Beautiful Creatures (2000) - Synopsis

Beautiful Creatures (2000)

Dorothy and Tony are on the train, travelling home from his uncle's funeral. Tony is in a foul mood, accusing Dorothy of losing his golf clubs, which she explains she has never seen. He attacks her, and, when the train guard tries to intervene, Tony attacks him too. Tony jumps off the train and disappears.

Dorothy arrives home at the high rise flat she shares with Tony. He has wrecked the place, initially searching for his golf clubs, then in a rage at not finding them. Suddenly she sees her dog Pluto, dangling in the air on the balcony. She rescues the dog and is relieved to discover the red marks on his coat are only paint, but it's the last straw. She locates her bus ticket to London, shampoos the dog the best she can, and sets off for the bus stop.

Beautiful Creatures (2000)Just as the bus pulls up, Pluto hears a noise and rushes off to investigate. Dorothy follows. She sees a burly drunk, Brian, forcing his girlfriend Petula over the bonnet of his land rover and attempting to strangle her. The dog leaps on him and Brian smashes him to the ground then shuts him up in the vehicle. Dorothy grabs the nearest weapon, a large scaffolding pole, and manages to whack Brian on the head. He falls to the ground.

Dorothy advises Petula to drive Brian home and phone the police. Petula can't - she can't drive, and anyway, Brian is her boyfriend and she works for his brother. The girls drag Brian's inert form back to the flat. They dump Brian in the bathroom, so that he can sleep off the drink and the blow.

The girls smoke a joint to calm themselves, and slowly get to know each other. Dorothy starts to give Petula a haircut. When they hear a crash from the bathroom. They rush in and find that Brian has collapsed on the floor, dead. Dorothy panics as she realises that technically, she has murdered him. She explains to Petula that she must go to work and pretend that Brian disappeared while she was sleeping.

Dorothy retrieves the golf clubs, and discovers a large hunting knife in the bag.

At work, Ronnie McMinn, Brian's brother and Petula's boss rings the police to report Brian missing and asks Petula to ring around the hospitals. She pretends to do this, but rings Dorothy on Brian's mobile. Dorothy helps Petula to sound convincing.

Beautiful Creatures (2000)Back at the flat, Dorothy is horrified when Pluto chews off Brian's finger. She puts it in the fridge.

Detective Inspector Hepburn visits Petula at home. He is distracted by her beauty, but becomes increasingly suspicious of her behaviour. She opens her mail and screams. There is Brian's severed finger, and a crudely lettered note, telling her to call a number she identifies as Brian's mobile. She calls. Dorothy answers and explains that they will demand a ransom for Brian's return, telling Petula to suggest a reasonable amount. Petula, suddenly entering into the spirit of it all, names the sum of £1 million pounds.

Hepburn takes the finger back to the police station. The pathologist confirms his suspicions that the finger was taken from someone already dead.

Hepburn takes the finger to Ronnie McMinn, naming the ransom sum as £2 million, and assuring him that his brother is still alive. By now he is obsessed with Petula and has begun weaving his own fantasy about running away with her and the excess money.

Beautiful Creatures (2000)He plants the suspicion in Ronnie's mind that Brian may have hacked off his own finger in order to extract money from his brother. Ronnie threatens Petula, implying she is involved in a plot with Brian.

Back at the police station, Hepburn brushes off his colleague's questions about the missing person's case, claiming that it was all just a domestic situation, which will resolve itself.

Petula steels herself to drive the car, recalling Brian's unorthodox teaching methods. She and Dorothy arrive at the harbour to trash Brian's boat, to make it look as if the kidnappers have been using it.

The girls go back to Dorothy's flat. Suddenly, Tony appears on the balcony, swaying and suffering some sort of drug withdrawal. As he threatens the girls, Dorothy grabs the commando knife and defends herself. Tony backs down and begs for his drug works from the golf bag. He reaches in to take his stash and his hand comes out holding a gun. The tables are turned and the girls have to explain Brian's body and the ransom. At gun point Tony forces Dorothy to inject him with the drugs from the golf bag, then to inject herself. The girls fight back, overcoming Tony they tie him up in the bedroom.

Beautiful Creatures (2000)Petula has to go home to allay suspicion and tells Dorothy to call her the following day at the office to arrange the payment of the ransom.

Hepburn has taken a gun from the police station, and he burns the ransom note.

He visits Petula, and he tells her that he will take her away, and make her happy. She is terrified. He leaves silently. Petula tries to phone Dorothy, but Brian's phone has been disconnected. As she looks out into the garden, a figure appears behind her. Ronnie McMinn threatens her and then spends the night in the house, waiting to take her to the office.

At McMinn International, Ronnie has the ransom money delivered, and hands it in a holdall to Hepburn. Both are playing their own game, pretending to believe the other. Hepburn extracts half the cash, putting it in the back of his car, before handing over the ransom to Petula.

Petula goes off with the ransom money, followed by Hepburn. She drives to the garage, where Pluto the dog is waiting with a pannier over his back. Petula stuffs the money into the pannier and the dog takes off, just as Hepburn arrives. He grabs Petula and handcuffs her to an iron ring on the forecourt wall. He dashes off after the dog. As he runs through the shopping precinct, the dog is recognised by Aidan, a hopeless junky and a friend of Tony, who challenges Hepburn. The policeman realises that Aidan knows where the dog lives.

Beautiful Creatures (2000)The dog arrives at the Tower block and Dorothy takes him inside. Hepburn has followed and he crashes into the flat. Mayhem ensues. Hepburn shoots at the body on the bed; Dorothy thinks he's killed Tony. Ronnie McMinn, who's been following Hepburn, appears and points his gun at Hepburn, but suddenly Tony appears and shoots Hepburn with his elephant gun. McMinn, showing no sign of gratitude that his life has just been saved, shoots Tony through the heart and turns his attention to Dorothy. Shots ring out and she flinches but finds herself unhurt. Petula is standing in the doorway holding a gun, and Ronnie McMinn slumps to the ground.

The girls take off in Hepburns' car to the station with Pluto and the money. At the station, Petula, still in handcuffs realises that she has to get them off. Hoping to find some tools, they return to Hepburns' car, and discover the second bag of money Hepburn had taken. With double the money, Petula and Dorothy take the first train out, ready for a new life.