Original subtitles

Before, on Now and Again.

The United States government has, since the conclusion of World War II, spent

billions of dollars in the hopes of one day actually being able to build a man.

An American man.

A man who could do those things mere, mortal American men are loath to do.

Travel in dangerous places, take risks, wage war.

A man with the feet of Michael Jordan. The strength of Superman. And the

grace...

Let it there.

We know you didn't choose to die, Mr. Wiseman.

And your husband left you and your daughter a considerable sum in

in the world would we give you public interest?

I have no money.

Well, perhaps think about getting a job.

That's all your family.

I know how precious they must be to you.

But your government can't let anyone know about the existence of this

technology. You reaching out to anyone from your past absolutely guarantees

immediate and final death.

And the death of whomever you confided in.

You're stronger than any man on the planet.

You're faster than any man on the planet.

I'm not really sure I'm ready for a mission.

Somewhere along the way, have I mistakenly given you the impression that

have a say in what you will and won't do?

You are an experiment.

My experiment.

I will tell you when and what you will do.

We will develop what we can.

You look beautiful.

In fact, you look more beautiful than ever.

Thank you.

So are you going to kiss me?

I only get one, right?

Mm -hmm.

Would you mind?

You know the place.

Oh.

Wait a second.

Maybe there's something you want to tell me.

Maybe there's something I should know.

What do you mean?

I mean you've been gone for eight months now. It's a long time.

Things happen and people change.

Is there someone new in your life?

No, there's no one in my life.

There's nothing to tell you, nothing that matters.

Just, I've missed you.

Mr. Wiseman?

Can you hear me?

Mr. Wiseman?

Mr.

Wiseman?

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood.

A beautiful day for a neighbor.

Would you be mine?

Could you be mine?

Were you dreaming sweet dreams, Mr. Wiseman?

Where's that subway train when you need it?

Mom, I need a check for $158 for the junior class trip to Washington so I can

see the monument and buy souvenir T -shirts. And if I don't hand the money

today, they won't let me go. Oh, good morning to you too, Heather.

I am in my purse.

Oh, God.

I don't think I have $158 in the checking account.

What? Well, I was expecting a dividend to come in the mail, but it didn't come

yesterday. All I have is $43 .11.

Mom, this is not funny.

This is an adolescent right of passage you're screwing around with here.

Don't threaten me with adult -onset mental illness this early in the

darling. I'm not ready.

I need a check.

I'll write you a check.

Just maybe don't hand it in until the end of the day or give me a chance to

the money over from the savings account or maybe sell a stock or something.

Where are we going? Down to the study to get Daddy's passport. I cannot believe

you're putting me through this. Through what?

This stress. Never knowing from one minute to the next when the next hunk of

disposable income will appear.

I can't believe I'm listening to this. Why? Why can't you believe it? You're

one that brought me up spoiled. It's not like that was the choice I was in on.

You expect me to make the adjustment, huh? The same year I have to take my

Heather, get a grip.

Want to give me a hint?

About what?

About why I'm wearing this expensive suit.

You're wearing that expensive suit because you're a successful and

man. I am.

Absolutely. I know that because you're currently in the employ of an even more

successful and accomplished man.

That would be you?

That's the brain I know and love.

So we're pretending to be something we're not because?

Well, we want to look at some commercial space for rent.

We do?

Mm -hmm.

As you know, we're hoping to keep this exclusively a high -tech building with

connections on every floor as well as fiber optics and C5s. As you can see,

views are spectacular.

and we would be willing to negotiate build -outs with qualified lessors.

Well, this is fabulous.

It's exactly what we had in mind.

Would it be all right if my associate and I spent some time up here by

ourselves, soak up the ambiance before we make our final decision?

I don't see why not.

It's not like there's anything here to steal.

Forty -five minutes or so? Forty -five minutes would be perfect.

Oh, I'm expecting another colleague of mine. If you happen to see him on your

way out... I'll send him right up.

Soak up the what?

What are we doing here?

Needed a place to have a meeting.

A place I could be sure wouldn't be bugged or wouldn't be watched. What

you so sure that this fills the bill?

Well, if I didn't know I was coming here until an hour ago, how could anybody

else?

Oh, good.

Company's here.

Be nice.

This fellow's an old friend.

Mr. Murphy.

Dr. Moore.

We meet again. Yes, we do.

Let me introduce.

Michael, right?

Right. I received the birth announcement.

I'm part of the family.

Okay, and your name again? No one really knows.

Just call him Murphy.

Anna Lee. That was her name. That was her name. Anna Lee.

Look, you don't want to do this. I was 32 years old. The Air Force sends me

to college so I can learn Japanese.

So I walk into the classroom and I see Anna Lee. I can't believe you're telling

me. Oh, man.

Did God have a party the night he cooked para?

I mean, one look at her and this gal, man, I mean, she just turns my mind. The

maypole. So?

I start doing what you do.

I make it my business to bump into her in the hall, sit next to her in class,

and eventually I say, hey, you, me, what do you think?

Excuse me?

He's showing up at her dorm room at all hours of the day and night. He's

intimidating her friends. And we don't know it at that time, but he's got her

phone book.

What, you don't find that romantic?

Well, the point is, who appears and tells me to lay off?

Or else he's going to bust my freaking cranium.

Huh? None other than... No.

Not you, Doc.

Did you actually say freaking?

It was a long time ago. I was very young.

It was great.

Two guys beating the living crap out of each other. And it wasn't until an hour

later when we were both laying in the infirmary that we realized that we were

both there on a CIA dime. Remember?

So what happened to Anna Lee?

I don't know.

Ask him.

Six days later, I saw this other girl in the library.

I heard she works in the trust department at a bank in Providence,

Helped with kids.

Wow.

Emily.

You heard about Dampinport, right?

Uh -uh.

Died in Abu Dhabi 14 months ago.

Somebody sold a list of agents' covers to the Saudis. Two days later, they

them hanging from a bridge.

Wow.

Same thing happened in The Hague six months after that.

Four agents.

Years of work. All of it gone.

Sold for a couple hundred thousand, we're guessing.

Man, you're just full of good news, aren't you?

Have you kept in touch with Jimmy Lucek?

J .J.? Man, I haven't heard from him in...

Forever? Why?

Yeah, well, he left the life three years ago.

Cashed out and bought a huge penthouse in Hong Kong.

No sooner does he get there than he's diagnosed with lupus.

Can't tolerate the sun.

Buys a top -floor apartment in one of the tallest buildings there is and has

live with the shades drawn all the time.

Really?

How's he getting on?

Other than his health concerns, very well.

Too well, in fact.

We believe he's developed a lucrative business inducing his old friends to

state secrets, which he then sells to our enemies.

That's the reason we call.

Can I count on you?

I'm a pro.

I know who I am.

I know what I do.

Well, I don't.

Who is this guy and what does he do?

I don't really expect you to do it.

We know he was your friend.

Think of it as a training mission for the kid.

Am I the kid?

I don't mean to seem dense, but am I the kid?

He's a virgin.

Again, I know I'm interrupting the flow, but am I the virgin?

So he would actually be handling the elimination.

Do you have a minute?

What are we talking about here?

An assignment.

What kind of assignment?

Overseas, out of the country.

Ah, aren't you leaving something out?

It's a sleepover assignment.

All the kids have a tough time with that at first. But what's this about

elimination? What do you mean by elimination?

Mr. Wiseman, let's stop being coy. You know exactly what we mean by

You're right, I do. And I won't do it.

Really? Yeah.

This can't be a surprise.

I told you you would be called upon to do those things normal American men

do. But you never said anything about elimination!

I can't do that!

So yes, you can.

Any man can, if he has to.

And Mr. Wiseman, you have to.

You made a deal, just like I made a deal.

Now my marker's being called in, so that means your marker's being called in.

So you will go and do this little job for King, Country, and Dr.

Morris. And you will do it swiftly, and you will do it skillfully.

And in return, you will be allowed to live another day.

Thanks for coming back. I was afraid I wasn't going to see you again.

We need to talk.

What's the matter?

You haven't been completely honest with me.

About what?

About who you are.

About what you've become.

Lisa... Don't take this the wrong way, but I think I liked it better when you

stayed dead.

Wait a second. Don't say that.

It's bad enough being a widow.

But being a widow who knows that her late husband is running around with who

knows who, eliminating people... I haven't eliminated anybody yet.

Come on, Michael. We both know where this is heading.

But Lisa... Heather's coming.

I don't want her to know her father commits mortal sins for a living.

It's not my living. It's what I do to live.

But... Hi, Daddy.

Hi, sweetheart.

How are you?

Daddy, the kids at school are saying you kill people for a living.

They're wrong, Heather.

I haven't actually killed anybody.

Not yet.

Well, if you do kill somebody, I mean, could you come into school and talk

it on career day?

Career day?

Good morning.

I'm calling about the exceptional career opportunity for motivated self

-starters.

Uh -huh.

So what you're saying is that you're looking for me to make an initial

investment of $50 ,000 so that I can have my own vending machine route?

Great. My previous employment history?

Now, is that really an issue? I mean, I freely admit I have never sold

timeshares before.

No, I do.

I absolutely understand the question.

1993. Although that was really more of a kind of volunteer kind of a thing.

When was the last time I got paid?

Uh, I'm sorry. I'm on the cell and you're breaking up.

No.

I'm sorry. I did not know that's what you meant by hostess.

No, I'm not purposely trying to waste your time.

No. I will not tell you what I'm wearing right now.

And this is the prime spot, and the owner is very anxious to have a tenant

here.

But this is just perfect.

Would you mind if my associates and I took a little look around by ourselves

a half hour or so?

Certainly.

You are shameless.

Lucic lives 46 floors up in the penthouse of this building, which takes

entire floor and is serviced by its own elevator.

What are we doing? His rent is probably killing him.

This elevator is monitored around the clock by no less than four television

cameras and a like number of microphones.

Even the outside of the elevator car is under video surveillance, so no one can

sabotage it.

In addition, this is a very high security building with 16 cameras in the

doormen, security personnel, etc.

Even the fire escape stairs are completely monitored.

How do we get in?

Gee, maybe we don't.

Gosh, I was really up for this. All the utilities, pipes, cables are funneled

through access tunnels that run underneath all the buildings on the

block. Our idea is to get you into one of the buildings on the other side of

block and have you make your way through this tunnel back to the basement in

Lucic's building.

Why? What's in the basement?

An elevator shaft.

But you said... I said that the elevators were monitored.

I said the outside of the elevator car was monitored.

I did not say the shaft was monitored.

You see this cable?

Every time this elevator goes up, this cable goes down.

Every time the elevator goes down, the cable goes up. Whoa, whoa, whoa. I think

I see where you're going here.

You want me to what?

Hold on to a steel cable and have it pull me 46 stories in the air?

No.

I want him to hold on to a steel cable and you to hold on to him.

Trying to write my resume.

What's the problem?

The problem is it only takes up a third of the page.

No matter what I do to the margins, there's no font big enough to make up

the fact that my life only fills a third of a page.

Is that bad?

No. No, not really. Not if you're nine.

Well, maybe you just need to elaborate.

Elaborate how?

Well, like this.

Thing from 1981, waitress. June through August. First of all, don't call

yourself a waitress.

You... Get up for a second.

You were a... hospitality consultant in the food service industry.

A hospitality consultant?

Don't you read the papers? Nobody has a job anymore.

Everyone's a consultant.

Really? Absolutely.

And... Let's lose this June through August thing. Just 1981.

Don't be so specific.

It's the details that'll get you into trouble. Only offer dates on a need -to

-know basis.

Need -to -know, huh?

And let's list all the languages you speak fluently.

I don't speak any languages.

Gesundheit. You see?

You're much too modest, Mom.

And what was that musical we went to see last year?

Les Miserables. Wow, French, too.

You're unstoppable, Mom.

And what was Daddy's favorite breakfast?

Huevos rancheros.

When I get through with you, you'll be the freaking UN.

Excuse me?

You look like you wanted to ask me something.

Yeah, well, the obvious thing, probably.

I have a mother. I take her to church sometimes.

She says to her friends, this is my son.

He works in world affairs.

He makes sure there's a tomorrow for us to wake up to.

I don't understand.

There really are good guys and bad guys in this world, Mike. And the bad guys

are badder than anything you can imagine.

I just... I just don't know if I can do this.

If you knew you could do it, I'd be worried.

It's a 14 -hour flight. I suggest you get all the rest you can.

Boots up front, head in the back.

Frau Weismann, es ist mir klar, dass Sie ein Vielzahl in Sprachen sprechen.

Gesundheit.

Okay.

So, you want a job in the fashion accessories business.

It would be helpful to me if we could fill in some of the blank spots.

Blank spots?

Well, being a...

hospitality consultant in the food service industry is a laudable job for a

young woman.

Miss Masters. Particularly during the summers when she's going to college. Let

me explain. And especially if she's allowed to keep her tips.

Thank you for seeing me. That it hardly constitutes a work history.

I'm sorry that I wasted your time. Or for that matter, even a life history.

And you will only be wasting my time if you insist on leaving before we finish

this meeting.

Thank you.

Now, why don't you tell me who you are, where you've been, and

why are you here?

I'm Lisa Wiseman. I've been married for 17 years, and I have been a mother for

15 years.

My husband was killed in an accident about eight months ago, and I need a

I have a worthless degree and no experience to speak of.

But I am, as they say in the classifieds, highly motivated.

And, yes, I would be interested in a job in the fashion accessory business. In

fact, I would be interested in any business that would have me.

And why would I be interested in hiring you?

Your ad said mature.

Mature executive assistant.

The truth is I don't actually think of myself as mature. I think of myself as

not exactly immature, so I thought that I would qualify by default.

The ad said some other things, too.

Yes, yes, it said something about a benefits package.

Yeah, it also said 60 words per minute.

Right, right, that would be what the WEM stood for.

Do you type at all?

Oh, at all I type.

You are very nice.

Taking your time.

Talking to me.

Thank you.

Oh, have you seen my two boys?

No.

Attractive, aren't they? Uh -huh.

One day in 1986, their father comes home from work and tells me he's fallen in

love with a piano tuner.

A 26 -year -old piano tuner. I mean, I don't even know where the switch is to

turn off the oil burner in the summer.

I don't know how to fill out my own taxes, and I certainly don't know how to

make a living.

I always used to make these headbands and give them to my friends as gifts.

Howie and the boys made such fun of me.

And then one day I thought, why don't I try selling these?

And so I did to the local beauty parlor. No, I mean sell.

And then I started selling it to boutiques.

Think about it.

I'm not going to offer you that job, Mrs. Weissman.

Yeah, I kind of figured that.

No, not because you can't type. You can learn to type.

But the truth of it is, as grateful as you'd be to me today for giving you that

job, that's how much you'd resent me six months from now when you were bored to

death with it.

Whatever you say.

You're a smart woman.

It oozes out of every pore.

So stop pretending you don't know anything.

You can't have lived the life you've lived for 17 years, made a home, raised

family, and not have learned something, not be interested in something.

Find out what that is, and then find a way to make a living at it.

That's what the boys do.

Where are we going?

I'm right behind you.

Okay, I'm coming.

I just wanted to let you know that speech you made on career day, that was

best.

I really have to go.

And bringing in that dead guy as a visual aid, that was classic.

Excuse me, sweetheart.

Where are you going, Daddy? Are you leaving?

Everybody sit tight. We've got a scheme to get you boys through customs and to

where you have to go.

You can thank me later.

Ah, gee, you missed my big entrance.

Yoo -hoo, Reveille.

Come on out, we gotta kill somebody in cold blood.

Kid, stop getting around and open this thing.

How you doing?

To be honest with you, I'm a little stiff.

Ah, killer humor.

One capacity is not what it should be.

It's not karmic justice. It's too many Cuban stogies.

Need a hand?

No, just a minute.

Are you actually going to be able to do this? Why, you want to do this yourself?

No.

I'll take that hand now.

Stop looking at me that

way.

Everything's going to be fine.

Come on.

Let's find us an elevator shaft.

How does this work? Am I supposed to say Shazam or something?

I mean, can't you just twist that lock apart with your bare hands?

It'll all be over soon.

You know the most shocking part?

20 minutes from now, after you pull that trigger, your life will be no

different. The world won't end, and your nose won't grow longer.

The big secret of life, everybody dies, Michael.

And you know what you discover when you've been doing this as long as I've

doing it?

Nobody's really that damn important anyway.

Great men die, and the world goes on.

Bad men die, and the world goes on.

We have our work to do.

This is mine.

It's going to be yours.

Wow.

Makes me wish I used a jaw on a plane.

How are we supposed to get up there?

Grab my feet.

Are you sure this is the best way to do this?

Don't argue.

The elevator's going to come down any minute now. When it comes down, we go

Okay.

Houston, we have liftoff.

Oh, man.

How we doing?

Not very well, frankly.

I don't know if I can hold on much longer like this.

Look above your head. See that bracing?

I'm going to try and get you close enough so you can grab hold of it. How

going to do that?

I really appreciate you telling me that everybody dies eventually and nobody

really matters.

Without that little bit of sage wisdom, what's happening to you now might really

upset me.

I'll make you a deal.

You get me through this, and I'll take care of the other.

Hey, J .J.

I didn't know that they had funnies in that paper.

Murphy, how did... I had, uh, some help.

I see.

Uh, I was hoping this was a social call, but you're here to ask your Uncle Sam,

aren't you?

Well, he did pick up the airfare.

Would you mind terribly, I mean, For old times' sake, if I...

Go ahead.

Just drop the paper and get up very slowly.

I don't suppose I could get you to turn around, could I?

Would you mind if I, uh, washed my hands?

Seems a bit beside the point, given the business at hand.

But, have at it.

While you're tidying up, let me ask you your professional opinion about

something.

A cryptographic code book.

You know, the kind that contains nuclear launch codes.

How much would such an item be worth to you and your friends?

What are you doing?

What's going on here?

I'm asking a question.

I'm exploring a possibility.

I'm no spring chicken, my man.

So if J .J. here can make an old civil servant's retirement just a little bit

more bearable, maybe I wouldn't have to kill him after all.

He's telling them secrets? That's treason. One million dollars for each of

I have it here.

It's in the house.

It's in the tape.

And Krugerrand.

I can't do this, Murphy. What do you mean you can't do this?

Which part of this is making you uncomfortable?

Having a million dollars to live on?

Or you no longer being an indentured slave to the United States government? I

can't allow this to happen. I don't understand you, kid. What are you saying

here? That you'd rather I kill us?

Three million.

But look, he's going to give that to our enemies.

Security is going to be compromised. Lives will be lost.

Four million dollars. No, Murphy, I can't.

You can't kill. You can't not kill. You can't do much, can you, kid?

I'm giving you a gift.

It's not just the money.

I'm saving you from the life.

You have any idea how long and how well you can live?

on four million dollars here in asia doesn't matter to me

i can't do it well what's the alternative i mean it's not like you're

him or anything what did you do

he's a traitor murphy and you're a traitor too

oh come on you know better than that That thing may slow me down a little

It's not going to stop me.

Don't do this, kid.

You're making a huge mistake.

You think killing me, killing this guy, that you're going to be some kind of big

hero, a big patriot?

You're going to be a garbage man, just like me.

Somebody everybody needs, but nobody wants around after the deed is done.

So...

Let's be smart.

Let's get our code book back before this guy bleeds all over it.

And we'll make a better deal.

A bigger deal.

You've done this before.

Well, I know some people.

Some big money guys.

In The Hague?

In Abu Dhabi?

Well, you know what they say about your retirement.

It's never too soon to begin saving.

Yeah.

That's what I thought.

Me too.

Morris.

What?

Haven't figured it out yet, Murphy?

Kid's good, isn't he, Murph?

Admit it.

He had you.

Sorry.

Left my blood swabs in my other suit.

So this has all been one big setup.

Well, we had to know.

Good men suffer because of what you did.

Yeah, well, that's too bad.

But we're not in America.

And you have no jurisdiction here.

It took me a really long time to understand what you meant.

Then it hit me.

The one thing I have always had, always taken pleasure in, the one thing I

really know something about is homes.

I made a home.

I bought a home. I can sell homes. I like homes.

And I know you have to go to school, and I know you have to get a license, and I

know you don't get paid unless you sell something, until you sell something. And

I am fine with all of that.

Well, that's a very impressive attitude.

Do you have a resume?

No. I'm beginning one.

Today.