Jacob Harlon is a successful stockbroker living with his wife, Katherine, and son Joshua, in California. One night, while driving a few friends home after a party, he causes a collision which kills one of his friends. After taking a plea deal for DUI, Jacob is sentenced to 16 months at the California Institution for Men in Chino.
On his first night inside, Harlon overhears the gang rape of an inmate and decides to go on the offensive to survive. The next day, he attacks an African-American inmate when provoked, drawing the attention of Bottles, the "shot caller" for the white supremacist gang PEN1. Bottles recruits Harlon into the gang.
Over time, Harlon rises in rank, obtains the alias "Money", and grows even more hardened by prison life. During a riot, he stabs another inmate to defend the Sureños head. The act earns him other gang leaders' respect but causes him to be sentenced to nine years. Harlon ceases all contact with his family, demanding that they move on and forget him. Harlon is eventually transferred to Corcoran State Prison where he is introduced to "The Beast", the leader of the Aryan Brotherhood there. Impressed with Harlon's dedication, The Beast promotes him to second-in-command.
As Harlon's release nears, The Beast orders him to orchestrate a weapons deal with the Sureños. Although hesitant as he will be on parole, Harlon reluctantly complies after The Beast threatens his family. Upon release, he is greeted by "Shotgun" and other gang members, including Howie, a young Afghanistan war veteran with no criminal record. Harlon survives an attack at a party and orders Howie to answer to no one but him.
Harlon's parole officer Ed Kutcher is tipped off about the deal and places him under surveillance. After Harlon transfers his finances to his wife, she brings Joshua to meet him against his wishes, and he has a brief emotional breakdown.
Discovering that Shotgun is Kutcher's informant, on the day of the deal, Harlon evades his surveillance and kills Shotgun at his home. After meeting the Sureños, Harlon texts their coordinates to Shotgun's cellphone for Kutcher to find. As the deal closes, the police, ATF, and SWAT surround the gangs. Howie, whom Harlon earlier urged to leave the criminal life and forced out of their vehicle, watches the arrest from a distance.
Fully validated, Harlon is sentenced to life imprisonment with no possibility of parole. He turns down Kutcher's offer to testify against The Beast in exchange for a full pardon. Harlon is returned to Corcoran where The Beast, having learned Harlon alerted authorities about the raid, tells him his family will be killed. Harlon anticipated The Beast's reaction and concealed a handcuff key and a razor blade on his body. He frees himself and after a brief fight outside of The Beast's cell, kills The Beast. Ordering a prison guard to report that he acted in self-defense, Harlon assumes The Beast's place as gang leader.
With his family's safety secured, Harlon accepts his life sentence. He receives a letter from Joshua, explaining that he and Katherine are moving on, living a successful and happy life, and that he has forgiven his father. Harlon is moved emotionally as he looks at pictures of his former life. He accepts that sacrificing his freedom is the only way he can protect his family.
On April 9, 2015, Bold Films came on board to fully finance and produce the crime thriller film Shot Caller, to be directed by Ric Roman Waugh, based on his own script.[12]Participant Media developed the project, while Participant's Jonathan King produced, along with Michel Litvak and Matthew Rhodes of Bold Films, and Waugh.[12] In April 2015, Relativity Media acquired the U.S. rights to the film for $3 million with a wide release commitment, and Sierra/Affinity was on board to handle international sales.[4] Since Relativity Media filed for bankruptcy in July 2015,[13] the film's release was postponed until Saban Films acquired the U.S. distribution rights in April 2017.[14]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 70% based on 50 reviews, with an average score of 5.9/10, and the consensus reads "Shot Caller's weakness for action movie clichés is capably offset by strong work from Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in the central role".[17] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 59 out of 100 based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[18]
Peter Debruge of Variety wrote: "It's a genre movie, to be sure, but there's an impressive sense of authenticity—in the language, the locations and the overall texture—that goes a long way to sell the scenario."[19]
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