In Los Angeles, circa 1940, an embittered, once-corrupt cop named Tom Spellacy (Duvall) is investigating two murders: that of a priest found dead in a whorehouse, and that of a mutilated woman in a park. As he searches for the culprits, Spellacy uncovers an immense web of corruption, involving prostitutes, dirty cops and pornography. Even the Roman Catholic Church is implicated, particularly one Monsignor Des Spellacy (De Niro), Tom's brother. Although Des is innocent of any wrongdoing, his actions raise moral and religious issues that Tom must deal with, in order to solve these bizarre murders. Robert Duvall won Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival for his performance.