Roleplay is a brand-new Amazon Studio film that was released on January 12, 2023. Directed by Thomas Vincent and written by Seth Owen, the movie stars Kaley Cuoco and David Oyelowo as a married couple, Emma and Dave Brackett, who are exploring and willing to push the boundaries of their marriage by experimenting with avenues that would add spice to their lives.
Unbeknownst to Dave, Emma is an undercover hitman for hire and has been doing this job for many years. Emma had managed to balance her life without involving her family in her line of work, but everything was bound to change as they ran into a man who could expose her to the people she was closest to. Either Emma will have to reveal herself to her husband, who loves her, or she will have to keep piling on lies to retain their marriage as it is.
Kaley Cuoco As Emma Brackett
Emma Brackett, played by Kaley Cuoco, is also one of the producers of the movie. She plays the role of an assassin, and the movie began with her taking up the job of killing a man. Throughout the movie, Emma Brackett has three different aliases and there is still not much clarity on what could be her real identity. There is a lot to take away from the dual life she has led with her husband, Dave Brackett, so far.
It has been implied that her job was the reason she could hide her real personality and be another version of herself for her husband, Dave, and the kids. Her humble relationship with Dave is proof of their long-lasting marriage, and it somehow allows her to stay in touch with reality. Her job was also her reality, but if both worlds collided, Emma would have to entertain the possibility of having to separate from her husband and her children. She retained a boundary to avoid uncomfortable conversations with her spouse. But to her shock, she was approached by an elderly British gentleman, Bob Kellerman, whose odd behavior had her meeting him in his room.
Emma had been in the field of contract killing long enough to assume Bob might be bad news. On revealing his real agenda of not selling her out to ‘The Sovereign,’ a team that was hunting her, she was offered the chance to work for Bob from this point on to avoid being killed by the consortium. She revealed that she had poisoned his drink, which blinded the old man, making it easy for her to kill him. She not only had to find her way out of the country for what seemed like another assignment, but her exit caused a bigger issue for Dave and the kids.
Dave was informed about her line of work, which almost created a rift between them. The couple met in Berlin, a city she was in for a job. Emma was honest about her love for him and her children and the fact that she could never get herself out of work because of Gwen Carver. Emma came clean with her conscience with the hope her marriage would survive even after a revelation as shocking as this one. She found her way back into Dave’s heart after revealing her plan to move her family to Canada. This is where the story changes gear from the usual action comedy.
The female lead took charge of changing her and her family’s fate, and her husband went along with her plan. She was aware of the danger she had put Dave and her kids in and wanted to do the right thing. Emma, whose real name was stated as Annabelle by ‘The Sovereign,’ managed to save her family from being eliminated. Emma, along with her husband and kids, were taken hostage by Gwen and her team, who ran ‘The Sovereign’. Even though Gwen was Emma’s trainer and mentor, she defeated her master by the end of the film to rescue her family. Emma had been planning to give up on the life of contract killing for a life of simplicity with her family. She took up jobs just to gather enough money to get fake passports for herself and her family. She had grown to love the domesticity that came with her marriage, but Gwen would never let her go, even though ‘The Sovereign’ was Emma’s father’s firm. Emma could save her family, and there was a ray of hope she was expecting as they drove away from the property they were kept hostage at. It is assumed they moved to Canada as per Emma’s original plan.
David Oyelowo As Dave Brackett
Dave Brackett was the simpleton corporate executive who is under the impression his wife also has a corporate job that required her to fly around the country for work purposes. Played by David Oyelowo, Dave and his wife were a new-age couple that did not require Emma to cut back on her work hours to take care of the household and the kids. Dave took charge whenever she wasn’t around. They functioned like a normal couple who loved each other. Dave was unfortunately kept in the dark about Emma’s real life as a contract hitman, and her travels around the world for the hit jobs.
Dave was a typical suburban husband who loved the life he was leading with his wife and kids. Their decision to add spice to their marriage changed their lives as it exposed Emma’s line of work to him. A British gentleman’s death in the hotel they visited caused mayhem, which freaked Dave out. He was under the impression they might get caught, but fate had other plans for him.
Dave was cornered by a group of people who claimed to be police officers searching for Emma. He was shocked to know of his wife’s real job and had no option but to believe Gwen. Dave, though, wanted to know the truth from the woman he was married to about the dual life she had led so far, and the family was kept in the dark about it. Since Dave loved Emma, he was willing to give her a chance to speak. Dave was strictly against anything illegal, and Emma’s line of work put the entire family in jeopardy.
The men in this movie take the backseat, and Dave does come across as a husband who is not threatened by the power that Emma brings to the table now that she has revealed her actual job. His love for Emma and the children helped him understand her past. He never asked Emma to quit her job, as she made the call herself to dive into the typical life of a suburban wife and mother. All Dave had to do throughout the film was listen to and understand Emma’s instructions and never offer his opinion on the crisis. It was Emma’s show, and Dave was the supportive partner who came to terms with her past and present and was willing to trust her plans for their future.
Connie Nielsen As Gwen Carver
Connie Nielsen as Gwen Carver only entered the picture halfway into the movie. Initially, Gwen introduced herself as agent Carver, who was desperately looking for Emma. She was the one who exposed Emma to Dave in the hope she would show up to have ‘the talk’ with her husband. Gwen painted a scary picture of Emma, whose real name was Annabelle. As an officer of the law, she managed to strike fear into the heart of Dave, who, ever since the revelation, questioned everything about his marriage to Emma.Emma stated Gwen was not an officer of law to Dave in Berlin. She ran ‘The Sovereign’ and Emma wanted to stop working for them. The couple met in Berlin in the hope of attaining some privacy and getting away from the noise of their home.
Gwen and her men laid the trap perfectly, and the couple fell right into it. All Gwen had to do was go after Emma’s family, for whom she had been working hard, as they were her weakness. Her years of experience did not help her realize Gwen could have set her up. Gwen figured she was smarter than Emma and wanted her to get rid of her husband for obvious reasons.
As Emma’s mentor and trainer, she was under the impression that the young woman would never disregard her orders or actions. Gwen probably had too much power after taking over Emma’s father’s firm, ‘The Sovereign’. Her arrogance came crashing down when Emma eliminated Gwen and her team single-handedly. ‘The Sovereign’ and its future were not discussed after Gwen’s passing, but with Emma gone, there was nothing left of it.
Bob Kellerman As Bill Nighy
Bob Kellerman, played by the excellent Bill Nighy in the film, has a guest appearance. His character acted as a catalyst that led to a chain of events that exposed Emma’s line of work to Dave. Bob approached Emma at the bar, where she was supposed to meet Dave. After spotting Emma at the bar, Bob had his doubts if she was the woman ‘The Sovereign’ was looking for. His small talk and chit-chat were rather vague, and it alarmed Emma as well in a way that made her approach him in his room. Bob could not help but blackmail the woman in the hope she would submit herself and he would receive a reward for capturing her.
It was understood that Bob was a bounty hunter who did not want to kill Emma. Instead, he tried to strike a deal with her that would make him her boss and that she should continue being a contract killer under him. Bob was aware Emma was a prized catch, and letting her go would be a mistake. He misunderstood her need to survive but never anticipated her moves. It came as a shock to him when she revealed that he was drunk and poisoned, which led to blindness, making him an easy target to kill. Men like Bob were under the impression they could outshine women like Emma, who work based on the jobs assigned. He forgot to factor in her skillset, which led to his demise.
