WRITTEN BY
Thomas Schnauz
DIRECTED BY
Bryan Spicer
AIRED ON
April 27, 2001
RUNTIME
45 minutes
STARRING
VIEWS
384
LAST UPDATE
2024-09-22 02:48:12
PAGE VERSION
Version 4
LIKES
0
DISLIKES
0
SUMMARY
Byers, Langly, and Frohike find themselves entangled in a dangerous situation involving a rogue group of former government agents who have turned to criminal activities. The trio is drawn into a high-stakes game of cat and mouse when they uncover a plot by these rogue agents to execute a series of heists using advanced weaponry and covert tactics. As the Gunmen work to thwart the group's plans, they must navigate through a web of deception, double-crosses, and high-octane confrontations. The episode combines suspense and action, showcasing the Lone Gunmen's resourcefulness and determination as they confront the dangerous and unpredictable world of former operatives gone rogue.
STORY
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REVIEWS
Good message about bear protection
Written by
Vivi on 2018-05-10
★
★
★
★
★
This episode has a good message about bears poaching which is unfortunately still topical. And this is good to see Jimmy making his own investigation.
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Let's dance !
Written by
Vivi on 2018-05-10
★
★
★
This is one of my favourite episode. I really like the music and the rythm. We can see another face of Yves. Really nice.
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Strong and very Sensual
Written by
Gruic on 2018-05-11
★
★
★
★
STAFF
Tango de los Pistoleros is one of my favorite script from Thomas Schnauz. That guy really works hard.
Everything works in this episode. The photography is great. Bryan Spicer directed it very well and the music is perfect. I really love "El Lobo" and "Sling Blade" songs from, of course, Mark Snow.
ACTORS
Zuleikha Robinson was very convincing, as an artist, a dancer and an actress. Her last scene with Stephen Snedden is touching. Special mention for Tom Braidwood, El Lobo !
Tango de los Pistoleros is a very sensual and solid episode. Excellent.
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Somehow watchable
Written by
Pike on 2018-06-20
★
★
After the previous horrendous episodes, it feels somehow good to watch a somehow watchable episode. The theme is of course interesting, hence the raised interest. But once again, the score of Mark Snow is really bad and the story is uninteresting, as usual.
SUMMARY
A very bad episode. I give it 2 out of 10.
TRANSCRIPT
SCENE 1
(A darkened stage. A bright spotlight illuminates two Tango dancers. We see the male dancer is JIMMY. As YVES' voiceover continues, we see clips of the other GUNMEN. LANGLY is sitting in the VW bus.)
YVES: (Voiceover) There is danger here, because what appears to be love, is only sadness, a lie. This is the nature of the Tango. It is more than just a dance, some say it is a dialogue between a man and a woman.
(BYERS is now dancing the Tango with another female dancer.)
YVES: Those who don't understand the Tango, view it as romantic expression of passionate love ? it is not.
(FROHIKE is now dancing.)
YVES: The Tango is a dance of loneliness, of isolation. The dancers move their lower bodies, remaining stiff from the waist up, eyes intense, but distant.
(We now see JIMMY, BYERS and FROHIKE all illuminated by different spotlights dancing.)
YVES: It is the man who controls with his eyes, but it is the woman who is really in control.
(LANGLY has gotten out of the VW and is carefully moving along a darkened street.)
YVES: In its most perfect form ... the Tango ... is life ...
(we suddenly see a switchblade glinting in the dark night.)
YVES: ... and ... the Tango ... is death.
(LANGLY is struck from behind. His face shows his pain. As the scene closes, we see LANGLY lying in a pool of blood, illuminated in the centre of the stage, whilst the three other GUNMEN Tango around him in a counter-clockwise motion.)
(Fade to black.)
[OPENING CREDITS] [OPENING CREDITS] [OPENING CREDITS] [OPENING CREDITS] [OPENING CREDITS]
SCENE 2
MIAMI, FLORIDA
2:55 A.M.
(Night. In a dockside building, a man, MARIANO CUCHILLO, checks his watch. Suddenly, he is hit in the back by something and he falls to the ground. Behind him stands an identical-looking man, holding a stun-gun. The man is wearing the same exact clothes, and it is only when he speaks that we find out it is YVES in disguise, taking his place.
YVES: Now that wasn't very sporting of me was it?
(YVES retracts the stun device from the victim's back. She carefully puts a voice synthesizer into the roof of her mouth. In another building, we see GUNMEN have YVES under camera surveillance. We see her removing the victim's body.)
FROHIKE: (In awe) God she's beautiful ? the black widow and her prey. It's almost Zen-like, the way she works.
JIMMY: I don't feel good about this.
FROHIKE: Hey, how good do you think that guy feels? If she could get two bucks for his kneecaps, she's steal both his legs.
JIMMY: So that doesn't make me feel right about double-crossing her.
FROHIKE: How many times has Yves stuck it to us? Hijacked our work for her own financial gain.
JIMMY: She's helped us too. (Pause) Sort of.
BYERS: Jimmy, I understand your feelings, but in our own defence, we have a right to this story.
FROHIKE: Damn straight. And you'd better know it's important if it got me to set foot here in Miami.
(The computer bleeps.)
BYERS: A boat's approaching. This is it.
(Outside in the dock, we see a small launch approaching the jetty of the building YVES has taken over. She is waiting at the top of the ramp in her convincing disguise.)
BYERS: Perfect, he's leaving the boat, signal Langly.
JIMMY: (On radio) Blowfish, this is Titanic. Titanic to Blowfish. You're clear to begin Operation Stab Your Associate In The Back.
(Outside in the dock, LANGLY is in the water, carefully approaching the now empty launch. He is wearing full wetsuit and snorkel. He looks like he is suffering badly.)
FROHIKE: Give me that.
(He takes JIMMY'S headset)
LANGLY: (On radio) Who gave him the damn headset?
FROHIKE: (On radio) Get a move on, Frogman. Check out that boat.
LANGLY: (On radio) Right.
BYERS: (On radio) Yves is keeping him busy, but not for long.
FROHIKE: (On radio) Langly, anything? Do you copy?
(LANGLY is busy trying to get out of his snorkel.)
LANGLY: (On radio) Hang on. It ain't easy when I don't know what I'm looking for.
BYERS: (On radio) Assume whatever it is has been camouflaged, hidden in plain sight.
LANGLY: Yeah, right. (On radio) No, it's here, it's got to be. (He looks around the boat. He opens up a blue cooler) A six-pack of German beer. This guy wouldn't drink German beer.
BYERS: (On radio) Check the cans.
LANGLY: Way ahead of you, Sherlock.
(He opens a can, but it violently sprays in his face. The shock of the spray sends him falling backwards. He lands on the throttle control. The boat violently lurches forwards and LANGLY falls off into the water ? screaming like a woman. The man on the dockside looks confused as to what is going on. Whilst he is looking for his boat, YVES sneaks back into the building. She hastily gets out of her disguise. We see her victim bound and gagged on the floor. The man on the dockside is now alone. He calls out to YVES, but no-one replies. Back in the surveillance room, BYERS looks concerned.)
BYERS: Oh God, Langly.
SCENE 3
(Day. The Gatorland Motor Court. Inside a motel room, JIMMY is trying to find a channel on the TV. FROHIKE is packing his bag.)
LANGLY: What are you doing?
FROHIKE: Calligraphy. What does it look like I'm doing?
JIMMY: We're going home?
LANGLY: No we're not going home. We're onto something big here.
FROHIKE: Well, whatever we were onto was last seen headed toward the Bermuda Triangle at full throttle. Now we're onto el bupkis grande. I, for one, am getting the hell out of Miami.
LANGLY: No you are not. Not after I nearly died last night.
FROHIKE: Well, whose fault is that, Aqua Man? Look, we took a shot, we lost. We'll get her next time.
LANGLY: (To BYERS) Well, back me up here.
BYERS: You're lucky to be alive. Maybe we should cut our losses.
JIMMY: Maybe it serves us right, guys. You go in with bad intentions, only bad things can come from it.
LANGLY: What are you, a fortune cookie? I can't believe you three. (We hear a knock on their motel door. LANGLY goes to answer.) Yves is out there somewhere, plotting and scheming, and you guys just ...
(He answers the door and YVES grabs his lips and pushes him back onto the bed)
YVES: (Angrily.) You're alive. You don't know how unhappy this makes me.
FROHIKE: Yves, so what brings you to the sunshine state?
YVES: An automobile tracking device.
(She throws hard it at FROHIKE. It hits him in the stomach. He lets out a moan as he doubles up.)
FROHIKE: Well, it's my own creation. I call it the 'Frojack'.
YVES: How helpful. Now we know the answer to the question "How many fools does it take to ruin a foolproof plan?"
JIMMY: (Speaking before thinking) Four?
BYERS: Yves, I'll concede there was some poor judgement involved.
YVES: What could you possibly hope to gain from following me here?
BYERS: We hoped to expose your smuggler. And, if we're being honest about this, we hoped there would be some reward money when all was said and done.
FROHIKE: But we're journalists first.
YVES: Reward money. (LANGLY nods. YVES pulls a sizeable wad of money from her cleavage and flings it at them, the notes falling to the floor.) Take it. Get out of Miami. I never want to see *any* of you again. Ever. (She storms out of the room, slamming the motel door on the way out.)
(FROHIKE has picked up all of the money from the floor.)
FROHIKE: There must be over 500 bucks here. We are stopping at the 'Red Lobster' on the way home, my friends.
LANGLY: Come on, you're not seriously falling for that one, are you?
JIMMY: What do you mean?
LANGLY: Oh come on, it's so obvious. She's trying to throw us off the scent. Why would she throw money at us if the deal's blown? The only thing that's blown is us and not in a good way.
FROHIKE: Nuh-uh. We're taking the money and hightailing it out of here.
BYERS: I must admit, I am curious. I don't think there was anything on that boat. I think the smuggler had his goods on him and that means ...
LANGLY: He's still out there, waiting to deal.
(FROHIKE throws the money down onto the bed.)
SCENE 4
STAR ISLAND
FLORIDA
(Day. A large country mansion. Inside, on a balcony above the private swimming pool, three men are talking. They are LEONARDO SANTAVOS, MARIANO CUCHILLO, and EMANUEL MORALES.)
MORALES: I know you say I should not have come here, but I was careful not to be seen. I could not be sure what you heard about what happened on the docks that night.
SANTAVOS: The deal didn't go through. That much I know.
MORALES: I found your man here tied like a hog. (We see the man YVES knocked out and "replaced" for the deal.) Did he tell you that.
SANTAVOS: He did.
MORALES: He has a twin brother.
CUCHILLO: (Angry) I have no twin. I told you.
MORALES: And there was a blonde woman on my boat.
CUCHILLO: A blonde woman?
MORALES: Yeah, a blonde woman. Long flowing hair, I still hear her scream in my head. (He impersonates LANGLY'S girly scream) She and Cuchillo's twin brother, here, are obviously working together. But that is why I came to see you, Mr. Santavos.
(CUCHILLO takes a large wad of money from his jacket pocket and gives it to SANTAVOS.)
SANTAVOS: Let's makes this right. There is twice our original agreement. Compensation for your boat, and your troubles. Do you have it?
(MORALES hands over a CD labelled 'Los Tangos de Amore'. Santavos puts it in the BOSE CD player placed on a table. Tango music begins to play.)
MORALES: This is what you wanted me to bring to you?
SANTAVOS: Have a good day, Mr. Morales. And thank you for your efforts.
(MORALES leaves)
CUCHILLO: (Adamant) I have no twin brother. Someone knows our plans. And there are loose ends to be tied.
SANTAVOS: Then tie them.
(CUCHILLO leaves, leaving SANTAVOS to Tango alone to the music.)
SCENE 5
(Day. We are in the busy dance studio of a Tango club. Several couples are dancing around the room. SANTAVOS is dancing with a blonde woman, CARLOTTA. The camera follows their footwork. Suddenly CARLOTTA pushes SANTAVOS away.)
CARLOTTA: No, no no. Senor Hernando I hate this ...
(Their Tango teacher, SENOR HERNANDO, comes over to talk to them.)
SENOR HERNANDO: That step was perfectly good. This will bring you both your second championship.
CARLOTTA: (Still angry) No, it doesn't go with the music. Look ...
(YVES enters the Tango club. She is wearing a flowing skirt and a plunging black figure hugging top. SANTAVOS sees her. His eyes light up. CARLOTTA sees that he is staring at YVES. She walks off. YVES looks over to SANTAVOS and smiles at him. He smiles back, enthralled.)
SCENE 6
(Back in the motel room, FROHIKE is keeping tabs on the several laptops on the table. The others are messing around near the window. One of the laptops "bleeps" and FROHIKE calls the others over.)
FROHIKE: Hey, guys. Peekaboo. A match on our smuggler.
(The computer screen has been matching faces to a picture taken during their surveillance. It has matched the face with MORALES. The screen has a police mugshot of him.)
[PICTURE]
INMATE NO. 8837934
MORALES, EMANUEL
ARMED ROBBERY, RESISTING ARREST
(They are now all standing around the computer screen.)
BYERS: Emanuel Morales.
LANGLY: A Miami address.
(CUT TO:)
(In an empty room at the Tango club, YVES takes a silver perfume atomiser from her purse. She sprays its contents into a pair of black Tango shoes on the floor. CARLOTTA suddenly walks in, and YVES calmly sits there as she sits down next to her, putting on the shoes. YVES smiles at her, before leaving the room.)
(Later. In the dance hall, SANTAVOS is dancing with CARLOTTA, as YVES dances with another man, who is several inches shorter than her. As they dance, SANTAVOS and YVES make eye contact several times.)
(Meanwhile, we see a leather-gloved hand knock on a door, numbered 123. We see it is MORALES' apartment door. He opens it. CUCHILLO enters. The camera now pans between the dance floor and MORALES' room, where CUCHILLO is beating him. He smacks him across the face, and draws a knife. They wrestle around the room, almost rhythmically. Suddenly, CUCHILLO gets MORALES in front him and stabs him in the back.)
(At the Tango club, CARLOTTA is resting her feet on the ground.)
(Back in MORALES' room, CUCHILLO takes the bloody knife out of MORALES' body as he slumps to the ground, dead.)
(CARLOTTA is now in pain, and a small crowd of dancers have gathered around her to see what the problem is. YVES looks on, feigning her concern. SANTAVOS looks up at her from his partner's side.)
SCENE 7
(Later. FROHIKE, LANGLY, BYERS and JIMMY ascend the stairwell to MORALES' apartment. The knock on the door, but get no reply.)
FROHIKE: Mr. Morales?
(FROHIKE opens the door. They find MORALES lying dead on the floor. A pool of blood has collected beside his head. As the camera pans in closer to his head, we see a small black cube lying in the blood. It has a small white skull etched on the topmost side.)
(Fade to black.)
SCENE 8
CARLOTTA: My God, Leonardo. (She looks down at her feet.) What have I done to get these monstrosities?
(CARLOTTA is taken away on a gurney by two paramedics. Her bare feet are incredibly swollen. She looks beside herself. SENOR HERNANDO is left standing next to SANTAVOS.)
SENOR HERNANDO: Such bad luck. Two days before the competition.
LEONARDO SANTAVOS: Will you excuse me?
(SANTAVOS sidles up to YVES and her partner, who have just started dancing.)
SANTAVOS: Mr. Duncan, may I impose? (MR. DUNCAN gracefully leaves) Would you care to dance?
(Within 2 seconds, YVES is in his arms, dancing.)
YVES: It's unfortunate about your...
SANTAVOS: Partner. Dance partner. It is very. I have never seen anything like it in all my life. Forgive me, Leonardo Santavos.
YVES: Vera Lehdow.
SANTAVOS: Vera, I saw you signing up for the beginners class. Why?
YVES: (Smiling) I'm a beginner.
SANTAVOS: I don't believe that. You're too good. One more thing, you understand the Tango. So know that it's less about movement and more about expression. Some would say, expressing sensuality.
YVES: Beginner's luck.
SANTAVOS: It's also about mystery. Something which you have down pat as well. (They stare into each other's eyes.) You know, I need a new partner.
YVES: What if I turn out to be not quite as good as you think?
SANTAVOS: It's worth the uncovering, no?
SCENE 9
(In the motel room, the GUNMEN are looking at a computer screen, which is showing several pictures of the black cube found near MORALES' body.)
LANGLY: Check it out. Calling cards for murder.
BYERS: Just like the one we found beside our dead smuggler.
FROHIKE: Whose calling cards?
LANGLY: A death squad that was part of Argentina's military junta. Los Calaveras, the Skulls. They always placed these with their victims.
BYERS: What is an Argentine death squad doing in Miami?
LANGLY: Well, I wondered that myself. Then I came across this human rights' database that listed their suspected members. (A picture of CUCHILLO appears on the screen.) Mariano Cuchillo, look familiar?
JIMMY: The guy Yves was impersonating.
FROHIKE: You figure he killed Morales?
LANGLY: Dollars to doughnuts. But it goes deeper, because Cuchillo works for this guy.
(Another picture appears on the screen, this time a scan of a newspaper clipping, entitled "Leonardo Santavos, A True West Side Story.")
BYERS: Leonardo Santavos. Voted one of Dade County's top five businessman of the year. Millionaire, philanthropist, Argentine native. His credentials are impeccable.
(LANGLY brings up another picture from the FBI site. It shows that his FBI file is active.)
LANGLY: Not to the FBI. They have him under surveillance as we speak. He's a suspected smuggler with international connections. And he smart, they've never been able to nail the dude. I told you Yves was onto something big, whatever it is. Our problem is how to get close to this guy, Santavos, because, as it stands, we got to wait in line behind the Feds.
(Outside SANTOVAS' mansion, YVES pulls up in a beautiful silver Mercedes SL coupe. The electric gates open and she drives in.)
BYERS: Maybe not. Our Mr. Santavos is a Tango dancer. Apparently he's very good, he's entered competitions all over the world.
FROHIKE: So, what?
BYERS: So, I think I know how we can get close to him.
LANGLY: If Yves doesn't get to him first.
(YVES is now standing in SANTAVOS' drawing room.)
SCENE 10
(Later. YVES is standing with SANTAVOS in a large room.)
SANTAVOS: Vera. Thank you for coming.
YVES: You have a lovely home.
SANTAVOS: More so now.
(CUCHILLO appears from a side room.)
CUCHILLO: Senor Santavos. The phone for you.
SANTAVOS: Pardon me for a moment. Please, make yourself at home.
(They both leave, but they enter a room directly adjoining the room where YVES is standing. They open a cupboard to reveal a one way mirror. They can now see everything YVES is doing. She appears to be looking in her purse for something.)
SANTAVOS: I feel pathetic. Skulking around like this.
CUCHILLO: I see no dishonour in caution. But why this one?
SANTAVOS: I see something in her that's special. (YVES places her purse (containing a sensitive microphone) against the mirror allowing her to hear their conversation) I feel like I can see in her.
CUCHILLO: What I see is that she is taking your mind off business.
SANTAVOS: Not at all. Our man is on the plane and everything is set for Saturday.
CUCHILLO: We still have loose ends. The blonde woman on the boat.
SANTAVOS: You will find her. I have faith. I'm going back to my guest.
SCENE 11
(The Gunmen VW pulls up outside the Academia du Baile Dance Instruction centre. The GUNMEN and JIMMY get out.)
JIMMY: A Tango contest? Seriously?
BYERS: Santavos won it last year. We're not actually going to dance, but signing up for it is the perfect way to get near the man. Don't you agree? (BYERS, LANGLY and JIMMY walk over to the entrance, but FROHIKE stays by the van) You coming?
(FROHIKE looks almost nervous.)
FROHIKE: Er, you three have it covered. I'm going to stay and watch the van.
JIMMY: What's going on, Frohike?
FROHIKE: You never know in a neighbourhood like this.
SCENE 12
(Moments later. In the dancehall, BYERS is looking at a clipboard which has the names of the dancers on it.)
BYERS: Guys, it looks like someone else had this idea before we did. (He passes the Tango Competition entry form to LANGLY) Check out the name of Santavos' dance partner.
LANGLY: Oh man! Vera Alyse Lehdow. It's sure enough fifteen letters.
JIMMY: What?
LANGLY: Yves Adele Harlow. Man, one day that girl is going to run out of names for Lee Harvey Oswald. Well, four can play at the game.
(As LANGLY starts to write on the list, SENOR HERNANDO approaches them.)
SENOR HERNANDO: Excuse me. What do you think you're doing?
BYERS: We're signing up for the Tango Competition.
SENOR HERNANDO: First time applicants *must* qualify.
JIMMY: (Excited) How do we do that?
(In a series of cut-scenes, their attempts at the Tango turn out to be some of the series highlights. LANGLY goes for bizarre-style ballet, BYERS lays down some seriously bad Disco, and JIMMY goes Wild Wild West. Senor Hernando is horrified. Afterwards, they leave the centre, but JIMMY still seems to have forgotten they are no longer on the dance floor and dances down the steps to the van.)
JIMMY: I thought we were pretty good!
SCENE 13
(In SANTAVOS' mansion, he and YVES are practising their Tango. They are clearly very into it.)
SANTAVOS: .... now turn. That's good.
(As they dance, we see CUCHILLO, obscured by a high backed chair, going through YVES' purse. He takes out the perfume atomiser, looks at it, and sprays it on his hand. He smells it, but it doesn't seem to impress him. He puts it back in her purse.)
(Later, the front door opens and YVES leaves the house, thanking SANTAVOS on the way out. As he closes the door and goes back inside, smiling to himself, he is startled to see CUCHILLO standing in the hallway. He has his arms behind his back.)
SANTAVOS: Cuchillo, what is it?
CUCHILLO: That woman, she appeared just as you needed a new Tango partner. Quite a coincidence.
SANTAVOS: What are you talking about?
CUCHILLO: Why did you need a new partner?
SANTAVOS: Because Carlotta's feet blew up like two grapefruit. How could she possibly dance?
(CUCHILLO takes his left hand from behind his back. It is horribly swollen like Carlotta's feet. SANTAVOS looks shocked.)
SCENE 14
(Back in the motel room, the GUNMEN are sitting around.)
LANGLY: Oh, this bites the big dagwood hoagie. I can't believe Yves' going to rip the rug out from under us again.
JIMMY: Well, let's face it ? she's good.
LANGLY: But we're better than her.
FROHIKE: Look, I see this as a sign, we should just pull our stakes up and go home.
BYERS: Frohike, what is it about you and Miami? Why are you so uncomfortable here?
(There is a loud knock on the door. LANGLY holds his lips.)
LANGLY: That could be Yves.
JIMMY: I hope it is.
(JIMMY opens the door. KIMMY walks in, totally confusing JIMMY.)
KIMMY: Hola, Amigos! C?mo est?s usted?
JIMMY: Sorry, I think you've got the wrong room.
BYERS: Jimmy, this is Kimmy. An associate of ours. He's a fellow computer expert.
KIMMY: Don't sugar coat it, Byers. Hacker extraordinaire is the term that comes to mind. (KIMMY places his hands on the lid of his laptop computer.) The keeper of the mojo.
FROHIKE: What the hell are you doing here?
KIMMY: What, Courtney Love, didn't tell you? He emailed me, said you needed some help tracking info on one Leonardo Santavos.
FROHIKE: You what?
LANGLY: Kimmy I said I needed a consultation, not for you to come to Miami.
KIMMY: Well, it like this - see I information you need, so in the capitalistic traditions of our great nation, it's time to talk about me getting paid.
FROHIKE: Hit the road Schlowmo.
KIMMY: Suit yourselves, but this finger here (KIMMY holds up his left index finger) can unlock all those DoD secrets you crave.
BYERS: Ten percent of any reward money we collect.
(After a couple of moments, KIMMY considers the offer, makes some weird noises, and karate chops the Enter key on his keyboard. His screen starts to display scans of documents and papers.)
(The computer shows he has accessed the Department of DEFENSE SECURE DOCUMENT DEPOSITORY - CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS AREA. The next screen shows STAR WARS MISSILE DEFENSE SATELLITE DATA.)
LANGLY: Missile defence?
(A molecular structure appears on the screen.)
KIMMY: Or lack thereof. Apparently the DoD has a new composite that can absorb electromagnetic transmissions, as in, it's completely invisible to radar.
JIMMY: Wow! Way to go America.
KIMMY: Yeah, but if the bad guys get their hands on it we're talking Romulan Cloaking Device. Tanks, ships, ICBMs ? Saddam Hussein could build a Cessna out of this stuff and fly it right into the White House.
FROHIKE: What does all of that have to do with Santavos?
BYERS: It's what he's smuggling. A sample would be worth millions to a foreign power.
KIMMY: Hell, yeah. And he wouldn't need that much either, just enough to analyse.
LANGLY: And we can't get near this guy because none of us can dance the freaking Tango. We can't get in that contest.
(In a moment of inspiration, FROHIKE realises what he must do.)
FROHIKE: I can get into the contest.
(They turn to look at him.)
SCENE 15
(Day. YVES is dancing alone in the SANTAVOS' house. As she turns around, we see SANTAVOS and CUCHILLO standing watching her. CUCHILLO's left hand is wrapped in bandages. SANTAVOS looks angry.)
YVES: Good morning.
SANTAVOS: I'd like to have a look in your bag, if I may. May I see?
YVES: Is there a particular reason?
SANTAVOS: There's a small spray bottle, an atomiser. (YVES walks over to her bag and takes out the silver atomiser.) What is this, Vera?
YVES: Perfume.
CUCHILLO: Really. Put it on. Please.
(YVES sprays the perfume on her neck. SANTAVOS walks over to her and smells her neck. As he inhales, he smiles.)
SANTAVOS: It's your scent. Very lovely.
(YVES looks hurt and angry. She shakes her head at him.)
YVES: Keep it. Remember me by it.
(She picks up her bag and heads for the door.)
SANTAVOS: Don't go. Please.
YVES: What exactly is going on here, for you to be rifling through a woman's belongings?
CUCHILLO: My mistake, and mine alone. I apologise.
SANTAVOS: Vera, a man in my position must be very careful. I have many enemies. All I want is for you to stay and dance with me.
(As she considers his offer, YVES takes her bag off her shoulder. CUCHILLO leaves the room. We see YVES is holding the real atomiser behind her back.)
SCENE 16
LITTLE HAVANA
MIAMI, FLORIDA
(In a steamy, sweaty, clothing factory, an olive skinned woman, MIKITA MOLDINARO, is pressing clothes. A silhouette appears in the doorway, and she looks up. The figure is unmistakably that of FROHIKE. He slowly approaches her. She looks at him. Suddenly she slaps him across the face.)
MIKITA MOLDINARDO: (In Spanish) So... the great El Lobo returns! Look at you... slinking back to this place. Not like a wolf... but like a mongrel... a mongrel bitch! How dare you come back after all these years! After you left me with your lies, and nothing else. (She looks at a black and white photograph pinned to the wall. It is from years ago. We see a younger FROHIKE and MIKITA dressed up, having won a Tango competition, standing behind a large trophy.) This... this means nothing to me! (She suddenly tears the photo into pieces.) Lies... nothing more! Why have you come back?)
FROHIKE: (In Spanish) Why? Because... We must dance.
SCENE 17
(Later. In his mansion, SANTAVOS is dancing again with YVES. She breaks off and puts on her jacket.)
SANTAVOS: I'm sorry for this morning.
YVES: We don't need to discuss it any further. It's over
SANTAVOS: I'm sorry because I sense how difficult it is to gain your trust. You must have been hurt by a man before.
(YVES stands with her back to him.)
YVES: That isn't a stretch. Is there a woman alive who hasn't been hurt by a man before?
SANTAVOS: You hide it well. You hide your loneliness. (He walks up behind her and holds her arms.) You would rather be lonely and alone than to be hurt again. I understand those feelings. I know them all too well.
YVES: I enjoy our time together.
SANTAVOS: I don't want it to end. I find myself thinking, what will happen after the competition, what does the future hold for us?
(SANTAVOS places his hands on her face affectionately.)
YVES: Once again.
(YVES takes his hand off her face. Holding each other closely, they start to dance again.)
SCENE 18
(Outside the window, LANGLY and JIMMY are watching SANTAVOS and YVES dance with binoculars.)
LANGLY: Yeah, look at Mata Hari in there. Man, she knows just how to work him, huh? Reeling him in like a fish on a hook. Faking him out.
JIMMY: I don't think she's fake.
LANGLY: Come on. (LANGLY races around the fence. YVES is getting into her car. LANGLY calls out to her.) Psst, Tiny Dancer.
YVES: You complete and utter fools. Get out of here now.
LANGLY: Well, well, aren't you in the thick of things.
YVES: My foot will be in the thick of your behind if you don't leave.
LANGLY: Fair warning - Santavos is going down. We're on to him. We're going to nail his Rumba Tango butt to the wall. And if you stick around, you're going down with him. Come on, Jimmy.
JIMMY: Yves, we just don't want to see you get hurt.
(They both duck below the fence. As YVES turns back towards her car, she sees CUCHILLO standing in the doorway of the house.)
CUCHILLO: Buenas noches, Senorita.
(YVES looks perturbed.)
SCENE 19
(Later that night in the motel room. YVES again has LANGLY by the lips. She pushes him back so that he falls onto the bed.)
LANGLY: Yves, I'm sorry. I didn't ...
YVES: Not a single thought goes into any of your actions, does it? You completely compromised my position. Cuchillo will kill me. If I go to them I'm dead... and you'll be next, Langly. They're looking for a blonde woman who disrupted the trade with Morales. If Cuchillo saw you tonight, he's surely mistaken you for a man this time.
LANGLY: I guess we'll just have to take our findings to the cops and hope they can stop the deal.
YVES: You don't get it, do you? The deal's already been stopped. The exchange is supposed to happen tonight... at the dance competition.
FROHIKE: Out in the open? How?
YVES: I'm not sure, that's why I had to be there. But now since I can't show my face - Santavos, he has no partner. And if he doesn't dance, the deal will happen somewhere else. We'll never get another chance like this again.
BYERS: Yves, you have to be at this dance tonight, along with the rest of us. But first we have to make sure Santavos trusts you. And I think I know how we can do that.
SCENE 20
COMMODORE BALLROOM
MIAMI, FLORIDA
(JIMMY and BYERS are carrying video recording equipment. FROHIKE is dressed in a black leather jacket ensemble. A security guard stops them from entering the ballroom.)
GUARD: Absolutely no video cameras.
BYERS: But we're doing a documentary on the competition, we have to be in here.
(JIMMY points out "The Great El FROHIKE" to the guard.)
JIMMY: Sir, this is the Great El Lobo, the Michael Jordan of the Tango. Please, don't deny the world.
(FROHIKE eventually brides the guard. Holding open the barrier, he ushers them inside.)
GUARD: Come in.
SCENE 21
(Outside, YVES pulls up in her silver Mercedes. She gets out. SANTAVOS is waiting for her. CUCHILLO is skulking in the background within earshot.)
SANTAVOS: Vera, I didn't think you would come. I wish you hadn't.
(The tone of his voice is angry. He stands with his hands in his pockets.)
YVES: I understand, You think I've betrayed you, Leonardo, because I was with those men.
(She takes out a gun. CUCHILLO moves closer to them.)
YVES: I haven't, and I'll prove it. I'll use it to kill the blonde man Cuchillo saw me with.
CUCHILLO: He and the others, who are they?
YVES: Newspaper men. The blonde one interrupted your business on the dock. He wants me to betray you. I thought I would at first.
SANTAVOS: What changed your mind?
(YVES doesn't answer him. She looks at him sincerely. CUCHILLO breaks the silence.)
CUCHILLO: Prove it. Kill the reporter.
SANTAVOS: Cuchillo!
CUCHILLO: But not with the gun, you will use this.
(CUCHILLO hands her a switchblade knife.)
SCENE 22
KIMMY: You know, this is the 21st century. Where'd you dig up this ancient stoneware?
(LANGLY and KIMMY are sat in front of a computer. Some kind of facial recognition software is scanning faces.)
LANGLY: This is state of the art face recognition, you ninny. The use it at the Super Bowl to scope out terrorists in a crowd of 70,000. Of course I made some improvements to the end-user interface. (Into radio) Keep the camera moving, Jimmy. Grab every face in the joint.
(Inside the ballroom, we see JIMMY is scanning the room with the camera. The feed is being sent back to LANGLY'S computer software.)
BYERS: The buyer has to be here somewhere.
(The announcer gets the evening's proceedings underway.)
ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 36th annual Florida State tango competition. Now entering the floor, contestants number one - Nicholas von Getz? and Miss Nita Leon.
(The crowd applauds warmly. A couple sweep onto the dancefloor. A man places a CD into a rack for the contestants' music. Another man then takes out the CD and prepares the music. As the music starts, the couple start their routine.)
(Back in the VW, KIMMY and LANGLY are still watching the software.)
KIMMY: That's your cue ...
(Sliding open the side door, LANGLY gets out of the van, and slowly creeps down the streets. As we cut back inside the ballroom, various different couples are performing on the dancefloor. As the camera pans across the floor, we see SANTAVOS waiting to one side.)
(Outside, LANGLY checks his watch. We see the polished blade of the switchblade flick open. Suddenly, he is stabbed from behind. We see it is YVES. LANGLY slowly collapses to the ground, helped by YVES. We see CUCHILLO is watching her from afar, making sure she is true to her word. She picks up the bloodstained switchblade.)
(Back in the ballroom, the announcer introduces the next couple.)
ANNOUNCER: And now, last year's champions, Leonardo Santavos, and Miss Vera Ledow.
(The crowd applauds. YVES rushes up to SANTAVOS, who is waiting at the side of the dancefloor. She throws down her coat, and takes his arm. SANTOVAS hands over a CD, which he places in the rack at the bottom. The assistant then takes it out as before and prepares to the music. Smiling proudly, they stride onto the dancefloor.)
(As they dance, JIMMY tracks them with the camera. Back in the VW, KIMMY is watching the monitor.)
BYERS: (Into his radio) Got anything yet Kimmy?
KIMMY: Got a big goose egg. Wait a minute. Please tell me you're rolling the tape on this. (His eyes are clearly hooked on something. JIMMY holds the camera, but the look of surprise on his face is fantastic. The announcer introduces the next couple to dance.)
ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, El Lobo and Nikita Moldinaro.
(The crowd suddenly starts screaming and whistling appreciatively. Everyone is applauding, and most of them get to their feet to clap the couple. FROHIKE is wearing a dark waistcoat and black fedora. NIKITA is wearing a classic Tango dress. They dance intensely, their facial and bodily expressions conveying so many different feelings.)
(Outside in the parking lot, LANGLY opens one eye. CUCHILLO exits the building. He walks over to LANGLY'S body. He picks up the bloodstained knife and wipes it clean on a white handkerchief.)
(Back in the VW, KIMMY can't stop laughing. The camera is tracking FROHIKE and NIKITA on the dancefloor.)
KIMMY: (On radio) This tape is going to be priceless, man.
(JIMMY is equally stunned. Forgetting about the camera, he stands there in stunned amazement. The camera falls off his shoulder. The feed now just shows the crows watching them.)
KIMMY: Hey, Jack, Jerry, whatever your name is, get that camera back on Frohike. (The recognition software makes a match.) Wait a minute. Wait a minute, we got a hit here. Matching, matching... Guys, I'm looking at a known Libyan arms smuggler who loves to cut a rug.
JIMMY: (Into radio, looking around) Where? Who?
KIMMY: Couple number one, the guy.
BYERS: (Into radio) Frohike, Santavos is going to make the trade with couple number one.
(FROHIKE, wearing a small earpiece, can hear BYERS' information as he dances.)
SCENE 23
(Outside in the parking lot, CUCHILLO places a small black cube beside LANGLY'S head. LANGLY opens his eye briefly. CUCHILLO then pulls up LANGLY'S t-shirt, but instead of finding a wound, finds a fake blood reservoir and tubing. He looks at LANGLY. He sits up. They both scream in shock at each other. LANGLY quickly gets to his feet, and runs for his life. CUCHILLO takes out the switchblade, and, like an assassin, throws it at LANGLY'S back. It misses, and embeds in a telegraph pole just as LANGLY rushes past.)
SCENE 24
(Back on the dancefloor, all of the couples are now dancing. CUCHILLO re-enters, and stands on the sidelines. On the dancefloor, SANTAVOS makes eye contact with the male partner from Couple 1, the man KIMMY recognised on the computer. He nods his head, and the other man acknowledges him. His female partner suddenly falls to the floor whilst they dance, and the judges immediately notice. They signal to the judge on the floor, who motions for them to leave the dancefloor. Smiling, he walks off the floor, past BYERS and JIMMY.)
BYERS: They just got tapped out. They're out of the competition. What happened? Did we miss the exchange?
(A hand takes a CD out of the music rack, from slot 11.)
JIMMY: He took CD number eleven, he's number one.
BYERS: The CD (On radio) Frohike, the radar composite is in the CD. Get that CD.
(Frohike elegantly dances past NICHOLAS VON GETZE, takes the CD from his hand and resumes dancing without missing a step. SANTAVOS sees the exchange and looks at YVES who tries to reassure him. CUCHILLO is less trusting and throws a knife a YVES' back. At the very last moment, SANTAVOS quickly spins YVES around. The blade lands square in his back. Amid the shrieks and screams from the watching audience, he dies in YVES' arms as the music ends. CUCHILLO runs off up the stairs, away form the crime scene. The audience has now gathered around YVES, SANTAVOS, JIMMY and BYERS.)
(Fade to black.)
(Later, Couple 1 are led away, under arrest. FROHIKE stands alone on the dancefloor. NIKITA approaches him, holding his hat. She places the hat on his head, and kisses him on the lips.)
NIKITA: Adios.
(She leaves. FROHIKE is taken aback. He stands there, motionless. The others join him.)
BYERS: The return of El Lobo.
FROHIKE: The retirement of El Lobo. The sexual energy burned during this dance took two years off my life. That's why I quit in the first place. How's she holding up?
(FROHIKE motions them over to YVES, who is sitting alone at a table. She looks very upset.)
KIMMY: (Upbeat) She's fine. So, what's our cut of the reward money?
BYERS: There is no reward money, there never was, apparently.
LANGLY: At least that's what the FBI just told us.
KIMMY: (Angrily) Say what? What did she do this for then?
JIMMY: Because it was the right thing to do.
KIMMY: You have got to be kidding me.
LANGLY: I suppose I should say something. Thank her for not wigging out and stabbing me for real.
(JIMMY places his hand on LANGLY'S shoulder.)
JIMMY: Later.
(They leave, leaving JIMMY alone in the ballroom with YVES. He slowly walks over to her. She notices him as he approaches. He extends his hand. Moments later, they are alone, dancing together.)
(Fade to black.)
[THE END]
2024-09-22 02:48:12 -
Pike:
Added the runtime.
