"Inner Mongolia." "The last stop." "The end of the line." "I first set foot here for a six-month job in a gold mine." "That was six years ago." "The fact is, no matter how far you run from your past, it's never far enough." "Anyway, wherever you are, you stick to what you know best." "So I opened Ronson Security." "The only problem is, my last client dropped by about two years ago." "True, money's short, but a prizefight here and there, along with some well-placed bets with my Chinese partner, squeezing the local guys for some cash will do for now." "Until that really big job comes along." "Next match." "The Chinese champion... vs. The Russian champion!" "Lan Shen, Shu He, Barte." "Anyone else wanna bet?" "Anybody?" "Go." " Still wanna bet?" " Of course!" "See that American guy?" "He's my friend." "The fuck he is!" "I still have a lot of money!" "How much you wanna bet?" "400." "Good!" "You'll lose." "In your dreams." "You're lucky!" "Your ass is blessed." "Hey, Ronson." "It's your turn next." "Next match." "You ready?" "Of course!" "The Mongolian champion:" "Urga." "The town's reigning champion:" "Ronson." "Ronson!" "You!" "Come here." " Still wanna bet?" " How much?" "Now it's 2,000." "OK?" "I've some bad news for you, big guy." "The odds just went up and you're going down." "Yeah!" "Ronson won!" "He won!" "Ronson!" "He won!" "He won!" "Everybody stay where you are!" "Don't move!" "You got the wrong person." "You got the wrong person!" "You again." "You are beginning to be a regular "guest" here." "Last week, it was bankruptcy." "Mr. Ronson..." "what about your debts?" "You owe 160,000 yuan to your creditors, which is around $20,000." "A down payment." "A down payment." "Mr. Ronson, that'll just about cover you and your friend's fine for today's fighting and gambling in a public place." "Then, we'll just have to keep you here until you pay off your debts." "How can I..." "How can I pay my debts if I'm locked up?" "Your Honor, he is an honest, good man." "You see, if it wasn't for him..." "We were hired by some men to take the gold in a remote gold mine." "If Mr. Ronson hadn't helped me escape," "I would have died!" " They lied to us." " Enough!" " He rescued me." " Enough!" "He's been very good to me ever since." "Mr. Ronson, you've got four weeks." "If everyone isn't paid by then, you will be back in prison for a long time." "Thank you, Your Honor." "Goodbye, Ronson." " Welcome to Mongolia, sir." " The name's Chambers." "I ordered your best suite and rooms for my staff." "Oh, yes, of course, Mr. Chambers, our best suite." "You know, they say that money can't buy loyalty." "I've always found the very opposite to be true." "You get one of these every day that I'm satisfied with this hole." "Yes, sir." " Junji?" " Sir." "Make sure you go and check the room first for any unwanted little creatures." "Yes, sir." "Jim?" "You go take care of that business for tonight." "Ronson Security." "I'm already on it." "Yo!" "Haunting fragrance, Anika dear." "Sure to get Mr. Ronson's attention." "They're leaving the hotel now." "See that guy over there?" "He's my friend, Ronson." "More beer." "All right." "I appreciate it." "Cheers." "Okay." "You?" "I bet he'll win." "Wanna bet?" "Yeah?" "OK. 100." "100." "Another 100." "Begin!" "100. 100." "That guy..." "Okay..." "One second." "Okay." "Hey, Ronson!" "Wait!" "Look at the money we won!" "Hey!" "Don't go." "Hey!" "My friend just left." "Ronson!" "Shit!" "Not again." "Congratulations, Mr. Ronson." "Very well done." " You've just passed the audition." " Who the hell are you?" "Who I am is of no consequence." "Why don't I come over there and finish the audition?" "Ouch!" "I have a job proposition for you." " Not interested." " Pity." "It's a very lucrative proposition." "Mr. Ronson, it seems that you are in, how shall we say, somewhat of a financial pickle?" "Nothing hustling the local boys for a little cash can't fix." "Twenty grand in two weeks." "I doubt it." "All right." "You got 15 minutes to undo a very bad first impression." "This is my butler, Junji." "He's been with me forever." "Junji?" "It's Chinese for peaceful and obedient." "Honey?" "Why don't you get Mr. Ronson his drink?" " What do you drink?" " Anything." "My kind of man." "You'll have to excuse my stepdaughter." "She can be a bit predatory." "So what brought you to Inner Mongolia?" "The liquor's cheap." "The laws are loose and the women are willing." "What more can a man ask for?" "A colorful story, but not quite the way I heard it." "Mr. Ronson, why don't you tell us about your exploits as a Green Beret captain?" "It makes quite the interesting tale." "Most highly decorated, responsible for the deaths of every member of your platoon?" "Well, that's quite an accomplishment, being both the best and the worst your country has to offer." "Look, you mentioned a business proposition." "You can start with the cash end of it." "That always has a way of getting my undivided attention." "The equivalent of a hundred thousand U.S. Dollars cash for joining us on our little expedition as head of security, local guide and interpreter." "A week of your time." "Possibly less." "Twenty five thousand now, and the other 75,000 after you safely escorted Anika and myself back with the object in question." "What object in question?" "An ancient Buddhist tapestry, the Tangka of God Ochirvaani, protector of Mongolia." "A priceless relic, Mr. Ronson, long rumored to hold great spiritual powers." "Last seen in 1935, just before the Soviet crackdown on religion, when it was brought to China in the hands of a few faithful, now long dead, keepers of the flame." "The diamonds alone are thought to be worth 50 million on today's market." "Now, let me get this straight." "Last seen in 1935." " And you suddenly know how to find it?" " Yes." "And let's just call that my little secret." "I have no doubt that the document in question, a map, is the genuine article." "So Mr. Ronson, in for a penny in for a pound?" "I've already arranged for a leading Asian archeologist to accompany us." "So, let me have a look at that precious map of yours." "I think not." "This is my expedition and you'll do as you're told." "Well, it's your cash." "You've just hired yourself a local guide for the trip." "Excellent." "So, you wanna settle up on that down payment now?" "Do you want to finish your drink, Mr. Ronson?" "Later." "For you." "Listen." "Get me the $20 million." "I'll give you the Tangka and it's the real thing." "Okay?" "Good." "Well, well, Mr. Ronson." "We finally meet." "I know that you have been hired by Mr. Chambers to retrieve the Tangka." "I want you to work for me." "I will pay you double whatever he's paying you." "All you have to do, Mr. Ronson, is, when you have the Tangka in your possession, you bring it to me." "Well, I'm sure Mr. Chambers and his bodyguards will have something to say about that." "Not interested." "That is very unfortunate." "I always get what I want." "Well, I'm glad we got that out of the way because I'd like to get home and get some sleep." "Hey!" "I'm not finished with you." "Yeah, but I'm finished with you." "Wait." "Let him go." "Let him lead us to the Tangka first, and then we'll deal with him." "Good morning, sir." "I am professor Ang Shaw, director of Archeological Studies at Beijing University." "And you must be Mr. Ronson, right?" "Yeah, that's right." " Nice to meet you." " Yeah, you, too." "I got a question for you, Professor." "What's your interest in this expedition?" "You see, Mr. Chambers has hired my services for translation of ancient Buddhist texts that we might encounter." "Oh." "So you're in it for the money, too." "Well, my specialty and life's work has been the study of Sakyamuni, the true founder of Buddhism." "And the Tangka represents the pinnacle of these studies and beliefs." "Why is that?" "You see, the priceless value of the jewels in the Tangka is dwarfed by the immense power it possesses." "Hey!" "Ronson!" "Here you are." "I looked for you everywhere." "You got the money." "I got it." "Well, Mr. Ronson, I see you're an early bird." "I hope this is a sign of good things to come." "Right." "Right." "I'll see you on the train." "Ten minutes." " Where's my money?" " Give my money back!" " Wait!" " Give our money back now!" " How much?" " 200 yuan." " 800!" " 700 yuan!" "All right." "All right." "You pay him." "You pay him." "You pay him." "You pay him." "You pay him." " Give my money back!" " Give our money back now!" "Wait!" "700 yuan." "Give my money back!" "All right." "Okay." "This is it." "Okay?" "Wait a minute!" "All right." "Bye-bye." "Bye-bye." "All right." "I believe this is us." "All right." "Chambers, you and your group stay here." "I'll go get some help with the gear." "Stay here." "What the hell is he thinking?" "Chambers, I thought I told you to wait." "All right, put the gear in the back here." "Come on, let's go." "Okay, I know a place where we can get some supplies and transportation for the trip, all right?" "It's not too far." "Let's go." "Colonel." "They've just arrived in Hudango." "The toughest one is the donkey." "Sonia Saloon?" "Got a table there." "Okay." "Your lucky night." "Please." "Thanks." " Cheers." " Please." "Thank you." "First to Heaven, then to Earth, and last to friends." "And now, mister, you do it and drink." " No, I'm not gonna drink out of this cup." " You have to." "It's an insult." "Drink it." "Just show her the bottom of the cup." "Please?" "Now just go ahead and drink it." "Come on." "Drink it!" "Thank you." "Now I think you better go check the truck and the supplies." "All right." "It's good." "Hi there." "Hi." "Did anybody come asking for me?" "Okay." "A few days ago, some Russians came looking for you." "Some Russians?" "I knew that meant trouble, and here you are." "Do you still have my..." "My old sniper rifle or did you throw it out?" "I should have." "Look, Sonia, I..." "I need some transportation, some supplies for a couple of days in the mountains." "Think you can help me out?" "You come and go as you please!" "Why should I help you?" "From now on, I won't help you anymore." "Please." " Pretty please." " Okay." "OK, the deal is done." "He will do it, all for $500." "Half now, half later." "Okay?" "Okay." "Hey, thanks." "Now look, Sonia, you got to be careful." "Okay?" "Next time somebody comes asking for me, they may not be so nice." "I know how to take care of myself." "She never liked goodbyes." " Hang on." "It's gonna be a rough ride." " Just how rough?" "We're wasting daylight." "Let's move!" "The deal is $500." "Half now... the rest later." "Okay." "Let's go." "Fellows, let's get in there." "Let's go." "Let's go." "Is there a problem?" "Not yet." "Slow down." "There's something in the road here." "Get your weapons ready." "Wait for my move." "Got it." "All right, you two." "Get down and stay down." "What's the problem?" "This is a toll road." "Pay us." "I'll pay you and it won't be money." " Did they have to kill them all?" " No, Anika, please, let Mr. Ronson do his job." "Very good work, Mr. Ronson." "Very good work." "Well, life's cheap out here and it gets cheaper." "If we don't kill them all now, they'll bring more friends and try again later." "These were the best kind of bandits to run into." ""The best"?" "Unorganized, poorly armed, no military training." "It's the ones with training you gotta worry about." "Do you think we may run into any of those?" "Count on it." "All right." "Let's get out of here." "You okay?" " Yeah." " Yeah?" "I want to know about Ronson and the Tangka or you will never sing again." "Okay." "A few days ago, I heard from an American about the Tangka." "Where do I find this American?" "They said something about Hataman Mongobou." "About 30 km from here." "Very well, my dear." "I better find him there." "Or I'll come back for more." "Chambers, how much further?" "We have to get down to that dry riverbed down there." "After that, I'll tell you more." "All right, everybody." "Load up, we're moving out." "Right there?" "That's it." "That must be it." "That's the first sign!" "All right." "Let's go take a look." "The map speaks of a "Horse in the sky. "" "That's the Chinese character of ma." "It means horse." "It's a mystical place." "You must not go there." "He says it's a very sacred place." "No one ever goes there." "Well, that, Mr. Ronson, is our next stop." "Everybody, listen up." "This is base camp." "Leave all the heavy gear behind." "Bring plenty of water." "We climb in ten minutes." "Understood?" "Seventeen years." "Let's go." "It really is here." "Break it open." "I wouldn't do that if I were you." "I don't take orders from you." "In my experience, these tombs are always booby-trapped." "What do you suggest?" "Well, we're in luck." "Looks like there's been a landslide back here." "We'll go in through the side entrance." "Start tomorrow morning." "Back to base camp." "Send somebody up to the mountain." "Kill everybody." "Get me the Tangka." "And leave Ronson for me." "You boys better get some shuteye." "Get the second watch." "So..." "Should I be looking over my shoulder for your muscle?" "I gave them the night off." "What a sport." "So what's your story?" "My mother, she married English man," "my real father, who died." "So imagine, a widowed Chinese woman, with a young daughter," "now disowned by her family, living in Hong Kong." "Then one day, my stepfather," "Mr. Chambers over there, shows up, marries my mom and rescues us from certain poverty." "That was close." "What was close?" "It says here that the Tangka is protected by an ancient curse, but nobody seems to know what it is." "Well, that's because the curse probably works." "Everybody's dead." "And I thought I couldn't sleep before." " Go get some sleep, Professor." " Okay." "All right." "Why don't you get some sleep, too?" "Okay?" "Shit!" "Don't worry." "They're dead." "I'm..." "I'm good." "I'm good." "It's like a dream." "All right." "That's it." "Good." "That's a dead end." "It's got to be this way." " Everybody okay?" " Yeah." "Oh, my God." "Oh, my God." "Go ahead and open it." "Yes, sir." "All right." "Go ahead." "It's perfect." "It hasn't been touched." "There it is." "Chambers, wait." "These tombs are always booby-trapped." "Wait!" "Listen, I didn't come this far for you to spoil this moment." "It's too easy." "There's got to be something else." "What are you talking about?" "You see, all bark and no bite." "Shit!" "Get the hell out of here!" "Come on!" "Go!" "Move it." "Come on." "Come on." "Get up!" "Let's go." "Move it!" "Shit!" "Damn it." "Shit." "This way?" "Come on." "It's right here." "Let's go!" "Come on!" "Go!" "Go!" "Go!" "Jim, you go first." "Go!" "Go!" "You are okay?" "What happened down there?" "Should we..." "Should we try to help them?" "They're dead." "Mr. Ronson tried to save poor Jim." "Let's go!" "Let's go back to base camp!" "Let's go!" "Come on." "Let's go." "Hey!" "Hey!" "Let's wait!" " He's dead!" " He is not!" "Besides, you're a damn fool to fire him in the first place!" "Well, fired or not, he's dead!" "Besides, we've got Jim here." "He's ex-military." "He can get us down safely." " Come on." " Let's go!" "Down the cliff!" "Let's go!" "No!" "No!" "No!" "This can't be fucking happening!" "We've got to go." "Does anybody have a map?" "Does anybody have a fucking map?" "A sterling plan, Mr. Chambers, but I am afraid not one to be implemented by you and your group." "Where is Ronson?" "He died on the mountain." "I'll relieve you of the Tangka now, Mr. Chambers." "Over my dead body you will." "If you insist." "No!" "No!" "I've got some bad news." "Party's over." "Stand aside!" "All right." "Get up." "Under these circumstances, Mr. Ronson," "I'm willing to hire you back." "Two hundred thousand, and the 75 you already owe me." "Done." "Help!" "Help!" "I need help!" "Quick!" "Quick!" "Quick!" "What's your plan?" "There's an outpost half a day's drive from here." "If we leave now, we can make it by nightfall." "From there, we can make it to here, get gas, supplies and make it back to the city." "What the hell are we waiting for?" "Let's go." "How's he doing?" "He's lost lots of blood." "Well, as long as that damned Tangka is around, a lot more people are going to die." "That's for sure." "What does it say?" "I'm afraid it's something of a curse." "See, it says," ""Death shall come" ""on swift wings" ""to any who gaze upon" ""this sacred work of kings" ""created by the gods of Heavens" ""and protected by the demons of Hell. "" "That's totally absurd and completely ridiculous." " Wait, wait, wait." " It's a good thing we don't believe" " in any of this nonsense, hey, Professor?" " Wait." "There's more." ""Death shall pass you over" ""if an unselfish act" ""returns this sacred work intact. "" "Look, I don't believe in curses." "How's he doing?" "Very bad." "I can't feel his pulse anymore." "Stop the car!" "Stop the car!" "Ronson, we're pulling over." "We've got a problem." "He's dead." "It's too bad." "It's too bad." "How much?" "That'll be 250 American dollars." "Including the suppers, the supplies and the burial of your friend outside." "And my tip." "It's enough." "All right." "Look here." "We're here." "This seems to be an old Buddhist temple." "We can spend tomorrow night there." "Next day, we'll be in the city." "Do you see that trunk?" "The Tangka is in there." "That's okay." "That's the plan now." "That's where we'll go." "Are you finished eating?" "Let's go." "Hey." "Hi." "Feel a bit better?" "Yeah." "Thanks." "Try some of this stuff." "I hear it's the local favorite." "Thanks." "So, you were telling me that story about Chambers' map." "One night," "I heard my mom telling him that she might have some information on a secret map." "She made him promise in front of me that if that map will help him locate the Tangka," "I get her share of the find." "They both left in search of the secret map." "A few weeks later, he returned with the map." "And your mother?" "My mom was killed." "To this day," "I still do not know what exactly happened." "I guess you can say that I'm here protecting my inheritance." "That makes sense." "So..." "What are you running away from?" "Nothing." "Well, I think the temple should be about half a mile away." "Drive!" "All right!" "Take this and keep shooting!" "They're gonna hit us again." "We got a better chance at the temple." "Hold on." "All right." "Let's go." "Come on." "Okay, come on." "Let's go." "Back over there." "Here." "Take this." "Fire only if you have a clear shot." "There are three rounds left, all right?" "Okay?" "Okay." "Okay." "All right." "It's all right." "Okay?" "We are the servants of the Tangka." "If you want to, you can take the Tangka with you." "As you realize, the Tangka doesn't need any protection, it can protect itself." "I've noticed." "Here." "Take good care of it." ""Death shall pass you over if an unselfish act" ""returns this sacred work intact. "" "May Buddha bless you." "You, too." "When the dust had finally settled," "I'd hardly even paid off my debts." "Still, I was standing, and that was better than a hell of a lot of others." "I don't know why so many good people around me seem to wind up getting killed all the time." "Maybe I should just hang out with bad people." "Maybe it's just time to move on, even further away this time." "Maybe that really big job is waiting for me there." "Maybe."