Dark Waters

Let me off!

Let me off!

Oh, Lord Almighty.

- You don't care for me. - Sing it, Cal!

Yeah, Cal, come on!

We're singing up here. Pull your weight, buddy.

Let me off!

That's right. Let's get in there.

We're there!

Hey, don't forget the beers. Okay?

- I ain't gonna forget the beers. - Go!

Come on.

Come on.

I'll give you a boost if you want.

I don't need your help.

Ooh, hell, she got you, buddy.

- Toss them beers. - Here you go.

- You got it? - Okay, let's go.

All right, all right.

Hold up, hold up. The beer.

Take this. Take this.

Come on.

These damn shoes.

Come on in. It's warm.

Come on, buddy.

Look, you can even wash your hair.

I washed mine last month.

- Hey. Come on. - Hey.

- Jerk. - Watch this. Do it to me.

Laura, Keith, come here. Look what I found.

- Holy shit. - What the hell is that?

- What is it... - Hell you doing?

Get out of here! Now!

- Jeez! - Come on!

Goddamn kids.

Give me my damn clothes! Come on!

Go, go, go, go!

Turn off the beam, fool.

We got Steve from Dow,

Ted from Union Carbide, Jerry from Exxon

and Andy from Allied.

Welcome to Taft Law, gentlemen.

Before we get started, a little housekeeping.

Um, all of you know this young man as the dedicated Taft associate

who for the past eight years has buried himself in the Superfund law.

I'm not paying for that cleanup.

Well, still it is my pleasure to share with you that just last week,

Rob Bilott was welcomed as a partner

- here at Taft, Stettinius & Hollister. - Mm-hmm.

- Good. Good. - Congratulations.

Good morning. Taft Law. One moment. I'll connect you.

Good morning. Taft Law.

One moment, please.

It's the governor's office calling for, uh...

calling for Mr. Burke.

May I help you?

Wilbur Tennant calling on Robbie Bilott.

EPA saddled them with the whole bill,

and given your client's history at that site,

that's a real possibility.

- I'll take it back to them. - Good.

Tab 12, Middletown...

I know. I'm sorry.

- But they won't leave. - Who's "they"?

I don't know. They say they know you.

Um...

Robbie Bilott?

Um... yes.

They call it a landfill. A dump's what it is.

They told my brother and me no chemicals, just trash,

but we ain't stupid.

Made them videotapes myself. All the proof you need.

They're poisoning the creek, killing my animals.

- I'm in the middle of a meeting. - So I want a lawyer.

Every damn one in Parkersburg too yellow to take my case.

Rob, he wants you back in there.

They're all scared shitless of DuPont.

Well, I ain't scared of nobody.

Okay. Kathleen is my paralegal.

She's gonna give you a directory of lawyers.

That's why I called your grandma.

What?

My neighbor tells me, "Call Alma White.

Her grandson's some fancy environment lawyer down in Cincinnati."

Reception.

Yes, sir, he's right here. Yes...

Sir, I am a corporate defense attorney.

- So? - I defend chemical companies.

Well, now you can defend me.

Rob.

Uh, 30 seconds, Tom.

- Uh, I'm sorry, Mr... - Tennant.

I can offer you a referral, but I'm just...

I just don't see how I can be of any help to you.

You can start by watching them tapes, for one thing.

Oh, let's go, Earl.

I'm sorry. I... I wish you all the luck.

Don't need your damn luck, boy. I need your help.

Rob!

I'll be back for this, all right?

Okay, sure.

Come on.

I'm not arguing with the overall analysis.

My only point is that whatever we decide upon...

Thank you, gentlemen.

Do you know where we're going?

- It's a place right around the corner. - Yeah?

What the hell was that all about?

He knows my grandmother.

Really?

Well, my mom's from West Virginia, uh, from a town, Parkersburg.

Not us. My father was Air Force.

We moved around a lot, but we spent the summers there.

Come on, Terp. You're buying.

Of course I am.

You can be from West Virginia, Rob.

I won't tell anyone.

All right, gentlemen. Morton's it is.

Three-martini lunch.

Still deign to eat with us lowly associates?

You can't drive an American car.

Taft-Hartley? Union busting?

We practically invented it.

"We"? Besides, I know a highly esteemed partner

who still drives American.

Some real clunkers, too.

Okay, yeah, but he collects them. That's different.

Like his no-name college and law school.

- No offense. - Are you listening to this?

Hey, you guys go ahead, all right?

- Hey, look, I didn't mean anything by it. - Oh, no, I got to make a call.

It's all right. I'll see you there.

- Okay, we'll save you a fish log. - Yeah.

- You can be such an asshole. - Carla, it was a joke.

- Yeah. - We always joke.

Oh, yeah, you guys are a couple of jokesters. Anyway...

You've reached the residence ofAlma White.

I can't come to the phone right now...

He's good. He's home early tonight, actually.

Tell him I say, "Howdy, partner."

She says, "Howdy, partner."

Are we ever gonna see him again on Sundays?

Yes, he can still come to Sunday dinners, Mom.

He's a partner, not the president of the United States.

I want to make... Do you have my Bundt pan?

- Returned it. - Where? I looked under the counter.

It's in the right-hand cupboard, in the plastic.

- Yeah. - I thought...

- Okay, well, we just sat down. - All right, dear.

- So I got to go. - Love to Rob and Teddy.

All right, see you Sunday.

- Love to Dad. - Talk to you later.

Can you pretend to be surprised about the cake?

She wants it to be very special.

Oh, and the granite samples came in.

Can you pick them up on your way home tomorrow?

Mm.

- Rob? - Hmm? Oh, sure.

Father, Son and the Spirit. Thank you.

- You okay? - Yes.

Bless us, our Lord, and these thy gifts which we are about to receive

from thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thank you, God, for our food. Thank you for family.

Mm...

Thank you.

Hi, Grammers.

What on earth?

I tried to call, but you weren't picking up.

Oh, well, you know me. My two fake knees.

What are you doing here?

A, uh, farmer came to see me.

Wilbur Tennant?

You do know him.

I don't socialize with him, if that's what you mean.

Inez Graham owned the farm next to his.

I used to take you and Beth over there when you were little.

That's the place?

- You rode that pony. - Ah.

I loved that place.

You saw a cow for the first time. Learned to milk it.

I remember you sitting there for hours making sure you got every last drop.

Just like you.

There.

Mm.

So, you gonna help him?

Huh?

You come up the holler.

Dump's up the hill.

Since I started complaining about my creek, fence goes up.

All blocked off.

Hi. I'm Rob.

Sandra.

The state, any veterinarian I called in Parkersburg...

they will not return my phone calls.

- Like I bite the hand that feeds. - No, it's all right.

- I've already... - This here's a gall.

Look at the size of it. Ain't never seen no gall that big.

Bigger than the heart.

That your cow's?

Look at them teeth.