Next Day Air
The film opens with Leo (Donald Faison) giving a voice over explaining how he was just a deliveryman and wondering how he got into this situation.2 Days Ago. Rhino (Cisco Reyes) is talking on the phone with a girl named Chita as he drives to a meeting with Bodega Diablo, a drug kinpin. Chita tells Rhino where to send a package and Rhino tells her to be ready to sign for it. When Rhino arrives at Bodegas, Rhino asks if theres anyone they can trust with such a big shipment. Bodega tells him that they have no choice since they took a loss with their last courier, Carlos. Rhino tells Bodega that he found Carlos, and takes Bodega to the trunk of his car. Inside, Carlos is crying. Carlos claims that he got the money from Rhino to pay for a shipment when the Feds swooped in and took it. Bodega is skeptical and slams the trunk on Carlos face.Yesterday. In Philadelphia. A News report covering a robber states that the robbers took only the surveillance tapes. The three robbers are watching the news report on television and laughing about the fact that they are only accused of stealing the surveillance tapes. They were all ready to rob the bank, armed and with masks on. Brody (Mike Epps), Guch (Wood Harris), and Hassie went into the bank and took hostages. Guch told Brody to go to the safe, but Brody misheard him and went and grabbed the tapes. Guch yells at him because Brody wasnt acting logical and calls him an idiot. The three escaped the bank with only the security tapes. A security guard comes out shoots at them while they try to get into their car, so the group ditched the car. They then start to debate why Hassie is living in their apartment.Cut to Leo at the shipping dock. He drops a package when Ivy (Lauren London) calls him out on it. Ivy says she isnt angry at Leo but that Ms. Jackson, Leos mother, might be. Leo is certain that a lady he delivered a package to ratted him out for smoking weed during a delivery. Ivy tells Leo that he needs to see Ms. Jackson in her office. Apparently, Leo and Ivy broke up a week ago and Leo is hoping for reconciliation. He gets pissed when she says shes not in love with him and starts throwing boxes into the truck. Ms. Jackson sees this and yells at him to get in her office. She accuses him of smoking pot on delivery and tells him that if he screws up again, shell fire him. She tells him to start acting like Eric (Mos Def), the star employee. Though he promises that he wont get any more complaints, Leo immediately starts smoking pot on his next delivery. As Guch and Brody talk about their shitty living situation and their failed attempts at robberies, Leo is forced to carry a large package up to Guch and Brodys apartment since the elevator is broken. Leo leaves the package with Hassie for Gonzalez.Jesus Gonzalez and Chita are waiting for the package, which is apparently a large quantity of cocaine. Jesus is freaking out because they stole the shipment from Bodega. Chita goes to track the package, while Gonzalez waits. Guch and Brody notice the package Hassie signed for and find the cocaine inside a plant vase. They are shocked when they see all the cocaine and start trying it out. They consider it a miracle since theyre broke and can sell the cocaine for money. They realize that it belongs to Puerto Ricans across the hall. They hide the cocaine in a trash bag and Brody suggests that they sell the cocaine to Brodys cousin, Shavoo. Shavoo makes cocaine with his right hand man, Buddy, and sells it on the street. Brody calls up Shavoo and offers to sell it to him before he sells it to someone else.Leo walks over to his truck and sees a man cutting into a box and yells at him. It turns out to be Eric and the two screw around a bit and smoke some weed. Eric says he hates Leo because Leos mother supports Leo and Eric is struggling to make it on his own. They express a desire to move up from their position before going off to make their own deliveries. Not too far away, Chita is tracking the package from a payphone.Shavoo and Buddy are driving around while Shavoo explains the situation. Shavoo states that he doesnt trust Brody and Guch since they are stupid. When they arrive, Shavoo tries the cocaine that Guch and Brody offer him. Brody shows Shavoo and buddy the rest of the bricks. Shavoo offers to give them 150,000 dollars in the long run, but 15,000. Guch wants to hold onto the cocaine until Shavoo brings back the money. Shavoo promises to get them their money in two hours. In the hall, Shavoo makes it clear that they can make a very large profit off the cocaine and head to their storage unit. Chita returns to Jesus and tells him that tracking number was invalid. She tells him that the phone was broken and that it wasnt her fault. They get a phone call from Bodega and ask if the package arrived. Bodega says that he tracked the package and that it got picked up. Jesus tells him that it was Leo who stole the package and that he will find it soon. He grabs his gun and goes to find Leo.Leo is trying to hit on a pair of women and they soundly reject him. He wants to smoke a joint but realizes he is out of weed. Shavoo and Buddy arrive at the storage unit and tells Buddy that hes thinking of quitting the drug dealing business and retiring on 500,000. Shavoo tells him that he doesnt think drugs are worth dying for, and he makes Buddy promise that they quit after this run. They find their storage container open and freak when they see the entire storage unit is empty: all their money was stolen (a few hundred thousands). They realize that whoever did it needed a lot of people to carry all the money out.Jesus and Chita start driving around to find Leo. Jesus recounts his introduction to Bodega. Bodega thought that Jesus stole a package of cocaine from Bodega because of his friend Hector. Jesus tries to get Hector and himself out of there, but Bodega instead makes Jesus work for him as a drug mule. Rhino killed Hector and made Jesus his replacement. Jesus pulls up behind a delivery truck and pulls out his shotgun and pulls it on the driver who turns out to be Eric. Jesus and Chita hold him at gunpoint. Eric clearly has no idea what they want and Jesus tells Chita that Eric is NOT the guy they are after. They steal his watch and leave him in the truck.Brody calls Shavoo and Shavoo tells he wont be able to come back to the apartment in two hours and that he will buy the shipment the next day. Guch believes this is confirmation of Shavoos intention to rob them, but Brody tries to calm Guch down. Shavoo and Buddy are torturing one of the storage lot attendants for information and he agrees to help them. The attendant tells them that a man named Wade stole his money. Shavoo goes into Wades supply store and buys everything necessary to torture the information out of Wade and then confronts him about the stolen money. They recover the money and tie the two attendants up with duct tape. They then lock them in the storage container and leave them.Meanwhile, Leo is across town visiting his drug dealer. A random guy steals a package from Leos truck and Leo chases him down. Jesus gets a call from Bodega and tells him that he hasnt recovered the shipment. Bodega sends Rhino to take care of Jesus.A montage of that night occurs. Guch and Brody party with some strippers. Chita and Jesus pray and spend the night together. Leo leaves work. Shavoo and Buddy count their money. Rhino takes a plan into Philadelphia.Today Chita and Jesus are woken up by a phone call. Rhino calls but hangs up when Jesus picks up. Bodega and Rhino are outside the door and push Jesus back into the apartment. Bodega tells them that they are going to find Leo and recover the cocaine. Bodega tells Jesus that they are going to need more guns. Across the hall, Guch and Brody are planning what theyre going to spend their money on. Guch hides a bunch of guns around the apartment in case Shavoo tries to screw them over. Guch tells Brody that HE would kill Brody for one brick, let alone ten. Brody is hurt by this statement and visibily upset, while Guch tries to play it off. Leo goes to his delivery truck and opens the back only to find Bodega, Rhino, Chita and Jesus all pointing guns at him. They pull him into the truck. Shavoo and Buddy check their money and then arm themselves before they go into the apartment. Buddy puts a shotgun into the money bag and they go up to the Brodys apartment.In the truck, Leo is being beaten by Jesus in front of Bodega and Rhino. Bodega makes it clear that they will kill him and Leo tries to remember. Leo tells him that he delivered the package. When Jesus pulls a gun, he tells them he can take them to the place he delivered the cocaine. Meanwhile, Brody and Shavoo are arguing over the cocaine. Shavoo thinks he may have replaced the cocaine with lower quality stuff. Brody and Guch get very suspicious but Shavoo gets the money. Hassie wakes up and goes to use the bathroom while Guch and Brody count the money and Shavoo and Buddy pack the cocaine.Leo leads the group to Guch and Brodys apartment. Bodega tells Leo that he has to get the shit back. Leo knocks on the door in the middle of the deal. The four of them freak out thinking it is the cops. Brody sees that its the delivery man and they realize that Leo knows he delivered the package to the wrong place. Leo asks Brody for the box he delivered by mistake. Brody tells them that he delivered the box back to the station. Bodega forces his way into their apartment. A Mexican showdown ensues. Leo is in the middle of the standoff. Guch shoots Jesus, while Bodega shoots Guch three times in the chest. Brody grabs a sub machine gun and starts shooting at Bodega. He misses every shot and Bodega shoots Brody twice in the chest. Shavoo kneecaps Bodega before shooting him in the chest in order to avenge his cousin. Shavoo grabs the cocaine and makes a break for the door, only for Rhino to shoot him with a shotgun. Buddy and Rhino get into a knife fight in whats left of the kitchen. Rhino stabs Buddy to death in the kitchen. Shavoo, half alive, reaches for a gun. Rhino grabs Shavoo and tries to stab him once more, but Shavoo shoots Rhino several times in the chest. Shavoo remembers what he told Buddy about how drugs arent worth dying for. Instead of taking the drugs, Shavoo leaves. Leo, who was on the floor the whole time not moving, jumps up when hes sure it isnt over. He finds the 100,000 dollars Shavoo was going to pay for the drugs with. Chita comes out of her hiding place as Leo is leaving with the money. Leo pulls out the shotgun Buddy left in the bag and makes her go back in her apartment. A random couple sees him with a shotgun and so he yells at them and gets in the elevator. Chita goes in to check on Jesus and finds him alive. She helps Jesus and they realize that Erics stolen watch saved Jesus life by stopping the bullet. They take the cocaine and leave the apartment.
bleak, murder, flashback