The action film "The Misfits” follows a group of vigilantes who convince prison escape
artist Richard Pace, played by Pierce Brosnan, to help them pull off a gold heist in the
fictional country of Jazeristan.
The gold is originally meant to finance terrorist activities, and a man named Schultz is storing
the fortune for a terrorist organization in one of his many high-security prisons.
With a team of misfit criminals, including con artist Ringo, skilled fighter Violet,
and the mysterious Prince, Pace and company hatch a plan to steal their bounty from a
Jazeristan penitentiary.
Their basic intention is to give the entire prison population severe food poisoning, dress
up as medical personnel, then sneak out with the gold.
A simple plan?
Not exactly.
Let's dive into the multiple twists at the end of "The Misfits."
"Steal their gold, stop the terrorists.
Let's go to prison, shall we?"
The personal antagonism between Schultz and Richard Pace is obvious from the beginning
of the movie due to the heavy implication that Pace previously slept with Schultz's
wife.
Schultz therefore has a vendetta against Pace, and Pace reciprocates the rivalry by humiliating
Schultz whenever possible.
This motivation explains the reasoning behind the numerous outlandish diversions and red
herrings during the robbery.
First, by giving the entire prison population food poisoning, the team causes hundreds of
inmates to suffer intense vomiting and intestinal distress.
This throws the institution into chaos, and allows the robbers to take advantage of the
distracted staff during the pandemonium.
However, for Pace, the health of the convicts is simply a means to an end.
When Wick expresses concern about their well-being, Pace heartlessly brushes off the matter.
Pace's main objective was to embarrass Schultz in his own facility, regardless of the collateral
damage to hundreds of people who have nothing to do with his personal vendetta.
Secondly, it's eventually revealed that the gold bars weren't transported as bricks, but
instead melted down into the shape of a statue.
While Schultz's team chases after a van they presume is carrying the riches, the real gold
is wheeled out of the facility under the pretense of repairing the sculpture.
This means Schultz is further disgraced when he catches up to the van, only to find it
empty.
Once Schultz does catch the van, Pace's crew is outmanned and outgunned — that is, until
a fleet of soldiers with a military aircraft inexplicably emerge from the sand dunes, despite
there being no cover for miles around.
These men are supposedly under the command of the Prince.
The regiment surrounds Schultz, claiming to be from the fictional sovereign nation of
Salwhan.
Whether this is another trick, or a reveal that the Prince really is royalty remains
somewhat ambiguous, but the tactic does allow them to leave unharmed.
What isn't ambiguous, however, is that the vigilante thieves condemn Schultz to death
by divulging his whereabouts to Abu Hirawa, the head of the terrorist organization they
just robbed.
As to why Hirawa would punish his lackey in charge of protecting the gold instead of going
after those directly responsible for swindling his wealth standing right in front of him,
that remains an unanswered question.
Even if Hirawa believed that the Prince was royalty from a sovereign nation, he has no
reason to care about the status of the thieves who stole his treasure.
For that matter, if the group really was trying to make the world a better place and stop
terrorism, why didn't they kill Hirawa right then?
They had a literal squadron of soldiers surrounding the area; they could have brought down the
head of an international terrorist organization and destabilized his entire establishment.
They already displayed that they're not above killing people, as Violet has killed a number
of guards during the course of the film, so why not one more death for the cause?
"I don't date men.
I kill them."
For the final bait-and-switch of "The Misfits," Schultz's goons are holding Hope hostage,
and just as she's about to be executed, it's revealed that Violet was the one being held
captive, which spells bad news for those guys as she slays her abductors with ease.
How these kidnappers mistook a blonde white woman for a brunette Korean American is another
unsolved mystery.
Were they not given a general description?
Or a photo from her Instagram?
Similarly, in the penultimate scene of the movie, it appears that Richard Pace has gone
back on his word and stolen the gold for himself, but he returns to the team remorseful, the
gilded statue in tow.
When watching "The Misfits," the audience is in the same shoes as Schultz.
Due to the many false trails the script sets up, it's easy to become just as confused about
what's going on as the people being robbed.
Though one or two plot twists can be exciting, too many curveballs tend to result in whiplash.
But that's the narrative's entire intention: to keep us on our toes, throwing us from point
to point, and keep us constantly guessing.
If that's the goal of "The Misfits,” then mission accomplished.
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