Love Lies Bleeding 2008

Amber's home invasion and Duke's gun purchase

Neighbors invade Duke and Amber's home, stealing their belongings and leaving Amber beaten. When Duke returns, he is enraged and buys a gun, hoping to protect themselves from further trouble. The incident sets the tone for a desperate bid for a better life.

Pollen tracks the money and the shootout

Corrupt DEA Agent Pollen tracks the dirty money to the neighbors' house. A tense shootout erupts, and Pollen is wounded. Duke arrives after the smoke clears, finds the money, and takes it, hoping to start over; Pollen passes out from injuries.

Duke and Amber flee with the money

With the cash in hand, Duke and Amber flee their home to avoid capture and start over. They abandon their old life in pursuit of something better, far from the gangster neighbors and law enforcement on their trail. The escape marks the couple's first step into a dangerous new chapter.

Pollen regroups and pursues the couple

Pollen wakes up and learns two other agents are pursuing the money. He teams up with Morton to continue the chase, coordinating their efforts to retrieve the cash. The alliance raises the stakes for Duke and Amber as the pressure intensifies.

Albuquerque getaway, marriage, and pregnancy

Duke and Amber buy a car and travel to an upscale Albuquerque hotel, where they spend days gambling and living large. They decide to marry, and Amber reveals she is pregnant. The moment suggests a hopeful new life, even as danger closes in.

Hotel pursuit, room-service theft, and ambush

Pollen and his team arrive at the hotel the next day and start searching for the couple. A room-service worker steals the money, pushing Duke to chase him down. Amber is ambushed by Pollen, who threatens to kill her unless she reveals the money's location; she tells him Duke left her when she got pregnant, and Pollen believes her. In a brutal moment, Amber cuts Pollen and kills one of the detectives.

Escape and hiding the money as bargaining leverage

Duke and Amber manage to escape and decide to hide the money behind a bush, hoping it can serve as leverage if Pollen catches them. The stash becomes both their prize and a target as the pursuers close in. They plan to use it to negotiate for their freedom.

Negotiation and the gardener's theft

Pollen is questioned by two suspicious detectives who trail him as he closes in on the fugitives. Duke calls Pollen with a surrender and delivers the deal: the money if they are allowed to go. Pollen agrees but discovers the hotel money is gone; he learns a gardener who quit recently took it and, in a twist, Duke leaves some of the money for the gardener's children.

Final pursuit leads to the abandoned warehouse

Pollen and Morton tail Duke and Amber to an abandoned warehouse. Pollen reveals Morton has Amber tied up and unsheathes his tools to coerce information. Duke fights back, killing one detective and wounding Pollen in a brutal exchange.

Amber's counterstrike and Duke's demise

In the final struggle, Amber kills Pollen with Morton's shotgun, bringing the immediate threat down. Duke dies from his injuries sustained during the fight. Afterward, a detective quietly manipulates the scene to frame Pollen as the one at fault.