Hero

Amid the Flight 104 crash, Bernie LaPlante secretly helps pull survivors from the wreckage, earning a reputation as a selfless rescuer. In the chaos, he steals Gale Gayley's purse and loses one of his shoes in the scramble. The juxtaposition of heroism and petty theft sets up the film's central moral tension.

With his car inoperable, Bernie flags down John Bubber, a homeless Vietnam War veteran, and shares the crash story with him. He also gives John his remaining shoe, hoping to enlist him in the rescue narrative. The encounter seeds their later collaboration.

John contacts Gale and recounts Bernie's rescue, presenting the single shoe as proof of the act. He positions himself as the quiet beneficiary who would be credited with the heroic deed. Gale, a crash survivor, begins to entertain the idea of a shared legend.

Gale's station and the media amplify the supposed hero, turning Bernie's act into a public spectacle even as his past arrests threaten his legitimacy. A 1 million dollar reward is advertised for the Angel of Flight 104, but Bernie cannot claim it because of his stolen-goods arrest. The public grows more attached to the heroic narrative than to the truth.

After the media-borne fame compounds his contradictions, Bernie is released from jail. His lawyer Donna O'Day informs him that he is likely headed back to prison due to the stolen goods in his apartment. The looming sentence crystallizes the stakes of his public image.

Gale, grateful for the rescue and attracted to John, begins to fall for him while doubting whether the public image is genuine. The romance becomes tangled with questions of truth and credit. She struggles to reconcile her personal feelings with the manufactured heroism surrounding John.

Inspector Dayton informs Gale that her credit cards were recovered during Bernie's arrest, complicating any straightforward narrative. Gale and Chucky decide to search Bernie's apartment for incriminating evidence with their landlord Winston. The investigation tightens the web of suspicion around Bernie and John.

While searching Bernie's apartment, Gale uncovers a stolen Silver Microphone Award she won in New York City the night before the crash. Her confrontation with Bernie sharpens as she suspects he sold the purse to him to manipulate John. Winston interrupts and warns that John is on a television about to jump from a high-rise.

On the ledge of a skyscraper, John remains ready to jump as Bernie hatches a plan to milk the media attention. He convinces John that the world needs a hero and that he is the right one for the job, while negotiating a discreet share of the reward for Joey's tuition and a favorable court letter. The scheme tests their ethics under pressure.

When Bernie slips, John grabs him and pulls him back to safety, renewing the appearance of a true hero. Gale sees Bernie’s face dirty and realizes it was he who saved her, though John maintains that he was the savior. The public image of heroism remains intact, at least for the moment.

Gale thanks Bernie for saving her life and asks him to tell Joey the truth. Bernie agrees to keep playing the public hero for the time being, while John remains the lead savior in the public eye. The moral conflict between truth and image lingers in their relationships.

During a zoo excursion, Bernie decides to tell Joey the real story of the crash. A woman cries out that her daughter has fallen into the lion's cage, and Joey pleads for help. Bernie sighs, slips off his shoes, and heads toward the cage to see what he can do, signaling a turn toward genuine heroism.