The Last Chase

In 2011, the United States folds into a police state after a devastating pandemic and political upheaval. Democracy collapses, the government relocates to Boston, and private ownership of cars, boats, and planes is outlawed. Mass surveillance cements public fear while officials push a narrative of imminent fuel shortages to justify control.

Former race car driver Franklyn Hart hides an orange Porsche 917 CAN-AM roadster in a basement secret compartment. Over the years he scavenges junkyards at night to slowly restore it, keeping his true goal hidden from the oppressive regime: to drive across the country to Free California.

Young electronics whiz Ring McCarthy deduces Hart's intention to undertake a cross-country road trip in the forbidden vehicle. Hart reluctantly agrees to bring him along, recognizing the risks but believing the journey is essential.

Hart vaults a junkyard fence and the duo flees Boston in the roadster. Fuel is scarce in the regime's world, so Hart refuels from the bottom of long-abandoned underground storage tanks using a portable hand pump.

News of Hart's daring escape travels across the country, inspiring whispers of autonomy. Hawkins, the hardline official, orders Hart and his vehicle stopped, but ground pursuit is limited by the police's electric golf carts.

Hawkins assigns J.G. Williams, a retired Air Force pilot, to track Hart with a Korean War–era F-86 Sabre. Williams locates the roadster and opens fire, wounding Hart in the confrontation.

A community of armed rebels, largely Native American, hides Hart and McCarthy, tends to Hart's wounds, and shields the car from capture. The roadster is kept out of sight while the group plans a defense against pursuit.

A team of mercenaries locates the enclave and attacks the settlement. In the ensuing firefight, Hart and McCarthy slip away, continuing their perilous journey toward California.

Back on the road, Williams begins to identify with Hart's cause. He communicates with Hart and McCarthy via Morse code through a handheld spotlight, and gradually confides that he feels sympathetic to their struggle.

After acknowledging Hart's defiance, Williams releases his external fuel tanks in front of the roadster, hoping the ensuing inferno will stall the car before it reaches the laser's range.

Hawkins activates a Cold War–era laser cannon ahead of Hart's path. Williams tries to warn Hart but his radio is jammed, leaving Hart unaware of the imminent threat.

In a final act of sacrifice, Williams engages the laser site and destroys the laser cannon with a kamikaze-style strike, sacrificing his jet and himself to clear a path for Hart.

Hart and McCarthy push on toward California and are welcomed as heroes; their cross-country defiance sparks renewed debate about personal autonomy within the oppressive regime.