Genre: Drama/Suspense
Director: Jean-Marc Vallee
Writer: Jacob Jones
Cast: Eric Bana, Michael B. Jordan, Mackenzie Foy, Anthony Turpel, Ty Simpkins, Nnamdi Asomugha
Plot: A scene of mass panic occurs at a local high school in Indiana as a SWAT team is flown over to track down a shooter. No time is spared as the cadets’ march toward the school, splitting into different groups to gain better ground. The leader of SWAT team assigns two members Carl (Eric Bana) and Thomas (Michael B. Jordan) on one of the groups and they head out. As Thomas leads the way, they come across the doors to a hallway and peak in finding one student running for his life as several shots are heard. A hint of desperation in his eyes, Carl almost enters the hallway but is restrained by Thomas who says they need to plan this accordingly. After a brief back and forth, Thomas bolts inside looking every which way before finding a trail of wounded students following it the best he can. Meanwhile, his partner can only keep guard outside and hope for the best. To him, it’s more than just lives on the line.
Four Months Ago:
It’s the 4th quarter of the big football game between the Manning High Jets and the Summer Valley Rams. The score 21-17. Third down with just twelve seconds on the clock. Denver Hopkins (Ty Simpkins) is going over strategy as the seconds tick down, settling for a vertical route with him aiming for wide receiver Andrew Race (Anthony Turpel). As the offensive scheme is formed, he looks over to his right and sees his dad cheering him on. But then his eyes start to follow a girl not far from his father. This distraction proves costly as he tries to keep pace with a defensive player but winds up being just out of reach as the game ends with an interception, sealing the win for the Rams.
Dejected, Andrew slumps over a locker room bench before Denver and their coach, Coach Pryter (Nnamdi Asomugha) confront him, asking what happened. He admits to being distracted and promises that it won’t happen again. He is then reminded that they have a chance to go to the playoffs and that they can’t afford any more slip-ups. Another teammate heckles Andrew, saying he got caught making ‘goo-goo eyes’ causing Denver to stand up for his friend and creating a tense three-way standoff which is broken up by Pryter. After a brief pep talk from coach, Andrew joins Denver by the parking lot and sees the girl again. After being lightly teased over earlier, she introduces herself as Katie (MacKenzie Foy). Denver then asks if he wants to join them for a tailgate party at his house. Andrew says he can't, his father's going to want him to do some of his homework. As he leaves, he takes one last look at Katie and smiles dreamily.
Present Time:
Thomas continues to follow the trail only to come across a crossroads. He looks both ways before going leftward. As he trudges onward, he gets an update on the situation. Eight dead and many more wounded. Hearing the gunshots grow louder, Thomas picks up the pace and is able to catch a glimpse of the gunman before he sees him and flees. Thomas reports the update to the SWAT team before going off to try and catch him. All the while, his mind is racing, hoping that it's not who he thinks he is.
Three Months Ago:
Andrew is shown walking down the school hallways before coming towards Denver and Katie. As the three chat, it's clear that there is some chemistry between her and Andrew, something Denver plays up to laughs. As the bell rings, Denver heads off leaving the two alone. It is there the two get to know one another better. Katie is a varsity cheerleader hoping to earn a degree in Physical Science while Andrew hopes to play in the NFL when he's older, though his dad wants him to be in the police force. The two then exchange Discord IDs and head off to class. For the rest of the day, Andrew's lust for Katie clouds his mind.
Present Time:
A figure hides inside the men's bathroom, cowering in a corner and softly weeping. Thomas comes across the bathroom and takes a glimpse at the figure. It's Katie. Despite his wishes to comfort her, he is asked to give an update on the situation. Last he's heard, ten people have been killed. Thomas then gives a parting look towards her before rushing off. Back outside Carl begins to worry for his partner, he usually solves cases quicker than this. His suspicions becoming ever more prevalent. His son may be the shooter. But then...he wouldn't be surprised.
Two Months Ago:
Andrew is shown in his room, lights dimmed as he plays a shooter game on his laptop, eating Cheetos at his stead and chatting with Katie on Discord. Carl then calls him to see him by the kitchen table. Irritated, Andrew heads over to see his father and finds his report card. Just passing by the skin of his teeth. He tells him that it's not up to his usual standard and asks him what's going on. Not wanting to expose himself, Andrew lies about the stress of football getting to him. This in spite of being named player of the game recently by Pryter. He then brings up the fact teachers say he's often caught writing poetry and doodling instead of listening to teachers. Andrew snaps, telling his father to mind his own business and storms off to his room, locking the door in the process.
The next day, Andrew is shown in the cafeteria telling his friends that he was grounded for a week with no computer. Despite the disappointment, his friends happily announce that they're going steady. Andrew fakes his happiness for them, being crushed on the inside. As his lust for Katie grows, his poetry becomes more descriptive and graphic in their content.
Present Time:
Carl can hear gunshots coming from inside. Fearing the absolute worst, he rushes inside and goes in search of Andrew. His search is then interrupted by the screams of someone, forcing him to change objectives and try to find the source of the voice.
One Month Ago:
As Andrew's obsession over Katie spirals further, his grades and performance on the field continue to suffer. After one especially bad game, Coach Pryter takes him aside and asks if he's been doing alright. Andrew admits he hasn't been 'on his game' recently and apologizes. As he does so, several players from the opposing team taunt him to no end, causing him to exclaim that at least he was dating someone. Everyone appears shocked by the outburst and when pressed further, he claims to be dating Katie.
The next day, all anyone can talk about is how Katie and Andrew (who coincidentally 'got sick') are dating, leading to malicious rumors about Katie's sex life and getting the nickname 'Kissing Katie'. That night, the two get into a heated argument on Discord which ends with her saying that she will never date him. Panicked, Andrew tries to contact her again and again only to receive no response. Mentally broken, Andrew writes one more poem in his journal, a disturbing look into his psyche called 'Kiss Me Katie'. As the thoughts of Katie seducing him taunt his mind, he rips several pages out of the journal in rage. After does so, he receives one final message from Denver, saying that if he ever comes across her again, he will kill him.
Present Time:
Carl comes inside the men’s bathroom, just missing an opportunity to confront the shooter. He walks in slowly and is horrified to find the lifeless, bloodied body of Katie as several of her friends gather together in hysterics. Carl tries to assure them that everything will be alright and runs off to find Thomas, evading anything he sees so he doesn't blow his cover. He contacts Thomas via walkie talkie asking him where he is. Thomas reports that he’s nearing the door to the opposite end of the hallway, he’s followed the trail up to this point but has been unable to locate the killer. He did, however, get a good enough glimpse of who he may be, explaining that he was wearing a black hoodie and jeans, something Andrew usually wears. Carl speeds off, trying desperately to find him.
One Week Ago:
Having grown the courage to return to school again, Andrew heads over to the school’s gym where a very angry Denver shoves him down to the ground and being forcibly restrained by players and Coach Pryter. Tensions remain high all practice as Denver refuses to even hand the ball to Andrew. Unwilling to let any turmoil come against his star quarterback and wide receiver before a crucial game versus the Indianapolis High Tornadoes, Coach Pryter sits the two down so they can talk about it. In the end, the two agree to put aside their differences for the game. Indeed they do just that as during the Jets’s opening drive, Andrew catches a 50 yard bomb for a touchdown. The game is fast and fierce with both offenses scoring left and right leading to a deadlock of 45-45 as overtime comes upon them. The Jets win the coin toss and elect to receive. An excellent kick return gives the Jets an opportunity to seal the game and make the playoffs.
And then, one of the other team's linebackers begins to heckle Denver over ‘Kissing Katie’ attempting to get into his mind. It works as he misfires a shot. The taunts continue throughout the drive and while Denver tries to snap out of it, it’s clear memories of the past few weeks are messing with him. The final straw comes when a defensive end says that Andrew would make a better boyfriend than Denver ever would, causing him to sling the ball as hard as he can, aiming for Andrew’s head only for it to be tipped and intercepted by someone from the other team. All the Jets can do is watch as he makes the touchdown, giving the Tornadoes the stunning victory and ending any playoff hopes for the Jets.
As the team makes their dejected walk to the locker room, Denver is unusually silent. Andrew tries desperately to talk to him, but to no use. Finally, Denver punches Andrew straight in the jaw, saying that this wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t lied about dating Katie. The next day, convinced that things will never be settled between the two, Andrew goes straight to Coach Pryter’s office and tells him that he’ll be dropping out of the team. Without giving a reason, Andrew exits the office and worried for his mental health calls Carl to explain the situation.
At home, Andrew is shown playing his shooter game when Carl comes up to him saying Pryter told him that he quit the team. Andrew tries to explain it, but it's clear Carl has had enough. He tells him that he's gonna march over to Pryter tomorrow morning and beg for his spot on the team back and that he won't get his computer privileges back until then. As Carl sits alone on a chair, he gets a call from Thomas and the two have an in-depth talk about Andrew's behavior. After listening to him rant about the last several weeks, Thomas tells Carl that he's being too hard on Andrew. After all, first love is often the hardest on a young adult. The two then talk about the hardships of life, eventually bringing up the death and funeral of Andrew's mother Rochelle. Noting how much he looked up to his mother, they both agree he was never the same after her death.
Inside his room Andrew wallows on his bed, his obsession having consumed him whole. He stares at his journal, fervently writing the word 'Katie' over and over again. It's at this point he finally realizes that he can't live like this any longer and writes a message to Pryter, begging for him to take him back on the team and to save him from what he's become.
Present Time:
Carl hides by several lockers when he hears several gunshots, after searching every possible way he gets a closeup of the shooter's back and sees Thomas and him battling for the gun. Thomas then sees his partner and baffled asks what he's doing here. Carl explains that he couldn't wait to see what would happen to his son and needed to stop him before he killed any further people. It is there the shooter sees him and puts the gun down, telling Carl that Andrew was indeed the murderer. Horrified, Carl goes down on his knees and begs the shooter for forgiveness, saying he'll do anything to make it up to him.
Before the shooter can say anything, a shaken voice rings out from by a trash can calling for his dad. He looks by the trash can and manages to find Andrew, having hidden by the can the whole time. Overjoyed, the father-son duo hug, but are soon confronted with the mystery of the shooter's identity. Thomas declares that at this point, it should be obvious and rips open the hoodie of the jacket to reveal Denver. After much interrogation from Carl and Thomas, he proceeds to tell his side of the story.
Yesterday:
Denver is shown lying on his bed in a frenzied state, not too similar to the ones Andrew was in/ The words 'Kissing Katie' echo through his head like a siren as Andrew's lie haunts him further. Realizing what he needs to do, he sneaks out of his house and gets inside his car, muttering to himself that he needs to 'save' Katie. Denver soon finds himself at Andrew's house where he tries to get in by sneaking through the back door. He looks around the living room, attempting to find a key. The search appears hopeless at first, but when he comes across a family picture of Andrew and his father, he finds on the backside the key, which he uses to open the lock to Carl's gun.
Present Time:
In the end, Denver declares that Andrew is the real murderer saying that his lies caused the deaths of not just Katie, but several others. Andrew finally cracks, apologizing profusely to his father for not telling him about anything as Thomas attempts to handcuff Denver. Denver is able to outmuscle him however and aims his gun ever so slightly towards Carl, saying that only he and Andrew remain on his list.
Andrew stops Denver at the last minute however, begging him to spare his father, sacrificing his own life in the process. Before he pulls the trigger however, Denver offers a genuine apology for the escalation of everything. With nothing more to lose, Andrew is shot and slowly dies in the warm embrace of Carl's hands as Thomas finally manages to handcuff Denver and send him away.
In Heaven:
A figure awakens from an unusual slumber, noticing his surroundings. For some reason he has found himself in a utopia filled with clouds, people and angels. One of the angels tells him that he has made it to heaven along with several others who sadly passed away in the shooting. He looks around the area, visibly in awe over not just the landscape but the fact he was even got here in the first place.
The angel then recalls his remorse and willingness to turn around when things were at their bleakest and that despite everything, she knew that he would do the right thing. He then hears another voice saying the same thing, soon stunned to find that it's Katie calling for him. Elated, he rushes to Katie and finally gets his kiss, confirming that he was indeed forgiven.
"Anyone can get a second chance, but it takes a good person to accept it. And after today, I think it's clear you're a good person Andrew."
The angel watches on as Andrew and Katie walk off hand in hand.
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