The Exchange - Recap

Jim and Rollin enter a security headquarters in uniform, while Cinnamon goes upstairs also dressed as an officer. She breaks into an office and goes to the window, which has electric eye beams protecting it. She opens the window outward then bypasses the electrical system on the safe and gets it open, then takes photos of some top secret papers. Jim and Rollin can only look on as a pigeon lands on the window and sets off the alarm. Cinnamon tosses the camera to her teammates who knock out a guard and make their escape, but she’s captured.

Jim is distraught over the loss of Cinnamon and the team work to come up with a plan. They come up with an inflatable dummy of Rudolf Kurtz, an enemy spy. They can’t break Cinnamon out so they’ll have to exchange her for Kurtz. Barney has a wheelchair that runs on remote control and Jim reveals they have to break Kurtz before Colonel Josef Strom, Cinnamon’s interrogator, can break her. Jim warns that anyone can break… and then they’ll kill Cinnamon.

Strom subjects Cinnamon to sleep deprivation but she maintains her cover story. She takes a seat and Dr. Gorin monitors her physiological responses. At a garage, the guys hide a tape recorder in an advertising sign atop a car and drive over to the eastern sector, recording the guards at the checkpoint.

Strom interrogates Cinnamon and runs various proposals past her, and Gorin concludes that Cinnamon is claustrophobic. Jim shows up as a representative of Cinnamon’s employers to negotiate her release. Strom refuses to bargain while Jim secretly takes photos of Storm’s office. Jim then offers Kurtz for Cinnamon, piquing Strom’s interest. He agrees to make the deal the next day, and Strom figures he now has 24 hours to break Cinnamon before making the exchange.

While Gorin drugs Cinnamon, Rollin visits Kurtz pretending to be a wheelchair-bound East government official. The guards monitor the cell as Rollin stages a fake conversation and exchanges the proper password and countersign. Rollin has the inflatable Kurtz dummy in the chair and they set it up and then Kurtz gets in the compartment and they leave.

Cinnamon manages to escape through the ventilator shaft in her room, only to discover it has sliding panels that seal her in an even smaller box. Cinnamon collapses in panic, passing out.

Willy and Rollin release Kurtz from the wheelchair and put him in another box to smuggle him across the border. Once they have him in the crate, they play the tape recording of the checkpoint from earlier and move the crate on a hydraulic platform to convince him he’s being moved while in actuality he’s in the same warehouse.

Cinnamon starts to crack under the pressure, hearing Strom’s voice as Jim’s. Strom tries to get her to give him Jim’s last name and she passes out. Gorin assures Strom that when she recovers, she’ll tell them what they need to know.

Willy releases Kurtz I the mock-up they’ve created of Strom’s office. Jim is now in charge, as Strom’s replacement, and tells Kurtz to report to him. He informs Kurtz that Strom was working for the west and committed suicide after being captured. Rollin comes in and confirms that Strom betrayed Kurtz, but Kurtz want to see the files. With time running out, Jim demands that Kurtz make his report and the agent finally does so.

Gorin prepares to administer a drug to force Cinnamon awake despite the risk to her life. Meanwhile, Kurtz completes his report, and Rollin gets out of the wheelchair and leaves with the tape. Jim notes that it would be best for Kurtz if he doesn’t reveal he gave away his information.

Jim goes to see Strom, who tries to stall for the time to break Cinnamon. Storm has no choice but to agree and they arrange to meet halfway between the two checkpoints, in one hour. After Jim leaves, Strom tells Gorin to withhold the drug, as they’re out of time.

The IMF arrives at the checkpoint with Kurtz, with Strom and Cinnamon at the other end. Jim takes Kurtz across, along with a trench coat for Cinnamon. The Western authorities arrive but Rollin quickly explains the situation and provide them with half of Kurtz’s information. They’ll get the other half after they make the exchange. The Western officer agrees and Jim makes the exchange. He puts the coat on Cinnamon and they head back to the Western side… and Kurtz opens fire and kills them. Once Strom is gone, Jim and Cinnamon get up: both their coats are bulletproof and Strom believes them dead.

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