Freelance is a 2023 American action comedy film directed by Pierre Morel and written by Jacob Lentz in his feature writing debut. It stars John Cena, Alison Brie, Juan Pablo Raba, and Christian Slater. Mason Pettits is a former United States Army Special Forces operative who is wounded and discharged after a botched mission to assassinate Juan Venegas, the dictator of the South American nation of Paldonia.
Years later, Mason, stuck in a dead-end job at a law firm, is approached by a former teammate, Sebastian Earle, who offers him a high-paying private security job, where he must protect disgraced journalist Claire Wellington as she travels to Paldonia at the invitation of Venegas, who wants to improve his public image by giving an interview amid an ongoing uprising against his regime. The mission upsets his wife, Jenny, who does not want their daughter Casey to live without a father, and something happens.
After arriving in Paldonia and meeting Venegas, they are ambushed by a group of anti-Venegas rebels, destroying their vehicles in the process. Mason fights off the attackers and they escape into the woods. Venegas deduces that the attackers were his own soldiers in disguise, and that the assassination was actually a coup orchestrated by his nephew Jorge with the help of military advisor Colonel Jan Koehorst. Mason attempts to leave Venegas behind and take Claire with him, but the two are ambushed by mercenaries. Mason, with a little help from Venegas, defeats them, and the group arrives at a village where Venegas is highly respected.
Claire successfully films an interview with Venegas. While Mason grows attached to Claire, he still rejects her romantic advances, reminding him of his family back home. The next day, Venegas reveals the true purpose of Mason’s work – Mason calls Sebastian, who informs him that he was actually hired to curry favor with the dictator and then assassinate him. Jan and his men then arrive in the village and pursue the group; Mason and Venegas escape while Claire is captured.
On the way to the capital Paldonia, Venegas reveals that he was not the culprit who killed Mason’s friends during their mission. The two then confer with Claire, while Venegas reveals that the “revolution” against his regime was a fabrication and that he is actually very popular with the people. The next day, during that exchange, Venegas sends fake protesters to distract Jan while he, Mason, and Claire flee to the safety of the presidential palace. There, Venegas convinces Jorge to help him lead the country better, but General Martínez, Venegas’ trusted lieutenant, reveals himself to be another co-conspirator; Jorge is killed while shielding his uncle.
Jan and his men arrive at the palace, and a shootout breaks out between them and Venegas’ guards, with Mason fighting Jan alone. Jan reveals that he was the one who killed Mason’s group. Claire, who filmed the fight, helps Mason defeat Jan. Sebastian and his team then arrive and take care of Jan’s remaining fighters.
Some time later, Claire has her career restored thanks to footage from Paldonia, Venegas resigns in favor of democratic elections, and Mason reunites with his family before Venegas gives him $5 million, allowing him to leave the job he hates.
