"THREE YEARS EARLIER" "I've found him, Mr. Winch." "In the heart of the Burmese jungle." "In a Karen village." "Largo has been living there for three months." "He met her when illegally crossing the Thai-Burmese border." "She took him to her village, wounded, and he never left." "Go back there." "And keep your eye on him." "What if he never came home?" "Don't be absurd, Freddy." "He'll have to come out of hiding one day." "Whether he likes it or not, Largo is my heir." "THREE YEARS LATER" "Oh my God!" "Oh my God!" "AUTONOMOUS REPUBLIC OF BASHKORTOSTAN" ""GPS:" "Find airport."" "You humiliated Nazatchov before the press!" "He'll never forgive you." "Find that son-of-a-bitch Winch for me!" "And the journalist bitch, too!" "Why did you need to save her?" "Would you rather I'd been killed?" ""Find the airport!"" "Forgive me, my Cyrillic is rusty!" "I'll do it." "I don't want to die here!" "I have a wife!" "Four children!" "A career!" "I went to Harvard!" "I'm a practicing Presbyterian!" "GPS calculating route." "Turn left." "I think you're right, Nazatchov is a bit cross." "It's your fault!" "You baited Nazatchov with your questions!" "I was doing myjob as a journalist!" " GPS re-calculating route." " I have a job too, missy!" "I manage a group with 392,000 employees!" "Nazatchov exploits and traffics!" "Either we sign with Nazatchov or we lay off..." "Keep to the left." "Turn right in 600 feet." " Holy shit!" " Hang on tight." " Make U-turn in 300 feet." " What are you doing?" "Make U-turn when possible." "Yourjet is surrounded by police." "Forget the airport." "Nazatchov will never let us leave alive." "He runs the entire country!" " And that's alright with you?" " Shut up, would you!" "I know a mercenary, he'll save us." "Lazarevic." "An expert in crisis situations." "Very costly but highly efficient..." "You Bosnians are too sentimental!" "Beware of clichés, they sometimes end in massacres!" "LAKE GENEVA, SWITZERLAND" " Hello." " Good day, sir." " I'm here for Mr. Jung." " He's waiting for you." "Tell him to come in." "Thank you for receiving me." "At last I meet you." " Mr. Jung, it's time for your shot." " Later." "Later, I said." "She's always on my back." "You'd think she was in love!" "Come here." "Look at this." "This photo was taken here." "Handsome, weren't we?" "You were my father's only friend..." "His oldest, there's no doubt." "This photo dates back to October 1947." "He was fresh from Yugoslavia with his mother." "They lived here, in the attic rooms." "Your grandmother worked for my parents until she died." "My grandmother?" "Nerio's mother." "Your grandmother, Largo!" "I was one of the only people who knew of your existence." "Nerio often complained to me about you running away." "About your lack of gratitude towards him..." "It's true, father and son relations are complex." "Nerio didn't want a son." "He wanted an heir." "He left me no choice." "But the fortune he left me..." "I'll use it my way." "I read your letter." "Your project is fabulous." "As former Red Cross President," "I can only encourage you, but..." " But?" "The men who run this world all have humanitarian foundations." "That's nothing new." "The rich give to the poor, but only a little." "Very little." "Putting your entire fortune at the service of humanitarian causes will upset the established order." " Good." "And you will create many enemies." "Very many enemies." "And very powerful ones." ""A man with no enemies is no man at all."" "Bosnian proverb." "Don't make light of my words." "Mr. Jung?" "The needle..." "The needle!" "I'm happy to have met you." "You'll be all right." "My wife died of cancer ten years ago." "My only son died in an accident when he'd just turned thirty." "No one needs me anymore." "I need you." "The financial world has been rocked!" "Nerio Winch's heir will..." "An ambitious project..." "You've given me a reason to live." "The captain informs us that we've left territorial waters." "Thank you, Gauthier." "I'll open the champagne, sir!" "For the occasion, I've chilled a bottle of Grand Siècle 1981 , which was given to your father by Mikhail Gorbachev at the opening of the Minsk paper factory." "Of course, in this overcast weather, rosé champagne might be more appropriate." "I have a Laurent Perrier 2003..." " Gauthier!" "Anything you want." "Very well, sir." "Shall we?" "Have a seat." "No regrets, Largo?" "This agreement is irrevocable." "Your access to W Group accounts will be frozen as soon as you sign." "Prior to the final sale, you'll be a poor man again." "It's a classic contract." "Kromberg Partners guarantees you a buyer within two months." "Moreover, the sales price is indexed on your stock value, on the day of the sale." "If the sale took place today, that would come to approximately 53 billion, Mr. Winch." "That's all?" "Should your value rise, you could hope for a bit more..." " I jest, Mr. Beaumont." "Please initial the pages and sign." "Why are we signing the contract at sea?" "It allows us to sign the agreement as if we were in the Swiss offices of Kromberg Partners." "With full Swiss tax advantages." "And a signature..." "Deputy Prosecutor Francken wishes to question you Mr. Winch." "She could've called my office for an appointment." "Knowing her, she's in your office right now." "Open this door, Mr. Winch." "It's Freddy Kaplan's cabin." "Only he has the key." " I told him." " Must I break in?" "Do what you want, only do it fast." "Oh my God!" "Freddy!" "Death by strangulation." "It occurred at least 12 hours ago." "No wonder you wouldn't open the door." "Are you accusing me of murder as well?" "Calm down, Mr. Winch!" "I hated Freddy for many years." "Whenever I ran away, he'd find me." "Every time." " He was watching over you." "He was spying on me." "Freddy knew exactly what I was doing in Burma." "He knew I'd no contact with Nerio." "He'd have cleared my name." "Do you think that's why he was killed?" "Many very powerful enemies..." "You were so right." "I only wish I could help you." "Was Nerio capable of doing something like that?" "That massacre?" "No." "Of course not." "He was my friend." "I want to believe he wasn't." "MUONG NAM, BURMA THREE YEARS EARLIER" "Malunaї?" "Kadjang!" "Largo is my friend." "Come on, I'll introduce you to my comrades." "Ko Sin, Som Sak, this is Malunaї." "This is a Burmese Army pass signed by General Kyaw Min." "Stop it!" "Stop it!" "You stay out of this!" "You want to help him, do you?" "Did AAA send you?" "Let's just say "yes"." "They sure are on the ball." "We have to get going." "My name's Simon." "Simon Ovronnaz." "Largo." "So one day, I come home from work and Eleanor says: "I got a job at the French School of Bangkok."" "For me, Asia meant Chinese take-outjoints." "But it didn't take me long, I decided to come." "She took the post and I found a job too." "'Cause, you know, I'm totally lost without Eleanor!" "Shit, I can't see a thing." "She might not be a babe, but she's sweet." "We've been together since we were twelve years old." "She's my mother's best friend's daughter." "We're supposed to get married next year!" "Thailand." "She's got everything all planned..." "HONG KONG THREE YEARS LATER" "Hello." "What is your password, please?" "Pandora." "Thank you." "What type of transaction do you wish to make?" "I'd like to know my balance." "One moment, please." "The credit balance of your account is 65,824,127 dollars." "BANGKOK AIRPORT THAILAND" "I'm not sure I'm the proper person for your mission." "I suffer horribly from motion sickness." "I must take these in order to survive on your yacht, sir." "Quinoa mixed with dried cassava and bamboo shoots." "It's miraculous." "It acts upon the neuron-transmitters that regulate nausea." "A dear friend in Peru whom I met when I was with the MacMullans sends it to me..." "I just saw your pal Lazarevic in Bangkok." "I know he's efficient, but I need no protection." "You can call off your watchdog." "It certainly is hot!" "Humid too, no?" "Welcome to Bangkok." "Customs informed us of your arrival." "I'm counting on you, Gauthier." "Of course, sir." "It's me again, sir." "I desperately need to speak to you so I've decided to leave yet another message." "As requested, I am looking for a certain Simon Ovronnaz..." "I met his fiancée - or rather ex-fiancée - who was not very cooperative." "Apparently Mr. Ovronnaz left her abruptly three years ago." "She still holds a grudge." "But rest assured," "I pursued my investigation by questioning the caretaker." "The man - who incidentally had appalling bad breath - indicated the address of Mr. Orvonnaz's new lady friend..." "Well, his ex-lady friend now." "Charming by the way." "From what I gather, Mr. Ovronnaz has moved south, to Ko Sukon, to live with another friend..." "If you see what I mean." "Since I've had no news from you, sir, I shall travel..." "Darn!" "It cut off." "I'd hoped Lazarevic would organize a commando operation to free me." "I got your message." "I've had no contact with Lazarevic since the Nazatchov episode." "He flew into Bangkok on a Winch Airjet." "As it happens, half his fees - which were quite steep - were paid in Winch Air flight time." "He goes where he wants, when he wants." "He's a mercenary who works for the highest bidder." "As for you, Largo, the Thai Justice Minister arranged everything." "I had nothing to do with it." "Someone informed him that you were in jail..." "The Thai government wants no trouble with the W Group." "Did he convince Francken of my innocence?" " Francken has no proof." " She has a witness." "She had a witness." "I told you, the Thai authorities arranged everything." "Let's go!" "MAKILING MILITARY CAMP BURMA" "Drive through!" "Move it!" " Hello, Mr. Cochrane." " Hello." "Mr. Winch isn't here?" "What powers of observation!" "I hear he might have... disappeared?" "Mr. Winch signed a contract with you." "Just find us a buyer." "I told you, we have a serious offer." "Perfect." "Where is it?" "Follow me, Mr. Cochrane." "UNITED nations GENEVA, switzerland" "Vladimir Podolsky, Private Secretary." " Did you have a good trip?" " Thank you." " This is my assistant." " Hello." "Sorry we're late." "Is he here?" "The Swiss are punctual, so imagine Swiss judges..." "Do you know what the expression "bank secrecy" means, madam?" "Leave us alone." "Put this on." "I want to dine with a real woman." "And there aren't many in this rat hole." "Put it on!" "You did a good job." "Winch went to great lengths to find you." "He contacted me." "Magnificent." "Really magnificent." "Sit down." "With the money Winch will pay me to free you," "I'm going to leave this jungle." "And this shitty country." "I'm going to become a new man." "I'm going to start a new life." "You could come with me." "I'll take good care of you." "I'll treat you like a princess." "Have you forgotten?" "You can't say no to me!" "Have you forgotten already?" "Send a jeep for Winch tomorrow." "As soon as he transfers the money, we kill them." "Both of them." "It's me again, sir." "I am still discreetly searching for Simon Ovronnaz but despite my efforts" "I'm unable to locate him." "The mission you gave me is difficult indeed." "Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" "Scoffing every conceivable danger, I have pursued my quest, traveling to the innermost regions of Thailand, which one could call picturesque." "My experience as a Scout has helped me survive in this foreign-though-not-hostile land and mix with the locals," "who sometimes even prove to be warm." "As for Simon Ovronnaz, he's no longer in Ko Sukon." "Financial difficulties, if I correctly understood his recent ex-lady friend." "Thank goodness, I have a new trail... in Bangkok." "That's all, sir, I hope you're well." "I worry about you." "Where are you?" "Call me as soon as..." "Darn!" "It cut off." "The general is expecting us." "He wants to see this man." "I've received the orders." "Get moving!" "Want us to go up in flames?" "What's going on here?" "Who are they?" "What are you doing here?" "I've got a prisoner for you." "What's this bullshit?" "Answer me!" "Where'd you come from?" "Run for the jungle!" "In small groups!" "Come on!" "Hurry up!" "Hello." "Your password, please?" "Pandora." "Hurry up!" "Come on!" "Yes, I confirm the transfer." "Don't move!" "Don't be afraid." "Mommy is here." "Mommy will come and get you." "Don't be afraid." "We're leaving now!" "Hold on tight." "How old are you?" "Two and a half." "What's your name?" "Noom!" "Come here." "Come on, come here." "Let's see how you steer a boat." "You are indeed Simon Ovronnaz?" "I was tied up to a rope!" "Upside-down!" "I was this close to dying." "Believe me, it changes a guy." "When I got back to Bangkok, my life with Eleanor was over." "I wanted to live!" "Your boss saved my life!" "I think I've understood." "You've told me eleven times to be exact." "Eleven times!" "I'm so fucking indebted to him!" "Hello?" "Sir?" "It's you!" "I'm with Simon Ovronnaz." "I found him, sir!" "I found him!" "Is it him?" "Hold on, sir!" "You've waited three years, you can wait another three minutes." "Yes, sir, everything's fine." "And you, where are you?" "Not next door, Gauthier." "You'll have to travel a ways." "Do you confirm the transfer of 25 million dollars from your Pandora account, to account No. 634 TX 49?" "Yes, I confirm the transfer." " My savior!" " AAA at your service." "You know he saved my life?" "I need to understand Nerio Winch's relation with Kyaw Min." "How can I find the guy you drove around?" "He should know." "That won't be easy." "He's dead." "But I might be able to help you." "I think I know why your father didn't pay the general..." "The guy hired me for a week." "THREE YEARS EARLIER" "He had to go to Burma." "A business trip, he said." "We stayed in a military camp there for a few days." "He hung out a lot with the army general." "He said nothing to me, but I knew something was up." "Then one day, the soldiers left on a mission." "They returned with dozens of prisoners." "Women, children, wounded persons..." "The soldiers had burned down their village." "Totally destroyed it." "Apparently that was their plan." "But then things went wrong..." "Mr. Winch, if you don't transfer the money..." "Yes, I know!" "Think how big those mines will pay off." "I couldn't!" "I figured your dad had greased a few palms to get the mining concession." "But what he didn't know, was that civilians would be massacred in exchange." "Hello." "It's me." "I talked to Nerio Winch." "He refuses to pay." "You've got to talk to him." "Go see him." "Then he said we had to escape." "Fast." "I was free to move about, so I left the camp to wait for him." "Let go of me, shit!" "Let go of me!" "An hour later, I hit the road." "I picked up some wounded." "You know the rest." "Your father wasn't responsible for the massacre." "What was the guy's name?" "Thomas." "Yeah, Thomas." "You don't remember his last name?" "I never knew it." "Why would I have?" "Gauthier?" "Meet me downstairs." "Mommy!" "Mommy, where are you?" "Where are you, Mommy?" "Come on, let's get dressed." "I want Mommy to dress me." "We have to leave." "Mommy?" "Mommy had to go." "You've never seen a kid?" "Let's go." "Where's Mommy?" "Mommy isn't coming back, Noom." "Mommy is dead." "She's gone forever." "But she's watching over you." "And she'll always love you." "What'll you do now?" "You can't let that scoundrel Nazatchov win." "That swine!" "That son-of-a..." " I beg your pardon." " I don't care about Nazatchov." "Hang on, isn't it his fault the kid's mother died?" "You can't leave your group in his hands." "Think of what he'd do with such power." "You have a responsibility." "He won, Gauthier." "I signed a sales agreement, he paid." "There's no turning back." "Do you know the legend of Pandora?" "Zeus gave Epimetheus a gift:" "Pandora, the first woman on Earth." "She possessed a box, which Zeus forbade her to open, but one day, her curiosity got the best of her." "And she opened the lid." "The evils of humanity escaped and flooded the Earth:" "old age, disease, deceit and insanity..." "Terrified, Pandora quickly shut the box." "Fortunately... for it was not entirely empty." "One precious little thing remained at the bottom of the box:" "Hope." "And from that day onward, though Man might be stricken by great misfortune, deep inside, there always remains a glimmer of hope." "You cannot lose hope, sir." "Not as long as you're alive." " What is your password?" " Pandora." "I would like to make a 7-dollar transfer." "Seven dollars?" "Four plus three?" "That's correct." "What is the destination account?" "I'm leaving for Geneva, I'll be there for the sale." "So what exactly is your plan?" "You have the sign?" "What do you mean you "didn't finish pilot training"?" "My teacher died suddenly." "An accident?" "Murder." "Strangled by that guy there." "Anything I can do?" "Yes." "Stop fidgeting." "You have to eat." "You're not hungry?" "Shit, they're scary even when they're asleep." "Shit, you scare me too." "Geneva tower, Winch Air Quebec Zulu." "Radar guidance on Runway 3G." "We're beginning our descent." "If you only knew how happy this makes me." "I'll kill you, you son-of-a-bitch!" "Take over the controls." "Hang on tight!" "You alright?" "No problem." "Where are you?" "Yes, of course." "I'll send my driver." "Where exactly are you?" "Hello." "Passports, please." "You always travel armed like this?" "The nurse will be right down." "Alexandre Jung." "Welcome." "Simon Ovronnaz." " Mr. Winch refused to come with us." " He wanted to see the prosecutor." "And you let him?" "That's insane!" "You don't realize, the woman is dangerous." "Get in!" "I was worried." "No need." "I'll explain everything to Francken." "Nazatchov is a fool." "How could he mastermind such a scheme?" "Even fools have strokes of genius." "Perhaps." "But how did he know what happened in Burma three years ago?" "He had an informer, someone inside the group." "I'll come with you." "You're an angel." "My leg barely hurts anymore." "One last drop?" "Thanks." "What if Nazatchov were simply the financier of the operation?" "What if someone else were hiding behind him?" "To dream up a plot like that, you need motivation that goes beyond the lure of gain." "You need a raging desire to humiliate, to utterly destroy and bring down a reputation, a name, an empire..." "Money alone cannot be the driving force." "This was... vengeance." "Hatred." "My son was a lobbyist for Nerio." "Thomas..." "Thomas Jung." "He used my personal contacts to help the W Group win new markets and concessions." "Nerio never balked at paying bribes." "That's what "Pandora" was for." "Each time he won a contract," "Nerio paid my son Thomas a commission." "But all that money went to his head." "He wanted more and more." "When I saw you for the first time, so young, so handsome and rich, so completely alive..." "I was approaching death, but you gave me a reason to live..." "Vengeance!" "Nazatchov is an idiot." "He merely obeys and pays." "Tonight, you shall kill Prosecutor Francken." "The only person who can prove your innocence." "Give him another shot." "There are more vials in the car." "Do what I tell you!" "Sugar..." "Here." "Call the police, fast!" "Alexandre!" "Don't do it!" " I did the same!" "I begged Nerio to save my son." "All he had to do was pay." "I swear to you, Largo, I begged him on my knees." "My oldest friend!" "My brother!" "On my knees!" "Stop!" "Don't come any closer!" "Your son had become a piece of shit and you know it." "He ordered the massacre in Burma." "He was my child!" "Are the chicks pretty in Hong Kong?" "I beg your pardon?" "The girls..." "Hong Kong..." "Largo invited me to spend some time there." "Jesus, Mary and Joseph." "Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" "Want some Phat Thai?" "You and I are gonna make a great team." "What do you say, pal?" " I'm not your pal!" "You will be soon." "Ready to go?" "No." "We'll come back whenever you like." "I live on a big boat, you know." "No, I don't know." "It's surrounded by tall houses that touch the sky." "And my office is at the very top of the tallest house." "Are you all alone up there?" "Not anymore."