State of Play (2009) Movie Script

♪ Oh, the night that

Paddy Murphy died ♪

♪ Is a night I'll never forget ♪

♪ Some of the boys

got loaded drunk ♪

♪ And they ain't got sober yet ♪

♪ As long as a bottle

was passed around ♪

♪ Every man was feeling gay ♪

♪ O'Leary came with the bagpipes ♪

♪ Some music for to play ♪

♪ That's how they showed their

respect for Paddy Murphy ♪

♪ That's how they showed their

honour and their pride ♪

♪ They said it was

a sin and shame ♪

♪ And they winked at one another ♪

♪ And every drink in

the place was full ♪

♪ The night Pat Murphy died ♪

♪ As Mrs Murphy sat

in the corner ♪

♪ Pouring out her grief ♪

♪ Kelly and his gang came

tearing down the street ♪

♪ They went into an empty room ♪

♪ And a bottle of whiskey stole ♪

♪ They put the bottle

with the corpse ♪

♪ To keep that whiskey cold ♪

♪ That's how they showed

their respect for ♪

They took the white

kid to the hospital.

He's in a coma.

Officer, you should check

in with the family.

Whatever you're selling,

I ain't buying.

Okay, guys, take off.

Yes, sir.

Coffee's free for

friends of the press.

I heard Metro ballistics

was just here.

Who told you that?

You just did.

You got the names of

the victims for me?

You gotta be kidding me.

You know I'm gonna

find out anyway.

Not from me.

Okay. You want to play a

little confirm or deny?

I'm not playing this

game with you, Cal.

Look, Don, I got a living

to make, all right?

I got mouths to feed, goldfish.

No names, no quotes, all right?

Okay.

Two victims, one shooter?

Confirm.

One dead, one in the hospital?

Confirm.

Drug related?

Confirm, but deny

later if I have to.

- Good morning.

- Good morning, sir.

Okay, I'm late. I know.

I don't need to be reminded of it.

I've been over the briefing

notes 1,000 times.

- Stephen.

- Yes?

Metro Police just called.

What?

Sonia Baker was killed in an

accident on the

Metro this morning.

They identified her

by her staff badge.

Horrible news for all of us.

But, Stephen, we're

scheduled to start now.

What'd you want to do?

Morning, Pittsburgh.

Yinzer.

- Cal.

- Morning.

Talk to me about this shooting.

You know, one guy's still alive.

Deshaun Stagg?

No, he's dead.

The other guy on the

bike, Vernon Sando.

Hey, Gene, did you read the

guinea pig piece I filed?

Yeah, I'll get to it, Ferris.

Because it's a great

human interest

story. Yeah, human interest.

So what's the deal?

Stagg's drug deal goes wrong,

and this guy just rides by?

Yeah, something

like that, I think.

That's a remarkable

feat of survival.

Well, at least it's got a

little bit of a zip code to it.

Georgetown's the angle, right?

No, no, the angle is that

this guy Vernon Sando

has got an MBA from Duke.

What's he doing on a bike?

He's buying a pizza franchise.

You know, they make

you ride the bike

for the first six months,

learn the ropes.

He's got a wife, two kids,

mortgage, total citizen.

What's his condition?

Critical, non-reactive.

Paragraph 3. He's in a coma.

Okay, let me know.

I will.

Good morning.

Welcome to our

hearings with private

security contractor Point-Corp,

part of the inquiry into

the Defence Department's

privatisation and

outsourcing practises.

Before we begin, I've just

received some terrible news.

Sonia Baker,

who was the lead researcher

for this committee

and a valued member of my

staff, died this morning.

The circumstances of her

death are not yet clear.

Well, I'd like to send my

condolences to her family.

Oh, my God, are those tears?

50 bucks says he's balling her.

50 bucks? Wait, you

owe me 50 bucks.

Bad Congressman. Bad.

What a scumball.

Somebody get me a

picture of the girl.

Let's hope she's not

5'2 and 300 pounds.

Gene, Gene, what is your

obsession with fat girls?

If you want to have sex with

Pete, you should just say it.

Not tonight, I got a headache.

Say it. Say it, Gene. Say it.

Picture. Picture.

Reaction to the tragic

death was initially,

and understandably, one of shock,

yet questions immediately

began to surface

as soon as Ms Baker's

death was announced.

Hey, Joe, Cal McAffrey

over at the Globe.

Just calling about that shooting

in Georgetown last night.

I heard the dead kid had a couple

of priors as a purse snatcher.

Got any more details for me?

Call me back? Yeah,

yeah. You, too.

Hey, I got a question for you.

Stephen Collins.

He's an old friend of

yours, is that right?

Yeah.

I'm Della. Della Frye.

I write the Capitol Hill blog.

- All right.

- Online side.

I'm a big fan of your work.

So, I'm writing this piece

on personal relationships

in the political sphere,

single girl in the corridors

of power kind of thing,

and as you probably know,

there was this incident

this morning on the Hill,

at your friend's hearing.

Is there a question

on the horizon?

Yeah. Have you

spoken to him today?

Are you trying to make

me part of your story?

No. I'm trying to get

a little context.

Dirt?

Well, do you think he was having

an affair with that girl?

Gee, Della.

Yeah.

I don't know. I'd have to

read a couple of blogs

before I could form an opinion.

Okay. Thanks for your help.

Anytime.

Capitol Hill may be rocked

with another bombshell.

Speculation is rife

that Stephen Collins

may have been romantically linked

with the young aide found

dead this morning.

His spokesmen call this

another political cloud...

The timing couldn't

be worse for Collins.

He needs all the political

leverage he can get

as he begins looking into

the Defence Department's

outsourcing practises.

Called mercenaries by some

and saviours by others,

Point-Corp, the controversial

private military contractor,

is said to be the

biggest beneficiary

in the Defence Department's

outsourcing in Iraq

and Afghanistan.

Collins, who'd been married for 10

years to his college sweetheart,

is thought to have refused to

leave his wife for Miss Baker.

Brass tacks.

Were you having a

relationship with this girl?

Yes,

and I can't tell you how sorry

I am about all of this.

Okay.

I've asked Andrew here to help us

handle things from a

media point of view.

If anyone can steer us

through this, he can.

Well, the next 72 hours

are gonna be brutal.

You ought to brace

yourself for that.

For a while, you're gonna be

everything that's

wrong with politics.

You're still a star, Steve.

The party takes care of its stars.

You just have to lay

low for a while.

How low?

Low.

Nothing that would bring any

undue attention to yourself.

At the hearings, for instance.

We're not finished

with Point-Corp.

No, but you are.

If you open up fire on

those guys right now,

that's not gonna look

like good governance,

just a calculated distraction.

Is your wife speaking to you?

No, not right now.

Then that's job one, isn't it?

Yinzer. She knows you

got the message,

and she knows you're

in the building.

Yes.

Morning.

So, where are we? Was

he knobbing her or not?

Morning, Cam.

It's funny about you. Every time

your friend runs for re-election

or conducts a hearing,

you drop his name to me until

we give him some coverage.

But he finally does something

that actually might

sell some newspapers,

you're rendered mute.

It's incongruous.

No, it is not.

It's inconsistent.

Don't be an ass.

What do you think?

Those are the ideas

for our facelift.

- I know. I know.

- It's crap.

Our new owners have this odd idea

that we ought to be

turning a profit.

Yeah, well, I hear our

online side is doing great.

I mean, not like I'm the kinda guy

who would notice

that sort of thing,

but I've been here,

what, 15 years?

I use a 16-year-old computer.

She's been here 15 minutes,

and she could launch a Russian

satellite with the gear she's got.

Yeah, she told me you

behaved like a pig.

That's too strong.

Well, piggish.

I showed her a little snout.

Well, I happen to

like Ms Della Frye.

And, yes, I did

send her down there

to winkle something out of you.

She's hungry, she's cheap, and

she churns out copy every hour.

Yeah, I know. I'm overfed, I'm too

expensive, and I

take way too long.

Yes, you do.

I was Stephen Collins'

room-mate in college.

I don't live with him now.

Well, that's a shame, isn't it?

Yeah, because that could

sell some newspapers.

Miss Baker died this morning

in an apparent accident

on the DC Metro.

Suicide has not been ruled out.

It appears to be a suicide.

People close to the case say

that Congressman Collins,

quote, took advantage

of this young

girl, resulting in

today's suicide.

- Suicide.

So, I know you're thinking,

This guy's gotta be pretty

desperate to show up here.

No, I was thinking I can

finally give you back

that Roxy Music CD

you left in my car.

Is that where that one went?

I was looking for that.

I got three dozen reporters

camped in front of my place.

I'd go somewhere else,

but I don't have

anywhere else to go.

- Come in.

- Thanks.

I see you redecorated.

Yeah. I moved that couch

a couple of feet.

Looks good.

Aren't you gonna ask me

how I could be so stupid?

- In a minute.

- Okay.

You know, I co-sponsored two

bills in the last three years.

I'm in the middle of

co-authoring another one,

and this is what I'm

gonna be remembered for.

I'm gonna get more

coverage on this

than anything else I do

for the rest of my life.

The nature of the

beast, public office.

Okay.

Look, Cal,

I know the last time I saw

you, I said a few things.

Hey.

I deserved it, all of it.

Annie and I were having problems

in the marriage, obviously.

You're the only real friend I got.

I'm in trouble, man.

You know?

This whole thing with Sonia, what

happened, it just snuck up on me.

She was an amazing woman,

beautiful and really funny, smart,

and she, you know, she adored me.

That was nice, you

know, for a change.

Have you called the parents?

No, I haven't called the parents.

You should.

Tomorrow, you're gonna

make a condolence call.

The first thing the attack dogs

will pick up on, you know,

He never so much as called

after our daughter's suicide.

She didn't kill herself.

How do you know that?

Hey, baby, I just

want to wish you good

luck. I want you

to give them hell,

and I can't wait for this weekend.

I love you. Bye.

That's this morning.

Look like someone who's about

to go out and commit suicide?

No.

You show this to anybody?

Well, I thought about

firing it up on YouTube.

Hey, you know what?

This is the moment where I ask

you how stupid could you be.

This changes everything.

It'll bring it all back your way.

How are you gonna do that?

Because we're gonna fight

back with our own facts.

All we have to do is,

we have to build

a plausible alternative

story, all right?

Now, look.

Unfortunately, it appears

that Sonia Baker

has met with a tragic accident

on a subway platform.

So questions have to be

asked about transit safety.

- Okay?

- Cal.

Now, Stephen,

you gotta be proactive, okay?

If you're not, then you're

just letting the bloodsuckers

and the bloggers have

another free shot at you.

The bloodsuckers and the bloggers.

Have you seen the Globe's

website tonight?

No.

Hello?

Miss Capitol Hill Blog?

It's Cal McAffrey.

Do you have a pen?

What?

Sonia Baker, right?

I have a source, and you

need to talk to him.

Well, why?

Do you have a pen?

Yeah.

- Lieutenant Leon Comey.

- Pen, pen, pen.

Write that down. C-O-M-E-Y.

C-O-M-E-Y.

202-555-0167.

He's gonna show you an

off-the-record preview

of the security camera tapes

from the Metro station.

What, you mean... Do

you mean, like, now?

Yeah, like now. Sorry.

Who am I calling?

I was trying to get Della

Frye the reporter.

Oh, jeez, I'm sorry. I thought

that I was talking to the guy

who wouldn't give me the

time of day this morning.

Look, I am just trying to help

you get a few facts in the mix

next time you decide

to upchuck online.

What?

I'm not doing it. I'm not.

Wake up.

Does anybody know

where Room 514 is?

514A or 514B?

It doesn't say. Is there

a big difference?

Big enough. You looking for

Uniform Squad or Investigation?

I don't know. Cal

McAffrey sent me.

Why didn't you say so?

You Cal's new assistant?

No, I'm not.

Hey, can I see that?

Yeah, it's right down

the hallway here.

Thank you.

Like a police escort?

No, I'm okay. Thank you.

Hey, no trouble. I'm just grabbing

some dinner here real quick.

So, how long have you known Cal?

Too long.

What's your title? Okay, Sergeant.

I can file a public

records request

and get the information anyway.

You got nothing?

No.

They've got 56 cameras

covering the track platforms.

There are three blind spots

in the entire system,

and Sonia Baker went

down in one of them.

You got copy for me, Cal?

The shooting delivery

guy, what are we doing?

I'm on it.

Well, I got Marty lined up to

take some pictures of the family.

If you'd like, I can send

somebody out there with him.

He can do the crying, you

can do the nuts and bolts.

No. No need. I'm on it.

You'll have it tonight.

You're on it.

Okay. You know what you gotta do?

Call Leon, all right?

Just sort of push him

for the details.

Ask him a few more

questions. You know...

9 suicides in 20 years. There

were 5 accidental deaths,

three from people trying

to get their stuff

off the tracks before

the train came

and two of the psycho-on-stranger

pushing attacks.

Did Collins sleep at

your place last night?

What?

I was just trying to

get my facts straight.

Excuse me. Della here.

Yeah, just a sec. He's right here.

Hang on, hang on, hang on.

It's Anne Collins.

Hey, I'm not at my desk at the

moment. Can I call you back?

Yeah.

You know, look into the two

psycho-on-stranger cases,

see if anything correlates

or anything connects.

Hey.

- You okay?

- No.

There are paparazzi on my lawn,

so I guess that entitles me

to half off on Us Weekly.

I've been trying to call you.

I had my phone off.

You talk to Stephen yet?

No.

They want me to come down

for a press conference.

Well, you know if

you don't, they're

gonna toss him on the bonfire.

You know, I'm not that hurt.

I'm not even that surprised.

It's just so

humiliating, you know.

Tell me you didn't know about her.

I didn't.

I did not know about her, okay?

I'll take the train down.

Will you buy me a drink after?

Of course. Hey, just

call him, all right?

Just call Stephen.

Thanks.

Deshaun Stagg.

Be nice if they could

spell his name right.

No one's even come to

get his stuff yet.

It's appalling.

Never happen to a white man.

Skip it. I'm not in the mood.

What, no love, no politics?

What are we gonna talk about?

We're not. You gotta

get outta here

before we both get into trouble.

They're saying it was only one

shooter. What do you think?

No idea.

What about drugs?

It's a good bet.

Come on, Cal, leave

that shit alone.

Close your eyes. I'm just

checking out his cell phone.

Watch, this will be the

moment they decide

to come and pick all this shit up.

Then what are you gonna do?

Write some articles,

get me my job back?

You know I will.

Cal?

Cal, for Christ's sakes, what

do I tell Jack if he walks in?

Nothing, because I'm done.

I'll give you a hug

next time, all right?

Bye.

Buy me a soda?

Not diet.

Thanks.

Yo, yo, if you want to

leave a message for Kippy,

make sure you leave

your number, all right?

That way I can call you

back. Later for you.

We're sorry. Your

call cannot be...

Yo, who this?

It's me, man. Who that?

Me who? Bitch, you the one

got your number blocked.

Don't be fronting me, man.

It's Deshaun. Come on.

- No.

- Where you at?

Who the hell gave you

my number, fool?

I was just talking to Kippy.

- Skippy?

- Kippy, man.

This shit ain't funny, trick.

Hi. You've reached Sonia Baker.

I can't take your call right now,

but if you leave

your name, number,

and the time you called, I'll be

sure to get back to you. Thanks.

Hi. You've reached Sonia Baker.

I can't take your call right now,

but if you leave

your name, number,

and the time you called, I'll be

sure to get back to you. Thanks.

Excuse me.

Sonia Baker.

We got any kinda

drug angle on her?

She ever arrested or rehabbed

or anything like that?

- Who's asking?

- Me.

You're not on the story.

I gave you the Metro

tapes idea, right?

Yeah.

So are you trying to ruin

what's left of her reputation?

Are you doing this for Collins?

A little context on Sonia?

You gotta be kidding.

Hey, Maurice.

Hey, Cal, you getting

your regular?

Yeah.

Sure. Hey, Jay.

I need a chilli

cheeseburger, a chilli

cheese fry, and a

chilli half-smoke.

I got the burger on.

Anybody get you yet?

- All right.

- You're a hungry man?

Yeah.

How's it going, Happy?

That's a long way to

go for another soda.

You want to buy something from

the last bag Deshaun ever stole?

I need 500 bucks.

Did you get the train okay?

What?

Did you get on the

train all right?

Get through? Everything okay?

You're gonna make small talk?

I will go check on

the arrangements.

I'm sorry.

It doesn't have to be

a detailed statement.

Short and dignified, and

we'll be out of here.

Dignified. Got it.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you

for joining us here today.

Mr And Mrs Collins would like

to give you a brief statement.

Deshaun boosted this

metal briefcase

from some guy outside

of Starbucks.

That's what we did, you know?

Grab a guy's bag and

sell it back to him.

Usually we just got, like,

people's business papers and shit.

- This one?

- This one was different.

There was a gun in there, too,

and a little bag of these

weird-looking bullets.

Did you see the guy

that owned the bag?

No.

I told Deshaun we shouldn't

sell this bag back.

I mean, you know,

what about the girl?

But he needed a fix real bad,

and he and this guy figured

out a time and place.

And that was it.

My boy never came back.

You took these out of

the briefcase first,

and then you called her

from Deshaun's phone.

Her number was there, too.

I figured someone had to warn her

that this psycho was

following her around.

She just didn't pick up.

Mr Collins moved to

staunch a growing tide

of hostility towards

him this afternoon

when he appeared

together with his...

the long line of

politicians' wives.

We've had triumphs

and disappointments,

and we've both made mistakes

that have caused...

Apologise for his affair and offer

an apology to his constituents.

Can you believe this?

We're on six channels

simultaneously.

Who might have wanted Sonia dead?

What? Is there something

in her history,

you know, something you

haven't told me about?

Some connections that might

have got her in trouble?

No. No, no. Wait, who...

Am I talking to my friend now,

or am I talking to a reporter?

I gotta be both.

You ever heard of a guy

called Deshaun Stagg?

No.

Was a kid. Minor criminal.

Drug addict. Got shot and killed

the night before Sonia died.

Cal, Sonia didn't have

anything to do with drugs.

Look, Stephen, I'm

telling you things

that I haven't even

discussed with the paper.

Okay, you gotta think about this.

Who might have wanted Sonia dead?

Who is this man here in all the

photographs where she's crying?

We don't know that yet.

And what was her background before

she started working with Collins?

Well, she has some very

random moments in her resume.

She was... She waitressed

a couple times.

She had a string of bad debts.

Shoplifting conviction

two years ago.

Don't they do background

checks on the Hill?

She wrote position

papers for Collins

about bank regulations

and the SEC.

I mean, a lot of people

thought she was a star.

She was also the lead researcher

on the Point-Corp hearings.

So?

Stephen represents the loss of

a lot of money for those guys.

Look, what if all of

this is just an attempt

to marginalise Stephen Collins?

You've gotta love him

for it, haven't you?

I mean, you give him 24

hours, body in the alley,

and this geezer will turn it into

a full-blown corporate conspiracy.

You don't see any connection?

No.

All right. Let's go through

what we know, okay?

The guy that was

stalking Sonia Baker,

he shot Deshaun Stagg

and Vernon Sando.

Deshaun Stagg, of no fixed

abode, he boosts a briefcase.

Now, in that briefcase

are these photographs,

and according to our source, a

little baggie of weird bullets.

Metro PD ballistics tell me

the casings at the crime scene

were reloads, untraceable.

The slugs were hand cast at twice

the weight of

store-bought bullets,

X'ed for expansion.

So that means that the

shooter intended to kill.

Stagg and Sando were

both double-tapped,

one bullet in the

spine, one in the

head. That is the mark of a pro,

or at the very least, somebody

with a military background,

perhaps even Special Forces.

Point-Corp founded by,

staffed by 100% ex-military.

I think that's a connection

we can't ignore.

Chris, how long before we

have to hand these over?

Time to verify, consult

relevant case files,

outside counsel, 48 hours, tops.

But if this is evidence, don't

they need to see it now?

How's he doing?

Hey, you gonna let me know if I

gotta call the ID team, right?

I'll let you know.

Walter Schroyer, Army buddy

of your libidinous friend,

gives his moving tribute

to Stephen Collins

in that asswipe excuse of a

paper and not to us. Why?

Platitudes, padding and fluff.

I'm a journalist. I'm

not a publicist.

I want to bring

some more people in

to work with you on this, Cal,

on the political side,

people with real experience.

I'm thinking Ted Moody.

I mean, Ted's perfect for this.

Are you taking me off the story?

No, no. Not off, just off point.

If this is as big as he

says it is, a big if,

then it's gonna be good for you.

How? How is that good?

Well, watching seasoned reporters

that work on a big

story, you know,

being a part of it all,

you'll learn a lot.

So, Ted Moody, what do you think?

Don't let her do it.

And, Cal, if you're

on this, I want

this to be clean

through and through.

Tell her to forget

it. It's your gig.

You got it. Get loud now.

Excuse me. You're

defending her now?

She's fine. I can work with her.

But, Cal, she's inexperienced.

Inexperience isn't fatal.

I'm not giving up the story.

I just... Sorry. I just...

If I could just have a

few more days with it,

I promise you I'm not

gonna let you down.

For Christ's sake.

Don't throw those dewy

cub reporter eyes at me.

It's nauseating.

And fuck you very much.

Pleasure.

This is Nurse Leif and

myself... The lab work's back.

It's the panel 13 you ordered?

Yeah, well, we called for a

neurologist a half hour ago.

You can't use that

phone here, sir.

Hey. What's up, Carnes?

How you doing?

Yeah. Yeah.

Looks like that Sando

guy's waking up.

You sending anyone over?

You ever been to DC Hospital?

No.

Don't worry about it. It's easy.

All right, there's a uniformed

officer on the third floor ICU.

- Okay.

- Write it down. Got a pen?

- Yes.

- Here.

- I have a pen.

- Okay.

The uniformed officer's

name is Brown.

- Okay?

- Brown.

Third floor ICU. Tell him

that Detective Bynes,

B-Y-N-E-S, Joe Bynes...

Okay.

All right, he cleared

you for access.

Access for what?

Vernon Sando, the pizza guy,

looks like he's coming around.

That's your side of the story.

Excuse me?

You heard me.

You want me to go and sit

around in some hospital,

waiting for a guy who looks like

he might be coming out of a coma,

while you clean up the

rest of the story?

I mean, is that what that

was all about in there?

Look, this is a real story.

It's not open for interpretation.

It does not require opinion.

We got two dead bodies, and

we got a guy in a coma,

and we got us with a lead

that nobody else has got.

So you gotta make a decision,

because I have to follow

another lead tonight,

and I cannot be in two

places at one time.

So, are you gonna

be okay slumming it

to find out if Vernon Sando's

coming around or not?

Good.

If we're gonna work together,

we gotta work together.

Yeah? Deal?

All right, see you later.

Excuse me.

Don't tell me you're still lost.

Hey, what are you doing here?

Working.

You're Officer Brown?

You're who I'm looking for.

I knew you'd come around.

How about Sando? Is

he coming around?

Yeah, yeah, it looks that way.

They're sending a

detective over right now.

Maybe get an ID.

Really?

I gotta take this.

Yeah, go ahead.

Yeah, Officer Brown.

No, sir.

You okay?

My dad did warn me

about politicians.

The only people he hated

more was journalists.

Smart man.

I'm making you nervous.

You always did.

Well, they say sex is the best

way to ruin a friendship.

They do, do they? And who's they?

What, Cosmopolitan

magazine? Teen Beat?

Come on.

Tell me, please, it

didn't ruin ours.

It hasn't ruined anything.

Pulse is 82.

BP is 105 over 79, O2 sats 94.

He seems stable.

Okay, let's do another

blood work-up, CBCs...

- Miss, you cannot be in here.

- I'd just like to

- ask him a couple of questions.

- Miss, please.

- No, I'm sorry.

- Come on. Look.

You know you're not

supposed to be in here.

I know. I just...

Get on the ground.

Stand back. Stay down.

That's a colleague of mine.

I'm gonna have to go.

I'm really sorry.

I'll see you soon.

Alright.

Let him through. Blockade,

let him through.

Hey, Ricky.

Let him through.

Della.

You okay? You all right?

Della, tell me it's

not yours, right?

What is it?

It's just a little bit of blood.

It's all right. I got

it, I got it, I got it.

It's okay.

It's all right. It's all

right. It's all right.

Oh, my God, Cal, we could

have stopped this.

What, by being psychic?

No. We should have given

the police that file.

What if there were fingerprints

on the photographs?

God, Cal, we can't just let

people get hurt like that.

Look, it's over. It's

all right. It's okay.

We can't just keep letting

people get killed.

No, it's not okay.

It's okay. It's over. It's over.

It's over.

All right? It's okay.

You're sitting on evidence

in an execution homicide.

How do you think that's gonna

play with the family of the guy

that just got shot last night?

Chris, let's be productive.

Hold on, I'm actually not done.

Our reporter made a full

statement last night.

What, you had these when?

Cam, don't answer that.

When did you have these?

You want subpoenas?

I'll get on the phone right now.

We called you. We called you

before we called outside counsel.

A little late. It's a little late.

Give me a break.

How you doing, Don?

I'm hanging in, Cal. You?

Good. Good.

This source have anything else

I might need to do my job?

Wait a minute.

Nothing, all right? This was it,

and we've kept it for

less than a day.

Detective, until last

night, we didn't

actually know what we had here.

Bullshit.

Who do you think I am,

Bambi's baby brother?

No, sir.

You knew exactly what you had.

You just decided that your

need was greater than ours,

and now you have

blood on your hands.

- Hold on.

- Detective, look.

The thesis that we are pursuing

involves a certain company that

Congressman Collins

is investigating.

What, this is corporate

conspiracies

that threaten the highest levels?

All my years on the job, I've

only ever seen that on TV.

All the years I've

known you, you've

only ever watched sports on TV.

So, Detective, in exchange

for our cooperation,

can we be assured that you

will open your books to us?

Quid pro quo?

If we decide to go public with

this, we'll give you six hours,

but that's the end of it.

This is an open

homicide investigation.

You slow us down,

endanger the public

any more than you already have,

it won't be pretty.

For the record, I'm

still not happy

the way you presented

the evidence.

I'm just gonna put that out there.

Police gossip being what it is,

I'm guessing that even

Entertainment Tonight

will know as much as

we do within 48 hours.

So we've gotta have

something solid today.

That means no assumptions,

no unnamed sources.

Not fast and loose. I want

this thing wrung out.

Damned if we can't do a better

job of it than those cops.

Della, how are you?

I'm good.

Yeah?

Good, okay.

Well, you take Sonia Baker, okay?

I want to know everything

that we can about her,

who she knew, who she blew,

the colour of her knickers.

Got it. Point-Corp?

Okay. Hank and Pete,

you work with Cal.

Cool.

The rule on this

one is discretion.

This is not a good subject for

gossip over drinks at the Monocle,

or spliffs in the

stationery cupboard, you.

I'm offended, truly.

Well, be offended.

Go downstairs, get your

stuff, bring it in here,

because this is your new home.

Go on.

- Okay. Yes, yes, yes.

- Speed of light.

Cal? Any conflict

of interest here?

Nope.

Perhaps this is a good opportunity

to address another issue

that's been discussed

during these hearings,

your price structure.

Surely, and I thank

you for giving me

an opportunity to

touch on that today.

Our price structure follows

the Defence Department model

as established in

the first Gulf War,

adjusted, of course,

for inflation.

Happily, what's costing us

so much this time around

are some incredible advances

in on-field medical care.

But, simply, we're

now keeping more...

Sir, I'm sorry. Just... when...

When you were in the military,

did you see any combat duty?

No, sir, I did not. No.

Do you think if you had, you

might see things differently?

We're all aware of your

war record, Congressman.

I'm not talking about my record.

I'm talking about the numerous

allegations of atrocities

committed by Point-Corp and

its subsidiary contractors

against the civilian population

in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Those are unsubstantiated

allegations.

Okay. This is straightforward.

Since a war on

terror was declared,

has your personal net worth gone

up by more than $250 million?

Straightforward question.

Excuse me, I was told that

personal financial data

would not be addressed

in open session.

Adapt.

Isn't that your slogan?

Adapt and Achieve?

It's on the brochure here.

Commoda et Confice.

You have it in Latin.

Your point being?

Putting war in the

hands of mercenaries

and those who consider

it a business

is a contradiction in

terms in any language.

May I remind you,

sir, that the wars

this country fought,

that defined it,

were fought despite what they

cost, not because of it.

I didn't come here for a lesson

in morality, Congressman.

No, I expect you didn't.

Well, especially from you.

The men who work for Point-Corp,

the men you dishonour by

calling them mercenaries

are, by and large, retired

American military personnel.

It's a great system, isn't it?

We pay to train these men, and

you get rich by killing them.

Point-Corp, well,

they're on a roll.

They just bought 60,000 acres

to expand their facility.

- 60,000 acres?

- Yeah.

Where?

In Conway, North Carolina.

The locals call it Little Baghdad.

Not so little.

They've also got some interesting

real estate locally.

Offices at the Watergate building.

Check that out.

Medal of Freedom

Initiative. What's that?

It's a lobbying interest.

Yeah, according to the website,

MOFI, Medal of Freedom Initiative,

is an umbrella group for a bunch

of these private

defence contractors.

You know, they lobby a little,

party a little, kill things.

MOFI.

Hello?

We went down there. The

place is totally empty...

Like they're just waiting

for all their new recruits.

Did they outsource to

Mumbai or something?

Or are they just getting

ready for an expansion?

Hello?

This is Della Frye. I'm a

reporter over at the Globe.

You were Sonia Baker's attorney

on her shoplifting case, correct?

Did Dominic give you my number?

Yes, how do you know Dominic?

Well, I'm sorry. This

really isn't appropriate.

I just...

Hey, Michael, I need

someone to help me dig

a little deeper into Point-Corp.

I need somebody on the inside,

somebody who knows the

way they operate.

She owed everybody money.

Oh, God, that's how she

always walked around,

in her underwear.

- I Winn.

- Yeah. But you moved.

- You can't move.

- Oh, yes, yes... I moved.

Who is this? He looks familiar.

Dominic Foy. He's a

friend of Sonia's.

Dominic.

Hey, Michael, it's Cal.

So what did you find out?

- Hi. Mr Statler?

- Yes?

Yes, I'm from the Globe.

I'm writing an article on

the death of Sonia Baker,

and I just wanted to...

And he was, like, high

up in Point-Corp?

Hi. Della Frye from

the Washington Globe.

I... Could I speak to

you? Please don't...

Yes, I'm still holding

because that's

what I do. That's

what I like to do.

Sonia Baker's ex-room-mate,

Rhonda Silver.

Nobody's got her yet.

She changed her name a couple

times in the past year.

How'd you get it?

I had to agree to go on not one,

but two dates with a

sweaty guy named Vic.

Don't even ask me.

Hey, Bob, it's Cal.

Want to run a Social

Security number for me?

Rhonda Silver's number.

Did we just break the law?

Nope, that's what you

call damn fine reporting.

- Your pen.

- Keep it.

- You're welcome.

- Thank you.

Hi. Is Rhonda there, please?

I'm actually an old friend

of Rhonda's from school.

I'm in town for the

day, and I thought

maybe I'd stop by and see her.

Do you think I could

show up at her work?

Would that be all right?

Actually, sir, can

I call you back?

That page and the next page.

This guy, Jerry Symes,

local politician,

he campaigns against

the expansion,

and then he dies in a

freak car accident.

All right, what does

freak car accident mean?

Middle of the day... He's

driving on the open road...

- No witnesses. Perfect weather...

- 30 miles an hour...

- No skid marks...

- Car turns over... Oh.

And the police think it

might be sleep apnoea.

Cal. Sorry, I really

need to talk to you.

What do you got?

So, I was looking

for images of Sonia

in the Metro security

footage, right?

And 20 seconds after she went into

the blind spot, this guy appears.

Okay?

I think that I saw him last

night at the hospital.

Are you sure?

Michael, it's Cal.

Your Point-Corp insider,

I need to meet him, now.

I want you to know something.

I love my country.

I love the military.

My aim here is to save them.

You understand my terms?

I will not give you my name.

I will not give you my rank in the

Point-Corp military structure,

or the in and out

dates of my service.

Understand.

I'm looking for a

guy that Point-Corp

are using on a covert operation.

Total deniability.

Our mutual friend at DOD thought

you might be able to

help us find him.

I don't know. I'll check it out.

So, what's your understanding

of the Point-Corp MO?

Their MO?

They do whatever the

hell they want.

These soldiers are

answerable to no one.

They're loyal to nothing

but a pay cheque.

It's the Muslim terror gold rush.

You've been watching

these hearings?

Yeah.

So, the head of the committee

there, Stephen Collins...

He's finished.

They'll just keep knocking

him down until he goes away.

Do you have any idea what

he's threatening here?

This is $30 or $40

billion annually.

That's wrath of God money.

The hearings are saying 3 or 4.

Overseas. The real money

is what Point-Corp

stands to make in its

domestic operations.

I wasn't aware that they had any.

Who was sent in for crowd control

after Hurricane Katrina? Us.

Private security

contractors deputised

to shoot at American citizens.

Who's training Chicago police on

new interrogation techniques?

Soon, Point-Corp will

take over from the NSA

on phone taps, terrorist

databases, all of it.

It's a fundamental restructuring

of domestic intelligence policy.

It is the privatisation

of Homeland Security.

Billions and billions of dollars.

Now you really think they're

gonna forfeit all that

because some hero from

the seventh district

of Pennsylvania thinks

that they should?

Hey.

I just got told by a

former Point-Corp employee

that they have a plan to

monopolise domestic security

that's worth about

$40 billion a year.

Is that true?

Yes. How?

You cannot connect anything

that I tell you back to me.

- You understand?

- Of course.

Okay.

Last year, 47 companies bid on

major Homeland Security contracts.

Of those, 16 companies

were granted the bids.

Of those, I could make connections

between 14 companies,

and I'm not just talking about

someone leaving one company

and go work for another.

I'm talking about shared

banking practises.

I'm talking about

collusive behaviour.

Now, my belief is, when

all's said and done

and when the veil is pulled away,

you will not see 14

individual companies.

You will see one

company. You understand?

And you've been digging around

trying to make those

connections clear.

Yeah. That's right.

And Sonia was working on that?

She was my lead researcher.

She was involved in

everything we did.

They're gonna get you,

Stephen, one way or another.

They got 40 billion good reasons

to want you out of the way.

You gotta go on the record.

Swing the spotlight back on them.

You gotta protect yourself, man.

You go out there and

find me evidence

linking Sonia's death

to Point-Corp.

I will go on the record.

I will shout this thing

from the rooftops.

I can do that.

Alright. I gotta get

back. I'll be in touch.

- Stephen.

- Yeah?

Just watch your back.

You, too.

Hi. Is Rhonda here?

Yeah, she's just right over there.

♪ Whoa ♪

♪ I'm walking on sunshine ♪

♪ Whoa ♪

♪ I'm walking on sunshine ♪

♪ Whoa ♪

♪ And don't it feel good ♪

Yeah.

Cal, you're not gonna believe what

Sonia's old room-mate

just told me.

You're right. I don't

believe a word of it.

You got no corroboration,

no independent witness,

and she obviously has a

financial motivation.

We've got Sonia Baker's

room-mate claiming

she had a threesome

with Stephen Collins,

and you want to ignore that?

I am not saying ignore it.

I am saying consider it.

Consider how it impacts

everything else we have,

and consider that she

is full of shit.

Yeah, but, Cal, she's also saying

that Stephen paid off Sonia's

$40,000 credit card debt.

That is a story.

Somebody's gonna put

that on the front page.

Okay, is that the

right thing to do?

Look, it's your half of the

story. It's your scoop.

Your decision. Do

whatever you want.

But I do know that Stephen and I

have been through far

too much together

to make this one moment the

thing that defines us forever.

The political future...

I tried to call.

I mean, I actually did call about

12 times, but I

hung up every time.

Well, you know, I'm

glad you dropped by,

because I've been

wanting to talk to you.

Remember you brought

that girl from Humboldt?

Soleil, or whatever her name was.

Luna.

Luna. That's right.

And you two were

stoned the whole time.

Yep.

You managed to flip the boat,

and we lost everything.

We had to walk the

rest of the way...

We flipped the boat?

You did.

It was an adventure.

That's what you kept saying.

Irish wine.

Whiskey?

- Cheers.

- Slainte.

- So...

- I've been...

- I wanted to ask...

- Sorry.

- You first.

I was wondering,

do you think Stephen

could have pulled

together $40,000

without you knowing?

What?

Well, it's a story

that might break

that basically accuses

Stephen of doing something

that would require his having

access to a large amount of cash.

I was just wondering,

could he do that?

A story that might break?

You mean something that

you're involved in?

- Indirectly.

- What're you doing?

I'm trying to help Stephen.

I'm trying to protect you.

Bullshit.

You always do this.

Sometimes I feel like

we all made this deal,

and it works out great for you

and Stephen, and not for me.

And instead of us

just figuring it out,

you guys are just fine walking

around as if nothing

ever happened.

Okay.

Okay, let's start over.

I come here to tell

you that I'm thinking

about walking away

from my marriage,

and you say what?

I say it's too late.

We're way past this.

You made your choice.

Because you wouldn't step up.

What do you mean?

Not then, not now, not in college.

I'm saying that you're asking me

for something that's not real.

That's what I'm saying.

Annie...

We have two mortgages.

We have the place in Virginia.

We've got the apartment here.

Basically, we spend

everything we make,

so there's no way Stephen could

have given anyone $40,000

without me knowing about it.

Annie... It's okay.

Now I'm just a source,

so the pressure's off.

Hello?

Who's the great-looking

blonde, Cal?

Who's this?

Across the street.

I like your style, man.

I got something for you.

And you couldn't just

ring the doorbell?

Precautions.

The guy in the photo, I asked

around. He's definitely a grunt.

Buddy of mine used to see him

at security trade shows.

Never knew his name,

but he worked for an old-timer

called Fred Summers.

Does alarm installations,

shit like that.

Here's Fred's address.

Crystal City.

Thanks.

Mr Summers?

Hey.

Who you looking for?

Fred. Fred Summers.

Do you know him?

Fred's not here.

- Oh, yeah?

- Huh.

You live here. You're

his room-mate.

- Sorry.

- Okay.

Do you know where he might be?

He's overseas. He

shipped out last week.

- Overseas like...

- Look,

I don't really know

what Fred's into, okay?

He ships out, and he comes back.

Okay. Could you pass a message?

Take it easy.

All right. Okay.

Hey, Joey? Cal McAffrey.

Yeah, yeah, shut up.

Listen. Listen.

Tell Bill he's gotta

send some cops to 566...

- So?

- No sign of the guy.

Did you get a name?

How about the apartment?

You find something?

Nothing?

Place belongs to a guy

named Fred Summers,

except Fred passed

away last March.

Neighbours say that his nephew

stays there from time to time

while the probate is

being worked out.

Except he doesn't have a nephew.

You're catching on fast.

Cal, I thought we had

an understanding.

You were supposed to share

your information with us.

Do you remember that?

Don, I went there to talk to a

guy named Fred Summers, right,

who I now find out is deceased.

Do you think I would've gone there

if I knew what I was

gonna be walking into?

Just happened to be there, huh?

Yeah.

Now, do you mind if I get

back on with my story?

It's not a story. It's a case.

And... And just so you know, a

girl by the name of Mandi Brokaw,

16, junkie, turned

up dead tonight.

Probable homicide.

She look familiar?

We got her fingerprints off those

surveillance photos you

so kindly gave us.

Hello, I'm Rhonda Silver.

Like I said, that's what he

called being in committee.

I know you got shot at last night,

and I know I should be making

you a nice cup of cocoa,

but I'm just so bloody angry.

I mean, the decision,

I'm assuming,

was that this was not news.

We... Look, we didn't...

We were worried that...

It was my call, Cam. All right?

I didn't, and I don't believe her.

She's not credible.

She was just trying

to sell us her sexy

scrapbook photos of her

friend, Sonia Baker.

Her dead friend.

Yeah, well, why the hell

couldn't we have printed that?

A waitress comes forward with

a claim about a sex scandal.

Great, that's an A-1 story.

Then he denies it.

There's another story.

And then... And then one of them

cracks, and there's another story.

Meantime, people are

reading about it,

and they're reading us about

it, because we had it first.

Except we didn't, did we?

No, no, no, because some wanker

decided it was beneath us.

Look at her, come on. Look at her.

She's a sideshow. It's

a smear campaign.

It's exactly what

these companies do

to destroy people who

get in their way.

The true story here, the real

story here, is Point-Corp.

The real story is the sinking

of this bloody newspaper.

Christ.

We have new management

to answer to now, Cal,

and they are interested

in sales, not discretion.

And how am... How am I gonna tell

them that we are

now behind a story

we were once in front of?

Well, we're running with

what we've got today.

No. No.

- You can't do that.

- Why not?

We've got more than

enough to go with.

You run with it, and you're gonna

frighten off the wildlife.

And we haven't got the

rest of the story.

I do not give a shit about

the rest of the story.

We're going to press... tonight.

You've got eight hours.

You look tired. Want some coffee?

Yeah, that's nice.

Can you hold on for one second?

George, a word with

you for a minute?

- Sure, Steve.

- Thanks.

Listen, I just wanted you to know

my speaking up in the

hearings the other day

was not meant in any way as a

gesture of disrespect to you

or a lack of gratitude for the

support that you've shown me.

No, no. Not at all.

It was a very

impressive performance.

You have your passions,

I understand that.

All right, good. Well,

that's a relief to know.

You have your show horses, and

you have your work horses.

I'm sure we can all find

a way to get along.

There's no way.

There is no way we can

meet that deadline.

Yes, we can. All right, guys,

we're getting our balls busted.

What'd you got?

All right, the guy you

had us check out,

Dominic Foy, turns out

he's a gold mine.

- Dominic?

- Foy.

- Right.

- He's a guy I keep hearing about.

A friend of Sonia's in all the

surveillance photos

where she's crying.

And he's in Rhonda's

cell phone shots.

Okay, so, is this Halloween,

- or is he some kind of freak?

- Freak.

He runs a legitimate PR business.

Handful of corporate clients.

Just likes to party

on the weekends.

Special parties.

- Tell him the good part.

- Yeah,

mostly works out of

the Daily Grill,

but guess where his

registered office is?

- Where?

- Guess.

Where?

The Watergate.

- Oh.

- Not only that, Suite 413.

Same suite as the Medal of

Freedom Initiative, which is...

The lobbying subsidiary

of Point-Corp.

Let's get him on tape.

You want me to call

Rodney and get the gear?

Yeah, same place.

What... I'm sorry.

You want to put him on tape?

Yeah.

What are we, cops now?

That's totally illegal.

If Dominic Foy can connect

Sonia Baker to Point-Corp,

he's gonna be under

a lot of pressure

to recant anything he

might tell us, all right?

So we put him on tape.

That's our insurance.

And why do you think he's

even gonna talk to you?

Because he's scared.

How do you know?

Because I'm gonna scare him.

Hey, is that your

Cadillac out there?

Yeah.

V-8 XLR, 320 horsepower, adaptive

cruise control, heads-up display?

That's the one.

That's a hell of

an impressive car.

Yes, I know.

What do you got in your gay-rage?

- Excuse me?

- Your gay-rage. Your garage.

- Alright.

- You drive the same thing?

- No, I don't. I have a 1990 Saab.

- Oh.

Yeah. I got velour seats. The

passenger side one's ripped,

but... huh, it gets me

from A to B, you know.

Sorry to hear that.

If only I could get

a job in PR, right?

Who the hell are you?

Do you read the

newspapers, Dominic?

- Sometimes.

- Okay.

I got something I wanna

run by you, all right?

It ain't finished. I'm

still working it up.

Let's see how you feel about this.

Dominic Foy, a DC

Public relations figure

with known ties to defence

contractor Point-Corp

was yesterday linked to the death

of a Capitol Hill

staffer Sonia Baker.

Alright, come on, what...

What're you a reporter?

This is not cool. This

is definitely not cool.

- Very unprofessional.

- I'm just sitting here...

Cal McAffrey from the Globe.

Congratulations. Keep it.

That's gonna run tomorrow unless

you can tell me what I

need to know today.

- I don't think so.

- I got a car out the back.

I got a nice, safe place

where you and I can talk.

Hey, hey, Saab.

I don't know anything

about anything, alright?

I'm a PR guy. Got it?

Be that as it may,

there's two ways

this article can run, Dominic.

Without your name

or with your name,

and maybe even a photo

from your website.

Now, who knows who that's

gonna piss off and how badly?

I'm trying to be your

friend, Dominic, all right?

I'd hate to see you end up under

a train like Sonia Baker.

And you promised never

to use my name, right?

Yes, I did.

This place is nice? It's classy?

- I'm gonna be comfortable?

- Huh.

What kind of dump is this?

Where have you brought me?

No booze in the mini-bar.

There's no On Demand on the TV.

What kinda hotel is this?

Little bit more of a

motel, I'd say, isn't it?

Nobody's gonna find

you here, Dominic.

How are your beer-getting

skills, sweet pea?

You want to go get Uncle

Foy a nice frosty?

I'll time you. Christ.

So, let's start

from the beginning.

Where did you meet Sonia Baker?

Why don't we start with

a little compensation?

This guy's stoned off his face,

and now he wants a beer.

- Can I have one?

- Yeah.

What's he taking exactly?

- Dude, downers.

- This guy's losing his shit.

For what? For what?

Me helping you out.

Me losing my business. Me...

This bed's disgusting.

Compensate me, okay?

Okay, so you want to be paid

to help solve Sonia's murder?

Save it, all right? I'm in PR.

I know a little bit about

phrasing questions.

Why don't you try

phrasing it like this?

Would I like to be paid for

helping you get a book deal?

Nobody's here for a book deal.

Really? Everybody

wants a book deal.

And I'd like my cut,

okay? That's just fair.

When did you meet Sonia?

Compensation, compensation.

You came here to talk, Dominic.

You know, mouse, I'm the talent

and I don't like the vibe.

So why don't you

change that up, okay?

It's a non-smoking room.

It's under your name.

He's a douche. I love this guy.

I wanna call my lawyer.

I think you should

think that through.

Can we get a signal

in this rat hole?

Why don't you think it through?

Dominic, let me just lay this

out for you one more time,

because I don't think

you're getting it.

So I'll lay it out for you. Okay?

Relax.

I'll lay it out for

you nice and clear.

The newspaper can slant this

any which way they want to,

and they can make you the one

and only principal source.

How do you think that's gonna

go down with your friends

- at Point-Corp?

- Not great.

And anybody else

you're connected to?

Don't do that. Please

don't do that.

The more you talk, the

more you give us,

the more protected you are.

That's the way we work.

And your compensation

is your anonymity,

and that is all you're

gonna get from us.

- Okay?

- Yeah.

Great.

Okay, how's it going in here?

Sounds frigging great.

We're just about ready.

Great. Good.

Come on.

I'm not gonna do it. I'm

gonna open the door,

and I'm gonna let you say it.

You have to talk to her.

Cal is asking us to

push the deadline.

We really can't

afford to keep doing

this type of thing. Where

the hell are they?

You saying that as

if I should know?

Yeah, well, you just spoke to him.

Yeah, well, they didn't

tell me where they were.

$20,000 an hour.

Yeah... All right.

Bugger off.

Shit.

It was just this guy, okay, that

I knew from the clubs, alright?

And he worked for a PR

firm, a very big one.

Name?

And... No, I'm not

gonna give you...

his name, he's a friend,

okay? He had this...

He had this...

Well, the company that he

worked for had a client,

- a very special client.

- Name?

I'll give you that

one. Point-Corp.

And they wanted a

special employee.

They needed a girl.

I thought of Sonia.

You got that?

I'm sorry, are you saying that

Sonia was working for Point-Corp?

Like a steel trap, this one.

Don't lose her to another paper.

Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

Turn it up, turn it up.

She was a perfect

fit. She had balls.

- She was smart.

- She was in debt.

- And she was in debt, exactly.

- Yeah.

They paid her $26,000 a month.

Whole hell of a lot

more than they gave me.

- They paid me a flat 20.

- It's big.

Did they tell you

what the job was?

No, they did not. She told

me what it was, though.

She told me about Collins.

She told me about spying on him.

And did they want Sonia

to sleep with Collins?

No. She got on her

back all by herself

and screwed everything

up, didn't she?

How did they get her

onto Collins' staff?

That I'm not gonna tell

you. You can forget it.

You can kidnap and torture

someone else for that toughie.

- We have a deal.

- Yeah.

- I've done my work.

- Nobody's here to screw you,

but we need to know who was

working this on the Hill.

From the Hill, huh? Well, from the

Hill, they found a guy to fix it.

- Name?

- No.

- Who?

- Leave it.

- Who?

- Come on.

What, are you not hearing me?

Forget it. I'd be

afraid to start that

sweet ass Caddy every morning.

I mean, keep in mind

if I was driving

that wheelbarrow Saab of yours,

I'd probably blow it up

myself with me in it.

You seen that thing?

It's like a lawnmower.

I'm gonna get you another beer.

Hey.

Oi.

Are you sleeping with that guy?

I mean, what are you doing here?

Are you sleeping with him?

Or you got a guy. You

got a guy, right?

Donna?

Della. Della.

I got a guy. Got a girl, too.

Right? I don't wanna

leave anybody out.

Hey, Stephen. How

did you find Sonia?

What?

How did she come to

work in your office?

Was somebody... Did

somebody recommend her?

What're you talking about?

I think you've been played.

Really?

Who gave you her name?

- What is this about?

- Don't dick around about this,

Stephen, all right? Two questions.

How the hell did she come

to work in your office,

and the name of the individual

who recommended her?

Fergus. George Fergus.

Said she was the daughter

of an old family friend.

Doug Sponder's bachelor party.

You remember that

hotel, the Americana?

Yes.

Get here now, alone.

I'm in Room 408.

I'll meet you at the office.

Stephen, we're late already.

I'll call in.

Stephen, we are late already.

- I'll call in.

- Okay.

Don't check your voice-mail.

Cameron's going on a rampage

about this deadline.

So, did you cue it where I asked?

- Close enough.

- Okay.

So, guys, I'm gonna need

you to clear the room.

- That means you, too.

- What?

I got Stephen Collins

coming in here.

It's gonna be a lot more

comfortable for him

if you're not here, alright?

Tell me you're kidding.

Since when does the subject

of an investigation

get his own private preview of

another subject's interview?

That's crazy.

You're polluting the story.

Special circumstance.

What? What?

Is it that he's a congressman,

or that he's your friend,

or that you have a

crush on his wife?

Could you fill me in here?

All of the above.

Oh, my God, you're

such a hypocrite.

This is my story, too, and you

are about to kill it forever

by letting him come in here.

I'm gonna bring him in.

I'm gonna sit him

down, show him this.

I'm gonna get him on the record,

then we've got both

sides of the story.

Hey.

Stephen Collins, Della Frye.

Congressman.

You know this guy?

No.

You don't recognise him at all?

I don't know. Maybe.

Is this in here?

No, no, it's next door.

He's sleeping it off.

Sit down.

Okay.

Point-Corp wanted to plant

someone on your staff.

This guy, Dominic

Foy, he finds Sonia.

He takes a fee. George

Fergus does the rest.

No. That's not possible.

They paid off her debt, and they

paid her monthly to report back

every single thing

that you were doing.

And when she went dry,

they killed her for it.

How do you know this?

And so I get a call, I gotta

go down to a street corner.

I gotta buy a magazine. I

gotta meet some new guy.

This guy, you know,

he's some hardcore,

thick-neck, corn-fed,

Navy-SEAL-looking guy, you know?

And he's all up in my face,

scaring the hell out of me

because he's pissed off and...

- When was this?

- This is like a month ago.

You know, he's pissed off because.

Sonia's not giving him

anything any more.

And what did he want

you to do about it?

He wants me to fix

it. He wants me to

fix it, like one

of my hair dryers.

And did you?

I tried.

I tried. I called. She

wouldn't take my call.

I go over there. I

try to talk to her.

She's crying.

Why is she crying? She's

scared somebody's after her?

No, she's crying because of

Collins. She was in love with him,

and she was pregnant,

and she didn't tell him.

She didn't tell

him, and, you know,

she was petrified that he's

gonna find out what she did,

and then he's not gonna want her,

and he's not gonna

want the baby...

She got so wrecked about

it that she burned

thousands of dollars

worth of pay cheques.

Who does that?

And I tried to get

her to just relax

and to think about the publicity,

or think about an abortion, or

think about, you know, her word.

Just keep your word.

And what about how

your decisions are

gonna affect me?

And then she's dead, you

know? I hear it's a murder,

and so I don't want anything more

to do with this thing, you know?

I'm just terrified, and I

wanna go some place warm,

and I wanna come back

to a clean slate.

And you guys write your article

and just get them off me.

I'm nothing. I'm

nothing to those guys.

So you were right, man. Okay?

And now we can prove it.

I get you on the record. We can

nail these mothers to the wall.

Sliberty? We can nail them to

the wall, all right? We win.

- Yeah. Just...

- All right?

Just... Will you just

give me a minute?

Okay.

He just needs a minute.

Shit.

Get off... Get off me.

You fucking...

Help.

Stephen.

Get up. What're you doing?

- Hey, stop.

- No.

Come on, man. Hey. Hey.

Get off.

What the hell are

you doing to him?

Stephen.

Stephen. Stephen. Stephen.

Hey, I'm trying to help you, man.

Yeah. She was pregnant, Cal.

Did I need to hear that?

Yeah. Huh? You couldn't

tell me yourself?

You had to do it like that?

Was that important to you...

I thought you'd want

to hear the truth.

That's right.

You were just seeking

the truth, that's all.

You're just... You're

a truth seeker.

That's all. You can't help it.

It's who you are. You're

such a hypocrite.

You're not interested in me.

Me coming here was all about

you and getting your story.

I trusted you. You're my friend.

You were supposed to be my friend

when you were screwing my wife.

You're my friend, Cal.

I never would've done this to you.

I'm sorry, Stephen, okay?

I'm sorry about all of it.

Please, look, I've

been an asshole,

and I can understand why

you hate me for it.

You've just gotta put aside

how you feel about me

and stay with this.

We're so close.

Every single part of this, I

have put myself on the line.

Stephen.

I need a minute with

Congressman Fergus.

Tell him it's Cal McAffrey from

the Globe, and I'm on a deadline.

Fuck him.

Asshole.

It's all right. I saw that.

Just give him this card

and tell him it's an issue

that directly concerns him.

Sir? He asked me to give you this.

Excuse me.

Congressman.

That Cal McAffrey.

What's up? How'd you find me?

I followed the trail of

crumbs, Congressman.

I need a confirmation from you

for an article that

we're running tomorrow.

I have been told

that you recommended

to Greer Thornton to

hire Sonia Baker,

is that correct?

So?

So if it turns out

that Sonia Baker was,

in fact, gathering information

on Stephen Collins'

committee findings

and passing that information back

to the very company that

was being investigated

and that company is

complicit in her murder,

well, Jesus Christ, it's not

gonna look too good for you,

is it, Congressman?

One, never use the Lord's

name in vain with me.

Two, how could you even assume

that a bright, naive,

25-year-old girl

was what, a double agent?

Mr McAffrey, I went to

bat for a young girl

whose family I met and respected,

a family that seemed like

the wholesome ideal upon which

this country was founded.

And Sonia Baker's

mother's first name is?

- Pardon me?

- You heard me, family friend.

Do you really think

that your new owners,

these responsible

corporate citizens,

are going to allow

you to publish this

speculative drivel?

You are gonna be out

of a job before

the devil can even

say your name, son.

Janine.

Sonia's mother's first

name is Janine.

You're missing the point.

You didn't see his face.

I saw his face. Fergus is

at the heart of this story.

This story is dead, Cal.

One way or another,

Point-Corp pushed

Sonia Baker in front

of that train.

Oh, really? The trouble is,

our new corporate owners won't

let me print any of this

unless I have one of the

major players on the record.

On the record, Cal.

And the only person who

could do that won't.

Would you like to tell me why?

Or is it just that you

shagged his wife?

Maybe you'd like to

explain to me how, when

and why MediaCorp

chopped off your balls.

This is as big and as

connected as it gets.

You follow any fissure of

this, it's a massive story.

You got Fergus, you

got Point-Corp,

and now you got

MediaCorp, all connected,

all in collusion, all playing

for the same country club.

I didn't realise you'd

taken up the game.

Oh. Oh, Cal, if there's

any corruption

involved here, it's

coming from you.

You have injected yourself in this

story right from the beginning,

and we all know why.

It's over, Cal, as far

as you're concerned.

I can't protect you any more.

And right now, I'm not

too sure I'd want to.

You want the story?

Yeah. Come on.

I was first introduced

to Sonia Baker

in April of 2007.

She was hired as a research

assistant on my staff.

She was recommended

by the Majority Whip,

Congressman from West

Virginia, George Fergus.

Three months into her time

there, Sonia and I began

a romantic relationship.

I have e-mailed

copies of documents

to you, which show beyond doubt

the corruption between

members of my own party.

I now know that she had been

placed in my office as a spy.

Point-Corp's tentacles

reach into every corner

of the ever-growing private

security industry,

both at home and abroad.

Not only does this pose a great...

But it is a violation of our laws.

A monopolistic business...

obstruct and otherwise destroy

my investigation into Point-Corp.

Sonia was paid to make regular

reports to Point-Corp...

Left unchecked, I believe

that within five years,

Point-Corp will have its own

standing army on US soil.

Into their fraudulent practises...

It will control our intelligence

gathering apparatus...

- What happened in committee?

- She had access to everything...

we were doing and effectively

crippled our investigation.

It is a frightening vision and

one which must be stopped.

However, when my

relationship with her grew,

she ceased her spying

on their behalf,

and I believe they

killed her for it.

For people like this,

who I've spent

the last year and a half of

my life investigating...

Innocent civilians are really

little more than disposable lives,

thought of as collateral damage.

And I believe it was simply the

public nature of my position that

saved me from a similar fate.

So, as political suicides go,

how was that?

Thank you, Congressman.

- You okay?

- Yeah.

He was set up.

She was sleeping with him for

$26,000 a month. I mean...

Sliberty.

Cal.

You all set?

Okay. Let's go.

- You still here?

- Yeah.

I thought you would've been down

at your desk blasting it online.

Well, you know, a piece this big,

people should probably

have newsprint

on their hands when they read it,

don't you think?

I'll do Collins,

Fergus, Point-Corp,

and corporate and

government malfeasance.

- Okay.

- You do Sonia Baker...

The murder, Mandi, Rhonda Silver.

And the Dominic Foy

connection, alright?

Yeah.

- Retire to the neutral corner.

- Okay.

- Gentle.

- Got it... - Thank you.

Sir, it's Robert Bingham.

I'm sorry to call you directly.

I want to assure you that I'm

ready to finish what we started.

Goodbye.

I won't be more than an hour.

- Hey, guys.

- Evening, sir. How you doing?

Is it a night for it?

Oh... yeah, yeah, I think it is.

So, how old are you?

Actually, don't... tell me.

It would just make me sick.

You never ask a girl her age.

Well, see, I look

at you, and I don't

see a girl. I just see a reporter.

- At last.

- Anyway, back to the story.

- Yes.

- So I had this...

English teacher in high school.

He was a kind of a long-haired

hippie kinda guy.

- He had a pen problem.

- Yeah. Oh.

He solved it by having a piece

of leather string around his neck,

and that's where

he'd keep his pen.

Smart.

So I started thinking,

My friend Della's

got a pen problem.

How do I solve it?

- And I came up with this.

- What is it?

I call it the Della

Frye Nubian Princess,

'I'm never without a pen

' celebratory necklace.

Oh, it's beautiful. I

always wanted one of these.

- Cheers.

You know, I wanted to tell you

something about Anne Collins.

Okay.

I was just talking to her.

How does Anne Collins know that

Sonia Baker was earning

$26,000 a month?

What?

How does she know how much

Sonia Baker was earning?

- We know that.

- Yeah.

How does Anne Collins know that?

Well, I mean, Stephen must have

heard it in the Foy interview.

We played him a specific

part of that tape,

and that figure is

never mentioned.

Cal. Wait, what're you doing?

What're you doing? Cal?

You gonna fill me in?

Just tell Cameron, Hold the story.

What? Cal? Cal.

Shit.

Who's Robert Bingham, Stephen?

Who is Robert Bingham?

Are the police outside?

No.

I saved Robert Bingham's

life in Kuwait in '91.

He was a 17-year-old kid.

He was a good soldier.

He was proud of what we did.

The Army was his life, and he had

problems when he got discharged.

So you had a guy that

you knew to be unstable

do what, exactly? Scare her?

Maybe beat her up a little?

No, Cal. I had him follow her.

Why?

Because I knew she was

hiding something from me.

Because when I'd...

I'd be at her house

and a fax would come

in, she'd get nervous.

Because there were phone

calls late at night.

I was suspicious.

I asked Bingham to observe

her and report back to me.

That's all.

You're a liar, Stephen.

He was more upset about what

she was doing than I was.

You have to understand what the

military means to Bingham.

He hates Point-Corp for what

they're trying to do to it.

In his mind, she just had to stop.

But she did stop, right?

She tore up her pay cheques, and

she put her life at risk for you.

Yes, but I didn't know that.

I didn't know that he

was gonna kill her.

I didn't know he had killed her.

When I found out, my thought

was just the same as yours.

I thought Point-Corp had done it.

And when you did find out?

What was I supposed to do?

- Tell someone.

- I tried.

- When?

- When I came to your house,

and I wanted to talk

to you about it,

and all you cared

about was the story.

No, Stephen, I cared

about helping you.

Bullshit. Bullshit.

All you cared about

was clearing your

conscience over this

little soap opera

- you have with Annie.

- So you used me.

No, Cal.

The same way as you used Bingham.

I was suspicious of

her. I brought him in.

That's all it was.

It was a mistake.

It's my responsibility.

I should never have done that.

But I never asked him to kill her.

He owed you his life.

That's why you called him.

You called him, and you used him,

like you've been trying to use me.

One to kill, and one

to cover it up.

If Point-Corp and Fergus

hadn't hired her,

- none of this would've happened.

- No. This is not about Bingham

and Point-Corp and Fergus, man.

It's about you and the

decisions that you have made

that have led to four

people being killed.

One of them was delivering

a pizza, Stephen.

Cal... What're you gonna do?

You know what I'm gonna do.

You know... it's laughable, your

sense of your own self-worth.

Why is that? Because... nobody

reads the papers any more?

Is that it?

It's just another story, a

couple days of shitstorm,

and it's wrapping paper?

You know, in the middle of all

this gossip and speculation

that permeates people's lives,

I still think they

know the difference

between real news and bullshit.

And they're glad that

someone cares enough

to get things on the record

and print the truth.

Cal. Please, Cal, don't

do this. Please.

I'm asking you as your friend.

You got about three minutes

before the cops get here.

I thought you said

you didn't call 'em.

I lied.

A good soldier fights for his

country and his friends.

But these guys, they wanna

make it all about the money.

You wanna live in a

world like that?

Drop the weapon.

The story about Stephen comes

out, whether I write it or not.

Drop your weapon.

Drop it.

I'd rather be nothing.

I repeat, drop your weapon.

Well, aren't you gonna send it?

I've only been holding the front

page for 4 hours, after all.

You send it.

Good night, everybody.

See you tomorrow.

Good night.

♪ Put a candle in the window ♪

♪ Because I feel

I've got to move ♪

♪ Though I'm going, going ♪

♪ I'll be coming home soon ♪

♪ Long as I can see the light ♪

♪ Pack my bag and

let's get moving ♪

♪ Because I'm bound

to drift a while ♪

♪ When I'm gone, gone ♪

♪ You don't have to worry long ♪

♪ Long as I can see the light ♪

♪ Guess I've got that

old travelling bone ♪

♪ Because this feeling

won't leave me alone ♪

♪ But I won't, won't ♪

♪ Be losing my way, no, no ♪

♪ Long as I can see the light ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ Oh, yeah ♪

♪ Put a candle in the window ♪

♪ Because I feel

I've got to move ♪

♪ Though I'm going, going ♪

♪ I'll be coming home soon ♪

♪ Long as I can see the light ♪

State of Play (2009) - full transcript

Extract Subtitles From Media