The Red Maple Leaf is a 2016 Canadian-American, crime drama film written and directed by Frank D'Angelo and starring D'Angelo alongside James Caan, Robert Loggia, Martin Landau, Paul Sorvino, Kris Kristofferson, and Mira Sorvino.^[1] The film is dedicated to the memory of Loggia and Doris Roberts.^[2][3][4] The film marks Landau's final on-screen appearance as he died ten months after its release.

Plot

Jennie Adams, daughter of United States ambassador Patrick Adams and granddaughter of Senator George Record, goes missing in Ottawa. Amidst conflict between Canada and the US over jurisdiction issues, experienced RCMP detective Alfonso Palermo and his partner Robert Santos establish themselves as lead investigators on behalf of the Canadian government. Palermo, who lost his own wife and daughter in a car accident, feels a personal connection to the case.

Palermo and Santos interview Ambassador Adams, his wife, and his personal assistant Marie MacDonald. After a phone call from the US President puts pressure on the investigation, the detectives search the crime scene for clues, and Palermo irritates his American counterparts with his "old-school" methods.

The detectives investigate a nearby bar, where Palermo questions Maggie, a waitress. Palermo, suspecting that one of the kidnappers may have visited the bar, declares it a crime scene; to the chagrin of the American detectives, he finds a clue on the floor which supports his theory.

Palermo is instructed to travel to Los Angeles and interview a Mrs. Stewart, with whom Ambassador Adams is having an affair. While there, he also visits the ambassador's parents and questions them about their son; unhappy to find that the Canadian police are running the investigation, they call the president to complain. Senator Record, meanwhile, invites Palermo to visit, and tricks him into revealing his drinking problem.

After Palermo returns to Canada, he and Santos visit a disco, where they arrest Daniel Barton on suspicion of involvement with the induction. Barton is subsequently released with conditions.

As the investigation proceeds, Palermo continues to uncover a darker side of Ambassador Adams's reputation among his family and friends. Mrs. Adams invites Palermo to dinner at the Big Red Steakhouse, where it becomes clear that her marriage to the ambassador is on the verge of collapse. While Palermo and Santos visit Bernard Florence, who used to drive for the ambassador, the FBI attempt to get help on the case from a psychic.

At home, Palermo gazes at a picture of his daughter and sees a vision of his wife. When a lead suggests that charges against Ambassador Adams were mysteriously dropped due to a phone call from a powerful individual, Palermo and Santos travel to Niagara Falls and talk to Sheriff Nathaniel Williams. They receive a report from forensics that bubble wrap from the crime scene is an exact match for the nearby bar.

Palermo visits his own local bar, the Blind Swine, where he drinks and reminisces about losing his family. Concerned about his drinking and behaviour, his friends, family, and colleagues intervene, and he is referred to Dr. Amanda Walker for therapy.

Florence calls Palermo and tells him about an incident from when he was Ambassador Adams's driver. After MacDonald gave the ambassador oral sex in the back of his car, he had remarked that his daughter was "in the way" of their future. When Palermo and Santos question MacDonald about this incident, she confesses to kidnapping the ambassador's daughter and hiding her in a warehouse.

While Santos arrests MacDonald and takes her to jail, Palermo informs the team of the news and rushes to the warehouse to find the missing girl. While searching the building, Palermo sees another vision of his dead wife. Palermo finally finds the kidnapped girl, drugged and hidden in a barrel, and carries her out to a cheering crowd. As he leaves, he has a final vision of his wife.

Cast

Production

The film was shot in Hamilton, Ontario and Los Angeles, California.^[5]