Rogue's Gallery (film)
Encyclopedia
Operation: Endgame is a 2010 action-comedy film directed by Fouad Mikati featuring an ensemble cast
. It premiered on November 5, 2009 at the American Film Market
and had a limited release in the US on July 16, 2010 It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 27, 2010.
) and the caustic Chariot (Rob Corddry
). They enter the secret underground offices of the Factory and we learn the entire office is under surveillance by Neal (Michael Hitchcock
), Carl (Tim Bagley
), and their boss Susan (Beth Grant
).
The Factory is separated into two teams, Alpha and Omega. The two teams specialize in black ops and oppose each other in a bureaucratic system of checks and balances. Omega Team consists of the Fool, Chariot, High Priestess, Judgement (Ving Rhames
) who repeats his name whenever he can, and the Emperor (Bob Odenkirk
). Alpha Team consists of the Fool's old flame, Temperance (Odette Yustman
), the Empress (Ellen Barkin
), Magician (Adam Scott
), Tower (Brandon T. Jackson
), and Hierophant (Emilie de Ravin
). The head of the Factory is the Devil (Jeffrey Tambor
). The wildcard of the office is the Hermit (Zach Galifianakis
) who's an extremely dangerous assassin with diabetes and occasional irritable bowel syndrome.
Not long after the Fool is introduced to everyone, Alpha and Omega find the Devil murdered and he has initiated Project Endgame, which has trapped both teams underground and triggered a bomb that threatens to destroy the Factory and kill everyone. The agents need to find a way out. They decide to work in pairs with their opposing mirror agents to escape.
As they explore the office, members of Alpha Team begin to kill their Omega Team counterparts in gruesome fashion, with Empress killing Emperor, Hierophant killing Judgement, Tower killing High Priestess who is then killed by Chariot and Chariot almost being killed by Magician. Since there are no weapons allowed in the Factory, weapons of death include a memo spike, a paper shredder, and a table leg. Back in the surveillance room, Carl, Neil and Susan watch the carnage between the agents. The system has been corrupted and Susan realizes that the clearance codes have been switched in conjunction with the inauguration.
After Temperance saved Fool from being killed by Hierophant, she reveals to him that Alpha Team was ordered to eliminate Omega Team today. The Fool, Chariot and Temperance face off against the remaining members of Alpha: The Empress, Magician and the mysterious Hermit. The Fool cracks a safe in the Devil's office and obtains a disc and a map to an exit. After more fighting, such as Chariot setting Magician on fire, Hermit killing Chariot by throwing a pair of scissors into his eye, Temperance shooting Hermit in the pelvis with her lipstick gun and Temperance killing Empress by shoving a water cooler bottle down her throat causing her to drown, Fool and Temperance are the only ones left standing. They both enter the exit elevator and escape. They kiss as the bomb goes off, destroying the Factory.
Meanwhile, Carl and Neil uncover an audio tape made by Devil before his death. The Devil reveals he has a disc with every dirty secret from the last eight years of the Bush administration. He also professes his love for Susan. The elevator emerges from a bathroom stall and it is revealed the Fool has killed Temperance. He kills a man in the bathroom and takes his jacket, then he calls Susan, and tells her (in an English accent using the British pronunciation of ma'am as the American sound of "mom") that he has the disc, which contains "every single one of their fuck-ups." Susan reveals that she hired, the Fool, specifically to enter the Factory and retrieve the files. She then shoots Carl and Neil. The film ends with the Fool confidently walking out of the building, stepping into a cab, and driving off and the screen turns black. In the credits bits of a will one recorded by Emperor and the other Chariot reveal that Emperor plans to leave his holiday home to his dog and give wine in his wine cellar to the widows of the men he killed, while Chariot promises that he will return as an evil ghost and will eat hearts for an eternity.
The original screenplay for Operation: Endgame was titled The Rogues Gallery. The script tied for "Best Comedy" at the Screenwriting Expo 3 Screenwriting Contest and 2nd place at the 1st Screenplay Shootout. It was also a 2004 Scriptapalooza finalist.
Ensemble cast
An ensemble cast is made up of cast members in which the principal actors and performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on...
. It premiered on November 5, 2009 at the American Film Market
American Film Market
The American Film Market is a film industry event held each year at the beginning of November in Santa Monica, California. About 8,000 people attend the eight day event to network and to sell and acquire films...
and had a limited release in the US on July 16, 2010 It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 27, 2010.
Plot
It's inauguration day for President Barack Obama and the first day of work for the Fool (Joe Anderson). He's been hired as a thief by the Factory, a secret office of government agents. He's met by the beautiful High Priestess (Maggie QMaggie Q
Margaret Denise Quigley , professionally known as Maggie Q, is an American-born actress and former fashion model. She currently stars as the titular character on the action-thriller TV series Nikita.-Early life:...
) and the caustic Chariot (Rob Corddry
Rob Corddry
Robert William "Rob" Corddry is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as a former correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and for his starring role in the comedy film Hot Tub Time Machine...
). They enter the secret underground offices of the Factory and we learn the entire office is under surveillance by Neal (Michael Hitchcock
Michael Hitchcock
Michael Hitchcock is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and television producer.In 2011, Hitchcock became a writer and consulting producer for season 3 of the FOX television series Glee, where he had guest starred in season 1 as rival glee club director Dalton Rumba.As an actor, he has...
), Carl (Tim Bagley
Tim Bagley
Timothy Hugh "Tim" Bagley is an American character actor who has appeared in numerous films and television programs. He is perhaps best known for his recurring roles on the TV series Will & Grace, Monk and $h*! My Dad Says.-Early life:...
), and their boss Susan (Beth Grant
Beth Grant
Beth Grant is an American actress. She is known for often playing characters who are conservatives, religious zealots or sticklers for rules....
).
The Factory is separated into two teams, Alpha and Omega. The two teams specialize in black ops and oppose each other in a bureaucratic system of checks and balances. Omega Team consists of the Fool, Chariot, High Priestess, Judgement (Ving Rhames
Ving Rhames
Irving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:...
) who repeats his name whenever he can, and the Emperor (Bob Odenkirk
Bob Odenkirk
Robert "Bob" Odenkirk is an American actor, comedian, writer, director and producer. He is best known as the co-creator and co-star of the HBO sketch comedy series Mr...
). Alpha Team consists of the Fool's old flame, Temperance (Odette Yustman
Odette Yustman
Odette Juliette Annable , better known by her birth name Odette Yustman, is an American actress.-Early life:...
), the Empress (Ellen Barkin
Ellen Barkin
Ellen Barkin is an American film, television and theatre actress.-Early life:She was born Ellen Rona Barkin in Bronx, a borough of New York City, New York, the daughter of Evelyn , a hospital administrator who worked at Jamaica Hospital, and Sol Barkin, a chemical salesman...
), Magician (Adam Scott
Adam Scott (actor)
Adam Scott is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Henry Pollard in the Starz comedy series Party Down and as Ben Wyatt in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation....
), Tower (Brandon T. Jackson
Brandon T. Jackson
Brandon Timothy Jackson is an American stand-up comedian, actor, rapper, writer, and comedian. He is best known for his supporting roles in Roll Bounce, Tropic Thunder, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Lottery Ticket, and a leading role in Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son.-Early...
), and Hierophant (Emilie de Ravin
Emilie de Ravin
Emilie de Ravin born 27 December 1981)is an Australian actress. She is commonly associated with her roles as Tess Harding on Roswell and Claire Littleton on the ABC drama Lost....
). The head of the Factory is the Devil (Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Michael Tambor is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as George Bluth Sr. and Oscar Bluth on Arrested Development and Hank Kingsley on The Larry Sanders Show.-Early life:...
). The wildcard of the office is the Hermit (Zach Galifianakis
Zach Galifianakis
Zachary Knight "Zach" Galifianakis is an American stand-up comedian and actor known for his numerous film and television appearances including his own Comedy Central Presents special...
) who's an extremely dangerous assassin with diabetes and occasional irritable bowel syndrome.
Not long after the Fool is introduced to everyone, Alpha and Omega find the Devil murdered and he has initiated Project Endgame, which has trapped both teams underground and triggered a bomb that threatens to destroy the Factory and kill everyone. The agents need to find a way out. They decide to work in pairs with their opposing mirror agents to escape.
As they explore the office, members of Alpha Team begin to kill their Omega Team counterparts in gruesome fashion, with Empress killing Emperor, Hierophant killing Judgement, Tower killing High Priestess who is then killed by Chariot and Chariot almost being killed by Magician. Since there are no weapons allowed in the Factory, weapons of death include a memo spike, a paper shredder, and a table leg. Back in the surveillance room, Carl, Neil and Susan watch the carnage between the agents. The system has been corrupted and Susan realizes that the clearance codes have been switched in conjunction with the inauguration.
After Temperance saved Fool from being killed by Hierophant, she reveals to him that Alpha Team was ordered to eliminate Omega Team today. The Fool, Chariot and Temperance face off against the remaining members of Alpha: The Empress, Magician and the mysterious Hermit. The Fool cracks a safe in the Devil's office and obtains a disc and a map to an exit. After more fighting, such as Chariot setting Magician on fire, Hermit killing Chariot by throwing a pair of scissors into his eye, Temperance shooting Hermit in the pelvis with her lipstick gun and Temperance killing Empress by shoving a water cooler bottle down her throat causing her to drown, Fool and Temperance are the only ones left standing. They both enter the exit elevator and escape. They kiss as the bomb goes off, destroying the Factory.
Meanwhile, Carl and Neil uncover an audio tape made by Devil before his death. The Devil reveals he has a disc with every dirty secret from the last eight years of the Bush administration. He also professes his love for Susan. The elevator emerges from a bathroom stall and it is revealed the Fool has killed Temperance. He kills a man in the bathroom and takes his jacket, then he calls Susan, and tells her (in an English accent using the British pronunciation of ma'am as the American sound of "mom") that he has the disc, which contains "every single one of their fuck-ups." Susan reveals that she hired, the Fool, specifically to enter the Factory and retrieve the files. She then shoots Carl and Neil. The film ends with the Fool confidently walking out of the building, stepping into a cab, and driving off and the screen turns black. In the credits bits of a will one recorded by Emperor and the other Chariot reveal that Emperor plans to leave his holiday home to his dog and give wine in his wine cellar to the widows of the men he killed, while Chariot promises that he will return as an evil ghost and will eat hearts for an eternity.
Cast
- Joe Anderson as FoolThe Fool (Tarot card)The Fool or The Jester is one of the 78 cards in a Tarot deck; one of the 22 Trump cards that make up the Major Arcana. The Fool is unnumbered...
- Odette YustmanOdette YustmanOdette Juliette Annable , better known by her birth name Odette Yustman, is an American actress.-Early life:...
as TemperanceTemperance (Tarot card)Temperance is the fourteenth trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination.- Description :... - Adam ScottAdam Scott (actor)Adam Scott is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Henry Pollard in the Starz comedy series Party Down and as Ben Wyatt in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation....
as MagicianThe Magician (Tarot card)The Magician, The Magus, or The Juggler is the first trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination... - Zach GalifianakisZach GalifianakisZachary Knight "Zach" Galifianakis is an American stand-up comedian and actor known for his numerous film and television appearances including his own Comedy Central Presents special...
as The HermitThe HermitThe Hermit is the ninth trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination.- Description :A. E. Waite was a key figure in the development of modern Tarot interpretations... - Emilie de RavinEmilie de RavinEmilie de Ravin born 27 December 1981)is an Australian actress. She is commonly associated with her roles as Tess Harding on Roswell and Claire Littleton on the ABC drama Lost....
as HierophantThe HierophantThe Hierophant , in some decks named The Pope, is the fifth trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination.-Description and symbolism:... - Maggie QMaggie QMargaret Denise Quigley , professionally known as Maggie Q, is an American-born actress and former fashion model. She currently stars as the titular character on the action-thriller TV series Nikita.-Early life:...
as High PriestessThe High PriestessThe High Priestess is the second trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks. This card is used in game playing as well as in divination. In the first Tarot pack with inscriptions, the 18th-century woodcut Marseilles Tarot, this figure is crowned with the Papal tiara and labelled La... - Ving RhamesVing RhamesIrving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:...
as JudgementJudgement (Tarot card)Judgement , or in some decks spelled Judgment, is a Tarot card, part of the Major Arcana suit usually comprising 22 cards.-Rider-Waite symbolism:Very clearly, it is modeled after the Christian Resurrection before the Last Judgment... - Ellen BarkinEllen BarkinEllen Barkin is an American film, television and theatre actress.-Early life:She was born Ellen Rona Barkin in Bronx, a borough of New York City, New York, the daughter of Evelyn , a hospital administrator who worked at Jamaica Hospital, and Sol Barkin, a chemical salesman...
as EmpressThe Empress (Tarot card)The Empress is the third trump or Major Arcana card in traditional Tarot decks. It is used in Tarot card games as well as divination.- Description and symbolism :... - Bob OdenkirkBob OdenkirkRobert "Bob" Odenkirk is an American actor, comedian, writer, director and producer. He is best known as the co-creator and co-star of the HBO sketch comedy series Mr...
as EmperorThe Emperor (Tarot card)The Emperor is the fourth trump or Major Arcana card in traditional Tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination.- Description and symbolism :... - Rob CorddryRob CorddryRobert William "Rob" Corddry is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as a former correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and for his starring role in the comedy film Hot Tub Time Machine...
as ChariotThe Chariot (Tarot card)The Chariot is the seventh trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination.-Description:... - Brandon T. JacksonBrandon T. JacksonBrandon Timothy Jackson is an American stand-up comedian, actor, rapper, writer, and comedian. He is best known for his supporting roles in Roll Bounce, Tropic Thunder, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Lottery Ticket, and a leading role in Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son.-Early...
as TowerThe Tower (Tarot card)The Tower is the sixteenth trump or Major Arcana card in most cartomancy Tarot decks. It is not used as part of any game.- History :... - Jeffrey TamborJeffrey TamborJeffrey Michael Tambor is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as George Bluth Sr. and Oscar Bluth on Arrested Development and Hank Kingsley on The Larry Sanders Show.-Early life:...
as DevilThe Devil (Tarot card)The Devil is the fifteenth trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination.- Symbolism :... - Michael HitchcockMichael HitchcockMichael Hitchcock is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and television producer.In 2011, Hitchcock became a writer and consulting producer for season 3 of the FOX television series Glee, where he had guest starred in season 1 as rival glee club director Dalton Rumba.As an actor, he has...
as "Neal" - Tim BagleyTim BagleyTimothy Hugh "Tim" Bagley is an American character actor who has appeared in numerous films and television programs. He is perhaps best known for his recurring roles on the TV series Will & Grace, Monk and $h*! My Dad Says.-Early life:...
as "Carl" - Beth GrantBeth GrantBeth Grant is an American actress. She is known for often playing characters who are conservatives, religious zealots or sticklers for rules....
as "Susan"
Production
Filming took place in Los Angeles.The original screenplay for Operation: Endgame was titled The Rogues Gallery. The script tied for "Best Comedy" at the Screenwriting Expo 3 Screenwriting Contest and 2nd place at the 1st Screenplay Shootout. It was also a 2004 Scriptapalooza finalist.