Detective Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg) is a three-year veteran in the New York City Police Department Cold case (criminology) Unit, privately consumed with investigating and finding the murderer of his wife Michelle and their infant child. Natasha, an acquaintance of one of Max's informants, is brutally murdered and Max's wallet (which she had stolen) is found at the crime scene. Max's former partner, Alex Balder, is murdered after telling Max he suspects that there is a connection between Natasha's murder and his wife's murder. Max then becomes the prime suspect in the case, now headed by Lt. Bravura of Internal Affairs.