- A reformed bank robber is taken hostage by a desperate man during a bank hold up, but is forced to go on the run with his captor when they're both mistakenly thought to be in cahoots.
- On his first day after being released from jail for 14 armed bank robberies, Lucas finds himself caught up in someone else's robbery. Perry has decided to hold up the local bank to raise money so that he can keep his daughter, Meg, and get her the treatment she needs. Dugan, a detective, assumes Lucas helped plan the robbery, and hence Lucas, Perry and Meg become three fugitives.—Rob Hartill
- Daniel Lucas, who was recently released from prison after being there because of 14 bank robberies, walks into a bank to start an account, then Ned Perry walks into the bank and tries to rob the place, taking Lucas hostage. Detective Dugan, knowing Lucas's history, assumes that Lucas and Ned are pulling the heist together. With no choice in the matter, Lucas is forced to engineer their getaway. Complicating the situation further is Ned's 6-year-old daughter Meg, who has been mute since the death of her mother. With his bank account depleted, Ned loves Meg so much that he has robbed the bank to get enough money to get Meg the psychiatric care she needs, and so he can have enough money to have custody of Meg and raise her. Meg loves Ned, and finds herself drawn to Lucas as well. While they are on the lam from the cops, the three of them begin to bond as a makeshift family.—Todd Baldridge
- Daniel Lucas (Nick Nolte) is a former bank robber who is is paroled from a Tacoma, Washington, prison. He is met by police detective Dugan (James Earl Jones), who put him away. Dugan insists Lucas will return to crime, so Lucas asks for a ride to a nearby bank, claiming he will rob it.
Lucas enters the bank and asks to open a new account with the money he was paid from his prison work program. As Dugan drives away, Ned Perry (Martin Short) bursts into the bank with a pistol and a hand grenade. Unaware a teller (David Armott) has activated the silent alarm, Ned Perry orders the teller to stuff money in a duffel bag and throw it to him. The teller follows orders, but when he throws the bag back it gets caught in a chandelier. As the diminutive teller frees the bag with a broom, police surround the bank. Dugan arrives and demands the robber surrender. Over Lucas's protests, Perry picks him as a human shield and they leave the building. Although Lucas screams he is a hostage, Dugan orders him to kneel down or he will order the police to shoot. Ned Perry faints, causing Lucas to grab his arm so he does not drop the grenade. Ned Perry comes to and accidentally fires his pistol. Police open fire and the two men leap under a truck. When the shooting stops, Lucas screams he is coming out, but Ned Perry, forgetting he is beneath a truck, fires a shot into the automobile and is covered in oil. Realizing Dugan will not believe his innocence, Lucas grabs the pistol from Perry, pulls him from under the truck and informs Dugan he will detonate the grenade unless he is allowed to drive away. Dugan agrees. Perry refuses to relinquish the keys unless Lucas returns his gun. Lucas makes the swap, but has trouble operating the stick shift. Perry tries to help, but accidentally shoots Lucas in his leg. Lucas drives off leaving a confused Dugan behind.
Lucas passes out from blood loss and drives the car over an embankment, seconds before police cruisers pass by. The two fugitives crawl out of the car when Perry realizes he dropped the grenade. They run to safety as the car explodes. Lucas carjacks a Porsche, forces Perry in, and drives to a police station to turn him in. However, Perry screams he is a hostage and police aim their guns on Lucas, who punches a cop and runs. Perry follows, leaping into the car as Lucas drives off. Lucas orders Perry out of the car, but the little man refuses to go without his money. Lucas tosses him the bag, then passes out. Perry drives Lucas to Dr. Horvath, a veterinarian with dementia who thinks Lucas is a dog and extracts the bullet from his leg.
Meanwhile, Dugan investigates Perry and learns his recently wife died, which led to a nervous breakdown that caused him to lose his job. His six-year-old daughter, Meg (Sarah Rowland Doroff), who has not spoken since her mother died, is in a special school, but Perry cannot afford tuition. Dugan sends a squad car to the school. The officers arrive in time to see Perry driving away with Meg. They give chase, but Perry loses them by parking under a bridge.
Perry returns to Horvath's and asks Lucas to help him get a fake ID so he can flee the country. Perry voices his fear that the authorities will take Meg from him if he is homeless. When Lucas refuses, Perry threatens to blame the robbery on him if he gets caught.
Perry goes to a seedy bar to meet Charlie (Bruce McGill), a forger, who demands the $50,000 he believes Lucas stole from the bank. When Perry protests the haul was only thirteen thousand, Charlie has two of his goons beat him up. Back at Horvath's, Lucas is awakened by Meg bringing him a glass of water. As she leaves, the telephone rings. It is Charlie the forger demanding fifty thousand. A police officer arrives with Max, a German shepherd. Lucas hides his wounded leg with his jacket, but Max pulls it off. Before the cop can react, Horvath walks in and Max runs to greet him. Lucas head-butts the officer and runs off, with Meg following him.
At an abandoned building, Lucas passes out. He awakens a few hours later to find Meg nestled against him for warmth. The next morning, two ruffians appear and threaten Lucas with a straight razor. Lucas pulls his gun and steals their clothes, and takes Meg to Charlie's bar, ordering her to wait outside. He gets in a delivery van, drives it through the front door, holds a gun to Charlie's head and orders one of Charlie's thugs to hand over Ned Perry.
Lucas drives to a marina where Perry writes a complete confession absolving Lucas of any knowledge of the robbery. Although Lucas advises Perry to turn himself in, Perry refuses, fearing Meg will be put in an orphanage. However, Meg takes his hand and (speaking for the first time) asks him not to go. A stunned Lucas tells her he he has to go, but promises to see her again. Perry puts Meg in the van, but she leaps out and rushes after Lucas. He runs after her and is hit by a van full of police. Recognizing Perry as a suspect in the bank robbery, police give chase. Lucas pulls up with the stolen van. Perry jumps in and they drive after Meg. When they try to follow her into a park, they hit a pair of bollards, totaling the van. They avoid the police by hiding in some bushes. Perry spots Meg sitting with an old man who offers her candy. Thinking the man is pervert, Perry throws a stone at him; however, Lucas grabs his arm, and the flying rock hits a cop instead. As the police approach, the old man calls out that he has found a lost girl. As the policemen lead Meg away, Lucas and Perry sneak out of the park.
Later, Perry tells Lucas he has helped enough and wanders away. Armed with Perry's confession, Lucas finds Dugan and clears his name. Weeks go by and Lucas gets a job as a mobile locksmith. One day, he visits Meg at the reformatory and is told the girl refuses to eat. The next night, as Lucas cases out the reformatory, he spots Perry trying to break a lock with a rock. Lucas picks the lock and they sneak into the building. Lucas tells Perry to stand guard, and sneaks into the dormitory, but he returns with the wrong girl. The child screams and a policewoman appears with a drawn gun. She trips and falls over some toys and drops her gun. Perry retrieves it and threatens to kill the woman if she does not take him to Meg. In the infirmary, Perry locks the policewoman in a closet, grabs his daughter and runs into the hall to find two cops. Lucas appears, slams the two policemen's heads together, and they escape.
Lucas and Perry drive to an empty house. As they climb the stairs, Perry begins to faint from hunger, but refuses to let Lucas carry Meg. Instead, he lifts them both. They place Meg in a bed, but not until Lucas shakes her does she open her eyes, smile, and tell them she is hungry.
The next day, a disgruntled Perry dresses up as Lucas's wife. In order to fool the police, who are looking for two men and a girl, they cut Meg's hair to make her look like a boy. Driving to Canada, they run into a police roadblock. When Perry panics, Lucas punches him in the stomach. When a police officer pulls them over, Lucas claims Perry is pregnant and sick. Police escort the outlaws to the hospital. Perry is put on a gurney and wheeled into an examination room where he leaps up, yells "false alarm," and runs back to the car.
Arriving in Canada, Lucas gives Perry all his money and the name of a man in Vancouver who will help him disappear. As Perry goes into a bank to exchange his U.S. dollars, Lucas hugs Meg and promises to visit. He is dismayed when a half dozen Royal Mounted Police cars surround the bank. A confused Lucas watches as a bank robber comes out using Perry as a hostage.... thus starting the cycle all over again. In the final shot, Lucas turns to Meg and tells her he will be staying with her a little while longer.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content