MovieChat Forums > The Company (2007) Discussion > Could there have been a worse ending? (S...

Could there have been a worse ending? (SPOILER ALERT)

posted 17 years ago by pdrinks
16 replies | jump to latest

In general, the mini-series was good, but I had MAJOR problems with the ending:

Wasn’t it suspicious that Leo had the forgiveness of a saint after his release from the CIA prison/ torture chamber? Sure Jesus said, "Father forgive them for they do not know what they do" from the cross, but He is the 2nd person of the Holy Trinity! The Leo portrayed was not saintly, and his reaction was not of human nature.

Then Jack figures out the Leo REALLY is the mole, responsible for probably countless deaths and one of the THE major enemies of the USA and he shows up at Leo's house to confront him...unarmed and alone! A top CIA agent would do something this stupid?

And who would believe that Eliabet would hook up with Yefgelny again? What was she thinking?: "Sure, I just spent decades of my life wasting away in a rat hole because of you and your ilk; but because we had sex over a period of weeks almost 40 years ago...why not try a relationship with you again?" Incredulous again!

I also didn't buy Jack releasing Yefgelny to find Leo. Then he finds Leo, and basically does nothing of consequence. Leo screwed up Jack's life personally and professionally...again, outside of human nature.

Someone else posted on another thread (sorry I didn’t remember your name to give you credit): "And Jack's line at the end didn't seem to fit at all with everything he's been through. "Who were we again?" I mean, yes, they made some terrible mistakes where people were killed because of their lack of action because of their bias' and insecurities but those people were killed by the KGB and the Soviet government who were killing and oppressing millions as a way of government! America was/is far from a perfect noble nation but we look like damn saints compared to the slaughter and disregard for human life let alone rights the USSR had."

What is he saying? There's no right or wrong? And the reply he got: "We won, didn't we?" Then, the show ends! Incredible.

[–] ACNotch08 17 years ago

Jack was armed when he went to Leo's house... Leo pulls a pistol from a shoulder holster as he stands over Jack. As for the rest, some of it is plausable, some of it is a little bit of a stretch.

[–] angelofvic 17 years ago

I'd answer you but I've already answered both of these points on other threads, including a response directly to you. ;)

. . . . . . . .

[–] sights0d 17 years ago

I have to admit... all good points. I chalk it up to editing. It just looks like they rushed the story. They also went in for trying to move the story along instead of letting it flow naturally. I still enjoyed the show... but you are correct in that they went a bit off on the reality factor.

[–] angelofvic 17 years ago

Sights0d -- I can't tell if you are talking to me or to the OP. You replied to me (and thus I got an e-mail notification of your reply). I believe you meant to reply to the OP.

. . . . . . . .

[–] vijayneeraj 17 years ago

I thought the ending of the book was a lot better, with Leo Kritsky being killed during the Russian coup trying to stop a tank

[–] ACNotch08 17 years ago

Thanks ass hole, I just bought the book at borders yesterday.

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] christina42007 17 years ago

Didn't you hear what Jack said to Eugene before he released him? he said his mother Russia was crumbling... That is why he realeased him the Cold War was over...As for not killing Leo...Jack was portrayed as chivalrous so perhaps it isnt in his nature to kill Leo... as he said "he was already dead..."Leo had nothing

[–] pebblechen 16 years ago

I agree most of the points. There is more problem with Jack's response to the fact that his lifetime friend is the mole. Jack lost his love in Berlin, never married, and Leo is almost his family (from all those photos together). He seemed too calm for all these - perhaps he is tough, or perhpas the acting is bad...

[–] sandors_siren 15 years ago

Yeah, a bit too much, that ending. I guess the Yefgeny-Elisabet ending was one for the girls I guess, true depp passioante love and all. The rest....I dunno I'd have offed Leo without batting an eyelid.

But I didn't go into this expecting the world's greatest mini series...I actually merely wanted to be entertained, and saw it because I noticed it had Rory Cochrane in it, and I tend to like him, even in stinkers. To be honest, when it started and I heard his accent and he was supposed to be Russian, I thought "noooo", but they quickly explained it away.

Stupidity is the basic building block of the universe.~Frank Zappa

[–] HabaneroBuck 15 years ago

I was thoroughly entertained by all three episodes on DVD, and I had no problem going along with many of the quibbles that arose during the viewing, but I have absolutely no idea how all of those events could have taken place and then McAuliffe wants to know at the end who were the good guys? There is nothing, NOTHING, in this movie that anywhere tarnishes the US as the bad guys, just that we failed at some of the goals we wanted to accomplish during the Cold War. No military support for Hungary, no air support for the Cuban rebels...well, those were tough calls, but it doesn't make us equal to the Soviets!

If anything, this story portrays us as basically liberating the world from communism if it wasn't for the British agent and Kritzky!

[–] canuckteach 14 years ago

Just bought the miniseries on DVD after seeing the trailer (somewhere) - yes, sounds like the book ending was better: I wanted to see Leo `offed` at the end also. didn`t see any comments in here about Leo`s wife, but I believe she committed suicide--she knew about Leo`s activities. (He also claimed he never took a penny for his dirty work for the Soviets--this guy was a true Socialist, unlike Ames, in real life, who should have been nailed for living several levels up from his pay grade as a result of KGB payoffs).

So, in the end, who was happy? all the KGB guys and double-agents were ignored and isolated, including the KGB mastermind who a drooling looney-tune. Yevgeny could well have re-united with his long-lost love Elizabet - females (particularly Jewish) coming from years in the gulags with their youth and beauty well past might indeed have missed the opportunity to marry. These two were fortunate to salvage something. The grand scheme to overthrow Capitalism failed.

Still, when Jack says Leo was already dead, it rings true: his kids grown and married back in the USA, raising grandchildren he`d never see; no one in the new regime cares what he thinks, etc. not quite the `Hero of the Soviet Empire`.

I thought Philby was a similar outcome: living in a shabby Russian apartment, longing for the suits on Savile Row in London, or the fine dining in Washington with his highly-placed intellectual friends.

So, maybe the ending was a bit forced - but not that far off.. in the end, the Russians played the espionage game much better - but Jack & the Sorcerer were still aboard a functioning Western regime. I get it.

:-) canuckteach (--:

[–] Streen-1 13 years ago

Or perhaps he is working as a spy for the CIA.

Not exactly an environment which promotes emotional expression.

I found the ending perfect by the way.

--------------------------------
Who goes around, comes around!

[–] Dukhat 14 years ago

A lot of it does make sense actually but you have to suspend your disbelief.

1) He forgave quickly because it's a tv show and wasting a lot of time on it is not really interesting.

2) Leo was his best friend and a brother. It was emotionally charged.

3) People cling on to things to survive in a concentration camp. Previous lovers is one of them. And they are both old. It's not like they have other options.

4) Cold war is over. Prisoners of wars are generally released after wars are over (unless you're a prisoner of some brutish country like North VIetnam).

5) He devoted his whole life to the game. And in the end his team won the game. Imagine a game of poker. Some guy picks on you the whole time and makes your life miserable, but in the end you still win the tournament. What's the point of going back and getting the guy?

People don't all respond the same way, they respond differently in response to the same events and actions.

This is the way he chose to act.

RIP Firefly, Arrested Development.

[–] schlaflosig 12 years ago

Jack's line at the end didn't seem to fit at all with everything he's been through. "Who were we again?"

I was born in Soviet Russia and I totally agree with you on this. This moment in the film was totally out of place. What the hell? How can he question that US level of civil rights & liberties is better than living in Soviet totalitarian prison in constant fear?

So have no doubts, Jack, you were definitely the good guys. It is thanks to you that I didn't have to spend my whole life in USSR.

Leo, on the other hand, is a hypocrite, claiming to be idealist, believing that Soviet way of life is somehow better. He couldn't have honestly believed that. He lived in US for decades, he had free access to information, he could see that people are risking their lives, trying to escape from Warsaw pact countries, being shot by the border guards, but trying to get out to live in free Western countries.

And there was nobody who did the same trying to get to live in Soviet block. So no honest person could see that and still claim that Soviet way of life is better.

[–] fanaticita 9 years ago

What did Jack mean whey he said Leo was "already dead"? Meaning that there was nothing left for Leo. .. time moved on and left him with no country to spy for, or was Leo ill? He didn't look very healthy when he was talking with Jack on the park bench.