FBI agent Joe Devine has been undercover, trying to infiltrate the mob. Deep on assignment, he loses a finger, and on his return home he's told his dog killed herself out of loneliness. Reassigned to Rhode Island, Devine has come up with an elaborate scheme to take down infamous mob boss
John Gotti. He assumes the role of a
Hollywood producer and tells all the right lies to enlist a stooge to help execute his sting. When a woman, desperate with the endless barking from the kennel next door to her apartment she shares with boyfriend Steven Schats, is about to harm a pomeranian Devine intervenes. He introduces himself to the unsuspecting wannabe screenwriter/director, who works in a cinema and would do just about everything to get the chance to direct a feature film. Schats falls for the pitch, but what Devine does not tell him is that the movie will never be made. Although Schats' screenplay is titled
Arizona, and the main character is supposed to kill herself in a
Hopi cave at the end of the movie, he is so desperate to make the film that Devine convinces him to film it in
Rhode Island. Fannie Nash, an established producer, is consulted to help with authenticity. Taken around the potential locations for the various scenes, Schats is clearly unhappy. Once he's provided with a luxurious hotel suite however, he accepts the location more readily. Having a meeting with the city, they are told they must use unionized Teamsters. Devine's target in Rhode Island is Tommy Sanz, who overhears and muscles in on the production. Devine records Sanz accepting a bribe for the
Teamsters' to approve of the production. Instead of ending the investigation at that point as the FBI expects, Devine convinces the bureau to hold out a week longer to catch others racketeering. They plow ahead with the film production, as Devine has fallen in love with the movie business. Delving into casting, a big name Hollywood actress turns up. Explaining that a previous drug addiction that put her in rehab caused her to be blackballed in Hollywood, she is looking for a way back in. When Devine's girlfriend Val hears that a big name gets the lead, she causes a scene until he offers her another part. After articles are published about the film, other known actors like
Pat Morita express interest. Both FBI agents and Sanz take an interest in the details of the plot. Devine's mania leads his FBI superiors support of a three-picture deal. He is convinced that he can ensnare more mobsters with a similar scheme, while also producing actual films. Devine throws himself into production full tilt. Just as filming begins, the FBI arrests Gotti and puts an end to the production. They were using it as a decoy, against Devine's wishes and keeping him in the dark. The film jumps forward two years to the premiere of a movie based on the sting operation called
Leaving Arizona. Schats is again working as a manager at a movie theater. Devine visits him and apologizes. Bringing the reel of the one, opening scene that they had shot, he then reveals that he has been working on a screenplay, and Schats gets excited about the pitch. In the credits, Schats has a new girlfriend, which his apartment's proximity doesn't bother as she's deaf. ==Background==