Fast Getaway Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Fast Getaway (1991). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
Sixteen-year-old Nelson Potter (Corey Haim) is part of a bank-robbing team with his father Sam Potter (Leo Rossi). Nelson scouts targets for the group and often acts as a hostage during their heists, while the lineup includes Tony Bush (Ken Lerner) and Lilly (Cynthia Rothrock), the latter a skilled martial artist and Sam’s current love interest.
Wanting Sam all to herself, Lilly challenges the arrangement and tries to cut Nelson from the crew, but Sam refuses. After she overhears Sam insulting her, Lilly withholds Nelson’s share and violently attacks Sam, forcing Nelson to subdue Lilly at gunpoint. With the partnership dissolved, Tony and Lilly leave the group.
Having stolen a new getaway car, Sam and Nelson press on solo. Sam’s goal is to save enough money to pay for Nelson’s college education, while Nelson sees nothing wrong with robbing banks for a living. During another Utah bank robbery, Tony and Lilly tip off the police from their hotel room across the street, and Sam is arrested. Nelson is deemed a runaway, and Lilly and Tony hurry to claim him at the police station, hoping to use him for fresh robberies.
However, a woman named Lorraine (Marcia Strassman) finds Nelson after learning about the attempted heist on television. She deftly evades Tony and Lilly in a high-speed chase and takes Nelson back to her home. Impressed with her driving skills, Nelson pleads for Lorraine’s help in breaking his father out of jail. Lorraine reveals that she is Nelson’s biological mother, having lied about her death for years so that Nelson would stay with Sam after their separation. Feeling betrayed, Nelson tells his father he can no longer trust him.
That night, Tony and Lilly track down Lorraine at her workplace and follow her back to her home, where they kidnap Nelson. Using Nelson’s maps, atlas, and other resources, Sam and Lorraine deduce that his next target isn’t a bank but the Salt Lake City Amphitheater. They race to confront Tony and Lilly, who have already robbed the venue by using Nelson as a hostage in a vest loaded with dynamite. After forcing Nelson into the back of their pickup truck at gunpoint, Tony and Lilly attempt to get away with Sam and Lorraine in hot pursuit.
In desperation, Lilly attacks Nelson and throws him from the truck, leaving him dragging precariously behind the vehicle on a strip of chain-link fence. With Lilly distracted by a police helicopter, Sam climbs aboard the moving truck and gets the upper hand against Lilly, knocking her onto the highway. He then forces Tony off the road, giving Nelson enough time to remove the bomb and plant it in the truck. While Sam reaches for the detonator, Tony attempts to run him over, but Lorraine rams into the truck with her car at the last second, sending it tumbling down a cliff where it explodes. As the three drive away to seek medical treatment for Nelson, Tony is shown dangling helplessly from the face of the cliff, having survived the ordeal.
Sometime later, Sam, Nelson, and Lorraine embark on a road trip to Canada, where they jokingly make plans for their next bank robbery.
Fast Getaway Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of Fast Getaway (1991) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
Formation of the bank robbery crew and Nelson's role
Sixteen-year-old Nelson Potter works with his father Sam as part of a bank-robbing team. Nelson scouts targets and acts as a hostage to keep their plans in motion. The group's other members include Tony and Lilly, who share a complicated dynamic with Sam.
Lilly's bid to cut Nelson out and the confrontation
Lilly attempts to persuade Sam to remove Nelson from the operation so she can have Sam to herself. Sam refuses and insults Lilly, prompting her to attack him when he overhears the insult. Nelson subdues Lilly at gunpoint, ending the partnership.
The fallout and going solo
With their partnership dissolved, Tony and Lilly depart to pursue other schemes. Sam and Nelson steal a new getaway car and decide to continue robbing on their own. The dynamic of trust has shifted, but the robbery life continues.
Utah bank job and Sam's arrest
The team robs another bank in Utah. Tony and Lilly tip off the police from their hotel across the street, leading to Sam's arrest. Nelson is deemed a runaway as the arrest unfolds, complicating the family's fate.
Lorraine's intervention and Nelson's pickup
After the arrest, Lilly and Tony rush to claim Nelson at the police station. A woman named Lorraine appears, picks up Nelson after learning of the attempted heist on television, and evades the pursuing criminals in a high-speed chase.
Lorraine's truth and the jailbreak
Lorraine drives and helps Nelson to retrieve Sam from jail, pulling off a daring escape. Sam reveals to Nelson that Lorraine is his biological mother, who had lied about her death to keep him with Sam. Nelson feels betrayed and questions what he can trust about his family.
Confrontation with Nelson's kidnapping
The next evening, Tony and Lilly track Lorraine at her workplace and follow her home, where they kidnap Nelson. Sam and Lorraine are left chasing shadows as the trap tightens around them.
Targeting the Salt Lake City Amphitheater
Using Nelson's maps and resources, Sam and Lorraine deduce that the next target is the Salt Lake City Amphitheater, not a bank. Tony and Lilly have already robbed the venue by using Nelson as a hostage in a vest loaded with dynamite. The race to stop them becomes a fight for the lives of all involved.
Hostage-vehicle chase
Tony and Lilly force Nelson into the back of a pickup truck at gunpoint and attempt to escape with Sam and Lorraine in pursuit. Lilly attacks Nelson, throwing him from the truck and leaving him dangling on a strip of chain-link fencing.
Sam's counterattack and the bomb transfer
Sam climbs onto the moving truck, knocks Lilly off, and regains control of the situation. He helps Nelson remove the explosive device from Nelson's vest and plants it in the truck, buying time for a possible rescue. The tense chase continues toward a cliff and a potential explosion.
Final crash and Tony's fate
As Tony tries to run Sam over, Lorraine rams the truck with her car, sending it tumbling off a cliff and into an explosion. Tony survives, dangling from the cliff while the others escape with injuries and relief.
Epilogue: road trip to Canada
Sometime later, Sam, Nelson, and Lorraine embark on a road trip to Canada, joking about their next bank robbery. They have formed a makeshift family and plan to face the future together, away from their former life.
Fast Getaway Characters
Explore all characters from Fast Getaway (1991). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.
Nelson Potter (Corey Haim)
Nelson is a street-smart 16-year-old who scouts targets and serves as a hostage in his family's bank robberies. He justifies the life of crime as a means to an eventual education, but his loyalties are tested when Lorraine reveals she is his biological mother. He shows resourcefulness with maps and plans, and his choices drift toward protecting his own future. The revelation about his parentage and his evolving mistrust of his father complicate his path.
Sam Potter (Leo Rossi)
Sam is a seasoned robber who views his son as a tool to fund Nelson's college and his own schemes. He is protective yet morally gray, capable of violence to keep the crew intact. He orchestrates the heists and even helps rescue Nelson's safety, showing a complicated father–son dynamic. His decisions drive much of the plot and the eventual revelation about Lorraine.
Lilly (Cynthia Rothrock)
Lilly is a skilled martial artist and Sam's partner who resents Nelson's involvement. She is volatile and ruthless, often acting impulsively to dominate the group. Her jealousy and aggression propel several dangerous confrontations, including the plan to extract Nelson and the hostage situation at the amphitheater. Her fate during the final chase remains controlled by the unfolding events.
Lorraine (Marcia Strassman)
Lorraine is Nelson's biological mother who lies to keep him with Sam, then emerges as a capable driver and ally in rescuing Nelson. She evades Tony and Lilly with skill and uses her drive to change the trajectory of the plot. Her relationship with Nelson adds a strong layer of family drama and moral complexity to the crew's dynamics.
Tony Bush (Ken Lerner)
Tony is the ruthless partner who orchestrates the robberies and pushes the crew toward danger. He is willing to use Nelson as a hostage to secure the payoff and shows little regard for others. In the climactic pursuit, he fights to escape with the money, surviving a cliffside showdown and continuing the scheme in the aftermath.
Fast Getaway Settings
Learn where and when Fast Getaway (1991) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.
Location
Utah, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City Amphitheater, Canada
The story unfolds across Utah, with key sequences set in Salt Lake City and around its amphitheater. The pursuit then continues on a road-trip north to Canada. The settings shift from street-level robberies to a public venue and cross-border escape routes, highlighting urban landscapes and travel.
Fast Getaway Themes
Discover the main themes in Fast Getaway (1991). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.
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Family Loyalty
Nelson's loyalty to his father drives many decisions, but Lorraine's intervention and the revelation that she is his biological mother complicate those ties. The father-son bond pushes Nelson deeper into crime, while the women in his life challenge that path. As betrayals unfold, the line between family duty and personal ethics becomes blurred.
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Moral Ambiguity
The group justifies robbery as a means to fund Nelson's education, highlighting how pragmatic choices can blur right and wrong. Each character negotiates loyalty, advantage, and self-preservation in a world where laws and families collide. The pursuit by law enforcement exposes the grey areas between victims, criminals, and those who enable them.
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Pursuit
High-stakes chases push characters to rely on nerves and improvisation, from hostage situations to explosive confrontations. Nelson's maps and planning meet the reality of danger as Tony and Lilly press forward toward the amphitheater job. Lorraine's driving skills and Sam's quick thinking turn the odds in their favor, though danger remains until the last moment. The ending hints at a fragile escape as the trio heads toward Canada.
Fast Getaway Spoiler-Free Summary
Discover the spoiler-free summary of Fast Getaway (1991). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.
In the sun‑burned outskirts of Utah, a restless teenager named Nelson navigates a world where the open road feels both a promise and a trap. Together with his father, Sam, and a tight‑knit crew, the three have slipped into a high‑energy lifestyle that blurs the line between daring adventure and reckless danger. The film opens on a restless, almost‑electric atmosphere, where the hum of engines and the endless stretch of highway become the backdrop for a life lived on impulse and urgency.
Nelson’s relationship with Sam is the uneasy heart of the story, a mixture of admiration, rebellion, and the yearning for independence that marks any coming‑of‑age tale. The crew’s dynamic is further colored by a charismatic martial‑artist who brings both skill and a hint of romantic tension, and a loyal compatriot whose steady presence anchors the group’s chaotic rhythm. Underneath the fast‑paced pursuits lies a simmering current of mistrust and competing ambitions, suggesting that loyalty may be as fragile as the desert dust that follows them.
When the stakes climb higher, a mysterious woman appears, offering a glimpse of another possible path. Her entrance adds a layer of intrigue, hinting at hidden histories and choices that could reshape Nelson’s view of family, freedom, and the price of a life perpetually in motion. The tone remains gritty and kinetic, balancing pulse‑pounding chase sequences with moments of introspective tension, leaving the audience wondering whether the next turn will deliver redemption or pull the trio deeper into the shadows of their own making.
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