92 In the Shade

Plot Summary

A tale of sex, power and arson set in the sun-baked backwoods of Florida, where three rival tour guides are competing, with murderous effect. Tom Skelton (Peter Fonda) is a drifter. His horizons are limited, and his background is shady - his father made an unsuccessful attempt at running a brothel, which employed Tom's own mother. The only family member of any worth is his wealthy grandfather Goldsboro (Burgess Meredith), who disapproves of Tom's girlfriend Miranda (Margot Kidder). Tom is determined to make something of himself and prove his own self-worth. He sets up his own business as a guide specializing in taking well-heeled tourists to bountiful fishing spots. Obstacles in the way of him succeeding, come in the form of the cut-throat competition by rival fishing guides Nichol Dance (Warren Oates), and Carter (Harry Dean Stanton). They are used to sharing business between the two of them, and intend on keeping it that way. When their tactics become too dirty, Tom makes a rash decision and sets fire to Dance’s boat. Angering him is the wrong thing to do, as Dance has a murderous past. Out at sea off the Florida Keys, the moment of reckoning approaches as the temperature and the action get hotter and hotter.