Misconduct 2016

D’Arthur Denning, played by Hopkins, is the powerful owner of a prominent pharmaceutical company and exerts controlling influence over his girlfriend, Emily Hynes, portrayed by Åkerman. Emily finds herself in a frightening situation, being physically intimidated by Denning’s security team. When she is abducted, Denning receives chilling photos of her bruised face, setting off a harrowing chain of events. He is instructed to attend an art gallery as part of the ransom drop. In a moment of panic, he mistakenly attacks the gallery owner, unaware of his true identity.

Before Emily’s abduction, she discreetly reaches out to her ex-boyfriend, Ben Cahill, played by Duhamel, during a drink where she subtly hints at Denning’s abusive nature and reveals that she possesses incriminating data against him. Back at her apartment, she unearths files from Denning’s laptop exposing his dishonest practices in drug trials. Attempting to manipulate the situation, she tries to seduce Cahill and later persuades an unknown individual to physically assault her to create evidence against Denning.

Cahill, armed with the damning information from Emily, pitches a class action lawsuit to his superior, Charles Abrams, portrayed by Pacino, which later proceeds as a formal case against Denning. Tragedy strikes when Cahill discovers Emily’s lifeless body in her apartment, where a bottle of pills rests ominously in her hand, raising suspicions of foul play masked as suicide. Caught in a moral quagmire, Cahill opts to conceal this from authorities, revealing the grim truth only to his wife.

In a shocking twist, during a preliminary deposition, Denning unexpectedly agrees to settle the lawsuit for a staggering $400 million, with the condition that the stolen documents be returned. Soon after, Emily’s body mysteriously appears in Cahill’s home. Feeling disbelief and fear of being framed, he confronts Denning, who feigns ignorance, taking delight in Cahill’s desperation.

The tensions escalate when a hitman abducts Cahill and his wife, Charlotte, played by Eve. In a struggle for survival, Cahill successfully kills the assailant and discovers documents that unveil an insidious conspiracy: his boss Abrams has been in league with Denning, intentionally sabotaging all cases against the pharmaceutical giant to safeguard him from legal repercussions. The entire settlement scheme was merely a facade to cover up Denning’s criminal activities.

In a desperate bid for justice, Cahill hands over the hitman’s files to the police, leading to Abrams’ arrest. However, just before he is apprehended, Abrams seizes an officer’s weapon and takes his own life in a final act of desperation.

As Cahill prepares for a new chapter in his life by packing for a move, he is struck by a haunting thought when he notices that some of Charlotte’s clothing carries the scent of Emily’s perfume. This revelation provokes a confrontation with Charlotte, who reluctantly reveals that she had a confrontation with Emily, culminating in an unintended accident that led to Emily’s untimely demise. Despite being a nurse, Charlotte chose to stage the scene rather than render aid, leaving Cahill grappling with the tumultuous truth of their intertwined fates.