Cutter's Way

As the rain-soaked streets of Santa Barbara, California, succumb to the darkness, Richard Bone finds himself stranded on a desolate side road. The stillness is shattered by the arrival of a sleek vehicle, whose occupant casually discards an object into a nearby garbage can. Initially dismissed as a mere coincidence, this seemingly innocuous act takes on a sinister tone when a gruesome discovery is made the following day: a young girl's lifeless body is found amidst the trash, and Bone finds himself entangled in a murder investigation.

As he navigates the treacherous landscape of suspicion and accusation, Bone's friend Alex Cutter - a Vietnam veteran with a keen sense of unease - begins to unravel a tangled web of conspiracy. His theory that local tycoon J.J. Cord is behind the murder sets off a chain reaction of events that draws Bone, Cutter, and the dead girl's sister into a perilous game of cat and mouse.

When Cutter attempts to coerce Cord into incriminating himself, his house suddenly erupts in flames, claiming the life of his wife Mo as it does. Convinced that Cord is hell-bent on silencing him, Cutter sets his sights on exposing the truth. He pilfers an invitation to a high-society soiree at Cord's mansion and enlists Bone's driving services for the evening.

As they mingle among the champagne toasts and carefully curated smiles, Cutter reveals his plan to take down Cord - a plan that Bone desperately tries to sabotage. But as he finds himself trapped between parked cars, security personnel closing in, and the increasingly erratic Cutter, Bone is forced to confront the dark underbelly of their small town.

The evening's events culminate in a heart-pumping showdown within Cord's office, where Bone is left face-to-face with the cold calculating gaze of his nemesis. As Cutter lies dying, his war-torn psyche shattered by the glass shards that now cover his body, Bone asserts the truth: Cord is responsible for the girl's brutal murder. The tycoon's response - a chilling "What if it were?" - sends shivers down Bone's spine as he steadies Cutter's gun and delivers a fatal blow. With the film fading to black, the implications of their actions hang in the balance, leaving the audience questioning the true cost of justice.