After Dark, My Sweet
Ex-boxer Kevin "Kid" Collins is a drifter and an escapee from a mental hospital. In a desert town near Palm Springs he meets Fay Anderson, a widow, who convinces him to help fix up the neglected estate her ex-husband left. She nicknames him "Collie" and lets him sleep in a trailer out back, near her dying date palms.
Her acquaintance "Uncle Bud" shows up. Calling himself an ex-cop, he has long been hatching a scheme to kidnap a rich man's child and needs somebody like Collie to help carry it out.
Reluctant in the beginning, Collie tries to leave and encounters Doc Goldman, who immediately can tell the young man needs to be under medical observation. Doc takes a personal interest in Collie that might include a physical attraction as well. He intrudes on Collie's relationship with the alcoholic Fay.
Resenting this interference, Collie is persuaded by Uncle Bud to execute the kidnap plan. But things go wrong from the very beginning, including Collie snatching the wrong kid. It goes downhill from there, with tragic consequences for all involved.
tragedy, neo noir, flashback