Aahana Swrup
The action comedy film ‘Role Play’ revolves around a covert killer for hire, Emma Brackett, and the chaos that ensues once the woman’s family becomes privy to her secret dual life. Seeking some thrill in their marriage, Emma and Dave decide to take a night off as busy parents and partake in some harmless roleplaying at a hotel bar. Nevertheless, things take a wrong turn when someone from Emma’s professional life makes an appearance. As one thing leads to another, Emma’s life unravels out of her control, as her past comes back to endanger her husband and kids.
The personal high stakes of the situation impart significant intensity to the narrative, compelling viewers to wonder how Emma emerges from the prickly situation with her family life intact. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Role Play Plot Synopsis
Emma Brackett has the perfect suburban life with a loving husband, Dave, and two kids, Wyatt and Caroline. However, the woman’s job often takes her away from her family on regular, demanding business trips. Only unbeknownst to her family, Emma’s business trips don’t actually include seminars and meetings but instead paid assassinations and murders. For the same reason, after one particularly long assignment that leads to the woman forgetting her marriage anniversary, she decides to take a momentary break from her work life to focus on her home life.
However, Emma’s handler, Raj, remains displeased with the decision. A momentary break in the woman’s career would effectively rob Raj of the proper resources to keep Emma’s private life safe from the numerous enemies she has made in her time. Nevertheless, Emma sticks to her decision to devote her time to her husband and kids. As such, in an effort to make up for the anniversary blunder, Emma suggests a fun night off for Dave and her, where the couple can indulge in roleplaying.
Thus, Emma— armed with a fake name and a wig, ends up at a hotel bar the following night. Yet, before Dave could join her for the night, an older gentleman, Bob Kellerman, approaches Emma. Although Emma humors the other man, she remains suspicious of his presence. Eventually, Dave arrives, and the trio interact further before parting ways after Bob splurges on some shots for them.
Even though the interaction is inconspicuous enough, Emma realizes Kellerman’s true motives. As a result, she expertly sneaks out of her hotel room to confront the man. Like. Emma Kellerman is another assassin working for the highest bidder and is vying to collect the bounty Emma’s previous agency, Sovereign, run by Gwen Carver, has put on her head. Still, Emma was one step ahead of the man, having poisoned him hours ago at the bar.
The poison kicks in during their confrontation, tying up the Kellerman problem. Nevertheless, it creates a new complication the next day when the police start looking into his murder. Worse yet, to Dave’s oblivious horror, he and Emma are the cops’ prime suspects. While Emma convinces Dave not to reach out to the authorities, she also decides to travel to meet with Raj in Berlin to clean up the mess. Nonetheless, the new city only holds more trouble for the pair as Carver’s people continue chasing after them.
In her absence, the police approach Dave, bringing the man in for questioning. However, instead of Kellerman’s death, the cops have more interest in the man’s marriage to Emma. Consequently, Dave learns his wife’s monumental secret, including the fact that Emma Brackett is a cover identity for her real criminal life. Despite the same, Dave decides to have faith in his wife and refuses to cooperate with the Special Agent on Emma’s case.
Furthermore, after some snooping, Dave manages to find a way to contact Emma and learns about her location. Even though Emma advises him against it, Dave travels to Berlin, intent on helping his wife solve her problems. However, the Agent, who turns out to be Gwen Carver, follows Dave, who accidentally leads her right to Emma. In the violent altercation that follows, Emma ends up taking the brunt of a tranquilizer and wakes hours later at an underground bunker in the middle of the forest.
Role Play Ending: Who Is Gwen Carver? Why Is She After Emma?
Emma has been juggling a personal life with her more daunting career for almost seven years. Yet, the one time she attempts to take a break from the latter, her past comes knocking back on her door and threatens to ruin the new life Emma has built for herself. Although Emma has amassed quite a few enemies in her line of work, her biggest adversary remains Gwen Carver.
Gwen Carver is the head of Sovereign, a private security firm founded by Emma’s unnamed father. After the man prematurely lost his job as a secret service member, he decided to set up his own security agency. As a result, his paths crossed with Gwen, who became close to his young daughter. Consequently, after Emma’s father died, Gwen took over as the girl’s guardian and used her manipulative ways to shape her into a killer from a young age.
For the same reason, after Emma left the company for good and decided to start her own life, albeit under a fake, stolen identity, Gwen became vindictive. For the same reason, Emma began taking assassination jobs to afford Rajs’ protective services and keep her family safe from her previous guardian. However, once Emma takes a break, it lessens the strongholds Raj has in place for her.
Consequently, Sovereign’s persisting bounty on Emma’s head unravels, bringing other killers to the woman’s doorstep. Likewise, Gwen gains access to her location and interferes in her private life via Dave. Meanwhile, Emma’s situation worsens in Berlin as Soverign’s skilled agents continue to pursue her. Even though Raj falls victim to their advances, Emma manages to escape with her life to lie low for a while.
In the end, due to Dave’s devotion to his wife, despite her secretive life, Gwen manages to get her hands on Emma and takes the entire Brackett family hostage. Gwen wants Emma to return to her previous life. Given her upbringing, Emma is a highly skilled fighter. Therefore, having the woman in her corner would be beneficial for Gwen’s agency. Moreover, in a twisted way, Gwen has an emotional connection to Emma and is unwilling to part ways with her.
Since Gwen is unable to acknowledge the faults in her controlling and abusive relationship with the younger woman, she believes Dave is at fault for their dwindling connection. For Gwen, Dave is the catalyst behind Emma’s desire for a regular life away from death and destruction. She believes that with Dave out of the equation, Emma will become vulnerable enough for Gwen to manipulate her way back into her good graces. Thus, after kidnapping the Bracketts and holding them hostage in a remote safe house, Gwen gives Emma an ultimatum: kill Dave or sacrifice her kids, Wyatt and Caroline.
Does Emma Kill Dave?
Once Emma realizes her ill-fated time off has landed her in trouble with her enemies, she anticipates Gwen to attack. Therefore, she’s quick to action after Kellerman’s attempted assassination and moves away from her family to put them far from harm’s way. Nonetheless, things fail to work out in her favor. Instead, Gwen catches up to her and abducts her entire family.
Emma, for her part, is taken aback by the woman’s ruthlessness after learning Gwen has kidnapped her children as well. Even though Gwen feigns a pleasant environment for Wyatt and Caroline by showering them with toys and playrooms, Emma can see her plan for what it is. As such, she doesn’t have much of a choice after Gwen asks her to choose between Dave and her kids.
After agreeing to kill Dave, Emma takes the man out on a walk through the woods to keep her kids away from the maudlin scene. Still, Gwen keeps an eye on the woman by sending a sniper after her to ensure she follows through with the plan. Gwen wishes to break Emma into submission and has the perfect incentive for it. Yet, Emma formulates her own plan.
In the forest, Emma shoots Dave and watches as his body drops to the floor. Afterward, an agent arrives to take Dave’s body away, which offers Emma the chance to sneak up on the sniper and kill him. Likewise, after neutralizing that threat, Emma also kills the other agent, allowing her husband to drop his act. Emma really had shot Dave, but the trained assassin aimed for a non-fatal injury.
Thus, with a whispered word, Emma is able to ensure Dave appears to be dead to Gwen’s spies, which would allow her the opportunity to eliminate them. Even though Gwen may have backed Emma into a corner, the latter had no intention to let her past abuser ruin her happiness. Therefore, Emma decides to retaliate against Gwen by fighting for Dave, the love of her life, and their kids.
Do Emma and Dave Stay Together or Break Up? What Happens To Their Kids?
The couple returns to Gwen’s bunker to save their kids after Emma rescues Dave, even if at the cost of a bullet wound. While Dave leaves to buy some time by sneaking into the kids’ playroom and keeping them company, Emma embarks to put an end to Gwen’s evil schemes. While Emma had initially run away from Sovereign with the assumption that she would be able to start a new life, she now knows Gwen would never allow the same.
Therefore, Emma goes into her confrontation with Gwen, knowing she must take grave measures to secure her and her family’s happiness. In the ensuing fight, Gwen attempts to manipulate Emma again by bringing up their previous familial relationship.
Almost seven years ago, Emma met Dave while carrying out a job in Boston. She couldn’t help but wonder what a regular life might look like after meeting the man. As a result, she assumed a fake identity and continued seeing Dave. Eventually, their relationship bloomed, with Wyatt, Dave’s son, taking a liking to the woman as well. As such, she decided to leave her past life behind and become a family with Dave. Therefore, because of Dave, Wyatt, and Caroline, Emma realizes what real love is meant to look like. For the same reason, she knows better than to fall for Gwen’s manipulation.
In the end, Emma and Gwen’s altercation results in the former accidentally firing a gun at the latter. Consequently, Gwen dies in the forest outside her safe house while Emma returns to her family. Despite everything that has unfolded in the past few days, Emma has immense love for her husband and kids. Likewise, Dave’s love for Emma overshadowed any feelings of betrayal he felt towards his wife for keeping her violent career and past a secret from him.
Furthermore, Emma promises never to take up assassination again. Since Gwen is dead, the woman likely doesn’t need an exorbitant paycheque to pay for extra security anyway. As such, Emma can well and truly put her past behind her and focus on her future. Ultimately, Emma ends her story with her marriage with Dave even stronger than before. The Brackett family may have to work through the event’s fallout, but as long as they’re together, they’re bound to be all right.
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