Original subtitles

Bye.

This is the story of Walter Nebecker.

Doing what he likes best, fighting crime in the streets.

You see, Walter's a policeman.

Unfortunately, the chief doesn't want Walter on the streets.

Captain, get back to your cage, boy.

Now! So Walter must fight crime in his own way, in the computer room.

That's where he's an expert.

Fortunately for me... Walter's advanced knowledge of electronics led him to

experiment with what is called a hologram.

That's a very fancy word for a three -dimensional picture that, when

can be made to look real, sound real.

As a matter of fact, given enough power, it can even be made to feel real.

That's kind of what got me into this world.

My name is Automan.

You must be Walter Nebeka.

How did you know that? It's on the programming you fed into my system. I

say, Walter, you're very good. Very good indeed.

I look wonderful.

If you do say so yourself.

You programmed me to be honest.

But tell me, why did you call me Automan? It means that you're the

truly automatic man.

You can do anything because you're not real.

Oh, but I am. I'm as real as you are, just different.

And thanks to you, perfect.

Nobody's perfect, Auto Man.

That's not true, Walter.

You've programmed me to observe other people and do whatever they can do as

as they can do it.

Jimmy Connors playing tennis, John Travolta dancing.

In fact, on a scale of one to ten, think of me as an eleven.

I've created a monster.

No, what Walter really created was a wonderful force for good.

Auto Man.

That's me.

And we'll take it the other way.

115 to play.

That's 115 to 105.

Lakers on top.

O .K. Cooper looking for Paxton.

Yo -Yo standing. Holton on the outside.

Take it inside.

Valentine into that. Double team.

Thomas rejects the ball on the outside. Here's a high jumper.

Rejected again.

And we'll take it back once again.

And wait a minute.

Wait a minute. Ain't that hot shot hurt of defense?

Hey, he got trapped on the switch.

How can a guy 6 '2 supposed to stop a guy 6 '10"? Oh, swell.

Look at the spot this guy picks to break down.

I better give him a hand.

Stick around, Nebbish. Maybe you and your pile of junk can make yourselves

useful. Hello, Jack.

What's up? You sounded pretty important.

It is.

Somebody hijacked close to a ton of paper that the government uses to print

money. A man was killed in the process.

You will be our link with the FBI and the Treasury boys.

Well, they abandoned a car. At least that's a start.

Well, that's the problem.

They made it hard to trace.

No license.

Engine ID numbers are practically scratched off.

Maybe the computer could read it.

Are you trying to say that it has better eyes than we do?

Actually, sir, yes. I could try what they call electronic image enhancement

bring out the numbers.

Why don't you get right on it, Walt?

God, if it was usually the paper, the giveaway.

If this stuff ever gets into circulation, it's going to be hard to

Which means that we're going to have to make sure that it never gets into

circulation.

Otto, what do you think you're doing?

Just absorbing some of those old gangster films you have on tape.

Thoroughly engrossing. I asked you to file my tapes, not stand around here and

waste time.

It wasn't recreational, Walter. I thought I might gain some insights in

that hijacking case.

Otto, Otto.

You have to understand, times have changed.

Criminals just don't use guns anymore. They have much more dangerous weapons,

like college degrees and computers.

But crime fighters have more sophisticated weapons now, too.

Like what?

Like me.

I've got the engine ID for you, Lieutenant.

There it is, Lieutenant.

That's incredible.

Yeah? Well, it just took the computer filling in the gaps in the visual data

those photographs.

Do you match this against the registration?

Yeah, the name's phony and the address doesn't exist.

This is right back on square one.

Not completely.

I ran that ID number on a cross -check with our unsolved case file.

Turns out that the same car was used in a gangland murder of a man named LaRue.

LaRue? Yeah, about five months ago.

Wally, do you know what you've done?

Not yet. Do you?

Yeah, I do. You told us who was behind that hijacking.

I did?

Yeah, you did.

LaRue was a contender for the number two spot and the biggest mob in this state.

His rival was a guy by the name of Brock, Rudy Brock.

When the Rue wound up murdered, execution style, there wasn't much doubt

Brock gave the orders, but we couldn't prove it.

Thank you, Wally.

What do you do now? Find Brock?

I wish it was that easy. He's got himself covered nine ways against the

I'd be lucky to get to his gophers.

You wouldn't by any chance want some help out there?

Wally, you want to help.

You just stay here and continue to play this keyboard like Van Cliburn, right?

Now let's see what we can do to shake Brocka.

You promised me yellow roses. That's what I expect to see here on Sunday,

I don't want any excuses, Mr. Sorrell.

I want roses.

Yellow.

Long stem.

Thank you.

Tell you, Kevin, if I'd known planning a wedding was going to be this difficult,

I never would have taken the lead.

Maybe you would have been better off with less of a production.

Oh, no.

I'm sorry, Kevin, but if you're lucky enough to marry the daughter of a former

congressman, you gotta do better than cold cuts and accordion player.

At least you won't have any trouble paying for it.

Well, let's not get cocky now. What do you say?

All that money still has to be printed.

Press starts rolling tonight.

By Sunday, Laszlo figures on having 20 million, maybe more.

Yeah, but you tell him not to rush.

We're not unloading rubbish here.

Hello, Walter.

I've been expecting your call.

You have?

I'm beginning to know as much about your program as you know about mine.

That's ridiculous.

I don't have a program.

But you do.

It's what tells you to be loyal, ambitious, persevering, inquisitive.

I believe you call it a personality.

Next thing you know, you'll be psychoanalyzing me.

I already have.

Remind me to show you the file.

Fascinating.

You and I have a lot in common.

Neither of us will ever be content processing data.

Well, I'd be a liar if I told you that I wasn't giving this hijacking case some

thought. Any ideas yet? Well, we now know who was behind it. A man named

If there was a way we could convince him that there was someone new in town that

was offering more money for the counterfeit than anyone else... He might

out in the open. Along with the counterfeit.

Brilliant, Walter.

We'll go undercover, make ourselves conspicuous in the right circles, and

will come to us.

Now, wait a minute. I never said we... I can use those detective movies to

create the demeanor of a master criminal.

I'll call myself Mr. Otto.

I think I may have made a mistake showing you those films.

My conclusions are based on mathematical logic and the strictest application of

police science, not old movies.

Do you really think it'll work?

It'll work for Marlon Brando and the Godfather, didn't it?

I'll call up Brock's files on the computer and get a rundown of each of

operations.

Then we'll go after them one at a time.

With your help, I think I can make things mighty uncomfortable for him.

Our first priority is to get his attention.

Correction, Walter.

Our first priority is to give Mr. Otto the proper look.

Curther?

Curther? Of course, if you don't like, uh...

Marlon Brando, I could always give you Humphrey Bogart.

Hang on, Walter.

Is this Brock's

headquarters?

According to the police computer, it's one of his subsidiaries, his steeled

order car ring.

You're not afraid, are you, Walter?

Me? Are you kidding?

I've got the Godfather with me.

Come on.

You had a better shot with the 10 -7 combination.

We're looking for a man named Zach.

You got an appointment?

No.

I hope you brought a sleeping bag. No, but I did bring a lot of cash.

I got $10 a ball against $1 ,000 that says you find Zach before I miss a shot.

What shot?

Any shot.

Let me see if I got this straight.

If you miss a shot before Zach comes in here and sees you, I get $1 ,000.

Correct. But unless I miss a shot, you owe me $10 for every ball.

You got a bet, Mr... Otto, Mr. Otto.

Otto.

Otto, what are you doing?

Relax, Walter.

I saw Paul Newman do this in The Hustler.

Mr. Big Mouth.

Shoot.

Well, good night, nurse.

No, sir.

Nine hundred and seventy dollars.

Exactly how much money do you have?

You can't keep this up forever.

You never know.

Hey, listen.

What would it take for you to call off this bet?

I'm willing to be a sport.

All you have to do is bring Zack to us.

You got it.

You missed.

Exactly like Paul Newman did in the movie.

You didn't talk to me?

If you're the man who turns exotic cars into cold cash... You go

run an ad.

What's your turnaround time?

How long does it take Brock to fill your orders?

Well, that depends on the car.

What if I were to promise you any car you order in under ten minutes, day or

night, would you still be working for Brock?

Ten minutes.

That's a good one.

If you don't believe it, name your car.

All right.

How about a 1936 Duesenberg convertible?

What color would you like that in? Two tones, red and maroon.

Excuse us. We have to make a phone call.

Since when did Cursor get its messages by phone? This is just for appearances.

Play along.

You did it.

You found the car.

You found the car and it didn't even take ten minutes.

Oh, when do we start doing business, Mr... Mr. Otto.

Just as soon as you cut off all ties with Brock.

Oh, well, who needs Brock?

Don't they have whiplash in your dimension?

Sorry, Walter. I sometimes forget the limitations of being a mortal.

Don't forget your own limitations.

You may be smart, but you don't know everything.

What don't I know? How dangerous these people really are, for starters.

Show a little confidence, Walter.

Don't you have any faith in me?

What is this place?

According to Lieutenant Curtis, it's one of the most profitable gambling casinos

this side of Las Vegas.

Brock's its sole owner.

Doesn't look like a casino from here.

That's the whole idea.

I just hope we can bluff our way in.

Well, leave that to me, Walter.

My sensors indicate a very flirtatious 128K security computer inside.

All I have to do is whisper a few sweet nothings into her clearance file.

Mr. Otto and a friend.

Cursor. Winner.

Zero. Yeah, I have to do something about that.

16, right?

Easy go.

The odds are in our favor, Walt.

Winner is... Hey!

16. Whatever that thing was, it sure had your number.

I wouldn't mind having your number myself.

You are out of this world.

She seems to have detected I'm not of your dimension.

16 again, the winner.

Red even, 16.

Place your bet, place your bet, please.

I'll bet ten.

The winner, 16.

Even red again. The winner.

Thanks, man.

This guy's some kind of magician.

I've seen him before in Vegas.

He can clean us out in 30 minutes.

You figure that out now after he's 25 grand ahead.

The winner, 16 again.

Wait for that.

Wait for that thing.

Hey, tell me you've got a couple of tricks up your sleeve.

I'm not sure I understand.

No, we think you do.

In case you haven't met, this is Mr. Otto.

Is that name supposed to mean something?

Only to people who make their living the way we do.

Now get out of here, both of you.

The only reason I came here tonight was to warn you.

As of tomorrow, I move my base of operations to L .A.

I take what I want.

And you and your friend here can fight it out among yourselves for what's left.

If you get in my way, you'd be eliminated. It's that simple.

Now, if you'd be so kind as to get us a cab, we'll take a hot streak elsewhere.

Get him a cab.

What? I said get him a cab.

Cash in their chips.

We don't want to keep the gentleman waiting.

I think we did very well.

I thought they let us off the hook a little too easily.

What choice did they have? They couldn't figure out how Cursor was rigging the

wheel.

I thought it was a nice touch leaving him there.

By morning, they should be broke.

At the very least. I'm sure we've gotten Brock's attention by now.

So, what do we do next?

The next move is Brock.

Right here will be fine, Cabby.

You got it, pal.

Stay put. I have to get some change.

Change for what? I haven't paid him yet. Walter, I suddenly sense the presence

of a microchip. A timing device.

Uh -oh, Walter. Quickly, out!

It's jammed.

Rip it off, Otto, fast!

There's no time. Merge.

No, Otto.

You saved my life.

Yes, but look at my new suit.

You were right about one thing.

What's that?

You certainly got their attention.

This Mr. Otto and his friends shut the place down.

What do you mean they shut the place down?

Well, apparently whatever this Mr. Otto did at the roulette wheel, the thing

didn't quit paying off.

It kept on winning.

Yeah, but that wheel is rigged, Kevin. Not last night it wasn't. At least not

our favor.

The house paid off over $200 ,000 before Laird closed the door.

Oh, man.

You realize inside of 72 hours this man has decimated our stolen car and fencing

operations and shut down our number one profit center and you keep telling me no

one has ever heard of him?

Well, there's lots of rumors, but so far we just can't seem to pin anything

down. Can't you see what's going down here, Kevin?

I can't. It's another power play, just like Leroux.

Trotter's testing me again.

He wants to make sure his heir apparent is still worthy.

All right, babe.

Come on in.

Hi.

I hope I'm not interrupting.

No, no. I was just on my way out.

What's the matter? You look upset. You got a problem?

Hmm?

I hope we had better communication once we were husband and wife.

Oh, I feel silly even mentioning it. Come on, tell me, what's the matter? The

caterer changed menus on us again, or what?

Oh, I had lunch with an old friend from Washington today, and I always thought

she was an old friend.

And, uh, she asked me if I knew anything about your past.

My past?

And what deep, dark secrets did this woman tell you?

She... Claims that you were once involved with some people.

Some very dangerous people.

Is that so?

Rudy, she was wrong, wasn't she?

Listen, babe.

Any businessman worth his salt, any businessman at all has had that

thrown at him at one time or another. That's business.

Then it isn't true.

Well, what do you think?

I think I'm about to marry the most wonderful man in the world.

Walter, when are you going to learn you can't solve crime with a hologram?

Fifty years ago, they would have said that about the microscope.

Of all the gin joints in all the two -bit towns in the world, she had to walk

into mine.

I ought to walk into the captain's office right now and tell him what's

on. No.

All right.

I'll give you 48 hours to make this pay off.

Then I go to the captain.

When I was first told your payments hadn't been made, I thought there was

mistake. Seems I was wrong.

Nelson, it's a very simple explanation.

I've been experiencing a temporary cash flow problem.

With your casino closed down, I don't doubt it. Well, with the wedding and

you know, you can imagine how difficult it is for me to stay on top of business.

It's not your business I'm worried about. It's mine.

I simply will not tolerate an interruption in our arrangements. I want

Okay, okay. Just give me a week. Not till Sunday.

Well, okay.

You got it. I'll just get the money out of my own pocket.

Until I straighten things out, right?

You do that.

In the meantime, I suggest you get your house in order, Rudy.

All may come tumbling down.

Otto, we went to a lot of trouble giving you a computer history so that you

would have legitimacy as a criminal.

I just don't know about that outfit.

It's a little behind the times.

Good. Good. I made my home base, Australia.

I'm losing control.

Yeah.

Yeah, all right.

All right. So, uh, what do you guys want to talk about?

My name's Otto. I understand you're in accounts receivable.

Huh?

You make sure people pay their bills on time.

What are you, a cop?

Does it look like he bought that on a cop's salary?

Look, I ain't got time for this chit -chat. I want to hire you.

I could use a man with your talents.

It's no deal. I already got a job.

I'll pay you double what Brock pays you.

Plus, there's a thousand dollar bonus for signing on.

Not to mention our medical and dental plan.

You must really hate Brock.

Let's just say I like to see a grown man cry.

When would I get the grand?

Just as soon as you serve notice.

Mr. Otto, you got yourself a deal.

A few more encounters like this and you won't be able to tell Brock from a non

-profit organization.

What happened to the little guy?

Who cares? We got Mr. Otto.

Phew, that was close.

Uncomfortably close.

Now that they've written us off for dead, I suggest we move in for the kill.

Otto, we're the ones that could have been killed.

Maybe we should quit while we're ahead.

How many of Brock's operations do you still have on that list?

Are you kidding? There must be 20 of them. Fine.

Let's hit them all.

All of them?

In one night?

We'll hurry.

Two,

three, four, five.

You know what to do.

Good to be in.

Right,

am I crazy? Did you not tell me you took care of the notorious Mr. Otto last

night? That's right.

About 10 o 'clock. Well, that's odd, Kevin. That's very odd because I've been

getting reports all morning.

One -third of our street operatives have gone over to work for Mr. Otto.

He personally recruited them last night.

Come on. He's a dead man.

He has to be. Well, then how is it he was in Hollywood, he was in Silver Lake,

he was downtown, he was in Pasadena, in the valley, all between 10 and 10 .30.

The guy's not only alive, Kevin, he's everywhere at once.

There must be a gang of them.

No, sir.

All the same guy.

We ran over him at 40 miles an hour.

He's a dead man.

Apparently that doesn't cramp his style.

Let me tell you something, Kevin.

Here we are two days away from closing a $10 million transaction.

I'm going to tell you.

I'm not about to let anyone, I mean anyone, stand in the way. And that

Mr. Otto.

And that includes you, buddy.

Don't worry, Mr. Brock.

This time I'm leaving nothing to chance.

Gritch.

Gritch.

Good evening,

gentlemen.

You won't know me long enough for it to matter.

How would you like to double what you're making before you pull that trigger?

Counting my informants, I've had five men picking up our operations on Monday.

Did you come up with anything?

What we came up with is a high -level territorial war.

Some new hotshot is kicking up dust all over Brock's stomping ground.

Nothing on the counterfeiting?

Well, the word is that he's sitting on a sheik's ransom, but nobody knows where

it's being printed or stored.

I assume you've checked to see if there's any unusual orders on printing

supplies. Right now, that's the only thing that's given me any leads at all.

I've still got a few places to check out. If you come up with anything, let

know.

That's good.

Real good.

You know, every time my father asks what business you're in, I, uh... Give him a

different answer.

Maybe because I'm not sure myself yet.

Rudy, if you were in trouble, you wouldn't keep it from me, would you?

What are you talking about, Lorna? What do you mean, trouble?

I don't know.

Well,

today I went to the bank to cash that check that you gave me for the wedding

dress, and they wouldn't honor it.

Well, there must have been a computer error. You didn't seriously think I was

out of money.

I know how much this wedding's costing you, and I... Don't be ridiculous.

I'll go to the bank first thing in the morning.

You okay?

All right, Mr. Brock. I'll get the door.

Hi. Mr. Otto to see Mr. Brock.

Why don't you go upstairs?

Lauren, I'll be right up. Okay.

Why did you bring them here?

He says he has a business proposition for Mr. Brock.

I thought he might want to hear it.

There's nothing he can say that's of any use to us. Quiet, Kevin.

Show a little respect. You're in the presence of the great Mr.

Otto here.

So what's your proposition?

I understand you've gone into the, how shall I put it, into the publishing

business. And you're interested in what we're printing.

Particularly the latest edition. I understand the paper quality is superb.

You really think you can con me the way you con my employees?

This is no con.

Just a straightforward offer of real money for top quality counterfeit.

I already have a buyer, Mr. Otto. Thank you.

What's he paying you? Ten cents on the dollar? Twenty?

More.

I'll give you fifty.

Forgive my skepticism, Mr. Otto, but men of your resources don't just emerge

overnight, do they?

Where are you from?

Wherever currency changes hands.

Well, how long would it take you to come up with ten million?

How about Sunday?

Sunday's kind of a bad day.

So happens I'm getting married.

Well, the longer I have to wait, the more time I have to reconsider my bid.

Excuse me.

No panic.

You hang on to him, he may come in handy.

Yeah, that's right.

I just picked up a cop named Curtis snooping around our presses.

Okay.

All right, Mr. Otto.

Let's make it Sunday.

Pick -up's not bad, considering we're getting an infinite number of miles per

gallon.

Don't slow down now. We've got to try to find Lieutenant Curtis.

Uh -oh.

What is it?

Police.

We don't have time to stop.

If they try to keep up with us, it might create an accident.

We might not be able to hit anything, but they can.

You're right. Maybe you ought to pull over.

Good evening, officer.

I wasn't violating any laws, was I?

Well, no, I don't really know.

I guess you'd have to ask a real cop.

Move it.

Get in.

Come in, gentlemen. Please make yourself comfortable.

I hope you don't mind our meeting like this. I grow older. I find I'm more

inclined to stay on the move.

I'm Nelson Trotter.

I'm Mr. Roto.

This is my associate, Walter Dolan.

Pleasure to meet both of you. Your reputation precedes you.

I find it best not to believe everything I hear.

Humility. It's a rare quality these days. I like you already, Otto.

What do you want with us, Mr. Trotter?

To begin with, let me offer my congratulations.

You've done more to rattle Rudolph Brock's cage in a week than any 20 men

have accomplished in a year.

Well, I don't get it.

Brock works for you, doesn't he?

No, it doesn't mean I respect him or even like him.

Just between us, I loathe the man.

May I pour you some wine?

No, thank you.

Brock killed a man in cold blood.

A man I thought very highly of. Someone who should be where Brock is now.

Well, if I might pose an obvious question, why do you put up with a man

in such contempt?

Expedience, I need him.

There hasn't been anyone strong enough to give Brock a run for his money, let

alone take his place.

That is, until now.

Until you.

You didn't bring us here to congratulate us.

You're right, Walter.

Unless my instincts are woefully misguided, neither you nor Brock intend

good on the bargain you struck.

You're both too smart.

But only one of you is going to come out a winner.

If it's you.

And as far as I'm concerned, you can take over for Brock tomorrow, lock,

and barrel.

Won't Brock have something to say about that?

There's enough information in this envelope to put Brock away for a very

time. If you get the better of him, I'll give it to you. You can do with it what

you like.

Should he get the better of me?

Then you'll be dead.

Once the helicopter lifts off for the airport, I really don't care what you do

with him.

Fair enough.

I detect Lieutenant Curtis is in that building and very much alive.

Aren't we forgetting one minor detail?

What's that, Walter?

The $10 million we were supposed to bring.

I'm surprised, Walter. You seem to have forgotten.

The cursor is the greatest counterfeiter of them all.

Cursor?

What is that?

We needed something large enough to hold the money.

And I thought a limousine would make more of an impression.

Of course, it takes real money to buy counterfeits.

We were beginning to think we'd called your bluff.

Does this look like a bluff?

Looks good to me.

I brought my money.

Where's yours?

Right over there.

The old tables just took another spin.

No rowers, darling.

Well, your friend pays for it with his life.

What makes you think I even know this man?

We put our tail on your errand boy.

Nebbish.

Turns out he works for the lieutenant here.

Start loading those boxes, cop.

It's right back there.

Rudy. Hey, Frank.

I wonder if I could talk to you for a moment. Sure.

What's the matter? Your daughter's now getting cold feet on me, is she? No, no,

no. It's just that, well,

I thought you should know there are a couple of men standing around carrying

guns. Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. We got a couple of crank calls, Frank,

believe it or not.

Probably nothing, you know, but we want to play it safe.

I see.

Yes.

Stop!

No, please, please, please. I don't want to fight with you. You win, you win,

you win. All right? Look, I'm through with Brock.

I work for you.

What did he say?

I'm glad to see under that cowardly exterior there's a reasoning mind.

Reason, reason. Oh, yes, yes, sir.

That's me.

I'm as reasonable as they come.

You just tell me what you want me to do.

Oh, I intend to.

Ah.

We are gathered here today on this very solemn occasion.

Do

you,

Lauren Robinson, take this man, Rudolph Brock, to be your lawful wedded husband?

To love, to honor, till death do you part.

I do.

And you, Rudolph Brock, take this woman, Lauren Robbins, to be your lawful

wedded wife.

Sorry.

Business. What the hell are you doing here? I didn't know what else to do. The

cops are after me. I brought the money here.

You brought it here?

Yeah, well, I thought you could take it on the helicopter.

Rudy, what's wrong?

Nothing, sweetie. Can we continue with the ceremony, please?

The cops are going to be here any minute. Don't get the cops started.

Do you, Rudolph Brock, take this woman, Lauren Robinson, to be your lawful

wedded wife? No. No?

I mean, not right now. I'll explain it all to you later.

No!

Yes, sir.

Take off!

You've got to stop him, Otto!

He'll take everything I've got, Walter.

Go for it, Otto!

Come on, darling.

Wally?

When did you get here?

Just now.

You okay?

What happened?

Come on. I'll tell you all about it.

Somebody in that mob wanted Brock as bad as we do.

There's enough information on that anonymously donated file to put him away

twice. It even tipped us to the identity of those gunmen who were responsible

for the killing of the guards.

Is there any word on this government agent who used this fancy new stun gun

Brock?

No, no, no, that's typical. The feds are playing dumb.

It's obvious they planted this guy to force Brock into a mistake.

Heaven forbid that they let the lowly police department in on their strategy.

I don't suppose you know anything about that, do you, Walter?

Uh, Lieutenant, I have this sneaking suspicion that Walter's been sworn to

secrecy on this.

Oh, you admit you were involved, eh?

Honestly, Captain, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Yeah, it was a good thing for us you were. You know, it's a funny thing about

that fit. This time here reminded me of...

I don't know. Somebody I'd seen before. I couldn't put my finger on it.

It wouldn't be Humphrey Bogart, would it?

But, Cal, Wally... You're right.