Heil Hitler.
Guten tag.
Danke, Fraulein.
How you doing, Barr?
Not too bad, George. Yourself?
Ah, same old, same old.
Feeling okay?
Haven't seen you look up from your drink all night.
Well, just... thinking about some things.
- Just thinking. - Mm. About?
Nothing important, really.
You know what? A vacation.
You need to get down to Florida.
The Keys, Barr. Do you golf?
Uh, Hawaii, maybe.
You... You ever fished a deep sea?
You know, go somewhere warm where you can spend
some of your hard-earned money and relax.
The Keys, Barr. Think of it.
Do you golf?
Those sound like the kind of places
where a man such as yourself might think a man such as myself
might go off happily to die, George.
Am I right?
Look, I didn't mean any offense, Barr, honest.
- I'm just saying you might... - I'm not offended, George.
You're right.
I should be rounding out my life
with a fishing pole and a tan,
not sitting on some wobbly stool with cheap drinks
in a crummy bar.
No offense, George.
Don't pay any attention to me.
It's the drink.
I think I'll give it up today.
Honestly. What do you think?
Good night, George. Take care.
See you tomorrow, Calvin?
See you tomorrow, George.
There it is.
Hm.
Change, mister?
Got any change?
Yeah.
Just don't, uh...
...don't spend it all on...
Ah, forget it.
Thank you.
Wallet. Keys.
I just gave the last of my money to a... bum,
a man who...
Did I say to talk?
Wallet. Now.
Give me that.
Oh. Is... Is this what you wanted?
She's pretty.
Move.
Let's go.
I can't just let you...
I need my car.
Get out of here, old man.
You're dead.
For Pete's sake.
Cripes.
You've traveled a long way, Mr. America.
And on foot.
Do they hurt?
Nyet.
You must not humor me.
I know you speak Russian.
You speak German.
You speak French.
How many other languages you do not speak?
Not many.
Bad tobacco.
And how come you've learned so many foreign tongues?
I don't know.
It comes naturally. They're just words.
Of course.
So many things come naturally to you.
Can you paint?
Do you think I can paint?
I see... artistic love in your eyes.
I think maybe you can paint.
But we need to get rid of that... beard you're wearing.
I've had a long journey to get here.
And in such secrecy.
Mr. America, the lonesome wanderer.
I wish I knew what is it that we're helping you to accomplish.
It's not important.
America thanks you.
Do you?
What?
Thank me.
I'm not America.
I'm just a mission.
You... are a human being.
And you might want to say thank you if you like.
And I might say, "You're welcome,"
and we'll have some drink.
It will be very cordial.
My mother was the daughter of Romanian Gypsies,
and she believed in the power of a straight-edge razor.
She believed that it can tell the future.
May I give you this shave?
You may.
Now, a shave can be just that... a shave.
Nothing more, nothing less.
But once we announce that this is a special shave,
that we're seeking omens...
...then there is no way back.
Hereby... I announce... the specialness.
The shave cannot be perfect. Only God is perfect.
If it's perfect and I don't cut you...
...then... you'll fail, and you'll die.
But if I make a mistake and I draw blood, then...
....you will succeed and you'll live.
But I cannot try to make a mistake
to influence or sway the final outcome
or we both will be cursed.
I must try... to be honest in each stroke.
I must try... to have steady hands.
And only if I make an accidental...
absolutely accidental mistake... if my hand shakes,
if I look aside for a moment
of if the razor catches your skin in some innocent way...
...then the blood is a good omen.
The blood is life.
But I must... try to be perfect.
And my hands must be very steady.
And you... must try not to move.
Don't you move, Mr. America, or you'll curse yourself.
It's perfect.
My hands are steady today.
And the omen is that... you will fail.
And you will die.
Put this on your face. It will feel very nice.
You will succeed in your mission, Mr. America.
Nevertheless... we are cursed.
Now, we'll bring you to where you need to be.
And beyond that, you venture alone into an unholy land.
I thank you.
You're welcome.
Now we can drink.
What is it?
It's not vodka.
You would expect a Russian to drink vodka, wouldn't you?
That's typical.
But I don't know you.
I mustn't do what you expect me to do.
We might be enemies one day.
You might think you knew me.
This. We drink gin.
Russian, that is not gin.
It is vodka.
You might think you knew me.
Good boy.
For Pete's sake.
I'll be back, buddy.
You want to come?
All right.
Let's go.
Come on.
This guy's up there killing people, you know?
Hikers and stuff, leaving big, phony-looking footprints
for the authorities to find, and it's sick.
When they find this wacko, send him down here into the States.
I'll show him a big foot... right up his...
Terrible stuff, Ralph.
That's all we know, and we eat it up.
But you're a good boy, though, right?
I think so.
Hi there.
Hi.
Oh, that's right. Let me just get, um...
Can I, uh... help you with anything?
I'm looking for a hat.
Huh.
Do you sell this kind of lottery ticket here?
Scratch ticket. Yeah.
Well, would you say this one came from here, then?
Did you buy it here?
No, I found it.
Appears to be a winner... $100.
Okay.
You want your winnings, then?
No. It's not mine.
So what do you want to do with it?
Get it back to its rightful owner or what have you.
Whoever bought it just didn't look it over good enough
and probably threw it out when they thought it was a loser.
That happens?
That happens.
- Often? - It happens.
Pretty foolish.
I think I'll just leave it here.
You don't want the winnings?
I got nothing to do with it.
Keep it handy for a couple of days.
If no one shows to collect the winnings, you keep it.
Here.
For your dog.
Thank you.
I'd just as soon pay for it myself.
Lets the dog know I'm thinking of him.
Huh.
I wonder how this one never got caught
to be burned or what have you.
Who's burning money?
The government.
They destroy the old ones every so often
so that new, crisp legal tenders can be printed up
and put out into circulation.
I was wondering how this one never got caught
to be burned or what have you.
I don't know.
Some old ones just hang around.
Hi there, Ed.
Did you get a haircut somewhere else?
Yeah. A couple of weeks ago.
Feels a little heavy.
Well, come on in, then.
It's been a while.
Well... it was growing real slow for a while there.
Then, all of a sudden, it just started growing real fast,
so... here I am.
That's one of the better problems I've ever heard of.
The numbers are backward in real life
and... normal in the mirror.
A mirror clock.
Huh.
So, how have you been? You look a little tired.
Yeah.
Oh, I'm fine.
You sure?
Yeah. I'm just...
just...
Don't... Don't jerk your head like that.
Otherwise I might take part of your ear off.
You can talk to me.
What's bothering you?
Nothing, Ed. I'm... I'm fine.
I'm just...
Nothing.
I don't know.
I feel... old.
I know... I am.
There's other things.
Things I could have done differently.
Regrets.
It's all just nonsense, Ed.
Selfish.
Nothing.
We don't talk as often as we should.
And I get that. I know why.
I'm your little brother.
- We should go fishing. - Huh.
No. I shot someone during the war.
I never wanted that.
To kill a man.
Even if he had it coming.
And he did.
Do svidaniya, Mr. America.
Sitz!
Hier.
Heil Hitler.
Mein Fuehrer.
Come on.
Hm.
Thank you.
Yeah.
Figured it was high time we had a real... you know, date.
We have, don't you think?
Not like a hamburger at Gus's or... a walk around town.
I mean like a... you know...
It's wonderful, Calvin. Thank you.
Sure.
Didn't expect to end up someplace like this
when I left class today.
If the kids could only see me.
They would laugh at me.
You look... awfully fine to me.
I'm happy, Calvin.
Thank you.
Yeah. Sure. You bet.
Only, uh, I wish that, uh...
- Yes? - What I mean to say...
Hey, move your table, pal.
It's in the way of everything.
You were saying you... you wish...
You see, I'm... I'm... I'm happy, and... and, um...
hopefully you're... you know, with me, too.
So... And... And when you're not around,
I-I'm... I'm, um...
Oh, cripes. What am I trying to say here?
Uh...
When I get back... I think we should get...
Look who it is!
Oh. Um...
You're Harold's teacher.
Harold is tickled pink
that he has a teacher who understands his pace.
And darned if he didn't tell me.
Takes an interest in model trains.
Well, my father was an engineer, so, you know, it just...
Harold tells me that you never rush through math lessons
and you always take the time to explain
this plus that equals this using apples instead of numbers.
Apples instead of numbers!
They're still numbers, but apples help the children...
He's a big eater. Loves food.
Not apples so much.
Well, maybe as numbers.
We were going to send him
to a private school, but then we thought,
how would he truly get to know regular folks
if he didn't, you know, live down among them
and mingle for a little while?
Well, it's only the third grade,
so I'm sure there'll be plenty of time for him to...
Anyway, it has just been an absolute pleasure to meet you.
And you are twice as lovely as Harold described you.
And I'd be half a man not to notice, and I do.
Hm.
Son.
Oh, uh, please. Sorry.
Um, this is Calvin, my, um...
Uh, he's leaving for the service at the end of the week.
- Nice to meet you, Mr. Calvin. - Barr.
Good man, Barr.
Don't get shot.
I'm sorry.
Calvin.
Please. Uh, you were saying.
I-I got the shakes.
Just... Just from the pace of... of...
Parents get awfully worked up over their children.
I don't know how you do it.
Dealing with people and... and... and kids.
You...
You're a saint. You know that?
What's higher than a saint?
I don't know.
Well, whatever it is...
...that's you.
I love you, Calvin.
I love you too.
Who is it, boy?
Yes?
May we come in, Mr. Barr?
We'd like to talk.
Concerning?
May we come in?
We can talk in the dining room.
I'll make coffee.
Oh, we've already eaten.
I didn't offer you a snack. I offered you coffee.
Please sit, gentlemen.
That's a good dog.
It'll be ready in a minute.
Cut to the chase, gentlemen.
You've heard about the killings up north?
It's in the news.
So you've heard, then.
What's the FBI have to do with it?
We're assisting.
What brings you here?
Monsieur Barr,
with regards to the situation in Canada,
you are privy to the, um...
Cover story.
The media ran with their angle, and so we played along.
Sometimes the best way to hide something is right out in the...
I understand how it works.
No, I don't think you do.
Not yet you don't.
Gentlemen, you are talking in circles.
Speak here.
My grandfather knew you, Barr.
He was pretty high up in Army brass.
He used to sit me up on his knee some nights and tell me stories.
Some I believed. Others, I don't know.
As he got older, the stories got stranger.
Family said he got a little senile in his old age.
I'm not so sure.
In any event, one story led to another,
and he started telling about things that, uh...
maybe he wasn't supposed to.
So he sat me up one night when I was 10, 'back in '55,
and he told me all about this one soldier.
But he wasn't describing a man.
It was more like something mythic.
Legendary, like Arthur or something.
You didn't pull any swords from any stones, did you?
But you might have done something.
Something bigger, maybe.
I think your family had him pegged.
Senility? Sure.
Maybe.
Then again, I don't know.
Maybe not.
Uh, we were advised to come and see you,
that, uh, you have, uh, some skill in tracking, that, uh...
As you probably know... that was some time past.
And as you can see, I'm an old man now.
Monsieur Barr, I want to save lives.
If this situation is not stayed now...
it could mean the very end of our world as we know it.
What?
What is this?
These look like bacterial infections.
Plague.
No, Monsieur Barr.
The Bigfoot.
The creature.
It is sick.
Here are 50 miles of deep Canadian wilderness
where it has, uh, already wiped out
an entire population of wildlife.
There is hardly a-a living creature within this tract
except for one.
The beast with many names.
Imagine all our worst fears about influenza...
in humans, bovine, swine... all of it...
coming true to life, only worse.
That thing is the original carrier of the nightmare plague.
Thing vanished. Virus mutated.
Started jumping species to species.
Stroke of luck it didn't go to the birds.
Then people started getting sick, dying... fast,
more than the press is reporting.
This area is referred to as the dead zone.
With a virus like this,
a containment breach is out of the question.
We have tested your blood, Calvin.
You are immune to the virus.
How?
With, uh, any strain of influenza,
there is a small percentage of the population that will...
How did you get my blood?
Your government had some in refrigeration.
Why?
Speaking from a strictly scientific standpoint,
y-you are unique, Monsieur Barr.
If there are others, why me?
Some are dead. Some are old. Some are children.
There are only three that can help us,
and only you remain.
We sent some of our best men in.
Those who didn't come back empty-handed
didn't come back at all.
Any hope of a vaccine would take weeks, months.
If we cannot contain the beast,
if we cannot destroy it and if it escapes...
...this could truly be the end, Calvin.
And what if it's already slipped through this 50-mile tract?
What then?
Mushroom bombs are standing by
to level the very heart of Canada.
The prime minister would like us to try another course of action,
but the president has set a timetable
for the big red button.
You're the last resort.
That thing is working its way down the map.
It's coming home.
We've read your official record, Mr. Barr.
There are certain circles in the government
that well remember the things that you've done
for this country in wartime and out of it.
The levels of training are...
And the flawless record of success.
It's perfect.
And your services run deep.
That kind of instinct never goes, does it?
Our men saw what you did to those thugs the other night.
That was a pretty piece of work.
But I want to return to my grandfather now
and something that he told me once
in his stories of war and of fighting men.
He didn't know how it was done for certain,
but my grandfather, he said that someone...
killed...
Yes. I did.
The Germans.
They moved a lot.
And I moved with them.
I shadowed the Reich back and forth
across their ill-gotten lands...
...and I moved where they moved.
Until the time was right.
Until I knew where he was.
Until I knew it was him.
And I caught up with them.
You're serious.
The Germans covered it up.
And so did we.
And history marched on, just like you read about.
By the time I got to that miserable man,
his words had grown beyond him.
And his ideas continued to do
all the damage they could possibly do without him.
That day, I just killed a man.
What he stood for was unstoppable.
I-I'm sorry. This is, uh, World War... II?
The Nazis.
They had their phonies all lined up.
Three, maybe four of them
by the time the Russians put a lid on Berlin.
Project Valkyrie? A success.
They got number two.
The last one was a coward and a womanizer...
but a coward first.
Shot himself in a bunker.
Killed his dog, too.
What do you think the little mustache was for?
The hair?
The uniform?
The entire look...
It was a costume, all part of a plan.
It's easy to fool the stupid and the willing.
What I did that day didn't mean a thing.
I just killed a man.
The monster lived on.
And in the end, the war was won by heroes.
Not me.
Do you understand?
It was nothing like the comic book you want it to be.
Now you know.
Are you happy?
S-S'il vous plaît... What are you gentlemen talking about?
All I ever did was what they said.
And that's it.
I always did exactly what they said.
So there it is.
And that's it.
So you'll help us.
I don't work for you anymore.
And now if you'll please be on your way.
I apologize for...
...the inconvenience.
But the hour is late, and my show is about to start.
How about that coffee?
You already ate.
What do you think?
Wait.
But this is your favorite.
I want you to have it.
I'll take good care of him.
Hello?
Yes?
Did you just call me?
Yes.
Sorry I called so late.
Hope I didn't cause a stir.
Starting to get cooler out.
Yeah.
I brought you some hot cocoa.
Wait a minute.
Got to have the marshmallows.
Got to.
Oh. Good. Thank you.
Oh, it's just that same old powdered stuff.
Did you want to talk about something or just... sit quietly?
Either way, it's fine.
Someone came to see me.
Wants me to do something.
Who?
The government.
Governments, rather.
American and Canadian.
It's the Bigfoot, Ed.
They want me to kill it.
It's the carrier of this plague-type thing.
Well, that's no good.
No.
They couldn't find anyone else?
Nope.
What did you tell them?
I said no.
Could you do it?
I don't want to kill again.
Be it beast or man.
I don't want to have a hand in that anymore.
Are you sure you made the right decision, then, for you?
I'm wondering why you called me here
if you weren't already thinking about leaving.
Why do you believe anything I'm saying?
Because most men live their whole lives one way.
And when a liar is a liar, he's a liar.
And when a fancy man is fancy, he's fancy.
And when an honest man is honest... he's honest.
Be careful, Calvin.
I still want to go fishing.
I'll thank you to look after the dog.
- Good to see you, Barr. - Yeah.
Monsieur Barr, if you will follow me.
We are just outside the dead zone.
The fire you see is a containment measure.
It is a controlled burn.
The ring of fire encircles the dead zone.
Nothing gets in. Nothing gets out.
You will be given your choice of fatigue.
I think you will find the selection suitable.
You will also have your choice of, uh, gear.
And weapons.
Once you are inside the dead zone,
our entire operation will fall back another 50 miles
and you will be the last and final hope in saving this land.
And yours.
These Canucks, God bless 'em, they didn't have the goods
when it came to firepower, so I sent for my private stock.
That gun.
That scope.
This knife.
That's it.
Merci, Monsieur Barr.
Merci.
Barr, we have your location.
What's the status? Did you get it?
Not yet.
We heard a shot fired. Was that you?
Yeah.
Was it a hit?
- Yeah. - Where?
Its head.
It... And it's not dead?
No.
So where is it?
It ran off.
Where?
I'll get it.
Time's running out, Barr.
Yeah. I know what time it is.
How are you?
Led me off a cliff.
Broke my little pinkie.
Sorry. Uh, come again.
My fifth digit. I broke it.
Well, be careful of that kind of thing.
He doesn't have big feet, either.
Not really living up to its name.
We're all with you, Barr.
You won't hear from me again until the end.
Over.
Poultice.
Hm.
Vegetarian.
Hello.
Bye.
My dear Calvin.
I've written you so many times that I can't keep count anymore.
I can almost hear what you'd say back.
Sometimes I think of a joke you would say, and I laugh.
Then I feel foolish.
It's been a long time since I've heard from you.
They say that you're alive but that I can't talk to you...
...that you can't write me even if you wanted to.
I walked by your house today
just to be somewhere that we once were.
I've gone sappy, Calvin.
Me.
I watched the mailman put one of my letters through your door.
They stopped forwarding them long ago, I guess.
There's a school back home that could use my help,
closer to Mom and Dad.
Mom's been sick lately.
So I'm leaving here.
Saw Ed to say goodbye.
He misses you too.
Everyone does... me especially.
Please come home soon.
I love you.
P.S... Do you like the stamp?
It's of Dick Tracy.
I know how much you like that strip.
I clipped a bunch out for when you get back.
I didn't miss a day.
They're not gonna have your body, old man.
This isn't what I wanted.
And I'm sorry.
My brother was a good man.
A thoughtful man.
He was selfless.
He didn't know pride.
He loved a girl.
She was... special.
The war kept them apart... and she passed away young.
Too young.
I didn't get to know Calvin the way a brother should.
But I'll miss him.
I always... missed him.
Okay. How's that?
Oh. Very fine, Ed.
All right. That means we're almost done.
Say, uh, I'm really sorry to hear about your brother.
Calvin.
You know, I didn't really know him very well, but...
...it sounds like he was a pretty decent guy.
He was. Thank you.
So, uh...
So folks say that...
he left for vacation and just... never came back, huh?
That's a shame.
Well, I don't know.
He, uh, went someplace nice, someplace warm.
Nice view of the sea, you know?
I mean, it's better than him dying
in that old house all by his lonesome, right?
Yeah.
You're all set. Get some candy.
All right.
Well...
...take care of yourself, Ed.
Say, you going to the school play tomorrow night?
Wouldn't miss it.
My granddaughter's playing a butterfly.
Ah. Yeah.
Him too.
Plays a turtle.
It's the lead turtle.
Can I come out there with you?
I said some nice things about you at your grave.
Wish I could've been there.
Thanks for keeping care of Ralph.
It wasn't a problem.
What did you bury?
Oh. Your uniform.
Your medals.
Good.
I can't believe you're...
Can we just sit quiet, Ed?
Okay.
Sounds good.
All right, then.
Mm. Cripes.
Hello.
Where is she? I can't see her.
She's the butterfly.
Oh.
A lot of butterflies are dead this time of year.
What?
This late in the season? It's true.
Did you...
Did you bury the...
Under my bed.
Did you?
Yes.
I thought you'd feel better with...
Calvin, I-I'm sorry.
- Ah. - I'm sorry.
It's okay.
Hey.
Let's take a walk.
At school today, um, one of my students came up
and turned in his journal.
His name's Jimmy.
He's a nice boy.
He tries real hard.
Uh, and I noticed that he had a scrape on his forehead,
and I asked him how he got it.
And he said that he wrote about it in his journal
and asked me if I would read it.
So I read it during my lunch break.
Uh, it said that Jimmy and his friends were playing war.
You know... war.
Sure. Popguns and whatnot.
- Mm. - Uh-huh.
And Jimmy was on the bad side.
He was playing one of the bad guys.
And he went up this tree.
And while he was hiding, he lost his footing and fell out
and landed on one of his friends below.
And all the kids ran over to make sure that they were okay.
Except one. This one kid.
He runs up and he shoots all the bad guys
and then brags that he's won.
And I guess technically he did.
The other kids didn't have to help.
So... the bad guys lost.
And Jimmy felt really bad about the whole thing.
I'm... I'm not exactly sure what he wanted me to get out of that,
but he wrote about it in such detail.
It must have really bothered him.
Huh.
He probably wants to know what you think of a kid like that.
Your opinion is probably important to him.
What do you think?
Of the kid who shot at people?
I don't know.
A kid like that grows up to be someone important, I think.
Like a... Like the boss in a factory
or... maybe the president.
I don't know.
Kids are tough.
What kind of kid were you?
I'd be the kid
that Jimmy squished when he fell out of the tree.
See you later, Calvin.
Tomorrow, I...
I thought maybe you could... drive me to the station.
I can't.
Why not?
Because... tonight I'm happy, and...
tomorrow I won't be.
I can't watch you go.
I...
When we get to your house...
...I'm just gonna keep walking.
Maybe the next time that I see you,
it'll be like you just stopped to tie your shoelace.
Listen.
I, uh...
I'm right behind you.
Catch up quick.
All right. Come on.
Huh.
Another day, boy.
Maybe tomorrow.
What do you think?
There it is.
Come on, boy!
Let's go home.