Dying of the Light

Synopsis: Veteran CIA agent Evan Lake has been ordered to retire. But when his protégé uncovers evidence that Lake's nemesis, the terrorist Banir, has resurfaced, Lake goes rogue, embarking on a perilous, intercontinental mission to eliminate his sworn enemy.
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Director(s): Paul Schrader
Production: The Film Arcade
 
IMDB:
4.4
Metacritic:
31
Rotten Tomatoes:
9%
R
Year:
2014
94 min
Website
473 Views


- No, your name.

- Please tell me your name.

My name is Charles Ruchowski.

No!

Say the name, Mr... Mr. Lake!

Tell me, Mr. Lake.

Tell me, what is his name?

What is the name of the spy?

What is the name of the double?

My name is Charles Ruchowski...

- Okay.

- ...a representative for spirit systems.

- One more time.

- A representative...

Well, you tell me...

just tell me, Mr. Lake...

- Charles Ruchowski.

- ...what I

need to know!

This... this doesn't end.

No, no, no. It ends...

when you die!

Every year at this time,

it is my pleasure...

an honor, really... to introduce

former deputy station chief, Beirut,

chief of station Kabul,

holder of the Donovan award,

the distinguished intelligence medal

and the only living recipient

of the intelligence star,

Evan Lake. Evan.

What the hell are you doing here?

Haven't you heard?

The C.I.A. fell from the Berlin

wall and all the president's men

can't put it back together again!

It's broke!

Not reliable. Not trustworthy.

Can't stand up to the white house.

Backstabbers. Watching porn,

tapping phones.

Best and brightest quit or retired.

What in the name of Jesus Christ nailed

to the cross are you doing here?

Because you heard the call.

That's why.

Your future spread out before

you like a cruise-ship buffet.

You were teaching in a

classroom, working in a kitchen,

training in a gym and

you heard the call.

For some it was adventure.

For some, mystique.

For all, it was 9/11

and you heard the call,

and it was the call of duty

and love of country. Why?

Because you have values!

- Thanks again, Ev. We appreciate it.

- Think they believed a word of it?

- I did.

- You were always an easy touch.

I won't be here next year.

On my way out.

What? You're a pup. What are you, 40?

- Got an offer from the private sector.

- You'll miss it.

Maybe I'll come back next year

just to hear your speech.

Die!

It ends...

when you die!

If you were a reasonable man,

you and I could talk about America.

You would drink something, you would...

you would... you would be set free.

But no, no, no. You want to...

You want to die... He wants

to die, like, what? Crusader!

No. No, Mr. Lake. No,

it's better that you don't die.

- Charles Ruchowski.

- No, you don't die. No, no, no, no, no.

Today, you suffer.

I was talking to someone

down at the farm.

They said you gave a real

barn burner this morning.

What's on your mind?

When I started riding a desk,

it was supposed to be temporary.

- That was six years ago.

- You've made your country very proud.

I've gone through all the proper channels,

I've submitted the paperwork,

but I can't seem to reach anyone.

And I am sorry to bother you with this.

How long have you been

in government service?

Marines six years. Agency 30.

S.I.S. three. 36 years,

last three years at medium pay.

That's... That's 110,000 a year.

Hell, I'd retire for that much.

I doubt that, sir.

I have skills better

deployed in the field.

Ev, you have been

an inspiration to me.

I'm not afraid to admit it.

I'll look into it, see what I can do.

Come in.

- Milt.

- Wanna grab lunch?

Not today.

- How'd it go?

- Not so good.

Director said he's going

to see what he can do.

- You all right?

- Gotta tamper down, get it under control.

Hey, put that dictionary on my hand.

It's that book over there,

the orange one. It's a dictionary.

I know what a dictionary is.

Thank you.

There are two kinds of

people in this world,

men of action and everyone else.

I'll see you.

Stay!

- Yes?

- Milton?

- Yes.

- This is Bob Deacon at NSA.

A while back you put in a watch

for certain chemical compounds.

- This was three years ago.

- You still interested in that?

- I am.

- Good, something's come up.

Where can I find you? I'm coming over.

A couple of weeks ago that flash drive

came into the possession of the Romanians.

It was water-damaged...

the guy jumped off a bridge.

S.R.I. had no luck, so they

asked us to take a crack at it.

On it we found porn, Islamic sermons,

angry birds and medical reports.

That's where you come in. We ran

"decitabine" and your request came up.

Who was Abdi Abdikarim?

Kenyan national. We had some old passport

records. Other than that, nothing.

S.R.I. made inquiries...

but the Kenyans weren't

all that much help.

Can I have a copy of

the full document?

- There's over 50 pages.

- That's all right.

I'll take it electronically.

You know that the only thing standing between

me and reassignment is your approval.

Mr. Lake, what do you wish

to do when you return?

- There is unfinished business.

- That's what I wish you would talk about.

Muhammad Banir is alive. They say

he's dead... everybody says...

- killed in the explosion.

- There was a body.

So what? I didn't see any head.

I didn't see Banir's head.

If you wish to return

to work at the C.I.A...

- If I wish to return?

- ...I would strongly suggest

that you put the matter of

Muhammad Banir behind you.

F***!

All the indications

pointed that direction,

but it wasn't until the pet scan was

complete that we could be sure.

No more memory tests?

Just the opposite. Mental exercises

are shown to be effective...

All right, what is it?

Eight years and I'm dead?

Mr. Ruchowski,

this is not Alzheimer's.

For many years, frontotemporal dementia

and Alzheimer's were confused,

but frontotemporal dementia

is a separate disease.

It's better?

F.T.D. is much more aggressive.

Much more? How much more?

- Did anyone come with you today?

- No.

Family is very important

in a situation like this.

I don't have any brothers or sisters.

No children. My work is my family.

This frontal... F.T.D., is there

anything I should be on the lookout for?

You will be subject to overreactions

or inappropriate reactions,

blank spells. Perhaps you've

noticed this already.

Mood swings,

unreliable sensory perception.

"Unreliable sensory perception."

That's what it's called.

There are support groups,

social services here in Philadelphia...

in fact, wherever you go.

I've spoken with Dr. Gross,

Nathan Gross, in the special care wing.

Now after we're finished, you'll pay

him a visit. He's expecting you.

There's no reason to be alone in this.

- So what is prescribed?

- Usually serotonin inhibitors...

Zoloft, Paxil... or antidepressants.

But those are drugs for crazy people,

manic-depressives. That's not me.

Okay, let's get that clear.

That's not who I am.

Look, these medications address

the behavioral symptoms.

- Not the disease?

- That's correct.

Hey. Have you seen Lake?

- He hasn't been here all day.

- Do you know where he is? Did he call in?

I'm busy, sir. Sorry.

Yeah?

Evan, where are you? I've been

trying to reach you. I left messages.

I've been busy.

- Something's come up.

- What?

I don't wanna talk about

it over an open line.

Where are you? I'll come meet you.

- Evan, where are you?

- Diamond Tuesdays.

You're at Ruby Tuesdays?

Yes, I'm at Ruby Tuesdays.

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Paul Schrader

Paul Joseph Schrader is an American screenwriter, film director, and film critic. Schrader wrote or co-wrote screenplays for four Martin Scorsese films: Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ and Bringing Out the Dead. more…

All Paul Schrader scripts | Paul Schrader Scripts

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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