Butterfly (aka Poor Butterfly) - Recap

Japanese businessman Toshio Masaki is hosting a traditional Japanese martial arts match at his estate. His daughter, Mioshi, is married to Harry Kellem, who is watching the match along with Inspector Akita, Masaki’s lieutenant Shiki, and other businessmen. Masaki asks to talk to his daughter off in the garden but once he has her alone, he stabs her with a knife. He returns and Kellem, noticing something wrong, goes to investigate. He finds his wife dead but Masaki brings Akita over and the inspector seemingly finds Kellem red-handed in the act of murder.

Jim goes out on the docks and offers sign and countersign to take a motorboat for a test drive. He removes his tape briefing from a compartment and is informed that Masaki is an anti-American Japanese businessman who has framed Kellem for murder to discredit the American Economic Council. The IMF must reveal Masaki as the true killer.

The team checks out a map of Masaki’s estate and determine that it is heavily guarded by the businessman’s private security force. Paris has contacted a Kabuki dancer and made arrangements to take his place, while Jim reveals that Willy must fight Masaki’s fighter Osaki at a match. Paris and Dana will need as much time as possible so Willy has to keep the match going to distract the guards. The team is sure that Akita is an honest policeman, and plan to put that to use. There’s no chance of clearing Kellem due to the airtight frame, so the team will have to trick Masaki into confessing.

Kellem’s daughter Nobu visits her father in jail and he admits that he and her mother had problems, but he didn’t kill her. Nobu doesn’t know who to believe and leaves. Willy practices with a trainer while Dana times him to see how far he can go, while Jim visits Kellem as a lawyer and tapes his description of everything that happened on the day of the match.

Nobu visits her uncle Masaki who welcomes her into his home, even though her mixed blood. After she goes to her room, Masaki has a bribed police official come in and gives him orders to dispose of Kellem in such a way as to embarrass the Americans.

Paris arrives, having taken the place of Masaki’s scheduled Kabuki dancer, and Barney sneaks into the estate and takes photos of the grounds. Paris gives a Kabuki performance for Masaki, impressing both him and his niece with his skills. Paris talks with Paris who finds him appealing, and they become friends. Paris then talks to Masaki, who asks him to give a special performance. Paris agrees then discusses American contamination and the fact that Willy and his manager Jim are challenging Japanese fighters. Masaki takes the bait and prepares to invite Willy to his estate to fight Osaki.

Dana calls Masaki and tries to blackmail him, informing him she was on a hill overlooking the estate on the day of the murder, and was taking pictures. Masaki initially protests his innocence but then agrees to talk to her later and gives her his private number. Masaki then calls Akita and asks him to trace Dana’s phone when she calls him. Meanwhile, the team goes over the map of the estate and matches it to Kellem’s description, while Dana works on a Mioshi mask.

On the day of the match, Paris slips out of his room and steals the robe Masaki wore on the day of Mioshi’s murder, based on Kellem’s description. Dana comes over the wall in her Mioshi disguise and meets up with Paris, wearing a Masaki match and using an ear transmitter to stay in contact with Jim. Barney climbs to the hill overlooking the estate and starts filming, while Jim and Willy arrive and the challenge match begins.

To prolong the match and lull Masaki’s suspicions, Willy is forced to let Osaki beat him but as slowly as possible. Dana and Paris start to recreate the murder as best they can from Kellem’s description, but a guard stops for a smoke and they’re forced to hide. Willy endures brutal punishment, waiting for Jim to give the signal to yield. Finally the guard leaves and Barney films Dana and Barney walking through the grounds. Once that’s completed, Dana slips over the wall and Paris goes back to his room. They le Jim know and he signals Willy, who concedes the match.

While Masaki’s bribed policeman waits his opportunity to dispose of Kellem, Barney develops the film and Dana calls Makita. As they anticipated, Akita traces the call and the use a device to give him a false trace. Akita writes down the number and gives a copy to Masaki. Meanwhile, Paris talks to Nobu and gently helps turn her against her uncle, warning he doesn’t represent the future of Japan.

Shiki and some men go to Dana’s apartment and steal the film, taking it to Masaki who watches it. The film shows the first part of the recreated murder scene, but Masaki notices something amiss and has Shiki blow up one of the frames. He then has Shiki bring in Dana and confronts her with the fact he has a scar on his forearm, but the image of him in the frame doesn’t. Dana bluffs and says the enlargement is too blurry to tell for sure. Masaki is convinced and she offers him the rest of the film for $500,000. Masaki makes arrangements to pay her off later.

Paris and Nobu go out for tea and after Paris steps away for a minute, Barney comes up and tells her to go to Dana’s apartment if she wants to find out who the true killer is. Masaki calls his bribed policeman in and informs him to kill Kellem, make it look like a suicide, and put a fake note on him to embarrass the Americans.

Nobu meets with Dana, who shows her the footage and then offers her the chance to bid on the film planting the suspicion that Masaki is the other bidder. Dana gives her a phone number to call, and Nobu meets with Paris, who convinces her to go to Akita. He recognizes the number as the same one that Masaki had him trace, confirming that Masaki is involved. They follow Dana while Jim and Willy slip into the estate that night. Dana is brought to the estate and brings the positive of the film, and agrees to turn over the negative once she’s paid. Masaki decides to have Osaki torture her for the info and the fighter takes her outside. Willy intercepts him and readily disposes of him.

Akita, Nobu, and Paris arrive to find Masaki preparing to watch Dana’s film. The inspector insists that Masaki screen it for them. The businessman has no choice and runs the film that apparently shows him walking through the garden to Mioshi, to the spot where she was killed. Masaki panics and rips the reel off the projector, only to discover that the rest of it is blank. That’s enough for Akita, who refuses Masaki’s attempt to bribe him and puts the businessman under arrest. When the bribed policeman comes in and tries to kill Akita, Paris disposes of him.

Later, Akita is forced to admit that Dana actually did some good by her attempts to blackmail Masaki, even though they never discovered who she was. Nobu is reunited with her father and she thanks Paris, who slips away and leaves with the rest of the team.

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