The film is told primarily in Flashback (narrative), as the film first follows a hitman, Critical Jim (Tim Allen), who follows and holds at gunpoint a man he believes is Cletis Tout - but who actually is Finch (Christian Slater). Because Critical Jim is so fond of film noir and other classic films (such as ''Casablanca (film)'' and ''Breakfast at Tiffany's (film)''), he's willing to listen to Finch as he tells his story, imagining it as a film in progress. Finch obliges, explaining how he got to be mistaken for Cletis Tout.