Criminal (2016) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The CIA needed Bill's memories because he was the only one who knew the location of Jan Strook (The Dutchman), a hacker with plans to cause global chaos. After Bill was tortured and killed, Dr. Franks proposed implanting his memories into Jerico, a violent psychopath whose damaged brain could potentially accept the procedure. The government needed Bill's knowledge to complete his unfinished mission.

• memory transfer
• cia
• bill pope
• dr franks
• jan strook

Jerico was overwhelmed by Bill's memories, particularly his deep connection to his family. The memories of Jill and their home were so powerful that Jerico instinctively navigated to the Pope household. He initially went there to search for the money bag Bill had retrieved, but the emotional pull of Bill's memories began changing his violent nature.

Foreshadowing: Bill's memories of calling Jill and Emma before his abduction establish the emotional connection that draws Jerico to their home.

• jerico
• jill pope
• family
• memory transfer
• bill memories

Jerico accessed Bill's memories through the memory transfer procedure. Bill had hidden the money bag at the library where Jill worked - this information was stored in Bill's memories. When Jerico spent time with Jill and the memories started integrating, he remembered the location.

Foreshadowing: Bill's scene picking up the duffel bag in London establishes he retrieved it, and his memories naturally contained where he had hidden it.

• money bag
• library
• jill
• bill pope
• memories

Elsa Mueller was Xavier Heimdahl's right-hand woman seeking revenge for their failed operation. After Jerico interfered with their plan and killed several of Heimdahl's operatives, Elsa targeted the one thing she knew would draw Jerico out - his connection to Bill's family. She used Jill and Emma as leverage to lure Jerico into a trap.

Foreshadowing: Elsa was first introduced stalking Bill in London, establishing her role as Heimdahl's enforcer who targets loved ones.

• elsa mueller
• hostage
• jill
• emma
• heimdahl
• revenge

Bill was a highly trained CIA agent who understood that Jan Strook (The Dutchman) was planning something that could cause massive global chaos. Despite being tortured and electrocuted, Bill maintained his composure and refused to give up Strook's location, choosing to protect the mission and countless potential victims over his own pain.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes early that Strook is a dangerous hacker with catastrophic plans, making Bill's silence crucial.

• bill pope
• torture
• jan strook
• dutchman
• cia

Jerico traded Heimdahl a piece of information about Jan Strook's location in exchange for releasing Jill and Emma. When Heimdahl betrayed him and attempted to kill everyone anyway, Jerico used his tactical knowledge from Bill's memories combined with his own violent instincts to outmaneuver and kill Heimdahl. He activated a plane's engine to destroy Heimdahl's helicopter, then shot him as he tried to escape.

Foreshadowing: Jerico's escape from CIA custody demonstrated his ability to combine Bill's training with his own combat skills.

• heimdahl
• airfield
• final showdown
• jerico
• bill memories

Dr. Franks explained that Jerico was selected because his brain had suffered trauma from violent childhood experiences, making his mind uniquely capable of accepting the experimental memory transfer procedure. A normal brain would reject the procedure. Jerico was essentially on the brink of death in prison, making him a desperate candidate for the risky operation.

Foreshadowing: The opening beach scene establishes Jerico as a dangerous man with deep rage, hinting at his violent past.

• jerico
• dr franks
• memory transfer
• criminal
• psychopath

Jan Strook, known as The Dutchman, was a hacker working with Heimdahl who had developed plans to introduce global chaos. While the exact technical details aren't fully explained, both the CIA and Heimdahl considered him extremely valuable - the CIA wanted to stop him, while Heimdahl wanted to use him to further his anarchist agenda of destabilizing governments worldwide.

Foreshadowing: Heimdahl's monologue about anarchy and eliminating governments establishes his motivation for wanting Strook's skills.

• jan strook
• dutchman
• hacker
• heimdahl
• anarchist

Bill Pope was carefully watched by his CIA superiors who were tracking him to find the people hunting him. However, Quaker Wells and his team deliberately maintained distance, allowing Bill to be a decoy to draw out the enemy. This tactical decision left Bill vulnerable, and he was ambushed by Elsa and Heimdahl's team while getting into the cab.

Foreshadowing: Wells and the other agents are shown watching Bill from a distance, establishing they knew he was being targeted.

• bill pope
• cia abduction
• quaker wells
• elsa mueller

The ending is intentionally ambiguous. Jerico's violent impulses were reshaped by Bill's memories, and he chose to protect Jill and Emma instead of harming them. He demonstrated genuine care and even love for them. However, the film doesn't present him as fully reformed - he's still a dangerous man with a violent past, but now containing Bill's moral compass alongside his own instincts.

Foreshadowing: Throughout the film, Jerico struggles with violent urges while Bill's memories gradually influence his decisions toward redemption.

• jerico redemptive arc
• bill memories
• identity
• ending

Xavier Heimdahl was an anarchist who believed that governments were inherently oppressive and that eliminating them would allow humanity to prosper. He viewed chaos as a cleansing force that would rebuild society without corrupt governments. He was willing to torture and kill to achieve this goal, partnering with hackers like Jan Strook to execute his plans.

Foreshadowing: The scene where Heimdahl articulates his anarchist philosophy early in the film establishes his ideological motivation.

• heimdahl
• anarchist
• chaos
• government
• ideology

Heimdahl orchestrated a coordinated attack on the CIA team that was hunting him. During this assault, several agents were killed, including Marta Lynch. The attack was designed to eliminate the CIA's ability to stop his plans and to draw out Jerico, who had become a threat to his operation. The casualties demonstrate the high stakes and danger of the mission.

Foreshadowing: The earlier scenes establish Marta as one of the agents monitoring Bill and later pursuing Heimdahl.

• marta lynch
• heimdahl attack
• cia agents deaths