The Double Circle - Recap

At a playground, Jim gets into an empty car and picks up his briefing on Victor Laszlo, an art collector who stole a new fuel formula critical to America’s missile defense. Laszlo’s partner Dunson stole the formula and killed the scientist so they can’t recreate the formula. An enemy country that has duplicated the formula on their own plan to play Laszlo to destroy his copy, putting the U.S. significantly behind. The IMF must recover the formula and dispose of Laszlo.

Jim assembles the usual team plus Gillian Colbee and Ericson. In the briefing, the team goes over a tape where Barney says he can move what they see on the eleventh floor up on the twelfth floor. Laszlo has sophisticated security devices that will trigger an explosion on the safe with the formula. Jim warns that Dunson is a professional killer who won’t think twice about disposing of Gillian once she gets involved with Laszlo by offering him the Peking Buddha.

Dunson arrives at Laszlo’s apartment building and goes up to see Laszlo who is admiring his butterfly collection. Dunson admits he’s concerned because he’s the one who killed the scientist and is worried that someone might be able to get into the safe. Laszlo boasts that he had a new security measure installed. Barney comes into the building and goes to the elevator controls while Gillian arrives claiming to be an art dealer. She offers Laszlo the Peking Buddha in return for the fuel formula, covertly hinting that she is working for the Chinese government. Once Barney has the elevator wiring set up, Jim has Willy and Ericson go up to the roof. Gillian asks for two hours to get the Peking Buddha for Laszlo in return for a simple cash payment, and she admits she’s an independent hired to make him the offer. He offers her a “cash incentive” if she can get him the Buddha.

On the roof, Willy and Ericson set up a laser cutter and prepare to go to work. Jim arrives and Paris (disguised as Ericson) calls the security guard Miller up to the apartment. Barney reroutes Miller to the eleventh floor, where they have an exact duplicate of Laszlo’s apartment, and uses a hand-scanning device to gain entry. Paris-as-Laszlo sends Miller back down. Jim comes up on the other elevator and meets with Paris, who reveals they now have Miller’s handprints recorded.

Dunson follows Gillian to a church where he spots Barney, who is the person in the photo Gillian showed Laszlo of the Peking Buddha. Jim goes to an apartment in a neighboring building and signals Willy and Ericson, then films Paris-as-Laszlo in the apartment below Laszlo’s, opening his safe and then opening a second secret compartment Dunson knows nothing about.

Dunson visits Barney in the church and sees a photo of him in China. Dunson claims to be an art reporter and Barney denies any knowledge of the Peking Buddha. He goes into the next room to make a call notifying the authorities that someone is asking about the statue, and Dunson quickly leaves.

Gillian goes back to Laszlo and says that her Chinese employees won’t settle for cash only. Dunson arrives and is suspicious since she’s meeting with Laszlo alone, then goes up to meet with Laszlo. On the roof, Willy burns through the roof at a precise point. Laszlo confronts Gillian with the fact she’s an American agent and Dunson locks the door, trapping her. Barney comes up to the twelfth floor and Gillian sees him on the monitor, and distracts Laszlo, offering him the same offer for the fuel formula. Barney gets in and puts a mirror over the camera lens so he can move about freely, just before Laszlo has Gillian move. Barney slips in to the study where Laszlo’s safe is located while Willy burns through the roof from above, cutting a slot directly above the alcove where the safe is located.

Dunson cautions Laszlo against taking Gillian’s deal for the Americans, but she notes they’ll protect him. Willy and Ericson drop a wall with a fake safe mounting through the slot into the front of the alcove, with Barney hiding between that and the real safe. Laszlo refuses her offer and lets her go. She removes the device from the outside security camera and leaves, while Barney attaches a fake safe to the back of the fake wall with the fake safe door.

Dunson leaves for a health club meeting and Jim arrest him. Jim and Willy claim to be operatives for the country that wants to pay Laszlo to destroy the formula, and want to know why Laszlo is breaking the deal. They reveal that Gillian is an American and want to know why Laszlo put the formula in a secret room. They then show Dunson footage of the fake apartment and Paris-as-Laszlo going into the secret room. A surprised Dunson doesn’t know anything about a secret room and figure Laszlo is double-crossing him. However, he notes that Laszlo must have blocked the view when he deactivated the extra security device. Barney is preparing to open the real safe when Jim calls him just in time. Barney can’t find the new device so he has to wait until Laszlo opens the duplicate.

Jim takes Dunson back to Laszlo and gives him the chance to prove his loyalty, telling him to find out everything he can. Dunson goes up and they reroute him to the eleventh floor duplicate where he opens the secret room the IMF has prepared, which contains the Peking Buddha. Paris-as-Laszlo and Gillian come in and stage a conversation while Dunson closes the secret room’s door and listens in as Gillian pays off “Laszlo.” Paris-as-Laszlo then says he plans on giving Gillian the formula and will frame Dunson for the apparent “theft.”

Dunson goes outside to report to Jim and say that he plans to play along with Laszlo until Jim’s superiors arrive. Jim agrees and gives him his gun back.

Markoff, the man Laszlo is dealing with, arrives to dispose of the formula. Dunson comes in and they go ahead, with Laszlo opening the safe and deactivating the new security device by turning the handle a second time (which Barney, inside, overhears). Laszlo opens the (fake) safe and finds it empty. Laszlo accuses Dunson of stealing the plans and in return Dunson accuses him of planning a double-cross. Dunson tells Laszlo to open the secret door and shoots him when he can’t. Dunson then tries to open the “secret room” that doesn’t exist in Laszlo’s apartment. Markoff has his men shoot Dunson then leaves, and Willy pulls the fake wall back up. Barney then opens the real safe and recovers the formula and the team departs.

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