Neo-noir crime movie revolves around the story of a group of LAPD officers in 1953. Three policemen tackle down to the corruption surrounding an unsolved murder at a downtown Los Angeles coffee shop in an apparently gangster-style shoot-out. Detective Lieutenant Exley, the son of a murdered detective, is determined to avenge his father's death. The ex-partner of Officer White, implicated in a scandal rooted out by Exley, was one of the victims. Sergeant Vincennes feeds classified information to a tabloid magnate. The three are unwillingly drawn into a conspiracy involving police corruption, Hollywood immorality, and prostitution.