Atlas Shrugged II: The Strike (2012) - full transcript

Mr. Rearden, on your behalf, the court

has entered a plea of "no contest,"

and this panel has found you guilty.

You are hereby sentenced to ten years

in prison and a fine of $50 million.

Sentencing of Kenneth Danagger will be withheld

pending his appearance before this body.

Now, Mr. Rearden,

taking into consideration

your distinguished achievements,

your contributions to society and

your full cooperation in this matter,

your sentence is suspended.

This court is now adjourned.

Do you realize what you've done?

Dodged a bullet.

You've given the people a voice.

You said what was already on everyone's mind.

You won.

Hank, we won.

Dagny...

...you can't win a battle

that never ends.

Look at this world.

How can such small people do so much damage?

We're so close to having something

they won't be able to fight.

Even if your motor is

everything you think it'll be,

- they will try like hell to stop you.

- They might.

They can't stop the world.

Dagny... what if you never find

the man who created the motor?

What if you can't make it all work?

I make things work.

Hank, you make things work.

- Yes.

- That's what people like us do.

And they know that.

And they hate it because it threatens them.

But it won't scare them away.

With all the businesses that have

failed, we simply cannot continue

to service the few remaining customers

we have without raising rates.

Jim, we from Washington and

Wesley Mouch would like you

to table the idea of raising rates at this time.

I merely mentioned it to round out the picture.

Maybe you can use your pull with

Mr. Mouch to get us a concession here.

I'll have a word with him.

You're one of Wesley's closest friends.

But he won't hesitate to sacrifice

his personal interests

if they conflict with the public good.

Right. Of course.

We're glad that you're on board.

We feel the first order of business

is to make the rail workers happy.

The unions make a lot of noise,

but I don't think we have

to take them too seriously.

Wesley Mouch takes them very seriously.

So do I.

The unions represent millions of votes, Jim.

And votes that your money can't buy.

Taggart Transcontinental has got to set

an example by reaching out to labor.

Set the precedent for other companies.

You'll be helping Wesley a great deal.

As Chairman of the Board, I have

to point out that freezing rates

and paying higher wages will only

push our company deeper into the red.

Bob's right. We should be looking

for ways to save money, not spend it.

It's simple, guys.

Just trim the fat off the brisket.

Shut down the routes that aren't paying.

- A bold idea.

- Where do you suggest we start?

The John Galt Line was

a dumb mistake to begin with.

Now with Ellis Wyatt gone, it's nothing

more than a goddamn bridge to nowhere.

We could use the Rearden Metal

to replace the damaged rails

- along the profit-making lines.

- Now you're talking.

Dagny, would you like to weigh in on this?

No.

But you're the C.O.O.

You run the railroad.

Do I?

You must have an opinion, Miss Taggart.

What do you propose?

I don't propose.

You're dodging your responsibility here, Dagny.

I am not going to say the words

that make me the murderer.

It's your policies that

killed the John Galt Line.

It's your interference

that is killing this railroad.

You're the assassins.

Mr. Chairman, I propose

we dismantle the John Galt Line.

All in favor?

Aye.

Opposed?

Motion carries.

We built something fantastic, didn't we?

Yes, we did.

I thought it would stand for a thousand years.

It would've.

Do you need more time?

No.

Why drag it out?

Lillian.

I see you're slumming it again.

Hard times, you know.

Don't spend all of Henry's money

on the truffle mousse pâté.

I can only try.

Your husband's performance in court,

some very powerful people

found it... disagreeable.

Disagreeable?

You wouldn't know the half of it.

Word is spreading around.

He's headed for real trouble

unless he learns to not be so...

...vocally anti-social.

I see.

You would like me to put a muzzle on him.

Well, for both of our sakes, yes.

Your position, your money...

it's all on the line.

Try not to seem so desperate, James.

It's unbecoming.

- What are you afraid of losing?

- Everything.

They have made it my responsibility

to get him to cooperate.

You don't understand the power they have.

You haven't mentioned

what I stand to gain from this.

Influence in very high circles.

You'll never stand in anyone's shadow.

Not even Hank Rearden's.

Henry's weakness is that

he thinks he's not vulnerable.

We have to prove him wrong.

I think we have the tools to do that.

The Unification Board is authorized to enforce

compliance through penalties...

that include, but are not limited to:

fines, seizure of assets,

nationalization of property,

and imprisonment,

for so long as an emergency lasts.

We wanted all of you,

our core group, to hear it first.

We need you all on board.

It's obvious that drastic

measures have to be taken.

You can count on me, Wesley.

I think everyone here agrees

that capitalism doesn't work,

not without government as a partner.

- A caretaker, really.

- Exactly.

Your businesses are failing.

Your unions are suffering.

We need to hold the line on this erosion,

freeze things in place until public

confidence has been restored.

Now, there will be some howling...

sticklers for the Constitution,

clingers to the old ways, those types.

- And the loose cannons.

- Like Henry Rearden.

Rearden is a threat to civil order

and the public good.

There is no room in recovery

for a free thinker like Rearden.

Rearden will not be a problem.

Mr. Mouch, put me on screen.

If this isn't a state of emergency,

I don't know what is.

The immense greed of a few

has pushed us to the precipice.

I recommend that we implement

Directive 10-289 immediately.

For the public good.

In the name of the general welfare,

to protect the security of our fellow citizens,

it is decreed for the duration of the

national emergency that the statutes

of Directive 10-289

shall remain in effect.

One: All employees and wage

earners of any kind shall henceforth

be attached to their current jobs

and may not be discharged

or quit said employment.

Two: All industrial

and manufacturing entities

shall henceforth remain in operation

and owners of said

establishments shall not quit,

retire, sell, or transfer their business.

Three: All copyrights and patents

pertaining to any invention,

formula, or process shall be

transferred to the federal government

by means of Gift Certificates

signed by the present owners

of said copyrights and patents.

Four: No new devices, inventions,

products or goods of any nature

are to be created or manufactured

and the Office of Patents & Copyrights

is hereby suspended.

Five: Every company or sole

proprietor shall henceforth produce

the same quantity of goods,

or provide the same services

as in the Basic Year... the year

just ended. No more or no less.

Six: Every citizen, regardless

of income, shall henceforth spend

the same amount of money as in the Basic Year.

And Seven: All wages, prices,

dividends and other forms of income

are hereby frozen at present figures.

Directive 10-289 shall

be administered and enforced

by the Unification Board,

whose decisions will be final.

It's all happening so fast.

You knew about this?

I have appointed current Director of

Economic Development, Wesley Mouch,

as Recovery Czar

to help us through these desperate times.

Fellow Americans, with the stroke of a pen,

the home of life, liberty

and the pursuit of happiness

has been altered forever.

Dr. Ferris.

Come to shut me down completely?

No. Not at all.

That wouldn't serve anyone.

Under Directive 10-289,

private intellectual assets

become the property of the government.

Since tonight is the deadline, at midnight,

I'm here as a convenience for you.

All you have to do is sign

this Gift Certificate...

...entrusting your patents

to the Unification Board.

So, you're here to steal the

process for Rearden Metal.

Steal? No. It'll be made

available to all manufacturers.

Oh, and to make people aware

that you no longer hold a monopoly,

the name will be changed...

to Miracle Metal.

Catchy.

All you have to do is

sign right there at the bottom.

Sir, I'm not gonna sign that paper.

I'm not gonna say that it's OK

for you to take my patents away from me.

Well, I do have... some other

documents here as well.

I don't imagine you'll suffer much,

since your wife already knows.

Of course, I can't say the same

for Miss Taggart.

One of the most respected

businesswomen in the nation.

Spotless reputation,

a source of inspiration to

young girls all across the country.

I can't even look at this.

You might not want to see this either.

In an unexpected move sure to

usher in a new dawn of cooperation

between industry and government,

billionaire steel magnate Henry Rearden

has thrown his full support

behind Directive 10-289.

Rearden, inventor of Rearden Metal,

has signed Gift Certificates

transferring his patents to the government

in the interest of fairness and a rapid recovery

from the worst economic recession on record.

Dagny.

Dagny?

Dagny!

What the hell you doing?

What's wrong?

Everything.

You did this. Directive 10-289.

You and your government creeps.

It's what the country needs right now.

I'm part of the solution.

Tell me. How does it feel

to be the last one standing?

Better than crawling around on the

ground with the rest of the snakes.

I won't be a slave

and I won't be a slave driver.

I quit.

Tell that to your cronies.

Dagny, you can't quit.

It's against the directive.

- I'm going to my family cabin.

- Hold all your calls?

Hold everything, Eddie.

Don't contact me about the railroad.

I'm done.

- Rearden.

- It's me.

I don't know what they did to you, Hank.

I hate that they had the power to do it.

We're all facing difficult choices these days.

Well, maybe you can live

with this directive. I can't.

It burns me.

Don't let it. I told you,

it's not gonna stop.

I want to see you.

Not right now.

Not for a while.

I need a break from everything.

OK.

I can understand now what would

make someone just check out.

That's what I'm doing.

Checking out.

Eddie will know where I am.

Look, I don't care what the grounds are,

I don't care how many judges you've gotta buy,

I want Lillian out of my life.

Do you understand?

Get me a divorce. I have got to

be free of this... completely free.

This is ridiculous!

Um, Mr. Taggart, who do I consult with

if there are any issues?

Just deal with it.

What kind of issues?

Well, I have some frozen trains.

I can't detour them because

of the split rails and repairs...

Look, I haven't found anyone to

replace Dagny yet. I don't know.

- How long have you been here?

- Almost eight months.

That's plenty of time.

You're promoted.

Congratulations.

Chief Operating Officer...

- What's your name?

- Mitchum.

Mitchum. Carry on.

Me?

And for the record, there's

no pay increase due to 10-289.

Anybody know why Westbound 22

is behind schedule?

No.

Thank you.

Kip, why check your watch?

I don't even need a sundial

to tell you that we're as late

as yesterday's apologies.

Well, I can tell you this:

If I'm late for my campaign

stop in San Francisco, I swear,

I'll make it a priority

to nationalize this railroad.

History shows us it's the only way

to make them run on time.

Good goddamn.

Oh, my God. Kip, are you OK?

Yeah, I'm fine.

OK, we've got a damaged engine outside of

Congratulations.

Chief Operating Officer...

- What's your name?

- Mitchum.

Mitchum. Carry on.

Me?

And for the record, there's

no pay increase due to 10-289.

Anybody know why Westbound 22

is behind schedule?

No.

Thank you.

Kip, why check your watch?

need a sundial to tell you that we're as late

as yesterday's apologies.

Well, I can tell you this:

If I'm late for my campaign

stop in San Francisco, I swear,

I'll make it a priority

to nationalize this railroad.

History shows us it's the only way

to make them run on time.

Good goddamn.

Oh, my God. Kip, are you OK?

Yeah, I'm fine.

OK, we've got a damaged

engine outside of Winston.

- Alert all local east-west traffic.

- Got it.

Taggart 22 Intermountain, this is

Taggart Command. Come in, over.

- What the hell happened?

- The engine's got a fractured bogie.

Has a what?

- It's the undercarriage, sir.

- How long before you fix it?

Well, the engine only weighs

about 560,000 pounds.

If you'd like to hold up one end,

I'll crawl underneath,

fix it myself, we'll be off in a jiff.

Little smart ass.

Taggart here.

Goddamn it, Jim. This is

a hell of a way to run a railroad.

I'm stuck out here in the middle

of frosty ass nowhere.

Now I've got an engagement in San Francisco

and all I'm getting from

your people is double-talk.

And just so you know, your pay-offs

are not gonna buy you out of this one.

- Kip, take it easy now...

- Easy?

Easy for me to throw

you in the grease with Mouch

if I don't make my fund-raiser.

Now get this:

You get on the horn and you

get my ass out of here, pronto.

What the hell is happening, Mitchum?

I never got a call in the middle of the

night when Dagny was running things.

The 22 has a disabled locomotive

just outside the Taggart Tunnel.

Yeah, I know that.

What are you doing to get them moving?

Well, the station chief won't answer,

and nobody down the line

is willing to take responsibility.

And I'm certainly not, I can tell you that.

Don't we have another

Iocomotive that we can use?

I don't have a diesel within a hundred miles.

But there is an old coal-burner

about four miles out.

Can it pull the train?

It should. They use it

for rail-yard towing but...

...I mean, good luck finding a driver.

Do whatever you have to do to get

Kip Chalmers through that tunnel

and off that mountain.

Sir, they say that you can't run a

smoker through an eight mile passage.

I don't care how you do it.

Just get something done.

If you don't, tomorrow morning,

I'm not gonna have a railroad.

And you're not gonna have a job.

I found a retired engineer

that's willing to drive it.

Really? Thank God somebody

made a decision to do something.

AII right, come on back.

Keep it coming!

Yep, yep... Come on now!

Come on!

All right, slow it down a little bit.

All right, that's good!

Ladies and gentlemen,

it is now safe to return to your seats.

Would you please re-board

the train at this time.

I repeat, it is now safe

to return to your seats.

Please re-board the train.

Thank you.

You see?

It pays to know people.

Obviously my demands have been met.

We'll get through the tunnel

and it'll be downhill from there.

To pull.

When you've got it, you've got it.

Eastbound Army Freight Special, 30 miles out.

The 22 should be clear by the time

they reach the tunnel. Right?

You know what?

Hold the Army Special.

You can't hold it. That's a government

train. It's better hold off the 22.

I can't. It's a smoker

on a 15 percent grade.

He'II slide all the way back

to Kansas if I stop him now.

Well, there's always prayer.

We'II be out of this

tunnel in no time, I assure you.

- Ladies and gentlemen...

- What's happening?

- ...please remain seated.

- It's all right, Laura.

- Kip, I'm scared!

- It's all right. Just calm down.

I can't be calm, I need to know what's going on!

Just calm... everybody calm down!

Laura, calm down!

Power will be restored

shortly. There is no need for concern.

It's important that you remain seated...

- Laura, come here!

- ...and remain calm.

Laura!

Laura! Laura get back here!

Laura!

Switch the Army Special to the roll out, now!

You got it!

Oh, my God.

Slug!

How did you know I was here?

Do you remember... when we

were children in these woods?

When we were exploring the world

and everything in it,

and you were always asking

"why this" and "how that" and...

- And you'd say, "Let's find out."

- Exactly.

And now, I've found you.

You never did grow up, did you?

Looks Iike neither of us did.

Can't tell you how

pleased I am that you walked away

from Taggart Transcontinental.

Look at you.

I haven't changed.

That's where you're wrong.

You've stopped playing into their hands.

How?

They were counting on you to keep working.

Ignore it.

There's no future there.

There's no future for the railroad.

Why are you here, Francisco?

I thought you'd be off somewhere,

putting the pieces

of your business back together.

Why would I? It was all my doing.

You blew up your own mines.

Don't.

What?

We Iost the 22 Transmountain Express

and the whole Taggart Tunnel.

- Casualties?

- Not sure yet.

At least 200 on our side.

The Army Special, five troop cars,

maybe another 200.

What are they doing about it?

Not much.

Don't Iet James screw up

anything else until I get there.

Dagny, don't go back.

Hey! I'm trying to save you...

You're not trying to save a damn thing.

Recapping our special news bulletin:

In what could be the nation's

worst ever rail disaster,

a Transcontinental train and another,

still unidentified, train

have collided in the world famous

Taggart Tunnel in southern Colorado.

Though there is no official casualty count,

there are no reports of survivors.

Who is John Galt?

- Eddie.

- Dagny, thank God!

I'm glad you're back from vacation.

You need to take some

responsibility around here.

We need all of our

best people on this right now.

Start with Central Region.

Get me Ryan on the line first.

Ryan's a no-show.

- Then get me Knowland.

- Gone.

- Andrews?

- Gone.

McGuire?

Do we have any of our quality people left?

You're looking at 'em.

How long until they get that tunnel open?

- I didn't...

- That's all right.

We need a go-around, Eddie.

Get me the old rail maps.

The ones we used before 1950.

All right.

OK, the Taggart Tunnel is closed for now.

We'll open the old grade... here.

Uh, we haven't run heavy trains

on those tracks in years.

Put high rail trucks and hand

crews in front of every train.

Better safe than sorry,

but better moving than not.

Everything with wheels rolls.

I'm going to Colorado.

If I have to dig open that

tunnel with a soup spoon

we are going to open that route.

Dagny, you need to be here.

You mean you need me to do your job.

Well... what do we tell the press?

Mr. Mouch.

Just when I thought there wasn't a

problem in the world I didn't have.

Miss Taggart, we're all very

appreciative that you cut short

your temporary leave of absence.

I just want you to know you'll

have the government's full support.

If the government had stayed

out of the way to begin with,

we wouldn't have hundreds of people dead.

Hmm. It's lamentable.

I understand that you're upset,

it's upsetting to everyone.

Your railroad links this nation

together. The public relies on it.

That's why I'm willing to grant you

Special Government Exceptions

to Directive 10-289

in order to bring this crisis

to a speedy resolution.

How about this, Mouch:

I ignore you altogether,

and you stay out of my way.

I knew we could count on your full cooperation.

Tell them to hold the Comet.

Your plane's being fueled as we speak.

Hold the Comet, reserve my car.

I'm the face of Taggart Transcontinental.

I'm taking the train.

Wow.

Hello?

Are you ready, Mr. Daniels?

- Are you the only one still working?

- I don't know. Could be.

- But I've got my job to do.

- Any idea what the problem is?

Uh... Seems Iike an E-C-U malfunction.

Any idea how long it'II take to fix it?

Uh, could be two hours.

Could be a few days.

Hey, you're Dagny Taggart.

Depends.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Wow. That's a great, I'd say. Wow.

Gee, you're a legend.

This is an honor. Thank you for my job.

I'm... I'm Jeff Allen. Trackman.

Taggart Transcontinental.

Where'd you get the hat, Jeff Allen?

Yeah, well.

Those were great days... for a while.

What happened at

Twentieth Century Motor Company?

Who is John Galt?

I wish I knew who started that expression.

That, uh, that might've been me.

What?

Well, me, or somebody else

who worked at the plant

back in Starnesville, Wisconsin.

He used to work there.

What happened there?

Well, Mr. Starnes passed and his heirs

took over. They wasn't worth a lick.

They had this big plan about

how they were gonna run the place,

and we were all gonna belong

to each other, Iike a big family.

And the idea was that everybody

would work to best of his ability,

but be paid according to his needs.

That's when John Galt stood up

and said he'd have no part of it.

How would they know whose needs came first?

Now that is the rub, isn't it?

Yeah. It fell apart pretty quick.

The best workers had to work harder

and the needy got needier.

Worker turned against worker.

What happened to John Galt?

You know, nobody knew too

much about him, really.

I just remember, when he walked out

he swore that he was gonna...

...he was gonna put an end to

the whole thing once and for all.

He said: "I will stop

the motor of the world."

I mean, what kind of thing is

that to say, really, but...?

I'll tell you something, ever since that day,

every time I saw the Iights go out

and some factory close...

...I thought about that man.

I thought, maybe that's him...

...doing what he said...

...stopping the motor of the world.

May I please borrow your truck?

What's to borrow? It's your truck.

- Thanks.

- Yep.

- Quentin!

- Taggart, hello.

You asked me find the person

who created the motor?

- I think I have the answer.

- Really?

That's great. Actually, I was

just about to call you.

- Tell me you've made progress.

- I did, I really did.

That's not the... thing that...

I guess that's everything.

See, I can't work for you anymore.

I have to resign.

That's fine, Quentin. I respect that.

Let's talk about this in person, face to face.

Honestly, there's nothing you

can say to make me change my mind.

Don't move. Don't do anything.

I'll be there in a few hours.

You'll be too late.

Excuse me...

I'd Iike to rent that antique.

I'm sorry, it's not for rent.

Is it for sale?

Everything's for sale.

Eddie, I'm flying to Utah.

- Utah?

- Long story.

I'll double back to Colorado

after I've met with Quentin Daniels.

Sounds good.

There's a man on the ground here:

Jeff Allen.

Double his salary... triple it.

Oh, and get him a new truck ASAP.

I stole his.

- I'll see you soon, Eddie.

- Done.

Afton tower, this is Whiskey-Papa

Four-Zero-Niner, requesting permission

to land.

Whiskey-Papa,

Four-Zero-Niner, this is Afton tower,

you're clear to land.

Use runway 2-4 right.

Departing aircraft 2-4 left.

Oh, no.

Come on. Pull, baby, pull.

Who is John Galt?

Don't move, Miss Taggart.

You're hurt.

You know me?

Of course. For many years.

Who are you?

I am John Galt.

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