Atolladero (1995) - full transcript
In the near future, the areas between major cities are lawless wastelands. Atolladero is a town run with an iron fist by a corrupt tyrant named The Judge and his murderous enforcer, Madden. One decent cop decides to leave town, but the powers that be don't want that and go after him.
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Space...
the final frontier.
In the 21st century...
a series of accidents in
a program of orbital stations...
makes the North American
government...
withdraw for good
from any further...
space research project.
On a self-contained planet,
technological developments...
focus on large megalopolis
separated by...
vast barren regions.
In this third world,
forgotten by time...
powerful landowners control the
local police departments...
levy taxes, and make...
their own laws.
Hi, Douey.
What's up?
Let's see...
Hands up!
Well, well.
What a nice kid.
I'm sure the Judge
will like him.
THE MEN
Tell me, Galactus...
how long must I live on this
savage planet called Earth?
In the Universe, there's no
conviction crueller than mine.
But, yes...
there is...
The terrible agony of who
has never attempted it.
Who, for fear of failing, or
out of indifference...
doesn't dare lift the veil
that covers the abcolute.
The terrible agony of who
has never attempted it.
Today I see everything
differently...
through other eyes, as if
this were the first time.
Lennie, come on.
Stop being a jerk!
But I won't be here next week.
I'm coming!
I'm coming!
Damn it!
I'm coming!
I'm coming!
I'm coming, damn it!
Who the hell...?
Yes!
Yes! But...
You've got shit in
in your ear. Madden.
I said yes.
Everything will be
ready by 4 o'clock.
Yes, what's your hurry?
Are you bored, Madden,
you son of a bitch?
All right.
Yes, but don't know
how it'll go.
Can't you hear?
Today they're restless.
Looks like storm
is coming up.
All right, damn it!
No, of course, I'll be there.
It's all ready for this
afternoon, Judge.
Old Stampy is ready too.
Shut up, you fool!
Fine.
Fine.
That's it.
That's it.
The kid is photogenic.
Want me to give him a
good screwing, Judge?
They say the Texas Rangers...
can hit a prairie dog between
the eyes at a 100 yards...
without the automatic setting.
Realy?
So they say.
The Rangers are an unscrupulous
bunch of mercenaries but...
they're the only decent
police left around here.
They're well trained
and know what to do.
You'd have to go far to
find people like that.
By the way Nick.
there's something I want
to talk to you about.
It's Vince.
Sorry to bother you, Sheriff,
but I've been out here.
- a long time and...
- Hi, Sheriff.
The Sheriff here. What
is it Mrs. Hannisses?
It's Billy. Yesterday.
- he didn't come home.
- Fuckin' shit!
- Billy's only 6 years old!
- Yeah.
It's not the first time,
Mrs. Hannisses.
- I brought you a picture.
- Leave it at my.
office, go home and calm down.
Go on Mrs. Hannisses.
Fuckin' shit!
Hell, Sheriff.
Looks like the coyotes are...
a little nervous lately.
Yeah.
More than a whore in church.
Good God it's Darlene!
God no!
Not today.
- Good morning, Mrs. Wedley.
- All right, Nick, I confess.
I was depressed and
had a few drinks.
So, you'll have to
make me blow...
for the breath test,
won't you Sheriff?
Yes, Mrs. Wedley.
One thing has always
intrigued me, Sheriff.
Has the Judge's wife
always been like that?
- Ever since...?
- Listen,
Get this into your head.
Judge Wedley wants
only the best.
Understand?
The best.
Darlene isn't a bitch.
Darlene was the biggest
whore east of Pecos...
always was and
always will be.
And tried to keep it that way.
It's best not to
let her down.
"People from the East will come
without trumpets of war...
but will make you adore their
idols and kneel before...
their dark and decadent altars".
Turn away from the infernal
Japanese influence...
and the Japanese antichrist...
This isn't a good day
for the fight.
A storm is coming up.
Listen to me.
All those electronic devices...
we've bought from that
race of yellow rats...
since the death of General
Douglas McArthur...
about 100 years ago...
had been predicted.
In every transistor,
every refrigerator...
every motor, every video,
this diabolic race...
thrown up from the
very center of hell...
Now tie its paw.
Well, you've caught
a roadrunner.
Yes.
That race introduced...
this.
A component that look as...
harmless as a pumpkin seed...
the radiation of which...
imperceptible to our
native technicians...
has annulled, and still annuls,
the energy of a race that...
Hey, you.
Yes, you.
Yes've got 20 minutes
to get out of town.
Sure, Sheriff. I was
just passing through.
I was talking to some friends
to make time for my horse...
to rest a while, and
refresh this old man's...
- throat.
- Shut up! You heard me.
Ladies and gentlemen...
you heard the Law.
I'll be brief. Just long
enough to remind you...
What's wrong with you, Lennie?
Lately you're more of
a jerk than usual.
...horrible calamities.
Someday you sinners...
What a character!
Where'd he come from?
He got here this morning.
He gave me this bracelet.
Says it cures rheumatism.
He'd better leave soon. The
Judge doesn't like strangers.
Yeah.
Today is a bad day.
He looks sick...
and that's a bad sign.
So Ismael is under the weather.
Yes, for a few days now.
He must be in love,
he doesn't eat.
Ismael.
The same old story?
There's more interference
lately than ever before.
The video and jukebox
don't work either.
Maybe that preacher is
right about the Japanese.
I'll see you later, at
the Judge's junkyard.
There's a fight today.
Yes.
Yes, damn it.
Another kid was taken
from town this morning.
Six years old.
That old goat.
Th? older he gets,
the queerer he is.
He'll never change.
He likes to be...
well attended to
before each fight.
You just relax, girls.
Good morning, Mrs. Wedley.
Well, we have to go.
This is shit.
There's no more.
I swear it on my kids.
Business was bad this month.
The Judge will understand.
Things have changed.
There are few clients.
- The Judge will understand.
- Let's hope so.
The girls are honest,
hard-working.
Well...
almost all of them.
What do you mean?
It's Vicenta.
She's holding out
on us lately.
Fuckin' shit!
Hey, Benito!
Why don't you take that
disgusting thing off...
the inferno where your
clients have to drink?
Hi, Sheriff. Those
beasts disgust me.
Hi, Lennie.
I'm letting Thelma and
Louise get some fresh air.
They're nervous.
- So is Ismael, poor thing.
- Poor thing?
Shit!
The weak shouldn't
be allowed to live.
The weak and the handicapped.
That's a good law of nature.
Things are livening up,
Mr. Wedley.
Here comes your lovely wife.
Sheriff, I want to
tell you that...
Later, kid, later...
Where'd you hide it, you
bitch! Where is it?
- Answer me, where?
- Down there.
Fuckin' thief!
...that terrible
Japanese radiation...
and help you if
you suffer from...
arthritis, rickets, impotence.
You coward, you'll
never change!
All you do is beat up
on women and drunks!
Well now, Sheriff.
That's a nasty accusation.
Buy them and your children
will be protected against...
the mysterious influence of
those Japanese.
Did you tell him?
No.
- When will you?
- I don't know.
This afternoon, at the fight.
Then I can also get the
Judge's permission.
- They're not going to like it.
- I know.
Me either.
Don't fuck with me, Vince.
You still don't get it.
Look around you.
You can walk for miles.
Look around, and
what do you see?
More miles.
Is that amusing?
Well. I like it.
Shit!
Everyone thinks they
have the best...
because that's all they've got.
Remember Azucena Thompson.
from school?
Yes.
The only decent white girl.
Everyone wanted to lay her.
Not me.
Everyone but you.
She was tired of doing it with
her father and 5 brothers...
and got no pleasant
feelings from it.
Shit, there must be a place
where things aren't like that.
- Then, nothng happened?
- What could happen. Vince?
Nothing's happened here for 200
years. This isn't the world.
There's nothing here.
Look, you can't get out of
life more than you put into it.
And I want to start putting
something into it.
They're not going to like
this, not at all.
You're a son of a bitch, Sal.
You said it would be
ready this week.
I need you to operate on
me as soon as possible.
Don't you get it?
If you don't fix...
what you've done to my
face. I'll kill you.
I couldn't, Mrs. Wedley.
My pulse won't let me.
You heard me,
you disgusting drunk!
The third one emptied his glass
into rivers and fountains...
and they turned into blood.
And the angel of the waters
said: ''You're just...
because they shed the
blood of the saints.''
Good God...
I've received the sian!
Fine, let's go inside a while.
Come on, it's time to
get your rocks off.
Don't you like her?
Ask for something special.
The Avenger!
What's the matter,
are you afraid of me?
Come on, let's
get it over with!
Come on.
Come on, Mr. Wedley.
Don't worry, you'll be fine.
You should rest a while...
save your energy
for this afternoon.
It's true, we had never
talked about that.
It was different then.
We kids all knew it would
be our turn someday.
It was like a medical
examination.
Once in a while, it was
also the girls' turn.
But we were a little older,
not like now.
My God, the one taken today
isn't even 7 years old!
- Benito!
- I'm coming!
Benito!
I've heard you have
something special.
I need something special.
That's not enough.
That's better.
Stampy, get the Colonel ready.
We're on our way.
Antonia, Dolores, the old man's
getting the Colonel ready.
Take care of the preacher,
I'm going to see the Judge.
Back then, the Judge's
bodyguard was a nice guy.
He gave us candy and
treated us well.
To me that was...
What can I say?
Weird, but pleasant.
Madden was still a kid.
A kid...
but a real murderer.
Believe me, he was as crazy
as his Indian mother.
My brother Bob and I
hung around with him.
He made us stick our
fingers in the fan.
He tried to poison us with
cabbage and molasses.
Kids' stuff.
The Junge stayed alive thanks
to a spectacular iron lung.
He was about 150 years old,
more or less.
5 years later, when he got the
new iron lung. Sal arrived.
Then they hired Madden.
Madden, that son of a bitch.
I have no pleasant memories
of the ranch.
I only went twice but...
I'll never get it out of here.
Yeah.
That's not pleasant for a kid.
We didn't like it either.
No one likes the way things
are here, Lennie.
But they're like that for
hundreds of years now.
And they'll stay that
way, believe me.
Maybe.
I think so but,
I don't know.
- We should try.
- I never mentioned it.
Look.
Once...
many years ago, a stranger
came through here.
She was researching
for the government.
She was to stay
just a few days...
but stayed much longer.
Two weeks.
One night, she asked
me to run away with her.
I was to meet her at the
Coyoteville crossing, at dawn.
But there was a fight with
one of the Judge's men.
I didn't get to see her,
and I was lucky.
We belong here, Lennie.
That's the way it is,
for some reason.
THE DOGS
That's still here?
Yeah.
Since then, no one
contradicts Darlene.
Madden doesn't let
anyone touch it.
Sheriff...
I've been wanting to tell
you something for days.
But...
I couldn't find the
right moment to...
Spit it out.
I taught you to get to the point
and not babble like an idiot.
I'm leaving.
- What?
- Truthfully...
maybe it's a mistake but...
I want to go to
the Police Academy...
in Los Angeles and, well...
I've been admitted.
When?
Next week.
I thought I could request the
Judge's permission today...
because of the fight
I knew this be a terrible
day for that damned fight.
She kicked the bucket while she
was giving him a blow job!
Her mouth shut like a trap!
She choked to death, and he
bled to death like a pig!
Life is short.
You have to burn
your bridges fast...
and get your rocks off
whenever you can!
Well, here's our courageous
long arm of the law.
How are you, Madden?
- Hi.
- Hello.
- Is that any good?
- The best.
"The Silver Star".
Text by Stan Lee and
drawings by Jack Kirby.
It's old. I found it.
I used to read "Sons of the
Avengers", "The New X Patrol".
"The New Generation".
But all the action takes
place in the East.
Do you have anything
against that?
I'm from there.
Now that I'm going to
California. I started this one.
He surfs through the Universe.
I'm getting ready.
Well now...
where did you get
that absurd idea?
You haven't had an attack
for some time now.
Yes, for a while...
but I've had two this
week. Must be my nerves.
I never mentioned it but...
I've researched and...
epilepsy has been frequent
around here for centuries.
Through all these years I've
developed a theory on that.
I'll tell you about it some
day. It's very interesting.
I want to be somebody,
understand?
Somebody.
Stop drinking, you know
it's no good for you.
Well, well, it's been
a long time.
What brings you here?
To say good-bye. He's
leaving next week.
- Well, well.
- Yes.
I've been admitted to the
Police Academy in California.
I'm very happy for you.
Very happy.
Nick says it's necessary to pay
your respects to the Judge...
when you arrive as a stranger,
and when you leave.
Exactly.
Mr. Wedley likes to know...
what is going on
in his community.
But now...
enjoy yourself.
Enjoy your last days
in Atolladero.
Where the hell is....?
Hey, be careful with this
box or your pretty...
little ass will be
blown sky-high!
- All this is dynamite?
- It sure is.
I still have a couple
of tons left over...
from the era of the oil wells.
I wanted to talk to you.
I'm leaving next week.
I'm young and have a full
life ahead of me.
I have a lot of years to try,
I'm still young.
Shit!
I'm happy for you,
I realy am.
Stop by my place...
and I'll lend you one
of my girls. free.
No thanks, Benito.
Thanx, but no thanks.
I wouldn't go with any of your
whores now even if you paid me.
Although, the last time...
who really fucks
I'm not impotent, handicapped
or anything like that
I'm not impotent hand pped
What a son of a bitch!
Come in.
Let's go, we don't
have all afternoon.
I'm sorry to bother
you, Mr.Wedley.
You like this smell, don't
you, you bastards?
Now they'd bust their balls
to get at the female!
- I bet 50 on Saddam.
- And I 50 on Satan.
- I'll see you.
- I cover it, plus 100 more.
What the fuck
is with them?
Damn it! I knew
this would happen.
It's that damn storm.
It's been coming
up for days.
All the animals are
They've gone crazy.
For over a week now...
they're all hysterical.
- I told you...
- Just shut up...
and do something about it!
Yeah, let's get to work.
Someone has to go and
motivate them again.
Someone has to move
their ass...
and get them hot again.
Why don't you do it, Stampy?
Fuck you!
I wouldn't go down there
for a million dollars!
Yes, yes.
Enjoy yourself, darling.
enjoy yourself.
Well...
you can't go very far for now!
Look at him!
Come on, it's over.
What's the matter, Colonel?
Come on, you bastard, come on!
What are you waiting for?
Do it!
- Fuckin' shit, it's jammed!
- Look east.
We're fucked, it's a tornado!
Come on, let's go!
There were earthquakes...
and bolts of lightening like
never since the birth of man.
And God remembered Babylon
and gave them...
the bleeding goblet
of his rage.
And the angels said:
"So be it, so be it!"
On your knees and repent!
Halleluiah!
Yes, Mr.Wedley...
that bastard's also killed
that fuckin' stranger.
Which way?
Are you sure?
He's wounded, but...
he could still cover
quite a few miles.
Well, Sheriff, what conclusion
have you come to?
He went that way.
You heard, the party
has begun.
Judge Wedley wants a saddle made
out of that bastard's hide.
We'll skin him and
then hang him.
He'll wish he was never born.
Make out the report, just
the way I taught you.
Then take some pictures.
And I want no mistakes.
THE GUNS
This is great.
There's nothing like a
good gun in your hand.
Man is made of iron.
You're dying to get this
going aren't you, Madden.
You love the smell of blood.
Stop drinking, you're making
me sick to my stomach!
Over there!
He's going northwest...
at about 530 yards.
The caloric radar
has lost him.
These rocks absorb
a lot of heat...
but I'm sure he's here,
behind one of them.
We won't get anywhere at night.
We'll wait until tomorrow,
and get well organized.
It's not that easy, Nick.
Madden wants to go all the way.
So there you are,
you son of a bitch.
Over here, that bastard got him!
- Where the hell is he?
- Shoot low, I want him alive!
Where is he?
I can't see a thing.
You guys shoot with your ass!
He has to be over here!
Fuckin' shit! Let's get
organized this is ridiculous.
Damn it, I told you so!
It's those damn oil pipelines!
Those damn pipelines!
This desert has holes
like a Swiss cheese...
due to hundreds of pipelines.
Years ago the crude oil
was piped directly...
to the Gulf of Mexico.
But now...
Now he has no way out.
does he?
He's trapped.
I wouldn't be stupid enough to
go down there, if I were you.
There are miles of
rusty pipelines...
that intersect hundreds
of times.
You could spend the rest
of your life down there...
without seeing shit.
It's all metallic and too damp.
All detecting systems are
useless, except for one thing.
Don't worry, we've got him.
He can't get away.
He's trapped like a rat.
We must hurry, Madden.
The car batteries can...
keep him going for another
4 hours, maximum...
but we also need fresh supplies.
We'll use this.
It hasn't been used for quite
a while, but it'll work.
The hunter's knowledge
is much more...
patience than knowledge.
This is stupid.
This damn thing
isn't worth shit.
We could take hours
to find him.
There he is, we've found him!
You've got him!
He's right there!
Damn it!
Get him!
Damn it!
It won't leave a trance!
- It's ripping him apart!
- It's got him!
Yeah, and it's about time!
You idiots!
I agree, Madden,
he has to be near.
But you've been looking
for hours.
Someone can stay, be we must
get back to the ranch.
Now we have to get back.
The batteries are on reserve.
That's dangerous, Madden.
Anithing can happen if we
don't get back now.
This is the Sheriff.
Damn it Vince, wake up!
Nick, do you have
anything to drink?
I need a drink.
I know you've got
a flask in there.
There he is again!
Southwest about 10 miles away!
Please, Nick.
Just one swig!
Don't fuck me up!
Is there anyone there?
Shit, I must have
been dreaming.
You weren't you idiot.
Now do exactly as I say.
I liked that poor devil...
but you can't piss
all over everyone.
You can't knock everyone
progress.
We'd all like to leave.
Why don't we?
'Cause this is our place.
where we belong.
We'd all like tp get out of this
shit and do better things.
That's true, Sheriff.
Yeah, but where, what things?
I never told you because I
knew you wouldn't understand.
But 99%% of your brain...
is reptilian.
Just over the local average.
Madden scares me.
I don't like riding
shotgun for him.
He's out of his mind.
For years I've dreamt I
kill him in a showdown.
Don't make me laugh.
Have you ever seen him
blink when he shoots?
His blood is colder
than a snake's.
Wait.
Don't shoot!
We've got him.
Shit, he's dying!
The Judge is dying!
You disgusting drunk,
do something.
The Judge is dying!
You have to do something!
I can't, Madden, I'm
in bad shape.
Get him in the back.
There's no time to lose.
A swig.
I know you have a flask.
Just a swig.
That's better.
What the hell...?
Forget that, stupid!
Come on, you have to
think of something!
You have to think!
The batteries have stopped....
feeding the peripheral system.
A sharp electric discharge...
would deactivate the circuits.
But that's one chance
in a thousand.
There's the old condenser.
Stampy got current out of it.
But, we'd need a special
transformer.
Maybe not. The car batteries
have a special transformer.
We could open a circuit...
between the car and the chair.
They want to electrocute me!
- You'd better go with him.
- Sure.
I've got some tequila left.
I've always wondered
how this old drunk...
could get through
this mess...
of cables and buttons.
Believe it or not...
Sal was a first-rate
biomechanical engineer.
He worked in a hospital
in the East.
I'm sure he was great...
one of the best.
But, something happened.
He designed a retractible
prothesis that...
grew along with the cartilage
of children.
He cured many kids.
But, a year later,
it started to fail.
Thousands of kids died
in terrible pain.
That's why he came here...
to get away from his
shame and guilt.
He says that in the
silence of the night...
he can still hear how...
he little victims scream.
Now it's important to
pinch artery 143.
You heard him.
Watch the neurometer.
I'll try to stabilize the
radioisotope regulator...
- with injections of...
- Shit, a purple hemorrhage!
- It's flooding everything!
- My God!
I told you to pinch
that damn artery!
I've pinched it!
- I've pinched it!
- I said 143...
of the parietal circuit!
That's it.
I think that's it.
I was able to
stabilize that...
damn regulator.
Now...
we're ready to connect.
I'll do it.
I knew it wouldn't work.
Wait.
Try again.
My God, it worked!
I did it!
We did it!
Listen.
don't you have any
whisky around?
We're partners now.
That dirty bastard!
They'll die very slowly.
Those two bastards
will die...
very slowly.
THE REPTILES
Shit!
It's the electric circuit.
Let's go, they're right
behind us!
I had heard about this place,
but I had never been here.
It's the Indian reservation...
of the last of the Osages.
This is the cemetery,
a sacred place.
Listen...
I don't like this.
This place is
called Chirokaw...
which I think means:
"tomb of the men of iron".
In commemoration...
of a victory...
over a patrol...
of Spanish conquerors...
in the 16th century.
They were looking for...
El Dorado...
a city of gold
and found...
the most savage and bloodthirsty
tribe of American history.
There they are!
Poor people.
I understand them.
They were the first to
arrive in Atollagero...
but were unable to leave.
There they are.
There he is, Nick!
Sal!
Great!
Now you've got him!
Shoot!
Don't be a fool, shoot!
Now listen to me, and
pay close attention.
Go on alone.
You won't make it
with me.
I deserve this...
but you have to get
out of here.
Get rid of those bastards
and get away.
You have to keep running.
They'll never let you go.
Don't you get it?
If they did...
they would be accepting a
cruel and relentless truth...
of theirs.
If they let you go...
it would be like accepting
their own death.
One of us should go up while
the rest cover him.
Everyone should do
this their own way.
I know you bastards
are up there!
Come on out, you rats!
Did you ever hear about
the limbic zone?
The limbic system...
is the most ancient part
of the human brain.
It developed over 130
million years ago...
when the reptiles
ruled on Earth.
Originally...
it controlled our
sense of smell...
but later it went
on to control...
our most primitive functions.
Rage and fear...
lechery and hunger...
advance and retreat.
The avcient reptiles...
like the lizard...
had nothing else...
to direct their conduct.
Man's cerebral cortex
evolved...
around the limbic brain...
that remained unaltered.
That cortex had to learn...
to love in harmony with...
the reptile brain it contained.
At times...
that harmony snaps.
What happens to you...
when you have an attack...
is that your reptile side...
takes over intermittently.
I don't know why but...
the longer you are...
in this disgusting corner
of the planet...
your mind gets sick...
and the reptile in you...
governs your life...
and adjusts you to this heat.
The heat of our own shit.
We're reptiles, Lennie.
What are you waiting for?
Run!
Good-bye, Doc.
Good-bye, kid.
What a shame it's
come to this, Sal.
The Avenger!
- What's the matter?
- He's here!
Benito!
Benito!
Benito!
That bastard's killed
them both!
First Sal, then Benito!
It busted them apart.
It doesn't make sense.
I'm going back.
The Judge is dead.
People won't know what to
do, and they'll be trouble.
Besides, this isn't
my jurisdiction.
Now you're nobody, Madden.
The Judge is dead,
and you're nobody.
Where do you think
you're going?
Come back, Nick!
Let's get this over with!
This is the Atollagero
police departament...
calling all outer perimeters.
This is an all points
bulletin, code Z.
- I repeat, code Z.
- Come here, or I'll shoot.
Hi, Vince.
Shit, Lennie, what's going on?
Everyone's looking for you.
They've blocked the roads,
and I was posted here.
Don't worry, Vince,
it's all over.
Listen, do you have any fuel?
Sure.
I'll take it.
Lennie...
I'd like to tell you
something before you go.
This may not be the right time.
- You see...
- What is it, Vince?
I'd better tell you now.
Nick has sent out an A.P.B.
to the outer perimeter.
And, well, I was
in the car and...
on screen, I saw the showdown
between Nick and Madden.
I don't know what happened,
but, the thing is that...
everyone from here to
San Antonio is after you.
What are you going to do?
Nothing, don't worry.
I've been thinking a lot,
and the think is that...
since you're leaving,
and after Nick's thing...
I've come to the
conclusion that...
the Judge will need
a new Sheriff.
The Judge is dead.
Well...
that doesn't matter.
Well, it does matter but,
it's better this way.
They'll need a new Sheriff...
and, since I'm staying...
I thought that...
I could get the job.
Look, it's occurred
to me that...
well...
if you were to shoot me in
the arm, or something...
people will think we had
a shoot-out and...
even though...
you got away, I tried and...
that would help me...
to get the job.
- Must it be now?
- What worries me...
are the Rangers. If they get
the message, they act fast.
Vince.
Vince, come back!
Take cover, Vince!
Take cover!
Shit!
Fuck!
Shit!
Lennie!
Lennie...
listen to me and
pay close attention.
Never fight clean with anyone.
Get behind him...
and shoot when he
least expects it.
Always be sincere
with yourself...
but never with others.
If you tell people
what you know...
everyone will know as
much as you do...
but you'll only know...
what everyone knows.
And, above all...
never get involved with
a decent woman.
She'll bind you to something...
of which you'll never
break free.
-
---
-
Space...
the final frontier.
In the 21st century...
a series of accidents in
a program of orbital stations...
makes the North American
government...
withdraw for good
from any further...
space research project.
On a self-contained planet,
technological developments...
focus on large megalopolis
separated by...
vast barren regions.
In this third world,
forgotten by time...
powerful landowners control the
local police departments...
levy taxes, and make...
their own laws.
Hi, Douey.
What's up?
Let's see...
Hands up!
Well, well.
What a nice kid.
I'm sure the Judge
will like him.
THE MEN
Tell me, Galactus...
how long must I live on this
savage planet called Earth?
In the Universe, there's no
conviction crueller than mine.
But, yes...
there is...
The terrible agony of who
has never attempted it.
Who, for fear of failing, or
out of indifference...
doesn't dare lift the veil
that covers the abcolute.
The terrible agony of who
has never attempted it.
Today I see everything
differently...
through other eyes, as if
this were the first time.
Lennie, come on.
Stop being a jerk!
But I won't be here next week.
I'm coming!
I'm coming!
Damn it!
I'm coming!
I'm coming!
I'm coming, damn it!
Who the hell...?
Yes!
Yes! But...
You've got shit in
in your ear. Madden.
I said yes.
Everything will be
ready by 4 o'clock.
Yes, what's your hurry?
Are you bored, Madden,
you son of a bitch?
All right.
Yes, but don't know
how it'll go.
Can't you hear?
Today they're restless.
Looks like storm
is coming up.
All right, damn it!
No, of course, I'll be there.
It's all ready for this
afternoon, Judge.
Old Stampy is ready too.
Shut up, you fool!
Fine.
Fine.
That's it.
That's it.
The kid is photogenic.
Want me to give him a
good screwing, Judge?
They say the Texas Rangers...
can hit a prairie dog between
the eyes at a 100 yards...
without the automatic setting.
Realy?
So they say.
The Rangers are an unscrupulous
bunch of mercenaries but...
they're the only decent
police left around here.
They're well trained
and know what to do.
You'd have to go far to
find people like that.
By the way Nick.
there's something I want
to talk to you about.
It's Vince.
Sorry to bother you, Sheriff,
but I've been out here.
- a long time and...
- Hi, Sheriff.
The Sheriff here. What
is it Mrs. Hannisses?
It's Billy. Yesterday.
- he didn't come home.
- Fuckin' shit!
- Billy's only 6 years old!
- Yeah.
It's not the first time,
Mrs. Hannisses.
- I brought you a picture.
- Leave it at my.
office, go home and calm down.
Go on Mrs. Hannisses.
Fuckin' shit!
Hell, Sheriff.
Looks like the coyotes are...
a little nervous lately.
Yeah.
More than a whore in church.
Good God it's Darlene!
God no!
Not today.
- Good morning, Mrs. Wedley.
- All right, Nick, I confess.
I was depressed and
had a few drinks.
So, you'll have to
make me blow...
for the breath test,
won't you Sheriff?
Yes, Mrs. Wedley.
One thing has always
intrigued me, Sheriff.
Has the Judge's wife
always been like that?
- Ever since...?
- Listen,
Get this into your head.
Judge Wedley wants
only the best.
Understand?
The best.
Darlene isn't a bitch.
Darlene was the biggest
whore east of Pecos...
always was and
always will be.
And tried to keep it that way.
It's best not to
let her down.
"People from the East will come
without trumpets of war...
but will make you adore their
idols and kneel before...
their dark and decadent altars".
Turn away from the infernal
Japanese influence...
and the Japanese antichrist...
This isn't a good day
for the fight.
A storm is coming up.
Listen to me.
All those electronic devices...
we've bought from that
race of yellow rats...
since the death of General
Douglas McArthur...
about 100 years ago...
had been predicted.
In every transistor,
every refrigerator...
every motor, every video,
this diabolic race...
thrown up from the
very center of hell...
Now tie its paw.
Well, you've caught
a roadrunner.
Yes.
That race introduced...
this.
A component that look as...
harmless as a pumpkin seed...
the radiation of which...
imperceptible to our
native technicians...
has annulled, and still annuls,
the energy of a race that...
Hey, you.
Yes, you.
Yes've got 20 minutes
to get out of town.
Sure, Sheriff. I was
just passing through.
I was talking to some friends
to make time for my horse...
to rest a while, and
refresh this old man's...
- throat.
- Shut up! You heard me.
Ladies and gentlemen...
you heard the Law.
I'll be brief. Just long
enough to remind you...
What's wrong with you, Lennie?
Lately you're more of
a jerk than usual.
...horrible calamities.
Someday you sinners...
What a character!
Where'd he come from?
He got here this morning.
He gave me this bracelet.
Says it cures rheumatism.
He'd better leave soon. The
Judge doesn't like strangers.
Yeah.
Today is a bad day.
He looks sick...
and that's a bad sign.
So Ismael is under the weather.
Yes, for a few days now.
He must be in love,
he doesn't eat.
Ismael.
The same old story?
There's more interference
lately than ever before.
The video and jukebox
don't work either.
Maybe that preacher is
right about the Japanese.
I'll see you later, at
the Judge's junkyard.
There's a fight today.
Yes.
Yes, damn it.
Another kid was taken
from town this morning.
Six years old.
That old goat.
Th? older he gets,
the queerer he is.
He'll never change.
He likes to be...
well attended to
before each fight.
You just relax, girls.
Good morning, Mrs. Wedley.
Well, we have to go.
This is shit.
There's no more.
I swear it on my kids.
Business was bad this month.
The Judge will understand.
Things have changed.
There are few clients.
- The Judge will understand.
- Let's hope so.
The girls are honest,
hard-working.
Well...
almost all of them.
What do you mean?
It's Vicenta.
She's holding out
on us lately.
Fuckin' shit!
Hey, Benito!
Why don't you take that
disgusting thing off...
the inferno where your
clients have to drink?
Hi, Sheriff. Those
beasts disgust me.
Hi, Lennie.
I'm letting Thelma and
Louise get some fresh air.
They're nervous.
- So is Ismael, poor thing.
- Poor thing?
Shit!
The weak shouldn't
be allowed to live.
The weak and the handicapped.
That's a good law of nature.
Things are livening up,
Mr. Wedley.
Here comes your lovely wife.
Sheriff, I want to
tell you that...
Later, kid, later...
Where'd you hide it, you
bitch! Where is it?
- Answer me, where?
- Down there.
Fuckin' thief!
...that terrible
Japanese radiation...
and help you if
you suffer from...
arthritis, rickets, impotence.
You coward, you'll
never change!
All you do is beat up
on women and drunks!
Well now, Sheriff.
That's a nasty accusation.
Buy them and your children
will be protected against...
the mysterious influence of
those Japanese.
Did you tell him?
No.
- When will you?
- I don't know.
This afternoon, at the fight.
Then I can also get the
Judge's permission.
- They're not going to like it.
- I know.
Me either.
Don't fuck with me, Vince.
You still don't get it.
Look around you.
You can walk for miles.
Look around, and
what do you see?
More miles.
Is that amusing?
Well. I like it.
Shit!
Everyone thinks they
have the best...
because that's all they've got.
Remember Azucena Thompson.
from school?
Yes.
The only decent white girl.
Everyone wanted to lay her.
Not me.
Everyone but you.
She was tired of doing it with
her father and 5 brothers...
and got no pleasant
feelings from it.
Shit, there must be a place
where things aren't like that.
- Then, nothng happened?
- What could happen. Vince?
Nothing's happened here for 200
years. This isn't the world.
There's nothing here.
Look, you can't get out of
life more than you put into it.
And I want to start putting
something into it.
They're not going to like
this, not at all.
You're a son of a bitch, Sal.
You said it would be
ready this week.
I need you to operate on
me as soon as possible.
Don't you get it?
If you don't fix...
what you've done to my
face. I'll kill you.
I couldn't, Mrs. Wedley.
My pulse won't let me.
You heard me,
you disgusting drunk!
The third one emptied his glass
into rivers and fountains...
and they turned into blood.
And the angel of the waters
said: ''You're just...
because they shed the
blood of the saints.''
Good God...
I've received the sian!
Fine, let's go inside a while.
Come on, it's time to
get your rocks off.
Don't you like her?
Ask for something special.
The Avenger!
What's the matter,
are you afraid of me?
Come on, let's
get it over with!
Come on.
Come on, Mr. Wedley.
Don't worry, you'll be fine.
You should rest a while...
save your energy
for this afternoon.
It's true, we had never
talked about that.
It was different then.
We kids all knew it would
be our turn someday.
It was like a medical
examination.
Once in a while, it was
also the girls' turn.
But we were a little older,
not like now.
My God, the one taken today
isn't even 7 years old!
- Benito!
- I'm coming!
Benito!
I've heard you have
something special.
I need something special.
That's not enough.
That's better.
Stampy, get the Colonel ready.
We're on our way.
Antonia, Dolores, the old man's
getting the Colonel ready.
Take care of the preacher,
I'm going to see the Judge.
Back then, the Judge's
bodyguard was a nice guy.
He gave us candy and
treated us well.
To me that was...
What can I say?
Weird, but pleasant.
Madden was still a kid.
A kid...
but a real murderer.
Believe me, he was as crazy
as his Indian mother.
My brother Bob and I
hung around with him.
He made us stick our
fingers in the fan.
He tried to poison us with
cabbage and molasses.
Kids' stuff.
The Junge stayed alive thanks
to a spectacular iron lung.
He was about 150 years old,
more or less.
5 years later, when he got the
new iron lung. Sal arrived.
Then they hired Madden.
Madden, that son of a bitch.
I have no pleasant memories
of the ranch.
I only went twice but...
I'll never get it out of here.
Yeah.
That's not pleasant for a kid.
We didn't like it either.
No one likes the way things
are here, Lennie.
But they're like that for
hundreds of years now.
And they'll stay that
way, believe me.
Maybe.
I think so but,
I don't know.
- We should try.
- I never mentioned it.
Look.
Once...
many years ago, a stranger
came through here.
She was researching
for the government.
She was to stay
just a few days...
but stayed much longer.
Two weeks.
One night, she asked
me to run away with her.
I was to meet her at the
Coyoteville crossing, at dawn.
But there was a fight with
one of the Judge's men.
I didn't get to see her,
and I was lucky.
We belong here, Lennie.
That's the way it is,
for some reason.
THE DOGS
That's still here?
Yeah.
Since then, no one
contradicts Darlene.
Madden doesn't let
anyone touch it.
Sheriff...
I've been wanting to tell
you something for days.
But...
I couldn't find the
right moment to...
Spit it out.
I taught you to get to the point
and not babble like an idiot.
I'm leaving.
- What?
- Truthfully...
maybe it's a mistake but...
I want to go to
the Police Academy...
in Los Angeles and, well...
I've been admitted.
When?
Next week.
I thought I could request the
Judge's permission today...
because of the fight
I knew this be a terrible
day for that damned fight.
She kicked the bucket while she
was giving him a blow job!
Her mouth shut like a trap!
She choked to death, and he
bled to death like a pig!
Life is short.
You have to burn
your bridges fast...
and get your rocks off
whenever you can!
Well, here's our courageous
long arm of the law.
How are you, Madden?
- Hi.
- Hello.
- Is that any good?
- The best.
"The Silver Star".
Text by Stan Lee and
drawings by Jack Kirby.
It's old. I found it.
I used to read "Sons of the
Avengers", "The New X Patrol".
"The New Generation".
But all the action takes
place in the East.
Do you have anything
against that?
I'm from there.
Now that I'm going to
California. I started this one.
He surfs through the Universe.
I'm getting ready.
Well now...
where did you get
that absurd idea?
You haven't had an attack
for some time now.
Yes, for a while...
but I've had two this
week. Must be my nerves.
I never mentioned it but...
I've researched and...
epilepsy has been frequent
around here for centuries.
Through all these years I've
developed a theory on that.
I'll tell you about it some
day. It's very interesting.
I want to be somebody,
understand?
Somebody.
Stop drinking, you know
it's no good for you.
Well, well, it's been
a long time.
What brings you here?
To say good-bye. He's
leaving next week.
- Well, well.
- Yes.
I've been admitted to the
Police Academy in California.
I'm very happy for you.
Very happy.
Nick says it's necessary to pay
your respects to the Judge...
when you arrive as a stranger,
and when you leave.
Exactly.
Mr. Wedley likes to know...
what is going on
in his community.
But now...
enjoy yourself.
Enjoy your last days
in Atolladero.
Where the hell is....?
Hey, be careful with this
box or your pretty...
little ass will be
blown sky-high!
- All this is dynamite?
- It sure is.
I still have a couple
of tons left over...
from the era of the oil wells.
I wanted to talk to you.
I'm leaving next week.
I'm young and have a full
life ahead of me.
I have a lot of years to try,
I'm still young.
Shit!
I'm happy for you,
I realy am.
Stop by my place...
and I'll lend you one
of my girls. free.
No thanks, Benito.
Thanx, but no thanks.
I wouldn't go with any of your
whores now even if you paid me.
Although, the last time...
who really fucks
I'm not impotent, handicapped
or anything like that
I'm not impotent hand pped
What a son of a bitch!
Come in.
Let's go, we don't
have all afternoon.
I'm sorry to bother
you, Mr.Wedley.
You like this smell, don't
you, you bastards?
Now they'd bust their balls
to get at the female!
- I bet 50 on Saddam.
- And I 50 on Satan.
- I'll see you.
- I cover it, plus 100 more.
What the fuck
is with them?
Damn it! I knew
this would happen.
It's that damn storm.
It's been coming
up for days.
All the animals are
They've gone crazy.
For over a week now...
they're all hysterical.
- I told you...
- Just shut up...
and do something about it!
Yeah, let's get to work.
Someone has to go and
motivate them again.
Someone has to move
their ass...
and get them hot again.
Why don't you do it, Stampy?
Fuck you!
I wouldn't go down there
for a million dollars!
Yes, yes.
Enjoy yourself, darling.
enjoy yourself.
Well...
you can't go very far for now!
Look at him!
Come on, it's over.
What's the matter, Colonel?
Come on, you bastard, come on!
What are you waiting for?
Do it!
- Fuckin' shit, it's jammed!
- Look east.
We're fucked, it's a tornado!
Come on, let's go!
There were earthquakes...
and bolts of lightening like
never since the birth of man.
And God remembered Babylon
and gave them...
the bleeding goblet
of his rage.
And the angels said:
"So be it, so be it!"
On your knees and repent!
Halleluiah!
Yes, Mr.Wedley...
that bastard's also killed
that fuckin' stranger.
Which way?
Are you sure?
He's wounded, but...
he could still cover
quite a few miles.
Well, Sheriff, what conclusion
have you come to?
He went that way.
You heard, the party
has begun.
Judge Wedley wants a saddle made
out of that bastard's hide.
We'll skin him and
then hang him.
He'll wish he was never born.
Make out the report, just
the way I taught you.
Then take some pictures.
And I want no mistakes.
THE GUNS
This is great.
There's nothing like a
good gun in your hand.
Man is made of iron.
You're dying to get this
going aren't you, Madden.
You love the smell of blood.
Stop drinking, you're making
me sick to my stomach!
Over there!
He's going northwest...
at about 530 yards.
The caloric radar
has lost him.
These rocks absorb
a lot of heat...
but I'm sure he's here,
behind one of them.
We won't get anywhere at night.
We'll wait until tomorrow,
and get well organized.
It's not that easy, Nick.
Madden wants to go all the way.
So there you are,
you son of a bitch.
Over here, that bastard got him!
- Where the hell is he?
- Shoot low, I want him alive!
Where is he?
I can't see a thing.
You guys shoot with your ass!
He has to be over here!
Fuckin' shit! Let's get
organized this is ridiculous.
Damn it, I told you so!
It's those damn oil pipelines!
Those damn pipelines!
This desert has holes
like a Swiss cheese...
due to hundreds of pipelines.
Years ago the crude oil
was piped directly...
to the Gulf of Mexico.
But now...
Now he has no way out.
does he?
He's trapped.
I wouldn't be stupid enough to
go down there, if I were you.
There are miles of
rusty pipelines...
that intersect hundreds
of times.
You could spend the rest
of your life down there...
without seeing shit.
It's all metallic and too damp.
All detecting systems are
useless, except for one thing.
Don't worry, we've got him.
He can't get away.
He's trapped like a rat.
We must hurry, Madden.
The car batteries can...
keep him going for another
4 hours, maximum...
but we also need fresh supplies.
We'll use this.
It hasn't been used for quite
a while, but it'll work.
The hunter's knowledge
is much more...
patience than knowledge.
This is stupid.
This damn thing
isn't worth shit.
We could take hours
to find him.
There he is, we've found him!
You've got him!
He's right there!
Damn it!
Get him!
Damn it!
It won't leave a trance!
- It's ripping him apart!
- It's got him!
Yeah, and it's about time!
You idiots!
I agree, Madden,
he has to be near.
But you've been looking
for hours.
Someone can stay, be we must
get back to the ranch.
Now we have to get back.
The batteries are on reserve.
That's dangerous, Madden.
Anithing can happen if we
don't get back now.
This is the Sheriff.
Damn it Vince, wake up!
Nick, do you have
anything to drink?
I need a drink.
I know you've got
a flask in there.
There he is again!
Southwest about 10 miles away!
Please, Nick.
Just one swig!
Don't fuck me up!
Is there anyone there?
Shit, I must have
been dreaming.
You weren't you idiot.
Now do exactly as I say.
I liked that poor devil...
but you can't piss
all over everyone.
You can't knock everyone
progress.
We'd all like to leave.
Why don't we?
'Cause this is our place.
where we belong.
We'd all like tp get out of this
shit and do better things.
That's true, Sheriff.
Yeah, but where, what things?
I never told you because I
knew you wouldn't understand.
But 99%% of your brain...
is reptilian.
Just over the local average.
Madden scares me.
I don't like riding
shotgun for him.
He's out of his mind.
For years I've dreamt I
kill him in a showdown.
Don't make me laugh.
Have you ever seen him
blink when he shoots?
His blood is colder
than a snake's.
Wait.
Don't shoot!
We've got him.
Shit, he's dying!
The Judge is dying!
You disgusting drunk,
do something.
The Judge is dying!
You have to do something!
I can't, Madden, I'm
in bad shape.
Get him in the back.
There's no time to lose.
A swig.
I know you have a flask.
Just a swig.
That's better.
What the hell...?
Forget that, stupid!
Come on, you have to
think of something!
You have to think!
The batteries have stopped....
feeding the peripheral system.
A sharp electric discharge...
would deactivate the circuits.
But that's one chance
in a thousand.
There's the old condenser.
Stampy got current out of it.
But, we'd need a special
transformer.
Maybe not. The car batteries
have a special transformer.
We could open a circuit...
between the car and the chair.
They want to electrocute me!
- You'd better go with him.
- Sure.
I've got some tequila left.
I've always wondered
how this old drunk...
could get through
this mess...
of cables and buttons.
Believe it or not...
Sal was a first-rate
biomechanical engineer.
He worked in a hospital
in the East.
I'm sure he was great...
one of the best.
But, something happened.
He designed a retractible
prothesis that...
grew along with the cartilage
of children.
He cured many kids.
But, a year later,
it started to fail.
Thousands of kids died
in terrible pain.
That's why he came here...
to get away from his
shame and guilt.
He says that in the
silence of the night...
he can still hear how...
he little victims scream.
Now it's important to
pinch artery 143.
You heard him.
Watch the neurometer.
I'll try to stabilize the
radioisotope regulator...
- with injections of...
- Shit, a purple hemorrhage!
- It's flooding everything!
- My God!
I told you to pinch
that damn artery!
I've pinched it!
- I've pinched it!
- I said 143...
of the parietal circuit!
That's it.
I think that's it.
I was able to
stabilize that...
damn regulator.
Now...
we're ready to connect.
I'll do it.
I knew it wouldn't work.
Wait.
Try again.
My God, it worked!
I did it!
We did it!
Listen.
don't you have any
whisky around?
We're partners now.
That dirty bastard!
They'll die very slowly.
Those two bastards
will die...
very slowly.
THE REPTILES
Shit!
It's the electric circuit.
Let's go, they're right
behind us!
I had heard about this place,
but I had never been here.
It's the Indian reservation...
of the last of the Osages.
This is the cemetery,
a sacred place.
Listen...
I don't like this.
This place is
called Chirokaw...
which I think means:
"tomb of the men of iron".
In commemoration...
of a victory...
over a patrol...
of Spanish conquerors...
in the 16th century.
They were looking for...
El Dorado...
a city of gold
and found...
the most savage and bloodthirsty
tribe of American history.
There they are!
Poor people.
I understand them.
They were the first to
arrive in Atollagero...
but were unable to leave.
There they are.
There he is, Nick!
Sal!
Great!
Now you've got him!
Shoot!
Don't be a fool, shoot!
Now listen to me, and
pay close attention.
Go on alone.
You won't make it
with me.
I deserve this...
but you have to get
out of here.
Get rid of those bastards
and get away.
You have to keep running.
They'll never let you go.
Don't you get it?
If they did...
they would be accepting a
cruel and relentless truth...
of theirs.
If they let you go...
it would be like accepting
their own death.
One of us should go up while
the rest cover him.
Everyone should do
this their own way.
I know you bastards
are up there!
Come on out, you rats!
Did you ever hear about
the limbic zone?
The limbic system...
is the most ancient part
of the human brain.
It developed over 130
million years ago...
when the reptiles
ruled on Earth.
Originally...
it controlled our
sense of smell...
but later it went
on to control...
our most primitive functions.
Rage and fear...
lechery and hunger...
advance and retreat.
The avcient reptiles...
like the lizard...
had nothing else...
to direct their conduct.
Man's cerebral cortex
evolved...
around the limbic brain...
that remained unaltered.
That cortex had to learn...
to love in harmony with...
the reptile brain it contained.
At times...
that harmony snaps.
What happens to you...
when you have an attack...
is that your reptile side...
takes over intermittently.
I don't know why but...
the longer you are...
in this disgusting corner
of the planet...
your mind gets sick...
and the reptile in you...
governs your life...
and adjusts you to this heat.
The heat of our own shit.
We're reptiles, Lennie.
What are you waiting for?
Run!
Good-bye, Doc.
Good-bye, kid.
What a shame it's
come to this, Sal.
The Avenger!
- What's the matter?
- He's here!
Benito!
Benito!
Benito!
That bastard's killed
them both!
First Sal, then Benito!
It busted them apart.
It doesn't make sense.
I'm going back.
The Judge is dead.
People won't know what to
do, and they'll be trouble.
Besides, this isn't
my jurisdiction.
Now you're nobody, Madden.
The Judge is dead,
and you're nobody.
Where do you think
you're going?
Come back, Nick!
Let's get this over with!
This is the Atollagero
police departament...
calling all outer perimeters.
This is an all points
bulletin, code Z.
- I repeat, code Z.
- Come here, or I'll shoot.
Hi, Vince.
Shit, Lennie, what's going on?
Everyone's looking for you.
They've blocked the roads,
and I was posted here.
Don't worry, Vince,
it's all over.
Listen, do you have any fuel?
Sure.
I'll take it.
Lennie...
I'd like to tell you
something before you go.
This may not be the right time.
- You see...
- What is it, Vince?
I'd better tell you now.
Nick has sent out an A.P.B.
to the outer perimeter.
And, well, I was
in the car and...
on screen, I saw the showdown
between Nick and Madden.
I don't know what happened,
but, the thing is that...
everyone from here to
San Antonio is after you.
What are you going to do?
Nothing, don't worry.
I've been thinking a lot,
and the think is that...
since you're leaving,
and after Nick's thing...
I've come to the
conclusion that...
the Judge will need
a new Sheriff.
The Judge is dead.
Well...
that doesn't matter.
Well, it does matter but,
it's better this way.
They'll need a new Sheriff...
and, since I'm staying...
I thought that...
I could get the job.
Look, it's occurred
to me that...
well...
if you were to shoot me in
the arm, or something...
people will think we had
a shoot-out and...
even though...
you got away, I tried and...
that would help me...
to get the job.
- Must it be now?
- What worries me...
are the Rangers. If they get
the message, they act fast.
Vince.
Vince, come back!
Take cover, Vince!
Take cover!
Shit!
Fuck!
Shit!
Lennie!
Lennie...
listen to me and
pay close attention.
Never fight clean with anyone.
Get behind him...
and shoot when he
least expects it.
Always be sincere
with yourself...
but never with others.
If you tell people
what you know...
everyone will know as
much as you do...
but you'll only know...
what everyone knows.
And, above all...
never get involved with
a decent woman.
She'll bind you to something...
of which you'll never
break free.
-