Changing Lanes (2002) - full transcript

I think I'll make
this the boys' room.

- The master bedroom?
- Boys need, you know, space.

- How old are they?
- Stephen's 10, Danny's 7.

- Lucky kids.
- Lucky dad.

Is everything...
It's my first house.

Doyle, you're getting the loan.

I'm not sure I filled
everything out correctly.

You're approved.

We'll have it done for you
tomorrow. Come by, say, 12:30.

And we can sign off on this.

- What about you?
- He bought all these instruments.



Right. Did you know that he
built this hall? And a gallery,

a shelter and a
hospital in Mexico and

a lot of other
really great things.

I met Simon Dunne when
I was in college,

I was tutoring kids
in a local school,

kids who didn't have
a lot of resources.

And one of the people
I was working with

said that her grandfather liked
to help children in need.

Her name was Mina Dunne. In fact,
she's sitting right over here.

So my friend and I went to
her grandfather and we said

we have some kids who need a
playground. And we needed $1,000.

He said, "Well,
I'll tell you what.

"You can't have $1,000
to build one playground,

"you can have $10,000
to build 10."



So we did. How long have you
been playing the violin?

- Six years.
- How about you?

I feel like champagne.

I understand the
idea of celebration.

I see the bubbles in champagne

as something good and beautiful,

not part of my soul evaporating,

but rising

with joy.

What I'm trying to say is,
I don't want champagne,

I am champagne.

It's great to be alive.
Thanks for letting me share.

Thanks for sharing.

Mike.

Hi, I'm Mike, and
I'm an alcoholic.

- Hi, Mike.
- Hi, Mike.

I've been sober for 15 days.

Hey, Mina. Mina.
Mina, wait a second.

My grandfather liked you for some
mysterious reasons of his own.

Excuse me. That's the only reason
we allowed you to speak today.

Wait a minute. Mina,
we're friends.

We were friends, a long time ago.

Mina, I owe you so much.

- What happened to you?
- What do you mean?

- See you in court.
- Mina, wait a second.

It's okay, it's okay.

- Mina.
- Let her go. Let it go.

George, Melissa, how are you?

- Hi.
- Good to see you.

Grant me the serenity

to accept the things

I cannot change and the wisdom

to know the difference.

So keep coming back.

It works if you work it,

so work it, you're worth it.

- Morning, Julia.
- Hi, Gav.

Morning, guys.

Use of the premises by lessee,
then lessor and lessee shall...

I don't deserve this. I did
absolutely nothing wrong,

and now she just decides
that she's gonna hate me.

- Just a second, Tom.
- No, nothing.

Do your thing. I just
wanna tell you the news.

You know, I did
absolutely nothing wrong.

So what is it with all
this champagne stuff?

- That was... That's just...
- It's a metaphor.

Yeah, but I'm not drinking, and
that's what's important, right?

Be careful with your metaphors,
Doyle. Just one drink, right?

She's only mad at you, because
she can't be mad at him.

He was your client.
She's not your client.

Simon Dunne was your client.

She's still just incredibly
angry about this.

Those are her feelings, not yours.

I know that, Stephen.

You got the documents,
they're all signed.

Get in and get out, Gavin.

We didn't do anything
wrong, though.

Of course we didn't.

File the papers and get out. Okay?

Right.

Okay, Mr. Warren.

What you want is
term insurance, but

you're not sure about the cost.

What's important is that you be
realistic about what you need.

All right, now, this
particular policy

is never gonna cost you more
than $15 a month. That's right.

Ellen, call the courthouse and
tell them I'm gonna be late.

You know what? Just
call Kaufman's office,

and tell him that I called to say
that I'm gonna be late, okay?

Your Honour, I'm
representing myself today,

because I want you to hear
the sincerity of my words.

Boys need their fathers.
Boys need their fathers.

- You all right?
- Yeah, are you?

Yeah. You got an insurance card?

Yeah, sure.

Hello?

We just got a call from the court.

- They're looking for you.
- I had an accident.

- Oh, no. Are you okay?
- Yeah, I'm fine.

- Are you sure?
- I'm fine. It's nothing.

Nothing?

- Who's that?
- It's no one.

This may be nothing to you...

No, don't do that. Don't do that.

- I'll do what I have to.
- I'm sorry. Not you.

I have to do this right,
you know what I mean?

Yes, I think so. I do.
Yes, hold on a second.

- Clean, in all my actions.
- Gavin...

Hold on. Hold on for
one second, okay?

What do you want me to do?

Call the court, tell them that
I'm on my way, all right?

Okay.

Okay, tell them I'm on the steps.

Okay. Thank you.

It's only gonna take five minutes.

I gotta be somewhere
like five minutes ago.

You know, you really should keep

your card in your
glove compartment,

- and not your briefcase.
- That's not what I'm looking for.

Come on. Shit.

- Thank you. All right, thank you.
- You're welcome.

Thank you. Very nice of you.
Okay. Listen. Tell you what.

I'm gonna write you a blank check,
and you just get your car fixed...

- No, no, no.
- I trust you.

- I don't want your check, man.
- You have an honest face.

- Don't worry about it.
- I want to do this right.

- Come on. Please. I gotta go.
- I gotta be some place else, too.

It's important to
me that we do this

right. It should be
important to you, too.

That's it. I'm sorry. I gotta go.

- You're sorry what?
- I gotta go, man. I'm late.

I have to go. I've gotta
be somewhere, too, man.

- Well, can I get a lift?
- I'm sorry.

Where are you going, man? Yo, man,
don't leave me out here like this.

- Sorry, better luck next time.
- Better luck...

Hey. Hey, you're leaving
the scene of an accident.

Your Honour, I'm sorry I'm late.
I was in a traffic accident.

- Are you all right?
- Yes, Your Honour.

- Was anyone hurt?
- No, Your Honour.

Then will Mr. Kaufman begin?

Your Honour, since its inception,
the Simon Dunne Foundation

was managed by Mr. Dunne
and a board of trustees,

which included his granddaughter,
my client, Mina Dunne.

Upon his death, that
board was disbanded.

We want to know why.

Well, it was on instructions
from my client, Your Honour.

Why would he do that? These
people were his friends.

They were his friends,
they were wonderful people

who loved kids and music,

but they just weren't qualified to
manage a $100-million foundation.

- That's why he signed...
- Your Honour, please.

Address the court, Counsellor.

Simon Dunne signed a power
of appointment appointing

Walter Arnell and Stephen Delano
sole trustees of the foundation.

He was old and he was
taken advantage of.

You took advantage of him, Gavin.

Now you're charging
a crime, Ms. Dunne,

and this is probate court,
not criminal court.

Mr. Kaufman, does your
client understand?

She does, Your Honour.

Your Honour, I'm not here to
debate everyone's opinion

about Simon Dunne's intention.

I'm here to present
some papers to the

court which are
signed by Mr. Dunne.

They've all been notarised.

And furthermore, they direct the
foundation to be administered

in precisely the way
which Mr. Dunne,

not his granddaughter,
intended. Please the court?

- What do you got?
- Trust agreement.

Tax exemption.

Power of appointment.

- Mr. Banek?
- Sorry.

Mr. Banek?

- I made a mistake.
- What mistake?

This morning, after the accident,
by the side of the road,

we were exchanging
insurance information,

and I used the file
folder to, you know...

To, you know...

No, I don't know.

To write my name on, and address.

And I gave it to him.

I just wasn't thinking clearly, I
guess. Must've been the accident.

Did you get his name?

Did I get his... Yes, of
course I got his name.

Let's call him.

As If memory serves, Your
Honour, I believe he's not in.

How do you know?

He made some reference to the
fact that he was feeling hurried,

because he had to be at an
appointment of some sort.

Call his number and
leave a message.

Yes, of course, Your
Honour, I will.

- Your Honour?
- Yes, Mr. Kaufman?

- May I make a suggestion?
- Yes.

I'm in no hurry, and I know how
bad a person feels after a...

- A car crash, right?
- Yeah. Thanks, Terry.

No, don't mention it.

So, Gavin, when the man,
whose name you don't know,

gets out of the meeting
that you say he's in,

would you call him at the number
that you think is in your car,

so that we can have
the document that

you assure us gives us the proof

that the senior partners of
your law firm really do control

the money Simon Dunne left to
the children of New York State?

Doesn't matter anyway. He'll have
a copy. He'll bring the copy in.

A piece of paper with an
original signature on it

still has great magical power.

Without that piece of
paper with the signature,

Ms. Dunne can sue that
law firm for fraud,

and possibly even send you

and the other members of
your law firm, to jail.

Mr. Banek, find your
man and bring me

back that file by
the end of the day.

- Thank you, Your Honour.
- Thank you. Next case.

Hold on, sir.

- Put your hands up, please.
- Arms out to the sides.

Wait. Hold on a second.

- Okay.
- Thank you, sir.

- Dad.
- Hey, guys.

You're really late.
Mum went in already.

Okay, okay.

- What's in the bag?
- What bag?

Daddy.

This bag. It's a
present for the judge.

I want a present.
I want a present.

- You shouldn't lie to him, Dad.
- Okay, okay.

I'd never give a judge
such a cool present.

Happy birthday yesterday.

Listen to me, guys.
Everything's gonna be better.

- I bought a house.
- In Oregon?

No, in Queens.

Mommy says we're moving to Oregon.

Now you don't have to. That's
why I bought the house.

So you don't have
to move to Oregon.

Are you gonna live there with us?

See what the judge says, okay?

The court denies the
motion for joint custody,

and awards sole custody
of the children

- to their mother.
- No. No. Wait. Please.

Your Honour, Ms. Gipson is moving
to Oregon to start a new job.

Weekly visitations with Mr.
Gipson are gonna be impossible.

So noted. File with
the court clerk.

No, wait. Hold it.

Your Honour... Your Honour, I know
I'm late, but someone hit my car.

Now... See, look here. This
is evidence, new evidence.

I have a new plan for joint
custody. It's all right here.

Well, Mr. Gipson,
you are late, and

the hearing has been conducted.

- But I had an accident.
- Your Honour, are we free to go?

No, I'm not done yet.

- The court ruled, Mr. Gipson.
- But I wasn't here.

- The court ruled.
- No.

Val... Valerie, I
bought you a house.

It's too late, Your Honour.

No, it's not too late.
It's 20 minutes.

It's just 20 minutes, 20
minutes can't be too late.

Valerie, please, don't
let 20 minutes stand

in the way of what
I'm trying to do.

Please don't start.

- Don't talk to him.
- No.

Mr. Gipson, would you
please approach the bench?

- Your Honour, can we leave now?
- Valerie... No.

- Yes.
- No.

Valerie, can't we talk?
Valerie, can't we talk?

- Mr. Gipson?
- Valerie...

Mr. Gipson, come here
for a moment. Please?

Emotions run high in here.

Now, if this weren't
a divorce court,

the way you just yelled
in my courtroom...

- I'm sorry.
- Of course you are.

You have children, Mr. Gipson.
Keep them in front of you.

I just wanted to tell my wife I
got her a house for the children.

- When?
- Well, I have it all right here.

That's my plan.

I found a house for
Valerie and for the

boys, and they don't have to move.

This is what I wanted to say.

"Boys need their fathers.

"The streets of this
world are lonely

for boys without their fathers.

"If I have made mistakes
and I have grown,

"and I have recognised
those mistakes."

What kind of a house?

It's not a big house, and
it's not in great shape.

But I can fix it. I
can make it work.

And there's a space for...
Well, if she'll have me back.

There's a place for me, too. But
I'm not asking for that right now.

I'm just asking that
she not take the boys

and move halfway across the world.

When they're settled,
you can arrange

visitations with your children.

Oregon is not the other
side of the world.

It is to me. I want my
family. I want my boys.

I had an accident. This...
This guy hit me on the FDR.

He cut me off. I
wanted to be here.

If this was my marriage and
it was this important to me,

I would have been here on time.

Everyone was here
on time except you.

Next case. Thank you.

- Docket 718.
- Thanks.

Counsellor, step up, please.

- How is everybody today?
- Good morning, Your Honour.

Good morning, nice
to see you again.

It's not gonna help me
pay my electric bill.

I'm not making any money
sitting in court.

I'm going to court.

I've been sitting in
court every single day.

I'm not making any money.

- Hello?
- If you and I had gotten caught

before we stopped,

and my wife found out,
and I left the law,

and you died in a
horrible accident at sea,

I would be better off
than I am right now.

What happened?

He wouldn't take a check.

He said he wanted to be
clean in all his actions.

- The judge wouldn't take a check?
- The guy.

- What guy?
- What day is today?

Friday. Actually,
it's Good Friday.

Good Friday. What's good about it?

Gavin, what's going on?

I know what's good about it. My
file's walking down the street.

Gavin...

Hey. Hey.

Hey. Hey.

Excuse me. Hey.

Listen, man, you don't
know me. I know.

And you don't have to believe me,
but that was not like me today.

I'm just so... I'm so grateful,
you know, just to God.

And right here in front
of the Lord's house.

Come on. Hop in. Get in the
car. Get out of the rain.

I'm... My name's Gavin Banek.

Doyle Gipson.

Hey, listen, Doyle. That is not
what I'm like, this morning.

That really isn't. That's not who
I am. I mean it. I'm a lawyer.

I should never have
left the scene of

an accident. I should know better.

My file, did you find it?
I had an orange file.

It was in my briefcase.
I thought maybe

it fell out and you picked it up.

Do you have it? Did you get it?

You said, "Better luck next
time." I said, "Give me a lift,"

you said, "Better luck
next time," and just...

"Better luck next time?" I said
that? Listen, sir, please.

I have no excuse for my
behaviour, and I am sorry.

I don't know what I can do to
make it up to you, except...

I will buy you a new car.

Money. You... You
think I want money?

What I want is my morning back.

I need you to give my time back to
me. Can you give me back my time?

Can you give my time back
to me, huh? Can you?

Whoa. Wait a minute.
Whoa. All right.

So she won't move to Oregon.
So she won't take the boys.

So they'll move into the
house, so I can be a father.

Just 20 minutes. Can
you give me that?

I wish I could, man.
I wish I could.

I wish I could.

Doyle, wait a minute. Wait.
Do you have the file?

Doyle, you got the file?

Wait a minute. Doyle,
wait a minute.

Doyle, do you have
the file? I'm sorry.

I don't have your file.
I threw it away.

- What do you mean?
- I threw it away.

- Hey. How did it go?
- Hey, guys.

Well, Kaufman did
some tap dancing.

But once I filed the papers,
what was he gonna do?

The guy squeaked like a mouse.

I love it when they squeak.

Yeah, I mean, we have the power of
appointment, so God's on our side.

Hey, I'm going over to Southeast

Harbour tomorrow
to look at a boat.

Hinckley 51.

51-footer, huh? It's a tough life.

You are not quite ready
for a 51-footer yet.

Right.

But as soon as I take
delivery on her,

I want... I want you and
Cynthia to have China Bird.

Stephen, I don't know what to say.

You don't have to say
anything. I'm saying it.

I'm saying thank you to my
partner and my son-in-law.

And my friend.

Thank you. Thank you
so much. Thank you.

Thank you.

So I have a couple more interviews
I gotta bang out down the hall,

so I'm gonna go back down
there and do some work.

Great.

Okay.

All right. Well, so
long. All right.

See you.

- How you doing, Kate?
- Hey, Gavin.

- Well?
- Hey.

- So how'd it go?
- In and out. Easy-peasy.

What do we... What kind
of people we have here?

This is Sarah Windsor.

- Hello. It's a pleasure.
- Hi, Sarah.

- Tyler Cohen.
- Tyler, how you doing?

- Who's up first?
- Ms. Windsor.

Sarah Windsor, come on down. Have
a seat, please. And who are you?

- Sarah Windsor.
- Not the nametag.

I mean, who are you, as in
what have you been doing?

Why do you want to be a lawyer?
Why do you want to work here?

Well, I went to St. Paul's, I did
my undergraduate work at Yale,

and now I'm finishing at Yale Law.

I clerked last summer for the
California State Supreme Court.

The reason I chose law
is that my father

was District Attorney
of San Francisco.

Really?

I've always been
interested in the law

and politics, and I was
an economics major.

This firm is
particularly strong in

municipal finance law
and public policy,

which is the area

I'm hoping to explore.

Although, I gotta tell you, I do
have an eye on public service.

I know how much this firm
supports pro Bono work,

and I'd love to help on a death
penalty defence for the poor.

Why didn't I just give
him my insurance card?

I'm sorry?

I'm sorry. It's not your
fault. It's my fault.

Excuse me. Gavin? This really
weird fax just came in.

- I think you should look at it.
- Okay. Thank you.

Do you know what it means?

Michelle, I gotta talk
to you. Michelle.

Just a second. What the hell...

Read this. It's from the
file. He's got the file.

Help me.

- Hi.
- Hi.

Can I have a

- bourbon, straight up?
- Sure.

Can I have a twist, please?

I'm not a partner here. That
actually doesn't bother me.

Partners have to bring in
business. I just gotta do my job.

If I don't like it
here, I can leave.

- What's not to like?
- Watching you become one of them.

I always thought you were
cutting a pretty big corner

by convincing a dying old man
to sign a power of appointment.

It wasn't like that.

Are you sure it wasn't like that?

Of course I'm sure.

What?

He was in bad shape
when I went to see him.

I mean, it was...
Maybe he didn't...

Maybe?

Maybe he didn't
understand exactly.

Didn't understand exactly?

He didn't know exactly
what he was signing.

But Walter and Stephen
said that Simon

put too much faith in his friends

and the board was
in his pocket, and

it was better for the foundation

if we could just help control
and manage the money.

- Delano said that?
- Yes.

- Doesn't that sound reasonable?
- What's that supposed to mean?

That means that without this file,

you'll be in more
trouble than your

father-in-law and his partner.

You're the attorney of record.

You could actually go to jail
for this. You need that file.

What am I gonna do?

There's this guy.

He...

He helps out with things
that need helping out.

Like what?

Like things, like
getting people to

do things that you
want them to do,

when they don't necessarily
want to do them.

Where is he?

Michelle, I need help.

Did you really believe it served
Simon Dunne to sign those papers

when he was too weak to read them?

Of course.

I wouldn't have done
it otherwise. Yes.

- Yes, I did.
- Do you want what's right?

- Of course I do.
- And what's right is your job?

Your wife?

Your life?

Yes.

Where is he?

- Hi.
- Don't go anywhere.

- Hey, where are you going?
- I'm going out.

I'm in a bar.

You want company?

No.

That champagne feeling
gave you a hangover.

Are you drinking?

No.

What happened in court today?

I'm in a bar. What's
that tell you?

It tells me that
you're really angry.

And that anger has
gotten you into the

one place in the world
you shouldn't be.

Come on, leave that bar.

Come on, leave the bar.

I'm sorry.

Can I have a Coke, please?

Come on in.

Okay, look, you tell Roberta

that I said one cookie
before lunch is okay.

Get better.

- Mr. Banek.
- Are you Mr. Finch?

- How are you?
- How are you doing?

- You look nervous.
- Yeah, a little bit, I guess.

Don't be. Have a seat.

Who's your God?

- Now, or hall of fame?
- Whenever.

Well, I'd say it's the guy
who did the Volkswagen ad.

You know, the one where the cop is

giving a speeding ticket
to a guy in a Bug.

Classic. Classic. Classic.

Doyle Gipson.

Shouldn't have told you he was
in insurance. Makes it too easy.

I tell my clients, "Never tell
anyone anything about yourself."

Yeah, here's his state
insurance licence.

And that gives me
his social security

number, which gives me everything.

- You don't fucking know.
- I do know.

It's the one with the little kids.

The little kids, yeah.

He's sitting around, you know.

Little... I don't know what
he is. Like, an Indian kid.

Cute little black kid. He's
like, "I'm Tiger Woods."

"I'm Tiger Woods."

You had a fender-bender, and
the other guy's going postal.

That's not the way to do things.

I don't wanna kill anybody,
you know what I mean?

I've just never done this
kind of thing before.

What kind of thing is that?

I just want my file
back, you know.

You'll get your file back.

How, exactly?

It's like the dog
collar that gives a

little electric shock
when the dog barks.

You don't kill the dog. You just
want the dog to settle down.

Now we're torturing
an animal? I mean...

We're all set. May I?

Is there any other way?

Well, sure, call him up
and just be nice to him.

All right. Do it.

You guys are in
advertising, right?

Yeah. You, too?

No, but...

I hope you don't mind, but I was
intrigued by your conversation.

I just thought you
were in advertising.

So I wanna give you
my dream version

of a Tiger Woods commercial, okay?

- Go ahead.
- By all means, yeah.

There's this black guy
on a golf course.

And all these people are trying
to get him to caddy for them,

but he's not a caddy.

He's just a guy trying
to play a round of golf.

Then these guys give
him a five-dollar bill

and tell him to go
to the clubhouse

and get them cigarettes and beer.

So off he goes. Home.

To his wife and to
their little son,

who he teaches to play golf.

We see all the other little
boys playing hopscotch,

while little Tiger practises
on the putting green.

You see all the other
kids eating ice cream,

while Tiger practises hitting
long balls in the rain,

while his father shows him how.

And we fade up

to Tiger winning four
grand slams in a row

and becoming the greatest golfer
to ever pick up a nine iron.

- And we end on his father...
- Goodbye.

In the crowd on the sidelines, and
Tiger giving him the trophies.

All because of a
father's determination

that no fat white man, like
your fathers probably,

would ever send his son to the
clubhouse for cigarettes and beer.

I'm sorry, what did you
say about our fathers?

You better go.

Mr. Doyle Gipson, you
is now bankrupt.

And you owe me $5,000.

- Hello?
- It's me.

- So you really bought a house?
- Yeah.

- Wanna play a round of golf?
- Really? You actually own it?

Yeah, it's not a mansion on a
hill, and it needs a lot of work.

Let me tee off.

But it'd be yours,
it'd be your house.

- God.
- Here we go. Gonna hit the ball.

God.

What? This line's going dead. I
can't hear you. I can't hear you.

Obviously, it would be better for
the boys to be near their father.

- What?
- To have you nearby.

He's talking about our fathers.

- What? What?
- You're perfectly clear.

- Listen, I'll call you back.
- Talking to your daddy?

- God. You hit me.
- I'll hit you again. You like it?

Jesus, what the fuck?

- Mister, please. I got kids, man.
- Yeah? Well, so do I.

Doyle Gipson, this is
Gavin Banek calling.

I have something that
I want to tell you.

First of all, I wanted to
shake hands, all right?

I wanted to start over.
I gave you a chance.

And you did this. Fine.

I have just turned
off your credit.

You are now a spirit
without a body, all right?

Now, I can go on and on pulling
your life down around your ears.

You can turn it off. You can go
back to the way things were.

Just give me my file
back. Just... Today.

I mean, just... I
mean... Thank you.

Give me my file back, get the

credit turned back
on. Okay? Today.

Thank you.

- Has he phoned yet?
- Not yet.

- Look at this.
- What? What is it?

It's the life of Doyle
Gipson. His whole life.

We have his bank, his wife, kids.
Two boys, Danny and Steve.

Their birth dates, the school
they go to, credit card balances,

health records, his
cholesterol is high,

but his blood pressure is normal.

I'm 29 years old. The foundation
has $107 million in it.

My bosses are the trustees.

So why didn't they
come to court with me?

Mina Dunne hates me. I
assume there's a reason.

Why am I always the last guy
in the room to know why?

What's in those files
that I haven't seen?

Willard. Can you get
me a messenger?

What for?

I found something in the street.

I wanna give it back to
the person it belongs to.

- Is there a reward or something?
- Yeah.

What is it?

Doing the right thing,
giving it back.

- That's it?
- That's it.

- That's the reward.
- How about that?

Yeah, how about that.

Congratulations. Yes. Okay. Yes.

Mr. Gipson, it's Ron Cabot
at Queens Borough Federal.

There's something I need
to talk to you about.

If you can give me a
call today, or if

it's convenient to
stop by the bank,

I'd appreciate it. Thank you.

Doyle Gipson, this is
Gavin Banek calling.

I have something that
I want to tell you.

I lied to you this morning.

When I was on my way
to the court, I

stopped off at a diner to prepare.

I took the files out,
I looked them over.

When I was leaving,
I put them back.

At least, I could've
sworn I put them back.

But when I got to the court, the
power of appointment was missing.

And the court has given
me until the end

of the day to produce
the original.

- Call the diner?
- Yes, I did.

All the trash has been picked up,

but we're tracking it, and I think
we'll probably get it back.

- I just wanted you to know.
- Why did you lie to us?

I'm really sorry.

You're sorry?

Hey, who the fuck
gives a shit about

the struggles of your character?

Get out of here, you
son of a bitch.

If you have to go through every
fucking garbage bag in this city,

you find that goddamn file,

or you're gonna be the
disaster of my life.

Look, wait a minute. We might
get the file back, okay?

But if we don't, we have to
adopt a strong position.

I need to see the
rest of those files.

No, you're not gonna
see the files.

What the hell do you
wanna see the files for?

Why not? He's my goddamn client.

Hey, what are you gonna do,
give me a lecture on law?

Listen. Why did you send me
into the court by myself?

I'm your son-in-law,
for Christ's sake.

Hey, don't talk to me like that.
I hired you, you little shit.

Stephen. Stephen, calm down.
Stephen, quiet, please.

There's a way out. There's
a way out of this.

A way out? By letting him
bring the files into court?

Calm down and stay
with me here. Okay.

Now, we had a signed
document, right? Didn't we?

- Yes.
- Okay. Now.

The power of appointment
is eight pages.

The living will, which also
has his signature, is 10.

So we can reformat the
power of appointment

and, using the signature
page from the living will,

attach it to the new printout
of the power of appointment.

And code the header to
match the document.

- What do you think? Will it pass?
- Yeah, this could work.

Stephen, I didn't ask you. I
didn't ask you, all right?

Gavin, will it pass?

We forge it? We just
forge the document?

Hey, hey, hey. You screwed this
up, you lost the fucking file.

Nobody's asking you to get
yourself out of it alone.

We're willing to put ourselves
on the line for you with this.

Making a file is fraud. A new file
is fraud. You understand that?

And we're saying
that we're gonna put

our own careers on
the line for you.

That's what it means
to be a partner.

We're not inventing. We're
not. We're not inventing.

We're just reproducing
something that already exists.

Look, Gavin, you take
this into the court,

and, buddy, we can go on with our
lives like this never happened.

Let me think about it.

What the hell are you gonna think

about, your high
school ethics class?

What choice have you
got? Wanna go to jail?

No, I don't want to go to jail.

Come on. Get out of here.
Leave it. Move it.

Go. Move.

What does it say?

They pay themselves $1.5 million.

Each. Out of the trust. Out of the
income of the trust. Jesus Christ.

Which is why they got rid of Mina
Dunne and the rest of the board.

It's probably not even illegal.

No, it's probably just disgusting.

- I did this. I did this.
- No, you didn't.

- I did this. I did.
- No, you did not.

What do I do?

You give me the file
and I'll take it back.

- Take it back?
- What?

You didn't know who
these people were?

You married into it.

Since breakfast, I've left
the scene of an accident,

I just bankrupted a guy I don't
even know, lied to my bosses,

pulled a false alarm at work,

discovered I'm a party
to defrauding a charity,

and now I'm sitting here,

seriously contemplating forging
a power of appointment.

Hey, mister.

Mister, hold out your hand.

- What?
- What have you got?

Hold out your hand.

How many hands have you got?

Two.

Thanks.

- Oh, God.
- It's the file.

Oh, no. Shit.

Wait. No, look, it's...

It's not the power of appointment.

It's a notice to appear in court.

Where's the kid?

Look at this.

It's a phone number.

- Who's that you're with?
- Is that your business?

- Is she your secretary?
- No, she's a lawyer.

- Not your wife?
- No.

Guy leaves the scene of an
accident. Guy cheats on his wife.

Can I have my file back, please?

It'll take me half an
hour to get to my bank.

Now, if my credit's not on by the

time I get there, I
destroy the file.

- That's the deal.
- Yeah, okay. Understood. Okay.

- Hello?
- Hey.

- That was pretty fast, huh?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was great.

Listen, man, I need it
turned back on right away.

As fast as you turned it off, I
need you to turn it back on.

Amazing, wasn't it?
Two hours. Two hours.

Yes, it was great, it was
fine. It was terrific.

I need you to turn it
back on right now.

Thirty minutes, okay?
Can you do that?

That's a... That's
a little harder.

Please, man. Don't tell me that.

Please, do something. Do
something for me here.

You gotta do something, man.

I'll do my best.

- Hey, babe, how's it going?
- I need to see you.

Well, it's not a great
time right now.

I need to see you right now.

- Is something wrong?
- No, I just need to see you.

Meet me at Refugio's, I'll
be there in 10 minutes.

All right. I'll be
right there. Okay.

- Okay.
- Don't be late.

- Okay, fine.
- Okay, honey, thanks.

All right.

I gotta... I gotta go.

Okay? I'll see you in a bit.

Ron. You wanna tell
me my credit's off

and I can't get
approved for the loan.

- Right.
- Check it.

Well, right here...

Well, that was strange. You're
right. Your credit's back on.

So?

This is so weird.

No, there you go. That's what I

thought. I knew I saw
that. I knew it.

I can't help you.

What do you mean, you can't
help me? You just saw.

There's still a problem.

No, no, no. It's
all taken care of.

It's all been solved.
Look in the computer.

And it says you're bankrupt.

This is a mistake.

If it is... If it is a mistake,

then clearing it up shouldn't
take more than three months.

Ron, I've been having a bit of
a tussle today with someone.

It doesn't matter who.
But what does matter

is that he got into my records.

I don't know how, and that
doesn't matter, either.

- It's true, but...
- But you've seen what he did.

He's got some kind of
a computer voodoo.

I don't know, but he's
got it, doesn't he?

Someone sure caused
you some trouble.

I need this loan, Ron.
I need it for my life.

Now, nothing has changed
between yesterday and today.

I'm still the same guy. I
wasn't bankrupt yesterday,

and I'm not bankrupt today.

I'm sorry, Mr. Gipson, the
computer says you are.

Now it doesn't.

Are you okay?

What's wrong?

Did you know that my father
had a mistress for 20 years?

- No.
- Don't lie.

I didn't know it was 20 years.

My mother knew about it.

- Why didn't she leave him?
- Because she loved him so much.

And she decided it'd
be hypocritical

to leave a man for
cheating at home,

when the expensive life
she enjoyed so much

was paid for by a
man whose job was

based on finding ways to cheat.

Is that your opinion on the law?

What do you think the law is, Gav,

at this level of the game, at
my father's level of the game,

at your level of the game?

It is a big, vicious
rumble, Gavin.

The people who founded
this law firm,

and the people who sustain it,

understand the way
the world works.

If you wanna continue to live
the way we've been living...

You have to steal.

I could have married
an honest man.

I could have lived
with a professor

of Middle English, for example.

If he was a moral man, and
had tenure at Princeton.

But I didn't. I married
a Wall Street lawyer.

Which means I married someone
who lives in a world

where when a man comes to the
edge of things, he has to commit

to staying there and living there.

Can you live there, Gavin?

Can you live there with me?

You're not gonna do anything
stupid like leaving me.

You've had fantasies, I'm sure.
So have I. But we're married.

I knew about Michelle.

I knew when it was happening. And
I knew when it was finished.

And I know you love me.

You do love me. And
I love you, too.

I'm your wife, and I want
to stand beside you.

Just let me help you, Gavin.

Let me help you with this.

What do you want me to do?

Take the signature page from
the living will and attach it

to the newly formatted copy
of the power of appointment.

Bring it to the courthouse, and
then meet me for dinner tonight.

We're going out with
Karen and Carl.

Karen and Carl.

I forgot about Karen and Carl.

And I remembered.

We're a team, Gav. We're partners.

Arugula salad?

- Hello?
- A deal's a deal.

The credit's back on?

Yeah. I used my
MasterCard just now.

Sir, we don't allow cell phones.

Wow, that was fast.

- Sir?
- Okay, one second.

They turned my credit back
on. Now I owe you something.

Thank God you did not throw
that away this morning.

- So how you wanna do this?
- One second.

- You wanna come to my office?
- No. No.

- Why not?
- You got your car?

I can get it, it's
at the office, yeah.

How about the
courthouse? You do have

to turn this thing in, don't you?

Right.

- See, I'm thinking about you.
- Okay. Listen, Doyle...

Look, look, look,
please. You aren't

gonna get all soft on me, are you?

I just want you to know
that I'm sorry, you know.

And I just... I'm just
glad this thing is over.

Don't get too close.

- Hello?
- Hey, my hero. My champion.

It's all over. He called me.
He's giving me back the file.

- Really?
- What do you mean?

Because there's... There's
one thing I couldn't do.

What couldn't you do?

Hey...

This damn bankruptcy
has a life of its own.

What couldn't you do?

I couldn't undo the
bankruptcy. Sorry.

Shit.

Are you drunk?

No.

Are you sure?

Yes, I'm sure.

- Hey.
- Hey.

It's nice.

Show me the house.

This is the wood of the cross

On which was hung the
Saviour of the world

- Come, let us worship
- Come, let us worship

This is the wood of the cross

On which was hung the
Saviour of the world

- Come, let us worship
- Come, let us worship

This is the wood of the cross

On which was hung the
Saviour of the world

Do you know why I took
the job in Oregon?

To

Get as far away from
me as possible.

I looked at a lot of cities,

and Portland has thousands

of nice, dull, bearded guys,

and I thought, you know,
guys like this, just...

Guys.

I could find one.

A better version of you, Doyle.

A version of you, but a
better version of you.

What I always

wanted you to be, and what
you were for a little,

when I met you.

In the name of the Father, the
Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.

I don't... It's all right. I
don't want confession. I just...

All the seats were full out
there, so I came in here,

just to listen to the song.

There's some seats up
front. I'll show you.

I don't... I don't
want that. Thank you.

Are you Catholic?

It's beautiful.

No, it's not. But
it could have been.

I don't know what's gonna happen,

but I don't blame you
for wanting to leave.

Oregon,

the boys,

it'll be good for them.

I know how hard it must
be for you to say that.

I'm sorry I was late today.

We should have waited.

I came here for some
meaning. I'm trying...

I want you to give the
world meaning to me.

Why does the world need meaning?

Why does the... What?

Because the world's a sewer.

Because the world's a
shithole and a garbage dump.

Because my father-in-law got
me to screw a good man,

a decent man, out of his money,

and my wife cheers me on.

Because I got into a fender-bender
with this guy on the FDR.

And I had a fight
with him. I tried to

do everything I
could to settle it.

But this guy just won't let it go.

Why?

Why wouldn't he let it go?

I don't know why.
I don't know why.

Sometimes God likes
to put two guys

in a paper bag and
just let them rip.

Thank you.

Thank you for letting us go.

Are you saying he's a
threat to his children?

Yes, he's told friends that
if his ex-wife got custody,

he would kidnap his sons and
take them out of this country.

- And she got custody?
- We were in court this morning.

Now, I don't know for a fact
that he's coming here, but...

- Doyle Gipson. Really?
- Really. What does that mean?

He comes to every school play that
they're in. All the teachers...

So a guy comes to a school
play, you trust him?

Doyle Gipson is a man
of no honour at all.

A low man.

But that's okay, because nobody
else has any honour, either.

That's what makes life
so hard for people,

is that we're taught
this fairy tale.

The good end well, and
the bad end poorly.

- Do you believe that?
- I'd like to.

He's coming here.
Be ready for him.

Is he in?

Hello? Is he... Is he there?

Well, I just need to
leave a message for him.

I'm calling from his
children's school.

Yeah. I'm afraid there's
been an accident.

How are my sons?

- Who are your sons?
- Danny and Stephen Gipson.

I received a call that
said they were hurt.

- Danny and Stephen Gipson?
- I haven't heard anything.

I wanna see my sons.

- Mr. Gipson...
- Mrs. Miller, how are the boys?

Mr. Gipson, I think you should
leave. Before we call the police.

Mr. Gipson, don't make
me call the police.

- So they're fine?
- Yes, your boys are fine.

And all of this is just a mistake?

Yes.

I'm sorry.

Danny. Stevie.

Call the police.

Daniel Gipson. Stevie
Gipson. Can you hear me?

- Can you hear me?
- Call their mother.

- Gipson boys, where are you?
- Daddy.

Danny, come back here.

- Come back here and have a seat.
- My daddy.

- Stevie. Danny.
- Daddy.

- Stevie.
- Daddy.

- Get off me.
- Don't hurt my dad.

Danny. Stevie.

- Get down.
- Daddy. No.

- Daddy. No.
- Calm down.

Danny. Stephen.

Daddy. Dad.

They said you were hurt.

You haven't been
hurt or sick today?

No.

- Come back here.
- No. Daddy.

We're gonna pick you up nice
and slowly. All right? Got it?

Okay. Okay.

- Don't hurt my dad. Please. Stop.
- All right, let's go. Up.

- Daddy.
- Nice and easy. That's it.

Come on.

Okay, let's go.

See that? I tried to
make peace with you.

You know what I can do to
you for trying to kill me?

You know who I am?
You know who I am?

You see what I can do to
you? You try to kill me?

Motherfucker. What's up now?

Shit.

Empty your pockets, sir.

Keys.

Change.

Wallet.

Pager.

File.

Hey, how you doing? I'm
looking for a Ron Cabot.

- Count your money, sir.
- What?

Count your money.

Mr. Cabot, I'm Doyle
Gipson's attorney.

I don't really wanna
talk about him. Since

we're closing now,
I don't have to.

Okay. I understand
that. Mr. Cabot,

I just need you to help me...

$77.

I'm asking you to try to
help me help Doyle here.

- He needs it.
- You gotta understand.

He has had about the
worst day of his life.

He had a credit problem that was
not his fault. It was caused by...

Someone who hacked their way
into his records, I know.

How can... How can we get this
whole thing straightened out?

- What can I do?
- Nothing.

Okay, Mr. Cabot...

Ron, let's try this
another way, okay?

Let's say there's a different
man. You don't know this guy.

And he has some credit problems
that aren't his fault.

And then another man,
you don't know him,

he wants to help the
first guy, okay?

Now what does he
have to do to help

the second guy take
out a loan? Ron.

Come on. What do I
do? Just cosign?

What's the thing? What's the deal?

Can you please tell
me what I gotta do?

I'm asking you what I have to
do to make this thing work.

You know this has nothing to
do with you. It's this guy.

He's been at me all day.

Somebody you've
been fighting with?

Yes.

You had a fight with
somebody who hit your car,

and then you spent the day in
some kind of battle with him.

And then he went to the school
to hurt you as hard as he could.

- You believe me?
- Yes.

Thank God. Thank God. This guy,
this lawyer, Gavin Banek...

Doyle, stop. Stop,
Doyle. I don't care.

See, whatever this
little drama you've

gotten yourself into
is, guess what?

It's just the kind of thing
that always happens to you,

and it never happens to me unless
I'm in your field of gravity.

You went crazy like
you always go crazy,

like you always will go crazy.

Drunk or sober, it doesn't matter,
Doyle, because that's you.

A person can be loving,

and a person can be crazy all at
once. Fine, great, that's life.

But this is not just
my life now, or yours.

It is the life of
two children, and I

have to protect
those two children.

Is that a misunderstanding?
Is it? Is it, Doyle?

I mean, is that... Is
that this guy's fault?

At least let me say
goodbye to them.

No.

I'm taking those boys away, and
you will never see them again.

You will never find us. Do
not try to come after us.

Do you hear me? It is over.

On Wall Street, the
Dow's down at the

close, down by four
and a third points,

the NASDAQ higher by around
three and a half points.

Hurry to your nearest
authorised dealer,

save up to $100 during Frederick's
pre-season rebate sale,

which nears time 5:10. Traffic
and AccuWeather in 60 seconds.

Do you have what it takes to pass
the peace-of-mind checklist?

- Where's Ellen?
- She went home.

- Why are you still here?
- You told me to wait.

Well, come on in.

Have a seat.

- So why do you wanna be a lawyer?
- I believe in the law.

I believe in order and justice.

I believe that people
are, by nature, good.

I believe that historical
forces push us into conflict.

And without the law as a
buffer between people,

we would have a world
of vendetta, a

world of violence, a
world of chaos...

The law... The law
keeps us civilised.

- I'm sorry.
- I don't think it's...

- I'm sorry.
- I don't think it's funny.

That's why... That's why I'm
going to give you this job.

I'm giving you the
job, because I want to

hear what you have
to say about the law

after you've worked here for
five years, or three years,

or a month, a week,
a day, an hour.

I'm hired?

Don't I have to see a
committee or something?

- You made bail.
- Who?

A friend.

"To the Honourable Judge
Frances Abarbanel.

"I have been unable to recover
the power of appointment

"signed by Simon Dunne.

"But even if I had been able to
produce the power of appointment,

"I want the court to know that
the document was a fraud."

"I induced Mr. Dunne
to sign a document

"when his mental status was
diminished and he was incapable

"of making an informed decision."

They set you up. They made
hundreds of thousands of dollars.

- And they're gonna make more.
- Yeah, and I made partner

and a bonus that could've
paid for 200 pianos.

You don't say anything about them.

You're taking everything on
your shoulder in this letter.

Why? I mean, you could
send them to jail.

They gotta write
their own letters.

Let me go.

Hey.

Should've left me inside.

You're too important to me.

Come on, let's go to a meeting.

No, no, no, I went
to one yesterday.

- Well, that was yesterday.
- Yeah, one day at a time, right?

Yeah, one day at a time, and
do the next right thing.

Let's go. There's a
meeting at 6:00.

God grant me the strength to
accept the things I cannot change.

It's an admirable gesture,
but it's unnecessary.

I can't leave this. I can't...

It's unnecessary, because
you've already filed

the power of appointment
with the court.

A bonded courier delivered it
to the judge just before 5:00,

and our bailiff signed for it.

Your note of apology was contrite,

but it was absolutely
professional.

Everything's taken care of.

- You filed a forgery.
- Bullshit.

I filed what I had to
file. What happened to...

You just disappeared. Time was up.

Come on, you scared
the hell out of us.

I didn't know what to do.

So you finally hit rock bottom?

Today you almost killed a guy.
Tomorrow you might go all the way.

Keep doing the next wrong thing,
you could start a religion,

convince the sober to drink.

Don't tell them to keep
each other alive with hope.

What you saw today that everything

decent is held together
by a covenant.

An agreement not to go bat shit.

You broke the contract.

I didn't have a drink.

Well, wow. Thank you for sharing.

You didn't have a drink
today. What an inspiration.

That's the point, isn't it?

God.

You know, booze isn't really
your drug of choice, anyway.

You're addicted to chaos.

For some of us, it's coke. For
some of us, it's bourbon.

But you, you got
hooked on disaster.

Fuck.

Here's what you should do.
You get up Monday morning,

and you get yourself
on a plane to Texas.

Take that letter with you.

When you get to Texas,

you get on the defence team
of somebody on death row.

And then put all your energy into
saving a man from execution.

And then come on back
here in a few months.

If you still want to
confess, go ahead.

Come on.

How the hell do you think Simon
Dunne got his money, huh?

You think those
factories in Malaysia

have daycare centres in them?

Want to check the pollution levels
of his chemical plants in Mexico

or look at the tax benefits
he got from this foundation?

This is all a tightrope.

You gotta learn to balance.

How can you live like that?

I can live with myself,
because, at the end of the day,

I think I do more good than harm.

What other standard
have I got to judge by?

I have to thank you.

For the house?

I understand what you
were trying to do,

but my wife's moving,
she's taking the boys.

The house is a little bit
too much for me right now.

- I'm sorry.
- No, no, no.

I was a horribly unstable father.

And Valerie says I'll
never see them again.

But you know what?

I will.

I will.

I'll see them in a year
or two, maybe three.

I'll go to Portland,
I'll call her,

and I'll find a way to
be their father again.

How about you?

Well, I have the file,

but I don't need it anymore.

It's been taken care of,
you know, never happened.

But it did happen. Right?

Right.

So now what?

I'm going to dinner with my wife,

her parents,

and, this weekend, I'm
gonna go look at a boat.

And then on Monday, I'm gonna
come back in here and go to work.

And then,

magically, this whole

incredible day just
somehow becomes a memory.

It's like you go to the beach.
You go down to the water.

It's a little cold. You're
not sure if you wanna go in.

There's a pretty girl
standing next to you.

She doesn't want to go in,
either. She sees you.

And you know

if you just asked her her name,

you would leave with her.

Forget your life,
whoever you came with.

Leave the beach with her.

And after that day,

you remember her.

Not every day,

or every week.

She comes back to you.

It's the memory of another life

you could have had.

Today is that girl.

I'm sorry about what I did.

Me, too.

Thank you. You brought
the file back.

And when you're done, there's a
lovely little place on the hill

where you can get a...

- Cappuccino.
- Yes, that's right, dear.

They're lovely cappuccinos,
and it's clean and it's cool.

And they have these prints on the
wall, they're really quite lovely.

I don't know who they're by.
They're by that artist...

- Chagall.
- Right. They're Chagalls.

There are three of them.
They're early Chagalls.

I think he painted them
when he was visiting there.

Am I missing something
this evening?

- What is this?
- This, my dear...

This is Simon Dunne's
power of appointment.

- I got it back.
- No, you didn't.

Yes, I did. This is it.

- It's right here.
- Please, Gavin.

This is behind us, isn't it?
Haven't we put this behind us?

- What you said...
- Come on.

I was thinking about
what you said to me.

About the end of the day, about
doing more good than harm.

That is what you said, isn't it?

- Don't you fuck with me.
- I'm not fucking with you, sir.

Can you imagine how
unpleasant it would be

if the judge got a
hold of this file?

That's not going to happen. That's
not going to happen, Gavin.

I think I might order the snapper.

I'm gonna hold onto this file. I'm

gonna keep it in a
very safe place.

But I'm not going to Texas.

I'm gonna come back
into work on Monday.

And I'm gonna start
doing that pro Bono

work that you
recommended that I do.

But I'm gonna do it
from our office.

The first thing we're gonna
do is help a man buy a house.

Gavin, can we please not do this?

And I think I would like to be
the one to call Mina Dunne.

I'm gonna tell her
that you and Walter

are gonna give back the $3 million

you stole from her
grandfather's foundation.

You were right. I can do this.

I found the edge.

Can you live there, with me?

Can you?

I haven't had a fucking thing to
eat all day, and I'm starving.

So what are we gonna eat?

- Mrs. Gipson?
- Yes?

My name is Gavin Banek.

What do you want?

Five minutes, ma'am.

I owe your husband 20.

Hell, I'm only asking
for five with you.