Plot
Mason Pettits, a U.S. Army Special Forces operator, is injured and medically discharged after his helicopter is shot down during a failed mission to assassinate Juan Venegas, the dictator of the fictional South American nation of Paldoñia. Years later, Mason, stuck in a dead-end job at a law firm, is approached by an old teammate, Sebastian Earle. Sebastian offers Mason a lucrative private security job protecting disgraced journalist Claire Wellington, who has been invited to Paldoñia by Venegas to interview him in the midst of an uprising against his regime. Mason reluctantly accepts the job, upsetting his wife Jenny, who wishes him to remain in the life of his daughter Casey.
Mason and Claire travel to Paldoñia, with Venegas personally escorting them from the airport. However, while they are on their way to Venegas' estate, the convoy is ambushed by a militant group, which destroys their vehicles and kills Venegas' bodyguards. Mason fights off the assailants and escapes into the jungle with Claire and Venegas.
Venegas deduces that their attackers were his own soldiers in disguise, and that the assassination attempt is a coup orchestrated by his nephew Jorge, with the backing of a South African military group led by Colonel Jan Koehorst. Mason calls for an evacuation helicopter for himself and Claire, hoping to abandon Venegas in the jungle. However, the arriving helicopter is crewed by mercenaries who attempt to kill Mason and Claire. Mason, with a little help from Venegas, fights them off, and the group arrives at a village where Venegas is highly respected.
Claire successfully films her interview with Venegas, in which he asserts sovereignty over Paldoñia's valuable mineral resources. While Mason bonds further with Claire, he resists her romantic advances, remembering his family back home. The next day, Venegas hints at a true purpose for Mason's job. Mason calls Sebastian, who informs him that he was actually hired by the South Africans to have Mason assassinate Venegas, as a reprisal for the dictator's refusal to sign over the rights to Paldoñia's oil. Jan and his men subsequently arrive at the village and chase the group; Mason and Venegas escape on horseback, but Claire is captured.
While on the way to Paldoñia's capital, Venegas claims that the helicopter crash that took Mason out of action was a friendly fire incident. Later, the two stage a trade for Claire, while Venegas reveals that the "uprising" against his regime was staged and that he is in fact much loved by his people. The next day, during the trade, Venegas brings in fake protestors to distract Jan as 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's trusted lieutenant, reveals himself as another conspirator; Jorge is killed shielding his uncle.
Jan and his men arrive at the palace, and a shootout ensues between them and Venegas' palace guards, during which Mason fights Jan alone. Jan reveals that he was responsible for killing Mason's crew. Claire, who films the battle, helps Mason defeat Jan. Afterwards, Sebastian and his team arrive and deal with the rest of Jan's militants.
Sometime later, Claire has managed to restore her career with the footage from Paldoñia, Venegas steps down from power in favor of democratic elections, and Mason reunites with his family before being gifted $5 million by Venegas, allowing him to leave his hated job.
