The Bounty Hunter
Genre: Action
Director: Zack Snyder
Writer: Jacob Jones
Cast: Chris Evans, Mackenzie Davis, Michael Cimino, Maya Hawke, Redding Munsell, Zach Roerig
Plot: Inside a small venue, a middle-aged man sits in his corner, cuts and bruises ravaging his face as he breathes heavily. He looks up to examine his opponent, chipper and young compared to him. He sighs, standing up, preparing to fight. In the background, an announcer claims that Frank (Chris Evans), the older fighter, was once a world champion. But now?
“OH MY GOODNESS! DOWN IN A FLASH!”
Frank crumples to the ground, immediately falling to the younger fighter. Frank tries to stand up, but nearly stumbles over himself. The younger fighter pounces, delivering a couple final blows to Frank. Frank tries to cover up, but he goes down, the referee’s count merely an echo…
“Frank? Are you okay?”
Now at the hospital, Frank opens his eyes, coming face to face with his wife Angela (Mackenzie Davis) and child Peter (Redding Munsell). Frank claims that he’s been through worse, but there’s little emotion in his voice. Angela tells him that he can’t keep doing this to himself. He’s not the man he once was. A tense silence grows between both spouses before Frank relents, admitting that this might have been his last fight. Angela assures him that he’ll find something new, the two exchanging a kiss.
The next day, Frank makes his official. He’s retiring from boxing. That afternoon, Frank is cleared from the hospital. As Angela drives the family home, Frank looks out at the city, the sun setting on the skyscrapers. Once the family reaches home, Frank tells Angela that he’ll pick up dinner later. He needs some time for himself.
Frank wanders about his town, aimlessly shuffling through society, paying little attention to anything. The mood shifts however when Frank hears a disturbance, finding a young woman being menaced by a crook (Zach Roerig) carrying her purse. Wanting to bring a sense of Justice, Frank charges toward the crook, slamming him towards a building before sending a warning.
“You fuck with this woman, I’ll see to it you’re six feet under, you got that?
The crook feins understanding, only to kick Frank in the shin, breaking his grip. The crook doesn’t go far, however, before being grabbed by the shirt by Frank and repeatedly elbowed on the back of his neck. Eventually, Frank rips the purse from the lowly crook’s hands and throws it to the lady. Enraged, The crook tries lunging after Frank, only to be caught and thrown onto a vehicle. He soon finds that the vehicle in question is a police car.
Frank sits inside the police department’s office, pondering his plight before an officer comes up to him. After giving the officer an explanation, Frank attempts to apologize, but the officer tells him not to worry. They’ve been on the hunt for the purse thief for months now, even putting out a thousand dollar bounty. The officer asks Frank if he’s ever considered being a bounty hunter. Frank isn’t sure what that entails, but says that he’ll think about it, asking if he’d qualify for the bounty.
“We’ll see what happens.”
That evening, Frank returns home to a relieved Angela asking him where he’s been. Frank doesn’t give an explanation, only saying that he needs to study, taking the walk to their bedroom, pulling out his phone and searching the term “bounty hunter”.
The next day, Frank returns to the police department, announcing his intent to become a bounty hunter. To test his moxie, the officers put him through a training progress, teaching him how to work with weapons and going over the examination process. He struggles at first, but as the days pass by, Frank finds himself growing more comfortable with the bounty hunter lifestyle, eventually earning his license. Now officially a bounty hunter, Frank goes over his first official case, a $100,000 bounty on a man who has eluded the legal system for several years.
“A man and his rat.” The officer claims.
Out in the rural parts of town, surrounded by an embarrassment of riches, a young man passionately makes out with his girlfriend when they hear door knocks. The man slinks his way towards the front door, standing face to face with a landlord. Not only gave they not paid their rent, they’re set to repossess all of their belongings and evict them.
The young man, named Tony (Michael Cimino) by the landlord feins shock, claiming to have the check for him, but once he leaves, the landlord is immediately shot in the head by his girlfriend. As the landlord collapses onto the ground, Tony embraces his precious Rat (Maya Hawke) before making an announcement. Tomorrow, they’re going to leave this dump and pull a hit on the mayor. He’s going to be delivering a speech declaring for another tenure. Rat is ecstatic, making plans in regards to the weaponry. Tony warns her not to get excited. They need to plan so that no one thinks of suspecting them…
“Crime’s only as good as your disguise, and baby, we’re the masters of them.” Tony states.
In the other side of town, Frank tucks Peter in for the night when he comes across Abigail, who is both happy and relieved that Frank is busy with the child. As the two walk toward the kitchen, Abigail asks Frank how the bounty hunting business is going.
“Pretty good, though the fact that so many people keep skipping court is kinda wild.” Frank admits before letting Abigail in on some news. The mayor is going to deliver a speech tomorrow. He’s not sure why, but something tells him that trouble may be lurking, so he’s going to stop by City Hall to keep an eye on things.
Early next morning, the mayoral security team prepares themselves for the big day. Two younger personnel however are unaware that Tony and Rat have snuck into the hall, dressed up to look like security themselves. Tony claims that it’s their first day on the job. While a crowd gathers together to hear the mayor’s big speech, Frank gets his briefing from the head of security, who thanks him for the added assistance. As the speech continues, Frank keeps an eye out for security, standing between the people and the mayor’s podium. His eyes turn towards Tony, his arms behind his back as Frank finds, to his shock, that Tony has a gun. One that he’s set to shoot at any moment…
“MAYOR, HE’S GONNA SHOOT!” Frank cries out to the mayor. With the disguise foiled, Tony shoots at the mayor, who barely dodges out of harm’s way. Frank charges towards Tony, wrestling the gun away from him, only for Rat tackle him to the ground, landing some punches before being chased off by security. Tony and Rat flee the scene, but while Frank is being helped up, he looks at Tony, seeing how familiar looks compared to his mug.
Frank is on the news again that afternoon, being interviewed by local press on the event. After the mayor thanked him for the warning, Frank alerted him to launch an investigation on the perpetrators responsible. Something tells him that this is far from over…
“YOU’RE DAMN RIGHT IT’S NOT OVER!” Tony shouts, throwing his remote at the TV. He rants about how Frank ruined everything and that the next time he sees him, he’ll—
“Sweetie, you’re cute, but maybe leave the threats to me.” Rat quips. She wonders what they’ll do now that they’ve been found out by the authorities. Tony declares that they’ll be bold and track down the person who ruined their plan and make sure they keep their mouths shut. Rat thinks this plan is ridiculous, but goes along with it when Tony promises that if the time comes, she can kick his head off. The two slink off, finalizing their plans.
For the next few days, Frank is hot on the trail for Tony and Rat, but is unable to find a lead. During a drive, he receives a call from Angela and Peter and heads out of the car. They haven’t heard anything from them either. Frank wonders if maybe they’ve given up, only to hear a “psst” coming from a nearby cafe. Suspicious, Frank walks up to a man wearing a suit that is best described as “a 50s detective who joined a gang”. The figure explains that he has a tip regarding Tony and Rat, having heard of their whereabouts. He also reveals that the two are burglars of the highest order, thieving people out of their items thanks to Tony’s cunning intellect and Rat’s physical prowess.
This information, while valuable, does leave Frank to openly question: “How do you know so much about them?” He follows up by asking the mysterious figure knows Tony personally, only for him to take off his bandana and reveal…
“I am him!”
Tony grabs at Frank’s shirt collar and warns him to stay out of their business, or they’ll make him a mantle-piece. Frank breaks free, hitting Tony like a hard right. Tony proceeds to sprint inside the cafe, Frank following suit. What follows is a pier-six brawl as Tony throws several chairs at Frank, the bounty hunter dodging each one of them, even saving an innocent woman from being hit by one. Frank grabs onto the chalkboard revealing today’s specials and chucks it towards Tony, only to be caught by Rat who proceeds to break the board into two, grabbing onto two sharp shards of wood.
Tony charges toward Frank, pinning him towards the wall and pulling out a hammer. Rat steps toward Frank, placing the shard of wood on top of his forehead. Tony gives Frank one last out. Either stay out of their business or be taken out of the equation. In an act of desperation, Frank squirms about, trying to use his legs to kick at Rat. He succeeds, causing Rat to lose balance and drops her second shard on the floor. Tony and Frank dive for the shard, Frank claiming hold of the shard and the hammer. Before Frank can do anything, however, Rat chucks a chair through the glass window, breaking it and giving them an opportunity for escape.
That evening, a frustrated Frank returns home, venting about how he was so close to putting Tony and Rat away. Angela assures him that all isn’t lost and that he’ll get another chance soon. Frank hopes so, and walks off to reflect on the situation. He sits on his bed, combing over how the two criminals got away, realizing that he could have been killed. He writes down his to-do list for tomorrow. Chief among them? Buy some firearms in case they try anything like that again.
On the other side of town, Tony is on the verge of completing a dox of their target, Frank, quietly nodding and writing down plans for tomorrow.
Early next morning, Frank is finalizing a purchase for his new guns when he receives a phone call from Angela who urges him to come home now. They’ve not only been burgled, she’s convinced that the thieves are still in the house. Frank wastes no time, storming out of the gun store and driving off.
In a cross-cutting montage alongside Frank’s desperate drive home, Angela and Peter come across Tony and Rat, who claim to be part of a ‘moving company’. Peter exposes the lie quickly when he spots his favorite stuffed animal in Tony’s hand. Rat breaks the facade further by calling him a “little brat”, causing Angela to step in and defend her child. Angela and Tony get into a brief shoving match…
…by the time Frank returns home, he finds that the kitchen is in ruins with dishes being thrown around. Angela meanwhile has been knocked out cold. Frank rushes to her aid, doing his best to wake her up. Angela coughs up blood, barely coming back to consciousness, revealing that they took Peter hostage. She tried to save him but Rat was too strong. Frank tells her not to worry. He’ll find the bastards and get Peter home. Frank sits Angela up on the couch and heads out.
As Frank drives all over town, Tony and Rat come across an abandoned building, several stories tall and unoccupied. Tony grabs onto the terrified Peter, still squirming about in a desperate attempt to break free. Rat kicks open the door and the two step inside, climbing up the stairs until finally they reach the roof-top. Peter begs them to take him home, but Tony is unwilling, explaining that “daddy has been real naughty to us, so we need to be naughty back”. In this case, Rat’s going to throw Peter onto the concrete. Before Rat can get her hands onto Peter, he bolts off, running around in circles to tire her out. Eventually, however, Tony slaps him on the face, causing him to fall down and land on his right arm. Rat picks Peter up by the waist, prepared to send him to his death when he sees a group of cars appearing on the horizon. Peter calls out for help, praying that his father is out there somewhere.
The police demand that Tony and Rat stand down and let the child go. Tony asks what they’re going to do about it.
“It’s not what…but who!”
The scene comes to a halt as Tony and Rat glance over towards the other side and find Frank. Not only has he alerted the police about what’s happened, but he’s come to save his son. Tony thinks it’s a little late for that and almost tells Rat to pull the trigger, only for Frank to pull out his new gun, threatening to shoot if they don’t comply. Tony feigns defeat, claiming that they’re ready to comply with all of Frank’s demands…
…only for Rat to throw Peter onto the rooftop and charge at Frank. He shoots at her, the thief dodging every bullet before tackling Frank to the ground, landing a few shots in the process. Tony pulls Rat off of Frank, getting in his own punches. Tony yanks the gun away from Frank, turning it towards him and Peter. To him, this is a better way of putting an end to Frank and his kid. All seems lost for Frank, when something comes to mind…
“...before you shoot Tony, I want to ask you something. Do you know a man named The Tank?” Frank explains that a long time ago, there was a man who dominated the world of boxing thanks to his sheer physical presence, able to knock opponents out without any question. He ruled the boxing world for many years, until finally, the years of wear and tear wore him down and he had to retire.
“What, that your Dad or something?” Tony asks, watching as Frank rises to his feet.
“No…I am Tank. Frank…the Tank!”
Feeling a new sense of adrenaline, Frank charges towards Tony, hitting him with several jaw-jacking punches, turning the clock back several years in the process. Rat tries to stop him, but Peter kicks her in the shin, leaving it between Frank and Tony. Tony tries to fight back, but without Rat to serve as his shield, he stands no chance. Eventually, Tony is backed towards the edge of the roof, dropping his gun when he realizes where he’s at. Frank steps up to Tony, delivering one final punch that sends him tumbling off the building, crashing onto the top of a police car in the process.
Frank turns his attention towards Peter, who rushes up to him and gets a hug. Frank is relieved that Peter is safe, but among seeing Rat come to her senses, tells him to go with the police. As Peter runs out, Rat stalks behind Frank, the bounty hunter unaware…
All of a sudden, Frank feels a sharp, piercing pain in his back and crumples to the ground. Rat lets out a roar, having placed a knife deep into his back. She pulls it out of his back and sets Frank up, forcing him towards the edge of the building. With Tony unconscious, Rat feels that there’s only one thing to do.
“If you’re taking us down, we’re taking you with us!” Rat exclaims as she throws herself and Frank off the building…
…At the last moment, however, a group of policemen come together, grabbing Frank into the process. As for Rat, she slams onto the concrete, having missed the police cars, killing her instantly.
Frank takes a look around him, unable to hear clearly. He sees Tony being taken away by police, then looks at Rat’s limp body before finally seeing Peter’s face as he contorts in fear over what’s happening to him.
Then, he passes out.
“Frank? Are you okay?”
Frank has returned to where he started, sitting inside the hospital, having been treated for a stab wound on his back. Frank tells Angela that he’s fine, causing Angela and Peter to give him a warm hug, tears streaming down their faces. They’re all thankful to be alive, and there’s even more good news. Frank has earned his $100,000 bounty for the capture of Tony. Peter asks Frank what he’s going to do with all that money…
Several months later…
Inside the same building where Frank saved Peter from Tony and Rat, a group of young kids, including Peter, are learning how to defend themselves in the event of trouble. Frank watches on, now serving as head instructor. Angela sneaks up behind him, saying that it was nice of him to donate the money towards making the building a safer place, but wonders what this means for his bounty hunting career. Frank assures her that he’s still a bounty hunter…
“...but I’m taking easier cases from now on. Besides, I think one battle for my life is enough for me.”
Angela and Peter both chuckle and share a kiss, watching their students practice their craft.
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