David Owen, a New York lawyer, is relentlessly tormented by a chorus of city noises—car alarms, burglar alarms, and the harsh blare of backup beepers—that gnaws at his patience and way of life. He endures for years, even through the early years of his daughter, but a single reckless act tips the balance: he breaks into a car to shut off its alarm and ends up in handcuffs. The incident triggers a domino effect: his family retreats to the countryside for a weekend hoping for peace, only to discover that quietness there comes with its own disruptive echoes. His attempts to address the problem through the legal system prove futile, and his response grows more extreme as vandalism replaces restraint. With each new violation, penalties rise and the strain on his marriage deepens, until his wife finally asks him to leave.
Alone with the mounting fury, Owen’s campaign of destruction expands as he targets alarms and increasingly damages vehicles, turning his personal crusade into a broader obsession. Amid this turmoil, he encounters Ekaterina, a Russian student who becomes his confidant and catalyst. She recognizes the vigilante identity he has adopted—The Rectifier—and challenges him to channel his anger into something more than private vengeance. Ekaterina persuades him to embark on a ballot initiative designed to address the chaos of urban noise through lawful means, turning Owen’s frustration into political leverage.
The initiative begins slowly but soon acquires a contagious energy that captures public imagination and media attention. Yet the political landscape resists him. Mayor Schneer is openly wary, fearing that endorsing the measure could fan the flames of vigilantism and undermine the rule of law. Even when a loophole blocks the ballot from appearing, Owen refuses to concede. He outfits a car with an array of alarms and dramatically parks it in front of city hall, turning the city’s own security procedures back on its officials by blasting loud horns and insisting on accountability for the rules that sparked his initial revolt. The spectacle inflames a nearby tenant and draws the attention of the city’s power players, including Judge Kornreich, who becomes entangled in the confrontation and is mistakenly identified as The Rectifier.
In court, Kornreich sues Owen for pain and suffering, and the confrontation becomes a legal turning point. During the cross-examination, Owen hints that his actions could constitute assault and battery, a strategic move that reframes the case as a broader question about responsibility, protest, and the limits of reform. The judge’s side bears the weight of mercy, but the verdict nonetheless places Owen on the wrong side of the law. Yet the ruling carries a paradoxical sense of achievement for Owen: he has forced a high-stakes public debate and, in the process, begins to repair his personal ties, reunifying with his wife.
As the courthouse doors close on this chapter, an activist approaches with a provocative proposal: blow up a billboard TV that contributes to accidents and clutters the city’s skyline. The story presents a dual ending, offering two plausible fates. In one path, Owen chooses to flee with the activist, lured by a radical confrontation with the city’s visual pollution. In the other, he declines the offer and steps into a cab with his wife, heading home to rebuild their life together.
Ultimately, the film is a tense, character-driven meditation on obsession, the boundaries of lawful reform, and the delicate line between civic frustration and personal crusade. It explores how a man’s battle with noise can evolve into a public spectacle that tests his relationships, his sense of justice, and his vision of what a just city should look like.
