(man singing prayer in Middle Eastern language) (singing slowly fades) (slow, quiet theme playing) (music continuing) 1 (hip-hop music plays in distance) (hip-hop blares, indistinct conversation in background) Whiskey, whiskey. Ah, bah... You want some whiskey? No, champagne. Champagne? Yeah. Bob... Liquid MDMA? No. Tehran is the war capital. Yeah? Got a... Right there. How's the kid? He's fine. He's, uh... he's fine. Arash, when do you want to do this? After prayer. (lid clunks) (clicking) Okay. (sliding heavily) You said they were both for you. What do you care? (speaking Farsi) Okay. Okay. Okay. (ominous music) (music continues) (bystanders screaming) Mr. Whitting, I'm Bennett Holiday. A very big company, Connex, our client... loses a huge natural gas contract in the Persian Gulf to the Chinese. At the same time, a smaller company, Killen, somehow gets the rights to Kazakhstan, one of the largest untapped oil fields in the world. Big company, our client, uh, merges with Killen. Justice wants to know how Killen got those rights. You've been scrutinizing exactly these types of deals, so if there's something to find, I expect you to get it before they do and come straight to me. Bennett. Sir? At my firm, I have a flock of sheep... who think they're lions. Maybe you're a lion everyone thinks is a sheep. No, I want to talk about the Gulf and how a goddamned emir... What is an emir, anyway? King. It's a king. A king. Well, how some podunk king tossed you out on your ass. Every company in the world wanted into Kazakhstan, into the Tengiz, but Killen got it. And then Connex wanted Killen, and here we are. Our main investments, investments that'll bear fruit for this company... Hell, Tommy, we've all got the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act committed to memory. I got a little copy of it taped to the wall of my head, right here. Thank you, Jimmy. You know how much we all appreciate hearing your point of view. However, a U.S. attorney is looking into your relationships in Kazakhstan and the U.S. government is holding off on approval of our merger. So Mr. Janus and I have brought Connex's Washington counsel, Sydney Hewitt, down here to talk about our strategy for the next 30 days. Sydney. (chuckles) In a way, I feel like Switzerland. (laughter) And I'd like to remind everybody in this room that they have signed confidentiality agreements. Allow me to introduce my associate, Bennett Holiday, who will be-- how shall I put it-- building consensus day to day. Good morning. You've just visited what someday soon could be the most profitable corporation in America. Provided the government approves the merger. Provided we don't start running automobiles on water, and provided there's still chaos in the Middle East. Now the job is find the problem, fix the problem. And if you do not find a problem, then there is no problem. And when the government approves this merger, it's going to buy a lot of houses out in the Vineyard. Maybe even yours. (toy monkey chattering, hooting) WOMAN: Cheerios again? BOTH: Max! Hey, man. Let's not read at the table, okay? Put this hand up here, block it. Sweetie. Sweetie. Mommy. Yeah? I want bacon. You have bacon. I want real bacon. You have real bacon, only it's made from soybeans. I want pig bacon. I want pig bacon, too. Don't say it. Here, I'll try it if you try it. I don't even know if I can bite this. BRYAN: Well, it's crunchy. (crackling) (all laughing) How'd you do that? (laughing): It is kind of hard to cut. It's pretty bad. You be quiet. REPORTER: A merger between two U.S. oil companies is taking place in Houston. The new company, Connex/Killen Corporation, will become the fifth largest oil and gas company in the world. The move affects 37,000 workers in 160 countries, and, with revenues larger than the gross domestic product of Pakistan or Denmark, will create the world's 23rd largest economy. Mr. Leland Janus, chairman of Connex, spoke today of synergy and a desire to pass on savings to the consumer. The merged operations will create economies of scale to deliver the best quality products to the consumer at the lowest possible prices. BRYAN (voice-over): Well, this is a merger of necessity for Connex, Rebecca. Who wants Killen's fields in Kazakhstan after gas blocks they were pursuing in the Gulf were awarded to a Chinese consortium? Producer nations continue to look toward developing markets in Asia, which is having a powerful affect on crude prices. Our position is that there is at least ten to $12 of instability premium in the market. You have protests in Iran, the threat of more strikes in Venezuela, and the Turks still making noise about Russian crude through the Bosporus. All right, thanks for having me, Rebecca. BOY: I'm playing. That's my job: playing. Yeah, well, that's a very, very good job for you to have. WOMAN: Tell Daddy you love him. I love you, Daddy. (phone disconnects) Hey... (knocking on door) The emir's summer party. Marbella, this weekend. Any interest? Uh, I can't. I got, you know... It could be huge for the company, Bryan. Uh, you know, uh, it's Maxey's birthday this weekend, so, so we have Saturday... Hey, Bryan, I just need your help on this. Ooh, emir's party. I'll take that. Through much finagling, we have an audience with the emir. He wrote the strategy and he's not slick. (speaks French): No, no, no, I didn't even say I could go. Come on, take the children with you. The beach, summer, Marbella-- Max'll love it. Can I do that? Mm, sure you can. Besides, they love children. (chuckles) John D. Rockefeller. Founded the University ofChicago. Come on. (sighs) # While the days # # Are passing by. # That's fine. You're a good song leader, Mr. Rockefeller. (speaking Urdu) (tense music) (speaking Mandarin) (fast-tempo, suspenseful theme playing) MAN (voice-over): Bob's freaking out about this other missile. "Where is the missile?" Who has the missile? He wrote a memo. Look, I just finished convincing Brit and French Intel we had nothing to do with the Amiri job. What do we say to 'em now? "You know that thing we had nothing to do with? Well, something's missing." WOMAN (voice-over): He's got to stop this. He's got to stop with the memos. WOMAN: Okay, here's something. You put him up for promotion. He's due. He's a good man. He saved our ass in Beirut in '85. Yeah, that's great. Terry likes him. We'll get him an audition downtown. WOMAN (voice-over): You get him an audition downtown. MAN: They're going crazy about Iran right now. Bob's an expert. Speaks Farsi, for Christ's sake. WOMAN: Bob has never had a desk job. He's never done 9:00-to-5:00, never been on committee. He's got to show up to work every day. He's got to stay on message. Absolutely. (voice-over): I'll prep him. In fact, we just pulled one of our officers out, and, uh, I took the initiative to ask him to come down here. He infiltrated Hezbollah in Beirut in the '80s, won himself some nice medals. We're thinking about giving him a station. WOMAN: Beirut in the '80s-- is that a resume builder? (laughter) Don't chomp down on any bait. We're fine. Iran is fine. Fine. BOB (voice-over): And our analysis seems to be on the mark. We're getting good satellite coverage. We're reprogramming resources into Iran. Thank you for coming over, Mr. Barnes. Welcome back, and forgive me if I wade right in, but forgetting for a second your bureaucratic checklist, I'm trying to get undigested information. Well, to the best of our ability... India is now our ally, Russia is now our ally, even China will be an ally. Everybody between Morocco and Pakistan is the problem. Failed states and failed economies, but Iran is a natural cultural ally of the U.S. Persians do not want to roll back the clock to the eighth century. I see students marching in the streets. I hear Khatami making the right sounds. And what I'd like to know is, if we keep embargoing them on energy, then someday soon are we gonna have a nice, secular, pro-Western, pro-business government? It's possible. It's complicated. Of course it is, Mr. Barnes. Thank you for your time. (sighs) If you... They let young people march in the street, and the next day they shut down 50 newspapers. Put a few satellite dishes up on the roofs, let 'em have "My Two Dads." That doesn't mean that the ayatollahs are surrendering one iota of control over thatnation. Mr. Barnes, the reform movement in Iran is one of the president's great hopes for the region, and crucial to the petroleum security of the United States. These gentlemen are with the CLI. The Committee for the Liberation of Iran, Mr. Barnes. Maybe you'll get made ambassador to somewhere cool, like France or Italy or Ghana. It's not beyond the realm of possibility, is it? (women conversing indistinctly) How's your mom? Great. She's great. So, I know it's still a year away, but I'll have to have a car, a decent car. Nothing too fancy, but it has to run, so that I can get into Boston and New York. (clears throat): They have a great crew. That's what they told me. I said, crew of what? And they said, rowing. So, if I want to row, it'd be kind of fun. Robby, listen. I live in Maryland, which means that you have residency... in Maryland. For the University of Maryland. I'm sorry, could I steal this from you? Thank you so much. I just want a normal senior year, Dad. I want a normal house. I want Cinemax and prom. You know what prom is like in Pakistan? Prom sucks in Pakistan. Okay. It's complicated, you know I may have really screwed up at work. How? I was supposed to keep my mouth shut and I didn't. What does Mom do again that we have to live in Islamabad? (sighs) She's a secretary. Robby... Both of my parents are professional liars. Hey. (electronic music) BOY 1: Did you guys just get a party? BOY 2: I do, too. This is a party not for you. All right, guys. My father welcomes the Chinese to our country. Of course. Please. Right there. Thank you. Arabs are very family- oriented, as a people. Is that racist? Sure. (chuckles) It is? A little. Well, no, I mean, guess if what you're saying is positive. Don't. Let him work it out on his own. It's important for his autonomy. All right! (men speaking Urdu) (groans) (electricity humming) Hakim! ALL (chanting): Hakim! Hakim! Hakim! Hakim! Hakim! Hakim! Hakim! Hakim! Are you here to see the emir? Yeah. Me, too. What do you do? Um, I'm a-a partner in a derivatives trading company in Geneva. Energy? Yeah. Right. Bryan Woodman? Yes. Good evening. Hi. Hi. Bryan Woodman. We regret that His Highness will be unable to see you. However, we are authorized to hear your proposition on his behalf. Oh, okay. What, here? Now? Uh, okay. Uh, well, um... (chuckles): Okay, uh, our position is that, uh, the real worry for you guys is, uh, is another year of, uh, record pricing. There are no more elephant fields, uh, not even in natural gas, and as structural alternatives become more fully realized, you'll need new strategies to, uh, maximize every penny of your existing resources. Particularly in a climate of falling prices. And that's what, you know, our firm is prepared to-to-to help problem- solve with you, uh, the, uh, you know, foreseeable and` and unforeseeable, uh, problems, uh, you encounter. (indistinct chattering, kids laughing) Are you not talking? (chuckles) Come on, sweetheart, just a little bit, okay? You're the shark, and you try to tag us as we swim across, all right? You jump in, count "one, two, three," then we all try to get to the other side. All right? Okay. Okay. Come on. Come on, man. Come on, go, go. BOY 1: Yeah. Okay. BOY 2: Come on, jump in. BOY 1: Come on. (all shouting) JULIE: Max? Max?! MAN: Cut the power! Cut the power! JULIE (screaming): Max! Max! Let me go! Let me cut the power! (guests clamouring) JULIE (screaming): Max! Get out of my way! MAN: Okay. JULIE: Oh, my God! MAN: Take him! Take him! Take him up! (screaming) Someone get a doctor! Doctor, doctor! He's not fucking breathing. He's not breathing. (sobbing): Get a doctor! WOMAN: Is anybody a doctor?! Do something. Help us! DANNY DALTON (over TV): I hear phrases thrown around like "the corrupting influence of money" or "the evil influence of dollars in politics," when more money was spent on the syndication rights to the "Seinfeld" television program than on the whole of the last Presidential election. Last election cycle, I spent $300,000. I have pictures of myself with the president that I use all over the world. I didn't make this coffee for you. DALTON: People don't know Danny Dalton, but they know the President of the United States and they see that I know the President of the United States. (sighs) Making it for me. ...the one written into law by the Constitution... You... DALTON: ...it's the people... HOLIDAY: I'm making oatmeal. And then you sleep. DALTON: ...not the U.S. government who decide the issues... You look like shit. DALTON: ...of a political campaign. In our country, we don't stuff dollars into ballot boxes. Are you working? I had a little trouble at work. There's beer in my fridge for when you wake up so you don't die on my floor of the DTs. Please don't smoke in my house. DALTON: ...meaning, not so loosely translated, that money is speech. And, last time I heard, speech in the United States of America is protected. You can't limit my advocacy just because it works. I have a sovereign, inalienable right to petition my government. And why is it some dirty little secret that it's in America's interest to do business overseas? Plans for the holidays? I'm starting my kitchen renovation. By yourself, unsupervised? I've seen the TV shows. You can do better. With a Gem personal loan you could get someone to do up your kitchen. And with our 'pay it faster' option you could save up to $1,000 in interest just by paying an extra $50 a month. Yeah, course. I just really wanna knock out a wall first. You can do better with Gem, powered by Latitude. Ask today. (horn blares) (speaking Arabic) (speaking Arabic) (door creaking open) Johnny. (grunting) (slow, sombre music playing) (music continues) 1 1 1 1 1 (rustling) RILEY: Mommy! Come here. Come here. You OK? I want to look out the window. You want to look out the window? Come on. (whispering): I spy a bird. (bird cawing) (rain pouring) (voice-over): Well, if on Monday, Iran refuses the IAEA inspectors, you can look to crude prices to spike yet again. Right. Well, it's not exactly a secret that Iran will refuse snap inspections. Okay, Rebecca. Thank you. HENRY: Go home. It was a stupid fucking question, Henry. The prince's man called again. I'm just telling him. MAN: Hey, how bad is it? Ouch. When a Volvo dealer says that... Okay. You're honourable, decent guys. (chuckles): Right. My wife and our narrow driveway. How the hell are you? Well, you know, can't complain. Well, that's not good, kiddo. That's suffering quietly. (chuckles) Married? Kids? There is no way a company like Killen pulled off a deal like this without paying somebody off. Why don't you tell me what you have, so I can respond? I used to think there was something wrong here. Now I know there's something wrong here. Either you don't find anything because you don't know how to look, or you do and they carve you out and light you on fire. That's gotta be the play here, right? Bennett Holiday. Sydney Hewitt's new boy. How many of those have I seen? Six? Seven? They're all gone. He's still Sydney fucking Hewitt. Fourteen-eleven. Match point. I think they've got someone inside the deal. Someone they can squeeze. You mean like a... an informant? Uh, yes, sir. Like an informant. That's just my opinion, based on their overconfidence. Match point. (grunting) Thank you. You know, if people in oil deals talked to U.S. attorneys, there'd be no oil business. Dean. Bennett Holiday-- you know Dean Whitting, the founding partner of our firm. Of course. Good to see you, sir. Yes, how are you? We've been discussing the Connex-Killen merger situation. Hmm. Will they get approval? Hell of a large company, if they do. I mean "client." Well, the Tengiz field, uh, Killen's largest asset, is being looked into pretty heavily by... by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Well, Bennett, as they say in the Bible, there are many, many ways to light Europe. (wry laughter) (slow, suspenseful music plays) (voice-over): Yeah, there's a... an arrow on the ceiling, uh, pointing towards Mecca. The bin Laden group air-conditioned Mecca. It was a huge project. They made billions and billions. Oh, all the women are, uh, dressed in black from head to toe, walking five feet behind the men. It's... 125. Literally, 125 and humid. When I walked out of the airport, it was like a wall fell on me. Men are all wearing white sheets. And they're spotless white sheets. I don't really understand that. They kind of say, "It... it's hot and I don't have to work." I don't really understand how you could do anything in that. I mean, I'd like to see these guys play baseball. Are you okay? JULIE (on phone): You sound strange. No, I'm fine. (man chanting prayer) (group responding) (light jazz played on piano) PRINCE MESHAL: This was a birthday present and a graduation present, a couple yearsago. What happened was I was just about to graduate from Oxford and my mother had a horse, uh, in the Royal Ascot race, right? The horse won that same day that I was graduating, right? And my trust fund matured. So that tops any birthday present that any of you have bought for me tonight. Capitalism cannot exist without waste. We should write "thank you" notes to Mr. Whitting and the USA for producing one quarter of the world's garbage and one quarter of the demand. (Whitting chuckles) You're certainly welcome. (chuckles): Our pleasure, really. (chuckles) Prince... is there anything that we can do for you? (chuckles) Americans are always happy to drill holes in other people's countries. I've heard of you, Mr. Whitting. The cat's paw of the Saudi princes. (chuckles) Uh, I know your brother. The foreign minister is, uh, very bright. I know your father, too. He threw the second creepiest party I have ever been to in Washington. And as far as I can see, you could probably use a bit of a cat's paw yourself. Second-born son, so beaten down by his family he can't even tell me what he wants when he's asked straight-out. A grown-up baby who's afraid of his brother... and maybe wants to be king? Maybe? Well, Prince... are you a king? Can you tell me what you want? WOMAN: All right, what's next? FRANKS: The lethal finding on Nasir came through. That was quick. You have a timetable? He'll be in Beirut next week. We could do it there. That's good. Anybody around? Actually, yes. I made contact with Mussawi. He said he'd be happy to work with whoever we sent. I was thinking it'd be good for Bob. All right. I'll let you have him without going through Terry, but everything better go exactly right. And tell him easy on the memos. This is the prototype of an oil-rich Arab monarchy. Since prevailing in the tribal conflicts of the 1920s, the Al-Subaai family have ruled their kingdom effectively, and, by most accounts, benignly. However, they face enormous challenges in the future. The fact of the matter is that, at current levels of production... WOMAN: Welcome, Bob. Hi. Good news. I think we've got something for you-- something you'll like-- that utilizes your, uh, specific skill set. You know this guy? BOB: Prince Nasir Al-Subaai. His money's in a lot of dark corners, paying for weapons that could be used against the USA. Paperwork on polygraphs. Wire transfers to Qaeda fronts. Letters instructing his Water Ministry to employ Mohammed Sheik Agiza, the guy who has your missile. He's travelling to Beirut. You have experience in Beirut, don't you, Bob? It's a great city. (chuckles) This is a bad guy. And who knows, maybe you'll find your blue-eyed Egyptian. I sent you a look at a report on... Oh, sorry, I gotta get going a little early. My daughter's got a soccer game. Big one. Did you see my report on the missile? 'Cause I reset the guidance to blow ten feet off the ground. Bob, you just don't get it. Nobody wants to hear about a missing missile, not right now. This is top of the director's list. Hit a walk-off home run, you get any desk you want. MAN: ...that the Sheik Hamed has not yet made a decision about who will succeed him. Uh, in our view, Prince Nasir is likely the more ambitious of the two brothers. This, however, does not mean that he will prevail in any succession struggle. (fast-tempo, suspenseful theme playing) (music continues) (speaking Arabic) (indistinct conversation) My father has ordered the Marbella estate to be razed. There'll be a park. We're so sorry for your loss. (falconer calling in distance) Six more North Field blocks are being developed. We'd like to offer your firm the rights. Six blocks? Which phase? Third phase. Okay, so we'd be in the stream for... ten one-hundredths of a cent, so... 75 million dollars. 70... Great. That's great. How much for my other kid? (falconer calling in distance) You know, if I were your economic advisor, I'd tell you that that's not the stupidest thing, financially speaking, that you've ever done, but probably just the dumbest thing you'll do today. Probably. But why would you need an economic advisor? 20 years ago, you had the highest GNP in the world. Today, you're tied with Albania. So, good work. Your second biggest export is second-hand goods, followed closely by dates, for which you lose five cents a pound. You want to know what the business world thinks of you? We think 100 years ago, you were living out here in tents in the desert, chopping each other's heads off, and that's exactly where you're gonna be in another hundred. So, yes, on behalf of my firm, I accept your money. Thank you. Fine. I'll have the funds transferred to your firm immediately. Great. And I'll give you another hundred million for the other kid. So now you're my economic advisor... why don't you tell me something I don't already know? All right, you want an idea? Here's-Here's an idea. There's the Eurasian triangle. Your kingdom is here. Iran is there. Now, for years, you've been selling your oil, sticking it on ships, and watching as it sails away around Africa to there. Okay, now, pretend for a second that this is excess Iranian pipeline capacity. That's your route. Right there, overland, through Iran. You hook up with these pipes here, you commoditize it, you control it, you take it right to thedoorstep of every home in Europe. I just doubled your profit. I think that's a pretty good idea. (gunshot booms, then echoes) POPE: My granddaddy was a wildcatter. Same with my daddy. That's how I got my start. Luck and hard work. Nobody handed me shit. Now I got... libraries and parks named after me. And I'll... probably ruin my grandkids. You wearing a wire, Bennett? No. (cocking) (trigger clicks) Mr. Janus, uh, Chairman of Connex, and... Dean Whitting, founding partner of your firm, are proud members of the Committee to Liberate Iran. Danny D. here is, too. D is for Dalton. I was on the other side of the Tengiz deal. The other side? El Presidente Nazerbayev's best pal in the whole world. She's a beautiful field, the Tengiz. Goddamn, is she a beautiful field. MAN: What is it? Irish... BOB: The Irish pray on their knees, the Scots prey on their neighbours. (man chuckles) How's Margaret? You guys divorced yet? We're not getting divorced. I don't think, in our line of work, that two people with your security clearances have made a marriage work. I'm telling you, Bobby, my boy, number three, that's the charm. That's the number, huh? Yep. I like consulting. No, I love it. Love it. And I'll say this for it-- private business is efficient. There, I've said it. Fucking cliche. And the CIA is, like, what? A 30-billion-a-year business. So anybody who wants to sell anything-- a pencil, a computer-- they gotta interface through a security clearance. Don't give me shit. I got two kids in college and we're doing our kitchen. Stan, I got a chance to go back to Beirut. I wanna go back. Is it safe for me? Are we talking about with your wife or with the whackos? (sighs) Clear it with Hezbollah. (fast-tempo, suspenseful theme playing) (music continues) 1 1 (shouting in native language) Said Hashimi! Said Hashimi! Said Hashimi. I'm Canadian. It's okay. Canadian. Said Hashimi. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. (shouting in native language) (indistinct conversations) (conversations continue in distance) Said. (speaking Arabic) (switch clicks, air conditioner hums) (laughing) (grunting) (cleric singing over speaker) (kids shouting) Rumours of Bob, but never Bob. It is Bob, right? What is it you tell people you do these days, Bob? I'm between State Department and Defence. Ah. It's just me, buddy... as requested. I'm going to get some information out, Jimmy. My name is Mussawi. Okay, Jimmy. He's travelling to Beirut. It's dangerous to travel. He'll disappear. I want you to take him from his hotel, drug him, put him in the front of a car and run a truck into him at 50 miles an hour. It's good to have you back in town, Bob. (applause) (phone ringing) Hey. Uh, Beirut. No, no, he, uh, he invited me to come with him. Uh, I think he thinks he's some kind of reformer or something. Anyway, he's got a nice private plane. Ho-ho-hold on, Vincent. Hey. Beirut? It's great. It's like the, uh... it's like the Paris of the, uh, Middle East. Yeah, it's like... it's like, uh, winning the NIT. The... it's a ba... Just never mind, man, never mind. (fast-tempo suspenseful theme playing) (music continues) 1 1 (lift dings) (sniffles) American? Canadian. Don't see many Occidentals these days. (slow, ominous tones playing) It's too bad. (ominous music) (silverware clanks) (jazzy suspenseful theme playing) (music continues) 1 (music quickens) (lock clicks) (fast suspenseful music) (music continues) 1 1 (men grunting and shouting) (shouting) (tape ripping) (Bob screaming) (muffled cries) (grunting) (forklift beeping) (forklift beeping) This is November '94. Yeah. Excellent, excellent. Did you find the others? Uh, I couldn't find it. Joe's looking for it, and he'll bring it out when he does. Where is he? Uh, he's back there looking for it. He said he'll bring 'em out when he finds them. Okay, thank you, Susan. (phone ringing) Hello? Yeah. (clears throat): Who's this? Yeah. O-Okay. How you doing, sir? Somebody called me. (floorboards creaking) Bob. What do you know about the torture methods used by the Chinese on the Falun Gong? Huh? Method number one. What's your guess? Water dungeon. Did you guess water dungeon? Number two method? Number two: twisting arm and putting face in faeces. Not interested in two. Number three. (tool clanks onto table) Number three is called... pulling nails from fingers. What do you think, Bob? Number three sound good to you? (clamp slams on table) The purpose is to get the... (clears throat) monks or whatever to recant their beliefs. What if I had to get you to recant? That'd be pretty difficult, right? Because... if you have no beliefs to recant, then what? Well, then you're fucked, is what. Bob. (groans) (panting) You're going to give me the names of every person that's taken money from you. (grunting) (shouts) (screaming) (panting) Oh... Oh, that is disgusting. (grunts) Come on, Jimmy, you're not one of those Koran thumpers. My name is Mussawi. (grunts) (groaning) You fucking fuck! Fucking fuck! Stupid fuck! What the fuck? This is a war! Fuck! You're a P.O. fucking W.! Give me the fucking names! (grunts and pants) I'm going to cut your head off, Bob. (Hashimi's men exclaiming in Arabic) (blade clangs against pipe) (Bob panting) (indistinct conversation) (slow, ominous tones play) (Middle Eastern music plays in distance) (sighs) (sharp grunt) FRED FRANKS (voice-over): Jane. We just received a dispatch from Damascus, eight minutes old. Mussawi's shopping a story that we sent Bob to Beirut to assassinate Prince Nasir. We better go talk to Terry. Can we get this guy? I mean now. Real time now. Mussawi? GEORGE: I'll call you back. The practical answer is no, not before he goes into another mosque or a newspaper and the story gains traction. No. Does he have Bob's name? Not his real name, but Mussawi's been shopping photos of them doing the deal, long lens, photos of Bob being held. I mean, we're lucky this guy is alive. The whole contact was a setup. Mussawi now apparently works with Iran. First he tortures our guy, then he peddles the CIA connection. Put some space between us and Bob. Bob has a long history of entrepreneurial operations. We haven't really had a handle on Bob for years. After 9/11, some people got a lot of leeway, let their emotions get the best of them. These are complex times. There's already an active investigation into Bob's activities in-- help me out here... Uh, Tehran-- the Amiri brothers job. We're trying to find out who might've hired Bob for the Amiri brothers job. Could the same people be behind the Nasir job? A lot of people probably want this Nasir dead, and Bob knows lots of people. Fill in the rest. Send me everything. CIA OFFICER (voice-over): You first established contact with the Amiri brothers in 1988? BOB (voice-over): Yeah. CIA OFFICER: You met them at a party in the south of France? BOB: Yes. CIA OFFICER: A party given by Reza Reyahni? BOB: Reza, yes. CIA OFFICER 2: Were you aware they were involved in illegal arms trade? BOB: Of course I was aware. That's why I went. CIA OFFICER 2: Were you aware these two men were Iranian intelligence officers? What do you think? This is a diplomatic incident. Two men have been murdered. We've been tasked with the damage assessment. We'll need you to turn your passport over to us. Passports. Hey. Hey, I found this. It's a wire transfer. Russian. I don't speak Russian. Get it translated. (whispering): Shit. Do you speak Russian? These are dead. Oh, thanks. What are these? Um, orphans, you know, things that don't make any sense. Oh, that's pretty interesting. The Lily School. It's a boarding school in Switzerland, paid for by wire transfer. The meeting's already started. You're not on the list. This is not an open function. You're not wearing a badge. You don't have a wristband. This is a private gathering. Take this to Sydney Hewitt. SECRETARY OF DEFENCE (over P.A.): They are pushing for the segregation of universities... Please. SECRETARY OF DEFENCE: ...and the banning of the wearing of colourful clothing. But two-thirds of Iran's population is under 30, and more than 60% of university students arewomen. And those restrictions are like a small pebble in front of a massive tidal wave of reform. Iranian resources are abundant, and given the chance, there is no limit to what the Iranian people can achieve. Their hopes are the same as all people in every land: to live lives of dignity in a nation at peace. And America will help them. Killen Oil, through Daniel Dalton and Petroika Energy Consultants, created assetless shell companies owned by the heirs of Nurzan Detayev, minister of domestic resources for the republic of Kazakhstan. This was discussed at the upstream division meeting held in January 2003 in Sun Valley, Idaho... I was at the meeting, but I don't focus on those kinds of details. ...wherein it was described that Killen bore all financial risk, but Minister Detayev's children, while attending the Lily School in Switzerland, were entitled to all of the profits: $70 million. I attended the meeting, but as I said, I don't focus on those kind of details. Further, Daniel Dalton Jr. and Petroika Energy Consultants colluded... A firm retained by Killen prior to Connex's involvement. Oh, for Christ's sake, Tommy, we both got letters from the grand jury. It's not your own private little pity party. A good faith purchaser is in good faith only if they knew nothing of the problems at the time of the purchase. This is the oil business we're talking about, right? The lowliest little shareholder knows we deal with some of the most stank places on Earth. And it is illegal to offer gifts, money, the promise of money or anything of value to influence foreign officials. Is it? I have personally seen a bill from your law firm to the government of Saudi Arabia for $36 million. A one-line bill for "services rendered." The business of Whitting, Sloan is not under discussion at this time. Well, it ought to be. Danny's a good man... and he's a friend of mine. A Mareva injunction? Some people, cousins of mine, actually, sued my father in the Commonwealth alleging that he broke an agreement to repay funds transferred from the State. It calls them "aggrieved royals." Aggrieved about what? That he tried to cut their allowances from 100,000 a month to 80? (speaking Arabic) (speaking French) (sighs) My cousins aren't bright enough to be anything but finger puppets. And my brother has faith only in his own cunning. What do you suppose they're up to, my brother and these American lawyers? Tell me. What are they thinking? (chuckles): What are they thinking? What are they thinking? They're thinking that it's running out. It's running out, and 90% of what's left is in the Middle East. Look at the progression. Versailles, Suez, 1973, Gulf War One, Gulf War Two. This is a fight to the death. So what are they thinking? Great. They're thinking keep playing, keep buying yourself new toys. Keep spending $50,000 a night on your hotel room, but don't invest in your infrastructure. Don't build a real economy, so that when you finally wake up, they will have sucked you dry. And you will have squandered the greatest natural resource in history. Come with me, please. I studied at Oxford. I have a PhD from Georgetown. I want to create a parliament. I want to give women the right to vote. I want an independent judiciary. I want to start a petroleum exchange in the Middle East, cut the speculators out of the business. Why are the major oil exchanges in London and New York, anyway? I'll put all of our energy up for competitive bidding. I'll run pipe through Iran to Europe, like you proposed. I'll ship to China. Anything that achieves efficiency and maximizes profit. Profit which I will then use to rebuild my country. Great, that's exactly what you should do. Exactly. Except your president rings my father and says, "I've got unemployment in Texas, Kansas, Washington state." One phone call later, we're stealing out of our social programs in order to buy overpriced airplanes. We owed the Americans, but we've repaid that debt. I accepted a Chinese bid-- the highest bid-- and suddenly I'm a terrorist. I'm a godless Communist. Dean Whitting, who represents not only these aggrieved royals and my brother, but also Connex Oil, they've been pressuring my father to invalidate the Chinese contract. But they underestimate him. This is about his legacy to his people. BRYAN (voice-over): I know it seems like people sitting in hotel rooms, I mean, and that's what they do, that's how they do business, but we're, th... we're talking world historical stage here. I mean, with the-with the d-delivery deals we could make in Europe, transport through Iran. I mean, this guy might be able to revolutionize not just his country, but the whole region. As soon as his father keels over, this guy could be like Mossadegh in '52 in Iran. The real democracy rising up organically. I mean, that's if we can be a part of any of these countries getting a parliament, I mean, helping them find efficiency, showing... you know, showing them how... Stop it. Stop it. Julie, the little company that I started working for is now chief economic advisor to Prince Nasir. Do you understand what that means? It's like somebody just put a giant ATM on our front lawn. Here's a question. How do you think it looks to profit off the death of your six-year-old? Fuck you. I changed the diapers. I... put cream on rashes. I took him to his checkups. I... cared about every fucking percentile. I did everything right. I did everything right. We're going back to the States. Good. (quiet, sombre theme playing) Riley? Sweetie, sweetie, be careful. We're gonna go now, okay? You want to say good-bye to your dad? You can see him later, okay? DALTON (voice-over): Some trust fund prosecutor, got off-message at Yale, thinks he's gonna run this up the flagpole? Make a name for himself? Maybe get elected some two-bit Congressman from nowhere, with the result that China or Russia can suddenly start having, at our expense, all the advantages we enjoy here? No, I tell you. No, sir. Corruption charges. Corruption?! Corruption is government intrusion into market efficiencies in the form of regulation. That's Milton Friedman. He got a goddamn Nobel Prize. We have laws against it precisely so we can get away with it. Corruption is our protection. Corruption keeps us safe and warm. Corruption is why you and I are prancing around in here instead of fighting over scraps of meat out in the street. Corruption is why we win. How'd it go? Oh, he's got kids, a wife. He broke the law. Mr. Janus himself wanted me to extend you an invitation to Oilman of the Year. He's being honoured. So it should be a nice weekend. Relax. Catch yourself a massage. Congratulations. (quiet, ominous theme playing) (machine beeps) (liquid pouring) (ominous music) Is Jane in? WOMAN: She's in a meeting. How about Fred? He's in a meeting. (puffing) (puffing slows) Bennett, hey. Come on, take a ride with me. Do I have a choice, Don? Course you do. This is just a courtesy call. Bennett, I know you know about the crime fraud exception to attorney-client privilege. I do, Don, very well. Then you also know your client is into some shady stuff, and it's starting to look like you could be involved in hiding the true nature of the transactions. That's quite a statement, Don. One word: Dalton. Danny Dalton? Defrauded the government of Kazakhstan of funds to which it was entitled. Defrauded the people of Kazakhstan of the right to the honest services of their elected and appointed officials. Seven years. Does three, maybe two and a half, on your recommendation. Now let me guess... this was a solo act without the knowledge of Connex or Killen Oil or Mr. Lee Janus or Jimmy Pope. Dalton's a bit of a rogue. It's true. And he'll have a nice little trust fund waiting when he gets out. Not so little, I imagine. Look, Don, we could spend the next five years in court to get back to the very place that we're at right now. And they will fight tough. They'll fight dirty. They'll pressure your boss. They'll pressure the people who appointed your boss. They'll pressure the wives of the people who appointed your boss, and you will never hit them any harder than this and you know it. I'm sorry, Bennett. I don't think Dalton's enough. (car door closes) What are you looking at, man? I didn't say anything. That's 'cause you have nothing to say. (grunts) (quietly): You fucking asshole. (computer blipping) (computer beeps) (computer beeps) (typing) (computer beeps) (computer beeping) (beeping continues) (typing) (beeping continues) (beeping continues) (beeping echoes) (no audio) (slow, ominous tones playing) (keys jingling) FRANKS (grunts): There we go. Okay, pal. (child crying) Come on. Yeah, I know. I know, I know, I know, I know. Hey, Fred. You've been such a good boy. Fred. Hey, Bob. (child whining) There you go, pal. Look, tell you what, Katie, take that in. Hey, Jack. Sister. There you go. There you go. (child crying) Uh... take the kids inside. I'll be right in, okay? What's going on, Fred? It's okay. Be in in a sec. (child crying) FBI's got it, Bob. That's pretty clear. Nothing I can do about it, you know it. It's a criminal investigation. Two men were killed. I was almost killed. Now they're asking me questions about the Amiri brothers, asking me questions about Tehran. You gotta understand, this wrecks careers. I shouldn't even be talking to you. I punched in "Prince Nasir Al-Subaai," and my computer gets seized. Now where'd that job come from? Where did the Nasir job come from? I'm advising you to drop it. Why am I being investigated? Why am I being investigated, Fred? (child whimpering) Good-bye, Bob. FRANKS: It's okay. Hey, hey. (bees buzzing) (sighs) (cries out in Urdu) (sighs) (groans, sighs) (water splashing) (sighs, water splashes) (electric wheelchair approaching) (billiard balls clatter softly) (whirs, clicks) STAN (voice-over): They're worried... about fallout. They're worried... ...you might want to talk about it. But if you're already under investigation... What about Mussawi? He's a soldier. He's just like you. Why are they doing a damage assessment on the Amiris and on me for doing my job? This is about our interests in the region. So if Prince Nasir won't allow our military bases in his country, and his little brother will... Well, we'll probably have to do something about that. Who's worried about the Nasir job? (sighs) Who's worried about me talking? Stan. Who's worried? (whispering) (phone rings) (groans) Hello. MAN (on phone): Hello, is this Mr. Whitting? This is Homeseal Security. (sighs) Yes, this is Mr. Whitting. Hi. We're showing a motion sensor failure in your downstairs study. Yes? Um, like I said, we're getting a failure message. Do you want me to stay on the phone with you while you walk around or send a car? (cocking) I'll walk around. (crickets chirping) (slow, dramatic music plays) Everything seems fine. (rattling) How are we doing, Mr. Whitting? Everything's fine. (crickets chirping) The door's unlocked. Did you leave it unlocked? Send a car, you imbecile. (another phone rings with a different tone) (door creaks) (sighs) You were in Beirut in '84. Mm-hmm. I lost friends there... as I'm sure you did. I got a peek at your file. You're a good man... one whose experience is narrow and deep. Your entire career... you've been used... and probably never even known what for. I didn't used to need to know. In this town, you're innocent until you're investigated. "Innocent until investigated"? Mm-hmm. That's nice. It's got a nice ring to it. (chuckles softly) I bet you've worn some miles on little sayings like that. Thank you. Mm-hmm. Thank you. Gives the listener the sense of the law being written as it's spoken. If anything happens to me or my family-- an accident, an accusation, anything-- then, first, your son will disappear. His body'll never be found. Then your wife. Her body'll never be found, either. Now, this is guaranteed. Then whatever is the most dangerous thing that you do in your life-- it might be flying in a small plane, it might be walking to the bank-- you'll be killed. Do you understand what I'm saying? I want you to acknowledge that you do understand, so that we're clear and there won't be any mistakes. Beirut rules, Mr. Barnes? I want my passports back. (Wasim practicing speaking Arabic) (all speaking Urdu) (practicing Arabic) (sighs) (speaking Urdu) (sighs) (indistinct conversation) (shouting and cheering) (grunts) (quiet, ominous theme plays) (music continues) (sizzling) (children talking in distance) Dalton's not enough. I would be real careful. You dig a six-foot hole, you'll find three bodies; but you dig 12, and maybe you'll find 40. Christ, China's economy ain't growing as fast as it could because they can't get all the oil they need. I'm damn proud of that fact. We need another body, Mr. Pope. What if... what if it involved somebody at your firm... someone way the hell above you? Huh? We'd have to have, uh, an understanding. Well... ...if, uh... if he's as big as you say, then, when he goes down, the merger will be approved. Just like that? Well, we're looking for the illusion of due diligence, Mr. Pope. Two criminal acts successfully prosecuted-- it gives us that illusion. Hmm. Call me Jimmy. (chuckles) (fast-tempo suspense theme playing) (music continues) 1 1 He's a visionary. He's like Faisal or Ataturk. The people love him. And he's... The country's going to be his by Monday. Look, it's not like you guys have backed the wrong horse here. MAN: Emir. No, no, no, look, he's got nine of 11 generals. We're on our way to the palace right now. This is really happening. Silver Range Rover with a sunroof. Silver Range Rover, sunroof, fourth from lead. Guys, help me out here. It's coming now. (ominous music) (music continues) (beeps) His wife will be there: Pat. This is good. You done good. Lee, you have guests. Oh. Syd. Leland. Bennett Holiday. How are you, sir? Lee Janus. How we doing? Well. Those number crunchers can get a little overzealous, can't they? But, Christ, when we write the GAAP rules like some sort of abstract painting... you stare at that liability hard enough, and before long, it'll turn into an asset. No, thank you. You don't drink? No. Oh. BRYAN: It's really beautiful out here. MAN: What is that? FRANKS: What? In front of them. (man whistles) (men speaking native language) (man whistling, goats bleating) (man whistling) (men speaking native language) (man whistling, goats bleating) The Bedouin always have right of way. Lawyers are saying, "Hey, if you can't trust a Big Five accounting firm." The accountants are saying, "Hey, we're not lawyers." Legal didn't understand. Accounting didn't understand. Nobody understood anything. The regulatory bodies had to scratch their heads for a minute that nobody at Connex or Killen was at fault. But this merger is so balance-positive for American consumers that, ultimately, Justice wants it. Federal courts want it. Everybody wants it. Our real client, after all, is us, the American people, and we are increasing American access to oil in Kazakhstan. So all they asked is that we give them a little something meaningful, which we did, and they got out of the way. Something besides Dalton? Unfortunately, yes. And the best option seemed to be... (zipper opening) (clears throat) a secret deal for excess Iranian pipeline capacity that I uncovered during the diligence. A little side deal benefiting the lead lawyer involved in the Connex-Killen merger approval process. What... do you think you're doing? Of course, it's illegal for an American to control these rights. Stop right now. Is there, uh... (sets glass on table) something that you want to tell me, Syd? (men singing in native language) (singing continues in distance) (music stops) Good afternoon. I want to thank our host for a wonderful spread. The strawberry juice is delicious. (scattered chuckles) Let me just say, on behalf of Connex-Killen, how pleased we are to be back in the Gulf. (applause) (loud creaking and rumbling) (applause and cheering) (suspenseful theme plays) (music continues) 1 1 (goats bleating) (men speaking native language) (speaking Arabic) (goats bleating) Y-Your Highness? Um, why don't you ride together? Oh, thank you, Bryan. (men speaking foreign language, goats bleating) (ominous tones playing) (exhales heavily) Ladies and gentlemen, this year's Oilman of the Year, Mr. Leland Janus of Connex-Killen. (applause and cheering) (band playing "Yellow Rose of Texas") (whistling, cheering) (tyres crackling over gravel) (ominous theme playing) (music continues) FRANKS: Who the hell is that? Excuse me. Hey, are you seeing that? Hey! Hey! All right, can you tell who that is? (tyres screech) Hey! Hey! Hey! (bodyguard shouts in Arabic) No, no, no, no! No! (horns honking) (tyres screeching) (typing) (soldiers shouting in Arabic) (soldiers shouting) Take the target out. Roger. (soldier shouts in Arabic) Four miles. (typing) Two miles. You're the Canadian. (explosion) Target destroyed. 23:44 EDT. (hushed conversation) (crowd applauds) I'd like to accept this award on behalf of the employees of Connex-Killen. Our people. The finest in the world. Guys, could I get you to stand up for a moment? Please? Stand up. (applause) Connex-Killen. (applause) (quiet, ominous theme plays) And I'd also like to thank our strategic friends from around the globe who are here tonight, most especially... Emir Meshal Al-Subaai. Emir. Thank you so much. (applause) (applause continues) (applause fades) (ominous music) (motors rumbling) (traps rattling) (gulls screeching) (motors rumbling) (shouts in Urdu) (shouting in Urdu) (motor accelerates) (motors fade into background) (slow, quiet theme playing) (music continues) 1 1 (music ends) (soulful theme begins) 1 1 (quiet theme ends) Come on, man. (sighs) Leave the beer. (grunts) (exotic, suspenseful theme playing) Captions by WB. www.tvnz.co.nz/access-services Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. TVNZ Captioning 2010