Freezer 2014

Robert Saunders wakes up bound inside a meat locker, the cold gnawing at him as he frees himself. Two Russian mobsters, Kiril and Stepan, enter, unable to speak English clearly, and after a tense exchange they demand “money” before departing. With no idea what’s going on, Robert surveys the space and spots a ventilation shaft near the ceiling, hoping it might offer a route to safety. A ringing cell phone on the floor catches his attention, and he answers it, speaking with Detective Al Dorian, who initially misnames him as “Sam.” Robert explains that he was having dinner at a restaurant with his girlfriend for his birthday when he was knocked unconscious and dumped into the freezer. Before Dorian can trace the call, the mobsters return and smash the phone. They are joined this time by Alisa, a bilingual associate who accuses Robert of stealing eight million dollars and insists its return, threatening that he will freeze to death within four hours if he does not comply. The mobsters confiscate his shoes, forcing him to improvise with bags to wrap his feet and try to stay warm.

Robert begins to exercise to raise his body temperature, running and moving boxes aside to reveal a grievously injured Detective Sam Gurov, lying on a shelf. Sam warns that Robert will not be allowed to leave alive, regardless of whether he can prove his innocence. Before passing out, Sam reveals that he was an undercover cop trying to bring down the mob boss Oleg. Robert hides Sam away again and attempts to stop the fans by striking them with a fire extinguisher.

When the Russians return, Alisa presses for information about the money. Robert maintains his ignorance, but Kiril’s alert prompts Sam to groan, betraying that Robert is being watched. Seizing the moment, Robert grabs Alisa as Kiril threatens Sam’s life. Sam’s memory fractures Robert’s innocence, accusing him of taking the money even as he protests his own innocence. Robert deduces that Alisa was supposed to be in charge of the missing funds and that she begs him to confess to save her. After the Russians depart again, Sam explains that after a failed hit, Oleg shuffled his fortune to protect it, and the eight million vanished in the process.

Sam volunteers to switch clothes with Robert and pose as him to facilitate an escape, but the plan collapses. Robert, risking Sam’s life, confesses that the money is hidden at the restaurant where he was abducted. The confession does not save him, and Sam is killed. Upon waking, Robert tries to cast suspicion on Stepan, prompting Alisa to question him further. She and Stepan press him, but Robert deflects until Sam’s informant is revealed to be dead. A confrontation ensues, Kiril is killed with a meat hook, and Stepan drags Alisa out as he locks Robert back inside.

Robert dons Kiril’s clothes and continues to search for a way out. He contacts Detective Dorian, hoping to use Dorian’s knowledge to locate the money, but Stepan interrupts the call and douses him with water. In the ensuing struggle, Robert cannot unplug the fan wires due to the mounting hypothermia. A man named Danil is tossed into the room, offering to help Robert escape in exchange for a cut of the money. Robert instructs Danil to cut the electrical wires, but the mobsters arrive and Danil is electrocuted. Alisa reveals that Danil was a plant to extract information and that he was actually Vadim, Oleg’s son.

Oleg himself arrives and recognizes Robert as the assassin who failed to kill him. When Robert finally admits the truth, he and Oleg clash, though Oleg gains the upper hand due to his injuries. Alisa and Stepan watch as Robert fights back, with Alisa ultimately killing Oleg to prevent him from finishing Robert off. Alisa and Stepan leave Robert wounded and trapped again, and Robert uses severed electrical wires to heat the meat rack, warming his hands as he and Alisa plan an escape. Detective Dorian arrives, demanding to know where the money is and guiding them to tie their hands to the rack. Alisa confesses that the money has been inside the meat locker all along, hidden in the boxes of cuts.

While Dorian is distracted, Robert and Alisa break free by burning through the zip ties binding their wrists, using the heated rack to their advantage. They hijack a semi-truck rig to pull the freezer toward a port, with Dorian inside as they drive to safety. The meat locker is loaded onto a cargo ship, and Alisa hands Robert a birthday present: a box of cuts containing a substantial amount of money. They drive off toward a warmer future, leaving a wounded Stepan behind as they vanish into the night in their pursuit of a fresh start.