吉普森先生正在与他的妻子打离婚官司，原因是他酗酒多年不改且无力养家糊口。为阻止妻子带着两个孩子移居他州，他倾尽全力从银行贷款买了一套公寓，期望借此争得对孩子的监护权。但在去往法庭的路上，他的车子被一辆奔驰车撞坏。肇事者巴内克先生是一位事业有成的华尔街律师，此时他也正心急火燎地为一桩重要案子赶往法庭。为节省时间，巴内克匆忙留下姓名、地址和电话，开出一张空白支票给吉普森，并拒绝了吉普森的搭车请求，飞驰而去。不幸的是，巴内克出庭用的一份重要证明文件失落在事故地点且被吉普森拾取。吉普森迟到的后果是失去了对孩子的监护权，而丢失文件的巴内克也无法打赢官司。为索回文件，巴内克与吉普森展开了没完没了的斗志斗勇，几乎酿成人命案。

　　《逆行风暴》是近年来少有的反映纽约现实生活的影片。故事警示我们现实生活中的偶然小事(如情绪失控)也会演变成必然的大事，造成不可挽回的可怕后果。影片也反映了纽约穷人(弱势群体)与富人之间的强烈反差，以及美国法律界黑暗的一面。Samuel L. Jackson和Ben Affleck在影片中都有出色的表演。

　　Gavin Banek is a promising Wall Street<注1> lawyer in New York.However at present his law firm seems to be in trouble.Mina Dunne, the granddaughter of Simon Dunne, a billionaire whom the firm represents, sues the firm for disbanding the board of trustees of Simon Dunne Foundation in which she is a natural member and transferring the administrative rights to the firm itself upon the billionaire's death. Right now Gavin is driving his Mercedes<注2> to the court to argue for his firm. With related documents such as trust agreement, tax exemption, and signed power of appointment from Simon Dunne, Gavin is confident that he will win the case.

　　Doyle Gipson is a middle-aged father of two children.He is facing a family crisis as he is often drunk and has failed to fulfill his responsibility as a qualified father over the years.His wife is divorcing him and plans to move to another state with the two kids.Insgroupsto keep his children, Doyle has just bought an apartment in Queens<注3> through mortgage. He is also on his way to the civil court to fight for his custody right<注4>.

　　It is the morning rush hour and the traffic moves rather slowly.Gavin is worried that he might not arrive at the court on time.Phoning his assistant to tell the court the situation, he begins to change lanes<注5> hoping to move a bit quicker.Unfortunately his Mercedes hits upon the car driven by Doyle who is also in a hurry to the court.The two have to get out of the their cars and exchange insurance policies.Since Gavin does not take his insurance card with him, he has to open his brief case and write down his name and address on a piece of paper. To save time and trouble, he writes off a blank check<注6> for Doyle to fill in after having his car repaired.Then he drives off immediately refusing to give poor Doyle a lift."Better luck next time," he says. But Gavin leaves behind him the key document on the spot without being aware of it.

　　Being late for 20 minutes, Doyle loses his opportunity to argue for his custody right at the court.For Gavin, it is also a disaster when he fails to present the key evidence - the signed power of appointment - to the court.What is worse, he does not have Doyle's name, address, and telephone number when the judge asks him to present the lost document before the court is closed at 5 in the afternoon.

　　Losing his custody right, Doyle walks out of the court in despair.Probably he will never be able to see his children again since they are moving to Oregon, a far away mid-west state.He throws the orange colored file left by Gavin into the trashcan<注7> at the door and walks aimlessly in the rain.Interestingly, desperate Gavin happens to see Doyle while driving along the street after coming out of the court.He is full of hope and immediately slows down attempting to coax the file from<注8> Doyle.He even promises to buy him a new car.Yet Doyle seems iron-hearted since he has lost everything because of Gavin's refusal to give him a lift to the court.He tells Gavin that he has thrown the file away and wishes him "better luck next time".

　　While Gavin goes back to his firm to report to Stephen Delano, his boss and father-in-law, Doyle goes back to the trashcan to retrieve the file. When Gavin is lying to Delano, his secretary Michelle gets a fax from Doyle.It's one page from the lost file but with Doyle's handwriting "better luck next time" on it.Gavin is furious and tells her the truth about the lost file and Doyle's refusal of returning it.Michelle tells Gavin there is a way to get the file back.She gives him the name and address of a computer genius who can help him.Gavin dashes out of his office to look for the guy leaving behind in his office two applicants waiting to be interviewed.

　　Gavin finds the guy and pays him to close down Doyle Gipson's credit card.Then Gavin leaves a threatening message on Doyle's answering machine telling him to return the file or to face the consequences.In fact, Doyle Gipson has already decided to return the file after all these twists and turns.However, he is very angry after listening to Gavin's message.

　　Meanwhile, Gavin has to tell his father-in-law the truth about the lost file, which causes a storm from him and his partner.After some thinking they suggests that Gavin use Simon Dunne's signature on his will and reformat<注9> the power of appointment. When Gavin is reluctant to do so because it's illegal, they tell him that he is only reproducing what has already existed. Besides he has no choice.

　　Wondering why the bosses are so concerned about winning the case, Gavin deliberately triggers off the fire alarm and gets into the archive room<注10> when the building is being evacuated<注11>. He discovers that Stephen and his partner are to be paid a million and half dollars each to administer the 100 million dollar charity foundation according to the detailed arrangement they had coaxed the old man to agree before his death. Just as Gavin cannot decide what to do, he receives a phone call from Doyle threatening to destroy the file if his credit is not restored within half an hour.Gavin immediately phones the computer guy to restore Doyle's credit.

　　When Doyle arrives at the bank to check his account, he is told that he is denied the mortgage loan because he is bankrupt according to the computer screen. The furious Doyle is now determined to take revenge on Gavin.He purchases some tools from a hardware store and secretly loosens Gavin's car wheels.Then he informs Gavin to drive onto the expressway to a place where he can get his file back.When Gavin's Mercedes is in full speed, he receives a phone call from the computer guy telling him that credit bankruptcy cannot be restored until three months later. At this moment, Doyle's car catches up with Gavin's and Doyle shows him, through the car window, the tool that he used to loosen Gavin's car wheel. As soon as Gavin realizes what has happened to his car, it is out of control and turns over. Fortunately, Gavin survives with the help of the airbag.

　　Fueled by Doyle's attempt to kill him, Gavin sets out to retaliate by framing him up.He first calls Doyle telling him that his children are in danger, then he goes to the school where Doyle's children stay and warns the teacher that the boys' father is to kidnap the kids as a revenge for failing to get the custody right.As expected, Doyle arrives at the school violently demanding to see his children. The school authorities, taking him as an attempted kidnapper, call the police to have him arrested.Doyle's friend bails him out and persuades him to give up the "eye for eye and tooth for tooth" attitude towards Gavin.Meditating over what happened in the day, Doyle comes to his decision to return the file and turn a new leaf in his life.

　　Getting back to his office, Gavin is surprised to see one of the applicants still waiting for him in the darkness.The man elaborates the reasons why he wants to be a lawyer and work for the firm.Hearing the na?ve cliché<注12> of the law serving as the buffer<注13> of people's conflicts and means of maintaining justice, Gavin cannot help laughing bitterly after the day's crazy experiences.He then goes to his father-in-law giving him his letter of resignation but is shocked to learn that the signed power of appointment has already been forged and sent to the judge in Gavin's name before 5 o'clock in the afternoon.Stephen tells Gavin to forget it and go on with a new case in New Mexico the next day. "It never happened," he says. Gavin is speechless.

　　An even greater surprise awaits him when Gavin gets back to his office where he sees the lost file on his desk.Doyle is sitting on a chair in the corner without any hostile intention.He apologizes to Gavin for what he has done and asks for forgiveness. Gavin is moved and feels deeply sorry forshavingscaused Doyle to lose both the house and his family.Doyle says that he alone does not need a house anyway now, but he will work hard to be a sober and qualified father. He is sure that he will be able to see his children again in a couple of years.

　　At the dinner table with his wife and parents-in-law, Gavin shows down<注14> with Stephen.He slaps the lost file on the table and demands the old man to return the stolen 3 million dollars from the foundation and restore the original board of trustees. Stephen will not take the order, but Gavin threatens to send him to jail by exposing everything.

　　The next day, Gavin goes to work as usual in his office, but this time he is a new man of decency and honesty.