Original subtitles

- Slave, because of your heroic bravery

in battle, I set you free.

You may now depart from this land.

Slave, I have set you free.

Why do you stay?

- Thank you, my Pharaoh and king.

I'm indeed grateful for your act of kindness.

I choose to stay and serve you.

I shall forever be in service to my king.

So this is it.

A little over a decade of freedom

and now my undeniably predictable demise.

I never imagined it would be so abrupt.

I could not control this.

But now I don't have to replay

what happened over and over in my head.

I wonder if anyone would even care.

It all happened in the middle of the most incredible age

of jazz, in the wealthiest, most thriving city in the world.

- I don't want to hear any more of this nonsense.

It negates everything that we're striving for.

Though some neighborhoods are turning into war zones,

we moved to Kenwood because it's safe.

This is a good area. The schools are fine.

Yes, the scope of the reported news is jarring.

But I assure you there is nothing to worry about,

- Jacob, it is not my intention to upset you.

My concern is with the consequences

that real violence will have in our neighborhood.

Have you not read the paper?

They call them the Reagan cult gang.

The stories that I have heard at the Rich Club

are unspeakable.

They've gone after the the Negroes and, and now they've gone

after the Roman Catholics.

Do you not think that an entire neighborhood

of Jews could be next?

- Come now. Just look.

Observe our street. It's peace and quiet.

I will never let those kind of people in this neighborhood.

- You have said the commission on race relation

will assist us.

I hold your word as truth.

I trust and reflect on everything that you say.

And I pray in good faith that this is

a first step in the direction of ending the violence.

- The compass of this area is distinguished.

Call it arrogance, oscillating

between optimism and a touch of self-doubt.

- Regardless, I promise you

that nothing will disrupt our peace and tranquility here.

Let the burning be dealt with by the others,

along with the terror.

- Hello? What kind of terror's happening?

- Oh, you needn't worry yourself, dear.

Your father and I were just speaking about politics.

How was school today, honey?

- It was good.

But I'm not the greatest artist.

But this is the best rendition of our house

that I could create by memory.

- Oh, Bobby, this is just lovely.

Oh look, Jacob,

- Very nice, son.

What?

No hug or gifts for the old man

who puts food on your table?

- He could only utter two words as a baby.

Now, my son Richard, has a 210 IQ.

Phi Beta Kappa, speaks 27 languages.

He's the youngest graduate at the University of Michigan.

But still he needs more self-discipline. Always.

- And yet again, father, there's never

a day when you're not bragging.

- Never bragging, Richard. Just pride.

After all, not many children reap the rewards

of the hard work of Mr. Vice President

of Sears and Roebuck.

A toast to Albert and Richard Loeb.

So what is next for you, Richard?

Could it possibly be a Wimbledon title?

- The University of Chicago is next for me, Mrs. Strengths.

Perhaps then we will see where I will be at.

- You said perhaps we will see where I'll be at.

At is a preposition.

You should never end a sentence with it.

"Perhaps we will see where I will be,"

and that is sufficient.

- Look at this, little Bobby Franks.

You are a scholar in your own right.

Perhaps my son Richard isn't as well versed

as he'd like to think he is.

And that's why he'll never succeed.

And that's a problem.

Doesn't know how to buckle down and study.

Bobby, don't ever settle.

Even when you think you've learned all,

thrust forward for better, no time

for such foolishness and shenanigans.

Study, study and study.

Learn and make money.

Yes, my son Richard outshine his peers now,

but he'll always be second rate, especially if he continues

to misuse the English language

like some working class slob.

Working class Richard.

- Father, I... - Quiet. You have to have a brain

if you're gonna interrupt me at this table.

How many times have I told you, showing weakness

is not acceptable?

Not here in this house and not out in the world.

And why have I told you that?

- Signs of weakness are for the poor

and less educated bottom feeders.

Success can only be obtained through wealth

and education and only by a chosen few.

- And you would think if you'd been rehearsing

that ever since you were five years old,

it would take effect by now.

- Albert, please stop embarrassing him.

- Well, because our families have been so fortunate,

I should think that any of these fine young men

could conquer the world here.

Here, here.

- Righty-o.

Let's play tennis then, shall we?

- Yes, well, Jonathan and I have been in the same

philosophy class, which we had...

- Yeah. - ...stumbled into together.

And it was somewhat wonderful to make his acquaintance

as well as everybody else's there.

But it's fancy to see him at the party now.

Wouldn't you agree?

Oh, yes.

- It's fantastic.

And it's, it's been, it's, it's been long.

I tend to be a bit more bookish in my study.

- Nathan, Nathan.

You son of a gun.

- Well, I had heard indirectly

that you might be attending university,

but it is always nice to have direct confirmation.

I saw you at the temple.

- Well, I've decided that religion

is perhaps something which I will no longer entertain.

I did see you at the theater.

That night you did seem to have your hands full.

- Well, Mr. Loeb, I cannot begin to tell you

how much I have heard about you.

Hmm. Well, I should probably let you two catch up.

Sorry.

Tea. Really, Leopold

Wow, he is a handful.

- Whatever do you mean?

- Oh yes. Crenshaw.

I heard that his father got their

membership revoked from the club.

Jackass was found in a rather compromising position.

He was inebriated and made water all over the French settee.

Wow, isn't that the worst come to sausage?

- And that was after he left his wife

for the club chambermaid.

However do you know all of this?

Who am I to ask that of such a brilliant mind?

Chicago's favorite son, head of numerous charters.

Will you ever forgive me for asking

how you might have discovered something?

My, my apologies.

- No need, I accept your apology.

You know I followed you as well, Mr. Nathan Leopold.

Acclamations and completions of studies.

- You have?

I suppose you'd like me to connect to the societal

and perhaps religious aspects of narcissism

and advice to 15th century English literature

with particular focus on societal annihilation?

- No, no. Not so fast.

I'd much rather hear you talk about late 16th century Europe

authorial ambition, separate

an ambivalent attitude towards princely power

and provide a more metro poetic

and somewhat still meta chromatic perspective to the theme.

Yes. It seems we have like interest indeed.

Though I do have to keep an eye out on you.

For all I know you could be a spy trying to add me

to your group of powder puff friends.

Tie is dreadful by the way.

- I'm not like that.

That, that's a dreadful rumor that someone started.

I, I enjoy the company of girls.

As a matter of fact, I'm in pursuit

of talking with Jane Penford.

Jane Penford.

That's your story?

Say Leopold, you have a high IQ.

You've been in the papers once or twice, so you must know

that when you make it on there,

your opportunities for study come first.

Yet you choose to associate with such

overly chest pedestrians around the campus.

Take note, Nathan.

If you ever want the actual attention

of administrators, you must stop hanging

around such contrived people like Crenshaw.

- Do you think I should stop associating with everyone

who speaks with them or?

- Well, that's for you to decide.

Many people that go to that campus aren't fit

to be in my presence, to be honest.

Sorry, I don't mean it like that.

I just hear the rumors that circulate

around the campus are at me.

So let me be as candid as I can be. I'm not a prude.

- Of course not.

Say Richard,

would you perhaps like to go sometime?

Get a bite to eat?

- Darling?

I'm almost packed for our train.

- No.

That's right. Right?

That's right.

- Yes. - Three more days.

And we're off to your, for our vacation, right?

- Yes, we're going to Europe.

- Alright, well you run along.

Run along and pack.

- Oh. - Pack.

- Warden.

I have Leopold here for you.

- Ah.

- Leopold, is that the infamous Leopold?

Oh, can, can I have your autograph?

- Darling, no.

No, no, no, no, no, no.

This is one and the same.

But this man is not to be given an autograph,

so please go prepare.

♪ Take me back to Constantinople ♪

♪ Won't you take me back to Constantinople ♪

♪ No, you can't go back, Istanbul ♪

- Joy, you're up.

- Ah, stand up straight. She didn't speak to you.

Listen, you're in here to listen to me.

Do you know why you're here?

- I have some sneaking suspicions and I'm willing

to offer you whatever you're asking for...

- - Sir. - In exchange for the right...

- Mr. Leopold. Stop talking.

You may think that you can enjoy the same privileges

inside these four walls as you do outside.

But I'm here to tell you, you are in my house now.

You are in my four walls. This is my prison.

I have found that the monies that have been

provided by your family weekly

to the tune of $500.

- That's correct, sir.

- You have been using it to bribe my guards,

to buy illegal drugs,

to buy pre-rolled cigarettes,

to utilize in ways that I cannot even imagine.

Sir.

These infractions

just drummed up by bitter inmates and bitter guards.

- Sir, let me just help you to understand,

you will continue receiving this prison.

The monies from your family?

They will continue sending $500 a week.

You will only benefit from $500 a year.

- I... - You and your friend, Dickie,

tortured and murdered an innocent young man.

- I don't believe you understand the gravitas

of the situation you've been thrust into.

Perhaps you know me, but you clearly do not know my family,

as that chair you're sitting in there

could be ripped cleanly away from you by one phone call

to them, which I expect I might be

making sometime in the near future

if you don't concede to a few demands here and there,

and apologize wholeheartedly

for this verbal attack you've thrown out

of absolutely nowhere.

- Hah!

First of all, I'd like to ask you a question.

Whose goddamn telephone do you think you're gonna

use to call them?

- I have my rights.

- Ask me to use my telephone to call your parents.

Would you like to do that?

Ask me!

- Simple. - Do it!

Guard, get his ass outta here. Take him away.

Make sure he's in solitary confinement.

Make sure he gets bread, water... - You cannot...

- I can do it, you little fucker!

Get the hell outta here.

Guard, take him away.

- I am just saying...

- Put him in solitary confinement

and make sure he never, ever breathes again.

- You son of a bitch!

My mother will handle you!

- Come on. Let's go!

Come on!

- Let go of me, you bastards!

No, no, you'll love it.

No, no. I swear, I swear.

Okay, so it's called.

What?

- It's, it's it's Danish and it means the infinite

qualitative difference.

- No, no, no, no.

I don't want to hear anything more about any philosopher,

any schooling, any studies.

- He's like Nietzsche though, he's like Nietzsche though.

- No, I don't want hear Nietzsche right now.

- You'd enjoy him.

No, no.

Okay.

- Get up. Come on. - Okay.

Okay. Where was I?

Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

First, okay, so, the idea's like this.

God is not something that we

as morals can, can perceive, can understand.

We wouldn't, if, if he were to show up,

we wouldn't know what the fuck we were looking at.

And so, so it follows, right?

That God is a completely subjective thing

and what his, how does anybody know?

- Regulations, anything.

- His regulations for us though are

whatever we them to be.

It's exactly like we were talking about.

- You're giving me a headache right now.

- And it makes sense, doesn't it?

- I can't talk anymore about this.

- Come on, please listen.

I, I just, I, I, I thought you would enjoy it.

And I have, I have a book that I can give you on him

that is just...

- You know what I think you like more?

- What?

- You like burning buildings and setting cars on fire, huh?

- No, no, I hate it, I hate it... - You're lying.

- And he did it just like this, just like that in the play.

I, I thought he was actually choking out.

I mean, I couldn't, I couldn't have done it

better myself if I tried.

- Yeah. Yeah.

Right in the...

Fuck, okay.

- You're a Liz Lavender.

Say it, Nathan, say you liked it.

Say it again.

I can't hear you.

- I, I, I love that.

And I love you.

I, I love...

I, I I love, I love you.

Do you.

- Hey.

What are doing?

Come on.

These dumb asses always leave something of value here.

- Dickie, we're, we're going to be caught.

- Shh. It's fine.

Just check the desk.

They gotta have something here.

There it is.

The treasury's fund and a payday for us.

Except that this is nothing.

Be able to buy booze with it at least

- Dickie, I want this.

- Okay, then take it.

- Dickie.

- To kill someone, we have to show no emotion.

Focus simply at the task at hand.

$10,000?

No, we need to ask for more.

Babe, I've already told you this several times.

Also, we need to figure out a way

to destroy the body completely.

- Burn it?

I mean, that won't take but all of five minutes.

- No, no.

The smoke will bring too much attention.

- Acid would eat away the flesh quickly.

On this plan, we should add another car,

a rental car under an assumed name

so it can't be traced.

- Way to go. I like the way you think.

- Oh, thank you for clearing up the rest, dear.

If we do so, it should be under an assumed name.

We don't want them to be able to trace it back to us.

Say, Morton Ballard.

Morton Ballard?

Why not?

That already sounds fake.

I knew a boy named Morton

and we went to elementary together.

Regardless, let's figure out a name

and just base an assumed alias out of Chicago.

Oh, no, no, no. Not Chicago.

Can be traced back so easily.

Let's do somewhere close, but, hmm.

How about Peoria?

Peoria?

Who the hell do you know from Peoria?

We have the acid, we have rope,

and we have a chisel.

And I have the ransom note, which we can send

upon making the call.

Okay, let's have some fun.

Let's.

I seem to have misplaced my glasses.

Oh, ah. They're there, I see them.

Will you stop leaving those things behind?

It gave us no trouble.

- Oh, are you ready for school?

Alright, have a great day.

- You know, I, I have never rented a car before.

I, I like it. It's very beautiful.

We're not having any luck, Richard. What gives?

- I mean, I, I have been around this block six times now.

Perhaps we should just try tomorrow.

- Just shut up and stay focused.

That little ship boy, Armon,

walks the street on his way home.

I would like nothing more than

to make his daddy pay up two times

what we have written in this note.

Where's that Clarence Coleman's boy?

I hate his father too.

- I think he takes this route home.

Perhaps we could go get lunch and come back after.

- No, now is a good time.

No sign of coppers anywhere.

Hey, Bob.

Bobby, you want a ride?

Bobby, let us give you a ride.

- No, I'm almost home.

- Come on. Get your keister in here.

I wanna hear all about the new tennis record

that you got.

My side.

Oh god, shit!

- Help!

- Richard, someone's going to... - Shut up!

This isn't funny!

- Hold him! - Shut up and just drive!

Jesus Christ. Okay.

Well, fucking hold him.

Gotta hold him like that.

Okay. Okay.

Well, people are gonna see us.

People are gonna see us if you keep going...

Shut the fuck up!

- Okay.

Just gotta keep going.

You find a place, uh...

I, I I know, I know a culver, I know a culver.

It's, it's, I've, I've, I've been out there burning.

- Then do it!

- This is not going fast enough for us

to get over this hill.

This is about to slow down a lot.

- Start fighting him, fight, fucking fight him!

Fight him.

- I got it!

- Okay.

Um, um... - Just drive!

- Okay, okay, okay, okay. Okay, I'm fine.

I'll just keep going.

I'll keep going from here.

Okay. We need to find a place to pull over.

We did it.

Hot damn, we did it.

We killed him.

You know, you and me,

we're like a regular Mutt and Jeff.

Except we kill people.

♪ I should have kissed you more ♪

- I guess we are.

So what do we do now?

♪ Where the angles ♪

- I uh, I have some sandwiches in the car.

Brought root beer if you're hungry.

- That's fine.

Thank you, Dickie.

♪ I should have kissed you more, though the fire's died ♪

♪ Now you're gone in the night ♪

♪ Where the angles ♪

♪ You whisper in my ear baby ♪

♪ Don't you cry ♪

Hello, operator?

What is the Franks number?

- Whitney 4562.

- Could you please connect me to Whitney 4562?

- Franks residence.

- This is George Johnson.

We've kidnapped your son, but he is safe.

Bring $10,000 with you, hail a yellow checkered cab.

Get in and proceed to 4165 East 63rd Street.

And wait at the counter.

- Wait, I, I need more time. Hello?

Operator. Operator, reconnect me with this call.

- Hello? Could you connect me to Whitney 3131 please?

Thank you.

Hello, father?

I'm afraid I'm going to be late for dinner tonight.

No, every, everything's fine.

Yes. We're just having some trouble with the car.

Loeb is here to assist me.

Another one won't be necessary.

We only got this one a few months ago.

Well, if you insist.

I'd prefer a red one.

I think green is a rather drab color for an automobile.

I said I want a red one!

Thank you, father.

See you soon.

Suppose that's it then.

- Oh, no.

Oh, Lord Jesus.

- A whole nation weeps.

Our world is in mourning.

You have my word

as the mayor of the city of Chicago.

We will search day and night.

We will not stop.

And to the killer, this is your warning.

You cannot hide.

We will find you and we will have justice.

We will have justice.

- Franks residence.

- Okay.

So where are you gonna get rid of this?

- I dunno. I suppose we could just toss it in with...

- Master Nathan, will you

and Master Richard be requiring any assistance

before I retire?

- Sven, no, we, uh... Can you believe it?

Spilled a whole bottle

of wine in the bottom of the car.

It went everywhere, right?

- All over.

- No Master Richard.

I cannot fathom such a thing.

- Come on, Sven. Don't bust our chops.

What'd you really think of, of Dickie

and I being three sheets to the wind?

- Master Nathan, I have no opinion.

- That old fart.

- What do we do?

What if he goes in there and wakes up your father?

- He, he knows nothing.

- Hmm?

- He, he's useless. Okay?

Everyone is sound asleep. Hmm?

Let's finish cleaning this up and be done with it.

- Nathan, eat your vegetables.

Nathan, they're good for you then.

- Sven?

- Yes, Young Master Nathan?

- I don't like peas. Remove them.

I don't like carrots either.

Remove them.

- Master Leopold, sir?

- Sven, you heard the boy.

Find something more suitable.

- Sven?

- Yes, young Master Nathan.

- I want a piggyback ride.

- But Master Leopold... - Ah!

Don't talk back to me.

Giddy up horsey, there you go!

- Everything was perfect. It was perfect.

And you just had to lose your stupid glasses.

- Don't yell at me.

Look, I, I helped mastermind this crime as much as you did.

Without me, none of this would be possible.

So, so this, this is not my fault.

Look, I, if anybody asks, I can tell them

that I wore my glasses a couple

of times last year and I haven't seen them since.

- Mr. Possible just had to lose his glasses

off his fat fucking nose, huh?

And I told you to destroy this thing.

God damn it!

We need to get rid of this.

Why don't you listen?

- Please, you don't have to...

Precious, thoughtless

fickle, stupid, stupid, stupid!

So there it is, class!

Nathan Leopold pulled teaching his way

into a perfect murder.

No, no, no.

Not without losing your stupid glasses,

because as everybody knows, without them,

you're as blind as a fucking bat!

- Can't speak to me that way!

How dare you say those things to me.

Huh, I feel like I'm going to faint.

- That's good, because it's gonna ease the pain

with every blow.

- Wait, no, no, no!

Please. Ah...

I, I can fix this.

I, I, I can...

I can go to the police and I can tell them

that I lost my glasses on a birding expedition

a couple of weeks ago.

I, I, I'm out in that area all the time with my students.

Please, this'll be okay.

- Go fuck yourself, Nathan.

- Dickie, please.

- I'm leaving.

- No, Dickie, you don't have to.

Don't, Dickie don't go. Please!

Don't leave me.

Please don't leave.

Dear Dick, when you came to my home this afternoon,

I expected either to break friendship with you

or to kill you

unless you told me why you acted as you did yesterday.

I do want to warn you, extreme care must be had.

The motif of a falling out of a pair of cocksuckers

would be sure to be popular with our friends.

call up my home before 12:00 noon

and leave a message saying it's yes if you wish our

relations to continue as before.

And Dick says no, if not.

Leopold residence Nathan Leopold speaking.

It's me.

Pack your bags.

We're going to Europe for a couple of months.

And , I mean,

I don't understand what's going on.

- Not buying it.

- I mean...

- How do you know for certain?

Eyeglasses are purchased hundreds of times daily.

I am sure.

- That's right, detective.

This, these glasses are all rimmed

and very common except for one thing.

The hinge is manufactured

by a company based in New York.

- And what is the name of this outlet?

- That would be my store. I sold three pairs.

One pair belonged to a lady.

The second pair was purchased by an attorney

who is in Europe now 'till the end of the year.

And the third pair was purchased by Mr. Nathan Leopold.

And this paper confirms the bill of sale.

- No, it's not. The castle's in Paris,

south of the Lower Valley.

- You are so wrong.

- Look at a map right now.

- No, no!

It, it, it is far further south than that.

- Come on, let's go. - I will show you.

I will show you... - Nathan Leopold, Richard Loeb?

I'm gonna need you to come with me.

- Wow.

It's no wonder you found my glasses out in the culvert area.

I've been doing research out there for months on and off.

It's very easy to see how my glasses could have fallen

out of my coat pocket there.

- I just got this from the chauffeur.

It's all right there.

I could easily see how that happened.

I, I lose stuff all the time. I just ask my wife.

No, no, no.

I was out with two girls, getting drinks.

- Did you kill Bobby Franks?

- No, I didn't kill anyone.

- You need to save yourself

if you want to like ever go home.

- And what is the nature

of the relationship with you and Mr. Loeb?

- We are friends.

- I don't know what you're talking about, detective.

It's been a long day.

Maybe you need something to help relieve your stress.

I know there's a cat house at the end of the corner,

but I'm sure you already know that.

- Do you wear glasses all the time?

- No.

- That's interesting.

We have a prescription in your name at Almer Cole.

- Well, I own glasses, but I, I hardly ever wear them.

- I want to go home. You can't keep me here.

- I'm out in that area birding all the time.

I, I even take classes out there weekly.

Two weeks ago as a matter of fact, you can ask anyone.

I, I remember I tripped and, and,

and my glasses must have fallen out

of my pocket then, darn coat.

And it's a rather cumbersome thing.

- Detective, I lied because I was ashamed to say

that we were with two party girls all night.

We were in his car, but I don't remember their names.

Now, please, can we wrap this up and I can go home?

Would you mind demonstrating

how that could have happened?

- Of course.

Had them in my pocket like so and simply stand up

and stumble forward. Excuse me.

And stumble forward.

Oh, fancy, that they're staying put.

- So what you're telling me is you are out partying

with these two girls all night long.

The four of you are in a two seater car

and then you don't even remember their names.

- Detective, it was all the more recent for them

to sit in our laps and cozy up.

- You may have some few circumstances that point to me,

but you do not have enough evidence to send me

to court and you will not.

- Wait, you know?

I do remember their names actually.

It was May and Edna.

Richards had said that you killed the boy

while he drove the car.

You disrobed him and then bathed him in acid.

- Please, officer, I've read this in every dime store,

amateur detective novel this side of the world.

You persist in these obnoxious stories fueled

by lies and innuendo.

I won't partake in it.

I am superior to your paltry tactics

and third rate storytelling.

And I am one step ahead of your catty, mediocre game.

They all mean the same thing, detective.

I don't give a fuck.

- May I have a light, detective?

I really don't know what you're referring to.

Look, it's been a long day, detective.

You seem uh, a little stressed.

If you want, I can share my cigarette with you.

- Who could have done something like this?

Bobby Frank's just an innocent child.

I mean, I mean, to take such, such youthful innocence and,

and snuff it out like that.

Who could have done it? Who could have,

who could have gone out and do such a thing?

What a cruel world we live in.

That that, that someone so young could have been

taken out like this.

And so those who saw the dancers thought them mad.

- Oh my god. Oh God.

I feel so terrible.

So terrible.

- So boys, tell us, why'd you kill Bobby Franks?

- Dickie and I are completely sane

and we will not be portrayed as being insane.

I mean this whole crime is a genius plan.

And yet somehow Dickie has garnered more

of the public sympathy than I.

- The belief that this is some sort of delinquency

or deviance is simply not the truth.

They will report that these are the consequences

of some mental impairment.

That we are linked to criminal activity. That's absurd.

When we are done here, we plan

to write a tell all book about these alleged crimes

and our deplorable experiences in this jail.

- In some ways, our incarceration is a platform

to bring attention to this.

If that is true then so be it, really.

I mean the lack of suitable clothing

and quality food.

- No, I agree, Nathan.

Just the other day I asked the guard for a bit

of Hollandaise sauce to warm my cold eggs.

His response, "What is holiday sauce?"

- Yes, and it would assume that any future requests for pate

or baguettes would not be granted.

- Alright boy, let's get some pictures.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

What does it feel like to be celebrities?

Are you guys nervous?

Do I look nervous?

As presiding judge

over case number 33623,

the murder of Bobby Franks.

Due to the sheer lack of public decorum,

I hereby transfer this case to Judge Caverly in Cook County

and at his request, limit courtroom occupancy

to no more than 40.

It is by ordered here.

Now they are calling

Clarence Darrow Hamlet,

and the greatest criminal attorney in America.

He's trying to call these so-called psychiatric

experts to the stand.

Damn it, anything to argue

that there is something more going on with these

cold blooded killers?

- Four students have reported break-institution

in the West Wing dorms,

missing currency in excess of $200.

I'm sorry, but none of our students would have any part

in these despicable acts.

- I've never seen anything like this before in my life.

Guards, police officers,

chiefs are treating these animals like, like celebrities.

- Alright, let's get a get a shot.

Okay, smile boys.

- You will not find anything here pertinent

to this investigation.

- Something strange is going on.

My gut tells me this could change our entire judicial

system as we know it.

- No one can say that this case has given us

many perplexities and sleepless nights.

And no one is more aware than we are of what this means

and the responsibility that is upon us.

No one can doubt for a second

that we have the deepest sympathy

for the three families involved in this.

Now, this case has attracted some unusual

attention due to the fact that of its weirdness

and the uncanny terrible nature of this homicide.

We consider the feelings of all three families involved.

But let me be frank, no one here believes

that these defendants should be released.

Perhaps permanent isolation from society will suffice.

Our duty is to see that justice is fair.

- This case has been signed to my bench.

Do either of you have any objection to this?

Have you agreed upon a court date?

- Uh, no, your Honor.

But might I suggest that we treat this

like most murder cases

and set the date for July, giving the defense

two months to trial?

- This case is not in the same class

as other murder cases, your Honor.

We're not ready to go to trial.

We need more time than two months to prepare.

- This trial is set to begin in 40 days.

- Gentlemen, Mr. Loeb, Mr. Leopold, I presume.

Yes, sir.

- I've been hired by your family to defend you in court.

- Well, let me just say it.

It's, it's an honor and, and a privilege

to, to meet you, sir.

This is beyond anything I could have possibly imagined.

- I'm not gonna candy coat this.

No jury is gonna believe you two are insane.

Asking for a change of venue might work.

However, it's just gonna delay the inevitable.

As I told your parents, the court may sentence you to death

or highly unlikely to prison.

- Clearly they would never send us

to the gallows to hang.

- No. No, I will not accept this.

We are worth more alive than dead. Okay?

Our contribution to this world alone should be sufficient

enough to stop this madness.

- Two boys, both 18 years of age, wealthy students,

few girlfriends, a couple of powder puffs.

Richard, you have been accused

of killing your second cousin.

Now what sexual things you two want to do should remain

behind closed doors, but it will be exploited.

The nation and the city of Chicago want you

two buried six feet under.

Your parents have already been instructed

to take final arrangements for your bodies

when this happens.

I'm here to see that you live.

I have never represented a client that possesses

so much self-assurance.

The plea we're about to enter

has a one in a million chance to work.

We are raw meat, and we are about to enter the lion's den.

- Well, then I guess we did our family's name proud.

Mr. Darrow, all that glitters is not gold.

You and the rest of the world saw as

privilege felt like punishment.

So we have no regrets for what we did.

It was freedom.

- Among the items recovered from the search

of the Leopold home, a letter written by Nathan to Loeb

that suggests they had a homosexual relationship.

And notes from Leopold's study group,

typed upon the same typewriter that was used

to type the ransom note.

Now, Loeb confessed first their confessions differed only on

the point of who did the actual killing.

- Your Honor, to what direction will this case go?

If it goes to the right,

it will be the conviction of these boys.

Mr. Crow's position with the state will be saved.

If it moves to the left, it will crumble

and these boys' lives will be spared.

The press all across the country has given a great amount

of space to this case.

In Chicago, day after day, the good people are regaled

with crime stories and with,

and have formed opinions of all sorts.

If we allow the public demand for punishment

to be bestowed upon one of its citizens, then no matter

what the offense, great or small,

maybe only one punishment is fitting.

And that would be death.

- Silence. Silence in this court.

Hello? Hello?

Mr. And Mrs. Franks, can we get a tour of your home?

I am the real killer.

I drove by your house yesterday

to find out if you have more children.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Franks,

my condolences.

god told me,

Your son becoming your best friend.

Please have lunch ready, 12:00 Friday, turkey sandwiches.

So you lost your kid.

I believe it was his destiny.

I believe the rich must lose one child in order

to relate to the poor.

Please remit the sum of $100 to my family to help us.

- The state calls Harold Hubert.

- Do you wish to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

- I do.

- Please have a seat.

- So, Dr. Hubert, based on your research, is it not a fact

that there is no machine

that conducts a basil metabolism test?

So with this machine, can you tell us

that there needs to be a lot of measurements in order

to arrive at any conclusion?

- There is no such thing as a perfect machine.

This one's good enough.

- Well, you've got your diagrams here all laid out

to explain how it could have happened.

Hell, why don't we just say the devil made 'em do it?

Silence. Silence in this courtroom,

- What is the function of the pineal gland

as far as science knows?

- The pineal gland controls our sexual desires

by inhibiting the, the roles of the libido

and of mental growth.

The effects of the endocrine gland have been well

established in the minds of medical men for,

for many, many years now.

This explains his rapid advance through schools

and the strength of his perverted sexual urges.

In addition, it contributes to a lack of control,

problems with behavior and emotions.

- Alright, what is the relation between the diseased state

of Leopold on May 21st, 1924,

and the connection between the kidnapping

and the homicide of Bobby Franks?

- Now Nathan Leopold's brain,

his skull x-rays seem healthy.

They, they, they seem healthy,

but the x-rays show that the endocrine gland

and the pineal gland are prematurely firm,

hardened and calcified.

- Please state the emotional condition

of Richard Loeb on May 21st, 1924.

- Richard Loebe’s, Richard Loeb's bone density and thickness.

Those, those were normal.

But Richard's emotional state was very immature.

He did not know the, the relationship of society.

He only knew things academically in an academic way.

He, he was someone who was sexually very immature

and he acted out emotionally.

- Could Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold

have committed the Franks kidnapping

and murder from the existence

of the disease in their minds

on the 25th of May, 1924?

- They could not.

- Murderer, murderer!

court!

- Will you please state your name?

- Dr. William A. White.

- What is your profession?

- I'm a physician.

- From the result of your examination

and observation of Richard Loeb, have you formed an opinion

as to his mental condition at the present time

and on May 21st, 1924?

- His governess, Emily Struthers pushed him

tremendously in his schooling.

Her demands for him forced him

to create pathological artificial situations.

He found it difficult to distinguish

what was true and what was not.

- No!

I have been hired by your parents to tutor you.

I have complete authority over you and your studies.

As your governess,

I demand that you conduct yourself

with the correct manners.

There will be no baseball,

no fishing, no time with your friends.

You will learn what is in the box in full.

Begin.

Wrong!

Wrong!

Come up.

Come, come!

Get up.

- He was considering himself a master criminal mind.

- Now, doctor, would you address the state

of Nathan Leopold?

- He was estranged from his peers

in the midst of growing up.

He was an outsider, lonely.

Like Richard, he was trapped in a world of fantasy.

- Now, what finding did you arrive at?

- Nathan and Richard role played together.

Richard took the role of the king,

Nathan the role of the slave.

This satisfied the need for each other.

Well, it was for the reason to give him the privilege

to insert his penis into Loeb's legs

at different races of time.

This would, this would be done

after each act of crime they did together.

- Can you kinda tell us what these special rates mean?

Sodomy of his rectum.

We were given

a couple of shirts and pants and socks,

of which one set would be washed every other week.

Move along.

We showered once a week for a few minutes.

The cell was eight feet by eight feet.

With arms stretched out, you could touch both walls.

- Let's go.

No plumbing, and by routine every morning,

2000 men carried their own bucket of waste

from the night or even days before for removal.

We would make our way to an area to empty.

- Move along.

most inmates' buckets leaked on the way

down to the dump area.

Each inmate emptied

and stacked their bucket in a pile.

With dirty hands, we immediately ate breakfast.

Let's go.

- Upon the very second that the lights went off,

the bed bugs came out to feast on my flesh.

The puss from killing each bug released

a smell of sweet fruit.

I didn't know in the beginning exactly what to expect

in prison, let alone the solitary confinement.

I adjusted swiftly as I could.

Prison time was just countless days

of melancholy, contemplation of suicide,

escaping and dreaming, or just waiting for some act

of violence to erupt.

- What you going to do now, boy?

- Put me down!

- Not much without your parents' money are you?

Took a few years, but you's one of us now.

- That's him. That's the monster, Leopold.

- Hey Leopold, I hear your old man kicking the bucket.

It's that I hear anyway.

You might be happy to know at the last,

it made the front page of the newspaper.

- Sorry to hear about your old man,

but I guess that's what you get for killing a child.

Kick the bucket.

- And how would you describe your classmate, Richard Loeb?

- Belligerent, childish and spoiled,

- Lacking in good judgment, egocentric, pratty.

And you are certain

that the defendant's car, Nathan Leopold, was in the garage?

- Absolutely. Yes.

- Thank you. That will be all.

- Sorry for your loss, son.

- Thank you, sir.

- I know this is hard on you, son,

but now is no time to grieve.

Your mother was very adamant

that you continue to succeed in school.

You need to pray to God.

- That's all you've ever cared about.

Money, success, work, studies.

I sit and I observe other kids.

And I wonder.

I wonder what it would feel like if my own father would

speak to me, not of my academics or my accolades,

but sit down and ask me if I were doing well.

Or at least okay.

I mean, would he even have anything tangible to bring

to that conversation?

Or would he just call me a failure and a loser?

I wonder what it would feel like to have just an ounce

of compassion or understanding from you.

When was the last time you looked at me and smiled?

There is no God.

Beyond any religion or moral code, men are gods.

I am God!

- Your honor, the easy thing to do

would be to hang my clients.

- It's what they deserve.

Silence in this courtroom.

- I know it.

Men and women who think this, who applaud this,

the cruel and the thoughtless will approve it.

But in Chicago

and reaching out across the land, fathers and mothers

pose questions not only about these boys,

but about their own as well.

Where is the empathy?

But to their own.

We ask that the shedding of blood be stopped.

And as the days and the months

and perhaps years go on, they will continue to ask this.

I am pleading for the life

of every young boy and girl.

You stand between the future and the past.

I am pleading for life, judgment,

understanding, charity and kindness.

Your honor, I present to you a book of love.

It can overcome cruelty with kindness,

hatred with love.

Hang these boys

and you will indeed turn your face to the past.

And in doing this, you will make it harder

for every unborn child, throw away hope,

destroy vision, abolish aspiration.

I am pleading for a time when hate

and cruelty will not control the hearts of men.

A time when we can learn by reason

and judgment and understanding

and faith that life, life,

life is worth saving

and mercy is the highest attribution of men.

Your honor, you are wise, and in your wisdom,

mercy should follow.

- Your honor,

how far will the excuses go on the part of the defense?

The sanctity of law means that a murder is enough

justification for a hanging.

You have listened with a great deal of patience

and consideration on the part of the state

and on the defense.

And I'm not gonna trespass any more unduly

on your time, your Honor.

And I'm gonna close for the state.

I believe that the facts have demonstrated

that a crime has been committed

by these two defendants.

This has been demonstrated not by some lavish laboratory,

but by facts and evidence.

Your Honor, in the name and the language

of that Holy Book, execute justice.

Justice.

I pray to the God in heaven

and on the very soul of that murdered child,

my child, your child,

a niece and nephew,

justice and righteousness in this court.

Well, this sure is a fine mess.

You're gonna burn in hell.

We almost got away with it.

I know you don't like this as much as I do.

- You told them I killed Bobby. I mean, why would you lie?

I thought you loved me.

I'm not sure what to say.

- Babe.

I do love you. All right?

I love you with all my heart.

I just, I was tired and sleepy during the interrogation.

Okay? I could have said anything.

But Nathan, look, with the amount of money

that our parents are paying Darrow,

the worst case scenario is we do a couple

years time in a crazy house.

Hell, even if we do life, we're out within a few years.

So until then, just remember who we are.

All right?

They would never hang two scholars.

We are not like them.

- Sometimes I think if we...

I'm not sure if I can believe you anymore, Dickie.

I'm not sure if I even believe myself.

- I'm strong, but sometimes I still feel unsure of myself.

Even scared.

But I don't care anymore.

- I'm scared too.

I hate this. I hate myself.

- We can't let the public see our fear. Okay?

We have to go out of here as heroes and supermen.

Winners, not losers. Self-control.

Okay? You can do... - Stop it!

Just stop.

Listen to me.

What?

- Touch me.

- Nathan.

- I know you can't.

I don't know when, if ever, you will again.

I'm just trying to keep my head together

and I need something, some shred of,

of emotion, belonging.

I, I need a moment.

Anything, but I need you to touch me.

I need to feel present again.

- I am touching you.

I'm feeling you.

Your skin is so soft.

Can you feel my hands?

Touch me back.

- I'm touching you.

Kiss me.

- I am kissing you.

I kissed you again.

- I can feel your face.

I can smell your hair.

- I'm holding you.

- I'm holding you tight.

I'm loving you.

- In, in our house in Michigan.

- Yeah.

- Yeah. That's the one.

We have a roaring fire going in the front room.

So bright.

Orange and gold, warm.

- Yes.

And, and the beautiful painting hanging over the mantle.

The room you've decorated so beautifully for us.

And the dog.

What kind of dog do we have?

- Border Collie.

We both agreed we need two kids and a small dog.

But I insisted, you know?

Just love the breed.

And our kids are so happy now.

They can go to school and tell all their friends about it.

- The roofers are coming tomorrow

to fix the front porch then.

This must be done before our guests arrive for dinner.

- And uh, what did you have the chef prepare?

- Chateaubriand, with your favorite potatoes

and lots of butter.

- And dessert?

- Chocolate eclairs,

'cause I know how much you love them.

For the crime of murder,

the statute declares whoever is guilty of murder

shall suffer the punishment of death

or imprisonment in the penitentiary for his natural life.

In number 33623 and 33624, indictment for murder,

the court sentences, you, Nathan F. Leopold,

and Richard Loeb...

In prison, I matured from a once entitled youth

to a responsible adult.

I volunteered to help out our troops with the war effort

by electing to be injected with malaria,

so that the doctors could study the effects the disease

would have on our troops.

To this day, the curriculum used

to educate prisoners in the entire United States prison

system is the one that I created.

But before I could get there, I had

to clear my biggest hurdle.

- Mr. Leopold, you requested to see me.

- I, I did. I am not sure how to say this.

I want to feel valuable.

I want, I need to do something important.

And I feel I would be more useful to you

as a teacher than as an inmate.

- Years ago you said you would have my job.

As you can see, I'm still here.

We are still here.

Once before you've tried bribing my officers.

Now I'm gonna send you to solitary for 30 days.

Guard?

- Wait, I, I, I don't, you misunderstand.

I have no intention to bribe you.

- Okay. You've got 60 seconds to state your case,

and then you're gonna finish out the rest

of your time in solitary.

- I wish to offer my services in order

to create a functioning library.

And I would like to offer my intellect

to teach the other inmates.

As of right now, correspondence courses go

only up through the eighth grade.

And the library is in no condition to do any sort

of research or inquiry into science, mathematics,

literature, history.

I mean, it should be a place for broadening

and, and expanding minds and horizons.

There are some prisoners who,

who have basic learning capabilities.

And although it may not seem like they're super interested

in learning, I, I can see that there are so many of them

that thirst for knowledge daily.

Sir, if you would, the idle hands are the devil's workshop.

And perhaps it's time

to worry when one has too much time on them.

I found myself writing equations

or foreign languages just to kill the time.

Any course I had ever studied, I wrote down.

It was better than the silence

or occasional noise of someone yelling.

There's no way to really solve for any of it.

The prison system offered correspondence courses

that didn't exceed an elementary school level of education.

Only a few men bothered to enroll.

That wasn't long after that some 19 penal systems

added my curriculum to their prisons.

More letters than numbers...

And I was able to introduce junior college level courses.

I taught a variety of courses,

while learning braille to help a blind inmate.

But then B and ANC...

I pushed myself to master 12 different languages.

And I'm looking around. I'm not seeing...

I spent so many years

and made myself useful to others instead of harming them.

I wanted a chance to live a decent, useful existence.

Society should embrace rehabilitation in all people,

and every prisoner should seek atonement for himself,

even if they or society feel they don't deserve it.

I prayed and asked God for forgiveness for what I had done.

I have to trust in him and let it go.

- It's okay, Daisy. It's okay.

You're a good, you're a good girl.