tell the truth, vic. you made these with a blender, right? he grins and we get our first good look at tom hardy - three day stubble, dark rings around his eyes, but a with strong jaw and steady voice. not your average barfly. somebody who maybe used to be somebody.
you know that was like a quadruple negative? the bartender takes the plate away from him.
can i at least have a drink?
yeah, if you've slept.
don't you mean "don't need no liquor license not taken away from me"? the bartender smiles.
yeah, and i could've used the sleep. i'm supposed to meet people here tonight, try and get some work going. he stops, his attention suddenly on the tv. a newscaster:
bill styles.
old friend. haven't talked to him in- 911. can i use your phone? the bartender hands him a cordless and hardy dials.
hey, bill, it's tom. long time no. . . whoa, whoa, slow down. yeah.  yeah, of course i'll come. an hour. he hangs up and hands the phone back to the bartender.
i gotta go out to mckinley.
how are you?
what kind of trouble are you in? styles looks at the ground. momentarily flustered.
that bad?
tell me what i can do.
and here you are going out of house. how's that make you feel, jules?
fantastic. you want to tell me what's going on?
it's not west, is it? tell me it's not west. styles' look tells him it is.
ah, christ
he was our drill here. man's older than sand.
well, he's a good soldier. osborne nods, agreeing.
i didn't mean that as a compliment.
and you notice i'm not in the army anymore. they round a corner.
and the problem is you only got three.
i'm assuming that's what made him the dead one?
which gives us about five hours. why'd you call me?
and i'm the closest thing to it, right? styles stops, turning to his friend.
i'm not gonna let that happen. styles exhales, relieved.
gotta be honest, i love what you've done with the place-
he got me through basic and a lot of other stuff. i owe him.
it was for suspicion of bribery, it's really all in the wording-
subtlety really isn't one of you finer points, is it, osborne? osborne opens her mouth to reply but hardy cuts her off.
three things. first - you don't have a choice. second- i've never taken a bribe in my life. and third - i'm still a little drunk from last night, so if i skip over the witty banter and move forward to straight hitting on you, try not to take offense. tell me about the two guys.
levi? who names their kid levi-
christ.  remind me to thank bill for mentioning that on the phone-
he's in interrogation?
move him.
because interrogation rooms look suspiciously like interrogation rooms, which doesn't exactly put people at ease. is he cute?
is dunbar cute?
is he handsome, self assured, carry himself well, does he look you in the eyes or down at the floor, does he have good bones, suggesting good breeding, does he slouch or sit up straight - these are important questions, as they reveal a great deal about this man's character so please get over yourself for two and a half seconds and tell me is he cute? osborne stares at him. she finally nods.
thank you. at some point in there i'm gonna rub my nose. when i do, go at him with everything you got.
something like that. she starts to go make preparations.
oh, and osborne? you have any donuts around here?
cadet dunbar, good morning! i'm tom hardy and i believe you've already met officer osborne. i understand you had a rough time of it last night? no response. hardy takes a seat across from the cadet.
not talking, huh? you probably just want to get some food and some sleep. they feed you yet? no response. hardy reaches into his pocket. pulls out a
go on. you can eat in front of someone and still not talk to them - my parents did it for years. dunbar grabs the donut, wolfing it down.
want another one? no response. osborne looks to her watch - it's been a minute.
maybe later. ray, let me say this up front - i'm not a cop. dunbar turns away, no longer interested. hardy continues:
i used to be, but that's beside the point. who i am doesn't really matter; what matters is that right now, you're in a shitload of trouble. you understand that, right? no response.
now, i don't know if you did what you did in self defense and frankly i don't really care. i'm just doing a favor for colonel styles because he wants to know if anyone else who's still out there is in need of assistance. to be honest with you, though, i don't care about that either. dunbar looks up at this, surprised.
i don't know those guys, you do. they die, to me, it's like seeing a couple people died in a fire on the news - tragic, but it doesn't affect me. the only thing i care about is i agreed to do a favor for a friend and try and talk to you till your transpo shows up. you like baseball? no response. osborne looks at her watch - two minutes.
i could talk baseball for days. batting averages, era's, i got statistics in my brain, i don't know how i remember them. it's freaky. you wanna talk baseball? dunbar, completely confused.
come on ray, we're gonna be here five hours, we gotta talk about something. so who do you like? a long silence and then:
why not?
you're under military arrest, it's not gonna happen. what's wrong with baseball?
well, it's a game of anticipation, that's the beauty.
what do you like then? as they continue, we track under the table to reveal a hidden
c'mon, ray, everyone hates the army during basic. i'll tell you straight, i hated it here.
fifteen years ago under sergeant west. piece of work, that guy. i remember, he used to have these two silver .45's with ivory handles and if you weren't quick enough, he'd
knock you on the head with one of them. he still carry those guns? he dunbar nods.
i was also his " knife dummy" . see, west used to say he could slit a man from stem to sternum in three seconds. he'd use this length of pipe to demonstrate and if you were the knife dummy, you'd spend all day getting a pipe rammed into your balls if you weren't fast enough to defend yourself. that was a loooong day. hardy laughs at the memory and turns back to dunbar.
incidentally, ray, i promised them i'd ask where west and the others are. can we get to them? he looks to the floor.
they're dead, aren't they? dunbar looks back up at hardy.
you kill them? no answer. hardy rubs his nose. osborne steps forward.
see, ray, this is what we call "good cop, bad cop".
she shouts, i stand up for you, you're grateful, a bond of trust is established. osborne, stunned by this.
but i don't want to play games. that's why you're not in an interrogation room, with one of those two way mirrors - everyone knows those things are two way, right? dunbar looks at him good nods slowly.
right. now, i'm gonna go get you another donut and you think about whether you want to talk more, okay?
believe somebody owes me ten dollars-
oh, i'm sorry, i didn't know the object of the interrogation is to make you look good- everyone knows good cop, bad cop - by admitting it i appeared trustworthy.
yes- they stop, looking at each other.
why'd you ask for a cop, ray?
okay.  but i would like to know about the other cadets. what they were like - nice guys? dunbar takes a deep breath.
tell me about them.
that's not exactly true.  i'm living proof. how did you get sectioned, ray?
and those were the guys who went on the exercise with you?
you smoke, ray?
no, actually, i just left mine in the car and was hoping you had some. dunbar studies him for a moment and then pulls a pack of dorals from his pocket and puts them on the table.
my brand. must be my lucky day.
let me ask you one thing. you seem like a good guy, ray. you carried kendall wounded to the pickup. so what i don't get is what you did to make nunez want to kill you? dunbar just looks at the ground. a knock at the door. hardy and osborne turn to see an m.p. stick his head in.
he's not done by a longshot, i can get more out of him-
why'd you join the army? osborne looks at him, annoyed.
you're right. we should sit in silence.
best time for banal chit-chat. he slips something into his pocket.
microrecorder for kendall - didn't have- time to wire his room. now tell me why you joined the army or i'll jab this pen through your neck. osborne smiles in spite of, herself.
you had a mobile of bayonets above your crib.
i lost a bet. osborne laughs.
yeah. that's just the story i tell the girls to get them into bed. truth is.  i don't know. the whole honor and duty thing. make a difference in the world, crap like that. didn't really work out. osborne studies him.
the very same.
i plan to grow on you.
so noted. they pass an overturned climbing tower.
you guys really got the shit kicked out of you here.
he's telling the truth, up to a point.
being back here. gives me the willies.
no.
it is.
got it.
coast guard, special detective detail. we feel this incident may have put the beaches of florida at risk. kendall's laugh turns into a cough. placing hardy.
levi, you got about four hours before armed men show up here, put you on a plane to washington, and lock you in a very small dark room. i suggest you talk to us. kendall smiles again, not losing any of his cool.
but not the only victim, right?
it's too early in the day for me to give a shit about some pissant cadet's bad version of "intrigue". you want to talk to us, send word over to the brig. let's go. nonplussed, osborne follows. hardy turns back at the door.
you're working too hard, levi. i can tell cause you're sweating. and you're sweating cause you have no idea what dunbar's already told us.
have no fear, osborne, we have not yet begun to fight. he pulls a cigarette from his pocket and lights it.
i lied. wait for it.  osborne just stares at him, not knowing what to say next. the phone at the nurse's station rings and a nurse answers. listens for a moment, hangs up, and turns to them.
we're on our way.
sergeant west is dead isn't he? kendall nods.
and the other three cadets? kendall hesitates, then nods again.
feel free to elaborate . kendall takes a breath and begins, all trace of bravado gone.
senator daddy must be thrilled.
i think you just blew "don't ask, don't tell" out of the fucking water.
more intrigue, levi?
levi, i don't know if you're familiar with investigative work, but we have this little thing called "motive" and you just gave yourself one.
what happened to "degrees"?
then who did?
but you didn't.
because childs is the one who shot you. osborne looks up, surprised. kendall nods.
he admitted it.
why did he come back for you?
okay. i think that's it. he rises and walks to the door.
pike killed west, dunbar killed mueller, childs, and nunez.
someone must have got a shot off. he wasn't exactly a moving target.
"too neat." how long have you been an investigator?
that means under a year. let me explain what ten years of police work has taught me - murder is basic. there are no conspiracies, no grand mysteries, and no evil puppet masters behind it all, pulling the strings; murder is shitty people doing a shitty thing to other shitty people - it doesn't always make sense but it's always neat. dunbar's our guy.
everyone's capable of murder, osborne.
well, i'm sure if he'd known this was all going to happen he'd have tried harder to witness it for you-
there was a hurricane, bill, the wind probably moved it.
okay, then let's widen the search 'to include the endzone in giants stadium and the trunk of my car-
from dunbar? i hate to break this to you, but i don't think he's gonna be all that psyched to put himself in for the death penalty.
nevertheless what'? kendall will testify and that'll be enough.
you mean not enough to save you.
hey, ray! just had a nice talk with your buddy. kendall - seems you killed three people!
that'd be my reaction too-
well, why didn't you say so? we'll just drop all your charges, then-
fuck "you're serious", raymond, you got exactly zero truck with us; right now we'd take the word of a crackhead over yours, so if you've got something to say, say it.
so childs made some side money, so what? people are dead, ray, and the only one we have to blame is you-
yeah, we know, pike did. dunbar stares at him.
i know enough to know you got two choices - you can sign a confession, in which case you'll probably spend the rest of your life in a military prison, or you can tell us to fuck off, in which case you'll probably get the gas chamber. am i scratching your surface yet? dunbar stares at him for a moment and then launches himself at hardy, screaming. tackles him to the floor, choking him.  osborne, pulling her sidearm, and pistol whipping dunbar in the head! dunbar goes sprawling off hardy as m.p.'s rush into the room, restraining him. hardy gets up, gasping, and stumbles to the door.
why the fuck wasn't he in restraints?
home, i'm done.
you want a confession? why don't you confess, bill: people are dead and you don't give a shit about it! only reason you called me is to protect your fucking job, you know this is your fault-
i'm talking about west! we had him, bill, we were there. you're the fucking base commander, you knew what he did to cadets and you let him go on the way he always he has- styles couldn't reassign him, he's a legend-
you knew what he was capable of and you just stood by. it was just a matter of time till somebody fragged his ass, and you know what? he deserved it. there's your confession.
watch me.
west was a monster! fifteen years ago, i was here, i was section eight, i was pike. fuck being the knife dummy- that thing he did, stripping pike down, making him stand outside all night? he did that every year, he did that to me. fifteen years ago, i wanted him dead, and now i'm supposed to care that somebody offed him? sorry, no can do. i tried.
phenomenal at taking bribes, right? a beat. osborne shakes her head.
oh, spare me the reverse psychology bullshit! this isn't my "great second chance", osborne. everyone thinks i'm a piece of shit cop who took money and nothing is going to change that. nobody will ever know what happens here-
why do you care?
i didn't shoot west.
dunbar.  he said he didn't shoot west. west wasn't shot, kendall said he was blown apart by a phosphorous grenade and dunbar never saw the body. they stare at each other for a moment.
you saw west's body.
and he'd been shot.
tell it to me.
kendall told us mueller was the one who found them with west's body.
what happened next? dunbar shudders.
you shot childs and nunez.
you saved kendall's life-
raymond, for you to have any chance of coming out of this, we need to locate the other bodies and examine them to corroborate your testimony. otherwise this is just another story-
and they're smart about it. they know when you commit a crime you know is going to be investigated, you need a fall guy and for that to work, you have to have a witness.
exactly, someone who's not involved, who's word can't be questioned. you only let them see what you want them to see, you make them believe, so when the time comes, they've totally bought into your version of events.
and if they're asked, that's what they'll tell the, world.
kendall maybe would have agreed, but the hurricane buttfucks the cabin-
and all hell breaks loose. a lot of good guys shoot a lot of bad guys and whiz, bang, zoom, happy ending.
that bugs you too?
let's go talk to bill.
what i said before-
yeah.
dunbar's confession. it should be enough to get you out of trouble. styles looks at it and then slowly up to hardy.
we know. styles nods and looks to his desk. almost to himself:
you tried to pin three stone murders on dunbar-
can i go to jail for punching a guy who's been shot?
my heart weeps. he returns with a glass of water and hands it to kendall.
is it the truth?
why did you tell us he shot everybody, levi? you put him in for three murders, the man saved your life-
dunbar was running out the door? ohhhhhh.  see that's where i was confused, because i thought you said nunez was running out the door.
huh. you know, i really thought you said nunez. i thought you said "dunbar was gone," my fault, i gotta check the tape on that. oh, yeah we taped the last interview. this one too. cause it'd be a real break for us to catch you in a lie. silence. they wait for kendall's reaction. he looks momentarily flustered by this.  and then he smiles.
well?
dunbar will testify that you were.
we're fucked, i know-
what?
are you sure?
something funny, levi?
why don't you talk to levi off the record for a second?
jail if he's lucky, the gas chamber if he's not-
that's a fantastic idea-
why?
how do you know?
little advice, levi, next time you frame a guy, pick someone who can't defend themselves. kendall says nothing.
childs did it, huh? kendall nods, still a little teary.
first pike, then mueller, now childs? when are we getting to the others? when are we gonna hear about nunez? flashcut to - nunez, in the creek bed, shooting west.
or dunbar? flashcut to - now dunbar, shooting west.
or you, levi? when is it finally going to come out that you were the one who killed him? flashcut to - kendall, shooting west.
but you can't prove it! you can't prove anything until we find the bodies! kendall, crying harder now, beginning to shake.
you lied to us, levi, you're going to the gas chamber unless you tell us where to find them!
where are they!
shit!
i pushed him too hard.
yeah, i could've. should've.
no, i didn't. i wanted to humiliate him. for what he did to dunbar. for fucking over the little guy.
yeah.
that's horseshit and you know it.
i wouldn't know where to start. i guess it was about one man framing another. he thought if the other guy got blamed, people would over look his own wrong doings. styles nods, understanding.
they're taking your command, aren't they?
i'm sorry, bill.
you're a good soldier, bill.
this time it is.
now i go home, get drunk, and try and forget this ever happened.
nah. they pass a group of cadets doing drills. hardy, watching them. almost looking wistful.
it dawned on me one day that we were supposed to be a nation founded on the principle of questioning authority.  and all i did here was follow orders. it didn't add up.
that's gonna stay my secret.
maybe.  maybe we were nowhere near. sometimes mysteries stay mysteries. i haven't by any chance grown on you, have i?
good, just making sure. osborne turns to the duty sergeant.
hate to be the bearer of bad news, sergeant, but he didn't make it.
why not?
what runway's that transport leaving from?
get in.
we're not finished yet-
james randall pike, come on down! dunbar stops at the hatchway. slowly turning back to them. seeing the gun. the m.p.'s release hardy. nobody moves.
right back where we started.
no more games, right, pike? it was you who west singled out.
you who got hooked by mueller's morphine.
you who did it all.
you wanted revenge on west, revenge on them all, so you killed them.
but that wasn't enough. you needed a new identity, because no one was going to believe james randall pike, convicted felon, had acted so nobly in the face of danger - you needed a name people could trust, one that hadn't been to jail, one that hadn't publicly been west's bitch boy.
you walked into the army a convicted felon with a sentence of five years in a uniform and were going walk out eight weeks later with a different name, a clean record, and an honorable discharge - a guy who did "everything he could" to save his friends. dunbar looks at them. one to the other. slowly.
we don't need the tapes-
we've found all of them.
not true, cadet, i've got a gun-
isn't this how your story goes? pike annoys someone so much he gets shot in the head-
we can tie you to the chair if it'll work better for you-
where's west's body?
do what?
what did you do?
goddammit, what did you do?!
and the bodies?
no death certificates. no crime.
not even close. they leave. styles walks over to hardy.
seven. he takes a slug of his drink.
seven guys. what was it you said? you were "just starting to believe i wasn't the guy people said". he chuckles. hardy {cont'd) seven. that's the answer to kendall's question. how many? seven. osborne looks at him. realizing what he's saying.
this is the perfect time. you know what makes a good detective? the number of confessions they get. you're a good detective, osborne. so now you get mine.
tough. he pours himself another drink.
thing about taking money is, you don't have to do anything. you just sit there. maybe you don't return a phone call. maybe you don't follow up a lead. but that's it. keep the money, your work's done. osborne stares at him.
seven unsolved murders. and you know what? it didn't weigh on my conscience. not one goddamn bit. he takes a slug from his glass and grimaces.
there are degrees of truth, officer. always degrees.
really.
i may not be growing on you, but you're sure as hell growing on me. he motions to the bartender for another glass, but osborne takes his hand, stopping him.
west?
do i have a choice in this?
fuck it. let's go finish this.
"you have to get out of the way of the bigger dogs". that was good. styles squints at the figure.
it was so good, i actually forgot you're one of the bigger dogs now. the base commander. the one in control. you couldn't let him testify, could you?
if you let him testify then it would have all come out. west was supposed to take care of it out there, shut nunez up and then disappear. but it got messy and people got killed. so you called your old pal tom hardy, figuring if worse came to worse, he'd cover for you.
i'm not going to cover for you, bill. not for this. styles, realizing what hardy's talking about.
stay where you are.
west had a partner. someone who knew how to get things done.
what i can't understand is why you signed these. if you'd just let west take care of the paperwork, no one would have known, but you got careless. so when pike finally told the truth you had to get rid of him, too.
toxicology report came back. kendall's attack was caused by a drug known as anephadrine, maybe you've heard of it. it's for asthmatics. if an epileptic takes enough, it kills them. i checked with the nurses at the hospital - you're the only other person who visited kendall.
you poisoned him, bill. you heard our interrogation, you knew he was ready to crack, so you killed him, just like pike.
no! you will stand there and you will listen! what happened to you, bill? you were the one who joined up to do good in the world. you were the one who believed in it-
not for long. he walks towards the desk.
no more witnesses. west's a ghost. but it doesn't matter because we have your signature, the hospital log, and kendall's toxicology report. and that'll be enough.
you can't duck this, bill. i may have done every goddamn thing in my life wrong but i won't let this happen.
get your hands away from the desk! in the darkness we see styles move suddenly.
osborne, gun! hardy dives to the floor - osborne in the doorway, pistol raised, fires two shots! muzzle flare lighting the room for a split second as styles is blown back against the wall! hardy gets to his feet and flicks on the light. styles lies slumped in the corner, two holes in his chest. dead. osborne lowers her weapon, shaking. hardy points to the top desk drawer, which is open. inside it sits an ivory handled pistol. fully loaded, safety off. it's presence tells them everything they need to know.
now it's over.
leaving without saying goodbye. what are you gonna do?
think it'll work?
want company? osborne smiles.
i should probably write that down.
in case you need me to testify about the shooting. they'll clear you. a beat.
yeah. but he was a lot of other things, too. thanks. she nods. an awkward moment. finally:
i'll see you. he turns away. walking towards his car.
you saved my life tonight. keep it. actually, don't keep it, i need the money. he takes the bill and osborne laughs. he climbs into his car and starts it. grinning at her through the open window.
you're one of the good ones, osborne. don't sweat the details. he puts the gto in gear and drives off. she watches him go, then looks down at his card. smiling. maybe she will call.
why'd you ask for a cop, ray? the hitchhiker is dunbar.
how about this? and with that, tom hardy emerges from the brush carrying, a combat knife. west's eyes sparkle with recognition.
stem to sternum. you taught me well, sarge. and west dies. a moment of utter silence and then voices from the past begin coming back to us:
i wouldn't know where to start. kendall holds out his arm, gritting his teeth.
i guess it was about one man framing another.
when you commit a crime you know is going to be investigated, you need a fall guy.  .
and for that to work, you have to have a witness.
someone who's not involved, who's word can't be questioned.
you only let them see what you want them to see, you make them believe.
and if they're asked, that's what they'll tell the world.
my brand. must be my lucky day.
we got the toxicology report . . .
next time you frame a guy, pick someone who can't defend themselves.  but it will not be in vain. sometimes, you can trick the enemy into doing your work for you. . . osborne, staring down at west's pistol.
he still carry those guns?
what i can't understand is why you signed these.  as we move into a close up on hardy:
i promised them i'd ask you where west and the others are.
he's telling the truth up to a point.
you can't prove anything until we find the bodies.
where are they?
murder is basic. focusing on the trunk.
there are no conspiracies, no grand mysteries, no evil puppet masters behind it all, pulling the strings.
everyone's capable of murder, osborne.