Jimmy Kilmartin (David Caruso) is an ex-convict. After parole, he settles down in suburban Queens, NY with his wife Bev (Helen Hunt) and is trying to stay clean and out of trouble. His cousin Ronny (Michael Rappaport) is a small-time hoodlum who runs jobs for crime boss Little Junior Brown (Nicholas Cage). His cousin convinces Jimmy to act as driver on a robbery but winds up getting pinched for it. His cousin makes Jimmy take the fall for the crime, and Jimmy winds up back in prison. In order to get an early parole, he works with a detective (Samuel L. Jackson) to bring down Little Junior Brown.