A young man who was framed for a crime he didn't commit is released but when his troubles continue, he must go on the run and clear his name. Should warn you it's pretty long. Other titles Hero and Vigilante. 

SYNOPSIS:

PERSONAL JUSTICE/HERO/VIGILANTE

Ethan Cameron is a young man, and martial artist, the top student of the gym where he trains, he is also popular and a heartthrob who had just gotten into an argument with his girlfriend Molly Darryl who has been getting wooed by one of his best friends Jacob Lawson, Ethan sees some strange people there he had never seen but pays no mind. The next day Jacob is found dead, and Ethan is the main suspect, and evidence makes out to be the killer, and he is arrested by Detective Harold Slate. Despite his claims of innocence Judge Lewis Fagin and District Attorney Erica Simms, gives Ethan hard time in prison, where he becomes withdrawn and angry; soon Ethan is visited by a man named Kane who helps him learn all about the martial arts and to work through his anger. Ethan is eventually released thanks to an FBI agent named Mike Dawson; unfortunately Ethan is turned into a pariah while Molly has found a new love in Rick Newson another of his friends and even they mistreat him, and the only way for the gym where he trains to stay in business is for him to leave, against his teacher’s wishes, when he tries to attend a vigil for the Jacob Lawson, the Lawson’s angrily send him away.

Soon one of the students, Will Bremer tries to kill him, he defends himself but Slate now the Chief of police does not believe it, and has Ethan expelled and tells him to stay away from his son Adam stating that Ethan is dangerous and might kill someone and does not want him around his son Eric (another one of Ethan’s former friends), Ethan’s parents Matt and Susan try to defend him and learns they did everything to prove his innocence, even infiltrated the dark side of town but Judge Fagin rejected their evidence, chastising them for being irresponsible and vigilantes. Ethan soon finds himself a target by killers and haters and decides to prove his innocence.

Ethan does research on serial killers, thrill killers, and killer cults, gangs, law and system, and anything that could be useful and finds out his lawyer Martin Thurman has the best track record for defense and from what his parents saw, evidence that could have helped him was ignored, and Thurman did not even do a good enough job. When killers come for him he defends himself and soon he is declared a menace and is ordered to be brought in, the FBI comes in with Dawson, and his boss Frank Malone are called in to find him, much to Chief Slate’s discharge as he blames Dawson for letting Ethan who he states is dangerous and a killer loose on the streets, and does not want their help but it has become a federal case, Malone recruits Detective Sara Baxter, and a “beat cop” Dale Sutter who was demoted for “asking to many questions” to find him.

Ethan at a mall investigating some members who he had recognized from the party that he and Jacob were at the night of the murder and sees some suspicious activities, but when a security guard recognizes him, and phones it in, the group sees him and goes after him and running into the parking lot he finds a young girl his age named Diana Carter and asks her for a ride when she refuses he sneaks into her car when the police come Diana attempts to pull over and Ethan reveals himself. Ethan calls Dawson and mentions Kane, which catches Diana’s attention, pulling over Ethan runs towards a waterfall at a mini-dam and confronting Malone and Slate he once again states he did not do anything; Malone tries to convince him to talk, only for Slate to ignore him, and Diana grabs him and push him over the edge.

Malone visits Ethan’s parents but they are in full support of his vigilantism, as does his martial arts instructor, and some of Ethan’s teachers. Ethan awakes in a room and finds he’s in Diana’s house and meets her father Jack Carter and mother Mary Carter. He learns that Kane’s full name is Andrew McCain, but everyone called him Kane. Kane used to be a cop, but lost his badge when he tried to bust a kid on a drug charge, unfortunately the youth’s wealthy parents used their connections to free their son and ruin him, a year later Kane became a Private Eye and said he was on to something, then his wife and son turned up dead and he was arrested and got life; however everyone knew Kane was framed, Diana and Jack agree to help Ethan clear his name, thinking it would help clear Kane’s name, after they learn he was killed. Ethan begins lamenting about his past selfishness and promises that once this mess is cleared and his name cleared not just for himself but for his family, he will be a better person for it, Diana overhears and smiles. As Ethan and Diana get to know each other he shows her some martial arts, and she shows him about some of the dances she knows and then they accidently share a passionate kiss. After interviewing some of the people who knew Kane they found that he investigated the youth he had previously arrested, Aaron Dunham the son of the Dunham family Roger Dunham and Claudia Dunham, a wealthy family who held a lot of power through good business deals around the country, they own Dunham Corp and expect their son to not only succeed in business but also in politics. When the police and FBI arrive to try and capture Ethan, Jack holds them off while Ethan and Diana get away.

Together Ethan and Diana break into the houses and offices of Erica Sims and Martin Thurman and take some papers and leave them in a motel room where they phone Malone and leave, Malone finds the paperwork and learns about Kane’s past with the Dunham family and becomes suspicious towards not only the Dunham’s but also the attorney’s and lawyers who were involved.

Malone has a new D.A. named Sydney Whales, and a new lawyer Ethan’s parents hired named Jon Roberts to take a second look at Ethan’s first case and finds that Thurman practically gave Sims an easy victory, and it was not the first time, and there times when Sims gave the defense an easy victory, rising Malone’s suspicions, especially when he finds out one of the arresting officers was Harold Slate, interrogating the Lawson’s they learn that Jacob never knew Aaron, and they believe that Ethan was the killer because he was jealous and upset that Molly wanted to date Jacob instead and are mad at Dawson for being the reason Ethan was released, and find out they plan to move soon and their home will be bought by a company for remodeling. Malone finds out the company is part of a major corporation owned by Dunham Corp. Remembering what Kane had said Ethan and Diana finds Kane’s deposit box, and finds circumstantial evidence of the Dunham’s bribery, and that Aaron is leading a gang of drug dealers and Ethan begins to wonder how Jacob was involved but realizes the people trying to kill him are Aaron’s dealers, Ethan and Diana take the box to Ethan’s parents, and run into some of Aaron’s followers and Ethan defeats them Diana is kidnapped.

Ethan leaves the evidence with Matt and Susan who take it to Malone who along with Baxter, Sutter and Dawson begin to gather evidence proving that Ethan is innocent and not only was some important evidence overlooked but that steps and procedures where on purposely ignored and Ethan was framed, Matt and Susan gave them the information their son and Diana found and they also begin to suspect the truth of Aaron Dunham’s illegal activities.

Ethan goes to Dunham manor and outs Aaron as a killer and rising drug dealer, and that his family had been protecting him in order to protect themselves, their reputations, and image. Aaron slips out while Ethan follows. Malone arrives and first has Roger and Claudia arrested and then goes one after Ethan and Aaron. Ethan and Aaron battle each other, and Aaron brags about the murders he had committed and how he can do whatever he wants and shows he now has Diana as a hostage.

Malone reveals he knows that Ethan is innocent and was framed, and that Aaron killed Jacob and others, and Aaron tries to kill him and is knocked down by Ethan and Diana is freed and Aaron is arrested. Malone, the Carter’s the Cameron’s, and others visit Chief Slate and when Slate angrily states that Ethan is a killer, dangerous and a psychopath, Malone asks if that is it or a dirty cop and shows evidence that points to him as dirty revealing that Slate had been taking bribes from the Dunham’s, and Slate and his wife admit Ms. Slate’s gambling habit and ended up going into debt, and had borrowed money from a bookie, and lost the money. The Dunham’s promised to clear the debts if he and others made sure Aaron would not look like a criminal and his followers would not get arrested to avoid them giving up Aaron for leniency and a shorter sentence, and that Judge Fagin, DA Simms, and Ethan’s own lawyer Thurman were bribed, and even the Dunham lawyers were involved with bribery to keep Aaron’s followers out, Slate even mentions that some arrested drug dealers had known of Aaron’s actions but were disbelieved thanks to the Dunham’s lawyers, Sims, and tampered evidence, and that they were even sold out, or bribed into silence, after that Slate admits that Jacob was one of Aaron’s dealers, and when Jacob got greedy and started hoarding the money and drugs to sell on his own, Aaron got mad, and when Jacob would not stop Aaron killed Jacob himself and thanks to his spies at the party, knew of the fight he and Molly had with Jacob found it easy to frame him. But kept some of the merchandise and money in his home, in a secret storage area that not even his parents know of, which is why the Dunham’s want the property: to find the drugs and money before anyone else does, Slate even admits that Will and the other people who tried to kill Ethan were either some of his drug gang, or had done business with him. Ethan finally realizes that Aaron and his gang feared or thought that during his prison time Ethan might have met or run into someone that was framed for Aaron, or had known something about Aaron’s work and slipped it to him and it would get police to investigate, and a majority of the people who tried to kill him or goaded and urged people to kill him were Aaron’s dealers.

When Malone asks about Roger and Claudia Dunham, Slate admits they believed it was merely a phase Aaron was going through and that it would pass, though Malone and the others don’t believe for a moment Aaron’s drug habit would pass on its own. Slate expresses guilt over what he had done, and shows he kept records of everything, and admits he was only trying to protect Ethan from Aaron’s dealers or Ethan would be killed, which Ethan criticizes.

Diana mentions that Kane had told her that evil prevails when good men do nothing and finally understands calling Slate a good man who did nothing and allowed criminals like Aaron Dunham to get away with their crimes, while Ethan states he is only what they made of him because of what Slate and others knew Ethan was innocent and that Aaron Dunham was dealing drugs and did nothing to stop Aaron but helped frame Ethan, Kane, and several others, and in the process ruined them and their families. Slate realizing it has caught up to him he surrenders his badge and allows himself to be arrested, Thurman, Simms, and Fagin are arrested along with Aaron’s followers the following day, Malone leads a raid on the Lawson household, and Ethan helps them find the drugs and money in a secret hiding place proving that Jacob was one of Aaron’s drug dealers, and drugs was the real reason he was killed.

Ethan’s name is cleared, and no charges are filed due to the circumstances of his situation that he was pushed into a corner by murders and the corrupt, Ethan is declared a hero, Aaron Dunham gets life in prison, his parents and those they bribed are jailed, Slate gets some leniency for his confession and testimony, Dunham Corp is ruined. Ethan’s friends try to reconcile, along with Molly (though she just wants the fame) along with the popular kids, only to reject them, Ethan finds Diana at the beach and when she mentions he might want to get back to his girlfriend, he tells her that he is already with his girlfriend and the two passionately kiss, implicating they are now in a relationship.