Operation Rogosh - Recap

Dan Briggs pulls into a parking lot and gets into a parked car. Inside the glove compartment is a briefing tape. The briefing explains that Imry Rogosh is a mass murderer who commits slaughter for political benefit. The government has confirmed that Rogosh was in Los Angeles for a week and is leaving by plane the next night, and believe that Rogosh plans another slaughter. The experts consider Rogosh unbreakable, and Dan must break him anyway.

Dan incinerates the tape and then returns to his apartment. Among the operatives he chooses are Rollin hand, Dr. Ira Green, the Horizon Repertory Players, and stunt driver Sonny Allision.

Rogosh and his fellow agent Lazloff leave their hotel and spot someone watching them from across the street. They turn down an alleyway and another man closes in on them. Meanwhile, Sonny waits for them to cross the street, and then accelerates and hits Rogosh when he crosses the street. Willy arrives as a pedestrian while Barney poses as a police officer. An ambulance arrives and Dan and Ira take Rogosh away while Rogosh’s bodyguard watches, thwarted by Barney. Ira gives Rogosh a sedative and confirms that Sonny only gave the murderer a concussion and bruises.



Later, Rogosh wakes up in a prison cell. He tries to get up and discovers that he’s badly bruised. When he hears someone outside the door, Rogosh looks outside and sees other cells. He calls for help and pounds on the door but gets no response, but hears a woman scream in the distance. Rogosh checks his clothing and discovers foreign currency and cigarettes in the pockets. There is also a photo of a woman he’s never seen and a card with a man’s name on it. Rogosh manages to climb up to a window and sees a courtyard outside with a partially-constructed scaffold in the center. There are armed guards and they ignore Rogosh when he calls to them.

Continuing his search of the cell, Rogosh finds a brick piece identifying the place as Stefan Castle. On the wall is writing left by previous prisoners, showing the year is 1968, two years from when he was hit by the car. Willy checks on Rogosh but ignores his questions and walks away. Meanwhile, Barney plays tapes of Cinnamon screaming while she tries on clothing.



Rogosh checks the light in his room and finds a microphone. He speaks into it, demanding to know why he’s being held there, and Dan listens in satisfaction. He then goes to check on the workers rebuilding the house. In his cell Rogosh, sees a matron escort Cinnamon past and recognizes her from the photo in his wallet. Willy comes in and informs him that the prosecutor wants to see him again. As he takes Rogosh to the prosecutor’s office, Barney “broadcasts” news of a coup in Rogosh’s country.

Rogosh is brought in to meet with the prosecutor, Rollin, When Rogosh asks why he’s there, Rollin tells him to quit innocence and explains that Rogosh’s superior Major Klimi has confessed everything. He tells Rogosh to confess and save them both time, and asks how much the Americans were paying him. Rogosh explains that he has no idea what’s going on and Rollin tells him that it’s 1969. According to the files, Rogosh returned in 1967 from his assignment in Los Angeles. Rollin summons in Ira, who says he’s been friends with Rogosh since the night he was arrested. Ira confirms that Rogosh could be suffering from delayed amnesia caused by the accident, but Rollin says that it’s no defense against capital crimes against the state. Once Willy takes Rogosh out, Dan and the others come in. He tells to let Rogosh draw his own conclusions rather than push it, and admits that they don’t know how much time they have.



Rogosh climbs up to his window again, unaware that Lazloff has infiltrated the grounds and is watching him through binoculars. Meanwhile, a man disguised as Klimi is escorted across the yard. Willy then brings in Dan, posing as his ineffectual defender. Dan admits that all of Rogosh’s witnesses have been silenced or kept out of sight. Rogosh asks him about Lazloff and Dan explains that he did his best, but the agent was shot a week ago. The killer asks for the charges again and Dan tells him that he’s considered a traitor who sold out to the Americans. Rogosh asks him who Cinnamon is and Dan explains that she’s his secretary.



Lazloff slips off the grounds and meets with the real Major Klimi. He explains that someone is making the house look like Stefan Castle, and that there was a man there who looks like Klimi.

Rogosh continues to explain that he doesn’t remember anything other then that something was going to happen on November 4 and he had tickets to leave on November 2. Dan ignores that and asks about more recent activities, and points out that Rogosh doesn’t know if he’s guilty or innocent. When Dan refuss to defending him, Rogosh goes berserk and attacks him, and Willy comes in and knocks Rogosh down and gets Dan out. Dan tells Barney and Cinnamon that since it’s November 4, they have to two days to figure out Rogosh’s plan and stop it.

Klimi tells Lazloff to get into the castle and kill Rogosh.

Later, Willy takes Rogosh out for exercise. They go past Cinnamon and Rogosh bribes Willy to see her. Clearly shell-shocked, she calls him by his first name and Rogosh pretends to know her. Willy leaves them alone and Cinnamon tells Rogosh that she’s told the authorities everything, and she refused to denounce him. However, all they wanted to know is what he did in America. Rogosh asks if he told her about the bacteria cultures, and demands to know how many died, and Willy hauls him away.



Lazloff infiltrates the grounds with a sniper rifle.

Barney reports to their superiors what they’ve found out. Dan rips open his shirt and then Willy takes him down to the cells and beats him where Rogosh can see. He tells Rogosh that Barney is a student agitator and locks him up. Once they’re alone, Rogosh calls across the hallway and Barney says that he had a scholarship at UCLA in 1966, two months after the epidemic occurred in November. Rogosh is pleased to hear that the panic lasted that long and that thousands died.

Laszlo avoids the guards and gets to a patio overlooking Rogosh’s cell.

Rollin disguises himself as Klimi and then is escorted out to the gallows. Rogosh watches from his cell as “Klimi” is hung and begins to panic. He has Dan summoned and apologizes for attacking him earlier, and says that he can produce two witnesses.

The trial begins and three judges hear Rogosh’s case. Rollin says that he will prove that Rogosh became a double-agent, and Dan leaps up to object. He offers to have Rogosh prove that he was involved in operations on behalf of the country, and the female judge notes that Klimi and Lazloff burned the files. Dan calls Cinnamon to the stand and she robotically testifies that Rogosh joined an underground group dedicated to destroying their country. While Rogosh protests, Lazloff gets into position in a window across the way from the courtroom.



Dan tries to muster his case but Cinnamon refuses to testify. As Dan calls his next witness, he spots Lazloff drawing a bead on Rogosh. He whispers to Willy that he’s spotted the sniper and then makes a speech, blocking Lazloff’s view of Rogosh. Dan then gives an unscripted speech, confusing Rollin and the judges. Willy takes out Lazloff and signals Dan, who then calls Barney as his second witness.

Barney freely testifies that he thought Rogosh wanted to defect. Rogosh finally has enough and insists on telling the court that he was assigned to contaminate Los Angeles’ water supply. Cinnamon, listening in, relays the information to the authorities. The judges tell Rogosh to continue testifying and warn that the burden is on him to prove he’s innocent. Rogosh tells them that he prepared four vials of the culture and gives the first three locations. However, as he goes to draw a map, he knocks over a chair and sees a rental tag on the underside. Rogosh immediately realizes that he’s been tricked and boasts that they still don’t know the location of the fourth vial. He goes to Dan, realizing that as the most ineffectual person present he must be the leader, and Dan punches him unconscious.



Rogosh wakes up in his cell and discovers that the doors and windows have been hermetically sealed. The three canisters are on a table and Dan tells him over the loudspeaker that they have reset the timers on the vials. If Rogosh doesn’t tell them the location of the fourth container in 15 seconds, the containers will open. Rogosh finally breaks and calls out the fourth location.



Later, Rogosh is released and gets into the car with Klimi. He explains that they tricked him but Klimi is unimpressed. He orders his driver to leave. Dan and Barney watch them go and Barney regrets letting Rogosh leaves. Well aware of what will befall Rogosh, Dan tells his teammate that they didn’t.

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