Can an over-the-hill journalist uncover the evidence that can prove a death row inmate's innocence just hours before his execution?
Steve Everett (Clint Eastwood), Oakland Tribune journalist with a passion for women and alcohol, is given the coverage of the upcoming execution of murderer Frank Louis Beachum (Isaiah Washington). His attractive colleague Michelle Ziegler (Mary McCormack) died in a car accident the night before. Bob Findley (Denis Leary), Steve's boss and husband to Steve's current affair, wants him dead and gone as soon as possible. When Steve stumbles across the possibility of Frank Louis Beachum being innocently on death row, Bob feels his time to have come. Now Steve only has a few hours left to prove the innocence of Frank and to be right with this theory, as he definitely will be history if he's not.—Julian Reischl <[email protected]>
Recovering alcoholic and womanizing reporter Steve Everett (Clint Eastwood), who can't stay out of trouble with his bosses (mostly because he is sleeping with their wives), inherits a human interest story about a prisoner, Frank Louis Beachum (Isaiah Washington), who is sentenced to die at midnight for the murder of a pregnant woman who owed him ninety-six dollars. However, Steve immediately figures out that the key witness lied about what he saw, and believes the prisoner is innocent. He then sets out to prove his belief in the final twelve hours of Frank's life. Editor-in-Chief Alan Mann (James Woods) is the only man who still believes in Steve's talents. Editor Bob Findley (Denis Leary) wants him fired for his direct belligerence and the fact that he slept with Bob's wife, Patricia (Laila Robins).—John Sacksteder <[email protected]>
Reporter Steve Everett (Clint Eastwood), who is an alcoholic and a womanizer, is tasked with interviewing a man, Frank Louis Beachum (Isaiah Washington), who is about to be executed for killing a pregnant woman. After doing a little research and speaking to Frank, Steve is convinced that he is innocent. He tries to investigate, but because of his drinking and womanizing, he is not very credible, and he when he thinks that he's onto something, he hits a wall. Eventually, his personal and professional life are damaged, and the man who he believes is innocent is getting closer to his date with the needle.—[email protected]
Steve Everett (Clint Eastwood), an Oakland journalist recovering from alcoholism, is assigned to cover the execution of convicted murderer Frank Beechum (Isaiah Washington) following the death of Everett's colleague, Michelle Ziegler (Mary McCormack), who had originally been assigned to the story. Michelle had died in a car accident after having a few drinks with Steve at a local bar. It was raining, low visibility and Michelle was distracted fiddling with the car radio, due to which she met with an accident.
Everett's editor Bob was reluctant to assign the story to him, as with Everett, every story turns into an investigative piece. In this case, Bob is worried that Everett will turn the story into a debate about human rights and the justification of death penalty in a modern society.
Bob's boss Alan tells him that Everett is good. Everett had the reputation of busting the Mayor of New York, and the owner of his previous newspaper tried to kill the story as he was in cahoots with the Mayor. Everett didn't back down and instead quit the paper.Meanwhile Everett was having an affair with Bob's wife Patricia (Laila Robins).
Beechum is incarcerated at the San Quentin California State Prison. Beechum is an African American man is undergoing the final preparations before being taken to death row. Warden Luther Plunkitt is overseeing the arrangements for death row. Beechum has refused to confess the crime and maintains that he went to the store to purchase some steak sauce. Most people assume he is guilty due to his race and that the dead woman was a pregnant, young and white. The victim Amy Wilson lost her life for $96 that she had on her person.
Everett investigates the background to the case and comes to suspect that Beechum has been wrongly convicted of murdering Amy Wilson (Marissa Ribisi). He gets permission from his editor Bob Findley's (Denis Leary) boss Alan Mann (James Woods) to investigate.Everett is told that the boss would call the Governor, and that would do the job, if Everett gets hard proof. He thus has a little over 12 hours to confirm his hunch and save Beechum. It is noon, and Beechum will be executed at midnight. Everett is supposed to interview Beechum at around 4 30 PM.
Unfortunately, this is also the day when Everett has promised his ex-wife Barbara (Diane Venora) to take his daughter Kate (Francesca Eastwood) to the zoo. Everett works hard to balance his priorities as he tried to meet the expectations of his little girl, and also trying to get to the bottom of the Beechum issue.
Everett interviews a prosecution witness, Dale Porterhouse (Michael Jeter), who saw Beechum at the store with a gun. Dale claims that his engine overheated just outside the grocery store, and he went into the store to see Beechum standing over Amy's dead body. Everett is intrigued that Dale did not hear any gunshots. And if Dale did hear gunshots, he is intrigued that he still chose to walk into the grocery store after that. Dale testified that he did not hear the shots as his car radio and the AC was on.Everett questions Porterhouse's account, saying that, because of the layout of the store, he could not have seen a gun in Beechum's hand.
Everett confronts D.A. Cecelia Nussbaum (Frances Fisher), who reveals that, a young man, Warren, was interviewed and claimed he had stopped at the store to buy a soda and saw nothing. Everett decides that Warren, never called as a witness, is probably the real killer. He breaks into the deceased reporter's house, suspecting that she had been onto something and finds her file on Warren.Meanwhile, Warden Luther Plunkett (Bernard Hill) also starts to have doubts about Beechum's guilt.
Everett falls out with his bosses and is fired on the spot, but he points out that his contract entitles him to adequate notice. They ask him how much notice he requires, and, looking at his watch, he says 6 hours and 7 minutes. He tracks down Angela Russel (Hattie Winston), Warren's grandmother. She tells him that her grandson could not have been the murderer and berates him for the lack of interest from the press when Warren himself was killed in a mugging two years after Amy's murder.
The prison chaplain misrepresents an exchange with Beechum as a confession to the crime. Everett hears about this on the radio and loses heart; on top of this, his wife Barbara (Diane Venora) has found out about his affair with his editor's wife and has turned him out of the house. He is about to start drinking again when he sees a piece on TV that shows a photograph of Amy wearing a locket, a locket he realizes he has seen before, being worn by Angela Russel.
Everett drives back to Angela's house. When he tells her about the locket she realizes the truth: her grandson was indeed the killer. Everett now has to get Angela to the Governor's house in order to persuade him to order a stay of execution. As they approach the Governor's mansion, the first of three drugs used in the execution has already been injected into Frank's bloodstream and he has lost consciousness. The Governor calls, and the doctors try to revive him, while his wife Bonnie (LisaGay Hamilton) bangs on the window calling out for him to wake up.
Six months later, a week before Christmas, Everett is out buying a stuffed hippo for his daughter, and the store's proprietor mentions that he is famous and may even win a Pulitzer. He catches sight of Frank and his family doing their Christmas shopping. Steve and Frank acknowledge each other, but Frank's daughter shouts for him to "come on," which Frank does.
