The Seven-Ups

The NYPD's renegade squad, the Seven-Ups, push beyond standard procedures as they pursue criminals. Their aggressive tactics rattle the precinct and set up the central tension of the film. A raid on an antiques store reveals a counterfeit operation at the heart of the case.

Buddy receives a tip about the counterfeit money operation from his regular informant, Vito Lucia. The information is useful but foreshadows Vito's unreliability as the plot later reveals his deeper involvement. The tip nudges Buddy toward connecting the counterfeit ring with the growing wave of kidnappings.

A wave of kidnappings targets organized crime figures and white-collar criminals across the city. Max Kalish is abducted from his house by two men posing as detectives. A ransom is paid at a car wash, signaling a coordinated, professional operation behind the crimes.

Crooked bail bondsman Festa is grabbed in public by impostors claiming to be from the District Attorney's office. The public kidnapping confirms a broad conspiracy behind the disappearances. Buddy grows more certain that someone in the system is orchestrating the abductions.

The squad stakeout at Kalish's funeral meeting ends in chaos as gunfire erupts. One Seven-Up officer is killed and a crime-family member is badly wounded. The violence demonstrates the reach and brutality of the kidnappers and their network.

Buddy pursues Moon and Bo through Upper Manhattan, across the George Washington Bridge and onto the Palisades Parkway. A violent collision wrecks Buddy's car and the criminals manage to escape. The chase cements the personal stakes for the investigation.

Following the chaotic events, Internal Affairs suspends the Seven-Ups while investigators review their conduct. The squad becomes part of the official investigation even as they continue to hunt clues on their own. The suspension isolates them but preserves their resolve.

Buddy and the team break into Kalish's house to confront him and his wife, securing crucial information about the kidnappings. Kalish's testimony helps fill in the final blanks of the case and points toward the masterminds. The move marks a shift from stakeouts to direct evidence gathering.

Buddy meets Vito again and feeds him false information to smoke out the real kidnappers. He hopes to force Vito to reveal his associates' location and role. The setup triggers a chain of events that bring Moon and Bo back into focus.

Vito's associates follow the false lead to the garage worker, and Moon and Bo are ambushed by the Seven-Ups. A gunfight erupts and the two are killed after a tense chase. The operation's inner circle begins collapsing as the truth closes in.

Buddy confronts Vito and tells him his scheme is over, promising not to arrest him. Instead, he will inform the local crime families that Vito masterminded the kidnappings. The revelation marks a decisive turning point in the case and in Vito's fate.

With Vito exposed, the criminal networks are alerted to his treachery and his grip on the city loosens. Lucia is shown terrified and emotionally distressed as the consequences loom. Buddy exits the scene, having disrupted the operation and protected the public while leaving Vito's fate uncertain.