T.J. Hooker (1982–1986): Season 3, Episode 3 - Chinatown - full transcript
Hooker's looking for an arms dealer and the trail brings him to Chinatown. And Hooker comes face to face with a man whose wife Hooker was involved with years ago when she thought her husband was dead. What Hooker doesn't know is that he is the man he is looking for. And he meets the woman's daughter who could be his.
(upbeat music)
(calm music)
- What's bothering you, partner?
That's the second time you've
checked that safety tonight.
- I don't like it, Hooker.
Assaults, robberies, going down,
with automatic weapons,
makes a guy uptight.
- It was crazy
enough in the streets
when the bad guys were
packing Saturday night specials.
Now it's a shooting gallery,
and we're the targets.
(exciting music)
(fireworks firing)
(people clamoring)
(chickens clucking)
- I really don't like
it, here, George.
Why can't we go?
- Soon, baby.
- [Mysterious Man] Now,
come in through the back,
and hit them hot and fast.
- Get ready.
(guns cocking)
(dramatic music)
(gun firing) (people screaming)
Nobody move, or this
turns you all into Chop Suey.
Give us your money,
give me the money, now!
Come on, come on, come
on, come on, come on.
Move, move!
(radio beeping)
- [Police Radio Operator]
All units in the vicinity
of 305 Magnolia, shots
fired at the warehouse.
- That's Chinatown.
- Six blocks
over, let's grab it.
4Adam30, we've got it.
(upbeat music)
(police siren wails)
- 4Adam16, rolling
back up to 30.
(police siren wails)
(dramatic music)
- [TJ] Hold, police!
(dramatic music)
Police, everybody
out of the way!
Freeze!
(magical music)
- [George] Come on!
(dramatic music)
Hold it!
Freeze!
(gun fires)
(dramatic music)
(police siren wails)
(dramatic music)
(gun fires)
(gun fires)
(gun fires)
(gun fires) (car explodes)
(dramatic music)
- Hold it right there!
(gun fires)
(gun cocks)
The next one
shoots off your tail!
(dramatic music)
(police radio chatters)
- [TJ] Lieutenant,
this suspect's name
is James Fong, a resident,
according to his payroll
stub he worked
here in Chinatown.
Circle is closing, Lieutenant.
- That circle leads
nowhere, Hooker,
we've got other
leads to Chinatown.
We've been all over this area,
everybody's come up empty.
- The marking on
this Mag 10 is North
Vietnamese army,
they mark their weapons.
Every one of them, the same way,
even the ones
they catch from us.
Like this one, here.
- Okay, so the automatics
are coming in from Asia.
- Another suspect
spilled that he saw Fong
take a delivery on that
gun, from another Chinese.
- It's backed up by the
suspect Corrigan, Lieutenant.
- Everything points to Chinatown
being the distribution point.
- You didn't listen to me,
hooker, Chinatown is a dead end!
- Now, look, any one of us could
have been cut down
by their firepower.
We were damn lucky!
That thing spits out
1200 rounds a minute.
I wanna get those
guns off the street.
- Nobody wants it
more than I do, Hooker,
and I'm gonna make it happen!
It's gonna buy me a
set of Captain's bars.
But I am not gonna
waste any manpower
down here, not
when it's to no avail!
- Lieutenant, I'd
rather ask, politely,
to be assigned to this
beat, than go over your head.
But if I have to, I will.
- You are one perverse
commodity, Hooker.
The department has
been trying to get you
back in Chinatown for
what, some 18 years,
and you wouldn't have it!
Now, all of a sudden,
you want back.
- No, I don't want back,
it's painful to come back.
But if I'm gonna get these
guns off the street, and I am,
I'm gonna have
to, I have no choice.
- And you're not giving me any.
- Well, look at it
this way, if I'm right,
you get your Captain's
bars, and I'm out of your hair.
(Lieutenant sighs)
- Hooker, are you all right?
- Yeah.
- Hey, look, I
realize the shootings
put us both on
edge, but I know you.
Something's eating at you.
- Oh, it's nothing.
(magical music)
For a moment, there, when
everything was going down,
I thought I saw
someone in the crowd.
- Who?
- That's a good question.
Not who I thought I
saw, that's for sure.
(dramatic music)
(calm music)
(knocking at door)
(TJ singing)
- Hi, there's coffee,
donuts, I'll be right with you.
(shower water running)
(TJ singing)
What do you think?
(donut clatters to table)
- I think somebody
had that one bronzed.
- No, the shirt, you like it?
- Somehow, it's not you.
- I don't think so, either.
It came back with
my wash, so I thought,
you know, maybe I'd...
- Hooker, how can
you live like this?
- I'm just passing through,
I'm looking for an apartment.
- You said that two months ago!
- You mean because
I'm not at the marina,
by the pool, surrounded by
a bevy of bikini-ed beauties?
I'll let you handle
that action, trigger.
Let me get my gun,
I'll be right with you.
- You know, the talk
around the locker room
says Lieutenant
Drummer had a right.
You cut a wide path from
Chinatown a few years back.
- [TJ] Don't believe
everything you hear.
- They say the youth
gangs are running wild,
and the Tongs are on
the verge of taking sides.
- The Tongs have
always been family affairs.
It was only natural for
them to protect their sons.
But that was 18
years ago, things have
cooled down since then,
unity's come together.
- Yeah?
I hear you had a
lot to do with that.
A lot of people in
Chinatown owe you.
You know that Mai
Ling Trading Company
you were talking about?
We could check there
after we get in uniform,
anybody there owe you?
- No, junior, that's one place
nobody owes me anything.
- Kay, so where's that coffee
you were talking about, huh?
- Sorry, I'm fresh out.
- How do you know,
you haven't even looked!
Not that it would help.
- Well, I keep the
coffee in the bathroom.
It's part of my new system.
See, I get up every morning,
creep into the bathroom.
I look in the mirror, I say,
"Would coffee help that face?"
I open the cabinet
door, there's my coffee!
I have a cup of coffee,
doesn't help the face.
You want that?
- No, no, no, no, save it.
It'd make a great paperweight.
(donut clatters to table)
(martial artists shouting)
(swords clanging)
- Ancient art of combat.
Impressive, huh?
- Maybe, but when
you're knocking
off a bank, you need
more than sticks and chains.
- How many pieces
are we talking about?
- Six Uzis, I need
them by tomorrow.
Can you handle that?
- If you can handle
the payout, $6000.
- Don't try to rip me off, Po.
The going price
for an Uzi is $500.
- Then maybe you should
buy them from somebody else.
- Can I make a
connection by tomorrow?
- Six Uzis for $6000,
take it or leave it.
- When can I have them?
- In the morning.
Stay by your phone,
when I call, get ready to roll.
(martial artists shouting)
(swords clanging)
Stuck it to him good, Mr. Khan.
- Black market guns,
and black market prices.
- I told you I could
get you buyers.
- I knew you could,
that's why I chose you.
(dramatic music)
(calm music)
(mysterious flute music)
- I'm Sergeant Hooker,
this is Officer Romano.
You must be Mai Ling's daughter.
- Yes, I am.
My mother died
almost a year ago.
- Yes, I know, I'm sorry.
I didn't know Mai
Ling had a daughter
until I talked to some
friends in Chinatown.
- This is Chow Dok Khan, he
is the widower of my mother.
- [Vince] How you doing?
Was it something I said?
- No, nothing,
that's just his way.
- I saw you at the
cockfight last night.
- I didn't want to be
there to begin with,
and didn't know about the
cockfighting 'til it started.
Robbery and the shooting
only made it worse.
- The suspect who was
wounded, James Fong.
Had a payroll stub,
he worked here.
- He quit without
notice, last week.
He was our shipping clerk.
- What can you
tell me about him?
- Very little, shipping
and receiving
is supervised by Chow Dok
Khan, and James worked for him.
- Can you ask Chow Dok
Khan to step in here, please?
- I'm afraid he's gone.
- How do you know
if you don't look?
- I just know.
- Tell Chow Dok Khan that
we'll be back to talk to him.
It was a pleasure meeting you...
- Nancy.
- Nancy.
Let's keep moving, junior.
(door bells ring)
- You have some very
beautiful things here.
I could use something
for my apartment.
Like maybe that vase.
- This is Ming Dynasty.
- Ming Dynasty?
- $1200.
- It's worth every
penny, I'm sure.
- Come on partner,
we got work to do!
- Maybe you could show
me some others, another time.
I'll be back.
(mysterious flute music)
Hooker, she is beautiful,
anything like her mother?
- Carbon copy.
(mysterious flute music)
(upbeat rock music)
♪ Heartbreaker
♪ You're taking
my life on the pawn
♪ I thought I was special to you
♪ I thought everything
would work out fine
♪ Guess I was just a fool
- Come on, come
on, we're waiting!
- Romano said you
couldn't keep your eyes
off that girl in the shop today,
that you knew her mother.
- It was a long time
ago, it was a lifetime.
That was easy, Chinatown
was my first beat.
She was perfection.
Like rare jade.
Her father was Chinese,
her mother was American.
- You wanted to marry her?
- We never got that far.
- She turned you down?
- Well, it wasn't that easy.
Her husband showed up. (laughs)
(Jim laughs)
- Hooker, you devil, you.
- Well, when I first met Mai
Ling, she thought he was dead.
Actually, she hardly knew him,
it was an arranged marriage.
The day after the ceremony,
he took off, on a business trip.
And his ship went down
somewhere off the China coast.
A report came back, saying
that there was no survivors.
- [Vince] But no such luck?
- Well, when he turned
up, out of the blue,
almost a year later,
we had quite a problem.
- Oh, yeah, I'll bet.
- You did the right thing,
you made it easier for her.
- You walked away, and
never came back to Chinatown.
- 'Til now.
- My dear old friend.
- Lee Chan.
(TJ speaking Chinese)
- Ho ho!
- I see you're still
alive and kicking!
- Well, my kickers
lost their steam,
but, ah, yes, I'm still living!
(TJ laughs)
- This is Lee Chan, my friends.
Stacy Sheridan, Jim Corrigan.
- Hello, hello.
Vince Romano.
- Hello, welcome, welcome.
Your restaurant
has become a mica.
- One must change
with times, but,
as always, I serve
the best Chinese food.
I never thought you
would return here.
- I had to come,
I'm here to track
down the source of the
illegal automatic weapons.
- It's more than rumor, that
they emanate from Chinatown.
- I figured, if there was
something to know, you'd know it.
- People have been seen
who don't belong here.
Strangers, and
yet, not tourists.
They could be the buyers
of the illegal weapons.
But as for the sellers...
(mysterious flute music)
(dramatic music)
- The Uzis are moving
faster than we thought.
It's our last six!
- The next shipment is
due at the end of this week.
The bill of lading
will say it's teakwood.
- Oh, how many pieces?
- 200, COD.
We're gonna need
a pretty good sized
sale to make the payment.
- Don't worry, I'll
come up with a buyer.
(calm music)
(drill sergeant shouting)
- I picked this up
at the desk, Hooker.
The rundown on Chow Dok Khan.
- I could figure that he
came back to the States
about the time the automatic
weapons started to show up.
- Bunch of misdemeanors,
three felony arrests,
but nothing proven.
- And nothing recent.
- Everything here
dates back to before he
left the country the last time.
- Well, you got
your way, Hooker.
So, what have you turned
up so far down in Chinatown?
- Well, nothing concrete, but I
think we may be onto something.
- I think, and maybe, don't get
guns off the street, Sergeant.
- Neither does
standing around here
talking about it, Lieutenant.
(dramatic music)
- Let's go.
(dramatic music)
(mysterious music)
- That's it, six Uzis.
- It's all there, Po.
- So it is, nice doing
business with you.
Let's go.
- We're not leaving
all that money behind.
We let Po get rid of his muscle,
then we take it all back.
I know where he
hangs out. (chuckles)
- I don't know,
Hooker, all you've got
is the time
correlation, and the fact
that Chow Dok Khan has
a possible importing cover,
in the trading company,
it's really not hard evidence.
- You're right, junior.
Maybe I'm pressing, maybe
it's for personal reasons.
Maybe it's not.
I want to do this alone.
- What is it today,
Sergeant Hooker?
Police business, or
did you come by to talk?
- I came to talk to you about
your father, Chow Dok Khan.
- He isn't here.
- But maybe you can help me.
I understand he was out of the
country, for more than a
year, up to four months ago.
- Yes, he was in Taiwan,
Laos, and Thailand.
- What was he doing there
besides buying for the shop?
- It's not my business to know.
Chow Dok Khan's
privacy is respected.
He is the head of the family.
- I think he may be
involved in something illegal.
- You want to know about Chow
Dok Khan, ask Chow Dok Khan.
- All right, where
can I find him?
- At this hour, probably
at the House of Shanghai.
Hooker?
I know you knew
my mother, Hooker.
- Yes, I did know her.
I didn't say anything
because I wasn't sure what,
I wasn't sure if she
told you about us.
- She told me,
almost everything.
Maybe you can fill
in the missing pieces.
- We'll get together and talk.
- After you've found
what you've come
to search for in Chinatown?
- Nancy, that shooting the
other night at the cockfight.
That's happening all over town.
Somebody is bringing
in automatic weapons.
Innocent people are
being hurt and killed.
I think those weapons are being
funneled through
here, Chinatown.
Any help you can give me,
I need.
- You thinking
what I'm thinking?
- What's that, junior?
- Nancy, if you
count the years back,
you could be her father.
- Life isn't always
that tidy, junior.
- Yeah, well, maybe
not, but I'd sure
rather have you
as a father-in-law
than that Chow Dok character.
I think.
- Thanks.
- I think.
- This is a private club.
- We'd like to ask you some
questions, Chow Dok Khan.
- Too bad, I would rather
you came for a lesson.
- I don't think we need
any lessons from you.
- Oh, you're versed
in martial arts?
- Yeah, versed enough.
- Perhaps Sergeant
Hooker will show his skill.
I'd be happy to act as a
subject for his demonstration.
- We could ask you
some questions here,
or we could take you in.
- Have us miss a display of
your expertise in martial arts?
- Don't push it.
I ask, you answer, I
go, it's very simple.
- I hear the words, Hooker,
the tone indicates some fear.
As I recall, fear was not enough
to keep you away from my home!
And my wife!
- You're really begging
for it, aren't you?
- It was astute
of you to notice.
- Hey, nobody panic!
We just want Po!
- Cops!
- Hold, police!
(dramatic music)
- There they are!
(upbeat music)
- Everybody in the
square, take your mark!
(gun firing)
Freeze!
Drop the gun, drop it!
- Put your hands
behind your back.
- Hands on your head!
Guess it wasn't your day, pal.
Walking in on two cops.
- Yeah, that's the way the
fortune cookie crumbles.
(triumphant music)
(calm music)
The two guys that
came after you,
we found six Uzis in
the trunk of their car.
They said they
bought them from you.
- (laughs) And you believe that?
- Why should we believe you?
- Because I'm a tax-paying
citizen with no police record.
- Po, you're not smart enough
to run this operation alone,
but maybe you're smart
enough not to take the fall for it.
- Fall, for what?
I don't know what
you're talking about.
- Yes you do, and
you're gonna tell us.
- Hey, this is the
20th century, man.
And I think my rights
have been violated here.
Now, I want to see
a lawyer, and maybe
talk about police harassment!
- (sighs) You're not
worth harassment.
- You stay away from
Nancy Khan, she's mine.
- We'll see about that.
Let's put a tail on him,
see where it takes us.
- Not a chance, Hooker,
we've got nothing.
I can't justify that!
- I thought you wanted to
get the guns off the streets.
- If you think I'm gonna ask for
24 hour surveillance,
based on the statement
of a couple of armed punks,
you've got another guess coming.
- That's right,
Drummer, play it safe,
don't take any chances.
- You watch your mouth, Hooker.
I'll have you up
for insubordination.
- No you won't, you need me.
How else are you gonna
get your Captain's bars?
- What did you get from Po?
- Lies, and a warning,
stay away from Nancy Khan.
- So what do you do now?
- When I go in to watch,
I go see Nancy Khan.
(dramatic music)
(mysterious flute music)
- What's wrong?
- I was thinking
about your mother.
We used to come here a lot.
- Her life wasn't happy.
Chow Dok Khan wasn't
exactly a loving husband.
- I wish things could
have been different.
- My mother told
me what happened.
She talked about you a lot.
I don't go in much
for Chinese proverbs,
but it is said, laming
oneself for fate
is like laming oneself
for rain, things happen.
- That teahouse,
your mother and I
used to meet there
on my lunch breaks.
- I remember her
mentioning that.
And telling me some of
the things you said to her.
I used to daydream
that my mother's
prince in blue
was my real father.
- That's a bit
fanciful, isn't it?
- Maybe.
But it's possible, you know?
- I'd be proud to have
you as my daughter.
- Hooker, my mother
left me a letter.
Told me to open
it after she died.
She said the
letter would tell me
who my real father was.
- And?
- Never opened it,
afraid to find out the truth.
What do you think, Hooker?
- Mai Ling gave you the letter.
It's your decision, not mine.
(dramatic music)
George Po, how
well do you know him?
- We've dated.
- What does he do, how
does he earn a living?
- He works for Chow Dok
Khan, but not at the shop.
(mysterious music)
- I think he's
involved with those
illegal weapons
I told you about.
- This is Chinatown, Hooker,
a lot of things go on here.
- And now you tell me he
works for Chow Dok Khan?
- Are you suggesting
they're using
my mother's business
to import guns?
- Nancy, I know Chinatown,
and what happens
here as well as you do.
Be careful.
(mysterious flute music)
(calm music)
- You find out anything
from Nancy yesterday?
- Just that George Po
works for Chow Dok Khan,
in some capacity,
but she couldn't
tie either one of them to
the illegal weapons operation.
- Looks like Chow Dok Khan
has himself pretty well covered.
- There may be a way
through his smokescreen.
Sid Ennis.
- The guy Corrigan
and Stacy took down
at the cockfight robbery?
- Yeah.
I don't know, Hooker,
detectives have
been working on him,
and he hasn't cracked.
- That's why I asked
the DA, this morning,
to give me a shot at Ennis.
The DA gave me an
okay to offer him a deal.
(dramatic music)
- I talked with the
DA, he's willing
to extend himself, if
you'll play along with us.
- You mean, I walk?
- Screw your head
back on, will you, Ennis?
You're part of an armed robbery
involving illegal
automatic weapons.
- You're looking at
10 years hard time
in a state prison, man.
- The DA is willing
to reduce that
to five to eight, county time,
if you'll do this
into George Po.
- Hey, wait a minute, I
don't know if I can do that.
I mean, I don't even
know if it'll work!
- Okay, Ennis,
it's your decision.
Farm or the joint.
- Come on.
- Wait a minute,
what's going on here?
What are you doing
with my prisoner?
- Trying to get you what
you want, your Captain's bars.
I'd handle the other guy myself,
but George Po knows
me, I can't afford
to let Chow Dok Khan
know we're onto him.
- I haven't been
under cover in a while,
the change could be interesting.
The cover name I'm
using belongs to a scuzz
I busted a couple of years
back in Frisco, Floyd Nella.
- Sounds righteous, Floyd.
(mysterious music)
- No, I don't know, I don't
know if I can pull this off!
- Hey, man, you
wanna spend the rest
of your life rotting in
some stinking cell, huh?
- No, no!
- Then get it together!
(knocking on door)
- Yeah.
- Yeah, I wanna talk to
George Po, it's business.
- See if he's in,
what's your name?
- Sid Ennis, tell him I'm
a friend of Jimmy Fong's.
Tell him that,
just tell him that.
- All right, wait here.
(door buzzes)
- You wanted to see me?
- Yeah, you're the
guy, I saw Jimmy
Fong make the gun buy from you.
- (scoffs) He must be mistaken.
- Hey, you don't have
to play cute with me.
I was there when Jimmy got shot.
- I heard you were in custody.
- Yeah, well, my
buddy, here, Floyd Nella
got me a high priced
lawyer, sprung me out on bail.
But I ain't going
back, so if I make this
little deal here, lets
me in for a little share.
I'm going to Acapulco.
- What kind of deal
are we talking about?
- Ennis tells me you have enough
automatic weapons
to outfit my crew.
- Exactly what is it
that you're looking for?
- 20 pieces, with a lot of ammo.
I prefer AK-47s, but I know
the ammo is hard to come by.
- AK-47s are hard to come by.
Now, if they were
available, I'm sure
you'd have to pay
a premium for it.
- They're worth about $600
a piece, I'll give you a grand.
- Sorry, pal, the premium
I was talking about
is $1000 above the going price.
- $1600, 20 guns,
that's $32000, forget it.
And you can forget
about Acapulco.
- Wait a minute, there's got to
be a way we can work this out.
25 grand.
That's pretty good.
- 30.
- 28.
- Okay.
- That's better.
That's really fair!
- Tomorrow, call me here,
I'll tell you where and when.
Hey, make sure
you have the money.
- I've got the money.
(dramatic music)
(mysterious music)
(door bells ring)
- Hike it up. (George grunting)
(mysterious music)
(calm music)
- Yes, I will, hey, Nancy.
You've done enough,
I'll handle it from here.
You just settle down, attagirl.
Nancy saw Chow Dok Khan and Po
go down into a secret room
in the basement of the shop.
She followed them down,
and she got an eyeful,
the room was filled with guns.
- Confirms we're on track.
- Well, what are we waiting for?
Let's get over there
and clean out that room.
- Hold on.
We want those guns, but
we also want Chow Dok Khan.
- That's right, we
stick with our plan.
- You know what
I can't figure out?
How can there be a secret room
when Lieutenant
Drummer said Chinatown
has been combed, top to bottom?
- While we were at
the Moon Pagoda,
Lee Chan told me
about the hidden city
that's sitting
underneath Chinatown.
- Sounds mysterious.
- When laborers were
bought from China
to build the
railroad, they didn't
have any rights, they
were treated like slaves.
The underground
city is where they hid
from Wai Lao, the
people they called
the devil persons who
robbed and preyed on them.
- That still doesn't
answer my question.
- Drummer and
his men didn't find
the underground
chambers and passages,
because they were that well-hid,
and Chinatown has been
rebuilt several times since then.
The hidden chambers
were covered over long ago.
- But Chow Dok Khan
found one that wasn't?
- Check.
And we're gonna
close it up as soon
as we nail Chow Dok
Khan with his hands dirty.
- So we proceed as planned,
and get Po out of the way.
- That's where
we're going, junior.
(dramatic music)
(calm music)
- Po, up against the car!
Hand on your head.
- Wait a minute,
what's the beef?
- We're taking you
in for questioning.
- You already did that.
- Just let us, we need practice.
(sinister music)
(swords clanging)
- The cops just picked up Po.
- Why, why did
they pull him for?
- He's talking about
new questions.
What about the delivery today?
You think you can
get Po out in time?
- I've got to get a
lawyer down here.
- Should we call it off?
- No, I'll make the
delivery myself.
Go out, I'll meet
you at the truck.
- Tiger Two to Tiger Leader.
- Go, Tiger Two.
- I'm ready to move
in to make the buy.
- [TJ] You're looking
good from here, go for it.
- Tiger Two, roger and
out. (dramatic music)
Where's Po?
- He couldn't make it.
- I'm handling the transaction.
- I don't know you, I'm
not dealing with any flunky.
- I'm Chow Dok
Khan, Po works for me.
It is my guns you're buying.
You were to bring $20000.
- I wanna see what I'm buying
before I give you the money.
- Looks like Corrigan
has the hook in.
Reel them in, Jim, reel them in.
- Where's the money, Mr. Nella?
- It's going down,
I'll cover the back.
- Let's go. (dramatic music)
- Cops, it's a setup!
He's blown his cover!
(dramatic music)
- Freeze!
(Chow shouts)
(guns firing)
(guns firing)
(men grunting)
- Freeze!
(dramatic music)
- I've waited 18 years for this!
You can take nothing
more from me, Hooker!
- [TJ] I never took
anything from you,
not that I didn't
want to, but I made
a mistake, I respected
Mai Ling's wishes.
(Chow shouts)
(men shouting)
(dramatic music)
(men shouting)
(Chow grunting)
(flute music)
(triumphant music)
(calm music)
- [TJ] The letter
your mother left,
telling you who
your real father is.
No matter what it
says, I want you to know
that I won't stay
away, the way I did.
After all, you are
Mai Ling's daughter,
and I care about you very much.
Are you sure you
want to know the truth?
Whether I really
am your real father?
- I want to know
the truth that I want.
- We don't always
get what we want.
(magical music)
- Now we will never
know, neither of us.
- Maybe it's better, we
can keep our dreams.
Both of us.
(flute music)
- Well?
- It's Chinatown, junior,
there's some questions here
to which we will never
know the answers.
(calm music)
(upbeat music)
(calm music)
- What's bothering you, partner?
That's the second time you've
checked that safety tonight.
- I don't like it, Hooker.
Assaults, robberies, going down,
with automatic weapons,
makes a guy uptight.
- It was crazy
enough in the streets
when the bad guys were
packing Saturday night specials.
Now it's a shooting gallery,
and we're the targets.
(exciting music)
(fireworks firing)
(people clamoring)
(chickens clucking)
- I really don't like
it, here, George.
Why can't we go?
- Soon, baby.
- [Mysterious Man] Now,
come in through the back,
and hit them hot and fast.
- Get ready.
(guns cocking)
(dramatic music)
(gun firing) (people screaming)
Nobody move, or this
turns you all into Chop Suey.
Give us your money,
give me the money, now!
Come on, come on, come
on, come on, come on.
Move, move!
(radio beeping)
- [Police Radio Operator]
All units in the vicinity
of 305 Magnolia, shots
fired at the warehouse.
- That's Chinatown.
- Six blocks
over, let's grab it.
4Adam30, we've got it.
(upbeat music)
(police siren wails)
- 4Adam16, rolling
back up to 30.
(police siren wails)
(dramatic music)
- [TJ] Hold, police!
(dramatic music)
Police, everybody
out of the way!
Freeze!
(magical music)
- [George] Come on!
(dramatic music)
Hold it!
Freeze!
(gun fires)
(dramatic music)
(police siren wails)
(dramatic music)
(gun fires)
(gun fires)
(gun fires)
(gun fires) (car explodes)
(dramatic music)
- Hold it right there!
(gun fires)
(gun cocks)
The next one
shoots off your tail!
(dramatic music)
(police radio chatters)
- [TJ] Lieutenant,
this suspect's name
is James Fong, a resident,
according to his payroll
stub he worked
here in Chinatown.
Circle is closing, Lieutenant.
- That circle leads
nowhere, Hooker,
we've got other
leads to Chinatown.
We've been all over this area,
everybody's come up empty.
- The marking on
this Mag 10 is North
Vietnamese army,
they mark their weapons.
Every one of them, the same way,
even the ones
they catch from us.
Like this one, here.
- Okay, so the automatics
are coming in from Asia.
- Another suspect
spilled that he saw Fong
take a delivery on that
gun, from another Chinese.
- It's backed up by the
suspect Corrigan, Lieutenant.
- Everything points to Chinatown
being the distribution point.
- You didn't listen to me,
hooker, Chinatown is a dead end!
- Now, look, any one of us could
have been cut down
by their firepower.
We were damn lucky!
That thing spits out
1200 rounds a minute.
I wanna get those
guns off the street.
- Nobody wants it
more than I do, Hooker,
and I'm gonna make it happen!
It's gonna buy me a
set of Captain's bars.
But I am not gonna
waste any manpower
down here, not
when it's to no avail!
- Lieutenant, I'd
rather ask, politely,
to be assigned to this
beat, than go over your head.
But if I have to, I will.
- You are one perverse
commodity, Hooker.
The department has
been trying to get you
back in Chinatown for
what, some 18 years,
and you wouldn't have it!
Now, all of a sudden,
you want back.
- No, I don't want back,
it's painful to come back.
But if I'm gonna get these
guns off the street, and I am,
I'm gonna have
to, I have no choice.
- And you're not giving me any.
- Well, look at it
this way, if I'm right,
you get your Captain's
bars, and I'm out of your hair.
(Lieutenant sighs)
- Hooker, are you all right?
- Yeah.
- Hey, look, I
realize the shootings
put us both on
edge, but I know you.
Something's eating at you.
- Oh, it's nothing.
(magical music)
For a moment, there, when
everything was going down,
I thought I saw
someone in the crowd.
- Who?
- That's a good question.
Not who I thought I
saw, that's for sure.
(dramatic music)
(calm music)
(knocking at door)
(TJ singing)
- Hi, there's coffee,
donuts, I'll be right with you.
(shower water running)
(TJ singing)
What do you think?
(donut clatters to table)
- I think somebody
had that one bronzed.
- No, the shirt, you like it?
- Somehow, it's not you.
- I don't think so, either.
It came back with
my wash, so I thought,
you know, maybe I'd...
- Hooker, how can
you live like this?
- I'm just passing through,
I'm looking for an apartment.
- You said that two months ago!
- You mean because
I'm not at the marina,
by the pool, surrounded by
a bevy of bikini-ed beauties?
I'll let you handle
that action, trigger.
Let me get my gun,
I'll be right with you.
- You know, the talk
around the locker room
says Lieutenant
Drummer had a right.
You cut a wide path from
Chinatown a few years back.
- [TJ] Don't believe
everything you hear.
- They say the youth
gangs are running wild,
and the Tongs are on
the verge of taking sides.
- The Tongs have
always been family affairs.
It was only natural for
them to protect their sons.
But that was 18
years ago, things have
cooled down since then,
unity's come together.
- Yeah?
I hear you had a
lot to do with that.
A lot of people in
Chinatown owe you.
You know that Mai
Ling Trading Company
you were talking about?
We could check there
after we get in uniform,
anybody there owe you?
- No, junior, that's one place
nobody owes me anything.
- Kay, so where's that coffee
you were talking about, huh?
- Sorry, I'm fresh out.
- How do you know,
you haven't even looked!
Not that it would help.
- Well, I keep the
coffee in the bathroom.
It's part of my new system.
See, I get up every morning,
creep into the bathroom.
I look in the mirror, I say,
"Would coffee help that face?"
I open the cabinet
door, there's my coffee!
I have a cup of coffee,
doesn't help the face.
You want that?
- No, no, no, no, save it.
It'd make a great paperweight.
(donut clatters to table)
(martial artists shouting)
(swords clanging)
- Ancient art of combat.
Impressive, huh?
- Maybe, but when
you're knocking
off a bank, you need
more than sticks and chains.
- How many pieces
are we talking about?
- Six Uzis, I need
them by tomorrow.
Can you handle that?
- If you can handle
the payout, $6000.
- Don't try to rip me off, Po.
The going price
for an Uzi is $500.
- Then maybe you should
buy them from somebody else.
- Can I make a
connection by tomorrow?
- Six Uzis for $6000,
take it or leave it.
- When can I have them?
- In the morning.
Stay by your phone,
when I call, get ready to roll.
(martial artists shouting)
(swords clanging)
Stuck it to him good, Mr. Khan.
- Black market guns,
and black market prices.
- I told you I could
get you buyers.
- I knew you could,
that's why I chose you.
(dramatic music)
(calm music)
(mysterious flute music)
- I'm Sergeant Hooker,
this is Officer Romano.
You must be Mai Ling's daughter.
- Yes, I am.
My mother died
almost a year ago.
- Yes, I know, I'm sorry.
I didn't know Mai
Ling had a daughter
until I talked to some
friends in Chinatown.
- This is Chow Dok Khan, he
is the widower of my mother.
- [Vince] How you doing?
Was it something I said?
- No, nothing,
that's just his way.
- I saw you at the
cockfight last night.
- I didn't want to be
there to begin with,
and didn't know about the
cockfighting 'til it started.
Robbery and the shooting
only made it worse.
- The suspect who was
wounded, James Fong.
Had a payroll stub,
he worked here.
- He quit without
notice, last week.
He was our shipping clerk.
- What can you
tell me about him?
- Very little, shipping
and receiving
is supervised by Chow Dok
Khan, and James worked for him.
- Can you ask Chow Dok
Khan to step in here, please?
- I'm afraid he's gone.
- How do you know
if you don't look?
- I just know.
- Tell Chow Dok Khan that
we'll be back to talk to him.
It was a pleasure meeting you...
- Nancy.
- Nancy.
Let's keep moving, junior.
(door bells ring)
- You have some very
beautiful things here.
I could use something
for my apartment.
Like maybe that vase.
- This is Ming Dynasty.
- Ming Dynasty?
- $1200.
- It's worth every
penny, I'm sure.
- Come on partner,
we got work to do!
- Maybe you could show
me some others, another time.
I'll be back.
(mysterious flute music)
Hooker, she is beautiful,
anything like her mother?
- Carbon copy.
(mysterious flute music)
(upbeat rock music)
♪ Heartbreaker
♪ You're taking
my life on the pawn
♪ I thought I was special to you
♪ I thought everything
would work out fine
♪ Guess I was just a fool
- Come on, come
on, we're waiting!
- Romano said you
couldn't keep your eyes
off that girl in the shop today,
that you knew her mother.
- It was a long time
ago, it was a lifetime.
That was easy, Chinatown
was my first beat.
She was perfection.
Like rare jade.
Her father was Chinese,
her mother was American.
- You wanted to marry her?
- We never got that far.
- She turned you down?
- Well, it wasn't that easy.
Her husband showed up. (laughs)
(Jim laughs)
- Hooker, you devil, you.
- Well, when I first met Mai
Ling, she thought he was dead.
Actually, she hardly knew him,
it was an arranged marriage.
The day after the ceremony,
he took off, on a business trip.
And his ship went down
somewhere off the China coast.
A report came back, saying
that there was no survivors.
- [Vince] But no such luck?
- Well, when he turned
up, out of the blue,
almost a year later,
we had quite a problem.
- Oh, yeah, I'll bet.
- You did the right thing,
you made it easier for her.
- You walked away, and
never came back to Chinatown.
- 'Til now.
- My dear old friend.
- Lee Chan.
(TJ speaking Chinese)
- Ho ho!
- I see you're still
alive and kicking!
- Well, my kickers
lost their steam,
but, ah, yes, I'm still living!
(TJ laughs)
- This is Lee Chan, my friends.
Stacy Sheridan, Jim Corrigan.
- Hello, hello.
Vince Romano.
- Hello, welcome, welcome.
Your restaurant
has become a mica.
- One must change
with times, but,
as always, I serve
the best Chinese food.
I never thought you
would return here.
- I had to come,
I'm here to track
down the source of the
illegal automatic weapons.
- It's more than rumor, that
they emanate from Chinatown.
- I figured, if there was
something to know, you'd know it.
- People have been seen
who don't belong here.
Strangers, and
yet, not tourists.
They could be the buyers
of the illegal weapons.
But as for the sellers...
(mysterious flute music)
(dramatic music)
- The Uzis are moving
faster than we thought.
It's our last six!
- The next shipment is
due at the end of this week.
The bill of lading
will say it's teakwood.
- Oh, how many pieces?
- 200, COD.
We're gonna need
a pretty good sized
sale to make the payment.
- Don't worry, I'll
come up with a buyer.
(calm music)
(drill sergeant shouting)
- I picked this up
at the desk, Hooker.
The rundown on Chow Dok Khan.
- I could figure that he
came back to the States
about the time the automatic
weapons started to show up.
- Bunch of misdemeanors,
three felony arrests,
but nothing proven.
- And nothing recent.
- Everything here
dates back to before he
left the country the last time.
- Well, you got
your way, Hooker.
So, what have you turned
up so far down in Chinatown?
- Well, nothing concrete, but I
think we may be onto something.
- I think, and maybe, don't get
guns off the street, Sergeant.
- Neither does
standing around here
talking about it, Lieutenant.
(dramatic music)
- Let's go.
(dramatic music)
(mysterious music)
- That's it, six Uzis.
- It's all there, Po.
- So it is, nice doing
business with you.
Let's go.
- We're not leaving
all that money behind.
We let Po get rid of his muscle,
then we take it all back.
I know where he
hangs out. (chuckles)
- I don't know,
Hooker, all you've got
is the time
correlation, and the fact
that Chow Dok Khan has
a possible importing cover,
in the trading company,
it's really not hard evidence.
- You're right, junior.
Maybe I'm pressing, maybe
it's for personal reasons.
Maybe it's not.
I want to do this alone.
- What is it today,
Sergeant Hooker?
Police business, or
did you come by to talk?
- I came to talk to you about
your father, Chow Dok Khan.
- He isn't here.
- But maybe you can help me.
I understand he was out of the
country, for more than a
year, up to four months ago.
- Yes, he was in Taiwan,
Laos, and Thailand.
- What was he doing there
besides buying for the shop?
- It's not my business to know.
Chow Dok Khan's
privacy is respected.
He is the head of the family.
- I think he may be
involved in something illegal.
- You want to know about Chow
Dok Khan, ask Chow Dok Khan.
- All right, where
can I find him?
- At this hour, probably
at the House of Shanghai.
Hooker?
I know you knew
my mother, Hooker.
- Yes, I did know her.
I didn't say anything
because I wasn't sure what,
I wasn't sure if she
told you about us.
- She told me,
almost everything.
Maybe you can fill
in the missing pieces.
- We'll get together and talk.
- After you've found
what you've come
to search for in Chinatown?
- Nancy, that shooting the
other night at the cockfight.
That's happening all over town.
Somebody is bringing
in automatic weapons.
Innocent people are
being hurt and killed.
I think those weapons are being
funneled through
here, Chinatown.
Any help you can give me,
I need.
- You thinking
what I'm thinking?
- What's that, junior?
- Nancy, if you
count the years back,
you could be her father.
- Life isn't always
that tidy, junior.
- Yeah, well, maybe
not, but I'd sure
rather have you
as a father-in-law
than that Chow Dok character.
I think.
- Thanks.
- I think.
- This is a private club.
- We'd like to ask you some
questions, Chow Dok Khan.
- Too bad, I would rather
you came for a lesson.
- I don't think we need
any lessons from you.
- Oh, you're versed
in martial arts?
- Yeah, versed enough.
- Perhaps Sergeant
Hooker will show his skill.
I'd be happy to act as a
subject for his demonstration.
- We could ask you
some questions here,
or we could take you in.
- Have us miss a display of
your expertise in martial arts?
- Don't push it.
I ask, you answer, I
go, it's very simple.
- I hear the words, Hooker,
the tone indicates some fear.
As I recall, fear was not enough
to keep you away from my home!
And my wife!
- You're really begging
for it, aren't you?
- It was astute
of you to notice.
- Hey, nobody panic!
We just want Po!
- Cops!
- Hold, police!
(dramatic music)
- There they are!
(upbeat music)
- Everybody in the
square, take your mark!
(gun firing)
Freeze!
Drop the gun, drop it!
- Put your hands
behind your back.
- Hands on your head!
Guess it wasn't your day, pal.
Walking in on two cops.
- Yeah, that's the way the
fortune cookie crumbles.
(triumphant music)
(calm music)
The two guys that
came after you,
we found six Uzis in
the trunk of their car.
They said they
bought them from you.
- (laughs) And you believe that?
- Why should we believe you?
- Because I'm a tax-paying
citizen with no police record.
- Po, you're not smart enough
to run this operation alone,
but maybe you're smart
enough not to take the fall for it.
- Fall, for what?
I don't know what
you're talking about.
- Yes you do, and
you're gonna tell us.
- Hey, this is the
20th century, man.
And I think my rights
have been violated here.
Now, I want to see
a lawyer, and maybe
talk about police harassment!
- (sighs) You're not
worth harassment.
- You stay away from
Nancy Khan, she's mine.
- We'll see about that.
Let's put a tail on him,
see where it takes us.
- Not a chance, Hooker,
we've got nothing.
I can't justify that!
- I thought you wanted to
get the guns off the streets.
- If you think I'm gonna ask for
24 hour surveillance,
based on the statement
of a couple of armed punks,
you've got another guess coming.
- That's right,
Drummer, play it safe,
don't take any chances.
- You watch your mouth, Hooker.
I'll have you up
for insubordination.
- No you won't, you need me.
How else are you gonna
get your Captain's bars?
- What did you get from Po?
- Lies, and a warning,
stay away from Nancy Khan.
- So what do you do now?
- When I go in to watch,
I go see Nancy Khan.
(dramatic music)
(mysterious flute music)
- What's wrong?
- I was thinking
about your mother.
We used to come here a lot.
- Her life wasn't happy.
Chow Dok Khan wasn't
exactly a loving husband.
- I wish things could
have been different.
- My mother told
me what happened.
She talked about you a lot.
I don't go in much
for Chinese proverbs,
but it is said, laming
oneself for fate
is like laming oneself
for rain, things happen.
- That teahouse,
your mother and I
used to meet there
on my lunch breaks.
- I remember her
mentioning that.
And telling me some of
the things you said to her.
I used to daydream
that my mother's
prince in blue
was my real father.
- That's a bit
fanciful, isn't it?
- Maybe.
But it's possible, you know?
- I'd be proud to have
you as my daughter.
- Hooker, my mother
left me a letter.
Told me to open
it after she died.
She said the
letter would tell me
who my real father was.
- And?
- Never opened it,
afraid to find out the truth.
What do you think, Hooker?
- Mai Ling gave you the letter.
It's your decision, not mine.
(dramatic music)
George Po, how
well do you know him?
- We've dated.
- What does he do, how
does he earn a living?
- He works for Chow Dok
Khan, but not at the shop.
(mysterious music)
- I think he's
involved with those
illegal weapons
I told you about.
- This is Chinatown, Hooker,
a lot of things go on here.
- And now you tell me he
works for Chow Dok Khan?
- Are you suggesting
they're using
my mother's business
to import guns?
- Nancy, I know Chinatown,
and what happens
here as well as you do.
Be careful.
(mysterious flute music)
(calm music)
- You find out anything
from Nancy yesterday?
- Just that George Po
works for Chow Dok Khan,
in some capacity,
but she couldn't
tie either one of them to
the illegal weapons operation.
- Looks like Chow Dok Khan
has himself pretty well covered.
- There may be a way
through his smokescreen.
Sid Ennis.
- The guy Corrigan
and Stacy took down
at the cockfight robbery?
- Yeah.
I don't know, Hooker,
detectives have
been working on him,
and he hasn't cracked.
- That's why I asked
the DA, this morning,
to give me a shot at Ennis.
The DA gave me an
okay to offer him a deal.
(dramatic music)
- I talked with the
DA, he's willing
to extend himself, if
you'll play along with us.
- You mean, I walk?
- Screw your head
back on, will you, Ennis?
You're part of an armed robbery
involving illegal
automatic weapons.
- You're looking at
10 years hard time
in a state prison, man.
- The DA is willing
to reduce that
to five to eight, county time,
if you'll do this
into George Po.
- Hey, wait a minute, I
don't know if I can do that.
I mean, I don't even
know if it'll work!
- Okay, Ennis,
it's your decision.
Farm or the joint.
- Come on.
- Wait a minute,
what's going on here?
What are you doing
with my prisoner?
- Trying to get you what
you want, your Captain's bars.
I'd handle the other guy myself,
but George Po knows
me, I can't afford
to let Chow Dok Khan
know we're onto him.
- I haven't been
under cover in a while,
the change could be interesting.
The cover name I'm
using belongs to a scuzz
I busted a couple of years
back in Frisco, Floyd Nella.
- Sounds righteous, Floyd.
(mysterious music)
- No, I don't know, I don't
know if I can pull this off!
- Hey, man, you
wanna spend the rest
of your life rotting in
some stinking cell, huh?
- No, no!
- Then get it together!
(knocking on door)
- Yeah.
- Yeah, I wanna talk to
George Po, it's business.
- See if he's in,
what's your name?
- Sid Ennis, tell him I'm
a friend of Jimmy Fong's.
Tell him that,
just tell him that.
- All right, wait here.
(door buzzes)
- You wanted to see me?
- Yeah, you're the
guy, I saw Jimmy
Fong make the gun buy from you.
- (scoffs) He must be mistaken.
- Hey, you don't have
to play cute with me.
I was there when Jimmy got shot.
- I heard you were in custody.
- Yeah, well, my
buddy, here, Floyd Nella
got me a high priced
lawyer, sprung me out on bail.
But I ain't going
back, so if I make this
little deal here, lets
me in for a little share.
I'm going to Acapulco.
- What kind of deal
are we talking about?
- Ennis tells me you have enough
automatic weapons
to outfit my crew.
- Exactly what is it
that you're looking for?
- 20 pieces, with a lot of ammo.
I prefer AK-47s, but I know
the ammo is hard to come by.
- AK-47s are hard to come by.
Now, if they were
available, I'm sure
you'd have to pay
a premium for it.
- They're worth about $600
a piece, I'll give you a grand.
- Sorry, pal, the premium
I was talking about
is $1000 above the going price.
- $1600, 20 guns,
that's $32000, forget it.
And you can forget
about Acapulco.
- Wait a minute, there's got to
be a way we can work this out.
25 grand.
That's pretty good.
- 30.
- 28.
- Okay.
- That's better.
That's really fair!
- Tomorrow, call me here,
I'll tell you where and when.
Hey, make sure
you have the money.
- I've got the money.
(dramatic music)
(mysterious music)
(door bells ring)
- Hike it up. (George grunting)
(mysterious music)
(calm music)
- Yes, I will, hey, Nancy.
You've done enough,
I'll handle it from here.
You just settle down, attagirl.
Nancy saw Chow Dok Khan and Po
go down into a secret room
in the basement of the shop.
She followed them down,
and she got an eyeful,
the room was filled with guns.
- Confirms we're on track.
- Well, what are we waiting for?
Let's get over there
and clean out that room.
- Hold on.
We want those guns, but
we also want Chow Dok Khan.
- That's right, we
stick with our plan.
- You know what
I can't figure out?
How can there be a secret room
when Lieutenant
Drummer said Chinatown
has been combed, top to bottom?
- While we were at
the Moon Pagoda,
Lee Chan told me
about the hidden city
that's sitting
underneath Chinatown.
- Sounds mysterious.
- When laborers were
bought from China
to build the
railroad, they didn't
have any rights, they
were treated like slaves.
The underground
city is where they hid
from Wai Lao, the
people they called
the devil persons who
robbed and preyed on them.
- That still doesn't
answer my question.
- Drummer and
his men didn't find
the underground
chambers and passages,
because they were that well-hid,
and Chinatown has been
rebuilt several times since then.
The hidden chambers
were covered over long ago.
- But Chow Dok Khan
found one that wasn't?
- Check.
And we're gonna
close it up as soon
as we nail Chow Dok
Khan with his hands dirty.
- So we proceed as planned,
and get Po out of the way.
- That's where
we're going, junior.
(dramatic music)
(calm music)
- Po, up against the car!
Hand on your head.
- Wait a minute,
what's the beef?
- We're taking you
in for questioning.
- You already did that.
- Just let us, we need practice.
(sinister music)
(swords clanging)
- The cops just picked up Po.
- Why, why did
they pull him for?
- He's talking about
new questions.
What about the delivery today?
You think you can
get Po out in time?
- I've got to get a
lawyer down here.
- Should we call it off?
- No, I'll make the
delivery myself.
Go out, I'll meet
you at the truck.
- Tiger Two to Tiger Leader.
- Go, Tiger Two.
- I'm ready to move
in to make the buy.
- [TJ] You're looking
good from here, go for it.
- Tiger Two, roger and
out. (dramatic music)
Where's Po?
- He couldn't make it.
- I'm handling the transaction.
- I don't know you, I'm
not dealing with any flunky.
- I'm Chow Dok
Khan, Po works for me.
It is my guns you're buying.
You were to bring $20000.
- I wanna see what I'm buying
before I give you the money.
- Looks like Corrigan
has the hook in.
Reel them in, Jim, reel them in.
- Where's the money, Mr. Nella?
- It's going down,
I'll cover the back.
- Let's go. (dramatic music)
- Cops, it's a setup!
He's blown his cover!
(dramatic music)
- Freeze!
(Chow shouts)
(guns firing)
(guns firing)
(men grunting)
- Freeze!
(dramatic music)
- I've waited 18 years for this!
You can take nothing
more from me, Hooker!
- [TJ] I never took
anything from you,
not that I didn't
want to, but I made
a mistake, I respected
Mai Ling's wishes.
(Chow shouts)
(men shouting)
(dramatic music)
(men shouting)
(Chow grunting)
(flute music)
(triumphant music)
(calm music)
- [TJ] The letter
your mother left,
telling you who
your real father is.
No matter what it
says, I want you to know
that I won't stay
away, the way I did.
After all, you are
Mai Ling's daughter,
and I care about you very much.
Are you sure you
want to know the truth?
Whether I really
am your real father?
- I want to know
the truth that I want.
- We don't always
get what we want.
(magical music)
- Now we will never
know, neither of us.
- Maybe it's better, we
can keep our dreams.
Both of us.
(flute music)
- Well?
- It's Chinatown, junior,
there's some questions here
to which we will never
know the answers.
(calm music)
(upbeat music)