Year: 1997
Runtime: 97 mins
Language: English
Director: John Irvin
A retired thief is driven by the urge to kill the madman who murdered his brother and former partner. Determined to avenge them, he flees the authorities while lugging the stolen loot, forced into a high‑stakes chase where his quest for revenge becomes the only reason he stays alive.
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Retired thief Roy Egan, Harvey Keitel, comes out of retirement to help his youngest brother, Lee Egan, Timothy Hutton, with a jewelry heist in Palm Springs. Along for the ride are hired muscle Jorge Montana, [Wade Dominguez], and wheelman Skip Kovich, [Stephen Dorff]. The job goes down the next day, and, thanks to Jorge’s scrambling of the police monitors and traffic signals, their getaway is clean and fast, leaving little room for error.
In Skip’s motel room, his girlfriend, Gena, [Dana Barron], voices how little money he will be receiving from the heist. At the trailer park, Lee and Jorge share beers and talk about how much each will make, when Skip suddenly shoots them. Roy, who was in the bathroom, hears the gunshots, slams the door on Skip, and runs for it. He steals a car and heads to Los Angeles, where he rents a room and starts plotting. On the way, he stops at Lee’s house to inform his wife Sunny, [Tamara Clatterbuck], about her husband’s death and to ask if she knows Skip’s whereabouts.
Skip employs Odell Williams, [Michael Jai White], as protection against Roy, and proceeds to deal with his debt to loan shark Harvey, [Elliott Gould], who is connected with the Chinese mob. Skip convinces Harvey to use his connections to track down Roy, in exchange for more money on top of what he already owes him.
Roy goes to Jorge’s home and asks his widow, Rachel Montana, [Famke Janssen], if she knows Skip. He informs her that Skip killed Jorge, and Rachel angrily dismisses him. Back at his motel, Roy is found by two members of the Chinese mob and kidnapped, but he frees himself, killing his captors in the process.
The next morning, Rachel finds a bruised and bloody Roy lying in her yard. She cleans him up and Roy offers her $5,000 to take care of him. Once he recovers, Rachel asks for $100,000 instead. Roy refuses at first, but when she gives him Jorge’s address book full of contacts – including Skip – he accepts. Rachel also tells Roy where the Chinese mob launders cash and gives him a Saint Christopher medal for protection.
Roy attacks Uncle Luke, [François Chau], the man in charge, and takes Skip’s money, but unknowingly leaves his motel key behind. Uncle Luke tells Skip about the key Roy left behind. Chinese mobsters later attempt to kill Roy in his motel room, but Roy is waiting for them.
Skip kidnaps Rachel. He goes to a trailer where his girlfriend Gena discovers that Odell has sent two of his guys to get the money Skip owes them. They take Gena hostage and Skip kills them both, purposefully killing Gena in the process.
Skip and Roy plan to meet at a refinery, and when Roy arrives, he enters a gun fight with the mobsters after Skip. Roy overpowers and kills them, though he is severely wounded, yet still manages to beat Skip to death with his bare hands. He rescues Rachel, who speeds a barely conscious Roy to a hospital. When she returns, both Roy and her car are gone, but he has left her money in a duffel bag.
Rachel and her children bury Jorge and relocate to Port Arthur, Texas. One day, the postman delivers a small package to her. She opens it and finds the religious medal she gave Roy, a quiet sign that he may still be alive.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 09:29
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Where a single betrayal ignites an unstoppable, bloody quest for revenge.Explore a collection of movies like City of Industry where a brutal betrayal forces a lone protagonist on a violent quest for revenge. These gritty crime stories feature high-stakes chases, ruthless underworld figures, and a heavy emotional weight driven by loss and retribution.
The narrative typically begins with a sharp, personal tragedy that sets a clear, linear goal: find and eliminate the perpetrator. The journey is a series of escalating, violent confrontations, stripping away any pretense of a normal life for the protagonist until the final, cathartic, yet often costly, confrontation.
Movies in this thread share a core narrative engine of revenge, paced with relentless forward momentum and a dark, gritty tone. They are united by high-intensity action, heavy emotional stakes centered on loss, and protagonists pushed to their moral and physical limits.
Criminal plans unravel into chaos, betrayal, and a desperate fight for survival.Discover gripping crime films similar to City of Industry that start with a high-stakes heist and quickly descend into betrayal and chaos. If you liked the tense atmosphere and moral disintegration following the double-cross, you'll find more movies here with ruthless criminals and desperate survival struggles.
The plot follows a clear arc: the assembly of a crew, the execution of the job, and the immediate aftermath where trust evaporates. The central conflict becomes a brutal game of cat-and-mouse between the betrayed and the betrayer, set against the backdrop of a cynical criminal underworld where loyalty is a liability.
These films are connected by their foundational plot structure centered on a heist betrayal. They consistently deliver a tense, misanthropic mood, exploring themes of greed and moral collapse within a fast-paced, high-intensity narrative that leaves little room for respite.
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Track the full timeline of City of Industry with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape City of Industry. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.
Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of City of Industry that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.
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