Criminal (2016) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A damaged convict inherits an agent's memories and gradually chooses humanity over violence while stopping a global technological threat.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

The Stolen Mind

A dangerous wormhole program triggers the death of an intelligence agent and the search for his hidden source. Wells and Franks attempt an experimental memory transfer into Jerico.

Key Events

• Wormhole Program Commissioned — Heimdahl commissions a program designed to bypass nuclear defense codes. Characters: Xavier Heimdahl Location: Spain
• Hacker Seeks Protection — Pope helps the frightened hacker reach a safe house. Characters: Bill Pope Location: Safe-house route
• Pope Is Captured — Heimdahl's men capture and torture Pope before he can reveal the hacker's location. Characters: Bill Pope, Xavier Heimdahl Location: Unknown hideout
• Experimental Plan Proposed — Wells asks Franks to transfer Pope's knowledge into Jerico. Characters: Quaker Wells, Dr. Franks, Jerico Stewart Location: Medical facility
• Memory Transfer Performed — Franks performs the procedure intended to graft Pope's memories into Jerico. Characters: Jerico Stewart, Quaker Wells, Dr. Franks Location: Medical facility

A Fugitive Awakens

Jerico escapes custody and follows fragments of Pope's memories while the CIA races to locate him. Heimdahl's operation expands as the hidden hacker and the program become increasingly urgent targets.

Key Events

• Jerico Escapes Custody — Jerico escapes, fakes his death, and steals a maintenance van. Characters: Jerico Stewart, Quaker Wells Location: Custody facility
• Money Trail Begins — Jerico searches Pope's house and receives fragmented memories of the hidden money. Characters: Jerico Stewart, Bill Pope Location: Pope residence
• Hacker Sale Threat Emerges — The CIA learns that the hacker may sell the program to the Russians. Characters: Quaker Wells, Xavier Heimdahl Location: CIA operations center
• Jerico Contacts Franks — Jerico uses Pope's codes to contact Franks and request medication. Characters: Jerico Stewart, Dr. Franks, Quaker Wells Location: Medical facility
• Airport Distraction — Heimdahl creates an airport distraction while his forces move against Jerico. Characters: Xavier Heimdahl, Quaker Wells, Jerico Stewart Location: Airport

Memory Finds A Home

Jerico returns to Pope's residence and begins forming an emotional bond with Pope's family. A conversation points him toward the university and the hidden payment.

Key Events

• Bridge Escape — Jerico escapes pursuit by driving a taxi off a bridge. Characters: Jerico Stewart, Quaker Wells Location: Bridge
• Jerico Returns Home — Jerico returns to Pope's house and begins explaining his situation. Characters: Jerico Stewart, Bill Pope Location: Pope residence
• Family Bond Changes Jerico — Jerico bonds with Pope's child and is allowed to stay overnight. Characters: Jerico Stewart, Bill Pope Location: Pope residence
• Rare Books Lead — A conversation leads Jerico to the university's rare-books collection. Characters: Jerico Stewart, Bill Pope Location: Pope residence
• Money Recovered — Jerico finds the hidden bag but is captured by Heimdahl's forces. Characters: Jerico Stewart, Xavier Heimdahl Location: University of London

The Last Safe Office

Heimdahl captures Jerico and uses threats against Pope's family to force cooperation. Jerico escapes, reaches the university office, and loses the hacker during a violent confrontation.

Key Events

• Hostage Coercion — Heimdahl threatens Pope's family unless Jerico reveals the hacker's location. Characters: Jerico Stewart, Xavier Heimdahl Location: University of London
• Improvised Bomb Escape — Jerico uses an improvised bomb to escape and returns to the university office. Characters: Jerico Stewart, Xavier Heimdahl Location: University of London
• Hacker Office Shootout — The hacker is killed, Jerico is wounded, and Jerico defeats the attacker with a lamp. Characters: Jerico Stewart Location: University office

A Signal From Within

Jerico carries the program to the airfield, saves Pope's family, and turns Heimdahl's own weapon against him. Months later, a private gesture reveals that Pope's emotional presence survives within Jerico.

Key Events

• Race to the Airfield — Jerico steals an ambulance and carries the program toward the airfield. Characters: Jerico Stewart, Xavier Heimdahl, Quaker Wells Location: Road to the airfield
• Family Saved — Jerico saves Pope's family while Heimdahl shoots him during the escape attempt. Characters: Jerico Stewart, Xavier Heimdahl Location: Airfield
• Heimdahl Destroys Himself — The reprogrammed system targets the next transmission and destroys Heimdahl's plane. Characters: Jerico Stewart, Xavier Heimdahl, Quaker Wells Location: Airfield
• Beachside Recognition — Jerico responds to Pope's family with the nose-tap signal, confirming Pope's lingering presence. Characters: Jerico Stewart, Quaker Wells, Dr. Franks, Bill Pope Location: Beach

Story Breakdown

• Global Cyber Threat — Heimdahl's plan establishes the strategic danger surrounding the story.
  • Nuclear Codes — The wormhole program is designed to bypass computer protections around nuclear defense codes.
  • Program Pursuit — Multiple forces seek control of the program and the hidden hacker who created it.
• Pope's Fatal Mission — Pope tries to protect the hacker but dies before revealing the crucial location.
  • Safe House Attempt — Pope gets the frightened hacker toward safety and recovers the payment money.
  • Tortured Silence — Heimdahl's men capture and kill Pope before he can disclose the information.
• Memory Transfer — Wells and Franks use Jerico as the subject of an experimental intelligence-recovery procedure.
  • Franks's Treatment — Franks attempts to graft Pope's memory patterns into Jerico's damaged brain.
  • Pope's Echo — Jerico begins receiving memories, skills, and emotional traces belonging to Pope.
• Jerico's Escape — Jerico rejects confinement and follows the clues emerging from his inherited memories.
  • Van Theft — He escapes custody, fakes his death, and steals a maintenance van.
  • Money Search — He searches Pope's house and identifies the hidden bag without initially finding its exact location.
• Unexpected Humanity — Contact with Pope's family awakens emotional responses that Jerico previously lacked.
  • Household Encounter — Jerico returns to Pope's residence and explains the situation after initially causing fear.
  • Family Bond — His bond with Pope's child leads to acceptance and helps unlock the university clue.
• University Pursuit — The search for the payment and the hidden hacker converges at the university.
  • Rare Books Clue — Jerico realizes the money is concealed in the university's rare-books collection.
  • Hostage Threat — Heimdahl captures Jerico and threatens Pope's family to force him to reveal the hacker's location.
• Final Airfield Gambit — Jerico turns recovered information into a direct attack on Heimdahl's escape plan.
  • Office Confrontation — Jerico reaches the hacker, survives a shooting, and escapes with the flash drive.
  • Reversed Transmission — The program is reconfigured to target the source of the next transmission, destroying Heimdahl's plane.
• Emotional Resolution — The surviving characters recognize that Jerico contains more than recovered information.
  • Beach Reunion — Wells and Franks bring Pope's family to Jerico months after the confrontation.
  • Nose Tap — Jerico responds with Pope's private sign of love, confirming a lingering emotional connection.

Directed by

Ariel Vromen

Key Cast

• Kevin Costner — Jerico Stewart
• Gary Oldman — Quaker Wells
• Tommy Lee Jones — Dr. Franks
• Gal Gadot — Jill Pope
• Alice Eve — Marta Lynch