Guarding Tess(1994)

Pooper:
Earl (Austin Pendleton), Tess’ (Shirley MacLaine) assigned chauffeur, is behind her abduction. Doug (Nicolas Cage) coerces him into confessing while recovering in hospital. Tess was buried alive under the farm’s barn, but is found and rescued alive. Later, as she is released from hospital, Doug humorously barks at her to allow being released sitting on a wheelchair, as per the rules, to which she reacts pleased, seeing how he can finally keep her under control.

Longer version:
After a visit from her son Barry (Edward Albert) -which goes sour, since he only wanted to have her as the prestigious public face of a business venture attempt, and she did not want to risk damaging her and her late President husband’s legacy-, Tess decides to soften up to hardcore but dedicated Secret Service Agent Doug when, while revisiting old footage of her husband’s funeral, she spots Doug visibly grieving. She shares a nightcap and opens up to him, acknowledging the mostly estranged relationship she has with her children, due to their upbringing as children of a former First Family. Later, as a token of good faith, she announces to her entire protective detail -including Doug- that the President (voiced by the film’s Director, Hugh Wilson) would be visiting Former President Carlyle’s -Tess’ late husband- Library, only to then change his mind and disappoint them.

One day, Tess, as she was already used to, has Earl drive her off around town without Doug, which, at first, they all take as “her usual pain-in-the-butt” self. However, time passes, they never return, and Doug suspects she might have been kidnapped. The FBI is contacted and, with their subsequent investigation, it is revealed that Tess was actually sick: her recent dizzy spells were part of the symptoms of brain cancer -which, in fact, she had actually hinted to Doug before-. The car is found, but only with Earl inside and no sign of Tess. He is taken to hospital and, as part of his examination, the doctors produce evidence of him showing small burns in the back of his neck, akin to the half-circle-shaped mark a car cigarette lighter would cause. Doug deduces Tess probably tried to fend him off by using the car lighter against him, which also caused him to lose control of the vehicle and be knocked unconscious as he was found.

FBI Agent Schaeffer (James Rebhorn) assists Doug in questioning Earl as he recovers in a hospital room. Earl is somewhat dismissive to the questions and tries to reassure them both to not knowing anything of what happened, until he sees Doug holding the cigarette lighter, which suddenly gets him nervous and defensive. When Doug starts pressuring him into admitting the truth, much to Schaeffer’s dismay, Earl tries to turn the tables on him and make it look like, due to the poor relation he mostly had with Tess, maybe he himself was behind the whole plot. Enraged over this manipulative accusation, Doug produces his gun and, even with Schaeffer threatening to have him arrested for this move, manically shoots off one of Earl’s toes to force a confession. Writhing in pain, Earl insists in his innocence, until Doug gets ready to blow another toe off Earl’s foot; at this point, Earl, crying in desperation, confesses Tess is being held hostage at the farm of his sister and brother-in-law.

The FBI and the Secret Service work together in raiding the grounds of the farm, arresting the perpetrators. After an exhaustive search, at nightfall, Tess is found, having been buried alive under the floor of the barn, to which Doug insists in digging her up. She is unconscious but otherwise unharmed. As she recovers conscience and is assisted in getting loaded into the rescue helicopter, the Officer in charge tries to bar anyone else from flying along, but Tess demands that her Secret Service detail be on board with them, to which he has to acquiesce, thus relieving some of the others.

In the end, once Tess is released, the rules of the hospital require that she is walked in a wheelchair to the front doors, but she refuses to do so in her usual cantankerous way. Doug barks at her -using her actual name for the first time-: “TESS, YOU GET IN THE GODDAMN CHAIR!!”; yet, rather than being offended, she smiles, pleased at the fact that he does have a grip on her, and reassures Doug by answering -also using his actual full name-: “Very good, Douglas… you’ll be alright”.