(thunder crashing)
(phonograph powers up)
(slow ragtime jazz playing)
(mechanical creaking)
(chimes tinkling)
(thunder crashes)
FAN: Okay, buddy.
All right, Mikey. Come on.
It's all up to you, Mikey.
Don't let him get to you, now.
Don't let him get to you.
Come on, give it to him, Mike! You can do it!
(fans shouting encouragement)
You can beat him, Mikey.
You're better than he is.
Okay, Mike, give it everything!
Strike one!
What the hell are you thinking of, Mikey?
There's two out and you're all that's left!
Strike two!
FAN: Don't worry about it!
Don't let Deacon beat you, Mikey.
You're better than he is.
What are you scared of?
Go after him, Mikey.
Show him what you're made of.
Show me some guts, you little wimp.
FAN: Right down the center.
Right to him! Right there!
Come on, Deacon.
There's a fire engine coming.
Wake up! Mikey!
Yeah! Come on!
Mikey!
(audience gasping)
Strike three! You're out!
Okay, who's up now?
(engine humming)
(engine roaring)
♪ ♪
Geez!
(motor stops)
(tires squealing)
(screams)
You really want to do this, Mikey?
Well, actually, I'd rather race you, Deacon,
not one of your sidekicks.
You want me, you gotta take my people first.
MAN: Right.
Give your pink slip to Chang.
Yeah. Yeah.
Winner takes the loser's car.
No argument, no tears
and no bitching to the cops.
That's life in the fast lane.
MAN: There ain't no cops.
Let's do it!
Right!
Let's do it! Come on!
(engine starting)
Deacon beat your son again.
That black kid beat your boy!
He's a loser.
Mikey, why can't you make me proud?!
I can't believe it, man.
Hey! What the hell you got in that thing?
Give me the keys.
No.
No way, man.
Deacon. Come here.
You know this little punk cheated.
What are you running, Mikey?
None of your business, man.
I won that race fair and square.
Now give me your keys!
You're not taking my car!
What you say you give the guy his car back, huh?
I mean, you blew his doors off. Isn't that enough?
You made the rules, Deacon.
That's life in the fast lane.
Ha!
(car door opens and closes)
(engine starting)
(engine revving)
(tires squeal)
Sorry, that's the largest bag I've got.
Thank you.
MICKI: Jack?
Micki, you all right?
Oh! Only half an hour until to closing, thank God!
My feet are killing me. Oh, I know the feeling.
There's gotta be an easier way to make a living.
We've had worse days, Micki. Huh?
Jack picked this up on his last trip to Hong Kong.
He got it from a Shinto monk,
but he only used it every Year of the Rat.
Hi, Mr. Fiorno.
You come to check out our great prices?
Just looking.
Dominic. Nice of you to drop by.
Can I help you with anything?
Ah, it's Michael's birthday, my son.
He'll be 21.
Oh. Congratulations.
How is he? We don't see him anymore.
He's okay.
Mikey and me, we never saw eye-to-eye for a long time.
Now, he's a man.
Maybe we could talk.
Well, maybe we can find something.
Does he, uh... collect anything?
Cars. His whole life is cars.
That's a little out of our line.
Uh, Dominic, why did you think
that he'd be interested in something we stock?
Well, he came here a lot when Lewis ran the place.
I don't know why.
Maybe he felt sorry for the old guy.
Mike ever buy anything from Lewis?
No. I don't think so. Why?
We're just curious.
Here, let me show you some of the stuff
I've got in the back of the store. Here...
Fiorno? Yeah.
(sighs) Nothing.
No.
That doesn't rule out Lewis giving the kid a gift.
Well, why would Mike visit Lewis to begin with?
Every neighbor we've ever talked to
wouldn't even come near the place.
Let alone allow his kids to spend any time here.
Yes. I don't know, but it might mean
that there's an object out there
that we don't know anything about.
You want us to talk to Mike?
Yes. Yes, I'll go on searching here.
I might come up with something with the Fiorno name on it.
(people laughing)
MAN: All right.
Hey, Mikey.
What you doing on foot?
Your car too good for this place?
When are we running, Deacon?
You want to race me, Mikey?
You got to prove yourself.
What do you mean, prove myself?
You gotta get by me first.
I'm not racing you.
I'm racing him.
What's your hurry, Mikey?
I'm not going nowhere,
but you know, when I finish working on my car,
I'm gonna have to take it out for a test drive,
so why don't you give your number to Chang...
and we'll give you a call.
Stop beating around the bush, Deacon.
I'm ready to race you.
Just tell me when.
CHANG: The quarry road.
Highway Patrol breaks for coffee at 2:00.
All right, I'll see you there.
MAN: All right!
Let's go.
WOMAN: Firefight.
MAN: Get there early.
RYAN: Mike!
Mike, how you doing?
Uh, Micki and Ryan From the antique store
next to your dad's. How you been?
Yeah. How you doing? Nice to see you.
Hi. What's going on?
Well, um, actually we'd like to talk to you.
It is kind of important.
Um, two minutes of your time?
Yeah, sure. Why not?
You still racing, Mike?
Yeah. Of course I am.
I'm racing tonight, in fact, if you, uh,
you want to come see me.
You're not worried about them?
Who? The cops? Nah.
What's so important, guys?
Well, it's about our Uncle Lewis.
His books are in a mess
and we're trying to pull together an inventory
and we were wondering if perhaps you bought something from him?
Who me? Nah. Nah.
Why would I want to buy any of that stuff?
Yeah, well, uh, we just thought
that because you spent so much time with him...
At least I wasn't home.
RYAN: What do you mean?
Nothing.
Mike,
are you sure you didn't get anything from Lewis?
It's important.
Yeah. Of course I'm sure.
Hey, listen, I got to go, okay?
I'll see you later, all right?
Okay.
Yeah.
Yeah, sure. No problem.
I'll give you a call, all right?
Doing business with the cops, Dead Boy?
Hey, hey, relax.
Dudes just asked us some questions.
Just wanted to know if I knew anyone
who drove a black late-model,
maybe with front-end damage.
What did you tell them?
I said I'd think about it.
But, uh, but, listen.
Maybe, you know, if I got my car back,
I wouldn't have to think at all.
You want your car?
You know where to find me.
Come and get it.
(rock song blaring in building, dogs barking)
MIKE: Who's there?
It's your father.
What do you want?
It's your birthday.
I got you something sort of special to me.
So?
Michael, please.
I haven't seen you since your mother's funeral.
That's about all we got left in common, Pop.
I buried Mom.
I'll bury you, too.
Michael, please, I'm trying here.
I know we haven't gotten along,
but we're family, and we should try.
Hey. Hey. Don't give me that sentimental crap, okay?
You're just old. And lonely.
You finally realized I'm the only one
you got left to lean on.
Listen here.
I'm your father.
Show some respect!
You show me respect!
All you ever show'd me was how worthless I was.
I don't need your love, Pop.
All I need is for you to see how wrong you were.
Then I could care less what happens to you.
You have no right to talk to me like this!
Hey, listen. You take whatever it is
you brought me and get out of here, okay?
When I want something from you, I'll come and get it.
Michael, please!
Hey. I still have the only present you ever gave me.
You, remember this?
You thought it was funny, didn't you?
Why would I give a car to you?
Deacon's got a car.
Maybe Deacon deserved a car.
Deacon is a winner, like I was.
Heh. He's not like you.
Let me tell you something, Pop.
I'm gonna show you.
I'm gonna be what you always wanted me to be.
♪ ...for the soul ♪
♪ Might take a taxi ♪
♪ Might take a train ♪
♪ Everybody gets there the same ♪
♪ It's a long, long, long road... ♪
♪ Long, long road ♪
It's out back.
♪ Long, long... ♪
Oh, man...
Hey, Mikey!
You forgot to unlock the gate.
Mikey, no!
Mikey, please! Mikey!
Thanks.
JACK: I think of that's just about all of Lewis's receipts
for the last few years.
If he gave Mike anything of value, it should be in here.
Jack, I get the feeling that Mike was lying.
He was acting very strange.
I think that had to do
more with that police car than with us, Micki.
These guys are street racers.
They race for money,
sometimes even each other's cars.
But where?
Well, anywhere they can get away with it--
a country road, an abandoned airstrip.
There's nothing that much
out of the ordinary about this, Jack.
It happens all the time, all across the country.
Yeah. Maybe it does, but this doesn't.
"A Highway Patrol spokesman today speculated
a motorcyclist killed Wednesday
fell victim to the car sought in five recent fatalities."
What kind of car
are they looking for?
All they seem to know is that it's black.
Looks like we get to see Mike race after all. Yeah.
Oh, uh, Micki.
I'm afraid I need you here.
Between the two of us, we might be able
to get through all these receipts by morning.
You're right.
Oh...
Thank you.
♪ You did your great escape... ♪
♪ Well, I just thought of you, girl ♪
♪ It's all you left behind ♪
♪ When you bring back honey to lose that piece of a guy... ♪
Nice car.
What are you, a mortician?
Friend of Mike Fiorno's.
Is Mike around?
He'll be here.
How do you know him?
I, uh, work next door to his dad's store.
Old Dominic?
Yeah.
How's he doing? I haven't seen him
since Mikey's Mom died.
Good.
Yeah, I... I guess.
Bet he's not too happy Mikey's racing, huh?
Old Dominic used to be one of the fastest drivers in town,
but he let Mikey buy a car.
Why is that?
Didn't figure he deserved one.
Having a car was a sign of manhood to him,
but the minute the old lady died, Mikey got one.
Probably did it
just to get old Dominic mad.
(engine revving)
Hey, that's Dead Boy's car.
You're nuts, man!
You can't beat me in that thing.
CHANG: Hey, Mikey!
Kiss that junker good-bye!
♪ ♪
(tires screeching)
I had you! No way you could have
beat me without a boost.
Give me your keys.
I'm not losing my car to that piece of garbage.
What's going on here, Mikey?
Chang always beat Dead Boy by a mile.
I'm not Dead Boy.
You're next, Deacon.
RYAN: It was unbelievable.
The car Mike was driving actually glowed.
Well, maybe he has got
something special helping him.
What did you guys find out last night?
This. I don't know how it connects, though.
"One silver chain"? Mm-hmm.
"A birthday gift for Mike. No charge."
1983. Mike would have been what?
He was 16, but if he's using it...
I don't know. He waited five years for some reason.
Well, one of his friends told me
he didn't get a car until last year.
I don't get it. What does a silver chain
have to do with hit-and-runs?
I think that's the next thing that we go after.
You two get some rest.
I want to see if you can find out
any more from those kids tonight, hmm?
Thank you.
What are you doing here?
I just came to look for you.
Look, Deacon wants to talk to you.
He don't want to talk to me.
He wants to know what I have under the hood. Right? Huh?
DEACON: That's right.
You see, I'm building something real special,
and I was thinking maybe you could help.
I told you already, all I want to do is beat you.
What are you trying to prove?
You know, Mikey,
I don't have a problem with you.
You want to be one of my people?
You're in.
Get out.
Mike.
About my car.
I want it back.
DOMINIC: Deacon's a winner, like I was.
He's not like you.
Here. You want a car, huh?
Here.
(echoing): You see, it's blank... just like you...
Come back when you're worth something...
Maybe then you'll have a car to go with it.
Oh, Dominic.
Is there something wrong with the present?
I changed my mind.
Oh, well, of course.
I'll see that you get a refund.
Oh. How is Michael, by the way?
You know, Ryan went to see him race last night.
I hear he's very good.
Incidentally,
I was checking the records and I noticed
that Lewis has given your son a silver chain.
What about it?
One of a set. We'd very much like to buy it back.
You won't get that chain back from him.
He wears it to spite me.
He wears a key that I...
Key? What key?
Dominic, tell me about the key.
Maybe I can help.
How are you gonna help?
I've done all I could.
The kid is bad, and that's that.
What is that all about?
I don't really know, Micki,
but we were right about that silver chain.
Mike is wearing it, along with some kind of key.
Oh, gee... Well, what's that got to do with the chain?
Well, you know people wear things around their necks
that they value, things like lockets, religious medals and...
Wait a second. You're saying that the key
means something special to Mike?
Well, yes, but I think
that only Lewis knew what it was.
You know, Micki, I think that it's time we...
Wake Ryan. Yes.
So that's all we know.
Okay. Thanks again.
Okay. No problem.
GIRL: Let's get out of here.
Are they out racing somewhere?
One of their friends was killed in a hit-and-run.
They found the body after the race last night.
Do you think Mike has something to do with it?
I think we ought to go see him.
He was driving the dead guy's car.
Oh, geez.
(tires squeal)
RYAN: There he is.
I'll kill the lights.
♪ ♪
You better put your lights on, Micki. This is crazy.
We're gonna have to hold back, then.
At least we'll still be around to follow him.
About time.
I'm freezing my butt off.
What'd you drag me all the way out here for, Mikey?
Where's my car?
Where's the money?
Stay right here, okay?
I'll be right back.
(screams)
I haven't seen any place he could turn off.
He must still be in front of us.
Let's just hope he's had to slow down, too.
(straining)
(tires squealing)
That's him!
That wasn't his car!
Then he's changed cars.
That was him, damn it.
♪ ♪
(both gasp)
(screaming)
(brakes squealing)
(groans)
Oh, my God! Come on!
RYAN: Mike!
MICKI: Mike?
(moaning)
(siren wailing)
(over speaker) Dr. Holt to Emergency. Dr. Holt...
How is he?
They just wheeled him out of surgery.
Oh. Thank goodness you're both all right.
Mr. Fiorno? This way, please.
The doctor would like to talk to you.
No, no. No, no, no. This, this gentleman.
(over speaker) Dr. Jacob to lounge area five.
Dr. Jacob. What the hell happened?
Well, we were tailing him in his black car.
We lost him, and all of a sudden
he was passing us in another one.
We just tried to keep behind him, and all of a sudden
he lost control. His friend was killed.
Did you find the chain? He wasn't wearing it.
No. We brought him here as fast as we could,
and we called you. If you stay here,
we'll go try to find Mike's car, huh? Yeah.
(over speaker): Dr. Harris, call O.R. five.
Doctor!
Mike Fiorno, is he okay?
Oh, right. You brought him in.
There's no way of knowing, yet.
Take a look at this.
I don't know how this happened,
but there's a chain wrapped right around his heart,
from the mitral atrium to the ventricle tricuspid,
and there's a key wedged here against the thoracic nerve.
What kind of key?
A car key,
one of those blanks you get cut at the hardware store.
I couldn't risk moving it,
and with the amount of hemorrhaging he'd suffered,
I couldn't keep him open any longer.
You're leaving it in him?
Any attempt to remove it now would kill him for sure.
The best we can do is monitor his condition
and see what happens.
I'm sorry.
(monitor beeping)
I always knew something like this would happen,
'cause you were always getting hurt when I drove.
Maybe I never treated you right as a kid, Mikey...
...but I was always worried about you--
just like I'm worried now.
What in the hell are we gonna do?
I don't know, but I think one thing is certain,
is that car key and that chain helped him to win those races.
Yeah, but he had to kill somebody to do it.
Well, yes. I'll bet that that kid was probably dead
before the accident. Another hit-and-run!
We've gotta find that car.
Wait a minute, Jack. Jack, Micki--
This, this may not be as bad as we think.
We can't get the key back, but maybe he can't use it either.
Well, I don't know, Ryan.
That key is more in his possession now
than ever, isn't it?
(monitor beeping)
(labored breathing)
(groaning)
(continuous groans)
(laughing)
JACK: Anything?
Jack, we've combed every inch of that road
and the countryside around it.
The car just isn't there.
(sighs)
Well, we know he changed cars.
It must be somewhere.
It can't just have disappeared.
Jack, it's been three weeks.
If we haven't found it by now, we're not going to.
Yeah... Maybe it's too late anyway.
I called the hospital.
Mike was released this morning.
You think he'll race again?
I don't think there's any doubt.
We've got to try and find him fast.
Wait a minute. I'll, I'll go to the drive-in.
Why don't you see if he's at his garage, hmm?
Mikey?
Mikey, is that you?
Are you ready to race me, Deacon?
Come on, man.
You don't look like you ready to do anything.
What's wrong?
You afraid you'll end up driving a pink Cadillac?
I can beat you, Deacon.
I've waited long enough for this, don't you think?
What's going on here, man?
Look at you.
You look like hell, you know that?
You and my old man been on top of me long enough.
What are you talking about?
Well, if it wasn't for him,
I wouldn't have this competitive drive,
now, would I?
It's just cars.
It's for fun.
My turn to have all the fun, now.
You see, you're the loser
and I'm the winner.
Is that concept too hard for you to grasp?
Yeah.
You're the winner, Mikey.
Big winner.
Okay. I'll meet you there in three hours,
and don't you be late, you twisted freak.
I'm gonna shut you down once and for all, Mikey.
You got that?
Mike.
I know about the key, Mike.
For God's sake, people can't keep dying
so you can keep winning races.
What-what does it prove?
I guess I just ain't the guy my father thought I was.
What are you trying to say?
A real caring, highly evolved man.
Said I was nothing till I win a race.
No, Mike, Mike, no.
Look, I-I didn't get along with my father, either.
But you can't go looking for revenge.
It doesn't work.
It's gonna work this time, though.
It's gonna work real good.
Take me for a ride, Mike?
Beat it.
(engine roaring)
(tires squealing, Micki gasps)
What are you doing here?
What's this car doing here?
Maybe it drove itself.
(laughing)
(engines revving)
(Mike continues laughing)
(laughing)
(tires squealing)
(engine growling)
(tires screeching)
(tires squealing, Micki screaming)
(tires screeching)
Ryan!
(tires squealing)
(car door slamming)
How did you do that?
Good question.
Michael, I saw you.
I saw what happened.
Cops are right outside, Pop.
Why don't you tell them?
Michael... Oh, that's right.
If you tell them, they may think you're crazy and put you
in a psycho ward.
But you see, Pop, if they believe you,
they'll throw me in jail.
You can still make a loser out of me.
What's happening to you?
I'm just becoming what you always wanted me to be, Pop.
Why are you doing this to me?
To watch you crawl.
To make you feel helpless, to make you feel small...
and stupid.
Tonight's my night, Pop.
Tonight I get to beat you at your own game.
And I get to beat Deacon.
And then, I get to take your nose and rub it
in everything you said about him.
Is that all you understand, you old fool, huh?
You don't like who I am,
you got nobody to blame but yourself.
UNCLE LEWIS: I put a chain on it, Mike,
so you can wear it around your neck.
Now it's a real gift.
Very special one.
(Lewis chuckling)
Yes.
(laughing)
You see, I owe you one, Pop.
I really do.
You see, this is the first time in my life
I like who I am.
(engine growling)
(tires squealing)
There's got to be something we can do.
Oh, Ryan, there's no way they can take that object
from Mike without killing him-- you know that.
But now, that car can be anywhere he wants it.
Yeah, and he'll always have an alibi.
Anyone he kills will be just another hit and run.
If only we knew why, what drives him,
then maybe we could stop him.
Well, he won't listen to reason.
That's... that's out.
Winning's all he thinks about.
(chimes tinkling) Oh.
Dominic.
Mr. Fiorno, what's wrong?
Can we help you?
I never been good at asking for help.
Well, what is it, Dominic?
Michael.
When he was a kid, I... I thought if I made him tough,
he'd turn into something.
Be somebody.
He hated me then.
He ran to his mother, he hid with your Uncle Lewis,
but I thought, when he grew up,
he'd understand why I did it.
What are you saying?
I told him all the other kids were better than him.
Especially that black kid, Deacon.
I always held him up to Michael as an example.
So, now, by getting back at Deacon,
he also gets back at you.
For his 16th birthday,
I gave him that blank car key.
And he brought it right over here to Lewis?
And Lewis showed him how to use it.
No, Lewis only helped.
I was the one who turned him into who he is.
(engines rumbling)
(tires squealing)
It's too late, they're ready to go.
It's all up to you, Mikey.
Don't let him get to you now.
Don't let him get to you.
Come on.
♪ When I was a baby ♪
♪ On Mama's knee ♪
♪ I said, "Oh Mama ♪
♪ Carry me, carry me" ♪
♪ She said, "Now, sonny, live on your own ♪
♪ "Whenever you may wander ♪
♪ Far from home, far from home"... ♪
Strike one!
What the hell you thinking of, Mikey?
There's two out, and you're all that's left.
♪ Everybody gets there just the same... ♪
(tires screeching)
♪ Long, long haul ♪
♪ Long, long haul... ♪
Strike two! Go after him, Mikey.
Show him what you're made of.
Show me some guts, little wimp.
(tires screeching)
RYAN: Dominic!
My God, no!
DOMINIC: I was the one who turned him into who he is.
♪ Asked the preacher man... ♪
He's not stopping.
Oh, my God.
♪ It's all lies, all lies, lies, all lies ♪
♪ Working on the chain gang ♪
♪ 50 years or more ♪
♪ Yeah, the man were working ♪
♪ Yeah now that's for sure, that's for sure ♪
♪ Might take a taxi, might catch a plane ♪
♪ Everybody gets there just the same ♪
♪ It's a long, long haul ♪
♪ Long, long haul. ♪
You ready to go?
The funeral's in half an hour.
Yeah, yeah.
I was just gonna put this in the vault.
I still can't believe we found it.
Yeah, well, it was about the only thing left.
What's really bothering you, Ryan?
After all these deaths,
you'd think this would be something more special.
Ah, maybe what's special is how Lewis
kept on finding new ways to unleash evil.
Yeah, like getting Mike to trust him,
confide in him...
And reveal his deepest need.
Yeah, and then to use that key
to unlock all the anger, hatred and pain
that was bottled up in that boy.
Just to prove he was worth something.
What a waste.
I wonder how many other time bombs
Lewis helped along.
I don't know, Micki.
I guess that's something
we can look forward to finding out.