Tightrope (1984) - full transcript

- 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?