Wisdom

John Wisdom, a young man just out of college, gets drunk on the night of his graduation and steals a car. The act leads to a grand theft auto conviction that brands him a felon, making it nearly impossible to hold down a decent job. With his future looking bleak, he begins to imagine a path outside the law.

With few prospects, Wisdom resolves to become a criminal 'for the people', inspired by a Robin Hood fantasy. He shifts from self-destruction toward a cause he believes could empower him. The plan remains vague, but the mood is clear: act outside the law for a perceived greater good.

News reports about impoverished farmers and working-class people losing their land spark Wisdom's sense of purpose. He reinterprets crime as a tool to help those trapped by debt rather than to enrich himself. This belief becomes the motive behind his upcoming actions.

Wisdom launches a bank robbing spree with his girlfriend Karen Simmons. They initially plan to operate alone, but Karen insists on joining the first job as his accomplice. Their targets become about erasing loan and mortgage records rather than taking cash.

Karen's insistence on joining the operation turns it into a shared mission. The two push forward with the idea of wiping debt records to help the struggling, rather than propping themselves up financially. Tension and loyalty test their collaboration as the spree continues.

After an early success, a motel owner recognizes them. The locals come to thank the duo and bear gifts, including a new vehicle. The moment turns their notoriety into a small, uneasy celebration.

The FBI closes in on Wisdom and Karen, and agents raid the motel where they had stayed. The couple has already fled, but the pursuit intensifies as agents search for them. The motel raid marks a turning point in their manhunt.

Back in a convenience store, Karen is recognized by a local sheriff who she panics and shoots. The killing escalates the danger and forces the couple to flee toward the Canada–United States border. The tone shifts from idealism to desperate flight.

Toward the border, they push ahead hoping to escape. A police helicopter roars in and shoots Karen, wounding her and altering the balance of the chase. Wisdom tries to salvage the situation by leaving Karen in the care of some high school students and their teacher.

Wisdom resumes his flight on foot across a school campus, unloading his gun as he moves. He is surrounded by police and federal agents on the football field, and, as he seems ready to reach for a weapon, he is riddled with gunfire and dies. The scene closes the hunt with a fatal conflation of fantasy and reality.

John Wisdom wakes up in his parents' bathroom, exactly where the film began. He emerges to get ready for his job interview, realizing the entire spree may have been a daydream. The twist reframes the events as a product of his imagination.

Morning continues as he prepares for the job interview, and the film leaves the daydream open to interpretation. The reveal reframes the preceding events as a product of John Wisdom's imagination, offering a twist that challenges the audience's perception. Depending on interpretation, the film ends on a note of possibility rather than closure.