Original subtitles

(pencil scratching)

(paper crinkles)

(screech echoes) (distant siren wailing)

(pencil sharpener grinding and whirring)

(electronic beeps pulsing) (haunting screech echoes)

(camera shutter clicks)

(pencil scratching) (flashback music whooshing)

(sharpener grinding and whirring)

(dramatic music)

(footsteps patter)

(woman gasps) (tires squealing)

(unsettling music)

(unsettling music continues)

(unsettling music continues)

(fire whooshing)

(unsettling music fades)

(geese honking)

(insect chirping)

(children playing in distance)

(dreamlike music)

(dreamlike music continues)

(tires screeching)

(panic-stricken music)

(body thuds)

(somber music)

(engine rumbling) (wind whooshing)

(tires screech)

(intriguing music)

(engine revving)

(tires squealing)

(intriguing music continues)

(engine turns off)

(intriguing music continues)

(birds fluttering)

(music quiets)

(James sniffs)

(mysterious music)

(James spits)

(tools clinking)

(mysterious music)

(choir singing)

(choir continues singing)

(choir singing continues) (engine revving)

(cB radio chattering)

(frequencies shifting) (radio chatter continues)

(chatter murmuring)

- [Boone] Molly!

- Hey.

- Sure I can't give you a ride home?

- Oh, thanks, Boone.

Alex is picking me up.

But it's nice of you to ask.

- Well, it's late, it's cold.

Do you think it's a good idea

for you to wait out here alone?

I could wait with you.

- I'll be fine.

- Oood night, Molly.

- Oood night, Boone.

(horn honks)

Hey, Alex. Thanks.

- No problem.

(ominous music)

- Alex, take it slow tonight?

- Why?

- I don't know.

It's late, I'm not as alert as I'd like to be.

- You're a passenger, Mol.

How alert do you have to be?

(ominous music)

- What's he doing?

- Winking.

(engine revving)

He's getting over.

(heart-pumping music)

(tires squeal)

(engine revs)

(CB radio chattering)

(dramatic music)

- Alex!

(Alex screams) (tires screeching)

(horse neighs)

(tires screeching) (car banging)

(horn honking)

(tires screeching)

(Alex grunts)

(glass shattering)

(tires screeching)

(both breathing heavily)

- Are you all right?

(phone beeping)

Shit.

Molly?

(hooves clopping)

Molly...

Are you all right?

- Yeah.

- Stay here. I'll go get help.

(tires squealing)

(tiers screech)

(Alex panting)

(Alex grunting)

(tires squeal)

Hey!

Hey! Hey!

Hey, damn it, we need help! (tires screeching)

(dramatic music)

(engine revving)

(tires screech)

(Alex screams)

(Alex grunting)

(tires squeal)

No!

No! No!

No, please!

(Alex screaming)

(tires screech) (Alex screams)

- Alex!

(engine revving)

(tires screech)

(engine rumbles)

(Molly grunting)

(engine revving)

(Molly grunting)

(dramatic music)

(shutter clicks) (camera whirs)

(tires screech)

(dogs barking) - Oet back here!

(dogs barking)

(tires screeching)

(tires squeal)

(birds fluttering) - A possible hit and run,

Multiple-TI accident with kill injuries.

Officer on scene not involved. (engine turns over)

(engine revs)

(sirens wailing)

- Hold it.

Hold it right there.

Tunnel's closed.

This is an emergency lane.

- Will Macklin, traffic investigator.

- Okay.

- TI coming through!

Clear a path, guys.

(officers chattering)

- [Officer] You're good. Go ahead.

- Hey, Jimmy.

- Bill.

- What happened? - We got a mess.

Come on, you remember how it was.

It's great to be young and stupid on a Saturday night.

We've got 3 vehicles, 4 bodies,

nothing ticking but their watches.

(Will tuts)

White female, early 20s.

Talk about a hard-on...

- You got a filthy mind, Jimmy.

You oughta transfer to vice.

(responders chattering)

- The horse trailer must have gone down first.

That's how the animal's walking,

then this baby comes along, splat!

- First on the scene was that guy over there with the dogs,

but he didn't call it in.

- Who did?

- Wouldn't leave his name.

Came in on channel nine.

- Nine?

CB? - Yeah.

- People still use 'em?

- 10-4.

(pensive music)

- Hey!

This look like a souvenir shop?

(dramatic music)

Hey. Hey!

Hey, we got a survivor here!

Hey! - Yeah?

Hey, up here!

(responders clamoring)

Let's go!

(dramatic music continues)

(calm music)

(calm music continues)

(typewriter clacking)

(knocking on door)

Come in.

Molly?

Will Macklin, state traffic investigator.

- She's already said everything she has to say.

- Not to me.

- It's okay.

- I'll be right outside. - Okay.

- Please, sit.

You must feel that we don't do our job very well

for something Iike this to happen to you, twice.

- This isn't the same.

- No, of course not.

The other was worse, I'd guess,.

Losing your family like that,

I've seen it take down grown men.

You must have been a tough little girl.

Yeah, I was just wondering...

- What?

- If it wouldn't skew what you saw,

shade your thinking a little.

- It shades my life.

- So it's conceivable that you got things wrong?

- He saw her.

He toyed with her.

He killed her,

and then he came after me.

- Don't suppose you know anything about skid marks?

- No.

- Well, rubber on asphalt is like ink on paper.

Tires may not know how to spell,

but the marks they leave are a language, just the same.

- And what do they say?

- There were a lot of people in that tunnel

trying to avoid one another,

one guy doing )ust the opposite.

- It almost sounds like you believe me.

What are you gonna do about it?

- Molly, I'm not a homicide detective.

I don't even carry a gun,

just a measuring tape and a pencil.

I never made an arrest in my life, never shot anyone.

You said the vehicle was big.

American, maybe.

Old, possibly green.

What else can you tell me about it?

- Filthy.

(dreamy music)

(fabric flapping)

(metal creaking)

- Okay, Iet me start by confessing

that I've never actually been in an accident,

but I know what you're thinking, feeling.

You're saying to yourself, "Why me?"

Yes, well, it didn't just happen to you.

In America, 300 of us are seriously injured

in a motor vehicle accident every hour.

That's over 8,000 of us a day,

250,000 a month.

That's over 3 million a year.

50,000 of us die.

The person next to you, take their hand.

Take it.

Come on, take it.

That's it.

I want you to do something for me.

I want you to say,

"I am not alone."

Say it with me.

- [Oroup] I am not alone.

- Oood. Again.

- [Oroup] I am not alone.

- What happened to me happened once.

- [Counselor] Pardon?

- Not 8,000 times a day,

one time.

- I understand what you're feeling.

- Excuse me.

- [Counselor] Okay, see?

That's what happens when we put up the barricades.

- Sorry.

- About what?

- About whatever brought you here.

- How did yours happen?

- Hit and run.

- Me too.

Did they catch the person?

- No, they didn't.

- I have to be somewhere.

- Can I give you a ride?

- Somebody's meeting me.

- What about later?

- It's kind of a bad time.

- I didn't say we'd enjoy ourselves.

- You promise?

- We'II be pitiful.

- I'll be back next week,

and if you're here, then we'II see.

- Wasn't an accident, Molly.

He knew wbat he was doing.

- What are you talking about?

- He drives a 1972 Cadillac El Dorado, pepper green.

I believe you know the car.

- If you know something about what happened to me,

take it to the police.

- They can't help us.

You don't think I've tried that before?

No police.

Did he take something of yours?

- What do you mean?

- Are you missing something,

something to remember you by?

He always takes a souvenir.

- He took my picture.

- If I can find you, so can he.

He's coming back, Molly.

You're his only mistake.

(dramatic music)

- 11 o'clock, Orchestra Hall!

(people chattering) (dramatic music)

(dramatic music continues)

(engine turns over)

(engine turns over)

(tires squeal)

- I think you and I had better talk.

(engine revs)

(tires squealing)

Hey! Son of a bitch!

Damn!

(engines revving) (exciting music)

(tires squealing)

This is traffic unit 48.

I've got a pursuit, could use some backup.

- [Dispatcher] Identify yourself.

- Macklin. - Who?

- Will Macklin, Traffic Investigations.

- Stand by. (horn honking)

- Shit!

(engine revving) (tires squealing)

Never mind.

- The tunnel's coming up.

Maybe we should go around.

- Let's go around.

Thanks, Boone.

(ominous music)

Boone!

(Molly screams)

(glass shattering) (metal scraping)

(metal scraping)

(car door creaks)

(liquid trickling) (unsettling music)

(Molly grunting)

(metal clinks)

(Molly whimpers)

(Molly grunts)

Boone?

Boone, can you move?

(Boone groans)

(engine rumbling)

(unsettling music)

(chain clanks) (Molly screams)

(Molly screams) (tires squeal)

Boone!

Boone!

(Molly yelping) (metal scraping)

(Molly whimpering)

(malevolent music)

(tires squealing)

(Molly grunting)

(engine revving)

No! (Boone groans)

(tires squealing) (engine revving)

(Molly screams)

(tires squealing)

(metal scraping) (wind whooshing)

(engine revving)

(tires squealing)

(Molly screams) (metal clanging and scraping)

(heart-pumping music)

(tires squealing)

(Molly grunting)

- No! Hold it!

(engine revving)

(Molly grunting)

Come on!

Grab my hand!

(tires squealing)

Look at me! (Molly yelps)

Look at me!

Now!

(Molly yelps)

(engine revving) (tires squealing)

(Molly whimpers)

(tires screeching)

(metal clanging)

(tires screeching)

(Molly whimpers) (engine idles)

- [Fargo] Cray.

You want another shot at me?

Have the girl out here tomorrow night.

It's simple.

I want her. You want me.

Use her.

(James grunts) (Molly whimpers)

- We'll be here. - Very good.

Another 100,000 miles of this,

and you'll be just like me.

(air pumps) (engine revs)

(Molly whimpers)

(sirens wailing)

(both grunt)

- Let me out.

I have to help my friend.

- Molly, your friend's dead.

And Iike I said before, no police.

(engine revs)

(police radio chattering)

- Any sign of the girl?

- Nada.

- The guy in the Barracuda?

- Well, his plates were stolen

three weeks ago in Indiana, and...

- What?

- He's missing a door.

(chain clinking)

- Please?

- What do you want with me?

You're not seriously considering going back out there?

- I'm not considering.

We'll be there.

- No, we won't!

(pills clatter)

I am not getting back in that car.

What happened to you?

He killed someone close to you, didn't he?

Who did he run down?

(Molly grunting)

(Molly yelps)

(Molly whimpers)

(Molly grunting)

- [James] Stop!

- Am I gonna die?

- My wife.

He ran over my wife.

(dreamlike music)

(birds flutter)

(engine revving)

(panic-stricken music)

(tires squealing)

(Olivia screams)

(tires screech)

(dreamlike music)

- He always takes a souvenir?

He convinced them it was an accident,

that she was standing in the road,

that he ran because I went after him.

(Fargo scream)

(engine revving)

(dramatic music)

(tires squeal)

(dramatic music)

(engine revving)

(dramatic music)

I did 3 years.

And he spent the next 18 months in the hospital.

They rebuilt him from the ground up.

Then one day his bed was empty.

A month Iater, I got the first

of I don't know how many Ietters.

Press clippings of his accidents, from all over the map,

totally random, just like yours,

most of them recent.

- Most?

- He'd been doing this for a while.

To nine women, three before OIivia.

- Why didn't you tell the police?

- I did.

But they're )ust hit-and-runs to the police,

and usually 1,000 miles apart.

They don't have the imagination to link them to one man.

- Did you mean to hit him?

- I didn't know much about driving back then.

You know, it's basic obstacle avoidance.

You're not supposed to look

at the thing that you're trying to avoid

or you'll drive right into it.

All I know is,

I was looking at him.

(dramatic music)

(welding torch buzzing)

- That door get over here yet?

- Door?

Oh, yeah.

You mean the '68. Sure.

Check this out.

- "For use in supervised acceleration trials.

Not intended for highway use."

- Barracuda, Super Stock 426, heavy package.

Only about 50-60 ever shipped.

The body's been acid-dipped, for weight.

Check this out.

There's no sound deadener.

It's not what you'd call "street legal."

Put her on a drag strip,

she'll lay down some serious rubber.

Man, I'd love to get my hands on the rest of her.

- Hmm. Yeah, so would I.

- Something else...

Look at the tiny magnet on that thing.

It's not for voice only.

Scanner, 2-way radio, CB, stuff Iike that.

That mean something to you?

- Maybe.

Someone I'm Iooking for uses a CB.

- Well, congratulations.

You've arrested his door.

- Wally, can you hook me up with a CB?

Yeah, I got a nice little 40-channel number,

single side band, voice lock, dynamic squelch.

How's that grab you?

- If that's a CB, I'II take it.

- You've done this before.

- A long time ago.

- You're a doctor?

- It's )ust what I was.

- Here's a shirt.

And, uh...

Some other things, if you need 'em.

- Thank you.

Could you turn around?

So, what was he before all of this?

- Insurance.

He worked out of a Iittle bungalow in Oakland.

Mostly automobile coverage.

Dealing with smashups all day

could be where he picked up a taste for it.

Definitely where he Iearned how to get away with it.

It happened to you, too.

A car did that,

when you were a kid.

Who was driving, your mom or your dad?

- Dad.

- Did he make it?

What about your mom?

- I can't drive because of it.

Can't get over the fear that I'II screw up

and make another little girl an orphan.

- We have a lot in common, you and me.

- I can't go out there again.

- He disappears for 3, 4 months at a time.

I'd have to start over again.

- I can't do it.

He'd be halfway across the country right now

if it weren't for you.

Molly, he killed 2 of your friends

without so much as getting a speeding ticket.

- I know what he did. - Then help me.

- I can't.

- There's something I can't do, either.

I can't let you go.

(cB radio chattering) (dramatic music)

(frequencies shifting)

(radio chattering)

(electricity crackles)

- Will.

- I'm here.

- Okay, there are only 25 heavy Barracudas still registered,

one model matching description.

Owner of record : Cray, Renford James.

Did 3 years for aggravated assault.

Guess what he used for a weapon.

- His car.

(footsteps approaching)

- [Fargo] Cray?

Are you there?

I was thinking of heading out west after this one,

try our Iuck on one of the super slabs,

the I- 10, maybe the 70,

Past all those Pizza Huts, 7-Elevens, K-Marts,

all those chain cities.

And all those girls.

You know, she takes a pretty good picture, our Molly.

I wonder if she's thinking of me

as much as I'm thinking of her.

You should Iet me finish her, Cray.

You know I'm going to,

sooner, later,

with you, without you.

- Do you know what the head shrinkers call this?

Exposure therapy.

(seat belt clicking)

- I know.

When the body's doing something it doesn't want to do,

it tightens up.

You Iose feeling in your hands, your Iegs.

You can't steer.

You can't shift.

Turn the key.

(engine turns over)

(tense music)

(engine revs)

(tense music)

(tires squeal)

(tense music continues)

- Is that him?

- No. His headlights are like his eyes, only one works

His body is his car.

Stop his car, stop him.

All we have to do is husk the slug

right out of his shell.

(tense music continues)

- What?

- I'm not sure.

(ignition clicks) (engine quiets)

Listen.

(leaves rustling)

(engine turns over)

(engine revs) (tires squealing)

- [Fargo] Cray, do you have her?

Is she with you?

- Yeah, she's here.

(engine revving)

(tires screeching)

- He's coming.

(engine revving) (heart-pumping music)

(truck horn honks)

(tires squealing)

- [Woman) 13-80.

- [Man] Four, zero, six, zero.

Delta... (speaks indistinctly)

Zero, zero, three, decimal, seven.

(engine revving) (suspenseful music)

(tires screeching)

(tires squeal)

Damn!

God damn!

(engines revving) (suspenseful music)

(engines revving)

(tires skidding)

(engine revving)

(suspenseful music continues)

(glass shattering) (metal crashing)

(engine belt squeaking)

(Fargo breathing)

Rennie!

(glass shattering) (James grunting)

(engine revs)

(Molly gasps)

(Fargo grunts)

Rennie!

(tires screech)

(Molly gasping)

(engine revving) (men grunting)

(tires squealing)

(Molly whimpering)

(Molly grunting)

(tires screeching)

(James groaning)

(James grunts) (engine turns over)

- Renford James Cray!

Kill the engine!

- Listen to me carefully

'cause I only have time to say this once.

The fellow you're after drives a '72 Cadillac El Dorado.

He's got a 2-minute head start.

Step out of my way, I make that time up no problem.

- Turn it off!

- 3-minute head start!

- I said turn it off!

The only way I'm gonna find out what's going on

is to keep one of you off the road--

- Move!

- Long enough to fill me in!

(engine revs) (gun pump clicks)

(gun bangs)

(dog barking in distance)

(both grunting)

- [Fargo] Cray, pick up.

Pick up, Cray.

I know you're there.

- Is she still alive?

- [Fargo] I'm not sure.

- Just tell me!

- [Fargo] Let me check.

- [Molly] No! Rennie!

No!

- Fargo!

(radio static crackles)

Fargo?

- Would someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?

- Yeah. First help me find a radiator.

(Will mutters in disbelief)

(metal creaks)

(Molly grunting and breathing heavily)

(small motor whirring)

(tool buzzing)

(unnerving music)

(Fargo grunting) (machinery clicking)

(motor whirring)

(unnerving music continues)

(camera clicks and whirs)

(pensive music)

- Do you have any idea where we're going,

or you )ust driving?

- Been tracking him for 2 years.

Yeah, I have some idea.

- You're just driving.

(Will sighs in disbelief)

- He prefers major highways.

See, he likes to speed.

With fall coming,

he'll stick pretty much to the westernlsouthwestern states.

He has a eth sense for hick towns with speed traps

and manages to avoid them.

He loves tunnels, drive-thru restaurants.

He hates drawbridges,

will go miles out of his way to avoid one.

Used to stop for repairs, too,

but he's gotten pretty good at taking care of that himself.

You can patch a punctured lung

just as easily as a flat tire.

- Why does he do it?

- He just does it.

Isn't that enough?

- No, man. If I'm supposed to help, I need to know more.

- His father had a Iittle auto insurance business,

and he used to show his kid wreck photos.

Bodies, smashed faces, decapitations.

Kid collected them, and he went to work for his father.

Pretty soon, that wasn't enough.

He started creating his own pictures

with the accidents he caused.

- Why Molly? I mean, how does he choose these women?

- Completely random.

He drives for hours,

playing out different scenarios in his head

until he has to act,

then he just Iooks for an opportunity.

You know, an empty highway or

a woman by herself.

So our killer leaves no fingerprints, no DNA,

and he drives off in the murder weapon,

and only you know about it?

- And you.

- Have you ever seen him?

Up close, I mean?

- Twice.

Last night,

five years ago, the day he killed my wife.

He looked exactly like what he was,

a middle-aged insurance salesman

that no one would pay attention to.

Ordinary face.

Forgettable.

- Except you can't forget it.

- Let me tell you something.

Outside that Caddie, he is nothing.

You separate the mind from the machine...

- And what?

- You can go home.

(dramatic music)

- What?

- Not sure. Something.

(mysterious music)

Morphine sulfate.

(Will sniffs)

She's alive.

- I-I don't understand.

How can you tell?

- That's what he's telling us.

(ominous music)

He's also telling us where he's taken her.

- [Will] Where?

- About 400 miles or so.

Across a couple of states.

It's where he's gonna kill her.

(engine belt squeaking)

- You know where we are?

I got it for a good price.

Insurance money.

You know what that is?

There's a Iot of me still in that car.

If you Iook close,

you can see bone.

(dramatic music)

- Check the glove box.

(dramatic music continues)

Pictures.

- This your wife?

- Keep looking.

There, that one.

It was taken the day he killed her.

- For revenge, he's gonna do it again.

(dramatic music)

(dire music)

(dire music continues)

(intrepid music)

- There's one thing about me Fargo's always depended on.

- What is that?

- I'd come alone.

He'll be expecting me,

won't be expecting you.

- Is there a REAcT unit monitoring this channel?

This is a police emergency.

I'm at a motel somewhere near the state line.

Towers Motel.

Anyone.

A-any...

(radio static crackles) (indistinct chatter warbles)

I need to be sure of something.

You've been on this highway a long time

and that can change a man.

I need to be sure that when the time comes,

you can change back.

- What are you asking?

- We're here to save a Iife, not commit homicide, right?

(ominous music)

(sign creaking)

(suspenseful music)

(sign creaks)

(engine rumbling)

(suspenseful music continues)

(ominous music)

(Molly grunts)

(horn honking)

(Molly grunting)

(Molly yelps and whimpers)

- [Fargo] Right there is good, Cray!

- Rennie!

- I said there!

(tense music)

(Molly whimpering) (engine revving)

(engine revving)

(tires squealing)

(Fargo grunting)

(tires squealing)

(engines revving)

(heart-pumping music)

(Fargo grunting)

(tires squeal)

(Will groans)

- Oo! Go!

(engine revving)

(tires skidding)

(tires screech)

(engines revs)

(tense music)

(engine revs)

(engines revving)

(tires squealing)

(intense music)

(tires squealing) (engine revving)

(Fargo grunts) (tires squealing)

(glass shattering)

(tires screech)

(fire crackling)

(engine shuts off)

(ramp whirring)

(fire crackling)

(small explosion booms)

(James groans)

(tense music)

(Fargo grunts)

(motor whirring)

(Molly grunts)

(Fargo grunting)

(engine revving)

(Fargo grunting)

(engine revving)

(Fargo grunting)

(Fargo grunting)

(engine sputtering)

(tires screech)

(engine revving)

(engine sputtering)

(engine revving) (Fargo groaning)

(engine turns over)

(tires squealing)

(Molly grunting) (engine revving)

(Molly grunting)

(both grunting) (suspenseful music)

(Fargo groaning)

(metal crashing) (horn honking)

(tires screech)

(horn blaring)

(electricity zapping)

(horn continues blaring)

(electricity zapping) (horn stops honking)

(somber music)

(sirens wailing)

(somber music continues)

(somber music continues)

(somber music continues)

(somber music continues)

(dramatic music)

(sirens wailing) (dramatic music continues)

(responders chattering)

(Will yells and cocks gun) (Fargo groans weakly)

- Who are you supposed to be?

- Will Macklin.

State traffic investigator.

(gunshot echoes)

(dark dramatic music)

(spooky music)

(eerie music continues)

(eerie music continues)

(eerie music intensifies)

(eerie music continues)

(eerie music continues)

(eerie music continues)

(eerie music continues)

(eerie music fades)