In Hollywood, with the help of an adult video store employee called Max California (Joaquin Phoenix), Tom penetrates the underworld of illegal pornography. Contact with a sleazy talent scout named Eddie Poole (James Gandolfini) leads them to director Dino Velvet (Peter Stormare), whose violent pornographic films star a masked man known as "Machine" (Chris Bauer). To gain more evidence, Tom pretends to be a client interested in commissioning a hardcore bondage film to be directed by Velvet and starring Machine. Velvet agrees and arranges a meeting in New York City.