The Liability

Plot

Young and naive 19-year-old slacker, Adam (Jack O'Connell), lives with his mum, Nicky (Kierston Wareing), in the home of her intimidating gangster boyfriend, Peter (Peter Mullan) and is sent to conduct a day of driving for Peter's associate after Adam inadvertently views an incriminating video on Peter's laptop. This takes Adam on the road with aging hitman, Roy (Tim Roth), as he enters a world of murder for 24 hours. Roy tries to force him to kill a mysterious girl (Talulah Riley) in a forest, but he refrains from doing so, giving her the chance to escape and drive away in their vehicle.

Not pleased, Roy uses Adam to hitchhike and they steal a van from an elderly couple. They call the girl on Adam's phone that was left in the car she took, striking a deal to give her £7000 in return for the bag of evidence that was left in the vehicle, even though Roy doesn't actually have the entire amount. Roy robs a diner to make up the rest. He holds the diner employees at gunpoint and uses them as hostages to make sure the deal goes through.

Having redeemed the bag, Roy and Adam plan to switch automobiles and dispose of the evidence. However, Roy knocks Adam unconscious at a quiet roadside area. Before Roy can kill and dismember his body, the girl, who followed them, runs over Roy and kidnaps Adam.

Retreating to an abandoned factory, the girl ties Adam to a rail upstairs. Roy finds his way there and confronts her. She claims her sister was sold in a line of sex trafficking, starting with Peter and ending up last with Roy, and she begins a fight with him. Adam manages to free one of his hands and retrieve Roy's fallen gun. Regaining his memory, Adam realizes Roy attempted to kill him. Irritated, he fires shots off, injuring Roy as the girl flees. Roy pleads with him to stop shooting and tells Adam he was given orders to kill him but no reason, with Adam's death meant to be part of "the job" all along. Adam realizes it must be because he saw the video incriminating Peter of sex-trafficking.

They leave the factory, finding out the girl left behind the car, money and other belongings she had taken. Adam drives Roy in their stolen van to a church for Roy's daughter's wedding. During the ride, Roy reveals he spared Adam's life because of his innocence and tells him he has a second chance at life while Peter believes he's dead. After dropping off Roy at the church, where his fate is left ambiguous, Adam takes the van away to set fire to it and destroy any evidence linking them to the murders done in their travels, but keeps the gun.

Adam returns home, confronting Peter with the gun and alerting his mum Nicky to his double-crossing ways. Adam attacks Peter, who gets a hold of the gun, Peter knocks out Adam's mum and drags him out to the parking lot. There, the girl shows up and shoots Peter for what he did to her sister. Peter starts to strangle her until she stabs and kills him.

To end the film, the girl mounts her pick up truck, opens the passenger door and invites in this way a bewildered Adam.

Cast