[Chapter 492: Harvey Weinstein Arrested]
In the fourth week of its release, American Beauty had grossed $65.01 million across 3,003 theaters in North America, with a cumulative box office of $157 million. The film's reputation continued to soar, and both media and fans showered praise.
Link's filmmaking prowess was lauded -- not only for his high volume of output but also for delivering hit commercial blockbusters frequently, alongside critically acclaimed movies like American Beauty, Saving Private Ryan, The English Patient, The Sixth Sense, and Se7en. Film Guide magazine recommended other directors learn from Link by producing several films each year that combine mass appeal with artistic merit.
...
In December, Guess-MGM still had a release lined up -- a biographical drama about the first American supermodel from the 70s and 80s, Gia Carangi, starring Angelina Jolie. The glamorous yet tragic life story of Gia was brought to the screen in the movie Gia.
To portray Gia well, Angelina Jolie even explored living a lesbian lifestyle during shooting and almost changed her orientation but gradually readjusted with Link's support.
Gia opened in seven theaters in the United States in its first week, earning $104,000. The box office performance was modest, but critical reception was relatively positive. Angelina's performance was hailed by critics as one of the strongest among the younger generation of actors.
After the release, Angelina decided to take a break and have a child, with Link's full support.
---
"How's the investigation going?"
In his office, Link chatted with his lawyer, Sean Tangney.
Sean Tangney had been Link's personal attorney since 1992, working closely for over six years. He had grown from a small-time lawyer into a top-tier attorney, his income skyrocketing from tens of thousands to tens of millions annually. At over fifty, his salt-and-pepper hair, deep forehead lines, and pronounced nasolabial folds gave him a commanding presence.
"Progress is smooth," Sean said. "We have witness testimony from the middleman 'Jack', transaction records in Weinstein's accounts, two recordings where he privately rants about using extreme measures against you, plus testimony from three Miramax employees, including Weinstein's former assistant. With this evidence, convicting Weinstein won't be difficult."
Link nodded. "William Bratton called me, asking that during the lawsuit, we avoid mentioning the 1996 New York shooting case. That case is closed, and reopening it would cause a mess with many people liable. Without bringing it up, can we still convict Weinstein with the current evidence?"
Sean thought for a while, then nodded, "Yes, we can."
---
Knock knock--
At Miramax, Bob Weinstein entered Harvey's office. "Heard Boris came looking for you -- what trouble have you gotten into this time?"
Boris was their lawyer.
"Shut up! I'm your brother, don't speak to me like that," Harvey snapped angrily.
Bob sighed, softened his tone, and repeated the question.
Harvey looked terrible -- grayish brown bags heavily lined his small eyes; his face, hardened by grim expressions, looked pocked and uneven, like a cheap suburban graveyard.
He lit a cigar. "I agree to file for company bankruptcy."
"You're serious?"
"Yes. Go ahead. Follow your plan to use the remaining funds to start a small indie film company making low-budget movies. I won't interfere with the new company's operations anymore."
"Why? Why the sudden change?"
"You don't need to know."
Harvey said sternly.
"I need to know everything or I can't work with peace of mind," Bob retorted, not stepping back even with his large belly.
Harvey glared, then looked down to puff his cigar. "Link's people are watching me."
"Link? The billionaire? Why would he target you?"
"It's something else."
Harvey hesitated, then revealed the truth.
Since 1996, to eliminate Link -- his rival -- Harvey had, through Jeffrey Epstein, contacted assassins to attempt to kill Link on the streets of New York. They failed.
This year, he and Epstein conspired once more to hire killers against Link; again, they failed.
Link's retaliation began.
Starting September, someone began tailing Weinstein and Epstein -- probably Link's people.
Just now, lawyer Boris found him with rumors from the legal world that investigators had gathered key evidence against him. Trouble was coming, and Boris wanted him to brace for it.
"You ordered the attempts on Link's life?" Bob exclaimed in shock. "Why do you do this? Even if Link died and Guess-MGM went bankrupt, Miramax wouldn't be the biggest winner. What's the point?"
"Without Link and Guess-MGM, Miramax gets stronger. I control more resources, gain higher standing in Hollywood, maybe even replace Link as king -- making everyone look up to me, every woman kneeling before me. That's what matters most," Harvey argued passionately.
"But we're filmmakers. Competition should be in movies, not extremes like this. Now's not the time. Link's investigating you and Epstein. What's your plan to make him stop?"
"Impossible. Link is ruthless and narrow-minded. If he finds evidence linking us to murder-for-hire, he won't let us go.
But we have allies. Epstein's a high-level broker with contacts among many powerful people, including politicians and businessmen -- many our kind. If they help, we will defeat Link."
Harvey clenched his fists, eyes resolute.
"You sure someone will help?"
"Definitely. Killing Link isn't for personal gain but for our entire community. With Link gone, Hollywood goes back to our people's hands. We can use movies to promote our group's superiority and protect our image. This is vital. I believe they understand."
Bob shook his head, unconvinced.
On one hand, Harvey and Epstein's tactics were too extreme and unethical in any field -- they deserved condemnation.
Even fellow wealthy peers like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett wouldn't support such acts.
If they did, someday others might use those tactics against them -- which they dread most.
On the other, Link's power was immense -- not just film, but also investment. Worth billions, owning companies like Glimmer Capital and Kingsoft Investment, plus numerous public company shares, he was formidable.
Even if Gates and Buffett teamed up, challenging Link wouldn't be easy, and since they collaborate with him, they won't clash with him over Harvey.
Their money-first race won't support such extremes. Bob sighed, worried for Miramax's future.
He decided to accelerate Miramax's bankruptcy to save capital before Harvey's trouble worsened.
"Harvey, Boris says Link has evidence your hired killers. What evidence?" Bob asked.
"Not sure. Our middleman was caught. Link probably got confessions and other proof," Harvey's hand trembled.
"You said you communicated through Jeffrey with the middleman, who shouldn't even know you. Why does Boris say Link has evidence linking you directly rather than Jeffrey? Something's off," Bob observed.
Harvey paused, cigar near his lips, brows knitted, breathing quickened.
"Maybe Jeffrey slipped up."
"Or he threw you under the bus to save himself."
"No way. Jeffrey wouldn't do that -- it doesn't benefit him," Harvey yelled.
"Are you sure? If Jeffrey sacrificed you to draw Link's attention and anger, what's your move?"
"He wouldn't -- Jeffrey wouldn't," Harvey insisted.
Bob sighed, "If I were you, I'd contact Link, confess everything, expose Jeffrey, and seek leniency -- best way to handle this."
"No, I don't want to go to jail. We still have chances. If we deny, no matter how rich Link is, he can't touch us," Harvey refused reality.
"Alright, your choice. But don't regret it when you're inside."
Seeing Harvey stubborn, Bob left.
...
Harvey sat, smoking amid swirling cigar smoke matching his grim mood.
After a moment, he called Epstein, asking how the middleman was caught and why he knew of Harvey.
Epstein sounded surprised -- he'd just learned and was trying to free the guy but the middleman confessed prematurely.
Why he knew Harvey? Epstein said he mentioned to the middleman that eliminating Link was not just his idea but one supported by many Jewish executives and investors in Hollywood, including Harvey himself.
So killing Link was for racial interests, not personal gain. Because of this, the middleman risked helping connect to assassins.
Harvey wondered why middleman didn't mention Michael Ovitz, Ron Meyer, or Barry Diller but only him.
Epstein said he didn't know and would try to rescue the middleman to ask later.
Harvey accepted this reluctantly.
"I heard Link already has our evidence and may bring this to court. What now?"
"Don't worry. The middleman holds no concrete proof. Link can't get useful evidence from him. If we keep denying, lawyers fight it, this will eventually fade," Epstein assured.
"Okay, I trust you."
Harvey hung up, relieved, and called lawyer Boris to handle everything.
---
In early January, Link's lawyer Sean Tangney filed a lawsuit at Los Angeles District Court against Harvey Weinstein, accusing him of hiring assassins to kill Link, endangering public safety, and orchestrating terror attacks in Los Angeles.
The court accepted it, issued a subpoena demanding Harvey respond.
Harvey, upon receiving the subpoena, was unconcerned, thinking denial would suffice.
But seeing the evidence from Link's side shocked him.
It included two transfers totaling $3 million to the same account owned by middleman Jack, Jack's confession stating both times he directly dealt with Harvey, plus private secret audio recordings of Harvey.
"Impossible -- this can't be real," Harvey panicked, sweating.
He called Epstein, got no answer, then the call went to voicemail.
"Damn it! Jeffrey, what are you doing?" Harvey slumped.
Even he realized the betrayal -- he was Jeffrey's scapegoat, as Bob warned.
Angrily, he tried calling Link to report Epstein, but couldn't get through. He contacted Link's lawyer to request a private meeting, but Sean Tangney said such talk belonged in court now.
Harvey then called Ovitz, Meyer, and Diller for help. Hearing of his involvement in assassination and evidence against him, they hung up without hearing his plea and blacklisted his number.
Furious and desperate, Harvey fainted.
...
Three days later, the court detained Harvey for multiple criminal charges with solid evidence.
The news rocked Hollywood and the global film industry.
Though not as famed as the Hollywood Big Seven studio presidents, Harvey was a key figure in the independent film scene.
His crimes included hiring killers to assassinate billionaire director Link.
After last year's two assassination attempts on Link, widely covered, now the culprits were found -- former Miramax president Harvey Weinstein.
This explosive news, after coverage by Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Washington Post, quickly created a nationwide sensation.
Previously, media speculated Link was targeted out of jealousy over Guess Pictures' success, suspecting industry rivals hired killers.
Many doubted it.
Now it was confirmed -- the perpetrators were indeed rivals.
Upon the scandal, Disney swiftly cut ties, fired Harvey Weinstein, then announced Miramax's bankruptcy.
Its valuable assets would merge into Disney's subsidiary Hollywood Pictures.
Thus, the twenty-plus-year-old independent company Miramax collapsed.
*****
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