When a former cop rises to the level of Assistant District Attorney Reilly (Timothy Hutton), he knows all too well what policemen are dangerous. One, Mike Brennan (Nick Nolte) is a man who will plant evidence, shoot a suspect, and do whatever suits his sense of justice. When witnesses are aware of Brennan’s attitude, the cop does not worry. He knows that Quinn (Patrick O’Neal), the homicide chief, will protect him because he sees Brennan as an old-fashioned New York Irish cop. This puts other police like Chapman (Charles Dutton), a black man, and Valentin (Luis Guzman) who is Latino, in a difficult position when they see a rogue cop who is pure evil. Facing a man like Brennan, Reilly will be challenged to do to take the high road.