Recoil

Drayke targeted Ryan's family as part of a calculated revenge plan against police officers who had imprisoned him. Years earlier, Ryan and other cops sent Drayke to prison, where he was brutally assaulted. After surviving prison and getting revenge on the inmates who hurt him, Drayke then targeted the officers who incarcerated him, including Ryan, his wife Constance, and their son Matt. The attack on Ryan's family was Drayke's way of getting even with the cop who had put him behind bars.

Earlier in the film, Ryan recalls seeing Drayke during the attack on his family, though at the time he didn't fully understand the connection.

Sheriff Cole was corrupted by Drayke and the Circle biker gang. After Drayke took control of Hope and began running guns and drugs, he essentially took over the town. Cole became complicit in Drayke's operations, acting as his puppet to keep the town under the gang's control. Cole believed that by appeasing the bikers, he was protecting Hope from even more violence. However, his cooperation ultimately led to his downfall when he tried to convince Sutton that Rex's death was an accident, and he eventually committed suicide rather than face the consequences.

The timeline notes that Drayke had Sheriff Cole 'in his pocket,' meaning the law enforcement in Hope was compromised from the start.

After killing Dale James Burrows, a rapist who had escaped justice, Ryan arrived in Hope, Washington. The gas station owner Kirby directed him to Darcy's small hotel, where Ryan could stay and gather information. While in Hope, Ryan discovered that Rex Ray Salgado was staying in town. Rex was a member of the gang responsible for attacking Ryan's family, and Ryan tracked him down to the hotel run by Darcy, where he confronted and killed him.

Kirby's directions to Darcy's hotel proved crucial, as it was there that Ryan would find both information about Rex and later ally with Darcy.

Rex Ray Salgado was Drayke Salgado's brother and a member of the Circle biker gang. Rex provided Drayke with a meth recipe, which helped fund the gang's criminal operations in Hope. When Ryan killed Rex, it directly triggered Drayke to declare war on Ryan, turning the quiet town into a battleground. The brothers worked together in the Circle's drug and arms operations.

Rex's connection to Drayke became clear when Ryan learned that Hope was controlled by the Circle, led by Drayke on the ATF's most-wanted list.

Drayke's campaign against law enforcement stemmed from his brutal prison experience. After being sent to prison by several police officers, including Ryan, Drayke was assaulted and brutalized by other inmates. He survived and first got revenge on those prisoners who hurt him, then turned his vengeance toward the cops who had incarcerated him. Drayke systematically targeted Ryan and other officers' families as part of a coordinated effort to destroy the law enforcement figures he blamed for his imprisonment and suffering.

The film reveals that Drayke masterminded the shootings of multiple cops' families years after his initial imprisonment.

Darcy survived the ordeal at Drayke's abandoned ferry headquarters. After Ryan rescued her from being tied to a chair with tape over her mouth, she made the choice to remain in Hope rather than leave with Ryan. This decision marked her transition from someone caught in the crossfire to a resident willing to rebuild her life in the town that had been terrorized by the Circle.

Earlier interactions between Ryan and Darcy established a connection, but Darcy's choice to stay reflected her own agency and desire to reclaim her home.

Sheriff Cole committed suicide after his son Deputy Hedge discovered the truth about his father's corruption. Cole had been complicit with Drayke and the Circle, allowing them to control Hope in exchange for keeping the peace. When Cole realized that his deception was exposed and that consequences were coming, he chose to end his own life rather than face them. Hedge found his father dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Cole's attempts to appease the bikers and cover up Rex's death showed his desperation to maintain his position despite his moral compromise.

Special Agent Frank Sutton chose not to arrest Ryan despite his numerous killings throughout the film. Sutton had been investigating the deaths of criminals and understood the moral complexity of Ryan's situation. After Drayke was killed and the Circle's threat to Hope was eliminated, Sutton made the decision to let Ryan go. This reflected Sutton's recognition that Ryan's actions, while violent and outside the law, had effectively dismantled a dangerous criminal organization that had evaded justice through legitimate means.

Sutton's arrival in Hope and his cooperation with Deputy Hedge showed he was more interested in stopping Drayke than pursuing minor vengeance killings.

Before Drayke came to power, the Circle biker gang actually protected the town of Hope. They served as a informal protective force for the community. However, everything changed when Drayke took over leadership and began running guns and drugs. Under Drayke's control, the Circle transformed from protectors to aggressors, using violence and intimidation to maintain control over the town. The gang started selling meth after Rex provided the recipe, funding their escalation into full-scale criminal operations.

Deputy Hedge explained to Sutton that the Circle 'used to protect the town' before Drayke's takeover, highlighting how the gang had fundamentally changed.

Ryan Varrett survived the 2009 attack on his Dallas home because the gang members who murdered his wife Constance and 9-year-old son Matt did not finish the job. Ryan was present during the brutal assault and managed to kill three of the gang members who attacked his family before the remaining attackers fled. He survived with his life but lost his entire family, which set him on his path of revenge against everyone responsible for their deaths.

The film opens with the Dallas tragedy, establishing Ryan as a survivor driven by grief and the need for vengeance.

After the gang's attack on Ryan's family in Dallas in 2009, Drayke believed Ryan had died from his injuries. The attack was intended to kill Ryan as part of Drayke's revenge against the police officer who had helped send him to prison. However, Ryan survived despite being severely wounded. When Ryan arrived in Hope years later and confronted Rex, Drayke was shocked to learn that Ryan was still alive and had come looking for revenge.

Ryan's survival and subsequent appearance in Hope caught Drayke off guard, as he had believed his original target was dead.