Brothers Dova (Matt Dillon) and Milo (Gary Sinise) are small-time crooks.

They and their partner, Law (William Fichtner), pull a holdup in New Orleans that goes terribly wrong.

The robbers flee to a local bar, Dino's Last Chance, desperately taking everyone inside hostage.

Dova is their leader, trying to keep the situation calm while federal agents, led by Browning (Joe Mantegna), surround the bar.

Besides a barfly (John Spencer) who is barely coherent and a younger man, Danny (Skeet Ulrich) shooting pool, there is one other customer (Viggo Mortensen), a man named Foucard dressed in a business suit, who is strangely silent and inactive all his time there.

As the life of Milo slips away and the robbers' demands to the cops go unmet, Dova decides whether to surrender or start letting Law shoot hostages one at a time.

When Dova and Law leave, Milo takes the knife he was given from a hostage and uses it to cut his wrists, committing suicide.

The score includes a cover of "Ill Wind" featuring bass by Flea and guest vocals from R.E.M.