The Hard Way

The Party Crasher evades Moss in a local nightclub, and Moss fails to prevent the murder. The chase underscores Moss's relentless determination and growing frustration with the killer. The event sets the tempo for a high-stakes citywide hunt.

During a press interview, Moss unleashes his frustration on camera in a live broadcast. The moment becomes a public talking point and reshapes how both his colleagues and the public see him. The incident foreshadows the media-driven angle of the case.

In Los Angeles, Nick Lang sees the interview and is inspired by Moss's aggression and authenticity. As a former child star seeking a serious role, he uses his connections to insinuate himself into Moss's world. Lang becomes Moss's ride-along partner posing as an experienced detective.

Moss's supervisors pull him off the Party Crasher case to supervise Lang on safer assignments. Moss resents the diversion, feeling it undermines a real investigation. Lang, eager to learn, embraces the role despite the tension.

Moss delivers harsh lectures about the dangers and consequences of policing, trying to temper Lang's enthusiasm with gritty realism. Lang pushes back with a mix of naivety and curiosity, gradually earning Moss's reluctant respect. The two men begin to see policing from different angles.

Lang notices Moss's trouble dating Susan, a divorced single mother, and offers advice. At first Moss dismisses him, but Lang's insights begin to influence his approach to relationships. The personal and professional lines start to blur.

Lang somehow impresses Susan and her daughter during a date with Moss, winning approval and praise for Moss as a partner. The moment deepens Moss's trust in Lang, even as tension remains. The actors begin to see potential beyond the street-level pull of the case.

Moss takes Lang along for a nighttime chase through an abandoned building. Fearing for Lang's safety, he offers him a real firearm for self-defense. Lang enters the building, ducks into danger, and accidentally shoots a bystander.

The bystander is revealed as an undercover cop; Moss admits to staging the incident as a lesson about panic, self-doubt, guilt, and the realities of being a “real” cop. Lang, terrified, decides to leave town until he discovers the ruse. Moss's manipulation upends their relationship.

Lang later stumbles into a confrontation between Moss and the Party Crasher, and he ends up saving Moss's life. The Crasher is wounded and taken to an ambulance, but he survives and escapes. Lang radioes their location before being knocked out.

Susan visits Moss and tells him that being a cop will never allow for a stable relationship, prompting her to break up with him. The emotional strain of Moss's world begins to weigh on both their lives. The personal consequences of the chase become central to Moss's next moves.

The Party Crasher abducts Susan, luring Moss and Lang into a confrontation on an advertising billboard featuring Nick Lang’s film. A brutal brawl ensues; Lang saves Susan and Moss from being shot, but he is shot in the chest. Moss pushes the Party Crasher off the roof to end the threat.

Months later, Moss and Susan are married and attend the premiere of The Good, the Badge and the Ugly. Lang has survived his wound and used the experience to fuel a new drama. Moss jokes that Lang’s best lines were really Moss’s lectures, implying a sly writer's credit.