You know what the problem with Hollywood is? They make shit - unbelievable, unremarkable shit. Now, I'm not some grungy, wannabe film-maker that's searching for existentialism through a haze of bong smoke or something. No, it's easy to pick apart bad acting, short-sighted directing and a purely moronic stringing together of words that many of the studios term as prose. No, I'm talking about the lack of realism. Realism - not a pervasive element in today's modern American cinematic vision. Take 'Dog Day Afternoon', for example. Arguably Pacino's best work, short of 'Scarface' and 'Godfather Part I', of course. Masterpiece of directing, easily Lumet's best. The cinematography, the acting, the screenplay - all top-notch. But... ..they didn't push the envelope. What if, in 'Dog Day', Sonny wanted to get away with it? Really wanted to get away with it? What if... now this is the tricky part. What if he started killing hostages right away? No mercy, no quarter. Meet our demands or the pretty blonde in bell-bottoms gets it in the back of the head - bam! Splat! What, still no bus? Come on. How many innocent victims splattered across the window would it take to have the city reverse its policy on hostage situations? And this is 1976. There's no CNN. There's no CNBC and there's no Internet. Now, fast-forward to today, present time, same situation. How quickly would modern media make a frenzy over the city? And in a matter of hours, it's the biggest story from Boston to Budapest. 10 hostages die. 20, 30, relentless - bam! bim! - one after another. All caught on high-def, computer-enhanced, colour-corrected. You can practically taste the brain matter. All for what? A bus, a plane? A couple of million dollars that's federally insured? (Sighs) I don't think so, but just a thought. I mean it's not... ..within the realm of conventional cinema, but... ..what if? Well, there's a problem with that movie. Really? It wouldn't work. How come? Audiences love happy endings. Pacino escapes with the money. Boyfriend gets a sex change. They live happily ever after. No? No. Ah, homophobia. Bad guy can't win. It's a morality tale. One way or the other, he's got to go down. Mmm. Life is stranger than fiction sometimes. You know, guys... ..I gotta go. Gotta jet. Thanks for the coffee. Stan, time to go to work. You coming? Move! I won't say it again. (HELICOPTER WHIRRS) AGENT: I have a clear shot. TWO-WAY: Shooters, stand by. OK, now what? Don't worry, folks, you're fine. It's almost over. She done? She's done. Move her out. OK, let's go. Don't worry. You'll be fine. You'll be back before you know it. Turn the fuck around. Rescue team, let's go. Who's on the roof? TWO-WAY: All shooters, you're holding for clearance. (Reporters shout) They've got men up there and there. All prepare for the shot. Joy, what are you doing? Handling this. Don't fuck with this guy, man. You're going to get these people killed! Two teams on the roof, a team over there, a team on that building. (PHONE RINGS) Roberts. Don't talk, just listen. Each of the 22 hostages has been wrapped with 20 pounds of C4 explosives. They've also been taped with 15 pounds of stainless-steel ball bearings... ..which makes them the world's largest walking Claymore mines. JOY: You got the green light. Hey, I've got this guy on the phone over here. Get off the phone. I'm done playing with this asshole. Go on. Around their necks are radio-frequency electronic dog collars. Dog walks out of the yard, gets the shit shocked out of him. Same thing here. This bank is their yard. So don't fuck with me. Johnson and your partner, move up between those vehicles. (DRAMATIC MUSIC BUILDS) Hey! Stand down, get back! Stand down! Get back. Officers, stand down right now! MAN: He's gonna shoot! He's gonna shoot! (GUNSHOT) (Woman screams) Shit! Down, down! Get her! No, no, no, no! No, you gotta release the hostage! No, release the hostage! She's gone. Take cover! (Woman screams) No, no, no, let her go! Let her go! (Screams) Release the hostage! Help me! Let her go. Let her go! Let her go! (ALL SHOUT) (COLLAR BEEPS) (FLIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT) How long will you be in this country? One week. Here for business or pleasure? Hopefully both. What type of work do you do? I'm a consultant. Excuse me. Could you be careful with that, please? That's expensive equipment. Mmm? How long will this take? Only a few minutes. Sit down, relax and I'll be right back. A few minutes, huh? Where's he going? Hold on! Hey! He's going up. Stairs. Sir, could... Easy, easy! This better be important to pull me out of a session. I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't, Senator. We just received a communication that Axl Torvalds was intercepted entering the continental US. When was this? In the last two hours. According to my source inside the FBI, he was nabbed going through customs at LAX. They know he's working for us? It's unlikely, sir. This was a routine check and Torvalds just freaked out. They just got lucky. This ain't good. What do the Feds know? Nothing, as of yet. He's refusing to speak English. The Finnish consul's already contacted the State Department. So we haven't been compromised, then? I'm not sure. I'm working on that right now, sir. You better get sure real quick, son, 'cause someone's cock is liable to wind up on the block. I guarantee it won't be mine. I understand, Senator. There you go. (INDUSTRIAL TECHNO MUSIC) Well, well, well. Who are you supposed to be? I'm Ginger. Ginger, huh? Where's Gilligan? For someone the NSA once listed as the most dangerous hacker in America, you sure don't look like much. Surprised? I know everything there is to know about you, Stan. What are you selling again? My employer wants to meet you. Yeah. Oh, shit! You're not too good at this golf thing. You're fucking up my chi. Let me have that. This is not a nice place you got here, Stan. Been here five minutes and I already feel sorry for myself. You're wasting your time. If I even touch a computer, I go straight to Leavenworth. Do not pass 'Go'. Do not collect $200. If I knew you were coming, I might have cleaned a little. I'm not here to suck your dick, Stanley. (Clears throat) He'll pay you just to meet you. I got to go to work. Right. Great work, greasing pump jacks. So, ah... ..spoke to Holly lately? (Screams) Shit! (PHONE RINGS) (Coughs) Hello? Melissa...is Holly home? Stanley... Why are you calling here, huh? I just want to talk with Holly. It's Saturday. She's at soccer practice. You know it's illegal for you to talk to her. Don't do this, Mel. OK? It's not good for Holly. And how would you know what is or isn't good for my daughter? You've spent the last two years in prison. Mel! Stop calling me that, Stanley. Look, I just... I just want to see my baby. Well, she doesn't want to see you, Stanley. And I swear to fucking God, if you even try to contact her, Larry's attorney will throw you in a hole so dark and deep, it will make Leavenworth seem like two weeks in Vegas, during which I will personally pay two ball-busting skinheads to make a playground out of your ass. Well, you can take the girl out of the trailer park, but not the trailer park out of the girl. I will not let myself be manipulated by you, Stanley. Larry's her father now. Larry's the porn king of Southern Cali...! Larry is a film financier. What films he's involved in are a function of profitability and none of your business. Get help, Stanley. Get into a program. Get a therapist. Get a dog. But whatever you do, stay away from my child. Your child? She's OUR child. She will never be your child. Forget Holly. (PHONE DISCONNECTS) What are you still doing here? I'm beginning to lose my sense of humour about all this. OK. Then I'll cut to the chase. If you want a chance in hell of getting your daughter back, you'd better listen up. Unless you wanna stay here in this loser existence while your daughter grows up to be a fluffer in her new daddy's videos. Do me the courtesy of not confusing your own childhood with my daughter's. And look at your situation, Stanley. For the past, what? 20 months? You've been in and out of court six times. Each time, your case was thrown out. The situation doesn't look good, sweetheart. How much money would it cost to hire the best family lawyer in the country - help you get your kid back? A lot. Come here. Come here. Judas. (Dog whimpers) That should get you started. 100 grand. What have you got to lose, Stan? He just wants to meet you. One time. You don't like the situation - walk away. And that's it? That's it. And you keep the money. (Speaks Finnish) What'd he say? (Speaks Finnish) Right, look. Look, look, look. Your client is wanted on 24 counts of electronic crimes in seven different countries. He has a Finnish passport and Finland does not recognise these allegations as crimes. Your laws don't apply. Do you see a Finnish flag hanging on the wall, IKEA boy? (Speaks Finnish) What'd he say? He said IKEA is Swedish. He understands English, huh? Joe, let me talk to him for a minute. He's all yours. You're fucked up now, Hamlet. See, the thing is, they have you put the furniture together yourself. (Sighs) Hey, my client has repeatedly reserved his right... Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm just curious - why would the number one hacker in the world risk life imprisonment by coming into the continental US? (Speaks Finnish) OK, what did he just say? He said he never misses an episode of 'Survivor'. (Laughs) Did he really say that? (Continues laughing) You're funny. How much do you weigh? How much do I weigh? Yeah. We'll call you if we need you. (Sputters) Eat a dick. (Yells) Wipe that smile off your face. (OMINOUS MUSIC) Until about a year ago I was head of the largest cybercriminal task force in the world. But I burned out. I snapped. I shot a suspect in the hand. Do you know how difficult it is to work a keyboard with one fucking hand? You don't understand. Whatever you want to do to me, he will do worse. I'm already dead. The only way I have a chance is back in Europe. I have friends there. Tell me what I want to know, I'll make sure you're on the first plane home. First class. Courtesy of the US Government. Who is he? I don't know his name. You work for the guy, you don't know his name? Nope. Tell me something. I'll tell you what I know. He exists in a world beyond your world. (TECHNO MUSIC) What we only fantasise, he does. He lives a life where nothing is beyond him. (MUSIC GETS LOUDER) And you know what? It's all a facade. For all his charm and charisma, his wealth, his expensive toys, he is a driven, unflinching, calculating machine. He takes what he wants, when he wants and disappears. So how do I find him? You don't find him, he finds you. Here's how it works - his people pick me up, they take me to him, then he tells me what he wants me to do. I do the job, right there... ..I get paid and I leave. That's a really nice story, but you haven't told me shit, have you? (DOOR OPENS) Excuse me, sir. You have a call. Take a message. It's, er, Assistant Director Joy. He said it's important. I can only tell you what I've done for him so far. Well, that's a start. (DOOR OPENS) Thank you. You've just let my client go free. You denied his right to counsel, assault and battery... Excuse me. Ja! And you eat the dick! (Speaks Finnish) (Speaks Finnish) Yes, I got a call from A.D. Joy. This is Roberts. Hold for just one moment, sir. (Speaks Finnish) (TENSE MUSIC) (Dials) (MUSIC INTENSIFIES) (PHONE RINGS) Joy. Yeah. Roberts. You needed me. You didn't call me? No, I didn't, Roberts! What do you want? (URGENT MUSIC) You know, you really should've let me buy you a suit, Stan. I'm happy with what I'm wearing, thank you. Ignorance is bliss. (DANCE MUSIC) Miss me? Uh-huh. Stanley, Gabriel. Big Stan. Nice suit. Thanks. They say it's the clothes that make the man. Do you buy it? Hope not. Drink? Look, I, er, flew 1,500 miles for this meeting. How about we get to the point? No, actually, you flew 1,500 miles for 100 grand. But that's not the point. Helga, meet Stanley. Hello, Stanley. Helga. Oh, look, I don't have a lot of patience, Gabriel. Maybe you can help me with something, Stanley. Take a look at this. What do you think? I know I can't touch that. Do you like tequila, Stanley? OK, this is bullshit. Look, you want something from me and I want something from you. D.O.D., d-base, 128-bit encryption. What do you think? Impossible? Well, nothing's impossible. Good. It can be done? Sliding in a Trojan horse hiding a worm? Something like that. Is this an interview? Sort of. Marco. Let's give him some incentive. Hey. Hey, what are you doing? Relax, Stanley. Now, I have been told that the best crackers in the world can do this in 60 minutes. Unfortunately, I need someone who can do it in 60 seconds. You're kidding? Afraid not. Go! Get off. Get up. Get up! 55. Get on with it. What the hell is this? Time's a-wasting, big guy. (Pants) Oh, Jesus. (Pants) 45 seconds. (Gasps) (Gasps) (Moans) Oh, she's good, isn't she? (Pants) What's going on? Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ. More time. More time! Come on, Stan! 20. 19. (Claps, groans) 15. Come on. Come on. 10, 9... (TENSE MUSIC) Come on. Come on. 3, 2, 1... OK. Too bad. You gotta die. No, no, no. Wait. WAIT! (GUN CLICKS) (Gasps) I was just...just fucking with you, Stan. (Gasps, pants) Oh, yeah. (Zips fly) That's our guy. Get away from me. I really want to help you. You wanna help me like you helped me in there? That was a test, Stan. A test? And you passed. I don't know why I let you persuade me. I can't believe I'm so desperate. Aren't you saving your daughter? I'd do anything to get Holly back, but if I end up in a box or back in jail, then I can't help her! What I'm gonna do is take my money and go back to court! Back to court with your little $100,000? If you throw 100 at Melissa, she'll throw 5 back at you. Think, Stanley! I'm thinking about you putting a gun to my head to see if I can... (Men yell) (Mutters) Let me break it down to you, Stanley, one last time. You live in a trailer. You're a villain. You work a dead-end job. And you desperately want to get your daughter back. Gabriel is your only shot. Take it. Look, I've got some concerns about our new friend. Oh, now, don't be jealous. I just don't see him dragging his sorry arse across the finishing line. Stan! I thought we lost you. Tell me what the deal is. The deal is that we're having a little gathering at the house and, er, why don't you come and I'll explain it to you there? Come on. Gentlemen, if it's not good news, I don't even want to hear it. We have a small ray of hope in the vast darkness of your life, sir. Check this out. (Types) When we grabbed Torvalds at the airport, these guys were there. Mm-hm. Now, check this out. Recognise those two same guys a few hours later. And then...guess who shows up. Stan... Stanley Jobson. 'Wired' magazine's 1996 man of the year. Pretty much a burnout now, but he was the hacker zeitgeist in his day. Yeah, I know Jobson. I arrested him. Why are you in LA, Stan? His ex-wife lives out in Malibu with their 10-year-old daughter. The new husband owns Backdoor Films. It's a shady porn production house out in Chatsworth. They have good production values considering they shoot on video. Did you know he uses his wife in videos? I know. She's like an actress. Yeah. That's great. Are you done?! Who's the girl? Oh, um, well...actually, sir, we don't know yet. She's a serious piece of talent. (Laughs) Man, she's way out of his league. Find out who she is. And I wanna sit on the ex-wife's house. You got it. (TECHNO MUSIC PLAYS) Stan, wanna get wet? I don't have a suit. We don't either. Come on, Stan. Later. Some view. Let's get a drink. COMPUTER: Pool lights on. SONG: # Pleasures of which no words could tell you # An endless love # I'll be your temple # With me alone # Complete... # So, how did you do it? Do what? Break the code. I dropped a logic bomb through the trapdoor. No, you didn't. You didn't have time. What'll you have? Scotch. Come on, you can do better than that. I used a password scanner. Uh-uh. How did you do it? Look, I don't know exactly. I just, er...see the code in my head - I can't explain it. Let me show you something. (TENSE MUSIC) Pretty impressive, huh? So what we need from you, Stanley, is a worm. A Hydra, actually. A multi-headed worm to sniff out digital footprints across an encrypted network. What kind of cipher? A Vernan encryption. (Inhales) Vernan's key code is destroyed upon implementation, not to mention being a true 128-bit encryption. Actually, we're talkin' a 512-bit. (Laughs) That's definitely not possible. What if I were to tell you I'd give you $10 million? That would pretty much cover all your problems, yes? Unless, of course, it's not possible. But, er, you think about it. I won't bite you, I promise. This is not just a multiscreen system. It has a DS3 connection which allows us to access seven different networks simultaneously. (Types on keyboard) It has a central encryption that you would have to crack in order to utilise the system. Give it a try. It'll be pretty hard without a gun to my head. Well, maybe I should put a gun to your head. I thought you were Gabriel's. I'm not what you think I am. GABRIEL: Ginger. (Clears throat) Are you surprised that a girl with an IQ over 70 can give you a hard-on? So, is it impossible? Nothing's impossible. Good. So we have a deal? (TECHNO MUSIC) (Claps) # I'm unafraid... # (BIRDS CHIRP) Morning. You mean afternoon? Yeah. (Clears throat) Er, can I borrow your car for, er, something I need to do? Sure. Here you go. Thank you. (Bumps chair) Ooh. Hey, Stan, if you're goin' to see Holly, I suggest you re-evaluate the way you look. Just a thought. Just a thought. (Sighs) (Sighs) (PHONE RINGS) Come on, Mom, pick up. Holly... Mom late again? Um, she'll be here in a minute. OK. Hi. Um, can I have the phone number for Yellow Cab? Need a lift? Daddy! (Laughs) Hey! Hi! Oh, what are you doing here? Hey! (Sighs) Oh! I've missed you so much! Oh, I've missed you too, baby. Mmm... Here, I brought you something! Oh, my gosh, it's so cute! (Sighs) Oh, Dad. If Mom finds out you're here, she'll have you thrown back in jail. It's OK, baby. Do you want a lift home? Of course I do. Come here! Alright! Whoa! You are heavy. Nice car! Yeah, thanks. Is that Mommy's car? Is she home? I... That's my stepdad's car. OK. So, listen to me. (GENTLE MUSIC) I found a way for us to be together. I don't want anything else to happen to you, Dad. Everything's gonna be fine. Hey, hey... Shh, shh. Everything's gonna be OK. You just have to trust me. I love you, Daddy. I love you, come here. I love you so much. Oh, God. You go home. OK. I miss you. 'Bye. I miss you too. Go. Oh, sweetheart... Here. Come here. It's OK. Go. Go. (Whispers) Go. (Exhales) (Sighs) Who the hell are you? A friend of a friend. (Softly) Shit. Fuck... FUCK! (Sighs) (TYRES SCREECH) Hey! Hold it! Stanley! Dammit, Stanley, don't run! Go, go! (ACTION MUSIC) Oh... Ohhh... Oh, fuck. Whoa! Arggh! Whoooooaaaarrgghhhh! Don't move! Don't move. Shit. Look at this. What were you runnin' for, man? Are you arresting me? What, for violating parole by leaving Texas without permission? (Pants) Huh? Or for evading a federal officer and almost getting me fucking killed in the process?! No, I'm not arresting you! Then why are we talking? What are you doing in LA, Stan? Vacationing. Vacationing, right. I didn't know the judge lifted the sanction against seeing your daughter. Fuck you. Fuck you. (Laughs) Fuck... Cut through the pleasantries and get right down to it, huh? OK, fine. I can help you with your daughter, Stanley. (Laughs) You help me, I'll help you. You'll have to forgive me the fact that, er, you putting me in jail for 18 months doesn't inspire trust. You hacked into the FBI Carnivore program. Your virus set it back two years! You were reading every ISP subscriber's email in the US! I did what every federal jock wouldn't do! You broke the law, OK? Well, we were both doing what we had to do. And the Carnivore program is back in full swing. This was a nice trip down memory lane, but if you're not arresting me... (Sighs) (Chuckles) Not getting a lot of cooperation here, man. You know, I ran into your friend Axl Torvalds recently. He was vacationing too. What are the odds of the two best hackers in the world being in L.A. at the same time, Stan? I'm just a sucker for Disneyland. We done? Good. Tell Torvalds I said hello. You'll tell him yourself if you're not careful. He's dead. Give me your card. You think of anything you want to tell me, call me. Sorry about your nose. Stan... You're in way over your head. I know. You want me to keep an eye on him? Yeah, set it up. I've had a pretty shitty day so far, but it looks like it just got worse. (Breathes nervously) You either shoot me or tell me why you're wearing that wire. Can't do that. Who are you, Ginger? I can't tell you. Who...are you? He'll kill me if he finds out. That's not my problem, is it? You're asking for a lot of faith here, Ginge, without giving me any. (Disengages gun) You brought me into this mess. I deserve to know who's playing me. (Gasps) WHO are you? Ginger! (Breathes nervously) I'm DEA, Stanley. Holy shit! But it's not you we're after. It's Gabriel. Just give him the worm, take the money and get out of here. That's all you gotta do. ( DOOR OPENS ) Ah... This looks friendly. (Gasps) You know me, I'm a friendly girl. Come on, Stanley. Let's get a cup of coffee. (Sighs) (DOOR SHUTS) Here you go. BOTH: Thank you. You ever heard of Operation Swordfish? Nope. You'll appreciate the irony here. Triple espresso. Two. MAN: OK. In the early '80s, the DEA set up a network of dummy corporations as a government front to launder drug money and gather evidence. The problem was that these companies were making money. A lot of money. In 1986, when Operation Swordfish was terminated, there was almost $400 million in these DEA accounts. Money that just disappeared. Thank you. It didn't disappear. It sat there, earning interest. That's 15 years ago. Do you have any idea of how much money that is today? $9.5 billion. It's a sweet deal. We go in over the phone lines, pop the firewall, drop in the Hydra, sit back, wait for the money. Aren't you getting ahead of yourself? Before you can access the secure cluster, you need a bank on the backbone of the network. You know how long it'll take to find one? Not a problem. Look behind you. (Quietly) Cheers. You know, some of these fellas might be wearing Armani, but they definitely have the swagger of ex-military. Joe? Yeah. Maybe bodyguards, but they look more like mercs to me. Sir, there's definitely something going on here. They've got two DS3 trucks going in. That's serious bandwidth. Thermal scopes indicate a huge heat load in the living area. Could be mainframes. The house was listed by Celebrity Estates of Beverly Hills. Leased two weeks ago by a blind corporation. No other info on them yet. Wait a minute. Joe? Blue shirt, pinstripe. Oh, yeah. That's him. That's our man right there. (KEYS CLACK) Ah, just in time to watch Stanley find our worm. In my last year in college I created the source code for the worm I've been using for years. In the basement through a file room is the only PDP-10 still active on the Internet. But not many people know it. It's an ITS machine kept online just for historical sake. So I hid my worm there where no-one would ever think to look. Voila. (STATIC AND INTERFERENCE) (COMPUTER WHIRRS AND BLEEPS) Good man. Good man. Senator, we have a, ah, problem. (PHONE BEEPS) Senator? Seems you have gotten yourself into a predicament. Is that right? I don't follow. Download your file. (COMPUTER BLEEPS) Senator... You know where I got these damn pictures? From the Deputy Director of the FBI. He thought I might be interested. In all due respect, sir, do you think there's any aspect of this operation that I'm not fully aware of? We are aborting the operation. Take a vacation. A vacation? Have I ever failed you, sir? That's not really the point, is it? Well, it's MY point. You're losing sight of our objective, sir. The risks are too great. We'll regroup and seek alternative means of finance elsewhere. This operation is moving ahead. Everything is under control. Son... ..let's just say you got a 200-pound Rottweiler. Now, he loves you. It's his job to protect you. But if he ever bites you, even once, you gotta put him down. You can never tell who he might bite next. You understand? Yes, I do understand, Senator. I think we've got a team on the west coast at Fort MacArthur. Maybe they should pay our friend a little visit. (GROOVY TECHNO MUSIC) Come on. (COMPUTER BLEEPS) Confirm, confirm. Please confirm. Confirm, confirm. We're cruisin'! Yeah! Whoo! Oh, yeah. (Laughs) Next. And next. Too easy. No, don't. No! No, no, no...yes. 50%, please, please! Oh, I'm fucked. I'm fucked! No, no, no. Fuck you! Shit. There's no fucking way. I am rusty. Rusty. (Whispers) Come on, come on. SONG: # 50,000 watts of funking # 50,000 50,000 # 50,000 watts of funking... # OK. Time to disguise you. It's eternal...destruction. Quick, quick, quick... thank you. Return... Three...two...one. Go. Come on, come on. Yeah. (MUSIC INTENSIFIES) (Whispers) Yes. # Play to the music # Play to the music... # Oh, baby! # Play to the music # Play to the music # Play to the music... # Ooh! (Laughs) Yeah! # Play to the music. # (COMPUTER BEEPS) I've just gotta nullify the code. (Mutters to himself) Hey...holy shit. Chateau Lartique. '96 white, white... Nope. Come on, come on, come on. Hmm. Here we go. '96...'96. (DRAMATIC MUSIC) Oh, shit! ( BOTTLE CLANKS ) What's the matter, Stan? You look like you've seen a ghost. We've gotta talk. Let's take a drive. Why not talk here? Because we shouldn't. Have you ever heard of Harry Houdini? Well, he wasn't like today's magicians who are only interested in television ratings. He was an artist. He could make an elephant disappear in a packed theatre. Do you know how he did that? Misdirection. What are you talking about? Misdirection. What the eyes see and the ears hear, the mind believes. Hmm. What's going on? We've got a tail. Hold on. (FRENETIC TECHNO MUSIC) Shit! Jesus! JESUS! (HORNS BLARE) We'll have to improvise. Take the wheel. What?! Take the wheel! (TYRES SCREECH) Holy shit! Who are those guys? Jesus! Fuck! What the fuck are you doing? (HORNS BLARE) Jesus! Drive, Stan. Move! I can't drive this thing. Learn! Move it! Come on! Keep moving! Come on, come on! Hard left. Hard left! Keep going. Keep going! Go! Go! (HORN HONKS) Get in the car. I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what I'm involved in. Look, Stanley. I like you. You're on my good side. But don't confuse kindness with weakness. You have 12 hours to get the Hydra, so get in the car. Stanley? Are you OK? What do you think? I just saw that maniac murder eight people. I'm just fucking great. You can't leave, Stan. It's all gonna work out. You gotta trust me. What, trust you? Yeah. Yesterday I find out you're DEA, the Feds are crawling up my ass and I don't know what's going on. If we don't find out who he's working for, we'll have to start all over again. I don't give a shit who he's working for. What about Holly? Do you give a shit about her? Finish the job, Stan. We'll get your daughter back. I promise. (OMINOUS MUSIC) Ah, the great American outdoors. Yet I never understood the appeal of fly-fishing, Jim. Little bit too much like masturbation for me - without the pay-off. This is a catch-and-release stream, isn't it? Yeah, I believe it is. You gotta see the irony in that, Senator. The Chairman of the Joint Subcommittee on Crime fishing in a catch-and-release stream. How could you do it to me, Jim? After all we suffered. I've changed my identity so many times I don't know who I am anymore. How could you betray me when we were so close to our goal? The FBI was watching you. (SINISTER MUSIC) You tried to kill me. You've misplaced your loyalty, Senator. You've sold out America. Patriotism does not have a four-year shelf life. (Turns off car alarm) But unfortunately politicians do. I wonder what you're gonna do with that. Thomas Jefferson once shot a man on the White House lawn for treason. Now, hold the phone here. Thomas Jefferson... Stan. How are you? Fine. Finished? (PHONE BEEPS, DIAL TONE) Hello? Is this Stanley Jobson, Social Security number 669547311? Yes. I'm calling from Credit Suisse, Grand Cayman to notify you of the transfer of US$10 million into a new account in your name. As promised. Thanks. So, I'm done, then. Soon. Walk with me. (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC) I'm going to do something against my better judgement. I'll tell you who I am. Don't bother. I already know. Do you? I think that you think I'm a bank robber. The truth is that I'm just like you. Like me? No. 'Cause you're a murderer. That I am and worse. Much worse. But I do have ethics - rules to which I adhere. I have no idea why you're telling me this. Well, if you listen, then you will. You asked who those men were. I'm going to tell you. J. Edgar Hoover started a secret organisation in the 1950s called Black Cell. It was to protect the freedoms of this country at all costs. I don't care about this. All I care about is my daughter. I'm talking about your daughter. I'm talking about you and your daughter and 200 million other Americans who take their freedoms for granted. I see. You don't understand what it takes to protect those freedoms. That's my job, Stanley - to protect your way of life. So you and your band of lunatics are really stealing all this money just to protect little old me. That's right, Stanley. Because wars cost money. War? Who are we at war with? Anyone who impinges on America's freedom. Terrorist states, Stanley. Someone must bring their war to them. They bomb a church, we bomb 10. They hijack a plane, we take out an airport. They execute American tourists, we tactically nuke an entire city. Our job is to make terrorism so horrific that it becomes unthinkable to attack Americans. You're not going in over the phone lines. You're going into the fucking bank. And you're coming with us. It'll all be over in 24 hours. You're a rich man, Stanley. Pretty soon you'll be on a yacht with your daughter, having a good life, eating bonbons. The American dream. And just think, in the end you'll have done your small part in ensuring America's way of life. You're a hero, Stan. Don't worry. Let him go. He'll be back. OK. Load 'em up. Let's move out. Let's go. (URGENT MUSIC) (SCREAMING) WOMAN: Help! Get back. (Screams) (MACHINE-GUN FIRE) Move, move. Let's move! Let's go. Move. Hands over your heads. Let's go. Key, please. What key? I don't know anything about any key. Key. Let's move! Back inside! Now! Let's go. Let's go. Let's go! Down! Everyone down! Just wait here. Hello? Melissa? (SOMBRE MUSIC) Holly? Oh, God. Holly? Holly? Holly? Holly? Baby? Baby? Where is she? Holly! (SINISTER MUSIC) Holly? Release the hostage! Jesus! Release the hostage! Help me! Let her go. Let her go! Neddy. Yeah. You all right? Not good. That was your decision. No, no. You did that. How many more people die is up to you. I want that plane on the runway in 25 minutes! OK. He says he wants a plane on the runway in 25 minutes. My suggestion, sir - you give it to him. (SIREN WAILS) He wants a plane, I'll give him a goddamn plane. Stanley, finish the job. Not until I see my daughter. You want to see your daughter? Get him his daughter! Dad? Oh, Jesus. Oh, baby. Are you OK? It's OK. It's OK. You sonofabitch. Did you really think I wanted it to come to this, did you? I told you that I will sacrifice as many lives as I have to to protect this country, including my own. Dad. You...let her go and I'll get you your money. You finish the job and you both go. Come on, Stanley. I need the disk. Disk. (Types) How do you want it allocated? Spread it evenly over the accounts. Come on, come on. Done. Give me my daughter. Verify this. Good. Get her. You OK? Yeah. OK. Come on. Stanley. Hold up. (MUSIC INTENSIFIES) Good job. See you around. I doubt it. (COMPUTER BLEEPS) What's happening? What's happening?! The money, it's gone. Stop her! Run, Holly, run. Go! Come here. Come here. What happened, Stanley? The explosion... scrambled the internal clock. No, it didn't. You fucked me. You kill me and you'll never get a single dollar. The money jumps every 60 seconds from one numbered account to another. And it's going to do so for the next 10 years. It wasn't supposed to happen for another 6 hours, but hey... Fix it. Well, unfortunately, I can't. The accounts are encrypted with a 1,024-bit cipher. Even I can't break through the firewall. So here's the deal. You let the hostages go and I'll tell you where and when you can extract the money. We all walk away. Nobody gets hurt. Deal? I'm thinking. No deal. Get Ginger. Fall back. (Gasps) What? What are you doing? String her up. Stop. No. Don't do this. Wait. Wait. No. Wait. Wait. No, wait. No, no. No! Don't do this. No. 55... OK. OK. Hope you built in a back door. (Coughs chokingly) Come on. Come on. (Ginger coughs) 30... Sir, plane will be on the runway in a half hour. Good. (Ginger chokes) 20... She's dying, Stanley. Shut the fuck up! (Cries out, choking) 10... 9... 8... Accounts, accounts. That's in. 3...2... There it is. Let's go. Get her down! Check. Verified. Bring her down. (Coughs weakly) Jesus. She was DEA, Stan. Move 'em out. Alright, people, let's move, all of you. Come on. Quickly. Let's go. Move it. Come on, people. Out, out. Come on. Move. Move. (SINISTER MUSIC) No-one wants a repeat of what happened this morning. Keep your distance and clear the airspace for five miles. Now, move. What? I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "If that launcher was a suppository, "would that bad man stick it up my arse?" Well, you eyeball me once more, boy, and I'll stick it so far up your arse, you'll be begging me for this bullet. Ladies and gentlemen, this bus is your new holding area. If you don't test your collars' limitations this will all be over before you can say 'Cat in the hat'. (SHOUTING, SIRENS) Let's get this sonofabitch. How can you justify all this? Not looking at the big picture, Stan. Here's a scenario. You got the power to cure all the world's diseases but the price is you must kill a single innocent child. Could you kill that child, Stanley? No. You disappoint me. It's the greatest good. Or how about 10 innocents? Now you're getting it. How about 100? How about 1,000? Not to save the world but to preserve our way of life. No man has the right to decide. You're just like any terrorist. You're wrong, Stanley. Thousands die every day for no reason at all. Where's your bleeding heart for them? You give your $20 to Greenpeace thinking you're changing the world? What countries will harbour terrorists when they realise the consequences of what I'll do? Did you know that I can buy nuclear warheads in Minsk for $40 million each? Hell, I could buy half a dozen, even get a discount. Advise A.D. Joy we're about 20 minutes from the airport. Control, please let A.D. Joy know we're about 20 minutes from the airport. (SIRENS BLARE) You ready? Bird's all fuelled up and ready. What about your pilot? He's in the works now. Alright. Let's do it. OK, guys. Get a team over here. What the fuck?! Jesus. What the fuck is he thinking? (TYRES SCREECH) I thought we were going to the airport. Misdirection, Stan. What are you doing? Where are you taking this thing? Did you see 'Sugarland Express'? What are you doing, guys? Didn't like the way it ended. Look, pull this over before you get... They can't be serious. Hold on. Attention, Control, this has now become an aerial pursuit. We've also got people across the tarmac just in case. Excuse me, sir. I've just been informed the bus is no longer en route to LAX. What happened? Apparently it broke through the lead vehicles and turned onto 1st Street, heading into the city. Alright, let's go to 1st Street. Sir, the bus is no longer on 1st Street. Then where is it? Airborne. (SIRENS WAIL) (DRAMATIC MUSIC) What the hell's he doing? We have a strong wind. We might not make it. Tell him to climb! Higher... Climb, goddamn it! Climb! Down! Everybody down! Either add action or excitement or we change the direction of the entire campaign. Maybe we ought to rethink the visuals... Holy shit! (All scream) (All yell and scream) (All scream) (Groans and coughs) Take your people, secure a perimeter around this building. I want everybody out of this lobby, right now. Secure these elevators and the stairwells. Anybody coming out, detain them. Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's going on? Where are the elevators to the roof? Up there. What's happening? Is there a freight elevator? Through those doors. That way, guys. (DETONATOR BEEPS) (DETONATOR BEEPS) Stan man! Take care of your little girl. Maybe I'll see you around some time. No, no! It's not gonna end like this. Ah, come on, Stan. Not everything ends the way you think it should. Besides, audiences love happy endings. Stay here! Shit! Come on! Move, move! No, Stanley! Come on! Get him out of here. Secure that weapon. Let's go. Gentlemen. (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC) You here to identify the body? The body's dentals exactly match the dentals the Israeli Government sent us for an ex-Mossad agent named Gabriel Shear. (DOOR OPENS) Excuse me, sir? Yeah? The DEA has no record of any Ginger Knowles working for them. I checked all the hospitals and morgues and I still can't find her body. Look again. I mean, bodies just don't disappear. Right. GABRIEL: He could make an elephant disappear from a packed theatre. Do you know how he did that? Misdirection. I'm DEA, Stanley. Give him the worm, take the money and get out of here. What the eyes see and the ears hear, the mind believes. (SCREAMS ECHO) Misdirection, Stan. This is a bad guy, Stanley. Nobody's gonna miss him. You all right? Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Look, why don't you get out of here? Go see your daughter. Yeah. Thanks. We'll be in touch. (Whispers) You sonofabitch. Thank you. What about you? You done? Yes. I'm full. Good. Let's go. So, navigator. Where's our next stop? Holbrook. Holbrook. So what's in Holbrook? The Petrified Forest, Dad. Petrified Forest. Yeah. I think you take the I-40 down to the 180. Cool. Alrighty. Are you OK, Dad? Yeah, I'm fine, sweetheart. OK. Don't worry, Dad. It's gonna be OK. We're gonna be fine. I know, honey. (POIGNANT MUSIC) Bonjour. I would like to transfer money from my employer's account. May I have your account number and password, please? 356-127-G. Password - Swordfish. How much would you like to transfer? All of it. Evenly, over these accounts. It's done. (FAST-PACED TECHNO MUSIC) FEMALE NEWSREADER: In international news, suspected terrorist Allal Bin Hassad was believed to be among the victims killed today in an unexplained explosion aboard a yacht in the Mediterranean. The elusive Bin Hassad, long sought by authorities, was considered responsible for the American Embassy bombing in Istanbul earlier this month. This is the third major terrorist leader killed in as many weeks. SONG: # This was such a road gone low # So take it all right # Shook it where he's low, low, low # And taste it all right # Secrets still as Swordfish comes # Don't feel lonely, no # Don't you think we'll go, go, go # And take it all right # All right # Get out of my life # Get out of my life, all right? # Get out of my life # Get out of my life, all right # Don't you know, know, know # You'll take it, all right # Gotta take it so low, low # You'll make it all right # Secrets still as Swordfish comes # Don't be lonely, no # Don't you want to go, go, go # You'll take it all right # Alright # Get out of my life # Get out of my life, all right? # Get out of my life # Get out of my life, all right # Get out of my life # Get out of my life, all right? # Get out of my life # Get out of my life, all right # Alright