Two Step 2015

James, a young man from El Paso, travels to Austin to visit his grandmother, only to learn that she dies soon after his arrival. The news comes through her lawyer, Ray Mance, who lays out that she knew she was ill and arranged an inheritance of $85,000 for James. While staying at his grandmother’s house, James meets his neighbor, Dot, a middle-aged dance instructor who offers comfort and a warm invitation to drinks at a local bar. As their conversation deepens, Dot and James discover common ground; James opens up about how the deaths of his parents have made college feel awkward and isolating, and how he ended up in Austin with no real connections. In a generous act of kindness, Dot lets him sleep on her couch after he admits that his grandmother’s house feels creepy to him.

Meanwhile, Webb, a small-time con man who makes a living through grandparent scams, is released from prison and comes home to his girlfriend Amy, only to find that their life together has grown volatile. He vents his anger at Amy for an earlier incident in which he hurt her, and she flees with the money he conned from elderly targets. Duane, a local crime boss, soon drops by with a harsh deadline—two weeks to pay off a debt of $10,000. Dot, meanwhile, evades the unwanted attention of Horace, a married police officer who had a brief affair with her. To solve his money problem, Webb crafts a dangerous ruse: he pretends to be James and leaves a message on James’ grandmother’s voicemail asking for more money. James, suspicious of the impostor, contacts Horace, who apologetically explains that there is little he can do to intervene.

When Webb arrives at the grandmother’s house in person, James tries to outsmart him and sends Webb away for a later confrontation. Instead, Webb brutally attacks James, taking him prisoner and ransacking the home. He presses James to reveal the PIN to his debit card, intending to drain the funds. Webb is shocked to discover the large balance in James’ account, but banking rules cap his daily withdrawal at about $900. Webb proposes a loan arrangement with Duane, hoping to settle the score, yet Duane reveals a blunt motive: he isn’t after the money at all, but wants to scare Webb out of town because he sees Webb as too violent and unstable. Webb’s fury grows when he hears rumors that Duane and Amy might be living together. After killing Mance, who had come to visit, Webb leaves again.

Horace’s wife leaves him after learning of his infidelity. Dot acknowledges a growing attraction to Horace but insists she will wait for his divorce to go through. As Dot worries about James, the young man begins to act with greater resolve, inching toward a knife sticking out of Mance’s pocket. Even as he remains bound, James manages to work his way free.

The body count climbs: Webb kills Amy and recovers the stolen money, then confronts Duane, whom he shoots. Duane dies, muttering that he could have killed Webb many times but never did. Webb, returning to the grandmother’s house, finds James missing. In a tense kitchen encounter, James collides with Webb and, clutching the knife in his hands, drives it into Webb. The intruder collapses, dead. James staggers out into the yard, where Dot is waiting and watching him, her concern gathering into quiet, anxious relief.