Trama

A town has been taken hostage. Who will win the battle? Only the mighty will survive.

The wife of Vietnam veteran Ike Slayton is taken hostage by a large group of escaped convicts. Slayton enlists the help of his old Army friend in a furious search to find her, while a hard-nosed National Guardsman leads a platoon of soldiers determined to kill or capture all the convicts, even if it means killing all of the hostages in the crossfire.—matt-282

On a Sunday morning in May 1990 at the New Mexico State Penitentiary, serial child-murderer John Kuttner (Lee de Broux) stabs a fellow inmate to death.

In nearby Sonora, New Mexico, Sheriff Ike Slayton (Brad Davis) celebrates his wedding to psychologist Maria Montoya (Kim Delaney). Among the guests is Billy (Ken Foree), who served with Ike during the Vietnam War.

Early the next morning, Maria testifies at Kuttner's parole hearing, stating her belief that the killer should remain in prison. Four miles away, a traffic accident results in the explosion of a tanker truck, releasing a cloud of toxic gas over the area. Warden Barles (George Kennedy) is notified and orders an evacuation of the prison. Kuttner uses the opportunity to escape and commandeers a busload of prisoners, taking Maria as his hostage. Warden Barles and his men pursue the bus to Sonora, where Kuttner and his henchman, Patch (James Tolkan), lead an attack on the sheriff's office and acquire weapons.

While searching for food, two of the convicts, Smitty (Lou Ferrigno) and Albert (Lyle Alzado), break into Ike Slayton's home. After Ike and Billy capture and interrogate the home invaders, they hide in a building opposite the sheriff's office, and observe townspeople being herded into the town's jail.

Outside of the town, the state police, led by a local Lieutenant (Yaphet Kotto), attempt a rescue operation, but are forced to retreat after Kuttner shoots the deputy and threatens to kill Maria. Meanwhile, two more convicts enter the Slayton home to find Smitty and Albert bound together. They discover a photograph of Ike and Maria, and inform Kuttner that his hostage is the sheriff's wife.

An hour later, a battalion of National Guardsmen arrive on the scene, their commander, Lieutenant Colonel Hawk Johnson (Jan-Michael Vincent), refuses to negotiate with Kuttner and orders an attack on Sonora, with no consideration for the safety of the townspeople. While Kuttner prepares an ambush for the advancing troops, Ike intercepts Johnson and warns him of the danger. The colonel refuses to listen and proceeds with the invasion, but is forced to retreat.

Billy and Ike follow the retreating Guardsmen to the to their makeshift command center on the outskirts of town, and berate Johnson for his incompetence. The egotistical colonel is unfazed, and orders a fleet of tanks from National Guard headquarters.

That night, Kuttner moves his men and their hostages to a five-story mineral processing plant. Using a police radio, Kuttner contacts Colonel Johnson, demanding a helicopter in exchange for the townspeople. When Patch questions the practicality of his friend's plan, Kuttner explains that only he and Patch will escape, while the others will be left to the mercy of the Guardsmen.

Certain that the situation will deteriorate under Johnson's command, Ike and Billy arm themselves with National Guard weaponry and sneak into Sonora, where they discover Smitty and Albert in the sheriff's office. Following aggressive interrogation, the convicts reveal their comrades' new hideout.

Dressed in prison uniforms, Ike and Billy gain entry to the plant after dispatching a pair of convicts. Patch radios Kuttner, declaring that infiltrators have invaded the plant, and are advancing toward his fifth-story stronghold. At the command center, Hawk Johnson deploys his troops, conducting the operation as if it were a football game. As a gun battle rages in the plant, Billy is wounded in the shoulder, but almost single-handedly defeats the army of convicts.

At daybreak, National Guardsmen surround the plant. Kuttner commandeers a helicopter, using Maria as a human shield, and orders the pilot to fly them to Mexico. The helicopter ascends with Ike hanging onto the landing gear. Maria pushes Kuttner to his death when he tries to dislodge her husband. Afterward, Hawk Johnson salutes Ike, and Billy advises his friend to take Maria on a well-deserved honeymoon.