Soulcatcher is a Polish action thriller focused on a military contractor hired to recover a dangerous weapon that turns humans into mindless killing machines. What begins as a regular job turns personal when his brother falls victim to the device.
Plot summary
Soulcatcher opens with a group of mercenaries sailing to their next mission aboard a small vessel. Brothers Robert aka Fang, and Piotr Kiel helm the team and discuss the nature of their task.
They are supposed to extract a woman named Eliza Mazur from an island as she has been photographing the war crimes of a man named General Yousif Mamadov. Their primary target is the drive containing the photographs, and Eliza’s recovery is secondary.
Piotr refuses to reveal the person who hired them and the team heads out. They reach a village and discover piles of bodies.
The group shoots down guards and finds Eliza. Fang secures the drive with the photos, and they prepare to retreat. Suddenly, they start getting attacked by vicious island natives, who seem to have no sense of what they are doing.
We see Mamadov using a wave-emitting weapon that transforms all humans in its path into vicious killing machines. As the team scrambles, Piotr falls victim to the weapon and attacks Fang.
The latter is forced to kill Piotr to save himself. He then rendezvous with the sole surviving member of the team, Harbir, and calls his pilot friend Krzysztof to get them off the island. Eliza, however, decides to stay behind.
Back in Poland, they are apprehended by Interpol and Fang is questioned about something much more complicated. We discover that he was a former special forces soldier who voluntarily retired and started working as a private military contractor.
An agent named Arthur interrogates Fang about a group called NMP that ordered the assassination of two Polish MPs. They also hired former soldiers belonging to a militia, who were later killed. Arthur believes the same group hired Fang and his team.
Before this conversation can go further, Fang and the others are rescued by a politician named Jan, who criticizes Arthur for handcuffing a war hero. We soon find out that Jan hired Piotr for the mission after he discovered Mamadov’s crimes.
Unfortunately, he possesses a weapon called Soulcatcher, which was designed many years ago by a Polish scientist named Witold Mazur (Eliza’s father). It was initially supposed to be an experimental technology to treat and cure cancer.
However, it started turning normal humans into murderous ones. As the news spread out, everyone wanted to get their hands on it, with Mamadov succeeding to do so. He also kidnaps Witold to make sure it works properly.
Jan also believes that Witold is working with Mamadov willingly despite reports that he is innocent. Eliza was sure that her father is being held captive and was collecting evidence to prove it. She decided to stay back to ensure Witold can be rescued by the Polish government.
Now, Fang, Harbir, and Krzysztof are hired for a new mission that includes infiltrating Mamadov’s compound, retrieving Soulcatcher, and killing Witold as Jan believes he can always make a new machine if he is left alive.
He is also convinced that the weapon can be turned back into a medical device and used for treating the sick. Mamadov’s assassination isn’t deemed necessary, but Jan makes it clear that they can kill him if the original objectives of the mission aren’t compromised.
Soulcatcher ending explained in detail:
Is Soulcatcher retrieved?
Jan recruits two former colleagues, Storm and Bull to the team. Jan adds another former soldier, Damian Prochyra to the squad as well. The group flies back to the island and runs into Eliza.
They pose as Mamadov’s soldiers and enter his compound. Fang realizes that Professor Witold is indeed innocent and doesn’t execute him. The whole compound is soon alerted of intruders and a gunfight ensues.
The general turns on the weapon, and Fang barely misses its blast radius. However, being so close to it forces him to fight his inner demons. He puts all his might into retaining his sanity and succeeds.
Eliza and her father are successfully rescued, but the team chases Mamadov as he tries to escape with Soulcatcher. Finally, Fang kills the general and secures the weapon.
Once back in Poland, a major twist awaits.
What is Jan’s true agenda?
Jan captures Witold and secures the weapon for himself. He is in the race for becoming Prime Minister and plans to use Soulcatcher to further his agenda.
He now has the power to turn people of any community, race, or country into mindless freaks to fuel propaganda or turn his rivals into the same. The plan seems to be working as his popularity among voters is on the rise because of his fearmongering.
The politician also takes Fang and his team into custody and holds them captive. Arthur, who had asked his men to keep an eye on Jan, infiltrates the politician’s camp. Fang and Storm are injured, and Damian kills Krzysztof.
Arthur manages to escape with the rest, including Eliza, and they drop Bull at his property which is set ablaze.
Does Fang bring the politician down?
Now in cahoots with Interpol, Fang gradually recovers and begins a romantic relationship with Eliza. Bull isn’t heard from again and Storm is unable to heal in time to fight back.
Harbir is the only one who is battle-ready, but Fang decides to go in solo. He aims to destroy Soulcatcher and end Jan’s evil escapades once and for all.
Fang infiltrates Jan’s camp and discovers his role as the leader of the NMP. He ordered the assassination of those MPs as they were his political rivals.
Finally, he faces off against the man who killed his friend, Damian. The fight is brutal, and Fang gets seriously injured, but not before he disposes of his rival. Professor Witold sacrifices himself to help Fang as he blows up a group of soldiers heading his way.
Jan rushes off and hides but brags to Fang about the success of his plans. He claims that destroying Soulcatcher will have zero effect on his campaign as the masses have already turned in his favor and believed his propaganda.
Fang uses this opportunity to record Jan’s words and relays them to Arthur. Interpol uses this audio as the politician’s confession and labels him guilty.
Harbir shows up to rescue Fang, and they plant an explosive on the weapon. As Soulcatcher is blown to smithereens, the authorities move on to Jan’s camp.
Seeing his empire crumble, the politician tries to flee, but his driver is revealed to be Bull. He has severe burns on his face from the fire and is determined to punish Jan for his deeds.
The film ends with Harbir and a recovered Fang arriving to see Eliza.
Also Read: BASTARD‼ -Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy season 2 summary and ending explained