影片改编自劳伦斯·布洛克1992年出版的同名犯罪小说，尼森饰演的马修·斯卡德（Matthew Scudder）曾是一位纽约警察，如今则是无证行业的私家侦探。纽约发生了一系列针对毒贩妻子的绑架案，受害人均惨遭杀害。 斯卡德答应了其中一人（丹·史蒂文斯），以及自己弟弟的要求，在前任同事及一名17岁的街头艺术家帮助下，找出幕后的两名凶手。Matt Scudder is a former cop now a private eye. He is asked by a drug dealer to find the men who kidnapped his wife. It seems like they killed her even after he paid them. Scudder refuses. But the man later goes to see him and tells him how his wife was killed. Scudder takes the job. He does some research and thinks the men he is looking for have done this more than once. And that everyone they grabbed is connected to a drug dealer. He was about to give up when they grab another girl and Scudder tries make sure she's returned alive.
