The princess is under close security.
The guards have been assigned to her
since her marriage to Prince Arkadi.
They're well-trained.
And they would die for her.
CARON: Every man has his price.
As you've demonstrated, my friend.
Next.
How often is the Palace Guard changed?
There are six units of eight men each,
working in shifts.
The guard detail is changed every four hours.
That's all I have.
You've done well.
I've betrayed my country.
I'm sure this will comfort your conscience.
There's no need for that.
You're in a very dangerous neighborhood.
What will happen to her?
I think you know as much as you need.
No!
[ theme music playing ]
ROWING COACH: Let's go!
Stroke!
Keep pushing!
All eyes on the lead!
Coordination.
Rhythm and coordination.
I guess that's what counts.
Yeah, well, Ginger Rogers had rhythm and coordination,
but I don't think she'd have made the crew.
I rowed stroke on the Berkeley fours.
That's awhile ago, now.
Take a look at the blue shell.
That'll bring back old times.
MALE VOICE: Good morning, Jim.
Elaine Murchison was the daughter of
the United States Ambassador to the small European principality
of Valence, where she met and fell in love with Prince Arkadi,
the country's ruler.
to the Warsaw Pact nations.
Because of Elaine's influence and his increasing exposure
to American ways, Prince Arkadi has begun to negotiate
an alliance with the West, and has begun
the democratization of his own country.
This alliance would include a new American naval base
in Valence Harbor, greatly improve our deterrent capability
in Europe, and help to maintain peace and stability in the area.
None of which would suit this man:
Grigor Caron, a rabid anti-American
and leader of a group known as the Valence Red Guard.
Caron is dedicated to preventing
the prince's alliance with the West.
We believe he has offered a million dollars
to employ an assassin to kill Princess Elaine,
as the first step in a campaign of terror against the prince.
Your mission, Jim,
should you decide to accept it,
is to prevent the assassination and to bring Caron to justice.
As always, should you or any of your IM Force
be caught or killed,
the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions.
This disc will self-destruct in five seconds.
Good luck, Jim.
NICHOLAS: A million-dollar assassination.
The Valence Red Guards are very wealthy terrorists.
No, not any more.
That payment seems to have emptied their treasury
and put them in serious debt to Libya, who financed them.
So, it's almost certain that Caron is going to be needing
a new source of income. And urgently,
because Libya doesn't like to be kept waiting.
Well, why don't they just fly the princess to America,
until the plot's been defused?
Well, that seems the logical thing to do.
Well, it would be if it weren't for Princess Elaine herself.
But she's a very... independent young lady,
and she's determined not to be scared off
from carrying out her official duties.
What's so important she can't wait a week or so?
Only... this.
SHANNON: Hmm...
A film festival?
Yes... this year, the Principality of Valence
is host to the European Film Festival
and the princess is their patroness.
What, and she's prepared to risk her life for that?
Well, Valence's economy is based largely on tourism.
The festival's very important to them.
All those visitors.
Crowds... personal appearances...
She's going to be an easy target.
Yeah, that's exactly what we have to prevent.
This abandoned warehouse is about to become
our base of operations, and a film studio,
and a trap to snare an assassin.
[ hammers pounding in distance ]
A little more set-dressing, we'll be ready for production.
And I'll be ready for my first public appearance.
PHELPS: Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Very kind of you.
[ applause ]
- Thank you. Thank you. - Thank you.
Autographs? No, sorry. No time for that.
Ah... Harry A. Palmer, your Highnesses.
Producer, director, writer of The Lady of Sin.
This is a great honor.
Welcome to Valence, Mr. Palmer.
Mr. Palmer. The honor is ours.
And this beautiful young woman is my leading lady,
Miss Irina Curson.
Your Highness, it's an honor.
PHELPS: She is a great actress,
going to be a very big star. One of these days,
you'll be able to tell your friends you knew her when.
I don't believe we've seen your film, Mr. Palmer.
Is it entered in the festival?
GRANT: We're covering a lot of ground with that tap
into the theater's security cameras.
PHELPS [ on monitor ]: Not yet, no.
Two years in the making, 50,000 feet of film
already shot and in the can.
We're doing location shots here in Valence now.
You must allow us to extend our hospitality to you,
Miss Curson, while you're here.
Why, that's very kind of you.
We're honored. We'd be pleased to accept.
Hold it right there.
You got it.
Well, he doesn't seem to be assassin material.
Yeah, number 113.
Every one of 'em clear so far.
[ bluesy music, laughter, conversation ]
Well?
[ whispering ]: Keep asking questions,
and you're gonna wake up in an alley...
with your throat cut.
You're wasting your time.
That's to show you, you haven't been wasting yours.
There's another five of those, if you can put me in touch.
MAN: Hey, hey, what? What? What's the matter, huh?
So, you...
want to see Caron?
Well, that's the general idea.
Why?
I'll tell him when I meet him.
That, of course, may never happen.
It already has.
Who are you?
What's more important is what I do for a living.
And what is that?
I work for a security company.
We run the armored cars
that service the Valence Casino.
So?
So, I'm tired of working for a weekly salary.
I've got a plan to take out one of those armored cars.
What's all of this got to do with me?
You...
and your Red Guard are gonna help me do it.
I think you know much more than is good for your health.
[ keypad beeping ]
[ phone ringing ]
Valence Security Company.
Uh, I'd like to talk to a friend of mine, Nicholas Black.
Should be in the office there, working in back.
I'm terribly sorry,
but, Mr. Black left the office at about 5:30.
He should be back tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m.
Would you like to leave a message?
No, that's all right. I'll call in the morning.
I called the security company.
He is who he says he is.
Leave it on the table.
Keep your hands in sight.
Well, then, I think it's time we told you what we had in mind.
We?
My partner.
Mr. Wasiri.
Tell him.
The cars are manned by two.
Guard, driver.
They're armed with .45-caliber Brownings,
12-gauge shot.
They change the route form the Casino to the bank every trip.
Tomorrow's route.
They begin loading the money at 8:00 a.m.
That's where and when.
I want to know how.
Well, "how" is a little more difficult.
Two men can't handle it.
Gonna need your help.
It may be a little dangerous.
You don't look the type to get your hands dirty.
I get the feeling my men will be doing all the work
and taking all the risks.
Why don't we just forget this? I'll buy you a drink.
A glass of milk perhaps?
All right, now, you just behave yourself.
You lie there nice and quiet
and I'll tell you when to get up.
Mr. Black, it seems I may have underestimated you.
A diamond drill.
That should cut through steel like knife through butter.
I can think of a better use for diamonds.
Well, I don't have to tell you that Caron will be armed
and the real security guards
have no knowledge of this operation.
Well, if everything goes according to plan,
there shouldn't be any shooting.
We'll make sure the guards are safe.
Yo, do I get the same guarantee?
[ laughs quietly ]
We're in for a rough ride.
They should be leaving the casino... now.
It's time to move.
[ ♪ ]
Road must be under repair.
Maybe.
Hey, what the!?
[ drill whirring ]
Nice!
[ hissing ]
[ coughing ]
[ groans ]
[ tires squealing ]
You're not going to need that.
[ chirping ]
SHANNON: That's Grant's signal.
GRANT: Everything went perfectly, guys.
Good. You know what to do.
I suppose it had occurred to you that all I need to do
is pull this trigger, and your share becomes mine.
Yeah, well, it crossed my mind.
What the hell?!
I feel dizzy.
What is it? I can't focus.
The gas! They forgot to turn off the gas!
You're telling me that it was a simple robbery.
I don't know what you mean, we just...
Steiger, gently, gently, gently.
You don't want to kill him, too.
Just tell me about the assassination.
When and where?
Good morning, Mr. Caron.
Perhaps you can help us.
Your friend here is being very foolishly stubborn.
Oh, he'll help us all right.
Steiger.
There's no need for brutality.
You and I are men of breeding, Mr. Caron.
We don't have to descend to the level of animals.
Now, we know about the planned assassination.
We know you and your friends are involved.
So, we simply keep you here under the tender ministrations
of Captain Steiger,
and the killing won't take place.
I don't know what you're talking about.
I'm talking about the assassination.
Your friend, Pavel, talked.
And unfortunately,
he died before we could get the details.
Captain Steiger tends to get a little carried away.
[ laughing ]
The assassination will take place with or without me.
Or Pavel.
I see.
Then you must tell me when and where and how.
You'll get nothing out of me.
Perhaps not.
You?
Get him out of here.
I've finished with him.
So, what's going to happen to me?
You've got nothing more to worry about.
[ laughing ]
Men of breeding, you and I.
We don't like to inflict pain.
Unless it's absolutely necessary.
You...
murdered him in cold blood.
The assassination, Mr. Caron.
[ gun cocks ]
The assassination, now tell me.
Caron's about to break.
Now tell us about the assassination.
SHANNON: I don't blame him.
You can't do this. You'd just kill me?!
I seem to have managed pretty well with your friend.
We're wasting time. Let's get this over with.
Wait!
All right, I'll tell you everything I know.
It's true... the princess will be assassinated.
Nothing can stop it.
You can stop it. You can call off your men.
It's not that simple. My men aren't doing it.
What are you talking about?
We hired someone... a professional killer.
Who?
That's just the trouble. I don't know.
I am losing patience with you.
I swear, I'm telling you the truth.
We only know him by code name... "Coyote."
Describe him.
[ sighs ]
They say he's an American.
I don't know... I've never seen him. No one has.
It's the way he works.
You must have a contact for him.
There's... there's a woman.
She's his partner.
She takes the job on Coyote's behalf.
She checks it out, makes sure it's not a trap.
Then she just disappears.
Once the contract's out, it can't be cancelled.
I don't believe you.
I do.
Your friend Pavel is not dead.
He's in police custody.
Along with two very angry but unharmed security men.
Nicholas?
Blanks.
And some minor special effects.
Everything's on tape.
Enough to make things very difficult
for Mr. Caron and his Red Guard.
Then I think we can say goodbye to Mr. Caron.
Thank you for your help.
You just can't trust anyone now, can you?
[ groans ]
Well, that should knock him out for about six hours.
PHELPS: You know what to do with him, Max.
What do we have?
A lot.
But not enough.
Coyote's real, all right.
He's deadly.
He's been credited with the killing of
two African heads of state, a police chief in the U.S.,
a general and his aide in El Salvador,
maybe half a dozen or so other killings all over the world.
No two killings have the same M.O.
[ sighs ]
No identification, no descriptions,
no fingerprints, no clues.
Perfect crimes.
If a crime can be perfect.
Police?
I'd like to report something very strange.
Well, there's this armored car...
Yes, like the banks use.
Down near the riverbank, near Medusa Park.
Well... there seems to be a man in it.
No, I don't think he's going anywhere.
All those killings, and not one slip.
No clues, no witnesses...
GRANT: Wait a minute, that's not true.
About witnesses.
Let me access the press reports on those killings.
Yeah, every one of them was committed in front of hundreds,
sometimes thousands of witnesses.
It's almost as though the killer deliberately sought out
the most public occasion.
Coyote loves an audience.
Yeah, and that could turn out to be his downfall.
Grant, I want you to process all Coyote's killings.
I want to know every detail of how they were carried out,
and when and where and why.
And maybe from that information we can extrapolate some clue
to Coyote's character. We know he likes an audience.
All right, that's an ego problem.
It could be the start to building up a picture of him.
It's on the way.
Now, how are the plans coming for the press conference?
Well, we've set it up to coincide
with the prince's Garden Party.
And that'll guarantee us a total media blitz
throughout the whole day.
Every newspaper, radio and television station in Valence.
Oh, Coyote would have to be deaf and blind to miss it.
All right. Let's start working on that ego of his.
It's a great honor...
[ indistinct conversation ]
PHOTOGRAPHER: One more! One more!
NICHOLAS: Miss Curson...
Excuse me.
Miss Curson...
Irina, please.
Lady of Sin is your first starring role,
yet you're letting it go to take on this new part.
Well, actually, I don't know a lot about producing.
But Harry, here, said that the film is in a lot of trouble...
I think what... what the little lady is trying to say
is that Lady of Sin has just been temporarily
placed on the back burner.
Now, this is to allow Harry A. Palmer Productions to devote
a lot of its time and considerable resources
to this spectacular new project.
NICHOLAS: And this new film is to be called Assassin?
Well, catchy titles make cash registers ring, my friend.
Assassin, produced and directed by Harry A. Palmer...
and co-starring Miss Irina Curson.
Co-starring?
Now, I'd like you to meet the star of Assassin,
a young man destined to be a bigger box-office draw
than Rudolph Valentino.
May I present... Mr. Larry Phillips.
- How do you do. Hi. - Well, Mr. Phillips,
what exactly is your role in Assassin?
I don't know if Mr. Palmer has told you or not, but, uh,
the role is based on a true story.
I play the part of the assassin himself...
the international killer known as Coyote.
PHELPS: With the beautiful Irina Curson playing Princess Evelyn.
Now, she is the wife of the ruler
of a small European country,
and Coyote's next planned victim.
The story's dramatic, exciting,
and what's more, it's based on fact.
After two years of researching and writing the screenplay
for Assassin, I feel like I've learned more about the character
and methods of Coyote than the police and Interpol.
I know him.
I know how he works.
What his weaknesses are.
NICHOLAS: So, "Assassin" is a true story
based on a past crime of Coyote's?
GRANT: Not exactly.
Assassin is based on a crime that's about to happen.
NICHOLAS: Are you saying that you know
who Coyote's next victim will be?
That's all for now, ladies and gentlemen.
We don't want to give away too much of the plot, do we?
I wonder just how much you do know.
But, I will say this.
When Assassin reaches the screen,
the real Coyote will be a marked man.
I think Coyote better pay you a visit,
Mr. Harry A. Palmer.
You may know too much for your own good.
[ ♪ ]
there's a woman.
She's his partner.
She takes the job on Coyote's behalf.
[ ♪ ]
PHELPS: All we can do now is wait,
and see if Coyote takes the bait.
Someone's in here!
[ screams ]
[ moans ]
[ groans ]
MAX: How is she?
Well, the doctors have been working on her all night.
But she's still critical.
[ sighs ]
If she hadn't pushed me aside, it would have been me.
Oh, don't blame yourself, Jim. You couldn't have done anything.
You said, uh... the place was in total darkness.
Well, there was a light in the corridor.
And then when I went to hit the switch in the studio,
that's when she yelled and shoved me aside.
Well, she yelled someone was there...
in the dark?
She must have seen him move.
Oh, her eyes wouldn't have adjusted to the darkness.
But she knew someone was there.
She must have heard something.
Well, if she did, I certainly didn't.
I'm going back to the studio.
Keep me in touch.
Just a few moments.
[ sighs ]
Jim...
You rest.
[ panting ]
Camion.
What?
[ panting ]
Camion.
"Camion"? That's it?
Yeah, I think it's French.
A carriage. A horse-drawn carriage or a cab.
That's all she said?
Yeah, that's all she said... "camion."
But does it mean anything?
Yeah, it means she's till alive.
That's the main thing.
Yeah, well, the doctor said she's got every chance.
She's strong and she's a fighter.
Well, thank God for that.
Maybe it's a trade name or a company name.
Let's give it a shot.
Perfume!
Camion... She smelled perfume!
Coyote's a woman!
[ ♪ ]
Explain it to me.
Basically, this thing's a spectrometer.
It draws on a sample scent... perfume...
and breaks it down into its spectral wavelengths,
converting them...
to visible colors.
So there are no two scents that show the same color spectrum.
Watch the screen.
Now, Coyote must have operated our recorder and monitor.
There were light traces of Camion on the switches.
I picked them up on a swab.
When perfume is applied to a woman's skin,
it reacts, changes slightly.
So each woman's perfume is unique to her,
and her alone.
When I find the match,
that's the clue that will lead us straight to Coyote.
I guess I really fouled things up.
You kept me from taking a.22 bullet in the heart.
And you found out that Coyote is a woman.
Now, if that's fouling up, yes, you're right,
you did foul up.
[ chuckles ]
Thank you.
What about her?
If we've done our research right,
tonight should be the night.
The awards presentation.
It's the biggest night of the festival.
Coyote loves an audience.
The bigger the better.
And thanks to your tip about the perfume, Grant's figured out
a way to screen every woman at the presentation.
[ lively, indistinct conversation ]
[ ♪ ]
[ applause ]
Good evening, ladies.
Autograph? No, sorry. No time right now.
Thank you.
MAN: Palmer... Harry A. Palmer.
Sure, my pleasure. There you go.
My pleasure. Will you excuse me?
Every girl I've checked has come clean.
Keep on checking.
I want the woman who shot Shannon.
Waiter!
MAN [ over P.A. ] Ladies and gentlemen,
It's my honor and privilege
to welcome you all to the annual Valence Film Festival.
We trust you have enjoyed
the fine films we've seen over the past few days.
Now, if you would all be kind enough to take your seats,
we will proceed with the presentation of awards.
At this time, we'd like to introduce our royal hosts,
Prince Arkadi and Princess Elaine.
As you all know, the Festival this year has been graced
with some of the best films to come out of Europe,
the United States, Asia,
and the countries of the Pacific for many years.
The difficulty facing the judges on this occasion was not
in selecting films of sufficiently high standard
for the awards,
but in reluctantly eliminating many fine works
that would, in other years, have undoubtedly
been considered winners.
To have been nominated at all can be considered an honor.
And now, without further ado,
her Royal Highness Princess Elaine of Valence.
Ladies and gentlemen,
we have had the privilege, over the last two weeks,
of being entertained by the works of the very best
of the world's filmmakers.
The contributions of these men and women... producers, writers,
directors, actors, designers and technicians...
all the varied and skilled artists...
combine to take us away
from the everyday into a magic world
that we might never otherwise know.
We owe them a great debt. And it is the purpose of this,
and similar festivals, to provide us with the opportunity
of showing our gratitude
and appreciation for their efforts.
Here in Valence, we take pride in
offering a particular type of award, which might...
Max! Get him! It's him!
Hey! Stop that man!
[ attendees screaming, shouting ]
Get back! It's a bomb!!
[ people screaming ]
[ explosion thundering ]
[ people screaming ]
Did she get away?
The assassin turned out to be her own victim.
Did you guys buy me all these?
[ all talking at once ]
Well, now just how many boyfriends do you need?
GRANT: Yeah?
Mm-hmm-hmm.
Yeah, I suppose four are enough.
[ all laugh ]
[ theme music playing ]