After leaving his LAPD narcotics post following a bungled operation, Ray Owens (Schwarzenegger) moved out of Los Angeles and settled in as sheriff of a small, sleepy border town. But that peaceful existence is shattered when Gabriel Cortez, the most notorious, wanted drug kingpin in the western hemisphere, makes a deadly yet spectacular escape from an FBI prisoner convoy. With the help of a fierce band of lawless mercenaries, Cortez begins racing towards the US-Mexico border at 250 mph in a specially-outfitted Corvette ZR1 with a hostage in tow. Cortez path: straight through Sheriff Ray's town, where the whole of the U.S. law enforcement, including Agent John Bannister (Forest Whitaker), will have their final opportunity to intercept him before he slips across the border forever. At first Ray is counted out because of the perceived ineptitude of his small town force. Ultimately he rallies his team and takes the matter into his own hands, setting the stage for a high-speed, bullet-riddled showdown.