Buried Loot

Douglas steals $200,000 from Seacoast National Bank in New York City and schemes to confess to the bank president. He claims the money was lost to gambling, but in truth he has not spent any of it. He then buries the cash in a suitcase across the river in New Jersey. He plans to retrieve it after serving a five-to-ten year sentence.

Douglas is tried and convicted of grand larceny and begins serving a prison sentence. He resolves to be a model inmate and hopes to serve only the minimum term of five to ten years. He imagines that release will leave him free to dig up the loot later.

Inside prison, his cellmate Louie talks about how things change outside, implying that plans and fortunes can shift with time. Those comments plant paranoia in Douglas about someone discovering the hidden stash. The conversation sows the seeds of a drastic escape plan.

Louie and Douglas devise a daring escape by disguising themselves as a priest and a regular visitor. The plan is intricate and surprisingly successful, allowing them to slip out of the prison unnoticed. The escape marks a turning point as they flee toward their target money.

After escaping, the two men separate to reduce the chance of capture. Louie heads to an undisclosed location in New York, while Douglas flees to Canada to change his appearance. The split is a calculated move to throw authorities off the trail.

In Toronto, Douglas stages an accident to permanently alter his appearance by burning his face with nitric acid. The self-inflicted injuries require hospitalization and extensive surgery, leaving him scarred and unrecognizable. This drastic measure is meant to foil any future identification.

After his hospital recovery, Douglas leaves Canada and returns to the United States, retrieving the suitcase full of cash. He travels to New Jersey to finalize plans and then moves on to New York to book passage on a ship to Europe. The plan is to vanish with the money while appearing less likely to be recognized.

Walking in New York with the suitcase, Douglas is spotted by two men who befriended him in Canada. They invite him to share a taxi to continue the conversation, and he reluctantly agrees. The ride ends at a fateful destination near his old employer.

The two men, along with their crew, handcuff Douglas and drive him to the bank's president. Douglas is surprised to see Louie among the others waiting there. They escort him into the bank's offices under armed guard.

The bank president reveals that Douglas's escape was an elaborate ruse organized by the bank's bonding company to recover the money. He explains that agents, including prison staff, the Canadian friends, and Louie, had tracked Douglas since the escape. Douglas learns that his freedom was never real.

The film ends with the disfigured Douglas staring at the camera as he is told he will now return to prison to serve the maximum sentence with no parole. There is no escape now; the loot remains buried and his future is bleak. The closing shot seals his fate in a harsh, punitive twist.