本片根据阿瑟•米勒争议作品改编，对某种集体狂热进行了反思。故事讲述了二战高峰期的纽约，居住在某街区的小市民劳伦斯（William H. Macy）本意要过着悠闲宁静的生活，却不料因戴上一幅眼镜而被误认为犹太人，又因娶了一位疑似犹太女人（Laura Dern）而惹火上身，惨遭暴徒围殴。关键时刻，同一街区的犹太老板从家中冲了出来⋯⋯

This film, originally made for tv, stars William H. Macy as a mute superintendent of a apartment building that is falling apart who becomes the unwilling guardian to a young girl with a bit of an attitude. The film is an updated and Americanized version of the 1962 feature film Gigot starring Jackie Gleason, who also wrote the original story.

A movie crew invades a small town whose residents are all too ready to give up their values for showbiz glitz.

故事讲述洛杉矶刑事辩护律师米奇·豪勒（马修·麦康纳 Matthew McConaughey 饰），绰号“林肯律师”，经手的都是些处于社会底层的客户。他善恶分明、正直守信，并非贪财小人。然而这一次，豪勒的辩护对像是年轻富有的房地产开发商路易斯-罗莱特（瑞恩·菲利普 Rya n Phillippe 饰）。罗莱特受到的指控是殴打并企图强奸应招女郎瑞琪（玛格丽塔-莱维瓦 Margarita Levieva 饰），但罗莱特声称自己是无辜的，有人栽赃陷害他。罗莱特的母亲愿意不惜重金证明自己心爱儿子的清白。为了解案情的细节，豪勒及其私人调查员对此案进行了调查。他们最初获得的证据证明罗莱特似乎确实无辜，这个案子能够轻而易举地打赢，豪勒也能够轻松地获得一笔高额的律师费。然而，一个偶然的机会使豪勒发现，此案与他曾经接手的另一桩强奸杀人案有诸多相似之处……

Jerry, a small-town Minnesota car salesman is bursting at the seams with debt... but he's got a plan. He's going to hire two thugs to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. It's going to be a snap and nobody's going to get hurt... until people start dying. Enter Police Chief Marge, a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing - and extremely pregnant - investigator who'll stop at nothing to get her man. And if you think her small-time investigative skills will give the crooks a run for their ransom... you betcha!

Held captive for 7 years in an enclosed space, a woman and her young son finally gain their freedom, allowing the boy to experience the outside world for the first time.