Plot
In 1991, it is three years since a massive flying saucer carrying 300,000 enslaved aliens, the "Newcomers", landed in the Mojave Desert. Los Angeles, California has become the new home of the aliens. As a part of their integration into society they have been assigned human names, often well known ones such as Harley Davidson and Humphrey Bogart. Many humans discriminate against the aliens, calling them 'Slags' and the ghettos where they live as 'Slagtown' .
LAPD Det. Matthew Sykes (James Caan) encounters two Newcomers murdering another named Cecil Porter (Regis Parton) in an apparent convenience store robbery. Sykes' partner Bill Tuggle (Roger Aaron Brown) is killed in the ensuing gunfight - in return fire Sykes kills one of the robbers, but the second escapes.
The next day, Captain Warner (Francis X. McCarthy) informs his squad they will have Newcomer detective Samuel Francisco (Mandy Patinkin) joining them and that he needs a partner. Although a specist, Sykes volunteers to work with Francisco in investigating the murder of Newcomer Warren Hubley as he hopes this will provide the opportunity to find his partner's killer - Francisco has already informed Sykes that Hubley and Porter were killed with the same rare ammunition. Sykes nicknames his new partner "George", as "Sam" makes him sound too much like "San Francisco". Warner assigns the robbery murder case to detectives Fedorchuk (Peter Jason) and Alterez (Tony Perez).
At a crime lab, Francisco detects an abnormality on one of the dead Newcomer criminals and requests additional test to be run. After interviewing Porter's son Trent Porter (Brian Thompson), Sykes and Francisco go to a nightclub called Encounters to discuss a link in the homicides with Newcomer Joshua Strader (Jeff Kober). However, they instead end up talking with his girlfriend Cassandra (Leslie Bevis), after Strader is murdered by Newcomer businessman William Harcourt (Terence Stamp) and his henchman Rudyard Kipling (Kevyn Major Howard) - the second Newcomer present at the Porter murder. Strader is killed by immersion in sea water, which is highly corrosive to Newcomers. During their later investigation Sykes and Francisco attempt to identify Straders washed up remains, but Francisco is terrified of the sea, and remains a safe distance from the ocean. As Sykes talks to Fedorchuk and Alterez he becomes infuriated with their attitude towards Francisco, and briefly attacks Fedorchuk then throws their car keys into the ocean.
Harcourt is about to launch plans to exploit the alien race by mass producing a potent narcotic called Jabrukha. The drug was used to pacify and enslave the Newcomers, but has no beneficial effect on humans. The abnormality noticed by Francisco on the body of the Newcomer criminal was a sign of the drug's influence. Hubley, Porter and Strader were involved in the operation, but were later murdered so Harcourt had sole control of the operation and its profits. Sykes and Francisco track Harcourt to the Encounters club, where he is negotiating a timetable for the distribution of Jabrukha. The detectives attempt to foil his plans, leading to a car chase in downtown Los Angeles. Following a head-on collision where Francisco is injured and Kipling subsequently killed, Sykes chases Harcourt on foot and corners him on a deserted drawbridge. Harcourt then purposely overdoses on a sample of Jabrukha.
Harcourt is taken away by ambulance presumed dead, but instead mutates into a massive and powerful Newcomer and goes on a rampage. Francisco realises that Harcourt is still alive, and the duo pursue Harcourt. Catching up with him at a pier, Sykes leads the giant alien onto the deck of a fishing trawler. The pair then end up in fighting in the sea as Harcourt's body finally disintegrates. Francisco commandeers a police helicopter, and rescues Sykes from the water.
The scene shifts to Sykes and Francisco at Sykes' daughters wedding. Sykes apologises in advance for all the things he is likely to say and do to his partner - to which Francisco replies "You're only human."
Read more about this topic: Alien Nation (film)
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