In the Louisiana bayou, a girl, Diane Martin, runs for her life. Hunters and dogs chase her down, and the girl comes to a river. Diane starts swimming across, and alligators kill both of the pursuing dogs. The girl emerges on the shore on the other side, only to find Pepper Leveau waiting. Diane begs Pepper not to hurt her, and Pepper gestures to where Jake Morgan is pulling up in his limo. Jake gets out using his cane and the girl says that she just wanted to go home and won't run again. When Diane says that she's sorry, Jake promises that she soon will be and starts whipping her.
Jim picks up his briefing on a film set and is informed that Diane is the daughter of a Houston industrialist. She disappeared a week ago in New Orleans, but there have been no ransom demands. The IMF believe that Jake is responsible for the disappearance of over a hundred women in the last two years but have no evidence. He is the supplier for an international white slavery ring, and the team's mission is to rescue Diane and find proof that Jake is guilty.
In New Orleans, the team sets up at a warehouse. Grant practices trumpet playing and tells Jim that he's set up at Jake's club after the band's lead player left town. Jim tells the team that they begin at the Jambalaya Jazz Club where Diane disappeared. Pepper runs the club, and she is absolute loyal to Jake. Jim figures that they can use voodoo to divide Jake and Pepper. Pepper believes in voodoo ritualism, and Nicholas will visit Jake and make him an offer once Grant finds out how Jake operates. Finally, Jim says that they must get ahold of Jake's record of his transitions to recover all of the missing girls. Shannon deals out a Tarot card and says that things don't look good for Pepper.
That night, Jake arrives at the club and motions Pepper into his office. Grant is playing with the band, and his sunglasses let him see through the one-way mirror. A hidden parabolic microphone in the trumpet lets Grant listen to their conversation, and Jake tells Pepper to keep an eye on Grant. He says that they're going to move ahead with the ten girls that they have, in 48 hours. Jake warns Pepper that they'll make $2 million from the sale and he can't afford to keep his buyers waiting. Shannon is there as a Gypsy girl, and Jake points her out to Pepper and says that she could be a good addition to their shipment.
Once Jake leaves, Pepper goes over to Shannon's table. Shannon deals out the Devil card and warns that violence and enslavement mark Pepper's downfall. It is crossed by the King of Swords, representing a sadist who will betray her. Pepper orders Shannon out and Shannon quickly leaves. Grant approaches Pepper and warns her to leave Shannon alone because she's dangerous.
The next day, Nicholas and Max arrive at Jake's plantation home. Nicholas says that he has an offer for Jake. Once the guard makes sure that the two men are unarmed, he escorts them to Jake. Nicholas explains that he represents an Asian consortium that wants to purchase Jake's latest shipment and they'll pay 50% more. Jake wonders why he should turn against his regular buyers, and demands to see the money. Nicholas agrees once he sees the "merchandise", and Jake says that he'll contact him if he's interested.
That night at the club, Jim comes in and approaches Pepper. He says that he's a private investigator from Houston looking for Diane. Jim says that he figures that Jake is in charge of a white slavery ring, and Pepper dismisses his suspicions. He points out Shannon, Max, and Nicholas and says that she gets the girls going with her voodoo and then Max does the dirty work. Jim says that he's going to bust the ring wide open and will make sure Pepper isn't arrested if she spies for him. He gives Pepper his card and leaves, and Pepper looks over at where Grant is talking to Shannon.
Outside, two men knock out Max and drive away with Nicholas. Jim comes out and sees them leave, and Max wakes up and tells him what happened. The men take Nicholas to an abandoned ship in the bayou and Jake shows him the captive girls, including Diane. Nicholas inspects Diane and says that he's going to buy her, and tells Jake that he's satisfied.
At the warehouse, Grant sets up the trunk of the team's car with a gas canister that will activate automatically, spraying knockout gas when the trunk is closed. He instructs Max in the direction to fire at the trunk, as Nicholas will have the remote control to activate the bullet squibs. Nicholas arrives and tells them what happened, and admits that he doesn't know where they were except that they were on a river. Jim says that the next day he'll tighten the screws on Jake.
The next day, Pepper meets with Jake and says that grabbing Diane was a mistake. Jake isn't concerned about Jim, and says that he doesn't know anything about Shannon or her voodoo nonsense. Pepper warns Jake that if she crosses him then she'll make him a believer. Jake is unimpressed, and they hear the dogs barking. Jim pulls up and Jake tells Pepper to get out the back. He takes Jim with him to feed his "pets", and explains that one of them bit off his leg. Jake feeds an alligator a dead chicken, and Jim says that he thinks Jake had something to do with Diane's disappearance. Jake says that Jim has no proof, and Jim tells him that Pepper will leave Jake eventually to avoid conviction. He casually feed another dead chicken to an alligator, says that he doesn't intimidate easily, and leaves.
At the warehouse, Grant makes a Jake mask, and Nicholas calls Jake and says that he's been instructed to close their deal for $3 million. He'll pay half in advance and half upon delivery. Once he hangs up, Jake enters the money on a piece of paper and rolls it up.
That night at the club, Jim comes in and Pepper meets with him. He invites her to a voodoo ceremony, saying that Jake will be there. Jim says that Jake is working with Shannon and the ceremony will provide the final proof.
Once Pepper agrees, Jim takes her to the ceremony. Grant is tied to a pole, and Pepper tells Jim that it's a zombie ceremony. Jim points out a young girl, just as Max arrives with "Jake". Pepper assumes that Jake has betrayed her, and recognizes Grant from the club. Shannon puts a snake around Grant's neck and blows dust in his face, transforming him into a zombie. He screams in pain, and Pepper tells Jim that she can't be there. Once she leaves, Max shuts down the projector and Nicholas removes his mask.
The next day, Nicholas pays Jake $1 million up front and promises to pay the rest once his men confirm that the shipment has been delivered. Pepper knocks out a guard and steps out, and tells Jake that she's come for justice. She grabs a knife from the table and stabs at Jake, and Max restrains her. Jake tells Nicholas that Pepper used to be his employee, and Pepper tells him that Jim is going to blow his operation open. As Max drags Pepper away, she vows to keep coming back until she gets Jake. Nicholas warns Jake that if there's any trouble, he'll be back. Max puts Pepper in the trunk, and she's knocked out. Nicholas triggers the squibs as Max fires in the designated pattern, "killing" Pepper.
Back at the warehouse, Gran confirms that there's an old Underground Railway tunnel under Jake's plantation. The other end comes out a half mile from the plantation. Nicholas and Max return, and Grant takes photos of the unconscious Pepper. Max has recorded Pepper's last words, and Jim says that they'll find the girls while Grant finds Jake's records.
Grant finds the tunnel entrance and goes to the plantation.
At the warehouse, the team uses a motion simulator to make it appear that Pepper is in a cabin on a boat. Shannon is inside with Pepper and wakes her up. Pepper says that the "grand zombie" will kill both of them. Max comes in with food, and when Shannon attacks him Nicholas stops Pepper from escaping. He tells her that she's on a freighter heading for Asia and says that Jake double-crossed all of them so he's delivering Pepper and Shannon. Pepper offers to get him the ten girls, and Max says that the captain won't turn back. With no other choice, Pepper tells them where the girls are. Jim uses the controls to simulate a wreck. Max and Nicholas run out, sealing Pepper and Shannon in the cabin as water pours in. Shannon gasses Pepper unconscious.
Grant reaches the plantation end of the tunnel and searches Jake's study for the records.
Max carries Pepper out of the fake cabin, and Jim tells the team to get into position.
Grant finds Jake's pistol and checks the caliber, and then finds a section of wall and takes out a canister of red paint. Later, Grant returns to the warehouse and tells Jim that he didn't find any hiding places. Jim figures that Jake keeps them somewhere handy in case he has to run, and sends Shannon to the club to check Pepper's office. Grant gives Shannon a remote before she goes, and then creates a hologram of Pepper based on the photos that he took.
When Jake enters his study, he finds a voodoo shrine on the wall. He smashes it apart with his cane, furious.
That night, Shannon goes to Pepper's office and Jake's guard, seeing her calls, Jake. Jake tells the guard to not let Shannon leave. Jake gets there as Shannon comes out, and he tells her that she's his now.
Grant breaks back into the plantation and sets up a hologram projector on a shelf. He then puts blanks into Jake's pistol and puts small explosive charges on one window.
Jake returns to the plantation with Shannon and tells his man to get the girls. He takes Shannon into his study just as Grant hides, and discovers that there's another voodoo shrine on his wall. Shannon warns him that true believers are everywhere, and Jake finds a photo of Shannon and Grant at the ceremony.
The guards go to the abandoned boat, unaware that Max and Nicholas are already there. The agents knock the guards out and free the girls. Jim tells them via the radio to get the girls to safety and they'll get Jake's list. He then drags the unconscious Pepper out of his car and takes her to the nearby shore where the team has put out boat wreckage. He radios Grant and says that Pepper will be at the plantation in 15 minutes, and Grant says that he'll be ready. Jim wakes Pepper up and gets away before she can see him. She assumes that she was washed ashore after the crash and goes to get revenge on Jake.
Jake gets his pistol and contemplates killing Shannon.
Pepper finds a machete and continues on her way as Jim secretly follows her and signals Shannon via the control that Grant gave her earlier. Shannon starts chanting about the grand zombie, and Jake shoots her. "Dead", Shannon uses the remote to trigger the hologram. "Pepper" appears and Jake shoots it without effect. Grant triggers the squibs on the window, blowing it apart to make the blanks look real.
Jake runs out and finds blood-stained bones hanging from the porch rafters. His leg cracks and Grant emerges from the lawn as a "grand zombie". He advances on Jake, who stumbles away and comes to Pepper. Jake shoots at her, and Pepper is surprised that the "bullets" have no effect. Backing up, Jake says that he'll give it all back. Dropping his cane, Jake falls into the river and the alligators kill him.
The police turn on their searchlights and arrest Pepper. Jim finds the cane and the list inside, and the team leaves.
Written by Gadfly on Sep 6, 2018