Initially released in 2012, Hotline Miami
is a top down action game inspired by the decadence of 1980s Miami. Its story often blurs the line between dream
and reality calling into question the validity of what’s happening giving an atmosphere
of intrigue and mystery. It was followed up by a sequel released in
2015 which compounded the mysteries of the first game by telling its story out of chronological
order. However, sifting through, and reordering everything
the series has to offer should help unravel the mystery of the games, and clarify the
full picture. Let’s go ahead and do just that. And I don’t think I need to mention it,
but there are spoilers of the stories of Hotline Miami and Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number in
this video. You should really play the games and experience
their awesome stories the way they were meant to be experienced before watching this video. Also, the story telling in this video for
some of the characters will be a little awkward due to the rearranging of events. If you would like to have a more focused telling
of a particular characters’s story, feel free to check the other videos in the Hotline
Miami playlist. But with that out of the way, let’s get
started. The series opens in a bar in Hawaii in 1985. Here is the introduction of 4 characters:
Barnes, Daniels, Beard, and the ever silent Jacket. These characters are soldiers in an elite
special forces unit called the Ghost Wolves in the US Military, which is in the middle
of a war with the Soviet Union. During the war, the USSR has managed to invade
the Hawaiian islands, and these soldiers are here to defend US Territory, but right now,
they’re just enjoying themselves while catching a drink. Beard mentions he’s going to head back to
camp, and Jacket goes with him. When they exit the bar, a war correspondent
named Evan Wright approaches them asking if he could take their picture for his story. Beard agrees, and asks if a copy could be
sent to his home address, but the correspondent says they have a Polaroid, so he can get Beard
a copy immediately. The duo stand in the Sun, and Beard puts his
arm around Jacket while Jackets flashes a peace sign. Beard grabs his photo, and the duo hop in
the back of a truck to head back to camp. That night, Beard meets with his commanding
officer, a man known as the Colonel, who sends the Wolves on a mission to ambush a Soviet
Camp. Beard decimates the Soviets, and when finished,
calls the rest of the unit over the radio. The coded dialogue between the Wolves is used
to hide their transmissions from the Soviets, and was a protocol handed down by the Colonel. Beard finds the rest of the unit has captured
some prisoners, and Daniels has found intel in the hut of the Soviet Commander. Six months later, in October of 1985, the
Wolves are gathered on a beach. Still mired in the war, Beard, Barnes, and
Daniels contemplate their futures while Jacket sunbathes nearby. Barnes says he’d like to open a bar, which
Daniels mocks him for. When Barnes asks what Daniels is going to
do, Daniels says he was a teacher, and that’s what he intends to return to after the war. Barnes asks Beard, who says he would be happy
with anything that doesn’t involve killing people. He imagines working in a convenience store
sitting comfortably with a little TV close by. Beard then says he tries not to think about
it too much because things never turn out the way you expect them to. He says he’s going to check on the Colonel
since they were supposed to receive their mission hours ago. Beard finds the Colonel alone in his hut celebrating
his promotion, but when he laments that America will likely lose the war, Beard knows he isn’t
as happy as he seems. The Colonel lightens the mood by telling Beard
that he and the rest of the Wolves will likely be heading home soon, but have one final mission
to complete before that. They’re tasked with changing an enemy camp
entirely on their own. The Colonel tells Beard to not get himself
killed and sends him off. Although the mission is harrowing, the Wolves
succeed in capturing the Stronghold. Afterwards, Beard meets with the commander
of D Company who, impressed by the Wolves, wishes his own men were trained as well as
them, mentioning they’ve been trying to capture this base for weeks, but have suffered
heavy casualties. He tells Beard to set up camp and rest, and
he’ll gather his men to join them shortly. Later, Beard tells the others they’ve completed
their last mission and Barnes wants to celebrate by finding some alcohol, but due to the state
of the roads Daniels recommends they keep their wits about them until D Company shows
up. Barnes disagrees, saying D Company is inadequate
and the Wolves don’t need them, but Beard agrees with Daniels, saying there’s safety
in numbers. He says he’s going to lie down, and asks
to be woken up when the Colonel arrives. When the Colonel does arrive, he has some
bad news. Command has one more mission for the Ghost
Wolves: nearby is a heavily guarded Soviet Power Plant helping fuel the Soviet War Effort. The Ghost Wolves are tasked with capturing
the Soviet Power Plant completely on their own. It’s a suicide mission. The night before their mission, the Wolves
are sitting together in their bunker wondering why they’ve been given this mission. Angrily, Barnes thinks command is trying to
get them killed, and, uncharacteristically, Daniels agrees with him. Barnes says a whole platoon should be send
to capture the Power Plant, and Beard guesses the Power Plant is too risky for a whole platoon
because it’s likely the whole place is booby trapped. He pauses, then concludes the Wolves are “more
expendable”. There’s a sudden crack of lightning, and
the Colonel walks in from the rain raising his blood soaked hands to the sky. He asks his soldiers if they see it, if they
can see his face, after all, it’s his true nature. The Colonel is wearing the skinned face of
a panther with a strange symbol carved into it; a circle with three lines through it. He continues his mad rant saying they are
all a bunch of animals. The soldiers are sent to kill or be killed,
blindly following orders while never questioning why, all because deep down inside, they love
it; violence and destruction, it’s all a part of their nature. Sheepishly, Beard asks the Colonel if he’s
ok. The Panther Face slides off, and the Blood
Soaked Colonel stammers that he’s had too much to drink. He says he's going to go lie down, and Beard
says that’s a good idea. As he leaves, Barnes wonders what kind of
things the Colonel’s been drinking. Anxiety hangs heavy on the air the following
morning as the Wolves gather for their mission. Beard meets with the Colonel, who isn’t
feeling very good sending his men into a death trap, but can’t do anything to stop it. He says he’s got word the Wolves will be
sent home, but fears that they’ll be sent home in body bags. He tells Beard that no matter what happens,
it’s been damn good commanding the unit, and says he couldn’t be prouder of them. He wishes him good luck, and Beard sets off
into the Jungle. Barnes looses a grate to the Power Plant,
and Beard begins a long, arduous fight through the Power Plant. Incredibly he makes it through, and when he
reaches the Soviet General’s office finds that Barnes, Daniels, and Jacket have all
made it alive. Inside the office, the Russian General has
killed all of the Engineers, and the Wolves arrive in time to see him kill himself, but
he put the Power Plant in meltdown before doing so. With a siren blaring, Barnes and Jacket rush
to a nearby elevator which suddenly blows up, blowing Barnes in half and fatally injuring
Jacket. Daniels rushes to Barnes, who is still alive,
and Beard rushes to Jacket. He picks him up, and jumps into another elevator
nearby leaving Barnes and Daniels behind. He navigates through an underground network
of tunnels and escapes before the Power Plant detonates. Outside, he frantically calls a casevac throwing
protocol out the window and giving his exact location. He tells Jacket to hang on, and Jacket stretches
his hand out as a gesture of gratitude. Beard tells him there’s no need to thank
him saying “it’s on the house.” So Jacket doesn’t forget who saved him,
Beard gives him the picture of the two taken months ago by the reporter. Clutching the memento in his hands, Jacket
survives his injuries. Shortly afterward, the two are discharged
from the military, and return home; Jacket to Miami, and Beard to San Francisco. They make their transition to civilian life,
and Beard manages to get a relaxing job at a convenience store, just like he said he
wanted on the beach. The two maintain their friendship through
frequent phone calls, and it’s during one of these phone calls on April 3rd, 1986 that
we next see Beard where he’s consoling Jacket through a recent break up. Beard then asks Jacket about the photo from
Hawaii, and wonders if Jacket ever sent him a copy of it. Jacket hasn’t gotten around to it yet, and
Beard ask him to send one when he gets a chance. He tells Jacket something’s going on outside
his shop, and he’ll talk to him later. Hanging up the phone, Beard walks out of his
door, and a bright white light fills the entire screen wiping everything away. This was a nuclear bomb dropped by the Soviet
Union. It struck San Francisco and killed thousands
of innocent people. As a result of this strike, the Russo-American
War is ended, and a coalition called the Russo-American Coalition is created between the two nations
to prevent another tragedy such as San Francisco from happening again and to maintain peace. In addition to this cooperation between the
Country that destroyed San Francisco, a large influx of Russian immigrants flow into the
US and settle in its cities, upsetting US Citizens. As a result, Anti-Russian sentiments begin
rising. Patriotic organizations, (such as 50 Blessings,)
are created to help resist the Russian influence, and maintain American Pride. It’s during this period that members of
the Russian Mafia, led by a man nicknamed Father, move into Miami. In their trademark white suits, the Russian
Mafia carves out territory in the criminal underground of Miami using weaponry gained
from the Soviet Military. They begin a drug trade, and even manage to
coerce US politicians to cooperate with them. Very shortly, the Russian Mafia has a criminal
monopoly in Miami raising Anti-Russian sentiments even further. Eventually, someone resolves to do something
about it. We fast forward to 1989 in Miami where we
meet two new characters named Richter, and his mother Rosa. Rosa has been afflicted with an unnamed disease
that restricts her movement, and Richter lives with her to take care of her and help her
around the house. Although Rosa feels guilty that Richter is
sacrificing his personal life to take care of her, Richter is happy to help his mother
out. In March of 1989, Richter begins receiving
strange phone calls that sound as if they’re misplaced asking him to do weird things, like
leave cryptic messages at other numbers, or paint a symbol at certain locations: a circle
with three lines through it, the same symbol carved into the face of the skinned panther
by the Colonel. Strangely, these “misplaced phone calls"
feel similar to the coded messages used by the Ghost Wolves in Miami. Richter ignores the messages, but then they
start getting threatening. On April 2nd, 1989, he wakes up to find his
car had been torched in the night. On his phone is another message, and this
time, it threatens his mother by name. Richter heads upstairs to check on his mother,
and is relieved to find her ok lying on her bed. Rosa tells him about a strange dream she had. Richter was sitting on an island with his
father staring out to the sea. It was peaceful, but Rosa says something bad
was about to happen. She can’t remember what, then guesses it
wasn’t so bad after all. In order to protect his mother, Richter decides
to comply with the phone message and tells her he has to leave for a bit. He'll make her something to eat when he comes
back, and Rosa simply says she’ll take a nap until then. Richter takes a bus to the address left on
his answering machine to find it’s a bar that’s flying Soviet flags; inside are men
in white suits. Wearing a rubber Rat mask to protect his identity,
Richter kills all of the people inside. He quickly flees the scene and returns home
where he finds his mother got out of bed to make herself something to eat. Richter shows concern, but Rosa quashes that
concern saying she’s still got some fight left in her. Richter hopes his nightmare is over, but his
Phone call is not an isolated incident. Instead, it’s only the first in what will
become an epidemic. The very next day on April 3rd, 1989, 3 years
to the day of the Bombing of San Francisco, another phone call is placed. However, this one isn’t placed to Richter,
but instead placed to Jacket, the surviving member of the Ghost Wolves from Hawaii. His message mentions that cookies have been
delivered to his door, but the box outside doesn’t contain any cookies. Instead, there’s a rubber Rooster mask,
and a note ordering him to obtain a briefcase. Ominously, the note says “failure isn’t
an option” and that “they will be watching.” Jacket makes his way to the Metro to find
a man with a briefcase, but he's being guarded by men in white suits. Upon seeing Jacket, the men attack him, but
Jacket fights off his attackers, killing them, and for some reason feels satisfied by their
murders. Retrieving the briefcase, Jacket leaves, and
throws it in a dumpster. A hobo then appears, upset that someone is
in his alley. Jacket deals with him the same way he’s
dealt with the other men, killing him by smashing his head into the ground. However, this time, the murder leaves Jacket
feeling sick, and he throws up on the pavement. He quickly flees the scene and returns home
to his apartment. A few days later, on April 8th, after reading
the pamphlet of a patriotic organization named 50 Blessings, Jacket finds another message
on his answering machine. Remembering the warning from the note, Jacket
complies with his task. This time, before entering the building, he
notices a symbol painted outside on the doorstep: a circle with three lines through it; the
same symbol Richter was tasked with painting. Inside, Jacket finds men in white suits occupy
it. He again kills all of these men, and leaves
when finished. On April 10th, Richter tells his mother that
he’s going out. Rosa is disappointed since she was hoping
Richter could help her take a bath. Richter says he’ll help as soon as he comes
back. Rosa thinks Richter’s going for a job interview,
and sends him on his way telling him she can take care of herself. In actuality, Richter received another phone
message, and he’s going out to complete his mission. Richter finds the address is a building that’s
in disuse, and inside finds men in white suits. He kills all of them, and after the chaos
has settled notices places where the floor boards have been torn up. Underneath lie boxes of military grade weaponry. These are the same type of weapons used by
the Russian Mafia in their criminal activities. Richter wonders if there is some connection
between the calls and the Russian Mafia, but concerned with the well being of his mother,
he quickly heads back home. When he returns, he finds Rosa unconscious
on the bathroom floor. He carries her to her bed where she regains
consciousness soon after Richter lies her down. She tells him she was going to take a bath
on her own, but passed out. Richter wants to call the doctor, but Rosa
tells him not to worry; that she’ll be as good as new once she gets some rest. About a week later on April 16th, we return
to Jacket to see he’s started collecting newspaper scraps about his murders. This one mentions that Police suspect the
murders on the 8th had to do with the illegal drug trade in Miami. The Russian Mafia is heavily involved in the
drug trade of Miami, which furthers the speculation that the Russian Mafia and the Phone Calls
are related. Jacket finds a new message on his answering
machine, and during his mission, he finds the men in white have been torturing a man
tied up to a chair. Strangely, the man is wearing a rubber Walrus
mask. Jacket and Richter aren’t the only ones
being sent on these missions. Another week passes, and on April 23rd, Richter
goes to tell Rosa he’s headed out again, but this time, she asks him if he would tell
her if he got into any kind of trouble. Richter lies to her, assuring her that he’s
only going to meet with a friend. Rosa is happy to hear it, and asks if Richter
could invite his friend over sometime. Richter simply replies, “Yeah, maybe…” He leaves, and again fulfills his mission,
killing the men at the address given by the message. Two days later, on April 25th, Jacket has
settled into a routine: newspaper clipping, phone message, and murder. This time, after he kills everyone at the
building, he finds a woman lying on a bed. The woman is half naked with cameras pointed
to her. On the bed next to her are a pair of handcuffs,
and a syringe. With tears streaking down her face, she tells
Jacket to finish her, implying some malicious happened in this room pushing her to want
death. Jacket stands over her, picks her up, and
carries her to his car. The same day, a man in his bathroom shaves
his head in his sink. This man is named Jake, and after admiring
his work, he exits to his small messy apartment. The pamphlet to a patriotic organization named
50 Blessings lying on his counter implies he’s a patriot, but the confederate flag
lying on his couch implies his patriotism may be more sinister than believed. Jake finds a message on his answering machine,
and checks it to hear a message similar to the ones that Jacket and Richter have been
receiving, but unlike them, he interrupts the caller, demanding to talk to their boss. It seems this isn’t the first call he’s
received. The caller ignores his pleas, and hangs up
when finished, much to Jake’s annoyance. Although disgusted at the disrespect just
shown him, Jake heads to the address given to him to find it’s a news station. He puts on a rubber snake mask, and charges
in, finding men in white suits throughout the station, and, like Richter and Jacket,
kills all them. On the top floor, he finds one of the men
“talking" with the editor of the station. Jake charges in, and kills both of them. On the desk in front of him is a case full
of cash. As payment for his “job,” Jake takes the
money, and leaves the station. He wants to celebrate his newfound wealth,
so he heads to a local tattoo shop where he asks to get a tattoo on his shoulder. The clerk offers him a slot for next Friday,
but Jake says he wants to get tattooed today since he’s celebrating a special occasion. The man apologizes, telling him they’re
booked for days, so Jake storms out in anger, calling the man a Russian Asshole, revealing
his prejudice nature. We now enter the month of May to find Jacket
in his apartment. However, he’s not alone anymore. The Girl from his last mission on the 25th
is sleeping on the couch. He didn’t kill her, but instead rescued
her, bringing her to his apartment to rest and recuperate. He lets her sleep, and checks his phone message
for a new mission. This time, when he’s clearing the building,
he finds a man in a rubber Tiger mask tied up in a chair being interrogated by the men
in white. The interrogators have wired the man with
explosives, so if he tries to escape the room, he’ll blow up. However, the interrogators didn’t anticipate
someone else would be coming into the room, so when Jacket shoots open the door to the
room, the explosives detonate, killing the man, and his interrogators. The bomb blast rang through out the entire
city, so Jacket quickly leaves the scene. On May 11th, Jacket is seen reading the newspaper
about his last murder. Over the past few days, the Girl has been
living with Jacket, and now is locked inside the bathroom. Jacket leaves her alone, and finds he has
another message. He completes this mission, but after clearing
the building, hears moans coming from a sewer close by. He opens the manhole, and heads down to see
a man sitting in a pool of his own blood. Nearby lies a rubber crocodile mask. Wide eyed, the man is seemingly in denial
of his fate, and Jacket hears his frantic attempts to rationalize everything as just
a dream. The refusal of his fate doesn’t impede his
coming death, and he soon succumbs to his wounds. Two days pass and we return to Jacket’s
apartment to see the Girl happily lounging in the bath. Today, the newspaper clipping reveals the
press have noticed the string of murders performed by masked assailants, and notes that the victims
have connections to the Russian Mafia; confirming the suspicion that the Russian Mafia are the
targets of these messages. Despite this, the Police are denying rumors
a vigilante movement. Curiously, Jacket finds a new message for
him on his answering machine; there are usually a lot more days in between his missions. When he answers, the caller mentions that
someone went home sick, possibly explaining the quick turn around in Jacket’s missions. The mission this time involves some “VIP
Guests” at Hotel Blue. When Jacket arrives at the hotel, he notices
the Men in White, the Russian Gangsters, are meeting with, and guarding, Men in Black Suits. Jacket puts on his mask, picks up a gun, and
kills everyone, including the Men in Black Suits; only sparing a Janitor cleaning one
of the rooms, one that looks similar to the one cleaning his apartment building. The same day, we’re brought to a local bar
where a man with a Biker helmet is shaking a man wearing a rubber Pig mask. It seems like he found masked murderer and
is attacking him, but it’s revealed he’s an accomplice of the masked murderers, and
he's telling the man he’s bored, he wants out, and the man wearing the Pig mask is going
to tell him how. It’s interesting to note that this man is
trying to quit, and Jacket got a call earlier in the day about someone “calling in sick." He throws the man to the floor, and the man
relents, telling Biker about a man in a Chinese Restaurant that knows more. Biker heads to the Chinese Restaurant, and
in a small, dark room in the back, finds a man in front of some computers. Biker grabs the man’s collar and threatens
him to get answers. The man quickly gives up information, saying
he doesn’t know who’s behind everything, but he helped set up the system at PhoneHom
to sweep their calls, and Biker will have to hack the system to trace them. He mentions the people terrified him because
they seemed to have a political agenda, so he went into hiding after setting up the system. Biker, satisfied with the information he was
given, releases the man and leaves, resolving to find the source of the calls. A few days later on May 16th, we find Biker
in his apartment. With decorative rugs, colorful sheets, and
electrical equipment, it’s a lot different from Jacket’s plain apartment. Lying on the table in front of the couch is
something we’ve seen before: a pamphlet for an organization named 50 Blessings. Biker also has a message on his answering
machine, and the message says the client “will not tolerate further delays” implying Biker
has been abandoning previous missions. To buy more time for his investigation, he
completes his mission, killing Russian Gangsters at a local arcade. On May 23rd, while the Girl is relaxing on
the couch, Jacket is reading the newspaper clipping about his last job. The clipping reveals that several victims
had connections to a criminal network, likely the Russian Mafia, and included among those
killed were 3 politicians involved with the Russo-American Coalition. Jacket wonders what kind of connections there
could be with the Coalition and the Russian Mafia, but his thoughts are interrupted by
a call on his phone. He’s tasked with clearing out condos, and
climbs the building killing everyone on each floor. The same night, Biker had a drug fueled party
in his apartment. In its aftermath, he finds a message on his
answering machine. Deciding he’s had enough, he heads to the
PhoneHom building to find the source of the calls. He bursts into the Manager’s office, killing
the man to get to his computer. He hacks into their system, and finds the
true source of the calls. Then the doors to the office open, and Jacket
walks in the room. After completing his mission, he received
a call in the building he just cleared. It was the callers, and they told him to head
to the PhoneHom to deal with a "Prank Caller.” The callers found out Biker abandoned his
mission, and was hacking into their equipment to find them, so they sent Jacket to stop
him. After a tense stand off, Jacket and Biker
engage in a brutal fight. The very next day, we see Biker in his apartment,
meaning he emerged from the fight alive. He’s got a new message on his phone that
doubles as a threat from the callers, but Biker doesn’t feel threatened, and makes
his way to the address he found in the PhoneHom computer. He enters the building, and sees a Janitor
quickly flee. He gives chase, and finds a secret hideout
in the sewers below the building where the two Janitors have numerous phones set up,
and have boxes of animal masks, confirming they’re the source of the calls. Biker confronts the Janitors, and begins asking
questions, and the Janitors realize he really doesn’t know anything, so they toy with
him, saying it was all a game they did for fun. Biker begins to leave, but before doing so,
notices a computer in the Janitors’ workshop. It’s password protected, but by using his
Biker intuition, he successfully guesses the password, gets into their computer, and discovers
the Janitors plan. He confronts the Janitors again, and this
time, they freely speak of their plan, revealing they work for a patriotic organization named
50 Blessings, the same one Biker, Jacket, and Jake are all members of, and they’re
using their members to carry out assassination contracts. Their ultimate goal is to topple the Russo-American
Coalition and remake the country in their image. They vaguely hint at “powerful friends”
they have on their side. This could possibly be the Colonel from Hawaii;
after all, 50 Blessings uses a circle with 3 lines through it as a symbol, the same one
the Colonel carved into the skinned panther face during his crazed rant, and their calls
use a coded system very similar to what the Ghost Wolves used in Miami. Biker cuts them off, saying they’ve wasted
enough of his time. He leaves them to their schemes, gets on his
bike, and sets out. He realizes he can’t return home, as now
he faces the entirety of the 50 Blessings organization, so he flees Miami in order to
plan his next move. But out in the wilds of America, he has an
encounter that completely changes him. On May 27th, we find Jacket also made it out
of the PhoneHom building, returning to his apartment beat up, but alive. The Girl is still living with him, and now
her presence begins to be felt. The apartment is much cleaner, all the garbage
and newspaper clippings are gone, and now she stays in the bedroom with Jacket although
in a separate bed. However, Jacket still receives phones messages
asking for his “services." After Biker visited the Janitors, they realized
Jacket failed to kill him, and they now had a loose thread in Jacket that needed to be
dealt with. They decide to reduce the time spent in between
his missions, and send him on incredibly dangerous ones in an attempt to get him killed. They begin by sending him to a dance club
where another operative was killed shortly after entering the building, but Jacket easily
handles the Gangsters in the club, killing all of them. On the closing day of May, Jacket is alone
in his apartment when 50 Blessings sends him to attack a drug den of the Russian Mafia. He's easily killing the gangsters when a Police
Raid is suddenly started on the building he’s attacking. Although the Police manage to arrest the Gangsters
and capture the drugs, Jacket slips through their fingers, and narrowly escapes the police. 3 days later, to 50 Blessings’ dismay, another
issue arises that could destroy 50 Blessings’ whole operation. During the evening, we find Jake in his apartment
where he's given a new mission. This time, instead of interrupting the caller,
he happily accepts his mission. He sets out, but before heading to the address
given, he stopped by the 50 Blessings’ headquarters, and catches the manager just before they close. He tells the Manager about a plan he’s thought
of, and begins by explaining about the calls he’s been getting, hinting at consequences
if you don’t comply with them. The Manager is immediately defensive, but
Jake goes on suggesting to the Manager that 50 Blessings set up a similar operation since
they have the resources and most of their members are trained veterans, but primarily
target Russians, start a civil movement, and help "free America of its oppressors.” Jake is inadvertently pitching 50 Blessings
own plan to themselves, and the Manager defends 50 Blessings, saying it’s peaceful organization
that wouldn’t force anyone to do anything they don’t want to, and “innocently" wonders
what Jake’s accusing them of. Jake begins to explain that he’s not accusing
them of anything, but the Manager’s tense silence leads him to realize the truth: 50
Blessings are the ones behind the calls. He happily soaks in his revelation, and the
Manager abruptly tells Jake to leave. Thinking the man can’t talk about it here,
Jake agrees to leave, mentioning he has something “important” to do. 50 Blessings now has another loose thread,
and since Jake knows the full truth, it’s important he be dealt with as soon as possible. Luckily for them, while Jake is out completing
his mission, his rampage is stopped by the Russians. His unconscious body is dragged to a bath
house where he is tortured for information. He endures the torture, and never reveals
his secret knowledge of 50 Blessings. The Gangster points a gun at him, and gives
him an opportunity for last words. In a final act of defiance, Jake spits at
his captors before a bullet is fired into his head. After Jake’s abduction, 50 Blessings placed
a call to Jacket to attack the immense bath house Jake was taken to in an effort to kill
two birds with 1 stone. However, Jacket successfully clears out the
building, and even finds Jake’s corpse in one of the rooms. While one thread has been dealt with, 50 Blessings
still has to deal with Jacket. 5 days later, we return to Jacket’s apartment
to see the reappearance of the Girl indicating she’s staying of her own volition. The Beds in the bedroom have now been pushed
together, implying something deeper has developed between Jacket and the Girl a deeper meaning
to their relationship. The Phone Messages have continued, and this
mission seems pretty tame in comparison to Jacket’s recent missions. As he goes to leave however, a Black Van crashes
through the front doors, and Gangsters start piling out of it, ambushing Jacket. However, Jacket even survives this, killing
all the gangsters and burning the body of the driver. 50 Blessings thus decides to take a more direct
approach in their Jacket Dilemma. They call one of their other operatives, and
order him to break into Jacket’s apartment, and kill him. Richter busts through the door of Jacket’s
apartment, but only finds the Girl, whom he quickly guns down in the bathroom. He waits for Jacket, who eventually comes
home and finds the Girl dead. He rushes into the living room to find Richter
sitting on his couch. After a short conversation, Richter guns Jacket
down, seemingly killing him. However, Richter only injured Jacket, and
he’s taken to a hospital where he has surgery to survive his injuries. The stress puts Jacket in a coma, and he forgets
all that’s happened to him over the past few months. Over the passing weeks, he begins dreaming
during his coma: he dreams of his lost friend Beard; of the Girl he rescued. He dreams of the things he’s done, and those
he’s hurt; and dreams of people in masks: a woman dressed like the Girl wearing a Donkey
Mask; a man dressed like a Russian mobster wearing an Owl Mask; and a man dressed like
him wearing a Rooster Mask. Through cryptic dialogue, they guide Jacket
through his memories, and after the attack by Richter, Jacket is confronted by the Man
in the Rooster Mask. The Man tells Jacket that things won’t end
well for him, and he’s going to end up all alone. He tells Jacket a secret, saying anything
he does from now on will be pointless, that he’ll never understand what’s happened
to him or why, and it’s all his own fault. He offers no more answers, but tells Jacket
to head for a warm bed across the hall. Jacket makes his way across the hall while
static changes his clothes into a hospital gown. He enters the room to find the bed is a hospital
bed, and find himself lying in it, and he finally remembers all that’s happened to
him. Jacket also realizes Beard’s death at the
hands of the USSR hurt him a lot more than he believed. He harbored an anger for Russians after the
bombing, and when the phone messages began coming in, and he found they targeted Russians,
he complied with them because he felt he was getting revenge for the man that saved his
life so many years ago. Weeks pass by, and finally on July 21st, Jacket
awakes from his coma. He overhears a Police Officer and Doctor talk
about his attack, and the death of the Girl. The Officer then mentions the Man that attacked
him is locked up at the station, but he isn’t saying anything. Jacket drifts back to sleep, but resolves
to find the Man in the Rat Mask, and make him pay for killing the Girl. A short time later, Jacket rises from his
bed, and escapes from the hospital. He returns to his apartment to see it’s
still taped off. He tears through the tape and enters the apartment
to see it in ruins. The beds have been stripped, and furniture
is missing, possibly stolen. In the bathroom, the chalk outline of the
Girl is still on the floor. Jacket changes into his clothes, and sets
out to get his revenge. He fights his way through the Police Station
eventually finding Richter in his cell. When he enters, Richter is amazed to see him. Richter apologizes for killing the Girl, but
tells Jacket he doesn’t have any answers for him. Jacket thinks he’s hiding something, so
he beats the man, throwing him to the floor. Bloodied, Richter mumbles that he and Jacket
may not be all that different, then asks Jacket if he’s been getting strange Phone Calls,
hinting to Jacket that he was sent to attack him at the behest of the callers. He suggests checking the Police files to see
if they have more information on the case, then considers begging for his life, but he
knows Jacket is here for revenge, and so accepts whatever fate awaits him. Jacket stands Richter, and begins strangling
him, intending to kill him to get revenge for the Girl He picks up the Police file about the calls,
and leaves the station. He returns to his apartment, and over night,
studies the case file which reveals some interesting information. It details the suspects were instructed to
kill by messages on their phones, and when the Police traced the calls, they were traced
to a club with ties to the Russian Mafia. This was due to the system 50 Blessings had
installed at the PhoneHom HQ, and was not the true source of the calls. However, Jacket believes it to be true, and
concludes the Russian Mafia were the ones that were making the calls, and in particular
made the call to Richter to attack him, and kill Girlfriend. He also remembers the pain caused by Beard’s
death; a death induced by the Bombing of San Francisco by the USSR. In order to get revenge for his loved ones,
Jacket resolves to destroy the rest of the Russian Mafia. He begins by heading to the club in the Police
report and fights his way to the Manager’s office. The Manager tries to bribe Jacket, but he
realizes Jacket’s not here for money, he quickly gives up the Address to his boss,
Father, the leader of the Russian Mafia. He begs for his life, but Jacket isn’t in
the mood for mercy, and beats the man to death with his bare hands. Jacket then goes to the address given to him
by the Manager to find it’s a lavish villa. He makes his way to the top floor where he
meets Father, the leader of the Russian Mafia. After a short conversation, Jacket fights
off and kills 2 pink panthers, and Father’s bodyguard prompting Father to begin shooting
at Jacket. Using knives dropped by the bodyguard, Jacket
manages to fatally injure Father. Knowing he’ll die at the hands of Jacket,
Father denies him the satisfaction of revenge by taking his own life. The phone on the desk cuts through the silence
of the room. Jacket answers, and realizes there’s one
more person left to kill. He picks up Father’s gun, and takes the
elevator upstairs where he finds an Old Man in a Wheelchair. At first, the man seeks answers, but seeing
the gun in Jacket's hands, realizes why he’s there. Knowing his time is up, he reflects on the
terrible things he’s done in his life before echoing the parting words of the Man in the
Rooster Mask: “Nothing seems to really matter anymore, does it?” Jacket then levels a gun at his head, and
fires, killing the patriarch of the Russian Mafia. He walks out to the balcony, throws his mask
away, and lights a cigarette. He pulls something from his pocket. It’s the photo of him and Beard from 1985. Believing his revenge to be complete, he looks
upon the memento one final time before tossing it from the balcony where it flies off into
the neon void. However, Jacket doesn’t have true catharsis. Had he ever stopped to question why he was
being sent to kill, perhaps he could have found the true source of the calls, but he
couldn’t resist his violent nature because deep down inside, he loved all the destruction
he caused, just like the Colonel said in Hawaii. Jacket’s actions from this summer help advance
the agenda of 50 Blessings, putting into motion events that eventually lead to tragedy… The attacks by Masked Assailants in the summer
of 1989 have devastated the Russian Mafia: their weapons caches have been raided; their
drug dens destroyed; their political connections assassinated; and now, after the death of
Father, it sits leaderless. Its gutted criminal empire crumbles and much
of the former territory and operations held by the Russians falls into the hands the Colombian
Cartel. Although there are some survivors from the
1989 killings, for all intents and purposes, the Russian Mafia is dead. The Man responsible, Jacket, is arrested by
the Police shortly after the conclusion of his rampage. Suspected to be the ringleader of the masked
“vigilantes”, he’s imprisoned and awaits the trial of his crimes. On July 20th, 1990, Jacket speaks to his lawyer
about his upcoming trial; sitting close by is a familiar face. It’s Richter, who was last seen meeting
his end at the hands of Jacket. His survival indicates Jacket chose to spare
him, perhaps because he felt a bond with Richter over being manipulated by the callers. Richter is meeting with 2 men that he doesn’t
recognize them, but it’s the Janitors behind the phone calls by 50 Blessings seen by Jacket
on May 13th, and found by Biker on May 24th. They tell Richter they’re here to tie up
some loose ends. Richter doesn’t understand, but the men
say their goodbyes, telling Richter he served them well. They walk off, and, confused, Richter leaves
to eat. However, instead of eating, the guards push
him out to the yard where a large man with a 50 Blessings Logo tattooed on his neck attacks
him. Using a Pipe thrown in the yard, Richter kills
the man, and exits the yard where he finds the prison is experiencing a massive riot. In the chaos and confusion of the riot, Richter
changes into a guard’s outfit where he’s mistaken as one of the prison staff. He’s evacuated as order is restored in the
prison, shortly afterwards, makes his escape. During the chaos of the riot, Jacket didn’t
participate in the fighting, nor try to escape, indicating he has given up his fight believing
it to be over. In the months that follow, news arises that
the Russo-American Coalition was conspiring with the Russian Mafia, upsetting the populace
of America, raising Anti-Russian Sentiments even further. Anti-Russian protests begin erupting across
the US, some of which turn violent. Jacket’s trial is highly publicized, and
a Hollywood Director, Rouven Blankenfeld, capitalizes on the highly publicized trial
by making a movie inspired from the murders of 1989. However, some details have been changed: instead
of wearing his signature letterman Jacket and Rooster Mask, he’s a large unkempt man
that wears a Pig mask and is named the Pig Butcher; the Phone Calls are hallucinations
imagined up by the Pig Butcher instead of being real calls; the relationship between
the Girl and the Butcher is negative instead of the loving relationship that emerged between
Jacket and the Girl; and instead of killing Russians, he’s killing teenagers. The actor cast as the Pig Butcher is Martin
Brown, who was interested in the role since it differs from his typical castings. The movie, and Martin himself, have received
criticism for the movie's glorification of violence, but Martin still goes on interviews
to promote the movie, and production on the project continues. One day, while resting, Martin has a dream
of a recent interview he had. However, things take a dark turn when Martin
expresses violent desires about mutilating people seemingly revealing a sadistic desire
of Martin's. The Host gives him uncomfortable glances,
which angers Martin, and he stands, pulling a hammer from his coat. Based on the host’s reactions, Martin realizes
he’s dreaming, and suddenly a man from the crowd stands, and puts on a Rooster Mask. There’s a flash of white, the entire room
changes: the audience and camera crew disappear; the Host has been killed, and her head is
sitting displayed on the table; and Martin is now bloody and wearing the Pig Mask. The Man in the Rooster Mask begins speaking,
and tells Martin to wake up since he thinks he’s dreaming. He then asks Martin if he knows how Midnight
Animal ends. Martin answers with silence. The Man in the Mask tells him there’s a
big twist at the end, one he won’t like, adding that no one will. He suggests Martin get out before it’s too
late. Martin declines the Man’s recommendation,
which prompts the man to simply ask “You really enjoy hurting other people, don’t
you?” Martin ties to explain away his sadistic desires,
saying it’s just a movie, but the Man in the Rooster Mask knows the truth. A flash of static causes Martin to wake from
his dream. He continues his work on Midnight Animal,
and the day comes where the production films the attack on the Police Station. The Script calls for the Pig Butcher to fight
his way the interrogation room where he assaults the girl. Everything proceeds as normal, but when the
Butcher enters the room during the shoot, the Girl grabs a nearby gun, and shoots him. She stands over him, screams she’s not his
Girlfriend, and fires several more shots into the Butcher finishing with a round to the
head. The Director yells “Cut”, and pours praise
upon his actors for the scene; apparently, the script was updated to this new scene. The Director tells his actors to get something
to eat while they set up the next shot. However, Martin doesn’t move. As he lies on the ground bleeding, it becomes
clear there was a prop mistake. Martin was shot with lives rounds, and he
dies on the set of the Midnight Animal movie. On October 25th, 1991, after reading the paper
about Jacket’s trial, a man finishes using the bathroom. This man is named Manny Pardo, and he forgoes
his meal telling the waitress he’s had a rough night, so he’s going to go home to
get some sleep. However, on the way home, he stops by a local
store, and kills all the people inside. The chaos inside draws the police, and they
confront Pardo when he exits the building. They order him to the ground, but Pardo flashes
a badge and reveals he’s a detective. After explaining the situation to the officer,
he leaves, mumbling that sometimes he hates this city. Before heading home, he goes to an apartment
building where a murder has recently taken place. The victim has had his throat slit, and a
message has been written in his blood. Pardo approaches the Officer in charge who
tells him he’s got a serial killer on his hands, explaining this murder fits the M.O.
from previous murders. When he mocks the contents of the message,
it prompts Pardo to guess the killer is insane. He guesses the press should be happy with
the story, and there’s a strange flash of white where a camera crew appears, but quickly
vanishes. The Officer doubts the media will care about
this murder since it isn’t gory enough; a thought which unsettles him. Pardo isn’t bothered by the thought saying
he was born with thick skin. The Officer tells him haven’t found any
clues, but the CSI Team is still investigating the scene, so he’ll let Pardo know if anything
turns up, and Pardo tells him he’ll head to the station to get started on the paperwork. Halloween is a few days later, and a local
hang out hosts a Halloween Party. Amongst the party goers are a group of friends,
Alex, Mark, Ash, Tony, and Corey. The friendship between these characters stretches
all the way back to 1985 in the Russo-American War where they were seen sitting in the same
bar as the Ghost Wolves. As members of D Company, they became fans
of Jacket after seeing him and the Ghost Wolves single handily take the Stronghold they were
having so much trouble capturing. Seeing his rise to infamy following the conclusion
of the Masked Maniac killings in 1989 filled them with Envy, so they decide to try an replicate
his events from 1989 in an effort to achieve infamy of their own. Because of their idolization of Jacket, these
characters are nicknamed the Fans. They select animal masks of their own to use,
and convert one of their local hangouts into a base for themselves where they set up phones
in a vain hope they’ll get a phone call, just like Jacket. However, 50 Blessings stopped the calls in
1989 after Jacket killed the leader of the Russian Mafia, so of course, weeks go by without
a single call. On Halloween, the Fans are at the party in
their hangout in their chosen animal masks. They aren’t having a good time however,
so Mark asks if tonight is gonna be the night that they “do it” referring to the first
time they would be going out to kill. Sick of waiting for a phone call, Tony and
Ash enthusiastically agree, and the Fans set out in their van. They attack a group of miscreants in an electronics
shop, and kill all of them. Afterwards, they celebrate their first kill
by getting pizza. Jacket’s trial is still ongoing, and on
November 5th, the court is deliberating the veracity of his claims of phone calls. The Police Chief reveals to the Prosecutor
that no physical evidence was found as the tape in Jacket’s answering machine had been
removed. He then tells the Defense that phone records
indicate Jacket received calls in the time frame he suggests, and when traced, indicated
they originated from a night club called the Golden Truck Stop which has been linked to
the Russian Mafia in the past seeming to corroborate the Defense’s claim that Jacket was coerced
by the Russian Mafia into committing the crimes with which he is being charged. Listening to the testimony is a writer named
Evan Wright who's the same man that took the Picture of Beard and Jacket way back in 1985. He’s quit his job as a reporter and is now
trying to unravel the mysteries of the 1989 killings to publish a book about the truth. Listening to the testimony, he comes up with
an interesting question: why would the Russian Mafia charge Jacket with killing their own
members? He determines he needs to talk to someone
in the Russian Mafia, and has an idea of someone that might have a connection. He runs to a pay phone, and calls the Miami
Police Department where he’s connected with Detective Pardo, and asks if he knows anyone
he could talk to. Pardo initially refuses, but Evan mentions
he owes him a vague favor, and Pardo gives in, giving him an address and telling him
to ask for someone named Petrov. Evan thanks Pardo, and exits the courthouse
to catch a cab. A crowd has gathered outside to protest Jacket’s
Trial, which Alex and Ash are present at. Evan also notices a strange man standing amongst
the protesters; a man with blue hair wearing a neon pink jacket. Evan hops in his cab and heads to the address
given to him by Pardo. Outside, he finds a Russian Gangster guarding
the door. Evan asks to speak to Petrov, but the guard
rebuffs his attempts to get inside. In a fit of desperate rage, Evan beats the
man to death. He’s instantly regrettable, and rushes inside
asking for someone to call an ambulance. However, the Gangsters inside only try to
kill him. Attempting to avoid further bloodshed, Evan
incapacitates his attackers, and dismantles their guns. However, if he’s pushed too far, he forgoes
his caution and begins slaughtering the Gangsters. Either way, he makes his way to a sauna on
the second floor and finds Petrov. He tells Petrov that he’s writing a book
about the Masked Maniac killings, and was hoping he would answer a few questions. Impressed that Evan would risk his life for
a scoop, he agrees to answer 2 Questions. Evan first asks if Petrov agrees with the
Police’s claims that the murderers were part of a vigilante movement. Petrov says he doesn’t believe they were
vigilantes because they were too organized. Evan then asks why he thinks the murderers
were targeting the Russian Mafia specifically. Petrov doesn’t have an answer, but mentions
they destroyed their organization, and then disappeared, hinting it was a goal they were
working towards. He comments that they were well trained, and
any vigilante they caught never broke to torture and interrogation. He then ends the interview, kicking Evan out
of the building. Afterwards, Evan meets with Detective Pardo
to get a drink. Evan tells Pardo about his day, and Pardo’s
surprised to hear Evan went. Evan is upset with Pardo for sending him into
danger, and Pardo condescendingly says he told Evan to write about the Miami Mutilator
instead, saying it’s a much more sophisticated Case. He adds that most people will have forgotten
about the Masked Maniacs by the time his book’s out anyways. He tries to call them even saying he bought
Evan a beer, but Evan refuses saying Pardo still owes him a favor. Pardo reluctantly agrees, and reminds Evan
he’s risking his job giving Evan his leads. Evan replies that he’s surprised Pardo hasn’t
been fired already, hinting he knows of some misconduct by Pardo, but willingly turns a
blind eye to it. Evan says he’s feeling tired, and Pardo
says he’s gonna get some sleep too, so the two then leave the bar. About a week later, on November 11th, Evan
is alone in his home. The crib in the Master Bedroom, and the adjacent
bedroom filled with children’s toys shows Evan has a family, and his wife lovingly cooked
him breakfast and left it for him on the table. Evan doesn’t eat, and instead reads the
paper to hear the Miami Mutilator has claimed a
fifth victim. Then notices he has a message on his answering
machine. When he checks it, the person on the other
end says they saw his ad in the paper, and is willing to give information about the Masked
Maniac killing in exchange for $200. The Stranger says he’ll be at Hank’s all
day, and Evan sets out, but he he has another meeting to get to first. He hops on the Subway, and a Homeless Man
approaches and asks for money. Evan uncomfortably offers some, but there’s
a sudden crack of lightning and the man puts on a Rooster Mask, refusing Evan’s "dirty
money.” Evan is confused, and the man removes his
mask to reveal Evan’s wife Sharon underneath. She chastises him for freely handing out money,
and suggests he should quit trying to be a writer and get a real job again, reminding
him they have kids to feed. Still confused, Evan asks what’s going,
and Sharon threatens to take the kids and leave him. Evan tries to reassure her, saying this book
will change things for the better, but he just needs more time. Evan and Sharon’s conversation contrasts
with the loving dynamic shown in their home, revealing Evan's pursuit of the truth will
destroy his family, yet Evan believes the book will save it. Sharon puts on the Rooster Mask, and the Man
returns, warning Evan that he has no time left, and suggests he reconsider his priorities. Evan asks him to clarify, and a flash of white
reveals the homeless man in front of him who storms off again refusing his money. He gets off at his stop, and fights off hooligans
that have claimed the stop as their territory. He catches a quick bus ride and gets off at
a familiar stop. He enters a nearby home to find Rosa Berg
sitting in her living room. Evan has some questions about her son Richter
who was identified as one of the Masked Maniacs from 1989. Rosa says she doesn’t know how he got involved,
and he wouldn’t reveal anything when she visited him in prison. She noticed he was behaving differently, going
to see old friends she didn’t know she had. She was happy he was going out since she always
felt guilty about holding him back since he took care of her. Evan asks if Richter has been in contact since
his escape, and Rosa coyly says she can’t talk about that. Nearly begging, Evan says he’d really like
to talk to him, so Rosa says that if he’s in contact, she’ll give Richter Evan’s
number, and leave it up to him if he’d like to call. Evan thanks her, and asks if he can take a
look around. He makes his way to Richter’s old room,
where, on the desk, he finds cassette tapes dated to March of 1989. This is exactly what Evan needed: physical
evidence of the calls made to the vigilantes. He takes the tapes, and leaves. Before heading home, he stops by Hank’s,
and finds the blue haired man from outside the courthouse sitting at the bar. Biker has returned to Miami, but he’s not
the same man that fled Miami all those years ago. He has disheveled hair, and an unkempt beard,
and his bloodshot eyes imply that he’s been sitting here all day drinking. A large scar scratches across his face, implying
his fight with Jacket in PhoneHom didn’t end as well as he remembers. Evan sits down, and Biker attempts to tell
his story: about killing Russian Gangsters; about signing up for 50 Blessings, which he
only remembers as “patriotic bullshit”; and about the weird phone calls, but is frequently
interrupted by Evan who isn’t understanding him. He reveals he found out who was behind it
all, but he doesn’t remember discovering the Janitors plan, only remembering there
was something “big” behind it all. When he realized that, he went into hiding,
and that’s where he met “him”. After this terrifying meeting, he lost the
will to fight, and he’s cowered in the desert since then. Evan asks who he thinks were making the calls,
and Biker doesn’t have an answer, implying he’s either forgotten the truth in his downward
spiral of alcoholism, or never hacked the Janitors’ computer and found the truth. He then asks Evan for his reward money, mumbling
he needs another drink. Here, Evan has the truth in front of him,
but given Biker’s state, Evan thinks he’s listening to the rambling of a drunkard, and
refuses to believe his story. Evan tells Biker he can’t pay him unless
he gives him more substantial information. Seeing Evan isn’t willing to pay, Biker
tells Evan to leave. Even though Evan had talked to the one person
that could have led him to the truth, the factors at play prevent Evan from believing
Biker’s story, and he leaves the Bar without gaining some valuable information about the
full story behind the masked murders. (Rerecord) On November 18th, we find the new head of
the Russian Mafia, Son, in his office. After inheriting his Father’s criminal empire,
he watched it crumble around him, and seeing it lie in the hands of the Colombians fills
him with rage. He desires to restore the prestige of the
Russian Mafia, and begins by developing a new drug encased in a green and purple pill
to reestablish their presence in the drug trade, but knows he needs to do more to gain
ground against the Colombians. He calls his most loyal Henchman into his
office, and announces they’ll be attacking the strip club the Colombians just opened,
thus starting a gang war. The Henchman is hesitant about the idea, but
Son’s anger at being robbed by the Colombians can’t be quelled, and he explains they need
to strike now because if they keep waiting, the Colombians will just keep expanding. He ends the debate, and the Henchman says
he’ll follow Son’s orders, so the two set out to the newly opened strip club, and
kill all of Colombians at the party. Afterwards, they return to Son’s office
where Son is lavishly surrounded by women with drugs and money prominently displayed
on the table in front of him. He wants to celebrate, but the Henchman isn’t
as excited to party. He says that he’s going to head home to
his girlfriend instead, and Son realizes why the Henchman was unwilling to start the war
with the Colombians. He’s let himself get attached to this girlfriend
of his, and now he’s reluctant to continue his work in the Mafia. He tries telling his friend that he doesn’t
need a woman to live his life; that once he gets attached to someone, that’ll be the
end for him. Then warns that his girlfriend is too good
for him, and one day she'll realize it. He sits in silence for a moment, then tells
the Henchman he can leave if that’s what he wants, but gives him some money before
he goes, telling him to get his girlfriend something nice. The Henchman takes the hand out, and heads
home in his plain Fiat. On November 21st, the Henchman approaches
Son, where he tells him he wants out of the Russian Mafia. He explains that he’s feeling too soft;
too soft for killing people and risking his life all the time. It’s a feeling he’s had for a while, mentioning
strange dreams he’s been having. Son says if he want out, he’s out, but first
asks him to take care of a Chop Shop that has defected to the Colombians. Once that’s done, he’s out, but tells
the Henchman he always has a home with the Mafia if he changes his mind, and offers a
sample of the new Russian Product which has finished production. The Henchman takes the Pills, and heads to
the Chop Shop where he pulls his gun out for what he hopes is the last time, and clears
out the traitors. In the back, he finds one of the hoodlums
stuffing money in a duffel bag, likely readying payment to the Colombians. He knows he should bring the money to Son,
but seeing so much money before him fills him with greed. Envious of a rich lifestyle, he rationalizes
that he doesn’t answer to Son anymore, and claims the moneybag for himself. When he leaves, he finds a young man that
escaped the bloodbath inside. Instead of killing this last hoodlum, he lets
him escape saying the bag of money just saved his life. He gets in his car, and leaves. He returns home, where his girlfriend Mary
greets him at the door. He tells her he quit his “job”, and that
he has a surprise for her, but he’s tired right now, so he’ll show her tomorrow. He heads off to bed, sliding the bag of money
underneath. That night, the Henchman has one of the strange
dreams he mentioned earlier. He's speeding down an interstate blaring the
radio of a new fancy car with his money bag in the backseat when the Radio warns of an
impending storm due to hit Miami. Suddenly there’s a flash of white, and the
Henchman’s money disappears from the backseat, replaced by what looks to be Son except he’s
wearing a Rooster Mask. He asks where they’re going, and the Henchman
replies that he’s going far away; it doesn’t matter where. The man asks if he’s sure, saying that without
directions, a lot of people end up going in circles, ending up back where they started,
adding that this road doesn’t look promising, hinting that the Henchman’s recent decision
to pursue material wealth put him on the same road as staying in the Russian Mafia. The Henchman replies that he didn’t ask
him, and the Man wonders if the Henchman would want to know if the road he’s on doesn’t
lead to where he wants, but to a dead end, warning that he’s closing in on it fast,
but hints that it’s something the Henchman already knows. The Henchman claims ignorance, and the Man
simply says he’ll see soon enough, then notices that something’s missing. Smugly, he turns to the Henchman, and asks
him “Did you forget to bring your girlfriend?” The Henchman suddenly wakes up from his nightmare. However, the Masked Man’s words have uneased
him and he checks under the bed to find the money bag missing. He calls for Mary, who he finds is also missing. In the Kitchen, he finds an apology note from
her saying he’d do the same thing (which, if his dream is any indication, is right). He exits the house to find his car missing. Son was right: Mary took the money, and left
the Henchman behind. Crushed by Mary’s betrayal, the Henchman
ties to get over his grief by getting high on the new Russian Product at a local bar. He tries calling her, but misdials and throws
the phone against the wall in frustration. Suddenly, the Fans van screeches to a halt
outside the bar. They’re here for the Henchman, having been
sent by Andy, the young man the Henchman left alive after clearing out the Chop Shop. After killing everyone else, they enter the
Henchman’s room. While the Henchman rambles erratically in
his high, the Fan pull him from the couch, and one of them smacks him in the head with
a pipe. Numb to the pain, the Henchman continues rambling
until finally saying he wants to go home; that’s all he wants to do is go home. He is then beaten to death by the Fans. Nearly a week later, on November 27th, Evan
cashes in his favor to Pardo. He convinces him to let him into the Police
Evidence locker to search the belongings of the 50 Blessings Operative Jake. Hoping to find something that would lead him
to the truth, Evan finds nothing among the man’s belongings. Pardo apologizes that his search was fruitless,
but says they're even now, to which Evan reluctantly agrees. That night, Evan dreams that there was a floppy
disc among Jake’s belongings, obtained from the desk of someone affiliated with the phone
calls. Pardo informs him it contains addresses associated
with the vigilantes, and Evan convinces him to let him borrow it. He gets the list printed, and heads to one
of the addresses to find a large abandoned building with a strange design: the front
door is a heavy vault door, and the walls seem to be made of a thick metal. The inside also houses some oddities: there’s
a large room of bunk beds, a water reclaimer, and even a gymnasium. It seems like the building was constructed
as a sort of makeshift bunker. Evan finds a banner that indicates this building
used to house an organization named 50 Blessings, and indeed, this is the very building Jake
visited before his death in 1989. In the back, Evan finds a strange sight: There
are a number of people with rubber animal masks all sitting around a red symbol painted
on the floor; a circle with 3 lines running through it. Here, Evan has another chance to realize the
truth: that the Masked Maniacs were used by 50 Blessings to assassinate members of the
Russian Mafia and topple the Russo-American Coalition. However, the dialogue with the masked individuals
shows that Evan still doesn’t see the whole picture, and his conversation with them seems
to hint that Evan doesn’t want to know, preferring to leave the truth in the dark. Evan is then scared out of the building back
to his home. Symbolizing he's more concerned with fixing his family than finding the truth behind the murders December 2nd marks the return of the Fans
who are hanging out in their hideout. Ash tells the others about a place his friend
Jack told him about, and mentions that Jack wants them to rescue his sister. Tony’s annoyed at the favor saying he didn’t
start doing this to be a hero. Ash argues that’s what they did last time,
and he didn’t hear complaining then. Then says they can’t just patrol the streets
or they’d be quickly arrested. Tony reluctantly agrees, and the Fans set
out to the address and kill all the junkies within. They find Jack’s sister locked in a closet,
and they tell her to come with them, but she refuses, so the Fans leave without her. (This will create an unintended consequence
for the Fans.) On their way back, the van breaks down, and
Ash is forced to do emergency repairs. While Tony gripes at him, Ash tells him to
take the van down to Andy at the Chop Shop since he owes them a favor for killing the
Russian Henchman. He gets temporary fix in place, and the Fans
head back. On December 7th, the Newspapers talk about
the violent drug war that has erupted between the Russians and the Colombians. So far, the Russians have been able to maintain
their ground against the Colombians. Now, Son has a new plan. He gathers some men for the upcoming attack,
and, confident in their success, toasts their status as the new kings of the streets. The Russians set out, and attack a bank controlled
by the Colombians in order to destroy their finances. After disabling some security, Son makes his
way to the vault where he finds one of his men dead among the money and gold. In the back of the vault are some ghostly
figures: his Grandfather, the Bodyguard, and his Father. In wide eyed amazement, Son asks his Father
what they’re doing here. His father simply answers that he’s not
here, and that Son knows that. His Father then asks what he’s doing here. Son can only answer that he wants to make
Father proud. Father says that doesn’t matter, then mentions
that Son hasn’t changed, and is just like him, vaguely mentioning he won’t understand
until it’s too late. The Bodyguard then puts a rooster mask on
Grandfather, and there’s bright flash of white. His Grandfather begins speaking, but strangely,
the voice he hears isn’t his Grandfather’s voice; it’s almost as if someone else is
speaking. They reiterate what Father said, then add
that it doesn’t matter since it’s all same in the end, and there’s nothing Son
can do about it. Son tries reaching out to his Father again,
but the Man in the Rooster Mask cuts him off saying he’s not here anymore, and neither
is Son. The scene abruptly fades to black. After Martin Brown’s death on the set of
Midnight Animal, production continued, and eventually the project was completed and released. The film was controversial even upon its release,
and a newspaper read by Mark on December 9th details the controversy. The outcome of the Fans last mission created
some unintended consequences for them. Leaving Jack’s sister alive left a witness
to their crimes, and she goes to the Police to report that massacre of friends. The story of “new masked vigilantes” is
taken up by the media, and every news outlet in Miami is featuring the story. The Fans are finally getting some notoriety,
and Mark meets with the others to discuss the news story that ran on Channel 6 that
featured them. Desiring to increase their fame further, the
Fans clear out a drug den found by Alex. The Fans discover the Gangsters Den extends
into the sewers below the building as well, and while clearing out this section, they
come across a grisly scene. The Gangsters have set up a torture chamber,
and are dissolving corpses in acid, dumping the remains down the drain. After clearing out the Gangsters, the Fans
flee the scene. The next morning, while reading the paper
about their exploits, Alex hears a knock on her door, and she hears it’s the Police. She asks for a moment to get dressed, and
heads to her bedroom where she hides her Swan costume under the bed, and changes. She goes back to the door to find the man
outside has already entered her house, and is kneeling in her kitchen. It’s Detective Pardo, and when she confronts
him, he says he entered because the door wasn’t locked. He then asks for Ash, but Alex curtly says
he’s not here. Pardo tells her to have him call the MPD if
she sees him, and leaves shortly after. Strangely, he seems to have dropped and forgotten
his wallet in Alex’s kitchen, and additionally, he seems to have arrested a suspect, but instead
of transporting him in the back of his car, he’s got him trapped in his trunk. He leaves Alex’s house and heads to the
docks where his trunk is now empty, indicating he must have dropped off the suspect. Nearby, the Colombian Cartel has an operation
that uses some of the ports for their organization. However, their war with the Russians has weakened
them, and now the Police are preparing to raid the docks to put a stop to the Colombians’
Operations. But Pardo takes matters into his own hands,
and single handily attacks and destroys the Colombian operation, weakening them further. Afterwards, Pardo is reprimanded by another
officer who says he put the entire Police Raid in danger, but Pardo, in no mood for
criticism, tells the officer to complain to the Chief. He leaves, and arrives at a nearby warehouse
where another victim of the Miami Mutilator has been found. Although this crime has the hallmarks of the
Miami Mutilator, the mutilations, and the message written in blood, talking with the
Officer reveals this killing is different from the others. There were cuff marks around the victims wrists
and ankles implying he was brought here by force, and he was strangled to death, so the
mutilation happened postmortem. Additionally, the officer mentions the victim’s
wallet was missing. Strangely, Pardo left a wallet in Alex’s
house, and outside in the trunk of his car was a man bound and gagged whose appearance
is pretty similar to the man that was later found killed by the Miami Mutilator. Maybe the rugged Detective Pardo isn’t as
noble as he seems. The destruction of the Colombians operation
at the docks gives the Russian Mafia an advantage in their gang war, something Pardo is aware
of, so a few days later, on December 14th, he pays a visit to Son’s Headquarters. However, he’s rebuffed by the receptionist
who claims Son isn’t in, so Pardo leaves with a warning that he’ll be coming for
him soon enough. Son is in the back, and unconcerned with the
threats of the police, as he thought of a plan to end the war between the Russians and
the Colombians, and reclaim the prestige of the Russian Mafia. He attacks the Colombians headquarters alone,
fighting his way to the office of the Head of the Cartel. Outnumbered and Outgunned, the Colombian leader
tells him to surrender, but Son claims he has the upper hand. He gives the Colombians ten seconds to surrender,
and as he begins counting, his men creep up to the windows bordering the office. Upon reaching ten, his men open fire, killing
everyone in the office, eliminating the Colombians, and reestablishing the Russians as the Kings
of the Streets. A few days later, Evan is working alone in
his study. The past few weeks have not been kind to him. Half of the Master bed and the crib is stripped,
and the child’s room is empty with that bed stripped as well. Sharon made good on her threat; she really
took the kids, and left Evan. All he has left is the book. While working, he hears the phone ring, and
when he answers, Richter on the other line. Richter says he’d be willing to tell Evan
his story, but he asks for a plane ticket in return. Evan agrees to the deal, but only if Richter’s
story is any good. He tells him to start at the beginning so
he can get the full picture, and Richter tells him all that’s happened to him: his mother;
the phone calls; the painted marks; the murders; his arrest; and his escape. It’s exactly what Evan needed to finish
his book, and he fills his house with notes on Richter's. Richter says after his escape, he made it
to Hawaii, and reveals the plane ticket isn’t for him, but for his mother. He’s concerned about her, and wants to take
care of her to make sure she’s ok. Evan says he’ll do what he needs to to get
her there, and thanks Richter saying he’s been a tremendous help. Thanks to Richter’s testimony, Evan finally
has what he needs to find the truth behind the killings, and finish his book. As he processes all the information Richter
just shared with him, he notices a letter scattered among the notes on his table. It’s from his wife Sharon. She wants to reconcile their relationship,
but says she can’t be with someone that places his work before his family. She ends the letter by saying she loves him,
and asks him to call her when he reads this. Evan finally understands what the Man in the
Rooster Mask was hinting at: Evan can’t have the best of both worlds, and will have
to sacrifice one of either his family, or his book in order to keep the other. He stands in his home with a serious choice
to make: Will he walk to his typewriter to continue working on his book and sacrifice
his family, or will he call his wife, and reconcile with his family, thereby sacrificing
all the blood, sweat, and tears he's given for this book? On December 20th, Mark enters the Fans hideout
with new masks for them to try on. They’re rooster masks, and when the Fans
try them on, Mark asks how they feel, but it’s strange; to Mark, it’s as if the
mask itself answers, but all it talks about is a roof. A phone rings, and a flash of white reveals
that Mark had been hallucinating. Alex rushes over to the phones to answer the
call, but none of the phones are ringing. Ash reveals he stole the cell phone of the
Russian Bodyguard from November, and now it’s ringing. When he answers, someone with a Russian accent
is on the other end, and invites him to a party he’s having at his new place, and
gives an address. The person on the other line is Son, who is
celebrating with his men after conquering the Colombian Cartel. He doesn’t know about the Henchman’s death,
and, wanting to see his friend again, tried to invite the Henchman to the Party. Ash doesn’t say anything, and, thinking
the Henchman is refusing his offer, Son throws his phone across the room in anger. He takes handfuls of the New Russian Product
to swallow his disappointment. However, this is exactly what the Fans have
been waiting for: a Phone call directing them to an address to kill the Russians that reside
there. Ash excitedly rushes everyone to the Van saying
he’ll explain on the way. The Fans arrive at the Address, and Corey
insists on a stake out, and the Fans discover the building houses the remnants of the Russian
Mafia. Ash hacks the door lock open, and the excited
Fans pour in with the exception of Mark. He has reservations about their escape plan
using the roof, likely due to his unsettling hallucination with the Rooster masks earlier. Tony reassures Mark that they’ll be able
to escape using the roof, and Mark follows him inside. Each of the Fans easily clear a floor of the
Russian Mobsters, but afterwards, encounters something they didn’t expect. When Alex and Ash get to the roof, they don’t
find anyone else there, and they aren’t answering their radios. Unknown to them, the rest of their friends
have met their end at the hands of Son. After taking handfuls of the Russian Product,
Son got insanely high, and began hallucinating; seeing his own men as demons. While he wanders around his headquarters slaughtering
his own men, he encounters the Fans, whom he sees as monstrous representatives of their
animals masks: Mark is a large bear that he beats to death with a club; Corey is a zebra
that is ironically shot; Tony is a massive Tiger that’s shot by a Shotgun; and Alex
and Ash appear to him as a giant twin headed Swan. When he makes his appearance to Alex and Ash,
he instantly shoots Ash in the head. He lets out a maniacal laugh, and as Alex
screams at him, he shoots her as well. In his high, Son finds a golden gate with
a rainbow bridge behind it. He steps onto the bridge, and is eventually
engulfed in the neon void. His drug filled mind suddenly gives him a
moment of enlightenment, and he understands what Father’s ghost was saying in the bank
vault, it was an echo of Grandfather’s dying sentiment: death is an inevitability, meaning
nothing we do in life matters since it all gets wiped away when we die. Inside the headquarters, the Police have arrived
and begin rounding up the survivors. Pardo also shows up, and when he finds they’ve
trapped a suspect in a room, pulls rank on the leading officer to talk to him. It’s Tony; he survived Son’s attack, and
collected the bodies of Corey and Mark and mourns their deaths while waiting to be arrested
by the SWAT Team. When Pardo enters, he pulls his revolver while
Tony immediately surrenders. However, since Tony is still wearing his mask,
Pardo concludes he’s giving up just so he can revel in the small amount of fame the
Fans have gained. He rejects Tony’s surrender, and murders
him in cold blood, dashing any chance at fame that Tony could have had. He exits the room, and lies to the others
saying he had to kill Tony because he tried attacking him. As he leaves the building, he passes by a
body smeared on the concrete outside. It’s the splattered remains of Son; in his
high, he walked off the edge of the building, and fell to his death, and with his death,
so too dies the resurgence of the Russian Mafia. A few days later, Pardo arrives at another
Miami Mutilator crime scene, but this one is much more gruesome. Limbs have been cut off from the body, and
the victim has been mutilated beyond recognition. Pardo talks to the leading officer who reveals
a shell casing was found along with some prints, and mentions they might find more when they
do a more thorough sweep of the apartment. Pardo thinks this murder is going to get a
lot of press, so he hopes they find more because the chief is going to be all over him; Pardo
even thinks his job’s on the line. Not wanting to get in the way of the investigation,
he tells the officer he’s tired, so he’s going to head home. At his apartment, he reads the paper which
reveals Anti-Russian protests have in tensified due to an upcoming Russo-American Coalition
conference, and shortly after heads to bed. He wakes later that night in a panic. He’s lost something, and turned his apartment
inside out looking for it. He then leaves his apartment and returns to
the Miami Mutilator crime scene from earlier where he finds his gun lying on a table, and
sitting next to it is a stranger. When Pardo approaches, he finds the man has
a face like a puppet, (and it asks him if he was looking for his gun). Pardo asks what the man is doing there, and
the puppet simply says that murderers always return to the crime, vaguely hinting at a
dark secret. Pardo asks who he is, and the man reveals
that they’re related, by blood in fact, and Pardo can think of him as his Son since
he created the Puppet. Pardo demands his gun back, but the Puppet
offers a hug instead, and begins choking Pardo. During this struggle, the dark truth is revealed:
Pardo is the Miami Mutilator, and the Puppet is the murderous entity within him that forces
him to commit the Miami Mutilator killings. He pushes the Puppet off, and as its head
shatters on the floor, Pardo realizes that his time has come to an end. At his most recent killing, he left behind
physical evidence; bullet casings that can be tracked to his gun, and minor fingerprints
that the Police will be able to match to him. He worries they will be able to determine
that his reckless attack on the Colombians, and his murder of the last surviving member
of the “new masked vigilantes” were an effort by him to remove other headlining stories
from the papers so the Miami Mutilator story could get the attention he believed it deserved,
and he fears they’ll interview his friend Evan Wright, who might know more of Pardo’s
transgressions, and provide them with further evidence. He begins to fantasize about what’ll happen
to him, and it plays out in his head like a movie. The Chief will order Pardo to confess and
turn himself in, but Pardo will claim innocence, and attempt to fight his way out of the station
in the hopes to exonerate himself. However, he will not be able to escape his
fate, symbolized by being gunned by the Police. Static interrupts the scene, indicating Pardo
was dreaming. He awakens to hear his phone ringing. When he answers, it’s the station on the
other line. They call him into work saying they have a
situation. Pardo, suspecting they’ve determined the
truth, explains that he doesn’t feel good today, so he’s going to stay home. The caller begins to protest, but Pardo hangs
up on him. Intending to have a Last Stand, Pardo barricades
his door, gets drunk, and aims his revolver at the door; waiting for the police assault. However, the station was calling him in for
a completely different issue. It’s now December 28th. Evan came through, and got Rosa a ticket so
she could reunite with her Son. Richter and his mother now sit together on
a beach in Hawaii watching TV. Depending on Evan’s choice earlier, they
may be watching an interview with him about his book, or a posthumous airing of an interview
with Martin Brown. However, the interview is interrupted by an
Emergency Broadcast which announces the President of the USA has been assassinated. It continues, saying the Russo-American Conference
was interrupted by a league of armed men led by what seems to be a US Army General. The men appear to be staging a coup d’etat,
and the Russian President was also killed in the chaos. This is the culmination of the work of the
Janitors, the Colonel, and the 50 Blessings Organization. They’ve managed to seize control of the
US Government, and now stand opposed to Russia. The broadcast finishes by warning that Russia
will view the assassination as an act of war, and the repercussions could be severe. Richter turns off the TV, and his mother grabs
a Rooster Mask from her bag. There’s a flash of white, and the Man in
the Rooster Mask returns. He remarks that Richter’s made himself comfortable,
then asks if he knows the saying about good times. Richter, knowing he isn’t speaking to his
mother, says he does: Good Times Never Last. The Mask confirms that everything will soon
be over. Richter, believing this is about him, asks
if the police are on to him, but the Mask clarifies what he means, ominously saying
this is much worse. Richter asks if he has a lot of time left,
and the Mask says he doesn’t; in fact, no one does. Richter realizes there’s nothing he can
do about, but asks the Mask anyways, who confirms that there’s nothing anybody can do at this
point. Standing in contrast to every other character,
Richter doesn’t try to fight or resist his fate, but calmly accepts it. In his final moments, the Mask comforts Richter,
saying “Leaving this world, isn’t as scary as it sounds.” At that point, a bright explosion washes over
the screen killing Richter and his mother; the result of a nuclear strike by Russia in
response to the assassination of its president, and the bloody coup of the government of America
perpetrated by 50 Blessings. If the construction of their former headquarters
was any indication, it’s a result 50 Blessings is prepared for. As the credits roll, the surviving characters
of Hotline Miami are all killed in similar explosions, indicating other regions of America
were struck by the missiles, likely destroying the country, and ending the Hotline Miami
Series. And that comprises the entirety of Hotline
Miami. Now, I’m not perfect, there may be some
errors in there; Martin’s sequences aren’t dated at all, neither is Evan and Richter’s
conversation, and there are some instances where character’s perspectives could be
called into question, but I believe this accurately places the events of Hotline Miami in a chronology,
and tells the story in its entirety. Like I said before, if you would like a more
focused telling of a particular character’s story, there’s an entire playlist where
each character has their story told in a more condensed video where their story is the focal
point. If you have any questions, feel free to ask,
and I’ll do my best to answer them. Until next time, Thank you for watching and
see you later!
