Dan gets his briefing at a photo gallery and is informed that Andreas Solowechek. a member of an Eastern Bloc trade delegate. Andreas was arrested the day before for the assassination of Senator William Townsend. Townsend's extremist supporters, led by his primary supporter R.J. McMillan, are demanding that the U.S. break off relations with the Communist Bloc. The Cold War would heat up. The IMF believes that Andreas wasn't acting on the orders of his government, and want Dan to prove it.
After assembling his team, Dan holds the final briefing. Townsend returned to his home after one of his inflammatory speeches, and a short time later the house was all but demolished by a bomb. Andreas was found in the area and his fingerprints were on the bomb, but the IMF figures that Andreas' superiors wouldn't attempt so obvious. There's also $80,000 on Andreas. McMillan kept Townsend in the Senate, but they figure that he wanted to turn Townsend into a martyr. Barney assures the team that the remote truck is ready and the painting will be done by the next morning. Dan says that there's only one way to get Andreas out of jail so they can tie him to McMillan.
Later, a guard puts Rollin into Andreas' cell. Andreas refuses to permit anyone in his cell, insisting that he's a political prisoner, nut the guard isn't impressed. Rollin says that he doesn't want to room with a Communist assassin, but the guard ignores his objections and walks off. Andreas goes back to his bunk and Rollin settles down to read some books.
McMillan is giving a press conference in his home about the assassination attempt. Cinnamon, posing as a reporter, listens as McMillan insists that Townsend is a great patriot. Afterward, she approaches McMillan and says that her magazine wants to do a feature on Townsend. McMillan points out that her magazine has taken potshots at Townsend and McMillan, but she says that they'll do the story anyway and want it as accurate as possible. McMillan agrees and tells her to be there for an hour-long interview the next morning.
Rollin tells Andreas to stand lookout and then cuts the pages out of one of his books to make a gun-shaped hole. Once Rollin goes to work, Andreas waves the guard over. Rollin quickly hides what he's doing, and Andreas demands to be moved to another cell because Rollin is striking him. The guard doesn't care and tells them to learn to live together. Once he leaves, Rollin tells Andreas to do what he says and goes back to work. Andreas warns him when the guard returns, and Barney accompanies him as Rollin's lawyer. Barney warns him that he doesn't have a leg to stand on, and Rollin opens up the law book. As the guard looks on, Barney secretly slips a gun into the book and Rollin orders him out.
Later, Andreas waits until Rollin is asleep and then opens the book. Rollin is faking and grabs Andreas by the neck, and then lets him go. Andreas yells for the guard, and Rollin jams the gun into Andreas' back and promises to kill him if he says anything. The guard comes in and Rollin claims that Andreas is sick. He tells them to keep it quiet and goes, and Rollin tells Andreas to go back to sleep.
The next day, Cinnamon interviews McMillan about Townsend. He insists that Townsend was his own man, and Cinnamon points out all the commendations that Townsend receives. There's a painting of him signed MCM, and McMillan admits that he dabbles in oils. The phone ring: it's Dan, posing as the governor. He says that he wants McMillan to serve Townsend's term of service, and McMillan agrees. Dan asks McMillan to keep it a secret until he announces it in a few weeks.
Cinnamon says that she's going to print the story about McMillan's appointment, but agrees to suppress it if McMillan agrees to give her magazine the exclusive on his appointment and authorize a cover to go with it. She says that she can have a covert artist there that afternoon, and McMillan agrees.
The guard brings Rollin and Andreas court clothes for their arraignments that afternoon. Rollin objects, and after the guard leaves explains that he'll escape from the van. He tells Andreas to do nothing, and if he tips off the guards then Rollin will shoot him.
The reporters gather for Andreas' transfer and Willy is among them. The guard handcuffs Rollin and Andreas together and leads them out. Willy secretly slips something into Rollin's jacket pocket before the guards get them into the van. Once it leaves, Rollin takes the gun out of his law book and tells the guard to drop his shotgun. then pistol-whips the man unconscious, takes his handcuff keys, but breaks the proper one off in the lock. Rollin tells Andreas that he'll have to come with him, and starts unscrewing the door lock.
Willy pulls up behind the van, and Rollin leaps off with Andreas. Andreas twists his ankle in the fall, and Rollin grabs him and drags him into Willy's car. Willy drives out of town to some abandoned buildings and tells Rollin that he's on his own since he has Andreas attached to him. Rollin gets out and takes Andreas with him, and Willy drives off. They go into the nearest building and Rollin says that he has an idea.
At the apartment they're using as a base, Barney puts a camera into an artist's paint box and then instructs Dan on how to "paint" the already-completed painting. He then puts opaque white paint on and explains that all of the paint dissolves the coating.
Rollin starts up a truck on blocks and then uses the spinning plate to try and cut through the handcuff chain. It finally works and Rollin says that they're going to call Andreas' embassy and have them give them a couple of passports and enough money to get out of the country. Andreas says that they won't do it, but Rollin doesn't believe him and takes the truck key so that Andreas can't escape.
Cinnamon brings Dan--posing as an artist--to McMillan's manor. Dan and Cinnamon talk him into using the position on the already-painted painting, and Dan sets up the easel facing away from McMillan.
Willy and Barney drive a moving truck up near McMillan's manor.
Dan sets up his artist's box with the camera facing toward McMillan. Willy and Barney watch from the truck on the broadcast monitors, and Dan starts "painting". McMillan receives a call informing him that Andreas escaped. He tells Cinnamon what happened and says that it's a conspiracy to destroy the U.S. McMillan claims that the police set up the entire thing and Rollin is a Communist agent. He tells Dan to proceed with the painting.
Andreas puts the wheel back on the truck and spots a pipe in the back. He hides it in his sleeve and finds Rollin changing into a driver's uniform. Andreas tells him that he killed Townsend but not for his government, and his own government wants him dead. Rollin prepares to shoot him, and Andreas begs him to take him with him. He says that he can get money from the man who paid him to kill Townsend. Rollin demands his name, and easily disarms Andreas when he swings at him with the pipe. Andreas says that McMillan paid him, and Rollin figures that McMillan will pay a lot to keep Andreas silent. He shoves Andreas into the truck and covers him with a blanket, and drives for McMillan's place.
Dan "paints" McMillan, his paints dissolving the white coating and revealing the pre-drawn painting. McMillan talks to Cinnamon about how Townsend's assassination will show the American people who the enemy really is. Dan suggests that they take a break for the night, and McMillan agrees. he looks at the painting and asks Dan to criticize his painting of Townsend. As Dan looks at it, McMillan picks up a brush and accents one side. As he puts on the yellow paint, it reveals a green streak. Dan claims that the section was originally blue before he painted it out, and the yellow paint and the original blue make green. McMillan agrees to leave everything set up so they can start right away in the morning.
As Willy sets up the broadcast antenna on the truck, Dan and Cinnamon drive up and go inside. Barney confirms that they're locked onto the transmitter tower and they can cut in at anytime. McMillan is rehearsing his acceptance speech, and Rollin breaks in shoving Andreas ahead of him. He holds McMillan at gunpoint and steps over to the desk that the camera is trained on. Meanwhile, Dan has Barney intercept the network broadcast.
McMillan claims that he doesn't know Andreas, and Andreas explains that Rollin wants money. He insists that McMillan is lying, and Rollin prepares to shoot him. Andreas says that he can prove it by pointing out the hidden safe that McMillan took the money out of. Rollin confirms that there's a safe where Andreas says, and McMillan still feigns ignorance. Andreas says that McMillan paid him $100,000 and promised to protect him if he was caught. Rollin orders McMillan to order up the safe, and McMillan asks how much he wants. When Rollin demands $200,000, McMillan hesitates but then opens the safe.
On the monitor, Barney spots someone come into the room behind Rollin. The man tells Rollin to drop his gun, and McMillan to pick it up. When the newcomer steps onto camera, the team realizes that it's Townsend. Townsend explains that he and McMillan planted a body secured from an anatomy lab in the house before Andreas blew it up, People will find out that he's alive after they've wiped out every Communist from the face of the earth. Townsend tells McMillan to call the police and say that he had to shoot the two intruders when they broke into his house.
Rollin tells Townsend that he doesn't want to kill him with the American people watching. He suggests that McMillan turn on the TV to his own station, and Townsend tells McMillan to do it. The TV shows the desk, and Townsend realizes that they've been tricked. Andreas figures that Rollin isn't a criminal, and Townsend tells Rollin that they could have convinced the American people to fight their enemies. Rollin reveals the camera in the art box and tells Townsend to keep talking, and then walks out. He drives to the truck and joins the others, and they assure him that he had 50 million viewers.
Written by Gadfly on Jul 8, 2017