Dead Man Down Dead Man Down is a 2013 American neo - noir thriller crime film written by J . H . Wyman and directed by Danish director Niels Arden Oplev . The film stars Colin Farrell , Noomi Rapace , Dominic Cooper , and Terrence Howard . This is Oplev ' s first film since " The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo " , also starring Rapace and scored by Jacob Groth . It was released on March 8 , 2013 . Plot . Victor ( Colin Farrell ) has infiltrated the criminal empire run by ruthless kingpin Alphonse Hoyt ( Terrence Howard ) , with the objective of making Alphonse pay for killing his wife two years earlier to prevent a trial after his men also accidentally killed Victor ' s daughter . Victor watches and is watched by Beatrice ( Noomi Rapace ) , a mysterious young woman who lives in the apartment across from his . Beatrice begins to contact Victor and show interest for him , and on her first date she reveals her true intentions : Beatrice has a video of Victor killing a man and wishes for him to kill a drunk driver who disfigured her through a car collision , otherwise she will contact the police . Meanwhile , Alphonse is receiving threats against his life and during a shoot - out with Jamaicans whom he believes responsible , Victor saves his life and thus gains his trust . As the threats become greater , a man within Alphonse ' s crew and a friend of Victor ' s , Darcy ( Dominic Cooper ) , investigates the source of the threats . Victor has also kidnapped the brother of Albanian kingpin Ilir ( James Biberi ) , who was involved in helping Alphonse dispose of Victor ' s family . Victor plans to pit the Albanians and Alphonse ' s men together so he can eliminate them more easily . After Victor unsuccessfully attempts to snipe Alphonse from a rooftop , he manages to escapes thanks to Beatrice , who has been following Victor still . Victor then makes a video tape of him killing Ilir ' s brother . Beatrice is given the tape to mail to Ilir in order to make it seem like Alphonse ' s crew was responsible for his brother ' s death . Alphonse , now knowing the threats are coming from someone within his crew , becomes suspicious but reluctant to believe that Victor is the traitor due to him previously saving his life . Victor later notifies Beatrice that he didn ' t kill the drunk driver so that they can spend more time together , knowing the psychological effect that the murder would have had on her . Victor sets up a trap for the Albanians and Alphonse , but Beatrice reveals through a call that she didn ' t mail the tape because she didn ' t want to see Victor die . At that moment , Darcy , who has found Victor ' s true intentions while investigating his apartment , subdues Beatrice and informs Victor she is being held captive at Alphonse ' s house . As Alphonse and the Albanians gather in the house , Victor crashes into the house with his car . Victor spares Darcy ' s life in the ensuing gunfight and makes his way to the top floor where Beatrice is held by Alphonse and Ilir . Beatrice escapes their watch while Victor distracts them with gunfire and she begins to play the tape on a computer . As Ilir hears the tape , he turns his gun on Alphonse who he believes has betrayed him . They both end up shooting each other dead . As Victor escapes with Beatrice , Darcy confronts them with his gun raised . When asked if he spared Darcy because he has a wife and kid , Victor replies , " No , because they have you " before dropping his gun . Darcy also lowers his gun and allows the two to leave . Victor and Beatrice travel home on a subway and share a kiss . Reception . " Dead Man Down " received generally mixed to negative feedback from critics and has a 39 / 100 rating on Metacritic signifying generally unfavorable reviews . It received a rating of 37 % on Rotten Tomatoes based on 55 reviews with the consensus : " While the fine cast keeps " Dead Man Down " watchable throughout , the film is weighted down by absurd plot twists and a slack pace . " From an estimated $ 30 million budget , the film grossed $ 5 , 345 , 250 in its first box office weekend , partly due to the fact that it was released in the same week as " Oz the Great and Powerful " .