WILD CARGO

On his first day out of prison, Fargo breaks parole, a human “wild cargo” refusing to be caged again, now a fugitive from justice. In the Bayou, he reunites with his ex-partner REGGIE, a larcenous con man who invested both their shares of the stolen loot in an expensive boat with plans to cash in on the animal smuggling trade. Furious with Reggie, Fargo has no choice but to see it through until he can recoup his lost share of the money.

They buy a boatload of illegal monkeys from Colombian wildlife smuggler ROBLES and his venal, gringo-hating skipper JUAREZ. When an animal trader refuses to purchase the caged monkeys, the two ex-cons venture into remote Gulf Coast islands to sell them to the “Sanctuary”, an island wildlife refuge owned by a dedicated animal-people lover...

MIRANDA, an earthy, attractive nature girl who distrusts outsiders, a pacifist who shuns violence, the opposite of Fargo. She runs the refuge with a motley crew of teenage dropouts and misfits, protected by her lover, U.S. Wildlife Agent D'ANTONI, a tough swamp man who avenges the cause of wildlife like a modern-day Jeremiah Johnson of the Bayou.

Their wards are all monkeys, except for Miranda’s prized pet “Misha”, a caged, wild white Bengal tiger that can only be tamed by Miranda. To Fargo and Reggie, a rare exotic cat worth a fortune. To their dismay, Miranda takes their monkeys only as a donation, leaving them no alternative, then expels the two would-be smugglers from her refuge.

Broke and frustrated, Fargo returns alone to the island in the guise of needing a job, his private plan to steal the tiger and recoup his loss. He befriends Miranda, fascinated by her love for Misha, but makes an enemy of D’Antoni who suspects his motives. Fargo grows conflicted over his agenda, more drawn to Miranda and her refuge, only worsened by...

A raid of the refuge by Robles, Juarez, Reggie and armed smugglers out to seize the tiger. They hold Miranda and her Sanctuary teenagers hostage. Fargo secretly steals and hides Misha, torn between his own thieving nature and his compassion for Miranda. In a stormy confrontation, D’Antoni invades the smugglers’ seige – both he and Robles murdered by Juarez who takes control and threatens to kill Miranda over the missing tiger.

A crazed Fargo virtually takes D’Antoni’s place as an avenging predator, launching a one-man attack against the smugglers like a deadly wild animal. Only Miranda keeps his rage in check, trying to change his violent ways and trade her tiger for the lives of her Sanctuary people. Hard as he tries, Fargo can’t change his own animal nature. He finally snaps.

In the style of Key Largo, the violent action escalates into an all-out war of nerves between Fargo and his own kind. In an unexpected climax, he finally redeems his lost humanity.