Plot
During the course of a burglary, master jewel thief Luther Whitney (Clint Eastwood) witnesses Secret Service agents killing Christy Sullivan (Melora Hardin), the beautiful young wife of elderly billionaire Walter Sullivan (E.G. Marshall), during her drunken rendezvous with Alan Richmond (Gene Hackman), the President of the United States. Walter Sullivan is Richmond's friend and financial supporter. Hiding behind a one-way mirror, Luther watches as Richmond sadistically slaps Christy and tries to strangle her. When she attacks him with a letter opener, President Richmond calls for help, and Secret Service agents Bill Burton (Scott Glenn) and Tim Collin (Dennis Haysbert) shoot her to death. Chief of Staff Gloria Russell (Judy Davis) arrives on the scene and makes the scene appear as if a burglar killed her. Luther escapes with some valuables and the bloody letter opener, but the Secret Service witness his escape.
The next day, Detective Seth Frank (Ed Harris) begins his investigation of the crime, and although Luther quickly becomes a prime suspect in the burglary, Frank does not believe he murdered Christy. As Luther is about to flee the country, he sees President Richmond on television, vowing to find the murderer. Incensed by this hypocrisy, Luther decides to bring the president to justice. Meanwhile, Burton asks Frank to keep him informed about the case while a Secret Service agent wiretaps Frank's office telephone.
Luther's estranged daughter Kate (Laura Linney), who works as a prosecutor, is contacted by Detective Frank, and the two go to Luther's town house to search for clues. Photographs of her in the house indicate that Luther has secretly been watching her as she grew up. She still suspects him of killing Christy, so she agrees to Frank's request that she meet with Luther. Frank guarantees Luther's safety, but Burton learns about the plan through the wiretap, and someone alerts Sullivan, who hires a hitman (Richard Jenkins) to kill Luther. At the meeting, Collin's sniper and Sullivan's sniper, each unaware of the other, try to shoot Luther, but they both miss, and Luther escapes through the police cordon by posing as a police officer. Back at Kate's apartment, Luther comes out of hiding and explains to Kate how Christy was killed, and then leaves.
Luther taunts Chief of Staff Russell by sending her a photograph of the letter opener and tricking her into wearing Christy's necklace in public. Correctly suspecting that Kate knows the truth, President Richmond orders Collin and Burton to kill her. When Detective Frank tells Luther that the Secret Service has taken over surveillance of Kate, Luther races back to Washington D.C. to protect her. He arrives at her jogging area just moments after Collin used his SUV to push her and her car off a cliff. Collin tries to kill her again at the hospital, approaching her bed with a poison-filled syringe, but Luther stops him, jabbing him in the neck with a poison-filled syringe of Luther's own, forcing Collin to drop his. When Collin pleads for mercy, Luther says he's "fresh out" and delivers the fatal dose.
After learning from Detective Frank that Sullivan gave no reason why Christy stayed home—she had claimed to her husband, and to him only, that she was sick—Luther incapacitates Sullivan's chauffeur and drives Sullivan around Washington, telling him what happened on the night of the murder and explaining that the president incriminated himself in a speech by citing Christy's excuse for staying home, which he could only have learned from her. Luther gives Sullivan the letter opener and drops him off outside the White House, and Sullivan carries the letter opener into the Oval Office.
Meanwhile, alerted by Luther that his phones are bugged, Detective Frank goes to Burton's office, where he discovers that a remorseful Burton has committed suicide for his attempt on Kate's life. Frank uses the evidence Burton left behind to arrest Russell. Later, on the television news, Sullivan claims that the president committed suicide by stabbing himself to death. Back at the hospital, Luther watches over Kate in her hospital bed, sketching her. After Detective Frank visits briefly, Luther suggests to Kate that she invite Frank to dinner sometime, and then continues to draw a sketch of the daughter he loves.
