Directed by Howard J Ford, “DarkGame” is a crime thriller about a deadly game on the dark web. Based on Tom George’s idea, the screenplay, written by Gary Grant and Niall Johnson, follows the game’s contestants. They are innocent people kidnapped across the city of Portland who are subjected to extreme torture and death. A police detective is determined to find the mastermind behind this game to save the captives from this sadistic game. Ed Westwick stars in the lead role as Detective Ben. Besides him, the film stars Lola Wayne, Natalya Tsvetkova, Rory Alexander, and Rick Yale in crucial roles.
Spoilers Ahead
DarkGame (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
“DarkGame” follows a police investigation around a sadistic game on the dark web that subjects its captive contestants to inhumane levels of torture, which can also lead to their deaths.
What happens in Ed Westwick’s starrer ‘DarkGame’?
Set in Portland, “DarkGame” follows an investigation into a sadistic game called ‘Russian Roulette’ that traps innocent people around the city after kidnapping them on different nights. It is masterminded by a masked individual who decides the contestants’ fate. He does things based on his whim and cares solely for the shock value. It entertains audiences across the globe, who often tune in to this game and demand torture on these strangers they have never even seen or met. The mastermind mercilessly kills his contestants in this monstrous game and keeps the show running.
Around this time, Ben (Ed Westwick), a local police detective, becomes well-known for his skills and neatly executed missions. He busts a secret unit and helps rescue two kidnapped kids with his working partner, Cathy Burnett (Lola Wayne). After this mission, the detective duo learns about the masked game show host who is killing and hurting people for his sadistic pleasure. The police try to find the game’s location with their IT guy, Parker Green (Rory Alexander), but they fail. Captain Larson (Anthony Ofoegbu) is unsure how to deal with this issue. As the team’s lead, he gives orders but never shares any insights on what they should do.
Ben’s Investigation
Ben does the job of always being upset and annoyed while looking for the culprit. Like every other cop, he isn’t sure who this sadistic game host is. However, he makes a case out of showing how frustrated he is by this game. We sense that it is because of his past trauma, but we don’t learn the exact details until much later. Turns out, he had to witness the brutal murder of his family members. Regardless, Parker realizes that this presenter has held others captive besides the two he brings out for his show. After identifying these entrapped individuals, the cops realize that these are some of the locals who recently went missing.
As Ben and Cathy look into the cases of missing people, Katia Volkova (Natalya Tsvetkova) decides to start her new job in Portland. She is a Moscow resident who recently escaped her toxic marriage and moved to Portland with her son and mother. Her mother does not want her to live under the shadows of her past and embrace new possibilities in her life. Katia makes a good sale at work and celebrates it with her co-worker at a bar, who calls it a work tradition. Later, at night, after Katia leaves the bar, the presenter sends his pawns to kidnap her.
Larch’s Insights
Parker cannot figure out the logistics behind the game and wants the department to seek help from Larch (Rick Yale), an infamous criminal that Ben put behind bars. Although initially hesitant, Ben meets Larch at the jail and tries to decipher the game presenter’s motives. Larch insists he must watch the game’s live feed to explain the presenter’s plans. Ben doesn’t allow that to happen. Still, Larch explains that the presenter is interested in showmanship more than anything else. In short, the presenter is doing this just for kicks. He has no other possible motive.
The game presenter keeps regularly torturing the captives and killing them as per the viewers’ demands. After a couple more causalities, Ben allows Larch to see the feed to help them locate the presenter. They see the presenter kill a man by forcefully feeding him acid. Soon, the newspapers start discussing this deadly game, which puts pressure on the police department. So, the FBI gets in between to find the culprit and save the victims. Ben gets upset since he doesn’t want them to interfere with their investigation, or maybe the cliché of mutual hatred between the police and the FBI seems lucrative to the storytellers.
DarkGame (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
Can Ben save victims of the sadistic game?
With the growing number of casualties, the police department gets scrutinized by the press. Under that stress, Ben gets angry at a reporter. The presenter uses it to play with Ben’s emotions and use him as a pawn in his game. While Ben is at home with his wife, the presenter mentions him by name and the Portland PD. He expects Ben to decide whom to kill between two of his victims. Around this time, Parker locates the game’s site. By the time the cops can reach there, the presenter forces Ben to decide. Then, the presenter kills a victim whom Ben does not select to be killed.
The presenter tricks the cops into reaching a fake location. Soon after, the presenter brings Katia to speak directly to the camera. He asks her questions, and she must answer. While looking straight into the camera, she mentions she misses her work colleagues. Ben realizes this is impossible since she has worked there only a day. So, he meets her colleague at the store. The colleague takes him to the washroom there, fearing the security cameras might catch them.
Then, she writes down a location name on paper and leads him there. When Ben and the authorities reach the site, the contestants revolt against the presenter’s masked pawns and try to escape. Only Katia manages to reach the exit and meets Ben. He walks in to find the culprit. Meanwhile, the cops protect Katia and help her reunite with her family.
Who is the masked mastermind behind the game?
Ben enters the game’s site to confront the masked mastermind/the presenter. He walks closer to a masked figure but finds only a mannequin underneath. The actual presenter speaks from a different location and mocks Ben’s misfortune. So, we do not see who exactly the masked mastermind is since he never takes the mask off or shares any specific details about his identity. Ultimately, we see him prepare for his next mission/game.
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