The story begins on a country road where we find a a sheriff’s bus transporting new prison inmates. We meet Richard Gale, 50’s, hard-scrabbled and steely eyed. The bus pulls into Oklahoma City’s largest prison, “BIG MAC”.

 

The story jumps forward ten years and we find Richard, now nicknamed "Pops" by his fellow inmates, still in prison where he’s settled in nicely. Having found a community in prison, Pops is notified he will be getting out soon but he's unsure about facing the outside world again. But maybe he can finally have a relationship with his only son, Jeff.

 

At a cheap motel, Pops tries to settle into his new found freedom without much success. He meets with his probation officer, Alan Keith, and suggests they send him back to prison. Officer Keith tells him he needs to move on with his life and is there family he can call? Nope.

 

He slowly befriends a shy young Mexican woman, Maria, and her daughter, Emily, who are also staying at the motel. After a few nights of hearing violent altercations coming from Maria’s room, Pops finally decides to intervene and during an intense struggle ends up killing a dangerous drug cartel soldier with his own knife. Pops is set to go back to prison but Maria begs Pops for help and pulls two duffel bags from under a bed. Filled with drugs and money. She's into something deep. 

 

Pops reluctantly agrees to helps Maria and Emily go on the run but it’s not long before a dangerous drug cartel and Pop’s probation officer, Alan Keith, are hunting them down. Pops' first stop is an old Military buddy named Ray. He helps out with a gun and a different car.

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The three hit the road again and begin to bond on the road. Richard and Maria slowly open up to each other after years of building up walls of protection.

 

The cartel tracks Ray down with a tracking device hidden in some of the cash Richard gave him and after an intense shootout they torture him to death but he gives them nothing but a hard time.

 

Just when our protagonists finally feel they are safe and home free the trio are cornered and in a violent exchange Emily is kidnapped by the cartel and Maria is shot dead. Pops is taken as a hostage and all seems lost.

 

Chained to a wall in a dark warehouse, Pops is tortured and Emily threatened until Pops gives up the location of the money which he hid under Ray’s trailer. Emily is taken away and Pops is left for dead. But Pops summons the strength thru his rage to take out two men armed henchmen and free himself.

 

Pops returns to Ray’s to find his friend dead. He stocks up on weapons and begins his hunt of the men that took Emily.

 

His search leads him to cartel leader Juan Ortega’s mansion. In a daring stunt that will make Tom Cruise wet his pants, Pops drives a semi-truck into the front door while leaping from the hood and cannonballing into a second story window. A deadly game of cat and mouse ensues in a final epic and bloody battle until finally he finds and kills Juan, leaving him dead on his gold-plated toilet. And just when we think it's over we have our final dramatic fight between Pops and Mr. Don that ends with them flying of a roof into a pool. The police helicopter circles as Pops takes the last breath from Mr. Don, staring into his eyes as he holds the fucker under water. The police swarm the place and Emily and the rest of the women are safe. Pops lays poolside dying from his wounds as the white from the helicopter light fills his vision and he loses consciousness.

 

At a funeral we assume at first is for Pops we watch Emily place a rose on the casket and say her final goodbye to her mother, Maria.

 

No Pops isn't dead, instead he keeps a promise and sneaks some Mickey D's back into prison for his old friends. The local hero returns. 

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