Victims
Genre: Drama
Director: Spike Lee
Writer: Jacob Jones
Based on the 1974 Iranian film, The Deer
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Donald Glover, Zoe Kravitz, Winston Duke, Wesley Snipes, Barkhad Abdi
Plot: Chicago, Illinois: 1991
Two black kids are outside, playing with one another. That evening, they lie on the grass and look at the stars. Jackson asks Terry if they’re going to be friends forever. Terry smiles, saying that they’ll always be together.
Chicago, Illinois: 2022
Among the streets of Chicago, a man walks alone, carrying a stash of cocaine and heroin with him. This is Jackson (Michael B. Jordan). He’s minding his business when his employer (Barkhad Abdi) comes up to him, harshly stating that he’s late on his pay. Jackson meekly says that he’ll pay him back later. His employer has been waiting two weeks for the money and it’s clear he keeps wasting it on those ‘wack-ass white boy drugs’. He rips the stash from Jackson’s hand and the two wrestle for it.
Not long into the fight, a police car rolls in, and the officer storms out, revealing his gun. The officer chases after Jackson, firing multiple warning shots. Jackson keeps running only to trip over himself and sprain his knee. The officer steps up to Jackson only for a man to jump in and be shot in his place. Petrified, Jackson looks at the man, his face looking familiar. He doesn’t have long however as the man tells him to save himself. Jackson does so, bolting far away from the officer as he switches his focus. What he doesn’t know is that the man that saved his life was his old friend Terry (Donald Glover).
Instead of being taken to jail, Terry is taken to a hospital. Thankfully, his injuries aren’t serious. Terry is relieved, but wonders who the guy he saved was. Upon being cleared, he goes off in search of the man, eventually bumping into Jackson's employer. Terry asks him if she knows a guy named Jackson. As it turns out, Jackson now lives near the local basketball court. Jackson sits on the bench, smoking a cigarette when he spots Terry. Terry asks Jackson if he remembers him. Jackson nods, saying he’s the man who saved his life. Terry asks him to go further back, jogging Jackson’s memory by mentioning moments that happened when they were kids. Realizing who he is, Jackson tears up and embraces Terry.
Jackson whimpers about how he’s sorry, only for Terry to settle him down. Terry asks him how he got to this place in life. Jackson sniffles, looking down at Terry and saying that he fell with the wrong crowd and discovered some harsh truths on society. Terry ruffles Jackson’s hair, sympathetic for his plight. Terry admits things haven’t been as smooth for him, taking Jackson by surprise. Terry offers to bring him into his house for dinner so they can talk more. Jackson agrees.
Meanwhile, inside a local police department, the officer from earlier nervously enters the office of Officer Charles (Wesley Snipes). After stammering through his words, he reveals that Jackson is still out there. So is Terry. His silence is deafening and telling as he sends him a list of the infractions both men have committed over the years. At the end of the list, the younger officer reads the following: “15 years. It’s time”. As Martin leaves, the shadow of Charles takes a look at a family photo and sighs.
Inside Terry’s house, Jackson and he are having stir fry and discuss what their lives have been like since they last were together. Jackson goes first, saying that the group of people he met would say and do things his momma would faint over. But they were smart, and they taught him a lot over the years. But they were also drug-dealers, and because of them, he got addicted to all the drugs, most notably cocaine.
Terry meanwhile was set to become a lawyer and had poured his life’s savings into his college degree. Unfortunately, it fell apart when he got framed for smuggling drugs. Now, he works a couple of jobs across the street. Jackson asks him if a white man framed him. Terry says that it was, but before he can go on, Jackson goes on a small rant, considering white men the center of all his problems. Though unnerved, Terry lets Jackson vent. Once Jackson finishes, he apologizes to Terry. He smiles, saying that he’s been holding it in for some time. Fifteen years worth. The two call it a night, Jackson inviting him to spend the day with him and his friend Leyla (Zoe Kravitz).
That evening as Terry is preparing for bed, he hears a knock on the door and rushes over to open it. He is greeted by the intimidating sight of Officer Martin (Winston Duke). Martin tells Terry that he’s required by law to stop and frisk people in case. Terry lets him do so, Martin finding that he’s clean. Martin then asks Terry if he’s seen anyone named Jackson. Suspecting that Martin may have unfinished business, Terry shakes his head, stating that he knows no such man, though, if he’s looking, he should consider the basketball court. As Martin leaves, a sad smile creeps onto his face.
Officer Martin drives off to the basketball court where he finds two guys playing Horse. Martin asks the two if they know anything about a guy named Jackson. The two buzz him off and continue their game. Martin grabs onto the ball, telling them that they’ll get it back once they tell him where Jackson is. They remain in a stalemate until the other guy calls Martin the N-word.
The next day, Officer Martin reports from the hospital. Despite being stabbed in the stomach, Martin survived with no serious injuries. He is convinced, however, that Terry set him up. Through the angry garbles from Officer Charles, Martin is introduced to the idea that Terry and Jackson are in cahoots. Martin's eyes widen when Officer Charles immediately hangs up. The only thing he can say is “Godspeed Mr. Charles.”
Terry arrives at Jackson’s living corner, an alleyway between an apartment and a store. It’s there he meets Leyla, a former activist, and girlfriend to Jackson. The three spend the entire day together, though it's evident that Jackson is still sore from last night and Leyla carries baggage herself. That evening, Jackson and Terry look up at the stars in the sky, just like they did when they were kids. Jackson tells Terry that he’s missed hanging out with him but then asks for a favor. Can he knock some sense into Leyla? Terry is unsure what he means but promises to talk to Leyla.
Leyla sits inside her room, staring out the window. Terry knocks on the door, asking if he can gaze outside with her. The two look at Chicago’s skyline, Terry enjoying there. Leyla mutters that it’s gonna be nice to look at before we’re all sent to die in a new civil war. She quickly apologizes, realizing Terry can hear her. The two sit on the bed, Terry asking if everything’s alright with Jackson. Terry brings up what Jackson said, causing Leyla to scowl and ask they not talk about him. The truth is, Jackson has been acting like a damned fool for years.
Leyla tells Terry that she got with Jackson when they were still in high school and for a long time, they were all lovey-dovey. He got her into politics and activism, especially when it came to black lives. This led to her doing and saying a lot of things she’s come to regret now. As time passed, Leyla decided to join a community college to study up on government and law. That was where she learned some harsh truths.
Terry nods, saying he knew that from the start. But Leyla claims that Jackson doesn’t. He keeps blaming all his troubles on everyone else. The cops, the crowd he was with, Especially the white people. He can’t go a day without ranting about one of the three subjects. Eventually, she grew tired of it and broke it off. She looks outside, admitting that it was a combination of both things that made her quit activism. When asked why Leyla hits Terry with a question of her own. How do you change a broken system? Terry pauses for a moment, admitting that he doesn’t know. All he can say is that they’ve got to take it one day at a time.
Leyla thinks about it before reluctantly agreeing. At this point, all she wants to do is be at peace with all her brothers and sisters, yet Jackson is so blind to his own faults, he can’t be at peace with himself. Terry tells Leyla that he’ll talk to Jackson tomorrow morning and offers to stay here for the night. Despite her initial hesitance, Leyla accepts the proposal stating that it’s a risk worth taking.
In the heat of the night, Officer Charles sneaks across the streets of Chicago, searching for Jackson and Terry. One of the basketball players from earlier finds Charles and talks some smack about him.
The scene cuts to black soon after, with only a lone gunshot heard.
That morning, Terry and Leyla wake Jackson and tell him that they’re gonna go somewhere special. After driving several miles, Jackson finds himself at the lake where he and Terry used to go during the summer. Jackson is initially excited because it looks like they’re going to relive memories again. Terry stops him before he can jump into the lake, the two need to have a talk.
The three sit near the lake, Terry starts by asking Jackson why he fell down the path he did. Jackson admits that it was a combination of two things. Never fitting in with the other kids and needing an outlet to vent his frustrations. The people he met gave him a sense of purpose and a place to air his grievances. He hadn’t felt that since Terry left. Terry then asks Jackson an important question. Are white people really the center of all his problems?
Jackson immediately says that they are. If they look through history, they’ll realize that they’ve always been our oppressors. Even today. Terry follows it up by asking if Jackson believes they’re at fault for spiraling into drugs. Jackson shrugs, saying that they probably are given the number of people falsely imprisoned for drugs. Terry now sees the problem. He doesn’t know what those people told him, but he’s let them cloud his judgment.
This is where Jackson begins to grow suspicious. Didn’t Terry tell him that a white guy falsely accused him of smuggling drugs? Terry says that he was also misunderstood. Before Terry can go on, Jackson stops him, telling Terry that he’s believing lies. Terry calmly tries to explain that it wasn’t a race thing. It was a misunderstanding that went out of hand.
Infuriated, Jackson starts asking Terry and Leyla multiple questions. Why did they bring him here if they were just going to tell him all this crap? Are they trying to brainwash him? Are they ignorant? Terry tries to tell him that they’re doing none of that. They just want to explain certain things to Jackson. This angers Jackson more, so much so that he fires back with this retort.
“Why you tryin’ to defend the whites, man? You got something to hide?”
Leyla steps in and tells Jackson that they’re trying to show him that there are good white people in this world. Just as there are good people of every race. Jackson soon snaps. Now he knows that Terry’s been brainwashed. All the years of being in Harvard or Yale or whatever messed with his head. He asks Terry if he’s ever been out of the streets, left to fend for himself with nothing but the clothes off his back. With the kids who were deemed unfit for society. Jackson tells him to imagine a world where Terry was in his shoes. Just like when Terry wasn’t around for him during high school. All because the school system thought they’d be ‘bad news’ together. This is what started him on that path. Because Terry left his side. Seeing him now? It makes him sick, cause it’s clear to him now what Terry has become. An Uncle Tom.
Without warning, Terry fires a punch at Jackson and the two go at it. Leyla tries to pull Terry off of Jackson, only for him to tell her to stay back. The two proceed to fight for several seconds longer before Jackson sends Terry crashing to the ground with a punch. He jumps onto Terry’s body, wailing away with punches, tears streaking through his eyes as he yells out the things he hates. And then it dawns on Jackson. His hatred and bitterness had led him to hurt Terry. Jackson stares at his bloodied friend, asking why they took him away before breaking down into tears, apologizing profusely as Leyla gently pats him on the back.
Later that day, Terry is admitted to the hospital where he is stitched up and treated for a concussion. Terry wakes up and finds Leyla with Jackson. Jackson tells Terry that Leyla called the hospital. Jackson sits on a chair next to Terry, gently holding onto his left hand, apologizing for everything. He let his own hate and bitterness cloud him and it led to him hurting his closest friend. His only friend. Terry forgives him, admitting he doesn’t fully know the struggles of his people because of the success he obtained. The two agree to meet in the middle, treating all people with respect not for their skin color but for their character.
Meanwhile, Terry and Jackson have become wanted names throughout the streets of Chicago, with people being told that they’ll receive a bounty of $100,000 for their capture and arrest. People across Chicago are on edge, hoping not to come face to face with either man. By the time Terry is admitted out of the hospital, tensions are at a boiling point as Leyla tries to maneuver the crowd. Once one person points Terry and Jackson out, Leyla steps on it, causing a chase between the crowd and the car.
A couple of people get close to the car, one person smashing a window with a baseball bat while another climbs to the front window. Leyla swerves him off the car. As the mob grows in size, Leyla loses control of the vehicle, forcing all three to make an escape. As the car crashes by Leyla’s apartment, the three wake up to find the entire mob circling them. Officer Martin steps forward, aiming his gun toward the men. Jackson stares at Martin, asking why he’s turned against them. Martin stares at Jackson and Terry and sighs. It’s not him, it’s someone else.
It’s at that moment Officer Charles steps in, glaring the three down. Jackson is confused at first, but Leyla tells him: “It’s not the cops, it’s the system.” Jackson glances at Officer Martin and asks if they honestly want to kill them for something they didn’t do. Martin tries to keep his emotions in check, stating that he has a job to do. Charles agrees. He has been following Jackson ever since their first infractions. He’s tried to play nice, but the truth is that Jackson is nothing but a thug.
Terry snaps, stating that if Jackson’s a thug, then he is too. Leyla joins in. Despite being surprised at first, Charles asks for Martin to give him the gun. Terry tries to appeal to him, asking if they remember when they were kids. Martin freezes up at that question. A flashback of life with a young Jackson, Terry, and Martin plays with the three kids playing basketball, sharing stories, and swimming in the lake. Martin’s hands tremble as he questions whether or not he should do this.
Jackson glances at Terry, reaching his hand out. He’d rather die with his best friend than spend the rest of his years alone. Leyla does the same. With the three friends holding hands, Martin appears ready to break, only for Charles to snatch the gun away from Martin and shoot Jackson, Terry, and Leyla repeatedly, killing them. Charles stares at the stunned crowd and tells them to go home. As the crowd dissipates, Martin tears up, sobbing in front of the three lifeless bodies. Seeing this, Charles pats Martin on the back and says “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”
As Martin heads back into the police car, Charles takes one last look at Jackson, Terry, and Leyla, and sighs, heading in the car and driving away.
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