| Director | Robert Mulligan |
|---|---|
| Budget | $1.4 million |
In Los Angeles, Cooper is a "key-man" (fence) for a local crime boss, operating a series of warehouses used as storage facilities for stolen and illicit goods. Cooper hopes to close a deal for a new block of storage units, bribing local realtor Elias O'Neil to broker a deal with city officials to sell him the warehouses. Elias tells Cooper that he needs more time, so Cooper gives him a week with an implicit threat of violent retaliation should he fail. Cooper is ordered by his boss Carl to fix a boxing match, after their resident fixer Paulie failed to get the fighters to take a dive. Carl meets with Paulie, who tells the former that he's lost his touch and wants out of the criminal underworld. Cooper volunteers to fix the fight on his behalf, and informs the boxer Tonozzi that if he doesn't take a dive, Paulie will be hurt. Tonozzi reluctantly agrees.
After a surprise birthday party, Cooper is taken by Carl and his bodyguard Bobby to one of the prospective warehouses, where he is ordered to finish the deal by Saturday. Carl introduces Cooper to Turner, a young punk dressed like a cowboy who is to be his protege in the underworld. A disgruntled Cooper returns to his birthday party, but is interrupted by Paulie's arrival, announcing Tonozzi won the fight. Begging Cooper to help him, Paulie is advised to leave town until Cooper can smooth things over with Carl. Cooper visits Elias at a barbershop to close the warehouse deal, but Elias demands another $15,000 for bribes. Cooper agrees to pay out another $10,000, but Elias questions his authority to do so as he heard rumors that Cooper is on the way out. Cooper meets Carl and gives him the weekly pay offs. As he gets in the elevator to leave, Bobby joins him and brags that he killed Paulie. Angered, he brutally beats Bobby and breaks two of his ribs in the process.
Cooper is driven to Carl's office by Turner, who is now Carl's driver following Bobby's hospitalization. At the office, Turner goes to the bathroom, allowing Cooper to slide a gun from his desk and hide it under his coat. Turner returns and asks questions about Cooper's days as a carnival barker, but Cooper does not answer and goes outside just as Carl drives up. Carl authorizes the extra $10,000 for the warehouse, but warns Cooper that he better have a "yes" by Saturday. He chastises Cooper for beating Bobby, stating that Cooper is the syndicate's "computer" and they cannot afford for him to break down.
Hoping to relax, Cooper and his girlfriend travel to a cabin in the woods. Things seem fine, until Sarah notices wet footprints inside the cabin and Cooper discovers his gun missing from a drawer. After searching the cabin and finding no one, Cooper buys new locks and a shotgun. That afternoon, Cooper drives to Elias's hotel, only to find he is not registered there. He telephones Elias, but gets no answer. Returning to the cabin, Cooper finds Turner waiting for the warehouse answer. Cooper responds that when he gets the answer, he will call Carl himself, and sends Turner away. After Turner leaves, Sarah demands to know what is going on, but Cooper will only say it is "business." Enraged, Sarah slaps Cooper, who then punches her in the face. Embarrassed, Cooper puts her on the bed, explaining that there are new people that want to take his job away, and without his work he is nothing.
As there is no telephone in the cabin, Cooper goes to a nearby bait shop and calls the hotel. Upon learning Elias never arrived, Cooper drives back to the cabin and falls asleep holding his shotgun. He dreams Turner is there, holding a rifle; Cooper aims his shotgun, causing Turner to drop the rifle, and scream that he only wants the "message." Cooper slugs him with the gun and, just as he is about to pull the trigger, Sarah appears, distracting Cooper long enough for Turner to grab the rifle and shoot Sarah. Cooper awakens and tells Sarah they have to return to the city. After dropping Sarah off, Cooper goes to Elias' house and learns that the deal has fallen through and that Carl already knows. Cooper puts Sarah on a train for Las Vegas, promising to join her later. He then finds Carl at a restaurant and threatens to kill him if he doesn't take the contract off his head. Carl insists that the mob cannot lose their "key man" and that they will find other warehouses.
At his home, Cooper is attacked by Turner with a gun. Cooper is shot multiple times, but manages to charge Turner, then beats him and strangles him to death. He collapses to the floor in exhaustion, and dies of his wounds.