 David Ackerman is a recently promoted plain-clothes detective in Los Angeles, and he s lugging around a lot of emotional baggage. He s estranged from his wealthy father Eugene because of his career choice and he s having troubles with his live-in girlfriend Sarah. David is still haunted by the accidental death of his brother years ago, an accident that David was responsible for, and as a result, David is still racked with guilt. David has chosen to work in the auto theft division, believing it offers a chance for quick promotion, and his partner is Nick Pulovski, a former race car driver who is now a veteran cop. David always keeps his emotions in check while the hard-drinking Nick can explode at the drop of a hat. David and Nick set out to break up a massive auto theft operation that s being run by German crime boss Strom and his partner Liesel. Strom is the man who murdered Nick s previous partner, and Nick is determined to bring Strom down. As Nick and David do a stake out, their hatred for one another slowly decreases, and David sees that he can learn something about police work from Nick. When Nick is later kidnapped by Strom s gang, David has to rescue him, and he relies heavily on the crude techniques taught to him by Nick, ripping Los Angeles apart in the process.