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!
For Evan McCauley (Mark Wahlberg), skills he has never learned and memories of places he has never visited haunt his daily life. Self-medicated and on the brink of a mental breakdown, Evan is sought by a secret group that calls themselves “Infinites,” revealing to him that his memories may be real — but they are from multiple past lives. The Infinites bring Evan into their extraordinary world, where a gifted few are given the ability to be reborn with their memories and knowledge accumulated over centuries. With critical secrets buried in his past, Evan must work with the Infinites to unlock the answers in his memories in a race against time to save humanity from one of their own (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who seeks to end all life to stop what he views as the cursed, endless cycle of reincarnation.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Infinite Plot Summary and Synopsis
In 1985 Mexico City, Heinrich Treadway tries to escape the authorities and a man, Bathurst. He and his associates, Abel and Leona speak about “the Egg,” which Treadway stole from Bathurst. Treadway tells Abel that if he does not survive, the latter must remember to “look inside”. He drives off a bridge, jumping from his car in mid-air and onto another bridge 150 feet away. However, Treadway watches helplessly as Bathurst arrives and kills Abel and Leona.
In 2020 Evan McCauley suffers from schizophrenia. Because of past institutionalization and violent behavior, he cannot get a job. Needing meds, he forges a katana for a local gangster, even though he was never trained as a bladesmith. After the deal goes south, Evan makes his escape but is later arrested. A man at the police station introduces himself as Bathurst. He starts to refer to Evan as Treadway and claims they have known each other for centuries.
When Bathurst gets Evan to remember things about his past life, a car slams into the room. Evan’s rescuer is Nora Brightman, who takes Evan to the group she is part of. There are about 500 individuals in the world who can remember all their past lives, known as the Infinites. Two opposing factions have developed among the Infinites: the Believers and the Nihilists.
The Believers, such as Nora, think remembrance is a gift bestowed to them by a higher power to make the world better. Nihilists like Bathurst consider it a curse. They think the Infinites are condemned to witness humanity self-destruct. They want to be free of this and exterminate all life on Earth.
Both factions believe that Evan is Treadway’s reincarnation. Hidden in his memory of his past life is the location of the Egg, the device that was created to end the world. The Believers must retrieve his memory and secure the Egg before Bathurst gets Evan and tortures the information out of him.
As Nora, Leona’s reincarnation, explains to Evan, the Infinites start to remember things when they are young. By puberty, they have recalled everything. This is why Evan was diagnosed schizophrenic. Evan struggles to regain Treadway’s memories. However, after a session inside Artisan’s machine, Evan unlocks his memories.
Treadway was killed by the previous Bathurst not long after Abel and Leona. The Believers retrieved his body and took it back to the Hub, where it is kept in a chamber. Evan recalls that he slashed open his belly and put the Egg inside. Bathurst used to be a comrade of Treadway.
They spent centuries fighting beside each other. However, Bathurst became disillusioned with the Believers’ mission and began attempting to end the reincarnation. The Egg was the product of that search. When activated, it will attack the DNA of living beings and destroy life.
The device with the Egg inside it flies out of a plane, Evan jumps after it, and Bathurst follows. The two fight in mid-air, and Evan manages to stop the countdown by pulling out the Egg. He shoots Bathurst with a Dethroner, which ensures that Bathurst will not be reborn. Evan drowns in the ocean with the egg. Meanwhile Nora and the Artisan destroys the chips freeing the souls of the Believers Bathrust trapped.
Infinite Ending
Nora and Abel are reborn and they meet at the Beginning. Evan is reborn in Jakarta, Indonesia. Artisan visits him, and Evan recognizes him.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0).