Aahana Swrup
‘Bring Him to Me’ presents a tense thriller film revolving around a getaway driver whose journey to collect his cut from a recent robbery turns into an unexpected test of his morality and loyalty. Although the ever-elusive Driver has been involved in crime boss Veronica’s shady dealings for some time now, he prefers to keep his own hands clean of any blood. Therefore, things get complicated after the boss informs that he will be driving an oblivious newbie criminal, Jake, who partook in Driver’s most recent robbery to his execution.
The story unfolds in its entirety as a dual storyline oscillating between Driver and Jake’s trip to their end destination and their involvement in the robbery the night before. Therefore, as the narrative—and the protagonist—are forced to spend time with Jake, learning about his life, pressure inevitably builds in anticipation of the seemingly innocent victim-to-be and his ultimate fate. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Bring Him to Me Plot Synopsis
After Driver takes up a new job with his longtime collaborator, Veronica, he gets an assignment to be the getaway driver for a robbery at McCarthy’s, a money laundering business front. Two masked men, Leon and Jake, become his accomplices as they carry out the dirty work inside the shop while Driver waits outside. However, McCarthy’s owner, Frank, proves to be more difficult than assumed, leading to some light scuffling. Nevertheless, Leon and Jake almost make it out of the job with the money before the former loses his temper at Frank’s threats. As a result, he ends up beating the other man to a pulp, inviting unnecessary ire from the other side.
Yet, the trio manages to escape from the crime scene relatively unscathed and with the money intact. However, the next day, when Driver prepares to make the trip to Veronica’s to get his cut of the heist, the gang informs him that they suspect Jake of turning against them. Furthermore, since the boss seems to believe the newbie has wronged her, the Driver receives the instructions to bring the other man with him to the location as planned to deliver justice. If he doesn’t bring Jake along, he risks losing his share. For his part, he remains conflicted, unsure if Veronica’s blind blame on Jake is warranted.
Nonetheless, Driver sticks to the plan and picks Jake up for the ride. Only the man shows up with his young daughter, allowing his partner-in-crime an unwanted glimpse into his life as a father. Consequently, after dropping the guy’s kid with her mother, Driver attempts to learn more about Veroica’s grievance with the young man. Eventually, she informs him that 25 grand is missing from their loot, and she suspects Jake to have stolen the cash. Still, the Driver remains skeptical of her quick judgment.
Even so, Driver continues with the trip to the meet-up-spot, Wyevale Auto Repairs, allowing Jake to remain oblivious to the situation. As such, the long drive grants more than enough opportunity for chatty Jake to share more about his life with his co-passenger than the latter would like. Eventually, as they stop at a gas station, they end up inviting the wrong kind of attention from some troublemakers, resulting in a brawl between them and the Driver. As it turns out, the troublemakers were working for Frank, putting the duo on the money launderer and his crew’s radar. As a result, a bike gang begins following them soon enough, resulting in a final confrontation between Frank, his son, Shaun, and the duo.
Despite Leon—Frank’s primary assailant’s absence from the scene, the man remains steadfast in his decision to punish Jake and Driver for the robbery since neither can return his money on the spot. Therefore, in a feat of self-preservation, Driver reveals that Shaun sold his father off to Veronica. Although the revelation isn’t enough to turn the father on his son, it buys Driver enough time to get the upper hand. In the end, Jake and Driver walk away from the fight, having killed Shaun and Frank, respectively. After surviving the near-death experience together, the two forge a deeper bond, which almost compels Driver to reveal the reality of what Veronica has in store for Jake. Nonetheless, he decides to keep his secret as they arrive at Wyevale Auto Repairs.
Bring Him to Me Ending: Does Veronica Kill Jake?
As the film follows Driver and Jake’s journey to Veronica’s lair, the narrative builds up toward the inevitable punishment awaiting the younger man at the gang’s Auto Repair lair. Veronica hired Jake and Leon to carry out a robbery at McCarthy’s after gaining valuable knowledge from Shaun about his father’s finances. She employed Driver to be her trusty getaway driver, rounding out the operation. However, the mission ended up going southwards—in more ways than Leon’s violent burst. After the money was delivered to the gang, 25 thousand dollars was missing from the pile. Thus, Veronica realizes she has a traitor in her midst who cannot be trusted.
Naturally, the initial suspicions fall on Jake, who was a brand-new recruit in the crew. Nevertheless, the more the Driver gets to know about the young man, the more he comes to trust his goodwill. Jake had a tough childhood with a drunkard for a father, who ended up abandoning him during his teenage years. For the same reason, he wishes to be a better father to his own kid, hoping to provide her with life’s many luxuries and choices. Thus, he decided to get involved in illegal activities. However, despite dabbling in the wrong side of the law, he remains distinctly naive.
Unlike Driver, Jake bears no weapons, failing to grasp the need for ammunition during a meeting with his own crew. Similarly, Shaun was his first kill, whom he also only accidentally stabs in self-defense. In fact, he carries substantial guilt over the kill, contemplating how he would be able to meet his kid’s eyes again after the incident. Therefore, Jake remains in stark contrast to the criminal world that Driver exists in and is used to. For the same reason, Jake easily endears himself to the audience and the protagonist, urging them to root for his survival.
Still, as Jake walks into the eerie warehouse where Veronica and her crew await him, the odds don’t seem to be in his favor. The crime boss has made up her mind about Jake’s demise and only prolongs the inevitable by toying with the young man. She offers him his cut of the robbery before encouraging him to count the spoils—as an opportunity for the thief to own up to his actions. Yet, Jake is only confused when he realizes 25 thousand dollars are missing from his cut. As a result, Veronica reveals her knowledge about the theft—a charge Jake doggedly denies—before she shoots him dead on the spot.
Did Jake Steal From Veronica?
At first glance, the death that Veronica delivers to Jake seems to be an act of revenge, enacted to teach a lesson about loyalty. Although it ends up being the same, the lesson doesn’t turn out to be for Jake, but rather for his friend and sole support, Driver. Throughout Jake’s prolonged execution, he remains the only person who has any sympathy for the young man. Nonetheless, his attempts to dissuade Veronica fall short. Thus, in the aftermath, he has no choice but to take his own cut and leave the premises. However, Jake’s death affects the Driver much more significantly than the simple death of an acquaintance. The reason behind the same reveals itself in Driver’s guilty conscience.
Throughout the film—even before the Driver got to know Jake—he seemed convinced that Veronica was being hasty in labeling the young man a thief. As it turns out, he believes the same because he is the real thief who stole from Veronica’s spoils. After the robbery, while Jake and Leon were moving the cash, a few stacks were left behind in the car boot. Consequently, after the Driver spotted the left-behind money—25 thousand dollars– he pocketed the amount for himself.
Recently, the Driver got into an altercation with another gang that put him in a tight financial spot. For the same reason, he returned to the criminal world to run another job for Veronica. Similarly, he couldn’t help himself when the opportunity to make extra money presented itself to him. Nevertheless, Veronica, who prides herself on knowing everyone’s secrets, figured out the Driver’s actions soon enough. Therefore, she devised the plan to target Jake and offer the real thief the opportunity to come clean rather than witness an innocent man pay the price for his crimes.
Yet, despite the numerous opportunities presented to him, the Driver continues lying about the situation. Even when he considered helping Jake out, it was only in the capacity of offering him the option to go on the run from Veronica and her crew. The Driver never truly considered owning up to his actions to spare his partner the suspicion. Ultimately, Veronica kills Jake to torment Driver and his conscience as a punishment for stealing from her and lying about it.
What Happens to the Driver? Does He Die?
While Veronica’s punishment to the Driver involves Jake’s death, she isn’t about to let the man go without truly paying for his slight against her. The crime boss isn’t one to be meddled with—as she proves by shooting Leon simply for jeopardizing her operation. Consequently, after the Driver leaves her lair, she sics one of her men, Travis, after him to finish the job. As a result, a grand chase commences between the Driver and Travis. Although the former comes close to dying as he finds himself on the receiving end of Travis’ brutal hunt, he ends up outsmarting him. Ultimately, the Driver kills Travis and uses his phone to communicate with Veronica.
Over the call, Veronica reveals she always knew about the Driver’s betrayal and now plans to make him pay for it. In turn, he also doles out his threats about her upcoming downfall now that Leon’s actions have put her on the warpath with Frank’s dangerous clients. Still, he knows that more pressing danger is looming over him at the moment. Therefore, he sets out to right some of his past wrongs, beginning with informing the police of Jake’s death. Afterward, he leaves his earnings from the robbery to Jake’s family so that his daughter can benefit from the money as her father had wanted.
In the end, the Driver leaves his car behind, knowing its distinct model would attract unwanted attention. Considering his emotional connection to the car—which originally belonged to his father—the separation naturally feels like a detachment for the character. Afterward, he drives away in a different car—and another ominous car follows him onto the night road. Thus, the movie ends on an ambiguous note, showcasing that Veronica’s men continue to hunt the Driver, suggesting he may meet his end soon. Nonetheless, after the narrative examines the descent of the protagonist’s morality throughout the film, it leaves the character’s predicament up to the audience’s interpretation.
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