Witchblade (Pilot Movie)
NYPD detectives Sara Pezzini and Danny Woo are on the trail of a criminal named Gallo who, among other things, is suspected by Pezzini of murdering her father, and, more recently, a childhood friend of hers. In the ensuing chase, Pezzini and Danny are separated, and Pez finds herself in an art gallery at the mercy of a trained killer. The only thing that saves her life is the Witchblade – an armored gauntlet in one of the display cases which seems to somehow make its own way onto her arm in the melee, deflecting bullets and effectively ending the fight by sparking a huge explosion which kills the gunman. Pezzini is understandably confused by what has happened, especially when there is no evidencee of the gauntlet later (though she can’t explain the origin of the ancient-looking bracelet which now graces her wrist) – nor is there any evidence of a dark-clothed man who she spotted gazing at the Witchblade in the gallery.
As she recovers from the fierce fight, Pezzini’s dreams are infiltrated by the bracelet, filling them with images of death, battle, and even Joan of Arc. And the man in black from the gallery is watching her and reporting back to an unseen master – a master who owns the Rialto Theatre, a property in which Gallo is interested. Pezzini and Danny act on a tip about Gallo’s interest in the Rialto from rookie cop Jake McCarty – whose somewhat hazy background doesn’t inspire Danny’s trust. Unknown to the two veteran cops, two others tag along when they stake out the Rialto – the man who has been trailing Pez, and McCarty, who seems determined to get a piece of the action. But the stakeout goes horribly wrong when Danny is captured by Gallo’s thugs and killed in cold blood by Gallo himself. Before McCarty can come to the rescue, the mysterious man in black knocks him out cold. Pezzini is alone against her arch nemesis, and suddenly the bracelet’s true nature makes itself known – it unfolds across her arm, becoming the Witchblade, enabling her to take on and defeat Gallo’s mob literally single-handedly.
As if her life isn’t already complicated enough, Pezzini files a report about the Rialto incident, but leaves out any mention of her secret weapon, which arouses the police department’s suspicion. Danny appears to her at his own funeral, seemingly as a ghost that only she can see. Gallo is still on the loose, and even tries to claim the Danny’s death is Pezzini’s fault. And perhaps most shockingly of all, her mentor (and the captain of the NYPD homicide division) admits that Pezzini was adopted at birth – and the man whose death she seeks to avenge wasn’t even her real father. McCarty tries to shoehorn himself into the position of being Sara’s partner, even coming up with an unusual link between the museum where she found the Witchblade, the Rialto, and the man in black. The common denominator is eccentric billionaire Kenneth Irons, owner of the gigantic Vorschlaag Industries, and collector of art and artifacts related to the Witchblade. Irons tells her the nature of her newfound savior, and even offers to help her hone her skill at using it. But as soon as she leaves, Irons and his minion begin laying out plans to manipulate Sara, to see if she is truly destined to wear the Witchblade. Even though she doesn’t know how to summon its powers in battle, Sara Pezzini will have to use the Witchblade as best she can in one last showdown with Gallo.
written by J.D. Zeik
directed by Ralph Hemecker
music by Joel Goldsmith and Neil AcreeCast: Yancy Butler (Detective Sara Pezzini), Anthony Cistaro (Kenneth Irons), Conrad Dunn (Gallo), David Chokachi (Detective Jake McCarty), Kenneth Welsh (Captain Joe Siri), Will Yun Lee (Detective Danny Woo), Eric Etebari (Ian Nottingham), Jody Racicot (Maria), Hal Eisen (Lorenzo Vespucci), Jim Codrington (Drexler), Tony Munch (?), Katherine Trowell (?), Whitney Westwood (?), Phil Hay (?), Tyson McAuley (?), Noah Danby (?), Sven Wan De Ven (?), Tig Fong (?), Sean Baek (?), and Lazar
LogBook entry by Earl Green