J.E. Freeman

Policeman Charlie Lang (Nicolas Cage) is a kind and generous man who loves his job and the Queens borough of New York City where he lives. Bo (Wendell Pierce) is Charlie's partner and together they work to maintain the peace in their neighborhood. Charlie is a good listener and loved kids. Charlie only wanted to help the community and never shied away from helping where he could (helping a blind man cross the street, teaching kids how to play baseball, catching petty thieves, delivering a baby on the public bus and so on) His wife Muriel (Rosie Perez) works in a hairdressing salon and, unlike Charlie, is selfish, greedy and materialistic, constantly complaining about their situation in life. Muriel hated Queens. Waitress Yvonne Biasi (Bridget Fonda) is bankrupt because her husband Eddie (Stanley Tucci), whom she could not yet afford to divorce, emptied their joint checking account and spent all the money without her permission, while also leaving her with a credit card debt of over $12,000. The court holds her responsible for the entire bill; moreover, Yvonne's boss docks her pay for the time she spent in court, even though Yvonne gave ample notice. Charlie meets Yvonne when she waits on him at the diner where she works. Since Charlie has cash to cover the bill but doesn't have enough money to pay the tip. So, he promises to give her either double the tip or half of his prospective lottery winnings the next day. Yvonne is sure that she will never see Charlie again in her life. Charlie wins a $4 million share of $64 million (in 21 annual payments) in the lottery the next day (as 16 other people picked the same numbers) and keeps his promise, despite the protests of his wife. Muriel sees this as an opportunity to become a spokesperson for her favorite beauty products. Muriel asks Charlie to do the right thing for them, but he is adamant that he gave Yvonne his word. Charlie returns to the diner and asks Yvonne to choose if she wants double the tip or half of the lottery (without telling her that he won the lottery). Yvonne goes for the split of the lottery and Charlie reveals that it is $4 million. Yvonne believes that Charlie is making fun of her string of bad luck, but he convinces her that they won $4 million in the New York State Lottery. For Charlie, a promise is a promise. Charlie and Yvonne become stars almost immediately. Yvonne buys the diner she was working in and promptly fires her ex-boss. She sets up a table with Charlie's name at which people who cannot afford food can eat for free. In another development, Charlie becomes a hero for foiling an attempted robbery at a grocery store but gets wounded in the process. Following a commendation, he takes mandatory leave from the NYPD. At a gathering on a chartered boat for the lottery winners and other members of high society, Muriel gets to know the newly rich Jack Gross (Seymour Cassel). She flirts with him and develops a strong liking for him, which is mutual. Both Yvonne and Charlie miss the cruise because he had to go and make change for her taxi driver and bond over dinner. Meanwhile, Charlie and Yvonne spend a lot of time together, on one occasion paying for the train journeys of passengers of the subway, and on another treating the children of his neighborhood to a day out at Yankee Stadium, about which there is a media report. Muriel gets fed up with Charlie's constant donations and overall simplicity and throws him out of their apartment, asking for a divorce. That same evening, Yvonne leaves her apartment after her husband shows up and threatens to stay until he gets $50,000 from her. Quite innocently, Charlie and Yvonne run into each other at the Plaza Hotel and, unintentionally, end up spending the night together. During divorce proceedings between Muriel and Charlie, Muriel demands all the money that Charlie won for herself. Charlie doesn't mind giving his share of the money but Muriel also wants the money he gave Yvonne, and Charlie's steadfast unwillingness to do so causes Muriel to take the case to court. The jury decides in her favor. Yvonne, feeling guilty at costing Charlie all his money, runs out of court in tears and tries to keep away from him. But the cop, by now hopelessly in love with the waitress, finds her at the diner and tells her that the money means nothing to him, and they declare their love for each other. While ruminating about their future at the diner and considering a possible move to Buffalo, they are gracious enough to provide a hungry and poor customer some soup, which he eats at the Charlie Lang Table. The poor customer is none other than the disguised undercover photojournalist Angel Dupree (Isaac Hayes), who takes photos of the couple and in the next day's newspapers publicly eulogies their willingness to feed a hungry and poor man even in their darkest hour. Just as Charlie and Yvonne are moving out of town, the citizens of New York City, no doubt touched by the generosity of the couple, send "the cop and the waitress" thousands of letters with tips totaling over $600,000, enough to help pay their debts. After Muriel gets remarried, her new husband Jack Gross flees the country with all the money from their checking account, revealing himself to be a con man. She then has no option but to move in with her mother in the Bronx and go back to her old manicure job. Eddie Biasi, now divorced from Yvonne, ends up becoming a taxi driver. Charlie happily returns to the police force and Yvonne reclaims the diner. At the film's end, Charlie and Yvonne get married and begin their honeymoon by taking off from Central Park in a hot air balloon that bears the New York Post headline "Cop Weds Waitress".

Jude Madigan (Curtis) suddenly leaves her husband, Robert (Gallagher) and three sons without any explanation. Three years later, when Robert finally files for divorce, Jude returns and tries to reclaim her former life. Robert refuses and insists on the divorce. Jude does not accept Robert's decision. She tries unsuccessfully to seduce him and harasses Robert's new girlfriend, Callie. Eventually, Jude manipulates and convinces her eldest son, Kes, that Callie is the only person standing in the way of their reunited family. Influenced by Jude, Kes details a plan to his two brothers to scare off Callis, convincing the younger boys that it is just a "game". As the boys debate the plan, Jude's mother, Lydia (Redgrave) overhears and confronts Kes and threatens to tell their father. Kes tries unsuccessfully to convince his grandmother that it was just a "game" and tries to stop her from calling his dad, a brief struggle ensues and Lydia accidentally falls down the stairs. While in the hospital, Lydia tells Jude she is not about to let her go through with her plans. In a fit of rage, Jude tries to murder her mother by asphyxiation but is interrupted by a nurse, Jude flees the hospital. Meanwhile, the boys, under the guise of playing the game, handcuffs Callie and puts her on "trial" for destroying their family. They tie her to a chair but when the youngest boy cuts himself on a broken glass, Callie convinces the middle child to free her before his brother dies. She runs with the boy in an attempt to find a hospital. The other boys get in Callie's car and chases them, but the brakes have been cut by Jude and they go over a cliff, leaving them perched precariously on a tree on the side of the cliff. Callie manages to rescue the middle son, but as she tries to rescue Kes, she slips and is left dangling from the car. Jude rushes to "help" by grabbing Callie's hand from Kes. Jude intentionally lets go of Callie's hand, who still manages to hang onto the car with her other hand. However, Jude loses her balance and falls to her death. The film ends with Robert's emotional embrace of Kes, who is very shaken after having a nightmare of Jude coming back from the dead. Callie is right by Robert's side, comforting them both.

Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) is on a "working vacation" in London with his family. He has retired from the CIA and is a Professor at the US Naval Academy. Jack gives a lecture at the Royal Naval Academy and then walks out to meet up with his wife Cathy (Anne Archer) and daughter Sally (Thora Birch). Meanwhile, Cathy and Sally are sightseeing near Buckingham Palace. The two come upon a British Royal Guard, and Sally tries to get the guard to react by doing an improvised tap dance in front of him. She's impressed when the guard, trained to ignore distraction, has no reaction to her antics. As Sally and Cathy walk away from the guard, en route to rendezvous with Jack, they walk by a stolen cab, in which sit three Ulster Liberation Army (ULA) terrorists: Kevin O'Donnell (Patrick Bergin), the driver, as well as Sean Miller (Sean Bean) and his younger brother Patrick (Karl Hayden). The three are loading their guns as they prepare to carry out an ambush on Lord William Holmes (James Fox), the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and a member of the British Royal Family (the cousin of the Queen Mother). As they finish loading their weapons, another accomplice, Annette (Polly Walker), radios to them that Lord Holmes is leaving the palace with his wife and son. As Lord Holmes's car leaves the palace, the terrorists' car falls in line behind him. They follow the car, headed for the ambush point. As they drive, O'Donnell and the Miller brothers don ski masks. Meanwhile, Ryan is about to cross the street to meet with his wife and daughter. He arrives at the same time that Lord Holmes's car is passing through the area. Moments later, Annette pulls another cab right in front of Lord Holmes's vehicle, forcing them to stop. Simultaneously, the cab driven by O'Donnell and the Millers boxes them in from behind. The Millers and another accomplice jump out and quickly plant a bomb underneath the chauffeured car's engine. Ryan sees what's going on and hastily gets his family to take cover just as the bomb is detonated. Moments later, Sean and another accomplice open fire on the car, killing Lord Holmes's driver and bodyguard. The onslaught does not kill Lord Holmes, who is currently using his body to shield his family. Sean marches over to the rear door and orders Lord Holmes out of the car at gunpoint. Ryan, unable to stand being just a bystander, immediately breaks cover, runs up behind Miller, and disarms him. As Ryan moves to grabs Sean's pistol, he is shot in the left shoulder by the unnamed accomplice. Ryan returns fire, fatally wounding the unnamed accomplice. As Patrick tries to run, Ryan fatally shoots him as well. Seeing two of the royal guards and the police racing towards the scene, O'Donnell and the remaining terrorists quickly get back in their cars and drive flee, leaving Sean to be arrested. They retreat back to a warehouse, where they change out license plates. Ryan is taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries. He's visited by a representative from the US consulate and officers from the London police and questioned about his heroics. He's told about both Kevin O'Donnell, the leader of a violent ULA splinter group, and the Miller brothers, who were both orphaned at a young age and came under O'Donnell's care and tutelage. Sean is an especially dangerous and violent sociopath who shares O'Donnell's radical views about British rule of Northern Ireland. Ryan is called to testify against Sean Miller as a witness. Though Sean's counsel questions Ryan's involvement in the incident, citing that he's not a field agent with the CIA or any other organization that would operate in his manner, Ryan holds his own. Miller has an outburst as Ryan is led out of the court chamber and vows revenge. Subsequently, Miller is convicted on all charges and sentenced to life in prison. Ryan is awarded the order of Knight Commander of the Victorian Order and eventually returns to the United States. When they arrive, Cathy tells him she's been having morning sickness and that she's pregnant. On the possibility that Miller's ULA comrades might try to liberate him, the authorities take no chances. To that extent, they set up decoy convoys on the day that Miller is to be transferred to Albany Prison on the Isle of Wight. However, O'Donnell's associate, Annette, is able to get information about the convoy that carries Miller from a man named Dennis Cooley (Alex Norton), a rare books dealer and mole. Miller's motorcade is in transit with the officer in charge of Miller's arrest and incarceration, Inspector Robert Highland (David Threlfall), when it comes to a stop at a drawbridge. The raised bridge, however, is a trap meant to block them in. Moments after the convoy comes to a stop, Miller's comrades fire rocket launchers to blow up the escort cars, killing their drivers. They then march up to the prison van and order the guards out at gunpoint by taking the bridge operator hostage and threatening to shoot him. One of the guards talks back to them, and is shot dead for his troubles. The other officer and Highland are pulled out by O'Donnell, thrown on the ground, and forced to lie on their stomachs. O'Donnell chastises Highland, who is Irish, for turning against his own country and people. O'Donnell then hands Miller a pistol. Miller subsequently executes the two police officers and the bridge operator by shooting each of them in the back of the head, and then they flee the scene. Miller and his companions flee on a tramp steamer from Britain to Libya, to prepare for their next kidnapping attempt on Lord Holmes. Miller, however, cannot shake his anger towards Ryan for killing his younger brother and persuades several members of his entourage to accompany him to the United States on a short mission targeting Ryan and his family. Miller is accompanied by Annette, comrade Ned Clark (Keith Campbell), and a fourth henchman. Annette and Clark travel to the United States Naval Academy to ambush Ryan as he's leaving work. Ryan notices Clark idling nearby. Clark casually walks away, but Ryan clearly unnerved, then gets even more nervous as he hears a car engine starting. His suspicions are well warranted-as he continues walking down the street, he looks in the reflection of a parked van's rear-view door and sees that Clark, and the stolen car driven by Annette, are following him. Ryan pretends not to see them until he's walking past a parked panel truck, at which point he ducks behind the truck. Clark draws a silenced pistol and prepares to corner Ryan, but Ryan attacks him first. The two fight hand-to-hand and Clark quickly gets the upper hand, throwing Ryan to the curb. He grabs his pistol and is about to shoot Ryan when he's shot dead himself by a US Marine sentry. Annette quickly flees in her Jeep. Ryan, realizing that Miller is going after Cathy and Sally, jumps into his car and drives off. Simultaneously, Miller and the other henchman rent a brown work van and follow Cathy as she picks up Sally from school, with Miller riding shotgun. They prepare to follow the two but are temporarily held up by a crossing guard. Once the crossing guard clears, they pursue her to the highway. Ryan tries to frantically call Cathy on his car phone, but she is busy answering phone calls from the hospital. As he's trying to connect with her, Miller and his driver recklessly weave in and out of traffic to catch up with Cathy. Ryan eventually gets through to Cathy and tells her to get off the highway and find the nearest police station. Unfortunately, just as the call ends, Miller's van comes charging up on her using the left shoulder. Miller moves to the backseat of the van, grabs a sub-machine gun, and slides open the door. Another car momentarily delays him, but once he has a clear aim, Miller opens fire, spraying Cathy's car with bullets. A multi-car pileup ensues as Cathy loses control of her car and crashes head-on into a concrete barrier. Ryan, who has found himself stuck in traffic headed in the other direction, sees the smoke from the crash and realizes the worst. Cathy and Sally are airlifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. Cathy will recover quickly and her pregnancy is unaffected. Sally, however, is in very bad shape and her chances are 50/50. Ryan eventually finds out a few hours later that Sally will recover but it will take time. Late one night Ryan receives a phone call from Miller himself. Miller taunts Ryan, suggesting that Jack can't protect his family and he'll never find Miller. Enraged, Ryan decides to go back to work for the CIA, having earlier rejected the appeal of his former superior, Vice Admiral James Greer (James Earl Jones). His old contact, Marty Cantor (J.E. Freeman), teams him up with a small group that specializes in the ULA and other Irish terrorist groups. Ryan's tireless work leads him to conclude that Miller is in hiding at a training camp, one of many located in Libya. He also determines that a recent new arrival at the camp may be Dennis Cooley, who'd escaped the London police when he discovered they were using surveillance devices in his bookshop. Ryan, through IRA spokesman Paddy O'Neil (Richard Harris), also determines that the woman with long red hair that he saw driving one of the cars in the attack on Lord Holmes and in the attempt on his own life at the naval academy, is the same woman who works for O'Donnell and is in one of the Libyan camps. Ryan makes his recommendations to his superiors at the CIA. Greer invites Jack to a live feed of a SAS strike team attack on the camp. Everyone in the camp is eliminated but unbeknownst to the CIA and Ryan, Miller and his companions have already fled the camp and are on their way to the US to stage their next attack on Lord Holmes. Lord Holmes decides to visit Ryan at his home to formally present his KCVO. With the aid of Lord Holmes' traitorous assistant, Miller's group tracks Holmes to this location, kills the Diplomatic Security Service agents and Maryland state troopers guarding the house, and attempts once more to kidnap Lord Holmes. Ryan leads Holmes and his family to safety while he attempts to lure Miller and his companions away from his home by stealing one of the boats they'd arrived in at the cliffs near the Ryan's home. A furious boat chase in a heavy storm on the Chesapeake Bay ensues, with Miller, Annette, and O'Donnell in pursuit. The FBI Hostage Rescue Teams are scrambled to pick up Holmes. Upon realizing that Ryan is trying to lead them away from Holmes, Miller's companions try to persuade Miller to turn around, but an enraged and deranged Miller kills his terrorist companions and continues his pursuit of Ryan. Ryan and Miller fight hand to hand; Miller is killed when Ryan impales him backward on a boat anchor, and his body is obliterated in the subsequent explosion of the craft when it hits a rocky reef. Credits roll just after Caroline Ryan learns the gender of the child she is going to have, and before she tells Jack and Sally.

Sailor and Lula run away to start a new life, pursued by hitmen hired by Lula`s vengeful mother.