“A Man of Action” is the latest Netflix movie, directed by Javier Ruiz Calder and authored by Patxi Amezcua. The movie stars the likes of Juan José Ballesta as Lucio, Luis Callejo as Asturiano, Liah O’Prey as Anne, Miki Esparbé as Quico, Ana Polvorosa as Satur, Fred Tatien as Patrick, and more. “A Man of Action” follows the life of Lucio Urtubia, who, with the help of his anarchist friends, decides to take on the biggest banks in the world and bring them to their knees. It’s the story of a helpless boy from Navara who later grew up to inspire millions.
Spoilers Ahead
‘A Man of Action’ Plot Summary: What Happens In The Film?
“A Man of Action” opens in 1962, and we see the protagonist Lucio Urtubia walking inside an airport to catch a flight out of the city; however, his plan is interrupted when he’s recognized and chased by Inspector Costello’s men. But Lucio manages to outwit the authorities once again. The action slips back in time to Casante Navara, and we see young Lucio getting shot at and chased after stealing supplies from a farmer’s land to feed his family since his father is gravely ill and cannot work. To save his father’s life and ease his pain, young Lucio walks into a bank and begs the manager to lend him 5,000 Peseta, so he can buy morphine for his ill father. However, the bank turns Lucio down since he has no collateral and partly because his father was a Republican. The response infuriated Lucio, and he exited the bank with tears running down his cheeks. Upon his return, Lucio learns that his father has passed away. Lucio desperately wants to leave Casante and his miserable and pathetic life and begs his sister to take him to Paris. Still, Satur advises him to complete his military service and then meet her in Paris.
Lucio Joins An Anarchist Organization
Lucio visits his sister Satur after completing his escape from a military prison for theft and impresses her with his stories of how he managed to smuggle supplies and tools out of the camp. Satur’s husband put in a good word for Lucio, securing him a job at a construction site as a bricklayer. At the site, Lucio joins an anarchist association and is exposed to the lives of some of the country’s most influential anarchists, which strengthens his hatred towards banks that constantly exploit their workers and cause inequality in the world. Lucio denies recognizing authority and wishes to fight against it, making him a true anarchist. He even beats up a couple of policemen, spitting in the face of the authority to celebrate his initiation. For his first mission, Lucio was asked to hide Quico Sabate, who was on the run after stealing $50,000 in cash from a bank in Barcelona, and the duo instantly clicked. Days later, Quico and Lucio plan to rob a bank together. Quico plans to use the money to support the movement and local anarchists and intends to help his friends in prison and their families. The duo walks inside the bank, and Quico fires several shots, ordering everyone to get down. Unlike his partner, Lucio was too terrified to react and instead peed himself, but he soon complied. The movie is set at a time when France was in turmoil. The rich were getting richer, and the poor were starving to death, deprived of food and shelter. And Lucio believed that the only way to get justice and equality was to quit chatting, stick flyers on the walls, and fight for their ideals. But Inspector Costello is already onto him and his group, putting his plans in peril. Lucio, in some respects, is quite similar to Quico. He, too, wishes to rob banks that have been robbing working-class men like him for years and doesn’t care if he’s thrown into a jail cell or is riddled with bullets. Lucio and his friends were even denied loans they desperately needed to open their printing press, and his hatred skyrocketed when he learned of Quico’s death.
‘Traveler Cheque,’ The Perfect Instrument For Lucio To Cripple City Bank
On the same night, Quico robs the bank, buys the printing press, and cuts ties with his organization, deciding to run things on his own. Afterward, Lucio enlists Anne, an idealistic and intelligent French woman, in his anarchist group, and they soon fall in love. The duo also brings in Patrick, an expert forger, to have him fabricate and print American dollars. Lucio plans to exchange his fake dollars for francs to provide for the poor and support his cause. He even met with the Cuban ambassador and tried to convince Fidel Castro to circulate the fake cash as a first step to ending capitalism. Meanwhile, Costello is continuously keeping tabs on Lucio’s every movement, being fed information by Lucio’s past employer, and arresting him. Anne gives birth to a baby girl, and Lucio, after being granted a conditional release, tries to earn an honest living, learns about “traveler’s cheques,” and plans to print fake traveler’s checks. He convinces everyone to get in on the plans and decides to rob the biggest bank in the city with his “fake cheques.” However, they’re having a hard time making a perfect copy but eventually succeed.
Lucio calls in his trustworthy associates and provides them with 20 fake cheques to cash into the city bank at exactly 12 p.m. and labels it an “anarchist milestone.” The reason Lucio decides to hit the bank at the exact same time is to ensure the anarchists cash in as much as they can before the bank realizes the cheques are fake. Even if the HQ had recognized them as fabrications, the anarchists would already have circulated the money. And this isn’t just a one-off gig; Lucio plans to do this every other month. Meanwhile, the banks in the US are losing millions every week and send Mr. Barrow to oversee the investigation, and the latter joins forces with Costello to bring Lucio down. On the other hand, Lucio is hell-bent on crippling and bringing the banks to their knees and often ignores his wife’s advice to lay low and earn an honest income, given that he’s now a father and not a crook.
‘A Man of Action’ Ending Explained – How Did Lucio Urtubia Outwit City Bank?
Lucio is still in possession of 30,000 cheques, summing up around $ 3 million in total, and plans to sell them all at once since the banks have interrupted their flow. Lucio senses it’s time to strike the final blow and meets Tony Greco via a friend who’s somewhat emphatic towards the anarchists’ association, partly because of his impression of the legendary “Quico Sabate.” Tony buys all the cheques at one-third of their value on the market” and agrees to pay Lucio $ 1 million. The police have constantly been tailing the group, and Patrik and others cut ties with Lucio, fearing they’d get caught and have to spend the rest of their days in jail, leaving Lucio to carry out his plan alone. However, on the day of the exchange, Lucio is apprehended along with Asturiano, Petite Jeanne, and Tony. Asturio and Petite were granted bail; however, Lucio’s case was pushed to 20 years in prison plus $5 million in damages. The incident made headlines, and people recognized Lucio as a hero, and the newspaper labeled him “Robin Hood.” After getting out on bail, Lucio skipped his tail and managed to smuggle the fabricated cheques into other nations like the Netherlands, but he was caught again after the cops traced his wife’s call, but it doesn’t matter now. Even though he’s been caught and the cops have obtained all the forged cheques, they still don’t have the plates they were printed on, enabling the anarchists to print the cheques still and cash them in. But Lucio works out a deal and agrees to submit the plates in exchange for reasonable compensation and a ticket out of jail, and the bank reluctantly agrees to save their skin, and the movie concludes. It’s ironic how a simple bricklayer incapacitated and brought the most powerful bank in the world to its knees and made them beg like he once did for a mere 5,000 francs to save his father’s life.
Why Did Lucio Dislike Banks So Much?
Lucio’s family was financially strapped, and his father had to take up a variety of odd jobs to make ends meet. Later, Lucio’s father’s illness shattered the family’s already weakened financial foundation, forcing him to steal supplies from stores and farms to put meals on the table. Lucio even turns to the banks to obtain a loan, promising to pay it back during the harvesting season, but is kicked out. Like Lucio, there were millions who were suffering abuse by the financial system. In reality, the banks weren’t established to serve the interests of the lower and middle classes. Banks are always on the lookout for new methods to pad their coffers, and low-income households frequently end up paying more than they can afford. Not only are there hidden fees attached to financial services, but there is also a shortage of personalized attention, which is of less concern to the well-off but can be a bit of a burden for the lower-middle class. Lucio always abhorred the banks and held them responsible for his father’s death. His encounter with Quico Sabate, though, channeled his hatred in the right direction. He began expropriating banks and sharing the loot with his comrades’ families and other anarchists to fuel the revolution. Lucio raised the stakes when he circulated more than 10,000 fake traveler’s cheques, making the city banks lose millions of dollars. But did he really win? Yes! The fly did beat the elephant once. Though the losses weren’t that mutilating to the City Bank, the thought of one person cornering the most powerful financial institution in the world is enough to light a spark. Lucio’s life and accolades are living proof that no matter who you are or where you came from, you can make a difference. He’s the one who was not afraid to fight and certainly not afraid to sacrifice what he has and earned to make a difference.
“A Man of Action” is a 2022 Spanish crime drama movie directed by Javier Ruiz Caldera.
