- Yet.
Okay. Fine. Maybe you're right.
Why? Does your wife mind?
My wife doesn't even know you exist,
which, most certainly, is for the best.
Why's that?
God, Lori, you know why you ask
that question?
- 'Cause you've never been married.
- Why?
Is marriage synonymous with deception?
It's just that when two people...
...get married and live together
for a long time...
I like hanging out with you, so sue me.
You're funny, and you're cute,
and, I don't know...
We talk about the courts
and which judge is senile...
...which one wears a gun under his robe.
Oh, God. You know, Lori,
another time, another place...
...and who knows?
- Tomorrow?
- Yeah, it's a light docket.
No, I won two out of three.
Let's make it best out of five.
All right, that's good, actually,
because today I let you win.
- Sure you did.
- See ya.
Free as a bird. You go wherever you want
with whomever.
That much freedom
could get a fellow in trouble.
- I'd like my keys.
- Could it be you don't remember me?
I remember you.
You were at the movies the other night.
I'm disappointed. I'm hurt.
I would like my keys.
Max Cady.
You look the same.
Maybe 15 pounds heavier.
But they say the average man
gains a pound a year till he's about-
Come on.
Gains a pound a year till he's about 60.
Me? I dropped a pound every year
in my sentence.
- Atlanta, '77.
- You got it. July.
Fourteen years since I held a set of keys.
Well, you look good, healthy.
Thank you. It's a struggle
to stay healthy in the joint.
But you wouldn't know about that,
would you?
They would stick you with
the white trash. They don't work all day.
In fact...
...this little old cigar is my only vice...
...'cause I needed a vice in the joint
to remind me I was human.
What brings you to New Essex?
Oh, the climate.
Boy, the South.
I'm thinking of settling down here
in New Essex, Counselor.
Have you been following me?
It's a small town.
We're gonna run into each other.
- Well, take care, Mr. Cady.
- You, too.
- You're gonna learn about loss.
- What?
Dad, could you...
I'm sorry, Dani.
- What're you working on?
- It's English.
We're supposed to read
Look Homeward, Angel...
...which is a kind of reminiscence...
...and we have to attempt something
in the same style.
What's it about, your reminiscence?
The houseboat.
It's not even July 3 yet.
We ought to take two weeks
and go to Wilmington...
...like the old times, dock the houseboat.
I wanted to in early June.
You said you didn't have time.
- I probably don't.
- Yeah, now I don't, either.
Besides, Dani's got summer school
till Labor Day.
Is it really that critical
that she can't miss two damn weeks?
You know,
the alternative was to expel her.
Maybe this Drama teacher from the college
will get her excited about something.
Yeah, about him, probably.
Why'd they have to make such a stink,
like she was on heroin, or something?
I mean, what's marijuana?
You and I smoked a little dope in our time.
In some cultures,
it's considered almost a sacrament.
I realize in ours it's forbidden.
Right up there with incest
and necrophilia and bestiality.
Honey.
- Worship of idols, cannibalism.
- Do that again.
- What?
- Do that again.
- Sam, somebody's out there!
- What?
Leave the light off. Leave it off.
I saw him when the fireworks went off.
What?
- I think I talked to him this afternoon.
- You know him?
I want you the hell off my property!
He's gone.
He said,
"I'm gonna make you think about loss. "
Or, "I'm gonna make you learn about loss. "
Something like that.
That's very poetic.
- Who is he? Where did he come from?
- He's from...
Come on, Leigh, get the dog off.
Ben, get down.
He doesn't mind me at all.
It's your dog. Come on.
No, he shouldn't be up on the table.
- You'll have dog hairs in the tea.
- Get down.
Where's he from?
He's from the hills, Pentecostal crackers.
What was he in prison for?
- I think it was battery.
- You think it was battery?
- Who did he batter? A man? A woman?
- I don't know.
It was fourteen years ago.
You know, it's kind of...
I really don't remember.
What does he want with you?
He's just trying to bug us,
just messing around.
He's an ex-con, so he's just...
You know, he's probably upset
at the lawyer.
- Yeah, your clientele.
- Yeah.
- 'Bye, Dad.
- 'Bye, Dani.
- You look tired.
- Thanks. I needed that.
I'd rather Dani didn't wander out alone...
...on her walks in the woods...
...till I've started a few things,
maybe even talk to the boss.
- What if she takes Benjamin with her?
- Big Ben, our guard dog?
What's he gonna do, lick him to death?
- Just tell her.
- What? I hardly know anything about him.
I don't mean his biography.
Just there's some creep around.
If you see him again,
call the cops and then call me.
What about a weapon?
In case things get exciting around here.
Would you feel more secure
with a loaded gun in the house?
We'd end up using it on each other.
Or Dani would. He won't do anything.
He just got out of prison.
He doesn't want to go right back.
Call Lee Heller.
Lee is a colorful character but he's still
the best criminal lawyer in the state.
- Good.
- Get me Lee Heller.
- Sam, you defended this guy, right?
- Right.
What makes you think
he wants to harm you?
Yesterday I was getting in my car.
The guy comes up.
We have a conversation.
He says to me,
"You're gonna learn about loss. "
That'd hardly qualify
under the terrorist threat statutes.
Tom, for Christ's sake, the guy's an ex-con.
You know as well as I do what that means.
Last night, there he was, behind our house.
- Attempted B and E.
- No, not exactly.
He was sitting on a wall
that bounds our property.
That's not even trespassing, Sam.
Come on. What can I say?
Get a restraining order.
I filed one this morning.
The hearing's in ten days.
Good. Anything I can do.
Tom, fourteen years ago...
...in this case I had a report on the victim.
- It was a rape case.
- That's right.
Rape and aggravated sexual battery.
Anyway, I had a report on this victim...
...and it came back
that she was promiscuous.
And...
...I buried it.
- Anybody else know about this?
- No, I buried it.
I didn't show it to the client
or the prosecution.
But if you had seen
what this guy had done to this girl-
"In every criminal prosecution,
the accused shall have...
"... the Assistance of Counsel
for his defense. "
I know the Sixth Amendment.
I believe in it.
That's why I left
the Public Defender's Office.
There was no way to serve the law
in that capacity.
Some folks don't have the right
to the best defense?
Of course they deserve the best defense!
But if you had seen what he did
to this girl...
- Buried the report.
- If it was your own daughter.
- Yeah, I mean-
- Buried the report.
Jesus, Sam.
Oh, God.
But I don't see how he could know that.
He was illiterate.
I had to read everything to him:
the probable cause affidavit...
...the arrest reports, everything.
There's no way he could know that.
Hey, Dani...
...it's so quiet out here,
and the light's so perfect...
...why don't you get your book
and come out here and read?
Why?
I told you why.
Is it because he's like a flasher
or just a peeper?
What do you know about that? A flasher?
You don't think I've been flashed before?
I didn't mean to insult you.
I'm sure you've been flashed.
If you want to come out, come on out.
If you don't, go on.
Do whatever you want.
But don't go outside.
'Afternoon, Counselor.
What do you want, Mr. Cady?
They're great at that age, ain't they?
All those discoveries ahead of them.
You're lucky.
My own daughter,
she don't even know me.
After I went inside,
her mama told her I was dead...
...which, in a way, I was.
Mr. Cady, I realize that you suffered.
I understand your problem,
but, I mean, why me?
I was your lawyer. I defended you.
Why not badger the D.A. or the judge?
- "Badger. "
- Why not them?
Best I remember,
they was just doing right by their jobs.
I didn't do my job? Is that right?
I pleaded you out
to a lesser occluded offense.
You could've gotten rape
instead of battery.
I'd have been up for parole in seven years
according to Georgia penal code.
Rape is a capital offense.
You could've gotten life, death.
You could be sitting
on death row right now.
I learned to read during my stretch.
First, Spot Goes To The Farm...
...then Runaway Bunny,
then law books, mostly.
Did you know, after I discharged you,
I acted as my own attorney?
Applied several times for an appeal.
No, I didn't know that.
So, here we are...
...two lawyers, for all practical purposes,
talking shop.
How much do you want, Mr. Cady?
- How much do I want what?
- How much money do you want?
Money?
Counselor, do I look destitute to you?
I'm open to discussion,
within reasonable limits.
You ever been a woman?
- A what?
- A woman.
Some fat, hairy, ugly hillbilly's wet dream?
I realize that you suffered.
There's no question about that.
You don't know
what suffering is, Counselor.
Like it says in Galatians 3:
"Have ye suffered so many things in vain?"
I learned from the get-go in the joint
to get in touch with my feminine side.
I'm open to some sort of discussion
on compensation.
What shall be my compensation, sir...
...for being held down and sodomized
by four white guys...
...or four black guys?
Shall my compensation be the same?
What is the formula for compensation, sir?
How about $10,000 in cash?
Do I...
Let's just break that down.
That figure just came
to the top of my head.
For argument's sake,
let's say $20,000, $30,000.
I'll tell you what. Let's say $50,000.
$50,000 into fourteen years.
Fourteen years times 365 days...
...is about 5,000 days.
You divide that by $50,000,
and that's like $10 a day.
That's not even minimum wage.
To say nothing about the family
and respect that I lost.
I don't think you really understand
what we're talking about.
Fourteen years.
Whoops.
Gotta git.
I'm late for another appointment.
I got some good news.
I got the bank, the account number.
I'll call your son-in-law's lawyer,
tell him we're going to court.
Mr. Bowden, your wife's on line one.
Ask her to hold. I have to make a call.
- I wouldn't make that call. The way I'd-
- Mr. Bowden...
...she says it's urgent.
Yeah?
...these kind of horrible,
high-pitched howls.
They sounded like he was screaming...
...and then Dani came running in, and I...
...I called the vet.
Then it was so weird because...
...it was like he was winding down...
...just winding down like an old clock.
Then, all of a sudden, he just stopped.
He had this kind of...
...his eyes just wide open,
and this kind of...
...surprised look.
And then...
...then he died.
He just died, before the vet even got here.
What did the vet say?
- That he was poisoned.
- Poisoned?
What kind of poison?
- I don't know what kind of poison.
- Jesus! I told you not to let him out.
- I didn't let him out!
- Then how?
Stop!
I've got an English setter myself,
so I don't cotton to dog killers.
Trouble is, poisoning a dog is just a fine.
But if he's unemployed,
he has to have money...
...or we'll bust him for vagrancy.
We'll give him a full-body strip search.
Jerk a knot in his tail.
All right.
They got so many ways on the books
to lean on an undesirable.
He'll feel about as welcome
around here as a case of yellow fever.
- Hands against the wall.
- Spread them.
- That him?
- Face the wall.
One-way mirror, Mr. Bowden.
He doesn't know you're here.
Yeah, that's him.
Get the shirt off.
- Come on, hurry up.
- Just pass it over to him.
- Hand it to me.
- Knock off the shoes.
Hand them to the other officer.
Pass them to him. Come on.
Put the arms out.
Put your arms out straight.
Roll your palms.
Do what he says.
Turn around, slow.
I don't know whether
to look at him or read him.
Stand still.
One more step for you.
You know the routine.
Against the wall.
We searched his apartment.
Car registration and everything's in order.
There's no guns or any other weapons.
But we found these.
Cady's savings account.
$30,000?
Yeah, his mother died
while he was serving.
The farm got sold off.
He got the proceeds.
He's got money.
Where does that leave us?
At the very least, we nail him
for the dog. What happened?
You let the dog out. Cady abducted him.
We didn't let the dog out.
Cady came into your house?
That's illegal entry with intent.
But he didn't come in the house.
I'm not a cop.
I don't know exactly how he did it.
I just know that he did it somehow.
That's not good enough, Mr. Bowden.
You're a lawyer.
You damn well know that.
Get off the pants.
Sooner or later, he's gonna screw up.
The sheriff assured me
that they always do. He's an ex-con.
He's going to get the message
in no uncertain terms.
I'd still like to kill him.
How come you didn't join up with them?
You can tap.
You can tap dance.
I wanted to once, but I don't know...
- Son of a bitch.
- What?
- He's staring at you.
- What are you talking about?
What the hell are you doing?
Hot as a firecracker on the 4th of July.
- You're damn lucky to have her, boy.
- You son of a bitch.
Where did he go?
Watch my arm. It might be broke.
What's with you? You have no right
to be pushing me around like that.
I was just watching the parade.
I wasn't pranking on nobody.
What are you getting so upset about?
You're lucky I don't sue you.
All right.
- Settle down.
- I am settled down.
- What are you doing?
- It's nothing.
- Who was that?
- It's no one. Come on.
The fellow with the tie,
his wife took him away.
- I think he really hurt his arm.
- Mom!
- Strong drink you got there, mister.
- You said it.
Just put a little goldfish in it,
and you'll be fine.
You seem to be having a good time.
- I've been practicing.
- Practicing for what?
- How to fall on the floor?
- A life of debauchery.
Debauch, what?
Debauchery. It's a three-syllable word.
Making fun of me?
That's okay. No problem.
- I made you blush.
- Blush?
Yes. You're now the color
of your shirt, scarlet.
I had no business getting
stuck on a guy who was married.
- You certainly did not.
- I don't know what I was thinking.
God only knows.
Aren't I the bozo on this bus?
Oh, God. Lest you think that I slept
with this particular married guy-
That's your business. Not mine.
I don't want to make it sound like
I've been through a busload of them.
That's the way it sounded to me.
- He was the first.
- Oh, yeah.
- He was, I swear.
- Oh, yeah.
- Oh, boy.
- Tell it to the judge.
- Actually the rat stood me up today.
- Did he?
- Yes!
- What a shame.
I know.
So, now it's my turn. Where are you from?
Where am I from?
- You're gonna love this.
- Yes.
I'm from the Georgia State
Correctional Facility.
You think I'm joking? That's the truth.
I just got released from prison.
My god. This is the way
my day has been turning out.
Actually, it reminds me of a joke.
- Do you want to hear it?
- Tell me. Liven up the night.
An unmarried woman...
Wait a minute, that's not it.
- Come on, get the joke straight.
- Shut up. Let me do it.
An unmarried woman meets a guy...
...and he tells her he just got out of prison.
"What did you do?" she asks.
"I hacked my wife into 52 pieces
with a chain saw. "
She says, "So, you're single?"
- That's even funnier.
- Thank you.
- Could I ask you something?
- What?
- What did you do?
- I knew you were going to ask.
- I hacked my wife into 52 pieces.
- I was afraid you'd say that.
I'm a very small person, so maybe-
Maybe I can hack you into 40 pieces.
- What did you do, really?
- No, really, but what did you do?
There was this protest march
on this nuclear power plant and...
...when they came to arrest us...
...this macho sheriff got rough
with the lady behind me.
I popped the bastard,
so they gave me a little time for it.
I'm drinking a sea breeze.
I hope you can afford them.
You have to stay sober. If you ain't
sober, you're taking your chances.
Because I'm just one hell of an animal.
Yeah? Do tell.
Get you on this side, doll. Let's do this.
Who is Loretta anyway?
That's the love of my life.
She's no longer with us.
- I thought I was the love of your life.
- Chopped her into 52 pieces.
He hurt you like this, that married guy?
- He hurt you like this?
- I told you, we never did anything.
- He hurt you like this?
- Oh, scandal.
He's a rough one.
How's this feel?
Oh, my God. Am I under arrest?
Not quite, darlin'.
Officer, I swear, it's all a mistake.
That married guy hurt you like this?
Because what he did to me
hurt a lot worse than this!
I've got you now, bitch!
Dani, when did this key stop working?
What? Oh, I don't know.
No wonder. A wire's missing.
A piano wire is missing. Was somebody
fooling around with the piano?
What?
- Yeah?
- Mr. Bowden.
- I think we might have a little break.
- Good.
I can be there in a half hour.
All right, fine. Thank you.
- Who was that?
- Cady raped another girl.
Rape? You said it was battery.
The case was wobbly. I got it reduced.
I remember those days, old slippery Sam.
I'm sorry.
I just didn't want to alarm you or Dani.
- Why? How old was that girl?
-16.
My birthday is coming up.
Neighbors heard screams and called us.
When the perp drove off,
somebody made his plate.
- Max Cady.
- Great.
We got one little problem.
The girl is scared.
She's claiming she fell down some stairs.
Don't look at me.
Oh, my God.
You two know each other?
Yeah, we work together.
I'll be outside.
I'm so stupid.
You stood me up at the club the other day.
Then you didn't call.
By last night...
...I was feeling pretty reckless.
I thought about what you said, you know...
...that your wife didn't know I existed.
And I felt like...
...I was going to show you.
I guess I showed you, all right, didn't I?
I guess I really showed you.
Listen to me, okay?
Now, look, this guy Cady...
...he's done this kind of thing before.
Now, he's going to do this
over and over again...
...unless you testify
and we take him to court-
No.
And press charges and testify.
I know how it works. I see it every day.
Only this time, I'm on the other side.
I don't want to explain why I was in a bar...
...and how much I had to drink
and what I was wearing.
Not by the people I work with.
Not by the guys that I see
cross-examine other people on the stand.
Just crucify them.
They just laugh about it later.
They'll even ask about you.
Listen to me. I don't care about that.
Well, I care about that.
I'm sure you do, too.
I'm terribly sorry. I'm just terribly sorry.
If this is something personal
between you, the girl and Cady-
Personal?
All right, come on, Lieutenant.
What are you implying?
Only that there are some things
that are better handled quietly.
Not by the police.
This Cady is planning to rape my wife,
but it's not your problem?
I can't bust someone for planning a rape.
You're a lawyer.
You know that damn well.
- Thanks.
- The way I'd handle it-
What, file a restraining order?
I already did.
Just think of Cady as a tiger.
The trick is to get him out of the brush.
How do we do that?
You stake out a couple of your goats
and hide in a tree.
What are you suggesting?
That I use my family as bait?
And then what?
Hope that this psychopath
attacks my wife and child?
- Then what? Blow his head off?
- I'm a law officer.
It would be unethical of me to advise a
citizen to take the law into his own hands.
- I suppose you must've misunderstood me.
- I guess I must've.
Well, pardon me all over the place.
And he's been harassing my family.
Cleverly, so that the law can't touch him.
I believe he's able to slip
in and out of the house undetected.
Although, is he out? I can't tell.
He's either out or in. I'm not sure.
I can't see through walls.
I'm not asking you to see through walls.
That's fine.
Why can't anybody do anything for me?
What good are cops and laws-
Sam, calm down.
Let me explain something to you.
The system is set up to handle
generalized problems...
...like burglary and robbery.
But if some lone creep targets you
for some obscure reason...
...the system is slow and skeptical.
Pathetic even.
What's your connection with this fellow?
- I was his lawyer, his public defender.
- But you shafted him somehow, right?
- At least that's the way he perceives it.
- I don't care what you did.
- What did he do?
- He raped a 16-year-old girl.
Do you have a daughter around 16?
She's 15.
Here's the deal.
I'll do a background check,
follow him and write up a risk assessment.
- Great. Now, the cops-
- I can find him.
- His name's Max Cady.
- Just take it easy. Stay calm.
Dani, you can just relax because...
...your daddy has a private investigator
on the payroll.
Isn't that right?
What's your feeling about him?
What, Sam Spade?
Mickey Spillane? Peter Gunn?
Dirty Harry? Perry Mason?
No. Perry Mason was a lawyer.
The minute I walked in
this guy's office, I felt relaxed.
This guy is totally in charge.
Kersek deals with these types for a living.
He looked like he was going to enjoy-
- Yes?
- Yeah, it's me.
After you left, I had this conversation
with a C.O. at Statesboro prison.
Seems our man Cady had
ajob in the kitchen.
There was this otherinmate
working there with him, obstinate S.O.B.
He hated Cady's cigar smoke
and was always moaning about it.
One day, they found him
with his neck broke and his tongue bit off.
Jesus.
Yeah.
They couldn'tplace Cady
at the scene of the accident...
...ifyou want to call it that...
...atleast not outloud.
But the parole board kept him in
for another seven years.
The subject is on the move.
Get a good night's sleep.
- Who was that?
- Our private eye.
I thought we were relaxed now.
New Essex County Hospital.
Yes, room 5036, please.
- One minute, please.
- All right.
- Hello?
- Hi, Lori, it's me.
I just feel God-awful
you got dragged into this thing.
It's notyour fault.
If I had any idea that Cady would hurt you
to get at me, I would have warned you.
Yeah, I know. I'm glad you called.
Yeah, well.
- I'm so sorry about this.
- I feel the same way.
Are you really determined
about moving back to Connecticut?
I've thought aboutit a lot.
Ijust think it's probably the best thing.
I thought that maybe
I could go back to school.
I'm really going to miss you.
Right. Excuse me.
- That sounds real good.
- Yeah.
- That'll work out fine. I'll get back to you.
- All right, 'bye.
Well, I just don't know what I hate more:
That insipid tone
or your stupid, sophomoric infidelities.
Who was that?
- The girl that got beat up?
- Yes, it was.
I already told you.
She's a clerk at the county courthouse.
And what? You're fucking her?
Interesting choice, Sam.
Calling from our bedroom phone.
Why is it that whenever I have
a private phone conversation...
...you assume that I'm fucking someone?
That's why that psychopath
chose her, right?
Yes, that's why he chose her.
But I'm not fucking her in any way.
Well, you sleazy son of a bitch!
Stop it!
Dani is right downstairs.
- Honey, there's nothing the matter.
- Yeah, I can see, Dad.
I thought you promised
to leave all that shit behind in Atlanta.
The humiliation we went through
confessing our dirty little secrets...
...in those sessions with Dr. Hackett.
- We talked that one incident to death.
- Why did you bother?
- Because you asked me to go.
- I mean, why did you bother?
Why did you bother with you and me?
With the marriage?
Uprooting me and Dani? Moving?
Because that's what we decided to do!
You said you wanted to get out.
- What is it I don't get?
- You don't get it.
Nadine?
It's Dani.
Nothing.
I'm just losing my mind here.
You know, had the balls to walk out,
if that's what you wanted.
Like I was going to split,
with you acting the way you act.
Acting? You did some acting.
I don't remember acting.
You don't remember?
Let me refresh your memory.
Remember not working for three months?
Not fixing any meals?
I'm not on fucking trial here!
Do you remember crying every morning
afternoon, evening? Remember that?
I scared you, huh?
What did you think, Sam?
You thought maybe
I was going to kill myself?
- Over you?
- Who else?
You pompous ass.
You wouldn't leave the bedroom!
- I wish you could say the same.
- This what Dr. Hackett talked about.
Digging up the past.
The relevant issue is whether
I've been messing around in New Essex.
And I have not been.
As far as this girl goes, she's just a kid.
That shouldn't stop you.
She's a baby. You gravitate
to people in the same profession as you.
You gravitate to women.
Come on, I'm a lawyer, she's a clerk.
She looks up to me.
She's just infatuated. I can't help that.
Look, Leigh, I'm scared.
This whole thing has...
I keep feeling that there
is some animal out there stalking us.
I think he wants to hurt us
in the worst way...
...and that's got me frightened to death.
- You really are scared, aren't you?
- Yeah.
Somebody finally got to you.
Look, I think...
...he beat and raped her because he knew
that she wouldn't testify...
...that she wouldn't press charges...
...because she knows the system.
I mean, she works in it.
She knows that she'd be on trial.
Then, because she wouldn't testify,
you would assume that...
...there was something
going on between us...
...and it would cause a rift.
That we'd be much more vulnerable to him.
I'm glad we talked about this,
because we can work together.
We can beat that son of a bitch,
the two of us, working as a team.
Jesus Christ.
Yeah, this is great. This is something else.
Oh, shit!
- Here you go.
- I'm sorry, I haven't ordered yet.
That fellow over there
sent this over, paid for and all.
Who?
- Which one?
- That guy who is just leaving.
Excuse me.
Cady, come here.
Wait up a second.
I've been in a real bad mood lately.
Shame, ain't it?
You know what you can do
to brighten my mood?
- No.
- Get the hell out of here.
I don't mean this town,
I mean the whole state.
I don't want to see you or hear you
and I don't want to smell you. Leave.
Are you my friend?
No, I'm not your friend.
I thought maybe you were because I like to
plan my comings and goings with friends.
But if you're not my friend,
I'd call that presumptuous.
In fact, I'd call it downright rude,
because I ain't your porch-baby, buddy.
Gee golly gosh. I'm sorry I offended you,
you white trash piece of shit.
I got the all-over fidgets on that one.
You've really shaken me up.
I'm shivering all over.
It's not necessary to lay
a foul tongue on me, my friend.
I could get upset.
Things could get out of hand.
Then, in self-defense,
I could do something to you...
...that you would not like, right here.
- Anytime you feel squirrelly, you just jump.
- You threatening me?
You catch on fast.
I'm well within my rights
to be here and you know it.
- If I stay here, what you going to do?
- I don't give a rat's ass about your rights.
Watch your step,
you know what I'm talking about.
You going to arrest me?
You a cop? Or were you a cop?
Were you not good enough
to remain on the force?
That's the feeling I'm getting here.
Hope you enjoyed your breakfast.
Ma'am, this belong to you?
- Can I help you?
- I just found it.
Thought you might need it back.
Not to frighten you, but if a dogcatcher
comes across a dog without a license...
...he's liable to think he's a stray
and do God knows what to it.
You know...
...our dog is...
- He passed away.
- What a shame.
Man's best friend and all. Woman's too.
Even without closing my eyes,
I can picture him...
...big, friendly, shaggy,
asleep at your feet...
...keeping you company while you're trying
to finish up those pesky little sketches.
You're Max Cady, aren't you?
You better get the hell out of here
before I call the police.
I'm not doing nothing.
Just giving back your dog collar.
I'm not on your property.
What'd you come out here for,
to look around?
Go ahead, Mr. Cady, take a good look.
Nice house.
It is a nice house.
You satisfied now you've seen it?
Or is there more?
Is that it?
There is going to be more, isn't there?
You won't stop until you're happy.
How can I be happy
when you're not happy?
You don't know anything about me.
- I know what I see, ma'am.
- Yeah?
I wanted to know what you looked like.
I've been waiting to see your face,
but now that I see you...
...you are just repulsive.
- I understand.
- Yeah.
I'm not your type.
All that prison time made me coarse.
Guess I'm covered in too many tattoos?
But there's not a whole lot
to do in prison but desecrate your flesh.
It didn't have to be that way
for either of us...
...if your husband hadn't betrayed us both.
Who knows?
We might have been different people.
We might have been happy, Leigh.
- Mom, someone's on the phone!
- Dani!
Don't come out here!
Sam.
I thought I'd catch you here.
- That little smart aleck made me.
- He what?
It wasn't my fault.
He was looking to be covered.
There is a lot of cutsie-cutsie
in that little prick.
- I told you.
- You know where he was today?
At the public library reading
Thus Spake Zarathustra...
...by Friedrich Nietzsche,
the German philosopher.
- He said that God is dead.
- God is dead. Right.
We can keep going this way,
but it's going to get expensive.
I'm not so concerned about days.
Stay on him a few more nights.
Do you really want
to resolve this situation?
- Yes, I'd love to resolve it.
- Then I got a suggestion.
There are men that can be hired, by me,
to do a little hospital job on Cady.
What are we talking about here?
Two pieces of pipe and a bicycle chain.
He won't be so scary after that.
I'm a lawyer. Are we agreed on that?
Maybe 2,000 years ago,
we'd have stoned him to death.
I can't operate outside the law.
The law is my business.
- I'm home! Where is everybody?
- In here.
'Evening, ladies. Oh, chicken.
How is everything? Is everything okay?
- Yeah.
- Good.
He was here today.
- Hello?
- Hello, Danielle?
- Is this Miss Danielle Bowden?
- Yeah.
This is your new teacher calling.
- From English or Drama?
- Drama.
- So how you doing?
- Fine.
I'mjust going down the list,
greeting my summerstudents.
You sound kind of down.
There's just been stuff
going on around here, that's all.
- Anything I can do?
- I doubt it.
Shit happens, you know,
like the t-shirt says.
Yeah.
You know, all that negativity,
you can use that.
What do you mean?
I'm the kind of teacher that takes
a very personal interest in his kids.
Don't mind me. Everything you're
going through, it's okay, go with it.
The awkwardness you feel,
walking down the street...
...and some leering fool is
making fun of your sexuality...
...the turmoil you feel, extra bad when
that time of the month comes around...
...the anger you feel
that your mom and dad...
...won't let you grow up
and be yourself, be a woman.
Don't suppress or deny it.
Use it in your life and work.
Okay. I mean...
I'll have to think about all that.
Class is tomorrow in Room 110, right?
No, it's been changed to the theater.
- What better place for Drama, right?
- Yeah.
And remember, Danielle, you can use
all those fears to draw upon and learn.
You know this little tune?
"Ifyou want a do right
"All days
"woman
"You've gotta be a
"do right
"All night man"
You can trust in me,
because I'm a do right man, okay?
Okay, 'night now.
Okay. Good night.
Honey, I think maybe I should walk you in.
No, it's okay, Mom.
There are a lot of people here.
I'll be right here at 4:00 to pick you up.
- Okay.
- 'Bye.
I didn't think summer sessions
would be so crowded.
They're just having a big meeting
about next fall's chorus program.
- I have to go downstairs for Drama.
- Okay, 'bye.
Hello.
Nadine?
I'm here for the Drama class.
Am I busted?
- No.
- I hope not.
You can't smoke grass in school.
Privilege of the profession.
Eases inhibitions.
You down here for Drama?
Yeah.
Are you the Drama teacher?
And you're, let me guess.
Cecile James?
No, I'm Danielle Bowden.
Danielle. Oh, we spoke last night.
Yeah.
Oh, I'm sorry. How rude.
It's okay.
"I think we're alone now"
Okay.
Thanks. Here.
I'm going to give this to you.
Little trick I learned. Take it.
You know when we spoke
on the phone last night?
You really made sense to me.
I thought a lot.
Those are human truths.
That's what it's all about.
And that's what we deal with here.
See the book you have, Thomas Wolfe?
It's all about self-discovery,
the inner voyage.
I like the end...
...where Eugene's journey was really...
...mystical, you know?
It was almost like a pilgrimage.
Almost like a cop-out, if you ask me.
Though those were the facts of Wolfe's life.
The novel is what you would call
a roman clef.
You know what that is?
Sure.
Well, nonetheless, you can't escape
your demons just by leaving home.
Although writers do find new freedom
when they relocate abroad.
Take Henry Miller.
Have you read his trilogy?
Plexus, Nexus and Sexus?
- You haven't read that?
- No.
You're missing something.
You know what?
I did read Tropic of Cancer.
Just parts of it, though...
...because I had to sneak it off
my parents' shelf, you know?
His descriptions are pretty vivid,
I would say.
In one of the novels, I don't recall which...
...he describes an erection
as a piece of lead with wings on it.
- I didn't read that part.
- Of course not. You're not allowed.
Your parents don't want you
to achieve adulthood.
They know the pitfalls of adulthood,
all that freedom.
They know it only too well.
Temptation to stray,
deflecting their guilt and anger onto you...
...for a crime that's not even a crime,
for smoking grass.
Wait a second.
Where are you from?
Where am I from?
- Yeah.
- Where do you think I'm from?
I don't know, but-
If I told you, you going to get mad at me?
I'm from the black forest.
That's funny.
You're not the Drama teacher, are you?
Maybe I'm the big bad wolf.
So you're that guy that's been
hanging around the house?
You're the one that killed my mom's dog?
- Your mom's dog was killed?
- Yeah.
I didn't even know anything about that.
That's a shame.
That's a damn shame.
Yes, it was.
What kind of dog was it?
I don't know. He was just...
He was fluffy, and...
Fluffy?
So you didn't do that?
Of course I didn't do that.
- Okay.
- I wouldn't do that.
So why... What are you doing here, then?
Well, I came to meet you,
to be honest with you.
- Why? I mean-
- Because...
...I wanted to meet you,
see what you're like.
I see you're a nice person. That's all.
- You're not going to hurt me, are you?
- I'm not going to hurt you at all.
There's no hurting here, Danielle.
Between us there's no anger, nothing.
Just a search for truth.
Did you judge me, get angry at me
when you caught me smoking the grass?
No.
But your parents judged you.
Got plenty angry at you, didn't they?
Yeah.
They punished you for their sins.
What did they do?
My dad...
They just yelled a whole lot and...
...my mom cried...
...and my dad said
I couldn't drive the Cherokee.
I'd say they punished you
for their sins, and you resent that...
...and you should resent it.
But Professor do-right has
a little advice for you.
You shouldn't damn them.
Don't judge them.
Just forgive them,
for they know not what they do.
Why do you hate my father?
I don't hate him at all.
Oh, no. I pray for him.
I'm here to help him.
We all make mistakes, Danielle.
You and I have. At least we try to admit it.
Don't we?
Yeah.
But your daddy, he don't.
Every man carries a circle of hell
around his head like a halo.
Your daddy, too. Every man...
...has to go through hell
to reach his paradise.
You know what paradise is?
- No.
- Salvation.
'Cause your daddy's not happy.
Your mommy's not happy.
And you know what? You're not happy.
- Are you?
- No, I'm not.
You thought about me last night,
didn't you?
Yes, I did.
I know.
You know, I think
I might have found a companion...
...for that long walk to the light.
Do you mind if I put my arm around you?
It's okay.
No, I don't mind.
Okay.
Kersek, where the hell have you been?
He came at my daughter at school.
You asked me to watch him nights.
I'm watching nights. What happened?
My wife, Leigh, found some marijuana
in one of Dani's schoolbooks.
We don't know if Cady
gave it to her or what happened.
She's scared and she won't talk aboutit.
But this has gone far enough.
It's got to stop!
- You phone the cops?
- No, I didn't phone the cops.
What did you call them?
"Slow, skeptical pathetic, even. "
No, Leigh, that's all right.
Just hold on a minute.
Kersek...
...I want to hire those three guys,
you remember, the hospital job.
Consider it done, the sooner the better.
Three men are going to cost you a grand.
It's not chicken feed
but you don't go with less than three.
It's better to overdo it.
You'll have the money in the morning.
We'll be on for tomorrow night.
And Sam...
...you'll feel good about this.
All right.
Do you notice these young people?
They don't look very happy.
They're committed to their professions
and ambitions but not to each other.
Cady, shut up and listen.
If you don't leave...
...my family alone
and you don't get out of here...
...you're going to be hurting
like you never dreamed.
- Could you repeat that?
- I said...
...if you don't get out of here...
...you're going to be hurting
like you never dreamed.
- A threat?
- Yeah.
You bet your ass that's a threat.
I have thought of relocating...
...where I'd be more appreciated,
California, perhaps.
...I could teach earthquake preparedness.
But then it hits me,
I love New Essex, Counselor.
I mean, where else could I just
casually confer with an old colleague?
We're not colleagues.
Do you understand that?
- You think you're better than me.
- No, I don't.
That's not the goddamned point.
Good. If you're not better than me
then I can have what you have.
- What do I have?
- A wife, a daughter.
I'm going to teach you
the meaning of commitment.
Fourteen years ago, I was forced to make
a commitment to an eight-by-nine cell...
...and now you're going to be forced
to make a commitment.
You could say I'm here to save you.
Fine.
Check out the Bible, Counselor...
...the book between Esther and Psalms.
You all right?
- Is everything all right?
- Yeah.
This isn't going to work, you know.
- What isn't going to work?
- Locking us in, hiding us from the world.
Oh, don't be so dramatic, Dani.
- Making me stay out of school.
- You're going back to school tomorrow.
And put some clothes on.
You're not a kid anymore.
Why am I going back to school tomorrow?
What are you going to do?
That's none of your concern, Dani.
Dad...
...he didn't force himself on me, you know.
I know you'd like to think that he did.
But I think he was...
I think he was just trying
to make a connection with me.
- You know?
- Now, Dani...
...I want you to listen to me.
No. Do you understand?
There will never be any connection
between you...
...and Max Cady.
You understand that?
Did he touch you?
What are you laughing about?
Why are you smiling?
I'm asking you a question.
Did he touch you?
Dani, wipe that smile off your face!
I'm asking you did he touch you?
Oh, wait, Dani. I'm sorry.
Wait, honey. I'm sorry.
Get out of here!
Come on.
Counselor?
Is that you?
Come out, come out, wherever you are.
I ain't no white trash piece of shit.
I'm better than you all.
I can out-learn you.
I can out-read you.
I can outthink you,
and I can out-philosophize you.
And I'm going to outlast you.
You think a couple whacks to my
good-old-boy gut will get me down?
It's going to take a hell of a lot
more than that...
...to prove you're better than me!
"I am like God, and God like me.
"I am as large as God.
"He is as small as I.
"He cannot above me
nor I beneath him be. "
Silesius, 17th century.
Could you be there?
I wonder if you're here.
Ah, fuck it.
If you're here,
what the fuck is the difference?
Fuck it!
- I've got Mr. Kersek on one.
- Good. I'll take it.
Sam, you look tired. You get that writ?
No, we have to get into that.
Let me just grab this.
- Kersek.
- I'm damn sorry aboutlast night.
Thatson of a bitch could survive
a nuclearstrike.
Hang on a second.
Tom, I'm not doing it. I pulled a fast one...
...and it's come back and bit me on the ass.
What you did was dumb. What I'm asking
is no big deal. This is my daughter!
No, it's perjury.
It's bullshit and I'm not doing it!
- All right?
- I'll be in my office.
Who was that top criminal lawyer?
Lee Heller. We need to talk.
If word gets out how Cady
bushwhacked those bastards...
...it'll be hard to get three new guys.
I don't want three new guys.
You hear me?
Mr. Heller, it's Sam Bowden
from Broadbent and Denmeyer.
Tom speaks very highly of you. He says
you're the best, and that's what I need.
We froze our butts togetherin Korea.
How can I help you, Sam?
It's a petition for a restraining order,
but there have been complications.
I know this is short notice,
but I need this injunction.
There's an ex-convict named Max Cady
who's been harassing my family.
I'm sorry, Mr. Bowden.
I can't continue this conversation.
- Is there a more convenient time?
- The damn thing is, I have a conflict.
- What would that be?
- You see...
...Mr. Cady retained my services yesterday.
- He what?
- In fact, I see on my phone sheet...
...Mr. Cady called this morning,
so I'm sure he'll fill me in-
But wait a minute, Lee.
This man is a psychotic.
It appears I'll be seeing you
at that hearing after all.
- Could you repeat that?
- I said, "Ifyou don'tleave...
"... my family alone
and ifyou don't get out of here...
"... you're gonna be hurting
like you never dreamed. "
- A threat?
- You betyour ass that's a threat.
You need only glance
at my client to know...
...that Mr. Bowden made good
on his heinous and cowardly threat.
Just as God arose to judgment
to save all the meek of the earth...
...I hope and pray you will do the same, sir.
Your honor...
...Mr. Cady wouldn't have
surreptitiously taped our meeting...
...unless he knew that he'd-
This court does not condone...
...feuds, vendettas or vigilantism.
Let me quote our great Negro educator,
Mr. Booker T. Washington.
"I will let no man drag me down so low...
"... as to make me hate him. "
Yes.
I will grant the restraining order...
...not to validate the malice between you...
...but in the interest of Christian harmony.
You may not come within 500 yards...
...of Mr. Maximilian Cady...
...until such time as the court
may lift the injunction.
King Solomon could not have
adjudicated more wisely, your honor.
I am so offended by the Philistine tactics
of Mr. Bowden...
...I petitioned the A.B.A.
for his disbarment...
...on the grounds of moral turpitude.
Now, if you will excuse us, my client...
...is due back at the hospital...
...for the results of his numerous x-rays.
Kersek, I want a gun.
- I need a gun. I want a gun.
- You want a gun?
Yeah, I need a gun.
- Know anything about guns?
- I don't believe in them. Not in the house.
I'll get you a gun. What kind?
Now, calm down.
- Something simple I can handle.
- Let me see what fits you.
Forty-five...
Let me see your hands.
- A.38 snub-nosed special.
- All right. Good.
I can teach you how to use it.
- Great.
- The first lesson is this...
...don't think of it as trying to kill a man.
- Right.
- It's an extension of your fist.
You're just reaching out
and knocking him down.
Boom. All right.
Later on we'll shoot some trees, okay?
That'd be great. Good.
What is it? What?
- Well, Sam...
- Yeah?
I give you a gun. You pull it on Cady...
...it will dawn on you that shooting
a man is different than shooting a tree.
Next thing, you know, Cady has the gun.
You'll teach me. I could handle a gun.
He won't take it away.
Best-case scenario:
you kill Cady dog-dead.
Fifteen years to life.
Do you realize that, Counselor?
Oh, Jesus! It's all fucked up, Kersek!
I mean, the law considers me
more of a loose cannon than Max Cady!
Some big-shit attorney has whipped the
A.B.A.'s ethics committee into a frenzy.
There's an emergency session
in Raleigh over the assault.
How did they link that to you?
I went to warn Cady.
I thought it was the decent thing to do.
Maybe I'd scare him. He was wired.
Goddamn fools.
This hearing, it's real important?
Only if I want to continue to practice law.
Cady isn't expected there, is he?
Mr. Cady, he's beyond reproach.
- But you're required to be there.
- Yeah.
- When is this hearing?
- It's Thursday morning, 9:00.
The torture begins and lasts for two days.
You have to fly up the night before?
Right.
Cady's an opportunist.
If he thinks you're gone for two days...
...that's going to be as tempting to him
as shit is to a fly.
If Cady breaks into your home...
...he can be killed.
Justifiably.
But he won't show unless
he's sure you won't be there.
- Have a good trip.
- All right. Bye-bye.
- Call us tonight, okay?
- All right.
- I didn't miss the 9:20 to Raleigh?
- I'm afraid you did. There's a 10:20.
It's not that. I have some
important papers for Samuel Bowden.
Was he on the 9:20?
We can't give out that information, sir.
Well, it's just...
...I guess I could send it to him overnight...
...but he might be back, for all I know,
tomorrow morning, and I...
See, I...
My wife and I have been in an accident,
and he's our lawyer.
If I don't get in touch with him,
we could lose this case.
We've already lost our little daughter Dani.
Is...
Is there any way to know if he was
on that flight and when he's returning?
It'd really help us.
He'll be back the day after tomorrow, sir.
Bless your heart.
Go on in.
Get down, Sam.
Give me a cigarette.
Slow down. You're outpacing me
two-to-one since you started again.
Just keep track of how many I owe you.
- How'd it go at the airport?
- We did our thing...
...but we don't know if he saw us,
or if he was there.
Set the trap and we'll see.
What if we don't want to see?
- Dani!
- What?
Maybe he poisoned the dog.
Sam, watch out for the windows.
You're not allowed to stand up, remember?
- Didn't Cady go after her?
- You don't know Dani.
If she finds a palmetto bug in her bedroom,
she takes it outside.
You know, she could never kill anything.
Even a six-foot palmetto bug?
Oh, God.
What is that?
It's monofilament line.
I got it from Sam's fishing gear.
I stretch it across the windows
and the doors...
...and tie it to Dani's teddy bear here.
If the bear moves a quarter of an inch,
I know if the holy ghost is sneaking in.
What are you reading?
- Why? Did Kersek quit?
- No.
It's just that Cady said-
You want some answers.
Me, too.
I'd like to know just how strong we are...
...or how weak.
But I guess the only way
we're going to find that out is by...
...going through this.
It's just that Cady said to read the book
between Esther and Psalms.
Which is which one?
The book of Job.
Job was a good man. He believed in God...
...and God tested his faith.
He took away everything he had...
...even his children.
It's hideous, this plan. I mean, barbaric.
They're crazy.
My dad's turned into some kind of-
I don't know what.
Barbaric.
Listen to your father.
Do what they say. What else can you do?
Leave. We could go to the houseboat...
...you know, and get lost in any inlet.
Dani, come on.
Don't stay outside.
Do you want to know
what really disturbs me?
Killing this guy.
I mean, taking a man's life.
I don't know if I can live with that.
You may have to.
- Sam, just remember the plan.
- I know the plan.
Damn, it's premeditated.
It makes me an accomplice,
an accessory, an abettor.
It's also excessive force.
The only thing excessive
we could do to Cady...
...would be to gut him and eat his liver.
That might be excessive.
Jesus Christ, Kersek, I'm serious.
No, you're scared.
But that's okay.
I want you to savor that fear.
You know, the South evolved in fear...
...fear of the Indian, fear of the slave...
...fear of the damn Union.
The South has a fine tradition
of savoring fear.
What's the matter?
Don't look over!
She's making me nervous.
What would she normally do...
...if Sam wasn't around to run her home?
- She'd stay-
- She'd stay over.
Well, then, she stays over.
- What?
- Leigh.
I know how the dog died.
- Sam, are you dreaming?
- No!
I just had the weirdest feeling
he was already in the house.
Can't sleep, Miss Graciela?
Yeah. It's hot.
You know, I think it's the humidity
that makes us all so thirsty.
Excuse me.
My pop was a cop.
Twenty years.
This was his favorite drink on a stakeout.
I learned that in prison. You like?
White trash piece of shit.
Stay here, Leigh.
Kersek?
Dani, go back to your room.
Lock the door.
- Don't go down there, Sam.
- No, it's all right.
Dani, don't look.
Oh, my God, Graciela!
Oh, my God.
It's the piano wire.
I'm going to get this son of a bitch!
Tell him to stop!
God, he might be out here!
Listen, I've got Kersek's gun with me...
...and you'll find the piano wire
that Cady used in the house.
Yeah, I know how this looks.
You're not supposed to flee
a murder scene.
Listen, Lieutenant.
You may not know this...
...but in the law there's something
called force majeure.
It means an unforeseeable act of God...
...and it cancels all promises
and obligations.
So, legally speaking, all bets are off.
You find Max Cady and we'll come back.
- What did he say?
- He said we're fugitives.
- What's that mean?
- It means we're doing something right.
Where's that old mongrel dog of yours,
Mrs. Bowden?
Tomorrow, I'll catch some fish.
Oh, you know, you don't have to.
I've got enough food to last us a week.
But it'd be nice.
Good.
It's only rain. A sheet of rain.
- What was that?
- It's just a squall.
- I'll go check the anchor.
- Wait, Dad. Don't go out.
No, Danielle. Everything is okay. All right?
- Yeah. We're on the river now, baby.
- It's just a squall kicking.
Graciela has a brother.
I mean, she had a brother.
Oh, sweetie.
We'll get in touch with him right away.
We're making some tea.
I can't hear you. It's windy out.
What's that?
Are we moving?
'Evening, ladies.
You know my husband has a gun?
Not this gun?
- Is it this gun?
- Where is he?
Resting up. He had a long difficult day.
Danielle, I told you, you can't escape
your demons just by leaving home.
I didn't.
- My parents brought me here.
- Of course.
Where's Sexus?
- Back at the house.
- Shame.
I had hoped we could
read aloud from it together.
Well, I...
- ... memorized some for you.
- Did you?
- Yeah.
- Did you?
Well, I'm impressed.
Which part?
The part...
...you know what part, you know.
- I don't think you did your homework.
- I did.
What parts were they?
The good parts?
Yeah. They were...
- Were you a good girl?
- I was.
I knew you'd follow me here and-
You know me pretty well, don't you?
Yeah. I do.
You're going to know me a lot better, too.
Are you offering me something hot?
Let's get something straight here.
I spent fourteen years
in an eight-by-nine cell...
...surrounded by people
who were less than human.
My mission in that time was
to become more than human.
You see?
Granddaddy used to handle
snakes in church.
Granny drank strychnine.
You could say I had a leg-up,
genetically speaking.
I'm going to forgive you, Danielle, honey.
I know that wasn't the real you,
the true you.
But I would like you to wait in the hold.
Danielle, get in the hold.
- Stop!
- No!
Ready to be born again, Mrs. Bowden?
A few minutes alone with me, darling,
and you'll be speaking in tongues.
Excuse me, Mrs. B.
Please don't take umbrage...
...but in the plan that I have formulated...
...there's much more to it
than just you and I making love.
I mean, that's just so...
...commonplace and dreary.
Here and now, we have an opportunity.
"What is that opportunity?" you ask.
Why, here and now,
we have an opportunity...
...to depict and dramatize...
...both the heights and the depths...
...of a mama's true love of her daughter,
if you get my meaning.
Come on out, babe.
Come on, darling. Let's go.
Get out. Get up here.
This is between you and me.
Leave them out of it.
This is my night, Counselor.
Don't you step on my lines.
Stop!
Yes, Leigh?
Listen to me, Max.
You know, Max, since all this started...
...I've thought about you all the time.
I've tried to imagine
what it must have been like for you...
...all those years, locked up in jail.
I've tried to imagine you
and even your crimes...
...and how you must have felt
in those moments that you did them.
See, I know about loss, Max.
I know about losing time,
even losing years.
And I know it doesn't compare to jail, but...
...I can understand...
...and I could share this with you.
Because of that whatever it is
that you've got planned...
...I want you to do it just with me...
...not with her...
...because...
...we have this connection.
What do you think, Counselor?
That was real eloquent, Leigh.
Brave, too.
I want to thank you for conveying to me
your most powerful emotions...
...because...
...I'm going to enjoy this all the more.
Oh, my God!
The people call Samuel J. Bowden!
Do you swear to tell the truth
and nothing but the truth?
- Somebody's got to man the boat.
- Did you swear?
- I'll do it.
- Sit, Danielle.
Don't make light of your civic duty.
You're the jury.
All right, I swear to tell the truth.
What do you want to know?
Was a prior sexual history ever prepared
in connection with my defense?
It's...
I'm sorry, Your Honor.
That was argumentative.
An investigator did prepare a prior
sexual history on the alleged victim...
...true?
I can ask leading questions, Your Honor.
He is a hostile witness.
Would you care to tell the court
what the gist was of this report?
It was fourteen years ago.
I can't remember that.
How can he answer
when you're hitting him?
Because he's perjuring himself.
He knows damn well what it said.
- Don't you?
- It said that she was promiscuous.
It said she had three different lovers
in one month.
At least three! And did you show
this report to the D.A.?
I found it when I started representing
myself six years into my sentence!
But there it was in the court file.
Back in '77, you buried it, Counselor.
Would you care to tell the jury why?
Would you care to tell the court why?
Because I know he brutally raped her
and he beat her.
Talk to me! I'm standing here!
Just because she was promiscuous
doesn't justify you raping her!
You bragged that you beat two prior
aggravated rapes. You were a menace!
You were my lawyer!
That report could have saved me
fourteen years.
- You're probably right.
- You self-righteous fuck!
I'm Virgil and I'm guiding you
through the gates of Hell.
We are now in the 9th circle,
the circle of traitors.
Traitors to country,
traitors to fellow man...
...traitors to God!
You, sir, are charged with
betraying the principles of all three!
Can you please quote for me the A.B.A.'s...
...Rules of Professional Conduct, Canon 7?
"A lawyer should represent his client-"
"Should zealously represent his client
within the bounds of the law. "
And I find you guilty, Counselor...
...guilty of betraying your fellow man...
...guilty of betraying your country...
...guilty of abrogating your oath...
...guilty ofjudging me and selling me out!
And with the power vested in me
by the kingdom of God...
...I sentence you to the 9th circle of Hell!
Now you will learn about loss...
...loss of freedom, loss of humanity.
Now you and I will truly
be the same, Counselor.
Danielle, get down on your knees.
Take off your clothes!
Down on your knees now!
Take off your clothes!
Get down on your knees!
Don't!
Now, off with your clothes!
You, Leigh, take off your clothes. Now!
Come on!
Tonight, you'll learn to be an animal...
...to live like an animal and to die like one.
Give me your hand!
Go!
Did you forget about that
restraining order, Counselor?
You're well within 500 yards!
Well, here we are, Counselor...
...just two lawyers...
...working it out!
I'm going to kill you!
You already sacrificed me, Counselor.
"On Jordan's stormy banks I stand
"Oh who will come and go with me
"I am bound for the promised land"
We neverspoke about what happened...
...atleast not to each other.
Fear, I suppose...
...that to remember his name
or what he did...
...would mean letting him into our dreams.
And me, I hardly dream
about him anymore.
Still, things won't ever be
the way they were before he came.
But that's all right...
...because ifyou hang onto the past,
you die a little every day.
And for myself...
...I know I'd ratherlive.