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Demonlover (2002)
Ride to Norway
Ride to Norway And you're just another hero riding through the night Riding through the city... In short, I think that negotiations are well underway. They've shown losses, but we'll analyse them. I think they can be written off. They have a potential for development which they can't finance. That's why they need a partner. My decision is subject to examination of the information they've provided us. It needs to be analysed. We're walking a fine line, a very fine line. But we remain within the limits of the law. Merci. Mmm... Sleep well? Not bad. I took some Valerian. It works well. - Oh, yeah. - And you? - Volf doesn't sleep on planes. - So, is it a deal? - Everyone wins, right? - It will require legal acrobatics. I'll look over the file again and let you know. - Can you do it soon? - Yes. I'm seeing Volf for breakfast tomorrow morning. Good morning. We'll have the report from the Japanese lawyer. Want a ride back with us? No way. I have my jet-black Audi TT that I bought last week. - You left it in the parking lot? - Of course. - Did you sleep? - Not a wink. Not in economy. No leg room. - Next time you'll go business. - Next time you won't need me. - Did you try the Valerian? - I took three. You take too many pills. You want a ride? - Karim is coming. - I have to drop this off at the office. Good morning. Merci. Are you OK? I'm sorry... I'm feeling a bit weak. It must be the jet lag. - We didn't sleep much in Tokyo. Here. - Thank you. That's true. I didn't get much sleep. - Hello, Madam. - Good morning. How's traffic? It could be worse. - Had a nice trip? - Yes, thank you. Well... ...say hello to your jet-black Audi TT. I need cash. We'll talk later at the office. OK. - Hello. - Hi. Thank you. - Good morning. - Good morning. - He's on the terrace. - Thank you. Bye, girls. No clowning around today! Give your teacher a break. Goodbye. Have a seat. You know, they found Karen in the boot of her car in a parking lot in St. Denis. She'd been inside it for 18 hours. I just spoke to the hospital. She's OK, but she almost suffocated to death. She'll stay a few more days then take a week to rest. The briefcase? Oh... vanished. It's not so much the files, we'll have copies by tonight, it's the message. We have competitors who'll do anything. Which ones? Who cares? There are several. They know we're in negotiation. They want our information to make a better offer. Would the Japanese follow? If the offer's good, and if it's better than ours, why wouldn't they accept it, uh? - Coffee? - Please. So we have to act faster than them. Karen's out of commission. You'll take over the case and close the deal. I don't just mean the Japanese venture. I mean the entire operation. - Are you willing? - I'm willing. Get ready to go back to Tokyo next week. - What are you doing? - Copying your appointments. - You have them at the office. - Not all of them. Are you OK? - Can I help? - Come close to me. - Jean-Paul didn't come? - He's in Chicago. - When is he coming back? - Next week at the earliest. Who's watching your daughter? Her father's sister. - Does she know? - No one does. I lied to everyone. I feel dirty... disgusting. Like I was raped. It's not the same thing. Not knowing who did it... - You weren't raped. - I was. Stop, Karen. - You're shelling out to Ericom again? - No, my client's off. I'm stuck. London is giving a press conference on Friday. Mr Volf will explain the real estate operation in Qatar. - Yes? - Do I warn Mr El Hamadi? He already knows. He wants to be there. He's in his jet somewhere between Cairo and New York. You have his number. Send me a report and I'll decide. For Mr Olek. Here are the Japan files, plus the list of stolen documents. Put them down. - What about Karen's other files? - Give them to Herv. I can manage with some of them. Don't manage with anything. Do as I say. She's getting on my nerves. - Did you give Karen a call? - No time. She's better. Not 100%, but her Audi TT is unscathed. - I'll call tonight. - Yeah, you do that. - What do you mean? - She's lousy and you can't stand her. Come on, the office isn't wired. It suits us both. Is anyone home? - Yes or no? - Yes. Thanks for your trust. I need the Japanese lawyer's report. - Don't you have it? - I saw it on your desk. YOU FORGOT SOMETHING Merci. Elise, what's this pile of Karen's stuff? I'm busy. Can't you deal with it? I intended to. Diane said not to. - Why? - I have no idea. Take them. If you don't understand, ask me. - And Diane? - Don't worry about her. - You don't like her much. - Not much. And you? Me neither. She's cold, inhuman. But I respect her. - I can't wait for Karen to come back. - Don't count on it. - Diane's staying? - You'd better get used to her. She's better than Karen. And Volf protects her. I'm exhausted. I'm out of shape and I smoke too much. I received Karen's briefcase. The Japanese file is airtight. Perfectly legal. We can't do a thing. Volf asked me to finalise the contract. Instead of Karen? - I'm impressed. - Isn't that what you wanted? Do what he tells you. We have no choice. Go over the contract with a fine-tooth comb. If there's anything fishy, we'll act. - If not... - If not? If not, I don't know. - I need to think. - Wait! The money was wired to your Swiss bank. Sorry, I can't talk. I'm having lunch with the French people. All I want is to get out of here. I'm bored to death. A typical business lunch. A real bore. No, it's not Karen. Her name is Diane. A real ice queen. He has a Sylvie Vartan poster? Sylvie Vartan and Johnny Hallyday are old news. Can he sing us his favourite song? Let's toast to the success of our venture. Of course, cheers. Tell Mr Ishegawa that what worries Mr Volf and our legal department is the issue of the models. - The models? - Oui. We want to know whether your artists base their work on photos of minors or have minors pose for them. Not at all. We've never done anything like that. I'm sorry, but your characters are underage. They have no pubic hair. It's not legal to show pubic hair in Japan. In France, the law is very strict on those matters. If we make the deal, I say "if", we have to put a... a clause to protect us, you know? Er... in case of a lawsuit involving child pornography. OK, child pornography we cannot touch. OK? Did he understand what I said? No models. They're fantasy characters in a fantasy world. Yes, yes. OK, I know. But, I say "but", if there are any problems, any lawsuit, our deal is immediately, immediately off. What's illegal in Europe is illegal here. TokyoAnime has been making films for ten years. Good for you. We are the world leader in adult animation. With the Internet, we've grown by 60%. We can't take such risks. OK, OK, OK. Well, I said what I had to say. All right? What about TokyoAnime comic books? We have written contracts with every single graphic artist. What if they don't respect the contracts? Then we would terminate the partnership. Has it ever happened? Has it ever happened? I'm sorry, but I need an answer. Has it ever happened? Yes, it has, a long time ago. That's exactly why we are ultra-careful now. This is the film currently in production. You know the basics: Ai and Mai are two ninja sisters who use sex magic to fight monsters in a parallel universe. This series does really well. It's a big hit in the States. She's in a tight fix. I said she's in a tight fix. Forget it. No need to translate. A film like this is already outdated. We'll keep producing them for two years at the most. Then we have to move on to 3D animation. Or else it's simple: we go out of business. It's state of the art. It's what consumers know. It's what consumers want. It's the wave of the future. But it's still very expensive. It's motion-captured with 12 cameras. We have the best artists, technicians and skills. Mm-hmm. But we need you to help TokyoAnime move into digital 3D... ...and control our worldwide distribution. Volf will call at 6pm, Paris time. - What time here? - 1am. - Where will he call? - Your hotel room. - It's almost a done deal. - You think so? There are no obstacles. Too bad for Karen. - You'll reap the benefits. - Which benefits? No, thank you. Volf's trust. Karen will be back to the legal department, maybe to real estate law. So her getting mugged benefits me? - Doesn't it? - So what? Nothing. Don't put words in my mouth. I'll go get drinks. What do you want? - Whisky. Diane? - Vodka. - I didn't like your sense of irony. - Tough luck. You didn't lay it on a bit thick? You're oversensitive. I could find it suspicious. When someone's listening who doesn't know your irony, - you're right, I'm oversensitive. - I, er... - No, don't play games with me. - I told you! Karen is history and I'm glad. - So you think...? - I don't think anything. I couldn't care less. Stop hounding me. Relax. It will do you good. I'm going back. I booked a massage. - The driver is waiting for you. - Merci. '...commanding commissioners for their states like work, 'they have risen above parts of the motions...' '...to put forward practical suggestions for improving democracy 'and the United States Congress should listen to them - 'and follow their lead.' - 'When we come back, 'we are gonna be speaking with the Chief Financial Officer' - 'of Nationwide Financial Services...' - Hello. 'Mark Thresher is gonna be joining us. 'And a little bit later on in the show we're also gonna be talking to Ross Perot. 'Junior, that is. He is President and CEO of Perot Systems. 'The company had earnings we'll wanna talk to him about a little later. 'And one more CEO after that, the head of TransOcean, 'Michael Talbert, is gonna be joining us. 'This is the largest off-shore oil and gas drilling company. 'They also some numbers 'and we wanna find out how the state of that sector is doing.' Hello? Not at all. I was watching TV. Hmm? CNN. It sucks. Yes. I know. Volf's secretary called. He's stuck in a meeting. London? London again. Real estate again. He faxed us a memo. Do you have it? I haven't received anything. - No? It was sent an hour ago. - I'll go check. Thank you. - Do you want a drink? - No, thanks. I've had enough. Maybe some water, please. It's not finished. It's still coming through. It's a draft for a contract with TokyoAnime. - Want to see it? - No. - I made a copy of the memo. - He won't call. I'm going to sleep. Slip the contract under my door. - Mm-hmm. 4522? - Yes, 4522. Good night. - I'm not going to the office. - Me neither. I'll go in early tomorrow. - When do the Americans arrive? - In the morning. That's why I want to work on the case. OK. 'Please leave a message after the beep.' 'It's me. Are you hiding behind your answering machine? 'I'll wait.' OK, you're not there. We should talk a little. Outside the office. What do you think? Tonight? I can, but late. At 11pm in the bar of the Raphael? 'Leave a message.' I didn't hear from you. I'm going to the Raphael just in case. I'll wait there a while. If you come, great. If not, see you tomorrow. - Have they arrived already? - Not yet. But it's really important, OK? Are you listening? It's got to be not Moroccan but Tibetan rouge. - Hello. - Hi. - Hi, I'm Elise. - Hi, I'm Elaine. How are you doing? - Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you. - Rodney. - Thank you. Mr Gomez arrived earlier this morning from New York. He said he'd be waiting for you at the hotel. - What time is the meeting? - As planned. You have your schedule on the fax that I sent you. Mr Volf is only in Paris for 16 hours. He's leaving for Qatar in the morning. How's Karen? She's doing better, but now it's Mr Volf's personal assistant, Diane de Monx, who will be handling the matter. Yeah, so I heard. What's she like? How do you mean? Is she tough? Well, you'll definitely have a harder time with her than with Karen. We have a lovely terrace for breakfast on the 7th floor. - What time is room service till? - 11pm. The mini-bar is just under the TV. My name is Arnaud. If you need anything, just don't hesitate to call reception by dialling 7741. - Mercibeaucoup. - Thank you. If you need anything, my cell phone number is on the fax. Oh, yeah. Elise, er... is it hard to get pot in Paris? - Not so hard. - You think you can get me some? - I'll try. - Thanks. OK. Edward? Hey. It's me, I just got in. Are you sleeping? Oh. Sorry. So look, Karen's out. Looks like we have to deal with this Diane chick. Well, for the time being, she's not much of a problem at all. Later on we'll have to figure out a way to control her. No, I can't say it worries me much either. Where's the Demonlover contract with Volf's notes? - Purple folder. - Has it been here long? - I re-read it yesterday. It's all good. - And did you inform anyone? I re-read it and called to have it picked up. What more am I supposed to do? - Can I talk to you? - Now? Yes, now. When I ask for something, you do it, no "maybe", not "sort of". Why was this still downstairs? I had to take the Americans to their hotel. I made sure... Of course, you'd rather drive them around and lick their boots than do your job, which is a lot less fun! Listen, Diane, don't talk to me like that. I'm not your fucking maid! I've had it up to here! You may not like the fact that I've taken Karen's place, but that's the way it is. I don't give a shit whether you take Karen's place or not. If you don't feel right for the part that's your problem, not mine. I do my job, period. Well, apparently you don't. I can't be everywhere at once. Sorry. I've been here since 7:30am. I'm working on a case. I need the info on my desk. I don't have time to get it myself. It's ridiculous. - Everyone's here. - I'm coming. - What happened? - Bitch! Nothing. She can't stand me. It's mutual. You two should try talking someday. - You think so? - She's OK. You have to be a little patient. As we're speaking, Mr Volf has in his hands a signed contract, which makes us majority shareholders in the TokyoAnime company in Japan. So discussions can proceed according to schedule. Here are the results for Demonlover.com and the connected sites since our last meeting. As you can see, business has increased by 35% and our market share has doubled. We are now the primary distributors for Japanese comics and animated films, both in the US and the rest of the world. And we've also acquired new names for the web. Smaller sites, er... Mangasex, Sexmanga, Adultmanga, SMmanga, Japanporno. They're all directly linked to our main Demonlover site. They are good sites. - You visited them? - Yes, sure I did. I like them. Japanporno, excellent. Well, if you give us the rights to TokyoAnime products, we'll control 75% of the world market. But the deal has to specify that you'll cut off supplies to all our competitors. Specially Mangatronics. Exactly. Mangatronics cannot get anything. Not one magazine, not one book, not one tape, not one DVD, nada. If they lose adult manga they'll wither away and disappear. And we'll take over their share of the business. Basically, we have the possibility here to kill Mangatronics. I say, let's do it! Well, before we proceed... ...I'd like to clear up a few points regarding some on-going lawsuits. The lawsuits you're referring to concern the sites Starznaked.com and Lara Croft, Sexslavelaracroft.com. Can you describe these sites? These sites are legally distinct from Demonlover.com and have no bearing on our discussions. The names are clear enough, aren't they? Starznaked? Show pictures of stars... naked. Huh? But now due to legal issues they show pictures of naked celebrity lookalikes. You don't have that in France? Not yet. - It does well. - Verywell. It's huge. Huge! And also Sexslavelaracroft shows illustrated pornographic stories involving Lara Croft. The... the star of the video game "Tomb Raider"? Since Eidos is suing us for 30 million dollars in damages, it's preferable to temporarily suspend the service until we get a ruling. What do you think? I like the heel and the shape but I don't know about the zippers. - Hmm... - I think they wanna make a deal. I don't know. They seem incredibly cautious to me. Why don't you try on the other ones? They wanna be cold and business-like. They don't know shit. What's up with that Herv guy? He's such a dick. - Expect for Diane. - She seems smart. Hey, will you try these on? They're your size. I'm sure they'll fit. I think Diane should work with us. I think we need her. Elise, do you have any idea how we can approach Diane? No. No idea. - You don't like her very much, do you? - I hate her guts. - I think I look great with these boots. - Cute. - What have you heard? - The Asian buyers are thrilled. - The Seibu chain in particular. - That's what I heard. The editor of "W" flashed me a big smile. - Merci. - Excuse me. Excuse me, I'll be just a minute. This is bullshit. Can I have some more ice, please? I'm giving the guy five more minutes then I'm outta here. Mr Volf appreciates you having waited and he just wanted to take advantage of your presence to clear up a last point. Do you know this? Yeah, of course I know. Hellfireclub. It's an interactive torture site. It's, er... very difficult to access. And very successful. There are maybe 30 such sites in the world, mostly in Russia, some in Australia. More or less well made, more or less extreme. This happens to be a very good site. - Perhaps the best. - I'd say so. What do you think of that? What do I think of it? It's like drugs or prostitution, supply and demand. With organised crime pulling the strings. Mr Volf has been told you run this site. Here is the access procedure and all the codes. It would seem you are the source. No way! This is a joke. - This doesn't work. - It's total bullshit. Who gave you this? Obviously Mangatronics. Yeah, to scare you off from signing the deal with us. And conserve the rights to TokyoAnime. It's the only way they can survive. You didn't come last night. No. You didn't call either. No. - I have to go. - Don't leave me like this. Tokyo was Tokyo. It's different here. - That's no reason to avoid me. - Leave it at that. Please. I'll take the receiver and the MiniDisc. There must be interesting stuff on it. If you can, just copy the files. If not, take her computer. And get the transmitters. Here's the card. Mangatronics is paying you a lot. They want results fast. For them, it's a question of life or death. Tuesday, 7pm. I'll be at the Barbs metro station. OK... End of the street to the left. OK. All right, I'm turning. First on the right? Yeah, I can hardly see anything. What bistro? OK, I see it. All right, I see you. You wanna go somewhere? The car's fine with me. - Better than the office. - Much better than the office. I have a message from Karen. Tell her I wanna talk to her too. Take the next right. See the Castorama? Go down in the parking lot. Lower. Lower. Keep going down. Park over here on the left. Leave it on. - I don't understand... - Shut up! - Tell Karen I... - I told you to shut up. Step on the gas. Do it! Again. Again. Again! There. That was Karen's message. - 'Hello?' - Where are you? - 'Buying cigarettes.' - Where? 'I have nothing left to say. 'I had a message to deliver. I delivered it.' - I have a message now. - 'I'm listening.' No, in person. Now! I have to go, there's a line. Call me back in two minutes. Hello? Fuck! - Give me the gun. - It's not loaded. I don't care. Give me the gun. Now we'll talk. I don't have time. I have to get home, my babysitter's waiting. I'll take you there. Which way? Keep going straight to Saint-Ouen. Did you leave the message on my desk with the empty box? - What do you think? - I think yes. - Did you think it was Herv? - Mm-hmm. - Were you sure? - Yes. At what point did you understand that it wasn't Herv? Before or after sleeping with him? I didn't sleep with Herv. People talk. - Who, Herv? - Yes. What? Nothing. Would you watch the road? It's just I get nervous in cars especially when it's raining. Look, Karen is nobody's fool. She knows you did everything you could to cut her off from Volf. Why would I do that? To take her place. Which you took. What does she want? I don't know, maybe just to scare you for now. And later? Later nothing. You're scared, that's enough. Enough for what? - To do what she tells you to do. - Meaning? I just repeat what I'm told, that's all. Why should I be scared? Are you scared? I don't know. She told me you'd pretend not to understand. - Drop me off here. - Don't you want me to take you home? Drop me off here! You didn't hear me come in? No. You seemed engrossed. - What was it? - Hellfireclub. I thought so. - You know it? - I go there once in a while. - Does it turn you on? - Not really. - It fascinates me. - You like that feeling? Very much so. Don't you? - You followed me. - I didn't. Who? You've been followed for a while. You know it. - Followed and burgled. - Exactly. Found what you wanted? I don't want anything. You want something. And you seem to have found it. Not just me. Volf did too. I came to warn you, but I'm too late. Too late for what? To help you. Did you send Elise to help me too? You're negotiating with Demonlover. You know the codes to Hellfireclub. You're a risk for them. - A risk? - A risk they must control. I don't see how. Watch this tape. Call me afterwards. It's a copy. They have the original. - Who gave it to you? - I've been with Demonlover for a while, though I'm not of much use anymore. Are you ready? You have something for me first. - There are no other copies? - No. They're not gonna end up in Volf's desk or elsewhere? It's a deal, you don't have to agree to it. I don't really have a choice. I don't know. - Do you agree to all the conditions? - Yes. Just so you won't wanna take off the hood. If they're too tight, I can loosen them. Your identity papers are fake. All the information on your rsum is made up and your name isn't Diane de Monx. Do you want a cigarette? I don't know your name or where you're from, but you were hired a year ago by an intermediary from Mangatronics to sabotage Volf's projects in their market. In exchange, you receive a wire transfer every three months on an account at SBS, in Lugano. Watch the steps. This way, through the door. OK, there's a step. Another one. I'd stay until she comes around. I know. I don't know what time. Work it out with the babysitter. If you're back by 9 o'clock, it's fine. I'm at the office. I'm going into a meeting. I'll call you later if I can. Oh, shit! Oh... I waited for an hour. I tried your mobile. 'Mangatronics hasn't heard from you. They're nervous. So am I. 'I don't know what you're up to...' Diane? Yes, she's here. No, I can't bother her. She's sleeping. She's fine. Just fine. But she won't call you back. Because... ...she no longer works for you. Who decided? Me. Close the door. Of course. I'll prepare the file for tomorrow. I'll have the plane tickets sent. Perfect. Talk to you soon. Here's Volf's last memo on the Demonlover contracts. I added the clause you asked for, no one questioned it. - Will it be finalised in time? - Yes. Good. Diane? Yes? I meant to ask... No, nothing. You can go. - We've never gone out before. - Shrimp tempura. - You mean, the two of us? - Mm-hmm. - I'd rather have avoided it. - What do you mean? - I know what you'll say. - You don't want to hear it? - I thought... - It's too late. That's not the same thing. It means that at some other time... - ...in Tokyo? - Maybe. - You intimidated me. - I still intimidate you. I felt you were there but not there. - I was there. - I'm not sure. Did I say no? Huh? - Did I reject you? - No. So? You control everything you do. You seem present, but you watch and calculate. I'm not in control of anything. - Merci. - Merci. Another one, please. A beer, please. A large one. I saw you move. I saw you with Volf. - What did you see? - The way you operated. I admire you. You didn't see anything. No one sees anything. Ever. They watch... but they don't understand. What do you admire? Go on... say it. I'm listening. You set a goal and made it there. Where am I? Tell me. I'm interested. When you're pressed for words, it becomes murkier. But judging people with rambling generalities... ...yeah, sure... it's easier. - That's not what I meant. - Yes, it is. I'm calculating. I have no scruples. It's what excites you... and what scares you. But you have no idea. You don't know me. That's what I'm saying. So in Tokyo, you didn't trust me. No. I wanted you. But you had doubts. I still do. You're right. It's better not to push. Very good tempura. - Stop looking at that girl. - I'm not. I see her eyes in the mirror. Mm-hmm... Kaori came back to my room anyway. So? You screw her and worry she'll be jealous? - I didn't know you knew. - It was obvious. Fortunately Kaori doesn't have those scruples. Meaning? Meaning when she's with me. When? In her car. In a restaurant bathroom. At her place, in the bathtub. Kaori? Do you prefer women? I don't know. What do you think? I don't believe you. So I didn't sleep with her? No, nowhere. Not in a tub, not on a rug. - You think I'm testing your reaction? - I think so. Objectively, it's a disappointing reaction. Maybe, but you know how it is. - Doubt remains. - Still. Now I have to look at you differently. That was sort of the point. I still don't know what I see. So look more closely. Diane... I wanted to tell you something, but... But what? I don't know if you want to hear it. Say it. I hope you had a lovely evening. Merci. - Finished? - Yes. Some more sake? Yes. Elise works with me. I mean, Elise works for me. - I don't understand. - Yes, you do. And you let me talk? You were observing me. I thought I liked to be in control, but... ...you do so more than I do. - You don't seem to like it. - No. - Why did you do it? - I didn't have to tell you. I wish you hadn't. I find it... Humiliating? The sake. Yes. - Humiliating. - Because you don't deceive people? I'm going home. I'll drive you. Wait... wait! Mmm... Tomorrow morning at 8? In the lobby? All right, 8 o'clock. Back to the primitive Fuck all your politics... Back to the primitive Fuck all your politics We got our life to live The way we want to be... No... Aw... Franky, it's Robby calling for you. - The community is sick - Please believe - And the community is blind - In labour and hope - Yeah - And joy - And it's colder than Poland - Cause like a little boy - And the sun is not shining - I have destroyed - Here - Hope and joy - And we're tangled in the shit - And lately I dream about - Of each other's ruined - Angels with molotovs Affairs - Half of us are faking - And nightly they fist me - And the other half is tired - Wrists like tender trucks And scared And these hands Could've moved mountains These hands Could've moved mountains These hands Could've moved mountains These hands Could've moved mountains |
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