“Interceptor,” the 2022 action drama, is written and directed by Mathew Reilly and co-written by Stuart Beattie. Elsa Pataky plays the protagonist, Captain J.J. Collins. The army officer had fought a long battle against a celebrated General who had not only molested and taken advantage of her but escaped conviction due to his stronghold in the system. Now reinstated at a remote location, Collins finds herself amidst a mission of great significance to the United States of America. Millions of lives depend on her courage and tactical skills. So let’s see if the Captain is able to save the day from the threat of an impending nuclear attack.
‘Interceptor’ Plot Summary
The United States of America had two interceptor bases, which, in case of a nuclear attack, detected the missiles in space, counter attacked it, and stopped them from reaching American soil. One of the two interceptor bases was situated at Fort Greely in Alaska, and the other seaborn platform was called SBX-1, located at a classified location, 1500 miles northwest of the coast of Hawaii.
Captain J.J. Collins was posted to SBX-1, and she arrived there to commence her duties. Just hours after Captain Collins arrived, they got word that some anonymous men had taken charge of the Fort Greely Interceptor base and killed each and every soldier and official present there. Even the transmitter at the base was destroyed, and hence they couldn’t relay the information to the SBX-1 station. Back at SBX-1, they had no clue whether the interceptor was secure or not. They couldn’t take any chances and had to be prepared for the worst. Corporal Rahul Shah, a signal specialist, and Corporal Beaver Baker were the two people who were looking into the issue. Corporal Beaver was a sleazy man, and J.J. Collins had worked with him before to be well aware of his sordid motivations. They were still dubious about the gravity of whatever was happening. But their doubts are put to rest when the National Security Agency in the United States relays a conversation from Russia. 16 ICBMs had been stolen from a facility in Tavlinka, Russia.
The Marshal still thinks that it is some sort of Russian exercise because entertaining the possibility of a nuclear attack still seemed bizarre and absurd. But just then, they were sent a warning video, recorded by a Russian terrorist, who said that they had 16 missiles aimed at 16 different cities in the United States. The Marshall and others knew that the threat was real. Captain Collins speculated that if they had people inside the facility at Tavlinka and the shooters at Greely were also Americans, there was a probability that they might already have people in the SBX-1 station too. The moment she speculates that, the terrorists disguised as janitors start firing, and the Marshal is shot dead in the crossfire. J.J. Collins was somehow able to close the door that led to the control room. Beaver also got injured and lay unconscious inside the control room. Though the rooms were locked, it was just a matter of time before the Russian terrorists would break in and take the base under their control.
Spoilers Ahead
Who Were The Russian Terrorists?
The leader of the pack tells Collins that his name is Alexander Kessel. He had been planning this coup for almost six years now. But it was a strange fact that an American was working for the Russians and trying to launch a nuclear attack on the United States of America. Collins gets a call from the White House and gives them a full account of the situation. The President informs Collins that the Seal team would be reaching SBX-1 for the rescue, but it would take at least 90 minutes for them to do so. Collins has estimated that it would take Alexander and his crew no more than 30 minutes to break into the doors and get control of the command center. And stopping them for 90 minutes was an impossible task.
Collins receives information about Kessel from the Pentagon. He worked in the military intelligence agency and eventually became a torture specialist. His psychological evaluation said that he lacked empathy and was a borderline sociopath. He had killed two suspects while interrogating and torturing them for the U.S. army, and the matter was being investigated by the authorities. Alexander told Collins that he was not just a terrorist but that his fight was with society in general. His father was the ambassador representing the United States in the UN, and he always considered him to be an incumbent who didn’t deserve the post. He says that his father became the ambassador only because he fed the politicians and helped them in their campaigns. He calls himself the product of a failed society.
Alexander knew that Captain Collins’ father lived in Scottsdale, in Patriots Valley. Collins is shocked. She had thought that Alexander had not done his background research on her since she had arrived at the SBX-1 base that day itself. Collins was supposed to be stationed at Fort Hunter, and her posting was changed at the last minute. Alexander reveals that the decision to post her at SBX-1 was taken a few days back and that he knew everything about her. His men had gone to the Veterans Retirement Home, where her father was staying, and had him under his custody. He video calls his men and makes Collins talk to his father. Her father was being killed in front of her eyes, but she still held her guard. A grief-stricken Collins was devastated as she thought she had lost her father, but she still didn’t compromise the security of her nation. Alexander realized that Collins was relentless and decided that he would activate the asset removal protocol and sink the whole rig. Collins had just 13 minutes before the whole facility was submerged under water.
‘Interceptor’ Ending Explained: Is Collins Able To Destroy Nuclear Missiles? Is Her Father Still Alive?
Beaver was working for the Russian Terrorists, and with his help, Alexander Kessel had entered the control room once and activated one missile just to make sure that the Americans watched their people getting killed and get an idea of the devastation that awaited them. Collins was able to push them back just in time and shoot the interceptor to take down the incoming nuclear missile.
But now, with the whole rig sinking, they had to do something to stay above the surface, as the missiles could not be fired if they were submerged in water. Rahul Shah takes the mantle and tells Collins that he would jump into the ocean and try to reach the basement from where the valves could be closed. He closes the valves, and the sinking time increases by a few minutes. But the happiness doesn’t last long, and Beaver reaches the basement and kills Rahul Shah. Collins had figured that though Alexander was talking about great philosophies and how he detested the capitalist setup, in reality, he was just bluffing. Alexander was not in charge of the whole operation. There were some other Russian terrorists who were heading the mission, and Alexander was just a pawn who was working for money. Collins had a plan in mind. If somehow she was able to make Alexander launch his missile before the rig sank, she could launch the interceptors and shoot them down. She puts a tape on the glass of the door, from where Alexander was keeping an eye on her and getting to know what was happening inside the control room. Collins tricks Alexander into believing that she was letting him take charge. Beaver went inside the control room and informed Alexander that Collins had escaped and was probably hiding on the roof. Alexander enters the room and gives orders to fire all the 15 remaining missiles. But Collins was hiding in the control room itself all this time. She kills Alexander’s companion and goes to the roof to kill the traitor, Corporal Beaver Baker. She kills him but falls into the ocean. She made it to the rig just in time, but the launch button had been destroyed. She uses Beaver’s laptop to launch the interceptor defense missiles before the 12-minute timer expires. Alexander fails in his endeavors but still feels relieved thinking about the fact that he would be rescued by his Russian friends and wouldn’t have to face persecution by the American government.
The Russian Terrorists emerge from the ocean in a submarine. They shoot Alexander and kill him there and then, because he was of no use to them, as the mission had already failed. Even though Collins was the one who was responsible for the failure of their plan, they admired the undaunting manner in which she fought for her nation. They didn’t kill her, as doing so wouldn’t have fulfilled any vendetta. Collins’ father was surprisingly still alive. His friends at the Veterans Retirement Home had arrived just in time and saved his life. The President comes to meet Collins and appoints her to the National Security Staff.
Collins didn’t give up till the very end and kept on fighting as her father had always told her to do no matter what the circumstances were. All ends well for Collins, who gets rewarded for her selfless duty and also removes the blot from her character.
“Interceptor” is a 2022 Drama Thriller film directed by Matthew Reilly.
