The Shakedown Plot Summary
The Shakedown, directed by Ari Kruger, is a crime comedy film released on Amazon’s Prime Video. The film follows the seemingly perfect life of Justin Diamond, an elite insurance broker obsessed with earning the prestigious Diamond status of a health policy his firm sells. Justin appears to have it all—he’s wealthy, successful, in excellent health, and has a picture-perfect family. However, beneath the surface, things aren’t as perfect as they seem. His Porsche is a rental, he’s having an affair with his Pilates instructor Marika, and his brother is a criminal. If you think that’s all, think again. Marika begins blackmailing Justin with a video of their affair, using it to keep their relationship going. This is when all hell breaks loose.
What does Justin do after discovering the video?
Initially, Marika demands money in exchange for deleting the video, but Justin soon realizes that his instructor has no intention of leaving him alone. Desperate, he turns to his brother Dovi, who had been jailed for a car crash they were involved in during their youth. Justin asks Dovi to intimidate Marika—a plan they dub “the shakedown.”
What is the Blue Beanie Gang?
The Blue Beanie Gang turns out to be none other than Dovi’s henchmen, Mikey and Clinton, who go around robbing local residents. Justin discovers Dovi’s involvement with the gang when he sees a blue beanie in his possession. He also realizes that they had killed the wrong woman, and Marika is still alive, planning to release the video the next day. To make matters worse, Justin had recently donated his children’s trust fund money to their gambling Rabbi in an attempt to cleanse himself of his infidelity. Now, he has no money and no way to stop Marika from releasing the video.
What happens after Justin and Dovi end up killing the wrong woman?
The woman whom Mikey and Clinton had mistakenly killed is revealed to be the daughter of a notorious mafia boss. While she’s hospitalized, the boss sends his underling Henko to find out who had attacked his daughter. Henko eventually tracks down Dovi, and Justin shoots Henko when he shows up at Dovi’s hideout. The brothers mistakenly believe Henko is dead, and Justin barely convinces Dovi not to dismember his body.
They decide to drown Henko instead, but he refuses to die and nearly drowns Justin with him. Miraculously, Henko survives and resurfaces on the beach, heading straight for Justin’s house to finish him off.
Does Marika release the video?
After Justin and Dovi seemingly deal with Henko, Dovi takes Justin to a lawyer. Justin explains the situation, and it turns out Marika’s blackmail constitutes extortion, which could land her in jail. Justin informs Marika, who finally decides to leave him alone. Everything seems to be back on track until Justin accidentally plays the video during one of his policy presentations. News of Justin’s affair spreads like wildfire.
What happens to Justin in the end?
After his secret is exposed to the entire town, Justin visits his mother and discovers a shocking truth: it was actually him who caused the car crash years ago, and his brother Dovi, whom Justin had despised for being a criminal, had taken the blame. Overwhelmed with guilt, Justin goes to see Dovi, only to find him lying on the ground after being shot by Henko. Fortunately, Dovi is wearing a bulletproof vest and survives.
The brothers then head to Justin’s house, where Henko attacks them once more. After a fierce struggle, Justin finally kills Henko for good. The two brothers are hospitalized, and Justin becomes a local hero after Henko is mistakenly identified as a member of the Blue Beanie Gang. Justin and his wife decide to take a break from their marriage, and life seems to settle down—until the mafia boss lures Justin to his house under the pretence of buying insurance. Whoops!