H.H.
Genre: Crime/Sci-Fi
Director: David Lowery
Writer: Jimmy Ellis
Based on the short story "A Retrieved Reformation" by O. Henry
Cast: George MacKay, Jack O'Connell, Kelsey Grammer, Isabelle Fuhrman, Asa Germann, Wentworth Miller, Tony Goldwyn, Terry O'Quinn, April Bowlby
Plot: Plot: 1899 - Harry Higgins (George Mackay) stitches up a boot when he is interrupted by a prison guard, Jeffers (Wentworth Miller). He looks up from the shoe, puts it down and follows Jeffers out the workshop and toward the warden’s office.
Jeffers knocks on the door and the warden (Tony Goldwyn) looks to him, while signing a document. Warden stands and walks toward the two of them, he looks to Harry and hands him the document, while telling him that the Governor pardoned Harry this morning. Harry is relieved as he reads it. The warden tells him he is lucky to have only served 4 months of a two-year sentence. Harry cracks a joke about thinking he’d be out in one. The warden and Jeffers laugh, before becoming stone-faced. Warden tells him to get his life straight he is not a bad guy, he just makes bad decisions, he has to stop cracking safes. The Warden tells him he will spend the night here, then be released first thing in the morning. Jeffers walks him back to his cell, they stop at the commissary to pick up some outgoing clothes. He gets back in his cell and Jeffers wishes him luck.
Harry stands with the warden and a clerk. The clerk gives Harry his persona belongings along with a train ticket and a 5-dollar bill. Calling Harry, Higgins 9762, he reads out that the Governor of Missouri has deemed him fit to return to society and he is now a free man. The Warden shakes Harry’s hand and wishes him luck. Harry walks out of prison a free man. He pauses to get his bearings before walking to town.
After some time of silently walking as a free man, he comes across the local church and sees a restaurant close by. He arrives at the restaurant door and pauses. He removes his hat and with a deep breath he enters. He sits down and stares at the menu.
Harry sits at the table smoking a cigar. The remnants of a broiled chicken and a half-eaten apple pie sit on the table. He extinguishes his cigar before he stands, after a moment he puts his hat on and nods to the proprietor before leaving.
As he walks to the train station, he spots a large crow land on a telegraph pole, he smiles and tips his hat. He tells it to let Davey know, he will be arriving soon. The crow squawks loud before flying off. He arrives at the train depot just as it pulls in. Once, no more passengers get on, he does. He heads straight for the lounge car. The bartender sees him and gives him a nod. He approaches the bartender and asks for a Seltzer with Milk. The bartender questions this but makes it. Harry sits in the available seat as the conductor comes to punch tickets. Harry’s is bound for Ozark; he says that he is visiting his sister and new nephew. He watches the scenery rush by, before falling asleep.
The train arrives in Ozark and he disembarks. He begins to walk into the city centre, before entering, O’Brien’s pub. The owner of the pub Davey O’Brien (Kelsey Grammer) is behind the bar. He smiles as Harry enters. Davey walks from behind the bar, and raises both hands in the air, Harry follows suit. Both men’s eyes glow with bright blue light and then fade back to normal. They lower their arms as Harry tells him to be careful. Davey just says he did it for the old days as he retreats behind the bar. He offers Whiskey or Scotch, to which Harry asks if he is trying to murder him, it would dissolve his gullet in 12 seconds. Davey knows and laughs, he pours him a seltzer with milk. Davey begins to go on about not being able to drink whiskey or scotch, it’s like acid to them. They then talk more with Harry asking why it took them so long to get him out. Davey, sombre says there was an incident and the governor nearly quit, but he came through. Harry smiles and asks for his key. Davey shuffles around and gives him it. Harry heads to the back of the room and up the stairs. He enters the room and notices a button on the floor, he walks over and says one word … Wolfe.
FLASHBACK: Police Constable Jack Wolfe (Jack O’Connell) wrestles Harry to the ground with two other officers. The four brawls for a bit but Harry is no match for the three of them and eventually yields. Wolfe yells at him saying he will go to prison. Harry looks up with a smirk saying not for long. END FLASHBACK
Harry puts the button in his pocket before walking to the bed, he folds the bed back into the wall, revealing a rug, he moves the rug aside, he feels around for something. He lifts to floorboards simultaneously triggering a hatch. It opens a hidden space with a dusty suitcase inside. Harry smiles and opens the latches, “My Beauty”. He looks in the case revealing an oblong device. He takes the device out and puts it on the table. As he moves his hand to the centre and holds it there, multiple blue and green lights glow. He smiles and waves his hand over the centre for the lights to go out. He puts it back in the suitcase, smiling. He opens a smaller case that reveals safe-cracking tools, “Back in business.” He places both suitcases back in the hiding spot.
A few hours later down in the pub, Davey watches people through the window as they pass, when Harry walks down the stairs with a clean suit, looking refreshed. Davey questions if he has anything on. Harry cracks a joke as Davey pours the seltzer with milk. Harry asks for one more, but Davey says that, “as they say on this planet, Politeness is next to Godliness.” The two laughs. Davey asks how long Harry will say but he says he will be leaving in the morning, Indiana is in business this year, and Higgins 9762 could use a change of scenery.
A montage is shown: (1) A newsboy is on a street corner yelling, “Read all about it! $800 stolen from the First Logansport Bank. (2) Someone tosses a newspaper onto a table. The headline reads, “Union Bank Vault Robbed! $1500 stolen!” (3) A man sits on a park bench with the newspaper open, we see the headline, “Jefferson City Bank vault plundered for $5000!”
Jack Wolfe looks over some documents and newspaper clippings on his desk. Officer Leonard Davis (Asa Germann) sits in the chair opposite Wolfe. Wolfe is certain that this is the work of Harry Higgins. He says all the evidence is there, it’s his signature. No holes were drilled, the tumblers were punched out clean. Davis asks if he wants him brought in. Wolfe just says that there won’t be any foolishness by the governor this time, Higgins will be away for a long time.
Elmore, Arkansas: Harry carries his suitcase, wearing a suit. He exits the train and walks toward town. After a few blocks he finds the hotel, but stops before entering as he notices a young woman, (Isabelle Fuhrman). He tips his hat to her and notices her striking green eyes. She breaks her gaze, embarrassed and walks into the building next door, “The Elmore Bank.” A young kid runs past and Harry grabs him. He says he will give the kid a dime for every question he answers. He asks for the restaurant, the barber shop, and the opera house. He finally asks for the woman’s name, Elizabeth Sharp. He thanks the kid as he runs off. Harry smiles and goes into the “Planter’s Hotel”.
Harry approaches the clerk and asks for a room, the man says they are $2 per night, however as he sees Harry’s suit, he offers the $2.25 a night room, with a bath. Harry accepts and says he will pay 7 days in advance. As he signs his name, he signs as a Mr Robert Spencer. Harry asks if there is shoe makers in town, which there are no specialists, Harry says good as that why he is here. The clerk welcomes him and wishes him luck. He carries his own suitcases to the room, he sets the suitcase on the floor and sits down.
15 Months Later: Harry stands and locks the door, before retrieving the oblong device from the suitcase. He holds hi palm over the centre and the device lights up. Harry turns a knob on the side and then presses one of the blue buttons. The center of the device pops up with a tubular protrusion. Harry turns it so that it faces a blank wall where an image is projected. The image is a downward view of the outside of O'Brien's Pub. The projection shows smooth movement from across the street to the entrance of the pub at floor level. He tells it to look if anyone else is there. The projection shows the inside of the pub, with empty tables and no customers. Davey polishes the bar with some oil and a towel until he looks up. The projected image moves again, from floor level to right in front of Davey at the same level as the bar. Davey sees this and says he doesn’t remember calling him. Harry says its him. Davey smiles and his eyes go blue. From Davey’s POV we see him smiling at a crow sitting on the bar, the crows eyes, blue. Davey quickly exits the bird's view and returns momentarily. He had to shut, so no-one would see him talk to a crow. Harry needs to tell him something … he has quit the bank robbing business. Harry is surprised, then as Harry keeps talking and mentioning getting married and moving west, Davey gets sad. He is then confused as to why he started robbing in the first place. They were sent here to be observers, nothing more. Davey reminds him he is an Armodian and she is an Earthling. He adds the next cruiser will be here in less than 6 years. Harry says he plans on growing old. Davey laughs, saying he will grow to 300, he will be here a lot longer than her. Harry and Davey laugh with each other before they bid farewell and the projection stops.
Harry sews a sole on a shoe as Elizabeth enters. The two embrace tenderly.
Jack Wolfe looks through the front window of the drug store opposite Harry’s shop. After getting a good look he vows to take him down.
Elizabeth squeezes Harry’s arm, saying they need to go, as her father is unveiling the new vault at his bank. She says it’s a new top of the line vault with a clock timer. Harry feigns surprise and the two leave. They walk toward the bank as they talk of what they will do after they are married. They enter the bank.
Harry and Elizabeth are greeted by Mr Sharp (Terry O’Quinn) and three females, Anissa Moody (April Bowlby) and her two young daughters, Vera and Clara. Harry becomes transfixed by the newly-installed vault door. More than a dozen people mill about in the small bank. The two young girls run back and forth, playing tag. Elizabeth clings to Harry's arm, gripping it with excitement. Mr Sharp asks for the attention of everyone, he unveils the vault, saying is fastened with three solid steel bolts thrown simultaneously with a single handle, and has a time-lock that cannot be opened until the specified time.
Suddenly, there is a scream from behind them. Unseen by their elders, Vera, while playing with Clara, has shut Clara in the vault. She then shot the bolts and turned the knob of the combination as she had seen Mr. Sharp do. Harry and Mr. Sharp rush to the vault, only to find it solidly locked. Jack Wolfe enters the bank. He stands by the door and rests on his elbow, observing the events at hand. Mr Sharp yells out as he says the vault cannot be opened. Anissa screams. Mr Sharp asks for silence. Everyone is still. Harry can barely hear the faint sound of the child wildly shrieking in the dark vault in a panic. Anissa in hysterics begs Harry or Mr Sharp to do something, Sharp says that there is no way anyone can open that vault. Harry pulls his room key from his pocket and tosses it to the teller. He tells him to run to room 4 and get his suitcase form under his bed. Harry notices Wolfe standing by the door. The teller runs past Mr Wolfe, almost knocking him down. Wolfe stays near the door, watching the course of events as intently as the rest.
Harry turns toward Elizabeth as he removes his jacket. The teller, barely able to carry Harry's suitcase, returns and sets it down next to him. Harry carefully opens the case just enough to take the smaller case out without revealing the rest of the suitcase's contents. Harry gets everyone away from the door.
He quickly kisses Elizabeth on the cheek and opens the smaller case revealing his safe-cracking tools. He lays out the shining, unusual implements swiftly and orderly. Everyone watches Harry in absolute silence. Within a minute, Harry's drill bites smoothly into the steel door. 10 minutes later, he breaks through. He throws back the bolts, turns the spindle wheel, and drags the heavy door open.
Clara runs into her mother's arms, scared, but safe. Mr. Wolfe approaches quietly from behind, and applauds Harry. Harry nervously reaches into his pocket and pulls out the button. He suddenly looks somber. Harry thanks him, then whispers that he supposes it’s time to go. Wolfe stands confused, he says all he wanted to do was congratulate him on saving the young girl. Now Harry confused, “You don’t know me.” Wolfe says he has never seen him in his life, he wants to shake hands with a hero. As the men shake hands, Harry passes the button to Wolfe. Wolfe winks before pulling him close whispering, “the Armodians will miss you,” before walking out of the bank. Harry turns to Elizabeth and pulls her close. She kisses him softly.
Jack Wolfe walks down the street looking at the button, smiling and speaking softly to himself. “Higgins 9762. Pardoned by the Governor of the state of Missouri. And now, pardoned by fate.”
