Spoilers are ahead for Knox Goes Away’s ending.
Summary
Knox Goes Away’s ending is fitting for a crime thriller that boasts a genuinely unique — though sometimes flawed — premise. Directed by Michael Keaton (Birdman),Knox Goes Awaycenters on John “Aristotle” Knox (also Keaton), a contract killerwith a love of literature. Estranged from his wife, Ruby (Marcia Gay Harden), and his adult son, Miles (James Marsden), Knox’s partner-in-crime, Thomas “Tommy” Muncie (Ray McKinnon), is also his closest friend. Things take a truly novel turn when Knox is diagnosed with a fast-movingform of dementia called Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, leaving him with weeks to live.
Deciding he would rather cash out and retire from the business, Knox begins to make arrangements, but accepts one last mission. After Knox accidentally kills Tommy during the hit, the contract killer finds his world turned even further upside down when Miles shows up on his doorstep, tearfully explaining that he killed a man who assaulted his teenage daughter.Knox Goes Away’s cast of charactersis rounded out by Detective Emily Ikari (Suzy Nakamura), who investigates the two murders. Meanwhile, a troubledKnox tries to meticulously cover up the accidental crimesbefore his fast-moving disease takes hold.
John Knox Winds Up In Prison & Loses His Mental Faculties
Knox Takes The Fall For His Son Because He Only Has Weeks To Live
At the end ofKnox Goes Away, John does just that. Instead of taking a trip out of town, however, he’s arrested for both murders by Detective Ikari.Michael Keaton’s underrated thrillerends with Miles visiting his father in prison. The moment takes place several weeks after Knox’s arrest, which means his aggressive form of dementia has really taken hold.Unable to recognize Miles, Knox is later transferred to a medical facility, which is where he’ll spend whatever short amount of time he has left. InKnox Goes Away’s final shot, a catatonic Knox stares out the window, completely gone.
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Xavier Crane Helps Plot An Elaborate Scheme To Pin The Murders On John
Knox Retrieves The Fortune He Leaves To Miles & Ruby
John Knox’s friend and colleague, former thief Xavier Crane (Al Pacino), helps the contract killer invent a flawless plan that will clear Miles' name and secure Knox’s retirement money for his estranged family. Initially,Knox meticulously cleans the crime scene, taking care to remove any evidence that will incriminate his son. Although Knox saves evidence for later, his true intentions aren’t revealed for a while. Although Miles ends up in prison for a short time, it’s clearly all part of Knox and Xavier’s multistep scheme. Knox even visits Miles in prison, planting a motive that will be useful later on.
Well aware of Knox’s progressing dementia, Annie chooses to rat him out…
When Knox goes to retrieve a stash of diamonds from a family cabin, he gets lost in the woods, forcing him to reach out to Xavier for help. At home, Knox is ambushed by Annie (Joanna Kulig), the woman he’s been seeing, and a crew of burglars. Well aware of Knox’s progressing dementia, Annie chooses to rat him out to the unseen crime boss, Jericho. Making quick work of the henchmen, Knox tells Annie that he was always going to leave her something. Ultimately,Knox’s cashed-out “retirement” money goes to Miles and Ruby, but Annie gets his book collection.
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Knox Meticulously Plants & Tampers With Evidence
The Contract Killer Arranges His Own Arrest & Miles' “Betrayal”
After his run-in with Annie, an increasingly addled Knox calls Xavier again. Although Al Pacino’s character wishes Knox well, he calls the police, which is the next step in their carefully plotted plan. Upon arresting Knox, Detective Ikari and her team discover that the evidence found at Miles' house, which landed him in prison, was tampered with. To make matters more interesting, it seems like John Knox planted the evidence — and, of course, that’sexactlywhat happened. With the police convinced that John framed Miles for the murders,Miles is released from prison and John takes his place.
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Knox Goes Away’s Ending Tackles Themes Of Redemption
Michael Keaton’s Knox Leaves Everything Behind
If anything,Michael Keaton’sKnox Goes Awayis overly ambitious. It tries to juggle a ton of plot threads and themes, but fails to properly execute any of them in a meaningful way. The subplot with Annie is a perfect example of the bloat issue. While the film’s hook — a contract killer racing against the clock to save his son from being sent to prison for murder — is compelling,Knox Goes Awayalso attempts to be a movie about an absentee fatherfinally doing what’s best for his child, which is, partly, why Knox takes the blame.
Keaton’s film definitely tries its best to frame John Knox as noble…
John Knox knows that he doesn’t have much time left thanks to his rapidly progressing form of dementia.Saddled with a lifetime of regrets, Knox is finally presented with the opportunity to truly help his son.Of course, Miles' predicament — an accidental murder — allows John Knox to use his particular set of skills to earn that redemption. Keaton’s film definitely tries its best to frame John Knox as noble in the end. Although he’s made plenty of mistakes, Knox uses his last days of lucidity for his family’s benefit, endingKnox Goes Awayon an interesting note.
As of July 2024,Knox Goes Awayis streaming on Max.
Knox Goes Away
Michael Keaton stars in and directs Knox Goes Away, a crime-thriller film that initially premiered in 2023 at the Toronto International Film Festival. John Knox, a hitman, has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of dementia. After his new condition causes one of his contract jobs to go wrong, he decides to retire - until his son appears at his door, having committed a crime he has no way out of. Racing against time, Knox utilizes his skills and connections to save his son before dementia completely takes hold of his mind.
