"Hold it right there." "Hold it again." "Hold it." "Oh, come on, Paul." "One more." "One more." "You're not gonna show those to anyone, are you?" " Sure." "Why not?" " Ugh." " You've got a prime figure." " Heh." " You really have, you know." " Heh." "That's a euphemism for fat." "You wanna go back to the hotel?" "What's the matter with right here?" "We're too civilized." "I remember when we weren't." "But we'll go back to the hotel." "Paul, I don't wanna go back home." "Trans World Airlines passengers on TW76... from Honolulu to New York should proceed from the check-in counter... to the Friendship Lounge for boarding." "Wanna know what happened while you and Joanna were living it up... in Maui or Kaui or Yaui, whatever it is?" "What?" "There were 15 murders the first week... and 21 last week in this goddamn city." " That's a lot." "You know, decent people are gonna have to work here and live somewhere else." "By "decent people," you mean people who can afford to live somewhere else." "Oh, Christ." "You are such a bleeding-heart liberal, Paul." "My heart bleeds a little for the underprivileged, yeah." "The underprivileged are beating our goddamn brains out." "You know what I say?" "Stick them in concentration camps." "That's what I say." " Henry." " Hello." "I've been running a cost-and-profit on the Jainchill development in Tucson, Arizona." "Well, based on these figures..." "I don't see how Blue Ridge can underwrite 50 percent of it." "Well, Jainchill's been very successful, in a small way." "Well, then I suggest you send a man down... from our San Francisco office to step it out." "Redesign it, if necessary." "Because that's a high risk for the acreage involved." "I'll talk to Inge about it." "Thanks, Paul." "Oh, uh, Paul, how does it feel to be back in the war zone after Hawaii?" "I was feeling pretty good until I ran into Sam... and he delivered the crime rate statistics." "What this city needs is more cops than people." "You'll have to find other options, Samuel." "No one could pay the taxes." "$2.17." "Would you have these delivered, please, Mary?" "Goodbye." "Hey, I'm gonna do a thing." "Shit, man." "Got business." "Let's go, man." "I'll get it." "Who is it?" "Groceries, ma'am." "Nobody gets hurt, Mother." "Just hold still." "Don't move." "What do you want?" "Don't jive, Mother." "You know what we want." " He's not gonna hurt us?" " Not if you got money." "Nobody, nobody." "Hey, Mother." "Look at the artiste doing his art." " Ain't that beautiful, Mother?" " My purse is in the kitchen." "Just stand still." "We'll do as they say, Carol." "Where is your purse?" " Shit, you only got four bucks." " I got three, and two bits." "You're gonna get the shit kicked out of you, Mother." " It's all we have." " Rich people like you?" " Shit, we want money, Mother." "Now get it!" " It's true." "That's all we..." " How'd you like to get fucked?" " No!" "I'm gonna stick you in the ass." "Leave her alone!" "Goddamn rich cunt!" "I kill rich cunts." "Mother's getting the shit kicked out of her." "Hey, let's screw this one, man." "Huh?" " No, man." "Let's travel." " No, man." "Let me paint her ass." "Hey, man." "You think you're an artiste?" "I'll show you how to paint, man." "I'm gonna paint her goddamn mouth!" "He's gonna paint your mouth." "You're gonna like that." "You get any ideas about biting my paintbrush, you'll get what Mother got." " You're gonna swallow that paint." " She'll swallow the paint." "Open that goddamn throat!" "Mother's going for the phone!" "Shit, let's split." "Thelma, will you get my wife on the phone, please?" "Mr. Kersey's office." " Is it my wife?" " No, sir." "It's your son-in-law." "Hello, Jack." "Dad." "Dad, we got trouble." "Trouble?" "You and Carol?" "Don't tell me about it." "No, no." "Dad..." "It's Mom and Carol." "They're taking them to the emergency receiving at Canal Hospital." " What the hell for?" " Look, I don't know." "The police just called me." "What's happening, Jack?" "I don't know any more than that, Dad." "Look, I'm at my office, I'm going to the hospital, just meet me there, okay?" "Dr. Fanning, go to the emergency room, stat." "Dr. Fanning, go to the emergency room." "Dr. Diaz..." "How are they?" "Are they all right?" "I don't know." "I just got here a few minutes ago." "Do you know anything?" "Were they cut, stabbed, what?" "I..." "No, sir." "Just beat up." "This is Officer Joe Charles, he came in the ambulance with Morn and Carol." " They gonna be all right?" " I've told Mr. Toby all I know." "If there's anything I can do, ask for me at the 21st precinct." "Good luck to you." "Come on, Dad." "We might as well go sit down." "What'd they tell you?" "Not much." "Yeah, but what?" "They beat them both up." "Who did?" "Why?" "Take it easy, Dad." "I'm just as rattled as you are." "The officer said that Carol wasn't making much sense." "Two, maybe three men, they..." "She opened the door to let them in... because she thought it was the delivery boy from the supermarket." "Jesus God." "When are we gonna know something?" "Will the following doctors go to the emergency room, stat:" "Dr. White..." "They know we're here?" "The nurses know." "I spoke to one of them." "Somebody ought to come." "There's a man over there." "He's bleeding, and nobody comes." "Nurse, we're waiting to find out what happened to my wife and daughter." "A doctor will see you after he's made his examination." "But we've been waiting a long time." "It hasn't been that long, Dad, just two or three minutes." " Mr. Toby?" " Yes." "Your wife is all right." "We've sedated her and put her to bed." "My name is Paul Kersey." "How's my wife?" "I'm sorry." "She died a few minutes ago, Mr. Kersey." "Almighty God, we commend to you our neighbor Joanna... trusting your love and mercy... and believing in the promise of a resurrection to eternal life... through our Lord Jesus Christ." "Amen." "Almighty God, father of the whole family in heaven and on earth... stand by those who sorrow... that as they lean on your strength, they may be upheld... and believe the good news of life beyond life... through Jesus Christ, our lord." "Amen." "I'm going back with Sam and Adele." "They go right by my place." "Don't you wanna come to our apartment?" "It's time I went to my own, I have to sometime." "Baby?" "Baby?" "I'm going back with Sam." "You get plenty of rest." "She'll be all right, Dad." "Residents of northern suburbs... will need quite some time to dig themselves out of a snowstorm... that's taking much of Connecticut... and Rockland and Westchester Counties by surprise." "In New York City... light snow flurries lingering till about midnight." " No accumulation, but afternoon..." " Turn that thing off." "I'm listening to the weather." "Why haven't you found my dog?" "He's vital to my income." "He paints such marvelous pictures with his paws." " Yes." "Help you?" " Where can I find Officer Joe Charles?" " What's your business?" " Well, my name is Paul Kersey." "A couple days ago, my wife and daughter were attacked... and he was one of the policemen on the scene, I wanna talk to him." "Yeah, well, okay, so I think the..." "Hattie, is Joe Charles still back there or has he gone on duty yet?" "Yeah, there's someone out here who wants to talk to him." " I told you somebody..." " Have a seat." "He'll be right out." ".-.Snatched my purse!" "The man came up from behind me." "My credit cards is in there, my rent money, I don't have no key." " Do I have a description?" " Yes." "The man came from behind me!" " You didn't see who it was?" " No, I didn't see!" " Hello, Mr. Kersey." " Officer Charles." "I dropped by to see if you had any information on the people who attacked my family." "I'll take you to the detective in charge of the case." " Uh, lieutenant?" " Yeah." "This is Mr. Paul Kersey, case number 884." "His wife and daughter were assaulted." " Glad to know you, Mr. Kersey." " I'm going on duty now... so I'll leave." " Thanks, officer." " Not at all." " Right this way, Mr. Kersey." "Will you have a seat, Mr. Kersey?" "Have you found out anything yet?" "Well, the supermarket security officer and one of the checkers... remembers these three characters leaving right after Mrs. Kersey and your daughter." "They think they could've gotten the apartment number off the address on the grocery bags... but they haven't been able to pick the faces out of the mug book." "How is your daughter, Mr. Kersey?" "She's under doctor's sedation right now." "But today I had the funeral for my wife up in Connecticut... and she was able to make that." "Your daughter didn't give us much information, Mr. Kersey." "We wish we could persuade her to look at the mug books." "Did she refuse?" "Her husband asked us to wait for a few days." "In fact, the sooner she looks at the mug books... the better chance she has of recalling one or two of the faces." "Well, I'll talk to my son-in-law... and see what can be done." " I'd appreciate that, Mr. Kersey." "Any chance of catching these men?" "There's a chance, sure." "Just a chance?" "I'd be less than honest if I gave you more hope, Mr. Kersey." "In the city, that's the way it is." "I thought you were asleep." "Are you getting the most out of life?" "Are you satisfied, fulfilled, happy?" "Our bank has helped many to a better future." " Good morning, Mr. Kersey." " Morning." "Would you give me $20 in quarters, please?" " Good morning, Paul." " Morning." "Paul, you're tough." "You know, you really are." "I told Ives you'd come in this morning." "I said, "Paul is not the kind of man to leave the pieces of his life lying around." "He'll just start picking them up."" "Just a matter of keeping busy, Sam." "Paul, welcome back." " Good morning, Henry." " See you for lunch, Paul?" " Yeah, sure." " Paul, I'm gonna give you a vacation." "From New York, that is." "The Jainchill development of Tucson, Arizona." "I want you to take it over." "Redesign it, if necessary." "Whatever you have to do." "All right?" "That's all right, but can I give you an answer in about a week?" "I don't wanna leave New York just now because of Carol." "Fine." "When you're ready, let me know." "Beautiful place, Tucson." "They can breathe out there." "She's sleeping too much." "It's not normal." "I've got a couple of TV dinners in the oven." "Come on." "It'll just be a couple of minutes." "Jack, this drink's enough for me." " I've never seen you drink without eating." " I'm not hungry." "I think maybe you ought to take Carol to see another doctor." "I, uh..." "I did." "Today." "A psychiatrist." "He seems to feel it might help her if I took her away to another environment." "Out of New York, on the shore someplace." "Sounds like a good idea." " I'll go along with you." " Uh..." "No, Dad." "He..." "He seemed to feel that it might be better if she didn't have any association with anyone... that might remind her of that day." " How the hell do I remind her of that day?" "Well, you know how it is, Dad." "I mean, it happened in your apartment." "And you're living there." "You remind her of Morn." "Dad, don't make it tough for me." "Okay, I'll make it easy for you." "Ives asked me to go to Tucson, Arizona on a job." " How long will you be gone?" " I don't know." "Until I look the job over." "But you call me every other day, let me know how Carol is." "Sure I will, Dad." "You know, that'll be good for you, I hear Tucson's a really beautiful place." "Yeah, yeah." "That's what everybody says." "How are you today, sir?" "Son of a bitch." "Turn around, son of a bitch." "Motherfucker!" "I said turn around." "And hand me the money." "Paul Kersey." " Yeah." " Aimes Jainchill." "How do you do, Mr. Jainchill?" "Aimes." "I'll call you Paul." "Come on." "Let's get your bags." " How did you know who I was?" " Well, you look like a New Yorker." "Ho!" "Ho." "Ho, ho." "Howdy, Jud." "I wanted you to see this country before you looked at the drawings back at the office." "Give you a better idea." "I don't wanna change these hills." "Don't wanna bulldoze them flat." "You'll waste a lot of building space." "Ha, ha!" "Wasting space." "Now, those are some words that you big developers... have got to change for something else." "Such as?" "Well, space for life." "Like old Jud up there." "Space for people, horses, cows." "I got funny ideas about building things." "Howdy, folks, welcome to old Tucson, the famous movie location and studio." "In just a few moments..." "Unh." "Come on." "Let's wet our whistle before I trot you back to the motel." "Glass of beer, maybe." "Take their positions on the porches of the Red Dog Cafe... the Territorial Gunsmith shop..." " What's happening here?" "Oh, it's a phony western town." "They shoot movies here sometimes, but the rest of the time, it's for the tourists." "This is where the actual performance will take place." "These fellas are pretty good." "Wanna watch?" "Sure." "where the Wild West lives again." " Where's the marshal?" " He's in the bank." "I spotted him through the window as I came by." " What have you got in mind to do, then?" " Well, why don't you steal my horse?" "All right." "That's a good trick." "We'll use it." "You spot yourself on the porch while I draw the marshal out into the open." "Marshal!" "Hey, marshal!" "What's the matter, fella?" "Somebody stole my horse." "I told you to get out of town by sunset." "You missing a bay mare that was tied to the hitching rail?" "Saw a feller come and take her just a spell ago." "Well, what did he look like?" "Well, he was about this tall, and he had this..." "Get him, Frank!" "Let's put him inside here and get to the bank and make that withdrawal." "All right, boys." "The fun's over." "Throw out your guns and step out with your hands up." "You'd better listen, marshal." "I've got three sticks of dynamite here." "Don't be a fool." "The outlaw life seemed a shortcut to easy money... which could buy liquor, women, and a turn at the gambling table... but there were honest men with dreams... who would fight to protect their..." " Let's get that beer." "and who were to plant the roots that would grow into a nation." "Blue Ridge won't buy it." "I don't build a thing that's gonna be a slum in 20 years... and I won't doze those hills." "What I build conforms to the land." "And you can't hear the toilets flush next door." "You want our help, you'll have to let me work on it." "Well, up to a point, I want your help." "Up to a point, I'll give it." "When do I get a look-see?" "In a couple days." "Guard says you were here till after midnight last night." "Yeah." "That's the way I work." "Somebody once said..." "I forget who." "...that he never looked back... because something might be gaining on him." "What's gaining on you, Paul?" "Twenty million dollar investment." "What else?" "Well, I was gonna ask you to have dinner with me at the club... but I don't think you'd be very good company." "No, I don't think I would." "It might amuse you, though." "Being from New York, maybe you never seen a club like this." "It's a gun club." "We shoot guns." "So goddamn much hoopla from the gun control people." "Half the nation's scared to even hold a gun!" "You know, like it was a snake, it was gonna bite you or something." "Hell, a gun is just a tool... like a hammer or an ax." "Wasn't long ago, used to put food on the table... keep foxes out of the chicken coop, rustlers off the range... bandits out of the bank." "Paul, how long since you held a pistol in your hand?" " A long time." " Hm." " Which war was yours, Korea?" " Yeah." " See much action?" " A little." "Were you infantry?" " I was a CO in a medical unit." " Oh." "Commanding officer, huh?" "Conscientious objector." "Oh, Christ." "What a guest to bring to a gun club." "Heh." "You're probably one of them knee-jerk liberals... thinks us gun boys shoot our guns because it's an extension of our penises." "I never thought about it that way... but it could be true." "Well, maybe it is... but this is gun country." "Can't even own a handgun in New York City." "Out here, I hardly know a man that doesn't own one." "And I'll tell you something... unlike your city, we can walk our streets... and through our parks at night and feel safe." "Muggers operating out here, they'd just plain get their asses blown off." "Here." "Slip these on." "All righty." "This is a percussion pistol." "1842." "You ever handled one of those before?" "You know how to fire it?" "Watch the kick." "Boy, you're gonna think that your arm's gonna hit the ceiling." "Goddamn!" "Paul, you hit dead center!" "Mind if I try this Hogleg Colt?" "No." "Well, you a peculiar conscientious objector." " These notches for real?" " Yeah." "Belonged to a gunfighter named Candy Dan, 1890." "Hm." "I do know something about guns, Aimes." "I grew up with them." "All kinds of guns." "You see, my father was a hunter." "I guess out here you'd call him a gunman." "My mother was the other side of the coin." "When my father was killed in a hunting accident..." "Some fool mistook him for a deer, you see." "My mother won the toss." "I never touched a gun since." "I loved my father." "There are your hills." "Every house has a part of one for a backyard... for kids, dogs, horses." "Four hundred houses, 100 more than you allowed for... and you still have 12 hills." "I'm catching the 10:40 back to New York." "What do I tell them?" "You tell them I'll buy it if they will." "You're checking this bag through, aren't you?" " Yeah." " Good." "Let me slip a little going-away present in there for you." "Thank you." "Trans World Airlines Flight 63..." " ...from Tucson to New York is now boarding..." "Good morning, sir." "How are you today?" "Checking one bag?" "Paul, I can't thank you enough for what you did for me." "I want you to know if you ever get tired of living in that toilet... you're welcome here." "Trans World airlines Flight 7... to London and Frankfurt is now boarding." "Passengers should proceed to Gate 11" " Welcome home, Dad." " Hi, Jack." "I halfway expected to see Carol." "Come on." "Let's go get your bags." "What is it?" "She's in the hospital." "When I last spoke to you on the phone... you said she was feeling better after coming back from the shore." "Well, I didn't see any need to get you all disturbed on a long-distance call." "Will Mr. Cory, a passenger on Trans World Airlines Flight 100... from Vancouver, please report to..." "Oh, come on, Dad, don't do a number..." "Don't do a number on me." "Look, there was nothing you could do." "They haven't even let me see her for two days." "They tried insulin shock yesterday." "She's not responding." "You want the technical jargon?" "I can reel off yards of it:" "Catatonia, dementia praecox, passive schizoid paranoia." "It all boils down to the fact that she's had an experience that she can't face... and she's running away from it inside herself." "Will Mrs. Lager, a passenger on Trans World Airlines..." "Flight 45 to Paris... please contact the information desk..." "You didn't handle her right, Jack." "Aw, Christ, Dad." "I'll get other doctors." " Who are these goddamn doctors you have?" " They're good doctors." "Dad, she's almost a goddamn vegetable." "If you don't sign the papers, what happens?" "I guess they keep her in the hospital until the insurance runs out." "That won't be too long." "If you sign the papers and she's committed, what then?" "Well, I've got an insurance policy that covers it up to about 600 a month." "They've recommended a sanatorium out in Long Island." "Jack..." "This commitment, is it a one-way thing?" "Nobody can answer that, Dad." "You wanna know what they are?" "They're statistics on a police blotter." "Mom and Carol, along with thousands of other people." "And there is nothing that we can do to stop it." "Nothing but cut and run." "Oh, what a bummer, man." "That was the worst fucking movie I've ever seen." "You got money, man?" "Shit, I'll kill you!" "Give me your money or I'll bust you up!" "Oh, Jesus." "Oh, Jesus." "Jesus Christ." "Ohh." "Oh, Jesus." "Good morning, inspector." "Good morning." "What do we got?" "We got a corpse down here, one bullet hole in his chest." "Fellow over there was jogging through the park at daybreak, found him on the path here." " You got a make on the dead man?" " Yeah." "His name is Thomas Leroy Marston." "He had a parole card, we got a radio check on that." "He served 42 months of a five-year hitch for grand larceny." "He's a drug addict." "He's probably popping smack again." "There's punctures, both arms." "We found this on the grass next to him." "Thing hasn't been fired." "Deceased had a gun clip on his belt." "Think it must be his." "What would you say if I suggested that he tried a heist... he got shot for his trouble?" "Maybe two guys trying to heist each other." "No, no." "This man wasn't robbed." "Still has money in his wallet." " Good morning, Paul." " Good morning." " Hi, Paul." "Morning." " Morning, Sam." "Well, we've marked it out as you've indicated." "It's beautiful." "What's our profit?" "Uh..." "Not quite three million, but I believe that our investment... can be amortized in two years... and it is a showplace operation." "Look at all that wasted space." "Jainchill loves those hills." "Besides, it's a take-it-or-leave-it proposition." "Well, it's too pretty to leave." "Okay." "I'll run it for the board." " May need your help, Paul." " Okay." "Oh, Tucson agreed with you." "You look well." "I feel, uh..." "Good." "Was he a white man or a black man?" "I just don't know!" "Come on." "They were under that streetlight." "I wasn't seeing too good." "I had blood in my eyes." "Well, was he tall?" "Short?" "Thin?" "Fat?" "Hank." "Forget it, huh?" "Ride the ambulance to the morgue." "When they get the slugs out of those bodies... run them over to the lab for ballistics." "You saw him pretty good, didn't you?" "You're full of shit." " Thank you." " Thank you." "You know, if we had the brains to live here in the country... we wouldn't be here for the reason we are today." "We'd be going into the city to work." "And Mom and Carol would be safe at home, waiting for us to come back." "Nothing to do but cut and run, huh?" "Eh, what else?" "What about the old American social custom of self-defense?" "If the police don't defend us, maybe we ought to do it ourselves." "We're not pioneers anymore, Dad." "What are we, Jack?" "What do you mean?" "I mean, if we're not pioneers, what have we become?" "What do you call people... who, when they're faced with a condition of fear... do nothing about it, they just run and hide?" "Civilized?" "No." "Ladies and gentlemen... we have to start this investigation somewhere... so let's start here." "Motive:" "Revenge." "I want the records checked." "Go back, say, uh..." "Three months." "Limit it to homicide." "We could be looking for a man who's had a member... or members of his family killed by muggers." "Now, he shoots that pistol pretty good." "Right?" "Okay." "Combat veteran." "So put Vietnam vets at the top of the list... because they're youngest and toughest." "Then you can work your way through Korea and World War ll." "Oh, my God!" "Who said that?" "Hmm?" "Well, whoever said it, you're right on the button." "By God and Jesus Christ, it's impossible... but until we find a shortcut... we'll at least keep busy." "So when the media demands to know what we are doing to apprehend the vigilante... we'll tell them we have definite clues." "Okay?" "We won't tell them we have about a thousand definite clues." "There's a body in there!" "Two of them!" " Where'd he go?" " Did anybody see what he looked like?" "We're in Police Commissioner Dryer's office... waiting for a press conference scheduled by Commissioner Dryer." "Last night, there was another double killing, which appears to be the work... of the person New York news media have dubbed "The Vigilante."" "This will be the first official statement... from Commissioner Dryer on the Vigilante killings." "I can see the commissioner now as he walks past..." "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen." "With me is Inspector Frank Ochoa... who has been placed in command of a police detail... assigned to what we've all been calling the Vigilante murders." "Now, it has been confirmed by our ballistics laboratory... that the same gun, a .32 pistol... which was used in the previous three homicides... was used last night in a shooting aboard a subway train." "Now, I know that this person has captured the imagination... of many people in our city... and I wanna say to our citizens:" "Murder is no answer to crime in this city." "Crime is a police responsibility... and if this person is listening to my voice..." "I urge him in the name of law and order... to desist from this one-man crusade and turn himself in to the police." "He'll be given fair treatment." "How do you like it?" "That's our police commissioner... that's Ryder, the king of clichés." " vigilante's identification?" " No comment at this time." "Do you think this man's crazy?" "Well, he's got a wire down, all right... but I don't believe we're dealing with a raving maniac." "Commissioner, it's rumored that the rate of street muggings has dropped... since The Vigilante became headline news." "Is that true?" "Not true." "If it were true, would you announce it, sir?" "Or are you afraid that would stimulate imitators of The Vigilante?" "I don't wanna get into these hypothetical questions." "Mm." "I bet muggings are down, they're afraid to tell us." "There's only one way to find out:" "Take a walk on Columbus Avenue tonight." "Thanks a lot, Paul, I think I'll wait for the official report." "successful, regardless of the..." "Yes?" "Ah." "You wanna confess to the Vigilante killings?" "All right." "I'll put you through to Rosenberg." "He's in charge of confessions today." "That's the 23rd." "Put him through." "We couldn't get any prints off The Vigilante's groceries." " Wasn't there a sales slip?" " Yeah." "Here." "D'Agostino's." "Mm-hm." "Some of this code must identify the particular store." "Find out where it is." "When we get the records... check on families that have had somebody killed by muggers." "Let's put them through the computer and see if any of them live near this store." "People are inclined to buy groceries in their own neighborhoods." " Hi, Jack." "Come on." "Come on in." " Dad." "Make yourself a drink." "Hey, what do you think?" "The new paint?" "Well, it's a little hard on the eyes, but..." "Hard on the eyes?" "It's cheerful." "Hey, Jack." "Turn it back up." "I can't hear." "We got liver and spaghetti for dinner." "How do you like your liver done?" " Uh..." " Hey, no drink?" "Let me make you one." "No." "Dad..." "Listen, that's all right." "I'll get it myself." "I, uh..." "I saw Carol today." " Aren't you gonna ask how she's doing?" " I know how she's doing." "I went up to see her yesterday." "Then what the hell are you so high about?" "What the hell you want me to do, moan and groan for the rest of my life?" "How do you want your liver, medium?" "Medium." "I'll make it medium." " Hey, there goes the pussy posse." "Ha-ha-ha!" "Hey, mister, got a match?" "Yeah." "What else you got?" "Let's see the money, man." " You'll have to take it." " Shit." "He went that way." "Who rode the ambulance with him?" "I did." "Well?" "Was he talking?" "He said he cut whoever it was that shot him." "Exact words:" ""I cut that motherfucker." "I hit him."" "Can't save him." "Too much internal bleeding." "One slug chewed up the liver." "Here." ".32's." "city tonight, the mysterious Vigilante is in the news again." "A little more than two hours ago, in an 8th Avenue subway underpass... two men were shot." "One died on the spot." "The other managed to reach the street before he collapsed." "He died shortly afterward in the hospital." "The two men have been identified as Joseph Roscoe Adams and George Reech." "Both had long criminal records." "The Vigilante himself may have been wounded." "The actions of The Vigilante, as lawless as they may be... seem to be giving others new attitudes toward crime in the streets." "Instead of helplessly allowing themselves to be mugged and robbed... a few are fighting back." "I have with me Mrs. Alma Lee Brown... who today successfully defended herself against two muggers... with an unusual weapon." "Mrs. Brown, would you tell us how you drove off your attackers today?" "With a hatpin!" " You ever seen a hatpin?" " I can't say that I have." "Well, that's what we used to use to hold our hats on with, ha, ha... and I ain't got no gun like this Vigilante fellow... but I went to my closet, and everybody better look out for me from now on." "Because I've been robbed too many times, and I've had enough!" "Some of the men building this skyscraper... made what you might call a citizens' arrest today." "I'll ask Andrew McCabe, one of the foremen, to tell you about it." "Me and my crew was working down in the hole." "One of the boys up on the steel yelled down:" ""There's a mugging going on!"" "So we come out of the hole and through the gate, and we caught this guy running." "And we roughed him up a little bit before the police came." "The hospital report says the man had two broken arms..." " ...a broken jaw, and cracked ribs." " No kidding?" "Jeez." "Poor guy must have fell down." "Walking distances from D'Agostino's:" "Two blocks crosstown, six short blocks uptown and downtown." "I mean, that's how far I'd be willing to walk to a market." "Ahem." "Good." "Very good, Miss Gemetti." "We have 12 families living within this area... who have suffered a death in the family in the past three months... from mugging, stabbing, shooting, assault." "Two of these families have no male members." "One family has only an 80-year-old grandfather." "That leaves nine families." "Total number of male persons in these families... who are old enough to have served in the Vietnam War, Korea, or World War II... comes to 14." "Wild." "It's a real wild shot... but the fact is that The Vigilante plugged his first victim in Riverside Park... exactly two and one half blocks from that D'Agostino market." "Even if all these guys are clean, we still can't ignore that coincidence." "No, sir." "Our friend lives in that neighborhood." "But, Frank, he was on a subway with groceries five miles uptown." "There's no better come-on for a mugging than a guy with a bagful of groceries." "Means he's got some money in his pocket and his hands are occupied." "He might have been carrying those groceries for hours." "I want a preliminary line on these names." "Where they work, service record, reputation, police record, if any." "And I want it fast." "You know, like today, huh?" "It's probably having as much effect on the total crime picture... as putting a Band-Aid on a leper." "Wait a minute, I don't know about that, a mugger's gonna think twice about who he hits." "Sure." "They're hitting more old ladies, that's why." "Paul, how you doing?" "Let me get you a drink." "The guy's a racist." "You notice he kills more blacks than whites." "Oh, for Pete's sake, more blacks are muggers than whites." "What do you want us to do, increase the proportion of white muggers... so we'll have racial equality among muggers?" "Racial equality among muggers?" "Ooh." "I love it!" "He hasn't been the same since that terrible incident." " Who we got here?" " A guy named Paul..." "Kersey." "His wife was murdered in their apartment." "Interesting detail:" "The attackers, three of them... gained entrance to the apartment by posing as delivery boys... from our D'Agostino's market, where The Vigilante buys his groceries." "What else about him?" "He lives alone now." "Development engineer for the Blue Ridge corporation." "Served in Korea, medical corps." "Conscientious objector." "No police record." "Credits, reputation excellent." "Conscientious objectors are unlikely vigilantes." " We got a finger?" " Yeah." "Over there." "Patrolman Joe Charles." "Good." "Good morning, Mr. Kersey." "Joe Charles, Mr. Kersey." "Oh, yes, of course." "How do you do?" "Good to see you again." "How's your daughter?" "The same." "Take care." "Follow him." "Yes, I'll see to that, Mrs. Cohen." "Just a moment." "You're not residents here." "Who do you wish to see?" "I'll call up for you." "No, you won't." "The district attorney will see you now." " Commissioner." " Frank, you know the district attorney." " Mr. Peters." " Inspector." "The commissioner says you have a pretty good suspect." "Well, he fits the bill in some respects." "We got a blood sample from the knife... used on him in the subway and checked it against the sample..." "I found in his apartment." "It narrows it down." "But in the balance, he could be the man?" "Yeah." "Yeah, he could be." "Frank..." "Suppose this Paul Kersey is The Vigilante." "All right." "Let's say that." "We don't want him." "Okay." "Inspector, on my desk, I have a statistic red-hot out of the computer." "Mm-hm." "Mugging has gone down by how much, sir?" "From 950 a week to 470 reported last week." "You understand not too many people know that." "And you wanna keep it that way, huh?" "Oh, no, we have to keep it that way, inspector." "This whole city would explode." "We'd have vigilantes out in the street killing anybody who even looked greasy." " You can see that." " We want this man to quit, desist... go away." "To stop." "So the mugging rate can go up?" "If I arrest him, wouldn't that get him off the streets?" "My God, man." "I don't want a martyr on my hands." "All right." "All right." "I just wanna hear you say it." "I'll try to scare him off... but that's as far as I'll go." "That's right, Frank." "Scare him off." "Scare him off?" "Yes?" "A call for you from a man who says he's an old friend... and wonders if you'll recognize his voice." "Do you want the call that way, or shall I insist upon his name?" " Okay, I'll take it." " I'm putting you through." " Hello?" " Is this Paul Kersey?" "Yes." "Who's this?" "Mr. Kersey, you're under police surveillance." "You're being watched." "Scare him off." "Heh." "Ha-ha-ha." "Papers!" "Papers!" "Read all about The Vigilante!" "Get your papers here!" "Read all about The Vigilante!" "How are you this evening, sir?" "Papers!" "Papers!" "Read all about The Vigilante!" "All right, you." "Get your hands up." "Come on." "Hands on the car." "Come on." "Spread your legs." "Okay." "Turn around." "Let's see some identification." " Where do you live?" " 33 Riverside." "Okay, Mr. Kersey." "Sorry to have roughed you up so much." "We're looking for a guy pretty close to your description." "He's supposed to be armed, and we couldn't take any chances." "I hope you understand." "Look, if you wanna make a complaint, I'll give you my number." "It's all right." "Nobody was hurt." " Okay, thanks." "Good night, Mr. Kersey." " Night." "Okay?" "Yeah." "Okay." "Went in the building about 10 minutes ago." "Went to D'Agostino's market first." "Let's check him, huh?" "Go to that phone booth on the corner, call his number." "He's up there." "Check him anyway." " Police!" "I need the phone." " Come on!" " Who is this guy?" " He must be crazy." "He said "police." I didn't see a badge." "I'll call them." "I'll call as soon as he gets off the phone." " Thanks, pal." " Yeah?" "Up yours!" "No answer." "He could be in the shower or something." "Stay here." " Good night, Mr. Kersey." " Good night." "I'm supposed to meet Paul Kersey." "Has he gone up yet?" "Kersey?" "Yes, sir." "He went up and came down." "Just walked out." " Where'd you go?" " He didn't show here, did he?" "Can I ask a simple question?" "Is this Paul Kersey the bird?" "I ain't gonna ask any more questions." "Go home, will you?" "I don't need you." "Weird!" "Come on down, motherfucker." "We gonna take you." "That's right, motherfucker, and you can't go back up, either." "Come on down and bring us the money, honey." "How much money you got, honey?" "What the fuck?" "Fuck!" "Units in the 2-6 precinct." "A 10-34, 1-2-5 Street and the West Side Highway." "Hey!" "Fill your hand." "Huh?" "Draw." "Where is he, this patrolman?" " You're Reilly?" " Yes, sir." " I'm Ochoa." " Yes, sir." " You were the first man on the scene?" " Yes, sir." " God bless you, sir." " Never mind that." "They told me on the radio you had to see me?" "Paul Kersey." "You spoke to him before the ambulance got here?" "No, sir." " What did you get?" " His address, sir." "Is that all?" "Well?" "You enter this on your report?" "Not yet, sir." "Why not?" "I was, uh... waiting for instructions, sir." "You never saw it." "Yes, sir." "Oh, uh..." "What's your full name?" "Jackson Reilly, sir." "21st precinct." "Okay." "I'll remember it." "Inspector, is it true that you have The Vigilante in there?" " No." " Well, who have you got there?" "Are you in charge?" "How is he?" "Wounds are clean." "Nothing vital." "We have a transfusion going on now." "Soon as we get some blood in him, we'll sew him up again." " Is he in there?" " Yeah." " All right if I go in?" " He won't be able to talk much." " Can he hear me?" " He is conscious." "Police." "I'd like to have him alone." "Good evening, Mr. Kersey." "This is your gun, Mr. Kersey." "We tried to give you a chance to get rid of it." "You wouldn't take it." "Do you hear me okay?" "We have here a peculiar situation, Mr. Kersey." "We find it necessary to make you a proposition since you are not gonna favor us by dying." "You work for a company with lots of offices." "Get a transfer to another city... and I'll drop this gun in the river." "Are we connecting, Mr. Kersey?" "We want you to get out of New York." "Permanently." "Inspector." "By sundown?" " There he is." " Here he comes." "Do you have The Vigilante, inspector?" " Can you give us information?" " No!" "Isn't the wounded man The Vigilante?" "No." "He's just a mugging victim." "How do you explain the first reports that he is The Vigilante?" "False reports." "It happens all the time." "Then The Vigilante's still out there?" "That's right." "He's still out there on the streets." " Let me through." " Was he shot by The Vigilante?" "The Amtrak train from New York to Chicago has arrived on Track 8." " Mr. Kersey." " Paul Kersey." "Fred Brown." "Welcome to Chicago, sir." "Did you have a nice trip?" "Yeah, it was okay." "Good." "I found a nice apartment for you." "I hope you like it." "It's on Lake Shore Drive." "You have a view of Lake Michigan, morning sun." "We've got your office ready too." "There's a very good golf club, if you play." " Listen, I think you'll enjoy it here." " Excuse me."