SPOILER ALERT: the following article contains massive spoilers, including the ending. If you have not yet seen the movie, proceed at your own risk, or better, come back to this article later!
To save his declining business, Chris Cringle, also known as Santa Claus, is forced into a partnership with the U.S. military. Making matters worse, Chris gets locked into a deadly battle of wits against a highly skilled assassin, hired by a precocious 12-year-old, after receiving a lump of coal in his stocking.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Fatman Plot Summary and Synopsis
Chris Cringle lives with his wife Ruth and runs his Christmas present shop on a farm near the town of North Peak, Alaska.
With his income on the decline because too many children are becoming too vicious, the United States government, who maintains an interest share in Chris’ business, sends Captain Jacobs to propose a two-month contract for producing components for a new jet fighter for the US military.
The liaison agents override Chris’ misgivings by virtually threatening to withhold the government’s subsidies, but Ruth manages to restore his spirits.
On Christmas Eve, spoiled rich boy Billy Wenan receives a lump of coal from Chris for his selfishness, and swearing revenge, he hires his personal hitman Jonathan Miller to kill Chris. After some futile first attempts, Miller coerces a Postal Service supervisor to tell him Chris’ address from the letters he receives every year from children around the world. Making his way to North Peak, he trails Chris to the farm, infiltrates the compound and kills all the US Army guards.
He is discovered by one of the elf workers; the alarm is raised, and Jacobs manages to evacuate the workers at the cost of his own life, just before Miller blows up the shop.
Chris faces off against Miller and gains the upper hand, but Miller first wounds Chris with a leg-mounted spring blade and then shoots him in the eye, apparently killing him. Ruth intervenes and shoots Miller dead, and because he is essentially immortal, Chris recovers from his injuries.
Backtracking Miller’s assignment, he and Ruth pay a visit to Billy, warning him that from now on Chris will come for him (and any other kids) if they ever turn against their fellow human beings again.
Fatman Ending
Afterwards, Chris, Ruth and the elf crew start rebuilding their workshop with renewed confidence.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0).