Leverage

Man: All units, please respond to a possible intruder

in the research department.

This product is the result

of years of research and development.

Everyone at the company

is convinced the stock price is going to soar.

A toy?

Chubby Snubby.

I was the exec overseeing its safety report,

which came back with a level three choking hazard rating.

But I refused to cook the books, so Hazlit fired me.

Hazlit?

Trent Hazlit, C.E.O. of Poggio Toys.

And he's not worried about lawsuits?

Hazlit does cost-benefits for everything.

And the deaths of a few kids is an acceptable risk

in the name of profit.

Well, he is awfully cute.

Not so cute when a kid swallows its nose

and it swells up to the size of a pomegranate.

Hazlit buried the Chubby Snubby report

so he could launch before Christmas.

All the toys are at retail warehouses

waiting for the announcement at the Pacific Toy Expo.

We're looking at a ticking bomb.

Don't let this thing hit the market, Mr. Ford... please.

Trent Hazlit... C.E.O. of global toy giant Poggio Toys.

And the days of the colorful family toy exec are long gone.

Nowadays, companies bring in these Wall Street Wolverines

who couldn't care less about kids or toys.

All they care about is branding and stock growth.

Well, where'd Hazlit come from?

- One guess. - Santa's workshop.

- No. - Doughnuts.

No. And that's two guesses. Stop playing.

He comes from defense contracting.

20 years ago, he was selling RPGs and anti-aircraft weaponry

to both Latin-American dictators

and the rebel groups that opposed them.

- I hate arms dealers. - Yeah.

Now, nine years ago, he takes over Poggio Toys,

moves the manufacturing overseas,

he lowered safety standards,

and he buried class-action suits.

Okay, uh, what's security like?

Hardison: He's using the same M.O.

As he did when he sold weapons.

He's using double-walled rooms.

He's locking away toy designs at the end of every shift.

He's changing codes daily.

Uh, safety report?

Hardison: It's digital.

It's kept in a special server,

which is locked in a special safe,

which is held in a special server room.

Parker?

Parker: Ah, a Boylan-Kim 53-11.

Just have to drill it... No problem.

Okay. So, we'll steal the safety report,

release it to the public,

then Hazlit is gonna have to spike

the Chubby Snubby dog launch.

Let's do it.

I-I'm saying that we...

Uh, I think we went overboard on Christmas gifts last year.

Nate, I love my Ecosse motorcycle

from last Christmas... Compliments of my Santa-baby.

You spent $100,000 on a motorcycle?

Don't hate the gift.

Hate the elf.

I do hate the elf.

So, are you saying

No Christmas presents at all?

Not even something small?

No gifts.

But

How are we supposed to do Christmas without any presents?

Sophie: Let's just put a limit on spending.

Say...$1,000 a...

$100 a...

50 bucks a person. Mm.

Fine, whatever.

I'm in.

Okay. Downloading now.

And... I got it.

Three minutes to seal up, and he'll never know we were here.

Yeah, he doctored the data.

And the American Safety Association of Pediatricians

is giving it five stars!

Yeah, I thought that was weird.

Yeah, they're a bunch of retired doctors

based out of Guam with no standing in the business.

I'm sure they're on Hazlit's payroll.

Shouldn't somebody be regulating this stuff?

Want to know who regulates toy safety in this country?

The toy companies.

What about government?

Consumer Product Safety Commission.

They try.

They're a solid government agency,

but safety studies are voluntary,

so certain companies just won't take that risk

because if a toy is found hazardous,

they have to make it public.

Yeah, unless you buy some doctors in Guam.

I appreciate you trying.

Wait, wait, wait.

Mr. Marris, listen... This isn't over.

It isn't.

Now, we are not gonna let that toy get released.

I don't think you know who you're up against.

Trent Hazlit is a corporate hitman...

He's capable of anything.

You realize that without that safety study, we got nothing.

- Yeah. - Mm-hmm.

So, why'd you promise him that?

Because we are not gonna let that toy get released.

We're gonna steal Christmas.

Sophie: No, the Trojan Horse won't work.

We'd have to sell Hazlit a toy company

so filled with financial liability

that it bankrupts him before the launch of Chubby Snubby.

Exactly. We just bait him with a new hit toy.

But the launch is in three days.

We don't have time to create a whole new toy.

Ah, that's why Hardison is finding us some failed toys

that already exist.

Yeah, this is second run of fun.

It's a third-party toy distributor

that sells failed toys to Bolivia and the Sudan in bulk.

They also sell those Super Bowl "loser" t-shirts.

Mm. Now, check this out... they got TSA security screener,

Whirlie-Glee-Glee, homeless mother and daughter doll set.

These are toys.

And this is my favorite... Sir Boat-A-Lot.

You pull his arm, and he gives you a sailing tip.

Go back, uh, to the turny thing. Just...

The Whirlie-Glee-Glee? Yeah.

This thing was supposed to do figure eights.

It barely did a figure one.

Sold 1,100 units.

I actually think I had one as a kid.

Well, it's bland enough to slip through the cracks

but quirky enough to seem novel.

So, we just have to get the kids to go crazy

for a toy that was once considered junk.

Mm. Well, a toy craze is like a con...

You just got to convince them that they want something

that they didn't know they wanted.

In this case, it's preschoolers.

So, when is this thing shipped to Africa?

In 39 hours.

Okay, well, we got to get our hands on the, uh... the, uh...

Whirlie-Glee-Glee?

Whirlie-Glee-Glee before it's gone-gone.

Right.

Hmm.

Who in the hell would give this thing to a child?

It's not a thing.

It is a doll, and kids love dolls.

It ain't no doll.

That's some old, voodoo witchcraft,

and I don't want it up in Lucille.

You know what? What if I said that about the flashy kicks

you've been giving me lately?

Hey, they are awesome.

They make you shiny and fast.

Okay, this thing, no kid should ever be subjected to... ever.

[ Camera shutter clicks, cellphone beeps ]

Nate, you see this?

Nate: Oh.

Guys, it doesn't matter what toy Parker picks.

Anything can be sold.

Eliot's right.

It's just a mass-marketing con game,

and it's about creating wildfire buzz

like the modern-art world or the movie business.

Any crappy product...

Wha... Baby Joy Rage is not crappy.

- It's crappy. - Any misunderstood product can make billions

as long as it has the right buzz.

We just got to get that thing on Hazlit's radar.

J.I.C. says the kids will clock the mutt in at 88.6% satisfied.

The what, sir?

The J. I.C.... Jubilation Index Calculator.

New app I developed.

Just take a pic of the item.

Boom... the thing registers the toy's gross market