Overview

A major bust is called off for political reasons, leaving three veteran detectives stewing in the squad room of New York's seedy 9th Precinct. A loud mouthed hooker who tempts and taunts has been cuffed to a chair when a whacked out man is hauled in for relieving himself on the Mayor's limousine during a demonstration orchestrated by advocates for the homeless. The politically motivated Captain orders an investigation, hoping to uncover past crimes to offset the Mayor's embarrassment. Disgusted by the assignment and by the culprit's filth but intrigued by his quick witted barbs, the detectives learn that "Banzai" was a high school football star who lost his entire family in a fire. Before he disappeared, he apparently assaulted the acquitted arsonists with a baseball bat. While they weigh their sympathies and personal values against their obligations as police officers, a reporter for the Village Voice and a spokesman for the homeless ignite events that unleash Banzai's lurking demons.