Q: The Winged Serpent (1982)
An Aztec priest sacrifices victims in New York City for his god Quetzalcoatl.
Genre
Characters/Groups
Jimmy Quinn - Michael Moriarty
Commissioner - Malachy McCourt
Capt. Fletcher - Fred J. Scollay
Mrs. Pauley - Mary Louise Weller
Construction Worker - Richard Duggan
Newscaster - Jennifer Howard
Policemen - Larry Silvestri, Perry Genovese and Gabriel Wohl
Character thumbnails with links to profiles
Detailed Synopsis
In New York City, The Victim is washing the high rise office window of Eyewitness. The Victim hears a screeching sound and is suddenly pulled upwards and Eyewitness screams as The Victim's headless body slumps against her window. Shepard and Powell arrive on the scene and Powell tells Shepard he is looking for The Victim's head. Shepard thinks maybe a piece of glass cut it off, but Powell tells him there aren't any broken windows. Jimmy Quinn, Doyle, Webb, First Robber and Second Robber are planning a jewelry heist at a restaurant. Second Robber comments on Jimmy eating all of the food and Webb tells everyone, Jimmy is a nervous eater. Jimmy tells everyone he only drives and doesn't use a gun and his cut is 20%. Doyle tells him his cut will only be 12.5%. A maid walks into a room and finds the body of a victim with its skin cut off. The police arrive including Officer Banyon and Lt. Murray tells the bellhop to leave and then tells Powell the victim told the bellhop he was going to visit a museum. Det. Clifford says the victim was cut up in six hours. A Sunbather goes to the roof of her apartment building to sunbath. As she is sunbathing, she is grabbed by Quetzalcoatl, which is witnessed by a peeping tom. People in the street start to look up as blood starts dripping down upon them. Jimmy walks into a bar and tries to get a job as a musician by playing on the piano and singing scat. The bar owner asks him how he heard about the job, and Jimmy looks towards Joan, who mouths no, and Jimmy doesn't tell the bar owner he heard it from Joan. He starts to play music, but is rejected by the bar owner who walks over and turns on the jukebox. Shepard walks into the bar and the owner asks if they ever found The Victim's head. As Jimmy is walking out, Shepard tells him he thought his music was good and Jimmy asks him what the fuck he knows.
Jimmy drives to the jewelry store with First Robber and Second Robber and First Robber forces Jimmy to take a gun and participate in the robbery. Gunshots ring out and Jimmy leaves with a bag of jewelry and has to run away when he realizes he doesn't have the car keys. As he is crossing a street, he is hit by a taxi and loses the bag of jewelry. Jimmy goes to a payphone to call his Attorney, but he isn't there. He then goes to his Attorney's office in the Chrysler Building and starts banging on the locked door, which alerts The Watchman. He runs to the roof of the building as The Watchman follows after him. Eventually The Watchman gives up looking for Jimmy, but Jimmy keeps on climbing towards the top of the building. He finds a large egg and the Sunbather's body with a bracelet. At a construction site, Construction Worker complains that someone stole his lunch. He finds his empty lunchbox and is then attacked by Quetzalcoatl. People down on the ground start to find pieces of Construction Worker raining down from above. A Curator tells Shepard about the Aztec culture and ritual human sacrifice. He tells him about Quetzalcoatl, the god worshiped by the Aztecs who requires willing sacrifices. During the night, Shepard talks to his fiance about the Quetzalcoatl case. Jimmy goes home and tells Joan to shut up and give him a drink and she tells him she wont let him hit her again without fighting back. He tells her what happened to him tells her he is worried he can't make it outside of prison. Another victim willingly lays down to be sacrificed by Kahsa. Powell shows Shepard the body of the second victim, which has washed up on shore.
The Commissioner has a meeting with Capt. Fletcher, Shepard and Powell about the case. Shepard talks to The Professor who tells him not all gods have to look like humans and the Quetzalcoatl could be from an ancient bird species. Doyle and Webb go to Jimmy's apartment and chase after him when he tries to escape. They catch him and start beating him up until he promises to take them to where he hid the jewelry. He takes them to the Chrysler Building and they knock The Watchman unconscious after he admits he saw Jimmy around the building. Jimmy leads them towards the roof spire and Doyle is killed by Quetzalcoatl after he climbs the top ladder. Webb is then killed when he goes up the ladder after Doyle. Jimmy then climbs back down and runs away. A man jumps into the pool, but is then grabbed by Quetzalcoatl who flies away with him in its claws. A police officer corners Jimmy and takes him to the police station. The Watchman files a report with Lt. Murray, who tells him they didn't find anything stolen. Powell questions Jimmy and tells him First Robber and Second Robber turned evidence against him, Doyle and Webb. Jimmy notices The Watchman talking to Lt. Murray and tells Powell he will give a statement if he puts him in a quieter room. Capt. Fletcher calls over Powell and Shepard and tells them witnesses saw Quetzalcoatl snatch a man from a pool. Shepard shows Capt. Fletcher his report and tells Capt. Fletcher and Powell he thinks Quetzalcoatl is related to the ritual murder case. Jimmy is put in a cell and the next day tells Joan he has an idea on how to make millions and get out of jail. She tells him someone tried to break into the apartment and Jimmy tells her Doyle and Webb are dead. Joan starts to cry and tells Jimmy he has to tell the authorities no matter what and then leaves when he refuses.
At a meeting between Shepard, Powell, Det. Clifford, Capt. Fletcher, the Commissioner, Lt. Murray and Jimmy, Det. Clifford says there was another sighting of Quetzalcoatl. In order to prove he isn't lying, Jimmy tells them about the bracelet he found on the corpse of Sunbather. He tells them about the nest and tells them his terms to cooperate. Powell and Jimmy start to argue and Jimmy accuses a cop like Powell of framing him with drugs during his first arrest. Shepard takes Jimmy out to get coffee while the terms are typed up. They talk about Joan and Jimmy says he doesn't care if she left him. He tells Shepard about Doyle and Webb. A reporter walks into the coffee shop and tries to ask Jimmy questions before she is pushed out. Jimmy tells Shepard his plan of getting a fleet of helicopters with a net to cover the top of the Chrysler Building. Jimmy's Attorney signs the paperwork and the Commissioner gives Shepard his report back and tells him to discard his report on Quetzalcoatl. Jimmy takes the police to the roof and they destroy the egg and chick which pops out, but Quetzalcoatl isn't at its nest. Shepard tells Jimmy the city isn't going to honor the deal, because they didn't catch the full grown Quetzalcoatl. Officer Banyon calls Lt. Murray and tells him he saw Kahsa with another potential victim. Powell, Lt. Murray, Det. Clifford and Officer Banyon follow Kahsa and his Victim. They walk towards Kahsa and the potential victim and the potential victim lunges at Lt. Murray who shoots him. Kahsa escapes and Powell is killed by Quetzalcoatl. Jimmy goes to Joan's apartment and starts destroying it and she tells him to leave. Det. Hoberman and the rest of the police go back to the Chrysler Building and start shooting at Quetzalcoatl when it tries to roost. Officer Banyon is grabbed by Quetzalcoatl and thrown out of the building. Quetzalcoatl is finally killed and falls to its death. Jimmy is at a hotel when he hears a knock on the door. When he answers it, Kahsa puts a knife to Jimmy's throat and calls him the betrayer. Kahsa tries to force Jimmy to pray, but Jimmy refuses. Shepard walks in and shoots Kahsa repeatedly until he dies. Before walking away, Jimmy tells Shepard he is going to get a job and go back to Joan and says he isn't afraid anymore. At an abandoned building a large egg starts to move and cracks open.