"I NTAC T" "Place your bets." "All bets off." "2 7 red." "Place your bets." " For the staff." " Thank you." "All bets off." "2 4 black." "All bets off." "30 red." "We hav e a Spanish client cleaning us out on table 1 2, s eat number six." "The old man wants to proceed as usual." "H e's wearing a blue blazer, a purple-and-gold-striped tie." "Sorry." "I took you for someone els e." "29 black." "No winner." " Federico?" " The y'v e gone." "How many laps did you do today?" "Six." "You're out of shape." "I'v e come to say goodby e." "The last couple of days..." "I'v e woken up with a pain in my chest." "I can't get my breath." "It won't be long now." " You won't die of old age." " You think someone could beat me?" "You keep on playing..." "Just looking after the business." "With e v ery game, you put it in danger." "Belie v e me, I'm not going to los e." "The casino, the mone y, the captiv es... the y'll all be yours." "I don't want anything I hav en't won." "You're going to do the circuit?" "You want to play against me?" "You hav e no chance." "Your gift isn't strong enough." "You don't know that." "I'v e known you since you surviv ed that earthquake." "Or was it maybe somebody els e who took you under his wing, who fed you, paid your way through s chool," " made you somebody" " My luck sav ed me." " You told me that." " I won't sacrifice you." "I taught you how to us e that luck." "Now you think you're luckier than me, huh?" "I'v e rais ed a fool." "Sit down !" "You're the only one I allow to s ee my face." "Hav e you had dinner y et?" "No, not y et." "Grab a shower." "I'll buy you dinner." "I can't make it tonight." "Other plans." "You're leaving, Federico... without e v en a hug?" "Don't do it." "Your gift I dis cov ered, and your gift I take away." "Now you can leav e." "Goodby e, Federico." "Now that the old man has deactiv ated him, we can put our hands on him without getting jinxed." "SEVEN YEARS LATER" "H is name's Tomas Sanz." "H e wasn't trav eling alone." " What about this?" " Cut it open." "N urs e !" "I put up with my mother-in-law for three months." "She finally croaks and her associate giv es her 500,000 pes etas." "But my wife los es the che ck." "She said it was all my fault, that I was bad luck." "I blew up-- that fuck up was suddenly my fault." " Do you hav e a picture of her?" " I'll find one." "I kicked her out of the hous e." "She slammed the door and all the papers went flying up in the air." "Suddenly, a che ck for 500,000 pes etas comes landing on my lap." "What do you think of that, Federico?" "Am I lucky or what?" " Are you going to keep it?" " What?" "The che ck." " What do you think?" " Horacio Caparros, you are a lucky man." "No." "Giv e it to me later." "It's Claudia." "Pick up the phone." "I found fresh meat in that plane crash." "Well, too bad." "Since you're on v acation, the y pass ed the file on to me." "Tough luck, huh?" "This time, it'll cost you double" "The y're not all dead?" "All that for a measly 50 million pes etas." "Or half if he surviv es." "If he had signed up for our life insurance plan, he'd get fiv e or six times as much." "That is 200 or e v en 300 million." "That's mone y." "Thank you." "Claudia !" "H i, old man." "H ello." "Is that enough?" "It's purely routine." "H e's under arrest for theft." "I know." "Will he get some mone y?" "H e surviv ed a horrific experience." "That mone y is his." "Wait until he's made his statement." "Pleas e..." "I just need to make sure he signs it." "How much?" "What?" "How much will he get?" "25 million." "Do you think that will make up for such trauma?" "That's what he was awarded." "Still a bargain for the airline." "Two minutes..." " Good e v ening." " Good e v ening." " I'm with the insurance company." " I need to frisk you." "Thanks." "I hav e the che ck." "Sign here and it's yours." "May I?" "She's beautiful." "What will you do with the mone y?" "Excus e me?" "How will you spend it?" "You'll cash the che ck in two days." "Yes." "It won't be of much us e where you're going." "When I'm worried, I take out my cards." "It kills time and helps me clear my mind." "Sometimes, just shuffling them makes my troubles go away." "If you draw an ace, I'll get you out of here." "We're not betting anything." "Tomas Sanz, you are a lucky man." " Sure." " Don't doub t it." "There's one chance in a million for a plane to crash." "And for it to crash, leaving you the only survivor out of how many" "23 7 pass engers?" "One chance in 23 7 million." "One more time." "No bets either?" "You play for me and you're a free man." "Play?" "Play what?" "Sorry, your time's up." "We're almost done." "So, will you sign it or not?" "We'll place our first bet with your compensation." "Then we'll play with our gains." "In the end, we'll split e v erything 50-50." "What if I los e?" " That won't happen." " And what if it happens?" "You're free to walk away." "How long will that last?" "Two weeks at the most." " I don't know how to play." " Don't you worry, you don't need any talent." "Just remember two things-- don't e v er touch me" " Why not?" " Just a thing I hav e." "And ne v er take my picture." "We don't need any souv enirs." "Remember it." "Good e v ening." "Hav e the y started y et?" " No." " Do you want to s ee his I D?" "Yes." "I don't know him." "The plane lost contact with the control tower 1 2 minutes after takeoff." "The black box, which was re cently retrie v ed, should shed some light on the e v ents pre ceding the accident." "The casualty figures stand at 23 1 pass engers and six members of the crew." "The only person aliv e, Tomas Sanz, was arrested..." "Are you here of your own free will?" "...accus ed of robbing a bank two months ago." "What does it feel like when a plane is going down?" " I was asleep." " Come on." " You're pulling my leg." " What's this?" " What's that smell?" " Molass es." "That's his favorite." "Right." "Place your bets, pleas e." "I'm sorry." "Federico, you can't be here." " H e's new." " Get him started and go." "H ere." "What's this?" " No mone y bets." " It's not mone y." "It's a jewel." "The indemnity of the only survivor of the plane crash." "That's right..." " I knew I'd s een you before." " I won't play against him." "E v en this won't do." "One of your fingers would be a nice trophy." " If he agrees, we're game." " Good idea." " So, Federico?" " Let's play." " Wait!" " Forget it!" "Come on, wait!" " What about my finger?" " You won't los e it." " Right." "Get lost." " Thos e guys... the y're fucking amateurs who won a bingo game or fell from the s e cond floor." "The y hav e no chance against you." " I won't do it." " Fuck." "You surviv ed a plane crash, I helped you get out of the hospital." " Isn't that luck?" " And so what?" "All you need in there is luck." "But I'm not stupid." "You are lucky and you can control that luck." "You're fucking insane." "Let me go or I'll touch you." "Let me go." "Why do you think you're the only survivor?" "There were good people on that plane." "What sav ed you-- a thief?" "God?" " Chance." " That doesn't exist for you." "Your gift is to steal other people's luck." "Otherwis e, you'd be dead." " Right." " I belie v e in you." "But if you don't, there's nothing els e to say." " You can keep the mone y." " You mess ed up be caus e of a finger I would hav e wagered with you." "It's yours." "Place your hands on the table, gentlemen." "Remov e the s carv es." "Do not mov e." "H ello?" "H ello?" "Are you still playing?" "Who is this?" "Are you still playing?" "What do you think, Federico?" "You won't die of old age." " What?" " With a bug on my head," "I made more in one night than in a lifetime of risking my ass !" "You could hav e lost a finger." " So could you." " No." "After the y'd cut yours off, I'd hav e taken off." "You can run away from them, but not from me." "I'm glad you like the game." "How do we split that thing, wis e guy?" "Fall and winter for you." "Spring and summer for me." "Very funny!" "I'll go look for a bedroom." "This is Ana." "Leav e a message at the tone." "H ello, Ana." "It's me." "Are you there?" "Ana... are you there?" "Okay, well... nothing." "I hope you're well." "Thank God you didn't come with me." "I shouldn't hav e taken that damn plane." "I am glad that we're both aliv e." "Very glad." "I miss you." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "Come on, run !" "U p!" "U p!" "I can't do it." "I'm too old for that." "Come on !" "Giv e it to me." "Come on, giv e it to me !" " Don't touch me !" " Giv e it to me !" "Don't you e v er touch me again." "E v er!" "I thought it was safe to call from a payphone." "N ext time, just tell me, and we'll do it the smart way." " What's her name?" " Ana." " Is that the girl in the picture?" " Yes." " Wasn't she going with you?" " She miss ed the plane." "How lucky." "How did she miss it?" "We need a phone." "We hav e to tell the bullfighter." "Only fear makes for a great fight." "For a real bullfighter, it's not the fear of losing, but the fear of suffering-- your own suffering and that of thos e around you." "It is that fear that driv es you to really fight." "Why quit?" "You were ne v er injured." "I lost my fear of the bull." "You can't fight the bull without fear." "H ello." "H ello." " Alejandro Dominguez." " I know." " Can I hav e a word?" " Giv e me a moment." "Sure." "This is not the first time." " The alarm didn't go off." " I always forget to s et it." " It happens." " I'm getting old." "I forget things." "No need to justify yours elf." "Will it be long?" "No, I'll be right with you." "Thank you." "Leav e it there, pleas e." "Sara." "We found Tomas Sanz's fingerprints in the car." " And his accomplice?" " Nothing." "The doors and windows hav en't been forced." " How did the y get in?" " Through the walls... or with a ke y." "Hav e you shown us the whole hous e?" "Dominguez has a clean re cord and no conne ction with thos e guys." "Okay." "Goodby e, little bull." "Goodby e." "Leav e me alone." "What the fuck were you going to Martinique for?" "I was fleeing." "And then what?" "I was going to open a business on the beach." "When we're done, the Caribbean won't be a luxury." "What will we bet?" "I hav en't de cided y et." "We'll be back for lunch next month." "See you then." "Wait." "I'm going to stay." "Thanks for e v erything." "Good e v ening." "Good e v ening." " You broke the window." " What?" "Turn around, spread your legs" " and put your hands on the car." " What's going on?" "Did you hear me?" "I'm going to handcuff you." " Right arm first" " No need to touch me." " Behind your back." " Quit touching me." "Let me go!" "You'll do to me what you did to your husband and daughter?" "What?" "The s car-- you are famous among your colleagues." "You should be dead, but you sav ed yours elf." "Where is Tomas Sanz?" "Your good luck is someone els e's mis ery, right?" " Tomas Sanz." " Let's make a deal." "I take you to him, and you forget about me." "You spent your insurance mone y on that?" "Will it do?" "Yes." "What did Tomas do to you?" "Wait till he reaches the Jew." " Who?" " The Jew." "H e surviv ed a concentration camp and liv es in a casino." "If he touches you, your gift is gone." "You be come normal." "But I don't belie v e that." "We are the way we are." "Tonight, we'll play with the captiv es-- morons who let us bring them bad luck." "All you do is touch them as much as possible to steal the little luck the y might hav e." "Then we roll the dice, and the highest number wins." "It's going to rain like hell." "You should hav e brought warmer clothes." "Bad mummy..." "What's wrong?" "Don't you hav e anything to say?" "I D, pleas e." "FOR TH E DEATH OF A SPO U SE..." "FOR TH E DEATH OF A C H ILD..." "Place your bets, pleas e." "Is it authentic?" " What will we wager?" " My hous e." "What, now?" "During the game, think of something nice." "It'll go better if you're relaxed." "Think of the good times you'v e had in your life." "With Ana, for instance." " Why don't you play?" " I don't hav e the gift." "Are you sure?" "If you don't hav e it, you're nobody." " The guy with Tomas is older." " Gentlemen, pick your captiv es." "The y should be here." "The next game's in two weeks." " Let's go." " No." " You'd be out of the game for good." " Pleas e, mov e forward." "This is the only way to get to him." "The man with the gray hair." "The man with the gray hair, pleas e mov e forward." "Come clos er to the window." "Pick the one that turns you on the most." "The man with the orange sweater." "The man with the orange sweater, pleas e mov e forward." "The winner gets the wagers plus the captiv es." "Scarv es." "Don't you worry, this is the best part." "Well... let's start." "Don't start y et." "Miss, mov e forward." "Your hand, pleas e." "Six and four-- 1 0." "Your hand, pleas e." "Three and two-- fiv e." "On the ground !" "This game's inv alidated." "She was in the hospital when I woke up." "It's all good." " She pointed her gun at me twice." " But she didn't arrest you." "You bitch !" "You fucked me ov er." "You should hav e arrested him after the game." "You don't des erv e your gift." " What about this?" " It's ours." "Put it away." "What's up with that?" " We wager people now?" " Got a problem with that?" "That girl... what will happen to her?" " She'll probably die from a cold." " Come on." "I don't know." "The picture, the kiss-- she must hav e a crush on you." "What?" "You stole her good luck through the picture." "She's yours now." "From now on, we'll wager people's luck." "The more pictures, the more luck for you." "You don't belie v e me, do you?" "Some sickos like to wager people's pictures." "It's the easiest way for you to make mone y and leav e." "Well, I don't like it." "I won't play that way." "I don't s ee any other way." "It's up to you." "You accept it and stay, or you go rob another bank." "But hurry up." "That cop will soon come to her s ens es." " You asshole." " I'm only taking care of business." "FILE:" "H ORACIO C APARROS" "Place your bets, pleas e." "Wait for me in the woods." "Are you ready?" " Did you wager it all?" " I play to win." "The che ck too?" "After tonight, no more running away, no more sleeping in the car and eating shit." "After tonight, we're off to U canca for the last game." "U canca?" "What we'll win there is way bigger." "It's a question of dignity, of getting what you want and earning respe ct." "I like that." "What, respe ct?" "I like that you actually hav e a reason for doing this." "When you win in U canca, you'll be the luckiest man on earth." "And our work will be done." "You'll buy me a drink." "Or 1 0." "Now, try to concentrate." "E v eryone here would kill to go to U canca." "Come on !" "Faster!" "Run !" "Come on, run !" "Go, go!" "Only two left!" "Go, go!" "Stop, Alejandro!" "You are the winner." "Federico?" "Federico?" "I want someone to open the door for me." "It's wide open." "Can you drop me off at the train station?" "What is she doing here?" "What the fuck is she doing here?" "Put that back where it was." "Put it in the briefcas e." "Sorry, but she's mine." "Get out." "Come on, beat it!" "I'm sorry." "This should hav e ne v er happened." "You wouldn't be here if we had found Tomas." "Ana... you hav e to help me." "Talk to me." "Let's start from the beginning." "Why didn't you take that plane?" "It didn't do you any good to leav e him and es cape the accident." "H e surviv ed too, and look where that led you." "Your bad luck is Tomas' fault." "H e can go to hell." "I don't belie v e you." "H e pre v ented me from taking that plane." "At the airport, he said," ""I don't lov e you anymore."" "H e sav ed my life." " What did you say?" " I don't lov e you anymore." "Is something wrong?" "Why do we hav e a copy of Caparros' file?" "The court required one." " What for?" " H is ex-wife filed a complaint." "H e committed suicide, but she wants the insurance mone y." "And Van Kuipp Life refus es to pay." "Van Kuipp Life?" "It's the insurance company from the plane crash." "That's mine." "Good e v ening." " Are you Claudia?" " Yes, I am." "Wait, don't hang up." "I hear you're in charge of Caparros' and Sanz's files." "That's right." "But I spoke with someone els e at the hospital." "You son of a bitch !" "You son of a bitch !" "Tough luck." "Tough luck... right!" "What will happen to Ana?" "We can get her back." "How so?" "Wager and win her picture back." "But the guy's off to U canca." " It belongs to someone els e now." " To whom?" "Samuel Berg... the Jew." "How do you know?" "H e's the fucking king of fate." "No one has surviv ed U canca in 30 y ears." "You bastard !" "That's where you were taking me !" "You shouldn't hav e lost." "That's why I wagered Ana." "What's the game?" "You're giv en a gun loaded with fiv e bullets." "You shoot first." "If you kill him, you win." "If not... the Jew shoots." "Fiv e to one... could be wors e." "The guy who got luckier than you, died." "I make the de cisions." "Who will you wager?" "The y took a plane to U canca." "Why are you bringing me a los er?" "Don't play." "G érard told me you us ed his girlfriend without his knowledge." "Nobody's e v er come here out of lov e." "Your boy des erv es to play." "I don't usually talk to the people who come to play." "But this time..." "I want to make an exception." "Look at this." "E v ery morning, the door of the barrack got opened, and the y took a few out." "First, the oldest..." "then our parents, then the brothers and sisters." "In a couple of weeks, there were only about 50 of us left-- all children." "Suddenly, the y just stopped coming." "Then... one day... a man appeared." "H e was not a guard." "H e was wearing... a sand-colored suit." "Spotless it was." "And he held a black handkerchief to his nos e." "We didn't smell too good, you s ee." "And one by one, he took us by the arm and... jolted our numbers down in his notebook." "We would be called and reunited with our parents." "And then he left and ne v er came back." "But the guards returned." "The y lined us up and shouted a number." "I looked at my arm..." "it wasn't me." "It was one of the others." "And as he walked through the door, he turned and looked at us all, thrilled to bits that he had won... and disappeared." "And so on." "E v ery day, another number." "Or two." "Or none." "Sometimes the y would just stand, looking at us, and then leav e." "In the end, only Daniel and I were left... for four days alone." "And we talked." "We talked a lot." "Daniel knew things." "H e us ed to help his father at the watchmaker's shop." "Did you know that... if you stare at the minute hand hard enough, you can s ee it mov e?" "That photo is of H elena, his sister." "Daniel knew that it wasn't our parents who would wait for us outside." "And the day the door opened again," "I took my friend's hand... and I clos ed my e y es, willing it not to be my number." "When Daniel let go of me, I couldn't open my e y es again." "I didn't want to look at him face to face." "H e just said to me, "It's yours,"" "and walked off." "And... he left the photo in my hand." "The next time the door opened... the uniforms had changed." "Well, if you're ready, I think it's time to play." "I found an ele v ator leading to the bas ement." "Roberto?" "Carlos, Javier, can you hear me?" "Federico, you hav e to go." "Hav e faith." "Remember that you came out intact." "I don't lov e you anymore." "Let's get out of here !" "Your work is done." "Leav e now." "God damn it, Federico, our work is done." "Come on." "We won." "No, you won." "Take care of yours elf." "Sara?" "Are you there?" "To my father"