Midnight

Bail bondsman Eddie Moscone hires Jack Walsh to locate Jonathan Mardukas and return him to Los Angeles within five days. Mardukas had embezzled $15 million from mob boss Jimmy Serrano and donated it to charity before jumping the bail. Moscone offers Walsh $50,000 for the job, but Walsh counters for $100,000.

Walsh accepts the job and pockets Special Agent Alonzo Mosely's badge, using it to pose as an FBI agent during his journey. The deception helps him slip past some obstacles, but it also risks exposure as law enforcement closes in. His ruse marks the start of a dangerous, high-stakes chase.

Serrano's henchmen attempt to buy Walsh's cooperation for $1 million, hoping to obtain Mardukas without a fight. Walsh refuses the bribe, insisting he will do the job on his own terms. The offer raises the stakes and foreshadows more dangerous confrontations ahead.

Walsh tracks Mardukas to New York City and calls Moscone from the airport, unaware that the FBI is listening in on the line. Moscone's assistant Jerry secretly tips off Serrano's men, sabotaging Walsh's leverage. The pursuit across the country heats up as law enforcement closes in.

Mardukas admits he fears flying, forcing Walsh to abandon an air route in favor of a cross-country train journey. The pair battles travel delays and new threats as they move toward Los Angeles. This change in transportation lengthens the pursuit and tests their partnership.

Marvin Dorfler, Walsh's rival, locates the duo on a train in Pittsburgh and makes a bid to seize Mardukas from Walsh. Walsh escapes with Mardukas, foiling Dorfler's immediate plan. The confrontation accelerates the manhunt across the country.

Walsh attempts to buy bus tickets with a credit card but discovers Dorfler has canceled it, cutting off his funds. With no money, he improvises by stealing cars, riding a bus in Fremont, Ohio, and hitchhiking toward Amarillo, Texas. The lack of money heightens the danger of their journey.

Meanwhile, FBI Special Agent Alonzo Mosely leads a task force across the United States to locate Walsh and Mardukas after the train skirmish. The search expands as more agents are brought in and the chase grows more complex. The pursuit shifts from a simple bounty to a nationwide manhunt.

Walsh reveals his past as an undercover Chicago cop who nearly brought down a drug dealer connected to Serrano. Corrupt officers planted heroin to frame him, forcing his resignation and leading him to bounty hunting. His wife divorced him and they have not seen their daughter in nine years.

In Sedona, Dorfler steals Mardukas from Walsh, triggering a chase that brings Walsh into contact with Agent Mosely again. Dorfler accidentally reveals Mardukas's location to Serrano's men during a phone confrontation with Moscone. The situation escalates as Serrano's henchmen move in.

Walsh convinces Serrano that he has computer disks capable of convicting him and arranges to deliver them in exchange for Mardukas's return to Los Angeles and immunity from prosecution for impersonating an FBI agent. He agrees to wear a wire for the exchange, hoping to trap Serrano.

Dorfler interrupts the planned swap, inadvertently disabling Walsh's wire. Serrano and his henchmen are surrounded and arrested by FBI agents. The scheme collapses just as Walsh secures a potential trip home with Mardukas.

Walsh and Mardukas arrive in Los Angeles, where Walsh realizes Mardukas will be killed in prison. He chooses to set him free and gives him a watch that his ex-wife gave him before their marriage. Mardukas thanks Walsh and departs on his own path.

Mardukas hands Walsh a money belt containing $300,000 as a gift, insisting it's not a payoff. Walsh tries to pay a taxi driver with a $1,000 bill for change, but the driver refuses. The scene ends with Walsh stepping into the street and walking home.