Original subtitles

You wanted to buy some crack from Aurelio. This whole crack thing, we are

drowning. I need to get a name first.

I want my crack now.

It was just a joke, a practical joke.

It's the children who are drowning.

We'll get an ambulance, all right? I think he's dying. He's my son.

I will protect him at all times.

going home before school? Nah, it's too far.

Why does the line have to end here?

Besides, my parents will probably kill me for being out all night.

They left the motor running.

Comes with all the options, man.

What are you doing?

Yeah.

Check this out, man.

T -dash, stereo, power door locks.

That's great.

Do you think there's somebody in there?

I don't know.

It's all right.

It's all right.

Hey, man, you know what would be the ultimate kick?

It's just gross.

Wouldn't that be wild?

The homeroom business is gross. Imagine her coming home, finding the stink parts

in her driveway, and have to cart her away in it.

Steve, Steve.

What? Get out of the car! Yeah, relax.

We're real funny. Get out of the damn car!

He had a gun.

Where are you going?

As far away from them as possible.

I got here?

I don't believe this. I mean, who do you think we have in this thing, huh?

Some mob body or something? I mean, we were just shot at on the street.

People were trying to kill us. Mike, we shut up.

Shut up.

I don't believe this. You're telling me to shut up when we just got shot right

on the street. Just cool out.

What are you going to do now? You're going to open it now?

There's a body in there and it's a mob body. It's going to be covered and cut

and everything.

What? Who's in there?

Not who. What?

Rack. Huh?

It's rot cocaine.

A lifetime supply war.

You know how much that stuff's worth?

I bid a million dollars. Oh, come on. Don't even think about that, okay?

Look, you can sell some of it around school. It's your money, Mike. Yes, but

don't want to become a dealer.

Okay, then give it away.

Just be quiet about it.

I said no.

What are you going to do?

Sell it.

What? Sell it? Enough.

Look, Mike, don't worry about it, all right? I know who he's taking.

Who? Somebody I know. A guy I know, all right?

Rachel?

Look, Mike, just go have yourself a good time, all right?

Relax.

No.

But if you do get in touch with Rachel, just give me a call, all right?

Yeah.

You're off the hook, sonny.

Don't know what I would have done without you, McCall.

I think you'd probably limp a little.

Breaking limbs is one of their specialities, isn't it?

Oh, no, that went out a long time ago.

You don't pay up, they just dump your body somewhere.

You seem to have a very cavalier attitude towards all this, sonny.

When you win a few, you lose a few. That's what I always say.

I mean, whoever would have had any idea that Marino was going to go two for 24

in the second half?

I mean, do you have any idea what the odds of that are? I don't even have any

idea what you're talking about.

What I do know is what Control is going to do to you when he finds out.

You wouldn't.

No, no, I wouldn't, but somebody will.

You know Control, he finds out everything.

You see, I've always thought that gambling the way you gamble is an

game.

I mean, that's come up a point when what you are willing to risk is not worth

what you're getting back.

I think you've reached that point.

What do you... Do it anyway. What do you get out of it?

Carl, I'm going crazy, huh?

I mean, I'm riding a desk for two years, and you know me. Pushing papers is not

my style.

No, no, sonny. Come on, come on.

There's more to it than that.

I don't know.

The rush, the... little thing.

It just gets me through the day.

That's what a junkie says about his next fix.

Can you imagine what would happen to you if one day you are trying to protect

somebody and they get killed?

Because you are out trying to make a fast buck. I can handle it, McCall. You

can't handle it.

You are hooked.

You couldn't stop now even if you wanted to. You want to bet?

It's just a figure of speech.

Well, I'll keep my eyes open if I can't get you a little action every now and

then. In the meantime, get some help.

Because if you don't, you are going to lose everything you've got.

Yeah, how you doing?

I'm great.

Come in.

Who's that guy?

Mr. Fetterman.

Well, what do you want?

I made a big score.

Whole carload full of crack.

Trying to sell it. You know some guys, don't you?

Come on.

No, really.

Look, this is just a sample.

Well, let's do this. I need to get a name first.

I'm trying to move it.

No, I've got to try it first, see if it's any good.

Look, I'm all out, all right?

Then I'll give you a name.

All right.

How much of this stuff are you using?

Not much.

Give me five, ten smokes a day.

I don't know what to do. I don't dare call the police.

He's got these drugs and people are trying to kill him. Can you please help

We're at...

I don't think that's one of the guys who chased me.

Hello.

Robert McCall.

Yes?

You've telephoned me.

Oh, oh, thank you for coming so quickly.

Yes, thank you.

You, uh, you don't know how scared we are.

I think maybe I've got some idea.

Oh, yes.

Are you presumably our Michael?

Yes. Robert McCall.

Are you, uh, really going to help us?

I hope so.

Won't you come in, please?

Thank you.

Oh, please.

Your message on the telephone was a little unclear. You talked of drugs and

men who were after your son.

You're selling drugs?

My son would never do that.

Are you selling drugs?

No, no.

I'm not a dealer.

Good. Because if you was, you'd have to get somebody else. I'm not in the

business of attempting to help people who are intent on destroying themselves.

Well, I wasn't trying to destroy anything.

It was just a mistake.

My friend and I, we had no idea what was in the casket.

Casket?

I think you better tell me the story from the beginning.

It's unlocked.

What's in here?

Whose garage is this?

Um, Steve's, I guess.

His father had a lease on it before they moved away.

You mean his parents moved away and left him?

I guess they didn't have any more use for him.

Was this broken glass here before?

No.

Steady, mate.

Steady.

That's the guy you changed.

There's a message.

To his employers.

Or possibly to us.

I shall inform the police straight away, but I do not want your family's name

attached to this, not just yet. It's far too dangerous.

Particularly for your son.

I have friends in the police force. I'll... I'll talk to them.

I saw you with that shotgun.

How good are you with it?

I was a rifleman in Nam.

But for the time being, I want you to stay at home with your wife.

No. You're not taking Michael into this.

Tell me, how old were the men around you when you were in Vietnam?

Eighteen, nineteen.

Well, if they were old enough to fight a war that they didn't start in the first

place, I do think that your son, Michael, is old enough to take some

responsibility for something that he did help start.

But I do promise you this.

I will protect him at all times.

That's him, McCall.

He's my son.

I sold him.

The owner of the hearse?

My kind of guy.

Repulsing. What'd you find out about him?

Saw him.

Morton R. Selby, undertaker.

Give me a thumbnail.

Yes, I'll run the details later.

Okay.

Selby has a history of us going all the way back to his early years.

Now, most of them were felonies.

There's only a few convictions on misdemeanor.

This guy's smart and he knows it.

So how did he get into the funeral business?

Well, it belonged to his older brother, Al.

A couple of years ago, Shelby wanted to buy him out, but Al refused.

So one day, Al takes a vacation to Bermuda and the sharks eat him.

Naturally, two weeks before the trip, he names his little brother as sole

beneficiary. Very convenient.

Yeah. And this guy's in a business, man.

No down cycle.

Particularly with half the crime families in town.

running there dearly departed from his shop.

That's his entrance into the world on illegal drugs.

Right. But he's out of his depth.

Playing with the big boys now.

He's not just digging holes in him.

I mean, one slip, and he falls in himself.

Perhaps it's time I gave him a little push.

Was it absolutely necessary to bring me through a funeral?

Well, I think it's very important to learn respect for the dead.

Especially when you're in the business of hijacking other people's cargo.

And what if I were to tell you that my client does not have your cargo?

Then I'd have to plan to reshuffle my schedule.

You're really something of an entrepreneur, aren't you, Mr. Selby? You

drug with one hand and bury the victims with the other.

You catch them coming and going.

So, who are you, Michael's guidance counselor?

Sorry, Michael? Michael Winslow, 3225 Longfellow Riverdale.

I know where he lives.

Ah, yes.

And I know where you live.

In fact, I know quite a lot about you, one way or the other, Mr. Selby.

I know, for instance, that you inherited this business, which you now very

conveniently use as a front.

I know that you have a house on Long Island, a rather beautiful apartment on

Fifth Avenue overlooking Central Park. Don't you dare threaten me.

You can't possibly have enough men to take me on. I got waiting lists of kids

from the street gangs who want to move up to the big time, and I want my crack

now. And I told you the boy doesn't have it.

You know perfectly well that boy didn't take out one of your men.

You have been ripped off by another dealer. And I don't care, because he

it, he's gonna finish it, or I'll turn them loose on Michael, his family, their

friends, and you.

And don't think...

You can try to take me out.

Because his name has already gone up the ladder to the whole organization.

Oh, I see.

Well, don't worry. You are going to get your drugs back. I'll see to that.

I just need a little time.

And you are going to give it to me.

Why should I?

Because you can't afford not to.

I'll give you to the end of today.

And I don't care how much juice you think you have.

You better be here on time.

Well, now, don't you worry, Mr. Selby.

I shall be back here before the end of the day.

You can count on that.

Wait a minute, McCall.

I'm curious.

We have business, Jimmy.

What do you get out of this?

So much satisfaction.

All systems call, McCall.

Selby could clip his toenails and we'd hear it.

Keep me informed.

Come on.

We're going to find your friend Steve.

Hi,

Rachel.

What is it, reunion week?

Is Steve here?

Steve? No, why would Steve be here?

Because he said he was going to be here.

Who's this?

I'm a friend of Michael's.

A friend?

The badge to match?

No, he's not a cop.

He has been here, hasn't he?

Steve.

This is part of his shipment.

Now, just a minute. You give me that.

Michael, these little things are like cancer cells.

Once they invade the body, they multiply and multiply until they destroy you

completely. What are you doing? That's the last that I have.

What are you doing?

Relax.

Stay out of this, boy. Just stay out of it.

All right.

Where is Steve?

I don't know.

This shipment has already caused the death of one man.

If we don't find Steve quickly, it is possible that he also will die. Then

Michael, then you. Now, where is Steve?

He's at a meeting.

A place called the Hell Hotel.

It's a hangout for runaways.

It's an abandoned school.

And who's he supposed to be meeting?

Aurelio.

And what is Mr.

Aurelio?

He's your connection, is he?

The man who set you up in this place. Who is he?

Ah, come on.

Let's go and find where you've sent Steve.

You didn't tell us everything about this place.

Did you really want to know?

Chem lab wasn't really that bad, was it?

A lot can happen in a year.

Some things don't just happen.

You don't have to come along.

Steve's my friend.

That isn't going to do you any good around here.

All right, way to go.

I'll go on ahead and check things out.

They don't know you guys.

Without this.

We all go together, all right?

Right.

After you.

could help me out uh yeah

well we're looking for a friend of mine his name is steve uh he's supposed to

meet a guy named aurelio maybe you're looking to buy some crap huh how much

money you carry oh i shouldn't worry about that i'm worried

move away

trust me move away

Now, why don't you just put that down?

And then get out of here.

We are not alone.

You're right about that.

If you wanted to buy some crack from Aurelio, it's got to be loaded.

It'd be easy to get it.

Unless I put him on the floor.

It'd be kind of hard to do when you're down there with him.

Put him down.

Now.

Don't jump on me, McCall. I didn't create this problem. I know you didn't,

Isidore.

The question is, what are you doing to solve the problem?

The knocks are in here two or three times a week. It happens all the time.

may well happen all the time. That doesn't mean to say that that boy was a

His friend Mike says he wasn't. This stuff makes liars out of people who use

Liars and worse.

Maybe Mike just didn't know his buddy as well as he thought. Yes, maybe, maybe.

This rips me up just as much as it does you.

I know.

It's everywhere.

Nothing changes, does it? And I know it's everywhere.

What do you want me to do? Where do I start?

You can start by burning this place down.

Oh, yeah? There are places like this on every third block in the city. Should I

burn them all down?

Look, Robert.

This whole crack thing. We are drowning. No, no, no. We are fine.

We are all right, Isidore.

It's the children.

who are drowning.

If you knew about this place,

how could you send him here?

He knew what he was getting into. I tried to warn him.

But warn him or use him to keep on doing what you're doing.

How much was his life worth, huh?

Five, maybe ten vials?

That could have been you or me they dragged out of there.

You get it.

All right.

Now, the rest of it.

Now you tell me where I find Aurelio.

I can't.

I can't survive. Survive?

You're not exactly surviving with him, are you?

There are hundreds of thousands of stinking little Aurelios in this world.

they're all propelled by the same thing.

Greed. First of all, they take your money. Then they take your life.

They've already taken Steve's life.

Yours can possibly be saved.

Along with a great number of others. Now where?

I can hear the pennies dropping.

How?

They're miles away.

I was thinking about Ozzie Nelson.

I used to think he spent his entire life waiting in the driveway for the kids to

come home.

God, I ended that.

Now, the only time we ever spent on this porch was when I read him Dr. Seuss.

I was two years old and didn't understand a thing.

There was more than that. I kissed every night when he was half asleep, parents'

night every other semester.

I was too worried about who was after my job and working extra hours to keep it.

You don't have to tell me about it.

I was down there bringing your dinner on Saturdays.

You hadn't told me if my boy hit a home run that day.

I know I wouldn't have given anything to have been in that driveway.

Instead, I blew it.

No, no, no, no, no.

You're a good father.

You've always been there for him.

And I know that I've been a good mother.

It's not that.

Then what is it?

It's got to be something else.

Yes, it is.

Something else.

Unfortunately, none of us knows the answer yet.

This is Rachel.

A really old crack house?

It's the number one bone yard.

What's the security like?

Well, it all depends on how you look at it. Up front, they got enough concrete

to stop a Sherman tank.

But, uh, back...

They're open for business.

Well, now, in that case, we'll go around the back.

Yo. Yo.

Don't come back.

Someone's gonna wonder who stuck their man in a coffin.

Back again.

You've got a real habit, man.

Hey, crack, it's my woman.

Hey, money talks and you walk.

You know what to do.

Hey, Aurelio.

You talking to me?

You gotta stop fighting.

Come on, get...

Stay there. I'm on my way.

Hello, Mrs. Lister.

Has she been fine at all?

No, I should have kept a better eye on her.

You can't imagine where she could have gone. She has no family?

No, she has none.

She ran away from her foster home right after she dropped out of high school.

No chance she would have gone back there.

No, first place we called, not a word.

Mike's checked all the places he can think of.

I just wish we had some idea of where to find her, where else to look.

I'll give you the telephone number of a friend of mine.

If you can bear to listen to some of his marital problems, you'll find he's very

good at this sort of thing.

If anyone can find her, he can.

What about you?

No, I have something I have to do.

The crack was ripped off.

But we're trying to get it back.

You think McCall can do that?

Yeah, I do.

But when he does, I'm not going to tell Parker.

Bingo.

We've lost more than half of it. The house is going to set with Selby.

I don't give a damn.

I've no intention of reuniting Mr. Selby with his precious supply anyway.

Well, then why not just torch all of it? Because, my dear Sonny, we need the

bait.

That might be the hook.

Go on.

Hey, I've got something I thought you might be interested in hearing.

This guy Selby loves to hear himself talk.

Fish? A cut bait. We fish.

Mr. Barker, I would like to discuss a matter of great mutual interest to both

us.

Hey! Hey!

You're a little late, Selby.

I started without you.

You will leave the boy and his family alone.

In fact, you will forget they ever existed.

You see, I've just had a little conversation with your boss, a gentleman

Barker.

You talked to Barker?

Yeah, I played him one of your conversations.

You see, I placed a bug in your office.

And he heard you describe precisely how you're going to cheat him.

I would suggest that you leave this city immediately.

To hell with you.

Man can't take a suggestion.

Excuse me. Do you know if there's any stuff around?

Listen, have you seen Aurelia around? I can't help you. Hey, back off, Jack.

She ain't buying it. You lay off.

Get lost.

I want to talk to him.

Thank you, Jimmy.

Well, you got ten dollars. You owe me at least that, don't you?

We owe you much more than that, Rachel.

Then give it to me. Call off your man because I can't get anything with all

heat on my back.

Rachel, we're talking about your life.

Your life.

I just need a little bit of stuff, a place to crash, and I'll be just fine.

No, you won't.

You'll be dead.

Sooner or later, you will be dead, burned out, used up by people like

and Selby.

You know, I... I spent so much of my life surrounded by violence

and death.

And yet I've learned something, despite it all.

I've learned that there are so many people...

Who want to give.

The Winslows, you see, are not users.

They're not takers. They're givers. And they want to give to you.

Really? Well, why? Why me?

They cannot save everybody.

They couldn't even save Steve.

But they do have a chance to save you.

Well, why don't you just save your energy, all right? I mean, maybe it

good to them right now, but they don't know me.

They don't know what a freak I am. And when they find out, they're just going

cut me loose.

I gotta leave.

Just a minute, Rachel. Wait.

I wish to God I could force you to accept our help, but I know that

work. But at least take this.

What is it?

It's an entrance slip for the drug ward at Children's Hospital.

And the room's already been paid for.

You just telephone me or the Winslows whenever and if ever you are ready.

We will not let you down.

Okay, sure. Of course.