Plot

In a city rife with injustice, ex-cop Billy Taggart seeks redemption and revenge after being double-crossed by its most powerful figure: Mayor Nicholas Hostetler.

In New York City, detective Billy Taggart goes to court for the murder of the suspected rapist Mikey Tavarez, but the Mayor Nicholas Hostetler and the Chief of Police Carl Fairbanks make the important evidence vanish and the case against Billy is dismissed by the judge; however, he is forced to leave the police department. Seven years later, Billy is a private detective and lives with his girlfriend Natalie Barrow, who is an aspiring actress and the sister of Mikey's suspected victim.Billy's secretary Katy Bradshaw (Alona Tal) is trying to collect part of the debts to save their business. In the week of the elections, Hostetler summons Billy and offers $25,000 to investigate his wife, Cathleen Hostetler, whom he believes is having a love affair. Billy discovers that Cathleen is meeting Paul Andrews, who is the coordinator of the campaign for Jack Valliant, the opponent of Hostetler and favorite in the election. When Paul is found dead on the street, Billy thinks that he has been double-crossed by Hostetler and he decides to investigate the truth behind Paul's murder.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

His honor remembers Billy from seven years ago when, as a young cop, shot and killed a rapist who had been exonerated on a technicality. Back then, the Mayor told Billy he was a hero, but Billy was still forced off the job due to the public outcry for justice and some incriminating evidence that was suppressed at the time. Now the mayor needs someone he can trust to find out what his wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is up to - something that could in fact cause him considerable trouble seeing as Election Day is just a week away. As Billy digs for the truth of it all, he uncovers layers of political corruption, and discovers he himself is nothing more than a pawn in a much bigger game.

NYPD detective Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) is arrested for the murder of Mikey Tavarez, who sexually assaulted and murdered the sixteen-year-old sister Yesenia Barea. Mikey had avoided a conviction due to a technicality. His superior officer, Captain Carl Fairbanks (Jeffrey Wright) goes to Mayor Nicholas Hostetler (Russell Crowe), who eliminates the evidence (a video tape clearly showing that Taggart shot at Mikey when he was unarmed) against Taggart. A judge clears Taggart as having shot Tavarez in self-defense. In a private meeting with Taggart, the mayor calls him "a hero" but still forces him to leave the police department. Taggart protests that Mikey was a sexual predator and the courts got it wrong, but Hostetler says that he will make good to Taggart at a later, more opportune time.

Seven years later, Taggart is a private detective on the verge of bankruptcy. He has a $42,000 debt on his credit cards. He has a habit of not taking advance from his customers, and they never pay him on time. Taggart spends the entire morning trying to call his customers and get them to make some payments, but most of them defer or simply refuse. Taggart's girlfriend is Natalie Barrow (Natalie Martinez). Natalie is an actress and has a premiere of her movie upcoming. Taggart feels that her co-star Ryan is hitting on her, but Natalie refutes all such allegations. He is hired by Hostetler to investigate a romantic affair that his wife Cathleen Hostetler (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is having. At the time Hostetler is running for re-election as Mayor and is being accused by his rival Valliant (Barry Pepper) of selling Bolton Village (a neighborhood of 37,512 poor New Yorkers) to real estate developers for $ 4 Bn, for a huge kickback. Hostetler defends the deal saying that the residents will get better services and the city will be overall better off. Hostetler says that he wants a full report before election day, which is only a few days away. Hostetler says that New Yorkers will elect almost anybody as their mayor, but not a guy whose wife is cheating on him. Hostetler offers Taggart $50,000 for the job. Half now, half later.

Helped by his assistant, Katy Bradshaw (Alona Tal), Taggart learns that Cathleen is seeing Paul Andrews (Kyle Chandler), the campaign manager of Hostetler's rival in the upcoming elections, Jack Valliant. Taggart follows Andrews to Montauk, where he takes pictures of Andrew meeting Catherine at a beach side villa. Taggart attends a fundraiser for Hostetler's campaign. Cathleen reveals to him there that she knows Taggart has been following her but advises him not to trust her husband. She offers him $50,000 to break the contract with Hostetler, but Taggart knows that one does not break contract with the mayor. Hostetler gets the envelope with the pictures Taggart has taken of Cathleen's meeting with Andrews. Hostetler pays Taggart the remaining half of his fee and sends him on his way.

Sam Lancaster is a wealthy contractor, who has sunk $0.5 million into Hostetler's campaign. Hostetler assures him that he has an ace up his sleeve, which he will use at the right time.

At the debut screening of Natalie's film, she reveals to her co-stars that her real name is Natalia Barea, and that Yesenia was her sister. Natalia started dating Taggart as he was a friend of the family, and he was around very often when the Yesenia case was going on. Yesenia was found murdered and sexually assaulted in Bolton Village. Taggart is shocked at Natalie's sex scene and strongly disapproves.

Consumed with guilt over working for Hostetler, Taggart drinks excessively (after being sober for 7 years straight) and argues with Natalie, and she breaks off the relationship. He receives a phone call from Katy and rushes to a crime scene to learn that Andrews has been found murdered.

Taggart admits to Fairbanks (now the commissioner) that he had been hired by Hostetler. It was an open secret that Fairbanks and Hostetler did not like each other. They go see Valliant, who reveals that Andrews was meeting Todd Lancaster (James Ransone), son of Hostetler's wealthy benefactor, contractor Sam Lancaster (Griffin Dunne).

A furious Cathleen explains to Taggart that Andrews was a close friend, not a lover, who had promised her information about Hostetler's plans for the Bolton Village Housing Project, a deal that would enrich Sam Lancaster and the mayor. Hostetler wanted to find out Cathleen's source, so he manipulated Taggart into working for him. Cathleen wanted a divorce from Hostetler & Andrew was her good friend. Andrew gave Cathleen information on Hostetler's corruption in the Bolton Village deal so that Cathleen could use that to secure a divorce with a reasonable settlement. However, Hostetler refused the deal & used Taggart to find Cathleen's source.

Taggart feels used. His temper and alcoholism cost him his relationship with Natalie. He now investigates the mayor's corruption and learns that Sam Lancaster's construction business has bought Bolton Village in order to have it demolished and replaced by office buildings, leaving hundreds of impoverished people homeless for his own profit. Taggart is pursued in a car chase by Hostetler's men, who run him off the road and take back the documents.

Taggart then locates Todd Lancaster to make him talk. Todd says he intended to give Andrews a copy of the demolition contract as evidence against Hostetler on the night Andrews was murdered. Taggart is confused as Todd's dad Sam is Hostetler's good friend, but Todd says that his father routinely abuses him & so he wants to bring him & Hostetler down. So, he wanted to help Andrews to help Valiant win.

He now gives it to Taggart instead. Taggart confronts the mayor, who is unfazed because he has kept video evidence that Taggart seven years ago murdered Tavarez in cold blood. There being no statute of limitations on murder, Taggart faces prison if he exposes the mayor's crimes. Taggart records their conversation of the mayor admitting to his own corrupt dealings.

Taggart accepts his fate. He is willing to be arrested to prevent the reelection of Hostetler and the demolition of Bolton Village for the benefit of the poor, including Natalie's family. Fairbanks comes to arrest Hostetler, also confiding that he was the one all along who'd been having an affair with the mayor's wife. Taggart meets Fairbanks at a bar, and they toast to Valliant, who has won the election. Taggart says his goodbyes to Katy, hoping that they can be reunited once he's released from prison.