L.A. Noire - The Consul's Car
Genre: Crime
Director: Gavin O'Connor
Writer: John Malone
Based on the video game
Cast: Joe Alwyn, Eric Ladin, Bill Burr, Chris Zylka, Frederick Weller, Bob Stephenson, Ned Bellamy, David Zayas, Lance Barber, Camila Mendes and Andrew Jacobs
Plot:
Plot: 1947 - At the Central Police Station, Captain Gordon Leary (Bill Burr) starts going over the Traffic briefings for the day, assuring the detectives that he'll keep it short since he's already late for a metting with the District Attorney. He tells Cole Phelps (Joe Alwyn) and Stefan Bekowsky (Eric Ladin) that they got a report of a brand new Packard abandoned in an empty lot. A man called and says it was dumped in his backyard. There's a patrolman on site, so Leary tells them to get down there promtpy and see what they can turn up. As they head to the car, Bekowsky sarcastically that they always get the exciting cases like abandoned cars. Phelps says that nobody just abandons a brand new car unless it was taken without permission.
Meanwhile, Dr. Harlan Fontaine (Frederick Weller) speaks to Courtney Sheldon's friend from the war, Ira Hogeboom (Chris Zylka). The man enters the office and Fontaine tells him to go ahead and lie down on the couch and make himself comfortable. Fontaine mentions that Courtney seems very concerned about him. The man tells Fontaine that he has blinding visions that he can't get out of his head. His skull feels like it's in a vice. Fontaine gives him an injection in his arm, saying it will calm his nerves. Fontaine then says that he wants to take the man on a journey, a journey back in time. He wants the man to remember the good things about his past, occasions that made him laugh, and times that made him smile.
When Phelps and Bekowsky arrive at the crime scene, they find the car in a large, grassy alley way behind a row of houses. They see Oswald Jacobs (Ned Bellamy) sitting on his back porch watching everything. Phelps and Bekowsky take a look at the car. It's missing its plates and a couple of its wheels. Inside they find the registration, listing the vehicle as registered to the Consulate General of Argentina. Bekowsky is shocked that the car is owned by the Argentinian Embassy and acknowledges that maybe the case will be interesting after all. Near the car Phelps finds a combination wrench imprinted with "Property of Dewey Bros". Bekowsky says it must belong to the Dewey Bros Packard Dealership. They then walk over to Oswald Jacobs and ask him what he knows. Jacobs says he was looking out his window last night and saw three Mexican men removing the wheels from the car. They were using the lights from a bright red Ford to illuminate what they were doing. Jacobs says he yelled that he was calling the cops to them and the ran into the Ford and sped off. Jacobs tells them that he took a look at the car after they left and found a notebook in the glove compartment. The notebook as the name Juan Francisco Valdez printed on the front. Phelps thumbs through the book and finds it is a list of male names with descriptions next to them. On its own page is the name William Dewey and a phone number Phelps calls the station to check in and the watch commander, Mel Fleischer (Bob Stephenson), tells him that a four door Packard with diplomatic plates was reported missing this morning by a Juan Francisco Valdez. Fleischer tells Phelps that Valdez is already at the station, demanding an audience. Phelps asks Fleischer to tell Captain Leary that they'll be in as soon as they can.
Bekowsky says they should check out the dealership before heading back to the station to talk to Valdez. Phelps says that's fine by him and they start driving there. On the drive Bekowsky complains that this must be the 50th abandoned vehicle call they've caught that year. One more and he's going to go crazy. Of all the bad guys in Los Angeles, they get lumped with the ones who can't even be bothered to keep what they steal. When they arrive at the Dewey Bros. dealership, William Dewey (Lance Barber) comes out of the office to greet them, assuming they are there to buy a new car. Phelps doesn't go for his sales pitch and tells Dewey they're from the LAPD and have some questions for him. Bekowsky tells him they're investigating the theft of a Packard belonging to the Argentine Embassy and asks Dewey if he's missing any combination wrenches. Dewey says he isn't sure, but knows how he can find out and brings them over to the garage where they keep all the tools. They find that the tool shelf belonging to a Gabriel Del Gado is missing a wrench the same size as the one found at the crime scene. Phelps then asks Dewey how he knows Valdez, Dewey says he doesn't, that the embassy bought the car. Phelps mentions Dewey's name in Valdez's notebook. Dewey relents and says that he met Valdez in a bar, they cut a deal and Valdez bought the car through the Embassy. Phelps then asks Dewey where they can find Gabriel Del Gado. Dewey tells them he isn't at work that day, but offers his address. Phelps and Bekowsky thank Dewey from his help and leave the dealership.
Bekowsky reminds Phelps that Valdez is waiting at the station, so they head there next. At the station, Fleischer tells them that Valdez is waiting for them in an interview room. When they head in, they find Juan Francisco Valdez (David Zayas) waiting impatiently. He quickly complains about how long he's been waiting. Bekowsky tells him to calm down and answer their questions. Phelps asks Valdez where he purchased the casr. Valdez says his secretary purchased the car from a place called Dewey Brothers. Phelps, already frustrated with Valdez's sense of entitlement, demands to know why he was driving around a Packard or he'll start using force to figure out what's going on. Valdez says Dewey offered him a bribe to make a purchase at his establishment. Bekowsky tells Valdez that the car has been located and that he thinks Valdez knows who stole the car. Valdez says a young man named Gabriel who works at the dealership probably stole it. Phelps asks Valdez if he has sex with boys. Bekowsky is surprised by the question, and Valdez erupts with anger at such a question. Phelps then explains for Valdez, and his befuddled partner, that the names in Valdez's notebook are those of young men. Valdez says that he asked Gabriel Del Gado if he wanted to have a rendezvous with him, and the young man went mad. Phelps and Bekowsky leave the interview room and leave the station to head to Gabriel Del Gado's address.
Phelps and Bekowsky knock on Del Gado's door and are greeted by the pregnant Anna Rodriguez (Camila Mendes). She insists that Gabriel isn't there, but Bekowsky insists that they have a look around. He tells Phelps to look around while he speaks with Anna. In a shed Phelps finds the stolen wheels and diplomatic plates. He heads back inside and asks Anna why Gabriel stole the car. She says that Gabriel told her that the customer had insulted him, so he was just getting some payback. Phelps asks Anna to tell him where Gabriel is or he'll have her and her unborn baby arrested. She says that he is out at a street race and gives them the location of the starting line.
When they get to the location they find the cars just starting the race. Phelps and Bekowsky give chase, sticking with Gabriel's red Ford. They chase Gabriel's car onto the Los Angeles River culvert. Phelps eventually to make Gabriel crash his car. Gabriel Del Gado (Andrew Jacobs) tries running from his crashed vehicle, but is quickly apprehended by Bekowsky. Later, Captain Gordon Leary meets them at the scene of the crash. He tells Phelps and Bekowsky they've sure done a number one this one. They outed a foreign dignitary as a fruit and a pedophile, and stopped a street punk car thief. Leary says that's not a bad haul for a day of work. It was text book policing that they need more of in the LAPD.
Plot: 1947 - At the Central Police Station, Captain Gordon Leary (Bill Burr) starts going over the Traffic briefings for the day, assuring the detectives that he'll keep it short since he's already late for a metting with the District Attorney. He tells Cole Phelps (Joe Alwyn) and Stefan Bekowsky (Eric Ladin) that they got a report of a brand new Packard abandoned in an empty lot. A man called and says it was dumped in his backyard. There's a patrolman on site, so Leary tells them to get down there promtpy and see what they can turn up. As they head to the car, Bekowsky sarcastically that they always get the exciting cases like abandoned cars. Phelps says that nobody just abandons a brand new car unless it was taken without permission.
Meanwhile, Dr. Harlan Fontaine (Frederick Weller) speaks to Courtney Sheldon's friend from the war, Ira Hogeboom (Chris Zylka). The man enters the office and Fontaine tells him to go ahead and lie down on the couch and make himself comfortable. Fontaine mentions that Courtney seems very concerned about him. The man tells Fontaine that he has blinding visions that he can't get out of his head. His skull feels like it's in a vice. Fontaine gives him an injection in his arm, saying it will calm his nerves. Fontaine then says that he wants to take the man on a journey, a journey back in time. He wants the man to remember the good things about his past, occasions that made him laugh, and times that made him smile.
When Phelps and Bekowsky arrive at the crime scene, they find the car in a large, grassy alley way behind a row of houses. They see Oswald Jacobs (Ned Bellamy) sitting on his back porch watching everything. Phelps and Bekowsky take a look at the car. It's missing its plates and a couple of its wheels. Inside they find the registration, listing the vehicle as registered to the Consulate General of Argentina. Bekowsky is shocked that the car is owned by the Argentinian Embassy and acknowledges that maybe the case will be interesting after all. Near the car Phelps finds a combination wrench imprinted with "Property of Dewey Bros". Bekowsky says it must belong to the Dewey Bros Packard Dealership. They then walk over to Oswald Jacobs and ask him what he knows. Jacobs says he was looking out his window last night and saw three Mexican men removing the wheels from the car. They were using the lights from a bright red Ford to illuminate what they were doing. Jacobs says he yelled that he was calling the cops to them and the ran into the Ford and sped off. Jacobs tells them that he took a look at the car after they left and found a notebook in the glove compartment. The notebook as the name Juan Francisco Valdez printed on the front. Phelps thumbs through the book and finds it is a list of male names with descriptions next to them. On its own page is the name William Dewey and a phone number Phelps calls the station to check in and the watch commander, Mel Fleischer (Bob Stephenson), tells him that a four door Packard with diplomatic plates was reported missing this morning by a Juan Francisco Valdez. Fleischer tells Phelps that Valdez is already at the station, demanding an audience. Phelps asks Fleischer to tell Captain Leary that they'll be in as soon as they can.
Bekowsky says they should check out the dealership before heading back to the station to talk to Valdez. Phelps says that's fine by him and they start driving there. On the drive Bekowsky complains that this must be the 50th abandoned vehicle call they've caught that year. One more and he's going to go crazy. Of all the bad guys in Los Angeles, they get lumped with the ones who can't even be bothered to keep what they steal. When they arrive at the Dewey Bros. dealership, William Dewey (Lance Barber) comes out of the office to greet them, assuming they are there to buy a new car. Phelps doesn't go for his sales pitch and tells Dewey they're from the LAPD and have some questions for him. Bekowsky tells him they're investigating the theft of a Packard belonging to the Argentine Embassy and asks Dewey if he's missing any combination wrenches. Dewey says he isn't sure, but knows how he can find out and brings them over to the garage where they keep all the tools. They find that the tool shelf belonging to a Gabriel Del Gado is missing a wrench the same size as the one found at the crime scene. Phelps then asks Dewey how he knows Valdez, Dewey says he doesn't, that the embassy bought the car. Phelps mentions Dewey's name in Valdez's notebook. Dewey relents and says that he met Valdez in a bar, they cut a deal and Valdez bought the car through the Embassy. Phelps then asks Dewey where they can find Gabriel Del Gado. Dewey tells them he isn't at work that day, but offers his address. Phelps and Bekowsky thank Dewey from his help and leave the dealership.
Bekowsky reminds Phelps that Valdez is waiting at the station, so they head there next. At the station, Fleischer tells them that Valdez is waiting for them in an interview room. When they head in, they find Juan Francisco Valdez (David Zayas) waiting impatiently. He quickly complains about how long he's been waiting. Bekowsky tells him to calm down and answer their questions. Phelps asks Valdez where he purchased the casr. Valdez says his secretary purchased the car from a place called Dewey Brothers. Phelps, already frustrated with Valdez's sense of entitlement, demands to know why he was driving around a Packard or he'll start using force to figure out what's going on. Valdez says Dewey offered him a bribe to make a purchase at his establishment. Bekowsky tells Valdez that the car has been located and that he thinks Valdez knows who stole the car. Valdez says a young man named Gabriel who works at the dealership probably stole it. Phelps asks Valdez if he has sex with boys. Bekowsky is surprised by the question, and Valdez erupts with anger at such a question. Phelps then explains for Valdez, and his befuddled partner, that the names in Valdez's notebook are those of young men. Valdez says that he asked Gabriel Del Gado if he wanted to have a rendezvous with him, and the young man went mad. Phelps and Bekowsky leave the interview room and leave the station to head to Gabriel Del Gado's address.
Phelps and Bekowsky knock on Del Gado's door and are greeted by the pregnant Anna Rodriguez (Camila Mendes). She insists that Gabriel isn't there, but Bekowsky insists that they have a look around. He tells Phelps to look around while he speaks with Anna. In a shed Phelps finds the stolen wheels and diplomatic plates. He heads back inside and asks Anna why Gabriel stole the car. She says that Gabriel told her that the customer had insulted him, so he was just getting some payback. Phelps asks Anna to tell him where Gabriel is or he'll have her and her unborn baby arrested. She says that he is out at a street race and gives them the location of the starting line.
When they get to the location they find the cars just starting the race. Phelps and Bekowsky give chase, sticking with Gabriel's red Ford. They chase Gabriel's car onto the Los Angeles River culvert. Phelps eventually to make Gabriel crash his car. Gabriel Del Gado (Andrew Jacobs) tries running from his crashed vehicle, but is quickly apprehended by Bekowsky. Later, Captain Gordon Leary meets them at the scene of the crash. He tells Phelps and Bekowsky they've sure done a number one this one. They outed a foreign dignitary as a fruit and a pedophile, and stopped a street punk car thief. Leary says that's not a bad haul for a day of work. It was text book policing that they need more of in the LAPD.
