All language subtitles for A.Murder.Of.Crows.1998.720p.WEBRip.x264.AAC- YTS.MX NO-HI-English

look who's here,
boys.

f. lee bailey.

hey, shyster!
welcome to hell!

what happened?

your lawyer screw you?

ha ha ha!

not even jesus
can save youse lawyers.

lock down number 7.

man: nothing
makes people happier

than a lawyer
going to prison.

and who could blame them?

lawyers represent
the victory

of reason
over righteousness.

it's very easy
to lose faith in the system

where the strong
tread on the weak.

trust me. i know.

it started on fat tuesday.

crowd chanting:
show your tits!

show your tits!

show your tits!

show your tits!
show your tits!

i was having a bad night.

i'd just been introduced
to my conscience.

first impression, i can't say
that i liked him very well.

the bastard
wouldn't go away.

i was trained in the law.

one of the first things
they teach you

is that morality is
a private and costly luxury.

my father used to say

that jurisprudence
wasn't equivocal

as long as you kept in mind

that truth
is the highest law.

judge banning, please.

lawson russell.

tell him it's urgent.

this better be good,
lawson.

i'm less than a dance away
from getting my dick sucked.

sir, i have a problem.

i'm going to recuse
myself from the case.

banning:
are you drunk?

cold sober.

have you informed
your client?

yes.

and his reaction
was...

he was unhappy.

i should think
he would be.

do you know how this
will look to the jury?

you've got the case won,
for christ's sake!

you're out of
your fucking mind!

do you know that?

this is a monumental mistake
you're making here, son!

i cannot successfully
serve the needs of my client

at this time.

it is my duty...

to withdraw.

i'll have the paperwork
on your desk

at 8:00
tomorrow morning.

and i'll be in at 10:00
to rip it up.

i'll see you
in my chambers then.

judge?

son of a bitch!

your lawyer
is losing it, thurman.

why didn't you call me?
hmm?

lawson: it was
a monumental mistake,

professional suicide.

my client
was thurman parks iii.

i grew up with thurman.

his daddy was a former
mayor of new orleans

and one nasty son
of a can of human cur.

but thurman
was even meaner.

he was on trial for
the brutal rape and murder

of a lap dancer
from lafayette.

she died of asphyxiation,

her panties
stuffed down her throat.

i love juries.
they're all the same.

they think they've come
to judge guilt and innocence.

in the end,

they vote for whichever side
has the better lawyer.

so i hammered them.

i made them look at that photo
until it was meaningless.

it was working.

dang.

you are good, boy.

have you looked over
the questions

i'm going to ask you
tomorrow?

i have them
memorized.

we're going to win,
aren't we?

oh, you bet your ass
we are.

ha ha!

i told that bitch
i would walk.

that reporter.

you know the one.

yeah.

i know the one.

lawson: i guess i always
knew thurman was guilty,

but we trained ourselves
not to think about that.

we're supposed to be impartial,
unaffected, passionless.

i didn't know it
at the time,

but that sudden act of
conscience had saved my life.

a penalty,
violation of--

you're questioning
my ethics?

anything unethical--it's
your whole argument.

now shut the fuck up,

the both of you!

wiley, he obviously knows
that this bastard is guilty.

now i wanna know if there's
been suppression of evidence.

you know, you may have
been a great quarterback,

billy ray, and very popular
with all the girls,

but let me give you
a little piece of advice:

you do not wanna cross
swords with me, do you?

no, judge.

leave us.

don't get religion
on me now, lawson.

we're too far
down the road.

now you fuck this up
between thurman jr. and me,

you won't have a future
in this state.

now, i'll fix it

so that you never
practice the law again.

and you know i can
do that, don't you?

now you get back in there
and you finish this case.

oyez, oyez, oyez.

this court
is now in session.

all rise

for the honorable
wiley banning.

lawson: i had represented
a lot of rotten people

in my career,
gotten them off,

and never given it
a second thought.

it's the system:
innocent until proven guilty.

and if you
have enough money,

proof is mighty hard
to come by.

mr. russell, are you
ready to continue?

lawson: you have to be rich
to get away with murder.

and thurman was.

filthy rich.

banning:
mr. russell.

are you ready
to continue?

i'd like to say
i answered to that...higher law.

the truth
of the matter is...

he never
should have smiled.

mr. russell!

are you ready?

yes, sir.

i am.

the defense calls
thurman parks iii.

you swear
to tell the truth,

the whole truth,
nothing but the truth?

i do.

thurman, tell the court
where you were

on the night
of june 17th.

i was in the silver
garter dance club.

where you met and had
drinks with jeanie brussard.

a drink.

a drink.

what did you talk about?

no, this isn't one of
the questions that we prepared.

tell the jury
what you talked about.

tell the jury
what you talked about.

ahem.

we...talked about...

football.

football.

was that
before or after

she danced naked
on your lap?

mr. russell,
approach the bench.

was that before or after

you drove her down
to the batcher

and dragged her up
onto the levy?

that's enough,
mr. russell.

you are out of order!

is that before or after

you stripped her,
sodomized her,

strangled her--

you are in contempt,
sir. bailiff!

huh?!

bailiff! remove mr. russell
from this courtroom!

must have been
a one-sided conversation

what with her panties
being stuffed down her throat.

remove him
from this courtroom!

escort him
out of my courtroom

and detain him
for custody!

the jury will disregard

the outrageous outburst
of defense counsel.

lawson: it was declared
a mistrial,

and i was fired
by thurman parks iii.

i never could
stand him anyway.

the bad news
was the disbarment hearing.

they threw the book at me.

felt like the guy
who went into the hospital

to have his leg amputated

and had the good leg
cut off by mistake.

and, of course, they had
to cut off the bad leg.

the court ruled
in favor of the doctor.

seemed i didn't
have a leg to stand on.

it is the judgment of
the louisiana supreme court

that as of this date,

lawson russell, esquire,

be disbarred from
the practice of law for life.

i made a mistake.

should have hired
one of those good old boys

down at the country club.

none of them
would represent you.

oh...right.

lawson, do you know
what the odds are

that a woman
will be raped

or molested
in this country?

1 in 12.

how 'bout a man
who kills a woman

actually appearing
in a courtroom?

1 in 3.

i should be proud
of myself.

is that
what you're saying?

mm-hmm.

he's gonna
be retried, pope.

and he's not
gonna be convicted.

yep. i wrecked
my career for nothing.

no, not for nothing.

you stood up for
a basic moral principle:

to protect the innocent
and punish the guilty.

your daddy would
have been proud.

of what?
i broke the law.

disregarded
my sworn duty.

ruined my life.

your life's not over.

they took your license,
not your balls.

there's so many things
you can do.

ha.

i hear they're hiring
at the winn-dixie!

no, come on. listen.
i'm serious.

i'm serious!

so what are your plans?

are you gonna sit up
in here and stew?

i'm gonna go down
to key west.

my father
kept a house there.

hell, i might
even write a novel.

i'm as smart
as john grisham.

lawson...

is there anything
i can do?

you can hop up
on the desk for me.

what are you
laughing at?

you know, if only
you asked nicely.

i don't know
what you want me to say,

but i'm the best.

pride goeth
before destruction

and a haughty spirit
before a fall.

too late.

i'm already falling.

that's what's so sad.

you haven't fallen
at all.

lawson: been in the florida keys
for almost 13 months.

was nickel and diming
as a fishing guide,

mostly to take up the time
and avoid writing my book.

but business was slow.

mr. russell.

hello.

hello.

my name is marlowe.

i spoke to you on
the telephone earlier.

that's right.
that's right.

hello, mr. marlowe.

hello.

so you're interested
in fishin'?

that's why i'm here.

great. come on aboard!

mr. marlowe...

this must be
the place.

yes.

it's quite lovely.

how long we got ya
in key west there, sir?

oh, permanently.

i've just moved here.

i only recently
retired from teaching.

see, my wife passed on.

we don't
have any children,

and this place
has always held my fancy.

the old man and the sea
and all that.

well, here's your pole,
sir.

all right.

low down like that.
we're gonna float

on the tide right
into those flats.

so you can just
cast out this way

and let the boat
just drift right on in.

all right.

ho ho!

ha ha ha.

you're up
a little bit there.

i feel like
a professional.

there was something
very odd about mr. marlowe.

i couldn't
put my finger on it.

had no idea it was
fate come calling.

chuckie.

hearty dark,
sir.

you got it.

and a daiquiri
for me, please.

anybody's favorite.

oh, my father used
to carry a pocket watch.

very distinguished.

i, uh--actually, this
is quite a special one.

listen.

well, that's great.

yes.

here you go,
gentlemen.

oh, god bless you.
nice.

well, here's to
new friendships.

cheers.

cheers.

well, sir, tell me.

have you always been
a fishing guide,

mr. russell?

no. it's
kind of a hobby.

i'm working
on a novel.

really?

yes, sir.

oh, that's
wonderful.

before that,
i was an attorney.

oh, my.

and you've
given that up?

so to speak.

do you realize that
there are more people

in law school right now
than there are lawyers?

is that right?

it's a fact.
for every engineer

they graduate
from university,

they graduate
50 lawyers.

$25 billion in liability
suits last year.

that's preposterous.

hmm.

they're parasites.

they're bloodsuckers.
that's my opinion.

gee, chris, i get the feeling
you don't like lawyers.

if it weren't for
lawyers, dear boy,

we wouldn't
need lawyers.

ha ha ha!

lawson: we drank and talked
for the rest of the evening.

mr. marlowe was a hoot.

it was the most interesting
night i'd spent

with my clothes on
in over a year.

good night,
chris.

yes, good night.

in the end, though, i was happy
to get away from him.

he was so rabid
about lawyers,

he left me with
a queasiness in my gut

like a feeling of déjà vu

or mild food poisoning.

forget it. i'm not
selling the townhouse.

my father
bought that house.

sell the rest
of the stock.

book's coming along
fine, harry.

my next question is,
how much am i paying you?

the stock. right.

lawson:
there's an old saying...

money talks.

the only thing i ever
heard it say was good-bye.

i had to try to generate
some income.

been working on this
damn book for over a year.

writing, my friends,
is hard.

chris.

lawson. i hope
i'm not intruding.

no. please, come in.

ah. thank you.
please.

i simply had to come by
to talk with you.

you mind if i sit down
for a moment?

no, of course.

thank you.
have a seat.

ah-ah-ahem.

you ok?

ahem.

oh, yes, i'm fine.

it's just the heat.

could i have a glass
of water or something?

sure, sure.
thank you, sir.

ah-ahem.

our conversation yesterday
was quite inspiring.

i simply had to come by,

talk with you.

oh, thank you.

brought you something.

oh!
right there.

oh...

ahh. that's better.

that's a novel.
my first.

a novel?
yes.

i only recently
finished it.

i'm such a coward,

i haven't told a soul
that i've written it.

i was wondering
if you could read it

and give me
your impressions.

oh, well, i'm no expert.

ah, no. i...

i think you'll
understand this.

it's about lawyers.

i'll read it.

all right. thank you.

now, i want
your honest opinion.

you'll get it.

good.
all right, then.

ah-ahem.

thank you, sir.

you can rest a bit.
you don't have to--

oh, no, i'm fine.

but i tell you,

i'll be at the pub later
if you're so inclined.

and, uh, take your time
with this.

there's no rush.

i want you to, uh,
digest it all.

ha. ok.

thank you, sir.

oh. let me get
the door for you.

oh, you are kind.

all right.

thank you.

ah-ahem.

happy reading, my friend.

ahem.

a murder of crows.

inside the title page

was a quote from
william shakespeare:

"the first thing we do
is kill all the lawyers."

ha.

the book was about lawyers,
all right--5 of them,

all highly paid
defense attorneys

working in major
southern cities,

all with very rich clients

who were guilty...

very nasty bad guys
who deserved to be put away.

all acquitted.

but instead of going
after the bad guys,

the killer decides

that it's the lawyers
who need to be punished,

so he knocks 'em off
one by one.

each murder was elaborately
planned and perfectly executed

to appear as a suicide,
accident, or botched robbery.

the writing
was a revelation,

a masterpiece of suspense.

and that title...

i learned that a group of crows
is called a murder,

like a flock of seagulls,
an exaltation of doves,

or a covey of quail.

a murder of crows.

quite simply,
the book was brilliant.

oh, shit!

chuckie!

hey, lawson.

hey. remember
that old guy

i was drinking with
last night?

yeah.
have you seen him?

yeah. he was in here
earlier.

said he wasn't feeling
well, then he split.

ok. thank you.

excuse me.

roger that.

excuse me. yes.
is everything ok?

you a border here?

no. i'm just
visiting a friend.

what happened?

well, it appears an old man
had a heart attack.

it wasn't mr. marlowe,
was it?

"mr. marlowe."
yes, it was.

is he ok?

i'm afraid not.
he's--he's died.

i just--i just talked
to him this afternoon.

yeah, i know.
it's a shame, isn't it?

you know him
a long time?

no. i just
met him yesterday.

i took him fishing.

i understand
he was new in town.

yeah.
that's what he said.

i mean, uh...
i don't know much.

he used to be a teacher,
and he moved here.

he retired here.

you know where
he retired from?

no. he didn't say.

well, the landlady said
that he told her

he didn't
have any family.

that's right.
right, right, yes.

his wife passed away
recently.

see, i've seen that
happen a million times.

first one spouse goes,

then the other one
doesn't last a year.

are there gonna
be any services?

no. they'll probably
cremate him in the morning.

you could light a candle
at st. andrews.

ok. thank you.

yeah.

oh...

excuse me.

excuse me,
detective?

mm-hmm?

detective...

goethe.

what are they gonna do
with his things?

well, he's got no will,
and since he has no next of kin,

his possessions
will go to the state.

why? is there something
we should know about?

nope. nope. just wondering.

ok.

night.

good night.

lawson: i submitted
the manuscript to 5 houses.

the first to call back
was devrie publishing.

i had an appointment with
the owner of the company.

janine devrie.

lawson russell.

i thought
they would like the book,

but i had no idea i would
get this kind of reception.

i've never been treated
with such deference,

not even by clients
who were in deep shit.

thank you.

woman:
congratulations.

thanks.

how are you doin'?

lawson: you should never
underestimate the power of art.

i'll take it.

i'll take it.

janine: the new york times
book review--

"a brilliant indictment of
the criminal justice system,

"probably the season's
best literary offering.

mr. russell is a star
of the first magnitude."

kill a few lawyers,

you're bound
to be popular.

you're on your way,
buster.

janine: they loved you.

trust me. this is
just the beginning.

you're going
to be a very rich man.

it's just hard
to believe all this.

it's amazing.

i knew
it would make a fortune

before i
even finished it.

yeah?

how could you
be so sure?

made me wet.

donna, do i
have any messages?

thanks.

it isn't much.

but i call it home.

very nice.

intimate.

daddy built it for me.

he must have loved you.

oh, yes.

very much.

he gave me everything
i ever wanted.

lucky girl.

there are 15 bedrooms.

just enough.

the book hit the new york times
best-seller list at number 6.

janine had already ordered
a second and third printing.

i ignored the fact that the book
was condemned by the aclu,

the american bar association,

and the trial lawyers
association.

i was having
way too much fun.

and the name?

clifford--

2 fs--

dubose.

dubose?

yeah. d-u-b-o-s-e.

got it. got it.

it's
a great book, man.

thanks.
i love it.

all right.

"best wishes." nice.

poetic.

hey.

hi.

what's the name?

make it out to jenny.

jenny.

i really loved it.

i can't wait to
read the next one.

neither can i.

whenever you're ready,

i want to talk to you
about an advance.

you make me rich,
i make you rich.

it's a perfect deal.

hello, lawson.

pope!

what are you
doin' here?

well, you see, my friend
wrote this book,

and i thought
i'd come by

and get him
to sign it for me.

uh, this is
my publisher.

janine devrie,
elizabeth pope.

hi.

hi. nice to meet you.

elizabeth
is an attorney.

excuse me.

it's good
to see you.

you, too.

you look well.

thanks.

hope you enjoy it.

i already did.

you read it already?

uh-huh.

you hated it.

i thought it was dark.

it is.

i never thought of you

writing anything
like this.

i mean, it seems somehow
incongruous to me.

surprised you again.

it's just that i didn't
expect anything like this.

that's all.

but, hey,
congratulations.

i'm very impressed.

ok, good luck
to you, lawson.

nice meeting you.

take care.

let's get together.

by all means.

lawson: it was like
i could feel myself falling,

losing touch with the one
decent thing in my life.

it was then that
the magnitude of what i'd done

came home to me.

there would be no next book.

i was a thief.

now, there's a sight:

a lawyer with his hands
in his own pockets.

oh, i forgot.

you're not a lawyer
anymore.

you're
a big-time writer now.

what? did i miss
a little book signin'?

tsk! tsk! tsk!
tsk! tsk! tsk! damn.

and i went
and bought my own copy

and everything.

heh...

thurman.

who let you
out of your cage?

oh, didn't you hear?

i'm a free man.

i was acquitted.

isn't america great?

well, where else
could a disbarred,

self-righteous...

piece of shit
mouthpiece like you

ride around
in a rolls royce?

are you attacking me?

oh, no, no, wait a minute.
you only attack women,

or is that when you try
to have sex with them?

i forget. i don't know.

keep laughin',
smart ass.

you're gonna
get yours.

in spades.

you know, thurman,
from the list

of the most despicable
human beings on this planet,

you're at the bottom.

it was a revelation,
representing you,

'cause it was then
that i realized

that i couldn't sink
any lower.

that's sweet.

hello, pussycat.

is this your latest?

ho...

oh...

affirmative action.

well, i'll leave
you two alone.

good night.

ho! ho! ho!

oh, hey...

don't forget
to whip it.

huh?

do you know him...

hmm?

are you coming?

no, thanks.
i'll walk.

welcome back, detective.

thanks.

how you doin', cliff?

worse.

god damn it.

dubose.

yo.

no, i just walked in
the door this minute.

oh, jamaica
was beautiful, man.

yeah. as a matter of fact,
i did buy some land down there.

that's right,
for when i retire.

eh, since we're
on the subject now,

i quit.

ok, ok. you're home.

ok, no casualties.

it won't be long.
we'll be movin' to the island.

then you'll have
fresh fish every day.

you're gonna love it.

what are you
doing here, cliff?

couldn't sleep?

of course i can sleep.

i can do
any fuckin' thing i want.

ah...

i'm finished
programming.

i was just--

shut the fuck up.

can you work
these machines?

y--yeah.

sit down.

can you access files

from the other
police departments

in the surrounding states?
yes, sir.

can you access those files
as per victims' occupations?

uh...

yes, sir. i--

then type in there
"lawyer."

lawyer?

that's right. lawyer.

clifford: start
with mississippi--

biloxi.

m-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i.

all right, bring it on.

lawson russell?

who wants to know?

i do. i'm the motherfucker
you've been playin' with.

hey!

hey!

get his left one.

what's goin' on?

you're goin' downtown.

on what charge?

arrogance.

ok.

right this way.

now, watch your head.

read him his rights
and fasten his seat belt.

lawson: i had no idea
what was going on,

but when you're guilty,
you expect the worst.

ah, yes. billy ray.

hello, lawson.

guess you already
met detective dubose.

yeah. i offered him
a breath mint,

but you know
how he is.

want to tell me
what's goin' on?

no.

but it's my job.

it's about
your book, lawson.

what about it?

well, it seems
it's all true.

what?

it's all true.

all 5 of the murders in
your book really happened,

just as you described them,

right down
to the last detail.

all of the victims
were lawyers.

all of the deaths were
listed as accidents or suicides,

except for the first one,

which appeared to be
a failed robbery attempt,

and all of the murders
are connected

by a single motive--

each of the victims

had just won
a major legal victory

for an unsavory client,

just as you describe
in your book.

that's impossible.

i mean, it's some kind
of coincidence.

oh...

i'm afraid it's not.

see, we're not talkin' about
similarities here, lawson.

we are talkin'...

about exact details
of each crime,

details that were never
released to the press.

i mean,
minute details, man,

right down
to the color of the car.

we are talkin' about things
only the victims

or the killer
could've known.

so i need to ask you,
lawson,

where did you get
all of the information

for your book?

lawson: my legs went numb,
and i couldn't breathe.

i'd been so careful.

i'd destroyed the only
evidence that could prove

that i didn't
write the book.

oh, of course, there's
the distinct possibility

that nobody told you
any of the details

of these murders.

there's
a distinct possibility

that one disgusted,
disgruntled,

disbarred lawyer,

angry at the system
that shut him out,

took revenge
on the very men

who refused to make
the same moral sacrifice

he did.

nobody had to tell you
any of these details

because you were there,
mr. russell.

you killed those men.

you're out of your mind.

why'd you
send me your book?

what?

is that not
your handwritin'?

you just couldn't
stand the idea

of people not knowing

about
your accomplishments,

could you?

i mean, what's the sense

of committing
the perfect crime

if nobody
knows about it?

so you set it down

detail-per-detail,
didn't you?

and you sent a copy
to the one person

you knew
could understand it:

the detective that
worked the first case.

you sent me that book,
didn't you, counselor?

because you wanted me
to catch you.

didn't you?

i'd like to speak
to an attorney.

hmm...

good luck findin' one.

thanks for coming.

what the hell
is goin' on, lawson?

a really big
misunderstanding.

you are being investigated
for 5 counts of homicide.

well, i'm tellin' you,
it's some kind of mistake.

no. there's no mistake.

that's the list
of victims.

they died exactly
how you described it

in your book.

i didn't kill anybody,
i promise you that.

then you're going to
have to explain to them

where you got
your information.

am i being charged?
no, not yet.

they want to hear
your story first.

they won't believe it.

try me, then.

what are my options?

you don't have any.

you have to cooperate.

tell them where you
got your facts.

oh!

the law does not respect
protection of sources

in capital crimes.

hell,
you should know that.

it's obstruction
of justice,

plus accessory
after the fact,

harboring a fugitive.

man, if they really
want to get nasty:

involuntary manslaughter.

you'll go to jail,
lawson.

ok, ok, all right.

tell them that i need time
to confer with counsel

and to prepare a statement.

tell them i'll be more
than happy to cooperate

in every way possible,
including naming my source,

but i need out of here now.

lawson--

pope, please...

just do it.

man.

he's guilty.

how can you tell?

watch. he'll look back.

when the perp's holdin',
they always look back.

dubose here.

rabbit's on the track.

set the hounds loose.

billy ray, old buddy,

i need a search warrant.

oh, i know just the judge.

satisfied?

i can't believe this.

lawson: but it was true.

each one of the murders
in the book

documented
an actual killing.

i was--
to use the vernacular--

fucked.

i didn't write the book.

what?

i didn't write the book.

patron: shh! shh!

it was given to me

by an old man
i met in key west.

he gave me the original
manuscript to read,

and then he died
of a heart attack.

i got greedy.
i put my name on it.

i submitted it,

and it
bup bup bup bup!

you expect me
to believe that?

no, no. hell,
i don't even believe it,

but it's true.

listen, you said yourself
when you read it

it didn't sound
anything like me.

i'm guilty of plagiarism,
not murder.

so where's
the original manuscript?

i burned it.

great.

so the old man
from key west

is the real killer,

is that what
you're tellin' me?

yes.

maybe. i don't know.

maybe he
just knew the killer.

you don't believe me.

i don't know
what to believe.

what are you doing?

i don't think you should
say any more to me.

what are you talkin' about?
this is privileged.

no, it is not.

i am not representing
you in this.

oh, pope.

i think you'd better
seek other counsel.

no. pope, listen.

pope, listen,
listen, listen.

i'm sorry, lawson.

i need your help.

there was a time

when i would have
done anything for you,

but i don't know who
you are anymore, lawson.

i can't help you.

i'm not sure
anybody can.

pope.

pope.

your parents
sure must be proud.

very funny.

may i help you?

hey! what the hell's
goin' on here?!

maybe this'll explain
things, counsel.

now, let me ask you,

a fine legal mind
like yourself,

are you cooperatin'?

because if you're not--

i'm cooperating.

excellent!

oh, boys!

mr. russell's
just given us permission

to be particularly
destructive.

carry on.

like a drink, detective?

nah. never touch it.

makes me happy.

you know, russell,
i kind of admire you.

yeah.

i think
it's a hell of an idea,

knocking off those
scumbag lawyers,

letting all these
guilty men go free

to continue
preying on society.

yes, sir,
it's a damn fine idea.

goddamn shame
it's illegal, though,

isn't it?

oh, i enjoyed your book.

lot of creepy shit
in there, man.

i was particularly
enamored

with the analogy
to crows.

that's the right
word, isn't it?

analogy?

i mean, they're
extremely intelligent,

wary...omnivorous.

they're also extremely
protective of each other.

a very successful species.

you know their numbers

are exploding
in this country?

just like lawyers.

that'd be
a metaphor, right?

or is it a simile?
whatever.

you know, you barbecued me
on the stand once.

you remember that?

vaguely.

you like being
a smart ass, don't you?

must be a genetic trait
with your profession,

like overcharging.

and you all just love
attacking the police.

makes your day.

bringing in
those high-priced,

so-called experts.

earn 10 times as much
as we do to tear apart

our investigations
and lab work.

while we're underpaid,
overworked, understaffed,

and constantly being
pushed into the ground

as if we were the criminals.

some of you are.

takes a team effort

to have the highest
crime rate in the nation.

now you're being
downright offensive.

we both are.

the difference is
i'm trying to be.

but you just
can't help it.

hmm.

you know, i followed
that parks trial.

our boy thurman was
guilty, wasn't he?

how did that deal
come down?

i mean, why did you
snap on him like that?

too many twinkies.

oh. that
sounded expensive.

lieutenant,
you better look at this.

my, oh my.

detective: i found them
in the kitchen,

underneath the cabinets.

well, lookie here.
well, that's a good one.

no wonder you had
all the details right.

you took pictures!

that's not mine.

i've never seen
that stuff before.

no, really?

well, i guess we'd just
better let you go, huh?

wait, listen.
i'm being framed!

get your hands
behind your back now.

this is my favorite
part of the job.

lawson russell,
you're under arrest

on 5 counts of murder.

oh!

uhh!

damn!

shit!

the goddamn rabbit's loose!

repeat, the rabbit's loose.

the new orleans
police department

is actively seeking
lawson russell

in connection
with the murders

of 5 prominent attorneys

depicted in his book
a murder of crows.

ha ha ha ha ha!

oh, how sad.
oh, ho ho! ha ha ha!

mr. russell escaped custody
earlier this afternoon

and is currently at large.

oh. come here, baby girl.

it's time to play
the escaped convict

and the warden's wife.

mmm...my.

reporter: ms. devrie,
did you have any idea

that a murder of crows
was based on real events?

none whatsoever.
i'm shocked.

what is the publishing
company's position on this?

devrie publishing
only wants

to see justice served.

i hope that
the police apprehend

this maniac quickly

and that he is made
to pay severely

for these crimes.

reporter:
when was the last time--

how was i?

brilliant.

this book is gonna
go through the roof.

lawson:
my father loved the law.

he saw in its pursuit

the highest achievement
of man--justice.

and "a little bit
of justice," he used to say,

"is all we count for."

before i went off
to college at yale,

he gave me
3 pieces of advice.

never waste
the opportunity

to tell someone
you love them,

never take the credit
or the blame

for something
you didn't do,

and always tell the truth.

it's easier to remember.

thank god he was dead.

lawson: hi.
girl: hi.

i'm trying to find out
what happened

to the personal effects
of a man who died here

in key west
earlier this year?

all right.
what was the name?

last name, marlowe.
christopher marlowe.

when did he die?

march third.

i'm not showing
any marlowe, sir.

are you sure
he died here?

positive.

well, we have
no record of it.

it's gotta be
in there somewhere.

well, if he died
in monroe county,

a death certificate
would be on file.

do you have an attending
physician's name?

no, i don't have
a physician's name.

i spoke to a detective

at the key west
police department,

detective goethe?

goethe? goethe?

you mean like
the german writer?

you know,
i don't think there is

a detective goethe
on the force, sir.

maybe you all
have the wrong county.

lawson:
she was part right.

i was on the wrong planet.

i had to retool
my thinking.

everything i knew
was wrong.

lawson: christopher marlowe
was the english writer

who first interpreted
the medieval legend faust,

the man who sold
his soul to the devil.

goethe, of course,
was the german poet

whose crowning work,
faust,

was the most famous
version of the tale.

i'd been tempted
by the devil, all right,

and sold my soul
lock, stock, and barrel.

shit.

one park 14, com one.

he's here.

hi.

are you mrs. evans?

yes.

i'm inspector harris

of the department
of justice. may i come in?

am i in some kind
of trouble?

no, ma'am.
i'm investigating a man

who was a tenant
in this rooming house

in march of this year.

a one christopher marlowe?

wore glasses,
walked with a cane,

english accent?

sure, mr. marlowe.
i remember him.

what did he do?

i'm not at liberty
to say, ma'am.

how long
did he stay here?

just about a week,

and he seemed like
a nice enough man.

paid in cash.

did he leave
a forwarding address?

no.

did he meet with anyone
while he was staying here?

no, not that
i know of.

this subpoena,
as you will see,

requests
the phone records

of this rooming house
while he stayed here.

oh, no, no, no, no.

he didn't use
the phone here.

and i thought
that was odd.

he always used
the pay phone

on the corner.

the pay phone?!
mm-hmm.

thank you, mrs. evans.

you're welcome.

lawson: the supervisor
at ma bell

was even more cooperative
than mrs. evans.

sometimes life
just works out that way.

p.a.: we are police!

stop!

stop running!

freeze!

hey, stop!

hey!

car 4-14 calling com one.

i'm pursuing suspect,

he went over a fence
at calder alley.

i'm proceeding to elizabeth.

radio: attention, all units
in vicinity of calder alley...

uhh!

we lost him.

the fbi is here.

fuck 'em.

well, you're gonna
need to confer with 'em.

what for, billy ray?

so we do all the work

and they get to give
the press conference?

i would've thought
you wanted to do that.

this is the one
he poisoned.

they exhumed the body
this morning.

i assume you heard
about key west?

it's a bonehead move,
if you ask me.

i figured he'd be
long gone by now.

south america, maybe.

no way.

he's on his way back
to the big easy.

you think?

i know it.

the man's not finished.

he's got
another lawyer to get.

who?

himself.

why do you think
he sent me his book?

lawson: i took a flight
from miami to baton rouge

and caught a greyhound
down to the city.

all the calls
from the phone booth

in key west were local

except for one
in the 504 area code.

new orleans.
my home town.

the phone was listed
to a miss althea delroy,

616 jackson street
in the garden district.

thurman parks lived
in the garden district.

i didn't think
it was a coincidence.

lawson: i wanted to see
if althea delroy's number

was in thurman park's book.

it wasn't.

the whole thing
didn't add up.

whoo!

get on.

lawson:
but from the sound of it,

thurman and janine did.

i ain't drunk.

look at this ass. nice!

you're so bad!

well...

that's what you love
about me, baby.

lawson: reminded me
of the old story

of adam and eve.

adam,
exasperated with eve,

asked god why he
made her so beautiful.

"so that you would
love her," god replied.

"why did you
make her so stupid?"

and god said,
"so she would love you."

uh-oh!

ohh!

janine: god damn it,
get off me. you're such a--

lawson:
they deserved each other.

janine: get off!

thurman: whoa, yeah!

little thing,
come on, resist me.

fight me, baby!
fight me!

janine: all right...oh!

thurman: oh! come on!

man: it used to be
over that hotel...

elizabeth pope.

hi. it's me.

i can't talk to you.
i could go to jail.

i know.

i need your help, pope.

lawson: the legal database
report elizabeth gave me

said that mrs. althea delroy
was a widowed housekeeper.

she had a 10-year-old
daughter and lived

in a 2-bedroom condo
on jackson street.

she owed
59,000 bucks on it.

what she had to do
with all this

was anybody's guess.

woman: come on, kids!
this way!

professor: theme is
the controlling idea

of a play.

it's the single thought

which the playwright tries
to prove by his own work.

can anybody tell me what
the theme of macbeth is?

oh. uh...laura.

if you're greedy,
it leads to disaster.

is it really greed,
though?

macbeth is more
than that. james.

he's more
ambitious.

he's ambitious,
isn't he?

how ambitious?

ruthlessly,
would you say?

so, shakespeare
set out to prove

that ruthless ambition
leads to its own destruction.

i think he did that.

lawson: i figured
the professor would

be tied up
for at least an hour.

it's time to see where
the bodies were buried.

doorbell rings]

lawson: i'd never broken
into anyone's house before.

lawson:
must be a good way.

i didn't know one.

lawson: his name
was arthur corvus.

i saw all the photographs
of his wife and daughter.

they could be
coming home any minute.

lawson: the daughter's
room was musty-smelling.

i figured she was away
at boarding school.

lawson: so he didn't know
thurman parks iii.

but he was
a professor of drama.

he taught acting,
theater history,

playwriting.

lawson: what was
his connection to marlowe?

i spent too many years
listening to bullshit

to not know it
when i see it.

there had
to be a connection.

well, if it weren't
for lawyers, dear boy,

we wouldn't need lawyers.

oh...

night.

nice...poetic.

thanks.

ruthless ambition leads
to its own destruction.

ok, professor,
thanks.

how you doing?

good.

professor?!

professor!

rod, what happened?

somebody broke
into your house.

oh, god.

i live here.
go ahead.

thank you.

althea?

althea:
professor--

oh, thank god.

are you all right?

i'm fine.
he didn't hurt me.

he just walked
right out.

who?
lawson russell.

who?

lawson russell.

the author
of that novel,

a murder of crows.

the one who knocked
off all those lawyers.

you haven't read
about this guy?

oh, yes,
i've read about him.

i just thought
that you were mistaken.

no, no. it was him,
all right.

i looked him
right in his face.

well, what in the world
would he want here?

well, that's what
we want to know.

i'm
detective dubose,

new orleans
police department,

homicide.

how do you do?

tell you the truth,
professor,

i'm as confused
as a nun

on a honeymoon.

may i show
you something?

over here...

apparently,
he broke the window

on the back door there.

let himself in,
he was upstairs

when the housekeeper
came home.

how strange.

yeah, ain't it?

well, you know
these serial killers,

totally unpredictable.

you may just want
to check around

and see
if anything's missing.

yes, sir. i'll make it
a point to do that.

hey, professor?

yeah?

you never met
lawson russell before?

uh, no. thank god.

know anybody who knows him?

uh...i don't think so.

so i guess
you never read his book,

murder of crows?

no, sir.

well...

maybe he was just
hiding out here for a while.

yes, quite possibly.

uh, professor?

your housekeeper,
mrs. delroy,

she says you teach
over at the university.

yes, i do.

that wouldn't be law,
would it?

no, i teach theater.

acting?

yes,
among other things.

that your family?

agent manning, fbi.
who's in charge here?

detective dubose.

aw, christ.

here they come,
the thorns in my ass.

are you dubose?

no, i'm
the fucking easter bunny.

nice suit, ace.

lawson: aristotle said,
"all that we do is done

with an eye
towards something else."

simply put:
to understand a deed,

look to the motive.

lawson: jeffrey lowell
was the first

of the 5 lawyers murdered.

i reasoned that if there
was any personal connection

between the victims
and the killer,

it would be
with the first murder.

the messiest of the 5,
the most violent.

lawson: i had to go back
nearly 3 years

before i found it.

jeffrey lowell represented
a banker from baton rouge

charged with
hit-and-run driving.

a woman
and her daughter

were killed
in the accident.

the victims' names were
jean and trudy corvus.

lowell had the case
thrown out of court

on a technicality.

the investigating
officer failed to,

as the court put it,

"properly advise
the banker of his rights."

the banker walked,

and a serial killer
was born.

there he is!

not a good start
for your career.

busting everything!

i'll take that firearm,
please. thank you.

i'm very glad
that you could come here

and talk to me.

why don't you
just come on in here

and stay
for a spell, huh?

ok. sit on down.

what, you're
not gonna give me

any of that
courtroom arrogance?

not gonna
smile for me?

well...

i got to tell you,
i'm impressed.

you have given me
quite a day,

mr. russell.

but then again,
you've always been

kind of unpredictable,
haven't you?

like that evening
in your study

when you called
judge banning,

withdrew yourself
from the parks case.

i'll tell you,
you know, that threw me.

that threw me.

it impressed me so much

that i decided
not to kill you.

so i was always
on your hit list.

oh, yeah.
well, you see,

i decided to test
you in the way

god tested job.

the book.

yes, sir.

i loved the faust thing,
by the way. very clever.

thank you.

you know...

quite a piece of work.

i can see why you felt
compelled to share it.

yes, it was a story
that needed to be told.

sorry about
your family, though.

i'm sure that was hard.

oh, you have no idea
how it felt...

watching that man
go free

after he killed them.

you see, i could tell
from his eyes

that he was remorseful
for what he'd done.

but his lawyer...
his lawyer smiled...

and patted him
on the back.

i'll tell you
something, lawson.

something
turned in me then.

i felt a rage inside of
me, and i swear to god,

i tried to put it
out of my mind.

i tried to turn
the other cheek.

"vengeance is mine,
saith the lord."

but i couldn't
wait for it.

you see, he wasn't
practicing law!

he was hiding behind it!

he was using it
as a hammer

to protect the privileged
in our society!

see, he was like you,
lawson.

see, you weren't
interested in justice,

you just wanted to win

'cause it fed your
pathetic little ego!

and it fed
your pocketbook.

for a little bit
of money,

you gave away
your goddamn integrity!

for a little bit
of money,

you frustrated justice.

well, i'm here
to tell you,

for all the people
that you destroyed,

i want a little
goddamn justice,

and i want it right now!

stand up. stand up.

come on. move away.

come on. it's a shame
i'm gonna have to kill you

for violating my home.

you sold your soul
to the devil,

mr. lawson russell.

and the devil
has come to collect.

may god have mercy
on your soul.

dubose: put the gun
down, professor.

put it down.

i will kill him.

it's your carpet.

come on, now.
it's over.

put it down.

drop it.

and step back.
come on. step back.

thanks.

yeah, don't
mention it.

officer needs
assistance.

1741 coliseum.

you may recall,
mr. russell,

that, uh, this is
the favorite part

of my job.

aah!

unh! uhh...

lawson: no!

you're insane.

no.

no.

i didn't kill him.

you killed him.

and he killed you.

with that gun.

oof!

oof!

look at me!

lawson: it was then
that i realized

i was holding the gun
that killed dubose.

my gun, my fingerprints.

it was me the cops
were looking for.

my name was on the book.

it's your word
against mine, isn't it?

isn't it?

oh, yeah. that's right.

a teacher and
a deacon in the church

versus a lawyer?

and a disbarred lawyer
at that.

oh, man. i think you're
in a world of trouble.

i'd run if i were you.

lawson: he was right.

i was going
down for this,

and there was
no doubt about it.

corvus was
going to go free.

i am not innocent.

but you are guilty.

now, here's
what we're gonna do.

ok.

lawson: all the publicity
sent the book

through the roof.

the royalties
made me a millionaire.

judge: has the jury
reached a verdict?

we have, your honor.

lawson: elizabeth
found me one of the best

criminal defense
attorneys in the country.

but, unfortunately,
my old pal, judge banning,

drew the case.

defendant will rise.

bailiff will read
the verdict.

lawson: whatever
the jury's decision,

i was prepared
to accept it.

"we, the jury,
find the defendant

"lawson russell...

not guilty."

lawson:
i'll say it again,

it's an immutable
fact of life.

the strong will always
tread on the weak.

but every
once in a while,

we get a little bit
of justice.

and that's all
we can hope for.

* ooh, ooh

* whoo hoo hoo hoo

* yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah *

* i never was
a believer *

* until you came
and showed me the way *

* just like
the rays of light *

* that turn each night

* into day

* and all the doubts

* i could not
live without *

* they all drown
in the depth of your love *

* you fell down

* on my desert one day

* like a rain
from above *

* i put my faith in you

* lay it down for you

* and only you

* upon your wings
i fly, so high *

* forever put
my faith in you *

* i put my faith in you

* hoo hoo hoo hoo

* i used to think
i knew freedom *

* when i would live
to please someone else *

* but you embrace me
for all that i am *

* you love me
for myself *

* and like a rock

* that remains
strong and true *

* you anchor my heart
and my soul *

* and if this world
is ever incomplete *

* you're the one
who makes it whole *

* i put my faith in you

* lay it down for you
and only you *

* upon your wings
i fly, so high *

* forever put
my faith in you *

* i put my faith, oh

* i put my faith in you

* lay it down for you
and only you *

* upon your wings
i fly, so high *

* forever
put my faith in you *

* i put my faith in you

* lay it down for you
and only you *

* only you

* upon your wings
i fly, so high *

* forever put
my faith in you *

* i put my faith in you

* put my faith

* in you

* in you

* ooh, ooh, in you

* ooh, ooh, ooh

* oh, ho, oh, ho

* la la, la, la, la

* hey eh

* i believe, i believe

* i believe, i believe,
i believe *

* yeah, yeah, yeah

* ah, yeah, yeah

* ah, yeah, yeah

* yes, baby,
yes, i do *

* yes, i do