Old Man Out (1) - Recap

Dan goes to a closed auditorium and exchanges passwords with the maintenance man. The man then runs a film of Anton Cardinal Vossek, while the IMF tape informs Dan that Vossek is the leader of his country’s freedom movement. The country’s government has arrested Vossek and plans to hold a trial followed by a guaranteed execution. Until the trial, they have confined him in Seravno Prison, adjacent to the city’s park. No escape has ever been made from the prison, and the team’s mission is to rescue Vossek. Dan disposes of the tape and departs.

At his apartment, Dan goes through his dossier and assembles his team, including trapeze artist Crystal Walker. Smiling fondly, Dan includes Crystal’s photo with the others. He then goes to the circus to meet backstage with Crystal. She hugs him and then realizes that he wants her for another mission. Crystal insists that she has a major contract as a top performer, but Dan explains that it involves Vossek. She knows about Vossek but refuses to help. Once she stops complaining, Crystal smiles and asks if he’ll ever call her for personal reasons.



At the apartment, Cinnamon and Dan practice a mind-reading routine. Rollin then demonstrates how he’s stolen everyone’s personal items without them knowing it. Cinnamon and Crystal admire each other’s dresses, and Rollin shows them a small metal pickpocket. When Dan points out that he won’t be able to smuggle metal in, Rollin assures him that he won’t be the one who takes it into the prison. Rollin assures Dan that he can get to Vossek if the guards stick to their schedules, and Dan says that they’re bored and will follow the schedule. Cinnamon reminds him that the guards won’t let him keep his watch to track the schedule, and Dan tells the team that they’ll provide a suitable timepiece. Barney says he needs a crossbow, a truck, and Willy. Crystal assures Dan that she’ll have Rollin trained on the wire in time.

Later, the team rehearses circus acts. Crystal advises Willy on his weight-lifting routine while Dan practices on the circus calliope. Cinnamon arrives with the news that Vossek’s execution has been ordered, and Dan assures her that they won’t be able to break Vossek before killing him. Barney arrives and tells Dan that it takes 20 minutes to set up Crystal’s safety net and there’s no way to reduce the time. Dan tells Crystal to rehearse her circus act without a net.



The circus arrives in the park outside of Seravno and Crystal performs on the high wire. Barney, dressed as a circus clown, watches with the others as a crowd gathers for the performance. Rollin mingles with the crowd and steals a man’s wallet, and then walks past local officer Colonel Jovann Scutari and his man. Barney goes through the crowd taking up a collection. He deliberately approaches the pickpocket victim, who reaches for his wallet and realizes that Rollin stole it. The victim runs to Scutari, who leads his man in pursuit of Rollin. More soldiers close in and quickly capture Rollin, and Scutari has his men take Rollin to the prison. Meanwhile, Crystal descends to the ground as the audience applauds.

While Willy performs his strongman act, Rollin is taken into Seravno Prison and relieved of all his belongings. They then take him through a metal detector and the alarm goes off. As the commandant comes to investigate, Rollin slips the lockpick onto one of the guards before removing his clothing.

Cinnamon and Dan perform their mind-reading act and Cinnamon takes a medal from Scuvari. Dan accurately tells her what she holds.



The guards find a pipe cleaner on Rollin. As they take him past the metal detector, Rollin recovers the lockpick and is escorted to his cell. As he goes, Rollin carefully examines the stairways and overhead pipes.

Dan tells Barney and Cinnamon that the prison guard evening shift has just come on. Cinnamon walks out past Scutari and his man, and then sits on a bench near a guard, Tosk. He notices her and soon comes over to chat her up. Cinnamon flirts back and strolls off.



In his cell, Rollin watches as a haggard Vossek is lead down the hallway.

Crystal goes out for her next performance and Willy lifts her into position. Dan begins playing the calliope as the clock strikes 7 p.m. precisely. In his cell, Rollin hears the clock chime and the calliope play. The guards arrive with food and Rollin waits until they pass. Once they leave, Rollin puts a pillow under his blanket to make it appear that he’s slipping and then picks the lock on his cell door. He enters the stairwell and goes up just as two guards arrive. They come up the poorly lit stairs and Rollin neatly slips behind them as they take the landing and exit on the next floor. Rollin then continues up and makes his way to Vossek’s cell. He awakens the dozing prisoner and tells him not to tell him anything. Rollin asks him to come with him so he can prove he can get Vossek out, and asks him to have faith. Smiling, Vossek says that he can’t argue.



The guards come by on their rounds and Rollin hides, but drops the lockpick set on the floor. Rollin hides in the overhead pipes while the guards shine a flashlight into the cell, making sure Vossek is there. They pass on, failing to notice the lockpick set. Rollin drops down and tells Vossek to fix his bedcovers so it looks like he’s under them.

Outside, Crystal finishes her act and descends to the ground. Meanwhile, Rollin enters Vossek’s cell and makes sure the bedcovers are properly positioned. He then escorts Vossek out of his cell and they head for the roof, hindered by Vossek’s weakened condition and old age. On the roof, Rollin takes Vossek to the edge and shows him the parking lot past the fence and a sentry. Vossek wonders how they can get over the fence, past the sentry, and out of the country. Rollin tells him that he had to time everything to the split-second by the calliope music and that this was just a timing exercise to see how long it would take Vossek to get to the roof.



Exactly an hour later, Dan finishes playing the calliope music and goes to do his mind-reading act with Cinnamon, Rollin escorts Vossek back inside but they hear soldiers moving on the stairs below.

Cinnamon and Dan finish their act. Meanwhile, the guard captain checks Vossek’s cell and gets no response from the cardinal. He goes in and confirms that Vossek is under his blanket.

Three hours later, Barney and Willy unload the truck and Barney tests a crossbow before hiding it. Scutari notices them working on the truck engine and walks by. He enters Dan’s tent and informs him that he’s checked with the local performers’ guild and confirmed that the circus performers aren’t members. Dan admits that the troupe is too small and unable to afford the guild dues. Scutari asks where they come from and Dan tosses off several towns. He explains that he picked up riggers like Rollin from the local community and has no idea who he was. When Dan says that he’ll find someone else, Scutari asks if he plans to abandon Rollin and Dan says he’ll do what he can. The colonel cuts off Dan when he rambles on about his family and asks when he’s leaving, and then asks why he isn’t closer to the center of the park. Dan explains that it’s too windy and unsafe for Crystal. Still suspicious but without clear evidence, Scutari leaves.



The guards remove Rollin from his cell without explanation and take him to meet with Cinnamon. They hold a conversation about getting Rollin a lawyer, well aware that the guards are listening in. Rollin uses coded phrases to pass on an update on Vossek’s condition, and that he’ll be ready to get Vossek out at 7:30 that evening.

The Commandant calls in the captain and tells him to intensify Vossek’s interrogation. The captain notes that Vossek could die, but the Commandant says that it doesn’t matter because he has orders to execute the cardinal in 48 hours.

At the circus, Cinnamon approaches Tosk. Crystal comes up and flirts with Tosk, and Cinnamon tells her to get lost. She leads Tosk off and throws lemonade in Crystal’s face, and Dan comes over to offer her a handkerchief.

At 7:30 that night, Dan begins playing the calliope as Crystal performs. In the prison, the guards deliver the food on schedule. Once they’re gone and the captain begins his patrol of the upper floor, Rollin gets out of his cell. As he goes to the upper floor, Crystal finishes her act and Willy begins his. Barney, without his clown makeup and working as a rigger, makes his way through the crowd past Scutari.

Rollin arrives at Vossek’s cell... and discovers that Vossek is gone.



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