***SOILERS*** On their way to be expatiated back to NY, for robbery and murder, from L.A where they was arrested after a police shootout the two brothers Knox & Franklin Maquon, Robert Blake & Frank Sutton, make a brake for it in an L.A courtroom where security, in them not being handcuffed, was almost non-existent. Shooting their way out one of the police officers who was there to take them back to NYC to face trial NYPD Lt. Busti, Edward Asner, was seriously wounded and his partner the kind & understanding, in matters like these, Det. Adam Flint, Paul Burke, ended up with a bump on his head in him taking these two guys, life long violent & dangerous criminals, not too seriously. As things turned out Knox ended up getting shot and killed during the shootout but older and crazier brother Franklin got away!
Now with a city wide search for the escaped convict it's the even kinder hearted and understanding, far more the Det. Flint, psychologist Caldwell Wyatt, Martin Balsam, who treated the boys for their serious mental problems since they were out of their diapers in an L.A orphanage stepped in to help. As we soon find out the good doctor Wyatt was more then fair in trying to help both Knox & Franklin overcome their anti-social behavior. It's just that they felt in their warped minds that being punished and even brutalized for what they did was far better then being treated with love & kindness like Dr. Wyatt did with them.
***SPOILERS*** Trapped on a rooftop 180 above street level the on the run from justice Franklin is confronted by Dr. Wyatt who knew from past experience that was his as well as his late brother Knox's favorite hiding place who tries to talk him into turning himself in to the police. Franklin lets him have it about not treating him like sh*t like everyone else did which is the reason that he hates him so much! In Franklin's perverted mind kindness & understanding towards him and his brother Knox is what made them into the mindless and uncaring rats that they became. And it was the exact opposite, with a gun pointed by Det. Flint to his skull, that had Franklin finally both come to his senses and wake up to reality! As for the kindly Dr. Wyatt he wasn't around to get Franklin to surrender to the police in that it was his kindness & understanding towards this psycho that ended up killing him!