Phoenix

Harry Collins, a Phoenix cop, is deeply in debt to a Chicago gangster due to compulsive gambling. He uses Veronica to distract his poker group in hopes of winning back the money, but his losses mount regardless. The mounting pressure from Chicago pulls him toward dangerous, desperate choices.

During a poker night, Collins uses Veronica to distract his friends, but the ploy fails and tensions rise. Veronica's mother Leila sees her daughter in tears and glares at Collins, a moment that exposes the human cost of his schemes. This incident foreshadows how personal relationships will collide with his duplicity.

Collins seeks out Leila and defends himself, insisting he did not have sex with Veronica. Leila rebukes his excuses, challenging his behavior and integrity. Despite the rocky start, their relationship begins to develop into something more meaningful.

Collins reveals he has lost his lucky lighter and asks Leila for a keepsake. She responds that he must make his own luck and avoid the trouble that has followed him. The exchange marks a turning point in his attitude toward risk.

Chicago cuts Collins off from his bookies and gives him 48 hours to either repay the debt or murder Joey, a suspect held in custody. The pressure mounts as time runs short. This ultimatum sets the stage for a violent plan to unfold.

With the deadline looming, Collins recruits Henshaw and the corrupt cop James Nutter, and brings in a more upright-seeming officer, Fred Shuster, to help. Unknown to the others, Shuster's wife Katie is having an affair with Henshaw, sowing distrust. The plan shifts from murder to a robbery of Louie, the loan shark.

Distraught by the affair, Shuster agrees to work with Lt. Webber to bring down the corrupt cops. This alliance introduces a new layer of risk and potential exposure for everyone involved. The robbery plan becomes entangled in competing loyalties.

The robbery proceeds, but Henshaw shoots Louie before the safe can be opened. Without opening the safe, the money seems to slip away, forcing a rapid rethink. Collins then hires a locksmith to crack Louie’s safe and the team splinters.

Collins and Shuster reach the meeting point only to find Webber waiting with allied intentions. Webber betrays Shuster, killing him, and shoots Collins in the gut. Collins eludes capture, while Webber makes off with the money.

Nutter and Henshaw are surrounded by officers; Nutter surrenders, and Henshaw kills him in cold blood. The rival faction is wiped out as the police close in, and Henshaw is killed by other cops in the ensuing chaos. The operation collapses in a flurry of gunfire and arrests.

Collins returns to town and finds Katie and Webber engaged in an affair. He burns most of the money and denounces both for betraying Fred Shuster, choosing to distance himself from their treachery. The act demonstrates his resolve to break away from the corrupt circle, at least publicly.

Afterward, Collins alerts the authorities to Webber's involvement and takes enough money to pay off his gambling debt. He travels to meet Chicago to settle the score, signaling a final confrontation.

Chicago accepts the payoff but mocks Collins' reluctance to murder Joey, revealing that Joey has already died in prison. He implies that a quicker murder might have prevented much of this trouble. The moment underscores the futility of cutting corners.

Enraged by the revelation, Collins ambushes Chicago and his bodyguards, killing them all. He staggers back to his car, mortally wounded, and dies from his wounds, closing a brutal cycle of violence. The film ends with Collins' death amid the fallout of his choices.