In this gripping crime drama, detective James Belushi and his partner, Dennis Quaid, are tasked with unraveling a complex web of corruption and murder. The story begins with the detectives orchestrating a sting at a motel, where they set up a drug runner named Lionel Hudd. They stage a fake drug deal, capturing Hudd and confiscating the cocaine he bought. The officers then execute Hudd and secretly take both the narcotics and a distinctive customized .44 magnum—the murder weapon—back to their precinct’s evidence room.
However, the situation takes a dark turn when the detectives discover that Lionel Hudd was actually a deep cover DEA agent. Hudd’s partner, [Richard Simms], soon drops by their precinct seeking help to identify the killer or killers, which prompts the corrupt detectives to shift their focus toward pinning the murder on an innocent suspect. Without hesitation, they manipulate the system, and a homeless drunk named "Joe Doe" is tricked into confessing to the crime. To secure a conviction, they coercively pressure a stripper named Cynthia Webb, with whom James Belushi’s character has been having an affair, to pick Joe out of a lineup.
Surprisingly, Joe is actually William Dane McCall, a wealthy physician who had been missing and presumed dead for years. The family’s lawyer, Arthur Baylor, along with Eliott Goff, step in to defend him. At the trial, it becomes evident that McCall is innocent, and the case quickly falls apart, leading to McCall’s release and Webb’s imprisonment for perjury. As the investigation continues, a recording is found—a conversation in which Dennis Quaid’s character admits to the murder of Lionel Hudd and reveals the frame-up of McCall. Enraged and knowing too much, the crooked detective forces his partner out of a moving vehicle at gunpoint.
Back at his apartment, Gary Cole arrives, only to be met with violence. The detective is confronted by his bookie, Vic, and Vic’s bodyguard, the imposing "Mr. Cutlass Supreme." A brutal confrontation ensues, resulting in Vic’s death and the detective’s murder of Rodriguez over an unpaid gambling debt. The authorities begin piecing together the case, and a crucial damaged tape surfaces—containing James Earl Jones’s character’s confession to the crime, which further implicates the corrupt officer.
Meanwhile, Webb provides critical testimony, revealing Divinci’s plan to kill her to silence her. As her faith in the rotten system erodes, Webb exposes everything she knows about Divinci’s numerous crimes. Divinci, desperate to escape capture, takes refuge in Webb’s apartment and shoots her as a traitor. Her injuries send her to the hospital, passing by Dr. McCall, who remains unaware of the conspiracy surrounding him.
The climax unfolds with Divinci preparing to flee, arranging a limousine ride to the airport. Unbeknownst to him, the driver is Clyde David Dunner, a recently acquitted serial killer. In an unexpected twist, Dunner murders James Belushi and abandons the limousine, leaving the corrupt officer’s fate sealed. The story ends in a stark reminder of the pervasive corruption and the cost of justice, with a dramatic finale that underscores the tragic consequences of betrayal within the ranks of law enforcement.
