48 Hours to Live (2016)

Wyatt Wells and his sister Sherilyn grew up on the streets. Their mother was a junkie. Dancing was their escape. Wyatt (James Maslow) has been caught up in petty crime all his life. He's a former pill-popper who has been doing time in rehab. Wyatt is beginning to think seriously about building a different kind of life for himself when he gets a call from his sister.

Wyatt receives an urgent, pleading request that Sherri (Tyne Stecklein) wants to be cremated with her ashes scattered in the ocean. Then the sound of a gunshot ends the call. From then on, Wyatt's course is set to find Sherri's killer. Wyatt drives to a motel in Los Angeles. He posts a photo of Sherrilyn on the wall and wait for Detective Childers (Lane Garrison) to arrive. Childers brings Sherri's purse and photos for Wyatt to confirm identification of Sherri's body. Wyatt learns the Sherri was bound and shot with a 9 mm caliber handgun. Wyatt rummages through Sherri's handbag and finds a pass to Club M and some red pills marked with stars. That night, Wyatt is a Club M and follows an attractive dark-haired woman through a side door. He starts dancing with the dark-haired girl when the bouncers finally catch up with him. Just as he is escorted out the door, Kipling (Tommy Flanagan) the club owner intercedes. Kipling appreciates Wyatt's dancing and energy and wants to hire him to work in the club. The girl he was with was Emma (Caitlyn McHugh), the club owner's daughter. whom Kipling forbids Wyatt to touch. Wyatt goes to a different bar to see an old friend named Karl (Michael Rourk). He learns that Sherri and Kipling were shacked up before she died. Now he appears to be attached to Olivia (Bianca A. Santos), Sherri's best friend. Aldo (Vinicius Machado) the drug dealer learns that Wyatt is back in town. Wyatt owes him money. Aldo visits Wyatt at his hotel room and threatens his life, but tells him the way he is going to pay off his debt is that he is going to find the Sandman, the dealer of the red pills with the shooting stars who is working on his territory. Wyatt returns to Club M and introduces himself to Emma who tells him the dancer auditions are at 5:30 the next day. Wyatt and other dancers perform freestyle. Wyatt is hired. He questions Emma about Sherri and learns that she and Emma's dad split about three months before her death. Sherri was working at the club the night of her death but left early. Emma said Sherri's moodiness after the breakup was toxic. That night two thugs try to jump Wyatt, but Wyatt overpowers one of them and learns Sherri was working for Gunner (Emilio Rivera) selling drugs before her death Detectives Childers and Lewis (Danielle Sarve) stop by the club before it opens for the evening. Childers takes Bould (R. Marcus Taylor), the club's head of security, down the hall for a private interview. Wyatt uses the distraction to rifle through the boss's desk and finds a cell phone with texts to Sherri, a gold- plated handgun and a commercial sale agreement indicating the club is being sold to James Donovan (Casper Smart). Wyatt hides when Childers and Kipling enter the office. Childers shows Kipling some compromising photos of him and Sherri. They are interrupted by any argument in the club as Olivia and Detective Lewis exchange words. Kipling dismisses the detectives from the club. Olivia meets Wyatt at the pier. She gives him the key to Sherri's apartment. Olivia believes she is in over her head with Kipling. Wyatt enters Sherri's apartment and has a gun drawn on him, but Sherri's roommate Val (Lil Mama) recognizes Wyatt, and they have a happy reunion. Among Sherri's possessions is a photo album the cover of which highlights the clubber's mantra of Peace, Love, Unity and Respect. The album reveals that Sherri was cheating on Kipling with Donovan and was working at Resurgence which is Donovan's club. Wyatt visits Resurgence and is momentarily stopped by Donovan's bodyguard before he speaks to Donovan. Donovan tells Wyatt that Sherri was likely dealing in his club but taking a cut was not part of his business model. While dancing at Club M, Wyatt is summoned to Kipling s office. He is forced to strip at gunpoint because his questions about drugs and Sherri to his coworkers and his search of Kipling s office has raised suspicion. Later Emma makes a date with Wyatt for the next day. That night, Wyatt meets with Gunner who gives him 1000 pills to sell. Gunner reveals that Sherri owed him a huge debt because she stole some drugs. Gunner demands Wyatt pay off Sherri's debt by selling drugs for him. Wyatt is arrested trying to sell the drugs for Gunner. Aldo gets him out of jail but tells him he has only 48 hours to find the Sandman. Wyatt goes to a dance studio and finds Emma. She reveals she is auditioning for a modern dance studio in San Francisco which is an action of which her father would not approve. They spend the day on Venice Beach for their date. They spend the night at Emma's place. Emma asks him to join her and her friends at Resurgence on Saturday night. A text message summons Wyatt to Club M. There Kipling is waiting for him and beats him for seeing his daughter and fires him from his job. As Wyatt reviews the evidence he has gathered about Sherri's death, he begins to suspect Kipling because of his possessiveness. He meets Emma at Resurgence that night. During a dance off, Wyatt sees a person in a skull mask that Sherri highlighted in her scrapbook. He chases her down and learns that Lyla (Nishi Munshi) and Sherri had a brief affair but remained friends. She recognized Wyatt as Sherri s brother. Wyatt learns that Sherri was so down and out for money that she signed a contract with Kipling to be his slave shortly after Wyatt left. Kipling sold that contract to Donovan who abused Sherri. Wyatt gets access to Kipling's office through Olivia and views security footage from the night Sherri was killed at Club M. Wyatt learns that Tony the Wolf (Brandon Molale) was with Sherri the night she died. Karl learns from his friends in the District Attorney's Office that Donovan has a long history of criminal activity beating up women that has been expunged so he can pursue so he can more freely pursue an investment opportunity with Chinese billionaires. While Emma is auditioning in San Francisco, Wyatt tells Aldo that Gunner is the Sandman. He takes Aldo and his associate to Gunner's house. The subsequent confrontation gets three of Gunner's men, Gunner and Aldo killed. Wyatt escapes with his life. While Emma dances for a spot in the school, Donovan has three girls from the club do lap dances for his Asian investors. Wyatt researches the background of James Donovan and finds he is a EDM club and event promoter who is making a great deal of money. Olivia meets Wyatt at the pier. She gives him the key to Sherri's apartment. Olivia believes she is in over her head with Kipling. Wyatt enters Sherri's apartment and has a gun drawn on him, but Sherri's roommate Val recognizes Wyatt, and they have a happy reunion. Among Sherri's possessions is a photo album the cover of which highlights the clubber's mantra of Peace, Love, Unity and Respect. The album reveals that Sherri was cheating on Kipling with Donovan and was working at Resurgence which is Donovan's club. Wyatt visits Resurgence and is momentarily stopped by Donovan's bodyguard before he speaks to Donovan. Donovan tells Wyatt that Sherri was likely dealing in his club but taking a cut was not part of his business model. While dancing at Club M, Wyatt is summoned to Kipling s office. He is forced to strip at gunpoint because his questions about drugs and Sherri to his coworkers and his search of Kipling s office has raised suspicion. Later Emma makes a date with Wyatt for the next day. That night, Wyatt meets with Gunner who gives him 1000 pills to sell. Gunner reveals that Sherri owed him a huge debt because she stole some drugs. Gunner demands Wyatt pay off Sherri's debt. In trying to find the Sandman, Wyatt is arrested. Aldo gets him out of jail but tells him he has only 48 hours to find the Sandman. Wyatt goes to a dance studio and finds Emma. She reveals she is auditioning for a modern dance studio in San Francisco which is an action of which her father would not approve. They spend the day on Venice Beach for their date. They spend the night at Emma's place. Emma asks him to join her and her friends at Resurgence on Saturday night. A text message summons Wyatt to Club M. There Kipling is waiting for him and beats him for seeing his daughter and fires him from his job. As Wyatt reviews the evidence he has gathered about Sherri's death, he begins to suspect Kipling because of his possessiveness. That night, Wyatt meets Emma at Resurgence that night. During a dance off, Wyatt sees a person in a skull mask that Sherri highlighted in her scrapbook. He chases her down and learns Lyla (Nishi Munshi) and Sherri had a brief affair but remained friends. She recognized Wyatt as Sherri s brother. Wyatt learns that Sherri was so down and out for money that she signed a contract with Kipling to be his slave shortly after Wyatt left. Kipling sold that contract to Donovan who abused Sherri. Wyatt gets access to Kipling's office through Olivia and views security footage from the night Sherri was killed at Club M. Wyatt learns that Tony the Wolf (Brandon Molale) was with Sherri the night she was killed. Karl learns from his friends in the District Attorney's Office that Donovan has a long history of criminal activity beating up women that has been expunged so he can pursue so he can more freely pursue an investment opportunity with Chinese billionaires. While Emma is auditioning in San Francisco, Wyatt tells Aldo that Gunner is the Sandman. He takes Aldo and his associate to Gunner's house. The subsequent confrontation gets three of Gunner's men and Aldo killed. Wyatt escapes with his life. While Emma dances for a spot in the school, Donovan has three girls from the club do lap dances for his Asian investors. Wyatt uses Kipling's phone that Oliva stole for him to summon Donovan. Wyatt tells Donovan that he saw the films of the abuse he did to his sister and shoots him using Kipling's gun. The police arrest Kipling for the murder. Wyatt spreads Sherris ashes in the ocean as she requested. Emma returns and is broken up about her father but invites Wyatt to follow her to San Francisco where she qualified for the modern dance school. When Emma drops Wyatt at the motel to gather his things, Sherri is waiting for him in the room, very much alive. She admits to Wyatt that she sold herself and that Donovan abused her. To free herself she worked with the Wolf and faked her murder using a runaway who had overdosed on drugs by putting a tattoo on her neck and making her appear as Sherri. Sherri was then free to operate and became known as the Sandman. She hands Wyatt a huge roll of cash. Sherri and Olivia wait in one car for Wyatt while Emma is in another. As Wyatt look on at the top of the stairs he has no idea which direction he is heading