Tightrope (1984) - full transcript

Wes Block is a detective who's put on the case of a serial killer whose victims are young and pretty women, that he rapes and murders. The killings are getting personal when the killer chooses victims who are acquaintances of Block. Even his daughters are threatened.

- Come on.
- You can blow better than that.

Blow it.

You all right, miss?

I thought someone
was following me.

Would you like me
to walk you home?

I live right there.

Could you watch to
make sure I get in?

Sure.

Hey, Dad.

Is he all right?

Well, I don't know. He
hasn't got a collar.



Looks like he's kind of hungry.

Oh, can we keep him?

I don't know, honey. Maybe we
ought to take him to the pound.

They'll find him a good home.

What happens if they don't?

There's a big turnout for Monday
Night Football at the Superdome.

New Orleans...

Hey, you know who should
be quarterbacking tonight?

- Stabler.
- Me.

We'll be ready to
go in two minutes.

Go with ailing quarterback,
Kenny Stabler.

Stabler, still
suffering from bruised

ribs and coming off a big game...

in a losing effort against
the Buccaneers last week.



The Saints outgained Tampa
Bay by 100 yards...

Here you are, partner.

Damn it.

Yeah?

Right.

Sorry, girls.

- Any ID?
- A purse.

- What do you think?
- I think she died on the bed.

She couldn't have been killed
in here and dragged in there?

Possible, but not likely.

What time, about?

Well, from the rigour
mortis and body

temp, about, oh, 18
to 20 hours ago.

Hi, honey. We just wanted to
wish you a happy birthday.

Dad yelled to say he loves you.

We're excited you'll be home
for the weekend. Bye, dear.

He says she died 18
to 20 hours ago.

That would've made it no
sooner than midnight.

So what?

That clock looked
like it was broken

in the struggle.
If it says 9:15...

why wasn't she killed
until midnight?

Maybe someone wanted three
hours with her first.

I want everybody on
this block interviewed.

That's the neighbours, delivery
people, postmen, garbage people.

In fact, I want every
garbage can and every

sewer looked into for
a five-block radius.

You think it brings
the crazies out?

They're always out.

- Good evening, Mrs Holstein.
- How are you?

- How are those kids?
- Fine. They're asleep.

Jesus.

Death came from strangulation.
Ligature marks on her throat...

and petechial haemorrhages
around her neck.

There are also two
parallel slightly

indented marks on her wrists.

- From what?
- Handcuffs, possibly.

There are bruises on
her arms and shoulder

blades from being
pinned to the floor.

And what looks like a
knee bruise on her chest.

Before she died,
she was penetrated

both vaginally and anally.

- What time did she die?
- Close to midnight.

You sure?

She ate a piece of
banana cake at 7:00...

then, over the next
hour and a half,

consumed eight ounces
of white wine.

Chardonnay, I believe.

Then finished at 9:00
with a small amount

of Swiss vanilla-almond ice cream.

Anything else, detective?

Take a look.

First one is a human scalp hair.

The bulbous portion
of the root is still

attached, meaning it
was wrenched out.

The next one, the tapered
one, is an eyebrow hair.

And the one at the
bottom is a pubic hair.

- All from the same person?
- Dark-haired Caucasian.

Probably male,
probably in his 40s.

You're really nailing
him down for me.

- Heh. What more do you want?
- His phone number and address.

- Heh. His semen.
- Oh.

What blood type?

O. Just like the
night before last.

This is a common everyday
rayon-and-acetate fibre.

I found it sticking to the
back of Melanie Silber's neck.

And I found this one under
Yvonne Larkin's fingernail.

You know, the killer didn't leave
any prints this time either.

Every print in the
bedroom matched Melanie

Silber's. But there's
one thing I don't get.

What?

There was a cup on the dresser
with traces of coffee.

- There weren't any prints on it.
- I saw it. So what?

Well, why would he take the
time to drink a cup of coffee?

He was starting to enjoy himself.

Wes, Beryl Thibodeaux
from the rape

something-or-other
wants to see you.

- Where is she?
- The reception room.

- Tell her I'm out.
- I did. She said she'd wait.

Good. Tell her I'm out of town.

Welcome back.

Thanks.

I've tried calling you five times.

Sorry.

Look, I'm not
particularly eager...

to talk to women who go around
with chips on their shoulders...

tell everybody I'm
doing a lousy job

and get everybody
pissed off at me.

I wouldn't be eager to
talk to them either.

I'm really not eager
to talk to cops

who have a chip on
their shoulders...

stereotype women from
rape centres and

then go to any length
to avoid them.

I'm sure you don't care for
those kinds of cops either.

Another woman was
strangled last night.

Now, we're concerned it
could be the same killer.

Why?

Because she was killed
in the same way.

And also because we heard a rumour
the murders might be connected.

Well, you know how
it is with rumours.

But it could be the same person.

- That possibility always exists.
- Do you have any evidence?

I'm not at liberty to discuss
evidence in this case.

Have you been able to establish
a link between the victims?

I can't discuss that
either. I'm sorry.

Look, all I'm asking
is to be involved

in the investigation, all right?

Maybe we could put up
some warning posters.

That say what? That
some nut's going

around the city strangling women?

Yeah, why not?

Because we're not sure it's true.

All it would do is terrify
women all over this city.

Well, maybe it should.

- Did you brush your teeth?
- Mm.

Well, you better get going.

Give your dad a smack.

Bye-bye, baby.

Come on, kids. We got a big day.

- You want some honey?
- I don't eat sweets.

Do you eat drumsticks, mister?

- Need any help?
- Not on this one.

Who is it?

May I come in?

I heard you two, worked together.

Doing what?

As a sandwich.

One on the top and the
other on the bottom.

Well, what else did you hear?

That you liked it.

That you liked her,
but she split on you.

She developed a taste for cops.

She get close to any?

Cops don't get close to anybody.

Any of them come on to her?

They kept coming...

and coming. That's the
funny thing about cops.

You take a cop...

whose wife splits...

sooner.

Or later...

that cop...

will react like anybody else.

He'll start doing things...

he wouldn't have done before.

So, Block...

what happened to the
rest of the sandwich?

Somebody ate it.

You're 10 minutes late.

Yeah. Ten minutes after
he's down there...

he won't know the
difference between

the big hand and the little hand.

Promise?

Trust me.

You're still awake.

- What's the matter?
- Can't sleep.

Oh. Well.

- Where did you go?
- To his house.

Oh.

- What's it like?
- Big.

She ask about me?

No, but I told her
about you anyway.

Where did you go tonight?

Out to look for something.

Did you find it?

I found out one thing.
You know what it is?

That you should be in
bed, getting some sleep.

Hello?

- It looks like the same method.
- Go ahead.

So how old is this one?

He found her.

- Do you filter on that drain?
- Yeah.

Empty it.

How long has she been in here?

About an hour.

- Anybody in here with her?
- Not that I saw.

From the hot tub's drain.

And this is the brownie found
in Melanie Silber's apartment.

This is the mould I
made from her teeth.

The mould doesn't
match the impression.

I'll coat the bite-mark
pattern on the

brownie and run it under the SEM.

We might get a reading that'll
match the killer's teeth.

Thirty calls already, three from a

Beryl Thibodeaux at
the Rape Centre.

Oh. Check on the specific
days of the crimes,

meteorological reports, phases
of the moon, anything like that.

Would you check CID and
find out if there's

similar MO's? And check
all 42s in the area.

Get a tail on that
hot-tub guy, would you?

Check out all sexual arrests in
the town for the last two weeks.

That goes for somebody
who's been humping

sheep to some guy who's
swinging his dick.

- You got it.
- Here's the file.

Here he comes, Tim.

Detective Block, are
the murders connected?

Yes, we believe that the murders
were committed by the same killer.

So far, the victims have
all been women linked

to unusual or aberrant
sexual activity.

We recommend, however, that all
women exercise extreme caution...

until this killer is apprehended.

Thank you.

- Do you have any clues?
- I can't talk about it.

What's a hard-on, Daddy?

I heard Amanda say it, and she
won't tell me what it means.

Well, darling, it's...

It's...

When a man is attracted
to a woman...

he, likes her.

- Understand?
- No.

Well, he likes her
in a certain way.

Why?

Well, sweetheart, male bears
like female bears and...

male bees like female bees...

and, occasionally
they get together...

Dad...

forget it.

You recognise this?

- Why should I?
- You drew it.

- So what?
- Well, tell me about it.

Jamie Cory, she come here one day

saying this hot-tub
guy beat her up.

She wanted a tattoo, so I did it.

Well, the hot-tub
guy says she came

down here and you beat her up.

Do I look like the kind of guy
who'd do something like that?

Yeah.

You ever heard of a girl
named Melanie Silber?

Yeah, I like to beat her up too.

You know, everybody's
looking to get beat up.

- What's your name?
- Block.

You're hanging out with the
wrong kind of people, Block.

What kind would you
suggest I hang out with?

Someone who's more...

up your alley.

Maybe I'll take you
up on that sometime.

And do what?

Take you bowling?

I don't like bowling.

Neither do I.

Tequila.

- How you doing, Shorty?
- Hello.

You know Jamie Cory?

Sure, she wrestled
here last night.

You know much about her?

Not as much as I'd have liked to.

Try the blond with
the big bazookas.

- Ice?
- What for?

You didn't mention you knew her.

You didn't ask.

Besides, I thought
you came here...

to bowl.

You recall seeing her
with anyone last night?

Yeah. There were a couple of guys.

Who?

Customers. You know, guys
trying to hit on her.

She let any of them?

No. She thought they were creeps.

What about other nights?

If she liked someone, she
might've done something about it.

But by and large, just
one-night stands?

Are there any other kind?

And you two knew each
other very well?

Well enough.

Did she ever mention
anything about

anybody using handcuffs on her?

I think so. She liked
to get pretty kinky.

Remember who it might've been?

I think it was a cop.

Who knows? Maybe it was you.

Can I help with anything?

Dad, how come you have to
work so late every night?

Well, there's been
three murders, hon.

Couldn't you just
work during the day?

There are some people I
can only see at night.

What kind of people?

People that don't have day jobs.

- Dad?
- Mm?

Could you get hurt?

Tell me, Wes, how's
things at home?

What do you mean?

I mean, I'm not sure yet you're
ready to run this task force.

Beryl Thibodeaux talked to the
mayor about you, and he called me.

He said if I don't
come up with something

soon, he's gonna start
shitting all over me.

Shit runs downhill, Wes.

Yeah.

No.

Louder.

No.

Again.

No. Stop.

- Again.
- Stop. No.

One more time.

- Stop.
- All right.

Now, in most of the situations
you'll encounter...

you will have several
options. Most

important, don't stop thinking.

He's counting on you
going catatonic and

being petrified with
fear and surrendering.

Keep thinking.

First you could try
and reason with him.

Now, if that doesn't work, blow
your whistle. Start yelling.

The yell we've just
learned, yell it out.

I mean, don't forget, he's
got his adrenaline going.

You make sure you pump up yours.

At this point, our goal is
to disable your attacker.

Now, several ways of
sending him a message are:

Stomping on his toes.

Scratching his eyes.

Hitting this vital point
here in the throat.

Kicking into his kneecaps.

Striking his solar plexus.

And if he still keeps
on acting tacky...

well, then you can always
drop back and punt.

Hi.

I'll bet you were
just about to knock.

Actually, I was just gonna
hang out here and be tacky.

Tell me, Detective Blot...

Block.

Wes Block.

- How do you like the Rape Centre?
- I love it.

Would you care to make
a charitable donation?

- Any reason I should?
- Yeah.

Maybe...

Maybe I'll talk about the mayor.

Yeah, I hear you go out with him.

Once in a while.

I hear he's gay.

You like a date with him?

Well, I would like
him off my back.

Oh, don't tell me he's
interrupted your busy schedule.

Awful, ain't it?

Yeah, well, maybe you should've
told him you were out of town.

Listen, I called him...

because I'm playing
by your rules. Now,

if you'd help me, I'd
like to help you.

The killer's a Caucasian,
blood type O...

about in his mid-40s.
We found traces

of a red fibre on all the victims.

From what?

We don't know.

- Any suspects?
- About 120,000 of them.

Anything you'd like
me to tell the mayor?

Yeah. He's one of them.

Daddy.

Hi, pumpkin.

- Am I heavy?
- Not to me, you're not.

- I weigh 50 now.
- Oh, ha, ha.

I missed you.

Well, I missed you
too, sweetheart.

I tried to call a lot,
but the phone's been

busy. You and your
sister sure are gabby.

Did your mother call?

- Hi.
- Hi.

Mind if I have one?

I heard you had a phone call.

She's getting married.

She wants us to come
to the wedding.

She also said something about
having us come live with her.

- Could she do that?
- I don't know, baby.

I used to make these for her.

I know.

But I like making
them for you better.

Seen any of these?

No.

No. Too bad.

Yeah. I've seen her
in here before.

Anybody ever get violent with her?

That's part of the
turn-on, isn't it?

You know who it was?

No.

Hey, what about you? You
ever see her in here before?

No.

You recognise her?

No.

Why don't you come on in?

Close the door.

- When did they find it?
- About 20 minutes ago.

What's up?

Smudge marks from Melanie
Silber's bedroom.

Can you tell anything?

Yeah, heh. It's
mostly good old dirt.

What about this morning?

There were cuff marks
on her wrists.

Anything else?

This.

Struck out with the hot-tub
guy. Wrong blood type.

- Maybe we should...
- What was her name?

Who?

The girl at the river.

Judy Harper, a nurse.

Every mass murderer
has a motive, Wes.

It could be as bizarre as
voices commanding him to kill.

The voices could come from God
or from the refrigerator.

Or it could be as simple as
anger, frustration, revenge.

That's why he uses
handcuffs on the women.

- Has he contacted you?
- No.

I wouldn't be surprised if he did.

Why?

Once you started
going after him, you

became closer to him
than anyone else.

Unless there's another psychopath
out doing the same thing.

I'm not sure how
close I wanna get.

There's a darkness
inside all of us, Wes.

You, me and the man
down the street.

Some have it under control.
Others act it out.

The rest of us try to walk a
tightrope between the two.

Wanna go hoist some oysters?

I've never seen you
work out there before.

I came there looking for you.

- They found another body.
- I know.

- Sorry about it.
- Well, why tell me?

I didn't know who else to tell.

You didn't have to bring
me here to tell me that.

No.

- Thank you.
- So why did you?

Well, I saw you working
out in that gym.

I was wondering
what you'd be like.

Why the, sudden interest?

I was wondering if you came alone.

What else were you wondering?

You really wanna know?

Yeah.

What it would be like...

to lick the sweat off your body.

Do you...?

Do you always say exactly
what's on your mind?

You don't like it?

It could be a little more subtle.

What I said?

More the way you said it.

How would you like me to say it?

As if you're not saying it
to somebody every night.

What else would you like?

I'd like to find out what's
underneath the front you put on.

Maybe you wouldn't
like what you'd find.

Maybe you're scared I would.

- You're not married, are you?
- What makes you say that?

Just a hunch.

You hear the one about the cop
whose wife left him a note...

saying she'd fallen in
love with anyone else?

- Your wife leave you a note?
- No, she left me two kids.

- Where is she now?
- Still here in New Orleans.

You ever thought of moving away?

No. Twenty-eight years ago, I
borrowed $40 from my father...

packed up an old beat-up suitcase,
took a bus and came here.

I was 17 at the time.

I walked down through
the French quarter,

looked out over the Mississippi...

and swore I'd never leave.

- Ever come close?
- Only once.

When I looked down and saw
that suitcase missing.

Have you ever been married?

- Nope.
- How come?

I guess I haven't
met the right man.

Maybe I scared him away.

Then he definitely
wasn't the right man.

- My mother thinks it's my job.
- What do you think?

Doesn't matter. I like what I do.

Helping women?

Oh, men too.

What makes you so
sure they need it?

We all need it.

Okay, gals, come on. Wake up.

Come on. We're gonna go
back to our own beds now.

- Hi, Dad.
- Where you been?

Get Dad. Come on. Get on my back.

Your dad had a date tonight.

- Who with?
- Somebody he met.

- Where'd you go?
- Out on the river.

- Is she nice?
- Oh, yeah.

- Do you like her?
- Yeah, she's nice.

Did you kiss her?

Hey, come on. Give me
a break, will you?

I bet that's her right now.

And she wants to see you again.

And you can have a hard-on
anytime you want.

Ha-ha-ha.

"Another one will soon be dead.

You could stop it if you
knew what was ahead."

Think it's from a crank?

No.

Sam's. What's that?

I'm Sam.

Ooh, you're strong.

I love being punished
by a strong man.

Ahem. He said, you'd want this.

- What for?
- Me.

He's wrong.

He said you were just like him.

Who's he?

Use the whip.

You're...

You're to wear this to Praline's.

I don't know who he is.

Dixie.

Looking for something...

Alice?

He said this was your first time.

- Who?
- You don't know?

- He bought me for you.
- You've seen him?

When was he supposed to pay you?

Right after this, at the old
warehouse across the street.

Well, you go on over to that
warehouse and collect your money.

- You don't want it?
- No.

He said you did. You
just don't know it yet.

Well, he's wrong.

How do you know if you
haven't tried it?

Maybe I have.

I'm at a warehouse at 1460 Water.

We searched the whole
warehouse. He's gone.

The saliva on the stamps tested...

Blood type O.

Right.

The notes are from...

a '72 Olivetti. The letters
E and S are worn down.

The K is misaligned.
That's all I can tell.

What about the red ribbon?

Same as the fibres from
the other victims.

"If you knew what's ahead."

Becky?

Becky?

Becky?

She could still be alive.

Couldn't she?

Still no sign?

It won't be long.

Any luck with him?

No.

You're letting him go?

Yeah.

I heard you knew her too.

That's right.

Just out of curiosity,
Wes, did you

happen to know any of
the other victims?

No.

Alex?

Do you have someone who
could drive by my house?

Your kids?

- Yeah.
- Sure.

You remember the smudge marks
in Melanie Silber's bedroom?

Yeah.

- The killer made them.
- How do you know?

Because they have
the same chemical

composition as particles
on that doll.

- Any idea what they are?
- Some kind of glass fragments...

coated with a barley residue.

Where could they come from?

Who knows? Maybe a
grain storage bin.

He must've picked up the fragments
in the treads of his tennis shoes.

- He wore tennis shoes?
- Heh.

By tomorrow, I might
even know the make.

- Hello?
- Hi. Can I see you tonight?

- I've got some work.
- Can it wait?

Are you okay?

I don't know.

They found one of the
bodies near here.

I know.

- They're getting closer.
- Closer to what?

To me.

Boo.

Do you investigate
many sexual crimes?

Why?

I was wondering if they've
had any effect on you.

Well, they did make
me want to treat

my wife a little more tenderly.

How did she respond?

She said she wasn't
interested in tenderness.

They're nice kids.

Yeah, they're about the only thing
in my life I haven't screwed up.

Well, some people
don't even have that.

Why didn't your wife
take them when she left?

Because they're a part
of what she left.

What did you tell them?

I didn't tell them anything.
They already knew.

Do they get jealous when
you bring a woman over?

I don't bring a woman home.

How about that woman
you just bumped into?

She's just sort of a friend.

That kind of friend have anything
to do with your wife leaving?

I made those kind of
friends after she left.

Can we come back
tomorrow night, Daddy?

We'll talk about that later.

I want a balloon.

Here, I got it.

Here you are.

Yeah.

Come on.

- Dad?
- Mm?

Beryl's nice. She's pretty
too, don't you think?

Yeah.

I can tell she wants
to see you again.

Oh, you can, can you?

If I were you, I'd ask
her out this weekend.

Oh, you would, would you?

Dad...

- find out if she likes dogs.
- Oh, of course.

You'll have to excuse the mess.

Well, you should see
my place sometimes.

I don't exactly have a
lot of help around here.

Huh.

Now, why do you think
he uses handcuffs?

Control?

Do you use them very often?

Well, that depends.

On what?

The situation.

When you feel you are threatened?

Yeah, you could say that.

With these, no one
can get to you, huh?

They'll stop just about anyone.

From Jamie Cory's clothing.

We traced the serial numbers.

It is...

It's payroll money Louisiana
Bank sent to 2401 Tulane Avenue.

Even if the killer
saw her earlier,

who's to say he
gave her the money?

It could've been some drunk.

Luther said he found
minute glass fragments

on them just like the
fragments on the doll.

He also found a barley
residue he says

resembles the smudge
marks on the carpet.

- Barley?
- Mm.

- What's at 2401 Tulane?
- Dixie Brewery.

- How many employees?
- Almost 1000.

- All of them have medical files?
- Sure.

Well, start checking
the blood type O's,

and then we'll work
our way from there.

Isn't it possible she could have
got them from someone else?

No.

Amanda's kitchen.

- Hi. What's doing?
- Dinner.

Sorry I won't be there.
I've gotta work late.

You save some for me.

There'll be plenty. Don't worry.

Tell Mrs Holstein to lock up. You
look after your sister, will you?

Gotcha, Dad.

Bye.

You'd like another car
to check on them?

Yeah.

Ruth?

Mrs Holstein?

Mrs Holstein?

- Penny.
- Daddy.

Yeah, wake up.

He could be back. I want you to
get in the closet, stay there...

and don't come out until
your dad says so, okay?

Stay right there.

Daddy.

It's all right.

She's ready, Wes.

We checked everywhere.
No sign of him.

- Joe?
- Yeah.

- Was she...?
- No, no, no.

Squad 15, how do you read?

Squad 15. You're loud and clear.

Car 32, 17-50.

You...

I'll get you, motherfucker.

Then I'm gonna break
your motherfucking head.

We talked a bit.

She felt better.

She'll be able to rest now.

It wasn't your fault.

No one could have
known what he'd do.

No one but me.

There are 255 male Caucasians
with blood type O at Dixie.

Huh.

Fifty of them were working the
night shift during the murders.

Check and see if any of
the others have records.

And check the hair colours
of those samples...

that we've got, would you? And
the dental records along with...

Ask their personnel
about a Leander Rolfe.

Leander Rolfe?

How is she today?

She's better.

Penny would like to
spend the night.

That's all right.

You wait out here, sweetie.

My mother used to wear this.

Maybe you'd like to wear it too.

Telephone.

- Yeah?
- Bingo.

Leander Rolfe just finished doing
11 years at Angola State Prison...

- for going nuts one night...
- And raping two teenagers.

You remember him?

Yeah. He was a cop.

You knew him?

I arrested him.

He just left Dixie
Brewery a half-hour ago.

- What room is he in?
- 316.

Let's go.

You try in there.

I'm gonna tell you right now, I
could've just blown my stack.

How long has it been?

About an hour.

Do you think he saw us?

I don't know. Maybe.

Jake?

I just called and no one answers.

Well, she's in there,
and so is Restic.

Vic, anything?

Vic?

Jake, Vic's not answering.

Jake?

Jake?

I'm okay.

Get inside, will you, Joe?

You all right, Wes?