- A mysterious benefactor gives an ex-government operative a chance at redemption. All they have is the name of a person who will be involved in a violent crime, whether as victim or perpetrator, they don't know, but will find out.
- After a scrape with a few hot-heads on the subway, homeless man and former government agent John Reese is offered a job by the somewhat secretive Mr. Finch. After 9/11, Finch developed a computer program that would sift enormous amounts of information, looking for patterns of behavior or activity that would predict another attack. It also provided information about individuals who could be in danger. Finch wants to do something about those people. The first on his list is Diane Hanson, an Assistant District Attorney currently working on a major prosecution. Reese agrees to help out and begins by watching her. It all leads to an unexpected conclusion.—garykmcd
- A homeless man who was involved in a physical assault incident on the New York subway is bailed out of jail by who he learns is an extremely wealthy man named Finch. Finch knows the homeless man is an ex-special ops agent best known as John Reese (his most common alias), who quit his job and dropped out of life because of a professional incident leading to the death of his girlfriend, Jessica, and how the government handled the situation. Finch offers Reese a chance to do for others what he was unable to do for Jessica: save their lives, based on inside knowledge he has about violent crimes about to be committed. All Finch knows is the name of the person at the center of the crime, he unaware if that person is the perpetrator or victim. Reese reluctantly goes along with Finch, who later tells him the nature and source of the information. Their first person of interest is New York prosecuting attorney Diane Hanson. Based on what information Reese is able to gather about her, he believes she is the intended victim, and the murderer is associated with her latest case, that of a drug deal gone bad. Reese eventually learns that not all is as it appears on the surface, but that someone involved will serve some long term benefit for future cases. Meanwhile, Detective Carter, who is the lead investigator in the subway incident, knows that her homeless man too is someone who is not all he appears on the surface as she tries to track him following his release.—Huggo
- A homeless man called John Reese is traveling in the subway when a group of punks attack him, but he subdues the attackers. He goes to the precinct and a stranger called Harold Finch bails him out. Soon Reese learns that the stranger is a billionaire that has invented a device called "The Machine" capable to predict any attack like the September 11th to the government. The Machine also predicts people in danger but the government has disregarded the minor crimes. Finch left a back-door in the device to provide the Social Security Number of the possible victim and hires Reese, who was a former operative agent that misses his girlfriend Jessica Arndt that died, to investigate and help the persons and prevent the crime. His first name to investigate is the Assistant D.A. Diane Hanson that is working in the case of a drug dealer.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Open with a happy couple. A male voiceover talks about finding "that one person" and wonders what happens when that person is taken away.
We see a gang leader of some kind walking through a subway car with his boys. He spots a disheveled homeless man and takes his bottle of booze. When he makes another move, the man quickly turns the tables and beats up all of them with minimal effort.
All the players from the subway incident end up at the police station. The homeless man speaks with a police officer named Carter. She asks about his background, assuming he is former military based on his fighting prowess. An attorney arrives and is able to make sure the homeless man is released. As soon as he leaves, another cop tells Carter the homeless guy's fingerprints match those found at the scene of several crime scenes in various parts of the world.
Outside the station, two men tell the homeless guy their employer would like to speak with him.
The homeless man (Reese) is brought to meet with a man calling himself Mr. Finch. Finch knows Reese used to work for the government and has been having doubts about what he's done. He knows Reese is suicidal and thinks what Reese needs is a purpose.
Finch and Reese stands on a busy New York City block and asks what he would do if he was able to stop crimes before they happen. Finch has "a list" of people about to be involved in terrible things -- murders, kidnappings -- either as victim or perpetrator. Once such woman is Diane Hanson. Finch knows he's involved and wants Reese to get involved and stop it from happening. Reese isn't interested.
We see Reese in a hotel room watching a news report about himself. He then drinks himself into unconsciousness and briefly dreams about Jessica, the woman he was with in the flashback. The phone rings. It is Finch, telling him what he needs is to know what it feels like to let somebody be killed when you could have helped. Reese's hand is tied to the bed and he hears the sound of someone being hurt across the hall. He bursts into the room only to find Finch sitting next to a recording. The recording was three years old, from when a woman was murdered for insurance. Finch says something about Reese being halfway across the world when Jessica was killed. Finch says unlike the government ,he'll never lie to Reese. Finch says he's offering the chance to be there for people the way he couldn't be for Jessica.
Finch takes Reese to his remote base of operation. Finch references how little Reese knows about him and says that isn't likely to change. We see Finch has been getting social security numbers of these persons of interest. He won't tell Reese how.
The woman in question is Diane Hanson, a highly successful assistant district attorney. Reese breaks into her home and grabs as much information as he can. He hacks her cell phone and points a wireless camera at her apartment.
Reese has narrowed the list of likely suspect to two: Wheeler, a former boyfriend and co-counselor and Pope, the man she's currently prosecuting for a gang-related murder. Reese thinks Pope's gang could be targeting her.
Hanson has a dispute with a detective witness when he strays from the testimony they had talked about. She meets with Pope alone and tells him she doesn't think he murdered the people. She asks if he is protecting somebody. He tells her "these people" are evil and she should leave it alone. Pope ends up grabbing her by the throat and warning her not to do anything. Reese thinks the people who framed Pope will be coming after Hanson and thinks Pope's brother Michael is the only person who will know who they are.
In another Reese flashback, he tells his woman he's already quit the service. They turn on the TV and see the planes crashing into the World Trace Center on 9/11.
Reese sees Wheeler find information about Michael.
Reese finds Michael, who runs away from him. Michael gets away, but not before Reese is able to plant his cell phone in Michael's backpack.
Reese pays a visit to his gang leader buddy from the opening, Anton O'Mara, when he goes to buy guns. Reese shoots everybody in the room (other than Anton) in the leg and takes the guns.
Michael is grabbed by guys threatening to kill him gang-style. Reese uses his newfound arsenal to take out the car and the guys. We see the men were cops.
Reese shows Finch they are up against dirty narcotics cops, who steal money and drugs and frame people like Pope for their crime. Finch tells him after 9/11, he helped the government design a secret system to eavesdrop on U.S. citizens. He "taught" it to separate information related to possible terrorism from other potential crime. But he built himself a backdoor to get at the rest of the information and all he is able to get is the social security number of the central figure. If the government were to ever learn he still has this access, he'll be shut out.
Carter learns "a suit" took out Anton's entire gang by himself.
Pope is stabbed to death in his cell. Hanson is called for a meeting in an out-of-the-way alley. Reese follows her and sees Hanson is actually in cahoots with the dirty cops, who are led by an officer Stills. Reese is captured while watching the meeting. Hanson tells them to take care of Reese and then do the same to Wheeler. She admits she was behind the killing of Pope.
Reese wakes up in the car driven by Fusco, who was on the stand earlier. He tells the Fusco he thinks that unlike Stills, he's only participating in these crimes out of loyalty. Reese says that is why he is going to let him live and they both laugh. Reese is going to be sticking around New York for a while and he wants to have a guy on the inside. Reese then sets off an explosive in the back of the car which flips it over. Reese gets out pulls the unconscious Fusco out of the car. After asking if he is wearing a vest, Reese shoots him three times in the back.
Reese tells Finch about Hanson being the ringleader.
Cut to Stills and one of his buddies at Wheeler's place. They are planning to kill Wheeler and frame an ex-con who they pull out of the trunk. Wheeler is with his kid but that doesn't seem to deter Stills's plan. Reese gets the jump on one of Stills's accomplices and puts a gun to his head. Wheeler and his young son get off the elevator. Stills allows them to leave. Reese wounds another of Stills's henchmen and appears to kill Stills, allowing the ex-con to leave.
Reese manages to have a recording of Hanson revealing her guilt played in open court.
Reese pops into Fusco's car and tells him nobody knows he is involved. Also he tells him Stills is in the trunk. He shot him with Fusco's gun. Reese instructs him to dump Stills's body in a remote body of water and says "I'll be in touch."
Finch tells Reese he has a decision to make. He say "the world thinks we're both dead" and "you're not the only one whose lost someone." He tells Reese if he stays, they will both end up dead eventually.
Carter busts one of Stills's guys who again references a guy in a suit being responsible. Reese -- who was watching this -- disappears into the crowd.
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