Original subtitles

You can't win trying to save people like me.

You have to go big.

You hear me, Maya?

No, you don't understand what they're doing there!

He's not dead.

There is a drill in there.

- The doctor says... - Enough! Call it, Judge.

Hey! Mummy's home!

No girlfriend?

No, Dad, haven't found the right woman.

It's Doctor Elliot.

I'm afraid I've got bad news.

I had another call from the Attorney General's office.

They want you to interview.

Why do you think, in a million years,

I'd want to be Director of Public Prosecutions?

Michael Antwi.

There's a new witness.

-It's been 20 years. - We have shared history.

Michael Antwi.

There is a perfect storm coming.

We just want you to share with us what she's thinking.

You remember Carter?

Welcome back, Detective Sergeant.

Brogues... Brogues, or heels?

Heels.

What?

- Lippy or no lippy? -Lippy.

How do I look?

- Great. - Ella?

- Great. - I don't trust you. You always say that.

Okay, fine. You look terrible. They're never going to give you the job

because you look like a hideous hag. - Thank you.

I love you.

Oh, thank you.

Good luck.

- Go, Mum. - Leave.

- Woo! - Good luck!

I want you to know you can talk about any part of your life with me.

Which life?

That's the point.

It's all one to me. I know everything.

You can talk about your father, for instance.

It was simple and very moving.

What was?

His funeral.

We thought you should be represented.

You were there?

Here.

Your father's ashes.

Who was at the funeral?

Friends and neighbours.

And lots of nurses.

Was there singing?

Yes.

He was a fine man.

I'm sorry your children didn't know their grandfather.

We need to talk about Michael Antwi.

She doesn't know who it is.

The witness.

And she'd tell you if she did?

We tell each other everything.

She tells me everything.

She's not going to stop, you know.

She will never give up trying to get justice for Michael.

Does anybody know who it is?

Why Michael Antwi, after all these years?

Why... Why the sudden interest?

You're scared, aren't you?

She's frightened you all.

Walk with me.

I know what you're going to say.

- She can't get this. - The AG likes her.

He likes the idea of her.

- It's more than that. - You're not hearing me properly.

She cannot get this job.

I'm the baby on the panel.

- Well, pick a fight with her. - What?

Press her buttons. Race. Sex. Class.

She'll have a rant and then the AG will go off his good idea.

She'll come home this evening and tell you all about her interview.

Nothing has changed.

You're the same happy family.

Think about it.

With me you can be yourself.

- Ms Cobbina. -Good morning.

- Morning. - Morning.

Ten years ago, we found out, an hour before the press,

that the Attorney General and the Director of Public Prosecutions

had both been having extramarital affairs.

The two leading lawyers advising everyone else how to behave

have become blackmailable overnight.

We can't allow that to happen again.

The DPP must be uncorrupted and incorruptible.

Which is why, I'm afraid, this is going to be personal.

Tell me about your husband.

What do you want to know?

- Do you love him? - Yes.

What do you argue about?

- We don't. - Really? Nothing?

Isn't that a bit unusual?

He had a very ugly childhood.

I'm his place of safety.

What happened to him?

What are you doing?

Why don't you ask him yourself?

Hello, it's Nick. I might be writing, but probably not...

Oh.

Um, hi. It's me.

Uh... They want to know about your unhappy childhood

and how much you love me.

So, give me a call back and I'll put you on speakerphone.

Bye.

You've never prosecuted?

- No. - Why not?

I came to the criminal bar to represent

the dispossessed and the disadvantaged.

That doesn't include rape victims?

Or abused children?

Or victims of racial hatred?

I have a client on death row in Louisiana called Rudy Jones.

The last thing he told me,

before they strapped him on to a gurney to try and kill him,

was that I should go big.

That's what this is.

And why I'm here.

- That's America. - And is not prosecuting.

What's the relevance?

Rudy understands better than anyone what it's like to be a victim,

and I get it, with victimhood.

How long have you represented him?

Twenty years.

About the same time as you've been representing

the family of Michael Antwi?

- Yes. They connect. - How?

Michael put me on to Rudy,

the state killed one and is trying to kill the other.

Michael Antwi was killed by Peter Mackie.

The state had nothing to do with it.

The case is closed.

- You'd have to give up both. - I can't do that.

Are you withdrawing your application?

It would be a condition of me accepting the job

that I carry on representing both.

Sorry, so whose side are you on?

There you have it.

In one sentence, everything that is wrong

with public life in the 21st century.

Holding two things in your head at the same time

whilst deciding which is right,

or both are right, or neither,

is as good a definition of intelligence as I know.

Holding one thing in your head at the expense of everything else

is a definition of politics.

- Balance, surely. - No!

No! The opposite.

Balance sacrifices the pursuit of the one thing we should all be after.

The truth.

The journalist who is fearless in his pursuit of balance?

The DPP, who wants to keep everybody happy?

- Deadly. - All politics is compromise.

It's just naive to think otherwise.

Well, it's just as well, the DPP is independent of politics.

You see, I think this can be the last great independent public office left.

Isn't that what you want?

Courage. Independence.

Or do you want balance?

Compromise? Moral cowardice?

Hello?

You're someone who speaks your mind.

He means you're a dangerous woman.

Thank you.

He means, "How do we feel about that?"

It means that when the tabloids come for you,

they take you down.

They take you around the corner and they kill you.

And then they kill you again.

And then they kill your family.

And then they come back and stamp on your dead bodies.

What are you saying?

If you want to make this much noise,

you better not have any skeletons in your cupboard.

My bet

is that everybody else you see for this job

will give you less of who they are.

You might flatter yourselves thinking you have read between the lines

and that what is unspoken is somehow more profound for being unsaid,

and all that chilly, English, posh bollocks.

I think as hard as I can.

I put all my being in to articulating exactly what I think.

Which is always and without exception my best shot at the truth.

Which is all anyone can ever give or be.

Take it or leave it.

♪ Above and afar

♪ Like answers to questions

♪ On life

♪ Love and the longing to survive ♪

This is what we agreed, right?

Oh, Jesus Christ!

It's the amount we talked about.

But they upped it, I told you.

We haven't got it. Work it.

Is it you out there putting your life on the line?

- What do you think this is? - You're saying you can't work it?

If you can't work it, this whole operation falls apart.

Give me the bag, genius.

Yeah, just pull it. Pull it tighter.

- Okay. Is that better? - More.

- There we go. Okay. - That's it, that's it. Yeah.

How much does it cost to make me look this cheap?

No price too high.

- Here, ciggies. - Thanks.

That's it, just hold still.

Marks & Spencer's?

Fresh orange juice, cherry tomatoes.

- Avocados. - I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

It's the difference between living and dying.

They frisk you, find that in your pocket,

doesn't matter how well I hid your wire.

Ow! Bloody hell.

I'm running out of space.

You look terrible.

Thanks.

See you on the other side.

What's the go word?

Hallelujah.

Hallelujah it is.

Listen, don't be shy. Get in fast. Noisy and big, yeah?

Nervous?

Yeah.

Where've you been for the last 24 hours?

- Hospital. - Why?

It's personal.

Shit.

It's Okay. You can do this.

Shit. Right, can we go again?

Yeah, yeah, sure.

Where've you been for the last 24 hours?

- Hospital? - Why?

- It's personal. - Spill it, bitch.

I ain't your bitch!

And I'll cut anyone who says I am.

Nice.

Are you ready?

Where have you been, man?

We can't keep these people waiting.

I said do it this week ago.

I'm gonna weld your head to this door.

Get over there!

Don't feel it?

Is it warm, mate?

- Sorry. - Hmm?

When I say do something, you do it.

Are you all right, Ricky?

Where you been?

Hospital.

Look, it was personal, yeah?

Was it a boy?

I don't know.

Look, they don't tell ya.

Get this sorted.

All right, come on.

Got you a painkiller?

Hmm?

Sort her out.

It's all right, I shouldn't, not when I'm working, yeah?

It's good stuff.

Hit the pipe.

Hit it. It's clean.

Go on.

What's the matter with you? Come on and take it.

Hmm.

Go on.

Tell me you love me.

I love ya.

Hmm.

We need to go.

Suspect car has arrived.

Four occupants. Repeat, four occupants.

Well, it's a growing business, innit?

Undercover officer is with them.

Your UC? He knows about her, right?

He knows there are two UCs, right?

- He must do. - No, not "he must do." Does he?

-Where's the gear? -We'll bring it when we're happy.

What, you don't trust me?

How about I don't trust you?

Search these people, man.

Wait, wait. Hold on, bruv.

I'm not your bruv.

Who told him?

Jesus Christ, what's the matter with you people?

Does he know her?

- Does he know her? - Does he know about who?

This is business. And I am frisking you.

You wouldn't want to do business with me

unless I was a professional, would you?

Oh, God.

What are we doing?

Right. Get him out. Abort.

- Now! - It's too late.

It's in play. He's in, she's in.

Our man can handle it.

She's wearing a wire.

Sounds like it's about your ego.

- Whatever. - Right, do it.

She's dead. You just killed her.

Don't... Don't touch me.

No, that's my girl. She's cool.

-Your girl? - Hmm.

I'll do it myself.

I know you.

I've seen you somewhere before.

I don't think so.

Kentish Town police station.

I don't get nicked.

I do know ya.

I've got it. Fever Club.

The Fever Club.

Oh, yeah.

I remember.

I remember.

She's safe. I know her.

You know her.

Or you know her?

She hit on me on the dance floor, innit?

I had to fight her off.

Come on.

All right.

- We're all right. - Easy.

That's high-quality gear.

Around the corner, you and me.

Why are we round here?

Didn't want you losing face in front of your people.

What is this?

The product is a little disappointing, man.

When coke first arrived, and it was pure,

I was there.

That shit, man, it would make your gums go numb in five seconds,

the feeling wouldn't come back for an hour. You get me?

I'm going to have to go back to the first price on this shit.

The number we talked about?

We'll go somewhere else.

All right, well... Go for it.

But if you are smart right now,

you are one step away from an easy life.

'Cause all you need is one buyer you trust absolutely,

someone who will take all the risks of distribution away from you.

Come to me and only me.

You can rest easy forever.

- You know what this is? - Hmm?

This is the biggest moment of your professional career.

You're feeling lonely, innit?

All right, call it in, man.

Go ahead, ask your number one.

It's me. Listen.

All right, I'm bored, man, I'm out.

All right.

- All right. - We're good?

I've got this thing, it's about sealing trust.

My man with the money.

You call him in.

You've got style, brother.

Yeah?

Bring me the money.

Here.

We're good.

Hallelujah.

Go, go, go!

Freeze, armed police!

You set me up. You're dead.

All right, mate. Another one of these.

And a port.

- We haven't been introduced. - Yeah, yeah.

I hit on you?

Well, you're doing it again.

- Would you do me a favour? - You asking?

Cheers.

Come out.

So, Ricky.

To charge or not to charge?

Well, the evidence isn't strong.

In interview, he said he was just passing and we jumped him.

He's not on the drugs.

The drugs are not on him.

Calm down, son. Calm down

Calm down, calm down. Take him away.

It'll be over quick enough.

These guys don't hang around.

The tail's on them.

We'll be there, only just not quite in time.

I'm going to the pub if you fancy a pint.

Must have been somebody putting us in the frame.

It looks that way.

Why did they let you go, Ricky?

Get down.

I get it, I get it.

Two for the price of one.

One dead, one in Belmarsh forever.

Here's to good, clean justice.

I'll drink to that.

Cheers, fellas.

You are all charged with conspiracy to supply controlled drugs

of class A, contrary to section one

of the Criminal Law Act of 1977.

Are you Mr Trevor Eastman?

Yes.

Are you Mr Simon Morton?

Yes.

Are you Mr Stefan...

- You're all right? - Yeah, yeah. Good.

Yeah?

So, a screen?

And the judge is friendly.

Hmm.

Oh, good.

- There's some legal argument. - What...

Tail end Charlie. Trying it on.

She's almost done.

Who's for tail end Charlie?

Basically, the police were doing a drug deal with themselves.

One of the arrested gang members was released without charge,

and then murdered.

Now, I can't see a reason for not charging him on the evidence,

which leads me to think he must have been an informant.

My Lord, there is no other explanation.

But that hasn't been disclosed to us.

I think he was a grass,

and the police knew that he'd been blown,

and rather than spend money on a new identity and a new life,

they let him walk out the nick to his death.

But that's all conjecture on my part, because it has to be.

That's the problem with this prosecution.

There is no way of me getting any clearer as to what was going on here.

So far, we've got... We've got two police officers working undercover

and a grass.

I'm beginning to wonder if those...

Those responsible for the entrapment

outnumber those being entrapped.

Is there anybody left who isn't not what they say they are?

It's a miscarriage of justice waiting to happen.

It's me trying to defend my client

with both hands tied behind my back and a gag in my mouth, my Lord.

And the criminal justice system I work in is so much better than that.

That's very compelling, Ms Cobbina.

Shit.

This is shit!

And you know it.

- All right, all right. - Nick...

This is shit!

So, they're just going to walk?

Do they know the risks we take when we go out there?

Look at this woman, man. Look at this.

-Don't! Don't... -No, no, no. Look at it.

Look at it.

She does this for you, and you just...

Who the hell is she?

This lawyer, who is she?

Her name is Maya Cobbina.

Does she sleep at night?

Yes!

One question. Are they guilty?

Answer. Yes.

Yes! Everybody knows that. Their own briefs know that.

Sorry, sir.

Look, I'm a police officer.

I want it to be better than this.

Am I out?

Is that why I'm here?

Yes.

You're smart.

Yeah.

So, I'll bounce back in my new desk job.

Drugs will always be with us.

Drug gangs will always be there.

I'm sorry, sir, what are you saying?

Go and build yourself a new life.

We want you to take a step up.

Right.

-Primary school? - Wickham Street.

- First teacher? - Ms Hazel.

- Age? - 162.

That's what she told us.

-Siblings? - Nah, no siblings. Got none.

Any distinguishing features?

Charm. Charisma.

Er, and...

Er, a... A birthmark.

Where?

Here.

Here it is.

How did you do that?

Tattooed it.

It stung and all.

-First bike? - Didn't have a bike.

-An early memory? - Er...

I remember a social worker gave me an action man.

When they came to take me away.

And my mum was standing at the front door,

and I got in the back of the car.

Social worker smelled nice.

And his boot came off... The action man.

I bent down to pick it up,

and by the time I looked up again my mum had already gone back inside.

Full name?

Nicholas Johnson.

I'm Nick Johnson.

Born on the 3rd of November, 1971.

A Wednesday.

Nice.

Job, you need something flexible,

unusual hours and something you can do on your own.

I'm a writer.

Of course you are.

So, Michael Antwi. 35, political activist. Dangerous.

Get close, make friends, win trust.

All right, people. Round of applause for the speaker.

I've been in Louisiana, USA.

I met a man called Rudy Jones.

He's in prison.

Facing a trial for a murder which he did not commit.

Is that something which happens in Hackney or Tottenham or Brixton?

Why Rudy?

He's black, he's poor.

And he likes a drink.

He also has an alibi. But guess what?

The alibi witness is black.

He's poor. And he likes a drink.

The white cops have been to see him.

They told him,

"We like Rudy for this. And if you help him,

"we may have to sweep you up too,

"and charge you as an accomplice."

Nothing like that happens in Hackney,

or Tottenham, or Brixton.

Should we march again?

Yes!

Should we walk down the same streets

and sing, "We shall overcome,"

and hand in a list of our names to men who will not read it?

Yes!

Men who will never hear our songs of protest?

Who cannot feel our pain?

Because after decades of singing and polite protest,

I'm starting to think it might be the time to judge those we seek to change.

Not by the colour of their skin,

but by the content of their character.

I ask you this now because I hear a rumbling

I hear a long, low note of deep anger.

Do you hear it?

Yes.

- Do you hear it? -Yes!

It is the sound of a black nation rising.

It's been a long time coming,

but it is coming.

And when I look around at you, my sisters and brothers,

I feel that pain.

But I also feel the power inside that pain.

Now.

Now is the moment in our history,

where we must say as clear as clear can be,

"If you hurt me, I will hurt you, too."

If you... If you hurt my brother,

all of my brothers are coming for you.

- No more! -No more!

- No more! -No more!

- No more! -No more!

- No more! -No more!

No more, I say.

No more dreams.

No more nightmares.

For we are no longer asleep.

In Louisiana, we are wide awake,

in Hackney, and Tottenham, and Brixton.

Our consciousness is awoken,

and in this new dawn, there will be action.

And...

The consequence of that action is power for our people.

And in that power,

is true freedom.

The time has come for us to stop asking for our freedom

and to take it!

Take it!

Thank you.

That was amazing!

Incredibly impressive.

- Yeah. It's fantastic. - Yeah.

- Yeah. Do you agree with him? - 100%.

So, you're a danger to society?

Well...

So, er, what do you do?

Oh, are you chatting me up?

No, I was...

- Hey... - No, I'm a lawyer.

- I'm a lawyer. - Is it all right? All right.

What... What kind?

- Crime? - All right.

- You? - A writer.

- Oh. - I'm a... I'm a writer.

- What kind of crime? - Legal aid.

Oh, should I have heard of you or something?

Oh, no. No, er, sorry.

Nick. Nick Johnson.

What kind of writing?

Crime.

Yeah, I know.

Maya Cobbina.

Ms Cobbina.

What's your answer to my question?

- What, am I chatting you up? - Hmm.

What, do you want to see my birthmark?

Oh, this is my boyfriend.

Um, Ray, this is Nick.

I'm going to go talk to Michael.

What do you want?

I want to stop waking up every morning and thinking to myself,

"Oh, I'm black."

Weren't you're listening? That's what they want us to do.

You should be waking up every morning saying the exact opposite.

"I'm black, and I'm fighting back."

I hear you, I hear you.

You're a lucky man.

What?

So, er, is she good in court?

- I think he's angry. -Who?

Nick.

- About what? - The police.

It's good, what you're doing.

What?

I know it's not easy being a black UC.

I've been working on a good route in.

- Who is he? - She. She's a lawyer.

- Do you like her? - No.

Does she like you?

Mmm...

Then she'll want to trust you.

Yes.

It is a good route in.

Okay, okay. Thank you.

Thank you. Erm, any other questions?

Sir.

What kind of car have you got?

BMW.

How many times have you been stopped and searched?

I'm a police officer.

Yeah, but what's the answer to my question?

Seven times this year.

Uh, excuse me, Officer.

What about you?

I haven't been stopped.

What, this year?

Ever.

Have there ever been reasonable grounds for stopping you?

No.

Have you ever been arrested as a result of being stopped?

- No. - So, are you a drug dealer?

- No. - Did you steal your BMW.

- Yes, very funny. - Then how the hell can you afford

to pay for a car like that, nigger?

Okay, okay.

Okay. Good joke.

Oh, what? So, it's funny?

There's something funny about this?

What kind of a joke is it?

- Look... - Listen, listen, listen.

I don't know how you can live with yourself, mate.

I want to hear you admit it, right here, right now.

Tell us that the Metropolitan Police Force is racist.

Go on. Can you do that?

Cause if you can do that,

then maybe we can all start something.

Go on.

Thank you, thank you very much.

Run away, run away.

- Drink? - Yeah, man. Yeah.

You had him in there.

You had him belly down on the table,

with your fist right up his arse. -

Where'd you learn to talk like that to police?

I write crime novels.

Is the hero black?

Yeah. Sometimes.

Black police?

Yeah, sometimes.

I hate that.

What?

When a brother puts a uniform on.

It's a betrayal.

It's unforgivable.

So, Nick.

Who are you?

What do you mean?

Where'd you go to school?

- Tufnell Park. - Oh, yeah?

- Hmm. - I know Tufnell Park.

My mum was a TA in a primary school, there.

Yeah, well, not in my school, not in my time.

Drink up, you're getting behind. - Yeah.

Yeah, you lot.

Somebody is running a data check on Nick Johnson.

It's not a problem. We don't need to panic.

An organisation that monitors police action is bound to be paranoid

about police infiltration.

Well, they've got that right.

Did you know, right, that every prisoner in Stokey nick is black?

What do you think about that?

We could pull you out if you think you've made a mistake.

I've made no mistakes.

In Louisiana today, now, you can still see black men in chains,

working the sugar plantations, guided by white horsemen with guns.

Jesus.

Do you know what they do for jury selection?

They ask you if you're against the death sentence.

If the answer is yes...

You're out.

They won't let you serve as a juror.

That's... That's terrible.

Rudy Jones.

He had a drunk idiot

who had never worked a capital case before defending him.

He's on death row?

He has no one to make his appeal.

So, what are you going to do about it?

What are you trying to say to me?

I hear you're a very good lawyer.

It's time.

- Mmm-hmm. That all right? - All right.

- Okay. -You understand?

- See you. - I'll see you later.

Michael.

You're going to need a bodyguard at the march tomorrow.

- You think? - Yeah.

The police are a little slow to provide protection

for mouthy black folk.

Are you offering?

It would be a privilege.

Thank you.

Stay in...

Hello?

Hey, you all right?

Yeah... Yeah, I know where it is, I know where it is.

Okay.

I can't stop.

I don't know how to stop.

I don't want to stop.

Crack is... It's everything to me.

I'm terrified the top floor's going to find out.

- Yeah. Yeah... - It's so hard...

I'm pretending that I'm three people all at once.

Who am I?

Okay. All right, all right.

I'm going to help you.

- All right? - Yeah.

- I'm going to help you. - Yeah.

- Yeah. - All right. All right.

Yeah.

Who is it?

No, I'm not doing this.

You've come to me, so you know you have to.

You have to tell us for everybody's safety.

All right.

But you... Just...

Don't tell her it was me.

Black rights, our rights!

Coons go home!

Black rights, our rights!

Kill the coons!

Excuse me, excuse me!

Why aren't you making arrests?

You're just standing there.

Why aren't you making arrests? Threats to kill.

Or Section Four or Five of the Public Order Act?

You're not even listening to me.

Michael! Michael!

I'm undercover.

- I'm an undercover officer! -Of course you are, mate.

Hit me and then let me go.

Do it!

Racist pig!

Calm down. Calm down.

Calm down.

Excuse me, I'm looking for a Michael Antwi.

Sorry, who are you?

I'm wondering... I'm looking for a Michael Antwi.

I have no idea who that is. Are you a solicitor?

I'm a legal observer for the march. - You've got no status here.

Is he likely to have been brought in here?

If you don't leave, I'll have you removed. Out!

- Michael! Are you all right? - It's okay.

- Are you sure? - I'm fine.

-Out! - I'm fine!

Back!

Oh, are you all right?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Are you okay? - Mmm.

- This should be cold. - Oh, thanks.

Cheers.

Who's this?

Oh, that's my dad.

He was a teacher.

He looks like a wise soul.

Hmm.

When I was 12, erm, I bunked off school to march against apartheid.

The whole of the sixth form and me, this year-seven kid.

Like a regimental goat,

though I didn't feel like a goat.

I felt brilliant.

More importantly, I felt grown up.

The police, they held us down this...

This cul-de-sac for six hours.

No water, no peeing.

Freezing cold.

Oh, God, that's outrageous.

I loved it.

I was... I was so pleased with my martyrdom,

I think it warmed me up.

And 10 minutes later,

when I wet myself I really wasn't that cold any more.

Sorry, was that too much information?

No, never.

You're a good listener.

Um, I'm sorry. What does this got to do with your dad?

Oh, yeah. Um...

Yeah, when I came back,

he was waiting for me and he said,

"You know, I'll support you not going to school,

"I'll even argue with your head teacher about your right to bunk off.

"On one condition, you tell me what apartheid is."

And I said,

"Well, it's, um... It's being horrible to black people."

"No, it isn't," he said.

And in the silence that followed I made a vow.

Don't jerk your knee. Know what you're talking about.

What do your parents do?

Cocaine.

Sometimes hash.

No.

Yeah, they... They did.

Did lots of drugs.

They're both long gone now.

I'm sorry.

Would you like a bath?

Um, yeah.

- Maya? - Yes?

Can I ask you something?

Yes.

Can I have a towel?

Yep.

- Here you go. - Thanks.

Maya?

Maya?

I got into bed.

- Sorry. - That's all right.

It's just my...

Jesus Christ!

For God's sake, let me inside. - Hold it.

It's not safe in there.

We wait for shields and helmets.

- Go. Let's go. - Get in there!

Stop struggling.

Hello?

Yes. Yes.

Sure, thank you. Thank you, bye.

I'm going big.