American Assassin Ending Explained

Summary

• Mitch Rapp saves the day by tracking down and killing the mercenary Ghost, who planned to nuke the Sixth Fleet.
• The ending sets up Rapp’s plan to assassinate General Rostami as revenge for his role in the nuclear attack.
• Hurley has a change of heart and saves Rapp in the finale, thanking him for saving him while redeeming himself for what happened to Ghost.

American Assassin’s ending sees Mitch Rapp saving the day before wrapping up one final loose end. Based on the bestselling Mitch Rapp book series, American Assassin opens with the title character’s fiancee being killed during a terrorist attack. Rapp then dedicates himself to hunting down the group responsible, and his efforts see him recruited by the CIA for their black ops unit, Orion, headed by Michael Keaton’s gruff Hurley. Despite Rapp’s brash nature and habit of ignoring orders, he’s a natural. Soon, Orion is tasked with hunting down mercenary “Ghost” (Taylor Kitsch), who has obtained nuclear material.

It soon becomes clear Ghost is acting under directions from Iranian hardliners, who oppose their government’s nuclear deal with America. The hunt for Ghost takes Rapp and Orion to Istanbul and then Rome, where Ghost eventually captures Hurley. The latter is revealed to be Ghost’s mentor, and Hurley correctly deduces Ghost’s plot to nuke the Sixth Fleet. The Dylan O’Brien movie’s finale sees Rapp track down Ghost and chase him onto a boat armed with the bomb; Mitch kills Ghost and throws the nuke overboard. Hurley arrives in a helicopter to save Rapp, and the two fly to safety.

Why Did Ghost Want To Nuke The Sixth Fleet?

Did Hurley really turn Ghost/Ronnie into a monster?

For most of American Assassin, Ghost is like a dark mirror to Rapp. They were both trained by Hurley and are almost supernaturally gifted in combat, only Ghost has sold his talents to the highest bidder. The third act reveals Ghost was once a patriot who saw Hurley as a surrogate father. After being given up for dead by Orion, Ghost suffered horrific torture and has been planning his revenge. While interrogating Hurley, Ghost betrayals the hardliners, executing them and revealing his plan to nuke the fleet.

This is a suicide mission on Ghost’s part, as he blames Hurley and the CIA for making him a “monster.” Hurley (naturally) doesn’t betray much emotion to Ghost – whose real name is Ronnie – but he does appear to regret what happened to his former student.

The Meaning Behind Rapp’s Final Elevator Scene

American Assassin’s final moments wrap up a loose end

While one of the hardliners responsible for the nuke is killed in American Assassin’s finale, the other – General Rostami (Joseph Long) – uses the failure of his Ghost deal to his political advantage. Rostami is a leading candidate to become Iran’s president and claims the CIA was responsible for the nuclear attack on the fleet. While recovering, Hurley watches a news item on Rostami while talking to CIA Deputy Director Kennedy (Sanaa Lathan). They both wonder where Rapp disappeared to following the mission – only for realization to dawn on them both.

American Assassin’s final scene follows Rostami and his entourage entering an elevator, where a smiling Rapp nods to him as the doors close. The implication is that Rapp is about to assassinate Rostami to stop his rise to power and as revenge for the general’s part in the nuclear weapon plot that got his friend Annika killed.

American Assassin
is currently available to stream on Netflix.

Why Does Hurley Come Back For Rapp?

Michael Keaton’s mentor has a sudden change of heart

Hurley is American Assassin’s standout character and has little room for emotion or sentiment. When one of his recruits, Victor (Scott Adkins) is killed by Ghost during a mission, he states to Rapp that Victor “doesn’t exist” anymore and isn’t worth thinking about. Throughout the story, Hurley keeps reminding his team nobody will rescue them if they get caught, so when Ghost captures him, he believes his fate is sealed. Of course, Rapp defies orders and storms Ghost’s base, saving Hurley in the process.

Bruce Willis was originally cast as
American Assassin’s
Hurley before dropping out.

After killing Ghost, Rapp plans to drive the boat with the nuclear device as far from the fleet as possible. That’s when Hurley arrives in a helicopter, ordering Rapp to drop the bomb into the sea before boarding the chopper. Hurley saving Rapp is his way of thanking the latter for saving him and redemption for what became of Ghost/Ronnie, whom he previously left to die. That said, Hurley does tell Rapp “Don’t get used to it, son,” after the latter tells him he shouldn’t have come back.

Annika’s Sacrifice Explained

Orion is joined on their hunt for the nuke by Turkish agent Annika (Shiva Negar), who grows close to Rapp during the mission. However, she accidentally reveals she knows more about Ghost than she should, and Rapp discovers Annika is a mole for Iranian intelligence. Despite this, she’s still determined to stop the nuke, with American Assassin’s third act seeing Rapp break her out of custody so they can find Ghost’s base together.

When Ghost is about to make his escape, he captures Annika and uses her as a hostage. Like Rapp, she is haunted by losing loved ones and refuses to be Ghost’s puppet. Annika then grabs Ghost’s gun and forces him to shoot her in the head, giving Rapp a shot at the mercenary. Rapp doesn’t have much time to mourn Annika though, since the nuclear weapon is still in play.

How The Sixth Fleet Survives The Nuclear Blast

American Assassin isn’t based on a true story but it feels relatively grounded throughout, feeling like an extended episode of 24. It saves the big money shot for the finale, where Rapp drops the nuclear weapon into the sea before it can detonate. The bomb creates a large sinkhole that quickly consumes Ghost’s boat before a shockwave slams into the Sixth Fleet.

Thankfully, the detonation in the water cushioned the effects of the explosion enough that while the fleet takes some damage, they’re not destroyed.

In a video for Insider exploring movie scenes involving nuclear explosions, physicist Greg Sprigg isn’t impressed with American Assassin’s finale. He calls into question the logic of the implosion effect that follows the bomb’s denotation, or the large shockwave that follows it; in summary, Sprigg gives the sequence a 2 out of 10.

Does American Assassin Set Up A Sequel?

American Assassin was supposed to launch a Mitch Rapp franchise

Rapp was created by Vince Flynn, with the character having appeared in over 20 novels to date. The American Assassin movie spent many years in development hell, where stars such as Chris Hemsworth circled the role before Dylan O’Brien was cast. The hope was that the film would launch a Mitch Rapp franchise, but despite the implications of the final elevator scene, American Assassin does not directly tease a sequel.

Vince Flynn passed away in 2013, with the Mitch Rapp novels being taken over by author Kyle Mills.

A 2017 article in TwinCities revealed producers were thinking of Kill Shot as a potential American Assassin sequel. This story featured Rapp being framed and going on the run in Paris, sparking a manhunt. Given how little respect Rapp had for authority in American Assassin, Kill Shot sounds like a logical next chapter for a sequel. However, the first entry wasn’t much of a success, so no further Mitch Rapp adventures have happened – at least, not yet.

Source: Insider, TwinCities