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Deathstroke

Genre: Action / Superhero

Director: John McTiernan

Writers: APJ & Jimmy Ellis

Based on DC Comics characters

Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mickey Rourke, Paz Vega, Tony Jaa, Mark Dacascos, Donald Cerrone, Mark Rhino Smith, Emilio Rivera

Plot: 17 Years Ago

Slade Wilson (Jean-Claude Van Damme) leads a team of HIVE mercenaries through the dense jungle of the Caribbean island of Santa Prisca. Their mission: eliminate a high-value target. Behind Slade, Pravat (Tony Jaa) moves silently like a panther. Fang Zhifu (Mark Dacascos) keeps pace. Wardell Chambers (Donald Cerrone), wearing his trademark leather cowboy hat, is the team’s demolitions expert. Michael Beldon (Mark Rhino Smith) lumbers behind alongside Adeline Kane (Paz Vega), Slade’s beautiful but deadly wife. She scans the treelines for enemies. The voice of W.R. Wintergreen (Mickey Rourke) crackles in their earpieces, telling them to move in. They close in on a compound hidden among the palm trees. Pravat, Beldon, Chambers and Fang all disappear back into the jungle as chaos erupts. Adeline takes a bullet to the chest, piercing through her body armor. Slade catches her. Adeline’s eyes glaze over and blood oozes from her body. Slade discovers that he is now alone. He pulls out a gun to begin firing on the compound, but the gun jams. He discards the useless weapon and draws a sword from the sheath on this back. Security forces converge on him. Slade becomes a whirlwind of death, violently slicing through dozens of guards. The island’s police force arrives and the numbers of guards and police manage to overpower Slade. He is shackled and dragged to Pena Duro prison.

Present Day

Slade Wilson has aged, but it is still quite formidable. He has made his escape from Pena Duro. He crouches behind stacks of wooden crates on the Santa Prisca docks. The island is erupting in panic as the sirens of the prison wail across the island. The voice of the prison’s warden, Vasquez (Emilio Rivera) blares out over speakers throughout the island. He warns the residents of the island to return to their homes so that the island’s police force can track down prison escapees. Slade sneaks through the docks, finding a fishing boat. He tries to steal the boat, but the boat’s owner intervenes. Slade grabs a fishing hook and hooks the man’s mouth, pulling him to the ground. Slade grabs the keys to the boat and starts it up. Slade steers the boat into open water just as soldiers converge on the docks.

With Santa Prisca a mere dot on the horizon, Slade finds a notepad and pen. He begins writing a list - names that have haunted him for seventeen long years. CHAMBERS. PRAVAT. FANG. BELDON. WINTERGREEN. He stabs a knife into a cork board, pinning the list. Slade heads back to the wheel as he closes in on land. Taking only the list and knife with him, Slade anchors the boat and his way ashore. He makes his way to a nearby car park and steals an unlocked car. Slade drives off. He checks the list again, murmuring “I know where to find you.”

The neon glow of a bar sign - Lawman’s Bar - flickers in the humid night. Slade enters the establishment. The bar’s patrons know trouble when they see Slade’s eyes. The bar’s owner, Wardell Chambers, emerges from a back room to restock some bottles behind the bar. He yells for everyone to get out - the bar is closing for the night. The crowd stirs, but some linger, wanting to finish the drinks they paid for. Chambers fires a gun into the ceiling. The defiant patrons scatter out of the bar like rats. Slade glares at Chambers, who is now aiming the gun at him. Chambers tells Slade that it is good to see him. Slade grows that he isn’t there to talk and hurls the knife at Chambers. The knife knocks the gun from Chambers’ grip. Slade and Chambers clash. Slade’s leg meets Chambers’ ribs, a brutal kick. Chambers counters, elbowing Slade’s ankles. Pain flares, but Slade’s fists barrel into Chambers like sledgehammers. Chambers is sent soaring over the bar, crashing into the bottles. Chambers rises with a bottle, smashing it over Slade’s head. Slade crumples. Chambers grabs the knife from the floor and prepares to execute Slade with it. Slade pushes back. His fingers find Chambers’ throat. Slade puts Chambers into a chokehold. Chambers fights, gasping for air, eyes bulging, veins pulsing. Slade tightens his grip further. Slade grabs the knife from Chambers’ hand and plunges it into Chambers’ heart, killing him. Slade shoves Chambers’ corpse aside. Slade limps into the back office of the bar. Slade combs through files in Chambers' office until he finds a postcard sent from a monastery by Pravat declining a job opportunity. Slade takes the keys to Chambers' jeep and drives away from Lawman's Bar as the sun begins to rise. Slade crosses Chambers’ name off his list.

A helicopter descends upon Pena Duro. Michael Beldon jumps out, opening the doors for W.R. Wintergreen. Wintergreen’s eyes survey the area. He tells Beldon to keep the helicopter’s engine running… This shouldn’t take long. Wintergreen strides through the facility, rolling up his shirt sleeves as he moves, all the way to the office of Warden Vasquez. The warden begins to apologize for Slade Wilson’s escape, but before he can even finish his sentence, Wintergreen’s fist explodes against Vasquez’s face. Blood spatters the walls as Vasquez holds his clearly broken jaw. Vasquez pleads for his life, but Wintergreen doesn’t let up. Wintergreen begins stomping on Vasquez’s face until it erupts into a mass of pulp and bone. Wintergreen uses a Santa Prisca flag in Vasquez’s office to wipe brain matter and skull fragments off of his boots. Wintergreen calmly walks back toward the helicopter as alarms begin to blare through the facility, and the inmates have started a full-scale riot. Wintergreen’s helicopter flies away from the island.

Slade Wilson ascends a massive staircase that stretches up to an ancient monastery. Slade finds Pravat at the top, praying in the shadow of prayer flags. In the 17 years since Slade last saw Pravat slip away into the jungle, Pravat has shaved his head and become a monk. Pravat senses Slade’s presence and bolts. Slade gives chase through the ancient grounds of the monastery. Slade corners Pravat in the prayer garden. The other monks scatter, leaving Pravat and Slade alone in the serene sanctuary. Slade demands that Pravat talk to him. The monk’s lips remain sealed, clearly having made a vow of silence. Slade digs his fingers into Pravat’s throat and threatens to cut his tongue out if he doesn’t talk so that he indeed will never be able to speak again. Pravat shakes his head, still silent. Slade draws his knife. Pravat slips free, still agile as ever. Fountains around them erupt, water beautifully flowing around them. Slade attacks Pravat with the knife. Pravat lands a kick to Slade’s jaw, but Slade retaliates with a punch to Pravat’s ribs. They violently dance, both fighters graceful but brutal. The statues of the monastery overlook the duel. Slade finally gets the upper hand and manages to drag Pravat into the waters of the fountain. Slade pushes Pravat’s head under the surface of the water. Pravat, gasping for air as he struggles against Slade’s weight, finally breaks his vow of silence. Pravat utters one name: “Wintergreen.” Slade demands more answers, wanting to know where he can find Wintergreen. Pravat insists he’s left that life behind, but tells him where to find someone who can help.

Wintergreen returns to the HIVE headquarters - a fortress of steel and glass built into a mountain range. Upon arrival, Wintergreen is greeted by a very much alive Adeline Kane, albeit with a large bullet scar near her collarbone. They meet and kiss. She asks how the trip to Santa Prisca went. He grumbles that Slade Wilson is on the loose. Adeline warns Wintergreen that Slade won’t forget and won’t forgive - it’s not in his nature. Wintergreen feels Adeline’s body against his. Adeline says they will deal with Slade Wilson when the time comes… together.

Slade Wilson arrives at an old, abandoned HIVE bunker. He steps through the rusted entrance, finding Fang Zhifu living there. Fang is not the same man he was 17 years ago either. Slade finds a sword and quickly swings it at Fang. The blade shatters against Fang’s skin. Fang explains that he has undergone a series of experiments that has left his skin as strong as iron. Slade is surprised that Fang is not angry at him for attacking him with the sword. Instead Fang gives Slade a big hug, saying that he missed him. Slade is taken aback by the affection from Fang. Fang apologizes, explaining that when Wintergreen set him up he felt powerless to stop anything - a mere pawn in a larger game. Slade begrudgingly accept Fang’s apology and asks where he can find Wintergreen. Fang - one step ahead - offers to take Slade there himself to make up for everything. Slade accepts the offer. Slade arms himself with a sword from the bunker’s armory.

Fang Zhifou pilots a small plane through the thick clouds above the Carpathian Mountains. Slade Wilson grips his seat as the plane shakes from the strong, cold winds. In the distance, Fang points out the massive HIVE headquarters. Fang explains that in the last 17 years, Wintergreen took their little mercenary group and turned into an empire - a massive, elite paramilitary organization that works with some of the most powerful and corrupt governments on the planet. Slade wonders aloud how they are supposed to infiltrate the compound without being noticed. Fang smiles and says it isn’t possible. Fang aims the plane straight for the compound. Fang urges Slade to buckle up. Fang pilots the plane straight into the heart of the compound, a massive set of glass windows. Glass explodes, metal crumples.

The wreckage of the plane smolders. Slade Wilson staggers out of the plane, blood seeping from yet another fresh wound. He pulls glass out and wraps some cloth around the wound. The iron-skinned Fang hops out of the rubble. Beldon emerges and begins firing at the two. Fang stands in the way, bullets ricocheting off his skin. Fang tells Slade to go take care of Wintergreen. Fang smiles at Beldon, inching closer to him as the barrage of bullets continues. Slade searches the compound, eventually finding Wintergreen’s office. Behind the desk is not Wintergreen, but instead he finds Adeline Kane - alive and breathing. Slade’s heart aches as his eyes well up with tears. Slade hugs and kisses her, but instead of reciprocating the love, Adeline shoots him in the right eye. Adeline thinks she has killed Slade and calls for Wintergreen to return. It takes more than a bullet in the head to stop Slade Wilson though. As blood streams from the hole where his right eye used to be, Slade slowly rises to his feet. With his one good eye, Slade looks Adeline in the eyes and sees no remorse. Slade is stunned and bleeding, realizing that Adeline was part of the plan to set him up all along. Slade draws his sword and stabs Adeline through the heart, saying it is only fair.

W.R. Wintergreen then emerges, wielding a sword of his own. He commends Slade on managing to escape from the supposedly impossible to escape from Pena Duro. Slade demands answers. He wants to know why Wintergreen set him up to rot in a prison until the end of days. Wintergreen laughs as Slade’s fists tighten. Wintergreen explains that it was simple economics. He wanted control over HIVE to bring it to its full potential and he felt that Slade was a loose thread who could interfere with his plans. Slade lunges at Wintergreen with his sword. Wintergreen parries with his own sword, with the sound of clashing steel echoing through the room. The two duel. Wintergreen’s moves are precise, while Slade’s are fueled with rage. As the two continually slash at each other with their swords, the walls and floors of the office become slick with their blood. Slade manages to gain the upperhand when Wintergreen slips on some of the blood. With one final death stroke of his sword, Slade slashes Wintergreen’s head clean off his body.

Slade Wilson, now with a patch over his eye, sits behind Wintergreen’s former desk. Slade has effectively taken control of HIVE, the paramilitary empire Wintergreen built. Slade pulls out his list. He strikes a match. The paper catches the flame. The edges begin to curl. Fire consumes the list before turning to ash.