Some time before the current timeline of the movie, David Gale was the head of the philosophy department at the (fictional) University of Austin and the author of several well-regarded books; he was also an active and visible member of Deathwatch, an anti-capital punishment activist group. One night at a graduation party, an inebriated David was seduced by Berlin, an attractive student from his class; earlier he had refused her advances to raise her failing grade, resulting in her expulsion from school. She then used the physical evidence of their sexual encounter to falsely accuse Gale of rape in revenge. While Berlin dropped the charges and fled town shortly afterwards, the negative publicity cost him his career as an educator and activist, and his marriage; with no wife and no job, Gale turned to drinking.
One of Gale’s best friends was Constance Harraway, a fellow Deathwatch activist with whom he became particularly close, especially after Gale’s wife, Sharon, left with their son to Spain; the custody laws there favor the mother and her father was the American ambassador, effectively shutting Gale out of his child’s life. When Harraway was found raped and murdered a few years later, Gale was charged with the crime, and convicted despite the best efforts of his well-meaning but ineffectual lawyer Braxton Belyeu. Now Gale awaits execution, and less than a week before his date with the fatal injection, Gale agrees — for a substantial fee — to tell his story with Bitsey Bloom, a nervy journalist from a major newsmagazine who arrives with the office intern, Zack Stemmons. As Bloom discusses the facts of the Harraway murder with Gale, it becomes clear to her that the details simply do not add up. A mysterious stranger slips evidence to her that suggest Gale has been framed—leaving Bloom and Stemmons only a few days to solve the mystery and save Gale from execution.
As their investigation proceeds, the implication that the rapist videotaped the assault is replaced by the revelation that Harraway recorded herself committing suicide, since she was going to die soon regardless from an ongoing battle with cancer. The video showing the suicide isn’t found until moments before Gale’s death; in a frenzy, Bloom struggles by car, and then by foot to present the evidence to stop the execution. Unfortunately, she doesn’t reach the courthouse in time, and Gale dies an innocent man. The tape is released after his death, resulting in a media and political uproar.
In an epilogue, the mysterious stranger delivers Gale’s interview fee from the magazine to Gale’s wife in Spain, along with a postcard from Berlin confessing to and apologizing for the whole incident. Another videotape is delivered to Bloom, labeled “Off the Record”: Dusty Wright—the mysterious stranger, who once also belonged to Deathwatch but was asked to leave the organization due to his extremist beliefs, is the first to see Harraway’s body. Once it is confirmed that Harraway has died, he calls Gale. Once in her home, Gale intentionally leaves his thumbprint on the plastic bag which Harraway used to suffocate herself. This way he could be executed and then proven innocent (according to the first tape), giving evidence of the injustices in capital punishment. It appears that the three — and is implied that even Gale’s “ineffectual” attorney — meticulously planned everything.
― and what, Saturday, 29 March 2008 14:42 (eighteen years ago)
The beginning of the film shows a party of Confederate soldiers transporting gold bullion to General Robert E. Lee in 1863, the middle of the Civil War. They are stopped on the road by a man, who first politely asks for the gold, but then guns them down with two submachine-guns. In 1994, George Spota confers with the Senate Oversight Committee about Dr. Hans Kleindast’s successful experiments with time travel, and what precautions should be made to guard against tampering with such powerful material. The Time Enforcement Commission (TEC) is created, with DCPD Commander Eugene Matuzak (Bruce McGill) chosen as the director. The up-and-coming Senator Aaron McComb (Ron Silver) appoints himself to the oversight committee.
Max Walker (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is a TEC Agent in the year 2004. Ten years prior to working at the TEC, Walker's wife Melissa (Mia Sara) was killed in a raid on their home, which culminated in their house being blown up- with her inside. Max is constantly haunted by her memory, particularly something she was going to tell him before her death, and tormented by the idea that it is possible to save her by traveling back. Such an action would bring Max back from the disillusioned, work-intensive state he’s in, but would also defy the purpose of the TEC: to stop those with the capability from altering the past with their own interests.
On a mission to arrest his former partner, Lyle Atwood (Jason Schombing), Max travels back to a few days after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 to discover Atwood using knowledge from the future to buy up large stocks, which will in the future be worth millions. Walker confronts Atwood, who reveals that he has been collecting money for Senator McComb, who is using it to fund his campaign for President of the United States. Atwood pleads with Walker to spare him, and attempts suicide, but Walker saves him in the hope that he will testify against McComb. Atwood stays quiet and is sentenced to death. In a twist of temporal irony, Atwood is transported back to 1929, in the act of falling from his office window. He is therefore thought of as just another investor who lost everything in the Stock Market Crash.
After returning, Walker is made to accompany Matuzak while he, Spota, and McComb escort new overseer Senator Nelson around the headquarters. McComb inquires about Atwood, and soon deduces that Atwood gave him up to Walker. He tells Nelson that the TEC is a costly and unnecessary department; time travel should simply be done away with. Walker tells Matuzak about Atwood’s confession, which Matuzak believes but is reluctant to follow through on. The following morning, Walker is attacked in his apartment by three of McComb’s thugs, whom he dispatches. Soon after, he is introduced to his new partner, Internal Affairs agent Sarah Fielding (Gloria Reuben); Walker, having been Atwood’s partner, is under cautionary suspicion.
Matuzak accepts Walker’s suspicions about McComb, but again sees no point in pursuing them, as McComb has the power to take the department offline, and there is little proof. Walker and Fielding are sent to investigate a time fluctuation in 1994 at the Parker-McComb computer factory. Also at the factory is a young Senator McComb, arguing with Jack Parker about the marketability of the computer chip they are making, which Parker later makes millions off of and powers the TEC with. Parker, judiciously spending McComb’s money on the chip, gives him a final check, severing their ties, which in history costs McComb greatly. Walker infiltrates the facility just as a future version of Senator McComb arrives. The future McComb explains that the younger McComb needs to take over the company, as it will be worth billions in the future. Walker attempts to arrest the older McComb; however, he is double crossed by Fielding, who reveals that she too is corrupt. A fight ensues as McComb escapes back into the future, first killing Parker and ensuring his ownership of the company. (To illustrate the effects of the TEC agents, Walker kicks the younger McComb in the face during the fight and the effect of the damage instantly shows on the older McComb.)
Walker returns to the future only to find that the TEC is being decommissioned. Everything has changed—McComb, his chip powering all TEC machinery, has become a dominant political force, and removing the TEC gives him total control over time travel—and only Walker knows what has happened. Realizing that it is the effect of McComb's interference, Walker commandeers the time machine and goes back one last time with Matuzak’s help—help that cost Matuzak his life.
He arrives back again in 1994 and seeks out Fielding, who is in the hospital after McComb betrayed and shot her. Fielding agrees to Walker’s suggestion of testifying against McComb. Walker says he needs something to prove she existed, as McComb may travel back and kill her family to prevent her birth. Walker finds Fielding's blood sample, but also discovers his wife's blood sample, which indicates she is—was—pregnant. Walker returns to Fielding, but he is too late: she has been murdered. Realizing that he was to be a father, Walker decides that he must now save Melissa, and most likely stop McComb in the process.
While at the mall searching for Melissa, Walker recognizes two of McComb's thugs, whom he saw ten years before, and realizes that McComb must have changed the past and deliberately caused the death of his wife. Walker confronts his wife and explains that he is a future version of her husband. Bewildered and scared, Melissa still agrees to help out the future Walker by playing along with the younger Walker. Everything goes as it did before (in the beginning of the film), since Walker deliberately avoids telling Melissa about her impending death.
In the final showdown, McComb's thugs show up at the Walker home, but this time there are two of him, though the younger Walker is not aware of the older one. The two Walkers fight McComb's thugs one by one, the younger taking most of the damage while the older plays cat-and-mouse. The two Walkers and Melissa take out the thugs (she manages to shoot one while he's distracted trying to kill the younger Walker). The younger Walker is left half dead (again) as the older Walker confronts the older McComb, who is holding Melissa hostage. McComb sets the bomb to destroy the house and explains that although he will die, his earlier self will still become president; however, Walker has set him up. The younger McComb appears, responding to a message Walker secretly sent. Enraged, the older McComb shoots and wounds Melissa. Walker grabs the younger McComb and shoves him into the older one. As the movie states "The same matter cannot occupy the same space", the two McCombs fuse and implode into a pool of disappearing blood. Walker quickly picks up Melissa and carries her to safety as the bomb explodes and destroys their house.
Walker returns to the future, and is elated when he sees that things are back to normal—and more. Jack Parker runs the datalink company powering the TEC once again, Fielding is alive, Matuzak is a more amiable boss, and McComb apparently “disappeared” ten years ago. Walker arrives home—his rebuilt home—to find his wife, Melissa, and their son, there to greet him.
― and what, Saturday, 29 March 2008 14:43 (eighteen years ago)
The time is somewhere in the future, in a place called Rain City. The place is a police state and everything has a 1940s-style feel to it, including attitudes and language characters use to deal with each other. Outside of the city, a young well-meaning father Coop (Keith Carradine), his tender pretty wife Georgia (Lori Singer), and their small baby live in a trailer, and decide to move to the city for better work after Coop fails to find meaningful employment. In Rain City, ex-cop Hawk (Kris Kristofferson), imprisoned for killing a man, is released from prison and returns to his ex-girlfriend Wanda (Geneviève Bujold) who runs a diner. When Coop and Georgia arrive at Wanda's Diner they are cased by Solo (Joe Morton), a sly thug who quotes passages from literature as he sips his coffee. Solo immediately attaches himself to the needy Coop and the two enter into a crooked deal to obtain stolen jewelry and resell to a local gangster Hilly Blue (Glen Milstead aka Divine). Hawk immediately sees how Solo is using the impressionable Coop to further shady crime activities and what it is doing to the vulnerable Georgia and her young baby. After prodding from Wanda, the disillusioned Hawk seeking some value in his own life, intervenes in order to help the young girl Georgia and is immediately attracted to her sensitivity. As the duo Coop and Solo get more deeply involved in their crime activities, Hilly Blue manipulates those around him to control the forces that govern the gangsters in Rain City and in a confrontation between Hawk, Coop, and Hilly Blue a philosophical denouement is achieved that shows to all involved what value they have in their lives.
― Eazy, Saturday, 29 March 2008 15:10 (eighteen years ago)
Edge City bank clerk Stanley Ipkiss is a shy, luckless romantic who is regularly bullied by nearly everyone around him: his boss, landlady, and even car mechanics; his only friends are his cocky but good-natured co-worker Charlie and his small but heroic dog Milo. Dorian Tyrell is a gangster who runs the exclusive Coco Bongo nightclub, while plotting the overthrow of his crimelord boss Niko. Tyrell sends his singer girlfriend Tina Carlyle into Stanley's bank with a hidden camera, as part of Tyrell's plan to rob the establishment.
Stanley is smitten by Tina and she seems possibly interested in him, but this is the only good thing to happen during this particularly miserable day; after being ejected from the Coco Bongo, Stanley ends up at the city's filthy harbor, where he finds a mysterious wooden mask. When he takes the object home and puts it on, it wraps itself around his head, and brings forth the repressed side of his personality: a wackily-suited green-skinned wildman, "The Mask", who cheerfully gets revenge on some of Stanley's tormenters, along with turning the tables on an unfortunate street gang which attempts to terrorize him.
The next morning Stanley has a run in with world-weary Edge City policeman Lieutenant Kellaway and hustling newspaper reporter Peggy Brandt, both of whom are investigating the Mask's activities of the previous night. Despite these threats, the temptation to again use the mask is overwhelming, and he puts it back on. Needing money to attend one of Tina's performances at the Coco Bongo, the Mask noisily interrupts Tyrell's bank robbery and make off with the cash; Tyrell's pointman on the job is shot dead by police responding to the disturbance. The Mask uses the money to buy entry into the Coco Bongo, where he "rocks the joint", exuberantly dancing with Tina in front of the cheering clientele before being confronted by Tyrell. The Mask literally bounces away, while Tyrell is temporarily arrested for the bank robbery by Kellaway, who also finds a piece of Stanley's distinctive pajamas left behind at the scene.
The next day Stanley consults an expert on masks, who tells him the object is a depiction of Loki, the Norse god of darkness and mischief (and thus only works at night.) Despite this, and with both Tyrell and Kellaway hunting down his trail, a more confident Stanley stands up to his boss and arranges for Tina to meet his friend, the Mask, at the local Landfill Park. The meeting goes badly, with Tina being scared away by the Mask's overly-forward advances and Kellaway appearing to arrest Stanley. The Mask toys with the enraged officer before zooming out of the park and enchanting a large chunk of the Edge City police force into joining him in a mass-performance of the song Cuban Pete. Peggy helps Stanley escape, but turns him over to Tyrell for a briefcase of reward money. Tyrell forces Stanley to explain how the mask works and then tries it on, becoming a demonic troll-figure. Stanley is dumped in Kellaway's lap with a cheap green mask and is thrown into jail.
Tina sympathetically visits Stanley in his cell, where he urges her to flee the city. She attempts to do so, but is captured by Tyrell and dragged along on his raid on a big charity ball at the Coco Bongo, hosted by Niko and attended by the city's elite. Niko is killed, and Mask-Tyrell prepares to blow up both the club and Tina. With Milo's help, Stanley breaks out of jail and goes to the club. After brief initial success with the assistance of Charlie, he is captured. Tina tricks Tyrell into taking off the mask, which gets kicked into the air. Milo sticks his head into the artifact, and the resulting pitbull assists maskless Stanley in successfully beating down Tyrell and his henchmen. Stanley retrieves the mask and wears it one last time, swallowing the bomb and literally flushing Tyrell down the drain of the club's ornamental fountain. The city's mayor, witnessing most of this, thinks that Tyrell was the Mask all along, and calls off Kellaway.
As the sun rises, Stanley, Tina, Milo and Charlie take the mask back down to the harbor, where Stanley and Tina toss the object into the water. As they kiss, Charlie jumps in after it, only to find Milo swimming away with it.
― banriquit, Saturday, 29 March 2008 15:12 (eighteen years ago)
Inspector Gadget, Brain and Gadget-mobile are staked out at the Riverton high way, watching for speeders. Gadget clocks a little old lady going just three points above the speed limit and drags her to jail, but he soon learns that the little old lady was Chief Quimby's mother! Chief just blew his top. Other than that, Riverton was at ease these days. No major crimes happening. But that night, the evil Dr. Claw escapes from jail and creates a new hideout at the old Bowl-Rite factory. He's recruited two new minions Brick and McKibble. He wants revenge on Inspector Gadget. Meanwhile at the Riverton Police Department, they were unveiling their latest law enforcement creation: Gadget 2, or G2. A female version of Gadget except she was all robot. Gadget was instantly attracted to her, but she works alone so Gadget was devastated when Chief Quimby gave G2 the Claw catching case. Gadget's niece Penny wanted to help him solve crimes and she asked numerous times and each time Gadget had the same answer, "No".
Penny found a classified ad in the paper by Claw looking to recruit minions at the Blue Monkey Bar. Gadget goes there incognito. Three new minions are hired: Squint, Jungle Bob and The Ninja. Claw unveils his latest plan: to heist ion fuel, a laser and a giant ruby to build the ultimate weapon. Meanwhile, Gadget gets into a bar fight and it's G2 to the rescue. Penny discovers Claw and his minions. Quimby is upset that Gadget interfered and told him to stay off the case, but as usual, Gadget didn't listen. He followed G2 to the warehouse the next night to stop Claw's minions from stealing ion fuel. She almost had them when Gadget interfered. Quimby demoted Gadget to sanitation detail. A science convention was on Thursday and that's where Claw would get the powerful laser. Gadget goes, but unfortunately Brick and McKibble place a device on him that caused Claw to manually control him, so he made Gadget jump all over the place, wrecking things and spraying tooth paste all over Mayor Wilson. The bad guys got away with the laser but they left a clue: a bowling shoe. Penny picked it up. Gadget was fired. Penny decided to do the detective work herself so while Gadget bungled his way through numerous new jobs, she did research on the bowling shoe and the old factory is came from, Bowl-Rite which shut down in 1960. She and Brain go to the factory and are captured by Claw and his men.
At the mayor's benefit ball on Wednesday, Claw and his men would steal the ruby. Gadget was the valet. Claw and his men moved in, G2 tried to stop them but she fell victim to a giant magnet. Claw and his men got away with the ruby. Mayor Wilson demanded G2 be shut down and the Gadget project scrapped. Inspector Gadget just had to help so he reactivated G2 and they join forces to stop Claw. The next day, Claw finally unveils his ultimate weapon: a time continuum laser. He used it to stop time completely in Riverton so nobody could stop them from entering the Federal Reserve and walk out in 5 trillion dollars in gold bullion. Fortunately the Gadget-mobile escaped the beam and Gadget and G2 burst in. Claw escapes with Penny so Gadget follows them while G2 gives Squint, Jungle Bob and Ninja a workout. Claw gives a good chase and tries several times to obliterate Gadget. Each time he fails. Finally, Gadget and G2 reunite right after Gadget saves Penny from a dynamite-rigged cart. They corner Claw on a bridge but that fiend makes his escape in a rocket, vowing to get Gadget next time. Next they shut down his time continuum laser and restore Riverton back to normal. Gadget and G2 are commended and the Gadget project would receive a higher budget. Gadget gives Penny a junior inspector award and in the end, Gadget and G2 kiss, get married and live happily ever after.
Actually, Inspector Gadget 2 was better than the 1999 original. French Stewart was really a better Gadget than Matthew Broderick. Also, I think both movies could've gotten by without the talking Gadget-mobile! The Gadget-mobile in the cartoon never talked. I love the cartoon. I wish they'd return it to TV! It's a classic! It's also 20 years old this year! Speaking of the cartoon, Don Adams, the original Gadget, will be celebrating his 80th birthday soon. Wowsers! Maxwell Smart and Inspector Gadget are 80-years-old. Happy birthday, Don! But anyway, French Stewart, whom we all know as that imbecile from 3rd Rock From the Sun and Daniel Stern's replacement in the ultra-sappy Home Alone 4, was good in Inspector Gadget 2. I wonder if there will be an Inspector Gadget 3. Who knows? But anyway, I recommend Inspector Gadget 2. It was better than the original, which I didn't like at all; All our favorite characters from the TV series are here, like Penny, Brain, Dr. Claw, Chief Quimby and of course Gadget! In conclusion, I recommend Inspector Gadget 2! And remember, Go, Gadget, Go!
― burt_stanton, Saturday, 29 March 2008 15:14 (eighteen years ago)
Constance Harraway: The TA just finished transcribing all the governor's radio and TV comments. Listen to this gem: Journalist - "Governor, don't you think three executions in one week is a little excessive?" Governor - "I say let's bring them in, strap them down, and rock and roll." David Gale: Oh, it's good to know our governor is in touch with his inner frat boy.
― and what, Saturday, 29 March 2008 15:15 (eighteen years ago)
Governor Hardin: Alan, let me say something I always say and I'm gonna keep on saying. And that is that I HATE killin'. That's why my administration is willing to kill to stop it. David Gale: So, you don't subscribe to the idea that 'a good state is the one that protects its most despised members?' Governor Hardin: It's a nice liberal idea. But, like most nice liberal ideas, naive. David Gale: It's a quote from you, Governor. From your first state attorney campaign Governor Hardin: (flustered) You've got me, Professor. But let me, in my defense, offer YOU a quote. Winston Churchill: 'If you're not a liberal at twenty, you have no heart, if you're still a liberal at thirty, you've got no brain.' (studio audience laughs) David Gale: So, basically, you feel, to choose another quote, 'a healthy society must stop at nothing to cleanse itself of evil.' Governor Hardin: Well, yes. I'd have to agree. (laughs) Did I say that too? David Gale: No sir, that was Hitler.
― and what, Saturday, 29 March 2008 15:16 (eighteen years ago)
Bitsey Bloom: You know you are in the bible belt when there are more churches than Starbucks. Zack: When there are more prisons than Starbucks.
― and what, Saturday, 29 March 2008 15:21 (eighteen years ago)
screenplay by shakey mo collier's brother
"no sir, that was hitler"
― El Tomboto, Saturday, 29 March 2008 15:32 (eighteen years ago)
No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler. No sir, that was Hitler.
― El Tomboto, Saturday, 29 March 2008 15:33 (eighteen years ago)
Bitsey Bloom: You know you are in the bible belt when there are more churches than Starbucks. Zack: When there are more prisons than Starbucks. David Gale: No sir, that was Hitler.
― and what, Saturday, 29 March 2008 15:35 (eighteen years ago)
Constance Harraway: The TA just finished transcribing all the governor's radio and TV comments. Listen to this gem: Journalist - "Governor, don't you think three executions in one week is a little excessive?" Governor - "I say let's bring them in, strap them down, and rock and roll." David Gale: No sir, that was Hitler.
"Traffic was a bitch."
― wanko ergo sum, Saturday, 29 March 2008 16:38 (eighteen years ago)
The younger McComb appears, responding to a message Walker secretly sent. Enraged, the older McComb shoots and wounds Melissa. Walker grabs the younger McComb and shoves him into the older one. As the movie states "No sir, that was Hitler", the two McCombs fuse and implode into a pool of disappearing blood. Walker quickly picks up Melissa and carries her to safety as the bomb explodes and destroys their house.
― max, Saturday, 29 March 2008 16:42 (eighteen years ago)
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=%22web+of+intrigue%22
― Bodrick III, Saturday, 29 March 2008 18:47 (eighteen years ago)
No sir, that was Hitler.
― and what, Friday, 26 September 2008 20:04 (seventeen years ago)
n00b here lol.
I obvs dig Driver and the GTAs but I loved just watching this game Hitman I saw recently...
What are other games that are this rich in plot and setting?
tbqh I'd rate Metal Gear Solid as kinda dry and too gameplayish over plot in this regard.
― lil queequeg (peter grasswich), Wednesday, 29 August 2012 20:27 (thirteen years ago)
Shit this isn't on ILGames... haha.
― lil queequeg (peter grasswich), Wednesday, 29 August 2012 20:28 (thirteen years ago)