L.A. Noire - A Slip of the Tongue
Genre: Crime
Director: Gavin O'Connor
Writer: John Malone
Based on the video game
Cast: Joe Alwyn, Eric Ladin, Bill Burr, Bob Stephenson, Joel Murray, Shannon Woodward, Jeremy Jordan, David Warhofsky, Casey Siemaszko and Casey Cott
Plot: 1967 - Cole Phelps (Joe Alwyn) and Stefan Bekowski (Eric Ladin) are informed by Watch Commander Mel Fleischer (Bob Stephenson) that a car from the hot sheet of stolen vehicles has turned up and are told to get over to the scene. When Phelps and Bekowski pull up at the house the car was seen in front of, the car, a green Kaiser Frazer, speeds off. Bekowsky tells Phelps to step on it, and they give chase. While Phelps drives, Bekowsky calls for backup over the radio. Phelps manages to bump into the car, causing it to fishtail to a stop. Phelps and Bekowsky get out and surround the car and order the driver out. The driver, Cliff Harrison (Casey Cott), gets out of the car with his hands in the air. They tell Harrison he's under arrest, but Harrison insists he bought the car and has the paper work to prove it. Harrison shows them a receipt he has from Coombs Automotive Company. He then shows them the vehicle registration. Phelps and Bekowsy look it over and both agree that it is a forgery, but a damn good one. Bekowsky asks Harrison why he tried to run from them if he didn't steal the car. Harrison admits that he has some marijuana in the glove compartment. Phelps asks who Harrison dealt with at Coombs Automotive, and Harrison says he dealt directly with the owner Richard Coombs and suggests the cops talk to him. Phelps and Bekowsky place Harrison under arrest. Harrison is furious that he's being busted for simply buying a car, and Bekowsky advises him to shut up. If everything turns out how Harrison said, he'll be fine.
Phelps and Bekowsky arrive at Coombs Automotive they are greeted by the owner Richard Coombs (Joel Murray). Phelps tells Coombs that they are investigating an auto theft and the suspect, Cliff Harrison, claims he bought the car from Coombs. Coombs makes a joke about his cars being a steal and offers to show the detective the bill of sale and the original pink slip. Coombs shows them the original pink slip which lists a Jean Archer as the original owner of the car. After seeing those, Phelps tells Coombs that they have a few questions for him. Phelps asks Coombs how he came about getting the car on the lot, and Coombs tells him that a young lady brought it in. She didn't seem super sharp, but she wasn't asking a lot for the car. Coombs says that she wanted to get paid in cash, but that he insisted on cutting her a check.
Bekowsky suggests they head to the address listed for Archer on the original vehicle registration since it's not too far away to check it out. Once they get there, however, they find the address is an empty lot. On the drive to the station, Bekowksy asks Phelps if he thinks there is something about selling cars that attracts assholes, or if he thinks selling cars turns people into assholes. Phelps laughs, but Bekowsky says it was a serious question. They arrive at the Central Precinct where Fleischer tells them that they have a man who may be connected to the case waiting in an interview room for them to talk to - another stolen car with legit papers. They enter the interview room where they find James Belasco (Jeremy Jordan) waiting. He quickly shows them his vehicle registration. Phelps tells him that the pink slip is a forgery. Phelps asks Belasco where he was taking the car, and Belasco says he wants a deal. Bekowsky tells him to start talking and they'll see what they can do. Belasco tells them that his job is to bring the cars out of state, usually to Nevada or Arizona. Phelps asks Belasco if the name Jean Archer sounds familiar, and he says no. Phelps says he doesn't believe him, and Phelps proposes the idea that she is a mule for the stolen vehicles. Belasco then admits that he knows her and calls her stupid. Phelps asks Belasco what happens after he delivers the cars, and he says that the cars get sold in Chicago or out east and that sometimes he brings back cars coming the other way. Phelps asks where he picks up the cars, and Belasco gives them the address of a warehouse in East Los Angeles.
Phelps and Bekowsky leave the interview room and are met by one of the technical services officers who tells them that the pink slips are all real and he spoke with someone at the company that prints all the registration slips for the state. He gives them the name of the person he talked to: Gordon Leitvol, the owner of the printing company. Fleischer rushes up to Phelps and Bekowsky and tells them that Jean Archer has been spotted at a Western Union office down the street. Phelps and Bekowsky arrive at the Western Union office and find a young woman, Jean Archer (Shannon Woodward), arguing with the teller. Phelps asks her to calm down and answer their questions. Phelps tells her that the car she sold to Coombs Automotive was stolen, and she insists that she handed over all the correct paperwork when she sold the car. Phelps tells Archer that she has blown open the whole operation because she was stupid enough to try to sell one of the cars. Bekowsky demands Archer tell them where she picked up the car. She says she picks up the cars from a guy named Bigelow from some warehouse.
Bekowsky and Phelps drive over to the printing company, Marquee Printing and ask to talk to the owner. Gordon Leitvol (David Warhofsky) comes out of his office and greets the detectives. Phelps says he understands that Marquee prints vehicle registration slips, and Leitvol confirms that his company has the government contract to print pink slips and have for several years. Phelps asks Leitvol if he's had any equipment stolen recently since they're working a case that involves stolen vehicles with seemingly legitimate paperwork. Leitvol says nothing has gone missing recently and asks if the detectives have ruled out forgery since there are no shortage of talented artists in this town. Phelps asks if Leitvol knows anything about a car theft ring, and Leitvol says he would never get caught up in anything like that. Phelps tells him that two car theft cases have paperwork that was printed by Marquee Printing and says that Leitvol better give him some information before he brings the whole department down there. Leitvol nervously says that they had a similar problem a couple years ago where a number of used car lots were selling blank documents to a criminal organization. Leitvol says that the name Coombs sounds familiar and suggests they may have been involved in stolen documents in the past. Phelps asks to look through the company's ledger. Leitvol is apprehensive, but eventually agrees to show the book to Phelps, who looks through it and notices the name Bigelow.
Phelps and Bekowsky leave the building and decide to head over to the warehouse address given by Belasco. When they get there, Phelps suggests they call in for backup, but Bekowsky says they both have guns and know how to use them, so they can handle it. He tells Phelps to go through the front while he goes through the back entrance of the warehouse. Phelps takes cover in the front entrance and announces himself and tells them to stand down. The men inside the warehouse open fire on Phelps. He trades fire with a few men, while Bekowsky sneaks up from behind and shoots them. Phelps and Bekowsky work together to clear the warehouse. They shoot their way through the building until they finally make it to an office where they find a man, Steven Bigelow (Casey Siemaszko), holding his hands in the air. Bekowsky holds Bigelow at gunpoint while Phelps searches the office. He finds a box of blank registration pink slips. After Phelps finds another box of blank slips with Leitvol's signature on it, Bigelow tells them that he isn't talking without his lawyer present. When they place him under arrest, Bigelow starts talking about how Leitvol has bad luck at the track so he's working the car racket to get out of debt.
Phelps and Bekowsky head back over to Marquee Printing and place Leitvol under arrest. Leitvol says they have nothing on him, but Phelps says they have plenty of evidence to arrest him for conspiracy and fraud. In the morning, Captain Gordon Leary (Bill Burr) reads aloud from the newspaper during the morning briefing: "The LAPD's Central Traffic division has smashed a nationwide auto theft ring..... Traffic squad detectives confronted a large group of armed thugs..... After an exchange of gunfre, more than half a dozen dead criminals were removed from the scene..... The LAPD sustained no casualties." Leary pats Phelps and Bekowsky on the back and commends them on the damn fine detective work. He then tells them to get back out there and catch some more bad guys because they're making him look really good lately.
Phelps and Bekowsky arrive at Coombs Automotive they are greeted by the owner Richard Coombs (Joel Murray). Phelps tells Coombs that they are investigating an auto theft and the suspect, Cliff Harrison, claims he bought the car from Coombs. Coombs makes a joke about his cars being a steal and offers to show the detective the bill of sale and the original pink slip. Coombs shows them the original pink slip which lists a Jean Archer as the original owner of the car. After seeing those, Phelps tells Coombs that they have a few questions for him. Phelps asks Coombs how he came about getting the car on the lot, and Coombs tells him that a young lady brought it in. She didn't seem super sharp, but she wasn't asking a lot for the car. Coombs says that she wanted to get paid in cash, but that he insisted on cutting her a check.
Bekowsky suggests they head to the address listed for Archer on the original vehicle registration since it's not too far away to check it out. Once they get there, however, they find the address is an empty lot. On the drive to the station, Bekowksy asks Phelps if he thinks there is something about selling cars that attracts assholes, or if he thinks selling cars turns people into assholes. Phelps laughs, but Bekowsky says it was a serious question. They arrive at the Central Precinct where Fleischer tells them that they have a man who may be connected to the case waiting in an interview room for them to talk to - another stolen car with legit papers. They enter the interview room where they find James Belasco (Jeremy Jordan) waiting. He quickly shows them his vehicle registration. Phelps tells him that the pink slip is a forgery. Phelps asks Belasco where he was taking the car, and Belasco says he wants a deal. Bekowsky tells him to start talking and they'll see what they can do. Belasco tells them that his job is to bring the cars out of state, usually to Nevada or Arizona. Phelps asks Belasco if the name Jean Archer sounds familiar, and he says no. Phelps says he doesn't believe him, and Phelps proposes the idea that she is a mule for the stolen vehicles. Belasco then admits that he knows her and calls her stupid. Phelps asks Belasco what happens after he delivers the cars, and he says that the cars get sold in Chicago or out east and that sometimes he brings back cars coming the other way. Phelps asks where he picks up the cars, and Belasco gives them the address of a warehouse in East Los Angeles.
Phelps and Bekowsky leave the interview room and are met by one of the technical services officers who tells them that the pink slips are all real and he spoke with someone at the company that prints all the registration slips for the state. He gives them the name of the person he talked to: Gordon Leitvol, the owner of the printing company. Fleischer rushes up to Phelps and Bekowsky and tells them that Jean Archer has been spotted at a Western Union office down the street. Phelps and Bekowsky arrive at the Western Union office and find a young woman, Jean Archer (Shannon Woodward), arguing with the teller. Phelps asks her to calm down and answer their questions. Phelps tells her that the car she sold to Coombs Automotive was stolen, and she insists that she handed over all the correct paperwork when she sold the car. Phelps tells Archer that she has blown open the whole operation because she was stupid enough to try to sell one of the cars. Bekowsky demands Archer tell them where she picked up the car. She says she picks up the cars from a guy named Bigelow from some warehouse.
Bekowsky and Phelps drive over to the printing company, Marquee Printing and ask to talk to the owner. Gordon Leitvol (David Warhofsky) comes out of his office and greets the detectives. Phelps says he understands that Marquee prints vehicle registration slips, and Leitvol confirms that his company has the government contract to print pink slips and have for several years. Phelps asks Leitvol if he's had any equipment stolen recently since they're working a case that involves stolen vehicles with seemingly legitimate paperwork. Leitvol says nothing has gone missing recently and asks if the detectives have ruled out forgery since there are no shortage of talented artists in this town. Phelps asks if Leitvol knows anything about a car theft ring, and Leitvol says he would never get caught up in anything like that. Phelps tells him that two car theft cases have paperwork that was printed by Marquee Printing and says that Leitvol better give him some information before he brings the whole department down there. Leitvol nervously says that they had a similar problem a couple years ago where a number of used car lots were selling blank documents to a criminal organization. Leitvol says that the name Coombs sounds familiar and suggests they may have been involved in stolen documents in the past. Phelps asks to look through the company's ledger. Leitvol is apprehensive, but eventually agrees to show the book to Phelps, who looks through it and notices the name Bigelow.
Phelps and Bekowsky leave the building and decide to head over to the warehouse address given by Belasco. When they get there, Phelps suggests they call in for backup, but Bekowsky says they both have guns and know how to use them, so they can handle it. He tells Phelps to go through the front while he goes through the back entrance of the warehouse. Phelps takes cover in the front entrance and announces himself and tells them to stand down. The men inside the warehouse open fire on Phelps. He trades fire with a few men, while Bekowsky sneaks up from behind and shoots them. Phelps and Bekowsky work together to clear the warehouse. They shoot their way through the building until they finally make it to an office where they find a man, Steven Bigelow (Casey Siemaszko), holding his hands in the air. Bekowsky holds Bigelow at gunpoint while Phelps searches the office. He finds a box of blank registration pink slips. After Phelps finds another box of blank slips with Leitvol's signature on it, Bigelow tells them that he isn't talking without his lawyer present. When they place him under arrest, Bigelow starts talking about how Leitvol has bad luck at the track so he's working the car racket to get out of debt.
Phelps and Bekowsky head back over to Marquee Printing and place Leitvol under arrest. Leitvol says they have nothing on him, but Phelps says they have plenty of evidence to arrest him for conspiracy and fraud. In the morning, Captain Gordon Leary (Bill Burr) reads aloud from the newspaper during the morning briefing: "The LAPD's Central Traffic division has smashed a nationwide auto theft ring..... Traffic squad detectives confronted a large group of armed thugs..... After an exchange of gunfre, more than half a dozen dead criminals were removed from the scene..... The LAPD sustained no casualties." Leary pats Phelps and Bekowsky on the back and commends them on the damn fine detective work. He then tells them to get back out there and catch some more bad guys because they're making him look really good lately.
