Small Crimes (2017) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A disgraced former cop seeks redemption but is repeatedly pulled back into violence, manipulation, and irreversible moral compromise.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

A Disgraced Return

Joe leaves prison and moves in with his elderly parents. Rejected by his former family and confronted by his violent past, he struggles to present himself as redeemed.

Key Events

• Joe Leaves Prison — Joe is released after six years and begins trying to reenter civilian life. Characters: Joe Denton Location: Prison release area
• Return To His Parents — Joe moves in with his elderly parents after leaving prison. Characters: Joe Denton Location: Parents' house
• Rejected Family Contact — Joe briefly speaks with a daughter before his ex-wife rejects further contact. Characters: Joe Denton Location: Parents' house
• Scotty Offers Help — Scotty greets Joe and offers help after Joe's release. Characters: Joe Denton, Scotty Location: Bar
• Car Attack — A young woman engineers an assault that draws Joe into a brutal fight. Characters: Joe Denton Location: Joe's car

The Coercive Assignment

Pleasant exploits Joe's legal and family problems to force him into an assassination. Joe's attempt to kill the dying mob boss is interrupted, bringing him into contact with Charlotte and her dangerous family.

Key Events

• Police Question Joe — Joe is questioned, but the evidence supports his account of the assault. Characters: Joe Denton Location: Police station
• Joe Rejects Charges — Joe declines to press charges and says he wants to leave his history behind. Characters: Joe Denton Location: Police station
• Pleasant's Assassination Demand — Pleasant orders Joe to kill a dying mob boss to prevent a confession. Characters: Joe Denton, Lieutenant Pleasant Location: Police office
• Interrupted Suffocation — Joe attempts to suffocate the dying mob boss but is interrupted by Charlotte. Characters: Joe Denton, Charlotte Boyd Location: Mob boss's house
• Threat At The House — The mob boss's violent son threatens Joe after discovering his visit. Characters: Joe Denton Location: Mob boss's house
• Parents Demand Answers — Joe's parents challenge his suspicious behavior, and he angrily defends his redemption. Characters: Joe Denton Location: Parents' house

A Failed Conspiracy

Joe begins dating Charlotte while Pleasant redirects the assignment toward the district attorney. Joe rejects murder but creates a surveillance plan involving Toni, which ends in a motel shooting.

Key Events

• Joe Dates Charlotte — Joe and Charlotte reconnect at a diner and begin dating. Characters: Joe Denton, Charlotte Boyd Location: Diner
• The Second Assassination Plan — Pleasant threatens Joe's parents and redirects him toward killing the district attorney. Characters: Joe Denton, Lieutenant Pleasant Location: Police office
• Failed House Break-In — Joe breaks in but cannot bring himself to commit the murder. Characters: Joe Denton Location: District attorney's house
• Toni Joins The Scheme — Joe bribes Toni to secretly record the district attorney. Characters: Joe Denton, Toni Location: Motel area
• Motel Shooting — Joe witnesses Toni's murder and the district attorney's retaliatory shooting. Characters: Joe Denton, Toni Location: Motel room
• Camera Disappears — Joe returns to retrieve the camera and realizes the district attorney took it. Characters: Joe Denton Location: Motel room

Violence Comes Home

An attack wounds Joe's mother, proving that his criminal entanglements have reached his parents. Charlotte secretly kills the dying mob boss, and Joe is seized by the mob boss's son.

Key Events

• Camera Disappears — Joe returns to retrieve the camera and realizes the district attorney took it. Characters: Joe Denton Location: Motel room
• Attack On His Parents — An unknown assailant fires into the house and wounds Joe's mother. Characters: Joe Denton Location: Parents' house
• Charlotte Acts Alone — Joe confesses his fear to Charlotte, who secretly murders the dying mob boss. Characters: Joe Denton, Charlotte Boyd Location: Mob boss's house
• Junior Captures Joe — Joe is kidnapped, and the mob boss's son claims Charlotte is dead. Characters: Joe Denton, Charlotte Boyd Location: Abandoned building

The Cost Of Redemption

Scotty helps Joe escape, but Joe discovers Scotty's revenge attack on his mother and abandons him. After hearing of the district attorney's death, Joe finds hidden money and dies when his father stabs him.

Key Events

• Scotty's Violent Rescue — Scotty arrives, and he and Joe kill the captors during the rescue. Characters: Joe Denton, Scotty Location: Abandoned building
• Scotty's Betrayal Revealed — Joe learns Scotty shot his mother and leaves the wounded man to die. Characters: Joe Denton, Scotty Location: Abandoned building
• The District Attorney Dies — Pleasant tells Joe that the district attorney died in a car accident while watching the recording. Characters: Joe Denton, Lieutenant Pleasant Location: Roadside
• Money In The House — Joe searches the house, finds hidden dirty money, and plans to give it to his children. Characters: Joe Denton Location: Parents' house
• The Final Stabbing — Joe's father stabs him, and Joe alters the knife evidence before dying. Characters: Joe Denton Location: Parents' house
• A Manufactured Suicide — Joe wipes away his father's fingerprints and makes the wound appear self-inflicted. Characters: Joe Denton Location: Parents' house

Story Breakdown

• Prisoner Returns Home — Joe reenters society and discovers that his family and former identity remain hostile barriers.
  • Release After Six Years — Joe is released from prison after serving six years.
  • Family Rejection — His former family rejects his attempt to reestablish contact.
• Violent Past Resurfaces — A staged assault and police confrontation expose how difficult it is for Joe to escape his reputation.
  • Bar Encounter — Scotty offers Joe support at a bar.
  • Brutal Car Fight — Joe is drawn into a violent trap and beats two attackers.
• Pleasant's Criminal Leverage — Pleasant uses threats and family pressure to turn Joe into an unwilling assassin.
  • Mob Boss Assignment — Pleasant orders Joe to prevent a possible confession.
  • Second Murder Demand — Pleasant later proposes killing the district attorney.
• Charlotte's Double Life — Charlotte becomes Joe's romantic partner while concealing a violent decision of her own.
  • Diner Romance — Joe and Charlotte begin dating after meeting again.
  • Secret Killing — Charlotte murders the dying mob boss without Joe's knowledge.
• Surveillance Turns Deadly — Joe's attempt to gather evidence produces a murder, a missing camera, and a dangerous escalation.
  • Toni's Recording — Joe bribes Toni to record the district attorney.
  • Motel Shooting — Joe witnesses Toni's murder and the district attorney's retaliation.
• Family Under Fire — Criminal retaliation reaches Joe's parents and destroys his remaining sense of safety.
  • Parents' House Attacked — Gunfire wounds Joe's mother at home.
  • Redemption Rejected — Joe's father refuses to let him approach his children.
• Rescue And Betrayal — Joe survives a mob attack with Scotty but learns that their shared history makes trust impossible.
  • Mob Kidnapping — Joe is captured and told that Charlotte has presumably been killed.
  • Scotty Abandoned — Joe leaves Scotty to die after learning Scotty shot his mother.
• A Fatal Final Choice — Joe attempts to control the consequences of his past but ends by engineering the appearance of his own suicide.
  • Hidden Money Found — Joe discovers dirty money hidden in his parents' house.
  • Knife And Fingerprints — After being stabbed, Joe removes his father's fingerprints from the knife.

Directed by

E.L. Katz

Key Cast

• Nikolaj Coster-Waldau — Joe Denton
• Robert Forster — Joe Denton Sr.
• Jacki Weaver — Irma Denton
• Molly Parker — Charlotte Boyd
• Gary Cole — Lieutenant Pleasant