A long film (144 mins) with a story that unwinds at a leisurely pace, which some might find too slow. But it's worth sticking with as each piece of the puzzle slots into place. Frank Minna (Bruce Willis) is a private detective who is on to a big thing, but he's a lot more nervous than usual. Lionel Essrog (Edward Norton) and Gilbert Coney (Ethan Suplee) are his backup team as he goes to meet 'some people' in an apartment. Lionel listens in on an open phone line (this is the 1950s) while things are going down, until Frank utters the 'panic' word before being hustled out into a waiting car. Lionel and Gilbert follow in pursuit in a somewhat Laurel and Hardy-ish fashion, but loose them, only to make contact again just as Frank is shot.

Frank doesn't survive but mouths something to Lionel with his last breath, this being the starting point for Lionel to pursue his own investigation into what Frank had become involved with. Lionel suffers from Tourette's Syndrome, aggravated by stress and, as we later see, jazz music. The jazz angle relates to a club that Frank may have visited. Later Lionel discovers a link between the club and a woman community activist, Laura Rose (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) who it transpires is at the centre of the intrigue that surrounds his investigation.