The Cost

David buys a suspicious assortment of items from a hardware store while Aaron loads a rifle into camping equipment. They tell their partners they are going fishing, masking the weekend's purpose with a casual cover. The trio quietly commits to a revenge-driven plan that will unfold over the coming days.

David and Aaron drive toward Troy's home under the pretense of a fishing trip, stopping for Troy to pick up supplies at a bottle shop along the way. They break into Troy's house and set up an ambush as soon as he returns. The fake leisure trip masks a planned confrontation rooted in revenge.

They kidnap Troy at gunpoint, loading him into the boot of their vehicle after injecting him with ketamine. The men restrain him and drive deeper into the countryside, tightening their control over the victim. The act marks a brutal pivot from planning to action.

The trio drives for several hours into a remote region, facing near misses with a service-station worker and a highway officer. The journey ratchets up the tension as they push toward a private property in the bush. Distance and isolation amplify the stakes of their plan.

Arriving at a private property surrounded by dense bushland, they string Troy up and reveal themselves as the husband and brother of Stephanie, the woman he allegedly harmed years ago. They declare their intent to torture and kill him for his crime. The confrontation blends vengeance with an insistence on immediate justice.

A brutal interrogation begins with long strips of plastic used as restraints while beatings follow. Troy pleads for mercy, insisting he is different now, which seeds doubt in David even as Aaron pushes forward. The scene probes the line between punishment and murder.

Brian from a neighboring property arrives unexpectedly and tries to determine what the two men are doing. David and Aaron drug Troy again and hide him in the bush, while Brian stays on the property, befriending them and becoming a distracting, benign presence. The window of opportunity for Troy to escape widens.

When Brian leaves, Troy wakes from the ketamine and wriggles free, slipping back into the bush. Hours pass as the two men search in the dark, still finding him tied but more elusive than before. David's reluctance grows, while Aaron remains resolute in continuing the plan.

The men lead Troy toward a shallow grave and Aaron prepares to shoot, insisting the act must be finished. In a desperate turn, Troy escapes once again into the surrounding bushes. The supposed finality of their plan collapses into a precarious chase.

David and Aaron locate Troy again, now on the path to Brian's home on the adjoining property, with Brian alerted to the danger. The potential for arrest or suspected murder weighs heavily on both men. The tension shifts toward the consequences that any outcome will bring.

As Brian becomes aware of the situation, David and Aaron are forced to confront a grim choice: kill Troy or let him go, knowing that either decision will carry unfathomable consequences for all involved. The film closes on the edge of action, with no easy resolution. The weight of past sins and present fear dominates the moment.