Taken (2017–2018): Season 2, Episode 3 - Hammurabi - full transcript

When a high powered accountant is kidnapped by a laid off employee, it's up to Bryan to help the kidnapper get justice.

What's the difference

between justice and revenge?

Some say justice is
about finding balance.

An attempt to return to equilibrium.

Restoring order by delivering

the proportionate response.

Others mistake inflicting
pain as justice.

They're wrong.

Violence only corrupts order,

the very balance they
set out to restore.

But I'm not here for justice.



Not anymore.

I want revenge.

Personally, I'd gut the place
from floor to ceiling.

Renovate the whole thing.

Even if you did nothing,
this place is a steal.

Good neighborhood,
great school district.

There's even room for a pool.

You can't deny the potential
investment opportunity.

Why is it listed so low, then?

I mean... somebody die in here?

The owner... He fell on hard times.

You know, he borrowed against the house,

missed a few payments. My advice?

Put in a lowball offer.



The seller is out of options.

Hey, honey pie.

What are you doing here?

I needed to see you.

We've discussed this, Norman.

It's been almost three weeks.

Some space is a good thing.

I missed you.

Yeah, me too.

But I'm doing what's
best for our marriage.

I want you to come home, Kate.

We still have till the end of the month.

- I can fix this.
- Enough, Norman.

This isn't a problem that you can solve.

We were screwed, okay?

Bad things happen to good
people all the time,

and there's nothing you can do about it.

I got a plan, Kate.

A way to fix everything.

I won't let them take our house.

Norman Wilkerson.

Senior factory maintenance mechanic

at the Perkins plant for the past...

26 years?

References are on the back.

No doubt you're qualified, Norman.

If anything, overqualified.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

So what made you decide to leave?

I didn't.

The plant was closed down
last year by Benedict Global.

Part of its...

Corporate restructuring.

You do realize this position

is under the Benedict Global umbrella?

Same holding company.

You're fine with that?

It's a job.

My ego went out the
window a long time ago.

This old dog knows one trick...

Fixing brokendown conveyor belts.

Particular set of skills

that's diminishing in demand every day.

Can you get this to me tomorrow?

I'll put in a good word
for you with corporate.

They should make a decision
by the end of the month.

Thank you.

Think positive, be positive,

and positive things will happen.

Get in the damn trunk.

Get in! Get in the trunk.

Okay, okay, okay. Okay, okay.

Justice, revenge.

All that matters

is that the punishment is proportionate.

So you tell me,

how should you be punished?

What's the appropriate penalty
for the pain you've caused?

Hammurabi's code.

An eye for an eye.

Tooth for a tooth.

Call you back.

Christina Hart. It's been too long.

Judging from that file,
we're not exactly

here to catch up, are we, Valerie?

Word is you've gained quite an

impressive portfolio of clients.

I could use your expertise...

And discretion.

I don't know much about insurance.

We're expanding into the K&R sector.

Kidnapping and ransom.

That's a very dangerous
business, Valerie.

It's also lucrative.

Seems like someone gets taken
every day around here.

- Government official?
- An accountant.

That sounds like a job for the police.

I came to you for a reason.

There's a $5 million indemnity policy.

For an accountant?

He runs the books for
private equity behemoth

Benedict Global Management.

Got abducted while getting in his car.

There's no ransom demand yet,

but we can't just sit on our hands.

My firm is prepared to
offer you $1 million

to assist in the investigation.

So we do all of the work,

you save $4 million,

if all goes well.

Like I said, it's a lucrative business.

Who's your FBI point person?

Client prefers not to lift up

their skirt for the authorities.

Benedict Global specializes
in the restructuring

of factories through leveraged buyouts.

Acquiring a struggling business,

purging the employees,

repurposing the plant,
flipping it for millions.

Ruthless stuff.

So you thought of me.

I know how effective you can be.

And I trust you.

What do you say?

A favor for an old asset?

Hey.

Who's the missing person?

This guy, Samuel Patel.

He's the lead accountant
at Benedict Global.

A coworker started to worry

when he didn't show up
to his morning meeting.

Last time he was seen
was in the elevator

on the way to the employee parking

garage last night. Never made it home.

- Married?
- Yeah, to his job.

I mean, this guy's a total workaholic.

Hasn't missed a day of
work since he started.

Gets in at 5:00 a.m.
Goes home at 7:00 p.m.

Every single day, like clockwork.

Stays longer on weekends.

- Guy should consider a career change.
- No, not this guy.

He's got a mathematics
degree from Stanford,

magna cum laude, MBA from Wharton.

I mean, this guy's dedicated
every waking moment

to landing a job at Benedict.

You couldn't pay me enough.

Corporate raiders will be the
death of the working class.

Don't you mean robots?

- What do you mean, robots?
- Robots, man.

Sentient machinery.

Do you know that Amazon
right now has 45,000 robots

running their fulfillment centers,

and they're gonna add
another 20 next year?

So if you don't want to
lose your job to a robot,

you have to start finetuning
your social skills.

Like you, sunshine?

That's clever. I get it.

Why would Hart choose this case?

- I don't know.
- Because a man is in danger?

This is what you signed up for.

This guy's got a huge insurance policy,

and there's still no ransom demand.

Yeah, I don't think
this is about a payoff.

I think this is personal to someone.

Where's my damn money?

- Please, let me go.
- You've got the wrong guy.

- I'm just an accountant.
- No, you're his accountant.

How much does Benedict give

you to look the other way?

What did you do with our pensions?

Tell me the truth and you can go home.

- Don't make me hurt you.
- Please, please, please.

I want to hear you say his name.

Who stole our pensions?

Say it!

Lester Benedict.

Now,

I want to hear how he did it.

No sign of a struggle.

Because Patel never saw it coming.

Kidnapper was waiting for him.

There's multiple ways
to access this garage.

Why here?

No cameras.

But still, parking garages are risky.

A pro would never pick this place.

- People coming in, people going out...
- Access over efficiency.

Trunk release.

So Patel couldn't break free.

The kidnapper drove Patel out of here

in the trunk of his own car.

EZPass transaction history

tracks all pay roads and bridges

the car took along the way.

- Final destination?
- I don't know.

We lost him under a bridge.

He must have switched vehicles.

Well, what about toll cameras?

Can you get a visual of the driver?

Impossible to identify.

He took basic precautions.

He was wearing sunglasses,
hat pulled low.

There's a camera right above the exit

to the parking garage,
and there's an ATM

right across the way,
so maybe one of those

- got a tighter shot.
- Just need a lobe, man.

- A lobe?
- I mean an earlobe, you know?

Faces change. Weight
fluctuates over time.

Even fingerprints become
unreliable with age.

But the outer ear is one of the most

accurate ways of identifying somebody.

You know that your ear
is fully formed at birth?

I mean, sure, the lobe, it descends.

It grows with time.

But the overall shape remains the same.

Okay, is there a database?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm working on it.

Working on it.

Gotcha.

- Where are you going?
- I'll be right back.

Gonna talk to Benedict.

- Thank you so much.
- My pleasure.

Hi.

Can I help you, sir?

Yes, I'm here to see Lester Benedict.

- Name?
- Bryan Mills.

- Mills, you said?
- Yeah.

I don't see you here on the schedule.

Yeah, tell him it's regarding
his missing accountant.

Come with us, sir.

- Lester Benedict.
- Bryan Mills.

Pleased to meet you, sir.

What do you want?

My firm has been hired by Valerie Banner

to assist in the rescue and
recovery of Samuel Patel.

I was hoping to gain
access to his office,

any security feeds around the premises,

and of course, his email...
Both work and personal.

I asked for discretion.

Get Valerie on the phone.

Define bad news.

We've been pulled off the case.

Benedict Global decided
to handle this inhouse.

- What happened?
- Not sure.

Seems like your people
poking around spooked them.

Isn't that what we're supposed to do?

Don't know, don't care.

Our fee was paid in full. Easy money.

I'll transfer over the funds soon.

You can call off your dogs, Christina.

That's a bit quaint for a bad guy lair.

Kilroy, are you sure this is the place?

I matched the driver of Patel's car

with a mug shot from the system.

Norman Wilkerson. He
worked at a plant that was

shut down by Benedict Global.

There's our motive.

Hey, Hart.

Benedict Global has decided

to handle the case inhouse.

We are officially off the Patel case.

It is a little late for that.

We're in the kidnapper's
place right now.

His name is Norman Wilkerson.

I told them we'd shut down the case.

Why would Benedict suddenly

decide to handle this inhouse?

Probably didn't want a third
party turning over rocks.

Scared of what we might
find hiding underneath.

Get over there.

Driveway.

Get in the trunk.

Drop the gun!

- You're not a cop.
- And you're not a killer.

You don't know anything about me.

Well, I think I do.

I know you're holding a revolver.

Only holds six rounds,
and you can't reload it.

Looks old.

Your father's gun?

Yeah.

Been tucked in the closet for years.

What's your name?

- Norman.
- My name's Bryan.

You have an important
choice to make, Norman.

I'm prepared to pull the trigger.

Are you?

Now, I want to hear how he did it.

Benedict convinces the employees

to take pay cuts.

They'll get repaid once they...

They balance the company books.

He swears it's the only way
to save the company, and...

Benedict preys on their loyalty.

The employees have
worked there for years.

They're willing to sacrifice
anything to save it.

But once the plant is primed
to pull itself out of the red,

and it's time to repay the employees...

Benedict files for bankruptcy.

Patel describes all
the loopholes they use

to funnel our pensions
into offshore accounts.

Hundreds of millions of dollars.

- Norman...
- He's just gonna do it again.

What do you mean, again?

This is the fifth company
he's raided in as many years.

I mean, think about how
many towns he's ruined.

Imagine the families he's broken up.

Meanwhile, they pay him to

speak at business schools

and corporate retreats.

So what is your plan?

I'm gonna use this confession
to blackmail Benedict

for $245,888.

That's a very specific amount.

Exactly what he stole.

I want what was mine.

I demand justice.

I'm just one man.

All my credit cards are maxed out.

My relatives have cut me off.

My wife had to pawn her wedding ring.

Now they're trying to take my house.

This is my last shot.

You know, a forced confession
won't hold up in court.

Imagine the public relations nightmare.

Benedict will pay to keep it quiet.

- If Benedict broke the law...
- Laws? No, no.

Laws don't apply to men like Benedict.

You know if you go through with this,

you will end up in jail.

Or dead.

Bad things happen to good people,

and no one does anything about it.

No, I'm not ready to just
roll over and die just yet.

No way.

No.

Then we need to be smarter.

We?

What are you talking about?

- Santana's driving Patel home.
- Where's Norman?

Stashed him at a hotel until
this is all said and done.

Until what's done?

Until I get the money back.

Bryan, we are not crusaders.

The mission was to save a life.

Look, I have dealt with
men like Benedict before.

They do not respond well to threats.

If you want to force his
hand, then you leverage

what he cares about the most.

Money.

To do that effectively, we need
to arrange a facetoface.

Well, that's easier said than done.

What kind of car does he drive?

What the hell?

You've done this before.

Even a novice can highjack a car

through the infotainment system.

You can target the steering?

And guidance, stability controls,

cruise control, GPS, Bluetooth,

automated systems for
the driver's convenience.

And mine.

Hello, Lester.

Nice car.

Buy or lease?

Who are you?

Name's unimportant, Lester.

All that really matters is
that I represent a client

who's owed a substantial sum of money,

and I am here to collect.

There's a flash drive in here.

It contains the confession
of one of your employees

who describes, in detail,

all of your illegal
business practices...

Specifically how you
steal employee pensions

from the companies you raid.

I don't appreciate these
wild accusations.

This alleged confession
is slanderous at best

and sure as hell won't be admissible.

Of course not, Lester.

Still, it would be a shame

if the video ended up on YouTube.

I haven't done anything illegal.

You consider funneling money

into secret offshore accounts legal?

Forget about your reputation, Lester.

Imagine how the board will react.

You think you're the first person
who's tried to blackmail me?

My client will walk away
once the debt is repaid.

Step away from my car.

This is pocket change to you.

If I pay, more accusations will follow.

It'll never end.

Consider it the price
of doing bad business.

- How much?
- 250 grand.

Whatever makes this all go away.

The drive is yours.

Hey, we got to make sure that we're

protecting Norman's identity,

so you are taking
every precaution, right?

All you do is deposit the
cash into a PayPal account,

use it to purchase Bitcoin,

open a bunch of dummy accounts,

buy some gift cards and
make some online purchases,

and the returned items get
converted back into cash.

Something tells me you've got
money hidden all over the net.

The internet's my digital mattress.

In more ways than one, sadly.

That's really gross.

- Santana.
- Thank you.

You don't have to sell the
house anymore, Norman.

My wife... She loved this house.

Should've seen it when
we first moved in.

Place was falling apart.

We rebuilt it from the ground up.

Every weekend was a new project.

When Kate got pregnant,

she spent months getting
that nursery ready.

It had to be perfect.

Nesting.

Rearranging the closets drove me nuts.

Survival instinct.

Nature's way of keeping
us close to home.

I'd give anything to have Kate here...

rearranging those closets.

- You should tell her that.
- I did.

Probably too late now
to make a difference.

I'm the reason she left.

Not Benedict.

After the plant closed, I just...

Started into a downward spiral.

Why'd you help me, Bryan?

My uncle...

He... he worked for a factory
when I was young.

Well, most of the whole
town was employed

by that factory in one way or another.

And then the corporate raiders
showed up and shut it down.

And when the factory goes
down in a factory town,

you know,

everything crumbles around it.

Your uncle...

He ever recover?

I found him dead.

Hanging from the rafters.

I had to cut him down
before my aunt got home.

My aunt, she...

She cursed the businessmen,

but I blamed myself

for not doing more.

I could've done more.

Should've...

Pushed him to keep fighting.

$200,000 there.

That is enough to start over.

Seeing that fear in Benedict's
eyes was worth millions.

What did you just say?

Tell me what happened, Norman.

I went to see Benedict.

Waited for him at the top
of the parking ramp.

Thought I was homeless.

Tried to hand me a few bucks.

You were instructed to lay low.

It didn't feel right.

What about all the others?

I let Benedict know this isn't over.

And how did you think he would respond?

- Men are here to kill you, Norman.
- What?

I need you to listen to me.

- Where is your gun?
- In my room.

Go get it.

You shoot anyone who
makes it up those stairs.

What are you gonna do?

Norman.

Cops will call it a
home invasion gone bad.

Houses up for sale are common targets.

The sign out front is
practically an invitation

to burglars.

And there's a lockbox right by

the door with a key inside.

Mills, you okay?

You got kind of a lot of blood.

It's not mine.

Why would Benedict risk everything

just to prove a point?

Because Norman confronted him.

Benedict knew it wasn't over.

He knew the problem would disappear.

Bad things happen to good people.

And nobody does anything about it.

Norman wanted justice.

What you're about to do is
something very different.

Benedict deserves what's coming.

You remember your last revenge mission?

Yep, and he deserved a bullet too.

Yeah, you spent six months
in prison, you were

almost killed, and I had to
disband the entire team.

How is killing Benedict not justified?

Justice is about creating order.

It's not about satiating anger.

It's about finding a balance.

The punishment must be proportionate.

Okay.

So, you tell me how he
should be punished.

Let's take a page out
of Norman's playbook.

Patel confessed once.

Maybe he can be persuaded
to testify on record.

Made it look like a suicide.

I bet it's the same guy
that killed Norman.

Benedict's cleaning up his
mess one dead body at a time.

Can't prove it.

You know what, we tried
playing this by the book.

Now it's time to bring Benedict in.

Can you locate his vehicle?

GPS in Benedict's car places him

in a small private airport in Virginia.

So, he's trying to leave town?

- How far from here?
- 30 minutes.

Ten if you let me screw
with the traffic lights.

But I mean, you'll never
make it either way.

Where's he headed?

Belize. He's got a place there.

He goes there every couple of months.

Even if we had anything,

Belize will never extradite Benedict.

I'll go get him.

What does that mean?

Bring him back.

We can have another Mexico, Bryan.

I've spent a lot of time
in Belize over the years.

You ever been here before?

Lot of places I've never been.

Well, Belize isn't just
a vacation destination.

It's like a safe haven for
whitecollar criminals.

Benedict should feel right at home.

Yep, the government looks the other way

as long as they get a cut.

You get details on his compound?

You mean fortress?

Security?

Top of the line.

Kilroy will help with that.

Yeah, Benedict has protection.

Private military?

Gang suppression unit.

Paid for by the government,
but they function

more like a hit squad for hire.

And Benedict has the money to keep

them working around the clock.

Mills, I just want to make
sure you're hearing me.

The guy has a small army guarding him.

The contact come through yet?

You sure she got everything?

La Tumba never disappoints.

Tumba?

That's Spanish for "grave."

She got the name because that's where

she usually hides the goods.

- Tumba.
- You sure this is the one?

Ha.

Kopi Luwak beans.

$200 for a pound.

Why's it so expensive?

Civets. The beans ferment
inside the animal

and then get collected from the...

Droppings.

You want some?

See, you have a problem with this.

Meanwhile, the FDA allows one maggot

for every 250 milliliters
of fruit juice.

Don't even get me started on cereal.

Any word from Mills?

Nothing.

Think we both know how this story ends.

Listen, guys like Benedict,

they destroy hundreds of lives for what?

To pad their pockets.

Death is too light a
sentence for that guy.

He deserves something way worse.

Favor for a favor.

Anything.

I need some personal information

about Lester Benedict.

How did he secure your services?

- Money. What else?
- Yes, but how did he pay you?

Was it a check? Direct deposit?

Wire transfer.

I need all the details
on that transaction.

Client's information is privileged.

You came to me for a reason.

Now I'm coming to you.

Benedict has enough
money to destroy anyone

who gets in his way.

There's a guy outside the gate

demanding to speak with you.

Send him away.

The same guy who showed
up at your office.

Who are you?

Hello, Lester.

I've come a long way to find you.

You should consider
this your last warning.

Surrender now,

and I'll bring you to justice.

Good luck.

Kilroy, cut the feeds.

Kill him.

- What the hell is going on?
- Don't worry, sir.

We got this.

This way, sir.

Aah!

Positions.

Light him up.

Santana, a little help?

This is for Norman.

- And this is for Patel.
- No!

Lester!

I'm not leaving without you!

Don't waste the ammo, Mills.

The room is equipped

with bulletresistant walls
and fiberglass panels.

There's a security panel.

I can't access any of the tech.

If you want to get in, you need
Benedict to open the door.

All right, hold on a second.

I found a layout to the panic room.

There's a duct behind the left wall.

So, you tell me.

How should you be punished?

What's the appropriate penalty

for the pain you've caused?

Hammurabi's code.

An eye for an eye.

Tooth for a tooth.

How much?

How much... how much do you want?

I can pay you whatever you want.

Let me tell you a little story.

About a man.

A good man.

Married his college sweetheart.

Then they started a life together.

Sure, they were broke.

Didn't matter, though.

Because they knew

all that hard work would pay off.

So, after years of saving,

watching every penny,

they finally had enough

to buy a house.

American dream.

Small house. Nothing special.

But they liked it.

They loved it.

Because it was theirs.

They earned it.

And maybe someday, if
he kept his head down

and played by the rules,

he could retire,

enjoy the time he had left with her.

I'm not the one who killed him.

His name was Norman.

You see, you made the rules.

And then you broke them.

Because you could.

Who are you?

What do you want from me?

Now, that's a good question.

Because when I first arrived down here,

I wasn't sure what to do.

See, I thought about
bringing you to justice.

But snakes like you always
manage to slither away.

So, then I thought about killing you.

Slowly.

Painfully.

But for you?

Death would be too easy.

See, I needed to find a punishment...

As proportionate.

I realized there's a
better way of doing this.

So, I liquidated your accounts.

I don't understand.

You're broke, Benedict. Flat broke.

What? No, that's not possible.

We were able to find
all of your accounts,

every single one.

See for yourself.

Go on.

They've all been drained.

Even the secret ones.

That money you thought
no one could ever find.

The Cayman account. Luxembourg.

That safety deposit box in Bahrain.

Every dollar, gone.

No.

This isn't real. This can't be real.

The same way you stole the
pensions from all those people.

Even when you had more money

than you could ever spend.

Now you know how they feel.

Where is it? What did you do?

Now, my team is
redistributing the funds,

giving it back to all the
people you stole from.

It's not everything.

But it's a start.

No. Ha.

No, no, that's not possible.

Money problems should be the least

of your concerns right now.

That's the sound of more GSU soldiers.

Don't get too excited.

Because they're not here to save you.

My people have already informed them

of your financial troubles
and taken back anything

you might have paid them.

You see, that's the problem
with paid mercenaries.

You have to be able to pay them.

Otherwise, they become your enemy

and come to extract their
fee some other way.

No, no. You can't do that.

First, they're gonna
tear this place apart,

steal everything you own...
Which won't be enough,

because it never is.

So, then they'll come to you for money,

money that you no longer have.

What they do after that...

Well, that's up to them.

No, no, please, you can't
leave me like this.

Please.

You have a decision to make.

Either spend the rest of your life

in a deep, dark hole somewhere,

or...

Norman decided to fight.

What will you do?

Now you've had everything
taken from you.

No, wait. Wait, please!

Good luck.

Benedict.