FAFO (F**k Around, Find Out)

"They f**ked around. He made them find out."

Synopsis:
Joe Tommy Watson (mid-40s, grizzled, haunted), once the feared “Head Hunter” of New York’s mob, lives in witness protection as “Tom Miller” in Red Willow, Nebraska. Under the alias, he’s a quiet handyman caring for his elderly mother, Evelyn (70s, warm, defiant), in a modest farmhouse. Their bond is the heart of his redemption—she’s the only one who knows his past as a ruthless enforcer who severed heads as a signature. But peace shatters when three meth-addled hoodlums, led by the sadistic Kyle, break into their home. They find little of value except Evelyn’s wedding ring. When she resists, Kyle kills her and cuts off her finger for the ring. Joe arrives too late, finding her body and the desecrated ring. Grief ignites rage, awakening the Head Hunter.

Joe buries Evelyn, pockets her ring, and begins his hunt. Ignoring the pleas of the local sheriff, Dan Harper, he tracks the hoodlums to a meth den. In a chilling, methodical sequence, he kills them, beheading Kyle and leaving his head on a pike—a message from his past. Word spreads: The Head Hunter is back. The murders draw the attention of a regional crime syndicate, and Joe learns the break-in was no accident. It was a test hit ordered by someone higher up. He carves through the syndicate’s ranks, leaving heads in his wake, each kill a step closer to the truth. Red Willow spirals into fear, with only Sarah, a young diner waitress who loved Evelyn, becoming Joe’s reluctant ally.

The trail reveals the hit was ordered by Joe’s old boss, Vincent “The Butcher” Russo, a charming but ruthless kingpin seeking revenge for Joe’s testimony against him years ago. Joe’s quest takes him from Nebraska’s cornfields to New York’s gritty streets, leaving a trail of severed heads through Russo’s network. Hunted by a rogue FBI agent, Carla Reese, Joe infiltrates Russo’s inner circle, posing as a hired gun. In a rain-soaked warehouse, he reveals himself. A brutal, no-holds-barred fight ensues—knives, pipes, and fists. Russo’s men fall, their heads rolling. Wounded but relentless, Joe beheads Russo, avenging Evelyn but losing himself. He escapes the feds, returning to Nebraska to place Evelyn’s ring on her grave. Driving into the horizon, Joe is a ghost once more, his vengeance complete but his soul fractured.

Elevator Pitch:
Imagine John Wick meets Wind River in a gritty, R-rated action thriller called FAFO—short for “F**k Around, Find Out.” Joe Watson, a grizzled ex-con once feared as “The Head Hunter” in New York’s mob, hides in witness protection in a sleepy Nebraska town, caring for his elderly mother, Evelyn. When meth-head hoodlums break in, kill her, and cut off her finger for her wedding ring, they awaken a monster. Joe unleashes a brutal, head-severing rampage, carving a bloody trail from Nebraska’s cornfields to New York’s underworld to confront his old boss, Vincent Russo, the kingpin who ordered the hit. With a $40-60M budget, FAFO delivers visceral action—think machete-fueled kills in a rain-soaked warehouse—balanced by raw emotion: Joe’s love for Evelyn fuels every swing. The title’s viral edge, iconic “Head Hunter” mythos, and castable roles (Jon Bernthal as Joe, Vincent D’Onofrio as Russo) make it a box-office slam dunk. It’s a revenge epic with franchise potential, a memeable tagline—“They f**ked around. He made them find out”—and X-post buzz written all over it. This is the action thriller that’ll have audiences cheering as heads roll. Ready to greenlight the next genre classic?