Liberty Stands Still

Liberty Wallace, who lives in Los Angeles, isn't at all uncomfortable about her links to the weapons business. Liberty is a key player for McCloud Industries, one of the largest gun manufacturers in the United States. She's the Vice President of Marketing, she's the daughter of the company's founder, and her husband is the company's ruthless CEO, America's premier arms merchant, Victor Wallace. While former war hero Victor is busy trafficking in international armaments, Liberty uses her business breaks to conduct an affair with actor Russell Williams. The balance of their marriage shifts when a sniper named Joe trains his rifle on Liberty as she walks through a busy Los Angeles park on her way to meet with Russell. Joe calls Liberty on her cell phone, and orders Liberty to handcuff herself to a nearby hot dog vendor's cart--the cuffs are already there. Liberty has no intention of submitting to Joe's wishes--until Joe begins firing shots. Quickly convinced, Liberty locks herself to the stand, only to learn that it is loaded with enough explosives to take out a city block. If she calls for help, hangs up the phone, mutes the phone, or fails to cooperate, the bomb will go off. Joe has also attached a bomb to Russell, who's now trapped in his dressing room at a local theater. Liberty realizes she can't buy her way out of this situation, and she is forced to consider Joe's demand for an anti-gun forum. The reason why Joe is doing this is because his daughter was fatally shot by a school classmate who used a gun that was manufactured by McCloud Industries. The death of a child can break a parent's mental balance. Now, Joe is demonstrating to Liberty what it's like to be on the other end of the weapon, and show Liberty the horrors of what she has had a blind hand in for years. Victor has apparently bartered illegal deals without Liberty's knowledge, ones that have resulted in easier access to weapons for street dealers--the ones who sold the weapon that killed Joe's daughter. As a result of his daughter's death, Joe wants Liberty to use her political connections and this incident to spark a public debate on the Second Amendment. Despite his past as a CIA agent, Joe no longer supports the unequivocal right to bear arms. Joe lets Liberty know that she's going to die, but that she can die a hero if she exposes the company's shady business dealings and political connections before she's killed. As Joe monitors and records her every move, Liberty reveals secrets about her own past, and her business dealings. When Victor, who is also having an affair, finds out that Liberty has been taken hostage, he's torn between following company protocol--protecting himself and allowing Liberty to be killed--and trying to help her.