The Interview

Detectives Steele and Prior break into Fleming's apartment, rough him up, and seize him in handcuffs. They ransack his belongings before taking him to the police station for questioning. The scene establishes a tense, coercive start to the investigation.

In the interrogation room, police outline the case: a witness saw Fleming with Beecroft, handwriting on forged sales matches, and an alias Fleming used as a teen. Fleming denies knowledge of the theft and asks for food as he endures the questioning. The officers present a picture of a serial motive without concrete proof.

Detective Inspector Jackson orders Steele to handle an intrusive reporter, Barry Walls. Walls hints that overheard remarks about Steele's abilities were used to pressure him for information. The scene exposes friction and distrust within the investigation.

Steele privately confronts Prior, pinning him to the wall and warning him against future disloyalty. The confrontation underscores the hostile dynamic between the two detectives. The risk of internal betrayal becomes a central tension.

Steele reveals to Fleming that the car's owner is missing, making Fleming realize he is suspected of murder. Fleming correctly infers the investigation is connected to other disappearances reported in the news. This heightens the pressure on him.

Fleming asks for a lawyer, and his adviser suggests silence until release. Steele, however, persuades Jackson to grant more time with Fleming. The strategic shift keeps Fleming under scrutiny longer.

Fleming's demeanor hardens; he expresses belief that missing persons were murdered and mocks the police for pursuing a vague motive. He hints that he might reveal more after eating, signaling a potential turning point in the interrogation.

Steele finally provides food, and Fleming recounts Beecroft's pickup and a fatal decision to kill Beecroft during drinks. He describes stealing Beecroft's car and wallet and disposing of the body. He casually admits to five or six other killings, claiming he cannot remember all the details, and agrees to a video-recorded confession.

During the videotaped session, Jackson interrupts and Fleming immediately recants everything. He says he only told Steele and Prior what they wanted to hear because of the brutalization and starvation they inflicted. The recantation shifts the narrative away from his earlier confessions.

Jackson forces Steele and Prior to end the questioning, signaling a halt to the day’s proceedings. The abrupt end to the interrogation leaves Fleming with a disputed confession and no further progress at that moment. The immediate tension centers on who will defend the case next.

Steele learns that the entire day’s interrogation was filmed without his knowledge due to an ethics committee investigation after numerous complaints. Detective Hudson concludes that the interrogation is inadmissible because of coercive tactics and improper conduct. The legal jeopardy of the interrogation compounds the case against the detectives.

Convinced Fleming is guilty, Steele decides to secretly give the case file and audio recording to Walls. He declares he does not care about the consequences, believing he will be fired regardless. The act reveals a willingness to bypass official channels to pursue exposure and justice.

Hudson interviews Steele with a different recorder, accusing him of personal grudges related to prior ethics investigations. Hudson turns off the recorder in a moment of anger, and insults Steele, threatening to get him fired. Steele leaves with a plan to use the exchange to his advantage.

Unknown to Hudson, Steele had his own recorder running and captures Hudson's abusive comments. The recording becomes ammunition for Steele to defend himself against the ethics findings. The power of self-recorded evidence shifts the balance of the confrontation.

In the final image, Fleming walks away from the station with an ambiguous grin and hitchhikes again. The ending leaves his fate and the integrity of the investigation unresolved, mirroring the ambivalence of the day’s events. The closing shot reorients the character to his ongoing mobility and elusiveness.