Genre: Action/Sci-Fi/Romance
Director: James Cameron
Writers: Jimmy Ellis & Chad Taylor
Cast: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Margot Robbie, Gary Oldman, Dave Bautista, Holly Hunter, Ana de Armas, Zeljko Ivanek, Virginie Efira
Plot: Malcolm Henry (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) gets out of an SUV in a hurried fashion as his platoon are being fired upon. He takes cover behind sandbags, before turning to check on his fellow soldiers. As he is asking if the men are okay, a grenade explodes nearby and the impact sends him flying backward. Lucky for Malcolm, he was covered by something. He coughs the sand out of his face before getting back up to return fire. Men all around him drop to the ground, dead. Malcolm throws a grenade in the direction of the onslaught, as well as a smoke grenade. He turns to retreat but a fellow soldier calls out for help. Malcolm runs back and picks the soldier up. He runs him over to the bunker and puts his mate inside. That split second was all it took for him to be shot. Malcolm holds his neck as blood rushes from it. A soldier manages to pull him inside to safety.
In a glossed over vision, Malcolm sees a girl (Ana De Armas) standing in front of him. He asks her where they are. She tells him that they are everywhere. Malcolm gives off an odd look. She tells him to come closer, Malcolm begins stepping forward. The Girl kisses Malcolm, once the kiss finishes, Malcolm gasps for air.
Malcolm wakes in a hospital bed. He feels an immense pain as he looks down at his wounds, wrapped up and healing. A montage begins of him going through rehab in the military hospital, progressively regaining his strength. He is visited in the hospital by Holt (Dave Bautista), his former superior officer and now friend. Holt asks Malcolm how he is feeling and then says that there is a new assignment for him when ready. Malcolm jokingly flexes his muscles and says that he’s always ready.
In Langley, Virginia, Malcolm and Holt enter a well-guarded wing of CIA headquarters where they meet with Lynn Christensen (Holly Hunter), Holt’s boss. Lynn welcomes Malcolm back and asks how he is feeling. Holt turns to Malcolm and tells him not to flex his muscles. Malcolm laughs and tells Lynn that he is doing well. She pulls out a file and says she has a new job for their number one agent. Branko Dedić (Zeljko Ivanek), an extremist head-of-state of Slovenia, will be in Brussels to stand before the European Union to face potential sanctions for violating the EU’s anti-terrorism agenda. Lynn says that he rarely leaves the country and so they will be utilizing this opportunity to assassinate him. “Assassinate?” Malcolm asks. Lynn says that the CIA believes that Dedić’s administration appears to be in possession of a mass-level chemical weapons. Malcolm asks if that what he is being punished for. Lynn says it is, but they can’t take any chances. The Agency have a regime-in-waiting that they will be able to implement for stability once Dedić is dead.
Brussels. On the day before Dedić’s trial, Malcolm scopes out the layout of the job ahead. He is going to hit Dedić on his way into the EU and it is imperative that no one else is hit or else it could lead to drastic consequences for the Agency. In order to give him a better idea of who will be entering around the same time, he has a list of politicians and figures that will be taking part in the hearing. Foremost is Klaas van Leur (Gary Oldman), a Belgian politician who oversees the anti-terrorism committee.
Malcolm wakes up in the morning and begins his daily workout. He receives a call from Holt and they go over the itinerary for the day and the marks he needs to hit. The equipment is all set up on a rooftop for him. At the train station, he has his headphones in as he listens to music to calm his nerves. A man scurries past him and he looks up briefly but then back down at his phone. A woman (Margot Robbie) then runs up to Malcolm and says that she just saw that man pickpocket him. Malcolm reaches down to his pants and realizes his wallet is missing. He then looks up to the woman with a slight smile, impressed that she caught that. “Well what are you waiting for? Let’s go get him!” she says.
They sprint through the train station to track down the thief. They eventually reach a large shopping mall and lose him amongst the crowd. Malcolm is angry at himself for not being more cognizant but the woman says it happens to everyone. He can tell from her accent that she’s not from around here and she tells him she’s from Australia but here on a work trip. He then begins to ask her what she does before realizing he hasn’t even asked her name. She giggles and says she’s Olivia. Olivia spots a café and asks if he’d like to get a drink. She says she’ll even pay and gives him a knowing wink. He smiles but then looks up at the time and says that he actually got somewhere to be. He profusely apologizes before making his way back to the train station. He turns around and shouts “I’m Malcolm, by the way!”.
At the station, Malcolm realizes that he has missed his train. He begins to panic and chooses to run to his destination instead. He receives a message from Holt asking if he is in position but he does not respond. He reaches the destination and makes his way to the rooftop but, by the time he gets up there, he realizes that Dedić has already entered the building. He hears footsteps coming and makes a quick exit down a fire escape. Multiple security agents reach the rooftop and discover Malcolm’s set-up.
Malcolm is now getting calls from both Holt and Lynn and ignores them both. He kills time in Brussels, trying not to be seen while figuring out what his next move is. He eventually finds a nightclub that he chooses to lay-low in. The pulsating lights and dancefloor are not for him so he retreats to the bar. While ordering his drink, he notices the woman (Virginie Efira) trying to hide her tears. He instinctively orders one for her as well. She says that is kind but she’s OK. He asks her what is wrong and she says that she just discovered her husband has been cheating on her for the last three years. She asks if he is married and when he says no, she advises him not to waste his time. He laughs and then compliments her expensive dress. She sighs and says it is so uncomfortable and she’d give anything to be out of it right now.
In the luxurious bathroom, they are now passionately kissing. He begins to take off her dress and kiss her breasts but she points for him to go lower. He gets on his knees and lifts up her dress from the bottom. As he removes her underwear, she grabs her dress and then proceeds to wrap it around Malcolm’s head. He tries to get up but she locks him down in place using her legs. He gasps for air and tries to put up a fight but eventually loses consciousness.
Malcolm and The Girl sit across from one another at a café. The girl’s smile is infectious as the two of them laugh. The girl looks down at her hand, showing a ring on her finger.
Malcolm has water splashed on his face to wake him up. As he spits the water out of his face he finds himself tied up onto a chair. Standing before him is a man that he saw earlier at Dedic’s trial. The man acts in a joyous manner at the awakening of Malcolm. He even thanks him by name. Malcolm is unsure about how he knows his name. The man says that it was rude of him not to introduce himself, he introduces himself as Klaas van Leur. Malcolm wants to know what he wants with him. Klaas tells him not to play dumb before getting closer and whispering that he knows who he is. He goes on to say that he had his counter-intelligence team look him up, his name is Malcolm Henry, former special forces turned CIA operative, his handler's name is Holt, his director, Lynn Christensen. He continues saying that his team found his equipment, it looks like he was there to kill someone, but no-one died. Klaas then asks if he wants to hear the real fun part. Malcolm tells him not really which causes Klaas to act upset. “I know someone who is dead.”
Klaas has his mistress, Saskia, the woman from earlier step out. Klaas kisses her. He then tells her to pull up the file. On the screen shows Malcolm with the words over his name, Killed In Action. Malcolm is confused, stating that he obviously is alive. Klaas smiles before saying that’s what the CIA want him to think. Malcolm reads off the screen that while at war, in Afghanistan, Malcolm’s platoon came under attack. Malcolm acted courageously to save a member of his platoon from certain death, and, in doing so tragically lost his own life. He left behind a wife. Klaas then tells him that he is nothing but a robot or, even worse, a puppet. As Klaas has been talking however, Malcolm has been cutting his binds. Malcolm stands with his feet still tied together and punches Klaas in the face. He then bends to cut his feet. He steals a gun from a henchmen close to him and begins walking backwards, aiming at Klaas. He tells them to let him go and they live. Klaas tells them to lower their weapons, holding Saskia back. As Malcolm backs out, Klaas yells “À tout à l'heure.”
As Malcolm exits the building he begins to panic, he believes someone is following him so he tries to shake them. He then hides behind a wall and jumps out to pin someone to the ground. It turns out to be Olivia, who is scared. Malcolm repeatedly apologises to her, saying he thought someone was after him. She tells him that it is fine. Four men then run around the corner with guns. Malcolm takes Olivia’s hand and asks if she trusts him. She says yes. The two of them run away from the four men with guns. They use backstreets to steer the men away.
At a moment of reprieve, Malcolm asks her how she found him. She holds up his wallet and says she found it on the ground shortly after he left the mall. She’d tried to follow him and return it but…he’s been a little busy. He says he doubts that story and thinks she just wanted to see him again. She smiles and doesn’t disagree. When she asks who those men back there were, he says he does not really know. But they told him something that he could not shake. He explains the story about his death that Klaas told him. She asks if he believes what they told him. Malcolm says that he didn’t initially but the thought has been lingering with him. He is then interrupted by another call from Lynn. This time he answers it. She asks what the hell happened with the job and he says that he wants to meet with her. She agrees and tells him to meet her in Paris. Once he hangs up, Olivia asks who that was. Malcolm says it’s the person that would know the truth. He tells her he needs to be leaving again but she says that she wants to come with. He tells her she does not need to do that but she says it has already been quite the day so what’s another adventure? Plus she’s never seen Paris before.
Olivia and Malcolm arrive at a dock in Paris, their destination to meet with Lynn. They are surprised to learn that Lynn has stood him up and instead sent Holt. Holt stands before the two of them, asking what it is they wanted to talk about. Malcolm asks him if it’s true, if he is really dead. Holt tells him not to be ridiculous, how could he be dead when he is standing right in front of him. He tells him of what Klaas had told him earlier. Holt stands silent. “Were we really ever friends? Do I even know you? Who are you really?” are questions Malcolm throws Holt’s way. Holt tries to apologise but tells him that it was in his best interest not to know. Malcolm insists that he needs to know. He needs to know everything. Holt looks at Olivia who looks back at him. Holt shakes his head, “no you don’t.” He flips Malcolm over his body and pins him to the ground. Malcolm yells to Olivia to run. Malcolm bats his hand away from his face and slides under his body to get up. He kicks Holt to the ground. Holt quickly gets up and charges at Malcolm, tackling him to the ground. The two of them reach for their guns and aim it at each other. Holt grimaces throwing his gun away, as does Malcolm. The two of them then go back toward each other, Holt picks Malcolm up and slams him onto a boat. The two of them then brawl through the boat. Malcolm ends up grabbing a piece of rope and tying Holt’s hand to the boat. Malcolm punches him in the face repeatedly, eventually knocking Holt out. Malcolm runs off the boat and to Olivia, he tells her they need to go, now. He sends a picture of Holt’s location to Lynn.
Malcolm and Olivia stay overnight in a hostel. Malcolm begins to toss and turn in his sleep.
Malcolm sees The Girl once more. She is in a beautiful wedding dress, himself in a suit. He holds her hands on the altar and the celebrant tells him that he may kiss the bride. Malcolm and The Girl kiss.
Malcolm wakes from his sleep, waking Olivia as well. She asks him if he is okay. He tells her that he has been having these dreams of a woman. Well, they feel more like memories, like he knows the woman. She asks what the dreams are. He tells her that he feels this woman may be his widow. Olivia places a hand on his shoulder and tells him that they will figure it out and to go back to sleep.
Malcolm is woken by the screams of Olivia; somebody has grabbed her as she kicks to try and break free. Malcolm is knocked out with the butt of a rifle. When he wakes up again, a note has been left for him on the bed. “If you want your little girlfriend back, you will meet with me in Slovenia. The home of Branko Dedić, we will talk business. À tout à l'heure." Malcolm, feeling guilty for getting Olivia caught up in his mess, grabs his gear and heads to an airport nearby. At the airport he pulls out his CIA badge and tells them he is going to need to commandeer a plane, he does not care on the condition, it just needs to be able to fly. They probably won’t get it back in one piece.
An old plane is brought out for Malcolm with almost a rusty look to it. He says that it will do and jumps in it, ready to fly to Slovenia. We see a few shots of Malcolm flying the plane before he lands. In this alone time, he tries to recall memories from his life but is finding it difficult.
On the runway, Klaas and Dedić await his arrival, alone. Malcolm steps off the plane with his hands in the air. He wants to know if Olivia is safe. Klaas tells him that in good time he will see her again. Dedić approaches him and pats him down, pulling out all the weapons he has on him. He then handcuffs Malcolm’s hands and blindfolds him.
The three of them arrive at a nuclear weapons facility where men with guns roam the halls. Dedić takes the blindfold off Malcolm. Klaas says that he has been creating nuclear weapons for many years now here in Slovenia, and he intends it to keep it that way. He says that the regime that the CIA have ready to takeover from Dedić isn’t willing to give him the same freedom. As such, he was always going to find Branko not guilty of the charges the EU were pressing against him. As he speaks they continue walking deeper into the base. They then see a giant nuclear missile, making everybody look small. However, Klaas adds, now his creations have been built he no longer needs Dedić. Klaas grabs a gun and shoots Dedić, killing him. A muffled scream can be heard and Klaas jumps in joy. He motions for Malcolm to follow him. As Klaas isn’t looking, Malcolm bends over to Dedić’s corpse and grabs a knife from its sheathe. He places it in his boot.
Entering a secure room, Malcolm runs straight over to the tied-up Olivia. Klaas kicks Malcolm to the ground, telling him this is where the real fun begins. He places a helmet on Olivia’s head and tells them that this is a brand-new electric chair. He says that 5 shocks at level 1 will kill a person. He asks how many Olivia is willing to take before she tells the truth. Malcolm yells out for Klaas to stop, his quarrel is with him, not Olivia. Klaas shocks her, she lets out a scream. Klaas even flinches before smiling and getting excited by it. At this time, Malcolm has dislocated his thumb and moved his hand through the handcuff. Olivia remains adamant she has no idea what Klaas is talking about. He shocks her once more. Malcolm throws the knife at the one guard in the room, he runs toward Klaas and tackles him to the ground, he punches him a few times, before an alarm is sounded. Malcolm unties Olivia asking if she is okay, she nods her head. He tells her to hide behind the control board as he grabs the dead guards gun. The door of the room opens and 10 men stand on the other side, Malcolm opens fire at the men, mowing 6 down. The other four hide on either side of the door. Malcolm runs and slides on his back out the door and kills all 4. He grabs two of their guns before running back to grab Olivia. He asks her if she is up for adventure. “Always.”
As the two of them run through the compound they become surrounded by soldiers. Malcolm tells Olivia to get down. He spins around her with his two automatic rifles, shooting the soldiers on top of the runway. They too shoot down at Malcolm, he is hit many times but he manages to keep spinning and shooting them. All of the men on the runway drop dead but Malcolm too drops to the ground. Klaas, looking on, smiles with his work here done.
Malcolm lays on the ground staring up at the ceiling, his breaths getting slower. Olivia kneels down to cradle him. She tries to see if there is something medically she can do to help but he says it is too late. She holds his face in her hands as tears begin rolling down her face. “It’s me, Malcolm. I’m your widow. I’ve loved you for 13 years and I will continue to love you until the day I die.” Malcolm, still struggling to breathe, uses some of his last bits of strength to bring his head forward and passionately kiss Olivia. A realization washes over his face and the last thing he says is “call Lynn” before succumbing to his wounds.
Olivia, frantic, quickly grabs Malcolm’s phone and rings Lynn. Lynn picks up and Olivia tells her that Malcolm has been killed. Lynn asks what she wants her to do about it, he turned his back on his country. Olivia pleads with her to help, she is the one that made him live again in the first place. An injured Holt is in the room with Lynn and leaves, just as Lynn hangs up the phone.
After a few moments, the phone receives a call from Holt. Olivia answers the phone. He begins by apologising. This last decade must’ve been difficult but it is about to be even more difficult. He asks her how he died. She tells him that he was riddled with bullets. He tells her that she will need to flip him onto his stomach, she will need to get to the back of his neck. He asks if she has a knife nearby. She looks around and sees a fallen soldier, she looks through his pants and finds a knife there. Holt tells her she will need to cut open the back of his neck. Tears run from her face as she does so. A chip in his neck has a countdown, the timer is down to 30 seconds. Holt tells her its now going to be like hotwiring a car, she will need to break the top of the chip and connect two opposite wires. Olivia knocks the top off and connects the wires. The timer stops at 3 seconds. Malcolm’s blood loss begins to stop, his mouth opens slightly as he lets in a small breath.
Malcolm sits up, eyes wide open. He looks to Olivia and asks who she is and where they are. She pauses, unsure of what to say in the moment. He then cracks a smile and kisses her once more, saying they have a job to finish.
Klaas and the remaining of his men board the plane that Malcolm arrived in now that Klaas’s is riddled with bullets. Before it takes off, Malcolm and Olivia are able to sneak onboard through a compartment in the back. They quietly make their way through the back half of the plane, taking out Klaas’s men from behind. When they reach first class, Klaas jokingly says “well this isn’t the drink I ordered”. He asks Malcolm what his gameplan is from here. Go back to being the CIA’s test dummy? Or not and be hunted by the largest military in the world? He offers them a deal: in Brussels, he will arrange them new IDs and they can live out their days there anonymously. He could even tell them the best spots to eat. All they have to do is let him go. Malcolm looks to Olivia for an extended period of time, contemplating the choice.
The silence is broken by the pilot repeatedly calling Klaas’s name. Malcolm says he’s heard enough of Klaas’s talking in the last few days and it is his turn to speak. He says that one thing he forgot to mention is that he was going to need to refuel before he left Slovenia. Malcolm then grabs the remaining parachutes and tells Klaas “À tout à l'heure.” He turns to Olivia and asks if she trusts him but before she can respond, Klaas lunges towards them but is swiftly met by a right-hand punch from Olivia. She then turns to Malcolm and says he already knows the answer to that one. He opens the emergency exit door and they leap out with their parachutes as the plane begins to descend into farmland.
On the ground, Malcolm calls in the location of the nuclear facility to Lynn and lets her know that Dedić is dead. She thanks him and asks him one last time to come back to base. Malcolm declines. Lynn turns to one of her agents and tells them to activate the Qerida Protocol.
Malcolm and Olivia are on the train, getting as far away as they can from everything spy related. The train stops and they get off at that platform. Malcolm spots a nearby café and Malcolm asks if the previous offer is still on the table. However, his smile is broken when he looks closer and sees The Girl sitting in the café, intently smiling at him back.
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