Original subtitles

A special narcotics task force. It is citywide, it's big, and it's cocaine.

You're assigned to Sergeant McKenna. Is that a Dory McKenna? Same old Cagney,

huh? John Wayne in the skirt. Oh, Dory. Look, I didn't ask for this assignment.

That's insubordination.

You could be brought up on charges for that.

What about, I don't know, friends, you know? Maybe you could use somebody else.

I don't need a nurse.

No, I am not in love with him. He just upsets me.

He makes me nervous.

I like that.

Yeah, cardiovascular fitness.

Thin thighs, you know.

Firm muscles.

The new woman, I'm very impressed.

So, wait, you think I could get into that?

Yeah, I could try it.

You know, build up gradually.

Good. Beg your pardon?

Yeah. Well, maybe.

Oh, God.

Maybe not.

Marcus,

you want to hear what Bomban said to me last night? No.

Lieutenant Samuels.

Captain Fuller.

Captain. It's good to see you again.

1973?

The 6-4 in Bed-Stuy.

Congratulations on making captain.

Look, Samuels, I imagine this is a little difficult for you.

Well, we were together ten years ago in Brooklyn.

I was sergeant, you were a patrolman, and you took orders from me.

Well, now you're a captain and I'm a lieutenant, so I take orders from you.

That's the way it works.

Good. Okay, so there are no hard feelings.

Oh, why shouldn't there be hard feelings?

Deputy Inspector Nelman, fill you in.

I'm going to be reporting directly to the commissioner.

As you know, he's a little concerned about efficiency at the precinct level,

so I'm going to be looking around, talking to your people, checking your

case files.

It's going to take me a couple of days to familiarize myself with your

operation, but in the meantime, we should discuss these liaison assignments

with narcotics.

I've got a copy of your detective roster I can look at. Yeah.

Who's available?

Well, at the moment, there's Cagney and Lacey.

Christine Cagney?

You married Beth Lacey? No, I don't like putting women on narcotics.

They can handle it. Well, my experience has shown me that women don't work out

in certain high-pressure assignments.

Well, uh, it's not been my experience.

There could be some danger involved here, and I see that Lacey's got two

kids, so how about Aspermonte and Kazak?

Aspermonte is the, uh, father of five kids.

All right, call him in. I'll brief him.

You put on a few pounds since 73, Lieutenant.

Yeah, that's, uh, that's working.

You know, there's a gym right on 48th. I spend an hour there every day. You ought

to check it out.

Peggy? Lacey?

Lacey and Jackie, this is Captain Ford. Captain, sir.

You're being assigned a temporary duty on a special narcotics task force. And

it is citywide, it's big, and it's cocaine.

You want to solve our case, though?

Not for the moment, yeah.

Your narcotics liaison officer will contact you tomorrow and fill you in.

Let me emphasize that you're going to be working under this man's command and

that under no circumstances will any arrests be made without his knowledge

and consent.

Is that clear?

Yes, sir.

That's it?

Thanks.

This is a narcotics liaison officer.

Captain, what's his name?

14th Precinct. You're assigned to Sergeant McKenna.

Pardon me, Captain. Is that a Dory McKenna?

Right.

Thank you.

Because I don't like the idea of working with him.

Why not?

Come on, Christine.

Come on what? Can I have the ketchup, please?

Last year, that man left me hanging out with no backup while he was off busy

scoring cocaine.

You made the collar, didn't you?

Yeah, no thanks to you.

You were busy chasing after him.

Then you bring him to my apartment. Now he's tooting up with our kids in the

next room.

I'm not even going to dignify your somewhat foggy memory of the events,

Mary Beth.

How do you want me to advise you?

Don't tell Harvey.

What has Harvey got to do with it? I'm talking about you.

I don't want to have him the problem here. Don't you pretend to me that you

don't have a history with this man.

What Dory and I were together, Mary Beth, is history.

We're not teenagers.

We're cops. We are professionals. There's no reason why we can't work

together.

Yeah. Do you trust him?

What does that mean?

That means that Sergeant Dora McKenna had a serious drug problem.

A lot of cops have problems, Mary Beth.

Some cops drink.

Some cops beat their wives.

Some cops even put on pantyhose and garter belts and cruise the West Village

in their spare time.

I'm sure he must have cleaned up his act.

They wouldn't have taken him back.

Certainly not on narcotics.

Yeah.

So what do you want to do? You want to call him?

I'd just like to eat my lunch here. Could we just drop this?

You don't want to talk about it?

You never want to talk about it. Okay, we don't talk about it.

Excuse me, Lieutenant.

I wonder if I might talk to you about that narcotics assignment.

Sure.

Well, I think it'd be better if you just put maybe another team of detectives on

it. Hey, I've already been through this with Fuller.

You and Lacey happen to be the two most available at the moment.

What's the matter? You got a problem with it?

Well, it's just the kind of assignment I've really never been very effective

at. What are you talking about?

You worked narcotics before. It's nothing new for you. No, it's not that.

It's, uh... You know me. I'm no good working in teams.

Is that what it is, huh, Peggy?

This is not liberal arts at Barnard.

This is a police department.

In case you didn't know it, the police department is just like the army.

You get orders, you follow them.

That's the way it works.

Look, if it's something personal... Oh, no.

No, it isn't personal.

Actually,

I'm sorry we brought it up.

Good night.

Well, what do you think, huh?

Nice. Haven't worn that suit in two years.

Haven't been to a funeral in two years.

44 years old, he just keels over and buys it, just like that.

You have a heart condition?

Eddie Backus, are you kidding?

Jogged two miles a day, weighed 165, not an ounce of fat on him.

Back in the army, we called him Fast Eddie.

Held a record for running the obstacle course at Fort Dix.

Is he married?

Oh, he was too busy running.

Boy, I hate this suit. I hate it.

It is the suit of death.

44 years old.

Harv, it happens. It was probably hereditary or something.

Yeah, or something, huh?

What time's your plane?

Nine in the morning from Penn Station. I am taking the train, Mary Beth, the

train. I will be back Friday early.

Friday? Can't you get home sooner than that?

Mary Beth, an old army buddy checks out. The guys in the platoon get together.

They go out and have a couple.

Eddie'd want it like that.

Oh, boy, I mean, you just can't figure it, huh?

I mean, your number comes up, it comes up.

Right?

Sweetheart, your number is not coming up for a very long time. We got enough life

insurance? Harvey!

You promise me one thing, okay? You do not throw out my bowling trophies.

What about that real ugly one where they spelled your name wrong?

I swear, Mary Beth, I will come back from the grave and get you.

Promise?

I'd appreciate your being as candid as possible, Detective Petrie.

All this information is going to be kept in the strictest confidence.

Now, how long have you been assigned to the 14th?

Three and a half years.

And your present partner is Victor Isbecky, right?

That's right.

For the last year and a half.

Ah, so how's that been working out?

Fine.

Ever request a change of partners?

No.

There are, you realize.

avenues of appeal above the commanding officer of the precinct if you're

dissatisfied with your assignments.

I'm aware of that.

Tell me, how would you rate Lieutenant Samuels as a commanding officer?

Let's just say on a scale of one to ten.

I've got no problems with him. Five?

Six?

I really don't feel comfortable putting a number on it. Well, suppose I just put

down a five and a half. How about ten?

Yeah. Ten.

I gotta take her around the city. I mean, that's the least I can do.

We're going to the ice follies.

What can possibly happen at the ice follies with my own cousin?

My first cousin.

From Syracuse.

Listen, I gotta go. We got an emergency. Some guy's on the top of the Empire

State Building with a submachine gun.

Lieutenant.

Fisher in the assistant DA's office wants to see you and Petrie right away

on a manslaughter case he wants to file. Right.

Where was Petrie anyway?

He's in the interview room, sir. Oh, yeah? Who's he interviewing?

He's being interviewed.

Captain Fuller.

Good morning, sir.

Maybe not.

The lieutenant certainly got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

It must be rough having somebody who used to command come in here and start

giving you orders.

Do you know there are 55 detectives involved in this operation?

You'd think it was the invasion of Normandy.

There is a major cocaine problem in this city.

I know that.

But you don't solve it by coordinating, you solve it by working.

Coordinating is what they do downtown.

Enough in the city of New York all by yourself?

Maybe.

Paperwork. I'm telling you, they got committees and liaisons. You can't even

get a decision made around here anymore without checking with at least three

other people.

I hate coordinating.

I have a feeling Sergeant McKenna got in touch.

He wants us in his office at 3.30 this afternoon.

This afternoon?

I can't. I have to help Michael with his reading after school. See, Harb was

supposed to, but he had to go to Pittsburgh.

No problem. I'll coordinate with you tomorrow.

You sure?

Yeah, I'm sure.

Same old Cagney, huh?

John Wayne in the school. Oh, damn you, Dory.

Look, I didn't ask for this assignment. Well, then you get out of it.

If I spot something, what do I do about the collar? I'm going to be in there by

myself. Well, you don't make the collar.

No.

Well, we don't want to...

Blow that place in case the collar falls apart.

The collar is not going to fall through. Chris, Chris, let me run this operation,

will you?

Yes, sir.

I'll be in the car across the street. You follow the perp out with your bag

and your left shoulder, and I'll take it from there.

Right.

If you've got nothing...

Put your bag on your right shoulder.

But in any case, don't look at me. They may be watching you.

Just proceed down the street to the subway. Take it one stop.

Meet me in the park at 72nd Street.

You straight?

Chris.

Let's try to get along. We got a job to do.

Hey, how's it going, Jake?

Hey, hey, fine.

What's it gonna be, scotch and water?

Yeah, something like that.

Hi.

Hi.

Haven't seen you in here before.

Yeah, well, I used to come in here all the time before they turned it into a

gay bar.

This isn't a gay bar.

Really?

Could have fooled me.

Anything? Nothing that I could spot.

About 20 people went in and out.

But nobody left with anything they didn't come in with.

Unless something was passed in the men's room.

The bartender?

Just your typical east side bartender.

Polite and friendly.

But not too friendly.

Makes us a hell of a martini.

Okay. Well, we'll hit it again tomorrow, a little earlier in the day.

This time Lacey can do it.

You know, there's this little Hungarian place. It's up on 73rd Street.

Serves the most terrific goulash, if you want to grab a bite.

Thanks.

But I've got dinner plans.

Well, some other time.

Sure.

You know, uh... We could try talking

like normal people.

Dory, I could... Chris.

The last time we were together, we nearly beat each other to a pulp.

I was so coked up... Dory, I don't want to go through this again.

It's different now.

You're right.

It is different.

So maybe we better just leave things the way they are.

Okay.

You're probably right.

It winds up being easier this way, doesn't it?

How drunk was he? He was stink-faced.

It's 3.30 in the morning. He calls me up to tell me he loves me.

Well, it's the thought that counts.

And he tells me he's not coming home till the weekend.

How come?

Fast Eddie would have wanted it that way.

You don't have a roll call in the morning?

No, Lieutenant thinks it's a waste of time.

So what, the detectives keep their own hours?

Sort of.

I mean, sometimes we have to go to court in the morning.

Or we go by and interview witnesses before they go to work.

Excuse me, Captain.

It's Becky, 14th.

Look, I can't talk to you now.

Yeah.

Look, Bonbon, I'm up to my ears in work.

Good morning, detectives.

Morning, Captain. Morning.

How's the narcotics liaison assignment working out?

We just started. Fine, sir.

It's fine.

Good.

I'll be wanting to talk to you upstairs this morning. Let's say...

Lacey at 11, Cagney at noon.

Um, is this gonna take long, Captain? We have a 2 o'clock appointment with

Sergeant McKenna.

No. No, it shouldn't take more than an hour.

Ah.

I wish he would go away.

You're not the only one.

What's it gonna be today?

The usual.

How much do I owe you?

Three and a quarter.

Keep the change.

Thank you. Give a nice day You

got

a live one, let's go

Thank you.

So I says to her, Bon Bon, the least you can do is say thank you.

I mean, I give up a Nick game to take her to this turkey of a movie on 23rd

Street. If you want gratitude, Victor, you should consider older women.

Older? What are you kidding? You know what Benjamin Franklin said on the

subject? No. In 1745, he wrote a letter to a young man in which he suggests that

he consort with older women.

And he lists the advantages.

They're wiser, they're more discreet, they are not as jealous.

They are learned in the arts of love.

And most important of all, according to Franklin, they are extremely grateful.

Yeah, but if you ever... Think about it, Victor.

There's a great deal to be said for gratitude.

Sweetheart.

Hoff, somebody could be listening on this line.

I'll see you tomorrow.

He missed me so much that he's coming home tomorrow instead of on the weekend.

And he's taking me out to dinner.

It's only been gone two days.

Felt like two weeks.

Anyways, the young men are taking me to Montezuma Burgers tonight, so I will see

you in the morning.

Well, lucky you, so you won't need your purse.

Would you sign out for me? Yes.

What are you doing tonight? There's this new sushi place over on 3rd. I

thought... Oh, yeah?

Oh, no, that's fine.

Uh-uh.

No, I'll catch you later.

Okay. Bye.

Listen, what do you say I buy you dinner tonight?

Oh, that's right, I forgot.

It's poker.

Yeah, you got an extra seat?

Full house, huh?

Okay, Pop, I'll catch you later.

Pop, never draw to an inside straight.

Okay, bye.

Want to go to dinner?

You never were very punctual.

I got tied up at the station. What else is new? You work too hard. Sit down.

The beer is still good here.

Thanks for coming, Frank.

Expect me to pass up Brunschweiger and beer at Flannery's?

They are?

Good to see you, kid.

You gotta be the last person the world calls me kid.

You still look like a baby-faced sergeant to me.

Looking pretty good yourself, Frank.

It's been a while, huh? A year?

A year and a half?

I figured things were going right for you.

So, what's wrong?

Shows, huh?

Still no rabbi, Frank?

The best Irish rabbi in the city.

I got a problem.

I don't know how to handle it.

I caught him.

With his hand right in the cookie jar.

Big stuff?

Nickels and dimes.

A meal, a haircut, maybe a new pair of shoes.

There were a lot of cops walking around with paper bags in those days.

The pay was lousy. Not my cops.

How'd you handle it?

I talked to him, told him to cut it out, and he cleaned it up for a while.

But I found out a couple of months later he was back working Bedford Avenue.

So I brought him up.

He beat it?

I couldn't find anybody who would testify against him.

A couple of weeks later, he requested a transfer, and I didn't oppose it.

So you figure he's got it in for you now.

Tell me something, Frank.

How... How does a guy like that make captain?

Politics, Bert.

The man knows how to play the game.

You gotta play the game, too.

You gotta stroke him. You gotta play him like a violin.

I'm no good at politics, Frank. You know that.

You wanna stay a lieutenant forever?

All I'm asking is the department leave me alone to do my job.

You're a fossil, Bert.

You got blue coming out of your ears.

There aren't too many left like you.

They're bringing in a new breed.

They got graduate degrees, they write books, they program computers.

So what?

Frank, I... I can't take orders from a man I don't respect.

Then you got a big problem.

If you're gonna stand up against this guy, you better win.

Because if you don't kid, you could find yourself commanding a traffic squad in

the Holland Tunnel.

I thought the guy might come back.

No plans tonight?

No.

How come?

It just happens.

You know, that jogger isn't going to come within ten miles of this place now

that he knows it's hot.

Yeah, well, I had nothing better lined up.

You want to talk?

I'd like to know what happened.

I thought you wanted to keep it simple.

Come on.

This is stupid, Dory.

Talk to me.

I spent four months in a program upstate near Albany.

Three hours a day of group therapy, an hour of individual ping-pong and...

volleyball in the afternoon, TV at night, and lights out at 10.

Just like summer camp.

First I fought it. I didn't want to face it.

But I was a junkie.

But they broke me down eventually. They're very good at it. They broke me

down to nothing.

Now I'm trying to put it together again.

Why'd they put you back on narcotics?

I requested it. When I got out of there, I didn't know if I could hack it.

I wanted to have the temptation right in front of me.

You should be proud.

Of what?

I didn't beat it.

Nobody really beats it.

Well, you're off coke.

I'm still a junkie, Chris.

I just don't put white powder up my nose anymore. You know what I do now?

I work.

I'm a work junkie.

Fifteen hours a day.

I mean, look at me.

What am I doing in a car at 10 o'clock at night? I was talking out a dead end.

I got a better question.

What are you doing here?

I don't know.

I'm a bad investment, Chris. It's day to day with me.

Stay away.

I've been trying to.

That's no good, Chris.

We'll kill each other just like we did before.

Well, what about friends? I mean, maybe you could use somebody to talk to.

I don't need a nurse.

Well, what is it that you need? I need to keep things simple, and you're not

simple. You and I... Look, I'm going to get crazy again.

Don't worry.

Look. Chris, it is just too complicated. Now, please, will you go?

I'm sorry I came on to you before, Chris. I was wrong.

Tag me.

I want you to get the hell out of here.

Morning, Bert.

You're sitting at my desk, boy.

Yeah, I've been here since seven, working. I didn't think you'd mind.

I mind.

Thank you.

Mind if I close the door? No, go ahead.

I've been talking to your detectives and looking over your files, and I'm afraid

that there's a lot of work to be done here, Bert.

First of all, I think you got some dead wood on your detective squad.

I'm going to recommend that Detective LaGuardia be put out to pasture, because

I don't think the man can cut it anymore.

And your partnership assignments really need to be reexamined.

I'm not sure you're getting maximum productivity in this area.

Take his Becky and Petrie and split them up.

They put each one with a rookie.

What are you doing? I saw you signed in. Is something wrong?

You look not so hot.

Thank you.

I didn't sleep much last night. Why not?

Why do I still care about him?

Which brings me to the women.

Cagney and Lacey.

Split them up and I guarantee you they'll spend a lot less time yakking in

the ladies' room. Now, about roll call... That's enough.

I beg your pardon?

I don't want to hear anymore. It's garbage.

You haven't got the slightest understanding of who these people are or

how they work. Get out of here, Fuller.

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying.

It's not very complicated.

I want you out of here.

I want you out of my office, out of my precinct.

Today, right now!

Bert. Look, don't call me Bert. That's for openers. You come in here and in two

days you want to dismantle an operation I've been building for five years?

You tell me that one of the finest officers I've ever had the privilege to

command is too old to do his job, and you start reshuffling my detectives like

they're some kind of file guards?

Well, I won't have it! You know what you're doing, Lieutenant?

You're damn right I know what I'm doing, Captain!

I'm telling you that you don't know what you're talking about, and I am prepared

to back it up. That's what I'm doing.

Now, you want to bring me up on charges?

Well, go ahead!

But you better have a strong case, because I'm going to fight you every

step of the way, Fuller! With what? With my record! That's what!

Get back to work. All ears.

What about the dope?

He says he's off.

And you believe him?

Yes.

Oh, Chris.

I think you're looking for trouble with this man.

Mary Beth, you know, you have made yourself perfectly clear on this

subject. I just, I don't want to see you get hurt is all. Thank you.

Fine. You've got to stop using your head. Now, I'm trying to be a friend

here. Face facts. The guy's a bad onion.

He's an ex-junkie. He's got a lousy temper. No worse than mine. And he's

bossy and he's full of himself.

Like I'm not.

I'm 37 years old. What

if I want him?

I said my opinion. It's none of my business. You're a big girl.

Mary Beth!

What?

You don't even know him.

That stuff you said.

You're talking about a man you know absolutely nothing about and it's not

right.

He's really very... Well, you probably

wouldn't know it by looking at him.

What?

And he has this way about him.

He walks into a room and he takes control without even trying.

Are you in love with him? No, I am not in love with him. He just upsets me.

He makes me nervous.

I like that.

Uh, this gentleman has been looking for you.

He says Sergeant McKenna gave him your card in case he couldn't be reached. He

can't be reached?

Thank you, Petrie.

So, uh, what can we do for you?

Maybe if we started with your name.

Benny. Benny!

Hey.

So,

Benny,

what's on your mind?

You got 50 bucks on you.

In cash.

Petrie?

We tried calling Dory. He was in a meeting downtown.

We left messages. We said it was urgent.

We're going to lose it in seven minutes.

I don't like it.

He's Dory Stool. He's a lowlife.

Have you ever met a narcotics informant who was a solid citizen?

The captain was very specific. No arrest without the approval of the liaison

officer McKenna.

Fine. I guarantee you, if it's a righteous caller, no one's going to

throw it back.

What if it's only liquor?

Well, he said we were just kidding.

Buy everybody a drink.

Hey, sorry, gals. We're closed.

We're police officers.

What's the problem?

We'd like to check your liquor license.

You went in there, made the collar without the approval of your commanding

officer? We were unable to reach him, Lieutenant.

Sir, we got four kilos. That's a street value of a quarter of a million dollars.

A major dealer, two runners. We have a direct line to an East Coast importer.

Look it, I don't care if you got Attila the Hun. Your orders were not to make an

arrest without approval of narcotics.

Now, that's insubordination.

You could be brought up on charges for that.

You get an order from a superior officer, you obey it.

This entire department functions on that principle.

Bravo, Bert. That was very well put.

And quite to the point, wouldn't you say?

Inspector? Well, if you have a moment, Lieutenant, I would like to discuss that

very subject with you.

Sure.

Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.

What are you talking about, Paul?

Actually, it was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said that. Roughly translated, it means

the best are not always the most consistent.

In other words, Samuels threw Fuller out of the precinct this morning.

You're kidding.

Insubordination is running rampant on the 14th. You should have seen it. It

was like high noon.

The lieutenant stood him down.

Like Gary Cole.

I won. He did not.

A man can make it very difficult for you.

He was really out of line, Inspector.

Still, you should have gone through me.

Yeah, I realize that.

I lost my temper.

You'll be facing charges for insubordination and disrespect to a

superior officer.

Where do you figure my chances are?

Well, a lot will depend on the evaluation from your people and his

report. If your detectives line up solidly behind you, you may get off with

a reprimand.

Bert, is it true you brought him up in 73 for being on the take?

How'd you find that out?

It's a small department.

You beat it.

Yeah, so I heard.

Well, maybe you'll beat it too.

I'll keep you posted.

Thanks, Inspector.

It's a little Italian place on 38th Street with mandolin music.

That's where Harf proposed to me the second time.

That's nice.

Oh, it's five after. I hope he hasn't been waiting too long.

Only a couple of minutes late, very good.

Thanks for dropping me off, Chris.

I can't, I really can't wait to see him.

Chris, um, what I said this morning about Dory, I was just speaking my mind

is all.

I mean, what do I know about men?

I found myself a good one and kept him.

There he is, good old Harv.

Oh, look at him.

Look at him. He looks like he lost a couple pounds.

Yeah, well, beer will do that for you.

Do I look all right?

For God's sake, Mary Beth, he's your husband.

Thank you.

I'll see you tomorrow.

This is Dory McKenna. Not home right now, but if you want to leave a message,

please leave one right after the beep.

Call you back.