Miami Vice (1984–1989): Season 5, Episode 13 - The Cell Within - full transcript

Crack?
Wanna touch the sky?

Yeah, man.
Right.

Here you go.

Hey, hey,
you dealing?

No, Einstein,
I'm getting a tan.

This dude's
looking to score,
man.

Gave me five bucks
to make a connection.

Yeah?
Where's he at?

In a white limo.

He's parked
down there.

Where the hell
is he?



Hey,
I don't know man.

He was right
up there.

Hey, if you're
jerking me around, Luis.

Hey!

Hey, you looking
to get...

MAN: People, people,

may I have
your attention, please?

As the owner of
Books and Books,

it is with
considerable pleasure

that I introduce
a distinguished director
and filmmaker,

an artist who has
expanded the boundaries
of the medium

while challenging
our sensibilities
and our consciences.

Winner of the Academy Award,
the Golden Palm
and many others,

Robert Phelps.



Thank you,
book lovers.

The camera is a gun.
You load it,
you aim it, you shoot it.

You take life.

I've been a shooter
for a few years,

but I only make movies.

Jake Manning has
pulled the trigger
on real guns.

Yes, damn it.
He has killed,
he has run drugs,

but we must
remember that Jake

has transformed himself

into an artist,
in his books.

He has illuminated
the darkest regions
of human existence

so that we
can pass safely.

I am proud to be his
partner and I love him.

(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)

Thank you.

MANNING: Robert Phelps
and his films,

you've probably
seen a lot of them.

I'm a little nervous.

His genius really
saved me from being
consumed by my own madness.

Lockdown in C Block
was like

looking into
the mirror of my own soul.

After seeing it,
I wrote him a long...

A long, rambling,
kind of incoherent letter.

Page after page
of just madness.

Somehow,
he had reached
into my chaos

and contacted
my innermost self.

And...

Molded it,

until it finally
became the book that
you see here now.

So in many ways,

I owe what I am
to him.

Thanks.

(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)

Would you like to
sign one? Thank you
very much. Thank you.

You came.
I'm glad.

(LAUGHS)
Congratulations, Manny.

Thank you.

You know, it isn't
every day that somebody
that I bust

gets on
the bestseller list.

Well, let me
sign your book, huh?

All right.

Rico, that's Spanish
for "rich".

Hey, wishful thinking
on my mother's part.

I really thought
a lot about you
in the joint.

Yeah, I bet you did.

No, not that.
Not anymore.

Oh, I...
I hated you at first.

I mean,
you put me in hell,
you know.

But I had to go
through hell to
find myself.

Without you, I'd
have none of this.

I learned...
I learned so much.

I have so much to
talk to you about.

Please come over to
dinner tomorrow night.

Yeah, might be cool.

Great. Thanks.
All right.

Take care.
Thank you.

Yeah, likewise.
I'll see you then.

You're really
going to have dinner
with that guy?

Yeah.

He's reformed himself, Sonny.

How often do
we see a guy like that
in this business, huh?

Oh, about every time
the parole board
has a hearing.

You laugh,
but, man, I've been reading
his book, okay?

The dude is smart.
You gotta give him that much.

He put his time
behind bars to good
use. Educated himself.

Time to read,
think, write a book.

Damn, Rico.
Maybe we could use
some time in the hole.

Yeah, right.

Yeah, not to mention
the publishing deals,

the movie deals
these guys come out with.

No question about it,
buddy. We're on
the wrong end of the stick.

Look, aren't you
supposed to be on vacation
with your kid?

Yes, I'm out of here.

I'll see you, partner.
All right.

Enjoy yourself.

Thanks.

Lieutenant,
thanks a lot
for that fishing rod.

Billy's going to
love it.

Have a safe trip.

Thanks.

Rico,

Jake Manning
was a violent man
when you put him away.

Linked to two homicides.

Several more that
were never proven.

He threatened
your life.

Yeah.

Look, I met with him,
Lieutenant.

You know,
I read his book

and he's changed.

I really believe that.

Go armed.

I plan to.

MAN: Mr. Tubbs?

Yeah.

I'm Mr. Manning's
assistant.

I'm gonna take
you to the house.

You know,
you look very familiar.

What's your name?

Barry.
Barry Gay.

Battling Barry Gay?
Yup.

Hey, man, I saw you
take on Frank...

Frank... Bastone.
Bastone.

Bastone, yeah.
Animal.

Yeah, animal.

At the sports arena,
about eight or
nine years ago.

It was ten, Mr. Tubbs.

That long, huh?
Yeah.

Well, for whatever
it's worth, man,
I think you won the fight.

Yeah, well,
the judges
thought different.

Come on,
I'll take you out there.

All right.
This is nice.

Beautiful night,
man.

Yeah, beautiful night.

So, Barry, how long
you been working
for Manning?

Seven years.

That's a long
time, man.

Yeah. Cell mates
in prison.

Sorry to hear that.
Don't be.

If I hadn't gone to prison,
I never would have
met Mr. Manning.

He's been good
to me, made me
his personal assistant.

And we've got his book now,
a movie deal with Phelps.

The man constantly
amazes me.

Rico, so nice of
you to come.

Hey, my pleasure.

Man,
this is some crib.

Only in
the U.S.A., huh?

Thank you so much
for coming.

Hey, I'm glad to be here.
Thank you.

That will be all,
Barry, thank you.

Barry's a beautiful guy,
but he took one left hook
too many. Please.

Prison was a dank,
dirty hole,

but it was only there
that I was finally able to
read the great works.

Shakespeare,
Dostoyevsky,

Gerard Manley Hopkins,
the great poet priest.

From them,
and others like...

Like St. John of the Cross,
I learned

that everyone has
a dark night of the soul,
not just us criminals,

but every single human being.

Yeah, I agree.

You know, I also came
to understand that...

That people have to
be held responsible
for what they do.

And that's what was
lacking in my life.

I thought
I could just do anything
and damn the consequences.

Do you mind if
I showed you something?

Not at all.

I'm going to show
you some pictures.

When you see them,
I want you to,

you know,
just free associate.

Say the first thing
that comes to mind.

Okay.

Sex, drugs,
violence to society.

That's good.

What about this?

Insider trading,
greed, no respect
for society's laws.

And this?

I don't recognize
the face, but I say,

from the get up,
sadomasochism.

Heavy kink,
sexual weirdness.

A lot weirder than
you think, Rico.

You mentioned sadism?
This man invented it.

He's the Marquis de Sade.

Now, what about this?

Oh, yeah,
I recognize him.
Jason Lane.

Sex magazines,
clinical close-ups,
pornography.

Exactly.

And this same
Jason Lane

recently received
a humanitarian award
from a major college.

They even named
their journalism
school after him.

(EXCLAIMS)
That's bogus.

Rico,

there's like a cancer
spreading through
our whole culture.

A sociopath used to be
a marginal personality.

But now, he's become
a regular cultural type.

What with instant
replays on television,
instant foods, instant sex,

a so-called normal person
has become in fact
a sociopath,

requiring
instant gratification.

You know, I remember
when I was a kid
growing up,

my father and mother
would say, "Rico,

"if you learn a skill,
work hard, and
keep your nose clean,

"eventually you're gonna
get your reward."

You know, you think
like that today,

they call you a chump,
a loser.

That's it.
That's exactly it.

People today need
to understand

that there is no crime
without punishment.

That it's only
through punishment

that we learn
that we're real.

(STAMMERING)
That we have limits.

Rico, we need forceful people
who understand this

and are willing
to take action.

Wait a minute.
Wait, wait, wait, now.

If you're talking
vigilantism, uh-uh.
I don't swing with that.

No, no, no.
That's...

Of course not.
That's the rule of the mob.

No, no,
I'm talking about
something that's...

That's like... That's
an enlightened thing.

Yeah, right.

So, when are
the other guests coming?

There are
no other guests, Rico.

Just you and me.

Wait a minute, man.

This... You know,
this was advertised
as a dinner party.

I had to say that.

Come on. Be honest with me.

If I had said
we were dining alone,
would you have come?

No, probably not.

Well, where you going, man?

(GRUNTS)

MANNING: Good morning, Rico.

Look around you, my friend.

Now you know what
my cell was like.

This is an exact replica.

RICO: If you don't
let me out of here

you're gonna have a lot
more time in a new cell.

(LAUGHING)

Oh, that's very witty,
Rico, very witty.

And I'm so glad
you haven't lost
your sense of humor.

Don't count on it.

Any word from Rico?

Look, I called
his house and his car.

No answer.

I just sent a unit
over to his house.

No one there.

Maybe he got lucky last night
with some literary chick.

It's not like Rico
to be late for duty.

I got a bad feeling
about Manning.

You know, I read in
the paper something
about this Manning

working with
this far out director.

What was his name?

Robert Phelps.

He helped Manning
get parole.

Yeah, now they got
some TV deal together.

Call the parole board.

See if you can get
an address on Manning.

I'm going to
check out Phelps.

Switek, I want you
to help me on this.

MANNING:
If a man dares to
commit a great crime,

then one must also risk
suffering a great punishment.

Instead,
our society makes
excuses for criminals.

Lets them off with barely
a slap on the wrist.

Like this man,
Mason Jackson.

JACKSON: Let me out of here,
man! Let me out of here!

He makes his
living killing others.

You got no proof
of that.

I run
a legitimate business.

I first learned about
Mr. Jackson in prison.

Someone actually
suggested I hire him
to kill you.

JACKSON: Let me out of here!

Let him go.
I'll take my chances.

You're missing
the point.

The man has
killed repeatedly.

You got no right
to do this to me!

You're messing around
with the wrong...

Yet, thanks to
our woefully inadequate

judicial system,
he's set free

to walk the streets
and kill again.

Until I took matters
into my own hands.

Who gives you
the right to judge?

Nobody ever gave
anything to me Rico.

I took.

I had to.

Let me out of here.
I'll show you both
a good time.

MANNING: Isn't she beautiful?

Look at that face,
like the Madonna.

But she abuses
her God-given gifts

by peddling
filth and perversion.

So I have chosen to
make an example of her

to all those
of her kind.

Come on, Manning.
She's just a kid.

She propositioned me, Rico.

She's got to be punished.

ANNA: Mr. Manning?
Come on, don't go, Manning.
Come on. Let me out of here!

Hey, man,
how about cutting me
some slack, huh?

I mean,
what's this all about?

I ain't done nothing wrong.
All I do is get high.

You sell drugs, Eddie,
or had you forgotten?

Barry's been
watching Eddie for weeks.

I never hurt anybody.

You never hurt anybody.

You deal crack to
children, Eddie.

You enslave them
with your poison.

You, Eddie, you,
not me!

It wasn't my fault.

They begged me to
sell it to them, okay?

Everybody's full of excuses.

Nobody wants to take
responsibility for anything.

Which leads us to
our next boarder,
Mrs. Rhoda King.

What's she in for?

Prison psychiatrist.

Psychiatrist?

But she's not a criminal.

Wrong, Rico.
She's the worst of
them all.

All the others
are animals.

Blind, instinctual,
greedy...

But she's educated,
privileged, and yet she's a...

An apologist for them all!

You blame their actions
on their childhood,

rather than admitting that
evil exists and
must be punished.

Manning,
listen to yourself.

I know, you want me
to stop, right?

No, no,
there's no more talking.

Talking is over.
It's finished.

The time for
discussions is over.

RHODA: I think
we could deal with this
in another way.

I feel like I'm coming apart
or something, Mr. Phelps.

PHELPS: Why, Jake?

There's some kind
of blackness in me.

I don't want to
hurt anybody.

Inside of my body...

Can you help me?

PHELPS: There is evil
in all of us, Jake.

But you're an artist.

You can channel
the darkness boiling
inside you. You can use it.

Robert Phelps?

Yeah.

Lieutenant Martin Castillo,
Miami Vice.

I've been looking for you
for a couple of hours.
I went to your house.

They said that
you'd be here.

I need to ask you
some questions
about Jake Manning.

You want to
know about Jake?
Go read his book.

I have.

I've seen
your films, too.

They're good.

Thanks, palzy.
You can exit.

Would you say
that Jake Manning
is dangerous?

Dangerous?

You cops think
there's only
two kinds of people.

Good and bad.

You guys have been
trying to grind
Jake Manning down for years

as a drooling,
sociopath maniac.

You're dead wrong.

Mr. Phelps,

Manning invited
one of my men out for
dinner the other night.

He hasn't been seen since.

Detective Tubbs?

Yes.

You got nothing
to worry about.

Jake worships that cop.

Perhaps.

Could you give me
maybe an address
or a phone number?

No, no, no.

You got to promise me
you're not going to

send a bunch of goons in
to jump him.

Jake Manning is
kind of a special guy.

So were
the people that he killed.

They were special, too.

JACKSON: Manning! Manning!
You're messing around
with the wrong guy!

MANNING: I said it was
time for action, Rico,

and I'm a man of my word.

JACKSON: You can't do this,
man. You're crazy.

(JACKSON GRO ANING)

This man has killed.

Now,
he will pay the price.

(INAUDIBLE)

No, God!
Manning, this
isn't the way!

"Those that
remain behind
will hear and fear

"and shall henceforth
commit no more
such evil among you.

"They shall not pity,
but life shall
be exchange for life.

"An eye for an eye,

"a tooth for a tooth,

"burning for burning."

(JACKSON SCREAMING)

MANNING: Better make Rico's
a double, Barry. He sure
looks like he could use it.

Yes, sir, Mr. Manning.

RICO: No thanks.
I don't drink.

The first time's
always the roughest,
kid.

(SIGHS)

You gonna do all
the others like that?

Why not?
They deserve it.

Surely,
you can see that by now?

You know,
the only problem is,

these people
are small-timers.

You should really
be going after
the real criminals.

The real criminals?

Like who?

Like corrupt politicians,
judges on the take,

politicians who steal,
businessmen who steal
from the public.

Those are the real criminals.

Those are the ones
who really deserve
to be punished.

Why waste your time
juicing junkies and whores?

Go after
the big ones, man.

And I can help.

Oh, yeah?

How?

I know things.

I hear things that
can never be used
in court. Never.

Why should
they go unpunished
just because

they know how to
manipulate the system?

Yeah, yeah.

They act
so respectable
and self-righteous.

I truly hate them.

You and I could
make a perfect team.

Just like you
always dreamed about.

How do you know that?

I know you.

I do.

Just like Mr. Phelps?

I believe you do.

Why don't you
let the others go,

and we can go
after the big ones.

I don't know. I mean,
I still have that whore,
you know. I don't know.

I don't think
we can let her go
like that.

Oh, come on.
She's not worth it, man.

Just let her go.
She's not worth it.

She's filth, though,
you know.

She defiles sex,
you know.

And for this crime against

that most sacred act,

she is given 60 days
in the county jail.

(BOTH LAUGHING)

Yes, 60 days,
I mean... Hey, hey...

We can't...

Hey, come on.
Listen, listen.

I thought you were
smarter than that.

I mean,
I really thought you...

You know what?
Listen.

She's not a whore,
man.

You've been taken in.

Underneath,
she's pure.

Just let me talk to her,

and I'll prove it
to you.

Oh, you're not gonna
hurt me now, are you?

I promise I'll make
you feel really good.

Just don't hurt me,
okay?

(WATER RUNNING)

Sit up.

Will you help me?

Listen!
I promise to
treat you real good.

Just listen and
don't talk.

We've got to
transform you into
a virgin for Manning.

Is that what
he's into?
Making it with virgins?

You know, I can
do that fantasy
really good.

No, no, no,
you don't understand.

He hates sex.

You've got to act
like an innocent girl.

No matter what you do,
don't come on to him.

Oh, well, I think I know
a little bit more about
men than you do honey, okay?

Damn it, listen to me.

You are an innocent kid.

I'll contact you
if we get a lead.

That was
the warden at the prison
where Manning did time.

Their psychiatrist,
a Rhoda King, has been
missing for two days.

Oh, God.

She mentioned
an invitation
by Manning.

That address that
Phelps gave you is
a vacant apartment.

Doesn't look like
Manning ever
moved in.

Stake out Phelps.
He may try to get in
contact with Manning.

No matter what
he says or does,
do you understand?

Yeah, I think.

Hey, are you sure?

Yeah.

First, we got to
clean you up.

Get this junk
off your face.

I am very impressed.

I told you,
appearances can
be deceptive.

You may be right.

Oh, Mr. Manning,
she's just a whore.

Shut up!

Who are you to judge
another person's soul?

You're just
a punch-drunk fighter.

Rico has exposed

the real Anna.

RICO: I'm glad you agree.

Anna is anxious to return
home to her parents.

Of course,
after we talk.

Wait a minute,
you said you'd let her go.

I want to talk to
Anna alone.

Keep Rico company
while I'm gone.

He's up there.

Well, this is
the last address
I got, Lieutenant.

Yeah, I wish
I could be of more help.

Yeah, all right.
Thank you.

He shouldn't have
hit you like that, man.

Yeah, well, he did.
It didn't hurt.

A real friend
wouldn't have never done
something like that.

A real friend
would've treated you
with respect.

He is my friend
and he needs me.

He needed you
in prison. Not now.

He hangs around
with movie stars,
appears on TV.

He never takes you
to do things
like that, right?

No. No, he don't.

I think he made us.

Come on.

I'll get the other exit.

Stan, Phelps is
heading north
on 12th Avenue.

He's in
a black convertible.

I'm on him.

How many? 50, 100?

How many men
have you slept with?

You can tell me.

Tell me what happened
to you.

How did you start
on the dark road?

My father.

Your father?

You, too?

He attacked me
when I was a little kid.

He made me do
awful things.

When he gets caught,
and he will, he's gonna
tell them you did it.

No, man.
He wouldn't do that, man.

You said yourself,
he's a genius.

You think a genius
is gonna take a fall?
No, man.

He's gonna tell everybody
that you did it.

You're gonna
take a fall, Barry,

and he's gonna cash in
on a new book.

Nah.

Yeah. But if
you help me, man,

I'll make sure
the police know that
Manning killed them.

You'd do that?

Yeah. Let me have
the keys to
the cell, Barry.

Come on, Barry.
Come on, man.

Do it while
there's a chance.

No, man.

You were as lonely
as I was.

I was.
Completely alone.

You know,
I just wish I could go back
to being a kid again.

'Cause I was happy then.

Yeah, I'm sure
you were.

Does that feel good?

Do you like that?

Do you want me to?

I want you to do
what you want.

(LAUGHS)

How about that?
Do you like that?

Is that nice?
Do you like that?

Yes, I like it fine.

That was the wrong answer.

Hey, go get
some help, fast.

Thank God.
Is it over?

Not yet,
I got to go
find the girl.

(BARRY SCREAMING)

Get the gun!

Get the gun!

I'm very disappointed
in you, Rico.

Well, how do you feel,
detective?

There's no way
you're going to get
away with this, Manning.

No way.
You might as well
give it up now.

Oh, is that so?

Yeah, that's so.

Look, Eddie's going
straight to the cops, man.
Straight to the cops.

You put a lot of
faith in junkies.

The clock's ticking, man.

But not for Eddie.

I told Barry to
take him alive,

but you know Barry.

Barry gets excited.

There's no end to
my disappointment
in you, Rico.

I had hoped that
we could work as a team.

Maybe I expected
too much, huh?

Maybe words are
incapable of conveying

what I feel
when I do these things.

God help you.

You are a sick,
twisted man.

No, no, no.
Listen to me,
listen to me.

Listen to me.
I swear...

Yes, yes!
You are sick! Sick!

I've never felt better.

I want you to feel,
Rico, what I feel.

Rico...

lf...

If you were to

push the switch and
electrocute Dr. King,

then you'd feel
what I feel.

Then maybe...
Maybe you'd understand.

I understand.

Oh, yeah,
I understand one thing.

The only person
that should be
in that chair is you, Jake.

You talk to her
now and you'll see,

she deserves to die.

You all right?

Yeah, I'm all right.

Eddie didn't make it.

I'm next, aren't I?
Aren't I?

I'm not going
to let anything
happen to you.

No, no!
Oh, my God.

Listen.
Listen, stop it.

No, please,
not me! No!

Stop it, stop it!

There's no time
for that.

Listen, listen.
We've got to think.

Listen,
we've got to think,
okay?

(WHIMPERING)

Okay?

We've got to think.

All gassed and
ready to go, sir.

Phelps got
a boat from some kid
and took off.

There's no way
I'm gonna be able
to follow him.

MARTIN: See if the kid
knows where Phelps is headed.

I'll get
a Metro police boat
and pick you up.

Right.

You two had
your important chat?

I explained
everything.

Rhoda
understands now.

She sees her mistakes.

You don't have to do this.

Well, I'm not going to.
Rico, you are.

Jake,
I'm begging you
to spare me.

Really?

Tell me, my dear,

how long have you had
this martyr complex?

I am so sorry.

Please.

Please give me
another chance.

Please?

Please, please.

Strap her in the chair!
No, Manning!

Get up, get up.
I said, get up!

Jake-O!

(ALARM BLARING)

What about them?

Lock 'em up.

Wake up,
wake up,
they're gone.

What are you doing?

(PANTING)
Trying to remember
what Mr. Wizard

said about electricity.

Mr. Phelps.
Why didn't you call?

I would have come
to meet you.
Yeah, yeah.

The detective,
is he here?

Yes, he's here
with the others.

What others?

Well, the other guests.
They all stayed over.

Well, where is he?

Because the cops
are going nuts.

He hasn't called in.

Oh, we can't do that.
I mean, he would
tell them to call here,

and that would
ruin everything.

Ruin what?

Our work.
Our work, Robert.

We've done so much,
but there's so much
more to do, Robert.

We've got Tubbs on
the verge of
a major breakthrough.

What the hell
are you doing?

What have you done,
Manning?

I'm educating them,
Robert.

Well, why don't
you show me that?

That's a good idea.
You can watch him do it.

What do you think?
Beautiful, isn't it?

You idiot!

What do you mean?

What are you trying
to get me into?

Tubbs! I got nothing
to do with this.

You're in it now, Phelps.
Talk to Jake.

What are you
talking about?

Bobby, you're the one
who said I was an outlaw.

You're the one
who said that

we were both outside
bourgeois reality.

(STAMMERING)
That we were both
over the edge.

Jake-O!

That's a metaphor.

Wait, wait,
wait a minute...

It's not real.

No, don't, Bobby.
No, you'll make me...

A metaphor.

What do you mean,
a metaphor? What is...

It means
I didn't tell you to
kill anybody really!

Wait a minute,
Bobby... A metaphor...

You're just
a cheap hustler like
all the rest of them.

You glorify death and
violence for profit.

You're worse than she is!

It's time
you lived up to
your principles, Robert.

You celebrate
the dark side,

now you're going
to experience it.

(SHOUTING)

You like existential
dilemmas, consider this.

Is it murder if you
kill to save yourself?

Don't do it, Phelps!

Shut up!

Let Jake do
his own killing.

Shut up!

Let me say it less
passionately, Robert.

Pull that switch
or I'll blow you away,
so help me God.

No!
Do it!

No!
MANNING: Do it!

(SOBBING)
I can't, I can't.

You...

Do it, Barry!

Police! Freeze!

RICO: It's all over,
Manning!

Put your hands
behind your head
and drop to your knees!

Don't be stupid.

This isn't the way.

Jake, you set
yourself up, man.

(COUGHS)

You've finally done it.

Done what?

I've never been...

Free, Rico.