胸怀大志的杰克决心在警界闯出名堂,但他不懂看人脸色,结果只能坐冷板凳;警探丹则是局里棘手的不良中年,全靠当年的功勋才得以保住饭碗——南辕北辙的两人成了乌龙搭档,每每在追查小案件时总能顺藤摸瓜,解决了一桩又一桩的要案重案……
夏季美剧虽然极少出现名头响亮的招牌大作,却往往会产生一两匹黑马,2010年的《神勇双侠》(又译《两个好人》)就是一例。这部电视剧复古的风格轻松幽默,糊涂神探每每遇上笑料百出的坏蛋,颇有“瞎猫逮着死老鼠”的戏谑味儿,可谓对各种探案类题材常用套路的另类调侃。值得一提的是,年纪轻轻的科林不但样子长得特别像其父汤姆·汉克斯,在剧中的表现也可圈可点,和老戏骨搭档起来毫不逊色哦!
不识趣的杰克无意中得罪了很多人,被安排为不良警探丹的搭档,只能负责一些小偷小摸的案子……
Jack: Oh well, Lieutenant Ruiz, can I speak with you for a moment?
Ana: Detective Bailey, what can I do for you today?
Jack: It’s about my current job situation.
Ana: What about it?
Jack: I know that I’ve made mistakes. I know that I have rubbed some people the wrong way[触犯某人].
Ana: You corrected the captain’s grammar – in front of the chief.
Jack: And I regret that.
Ana: Good.
Jack: It’s just that there’s no such thing as “a statue of limitations注1.”
Ana: Okay, let me just give you a little piece of career
advice. What you did right there? Don’t do that.
Jack: Okay.
Ana: Great.
Jack: Here’s the thing. Working property crimes with Dan Stark has been…educational. It’s just…I feel that my services would be better used in another department, like homicide[杀人], for example.
Ana: Homicide? Right.
Jack: I…I have been going over…cold cases. I, I got a stabbing here from 2002. I mean, look at this. It looks like it was done by a third grader.
Ana: Yeah. You see this signature right here, this…this scribble[潦草的字迹]? That’s my name, Detective.
Jack: I guess I’d better go pick up Stark.
Ana: Good idea.
杰克:喔,鲁伊斯副队长,我能和您谈谈吗?
安娜:贝利警探,今天有什么能为你效劳的吗?
杰克:是关于我目前的工作状况。
安娜:怎么啦?
杰克:我知道我犯错了。我知道自己冒犯了一些人。
安娜:你纠正了队长的语法错误——还是在局长面前。
杰克:而我对此相当后悔。
安娜:很好。
杰克:但是确实没有“塑效”这个词嘛。
安娜:好了,我给你提一条小小的职业建议吧。像你刚才那样的言行?不要再犯了。
杰克:好的。
安娜:太好了。
杰克:是这样的,与丹·斯塔克一起负责侵犯财产罪让我……受益匪浅。只是……我觉得自己在其他部门更能派上用场——比如凶案组。
安娜:凶案组?好极了。
杰克:我……我一直在研究……这些悬案。我……我找到一件2002年的刀具凶杀案。我的意思是,您瞧,这报告看上去就像三年级小学生写的作业一样。
安娜:是啊,你看见这里的签名了吧,这个……这个草书?那是我的名字,警探。
杰克:我想我该去接斯塔克了。
安娜:好主意。
口语锦囊
提到警察,中国学生常常直接用“policeman”了事。其实在英语中,根据警察职能不同,对应的表达也会有所区别,例如“officer”指的是普通警员,穿着制服,相当于“police officer”,也可以区分性别地表示为“policeman”和“policewoman”;而“detective”则指通常穿便服而不穿制服的警探、探员,他们主要负责查找线索,收集证据。“lieutenant”除了表示军衔,还可以表示副职官员,在警界中指的是副队长;队长则是“captain”,局长则为“chief”。
根据线索,丹和杰克找到嫌疑人朱利叶斯的店……
Dan: There’s Julius Grant. Why the hell does he have a green golf bag?
Jack: I don’t know. Maybe he plays. According to the precinct[警察管区] system computer, he’s been arrested five times for burglary[盗窃]. What do you want to bet the humidifier[加湿器]’s right there in the pawnshop[当铺]?
Dan: Computers. I can’t get used to ’em. Aren’t you worried they’re gonna, you know, turn on you?
Jack: I’m not particularly worried my computer’s going to attack me. No.
Dan: Sometimes I just…I look at the one in the office. It’s like it’s thinking, you know, making plans, you know.
Jack: Well, until it decides to rise up and overthrow humanity, it’s a pretty good tool for police work.
Dan: Yeah, I...I don’t know. Some things computers can’t do. Did I ever tell you about the time Frank and me found 5,000 Quaaludes注2…
Jack: In a sock monkey注3? Yeah, you did.
Dan: Well, the point is, we didn’t need a computer. We had a hunch[预感], just started cutting open sock monkeys.
Jack: Well, that’s great. You know, if you see any sock monkeys in there, feel free to knife one for me, okay?
Dan: No, you’re missing the point. There is a larger picture that you can’t see…
Jack: No, no, no, no! Stop, stop, alright? There is no big picture, okay? There are no major criminals! There are no Quaaludes! It’s just a thrift store[旧货店] and a stolen humidifier! (A gunfight happens in the store.)
丹:那就是朱利叶斯·格兰特。他干嘛背着个绿色高尔夫球袋呢?
杰克:不知道,也许他打球吧。辖区系统电脑显示,他曾五次因行窃被捕。你相信加湿器就在那个当铺里吗?
丹:又是电脑。我真的玩不转那玩意儿。你知道,难道你不怕它们突然造反吗?
杰克:我倒不太担心我的电脑会袭击我。一点也不。
丹:有时候,我……我看着办公室那台电脑。它似乎正在思考,你知道,在密谋什么。
杰克:哦,在它决心起义、推翻人类统治之前,电脑仍是警务工作的好帮手。
丹:好吧,我……我可不这么想。总有些事情是电脑做不来的。我和你讲过那次弗兰克和我找到5000片安眠酮……
杰克:在一只袜子猴里发现的那件事?是的,你说过。
丹:噢,我想说的是,我们那时不需要电脑。我们有一种直觉,于是就把袜子猴剖开了。
杰克:哦,棒极了。你知道,要是你看见店里面有袜子猴,只管帮我拆一只,好吧?
丹:不,你没搞懂我的意思。你没注意从整体高度看问题……
杰克:不不不!停一停,停下来,行不?没有什么整体高度,好吧?这里没有什么重案要犯,也没有安眠酮,不过是一家旧货店和一台失窃的加湿器罢了!(店里响起枪战声。)
口语锦囊
“turn on”与sth.连用常常表示“打开”,但当它与sb.连用时则表示“突然袭击”,相当于“turn upon sb.”,例如:
The dog turned on its owner. (那只狗狗突然袭击了主人。)
杰克和丹联手解决了小小加湿器引出的一桩大案,但杰克的前女友——副检察官利兹对两人的莽撞行动相当恼火……
Liz: Well, I hope it doesn’t come as a surprise to you guys that it complicates things considerably[相当地] in my life, when three suspects[嫌疑犯] are shot, one suspect is run over, and there’s over a million dollars in property damage all for one arrest.
Dan: It was a hell of an arrest though.
Liz: Yeah. Javier Escalante is testifying[指证] against the cartel注4. Pedro, however, he’s gonna be released, ’cause he’s got a deal with the CIA. And your humidifier thief, Mr. Julius Grant? Oh, he’s free and clear. You know why? ’Cause you violated over 30…30 procedural[程序上的] rules. And that’s a record.
Dan: Oh, it’s all right. He’s better off as a snitch[告密者] anyway. So what happens now? We get a medal? What?
Ana: A medal? The FBI and the DEA both called to scream at me. Your reward is keeping your job.
Jack: Will we be reassigned? ’Cause, I mean, I would understand…
Ana: Nah. No, I think it’s best if you stay on routine investigations for the foreseeable[可预见的] future.
Liz: (catches up with Jack) Jack – completely, totally, and unofficially off the record – that was some good work.
利兹:哦,我希望你们两位不会吃惊,这是我这辈子见过最“化简为繁”的案件——就在一次抓捕行动中,三名嫌疑犯中枪,一人被车碾过,财产损失超过一百万美元。
丹:但这次行动干得真漂亮。
利兹:没错。哈维尔·埃斯卡兰特将指证整个贩毒集团。而佩德罗却获释了,因为他和中情局达成了协议。至于你们那个加湿器小偷——朱利叶斯·格兰特先生?噢,他已经没事了。你们知道为什么吗?因为你们违反了超过30条……30条程序规定,破纪录了。
丹:哦,没事,他是个不错的线人。那么现在怎样?我们获得奖章了吗?还是别的什么?
安娜:奖章?联调局和药管局都打电话来冲我嚷嚷呢。你们的奖赏就是保住自己的饭碗。
杰克:我们会被调职吗?因为,我是说,我能理解……
安娜:不会。不,在可预见的将来,我觉得你们最好继续负责例行调查吧。
利兹:(追上杰克)杰克——完全、彻底、非官方地私下补充一句——你做得很棒。
口语锦囊
在美国,根据案件的性质以及严重程度,美国中央情报局(Central Intelligence Agency)、美国联邦调查局(Federal Bureau of Investigation)及美国药品管制局(Drug Enforcement Administration)等机构都可能接手辖区的相关重要案件,或者为联邦、州及地方分局提供执法帮助。
另外,“off the record”是一个常用的非正式表达,意思是“私下说说,不供引用”,例如:
Strictly off the record, the company is in serious trouble. (私下告诉你吧,公司陷入严重困境了。)
两人正在检查一个可疑的车厢,结果毒贩们开车去交易,把他们误关在车厢里。翻查货物时,丹发现了一块海洛因砖……
Jack: It’s heroin. It’s heroin. It’s…it’s high-density[密度]. It’s…small grains[颗粒]. It’s probably Central Asian.
Dan: Wow, you sure do know a lot about that heroin.
Jack: Thank you.
Dan: That heroin that we never would’ve found if I hadn’t arranged to get us locked up together in the back of this truck.
Jack: What…so you’re saying you planned this?
Dan: I’m saying that bein’ a cop is a team sport. It’s you and me, Jack. You know, in the old days, we used to catch a bad guy – we’d call all our buddies, we’d let him go, we’d catch him again, just so we could bust him together.
Jack: Are you serious?
Dan: Yeah. We called it “catch, release, and catch again.” Look, you gotta understand the difference between the good guys and the bad guys. Bad guys are just a bunch[(俚)一群,一帮] of guys runnin’ around with guns. Good guys are a team of guys runnin’ around with guns. You learn that, maybe you won’t spend the rest of your career working property crimes with Dan Stark.
Jack: Thanks for the career advice.
杰克:这是海洛因。是海洛因,这是……高纯度……小颗粒,很可能来自中亚。
丹:喔,你对那块海洛因挺懂行的嘛。
杰克:谢谢夸奖。
丹:要不是我把我们俩一起关进这个货车厢,我们永远不会找到那块海洛因。
杰克:什么……你该不会想说一切都是你策划的吧?
丹:我的意思是,警察是一个团体项目。你我要齐心合力,杰克。要知道,以前我们抓到一个坏蛋,会叫上所有弟兄,先放他走,再把他抓起来,这样我们就能一起抓犯人。
杰克:你在开玩笑吧?
丹:是真的。我们管这叫做“捉放曹”。你瞧,你要知道好人与坏蛋的区别在哪里。坏蛋是带着枪的一盘散沙。好人则是带着枪的一个集体。你搞明白这一点,余下的警察生涯就不会一直和丹·斯塔克一起负责侵犯财产案了。
杰克:谢谢你的职业建议。
口语锦囊
“bust”在美国俚语中表示“(警察的)拘捕,搜查,突袭”,可作名词或动词用,例如:
Several big dealers have been rounded up in a major bust. (在一次毒品大搜查中,几个大毒贩被逮住了。)
注1:“时效”为术语,指的是法律所规定的有关刑事责任和民事诉讼权利的有效期限。受害人若在法定时效期间不行使权利,时效届满后,法院将不再保护受害人的权利。英语中正确的表达应为“statute of limitations”,队长将“statute”(法规)和“statue”(雕像)混淆了。
注2:安眠酮(Quaalude)是一种安眠药,连续数周服用较大剂量可产生依赖性,目前临床上已停止使用。安眠酮是新型毒品之一,而下文提到的海洛因则是传统毒品。
注3:袜子猴(sock monkey)是美国传统玩具,这种填充布偶通常以袜子为面料制成。
注4:卡特尔(cartel)即同业联盟,目的是提高某类产品价格及控制其产量,属于垄断组织的一种形式。文中指的是贩毒集团(drug cartel)。