The Chain

It’s 2008, right as the financial meltdown occurs. Now 30, CROSS was drummed out of the Navy Seals because he couldn’t take human life. He’s house hunting in Southern California, counting on that promotion at a security company to help him close the deal. He doesn’t care about money; he just wants his beloved wife RUTH to be happy. Sure, she claims to be satisfied with Cross and by working at a nonprofit to preserve coral reefs. But there are signs she’s restless living in their old tract home. Cross is called into his boss’ office and told that the boss’ snobby son will be partner and Cross is terminated due to the financial crisis. In a rage, Cross destroys some art treasures in the office. Then Cross faints. The doc at the ER gives him bad news: a brain tumor and not long to live. Cross learns his health insurance was cut off and no COBRA because of his violent outburst. Cross attempts to end his life by driving off the end of an overpass. He brakes in the nick of time, his car dangling over. FLATBED, 55, is a transplant from Brooklyn with his own towing and car mechanic company. The two guys bond over cigars and beer. Cross arrives at his own home to find out Ruth was contacted by the hospital and knows about his illness. The next night, he escorts her to a fashionable charity event. All the non-profits have booths, looking for donations. Cross is approached by MR. POPWELL. The man runs a non-profit, “The Humanitarian Foundation.” Somehow the man has learned of Cross’ illness and tells Cross, that he and Ruth will go into heavy debt paying for his medical care. She will be left with nothing as he dies an excruciatingly painful death. At the strangely extravagant and secretive Humanitarian Foundation, Popwell tells Cross there is another option: The Chain. Cross would sell the Foundation his life insurance policy, which Ruth had recently upgraded to a cool million. Cross will receive seventy percent of the value right now, as soon as kills another terminally ill person in the chain. Once his “humanitarian” service is complete, another person will kill Cross. The ex-Seal will not suffer and Ruth will not go into massive debt on medical bills, plus she gets the 700 K. Flatbed and Cross’ former intern, PEG, try to talk him out the scheme. Cross agrees to the arrangement. He and Flatbed drive to his female target in dead of night. The Chain has given him a packet of information: location, time, medical details. Cross creeps right into a women’s bedroom, puts his gun to her head. She awakens, plead with him to do it. He can’t and leaves. The woman was murdered anyway. A passerby spotted Flatbed’s truck and Cross is soon arrested. LT. ANDREWS doesn’t want Cross, he wants Popwell. Gives Cross a few days to get dirt on the man. Cross and Peg break into the Humanitarian Foundation, Flatbed breaks into Popwell’s house. Cross steals a hardrive which he hands to Peg. She escapes but Cross faints again. Flatbed is killed. In a hospital Cross learns he doesn’t have a brain tumor. He’s been poisoned with a deadly coral extract; his previous MRIs were obviously faked. Andrews visits an old Seal buddy of Cross. The disabled man tells him that Cross never took human life because he knew he had a taste for killing and if he ever started... Using information on the hard drive, Cross goes on a rampage to destroy all those involved in the scheme. But can he resist his wife’s last attempt at manipulation?