Two undercover cops, along with the back up of three precincts, fail miserably in an attempt to capture a major drug dealer. Three cops are killed and another is critically wounded in the botched attempt. A couple of days later, the cop killer surfaces, surrendering with a high powered defense lawyer, portrayed by Richard Dreyfuss, who does everything he can to protect his client's rights under the law. The killer and lawyer accuse the police of mass corruption within the ranks as their angle for defense.

Morgan Stern, the aging and savvy New York district attorney, assigns a novice assistant attorney to the case, bypassing the senior DA because of political reasons. Shaun Casey, played by Andy Garcia, is appreciative for the assignment and vows to do his best on the case. He's got more interest in the case than usual because his father was the cop who was critically wounded in the abortive raid, and will be one of the key witnesses against the criminal.

Immediate success, city-wide recognition and a multitude of major problems shake the life of the righteous and well-meaning Casey.

From the visually impaired point of view, this is another one of those movies that starts with fast moving, chaotic action that is impossible to follow without a good sighted assistant. I needed consistent descriptions during the first twenty minutes and came close to throwing in the towel. But I hung in there and things got much better. The last half of the movie was almost enjoyable with an abundance of dialogue and hardly any chaos.