American Heart is a 1992 drama film directed by Martin Bell and starring Jeff Bridges and Edward Furlong. It was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award in a number of categories and won in the Best Male Lead category.

Plot

Jack Kelson has just been released from prison in Seattle after serving a five-year sentence for robbing a jewelry store. His 14-year-old son Nick, whose mother has been dead for many years, is in desperate need of a father and arrives at the prison to meet him, but he is rebuffed. Nick persists on tagging along with Jack and the two take up residence at a cheap hotel. Over time, the two settle into a push-and-pull relationship. Jack tries to resist the pleas of his ex-partner Randy to return to robbery and finds a job downtown as a window washer. He also makes a phone call to a woman named Charlotte and they meet up at the hotel. It is revealed Charlotte had been writing letters to Jack while he was incarcerated, through the prison's publication American Heart where prisoners can solicit correspondence. Jack talks about moving to Alaska for a new life, but is not sure if he wants to bring Nick with him. Just as it appears Nick will be joining his father, he feels increasingly drawn to the life of crime his father is trying to avoid.