Category Archives: Unexpected Ending

2022, Acceptable for teenagers, America of the 1830s, Attempted Murder, Bizarre, Bloody scenes, Clever Plot, Creepy, Dark family secrets, Detective, Devil Worship, Drama, Eccentric cast of characters, Fatal Disease, Grisly, Human Sacrifice, Jealousy, Magic, Military Academy, Military School, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Period Piece, Personal Betrayal, Plot Twist, Rape, Rape Victim, Revenge, Suicide, Suspense, Unexpected Ending, Unusual, Violent, Witchcraft

The Pale Blue Eye (2022)

From IMDB:

A world-weary detective is hired to investigate the murder of a West Point cadet. Stymied by the cadets’ code of silence, he enlists one of their own to help unravel the case – a young man the world would come to know as Edgar Allan Poe.

From Netflix you can stream this 2 hour 10 minute complete film.

If only for the 1830 period clothing , surroundings and speech patterns, watching this film can be worthwhile.  But the story is clever, the acting is fine, and the plot twist toward the very end is quite unexpected.

Several of the actors are familiar to me:

  • Christian Bale plays the laconic detective Augustus Landor. In the past he played Batman in many Batman films.
  • Toby Jones, who plays Dr. Daniel Marquis, has an unusual physical appearance. Most recently he played Sebold Cusk in “The English”.
  • You might not recognize Robert Duvall who appears briefly as Jean Pepe. His resumé is enormous.
  • Gillian Anderson, who plays Mrs. Julia Marquis, will always be Scully from the “X-Files”.

Harry Melling is a very unusual looking but up-and-coming actor who plays Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849).  His physical appearance, especially his face, is so striking that I could only stare. He played Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter movies.  Will he always be cast in eccentric roles?

Well worth the watch!

2022, Acceptable for teenagers, Amazon Prime, Anti-Gay Laws, Art appreciation, Art Museum, Based on a Book, Bisexual theme, British Drama, British Police, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Explicit sex, Extramarital Affair, Gay Bashing, Gay theme, Homophobia, Longsuffering wife, Love Triangle, Marital Infidelity, Nudity, Personal Betrayal, Police Culture, Prison, Promiscuity, Sex Scenes, Sexual Seduction, Surprise Ending, Trial Scenes, Unexpected Ending, Unhappy Ending, Unhappy Marriage, Unusual ending

My Policeman (2022)

From IMDB:

The arrival of Patrick into Marion and Tom’s home triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previously.

From Amazon Prime:

A tale of forbidden romance and changing social conventions, My Policeman follows the relationships between three people—policeman Tom (Harry Styles/Linus Roache), teacher Marion (Emma Corrin/Gina
McKee) and museum curator Patrick (David Dawson/Rupert Everett)—and their emotional journey spanning decades.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 54 minute British drama.

In this intense drama Tom marries Marion all the while carrying on a secret love affair with Patrick.  Such an explanation is far too simple for such a superb, complex, well acted drama.

Because the action switches continually between the past and the present, each of the three characters are presented by two actors,  a younger actor for the past and an older actor for the present.

  • Harry Styles as young Tom also stars in the film “Don’t Worry Darling.”
  • Linus Roache as older Tom is well-known as the assistant DA from several seasons of “Law and Order.”
  • Emma Corrin as young Marion played Princess Diana Spencer in one of the seasons of “The Crown.”
  • Gina McKee as older Marion for me will always be Irene from “The Forsyte Saga.”
  • David Dawson as young Patrick played Alfred in “The Last Kingdom.”
  • Rupert Everett as older Patrick played George Downes in “My Best Friend’s Wedding.”

Critics found many negatives but audiences, including Kathy and me, loved it.

DO NOT MISS!

2022, Abduction, Acceptable for teenagers, Action sequences, Ageing Couple, Amazon Prime, Cult, Ending demands sequel, Ends in Cliff Hanger, Ethical struggles, Flashbacks, Mildly Violent, Murder, Mysterious, Plot Twist, Religious Cult, Religious fanatic, Ruthless Killer, Suspense, Teleportation, Unexpected Ending

Night Sky (2022)

From Amazon Prime:

Irene and Franklin York, a retired couple, have a secret: a Chamber buried in their backyard that miraculously leads to a strange, deserted planet. When an enigmatic young man arrives, the Yorks’ quiet existence is upended and the mysterious Chamber they thought they knew so well turns out to be much more than they could have ever imagined. Starring Sissy Spacek and JK Simmons.

From Amazon Prime you can stream the 8 episodes of season 1 of this Amazon Original series. Each episode lasts a bit less than one hour.

Never mind the escape portal to another planet. Do not think of this story as science fiction. That other planet is not important to the plot. Central to the plot are two themes: The enduring love between the elderly couple  Irene (Sissy Spacek) and Franklin York (JK Simmons); The efforts of a religious cult to discover all the portals and eliminate, i.e. kill,  all “apostates” from the cult.

Acting, especially the interaction between Irene and Franklin, is worth watching.

Among the actors we find:

  • Sissy Spacek was 73 years old during filming. Perhaps you recall her as the telekinetic prom queen in the horror film “Carrie”.
  • Although the name J.K. Simmons might not ring a bell, he played, among zillions of roles, the psychiatrist Dr. Emil Skoda in the original “Law and Order”. During filming he was a young 67 years old.
  • Adam Bartley plays the bearded troublesome neighbor Byron. Previously I have strongly recommended the long-running series “Longmire” in which Bartley plays the clean-shaven “The Ferg”. During filming he was a mere child of 43 years age.

Rest assured that the startling ending of episode 8 obviously demands another season. Season 1 certainly had me hooked.

2021, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Action sequences, Amnesia, Attempted Murder, Based on a Book, Binge worthy, Bizarre Episodes, Bromance, Cancer theme, Complicated, Contract Killing, Contract Torture, Corrupt policemen, Dancing, Detective, Disturbing Image, Everybody lies, Flashbacks, Forensics, Friendship, Harlan Coben, Maudlin, Mediocre Acting, Missing Person, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Occasional gore, Occasionaly violent, Plot mismanagement, Psychopath, Reconciliation, Ruthless Killer, Serial Killer, Surprise Ending, Torture, Unexpected Ending

Stay Close (2021)

From Netflix:

As her wedding approaches, Megan Pierce is troubled by a visitor from her past. Det. Mike Broome finds a new disappearance reminiscent of a cold case.

From Netflix you can stream 8 episodes of this Harlan Coben mystery thriller. Each episode lasts about 50 minutes.

Harlan Coben is a very successful writer whose stories are always clever and gripping.  Sadly this particular adaptation, while still worth a binge watch, has a few flaws. For example, at the end of episode 6 Megan and her daughter are trapped in a locked room in the police station while the assassins have gained entrance to the building and killed an officer. But at the start of episode 7 Megan and her daughter are somehow perfectly safe and being interviewed by police officers.  Such “miracle resolutions” seem to occur often in streaming thrillers, possibly because the writers could not find a way out of a messy situation.

Acting is not first-rate.  Scenes between detective Michael Broome and bar owner Lorraine are often mawkish.

Among the villains there is a man and woman couple who as hired assassins, while on route to torture and kill someone, suddenly break out into a Broadway dance routine. Talk about strangely inappropriate!  However, the couple portray perfect psychopaths.

But never mind these objections. For me and for other reviewers the final conclusion is a shocking revelation.  Give this show a B+ and enjoy the gore.

2015, Afghanistan, Anxiety Attacks, Cover-up, French Soldiers, Kanopy streaming, Military, Missing Person, Must suspend disbelief, Mysterious Disappearance, Panic Attacks, Paranormal theme, Psychological Tension, Religious Theme, Sheep Farmers, Slow, Suspense, Taliban, Unexpected Ending, Unusual

Neither Heaven Nor Earth (2015)

From Kanopy:

French Army Captain Antares Bonassieu and his squad are assigned to monitor a remote valley of Wakhan, Afghanistan on the border of Pakistan. Negotiating control of the region between local shepherds and possible Taliban sympathizers grows more and more tenuous for them as men from all sides start mysteriously disappearing. Unable to explain this eerie phenomenon, the soldiers find themselves embroiled in an existential nightmare, desperate for their own safety.

From Kanopy you can stream this 105 minute complete French film with English subtitles.

Films involving some paranormal occurrence are often second-rate. But in this military themed film, there is nothing cheesy about the paranormal disappearances of both soldiers and Afghans.  What is palpable throughout is the increasingly desperate frustration of Captain Bonassieu (played by Jérémie Renier) and his men to explain what is happening.  Even if the solution suggested to the soldiers by a young Afghan shepherd seems implausible, it hardly matters to the story.  More important and really central to the drama is the mounting tension, its psychological effect on the troops, and how to explain the disappearances to their loved ones back home. Bonassieu’s final act of self-sacrifice is clever and unexpected.

Slow moving and clearly a genre that may not appeal to everyone, this film presents, nonetheless, a rather unique and possibly moving plot.