Original subtitles

Douglas: Mmm. Mmm.

Robert: I knew you'd appreciate it.

I give it an 8.5.

This place must be the best kept secret in town.

Douglas, there's a reason why I wanted to have dinner here.

Aren't we celebrating?

My citation from the Bar?

A well-deserved honor.

But I also needed to discuss something personal.

Fire away. What are friends for?

Douglas, I'm gay.

- What? - I'm gay.

Bob, please!

It's no secret, not here.

I know it's a shock, hearing it like this.

Or maybe not. Marilyn had suspected for years.

You told your ex-wife?

I wasn't sure how the kids would handle it.

You told your kids?

I want to tell everyone who's close to me.

Why are you telling me?

You're my oldest friend.

I've always admired you.

Ever since we were roommates our freshman year--

Now hold on! For me,

our friendship has been strictly

heterosexual male-bonding.

I'm not interested in being propositioned.

I'm not propositioning you.

- I'm not attracted to you. - Oh.

I only wanted you to know because it's who I am.

I hope you can accept it.

Well, certainly. It's your right.

And I hope you'll meet my lover, Bill.

We're planning a spring wedding.

It would mean a lot to me if you'd be my best man again.

That could be the weekend I have the kids.

- They'd be welcome. - We'll see.

- Sorry. - You're gonna be, sucker!

Hey! What are you doing?

You keep your fag-face outta here, queer!

Oh! Ah! Oh, no!

[theme music]

[music continues]

[music continues]

[theme music]

[music continues]

Well, in addition to the broken nose,

he suffered facial bruising and a cracked rib.

- How much did they get? - Well, robbery was

apparently not the motive.

He had $200 in his wallet when he was admitted to Cedars.

- Where did this happen? - Out on the West side.

Outside a restaurant Androcles?

- Androcles! - You know the place?

Uh, yeah, it rings a bell.

Is he gonna miss his own awards luncheon?

Leland: Well, I hope not.

If his condition remains stable,

they'll let him come home tomorrow.

In his absence, we'll keep this brief. Roxanne?

- Okay! First up, we-- - Oh, by the way.

Word is the Board of Supervisors

has completed its investigation of Mr. Rogoff.

As of today, our District Attorney is history.

- Yeah! - Yes!

Rogoff's final appeal was rejected?

He withdrew his appeal and got to keep his pension.

Hey, when did your ties with the D.A.'s office

get better than mine?

Hey, what a relief for Zoey, huh?

- Oh yeah, you bet. - Can we get started, Roxanne?

Good idea. Paul vs. Rumbolt Logging--

Oh yes! That's the saw mill accident.

- I'm down to my last motion. - Leland: Ann.

They're gonna revoke your Sierra Club membership

because you're defending loggers?

This time the logging company is not at fault.

The tree spiker caused the accident.

Billy: Treespiker?

An activist that drives nails into trees

to keep them from being cut down.

An activist? He's a terrorist.

He's also our co-defendant.

- Oh, no. - Can we move on, people?

Thanks for the encouragement, guys.

Okay, people, listen up!

Now, Jonathan's got the McFarland deposition.

C.J.'s got Jackson vs. Wu.

Tommy, you're downtown on the Velasquez arraignment.

Okay, any questions? That's it, we're adjourned.

Man 1: Who's next?

Who's representing, Ms. Johnson?

I just got Hansen to O.R. my client on a 3rd offense.

If I'm ever up for murder, you're my first call.

I got your message.

Oh yeah, I know we said we'd hang onto the lot.

But the offer is 60 thou--

That's almost what, double what we paid in '85.

I need to sleep on it, Tommy.

Real estate in Mammoth is still going up.

Can't bring yourself to sell our

last piece of joint property?

Hey, I'm still trying to profit somehow

from our marriage.

Mr. Mullaney, you're a member

of the Bar Panel, aren't you?

You know I am, Your Honor.

Well, it appears this young lady

is without representation.

The P.D.'s swamped right now.

Sure. I'll take it on.

Anything to keep you out of the office.

The court appreciates your assistance.

Miss Johnson is charged

with felony possession of narcotics.

Bail is set at 10,000 dollars.

Request a continuance to consult

with Ms. Johnson before entering a plea.

I'm pleadin' guilty. I don't need to consult.

Miss, you need to talk to Mr. Mullaney.

I can't make any bail and I'm pleadin' guilty.

Judge Hansen: Much as I'd like to clear my calendar,

we need to do this by the book.

Mr. Mullaney will explain.

Continuance is granted until tomorrow.

Now, I'm gonna read your file,

and then we can talk about your plea.

I told you my plea...

- Guilty. - Come with me, Miss.

- Oh, you're early. - Lambchops!

Ah, look at you, look at you!

And look at this place.

I presume you negotiated

your own pact with the devil.

I thought your flight got in tonight, Dad.

I canceled the MGM Grand.

I had a nightmare and I was stuck

in a perpetual audition at 30,000 feet

with a hoard of school boys in short pants.

They turned out to be producers.

So I woke up in a cold sweat and changed my ticket.

New comedy close out of town?

Uh, mercifully, yes, Lambchops.

Daddy, I have a name.

I also have a hellish day, mmm?

So how about drinks later?

- You know, I've given it up. - Oh?

How about you join me

at the Polo Lounge for breakfast tomorrow?

You're staying at the Beverly Hills?

Well, you know... when in Rome and all that.

I thought you'd sworn off Hollywood.

Well, only the telly.

And even that's corning back to haunt me.

The studio will not cough up my foreign residuals.

Oh, I see. You need legal advice.

I didn't say I needed anything.

You're here and you must have read in the trades

that Susan Bloom is our new roomie.

Ah! Well, might have done... might have done.

Daddy, we have been through this before.

You have a habit of burning bridges

which makes it impossible for me to introduce you to--

Hey, Pete! You ready to go?

Your dad has charmed me into lunch.

I hope Trumps is to your liking.

Oh, it's one of my haunts.

You Lamb. Ring me later, will you love?

[door shuts]

Ann: You Honor, before you bring in the jurors

I'd like to renew my motion for severance.

On what grounds?

On the grounds that the presence

of this co-defendant will result

in a confusion of the issues

and will materially prejudice

my clients right to a fair trial.

- Don't like my smell, Etter? - Dillon: Your Honor, we share

Counsel's concern that Rumbolt Logging's

impeccable reputation for rape and pillage

of the redwoods could be sullied by association

with a concerned environmentalist--

This is exactly the kind of mud-slinging

I anticipate, Your Honor.

Mr. Dillon , why are you on your feet

in the middle of Ms. Kelsey's motion?

Because I agree. My client shouldn't be here, now or later.

I renew my motion to dismiss the charges against my client.

There is no evidence to suggest--

Let's hear the evidence, Mr. Dillon.

Motion denied.

As to your motion...

this gentlemen claims that your client

and Mr. Dillon's client

shared in the acts that led to his injury.

I don't think finger-pointing will confuse the jury.

Blame is the issue.

Motion denied.

What did your doctor advise?

Douglas: I advised him

that I'm receiving a major award

from the Bar Association

and it would take more than a random act

of urban violence to prevent me from attending.

Douglas...

I had a talk with Detective Connolly

out in the hall...

And?

He explained to me the nature

of the establishment that you'd been visiting.

It's not an establishment, it's, it's a restaurant.

Well, that's entirely your business

and as far as I'm concerned it'll stay that way.

Are you-- for goodness sakes, Leland...

I was meeting a friend there.

There's no need for you to explain your friendships.

I mean, I've never meddled

in the private affairs of colleagues.

It was not a private affair!

Douglas, you're a damn fine lawyer!

- That's all that matters. - Leland--

[door opens]

Connolly: Excuse me, gentlemen.

You feelin' better, Mr. Brackman?

- No. - Here's somethin' here

that'll make us both feel better.

I've been after this S.O.B. for months.

- What are you doing? - It's a photo gallery.

A suspect we picked up today we'd like you to I.D.

I've got three others like you to talk to.

Like me?

Other victims of this... gay-bashing nut.

I resent the implication.

You did get a good look at him, right?

- I want no part in this. - Douglas--

Get those photos out of here.

I am not pressing charges.

[door opens]

Oz: Look at you here, Tasha.

Makes me, I wanna break this damn place apart.

Don't lie to me.

Lie to them if that's what you think you need to do.

Look, be chill.

Sorry to interrupt.

You Tasha's lawyer?

Uh-huh. Who are you?

You gonna cut her a deal?

Tommy: That's what she and I need to talk about.

Excuse me.

[exhales]

You know, there's chill and there's chill.

Taking the fall for someone else?

Not too chill.

I read your file.

First time up. I'll do six months tops.

Who told you that?

Your boyfriend thinks he's pretty smart. Is he?

How smart is your girlfriend?

She's smart enough to be my ex.

Whose 8th of Peruvian Flake was that in your freezer?

What do you care, huh?

I just don't like to see someone get taken for a ride.

The coke was mine.

Oh, you knew it was there and you let in

two cops without a search warrant?

You seem too smart for that.

You be smart and get me a deal!

The next thing I know I'm on the deck.

The metal had stopped flying and the rig operator

was kneeling on my arm trying to stop the bleeding.

Was it customary for you to be so close to the blades?

Yes sir, as off-bearer in the sawmill,

it was my job to reach in with a pike to guide the slab.

Is that how you guided the logs?

The way you were gesturing?

Paul: No.

I used my left arm.

Thank you. Nothing further.

Mr. Paul,

is it unusual for a bandsaw to strike

foreign objects imbedded in logs?

Blades don't break everyday.

But in your experience you've had blades strike

nails from old home steads, for example?

- Yes, ma'am. - Ceramic insulators

- from telephone lines? - Yes.

And, uh, hunter's bullets, and stones

and horseshoes and even cable from your own millpond?

This time it hit a spike.

Mr. Paul, didn't you initially turned down the job

as Off Bearer at South Creek?

Yeah, I'd been Head Rig Operator at Ukiah

and Off Bearer was a step down.

What made it a "Stepdown"?

Less money. Harder work.

More dangerous?

Come on, anyone in a mill knows that off-bearer is the--

Objection. Calls for speculation.

- Sustained. Ann: Isn't it true

you were cited once for marijuana use--

- That was 15 years ago! - Objection! Immaterial!

Ann: The plaintiff's comparative negligence

is relevant, Your Honor.

Keep at it, Etter He still has two legs.

Mr. Dillon, control your client or I'll hold him in contempt.

Your Honor , this is typical of the industry's

callous disregard for its own workers.

I ask for the record to show the co-defense

does not share in this irrelevant accusation.

Sit down, Mr. Dillon.

The objection is sustained. Ms. Kelsey.

Mr. Paul, were you drinking at the Blue Ox Tavern

until 3 a.m. on the morning of the accident?

That blade didn't break because I drank a sixer!

It broke because that ass drove a six inch spike

into the meat of the tree and Etter didn't do jack!

Move to strike. The jury will disregard that outburst.

Did you close the Blue Ox Tavern

only four hours before your shift began

on the day of the accident?

Yeah.

Ann: Thank you. Nothing further.

Your Honor,

we have no questions for Mr. Paul .

Then we're adjourned until 10 a.m. Tomorrow .

- Nice stunt, Counselor. - Stunt?

Your shock over my mention of the marijuana.

You know if I hadn't brought it up, you would have.

Maybe. You saved me the trouble.

I won't have to roll up my sleeves

until we get to the good part.

Hey, C.J! Your dad ruined my afternoon yesterday.

Yes, well I'm not entirely surprised.

We had such a blast at lunch

that I couldn't stand to come back here

and face my desk.

I sent him off to meet a few clients of mine.

One guy is producing the new Kenneth Branagh feature.

- Oh, that's very sweet of you. - Hey, no sweat.

They've had a helluva time casting the role.

Your dad's perfect for it.

Especially with his own experiences in Pakistan.

Susan, I feel obliged to caution you.

My father has a way of... promoting himself?

- He's an actor, honey. - Yes, but with my father

you're always waiting for the second shoe to drop.

He has a few problems.

Comes with the territory.

Sounds like part of the problem may be yours, babe.

Well, there's no argument there, love.

Where upon my mother asked,

"Why do you want to be a cowboy, Douglas?"

And I announced,

"So I can get the bad guys."

Well this brought on another burst of laughter,

followed by a mysterious remark from my father.

"Looks like we have another attorney in the family.

Another Brackman interested in justice."

And from that moment on

my dreams of home on the range began to fade.

I don't know if I'd feel as honored today

if I were being recognized

the Downtown Los Angeles Cowboy-of-the-Month.

But I do know our profession has been very rewarding to me,

so this is doubly gratifying.

I only hope my father hears and knows

he shares in this honor. Thank you.

[applause]

- Congratulations. - Thank you very much.

- Great! - Great speech, Douglas.

Thanks.

Sorry, I haven't answered your calls.

I feel responsible.

You shouldn't. It was a random event.

But it wasn't.

What happened to you happens to thousands

of gay men and women each year.

[sighs] Well...

this particular thug's been apprehended.

Their case is falling apart.

No one can make a positive ID.

- That's unfortunate. - Yeah.

For a minute there it looked like we really

were gonna get those "bad guys."

Nice speech, Douglas.

Hey!

How can you, of all people,

expect me to get involved in this?

You, who've kept silent for years

because you've known even the rumor of homosexuality

could hurt you professionally.

That's why I'm starting to speak out.

I know how damaging silence can be.

What's on your mind?

I think the longer this goes on,

the bigger the money's gonna get.

Why don't we try to come up with a number,

split it 50-50, and offer to settle.

Well, I think you're right. I think we ought to settle.

I think my client's fair share be zero not one dime.

Let's get out of here.

My client didn't spike that tree.

The hell he didn't.

How would you know what goes on in the woods?

You're always in the office, counting your money.

I earn mine. Your daddy gave you yours.

And don't you talk to me about the woods.

I hunted and fished those woods my whole damn life.

Where the hell do you think your kids

are gonna take their kids to hunt and fish?

And if we don't help these men find some kind of common ground

there's gonna be more violence. More victims like Mr. Paul.

And that's fine with them as long as

no trees get hurt, just workers losin' jobs.

Over-harvesting is what's killing the industry.

People want wood, right? People want paper!

Dillon: Okay, that's enough.

I think we can forget a settlement.

[door shuts]

[laughs] Trick or treat!

Well, it looks like you brought the treats.

Are we celebratin' a real estate transaction?

No. We are celebrating your instincts.

The boyfriend has a record.

First arrest, '84.

You know, I thought about the land, Tommy.

We should hang on.

I mean, it's gonna skyrocket, it's lake view.

That was what that blue thing was

between the tall green things.

Ha, ha, ha, how I ever thought

I could drag you off for vacations in the mountains

I don't know.

Hey! I was a terrific hiker.

You did not hike, you paced.

You asked me where the casinos were.

You're still holdin' that sleepin' bag thing against me.

It was our very own land. I wanted to sleep on it!

The van was parked on our very own land.

The van had a mattress inside.

It is not the same thing.

Hopeless.

Alright, so what do you think of this?

- Guy's been busy. - Mm-hmm.

Eight months Juvie, G.T.A.

Two years served possession. Parole violations.

I think you got the wrong person sittin' in jail.

It gets worse.

The cops searched the girl's apartment in the first place

because they had blown a raid at a free base operation.

Yeah, so?

The cops were after her boyfriends' old supplier.

- The one that he did time for. - Um-hmm.

So... he might be willing to talk.

Zoe, if you go after the boyfriend

you could catch the big fish.

I don't have anything on the boyfriend.

You wanna get somethin' on him?

I know I could make this creep talk.

What are you gonna do? Wear a wire?

Why not?

Because it's so dangerous!

You know a better way?

Why would you go out on a limb like that?

You don't know this girl.

I know she didn't do it.

You are only her attorney!

Zoey. She's got no body else to help her.

You're gonna do it, aren't you, whether I help you or not?

Alright, I'll see if I can get you a warrant.

Great.

[instrumental music]

And when you received the warning

how did you respond?

Well, I sent a team out to see if it was true.

Did you have any reason to suspect

the warning wasn't genuine?

Yes, I'd received two earlier warnings

on other tracts and, uh, we never found any spikes.

But why would they warn of spikes

if they hadn't actually spiked the trees?

Well, you just gotta understand these Redwood Warriors.

You see, their whole mission is to put loggers

out of business, so they'll do anything

to cost me time and money.

- Ann: Such as? - Well, such as...

Damaging vehicles and equipment.

Causing down time by burying themselves

in the road and chaining themselves in trees.

On this occasion did your team find any evidence of spiking?

No. No, they didn't find anything.

Did you take any further action?

Well, yeah! Yeah!

I called Russ Snyder and cussed him out.

- Ann: Why? - cause he's their ring leader.

- Objection. - Ask any body in town!

What was Russ Snyder's reaction to your call?

Etter: He laughed at me.

Did he deny responsibility for the spiking?

[laughs] No, ma'am.

[sighs] No, he sure didn't.

Thank you, Mr. Etter.

Mr. Etter...

what was your team doing

as they walked the tract?

Looking for spikes.

- They were eye balling. Etter: That's right.

Pavlik: But didn't you know tree spikers snip

the heads off nails so they can't be detected?

That's why they also had metal detectors.

But aren't ceramic spikes sometimes used?

Well, sometimes they drill holes in the trees

and pour rocks in.

You can't out-guess these nuts.

You couldn't out-guess these nuts,

but you still took only minor precautions.

I did all I could!

Approximately how many trees

are on an acre of old-growth forest?

It varies. Three hundred.

Pavlik: So your team ran a metal detector

over 12,000 trees?

No. No, they used it on a sampling.

On, what? Half the trees? 6,000?

Etter: It's hard to say. - More than a hundred?

I'm trying to get a feel for what makes up a sampling.

Well, may be a few hundred.

A few hundred...

out of 12,000.

Mr. Etter, after you logged this sight,

did you alert the sawmill of a possible threat of spikes?

I didn't think it was necessary.

But you were wrong about that, weren't you?

- I did my best. - Were you wrong?!

Were... you... wrong?

Yeah.

Nothing further.

[coughs]

Mr. Etter, what method of forestry

did you use to harvest the Salt Fork Tract?

- We clear cut it. - Dillon: Meaning

you went through and leveled every 2,000-year old tree--

Etter: And replanted,

as mandated by the Forest Services.

Dillon: Yeah? How's it doing? Etter: What do you mean?

How's that re-seeded forest look today?

I don't know. I haven't seen it recently.

So you haven't seen where mud slides washed away

your re-seeding along with three feet of topsoil.

Objection! Is my client responsible for flash floods?

He didn't leave anything to hold the soil!

Ann: You're out of order!

Dillon: Your client is responsible

for deciding to cut that timber

come hell or high water!

That's enough. Move on.

Why were you in such a rush

to harvest this old growth, Mr. Etter?

- Ann: Objection! - A rephrase.

Isn't it true you were racing to beat

a court injunction to preserve that stand?

We're always racing!

We loggers have given and given!

We lose the old growth

and then they start hollerin' about water quality

and spotted owls and habitat.

Now look! All I do is supply a demand

and put food on my family's table!

And how much demand was there for the tree

being milled when Mr. Paul was injured?

How much did that particular tree bring?

Twenty thousand dollars.

Twenty thousand dollars for one tree.

That ought to put a few meals on the table, Mr. Etter.

- Ann: Objection! Withdrawn. Nothing further.

You oughta ask Tasha about that.

When Tasha answers I hear you talkin'.

So I figured maybe that meant

you were the one with somethin' to say!

I'm busy here.

Yeah, word is you're very busy.

Word is Iceman wants his men on the street to really hustle.

You know, I figure if a guy wants

to get mixed up in a bunch of crap, what is that to me?

But if he drags in a girl I'm supposed to be defending--

No body drags Tasha no place.

Oh, so she wants to be sittin' in Civil Brand right now

like a rock-house toss up?

You got a car needs work?

Cuz if you don't, you come a long way for nothin'.

No, I come here to tell you you got a problem, man.

I mean, you did okay getting the apartment

and making sure Tasha's name alone was on the lease.

But you screwed up when it came to the location!

She's within a thousand feet of a school, Oz! So?

So, no court's gonna bargain that away!

If you were thinkin' she'd do what,

maybe six months?

- Uh-uh, try years. - Get outta here!

You're gonna have to find a new mama to front

for you if you're gonna stay in the life.

- You don't know my life! - I've seen your rap sheet.

The deals, the crazy money, the customized Baby Benz.

Hell, you were cruisin' around in one of these

before you were old enough to get a license.

Maybe I was!

But now I make five frickin' bucks an hour workin' here.

And you moonlight behind the scale.

Oz, you're a player!

I'm a damn babysitter!

Yeah, Iceman leaves his product in-my freezer off and on.

Only way I can make my rent!

What do you want me to say, man?

Mr. Snyder, as leader of the Redwood Warriors,

haven't you given numerous speeches

advocating tree spiking?

I never advocated violence.

But you understood the danger.

I mean, that was the whole point

of using the spikes, right?

No. The point was to act as a deterrent.

That's why I always stressed

marking trees and sending warnings.

Ann: You thought six inch spikes of galvanized steel

could be driven into logs that were headed for saw blades

moving 8,000 board feet per minute

without the risk of a worker being injured?

I thought that the presence of spikes

would prevent giant sequoias from being milled.

Ann: But you were mistaken.

The only mistake I made was overestimating

the logging company's concern

for the safety of workers.

Ann: A man was injured by one of your spikes!

Objection, not a shred of evidence

has been produced that links this spike to my client.

Sustained.

Ann: Mr. Snyder, what was the motto

which you wrote for the Red wood Warriors?

"Equal rights for Mother Earth."

What does that mean?

The natural world doesn't exist

solely for human beings to exploit.

All forms of life have an inherent value.

Ann: But equal value.

So the loss of a tree for example,

is worth the loss of a man's arm.

That's not a fair comparison.

Ann: I agree. It's not fair.

Nothing further.

Mr. Snyder,

weren't you twice discovered

trespassing on the Salt Fork Tract?

I was seen taking a walk in the woods.

And on the first day of harvesting

were you arrested for chaining yourself

to a crawler tractor at the site?

That's why I couldn't have spiked anything.

I was all tied up.

- Move to strike. Judge: So moved.

The jury will disregard.

Mr. Snyder, stick to answering the questions asked.

Pavlik: At the time of your arrest, did the police

confiscate from you a box of nails?

From the tool box in my truck.

- I'm a carpenter. - Nothing more, for now.

Dillon: Mr. Snyder,

are you indeed, a spokesman for the Redwood Warriors?

And proud of it.

Were you always an environmental radical?

Objection! The evolution of this man's philosophy

is not relevant.

Ms. Kelsey is the one who opened

the door to intention, Your Honor.

I'll allow the question.

After ten years in the environmental movement

I realized nothing had changed.

We were still devastating old-growth forests

at the unchecked rate of 70,000 acres a year.

At that rate, there'll be no virgin woods

left in this state in 20 years.

Well, certainly, we all like trees, Mr. Snyder ,

but aren't your tactics extreme?

This isn't just about the beauty of primal forests.

It's about our survival on this planet!

These old growth ecosystems clean the air,

protect the watershed.

Our tactics may seem extreme,

but the systematic annihilation of our environment

wasn't fazed by any less extreme actions.

Objection. This isn't an answer, it's a prepared sermon.

Sustained.

One more question.

Do you believe that any means justify the end

in protecting these ancient forests?

No.

But as citizens,

the wilderness is part of our home.

And just like you'd defend your home if somebody broke in

I want to protect these woods.

But I advocate only non-violent tactics.

Thank you.

One further question, Mr. Snyder.

Would you describe Mr. Paul's injury as non-violent?

No, I would not.

Nothing further.

We rest, Your Honor.

In that case, I move for a directed verdict.

The plaintiff and co-defense have failed to present

a primafacie case against my client.

Your Honor, Mr. Dillon's client admits

to advocating the spiking of trees.

He was seen on the property!

Sorry, Ms. Kelsey , but I agree with Mr. Dillon.

Ann: Your Honor, if you dismiss this co-defendant

you will be removing the party who maliciously and criminally

began the chain of events which led to this action!

As much as I would like to have the party who spiked this tree

held liable for his or her actions,

the court hasn't heard any evidence

that could reasonably link

this defendant to this spiking.

Accordingly, Mr. Snyder is dismissed from this lawsuit.

[indistinct chatter]

[knock on door]

[door opens]

Here are the Speidel contracts.

Leave 'em on my desk.

Maybe you should go home early.

You don't push yourself on your first day back.

Have you ever ridden a horse, Roxanne?

When I was a little girl, I loved to ride.

The horses didn't frighten you?

No.

[sighs] I, uh,

I wanted to be a cowboy until I was six.

Then my mother took me to a stable near Griffith Park.

The horses were huge.

They didn't look that big in the movies.

I wouldn't go near them, much less get on one.

And in one crushing instant,

I knew I was too frightened to be a cowboy.

I was a coward.

Fortunately, my father had other career plans for me.

Well, I think you make a much better attorney

than you would have made a cowboy.

But I don't think you're a coward.

Are you still afraid of horses?

I avoid horses.

This is not a city!

A city is a place where one can walk outside

and hail a taxi.

You are five hours late because you couldn't get a taxi?

I apologize for missing dinner...

I'm not... I'm not disturbing anything?

Yes. We're asleep.

Oh, I won't wake him.

Her?

Don't tell me you've discovered a third option?

Were you this drunk at your audition?

Audition? It's a bloody cattle call

when they let the phones ring through.

Oh, let me guess.

After Bloom went out other way,

you make a scene and offend everyone!

They were semi-literates not noses.

And they wanted the character played for laughs.

Oh, look, it's late, huh?

What about a little drop of something?

No. No more to drink!

Oh, you're always so hard...

Lambchops!

Yes, well someone had to be!

How you could choose law

over an honorable life in the theater.

It killed your mother.

Aah!

Daddy, you do this to yourself

and I am not gonna wallow around in it with you!

Come on, it's late.

I'm too tired and it gets us nowhere.

Come on.

- Go and sleep it off. - I come to you,

utterly, utterly alone.

My career in a shambles.

My very soul in peril!

And you can't give me an inch.

There you go, Dad. That's all you ever needed.

[exhales]

I thought you wanted them out of the case?

I wanted the case severed.

I didn't want him walking away free.

Now the jury's heard from him.

So, those bastards break the law

and I pay the bill.

We can settle without admitting negligence.

They got to you, didn't they?

Those damn spikers have got you thinking that it's my fault.

Mr. Etter, I'm making a professional recommendation

that we be flexible.

No, dammit.

The "Redwood Warriors" don't compromise.

They wage war and they walk out of here Scott free.

Well, I'll be damned if I'll lay down and take the blame.

Okay.

Slow down, Mr. Wu.

Listen, I'm sure that Mr. Jacksen's offer

was intended--

Look, can I call you back?

Bad idea, Dad.

"The food of thy abused father's wrath

Would I but live

to see thee in my touch.

- Stop it - I'd say I had eyes again!

A light! Alight!"

You think this is what I want?

Flowers and sonnets?

A sonnet?

It's not a sonnet-- it's from Lear.

I was trying to tell you-- I got a job.

You know how I feel about Shakespeare on film

but I've always loved Gloucester.

What did you think, Dad?

"I'll go to her office she won't throw me out there?"

Well, I-I couldn't leave town without apologizing, could I?

This isn't an apology--

it's a bloody grand entrance.

[clears throat] Right. Right.

Last night was an unfortunate lapse.

I threw you out and I meant it.

So you mean, you don't want me in your life?

I don't want you in my office. Ever.

I don't want you using my friends

or my business relationships.

And I don't want you dropping by

whenever you're on a bender.

Ever.

I'm an old dog, Cara.

It's hard to learn new tricks.

And these laughable attempts to stay sober

are partly because of you.

It occurred to me that it might be of some help.

Well, we're shooting in New York.

I am on my way.

Give me a call when you get there.

Anyway, who's shooting another Lear?

Well, it's not actually "Lear".

A client of Susan's makes commercials.

Alite! Alite!

A lite beer.

[laughs]

Hey, have a good trip, Dad.

[door shuts]

And in the face of this known risk,

not only did Rumbolt Logging

conduct a cursory investigation,

they also failed to warn

the saw mill of a possible threat.

Why would they act with such callous disregard?

Because it would have cost them

time and money.

Wayne Paul

worked on the line in the saw mills

for 17 years.

Apart from his service in the Army,

it's the only job he'd known.

It was a hard job but he did it well.

And like his father and his grandfather before him,

Wayne expected it to be a job for life.

Mr. Paul paid dearly

for Rumbolt Logging's greed and negligence.

He looks to you for justice.

None of us can imagine the horror

of sustaining an injury as critical as Mr. Paul's.

But we can sympathize with him

as the victim of a unjust and violent accident.

Rumbolt Logging also sympathizes.

Especially since it has frequently been the target

of the Redwood Warriors' destructive and criminal acts.

Radical groups like the Redwood Warriors

admit to being saboteurs.

Advocates of hit and run tactics.

And true to form, they have vanished

before we begin to address responsibility.

But, Mr. Etter did not build

a family business by hit and run tactics.

My client is the only one

who sits before you today, ladies and gentlemen.

And in the absence of the true wrong doers,

the plaintiff hopes that you will find him

a convenient scape goat.

The plaintiff suggests

that Rumbolt Logging acted out of greed.

This may be an easy caricature for some of us to accept.

Some of us already blame the loggers

for the vanishing forests.

We may already have made them the scapegoats

for our society's undiminished demand

for wood and paper.

But in suggesting that Rumbolt Logging

acted out of greed,

the plaintiff implies that tree spiking injuries

are predictable and common place.

The truth is only one other injury

from the spiking of trees has ever been documented.

Personal injury

from the shattering of a blade against a spike

is so uncommon as to be called a freak occurrence.

My client took every reasonable step

to investigate the warnings that he received

and he found nothing.

He could not have foreseen this accident.

Please, don't compound Mr. Paul's tragedy

by creating a scapegoat.

Well, it means the D.A.,

has dropped the charges against you.

- You're free to go. - Let's go! Move it!

I told you, I don't need you pullin' on my arm!

- What the hell? - It's not your fight anymore.

- Tasha. - What did you do?

He had no right to make you take the rap!

No body makes me do anything.

Oz and I had it figured.

He was working his way clean!

He had an eighth of a kilo of cocaine.

It ain't that easy to get out!

You have no idea.

That's the only work anybody's out there

begging Oz to take.

Cuz on the streets they know how smart he is.

He was gettin' out!

We had ourselves a goal until you came along!

- It wasn't your fight. - It was our fight.

Oz is the man I love. Don't you get that?

Now, he'll do hard time, get hooked all over again.

They don't want him. They want his connection.

He can make a deal.

You don't know Oz.

And you don't know me.

[sighs] I'm sorry, Tommy.

He's not gonna talk.

Judge: Mr. Foreman, has the jury arrived at a verdict?

- We have, Your Honor. - Judge: What say you?

In the matter of Paul vs. Rumbolt Logging,

we find in favor of the plaintiff,

and we order the defendant

to pay compensatory damages

in the amount of $450,000.

Judge: Thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen, we're adjourned.

Thank you.

- Stick around to see the blood? - Litigation junkie.

I don't admire your politics, but I like your work.

You don't know anything about my politics.

I know you keep your politics out of your work

and that's a shame.

Are you being radical or just plain rude?

You and I and your client

are all on the same side of the fence

but you need to reach people with the message.

- Breaking the law-- - Oh, let me guess...

"It turns people off, gives us all a bad name?"

You said it.

Where as you are so accommodating,

you wind up arguing for the enemy.

[sighs]

Have we heard statements from all your witnesses?

- Yes, Your Honor. - Uh, no, Your Honor.

Douglas Brackman. Sorry, I was late.

Mannew: I have Mr. Brackman's statement.

Judge Shubow: Alright. Take the stand.

Then he hit me in the face until I fell to the pavement.

Then he kicked me several times in the abdomen before fleeing.

Did the assailant speak to you?

Yes. He called me a fag and a queer.

And what was your reaction to that?

I was shocked.

Because, in fact, you are not a homosexual,

are you, Mr. Brackman?

Because, in fact, my sexual habits

were none of his business.

Did you get a look at your assailant?

A very good look.

That is the man.

And you'd be able to identify him

if he were brought to trial?

I certainly would.

Zoe?

Hey, Zoey?

Are you here?

Zoe: Tommy?

Yeah. Now, grab your sleepin' bag--

Tommy, what the hell are you doin'?

If we leave right now--

We can make it to Mammoth by 3 a.m.

Hey. Now, I owe you one night under the stars--

On your very own land before we sell.

- Some other night. - Come on. Come on.

Where's your sleepin' bag?

Where is your sense of adventure, huh?

Tom.

I'm so sorry, Tommy.

We were gonna tell you.

- Listen. - Hey, hey...

I'm, uh... it's, uh... my fault.

Excuse me, guys.

[panting]

Hey, hey.

You want me to go?

No.

[theme music]