It’s been ages since I caught Mark Wahlberg in an action-packed role, and let me tell you, his latest film doesn’t disappoint. The Family Plan is an absolute must-watch. The film chronicles the exploits of Dan (Mark Wahlberg), an assassin turned family man, a guy who swapped guns and bombs for domestic bliss with his beautiful wife, Jessica (Michelle Monaghan), and a duo of teenagers, Nina (Zoe Margaret Colletti) and Kyle (Van Crosby), plus a newborn, Max, in the mix. Dan had traded in his high-stakes and dangerous job for a living as a car salesman. Dan is a superstar at his dealership, making sure everyone leaves with a smile after buying a car. Since he’s no longer an assassin, Dan has adopted a new mantra: no violence. This explains why he chose not to beat up the so-called bully for sharing his image online. Dan wasn’t just playing the family man; it was his life. Unfortunately, Dan’s face on the internet invited a whirlwind of problems his way. This meant being hunted by highly skilled assassins sent by McCaffrey (Ciarán Hinds), who would stop at nothing. Thus, to protect himself and his family, he took the mantle again.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did Dan Take His Family To Vegas?
Dan knew time was a luxury; once his face was out on the internet, McCaffrey would use all his resources to find him. Thus, Dan planned to leave the country with his family, but he couldn’t unless he got new passports for his family, which had expired because of sitting idle in his go-to emergency bag. Thus, he called his old buddy and asked him to meet him in Vegas with fake passports and some hard cash. It wasn’t easy for Dan to trust Oggy with this because of the cavity search he had to go through because of his fake passports. Dan also juggled with the idea of whether he should come clean to his family about his old job and current predicament or not. We see him often talking to himself, practicing, and putting words together to tell Jessica, Nina, and Kyle everything. When Dan was en route to Vegas, the Swedes and the Russians attacked him, but Dan fended them off like they were insects. What was more impressive was that Dan did all of it without disrupting his family’s sleep.
From parking lots to a college campus, Dan beat every attacker of his to a pulp without being discovered or getting his family in trouble. Dan even taught Nina Kyusho Jitsu, an ancient martial art that uses pressure points to inflict extreme pain on enemies. Nina used this on her boyfriend after she found out that he had been cheating on her, leaving Trevor crying in pain. As for Kyle, he might’ve gotten the idea that Dan had some serious skills after he won the game of laser tag. The trip to Las Vegas also gave the siblings much-needed time together and a chance to bond. Jessica also fell in love with Dan again, thanks to his spontaneous side. However, she couldn’t quite wrap her head around the fact that her shy and simple husband spoke multiple languages but never told her.
How Did Jessica And The Kids Find Out About Dan?
Jessica eventually found out about Dan’s previous job when he single-handedly took down three skilled assassins in their hotel room. Jessica literally barfed on the floor when she saw Dan shoving a knife into a person’s eyeballs. Also, her husband’s real name wasn’t Dan, but Sean. Soon, the kids were let in on the secret as well: that their dad used to be a covert assassin, now being hunted by the people he had angered. Unfortunately, they couldn’t comprehend the reason why Dan never told them about his past life and left him. “Stay away from us,” Jessica stated to Dan. Jessica made arrangements to leave the city but ended up getting kidnapped by Gwen (Maggie Q), one of the women from her kickboxing class. Remember the ex-boyfriend Gwen talked about during her first meeting with Jessica? She was referring to Dan (Sean), who left her at the same time as his life of crime. She was madly in love with Sean until he squandered it all to become a family man, stated Gwen.
Why Did Dan Agree To Work With Mccaffrey Again?
Dan immediately agreed to turn himself in if McCaffrey promised to let his family go. If you still hadn’t figured it out, McCaffrey was Dan’s father, not some disgruntled boss. McCaffrey had no intention of killing Dan and knew his son would kill every assassin he’d sent after him. McCaffrey made a deal with Dan; if he agreed to return to his old job, Jessica and the teens would be sent to Buffalo with no harm done. For the safety of his wife and kids, Dan had no choice but to agree. However, Jess and the kids realized their mistake and rescued Dan. He had no intention of escaping, as he knew it would be a matter of time before his father and obsessive ex-girlfriend found him again. Thus, he decided to end this once and for all. Kyle took control of the drone camera and became his eyes and ears, while Dan took down the assassins one by one. As for Gwen, Jessica killed her when she was trying to kill her children. McCaffrey held Dan at gunpoint, but Nina’s distraction gave him enough time to incapacitate his father.
As the dust settled, McCaffrey was arrested on multiple charges spanning decades. But what about Dan and his family? After their hectic time in Vegas, Dan and his family returned to Buffalo and continued living the life they’d left, but this time with few changes. Dan opened a new security company and hired his best friend, Oggy, the guy who gave him his passports. Oggy couldn’t be happier, as he no longer had to make fake identity cards for entitled college students. In addition, Dan no longer put any constraints on technology and fully supported his son’s dream of becoming a Valorant Pro. Also, after their hectic retreat, it kind of became a family tradition to take at least one road trip every year with family and without throwing their phones off the bridge.
Dean, aka Sean of The Family Plan, was an exceptional man who enrolled in the army when he turned eighteen and thrived. Dan was both a Green Beret and a Delta, and he later started working for his father, McCaffrey. At first, he was killing criminals and tyrants, but later, McCaffrey became greedy and started hiring out his assassins to the highest bidder, including dictators and weapons dealers. As soon as Dan learned about it, he bailed out and carved out a tranquil life and family until he was found again.
