查理（克里斯•奥唐纳 Chris O'Donnell 饰）是一个普通的中学生，他因为见证着一件恶作剧但又不想出卖朋友，于是面临着一道艰难的选择题——要么坦白，要么被学校勒退。而史法兰（阿尔•帕西诺 Al Pacino 饰）是一个退伍军官，因为意外失明，人生从顶点的辉煌滑落谷底。 
　　自从两人的人生有了交集，命运的转折慢慢清晰。史法兰打算结束失去了意义的生活，于是在查理的陪伴下，尽情享受着人生最后一趟出行。他吃最美味的佳肴，买光鲜的汽车，在狭窄的街道上飚车，住在豪华的套房里，跟随陌生女子的袅袅香水味，跳一段优雅性感的探戈……极乐的疯狂后，他拿枪对准了自己的头颅。然而，查理声嘶力竭的劝阻改变了一切，曙光亦渐渐在这个老人心中重新升起，二人情深如父子。 
　　史法兰在学校礼堂激昂演说，挽救了查理的前途，讽刺了学校的伪善。二人在互相鼓舞中得到重生。

Trask: Mr. Simms, you are a cover-up artist and you are a liar.
西门斯先生，你是一个狡猾的包庇者，是一个说谎者。

Frank: But not a snitch!
却不是告密者。

Trask: Excuse me?
请原谅，再说一遍。

Frank: No, I don't think I will.
我不会原谅你。

Trask: Mr. Slade
斯莱德先生

Frank: This is such a crock of shit!
这纯粹是一堆狗屁话。

Trask: Please watch your language, Mr. Slade; you are in the Baird School, not a barracks. Mr. Simms, I'll give you one final opportunity to speak up.
请注意你的语言斯莱德先生，这里是拜尔德中学不是军营。西门斯先生我给你最后一次机会申辩。

Frank: Mr. Simms doesn't want it. He doesn't need to be labeled, still worthy of being a Baird man! What the hell is that? What is your motto here? Boys, inform on your classmates, save your hide, anything short of that, we're gonna burn you at the stake? Well, gentleman, when the shit hits the fan some guys run and some guys stay, here's Charlie, facing the fire and there's George hiding in big daddy's pocket. And what are you doing? And you are gonna reward George, and destroy Charlie.
西门斯先生不需要申辩，他不需要被贴上无愧于拜尔德人的标签。这到底是什么？你们的校训是什么？孩子们，给你们的同学打小报告，要是隐瞒不能撒底的交待，就把你放在火上烤。看吧！子弹扫来的时候，有些人跑了，有些人毅力不动。这位查理迎上去面对火刑，而乔治躲到他老爸的卵翼之下去了，你要怎么做，奖赏乔治，还是毁掉查理。

Trask: Are you finished, Mr. Slade?
你讲完了没有斯莱德中校。

Frank: No, I'm just getting warmed up! I don't know who went to this place, William Howard Taft, William Jennings Bryant, William Tell, whoever, their spirit is dead, if they ever had one. It's gone. You're building a rat ship here, a vessel for seagoing snitches. And if you think you're preparing these minnows for manhood, you better think again, because I say you're killing the very spirit this institution proclaims it instills. What a sham! What kind of a show are you guys putting on here today? I mean, the only class in this act is sitting next to me, I'm here to tell you this boy's soul is intact, it's non-negotiable, you know how I know, someone here, and I'm not gonna say who, offered to buy it, only Charlie here wasn't selling.
不。我才刚刚开了个头，我不知道那些有名的校友是谁——威廉-霍华德塔夫、威廉-詹尼斯-布莱克、威廉-蒂尔，管他呢；他们的精神已经死了，就算有也不在了。你眼下正在打造用来运送告密者的远洋轮，要是你以为正在把他们培养成男子汉，那么你想错了，因为你杀死了恰恰是这种精神，也就这学校所声称的立校精神。多么可耻，你们今天上演的到底是一出什么样的闹剧，在这件事情当中唯一值得夸奖的人就坐在我身边，让我告诉你们这个孩子的品行无可挑剔，这是毋庸置疑，以为我不知道，这里有人~我不说是谁，想收买他。查理不会出卖自己的灵魂。

Trask: Sir, you're out of order.
不要破坏规矩

Frank: I'll show you out of order. You don't know what out of order is, Mr. Trask, I'd show you, but I'm too old, I'm too tired, I'm too fucking blind, if I were the man I was five years ago, I'd take a flame thrower to this place! Out of order? Who the hell do you think you're talking to? I've been around, you know? There was a time I could see, and I have seen, boys like these, younger than these, their arms torn out, their legs ripped off, but there is nothing like the sight of an amputated spirit. There is no prosthetic for that, you think you're merely sending this splendid foot solider back home to Oregen with his tail between his legs, but I say you're executing his soul! And why? Because he is not a Baird man. Baird men, you hurt this boy, you're gonna be Baird bums, the lot of you. And Harry, Jimmy, and Trent, wherever you are out there, fuck you too!
让你见识见识什么是破坏规矩，你不知道什么叫破坏规矩，克拉斯先生，真该让你见识，可我太老了！我太累了！该死的我还是个瞎子。要是五年前，我会拿火焰喷射剂把这给烧了，破坏规矩，你以为在跟谁说话，我可是久经杀场，那时候我还能看的见，我看见的是象他们这么大孩子们胳膊被炸段了，双腿被截段了，可我从来没见过孩子们的精神有过任何程度的缺损，他们从不缺少这种精神。你以为你只是把这个优秀的“战士”潜送回家？让他回到俄勒冈，从此你们就万事大吉了吗？可我要说你们正在谋杀这个孩子的精神，为什么！就因为他不是一个拜尔德人，拜尔德人？你们伤害了这个孩子，你们就是拜尔德的混蛋，你们全是。哈瑞、吉米、享特，不管你们坐在哪，见你们的鬼

Trask: Stand down, Mr. Slade!
请你肃静,斯莱德中校

Frank: I'm not finished. As I came in here, I heard those words: cradle of leadership. Well, when the bough breaks, the cradle will fall, and it has fallen here, it has fallen. Makers of men, creators of leaders, be careful what kind of leaders you're producin' here. I don't know if Charlie's silence here today is right or wrong, I'm not a judge or jury, but I can tell you this: he won't sell anybody out to buy his future! And that my friends is called integrity, that's called courage. Now, that's the stuff leaders should be made of. Now I have come to crossroads in my life, I always knew what the right path was. Without exception, I knew, but I never took it, you know why, it was too * hard. Now here's Charlie, he's come to the crossroads, he has chosen a path. It's the right path, it's a path made of principle that leads to character. Let him continue on his journey. You hold this boy's future in your hands, committee, it's a valuable future, believe me. Don't destroy it, protect it. Embrace it. It's gonna make you proud one day, I promise you. How's that for cornball?
我还说完呢，我刚一进到这里，就听到那些话：“未来领袖的摇篮”如果架子断了，摇篮也就掉了，它已经掉了，它坠落了，造就青年，培养未来的领袖，看吧！要小心了，你们在培养什么样的领袖，我不知道！今天查理保持沉默是对还是错，我虽然不是法官但我可以告诉你，他不会为了自己的前途而出卖任何人。朋友们！这就是人们常说的正直，这就是勇气，这才是未来领袖所具有的品质。现在我到了一个人生的十字路口，我一向知道哪条路是正确的，这毋庸置疑。我知道，可我没走，为什么？因为做到这一点他太坚难了。轮到查理了，他也在一个人生的十字路口，他必须选择一条路，一条正确的路，一条有原则的路，一条成全他人格的路，让他沿着这条是继续前行，这孩子的前途掌握在你们的手里委员们，他会前途无量的，相信我，别毁了他！保护他！支持他！我保证会有一天你们会为此而感到骄傲。