12x08 - sh**ting in Rome

[bunniefuu]

FEMALE NARRATOR:
Tonight on m*rder, She Wrote.

Somebody's gonna
get k*lled here!

I love this moviemaking.

Your company is in Rome sh**ting a
movie that has nothing to do with Rome,

but it's about a
m*rder in Texas?

The script was an
unrecognizable, incoherent mess.

I've got a mutiny
on my hands today!

When you walked in here, you
knew I was pushing to have you fired.

I'm going to direct
every foot of this epic.

I know what I saw.

I am Signor Bonelli's
executive assistant, Dominique.

I don't like accidents
unless I cause them.

You've got to stop
the stunt right now.

Cut!

(BELL RINGING)

Great! We're moving
on to the stage.

(SPEAKING ITALIAN)

REX: Gutsiest stunt
double I ever had.

Atta boy, Webb!

You're making me
look braver than

Schwarzenegger and
Stallone rolled into one.

Great job.

Hey, how was that, Dad?

It was fine, Gary. Now
back to the real world.

Wardrobe's screaming for that
fabric you were supposed to pick up.

Oh, yeah, yeah, I'll get on it.

I'll get right on it, okay?

Jessica.

Oh, did you get a chance
to look at the new pages?

Actually, I liked the scene
better in the first draft.

And I preferred the
scene in my own book.

But we're a long way from either
one of those versions now, Monte.

Jessica, please. I don't have
time for an argument right now.

Problems? Can I help?

I don't think so, Boyce.
We're talking creative matters.

Mario, I need a rehearsal.

Get the actors on stage, if
Miss Danbury will deign to join us.

Yes, sir.

You know, I understand that
Monte's under a great deal of pressure,

but these changes
that he wants...

Well, Jess, after all,
you're the one who...

I know. But when I agreed to come
here and do this rewrite for you...

I mean, the script was an
unrecognizable, incoherent mess.

But a green-light project.

Yes. Well, I thought,
in my naive way,

that perhaps I could recapture
some of my book's original flavor.

Jess, help me out here,
will you? I'm swamped.

I've got some serious
money problems,

and now some night owl is swiping
anything that isn't nailed down.

(GROANING)

Now, look, why don't you
talk to Monte when it's quiet?

I'm sure he'll come around.

GIRL: Hey, thanks a lot, Rex.

Hey, Rex.

Excuse me, Jess, I've got
to talk to my leading man.

Hey, buddy, how you doing? Good.

Listen, Rex, I got a kind of
a delicate subject to discuss.

You know that love scene that
you and Kate are rehearsing?

Yeah. It's gonna be a scorcher.

Yeah, I know, but,
well, that's the problem.

Kate asked me to talk to you.

Well, it seems that...

Well, they put a lot of garlic
in the food around here and...

My breath? She said that?

Well, now, don't take
it personally, but...

Thanks, Boyce. Yeah.

This won't get out,
will it? (CHUCKLING)

My lips are sealed.

Here you go,
darling. Oh, grazie.

Grazie. Great.

Ciao! You were wonderful!

Your father, he must
be proud of you, huh?

I had a good time last night.

Me, too. But the restaurant,
it was so expensive.

Oh, don't worry about it.
You know, I... I got a job.

MAN: Gary, look alive! I
need a hand with some gear.

Yeah, I'll be right
with you, Tony.

Hey, how about a movie tonight?

Or you can go dancing
with me tonight, darling,

and I can show you some moves
this boy never even knew existed.

Look, why don't you
back off her, huh?

She's just a kid.

What you gonna
do about it, big boy?

MAN: Signor Danbury, avanti!

Yeah, copy that. I'll get
her right away, all right?

Hey, I'll see you
later, Adriana?

(AGREEING)

Ciao.

That's it, laddie, you go fetch.

I'll take care of
everything here.

(SPEAKING ITALIAN)

You hit on anything
in a skirt, don't you?

Not Mel Gibson.

You had to have J.R.
Fletcher to rewrite.

I got you J.R. Fletcher.

J.B. Fletcher.

Whatever.

You tell me what you want and
Uncle Jake's gonna get it for you.

Suppose I want another director?

Katie, look, this is how it is.

You need a big
box office winner,

Monte needs a picture that David
Letterman's not gonna cr*ck jokes about,

and people line up to see Rex
Toland naked from the waist up.

Don't ask me why. So?

So it's a marriage
made in Hollywood.

Exactly.

With your artistic quality and
Monte's commercial instincts...

And Rex's pecs.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Oh, hey, Mr. Farber.

Mom, look, they need
you on the set for rehearsal.

They're getting kind of ticked.

Doesn't Gary look cute, with his
own little walkie-talkie and everything?

What do you say, kid?
Ain't making movies fun?

(SCOFFS) Yeah.

BOYCE: Inspector, I
resent the implication.

Why blame my people?

But I'm here to
investigate every possibility.

So far, the items that have
been reported missing are?

There was a Steadicam,

some electrical equipment, a few
personal typewriters and computers.

The kind of stuff anybody could
take out in the trunk of a car.

Yeah, but the attempted break-in at
the back gate of the studio last night

was particularly alarming.

I hadn't heard about that.

Signor Brown, I am a
very simple policeman,

so perhaps you could
explain a few things to me.

Your company is in Rome sh**ting a
movie that has nothing to do with Rome,

but it's about a
m*rder in Texas?

Inspector, it's
a financial thing.

Cinecittà made me a
terrific below-the-line deal,

and they do have
an excellent back lot.

Your movie is based on a
book that I read by J.B. Fletcher.

You know, I met Signora
Fletcher in Genoa last year.

A grand lady.

And I particularly
liked this book.

And the book is set in Chicago.

What can I say?
That's Hollywood.

It's the only way I
could raise the money.

In any case, I have to
ask for a list of the names

of all the members
of your film company.

Now, look, Inspector, I'd
appreciate your not spreading that...

(PHONE RINGING)

Yeah, what is it?

Boyce, you wanted to know when
the Basta Pasta king showed up?

Well, the gate says
he just drove in.

Papa!

Bella mia! How's our
little movie going, eh?

Oh, fantastico, Papa.

Raimondo, where have you been?

I've been leaving messages
for you all over town.

(SIGHING) We've got problems.

Dai, dai. Adriana, back to work.

My partner and I, we
gotta talk business, huh?

Si, si, Papa.

Ah, Boyce, mi dispiace.

One of my chefs
quit this morning.

So tell me, how is
everything going, huh?

How is everything going?

We've fallen another
day behind schedule,

Kate's agent flew in from Hollywood
last night to make my life miserable,

Petrizzo's lab is threatening to
cut us off unless we pay our bill

and the entire
company is on my tail

because they haven't been
paid in the last two weeks.

Ahh! I just have
come from the bank.

I give them hell. I tell them,
"No, this is impossible."

They apologize. They say
the computer makes a mistake.

I say, "No more apologies,

"or Basta Pasta Restaurant
takes their business elsewhere."

They say, "Okay, don't
worry. For sure by Thursday."

Thursday?

I've got a mutiny
on my hands today!

MONTE: You got that
camera move down?

Okay, let's rehearse
it one more time.

Rex, Rex, you look tired.

Did you get any
sleep last night?

REX: Not much. MONTE: Make-up!

And don't keep looking down.

Who do you think
you are, James Dean?

So, according to
my latest timing,

the picture's going
to come in short.

Does Monte know that?

Directors don't
listen to script girls.

Anyway, we need a couple
of three-page scenes, fast.

Well, maybe I could add a scene
between Rex and Troy Gorman.

They work very well together.

Think again. We closed
out Gorman last Friday.

He's back in Burbank
working on his TV series.

Jessica.

Did Monte k*ll the new
scene that you wrote me?

Well, it's not
totally dead, but...

(EXCLAIMS)

Keep up the good
work, Mrs. Fletcher.

Kate, you've got a line change.

(KATE AND MONTE ARGUING)

Now they're gonna
go fight again.

Your parents are famous for
their world championship fights.

(SIGHING)

Gary, it's not your fault.

Oh, come on,
Jessica, sure it is.

(ARGUING CONTINUES)

Me and my ideas.

You know, I just thought it
would be cool if my mom and dad

worked together again.

(KATE SHOUTING)

Well, they're grown-up,
they're professional...

MONTE: Don't you
understand English?

I'm an actor! I
deserve an explanation!

At least, I hope so.

(SIGHING)

Yeah, well, now
everybody's unhappy and...

Look. Gary, the only
thing that you're guilty of

is wishing that your parents
would get back together again.

And I mean, every child of a
divorce fantasizes about that.

I'm simply asking you, as director,
what is this scene all about?

Love. It's a love scene.

What's my motivation?

Three million dollars and 10% of
the gross, that's your motivation.

KATE: Monte, I have
to know what I'm doing!

I just made it worse.

(WHISPERING) It's not you.

MONTE: We both
know what you're doing!

You're wasting valuable time with a
childish display of unprofessionalism!

Hey, Signor Bonelli, what
do you think of the fireworks?

What do you expect?
They are artists.

As I used to say
to Maestro Fellini,

quiet people make quiet movies.

Son, do you have
any idea of the energy,

the drive it takes to battle
all day long with stars' egos?

Well, Mom says the
same thing about directors.

I'll bet she does.

Is that why you
guys got divorced?

Ancient history. Haven't
we talked about that already?

Actually, we never did. At all.

(SIGHING)

See, at the end of the day,
I wanted a wife, not a star.

And your mother, she probably
wanted a husband, not a director.

So I guess it was just bad
casting on both our parts.

My turn.

Can I ask you something?

Sure.

Now don't take
this the wrong way,

but there's been some minor
thefts around the studio, and...

And what?

Well, you did have that
trouble last semester at Exeter.

You think I'm
stealing stuff here?

Why, Dad?

Just so I can make
your job harder?

Okay, okay. Let's forget it.

(SIGHING)

(GREETING IN ITALIAN)

Raimondo, it's Tomaso.

I tried to get the truck to
the back gate last night,

but the alarms went off.

It was an accident, Tomaso.

The security system was
supposed to be turned off.

I don't like accidents
unless I cause them.

I try again tonight.

Tonight?

Yes. You know we have buyers.

No, no, no, no, not tonight.

There's going to be
construction crew here.

Too many people. Perhaps
tomorrow night, hmm?

(ORDERING IN ITALIAN)

WEBB: So the heavies'
car is chasing Rex's car.

They're overtaking him.

He runs into a roadblock,
which is this empty car carrier.

He races up the ramp,
which we've rigged, of course,

soars through the air
beyond the car accident,

which we've set
up as an obstacle,

lands safely, and he gets away.

Nice choreography,
Webb. I like it.

Pretty flashy, but
basically very simple.

How safe? Perfectly.

As long as you
maintain 60 miles an hour

up the ramp to clear
the car accident.

That's the key.

It's an awesome stunt.

You want to do it?

Me? You did a good job today.

Well, I don't know
if he could do it.

You just said it was so simple.

I'm your man, Webb.

I'll follow your instructions
step by step, and...

Tell you what.

If it's okay with your
dad, it's okay with me.

Yeah!

Yes!

(LAUGHING EXCITEDLY)

Okay, I'll tell you what, hoss.

I was thinking about maybe taking a little
weight off your shoulders here tomorrow.

How's that?

Well, suppose you
keep sh**ting first unit,

and you let me direct this
little gag with the second unit.

There is no second
unit on this picture,

so there's no
second unit director.

You're the stunt gaffer, period.

I'm going to direct
every foot of this epic.

That is not what Boyce
promised me when he hired me.

Then you better take it
up with your old pal Boyce.

Dad, they need you
over on stage 18.

There's a bit of a problem.

Look, Mr. Petrizzo,

if you don't deliver that shipment
of raw stock within the hour,

we're totally out of film.

What?

Yeah, fine. I'll have my
personal check waiting.

Okay, cash.

(DIAL TONE)

"To Boyce, man most
likely to replace the maestro,

"Purdue University, 1955."

I never knew you
were a musician.

What? Oh, the maestro stuff.

Oh, they mean Maestro Ferrari.

I was going to design a
world championship racing car.

Well, look what you did instead.

Oh, my goodness, the glory days.

Yeah. Till I was torpedoed.

A cheap B-movie frame-up.

Studio funds mysteriously turning
up in my New York bank account.

Ah, yes, but you proved
that you didn't do it.

Yeah, true. But you
know Hollywood.

It's all about
perception, not reality.

They handed me a press release

announcing my
resignation from the studio.

Everybody said, "Well, that's
it. That's it, he's finished."

But you showed them.

You thought, "I'll make a
blockbuster hit out of this picture."

Yeah. That at least
was the plan until...

Look, Jess,

I asked you here because,
well, I need a favor.

Ah.

Could you talk to Kate

and see if you can get her to
forget about this idea of f*ring Monte?

(GASPS) Well, she brought
that up when we talked.

And?

Well, she said that if Monte
apologizes, she'll hang in.

Oh, fat chance.
I don't believe it.

I mean, I've got a director and a
star who want to m*rder each other,

I've got a money man
who's perpetually out to lunch.

Not to mention a thief who's
walking off with our equipment.

And to top... (PHONE RINGING)

Yes, Sandra?
What is it this time?

Fire? Flood? Earthquake?

So where's the problem?

Over here.

Gary. I got your
message. What do you...

(SIGHS)

Well, I suppose you're wondering
why I called you together.

I don't have the time
to waste playing games.

Wait, don't go,
Dad. Mom, please.

Okay. What is it?

Well, see, it's my
birthday next month,

and I wanted to ask
for my present now.

Gary...

And what I want is for the
two of you to talk to each other.

Okay? For 30
seconds, that's all.

Talk about what?

Anything. Everything.

Why you want Dad
fired from the movie.

Don't blame your mom, Gary.

It was probably a
mistake on both our parts

thinking we could ever
work together again.

Well, then why did you
reshape the entire project for me?

That wasn't such a big deal.

Hey, I didn't mean it like that.

See, in one way or another,

I guess every picture I've always
done has always been with you in mind.

Even when it came
out Bruce Willis?

Especially then.

Kate, I shouldn't have embarrassed
you yesterday in front of the company.

I was being a bit of a bitch.

We gotta remember,
this is just a movie.

And it can be a terrific movie.

Hey, wait a minute.

When you walked over here, you already knew
I was pushing to have you fired, right?

So what?

So is that why you're
suddenly making nice?

To keep your job?

You think I need this gig?

You're the one with
back-to-back box office bombs.

My last three films grossed
nearly a billion dollars.

And no one with a three-digit
IQ came to see any of them.

That's it. I'm out of here.

(SIGHS)

Didn't take 30 seconds, did it?

Ah, Signor Ciurillo.

I am Signor Bonelli's
executive assistant, Dominique.

We have talked on
the telephone, no?

Where is Raimondo?

Oh, there was an emergency.
He had to leave the lot.

(SIGHS) I tried to call
you back immediately, but...

Did he leave any message?

Oh, just his apologies, but...

Raimondo knows better
than to waste my time like this.

Oh, was it about tonight?

What do you mean, tonight?

Well, there was a small notation
on Signor Bonelli's calendar.

You are his investment
counselor, no?

That's right.

I assist local businessmen to
arrange short-term financing.

Oh, yes. How you
call? A loan shark.

(CHUCKLING)

Here we call it
interim financing.

Oh.

Have Raimondo call
me as soon as possible.

Sweetie, have you
heard? Monte is bailing.

The word is out he's going to
move on to the new Travolta...

Jake, you're fired.

Any particular reason?

There are no secrets
on a movie set.

You've been pitching some of
your clients for Monte's replacement.

Well, sure. Why not?

You've also been pitching replacements
for me, which is a bit premature.

Oh, now, that's
purely hypothetical.

Boyce asked me for some
suggestions, and I was just...

Just covering all
your bases, as usual.

Katie, this is a decision
you are going to regret.

Hey, it won't be the first one.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Excuse me, Kate.

It's Gary. He wants
to do the stunt.

What? Is the kid crazy?

(CREWMEN CHATTERING)

You gotta be
kidding. I forbid it.

Mom, I'm 18 years
old. I can do this.

Webb and I have been
going over it all morning, and...

You don't have
enough experience.

Am I wrong, Lucy?
Your dad was a stuntman.

And he got k*lled doing a
gag a lot simpler than this.

Oh, come on! It's
not that difficult.

Look, Monte, I don't know

why you want to risk your own
son's life for a dumb car sh*t.

It's his decision, Kate.

You've gotta let him grow up.

Webb! Webb!

Who the hell did this?
This is a bad weld!

This damn thing won't hold!

This is typical of the
workmanship around here.

These foreigners don't understand
that almost ain't good enough,

and that somebody's
gonna get k*lled here!

Well, it's not that bad, is it?

We're not going to lose
sh**ting time, are we?

I can have it fixed in a couple of
minutes. I'm just glad I caught it.

That's my point. It's not
safe enough for Gary to do.

Now, I'm asking you
for the last time, Monte...

MONTE: It's up to Gary!

I'm gonna do it, Mom.

Boyce? Where's Boyce?

Bring the torch over here.

All right, Tomaso, I
got your message.

You had the stunt
rigging damaged.

Just a small reminder.

I must recoup what
you owe me, Raimondo.

All right. The security system
will be turned off tonight,

and you still have the
key to the back gate.

You know, Tomaso, someone could
have been k*lled with your little joke.

Someone still could be
k*lled if you're not careful,

so don't get any ideas
about backing out now.

And I'd watch your
secretary. She's too inquisitive.

(DIAL TONE)

My secretary?

(KNOCKING ON WINDOW)

(SPEAKING ITALIAN)

Papa, your medicine.

(SIGHING)

Papa, can I help?

No, no, no, no, it's fine.

You're such a good girl.

Don't worry, don't
worry. It's just business.

Rex, I think this
must belong to you.

I wondered where
that'd gotten to.

It was under the stunt rigging.

Right where they discovered
the structural weakness.

I heard about that. These
riggers'll k*ll you if you're not careful.

I was working on
this film in Tulsa and...

Jessica, you don't think that
I had anything to do with...

I was just passing
by last night.

Why did you stop there, Rex?

Look, this is
terribly important.

Did you see someone?

Well, I hate to say it, because
it just doesn't make any sense.

The person I saw last night futzing
with Webb Prentiss's rigging was...

Webb himself.

We ready to go? Yes, sir.

Webb, you set?

WEBB: We're ready
whenever you are, C.B.

Tell Gary we're ready.

Okay. Gary, ready to go.

(SPEAKING ITALIAN) (HONKING)

Action!

Where's Webb Prentiss?

(TIRES SCREECHING)
He's coordinating the stunt.

Well, there's something wrong.

You've got to stop
the stunt right now.

Cut! Cut! Cut!

Gary! Gary!

Oh, no.

Gary? Well, then who's...

It's Webb. He did the stunt.

He's dead.

It's a first for me. No one's ever
been hurt on a film I've directed.

Monte, you ever notice how the
subject of all your conversation

is always you and your picture?

Even now.

What's she so steamed about?

Monte, it's time you
plugged into people's feelings.

Lucy and Webb Prentiss were...

Oh, right. Right, I forgot.
But I thought that was over.

Gary! You okay?

For an awful minute
there, we thought you...

Yeah, I know what you thought.

What is this, Kick Monte Day?

Signora Fletcher, I've heard
you tried to stop the stunt.

Would you like to tell me why?

And this last minute substitution,
how did it come about?

Well, that's because of me.

Kate persuaded me,
not that I didn't agree,

that Gary was too green to do
the stunt, so I had Webb step in.

And if he hadn't, it would've
been Gary in that awful accident.

If it was an accident.

Mrs. Fletcher learned
that Webb Prentiss himself

caused the tampering
with the stunt rigging

that he later on
pretended to discover.

I don't understand.

Oh, probably just
upping the ante.

Webb talked me into giving him a
premium bonus to take over the stunt.

I still don't get it. I mean,
Webb wasn't suicidal.

He wouldn't have agreed to
do that stunt, even for a bonus

if he'd known it would've
turned out like this.

I have a team of experts
going over the car right now.

Inspector, I'd hate
to see a tragic,

unavoidable event like
this get blown up into...

We have to consider the
possibility that this was a homicide.

Who would want to m*rder Webb?

(SIGHING)

No one knew he
was going to step in.

So if someone
sabotaged the stunt,

they would have supposed
the victim would be your son.

Why?

Perhaps as a way
of getting at you.

(DOOR CLOSES)

It can't be true.

I know what I saw.

Then you've got to tell.

You've got to tell someone.

How can I, Adriana?

God.

What am I gonna do?

JESSICA: Webb
Prentiss made a big point

that as long as the car maintained a
constant speed of 60 miles per hour,

it was completely safe.

And obviously Signor Prentiss
would follow his own advice, right?

Yes, but how would he know that?

By watching the
speedometer, of course.

But supposing the
reading was wrong,

and he only thought he was
going at 60 miles per hour?

Bruno, the speedometer.

See if it shows any
signs of tampering.

Oh, and check the
calibration for accuracy.

(WHISPERING)

Signora Fletcher, your guess about
Signor Bonelli seems to have paid off.

RAIMONDO: Who told you this?

(CURSING IN ITALIAN)

Liar! Liars who think nothing

of ruining the reputation of
an honest, hard-working man!

Signor Bonelli, calm down.

The basic source of my
information is your own banker.

The Basta Pasta Restaurant chain
is severely overextended financially.

It's just a seasonal drop.

Investing in this movie has
eaten up all cash reserves.

You're facing bankruptcy.

Raimondo, you swore to me you had all
the money we need to finish the picture.

(APOLOGIZING IN ITALIAN)

I just wanted, for one
time, to be part of the dream.

To make a movie.

But you've produced
pictures before, lots of them,

with Fellini and Antonioni.

Fellini once come to
eat in my restaurant.

That's as close as I
come to making a movie.

Till Boyce the patsy came along.

I thought I had enough money.

I love this moviemaking,

but she's like a mistress
who cannot be satisfied.

(SIGHING)

That's it.

I'm finished.

Signor Bonelli, I think it's
time for you to speak the truth.

These loan sharks
you've been dealing with...

(SPEAKING ITALIAN)

I tried to stop them, even to
delay them, but I was helpless.

This man, Ciurillo,
un assassino.

He's a k*ller.

Tell me more.

Buonasera, Signor Ciurillo.

(SPEAKING ITALIAN)

Believe me, Jess,
it's over. I'm finished.

I've been begging Jake
Farber to use his leverage

and make a pick-up deal for me
with one of the Hollywood studios.

He says the only
way he's gonna help

is if Kate changes her mind
and stays with his agency.

I mean, what can I do?

Well, you can help yourself,
and stop behaving like a has-been

who's dependent
on everybody else.

Jess. Jess, you just
don't understand.

I understand that you're here.

You're working in one of
the best studios in the world.

You have been one of the most
important men in this business, Boyce.

Now, you can find an answer.

Maybe I can.

JESSICA: Hello, Gary.

You can't shoulder
this all alone, you know.

Adriana told you, didn't she?

No. Why don't you tell me?

Just before the stunt,

I saw him doing something
under the hood of the car.

I think my father
tried to k*ll me.

That's not true. That's not
what happened. I'd never do that.

It appears you
did, Signor Hayes.

Your fingerprints have been
identified on the motor of the stunt car.

I can explain that.

And I'm most interested
to hear your explanation.

If you would please accompany
me to the police station.

All right, I did check under the hood of
the car just before the stunt went down.

But not to tamper with anything,

just to personally make
sure that everything was okay,

because it was my son
who was risking his neck.

That makes me a control
freak, not a m*rder*r.

Your ex-wife had taken
control of your own film,

crowded you out.

You were enraged at her to the
point of forgetting everything else.

You really think I'm the kind of
monster that would k*ll my own son

in front of his mother's
eyes just to screw up a film?

AMATI: Yes. Because
you hate her that much.

No, I don't!

Yes, you do! You
wanted to hurt her!

You wanted her to suffer
as you were suffering!

No! Never! I... You what?

I still love her.

You've gotta help him, Jessica.

I think I have an idea.

Can you roll it back?

Jess, we've looked at this stuff a
dozen times. Are we getting anywhere?

Oh, I'm not sure.

The cops didn't find
anything wrong with the car.

Did the studio manager happen to
have a blueprint of the back lot street?

Yeah, it's right
there on the desk.

Now, it's exactly 100 feet
from the corner of this building

to the takeoff point.

(BEEPING)

What's with the
number crunching?

The stunt car was going
at 60 miles per hour.

Now, that's 88 feet per second,

so it should travel 100
feet in exactly 1.13 seconds.

Could we time it?

Oh, sure. Here you are.

Thank you.

Ready?

JESSICA: 1.36 seconds.

Now, something is wrong.

Maybe you better check
your arithmetic again.

1.36 seconds

means that the stunt car was
only going at 50 miles per hour.

That doesn't make sense.

Why would Webb Prentiss have
been deliberately driving too slow

to safely make the jump?

KATE: I feel like a prisoner.

This morning, a tabloid photographer
scaled the walls outside my hotel room

to snap a picture of me.

The paparazzi are
outside the studio gates

like a wolf pack
waiting to pounce.

It reminds me of when I
worked as an extra on Cleopatra.

It was the height of the romance

between Elizabeth
Taylor and Richard Burton.

You know, the press
was all over them, too.

It was the time when he had
given her that huge diamond.

Diamonds...

Something's wrong,
Signora Fletcher?

Oh, no, Inspector.

Something is finally right.

I think I know
who the k*ller is.

Believe me, they'll be standing in
line at theaters from Stuttgart to Munich.

I promise you, Fritz,
you won't regret it.

FRITZ: Okay, Boyce. Thanks, pal.

My client has a problem, Boyce.

You mean poor Monte. You
know, I still can't believe...

No, no, my new
client, Rex Toland.

Now, listen, I got
a new offer for him,

so since your
picture's falling apart,

why don't you be a
sweetheart and let us out?

Who said anything's
falling apart?

I've been hitting the phones, and I've
got all the additional financing I need

just by selling the German
and Japanese distribution rights.

Old Boyce, the comeback
kid. You're back in business.

Yeah, my only
remaining problem is Kate.

Problem?

Yeah, she refused
to go back to work.

Keeps insisting that
Monte is innocent

and the real m*rder*r
is still out there.

I'm not sure I should be sharing this
with you, but Kate is cash poor lately.

So all you have to do
is thr*aten to sue her

and make sure she doesn't work
anywhere else, she's gonna stay put.

Congratulations,
kiddo. You're back there.

I knew you'd do it somehow.

Hey, can I sell
you a new director?

Jake...

And there's been a new
development in the case.

Yeah? Yeah.

Mrs. Fletcher found something
and it looks good for my father.

What is it?

Well, I don't know exactly,
but whatever it is, the...

How do you say cops
in Italy? Carabinieri.

Right. The carabinieri, they're
gonna come by in the morning

and get the wrecked stunt car.

They're gonna tow it back to
the police garage and take it apart,

till they find whatever
it is they're looking for.

ADRIANA: I wonder
what it could be.

GARY: I don't know. But wouldn't
it be great if it helped my dad?

No fair spying on
young lovers, Rex.

What are you looking for? Oh!

Jessica, what are
you doing here?

I asked you first.

I just stopped by because one of
those little fuses on my car blew out.

I didn't know where I'd find a
service station open this time of night.

Not that I'd even know
how to install a fuse.

Well, that's not
what's in that drawer.

I guess I should have
turned on the light.

Hey, you're not going to make a
federal case out of a fuse, are you?

Next think I know, you'll be
accusing me of the m*rder.

I wish it wasn't so.

Oh, come on, Jessica.

If this was a script
you were writing,

you'd never come up with
such a far-fetched plot line.

Why would I want to k*ll Gary?

Webb Prentiss
was your real target.

Webb? My boyfriend?

I mean, we'd pretty much
broken up, but I would never...

The tampering that k*lled Webb Prentiss
was done right here the other night.

The objective was
to make Webb believe

that he was driving
at 60 miles per hour

when actually, he
was only moving at 50.

Sounds like movie magic to me.

Someone switched one of the
transmission gears for a larger one.

And that distorted the information
being sent to the speedometer,

so that the car would actually be going
50 even though the speedometer read 60.

And at 50 miles an hour, it could never
have made it over the obstacles to safety.

Well, that lets me out.

All this technical stuff.

I don't even know why the
light goes on in my refrigerator.

Oh, you're too modest, Lucy,

for a stuntman's daughter
who grew up around car experts.

But how does that make it me?

A lot of people around here know
a lot more than I do about cars.

You were wearing that jacket

when you crept under the car to
change the gears the other night.

What does my jacket
have to do with it?

It's what makes you the k*ller.

The other day, when we were
talking about the accident...

It's a first for me.

No one's ever been hurt on
a picture I've directed before.

Monte...

JESSICA: You got angry
at Monte for his insensitivity.

But I happened to notice several
odd-shaped diamond markings

on the elbow of your jacket.

It didn't mean anything to me

until someone mentioned
the word "diamond"

and that reminded
me of your jacket

and something else I'd seen
here with Inspector Amati.

It was this.

The heat shield of
the catalytic converter.

You see, the texture of the metal
has the same diamond-shaped points.

You didn't notice at the time,

but you branded the elbow on your jacket
when you were substituting the gears.

You came here tonight to replace
the original transmission gear

that you'd removed
and hidden here.

(SPEAKING ITALIAN)

We have already removed the
original gear you left in the drawer.

And I imagine the
gloves you're wearing

will match the fiber traces we
found on it and on the transmission.

I just don't know
why you did it.

You said it yourself. I'm
a stuntman's daughter.

My father was a wonderful
man. So full of life and laughter.

Everyone loved him.

Webb was his protégé.
Dad taught him everything.

They were together on the
movie when your dad d*ed?

Four years ago. Everyone
said it was an accident.

But then one night last
week, Webb got drunk.

So drunk he could
hardly recognize me.

He started babbling things.

And I realized
Webb k*lled my father

so he could take over his
job as stunt coordinator.

And you decided there
would be another "accident."

I went to the motor pool that
night and switched the gears.

Then you were prepared
to let Gary be k*lled?

No, I wouldn't have
let that happen.

I was panicked when I
found out Gary was driving.

But things changed.

I was with Webb when
Boyce offered him a bonus

for talking Gary
out of the stunt.

So it went the way I planned.

Webb was rotten.

If I had to do it
again, I would.

It was perfect.

Almost.

JESSICA: Monte, have
you seen the new pages?

MONTE: You ignored
everything I said.

That's probably why I liked it.

Gary, get these pages... I know.

Copied and
distributed right away.

Jess, uh, did Monte tell you we've
added a new romance to the picture?

Between you and
the saloon bartender?

No, between me and the director.

Well, since you both
know what you want,

you don't need a writer.

Just improvise.