Tommy Lee Jones as Samuel Gerard and his team of US Marshals are back on the case of an escaped, dangerous convict. This time, Gerard is travelling on a con-air flight when it crashes and one prisoner, Mark Sheridan (Wesley Snipes) helps him pull bodies from the water - before escaping. With the help of NSA liaison John Royce (Robert Downey Jnr), they track Sheridan's movements and learn more about the bogus charges that were brought up against him.

Gerard learns that Sheridan is an ex-CIA operative, accused of selling secrets to the Chinese. He was framed for the murders as security footage shows he acted in self-defence.
  Sheridan tracks the Chinese and continues his own search, looking for answers.

While chasing Sheridan through an old people's home, Royce and Sheridan clash and one of Gerard's men runs into the room when Royce has the gun to the back of the prisoner's head, about to execute him.  Before he can say anything, he is shot in the chest by Royce and Sheridan uses the opportunity to dive out the window.
  He swings onto a train. Gerard and his team get there too late, and now Gerard wants revenge.  Sheridan sits on the train roof alone, taking it all in.

On a cargo ship heading away from the US, he is tracked by Gerard and chased across the decks. Finally they have a big punch-up in a large tank full of grain.
  Sheridan wins, picks up Royce's gun, but isn't going to use it.
  From the higher railings, Royce shoots Sheridan through the shoulder - he falls next to Gerard, and Gerard can see from the look in his eye that he isn't a killer.

At the hospital, Gerard and Royce are on guard outside Sheridan's room. Gerard studies the agent's gun, and discreetly removes the bullets. He leaves to get some coffee. Royce enters Sheridan's room and is about to kill him.
  Gerard enters, and tells him he knows what happened, that Royce is in fact the mole selling secrets to the Chinese, and responsible for the murders - and that Royce shot his colleague. Royce pulls the trigger but of course it has no bullets.
  Royce reaches for his back-up piece but Gerard shoots him first.  Sheridan passes out from pain - and exhaustion, but at least now he is a free man again.