Pacific Heights 1990

In a candid moment of intimacy, Carter Hayes (Michael Keaton) shares a passionate encounter with a woman (Beverly D’Angelo) in a luxurious abode, only to be brutally interrupted by the sudden arrival of two men wielding a baseball bat. This jarring intrusion sets the tone for the tumultuous events that will unfold.

Meanwhile, Drake (Matthew Modine) and his girlfriend Patty (Melanie Griffith) embark on a quest for their dream home in San Francisco, finally securing a property with rooms available for rental. As they begin to renovate, they encounter an eclectic cast of characters, including Toshio (Mako) and Mira (Nobu McCarthy) Watanabe, who become the first tenants to occupy one of the units.

Carter’s arrival on the scene is shrouded in mystery, as he pays a substantial deposit but refuses to provide any tangible proof of his identity. Despite Drake’s reservations, Carter’s smooth talk and charming demeanor allow him to slip into the property undetected. However, his true nature soon becomes apparent when construction work begins in his unit, and he takes great pains to isolate himself from the other tenants.

As tensions escalate, Drake discovers that Carter has been cultivating a sinister plot to drive away the other renters by breeding cockroaches on an industrial scale. The courts ultimately rule against Drake, allowing Carter to remain in the property, but not before Patty suffers a devastating miscarriage.

In a shocking turn of events, Carter’s true identity as James Danforth is revealed, and his history of scams and deceit is exposed. Patty, driven by determination and a sense of justice, sets out to track down Carter’s previous victims and bring him to account for his crimes. Her tireless efforts ultimately lead to Carter’s arrest, but not before he orchestrates one final act of violence against Drake.

In the aftermath of Carter’s demise, Patty and Drake join forces to rebuild their lives and restore their home to its former glory. Though the road ahead will be long and arduous, they are determined to emerge stronger and more resilient than ever before.

Months after their initial real estate venture, Drake Goodman (actor) and his partner Patty Palmer are reaping the rewards of their labor, having sold their fixer-upper Victorian home in San Francisco’s upscale Pacific Heights neighborhood for a tidy profit. This newfound financial freedom has given them the opportunity to invest in other properties, and they’ve set their sights on an impressive three-apartment property in the same exclusive neighborhood.

One evening, as they’re relaxing at a luxurious Palm Springs resort, Carter Hayes (actor) and his lover Ann are enjoying a romantic getaway. However, their tranquil evening is brutally disrupted when two masked men burst into their hotel room wielding baseball bats, leaving Carter severely beaten and Ann mildly injured. As she holds her battered partner close, he whispers thoughts of departure to her.

Meanwhile, back in San Francisco, Drake and Patty are on the hunt for their next real estate venture. They’ve set their sights on a sprawling Victorian fixer-upper in Pacific Heights, comprised of three apartments - one small studio and two additional rooms. The couple sees immense potential in this property, knowing they can recoup their investment by renting out two of the apartments to responsible tenants.

Their first applicants are Toshio and Mira Watanabe, a pleasant Japanese couple who agree to rent the one-bedroom apartment. Another applicant, Lou Baker (actor), enters the picture, revealing that he’s going through a divorce and needs a place to call his own. Despite initial reservations about filling out a credit application, Patty’s persistence eventually wins him over.

However, things take an unexpected turn when Drake meets Carter Hayes at their new property. Like Baker, Hayes is hesitant to provide references or credit information, instead flashing a substantial amount of cash and promising to cover the security deposit and six months’ rent in advance. Despite his initial reservations, Drake agrees to rent the studio apartment to Hayes, but remains firm about him filling out an application.

Notably, the woman who was with Hayes when he suffered his brutal beating serves as a character reference for him, vouching for his reputation as a model tenant in her previous rental property. As Drake and Patty navigate the complexities of renting their new property, they’re faced with a series of intriguing characters, each with their own unique stories to tell.

As Patty stumbles upon Hayes in his new apartment, her curiosity piqued by the sea of out-of-town phone books surrounding him, he reveals a peculiar story: he’d secured permission to move in from Drake weeks prior. The revelation sparks a sense of betrayal in Patty, as she wonders why Drake would keep such crucial information hidden. When Drake attempts to set the record straight, claiming Hayes’ occupancy is unlawful due to an outstanding security deposit, his frustration and anger escalate with each passing minute. The situation becomes even more surreal when Greg, a mysterious individual, answers Hayes’ door, denying any knowledge of Drake’s attempts to contact him.

As the days pass, tensions in the building simmer just below the surface. Toshio complains about the incessant pounding and noise emanating from Hayes’ apartment, prompting Drake to try and investigate. However, he finds that Hayes has taken drastic measures by changing the locks, further solidifying his presence. In a fit of rage, Drake resorts to illegal measures, shutting off the electricity and heat to Hayes’ unit. The authorities are eventually called in, but they ultimately side with Hayes, citing tenant laws that protect him just as much as they do his landlord.

The consequences of Drake’s actions become all too real when roaches begin to infest Toshio and Mira’s sink. Forced to hire an exterminator, the couple is hit with a hefty bill, exacerbating their already precarious financial situation and further straining their relationship. Seeking justice, Drake and Patty retain lawyer Stephanie MacDonald, who paints a stark picture of Hayes as a con artist well-versed in the system. She warns that evicting him will be a long and arduous process, with little chance of recouping any losses. Yet, the couple remains resolute in their determination to oust Hayes from the property. Just as things seem to be at a boiling point, Patty drops a bombshell: she’s pregnant.

One fateful evening, Hayes’ nocturnal antics reach new heights, prompting Drake to sneak into the crawlspace beneath their shared studio. As he navigates through an air duct, Drake inadvertently stumbles upon a heated argument between Greg and Hayes, which rapidly devolves into a violent confrontation. The chaos is momentarily interrupted by a falling jar, its shattered remnants spilling a veritable plague of roaches onto Drake’s unsuspecting face.

As the truth begins to unravel, Drake discovers that Hayes has been deliberately breeding these unwanted pests in his apartment, likely as part of a sinister plan to drive out their neighbors, the Watanabes. Furthermore, Drake is horrified to learn that Hayes has also kidnapped the stray cat they had taken in upon moving into their new home.

Drake’s world is turned upside down when he awakens one night to find Patty weak and distraught in the bathroom, her pregnancy having tragically ended in a miscarriage. Her subsequent hospitalization leaves Drake feeling helpless as she struggles to recover. When Patty finally returns home, Hayes appears at their doorstep, bearing flowers and feigning remorse for their past conflicts. Drake’s anger boils over, and he launches himself at Hayes with unbridled fury.

The two men tumble down the stairs, Drake delivering a merciless beating that spills out onto the street. Just as it seems things can’t get any worse, the police arrive, responding to Hayes’ earlier report of an altercation in progress. Drake is taken into custody, charged with assault, while Hayes seizes the opportunity to secure a restraining order, effectively banishing Drake from approaching their home for a distance of 500 yards.

Displaced and adrift, Drake finds refuge with a friend. Patty, meanwhile, becomes increasingly unnerved by Hayes’ harassing phone calls, which prompt her to reach out to Drake at his temporary address. Without hesitation, Drake returns to their shared home, deliberately violating the restraining order in the process. As he enters the main hallway, he is met by Hayes, who produces a pistol and fires at Drake’s arm and shoulder. The would-be victim is then left grasping for a crowbar, which Hayes cunningly places in his hand, setting the stage for yet another frame job that will further entangle Drake in a web of deceit and betrayal.

As Drake languishes in hospital care, Stephanie seizes the opportunity to finally put an end to Hayes’ unwanted occupation. With the court’s seal of approval, she orchestrates the eviction proceedings, while Patty supervises the process with hawk-like precision. The city sheriff arrives to execute the warrant, and Patty is met with a shocking sight: the studio apartment has been methodically stripped bare, its contents likely sold or spirited away by Hayes’ partner in crime. At the police station, Patty encounters Baker, a man claiming to be the original applicant for the very same apartment - only to reveal himself as Detective James (no relation to the name on the photograph), an SFPD veteran who’s all too familiar with cases of theft and deceit. He offers words of caution: let it go, consider yourself and Drake fortunate that Hayes didn’t take their home from them. Patty listens intently, her mind already racing ahead.

As she surveys the desolate studio space, a glimmer of hope emerges in the form of a photograph with a name scribbled on the back: James Danforth. With this newfound lead, Patty embarks on an investigation into Hayes’ troubled past, uncovering a tangled web of family dynamics and financial woes that have left him scrambling to maintain his lavish lifestyle. It transpires that Hayes was once part of an esteemed family dynasty, reaping the benefits of a private trust fund - but his family’s distaste for his antics has led them to pay him to keep his distance. With this new information, Patty sets her sights on Palm Springs, determined to track down Hayes and uncover the truth behind his dubious dealings.

Upon arriving at Ann’s doorstep, Patty finds herself face-to-face with a woman who is eerily fond of Drake’s games - so much so that she actively participates in his cons, having even partnered with him to secure their current abode. As they sit amidst the ruins of their tumultuous past, Ann shares a postcard sent by Hayes himself, featuring a photograph of a Los Angeles hotel. The seemingly innocuous postcard belies the sinister machinations at play, and Patty can’t help but wonder what other secrets lurk beneath the surface, waiting to be uncovered.

As Patty (character) descends upon the iconic LA hotel, her relentless pursuit of Hayes takes on a life of its own. Under the guise of a concerned guest, she infiltrates his quarters, uncovering the truth about his alias, “Drake Goodman.” It becomes apparent that Hayes has gone to great lengths to conceal his true identity, complete with forged identification cards, credit accounts, and a meticulously crafted bank account in Drake’s name.

Patty seizes the opportunity to turn the tables on Hayes by adopting the guise of Carter’s wife. With calculated precision, she drains his room account, reports the fake credit cards as stolen, and even commandeers his Porsche. The pièce de résistance comes when she has “Drake” cancel his duplicate bank account. As Hayes returns to the hotel, the manager reveals that there are issues with his credit, further complicating matters. It is then that Hayes discovers his “wife” is responsible for the charges on his room bill.

As Patty narrowly escapes a confrontation with Hayes in the hallway, he finds himself arrested and later bailed out by his wealthy widow companion. Meanwhile, back at home, Drake recovers from his hospital stay while Patty tends to some finishing touches on their studio apartment. With a pneumatic nail gun, she expertly covers up the holes left behind by Hayes’ destructive antics.

However, just as it seems that Patty has finally gained the upper hand, Hayes reappears in the upstairs apartment, fueled by a malevolent energy. He attacks Drake with a golf club, only to find himself outsmarted once more. Patty, now aware of Hayes’ presence, is initially fooled into returning to the apartment when she thinks she hears their cat’s meows.

Trapped inside, Hayes locks the door and brandishes the pneumatic nail gun, threatening Patty. Drake, unable to enter due to the latched door, attempts to rejoin them through the hole in the floor. Patty manages to momentarily repel Hayes, allowing Drake to seize his leg from below. The resulting struggle sends Hayes tumbling onto the sharpened pipes he had stolen earlier, leaving him mortally wounded.

Fast-forward several months, and Patty and Drake are poised to sell their home to a new yuppie couple. When asked about their decision to part ways with the property, Patty nonchalantly remarks, “it was just an investment.”